Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast No One Is Normal
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| S2E9 - Randy Bishop - Shunned, Then Rebuilt | 27 Jul 2026 | 01:02:19 | |
There’s a point in life where everything can look fine on the outside… In this episode of the No One Is Normal Podcast, I sit down with Randy Bishop to talk about identity, authenticity, and what it really means to start over later in life. Randy opens up about approaching 60 and realizing that despite a lifetime of experience, success, and roles he had played, he no longer knew who he actually was. What followed was a complete unraveling of identity. From leaving a 30-year marriage and walking away from 16 years in ministry, to questioning beliefs he once stood firmly on, this conversation dives deep into what happens when the life you built no longer feels like yours. We talk about why so many people stay stuck in identities that no longer serve them, how social media distorts reality, and why being authentic is one of the hardest things a person can do. Randy also breaks down his “RE Method” — reflect, reframe, restore — and why most people struggle with actually repeating the process. This episode is about more than change. Because at some point, the question shows up whether you’re ready or not: 🌐 Learn more about Randy and the ER Method: https://www.amazon.com/author/randyebishop 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes:https://www.bradhhill.com/podcast 📖 Book (Print + Kindle):https://a.co/d/016Dh1eB 🎧 Audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/No-One-Is-Normal-Breaking-Free-from-Normal-Audiobook/B0GJFWBSBZ 👕 Wear the message:https://www.bradhhill.com/merch | |||
| S2E8 - We Are Not Normal, Now What? | 20 Jul 2026 | 00:24:37 | |
At some point, I had to stop asking how to become “normal” and start asking a different question: Now what? In this episode of No One Is Normal, I talk about what happens after the realization hits that normal was never really the goal in the first place. Because so many people spend years trying to force themselves into expectations, identities, careers, relationships, or lifestyles that were never actually built for them. And eventually that pressure breaks something. This episode is about what comes next after the mask slips. After the burnout. After the identity crisis. After realizing I can’t keep performing a version of myself that only exists to make other people comfortable. I talk about rebuilding from that place. Not perfectly. Not instantly. But honestly. Because maybe the goal was never to become normal. Maybe the goal was to become real. 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: https://www.bradhhill.com/podcast 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): https://www.amazon.com/No-One-Normal-Adversity-Self-Discovery/dp/B0G2TN62YV/ 🎧 Audiobook: https://www.amazon.com/No-One-Normal-Adversity-Self-Discovery/dp/B0GJFZ142N/ 🛒 Merch: https://www.bradhhill.com/merch | |||
| S1E25 - Practicing Gratitude | 22 Jun 2026 | 00:23:27 | |
Gratitude sounds simple until life gives me every reason not to feel it. In this episode of No One Is Normal, I talk about the difference between fake positivity and real gratitude. Not the social media version. Not pretending everything is perfect. Real gratitude is harder than that. It’s learning how to recognize what still matters while life is uncomfortable, uncertain, frustrating, or painful. I share how easy it is to become consumed by stress, comparison, resentment, and survival mode without even realizing it. Because when the mind is constantly focused on what’s missing, broken, unfair, or out of reach, eventually nothing feels like enough anymore. This episode is about perspective, awareness, and learning how to stop overlooking the things I once prayed for just because they became familiar. Gratitude doesn’t erase struggle, but it changes how I carry it. Because sometimes the problem isn’t that life gave me nothing. Sometimes it’s that pain made me blind to what was already there. 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: https://www.bradhhill.com/podcast 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): https://www.amazon.com/No-One-Normal-Adversity-Self-Discovery/dp/B0G2TN62YV/ 🎧 Audiobook: https://www.amazon.com/No-One-Normal-Adversity-Self-Discovery/dp/B0GJFZ142N/ 🛒 Merch: https://www.bradhhill.com/merch | |||
| S1E24 – Olaolu Ogunyemi - Raising Unbreakable Kids | 15 Jun 2026 | 01:05:26 | |
Some paths are shaped by talent. Others are shaped by the people who step in at the right time. In this episode of the No One Is Normal Podcast, I sit down with Olaolu Ogunyemi, United States Marine, author, and founder of Parent Child Connect, to talk about the role mentorship, failure, and environment play in shaping who we become. Olaolu shares how growing up in Louisiana, the right mentors helped guide him away from paths that could have led somewhere very different. From family and coaches to leaders who gave him second chances, those influences shaped his journey into the Marine Corps, leadership, and fatherhood. We talk about failure, especially his early struggles during Officer Candidate School, and how those moments taught him the importance of preparation and breaking challenges into smaller, manageable steps. He explains how confidence alone is not enough. Growth comes from discipline, consistency, and learning how to respond when things do not go as planned. This conversation also explores parenting in today’s world. How constant information, outside influence, and social pressure impact children. And why creating a safe environment for kids to fail, process emotions, and learn is one of the most important roles a parent can play. Olaolu shares his philosophy of “Lead Last,” emphasizing the importance of understanding yourself, the people around you, and the environment before trying to lead effectively. This episode is about mentorship, resilience, and the responsibility we all carry to influence the people around us in a positive way. 🌐 Learn more about Olaolu & Parent Child Connect: 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E23 – Control the Controllables | 08 Jun 2026 | 00:23:17 | |
There is a line in life most people never clearly see. The line between what we can control and what we cannot. In this episode of the No One Is Normal Podcast, I talk about what happens when we spend our lives trying to control everything except the one thing that is actually ours. Ourselves. I share personal stories about guilt, loss, relationships, and decisions that forced me to confront how little control we truly have over outcomes, and how much we still have over our choices. From a fatal accident that stayed with me for years, to staying too long in relationships that were never going to become what I wanted, to walking away from security and taking a massive pay cut to build something different. These moments all carried the same question underneath them. What is actually mine to own here. We talk about the illusion of control, how people take responsibility for things they were never meant to carry, and how that mindset keeps them stuck. We also break down the difference between reacting to life and actively choosing how to show up in it. This episode is about shifting your focus away from outcomes you cannot control and putting that energy into your effort, your boundaries, your decisions, and your next step. Because life will always be unpredictable. But your response to it does not have to be. 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E22 – Robin Clare - From Struggle To Peace | 01 Jun 2026 | 01:05:19 | |
Some struggles hide in plain sight. They can last for years, sometimes decades, while the outside world sees something completely different. In this episode of the No One Is Normal Podcast, I sit down with Robin Clare, bestselling author and creator of the Harmony Method, to talk about her journey through more than forty years of battling obsessive eating and bulimia. Robin shares how trauma, shame, and humiliation shaped much of her early life and how the long path of healing eventually led her to develop a framework for personal alignment. Her Six Elements of Harmony include awareness, commitment, mastery, service, leadership, and freedom. Together they form a path toward bringing the inner world and outer life into alignment. We talk about the role trauma plays in shaping behavior, how social media and outside pressures can disrupt inner peace, and why silence, reflection, and strong personal boundaries can help people stay grounded in a chaotic world. This conversation explores the idea that harmony is not about eliminating life’s challenges. It is about learning how to stay centered within them. 🌐 Learn more about Robin Clare: 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E21 – Stop Carrying It | 25 May 2026 | 00:23:14 | |
There is a place most of us visit far more often than we admit. It is not our kitchen, our bedroom, or the office. It is the past. In this episode of the No One Is Normal Podcast, I talk about what it really means to stop living in the rearview mirror and start taking control of what comes next. For a long time, my past was not just something that happened. It became my explanation for everything. The panic attacks, the relationships, the decisions I made, and the ones I avoided. It felt honest. It also kept me stuck. I share personal experiences with anxiety, misdiagnosis, medication, and the way trauma can quietly shape how we see ourselves, our relationships, and even what we believe we deserve. I also talk about watching those same patterns play out in people I love, and how easily we can accept systems that are supposed to help us without ever questioning them. This conversation is not about pretending the past did not happen. It is about recognizing how deeply it influences us, and deciding that it does not get to define us. We explore how trauma lives in the body, how identity can become tied to old pain, and what it looks like to slowly shift from “this is what happened to me” to “this is what I am going to do with it.” Because the past will always be there. The question is whether it gets to drive. 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E20 – Shelly Ketelhut - Social Media Overloaded | 18 May 2026 | 01:05:07 | |
We live in a time where information moves faster than our ability to process it. In this episode of the No One Is Normal Podcast, I sit down with Shelly Ketelhut, licensed professional counselor and clinical substance abuse counselor, to talk about how constant information, social media, and digital overload are impacting the way we think, feel, and respond. Shelly explains how the brain is wired to react quickly to perceived threats, and how today’s nonstop flow of notifications, headlines, and partial stories can trigger that same fight-or-flight response. When that happens, emotion takes over while critical thinking struggles to keep up. We talk about confirmation bias, incomplete narratives, and how people often fill in the gaps of a story with their own experiences, creating beliefs that feel real but are not always accurate. This conversation also focuses on solutions. Shelly shares practical ways to create healthier boundaries with technology, including limiting screen time, setting intentional windows for news consumption, and building space between reaction and response. We explore the impact of FOMO, comparison, and constant connectivity, and why more access to information is not always leading to more clarity. Instead, it often creates noise, stress, and disconnection. This episode is about slowing down, thinking clearly, and learning how to stay grounded in a world that never stops moving. 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E19 - Social Media Isn't Real | 11 May 2026 | 00:21:05 | |
Social media can connect people across the world… and still leave me feeling completely alone. In this episode of No One Is Normal, I talk about the reality of living in a world where everything is public, performative, and open to judgment. I share what it felt like to be attacked by strangers, the temptation to fight back, and the quiet damage that comes from tying my self-worth to likes, comments, and validation from people who don’t actually know me. I also get honest about the paradox of social media. It’s where I met my wife. It’s where real connection exists. But it’s also where comparison, outrage, and loneliness quietly grow if I’m not paying attention. This is about learning to set boundaries, protecting my peace, and remembering that my real life exists off the screen. Because the hard truth and the freeing truth are the same: 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E18 - Philip Briscoe - Midlife Reset | 04 May 2026 | 01:05:47 | |
Midlife does not always arrive with a dramatic crash. Sometimes it shows up quietly, after the career that defined you stops feeling the same. In this episode of the No One Is Normal Podcast, I sit down with Philip Briscoe, creator of the Midlife Men podcast, to talk about what happens when work, identity, and purpose collide in the middle of life. Philip shares how burnout from a startup job forced him to rethink who he was outside of his career. That period of reflection eventually led him to start a podcast focused on something many men struggle to talk about openly. Mental health, identity, vulnerability, and the difficult questions that often appear in midlife. We talk about why so many men keep struggles hidden, how humor can open the door to conversations about heavy topics, and why midlife can be less about crisis and more about awareness. It is a moment where people can step back, question old definitions of success, and decide what actually matters moving forward. This conversation is about honesty, reflection, and the courage to start asking better questions about the life you are building. 🎧 Philip Briscoe’s podcast: 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E17 - Decide Your Journey | 27 Apr 2026 | 00:24:30 | |
There’s a hard realization that shows up when drifting stops working. In this episode of No One Is Normal, I talk about what changed when I stopped waiting for clarity and started taking ownership of my direction. I share how habits quietly shape everything, how therapy became a tool instead of something to hide from, and what it looked like to face my finances, my health, and my patterns honestly instead of avoiding them. I also get real about the weight of realizing this is my road to walk. The fear of making the wrong choices. The discomfort of letting go of routines that were familiar but destructive. And the quiet power that comes from deciding that even small steps still count. Because the hard truth and the freeing truth are the same: 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E16 - Ronald Reich - Own Your Life | 20 Apr 2026 | 01:02:32 | |
Some of the most important lessons in life do not come from success. They come from the moments we would rather forget. In this episode of the No One Is Normal Podcast, I sit down with Ronald Reich, a leadership coach and corporate trainer with more than three decades of experience helping organizations develop stronger leaders and healthier workplace cultures. Ron shares the night that forced him to confront his drinking. A drunk driving arrest and assault on a police officer became the moment he could no longer ignore what alcohol had done to his life. What followed was not a quick fix. It was the beginning of a long recovery process that required humility, honesty, and the willingness to ask for help. We talk about how those lessons carried into leadership. The difference between confidence and arrogance. The importance of emotional intelligence, feedback, and psychological safety. And why the willingness to admit mistakes can build stronger teams and better leaders. This conversation is about responsibility, recovery, and how the hardest moments in life can become the foundation for growth. 👤 Connect with Ron Reich: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-reich-7809829/ 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S2E7 - Bonnie Hill - Healing After Abuse | 13 Jul 2026 | 00:50:53 | |
Healing is not a straight line. It is messy, frustrating, emotional, and at times feels impossible. After a six-part series sharing the reality of living through domestic abuse, Bonnie Hill joins me for a raw and honest conversation about what happens after survival. Because leaving is not the end of the story. In this episode of the No One Is Normal Podcast, Bonnie opens up about the healing process after years of abuse. The emotional aftermath. The triggers that still show up. The guilt, fear, self-doubt, and the challenge of rebuilding trust in yourself after spending years walking on eggshells. We talk about the realities people do not always see from the outside. Why healing can feel lonely. How trauma rewires the way you think, react, and protect yourself. And what it looks like to slowly begin rebuilding confidence, boundaries, and identity. Bonnie also shares what helped her move forward, what support actually looked like, and why healing does not mean forgetting. It means learning how to live again without the past controlling every part of your future. If you or someone you love has experienced abuse, this conversation is a reminder that survival is only the beginning — healing is possible. 💜 Want to Connect with Bonnie? 🔗 More from me: | |||
| S1E15 - Believe In Yourself | 13 Apr 2026 | 00:22:39 | |
There’s a quiet kind of damage that happens when no one ever tells me, “I believe in you.” In this episode of No One Is Normal, I talk about what changed when I realized belief was never going to arrive from the outside. I share how I went from drifting without direction to setting real goals, why being publicly doubted could have defined me if I let it, and how self-belief is not something I felt first. It was something I built through action. I also get honest about the internal damage of staying small, the risk of climbing ladders that were never mine to begin with, and what happens when I finally decide to trust my own voice more than everyone else’s opinion. This is about backing myself before the results show up. This is about choosing a direction even when confidence feels shaky. Because the hard truth and the freeing truth are the same: 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E14 - Laura Bratton - Blind But Not Broken | 06 Apr 2026 | 00:54:06 | |
Some changes arrive slowly, but alter everything. In this episode of No One Is Normal, Brad sits down with Laura Bratton to discuss her journey of losing her sight as a teenager and how that gradual change reshaped not only her world, but her understanding of herself. Laura shares what it was like to move through denial and grief while the world around her continued operating as usual. She speaks openly about learning Braille and Spanish Braille, navigating anxiety, and adapting to a world built for sight. Rather than framing her story as one of “overcoming blindness,” Laura redefines resilience as a daily choice — one rooted in self-compassion, validation of emotions, and small acts of courage. She reflects on becoming the first blind student to complete the Master of Divinity program at Princeton, not as a moment of achievement alone, but as an exercise in self-trust and redefining what was possible. This conversation explores gratitude not as forced positivity, but as perspective. Courage not as a one-time decision, but as something practiced repeatedly. And change not as something to conquer, but something to navigate with honesty. In this episode, we discuss:
If this episode resonates, it may be because change rarely asks for permission. It asks for presence. And sometimes the most powerful shift is remembering that worth was never dependent on circumstances in the first place. 🌐 Learn more about Laura’s work: 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E13 - It Starts With Me | 30 Mar 2026 | 00:20:29 | |
There’s a brutal truth that took me way too long to accept. No one is coming to live my life for me. Not a boss. Not a mentor. Not a partner. Not the “right opportunity.” Not the perfect timing. And the longer I waited for someone else to step in and make things easier, the longer I stayed stuck. In this episode of No One Is Normal, I talk about the moment everything shifted. The moment I stopped hoping someone would rescue me and realized I had to take ownership of my habits, my health, my career, my choices, and my future. I also get real about what happens when loyalty doesn’t come back, when people sabotage behind closed doors, and when waiting quietly turns into learned helplessness. This is about taking the wheel back, even when motivation is gone, even when life feels unfair, and even when the road ahead still sucks. Because the hard truth and the hopeful truth are the same: No one will do it for me… but that means I don’t have to wait anymore. 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E12 - Zulma Williams - Unfiltered Healing | 23 Mar 2026 | 01:13:31 | |
Starting over doesn’t always happen once. Sometimes ithappens again and again, across countries, careers, health challenges, and identity shifts. Zulma Beatriz Williams is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker,breast cancer survivor, podcaster, and founder of Dragonfly Therapy Services. She specializes in trauma, anxiety, and depression, and is known for her direct, real-world approach to mental health. Email: info@dragonflytherapyservices.netWebsite: https://www.dragonflytherapyservices.netIG: https://www.instagram.com/theswearingtherapist/Podcast: https://feed.pod.co/get-real-with-zulmaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/DragonflyTSLV/You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/@theswearingtherapistLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zulma-williams-ab7609214/ 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E11 - Adapting to Change | 16 Mar 2026 | 00:20:50 | |
Change looks great on paper… until real life shows up and lights the whole plan on fire. In this episode of No One Is Normal, I’m talking about what change actually feels like when the honeymoon wears off. The kind of change that’s supposed to be a step up. More money. Better balance. A smarter move. And then the reality hits: burnout, anxiety, regret, and that sinking feeling of “what the hell did I just do?” I share the behind-the-scenes truth of a career move that looked perfect from the outside, but almost broke me once I got inside. Not just the financial fallout, but the emotional side. The shame. The sleepless nights. The identity shake-up. The moment I realized I had to admit I got it wrong and adapt fast. This episode is for anyone in the messy middle of change right now, where nothing feels stable and you’re rebuilding in real time. Because sometimes change isn’t growth at first. Sometimes it’s grief. And sometimes adapting isn’t inspirational. It’s survival. 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E10 - Hilary Momberger Powers - Life Rewritten | 09 Mar 2026 | 01:14:57 | |
In this episode, I sit down with Hilary Momberger Powers, a womanwith an unbelievable story of transformation, recovery, and deep emotionalhealing. Hilary began her career at only five years old, landing the role of SallyBrown in the Charlie Brown cartoons and working alongside legends like CharlesSchulz. But early fame came with pressure, fear, and a painful realitybehind the scenes that shaped how she saw herself for years. We talk about how people pleasing becomes survival, howoverachieving can become a form of pain management, and why addiction is oftenthe symptom of something deeper that has been avoided for too long. Hilaryshares what it truly means to hit rock bottom, why surrender can become thefoundation for a new life, and how healing requires more than motivation. Itrequires honesty, support, and a willingness to face what has been buried. One of the most powerful moments in this conversation is Hilary’smetaphor of cleaning out the emotional refrigerator. That place whereold pain sits and rots in the dark until it affects everything else. Thisepisode is about opening that door, doing the work, and finally letting thepast release its grip. We also talk about the power of service, the necessity of community,and why real recovery is not about chasing recognition. It is about findingfreedom. If you’ve ever felt trapped in old patterns, stuck in self-doubt, orexhausted from trying to hold it together, this episode will hit home. 🔥 In this episode, we cover: - Childhood fame and the cost of being a “meal ticket” - Why fear creates a false version of who we are - “Moving targets don’t get hit” and the overachiever trap - Addiction, rock bottom, and what surrender really means - Cleaning out the emotional refrigerator instead of buying a new one - Service, gratitude, and recovery that actually lasts - Why healing requires community and support 🔗 Connect with Hilary: Hilary’s work, coaching, and resources: Website: www.hilarymombergerpowers.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hilarymombergerpowers/ Email: info@hilarymombergerpowers.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hilary.momberger LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilary-momberger-powers-078a604/ 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E9 - Relapsed: How Easy It Creeps Back In | 02 Mar 2026 | 00:23:43 | |
Relapse is one of those words people whisper, like it is a confession. It gets treated like proof you failed, like it cancels every ounce of progress you made. But the truth is, relapse is often not the end of the story. It is information. It is a warning light. It is a moment where something got heavier than the tools you had in your hands. In this episode, I tell the truth about my own relapse while writing No One Is Normal. Not as a dramatic breakdown, but as the quiet kind that sneaks in through stress, fear, and isolation. One small decision that looked manageable, until it wasn’t. Because for me, alcohol is not something I can “control.” I don’t have a dimmer switch. I have an on and off switch. We talk about how relapse really starts long before the bottle. It starts in the silence. It starts when I stop talking, stop admitting I’m scared, and start carrying everything alone like that is strength. This episode is about what it feels like to fall back into it, how fast the body remembers, how shame tries to take the wheel, and what it took to fight my way back out. If relapse is part of your story, I want you to hear this clearly. You are not worthless. You are not hopeless. You are not alone. The story depends on what you do next. 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E8 - Stanley Bronstein - Beating Yesterday | 23 Feb 2026 | 00:58:31 | |
Some changes start with urgency. Others begin with quiet resolve. Stanley Bronstein’s story didn’t hinge on one dramatic moment. It unfolded through years of learning what works, what fades, and what it actually takes to build a life that stays healthy long after motivation disappears. In this conversation, Stanley opens up about the cycle so many people know too well. You lock in for a while, you lose weight, you feel better, and then life hits. Old habits come back. The structure disappears. The progress slips away. Not because you are weak, but because temporary effort can’t compete with permanent systems. We talk about what it means to stop chasing short bursts of discipline and start building routines that can actually be lived inside of. How walking became a foundation. How simplifying food choices created stability. How the mindset shift from “trying to get results” to “beating yesterday” makes real transformation possible. This is not a story about perfection. It is about consistency. It is about progress without punishment. And it is about learning how to keep going even when the excitement wears off. If you’ve ever felt stuck in the repeat cycle of starting over, this episode is for you. How to find more about Stanley Bronstein: YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@thewayofexcellence LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanleybronstein/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/wayofexcellence/?sorting_setting=CHRONOLOGICAL 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E7 - Excuses Are Like A**holes | 16 Feb 2026 | 00:21:03 | |
There’s an old saying that excuses are like assholes and everyone has one. I am not here to beat anyone up for having them. I am here to be honest about what it cost me when excuses stopped being occasional and started becoming my default setting. For a long time, I did not just make excuses. I collected them. I polished them. I built whole stories around them. They were armor when I felt insecure, and a shield when I was afraid to try. The problem was not that I owed the world an explanation. The problem was that I had a built-in excuse for every failure before I even started. I used excuses in the big arenas that shape an actual life. Alcohol. Health. Career. Any time change felt hard or vulnerable, I reached for lines that sounded reasonable, but kept me circling the same drain for years. Then I walk through the shift that finally started changing things. Quitting smoking was a turning point because I stopped treating change like a vague wish and started treating it like a project. A real quit date. Triggers. Environment. The unglamorous structure that makes follow-through possible when motivation dies. We also zoom out into the psychology of excuses. Self-handicapping. Perfectionism. Procrastination. The way the brain tries to drag you back into what is familiar because “safe” matters more to it than “fulfilled.” And the truth that real change is usually boring up close. Small actions. Reps. Consistency. Not a dramatic overnight reinvention. By the end, this is the bottom line. Excuses will always be an option, always within reach, ready to soften discomfort and give you a fast exit. The choice is who gets the final say. Content note: addiction and habit change themes. 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E6 - Peter Gunn - Reinvention in Real Time | 09 Feb 2026 | 00:51:58 | |
In this episode of No One Is Normal, Brad sits down with Peter Gunn — poet, author, musician, U.S. Air Force veteran, and lifelong creative — for a wide-ranging conversation about identity, discipline, creativity, and purpose. Peter shares his life story through many roles he has lived over time, including military service, bodybuilding, fatherhood, poetry, and music. He reflects on a near-death experience at a young age that profoundly shaped how he views life, creativity, and meaning, and how that experience continues to influence his work today. The conversation explores the realities of the creative industry and the challenges artists face when trying to stay authentic in a space that often rewards conformity over depth. Peter discusses The Amazons series and his approach to blending fact with fiction to create engaging, mythic stories for young readers, particularly young girls, inspired by his daughter and a desire to expand how heroism is represented in storytelling. In many ways, Peter’s journey reflects what it truly means to find your tribe — not by chasing approval or fitting neatly into a category, but by staying grounded in who you are long enough for the right people to recognize you. Brad and Peter also dive into poetry, music, and modern culture, including the evolution of songwriting, lyrical depth, and Peter’s concept of “Linked Lyrical Poetry,” which blends elements of poetry and music. They discuss the importance of discipline, meditation, and structure in creative work, as well as the role of spirituality, discernment, and personal drive in living with intention. Throughout the episode, Peter shares insights into his current and upcoming projects, including books, music, and future plans for promoting his work, while emphasizing the value of perspective, perseverance, and creating with integrity. In this episode, we discuss:
Peter Gunn's Website: 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S2E6 - Bonnie’s Story Part 6: The End | 11 Jul 2026 | 00:27:34 | |
This is Part 6 of 6 in Bonnie’s story. Healing does not begin the moment someone leaves. In many ways, that is where the real work starts. In the final chapter of Bonnie’s story, survival finally begins making room for something unfamiliar: peace. But healing is rarely simple. After years of fear, control, emotional exhaustion, and learning how to survive, rebuilding a life means learning how to trust again. Learning who you are outside of fear. Learning that safety, love, and peace do not have to come with conditions. Part six is not about pretending the pain never happened. It is about what comes after survival. The grief. The rebuilding. The rediscovery of identity. And the quiet strength it takes to choose yourself after spending so many years simply trying to make it through. If you have ever wondered whether healing is possible after trauma, questioned whether peace could ever feel real again, or needed a reminder that your story is not over, this chapter is for you. You are not alone. Next week, Bonnie joins me for a raw and honest conversation reflecting on the full journey, what healing actually looks like, and what life feels like now on the other side of survival. 🎙️ Podcast & Episodes: 📘 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 🛍️ Merch: | |||
| S1E5 - Finding Your Tribe | 02 Feb 2026 | 00:19:11 | |
Belonging is one of those things I did not realize I was starving for until I finally got a taste of it. You can be surrounded by people and still feel completely alone, or you can be with one person who really gets you and feel entirely at home. This episode is about that difference. In “Finding Your Tribe,” I talk about how easy it is to confuse a crowd for community, especially when addiction or numbing out is part of the culture. I had bar buddies, party crowds, and familiar faces everywhere, but being surrounded is not the same as being seen. Some of those connections were not friendships; they were shared escape routes. Any time I tried to pull back, the pressure came fast, and it became clear they did not want to see me climb out. I also get into the harder side of this topic: the one-way friendships, the guilt, and the family dynamics where setting boundaries feels like betrayal. I had to pay attention to what my body was telling me. When certain people were close, my stress spiked and my sleep got worse. When I stepped back, my nervous system calmed down. That was not drama. That was information. Then I zoom out into the psychology of belonging and why the people around us shape what feels normal. A circle can normalize heavy drinking, constant complaining, or staying stuck. A healthier circle can normalize therapy, recovery, creativity, growth, and taking action. It is not about being above anyone. It is about awareness and direction. If you feel “in between” right now, the old crowd does not fit but the new people have not fully shown up yet, you are not broken. You might be in a rebuild phase. This episode is for that gap. If you have been settling for noise because it feels better than being alone, I get it. But I also know this: peace is not loneliness, and a real tribe will never require you to destroy yourself just to belong. 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E4 - Ryan Reichert - Life After the Fall | 26 Jan 2026 | 01:14:02 | |
Transition doesn’t always arrive as a breaking point. Sometimes it shows up quietly, in the space where old structure no longer fits and new meaning hasn’t fully formed yet. In this episode, Brad sits down with Ryan Reichert, a former U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, coach, and speaker, to talk about sobriety, faith, discipline, and rebuilding a life after long-held systems fall away. Ryan shares his experience navigating addiction, family strain, and identity shifts following military retirement, and what it took to create sustainable routines rooted in honesty and intention. This conversation explores the difference between appearance and alignment, the unglamorous middle of recovery, and how growth often comes not from dramatic moments, but from small, consistent choices made when no one is watching. This episode is for anyone navigating transition, questioning habits that no longer serve them, or learning how to build structure that supports who they are becoming, not just who they were. No One Is Normal is a podcast about the human experience beneath the surface. Real stories. Real transitions. No performance required. Reach Ryan on the following Socials: Website: www.OurProtectorDevelopment.com and www.RyanTReichert.com Podcast: Our Healer Our Protector (located on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, Deezer, and Spotify) Social Media: Instagram: @ryan.t.reichert, Facebook: @armyrt1978, LinkedIn: @RyanReichert78, X: @RyanTReichert, TikTok: @armyrt1978, YouTube Channel: @OurHealerOurProtector 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E3 - Stupid Games Stupid Prizes | 19 Jan 2026 | 00:19:32 | |
This is not a lecture about drugs. This is about patterns. In this episode, I go underneath my chapter Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes. I grew up in survival mode, watching my mom grind to keep us afloat. That shaped how I saw myself and left that quiet question on loop: Am I ever going to measure up. That gap did not stay empty. I tried to fill it with curiosity, bravado, and bad decisions. I share two psychedelic nights that drove the lesson home: acid as a teenager, then years later a “hero dose” of mushrooms stacked on top of way too much alcohol. Panic. Shame. The scary beauty of losing control and realizing I was not invincible. Then I zoom out, because the point is bigger than substances. When you grow up without much emotional safety, your nervous system learns to stay on high alert. You start scanning for danger, judgment, and proof that you do not belong. Eventually, you look for a button that gives instant relief. For some people, that button is drugs. For others it is alcohol, food, sex, shopping, gambling, or work. The buttons change, but the pattern does not. If you have ever felt yourself chasing a feeling while the cost keeps going up, this will land. Content note: substance use stories, panic, and mental health themes. 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E2 - Karen Peters - Rebuilding Life | 12 Jan 2026 | 01:06:21 | |
In this episode of No One Is Normal, I sit down with Karen Peters for a raw and deeply human conversation about what happens when a life that looks perfect from the outside collapses in full public view. Karen shares her experience navigating a public scandal involving her ex-husband’s SA accusations, an event that shattered her family’s sense of safety and identity overnight. She talks openly about the shock, numbness, and isolation that followed as her community turned, her children faced harassment, and she was forced to confront a future she never planned for as a single mom with one income. We explore the emotional toll of living through a criminal case, the long-term impact it had on her children’s mental health and social lives, and the reality of trying to hold everything together while quietly unraveling inside. Karen reflects on the years she spent maintaining a facade of strength and perfection, staying busy to avoid her own healing, and the cost that came with delaying grief. Karen also speaks candidly about surviving emotional abuse, navigating divorce, and the complicated decisions she made in the name of stability and survival, especially during COVID when tensions intensified. Through it all, she describes the slow, uneven process of unlearning survival mode and learning how to actually heal. This conversation moves beyond crisis into rebuilding. Karen shares how prioritizing self-care, setting boundaries, finding community, and reclaiming her identity allowed her to rediscover authentic happiness after years of simply getting through the day. She reflects on what it means to start over later in life, to stop performing for others, and to choose a life rooted in honesty rather than appearances. This episode is about grief, resilience, parenting through trauma, and the courage it takes to stop pretending you’re okay and start asking what you actually need. If you’ve ever felt defined by something that wasn’t your fault, or stuck carrying a version of yourself that no longer fits, this conversation will resonate. No One Is Normal is a space for real stories, honest reflection, and the reminder that healing doesn’t happen all at once — but it does happen when you finally give yourself permission to begin. Karen Peters Socials: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@karensimperfectperfectlife/shorts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karensimperfectperfectlife/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@myimperfectperfectlife 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S1E1 - Relationships Are Hard | 05 Jan 2026 | 00:19:42 | |
Relationships look simple on paper. Love someone, build a life, roll credits. Real life is two flawed people with old wounds, busy schedules, stress, and the daily grind of dishes, work, and emotional labor. In this episode, I get honest about what happens after the honeymoon phase, when effort stops being mutual and appreciation turns into expectation. I share what I learned from my own relationships, including a breakup that forced me to face a hard truth. Sometimes two people want different futures, and no amount of effort can fix misalignment. I also talk about watching a friend get pulled into a destructive relationship marked by addiction and violence, and the moment I realized that love without boundaries becomes self-abandonment. From attachment and codependency to communication and self-worth, this episode is about learning the difference between the kind of hard that builds something and the kind of hard that slowly erases me. 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| Start Here - Reason Behind the Book | 04 Dec 2025 | 00:11:57 | |
Welcome to the very first episode of No One Is Normal. In this episode, I’m introducing the mission behind the show and why this whole project exists in the first place. I talk about the core message that shaped the book and now the podcast: You’ll hear how this podcast came to be, where the idea started, and why I believe storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we have for breaking shame, connecting with each other, and rebuilding our lives. I share some of my own background, the real turning points that pushed me to launch this, and why I think your story matters just as much as mine or anyone else’s. Each week, you’ll get episodes that blend personal stories, honest conversations, and reflections that challenge the idea of “normal.” Some episodes will come from chapters in my book, some from moments in life that taught me something, and some will come straight from the stories you share with me. Every five episodes, you’ll also hear pieces of Bonnie’s story — because her voice deserves to be part of this too. This show is for people who’ve lived through it, fought through it, and are still trying to make sense of their own second life. You’ll hear vulnerability, humor, grit, and the kind of truth most people don’t say out loud. If this episode resonates, tap follow so you don’t miss the next one. Join the community on Facebook, and share your story for a future episode. Thanks for being here. This is just the beginning. — Brad H. Hill 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes: 📖 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 👕 Wear the message: | |||
| S2E5 - Bonnie’s Story Part 5: The Final Sequence of Events | 10 Jul 2026 | 00:27:11 | |
This is Part 5 of 6 in Bonnie’s story. Sometimes the moments that change our lives are not loud or dramatic. Sometimes they build quietly until one final sequence of events makes it impossible to ignore what has been true for far too long. In part five of Bonnie’s story, everything begins moving toward a breaking point. The emotional weight of survival reaches a place where difficult truths can no longer be pushed aside. Fear, exhaustion, and years of emotional damage collide with the painful reality that something has to change. This chapter explores the complicated emotions that come before major life decisions. The fear of the unknown. The grief of what was lost. The confusion of loving someone while also recognizing the damage being done. And the quiet moments where survival slowly begins turning into courage. If you have ever stood at a crossroads, wrestled with impossible decisions, or questioned whether life could ever feel different than the pain you had learned to live inside, this story may resonate deeply. You are not alone. 🎙️ Podcast & Episodes: 📘 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 🛍️ Merch: | |||
| S2E4 - Bonnie’s Story Part 4: The Downward Spiral | 09 Jul 2026 | 00:27:21 | |
This is Part 4 of 6 in Bonnie’s story There comes a point in survival where exhaustion replaces hope. When surviving no longer feels temporary, and the weight of carrying everything alone begins changing who you are. In part four of Bonnie’s story, the downward spiral deepens. Fear becomes routine. Emotional exhaustion settles in. The distance between who Bonnie once was and who survival forced her to become grows wider. And when chaos becomes normal, even recognizing how much has been lost can feel impossible. This chapter explores the emotional reality of living inside prolonged trauma. The loneliness. The confusion. The invisible ways people adapt to survive situations they never imagined would become their life. If you have ever felt emotionally worn down, trapped inside circumstances that slowly changed you, or wondered how people lose themselves while simply trying to make it through another day, this story may resonate more deeply than expected. You are not alone. 🎙️ Podcast & Episodes: 📘 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 🛍️ Merch: | |||
| S2E3 - Bonnie’s Story Part 3: The Abortion | 08 Jul 2026 | 00:29:31 | |
This is Part 3 of 6 in Bonnie’s story. Some decisions leave marks that never fully disappear. Not because they were easy, but because survival sometimes forces choices no one should ever have to make. In part three of Bonnie’s story, the emotional toll deepens as fear, control, and instability begin shaping impossible decisions. The weight of survival grows heavier. The lines between hope, guilt, love, fear, and self-preservation become harder to separate. And the emotional cost of trying to survive inside chaos becomes impossible to ignore. This chapter explores one of the most painful realities many people quietly carry: how trauma, manipulation, and fear can leave lasting emotional wounds that continue long after the moment itself has passed. If you have ever had to make an impossible choice, carried guilt for surviving, or struggled with decisions made during painful seasons of life, this story may resonate more deeply than expected. You are not alone. 🎙️ Podcast & Episodes: 📘 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 🛍️ Merch: | |||
| S2E2 - Bonnie’s Story Part 2: The Gaslighting Narcissist | 07 Jul 2026 | 00:26:28 | |
This is Part 2 of 6 in Bonnie’s story. Sometimes the hardest part about emotional abuse is that it rarely arrives all at once. It builds quietly. Slowly. Through confusion, manipulation, guilt, fear, and the constant feeling that maybe somehow everything is your fault. In part two of Bonnie’s story, the emotional weight deepens. What once felt manageable begins shifting into something harder to explain and even harder to escape. Isolation grows. Fear becomes familiar. Reality becomes harder to trust. And the version of yourself you once recognized slowly begins slipping away. This chapter explores something many survivors understand all too well: abuse does not always leave bruises people can see. Sometimes it changes the way you think, the way you feel, and the way you begin questioning your own worth. If you have ever felt emotionally trapped, questioned your own reality, or struggled to explain why leaving felt impossible, this conversation may resonate deeply. You are not alone. 🎙️ Podcast & Episodes: 📘 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 🛍️ Merch: | |||
| S2E1 - Bonnie’s Story Part 1: The Beginning | 06 Jul 2026 | 00:28:34 | |
This is Part 1 of 6 in Bonnie’s story. Some wounds do not begin with violence. They begin quietly. Slowly. In the moments we dismiss, excuse, or explain away because we want to believe things will get better. In this deeply personal and emotional six-part series, Bonnie shares the beginning of a story that many people never fully understand from the outside. A story of survival that did not look dangerous at first. A story about how fear, control, and emotional manipulation can slowly become normal until you no longer recognize how much of yourself has disappeared. Part one begins at the beginning. The early years. The dreams, the hope, the warning signs that are often invisible when you are living inside them, and the slow normalization of a life built around survival. If you have ever questioned your own reality, stayed longer than you thought you would, or wondered how people slowly lose themselves inside difficult relationships, this story may resonate more deeply than expected. You are not alone. 🎙️ Podcast & Episodes: 📘 Book (Print + Kindle): 🎧 Audiobook: 🛍️ Merch: | |||
| S1E26 - Kirk McCarley - This Should Have Killed Me | 29 Jun 2026 | 00:57:49 | |
What would you do if your life changed overnight… twice? In this episode of the No One Is Normal Podcast, I sit down with Kirk McCarley just days after he was hit by a truck while cycling. With broken ribs, a concussion, and 16 stitches in his head, Kirk shares what it feels like to face life from a completely different perspective — again. This isn’t the first time. Kirk also opens up about surviving a major heart event that led to triple bypass surgery, and how that moment forced him to rethink everything. From walking away from a stable career in human resources to becoming an executive coach later in life, his story is a powerful example of what it means to take control of your direction… even when it feels too late. We talk about depression, anxiety, and the weight of trying to hold everything together. We also get into why men struggle to open up, how small actions create momentum, and what it really takes to move forward when you feel stuck. One of the most powerful moments in this episode is when Kirk shares how he reached out to the man who hit him — not with anger, but with forgiveness. This conversation is about perspective, resilience, and understanding that it’s never too early… or too late… to change your life. 🌐 Learn more about Kirk McCarley: https://theseedsowercoach.com/ 🔗 More from me: 🎙️ Podcast & episodes:https://www.bradhhill.com/podcast 📖 Book (Print + Kindle):https://a.co/d/016Dh1eB 🎧 Audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/No-One-Is-Normal-Breaking-Free-from-Normal-Audiobook/B0GJFWBSBZ 👕 Wear the message:https://www.bradhhill.com/merch | |||
| S2E10 - Why I Am Wired This Way | 03 Aug 2026 | 00:21:39 | |
A lot of adulthood starts making more sense once you understand the emotional climate you grew up in. In this episode of the No One Is Normal Podcast, I talk about family life, instability, and the quiet ways childhood shapes who we become long before we have language for any of it. This is not about blaming family or putting private moments on trial. It is about understanding what happens when unpredictability becomes normal, when you learn to read tension before words are spoken, and when connection feels rare enough that you hold onto it harder than most people understand. I share how growing up in emotional instability shaped the way I watched people, attached to relationships, stayed alert, and struggled to fully relax even when life became calmer. We talk about how many things we call “personality” are actually adaptation, and how survival skills built early in life can quietly follow us into adulthood. This episode explores nervous system patterns, emotional caution, loneliness, connection, and why some people feel “too much” when relationships finally feel safe. Because sometimes the better question is not: “What is wrong with me?” Sometimes the better question is: “What did I learn too early that I still carry today?” This conversation is about context, self-understanding, and learning that being shaped by something is not the same thing as being sentenced to it forever. 🔗 More from me:🎙️ Podcast & episodes: https://www.bradhhill.com/podcast📖 Book (Print + Kindle): https://a.co/d/06CoAtVF🎧 Audiobook on Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/No-One-Is-Normal-Breaking-Free-from-Normal-Audiobook/B0GJFWBSBZ🛍️ Merch & Support the Mission: https://www.bradhhill.com/merch | |||