In this episode, I use Plato’s cave to look at the stories we carry about who we are. We talk about why meditation can feel uncomfortable, how our beliefs shape our decisions, and what happens when we realize we can change.

One of my students asked what to do with the years spent believing something that wasn’t true. That question gets at something I think a lot of us struggle with: how to hold the lesson without treating the time as wasted.

What comes up for you when you sit still long enough to listen?

In this episode, I explore the story of the Chinese farmer and why we’re so quick to label what happens to us as success, failure, good luck or bad luck.

I share how my experience in the fire service shaped the work I do today, and how reaching a business goal I’d spent years pursuing gave me a life I didn’t actually want.

We talk about the need for certainty, the pressure to put a positive spin on painful experiences, and how to take the next useful step when you don’t know what comes next.

What’s one chapter of your life you might be judging before it’s finished?

In this episode of Project RECLAIM, we explore why a fresh start can feel so appealing, and how perfection can keep us dismantling work that still matters. Through the story of a man who never finishes his boat, we look at the difference between fixing a problem and turning it into a judgment about who we are.

We talk about flexible consistency, honest adjustments, and learning to return after an interruption. We also consider when changing course is the responsible choice, and how to take a useful next step with the time and energy we actually have.

What is one thing in your life that needs a repair rather than another beginning?

In this episode, we explore how being dependable can become the way we earn our place in a relationship. We talk about the difference between being appreciated and being known, and why disappointing someone can feel harder than acknowledging what we need.

Being of service matters. So does having enough left to keep showing up. This conversation looks at honest limits, the discomfort that comes with saying no, and making room for ourselves among the people worth caring for.

Where have we been saying “it’s no problem” when it actually is?

In this episode of Project RECLAIM, we explore the Buddhist teaching of the two arrows and the suffering we add through self judgment, replaying the past, and turning mistakes into statements about who we are. We look at how to separate facts from the stories we create, hold ourselves accountable with compassion, and choose a useful response.

When you notice yourself reaching for that second arrow, what would help you put it down?

Then I started noticing the time, health, relationships, and peace I was giving up to get it.

In this episode, I talk through four types of wealth: financial, time, physical, and relational.

I share how my own definition of success has changed, why buying back your time later can be a risky plan, and what it means to have a body and relationships that let you enjoy the life you’re building.

I also look at the trades we make between those four areas and how a temporary sacrifice can quietly become a way of life.

The point is to understand what you’re spending to get what you want, and whether the trade still makes sense.

Where are you wealthy right now, and where are you going broke?

In this episode, I talk about what happens when effort turns into force. I share what martial arts taught me about unnecessary tension, a story from Alan Watts about holding on too tightly, and why happiness and creativity often show up when we give them some room.

I also talk through three questions that can help you figure out whether to keep pushing or loosen your grip.

Where in your life are you trying so hard to make something happen that you might be getting in its way?

In this episode, we explore the Buddhist parable of the raft and how the habits, beliefs, identities, and coping mechanisms that helped us through one chapter can become baggage in the next.

Sometimes growth isn’t about adding something new.

It’s recognizing what you no longer need to carry.

The raft wasn’t the problem.

Refusing to put it down was.

When I lose the weight. When I make more money. When the business takes off. When I find the right person.

When I finally get the house, the freedom, the life I’ve been working toward.

But what happens when you actually get there… and you still feel exactly like you?

So let's talk about the arrival fallacy: the belief that happiness is waiting for us at some future destination.

Because if we’re constantly waiting to arrive before we allow ourselves to enjoy your life, there’s a good chance we’ll spend our entire life chasing a finish line that keeps moving.