Living BIG w/ Chris Smith: Showing Up, Finding Community, and Redefining Strength

For the first time, the person usually working behind the scenes steps in front of the microphone.This week, podcast producer and BIG marketing director Chris Smith joins Becca and Meredith for a conversation about creativity, leadership, fatherhood, vulnerability, and why the performing arts are about so much more than performing.Chris shares how theater shaped his own life, why he and his wife have encouraged all five of their children to pursue the arts, and how BIG has become a place where confidence isn't expected,it's developed.The conversation quickly grows into something even bigger as they explore adult friendship, men's mental health, raising emotionally healthy boys, breaking generational patterns, and what it really means to "show up" for the people we love.Whether you're a parent, educator, artist, leader, or someone still trying to find your place, this episode is an honest reminder that courage isn't about having everything figured out—it's about taking the next brave step.In this episode, you'll hear about:Why performing arts teach us how to show up for lifeConfidence as a skill—not a personality traitThe surprising role theater plays in leadership and teamworkThe challenges of adult friendship, especially for menBreaking unhealthy generational expectationsRaising kids who are emotionally healthy, resilient, and braveWhy authentic community changes everythingBecause Living BIG isn't about becoming someone else.It's about becoming more fully yourself.Episode Chapters00:00 Art Teaches Us How to Show Up00:25 Meet Chris Smith02:52 A Friendship That Started Before BIG04:16 Why Our Family Chose Performing Arts09:06 Leadership Lessons from Theater11:18 Learning Through Disappointment12:27 Confidence Is a Skill You Build14:35 Rediscovering Confidence as an Adult16:27 Authenticity Over Perfection18:18 Why the BIG Dudes Mattered20:12 Community Beyond the Stage22:18 Why Shared Activities Build Friendship24:19 The Challenge of Adult Male Friendships25:56 Why Men Struggle to Build Deep Friendships27:08 Vulnerability, Masculinity & Breaking Old Patterns31:24 Partnership Instead of Performance32:39 Raising Better Men and Better Communities37:17 Modeling Vulnerability for the Next Generation39:05 Mental Health, Emotional Regulation & Showing Up42:16 Community That Calls You Higher43:15 Why Growth Requires Accountability