I know what tornadoes smell like. I know what the sky looks like right before it happens. I grew up in a town where the elementary school was underground, and when the sirens went off, we walked down the ramp and sat in our classrooms and waited.

My dad stayed up top to watch.

By my tenth storm, I was up there with him.

There's something that happens when you stop being afraid of something and start knowing it. You don't stop respecting it. You just stop being reactive to it.

Most of us walk into conflict with no clarity on what we actually want out of it and instead of being clear we are loud.

We've built a culture that rewards the fastest, loudest reaction. I don't know how to fix that, but I don't think that louder is the solution. It just compounds the problem.

But I think it starts with knowing the storm before it hits. Not stopping it. Just knowing it. Knowing yourself.

🎧 No Stage, Just a ChairA podcast for people figuring it out as they go: building honest brands, real decisions, and work that feels like theirs.

Before You Listen:

When did you last notice something happening inside you before it came out sideways?

Is there a pattern in how you react that you only recognize after it's already happened?

When you're in it, are you trying to find what's true or just trying not to lose?