Beneath The Surface Podcast - Ep. 1 - Pilot/Why We're Here: Beneath The Surface Begins (ft. Ravin)

Yo guys, welcome to Beneath the Surface. I'm Danny Francois, and this space was born from silence, from the weight of things we carry but rarely say, from late-night conversations with my siblings where truth poured out into fragments. And healing begins not with answers but with presence. This podcast is for anyone who has ever felt like they were drowning in the quiet, for those navigating mental health, identity, and the messy beauty of being human. It's for the ones who have been told to tough it out but not know the strength that sometimes looks like softness. And today I'm not alone. Joining me is my best friend, my brother, Mr. Rabin. How's it going?

Doing good, man. Thanks for having me on. I appreciate it.

So, Rabin, for those who don't know you, I guess we want to just dive in a little bit and talk about our relationship, how we met, a little bit backstory about yourself, anything that you're willing to share to the audience out there listening, watching, what have you. So yeah, tell us a little bit about yourself.

For sure. Hey, I'm Raven, and I am one of Danny's close friends from college. Uh, we, we go a few years back, and you know, we met back there and had a lot of fun. We had an entire group of friends that we all hung out with, and it was a joy knowing someone like him because he is genuinely an awesome spirit. I know I'm introducing myself here, but I want to introduce who he is as a person because he is super freaking cool and absolutely love him. And but yeah, beyond that though, I also love doing a lot of different things myself. I like playing video games. I like to talk to other people about, you know, empowering themselves, becoming better, and overall just being a better human being in general. And of course, I'm on that same journey also. So that's, that's my thing. That's what I like to do. And of course, I'll sprinkle in a few more things as we move on, but that's pretty much it for me. So Danny, how about you? Is there anything else you want to mention?

Uh, well, no, I guess you hit the nail on the head. I mean, we're here to like come together as individuals to talk about the subjects that are really tough to talk about. Because I don't know about you, Raf, but for me, it's like finding a space where I could be vulnerable is definitely crucial because it's better than bottling it up— bottling it up, excuse me, guys— bottling it up and It's easy to, I want to say, be vulnerable in an invulnerable place when you're not alone. And I really appreciate having you on and having our listeners listen and everybody just like pouring out like the feedback and the solid work that's like, oh yeah, this is a great podcast. You guys are doing great. Like you guys are being personable and You guys are being knowledgeable, but I'm letting you guys know right from the jump, again, I'm not a therapist. I'm not licensed to diagnose you. I'm not here to critique you or to basically scold you. This is an open space where conversation needs to be had, and conversation is raw, it's authentic, and it's refreshing. And yes, there are going to be topics where we talk about like the heavy stuff, like depression, addiction, suicide, all the mental health challenges that we go through. But also, it's not to scare you, it's to bring awareness that you're not alone. And if you're able to, or if you want to share something that important with not only myself but with the world, then that's huge. And you're taking the first step and kind of getting not better, but in, in a sense, having yourself be more open to, to sharing your story. And I think that's very important. Um, so I guess let's just— sorry, go ahead.

No, I was just saying, absolutely, I definitely agree with that. And to your point about having a space for people to really be authentic and real and feel as if they're being heard and acknowledged. I think that's really important because in today's day and age, I feel a lot of people are a bit more isolated. They feel as if they can't really talk about the issues that they're going through, either for fear of being ridiculed or just plain not understood. And I think having a podcast like this, Danny, is going to be be really integral to, you know, even, you know, from— of course it's going to start out small, but I feel like something like this is going to be really, really far-reaching and good for people who are trying to find a place to feel accepted and also feel as if they are truly understood and can have conversations that are a little bit harder to deal with.

No, I 100% agree with you. And I think a lot of people— I know when I first brought up the new name of Beneath the Surface, people are just like, why Beneath the Surface? Like What, like, what slid you from that name? Like, there was a thousand names, trust me, there was a thousand names. But I think Beneath the Surface would be something that resonates with me because it's not only what you're looking at the top level of certain things, but it's what's unfolded and what keeps going. Because when you're just looking at it, you're just like, oh, I don't know what this is, like, I'm just gonna dip my toes in, like, I don't know, like, it's just like warm, is this not, like, this, that, one and the other. But once you dive in, you're hooked, and you're just like, oh, this is what it's all about, and I was worried for nothing. All right, might as well, let's dive in. Because not only that, it's— that's where real stories live. The ones we whisper, the ones we hide, the ones we're finally ready to open up and speak about. That's what's important, and that's what resonates me with this title of the podcast. And not only that, but like just the podcast itself.

Absolutely. Yeah. And I think it's really important to go deeper than just the surface level topics, right? Anyone can talk about mental health and mental, you know, mental well-being and say, you know, do more for your mental health, do this, do that, do the other. That's great, that's cool, might work for some people, and there's nothing necessarily wrong with that. What I think also works with it is being able to go deeper, find out sometimes the reasoning— let me not say reasoning, but the, the initial seeds that grew into what you are currently dealing with, right? In other words, the symptom— not the symptom, but the cause, right? And with something like going beneath the surface, I feel a lot of people are going to feel much better after dealing with the things that are pent up and, you know, right there under the surface. Because honestly, a lot of people don't deal with those things, but when they do, it just makes you feel so much better.

Definitely. Yeah, no, you're— you hit the nail. Like I said, you keep hitting the nail on the head, my friend. Like, you're just knocking them out. Like, everything I'm thinking, you're saying, I'm just like, all right, let's We're on the same wavelength. I see what you're saying. I, I picking up what you're throwing down.

Good alley-oops, bro.

So exactly, exactly, exactly. And I think we, we need to talk about that mental health is not something to be played with. It's not something to joke around about. Like, yes, like this is a space where like you could be yourself, you like, you could goof around. But like, when it comes to subjects that matter, I know that I want to give you guys, whoever's listening, who's ever watching, I want to give you guys my real 100% authentic, unapologetic self because you guys deserve that. And I think this space will show you that it's much more like Raven said, it's much more than the surface level. And I think it's very important to, to talk about the things that matter, because we'll explore anxiety, depression, addiction, healing, the power of being present, life stigmas, and how life stigmas have changed over the course of years, and how people have experienced those life stigma-changing aspects. But we'll also dive into like certain cultural truths, especially with like family dynamics and the way that like certain mental health related issues— what was it like growing up with those issues and how our families kind of like played an integral role in that. But then we'll get creative because like everybody knows, like if you guys have tattoos, tattoos speak louder than words, right? Anime and gaming speak as an emotional language, but storytelling, that's survival. That's, that's something that, that basically beats everything else out of the park. But it just depends on what you're willing to do or willing to say or how you're willing to portray these messages these episodes going forward.

Yeah, absolutely. And you know what, something in regards to storytelling, right, you mentioned that just now. I think that's really, really important because once we're able to tell a story about what we've gone through, right, it's going to be something that in some ways and in some places people will resonate with it. Because if you can be more authentic and open about what you've gone through you'll for sure find someone who's gone through something at least fairly similar, if not incredibly, you know, close to being the same. And within that, people can find, you know, camaraderie and an ability to, like I said before, resonate and maybe be able to learn a bit more about a particular thing they're going through and maybe find some ways of, you know, helping their own situation. So, and that's, that's really, really powerful sort of thing. And when you do that kind of thing, it really helps to build more of a community so that people feel like, okay, again, I'm seen, I'm heard, I'm being acknowledged. And overall, you, you don't feel isolated anymore. And of course, when you have people to talk to, people to resonate with, that's how you can truly start healing. Because it's one thing to do it on your own. That's not to say it's not possible. But it's not for everybody, right? There is no one-size-fits-all. Some people can heal on their own, but I'm gonna, I'm gonna hazard to bet that most people are gonna need some other, some other folks in their lives, whether it be just someone to listen to what they've, what they're going through, or someone to give them some valid advice that works for them. That's how they're going to truly be able to start healing.

No, 100%, because it's like, you can listen to famous rappers or singers talk, like, sing about it. You could watch on TV see like certain artists, certain actors, actresses, whoever, right? Like basically portray the characters. But it's another thing to meet and to know someone that actually has gone through something similar. It's like, hey, I grew up with this person. I know, I know him from way back when, from back in the schoolyard, like, and he's talking about this and I didn't know any of this that was going on. This is like life-changing. This is my aha moment. Like, if he could talk about it, I certainly probably could build up the courage to talk about it as well.

For sure. Yeah, because I feel a lot of people feel much more empowered by seeing other people go through something that maybe they felt is, you know, they can't do it, it's going to be the worst thing in the world if they try it, they might fail, blah blah blah, this, that, and the other. And look, I totally get that. We all have those feelings where, where we're in our heads, we're overthinking the situation, and we feel like only the worst case scenario is going to happen if we try and be more authentic or really embody what it is that we're feeling, as in, you know, letting other people in and letting them know what we're going through. But once you see a case of someone else doing it and they're actually turning out just fine after doing so, it again, it empowers people. It makes them feel like, hey, I can do this too.

Definitely, because it's that shared connection, it's that similar wavelength that, if you will, that, that you're on the same— you guys are not on the same path, but you guys are right next to each other trying to figure out, hey, maybe if we go through this together, it'll be less, I guess, pressure, less pressure will be built up from other people because people always worry, like, what are they gonna say? What are they gonna think? Am I, am I doing this right? Am I doing this wrong? Like, what's going— like, so many questions and so many late night conversations that you have with yourself where you should be sleeping but your mind's going at like 50 places, 50 places at once. It's just, it's absurd.

It's not fun. Definitely not fun.

Especially like battling it by yourself, because it's just like, because like, I know there was times in my life growing up where like I was always trying to— a little backstory— I was always trying to please other people. And at the end of the day, it wouldn't get me anywhere because certain people that I would please, it would just like, haha, quick laugh, haha, let's go. And then I would be like, and I would sit here and I would be like, I don't know whether or not, um, this is okay, and I don't know if this is the right course of action, but I still did it because I wanted to be what— with the popular kids. I want it to be noticed, I want it to be heard, I want it to be seen. And it's like, no matter how hard I tried, the backlash always was more favorable for myself than the favorable, because it's like I tried so much things, so many things to try to please them. And at the end of my high school career, or at my high school journey rather, it's like those same people that I would try to please, it didn't matter. Because after 4 years, I'm not going to see these people again. What, I'm probably gonna— I may see them at a high school reunion, if that, maybe. But most cases, no, I probably won't see them. I mean, and then half of the time, like, I have their numbers, I could call them, but then they're just like, who's this again? Who are you? Oh, you're from high school? Yeah, no, I don't remember that. Like they're— it's a passing time because it's like you're being put into this bucket where you go to school, you do 4 years, and then you graduate. If you make friends, great, that's amazing. That's, that's like your social butterfly-ness coming in fruition. That's perfect. But half of the time you go to 4— you go to school for 4 years, you get your diploma, and then you try to look back and you try to remember these people, and you're just like, I vaguely remember you, maybe. And then you squint your eyes and you're like, I don't know, maybe this is the person I'm thinking of. And then you're like, nope, it's an entirely new person. I, I don't know this person at all. So it's hard, it's hard to differentiate between the two, but as long as you're willing to know that if you go to school for 4 years, you go get your diploma, yes, you're going to meet friends, that's fine. But you also have to realize that you're putting yourself first and you're still doing things for yourself as well as being a social butterfly. The best of both worlds. Then maybe, then maybe that's the better approach, because then you're not necessarily setting yourself up for failure. But you're also giving yourself that low expectation where like, if this happens and if something becomes like positive with like becoming friends and being like those friends where like you're friends with them indefinitely, you're at their wedding, you're at— you're their significant— you're like their best man or best woman, or your bridesmaid or your maid of honor or what have you. And you're still like seeing them like from way little to when you guys grow old, when you guys like, this is my grandson, this is my granddaughter, like we're best friends, we've been here forever. But like, it's like one of those things, like even though you have that relationship and you build upon it and you keep it going and you guys keep communicating and you guys are keep checking in on each other That's what matters. It's not about the quantity of friends that you had in high school. It's not about the quantity of friends you had in college. It's about the quality, because those people— absolutely, those people that you have quality relationships with and quality time with, I'm pretty sure I would bet my money or my bottom dollar for that, what have you. I bet that is much more important than the amount of people that I so-called counted on as friends in high school. Because at the end of the day, if you pick up that phone and if you need someone, I'm going to look for the quality of friends versus the quantity. I may have 1,000 friends on Facebook or on social media or what have you, but I could count on 5, maybe 10. That's not a lot. Yeah, does that bother me? Sure, it bothers anybody. I get it, whatever. But am I really concerned? No, not at all. Because I know out of the 1,000 people that I have, 10 people will still get my back. 10 people will still answer that phone call and ask to check on, on me and see where I'm at. Because that's what matters. But I feel like I'm on a tangent, so, and I, and I have to engage my, my fellow, um, host, um, my fellow guest to see his input about this. But that's where I'm at in, in my life. And, and I think growing up and becoming who I am as a person after high school and and after college and basically getting my big boy job and getting married, having a daughter, I think it changes you, or it realigns certain things that are important. I'm gonna go with that. It realigns things because it shows you what's important, what really matters. And right now, right here, I think this part, this day, this moment, this matters. But Raven, what do you think? What's your perspective about all of this?

So to your point about people pleasing, right, you said that was a major part of your high school life.

Yes.

And what I'm about to say is not me coming from like a you know, holier-than-thou sort of position, because I'm the kind of person who did the same thing in college as well. So I know the repercussions of people pleasing and thinking you have to be everyone's friend, right? Like you said, it's more so about quality than it is quantity. And what I want to bring forward is a little quote, which is essentially, don't look for validation from people who you probably wouldn't want to, you know, switch lives with. And that's not to say think of yourself as better than someone else. Please do not do that.

Please don't do that.

That is bad to do. It's not going to help you. But what it's meant to get you to think about is, well, you're living your life, you're doing your own thing, and there's a good chance the people that you're trying to please you, you don't want to be like them. So you, you shouldn't be looking for validation from someone like that, right? Because I know in the back of some of our minds when we were doing the people pleasing, you know, for anyone who's listening, you, you've probably had this moment and it's, oh yeah, I'm trying to get the validation, but I don't really like them that much. I don't really, you know, vibe with who they are as a person. Well then don't look for their validation. Don't look for, you know, it's like saying, oh, I, I can't wait for this criminal to think I'm a cool person. Like, wait, what? I know that's an extreme, uh, example of it, but, but still, you wouldn't go to someone who you— let me not say look down upon, but someone who you do not resonate with on like a moral level or a whatever level it is. If you don't resonate with that person, don't look for validation from them. Focus more on the people who are genuine, who are authentic, who are real. The people who you were, you were with for, you know, days on end or weeks on end or years and they had your back when they could. Yep, right. They weren't looking to pull from you all the time. They were willing to feed into you. They were willing to, you know, to pour into you. So those are the types of people you should really be looking for validation from, if you're going to look for validation at all. I, I would personally say care more about validating yourself than trying to get it from other people. And this means— and I mean this from the perspective of positive and negative because now I'm going to take a little tangent here, is, um, when, when people, they, when they feed too heavily into what other people think of them, whether it is positive or negative, you're essentially overriding your own, your own perception of self. If you're saying, oh, everyone hypes me up for this, they, then, oh, I must be this, I have to be that all the time so I can get their validation. Which means you're going to end up doing things that may be completely out of character just to feed into their perspective. They said you're the best at this, so you have to do this. So, oh, of course I have to kind of maybe cut corners here or do this little seedy thing so I can still be seen as that by them. And in general, it's just going to be a bad thing for you because you're not living authentically, you're not being yourself. And then of course, on the other side where people are saying negative things about you. You don't want to feed into that. You don't want to be trying to prove to them like, no, I'm not that bad thing that you think I am. I, I'm not that. Look, you, you shouldn't care so much about them. You really shouldn't. And that's just back to my point, like I was saying, validate yourself. Look internally. Think of reasons why you're amazing, while you're— why you're a good person. And don't try and pull that from other people. Don't try and get that proven by other people, right? Because at the end of the day, we come into this world alone, we leave this world alone. So if you do not vibe with yourself through the— this journey called life, if you cannot resonate with yourself and be okay with validating yourself, life will be hard, unnecessarily so. So validate yourself. That's the most important thing. So that, that's my little point on, you know, people pleasing and doing your best not to do that. And that's still something I have to tell myself day in and day out, because I have my issues every now and then where I'm like, oh man, I wish so-and-so thought I was cool, or I wish so-and-so, you know, thought highly of me or didn't think less of me, whatever it is, right, that comes to mind. And, and again, like I said, this isn't me, you know, coming off as, you know, holier than thou. I go through the exact same stuff. So it's, it's a hard journey. Like, the, the solution, what I just provided there, is simple in essence but hard in execution.

Of course.

So do your best to, to learn how to validate yourself. I don't have any specific techniques as of right now, but if you can find anything that works for you to help you recognize yourself as being a good person, like maybe do some affirmations. I think that would be a good one. Like, do some affirmations to be like, okay, this is who I truly am. And I, I don't mean just like empty affirmations where you're like, I'm this, I'm that. No, find things from your past and also what you've been doing recently, and specifically good things that you've been doing, right? Like an accomplishment that you made, and like, okay, well, I did that, right? So use that to hype yourself up. And I think honestly, from that, you'd, you'd feel a lot better about who you are as a person, and you're not going to really be looking for validation from other people all that much.

So talking about this, I want to dive in just a little bit, if you will dive in with me, Rav, to Beneath the Surface. Um, so I think I want to know, and I don't know if listeners want to know this too, but you did touch upon how you were like this, or similar to what I went through in high school. Do you want to share with the listeners, the viewers, What exactly, like, like high level or low level, whichever you feel comfortable with. Do you feel— do you mind sharing how similar of a situation that you had growing up about being a people pleaser or trying to please other people? Like, maybe your little backstory about that, if you would, if you're willing to share.

Yeah, so there's, there's a lot that goes into it, a lot more than I think we would have time to, you know, to be able to really encompass all of it in. But let me just jump to a time that really stands out for me, and that was what I mentioned before, which was college. And during that time, you know, when you get to college, you're now interacting with a lot of different people, especially if you're maybe living on campus, which is what I was doing. And so you get to see a very diverse set of people and in a multiplicity of different ways, people who think differently from you, look differently from you, dress differently, all of that kind of stuff, right? But for me, it was more so on the, the behavioral side, like people who thought differently, behave differently than what I was used to, especially when I was in high school. Now, a little bit of context. When I was in high school, I was very much, um, I'll say a wild child, but not, not in the way where I'm getting in trouble all the time or anything.

Yeah, yeah.

Just wild. My friends were like, this guy might have to be put in an asylum. Just maybe. I'm not sure. But doing like super crazy things and just having a lot of fun. We were very much in-your-face kind of people. And that was me. Like, I was very like upfront about things and like super blunt, like, oh, I don't like this. I like that. I want to do this. I want to do that. I think this would be fun. That's the kind of person I was in high school, and my friends can absolutely attest to that. Now, when I got to college though, it, it changed up a bit because I noticed that when I was hanging out with certain people, they weren't as maybe strong-headed about certain things. They, they didn't like being, you know, told things bluntly. They didn't like being You know, if I say like, oh, I don't necessarily like this thing that they like, they maybe take offense to it, right? And I'm thinking, to me logically, I'm like, why are you taking offense? I just don't like the thing. What does that have to do with you? Like, don't take it personally. But the thing was like, of course everyone has their perspective on things and they're fully welcome to have them. They don't need my permission to have their, their own perspective, right? And it was just that I wasn't used to that sort of thing because a lot of people were very different in how they went about things than I was back in high— than I did back in high school. So what I found myself doing was, because I'm the type of person who I, I like harmony more than I like chaos, I would, I would kind of pull back a little bit and be like, okay, well, you know, let me not do this so that this person feels better about themselves, or they don't feel as jarred by what I'm saying or what I'm doing. Now, to a degree— small caveat here— to a degree, that is okay to do as long as you're not compromising who you are authentically. Now, the problem there when I was in college was I was compromising myself. I was compromising who I truly was to please other people, to appease them and make them feel good about themselves. Essentially, dimming my light so they can feel like they're shining brightly. And man, that took a toll on me. It really did, to the point where there were some instances where I was resenting people because I thought, oh well, you know, I have to be like this around them, this is their fault, and blah blah blah. Now at the end of the day, keep this in mind, it is a choice to do that sort of thing regardless of who you are. You are making a choice to people-please. I'm not saying you're doing it for an invalid reason. I'm not trying to invalidate your reasoning behind it, but I'm just saying that it is a choice. So I made that choice and I was blaming other people for the choice I made. And that's, of course, not cool to do. You don't want to resent other people for something that you did personally. Right. So what I had to come to terms with was— and this was more so after I'd left college— I, I had to kind of come to terms with the fact that I made that choice to people-please, and it unfortunately had a detrimental effect on me outside of college where I became a lot more subdued. I was— I wasn't as rambunctious and bombastic as I used to be, and it was very evident to my friends who knew me in high school because I actually did hang out with them a lot when I was in college. And one of the things, actually, just kind of going back to the college environment, when I was hanging out with them, like when they would come to visit the college, my friends would say, "Whoa, Ravn, you have changed. Like, you're completely different from who you are usually." And I knew it was true because I knew I was like— I was conscious of the fact that I was changing up around, you know, the people at the college I was at to appease them and make them feel comfortable. And then when I was with my high school friends, I changed things up. And going back to after college, right, my friends who were from high school, they would see me like, Rav, you're not yourself. Like, what's going on? This isn't the Ravin that I know. And it kind of hurt to hear that because those years of just continuously people pleasing and trying to get validation and dimming my light so other people feel good about themselves. It hurt me so much that it became my norm. It became who I was as a person after, after high, after college. And it took years to overcome it. And granted, I am still overcoming it at this moment. Like, I am still dealing with it. I am not fully out of out the park with that one. So I'm still working on it, but I, I definitely have gotten better, and I am really, really happy about that. But just back to the point I was saying before, don't dim your light. Don't, don't do that to appease other people. It's really going to have a negative effect on you moving forward, and, you know, a negative effect on what you can do or what you think you're capable of. In the future. It's just not healthy. So again, people pleasing was the root cause of it, and you've got to make sure that you're not doing that. Be yourself. Be polarizing. It's okay to not be liked by certain people. Back to, uh, to, uh, to Danny's point about quality of friends rather than quantity of friends, right? You don't need to be everybody's friend. And here's the thing, you cannot be everybody's friend.

They don't—

you can't not like you because of who you are. They're— that's just how it goes. It's— that's life. There are going to be people who just don't like you because you do this, you do that, you dress like this, you look like that, whatever it is. So forget about them. They're not your tribe. Don't try and please them. Go for the people who actually resonate with who you are as a person. And I'm talking about the people who like you for your authentic self, not liking you for the fake self that you present. Right? Not the mask that you put on. So it's better to be hated for being yourself than it is for being fake.

I love that. That's— that's like I said, that's French, uh, chef's kiss right there. That's, that's a beautiful quote. I love that. Thank you, Raven. I appreciate it.

That's not my quote, by the way. I—

no, I know, I know it's not your quote, but I'm just saying like that was beautifully said at the perfect time. Like, no, it just, it just hit hit me harder than it needed to be. But it was good. It was really good.

Yeah, man, that's, that's what I was dealing with and still am dealing with to a degree. And yeah, I just, I just really wanted to put that out there so that for anyone who's listening right now, if you are dealing with feeling like you're not authentic and not being yourself, I'm not going to just say flip the switch, go from 0 to 100 and just be yourself and do everything like, no, like It's gonna take time. You're gonna have to pace yourself and kind of wean yourself back onto being who you truly are. And to something I'd mentioned earlier where I was talking about finding ways to validate yourself, go back and look at some things that you've done that you know you really resonated with, things that you loved to do when you were a kid or when you were younger or maybe a few months ago, whatever it is, right? Find those things that you love to do and lean into those things a bit more. Not just because it's stuff that you like to do, but because it's going to help you reawaken a part of your brain that knows who you are fundamentally. So once you're able to do that, it's going to help you in immeasurable ways to become more authentic and more of yourself.

Beautifully said.

Just don't be afraid to be yourself. Just It's okay, be you.

Yeah, because everyone else is taken. That's a quote that I remember. It's be you because everybody else is taken. Love it. But yeah, but moving on, I just want to end. Robin, thank you again for sharing your story, however brief or long it was, it doesn't matter. But thank you so much for sharing it. But remember, for all those who's listening, this isn't therapy, but it's therapeutic. It's not perfect, but it's real. Some episodes will just be me and you just talking, me and Raven just talking about just reliving some moments in high school, college, our life experiences, and just reflecting and just doing self-ref— and just analyzing and think thinking of how we can be better from that point on. Like, if they were positive or negative, just depends on the perspective. But other times it's just gonna— we're gonna have guests here who talk about like addiction, suicide, um, neurodivergencies, um, neurosciences, um, just whatever they're going through, and they just want to be heard and finally seen and understood and acknowledged. But it just— there's— it just depends, right? So it's not gonna be— this is not gonna be a cookie cutter, in a sense, a cookie cutter podcast where I'm gonna do everything by the book or everything tailored to a specific podcast that I listen to or I watch or what have you. This is going to be its own thing. And if you guys are truly, truly want to dive in and be along, be with us along the ride, come on, we have plenty of room back here. So you guys are more— exactly, we got cookies too. You guys are, you guys are more than welcome to join us. But if you are ready to go beneath the surface with us, subscribe, share, and pull up for the next episode. We're starting with a conversation about presence, what it means for the show to be a thing, and what it means to show up for yourself when everything feels heavy.

Yeah, that, that should be a really good topic there because Again, we come in alone, we leave alone, and yep, you've got to be there for yourself even through, you know, through thick and thin.

Definitely. We're gonna go deep, but if you guys are willing to come in, come along with us for the journey, the reward is going to be so great. So, so great. So until then, breathe deep. And you're not alone.

I'm Danny, and I'm Raven.

So let's begin with Beneath the Surface.

Thank you. All right, take care, everyone.