Ced With Intention – Details, episodes & analysis

Mary-Kate Morrissey didn’t just play Elphaba on Broadway. She studied, trained, and pushed herself to become one of the best to ever take on the role. In this conversation, she shares the intense ambition that drove her, the behind-the-scenes discipline most people never see, and how she stayed grounded while becoming a character from Wicked that means so much to so many.

We all carry mental, emotional, and relational weight, but what happens when the labels we accept start shrinking what we’re capable of? In this episode, I’m joined by RaQuel Hopkins, a capacity expert. Together, we explore the difference between mental load and mental capacity, how emotional patterns from our past shape us, and why it’s time to outgrow the labels that hold us back.Follow RaQuel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raquel_the_capacity_expert/Follow Ced on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ced/Listen on all audio platforms: https://m.mtrbio.com/more-than-what-made-meMusic by: https://www.instagram.com/christianahmed_/

This conversation with Dr. John Delony dives into the patterns we fall back on when life gets hard and how those habits can quietly shape our relationships. We talk about the challenge of rebuilding trust after we’ve caused pain and why forgiveness often feels more complicated than the advice we’re given. It’s a raw and honest look at what it really means to stay connected in long-term relationships, not just when things are good but in the moments that follow the hurt.

Dr. Arthur Brooks, Harvard professor and best-selling author, breaks down how things like our upbringing, relationships, and purpose shape the way we experience happiness. This isn’t a conversation about chasing a feeling, it’s about building a life that actually feels good and meaningful. From the stories we carry from childhood to the pressure we put on marriage to make us whole, this episode gets into what really matters when it comes to lasting happiness.

Boston Marathon winner Des Linden opens up about the mindset behind elite performance and what keeps her going when some of her biggest wins have already happened. We talk about how she got into running, where her motivation comes from, and how discipline and purpose help her navigate life both on and off the course.

In this episode, I’m joined by Eli Harwood, licensed therapist and author, for a powerful conversation about healing the parts of ourselves shaped by childhood and relationships. We talk about how attachment impacts adulthood, what it means to repair with our kids, and how growth really happens when we face what’s underneath our reactions. If you’ve ever felt stuck in patterns you didn’t choose, this one’s worth your time.

This episode started with a moment that’s been sitting heavy. We found out we’ll have to put our family dog down soon. What it stirred up caught me off guard. I sat down with my friend and business partner, Alex Soholt, to process what that brought up: how to be human in front of your kids, how to feel things you don’t have language for, and what growth really looks like in moments you don’t see coming.

What if the problem isn’t that you don’t have enough time, but that no one taught you how to use it in a way that actually works for your life? In this episode, I sit down with author and time management expert Laura Vanderkam to talk about how to build discipline, create balance, and make time for what matters without burning out or over-scheduling yourself. Her book Tranquility by Tuesday had a real impact on how I manage my time, especially as a husband and dad, and it changed the way I think about making space for the things that matter most.

Joseph Solomon is a poet, musician, and creative who’s been asking big questions out loud for a long time. In this episode, we talk about creativity, curiosity, and what it means to unlearn who you thought you were. It’s not about having answers, it’s about staying open enough to keep asking the questions.

I sat down with Dr. Chip Dodd, a counselor, author and mentor. Dr. Dodd's podcast and books have had a big impact on me and my relationships over the past year. We talked about what it really means to feel hurt, why anger isn’t always a bad thing, and how true gladness is something deeper than just chasing happiness.

Check out Dr. Dodd's podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/76VrPBsIGv5A4YLyWY4Xga?si=29f431a344aa4b94