March 2 test show

In this episode, I share why I'm sunsetting the Life Through a Dram podcast, and introduce the show that's taking over from it, Podcaster Stories.

Settle back for a chat about the role teachers play in shaping the adults we become, and how you can offer your own thanks.

Settle back for a chat about actions being more effective than words, and why the world needs us all to be better people, especially in this coronavirus age.

Settle back for a chat about lessons from kids, and adults realizing that selfishness and encouragement tread a very fine line sometimes.

Settle back for a chat about invisible friends, imaginations being allowed to grow, and why we need to rediscover the child in us.

Being an entrepreneur can be hard. Coping with mental health issues while growing and running your own business can add immense stress, both to you personally and those around you.

Settle back for a chat about fate, destiny, what we can and can't control, and why we shouldn't worry about the stuff outside our control.

With the Super Bowl weekend just gone, it seems more people are talking about the halftime show with Shakira and JLo than the actual winners of the game.

Settle back for a chat about not taking anything for granted, and why this time, this place, is where we need to take a stand.

In this week's episode, I dive into how other cultures look at life, and why it's only a borrowed amount of time - eventually, we have to give it all back.

In this week's episode, I talk about why we need to control the narrative, and ship only when we're ready to.

Recently, I posted an update on Facebook about school picture days, and how they encourage false narratives when it comes to our kids. In this week's episode, I talk about why we need to be better, and more consistent, when it comes to being authentic in life.

As parents, we can add pressure to the lives of our kids without realizing it. Instead of enjoying life as a kid, they're worrying about approval from us instead, and it's harming their growth. In this week's show, I chat about why we need to recognize the signs of our kids feeling pressure, and how we can redress this before it's too late.

Over the years, Uber and the NFL have come under scrutiny for their unethical practices. From misogynistic and threatening behaviour to women, to abusing employees and more, both companies have suffered major PR scandals.

And yet we continue to support them. Why? The topic of this week's show.

What if, regardless of our religious, cultural, and political beliefs, we had that one single thing in common that connects us? And, if we did have that connection, we could use that as a starting block to find other things we have in common and, by doing so, realize we’re not that different after all?

There's currently a war on women being waged in the US, with abortion rights being the battlefield.

In episode 27 of Life Through a Dram, I talk about why this war has no place in the 21st century, and why we need to support women with every ounce of strength we have.

We make our own bonds, but sometimes we use the wrong kind of glue. All in the name of loyalty.

Because there is something inherently good about loyalty – after all, who doesn’t want to be the one that others count on and never let down? – it makes it easier to screw up.

And that’s okay, because none of us are perfect.

In episode 25 of Life Through a Dram, I talk about how we need to shift the focus from things to people. Marketers and advertisers have led us down a consumer-driven path of needing things to make us feel validated, but as I discuss in this week's show, that seeking of validation is misplaced.

In episode 24 of Life Through a Dram, I share how an email from my previous guest, Brian Driggs, inspired me to take an internal look at what I want Life Through a Dram to be about, as well as my goals for the show and the bigger human community in general.

In episode 23 of Life Through a Dram, I chat with Brian Driggs on his changing use of social media, how he's building an intentional business, his plans for The Gearhead Project, and why private communities are the future of the internet.

In episode 22 of the Life Through a Dram podcast, I share some examples of stories from my youth, as well as other inspiring stories I've heard through the years. Because stories matter, as I discuss in this week's episode.

Hi and welcome to the Life Through a Dram podcast, a weekly show that looks at life, being a better person, and appreciating the here and now, all accompanied by a dram of fine single malt whisky.

So what can you expect from the show?

In episode 21 of my Life Through a Dram podcast, I sit down to talk about mortality, and whether we live happy or unhappy lives as we look back on our time here on Earth.

For example, will we look back on how we placed so much of our happiness on everything that makes us unhappy? Money, materialism, and more - it all essentially makes us unhappy. I look at why this is, and how we can move away from this mindset.

In episode 20 of Life Through a Dram, I sit down with my wife, Jaclyn, to talk about my recent diagnosis with depression, how that's changed me, what I'm doing to cope with it, and more.

In episode 19 of Life Through a Dram, I chat with Josh Currivan on his and his family's journey with depression, anxiety, and ADHD, as well as how he managed to escape the youth juvenile system, and the importance of supporting victims and offering a safe space to talk and be heard.

In episode 18 of Life Through a Dram, I chat with Kristin Elliott on her family's historical background, her love of all things nerdy and geeky, how Twitter helped here decide which soccer team to support, why she misses New Mexico but loves New York, and more.

Often in life, nerds (or geeks) come under fire for not "fitting into the norm". In episode 17 of Life Through a Dram, I talk about how I used to be one of those who laughed at nerds, and how I came to the realization nerds are pretty cool (and became one myself).

A couple of weeks ago, I was diagnosed with depression. I think I knew I had some issues, but didn't want to face them head on. In episode 16 of Life Through a Dram, I talk about finally realizing I needed help, and why we need to talk openly about depression.

In episode 15 of Life Through a Dram, I chat with Bob LeDrew on the joy and intimacy of house concerts (and how they can ruin arena shows), the secret history of the ukulele, why the loss of politician Paul Dewar hit so hard, and more.

In episode 14 of Life Through a Dram, I chat with Ryan Cox on the value of building relationships, the fight he needed to overcome a life-changing trauma, and how he decided to take action at schools with delinquent lunch money accounts.

In episode 13 of Life Through a Dram, I chat with Bill Nab on how life can take a very different turn, finding meaning through dark times, and bringing positivity into your life to be a happier person.

In episode 12 of Life Through a Dram, I chat with Susan Murphy on how social media has evolved over the years to foster a wider world but more intimate connections, and how pets are wonderful when it comes to anxiety.

In episode 11 of Life Through a Dram, I chat with Kat Krieger on the major changes she's making in her life this year, and how that's impacting her as a working mother with two younger daughters.

After taking a brief hiatus from the Life Through a Dram podcast at the end of 2018, I'm looking forward to kicking off the show again with a revamped format and guests.

Often in life, we're told big equals successful. Bigger houses, bigger bank accounts, bigger pay checks. Yet is this true? Does big really mean success? Or is success defined by how you're truly seen, versus how you feel you should be seen? The topic in episode 9 of Life Through a Dram. Slaintevar.

Often in life, we feel we need something around us to make us feel special, and wanted. Family; love; success; and all that comes with it. And, yes, family makes us complete, as does love. And, if that's a metric, self-value can also come from success (based on our perception of what success means). But, as I found out this evening, when these things aren't around us, we don't necessarily need to feel less significant. Instead, we can truly see what it means to be valuable, as I share in episode 8 of Life Through a Dram.

Recently, I had a little bit of a health scare when I went for a check-up at my doctor's. I'll be 50 later this year, so I wanted to see how I was doing as I approach that milestone. And it wasn't good. Since then, I've taken steps to improve my lifestyle, habits, and more. As a dad to two young kids, I realized I wasn't being fair to them, as I put myself and my own "entertainment" ahead of their right to have a dad grow with them. In episode 7 of Life Through a Dram, I talk about that realization, and how we all need to take more responsibility when it comes to those around us, and the role we play in their lives.

Often, it feels like we carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. Family stuff. Personal struggles. Work. The world. Kids, and helping them find their way in the world. All this and more can start to weigh heavily on us and, if we’re not careful, can overcome and overpower, until we’re lying on the ground, breathing heavily, wondering what we do next and not having a clear answer. We begin to stress, because we don’t want to fail, either ourselves or those that count on us. We get weak, physically and mentally, and it becomes harder to pull ourselves out of the funk, so we continue down the path we’re on until breaking point is reached. We never see superheroes break, because they don’t live our lives and we don’t live in comic book fantasy worlds. This week's topic on episode 6 of Life Through a Dram.

There are many beliefs in the world - religious, spiritual and more. But what if we believed in the one thing that we can all agree on - the belief in humanity? A topic near and dear to me up for discussion on episode 5 of Life Through a Dram. Enjoy, and don't forget to subscribe for future episodes!

When my wife was taken to ER with heart pains, the reaction from both physical friends and digital ones reminded me why the world is better is we have someone in it with us, as I share in episode 4 of Life Through a Dram.

Following the latest school shooting in the U.S., the mother of a child involved in the shooting shared her thoughts, fears, and hopes. This episode requests one thing: No politics. No sides. No judgement. Just listen to episode 3 of Life Through a Dram, and then think how we can fix this.

Every one of us has a clock we work by – we just need to choose the one we want to live our lives by, as I share in episode 2 of Life Through a Dram.