“I am grateful.”
It’s a powerful phrase. Almost sacred.
But if we’re being honest… do we actually feel it every day?

Shouldn’t gratitude be automatic? Shouldn’t waking up alive mean gratitude is instantly set to 100? And if that’s true, why does it slip so easily? Why do some people move through the world radiating joy while others won’t even say hi back on the bike trail? Is there some secret sauce? Some fairy dust? Or is gratitude something far more fragile and far more intentional than we like to admit?

In this episode of Dismount, the gang drops into one of the most deceptively difficult questions we’ve asked yet: How do I stay grounded in love through gratitude, especially when life gets heavy, loud, or uncomfortable?

This isn’t a highlight-reel gratitude conversation. There are no “just be positive” platitudes here. Instead, the crew gets honest about the moments where gratitude disappears entirely, when ego creeps in, when comparison steals joy, when busyness numbs awareness, and when pain makes gratitude feel almost offensive. They explore what gratitude actually feels like in the body, how it shows up as peace, rest, love, or calm and how easily it can be lost when life speeds up.

Through raw stories, laughter, swearing, shit-sandwich metaphors (yes, really), and vulnerable self-reflection, the episode unpacks the truth that gratitude isn’t a destination, it’s a practice. A loop. Something you build reps in. Something you fall out of and return to. Sometimes through journaling. Sometimes through nature. Sometimes through honest venting. Sometimes through simply taking a breath and realizing: this moment is enough.

The episode closes with a grounding exercise in simplicity: If you could say thank you for just one thing today, what would it be? From relationships and health to shared time, support systems, and the people who’ve walked alongside us longer than we realize, the answers land softly but powerfully reminding us that love doesn’t live in the future. It lives right here.

This conversation isn’t about pretending everything is okay.
It’s about learning how to stay connected to love even when it’s not.

Buckle up. Slow down.
And maybe, just maybe, let yourself be grateful right where you are.

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 The Dismount Squad creates 6 questions to discuss on each episode. Everyone in the episode was given these questions prior to the episode recording. The squad individually takes time to journal on each of these questions. The conversations are authentic, raw and deep.

Episode 53 Questions/Thought Sparkers:  

1. What does gratitude actually feel like in your body and spirit?  How do you know when you’ve fallen out of touch with it?
2. Can you remember a moment where you completely forgot to be grateful? What brought you back to that awareness?
3. Do you think people who seem “always grateful” are actually faking it or have they tapped into something deeper? What do you honestly feel about that?
4. What gets in the way of your gratitude the most comparison, busyness, pain, routine, or something else?
5. How do you reconnect with love and gratitude on the days when you don’t feel like it? Do you have a ritual, person, or mindset that helps?
6. If you could only say thank you for one thing today... what would it be, and why does that one thing ground you in love right now?

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It’s wild how giving can feel like both the purest form of love and the fastest route to emotional bankruptcy. One minute you’re pouring into people like your cup is hooked up to a fire hydrant, and the next you’re staring at the bottom of your own glass wondering, “when did this get empty?”

In this episode, dropping right around the season of wrapping paper and unspoken expectations, the gang dives into what it actually means to give and receive with an open heart. We explore why some of us hand out our time, labor, and emotional bandwidth like samples at Costco. Yet we freeze the second someone tries to give us anything back, a compliment, a favor, a moment of love. Suddenly we’re like, “No, no, let me earn it first.”

Together we unpack the difference between meaningful gifts and shiny distractions, how to notice when the universe is trying to pour back into you, and the uncomfortable truth that generosity without boundaries isn’t generosity at all. It’s self-abandonment in a Santa hat.

We talk about the people in our lives who give because they genuinely see us. The moments where learning to receive is actually the most courageous thing you can do, because sometimes the real gift isn’t in the object — it’s in allowing yourself to be valued.

Whether you’re a chronic over-giver, a reluctant receiver, or someone trying to figure out what “reciprocal energy” even means, this episode is an invitation to shift into a regenerative loop: a life where what you give returns to you, multiplies, and keeps the cycle full.

Open your hands. Open your heart. Let’s talk gifts.

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The Dismount Squad creates 6 questions to discuss on each episode. Everyone in the episode was given these questions prior to the episode recording. The squad individually takes time to journal on each of these questions. The conversations are authentic, raw and deep.

Episode 52 Questions/Thought Sparkers:  

1. When you give, whether time, energy, or material things are you doing it from fullness or from fear of not being enough?
2. Have you ever struggled to receive something, a compliment, help, or gift? What did that moment teach you about yourself?
3. What does a meaningful gift look like to you? How has that definition changed over time?
4. Is there a time when you gave too much and it drained you? How did you learn to set boundaries around generosity?
5. How do you stay open to receiving gifts; not just physical ones, but also love, praise, or abundance, without guilt or discomfort?
6. If your life was a “regenerative loop,” what would you be giving to the world and how would you allow the universe to give back to you?

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WANT TO JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION WITH US?
Join the DISMOUNT Podcast Discord ... link: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 
Where the conversation never ends at all hours of the day. 

We have a separate page for every episode we record in our Discord Follow this link to find the DISMOUNT Server: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 

SMASH that SUBSCRIBE BUTTON and ride along with us on this journey! 

Follow Dismount on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: 
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Accountability gets romanticized like a trust fall so close your eyes, lean back, pray someone’s paying attention. What about the falls no one sees? In this episode, the OG squad (Zack, Derick, and Brandon) strips accountability down to the studs: the standards we set too high, the quiet ways we abandon ourselves, and the systems that stitch us back together.

We start at the messy middle. Where failure isn’t fatal, just feedback. From “day two of the 222-day challenge” face-plants to realizing peace can become a padded comfort zone, we unpack how internal accountability (values, routines, self-honesty) and external accountability (deadlines, teams, coaches, community) can either build you or bury you. Cue mountain switchbacks: progress that doesn’t look like “up only,” but gives you space to breathe, look back, and honor how far you’ve climbed.

Then we wade into the hard stuff: people-pleasing disguised as accountability. The “yes” said out of guilt. The double-booked calendar that would make Outlook cry. The late nights that tax tomorrow’s goals. We talk boundaries that don’t bruise, gratitude that dissolves regret, and the patience to play a long game. The road to success is always under construction and your mission deserves traffic cones with some reroutes.

Finally, we get practical. What actually keeps you honest when no one’s watching? We trade templates for truth: simple daily checklists, paper binders over perfect dashboards, micro-commitments that compound, and choosing the right partners who hold you to your dream (not hostage to theirs). If the future you sat across the table today, would they see someone who keeps promises to everyone but themselves? Someone learning to say “no” with love so their “yes” can mean everything?

If you’ve ever struggled to fire a habit, fire a role, or (real talk) fire a relationship that keeps you small this one’s for you. We’re not chasing gold stars; we’re building a spine that is align.

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The Dismount Squad creates 6 questions to discuss on each episode. Everyone in the episode was given these questions prior to the episode recording. The squad individually takes time to journal on each of these questions. The conversations are authentic, raw and deep.

Episode 51 Questions/Thought Sparkers:  

1. When have you set a high standard for yourself but failed to meet it? What got in the way, and how did you respond to that failure?
2. Do you feel more motivated by internal accountability or external accountability? How do those forces show up in your life?
3. What’s a routine, mindset, or system that helps you track and follow through on your goals, even when no one else is watching?
4. Have you ever crossed the line between being accountable and being a people pleaser? How do you know when your “yes” is genuine and not guilt-driven?
5. What makes someone a great accountability partner? How do you choose the right people to hold you to your dreams?
6. If the version of you in your head could sit across from you right now, what would they say about how you’re showing up today?

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WANT TO JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION WITH US?
Join the DISMOUNT Podcast Discord ... link: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 
Where the conversation never ends at all hours of the day. 

We have a separate page for every episode we record in our Discord Follow this link to find the DISMOUNT Server: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 

SMASH that SUBSCRIBE BUTTON and ride along with us on this journey! 

Follow Dismount on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok: 
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What a fancy buzz word…AWARENESS. How do you have something, observe it, and live it all at the same time? A concept of living life to the fullest is thrown around often. What if you could never fully be aware of how much you actually are living life to its fullest? What if you were always stuck blinded to the beauty of it all. How would you finally get to a place where you could be aware of it all? How long would it take you to break that loop? The gang sits down to discuss how they have spent years working on healing themselves from loop patterns that they kept living but did not realize at the time. How long did it take the squad to come to knowing the truth of awareness? Do they actually really know it, or do they just think they have discovered something that really is still out of reach for them. Saddle up as the Dismount squad tackles a very difficult topic of awareness and the pesky little nuances that can keep you from the realizations.

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The Dismount Squad creates 6 questions to discuss on each episode. Everyone in the episode was given these questions prior to the episode recording. The squad individually takes time to journal on each of these questions. The conversations are authentic, raw and deep.

Episode 50 Questions/Thought Sparkers:  

1. Can you think of a time in your life when you were going through something on repeat, a loop, and didn’t realize it until years later? What helped you finally wake up to it?
2. How do you personally define awareness; is it observation, presence, clarity, consciousness, or something else entirely?
3. Do you think it’s possible to live “fully” without being aware of it in the moment or does awareness have to be part of the experience to make it real?
4. What subtle signals (physical, emotional, relational) do you now recognize as signs that you’re either in or out of alignment with awareness?
5. Have you ever believed you were self-aware, only to look back and realize you were blind to something important? How do you keep yourself honest about that now?
6. If awareness is a practice, not a destination, what’s one small way you’re choosing to notice more of life today?

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WANT TO JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION WITH US?
Join the DISMOUNT Podcast Discord ... link: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 
Where the conversation never ends at all hours of the day. 

We have a separate page for every episode we record in our Discord Follow this link to find the DISMOUNT Server: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 

SMASH that SUBSCRIBE BUTTON and ride along with us on this journey! 

Follow Dismount on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: 
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There is a pretty famous line that states; "not all those who wander are lost" -J.R. R Tolkien. This can be interpreted one way as most likely stating that wandering or exploring, whether physically or metaphorically, doesn't automatically equate to being directionless or without purpose. This line from The Lord of the Rings is in a poem about Aragorn who as a character is traveling extensively and could be viewed as a wanderer, but he is a destined leader. He is a man who is on a journey that is set with intention and leads him to fulfill the destiny of him becoming king. The gang gets together to discuss how their paths in life have taken them on some crazy journeys and some amazing side quests that have led to growth and discovery that some pay millions to experience.

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The Dismount Squad creates 6 questions to discuss on each episode. Everyone in the episode was given these questions prior to the episode recording. The squad individually takes time to journal on each of these questions. The conversations are authentic, raw and deep.

Episode 49 Questions/Thought Sparkers:

1. Have you ever felt "lost" in your life and looking back now, do you think you actually were? Or was that just a part of your unique path unfolding?

2. What’s one detour or “side quest” you didn’t plan for that ended up being crucial to your personal growth?

3. How do you personally define the difference between wandering and being directionless? Can the two ever overlap in a healthy way?

4. In moments where the path wasn’t clear, what kept you moving forward; faith, curiosity, desperation, intuition?

5. Do you think you have a ‘destiny’ like Aragorn, or do you create our own meaning through the choices you make while wandering?

6. Looking at your current self, what parts of your journey, especially the unexpected ones, do you now see as essential to who you are today?

=================================================================

WANT TO JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION WITH US?
Join the DISMOUNT Podcast Discord ... link: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 
Where the conversation never ends at all hours of the day. 

We have a separate page for every episode we record in our Discord Follow this link to find the DISMOUNT Server: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 

SMASH that SUBSCRIBE BUTTON and ride along with us on this journey! 

Follow Dismount on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: 
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TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@dismountcast

With so many different ways to escape reality through video games and simulators, how do you keep the lines definitively drawn in the sand of which side you are on at any given moment? There is a simulator for just about anything now a days, you can choose to step into a world where you can immerse yourself into whatever your heart can desire. We don't want to attack any of these as being ridiculous but let's just state that if you want to live as a goat, you can, that's how deep we have gotten as a society with these games. Are they actually games or do they feel real? 

The squad takes a dive into all the games they have played and if they have ever felt like some of these might have taken over for them. The guys discuss if they have ever maybe spent too much time with the lines blurred between video game and oh its Monday time for work.

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The Dismount Squad creates 6 questions to discuss on each episode. Everyone in the episode was given these questions prior to the episode recording. The squad individually takes time to journal on each of these questions. The conversations are authentic, raw and deep.

Episode 48 Questions/Thought Sparkers:

1. What’s a game or simulated world you’ve gotten lost in? What did it offer you that real life wasn’t at the time?

2. When does immersion cross the line from healthy escape to unhealthy avoidance? Have you ever felt yourself drifting too far?

3. What aspects of your real life sometimes feel less “real” or less fulfilling than what you experience in a fantasy world?

4. Do games and simulations ever teach you something about yourself that real life hasn't revealed yet?

5. How do you personally draw the boundary between enjoying a fantasy and avoiding your reality? What helps you stay grounded?

6. If real life had “levels,” “quests,” or “missions” like a game, what would yours be right now? How can you treat real-life progress with that same energy?

=================================================================

WANT TO JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION WITH US?
Join the DISMOUNT Podcast Discord ... link: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 
Where the conversation never ends at all hours of the day. 

We have a separate page for every episode we record in our Discord Follow this link to find the DISMOUNT Server: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 

SMASH that SUBSCRIBE BUTTON and ride along with us on this journey! 

Follow Dismount on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: 
YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClPMuSnSbC4tGSYcbqbeTfwt 
IG: https://www.instagram.com/dismountcast 
TW: https://twitter.com/dismountcast 
TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@dismountcast

What was life when we had to look out the windows of the car when mom was taking us to practice? Alot of us still remember people's childhood house numbers because those were a thing at one time. As the last generation before cell phones ended up in the hands of 10-year-olds it is interesting to see how communication and an appreciation for life have potentially been affected by a handheld device. Some of us would like to think that things have not changed, that we as a society can still take the time to appreciate things out the window while on a car ride. However, it really seems that there is a difference in the air that might not be a good one. 

Join the squad as they discuss what life was like for each of them before cell phones and tablets became the norm.

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The Dismount Squad creates 6 questions to discuss on each episode. Everyone in the episode was given these questions prior to the episode recording. The squad individually takes time to journal on each of these questions. The conversations are authentic, raw and deep. 

Episode 47 Questions/Thought Sparkers:

1. Do you remember what it was like not having the easy access to communicate instantly with someone?

2. At what age did you get your first phone and how many people before you hand one? Did you get a phone out of necessity, or did your parents think it was a safety factor?

3. Are there ways that you benefited from cell phones over the years that without them you feel things would have been extremely different or not as good?

4. Are there any ways that cell phones have negatively affected you? The ability to share your thoughts and emotions without the face-to-face interaction can make things easier, but does that come at a cost? Short term? Long term?

5. Do you feel that deep communication in your life has actually suffered from the easy access or become stronger?

6. If you had a 10-year-old today, would you put a cell phone in their hand? Do you know of alternative ways that you could provide easy communication access to your kids that gives the ability to stay connected but not unleash them into the wild world of social media and the internet?

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WANT TO JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION WITH US?
Join the DISMOUNT Podcast Discord ... link: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 
Where the conversation never ends at all hours of the day. 

We have a separate page for every episode we record in our Discord Follow this link to find the DISMOUNT Server: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 

SMASH that SUBSCRIBE BUTTON and ride along with us on this journey! 

Follow Dismount on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: 
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TW: https://twitter.com/dismountcast 
TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@dismountcast

Life as we know it, is all about growth. It’s a difficult path for any organism to come into this world (If not now, at some point it was). We share the same journey with all organisms; we experience struggles and tribulations to advance our DNA and our Selves. The wonderful thing about human beings is our ability to adapt through evolution, passing down knowledge and self-growth/maturation. Join the gang as they get vulnerable about their own personal growth. 

How deep do the guys dive on this next installment of the Dismount Podcast?

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The Dismount Squad creates 6 questions to discuss on each episode. Everyone in the episode was given these questions prior to the episode recording. The squad individually takes time to journal on each of these questions. The conversations are authentic, raw and deep.

Episode 46 Questions/Thought Sparkers:

1. What does growth look like to you? Is it different from learning or is it one in the same?

2. Are there some ways you look at how you’ve grown and kind of wished you might have changed things, if there are what would you change/what would you do today?

3. Are there examples of growth you strive towards? Who are some masters of growth you look up to?

4. Grow Up!? How old is too old to be acting like a child? What ways do you think it’s healthy/unhealthy?

5. In what ways are you most proud of your growth?

6. What ways do you need to *grow up*?

[BONUS QUESTION]
7. When do you see the most growth in your life?

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WANT TO JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION WITH US?
Join the DISMOUNT Podcast Discord ... link: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 
Where the conversation never ends at all hours of the day. 

We have a separate page for every episode we record in our Discord Follow this link to find the DISMOUNT Server: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 

SMASH that SUBSCRIBE BUTTON and ride along with us on this journey! 

Follow Dismount on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: 
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TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@dismountcast

What kind of mentality do you think it takes to resolve small problems, big problems, and ones that cannot be resolved? The guys get together to talk challenges and highlight great problem-solving experiences and what kind of thoughts, attitudes and choices took them there. Problems are fun sometimes and stimulating to experience at a manageable and timely pace. Ivan Vygotsky had a concept of scaffolding in child development that emphasizes the importance of increasing the individual’s challenge while also operating within their means (highest striving means).

The gang saddles up to talk about how they approach problems.  What have they excelled at and where can they improve. This is one of those conversations that you probably have around the water cooler or while in the work truck driving to the job site. How much do the guys learn about themselves in this one. Ride along as the squad answers questions based around solving problems.

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The Dismount Squad creates 6 questions to discuss on each episode. Everyone in the episode was given these questions prior to the episode recording. The squad individually takes time to journal on each of these questions. The conversations are authentic, raw and deep.

Episode 45 Questions/Thought Sparkers:

1. What is a problem and what does general problem-solving look like for you? Are there any methods you use?

2. Do you enjoy problem solving? Are we born to solve problems and/or create ones to solve? (E.g. A kid at pancake house throws his cheerios on the floor just to see if his parents will pick it up or leave it).

3. What areas of problem solving have you excelled at lately?

4. How important do you think problem solving is to learning?

5. What/which type or instance of problem solving are you most proud of?

6. What is something you can do to get better at problem solving or is there something you want to share to help others increase their skills?

=================================================================

WANT TO JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION WITH US?

Join the DISMOUNT Podcast Discord ... link: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 

Where the conversation never ends at all hours of the day. 

We have a separate page for every episode we record in our Discord Follow this link to find the DISMOUNT Server: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 

SMASH that SUBSCRIBE BUTTON and ride along with us on this journey! 

Follow Dismount on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: 
YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClPMuSnSbC4tGSYcbqbeTfwt 
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TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@dismountcast

One moment can tarnish a lifetime of good deeds and sometimes other actions redeem one hundred transgressions. Day-to-day we face what feels like a million thoughts, hundreds of behaviors, but our actions define us to our audience. We have our own spotlight that we self-consciously monitor (or don’t). It’s those daily choices that stack up and build the foundation of who we are. The gang gets together to talk about our personal characters. What defines us as individuals? What defines us to those who we interact with each day? How do we come to terms with the version of ourselves that we are sharing with the world?

Saddle up as the gang dives deep into the vulnerability about what their characters are like and how they define the different level of characters they have been or interacted with on a daily basis. This is going to be an amateur master class on many different forms of CHARACTER.

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The Dismount Squad creates 6 questions to discuss on each episode. Everyone in the episode was given these questions prior to the episode recording. The squad individually takes time to journal on each of these questions. The conversations are authentic, raw and deep.

Episode 44 Questions/Thought Sparkers:

1. What is character?
2. What is a description of someone who has weak/developing character?
3. What is a description of someone who has strong character?
4. What is a description of someone who has questionable character?
5. Can you describe someone who is a great or wild character (Wild Card)?
6. What kind of a character do you want to be?

=================================================================

WANT TO JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION WITH US?

Join the DISMOUNT Podcast Discord ... link: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 

Where the conversation never ends at all hours of the day. 

We have a separate page for every episode we record in our Discord Follow this link to find the DISMOUNT Server: https://discord.gg/y96ABbWnsJ 

SMASH that SUBSCRIBE BUTTON and ride along with us on this journey! 

Follow Dismount on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: 
YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClPMuSnSbC4tGSYcbqbeTfwt 
IG: https://www.instagram.com/dismountcast 
TW: https://twitter.com/dismountcast 
TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@dismountcast