Truly I tell you, this is a marvelous treat to introduce this week's guest! We have the awesome, persevering, humble, and smart Atlee Simon hanging out with us on the Russ Rantz Podcast. Atlee has had a fun, tough, crazy, and storied journey through collegiate football (holds numerous touchdown and rushing records for the U of Regina Rams), a unique, teachable adventure through the CFL (Canadian Football League), and now he's strutting his stuff as a high-school teacher and basketball coach. 

That's the surface, but the juicy stuff is where Atlee allows us to see what goes through an athlete's heart and mind as they go through the ups and downs chasing their dreams, and figuring out what the future holds. I'm so proud of him, and glad he was willing to share his story with us. Give it a listen, and BE SURE to put in the comments any insights, questions, or encouragements! 

Thanks for listening!

Have you ever forgotten about a hobby? No, seriously, have you ever forgotten about something that long ago, or even recently, you fell in love with that just gave you innocent, powerful, internal joy? I mean, just recently my 7-year-old son showed me this new yo-yo he got at school. He's in LOVE with it. It's all he does, and it puts a huge smile on his face. I forgot about yo-yoing! I used to do it all the time! 

What's my point? Well, sometimes I feel like in life we're so busy just trying to stay afloat (stay on top of it), that we forgot to literally stop and smell the roses (if you're into that). Hobbies, passions, dreams, innocent enjoyments, etc. Sometimes putting food on the table, paying bills, doing laundry, and catching up on the latest episode of that new Netflix show is what consumes us...and there's no second thought to filling up our soul again. 

We have a kick-butt guest on the show this week, Raymond Bergin! Raymond is a long-time friend of the RussRantz community (and obviously Russ himself)! He used to run a streaming channel known as SaagDad (Slightly Above Average Gaming Dad), and both he and Russ were running channels around the same time (2019-2021). Raymond then decided to take a break from streaming, and rediscovered some deep desires and passions that are now jet-fueling his endeavors today! This episode is chock-full of value for those starving for clarity on how to re-find some "soul food" that restores the balance to their busy lives.

Guest Socials: Instagram - @theberginslovefood, TikTok - @raymondbergin

It's ironic, but shortly after regarding this episode on watching your "fuel gauge" or "capacity," I actually left the stream early. That kills me, but it just comes to show that you can have the BEST of intentions, and still burn out in the end if you don't have balance in your life. In this episode you'll hear from a very weary and worn Russ as he verbally processes what he himself should probably work on better. 

Enjoy

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Do you know what "W Key" means? Did you know that it's gamer lingo for "full speed ahead!"? It's a term used for hyper-aggressive players who only ever try to push forward, regardless of the risks and low chances of success. The funniest thing is, it's not typically a positive term of endearment, but rather a label for people who have no regard for caution or calculation. 

Well...we're going to spin that another way today as I'm wrestling with a concept: 

We all hate the "F word," right? You know...failure (did I make you think of something else?)... Whether we're consciously aware of our efforts to avoid this concept at all costs or not, it really does influence a ton of our decisions EVERY DAY! I came to a realization a few years back that it'd be best to fail fast, and fail forward. It wasn't so much that I enjoyed pain, but that I'd rather experience short-term discomfort now and have noticeable growth, then try to avoid pain at all costs, and wonder if I'd be a better person had I just stuck to the tough things.  

You've heard it talked about before, but the example of "W Key" came to mind, and I think it fits in perfectly for us to assess where we stand with facing, and conquering, our fear of failure. 

Enjoy. 

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Hey guess what? You, like me, may be accidentally forfeiting the notion of a great or fun hobby, challenge, or life choice because we do "Mind Math" in advance that dissuades us. Hey, guess what? That doesn't HAVE to be the case. 

Mind math is an innate human response. It's an instinct to mitigate failure, and prevent us from harm. What if that's accidentally cranked to the nines? What if it's accidentally not just protecting us, but stunting us? You've heard me already state that I'm trying to wear through this crazy fear of failure I struggle with, and I've got some insights that I'm chewing on. 

After listening to this, what's your opinion? 

I appreciate you! 

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Do you remember the dark side of the pandemic days? You know, the extreme isolation? The lack of in-person connection and community? Well...in today's episode, Russ re-visits some of his own days during that season, and what that showed him about his "village," and how greatly that concept affects us. 

We need people, not always tons of people, but a key "some" that resonate and synergize with us. What's your village like? Because you need to know...it takes a village to raise a person. 

Enjoy!

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What does enrichment even mean? Is it valuable, powerful, relevant, worthwhile? On my end...I haven't hit it, and that concerns me. The other day someone asked me what I "enjoy" doing, and none of my answers could be produced without leading me to explain what those things achieved, rather than what they did for me while I was doing them. 

How can you be grateful, but not content? How can you balance ambition, and yet "enjoying the wow that's happening now" (kudos to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood for that gem). I'm not sure, but we'll find out together. 

Enjoy

Ya ya, I'm sorry gang, but Will Smith JUST resigned from the academy, and we're all still processing his infamous slap of Chris Rock since last week's awards...

It's tough because I think a lot of us have been in Will's shoes, and though his response is "understandable" I don't believe it is "commendable." But, that's not actually the main story we're going to go over in this week's Rantz episode...guess you'll have to listen in order to see what I mean. 

Have fun, and let me know what you think!

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Holy mochachino WE ARE BACKKKK!! Hello hello it is so good to be back in front of your ear-holes with a brand new, BRAND NEWWWW release, re-launch, re-vamp version of the Russ Rantz Podcast (man does that feel weird to say!). 

We've had some time away, but now we're rip, roaring, and ready to go with some introspective, ridiculous, and marvelous ranting. To kick us back off into this new age, I go into a bit of an observance of the "instant gratification" social media market that we find ourselves bombarded with every day, and how the power of being unique has become "unique-less." 

Enjoy! 

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Hey Everyone! 

Yup it's been quite some time since we last touched base! I'm afraid this return episode is a bit anti-climactic, but I will say that it's an important one. The truth is, I need your help. I have a bit of an inner conflict going on right now, and I'm open to, and actively seeking, your advice. 

The dreams and desires haven't stopped, but I feel that I've hit my head against the wall enough to know what my capacity can handle right now, and what it can't. I've done a lot of soul-searching, and in this episode I'll let you know what I've found out thus far, but after that I'm stuck. Can you answer my question? Can you assist me with my conondrum? 

Email me your thoughts, tips, comments, and concerns at [email protected]. 

You're always appreciated!