Following last week’s season premiere, where "God came up a lot," Jason and Rowena take a step back to provide some critical context behind their spiritual foundations. Digging into an archival discussion originally recorded seven months prior, Jason shares his evolution from childhood to finding an aspirational role model in Jesus and the Episcopalian tradition.

Later, Jason and Rowena reflect on the current timeline (May 29, 2026), discussing Jason’s professional setbacks that feel like a "clogged barf tunnel," and how hitting absolute rock bottom in the past has opened the doors to unexpected professional abundance.

A few highlights:

• The "Barf Tunnel" of Life: Rowena and Jason unpack this vivid metaphor for the deeply unpleasant, messy, and painful life experiences that are tough to go through but inevitably bear fruit on the other side.
• The Anti-Jesus Armor: Growing up as an agnostic scientists’ kid in a conservative Montana town, Jason felt excluded by zealously religious peers, nurturing a deeply anti-Christian stance until an epiphany in Beijing decades later forced a radical reassessment.
• Professional Challenges and Spiritual Desperation: Jason recounts past times when professional challenges have left him feeling desperate for God’s help.
• The Waiting Game: Back in the present, Jason opens up about the suffocating weight of feeling thwarted in doing the work he’s meant to do, and how spirituality is helping him through.

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Welcome to Season 2 of No Left Field! A few months after our Season 1 finale, Rowena and Jason are back.

Moving through the "muck" of recent challenges, Rowena celebrates her partner Ed being cancer-free following a major surgery, while Jason navigates the emotional roller coaster of a grueling full-time job search.

We explore the pitfalls of "future tripping," the art of care partnering, and what it means to "hug the midline" and find presence amid uncertainty.

Key Takeaways:

• Hugging the Midline: Learning to gather our energy and regroup when life spins out of balance.
• The Power of Presence: Overcoming anticipatory grief and job search rejection by staying anchored in the current moment.
• Community as an Anchor: Why listening to the people who love us most is the ultimate tool for resilience.

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In this episode, we take a deep dive into the nitty gritty of enduring long journeys, both literal and figurative: ultramarathons, outsourcing our brains, and care-partnering.

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In this episode…what on earth is lovebombing? Why does it matter where a story begins? And how is it that a bird in the hand really is worth two in the bush?

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Post-episode news flash: Metallica did *not* perform “Carol of the Bells.” The referenced version of the song is by Trans-Siberian Orchestra (which Jason *was* familiar with). It’s not Rowena’s fault: early .mp3s of the song were mislabeled with Metallica as the artist, and the misattribution stuck.

Songs mentioned during the episode:

• All I Want for Christmas Is You — Mariah Carey
• Away in a Manger — traditional
• Baby, It’s Cold Outside — an updated, post-#metoo version by John Legend and Kelly Clarkson
• Carol of the Bells — Trans-Siberian Orchestra
• Christmas Bells Are Ringing — Nat King Cole
• Christmas in Hollis — Run-D.M.C.
• Christmas Wrapping — The Waitresses
• Cozy Little Christmas — Katy Perry
• Do They Know It’s Christmas? — Band Aid [UGH UGH UGH UGH…Jason did end up writing to local radio station KOIT pleading with them to stop. Playing. This. Song…]
• Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer — Elmo & Patsy
• Handel's Messiah, especially the Hallelujah Chorus
• Hark! The Herald Angels Sing — traditional
• Happy Xmas (War Is Over) — John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Harlem Community Choir
• Little Drummer Boy — for KING + COUNTRY / Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band / Pink Martini
• I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas (Hippo Hero) — Gayla Peevey
• One More Sleep — Leona Lewis
• O Holy Night — Celine Dion rendition; Mariah Carey’s version was also mentioned
• Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy — Bing Crosby & David Bowie
• River — Joni Mitchell (Sarah McLachlan cover noted)
• Shchedryk (Carol of the Bells original) — Pink Martini version
• Silver Bells — Dean Martin
• Sleigh Ride — The Ronettes
• Under the Mistletoe — Kelly Clarkson & Brett Eldredge
• Welcome Christmas — from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
• White Winter Hymnal — Pentatonix (Fleet Foxes original)
• Winter Wonderland — Johnny Mathis / Eurythmics
• You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch — Thurl Ravenscroft

Albums mentioned:

• A Charlie Brown Christmas — Vince Guaraldi Trio
• Joy to the World — Pink Martini
• A Very Special Christmas — Various

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In this episode we get into the origins of the podcast, the blessings of being out of work, and the joys of cancer.

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