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.

🔗 Learn More

• Website: www.bneianousim.org
• Facebook: Yaffah Batya daCosta

🌐 Explore More from The Story of Us

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

🎥 Full episodes and clips available on YouTube 📲 Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky

🎧 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.

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

• Character development
• Emotional intelligence
• Parenting with intention
• Family dynamics
• Human connection

👤 About the Guest – Rosemary Olender

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:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• BlueSky

🎥 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.

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
• 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.

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.
• 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.

Resources & Links

• Packets of Hope (free download): https://packetsofhope.com
• Overcoming Obstacles curriculum: https://overcomingobstacles.org

Key Takeaway

One small step—whether asking for help, starting a journey, or reaching out to someone else—can become the turning point that changes everything.

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)
• Email: jack.hager@gmail.com
• 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.

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 (The Yielding Warrior)

Links & Resources

• Jeff Patterson’s website: theyieldingwarrior.com
• Get the book (free copy — pay shipping, US): theyieldingwarrior.com/book
• Free breathwork course (“One Breath Away”): theyieldingwarrior.com/onebreathaway
• Book on Amazon: The Yielding Warrior (search on Amazon)

Call to Action

If this episode helped you take one deeper breath or choose one calmer response, please:

• Follow / Subscribe to the show
• Leave a rating + review (Apple Podcasts helps a ton)
• Share it with a friend who’s carrying something “two miles past the puddle.”

Show Info

The Story of Us: From Cosmic Dawn to the Depths of Being Website: thestoryofusproject.com

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.”

“Desire isn’t the same as satisfaction.”

“You don’t need to earn rest. You need it because you’re human.”

“Enoughness can’t be achieved — it can only be realized.”

Books & References Mentioned

• The Molecule of More by Daniel Lieberman
• Ram Dass

Reflection Prompt

Where are you still holding on tight? What would it feel like — just for a breath — to soften?

Connect with the Show

If this episode resonated, share it with someone who might need the reminder that they are human — not a machine.

Visit: www.thestoryofusproject.com

Subscribe, listen, read, and join the conversation.

Together we rise by remembering each other.

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.

Learn More

Visit Melanie’s website: https://theunblock.shop

Explore her fascia-based recovery tool and educational resources designed to support mobility, nervous system regulation, and embodied healing.

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.

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.

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.

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:

• 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

We’re wrapping Season 1 of The Story of Us—and closing the book on 2025—with a cup of coffee (maybe the 12th), a little laughter, and a lot of heart.

From an imperfect first recording around a kitchen table to conversations about pain, compassion, mental health, faith, and the sacred “middle lane” of life, Season 1 was about learning to listen—and remembering why stories matter.

In this finale, Jeff shares his biggest takeaway from 2025: we may not get an Easy Button for life… but we can press what he calls the Easier Button—the practice of loosening our grip on what we can’t control. Along the way, he draws wisdom from Buddhism, the words of Thich Nhat Hanh, and the timeless refrain from the Beatles: “Let it be.”

And to send you into 2026 (the “Year of the Fire Horse,” if you’re into that kind of thing), Jeff closes with an original poem: The Page of 2026—for anyone wondering what comes next.

Pull up a chair. The table is still open.

In this episode:

• A Season 1 reflection: why stories matter (especially when life feels heavy)
• The “table” metaphor: a place where questions are welcome and no one has to pretend they’re fine
• Themes from Season 1: survival, chronic pain, caregiving, mental health, faith, courage, and ordinary awe
• Turning 50 and learning to honor the “wonder years” in new forms
• The Easier Button: how life becomes easier by changing how we meet difficulty
• A beginner-friendly crash course in Buddhism: pain vs. suffering, attachment, letting go, mindfulness
• Why Let It Be is more than a song—it’s a practice
• A powerful teaching from a Tibetan Buddhist monk: “If there’s a solution, why worry? If there isn’t, why worry?”
• Practical ways to “bring it down from the mountain and into your Monday morning”
• A closing poem for the year ahead: The Page of 2026

Memorable lines & moments:

• “Clarity comes from showing up, not from waiting until everything is fully polished.”
• “The Easier Button isn’t a button you push to fix life… it’s a button you press to soften your grip.”
• “Letting go doesn’t make the storm disappear. It means we stop screaming at the clouds.”
• “We don’t own the river… we’re just learning to float.”

Try this (your Easier Button toolkit):

• Exhale on purpose (oldest spiritual technology on Earth)
• Name what you can’t control—say it, write it, release it
• Care deeply, but not desperately (open hands, not a chokehold)
• Swap “Why me?” for “What is this teaching me?”
• Trust the mystery (God, the universe, the cosmic traffic controller—your pick)
• Remember: impermanence works both ways—your struggle and your doubt won’t last forever

Season 2 returns in late January. If something in this episode lands in your heart, share it with a friend—and come back to the table.

Visit: www.thestoryofusproject.com Follow along for blog posts, episodes, and community updates.

“Some people become like a sunrise; others like a storm over the ocean. Both are beautiful in their own way.”

In this deeply personal — and often hilarious — father-son conversation, Jeff sits down with his 23-year-old son, Brady Ellison, to reflect on the journey of becoming a man.

Brady opens up about growing up a camo-clad, Lego-scattering, ninja-star-crafting kid who could break an AC unit faster than most people could turn one on… and the outdoor adventures, mishaps, and long list of injuries that shaped him along the way. From early mornings in deer stands to legendary fishing trips in remote Canada, Brady shares how nature gave him the stillness and peace his mind rarely offered on its own.

We explore his non-traditional but deeply intentional path into the trades — welding certifications, diesel mechanic training, YouTube-enabled mastery, and the pride he takes in building a life with his hands. We also talk about the danger of welding in flip-flops (don’t do it), why his Boy-Scout-badges-for-injuries would fill a varsity jacket, and the highly questionable series of truck purchases that helped shape the man he’s becoming.

Brady opens his heart as he reflects on living with bipolar depression, the challenges of finding peace in a noisy world, and the compassion those experiences have carved into him. His honesty will resonate with anyone navigating their own storms or supporting someone who is.

And then — in the most tender arc of the episode — he tells the love story of meeting Sophie at 15, the ways she became a lifeline during the darkest days, and the shared compass guiding their dreams toward country roads, acreage, and a barn-dominium of their own.

This episode is full of joy, vulnerability, humor, and the kind of generational storytelling that reminds us why The Story of Us exists in the first place. It captures a moment in time — Brady at 23 — before the chapters ahead unfold.

If you're a parent, a young adult carving a non-traditional path, someone who loves the trades, or simply human enough to know what feeling different feels like… this one’s for you.

Topics include:

• Growing up different — and embracing it
• Hunting, fishing & the healing silence of nature
• Welding, diesel mechanics, and life in the trades
• Mental health, patience, and compassion
• Social media “brain rot” and finding peace
• Falling in love young & building a shared compass
• The questionable truck era (seven trucks… enough said)
• Advice to younger self & future self
• Why becoming isn’t linear
• Father–son stories you’ll laugh and cry through

A warm, funny, and powerful exploration of becoming — through storms, sunrises, and everything in between.

What does it actually feel like…to stand at the edge of your life…and try to figure out who you’re going to become?

In this special NextGen episode of The Story of Us, Jeff sits down with Max McGuire—recent University of Tennessee graduate, adventurer, artist, and someone stepping into adulthood in real time.

This conversation is a little different.

Max isn’t just a guest—he’s someone Jeff knows personally (yeah, it's his daughters BOYFRIEND). Which makes this episode feel less like an interview… and more like a real, honest conversation between two people at very different stages of life.

And maybe that’s what makes it so powerful.

Together, they explore the questions that don’t come with easy answers:

• What does it mean to find your purpose… before you’ve fully lived your life?
• How do you balance ambition with meaning?
• What are you willing to sacrifice—and what are you not?

From working as a ranch hand in Aspen… to exploring the Amazon River Basin… to navigating creativity, relationships, and the uncertainty of what comes next—Max opens up about what he’s learning, what he’s still figuring out, and what matters most right now.

This isn’t a conversation about having it all figured out.

It’s about being honest enough to admit you don’t.

🎯 What You’ll Take Away

• Why early adulthood is more about questions than answers
• How real-world experiences shape identity and perspective
• The importance of curiosity, creativity, and exploration
• What it means to build a life with intention
• Why honesty matters more than saying what people expect

🌍 Key Themes

• Becoming vs arriving
• Identity and self-discovery
• Purpose and direction
• Adventure and growth
• Living without a script

👤 About the Guest – Max McGuire

Max McGuire is a recent graduate of the University of Tennessee with a degree in supply chain management.

Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, Max brings a unique blend of grit, creativity, and curiosity. From working as a ranch hand in Aspen to traveling into the Amazon, his experiences reflect a willingness to step outside the ordinary and into growth.

He is an artist, an outdoorsman, and someone just beginning to shape the life he wants to build.

🌐 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 full episodes, bite-sized clips, and conversations about what it means to be human in a rapidly changing world.

📲 Follow & Connect

Follow The Story of Us:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• BlueSky

🎥 Full episodes, clips, and shorts available on YouTube.

🎧 Share This Episode

If you know someone navigating this stage of life…

Send this to them.

Because sometimes the most important thing you can hear is:

You don’t need to have it all figured out.

💬 Final Thought

Becoming isn’t something that happens once.

It’s something we all keep doing…

no matter how old we are.

In this solo episode of The Story of Us: From Cosmic Dawn to the Depths of Being, Jeff Ellison pulls on his 1990 J-Town All-Stars gear, climbs into the time machine, and takes us from pay phones and Blockbuster late fees to the always-on, always-scrolling world we live in today.

Born in 1975—the same year as Microsoft, home Pong, and the Betamax—Jeff and his buddies have lived through more technological shifts in 50 years than any generation in human history. From paper maps and pagers to AOL dial-up, smartphones, and rage-bait algorithms, he unpacks what this “technology tsunami” is doing to our nervous systems and our sense of reality.

Using the metaphor of an information deluge, Jeff traces a short history of the “human data diet” in three acts—Oral & Local, Print & Broadcast, and the Digital & Omnipresent Deluge—then zooms in on what it feels like to be a modern human trying to stay afloat in 74 gigabytes of daily input, constant notifications, misinformation, and AI-accelerated chaos.

Most importantly, he doesn’t leave us drowning. Jeff offers practical, compassionate ways to reclaim your attention and “learn to breathe underwater”:

• Starting your day in a positive way (instead of doom-scrolling in bed)
• Creating a low-friction “information diet” with deliberate check-in windows
• Using the 60-second SIFT method to quickly filter sketchy content
• Going “old school” with analog tools: paper, books, wristwatches, and walks
• Choosing a few “slow media” anchors—longform reads, meaningful podcasts, and book clubs that build depth instead of outrage

Along the way, he reflects on how misinformation outpaces truth, why our empathy gets weaponized by the feed, and how discernment has become a survival skill in the digital age.

If you’ve ever felt like your brain is oatmeal in a steel cage by bedtime, this one’s for you.

Connect & Go Deeper:

Explore the companion blog post and more reflections at The Story of Us Project: www.thestoryofusproject.com

In a world overflowing with noise, choosing what—and who—you listen to might just be the most human act left. Let’s find the signal together.

Recorded at Jeff's kitchen table on a cold, rainy late October night, this conversation traces a lineage of people helping people. Molly Cassaro Jones—daughter of Irish and Italian second-generation immigrant families—grew up watching her grandfather defend dispossessed renters in Depression-era New York, her mother choose integration in 1960s Florida (“because I can make this choice now”), and her father welcome Iranian students during the hostage crisis. That inheritance of courage met an unthinkable loss when one of Molly’s 5 children, her son Pete, a gifted, big-hearted twin, elected to take his own life by suicide at the age of 23.

Out of grief, Molly and her family built The Pete Foundation the very next day—turning sorrow into action, silence into language, and stigma into community. This episode is a hand on the shoulder and a lantern in the dark.

What We Talk About

• A family legacy of standing up for others—and why it still matters now
• Pete’s life, laughter, and quiet way of making everyone feel seen
• The moment grief became a mission: birthing The Pete Foundation overnight
• Youth mental health: giving kids the language to name what they feel
• From Chalk the Walk to Rock the Elephant: creativity as medicine
• The Mental Health Flag: taking the conversation into public spaces
• Two hard but vital questions parents can ask their kids
• QPR training (Question, Persuade, Refer): a simple, life-saving start

Key Facts (let’s make the invisible visible)

• ~1 in 5 young people experience a mental health disorder.
• Suicide is the #2 cause of death for ages 10–34 in the U.S.
• In Kentucky, suicides outnumber homicides by nearly 2 to 1. Statistics aren’t stories—but stories give statistics a heartbeat. This is one of those stories.

Resources & Links

• The Pete Foundation — programs, trainings, Mental Health Flag, and ways to help: thepetefoundation.org
• QPR Suicide Prevention Training (free via The Pete Foundation): inquire on the site
• Mental Health Flag — fly it, post it, normalize it (available via The Pete Foundation and other public sellers)

If You Need Help (now)

• Call or text 988 (U.S.) for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline—24/7, free, confidential.
• If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

A Line to Carry With You

“Truth wins out—and so does good.”

Call to Action

If this episode moved you, do one thing today:

• Schedule a QPR training for your school, team, office, or faith community.
• Buy and fly the Mental Health Flag.
• Share this episode with one person who needs to know they’re not alone.

Every now and then, a story steps out of the noise and reminds us what leadership really looks like. In this episode of The Story of Us, host Jeff Ellison sits down with Drake Ballard — a long time friend and former collegiate athlete whose life lessons on the baseball diamond have become a blueprint for compassion, grit, and human connection.

Drake’s journey takes us from Little League dugouts in Kentucky to the quiet triumphs of helping children with disabilities find independence, joy, and dignity. Together, Jeff and Drake explore how empathy and expectation can coexist — how joy grows where they meet — and why real leadership isn’t about applause, but about presence.

It’s a conversation about purpose over perfection, character over clout, and the kind of victories that never show up on a scoreboard.

Key Themes

• How sports can teach emotional intelligence and resilience
• The transformative power of empathy in leadership and service
• Redefining “winning” through acts of kindness and inclusion
• Turning compassion into courage in the face of challenge
• The quiet, daily work of helping children with disabilities thrive

Memorable Quote

“Joy grows where expectations and empathy meet. That’s where real leadership begins.”

About the Guest

Drake Ballard is a collegiate athlete turned mentor and advocate for children with disabilities. His work blends psychology, behavioral science, and lived empathy — helping young people build independence and confidence through small, meaningful victories.

About the Series

The Story of Us: From Cosmic Dawn to the Depths of Being explores the luminous intersections of humanity — where science meets spirit, grit meets grace, and one person’s story helps us rediscover our own.

Host Jeff Ellison sits down with longtime friend Paul Osting — athlete, engineer, entrepreneur, and founder of Peacemakers Elder Care — to explore faith, family, and the courage to “run to the roar.” Inspired by Mark Batterson’s Chase the Lion, Paul’s story reminds us that peace isn’t found in comfort, but in choosing to live with purpose and heart.

Together, Jeff and Paul explore the power of mentorship, legacy, and “running to the roar” — facing life’s fears head-on with love and conviction. It’s a story that captures what The Story of Us Project is all about: discovering the sacred threads that connect us all.

Featured Topics:

• Growing up in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, in a multi-generational family business
• Lessons from baseball that transcend the game — discipline, teamwork, and resilience
• A 26-year career with UPS: from global engineering to personal calling
• Founding Peacemakers Elder Care and living out the Beatitude “Blessed are the peacemakers”
• How faith, family, and service shape a life of purpose
• Reflections from Mark Batterson’s The Lion Chaser’s Manifesto:

“Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Run to the roar.”

Episode Themes:

• Faith as a compass
• The courage to start again
• Finding purpose in service
• Generational legacy and the ripple effect of dreams
• “Running to the roar” — the sacred act of facing fear with love

Key Quote:

“Peace isn’t something you wait for. It’s something you make.” — Paul Osting

If Paul’s story moved you, share this episode with someone who needs to be reminded of their own courage.

Every story told becomes a story shared — and that’s how The Story of Us continues.

Keep listening deeply. Keep telling your story bravely.

Together, let’s keep writing The Story of Us.

In this special episode, Jeff revisits the origins of The Story of Us—how a playful disagreement with his wife over the podcast name became a spark that revealed its deeper truth. What began as a title became a manifesto: an invitation to explore everything that connects us—from the birth of galaxies to the pulse of our shared humanity.

Through reflection and storytelling, Jeff traces the threads of influence that have shaped the project: ✨ the scientific wonder of Neil deGrasse Tyson and Carl Sagan, 🧘 the spiritual stillness of Eckhart Tolle and Thich Nhat Hanh, 🧠 the introspective language of psychology, 🙏 the contemplative wisdom of faith traditions, and 📖 the mythic framework of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey.

Together, they weave a tapestry that reminds us: the story of the universe and the story of you are one and the same.

🪞 Key Themes

• The Power of “Us”: Why connection—across laughter, imperfection, and shared curiosity—is the real subject of this show.
• Cosmic to Personal: How the birth of stars mirrors the stirrings of our own hearts.
• Silence and Stillness: The art of listening deeply—to ourselves, to others, to the universe.
• The Hero’s Journey: How myth and meaning live in every human story.
• The Invitation: To wonder, to remember, to reconnect.

🗣 Notable Quotes

“The story of the universe and the story of you and I are not two stories—they are the same story, seen from different vantage points.”

“This podcast isn’t polished perfection; it’s a living, breathing, sometimes awkward, always beautiful unfolding.”

“The cosmos is vast, yes. But so is the heart. And somewhere between the two, we’ll find meaning—together.”

🌍 Connect and Contribute

If this episode stirs something in you—share it. Pass it along to someone who loves philosophy, science, or simply the art of being human. And if you have a story to tell—your story—reach out at The Story of Us Project. Because every voice adds a thread to the grand tapestry we’re weaving.

We are stardust, telling stories to remember who we are. From the cosmic dawn to the depths of being—this is the story of us.

In this heartfelt episode of The Story of Us, host Jeff Ellison sits down with longtime friend Todd Lanham—a father, husband, creative, and the mind behind the beloved Instagram account Lou Guru. But behind the food photos and Louisville adventures lies a story woven with resilience, loss, and redemption.

Todd opens up about growing up on a family farm in small-town Kentucky during the 1980s—where hardship, hope, and even the echoes of the Cornbread Mafia shaped his early years. He shares his unlikely journey from the tobacco fields of Springfield to the streets of London, from family tragedy to fatherhood, and how each twist in his story taught him to make the small things the big things.

Together, Jeff and Todd explore what it means to live under pressure and emerge stronger, how grief can become fuel for purpose, and how authenticity—both online and off—creates connection in a world desperate for it.

This conversation is equal parts memoir, therapy, and Kentucky soul. Whether you’re facing midlife transitions, chasing creative passions, or simply trying to savor your next meal with more gratitude, Todd’s story will remind you that the little things are never little at all.

🎧 Highlights include:

• Growing up in Springfield, Kentucky and lessons from the family farm
• Life-changing mentorship, love, and loss
• The creation of Lou Guru and Louisville’s local food magic
• Grieving, healing, and finding meaning after tragedy
• Turning health challenges and self-discipline into transformation (over 100 lbs lost)
• Fatherhood, music, and the art of living intentionally

💡 “Pressure doesn’t crush you. It can also redefine you.”

🎵 Featuring original music by Anthony Melange (Todd’s son) – listen to Red Wine on Spotify or Apple Music.

🔗 Learn more and read Jeff’s companion essay “Under Pressure: Coping with the Weight of 50” at thestoryofusproject.com

To order a copy of the book, The Cornbread Mafia: A Homegrown Syndicate's Code Of Silence And The Biggest Marijuana Bust In American History https://www.amazon.com/dp/1493038494?ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_ud_dp_0P0YYD1WHC22KGSTK3KK_1&bestFormat=true&language=en-US

Some days it feels like our minds are stuck on an endless hamster wheel—spinning, sprinting, replaying mistakes, rehearsing problems, inventing battles that don’t even exist. We juggle roles—parent, partner, leader, friend—and each one feeds the wheel until it feels impossible to stop.

In this episode, Jeff explores the hidden scripts and unconscious patterns that keep us stuck in relentless motion. Drawing on the wisdom of Eckhart Tolle and Thich Nhat Hanh, he invites us to step off the wheel, if only for a moment, and reclaim presence.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

The conflict between our adaptive personalities and our authentic selves.

The self-critical questions that fuel the wheel at night.

How inherited paradigms (“I must succeed to be worthy”) silently drive exhaustion.

Why mindfulness is the pause button that slows time and stretches space.

Four simple practices to reset:

The Three-Breath Reset

Naming Your Hamster

Walking Like You Have Nowhere to Go

The Spacious Minute

A reminder that you are not alone in this struggle—it is part of the universal human story.

Key Takeaway

Life is not the wheel. Life is the still ground it spins upon. When we pause, breathe, and return to presence, we find that joy, clarity, and connection have been waiting for us all along.

If this conversation speaks to you, share it with someone else who may be stuck on their own hamster wheel. Together, we can learn to step off, slow down, and rediscover the simple power of being.

Today we mix the cosmic with the cozy. For the first time ever, The Story of Us is guest-hosted by Peyton Ellison, who puts her dad Jeff in the hot seat. They explore how mindfulness slows time, why softness is not weakness, and how forgiveness frees us to breathe again. Jeff shares “cheat codes” for staying calm (pause, observe, use fewer words, forgive quickly), reflects on raising a daughter and learning to revere women’s quiet strength, and tells a favorite memory: a sleepy walk to a Hilton Head shoreline where a sunrise became a tradition—and a metaphor. The episode ends with five simple, searing pieces of advice worth taping to your mirror.

Key Topics / Takeaways

• Mindfulness as practice: presence over perfection; thoughts as passing clouds; the train-station observer.
• Calm under fire: pause before you plunge; be a conscious observer; don’t grab every storm.
• Girl-dad perspective: cherishing women’s resilience, emotional intelligence, and heart-led leadership.
• Parenting paradox: we can be the lighthouse, but the sea belongs to our kids.
• Life design: don’t confuse constant motion with success; protect your energy like it’s sacred.
• Five closing maxims:
  1. Don’t trade your peace for approval.
  2. Don’t trade your time for nickels.
  3. Don’t dilute yourself to be digestible.
  4. Say no early and often.
  5. If you forget who you are, call me—I’ll remind you.

Memorable Quotes

• “Mindfulness is kind of magic—done right, it slows down time.”
• “We can be your lighthouse, but the ocean is yours.”
• “Use fewer words—mean all of them.”
• “Don’t dilute yourself just to be digestible.”
• “If you forget who you are, call me. I’ll remind you.”

Links & Resources

• Peyton’s blog: piecesofp.com
• Mentioned: Neil deGrasse Tyson quote on the present
• Mentioned: The Four Agreements (be impeccable with your word)
• Mentioned: Mel Robbins episode on life timelines

THE MOST ANTICIPATED PODCAST DROP SINCE #NEWHEIGHTS.

In this heartfelt and deeply personal episode of The Story of Us, host Jeff Ellison welcomes a very special guest—his daughter, Peyton Marie Ellison. At just 21, Peyton has already lived a life brimming with travel, creativity, and courage. A student at the University of Tennessee, writer of the inspiring blog Pieces of P, and a fearless explorer of both the world and herself, Peyton brings wisdom well beyond her years to the microphone.

Together, father and daughter reflect on her journey so far: from the lessons of growing up in Kentucky, to transformative moments abroad, to her recent three-month internship in New York City. Peyton opens up about self-love, confidence, and learning the difference between loneliness and solitude. She shares candidly about body image struggles, pivotal travel experiences, and the power of manifesting dreams—not as blind fate, but as intentional action guided by clarity and courage.

The conversation flows like a kitchen-table chat, blending humor, tenderness, and insight. Listeners will hear stories of Paris and Morocco, Manhattan apartments and Santorini sunsets, as well as Peyton’s reflections on writing as a way of bottling memories like vials of sand. With grace and authenticity, she reminds us that happiness isn’t the absence of problems, but the strength to face them.

Whether you’re navigating your 20s, raising a child, or simply seeking inspiration, this episode offers a reminder to “go be great,” to say yes to joy, and to trust in the unfolding chapters of your own story.

In this episode, Jeff sits down with Haeli Elizabeth Spears—a remarkable young woman whose story weaves together family legacy, personal growth, and a deep sense of purpose. From childhood dreams of acting to a career in healthcare, Haeli’s journey reveals how love, curiosity, and service can shape a meaningful life.

Highlights from the conversation:

• Growing up in Louisville, KY surrounded by a supportive family and a “village” of strong women in healthcare.
• Early passions for theater, dance, and journalism—and the pivot that led her into communications and healthcare marketing.
• Carrying forward her family’s caregiving legacy as Marketing Director at Commonwealth Pain and Spine, supporting those living with chronic pain.
• Reflections on her marriage, family milestones, and how personal experiences—like her wedding—brought healing and connection.
• A love for books, music, and art, including the inspiration she draws from authors like Taylor Jenkins Reid and artists like Kacey Musgraves and Father John Misty.
• Deep dives into meaning, mortality, and interconnectedness: from teenage existential questions to adult insights about living fully in the present.
• Practices that “fill her well”—from cooking and yoga to creating a warm, intentional home.
• Thoughts on legacy, purpose, and advice to her younger and future self.

This episode is a heartfelt exploration of what it means to live with intention, curiosity, and love. Haeli reminds us that while life is fleeting, our ability to leave the world a little better is the story worth writing.

👉 Read more reflections on this conversation in the blog post: May Your Cup Runneth Over at www.thestoryofusproject.com.

Episode Title

She Sold Everything to Sail the World… Here’s What She Found | Alison Gieschen

Episode Description

What happens when you walk away from everything you’ve built…

and choose a life most people only dream about?

In this episode of The Story of Us, Jeff sits down with Alison Gieschen—author, storyteller, and global sailor—who made a bold decision alongside her husband to sell everything they owned and circumnavigate the world by sailboat.

Since then, they’ve traveled across five continents, visited over 50 countries, and lived a life shaped not by schedules… but by wind, water, and the unknown.

But this conversation isn’t just about travel.

It’s about what happens when you strip life down to its essentials.

About the people you meet along the way. The perspectives that change you. And what truly matters when comfort, routine, and certainty are no longer part of the equation.

From navigating storms at sea to navigating different cultures and ways of living, Alison shares what years on the ocean have taught her about humanity, connection, and the shared experience of being alive.

What You’ll Take Away

• Why transformational travel is about people—not places
• What Alison learned from communities living with far less
• How stepping outside your normal life reshapes your perspective
• The difference between chasing experiences and finding meaning
• What really matters when everything else is stripped away

Key Themes

• Human connection across cultures
• Simplicity vs modern life
• Adventure and uncertainty
• Perspective and gratitude
• What it means to truly live

About the Guest – Alison Gieschen

Alison Gieschen is a former teacher, equestrian vaulting coach, and horse farm owner who chose a radically different path—selling everything to sail around the world with her husband aboard their 43-foot vessel, EQUUS.

She is an author, travel blogger, and storyteller known as The Nautical Novelist, sharing her journey through books and her sailing blog.

Her works include:

• Riding the Waves of Reality
• Riding the Waves of Reality II
• THE SEVEN: An Odyssey of Seven Horses and Seven Souls
• Julia’s Vaulting Dream

Connect with Alison

• Website: www.alisongieschen.com
• Sailing Blog: www.sailmates.org

Explore More

If this conversation resonated with you, we’ve created a space for you to go deeper.

👉 [Insert Your Website / Landing Page Link]

Explore more conversations, reflections, and stories about what it means to be human in a rapidly changing world.

Listen. Reflect. Share.

If this episode made you think, feel, or see the world a little differently…

Share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Final Thought

Sometimes the most powerful journeys…

aren’t about where you go.

They’re about how you begin to see.

This episode is deeply personal, vulnerable and I hope it brings you hope. It's a reflection on a blog post I published titled “Coping with a Child’s Mental Health Struggles and Finding Joy in the Everyday” (July 23, 2025), which resonated with so many of you. Thank you for your support, shares, and kind words—it means the world to my family and me.

Today’s episode explores what it means to parent a child with bipolar depression, and more broadly, what it means to hold space for a loved one navigating mental health challenges. It's not easy—and yet, it’s one of the most courageous acts of love there is.

We’ll talk about:

• The difference between pain and suffering as parents
• How to bear witness to your child’s internal battles
• Why joy is not betrayal—it’s essential for survival
• What coregulation is and how your calm presence supports healing
• The quiet heroism of showing up again and again
• When and how to seek professional help
• Why you’re never alone, even when it feels like it

This episode is especially for parents, caregivers, educators, and anyone walking alongside someone they love through mental illness. Whether you're living this reality yourself or holding space for someone who is—you belong here.

Key Quotes:

"Joy isn’t a betrayal of suffering—it’s an act of balance. A way of telling the world: we are still here."

"You don’t have to say the perfect thing—you just have to keep showing up."

"Your calm can be a sanctuary. Not because you're perfect, but because you’re present."

Topics We Touch On:

• Parenting a child with bipolar depression
• The emotional toll and resilience of caregiving
• Why mental health conversations must be normalized
• The sacredness of small, ordinary joys
• The value of asking for help and early intervention
• How parents can model vulnerability and emotional regulation

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Blog Post: Coping with a Child’s Mental Health Struggles and Finding Joy in the Everyday (Published July 23, 2025)
• Visit our website for resources: www.storyofusproject.com
• Follow along and share on Instagram & Facebook @storyofusprojectNote from Jeff:

If you’re walking through something similar, I see you. Your presence, your patience, and your love make a difference—even if the results aren’t visible yet. You’re doing sacred work. Stay with it. And never forget—you are not alone.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Until next time—stay present, stay loving, and hold on to the sparks of joy.

I don’t believe I’ve watched one particular movie more often then I’ve watchedIt’s a Wonderful Life. Each Holiday season, I’m reminded that the torture I get to inflict on my family by subjecting them to this 1940’s black and white classic is the “gift that keeps on giving” for me. My sister shares my love for this movie but, others? Eh, debatable. They make an effort and they play along with the tradition. Nevertheless, each year, I curl up on the couch, pour a strong drink and hit “Play” – trying my best to hide the hurt deep in my soul when they roll their eyes at the opening credits and then commence to fall fast asleep before Clarence even makes his grand entrance. One of these days, I’ll breakthrough their cold, dead hearts. Until then, whether it’s the 50th or the 100th time I see it, I’ll bawl uncontrollably when the closing credits roll. (Like Pavlov’s dog, cue up some “Auld Lang Syne” and my chin instinctively starts to quiver).

What exactly is it that connects me so deeply with this particular movie?

I think maybe it’s that so many of us can relate to ol’ George Bailey. I sure know I can.

Join us for Episode 3 where we visit the home of Kathy and Kelly Thompson. After sharing a family meal featuring fresh vegetables from Kathy’s garden, Jeff and Kathy dive deep into some heady territory. Kathy shares the story of her life from the early days In Louisville through the 67th year of her life, Listen closely and you’ll hear the sounds of life happening all around (including some fireworks going off nearby).

Prepare to laugh a little, learn a lot and listen as we tackle some ancient questions around the mysteries of life.

Featuring a poem reading and lesson’s learned from Thomas Merton’s work. We discuss how to best look again at the ordinary, and find the extraordinary. How to recognize that awakening isn’t somewhere else—it’s here, waiting in the middle of your life. In your garden. At the supermarket. In the faces of strangers you pass by each day on your way to wherever it is you are rushing to get to.

It lives in the places we least expect holiness to live.

On this episode, Jeff takes the time to welcome the listener and set the table for meaningful conversations yet to come. Listeners will take the time to first pause and meditate before contemplating life as a human in the Year 2025 AD. Jeff dives into some of the big challenges facing humanity before putting our problems into perspective - placing the listener in the present as it relates to the vastness of both time and space. We share inspirational quotes from Carl Sagan, James McPhee and astronaut Ed Mitchell. We then help the listener understand the importance of story telling to the human journey (from cosmic dawn to the depths of being). Jeff introduces listeners to one of his influencers, Joseph Campbell, the great American writer and mythologist. We emphasize the symbolic meaning of global religious stories without disparaging them. Jeff invites the listener to embrace humanity as a species of suffering individuals- all fighting to grasp the meaning of life. Finally, we kickoff our journey and prepare for the conversations to follow.

Jeff tests an introduction and has a casual conversation with his wife, Jessica

Some lives don't follow a script. They follow a feeling — an inexplicable something that whispers just loud enough to be heard over the noise of the ordinary. Calvin Schwartz has been listening to that whisper his whole life, and what it's led him to is nothing short of extraordinary.

Calvin joins us today as the host of We the Species, a podcast over 700 conversations deep that explores the big, beautiful, unanswerable questions about humanity, connection, and what it means to be alive. If you haven't found it yet, consider this your sign.

In this episode, Calvin takes us on a journey that winds through pharmacy school he never wanted, a 25-year career selling eyeglasses for one of the world's wealthiest men, a novel that arrived fully formed during a rainy morning rewatch of Casablanca, and a spiritual awakening that changed the entire trajectory of his life. Along the way we touch on bullying, reinvention, the paranormal, a mysterious healing in Nazareth, a five-roll car crash he walked away from without a scratch, and — not once, but twice — turning down Steven Spielberg. Almost, he'll tell you. Almost.

Calvin is also the award-winning author of There's a Tortoise in My Hair: A Journey to Spirit, a novel that has drawn comparisons to Kurt Vonnegut, Philip Roth, and John Irving, and has collected over ten national awards. It is a book about meaning, mortality, and the unseen forces that seem to guide us — whether we believe in them or not.

At 80-something and showing no signs of slowing down, Calvin is a living, breathing argument for staying curious, staying open, and never letting age write the final word on who you're still becoming.

In this episode we explore:

Leaving behind a career — and a whole identity — to follow something you can't quite name

The spiritual thread that runs quietly through an entire life

How writing one novel unlocked an entire new world of possibility

The paranormal experiences that changed how Calvin sees existence

What 700+ conversations about the human species has taught him about all of us

The gift of the antenna — and why Calvin believes we all have one

Connect with Calvin:

🎙️ We the Species Podcast — available on all major streaming platforms

📖 There's a Tortoise in My Hair — available at CalvinSchwartz.com

💼 LinkedIn: Calvin Schwartz

📘 Facebook: Cal Schwartz

Enjoyed this episode?

If something Calvin said today stayed with you, please take a moment to leave us a review on your streaming platform of choice — it helps more curious minds find their way to these conversations. And if you know someone who needs a reminder that it is never too late to begin again, share this episode with them. That small act might mean more than you know.

Until next time — peace be with you.

What does it actually mean to be a “tough guy”?

Lately, that definition feels… off. Somewhere along the way, toughness has been confused with anger. Strength with cruelty. Confidence with tearing other people down.

In this solo episode of The Story of Us, Jeff steps back and challenges that idea.

This one is personal.

Through the lens of his son Brady—a welder, diesel mechanic, and what most would call a “man’s man”—Jeff explores the difference between being disciplined, resilient, and capable… versus being closed off, hateful, or divisive.

Because those aren’t the same thing.

And they never were.

This episode is a spoken-word reflection based on Jeff’s blog post:

“You Can Be a Man’s Man Without Being an Asshole”

It’s about redefining strength. Reclaiming character. And remembering that toughness and kindness were never meant to be opposites.

🎯 What You’ll Take Away

• Why toughness and cruelty have been incorrectly linked
• The difference between strength and insecurity
• How modern culture is distorting masculinity
• What real character looks like in everyday life
• Why kindness is not weakness—and never has been

👤 A Personal Note

This episode is inspired by Jeff’s son, Brady—whose life reflects a powerful truth:

You can be rough, tough, hardworking… and still be a good man to the people around you.

🌐 Read the Full Blog

Want to read the full written version?

👉 https://thestoryofusproject.com/2026/04/16/you-can-be-a-mans-man-without-being-an-asshole/

🔗 Explore More

If this episode resonated with you, we’ve created a space for you to go deeper.

👉 https://thestoryofusproject.com/START-HERE/

More conversations. More reflections. More of what it means to be human in a world that’s changing fast.

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If you know someone who’s been wrestling with what it means to be a man today…

Send this to them. Because the conversation matters.

💬 Final Thought

You don’t have to change who you are to become a better man.

You just have to remember:

Tough doesn’t mean cruel.

Something feels… off.

The world we thought we understood doesn’t quite make sense anymore. Institutions feel shaky. The rules seem unclear. And underneath it all, there’s this quiet, persistent question:

Is everything falling apart… or are we being pushed into something new?

In this episode of The Story of Us, Jeff sits down with Scott Paradis—retired U.S. Army Colonel, Congressional Fellow, and National Security Fellow at Harvard—to explore one of the most important questions of our time.

Drawing from decades inside systems of power, Scott offers a bold perspective:

👉 What we’re experiencing may not be collapse… 👉 It may be revelation.

Together, they unpack:

• Why so many people feel anxious, disconnected, and unsettled
• The hidden “games” shaping our economy and society
• How our relationship with money distorts how we live
• Why this moment in history may be an evolutionary turning point
• What it actually means to take ownership of your role in what comes next

This conversation isn’t about politics or ideology.

It’s about stepping back far enough to see the system… and then asking a deeper question:

What kind of game do you want to play?

🎯 Key Takeaways

• We are not just participants in the system—we are its creators
• There are two forces at play: the making game (creating value) and the taking game (extracting value)
• “Apocalypse” doesn’t mean destruction—it means revealing what was hidden
• Today’s anxiety may be the signal of a deeper transformation
• The future is not predetermined—it’s shaped by individual choices

👤 About the Guest – Scott Paradis

Scott F. Paradis is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, former Congressional Fellow in the U.S. Senate, and National Security Fellow at Harvard University.

After a 30-year career inside military and government systems, Scott shifted his focus to understanding the deeper forces shaping human behavior, society, and personal development.

He is the author of 11 books and creator of multiple educational programs exploring leadership, money, and human potential.

His latest work, What’s Really Going On: Apocalypse or Evolution, challenges the idea that humanity is in decline—and instead suggests we are at a critical moment of transformation.

🔗 Connect with Scott

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-f-paradis/
• YouTube Series: What’s Really Going On: Apocalypse or Evolution
• Books & Programs: Available via Amazon, Udemy, and Listenable

🌐 Explore More

If this conversation resonated with you, we’ve created a space for you to go deeper.

Visit our landing page to explore more conversations, insights, and resources designed to help you navigate this moment with clarity and intention.

👉 www.thestoryofusproject.com/start-here

🎧 Listen. Reflect. Share.

If you found value in this episode, share it with someone who’s been asking the same questions.

Because maybe the real shift happening right now…

isn’t just in the world.

It’s within us.

From Big Bang to Space Colonies (13.8 Billion Years in Under 90 Minutes) | with Richard Anderson

What if the story of your life didn't begin when you were born — but 13.8 billion years ago in a single flash of energy that contained, quite literally, everything?

In this episode of The Story of Us: From Cosmic Dawn to the Depths of Being, we sit down with Richard Anderson — molecular biologist, clinical scientist, and author of The Evolution of Life, Big Bang to Space Colonies — for a conversation that begins at the beginning and somehow still manages to feel personal by the end.

Richard spent decades in laboratories doing the patient, rigorous work of understanding how life actually functions. Then he retired, traveled the world, came home to a pandemic, and wrote a book that traces the full arc of existence from the first cosmic moment to the far future of human civilization.

In this conversation, we explore:

Why carbon and water are the only possible building blocks for life — anywhere in the universe

Why intelligent life elsewhere is far less likely than the movies want you to believe

How predator and prey shaped the very way you think — and why your brain is wired for right now, not the long term

The role of mythology, religion, and science in the story of human civilization

Why colonizing Mars may not be the answer — and what Richard thinks actually is

Artificial intelligence, sentient beings, and what happens when the robots never die

The hummingbird story — trust us, stay for the hummingbird story

Richard also answers the two questions we ask every guest: what would you whisper to your younger self, and what do you want to say to the future version of you listening back one day?

His answer to the first one involves Tesla stock. His answer to the second is quieter, and worth the wait.

"Watch the movies. But read the books." — Richard Anderson

📖 Richard's Book:

The Evolution of Life, Big Bang to Space Colonies — available on Amazon

🌐 Find Richard:

richardandersonauthor.com | Facebook: Richard Anderson | Blog at his website

The Story of Us is a podcast exploring the big questions — who we are, where we came from, and what it means to be alive at this particular and unrepeatable moment. New episodes wherever you listen.

Want to learn more? START HERE -- www.thestoryofusproject.com/start-here

This episode carries a different weight—one built not on tragedy alone, but on quiet, relentless strength.

Jeff sits down with Shannon Carmichael Crawford, a Louisville native, former record-breaking swimmer, teacher, mother, and now fierce advocate. Her story moves from a joyful childhood and deep-rooted friendships to a life reshaped by profound challenges—and purpose.

Shannon and her late husband Scott built a life centered on family, raising their daughter Caitlin and son Chase. When Chase was diagnosed with profound autism, everything changed. What followed was a relentless journey through therapies, medical systems, and uncertainty—navigated without a roadmap, powered only by instinct, love, and grit.

Then came another unimaginable blow: Scott’s diagnosis with stage IV colon cancer. Ten months later, at just 45, he passed away.

Left to carry the weight of grief, motherhood, and caregiving, Shannon didn’t stop. She adapted. She fought. And she kept moving forward.

Today, her advocacy is focused on a critical gap: families in Kentucky lack the resources needed to support individuals with profound autism. With no in-state facilities equipped for 24/7 care, Shannon made the heartbreaking decision to place Chase in a specialized center 700 miles away.

Her mission now is clear—bring these children home.

Key Themes:

• The unseen strength of caregivers and mothers
• Navigating autism, especially profound autism (24/7 care needs)
• Grief, resilience, and rebuilding after loss
• Systemic gaps in healthcare and disability services
• Advocacy and creating change at the state level

Important Insights:

• 1 in 31 children are diagnosed with autism; a significant portion are profoundly affected
• Kentucky spends over $14 million annually sending families out of state for care
• Early intervention is critical—but long-term support is where systems fail
• Caregiver mental health is often overlooked but essential

For Families & Listeners:

• You are not alone—connection is critical
• Seek community, ask for help, and share your story
• Advocacy starts with awareness

Shannon’s story is ultimately about love—the kind that doesn’t quit, doesn’t ask for recognition, and doesn’t wait for perfect conditions.

If this conversation moved you, share it. Stories like this don’t create change unless they travel.

You've changed. More than you know. More than you're probably comfortable admitting.

Not gradually. Not just a little. Fundamentally. Repeatedly. And you're not done yet.

In this rare and deeply personal solo episode, host Jeff Ellison steps away from the guest chair and turns the microphone — and the mirror — on himself. What begins with an ordinary Tuesday morning and a steamed-up bathroom mirror becomes something far more searching: a raw, honest, and at times uncomfortably beautiful meditation on identity, impermanence, and what it means to keep becoming someone new while carrying everything you've already been.

This one is different. And if you're a human being in the middle of your own story — which you are — it may be exactly what you needed to hear today.

In this episode, Jeff explores:

• The jarring moment he looked in the mirror and saw his father's face looking back — and everything that moment cracked open
• Why we are, biologically and philosophically, never quite the same person twice — and why we fight it so hard
• The Buddhist concept of Anicca — impermanence — and why the self is not a noun but a verb, an ongoing, never-finished becoming
• The Ship of Theseus and what it means that your skeleton, your skin, your liver — your very body — quietly replaces itself while you're busy living your life
• The pivotal moments that don't just change you gradually, but draw a hard line between the before and the after: graduation, travel, parenthood, turning 50, chronic pain, and the decision to build something that matters
• Why clinging to an old version of yourself isn't loyalty — it's grief dressed up as identity
• What exploring Buddhist philosophy and meditation revealed about the difference between the self and the weather passing through it
• How launching The Story of Us Project gave Jeff not just something to do, but somebody to be
• The two questions Jeff asks every guest — and why turning them on himself, and on you, may be the most important thing this episode does
• Why the panic of aging is not the enemy — it's information. The self, awake enough to feel its own impermanence, asking urgently: are you paying attention?

The Two Questions — For You:

Jeff asks every guest these questions before the conversation ends. This time, he's asking you.

What does this version of yourself want to tell the younger version of yourself?

Knowing that some future you will one day look back at this exact moment — what do you want them to know?

Don't rush past them. Let them make you a little uncomfortable. That discomfort means they're working.

Join the Conversation: Jeff wants to hear from you.

What's been your biggest identity pivot? The moment that cracked you open and left someone slightly different standing in the rubble?

Share your story with us:

🌐 Visit our website: www.thestoryofusproject.com ✉️ Subscribe to our free blog: https://substack.com/@jeffrellison?utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page ▶️ Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@jeffellison-thestoryofus?si=apsFqObcwr1aGbK-💬 Find us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Blue Sky.

The circle is always open. And your story belongs in it.