In this solo coaching monologue, the host opens by apologizing for audio issues and immediately shares a personal tragedy: the suicide of a close friend who was a veteran and fellow diver. This loss fuels his urgency to transition his coaching practice from part‑time to full‑time, so he can help others avoid similar pain. He frames the episode’s purpose as delivering a positive, forward‑moving message amid a media landscape he perceives as dominated by drama and doom. The host argues that feeling "stuck" is often an illusion rooted in fear—fear of failure, judgment, or losing familiar (even unhealthy) patterns. He emphasizes that motion does not require guarantees, only courage, which typically appears after taking the first small step. He stresses that forward progress need not be fast; it must be intentional, contrasting the "microwave" culture of instant results with the reality of incremental actions (making the bed, taking a walk, sending an email). Purpose is presented as a magnetic compass that pulls one forward despite resistance. The episode concludes with four concrete steps for listeners: (1) name the specific fear, (2) seek supportive community or coaching, (3) celebrate micro‑wins, and (4) anchor oneself spiritually, emotionally, and physically through habits like journaling, exercise, prayer, or breathwork. He invites listeners to reach out for coaching via his website and socials, reinforcing the call to keep moving forward.
Chapters
I'm gonna apologize up front because I know my audio quality is way off in this episode. I don't have my mics with me today. It's been kind of a turbulent weekend. I'm gonna do a little bit of self-sharing on this one, but I wanted to have a podcast that Had a positive message and was about moving forward. So today's podcast is just that. It's keeping yourself moving forward and that courage to take the next step. So just, again, everyone, welcome back to the podcast. And for those of you who keep returning and those of you who are subscribing, thank you. Thank you. If you're not, today's message is going to emphasize why I need this podcast to be liked, shared, subscribed to. The algorithms are against me, straight up. And that's, you know, that's not playing the victim mentality. But when you look at what videos are out there and what podcasts are out there, I mean, there's just— It's— there's drama, there's doom and gloom. I just want something to be positive. And right now, I even need something that's a little positive in my life. I'm gonna share just very quickly with you, and that is I lost a good friend this weekend. A veteran, a fellow diver. Haven't seen him in a couple years, but I lost somebody really near and dear to me through suicide. If you want to know why I'm so adamant about pushing my coaching credentials forward and why I'm so adamant about being able to do this full-time is so that I don't have to get phone calls. You don't have to get phone calls about someone taking their life. And unfortunately, I'm in a situation where, where my business is sitting, I'm having to do this part-time. You know, I've had to take— I've basically had to take a gig to somewhat sustain me, but my passion work is really in this area of coaching. It's because of crap that happened this week, or this last weekend, with somebody that I know very, very well. Who? Again, the message today is about moving forward when you really need that courage to take that next step. And let's be honest, the hardest step is usually the next one, especially after a failure. After a heartbreak, after a loss, or just getting knocked down too many times, whether that's because of a job loss or a career change, or, you know, your spouse leaves you, you have a heartbreak, you have a kid that decides they don't want to talk to you anymore. And I want to be very clear that this podcast isn't about counseling. This podcast isn't about therapy. It's about moving forward. It's about taking that next step. You know, and getting knocked down one too many times, it's about getting up and moving forward. And I don't know about you, but I mean, I think at some point we've all felt stuck. Like we feel like we're in a fog, like we're moving our feet, but we're not gaining ground, or worse, like life has hit pause. No matter what we do, nothing changes. Here's something I've learned in coaching, specifically coaching men going through transitions. Now, this audience is open up for everyone. I coach everyone, but I'm looking at this from a guy's perspective and I'm looking at it as a perspective of somebody who's coached a lot of men. Going through major transitions, whether it's divorce, job loss, career changes, retirement, or reentering civilian life. What I found is that stuck is often an illusion. We're not stuck because we can't move; we're stuck because we're afraid to. We're afraid of falling again, afraid of looking foolish, afraid of. Leaving something behind that even if it wasn't healthy, it was familiar to us. But motion doesn't require a guarantee. It just requires courage. I want to say that again. I want you to write it down. Motion doesn't require a guarantee. It requires courage. Usually, Courage shows up after that first small step. Doesn't show up before. It shows up after taking that first small step. Here's the mindset that I offer to my clients. And the mindset is basically this: forward doesn't have to be fast, it just has to be intentional. And I think we are so used to The microwave lifestyle. We pop something in the oven, into a microwave oven, 30 seconds later dinner's ready. And it used to be something that would take minutes to cook, several minutes to cook. We're used to getting information fast. I mean, people don't even use Google to look up things anymore. They use ChatGPT because they think that they're going to get a quicker answer. Sometimes progress looks like that old adage, you know, building a 5-year plan. But other times it's just getting out of bed, taking a shower, sending one email, and that counts. It's Monday. If you got out of bed today, congratulations. If you got off the couch today, And did something different, congratulations. If you went in and you're off today, or maybe you're out of work, or you're going through a down day, making the bed, folding a load of laundry, taking the dog for a walk, just making it to work, making yourself breakfast, if that's all you did today, congratulations. Because it was intentional, and that's momentum. See, too often we judge progress by outcomes like money, titles, the way we look when we go to the— after we've been to the gym, relationship status, but real forward motion, real forward motion, it's internal. That's where it starts. It's emotional flexibility. It's choosing responsibility over resentment. It's owning your narrative instead of being owned by it. Forward is a choice. And some days that choice is— it's a lot harder than others, but it's always available. You see, here's the thing, and this has to do with the role of purpose. And that's one of the things I really enjoy coaching around is purpose. But here's the thing, when you're clear on your purpose, forward becomes magnetic. Write that down. I'm gonna say it again. When you're clear on your purpose, forward becomes magnetic. Magnetic. You may still face resistance. There's gonna be that pushback, but you now have a why that's gonna pull you through the mud. And this is where you have to ask yourself the question, am I in a, you know, am I in a rut or am I in a groove? You know, maybe your purpose is to be someone who's present, a present coworker, a present father, a present mother. Even if your marriage fell apart, still be present for your children. There are still ways you can be present for your ex-spouse. I find this a lot with divorced families. The father checks out, the mother checks out, whatever, right? Just be present for your kids. You know, maybe the marriage didn't survive. I know. But maybe, just maybe, it's leading your family out of a generational cycle. Maybe whatever it is that you're going through is to finally stop surviving and really start living. That purpose of yours, that purpose is a compass. At some point, you're gonna need the full map, but there are days sometimes you just need a compass so you can be in a direction and you're not just going in circles. So I'm gonna wrap this up by giving you 4 practical steps in forward motion. The number one, Is fear. You have to name the fear. What's actually holding you back? Get specific with it. Put this in your journals. Name the fear. Is it rejection? Is it judgment? Is it losing control? You can't fight what you haven't faced, and you can't face what what you don't know how to name. Number 2, get support. We are not meant to do this alone. Whether it's coaching, coaching with me, whether it's a brotherhood, maybe it's a community, someone else's belief in you just might be the fuel that you need. Now, by the way, You have to be accepting of that. You can't join a community and be on the outskirts of it. You can't be the— you can't join a community and be that one person who stands off in the corner. Number 3, you gotta celebrate the micro wins. One small courageous act today is proof That you're still in a fight, so don't overlook it. And finally, anchor yourself. Anchor yourself spiritually. Anchor yourself emotionally. Anchor yourself physically. Find your anchors: working out, journaling, prayer, breathwork, exercise. Something that reminds you of who you are and who you're becoming. You don't have to have all the answers. You don't need to see the entire map. You don't need to see the entire staircase. You just need to take the next step. Because the truth is, every mountain is moved one rock at a time. Every comeback starts with one choice. And that choice is, I'm not done yet. I'm not done yet. Hey, if today's episode landed on you, reach out to me. I'd love to get the feedback. Let's talk about how coaching can help you move forward with strength and clarity. You can find me at standstirrcoaching.com, or you can message me out there on my socials. Just move forward. Celebrate those micro wins. All right, have a blessed day. Bye.
