Send us a text Billionaires are rewriting the rules of democracy—should we be worried? Join us alongside my guest, Ohio State Representative Joe Miller, as we dissect the seismic shifts in political influence. We tackle complex questions about transparency, the rise of dark money, and the ethical dilemmas posed by wealthy billionaires steering political narratives. We explore Steve Bannon's "flooding the zone with shit" tactic, a strategy designed to divide and conquer public attention. We'll re...
Jan 28, 2025•18 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Send us a text Growing up in a working-poor family, State Representative Joe Miller (OH-53) brings a gritty, firsthand perspective to the table that challenges the status quo. Our discussion weaves through Joe's life experiences and combines them with insights from Matthew Desmond’s "Poverty by America" to expose the harsh realities of poverty and the systems that cement it. Together, we question the efficacy of political campaign spending and school voucher programs, and how they might unintent...
Jan 07, 2025•35 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Send us a text Jerry’s expertise provides a rare window into the, sometimes, exclusive world of investment strategies, encouraging us to question who truly benefits from the current financial system and how we can make smarter choices on our financial journeys. Through the lens of corporate giants like Walmart, we dive into the moral and economic dilemmas surrounding minimum wage debates. Do higher wages lead to healthier, less stressed workers, or do they risk job losses and drive inflation? We...
Dec 11, 2024•28 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Send us a text Every day, millions wake up to a cycle they didn’t choose—a system built to keep them struggling, surviving, but never truly living. Poverty isn’t just an empty wallet or a lack of opportunity. It’s a network of barriers: broken systems, historical injustices, and policies that perpetuate inequality. Welcome to Survive Everyday Podcast and our new series, Spark of Change. Today, we begin our journey into the systems of poverty—how they’re built, who they impact, and why they persi...
Dec 06, 2024•23 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Send us a text In Spark of Change: Anti-Poverty Conversations , join us on a road trip of deep reflection, raw family discussions, and unfiltered perspectives on politics, community, and the American struggle with poverty. Together, we'll explore America's systemic challenges and ask if uniting around economic class and common struggles could spark a true change. Tune in for raw insights, thoughtful debates, and a shared mission to redefine our future. Resources from this episode: https://www.yo...
Nov 15, 2024•22 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Send us a text How do we survive this election? Let's tak about it. Support the show Survive Everyday on Bluesky Adam on TikTok
Nov 08, 2024•10 min
Send us a text May is mental health awareness month and on this podcast we’ve never shied away from talking about mental health. On this episode we are going discussing 6 topics that delve into the intricate workings of the human mind and explore ways to foster our mental well-being. I’m embarked on a profound journey to unravel the significance of taking care of our mental health years ago, but like anything the work is never done, and it’s always ongoing. I hope to try and uncover the layers o...
May 17, 2023•22 min•Ep. 39
Send us a text A little more than a week ago I asked a question on social media. If you’re a musical theater nerd like I am, there’s always a song early in the first act called, the “I want song”. This is the song the hero of the story sing to set up the journey you’re about to go on. In Hamilton it’s the song “My Shot”. In the Little Mermaid it’s a part of your world. In Rent, it’s the title song called Rent. In Wicked it’s the Wizard and I. I could go on and on and on. But in nearly every sing...
May 09, 2023•22 min•Ep. 38
Send us a text In our previous episode, we explored the importance of literacy. Today, we'll be diving into another form of language that is also essential to our survival - music. From ancient times to the present day, music has been an integral part of human culture, connecting people across borders and languages. It has the power to inspire, heal, and uplift us during the most challenging times. Today, we'll be exploring why music is so important to our emotional and mental well-being, and it...
May 03, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 37
Send us a text Literacy is an essential tool for empowerment and change. So today we’ve assembled the literacy Avengers, to use a comic book reference, to talk about the power of literacy and the challenges we face in promoting it and what Cleveland is doing to empower us all to become literacy ambassadors. Our Guests: Laureen Atkins-Holliday - Vice President of Strategic Initiatives with the Literacy Cooperative The Literacy Cooperative’s links: Web: www.literacycooperative.org FB: https://www....
Apr 25, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 36
Send us a text Here we go again. Yet another school shooting, in yet another school district, in the only developed country where this seems to be a problem. In february we had the shooting at Michigan State University, and now….this…. Our kids see more combat than our military.... https://www.statista.com/statistics/476456/mass-shootings-in-the-us-by-shooter-s-race/#:~:text=Between%201982%20and%20March%202023,percent%2C%20and%20seven%20percent%20respectively . https://www.statista.com/statistic...
Apr 04, 2023•34 min•Ep. 35
Send us a text From the beginning of this podcast I’ve wanted to focus on books that tell a compelling story about survival, and I find none so compelling as the search for what our response to the Pandemic really was. I’ve read so many things on the pandemic and the response, but this book stands out. As much as this is a book about the pandemic, it's also a study on relationships. How they can help you and how they can hurt you. It's not what you know, but who you know. Michael Lewis has alway...
Mar 28, 2023•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 34
Send us a text A goal without a plan is a wish. This week we are still talking to Tanisha, but this time we are talking about how she exactly goes about talking to young adults without sounding like an arrogant boomer. If you have no idea who Tanisha Taylor is, go back and listen to episode 32 and come back. So here is my continuing conversation with Tanisha, check it out. Tanisha Taylor Coaching Tanisha Taylor Instagram Survive Everyday Instagram Survive Everyday Facebook Survive Everyday Group...
Mar 21, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 33
Send us a text This is the Survive Everyday Podcast Episode 32 with me, Adam Gercak. Money. It makes the world go around. We need it to navigate our society. We need it to exchange services for goods. It is the center of our lives. Survival Depends on a lot of things. Having enough food, water, shelter, and money is essential to survival. If you’re not independently wealthy, you need money to pay for shelter, you need money to pay for water, you need money to pay for goods. This is why it’s impo...
Mar 14, 2023•54 min•Ep. 32
Send us a text Childhood is something everyone on the planet goes through, and the stories of our childhood are incredibly different. Today, we have a very special guest, my oldest daughter, Audrey. She just turned 21 yesterday, so I wanted to chat with her about her experiences growing up and what she has planned for the future. We discount the next generation of this county as not adding value, but I think Audrey offers some solid insight to her life, but also the lives of other kids her age. ...
Mar 07, 2023•55 min•Ep. 31
Send us a text According to the IRS, there are over 750,000 not for profit organizations in the United States. Organizations like the Red Cross, Susan G Komen Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and so many more. These missions fill mainstream roles in the national conversations, but there are 100s of thousands you might not even know about, doing great work in their community. Non-Profit Companies have a ton of headwinds, and you might even be mulling over the idea to start your own ...
Feb 28, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 30
Send us a text Being a parent is hard. Being a parent doesn’t come with an instruction manual, and to this day I’m surprised as hell that I was allowed to take them home from the hospital. This year my oldest turns 21 marking my 21st year of beng a Dad. Literally half my life has been being a parent, but as my other 3 start to enter teenage years, I realized something. While I’ve been a Dad for 21 years, I haven’t been a full time parent. I co-parented my oldest with my ex-wife which is another ...
Feb 21, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 29
Send us a text Valentine's Day, named after St Valentine, who as a Priest in Rome performed secret marriages for soldiers who were not allowed to get married. Valentine's Day is an amalgamation of a few different mythologies. Like Cupid who was really Eros the god of love. We've celebrated Valentine's Day since 496 or so. So today I'm going to tell you my love story with my wife Jennifer and we're going to have fun talking to 3 of my kids about Valentine's Day, including a conversation with my 2...
Feb 14, 2023•45 min
Send us a text Survival and Preapredness look different to everyone. Today on the podcast we are diving into preparedness and really, where to start. John Gareis, Regional Preparedness Manager for the American Red Cross in Cleveland is joining us to talk about all they do to help everyday citizens get prepared and discuss what we already do that IS preparedness but we don’t think of it as preparedness. Show Notes: The Red Cross Resources: https://www.Redcross.org/get-help.html Survive Everyday I...
Feb 07, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 28
Send us a text This week's episode does feature some bonus content which you can access HERE and at the link and become a member of the Coffee Club to unlock Before we go on: a little disclaimer - The information provided in this episode is intended to be, educational in nature and informational. In this episode we are not diagnosing, treating, or offering a cure to any medical condition. Please consult your doctor before starting any new self-help program. Statements made about the medical effe...
Jan 20, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 27
Send us a text January is a month where a lot of us hit a reset button. We are actively looking for ways to make us better. Those New Year’s resolutions to eat differently, workout more, learn more, whatever the case, we often try and start over. January 1 is a great place for a new beginning or a change in thoughts, or a place for growth. But if you missed January 1 and you might be listening to this in July. The best place to start to learn is right now. Recently I was at a luncheon where I he...
Jan 13, 2023•58 min•Ep. 26
Send us a text The holidays are stressful, there is no doubt about it. In America we have Thanksgiving quickly followed by Christmas and families get together and often talk about, eat, and critique food. Too much salt not enough salt, you get it. You have a mother who’s cooked a certain dish your whole life and now you try and make it and you’re terrified your mother is going to just eviscerate you on how you made it. It’s stressful. As a parent who’s always terrified of ruining my kids childho...
Dec 16, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 25
Send us a text Earlier this year I became an insurance agent, and not too much longer after that I was recruited to join a project called Project YESS. The project was to get kids out on Lake Erie and on the water and teach them water safety. Over the course of 3 weeks kids would get into the water learn how to swim, kayak, sail, and operate watercraft. The culminating exercise was a 1 week voyage on a tall ship sailing from Wisconsin to Cleveland, Ohio. 1 week without the comforts of home, to o...
Nov 18, 2022•54 min•Ep. 24
Send us a text Veterans Day is intended to thank and honor all those who served honorably in the military – living and dead – whether in wartime or peace. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank living Veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served - not only those who died - have sacrificed and done their duty The last 2 episodes of the podcast have focused on the crisi...
Nov 11, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 23
Send us a text " I’ve often said that we have only one truly sacred obligation as Americans—to prepare and properly equip our women and men in uniform when we send them into harm’s way, and to care for them and their families when they return. Yet for too many who are serving or have served, we are falling short. In an average day, 17 veterans die by suicide—not in a far-off place, but right here at home. Two service members on average die by suicide every day of the year. They’re our daughters....
Oct 24, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 22
Send us a text In this episode we will be talking about suicide and other topics that might trigger some listeners. Anything you hear in this episode should not be considered medical advice. If you are currently in crisis and need help please stop this podcast and call The Suicide Prevention Line by dialing 988, if you are a veteran please select option 1. Our veterans are at a 57% higher risk than those who haven’t served. Since 2003 the US has experienced a total of 7,075 deaths in combat, tha...
Sep 30, 2022•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 21
Send us a text COVID finally hit my household and it's been awful. This episode we talk about our experience with COVID and try and talk about the facts about vaccines, then while being laid up, looking at a toxic trend from Tik Tok. Show Notes: COVID-19 Myth vs Fact FAQs - https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines-myth-versus-fact#:~:text=MYTH%3A%20Researchers%20rushed%20the%20development,or%20life%2Dthreatening%20side%20effects. How COVID vacc...
Sep 02, 2022•37 min•Ep. 20
Send us a text If you’ve spent any time on any movie streaming service scrolling through the documentary section, you might find a few documentaries about climbing. Movies like Free Solo, The Alpinist, 14 Peaks, The Dawn Wall, Valley Uprising, and 180 South are pure wanderlust fuel. They feed our sense of adventure. I can’t get enough of them. Today on the podcast we have one of the country’s foremost experts on Ice Climbing. A trailblazer in the climbing world by just being a woman in a very ma...
Aug 15, 2022•56 min•Ep. 19
Send us a text So what is multitasking? Let’s start there. Indeed labels multitasking as the ability to manage multiple responsibilities at once by focusing on one task while keeping track of others. Multitasking creates a greater demand on your cognitive resources, like attention and working memory. Indeed also gives an example of responding to an email while listening to a podcast. That’s awesome. If you are listening to this podcast and sending an email, good job. I want to talk about why thi...
Aug 09, 2022•29 min•Ep. 18
Send us a text Extreme Ownership is a book about a set of leadership principles learned, honed, and perfected in a time of war by a group of Navy SEALs. The leadership principles, while martial in their development, are easily transferred outside of the military setting to anything like business, friends, family, and just life. If you read only one book on leadership this year, this is the one to choose. Using parallel examples of how each concept or principle was applied in combat and in a busi...
Jul 25, 2022•44 min•Ep. 17
