As I keep working on these monthly news letters the will take more form and shape. I am always open to input from those who enjoy what I do. So today I am trying a few categories out to see how I like them. I have a story first, then some videos of my favorite productions this month, and then some transparency. Enjoy.

Story time:

A while back I had the opportunity to go through a professional business coaching with Brandon Burchard's team. As with most good coaching it was 60 - 70 percent content, about 30 percent sales to get me to keep up my "momentum", and 100% overpriced. I can say I didn't get any real practical advice or unlock any steps in my life to improve or be better. However I did go through an exercise that has helped focus my understanding of myself. It was an exercise about finding three words to describe yourself and I landed on "wisdom, peace, and catalyst."

These three words are what stand out in my life in the loudest and quietest moments. When it is needed I am wisdom. That has come out in many ways when talking to my closest friends, and its those times I know what I need to do in my life and I am ignoring it. Wisdom isn't knowledge per se, it is the quiet truth that is almost imperceivable sometimes. And to bring myself back from a Gandalf type speech it comes out as "You need to sack up and get your life right" or something to that effect.

I am peace landed for me because that is what I seek most in my life. How can a god of chaos find peace? We all find peace in the middle of what resonates with us most. For some that is a cup of something warm curled up with a book, for others its an emo rave, and for me it is the chaos that makes me feel like myself. If you imagine chaos as a storm its the eye where I feel most like myself and happy. Also I love sitting by my fire pit to recenter myself. The hardest part about chaos is the instability it brings to the people around me on a daily basis.

Many people love it when I show up and support them in the chaos - like at the Dragon Con Digital Media track. It is akin to taking a ride in a fighter jet with an experienced pilot. For that short burst you know you are safe, are in good hands so nothing really can go wrong, and you get a thrill before returning to your life and what you find peaceful. For my family its different. As it stands now I lost my job in a shady way back in June of 2025. That may be the next story time.

What it is in todays letter is draining on my energy and bringing a new level of instability into my house. I have lived in recognized chaos since I was 12 years old. Its all I have ever known. And because of that working and living on a regular schedule is draining and difficult. The results are that my wife is pulled out of her peace of stability and predictability. Week to week we don't know what's next. I know I have the tools at my disposal to make the money show up for my bills. I am ok with taking things day by day but I too desire to bring more stability into our lives.

The reason I am peace is that even in the hardest darkest times I know I will make it through. One reason is because I always have, and the other is we have no other choice. For now that only brings some peace into my life, but I believe it fails to bring peace to those around me.

Finally the catalyst. There is nothing more true about my life than I am a catalyst for change. In everything I have ever done and everyone I have ever interacted with there has inevitably been change. I used to warn people that working with me would change how the see the world, or their life path, or their business. I stopped giving warnings because in that apology I was making a part of me a negative instead of embracing it. Truthfully I don't have words for it. It's my energy, it's my mindset, it's who I am.

When I am with people I get a taste of their world and I get inspired. I share ideas and thoughts that pop up in talking to them. I have found in the past few years I have no real desire to separate the coaching people to improve their personal lives and mindsets from doing a "job". When I am teaching EMT's it is inevitable that I will bring up something about life and mindsets. The same happened when I was the COO of a large EMS company. Instead of just doing work things I found myself talking directly to people about their lives and mindsets because that's what I care about the most.

So I tell my story today like I usually do - aimed at myself to remind me of who I am and that life will be better. Also to help me accept me for who I am. My therapist challenged me to come back to her with how I want the world to see me. I know its a challenge to shine a light on how I see myself and how to work on the path between the perception of where I am to where I want to be. This for me today is a part of that process and if you got something out of it I am happy for you.

Promotion Time:

Yes I do have a podcast! I understand why that may come as a surprise to some because I am great at talking and performing. I need a lot of work to get motivated to promote and tell people. I mean if I am not going to promote it myself then why would anyone else share it. So this section is my highlights from this month.

My media is available on all platforms of audio. I am using the Youtube links for easy access in the newsletter and for public consumption.

Wise_N_Nerdy: Where Fatherhood Meets Fandom

We had Todd Sarner on who is a family psychotherapist. It was an amazing conversation that I got a lot out of.

The Audio

Be Awesome Together:

This is the show I do with Tyra Burton where we specifically address creating content, sharing ideas, and teaching others how do create in whatever medium they desire. Tyra is a long time educator and she brings great actionable points while I am the long time chaos gremlin who brings different perspectives and comedy gold.

This episode Tyra and I tackle a backlog of emails and cover a range of topics.

The Audio

Ambulance Academy:

This is not a podcast as yet but it is a professional coaching conversation I have monthly with the team. We tackle all aspects of running an ambulance service.

Truth Telling Time:

This month has been rough for me mentally, physically, and emotionally. I am tired and mostly empty trying to gather the energy and motivation needed to just get done what needs to be done through the day. I was in my happy place during the "ice storm" in GA with a few days tied together of no expectations or schedules. That helped as did writing this letter. In the practice of being transparent I realize I am not ok. I am working with a therapist and I choose to find a way back to joy, energy, and life.

The Wrap up:

I hope this entertained you a bit, and truthfully I experimented with embedding the videos so I hop they came through. I am working on two new projects slowly. One is with Josh Cooper that we are calling "Little Brown Pill" because coffee is the Viagra of the soul. We hope to start releasing it soon.

The second is "Unsupervised Screen Time" where I am watching a movie with my 13 year old son. I want to see if the movies I loved hold up and also watch the movies he loves to see how I respond. The release on that is undetermined.

You can follow everything I do at https://linktr.ee/rgop42 including being able to email me. So far I have done two of these newsletters in a row. Let's hold faith for Febuary.