Why are toddlers afraid of the dark? Why do they think there are monsters under the bed? In this episode, I break down the brain science behind toddler fear, including how the amygdala “coming online” triggers imagination, anxiety, and nighttime panic.

I also explore the surprising connection between toddler tantrums and adult emotional meltdowns, and why both come back to the same neurological systems.

Then we dive into what Inside Out 2 teaches us about emotional regulation, identity, and the idea that we are not our emotions—a concept that matters for kids and adults.

Finally, I ask a question so many people avoid: Are “thoughts and prayers” actually meaningless, or is there real psychological impact behind offering support?

Perfect for listeners interested in parenting, psychology, childhood development, emotional intelligence, and how the brain shapes behavior at every age.

In this episode, I dive into the messy, beautiful question of how we decide what’s right and wrong—and why sometimes the hero is the villain of their own story. I talk about my love-hate relationship with Christmas—how obligation can drain the magic out of it, but somehow Christmas movies, my kids, and love always bring it back. It’s a conversation about morality, meaning, and finding light in the tension between what we should do and what we feel.

In this episode, I explore the question, “What day would I want to relive forever?” — inspired by Groundhog Day. While on a 5-day trip with one of my best friends, we talked about the meaning of moments that matter most. I share what it was like coming home to two sick kids and a sick wife, navigating that chaos as a parent for the first time, and the heartbreak of hearing my 2-year-old say, “No want Daddy.” I also dive into a deeper question: If a witch could show you how you die, would you look? A mix of reflection, humor, and vulnerability about parenthood, meaning, and being present.

Six-time national pole vault masters champion Lynn Larsen shares how she started vaulting at 50, became a national champion with both hands, and how the sport transformed her body, mind, and community.

We talk about how doctors told her to quit, what kept her going, and how pole vault became a form of therapy and belonging. Lynn also opens up about her life as a special education professor, and for the first time, I share my own story of being in special needs classes because of depression.

A conversation about resilience, growth, and the power of sport at any age.

A year after losing my dad, I’ve been reflecting on grief, loss, fatherhood, and the strange ways healing shows up. During my stay in a mental health hospital, I finally saw how much of our pain came from generational trauma — patterns passed down with love but carried with hurt. When we finally talked about it, we became closer than ever.

This episode is about running through grief, finding connection after loss, and learning how vulnerability can turn pain into peace. It’s a story about sunsets, forgiveness, and realizing that even when someone’s gone, the love doesn’t leave.

full video of my dad here

https://youtu.be/6sQ2Rm1r1dk?si=ZkWlPrl2_yJUFZsl

In this episode, we sit down with Glenn Colivas — a self-taught pole vaulter who trained his way from high school to the Olympic level, only to have his chance to compete taken away by a boycott. Glenn shares his journey through the highs and heartbreaks of chasing an Olympic dream, how he turned that loss into purpose, and what led him to build BAPVA — one of the best pole vault clubs in the world.

We also talk about the Robert Platt Memorial Meet, an event Glenn runs to honor one of his beloved athletes, Robert Platt, who passed away. The meet raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, continuing Robert’s passion for helping others and giving back through the sport he loved.

A story of resilience, legacy, and the power of community through pole vaulting.

Check out the meet and club https://bayareapolevaultacademy.com/

In this episode, I dive into how ChatGPT has unexpectedly played a role in improving my mental health — not by giving advice, but by recognizing patterns in my thoughts and questions over time. Through countless conversations, it picked up on something I hadn’t consciously realized: that I lean more toward absurdism than nihilism.

I talk about how I put it to the test — using personality frameworks and psychological prompts — just to see how accurately it could understand me. The results were fascinating, even a little eerie.

This episode explores where this kind of self-reflective AI interaction can be genuinely helpful — and where it starts to feel unsettling. Can AI help us understand ourselves better, or does it blur the line between self-awareness and algorithmic prediction?

If you’ve ever found yourself using AI to process your thoughts, explore philosophy, or question your own mind, this conversation will hit close to home.

Lately, I’ve been thinking again about how strange religion really is. No matter how deep the question goes, it always seems to end with “you just have to believe.” For someone who lives on reason and fact, that’s a hard pill to swallow.

In this episode, I talk about my struggle with faith and how I tend to bounce between nihilism and absurdism — one moment feeling like nothing matters, and the next trying to find peace in the chaos of it all.

But I also see the beauty in religion — the way it brings people together, gives them purpose, and inspires them to be better for themselves and their communities.

If you’ve ever questioned what you believe, wrestled with meaning, or just enjoy open conversations about faith, reason, philosophy, and spirituality, this one’s for you.

religion, faith, belief, reason, nihilism, absurdism, spirituality, philosophy podcast, existentialism, meaning of life