Strength Through The Struggle

Master McNeill has seen his fair share of struggle in his 75+ years on the planet. He's had polio, was orphaned as a young child, and has battled cancer more than once. However, every struggle in his life has led him to where he is today. Master McNeill is a highly decorated martial artist.

In this episode, Mark and Dave discuss happiness, the power of a positive attitude, and the belief that there are no coincidences. Above all is this reminder: Persevere against a negative world with positive thoughts, positive actions, and a positive attitude.

Tucker Collins is an neurochemistry undergraduate student on the verge of graduation. He's looking towards what life holds for him - starting with graduate school. He's making a name for himself - creating his own identity, part of which is his Aspergers. Tucker doesn't let his diagnosis define him - he embraces who he is and uses his strengths to his advantage. He seeks out relationships, and encourages others to do the same.

Reece Anderson is a husband, father, and anxiety and personal coach. Reece had a fairly normal childhood. However, at age 20, he cooked some dinner, sat down, and had what he later learned was a massive panic attack. He saw doctor the next day who immediately put him on antidepressants. Instead of helping, things went from bad to worse. Within 2 years, Reece started developing ticks. His doctor put him on Xanax, which didn't help the situation.

Everything came to a head several years later. He stopped Xanax cold turkey, moved to Australia, and found a doctor who helped him. Reece found the change had to come from within himself. His road to recovery has not been easy, but he has found an outlet in helping others as an anxiety and personal coach.

Chris Smith is a husband, father, and entrepreneur. Chris grew up around story tellers and has been a story teller his whole life. He naturally transitioned into sales, but didn't really know who he was despite his ability to tell a great story. He hit a major dark point in his life when he realized he wasn't being true to himself. This darkness led to separating from his wife. They tried several counselors until they met one who actually listened with no agenda. At this moment, Chris realized really great coaches and mentors create an opening to see the possibilities in life - they don't just give you answers. In this episode Mark and Chris discuss how it's not just about the story you tell, it's about the story you write and live. They talk about finding clarity and purpose in discovering your own story.

Sean Stephenson was born with a rare bone gene imperfection. The doctors said he wouldn't live 24 hours. That was nearly 38 years ago. Since then, Sean has found his purpose in life: to rid the world of insecurity.

In this episode, Mark and Sean discuss how fairness in life is an illusion, the idea that every level has a devil, and the cure to insecurity (hint: it's self-care.) Sean is quick to remind listeners that no one got a better life than you did, just as no one got a worse life than you did. It's not what cards you're dealt, it's how you play them.

Melissa Krivachek is an expert in transformation. She can say so confidently because she transformed herself. In 2009, after being fired from WalMart (not for lack of enthusiasm), she was homeless, weighed 306 lbs, was $50000 in debt, and spent 6 days in jail for a speeding ticket. According to Melissa, jail was worse than being homeless.

She realized something had to change, and her journey of transformation began. She recently passed a million dollars in sales and is living a life in complete contrast with her past self. In this episode, Melissa and Mark talk about transformation, healthy mindset, and the lies we tell ourselves.

Don DeWaay lived like royalty. He started a business from nothing and built it to a half a billion dollars in sales. Everything came crashing down in 2008 when he lost everything. The economic downturn affected his business, which had negative ramifications in his personal life. The biggest sacrifice he made in trying to build and maintain his business was his family, despite desperately wanting to offer his family a different life than he knew as a child. Sacrificing time with his family eventually led to divorce. As his eldest child put it "You are [responsible.] You picked work over us."

Since he lost everything, Don has been on a personal quest to discover who he is outside of his business. He has since found a way to help and build others through the lessons he learned in his failure.

Ray Edwards is a well-known copywriter, working with famous names such as Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield, and Jeff Walker. He found success quickly, valuing his intellect as one of his most valuable traits.

In 2011, Ray was at a conference when he noticed his hand couldn't keep up with his brain. After a google search, a conversation with his doctor, and later a consultation with a neurologist, he was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease. Ray quickly sank into darkness and depression. He found light again only when his wife called him out in an informal intervention. In this episode, Mark and Ray discuss the value of people, the dangers of victim thinking, and faith as it relates to healing.

Ken Davis has been a comedian and public speaker for many years. He recently celebrated his 70th birthday which has brought a season of reflection and new decisions into his life. In this episode, Mark and Ken discuss getting older, finding significance vs having relevance, and taking control of your life. They discuss the importance of finding validation from the right sources. Listen to this episode for inspiring, light-hearted reflection.

Wayne Warrick is an ordained minister, a doctor of natural medicine, husband, and father. He's also a living example of "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

Wayne has seen his fair share of struggle. From narrowly escaping capture in Russia while part of a special ops team in the Air Force to losing an eye because of a percussion grenade, Wayne's early years didn't start off smooth. Following his time in the military, he moved near home to take care of his ailing father, who was guardian over many troubled youth. One boy in his father's care lashed out after an incident and shot Wayne's father with a shotgun. Yet life didn't get any easier. Wayne's home literally blew up, he's had trials with his own children, and he lost his brother under suspicious circumstances.

Despite every trial life has thrown at him, Wayne's message is this: adversity comes, and life goes on.