The Story of Us: From Cosmic Dawn to the Depths of Being

What if the feeling you call “God” was never meant to be contained inside a building? In this Season 2 finale of The Story of Us , Jeff reflects on the moments that leave us speechless—the overwhelming awe of standing beneath the vaulted ceilings of Notre-Dame, the impossible beauty of La Sagrada Familia, the silence of a mountain range, the pull of a night sky filled with stars. Part travel refle...

What happens when an entire people are forced to hide who they are… for generations? In this episode of The Story of Us , Jeff sits down with Yaffah Batya daCosta—educator, speaker, and advocate for the descendants of the “Secret Jews,” families who were forced to convert during the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions while quietly preserving pieces of their identity in secret. But this conversati...

What does it really mean to raise a “good” human? Not a high achiever. Not a perfectly behaved child. But someone who is kind, grounded, resilient… and emotionally aware. In this episode of The Story of Us , Jeff sits down with educator, consultant, and author Rosemary Olender—who has spent decades working inside classrooms, schools, and family systems—to explore what actually shapes a child. This...

What does it actually feel like…to stand at the edge of your life…and try to figure out who you’re going to become? In this special NextGen episode of The Story of Us , Jeff sits down with Max McGuire—recent University of Tennessee graduate, adventurer, artist, and someone stepping into adulthood in real time. This conversation is a little different. Max isn’t just a guest—he’s someone Jeff knows...

Episode Title She Sold Everything to Sail the World… Here’s What She Found | Alison Gieschen Episode Description What happens when you walk away from everything you’ve built… and choose a life most people only dream about? In this episode of The Story of Us , Jeff sits down with Alison Gieschen—author, storyteller, and global sailor—who made a bold decision alongside her husband to sell everything...

Some lives don't follow a script. They follow a feeling — an inexplicable something that whispers just loud enough to be heard over the noise of the ordinary. Calvin Schwartz has been listening to that whisper his whole life, and what it's led him to is nothing short of extraordinary. Calvin joins us today as the host of We the Species , a podcast over 700 conversations deep that explores the big,...

What does it actually mean to be a “tough guy”? Lately, that definition feels… off. Somewhere along the way, toughness has been confused with anger. Strength with cruelty. Confidence with tearing other people down. In this solo episode of The Story of Us , Jeff steps back and challenges that idea. This one is personal. Through the lens of his son Brady—a welder, diesel mechanic, and what most woul...

Something feels… off. The world we thought we understood doesn’t quite make sense anymore. Institutions feel shaky. The rules seem unclear. And underneath it all, there’s this quiet, persistent question: Is everything falling apart… or are we being pushed into something new? In this episode of The Story of Us , Jeff sits down with Scott Paradis—retired U.S. Army Colonel, Congressional Fellow, and...

From Big Bang to Space Colonies (13.8 Billion Years in Under 90 Minutes) | with Richard Anderson What if the story of your life didn't begin when you were born — but 13.8 billion years ago in a single flash of energy that contained, quite literally, everything? In this episode of The Story of Us: From Cosmic Dawn to the Depths of Being, we sit down with Richard Anderson — molecular biologist, clin...

This episode carries a different weight—one built not on tragedy alone, but on quiet, relentless strength. Jeff sits down with Shannon Carmichael Crawford, a Louisville native, former record-breaking swimmer, teacher, mother, and now fierce advocate. Her story moves from a joyful childhood and deep-rooted friendships to a life reshaped by profound challenges—and purpose. Shannon and her late husba...

You've changed. More than you know. More than you're probably comfortable admitting. Not gradually. Not just a little. Fundamentally. Repeatedly. And you're not done yet. In this rare and deeply personal solo episode, host Jeff Ellison steps away from the guest chair and turns the microphone — and the mirror — on himself. What begins with an ordinary Tuesday morning and a steamed-up bathroom mirro...

What if the world's great wisdom traditions aren't competing with one another — but have been quietly agreeing for thousands of years? In this episode of The Story of Us, Jeff sits down with Chris Morehouse, author of the remarkable book Legacy: Wisdom of African Traditions and the Bible — a seven-year labor of love that places nearly 300 African proverbs alongside biblical scripture, not to blur...

What happens when the hardest moments of life become the seed for a lifelong mission? In this episode of The Story of Us , Jeff Ellison sits down with Jill Chalsty , founder of the global life-skills initiative Overcoming Obstacles and author of Packets of Hope . Jill shares the remarkable journey that began with childhood bullying and evolved into a curriculum that has reached over 180 million st...

Jack Hager joins Jeff Ellison for a raw, wide-ranging conversation tracing his journey from a transient military childhood and early addiction, to combat in Vietnam, involvement in smuggling and organized crime, and a 10-year prison sentence. In a Texas jail cell—through boredom, books, and an unexpected encounter with the Gospels—Jack experiences a faith conversion that reshapes his worldview and...

What if becoming stronger has less to do with pushing harder … and more to do with yielding ? In this conversation, Jeff Ellison sits down with Jeff Patterson —martial artist, meditation teacher, and author of The Yielding Warrior —to explore the surprising intersection of combat and consciousness . With 36+ years of training (and black belt equivalencies across multiple disciplines), Jeff could a...

In this special solo episode of The Story of Us , Jeff reflects on a truth many of us have forgotten: We are not machines. On the heels of his conversation with Melanie Love ( Let It Be Enough ), Jeff explores the deeper cultural and biological forces that keep us overworked, overstimulated, and overwhelmed. Why do we treat ourselves like devices — charging overnight, powering through daylight, ru...

In this Valentine’s Day episode of The Story of Us , Jeff sits down with Melanie Love — a former investment manager turned chronic pain advocate and founder of (un)block — for a deeply honest conversation about reinvention, healing, and embodiment. Jeff first met Melanie at an event hosted by Season 1 guest Molly Jones. What began as an organic connection around chronic pain and shared purpose tur...

What if travel isn’t about where we go — but about who we become along the way? In this episode of The Story of Us: From Cosmic Dawn to the Depths of Being , Jeff Ellison is joined by Doug Brouwer , Presbyterian pastor, author, and lifelong traveler, for a conversation that feels less like an interview and more like a shared walk on a winding path. Doug has spent more than four decades in ministry...

Welcome back to The Story of Us: From Cosmic Dawn to the Depths of Being. In this opening episode of Season Two, I want to slow things down for a moment and let you into the why behind this project—how it started, what Season One taught me, and why we’re continuing the journey together. This episode is part reflection, part gratitude, part gentle nudge forward. I share how turning 50, navigating c...

We’re wrapping Season 1 of The Story of Us —and closing the book on 2025—with a cup of coffee (maybe the 12th), a little laughter, and a lot of heart. From an imperfect first recording around a kitchen table to conversations about pain, compassion, mental health, faith, and the sacred “middle lane” of life, Season 1 was about learning to listen—and remembering why stories matter. In this finale, J...

“Some people become like a sunrise; others like a storm over the ocean. Both are beautiful in their own way.” In this deeply personal — and often hilarious — father-son conversation, Jeff sits down with his 23-year-old son, Brady Ellison , to reflect on the journey of becoming a man. Brady opens up about growing up a camo-clad, Lego-scattering, ninja-star-crafting kid who could break an AC unit fa...

In this solo episode of The Story of Us: From Cosmic Dawn to the Depths of Being , Jeff Ellison pulls on his 1990 J-Town All-Stars gear, climbs into the time machine, and takes us from pay phones and Blockbuster late fees to the always-on, always-scrolling world we live in today. Born in 1975—the same year as Microsoft, home Pong, and the Betamax—Jeff and his buddies have lived through more techno...

Recorded at Jeff's kitchen table on a cold, rainy late October night, this conversation traces a lineage of people helping people . Molly Cassaro Jones—daughter of Irish and Italian second-generation immigrant families—grew up watching her grandfather defend dispossessed renters in Depression-era New York, her mother choose integration in 1960s Florida (“because I can make this choice now”), and h...

Every now and then, a story steps out of the noise and reminds us what leadership really looks like. In this episode of The Story of Us , host Jeff Ellison sits down with Drake Ballard — a long time friend and former collegiate athlete whose life lessons on the baseball diamond have become a blueprint for compassion, grit, and human connection. Drake’s journey takes us from Little League dugouts i...

Host Jeff Ellison sits down with longtime friend Paul Osting — athlete, engineer, entrepreneur, and founder of Peacemakers Elder Care — to explore faith, family, and the courage to “run to the roar.” Inspired by Mark Batterson’s Chase the Lion , Paul’s story reminds us that peace isn’t found in comfort, but in choosing to live with purpose and heart. Together, Jeff and Paul explore the power of me...