Michael Weinberger was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 17 and for many years lived with instability, out of control emotions and upheaval as a result of his condition. Through therapy and his own desire, he put his life back on track using the strategies he has now built into his app, “A Plan for Living.”

On this episode, Michael talks about gratitude and its impact on our psyche. Gratitude is appreciating and gaining perspective for what you have. When you spend time looking around and being grateful for seeing the sky or just waking up that day, starting with gratitude helps reframe how you interact with your day.

Our culture is emotionally obese. 

We are unhappy, we are unfulfilled, we are resentful, and we harbor the emotional issues - from childhood till now - that keep us from achieving our dreams. Whether we know it or not.

From selling her multi-million dollar business to the Fortune 500 to writing her latest book, it's been a journey for Laura Coe. Now she’s here to tell us her story and why we need to address our issues if we ever have a shot at regaining agency over our lives again.

On today’s episode, Dave recaps episodes 516-519 where Healthcare Entrepreneur Laura Coe talks about her book, “Emotional Obesity: A Philosophical Guide to Lighten Your Life.”

Laura Coe says "Workouts for Your Wellbeing" are the key to staying in great emotional shape. And take heart, there’s no physical sweating required. We all have problems in our lives that we’d like to fix. But the first step to addressing those issues, as hard as they are to admit, is to get a realistic assessment of where the pain points are. You are not alone with the crazy thoughts in your head. Getting emotionally healthy is the most meaningful and worthwhile exercise you can do because you’ll live a life that is authentic.

Laura Coe says our minds are a great tool for analyzing things, but often not good at telling us the truth. We all have certain people we look at and say, “Oh, man, they’ve got it together!” We project our fantasy to other people, believing they don’t struggle with the same negative thoughts we do, and that’s just not the case. How do you find your authentic inner voice in the crowd of other voices that surround you? The limiting thoughts in your head that come from other places always make you feel weighed down. But when you listen to your deeper, authentic self, you’ll find there’s a lift of excitement and enthusiasm that comes with it.

Author Laura Coe teaches about how to take back your life and get your mind in shape. We live in a culture where, when we have limiting or negative thoughts, the typical response is, “Man up!” But she says it’s important for us to question the cultural mindset that it’s okay to walk around with these thoughts weighing us down. “Push through no matter what, and just work harder” is not always the answer. Sometimes it’s questioning these belief systems and taking a different path.

Laura Coe says the stress in your life isn’t from lack of time, sleep, or organization, but from neglecting your emotional life. The thoughts in our head that most of us don’t pay much attention to can start to weigh us down. And when we say things like, “I dread this, I feel heavy, or I don’t want to do this,” we don’t realize how much those thoughts start to weigh us down. And just like our physical bodies can weigh us down, our thoughts can as well.

Everyone has a power. It comes in many forms: your talent (what you're naturally good at doing), resources or network. Everyone -- yes that means you -- was brought to Earth for a reason. It's up to you whether you use it.

On today’s show, Dave recaps episodes 511-514 where the inspiring Toan Lam talks about the value of effectively identifying, embracing and communicating your story.

Toan Lam says we all have the gift of time, however short or long it may be, on this earth. And having unique experiences matters because everything we go through matters. Toan believes life is designed to challenge us so we can grow physically, mentally and spiritually, and it’s up to you to focus in on that and pay attention. When you can share your story, and care about sharing your story, the world around you cares and shares with you.

Toan Lam believes we are all brought into this world with an extraordinary power, with something that makes us different and unique. Nobody will think and say things the way you will. Nobody else has your gifts. We all tell stories in a different way, through our experiences. And the best gift we can give to each other is the gift of “yourself” and your story.

Toan Lam shows us how to identify and understand our unique story. Think about what makes you unique and different. If you don’t know, ask your friends, “What was it about me that ‘wowed’ you?” Anytime you are wowed, write it down. You’ll start collecting little pieces of the puzzle of what makes you stand out, and EVERYBODY stands out.