Episodes

I believe that the only way things don't ultimately get better in a difficult time like this is when people lose hope and disengage in working to make the world a better place. So, in today's podcast we discuss the powerful v...

Who do you trust to tell you the truth outside of your closest friends and family? Are you operating on a basic assumption that people in power are as prone to telling lies as much as they are the truth? Maybe the path to pow...

At first glance, most everyone would say that the empathizing with another person is a good thing; to understand how they feel and even share some of thosefeelings. Nowadays, however, there are more and more voices that are s...

It used to be that a lot of one's identity was wrapped up inwhat one did for a living. For many people that remains true and not so much along gender lines as it used to be. Is this a bad thing? Is it bad to achieve and feel ...

Where is home for you? Is it a place? Is it a group of people? Is it a state of mind? Maybe you're feeling a little "homeless" in some ways at this point in your journey. Today's episode takes on this very nuanced and emotion...

In honor of the recent passing of Pope Francis, we thought it good to spend a moment reflecting on his story and legacy, even from three non-Catholics. We also talk about the messages and attitudes that connect him with many ...

Part of the normal human experience is sometimes feeling less than others but it seems now days that the messages of less-than are permeating society. There are sharper lines being drawn between "good enough" versus "never go...

Has the world finally killed kindness or is it possible for it to again be on the rise? Is it possible to be kind and strong at the same time or does one necessarily preclude the other? We talk about kindness with the deep ho...

In this episode, we take on what might be the elephant in the room. We are, admittedly, from that demographic that has held power in this country for a long, long time. We're white, we're male, and we're certainly NOT young! ...

Since and because of the Covid 19 pandemic, Americans have grown more and more disconnected and isolated from one another. But this "epidemic of loneliness" has its beginnings years before that. Among other things, the wonder...

We are built to connect and be in relationship with others. Very few people actually thrive alone but we also know that sometimes being in relationship is not easy and even takes some very intentional work. We believe that th...

What do you do or what do you stop doing when it feels likethe world is burning? Regardless of ideologies and political positions, most would agree that things seem mighty rough "out there" right now. So many people are feeli...

We again use a Ted Lasso quote to get the conversation started. We wonder what optimism is including can one who has their "head in the sand" and denies reality truly be optimistic. Do optimists take more risks? Is this a wis...

One of the many things the great Ted Lasso told us is that "happiness is a choice." But is it really possible to be happy in this crazy world? Is it possible to be happy while being fully aware all the things around that are ...

Everyone knows the word mindfulness and pretty much what it means. Still, something counselors and therapists often see while working with people is that what is known and what is actually practiced is not always the same. Li...

We are born being curious about everything! But it seems that over time, many people grow comfortable with what they already know and what makes them feel safe and in control. But is it not true that when we stop learning, we...

We generally think of trauma and PTSD in relation to people like soldiers and survivors of other horrific events. This is certainly true, but it is also true that our world, society in general, politics, international war and...

Most of us were taught to have humility as a foundational value. But what if we work so hard to remain humble and not come off as conceited that we limit what we are capable of doing and downplay who we are capable of being? ...

The industrial revolution began around 1900. As nuclear families began to move away to larger cities for work, one of the major consequences was some loss of the centrality of the extended family. How can we as a society recl...

What roles do the lives, histories, and stories of the older generation play in the lives of the younger generation? Have we lost something important by not remembering the wisdom of our elders or are their stories no longer ...

We continue our discussion on the subject of trust. We talk about those people and those larger agencies that have done things that have created a lack of trust and how the loss of trust can be used to manipulate. Can we forg...

Who doyou trust? Who do you not trust? Who have you lost trust in? How important isit to have trust in relationships and also with entities like the medical community and so on? These are the questions that Ken, Larry, and Ra...

In this episode, James Fowler's and Lawrence Kohlberg's theories on the development of moral reasoning set the frame around our discussion of how thinking and moral constructs change over time - or not! Is growth/change inevi...

In his song The Secret of Life, James Taylor wrote that "It's okay to feel afraid but don't let it stand in your way." In this episode of Exploracast, we acknowledge and discuss the fears that are in all of us and those that ...