The Poet (delayed)

Episode 81: Light: The Hidden Force that Shapes, Heals and Connects Us All

What is light? Not metaphorically. Not poetically. Actually. In this conversation with Suzanne Bates, we explore light as biology, energy, communication, healing, emotion, rhythm, consciousness, and connection. We talk about why morning sunlight changes the body, how the heart emits measurable energy, why coherence matters, how suffering shapes us, and why healing may begin with learning not to abandon ourselves. The more we talked, the more it felt like light is not just something we se

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Episode 80: They Grew Out Of Thy Passions

In the fire’s heat The log is transformed but does Not become the fire What if the goal isn’t to destroy the fire within us, but to learn how to live with it? This episode explores passion, shame, anger, desire, transformation, and the difference between purification and integration. Not becoming less. Not cutting parts of ourselves away. But learning how to carry what burns inside us without letting it consume us. Drawing from Nietzsche, Will and Ariel Durant, personal experience, and poetry

Episode 79: Put On Your Coat

The Poet (delayed) Ep. 79: Put on Your Coat Available: May 5, 2026 The cold, dark morning Whispers: cancel all your plans He puts on his coat There are moments when life goes dim. Not because everything is ruined, but because weariness, grief, fear, or overwhelm can make the path disappear. This episode is about what to do in those moments. How darkness can hide what still exists. How discouragement can distort reality. How you do not need to solve your whole life before breakfast—you may

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Episode 78: When We Are Tired

There is a quote attributed to Nietzsche that reads: When we are tired, we are attacked by ideas we conquered long ago. I’ve found that to be true. When we’re exhausted physically, emotionally, or psychologically, old fears return, clarity fades, and problems that are solvable can feel impossible. We forget who we are. We forget what we’ve survived. We forget that help exists. In this episode, I reflect on fatigue, overwhelm, and the temptation to surrender ourselves when life feels too heavy

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Episode 77: Why Things Fall Apart: Beauty Is Not Structure

Why Things Fall Apart he tried and so did she but neither understood the other and that is how things fall apart despite the trying In this episode of The Poet (delayed), I reflect on why some relationships that feel meaningful, beautiful, and deeply connected still fail to hold over time. Using the metaphor of a beautiful building with a weak internal frame, I explore the difference between appearance and foundation—between chemistry and character, connection and structure. I talk about how

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Episode 76: A Tree, a Star or a River: When Giving Becomes Loss

Some giving comes from fullness. Some comes from fear. One sustains you. The other slowly empties you. In this episode, I explore the difference—and the truth we don’t like to face: You cannot continue to give what you don’t replenish. There is always a reconciliation.

Episode 75: The Gateway To Understanding

We spend our lives trying to avoid uncertainty. Fix it. Solve it. Get out of it. But what if that’s the mistake? This episode is about what happens when you don’t leave. When you stay in the discomfort long enough for something to reveal itself.

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Episode 74: Part 2. We Die of Being Alive: Move with Integrity

This is Part 2 of my series "We Die of Being Alive". In the last episode, I talked about how life itself—its uncertainty, loss, and unpredictability—is not a flaw, but the condition of being alive. In this episode, I take that a step further. Because the question isn’t just what happens to us… it’s how we move in what happens to us. Why do we panic, freeze, or act out of fear—and in doing so, abandon ourselves? And what does it look like to stay steady, to face what’s in front of us, and the

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Episode 73: Part 1. We Die of Being Alive: To Avoid Pain is a Death

You don’t die of being sick. You die of being alive. But there’s another kind of death— the one that comes when we run from our own lives. This episode is about that tension… and what it means to actually live.

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Episode 72: Healing Alchemy

Healing alchemy: That load you struggle under— Is it lead or gold? It’s an invitation to look at the weight we carry with different eyes—to see our struggles not as proof that we’re failing, but as the raw material for something deeper, stronger, and more meaningful. I brought in a line from Epictetus that has been sitting with me lately, and we explore what it means to transform our suffering instead of being crushed by it. And as a way of saying thank you, I wrote this haiku in calligraphy,

Episode 71: Letting Go

We hold on so tightly sometimes—trying to shape outcomes, control people, or force clarity when life just isn’t ready to give it. But nature reminds us: the leaf releases when its season is done. In this week’s episode of The Poet (delayed), I talk with my friend Sarah Daniels about the quiet strength of letting go—about learning to release what we can’t control, trusting the timing of life (or God, the universe, whatever name you give it), and finding peace in that surrender. Letting go isn’t

Episode 70: What Steals Your Sleep?: The Human Condition and the Need for Connection

In this special episode, recorded live at "Torchlight" last April, I reflect on the defining losses, trials, and awakenings of my life through the lens of poetry and personal story. Drawing on Nietzsche’s insight that “to live is to suffer, to survive is to find meaning in the suffering,” I explore how our deepest wounds can become bridges—not barriers—to human connection. This is an honest meditation on grief, growth, and the strange alchemy that happens when we turn toward our pain and find e

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Episode 69: The Rumble We Ignore

When Vesuvius Rumbled in its deep, Pompeii’s Blue skies were a lie. Sometimes our gut warns us to leave, but we stay. Other times, it calls us to act, but fear keeps us frozen. And in both moments, the mind often steps in—trying to quiet what the body already knows. This week on The Poet (delayed), we explore what happens when we ignore that deep inner rumble. Why we override our intuition. Why we stay when we should go. Why we hide when we’re being called to step forward. And what it might

Episode 68: Go to the Limits of Your Longing

I was joined this episode by Chris and Elise Jones and Ali Talbot. We gathered in the warm, book-lined library at Chris and Elise Jones’ home and just talked. We read Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem *Go to the Limits of Your Longing*, and from there we let the conversation unfold naturally. We talked about suffering — not in a heavy, hopeless way, but in the way you talk when you know that pain and beauty are woven into the same thread. We explored what it means to surrender to life’s difficulties in

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Episode 67: The Sun Just Shines

Join me and Sherrie Love for a conversation about the slow, brave work of reclaiming ourselves—of getting to know who we are again after life has scattered the pieces. We talk about the struggle, the beauty, and the quiet joy of becoming whole. And we draw wisdom from the sun—how it simply shines, without apology, without hesitation, no matter who is beneath its light. What would it mean for us to live like that?

Episode 66: Magical Realism: On the Road with Jason Wheatley

Some conversations only happen on the road—miles slipping by, the hum of tires, and the kind of quiet that invites reflection. In this episode, I drove with my friend Jason Wheatley to Sun Valley, Idaho, where he was delivering paintings for an upcoming art show. As we drove, we talked about his journey into art, the impulse to create, and the ways beauty can emerge from both solitude and connection. It’s a meandering, thoughtful exchange—about art, life, and the things we’re still trying to un

Episode 65: Remembering Through Music

In this conversation, I talk with my friend Christian Jones—a local musician and songwriter who’ll be performing at Torchlight on June 21. We explore the tension between daily responsibilities and the need to stay connected to our creativity. Christian opens up about how songwriting and playing guitar have helped him navigate life, stay emotionally grounded, and build meaningful connections with others. We reflect on how creativity not only heals us, but also creates ripples that reach those aro

Episode 64: Rim to Rim to Rim

In this episode of The Poet (delayed), I sit down with my friend Chris Hales to unpack a journey that pushed him to the edge—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Chris took on the Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim, a grueling 50+ mile hike through one of the most unforgiving landscapes on earth. He spent months preparing, training his body and mind for the challenge ahead. But even with all the planning and readiness, nothing could fully prepare him for the brutal terrain, the heat, the exhaustio

Episode 63: The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

In this episode of The Poet (delayed), I sit down with my friend Josh Barron to talk about The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. We just begin to unpack this powerful and thought-provoking book, discussing its clear Christian themes while also exploring how its core ideas—about selfishness, humility, perspective, and human connection—transcend religious boundaries. Whether you’re deeply spiritual, loosely spiritual, or not religious at all, the principles in this book speak to how we can build better

Episode 62: The Raft: An Allegory

In this episode of The Poet (delayed), I read my allegory “The Raft,” which explores what it means to face fear and step beyond the limitations that keep us small. It is about becoming whole again—learning to sit with our younger selves, heal old wounds, and expand into who we truly are. This one’s about transformation, courage, and the quiet power of growth.