The Simple Talk with Wayne McCullough

Summary: Join us on a transformative journey as we welcome my dear friends Jarret Kovics and Michael Swail to explore the intricate balance of the 5F framework—family, friends, fitness, finances, and faith and its impact on our lives. Together, we share personal stories from ultramarathons to building businesses, emphasizing the power of supportive relationships and mental health. Michael opens up about his transition from investment banking to integrative wellness with Alive and Well, while I stress the importance of fostering deeply meaningful connections and shedding toxicity for a truly fulfilling existence. Listen in as we unpack our personal morning rituals and the profound effect they have on setting the tone for our day. From my sunrise-simulating Hatch alarm to Michael's devotional, cold showers, we each reveal how we intertwine wellness and productivity into our routines.Our discussion highlights the small yet significant habits, like three-minute cold showers, that can create powerful ripples throughout our day, and we emphasize the intention behind starting our mornings with practices that nourish both body and soul. Wrap up your listening experience with reflections on life's voyage, where we ponder the spontaneous thoughts and values that surface in moments of pressure. Acknowledging personal growth and the ability to express love more freely than in the past.

When life knocked Wayne’s daughter Amelia down as she faced disappointment, our family learned a powerful lesson about rising back up with grace. It's these moments of resilience that I'm eager to share with you. As we explore the significance of balancing the 'big five'—faith, family, friends, fitness, and finances. We're living in a world that's constantly testing our strength; from global pandemics to the everyday grind, it's crucial to find harmony and foster peace over conflict. Join us for a candid conversation on the vital role of play in managing stress, and the grounding effect of staying accountable, both to ourselves and to our listeners, through life's tumultuous journey.Links:https://open.spotify.com/episode/31qziZxRwdKx1KC8YYqfmj?si=a6X9IN1yRuG2BNxul9soWA&nd=1&dlsi=11182282549342dahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAFcHMidJj8&t=82s

Episode 16: Betsy Price: Every Heard Follows a Lead Steer. Faith, Fiscal Responsibility and Fighting for What is Right

For Tracy Walder, the easy path has never been an option. Raised in a family with generationsof military service, she understood from a young age the importance of giving back. In college,she studied history and took opportunities to gain experience as they came, but couldn’t quitefind the right fit for her skills. One day, she saw a recruiter for the CIA on her college campus.She handed in her resume and by the time she graduated, she had a job offer on the table. Thatdaring decision, made while she was still a student, ultimately shaped much of her professionalcareer.She spent the next several years working with the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center before movingon to the FBI, where she was a special agent focusing on Chinese Counterintelligenceoperations The hours were long and the work challenging. At some points along the way, sheexperienced adversity and harassment, but Walder persevered. On this week’s episode of TheSimple Talk, host Wayne McCullough speaks with Walder about the ups and downs and thenuggets of wisdom she’s learned along the way. The path might not be easy, but withconfidence and humility, you can put your knowledge and skills to work in service of a betterfuture.This Week’s Takeaways:-Be proactive about finding opportunities-Have confidence in yourself-Don’t leave situations without a reason-Push the boundaries of your comfort zone-Use your knowledge to give back to othersQuotes:“I believe fully that how men and women are treated really starts at the top.” -Tracy Walder“I was bullied.The amount of bullying that I faced was astronomical. … I spent a lot of my lifehating myself and not being very confident. So, I think at 16, I would have told myself to havemore confidence.” -Tracy Walder“Working out has always been my therapy. I think, from being at the FBI, I would just go oncrazy long runs by myself with no one else.” -Tracy Walder“The thing I always tell (my daughter) -- because this is what I always told myself -- is be brave.Be brave, be brave, be brave. That’s always my message to her.” -Tracy WalderContact:You can find out more about Tracy Walder online at https://www.tracywalder.com/. You can alsofollow her on Twitter @tracy_walder and Instagram @TheUnexpectedSpy. Be sure to check outher new book, The Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking DownSome of the World’s Most Notorious Terrorists, available online, in stores, and as an audiobook.Mentioned This Week:-Girl Security, a nonprofit dedicated to closing the gender gap in national security throughtraining and mentoring support for girls: https://www.girlsecurity.org/

Summary:Sometimes it takes a spiritual awakening to find the right path forward. This week, MichaelMolthan shares his story of addiction and recovery, from hitting rock bottom to pushing throughto the other side. In years past, Molthan was known as one of the preeminent luxury homebuilders in the country. But more than 25 years into his career, an addiction to drugs and alcoholled him on a downward spiral. He lost his marriage and relationships with family and friends.After 27 arrests and four years in prison, Molthan started to read a Bible he’d gotten from afellow inmate. That began his journey to recovery and to serving others first and foremost as aguiding principle in his life. Through service and a dedication to being present in the moment,Molthan found a way to freedom, both inside and out. He continues that work today, helping at arecovery facility and sharing what he’s learned in weekly social media talks to connect withothers looking for a light to shine the way.This Week’s Takeaways:-Learn the difference between shame and guilt-Be open to a spiritual awakening-Serve others with an open heart-Cherish the relationships you have with family-Welcome opportunities to learn and growQuotes:“When I look at my mugshots … the common denominator in every one of those mugshots wasspiritual bankruptcy. There was no God.” -Michael Molthan“I had this spiritual awakening like no other and I became free.” -Michael Molthan“I did not want to think about the future. I did not want to think about the past. I wanted to live inthe now because I was realizing the safest place is right here, right now, because that’s whereGod’s at.” -Michael Molthan“In order for God to set me free, I had to set everyone around me free. I had to set the peoplearound me free that were holding me hostage. The word forgiveness means so much to metoday.” -Michael Molthan“Guilt is an opportunity to do a moral inventory on my immoral behavior ... to look at what role Iplay in it and what I need to do to change the behavior and make it right.” -Michael MolthanContact:You can find out more about Michael Molthan and his work online athttps://www.m2therock.com/. There, you’ll also find links to his weekly talks on Facebook andYouTube about addiction, alcoholism, unmanageable habits, and recovery. If you are looking forrecovery resources on drug and alcohol addiction, process addictions, trauma, and more youcan find information at https://www.healingspringsranch.com/.Mentioned This Week:-Detours: The Unpredictable Path to Your Destiny by Tony Evans-”In the Know” with Brian Glenn

Summary:There’s a lesson that many people don’t learn until it’s too late: Keep your life straight. Thisweek on the Simple Talk podcast, the Honorable Allen B. Clark talks about the importance ofhaving thoughtful priorities and keeping all aspects of your life moving forward along a goodpath. Clark is a West Point graduate who volunteered for a tour in Vietnam as a militaryintelligence officer. Just weeks before his tour was set to be over, he sustained serious injuriesin a mortar attack. He ultimately lost both of his legs.Along with his physical injuries, Clark struggled emotionally with the new trajectory his life hadtaken. He’d planned on being a career officer and found himself having to envision a differentfuture. He went into business and then politics, working in state office and later, as apresidential nominee to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “The Lord didn’t promise us arose garden,” Clark says. You will encounter challenges and trials along the way. But bymaintaining a strong spiritual connection and keeping your life, family, and faith straight, hesays, you can reach your full potential.This Week’s Takeaways:-Forgive yourself for past mistakes-Never give up on your goals-Strive for heart knowledge, not just head knowledge-Don’t let ego dominate your actions-Practice good daily habits for a structured lifeQuotes:“To keep my life straight, I need to forgive all others all the time, no matter whether I want to ornot. I don’t need to harbor the resentment.” -Allen B. Clark“The Lord didn’t promise us a rose garden. … And the world is not a rose garden, by anystretch. You’re going to be beset and besieged — what I call tactical spiritual warfare on youindividually — to get at you, to tear you down, to bring stress into your life, to bring conflict intoyour life. So, you’ve got to keep yourself straight so the demon spirits tactically cannot get atyou.” -Allen B. Clark“If you don’t have your spiritual connection, nothing else matters.” -Allen B. Clark“Love your family first and foremost outside of the Lord. Be loyal to them, take care of them,love them.” -Allen B. Clark“Pay attention to friends. Take care of them, just like you want them to take care of you.Develop and encourage friendships.” - Allen B. Clark“It’s really painful if you have everything, and you don’t have anything.” -Wayne McCulloughContact:You can find out more about the Honorable Allen B. Clark’s work through Combat Faith athttp://www.combatfaith.com/. He’s also written three books, which are all available on Amazon:-Valor in Vietnam: Chronicles of Honor, Courage, and Sacrifice, 1963-1977-Soldiers’ Blood and Bloodied Money: Wars and the Ruling Elites-Wounded Soldier, Healing Warrior: A Personal Story of a Vietnam Veteran Who Lost His LegsBut Found His Soul

Summary:Your thoughts lead your actions. If your inner voice is stuck on a negative loop — like a brokentape — it’s hard to change your mental habits for the better. This week, author, coach, andpsychologist Dr. Julie Bell talks about the importance of mindset and how it can guide yourjourney in the right direction, or make you stray from the path. She shares stories from her ownlife about the challenges she’s overcome and what she learned to do differently along the way.One way we can work to improve our inner coach is to focus on how we got to where we are,rather than just the outcome itself. It’s important to acknowledge successes, of course, but it’seven more critical to celebrate what got us there. That gives us room to learn from our mistakesand really work to change our habits. It also takes the power back from the idea of perfection.There’s no such thing as perfect, Bell says. Whenever you reach a milestone, you realize youcan aim higher. But if you’re on the right path already, future goals will be attainable if you put inthe work and keep your thoughts ahead of your actions.This Week’s Takeaways:-Walk with the Lord, hand-in-hand-Focus on what you can do, instead of what you can’t-Train your inner voice to guide you-Own your average-Practice with a purposeQuotes:“Once you choose your focus or your direction, then your voice in your head has to coach youthere. I think, too often, that voice in our head is playing for the other team. So, it’s putting us onthe sidelines rather than really bringing out our best.” -Dr. Julie Bell“We have to own our average. Whatever it is that you’re doing, you have an average. You havethis achievement side of you that could be your goal and then you have your below average. Alot of times people see if you haven’t achieved your goal, it’s failure. But really, anytime that youare executing above average, you’re in that success field. And that’s what you have to be ableto see. If you can see it, you gain confidence. When you have confidence, you have moresuccess. It grows that way.” -Dr. Julie Bell“I think, too often, we celebrate the success — the outcome — and not what got us there. Wehave to reinforce playing the game. We need to recognize the outcome and celebrate how wegot there.” -Dr. Julie Bell“As soon as you start getting closer to your goal, you realize there’s another level. So, perfectdoesn’t exist.” -Dr. Julie Bell“I think the most important thing in a coaching relationship is a relationship. And so, you’ve gotto find somebody that you connect with, that can be honest with you, that can be that thinkingpartner, that can help you make decisions.” -Dr. Julie BellContact:You can follow Dr. Julie Bell’s work online at themindofachampion.com. The Mind of aChampion is also active on LinkedIn and Instagram. For more in-depth information, check outThe Mind of a Champion’s Virtual Mindset and Mindset on Demand offerings on their website.The next Champions Club is scheduled for March 30-31 in Dallas, Texas.Check out her book, Performance Intelligence at Work: The 5 Essentials to Achieving the Mindof a Champion, wherever you buy your books. Dr. Bell also has a Christian version of the book,called Renewed, available for download as a 21-day journal on her website.

Summary:Relationships are at the core of every interaction. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, anemployee, or a parent, learning how to build strong relationships that last and evolve over timeis key. This week on the Simple Talk, host Wayne McCullough speaks with guest DavidScoggins, a business and life coach and fellow podcaster who shares ideas for creating a morefulfilling work-life balance and achieving stability on the job and at home.It takes work to build a solid foundation and maintain it over time, Scoggins says. Each of thefive Fs -- faith, family, friends, fitness, and finances -- require dedication and perseverance, sopeople should be prepared to spend time and energy on these key components. But that hardwork will be rewarded with a strong support network and base for other aspects of life, as well. Itcomes down to taking ownership of your decisions and actions and holding yourselfaccountable for how you walk through life and how you relate to those walking alongside you.This Week’s Takeaways:-Give people space to change over time-Ask others how you can help them-Don’t shy away from hard work-Take ownership of your decisions and actions-Focus on building good relationshipsQuotes:“I think part of my ultimate mission here is to bring a faith perspective into the personaldevelopment and bring the personal development perspective into the church, and I don’t thinkthat’s an easy thing.” -David Scoggins“That’s really been a joy, being able to see … how people who’ve really, really been hurt byeach other and been hurt by the way they approach their relationships, how they can heal andhow they can grow together and how they can flourish and persist.” -David Scoggins“If we were in a sports team or if we were playing a musical instrument, even if you were playingas an amateur, you were not getting paid for it, you would practice and you would practice on aregular basis. But then you show up for marriage and you’ve not practiced anything, You showup for a relationship and you’ve not practiced anything other than whatever you practiced inprevious relationships. We don’t get even one class on how to do relationships right.” -DavidScoggins“Whatever is in your life that you don’t like, whether it’s your marriage or your financial situationor your body or it’s how you feel, an emotion you have or a thought you have, it didn’t comefrom nowhere.” -David Scoggins“The more we can understand where things come from, the more power we have to work withthem.” -David ScogginsContact:You can get in touch with David Scoggins via email at david@scogginsgroup.com. You can alsofind him on LinkedIn by searching for his name. Also, check out the TMP Coaching Podcast withDavid Scoggins wherever you get your podcasts.Mentions:Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. BurnsThe work of Tony Robbins (www.tonyrobbins.com)The work of Dallas Willard (www.dwillard.org)Living the Sermon on the Mount: A Practical Hope for Grace and Deliverance by Glen StassenAugustine’s The City of GodThe Ready, Set, Love online relationship program (readysetlove.com)

Summary:You have more than you know. There is rarely so much scarcity as we tend to focus on and bychanging the way we approach each day, we can change the way we live our lives. This week,Simple Talk host Wayne McCullough speaks with Dr. Rob Carman, pastor and leader of aworldwide ministry, who shares this message of hope and faith. Too often, we can findourselves living in the past and dwelling on life’s difficulties. But there is always a future withGod, Dr. Carman says, and it’s a greater future than we can possibly imagine.In order to follow that path, it’s important to tap into the power within. Humans are holisticbeings; they are made up of a body, a soul, and a spirit, and it’s important to nourish and findthe potential of each to amplify that power. Sometimes, it comes down to taking a hard look atour habits, as they are what shape the way we walk through each day. If we approach our dayswith positivity and a purposeful outlook, that will, in turn, affect what we experience. Everythingis connected and it’s up to us to discover what we truly have.This Week’s Takeaways:-Work with an idea of purpose-Cast off old, unhealthy habits-Remember that everything affects something else-Remove the shame from difficulty and depression-Have moments of quiet and stillness in your lifeQuotes:“Life is never behind you; it is always in front of you. I don’t live out of a memory; I live out of animagination.” -Dr. Rob Carman“God said in the book of Ephesians that he would do above and beyond what you can ask orimagine, according to the power that’s at work in you. Well, you’ve got to amplify, you’ve got tojump start that power. That’s the power of faith, hope, and the Holy Spirit. And unless you gearthat thing up and be determined, you begin to live off your laurels and you don’t want to live inyour past. If you live your past, you’re going to go backwards. You’re going to die. The definitionof old age has nothing to do with a numerical amount or when you were born. The definition ofold age simply says in Webster’s 1828 dictionary — nobody would argue with Noah Webster —that old is belonging to the past and then he gave the second definition is stale. We don’t wantto be stale. We don’t want to belong to the past. There’s always a future with God and it’salways bigger than what you’ve had before.” -Dr. Rob Carman“I tell people, you can retire from a company, a job, an occupation, but you never retire fromwork. Work is one of the greatest things that God gave an individual. … Work is the tool thatGod gave a human being to get out of them everything he put in them. Without work, everytalent, every skill, every ability lies dormant.” -Dr. Rob CarmanContact:You can follow Dr. Rob Carman’s work on his website, robcarman.com, where you can alsosign up for his weekly devotionals, as recommended by Wayne McCullough. On his website,you can also check out his latest projects, which include broadcasting his ministry to Iran,Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Turkey. You can also find his published work on theYouVersion Bible App.Mentions:The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent PealeThe Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom by Corrie Ten Boom withJohn and Elizabeth SherrillTramp for the Lord by Corrie Ten Boom2 Chairs: The Secret that Changes Everything by Bob Beaudine“The Mind: Mental and Emotional Health” recorded by Dr. Rob Carman