It all started with an email… An email to someone this morning, saying that I think my marathon running career might be over.

Why would I think this? Because on the weekends, I just don’t want to run upwards of 15 miles. I don’t feel like putting in the time, or the effort.

I said that I just like running 5-7 miles per day… which, in the immediacy, is true. However here’s what I’ve observed:

When I don’t run the 15s on the weekends, the 5s during the week are much harder and less enjoyable. In essence, I have to do the 15s to love the 5s.

That reflection perfectly complimented my listening to Steve Chandler’s The Story of YOU on my run today. He said that if you told someone to “go have fun on the piano,” how much fun they’d have is basically tied to how much work they put in.

He said this beautiful line:

“The connection of work and fun is always hidden away by advertisers and other peddlers of instant pleasure".”

I tend to attract clients who desire “exoneration.” This is the land of hunky dory, where everything is just blissful rainbows. That place doesn’t exist- but this one does, and if you’re up for 30-ish minutes of motivation and a re-introduction of, wait for it, THE GET THE F*CK OFF PODCAST (because the new name sucked anyway,) I am here for it.

Monologues all around. Hot air. Enjoy.

Things mentioned in this episode:

The Story of You (and How to Create a New One) by Steve Chandler

The Urantia Book, Paper 48

The Tools: 5 Tools to Help You Find Courage, Creativity, and Willpower--and Inspire You to Live Life in Forward by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels

“Stutz” on Netflix

The Offspring, MOTA

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST,

MY BOOK "LOVE” IS NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!!!! BUY IT HERE!!!

Roger Martin is an incredibly deep, beautiful, powerful human being I received the distinct pleasure of meeting this year. During our time on the Friendship Bench together, I began to view him very much as a teacher.

In our conversation, we discovered we shared similar moments of awakening when we realized that life as we imagined was actually a creation our minds, an illusion, and completely changeable.

Roger shares some of his early story, and the moments that got him asking the question that helped him change his entire experience: “Why Do You Experience Life As You Do?” (Or, “Why do I experience life as I do?”)

This exploration centers in the ideas of curiosity, connection, waking up, and finally feeling peace after seemingly a lifetime without it.

If you find yourself in a lifetime of pain, unable to shift from it, I hope you can listen to this episode, and hear something maybe a little bit differently than you have before.

Roger is the author of the publication Helpful Questions Change Lives. He’s the Co-Founder of The Mindset Difference, helping leaders be at their best, irrespective of the circumstances they face.

You can find Roger on Substack (https://hqcl.substack.com/) on his website (https://www.themindsetdifference.com/) or on LinkedIn.

Motherhood is such a sacred, special, and often overlooked role that women play in our society. It comes a lot of heaviness. The questions – “Will I do this right?” “Will I fuck up my kid?” 

And then the guilt, guilt for everything you did, didn’t do, might have done, could have been…

It is courageous to be a mother. 

I said that at the end of today’s episode of View from the Roof with my dear friend and masterful coach, Alysia Lyons. She is doing some of the most noble work I know, helping moms navigate the journey of parenthood.

Alysia Lyons is a mom first. She is a Master Neurotransformational Results Coach, the Co-Director of Raising Enlightened Children, an author of several parenting books and the host of the Imperfect Mommying podcast.

As the proud mother of a son who has been her own course corrector, she now leads the parents through long-lasting neurological shifts to help ease their guilt and increase their emotional peace to find their happy. 

What’s the most essential thing to being a great parent? The answer might surprise you.

Mentions in this episode:

First, Alysia’s NEW book Good Mom Rules: Ditch Mom Guilt & Find Your Happy officially launches on NOV 7, 2023.

GET IT HERE TODAY

Information about Alysia and Melanie’s 5-Week Course (and registration) can be found here:

https://alysialyons.com/register

or here: bit.ly/3ra086G

More information about Alysia and Melanie’s work with Raising Enlightened Children can be found at:

https://alysialyons.com/

and

https://www.raisingenlightenedchildren.com/

Join the Raising Enlightened Children Community on Facebook here: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2599203676991650

It’s been a while since it’s been just me and the microphone.

Today’s episode is inspired by the idea that “everybody’s right.”

Maybe it's a generational thing I notice from others— people wanting to know "the answer." Making everything "a debate." What's the "correct" answer? What is the "right way" to be?

What if everybody's right?

In fact, they are.

And the experience you're having is simply your experience. To know that, to trust it, is part of "the way" to living a life more reasonably.

Through my journey of recovery (since 2018, sober since Christmas, 2019) I began exploring “What’s the best way to live?”

I am brought back to the Tao more than anything else, the “way” to live a harmonious life. The Tao emphasizes simplicity and effortless action.

Whenever we apply force, there will be a counterforce. When things are “right,” others, by default become “wrong.” When we oppress, people begin to rebel.

This might go down in history as “the episode where Andee suggests we let everyone out of prison.”

Funny… I think it seems reasonable. Maybe after this episode, you will too.

Have a listen if you’re in the mood for some hot air.

Also, thanks to Craig James for your constant inspiration. You keep me feeling, questioning, wondering…. 💛

Housekeeping:

If you haven’t checked out the new look and feel of GTFO, please go right now! getthefuckoff.com

Subscribe to my Substack here: viewfromtheroof.substack.com

And if you liked this episode and want to leave me a $20,000 tip, here’s a link to the jar:

https://getthefuckoff.ck.page/products/tip-jar

😉

Mac Bogert is my soul brother, I’m certain.

Since we first connected early this year, I’ve enjoyed all of the time we’ve spent together. We can weave in and out of conversation so effortlessly in the collective pursuit of exploration of humanity.

Today’s episode of View From the Roof is one of those marvelously circuitous conversations of discovery.

We talk about love, embracing, giving, and receiving…

There are notes of recovery in there, as Mac and I both are sober and on that journey.

We explore judgment of self, how we believe that started, and how we perpetuate it.

We talked about “finding the cracks” to foster connection, dropping our shields, and understanding that happiness and love are available… not scarce commodities.

I think my favorite part of talking with Mac is that it’s an experience.

We share the understanding that we’re all just tall children, so we come in curious as we are and allow that to guide us in our parallel journeys walking our paths.

Give this a listen if you feel like joining our play.

You might just learn what the meaning of life is. 😉

Postscript: In this episode, we mentioned Mac’s compilation book (of which I’m a contributing author) Gender Crap: Stories of Illusion, Expectation, and Redemption. You can read more about it at https://gendercrap.com/

Post-postscript: Here’s a link to learn more about #ourfriendshipbench and how you can join us every Thursday

https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/discovering-magic-at-the-middle-of-a-bench/

My guest on this week’s episode is Anthony Hall (otherwise known as Grandpa STORK.) He is the founder of a space tourism industry startup, The Rose of Education Organization, TREO Inc. (https://www.treo-inc.com/) which is developing operations in education, entertainment, and exploration.

They intend to be the leader and the answer to the question: “What kind of games and sports will humanity play in space?”

Their goal is to empower and inspire the youth of the world, especially in marginalized areas of the world, so that they can be stakeholders as humanity takes its next grand voyage among the stars.

This vision began when Anthony became a “Grandpa,” now 19 years ago. As he was in the delivery room welcoming his grandson into the world and watching the miracle of his daughter becoming a mother, he began to think about his life, successes, and accomplishments as an African American who had worked in the IT industry since 1992.

The year was 2004, and as he envisioned the future, transported all the way forward to the 2060s when the US and former USSR would be celebrating the centennial anniversary of their space programs, he began to wonder—

“With colonies on the moon, space mining, etc., What about the children of Africa? What about the other children in the world and developing countries? Will they be a captive audience? Would they be captains of industry and enterprises as humanity takes us next grand voyage into the stars?”

That’s when he began to explore “what Grandpa was doing to give back.” How could he be more of an active participant in his grandchildren’s lives, communicate their dreams and aspirations, and help them discover, cultivate, and nurture their talents and gifts in a manner that will benefit humanity?

What was birthed was a game-based, play-based learning platform to nurture and cultivate these young people by playing games— games to really tap into what their talents are, how to use their superpowers in the world, and how they present themselves to lead humanity forward in compassion, humility, and integrity.

In our conversation, Anthony and I dive into how these games function to empower humanity, what he foresees for the future, and the vision for using these games to teach AI to help dissolve bias in the world.

Here are all of the links where you can find Anthony aka Grandpa STORK and learn more about his work:

https://www.treo-inc.com
https://twitter.com/iamonlyclay
https://tiktok.com/@grandpastork2
https://instagram.com/grandpastork
https://YouTube.com/@grandpastork
https://linkedin.com/groups/3477989
https://linkedin.com/in/anthonymhall

Grandpa Stork’s top four hacks for living a life with purpose, on purpose:

Dream Big - Play Hard - Give Back - Have Fun 

If you got value out of this podcast and would like to support my work, consider leaving a tip in the tip jar!

I haven’t gained holiday weight in five years.

Five years.

(I know it’s not the holidays, but you’ll see where I’m going in a minute.)

There is a secret to this, and every year, I tell this secret in my emails and on my podcast, usually with someone certified in everything fitness and nutrition. I produce a free holiday ebook as well, every year. And yet, I am ignored every year.

Why is it so?

Because the secret is: do nothing. Let yourself spin out. You WILL return to homeostasis.

People refuse to accept this. Their need to control is too great.

They do the whole “restrict beforehand.”

I will typically tell them “That’s idiocy.”

They usually ignore me.

They do the whole “Ohhhh I can’t have that.”

What happens? Excess. Compulsion. Mental and emotional turmoil.

The thing that hurts people the most in NOT JUST THIS but many areas is the need to obsessively control.

When you don’t let yourself grasp, grab, control, obsess, or “try to change it,” you will naturally move through everything that’s happening with relative ease.

You’ll be like a boat moving with the ocean, rather than crashing on the hard sand with a giant wave. And, further, you’ll come back to neutral way sooner than if you try to tweak, change, or alter in any way.

Any oppression, even just in thought, will drag on those moments, sometimes indefinitely if you judge yourself hard enough.

In this podcast, I dive into a variety of areas this pops up, not just with clients, but with me personally.

If something resonates and you would like to talk about it, email me: andee@getthefuckoff.com

If you get value out of View From the Roof and would like to pledge support with a donation, here’s a link to the tip jar. 🙏🏻