The Imperfect Pod

What is it like to be raised in foster care and how does that affect a young person's confidence? What is the difference between a good and bad foster care home? How do alcohol and pill addictions affect your life? And how can the military save you, shape you, but also hurt you? These are all themes that Roman and I discuss on this week's episode.

As a man who had been through foster care, the military, and had an affair on his wife, Roman's story fascinated me when he reached out, and I thank him so much for his authenticity and transparency of his story. I really enjoyed this conversation with Roman Roberts and how he lives by the words of his wife “you can’t have a testimony without a test”. And I’m so thankful that Roman reached out to me and shared his test!

You can find Roman on LinkedIn at Roman Roberts, and you can hear more of his story on his video podcast Real Talk with Roman which you can find https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu7Qir_0qdwHHQieIp47dTg (here). I hope you enjoy!

This past week I've been more angry than I can remember. With everything going on regarding Black Lives Matter, it was an emotionally exhausting week. But I must remember that, as a white man, four days of anger is nothing compared to those in my life that have felt this anger their entire lives. This episode is a reflection on the past week, what's been going through my mind, how we can continue the conversation, this podcast's role in that conversation and more. It's also a conversation about how white men need to be allies, how I've worked in my life to fix racist thoughts when I have them, and why it's not okay for white people to tell black people how to protest.

Here are https://blacklivesmatter.carrd.co/ (links) that you can use to donate to the cause or sign petitions, depending on what you think is most important. We will get back to the "usual" programming next week, but I felt this was an important conversation to have with myself and my audience and how I can be better moving forward. Thanks for listening!

Hey everyone, I know it's a crazy time right now but I wanted to make sure I was posting consistently on my podcast. But before going into who my guest is here, I wanted to link to a thread of some great organizations that have been doing amazing work during the protests and #blacklivesmatter movement. Please feel free to donate if you can here. Now onto the episode.

This conversation with Jordan is a surface level look at fraternities and his experiences participating in them in university. As someone who has always had an unfair judgement of them, I wanted to challenge my views on them. The way they are presented in movies isn't 100% accurate and I know I have unfair thoughts about them. Jordan, being a guy who was in one in America, shares his experiences with them and how they helped form his identity in both positive and negative ways! I hope you enjoy and make sure to connect with Jordan on LinkedIn here.

Jordan is a Northwestern and Kellogg School of Management graduate, a startup founder, a 2x TEDx speaker, and a #1 best-selling author. His new book, The Journey to Cloud Nine, provides a new approach to the personal development world by using fictional storytelling to reveal some of life's most meaningful principles. Jordan has been blazing new trails for people around the world, and he cannot wait to share this with all of you! You can find his book on amazon here.

Follow up Friday is back this week! I wanted to discuss this week's episode with Andrew Metz and two important things that stood out to me: the oddity of the conversations we have around quitting alcohol and how leaders can win big or completely fail! I want to get back into these as they allow me to reflect on this week's episode and share my own voice a bit more. I hope you enjoy :)

Drinking and alcohol intake can often be seen as a taboo topic. Binge drinking, over indulgence, and debauchery are typically what we think is "too much". But what if you're just having casual drinks everyday? Is that such a bad thing? For Andrew, it's not that it was bad, but he realized that it wasn't serving him. There are many reasons he quit alcohol: Health and well being, realizing it wasn't pushing him towards his goals, but the large picture was that he realized that his kids were watching his every move. As such, he decided to quite once and for all.

For Andrew, it wasn't really a long process. He read a book and within a few days and made the decision to stop drinking. There were awkward moments along the way including fear of judgement from his friends, being in a sales culture where that behaviour can be encouraged, and even growing up in Milwaukee culture which is heavily influenced by the beer industry. But he decided to stick with his guns and document his journey of quitting alcohol.

In our conversation we talk about his grandfathers impact on his life, why he chose to quit alcohol, fatherhood, what leadership is, and how anyone can take active steps to take a step beyond their vice.

About Andrew:

In a little over a decade Andrew Metz has risen from an entry level lead generation position to vice president, overseeing all new business generation and a team of 30 at a SaaS based InsureTech company in Milwaukee, WI. Andrew’s tremendous hard work, desire for continuous learning and improvement, generosity and humility have earned him recognition as a catalyst for growth within his organization. Metz invests in the people around him and inspires and encourages them to attain their own personal bests. His willingness to share the early lessons of his business career and personal mistakes make him a remarkable public speaker. His abilities have resulted in regular speaking requests from UWM’s Lubar School of Business, Marquette University’s School of Communication and local high schools. His generosity and accomplishments post-graduation from UW-Milwaukee has earned him “Graduate of the Last Decade” award from his alma mater. Metz is active on LinkedIn always sharing personal and business lessons through humor and entertaining story telling.

You can connect with Andrew on https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-metz-sales/ (LinkedIn) or through his http://www.andrewmetz.net/my-story/ (website)!

And as allows, if you want to see tidbits of the show, feel free to follow me on IG @theimperfectpod. This episode was recorded on video so you will get to see some exclusive video content there!

Understanding who we are is something that we all struggle with. But does it have to be? How do we start? For myself, I've always understood that asking questions is the key to unlocking who we are. But how do you ask the RIGHT questions? And that's what fascinated me so much about Brian.

On this podcast, you will hear about making mistakes, human psychology, and how you become the person you are!

Brian Morgan is the President of Think Deeply, Write Clearly, a writing training organization that focuses on improving corporate reports and communications, as well as marketing and content deliverables. But on a personal level, Brian is a great question asker. So on this episode, we kind of take a different approach where Brian flips a lot of questions around on me and I'm able to share a bit more about my life and perspectives!

More about Brian: Brian was the 16+ year managing editor of one of New York City's premier planning and engineering firm, and he is also a professor at 2 NYC-area colleges. You can connect with him on https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmorganthinkdeeplywriteclearly/ (LinkedIn) and visit his company's website https://www.thinkdeeplywriteclearly.com/ (here).

And as always, don't forget to subscribe or leave a review on iTunes! Hope you enjoy!

What is it like to be a woman in the military? Is the culture of the military changing and becoming more accepting of female leadership? How is the importance of have male allies in supporting women? How much more did she have to prove herself and her toughness while being deployed? These are all topics that discuss on this week's episode.

I am extra excited because Amanda is my first female guest! Yes, I know. Masculinity and manhood is not ONLY a men's discussion. Women can talk about it for hours and have deep insights into it. Especially working in a male dominated industry like the military and the importance of loving fathers in their lives, which we also talk about!

This week's guest is Amanda Huffman. Amanda is a military spouse and veteran who served in the Air Force for six years as a Civil Engineer including a deployment to Afghanistan. She traded in her combat boots for a diaper bag to stay home with her two boys and follow her husband’s military career. She published her first book in 2019 titled https://www.amazon.com/Women-Military-Compilation-Stories-American/dp/1079328440/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=women+of+the+militaryandqid=1580841656andsr=8-1 (Women of the Military), sharing the stories of 28 military women. In 2019 she also launched her podcast also titled http://www.airmantomom.com/podcast/ (Women of the Militar)http://www.airmantomom.com/podcast (y). On the podcast there has been representation from all five military branches and featured stories from the 23rd Secretary of the Air Force, the Women Air Force Service Pilots to present day. You can learn more about Amanda at her blog http://www.airmantomom.com/ (Airman to Mom).

You can connect with Amanda on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Patreon.

And as always, don't forget to subscribe or leave a review on iTunes!

Why is it that body building can get such a bad wrap? Is it healthy to come at fitness from an angle of insecurity? How can you get over your daily battle with food and the struggles that come with it? Can therapy be good for your business, not just your personal life? What do you do if you don't feel like you fit in? These are all questions and topics we discuss on this week's episode of (im)perfect!

These week's guest is Adam Pecoraro. Adam is a fitness coach who helps people loss weight and fat and build strength and health! He’s also doing some amazing things with at home workouts right now. He has a podcast himself called “The Fittest Guy in the Office” so if that’s something that interests you, feel free to check him out on all streaming platforms.

You can also find him on TikTok @thefitadam for some great fitness techniques and hilarious mythbusters and on Instagram @thefitadam for more content! Lastly, he is very active on LinkedIn as well at https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefitadam/ (Adam Pecoraro)

If you enjoyed this episode, please let me know by reaching out on LinkedIn at Luke West, on IG @theimperfectpod, or leave a review on iTunes!

How do you run a business with your wife and stay in a healthy relationship? How do you recover from a mid-life crisis? Why is it important to know the kind of woman you're looking for? What can entrepreneurs do to feel less trapped by the product and business they create? And how can men show up in their marriages and families more actively? All these topics will be discussed on this week's episode with Armando Cruz.

Armando is a husband, father, adventurer, author,ultra-marathoner, lifestyle physical therapist, and legacy coach. Armando helps growth-minded, married men live happier, more connected, and more fulfilled lives. He does this with his immersive coaching program that helps men show up powerfully in their marriage, in their health, in their business,and in their purpose. Armando's unique approach helps strip away the clutter both internally and externally that is stopping men from showing up daily as the greatest and grandest version of who they are for themselves, their family, and their legacy. Armando has climbed mountains, run over 50 miles in a day (I haven't even ran 50 miles in my life) in swamps filled with snakes and alligators, has lived out of his car, and has surfed in hurricanes, but his biggest adventure has been fatherhood. He is the creator of the Cleanse and Renewal Program, the Modern Man Virtual Summit, and the R.I.C.H. Man Experience. He is the co-owner of Cruz Country Fitness and Physical Therapy with his wife, Christian.

If you enjoyed this episode, please let me know by reaching out on LinkedIn at Luke West, on IG @theimperfectpod, or leave a review on iTunes!

Armando can be contacted through emailor online at:

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.armandocruz.com/ (ArmandoCruz.com)

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thearmandocruz/ (thearmandocruz)

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Armando_Cruz (armando_cruz)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cruzarmando/ (Armando Cruz)

As I continue on my journey, I want to start implementing more of the practices I learn from the men I interview on a weekly basis. For this week, I had Clay Smeltzer on who talked about owning your stuff, loving your story and living with purpose. Well this week, I owned a piece of myself posting a body photo on Instagram for the first time with the caption about how I've felt insecure because of my body my entire life. It was weighing heavy on my heart to do and I had to put it into action and I did! And it wouldn't have been possible without the lessons I've learned along the way.

Follow Up Friday where I take one clip or soundbite from this week's episode and respond to it. I wanted to reflect a bit more on my recordings and thought this was the perfect way to go about doing it. It allows me to analyze what my guest said, what I said, go deeper into topics, or just be like "wow this was a horrible take, Luke". Anyways, here is the latest episode! Let me know what you think over at @theimperfectpod on IG!