What happens when something good—work, health, family, success—becomes the foundation upon which everything else depends?

Paul Karos knows firsthand. After rising to the top of the Wall Street world, his outward success concealed a life that was quietly collapsing.

Drawing from his book, The Ultimate Building Project: The Human Person, Paul explains the Orthodox Christian vision of the human person as a temple of God: grounded in Christ, strengthened through sacramental, liturgical, ascetical, and communal life, and supported by the many pillars that make up everyday existence.

Resources

The Ultimate Building Project: The Human Person: An Orthodox Christian Perspective on Building Your Life — Paul Karos

https://svspress.com/the-ultimate-building-project-the-human-person/

Person to Person — Paul Karos and Dr. Harry Boosalis

Available through Ancient Faith Ministries and major podcast platforms.

Artist, poet, photographer, and philosopher Steven Seidenberg joins James Newcomb for a conversation about representation—how we translate reality into image, language, and art, and what gets lost in the process.

Steven explains why photography is never simply a mirror of the world, why abandoned buildings and vacant spaces can carry more emotional force than conventional beauty, and how his work finds meaning in what people ordinarily overlook.

They also discuss “machinic decerebration,” the flattening effects of modern technology, and why an artist’s true voice is often discovered not by inventing a style, but by recognizing the particularities already present in the way one creates.

Resources mentioned:

Steven Seidenberg — Artist, poet, photographer, and philosopher whose work spans photography, poetry, fiction, and philosophical inquiry.

StevenSeidenberg.com

Coda — Seidenberg’s 2026 book from Omnidawn, combining philosophy, narrative, poetry, humor, and linguistic experimentation around questions of perception, memory, knowledge, and the self.

The Architecture of Silence: Abandoned Lives of the Italian South — Seidenberg’s photographic study of structures left behind by the failed postwar Riforma Fondiaria land-reform project in southern Italy.

Kanazawa Vacancy — A forthcoming photography project documenting akiya—vacant houses—and akichi—vacant lots—in Kanazawa, Japan, and the strange absences created as an urban landscape changes over time.

What makes a belief true? Tracy Nicholas has spent decades exploring folklore, magick, ritual, and the psychology of belief.

Although we approach spirituality from different traditions, we discover there is a good deal of common ground in the power of story, symbolism, ritual, and attention.

To sum up: The world is far more mysterious than modernity allows us to believe.

Resources mentioned:

• Tracy Nicholas: folkloringlife.com
• Book: Mind Over Magick
• Podcast: Folkloring

#TracyNicholas #Folklore #MindOverMagick #Folkloring #Spirituality #Magick #Belief #Storytelling #Ritual #OrthodoxChristianity #ThatsWhatIMeantToSay

Humor can get a laugh, but used well, it can do something much more valuable: get people to listen.

Ray Engan, founder of Leadership Through Laughter, joins James to talk about what years of stand-up comedy taught him about sales, leadership, trust, and human connection.

From surviving biker bars to approaching strangers at networking events, Ray explains why curiosity, relevance, and specificity capture attention—and why a well-timed laugh can make the serious point that follows far more memorable.

The conversation explores rapport, vulnerability, storytelling, reading the room, and the difference between simply asking questions and first earning the right to ask them.

Resources mentioned:

Leadership Through Laughter

https://leadershipthroughlaughter.com

Search for Ray Engan (E-N-G-A-N) on LinkedIn, where he publishes the weekly newsletter How to Make Selling Fun.

Free Friday Mastermind

https://joinraytoday.com

Fridays at 11:00 a.m. Pacific.

Talk With Ray

https://talkwithray.com/30

Schedule a 30-minute conversation with Ray.

Humor, Seriously by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas

#RayEngan #LeadershipThroughLaughter #Humor #Communication #Leadership #Sales #PublicSpeaking #Storytelling #HumanConnection #Networking #ThatsWhatIMeantToSay

Technology is supposed to make work easier—until it becomes the thing everyone is fighting.

IT consultant Tim Maile joins James to talk about the surprisingly human side of technology: bad systems, over-automation, security blind spots, and the communication problems hiding behind technical failures.

Tim shares a corporate IT horror story that turned a one-week contract into nine months, explains why businesses often misunderstand what they actually need, and makes the case that good IT is less about fixing computers than understanding people.

The best technology, he argues, should work for the business—not force the business to work for it.

About the guest: Tim Maile is the Founder and Principal Consultant of TKM PM IT Solutions, helping businesses simplify technology, improve cybersecurity, and build reliable IT systems that support growth.

https://tkmitpm.uk

With extensive experience in IT, project management, and business operations, Tim specialises in delivering practical, jargon-free solutions that make technology work for people—not the other way around.

Keywords: Tim Maile, IT consulting, business technology, small business IT, automation, cybersecurity, CRM, two-factor authentication, technical communication, human-centered technology, business systems, digital transformation, customer service, entrepreneurship

#TimMaile #ITConsulting #BusinessTechnology #Automation #Cybersecurity #SmallBusiness #DigitalTransformation #TechnicalCommunication #ThatsWhatIMeantToSay

In this episode, we sit down with Kevin Strauss, founder of Uchi, an app built around the Japanese concept of "uchi" — your inner circle, the people who truly have your back. Kevin explains why real connection is a basic human need (not just a craving), how unmet connection registers in our brains as pain, and why so many of us turn to unhealthy behaviors to fill that gap.

We dig into what makes Uchi fundamentally different from traditional social media: no search function, no algorithm chasing your attention, no likes or ads — just reciprocal, asynchronous Q&A between the people who matter most to you. Kevin also shares the surprising two-decade backstory of how Uchi almost had a completely different name, how the app works for families, teachers, and even podcasters through "Uchi Tribes," and why he believes an "Uchi a day keeps the blues at bay."

In this episode:

• What "uchi" and "soto" mean, and why belonging is a basic human need
• Why feeling unheard causes real emotional pain — and how validation differs from acknowledgment
• The surprising history behind the Uchi app's name
• How Uchi's onboarding, invite, and reciprocity system works
• Uchi Tribes: how podcasters, teachers, and families use the app for deeper conversations
• Why Uchi's "algorithm" (chronological, no ads, no influencers) is the opposite of social media
• The psychology of instant vs. delayed gratification, and why social media exploits it

Links:

Uchi website: uchiconnection.com

Download Uchi: search "UCHI" on the App Store (look for the purple icon)

Connect with Kevin Strauss:

Uchi: uchiconnection.com | @uchiconnection

James Newcomb sits down with ghostwriter and author coach Sean Mabry to unpack what it really takes to turn someone's life experience into a compelling book.

Sean shares how a childhood moment sparked his love of writing, his journey through content marketing and copywriting for Fit Body Boot Camp CEO Bedros Keuilian, and the mindset shift that changed how he views marketing entirely.

They dig into the ghostwriting process — building trust, finding the "pearls of wisdom" in a client's story, navigating flaws and ethical gray areas, and why "your story should sound like you."

Sean also introduces his free book, Clarity Engine Tool, for anyone wondering if they should write a book.

And aren't we all wondering that?

Highlights:

1:49 – How a 12-year-old's short story sparked a writing career

3:43 – College, copywriting, and joining Fit Body Boot Camp

6:14 – Learning to write in someone else's voice

9:11 – Why marketing felt like a "dirty word" growing up

12:53 – Redefining marketing: the right offers for the right people

12:00 – Ghostwriting process: evaluating a client's story

15:20 – The "pearls of wisdom" method

17:33 – Why story makes lessons land without being preachy

21:05 – Reframing "flaws" as childhood adaptations

24:10 – Building trust and interviewing ghostwriting clients

28:43 – Keeping your own creative voice as a ghostwriter

32:11 – Handling sensitive or risky stories ethically

39:15 – The one thing Sean wants clients to walk away with

40:22 – Sean's free tool: Book Clarity Engine

29:19 – Where to find Sean and closing thoughts

Guest: Sean Mabry — Ghostwriter & Author Coach mabrygift.com/clarity

Host: James Newcomb jamesdnewcomb.com

Most businesses break employment law not out of malice, but because they simply don't know what they don't know — and by the time they find out, it can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, or worse, jail time.

In this episode, host James Newcomb sits down with Diane Faulkner, an HR consultant and self-described "HR threat detective," to unpack the hidden mistakes that get employers in serious legal trouble. Diane shares the real story of walking into a company with a 92% employee turnover rate and turning it around to just 7% in under a year — plus what she learned along the way about toxic workplace cliques, bad hiring practices, and weak leadership.

You'll learn:

• Why employees really quit (hint: it's rarely just about the money)
• The dangerous mistake small businesses make with independent contractors
• How workplace cliques quietly damage company culture and customer experience
• Why you legally can't stop employees from discussing their pay
• What happens during a government labor audit — and how to avoid one
• How Diane helps business owners get ahead of costly legal risk before it happens

Diane is also the author of the upcoming book "Don't Get Sued, Get Smart," releasing this November.

Learn more about Diane and her work at dianefaulkner.com

Chaos isn't always loud. Sometimes it hides behind busy schedules, scattered priorities, and lives that seem successful on the surface but lack harmony underneath.

Joseph Pedroza knows what it means to live in chaos. After a childhood marked by abuse, gang involvement, addiction, prison, and a near-fatal stabbing, he experienced a radical transformation that reshaped not only his faith, but his understanding of purpose, stewardship, and personal responsibility.

In this conversation, Joseph explains why the greatest obstacles in life are often the unseen patterns of disorder that quietly create friction in our relationships, work, health, and spiritual lives. Together, we explore the difference between balance and harmony, what faithful stewardship really means, and how bringing order to the right places can transform everything else.

Joseph C. Pedroza is the founder of Ephesians 6 Coaching and creator of the BBB Framework (Bible, Business, Body), helping Kingdom-minded entrepreneurs remove the disorder creating unnecessary friction in their lives and businesses.

After surviving childhood trauma, gang life, addiction, prison, and a near-fatal stabbing, Joseph dedicated his life to helping others pursue faithful stewardship through spiritual growth, purposeful work, and personal transformation.

Connect with Joseph:

• https://linktr.ee/Josephcpedroza

• Joseph's journey from childhood trauma, gangs, and prison to redemption
• What "the unseen chaos of a disordered life" really looks like
• Why harmony is a better goal than balance
• The relationship between stewardship, health, vocation, and spiritual life
• The BBB Framework: Bible, Business, and Body
• Why transformation requires more than behavior change
• The difference between solving symptoms and addressing root causes
• Living with purpose instead of friction

• Ephesians 6 Coaching
• BBB Framework (Bible • Business • Body)
• Joseph Pedroza: https://linktr.ee/Josephcpedroza