Not Your Average Joel: Recent Episodes
Joel Vance
Welcome to my channel! I use to be an average quiet man but now I am ready to use my voice to share not only my story but to hear other people’s stories and testimonies as well. I talk about different topics from lighthearted conversations to intense and serious conversations. Hope you enjoy the show!
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Today is my final episode (for now) of Not Your Average Joel. In this episode I had the honor of speaking with DeAnna Merolli and Brittany Hatcher on the topic of “Confrontation.” In this episode, we spoke about how to best handle confrontations. We also spoke about when it’s best to ignore a situation or confront a situation. We also spoke about situations that we have confronted that resulted in a positive way. I end the podcast by talking about my reasons for taking a break from podcast and how long I’ll be taking the break. Thank y’all so much for your support!! Hope to talk with y’all again soon!
Today we got a solo episode for y’all where I talk about my future wife who I haven’t met yet! In this episode, I talk about why I want to get married, what I look for in a future spouse, and why I’m so picky haha! I hope that y’all enjoy this episode!
Got a good one for y’all! Back in 2022, I did part 1 on the topic of “Friendships.” But today I decided to do a part 2 with more questions for my friend Miguel Mercardo. In this episode, we talked about whether we should be afraid to be honest with our friends, we talked about some of the most annoying parts of a one sided friendship/relationship, we talked about whether having a small circle of friends is a good thing or not, and we were honest about how many true friends we really have. We discussed so much more in regard to friendships and I enjoyed doing this episode! Hope y’all do as well!
Another new episode of “Not Your Average Joel” is here! On this episode, I talked with my good friend Alex Kersh on the topic of “Hollywood.” It’s no secret to me that Satan is doing some major work in the movie and music industry and I’m here to address the elephant in the room. In this episode we talk about whether Hollywood can make someone change for the worse, we took a guess on the percentage of people that remain the same once they move to Hollywood, and we talked about whether God is welcomed in Hollywood or not. I hope y’all enjoy this episode! It’s time to expose Hollywood for their true colors.
Welcome to Season 5 of “Not Your Average Joel!” I started off the new season with my friend Caitlyn Lightsey on the topic of “Family.” The enemy seeks to destroy and bring division amongst families and it’s time to expose Satan of his dirty deeds. We talk about why Satan is out to divide families, we discuss about whether we consider people outside of our blood family as family, we talk about whether we are the glue to our families or not, and we finish off by talking about why we are thankful for our families. Hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 100 is here! In the Season 4 Finale of “Not Your Average Joel” I did a self reflecting episode called “Dear Joel.” For the past 6 years, I’ve been writing letters to myself and so I decided to read some of them for y’all to hear about the fun times and sad times that I went through. Some situations impacted my family, some impacted the world. I hope y’all enjoy! Season 5 will be back in February! Thank y’all for your support so far! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Episode 99 is here! We are only one episode away from the Season 4 Season Finale! On this episode, I talked with my good friend Devin Marshall on the topic of this year “2023.” We talked about the highlights of this year, what we’ve learned from this year, and what we look forward to within the year 2024. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
We got another great episode for y’all! In this episode I got to talk with my sister-in-law Maisie Vance about “Scary Situations.” We got to talk about scary situations that we have witnessed or have gone through. We spoke about how we remain calm during a scary situation and we also talked about our favorite Bible verses that we feel like gives us that reminder to remain courageous during this scary situations. I enjoyed getting to hear from Maisie’s experiences especially since she has been a paramedic for 24 years. I hope y’all enjoy this as well!
Episode 97 is here! I got to play a “True or False” game with my brother-in-law Roger and my nephew Austin to see who can get the most true or false statements correct. I hope that even an episode like this teaches y’all something new about different things in life from food, to geography, to animals, etc. Enjoy!
Another new episode is now out! I had a great time talking with my friend Justin Barrier on the topic of “Sports.” We talked about the sports that we played growing up, our favorite and least favorite sports to watch, our favorite teams that we support on the college and pro sports level, and we even spoke about our favorite athletes who are very inspirational to us. We also finished up with a hypothetical situation where if we were invited to represent Team USA in the Olympics then what sport would we be want to participate in. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 95 is here! I got to speak with my friend DeAnna Merolli on the topic of “Fear.” During these times with wars and rumors of wars there comes a sense of fear for people. In this episode we spoke about our own fears, we talked about whether it’s okay to have a healthy level of fear, we talked about some moments where we let fear get the best of us and what we learned from that experience, and we gave advice to those who may be fearful to take that leap of faith into whatever they are wanting to accomplish or do. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 94 is here! I had such an amazing conversation with my brother Matt Vance on the topic of “Peace.” In this episode we talked about our favorite Bible verses on peace. We also talked about whether we’ve been in a situation where someone was messing with your peace and how to manage that. We talked about the idea of making peace with the fact that there are people who are unwilling to make peace with you, and we talked about how and why we can have peace in a world full of chaos. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
We got another good one for ya! On this episode I talked about “Marvel Movies” with my friends Rodney King Lisondra and Caitlyn Lightsey! We talked about our first Marvel movie we ever watched, our favorite Marvel movies, our favorite superheroes and villains, and we even talked about which Marvel characters superpowers we would love to have! Hope y’all enjoy this episode!
New Episode is now out! I had a fun conversation with my friend Devin Marshall on “Nintendo.” In this episode we talked about our favorite Nintendo video games as well as our favorite Nintendo characters. We also discussed Devin’s trip to Charlotte as it was related to Nintendo. We then played a fun game of “This or That” Nintendo Version. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
We got a solo episode for you! In this episode I talked about the “Myths About Men.” In this episode I brought up the 12 most common stereotypes that society has made about men and I talk about whether it’s a myth or if there is some truth to it. I hope that y’all enjoy this episode!
We have made it to episode 90! In this episode I spoke with my good friend Alex Kersh on the topic of worship. We spoke about when he felt God’s calling for him to go into worship ministry. We also talked about whether we are naturally wired to worship. We talked about the strategies that the enemy will do to keep us from worshipping. We talked about what the word of God says about worship. We also got to talk about our favorite worship songs. I really enjoyed doing this episode with Alex and I hope y’all enjoy it as well!
This episode was so good! I had the best time talking with my friend Brandon Teeple on the topic of “Authenticity.” We spoke about whether men have a harder time than women with being authentic. We also spoke about shame and denial and how both of these correlate with authenticity. We then finished up by talking about the reasons why we should embrace the idea of authenticity into our lives. I hope y’all enjoy!
This episode is actually a pretty controversial episode that many people struggle with. I had the opportunity to talk with my friend J Walker on the topic of “Pornography.” In this episode we talked about reasons why people fall into this trap, the negative side effects that come with watching it, and we even give advice to those that may be struggling with an addiction to porn. This episode is for educational purposes as this is something that many people have struggled with as we are so desensitized by this topic that we see revealing/sexual photos and videos not only with adult film movies but even on our social media pages, our regular television shows, the concerts that we attend, and even the music that we listen to. I hope that y’all get something valuable out of this episode. I understand this is a pretty controversial topic but I’m all about breaking the barriers and addressing the elephant in the room.
New episode alert! This episode was a pretty interesting episode as I got to talk to my friend Gary Chen on the topic of “Awkward Moments.” In this episode we talked about some common phrases that socially awkward people (like me) may use during normal conversation. We talked about the social queues and frustrating moments that happen throughout conversations amongst our loved ones, and we even talked about how we may have some awkward tendencies. This episode was very informative as I grew up very introverted and have fallen into using filler words like “umm” or “like” or “you know” and this episode brought self awareness to that and makes me want to do better. I hope that y’all enjoy this episode!
We got another fun episode for y’all! I had the pleasure of speaking to my good friend Alex Kersh on the topic of “Musicals.” We talked about how long we have had a love for musicals. We also talked about our favorite musicals and favorite musical songs. We also talked about what character we would play within a musical if we happened to get a one year contract on Broadway. Oh and I can’t forget the surprise game that I had for Alex. It’s time to break the barrier and to let the world know that straight men love theater and musicals as well. That’s exactly what my podcast is about. Breaking barriers that society puts in place for people.
I got a very interesting and entertaining episode for y’all! I got to talk with two amazing people! Chris Kelly and Miguel Mercado. We spoke on the topic of “Ghosts, Bigfoot, and Spirits.” We spoke on whether we believe in these as well as other things that people debate on as well. We also talked about whether we have experienced any of these three things and we also discussed on whether we would go ghost hunting or hunting for Bigfoot if we had the opportunity to do so. These two were the perfect guests to have on this episode as they shared some very entertaining moments from their experiences with this topic. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
This episode is such a good one! I had the pleasure of speaking with Harris Godfrey about “Full Circle Moments.” In this episode Harris shared with me his journey to owning his martial arts school called Southern Martial Arts. He talked about how long this idea has been on his heart as well as the challenges and rewarding moments that he has experienced to get to where he is today as an owner of such an amazing business. I’ve known Harris for over 20 years and I must say I learned so much about him during this episode and I look forward to having him back on my channel. He also had some questions for me in regards to my full circle moments as well. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Part 2 of the “Names of God” episode is here! Me and Caitlyn continued on the conversation as we spoke about Jehovah Nissi and we answer the question on why is Jesus’ death on the cross a victory. We also spoke about Jehovah Shammah and talked about different people in the Bible where we saw that God was with someone throughout their whole journey. I hope y’all enjoy this second part of such an amazing topic!
We got another amazing episode for y’all! So great that we had to split this into two episodes! In Part 1, I spoke with Caitlyn Lightsey and Brennan Cargile on three “Names of God.” We spoke about Jehovah Rapha and how God has shown healing not only in our lives but in our loved ones as well. We spoke about Jehovah Jireh and brought up Bible stories where we saw God provided in such a powerful way. We also spoke about Jehovah Shalom and our favorite Bible verses on peace. I hope y’all enjoy this episode! Stay tuned for Part 2 that comes out next Wednesday!
This episode was such a fun episode! This is probably the most guests I had on one episode as well. 9 of my family members played the game of “According to Mama” which were family feud style questions based off questions that my mom answered. The team with the most points wins the game! We played this game during our vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida. Hope y’all enjoy this episode!
My 80th Episode is now out! In this episode me and my friend Brittany Hatcher talk “Identity.” In this episode we talk about what areas we look for within our lives to find our self identity, we talked about how our identity can come from the perception of others, we talked about the difference between self identity and our identity in Christ, we talked about our own identity crisis situations that we have gone through, and we talk about our true identities and how we are growing and evolving. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Got another new episode for y’all! In this episode I got to talk to Gary Chen about “Road Trips.” During this episode we talked about giving advice to people that want to do cross country road trips, the things that we have learned about each state that we’ve visited, some of our favorite moments from our past cross country road trips, and we even talk about whether it’s worth doing a solo cross country road trip among many other things. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
New episode alert! This one was one of my favorite episodes that I’ve done so far! I had an amazing conversation with my good friend Caitlyn Lightsey on the topic of “Bible Stories.” We talked about what Bible story was inspirational to us other than the story of Jesus, we talked about some stories in the word that we can relate to, we talked about some funny moments that happen in the Bible, and we talk about the many miraculous moments that Jesus performed that would have been amazing to see in person. I hope y’all enjoy this episode because I sure enjoyed recording this with someone just as passionate about the word!
Another new episode of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had another amazing conversation with my friend DeAnna Merolli on the topic of “Actions vs Words.” In this episode we talked about why it’s important to be intentional with putting actions to our words, we talked about whether we take promises at face value or if we will believe it when we see it, we talked about the benefits of children learning about pinky promises at such a young age, and we talked about the consequences of those that do not act on the things that they say they are going to do. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
My first episode for Season 4 of “Not Your Average Joel” Podcast is here! On this episode I talk about something that everyone has probably gone through at some point and that is “Social Media Trolls.” In this episode I discuss the definition of trolling, I talk about my past experiences with trolls and how I’ve handled those situations, I answer the question on whether or not I’ve been a troll before, I answer the question on whether blocking your trolls on social media means that they won and got under your skin, and I talk about some things that I learned about this topic. I hope y’all enjoy! Got many more amazing episodes coming out with many more amazing guests!
The Season 3 Finale is here! I had an amazing learning experience as I got to talk to Dreama Hallman and DeAnna Merolli on the topic of “Entrepreneurship.” We talked about what makes someone a successful entrepreneur, we talked about some challenges that entrepreneurs go through that people don’t realize, and they both gave some amazing advice when it comes to someone wanting to become an entrepreneur and wants to start a business. I hope y’all enjoyed this season of “Not Your Average Joel.” I will be taking a break in May and will start back recording in June.
Only one episode away from the Season 3 Finale! I had an amazing conversation with Damian Worchester and Miguel Mercardo on the topic of “Love.” Not enough men talk about love so I think it’s awesome that we got to talk about love. We talked about whether we believe in love at first sight, we talked about in what ways do we like to show others that we love them, we talked about whether it’s a red flag or not if someone says “I love you” very soon in the relationship, and we even mentioned 3 things that we love about ourselves. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Another episode is out! I enjoyed getting to talk to Tony Timberlake on the topic of “Trust.” We talked about moments where we felt betrayed by someone and the emotions that came with that. We also discussed on whether we give second chances or cut off people that do us wrong, we talked about whether being too trusting is a bad thing, and we talked about times where we’ve broken someone’s trust and how we tried our best to make things right. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
New episode alert! I had an amazing conversation with my friend Gary Chen on the topic of “Workout/Exercise.” I did part one of this topic back in season 1 so check it out! We talked about the term “no pain no gain” and whether it’s a good term to use or a term to be careful with. We also talked about the biggest mistakes people make in the gym, the proper etiquettes that people should do in the gym, and Gary gave me his answer on whether he likes to go to the gym during the morning time or night time and also how dieting helps you reach your goals along with exercising and working out. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Another new episode is out! I got to talk to my friend J Walker from across the pond on the topic of “Pride vs Humility.” We talked about how there can be two types of pride, we talked about why we choose humility in living our lives for Jesus instead of ourselves, and we even brought up Bible verses, inspiring quotes, and stories that can teach us a lesson on pride and humility. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
I can’t believe that the 70th episode is here! I had a great time talking with Madison Wade on “Life As An Only Child vs Life With Many Siblings.” We talked about the similarities and differences with our upbringings and we also talked about the pros and cons that could come with both outcomes of either having no siblings or many siblings. I even had Madison talk about how she is an only child and how she only has one child currently and she answers on whether she wants to have more children or not. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
New episode is out right now! I got to talk to Donna Perez on the topic of “Dating Struggles.” We talked about how things from technology to even our beliefs can affect our dating life. We also talked about the struggles of being patient during the time of waiting and also talked about the discernment that we need to have when it comes to knowing who you even want to try going on a date with. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Another new episode is out! I had a great conversation with my friend Caitlyn Lightsey on the topic of “Balance.” We spoke about the areas in our lives that we struggle with and excel in when it comes to balance. We also spoke about some good advice and pointers for us and for others to follow when it comes to having a more balanced lifestyle. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
New episode is out now! I got to talk to my good friend Devin Marshall about the topic of “Bitterness.” In this episode we talked about how we react when people betray us, how bitterness is poison and how forgiveness can affect our lives for the better. I hope y’all enjoy this episode! We all go through some moments of bitterness so I know we can all relate to our conversation.
Part 2 of our conversation regarding “Modern Day Church” is out now! Me and my brother Matt Vance continued on with the conversation of how modern day culture has made a huge impact on the church as a whole. I hope y’all enjoy the second half of this episode!
We got a really good episode for y’all! I got to talk with my brother Matt Vance on the topic of “Modern Day Church.” We discuss some of the major problems that are going on in the modern day church and how todays culture has made a huge impact on how church is being done for the most part. This episode is so interesting and important that I made this a two part episode. So stay tuned for Friday when the second part of our conversation comes out. I hope y’all enjoy this first part!
This episode was the hardest episode to record. This episode is dedicated to my mom Melanie Vance. On this episode, I talk about the topic of “Cancer” and I share my mom’s story as she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer back in December 2018. I talk about the scary stuff she had to go through and how my life has forever been impacted by my mom’s journey with cancer. I hope everyone gets something out of this episode. Everyone knows someone that is going through cancer or you may be the one going through cancer. You may have even lost someone to cancer which unfortunately I know a few who have lost their lives to cancer. My mom is 3.5 years without cancer and I hope that me sharing her story gives hope to those that experienced cancer in their lives. She gave me permission to share by the way! Next weekend is the annual Rumpshakers 5K and I cannot wait to do this in honor of my mom.
New episode is out! On this episode I got to talk to my friend Alex Kersh on the idea of “Comparing/Competing with one another.” This was a very good conversation about the things we may compare within ourselves against others. We also talked about how jealousy can be a big part of this along with so much more! It’s so important to stand out instead of trying to fit in! Be uniquely you as God has created you. Hope you enjoy the episode!
This episode is a fun one! I got to talk to my friends Justin Barrier and Rodney King Lisondra on the topic of “About Your State.” We got to share a fun fact about our state and then we played a game called “About Whose State” where I named a fun fact about each state in our country and they had to guess which state matches that fun fact. I think it’s fun learning about our country and about each state. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Another new episode is out! I had a really interesting conversation with Sam Boyd on the topic of “Spiritual Health.” We spoke about what being spiritually healthy looks like, how difficult it can be to stay on our spiritual walk and we even spoke about some good things that we’ve seen in ourselves as we’ve gone through our spiritual journeys in life. I hope y’all enjoy this episode and get something out of this!
Episode 60 is here! I can’t believe I’ve made it this far! This episode was really amazing and i learned a lot as I got to talk to my high school math teacher Dianna Torbert. It felt weird calling her by her first name as I wanted to call her Ms Platt haha! But we had such an amazing conversation about The “Fruit of the Spirit.” In this episode we talked about why it’s called Fruit of the Spirit and not Fruits of the Spirit, we talked some of our favorite verses and significant verses with each attribute, we talked about we should show the Fruit of the Spirit, and we spoke about the fruit that we are currently struggling with the worse. We spoke about so many amazing things and I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Another inspirational episode is out! I got to talk to my good friend Dharyl Del Mundo on the topic of “Following Your Dreams.” Dharyl shared with me his journey as he moved to America from The Philippines 7 months ago. He talked about the challenges and his testimony that led him to pursue the American Dream. We talked about the dreams we have for ourselves 5 years from now, we talked about how scary it can be and how we can lose our patience when it comes to our dreams. We also have some insightful advice regarding the importance to follow your dreams! I hope somebody gets something out of this episode! I know I sure was inspired!
New episode! New episode! I had the pleasure of talking with Kelly Green on a life change that I cannot relate to and that is on becoming a parent. Kelly’s journey is unique as her daughter has a rare condition called Fox G1 Syndrome. I got to hear about her experience as a parent to a child with such a rare condition and I learned so about what Fox G1 Syndrome. I also asked her if she has any hobbies to distract herself from the stressful moments and how has her daughter changed her life for the better and how she’s changed ever since she became a mother. We also got to talk about being a family member of special needs and our experiences with it. This is why I do what I do. To listen to inspirational stories and to learn. I hope y’all enjoy this episode! I hope this episode brings awareness to The Fox G1 Syndrome.
New Episode Alert! In this episode, I spoke about “Generational Curses.” Every single family has a generational curse of some kind. I talk about the different kinds of curses. I pray that every one that watches/listens will look into their personal life, point out what the generational curse is that affects their family’s lives, and find ways to overcome that curse. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Another new episode is out! I got to talk with my friend Jeffin Palathinkal about the importance of “Being Financially Smart.” In this episode we talked about the biggest mistakes young people make when it comes to their finances, we talk about the pros and cons of credit cards, we discuss whether there is a time where you can have the things you want and the things you need all at the same time, and Jeffin provided some really good additional advice on how to live a smarter financial life. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode #55 is here! I had the pleasure of talking to my good friend Gary Chen on the topic of “Materialism.” We spoke about the top three materialistic things that we all as a whole pursue: technology, fashion, and money. We talked about the positives and negatives of each of them and how much of an impact it can be on our lives. Sometimes that impact is for the better and there are times when it is for the worse. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Another new episode is out! This was a fun episode as I got to play a game called “This or That” with both Devin Marshall and Rukhsar Ibrahim! I would love to hear some of your answers as well so be sure to comment some of your answers whether it be on YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook! I hope y’all enjoy the episode!
In this episode I talk about monogamy and how it ties into todays society. I also talk about how modern day culture views open relationships, open marriages, side chicks, polyamorous and polygamous relationships/marriages. I even talk about my reasoning on why I think a monogamous relationship and marriage is the healthiest and best route to take in life. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Today’s episode is about something I love and that is traveling! I had an amazing time talking with Donna Perez, DeAnna Merolli, and Tony Timberlake and hearing about their experiences. We talked about whether we’ve been on a cruise ship before, we talked about whether we like to sit in the aisle or window seat on an airplane, we talked about the stressful parts of TSA and Border Patrol, and we even got to talk about some of our favorite places we’ve been to and hope to go to someday. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Season 3 has now begun! New year, new theme song, and new topics! On this episode I spoke with my good friends Alex Kersh and Caitlyn Lightsey as we completed our part 2 segment to the “Music” topic as we did part 1 way back in the summer. We spoke about whether we see music as a full time career, we spoke about songs that we feel like relates to our lives, what instruments we play or would like to learn how to play, our first time singing on stage, and we give advice for those that want to pursue music but are scared to for whatever reason. I hope y’all enjoy and I look forward to sharing more of my life with y’all this season!
Episode 50 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! In honor of the 50th episode I took the time to talk about “Self Reflection.” In this episode I self reflect on things that I learned throughout this podcast journey, I talk about some challenges I’ve gone through, I talk about why I wanted to start a podcast initially, I talk about what to look forward to as far as season 3 and I even shared some topics I want to discuss, and I even talk about things that I learned about myself during this podcast journey. I hope y’all enjoy! Season 3 will be here in February! Thank y’all for the support!
Episode 49 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had a great and impactful conversation with my friend Isaiah Dorado on the topic of “Jealousy.” In this conversation we talked about things that we are jealous that other people have or do, whether jealousy has ruined a relationship/friendship for us, can jealous be spiritually dangerous, and we even spoke about some Bible verses and stories and what the word says about jealousy. It was great having Isaiah as my final guest for Season 2 of “Not Your Average Joel” and stay tuned for the final episode which will be posted on Wednesday December 28th. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 48 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had a great conversation with my good friend Devin Marshall on the topic of “Life Changes.” In this episode we talked about life changes that have happened in our lives from first day of kindergarten to high school/college graduation, to getting a job, to getting our drivers license, we talk about our traveling experiences, and even getting baptized. We even speak about future events that we hope to see happen in our lives. I hope y’all enjoy this episode! By the way next season I plan on doing part two of this topic with another guest so be on the lookout for that!
Episode 47 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had the pleasure of talking to Chris Kelly as we revisited our “Childhood.” We talked about whether we wanted to grow up during the social media days and advanced technology, whether we still talk to friends from our childhood, what we use to say we wanted to be when we grow up while we were kids, and we even spoke about things that we miss with being a kid. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 46 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had a great conversation with Caitlyn Lightsey on the topic of “Temptation.” In our discussion we spoke about how we fall into temptation, the consequences of falling into temptation, how Jesus went through temptation and overcame it, and Bible verses to encourage us to overcome our personal temptations! I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 45 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had such a fun conversation with Sam Boyd as we got to talk about the topic of “Vacation.” We talked about our first vacation that we can remember from our childhood, we talked about our top 3 favorite U.S. cities and countries that we’ve visited, we talked about our longest vacation that we’ve ever taken, we talked about whether a staycation is truly a vacation, and we even talked about our most adventurous memories from any of our vacations. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 44 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had an amazing conversation with Jeffin Palathinkal and Brittany Hatcher on the topic of “Singleness.” We spoke about whether we view singleness as being a good or bad thing, why some people jump from one relationship to the next within days, whether it’s bad to be picky when looking for the right one, and we even offer advice on how to deal with singleness and how to prepare ourselves for a relationship or marriage. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 43 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had the opportunity to talk to Max Peeples on the topic of being “Physically Rich vs Spiritually Rich.” In this episode we talked about the difference between the two, we talked about what we would do if we won a billion dollar lottery, we talked about some pros and cons that can come out of being physically rich, and we spoke about why we should be more focused on being spiritually rich rather than physically rich. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 42 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! On this episode I talk about the topic of “Conviction” as this is something that has personally affected many people, including me, from time to time. I explain what exactly is conviction, what are some challenges that come with feeling conviction, whether convictions can be a good motivator to do better in life, and I provide some advice for actions we should take when you are feeling convicted. This one has hit me recently in life so I’m trying my best to lean into it and to get rid of certain things out of my life that does not glorify God. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 41 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I got to talk to Tony Timberlake on the topic of “Health” as we talked about our weight loss journeys, the exercises and food that is good for your overall health goals, and we even spoke about sicknesses/illnesses that have personally affected us. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 40 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had the amazing opportunity to talk to both Alex Kersh and Caitlyn Lightsey on the topic of “Drugs” as we talked about the bad side effects that can happen from drugs, how loved ones are affected by it, whether school programs like DARE is impactful to students, and advice for the user who wants to get out of using drugs and advice for the loved ones that are involved with the user. Very impactful conversation! I hope y’all enjoy this episode.
Episode 39 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had a great conversation with Danielle Bennett and Robbie Tanizawa on the topic of “Life Before and After Covid.” We discussed how schools, churches, and the workforce has changed since Covid came into our lives in 2020. We also talked about our stances on vaccinations, face masks, social distancing, and we even spoke about how we have changed since Covid started. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 38 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had a very good conversation with Madison Wade on the topic of “Religion vs Relationship” when it comes to our faith walk. We talked about the differences between the two, how old we were when we started our relationship with Christ, whether being religious is prioritized over having a relationship with Jesus Christ in society, why people say you shouldn’t discuss religion, and we even talked about how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 37 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! This was a first for me as I got to speak to someone from outside the states! I had the pleasure of speaking to my friend J Walker on the topic of popularity. We talked about whether we’ve been popular or not, how social media can play a role into popularity, the bad side of popularity, and J even brought up some amazing questions for me as well to think about. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 36 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! The topic for this episode was on “Food” and I played a fun little game called “Would You Rather Food Edition” where I had to make choices between foods. Some were more challenging than others but even during a fun game like this I learned a little bit about myself and what I truly love to eat. Be sure to play along too! I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 35 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had the opportunity to speak to both Tony Timberlake and Donna Perez on the topic of “Insecurities” as we talked about our experiences with insecurities, how early in life did insecurities start in our lives, and we even spoke about whether other people can play a role in making someone feel insecure. About 30 mins through the episode my internet started to act weird so the last 40-45 mins of my audio (on my end) sounds like I’m underwater or it sounds like I’m leaving a voicemail haha! But the show must go on and we were able to still finish the show to where you can hear what I’m saying but it’s not as clear. I hope y’all enjoy this episode as insecurities is something that we can all go through at some point in life.
Episode 34 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I got to talk to my friend Caitlyn Lightsey on the topic of “Virginity” which is something that I feel like people look down upon and think that adults who are still virgins is a problem. We explained why we are still virgins, why society in general makes fun of those that are still virgins, the decline on the amount of virgins out there, and we even give advice to those that are ashamed of their virginity. I am saving myself until marriage and have no problem admitting that. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 33 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! In this episode I got to talk to my friend Rodney King Lisondra on the topic of “Holiday Season” as he shared with me his culture of how they celebrated Christmas back in his home country of The Philippines. We also talked about our favorite Christmas songs, Christmas movies, and what the true meaning of Christmas is. I understand we have not even gotten into November yet but I love the holidays so much haha! Hope y’all enjoy!
Episode 32 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I got to talk to my friends Alex Kersh and Tasha McBrayer on the topic of “mental health.” We discussed about advice regarding mental health, personal mental health journeys and struggles, and we talked about churches and their part on talking about mental health. I know this topic is kinda frowned upon with people that I care about but I thought it would be a good and insightful topic to talk about. Mental health is a lot more than just being depressed. I hope y’all enjoy the episode.
Episode 31 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I got to play a game with my good friend DeAnna Merolli regarding the topic of “Life as a Millennial vs Gen Z.” In this episode we played a game as we guessed or explained Millennial/Gen Z words/phrases and I had so much fun trying to see if I am a true millennial during this episode haha! Hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 30 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I enjoyed getting to finish out this topic with my brothers Matt Vance, Jared Vance, and Mitchell Vance on the topic of “false teachings” as we talked about modalism as well as speaking in tongues. I am friends with people that go to Pentecostal churches so before y’all think about commenting on here regarding speaking in tongues, please watch/listen to the whole video 😄 I hope everyone enjoys this episode!
Episode 29 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I got to talk to my friend Tasha McBrayer on the topic of “Relationships and Marriages.” Neither of us are married or in a relationship but I enjoyed the conversations that we had regarding the reasons why people choose to stay in a relationship for life instead of getting married, we talked about the concept of “open relationships and open marriages,” and we even spoke about reasons why you should get out of a relationship/marriage. This is supposed to be a 2 part topic so I hope to do the 2nd part with another fellow guest soon. Hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 28 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I spoke to my guest Tony Timberlake on a topic that people avoid talking about. This episode is actually on “death” as we spoke about whether we fear death, whether it’s important to have things like a will or life insurance, we spoke about the afterlife, and we also talked about what we would like to accomplish if we were told we had 3 years left to live. I hope y’all enjoy the episode!
Episode 27 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! This episode is on part 2 of “Idolatry” as I continued my conversation with my brothers Matt Vance and Jared Vance. We spoke about false teachers/religious groups/churches that exhibit idolatry within their teachings, we answered the question on whether we have fallen into idolatry and what made us realize we fell into that trap, and we spoke about some Bible verses that helps us stay humble and giving glory to God instead of ourselves to or other people/things. I hope y’all enjoy this episode and I thank y’all for your support whether y’all are watching from YouTube and Instagram or if y’all are listening to this from any podcast streaming platform such as Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, etc.
Episode 26 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! This episode starts a new season of my podcast and I loved the conversation that I had with my brothers Matt Vance and Jared Vance on the topic of “Idolatry” and this episode is a two parter so be sure to look out for Episode 27 which will be the second half of our conversation on idolatry. In this episode we talked about what is an idol, we answered the question about whether idolatry is more than just the golden statues that we see in the Bible, we answered the question on whether we can become an idol and can we fall into idolatry and not even realize it? I hope y’all enjoy this episode and stay tuned for part two! I appreciate your support whether you are watching this on YouTube or if you are listening to this on any podcast streaming platform such as Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, etc.
Episode 25 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had another great conversation with my brothers Matt Vance, Jared Vance, and Mitchell Vance on false teachings. In this video we spoke about the false teachings of easy believeism and universalism. If you haven’t checked out part 1 on work-based salvation then I definitely recommend it. I hope y’all enjoy! Looking forward to the second season of my podcast journey!
Episode 24 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had a very good and in depth conversation with my brothers Matt Vance, Jared Vance, and Mitchell Vance on the topic of false teachings. We will be doing 3 parts on false teachings and this episode will be on answering the question of what makes someone a false teacher and we also talked about the topic of work based salvation and some of the religious groups that incorporate work based salvation into their teachings. Episode 25 will be regarding part 2 of false teachings on universalism and easy believeism. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 23 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had a good time talking to my friend Miguel Mercado on the topic of embarrassing moments. We talked about some of our most embarrassing moments from our childhood all the way to adulthood and we also spoke about how embarrassing moments can teach you a lesson. I hope y’all enjoy!
Episode 22 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I got the opportunity to talk to my friend Danielle Bennett on the importance of working out and exercising. We talked about how often you should exercise each week, what kind of workouts you can do that can be fun, the importance behind stretching before/after you workout, and so much more! Hope y’all enjoy! I will be doing a part 2 on this same topic with a couple of guys I went to school with in season 2 so stay tuned!
Episode 21 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I got to talk with my friend Rodney King Lisondra on a fun topic about hiking adventures. We got to talk about the longest hikes we took and the challenges that came with it, some amazing views that we got to see during our hikes, the benefits of hiking, future hiking adventures we would love to take on one day, and so much more! I hope y’all enjoy the episode!
Episode 20 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had a great time learning a lot from my guest Tony Timberlake on the topic of real estate. We spoke about the process of getting a new house, the stressful moments that happen during the process, the bidding wars that happens, and I even got to learn some real estate terminology! I didn’t do as much talking because I don’t know much about real estate yet I was willing to learn about this topic which is why I decided to do an episode on it. I was taking in everything that Tony was telling me and it was very informative and helpful for whenever I have the opportunity to buy a home on my own. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 19 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had an amazing time talking to DeAnna Merolli about the topic of success. We spoke about how we define success, how failures will happen and how to overcome them in order to get back on the road to success, how long-term/short term goals impact success, and how patience and self reflection can come into play with success. I hope y’all enjoy this episode! Had some really good conversations covering all of this!
Episode 18 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had the opportunity to talk to my good friend Caitlyn Lightsey and continuing on our topic of Things that Christians Do That Can Be Debatable. On this episode we talked about Christians and whether or not we should interfere with things like yoga, zodiac signs, horoscopes, tarok cards, and fortune tellers. I can see this topic being a little controversial so before anybody comments with anything negative be sure to listen to the whole video. Part 1 is episode 11 if y’all want to check that out. Hope y’all enjoy!
Episode 17 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had an amazing opportunity to talk to my good friend Justin Barrier on the topic of “Life and Death Situations.” The reason why we talked about this is because Justin is a 911 Operator and he got to share with me his perspective of what his job entails, how those hard calls can affect him whether he’s at work or not, how to handle to hard call, and the importance of PTSD within this job. I learned so much from my talk with Justin. The victims are most definitely going through a hard time but the call that victim makes can also affect the 911 Operator that answers the call, the Police Officer/Firefighter that sees something traumatic before their eyes and that PTSD can be very common within their jobs. Shoutout to our Police Officers, Fire Fighters, 911 Dispatchers, EMS, paramedics, nurses, doctors, and even our Military that take on life and death situations. I hope y’all enjoy!
Episode 16 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! This is a vacation edition as we are in Panama City Beach and I got to talk to some of my family members on the topic of honesty. During this episode we spoke about the story of Rahab from the Bible and whether she was rewarded for lying to save the two spies in Jericho. We also spoke about what the Bible says about lying, whether there is such a thing as being too honest, is a a half truth still a lie, if lying is just as bad as other sins, if a “little white lie” is just as bad as a “normal lie”, and whether you lose complete trust in someone lying/betraying you, and of course the importance of being honest. Thank you to my six guests that came on for this episode: Melissa Hampton, Matt Vance, Joseph Vance, Megan Vance, Jared Vance, Austin Sartain. I hope y’all enjoy this episode and learn something about honesty.
Episode 15 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I got to talk to my good friend Dreama Hallman on the topic of friendship. We spoke about what qualities makes a true friend, how men and women are with each other within friendships, and we also talked about ways to handle and resolve conflict with friends after a heated argument. We spoke about a few other things as well and it was great getting to catch up after so many years. Hope y’all enjoy! Oh also there will be a part two on friendship with some other friends that wanted to talk about this.
Episode 14 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! This is actually part 2 on the topic of parenthood and in this episode I got to talk to two of my past classmates Madison Wade and Adrian Fox on postpartum depression as well as some other challenges that they both went through as new parents. Also, they gave some great advice for new parents that may be nervous about having their first child. It was nice having a nice little high school reunion with them and I look forward to having them back as future guests on my podcast! I hope y’all enjoy!
p.s. I had the pleasure of meeting both of their daughters! Adrian’s daughter is on this recording and I met Madison’s daughter after the recording was finished. Y’all are both truly amazing moms and I know that your stories are going to inspire others.
Episode 13 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I got to talk to Madison Wade on the topic of parenthood! We talked about the challenges that comes with being a parent, the pressures that a parent takes on as being the role model their child is going to look up to, the balance of having a full-time job while being a parent, as well as changes that she has seen within herself now being a mom. Along with many other things! This will be a part 2 episode and in Episode 14 my other guest Adrian Fox joins and it becomes a nice little high school reunion as we continue on the conversation regarding parenthood. Hope y’all enjoy!
Episode 12 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I was supposed to post this yesterday but it was a packed filled day yesterday. So, here I am posting it now. I did a podcast episode with just me on teaching those that are not from the south about southern words/phrases and what they mean. This was recorded late at night so excuse me if I sound like I’m all over the place haha! I hope y’all enjoy the episode!
Episode 11 of “Not Your Average Joel” is here! I got to talk to my friend Caitlyn Lightsey on the topic of Debatable Activities that Christians partake in. This episode was so good that I am having to split this into a 2-Part Topic! In the 1st half we spoke about the idea of Christians partaking in Halloween and talking about whether it is right or wrong. We also spoke about the idea of Christians getting tattoos and discussed on whether Christians should have tattoos or not. Part 2 will be about two different topics that Christians get involved in so stay tuned! Hope you enjoy this episode!
Episode 10 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had an amazing conversation with Donna Perez on the topic of expectations that men have versus the expectations that women have when it comes to different areas such as the workforce, the household, church leadership, and we even talk about whether men and women are equal and have equal expectations in today’s society. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 9 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! On this episode I spoke to my friend Alex Kersh on the topic of alcohol. He spoke to me about his journey with alcoholism from being a heavy drinker to a life of sobriety. We spoke about our experiences with alcohol, the effects that alcohol can have on you, and how drinking and driving can do more damage than good. This episode is something I dread talking about because it is something that I have kept quiet about for a while but I have tried alcohol before and there are regrets that I’ve had with it for sure. My podcast is all about honesty and I got to be upfront about my experiences with it. This will actually be a 3 Part Topic as I’ll be talking to another guest who went from alcoholism to sobriety as well and I’ll be talking to another guest that still drinks alcohol so that will be a different perspective on the topic. I just hope nobody listens to this episode and thinks of me as being a disappointment because I’ve had my fair share of mistakes and I’ve learned from one mistake in particular when it comes to alcohol. I hope y’all enjoy this episode!
Episode 8 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! This episode was by far the most fun I’ve had during a recording. It was so great that I didn’t even get to all of my questions so there will be a part two about this same topic next week with the same guests! I got to talk about the topic of music with my guests Alex Kersh, Caitlyn Lightsey, and Dale Atkerson as we discussed how long music has been a passion for us, some of our favorite and least favorite genres, which musician that has passed away would we want to meet, musicians that have inspired us to go into music, and we also talked about how music has the potential to bringing everyone together! Hope y’all enjoy the video!
Episode 7 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had a great time speaking to Max Peeples about the significance of our safety and how we need to protect ourselves physically and online. We spoke about some great ways to protect ourselves on both sides, we went into our experiences where we’ve had to protect ourselves and/or protect a loved one, and the risks that could happen if you fall into a spam risk trap or if you go to someone’s house to meet a stranger that you met online for the first time. I hope y’all enjoy!
Episode 6 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! This episode is different because I have no guest on here with me. However, I am talking about a topic that is near and dear to my heart which is special needs. I have a brother with special needs. In this video I speak about the challenges he goes through, the challenges I go through, and I talk about how society treats those with special needs in schools and in the workforce. This is all from my perspective and I understand everyone has a different journey when it comes to having a loved one who has a special need. I do get choked up a couple of times during this episode and it felt like a very humbling conversation even though I was basically having it by myself. I hope y’all enjoy and that y’all get something out of this.
Episode 5 of “Not Your Average Joel” is out! This episode was different for a few reasons. This is my first group episode (having more than one guest) and this is my first episode to have females! Also, this was my first episode where some technical difficulties happened so you may see the second recording start about 18 mins into the video because I got kicked out of my own meeting due to internet connection haha! Also one of my guests phone died so she could not continue with the conversation but the show must go on and she was okay with me continuing on!
It was a pleasure having DeAnna Merolli and Caitlyn Lightsey as my guests as we spoke about the topic of “Loneliness/Being Alone” and we brought up our own experiences with being isolated, we talked about the positive and negative sides of being alone, and we spoke about how social media comes into play with loneliness along with many other things. I hope you enjoy!
“Not Your Average Joel” Episode 4 is out! I had the pleasure of speaking with my friend Armon Ahmadjan on the topic of respect. He had some very good insight into the idea of respect! We talked about what it means to be respectful, the difference between accepting and respecting someone, and most importantly self-respect!
Self-respect is something I struggle with especially when it comes to my weight so this topic was very needed for me and I hope it speaks to you in an impactful way!
Episode 3 of “Not Your Average Joel” is out! I was glad to have Alex Kersh back on my podcast as we got to play a fun little game of “My First ___” and we got to know each other even better through that game. You will find out things such as our first pets, first time on a plane, first scary movie we watched, and you will even hear where I had my first kiss at haha!
My first two topics were more serious so I thought I would mix it up a bit and add some fun into my podcast. Hope y’all enjoy!
Episode 2 of “Not Your Average Joel” is now out! I had such an amazing time talking to my friend Anthony Capozzi as we spoke about the topic of emotion. We spoke about how men as a society view other men that are softer and emotional, finding a good balance between being emotional for the right reasons and being in your feelings a little too much, how we should deal with our emotions, who we should talk to during vulnerable times, as well as many other amazing things. Too often men are viewed as being weak, soft, and a wimp for being raw and crying and I think it’s time to change that.
I learned so much just from our conversation about how important emotions are yet we should have a desire to not let our emotions get the best of us as it can lead to regrets. Looking forward to having Anthony back on my podcast as a future guest! Hope y’all enjoy!
Welcome to the first episode of “Not Your Average Joel!” I had the opportunity to talk to my friend Alex Kersh on the topic of bullying as we got to share our experiences with bullying, how we've dealt with the bullies, and the effects that bullying has on people. Bullying is going at an upward trend not only within schools but on social media as well. We need to do better in taking care of one another instead of tearing down one another.
NOTE: Throughout the video you may see me smile during some serious conversations. I did speak to Alex about this and he knows my intentions were not to be insensitive as I was listening to his experiences. I am going to try doing better with my facial expressions as I was nervous and this was my first episode to do. Also, there are some glitches during the video and also some very mature topics get brought up during this video as we talk about realities of how bullying can affect someone. I hope y'all enjoy!