The Simple Talk with Wayne McCullough: Recent Episodes
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Summary: Join us on a transformative journey as we welcome my dear friends Jarret Kovics and Michael Swail to explore the intricate balance of the 5F framework—family, friends, fitness, finances, and faith and its impact on our lives. Together, we share personal stories from ultramarathons to building businesses, emphasizing the power of supportive relationships and mental health. Michael opens up about his transition from investment banking to integrative wellness with Alive and Well, while I stress the importance of fostering deeply meaningful connections and shedding toxicity for a truly fulfilling existence.Listen in as we unpack our personal morning rituals and the profound effect they have on setting the tone for our day. From my sunrise-simulating Hatch alarm to Michael's devotional, cold showers, we each reveal how we intertwine wellness and productivity into our routines.Our discussion highlights the small yet significant habits, like three-minute cold showers, that can create powerful ripples throughout our day, and we emphasize the intention behind starting our mornings with practices that nourish both body and soul.Wrap up your listening experience with reflections on life's voyage, where we ponder the spontaneous thoughts and values that surface in moments of pressure. Acknowledging personal growth and the ability to express love more freely than in the past.
Summary: When life knocked Wayne’s daughter Amelia down as she faced disappointment, our family learned a powerful lesson about rising back up with grace. It's these moments of resilience that I'm eager to share with you. As we explore the significance of balancing the 'big five'—faith, family, friends, fitness, and finances. We're living in a world that's constantly testing our strength; from global pandemics to the everyday grind, it's crucial to find harmony and foster peace over conflict. Join us for a candid conversation on the vital role of play in managing stress, and the grounding effect of staying accountable, both to ourselves and to our listeners, through life's tumultuous journey.Links:https://open.spotify.com/episode/31qziZxRwdKx1KC8YYqfmj?si=a6X9IN1yRuG2BNxul9soWA&nd=1&dlsi=11182282549342dahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAFcHMidJj8&t=82s
Episode 16: Betsy Price: Every Heard Follows a Lead Steer. Faith, Fiscal Responsibility and Fighting for What is Right
For Tracy Walder, the easy path has never been an option. Raised in a family with generations
of military service, she understood from a young age the importance of giving back. In college,
she studied history and took opportunities to gain experience as they came, but couldn’t quite
find the right fit for her skills. One day, she saw a recruiter for the CIA on her college campus.
She handed in her resume and by the time she graduated, she had a job offer on the table. That
daring decision, made while she was still a student, ultimately shaped much of her professional
career.
She spent the next several years working with the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center before moving
on to the FBI, where she was a special agent focusing on Chinese Counterintelligence
operations The hours were long and the work challenging. At some points along the way, she
experienced adversity and harassment, but Walder persevered. On this week’s episode of The
Simple Talk, host Wayne McCullough speaks with Walder about the ups and downs and the
nuggets of wisdom she’s learned along the way. The path might not be easy, but with
confidence and humility, you can put your knowledge and skills to work in service of a better
future.
This Week’s Takeaways:
-Be proactive about finding opportunities
-Have confidence in yourself
-Don’t leave situations without a reason
-Push the boundaries of your comfort zone
-Use your knowledge to give back to others
Quotes:
“I believe fully that how men and women are treated really starts at the top.” -Tracy Walder
“I was bullied.The amount of bullying that I faced was astronomical. … I spent a lot of my life
hating myself and not being very confident. So, I think at 16, I would have told myself to have
more confidence.” -Tracy Walder
“Working out has always been my therapy. I think, from being at the FBI, I would just go on
crazy long runs by myself with no one else.” -Tracy Walder
“The thing I always tell (my daughter) -- because this is what I always told myself -- is be brave.
Be brave, be brave, be brave. That’s always my message to her.” -Tracy Walder
Contact:
You can find out more about Tracy Walder online at https://www.tracywalder.com/. You can also
follow her on Twitter @tracy_walder and Instagram @TheUnexpectedSpy. Be sure to check out
her new book, The Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking Down
Some of the World’s Most Notorious Terrorists, available online, in stores, and as an audiobook.
Mentioned This Week:
-Girl Security, a nonprofit dedicated to closing the gender gap in national security through
training and mentoring support for girls: https://www.girlsecurity.org/
Summary:
Sometimes it takes a spiritual awakening to find the right path forward. This week, Michael
Molthan shares his story of addiction and recovery, from hitting rock bottom to pushing through
to the other side. In years past, Molthan was known as one of the preeminent luxury home
builders in the country. But more than 25 years into his career, an addiction to drugs and alcohol
led him on a downward spiral. He lost his marriage and relationships with family and friends.
After 27 arrests and four years in prison, Molthan started to read a Bible he’d gotten from a
fellow inmate. That began his journey to recovery and to serving others first and foremost as a
guiding principle in his life. Through service and a dedication to being present in the moment,
Molthan found a way to freedom, both inside and out. He continues that work today, helping at a
recovery facility and sharing what he’s learned in weekly social media talks to connect with
others looking for a light to shine the way.
This Week’s Takeaways:
-Learn the difference between shame and guilt
-Be open to a spiritual awakening
-Serve others with an open heart
-Cherish the relationships you have with family
-Welcome opportunities to learn and grow
Quotes:
“When I look at my mugshots … the common denominator in every one of those mugshots was
spiritual bankruptcy. There was no God.” -Michael Molthan
“I had this spiritual awakening like no other and I became free.” -Michael Molthan
“I did not want to think about the future. I did not want to think about the past. I wanted to live in
the now because I was realizing the safest place is right here, right now, because that’s where
God’s at.” -Michael Molthan
“In order for God to set me free, I had to set everyone around me free. I had to set the people
around me free that were holding me hostage. The word forgiveness means so much to me
today.” -Michael Molthan
“Guilt is an opportunity to do a moral inventory on my immoral behavior ... to look at what role I
play in it and what I need to do to change the behavior and make it right.” -Michael Molthan
Contact:
You can find out more about Michael Molthan and his work online at
https://www.m2therock.com/. There, you’ll also find links to his weekly talks on Facebook and
YouTube about addiction, alcoholism, unmanageable habits, and recovery. If you are looking for
recovery resources on drug and alcohol addiction, process addictions, trauma, and more you
can find information at https://www.healingspringsranch.com/.
Mentioned This Week:
-Detours: The Unpredictable Path to Your Destiny by Tony Evans
-”In the Know” with Brian Glenn
Summary:
There’s a lesson that many people don’t learn until it’s too late: Keep your life straight. This
week on the Simple Talk podcast, the Honorable Allen B. Clark talks about the importance of
having thoughtful priorities and keeping all aspects of your life moving forward along a good
path. Clark is a West Point graduate who volunteered for a tour in Vietnam as a military
intelligence officer. Just weeks before his tour was set to be over, he sustained serious injuries
in a mortar attack. He ultimately lost both of his legs.
Along with his physical injuries, Clark struggled emotionally with the new trajectory his life had
taken. He’d planned on being a career officer and found himself having to envision a different
future. He went into business and then politics, working in state office and later, as a
presidential nominee to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “The Lord didn’t promise us a
rose garden,” Clark says. You will encounter challenges and trials along the way. But by
maintaining a strong spiritual connection and keeping your life, family, and faith straight, he
says, you can reach your full potential.
This Week’s Takeaways:
-Forgive yourself for past mistakes
-Never give up on your goals
-Strive for heart knowledge, not just head knowledge
-Don’t let ego dominate your actions
-Practice good daily habits for a structured life
Quotes:
“To keep my life straight, I need to forgive all others all the time, no matter whether I want to or
not. I don’t need to harbor the resentment.” -Allen B. Clark
“The Lord didn’t promise us a rose garden. … And the world is not a rose garden, by any
stretch. You’re going to be beset and besieged — what I call tactical spiritual warfare on you
individually — to get at you, to tear you down, to bring stress into your life, to bring conflict into
your life. So, you’ve got to keep yourself straight so the demon spirits tactically cannot get at
you.” -Allen B. Clark
“If you don’t have your spiritual connection, nothing else matters.” -Allen B. Clark
“Love your family first and foremost outside of the Lord. Be loyal to them, take care of them,
love them.” -Allen B. Clark
“Pay attention to friends. Take care of them, just like you want them to take care of you.
Develop and encourage friendships.” - Allen B. Clark
“It’s really painful if you have everything, and you don’t have anything.” -Wayne McCullough
Contact:
You can find out more about the Honorable Allen B. Clark’s work through Combat Faith at
http://www.combatfaith.com/. He’s also written three books, which are all available on Amazon:
-Valor in Vietnam: Chronicles of Honor, Courage, and Sacrifice, 1963-1977
-Soldiers’ Blood and Bloodied Money: Wars and the Ruling Elites
-Wounded Soldier, Healing Warrior: A Personal Story of a Vietnam Veteran Who Lost His Legs
But Found His Soul
Summary:
Your thoughts lead your actions. If your inner voice is stuck on a negative loop — like a broken
tape — it’s hard to change your mental habits for the better. This week, author, coach, and
psychologist Dr. Julie Bell talks about the importance of mindset and how it can guide your
journey in the right direction, or make you stray from the path. She shares stories from her own
life about the challenges she’s overcome and what she learned to do differently along the way.
One way we can work to improve our inner coach is to focus on how we got to where we are,
rather than just the outcome itself. It’s important to acknowledge successes, of course, but it’s
even more critical to celebrate what got us there. That gives us room to learn from our mistakes
and really work to change our habits. It also takes the power back from the idea of perfection.
There’s no such thing as perfect, Bell says. Whenever you reach a milestone, you realize you
can aim higher. But if you’re on the right path already, future goals will be attainable if you put in
the work and keep your thoughts ahead of your actions.
This Week’s Takeaways:
-Walk with the Lord, hand-in-hand
-Focus on what you can do, instead of what you can’t
-Train your inner voice to guide you
-Own your average
-Practice with a purpose
Quotes:
“Once you choose your focus or your direction, then your voice in your head has to coach you
there. I think, too often, that voice in our head is playing for the other team. So, it’s putting us on
the sidelines rather than really bringing out our best.” -Dr. Julie Bell
“We have to own our average. Whatever it is that you’re doing, you have an average. You have
this achievement side of you that could be your goal and then you have your below average. A
lot of times people see if you haven’t achieved your goal, it’s failure. But really, anytime that you
are executing above average, you’re in that success field. And that’s what you have to be able
to see. If you can see it, you gain confidence. When you have confidence, you have more
success. It grows that way.” -Dr. Julie Bell
“I think, too often, we celebrate the success — the outcome — and not what got us there. We
have to reinforce playing the game. We need to recognize the outcome and celebrate how we
got there.” -Dr. Julie Bell
“As soon as you start getting closer to your goal, you realize there’s another level. So, perfect
doesn’t exist.” -Dr. Julie Bell
“I think the most important thing in a coaching relationship is a relationship. And so, you’ve got
to find somebody that you connect with, that can be honest with you, that can be that thinking
partner, that can help you make decisions.” -Dr. Julie Bell
Contact:
You can follow Dr. Julie Bell’s work online at themindofachampion.com. The Mind of a
Champion is also active on LinkedIn and Instagram. For more in-depth information, check out
The Mind of a Champion’s Virtual Mindset and Mindset on Demand offerings on their website.
The next Champions Club is scheduled for March 30-31 in Dallas, Texas.
Check out her book, Performance Intelligence at Work: The 5 Essentials to Achieving the Mind
of a Champion, wherever you buy your books. Dr. Bell also has a Christian version of the book,
called Renewed, available for download as a 21-day journal on her website.
Summary:
Relationships are at the core of every interaction. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, an
employee, or a parent, learning how to build strong relationships that last and evolve over time
is key. This week on the Simple Talk, host Wayne McCullough speaks with guest David
Scoggins, a business and life coach and fellow podcaster who shares ideas for creating a more
fulfilling work-life balance and achieving stability on the job and at home.
It takes work to build a solid foundation and maintain it over time, Scoggins says. Each of the
five Fs -- faith, family, friends, fitness, and finances -- require dedication and perseverance, so
people should be prepared to spend time and energy on these key components. But that hard
work will be rewarded with a strong support network and base for other aspects of life, as well. It
comes down to taking ownership of your decisions and actions and holding yourself
accountable for how you walk through life and how you relate to those walking alongside you.
This Week’s Takeaways:
-Give people space to change over time
-Ask others how you can help them
-Don’t shy away from hard work
-Take ownership of your decisions and actions
-Focus on building good relationships
Quotes:
“I think part of my ultimate mission here is to bring a faith perspective into the personal
development and bring the personal development perspective into the church, and I don’t think
that’s an easy thing.” -David Scoggins
“That’s really been a joy, being able to see … how people who’ve really, really been hurt by
each other and been hurt by the way they approach their relationships, how they can heal and
how they can grow together and how they can flourish and persist.” -David Scoggins
“If we were in a sports team or if we were playing a musical instrument, even if you were playing
as an amateur, you were not getting paid for it, you would practice and you would practice on a
regular basis. But then you show up for marriage and you’ve not practiced anything, You show
up for a relationship and you’ve not practiced anything other than whatever you practiced in
previous relationships. We don’t get even one class on how to do relationships right.” -David
Scoggins
“Whatever is in your life that you don’t like, whether it’s your marriage or your financial situation
or your body or it’s how you feel, an emotion you have or a thought you have, it didn’t come
from nowhere.” -David Scoggins
“The more we can understand where things come from, the more power we have to work with
them.” -David Scoggins
Contact:
You can get in touch with David Scoggins via email at david@scogginsgroup.com. You can also
find him on LinkedIn by searching for his name. Also, check out the TMP Coaching Podcast with
David Scoggins wherever you get your podcasts.
Mentions:
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns
The work of Tony Robbins (www.tonyrobbins.com)
The work of Dallas Willard (www.dwillard.org)
Living the Sermon on the Mount: A Practical Hope for Grace and Deliverance by Glen Stassen
Augustine’s The City of God
The Ready, Set, Love online relationship program (readysetlove.com)
Summary:
You have more than you know. There is rarely so much scarcity as we tend to focus on and by
changing the way we approach each day, we can change the way we live our lives. This week,
Simple Talk host Wayne McCullough speaks with Dr. Rob Carman, pastor and leader of a
worldwide ministry, who shares this message of hope and faith. Too often, we can find
ourselves living in the past and dwelling on life’s difficulties. But there is always a future with
God, Dr. Carman says, and it’s a greater future than we can possibly imagine.
In order to follow that path, it’s important to tap into the power within. Humans are holistic
beings; they are made up of a body, a soul, and a spirit, and it’s important to nourish and find
the potential of each to amplify that power. Sometimes, it comes down to taking a hard look at
our habits, as they are what shape the way we walk through each day. If we approach our days
with positivity and a purposeful outlook, that will, in turn, affect what we experience. Everything
is connected and it’s up to us to discover what we truly have.
This Week’s Takeaways:
-Work with an idea of purpose
-Cast off old, unhealthy habits
-Remember that everything affects something else
-Remove the shame from difficulty and depression
-Have moments of quiet and stillness in your life
Quotes:
“Life is never behind you; it is always in front of you. I don’t live out of a memory; I live out of an
imagination.” -Dr. Rob Carman
“God said in the book of Ephesians that he would do above and beyond what you can ask or
imagine, according to the power that’s at work in you. Well, you’ve got to amplify, you’ve got to
jump start that power. That’s the power of faith, hope, and the Holy Spirit. And unless you gear
that thing up and be determined, you begin to live off your laurels and you don’t want to live in
your past. If you live your past, you’re going to go backwards. You’re going to die. The definition
of old age has nothing to do with a numerical amount or when you were born. The definition of
old age simply says in Webster’s 1828 dictionary — nobody would argue with Noah Webster —
that old is belonging to the past and then he gave the second definition is stale. We don’t want
to be stale. We don’t want to belong to the past. There’s always a future with God and it’s
always bigger than what you’ve had before.” -Dr. Rob Carman
“I tell people, you can retire from a company, a job, an occupation, but you never retire from
work. Work is one of the greatest things that God gave an individual. … Work is the tool that
God gave a human being to get out of them everything he put in them. Without work, every
talent, every skill, every ability lies dormant.” -Dr. Rob Carman
“Psychiatrists have said if you can change the first five minutes when you wake up and the last
five minutes when you go to bed, you can change your day. I say if you can change a day, you
can change a life because all a life is is an accumulation of days.” -Dr. Rob Carman
“Everything leaves to enter and the way you leave determines the way you enter. You left your
womb to come into this world. You leave home to go to school. You leave school to have a
career. You leave singleness to get married. You leave a house to get into your car. You leave a
car to go into work. The way you leave determines the way you enter. So, anytime you leave
anything, leave right and you’ll enter right.” -Dr. Rob Carman
Contact:
You can follow Dr. Rob Carman’s work on his website, robcarman.com, where you can also
sign up for his weekly devotionals, as recommended by Wayne McCullough. On his website,
you can also check out his latest projects, which include broadcasting his ministry to Iran,
Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Turkey. You can also find his published work on the
YouVersion Bible App.
Mentions:
The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom by Corrie Ten Boom with
John and Elizabeth Sherrill
Tramp for the Lord by Corrie Ten Boom
2 Chairs: The Secret that Changes Everything by Bob Beaudine
“The Mind: Mental and Emotional Health” recorded by Dr. Rob Carman
Episode 9: Ghost World: High School Reunions, Grace, Redemption and the Way of the Buffalo.
Summary:
There is always hope. Even in a person’s darkest moments, there is a path forward. Finding it
can be difficult, but it’s made easier when you have a community to turn to for support. This
week, host Wayne McCullough speaks with Jessica Trudeau, executive director of the
Momentous Institute, about finding that path through difficult times. Trudeau had a challenging
childhood and it took many years for her to both sit with and move forward from those
experiences, she says. Now, she’s dedicated to helping others learn to grow from adversity.
The Momentous Institute, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary next year, works to help
children reach their full potential through fostering social emotional health. Providing children
and their families with mental and social help resources gives them the chance to become
agents of change within their own lives and communities. After all, Trudeau says, people can
break unhealthy generational cycles if they can begin by healing themselves.
This Week’s Takeaways:
-Acknowledge mistakes and work to repair them
-Practice forgiveness of both self and others
-Seek help and support if you are feeling alone
-Learn to sit with discomfort
-Find a way to release trauma after honoring it
Quotes:
“At one point, someone told me, for stained glass, it’s the fractures that let the light in and allow
it to be beautiful. I believe that about human beings.” -Jessica Trudeau
“The moments of really deep suffering in my life, I’ve grown from. My mother always says, you
can learn in the darkness and you can learn in the light.” -Jessica Trudeau
“It’s easy to think there’s not a path out. There is always a path out. The easiest way to access
that path is to surround yourself with community. We cannot do this life alone. We were not
meant to do this life alone. I believe we were created and hardwired to be in community. When
you feel like (you) just can’t keep going on, find the person who will be safe for you and reach
out and ask for support.” -Jessica Trudeau
“You have to be able to sit with discomfort. The goal is not to numb pain. If you numb pain, you
numb joy. And sitting in pain will not kill you. You will get to the other side. But there’s no way
around it. There’s no path to recovery in this lifetime that does not involve walking through the
pain you’re experiencing.” -Jessica Trudeau
“We have an opportunity to understand that everyone has their own life path to walk. And it’s not
our job to save anyone. It’s our job to learn the lessons we’re supposed to learn in this lifetime
and to witness and offer light and hope to others, but to let them walk their path.” -Jessica
Trudeau
Contact:
You can find out more about the Momentous Institute at momentousinstitute.org. The institute’s
Changing the Odds 2019 conference is scheduled for Oct. 24-25 in Dallas. The theme of the
conference is Hidden Factors.
Summary:
Every week on Simple Talk, host Wayne McCullough talks with his guests about faith, family,
friends, fitness, and finances. This week, guest Larry Redell takes a deep dive into the world of
personal finances and investments. He’s the co-owner of St. James Investment Company which
has been managing equity portfolios for individuals and institutions for two decades. He shares
his thoughts on how to be a smart investor and how to start early to build security for your
future.
Discipline is more important than mindset, Redell says. You can go into investing with the right
frame of mind, but if you can’t establish and sustain good practices, even the best of intentions
can go astray. After all, no one can predict the future. It’s impossible to know what peaks or
valleys lay ahead, so it’s critical to prepare ahead and be ready for those fluctuations when they
come. Being prepared and disciplined, even a first-time investor can build something great.
This Week’s Takeaways:
-Discipline is more important than mindset
-Partnerships grow through shared values and varied skills
-There’s a difference between speculating and investing
-There are times to be bold and times to be cautious
-Build an antifragile portfolio
Quotes:
“What money should give people, I would suggest, if things are healthy, it gives you a lot of
flexibility, it gives you a lot of freedom, you know you’re going to be able to take care of those
you love and those you care about.” -Larry Redell
“If you get yourself in debt … that exponential trap can keep you really mired in a bad situation.
It can cause a lot of strife and can affect the other areas of your life really adversely.” -Larry
Redell
“If you can be an investor and put away a little money, if you can compound that money and live
below your means, to me, you don’t need to hit home runs. You hit singles. That’s the basis of
our strategy.” -Larry Redell
“It’s not as hard as everybody thinks. The average person could start with $10,000 and do
something.” -Wayne McCullough
“You don’t sit there and try to predict the future. What you try to do is build an antifragile portfolio
and economy because you don’t know where this black swan is going to come from. You don’t
know what unintended consequences might unwind.” -Larry Redell
Mentions:
On this week’s episode, host Wayne McCullough and guest Larry Redell mentioned the
following books and films:
Liar’s Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street by Michael Lewis
The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing by Benjamin Graham
The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor by Howard Marks
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Taleb
Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder by Nassim Taleb
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis
The Big Short (2015)
The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy by Thomas Stanley and
William Danko
Contact:
You can follow St. James Investment Company on their website, stjic.com. There, you can also
find their regular newsletter on value investing.
Summary:
Every week on Simple Talk, host Wayne McCullough talks with his guests about faith, family,
friends, fitness, and finances. This week, guest Larry Redell takes a deep dive into the world of
personal finances and investments. He’s the co-owner of St. James Investment Company which
has been managing equity portfolios for individuals and institutions for two decades. He shares
his thoughts on how to be a smart investor and how to start early to build security for your
future.
Discipline is more important than mindset, Redell says. You can go into investing with the right
frame of mind, but if you can’t establish and sustain good practices, even the best of intentions
can go astray. After all, no one can predict the future. It’s impossible to know what peaks or
valleys lay ahead, so it’s critical to prepare ahead and be ready for those fluctuations when they
come. Being prepared and disciplined, even a first-time investor can build something great.
This Week’s Takeaways:
-Discipline is more important than mindset
-Partnerships grow through shared values and varied skills
-There’s a difference between speculating and investing
-There are times to be bold and times to be cautious
-Build an antifragile portfolio
Quotes:
“What money should give people, I would suggest, if things are healthy, it gives you a lot of
flexibility, it gives you a lot of freedom, you know you’re going to be able to take care of those
you love and those you care about.” -Larry Redell
“If you get yourself in debt … that exponential trap can keep you really mired in a bad situation.
It can cause a lot of strife and can affect the other areas of your life really adversely.” -Larry
Redell
“If you can be an investor and put away a little money, if you can compound that money and live
below your means, to me, you don’t need to hit home runs. You hit singles. That’s the basis of
our strategy.” -Larry Redell
“It’s not as hard as everybody thinks. The average person could start with $10,000 and do
something.” -Wayne McCullough
“You don’t sit there and try to predict the future. What you try to do is build an antifragile portfolio
and economy because you don’t know where this black swan is going to come from. You don’t
know what unintended consequences might unwind.” -Larry Redell
Mentions:
On this week’s episode, host Wayne McCullough and guest Larry Redell mentioned the
following books and films:
Liar’s Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street by Michael Lewis
The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing by Benjamin Graham
The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor by Howard Marks
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Taleb
Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder by Nassim Taleb
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis
The Big Short (2015)
The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy by Thomas Stanley and
William Danko
Contact:
You can follow St. James Investment Company on their website, stjic.com. There, you can also
find their regular newsletter on value investing.
It’s possible to live a life of authenticity through a vertical and centered relationship with God.
This week, Simple Talk podcast host Wayne McCullough shares ideas about how to vertically
integrate faith in your life to live in gratitude. One of the most important steps toward doing that
is removing comparison from your life. After all, he says, if you’re in a state of comparison, how
can you be in a state of gratitude?
If you can find a way to get centered and spend the time you need to sit with God and your own
thoughts, you can start making decisions that reflect that relationship you want to have. It comes
down to reality, your perception, and seeking contentment through distractions. More than
anything, it’s important to remember that life is a gift and to live graciously is one way to give
back.
What You’ll Learn:
-Center God in your life
-Practice good stewardship of family, faith, friends, fitness, and finances
-Remember that competitiveness is OK, but comparison kills gratitude
-Stress test situations that are worrying you
-Seek authenticity
Quotes:
“We need to walk with Christ or God inside of us as opposed to alongside of us.” -Wayne
McCullough
“We live in a world where we’re in a constant state of comparison, we’re in a constant state of
what perception should be. And all those situations just create failure.” -Wayne McCullough
“Comparison is the death of joy.” -Wayne McCullough
“Life is so precious. Just being able to breathe, just breathing, taking a deep breath, you’ve got
to be gracious for that.” -Wayne McCullough
“Own your responsibilities, own your mistakes, but own the things that you have done great and
don’t even look at others.” -Wayne McCullough
Mentions:
This week, host Wayne McCullough mentioned the book “2 Chairs: The Secret that Changes
Everything” by Bob Bodine.
People change throughout their lives and embracing change in yourself and others can give you
the space to find the path you’re meant to be on. On this episode of The Simple Talk podcast,
host Wayne McCullough speaks with Noel Bouché, of pureHOPE, which seeks to build a world
free of sexual exploitation and brokenness. Bouché shares stories of challenges and successes
in his own life and tells his own truth of change.
Throughout a person’s life, they will often find themselves at a crossroads. Sometimes the
choices they face are difficult or dangerous; other times they are more clear-cut. Fear, guilt, and
shame can be powerful drivers, so it’s important to try to find identity, relationships, and
community that will uplift you in your times of change and need and confront difficult
conversations honestly to move forward in learning and growth.
This Week’s Takeaways
-Embrace transitional periods in life
-Understand that growth means change
-Seek out community and provide it for others
-Help yourself to help others
-Focus on relationship-building
Quotes
“What happens in our life is things get interwoven and what can happen is, we don’t see it
happening, but they can become idols. When our identity is wrapped around something, some
way that’s detracting us ultimately from who we really are and who’ve been designed to be and
it can be limiting.” -Noel Bouche
“If we can just rest in those periods, those transitions, where the oceans are choppy and we
don’t have certainty, what’s going to happen is we’re going to grow. Because anytime we
transition, it literally means to step across. Naturally, our perspective is going to be shifted and
that is a good thing because we can get stuck in ruts. And more than that, healthy things grow
and growing things change.” -Noel Bouche
“Fear is not just the absence of courage, fear is about self-preservation. When a stimulus
comes, what fear is, is me trying to protect myself and that’s why we put up barriers, that’s why
we wear masks, that’s why we hide. And the Bible says the antidote to that is not courage; it’s
love because love is self-giving.” -Noel Bouche
“A crisis is just danger meeting opportunity. It’s a crossroads.” -Noel Bouche
“The beauty of climbing the mountain is not at the top when you look out at everything, it is in
climbing the mountain, which is the hardest part. You don’t tell the story when you climb Everest
about standing up there for 25 seconds, you tell the story of climbing and how tough it was, but
that’s where you grow, that’s where you get stronger, that’s where the story is.” -Wayne
McCullough
References
You can find out more about pureHOPE at purehope.net or on social media @findpurehope.
On this week’s episode of the Simple Talk, host Wayne McCullough discusses the docu-drama film he co-produced, called The Heart of Man. It delves into the troubles of an oversexualized world and shares people’s stories of pain and journeys to faith. McCullough took on the project after learning about the epidemic of sex trafficking in the United States.
He says it opened his eyes to a different world and one he felt he had the resources to help shed light on. Throughout this week’s episode, McCullough returns to the intersection of struggle and faith. He asks us to take a moment to consider a question posed by renowned composer and non-profit leader Tony Anderson: “What if my brokenness was a bridge to God and not a barrier?”
This Week’s Takeaways
-Brokenness is a path to God, not a barrier
-It can be important to talk about uncomfortable topics
-Sexual abuse and sex trafficking happen across this country
-Faith and family are the foundation of a good life
-Worry less and have fun for longevity and health
Quotes
“I think you really have to believe in providence — whatever that looks like to you — providence being that certain things make their way into your life and you have to let those things happen. And then sometimes, you have to take those things on when it doesn’t seem right.” -Wayne McCullough
“There’s too much shame out there in the world.” -Wayne McCullough
“There’s a whole world that exists outside of my little bubble.” -Wayne McCullough
“We can kick down brothel doors and arrest people but until we address that there’s a demand, we can never control the supply.” -Wayne McCullough
“Get uncomfortable. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” -Wayne McCullough
References
This week, Wayne recommended checking out the film he co-produced, which is called The Heart of Man. You can find out more at https://heartofmanmovie.com. He also mentioned the Dallas, Texas-based non-profit pureHOPE. You can learn more at their website, http://purehope.net/. He also discussed the documentary, Rape for Profit, about sex trafficking in the United States. More info at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2179660/.
In this inaugural episode of the Simple Talk podcast, Dallas, Texas-based host Wayne McCullough shares the genesis story of this project, which is near and dear to his heart. As a husband, father, uncle, friend, and businessman, McCullough is no stranger to splitting his time among the many responsibilities in life. But along the way, he found he wasn’t always balancing them right. After hearing a talk during a dads’ day at his kids’ elementary school a decade ago, he was inspired to start the Simple Talk meet-up sessions that ultimately led to this podcast.
This podcast is for everyone, but the idea started with a group of men who were looking to better their own lives. Through regular meetings at participants’ homes, the group sought to bring together the most important avenues in life: faith, family, friends, finances, and fitness. Now, McCullough hopes to share some of those thoughts and ideas on this podcast to help you create your best life. Tune in as he talks with guests and shares readings from his own learning here on Simple Talk.
This Week’s Takeaways
-Ask yourself what you’re actively doing to create a better life
-Discover the narrative of your life and who set it
-Start to change how you may look at the world
-Identify the strength in your weaknesses
-Get involved in the world and start doing, not just being
Quotes
“We’re going to improve your life and a lot of that is going to be focusing on the big five in your life, which is faith, family, friends, finances, and fitness. And what that’s always meant to me is those big five things, if we align them, your life is so much better.” -Wayne McCullough
“What we’re trying to do is create transparency in a community. … A life of authenticity is so much better received than a life of what we would consider fake.” -Wayne McCullough
“There’s a difference between success and being fulfilled. There’s a difference between success and significance. What I’d like to encourage people to do is you want to end up with a life of significance.” -Wayne McCullough
“What we try to get people to see is that your brokenness is really a bridge to greatness.” -Wayne McCullough
“We need to go from humans being to humans doing.” -Wayne McCullough
References
This week, Wayne mentioned retired Navy SEAL and current podcaster and author Jocko Willink. He suggests trying to adopt at least one of Willink’s recommendations for leading a more productive life including waking up early, preparing your gym clothes the night before, making tomorrow’s to-do list before you go to bed, using short naps throughout the day to rejuvenate yourself, and ignoring your office’s free food (especially during the holidays). You can find out more about Willink and listen to his show online at jockopodcast.com.
While people often feel comfortable talking about physical pain, they may shy away from topics like emotional pain and mental illness. This week’s guest is family man and mediator Mike McCullough. He speaks openly about his struggle with depression and anxiety and shares his story in the hopes of reaching others who may be facing similar hardships.
It’s important to have friends and feel comfortable turning to them for support, McCullough says. There are times when depression can make it hard to feel motivated, so it’s critical to get up and move around or take time outside to kick start your system. But above all, McCullough says it’s faith that put him on a better path to accepting the pain he’d felt in his life and building up the tools he needed to move forward.
This Week’s Takeaways
-Bring together the spiritual, emotional, and physical
-Understand it can be helpful to sit with pain or hurt and learn from it
-Restart your system by getting outside, doing exercise, and moving
-Have a support system for when times get tough
-Persevere with acceptance
Quotes
“We can focus on the emotional, the physical, but we also have to focus on the spiritual because, you know, we are a spirit. We have a soul and we live in a body. So, we’ve got to have all three line up.” -Mike McCullough
“That weakness is literally your superpower. It is a gift from God.” -Wayne McCullough
“Friends (are) hugely important in our lives for a variety of reasons, but particularly when you’re going through physical or emotional pain, you’ve got to have people around you.” -Mike McCullough
“You can’t regret the past. It is what it is, and you’ve just got to learn from it.” -Mike McCullough
“I want people, if they’re listening to this podcast, to know, one, there’s hope, and two, to experience God in some way in their life.” -Mike McCullough
References
This week, the McCullough brothers mentioned Dallas, Texas-based Dr. George Burris, the New Hope class at Park Cities Baptist Church, and the following:
-You Gotta Keep Dancin’ by Tim Hansel, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/96162.You_Gotta_Keep_Dancin_
-Lisa Ann McCall, founder of The McCall Method, https://mccallmethod.com/
-Brennan Manning, https://brennanmanning.com/
-Richard J. Foster, https://renovare.org/people/richard-foster/bio
You can contact today’s guest, Mike McCullough at [INSERT] and our host, Wayne McCullough, at [INSERT].