Southern Connection: Recent Episodes
Adam Luke, LMFT & Jeff Ortiz, LMFT
The Relational Experts, Jeff Ortiz and Adam Luke, take on the relational challenges facing developing men and their families as they look to grow their personal relationships, increase their professional potential and learn to hold emotional space for the world around them.
This week Adam jumps into the discussion on Generational Wisdom. After reflecting on his own life experience, Adam focuses on the need for us to seek out the Generational Wisdom in our communities by having discussions with Individuals who have tremendous life experience but may be alienated by age or mobility. Often times, a person who may have had to navigate situations we are experiencing currently has grey hair and lives across the street. They would also appreciate it if you would stay off their lawn.
New Season! New Format!!
SOCO listeners the podcast is back! We will be changing up the format of the podcast, instead of a long format discussion between Adam and Jeff, the podcasts will be shortened and framed in short "take away's for the week." As always, this podcast thrives on your participation. So please feel free to leave comments or reach out to Adam @thementaloutfitter @wildethoscounseling.
We wish the Ortiz family the best as they navigate their own challenging season of life. If you feel called to support the Ortiz Family and specifically their youngest, Ryan during this time. All proceeds are going to his recovery. https://www.gofundme.com/f/4apnn2-ryans-recovery-fund?utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1&utm_content=undefined&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_term=undefined
In this episode, Adam shares his personal experience with low testosterone. It is our hope to create more conversations around this subject and the impact it is having on Men, Mentally, Emotionally and Physically. We also hope to produce more curiosity around external factors that may be preventing us from living a healthy life.
We don't know about you, but we feel the world has gotten out of control. What can we do when we feel overwhelmed by the unknown. We dive deep into working on the things we can control. We discuss how to thrive in relationships and refocus on the people who are most important to us. We believe relational currency with those we love is the most important currency the world has to offer.
There is an immense value in having other men to support, encourage and inspire you through life's challenges. We encourage you to get uncomfortable, to get vulnerable and begin to share your life, the good and the bad with other men. It is important to validate all you are going through so you are not caring those heavy burdens. Let's not miss out on the great opportunity of having Formative Male Relationships to help us thrive. Iron Sharpens Iron!
What is Love? Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more. What if we expressed love to our partner on the other 364 days of the year too? Maybe today is the day we can begin to focus on being more relational and less transactional, in our service to our partner.
Adam and Jeff talk about what it looks like to lead alongside our spouse or significant other. We believe leading from a place of vulnerability is what develops stronger relational bonds with our families. We hope this podcast encourages you to develop stronger relationships with greater connection.
Sometimes we can get caught up in the anxiety of providing for our families or making a name for ourselves. We may have fear of not being enough or can get caught up in comparing ourselves to others. This conversation not only served its purpose several years ago, but it also was a great reminder for the present day. May we continue to remember these conversations and not lose sight of our purpose as men, loving our families, growing in our professions and cultivating a life we can be proud of.
What happens when we fall short of hitting our goals? What do we think about ourselves? How do we project or internalize those "perceived failures"? Join us as we share about finding contentment in those seasons where growth may look non-existent. We have found, personally and in our work, those seasons produce some of the greatest growth in our lives.
In life we may face transitions that propel us into uncomfortable situations, relationships or professional interactions. In this podcast we take a look at how we can address our discomfort and develop strategies to be more comfortable.
The Relational Experts, Adam Luke LMFT and Jeff Ortiz LMFT, sit down to discuss the F WORD: Forgiveness. Jeff and Adam navigate the societal issues with the "magical" applications of forgiveness in the "Forgive and forget" mindset. Jeff and Adam seek through their discussion to bring back the honesty of why genuine and authentic forgiveness can lead to powerful transformations in the Board room, Bed Room and Family room. Jeff and Adam highlight what the true definition of forgiveness is while also identifying what forgiveness is not. Forgiveness is not about dismissing the experienced pain or trauma a person has lived, but forgiveness by design is the means in which we as individuals no longer have to hold onto the emotional hurt as a mile marker for our resentment or our pain. Forgiveness allows individuals to repurpose their energy and past disappointments into the pursuit of better relationships, stronger emotional boundaries and the realization that past experiences are something that have HAPPENED to us but do not DEFINE us.
Your favorite Relational Experts, Adam Luke and Jeff Ortiz break down the social narrative that our lives as men will fundamentally change when that job we want, person we like, money we do not have arrive in our life. “Rescue yourself” is a discussion that attempts to change our internal narratives from the belief that we lack the tools or opportunities at hand, right now to change our lives. The honesty in Jeff and Adam’s discussion may feel uncomfortable but often the truth pushes us into the realization that we were meant for something more than our current relational experience.
Your Favorite Relational Experts are back on the topic of navigating change, reconciling expectations and finding a place to thrive in the unknown. Jeff Ortiz LMFT and Adam Luke LMFT comeback to wrap up the series on failure and finding a way forward in the discomfort, adversity and challenges that present themselves on every journey that leads to success. Adam and Jeff break down concrete ways of organizing our thoughts, finding our voice and keeping ourselves focused on our desired outcomes. Listen in as Adam and Jeff give you the blueprint to radically change your perspective and your outcomes in life over the next 90 days.
The Relational Experts are back in a podcast that is taking on the way men conceptualize failure in our lives. Jeff Ortiz LMFT and Adam Luke LMFT sit back and hold space in a discussion that runs straight at the uncomfortable social discussions about avoidance, failure, rejection and learning how to pick yourself back up and harness experienced adversity as a catalyst in creating successful relationships. Without failure we would be without the contexts in which drive our relationships for self improvement, emotional development and deeper meaning in our professional and personal lives. Listen in as Adam and Jeff break down social narratives, shine light on inconvenient relational truths and navigate rolling with the resistance that sometimes can feel like a constant in the lives we live.
The Relational Experts are back at it as Adam Luke LMFT and Jeff Ortiz LMFT tackle the obstacles facing modern males looking to become dynamic leaders. In this podcast Jeff and Adam reality test accepted societal norms when it comes to intimate relationships, whether that is with our wives, girlfriends or significant others. The reality exists that if a man's personal life is undisciplined relationally that same pattern of relational trauma will follow that person into the professional relationships they build, ruin or alienate. Listen in as Jeff and Adam take on a discussion that deserves to be fleshed out!
The Relational Experts, Jeff Ortiz LMFT and Adam Luke LMFT, come back to the table to discuss the relational dynamics found in our families of origin, families of choice and our professional spaces. The reality is that the relationships we hold in the board room can bleed into our family rooms, bedrooms and our personal spaces. Jeff and Adam break down the challenges of not putting on a mask for our home and professional life; but instead asking ourselves what kind of leader we want to be and the relationships we want to hold? Do we wish to be a leader that seems accessible at work? How do we create space for our team to approach us? How does that translate to our personal life and our approachability with our personal relationships? Listen in as Adam and Jeff pull apart the ambiguity of what true leadership is through our experienced relational dynamics.
In this episode, Adam and Jeff open up a conversation on masculinity and reclaiming space for positive male influence in business, at home and in the relationships we hold with others. Adam and Jeff work throughout this episode not only as 2 men discussing an ever changing definition and acceptance of masculinity in the social atmosphere but also as Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists making the argument, supported by research, that societies as a whole are healthier and more inclusive with fair representation of male and female influence. The catchphrase "Toxic Masculinity" has transitioned from identifying negative and abusive male actions to now being a phrase that is synonymous with just the original word: Masculinity. Listen in with Adam and Jeff as they pull apart the current social narrative and reclaim space for positive male influence in the social and relational spaces we live in every day.
Your favorite Relational Experts come back to the table to discuss the rewards of coaching and counseling men to explore the depth of their emotions. The reality is, in a society that has become increasingly hostile towards male emotions and how men display emotion there exists a space where through deliberate action men can increase their emotional intelligence, develop better awarenesses as professionals and provide spaces of intimate opportunities with their own families. We look forward to having you for this discussion!
Let's talk about that good Ole' HOLIDAY FUNK. Are you ready for another honest discussion with The Relational Experts, Adam Luke LMFT and Jeff Ortiz LMFT? Because here is the truth, as men most of us do not look forward to the Holiday's at all. Holidays can be a time where we recognize who is no longer with us, it can be a time challenged by grief, an annual reminder of the family relationships we hate, and a short term crash course in Family Dysfunction. But this is not how holidays have to be. Holiday's do not have to be 4 days a year where we as Men simply try to survive.
Adam and Jeff hash out the discussion surrounding this season of Life and how our outlook and hidden reservations about the holidays can be sabotaging the relationships we have while stopping us from starting the relationships we want. Listen in as Adam and Jeff pull apart the complexities of our expectations, the realities and the Holidays.
The Relational Experts- Adam Luke LMFT and Jeff Ortiz LMFT continue to dissect the unhealthy ways men hold stress in their lives and how unhealthy practices in processing emotions affect the relational components of who we are at home, By ourselves and in our professions. Through PART 2 of this series there is a solid shift from being money focused as a professional to being IMPACT driven as an individual. If your goal in life is to make a difference, to impact your life, the lives of your children, wife or others that starting point is not money, it is the power for purpose we hold in the relationships we have around us. The guarantee is simple when we as individuals DRIVE impact inside the relationships we hold personally and professionally, money follows.
The Relational Experts- Adam Luke LMFT and Jeff Ortiz LMFT continue to tackle the challenging discussions men need to have to unlock their true potential as Leaders of their Families, their social circles and as successful professionals! This week Adam and Jeff take on the 800 pound gorilla named STRESS. Every man experiences stress, every man must learn how to process stress, only boys are ruled by stress. Stress has become socially acceptable and therefore more men continue to work to the point of exhaustion, burn out and to the detriment of their personal, familial and professional relationships. Listen in this week for more bread crumbs on how you can increase your Professional impact by growing your emotional intelligence and increasing your own self discovery.
Welcome to the Southern Connection Podcast!
Sit back and listen to The Relational Experts, Adam Luke and Jeff Ortiz as these two male Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists pull a part the relational dynamic of society and current challenges that face everyone. In this week's episode Adam and Jeff launch the Southern Connection podcast by interviewing each other about therapy, relationships, emotions and the challenges that face modern men and their families in professional relationships, personal relationships and individual growth.