Good Movement Draws Good Movement

In today’s episode, I’m talking about what happens when we choose to step closer instead of pulling away. My curiosity recently led me to consume I Take My Coffee Black by Tyler Merritt.

One of his quotes totally stopped me in my tracks when I heard it: “Distance breeds suspicion, and proximity breeds empathy” (he credits Brian Lawrence). That one sentence captures SO much of what fuels misunderstanding (and what heals it).

It’s a wh...

In today's episode, I’m talking with licensed mental health therapist Victoria Mexcur about a new way to grit through. Trauma is often treated as a singular, heavy label, but it’s much more nuanced. It’s an experience that impacts the nervous system, creates mental loops, and can disconnect the mind and body in very individual ways.

We dive into breaking stigma, repair, and why mental health is just as foundational as the land and a...

In today’s episode, I’m talking about why it’s so hard to admit mistakes. I truly believe our willingness (or inability) to admit mistakes has a lot to do with our nervous systems and how they were shaped early on.

If you grew up in a home where mistakes were met with grace, understanding, and direction, chances are it feels safer for you to own them now. But if mistakes were met with anger, shame, or punishment, your nervous system...

In today's episode, I’m talking to Amber Trejo, a licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in complex trauma and attachment, about what might be under the perfectionism, shame, and self-loathing. Amber explains how complex trauma often forms when there was never a true baseline of safety growing up, how, while it can be painful to realize we might hurt our kids, the repair matters FAR more than perfection, and so much...

In today's episode, I'm talking about what happens when the thing isn’t the thing. In rural and ag spaces, especially, we’re really good at shoving feelings down and pushing through. What’s underneath that “thing” is usually a whole pile of unacknowledged stuff (stress, exhaustion, grief, burnout, and more).

Recognizing this gives us so much freedom. It helps us stop shaming ourselves for our reactions, stop personalizing other peop...

I'm excited to welcome Lydia Van Aken to the podcast today!

In today's episode, we're talking about getting out of your head and into the run. Lydia shares how our emotions, beliefs, and nervous system state directly affect our horses (whether we’re aware of it or not). Building a strong connection requires self-awareness, intentionality, and learning how to regulate yourself FIRST.

We also talk honestly about the cultural messages ...

In today's episode, I'm talking about the beliefs that keep us from asking for help. Asking for and receiving help is something I’ve been working on in my own life for quite some time now. It’s something that many of us struggle with (especially in agriculture).

The truth, though? Not asking for help keeps us isolated, and honestly, that’s not benefiting anyone. As I continue working on this in my own life, I’ve realized that asking...

In today's episode, we're talking about the growing pains of boundaries, help, and working together. While we complement each other in day-to-day work (and our relationship overall), we definitely still butt heads. 

We've had arguments that feel funny now (like a certain Jack Russell terrier that almost ruined our relationship)! Working cattle has taught us about reading energy, adjusting expectations, and giving each other spa...

In today's episode, I'm calling out the quiet crisis in rural mental health. So many of us in agriculture have had to numb ourselves just to get through the day. 

But that numbness didn't come out of nowhere. It came from surviving, and it's NOT sustainable. We can't pretend it isn't costing us something!

If you're listening today and you're carrying something heavy, please know that you don't have to wait until it breaks you. R...

In today's episode, Danielle Kruse and I are talking about life after loss in rural America.

Danielle and her husband had built a life in northwest Iowa, raising babies and crops and building a farm alongside his parents. Like so many rural families, there was pride, responsibility, and pressure. What Danielle didn't know was that her husband was quietly battling a drinking addiction he kept hidden from nearly everyone, and he ...

In today's episode, I'm talking about what to do if you can't tell what your body is saying. If you've spent years in survival mode (especially in agriculture), disconnecting from your body isn't a failure; it's a skill you learned to get through hard seasons. 

Pushing through, overriding needs, and ignoring cues, that's how many of us survived. Of course, it feels confusing to suddenly be asked to "listen to your body" when yo...

In today's episode, I'm diving into the question: "What if anger isn't bad, it's just misunderstood?" Believe me, I used to be that person who felt guilty the instant anger showed up. 

Anger doesn't disappear just because we pretend it's not there. It builds, simmers, and eventually leaks out in ways we don't plan for. Anger is just information about how our bodies are feeling off, unsafe, or out of alignment (kind of like how ...

There's been such a powerful ripple effect from episode 105, Comfortably Numb: When Calm Becomes Disconnection. After sharing more about it on social media, so many of you reached out with your own experiences of looking "fine" on the outside but feeling anything but that on the inside. 

In today's episode, I'm talking about being "comfortably numb" and what healing feels like on the other side. Healing doesn't make life easy, ...

In today's episode, I'm talking about the hidden wounds behind the Four Horsemen of Communication. I really want to peel back the layers further and look at the wounds beneath the behaviors. 

Stonewalling (my personal default + the one for many of you as well) is often the body's cry for safety. Our nervous system is overwhelmed and shutting down because we just can't take any more.

These patterns once helped you survive, but th...

In today's episode, I'm talking about boundaries that grow capacity. 

Many of us grew up believing we were responsible for everyone else's emotions. We learned to stay quiet, stay polite, and keep everyone happy. Unfortunately, those patterns often show up later as burnout, resentment, or the quiet ache of always being available for everyone but ourselves.

Boundaries don't have to mean permanence or walls that never come down; t...

I'm honored to welcome my friend, Will Hudson, to the podcast today!

Will's story starts like many others in ranch country: long hours, responsibility at a young age, and a deep desire to prove himself. But somewhere along the way, approval from others became his fuel, and drinking became the way to feel "good enough." 

In today's episode, we're diving into what being seen and staying sober has really entailed for Will. What sta...

Relationships are built in the day-to-day: the small exchanges, the tone of our words, and the way we handle conflict when things start to go sideways. 

In today's episode, I'm diving into the Four Horsemen of the Relationship Apocalypse (and what to do instead). Sounds a bit dramatic (I know), but what's even more fascinating is that every single one of these horsemen has an antidote!

If you find yourself on the receiving end o...

In today's episode, I'm talking about what happens when calm becomes disconnection. What we often call calm isn't really calm at all. On the outside, it looks steady and strong, but inside? It can feel tight, numb, or completely disconnected - it's what I like to call "comfortably numb."

This is what so many of us in agriculture are taught - be tough, hold it together, and keep going (no matter what). But when calm becomes disc...

In today's episode, I'm sharing why it doesn't have to be major to matter. Sometimes we downplay our pain because it doesn't look like a single, defining moment. We compare our experiences to others, dismissing our own hurts as "not that bad." 

But trauma isn't measured by the size of the event - it's about what happens INSIDE of us. Pain doesn't have to be major to matter - choosing to name it isn't wall wing, but will al...