storytelling podcast

Discover Your True Potential

A runner trains for months for his upcoming race.

His coach pushes him and explains how he can achieve his full potential.

The days of training, sweating, and pain, all accumulate to one moment:

The day of the race.

At the starting line he can hear the shouts of the crowd.

He can hear the shuffling of feet from the other competitors.

He can hear the pounding of his own heart.

His anxiety starts to flare as the man at the starting line raises the gun.

Will he be able to live up to all of the expectations he placed on himself?

Will he realize his full potential?

The gun explodes and the race starts.

Not everyone is a professional athlete.

Not everyone is a tycoon of industry.

However, every person has the potential to be the best at whatever they set their hearts on.

This can create a fear where failure is possible.

It can also create a fear that if success is not met, then there has been a monumental waste of potential.

Just like training for a race, life has its moments of easy days and hard days.

There are days where it feels like everything is going great and days where it feels like the whole world is crashing down.

Life itself is a marathon, not a sprint.

It takes time to build up potential and truly understand who you are in relation to the world.

Over the course of your life, have you found yourself living to your potential?

Do you believe that it is out of your reach?

Do you fear that you will never achieve it?

Join Oleg and Luke as they discuss the potential of everyone and the fears we harbor along the way.

Overcoming The Victim Mindset

What is a victim mentality?

What causes a victim mindset?

How do you break the victim mentality?

Tune in, as David Neal and Oleg, discuss ways to overcome victim mentality, dangerous of living in victimhood, and other related topics.

What Is Mine To Do?

What are the things you're responsible for today?

Why these things and not others?

How do you choose the things that take the front seat? What are the things that get put on the back burner?

Tune in, as Brian and Oleg, explore the importance of prioritization in life, how to identify the critical steps to accomplish each day and other related topics.

Why do we help others?

Why do we help others?

Is one born with the intention of helping others or is it a learned behavior?

Some have argued that helping others feels good, it creates a sense of belonging, it gives one a sense of purpose, along with hundreds of other benefits.

At what point does helping others backfire? What is the downside of constantly wanting to help another being?

What is a personality type that is most likely to help others?

Tune in, as Michael and Oleg, dive deep into all of the above, as well as a variety of other topics.

Can living your story make you an outcast?

A boy loves learning.

He loves reading.

He loves discovering new information in any way he can.

School provides him with some of his education, but he spends most of his time at the local library absorbing every piece of literature in his sights.

He is happiest when he is learning.

Unfortunately, the other kids at school don’t seem to share his unique appreciation for literature and sciences.

They make fun of him.

They tell him he will amount to nothing same as the rest of them.

The boy is quite lonely because no one wants to spend time with him.

Through his loneliness he finds the solace in the books he loves.

Although a pariah in his small town, he grows up to be a hero in the scientific world.

Not only has he met people who share his passion, he is rewarded for his insights.

There are a number of reasons why one would be ostracized from their communities.

Some are for legitimate grievances, while others can be simply due to a lack of understanding or empathy for differences.

Most people at some point experience a disconnect from others.

It may not be severe, but it can be a jarring experience.

Have you ever felt misunderstood by your peers?

Join Scott Mason and Oleg, as they explore the ultimate question, "Can living your story make you an outcast?"

Is There Value In Negativity?

Do you view the glass half full or half empty?

Do you become frustrated when it rains on a day you were planning on enjoying the outdoors?

Do you find that complaining about life brings you happiness?

Generally speaking, having a negative outlook can put yourself in a position where you find yourself less happy and create a less than enjoyable environment for those around you.

You may find that there is little to be positive about, but some circumstances may be less bleak than you perceive.

To feel negative emotions is normal when life throws obstacles in the path.

There can be catharsis in letting the veneer of positivity down.

However, have you found a balance between positivity and negativity that allows you to live a life that’s satisfying?

Oleg has had his fair share of negativity over the years.

He knows he is not alone in respect to hard times.

He is curious to see how negativity may be used for the good if possible.

The question is: Is there #value in #negativity?

Join Casey Berman, LaChelle Adkins, Caleb Pearson and Oleg, as they discuss the impact of negativity, the role "negativity" has in allowing us to understand "positivity", and other related topics.

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Also, join us at, “Survive to Thrive: Face Your Fears”, 3-day life changing event in Austin, TX, September 23 - 25, where you will take a deep dive into the origins of your fears, and then transform them into strengths.

Are There Hidden Benefits To Doing Something You Once Feared?

The day has come.

The day you have dreaded for weeks.

You cannot imagine a fate worse than this.

Today, is your friend’s birthday party.

They have chosen the most unholy and horror provoking event to celebrate their new year.

They have decided to take all of their friends to an amusement park.

For most people, this may sound like the most fun any person could have for a few hours.

To you, it is the gut dropping, mind numbing, personal hell that has been hoisted upon you.

You have had a fear of roller coasters ever since you saw a movie with people falling from the ride.

You cannot get the image out of your head.

Your friends encourage you to try the largest and fasted ride with them.

You protest and explain that you would rather stay behind.

They insist that you muster the courage and join them on this momentous occasion.

Eventually you acquiesce.

You sit in the little train.

You are buckled up.

The seat protector is secure.

Moments later, the train starts its ascent.

You feel your heart sink into your stomach.

You are not ready for this.

You want to get off.

But, it is too late.

As the train starts to twist and turn and you scream with your friends, you feel a release you had not expected.

By the time the ride is over, you feel exhilarated.

In fact, you want to go again.

You have mastered your fear.

In this vignette, an individual fears an amusement park ride and eventually learns to love it.

Not everyone has this exact experience, but there are times when fears turn into joys and something once avoided is now sought after.

Are there hidden benefits to doing something you once feared?

Are the things we fear the most, the things we want the most?

Join Oleg & Steve Gamlin as they discuss how their fears turned into their greatest desires.

When Is Fear Healthy And Even Necessary For Success?

Imagine the origin story of your favorite superhero.

For most of them, they did not start with superhuman strength, intellect, or courage.

They started as many average humans start life with the same opportunities and challenges that plague us all.

The difference between our superhero to be and the average person has to do with what the hero had to overcome.

Let’s take Batman for example.

He not only dealt with the loss of his parents from an early age, but overcame his fear of bats to become a symbol of justice and overcoming fear.

Is Batman a real person?

No.

Does the fictional story behind Batman help people in real life find the courage they lack?

Yes.

Not everyone has to have such severe circumstances and overwhelming fears in order to become successful.

Simply acknowledging what you fear and coming up with strategies may be enough to find the success you have always dreamed of.

And who knows?

Maybe you will be the Batman in the story that you choose to tell.

Maybe you will ask the question: When is fear healthy and even necessary for success?

Join Oleg & Casey as they discuss how to use fear as fuel for success.

How Can You Leverage The Resources Within Your Fingertips?

How can you look at life as a resource?

What are the resources you need in life?

What are the resources needed to meet your goals in life?

Tune in, as J.R. Martinez and Oleg, explore ways to set smart goals, how to look at life as a resource, how to reframe adversity into opportunity and other related topics.

Are There Stigmas Associated With Living Your Story?

Do you like coloring your hair the full spectrum of the rainbow?

Do you enjoy speaking about topics that others find uncomfortable?

Do you simply wish to live your life without judgement or persecution?

There are over six billion people on this planet with cultural, national, political, and social differences.

There may be differences that are objectively amoral, but for the most part, one could say there are different flavors to live a life.

If you like chocolate and somebody likes vanilla, it would be an absurd argument to have with them over which flavor is best.

Likewise, if you like to skip down the street singing show tunes and another person likes peace, quiet and solitude, there is no need to try to belittle each other for different life choices.

However, people can find ways to make differences worth fighting over.

They can make the other feel insignificant and small.

When you go about living your personal story, have you come across dissenters?

Are there #stigmas associated with living your #story?

Join us, DeeJae DuRante, Caleb Pearson, Oleg Loughed, as we explore the impact of stigmas, ways to reduce stigmas, and other related topics.