The Thriveology Podcast For Thrive Nation

It's never too late!  Until it's too late! We all have an expiration date!  But up until then... there is time.  But don't take up too much time not getting there.  The sooner you do, the better your life will be, for as long as it goes on. Isn't that a dichotomy?  It's never too late to make a change.  But don't put it off! Here's the thing.  If there are things you have wanted to do, but haven't...

Life can turn in an instant:  a phone call, a letter, a knock on the door.  Everything you thought you knew, everything that was "normal" is pulled apart and thrown upside-down. In that heart-stopping moment, you know life will never be the same.  And sometimes, it can feel like life isn't just changed... but over. For Nada Hogan, that knock on the door was a pair of police officers.  While Nada w...

What happens when you do all the right things:  get the degrees, marry the "right person," and think you are living your dream... only to discover it is someone else's dream? You may just push on.  You may just run away.  Or you may stop and realize that YOU are the one who needs to change... to transform. Many times, that happens at midlife.  Call it a "crisis."  Or call it an "opportunity for tr...

Over the last 2 episodes, we have been talking about YOUR Engaged Life. How to build a life of passion, purpose, and presence. Amplifying that life through gratitude, spirituality, and awe. Here's the thing... not to be a downer here... you and I, we are going to die.  Someday. Likely, you don't know when that will happen.  I don't know when I will die.  I just know that it is in my future. Why do...

In the last episode of the podcast, I started a series on living The Engaged Life.  We continue that series in this episode. If you have focused on living those 3 P's of Passion, Purpose, and Presence, you can amplify your Engaged Life with attending to 3 areas.  All 3 come from within you.  You can bring more engagement, more connection, more depth, and more meaning into your life. Amplifying is...

Do you ever that you are "playing small"?  That there should be more to life?  More for YOU to do in life?  More your life should be about? That life you are thinking about... that is the Engaged Life.  Living with more engagement, more depth, more meaning... more purpose. Over the years, this has been a fairly constant refrain from clients:  "There should be more to life than THIS."  There is.......

I bet you hear it as much as I do.  You may even say it.  "I'm so stressed!"  The malady of the modern age.  Stressed out, exhausted, and frustrated. But what IS stress? As much as we toss that term around, sometimes almost as a badge of honor, you may not think about what that term is REALLY about. These days, I tend to push my body, physically.  I take a good long walk in the morning, usually do...

Like a broken record... or an endless audio loop.  Those thoughts that just keep turning in your mind.  Okay, in MY mind.  But I bet it happens to you, too. Let's say, hypothetically of course, that I get up to 2 emails.  One is complimentary, thanking me for resources, books, podcasts... things like that.  Then there is another email, critical and harsh, telling me how useless my info was. I read...

The gyms are emptying out.  The running shoes are no longer going out for runs.  Comfort food is replacing health food. What gives? February. Actually, it is just long enough that those resolutions made in January are starting to crumble. "I'll start exercising, start eating better, stop ______, stop ________."  You fill in the blanks.  Resolutions are usually starting something new or stopping so...

I don't know about you, but I don't much enjoy feeling fear.  I'd rather it not be a part of my life. And yet, it is. Fear is part of our wiring, deep in our DNA and deep in the circuitry of our brains. It keeps us safe -- sometimes super-safe.  Which is the problem. There is a central life coaching question:  "Where do you want to be?"  (Few people seek out coaching because everything is great, t...

"Where should I start?", my client asked. Lots of times, we want to make changes, we want things to be different.  And sometimes, we want things to be different before we make any changes. We want a different starting point. If you've ever been at a park or mall, looking at the map to figure out where to go, you might notice that one very important feature, "You Are Here."  It points to the spot w...

Kinda like taxes, tough days are unavoidable.  You may see the tough times coming.  But sometimes, they just roll right over us.  A conversation, a text, a phone call, or an event.  Something hits and the bad time is here. Some people will say that tough times are a sign that you are "off-course," not living right, not doing what you "should" be doing. But guess what?  One cost of living is dealin...

I always find it helpful to have some "rules" to live by.  Short statements that help keep me pointed in the right direction, ready to handle the challenges of life. And let's be honest:  challenges are an unavoidable part of life.  Those who tell you that having struggles, challenges, or illnesses is an indication that you are doing something wrong?  They are wrong and misguided.  Life is going t...

Anyone who tells you that you can go through life without getting hurt and feeling pain is either lying or hiding. Life is rough-and-tumble.  Pain is unavoidable. But there is a type of pain that we can leave behind.  That is more a result of our own thinking than anything external, any injury either physical or emotional. Call it "Dirty Pain."  Which is distinguished from "Clean Pain."  Clean pai...

The New Year.  It is upon us.  And along with the start of a new year is an opportunity for us to re-start.  To make some changes.  To find some ways to charge into the New Year, with a new approach.  Maybe even a new attitude! Many people make resolutions around this time.  And most of those resolutions are broken by February.  Gyms are full in January and quiet again in February.  Health foods f...

On multiple days each week, my wife and I play a game.  She points to a bruise and asks, "How'd that happen?" Fair question.  But I don't have a specific question.  All I can say is, "Rolling at jiu jitsu."  Yep, my 52 year old body has to tolerate my decision to take up jiu jitsu last January. A few months after I started going to jiu jitsu, I posted a podcast episode on Lessons I Learned At Jiu...

Have you noticed how we all like to keep things in a narrow band of comfort?  We keep our houses not-too-warm, not-too-cool.  Most homes, all year long, stay in a very narrow band of temperature. Most of us go to the same restaurants, listen to the same music, hang out with the same friends, and do the same activities.  Every now and then, something new.  And then, back to the comfortable. But not...

For me, "We'll See" was my philosophy of survival when I was sick. The doctor gave me a diagnosis with a bad prognosis.  Lots of ways I could be sick and die.  Lots of ways my body could betray me. Oh, and this was 15 years ago.  WebMD was the "go-to" for facts on how we would die from any symptom or condition.  So, family and friends let me know all the ways my body could fail me, based on my dia...

How much can any of us really know? But how often do we still choose to have an opinion on everything?  Someone asks about a topic, and we give an opinion.  Then, we have to back that opinion up. According to neuro-science, we look for evidence to support opinion we created, based on emotions.  In other words, our opinions often come first - based on emotions - and our reasons come second. That so...

If you are in the States, we are on the cusp of the Holiday season, kicking off with Thanksgiving in just a few days. For me, the Holidays throughout the year are moments to step into gratitude.  Not just in a little "thank you for that gift," but in a gratitude for being alive.  For being here.  For experiencing life. Each morning, while walking the neighborhood with my dog, Ziggy, I reflect on 5...

Blame is rampant in today's world.  We all quickly point the finger at someone/something else, proclaiming, "It's not my fault!" Interestingly, I also notice how rampant it is for people to take the credit for successes. They/we claim credit for what goes right but refuse blame for anything that goes wrong. We live in a "culture of blame." Which is what often keeps us from growing.  From changing....

What do you do when you think your life is right where you want it... and then it all falls apart? That's what happened to Kristine Carlson.  Her husband, Richard, was traveling the world and sharing his message of Don't Sweat The Small Stuff.  Kristine was doing some writing in the series and raising their teen girls. As his plane was descending, on the way to yet another presentation, Richard su...

Do you feel anxious?  Have anxious moments?  Maybe even struggle with anxiety attacks? If so, I want to offer some strategies to help you deal with those feelings... the emotional storm that can hit. Anxiety isn't a sign of weakness.  It is actually a sign of ancient survival strategies that have ramped up to the point of over-reaction.  Hyper-vigilance has taken the survival strategy of fear and...

You apologize.  Now what? Are you finished?  Is it now up to the person to whom you apologized? Nope.  That is only one part of the process. Understand that apologies, forgiving, reconciliation, and trust are all separate functions.  Each is tied to the other, but independent.  Forgiving does not require an apology.  An apology does not mandate forgiveness.  You can apologize or forgive, and still...

Life can really dish it out, can't it? A sunny (metaphorically speaking) day suddenly gathers rain clouds.  And then, the storm (metaphorically speaking) hits! As I recorded this episode of the Thriveology Podcast, people were still trying to dry out from Hurricane Florence.  I had family in the path, so I had a vested interest in following it closely. Which reminded me of those other "storms of l...