Olivia Buehler is a recent University of Evansville graduate and will soon return to campus for PA school. Until then, her gap semester has been filled with a coffee shop job, family, and traveling. She is also (surprise, surprise) an avid supporter of Young Life and a two-time summer intern at Young Life's Clearwater Cove. After working togeether at a Young Life camp for less than a week a few summers ago, Olivia has continually been an incredible friend to me despite the distance and time, and getting to sit down with her for a conversation was a pure delight.

Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome & meeting Olivia
02:11 Why Olivia chose PA school
03:46 Gap semester!
09:07 Returning to routine after camp
10:45 What intentional friendship looks like
21:29 Understanding fear of rejection & meeting new people
30:47 Being less performative
33:25 Holding plans loosely & trusting the God of the Bible
38:42 Life after camp
44:14 Faith beyond ministry
51:43 What Luke learned about Olivia
55:24 “Bugattis” explained
62:33 Closing thoughts

Coming from Cypress, Texas, Olivia is another co-leader of mine on the Young Life College team at the University of Arkansas. She is on staff as a Student with Young Life and has a huge heart for the adoption and foster care systems, pursuing her passions through her social work major.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome & Olivia’s introduction
00:34 Faith, family, and favorite books
01:50 Growing up near Houston
03:15 Galveston stories and beach trips
05:26 College, Arkansas, and finding her path
08:13 Foster care, adoption, and social work
14:18 Why Olivia joined student staff
18:11 Senior-year hopes and what’s ahead
18:43 Guest nominations & closing conversation

01:25 — Meet Evie: Memphis, family, and Young Life

01:59 — What Young Life College looks like

05:05 — The weight of discipling peers

06:56 — Why Arkansas—and how all roads led back to Young Life

10:11 — Lost Canyon and learning to lead

14:53 — Growing in love for peer-to-peer ministry

27:34 — Truth vs. our experiences...

30:13 — Evie’s story of faith and loss

42:47 — Closing thoughts and final reflections

Luke Barlow is a Young Adult pastor and staff member at Fellowship Bible Church in Fayetteville, AR. The reason I'm living where I'm living, Luke dispenses some wisdom that I found wonderfully impactful. We discuss the Gospel and sharing it, living for Christ alone, and much, much more!

Timestamps:

0:00 — Meeting Luke Barlow and the roommate story

12:01 — Church leadership, trust, and church hurt

19:48 — How to explain the gospel to someone new to faith

38:56 — Grace, freedom, and the pressure to perform

46:28 — Why the resurrection changes everything

53:59 — Sin, death, and the renewal of creation

57:56 — Heaven and earth: God dwelling with his people

63:06 — The gospel as a story, not just a set of facts

70:23 — Christ as the real treasure for young adults

78:09 — A practical approach to memorizing Scripture

Lainey joins me today to share about her life and navigating college/young adulthood. A nursing student at the University of Arkansas, Lainey is in love with Jesus and deeply passionate about her field. Join me in learning how Lainey operates, what she delights in, and what she struggles with as she tells us more.

Timestamps

00:00 — Meeting Lainey and kicking off the conversation

02:45 — High school, college expectations, and navigating a hard transition

09:48 — Advice for freshmen: building community and not comparing your path

17:56 — Discovering nursing and finding a meaningful career direction

22:44 — Decision-making, uncertainty, and the “lost in the woods” analogy

27:19 — Friendship, self-awareness, and learning to be yourself around people

50:38 — Serving others, being interruptible, and choosing kindness

52:53 — Vulnerability, shame, and why honest community matters

67:44 — Grace, accountability, faith, and what it means to live from identity

83:01 — The Holy Spirit, salvation, heaven, and renewing your mind

AI can make mistakes. Always check for

Graham Archer is a freshman at the University of Arkansas and is incredibly excited to hit the ground running on campus this fall. From being raised at Young Life camps as a staff person's son to falling in love with writing and playing music, Graham and I discuss school, faith, and the importance of anchoring your identity in something that will stand the test of time.

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro, campus life, and why Graham came to Arkansas
(07:27) Young Life background and calling toward staff
(11:28) Camp memories, work crew, and serving others
(17:36) What Young Life is and how club works
(20:26) Capernaum, dignity, and treating people well
(32:23) Music beginnings and learning to sing
(39:01) Art, attention, and identity
(50:07) Worship, songwriting, and Graham’s music
(62:45) Passion, money, and holding life loosely
(76:58) School year goals, guest nominations, and closing

The first of (hopefully) many guests and episodes on TMM. Micah is a hometown school friend who is currently pursuing a career as an athletic trainer through the University of Kentucky's master's program. Micah is an avid runner, Star Wars fan, movie enthusiast, longtime personal friend, and overall perfect guest to kick off whatever this podcast becomes.

Timestamps

00:00 — Welcome & guest introduction

04:29 — Why this podcast exists

12:38 — The weekend in Arkansas

17:28 — Trail racing

26:40 — Worship, faith & what matters

43:23 — Future guests & closing