Let's talk about Spiderman, or Peter Parker, or the Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman. He's probably one of the most popular super heroes since I was a kid in the 80s and 90s, and he's still popular today. After looking into what makes him a superhero, it's not a surprise to see why. Let's explore this hero and what makes him heroic. Please rate and …

Let's talk about one of the challenging topics for people in our modern age. Money is one of those necessary evils today and we have seen how it's influence can bring in incredible philanthropy or corruption. It's one of the three topics that can make or break a romantic relationship, though that was fourteen years ago and maybe there are more topi…

Let's talk about pleasing others. Tell me if you've heard this one before: you'll never please everyone. If that sounds familiar, then it makes me wonder why there are so many people I talk with who are so focused on making sure everyone else is happy and pleased. In reality, there is only one person who you can please: yourself! But why is having …

Let's have another talk about relationships. Whether we're talking romantic or not, there are ways we can strengthen our relationships not just through the typical answer of communication, but also through play and respect. Things get a little personal in this one and I'm not afraid to engage in my own mistakes! Please rate and review the podcast o…

Let's talk about my favorite Jedi in the Star Wars universe: Qui-Gon Jinn. He's one of the heroes who, at least in The Phantom Menace, stuck to his morals and beliefs. Courageous to the core, it's a shame I wasn't able to see him in action any more unless you look to comics and books. Let's see what we can learn about being a hero through Qui-Gon J…

I say, "Live strong for today." as the end of every episode of the Between the Covers Podcast and I will continue to say it as long as this podcast runs. Why do I say this sometimes bizarre sequence of four words? Today, let's talk about the origin of what is also my email closing greeting and what the purpose of it is. Please rate and review the p…

Let's talk about identity today. What makes up your identity? What are the messages that you tell yourself that impact who you think you are? Knowing our identity, or having someone else determine what our identity is, can have a powerful impact on our lives. If we have an unhealthy identity, how can we change that? If you are unhappy of who you th…

Let's talk about how necessary it is to listen to and trust our bodies. Growing up, I was often told by those close to me and who dearly loved me that I couldn't trust my body because it would lie to me or they understood the situation or life better than I did. This created a disconnect between my brain and body where I would avoid the signals eve…

Today let's talk about normal, or how normal isn't really much of anything in our lives and society. Who defines what's normal? It's often someone other than you. Is your normal wrong? It absolutely can be. With the people I work with, I often help them discover how harmful their normal is so they can break it down and construct a new, healthier no…

Let's talk about a modern hero: Taylor Swift. Instead of trying to research all of this on my own and bumble my way through, I did the heroic endeavor of admitting I'm not qualified to talk about this individual and bring someone else in who could enlighten me of the work and personality of Taylor Swift. After reconnecting with my friend, Kai Faith…

Let's talk about one of the quotes that has helped me take steps toward my life goals. It's a quote from Zig Ziglar: You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. Wow! I want that to sink in a little bit. Really hits me in the parts that want to do things perfectly. How about you? Please rate and review the podcast on Appl…

Let's talk about asking questions and how normal it is to do so, yet many times our questions aren't treated with the proper respect that they should. I've been there many times before. I still ascribe to the belief that there is no such thing as a dumb question if you are genuinely curious and sincere in asking a question. It's how we learn about …

Let's talk about learning opportunities. Not failures; learning opportunities. In a recent trip to Florida with some other coaches, I had a humbling experience facilitating a psychodrama in a group of other coaches. In this experience, I had a revelation on what I perceived as failures due to my perfectionist thinking at the time. Often times what …

Let's talk about another hero. This month it's Rocky Balboa. I listened to music from the Rocky franchise whenever I worked out in high school, but it's not just the music that makes these movies memorable. It's the character of Rocky Balboa. He's another everyman character that most people can relate to who overcomes incredible obstacles in his li…

Let's talk about healthy harmonious passions. Do you have any activities that you enjoy that you feel guilty participating in? Maybe you even call them guilty pleasures. What if these passions and activities were actually healthy for you to do? Today I talk about the difference between harmonious passions and obsessive passions, how we can apply th…

Let's talk about what's credited as a Cherokee parable. It's something I heard years ago and I love this story of what is going on in every one of us, that there are two forces within us and the one that's going to win is the one that we focus on, or the one that we feed. What a powerful message! We have more control over what happens in our lives …

Let's talk about expectations. Ever heard the saying that expectations are disappointments waiting to happen? I did years ago. The trick is to not keep expectations a secret or not expect anything, it's adjusting them so they are healthy and realistic. In my experience, I've had expectations that could fly to the moon and back and all I got in retu…

Today I try my hand at talking about Ellen Ripley, a character in the Alien franchise. A franchise I've never seen. In my research, we see a character who starts out as the Warrant Officer of a mining ship to the alien destroying hero people know and love her for. What's inspiring is she's not anything really special other than being herself and ov…

Let's talk about the difference between clean wounds and dirty wounds. When we're speaking about our emotions, we are talking about the story we attach to a wound. When we experience something difficult, we have a tendency to tie it to a story in our past. Those stories become beliefs. Those beliefs become the lens by which we view our present expe…

Let's talk about resistance. When we are working on ourselves and becoming the heroes of our stories, we often find resistance. This can come from external and internal sources. The external sources of resistance can be: Friends Family Society Community/Religious Groups Even complete Strangers The internal sources of resistance are the thoughts and…

Let's not just talk about communication, but effective communication! Today I explore ways that we can be honest in our communication with others, how to avoid becoming defensive or having others become defensive in our discussions, and how we can be better communicators in general. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast or your favori…

For this month's hero's study, I look at Frodo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings. He's a bit of a controversial character in terms of a hero, but he still has heroic qualities that are worth looking into, especially his perseverance. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast or your favorite podcast app. Website: https://www.betweentheco…

What is love? No, I'm not talking about the song by Haddaway or TWICE. In recognition of Valentine's Day this next week and the many conversations I have with clients about this topic, let's talk about love and what it is. Here's a brief rundown. There are seven different kinds of love according to the Greek language, but we're looking at three of …

Let's talk about the stories that we tell ourselves. In a recent visit to the dentist, and thanks to Kristin Hanggi and Natalie Roy of the CREATE Podcast, I became more aware of some of the stories I was telling myself that were setting me up for more negative experiences. Even words or statements that appear innocuous can have an impact on how we …

In my experience personally and working with others, one of the aspects of our lives that many of us struggle with is loving ourselves. With statements like "I'm my own worst critic," to the hurtful messages we use to reinforce our negative core beliefs, today I want us to work to change that. Let's try loving ourselves and being our most stalwart …

For this month's hero study we're looking at Juror #8 from the play 12 Angry Juror (or 12 Angry Men). This is a character I knew nothing about until seeing the play in the fall of 2023 and I quite enjoyed the integrity of this character. It's my hope you find him as inspiring as I did. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast or your fav…

Today I share some of the helpful tools I've used and books I've read (or am reading) that have helped me through various journeys in my life. Below are links to check them out for yourself if you are interested. These are all paid links. I'm not making anything by recommending any of these tools. The books and app have been helpful for me and all …

Dreams are a driving force for us every day. They help us to aspire to greatness or achieve new heights in our jobs, relationships, and community. What if our dreams are too tame? What if we're looking to the future with too small of a lens that we are missing a much larger picture? Today, let's talk about our dreams. Please rate and review the pod…

Are you one of the many who set New Year's resolutions to launch your success into a new year? Personally, I'm not as I keep that mindset all year, but there's no judgement if you do. Today we talk about resolutions, how to set realistic ones, and set ourselves up to achieve them unlike almost 80% of people who do. Please rate and review the podcas…

As we near the end out 2023 and the winter holiday season, let's do something different and study a hero! This is the inaugural launch of a new monthly series where we look at the characteristics and values of fictional and real heroes. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast or your favorite podcast app. Website: https://www.betweenthe…

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Ever heard this statement? It's not true as the words others say to us have a definitive and lasting impact on us and our lives. Let's look into what happens and what we can do to address the words that have harmed us. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast or your fa…

The holidays aren't always the most wonderful time of the year for everyone. For many it's a triggering and depressing time of the year. Let's take some time to talk about how we can take care of ourselves over the holidays. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast or your favorite podcast app. Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoachi…

Ever heard the phrase that time will heal all wounds? It's not as accurate as most of us have been led to believe. Let's discuss what time can do and what else is needed for us to become the heroes of our stories. Let me know what you think of the podcast with a rating and a review. Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/ Interested in w…

Have you ever been in the mindset that change will be easy? Much like the New Year's resolution belief that all I have to do is change this one, two, or three things about myself that life will improve? While that can be the case, it's rarely that simple. Let's talk about how there is no one thing that will give us the kind of change that we want t…

It's about time we looked at what self-limiting beliefs are since I talk about them all the time. Self-limiting beliefs are the messages that we believe about ourselves that keep us stuck in places we don't want to be. These are numerous! I encourage you to identify what these beliefs are and begin to challenge them! Let me know what you think of t…

It's no surprise if you've listened to previous episodes that I love to play! Play is a great way to explore the world around us, process some deep struggles and pains inside our bodies and minds, and create a low risk space to try something new. I'm all for play and believe that every person, child or adult, needs to have some form of play in thei…

Maybe this is something you've heard before. It's definitely something I've heard many times in my life: it's not too late to be who you want to be. This can be changed to might have been. The messaging is similar. If you've been on the fence or resisting taking a step toward a goal or dream, it isn't too late. Whatever you've done in the past, wha…

There are many other stories in our lives that intersect and influence our own. When we are working to become the heroes of our stories, we want to find the clear division between ours and someone else's so we can separate the two and work on ours alone. The only story we can control is our own. I share a recent experience of this happening to me. …

In my work, I often find that people strive to rush their development. We have a tendency to set goals such as fitting into smaller clothes, learning a new skill, or working through trauma or maladaptive coping mechanism, and a big pitfall is not allowing ourselves the time to make the changes. This is difficult work and it takes time for our brain…

Here is one of the most helpful tools I've learned about changing the self-limiting beliefs that are holding me back: change who I listen to! It sounds very simple on the face of it, yet most of the people I interact with are under incredible negative influence from those around them. It's also about what we are saying to ourselves, which is work i…

Earlier this year I came upon a quote from Theodore Roosevelt that's just stuck with me: "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Let that sink in a little. How many interactions with others have you had where you were hurt by someone sharing their knowledge and understanding, but you didn't feel heard or seen? It's …

Ever struggled with finding friends? I sure have! Here I talk about the three different kinds of friends we can have through life: 1) Friends for a reason 2) Friends for a season 3) Friends for a lifetime Bonus points for knowing which one we'll find the fewest of. Let me know what you think of the podcast with a rating and a review. Website: https…

Burnout. Have you ever experienced this common phenomenon in society today where we're expected to do more and more with less time and energy? This is what I'm experiencing and it's also why it's a shorter episode. Burnout is real and you can avoid it. Let me know what you think of the podcast with a rating and a review. Website: https://www.betwee…

Based on a funny experience I had playing table-top role playing games with friend, here's a message based on the ups and downs we encounter in life: whether you roll a success or a failure, the adventure continues. How can you use everything you have to become the hero of your own story? Let me know what you think of the podcast with a rating and …

It's time for another serious topic: our mental health. It impacts us in likely more ways than we know. More and more people are becoming aware of how important it is to take care of themselves mentally, and yet there is also much in our lives and society that is providing mixed messages of what entails taking care of our mental health. While it's …

Let's take a step away from the heavy conversations and look at what the hero's journey looks like. Coined by Joseph Campbell, this model of storytelling has become so common over the years that you see tales like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Hunger Games and find similar components. The seven steps I focus on are: 1) The ordinar…

Here is one of my favorite topics: Self-Care! It's an important part of our ability to navigate the world and relationships around us, yet it's something that we often avoid because we see it as selfish. Or worse we were told it's selfish. Self-care is not selfishness. It's protecting yourself from burning out and investing in yourself so you can i…

We're tackling a heavy topic today. Grief is an integral part of our everyday lives whether we wish to acknowledge it or not. From small griefs of losing a favorite pen to much larger griefs of losing a job or loved one, knowing what grief is and how to work through it is important. The five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression…

You have a story that brings you here today. No matter how insignificant it may feel, no matter how normal or even "out there" it may sound, no matter if people are saying that you shouldn't waste people's time in the telling, you have a story and it matters! Today I share some of my story and how sharing can benefit us and those who listen. Rememb…

Where better to start this journey than to begin sharing about the person on the mic? It's a brief introduction and we'll absolutely go deeper as the episodes go on. So who am I? 1) A husband, son, brother, and friend. 2) A teacher, healer, and coach. 3) A gamer, streamer, and TTRPG (Dungeons and Dragons and others) player. 4) A treasure hunter...o…