Today the wrestler known as Life or Death called in to share his thoughts on fear and dealing with anxiety and depression. Life or Death talks about feeling like the world is difficult and tough and he is wanting to find fulfillment in it where he asks himself who is he going to be? He talks about always looking to make progress and move forward. He also speaks about how important art and theater is for people. His goal is to have constant circuses playing because he loves the creative expression that the circus provides people. Life or Death reminds us to look at even the smallest things in the world and find wonder and a reason to believe in the beauty that the world has to offer in these micro moments.

Today marks the end of my 2020 podcasting journey and I am delighted to have had a chance to connect with my dad as the final podcast in the Calling On You series. This has been an amazing journey where I spoke with a new person every day of the year. The anticipation of my dad closing out 2020 and being the final podcast of the year (podcast #377) was not only special but felt complete since my mom was episode #1 on the very first day of the 2020 year. My dad spoke about inheriting his work ethics and setting goals - something he learned from his father but also the pressure that we put on ourselves and the down side of perfectionism that comes with excessively high expectations. He talks about how his mom taught him to “go for it because what do you have to lose” mindset. We talk about how important love, family, friendships and finding support can be for all of us and to not feel like we need to take on all of life’s hardships alone. We talked about how important self exploration and developing self awareness is - to look beyond our fears and try and see what is below the surface because that is why the key to overcoming most of our fears. I tend to think about this like Plato’s allegory of the cave where most of our fears are like shadows dancing on a wall and it isn’t until we can get out of our caves and explore our fears will we discover that what we thought we where afraid of all along wasn’t what we where making them out to be. When we strath ourselves and push beyond the boundaries that we feel limiting us is where the world really gets interesting, vibrant and full of color. We will meet amazing people along the way if we have the courage to invite them in and connect more. I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy 2021.

Today MiMi called in to share her story about her fear of losing her puppy-and then when it finally came, the pain and grief that she experienced after it happened was unbearable. MiMi takes us through the story of her life and the trauma that she went through while she was young. She talks about being born in a hut and immigrating to America where she lived in a studio in a poor neighborhood- but seemingly rich compared to her village. MiMi talks about moving to New York and being injured at ground zero during the September 11th attack. She talks about burying the trauma & building a company and selling it a decade later due to the PTSD that surfaced. All the abuse, tragedy, & pain made her into a shell of a human... Through help & the love of friends recognizing that an animal can support her recovery- it was Pita, her first puppy dog that taught her about love and compassion and gave her purpose and life again. Mimi talks about losing Pita and the pain and heartache that she is experiencing since her puppies passing. MiMi talks about grief and the process that comes from the pain and sadness. She talks about how it is important to know that you are not alone in the sadness and its ok and necessary to cry. This episode is dedicated to Pita and the love any anima can change you & bring purpose into our lives.

Today Jeremy called in to share his story of documenting and reporting on what is happening in America today in regards to the “Left vs Right” political narratives on his website Public Report. I have been talking with Jeremy and watching his work as he traveled around the United States doing the hard beat reporting that not many journalists do any more. Jeremy has been interviewing members from the Anarchist Movement to the leaders of the Proud Boys to embedding himself in the Antifa black block protesters rallies so that he could better understand and try and make sense for what is happening on America’s streets. What Jeremy has been uncovering has not been widely embraced by the mainstream media because it seems like there is an agenda and narrative that is the hard truth that Jeremy is shining a spot light on. However his reporting has cost him long time friendships and online harassment. Jeremy is the most knowelgeble person I know in reporting on what is happening in America today - the stuff that most of us read about in the traditional media - Jeremy is really reporting on the hard truths and asking the hard questions. The topics that he covers can be overwhelming and do take time to unpack - if you want to learn more about the political underbelly of what is happening in America right now I recommend checking out the work Jeremy is doing. He is of the highest integrity and thoughtfulness - make sure to check out Public Report here: https://www.publicreport.org

Today Jenny called in to share her experience with fear, work and taking risks. Jenny is young, 18 but she is super ambitious. She was very concerned about finding a job since she is young and didn’t have the resume and qualifications that other people applying might have. Yet Jenny didn’t let the doubts deter her from applying to hundreds of jobs. She finally landed a job and learned as much as she could. Then an opportunity presented itself where Jenny could get another role in the company, a very senior roll because someone was leaving. Jenny talks about when opportunity knocks to be ready and take your shot. The worst that can happen is getting told no and that it’s worse to never have known if you would have been able to have the opportunity if you don’t at least try. Jenny talks about goal setting, taking risks, working hard and being willing to go the extra mile to learn. Check out TeammateMe, the company that Jenny leads the marketing for here: http://TeammateMe.com

Today Brian called in to share his story about finding out at age 17 that he carried the traits for Huntington's Disease. Now that Brian is turning 27 soon he has been thinking more about what this disease means for his future and his time here on earth. Brian talks to us about being adopted and the impact that it had on him, he shared his perspective on what family means to him, his dreams and aspirations for the future and his amazing poetry. Brian talks about his love for sports and hockey, his thoughts on love, how we should treat each other and taking the time to be there for the people in our lives. Brian has a powerful story and message. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_l84wrk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/onlyicanbstew YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoJEB0FSFzTe_Or9AZ1RbhQ Amazon: www.amazon.com/World-Were-1-Brian-Stewart/dp/147929599X TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJGS3x6D/

Today Dauna called in to share her fear of love, loss and thoughts about a grieving heart. Dauna’s husband warned her before they got married that he was terminally sick and that the doctor had warned him that he didn’t have much time to live. This did not deter Dauna nor her love and there was always a little part of her that thought maybe, just maybe the doctor might be wrong. For 16 years they went in and out of the hospital for countless treatments. Dauna talks about being a writer and channeling and processing her emotions and feelings through her characters. She talks about eventually losing her husband this year and the grief and sadness that comes with loss. Dauna talks about having amazing friends and despite Coronavirus making it difficult for people to connect with support systems that they might need, she reminds us how important it is to reach out to each other in times of need. Dauna talks about making a conscious choice about framing situations in a positive light and to remember there are many ways to see an event that takes place. She shares how important it is to find things to do and to find hope and beauty in the world around us. Dauna reads to us from two of her books My Daze with the Dark Muze and her upcoming book release Love is Worth Waiting For - check them out here: https://www.dmneedom.com

Today Ben called in to share his story about fear and finding the courage to get outside his comfort zone and go for the things that he desires in life. Ben talks about growing up completely shy and identifying as an introvert. He was nervous speaking in front of people and his voice would become a murmur - mouse soft. Ben talks about having goals that inspired him to get into acting and film making - at his core he was a creative that wanted an outlet to express himself. One day he went to an audition and even though he was nervous he did it anyways. All of a sudden he was on a nationally syndicated commercial. Ben talks about how important it is to push through our fears in order to grow and expand our worlds to give us more opportunities to work with incredible people who we would never have the opportunities to meet if we don’t put our selves out there on the line. Check out Ben’s artist collective - The Under Popular where creatives can meet and work with each other: instagram.com/theunderpopular Twitter.com/theunderpopular

Today David called in to share his journey that spanned from leaving college to start his career in the advertising industry to then starting his own boutique agency and then into retirement and writing books to help out people that he found himself providing the same advice to answer the same questions over and over again. David’s initial fear was based around the “Am i good enough” and “can I make it” mindset when he was first starting out in advertising. He quickly realized that if he asked questions and worked hard he would be able to excel at anything that he put his mind into. David talks about building solid foundations before we start shooting for the castles in the sky - our biggest dreams. It’s important to have lofty goals but David suggests its smart to work for other people and spend time learning the ropes to get a solid understanding of the industry before setting out to try and do it on your own. Check out Enterprise Digital Marketing Solutions here: www.dms.blue

Today Michael called in to share his story about fear and his mission to help other childhood trauma victims live a better and more fulfilling life. Michael shares his amazing journey starting from when he was a child dealing with poverty and living on the streets to having abusive parents and a racist grandmother. Michael went from hustling on the streets to eventually getting a high paying corporate job in sales that exposed him to the other side of life extremities. His life, whichever way he turned was being lived recklessly and causing himself and the people around him unhealthy conditions. Michael talks about how it wasn’t until he began to search inwards for the keys to happiness that he began to heal the wounds of his childhood trauma and reevaluate what was most important to him in life. I had an amazing time listening and learning from Michael. Make sure to check out his website, book and podcast here: https://www.thinkunbroken.com Linktree: https://www.linktr.ee/michaelunbroken