For anyone who has been told you should be grateful at exactly the wrong time, this episode is for you! For anyone tired of living a fear-driven life, this is the place! Could gratitude be the secret to lasting happiness, a gateway drug to growth? While Jordan and J.T. aren't making any promises, they are more than willing to flesh out the magnitude of gratitude. Join the conversation to discover:

- Gratitude is not about ignoring challenges but reorganizing the good

- Does gratitude come from the brain or the heart? Or both?

- Acknowledgment, respect, and a desire to understand: the foundation of giving a damn

- How do you practice gratitude without gaslighting your pain?

- The healing power of giving a hoot

- How a gratitude practice can enhance perspective

- Appreciating the specific, no gratitude is small

- Gratitude is emotional: notice and name what you feel

- Performative gratitude, toxic politeness, and gratitude as an act of rebellion

SHOW NOTE to make you go WOW: After he led the massive 2014 Venezuelan protests that swept the nation, opposition leader Leopoldo López was sentenced to more than a decade of solitary confinement in a military prison. His story is one of astonishing mental resilience, the strength of the human spirit, and the power of gratitude.

If you have an inquiry or topic you’d like Jordan and J.T. to dig into, please send an email or voice memo to letsdigintothat@gmail.com

Enjoy the conversation? It would mean the world if you had a second to SHARE this episode - or your favorite episode! If you haven't already, please SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on the homepage www.letsdigintothat.com or wherever you find your podcasts. THANK YOU, Love Ninjas! The impact of your support is greater than you can imagine.

S3. E2: Near Enemy: It's Not What You Think... It's Scarier

Whoa! If you are unfamiliar with the concept of near enemies, you are not alone. Dr. Brené Brown strikes again! With a dose of Buddhist philosophy and Jordan and J.T.'s boundless curiosity, prepare to discover how these imposters can sabotage our goals.

- Near enemies: subtle concepts that feel so close to our aim or goal that we may not recognize them as enemies. Near enemies make us think we are achieving what we hope to achieve, but in reality, they hinder our growth.

- The importance of discernment: how we fool ourselves into thinking we're close when things are actually unraveling.

- Examples: A near enemy of compassion is pity. Connection's near enemy is control. For love, it's attachment. Mindfulness can appear dangerously similar to complacency.

- The Four Immeasurables or Divine Abodes: a set of four Buddhist spiritual practices focused on cultivating positive mental states. These practices include loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.

- What it means to rise up to compassion.

- How pity can be poisonous, and sameness can destroy

- Common humanity: what a novel idea!

- How the nuances of near enemies can lead to feeling wholehearted or brokenhearted.

- Equanimity vs indifference: #lifegoals

SPECIAL SHOUT OUTS of Notable Significance: Christopher Germer, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and Lecturer on Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, specializing in mindfulness and compassion-based psychotherapy. Dr. Germer and the infinitely inspiring Dr. Brené Brown motivated this curious dig into human behavior. Thank you, thank you!

If you have an inquiry or topic you’d like Jordan and J.T. to dig into, please send an email or voice memo to letsdigintothat@gmail.com

Enjoy the conversation? It would mean the world if you had a second to SHARE this episode - or your favorite episode! If you haven't already, please SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on the homepage www.letsdigintothat.com or wherever you find your podcasts. THANK YOU, Love Ninjas! The impact of your support is greater than you can imagine.

S3 Ep1: Spite: The Power to Motivate or Muck It All Up

The petty desire to hurt, annoy, or offend someone else - spite is uniquely human. While spite is often considered vengeful, malicious, and desperate, if harnessed correctly, spite can also be one hell of a motivator.

Join Jordan & J.T. as they explore the power of spite from social justice and spite architecture to karma and the influence of the revenge body. In this episode, discover:

- The distinction between healthy motivation and spiteful revenge

- Motivating functions of spite: overcoming doubt and achieving goals

- Whether spite is the path to petty or power

- Guilt by association and appealing to spite

- Spite as a form of selfish punishment (to cut off the nose to spite the face)

- Resentment, anger, and negative outcomes

If you have an inquiry or topic you’d like Jordan and J.T. to dig into, please send an email or voice memo to letsdigintothat@gmail.com

Enjoy the conversation? It would mean the world if you had a second to SHARE this episode - or your favorite episode! If you haven't already, please SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on the homepage www.letsdigintothat.com or wherever you find your podcasts. THANK YOU, Love Ninjas! The impact of your support is greater than you can imagine.

Jordan and J.T. wrap up Season 2 talking TRAVEL! Forty episodes of Let's Dig into That...so it's about damn time!

From a relaxing reset to extreme adventure, travel can heal and transform. Travel can also threaten your bank account, your relationship, and your intestines. Jordan and J.T. explore the unexpected benefits of stepping out of our routine and practicing flexibility on the go. Join the conversation to discover:

- Why people don't travel and why it's worth reconsidering

- What it means to prioritize intentional living

- The power of a perspective shift

- Benefits and challenges of leaping out of our comfort zone

- Sympathy and Empathy: what changes with lived experience

- Adventure advocates reframe stress in terms of growth and value

- How travel can redefine 'home'

- What the heart wants: familiar cabin, repeat road trip, beach, city, woods

- The importance of community; what we have in common

- Misconceptions, myths, and other excuses

- Safety, fear, and money: the fun stuff

- Exploring the takeaways of travel

Season 3 promises to be spicy, enticing, packed with vulnerability and inspiring interviews. Don't miss an over-share. Jordan and J.T. return mid-April. THANK YOU for the magnificent first forty!

If you have an inquiry or topic you’d like Jordan and J.T. to dig into, please send an email or voice memo to letsdigintothat@gmail.com

Enjoy the conversation? It would be a dream come true if you had a second to SHARE this episode - or your favorite episode! If you haven't already, please SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on the homepage at www.letsdigintothat.com or wherever you find your podcasts. THANK YOU, Love Ninjas! Your support means more than you can imagine.

From trust in relation to self-love to building trust within a group, Jordan and J.T. break down the T-word to better understand what happens when we risk sharing something important, making ourselves vulnerable to someone else's actions. In this episode, discover:

- Are some people more naturally inclined to trust?

- Human disposition toward trust: the duality of trust and fear

- Dr. Brené Brown's Anatomy of Trust on BRAVING connection: Boundaries, Reliability, Accountability, Vault, Integrity, Non-judgment, Generosity

- Competence and Integrity: breaches of trust and the inverse diagnostics

- Repairing trust (two-sided decision) versus forgiveness (a choice to let go, move forward)

- Fundamental Attribution Error: a cognitive bias where people tend to overemphasize personality traits and underemphasize situational factors when explaining others' behavior while also attributing their own actions to external circumstances

- Agency and trust: I want to think the best of others

- The importance of psychological safety: opportunity for mistakes to lead to growth

- Counterfeit trust: common enemy intimacy

- Foreclosing on trust and the value of sincerity

“I don't trust people who don't love themselves and tell me, 'I love you.' ... There is an African saying which is: Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt.” ― Maya Angelou

Literary Shout Out: Charles Feltman, The Thin Book of Trust, Third Edition: An Essential Primer for Building Trust at Work (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2024)

If you have an inquiry or topic you’d like Jordan and J.T. to dig into, please send an email or voice memo to letsdigintothat@gmail.com

Enjoy the conversation? It would mean the world if you had a second to SHARE this episode - or your favorite episode! If you haven't already, please SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on the homepage www.letsdigintothat.com or wherever you find your podcasts. THANK YOU, Love Ninjas! The impact is greater than you can imagine.

Sure, we've heard nobody’s perfect, but what if we stopped seeing our flaws as roadblocks and started seeing them as our edge? Jordan and J.T. explore the idea that perceived weaknesses often evolve into strengths. What if we all started feeling flawed and fabulous?

Join Jordan and J.T. as they dig in to discover:

- Why markers and metrics don't tell the whole story

- How recognizing unconventional gifts in young people can have a long-term impact

- When a perceived imperfection propels us forward

- What can we learn from the kids? Be bold, confident, accountable

- Strengths outside the social norm: pushback on unconventional life paths

- ADMIRE OUT LOUD! When we notice courage, problem-solving capabilities, inclusion, bravery, say something! Praise in public.

**If you have a perceived flaw that rocked your world or became your reason, or an experience when imperfection led to greatness, please let us know! Comment on Instagram, Facebook, or email letsdigintothat@gmail.com

Enjoy the conversation? It would mean so much if you had a second to SHARE this episode - or your favorite episode! If you haven't already, please SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on the homepage www.letsdigintothat.com or wherever you find your podcasts. THANK YOU, Love Ninjas! The impact is more meaningful than you can imagine.

Love Ninjas, please welcome our SPECIAL GUEST, Jordan's adult bestie: Rachel Steiker, better known as STEIK!

Rachel and Jordan have been through some stuff - some big stuff. From meeting in the dorms as college freshman - Jordan with her DIY perm and Steik sporting an eyebrow ring - to IVF injections in the California desert, twenty-three years is a long time to actively, intentionally, truthfully friend.

J.T. is curious about what makes female friendships such a force: the effort, understanding, and compassion required to evolve alongside a real friend, the seasons of female friendship, and the tough conversations he's convinced most dudes don't have. Is J.T. a teensy jealous of Jordan's Life Wife? Join the conversation to discover:

- Female Friendships: Is there a more steadfast bond?

- Real friends call you on your shit

- What makes a good friend? Maintenance, boundaries, mutual respect, and ...

- Why showing up when it's inconvenient or unnecessary can mean the most

- Accountability: uncomfortable truths and healing

- Friendship through major life events: from alcoholism to motherhood

- Setting an example for the next generation

- Friendship and community: balance, belonging, safety in numbers

- Steik and Jordan's love language: SNACKS...and walks... Ok, planning vacations while walking toward snacks.

About RFS:

Rachel F. Steiker is the Managing Director at codelab303 in Boulder, Colorado. She is a leader in digital production and custom software management. After graduating from the University of Missouri—Columbia with a degree in Journalism, Steiker was brave enough to live with Jordan in their first adult apartment. An avid truth-telling traveler, adventurous advocate, and badass bestie, Steiker now resides with her own non-drinking, tattooed dude and their two brave, beautiful dirt-bike-riding daughters. (Her husband has asked we not mention the cat, Mochi. They're in a whole thing.)

If you have an inquiry or topic you’d like Jordan and J.T. to dig into, please send an email or voice memo to letsdigintothat@gmail.com

Enjoy the conversation? It would mean so much if you had a second to SHARE this episode - or your favorite episode! If you haven't already, please SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on the homepage www.letsdigintothat.com or wherever you find your podcasts. THANK YOU, Love Ninjas! The impact is more meaningful than you can imagine.

Big topic. Tiny couch. Change is tricky. From a change in dinner plans to a systemic overhaul, we cannot escape the inevitability of change. Jordan and J.T. want to improve their adaptability skills and, if possible, their emotional reactions. Can we ever adjust to the tension between comfort and growth? Join the conversation to uncover how change might be opportunity playing hard to get.

- Fear, anxiety, your stomach drop out? How a little puke could be a sign of potential

- Create opportunities to tiptoe out of your comfort zone: how intentional discomfort can improve our ability to manage change

- Resistance as an opportunity to reflect: identifying feelings and emotions BECAUSE of their energy

- Self-awareness: why everyone should have a Feelings Wheel

- How to improve our change mindset with practice

- Opportunities to make change work for you rather than against: visualizing scenarios

- Power of the Pause: before we react, use emotional power to take control of our journey with change (they call this adaptability!)

- The FRACTAL theory of change: to change the world, change yourself. Patterns scale upward and downward. The micro reflects the macro; the macro reflects the micro

- Encouraging individual action and agency: Be the change you want to see in the world - Mahatma Gandhi

NOTE on Cassandra Worthy: Jordan mispronounced her name and was compelled to send an apology letter. Enamored with Cassandra's empowering perspective and invaluable insight, join Jordan and J.T. for their NEXT READ:

Cassandra Worthy, Change Enthusiasm: How to Harness the Power of Emotion for Leadership and Success (Hay House Business, 2021)

If you have an inquiry or topic you’d like Jordan and J.T. to dig into, please send an email or voice memo to letsdigintothat@gmail.com

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