Ever find yourself scrolling through social media and feeling worse about yourself? You’re not alone. But what if you could take back your joy and confidence starting today? Healing is hard enough without social media making you question your progress or self-worth. In this episode, Michael shares three powerful reflections to help you redefine your identity, take control of your digital space, and silence the voice of comparison. Plus, a reminder you need to hear: You are a badass survivor. Key...
Mar 21, 2025•9 min•Ep. 194
What if rebuilding your identity after trauma isn’t about going back—but about stepping into who you are meant to become? Healing isn’t just about recovery—it’s about transformation. In this episode of Whole Again (formerly The Kintsugi Podcast ), Michael shares why embracing change is essential to reclaiming your strength. He also reveals three powerful lessons to help you release the past, navigate uncertainty, and step fully into your new identity. Learn why letting go of who you were is the ...
Mar 19, 2025•17 min•Ep. 193
What if I told you that healing from injury and trauma isn’t about returning to who you were? Whole Again: A Fresh Approach to Healing, Growth & Resilience after Physical Trauma Through Kintsugi Wisdom gives you the support you need to heal, grow stronger, and embrace who you are becoming. Inspired by the Japanese art of “Golden Repair,” Kintsugi teaches us that even when life breaks us, we can rebuild—stronger, wiser, and more beautiful than before. Listen to discover how to: Overcome self-...
Mar 18, 2025•3 min
Feeling overwhelmed or stuck in pain? What if a simple meditation could help you find peace and resilience? Healing isn’t just about the physical—it’s about emotional and mental recovery, too. In this special Micro-Meditation episode, Michael shares a short yet powerful practice based on the serenity prayer. This guided meditation will help you embrace mindfulness, release stress, and find strength in the present moment. Experience a calming micro-meditation to support your healing journey. Lear...
Mar 17, 2025•4 min•Ep. 192
Are you constantly checking your phone, feeling pulled in a thousand directions, and struggling to focus? What if a simple mindset shift could change everything? In today's fast-paced, always-on world, we often feel like everything is urgent. But the truth is, not everything needs your immediate attention. In this episode, Michael shares a powerful shift in perspective that can help you reclaim your time, focus, and inner peace. You’ll also learn a simple digital wellness tip that can reduce str...
Mar 14, 2025•10 min•Ep. 191
It took almost dying to discover this lesson and in this episode of Whole Again I want to share it with you. It's the one thing that most of us are chasing and it blocks our healing and transformation. In a world filled with checklists and quick fixes, we’re often told what we need to do to be happy. But what if the real answer isn’t something to achieve, but something to realize? In this episode of Whole Again, I share the biggest lesson from my recovery—one that took me decades to understand b...
Mar 12, 2025•11 min•Ep. 190
Monday's Micro Dose of Mindfulness: Embracing Gratitude In this episode of Monday's Micro Dose of Mindfulness, Michael guides listeners through a brief gratitude meditation. He shares his personal experience of discovering gratitude during his recovery and emphasizes its importance in healing. Listeners are invited to settle into a comfortable position, focus on their breath, and reflect on what they are grateful for about their bodies. The session concludes with a reminder of the power of grati...
Mar 10, 2025•3 min•Ep. 189
Feeling constantly tense without knowing why? Struggling to reclaim control over your phone and your peace of mind? In the journey of resilience and transformation, we often overlook the tension we carry in our bodies and the impact of digital overwhelm on our mental well-being. In this episode, we explore a powerful mindfulness practice —progressive muscle relaxation—to help release stored trauma and bring calm back into your life. Plus, learn a simple digital wellness tip (with a surprising no...
Mar 07, 2025•6 min•Ep. 188
Rebuilding Trust in Your Body: A Kintsugi Approach Have you ever felt like your body betrayed you? After illness, injury, or trauma, trusting your body again can feel impossible. Losing trust in your body can bring fear, frustration, and a sense of losing control. But what if you could rebuild that trust—one small step at a time? In this episode, we explore why trust in the body is essential, what causes it to break, and how to restore it using a mindful and compassionate approach. In this episo...
Mar 05, 2025•13 min•Ep. 187
Monday Micro Meditation: Setting Intentions This micro-meditation episode guides listeners to find a comfortable position, focus on their breathing, and set intentions for the day. It encourages relaxation and self-reflection on how one wishes to show up for themselves and others. The meditation can be revisited anytime by downloading or sharing it with a friend, reinforcing support and resilience. 00:00 Introduction to Monday's Micro Meditation 00:37 Setting Intentions for the Day 00:56 Closing...
Mar 03, 2025•1 min•Ep. 186
This mindset shift might be exactly what you've been looking for. In today’s episode of The Kintsugi Podcast , I share a simple yet powerful grounding practice to get out of your head and into the present moment. Plus, I dive into a surprising fact: we touch our phones 2,600 times a day—and what that means for our mental and physical wellness and healing. Want to scroll less and live more? Start with awareness . Michael shares an easy first step to enhance your digital wellness and invites you t...
Feb 28, 2025•2 min•Ep. 185
Change isn’t just about willpower—it’s about resilience, mindset shifts, community and strategy. Whether you're healing from trauma, overcoming self-doubt, or stepping into your strength, real transformation requires more than just a desire to change and you can do it because you're a survivor! For decades, psychologists and change theorists have studied why some people transform their lives while others stay stuck. The original Change Formula, created by Beckhard and Harris, is: (D x V x F) >...
Feb 26, 2025•14 min•Ep. 184
Welcome to The Kintsugi Podcast, where you can let go of stress and perfectionism and feel more grounded and connected to life. Five decades of laughter, chaos, and culture-shifting moments. And as I watched every special, every clip, every behind-the-scenes story, I realized something: SNL isn’t just a show. It’s a masterclass in mindset, resilience, and life. In this episode, I’m sharing five powerful lessons from SNL’s 50-year run that you can take and make your own whether it’s about showing...
Feb 21, 2025•15 min•Ep. 183
This week on the Kintsugi Podcast, I’m asking the real question, how are you, really? If life has felt heavy, chaotic, or downright exhausting, you’re not alone. I’ve been feeling it too. But here’s what I know: anger burns fast, but compassion, kindness, and love? They last. In this episode, we pause, breathe, and reflect on the small moments of hope that keep us going. We’ll talk about staying present, paying attention, and showing up even when it’s hard. Because together, we go far. Take a de...
Feb 13, 2025•9 min•Ep. 182
Super Bowl Sunday isn’t just about touchdowns, commercials, or how many times Taylor Swift makes it on-screen. It’s a masterclass in mindset, the game within the game. This week, I break down the invisible battle happening on the field, the way players talk to themselves in high-pressure moments, and why the team that holds their goal loosely will come out on top. And just like in football, in life, we thrive when we ease our grip on expectations and stay present. Also, a bold prediction: guacam...
Feb 07, 2025•8 min•Ep. 181
We’ve all been there, that moment when we don’t have the answer, and suddenly, panic sets in. Society has tricked us into thinking we need to know everything all the time. But what if we embraced not knowing? In this episode, I explore the illusion of certainty, the fear of “I don’t know,” and how shifting our response can build trust and connection. Plus, a surprising twist on Mel Robbins’ viral “Let Them” philosophy. Join me as we rethink what it means to cross the bridge to our own holy grail...
Jan 31, 2025•7 min•Ep. 180
In this episode of the Kintsugi Podcast, I invite you to pause, breathe, and explore how we can dance differently with life’s vortexes. Whether it’s the swirling energy of political chaos like Trump 2.0 or the relentless chatter of our own inner critic. Together, we’ll discuss how to protect your peace, reframe negativity, and use leverage and perspective to transform challenges into opportunities for growth. From navigating external noise to rewriting the story we tell ourselves, this episode i...
Jan 24, 2025•13 min•Ep. 179
This week on the Kintsugi Podcast, I celebrated National Sticker Day by handing out 1,000 glow-in-the-dark stickers because stickers aren’t just for kids, they’re for everyone. They’re more than decoration; they’re reminders to pause, breathe, and reflect. I also explored the power of compassion over empathy and shared how you can help communities affected by the California wildfires through our new "Choose Compassion" sweatshirt. Plus, we unpacked the myth of 10,000 steps and revisited the time...
Jan 17, 2025•20 min•Ep. 178
As we step into 2025, let’s talk about resolutions…the hopes, the hype, and why they often fizzle out. In this episode, I share the surprising origins of New Year’s resolutions (hint: thank the Babylonians), the importance of building a solid foundation, and why small, consistent steps matter more than big leaps. Together, we’ll explore how to align with our values, surround ourselves with the right people, and create a story that empowers us to succeed. Let’s defy the odds, celebrate our scars,...
Jan 03, 2025•14 min•Ep. 176
This week on The Kintsugi Podcast, I reflect on the power of pictures to tell our stories—not just the glossy highlights we love to share, but the muddy, imperfect moments that shape us too. Inspired by my camera roll and a beautiful Rumi poem, I explore how embracing every emotion, every snapshot of life, helps us live more fully. As we close one year and step into the next, let’s pause, breathe, reflect, and welcome all of our moments with open arms. Together, we can rewrite our stories, celeb...
Dec 28, 2024•14 min•Ep. 175
Hey friends, it’s Michael, and this week on The Kintsugi Podcast, we’re diving into a lesson wrapped in humor, grit, and the unconventional wisdom of My Cousin Vinny. Life often feels like a courtroom drama—facing challenges, doubting yourself, and wondering if your voice even matters. But just like Vinny’s unorthodox approach turned the tide, I’m here to remind you that your uniqueness is your power. When the world feels overwhelming, take a breath, pause, and reflect. Together, let’s embrace o...
Dec 20, 2024•15 min•Ep. 174
It’s that time of year again when Spotify Wrapped shows us what we listened to most, and it got me thinking: what if there was a Wrapped for our lives? While Spotify shows us how we spent our time listening, it doesn’t capture where our true attention went. In this episode, I dive into the idea that attention, not time, is our most precious resource. Inspired by my own Wrapped stats (and some thought-provoking reflections), we’ll explore how distractions shape us and how intentional focus can re...
Dec 13, 2024•17 min•Ep. 173
This week on the Kintsugi Podcast, I discussed the new chapter of the podcast and a deeper conversation about resilience, healing, and embracing our imperfections. Reflecting on the journey so far, I shared the joys, challenges, and lessons that have shaped this space, including the moments when I almost walked away. Life, like Kintsugi, teaches us that the cracks in our stories are what make them beautiful. As I look ahead to Chapter 3 of the Kintsugi Podcast, I’m shifting gears to shorter, imp...
Dec 07, 2024•14 min•Ep. 172
This week on the Kintsugi Podcast, I sat down with Kelly Cervantes, a mother, advocate, and author of Normal Broken. Kelly opened up about her journey through the unimaginable loss of her daughter, Adelaide, who was diagnosed with a rare and devastating epilepsy syndrome. Her story is one of heartbreak, love, and unyielding resilience. Kelly shares how grief isn’t something you “get over” but a testament to the depth of love you’ve known. This conversation is raw, profoundly human and a reminder...
Nov 29, 2024•57 min•Ep. 171
In this heartfelt (and oddly on-brand) episode of The Kintsugi Podcast, I sit down with Miya Smith, an incredible Kintsugi artist whose story is as golden as the art itself. Miya takes us on a journey from her roots in Japan to her life in California, sharing how she mastered the intricate art of mending broken pottery with gold. Together, we dive into the beautiful philosophy of Kintsugi; embracing imperfections, celebrating scars, and turning life’s cracks into art. Honestly, it’s like my podc...
Nov 20, 2024•53 min•Ep. 170
In this episode, I had the absolute privilege of sitting down with Adam Pearce, last year’s CNN Hero of the Year, to talk about the profound journey he and his family took after his brother Kevin, a rising professional snowboarder, sustained a traumatic brain injury that changed their lives forever. Adam opened up about their powerful experience navigating brain injury, resilience, and building the Love Your Brain foundation, which now supports countless others facing similar challenges. Our con...
Nov 12, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 169
In this episode, I sit down the morning after the election, exhausted but compelled to share my raw thoughts with you. As the dust settles, I'm caught between disbelief and a strange, aching hope, a hope that I nearly lost this week as I rushed my dog, aptly named Hope, to a life-saving surgery. Her fight to survive feels like a mirror to this moment in America: painful, uncertain, yet oddly resilient. This isn’t just about politics; it’s about who we are, what we believe in, and how we pick our...
Nov 07, 2024•14 min•Ep. 168
In this episode of the Kintsugi Podcast, I sit down with Portia Louder, whose story of resilience and redemption is both heartbreaking and deeply inspiring. Portia opens up about the choices that led her to a federal prison, far from her family and community and the profound lessons she discovered behind bars. She shares how, through unimaginable loss and struggle, she found healing by connecting with others who had their own stories of pain and transformation. Her journey reminds us all that ev...
Oct 29, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 167
On this episode of the Kintsugi Podcast, we dive deep into the human journey of transformation, resilience, and self-love. I had the pleasure of sitting down with the inspirational Chef Babette Davis. At 73, Babette is a force of nature—strong, vibrant, and unapologetically authentic. We talked about everything from her past struggles with addiction to her commitment to plant-based living and how it’s reshaped her life. What stood out most was her passion for understanding our connection to the ...
Oct 22, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 166
This episode wraps up the final segment of my journey biking across America, a ride that took me from the rugged coasts of Oregon to the heart of Washington, D.C. Along the way, I experienced the vast beauty of this country and the profound stories of the people I met. From laughter to tears, from hope to heartbreak, each mile brought a deeper understanding of what it means to be connected. America isn’t perfect, but it’s resilient. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that our ability to...
Oct 15, 2024•17 min•Ep. 165
