Connecting with Mike & Adrian

Summer is quickly wrapping up and we've got a lot of projects we'd like to get done before winter comes and the snow flies.  So we're going to take a break and we will return with more episodes starting Tuesday November 3rd - be sure to mark your calendars.  Talk to you soon.

Courage isn't a feeling — it's action with fear still in the room. This week, Mike & Adrian dig into the tangled relationship between courage and action: why waiting to "feel ready" is a trap, how bold moves can happen with zero courage behind them, and how the bravest thing someone does might be invisible — staying quiet, staying put, or simply changing your mind. From C.S. Lewis to the deathbed regrets research, they unpack what actually makes people move when everything in them says don't — and why the cost of not acting compounds quietly over a lifetime.

Sometimes we're missing details. Sometimes things just don't click, and we need clarity on what we actually heard. In this episode, Mike & Adrian unpack why we avoid asking clarifying questions — and the real cost of staying silent instead: resentment, misaligned expectations, damaged relationships, and projects or tasks that go wrong simply because nobody paused to ask.

They share personal stories, answer and offer simple, non-awkward phrases to use in real conversations — whether it's a relationship, a text message, or getting a project done right the first time.

Well Murphy has struck.  We thought we had recorded a new episode and then when it came time to edit, it sounded familiar.  Sure enough we had already done the episode "Our Internal Power" in March of 2024, maybe take a listen to that one today or one of your favorites.  We ran out of time to produce a new one, so please check back in two weeks and we'll really have a new one then.  Meanwhile, have a laugh with us and make it a great day!  Thanks for listening :)

What happens when you follow a treasure map into the Minnesota woods and come face-to-face with a 42-foot wooden giant?  You remember why adventuring matters.  In this episode, Mike and Adrian share the story of their troll hunt in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota — home to five massive sculptures by Danish recycling artist Thomas Dambo, whose goal of "Trail of a Thousand Trolls" has grown into a global phenomenon.

What makes a hobby a hobby — and not a side hustle or a chore? In this episode, Mike and Adrian explore the joy of doing something purely because you love it and why so many adults feel guilty about it.  They also get out their shovels and dig up the hobbies that have been buried in the "Hobby Graveyard."

We were working on an upcoming episode on hobbies and were talking about the ones that we don't do much anymore.  Mike went through spurts of writing poetry over the years, and we thought we'd share some today - enjoy!

We live in a culture that's made it acceptable — even sophisticated — to keep your options open. But what happens when your word stops meaning anything? Mike and Adrian go deep on the real anatomy of commitment: what it costs, what it builds, and what it says about who you're becoming.

You know that feeling — it's 2am, you're replaying a conversation from this morning, and your brain absolutely refuses to let it go. That's not thinking. That's rumination. And most of us are way better at it than we'd like to be.

 In this episode, Mike and Adrian get honest about their own spirals — the sleepless nights, the decision paralysis, the moments anxiety showed up uninvited and overstayed its welcome. They dig into why overthinkers are usually the people who care the most, why "just stop thinking about it" is the worst advice ever given, and what actually works when your brain won't clock out.  This one's for anyone who's ever been exhausted by their own mind.

You've made the pros and cons list. You've asked everyone you know. You've Googled it at 1am, and somehow — you still haven't decided.  This week, we get into the psychology of how we make decisions and why we freeze or rush. We cover the hidden biases quietly running the show, real frameworks that work in real life, and the high-stakes decisions we tend to avoid the most — careers, relationships, and who we're becoming.  Indecision is never neutral, it always has a cost.