The Junkyard Love Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of The Junkyard Love Podcast, we meet Wendy Cole, a 67-year-old Transition Mentor who fully transitioned after 65. Wendy shares her inner perspective from her years living as a married man and father while grappling deeply with identity, societal expectations, and secrets that visited her sleep. Wendy shares stories of how she embraced her true self later in life, and we discuss her intensive internal exploration, self-work, her time in therapy, friends along the way, meditation, Joe Dispenza, reshaping limiting beliefs, creating new identities, telling the truth, and more.
Wendy invited me to think differently, and I had a great time exploring the heart and mind of this unorthodox teacher. Her story offers us deep insight into the human being's profound ability for change - at any age. 

Some quotes from Wendy:

• "The greatest freedom I've discovered wasn't physical—it was mental. Changing my thoughts and beliefs changed everything."
• "If you've never looked in the mirror and questioned your actual gender identity, 'I should have been a boy,' or 'I should have been a girl,' if you've never done that, I don't expect you to fully understand the depth of the distress."
• "My therapist challenged every one of my thoughts, every one of my beliefs in myself."
• "When you're able to finally align your outside with your inside, the sense of peace and joy is indescribable."
• "Every limiting belief I confronted was like shedding a layer; underneath, I found who I truly was."

Guest Bio - Wendy Cole:

Wendy Cole is a Transition Mentor dedicated to supporting individuals navigating significant life changes. Having personally transitioned around age 67, Wendy uses her transformative journey and deep empathy to guide clients toward embracing their authentic selves. Her mentoring approach combines mindfulness, visioning, and intentional energy shifts, helping others confront fears and discover joy in their true identities. Wendy believes deeply in the power of inner work, emphasizing that the mental and emotional aspects of transition are just as vital as the physical ones. Through coaching, speaking engagements, and sharing her powerful story, Wendy inspires individuals to embrace their journeys boldly and authentically.

Connect with Wendy:

• Website: wendycolegtm.net
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/wendy-cole-gtm
• YouTube: youtube.com/@wendycole8326

Demystifying The Transgender Journey
Website:  https://thetransgenderjourney.com
On YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thetransgenderjourney
On Podbean: https://demystifyingthetransgenderjourney.podbean.com/

If you enjoyed this episode of The Junkyard Love Podcast, drop me a subscribe!
Maybe you'll enjoy some of my upcoming episodes. See ya soon with the next guest!

In this heartfelt episode of The Junkyard Love Podcast, I reconnect with one of the most influential mentors of my life—my high school drama teacher, David Crayk. We dive deep into creativity, teaching, personal growth, and the power of human connection. David shares his journey from being a young dreamer to a teacher, the impact of mentorship, and the role of kindness in shaping students' lives. We also explore the intersection of spirituality, fitness, and the evolving world of technology in education. This conversation is full of wisdom, laughs, and deep insights. If you've ever had a teacher who changed your life, this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts!

"David Crayk is a teacher, poet, writer, bodybuilder, disc golfer, kid whisperer, spiritual advisor, and traveler - inspiring all those that cross his path to “dare to be different” in pursuit of their dreams."

Landon Smith is an artist mostly known for his alias “Dirtyzen”. A creative visionary & spiritual teacher, he hangs his hat in the world of music by interlacing a sub-genre of dubstep called ‘chillstep’ with philosophical spiritual talks from well-known masters. Landon takes the listener on a journey that seeks to liberate and amplify one’s experiential understanding of Eastern spiritual practices. He uses his inner calling of karma yoga to propagate insights for others on his various social media and art-hosting platforms. He has a quite eloquent eye for film, a trained ear for sound, and an exquisite way with words. Landon has devoted his life to the expression of spiritual passion through his art. He joins us on the podcast to discuss various spiritual topics, teachers, personal experiences, and the beautiful adventures of awakening into one’s true Self.

Teachers, subjects, and topics mentioned in this episode: 

Ram Dass, Hinduism, Buddhism, Eastern Philosophy, Dzogchen, Advaita-Vedanta, Alan Watts, Terence McKenna, Mooji, Vishuddha Das, Gemstone Tarot, astrology, tarot-cards, psychedelics, discernment, the algorithm, non-dualism, the illusive self, the no-self paradox, spiritual bypassing, lots more Ram Dass (we both really, really love Ram Dass), toxic positivity, integration, intellectual vs. intuitive knowing, the path of the guru, the evolving path for all, placing God outside of one’s-self, scars, tattoos, and much more. 

Chillstep is a sub-genre of dubstep music that is relatively slow and relaxed, which Landon pairs brilliantly with lectures from spiritual teachers. I find his mixes perfect for snowboarding, long drives, walks in headphones, morning listening, and hikes. 

I had an extremely great time hanging with Landon and discussing all this juicy spiritual stuff. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed having the conversation. Hit like and subscribe for future content, and we’ll see ya next episode. 

For more on Dirtyzen, checkout his channels 

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@Dirtyzen?si=UIZZqIR6G-lsDQg8

Instagram: @Dirtyzen

SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/WUqKdc5jYU5JaQ2x8 (Landon’s favorite mix)

For more on Jacob, checkout Instagram & Tiktok: @Jacobfromtheinternet

Ram Ram!

What is Junkyard Love? Who is Jacob Rhines? What is this podcast about? What is my message? I have lived quite a peculiar life thus far. The guests on this podcast are of the hundreds and hundreds of teachers and friends I have found along the way. In this episode, with the help of my MVP occasional co-host Shay, I share a glance into the story of my childhood, my teenage years, and the severe depression that haunted the first half of my 20's. The journey that has led me here to become the man I am today has been, like many others, riddled with hardship. But along that same path, life has constantly been showing me beauty and light. This world is mean but still, I find the strength to roar. Though it's immensely difficult to summarize "your life story" and not feel you've left out everything - I try to answer the questions to the best of my ability and summarize my reasonings, discoveries and past experiences as they appear relevant. I hope this episode can serve as sturdy roots to be planted beneath the ground as a foundation for future guests and conversations to feel comfortable being vulnerable and transparent on the Junkyard Love Podcast. love yourself, hate nothing, learn everything.

Nona Southard stops by to pour some of her overflowing bravery and courage into any new parents' cups. She speaks on the changes she experienced stepping into motherhood, like having to give up hobbies, quit medications, lose friends, fear judgments, and re-connect with her body and interests. We make it clear mom-shaming is officially "uncool". Nona wants new mothers to do their research on postpartum depression, which she offers some personal experience and advice with. Many women deal with drastic changes to their interests and personality after such changes but feel afraid to speak up about it or face it. Nona laying out her experience from such an honest place gives some strength to any listener who needs a bit extra today. We dive into Nona's newly switching interests and bailing on her social media avatar. She mentions her mom's fairly new smoothie business, (Raw Juice Bar), we talk about woodworking and passion amidst our jobs, and Nona offers a few light tips on weapons. I am grateful Nona was so eager to leave masks at the door and let other parents and women feel less alone through her vulnerability. She's awesome!

In this episode, Bob Kendall stops by the studio and spills his entrepreneurial growth mindset onto the table between us. We pick up some great pieces to inspect together. Bob and I first met when I was a young salesman at a popular Lifestyle and Action sports store in our local mall. We were a sales team force to be reckoned with and always held a fluidity of present moment conversations. Bob tells us his desperately dope attempts of getting the dream job, landing it, leaving it, stopping to smell some art, opening his own business, and of course the plethora of adventures in between and after. We touch on the future of B & C shopping, small town communities, the purpose of malls and shopping. We touch on young customer service workers and lack of training, Amazon, Zumiez, style trends and we both offer some advice for anyone in the customer service industry. This man is one of the best listeners and communicators I've personally ever met. Working with and observing Bob Kendall, you'd find and observe a master at work. A master of making each person feel special. Bob has a salesmen's mind and a lion's heart. Bob and I have stood in the store and talked for hours and hours many many times. I feel blessed that my life has granted me the opportunity to rebirth those talks with my old friend and co-worker in the form of this podcast. I assure you that - If you ever stumble into the chance to meet Bob Kendall, you'll walk away with a free smile and much lighter shoulders.

(02) Spencer and I relax and get right into a few current subjects that hold weight. We speak on social media, political nonsense, loserthink, intentions, mindfulness, fitness and working out. We dive into the abstract of conversation in general, and how words and intentions can be misunderstood. We talk about developing a new world view, fighting the zombie apocalypse and standing up straight. Once the video side of the podcast is constant and running - you can expect a weekly episode from Spencer for the next few months!

I have worked in the music and sound industry for nearly a decade now. My DJ endeavors are plentiful and have offered me many lessons that I will carry forward as I level up more in this life. The mind of a DJ takes discipline. Constantly assessing and planning your next 5 moves is not a skill that shuts off for the Disc Jockey when the lights come on at 2am. We briefly touched the iceberg on these two great humans. There's much more they each will offer in the coming months from their intricate and beautiful minds. In this episode, we get a small glance into the different backgrounds each of us bring to the tables and where those backgrounds point us now as older wiser men. We share stories of festivals, clubs and silly business. We try to bridge the gap between the requester and the dj - as well as contemplate the future of the disc jockey and his place in clubs. There are many differences between DJ's and their skills, and many more with more complicated aliases with names like "producer" or "writer", we try to lay that out - as well as the differences between terms like "bootleg", "remix", and "edit". The boys and I do our best to scrape up some new lenses and frames for the listeners to take a peek through. P.S. relax your scowl, go drink some water and grab some fresh air real quick.

Hvshi takes a break from the mayhem and leans back into the junkyard love vibe with me. He lays out his last few years of success, fame, contracts, touring, turmoil and reset. We learn about the man behind the artistic layers and the boy who got him there. He speaks on his recent healing from letting the beast protect him from his pain. We touch a bit on being a fashionable male in a small town, the music writing process, his upcoming EP and short film, changing perspectives and alias masks, and seeing his butterfly of this stage in life. Shaden has always stood out to me for his storytelling abilities. As he gets better and understands his own genius, I am grateful he is choosing to share his words with the world, and that I can aide him in any way on that path. There's much more on the horizon for creator and artist Shaden Nugent.

Nate Tanzman is an absolute savage of mind, body, and machine. On a constant trek to conquer and understand the man he was the day before, Nate finds time to sit down with me to speak on pushing himself through pitfall, being a personal health enthusiast, the stunt riding culture, cultivating the correct beast, and his future with a megaphone in hand. Nate weaves us through his past thought process with introspect and detail in this beautiful man to man talk. Nate's growth and motivational mindset ripples outwards as he improves more every day and his outward "out-loud" approach to getting his sh** together is an ember that is sure to spark many fires of young hungry wolves. He's massively eager to push his message to the world and motivate the masses, our future paths will surely intersect. #itstime