The Uncommon Minds Experience

About Our Guest

Thomas R. Wilson grew up with mental health struggles and neurodiversity. He was bullied. He was in systems that didn't work with him. And he wrote that some of the people who were supposed to support him called him a monster and a mistake.

Today, he's a storyteller. A neurodiversity advocate. A peer specialist. A sensory-friendly events specialist who has partnered with more than 40 businesses. And he's building programs — including Dungeons & Dragons sessions — where people who don't fit the usual mold get to belong somewhere.

His work centers on a simple idea: belonging shouldn't require becoming someone else.

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What We Discussed in This Episode

What happens when you spend your whole childhood being told you're the problem — and then one day you decide to build a world where nobody has to hear that?

In this episode, we explore:

· What it feels like to be misunderstood as a kid — and how those words shape identity

· Why stories became a place to survive before they became a way to help others

· The moment storytelling stopped being just for him and became something he could give away

· Why systems often treat struggling people as the problem instead of looking at the environment

· What actually makes an event sensory-friendly — and why most events aren't

· Why one-off experiences aren't enough, and what it takes to build real community

· How Dungeons & Dragons gives people a chance to belong without having to perform

· What strength-based thinking actually means — without empty positivity

· Why empathy is something you practice, not something you claim

· The difference between a requirement that's truly essential and one that's just a habit

· How to reclaim your own story after other people have been telling it for you

· What he would say to the younger version of himself

As Thomas says: "The people who don't fit the system aren't always the problem. Sometimes the system is."

🔗 Official Links

· Official Website: https://rhcreativeadvocacyandstorytelling.net/

· Linktree: https://linktr.ee/ndttrpg

📱 Social Media

· LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-wilson-42762927b/

· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhstorytelling

· Threads: https://www.threads.com/@rhstorytelling

· Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9643132

About Our Guest

Jobert E. Abueva spent three decades in Fortune 500 marketing, including leading Clairol Herbal Essences worldwide — one of the most recognizable beauty brands on the planet.

He was born in the Philippines and raised across Nepal, Thailand, and Japan. He's written a coming-of-age memoir called Boy Wander, which won the Lambda Literary J. Michael Samuel Prize. And his latest book, The Janus Plan, is a framework for intentional beginnings.

But what makes his story compelling is what happened in the middle of all that success: he burned out.

Not because he didn't know how to succeed — but because success itself had become disconnected from something deeper.

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What We Discussed in This Episode

What if the reason we keep "starting over" is that we never honestly finish looking backward?

In this episode, we explore:

· Why burnout can happen even when everything looks successful from the outside

· The difference between having a career and becoming your career

· What burnout takes from you internally — not just physically

· The Janus image and why looking backward is necessary before moving forward

· The difference between reflection and regret

· Why 91% of New Year's resolutions fail — and why the problem starts before the goal

· The difference between "starting over" and "beginning again"

· How to navigate the space between knowing what you can't continue and not yet knowing what's next

· Why functional people are often the hardest to reach

· What growing up across four countries taught him about transitions

· How AI and career disruption are forcing a new kind of reflection

· Why self-improvement can become self-rejection

· The courage to do nothing — temporarily

· How organizations can honestly examine where they've been

· What burnout taught him about success

As Jobert says: "Stop starting over. Start beginning again."

🔗 Official Links

· Official Website: https://www.jobertabueva.net/

· LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jobertabueva

· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jobert_abueva

📚 Book Links

· The Janus Plan: Available on Amazon (Kindle, Paperback, and Audiobook formats)

· Boy Wander: A Coming of Age Memoir: Published by Rattling Good Yarns Press, ISBN: 978-1955826273

📝 Additional Resources

· Newsletter: He publishes a newsletter called Past • Future • Present

· TEDx Talk: "Beyond Resolutions: The Art of Beginning with Intention" at the University of Texas at Dallas

About Our Guest

Branch Isole has spent decades exploring the uncomfortable space between truth and comfort. He's the author of 22 books — fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and short stories. He's studied theology at the master's level. He's founded or partnered in five businesses. And he hosts two podcasts: Spiritual Christianity and Omega Way: Prophecy.

His work keeps returning to the same four words: truth, choice, consequence, and responsibility.

And those four words make people uncomfortable. Because they suggest that the life we're living is at least partly the result of decisions we've made — and decisions we keep making.

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What We Discussed in This Episode

What happens when the truth becomes inconvenient — but avoiding it starts costing you more than facing it?

In this episode, we explore:

· Why people say they want the truth — until it asks something from them

· What happens when truth becomes expensive

· The difference between choice as freedom and choice as responsibility

· Why we're so bad at connecting decisions to consequences

· The difference between blame and agency — and why responsibility can be empowering

· Why we become so skilled at hiding things from ourselves

· The gap between the person everyone sees and the person we are when nobody's watching

· When a relationship needs repair — and when it needs to end

· The difference between an apology that's real and an apology that just ends the conflict

· What happens when professional success masks personal collapse

· Whether work-life balance actually exists

· The difference between faith that helps you face reality and faith that helps you avoid it

· Why we're so fascinated by the end of the world

· What intellectual humility looks like in theology

· The difference between explaining your behavior and excusing it

· When victimhood becomes another prison

· What it means to accept responsibility for what happens next — even when what happened wasn't your fault

· The one truth Branch took the longest to accept

As Branch says: "The truth doesn't actually set us free until we're willing to accept the responsibility that comes with it."

If you've ever known what you needed to do — but avoided doing it because the truth was inconvenient — this conversation will hold up a mirror.

🔗 Connect with Branch Isole

Platform Link

🌐 Website https://branchisole.com

🎙️ Podcast: Spiritual Christianity Available on major platforms

🎙️ Podcast: Omega Way: Prophecy Available on major platforms

📚 Books Available through his website

Victoria Pelletier became one of the youngest COOs in Canada at 24. She was a President by 35. A CEO by 41. She's led enterprise transformations across financial services, technology, and consulting—with a track record spanning over 40 M&A integrations for Fortune 500 clients.

She's a five-time bestselling author, including The Power of Whole Human Leadership and Influence Unleashed. Her TEDx talk on healthy resilience has been viewed more than 2 million times. And she's known as the "Turnaround Queen" and the "CEO Whisperer."

But what makes her story truly uncommon is what happened underneath the success. Victoria was born to a drug-addicted teenage mother, spent her early years in and out of the child welfare system, and was adopted into a loving but financially struggling family. She started working at 11. Her first leadership role came at 14. She bought her first company at 20.

And somewhere along the way, she had to learn that the armor that helped her survive wasn't the same thing as the person she wanted to become.

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What We Discussed in This Episode

What happens when the toughness that helps you survive adversity becomes the armor you eventually have to learn to take off?

In this episode, we explore:

· What adversity taught Victoria before she understood what it was teaching her

· The difference between developing resilience and developing a personality around survival

· The "Iron Maiden" label and the evolution to "turtle"—hard on the outside, soft inside

· When achievement stops being something you do and becomes evidence you use to prove something

· The pressure of being the youngest and the only woman in the room

· What Whole Human Leadership actually means

· Why empathy and accountability aren't opposites

· The difference between healthy vulnerability and oversharing

· The loneliness at the top—and who checks on the CEO

· How AI is changing what humans are actually valuable for

· Why trust, not tooling, determines whether transformation succeeds

· What parts of your strength are still serving you—and what parts of your armor you're ready to put down

As Victoria says: "They used to call me Iron Maiden, now I'm called a turtle—I still have a very thick exterior shell, but I am soft inside."

🔗 Connect with Victoria Pelletier

Platform Link

🌐 Website https://victoria-pelletier.com

📧 Email [email protected]

💼 LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriapelletier/

📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/victoria_pelletier_unstoppable/

🎥 YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@VictoriaPelletierUnstoppable

📘 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Victoria.Pelletier.Unstoppable/

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About Our Guest

Houston Pierce has spent his life doing something most people avoid: asking questions nobody else asks.

He's the host of 1000 Crazy Questions—a podcast built entirely around one simple idea: that curiosity, humor, and genuine conversation can reveal more about people than any interview format ever could.

Before podcasting, Houston did almost everything else. He studied mechanical engineering. He was a tour guide, a school mascot, a radio personality, an Uber driver, an Amazon driver, a restaurant server, a couch delivery guy, a software tester, a bakery janitor, a construction worker, and a wedding DJ.

He's also a movie critic, deeply versed in nerd culture, and describes himself as a cynical, lighthearted entertainer who loves God and believes we're here to demonstrate His love.

What makes Houston interesting isn't the résumé. It's the questions. And the fact that he's still willing to ask them when most people have stopped.

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What We Discussed in This Episode

What happens when you stop trying to follow one path and start following your curiosity instead?

In this episode, we explore:

· What it means to build your life around questions instead of answers

· Why Houston's podcast is called 1000 Crazy Questions—and what the number actually means

· What makes a question "good"—and why weird questions often produce deeper answers

· What years of interviewing people taught him about human beings

· Why a bio tells you what someone did, not who they are

· What the school mascot and Uber driving have in common

· Why ordinary jobs teach you more about people than corporate ones

· Whether his winding career actually looks random—or whether there's a thread connecting it

· The difference between knowing a lot about movies and actually understanding them

· Why nerd culture matters so much to real people

· What Star Wars is really about underneath the lightsabers

· Why humans keep creating heroes

· How DJing taught him to read a room's emotional energy

· What faith means to him—and how he holds it alongside science and technology

· What worries him more about AI: what machines might become, or what humans might become

· What makes a human being valuable when intelligence is no longer scarce

· What question he's still trying to answer about his own life

· One question he would ask all of humanity if he could only ask one

As Houston says: "The quality of the life you build may depend on the quality of the questions you're willing to ask."

If you've ever wondered why some people stay curious their whole lives while others stop asking—this conversation will remind you why curiosity might be the most human thing we have.

🔗 Connect with Houston Pierce

Platform Link

🌐 Website https://1000crazyquestions.com

🎙️ Podcast 1000 Crazy Questions — Available on all major platforms

Dr. Victoria Rader is a Ph.D. in Metaphysical Studies, a bestselling author, and the founder of YU2SHINE—a company built around what she calls Quantum Personal Development. She's the creator of the Free mE EFT methodology and has written multiple books including Prosper mE and Yes! You Can Have It All.

Victoria has developed an entire ecosystem of tools—books, journals, apps, and transformational programs—all designed to help people break through subconscious patterns and step into what she calls their "big E" potential. Her work sits at the intersection of spirituality, psychology, and practical transformation.

She's been featured on numerous podcasts and stages, and her message is simple but profound: You don't have to earn your worth. You already have it.

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What We Discussed in This Episode

What if the problem isn't that you haven't achieved enough? What if you've been trying to use achievement to solve a problem achievement was never capable of solving?

In this episode, we explore:

· Why achievement and worth are two completely different things

· What happens when your identity becomes attached to what you accomplish

· The hidden conditions people put on their own worth

· The difference between the "little m" and the "big E" versions of ourselves

· What "quantum" actually means in Quantum Personal Development

· The line between spiritual belief, personal experience, and empirical evidence

· Why surrender isn't giving up—it's letting go of control

· The difference between forcing an outcome and trusting

· Manifestation without magical thinking

· What happens when the universe doesn't give you what you asked for

· How to prevent spiritual growth from turning into self-blame

· The difference between positive thinking and emotional avoidance

· What "from scared to sacred" actually looks like

· How to discover subconscious beliefs that are running your life

· The Free mE EFT approach and how it works

· The relationship between inner worth and net worth

· When self-improvement becomes self-rejection

· The identity Victoria had to let go of to become who she is today

· What loss taught her that success never could

As Victoria says: "You don't have to earn your worth. You already have it."

If you've ever achieved something you thought would finally make you feel worthy—only to find yourself still searching—this conversation will change how you think about what you're actually chasing.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Victoria Rader

Platform Link

🌐 Website (YU2SHINE) https://yu2shine.com/

🎁 Free Quantum Leap Resources https://MyGiftOffer.com

👤 Victoria's Bio https://yu2shine.com/about-victoria-rader

📚 Books & Journals Available through YU2SHINE

📱 Apps & Programs Available through YU2SHINE

About Our Guest

Frank Titus has spent more than 30 years working with people in pain. His approach doesn't use machines, hands-on manipulation, or expensive equipment. Instead, he teaches people how to change the way they move.

His method, Titus Motion Therapy (TMT), is built around a simple but provocative idea: the location of pain isn't always the location of the problem. And the body isn't broken—it just needs to learn how to move again.

Frank holds a Master's degree in Exercise Physiology from Indiana State University. He worked as Assistant Director at The Egoscue Method Clinic in San Diego before founding his own practice in 1995. He has treated clients aged 8 to 80—yoga teachers, musicians, doctors, and professional athletes including Olympians and PGA, NFL, and NBA players. He also served in the U.S. Army as an Infantry Ranger Scout.

What makes his approach unusual is what it doesn't use: no machines, no hands-on treatment. Just specific, personalized movement. And he works with people virtually—through screens—with remarkable results.

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What We Discussed in This Episode

What if chronic pain isn't always a problem you need to attack? What if the better question is: why is your body producing the pain in the first place?

In this episode, we explore:

· Why the location of pain isn't the location of the problem

· What "root cause" actually means when we're talking about movement

· The body as one connected system—and why compensation patterns matter

· Why eight weeks is the timeline for real change

· How Frank personalizes movement for each person

· Why no equipment and no hands-on manipulation

· The dependency problem in traditional pain treatment

· How chronic pain changes people psychologically—and the fear of movement

· When movement therapy is right—and when someone needs a doctor

· The 95% success rate—and what happens to the other 5%

· How virtual assessments work and what can't be done through a screen

· The truth about posture and why static alignment isn't the goal

· Why modern lifestyles are creating a pain epidemic

· What the military taught Frank about the human body

· The difference between productive discomfort and a warning sign

· What success actually looks like when someone gets better

As Frank says: "The body isn't broken. It just needs to learn how to move again."

If you've ever felt trapped by chronic pain—or wondered if there's a different way to think about your body—this conversation will give you hope and a new perspective.

🔗 Connect with Frank Titus

Platform Link

🌐 Website https://tmtsystem.com

📚 TMT System https://tmtsystem.com/tmt-system

Dr. Mark Fabian is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of Warwick and an Affiliate Fellow at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at Cambridge University . He holds a PhD in Economic Policy from the Australian National University and was previously a Fulbright Scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington DC .

His research focuses on wellbeing from an interdisciplinary perspective, with particular emphasis on the ethical and epistemological issues involved in applying wellbeing science to public policy . He is the author of A Theory of Subjective Wellbeing (Oxford University Press, 2022) and the forthcoming book Beyond Happy: How to Rethink Happiness and Find Fulfilment .

Mark hosts his own podcast, ePODstemology, and is known for combining academic precision with a podcaster's knack for storytelling .

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What We Discussed in This Episode

What if the pursuit of happiness is actually the problem?

In this episode, we explore:

· Why evolution may have designed us to keep happiness just out of reach

· The happiness treadmill and why we normalize improvements so quickly

· The difference between pleasure and meaning—and why meaning often requires discomfort

· Why achievement doesn't always satisfy, and how to tell if you're running in the wrong direction

· How to discover intrinsic motivation and pursue authentic values

· Why emotions are information, not commands—and how to listen to them without letting them run your life

· The difference between meaningful struggle and unnecessary suffering

· Why wellbeing isn't just an individual pursuit—it's something we cultivate together

· The relationship between happiness, purpose, and the escape from nihilism

· What a genuinely good life looks like—and why it's not the same as a happy one

As Mark says: "Happiness is not a goal, but it is a guide to which activities, people, and values might suit you" .

If you've ever achieved something you thought would finally make you happy—only to find yourself wanting the next thing—this conversation will change how you think about what you're actually chasing.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Mark Fabian

Platform Link

🌐 University Profile https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/people/fabian/

📝 Substack (Beyond Happy) https://profmarkfabian.substack.com

🎙️ Podcast (ePODstemology) https://epodstemology.buzzsprout.com

📚 Beyond Happy Book Available at major retailers

📚 A Theory of Subjective Wellbeing Oxford University Press

Gordon Firemark has practiced entertainment law in Los Angeles since 1992 and is often referred to as The Podcast Lawyer™ . He has devoted his career to helping creatives, artists, and entrepreneurs protect themselves and get their messages out so they can achieve the impact, influence, and income they deserve .

A podcaster himself, Gordon has been producing and hosting the Entertainment Law Update podcast since 2009—which was recently ranked the #1 podcast among the Best 30 Entertainment Law Podcasts by MillionPodcasts.com . He also hosts Legit Podcast Pro, featuring weekly audio and video legal tips for podcasters and YouTubers . Gordon is the author of The Podcast, Blog & New Media Producer's Legal Survival Guide and creator of several online courses for creatives, coaches, and lawyers .

His undergraduate degree in Radio, Television and Film from the University of Oregon and experience in live theatre production informs his thinking about all things legal . In addition to his busy law practice, he has taught Entertainment Law at Columbia College Hollywood, Intellectual Property and Media Law at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and Contract Law at Pepperdine Law School . He has been recognized as a "Best Lawyer" for nine consecutive years by his peers in The Best Lawyers in America for his outstanding work in Entertainment Law – Theater .

Gordon's mission is simple: helping creative folks get their message out as fully and safely as possible .

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What We Discussed in This Episode

You have an idea. You give it a name. You build the brand. You start posting. People start watching. And then one day... someone else starts using your name. Or you discover that the thing you thought you owned—you never actually protected.

In this episode, we go behind the scenes of the creator economy—where creativity meets contracts, copyright, trademarks, ownership, and risk.

We explore:

· What creators fundamentally misunderstand about the business they're actually in

· The most dangerous assumptions creators make about ownership

· Copyright vs. trademark: what belongs in each bucket

· The podcast name problem and why you need to do a search before you launch

· Why "we're friends" is one of the worst reasons not to have a written agreement

· Guest releases and the rights that exist around a recorded conversation

· How AI is creating new legal questions creators aren't asking yet

· Fair use myths and what actually determines the difference

· Why platform permissions don't travel—and the danger of rented audiences

· The most common mistakes creators make and when to actually call a lawyer

· What every creator should own outside the platform

As Gordon says: "You're spending so much time creating it... but do you actually know what you own?"

If you're a podcaster, YouTuber, livestreamer, or anyone building a business around creative work—this conversation will give you the legal foundation you didn't know you needed.

Connect with Gordon Firemark

Platform Link

🌐 Website https://gordonfiremark.com

🌐 Law Practice https://firemark.com

🎙️ Entertainment Law Update Podcast https://entertainmentlawupdate.com

🎙️ Legit Podcast Pro Podcast https://legitpodcastpro.captivate.fm

📚 Free Guest Release Agreement https://podcastrelease.com

📸 Instagram https://instagram.com/gordonfiremark

📘 Facebook https://facebook.com/gfiremark

💼 LinkedIn https://linkedin.com/in/gfiremark

🎥 YouTube https://youtube.com/gfiremark

Lauren Fay believes we're all one courageous decision away from changing the trajectory of our lives. That belief was forged through experience.

Before becoming an award-winning author, keynote speaker, and life strategist, Lauren was a collegiate athlete, fitness instructor, and high achiever who looked like she had it all together. Beneath the surface, she spent more than a decade negotiating with alcohol while trying to outrun self-doubt, purposelessness, and the growing disconnect between the life she was living and the one she wanted to create.

Choosing to become alcohol-free in 2018 became one of the most important decisions of her life. What she discovered on the other side wasn't just freedom from alcohol, but a universal truth about how lasting change actually happens. The greatest obstacle to transformation is rarely a lack of awareness. Most people already know what needs to change. The real challenge is overcoming the internal negotiation that keeps us choosing what is familiar over what is aligned.

Lauren is the author of Blurred Lines: My Reclamation of Power from Alcohol Addiction (P.S. You Are Not Powerless.), an award-winning memoir that explores identity, spiritual awakening, and the reclamation of personal power. She is also the creator of the signature keynote Choose Your Miracle and works with individuals and organizations on self-leadership, emotional resilience, and lasting change.

Her story is the vehicle for a much broader conversation about what it means to lead yourself well, make courageous decisions, navigate uncertainty, and create lasting change from the inside out.

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What We Discussed in This Episode

What if changing your life doesn't begin when you finally feel ready—but when you make one courageous decision?

In this episode, we explore:

· What it means to be "one courageous decision away" from changing your life

· The concept of internal negotiation and why it's the biggest obstacle to change

· Why awareness alone is rarely enough to create lasting transformation

· The difference between burnout and living out of alignment

· Why self-trust is the foundation of confidence—and how to rebuild it

· What alcohol was actually revealing, not causing

· Why high performers are increasingly choosing alcohol-free living—not because they have to, but because they want to

· The identity shifts that happen after you stop numbing

· How sobriety became a doorway to something much bigger than freedom from alcohol

· What to do when you're afraid to make the change you know you need to make

As Lauren says: "The courage to change your life may already be within you."

If you've ever felt caught between who you are and who you're capable of becoming—this conversation will remind you that every meaningful transformation starts with one courageous decision.

Connect with Lauren Fay

Platform Link

🌐 Website https://laurenfaycoaching.com/

📚 Book: Blurred Lines https://blurredlinesbook.com

📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/laurenfaycoaching/