Season Two of the great things LLC podcast is back! In the inaugural episode, your host, Josh Meeder. shares how one decision in one year changed the course of his life Everyone dreams about changing their lifestyle. But how do you do that? This episode explores that question. Josh shares how he radically changed his life by making one simple and clear intention. That intention would take 12 months, travel over 52,000 miles, crossing 26 states and four provinces. One that ultimately leads to a new home a new life and finding a sacred partnership.
So why don't people change their lifestyle when they really, really desired to? The answer is usually blocked by excuses, unsupportive friends and family, self-doubt, fear, and sometimes trauma. However, a clarity of vision and a clear intention for what you want in your life can be the guiding north star of your journey. It takes time to develop sometimes they happen in a flash of inspiration, but more often, it's a slow and long build.
This podcast shares the story of his son graduating college, selling his house, and setting out on the road in search of travel, adventure, freedom, and a new start. This podcast shares the details of those journeys.
Part of that journey was living in Alaska for a large portion of the year and through the winter. Experience experiencing the vast magical areas of this country and Canada. A few simple lessons on letting go and accepting come in along the way.
Ultimately, this is a love story. Love that was called in, love, invited, and rooted with intentional communication. There's also the balance of working remotely and creating a lifestyle of freedom and opportunity. More lessons come in on how you share and compliment your partner when you're doing similar work. The place of independence and interdependence is a soft space where creativity is nurtured and trust grows.
From the road, camping in a hammock, music festivals, moving across the continent, finding a home in Kentucky and everything in between, this story is meant to inspire and challenge you to make the changes that you desire in your life.
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Episode Transcript
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Josh Meeder (00:00):
Welcome to the great things LLC podcast. I'm
(00:02):
your host, Josh Meeder. Today'sepisode is the start of season
two. And it shares the story ofmaking a big decision changing
life, travel exploration andfinding sacred partnership.
Hello, listeners. Great thing,LLC podcast is back. It's been a
little while. I'm your host,Josh Meeder. And thank you for
tuning in. One of the questionsI get a lot in my consulting and
(00:26):
just life and working withpeople is, you know, how can you
change your life? How can youmanifest or intentionally create
a different lifestyle? Well, Iwanted to take my theory and
practice and put it to the test.
So last year, was a pretty bigyear, I knew my son was
graduating from college. Andthis was a dream that's been
developing over the last 10years, it would be the first
(00:46):
time that I had the freedom tochoose which direction I went.
I've always lived in westernPennsylvania. And that was
because of business, family anda lot of other other
commitments. So I had anopportunity for freedom. Knowing
that my son graduated, he gotset up with a great job and got
into a good apartment and he wassafe and doing well. I decided
(01:08):
in sold my house, I sold most ofmy belongings. And the concept
of two cameras in one big ideawas born. I'm always traveling,
always have cameras lovedocumenting. So I'm like, What
can I do differently. And thatbig idea had three parts to it.
The first was to travel, explorethe country, share magic, meet
people, and also to see if I cancontinue my business from the
(01:32):
road to create a sense offreedom, in not only location,
but time. The second part was toreally kind of investigate where
do I want to live? Where do Iwant to build the next part of
my life? As I mentioned earlier,I've been in western
Pennsylvania for the majority ofmy life. And while it's a
beautiful area, I've traveledextensively, and no, there's a
(01:52):
lot of other places out there.
So where where was I going tofind my joy? And where would my
heart sing. And the final partwas to actually be open and call
in love in sacred partnership,and find it along the way. Well,
the beautiful news is all threehappened. And in the last year,
(02:12):
starting last June, 1 to June, Iset out in that time, I have
traveled over 52,000 miles oncars. And well actually my truck
and airplanes I have visited anddriven through 26 states and
four Canadian provinces. And ithas been nothing short of life
(02:33):
changing and magical. So buckleup. And here we're going to dive
into the process what happenedand some of the really magical
experiences along the way.
Probably the single biggestimpact and influence on making
this a success was the length oftime and the amount of
percolation that this dream tookto create. It literally had been
(02:54):
a decade, I'd always been fairlydeeply rooted in the community I
was in in western Pennsylvania,both for business, for family,
for friends, and also forbuilding and being a part of a
very rich community. So I knewthat there was going to be a
time when I could have freedom.
(03:15):
But that time really wasn'tgoing to be there until my son
graduates college and mycommitments can start to be
pared down. In anticipation ofthat I also decided to list my
house and sell my belongings.
And that all worked out prettywell. You just talk about trust
and flow when you have a clearvision. And a clear intention
(03:35):
stop seems to open up for youthe universe does provide.
Knowing this was the case Iwanted to sell my house. And I
made the decision in a day Imade the decision. I spoke with
a friend and he referred me tosomeone that he knew that was
looking next day, I talked tohim showed him the house. And we
had an agreement. The agreementworked out really well both from
(03:56):
a timing and a financialperspective. We didn't need to
involve real estate agents,which I'm not bagging real
estate agents. They arevaluable. And they are a trusted
advisor and I believe in them.
But in this case, it just workedout really well. We we agreed on
the closing date right before mytrip gave me time to move out
(04:20):
help Krishna get into the newapartment and get my stuff
cleared out. Speaking ofclearing out stuff, I also
decided I'm like, Well, I haveamassed a lot of stuff. We all
have stuff. We have stuff in thegarage and closets in the rooms
and I'm like I don't need it.
I've actually been on aminimization kick for last 10
years or so slowly paring downto really what is needed. So I'm
just decided let's see what wecan do. So use the wonderful
(04:42):
power of Facebook marketplaceand started selling my stuff and
pretty quickly, the amountstarted adding up as to what I'd
sold and I'm like, Wow, I wonderif I could make $4,000 just
selling household junk that I nolonger need. And I hit that
number really quick. And then Isaid, Could I make 10,000? Could
(05:04):
this pay for a large portion ofthe trip, and boom, it happened.
I just kept selling. And I'lltell you what, there's a
liberation and an excitement inthat process. So if you ever
considered purging, it's a greatopportunity, you can throw some
extra cash in your account. Andyou can do it with intention. So
cleared out the house for mybelongings, it was time to go.
(05:26):
And this trip again, with thethree clear intentions, I knew
what I wanted to do, I wanted tohave travel and exploration and
spread and share in the magic ofpeople in this country and
locations. I did want to seewhat could be next for me. So
that was part of the trip. Theother part was, can I work along
the way those were kind of handin hand on that first two part.
(05:47):
And then final one was the powerof being open to the possibility
of love and sacred partnershipas I had been intentionally
single for about three years.
Now is the part where how youplanned a trip like this, I gave
myself 12 months, I said, Whatis going on? What What can I do
in 12 months, I know I want tolive differently, didn't hold
myself that it had to be. Butthat was my intention. And I was
(06:09):
hoping to find that nextlocation within within one year
and be open to what it had. Sofar in planning the trip. It was
it was easy process. There weretwo dates that I had one
involved air travel to Alaskaand the other one involved a
ticketed event up in New York,that were important to me. So
(06:30):
between that I had freedom. WhenI started as like not planning
it out, there's no itinerary. Ihave a list of people places and
things that I want to share andexperience. The first place
first off was anticipated wasNorth Carolina. Interestingly
enough, the local localrestaurant the who I'm just
(06:54):
really supportive of the harmonyand Bob McCafferty, is a friend
he purchased the harmony inabout the same time I purchased
the center of harmony in oursmall town of harmony so we've
come up together and Bob's beenan amazing asset to the
community and he asked me or hewas I was asked through the
(07:14):
manager there if I could be backin early June for for a surprise
and I'm like and it's reallykind of pushed my my schedule
because I wanted to get on theroad but absolutely love adore
and appreciate Bob and all hedoesn't like of course if he has
I'll be there so shut up to NewYork's had some time up in the
Fingerlakes which was great. Andthen drop back down into harmony
(07:36):
for one day stop over to seewhat Bob had and it was at the
annual mug club party of theNorth Country brewery which is
harmony in and North Countrybrew house. So it was there a
great day and Bob honored mewith a lifetime membership to
the mug club for what I've done.
There's a short video on herecheck it out, but it was a
(07:58):
really special, special time gotto connect with people one more
time before I left and then Ihit the road. So hitting the
road the first destination wasthe Kentucky area the Kentucky
area holds a deep and rich placein my heart. It is a place that
really helped me with somepersonal healing about six years
(08:20):
ago after the loss, unexpectedloss of my partner and so I
wanted to go visit some of myfriends in Kentucky and really
enjoyed it stayed you know,Midway Frank for Louisville,
love the area. It was greatcatching up there. From there I
crossed the country went acrossand hit Arkansas and of all
places.
(08:42):
I was most surprised byArkansas, a beautiful state.
Little Rock was a gem theretheir Riverwalk with the
sculpture gardens was amazing.
The community of hot springsvillage not hot springs but hot
springs village was fascinating.
Oh and largest private gatedcommunities in the country just
(09:05):
massive and really a cooleclectic place. From there I hit
the West crossed top of Texaswhich I can tell you is not all
that exciting, but did end up inSanta Fe for a couple days and
surprise you know some of themagic that opens up when you
just allow yourself to is I raninto some of my friends who are
(09:25):
also business owners and tenantsin my built building back in
harmony called the Center ofharmony. So was able to spend
the day with them moved onthrough El Albuquerque through
the Petrified Forest to Sedonacaught up with my friend Cara
out there should my birthday wasbeautiful. Then on to Cortez,
Mexico, the Baek Mae severityNational Park Manitou Springs up
(09:48):
through Colorado. And you know,the stops were absolutely
amazing. And every day I got towake up and decide where am I
going? What, what do I want todo? Do I want to be safe Hill do
I want to explore to one of themhike. At this point I had also
set up my truck with to be amobile life side wasn't able to
(10:09):
get a camper or cap was lookingto make a kind of bed set up
back there. But that didn't workout. So I had one of my favorite
outdoor products and you mayhave seen him in an earlier
podcast here. But journeymanadventure hammocks, the camp
hammock setup is unbelievable.
And I just stayed in thatwherever, wherever I pulled off,
or if I stayed with friends, hada full camp cook up, cook on the
(10:31):
tailgate, and it just madetravel easy. It was one of the
best parts of the trip is justthat ultimate mobility and
freedom. You know, you may notbe a camper or an outdoorsman,
but I am and it just fit reallywell. So, you know, that was a
couple of weeks. And actuallyShane, the founder of journeyman
(10:51):
products, is an extremelyexperienced traveler and has
been put on a lot of miles. Andone of the things that he shared
with me is he's like, you know,look and watch out for you know,
week four or five, there's goingto be a place where you're going
to hit a dip, or you may hit adip, wondering what you're
(11:12):
doing. And I'm like, you know,to that point, it was big and
magical. And it was good. Butthe there was around week, four
and a half. I was in ColoradoSprings, and I wasn't able to
connect with a friend that I waslooking to. And I started moving
north and that highway, I thinkit's 24 for up through Fort
(11:33):
Collins was nothing butconstruction. It was an awful
drive. And I'm like, I'll pushnorth and I'll push north. And
it was a long day. And I gotworn out. And as I pushed north
and I got into Wyoming there wasless and less. And now granted,
I don't mind camping. But I wasin the plains of Wyoming there
weren't even two trees togetherto hang my hammock and I didn't
(11:55):
want to sleep in a car. I wastired. It was really remote. And
Wheatland Wyoming in the lateJune part that was where I hit
the wall. I was just cranky. Ithink it was a 12 or 13 hour
day. And I had a moment it willsay had a little bourbon and was
(12:16):
just after dinner, I was kind ofcranky. And I looked I'm like
what the hell am I doing? Youknow, where am I going? I didn't
have a solid plan after that.
And, you know, I sat with that,you know, let the emotions roll
sore about a little bit forabout five or 10 minutes. And
then I started to laugh. And Iremember chain saying it's gonna
(12:38):
hit you. And you have a choice.
You can push on you can go backand I was like, had the moment
where I realized how blessed andfortunate I was and then I'm
actually doing what I want. Andthen I chuckled about the
experience. And from that pointit was on and kept going. You
know, I'm not gonna go throughall of the different places. But
you know, when cave, Crazy HorseMemorial, the Badlands we're all
(13:00):
there. But I'll tell you one ofthe most magical experiences you
talk about those places in time.
TSLA I think coined the phrase,but one of the most magical
experiences was camping atat the Black Hills near Mount
Rushmore. There's a smallcamping area that was designated
(13:22):
for rock rock climbers, and theyhad a few they weren't even
primitive sites, you were justallowed to camp there. And I put
up my hammock. I had a quiet,quiet dinner, cooked, cooked
myself out there. And I watchedthe sunset. And I woke up on
Sunrise. And it was an absolutebeautiful, beautiful moment. One
(13:45):
of the other pieces that made itkind of hysterically magical and
really funny was two days beforeI was staying in Cortez,
Colorado, and I had lost one ofmy favorite shirts. It's a
concert t shirt by clutch one ofmy favorite bands. And I knew at
that time like I could keeplooking I can delay my leaving
(14:09):
and I'm you know like reallyliked that shirt. But I knew
that sometimes you know you losethings or it's time to let go so
I could hold on to that miseryand that lack or I could just
let set it free so I'd like tosay did a graceful hopefully but
it wasn't I'd be grudgingly letit go. And mind you not only was
my favorite t shirt but I wastraveling so late it was
(14:32):
literally 18% of my shirtwardrobe. So it was a big deal.
And then that next morning ortwo days later when I woke up on
the you know the mountains nearsay, Mount Rushmore. I was
packing up my key hammock and Ifound that shirt it came back to
me and there's such a sense oflaughter and joy because I
didn't hold tight to it and Ilet it go. It actually came back
(14:53):
to me so small aside there butthat was pretty magical thing.
Did go We'll circle back up, Iwent through Wisconsin visited
my uncle. So I do a full loop.
And I check back into myhometown for a few days, just a
(15:13):
couple things I needed to dowith the building and check in
on things. So made that first 30Day loop around the country and
back, and then headed backsouth, did another loop went
down through Virginia throughNorth Carolina spent some time
there because I did want to getto North Carolina was on the top
of my list, the Pisco nationalforest area is beautiful, and I
(15:35):
was looking for homes downthere. From there, again, just
kept going, I spent a lot oftime down there. And I knew that
I could stay close, because Ihad to be in Alaska, at the end
of July. And this is where thethird part of the trip comes in
the part about finding love andsacred partnership.
(15:58):
So let me set the stage on thetrip to Alaska, because this was
the big shift in in my life aswell as the trip. I had met
Katie Joe, spirit Berg, in aworkshop that we shared in Ohio,
about eight months prior. We hada good connection, but it was
(16:19):
just friendly. It was cordial.
And we both were doing our ownwork. But the connection we did
have was nice. She had lived outof a bus for years. And she when
she mentioned she was living inAlaska, I got really excited.
Alaska was the only state that Ihad not visited in the country
to this point. And I said, Oh,you know, this is what I'm
(16:41):
doing. I'm taking a big trip.
And I'm like, maybe I'll get upthere. And she's like, Yeah,
come on up. We'll go hiking, youknow, you can check it out love
to host Yes. So we kept incontact. But there was really
nothing more than that. I waslike, great, I got a friend, I
got a place to stay, I getsomeone to show me around
Alaska. And I was, you know,really excited for that. So I
(17:03):
did have a flight booked. And Ihad to get back to Pennsylvania
to fly out of Pittsburgh.
However, one of the things I didbefore I left was I was standing
behind the center of harmony,and I am ready to have that
building sold. It's actually onthe market. And there's
definitely some interest in it.
But it was wrapping up. That'sthe last piece of real estate I
had in western Pennsylvania. AndI took may sound a little
(17:26):
woowoo. But I took some crystalsthat were given to me and I
planted them in the ground and Iset my intention and I said to
intentions. I said one of theintentions was that the center
calling its new owner, someonethat would love and care for it
and really grow it with theidentity and consciousness and
thoughtfulness that it had inall supportive of the tenants
(17:48):
that were there. And the secondpiece is I said I am no longer
chasing love. I'm going to waitfor it to show up and invite me
in and stay open to it. And Iput those in and you know, next
day jumped on a plane and flewto Anchorage, Alaska. hadn't
really no expectations otherthan it was super excited to see
(18:08):
Alaska. And it was going to begood to connect with spirit bird
again. So got up there got invery late the first night, you
know, crashed. She picked me upfrom the airport. And the next
day we went out and we hikedaround Girdwood and just saw
some of this amazing beauty. Andthe the story is as it goes.
(18:33):
Later that night, she approachedme and said, Hey, I just want to
make sure that we're clear andwith, you know, a great
intention. She said, Hey, I'mcurious about you. And if you're
open to it, I would be open toexploring that as well. And I
was shocked. I had noexpectation of that. I was
(18:53):
certainly excited. And I waskind of fumbled and flustering
for words. But I said yes, I'min let's see where this goes and
see what it's about and get toknow each other. And that week
was nothing, nothing short ofmagical. From the first day
hiking through Girdwood andwaterfalls to the next day
ending up hiking to the top ofthis beautiful mountain with a
(19:16):
glacial lake. And as I'mfollowing her, I'm watching this
amazing woman beautiful in adress hiking through bear
country with bear spray and, andbear horns. I was like, There's
something about this. Wefinished up that week with a fly
fishing trip on the Kenai Riverwhere we stayed in a teepee
sleeping on the earth with abuyer to keep us warm. And it
(19:39):
was absolutely amazing. And itwas just mind blowing. The other
part of it was the connectionthat we had we both been calling
in that spiritual partnershipand in that intentional
relationship, and we both beendoing a lot of work to get
there. So it was an absoluteunequivocal yes. And I said
great. You know, I will be backand later the end of that week I
(20:03):
flew backbecause I had tickets up to the
great rhythm revival in upstateNew York at the Heron farm and
Event Center. So a little bit ofbackground on that, definitely
check them out the hairnet farmand Event Center is an amazing
place. Julie and SteveRockcastle are friends and
clients. But they run abeautiful farm and Campground
and have an amazing musicseries. So you may have heard of
(20:26):
the Great Blue Heron musicfestival that's up there. Well,
the great rhythm revival is byJim Donovan, former drummer of
rusted root, but Jim Donovan andthe Sun King warriors are a
phenomenal band and actuallylearn to call all of them
friends. But this small retreathappens once a year up at the
heron. And it is three days ofmusic, of drumming, of
(20:49):
meditation of yoga, and all thegood, lovely stuff that we all
need in our lives. So went upthere had just another magical
experience, and came back withsuch a full heart, open mind and
open road in front of me. Thisis the next part of the trip,
(21:10):
which again, is where the lifechanges. So at this point, it's
mid August, and I've found thewoman I've been looking for
we've connected and she is 4000miles away. So what's the next
steps? What are the next stepsthat we could take. And
interestingly enough, she hadtraveled back plan to the Ohio
area where I was going to be thenext town over for a wedding
(21:33):
that day. So we were able toconnect again in took two and a
half weeks in my new camper. Andwe traveled from Ohio up to
Michigan to see your folks andgo to Lake Michigan. And then we
swung down through the Kentuckyarea to visit my my friends and
community and also to givespirit bird a little exposure to
the area. And this is kind ofwhere the roots of our next stop
(21:55):
laid in. It kind of set the tonefor opening up Kentucky as a
possibility of where we'd bewhen we land. And it was time to
get up to Alaska. So I packed upwhat I could flew up and got up
there on let me see what datethat was that would have been
early October. And just enjoyit. I think it was a little over
(22:18):
a month getting to know Katie Joexploring anchorage in the
surrounding communities thisthis last year and they had a
really early winter. So therewas snow and everything around
it. It was just a beautiful,beautiful time. After about a
month up there. I'm like,Alright, it's time I'm flying
home, I'm getting my stuff andI'm coming up. So flew back had
(22:40):
Halloween back in town packed upwhat I could fit in the truck.
And I made the first journeyacross the outcome and across
Canada. And that was an amazingexperience. Seven and a half
days over 4000 miles. And justtoo much to list here. But if
(23:05):
you ever get that chance to goacross Canada to hit the
outcome, I highly suggested nowgranted I did that in November.
And I would probably suggest thespringtime because there were
certainly some treacherousplaces. Nothing that was
unpassable but a lot of fourwheel drive and a lot of go and
slow. Got up and when did Iarrived let me just check my
(23:26):
notes here. Well, like I said, Igot up in about eight days and
settled in for the winter andthe the scenery in Alaska it is
wholly different. As I'vementioned, I've visited every
state, but not Alaska. And I'lltell you what, there's nothing
like it the grandeur thescenery, the vastness is it's
almost indescribable. So if youever get the chance, I highly
(23:51):
recommend it. And over that overthe winter, you know, we did
some amazing just magical stuffand mundane stuff and everything
in between. We both ran ourbusinesses we both work remotely
and I'll share a little bit moreabout her work because ours
actually really paralleled eachother. And I got to see the I
(24:12):
did arrive I Ferrante which isthe dog race and for trading
event the week before I evenstepped in on helped on a
runaway dog sled. We went crosscountry skiing, we went to Chino
hotsprings, where we went, we'retaken to the top of a mountain
to see the northern lights. Iwas able to photograph the
(24:33):
Northern Lights, which was on mybucket list for years. And
there's just so much amazingstuff that happened there. And
one of the things thatultimately we had an agreement
that we would be there for awhile that was where spirit bird
felt called and I was free so itworked out. But there was a
place where both of us haveconnections back in the lower 48
(24:56):
and I We like to travel we liketo explore and traveling from
Alaska is a little bit of aneffort. So we opened up that
discussion and started talkingabout different places that we
would really like to explore.
And then in March, we made a twoweek trip came back, flew in,
(25:17):
saw my son for his 21st Birthdaywent slightly after, and went
through Kentucky, in NorthCarolina, and in that big loop,
and just really, really feltcalled to Kentucky. And long
story short, we were able to,surprisingly, find the perfect
place, which is a farmhouse thatneeds some renovation and got
(25:39):
that working. And that'sactually where I'm sitting right
now, actually, this isn't thefarmhouse. It is an apartment
that I fixed up above the garagewhile I renovate the farmhouse
because I needed some moreprojects to do. But we are now
here. So this is one year later,I've traveled the country, I've
experienced incredible magic, Ihave found a place I want to
(26:00):
live and sacred partnership wascalled in. And that all came
from a very, very clear vision.
So what is next? Many times whenwe're planning our dreams, we
get really specific and that isthe trap that I avoided. What
showed up in my life was farbeyond what I could have
imagined. Nor could I plan forit. So as you're dreaming, dream
(26:23):
big, but don't dream specific,allow space for the universe to
show up and provide things in adifferent way than you may be
expecting. And as far as KatieJo spirit burdened I,
beyond what I could haveimagined, she has a business
called Holton healing arts. Andinterestingly enough, we do some
(26:47):
similar things. She does amazingwork and has a shaman school
that helps healers in spiritualentrepreneurs find their offer,
remove their blocks in reallyblossom into their full offering
and healing capabilities. And itis an amazing thing to watch.
I've worked with a lot ofdifferent businesses, and I've
(27:09):
seen things that are done well.
And I can honestly say I amimpressed beyond belief. What
she has done for her clients andfor her customers is is truly
inspiring, we were actually ableto collaborate and put her new
website together. So that was afantastic project. To tell it
was dear to my heart. And whilewe don't know what lies ahead,
(27:31):
there is some connection on whatwe both offer. We do a different
perspectives, but the consciousbusiness consulting that are
offered great things LLC in myteam on that focus on the the
writing in the intentional sideand understand the importance of
integrity and intention withinbusiness really, really support
(27:55):
and complement what she's doing.
So where that goes, what wehave, where overlaps is yet to
be seen. But we do havesomething in it is clear
intentions and clear sharedvalues. So incredible
partnership that I am justblessed to have. And right now,
(28:16):
starting in Kentucky, we get todo it how we choose it is
something that we're buildingdaily, something we check in on,
and our community will grow andflourish. And we will plug into
that. So that is my story of oneyear, 52,000 miles, two
countries, 26 states and fourprovinces, and an incredible
(28:40):
shift in light. Now if you'veever been considering, and who
hasn't considered a big changeof life, it is possible you may
not need to do it in the radicalfashion that I had. But it does
start with one decision or onebig idea. And all it takes is
refining that having theclarity, and if it is aligned,
(29:02):
it is an unstoppable force. Ifyou want to explore those ideas,
then find a coach you know,check out great things LLC we
offer those services. But findsomeone who's done it find
someone who you trust and makesure you resonate with them that
they have the same vibe, theenergetic and they get your
bigger picture, because anyonecan do a business plan. A lot of
(29:26):
people can do spiritual in theWhoo. But finding the balance
and bringing both into Grationbecause we're not all living in
a monastery or we're not allisolated in an office building.
We have a best or we have a vastnetwork. And we're a lot of
things so find the coach get thehelp you need. And, you know in
(29:47):
trust, just trust and pull thetrigger. So thank you for
listening. Stay tuned. We'regoing to continue more podcasts
and we're going to be bringingin some really great guests as
we have in the past. People thatare doing amazing Using things
in business, creating success inlife, finding their passion, and
really, really living anauthentic life. Stay tuned and
(30:10):
we'll see you again thank youfor watching. If you liked what
you saw, be sure to hit thatlike and subscribe button right
now. Stay tuned and check outthe channel for other
interesting and informativevideos.
Welcome to the great things LLC podcast. I'm
(00:02):
your host, Josh Meeder. Today'sepisode is the start of season
two. And it shares the story ofmaking a big decision changing
life, travel exploration andfinding sacred partnership.
Hello, listeners. Great thing,LLC podcast is back. It's been a
little while. I'm your host,Josh Meeder. And thank you for
tuning in. One of the questionsI get a lot in my consulting and
(00:26):
just life and working withpeople is, you know, how can you
change your life? How can youmanifest or intentionally create
a different lifestyle? Well, Iwanted to take my theory and
practice and put it to the test.
So last year, was a pretty bigyear, I knew my son was
graduating from college. Andthis was a dream that's been
developing over the last 10years, it would be the first
(00:46):
time that I had the freedom tochoose which direction I went.
I've always lived in westernPennsylvania. And that was
because of business, family anda lot of other other
commitments. So I had anopportunity for freedom. Knowing
that my son graduated, he gotset up with a great job and got
into a good apartment and he wassafe and doing well. I decided
(01:08):
in sold my house, I sold most ofmy belongings. And the concept
of two cameras in one big ideawas born. I'm always traveling,
always have cameras lovedocumenting. So I'm like, What
can I do differently. And thatbig idea had three parts to it.
The first was to travel, explorethe country, share magic, meet
people, and also to see if I cancontinue my business from the
(01:32):
road to create a sense offreedom, in not only location,
but time. The second part was toreally kind of investigate where
do I want to live? Where do Iwant to build the next part of
my life? As I mentioned earlier,I've been in western
Pennsylvania for the majority ofmy life. And while it's a
beautiful area, I've traveledextensively, and no, there's a
(01:52):
lot of other places out there.
So where where was I going tofind my joy? And where would my
heart sing. And the final partwas to actually be open and call
in love in sacred partnership,and find it along the way. Well,
the beautiful news is all threehappened. And in the last year,
(02:12):
starting last June, 1 to June, Iset out in that time, I have
traveled over 52,000 miles oncars. And well actually my truck
and airplanes I have visited anddriven through 26 states and
four Canadian provinces. And ithas been nothing short of life
(02:33):
changing and magical. So buckleup. And here we're going to dive
into the process what happenedand some of the really magical
experiences along the way.
Probably the single biggestimpact and influence on making
this a success was the length oftime and the amount of
percolation that this dream tookto create. It literally had been
(02:54):
a decade, I'd always been fairlydeeply rooted in the community I
was in in western Pennsylvania,both for business, for family,
for friends, and also forbuilding and being a part of a
very rich community. So I knewthat there was going to be a
time when I could have freedom.
(03:15):
But that time really wasn'tgoing to be there until my son
graduates college and mycommitments can start to be
pared down. In anticipation ofthat I also decided to list my
house and sell my belongings.
And that all worked out prettywell. You just talk about trust
and flow when you have a clearvision. And a clear intention
(03:35):
stop seems to open up for youthe universe does provide.
Knowing this was the case Iwanted to sell my house. And I
made the decision in a day Imade the decision. I spoke with
a friend and he referred me tosomeone that he knew that was
looking next day, I talked tohim showed him the house. And we
had an agreement. The agreementworked out really well both from
(03:56):
a timing and a financialperspective. We didn't need to
involve real estate agents,which I'm not bagging real
estate agents. They arevaluable. And they are a trusted
advisor and I believe in them.
But in this case, it just workedout really well. We we agreed on
the closing date right before mytrip gave me time to move out
(04:20):
help Krishna get into the newapartment and get my stuff
cleared out. Speaking ofclearing out stuff, I also
decided I'm like, Well, I haveamassed a lot of stuff. We all
have stuff. We have stuff in thegarage and closets in the rooms
and I'm like I don't need it.
I've actually been on aminimization kick for last 10
years or so slowly paring downto really what is needed. So I'm
just decided let's see what wecan do. So use the wonderful
(04:42):
power of Facebook marketplaceand started selling my stuff and
pretty quickly, the amountstarted adding up as to what I'd
sold and I'm like, Wow, I wonderif I could make $4,000 just
selling household junk that I nolonger need. And I hit that
number really quick. And then Isaid, Could I make 10,000? Could
(05:04):
this pay for a large portion ofthe trip, and boom, it happened.
I just kept selling. And I'lltell you what, there's a
liberation and an excitement inthat process. So if you ever
considered purging, it's a greatopportunity, you can throw some
extra cash in your account. Andyou can do it with intention. So
cleared out the house for mybelongings, it was time to go.
(05:26):
And this trip again, with thethree clear intentions, I knew
what I wanted to do, I wanted tohave travel and exploration and
spread and share in the magic ofpeople in this country and
locations. I did want to seewhat could be next for me. So
that was part of the trip. Theother part was, can I work along
the way those were kind of handin hand on that first two part.
(05:47):
And then final one was the powerof being open to the possibility
of love and sacred partnershipas I had been intentionally
single for about three years.
Now is the part where how youplanned a trip like this, I gave
myself 12 months, I said, Whatis going on? What What can I do
in 12 months, I know I want tolive differently, didn't hold
myself that it had to be. Butthat was my intention. And I was
(06:09):
hoping to find that nextlocation within within one year
and be open to what it had. Sofar in planning the trip. It was
it was easy process. There weretwo dates that I had one
involved air travel to Alaskaand the other one involved a
ticketed event up in New York,that were important to me. So
(06:30):
between that I had freedom. WhenI started as like not planning
it out, there's no itinerary. Ihave a list of people places and
things that I want to share andexperience. The first place
first off was anticipated wasNorth Carolina. Interestingly
enough, the local localrestaurant the who I'm just
(06:54):
really supportive of the harmonyand Bob McCafferty, is a friend
he purchased the harmony inabout the same time I purchased
the center of harmony in oursmall town of harmony so we've
come up together and Bob's beenan amazing asset to the
community and he asked me or hewas I was asked through the
(07:14):
manager there if I could be backin early June for for a surprise
and I'm like and it's reallykind of pushed my my schedule
because I wanted to get on theroad but absolutely love adore
and appreciate Bob and all hedoesn't like of course if he has
I'll be there so shut up to NewYork's had some time up in the
Fingerlakes which was great. Andthen drop back down into harmony
(07:36):
for one day stop over to seewhat Bob had and it was at the
annual mug club party of theNorth Country brewery which is
harmony in and North Countrybrew house. So it was there a
great day and Bob honored mewith a lifetime membership to
the mug club for what I've done.
There's a short video on herecheck it out, but it was a
(07:58):
really special, special time gotto connect with people one more
time before I left and then Ihit the road. So hitting the
road the first destination wasthe Kentucky area the Kentucky
area holds a deep and rich placein my heart. It is a place that
really helped me with somepersonal healing about six years
(08:20):
ago after the loss, unexpectedloss of my partner and so I
wanted to go visit some of myfriends in Kentucky and really
enjoyed it stayed you know,Midway Frank for Louisville,
love the area. It was greatcatching up there. From there I
crossed the country went acrossand hit Arkansas and of all
places.
(08:42):
I was most surprised byArkansas, a beautiful state.
Little Rock was a gem theretheir Riverwalk with the
sculpture gardens was amazing.
The community of hot springsvillage not hot springs but hot
springs village was fascinating.
Oh and largest private gatedcommunities in the country just
(09:05):
massive and really a cooleclectic place. From there I hit
the West crossed top of Texaswhich I can tell you is not all
that exciting, but did end up inSanta Fe for a couple days and
surprise you know some of themagic that opens up when you
just allow yourself to is I raninto some of my friends who are
(09:25):
also business owners and tenantsin my built building back in
harmony called the Center ofharmony. So was able to spend
the day with them moved onthrough El Albuquerque through
the Petrified Forest to Sedonacaught up with my friend Cara
out there should my birthday wasbeautiful. Then on to Cortez,
Mexico, the Baek Mae severityNational Park Manitou Springs up
(09:48):
through Colorado. And you know,the stops were absolutely
amazing. And every day I got towake up and decide where am I
going? What, what do I want todo? Do I want to be safe Hill do
I want to explore to one of themhike. At this point I had also
set up my truck with to be amobile life side wasn't able to
(10:09):
get a camper or cap was lookingto make a kind of bed set up
back there. But that didn't workout. So I had one of my favorite
outdoor products and you mayhave seen him in an earlier
podcast here. But journeymanadventure hammocks, the camp
hammock setup is unbelievable.
And I just stayed in thatwherever, wherever I pulled off,
or if I stayed with friends, hada full camp cook up, cook on the
(10:31):
tailgate, and it just madetravel easy. It was one of the
best parts of the trip is justthat ultimate mobility and
freedom. You know, you may notbe a camper or an outdoorsman,
but I am and it just fit reallywell. So, you know, that was a
couple of weeks. And actuallyShane, the founder of journeyman
(10:51):
products, is an extremelyexperienced traveler and has
been put on a lot of miles. Andone of the things that he shared
with me is he's like, you know,look and watch out for you know,
week four or five, there's goingto be a place where you're going
to hit a dip, or you may hit adip, wondering what you're
(11:12):
doing. And I'm like, you know,to that point, it was big and
magical. And it was good. Butthe there was around week, four
and a half. I was in ColoradoSprings, and I wasn't able to
connect with a friend that I waslooking to. And I started moving
north and that highway, I thinkit's 24 for up through Fort
(11:33):
Collins was nothing butconstruction. It was an awful
drive. And I'm like, I'll pushnorth and I'll push north. And
it was a long day. And I gotworn out. And as I pushed north
and I got into Wyoming there wasless and less. And now granted,
I don't mind camping. But I wasin the plains of Wyoming there
weren't even two trees togetherto hang my hammock and I didn't
(11:55):
want to sleep in a car. I wastired. It was really remote. And
Wheatland Wyoming in the lateJune part that was where I hit
the wall. I was just cranky. Ithink it was a 12 or 13 hour
day. And I had a moment it willsay had a little bourbon and was
(12:16):
just after dinner, I was kind ofcranky. And I looked I'm like
what the hell am I doing? Youknow, where am I going? I didn't
have a solid plan after that.
And, you know, I sat with that,you know, let the emotions roll
sore about a little bit forabout five or 10 minutes. And
then I started to laugh. And Iremember chain saying it's gonna
(12:38):
hit you. And you have a choice.
You can push on you can go backand I was like, had the moment
where I realized how blessed andfortunate I was and then I'm
actually doing what I want. Andthen I chuckled about the
experience. And from that pointit was on and kept going. You
know, I'm not gonna go throughall of the different places. But
you know, when cave, Crazy HorseMemorial, the Badlands we're all
(13:00):
there. But I'll tell you one ofthe most magical experiences you
talk about those places in time.
TSLA I think coined the phrase,but one of the most magical
experiences was camping atat the Black Hills near Mount
Rushmore. There's a smallcamping area that was designated
(13:22):
for rock rock climbers, and theyhad a few they weren't even
primitive sites, you were justallowed to camp there. And I put
up my hammock. I had a quiet,quiet dinner, cooked, cooked
myself out there. And I watchedthe sunset. And I woke up on
Sunrise. And it was an absolutebeautiful, beautiful moment. One
(13:45):
of the other pieces that made itkind of hysterically magical and
really funny was two days beforeI was staying in Cortez,
Colorado, and I had lost one ofmy favorite shirts. It's a
concert t shirt by clutch one ofmy favorite bands. And I knew at
that time like I could keeplooking I can delay my leaving
(14:09):
and I'm you know like reallyliked that shirt. But I knew
that sometimes you know you losethings or it's time to let go so
I could hold on to that miseryand that lack or I could just
let set it free so I'd like tosay did a graceful hopefully but
it wasn't I'd be grudgingly letit go. And mind you not only was
my favorite t shirt but I wastraveling so late it was
(14:32):
literally 18% of my shirtwardrobe. So it was a big deal.
And then that next morning ortwo days later when I woke up on
the you know the mountains nearsay, Mount Rushmore. I was
packing up my key hammock and Ifound that shirt it came back to
me and there's such a sense oflaughter and joy because I
didn't hold tight to it and Ilet it go. It actually came back
(14:53):
to me so small aside there butthat was pretty magical thing.
Did go We'll circle back up, Iwent through Wisconsin visited
my uncle. So I do a full loop.
And I check back into myhometown for a few days, just a
(15:13):
couple things I needed to dowith the building and check in
on things. So made that first 30Day loop around the country and
back, and then headed backsouth, did another loop went
down through Virginia throughNorth Carolina spent some time
there because I did want to getto North Carolina was on the top
of my list, the Pisco nationalforest area is beautiful, and I
(15:35):
was looking for homes downthere. From there, again, just
kept going, I spent a lot oftime down there. And I knew that
I could stay close, because Ihad to be in Alaska, at the end
of July. And this is where thethird part of the trip comes in
the part about finding love andsacred partnership.
(15:58):
So let me set the stage on thetrip to Alaska, because this was
the big shift in in my life aswell as the trip. I had met
Katie Joe, spirit Berg, in aworkshop that we shared in Ohio,
about eight months prior. We hada good connection, but it was
(16:19):
just friendly. It was cordial.
And we both were doing our ownwork. But the connection we did
have was nice. She had lived outof a bus for years. And she when
she mentioned she was living inAlaska, I got really excited.
Alaska was the only state that Ihad not visited in the country
to this point. And I said, Oh,you know, this is what I'm
(16:41):
doing. I'm taking a big trip.
And I'm like, maybe I'll get upthere. And she's like, Yeah,
come on up. We'll go hiking, youknow, you can check it out love
to host Yes. So we kept incontact. But there was really
nothing more than that. I waslike, great, I got a friend, I
got a place to stay, I getsomeone to show me around
Alaska. And I was, you know,really excited for that. So I
(17:03):
did have a flight booked. And Ihad to get back to Pennsylvania
to fly out of Pittsburgh.
However, one of the things I didbefore I left was I was standing
behind the center of harmony,and I am ready to have that
building sold. It's actually onthe market. And there's
definitely some interest in it.
But it was wrapping up. That'sthe last piece of real estate I
had in western Pennsylvania. AndI took may sound a little
(17:26):
woowoo. But I took some crystalsthat were given to me and I
planted them in the ground and Iset my intention and I said to
intentions. I said one of theintentions was that the center
calling its new owner, someonethat would love and care for it
and really grow it with theidentity and consciousness and
thoughtfulness that it had inall supportive of the tenants
(17:48):
that were there. And the secondpiece is I said I am no longer
chasing love. I'm going to waitfor it to show up and invite me
in and stay open to it. And Iput those in and you know, next
day jumped on a plane and flewto Anchorage, Alaska. hadn't
really no expectations otherthan it was super excited to see
(18:08):
Alaska. And it was going to begood to connect with spirit bird
again. So got up there got invery late the first night, you
know, crashed. She picked me upfrom the airport. And the next
day we went out and we hikedaround Girdwood and just saw
some of this amazing beauty. Andthe the story is as it goes.
(18:33):
Later that night, she approachedme and said, Hey, I just want to
make sure that we're clear andwith, you know, a great
intention. She said, Hey, I'mcurious about you. And if you're
open to it, I would be open toexploring that as well. And I
was shocked. I had noexpectation of that. I was
(18:53):
certainly excited. And I waskind of fumbled and flustering
for words. But I said yes, I'min let's see where this goes and
see what it's about and get toknow each other. And that week
was nothing, nothing short ofmagical. From the first day
hiking through Girdwood andwaterfalls to the next day
ending up hiking to the top ofthis beautiful mountain with a
(19:16):
glacial lake. And as I'mfollowing her, I'm watching this
amazing woman beautiful in adress hiking through bear
country with bear spray and, andbear horns. I was like, There's
something about this. Wefinished up that week with a fly
fishing trip on the Kenai Riverwhere we stayed in a teepee
sleeping on the earth with abuyer to keep us warm. And it
(19:39):
was absolutely amazing. And itwas just mind blowing. The other
part of it was the connectionthat we had we both been calling
in that spiritual partnershipand in that intentional
relationship, and we both beendoing a lot of work to get
there. So it was an absoluteunequivocal yes. And I said
great. You know, I will be backand later the end of that week I
(20:03):
flew backbecause I had tickets up to the
great rhythm revival in upstateNew York at the Heron farm and
Event Center. So a little bit ofbackground on that, definitely
check them out the hairnet farmand Event Center is an amazing
place. Julie and SteveRockcastle are friends and
clients. But they run abeautiful farm and Campground
and have an amazing musicseries. So you may have heard of
(20:26):
the Great Blue Heron musicfestival that's up there. Well,
the great rhythm revival is byJim Donovan, former drummer of
rusted root, but Jim Donovan andthe Sun King warriors are a
phenomenal band and actuallylearn to call all of them
friends. But this small retreathappens once a year up at the
heron. And it is three days ofmusic, of drumming, of
(20:49):
meditation of yoga, and all thegood, lovely stuff that we all
need in our lives. So went upthere had just another magical
experience, and came back withsuch a full heart, open mind and
open road in front of me. Thisis the next part of the trip,
(21:10):
which again, is where the lifechanges. So at this point, it's
mid August, and I've found thewoman I've been looking for
we've connected and she is 4000miles away. So what's the next
steps? What are the next stepsthat we could take. And
interestingly enough, she hadtraveled back plan to the Ohio
area where I was going to be thenext town over for a wedding
(21:33):
that day. So we were able toconnect again in took two and a
half weeks in my new camper. Andwe traveled from Ohio up to
Michigan to see your folks andgo to Lake Michigan. And then we
swung down through the Kentuckyarea to visit my my friends and
community and also to givespirit bird a little exposure to
the area. And this is kind ofwhere the roots of our next stop
(21:55):
laid in. It kind of set the tonefor opening up Kentucky as a
possibility of where we'd bewhen we land. And it was time to
get up to Alaska. So I packed upwhat I could flew up and got up
there on let me see what datethat was that would have been
early October. And just enjoyit. I think it was a little over
(22:18):
a month getting to know Katie Joexploring anchorage in the
surrounding communities thisthis last year and they had a
really early winter. So therewas snow and everything around
it. It was just a beautiful,beautiful time. After about a
month up there. I'm like,Alright, it's time I'm flying
home, I'm getting my stuff andI'm coming up. So flew back had
(22:40):
Halloween back in town packed upwhat I could fit in the truck.
And I made the first journeyacross the outcome and across
Canada. And that was an amazingexperience. Seven and a half
days over 4000 miles. And justtoo much to list here. But if
(23:05):
you ever get that chance to goacross Canada to hit the
outcome, I highly suggested nowgranted I did that in November.
And I would probably suggest thespringtime because there were
certainly some treacherousplaces. Nothing that was
unpassable but a lot of fourwheel drive and a lot of go and
slow. Got up and when did Iarrived let me just check my
(23:26):
notes here. Well, like I said, Igot up in about eight days and
settled in for the winter andthe the scenery in Alaska it is
wholly different. As I'vementioned, I've visited every
state, but not Alaska. And I'lltell you what, there's nothing
like it the grandeur thescenery, the vastness is it's
almost indescribable. So if youever get the chance, I highly
(23:51):
recommend it. And over that overthe winter, you know, we did
some amazing just magical stuffand mundane stuff and everything
in between. We both ran ourbusinesses we both work remotely
and I'll share a little bit moreabout her work because ours
actually really paralleled eachother. And I got to see the I
(24:12):
did arrive I Ferrante which isthe dog race and for trading
event the week before I evenstepped in on helped on a
runaway dog sled. We went crosscountry skiing, we went to Chino
hotsprings, where we went, we'retaken to the top of a mountain
to see the northern lights. Iwas able to photograph the
(24:33):
Northern Lights, which was on mybucket list for years. And
there's just so much amazingstuff that happened there. And
one of the things thatultimately we had an agreement
that we would be there for awhile that was where spirit bird
felt called and I was free so itworked out. But there was a
place where both of us haveconnections back in the lower 48
(24:56):
and I We like to travel we liketo explore and traveling from
Alaska is a little bit of aneffort. So we opened up that
discussion and started talkingabout different places that we
would really like to explore.
And then in March, we made a twoweek trip came back, flew in,
(25:17):
saw my son for his 21st Birthdaywent slightly after, and went
through Kentucky, in NorthCarolina, and in that big loop,
and just really, really feltcalled to Kentucky. And long
story short, we were able to,surprisingly, find the perfect
place, which is a farmhouse thatneeds some renovation and got
(25:39):
that working. And that'sactually where I'm sitting right
now, actually, this isn't thefarmhouse. It is an apartment
that I fixed up above the garagewhile I renovate the farmhouse
because I needed some moreprojects to do. But we are now
here. So this is one year later,I've traveled the country, I've
experienced incredible magic, Ihave found a place I want to
(26:00):
live and sacred partnership wascalled in. And that all came
from a very, very clear vision.
So what is next? Many times whenwe're planning our dreams, we
get really specific and that isthe trap that I avoided. What
showed up in my life was farbeyond what I could have
imagined. Nor could I plan forit. So as you're dreaming, dream
(26:23):
big, but don't dream specific,allow space for the universe to
show up and provide things in adifferent way than you may be
expecting. And as far as KatieJo spirit burdened I,
beyond what I could haveimagined, she has a business
called Holton healing arts. Andinterestingly enough, we do some
(26:47):
similar things. She does amazingwork and has a shaman school
that helps healers in spiritualentrepreneurs find their offer,
remove their blocks in reallyblossom into their full offering
and healing capabilities. And itis an amazing thing to watch.
I've worked with a lot ofdifferent businesses, and I've
(27:09):
seen things that are done well.
And I can honestly say I amimpressed beyond belief. What
she has done for her clients andfor her customers is is truly
inspiring, we were actually ableto collaborate and put her new
website together. So that was afantastic project. To tell it
was dear to my heart. And whilewe don't know what lies ahead,
(27:31):
there is some connection on whatwe both offer. We do a different
perspectives, but the consciousbusiness consulting that are
offered great things LLC in myteam on that focus on the the
writing in the intentional sideand understand the importance of
integrity and intention withinbusiness really, really support
(27:55):
and complement what she's doing.
So where that goes, what wehave, where overlaps is yet to
be seen. But we do havesomething in it is clear
intentions and clear sharedvalues. So incredible
partnership that I am justblessed to have. And right now,
(28:16):
starting in Kentucky, we get todo it how we choose it is
something that we're buildingdaily, something we check in on,
and our community will grow andflourish. And we will plug into
that. So that is my story of oneyear, 52,000 miles, two
countries, 26 states and fourprovinces, and an incredible
(28:40):
shift in light. Now if you'veever been considering, and who
hasn't considered a big changeof life, it is possible you may
not need to do it in the radicalfashion that I had. But it does
start with one decision or onebig idea. And all it takes is
refining that having theclarity, and if it is aligned,
(29:02):
it is an unstoppable force. Ifyou want to explore those ideas,
then find a coach you know,check out great things LLC we
offer those services. But findsomeone who's done it find
someone who you trust and makesure you resonate with them that
they have the same vibe, theenergetic and they get your
bigger picture, because anyonecan do a business plan. A lot of
(29:26):
people can do spiritual in theWhoo. But finding the balance
and bringing both into Grationbecause we're not all living in
a monastery or we're not allisolated in an office building.
We have a best or we have a vastnetwork. And we're a lot of
things so find the coach get thehelp you need. And, you know in
(29:47):
trust, just trust and pull thetrigger. So thank you for
listening. Stay tuned. We'regoing to continue more podcasts
and we're going to be bringingin some really great guests as
we have in the past. People thatare doing amazing Using things
in business, creating success inlife, finding their passion, and
really, really living anauthentic life. Stay tuned and
(30:10):
we'll see you again thank youfor watching. If you liked what
you saw, be sure to hit thatlike and subscribe button right
now. Stay tuned and check outthe channel for other
interesting and informativevideos.
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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!