Read The Room

Well I asked for questions and you delivered!

The whole reason I started this show and wrote Read The Room was to be able to have these conversations. In your real life, in the actual dynamics you find yourselves in, that’s where I want to meet you. I want to help you navigate the difficult and confusing.

So today we’re digging in. We’re dealing with nuanced situations like, “What do you do when your spouse has a family who continually lies to and gaslights them ... how can you help?” I’ve got some thoughts on that for sure. Then we go another direction, “What do you do when you’re a mature adult dating again and have a child who wants nothing to do with a new love interest?” Yep, I’m ready to tackle that too.

I’m so grateful to have Natalie Martin (licensed marriage and family therapist) on with me today to help me tackle these questions and an awful lot more. If you have a question you’d like for us to answer, please just email me at [email protected] or send me a direct message on Instagram. I hope something in this meets you where you are. I have a hope and feeling it will!

WATCH the full episode, here on Patreon!

I’m joined today by one of the smartest people I have the pleasure of knowing. Dr. Andy Yarborough is a licensed clinical psychologist as well as personal coach to many— me included. And yes, you’re seeing that correctly. Today, I’m having on a friend who has genuinely helped me understand my own overwhelm, as well as my ability to step out of it. 

We’re having a real, no holds barred conversation about what it means to genuinely integrate the entirety of who you are and to show up authentically in the world. If you’re not already listening to his podcast, My Well Lab with Dr. Andy Yarborough, you’re sincerely missing out. This man is a resource of health and I’m so pleased to introduce you to him. 

If you haven’t grabbed my book, READ THE ROOM yet, snag it on Audible or buy a copy wherever books are sold! 

WATCH the full episode, here on Patreon!

Today, we have the distinct honor to hear from someone whose purpose in life has been defined and shaped by serving others. Furhan Ahmad was born and raised in NYC, became an EMT right out of high school to then become a police officer, and finally a first-responder firefighter, where he continues to serve the city and kaleidoscope of people to this day. His character encourages me and his story flat-out inspires me. 

The way he kindly, lovingly, and boldly chooses to meet a city full of complicated people, even the ones who've hurled insults and paraded their racism in his face, challenges me. I'm so excited for you to hear his story, for you to know what he loves about a varied environment, and the beauty that can develop in a person. This man is wise and well over his 10,000 hours in the area of service and meeting others. Let's all learn a thing or two from him, shall we?

WATCH the full episode, here on Patreon!

It's incredibly tempting to settle for "good enough" in life. Let's be real, this might show up in our work performance, our relational practices, or in how we function in life. But I've got a friend on today who I know doesn't settle for less than the best. Whether it's in her relational world, how she shows up in her career, or how she shows up in life altogether, Tia Bowen is one always reaching for better. In this ep, she's going to help us all reach for a bit more.

What I think is especially great about this convo is how thoughtfully Tia has walked through transition in her life and how she talks us through that. She knows how to show up to the parties she's invited to in life, but also knows when it's time to leave. She's not afraid of hard decisions and I feel like she's making those hard calls a bit easier for each of us today. Take some of the wisdom, some of the peace you can hear, and hopefully some courage to do hard things. 

WATCH the full episode, here on Patreon!

Romantic relationships are fraught with challenging dynamics to deal with ... 👀 or not. Even deciding you're ready to date is challenging, well it was for me at least. The question is, if you're not dealing with what is, if you can't call a thing a thing, and if you're not willing to work through the "hard" stuff with your person, then what's the point of partnership? I have two people joining me today who aren't afraid of relational work and their lives are a testament to that fact. 

Although I've interviewed Ryan and Nikki separately, I'm so excited for you to join us for this vulnerable conversation. I'm letting you all in a bit more to where I'm at in my own pursuit of a romantic relationship while I pick the brains of two people I love an incredible amount. I left this conversation feeling confident about myself and unbothered by my singleness. I believe you will too if you're in a similar boat, but maybe not for the reasons you think. When we work on ourselves and are willing to genuinely ask and answer the hard questions we're sometimes fearful to, we realize our very willingness to engage the difficult parts of ourselves, makes us even more equipped to meet and healthily bring someone into our life. 

You've got this. WE'VE got this. ✊🏼

WATCH the full episode, here on Patreon!

I often think about where exceptional people skills are developed.  Are they innate, encouraged or discouraged by surrounding, maybe a combination? Today, I’m asking this question and many more of someone I believe to be in an expert in this field, among many others. Priyanka Chopra Jonas is an international juggernaut of an icon, yes. But beyond that she is supremely astute, intentional, aware, and kind. Join us for a vulnerable conversation about all the ways in which we steward our own success when we steward people. 

Priyanka knows the connection between her awareness of another and her ability to meet a moment boldly and with conviction. She uses it lovingly and with precision that has impressed me from first meeting. Oh, we’ll also talk about that. What did we first think of each other? What have been the biggest surprises of parenthood and building a family? 

And more than that, she’s doling out some serious advice and bankable wisdom. What would she say to someone navigating major change, wanting upward advancement, looking to expand in a current role? 

Well you’re going to have to listen to find out! 

WATCH the full episode, here on Patreon!

If you want to know what I'm about as a person, what drives me (and the heart behind this podcast/book), and what I aim to spend the rest of my life talking about, this is the episode. It's not only because my book comes out next week (Apr. 23), but because I genuinely need to understand someone's heart before I can take what they're saying seriously. Anybody else out there?

So hop in for an interview of sorts, but more so, a forecast of the conversation we're going to have if you order Read The Room. I hope the book reaches you right where you are, as I hope this podcast has and does. By the end of this conversation you're going to know exactly why I think reading the room well is non-negotiable, for my life, and I believe yours too. 

WATCH the full episode, here on Patreon!

WATCH the full episode on Patreon !!
I hope you'll join us for a riveting convo with Anjula Acharia, renowned entrepreneur and trailblazer, as she unveils her raw and authentic experiences of 'faking it till she made it' in the business world. Mixed with incredibly practical advice, wisdom, vulnerability, and some great stories ... Let's just say you're in for a treat. From her beginnings in real estate to navigating the intricacies of the music industry, Anjula is sharing invaluable lessons and moments she learned along her path to success. It's one that has been filled with a great deal of decisive moments leading to tangible wins. Join us for an empowering conversation filled with inspiration from one of the industry's most influential voices. Don't miss out on this captivating glimpse into the entrepreneurial journey!

WATCH the full episode, here on Patreon!

I can't believe we've come to the end of the year! Before we all tuck away for a quick few weeks, I wanted to have my dear friend Natalie Martin (licensed therapist) back on to help me tackle a few things I know may be on people's minds around the Holidays. We're also divulging what Christmas song we think we are, the ones we think can go away, and giving each other grief in the meantime ... Because that's what friends are for tbh.

Before we send you into all of your holiday festivities, and eventually NYE, we wanted to thoughtfully talk through some tricky dynamics we know can be attached to this time of year. My hope is that there's something helpful in here for each of us. I love being able to have real convos exactly like this one each week, I'm so grateful that you come by to hang out with me and my friends, even if this is your first episode to listen in!

I'll be back with all new episodes January 12th. Until then, if you're curious to know what I'd love for Christmas I'll happily tell you. I'd be so grateful for you to take just a minute and rate and review this show ... now, I know I don't need to say it but I will, I'm talkin' about 5 stars okay? Okay thank you.😂 😎

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

WATCH the full episode, here on Patreon!

What do you do when life starts to move you and your close friends in different directions? Marriages, hard life moments, moving away, little offenses built up over time … whatever it is that may be causing a disconnect, what do we do with it and how do we navigate forward— and in health?

Today, I have my first repeat offender back on the show. Natalie Martin, one of my dearest friends and a licensed therapist, stops by to help me answer a listener’s question(s) about some growing distance between them and a friend. But that’s just where we start! We’re talking through several dynamics that I think you’ll relate to, regardless of where you are in life!

Care to join us? 

If YOU have a question you’d like answered on the show, email me at [email protected] or message me on Instagram @CavanaughJames!

WATCH the full episode, here on Patreon!