What do a broken Volkswagen in Paris, a delayed flight, and learning someone’s name have in common?

More than you might think.

In this episode of Shut Up & Love Your Neighbor, Dave sits down with his friend Jon Ackerman to talk about the small moments that help people feel seen in a world that often moves too fast.

What starts with travel chaos and a story about push-starting a 1971 Volkswagen Beetle in Paris eventually turns into a deeper conversation about intentional kindness, authenticity, and the power of simply noticing people.

They explore why learning someone’s name matters, why most people just want to feel acknowledged, and how small acts of attention can create meaningful connection.

Because sometimes loving your neighbor doesn’t start with something big.

Sometimes it starts with something simple.

A conversation.
A thank you.
Or remembering someone’s name.

Shut Up & Love Your Neighbor is a weekly conversation about listening better, slowing down, and loving the people right in front of us. In a world that rewards volume and certainty, this podcast explores presence over performance, curiosity over commentary, and connection over division.

Each episode features honest reflections on real-life moments — the things seen, heard, and experienced in everyday life — followed by unscripted conversations with rotating guest hosts who come ready with real questions. Sometimes we laugh. Sometimes we sit in tension. Occasionally there’s a little brown water involved. But always, the goal is the same: to practice being more human with one another.

This isn’t a show about having all the answers. It’s about asking better questions. It’s about listening longer than feels comfortable. It’s about choosing kindness in small moments that often go unnoticed.

If you’re looking for perfection, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for thoughtful conversation about relationships, empathy, faith, leadership, and community — welcome.

Shut up a little more than usual.

Love your neighbor — the one right in front of you.