JC Chanowsky's early years were filled with traditional Sunday dinners at his Italian Grandparent's house until upheaval struck, leaving him feeling unanchored and prone to bullying. How did a young JC navigate the chaos of constant moves and a family split? Tune in to discover the adversity that influenced his formative years. As his personal life spiraled, JC found mentors in unexpected places. A friend’s father became a makeshift role model, offering stability during turbulent times. And his ...
Apr 27, 2024•31 min•Ep. 55
"If I do everything right, life will turn out well", this is the mentality that turned Josh into a bit of a people pleaser. Being a people pleaser is how he ended up in an unhealthy marriage. And in business, because Josh could figure things out, he noticed the expectations of him at work entailed more than just his job description. And guess what? Life didn't turn out well. Josh grew up in Northern NM being home-schooled with his 9 other siblings. His only other friends were his parent's friend...
Apr 20, 2024•32 min•Ep. 54
Have you ever witnessed a child rebelling against their parent? Like, the more the parent says "This is the right way", the more the child continues to try to do it their way? That's kind of how Geoff Wollerman was growing up. He got the message early that you get married and find a job and that is how to find success in life. He rejected this ideology. In high school, he started down a rebellious path. Plus, he's an idea guy so his mind was always racing with ideas, and drugs and alcohol gave h...
Apr 06, 2024•44 min•Ep. 53
When Tammy thinks back to her upbringing all she can do is offer empathy for her father. Her biological father made some very bad choices. But did that make him a bad man a bad person? Tammy knows how his parents were and understand how they shaped who he was. You have got to hear about her upbringing and things she can remember from a very early age like 2 years old. Tammy's mother was careful to never throw her biological dad "under the bus." Her mom was wise enough to know that in time Tammy ...
Mar 30, 2024•37 min•Ep. 52
Growing up somehow Susun Finn understood that she needed to be the smartest person in the room but because she was a female, it was important not to outshine the boys. Susan got pretty smart and worked as a food scientist at a Dairy Farm. Susan ended up leaving that job to take care of her 4 children and the others who had adopted their family. Unfortunately, one day her mother was in a terrible accident and she became her mother's full time caregiver. Susan was so busy taking care of those who ...
Mar 23, 2024•32 min•Ep. 51
Why narratives? Because every story matters. You know, so many people ask, "Is this a Christian podcast?" This is not the focus but what we know about personal development is that it usually includes an aspect of Spiritual, Mental, Physical, and Social growth. Some stories have a strong message from one of those areas, religion may just be easier to notice. We are so grateful to everyone who has shared their stories. We also hear "Why share MY story?" In each episode we explore 3 components, wha...
Mar 16, 2024•34 min•Ep. 50
Melissa Van Oss, watched her grandparents as she grew up, they represented the perfect couple. They complimented each other and one was never far from the other. Their example of a life long relationship became Melissa guiding light for her life. However, when she looked to her parents for that same example she saw divorce. She shared how she processed that loss and how it changed her view of what she wanted for herself. She knew she wanted to wait for a connection that would last. In her waitin...
Mar 09, 2024•40 min•Ep. 49
Tyler Schmoll, self-proclaimed "gap filler" and human version of Curious George got vulnerable about how those personality characteristics ultimately made him close his business. Tyler had gotten good at filling the gaps, doing those things others didn't want to do. Or when things went arye, he was "Johnny On the Spot" willing to help in any way, shape, or form. At the same time being curious, "How do we, how can I, solve this problem?" It all came to a head when he saw his wife struggling due t...
Mar 02, 2024•40 min•Ep. 48
Rob Hohmann's dad did a good job protecting his family and country, and Rob was watching. He too wanted to be a protector. He fell in love, got married, and before the year was up found himself getting a divorce. He felt like he'd gone from hero to zero. But like a true hero, he didn't give up on life and love. He learned the lesson of "What may seem like a short coming, could be a blessing in disguise." Actually, the same year his divorce was final he found himself promising vows to another wom...
Feb 24, 2024•37 min•Ep. 47
When you grow up in abuse, neglect, and abandonment, it's easy to draw the conclusion Keegan Schaefer did. Keegan shared just a few of the injustices he suffered, as little as 2 years old. When he was 12 years old he weighed the pros and cons of continuing his Ritalin medication. It was one of the best decisions Keegan has made in his life. Keegan has since used his adversity to understand human behavior and the power we hold in making decisions in our lives. He shed light on how life was 6 gene...
Feb 17, 2024•40 min•Ep. 46
How do you turn into a nice guy? Adam Troy grew up bigger than the other kids his age so his mom warned him not to get upset and react physically because he could hurt them. After a traumatic evening of simply wanting mac and cheese, he got what he wanted but then his house blew up with arguing and emotions. Throughout life, Adam put others first so they got to be happy. Time and time again Adam had ot put others first so as to not let them get hurt. This proved to not be beneficial in his marri...
Feb 10, 2024•34 min•Ep. 45
One would think that growing up with two deaf parents was not fair. Betty Galligan, our guest today, never picked up on that attitude from her parents and never experienced it herself. Betty and her siblings didn't know there was anything wrong with their parents until the rest of the world pointed it out. Her large extended family focused on what they could do instead of what they couldn't. And Betty found out that she could do a lot of things. Listen as she shares her successes in life. Late 8...
Feb 02, 2024•36 min•Ep. 44
On December 24th, 1995 Trunnis Goggins III was born and Trunnis Goggins II knew he needed to get his act together to provide and protect this little human who would be depending on him. Trunnis Goggin II, from Buffalo, NY, had been told from an early age that his dad's "empire" would be his. He felt like he lived in his dad's shadow. But Trunnis had no passion for managing businesses and refused to accept that he'd take over. While his peers dreamed of what they would do and then pursued it, Tru...
Jan 27, 2024•38 min•Ep. 43
"No Skateboards, you'll hurt yourself. No climbing trees, I don't want you to fall and get hurt. No guns in the house!" These were the rules of Drew Deraney's mom while his dad was away working to provide for the family. Little did he know, it was because of an incident in their family, that Drew's mom sheltered him so much. Drew was taught not to take risks, do the right thing, and life will work out. This was not Drew's experience. He let loose in college, took himself too seriously when he en...
Jan 20, 2024•34 min•Ep. 42
What Hannah Larrew gleaned from life, growing up, is that as a woman her priorities should be to get married, have kids, and then focus on herself and her career. We discussed the pros and cons of this reality. The gift of being a wife and mom with the other side of that being sacrifice. She always felt like what she wanted to do was not as important as what the person sitting next to her wanted to do. This led her into an abusive relationship. Hannah was vulnerable about how that relationship e...
Jan 13, 2024•33 min•Ep. 41
There are two different types of people in this world, Rob Fenstermaker pointed out. He used the example of the movie Shawshank Redemption. Two men were released from prison. One, Brooks, was so comfortable with the walls that had been around him that he didn't know what to do with himself. The other character, Red, was honestly a little lost too at first. But when someone showed him the way, he took action in his life. The most important thing we can do, Rob stressed, is take action. You can le...
Jan 06, 2024•36 min•Ep. 40
Growing up with two high-achieving parents, Kathy Izard, naturally thought that if she too worked hard then her life would be perfect like her parents. The harsh reality was that her mother suffered from bipolar and her dad spent a lot of time taking care of her and keeping the peace. To others and apparently their children, her parent's lives seemed perfect. Kathy and her husband spent a lot of time working towards achieving their goals too. Untill a little whisper wouldn't leave her alone. At ...
Dec 30, 2023•35 min•Ep. 39
Imagine waking up in a psychiatric institution not knowing how you got there! Listen as Danny gives the accounts of his ex-wife’s cruel treatment to him. He’d been complacent and explained how he didn’t see things were taking a turn for the worst until it was too late. Had she ever loved him? But the final straw was the third gift she gave him. It was so great that he wrote a book about it! You gotta listen to find out what it was and why Danny sees it as a lesson learned that adversity is a gif...
Dec 23, 2023•36 min•Ep. 38
“The life you live is a lie. I have plans for you.” Michael Williams Stover II heard as he was being attacked by 6 guys when he was 19. Michael had a cruel childhood living in section 8 housing, seeing cop cars drive by not to mention the gangs. Michael's mom spokes lies into him and he believed them. When Michael’s brother was born he assumed the protective role over him. His mom was here and there and the men floating in an out of their lives found the boys to be an inconvenience. His mom woul...
Dec 16, 2023•31 min•Ep. 37
Where are all the listeners that grew up in the country? Were your siblings your best friends? For Robert Peterson that was the case. He and his sister played together a lot due to the nearest neighbor being over a mile away. When Robert was little he went by Bobby. Little Bobby got bullied and took to heart all the terrible things the other kids said. He never felt like he belonged. He felt alone like he was the only one going through this. Then, the end of eigth grade, he got news that his dad...
Dec 09, 2023•31 min•Ep. 36
"Edwina the Encourager" as she introduced herself, actually Edwina Adams. She hasn’t always been that way though. She grew up as a middle child - 8 years apart, on either end. She didn’t have much in common with them nor did she have cousins her age like her sisters did. This left her feeling alone often. And it’s funny because her family told her then and tell her now…it wasn’t like that Edwina has faced many significant adversities and learned “good things will come out of this adversity.” Edw...
Dec 02, 2023•27 min•Ep. 35
Some people get to grow up with pretty normal childhoods. They get to see an example of a father who works hard as the Captain of the Fire Dept. who also became Mayor but maybe plays a little too hard too, a little mother with a beautiful voice to raise you, and 4 brothers and sisters to look up to. They may not have said “I love you” all the time but they all knew they were loved. Al Getler really had it all when he was 7. Imagine the family’s surprise when his parents announced baby #6 was on ...
Nov 25, 2023•36 min•Ep. 34
"Pick their brains" was a phrase David's mother said to him once. This made him a curious person. He also knew he wanted to be a business owner. David was so impressed one day seeing a stack of his dad's business cards. But how was he going to get there? He also loved music so when he wasn't pursuing art, he was pursuing music. He worked with a business partner for quite some time until the day came when the business dissolved and David knew it was his time to become the business owner he wanted...
Nov 18, 2023•33 min•Ep. 33
In the last episode we talked about false narratives holding us back from our goals. In example, if your narrative is that you don't deserve love, then when you find it you will likely end up self-sabotaging it. Jeff Wickersham knows this "game." His false narrative was that he didn't matter. He really struggled to identify his self-worth. So when he got close to taking the next step toward success he would hit the brakes, back away, or take his foot off the gas pedal. Jeff's mother was always a...
Nov 11, 2023•32 min•Ep. 32
Steve Gohl and I, Tim Croll, sat down to talk about the Narratives that have been shared so far. It's funny how we craft these false stories in our heads as truth. Somewhere along the way, our guests have found holes in those narratives and are now forming new narratives that actually positively serve them. What false narratives have you created? We discussed the trends, we have noticed, in how these narratives were formed. We agreed there are three common ways we form narratives in our formativ...
Nov 04, 2023•29 min•Ep. 31
It was great growing up so close to Grandma and Grandpa. They were such a great example of a loving relationship. It was also a place a kid like Mark Copeland could score a sweet treat and escape to when things were tough at home. Mark spent a lot of time with his grandpa and learned a lot. He explored nature and asked Grandpa lots of questions. But then Grandpa made him find the answers. Mark learned to be curious and look for unique experiences. Before Mark headed to high school he and his gra...
Oct 28, 2023•29 min•Ep. 30
It’s funny how our children desire relationships but due to our personalities or our circumstances, sometimes the way we show love is through providing for them. Dave Myers's dad worked hard to provide for his family, but Dave really wanted more from his relationship with his dad. So he ended up writing a narrative to fill in the gaps in his heart with applaudable acts. Dave’s ego grew. The more praise he got the more he strived to be the best. One day his girlfriend pointed out that they were g...
Oct 21, 2023•33 min•Ep. 29
With a strong Military male presence in his father, Fred Young too wanted to be a strong male as a pilot. But once he got to college his ambition died a little and grades got the better of him. He fell into broadcasting and realized he had a talent for it. He was collecting accolades but still felt something missing. One day in Missouri, it all changed when he was invited by his wife to church. On top of that, she was now expecting. The focus shifted from how great am I to the child on the way. ...
Oct 14, 2023•28 min•Ep. 28
To hear her speak, you will not agree with her false narrative as a small child. She believed she had nothing to say because she was of no significance and she felt her voice was too deep. She believed this for a while and it made it difficult to cultivate friendships. But when you get a new pair of shoes and decide to tackle the hill in your neighborhood, life changes. Karen ran up that hill and her lungs filled with air, the blood ran faster in her veins, and she felt her heart pumping! She fe...
Sep 30, 2023•31 min•Ep. 27
As children, we aren't given road maps for this thing called life. As Robert (Bob) Saul was growing up he was bullied, didn't "fit in", and often had stomach issues. He was lucky enough to have a childhood psychologist see him and help him figure a few things out. That Dr. had such an impact on Bob that he wanted to go into medicine. In his junior year of college is when he felt a strong pull to pediatrics. He felt this was the space he could have the greatest impact. He finally knew his path. B...
Sep 23, 2023•30 min•Ep. 26
