Journey Through Life Podcast

In this conversation with Rusty Wiezbowski we go through the experiences in his life that have brought him to one of his mantras that seems opposite of what almost everyone else always says. He says, "Life is Long". Now, at first, this seems like quite a stretch, but, as he shares his life experiences and the journeys of loved ones, it comes back and makes perfect sense.

I hope you enjoy this Know and Do conversation where Rusty shares the wisdom earned and learned in his life.

Mary Sowards, and her husband, Rick, have been Godsends to my family since we moved to Spokane. They have always opened their hearts and home to us and made the best hot cocoa and cakes we could ever ask for. I can honestly say that I love Mary and Rick as my own family. And that is the dominant theme of this conversation – Family. In this episode of the Know and Do Podcast, we will hear as Mary shares her experiences of living all over the world as a military child and wife, her love of her grandmother and of her twin brother, her experiences as a single mother, fighting to raise good children and keep a roof over their head, and just some great words of wisdom about the importance of family, near and far. Open your heart and mind to any gentle promptings or blunt 2 x 4s upside the head. Then, be ready to act on those thoughts to become a bit better of a person yourself.

In this conversation we will hear as Ken shares how he sees, looking back, God’s hand directing and empowering his life and his family. He shares the difficulties of a pretty strict childhood, and also the lessons learned from it. He shares some lessons learned in life and death situations. He shares his indomitable desire and will to conquer any obstacle that is in front of him, including the long and scary slog of building a successful business. He shares his experiences in working to improve the conditions of hundreds of orphans in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010. And he shares how his wife and family have made him the man that he is today (and even though he probably wouldn’t say so himself, he’s a pretty darn good guy). Open your heart and mind to any gentle promptings or blunt 2 x 4s upside the head. Then, be ready to act on those thoughts to become a bit better of a person yourself.

I want to share a bit about the Know and Do Podcast and what I am trying to do here. I have heard that one of the more powerful words in the English language is the word, “remember”. I think it might have something to do with the well-known phrase attributed to George Santayana which states: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

One of the goals of the Know and Do Podcast is to speak with people who have experienced life – both the ups and downs – and are willing to share some of that wisdom, earned and learned with those who are walking that path behind them. My hope is that something from each of these conversations touches the hearts of each listener and motivates them to do just one small thing a little bit better. This change of heart has the potential to help each person become a bit better, and then when the individual becomes a better person, their family benefits. When the family becomes a bit better, the community benefits. When the community becomes a bit better, the region benefits, and you get the picture, on and on, until the world becomes a bit of a better place. This is one reason I feel that it is important to strive to develop wisdom by talking to real people with real experiences, both positive and painful. This is what the Know and Do podcast is all about.

I have several more of these conversations lined up, but am always looking for more people with life lessons and wisdom, learned and earned, that are willing to share with me and the listening audience of Know and Do. My ideal interview would be with someone who is nearer the end of his or her life than the beginning and has a story to tell and is willing to share the good and the not-so-good so that others can learn from their experiences. These conversations are also hoped to be a kind of legacy, where the person involved can impart some of their more important thoughts and philosophies and lessons learned, along with some experience that many have not yet heard, to their children, grandchildren, and on down the line for generations to come. If you know of anyone that fits this description, and who would be willing to have a recorded conversation with me, please email me at [email protected] and let me know. We can then start the process of getting it set up.

Also, if you find the Know and Do Podcast to be of value to you, please share it with your friends and family – please subscribe to it on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to your podcasts – and please rate and review us on that same service. You may also follow Know and Do on Facebook. Just search “Know and Do” and like us and leave us a note to let us know what you like most or what you would love to hear in future episodes. Now on to the conversation with Ken Potter.

https://www.facebook.com/KnowANDDo/

In this conversation we will range over his life and experiences starting out in Glendale, California and following him and his family as they persevere and endure through ups and downs, striving to recognize that by the end of the day, I will be a better person because of these experiences I am going through. I think there are some very important life lessons addressed in this conversation.

We can all learn from some of his mantras that he explains with word and story. In the end, his message is that working hard and pushing through is the way to get things of meaning done.

In this conversation we will range over her life and experiences in faith journeys, marriage, family, world travel, hope for change, and love of spouse and of family. We follow Evelyn through her life, her relationship with a beloved grandmother, parents, brother, friends, husband, children, grandchildren, living in 3 countries, farming, many homes (some with mice), struggles and victories.

Paul Snow is someone that I have known since I was about 12 years old. He seemed a wise sage at that point. Now, 30 plus years later, he seems to be a wiser sage with more life experience, positive and difficult. I recall sitting in a sort of workshop with him teaching a bunch of 14 to 18 year-old youth and learning the concept of “paradigm” and seeing things through another’s eyes and experience. Although I didn’t really recognize it at the time, that has been a very powerful lesson in my life. From that, and other similar experiences, I desire to understand the lives and experiences and wisdom of people from many more walks of life than I ever thought I would.

In a marriage and family course that he and his wife taught, my wife and I learned many helpful things. Among those is that an airplane is off course more than 90% of the time. It is the constant and small adjustments that get the passengers where they want to go. In life, marriage, parenting, etc, we are off course more than 90% of the time. Even here, it is the constant and small adjustments that must be made to make sure that we get to where we hope to be. If those constant and small adjustments are not made, eventually a major adjustment will need to be made that can cause all sorts of issues. But that major course adjustment is better than hitting the proverbial mountain head on.

In this conversation we will range over his life and experiences in faith, profession, family, philosophy, loss of trust, and the love of a good spouse.

This long-form conversation with James Lee is one where we explore the life of a Godly man, striving to raise a family the best he knows how. It follows his life as he tries to follow the path that God lays out before him. Some take-aways for the interviewer are as follows: "You start in a place and just keep going". This is one of the mantras of the Lee family. To them, it means that no matter what situation you find yourself in - no matter the trial, start there, and just keep going until the work is done. "If you have a 'why' then you can handle almost any 'how'". Find your why - your purpose - and then push through all of the hows that may be in your way. This conversation has been very enlightening and I hope you find it helpful to you.

In this conversation with Cade Ellsworth, we explore Cade's life. In his 19 years on earth, he has experienced many things that people 4 and 5 times his age have never had to encounter. Some hard topics of mortality are discussed in this conversation. I imagine that some of these topics and questions are things that most people feel uncomfortable asking someone like Cade. But, in this conversation we come out the other side with hope - with a desire to be kinder - with the resolve to "See the Person" for who they are and not for how they appear on the outside.

As you listen to this conversation, consider the phrase "See the Person" and do some reflection on how you see others and if you feel a change in your heart and wish to make some changes in how you interact with and see others, get out there and put it into action. If you don't, it won't do you or anyone else any good.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fully-operational-the-star-wars-podcast/id1439745642 (Cade's Star Wars podcast)

https://www.mda.org/ (Muscular Dystrophy Association)

This is the story of a remarkable, but ordinary 85 year-old man. A man who has walked an illogical, but God-led path in his life. We will follow him from his childhood in the Great Depression, through his youth during World War II, into college, work, marriage, unpredictable career changes, miracles, messengers, and messages. Dick Erb is a fascinating "guy next door" who has lived and learned in many places and many circumstances. His list of prominent people that he has known and worked with is impressive. His life invites one to reflect on one's own life and see where one can improve or can trust that the path that God lays ahead is the one that is best for him or her. The invitation to "Open Your Eyes" is one that can and will have a powerful effect on those who are willing and ready to put their own knowledge and wisdom and experience into action. This is the first of a new basic direction for the Know and Do Podcast. A direction in which we will be having conversations with normal people who are doing extraordinary things from the lessons of life that they have learned and are putting into practice.

Today's 9 minute reflection, lesson, and invitation is on seeing and being the helper in a troubled world.