Relatively Normal

In my ongoing discussion to learn and empathize with different people, I have a conversation this week with Mike Morton, a member of the LGTBQ community and a Christian.  Mike and I discuss his life growing up in the church and his life learning about his own sexuality and how he tries everyday to live through Jesus Christ as a gay man.  Mike's husband is the pastor of their church and they both understand by just being themselves, they are angering and certain group of people in America.  This is such a delightful conversation and I hope everyone has a chance to enjoy it.  

If you are a young Christian struggling with your sexuality, please know their are people who care about you and groups available to help you.  Please check out https://www.livingout.org/ to assist with any feelings you may be having.  As always, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day at 1-800-273-8255 or Text GO to 741741 to reach a trained Crisis Counselor through Crisis Text Line.

On this week's show, I welcome Aleah Dutton, a 20-year-old junior from the University of Central Oklahoma, to the show.  On this episode, we have a conversation about the current mental state of the younger generation in present-day America. We can learn a lot from what this generation is doing.  They are tackling racial injustice, sexism, homophobia and so much else head-on. They are using their power to move the stock market, change social norms and doing all of this in real time as we all watch it unfold through social media.  Aleah does a great job of explaining her thoughts on the perceived "cancel-culture" and how she has become an ally for the mental well-being of men.  

If you have never listened to my show, this is a great one to start with.  In the past few episodes, I have spoken with an Asian-American, a Black-American, a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a female and asked about their current mental state in present-day America.  I hadn't spoken with a white male on this subject, yet.  On this show, I do just that.  But, what I got was a lot more.  Jon and I talked about allyship, growing up in middle-America, raising girls and even religion.  We talked about finding purpose and what he does each day to try to become a better parent and human being.  To say I was impressed would be an understatement.  It was such a pleasure having Jon on the show and I can't wait to have him back.  I hope people take from this episode the importance of having conversations and getting to know each other.  

I really don't want to keep talking about this but I feel that I must.  In the past few days, we have had to deal with the news of this killing of Duante Wright, the police interaction with Lt. Caron Nazario and the final days of the Derek Cauvin trial. Those are just a few of the many high profile run-ins that people of color have had with police that has circulated in the media in the last few days.  I am not going to lie to you - this is tough. I am frustrated, scared, exhausted and worried.  Everyday, I wonder if my name will be in the news.  I wonder if my family will have to say how nice of a person I was and how I loved my family.  And if they will have to beg for justice.  I hope not but I must ask the question, will this ever end?

In the growing divisive atmosphere of this country, it is only right that I have a conversation with a member of the Asian-American community.  Unfortunately, during this pandemic, we have seen a growing number of hate crimes against the Asian community due to hateful rhetoric and plain ignorance.  Just like I have mentioned for other marginalized groups, I want to be an ally and being an ally means talking and trying to empathize.  On this week's show, I talk with Allyna Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American about the current state of affairs in America and what the rest of us can do to assist and be better allies. 

I do this show because I like to shed light on a topic that is very important to me - Mental Health.  However, like I mention all the time, I am not a doctor.  It would be unwise and most likely illegal for me to give out any advice to others.  That is why, on this episode, I invited an actual doctor to speak with me about mental health and well-being and talk about the reasons he became a psychiatrist.  After finally building up the courage to ask Dr. Joseph Elfar if he would be on the show, he agreed and I couldn't be happier.  On this episode, we spoke about his background and what drives him to work in the mental health field.  He also eloquently explains the differences between psychologist and psychiatrist and how they work together to help the patient.  I hope you enjoy my conversation with him as much as I did.

Growth is not easy. That's it. Nothing more to explain. The process of continually improving and growing into a better person takes commitment. It takes honesty. It takes time and effort.  On this week's show, I have a conversation with Dawn Hays, Interim CPO at Root Insurance, to discuss what growth and improvement looks likes, how we can measure success and how we can deal with stress and burnout during the process. I appreciate Dawn's honesty about her own personal and professional growth and her openness to share how others can learn from her.  I appreciate every aspect of Dawn's vulnerability and her ability to frame her outlook in a way that is real and refreshing at the same time.

Have you found yourself struggling to get out of that rut or find happiness in the things you are doing?  Some things you may want to consider are finding the root cause of what is causing your pain and if you are finding any personal happiness in the things you are doing.  When we search for and find the root cause of our issues, it can be painful but lead to immense healing in our lives.  Also, when we start to prioritize our own happiness in the ventures we take, we can learn so much about ourselves.  I am here to tell you that your feelings are important and they should be important to you.  Also, as mentioned in the show, I just finished a great book that has helped me in my journey to self-discovery: Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty: 

https://thinklikeamonkbook.com/

I want to be an ally.  I want to be an ally to all groups of people that are discriminated against.  In my continued effort to do this, I have a chat with a member of the LGBTQ+ community, my friend Christina O'Leary.  Christina takes this time to open about her life and what she has gone through since her younger days.  She also speaks about what it was like growing up in the Catholic faith and her present relationship with the church.  This was such a good discussion and Christina gives some incredible advice and guidance to young people going through any struggle with their sexual identity.  I hope you enjoyed my conversation with her as much as I did.

This week, I sat down and spoke with the incredible and talented Kelsea 🐧 Wiggins, Manager of Digital Marketing at BOLD PENGUIN. We spoke about the current mental state of women in present-day America. To say I was impressed would be an understatement. Kelsea opened up on the struggles of sometimes being the only woman in a room full of men but she also talked about how she strives every day to make this world more inclusive of everyone's thoughts and feelings. Kelsea also talked about the example she wants to set for her son and what the world can look like if we are intentional about our goals of diversity, equity and inclusion. This episode will be available Monday, March 1st, which also happens to be the first day of #womenshistorymonth.