Trying To Be Better with Joel and Steve

Joel and Steve are delighted to sit down (virtually) with Lincoln, NE artist Danny Reneau!  Steve and Danny know each other through a band Steve was in previously, Danny did the poster art for some of those shows.  They reconnected recently as Danny had a public showing and Steve went down to check it out!  Danny has many irons in many artistic fires, and is an interesting and multi-faceted guy -...

Joel and Steve are celebrating their One Year Podcast Anniversary by taking the week off!!  But seriously - logistical complications are preventing a new podcast this week, so Steve introduces the re-run of TTBB #1 - Why Are We Doing This? Please like/follow/share the podcast on whatever podcast purveyor you choose! Find them on Instagram @TryingToBeBetterPodcast, email at ttbbpodcast@gmail.com! #...

Joel and Steve try to get moving on Sunday morning by discussing actually being social, and their particular social media choices.  As usual nothing gets figured out or solved (and Steve bails due to time constraints) - but it's a good conversation actually happening between the two guys in real time. Be sure to like/follow/subscribe on your preferred podcast purveyor! Follow Joel and Steve on Ins...

Joel and Steve are thrilled to have Jack Van Cleave as their guest this week!  Jack and Steve have known each other since 1998 when they were neighbors in the same triplex apartment building.  Their life paths came together and diverged a couple times but they (and Joel) have been in regular communication since 2014.  Jack is one of the first regular listeners of the podcast, and while he thinks h...

Joel and Steve celebrate their 50th Episode (!) with their first official fan - Eduardo Busson! Eduardo is a Methodist pastor, currently serving as University Minister at Nebraska Wesleyan University.  He and Joel became acquainted during Joel's time as youth pastor at St. Paul United Methodist church in Lincoln, NE and have remained friends. Eduardo is a native of Puerto Rico, he came to the Unit...

Joel and Steve try out a different time to record, which results in a different dynamic!  It's a little looser (which a nice way of saying 'even less organized') but they take a shot a answering some fan mail with some pretty intense questions. Be sure to like/follow/subscribe on your preferred podcast purveyor! Follow Joel and Steve on Instagram @TryingToBeBetterPodcast, email at ttbbpodcast@gmai...

Due to scheduling and general availability issues Joel and Steve are having to alter their production schedules for a while!  They will be recording Sunday mornings, and releasing that podcast sometime that day for your Sunday Evening / Monday Morning listening pleasure! In the meantime, please enjoy this rerun of TTBB #33 - There Is No Hassle.  Joel was on vacation in California at the time - it'...

Joel and Steve debrief over the events of the last week that they were so worked up about in TTBB 47.  Spoiler Alert - it all turned out fine.  (Anticlimactic, but true.) There's are lessons in there somewhere, and they try to figure out what they might be! Be sure to like/follow/subscribe on your preferred podcast purveyor! Follow Joel and Steve on Instagram @TryingToBeBetterPodcast, email at ttb...

Joel and Steve are both having 'peak stress' at their respective work places, and convene in the middle of it all to figure out how to get through it!  There may or may not also be talk of pizza. Be sure to like/follow/subscribe on your preferred podcast purveyor! Follow Joel and Steve on Instagram @TryingToBeBetterPodcast, email at ttbbpodcast@gmail.com!   (Please.  Please email. Or don't - they...

When Joel and Steve made their first 'guest wish list' Terry Worick was right at the top the list, and they all were finally able to get together! Terry is a top Porsche and other European auto restoration expert, and is a long-time friend of both Joel and Steve! His story and his craft are fascinating, come on and have a listen to the 'Terry Worick Experience!' Check out Terry's work at: https://...

Joel and Steve have the distinct pleasure of speaking with Joel's CalArts classmate Anne Yatco!  Anne is a successful voice-over actor, with roles in the smash video game Genshin Impact, anime Jujutsu Kaisen and others!  All of this with a background in Pre-Med - it's a great talk! Check out Anne's work at: https://www.anneyatco.com/ Also find Anne on all of the social medias - her handle is @anne...

September 5-11 is Suicide Prevention Week.  Joel and Steve talk about suicide.  They also talk about the usual stuff - sushi, trust, organizational culture, Ivermectin etc.!  (There is even a cameo by Joel's wife and past podcast guest Kjersten!) Their friend and past podcast guest Charlie Shonka has a cool website with resources for people contemplating taking their own life: https://keepongoing....

Joel and Steve talk with Armando McClain, Joel's pal from CalArts!  They cover everything from growing up in Oakland, CA to  teaching Shakespeare - and lots of points in between.  Armando is a fascinating person, this is a great talk! Be sure to like/subscribe/follow Joel and Steve on your preferred podcast purveyor of choice!  Follow on Instagram @TryingToBeBetterPodcast, email (Please, for the l...

It is not lost on Joel and Steve that Charlie Watts - legendary drummer for The Rolling Stones - passed away a few days after their last podcast, which was named using a play on the name one of the most famous Rolling Stones songs.  They wish peace and grace on the Watts family, and to Charlie's band mates. This episode finds Joel and Steve unpacking the conundrum of being peaceful and loving whil...

Joel and Steve work through the latest level of insanity of the global pandemic, and how to deal with people whose lack of empathy and thin grasp on reality is negatively impacting the lives of friends and loved ones who are doing the right thing. They're both a bit over it - which makes for a great conversation as they try to navigate the seemingly endless morass of idiocy they are confronted wit...

Joel and Steve head to Kansas City, MO to see Sleater-Kinney and Wilco live in concert!  They get weird in their delightfully appointed hotel room and discuss quantum physics (they think) and, er, Pizza!   Be sure to follow Joel and Steve on Instagram @TryingToBeBetterPodcast and email at ttbbpodcast@gmail.com!   Please Like/Follow/Share/Rate on your podcast purveyor of choice!   #TootYourHooter ...

Joel and Steve have the pleasure of talking with James Beaudreau - bandleader for the group Bell Helium out of New York City.  James has had quite a journey musically, going from Big Rock to Jazz to the Dead and rolling it all up into his own thing! They talk about the creative process, what it's like to be a working musician in the big city, blowing up what you know to do something different - an...

After 37 episodes recorded over Zoom - Joel and Steve are finally able to get together in person!  They cover everything from how nice it is to see each other, to the Eightfold Path (and how they are trying and failing and trying to be on it), dogs, chickens, Phish, Get the Damn Vaccine you Idiots and More! Follow/Like/Subscribe on your preferred podcast purveyor! Follow on Instagram @TryingToBeBe...

Joel and Steve reconnect over an experience that Joel had in his garage that day - finding relics from the past that bring up more feelings than anyone should have while performing a routine task.  So they process that, then discuss things that are actually important - like where to get ice cream and resentments over/at beloved restaurants! Be sure to subscribe/hit that 'Like' button at your prefe...

Joel and Steve get together for a few minutes to celebrate Joel's birthday, and to talk about fessing up.   This is a 'short stuff' episode, Joel and Steve will be back in full force next week!    Be sure to Follow/Like on your podcast purveyor of choice!  Follow Joel and Steve on Instagram @TryingToBeBetterPodcast, email at ttbbpodcast@gmail.com! #TootYourHooter  #41IsTheNew35

Joel and Steve get to chat with Joel's CalArts alum pal Anne DeAcetis! Anne is an accomplished professional musician, actress and writer - they get to talk about all of the things!  Anne is the vocalist for a band called Bell Helium - they have a new record out, check that out at https://bellhelium.bandcamp.com/, or wherever you listen to music! See more about Anne at her website: https://www.anne...

Joel and Steve are honored to chat with David Gracie, an actual painter and art professor! David got his MFA from Northwestern in 2004, and has taught at Nebraska Wesleyan university for 17 years. Check out David's work at https://davidreedgracie.com/ .  Seriously, check it out! Be sure to subscribe/like/follow Joel and Steve on your podcast purveyor of choice!  Follow on Instagram @TryingToBeBett...

Joel is vacationing in South Lake Tahoe, CA - where Steve spent a couple formative/transformative years a quarter-century ago.  Joel has technical difficulties, but they manage to connect on setting intentions and letting go of expectations. Find/Follow Joel and Steve on Instagram @TryingToBeBetterPodcast, email at ttbbpodcast@gmail.com . Be sure to Like/Follow on your preferred purveyor of podcas...

Joel and Steve talk about recent and upcoming travel experiences, how their perception of those experiences has changed, and why it's good to get out of town and go see something!! Follow and Like on your preferred podcast purveyor!  Follow on Instagram @TryingToBeBetterPodcast, email ttbbpodcast@gmail.com! #TootYourHooter  #SoItGoes

Joel and Steve are taking their first actual break since they started this podcast, but are super happy to re-up their conversation with Mary Stancavage from a couple months ago!  Mary is a Buddhist teacher from Southern California, and is just a total blast! See you next week, thanks!! Please follow on Instagram @TryingToBeBetterPodcast, email at ttbbpodcast@gmail.com! #TootYourHooter #BuddhistIf...