In this end-of-year episode, Blake and Jamie look back on ten months of building the Three Percent community—30,000+ streams, 75 countries, countless vulnerable conversations, and a growing team that has made this project possible.

This episode is equal parts celebration, reflection, honest storytelling, and heartfelt gratitude. Blake and Jamie peel back the curtain on what it’s actually been like behind the scenes: the long mornings, the late nights, raising little kids, navigating personal hardships, and still choosing to show up every week because this work matters.

They share the origins of Three Percent, the goals they set at the beginning of the year, the ones they’ve already surpassed, and the dreams they’re chasing next. You’ll also hear about upcoming retreats, new offerings for 2026, how they think about honesty and boundaries, and a hilarious holiday prompt you can participate in.

This episode is a love letter to the community that has formed around this podcast. Thank you for listening, sharing, reviewing, and showing up. You’ve helped build something truly meaningful.

Takeaways

• 30,000+ streams in the first year is beyond what Blake and Jamie expected.

• The community is the reason this show has grown—your reviews, shares, and messages matter.

• Behind the scenes, they’ve navigated personal pain, exhaustion, and spiritual tension while continuing to create.

• Creative energy often shows up late in the process—after structure and safety are present.

• This year revealed the deep need for honest, sturdy, compassionate men’s spaces,

• A growing team (Jackson & Derek!) has made the show sustainable.

• Big dreams are underway: retreats, a men’s framework for churches, expanded offerings, and a permanent studio.

• • Vulnerability must be held within boundaries—honesty can be public, personal, or private.

  
  

  Resources & Mentions

• Episode: What To Do With Your Inner Critic with Aundi Kolber

• Episode: Top Plate Coaching Call with Dustin Duvall

• Free Download: Pause, Pray, Process Method (via email list)

• Email your holiday story: [email protected]
  

Chapters

(00:00) How This Podcast Has Shaped Us

(01:00) Welcome to the End-of-Year Celebration

(02:00) Behind-the-Scenes Banter & Recording Energy

(05:30) Being Dads, Therapists, & Podcast Hosts

(07:00) How the Show Has Grown Because of You

(13:00) The Impact of Listener Reviews & Messages

(15:00) Revisiting the Original 2024 Goals

(17:00) Hitting 30,000 Streams (Triple the Goal!)

(18:30) Why the Mission Matters: Men, Honesty & Healing

(20:00) On Vulnerability, Boundaries & Faith

(23:00) Building a Team: Bringing on Jackson & Derek

(25:00) Showing Up Even in Hard Seasons

(27:00) Parenting, Fatigue & Still Choosing This Work

(29:00) Future Dreams: Merch, Retreats, & Collaborations

(42:00) What Topics You Want in Season Two

(44:00) Final Reflections & Gratitude

(45:00) The New Closing Line: Keep Showing Up

Keywords

Three Percent, end of year episode, reflection, men’s mental health, emotional honesty, vulnerability, healing, spiritual formation, community, gratitude, burnout, creativity, parenting, therapy, masculinity, retreats, personal growth, identity, boundaries, integrity, resilience

This week, Blake and Jamie invite listeners into a real-time Top Plate coaching call with 3% community member Dustin Duvall. In this session, Dustin brings his honest history about stress, being a good husband, overwhelm, and the pressure to carry everything at once.

Together they unpack what a Top Plate actually is—the one thing in your life that requires the most attention—and how naming it can radically shift the way you show up for your family, your work, and yourself.

This is a practical and deeply human episode about burnout, boundaries, internal narratives, and the courage it takes to ask for help. If you’re feeling stretched thin or unsure how to keep all the plates spinning, this conversation offers clarity, hope, and next steps.

Takeaways

• Your “Top Plate” is the area of life demanding the most attention—and naming it brings relief.

• Burnout isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s your body telling the truth.

• You can’t lead others well if you’re constantly abandoning yourself.

• Most overwhelm comes from unspoken expectations and silent pressure.

• Compassion and honesty are more effective motivators than shame.

• You don’t need to fix everything at once; you need to take the next right step.
  

Chapters

(00:00) Welcome & What a Top Plate Coaching Call Is

(03:40) Dustin’s Story & Current Stress Points

(07:15) Identifying the Real Top Plate

(11:50) Why Overwhelm Feels Like Failure

(15:00) The Emotional Cost of Carrying Everything

(18:30) When Performance Becomes Your Identity

(22:00) Listening to Your Body’s “Alarm System”

(26:40) Blake’s Coaching: Finding the Pressure Valve

(30:10) What Happens When You Name the Real Issue

(34:20) Dustin’s Breakthrough: Permission to Slow Down

(38:00) Boundaries, Leadership, and Family Health

(42:00) Choosing What Matters Most Right Now

(46:00) The First Next Step

(49:30) Final Coaching Reflections

Keywords

Top Plate, coaching, emotional health, burnout, overwhelm, stress, leadership, boundaries, self-awareness, nervous system, family, identity, masculinity, spiritual formation, Three Percent

This week, Blake and Jamie sit down with bestselling author and therapist Aundi Kolber for a powerful conversation about trauma, compassion, the inner critic, and learning to “try softer.”

Aundi shares openly about growing up in an abusive home, how her fierce inner critic helped her survive, and why healing doesn’t come through trying harder—but through a compassionate, regulated relationship with ourselves and others. They unpack attachment, window of tolerance, neurobiology, and why men especially struggle to let go of performance and self-hatred.

This is an episode about shifting from survival mode to connection. About befriending the parts of us we’ve pushed away. And about discovering that compassion is not weakness—it’s strength that doesn’t fold.

Takeaways

• Your inner critic was born for a reason—it helped you survive.

• Healing happens when we can be with our pain, not in our pain.

• Compassion is both tender and fierce: soft toward wounds, strong toward safety.

• Our window of tolerance expands in the presence of regulated, safe relationships.

• You don’t have to tell everyone everything—honesty requires discernment and safety.

• Trying Softer is not giving up; it’s choosing connection over self-punishment.

• We can reassign our inner critic’s job—from attacking us to discerning what’s good for us.

Chapters

(00:00) Aundi’s Story & Meeting the Inner Critic(04:00) Growing Up in Abuse: The Origin of Hyper-Vigilance(08:00) Trauma, Sensitivity & Why Our Parts Form(12:00) Reframing the Inner Critic: A Protector, Not an Enemy(15:00) Attachment, Performance & Getting Needs Met(18:00) How the Body Shrinks its Window of Tolerance(21:00) What Regulation Really Means(24:00) Why Safe Relationships Expand Our Capacity(27:00) Vulnerability, Men’s Groups & Discernment(30:00) Numbing, Shutdown & Forced Dorsal States(33:00) Befriending the Pain We Learned to Fear(37:00) What It Means to “Try Softer”(40:00) Compassion That Doesn’t Fold(45:00) Letting Fierce Compassion Set Boundaries(48:00) Shame, “Still,” and Resentment Toward Our Parts(52:00) Trying Softer as a Lifelong Posture(55:00) The Surprises of Aundi’s Work(58:00) What Gives Aundi Hope(01:00:00) Loaves & Fishes: Being a Steward of Pain(01:02:00) What’s Next for Aundi

Resources

Try Softer — Aundi Kolber
Strong Like Water — Aundi Kolber
Take What You Need — Aundi Kolber

Keywords

Aundi Kolber, Try Softer, Strong Like Water, trauma recovery, inner critic, self-compassion, window of tolerance, attachment, CPTSD, abuse recovery, neurobiology, IFS, shame, masculinity, emotional health, compassion, boundaries, healing, spiritual formation, Three Percent podcast

This week, Blake and Jamie sit down with Ben Zobrist, former MLB player and two-time World Series champion, for a vulnerable and deeply human conversation about identity, faith, and what happens when the cheering stops.

Ben shares openly about the transition out of professional baseball, the loss of structure and purpose that followed, and how faith became a place of wrestling rather than performance. Together, they explore the tension between success and surrender, what it means to be truly known, and the slow, humble work of healing when your identity is stripped away.

This isn’t a story about baseball—it’s a story about becoming whole.

Takeaways

• Success can hide the deeper questions about who we are and where we belong.

• Leaving a career built on performance can expose old wounds around identity and worth.

• Faith doesn’t eliminate pain—it gives us a way to be honest in it.

• Real healing happens through community, rest, and humility.

• You can lose what you do and still discover who you are.

Check out more from Ben Zobrist:

Instagram – @benzobrist18

Learn more about Champion Forward

Learn more about Three Percent:

www.threepercentco.com

Instagram – @threepercent.co

Chapters

(00:00) Welcome & Introducing Ben Zobrist

(04:10) Life After Baseball: The Unknown Season

(09:20) When Identity Is Built on Performance

(13:50) The Hidden Cost of Success

(18:30) Wrestling with Faith in the Middle of Loss

(22:00) Learning to Rest After Years of Drive

(27:10) What Healing Has Looked Like for Ben

(31:30) Community, Therapy, and Honest Friendship

(36:00) Lessons from Baseball That Still Apply

(41:20) Redefining Winning in Life and Faith

(45:00) Final Reflections and Gratitude

Resources

• 🎧 Related episodes:

• Healing the Heart After Trauma with Dr. Thomas Cabell

• The Strength Men Need to Reclaim with Marc Typo

• A Practical Guide to Engaging Your Emotions

Keywords

Ben Zobrist, MLB, baseball, faith, identity, mental health, healing, masculinity, success, performance, transition, purpose, humility, emotional health, spiritual formation, life after sports, Three Percent podcast

This week, Blake and Jamie sit down with Justin Whitmel Earley—author, lawyer, and father of four—to talk about habits that shape the heart of a family. Justin shares his story of going from missionary life to corporate law, from breakdown to deep formation, and how he discovered that small, ordinary rhythms can become spiritual lifelines.

They unpack what it looks like to build a household of peace in a world that runs on hurry, noise, and distraction—and why habits of love, presence, and prayer matter more than ever. This conversation blends theology and practicality, inviting us to see that the way we live each day is forming the people we’re becoming.

Takeaways

• Habits aren’t just productivity tools—they’re ways of shaping love and attention.

• Children learn what peace feels like through the rhythms of their parents.

• Morning prayer, shared meals, and nightly blessings anchor the home in presence.

• Hustle culture and hurry are spiritual forces that disconnect us from God and others.

• The household is the front line of formation—and the place where grace meets real life.

Justin's New Book:  The Body Teaches the Soul

Check out more from Justin Whitmel Earley:

Website – www.justinwhitmelearley.com

Instagram – @justinwhitmelearley

Podcast - Intentional Fatherhood Podcast

Learn more about Three Percent:

www.threepercentco.com

Instagram – @threepercent.co

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction & Justin’s Story

(05:20) From Missionary to Lawyer: The Collapse That Changed Everything

(10:45) Discovering the Power of Habits

(15:30) Why the Household Is the Front Line of Formation

(20:00) Practicing Presence in a Distracted World

(26:30) Rhythms of Morning and Evening Prayer

(33:00) What Kids Learn from Watching Our Habits

(38:00) Building Grace into Daily Structure

(42:15) Habits of Work, Rest, and Sabbath

(47:00) The Practice of Blessing and Gratitude

(52:00) How Formation Happens in the Ordinary

(56:00) Closing Reflections

Keywords

Justin Whitmel Earley, Habits of the Household, The Common Rule, spiritual formation, habits, discipline, family life, parenting, emotional health, faith, household rhythms, rest, sabbath, presence, hurry, masculinity, relationships, marriage, formation, love, community, Three Percent podcast

This week, Blake and Jamie sit down with Dr. Thomas Cabell, a physician and teacher whose decades of experience in medicine and spiritual formation have shaped his holistic view of health and healing. In a world that treats brokenness as something to hide or fix, Dr. Cabell offers a countercultural perspective: that healing is not the absence of pain—it’s the restoration of connection.

Together they explore how the body and soul are deeply intertwined, how medicine and faith can work hand-in-hand, and why true health includes emotional honesty, rest, and relationship. With stories from his medical career, spiritual reflections, and grounded wisdom, Dr. Cabell reminds us that becoming whole is less about control and more about courage.

Takeaways

• Healing is a return to connection—within ourselves, with others, and with God.

• The body is always telling the truth; symptoms are invitations, not failures.

• Busyness and disconnection are often modern forms of sickness.

• Listening deeply—to our bodies, our emotions, and each other—is a healing act.

• Integrating medicine, psychology, and faith offers a fuller picture of human flourishing.

Check out more of Dr. Thomas Cabell:  Ascension Health Profile

Learn more about Three Percent:

www.threepercentco.com

Instagram – @threepercentco

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction & Why We Avoid Stillness

(04:30) Dr. Cabell’s Journey into Medicine and Ministry

(10:20) What Patients Teach Us About Healing

(14:50) How the Body and Spirit Speak the Same Language

(20:00) Disconnection as the Root of Disease

(26:30) The Power of Presence in Medicine

(31:00) When Helping Becomes Hiding

(37:00) Integrating Faith, Medicine, and Mental Health

(43:20) How Rest and Play Restore Wholeness

(48:10) What True Healing Looks Like

(53:00) Final Reflections & Encouragement

Keywords

Dr. Thomas Cabell, healthcare, holistic health, spiritual formation, medicine and faith, emotional healing, embodiment, presence, rest, connection, trauma healing, holistic masculinity, men’s mental health, wholeness, soul care, Three Percent podcast

This week, Blake and Jamie sit down with Lexy Florentina, a somatic experiencing practitioner, writer, and teacher helping people reconnect with their bodies after trauma. In this beautiful, grounding conversation, Lexy helps us understand what it means to build a relationship with the body—not to fix or control it, but to listen to it.

Through stories, science, and a live somatic exercise with Blake, Lexy guides us to see that the body isn’t the enemy. It’s been fighting for us, not against us. Together they explore how men, in particular, have been conditioned to override, shame, or disconnect from their emotions—and how healing begins when we learn to be curious instead of critical.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt stuck, numb, or at war with themselves.

Takeaways

• Healing begins when we stop trying to fix our bodies and start listening to them.

• The body’s reactions aren’t failures—they’re survival strategies born from protection.

• Curiosity is the foundation of healing; judgment keeps us disconnected.

• Trauma narrows our menu of choices—healing shows us there are other options.

• Men often carry a shame-based or control-based relationship with their bodies; soft curiosity opens the door to safety.

• Our bodies are always communicating; the question is whether we’ll listen.

Check out more of Lexy Florentina: Website – lexyflorentina.com Instagram – @lexyflorentina Community – Held: A co-resting membership for learning to be with your body

Learn more about Three Percent: www.threepercentco.com Instagram – @threepercentco

Chapters

(00:00) Welcome & Introducing Lexy Florentina

(03:00) What Is Somatic Experiencing?

(07:00) Lexy’s Story: From Complex Trauma to Healing

(10:00) The Body as an Ally, Not an Enemy

(13:00) Why Men Struggle to Connect with Their Bodies

(16:00) Curiosity vs. Control

(18:00) How We Learn to Disconnect from Ourselves

(22:00) “I Can’t Change This, But I Can Help You Not Feel It”

(25:00) A Live Somatic Exercise with Blake

(31:00) Finding Safety and Sturdiness in the Body

(35:00) The Importance of Agency and Choice in Healing

(38:00) Watching Healing in Real Time

(40:00) Why We Consume Information to Fix Ourselves

(42:00) There’s Nothing Wrong With You—Your Body Is Doing Its Job

(44:00) Lexy’s Work: Community, Courses, and “Held”

(46:00) Closing Reflections

Resources

• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

• Gabor Maté – drgabormate.com
  

Keywords

Lexy Florentina, somatic experiencing, trauma healing, nervous system, emotional regulation, embodiment, holistic masculinity, men’s mental health, trauma response, curiosity, shame, body awareness, mindfulness, self-compassion, somatic therapy, healing, co-regulation, connection, faith, vulnerability, emotional safety, Three Percent podcast

In this heartfelt and practical conversation, Blake and Jamie dive deep into attachment science — exploring how our earliest relationships shape the way we connect, protect, and seek safety today. Drawing from both research and their own friendship, they unpack the four attachment styles — secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized — and describe them through vivid metaphors: the pasture, jungle, desert, and war zone.

They share personal stories of conflict and repair, offering a hopeful look at how awareness and compassion can help us move toward emotional safety. This episode is a guide to understanding your relational patterns and choosing connection over protection.

Takeaways

• Your attachment style isn’t a flaw — it’s an adaptive strategy that once kept you safe.

• Awareness is the first step, but healing happens in relationship.

• Secure attachment (“the pasture”) is built through safety, consistency, and repair.

• Avoidance, anxiety, and chaos are often just unhealed attempts to find connection.

• The goal isn’t perfection; it’s movement toward honesty, empathy, and safety.
  

Resources

• Embodied Faith by Jeff & Cyd Holsclaw – https://www.embodiedfaith.life/

• Dr. Curt Thompson – Author and speaker on attachment & spiritual formation https://curtthompsonmd.com/attachment-theory-i/

• Related Episodes:

• A Practical Guide to Engaging Your Emotions

• Suicide Prevention Month

• Emotions for Dummies (Like Us)

Learn more about Three Percent:

www.threepercentco.com

Instagram – @threepercent.co

Chapters

(00:00) Welcome & Why We’re Talking About Attachment

(04:15) What Is Attachment Science?

(09:40) How Our Childhood Shapes Our Style of Connection

(14:30) The War Zone – Disorganized/Ambivalent Attachment

(18:50) The Jungle – Anxious Attachment

(23:10 )The Desert – Avoidant Attachment

(28:00) The Pasture – Secure Attachment

(31:45) Blake’s Story: Growing Up Without Emotional Safety

(36:20) Jamie’s Story: Learning to Stay Present in Conflict

(40:30) How Attachment Shows Up in Our Friendship

(44:10) The Role of Self-Regulation and Co-Regulation

(48:00) Moving Toward the Pasture: Repair and Connection

(53:00) How Faith and Attachment Intersect

(57:00) Final Reflections & Encouragement for the Week

Keywords

attachment, attachment theory, secure attachment, avoidant attachment, anxious attachment, disorganized attachment, emotional safety, friendship, faith, therapy, trauma healing, co-regulation, nervous system, parenting, relationships, vulnerability, holistic masculinity, Three Percent, mental health, emotional literacy, self-awareness, connection, neuroscience, grace, growth

In this week’s episode, we sit down with New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and podcast host Annie F. Downs—known by many as the “Queen of Fun.” Annie shares with us her journey of embracing both joy and pain, and how cultivating delight in everyday life can reconnect us to God, ourselves, and others. Together we explore the tension between being hopeful and bypassing pain, how to discern what parts of our story are private vs. public, and why fun is more than just entertainment—it’s a taste of eternity. Annie invites us to rediscover what our five-year-old selves loved, and how those simple joys can bring healing and hope today.

Links

• Annie F. Downs: anniefdowns.com

• That Sounds Fun Podcast: Listen here
• Book: That Sounds Fun https://amzn.to/42s5ObF

• Upcoming Tour Dates with CAIN: caintheband.com

• Reforesting Faith: What Trees Teach Us About the Nature of God and His Love for Us by Matthew Sleeth https://amzn.to/42seuPo

Takeaways

• Fun is not frivolous—it’s a spiritual practice that points us to eternity.

• Vulnerability requires discernment: knowing what belongs to your private life and what can be shared publicly.

• Hope can be both a practice and a feeling—sometimes we “put it on like a jacket” before we fully believe it.

• Settling into our humanness allows us to extend grace to ourselves and to others.

• Men especially need to reclaim fun and kindness toward themselves, not just others.
  

Chapters

(00:00) – Putting on Hope Like a Jacket

(02:00) – Meet Annie F. Downs: Author, Speaker, Podcaster

(05:00) – Onsite, Vulnerability, and Healing

(10:00) – Public, Personal, and Private Lives

(18:00) – The Tension Between Hope and Spiritual Bypassing

(25:00) – Settling Into Humanness and Grace

(29:00) – Why Fun Matters for Men

(35:00) – Listening to Your Five-Year-Old Self

(41:00) – Fun as a Taste of Eternity

(44:00) – Be Kind to Yourself

(46:00) – Annie’s Upcoming Tour and Projects

(48:00) – Pizza, Shirley Temples, and Madeleine L’Engle

Keywords

Annie F. Downs, That Sounds Fun, hope, fun, faith, vulnerability, Onsite, private vs. public life, therapy, humanness, grace, joy, eternity, childhood delight, masculinity, emotional health, three percent podcast

Through raw honesty, humor, and deep wisdom, Dr. John Delony joins us to talk about what real strength looks like. A bestselling author, mental health expert, and co-host of The Ramsey Show, John has spent years walking people through crisis, parenting, relationships, and the everyday chaos of life.

In this conversation, John shares his personal journey of growing up in the Church of Christ, discovering punk rock, wrestling with anger and grief, and learning what it means to truly be safe and present for his wife and kids. From stories about music and moshing to his vulnerable account of therapy, childhood trauma, and reconnecting with his daughter, John reminds us that the hardest and most courageous thing a man can do is sit across from someone and say, “I’m hurting.”

If you’ve ever wondered how to move from flexing your way through life to finding peace, love, and connection—you won’t want to miss this one.

 Links Mentioned

• The Dr. John Deloney Show: https://www.youtube.com/johndelony 

• Dr. John Delony on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johndelony/

• Books:

• Building a Non-Anxious Life: https://amzn.to/46SORts 

• Own Your Past Change Your Future: A Not-So-Complicated Approach to Relationships, Mental Health & Wellness: https://amzn.to/4mDWlFB

 Takeaways

• Why real masculinity is found in honesty, vulnerability, and connection—not toughness.

• How unprocessed trauma shows up in family systems and relationships.

• The story of John’s daughter and how therapy helped transform their relationship.

• Why anger is often grief in disguise.

• The importance of men believing they are worth being loved.

Chapters

(00:00) – Introduction

(02:00) – From Punk Rock to Pantera to Faith

(10:00) – Why Safety Matters in Family Systems

(16:00) – Messages Men Have Been Told

(22:00) – Wrestling With Worthiness and Faith

(31:00) – The Nuclear Reactor in the Chest

(38:00) – Addiction, Numbing, and Finding Peace

(45:00) – Honoring Anger and Grief

(52:00) – Why All the Feelings Belong

(58:00) – Closing Thoughts

Keywords 

John Delony, Ramsey Show, mental health, therapy, masculinity, vulnerability, anger, grief, parenting, trauma healing, connection, worthiness, holistic masculinity, emotions, authenticity