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We are drugs. Every activity and interaction elicits a chemical response triggering reward and suffering. Many things in moderation won’t kill you and those things will trigger different chemical signals in your body. People, to a varying degree, act out routines and ambitions to achieve a chemically driven goal. Sometimes we go awry and pursue chemical bliss despite the consequences - we become alcoholics, caffeine fiends, binge eaters, tweakers, etc. What’s even more common is the mild addiction that doesn’t ruin your life, but is burdensome like the overeating, overdrinking, or athletic training despite an injury.  In this episode, I sit down with Will Strom. He’s an avid outdoorsman who wrestled with substance abuse. Will has climbed the mountains throughout the Cascades, including Mt Adams and St. Helens. We talk on his transition from substance abuse to pursuing the rugged peaks and valleys of the Northern Cascades. The archetypical relationship between purpose, suffering, and bliss is fascinating.  Overcoming addiction is a herculean challenge and I admire anybody who rises to the occasion. Will Strom is a great guy and it was a joy to listen to his story. Intro Music: My Answer (prod. by Tantu Beats) by AllOne https://allonevoice.bandcamp.com/

This week, I'm guest posting Allone's show, Spontaneous Sundays. It's an improv hip-hop show staring AllOne, DJ's and other MCs.   Spontaneous Sundays is a weekly series I created in an attempt to continue creating with people and communicating through improvisational art. It is a no-ego, no-frills, no bells, no whistles, "warts-and-all" exploration and celebration of freestyle rapping and the incredible experience of spontaneous creation. The series is going to be a presentation of some cyphers I will be having weekly with friends both new and old of various artistic disciplines from all walks of life. Bruce "AllOne" Pandolfo www.allonevoice.bandcamp.com www.reverbnation.com/allonevoice www.soundcloud.com/allonevoice www.facebook.com/allonevoice www.allonenetwork.blogspot.com

In this episode of the podcast, I sit down with Bruce Pandolfo, he’s a writer, poet and upcoming hip-hop artist. He runs a weekly freestyle hip-hop video series on youtube, spontaneous sundays. Watching someone riff - coming up with material on the spot is wild. When it’s done well, the energy is electric and you get to see someone as they are. Every AllOneVoice album I hear from Bruce is exponentially surprising with his growing talent, emergent writing style and word play. You can find him on Bandcamp, Youtube and social media as allonevoice. http://bit.ly/allonevoiceyoutube http://bit.ly/allonevoicefacebook http://bit.ly/bandcampallone

Some people spend their whole lives pursuing mastery of a craft, doing whatever it takes to play, perform and evolve. Austin Daffron is a fascinating Jiu-Jitsu athlete, in his early twenties he positioned himself to spend most of his time doing the things he loves rather than being caught-up in a conventional career. From the outside, you’d think Austin was lucky, however he is tenacious and very analytical which lends itself to unique opportunities within any endeavor. Alfred Murillo has committed a great deal of himself to Jiu-Jitsu, in the name of pursuing what excites him. He is voraciously integrating technique and is an assistant professor for kids Jiu-Jitsu at Livewire MMA. We speak with Austin about his approach to Jiu-Jitsu, Learning new technique, competing, strategy, and being effective. Find Austin Daffron on social media: @duck_jitsu Find Alfred Bobojinski on social media: @bobobajinski

In this wide ranging conversation, Andrew and I discuss the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle, being effective, managing your relationships and more! Checkout Andrew @heavyweightslightfeels

Zach Bitter is an endurance athlete, coach and nutrition specialist. Zach has broken the World record for running the furthest distance in 12 hours ( 101.66 miles) and he set a new American record for fastest 100 mile time of 11:47:21. With a curiosity for his own limitations, Zach has dedicated his life to endurance running and nutrition. He started off as a High School teacher running races and training in his free-time. Through the pursuit of excitement, he left his job as a teacher to pursue running and peripheral disciplines full-time. Zach is a reminder of building your life around what excites you and over time, most people on that path will encounter new and unexpected opportunities. We often hold people who've achieved great accomplishments at arms length, however, all of our ambitions are within arms reach with clever thinking, diligence, and effective learning.  Subjects discussed; Nutrition, what drove Zach to break records, Zach's motivations to compete, how to transition to a career athlete, pursuing excitement, and more. For more on Zach,  https://zachbitter.com/

Abram Dickerson loves wild places, he's spent over 20 years hosting adventures into and around the mountains. Abram manages Aspire Adventure Running, a running event organizer - www.aspireadventurerunning.com 

Emory writes a blog and hosts a podcast , Byland, where he talks about backpacking, gear, and more. Emory likes to spend his time hunting and backpacking in the wilderness of Washington.

What makes somebody commit atrocities and how do we handle that as a species? This question, at once, fascinates me and causes me to shutter. My pal Andrew Dodge, interviews criminals of all backgrounds and auctions there artwork/artifacts. Andrew has a genuine curiosity to observe the macabre and is often misunderstood. Looking past any assumptions and you’ll see a curious and thought provoking fella. You can check him out at www.truecrimauctionhouse.com During our podcast, we had a knock at the door - missionaries from the Church of Latter Day Saints. I invited them on the podcast. I was curious if they could see beyond their presumptions and maintain an open mind. You can check them out at:  https://www.lds.org/?lang=eng

In this episode, I sit down with Daniel Shimwoo Kim. Daniel is an ecologist and outdoorsman. You can check out his outdoor video series Ecoesque here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUrTPjWNPNi6yXvdWAweXaA Subjects discussed: Video Games, the wilderness, traveling, figuring out what you enjoy, building character,  and more.

Project Freedom ride transports and rehomes dogs from high kill shelters. https://www.facebook.com/pg/ProjectFreedomRide/about/?ref=page_internal

Daniel and I debate the value of truth, relative and literal. We discuss his ideas of ethics and morality. To read his blog: https://liveforthetrail.blogspot.com/2018/04/malware.html

Ben Mikaelsen is an author, pilot, captain and led a rich life rife with adventure. He's written books such as Touching Spirit Bear, Rescue Josh Mcguire, Tree Girl and more

Marc Gladstone is an educational consultant and learning specialist with the focus on Metacognition: strategies on how to think.

Brady Secules is a comedian from Bellingham, Washington who also works in a drug treatment facility. You can find his upcoming tour dates: https://www.facebook.com/brady.secules @BradySeculesSubjects discussed: Growing up sheltered, Playing with fire, Bible College, Shooting fireworks out of your ass, how to do wound care, working at a drug treatment center, comedy, writing and more!

Eugene Capon is a Pacific Northwest motion designer, VR evangelist and VFX film maker.Subjects Discussed: Domestic Violence VR simulation; VR's effect on empathy; technology's influence on education and human behaviour; and more.Related LinksEugene Capon: @CaponDesigns www.CaponDesign.com https://www.youtube.com/user/CaponDesignTVDomestic Violence VR research paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-19987-7VR for Burn Victims: https://www.rdmag.com/article/2017/08/virtual-snowworld-helps-burn-victims-cope-extreme-pain

Matan Tal Hiked the Appalachian Trail, a 2,190 mile trail that crosses 14 States, and The Pacific Crest Trail, a 2650 mile trail that spans from Mexico to Canada.  Matan explains what it’s like to lose yourself in hiking for days on end. Matan talks on trail angels - former through hikers who provide food to the ravenous hikers at different access points on the trail, pranking fellow hikers with a clock reminiscent of Flava flave, community and more!  

How can you create a life you're excited about? This week, I sit down with Andrew Cline - a leadership consultant and former Expedition Guide. Andrew has counseled a range of clients from Microsoft to REI.  

I talk to my friends Jack, Alfred, Trevor and Drew about our preparation for a jiu jitsu tournament, proving grounds. Each of us came to the tournament with a unique mindset and level of ability. We talk on learning & focus strategies, common pitfalls while learning jiu jitsu, and the parallels in life.  Tournaments or competition, allows us to examine our progress with social and talent feedback. Wether it's competing with fellow archers, jiu jitsu players, runners, snowboarders, etc.. we have to confront our abilities and our possibilities inspiring a moment to rise to te occasion. 

This is a two part series featuring tournament preparation for Proving Grounds, a jiu-jitsu tournament in Seattle. In Part one, I speak with Matt Coble. Matt is a coach and owner of Livewire MMA - a dojo in burlington, washington.