Brian Holmes grew up in a strong family and church environment. In spite of the strong culture of faith, at 11 years old he was sexually molested by a 19 year old woman in his home. He was also introduced to pornography at the same time by the same woman and her boyfriend. Brian grew up in a "never mess up" kind of culture which encouraged anything negative to be hidden. He didn't tell anyone - including his own parents - about being molested for 22 years. After his father's death, multiple considerations of suicide, and a catastrophic decade of marriage, Brian finally decided to get help.
Since that time, Brian's focus has been helping others find reconciliation from their own struggles. He's developed a framework to assist in the process. This framework has four cornerstones: personal healing, personal discovery, personal development, and personal deployment. Brian and Mark both offer the reminder that you are not your struggle.
Tina Thomson is first and foremost a mother, though she wears a remarkable collection of metaphorical hats. Her life was changed when her son was born with an extremely rare condition that he miraculously survived. In addition to the struggle of her son's medical condition, Tina herself has battled fibromyalgia while dealing with an ending marriage and extreme career changes.
In this episode Mark and Tina discuss gender inequality in the corporate world, having your moral compass tested, and the important role faith plays in Tina's life. Tina's mantra is 10 two-letter words: if it is to be - it is up to me.
Dr. Adam Splaver is a cardiologist who had it all. A beautiful wife, 4 wonderful children, a successful medical practice. Everything changed when his wife had hemorrhagic stroke, which they later discovered was caused by a brain tumor. There was too much swelling, too much blood, the tumor was too difficult to reach. The neurologists told Dr. Splaver to take her home and let her die. Dr. Splaver simply said hell no.
After the swelling subsided, they learned the tumor was not in the location they previously thought, which led to a glimmer of hope. A series of flights and medical procedures led to Mrs. Splaver recovering. However, four months ago the tumor appeared again. She is mid-treatment today.
In this episode, Mark talks with Dr. Splaver about discussions of mortality with patients, what Dr. Splaver wishes people knew about doctors, and negotiating with God. Mark even asks which Dr. Splaver would choose - science or faith.
Cameron Gallagher is a high performance coach with a unique background in hypnosis and neuroscience. He began work as a corporate coach but has naturally progressed into a transformational high performance mindset coach for entrepreneurs.
In this episode, Mark turns it over to Cameron, who guides him through an exercise to overcome inadequacy. The exercise is designed so viewers can also follow along (though it is recommended to do so when NOT driving!)
Karen Osburn always knew her calling in life was to help people. She fulfilled that calling as a chiropractor and a mother, but something was still missing. After her husband, a fellow chiropractor, was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, their family dynamic changed significantly. Now Karen is a supporter of women. She aims to help women see what they don't see.
In this episode Karen gets real about family, fertility, and self. She asks Mark, and in turn you, what do you really want? She talks about the benefit of having a coach. Above all, she reminds us to be real.
Luis Congdon grew up in Medellin, Columbia in the worst of time. When the drug cartels were having wars in the 80s. His drug addicted was murdered when Luis was just 5. He wandered the streets homeless for 3 years, until he was adopted into an American family. 10 years later he was back in Columbia reuniting with his biological father.
Luis got a degree at Seattle University, though that didn’t solve everything. Eventually he found his way and now helps others find freedom in their lives.
Shane Ramer spent most of his life as an addict. Born to young parents, Shane spent as much time away from home as he could. He turned to drugs and alcohol early in life, and was an addict for years. Shane finally got sober after nearly losing his wife and his job. He now podcasts and teaches others about how to get sober, overcoming addiction, and fighting through life's challenges.