The Poet (delayed)

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.