The Quest4Life Podcast

Human motivation is multifaceted and multilayered. That is obvious. What is less obvious are the reasons why. One primary reason is the idea of self-reinforcing behavior, which is the process by which people control their own behavior by rewarding themselves when they achieve a certain standard or meet or exceed a goal. This reward is born out of the desire to maximize real or perceived "payoffs"...

David Hollenbach's story is one of heroism and tragedy. He knows what it's like to save lives and help others through unimaginable struggle and also knows the pain that comes with not being able to save everyone. As a veteran of the United States Navy, and having served 23 years in the fire service holding numerous leadership positions, David is the definition of what it means to be a hero and kno...

How open minded are you? Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10. If you're like most people, the rating will be fairly high. After all, who wants to consider themselves or be considered closed-minded. This is a fascinating perspective with regard to the echo chambers in which we live our lives, particularly when we take an honest look at why it is so challenging to spend time in the discomfort of altern...

If you've ever been the victim of gaslighting from a romantic partner, friend, parent, co-worker, or boss, this episode with strike a chord. If not, consider yourself lucky. The term and expression, "gaslighting," is a colloquialism that is loosely defined as a form of psychological manipulation designed to have someone question their reality, sow self-doubt, and deferring their own decision makin...

We all put things off. Does that mean we are procrastinators? Not necessarily. Technically speaking, procrastination is the CHRONIC avoidance of unpleasant tasks and/or the active pursuit of distractions that are more enjoyable than the tasks we must complete. As with anything, procrastination takes various forms and has psychological roots grounded in low self-confidence, anxiety, and/or a lack o...

Imagine you go to bed one evening with full use of your body and wake up the next morning and you can't move your left arm. Now imagine that persisting for the next 5 years. That's what Brian Clate experienced until he was able to go inward to discover how his own self-limiting beliefs were leading his body to "keep score." It turns out, Brian's life was all about "winning" - at sports, career, st...

It's been said that where your eyes go, you go. Whether you are a driver, motorcyclist, bike rider, skier, or the like, our vehicles and our bodies go where our eyes are focused. And where our attention and focus goes, so goes our energy, which can go one of two ways: 1) paying attention to and focusing on the negative leads to negative energy; or 2) paying attention to and focusing on the positiv...

Think about a time when you thought you "arrived." This could be a significant event or achievement, such as graduating high school or college, getting a job or promotion, or getting married. What you likely realized shortly after accomplishing each of those goals is that there was something next. And while there are "arrivals," there is no such thing at "arriving," and in order to prepare yoursel...

If you're the type of person that is passionate about personal growth, transforming your life and the lives of others, and living out your purpose, you've come to the right place. Season #2 of The Quest4Life Podcast will pick up where Season #1 left off, by focusing on ways in which you, me, everyone can go about looking at our lives differently to bring about better both for ourselves and the peo...

For those of you that know me, and, now, for those of you that don't know me, I am not an overly sentimental or "touchy-feely" person. While the intensity of my love for others runs deep, I tend NOT to do a good job communicating...or, at least, communicating it often enough. That's what this episode - the Season #1 Finale - is about. It's about me making myself vulnerable in a public forum commun...

It's been said that we all must suffer one of two pains in life: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The former can lead to a life filled with joy and fulfillment while the latter leads to a long-lasting pain that is difficult to release. As with anything, we have a choice. We can choose to live more intentionally and with greater discipline despite the fact that it isn't "sexy" to do so...

James Heppner's life worked until it didn't. For more than two years, James's struggle led him to sleeping 18 1/2 hours per day and it nearly cost him everything. His turnaround, however, is nothing short of remarkable and, today, he thinks of himself as "an artist of experience" and he lives out his passion and purpose by creating transformational experiences for himself and others as a way to ex...

Have you ever wondered if there was an addiction to perfection before social media? After, people like to paint a picture of their lives as some sort of utopia whereby everything from the food they cook to blemish-free skin is presented as "unicorns and rainbows." While there is no doubt that the pursuit of perfection has always been a thing, it seems as though it's on display to a far greater deg...

One of the most common forms of psychological and emotional manipulation in relationships are guilt trips. For people on the receiving end o f a guilt trip, once it dawns on them that they are being manipulated it can lead to anger and resentment, which ultimately damages the relationships. For the guilt inducers, or "guilt trippers," they engage in that type of manipulation to get what they want,...

By any measurable standard, Carrie Schmidt had it all. She made it to the top of the corporate ladder as a model for what leadership truly is despite having overcome many hardships earlier in life. Despite all of her success, Carrie felt unfulfilled, like there was more to life. Today, as the Founder and CEO of Infinite SOULutions, she helps transform people's lives personally and professionally....

Most of us have experienced moments in our lives where we felt like a fake, a phony, or a fraud. It is a surprisingly normal part of the human condition. In fact, psychological research informs us that ~70% of adults have experienced what is known as "Imposter Syndrome," which is when a person cannot bring themselves to believe that their accomplishments were a result of their efforts and abilitie...

Do opposites attract? Can we give others we don't possess for ourselves? How can paying compliments improve our relationships? How can we become more gracious and grateful for the compliments we receive? Each of these questions are answered (AND MORE!) are answered and learning about the answers can provide significant value to your life. Understanding how all of this works will allow you to have...

Being able to persuade anyone - or, at least, becoming more persuasive - is a skill everyone can develop. Unfortunately, many people try to beat people over the head with their argument or perspective, which is both off-putting and highly ineffective at getting people to give you something you want. After all, we need to give other people a reason to give us something. Fortunately, there are effec...

There is no doubt that when you, me, anyone receives criticism, it stings. The question is: How should we respond in the face of the criticism? From some people, being criticized wrecks their self-esteem and they go on the attack. For others, they are able to find truth in the criticism in order to become a better version of themselves. Be sure to check out this episode to learn 5 strategies you c...

The psychology of decision-making is fascinating, especially when we consider what motivates us. When making consequential decisions, most people tend to focus on the potential loss or what they stand to lose rather than emphasizing the potential gain. While this is a "normal" function of the human brain, it can limit our ability to enhance the meaning, value, and purpose in our lives. Thus, we li...

Most people think that they can handle or master performing many tasks simultaneously, but that simply isn't true. Neuroscience research is clear on this point. The human brain is unable to give 100% focus and attention on two or more things at the same time and attempting to do so makes us less efficient, less productive, and prone to mistakes. Fortunately, there are answers, and this episode pro...

Interviews are stressful. We all know this. But what if we could make them less stressful? What if we could have a better understanding of the various ways interviews are structured and how you can know what to expect? What if you could walk out of the interviewing knowing you didn't "lose?" This episode delves into ways you can go about minimizing your stress and anxiety so you can NAIL YOUR NEXT...

Most everyone likes Top 10 lists, especially those that can lead to improvements in their lives. In this episode, we dive into the list of things that kill relationships...from those that are seemingly obvious to others that are more subtle and insidious, with a handful of "Honorable Mentions" in the mix. Learn ways to enhance ALL of your relationships by avoiding these pitfalls...you'll be glad y...

It's likely that at some point in your life you've heard the expression: "Knowledge is power." That phrase, that sentiment has been, in many ways, blindly accepted as true, but, in reality, it is a myth, a fallacy. By itself, acquiring knowledge is good, but it fails to account for one fundamental thing: TAKING ACTION. This episode addresses how and why NOT sharing knowledge limits the growth and...

We all have emotional "baggage" that can undermine even our most meaningful relationships. This baggage serves as "triggers" or "hot buttons" that disallow us from regulating our words or behaviors in a given moment, which leads to relationship pain. Fortunately, like any other skill, we can improve our emotional intelligence and become better for ourselves so we can become better for others, espe...