One Part Laugh, One Part Life: Recent Episodes
One Part Podcast
Brian and Jordan talk about their jobs a lot. Almost every episode gives a sneak peak into the work we do on a daily basis. We love our jobs (for the most part)! But you may be asking: why do we do what we do? How did we choose these jobs and what keeps us going?
Well, lucky for you, we are going to answer those questions in this episode! Brian will talk about the fun that comes with creating as a freelancer, and Jordan will talk about her passion for developing college students as a residence director. When the going gets tough, we try to remember the reasons we chose these jobs in the first place!
Do you ever have those days where you just feel… meh? When you need a spark of inspiration to get you excited, but it just isn’t working for you? When you stare blankly into the abyss, waiting for a great idea to hit you, but your mind feels empty? We’ve definitely been there!
Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come when we least expect it, and it can be plentiful. But other times, it isn’t there when we need it, and we can’t seem to find it anywhere. Many times, we can feel inspired in one aspect of our lives but not another. It seems like the only consistent thing about inspiration is its inconsistency!
After a bout of feeling uninspired, Brian and Jordan share some of their experiences and how they cope with the ups and downs of inspiration.
I think it’s safe to say that many of us act differently around different groups of people. I doubt many people would talk to their boss or their grandmother about their wild weekend escapades or the juicy details of their latest love interest, details that friends may be highly interested in.
It comes as no surprise that people put on a different face when interacting on social media. Of course we want to make ourselves look good, especially when everyone else’s lives seem so great! We tend to compare ourselves to what we see of our friends on social media. But what we forget is that everyone has their struggles, even if we don’t see them.
Featuring a guest star, this episode dives into the good and bad of how we choose to portray ourselves on social media.
Would you rather be 2 feet taller or 2 feet shorter? Would you rather lose your eyesight or your ability to hear? Would you rather have a dragon or be a dragon? We say we talk about life’s most interesting topics, but this episode really lives up to that claim!
After going a while without including “Would you rather” questions in our episodes, we decided to grace you with an entire episode full of them. Cue the laughter
If you ask a classroom of kindergartners what they want to be when they grow up, they will probably say things like “a doctor”, “a lawyer”, “a firefighter”, “a ballerina”, “Superman”. Even though they all want to be something different, they have (at least) two things in common: 1) very few of them will become what they say they want to be when they grow up, and 2) they made their choice based on what they see as successful.
The American Dream has been people’s standard of success for years, but that seems to be changing. Everyone has their own definition of success and how to achieve it. It is usually relative, based on how you use your talents and the tools life gives you. And it is difficult to compare one person’s success to another’s, especially if they are successful in different ways.
Ultimately, there is no universal understanding of success, so the only person who can determine whether or not you are successful is you. So, are you on the road to success?
This morning, your horoscope told you that you were going to have a miserable day. It just so happens to be Friday the 13th, and you can’t seem to find your lucky pair of socks. As your day goes on, you spill coffee on your shirt, you are 20 minutes late to work because of traffic, and your favorite sports team loses their game. Surely this is all related!
We have so many superstitions in our culture, but none of them are rooted in fact. Knocking on wood is not going to prevent bad things from happening, because jinxes probably aren’t real. Your mom won’t break her back every time you step on a crack in the sidewalk. If that was the case, I’m pretty sure many more mothers would have broken backs.
Although superstitions, jinxes, and luck may seem silly, they can bring people a little bit of comfort. If knocking on wood is going to help you sleep at night, by all means,go for it!
Choosing what to eat for dinner can be hard. Choosing how to decorate your home can be hard too. Choosing which car to buy can be even harder. Choosing how to manage your money is definitely harder. Now throw another person into that mix. They have their own opinions, preferences, and needs. This whole decision-making thing just became ten times more complicated!
Making decisions with another person can be tricky, especially when that person is your significant other. You want to make sure that both of you are happy and get what you want, but that can be difficult to navigate when you want different things. That means you have to work together to figure out what is best for both of you. Easier said than done!
Brian and Jordan are definitely not experts in this realm, but we have a few tricks that have helped us in the past. In the end, it comes down to good communication and knowing what is important to both of you.
2016 is a big deal in the world of politics. It’s the year we figure out who the 45th president of the United States is going to be. While candidates duke it out on the mainstage, you are trying to figure out who to vote for, or if you even want to vote at all.
Many times, voters can feel like their vote doesn’t matter at all. Well we are here to tell you… that you are probably right. Your individual vote most likely isn’t going to break a tie. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t vote. It would be a mess if no one voted just because they felt like their vote wasn’t important.
Here’s the deal: one vote doesn’t matter, but it does when it’s coupled with other people’s votes. Your vote is your voice, and a lot of voices speaking at once could be the start of big change.
Imagine you are sitting in a park reading a book on a lovely day in April. April 25th, to be precise. You are minding your business, and then all of a sudden you look up, and standing right in front of you is the person you have been looking for all your life. Your eyes meet, sparks fly, and you know you have just met the one, your soulmate, your other half, the peanut butter to your jelly.
Love at first sight seems like an idea reserved for Disney movies and Nicholas Sparks books. I mean, how likely is it that two people who have never met before would be overwhelmed with love the moment they lay eyes on each other? It doesn’t happen to many of us.
While love at first sight sounds pretty desirable, real love takes time and effort to develop. I can’t tell you how you feel about someone, but you may want to get to know a person before declaring your undying love for them!
Remember how easy things were when you were younger? You could play video games all day with your friends, eat endless amounts of oreos and puffy Cheetos, and spend hours at the pool. Life was carefree and full of fun! If only we could go back to the good old days…
Why is it that we don’t know we are in the good old days until they are gone? Better yet, why do we get so caught up thinking about the good old days? It’s funny how nostalgia can make us remember the good times we had while simultaneously making us forget about the bad times that happened (I bet you don’t miss homework, do you?).
It’s fun to remember the past, but we also need to take time to appreciate the good times we have now. The present can quickly become the good old days we reminisce on, so appreciate it while it’s here!
Nobody likes to admit that they are wrong. It is proven to be the most difficult thing to do for 98% of humans. While that last statement is completely untrue, it is a fact that our pride can hinder us from admitting to our shortcomings.
Brian and Jordan are no exception to this. That is why we compiled a list of stories from our lives when our ego got too big and pride took over. Spoiler alert: in all of the stories, we mess up and our pride gets hurt.
Pride isn’t a bad thing. There are plenty of times when being proud is considered honorable. But when we put our pride first, we forget the importance of things like honesty, humility, and self-worth.
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After gaining worldwide fame and becoming everyone’s favorite podcast, many listeners have become enamored by the lovable personalities of Jordan and Brian. Now that you have learned a little about us and what we think on various topics, we know what you are thinking: how did this podcast come to be?
In all seriousness though, we have been asked quite a bit why we started the podcast. Instead of repeating the story every time someone asks, we decided to make an episode about it. That way, you can listen to it on repeat whenever you are procrastinating doing your work, walking the dog, scheduling your doctor’s appointment, having a serious conversation with your parents, or anything that adults are supposed to do.
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According to a bunch of internet quizzes, I am a Hufflepuff, my personality color is turquoise, Anne Hathaway would play me in the film-version of my life, Tommy Pickles is my cartoon best friend, and sea turtles best represent my love language. That’s fun and all, but what does that even mean?
We are constantly encouraged to find ourselves and to understand who we are. I mean, at the very least that is really helpful in an interview. But how much does it really matter if I am highly in-tune with who I am, what I want out of life, and what I am passionate about?
It is good for us to know about ourselves, and we should be seeking to understand ourselves as we constantly change. But the best thing we can do with this knowledge is to fuel our curiosity about other people and learn how we can use our strengths to benefit others.
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“I want to lose weight!” “I want to stop smoking!” “I want to build the world’s largest jungle gym for cats!” This time of year, everyone is talking about their New Year’s resolution, which is fantastic. That is, until you give up on it three weeks into the year.
New Year’s resolutions can seem pretty ridiculous. Most people don’t follow through with them, so they seem pointless. And if you want to make a change, why wait until New Year’s to make it happen? Too often we set goals for ourselves with no plan for how to accomplish them. Better yet, we set goals for ourselves and then make excuses for why we can’t accomplish them. What gives?
It may seem silly to start something just because it’s a new year. But if that is what it takes for you to make a change, then by golly, go for it! Regardless of when you make a change, the important thing is that you start and can stick with it.
What a year! In 2015, there were plenty of highs and a few lows, exciting adventures, wonderful accomplishments, and much, much more.
Jordan and Brian take a look at the past year and reflect on all of the changes and growth that occurred. We both graduated from college, got married, moved to Texas, and started working our grown-up jobs. And there were lots of smaller surprises sprinkled throughout the year.
Tune in as we discuss best and worst parts of the year, proudest moments, more embarrassing moments, and favorites of the year. It’s bound to be a treat!
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I know many of you have been thinking, “I wish I knew more about the exciting lives of Jordan and Brian.” Well, you’re in luck!
In this episode, Jordan and Brian look at a few questions asked by listeners of One Part Laugh, One Part Life. In this exclusive episode, you will get to learn more about our lives, our marriage, our jobs, our hopes and dreams, our worst nightmares, our most embarrassing moments. Well, maybe not all of those, but it won’t leave you disappointed!
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Making friends can be so easy as a kid: you find someone in your class at school who likes to play kickball or likes the same flavor pudding as you, and bam! You just found your new best friend. So why is it so much more harder for adults?
Friendship as an adult is complicated. As you grow older, your old friends change and sometimes move away. Distance can make it hard to stay in touch which may not seem worth it at times. On top of that, making new friends is equally tricky. It’s uncomfortable to initiate a true friendship, so we end up settling for acquaintances out of convenience.
The best adventures in life are just that because of the people we share them with. So get out there, make some friends (or keep the ones you have), and start living!
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We all know your little brother pushed you down the stairs and broke your arm. And your cousin Suzie broke the tire swing in your front yard so you could never experience the joy of wind in your hair ever again. Justice needed to be served, so you gladly pointed a finger at those responsible.
So many of us are quick to place blame when others have done wrong, especially when they did wrong by us. What’s even worse is when we place blame on the victims of situations. But the blame game is a vicious one that can tear down a group and damage relationships.
We should hold people accountable for their actions, but instead of focusing on who messed up, we should focus on how to fix the problem and move forward.
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Some people say that laughter is the best medicine. Well, I don’t know about that, but laughing sure is fun! While every episode is chock-full of laughs, this episode is sure to leave you with a case of the giggles.
Brian and Jordan take a look at the power of laughter and the positive effects it can have on those around us. We like making others laugh because it makes us feel good about ourselves. But more importantly, you have to be able to laugh at yourself.
There aren’t significantly more jokes than usual. Just Brian and Jordan being goofy and laughing at their own jokes. As if that is anything out of the ordinary!
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Everyone needs a break from their busy and stressful lives every now and then. Just take it from Brian and Jordan, who recorded this episode while camping!
Sometimes life overwhelms you by throwing a lot at you all at once, and other times it wears you down by never giving you a break. Burnout and fatigue are a scary situation. We need to remember to take care of ourselves by taking breaks when we need them the most.
While long adventures can be a blast, sometimes all you need is a little time to relax and recuperate. Everyone once in awhile, give yourself permission to treat yourself to a break!
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Lots of things come in twos: shoes, twins, scorpions, eyes and ears, a two-pack of deodorant (Brian’s input). Well, sides to a story is not included in that group.
In most situations, there are multiple sides to a story, not just two and definitely not one. Our perception of the world around us becomes our reality, our truth. Each person has their own truth because their experiences are different. Unfortunately, some people’s stories conflict with others’ stories.
As we listen to others’ stories that differ from our own, we must remember that their stories are not wrong. They just see the world from a different perspective that is equally valid and true.
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Receiving compliments makes people feel good. It can brighten someone’s day, build self-esteem, and ultimately restore peace to the world. If that’s the case, why is it so difficult to give compliments and show our appreciation?
For one reason or another, we have a complicated relationship with giving compliments. We want to give praise, but we don’t want to overdo it because then it won’t have any meaning. Or sometimes our compliments don’t have the impact we expect. Let’s be honest, we want to feel like the compliment we gave was life-changing.
If we become less frugal with our compliments and begin recognizing others for their goodness, maybe restoring peace to the world wouldn’t be too far out of reach.
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You just posted a really clever comment/joke/photo/video on social media, and you are ready for the world to sing your praise. So you wait for the notifications to roll in, telling you that 25, 50, 100 people liked your post.
We like to be “liked”, so we are in constant pursuit of things that will promise this recognition. Our self-worth has somehow become tied to the number of likes we receive. If we don’t receive a lot of recognition, then we aren’t very funny, clever, heartfelt, provocative, etc. We aren’t very likable.
We keep trying to prove our worth to others and to ourselves through social media when our self-worth should really come from a more sustainable source: from within ourselves.
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There are very few things you can make out of lemons that don’t require you to add a healthy (or unhealthy) dose of sugar in order for them to be tolerable. So when life gives you lemons, you somehow have to provide the necessary amount of sugar for the situation to be tolerable.
In this podcast, Brian and Jordan explore the idea of positivity and its application to real life. Positivity isn’t about being happy all the time. It’s about looking at a situation, finding the good, and fixing the bad as best you can. It can boost the morale and productivity of any team, group, or partnership.
While it is still good to wrestling with the problem, dwelling on it gets you nowhere. But once you overcome it, victory (and lemonade) sure is sweet!
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Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But what if they want to be treated differently than you do? Better yet, what if their thoughts and feelings were different than yours? If we never take the time to listen and understand, then we may never know.
Empathy can be one of the most valuable traits a person possesses, and it can strengthen the bond between people. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Being truly empathetic takes thought, compassion, patience, effort, and a lot of practice.
While listening and taking the time to really understand someone’s feelings and experiences may not be glamorous, it is one of the most humanizing things we can do as we help each other on this crazy journey called life.
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“I’m so busy!” How many times have you heard this when you ask “How are you?” Better yet, how many times have you said that yourself? It’s a quick response that needs no explanation because we all know what it is like. But why is that our go-to answer? Don’t we have anything better to say? Surely there is more to say about our lives.
In this podcast, Jordan and Brian debunk the myth that busyness validates your work and your worth. People tend to think that staying busy means you aren’t wasting your time. On top of that, being busy somehow means that your work is more important or meaningful.
It’s important to acknowledge when you are overly busy, but if everyone claims to be busy, you’re words start to fall on deaf ears. Maybe instead of worrying about how busy we are, and how busy others are, we learn to see the value in our time and ourselves.
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Everyone’s an expert at something these days. Whether it be design, engineering, or under water basket weaving, we all have our talents. But what happens when these skills stop us from seeking to learn more about our field?
We work our whole life improving our skills so that we can be the best ______ (insert profession) out there. If you want to be a professional soccer player, you constantly play soccer throughout your life until finally you make it to “the major leagues”. If you want to be a doctor, you go to waayyyy to many years of school until you make it.
We work so hard so that we can be a professional/expert/specialist. Then finally one day, we make it. We are the expert. We've reached the top. But what now?
The second you think you are the best at something is the second that you will stop trying to be better at it.
If you're not careful, becoming an expert can stop your drive to be better. Instead, it's best be thirsty for more. Work harder. Learn more. Get in the mindset that there is a huge amount that you aren't good at or that you don't know.
It's a sad truth. Making it to the top can stop you from achieving your full potential.
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The very first episode of an exciting new podcast about things and stuffs! It’s a quirky show where Brian and Jordan Schwabauer share their thoughts on the world… and laugh at their own jokes.
Meet Brian, the goofy husband that works as a freelancer specializing in video, animation, and design. He loves to have a good time and can always be found with a smile on. He enjoys long walks on the beach under the moonlight… (he also wrote this episode summary).
Meet Jordan, the fun, caring (…gorgeous, empathetic, loving, smart, …I could keep going, but I shouldn’t…) wife. She works as a Residence Director at Texas State University where she manages a building of college students. Jordan sometimes is the life section of the podcast to help balance Brian’s goofiness.
In this episode, Brian shares a life-changing (literally) story in which he meets someone very special. Jordan talks about some of the things she learned this previous week. And they both tell some amazing jokes that are sure to create instant laughter. Get ready to slap you knee because this one’s a chuckler!
Visit our website at http://onepartpodcast.com