Allow me to be the most inhospitable podcast host ever and invite you to make yourself uncomfortable. I do so with love and in service of your individual good, and our collective good.

Life is messy. Life can feel tough. It’s complex and nuanced and uncertain, just like us humans. When we rush to restore comfort, we weaken ourselves, limit ourselves, and invite trouble. What kind of trouble? In what small/big ways are we denying ourselves a full, rich, fulfilling life? How are you possibly contributing to your problems and our problems? What are our possible blind spots? How can we lean into discomfort? Why is it good for us? What are you missing out on? I answer all of these questions in this short, micro episode. You might know some answers, you might be surprised by some answers. Only one way to find out… Listen if you want to be the best you can be.

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: connection is key. It’s why I constantly pose the questions I do: on here, on social media, in person. Even my Would You Rather Wednesday questions (I post weekly on my Instagram and Facebook stories) have purpose. Sure, part of it is just to have fun, but the larger part is to connect you to yourself. To deepen your awareness of yourself. To assess and realize your views, to facilitate your familiarity with your fears, your values, your hopes, your possible blind spots, your biases, your…everything that makes you you.

We’ve heard it before: changing the world starts within, with us individually.

In this episode, I talk about how connecting first to ourselves, and then to others:

• heightens our happiness and sense of meaning and fulfillment

• strengthens our relationships

• nurtures our understanding of self and others

• lengthens our lives (it’s science, baby)

• clears the layers blocking connection to others

• lessens divides

• facilitates solutions

• informs choices

• improves, you know…EVERYTHING

I offer questions to ask yourself to gauge how connected you are to yourself. I give guidance on how to [further] connect to yourself, so you can show up authentically, as well as suggestions on how to connect to others. I get personal about times I’ve felt disconnected and how that’s impacted my life and relationship.

So instead of go fight win, the new slogan is GO CONNECT WIN.

Find me on Instagram @the_nativist

Love you. Mean it.

-w-

Like Salt ’n’ Pepa said, they’re like assholes and everyone has one

It’s true: we all have them. There’s nothing wrong with having them, but it does become problematic when you don’t recognize them for what they are: your opinion.

In this solo episode that’s ever relevant in this increasingly polarized environment, I clarify what an opinion is and isn’t; I discuss what drives opinions and how to change them…and release the need to change them; I cover addressing misperceptions; I remark on respecting, asserting, and receiving opinions; I touch on differentiating among our individual realities; and I offer guidance on striking the balance between speaking your truth and considering others’.

A major reason why I ask so many questions: on here, on social media, in life is to learn and share new perspectives and different angles; to open eyes, hearts, and minds; to learn from each other; and to connect to ourselves and others.

Opinions are valuable, but they’re not universal.

Let’s remember: the world is changed by what we do, not by what we think.