"If the creator of the universe knows everything you're ever going to do and everything you ever might do. If you're so bad, why would he make you? Obviously, it's a rhetorical question, because, he wouldn't." - Mike Stapleton Mike had a pretty rough childhood, dealing with sexual abuse and later his parents' separation, which left him feeling a co…

"There's something about real community. If you have real community and real friends and allies and people that understand and want to understand your story and what your life's about, that's huge." - Steve Gohl Life is not perfect for anyone. It may seem as though someone you know has it all but I promise you they too have faced hard times. What d…

"You won't profit unless you implement. And if you take the word profit out and you want to put in the word success, you won't have success unless you implement." - Vance Morris "You're going to college" said Vance Morri's parents and he didn't question it. That's what you were "supposed to do right?" Go to college, get a job, and eventually retire…

"It's not something that I can change from my past, and I wouldn't change my past. My past has gotten me to where I'm at today." - Jen Pointer Growing up, Jen Pointer's identity was shaped by a false narrative that she had to conform to societal expectations and define herself through external achievements. She felt the pressure to follow a traditi…

"Be the encourager for everybody. That you want for yourself." - Vinnie Fisher Vinnie Fisher has a captivating journey from a childhood marked by poverty and dysfunction to becoming a successful entrepreneur and mentor. Vinnie shared how he initially believed the false narrative that "I need to escape my family"due to his circumstances, define his …

"Everybody has a story to tell regardless of what they look like, regardless of where they come from." - Mike Thomas Mike Thomas, a man whose journey from an emotional childhood to a purpose-driven adulthood always placed him in a position to fight for the underdog. Raised in a challenging environment, Mike's older brother, Bub, was born with Apert…

"What does God say about me? And what God says about me is that because of Christ and what he did for me, I am good enough." - Warren Mainard Warren had an abundance of confidence that he could do anything. But when Warren's kindergarten teacher identified Warren Mainard as having dyslexia, he was forced to repeat Kindergarten. The message Warren t…

"My true purpose, my true mission in life, is masculinity, marriage, and mindset." - Matt Clark Matt Clark shares his childhood struggles with imposter syndrome in baseball, shaped by a false narrative that he didn't measure up. Growing up Matt grappled with feelings of inadequacy which is common today due to societal pressures and the impact of so…

"It's who I know that gets me in the door, and it's what I know that keeps me there." - Neil Twa Neil Twa shares how a false narrative of a scarcity mindset, around money, shaped his perspective on life from a young age. He saw other's with money so he just had to figure out how he could get some too. Discover how his early experiences of getting o…

Gerry Wilson was an only child. She watched her father work 12 hour days. She saw her parents sacrifice to provide an idyllic childhood. Somehow she learned that she needed to be a good girl which meant being perfect and she didn't want to let her parents down! Gerry grew up and got married. Eveything seemed in place until her fairy-tale marriage t…

I knew Kathy Izard's episode was worthy of revisiting. We discussed the powerful theme of "My Work Is My Identity." Kathy's early years were dominated by a high-achieving, picture-perfect family facade in Texas, where ambitions were high, and family struggles were kept behind closed doors. Discover how these early experiences forged a false narrati…

I sat down with Gery Deer, diving into the early narratives that shaped him from a young age. Growing up surrounded by specific societal and familial expectations, Gery discusses how these early influences scripted his life in ways he didn’t initially see. Ever wonder how much of your life is shaped by what you're told you should do versus what you…

JC Chanowsky's early years were filled with traditional Sunday dinners at his Italian Grandparent's house until upheaval struck, leaving him feeling unanchored and prone to bullying. How did a young JC navigate the chaos of constant moves and a family split? Tune in to discover the adversity that influenced his formative years. As his personal life…

"If I do everything right, life will turn out well", this is the mentality that turned Josh into a bit of a people pleaser. Being a people pleaser is how he ended up in an unhealthy marriage. And in business, because Josh could figure things out, he noticed the expectations of him at work entailed more than just his job description. And guess what?…

Have you ever witnessed a child rebelling against their parent? Like, the more the parent says "This is the right way", the more the child continues to try to do it their way? That's kind of how Geoff Wollerman was growing up. He got the message early that you get married and find a job and that is how to find success in life. He rejected this ideo…

When Tammy thinks back to her upbringing all she can do is offer empathy for her father. Her biological father made some very bad choices. But did that make him a bad man a bad person? Tammy knows how his parents were and understand how they shaped who he was. You have got to hear about her upbringing and things she can remember from a very early a…

Growing up somehow Susun Finn understood that she needed to be the smartest person in the room but because she was a female, it was important not to outshine the boys. Susan got pretty smart and worked as a food scientist at a Dairy Farm. Susan ended up leaving that job to take care of her 4 children and the others who had adopted their family. Unf…

Why narratives? Because every story matters. You know, so many people ask, "Is this a Christian podcast?" This is not the focus but what we know about personal development is that it usually includes an aspect of Spiritual, Mental, Physical, and Social growth. Some stories have a strong message from one of those areas, religion may just be easier t…

Melissa Van Oss, watched her grandparents as she grew up, they represented the perfect couple. They complimented each other and one was never far from the other. Their example of a life long relationship became Melissa guiding light for her life. However, when she looked to her parents for that same example she saw divorce. She shared how she proce…

Tyler Schmoll, self-proclaimed "gap filler" and human version of Curious George got vulnerable about how those personality characteristics ultimately made him close his business. Tyler had gotten good at filling the gaps, doing those things others didn't want to do. Or when things went arye, he was "Johnny On the Spot" willing to help in any way, s…

Rob Hohmann's dad did a good job protecting his family and country, and Rob was watching. He too wanted to be a protector. He fell in love, got married, and before the year was up found himself getting a divorce. He felt like he'd gone from hero to zero. But like a true hero, he didn't give up on life and love. He learned the lesson of "What may se…

When you grow up in abuse, neglect, and abandonment, it's easy to draw the conclusion Keegan Schaefer did. Keegan shared just a few of the injustices he suffered, as little as 2 years old. When he was 12 years old he weighed the pros and cons of continuing his Ritalin medication. It was one of the best decisions Keegan has made in his life. Keegan …

How do you turn into a nice guy? Adam Troy grew up bigger than the other kids his age so his mom warned him not to get upset and react physically because he could hurt them. After a traumatic evening of simply wanting mac and cheese, he got what he wanted but then his house blew up with arguing and emotions. Throughout life, Adam put others first s…

One would think that growing up with two deaf parents was not fair. Betty Galligan, our guest today, never picked up on that attitude from her parents and never experienced it herself. Betty and her siblings didn't know there was anything wrong with their parents until the rest of the world pointed it out. Her large extended family focused on what …

On December 24th, 1995 Trunnis Goggins III was born and Trunnis Goggins II knew he needed to get his act together to provide and protect this little human who would be depending on him. Trunnis Goggin II, from Buffalo, NY, had been told from an early age that his dad's "empire" would be his. He felt like he lived in his dad's shadow. But Trunnis ha…

"No Skateboards, you'll hurt yourself. No climbing trees, I don't want you to fall and get hurt. No guns in the house!" These were the rules of Drew Deraney's mom while his dad was away working to provide for the family. Little did he know, it was because of an incident in their family, that Drew's mom sheltered him so much. Drew was taught not to …

What Hannah Larrew gleaned from life, growing up, is that as a woman her priorities should be to get married, have kids, and then focus on herself and her career. We discussed the pros and cons of this reality. The gift of being a wife and mom with the other side of that being sacrifice. She always felt like what she wanted to do was not as importa…

There are two different types of people in this world, Rob Fenstermaker pointed out. He used the example of the movie Shawshank Redemption. Two men were released from prison. One, Brooks, was so comfortable with the walls that had been around him that he didn't know what to do with himself. The other character, Red, was honestly a little lost too a…

Growing up with two high-achieving parents, Kathy Izard, naturally thought that if she too worked hard then her life would be perfect like her parents. The harsh reality was that her mother suffered from bipolar and her dad spent a lot of time taking care of her and keeping the peace. To others and apparently their children, her parent's lives seem…

Imagine waking up in a psychiatric institution not knowing how you got there! Listen as Danny gives the accounts of his ex-wife’s cruel treatment to him. He’d been complacent and explained how he didn’t see things were taking a turn for the worst until it was too late. Had she ever loved him? But the final straw was the third gift she gave him. It …

“The life you live is a lie. I have plans for you.” Michael Williams Stover II heard as he was being attacked by 6 guys when he was 19. Michael had a cruel childhood living in section 8 housing, seeing cop cars drive by not to mention the gangs. Michael's mom spokes lies into him and he believed them. When Michael’s brother was born he assumed the …

Where are all the listeners that grew up in the country? Were your siblings your best friends? For Robert Peterson that was the case. He and his sister played together a lot due to the nearest neighbor being over a mile away. When Robert was little he went by Bobby. Little Bobby got bullied and took to heart all the terrible things the other kids s…

"Edwina the Encourager" as she introduced herself, actually Edwina Adams. She hasn’t always been that way though. She grew up as a middle child - 8 years apart, on either end. She didn’t have much in common with them nor did she have cousins her age like her sisters did. This left her feeling alone often. And it’s funny because her family told her …

Some people get to grow up with pretty normal childhoods. They get to see an example of a father who works hard as the Captain of the Fire Dept. who also became Mayor but maybe plays a little too hard too, a little mother with a beautiful voice to raise you, and 4 brothers and sisters to look up to. They may not have said “I love you” all the time …

"Pick their brains" was a phrase David's mother said to him once. This made him a curious person. He also knew he wanted to be a business owner. David was so impressed one day seeing a stack of his dad's business cards. But how was he going to get there? He also loved music so when he wasn't pursuing art, he was pursuing music. He worked with a bus…

In the last episode we talked about false narratives holding us back from our goals. In example, if your narrative is that you don't deserve love, then when you find it you will likely end up self-sabotaging it. Jeff Wickersham knows this "game." His false narrative was that he didn't matter. He really struggled to identify his self-worth. So when …

Steve Gohl and I, Tim Croll, sat down to talk about the Narratives that have been shared so far. It's funny how we craft these false stories in our heads as truth. Somewhere along the way, our guests have found holes in those narratives and are now forming new narratives that actually positively serve them. What false narratives have you created? W…

It was great growing up so close to Grandma and Grandpa. They were such a great example of a loving relationship. It was also a place a kid like Mark Copeland could score a sweet treat and escape to when things were tough at home. Mark spent a lot of time with his grandpa and learned a lot. He explored nature and asked Grandpa lots of questions. Bu…

It’s funny how our children desire relationships but due to our personalities or our circumstances, sometimes the way we show love is through providing for them. Dave Myers's dad worked hard to provide for his family, but Dave really wanted more from his relationship with his dad. So he ended up writing a narrative to fill in the gaps in his heart …

With a strong Military male presence in his father, Fred Young too wanted to be a strong male as a pilot. But once he got to college his ambition died a little and grades got the better of him. He fell into broadcasting and realized he had a talent for it. He was collecting accolades but still felt something missing. One day in Missouri, it all cha…

To hear her speak, you will not agree with her false narrative as a small child. She believed she had nothing to say because she was of no significance and she felt her voice was too deep. She believed this for a while and it made it difficult to cultivate friendships. But when you get a new pair of shoes and decide to tackle the hill in your neigh…

As children, we aren't given road maps for this thing called life. As Robert (Bob) Saul was growing up he was bullied, didn't "fit in", and often had stomach issues. He was lucky enough to have a childhood psychologist see him and help him figure a few things out. That Dr. had such an impact on Bob that he wanted to go into medicine. In his junior …

When you grow up as the baby of 6 kids in your family you have a lot of people to watch as you are growing up and forming your values. Evan Van Dyke was doted on by his family and told he was going to grow up and be successful. So naturally Evan thought he needed to do something that his family would be impressed with, enough to sing his praises. E…

"You're gonna be defeated." Maybe this wasn't a struggle for Kelley Tyan when she was younger but it really played a role in her adult life. In her younger years, Kelley watched her mom struggle with rheumatoid arthritis. She saw her mom rely on her faith, push through pain, and show up. Kelly knew she could too. But as she got older and bad things…

When you grow up around successful people and your friends are highly successful, you see their glamorous lifestyle. You start to think things matter. The car. The house. The trips. The impact. That's what Ian Garlic used to think, in order to have great impact you have to have great wealth! Until one day he realized, he'd rather enjoy the journey …

Somehow Dr. Sara Whedon established a picture of perfection that she strived for daily. Around age 16 she knew she could not keep up this perfect life. In her 20’s, she questioned “When did I start thinking ‘I should be ___ by now’”? But she couldn’t figure out how to let it go of the norms she believed and what a perfect life looked like. But when…

Through the eyes of a child, Lynn Catalno compared her parents to Ward and June Clever. But at 12, she realized something was off about her father and his behavior. Her mother was an enabler and enabled him to act like a narcissist. Lynn finally addressed how she felt about her father, as an adult. She had such clarity over what had happened. She d…

"I spent so long not doing anything, I didn't learn how to do anything!" Travis Curnutte, our guest today, shared this realization. This became clear to him as he knew he needed a course correction in his career and life. Travis grew up with a successful father and he knew he wanted to be in business one day too despite having Tourretts. Many years…

What do you do when you grew up in a conservative Christian home? You are taught to follow the rules. You watch and respect your elders. When Becky went to church functions she'd see all the women being of service in the kitchen. Naturally, she thought she was supposed to serve in this way too. That didn't sit well with Becky. She knew what she bel…

Coooome-a, Come-a, Come-a, Come-a, Come-a, Chameleon...Alex Pauls growing up felt like he had to behave like a chameleon and fit in. He finally had enough and decided to be OK with who he was, regardless of his desire to have everyone like him. He found the spark of "I'm special" again he felt when he was 3 or 4 years old. Alex worked on himself an…