Episode 59: “To Satch” by Samuel Washington Allen

March 26th, 2025  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 27 mins

authenticity, baseball, meaning of life, poetry, satchel paige, self discovery

In this episode, I’m joined again by my friend Tim Robison as we read and reflect on the poem “To Satch” by Samuel Washington Allen. What follows is an honest, free-flowing conversation about living with intention, making your own decisions, and figuring out what really matters. We touch on work-life balance, the search for joy, and doing the things you love — even when it’s hard. We also wrestle with questions around success and failure: What does it mean to lose? What does it mean to win? Is one better than the other? And who gets to decide?

This episode is about choosing a meaningful life — and the courage it takes to do so.

Episode 58: Moab

March 18th, 2025  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 1 min

authenticity, poetry, self discovery

This episode of The Poet (delayed) is raw, real, and completely impromptu. No scripts, no pretense—just an honest conversation with four 20/21 years olds (Ian Edgar, Ryan Murphy, Conner Evans and Max Jones) and me about what makes us human. We all carry wounds, scars, and shadows, and instead of hiding them, what if we embraced them? What if our imperfections and life experiences are actually what make us wonderful, relatable, and deeply connected to one another?

Join us as we explore how self-acceptance leads to true happiness and how recognizing our own freedom—freedom to choose, to grow, to be—can transform the way we move through the world. This is a conversation about finding beauty in our brokenness and power in our choices.

MOAB
This land,
wounded and
scarred and
full of shadows,
She turns his head to Her
To see
and he sees
Her stillness and Her beauty
And he understands
What can be.

ThePoetDelayed #EmbraceYourScars #FindYourFreedom

Episode 57: The Great Gatsby

March 11th, 2025  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 2 mins

authenticity, f. scott fitzgerald, literature, poetry, self discovery, the great gatsby

On this episode of The Poet (delayed), I sit down with my friend Jen Adams, a children’s book author, to talk about her newest project—a board book adaptation of The Great Gatsby, coming out on March 11th. We discuss the classic novel itself, how our understanding of literature shifts over time, and the powerful role books play in shaping our lives. It’s a conversation about storytelling, nostalgia, and the lasting impact of great literature.

Episode 56: On Friendship by Kahlil Gibran

March 4th, 2025  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 25 mins

authenticity, friendship, poetry, self discovery, self love

In this episode, I read On Friendship by Khalil Gibran and sit down with my friend Sarah Daniels for a heartfelt conversation about what it truly means to be a friend. We explore the importance of boundaries in friendships, the value of being our own best friend, and how cultivating a strong relationship with ourselves allows us to build deeper, more meaningful connections with others. Friendship is not just about companionship—it’s about growth, healing, and becoming the best versions of ourselves.

Listen in as we share insights, stories, and reflections on the role of friendship in our lives.

Episode 55: Foot Zoning

February 25th, 2025  |  Season 1  |  58 mins 55 secs

authenticity, poetry, self discovery

In this episode, Elise Lechtenberg and I dive into the fascinating world of foot zoning—exploring its origins, the benefits of integrating it with Western medicine, and the powerful experiences we’ve both had with this practice. We also discuss the resurgence of energy work and how it’s helping people find balance and healing in new ways. Tune in for an insightful conversation on the impact of foot zoning and holistic wellness!

Episode 54: Everything You Need: Danny D on His Past Work, Reading Books, Making Music Videos and Average Behavior

February 18th, 2025  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 41 mins

authenticity, music videos, poetry, self discovery, the killers

In this episode, I sit down with music video and documentary director Danny Drysdale. We talk about his journey in filmmaking, including his work with The Killers and directing multiple music videos for them, and how he’s continued to push forward in an unpredictable industry. We discuss what it takes to achieve goals, the uncertainty that comes with creative work, and the importance of moving forward even when we don’t have all the answers.

Episode 53: Harbors

February 4th, 2025  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 6 mins

authenticity, poetry, self discovery

I was joined in this episode by Allison Spencer and Rachel Waters. Both of whom were my friends in the fifth and sixth grade at Hannah Holbrook Elementary school in Bountiful Utah.

Allison was on the podcast almost exactly 2 years ago and we had a great conversation about her diagnosis and fight against Hodgkins lymphoma cancer. The other part of that story is that less than two months after Allison was diagnosed, Rachel's daughter Haley was diagnosed with the same type of cancer.

In this episode, we talked about among other things what it was like to have each other to lean on and the value of friends and community in our lives, especially in dark and difficult moments.

Episode 52: Sharing My Sky

January 28th, 2025  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 33 mins

authenticity, hiking, poetry, self discovery, silfa fissure

Join me and Mike as we read my poem, Sharing My Sky, and discuss how we’ve benefited from hiking and being out in nature, including our swimming in the Silfa Fissure in Iceland in 2018.

Episode 51: The Old Man and the Sea

November 27th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 24 mins

authenticity, poetry, self discovery

Last episode, I discussed a passage from The Old Man and the Sea. This week I’m joined again by Josh Baron as we discuss the book itself.

Episode 50: “Took His Suffering as It Came”

November 19th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  52 mins 51 secs

authenticity, poetry, self discovery

In this episode, I read an excerpt from Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea: “He settled comfortably against the wood and took his suffering as it came and the fish swam steadily and the boat moved slowly through the dark water.” Then I shared some thoughts and asked some questions about suffering and how it shows up in our lives and what we do with it.

Episode 49: A Man for All Seasons

September 17th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 48 mins

authenticity, integrity, poetry, self discovery, thomas more

In episode 49, was joined by my friends Josh Baron and Tim Robison. We discussed the play “A Man for All Seasons” which deals with Thomas More’s dilemma related to King Henry’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon and everything that that entailed.

Episode 48: Brain Food Books

September 10th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 1 min

authenticity, poetry, self discovery

I was joined by Cal Crosby, owner of the King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as Brain Food Books, which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to putting books in the hands of those without regular access. We also discussed what it’s like to run a local independent bookshop and the roll it, as well as all locally owned businesses, play in the community.

Episode 47: Injustice

September 3rd, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 17 mins

authenticity, emotional wounds, healing, mental health, poetry, self discovery, vulnerability, wholeness

I was joined by my friend, Melissa Fairbourn Peterson. We talked about the wounds we all suffer from one another whether intentionally or not and that those who inflict those wounds cannot heal us - only we can heal our wounds.
We discussed the importance of apologies in the healing process. The dangers in demanding an apology. How recognizing our complicity in our wounds helps us heal, and so much more.

We read from Les Miserables and from The Gulag Archipelago.

Episode 46: Walk Unafraid by First Aid Kit

August 27th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 44 mins

authenticity, poetry, self discovery

I was joined by Lindsey McDermott this week and we listened to “Walk Unafraid” by First Aid Kit and discussed belonging to yourself and not abandoning yourself to fit in. We also talked about joy and sorrow and happiness and suffering and how they have presented in our lives and ways that we have engaged with them.

Episode 45: The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski

August 20th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 44 mins

authenticity, charles bukowski, poetry, self discovery, the laughing heart

I’m joined by my good friend Pat. We read and discussed The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski. We talked about what it means to us to be clubbed into dank submission. How does that come about? How do we overcome it? Why is it important to overcome it?

Episode 44: Sinking

August 13th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 8 secs

authenticity, creating, creativity, poetry, self discovery, song writing

Josh Baron joined me again and we discussed his song, Sinking, that he just published on Spotify. We discussed his process and the inspiration for the song. We also talked about creativity and the important role it plays in our personal lives and in the world.