Chasing Joy

In Episode 34, the Chasing Joy crew sits down with licensed marriage and family therapist and Marine Corps veteran George Meier for a raw and honest conversation about healing, identity, and self-forgiveness.George opens up about serving in Fallujah, working with veterans and first responders, and the hidden weight of being both therapist and patient. He shares candidly about PTSD, imposter syndrome, taking stress leave when he felt himself slipping, and the constant internal voice of “you’re not enough.”The conversation explores what it means to outgrow former versions of yourself… how suffering shapes growth… why commonality may be the antidote to division… and how mindfulness, curiosity, and even skipping down a hallway can help regulate overwhelming emotion.This episode is about breaking cycles, becoming the parent you needed, and learning to extend compassion to yourself... even when it’s easier to give it to everyone else.Honest. Vulnerable. Human.Chasing after that Joy.

What would you do if you lost everything overnight?When wildfire destroyed Marko DeSantis’ home — along with decades of music history, rare memorabilia, journals, and family heirlooms — he was forced to confront a brutal question: Is your identity tied to what you own?Marko (Sugarcult, The Ataris, Nerf Herder) opens up about the night his house burned down, the viral image of his wife’s recovered engagement ring, and the surprising clarity that followed.This is a conversation about:• Letting go• Living forward• Memory vs. material• Rebuilding with intention• And finding growth in fireSometimes what feels like destruction… is the opening of a pine cone.

Welcome back to Chasing Joy… where curiosity, creativity, and real life collide.In this episode, Spencer, Bryan, and Wayne are joined by Joel Miller, author, lifelong rock roadie, and host of the Party Like a Rock Star podcast, for a conversation that completely flips the narrative on social media.If you’ve listened to the show before, you know Spencer is famously skeptical of social media and the chaos it brings. This time, the tables turn. Joel is living proof that social platforms can actually be used for something better… connection, encouragement, and creative joy.Joel shares stories from his years on the road with legendary acts like Stone Temple Pilots and Ozzy Osbourne, and how those experiences shaped his voice, perspective, and sense of purpose. From backstage chaos to viral reaction videos watched by over a million people each month, Joel breaks down what it really takes to build an audience without losing your soul.Along the way, the conversation dives into creativity, humor, loss, resilience, and why purpose matters more than popularity. There are laughs, unexpected insights, and a few moments that might make you rethink how you show up online… and offline.Whether you love social media, hate it, or feel stuck somewhere in between, this episode is a reminder that joy can still be shared loudly, generously, and authentically… even in the noisiest places.

In this new-year episode of Chasing Joy, the hosts move past the pressure of resolutions and into a deeper conversation about renewal, rebirth, and reinvention.Rather than treating change as something to fix or force, they explore the idea that transformation is already happening... constantly. Through humor, philosophy, and reflection, the conversation examines why resolutions often fail, how identity hardens over time, and what it means to shed the “armor” we’ve built just to survive.This episode invites listeners to reconsider growth not as a grand reset, but as a rhythm—one shaped by awareness, intention, and small daily practices that reconnect us to what’s underneath the noise. If the new year has you questioning who you are, who you’ve become, or what no longer fits, this conversation offers a grounded, human place to start.P.S. Bryan misatributed a saying from Heraclitus to Rene Decartes.

This episode of Chasing Joy is an invitation into a moment most of us recognize but rarely talk about.Spencer enters the conversation without a script, navigating what it feels like when certainty fades, plans unravel, and the version of yourself that “had it together” no longer fits. Instead of offering answers, he allows the questions to stay open… revealing something quieter, more honest, and human.For first-time listeners, this episode works as a standalone reflection on identity, pressure, and what we discover about ourselves when we stop performing and start paying attention. There’s humor here, vulnerability, and the kind of clarity that only shows up when someone is willing to sit with discomfort instead of rushing past it.You don’t need to know Spencer to recognize yourself in this conversation.You just need to be curious about what happens when you slow down long enough to listen.

In this episode of Chasing Joy, Wayne explores why uncertainty triggers anxiety, how our nervous systems pull us into autopilot, and why learning to pause is often the first step toward better choices. Through a grounded conversation about breath, awareness, and attention, the episode looks at how presence follows pause… and how that presence gives us access to more thoughtful, intentional responses.This episode offers a practical reflection on stress, decision-making, and discovering joy not by controlling life, but by meeting it with clarity and awareness.

In Episode 27 of Chasing Joy, Spencer and Wayne turn the spotlight on their own co-host, Bryan Flores, kicking off a run of episodes where the hosts stop pretending they’re neutral observers and start telling their own stories.Bryan talks about growing up between worlds, learning early that nothing stays the same, and why uncertainty isn’t something to conquer—it’s something to learn how to surf. The conversation bounces from flow states and surrender to systems, success, and the quiet realization that “making it” doesn’t always feel the way you thought it would.Along the way, there are laughs, long friendships, backyard epiphanies, questionable road-trip decisions, and at least one story involving saving a naked guy from freezing to death. Because of course there is.Less advice. More honesty.This is Chasing Joy… with the hosts finally chasing their own origin stories.

Comedian, musician, and creator Eric Schwartz joins Spencer, Bryan, and Wayne for a candid and hilarious conversation about what it actually takes to live a life built on laughter. From early creative impulses to the pressure of performance, Eric shares how joy shows up in his work—and how he protects it in the grind of a nonstop career.Together, the group explores creativity, ego, vulnerability, the psychology behind humor, and why comedians often understand joy (and suffering) on a deeper level than most. This episode is packed with laughter, real talk, unexpected insights, and a refreshing look at how joy is both crafted and discovered.A must-listen for creatives, performers, and anyone trying to navigate their own inner critic on the path to fulfillment.