You think you’re building a life.

But what if you’re not?

In this episode, Cory J Riggs explores a shift that reframes everything: life isn’t built in the future—it’s built in the present, one day at a time.

Drawing from real journal insights and lived experience, this conversation breaks down how ego-driven urgency for results pulls you out of the process, and why most people stay stuck in cycles of starting, stopping, and waiting for something to happen.

This episode explores:

• the difference between building and waiting

• how ego creates the “why try” narrative

• why daily patterns matter more than long-term goals

• the illusion of success without internal alignment

• how to begin building your life—today

The work is not in the outcome.

It’s in the day.

What if the parts of your life you thought were behind you… were never actually repaired?

In this episode, Cory J Riggs explores the difference between moving forward and truly healing.

Using the metaphor of a damaged road, he breaks down how most people learn to patch over pain, create detours around difficult experiences, and continue forward without ever addressing what’s underneath.

But what isn’t repaired doesn’t disappear.

It resurfaces.

This episode challenges the idea that progress means resolution and offers a deeper perspective:

Healing is not about avoiding damage.

It’s about learning how to rebuild.

Key Insights

• Why survival strategies are not the same as healing

• How avoidance shows up as progress

• The danger of “patching” emotional wounds

• What it means to “close the road” and rebuild

• Why healing builds the capacity to handle future challenges

• How to begin recognizing what still hasn’t been repaired

Closing Reflection

What in your life have you moved past… but never truly fixed?

Show Identity

This is This Tree & Me, a podcast exploring self-awareness, inner dialogue, and the ongoing process of becoming who you are.

Hosted by Cory J Riggs.

Reflective Opening

Inside every person there are moments when two voices seem to speak at once.

Both sound reasonable.

Both sound convincing.

One voice leads toward truth.

The other protects the ego.

Learning to recognize the difference is one of the most important practices in personal growth.

Episode Summary

In this episode of This Tree & Me, Cory J Riggs explores the subtle distinction between ego narrative and true inner guidance.

Many people believe growth eventually leads to permanent clarity — a place where doubt disappears and the mind becomes quiet.

But the ego does not disappear.

The voice of doubt continues to arise.

The deeper practice is learning to recognize where a thought is coming from.

Drawing from reflections in his morning journal and the philosophy behind the LAF Method (Listen, Allow, Follow), Cory explores how discernment becomes a daily practice rather than a destination.

Instead of eliminating the ego, we learn to recognize its patterns.

And once we see clearly, we simply begin following the voice that leads us forward.

Key Insights

• Growth does not eliminate the ego

• Doubt does not permanently disappear

• The same question can come from different sources

• Ego often disguises itself as logic or protection

• Alignment is something we practice continuously

• Discernment grows through awareness

Most people build their lives in survival mode.

Working harder.

Pushing faster.

Trying to prove something.

And for a while, that survival energy creates momentum.

It builds discipline.

It builds resilience.

It builds strength.

But survival was never meant to lead your life forever.

In this episode of This Tree and Me, Cory J Riggs explores the moment when survival must step back and clarity must take the lead.

Through personal reflection and the principles of the LAF Method, this conversation explores how healing the ego is not about destroying it — but about teaching it.

Survival becomes the engine.

Presence becomes the leader.

Because real leadership begins internally.

And when you finally stop living in survival mode, something changes.

Strength becomes steady.

Life will happen.

There will be pressure. There will be growth. There will be fear. There will be opportunity.

You cannot stop life from unfolding. But you can decide who leads when it does.

In this episode of This Tree & Me, Cory J Riggs explores what it means to live from the inside out — taking responsibility for your internal world so your external life reflects clarity, structure, and self-leadership.

This conversation dives into:

• Internal authority

• Emotional regulation

• Living from the inside out

• Why life does not control you — your response does

Find all episodes and platforms at:

CoryJRiggs.com/podcast

If you are not leading your internal system, your ego is.

In this episode of This Tree and Me, Cory J Riggs breaks down what true inner leadership looks like — not control, not force, not suppression — but authority through love, structure, and healing.

You’ll learn:

• Why your ego doesn’t disappear — it breathes

• What real leadership inside yourself actually means

• Why healing requires structure

• How to move from reaction to responsibility

Healing your ego isn’t about killing it.

It’s about leading it.

🌐 Website: https://www.coryjriggs.com

Find This Tree and Me wherever you stream podcasts.

https://coryjriggs.com

Motivation can push you forward.

Inspiration can lift you up.

But neither of them heals the parts of you that keep repeating the same patterns.

In this episode, I explore the difference between motivation, inspiration, and true healing—and why ignoring the ego doesn’t make it disappear. It waits.

We talk about why cycles repeat, why success doesn’t protect us from breakdown, and why healing the ego is not about killing it—but learning how to lead it with compassion, trust, and honesty.

This is not about fixing yourself.

It’s about becoming whole.

This Tree and Me is available wherever you listen to podcasts.

If you knew that every path you took would include suffering, pain, and eventually death, which path would you choose? Most of us choose the path of "settlement" because the ego convinces us it’s safer. It plays an internal movie filled with excuses and justifications to keep us from the "doing" that makes our transformation real.

​In today's episode of This Tree and Me, Cory J Riggs deconstructs the illusion of "safe" failure and the shadow work required to move toward self-worth. It’s time to stop letting the ego settle the bill on its terms. It’s time to find the path that ends in light, no matter how faint or distant that light may seem.

​In this episode, we discuss:

​The resistance of the "Doing" and the fear of judgment.

​Why we find known failures more tolerable than the unknown.

​How curiosity acts as the catalyst for healing.

​The ultimate choice between settlement and self-worth.

​Links & Resources:

​Read the full article: https://www.coryjriggs.com/blog

​Subscribe for more studies: https://www.coryjriggs.com/podcast

​Follow Cory on Socials: @CoryJRiggs

The gap between seeing what you need to do and actually doing it is where the ego thrives. It uses your own physical discomfort to keep you stuck, turning your anxiety into a reason to stay still. In this episode, we break down how to listen to the vision and move through the resistance by recognizing the body's signals as a compass for growth. It’s time to stop the cycle of non-doing and start the work.

​https://www.coryjriggs.com/blog

https://www.coryjriggs.com/podcast

​Follow me @CoryJRiggs on all socials

Search 'This Tree and Me' on your favorite podcast platform

The pain you are running from is not your enemy—it is your compass. Tonight, we introduce the first step of the LAF Method: Listen. We aren’t listening to join the drama or agree with the narrative. We are listening to hear the lesson. It is time to stop ignoring the shadows and start withdrawing the wisdom hidden within the wound.

​https://www.coryjriggs.com/blog

https://www.coryjriggs.com/podcast

​Follow me @CoryJRiggs on all socials.

Search 'This Tree and Me' on your favorite podcast platform.

​#Mindset #SpiritualGrowth #Healing #SelfDiscovery #Authenticity #Leadership #Wellness