Leslie Weirich lost her son Austin to suicide in 2016. Now she travels to military bases teaching young men how to stay alive. In this conversation, she shares Austin's story, the counterintuitive triggers driving military suicide, and the practical 3-8-3 Challenge that anyone can use to calm the nervous system before crisis hits.

In this episode:

·       Austin's story and how loss became Leslie's mission

·       Why young men 18-30 are the highest-risk group

·       The doorbell at 2:30 a.m. and the chaplain who walked them through it

·       Why relationship breakups — not combat — trigger most military suicides

·       Suicide as a brain injury: the amygdala hijack and undeveloped prefrontal cortex

·       Childhood sexual trauma in the enlisted population

·       Alaska's Mission 100: how connection reduced suicides from 17 to 6

Connect with Mike Orlowski

·       https://www.mojomotivates.com

·       https://www.mojoww.com  

·       https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeorlowski/

·       https://x.com/MichaelOrlowski

·       https://www.facebook.com/MOJOMotivates

·       https://www.tiktok.com/@mojoworldwide

Connect with Leslie Weirich

·       https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-weirich-a55a73159/

·       https://leslieshope.org/

•     https://www.amazon.com/Gifts-Grief-Four-Decades-Shaped-ebook/dp/B0CR6S2R5P?ref_=ast_author_mpb

8 Warning Signs of an Unhealthy Relationship

Austin missed eight out of eight. If you see even one, it's time to look closer.

1.      Excessive jealousy

2.      Constant guilt without knowing why

3.      Always being told you're at fault

4.      Feeling like you're never good enough

5.      Giving up the things or people you love

6.      Never knowing when they'll explode

7.      Non-acceptance of your flaws and demands to change

8.      Pressure to conform to their risky behavior

Master the Pause: Breathwork, Coaching, and Reclaiming Personal Power

Hans Weygoldt spent 15 years in corporate management before burnout and substance abuse forced a breaking point. What he discovered next changed everything: breathwork isn't just a relaxation technique—it's a tool that creates neurological space between stimulus and response. Paired with coaching, this "pause" becomes the gateway to freedom. Hans shares his journey from opioid addiction to recovery through plant medicine, breathwork, and consciousness exploration, revealing why the simple act of taking three conscious breaths can rewire reactive patterns and reclaim your power. His core message: stop blaming external circumstances, take responsibility for your nervous system, and master the pause. Everything changes in that space.

Connect with Mike Orlowski

• https://www.mojomotivates.com

• https://www.mojoww.com  

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeorlowski/

• https://x.com/MichaelOrlowski

• https://www.facebook.com/MOJOMotivates

• https://www.tiktok.com/@mojoworldwide

Connect with Hans Weygoldt

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/hans-andreas-weygoldt-151777356/

• https://www.facebook.com/hans.whygold

Timestamps

00:00 - Welcome, support message, and why breathwork plus coaching matters
01:30 - Hans Weygoldt’s background and core principle of the pause
03:08 - Corporate success that felt empty from the inside
04:20 - The breaking point and deciding drastic change was necessary
05:18 - How prescribed painkillers led to addiction
06:56 - Fatherhood, denial, and realizing the habit was taking over
08:11 - Therapy helped relationships but not the substance abuse
09:09 - Ayahuasca in Peru and the search for consciousness
10:11 - Discovering holotropic breathwork after Peru
11:19 - What a deep breathwork session feels like
12:43 - How breathwork helped dissolve guilt and shame
15:19 - The pause between stimulus and response
18:40 - Why breathwork needs integration coaching
20:41 - How breathwork reveals unconscious patterns
22:30 - Shame, masking, and the pressure on corporate leaders
25:26 - Global perspective, multicultural family, and human connection
27:19 - Group sessions versus one-on-one online work
29:00 - Why helping one person still changes many lives
31:54 - Where to start if you are stuck in reactive patterns
35:35 - Freedom, responsibility, and becoming the master of your own mind
37:40 - Hans’s biggest lesson about addiction and reclaiming power
38:59 - Final takeaway: practice the pause, reset the nervous system, and choose your response

Grief Beyond Death: Identity Loss, Caregiving, and the Power of Presence

Mike Orlowski talks with Melissa Duair, a grief support specialist and caregiving advocate, about why grief is not limited to death. They explore how identity loss, role transitions, divorce, retirement, empty nesting, and caregiving can all trigger real grief. Melissa also explains why toxic positivity can block healing and how presence, validation, and intentional choice create space for real recovery.

Connect with Mike Orlowski

• https://www.mojomotivates.com

• https://www.mojoww.com  

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeorlowski/

• https://x.com/MichaelOrlowski

• https://www.facebook.com/MOJOMotivates

• https://www.tiktok.com/@mojoworldwide

Connect with Melissa Douaire

• https://a.co/d/09dIfCM9 - The Care You Give, Amazon

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissadouaire/

·  www.wholepersonconversations.com

Timestamps

00:00 - Welcome, crisis resources, and why this episode matters
02:16 - Grief beyond death: identity loss, transitions, and the sandwich generation
04:11 - What is actually lost in caregiving and empty nesting
06:46 - Rediscovering self after the children grow up
08:42 - Gray divorce, family change, and the ripple effects on kids
13:39 - Questions instead of answers: Melissa’s coaching approach
15:02 - The concentric circles framework for inherited narratives
16:59 - Choosing agency over toxic self-talk
18:24 - Stickies on the wall: making overwhelm visible and manageable
22:11 - Why the Ministry of Presence matters more than fixing
25:16 - How presence helps in grief after death
27:39 - The secondary loss of friends who do not show up
29:07 - Why toxic positivity dismisses real fear and grief
33:24 - Sitting with pain instead of rushing past it
34:09 - Loss needs meaning, witnessing, and validation
36:36 - Testing inherited stories against reality
39:30 - Melissa’s grief work during the pandemic and in corporate settings
41:26 - Graduation, retirement, and athletic identity as forms of loss
46:08 - The Care You Give and the hidden burden on caregivers
49:54 - Why caregiving expectations create fear and resistance
52:19 - Sustainable support for the sandwich generation
53:34 - Planning ahead for DNRs, healthcare power of attorney, and final wishes
55:25 - Taking the burden off the next generation
59:12 - What changes when grief is something to learn from, not fix
60:33 - Complicated relationships create complicated grief
62:28 - Where to find

James Logan is a stage four colorectal cancer survivor, Ironman athlete, author, and cancer advocate.  He speaks about what mental toughness really looks like when life gets stripped down to the essentials. The conversation centers on surviving a terminal diagnosis, steering suffering instead of surrendering to it, and finding purpose through faith, movement, and service. James shares how cancer became both the worst and best event of his life, and why the mindset that carries someone through Ironman training can also carry them through chemotherapy, surgeries, and uncertainty.

Connect with James Logan

·  https://www.instagram.com/stage42025/

·  Ironman Foundation Donation Link:  https://bit.ly/3UWNq9N

·  Book “Just Keep Tri-Ing” at Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX3JNLF7?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

Connect with Mike Orlowski

• https://www.mojomotivates.com  

• https://www.mojoww.com

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeorlowski/

• https://x.com/MichaelOrlowski

• https://www.facebook.com/MOJOMotivates

• https://www.tiktok.com/@mojoworldwide

The parent crisis most people don’t talk about

This conversation with licensed therapist and parenting coach Devora Segall looks at the work-home emotional disconnect that leaves many parents regulated all day at work and then depleted at home. Devora, who raised 10 children and wrote The Peaceful Parenting Solution, explains why burnout often shows up as yelling, guilt, and disconnection, and how parents can rebuild emotional regulation with learnable skills. We discuss why emotional regulation drains over the course of the day, how DBT can be adapted for parenting, and why self-compassion matters more than self-criticism when a parent is overwhelmed.

Connect with Mike Orlowski

• https://www.mojomotivates.com  

• https://www.mojoww.com

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeorlowski/

• https://x.com/MichaelOrlowski

• https://www.facebook.com/MOJOMotivates

• https://www.tiktok.com/@mojoworldwide

Connect with Devora

Book – The Peaceful Parenting Solution https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F8BBGWQ1?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

• https://segallcoaching.com/

Timestamps

00:00 - Why this conversation matters for burned out parents
03:16 - Why parents regulate at work and collapse at home
04:45 - The moment Devora realized she needed new parenting tools
07:21 - Emotional regulation as a limited resource
08:07 - The first step is safety, then pause and notice
11:01 - Why focusing on parent emotional health changes behavior
12:05 - What DBT is and how it applies to parenting
14:35 - Mindfulness, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness
15:05 - Wise Mind Accepts as a practical reset tool
17:27 - Using activities and the five senses to lower intensity
18:46 - The role and limits of comparisons
19:14 - Redirecting with thoughts and mental tasks
20:35 - Strong sensations that can interrupt emotional escalation
22:12 - Why self-compassion works better than shame
23:37 - How parents stay out of crisis with proactive support
25:19 - Burnout prevention through partnership, rest, and identity beyond parenting
29:11 - What The Peaceful Parenting Solution teaches
31:01 - Real-world examples in the book
33:35 - Where a burned out parent should start
34:18 - Observe, describe, participate
35:41 - Why skipped meals and low fuel make parenting harder
36:24 - What becomes possible when parents get emotional health back
37:22 - Where to find Devora Segall and her work
39:05 - The main takeaway: parent emotional health is family mental health

Connect with Mike Orlowski

• https://www.mojomotivates.com   

• https://www.mojoww.com

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeorlowski/

• https://x.com/MichaelOrlowski

• https://www.facebook.com/MOJOMotivates

• https://www.tiktok.com/@mojoworldwide

Contact Nic Angai-Galindo:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicthegbw/

We Choose To Be More Than Our Diagnoses Vol 2:

https://a.co/d/03BcNcPG

We Choose To Be More Than Our Diagnoses Vol 1:

https://a.co/d/03ub9Otx

[email protected]         

Turning Mental Illness into Purpose Through Publishing and Storytelling

This conversation features Mike Orlowski and Nic Angai-Galindo, a hybrid publisher who has turned her lived experience with bipolar disorder into a mission-driven publishing platform. Nic shares how recovery, sobriety, and community helped her rebuild her life, then how storytelling became both a healing practice and a way to help others break mental health stigma. We discuss her immigrant journey from Trinidad and Tobago, the lowest point of her mental health crisis during the pandemic, how she built Guiding Brilliant Writers Publishing, and why her anthologies center author empowerment over gatekeeping. The episode closes with a powerful message about choosing to be more than a diagnosis, especially for anyone navigating mental illness, recovery, or the urge to tell their story.

Choosing Liberation: A Journey of Mental Health and Freedom

Discover how prioritizing mental health and freedom over financial security transformed Geoff Sargeant’s life. In this episode, Geoff shares his powerful story of breaking free from controlling relationships, walking away from traditional success, and embracing a life aligned with his true purpose.

Connect with Mike Orlowski

• https://www.mojomotivates.com

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeorlowski/

• https://www.facebook.com/MOJOMotivates

• https://www.tiktok.com/@mojoworldwide

• https://x.com/MichaelOrlowski

Connect with Geoff Sargeant:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffsargeant/

https://voicescenter.org/ - Started in honor of Geoff’s friend Brad Fetchet

https://www.thereal.care/ - The Real Mental Health Foundation

Key Topics:

·       The significance of mental health alignment as a success metric

·       Geoff's story of liberation and walking away from corporate security

·       How controlling relationships impact mental health

·       The role of 12-step principles in daily recovery

·       Building a community for mental health support through men's meetings

·       The importance of authentic communication and vulnerability

·       Impact of social comparison and how to combat it

·       The real meaning of success in life and work

·       How resilience and purpose can revitalize even after deep struggles

·       The foundation of mental health advocacy through the Real Mental Health Foundation

Transforming Mental Health Support with the So Free App

Connect with Mike Orlowski

• https://www.mojomotivates.com

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeorlowski/

• https://www.facebook.com/MOJOMotivates

• https://www.tiktok.com/@mojoworldwide

• https://x.com/MichaelOrlowski

Connect with Many Morris:

·  https://www.getsofree.com

·  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandymorris/

Discover how Mandy Morris, a licensed counselor and tech innovator, has created a groundbreaking app that offers rapid stress reduction through biometric-approved bilateral stimulation. This episode explores the science, development, and potential impact of accessible mental health tools in today's world. 

In this episode:

·       Mandy shares her journey from clinical practice to app development inspired by personal tragedy.

·       Explanation of bilateral stimulation and how it mimics EMDR therapy to reduce stress by 45% in under two minutes.

·       The science behind biometric stress measurement and app results from over 2,000 sessions.

·       How So Free addresses barriers like cost, privacy, access, and stigma in mental health care.

·       Practical uses of the app for everyday stress, athletes, veterans, and those with trauma.

·       Future plans for Android release, AI integration, and expanding mental health accessibility.

·       Key insights into overcoming the stigma around seeking mental health support.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Mojo Motivation and Mandy Morris’s journey
00:31 - The inspiration behind So Free and its clinical effectiveness
01:59 - How bilateral stimulation works and its relationship to EMDR
02:26 - Mandy’s personal story of grief and technology’s role in healing
06:37 - Addressing mental health stigma and barriers to seeking help
09:45 - Details of how the app functions and its measurable stress reduction
11:12 - User experience: modes, personalization, and ease of use
13:15 - Biometrics and tracking progress with the app
15:24 - The importance of quick, in-the-moment stress relief options
16:05 - Personal preferences for app modes and discreet use
17:07 - How bilateral stimulation influences brain hemispheres and calming the amygdala
19:20 - The impact of social media and constant notifications on stress levels
22:17 - Scientific validation and biometric data collection
24:10 - Success stories and real-world applications like flying and athletic performance
29:37 - Expanding the app for veterans, first responders, and youth
30:21 - Privacy, AI integration, and future features
36:35 - Quick relief in critical moments, like panic or emergency
37:02 - Practical tips for managing anxiety independently
39:33 - The future of accessible mental health tools and potential societal impacts

Discover the often-overlooked challenge of career invisibility faced by high achievers and learn actionable strategies for reclaiming your authentic self without sacrificing success. Candice Mitchell shares her insights on the five pillars of agency to help you break free from mental and emotional shackles.

Connect with Mike Orlowski

• Website

• LinkedIn

• Facebook

• Instagram

• TikTok

• X

Connect with Candice Mitchell:

• Choose You book

• The Invisible Work Archetype quiz

• LinkedIn 

Timestamps:

·       00:00 - The success paradox—feeling invisible while thriving externally

·       03:22 - Why high performers hide their true selves

·       04:21 - The pattern of shrinking in childhood leading to adult invisibility

·       07:52 - Connection between quiet quitting and invisibility archetypes

·       09:21 - Candice’s personal story of realizing her invisibility pattern

·       11:40 - How childhood experiences shape adult behaviors

·       14:17 - The six work archetypes and recognizing your role

·       16:42 - Distinction between career invisibility, burnout, and depression

·       17:38 - The importance of authenticity and advocating for oneself

·       20:10 - The five pillars of agency for reclaiming your authentic self

·       24:18 - The significance of finding your people and community

·       29:32 - Starting before you're ready: Taking action to build confidence

·       32:25 - The power of shifting perspective and belief in oneself

·       36:11 - Understanding your archetype for meaningful change

·       43:12 - Signs you're invisible and how to recognize them

·       45:23 - Overcoming fear of authenticity and success

·       57:36 - The transformative power of choosing yourself

Kindness as a Mental Health Tool: The Power of "I Believe in You"

In this episode, we explore how a simple movement with bracelets has spread worldwide to combat loneliness, foster kindness, and support mental health. Braxton Kilgo shares his inspiring journey from football injury to creating a global kindness movement that’s touching lives across fifty states and over twenty-five countries.

Connect with Braxton Kilgo

·   I Believe in You - Official website

·   Instagram

·   LinkedIn

Connect with Mike Orlowski

• Website

• LinkedIn

• Facebook

• Instagram

• TikTok

• X

Timestamps:

00:00 - Opening message: reaching out during crisis, why kindness matters
00:31 - Introducing Braxton Kilgo and his movement's mission
01:26 - Braxton’s football injury and pivot to entrepreneurship and kindness
02:41 - From small town roots to college sports injury and life shifts
03:49 - Building resilience through personal struggles and turning pain into purpose
05:10 - Founding a clothing brand focused on defining success and kindness
05:56 - The story of inspiring middle school students with stickers and the ripple effect
07:32 - Realization that adults also benefit from small acts of kindness
08:11 - Embracing the mission to encourage a culture of kindness in the world
09:12 - Transition from stickers to bracelets, making kindness fashionable
10:05 - Scaling the bracelet movement globally from a simple entrepreneurial effort
11:53 - Lessons from marketing, business growth, and building impactful tech
12:16 - Impact of injuries on mental health and resilience development
14:07 - The significance of sharing kind words and their impact on others
16:29 - Overcoming fear in expressing kindness and the importance of subtle gestures
17:48 - Kindness as a mental health intervention and its ripple effect
18:25 - Giving back and the mental health benefits of acts of kindness
19:12 - Kindness as a superpower accessible to everyone
21:24 - Breaking societal polarization through small acts of kindness
22:30 - Using bracelets & messages to combat mental health issues and feelings of isolation
24:25 - How the app enhances impact, storytelling, and donations
27:15 - The "Band Together" campaign and partnerships with nonprofits
30:47 - Impact of strategic causes, supporting veterans, & building a global kindness army
32:41 - The significance of connecting through stories from a small piece of plastic
34:50 - The importance of early intervention in schools for mental health resilience
36:24 - Building infrastructure for scalable impact via direct-to-consumer and partnerships
37:39 - Advice for those feeling isolated and alone—you're not alone, help is available
41:50 - The potential of kindness to change the world when everyone commits to helping others