What's It Like?

Today I'm talking to Nichole, who has a bipolar disorder diagnosis. She talks with us about the symptoms that led to the diagnosis, what her treatment and recovery looked like, and what the media gets wrong about bipolar. You can find her as @nicholehowson on Twitter and Instagram, and as Nichole Howson on Facebook.

Today I'm talking to Shelley, who developed a passion for healthy eating after her husband had a heart attack. She talks about what it was like to watch your loved one go through that, how she changed her family's eating patterns, and how she helps make it sustainable for all families.

You can find her @shelleycanhelp on all social media. If you're interested in more healthy eating information, you can sign up for her free 5-day Facebook Live masterclass at the end of January here: shelleycanhelp.com/masterclass

Today I'm talking to Mark, who worked as a college sports mascot for six years. He talks about how he got involved, the most challenging parts of being a mascot, and what made it a rewarding experience.

You can follow Mark on Instagram and Twitter as @reverendmarkus, and check out his podcast Wandering Ways, all about natural parks and traveling.

Today I'm talking to Sam of the food blog Recipethis.com, which focuses on cooking with kitchen gadgets. She talks about how she got started doing this, the most difficult part of writing about food, and how she actually makes money doing this.

You can find her on recipethis.com, which also has links to all her social media pages.

Today I'm talking to Matt, who was job searching before the pandemic and has had to double down on the search as quarantine hit. He talks about his unorthodox methods, how to cope with rejection, and the job-searching advice he's gotten that has been the most and least helpful.

You can find Matt on Instagram and Twitter @coachbigtoe, or check out his podcast Talking Shop, sharing stories, lessons & experiences in sports performance.

Today I'm talking to Travis, who dropped out of his Master's studies program when he realized it wasn't what he wanted to do with his life. He talks about how he dealt with feelings of failure and what his new path forward looks like now. You can find him and his current work at the Everyday Worker podcast, found on everydayworker.com and everywhere else you find podcasts.

Today I'm talking to Bill, who is a stroke survivor. He talks about how he recognized he was having a stroke, his journey toward recovery, and how is life is different now.

You can find Bill on The Strokecast podcast at strokecast.com and on Instagram as @bills_strokecast. You can also find Bill at billmonroe.net.

Today I'm talking to Colum, who lives in Ireland but has been a lifelong fan of the Denver Broncos. He talks about how he discovered them, what it was like to root for a team nobody else he knew cared about, and how the Internet helped build his connection to that community.

You can find Colum on the Adventures in Advising podcast or @columfromcork on Twitter. And Broncos fans can check out the Broncos Europe group at https://www.broncoseurope.com/ or any of the social media links on the site.

Today I'm talking to Scott, who has been practicing nudism for the last few years. He talks about how he first got interested in it, what it was like going to a nude resort for the first time, and the many, many misconceptions people have about nudism.

Scott suggests the following resources for anyone who might be interested in learning more about nudism: Aanr.com and clothesfree.com, podcasts The New Nudist and Our Naked Story, and the movie Act Naturally.

Today's guest is Mike, who tells us about his journey to complete an Ironman triathlon. He talks about why he became interested, how he trained, what the day of was like, and get some tips on if you want to try to conquer Ironman yourself!

You can check out Mike's podcast, the Mr. Black Heart Podcast, on Instagram @mrblackheartpodcast, and you can follow Mike there too @themikedoherty.

Today's guest is Adam, who found himself as an adult suddenly dealing with intrusive thoughts he couldn't shake. He talks about his therapy journey, how he calms himself, and how the meta-thoughts *about* the thoughts can actually be worse than the initial intrusion.

You can check out Adam and his podcast, Farrand on Film, on Facebook or on Twitter @farrandonfilm.

Today's guest is Krista, who hasn't been able to sit down for two years because of an ongoing health issue. She talks about how it started, what worked and didn't work, how she has adapted her life to never sit down, and how her disability gives her a unique perspective on the pandemic.

You can read more of Krista's story at her blog: https://myuprightlife.com/

For those with sitting disabilities, you can find the Facebook support group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sittingdisability

And for more information on Dr. Stuart McGill, whose research was most helpful for Krista, you can check out his company website: https://www.backfitpro.com/

Today I talk with Callum, a comedian who runs a monthly open-mic comedy night at a local bar. He talks about how he got the opportunity to start it, the worst the night ever bombed, and what makes someone a good comedy show MC, as well as shouting out some great up-and-coming comedians to check out.

You can find Callum on The Neanderthals podcast - @le_meanderthals on Twitter, @themeanderthals on Instagram. You can also find him as an Audible performer as Callum Jarvis-Jones, and on Instagram as @callumjarvisjonesvo.

This week our guest is Hunter Alford, who auditioned to be a rock band drummer on a whim and got in, despite having picked up drumsticks only once or twice in his life. He talks about how deep he got into faking his way through this, eventually ending with him performing with them at a 200-person concert.

You can hear more of Hunter and his co-host Kody on the Tall Guy Bald Guy Podcast, which you can find here or anywhere you get your podcasts: https://anchor.fm/tall-guy-bald-guy-podcast

This week our guest is Jacob Wedderburn Day, co-founder of the luggage storage network Stasher -- "the Airbnb for luggage." He walks us through how they came up with the idea, the incredible luck that got them their first funder, and what it was like to expand their business internationally.

Jacob's business can be found at https://stasher.com/, and you can find him and his business partner Anthony Collias on the podcast The Morality of Everyday Things.

This week our guest is Sergio, who was born in Beirut ten years into the Lebanese Civil War. He talks about growing up hearing gunshots and bombing outside his home, how his parents attempted to shield him from the violence, the survival mentality this experience built in him, and how he had to confront in himself the religious prejudice that birthed the war in the first place.

Look for Sergio's podcast Paradigm Shift, and follow him on Instagram @paradigm.shift.podcast.

This week our guest is Peter Fenton, who just finished writing his fourth play during the pandemic. He talks about what inspired the first play he wrote when he was 14, the exvangelical past he confronted in this play, and why video games are some of his best writing inspirations.

Follow Peter's work at his website, www.bypeterfenton.com, and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @peterfent.

This week our guest is Jalaika, who has idiopathic intracranial hypertension, a condition which means the pressure of her cerebrospinal fluid is too high. She talks about the debilitating symptoms that pushed her to seek help, the difficulty she had getting a diagnosis, the brain shunt that failed after a year, and the implicit bias Black women face when seeking medical treatment.

Follow Jalaika on Instagram @jalaika, and check out her recommended website, https://www.blackwomenbirthingjustice.org/, a collective committed to transforming the birthing experiences of Black women and birthing people.

This week we're talking to Noah, one of a handful of people chosen to participate in a roast of YouTube celebrity James Rolfe, aka "the Angry Video Game Nerd." Noah talks about what makes a good roast, how to write jokes about someone you don't know, and how he recovered from things going wrong.

Find him on Twitter with his comedy group @plus2comedy or his personal account @tvsnoah, check out his podcast Stay Doomed about one-season TV shows, and follow him on Twitch at twitch.tv/plustwocomedy - his game show Conquest starts streaming there on Tuesday nights starting 9/15!

This week we're joined by Natalie, who has an assistance dog for her cerebral palsy. She talks about the process of getting the dog trained and the difference it has made to her life, as well as sharing some of her story surrounding cerebral palsy and mental health issues.

She's a novelist and you can find her author website at https://www.nataliehibberdauthor.co.uk/. You can also follow her on social media:

Twitter: @nataliehibberd

Facebook: @nataliehibberd

Instagram: @nataliehibberdauthor

And for more info on support dogs, Natalie suggests https://www.supportdogs.org.uk/

Today we speak with Robert Dean, a journalist who has gotten to work all over the world for his writing work. He shares about the teacher who encouraged him to write for a living, why he writes both fiction and nonfiction, and how the current climate of media distrust affects his work. Follow him on Instagram @literallyrobertdean and on Facebook @robertdeansworld. 

Today our guest is Hana, who has taught scuba diving all over the world, including Fiji, the Maldives, and Iceland! She talks about how she fell in love with diving, why it's one of the world's safest and most accessible sports, and the way it's changed her view of the world. You can follow Hana on Twitch at https://www.twitch.tv/hanasolo4230 where she streams her baking!

This week we're talking with Rachael, who decided to go hitchhiking across Australia when she was 21. She shares about what pushed her to hitchhike, the interesting people she met along the way, and how lucky she was that it ended up being a safe and smooth adventure. Check her out on Instagram at @rachaelwin.

This week we talk with Savannah (of earthandwater.co) about her childhood in which she barely spoke at all because of severe social anxiety. She talks about how that turned into anger in her teen years, the rock bottom situation that pushed her to improve herself, and the life choices that gave her the confident to start using her voice for the first time. You can check out her work @earthand_water on Twitter and Instagram, as well as Pinterest, Facebook, and YouTube (all links available on her website).

Author Helen Zuman (http://helenzuman.com/) shares the story of how she got pulled into a North Carolina farm cult after graduating college. She shares with me what drew her in, what kept her there, and what allowed her to break away from that mindset. It's a fascinating conversation, so make sure and give it a listen, and then check out Helen's memoir about her time!