Tell Us Your Story - A captivating and thought provoking podcast that intricately weaves together personal stories with timeless ancient wisdom and groundbreaking modern discoveries to unlock the profound mysteries of life.
Personal stories, special edition episodes, guest hosts and our Next Gen series, celebrating the young voices that are helping make the world a kinder and less divided place.
Our conversations, preserved for future generations will send the same message as the oldest known hand stenciled cave paintings made by our Neanderthal cousins over 64,000 years ago
We Never Completely Forgot Who We Were with Yaffah Batya DaCosta
Saison 2 · Épisode 18
dimanche 24 mai 2026 • Durée 01:00:43
What happens when an entire people are forced to hide who they are… for generations?
In this episode of The Story of Us, Jeff sits down with Yaffah Batya daCosta—educator, speaker, and advocate for the descendants of the “Secret Jews,” families who were forced to convert during the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions while quietly preserving pieces of their identity in secret.
But this conversation is about much more than history.
It’s about memory. Identity. Belonging. And the human need to understand where we come from.
Together, they explore the story of the Anousim (“the forced ones”), how ancient persecution still echoes into modern life, and what happens when someone begins rediscovering truths their family was never allowed to openly speak about.
Along the way, the conversation widens into something universal:
How fear divides people. How stories shape identity. And how understanding each other more deeply may be one of the few paths toward healing.
🎯 What You’ll Take Away
Who the “Secret Jews” were and why their story still matters today
How forced conversion and hidden identity shaped generations of families
The surprising connections between history and modern global tensions
Why human beings are more alike than different beneath culture and belief
How compassion and curiosity can lead to deeper understanding
🌍 Key Themes
Identity and ancestry
Generational memory
Religious persecution and survival
Human connection
Healing through understanding
👤 About the Guest – Yaffah Batya daCosta
Yaffah Batya daCosta is an educator, speaker, coach, and advocate working to support descendants of the Anousim—Jewish families forced to conceal their identity during the Inquisition.
Drawing from her own ancestral journey, she has spent decades studying Jewish history, early Christianity, interfaith relations, and the roots of antisemitism in order to promote deeper understanding and reconciliation between communities.
She is also the CEO of a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping descendants reconnect with their heritage and identity.
If this conversation resonated with you, we invite you to explore more episodes, reflections, bite-sized clips, and shorts designed to help us better understand ourselves—and each other.
👉 www.thestoryofusproject.com/start-here
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🎧 Share the Episode
If you found value in this conversation, share it with someone who may need to hear it.
Because stories like this remind us of something important:
History may divide us…
but understanding each other can still bring us back together.
💬 Final Thought
Identity can be hidden.
But somehow…
the human spirit remembers.
Raising Good Humans…Not Just "Successful" Ones with Rosemary Olender
Saison 2 · Épisode 17
dimanche 17 mai 2026 • Durée 01:12:31
What does it really mean to raise a “good” human?
Not a high achiever. Not a perfectly behaved child. But someone who is kind, grounded, resilient… and emotionally aware.
In this episode of The Story of Us, Jeff sits down with educator, consultant, and author Rosemary Olender—who has spent decades working inside classrooms, schools, and family systems—to explore what actually shapes a child.
This conversation goes beyond parenting advice.
It’s about the everyday moments… the conversations we have… the behaviors we model…
and how those small things quietly shape who our children become.
Drawing from over 20 years of experience as a teacher, principal, and director of special education, Rosemary shares what she’s seen change in today’s families—and what still matters most.
Together, they explore:
Why character matters more than achievement
What emotional intelligence really looks like in real life
The biggest mistakes parents make (often without realizing it)
How families and schools can work together more effectively
What it means to raise children who are prepared for life—not just success
This episode isn’t just for parents.
It’s for anyone who cares about the kind of humans we are raising—and the kind of world we’re creating.
🎯 What You’ll Take Away
Why children learn more from what you model than what you say
How to build emotional intelligence in everyday interactions
What strong families do differently
The importance of communication between home and school
How to shift from reactive parenting to intentional guidance
🌍 Key Themes
Eyes, See Me Too: The Proverbs and Parables That Unite Us with Chris Morehouse
Saison 2 · Épisode 8
dimanche 22 mars 2026 • Durée 01:04:40
What if the world's great wisdom traditions aren't competing with one another — but have been quietly agreeing for thousands of years?
In this episode of The Story of Us, Jeff sits down with Chris Morehouse, author of the remarkable book Legacy: Wisdom of African Traditions and the Bible — a seven-year labor of love that places nearly 300 African proverbs alongside biblical scripture, not to blur their differences, but to illuminate their profound and often stunning similarities.
Chris grew up in suburban Philadelphia, the son of theater people, raised with an open mind and a restless curiosity that led him — at just thirteen years old — to mail away for a "Teach Yourself Swahili" record set. That early fascination with African culture never left him. It quietly gathered force across decades of study, graduate research, personal moves, and life detours until it finally erupted into a book that may be unlike anything else in its category.
In this conversation, Jeff and Chris explore:
How a childhood obsession with African kingdoms and a graduate degree aimed at USAID gave birth to a decades-long passion project
Why nearly 300 African proverbs were rejected from the global Golden Rule conversation — and what that omission might tell us about how we value different kinds of wisdom
The concept of Sankofa — the Akan word meaning go back and get it — and why it may be the most urgent idea of our time
The proverbs that stopped Chris cold: "Compassion is a well." "The wealth that enslaves is not wealth." "Losing the way is one way of finding it."
Why African oral traditions have been systematically excluded from interfaith wisdom conversations — and the role racism may have quietly played
The Ethiopian proverb that mirrors Jesus' call to pray privately: "Singing hallelujah everywhere does not prove piety."
The Namibian proverb "Eyes, see me too" — and why its construction is so arresting, so vivid, and so distinctly its own
What Chris would whisper to his younger self — and the urgent message he wants his future self to hear
We Will Fight on Forever: Delivering Packets of Hope with Jill Chalsty
Saison 2 · Épisode 7
dimanche 15 mars 2026 • Durée 01:07:36
What happens when the hardest moments of life become the seed for a lifelong mission?
In this episode of The Story of Us, Jeff Ellison sits down with Jill Chalsty, founder of the global life-skills initiative Overcoming Obstacles and author of Packets of Hope. Jill shares the remarkable journey that began with childhood bullying and evolved into a curriculum that has reached over 180 million students in nearly 200 countries.
Her story takes a powerful turn after the loss of her husband and her own battles with cancer. Facing grief and uncertainty, Jill embarked on a 107-day voyage across the globe—hand-delivering “packets of hope” to ministers of education in dozens of countries, spreading a message about life skills, resilience, and purpose.
This conversation explores bullying, forgiveness, grief, courage, and the profound power of human connection. It’s a story about turning pain into purpose—and why one small step can change the course of a life.
What We Discuss in This Episode
How childhood bullying shaped Jill’s life mission
The unexpected apology that sparked a global education movement
Building the Overcoming Obstacles life-skills curriculum
Teaching decision-making, empathy, and resilience to students worldwide
Jill’s work with gang members alongside NFL legend Jim Brown
Grief, caregiving, and facing multiple cancer diagnoses
A 107-day world voyage delivering “packets of hope” to education leaders
Why purpose and connection are essential for healing
The Maori phrase “Ake Ake Ake”—and how it became Jill’s mantra for resilience
Why small steps can transform even the darkest seasons of life
Memorable Moments
A childhood bully apologizes years later—and changes the trajectory of Jill’s life.
Teaching life skills to gang members in Los Angeles alongside Jim Brown.
A powerful moment in Samoa where strangers prayed for Jill’s healing.
Don’t Hurt People: A Lesson Learned the Hard Way—War, Prison, and Divine Grace with Jack Hager
Saison 2 · Épisode 6
dimanche 8 mars 2026 • Durée 01:10:30
Jack Hager joins Jeff Ellison for a raw, wide-ranging conversation tracing his journey from a transient military childhood and early addiction, to combat in Vietnam, involvement in smuggling and organized crime, and a 10-year prison sentence. In a Texas jail cell—through boredom, books, and an unexpected encounter with the Gospels—Jack experiences a faith conversion that reshapes his worldview and sets him on a decades-long path of prison ministry.
Along the way, Jack returns again and again to personal responsibility: “You make your choices, then your choices make you.” The episode explores war’s moral complexity, the scars of coming home unwelcome, what prison is really like, why forgiveness matters, and how suffering changes when viewed through faith.
Key Themes / Takeaways
The power of choice and personal responsibility in shaping identity and destiny
Vietnam’s lasting impact—combat, disillusionment, and the pain of returning home
Prison as a crucible: danger, isolation, and the opportunity to “redeem the time”
Faith without performance: Jack’s attraction to Jesus’ compassion for outsiders and critique of self-righteousness
Forgiveness as freedom: “Unforgiveness builds a prison”
Suffering and sovereignty: illness, aging, and how faith reframes hardship
Notable Quotes
“You make your choices, then your choices make you.”
“You can either do time or redeem the time.”
“Unforgiveness builds a prison.”
“He never had anything bad to say to the hookers… the only people he blasted were the religious people.”
“Don’t hurt people.”
“I’m indestructible until it’s time for me to go home.”
Guest Links / Resources
Book:Captured by Grace (available on Amazon and major retailers)
Forged for Battle. Grounded in Peace with Jeff Patterson
Saison 2 · Épisode 5
dimanche 1 mars 2026 • Durée 57:54
What if becoming stronger has less to do with pushing harder… and more to do with yielding?
In this conversation, Jeff Ellison sits down with Jeff Patterson—martial artist, meditation teacher, and author of The Yielding Warrior—to explore the surprising intersection of combat and consciousness.
With 36+ years of training (and black belt equivalencies across multiple disciplines), Jeff could absolutely toss most of us like a beach towel in a hurricane… but he’s devoted his life to something quieter and far more powerful: breath, awareness, regulation, and intelligent response.
You’ll learn why distraction isn’t failure in meditation, how to return to center in real time, and how “yielding” can transform not just your training—but your relationships, reactions, and inner life.
Stay tuned for one of the most useful stories you’ll hear all week: the monk, the puddle, and the art of leaving it behind.
Key Topics / What We Cover
Why meditation isn’t about “clearing your mind”
Distraction as the rep—and the whole point—of the practice
The three pillars of meditation: Ritual, Active, Philosophical
The power of a strong “why” (and why consistency beats hype)
The concept of yielding: physical, mental, and emotional
How to avoid conflict by noticing the first flicker of imbalance
Parenting, presence, humility—and training as a lifelong path
The “monk and the puddle” story (and why we carry things too far)
Memorable Moments
“It’s like seafood… but sifu.”
The moment Jeff’s practice “clicked” after months of doubt
“You’re still carrying that girl? I left her back at the puddle.”
Guest
Jeff Patterson — Martial Artist, Meditation Teacher, Author ()
SPECIAL EDITION: You Aren’t a Machine
Saison 2 · Épisode 4
dimanche 22 février 2026 • Durée 23:13
In this special solo episode of The Story of Us, Jeff reflects on a truth many of us have forgotten:
We are not machines.
On the heels of his conversation with Melanie Love (Let It Be Enough), Jeff explores the deeper cultural and biological forces that keep us overworked, overstimulated, and overwhelmed.
Why do we treat ourselves like devices — charging overnight, powering through daylight, running task after task until something inside us glitches?
Why does modern life feel like an endless treadmill set a few speeds too high?
This episode dives into:
The concept of evolutionary mismatch — why our ancient nervous systems struggle in a hyper-digital world
The role of dopamine in driving pursuit, ambition, and endless “more”
The difference between wanting and liking (inspired by Daniel Lieberman’s The Molecule of More)
How chronic stress traps us between fight-or-flight and total exhaustion
Why burnout is not weakness — it’s biology
The power of slowing down, reclaiming presence, and letting it be enough
Jeff also shares an original poem and reflects on the invitation to move from survival to fully inhabiting life.
This episode is a gentle but urgent reminder:
Rest is not a reward. Stillness is not laziness. And you don’t need to earn being enough.
Key Themes
Burnout & Overwhelm
Dopamine & Desire
Evolutionary Mismatch
Nervous System Regulation
Presence & Mindfulness
Hustle Culture & Productivity
Letting Go of Perfectionism
Reclaiming Humanity in a Digital Age
Notable Quotes
“We aren’t machines. We’re humans.”
Let It Be Enough with Melanie Love
Saison 2 · Épisode 3
lundi 16 février 2026 • Durée 01:09:32
In this Valentine’s Day episode of The Story of Us, Jeff sits down with Melanie Love — a former investment manager turned chronic pain advocate and founder of (un)block — for a deeply honest conversation about reinvention, healing, and embodiment.
Jeff first met Melanie at an event hosted by Season 1 guest Molly Jones. What began as an organic connection around chronic pain and shared purpose turned into a powerful dialogue recorded at Jeff’s kitchen table.
Melanie shares her journey growing up in Calgary, Canada, the influence of her grandparents, and her impressive career in international energy finance. But the heart of this episode centers on her Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) diagnosis, multiple traumatic brain injuries, and the unraveling — and rebuilding — that followed.
Together, they explore:
What Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is and why it’s often misunderstood
The connection between fascia, trauma, and nervous system regulation
The emotional and physical toll of chronic pain
Why “no pain, no gain” might be the wrong framework for healing
The difference between life happening to us, by us, and through us
The power of surrender and the meaning behind “Let It Be Enough”
Melanie also discusses how her personal healing journey led her to create (un)block, a fascia-based self-care tool designed to help people release tension, regulate their nervous systems, and reconnect with their bodies.
This is a conversation about curiosity over collapse, presence over perfectionism, and learning to soften instead of force.
If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected from your body — this episode is for you.
Explore her fascia-based recovery tool and educational resources designed to support mobility, nervous system regulation, and embodied healing.
Get Off The Bus: The Traveler’s Path with Doug Brouwer
Saison 2 · Épisode 2
dimanche 8 février 2026 • Durée 01:07:46
What if travel isn’t about where we go — but about who we become along the way?
In this episode of The Story of Us: From Cosmic Dawn to the Depths of Being, Jeff Ellison is joined by Doug Brouwer, Presbyterian pastor, author, and lifelong traveler, for a conversation that feels less like an interview and more like a shared walk on a winding path.
Doug has spent more than four decades in ministry, serving congregations across the United States and Europe, learning new languages later in life, leading pilgrimages, and listening deeply — in sanctuaries, prison cell blocks, foreign streets, and quiet beaches along Lake Michigan. His latest book, The Traveler’s Path: Finding Spiritual Growth and Inspiration Through Travel, explores how movement through the world can awaken humility, empathy, and meaning — when we’re willing to “get off the bus” and truly encounter others.
Together, Jeff and Doug explore:
Why travel is part of humanity’s origin story, from Abram and Paul to modern migration
How curiosity, beauty, and attention — learned on childhood road trips — can shape a life
The difference between tourism and transformation, and what makes a journey “worthy”
Why learning even a little of another language can deepen empathy and humility
How meeting one person can change how we see an entire culture or conflict
Doug’s experience walking the Camino de Santiago, and what pilgrimage teaches that comfort cannot
The role of storytelling in healing division and restoring our sense of interconnectedness
What prison ministry taught Doug about listening, humanity, and presence
How Thomas Merton, Joseph Campbell, and Annie Dillard illuminate the inner and outer journey
Letting go of perfectionism, anxiety, and old betrayals — and aiming instead for peace
Why Doug believes the final chapter of life may be our last worthy adventure
Along the way, Jeff shares his own love of “worthy adventure” — traveling lightly, seeking connection over checklists, and returning home each time a little clearer about his place in the world.
Season 2 Kickoff - Turning the Page
Saison 2 · Épisode 1
mardi 3 février 2026 • Durée 16:49
Welcome back to The Story of Us: From Cosmic Dawn to the Depths of Being.
In this opening episode of Season Two, I want to slow things down for a moment and let you into the why behind this project—how it started, what Season One taught me, and why we’re continuing the journey together.
This episode is part reflection, part gratitude, part gentle nudge forward.
I share how turning 50, navigating chronic pain, watching my kids grow up and move outward, and feeling my own body push back forced me to finally open the box, dust off the microphones, and begin telling stories instead of waiting for the “right time.” What started as a Father’s Day gift (and a very loud bluff called by my family) became a creative lifeline—one rooted in curiosity, presence, and connection.
We revisit the kitchen-table beginnings of Season One—the imperfect audio, the laughter, the vulnerability—and the themes that kept returning to us: that naming the struggle doesn’t weaken us, it frees us; that pain is universal, but so is compassion; that awe doesn’t disappear in midlife—it just learns how to whisper; and that our ordinary lives are far more sacred than we often realize.
This episode is also an invitation.
As we step into 2026 and into Season Two, I reflect on what it means to begin again—to write the next chapter without demanding perfection, to tell the truth kindly, to rest without guilt, and to choose courage more often than comfort.
Season Two will bring better sound, deeper conversations, and new voices—but the same heart. The same curiosity. The same belief that your story matters.
So pull up a chair. Put on some headphones. The page is blank—not because nothing has happened, but because it’s waiting for you.
Here’s to listening a little better. Here’s to telling the truth. Here’s to Season Two.
Peace be with you, my friends.
Topics explored in this episode:
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Rosemary Olender, MS, CAS, is an educator, consultant, and non-fiction author with decades of experience supporting families and schools.
Her career includes:
17 years as a teacher of profoundly deaf children
Roles as a junior high and elementary school principal
Director of special education
Educational consultant working with school districts across New York State
She is the author of:
Coffee and Wisdom
The School-Home Connection
Her work focuses on helping families and educators build stronger relationships, improve communication, and support children in reaching their full potential.
🌐 Explore More
If this conversation resonated with you, we’ve created a space for you to go deeper.
👉 www.thestoryofusproject.com/start-here
Explore more episodes, reflections, and insights on what it means to be human—and how we shape the next generation.
📲 Follow & Connect
Follow The Story of Us:
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🎥 Full episodes, clips, and shorts available on YouTube.
🎧 Share This Episode
If you know someone raising kids—or working with them—send this their way.
Because the small things we do today…
become the foundation for who they are tomorrow.
💬 Final Thought
We don’t just raise children.
We raise future humans.
And that might be the most important work any of us will ever do.
Why Chris believes translation of this work into French, Portuguese, and Spanish could bring this wisdom to corners of Africa where it has never been seen
The Book:Legacy: Wisdom of African Traditions and the Bible by Chris Morehouse Available now — self-published with holy boldness, featuring contributors and artists from around the world.
A Few Proverbs to Sit With:
"Compassion is a well." — Hehe people, Tanzania
"If you know what hurts yourself, you know what hurts others." — Madagascar
"Eyes, see me too." — Ovambo people, Namibia
"The wealth that enslaves is not wealth." — West African tradition
"Losing the way is one way of finding it." — Swahili and Sukuma peoples, Tanzania
"Singing hallelujah everywhere does not prove piety." — Ethiopian tradition
Mentioned in This Episode:
Living Buddha, Living Christ — Thich Nhat Hanh
The Hero With a Thousand Faces — Joseph Campbell
The Golden Bough — James George Frazer
The Parallel Sayings series (Jesus and Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, Jesus and Buddha)
Archbishop Desmond Tutu's An African Prayer Book
Connect With Us: 🌐 Visit our website: www.thestoryofusproject.com✉️ Subscribe to our free blog: www.thestoryofusproject.com/blog ▶️ Watch on YouTube 💬 Find us on social media and join the conversation.
Delivering the most meaningful packet in Cape Town, honoring her late husband’s roots.
Discovering that sometimes the people we hope to help are the very ones who end up healing us.
About Jill Chalsty
Jill Chalsty is the founder of Overcoming Obstacles, a nonprofit that provides free life-skills curriculum to educators around the world. The program teaches decision-making, communication, goal setting, empathy, and resilience to students from kindergarten through high school.
The curriculum has reached over 180 million students across nearly 200 countries through hundreds of thousands of educators.
She is also the author of Packets of Hope: A Journey of Healing and Rediscovery, a memoir documenting a global voyage that helped transform grief into purpose.
Ministry work mentioned: Crossroads Prison Ministries; GroundWire; Behind the Walls (Bill Glass ministry)
Listener Reflection Prompts
Where in your life are you telling yourself “it’s not my fault”—and what would ownership change?
Who do you need to forgive—not to excuse them, but to free yourself?
If you could tell your younger self one sentence, what would it be?
What does it look like to “redeem the time” in the season you’re in right now?
About the Guest
Jack Hager is a Vietnam veteran and former inmate who experienced a profound faith transformation while incarcerated. Since 1978, he has served in vocational Christian ministry with a long focus on prisons, jails, camps, and mentorship. He is the author of Captured by Grace.
Subscribe, listen, read, and join the conversation.
Together we rise by remembering each other.
Key Themes
Chronic Pain & Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
Trauma & Nervous System Regulation
Fascia & Body-Based Healing
Reinvention & Entrepreneurship
Embodiment & Emotional Awareness
Letting Go of Perfectionism
Surrender & Self-Trust
Notable Quotes
“Love does not need to be earned.”
“You’re not a machine. You’re a human being.”
“Let the chapter you’re in be enough.”
Connect with the Show
If this episode resonated with you, please consider leaving a review and sharing it with someone who might need to hear it.
Thank you for being part of The Story of Us.
This episode is an invitation to slow down, pay attention, and remember that the sacred is not confined to holy places — it often waits for us along the road.
Whether you travel far or stay close to home, this conversation will leave you asking better questions about curiosity, compassion, and the shared human journey.
📘 About the Guest
Doug Brouwer is a Presbyterian pastor and author of The Traveler’s Path: Finding Spiritual Growth and Inspiration Through Travel. His writing explores faith, pilgrimage, curiosity, and what it means to live with openness in a complex world.
Why The Story of Us began
Turning 50 and the sacred ordinariness of midlife
Chronic pain, slowing down, and listening to the body
Mental health, compassion, and naming the struggle
Season One reflections and lessons learned
The courage to begin before you’re ready
Writing the next chapter with honesty and presence
