Heard Podcast

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, the time to reflect on gratitude is here. But that's where a lot of people stop. Today Ben discusses the cycle of gratitude and how if your gratitude does not turn into giving, you're stuck in the condition of receiving from others, while not giving back to those around you.

With age comes wisdom, and if you're lucky, grace. Though if you're too caught up in the pace of the everyday, it's easy to forget that we're only where we are today because we've stood on the shoulders of past giants to achieve new heights in the present. Adelyn Price has been able to see the progression of the last century. Join Benjamin and Adelyn as they discuss progress, the past, and where things are taking us tomorrow.

It's no revelation that people are very concerned with appearances. There's no industry that capitalizes on this concern more than the fitness industry. Brad Davidson is a fitness instructor who knows what it's like to chase the preconceived notions of physical perfection, but he also knows what blindly chasing those ideals can cost. He's lost parts of his hair due to stress, battled a failing thyroid, and at one point had the testosterone of an ill 85-year-old man. After a near death experience, Brad learned to stop living for the "ideal" and to start living for himself. Join Benjamin and Brad as they discuss, physical appearance, the determination of training, and what it's like to lie your way onto an Olympic Bobsled team.

First impressions are everything. But when Adam Asher hands someone a business card he's either met with immediate kinship or eye-rolling disdain. Adam is a conservative talk radio producer, but as much as we would like to assume things about someone based on their occupation, how we make our livelihood is only a part of who we are. Adam is driven to challenge the status quo, and the idea of what can be learned when we dig a little deeper into the people around us. Join Benjamin as he talks with Adam about conservatism, liberalism, and the unspoken ideas that connect the two philosophies together.

Dr. Earl Henslin has written 10 books and put thousands of hours into his practice of improving the mental and emotional well-being of his patients, but he's perfectly happy to attest that most of the ideas he implements in therapy aren't what he learned in Med-School decades ago, they're from our constantly evolving understanding of the brain. Today Benjamin sits down with Dr. Henslin to discuss the brain, and how it's much more than just where our passing thoughts come from. Our dreams are tied to our brain, and accomplishing them can be dependent on how we take care of it.

What is it that separates empathy and action? For some, it's easier to remain focused on ourselves than it is to clue in to what's going on with the folks around us. For others, we're worried that by empathizing with others, we might somehow weaken our own ideals and perspectives. Edwin Rutsch has made it his mission in life to help teach what empathy is, and more importantly how to embrace it. Because it's when we realize that we don't have to abandon who we are to be with someone else, that something truly powerful can happen.

If scars are stories, Harrison Scott Key has more than enough to fill the books that he writes. Growing up in the south, he's taken his share of licks and has come through each harrowing event with another funny story to tell. He contemplates life while washing kitchenware and feels that our uncertainty is what unities us. When Benjamin sits down to chat with Harrison, the two dive into humor, family, and many, many anecdotes. This is Harrison Scott Key.

For a city that was built on a foundation of distraction, in the aftermath of evil, Las Vegas is awake. The locals waited in line for eight hours to give blood. The city has started funds and efforts to house the families of the fallen who seek to come into the city to see the ones they've lost. When Benjamin went free listening in the streets of Vegas, he talked with many people struggling to make sense of how they feel. Today we all pause to reflect on what it means to listen in times of anguish.

We only know how strong we are when being strong is our only choice. Kendra Kinnison has survived Hurricanes. Her most recent brush with tumultuous storms happened when Hurricane Harvey ripped through southern Texas. However, she finds her calling in helping leaders navigate personal hurricanes that can arise when we choose to make ourselves vulnerable to the responsibility of leading. When she sits down with Benjamin, the two dive into the process of how we can take the mantle of leadership regardless of position or occupation.

They say to stick to what you know, and it seems like we do the same thing when it comes to what entertains us. We want the next big idea, while at the same time, we have a soft spot for the stories and formulas we've come to know and love. It's hypocritical, but a reality of life. No one knows more about reality and television than Matt Sprouse. He's a reality TV producer behind shows like Welcome to Myrtle Manor and Sons of Guns. In this episode he sits down with Benjamin to talk about what it's like trying to capture life in front of the camera, while still shaping what's unscripted into a story.