This Tree and Me

This is where the pattern used to break. The eye. The financial pressure. Every legitimate excuse available. And two journal entries anyway. In this episode we go into the place where the bad habits come back, the excuses start, and everything around you is telling you to stop — and what finding a way actually looks like from inside it. Not from the other side. This conversation covers: Recognizin...

You've already proven the process works. In this episode we break down why most people refuse to apply what they've already built — and what that resistance is actually about. This conversation covers: Proof vs confidence Fear that stays but loses authority Applying a proven process to new and scary arenas LAF as an operating system, not a philosophy This isn't about starting over. This is about r...

Do you believe you have to suffer to heal? In this episode of This Tree & Me, Cory J Riggs explores the belief that pain and suffering are required for growth—and challenges the idea that holding onto your past is what proves you’ve changed. This conversation breaks down the difference between feeling pain and living in it, and how identity can become tied to guilt, past actions, and self-impo...

In this episode of This Tree & Me, Cory J Riggs explores the role intention plays in personal growth and why many people feel stuck despite consistent effort. The conversation shifts away from productivity and external results, focusing instead on internal alignment. Cory breaks down how ego-driven patterns—comparison, urgency, and outcome chasing—can create the illusion of progress while keep...

You think you’re building a life. But what if you’re not? In this episode, Cory J Riggs explores a shift that reframes everything: life isn’t built in the future—it’s built in the present, one day at a time. Drawing from real journal insights and lived experience, this conversation breaks down how ego-driven urgency for results pulls you out of the process, and why most people stay stuck in cycles...

What if the parts of your life you thought were behind you… were never actually repaired? In this episode, Cory J Riggs explores the difference between moving forward and truly healing. Using the metaphor of a damaged road, he breaks down how most people learn to patch over pain, create detours around difficult experiences, and continue forward without ever addressing what’s underneath. But what i...

Reflective Opening Inside every person there are moments when two voices seem to speak at once. Both sound reasonable. Both sound convincing. One voice leads toward truth. The other protects the ego. Learning to recognize the difference is one of the most important practices in personal growth. Episode Summary In this episode of This Tree & Me, Cory J Riggs explores the subtle distinction betw...

Most people build their lives in survival mode. Working harder. Pushing faster. Trying to prove something. And for a while, that survival energy creates momentum. It builds discipline. It builds resilience. It builds strength. But survival was never meant to lead your life forever. In this episode of This Tree and Me, Cory J Riggs explores the moment when survival must step back and clarity must t...

Life will happen. There will be pressure. There will be growth. There will be fear. There will be opportunity. You cannot stop life from unfolding. But you can decide who leads when it does. In this episode of This Tree & Me, Cory J Riggs explores what it means to live from the inside out — taking responsibility for your internal world so your external life reflects clarity, structure, and sel...

If you are not leading your internal system, your ego is. In this episode of This Tree and Me, Cory J Riggs breaks down what true inner leadership looks like — not control, not force, not suppression — but authority through love, structure, and healing. You’ll learn: • Why your ego doesn’t disappear — it breathes • What real leadership inside yourself actually means • Why healing requires structur...

https://coryjriggs.com Motivation can push you forward. Inspiration can lift you up. But neither of them heals the parts of you that keep repeating the same patterns. In this episode, I explore the difference between motivation, inspiration, and true healing—and why ignoring the ego doesn’t make it disappear. It waits. We talk about why cycles repeat, why success doesn’t protect us from breakdown,...

If you knew that every path you took would include suffering, pain, and eventually death, which path would you choose? Most of us choose the path of "settlement" because the ego convinces us it’s safer. It plays an internal movie filled with excuses and justifications to keep us from the "doing" that makes our transformation real. ​In today's episode of This Tree and Me, Cory J Riggs deconstructs...

The gap between seeing what you need to do and actually doing it is where the ego thrives. It uses your own physical discomfort to keep you stuck, turning your anxiety into a reason to stay still. In this episode, we break down how to listen to the vision and move through the resistance by recognizing the body's signals as a compass for growth. It’s time to stop the cycle of non-doing and start th...

The pain you are running from is not your enemy—it is your compass. Tonight, we introduce the first step of the LAF Method: Listen. We aren’t listening to join the drama or agree with the narrative. We are listening to hear the lesson. It is time to stop ignoring the shadows and start withdrawing the wisdom hidden within the wound. ​https://www.coryjriggs.com/blog https://www.coryjriggs.com/podcas...

We all have "versions" of ourselves built for survival. But what happens when those protectors—the walls we built to stay safe—start keeping us from growing? In this episode, Cory J Riggs discusses the internal ecosystem, the ego's "warm blanket" of familiar pain, and why there are no shortcuts on the path to healing. ​Resources: Explore more at the Blog: https://www.coryjriggs.com/blog Official P...

"Tomorrow" is a thief that never pays what it owes. In this vulnerable session, Cory J Riggs explores the sacred 5:00 AM window where the day is born and the ego is silenced. Learn why surrender isn't a one-time event, but a daily requirement to stay grounded in a world trying to pull you in ten different directions. It doesn’t matter how good yesterday was—we start at zero today. ​Get more insigh...

Stop fighting yourself. In this episode, Cory J Riggs breaks down why the concept of "killing the ego" is a myth that keeps us stuck in a cycle of internal war. Cory shares the raw details of his morning ritual where he stopped trying to "exhale" the ego and instead started a dialogue with the protectors he created as a child and a teenager. Learn how to identify your own internal protectors, ask...

In this episode of "The Tree and Me," Cory J Riggs explores the "Illusion of Progress" and the trap of the New Year's resolution myth. When we rush, we mistake speed for direction. Cory shares his personal journey of "bringing it down" to a place of success by putting pen to paper and mapping out a daily structure that is almost scripted. It’s about doing the work when nobody is watching and makin...

In the season two premiere of "The Tree and Me," Cory J Riggs explores the "Industrial Arc"—the historical cycle of progress that often prioritizes the machine over the man. Cory shares a provocative perspective on why he is thankful for the stillness the pandemic forced upon us and how it stripped away our "armor" to reveal our shared humanity. ​This episode is a guide for anyone feeling outpaced...

What is more scary: letting go, or becoming? ​In this year-end finale, Cory J Riggs explores the irrationality of the human ego—the part of us that would rather stay in a familiar hell than risk an unknown heaven. Drawing from his own 45-year journey back to the "little dude" he left behind in the 5th grade, Cory challenges the idea that staying guarded is the safe path. ​As we stand on the edge o...

The bill always comes due. ​We tell ourselves that staying in that relationship is "safe." We tell ourselves that shrinking down to make others comfortable is just being "polite." But the cost isn't just your peace—it is your heart. ​In the Season 1 Finale of The Tree and Me, Cory J Riggs takes a hard look at the "ledger" of our lives. We discuss the "Hollow Man" syndrome, the exhausting price of...

This episode isn’t just about looking back at 2025—it’s about what 2025 taught me: how to look within. The hardest work isn’t what happens out there—it’s what happens inside. It’s facing the questions you’ve avoided, the truths you’ve buried, and the patterns that keep you stuck. Looking within is uncomfortable. It’s messy. It’s humbling. But it’s also where the real change begins. And here’s the...

There’s a moment in growth where movement feels like momentum—where improvement feels like transformation—yet something inside knows we’re still capable of more. This episode explores that tension: • the comfort of “better” • the plateau disguised as progress • the voice that says “good enough” • and the quiet intuition that says “not yet” This is not a message of shame. It’s a message of potentia...

This Blessed & Grateful Wednesday honors the season of my life known as Coach Cory—where discipline, humility, and growth were forged on the sidelines long before podcasting, wellness, or spirituality ever entered the frame.  This episode explores: • how coaching shaped the man I became • why humility was the turning point • the cultures and people who changed me • and the moment I knew it was tim...

Listen and Follow is not about listening to someone else. And it’s not about following an external path. It’s about learning how to listen inward — and having the courage to follow what’s already been trying to guide you. In this episode, I share a deeply personal reflection on what happens when life feels misaligned. Not broken. Not chaotic. Just… off. I talk about the difference between performi...