In this episode of the elephant room podcast, I do a review of Mac Miller's album Swimming. In continuation with my review of his album, Watching Movies with the Sound Off, I discuss the reappearance of Mac Miller's mental health issues. I delve into the similarities and differences between these two albums, as well as some of the continuing themes that reappear in Swimming. If you're a follower, then you certainly know my stance on Mac Miller's music; however, I'm more impressed with his ability to convey similar messages but in completely different avenues. This album does exactly that. This album has a unique way of explaining very serious issues but with jovial and mellow style, which is a complete 180 to Watching Movies with the Sound Off. You can anticipate my interpretation of the lyrics, beats, and meanings behind the songs in this album. A few of the deeper meanings that I've found in this album lead me down a few rabbit holes along the way. As always I hope you all enjoy this review and can take something valuable away!

After too long of a hiatus, I am back with another episode of the elephant room. Most may be wondering why I haven't uploaded new content for this podcast in quite some time. To be truthful, I have worried too much about the content that I want to put out, which has made me hesitate at the thought of putting out new material. I discuss this in further detail in this episode. I also talk about my experience during a recent trip to Denver, Colorado for my 26th birthday, long-term goals of mine, and some current events that I felt like I needed to openly discuss.  This episode will provide listeners with some further background on myself. I recently have tried to self-analyze why I love podcasting. You'll hear me tell a story from when I was a kid that may explain why I think this has developed. I'm also going to briefly discuss everyone's favorite topic: politics. This is by no means a deep dive into all of my views, but recent events have compelled me to at least break ground on a few controversial topics. As always, I hope you all enjoy and can take something valuable away from this episode!  

On this episode of the Elephant Room Podcast, I sit down with another one of my best friends, Luke Huls. In the previous episode, Briggs and I alluded to an upcoming episode with Luke, as we both knew it was a long time coming. Since becoming friends, Luke and I have bonded over many topics, but today we discuss video games and technology. We both grew up playing mass amounts of video games and we still revisit some of those games today. We go down memory lane and talk about some of our favorites and how they impacted our upbringing.  Video games and video "gamers" have always received a great deal of negative stigma. Labels from "lazy" to "illiterate" and even "life-wasting" have been placed on people who follow these lifestyle choices. While I do believe that, when used in the wrong settings and situations, video games may lead to poor life decisions and etcetera; however, I don't agree that they are inherently bad for people. I discuss this by giving some insight on my childhood experiences. Video games allowed me to hone my communication skills and feel more comfortable around others. Additionally, we talked about what we think the future of video games looks like. With the relatively recent development of altered reality consoles, such as the Oculus Rift, who knows where we go from here?  As always, I hope you all enjoy this episode and can take something valuable away! 

Today I sit down with one of best friends, Jacob Briggs. "Briggs", as everyone in our friend group refers to him, and I met through mutual friends. Shortly after getting to know each other, I discovered that we both shared similar interests in music, among many other things. We immediately started bonding and sharing our favorite artists, albums, and genres with each other. In this episode, we talk about the music we were exposed to as kids and how that may have led to what we enjoy listening to today, what music means to us and many similar topics. This episode may provide context behind the album review episode I did on Mac Miller's Watching Movies with the Sound Off.  As a kid, I viewed music as an escape from reality. I couldn't wait to put on my favorite albums and let my troubles leave me for that blissful period of time. Today, I continuously search for music that gives me these same feelings. I try to captivate the unusual, yet satisfying feeling that I've always experienced when I'm able to share these types of experiences with someone else in this episode of the Elephant Room. Briggs is the first person I've ever met that reciprocates these same sentiments that I have. We dive into this topic and attempt to explain why we feel this way.  As always, I hope you all enjoy this episode and can take away something useful!

After a bit of a hiatus, I am back! For this episode, I sit down with registered dietitian and Biolayne nutrition coach, Keith Kraker. Biolayne is a company started by Layne Norton, PhD, that provides nutrition coaches to the general public and much more. I personally hired Keith as a nutrition coach for the past 12 weeks. Over the course of that time, Keith coached me through a weight loss period, where I was able to improve my body composition and lose a few pounds along the way.  I have always struggled with my body image and implementing self-nutrition, despite graduating with a college education in nutrition science. Today, Keith and I discuss my poor relationship with food that existed prior to our time together and how I was able to correct it with his help. We also discussed our thoughts on eating disorders, what info that was left out during our collegiate educations, and the "era of misinformation". I have always believed that fitness and instagram influencers have been one cause to the general public's skewed views on body image and ultimately, poor mental health. As you will learn in this episode of the Elephant Room, we both agree that this may be one of many contributors to the obesity epidemic in America. Remember, if you suffer from one of these issues discussed in today's episode, you're not alone!  I hope you all enjoy and get something out of today's episode!

On this episode of the Elephant Room, I review my favorite album of all time: Mac Miller's Watching Movies with the Sound Off. This album means a great deal to me, as I discovered it during a time where I struggled to find my purpose and meaning in life. I found it incredibly odd, and slightly satisfying, that a celebrity was openly talking about the same struggles that I was experiencing. I was led to believe that only I was having these strange thoughts, only to find out that I was not alone.  Social media has portrayed fame and fortune as a fruitful and care-free life. Mac Miller says otherwise by exposing his mental health issues, which were arguably derived from his luminary lifestyle. Describing his thoughts and feelings with drug-induced beats, hyper whimsical lyrics, and quirky rhythms required something never done before. In my opinion, it is a true masterpiece.  This episode will include my take on the album, what I get out of listening to it, and some interesting lyrics that I found along the way. I don't believe that people should spend time thinking about what a musician is trying to convey with their music, but rather, interpret it in their own unique way. I hope you all enjoy this episode and if you haven't already, go listen to this album!

Welcome to the elephant room everybody! In this weeks episode I sat down to talk with one of my college roommates. Eric and I lived together for 5 years and across those years we had many "deep" conversations, so this talk really felt like home to me. This conversation really is a continuation from the last episode, where I talk about my undergraduate years. Befriending Eric was almost instantaneous and has left an ever-lasting impression on me. We talk about how we met, how we changed each other, our struggles in college, and what we think the future holds for those seeking success. Eric and I have bounced ideas off of each other ever since we met, so you will soon find out that he has a very creative mind.  I hope you all enjoy this conversation as much as I did!  

Today I sit down with my childhood best friend, Aaron Hill, to discuss some of the similarities and differences we experienced during our transition from a quiet, small town upbringing to a faster-paced, city life during our college educations. Aaron and I both attended Purdue University, and as you will see, we had some very interesting similarities and differences during our years there. Hardships with grades, struggles with mental health, issues with identity, and where we are today are all topics that we cover in this episode.  Thank you all for listening and I hope you gain something from this episode! 

This is the introductory episode of the Elephant Room; therefore, I highly recommend that you listen to this episode before the first official episode. I have always considered myself a bit of a "thinker". I often contemplate the "whys' and 'how’s" that exist in everyday life. While this podcast won't be driven towards answering these questions, it will be geared towards those who enjoy a stimulating conversation. I anticipate on interviewing guests from all walks of life, so not only you, the listener, but I as well, can learn something during these interviews. These episodes may touch on sensitive subjects, but I believe that there is something almost therapeutic can come from a "deep" conversation. So, you might be thinking, "what the hell's an elephant room?" I talk about the title/theme of the podcast in this episode, I tell you a little bit about myself, what to expect in future episodes, and who I am trying to speak to through this podcast. I hope you all enjoy listening and gain something from the episodes that are to come!