This is the autobiographical story of a medical doctor, an ophthalmologist who was interrupted in the last semester of medical school in Vienna when the Nazis took over Austria in 1938 —four exams short of his MD —and forced to flee the country. As the title suggests, the beleaguered author’s generally positive attitude towards life, as well as many extraordinary and illuminating incident, allow him to look back “gratefully” on his life during that extended period of struggle. His key insight is that there are many more kind and helpful people in the world — Orient as well as Occident — than you may imagine!

In today's episode I sit down and chat with Kyle Hedin of Illustrious Hardwoods and The Floor Academy podcast. We go into his life growing up in Arizona and Chicago, and his eventual return to his home state of Arizona. Kyle spent a few years working in the world of reality tv, until his strong personality led to a need for a new career. He switched gears and jumped into the world of flooring with both feet. Six years later he is running his own company, and also finding the time to deliver a weekly podcast on how to run your business better. His passion and purpose seem to have found the right place to shine.

In today's interview I talk with my cousin, Daniel Nilsson. We go into pre-verbal trauma and how that can affect us even without any memory of the traumatic event. He talks about his experience taking Ayahuasca to go more deeply into his traumas in an effort to heal and grow from them.

In today's episode I had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with Lisbeth Calandrino. We touched on subjects from civil rights to business to personal growth. Her life is a full, rich, and purposeful one, and her desire to help others find their own passions is clear.

One cold Saturday morning I got to interview Wayne Lee of Middle Tennessee Lumber, and all things flooring, really. I apologize for the slurping sounds of me and my hot beverage during this amazing life story of an American hardwood flooring treasure. (My bad. I did not think it would be that loud.) Wayne lets us into so many personal life stories full of lessons about the wood flooring industry and beyond. Feel free to grab your own hot beverage and enjoy the interview.

In today's interview I get the pleasure of chatting with David Glaubinger, a good friend that I met in my years of working in construction. We go into many things as David and I always do when we get the chance to talk. The story starts back before Ellis Island was built and runs right up to David's days working as an electrician. Every time I catch up with David I learn something new and this time was no different.

Today I sit down with my dad, Michael Bock, and go into his early life working with wood, building tree forts, and the custom furniture he crafted in his 20's and 30's.  The natural gifts he displayed and embraced from a young age fed right into his curiosity for physics and how things work.  We touch on an accident that left him electrocuted with 12,000 volts, a broken back, broken neck, and not knowing if he would ever have the use of his limbs again.  The many things that Michael Bock has built are not only beautiful, but are inspiring to the observer and a spiritual practice to the maker.  https://geronimowoodworks.wordpress.com/

In today’s episode I get to sit down and talk with my dear friend Mira Betz about her journey from a love of art and dance to a 20-plus-year career teaching and performing dance all over the world. We get into how her life has changed from Covid and a move from Oakland to the back country of New Mexico. The wealth of knowledge Mira has on the body and movement is valuable to human health on an individual and collective level. http://miramania.com https://www.instagram.com/mirabetz https://youtu.be/rV5dnPC8rAQ

In this episode I sit down with Bonnie Morse of Bonnie Bee & Company. We delve into her past experiences gardening, working in a family business, and working in Africa as a teenager. After a chance introduction to honey bees, she and her husband had their lives forever altered— the world of bees took over and changed everything. Bees challenged and shifted her views on previously held opinions. Bonnie’s energy and enthusiasm for honey bees and all of life’s systems and creatures is infectious. http://bonniebeecompany.com/wp/

Today I sit down and talk with TJ Haas about his life growing up in the heart of a bowling lane refinishing family business. As soon as he was old enough, he was running machines and working at every opportunity. We go into his obvious love of maintaining and operating machines on the highest levels possible. The things that TJ is doing and will be doing look to be as intriguing as what he’s already done.