How did a twenty-two-year-old from Spanish Fork, Utah, with no experience in Buddhism or meditation, end up walking across the country with Buddhist monks?

And what was happening inside him while millions of people watched from a distance?

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In Part One of this special interview on the Greater Peace Podcast, Amy and Ryan sit down with Jesse—the young man many people came to recognize walking behind the monks during the historic Walk for Peace from Texas to Washington, D.C.

For the first time, Jesse shares the deeply personal story behind his unexpected journey. After years of struggling with what he describes as darkness, he sold nearly everything he owned, left Utah, and set out alone in search of answers. When changing his surroundings failed to change what was happening within him, his search for inner peace led him to the Hương Đạo Temple in Fort Worth—and to an invitation that would alter the course of his life.

Together, they explore:

• Why Jesse left his home, possessions, family, and familiar life behind
• His attempt to replace internal suffering with physical challenges and uncertainty
• What happened when leaving Utah failed to quiet the darkness in his mind
• Why a Buddhist nun warned him against meditating alone in the desert
• How a fifteen-minute conversation led to an invitation to join the Walk for Peace
• The culture shock and loneliness he experienced after arriving at the temple
• What it was like to begin walking without understanding Buddhism or knowing how to meditate
• The intense physical pain and mental struggle of his first days on the road
• The moment he finally found his breath—and briefly found himself beneath the noise
• How suffering alongside the monks created a powerful bond that did not require words

Jesse speaks honestly about the difference between how the experience appeared online and what he was privately enduring. While others saw a young man participating in an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime adventure, Jesse was searching for hope, struggling to understand his own mind, and discovering that meditation would not remove his pain—but could make it bearable.

If you have ever believed that changing your circumstances would finally make you feel whole, struggled to be alone with your thoughts, or wondered whether peace is possible while darkness remains, Jesse’s story offers an honest reminder that transformation does not always arrive as a sudden cure.

Sometimes it begins with one breath, one step, and the willingness to keep going.

Listen now to Part One of Jesse’s story, then return next Wednesday as the conversation continues with the accident that changed the course of his journey.

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*Dive deeper with the full Conversation Episode that will be posted on Wednesday!*

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What if the path toward peace begins by offering yourself compassion in the middle of what feels heavy?

In this special episode of the Greater Peace Podcast, Amy introduces Jesse—the young man many people came to recognize walking behind the Buddhist monks during the historic Walk for Peace from Texas to Washington, D.C.

At twenty-one years old, Jesse sold nearly everything he owned and set out in search of direction. With no previous experience with Buddhism or meditation, his journey unexpectedly led him to the Hương Đạo Temple in Fort Worth just one week before the monks departed. Soon afterward, he found himself walking alongside them, learning to meditate while privately carrying struggles he describes as darkness.

Before Jesse shares his story, Amy leads a short meditation for anyone feeling overwhelmed by personal pain, difficult events, or the heaviness of the world. Through mindful breathing and the simple act of holding yourself in a compassionate embrace, you’ll be invited to offer love, comfort, and gentleness to the parts of you that are hurting.

This isn’t about pretending everything is okay. It’s about recognizing the burdens you carry without adding judgment or negative self-talk—and remembering that your worth and value remain absolute, even during your hardest moments.

Then, join us on Wednesday for part one of Amy and Ryan’s interview with Jesse as he publicly shares his full story for the first time. He’ll talk about leaving home in search of answers, unexpectedly joining the Walk for Peace, struggling to be alone with his thoughts, learning meditation from the monks, and surviving the accident that left him with lasting injuries.

If this meditation resonates with you, return to it whenever life feels especially heavy. Wrap your arms around yourself, breathe, and remember that offering yourself compassion is not silly or insignificant. It can be the beginning of changing how you see yourself—and how you meet the pain of others.

May you be well, happy, and peaceful.

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*This Conversation is a deeper dive on the Companion Meditation Episode!*

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Why do boundaries sometimes feel like rules designed to control other people?

What if healthy boundaries are really about taking responsibility for what you choose to participate in?

In this episode of the Greater Peace Podcast, Amy and Ryan explore what boundaries actually are, why they are often misunderstood, and how setting them with clarity and compassion can protect your peace while strengthening your relationships.

Together, they explore:

• The important difference between a boundary and a rule
• Why boundaries focus on your own choices rather than controlling someone else
• How people-pleasing and fear of conflict can make it difficult to stand up for yourself
• The four levels of sharing and how to decide who can safely hold different parts of your story
• Why someone’s role in your life does not automatically make them a safe person for your deepest vulnerability
• A simple three-step method for clearly communicating a boundary
• The difference between a natural consequence and a punishment
• How boundaries differ from avoidance, manipulation, and stonewalling
• Why recurring relationship problems require us to examine our own participation in the pattern

Amy also shares a practical exercise for mapping the people in your life according to the level of sharing each relationship can safely support. Moving someone to a different level does not have to be a rejection or punishment—it may be the adjustment that finally allows the relationship to become peaceful.

If you have ever overshared and regretted it, remained silent to avoid conflict, or felt resentful because someone repeatedly treated you in a way you did not want, this conversation offers practical tools for changing the pattern without trying to control the other person.

Boundaries are not about building walls around yourself.

They are about deciding what you will participate in, communicating that decision with compassion, and taking responsibility for what you do next.

Listen now and learn how healthy boundaries can help you protect your peace, strengthen your relationships, and live with greater self-respect.

*Subscribe to the Greater Peace Podcast for new episodes every Monday and Wednesday.*

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