Playing Injured

What if your biggest breakthroughs aren’t blocked by willpower, but by old code running in the background? We sit down with hypnotherapist and NLP coach Matt Johnson to map the invisible forces that shape behavior—childhood imprints, nervous system alarms, and identity “thermostats”—and then we show how to change them.

Matt recounts the hiking accident that led to years of light and sound sensitivity, the SPECT scan that r...

What if a pen could make fear honest, grief bearable, and confidence repeatable? That’s the thread we pull with John Dedakis—former White House correspondent, longtime CNN editor, award-winning novelist, and daily journaler—who maps a clear route from anxiety to agency through the written word. We dig into his “fear continuum” and why courage isn’t the absence of fear but the decision to move with it. The payoff, he argues, is conf...

What if the world’s version of success is keeping you from the life you actually want? We gather a banker, a doctor, an engineer, and a founder to unpack a different playbook—one that prizes character, family systems, and time freedom over titles, toys, and empty status. The conversation moves fast and stays real: your job can fund your dreams without defining you, wealth is more about security than flex, and the highest ROI is bui...

Feeling like your life is stuck on power-saver mode? Former Special Forces soldier, ex–MMA athlete, and Breathwork in Bed creator Tim Thomas joins us to share how authenticity, sleep, and breath can transform low charge into renewable energy. This isn’t about quick hacks—it’s about reclaiming your body so your mind has the capital to invest.

Tim reveals how dyslexia became his superpower for pattern recognition and why bre...

Gary Kupik, an international speaker and mental performance coach, reveals how we can unlock peak performance by strengthening our minds just as athletes train their bodies. He shares a powerful framework for building an ironclad mindset that creates consistent results regardless of motivation or circumstances.

• Mental performance suffers when we overthink – "thoughts are like calories; too many weigh you down."...

Lauren Fay joins us to share her transformative journey to sobriety and how living alcohol-free has allowed her to create the life of her dreams. With 7.5 years of sobriety under her belt, Lauren discusses how removing alcohol from her life gave her the time, space, and energy to truly play and experience life authentically.

• When drinking, Lauren wasn't truly living - there was too much recovery time and mental obse...

Catherine Giovanni shares her powerful forgiveness system that transforms mental health by releasing people from our thoughts and reclaiming our authentic power. She teaches the step-by-step process of forgiveness, explaining how to start with easy forgiveness targets before tackling the most challenging ones.

• Forgiveness defined as "wanting someone out of your head," not reconciliation or condoning behavior

Former professional football player Quinn Magnuson shares his journey from playing through multiple injuries to founding the Effort Over Results movement and coaching high performers. We explore how accountability to teammates drives athletes to push beyond their limits and why the mindset of focusing on effort rather than outcomes creates more resilient, confident individuals.

• Accountability to teammates and commitment ...

Therapist and hypnotherapist Kerie Logan joins us to explore how our core wounds form and shape our adult relationships. We dive deep into understanding the role of consciousness in healing trauma and manifesting the life we truly want.

• Core wounds develop in childhood when we spiral into shame and humiliation, creating negative beliefs about ourselves
• Our inner critic is actually a wounded part of ourselves that n...

Australian author Andrew Matthews transformed his understanding of happiness after discovering that the happiest people he knew faced bigger challenges than he did, inspiring his journey to help others cultivate resilience and joy regardless of circumstances.

• Born into an artistic family with a professional landscape painter father and language-loving mother
• Found success as an artist but wasn't truly happy de...

Our relationship with money directly mirrors our relationship with ourselves. Money mindset expert Pericles Rellas shares how shifting our thoughts about money can transform our financial reality and overall wellbeing.

• Money functions as a magnifying glass that amplifies who we already are
• Most people create debt trying to appear wealthy rather than building actual wealth
• Vacation debt often ruins the experie...

Alan Lazaros, CEO of Next Level University, joins Josh to explore the complex journey of self-acceptance and how our strengths can paradoxically create social challenges. Through personal stories and psychological insights, they uncover why success often makes life harder rather than easier.

• Understanding how other people's behavior reflects their insecurities, not your worth
• The three-step process: self-aware...

Kevin Palmieri shares his journey from external success that left him empty to building a life of authentic growth and fulfillment through consistent boundaries. The founder and host of the Next Level University podcast reveals how organizing his life with clear boundaries has been the key to reaching nearly 2,000 episodes and sustained success.

• Treats podcasting like a 9-to-5 job with firm boundaries that prioritize pro...

Conscious communication is the foundation of a fulfilling life, transforming our relationship with ourselves and everyone around us. Jim Fuller shares wisdom on living in the present moment, practicing self-acceptance, and understanding the ego.

• Accepting reality as it is frees up mental bandwidth for what we can actually influence
• Practicing non-attachment to outcomes allows us to enter flow state more readily

Marianne Renner shares powerful insights on how the stories we tell ourselves shape our reality and limit our potential. She explains how our self-talk becomes habitual thought patterns that form our belief systems, often unconsciously sabotaging our outcomes.

• Our brains are naturally wired for negative thinking but can be reprogrammed through neuroplasticity
• Most common self-limiting stories include "I'm...

This episode highlights the importance of embracing the journey of self-discovery while navigating societal pressures. Kim Egel elucidates the distinction between being stuck and being scared, urging listeners to confront their fears and pursue their truths. 

- Introduction to Kim and her journey into therapy 
- The significance of being a seeker 
- Fear versus genuine obstacles in life 
- The impact of codepen...

Samantha Harte shares her transformative journey from identity crisis and addiction to embracing authenticity and self-forgiveness. Through personal stories, she explores the power of action and healing in overcoming cultural conditioning and inner criticism.

• Discussing identity and societal expectations 
• The impact of addiction on personal growth 
• Turning pain into purpose through life experiences 
• Cou...