Send us Fan Mail

We made it to the 400th floor—and instead of just celebrating, we’re reflecting.

Have you ever found yourself saying, “I used to love doing this…”—but now it feels different? Heavy. Forced. Or maybe it’s just gone altogether.

In this episode, Gen and Kory unpack the real reasons joy fades—from pressure and burnout to identity shifts and comparison. More importantly, they explore how to elevate back into alignment… without forcing yourself to go backward.

Because sometimes it’s not about getting the joy back the way it was—
It’s about rediscovering it in a way that fits who you are today.

If something you once loved doesn’t feel the same anymore, this conversation is your invitation to pause, reflect, and rise.

Look up, and let's elevate!

Support the show

https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

Send us Fan Mail

Somebody always says, “That’s my dog”… right up until the barking starts, the mess happens, or the vet needs a call. We lean into that tension with a playful label, “deadbeat dog dads,” and then we get honest about what responsible pet parenting actually looks like when you share a home, a schedule, and two very real dogs with very different personalities.

We swap stories about our own “co-parenting” dynamic, including the funny power of a calm presence that makes dogs instantly behave, and the not-so-funny moments when you realize you don’t even know the vet’s name. 

Then we talk about the overachievers, the pet parents who go all in with pet cameras, two-way audio, calming playlists, treat machines, routines, pet insurance, and even gourmet homemade dog food meal prep. We also share a terrifying coyote bite story and what recovery looks like when your dog comes home shaken, sore, and needing steady comfort. It’s a reminder that dogs have feelings, habits, and a whole language of cues, and the relationship gets better when we learn to read it.

If you love pets, dogs, animal behavior, dog training, pet anxiety solutions, and real-life pet care stories, you’ll feel seen here. Subscribe, share this with a fellow pet parent, and leave a review, then tell us: are you the “alpha,” the caretaker, or the true co-parent in your house?

Support the show

https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

Send us Fan Mail

A word game that uses puzzle pieces sounds like a gimmick until you watch how fast it turns into strategy. We’re hanging out with Julian and Debbie Montgomery, a powerhouse creative couple who went from Minnesota to Los Angeles and somehow ended up building a real tabletop game you can actually hold in your hands. Julian brings the storyteller brain and the systems brain, composer and software engineer energy, while Debbie brings architectural design instincts that make ideas physical. Together, they built Puzzingo, a word building board game that feels familiar at first glance but plays in a totally different way once you’re placing tiles, locking shapes, and trying to outthink the table.

We get into the origin story: a poetry children’s book, experiments with puzzles, a late-night moment watching a mobile word game, and the question that changed everything: what if word building and puzzle mechanics were the same experience? From there, it’s prototypes, playtests, rule tweaks, bonuses, and the satisfying grind of making something that works, not just something that sounds cool. If you’re into board game design, tabletop gaming culture, 3D printing, laser cutting, or launching an indie product, you’ll hear the real steps it takes to move past “I want to” into “we did it.”

We also talk about what comes next: prepping for a Kickstarter board game launch, getting copies into the hands of reviewers, and the long-term dream of seeing Puzzingo on store shelves. Plus, we love how they blend modern convenience with classic game night by adding optional online tools like phone-based scorekeeping and timers, without losing the face-to-face connection that makes board games special.

Check out Puzzingo.com, share this with your favorite game-night crew, and if you enjoyed the conversation, subscribe and leave us a review so more people can find the show.

Support the show

https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

Send us Fan Mail

Your team notices more than you think. They catch the tone behind your “no,” the silence after a hard question, and the subtle ways favoritism can creep into decisions. We sit down as Gen and Kory nd get candid about good leadership vs bad leadership, not as a theory, but as something we’ve lived through from two different vantage points: leading in a formal role and working alongside leaders every day. 

 We dig into servant leadership, trust, and psychological safety at work. We talk about leaders who get in the trenches, leaders who take accountability without pride, and why gaslighting and blame-shifting crush morale. We explore practical habits like saying “Let me get back to you tomorrow,” the real cost of overcommitting a team, emotional intelligence under stress, and how clarity and collaboration matter when nobody has all the answers. 

If this conversation helps you rethink how you lead, support, or influence others, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review. 

Look up, and let's elevate. 

Support the show

https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

Send us Fan Mail

Spring cleaning sounds simple until you realize you’re not just sorting closets, you’re sorting your life. GentheBuilder and Kory kick off a spring reset that starts with a real health win, then widens into a bigger question we all need to ask: what feels heavy that used to feel light?

We talk about decluttering as a tool for clarity, not perfection. From there, we challenge the “everything is important” mindset and name the hidden cost of keeping too much, physically, mentally, and emotionally. You’ll hear how we decide what stays, what goes, and why letting go can be an act of maturity, not loss.

Then we open the real junk drawer: mental clutter. Overthinking, analysis paralysis, and “junk mail” information can jam up your mind the same way clutter jams a drawer. We share practical ways to clear it, including brain dumps, separating facts from made-up stories, prayer walks, and boundaries that protect your focus. We also get honest about emotional weight, forgiveness, peace, and why spring invites renewal but not replay.

We wrap with calendar boundaries, energy management, and the idea of ease over force, plus a simple challenge to help you start today. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review so more people can find Take the Elevator.

Look up, and let's elevate! 

Support the show

https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

Send us Fan Mail

Something shifted for us in the last few months, and it isn’t a big dramatic breakthrough. It’s smaller than that, and more useful: we started noticing the glimmers. The little sparks that make you smile when the world feels heavy. So we leaned into them and talked through what’s been giving us hope, momentum, and a sense of control when so much feels out of control.

If you’re craving encouragement that feels grounded, not cheesy, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a glimmer, and leave a review so more people can find the ride.

Look up, and let's elevate! 

Support the show

https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

Send us Fan Mail

A murder sentence is supposed to mean something. So what happens when a family hears “50 years to life” and then, years later, gets a phone call saying the person who killed their loved one could be released under California Prop 57?

We talk with Crystal (with support from her partner, Jonathan) as she shares a raw, detailed account of being pulled back into the justice system after her brother’s murderer becomes eligible under the Youthful Offender Act. She walks us through the confusion, the research spiral, and the courtroom reality: repeated hearings, a small juvenile court room, and the surreal experience of watching a 34-year-old described as “the minor” while the crime is recited again line by line. It’s grief on a loop, made worse by policies that can feel detached from the people forced to live with the consequences.

We also unpack the practical side of criminal justice reform in California: what Prop 57 actually changes, why ballot language can be misleading, the difference between parole and probation, and what it means when records are sealed or expunged. Crystal explains the RISE program and the idea of nine months tied to rehabilitation pathways, then shares why she started a change.org petition to reform Prop 57 and connect with other families facing the same retraumatization.

If this story hits you, don’t just listen and move on. Subscribe, share this episode with someone in California, leave a review, and tell us your view: how should the system balance second chances with victim rights and public safety?

Please visit change.org to make an impact to Prop 57. 

Look up, and let's elevate!

Support the show

https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

Send us Fan Mail

One knock at the door can rewrite a family’s entire future. GentheBuilder and Koryy welcome Crystal Davis, an educator and longtime community leader, to share a story she never expected to carry: the murder of her teenage brother and the years that followed. Crystal walks us through the day everything happened, from a normal routine at home to the frantic rush to Kaiser Fontana, and the moment she knew the case had become bigger than grief, it had become a fight for truth.

We talk candidly about the hidden damage that gun violence and gang intimidation leave behind. Crystal explains how a 12-year-old cousin became an eyewitness, what it is like for a child to be questioned and challenged in open court, and how a close-knit family tries to hold each other up when everyone is shattered at once. We also unpack the criminal justice process: the months the suspect spent on the run, the evidence that helped build the case, and the courtroom strategies that can keep victims’ families out of view.

This conversation is part one of a larger warning. Crystal previews why she’s returning for part two: to raise awareness about California propositions, sentencing, and how policy decisions can affect victims’ families long after a verdict. If you care about public safety, trauma recovery, and what justice really feels like in real life, this story will stay with you. Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it, and leave us a review with your biggest question for part two.

Look up, and let's elevate! 

Support the show

https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

Send us Fan Mail

Big news first: we’re hosting a live story time at Barnes & Noble Rancho Cucamonga, and that spark of momentum inspired a conversation about momentum’s secret engine—fresh eyes. When a problem keeps circling back, more effort isn’t always the fix. Often, it’s our perspective that needs to move.

We dig into the mental traps that keep challenges stuck: familiar thinking that rushes to labels, emotional stories that cast us as always right or always burdened, and proximity blindness that turns details into a blur. From there, we trade certainty for curiosity and offer questions that cut through ruts: What am I missing? What would a newcomer notice? What if the opposite is true? Along the way, we share why stepping away sharpens focus, and how sleep reorganizes the brain so solutions surface without force.

Then we ground it in practice.  You’ll hear five field-tested methods to get fresh eyes: reverse engineering, changing the frame, stepping away, inviting outside voices, and surfacing hidden assumptions. 

It all lands with a simple parable. Sometimes clarity is about the lens, not the world. If you’re navigating burnout, stalled projects, or recurring conflicts, this conversation offers humane, practical ways to reset and move forward with less strain and more lift. If it resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s stuck on a loop, and leave a quick review—what’s the one assumption you’re ready to test today?

Look up, and let's elevate! 

Support the show

https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com

Send us Fan Mail

Kory and Gen dive into the stubborn gap between starting and finishing—why “almost” masquerades as effort, how it drains confidence and momentum, and what finally helped us ship creative work, grow a business, and say yes to a Barnes & Noble reading for The Fuzzy Furry Forest. This isn’t about hustle myths or productivity theater. It’s about the quiet power of devotion over hype.

We separate motivation from discipline: one rides emotion, the other rests on structure. Expect practical ways to make discipline easier—micro-commitments, clear definitions of done, and “done for today” rituals that stack into trust. Then we go deeper: almost is rarely a time issue; it’s an identity issue. Change the story you protect—“I’m consistent, I follow through”—and your habits start to align with your future, not your fears.

We also reframe discipline as devotion, a steadier, kinder loyalty to who you are becoming. Devotion honors craft without glorifying grind culture. It asks for presence, not perfection; closure, not theatrics. If you’ve been living in Almost Land, consider this your exit ramp: finish one small thing today, protect the streak, and watch your confidence return. And yes, we’re celebrating community wins too—from honoring veterans at the parade to inviting families to our upcoming bookstore event—because progress loves company. If this resonates, share it with a friend who needs a nudge, subscribe for more honest tools, and leave a quick review with the next promise you’re ready to keep.

Look up, and let's elevate!

Support the show

https://www.fuzzyfurryforest.com