Peace Love and Bring a Bat

DON’T JUST EXIST—LIVE: SAMI STEIGMANN ON SURVIVAL, REMEMBRANCE & STANDING UP TO HATE What does it mean to survive history—and then spend the rest of your life making sure the next generation learns from it? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Sami Steigmann, Holocaust survivor, Israeli Air Force veteran, motivational speaker, educator, and advocate against Jew hatred. Sami was born in 1939 and, as a young child, was deported with his family to a labor camp in the former Soviet Union. He later learned that he had been subjected to medical experimentation—something he says contributed to lifelong physical pain. But Sami is very clear: “I am not what happened to me.” What defines him is what he does with his life now. In this episode, you will discover: • Why Sami believes Holocaust stories must continue to be told • The difference between concentration, labor, and death camps • How his family survived deportation and displacement • Why he says luck played an important role in survival • How he learned at age 31 about medical experiments performed on him • Why education is central to combating hate • Why Sami prefers the phrase Jew hatred over anti-Semitism • His EMET framework for educating young people • Why he begins speaking to children as early as first grade • Why young people must become upstanders instead of bystanders • His experiences serving in the Israeli Air Force • Why Israel became so important to him after the Holocaust • His perspective on October 7th and defending Jewish life • Why media and communication matter when fighting hate • Why remembrance is about learning from the past—not living as a victim I AM NOT WHAT HAPPENED TO ME Sami’s guiding philosophy is: “I am not what happened to me.” The Holocaust. Homelessness. Pain. Loss. Those experiences are part of his story, but they are not his identity. His identity comes from what he chooses to do now. That mission is captured in EMET, the Hebrew word for truth: E — Educate M — Motivate E — Empower T — Tolerance For Sami, tolerance does not mean accepting harmful behavior. It means respecting other people’s cultures and opinions while refusing to remain silent in the face of hatred. ZACHOR — REMEMBER Sami explains that Jewish life does not simply view the Holocaust as history. The word Zachor means remember. It means bringing the past into the present so future generations understand what happens when hatred grows without consequences. His message is: Learn what happened. Understand how it happened. Recognize the warning signs. EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION Sami uses a famous line about getting to Carnegie Hall: Practice, practice, practice. His answer to fighting ignorance is similar: Education, education, education. You cannot force someone to change. But you may be able to change their perspective. And to do that, you must know what you are talking about. FORGIVE YOURSELF Sami also shares how becoming homeless forced him to examine his own decisions. He had trusted the wrong people, given them cash, and failed to put agreements in writing. Eventually, he stopped focusing only on what others had done and asked: “What did I do that brought me here?” That led him to two important lessons: Forgive yourself. And: Be kind to yourself. Learn from the mistake. Then move forward. WORDS MATTER Sami deliberately uses Jew hatred instead of anti-Semitism. Why? Because he believes the language should be direct and impossible to misunderstand. Words shape perception. Clear language creates clearer conversations. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Sami Steigmann’s seed is: Don’t just exist. Live. Talk. Ask questions. Educate yourself. Stand up. Become an upstander instead of a bystander. Be proud of who you are. And use your life to help create a more compassionate, loving world. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #SamiSteigmann #HolocaustSurvivor #NeverAgain #Zachor #JewishHistory #JewHatred #Israel #Education #Upstander #Tolerance #EMET #Resilience To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

NEVER FORGET MEANS NEVER STOP TELLING THE STORY: GARY MARLON GERE ON 9/11, RECOVERY & RESILIENCE What does “Never Forget” really mean 25 years after September 11, 2001? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Gary Marlon Gere, New York City playwright, actor, screenwriter, and civilian volunteer who spent seven months working at the World Trade Center site after 9/11. Gary did not arrive as a firefighter, police officer, journalist, or photographer. Like thousands of others, he simply wanted to help. That decision placed him inside one of the most devastating chapters in American history—and ultimately changed the direction of his life. In this episode, you will discover: • Why Gary volunteered at Ground Zero • How he learned to search and sift for human remains • Why photography was heavily restricted at the site • The powerful honor guard ceremonies that moved him • What Gary discovered inside the abandoned PATH subway tunnels • Why one collapsed subway car convinced him never to return underground • How workers emotionally survived what they witnessed • Gary’s experience with PTSD and the World Trade Center Health Program • Why Reverend Myddys de Champlain became a source of strength • How Gary’s journals eventually became the play Recovery • Why authentic Ground Zero equipment was used in the stage production • Gary’s frustrations with the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund • How his experiences inspired the screenplay Below Zero • Why he believes a new generation needs these stories now more than ever SHOWING UP Gary says he was no different from countless people after the attacks. Some donated supplies. Some cooked meals. Some supported firefighters. Gary asked: “How can I help?” Through a friend in the fire department, he was eventually given the opportunity to work alongside recovery crews. What began as volunteering became seven months of digging, searching, witnessing, listening, and learning. FROZEN IN TIME Months after the attacks, Gary was granted access to PATH subway tunnels beneath the site. He describes discovering a train frozen in time from the morning of September 11—newspapers, coffee cups, personal belongings, and signs that passengers had fled suddenly. When Gary returned one night, a train he had previously walked through had been crushed by a structural collapse. His reaction was immediate: “If I was on that train, I’m dead.” That was his final underground visit. YOU LEARN TO COEXIST WITH IT Gary explains that surviving Ground Zero emotionally often required shutting feelings down temporarily. Later came PTSD treatment through Columbia University and the Mount Sinai World Trade Center program. Gary says PTSD no longer controls his life. But it does not simply disappear. You learn how to coexist with it. RECOVERY Gary kept extensive journals during his time at Ground Zero. Those writings eventually inspired Recovery, his off-Broadway play centered on an FDNY lieutenant struggling with survivor’s guilt after losing his brother on 9/11. The production incorporated actual clothing, helmets, and digging tools loaned by people who worked at Ground Zero. For Gary, it was never simply theater. It was preservation. It was testimony. It was memory brought back to life. BELOW ZERO Gary is also developing Below Zero, a feature screenplay about a journalist who enters Ground Zero searching for the story of a lifetime, becomes trapped beneath the site, and suddenly becomes the story himself. The fictional story grew from situations Gary personally witnessed and locations he explored. NEVER FORGET Twenty-five years later, an entire generation knows September 11 primarily through history books, videos, and stories from others. That makes firsthand testimony even more important. Gary believes writers, survivors, recovery workers, families, and witnesses need to continue telling these stories. Because Never Forget cannot simply be something we say once a year. It requires remembering the people. Remembering the sacrifice. And remembering what happened. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Gary’s journey leaves us with a powerful message: Show up. Tell the story. Keep the memory alive. You may not consider yourself a hero. You may simply believe you did what needed to be done. But sometimes showing up when people need you most becomes part of history. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #GaryMarlonGere #September11 #NeverForget #911 #GroundZero #Recovery #PTSD #FirstResponders #NewYorkCity #Resilience #Storytelling To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING: JOANNA PIXLEY ON TRAUMA, FORGIVENESS, FAITH & BECOMING WHO YOU WERE MADE TO BE What happens when your earliest memories are filled with abuse, fear, and survival—but you refuse to let those experiences write the ending of your story? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Joanna Pixley, mother of four, entrepreneur, former ministry leader, wellness coach, author, and speaker whose testimony is rooted in trauma, resilience, forgiveness, healing, and faith. Joanna shares an intensely personal journey that began with severe childhood abuse and eventually led her through addiction, family estrangement, ministry, marriage, divorce, serious illness, single motherhood, homelessness, entrepreneurship, and a completely different understanding of God. In this episode, you will discover: • How childhood abuse shaped Joanna’s ability to trust • Why she left home at only 15 years old • The spiritual experience she says completely shook her worldview • How a call from her sister led her into a church she never expected to enter • The moment Joanna became convinced God knew her personally • Why forgiveness became one of the hardest parts of her healing • How releasing hatred changed her emotionally • Her years as a pastor’s wife and ministry leader • Why religious position did not guarantee a healthy marriage • The medical crisis that nearly took her life • Why facing death made Joanna realize she had been surviving instead of living • How she describes rebuilding her health through nutrition, detox practices, prayer, and lifestyle changes • Why she decided she would no longer allow fear to control her life • How she raised four children through divorce and instability • Why trusting God became a daily decision rather than a religious slogan • The story behind her parenting book Making Disciples • Why she is finally willing to publicly tell the story she once wanted to hide FROM NUMB TO ALIVE Joanna describes becoming emotionally numb as a child after years of violence and abuse. She stopped trusting people. She stopped trusting God. Eventually, she says a spiritual experience forced her to confront questions she had spent years avoiding. Days later, a sister she had barely spoken with invited her to church. That decision became the beginning of a completely different life. THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS One of Joanna’s greatest battles was forgiving the stepfather she says caused enormous trauma in her childhood. She did not pretend the abuse was acceptable. She did not erase what happened. Instead, she describes reaching a point where she could finally release the hatred she had carried. As she prayed: “I forgive him.” Joanna says years of bitterness began giving way to something she had barely experienced before: Joy. I WAS SURVIVING—NOT LIVING Years later, a severe medical crisis sent Joanna into surgery without knowing whether she would survive. She remembers praying: “Whether I live or die, I belong to You.” But she also asked for enough life to raise her children. That moment gave Joanna another realization: She had spent years surviving. She had not truly been living. So she made a decision: Do it scared. Face the fear. Take the step. Stop waiting for life to feel perfectly safe. BUILDING A LIFE AFTER EVERYTHING FALLS APART Marriage ended. Ministry ended. Financial security disappeared. At one point Joanna says she was sleeping in her car while getting hotel rooms when her children were with her. In one of her darkest seasons, she held onto a message she believed God gave her: “Don’t forget in the dark what I told you in the light.” She kept rebuilding. Today, her children are grown, her health has dramatically changed from those crisis years, and Joanna is finally sharing the testimony she once wanted to keep private. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Joanna’s seed is about becoming the person you were created to be. Your time is limited. Your story matters. The goal is not pretending your past never happened. It is refusing to let the past keep you from becoming fully you. Let the work happen. Heal. Forgive. Grow. And use the time you have. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #JoannaPixley #PowerOfTestimony #Faith #TraumaHealing #Forgiveness #Resilience #Survivor #Transformation #SingleMom #Healing #Authenticity To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

GOD DOESN’T FORGET A PROMISE: OWEN WILSON ON FAITH, LOSS, MIRACLES & SURVIVING THE IMPOSSIBLE What happens when life takes away what you prayed hardest to keep—and then years later gives you a moment that feels impossible to explain? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Owen Wilson, New Zealand Air Force veteran, aircraft mechanic, pilot, husband, father, and man of deep faith. Owen grew up in the Solomon Islands as the son and grandson of missionaries. His life has been shaped by faith from childhood—but also by devastating loss, answered prayers, miraculous timing, and one terrifying flight that could have ended very differently. In this episode, you will discover: • What it was like growing up in the Solomon Islands • Why Owen made his parents’ faith his own at age seven • The heartbreaking loss of his firstborn son • How grief tested his relationship with God • Why Owen and his wife chose not to pursue legal action after their son’s death • The promise Owen believed God gave him about future children • How his twins were born at only 28 weeks • The extraordinary Northern Lights moment that became deeply personal to him • How a routine microlight flight suddenly became a fight for survival • Why the aircraft engine unexpectedly stopped over mountains and ocean • How Owen and his friend prayed as the plane descended • The airstrip that appeared at exactly the right moment • Why the words “Jesus Is Lord” stopped Owen in his tracks after landing • How “Truth and Grace” became part of an already unbelievable story • What investigators later discovered about the plane’s fuel gauge • Why Owen believes timing—not luck—saved their lives WHEN THE ANSWER ISN’T WHAT YOU WANT Owen and his wife were expecting their first child when complications forced an emergency delivery. Their premature son died shortly after birth. Owen admits he was angry with God. He questioned everything. But eventually, he says he felt challenged to trust God even when the answer was not the one he wanted. Years later, Owen and his wife became pregnant again. Before the first scan, Owen told her: “Don’t be surprised if it’s twins.” It was. Their twins arrived at 28 weeks and became what Owen calls miracle children. I HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN A year later, Owen returned to Canada. While driving the same road where he had once prayed desperately for a sign during his first child’s crisis, he again quietly prayed. Then his father-in-law asked: “Have you ever seen the Northern Lights?” Owen looked outside. The entire sky was alive. For him, the message was unmistakable: “I haven’t forgotten.” WE’RE GOING DOWN Years later, Owen took his friend Grant for a flight in a small microlight aircraft. The engine suddenly stopped. They were over steep mountains and deep water with nowhere safe to land. Owen told Grant: “Pray hard, because we’re going down.” The engine briefly restarted, giving them just enough altitude to clear a ridge. Then it died again. Directly below them was an airstrip Owen says he had never seen despite years of flying the area. They landed safely. Nearby stood a windmill with the words: “Jesus Is Lord.” Then they met a young couple named Truth and Grace. TIMING CHANGES EVERYTHING Investigators later discovered the aircraft’s fuel gauge had been installed incorrectly. The plane contained significantly less fuel than Owen believed. He says if the engine had stopped only a little earlier—or later—they likely would have ended up in the ocean or mountains. For Owen, the miracle was not simply finding land. It was being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Owen’s seed is: Get to know your Maker before you desperately need Him. Build the relationship now. Talk. Listen. Trust. Owen’s journey has taught him that God does not always answer the way we want. But he believes: God provides. God remembers. And God does not forget a promise. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #OwenWilson #Faith #Miracles #Prayer #Testimony #Aviation #NewZealand #Survival #DivineIntervention #TrustGod #Hope To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

GOD IS STILL INTERVENING: DANIEL FAZZINA ON MIRACLES, HEALING & THE POWER OF TESTIMONY What if the hardest moments of your life became proof that hope can survive even when everything feels impossible? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Daniel Fazzina, author, radio host, publisher, and creator of the Divine Intervention book series. A native Long Islander, Daniel grew up in the Lutheran church and made his faith personal as a teenager. Years later, that faith would be tested through chronic pain, a life-threatening cancer diagnosis, family hardship, and seasons when his world seemed to fall apart. In this episode, you will discover: • How Daniel’s faith became personal at age 14 • The back injury he says was suddenly healed during prayer • His 2002 diagnosis with a grapefruit-sized B-cell lymphoma tumor • Why doctors warned he might have only weeks or months to live • The moment Daniel surrendered the outcome to God • What happened when his halfway-point scan showed no tumor • How his experience inspired the Divine Intervention series • What he learned from more than 350 interviews about miracles • Why suffering does not disappear simply because someone has faith • How testimony can encourage believers and challenge skeptics • How the Power of Testimony event came together after years of struggle WHEN YOU CAN’T FIX YOURSELF At 27, Daniel was diagnosed with a massive tumor pressing against his pulmonary artery and restricting his oxygen. He pursued medical treatment, but one night in the hospital he reached complete surrender. His prayer became simple: If You want to take me, I’ll go. If You want me to live, I’ll serve You. Three months into treatment, Daniel says his follow-up scan showed the tumor was completely gone. A cardiologist later told him there was no scar tissue left behind. For Daniel, it became more than recovery. It became a calling. DIVINE INTERVENTION After returning to work, Daniel began sharing his story. Coworkers encouraged him to collect other extraordinary testimonies too. That eventually became Divine Intervention: 50 True Stories of God’s Miracles Today, featuring stories of healing, near-death experiences, conversions, answered prayer, and other remarkable events. Daniel says he included scans, medical records, and other documentation where possible—not to force belief, but to invite people to consider what happened. FAITH DOESN’T REMOVE SUFFERING Daniel emphasizes that faith does not make anyone immune to pain. His life continued to include divorce, family struggles, caring for his father through cancer, and rebuilding after major personal loss. Sometimes the miracle is healing. Sometimes it is finding enough strength to keep moving. THE POWER OF TESTIMONY Daniel also shares how the Power of Testimony event on Long Island came together, bringing people from his book together to tell their stories live. The purpose: Encourage believers. Challenge skeptics. Give people hope. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Daniel’s seed is: Ask God if He is real. Be open. Ask honestly. Pay attention. Daniel believes God knows how to meet people personally. You may not receive the answer you expect—but the first step is being willing to ask. CONNECT WITH DANIEL FAZZINA Book: Divine Intervention: 50 True Stories of God’s Miracles Today Look for Daniel’s Divine Intervention radio show, books, and Power of Testimony events. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #DanielFazzina #DivineIntervention #Miracles #Faith #Healing #Testimony #Hope #Prayer #PowerOfTestimony To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

PRONOUNCED DEAD—THEN EVERYTHING CHANGED: JEFF MARKIN ON FAITH, SECOND CHANCES & THE MIRACLE OF LIFE What happens when your heart stops, doctors pronounce you dead—and somehow your story is not over? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Jeff Markin, whose extraordinary testimony begins with a massive heart attack and a medical crisis that completely changed the direction of his life. Jeff grew up on Long Island with faith mostly limited to Christmas and Easter. He faced learning challenges, family trauma, the loss of his father, business pressures, divorce, and years of putting work ahead of almost everything else. Then, on September 20, 2006, everything changed. In this episode, you will discover: • Why Jeff struggled with faith growing up • How childhood trauma shaped his questions about God • Why becoming a workaholic cost him balance in life • The personal choices that contributed to his downward spiral • What happened on the morning of his massive heart attack • How his boss’s decision to send him to the hospital may have saved his life • Why Jeff has no memory of driving himself there • What happened after he collapsed inside the emergency room • Why doctors eventually pronounced him clinically dead • The prayer that preceded one final attempt to revive him • Jeff’s description of an out-of-body experience • Why surviving was only the beginning of his spiritual journey • How Bible study, community, and asking questions transformed his faith • The incredible connection between Jeff and his future wife, Tricia • Why Jeff believes the greater miracle was not returning to life—but finding Christ ONE MORE SHOCK Jeff collapsed after walking into the emergency room. Medical personnel worked to revive him for more than 20 minutes. His body had become cyanotic, and he says he was eventually pronounced clinically dead. Dr. Crandall left the room—but Jeff recounts that the doctor felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to return and pray for him. After the prayer, the medical team shocked Jeff one more time. A heartbeat returned. Jeff later underwent stents and quadruple bypass surgery. THE MIRACLE WAS BIGGER THAN SURVIVAL When Jeff woke four days later, he had no idea what had happened. Over time, he began hearing the story of the emergency room and asking deeper questions. Why was he still alive? Why him? Who was Jesus? What did faith actually mean? Jeff says it took nearly two years of church, Bible study, men’s groups, retreats, questions, and learning before he truly developed the relationship with Christ he had never known. For Jeff, that became the greater miracle. GOD WINKS Years later, Jeff met his wife Tricia through Bible study. Then came an astonishing discovery. Tricia had been working as a nurse at Palm Beach Gardens Hospital the morning Jeff died. Whenever the emergency alarm sounded, she and her coworkers stopped and prayed for the patient. She had prayed for Jeff years before she ever knew his name. FAITH TESTED BY FIRE Jeff’s faith did not remove every tragedy. Years later, his four-year-old granddaughter Emmy died from brain cancer. Jeff describes moments like these as storms that force us to decide where our anchor is. For him, that anchor is Jesus Christ. Faith does not always explain why something happened. Sometimes it gives you the strength to keep walking when there is no explanation. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Jeff’s seed is simple: Don’t wait until your deathbed. Start now. Find a community. Ask questions. Read. Learn. Show up. Build the relationship before the crisis arrives. You do not have to understand everything on day one. You simply have to begin. CONNECT WITH JEFF MARKIN Jeff’s testimony is also featured in Angel Studios’ Miracle, Episode 8. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #JeffMarkin #Faith #Miracle #HeartAttackSurvivor #SecondChance #ChristianTestimony #Prayer #Resilience #Community #Transformation #Hope To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

FROM HATE TO UNCONDITIONAL LOVE: KAMAL SALEEM ON FAITH, EXTREMISM & CHOOSING LIFE What happens when everything you were taught to believe collides with an experience of unconditional love? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Kamal Saleem, author, speaker, president of Koome Ministries, and former Muslim who shares an extraordinary personal testimony of radicalization, violence, faith, transformation, and reconciliation. Kamal describes growing up in a Sunni Muslim family in the Middle East, being recruited into extremist activity as a child, and eventually coming to America with beliefs centered on conflict and ideological warfare. But a catastrophic car accident—and the unexpected compassion of strangers—challenged everything he thought he knew. In this episode, you will discover: • Kamal’s distinction between everyday Muslims and extremist ideology • How he says radicalization shaped his childhood • His experiences as a child soldier and the trauma that followed • Why fear, isolation, and belonging can make young people vulnerable to extremism • The importance of separating people from dangerous ideologies • Why Kamal believes America’s constitutional freedoms must protect everyone equally • How a devastating car accident became a turning point • What happened when Christians he had been taught to distrust cared for him • Why unconditional love became impossible for him to ignore • His account of leaving Islam and embracing Christianity • Why he now speaks about loving Muslims rather than fearing them • His hopes for stronger relationships between Jews, Christians, and Muslims • Why reconciliation must focus on life rather than hatred WHEN YOUR ENEMY LOVES YOU After being seriously injured in a car accident, Kamal says he expected Christians and Jews to hate him. Instead, people cared for him. A surgeon brought him into his home. Families prayed for him. People helped with his medical and financial needs. They even helped him replace his car. Kamal describes this as the moment his worldview began to break apart. He had been prepared to fight hatred. He was not prepared for unconditional love. PEOPLE ARE NOT IDEOLOGIES One of the most important distinctions in the conversation is between individual Muslim people and extremist interpretations of Islam. Kamal repeatedly emphasizes his love for Muslim people today. His mission is not simply to criticize what he once believed—it is to reach people he believes may be trapped in fear, extremism, or oppression and show them another path. His message: Love people enough to see them as people first. FROM TAKING LIFE TO GIVING LIFE Kamal shares a deeply personal Christian conversion testimony, including what he describes as a spiritual encounter after reaching a point of despair. The transformation changed the direction of his life. He says: “I don’t want to take life. I want to give life.” The warrior mentality that once defined him became a mission centered on teaching, testimony, outreach, and reconciliation. THE ABRAHAMIC TABLE Uncle Dave and Kamal discuss their different religious backgrounds—Jewish and Christian—and the shared connection to Abraham. Rather than using those differences as weapons, they ask a larger question: How can the children of Abraham sit at the same table? For Kamal, peace requires honesty about extremism while still refusing to dehumanize entire communities. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Kamal’s seed is ultimately about unconditional love. People may carry different religions, histories, cultures, wounds, and political beliefs. But hatred does not have to be the final chapter. Show people who you are through your actions. Choose life. Choose compassion. Build bridges where others expect walls. And become a light strong enough to help someone else find their way out of darkness. CONNECT WITH KAMAL SALEEM Koome Ministries: https://koomeministries.com/ Books include: The Blood of Lambs Ishmael Redeemed The Coalition #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #KamalSaleem #KoomeMinistries #UnconditionalLove #Faith #Reconciliation #Extremism #Transformation #ChristianTestimony #InterfaithDialogue #Peace #ChooseLife To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

TAKE A BREATH BEFORE YOU BLAME: JOHN HOLLWAY ON POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, RESILIENCE & LEARNING FROM FAILURE What if the goal isn’t to eliminate stress—but to learn how to work with it? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes John Hollway, senior advisor at the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and senior fellow at Penn’s Positive Psychology Center. John works at the intersection of law, criminal justice reform, psychology, resilience, and human performance. His work examines how individuals and organizations can learn from tragedy without immediately falling into blame. In this episode, you will discover: • What positive psychology actually means • Why positivity can become toxic when it dismisses real pain • How breathing helps interrupt fight-or-flight responses • Why longer exhales can signal safety to the nervous system • How preparing for predictable stress builds resilience • Why intellectual humility matters in law and leadership • What wrongful convictions teach us about certainty • Why stress is not automatically a bad thing • How support systems help prevent overwhelm • The difference between resilience and simply enduring • Why learning is more productive than blame • How “fundamental attribution error” shapes conflict • Why understanding another person’s “why” creates better conversations • How police departments and communities can learn together after tragedy • Why trust must be earned through repeated action A SMILE MAKES A LOUSY UMBRELLA John uses a Peanuts image to explain toxic positivity: A smile makes a lousy umbrella. If it is raining, pretending everything is wonderful does not make the storm disappear. Positive psychology is not about ignoring adversity. It is about developing tools, relationships, meaning, purpose, and resilience that help us navigate difficult circumstances without pretending they do not hurt. BREATHE FIRST When something unexpected happens, our bodies can quickly shift into threat mode. John’s first tool is simple: Breathe. Slow down. Make your exhale longer than your inhale. That physical act can help communicate safety to your nervous system and create enough space to think clearly again. You cannot always control what happens. But you can create a pause before deciding what happens next. LEARN INSTEAD OF BLAME John’s criminal justice work includes sentinel event reviews—examining tragedies such as wrongful convictions, officer-involved shootings, or deaths in custody. Instead of beginning with: “Whose fault is this?” The process asks: “Nobody wanted this outcome. So how did it happen anyway?” That change creates room for honesty, learning, and system improvement. John compares it to football teams reviewing film after an interception. The goal is not simply to blame the quarterback. Study the entire play. Understand what everyone saw. Then design a better response for next time. YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW Wrongful convictions have taught John an important lesson about certainty. Jurors can sincerely believe they reached the correct decision based on the information available—and later discover new evidence that changes everything. That reality requires intellectual humility. Be confident enough to act. But humble enough to admit: I may not have the whole picture. UNDERSTAND THEIR WHY John discusses fundamental attribution error. When we make a mistake, we usually have an explanation. When someone else makes one, we may decide they are careless, lazy, stupid, or malicious. Instead, ask: Why might this make sense from their perspective? Understanding does not require agreement. It creates the possibility of solving a problem together. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN John’s seed is: Create more space before you dehumanize someone who sees the world differently. Take a breath. Ask why. Listen to their reasoning. Most people believe they are trying to make life better for the people they care about—even when their approach differs dramatically from yours. Before jumping immediately to blame, see whether curiosity can move the conversation forward. CONNECT WITH JOHN HOLLWAY Find John Hollway through the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #JohnHollway #PositivePsychology #Resilience #CriminalJusticeReform #Leadership #StressManagement #Wellbeing #IntellectualHumility #Justice #Communication To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

RUN THE MILE YOU’RE IN: WILLIAM THOMAS ON LEADERSHIP, RESILIENCE & CROSSING THE STARTING LINE What if the hardest part of reaching a goal isn’t crossing the finish line—but convincing yourself to start? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes William Thomas, executive coach, leadership educator, retired U.S. Air Force officer, author, and marathon runner based in Singapore. William spent 21 years in the Air Force before moving into higher education, corporate leadership, coaching, and entrepreneurship. At 42, he ran his first marathon thinking it would be a one-time bucket-list accomplishment. Nearly 50 marathons later, running has taken him across 17 countries, all seven continents, the North Pole, and even the Mount Everest Marathon. In this episode, you will discover: • Why William started running at 42 • How accountability turned an idea into action • Why telling someone your goal can keep you committed • What his first marathon taught him about preparation • Why you should “run the mile you’re in” • How starting too fast can sabotage long-term success • Why resilience becomes critical when you hit the wall • What finishing last at the Everest Marathon taught him • How support from others helps us through difficult stretches • Why long-term goals create momentum • How William completed the Marathon Grand Slam • Why achieving one goal should lead to setting another • How marathon lessons apply to careers, leadership, business, and life • Why the starting line can be more intimidating than the finish line • How William’s experiences became his book Cross The Lines RUN THE MILE YOU’RE IN William Thomas learned one of his most useful life lessons through marathon running: Run the mile you’re in. If you are at mile four, worrying about mile 25 will not help you. You need to handle what is directly in front of you. The same applies to business, relationships, career transitions, and personal growth. Know where you ultimately want to go—but focus your energy on the next step. DON’T GO OUT TOO FAST William learned another lesson the hard way during the Berlin Marathon. He started too quickly. By 16 kilometers, his legs were already giving out. The experience taught him that excitement can cause us to burn energy too early. Whether you are starting a business, taking on a new leadership role, or chasing a personal goal, pace matters. You need enough left in the tank for the difficult miles ahead. LAST PLACE IS STILL A FINISHER The Mount Everest Marathon became the most physically difficult challenge William had ever attempted. He completed it in more than 14 hours, finishing the final portion in darkness. And he finished last. But that produced one of his most powerful lessons: The last-place finisher is still a finisher. William was not there to win. He was there to complete what he started. Success depends on knowing what your real goal is. CROSS THE STARTING LINE William believes people spend enormous energy thinking about the finish line. But often the most difficult line to cross is the first one. Getting off the couch. Starting the business. Applying for the job. Taking the class. Making the change. Once you begin, you can learn, adjust, and grow along the way. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN William Thomas’s seed is: Don’t hold yourself back. He did not begin running until he was 42. Today, marathon running is part of his identity. His reminder is that just because you cannot do something today does not mean you can never do it. There are already enough people and circumstances in life capable of holding you back. Don’t be one of them. CONNECT WITH WILLIAM THOMAS Connect with William Thomas, PhD on LinkedIn. Book: Cross The Lines — available on Amazon. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #WilliamThomas #CrossTheLines #Leadership #Resilience #Marathon #ExecutiveCoaching #GoalSetting #Accountability #PersonalGrowth #Mindset To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547  

STACK YOUR VICTORIES: RICH LAMONICA ON LEADERSHIP, RESILIENCE & SUCCESS What if success is less about money or titles—and more about becoming a better human every day? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Rich LaMonica, 22-year U.S. Army veteran, author, leadership mentor, educator, and host of The Misfit Nation. After four combat deployments and retiring from the Army in 2015, Rich took a full year to reset before beginning his next chapter helping veterans transition into civilian life. Today, he continues training soldiers, writing, mentoring, and sharing lessons on resilience and leadership. In this episode, you will discover: • Why Rich believes success starts with being a good human • How his parents and siblings shaped his work ethic and resilience • Why looking up from your phone can change someone’s day • The importance of creating personal rules to live by • Why lifelong reading builds stronger leaders • How mentors shaped Rich’s 22-year Army career • Why leaders must meet people where they are • How training prepares teams for chaos • Why asking for help is a sign of strength • How to “stack your victories” every day • How Rich’s leadership style evolved over time • Why listening comes before leading • How The Misfit Nation became a platform for veterans and resilience stories STACK YOUR VICTORIES Rich encourages people to create momentum one win at a time. Something will go wrong. A plan will fail. You will drop the ball. The question is whether that moment defines the rest of your day. Instead, Rich says to learn from the mistake, make the adjustment, and keep moving. Today may bring 16 victories. Tomorrow, aim for 17. Progress builds confidence. LEAD PEOPLE, NOT POSITIONS Early in Rich’s Army career, leadership often meant giving orders and expecting compliance. Over time, he learned that people respond differently. Great leaders observe. They listen. They learn what motivates each person and identify their strengths. Rich’s approach became less about proving he was in charge and more about developing people who could eventually take his place. When your people succeed, the mission gets stronger. TRAIN BEFORE THE CHAOS Rich believes preparation matters most before pressure arrives. Create procedures. Practice them. Test them. Make sure the plan works in the real world. When things go wrong, strong teams rely on training, trust, and repetition. That allows leaders to remain calm and work the problem instead of becoming overwhelmed by it. ASK FOR HELP Strength does not mean knowing everything. Sometimes resilience means admitting: “I need help.” Ask the expert. Call the mentor. Learn what you do not know. Then use that knowledge the next time. Rich reminds us that our weaknesses do not have to define us if we are willing to keep learning. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Rich’s final seed is powerful: Do not make permanent decisions for temporary problems. Dark days happen. Take a breath. Recognize that you are still here. Reach out to your tribe. Ask for help. Keep pushing forward. You are not weak for needing support. Sometimes asking for help is one of the strongest things you can do. CONNECT WITH RICH LAMONICA The Misfit Nation: https://themisfitnation.com/ Email: [email protected] Books: 13-Step Guide to Success and Out of the Darkness #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #RichLaMonica #TheMisfitNation #Leadership #Resilience #Veterans #Success #Mindset #Mentorship #PersonalGrowth #MilitaryLeadership To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547     make a thumbnail       Edit        

SHOW UP FOR ONE ANOTHER: MARILYN MORALES ON 9/11, GRIEF, IZZY’S LEGACY & TURNING PAIN INTO ACTION What do you do when life hands you trauma, loss, and heartbreak—and you still feel called to help someone else? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes longtime friend Marilyn Morales, nurse, 9/11 survivor, author, advocate, and founder of Izzy’s Legacy. Marilyn has spent her life caring for others. She became a nurse at 17, served as a public health nurse in New York City during 9/11, survived PTSD, endured the devastating loss of her daughter Isabella, and transformed her grief into a mission of service. Her story is about more than survival. It is about showing up. In this episode, you will discover: • Marilyn’s firsthand experience as a public health nurse during 9/11 • Why she did not initially recognize her PTSD • How aromatherapy, movement, breathing, and meditation helped her recover • Why healing requires finding tools that work for you • Isabella’s battle with a rare form of leukemia • Why bone marrow and stem cell donor diversity matters • How a lack of donor matches affects Latino and other underrepresented communities • Why Marilyn created Izzy’s Legacy • How the organization supports entire families facing cancer • Why practical needs like transportation can become critical during treatment • How Isabella’s siblings were affected by the cancer journey • Why Marilyn believes we are more alike than different • What NOT to say to someone who is grieving • Why words matter when someone experiences profound loss • How Marilyn turned grief into action WHEN TRAUMA DOESN’T END WITH THE EVENT On September 11, 2001, Marilyn was working as a public health nurse near the World Trade Center. She helped triage people escaping the towers, cared for injured survivors, and witnessed events that stayed with her long after the day ended. Later came nightmares, migraines, hypervigilance, and paranoia. Eventually, Marilyn was diagnosed with PTSD. She began exploring different tools and discovered that aromatherapy helped interrupt her triggers and remind her nervous system: This is not happening again. I am safe right now. IZZY’S LEGACY Years later, Marilyn faced another life-changing trauma when her daughter Isabella was diagnosed at seven months old with a rare leukemia. Isabella needed a stem cell transplant. No one in the immediate family was a full match. That experience exposed Marilyn to another crisis: the shortage of diverse donors in registries. After Isabella passed away at only 19 months old, Marilyn and her family made a decision. They would keep talking. They would keep educating. And they would keep helping other families. Today, Izzy’s Legacy supports donor awareness and provides financial assistance to families navigating cancer. PLEASE DON’T SAY THAT Marilyn’s book Please Don’t Say That addresses something many people struggle with: What do you say to someone who has experienced a devastating loss? One phrase Marilyn wishes people would reconsider is: “They’re in a better place.” To the grieving parent, spouse, child, or friend, that may not bring comfort. Sometimes the greatest gift is simply: “I’m sorry. I’m here for you.” Then listen. Allow people to talk about the person they love. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Marilyn’s seed is: Show up for one another. When you see something terrible happening, do not stop at: “That’s awful.” Ask: “What am I going to do about it?” You may not be able to solve everything. But you can change one thing. Take action. Help someone. Give back. And remember that underneath our differences, we all bleed red. CONNECT WITH MARILYN MORALES Izzy’s Legacy: https://izzyslegacyinc.org/ Instagram: @author_morales Book: Please Don’t Say That #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #MarilynMorales #IzzysLegacy #PleaseDontSayThat #Grief #911Survivor #PTSD #CancerSupport #StemCellDonation #BoneMarrowDonor #Healing #Community #GiveBack To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

WORK IS NOT FAMILY: KATIE HADIARIS ON TOXIC WORKPLACES, BETRAYAL & TAKING YOUR POWER BACK What happens when a job stops feeling stressful and starts affecting your sense of safety, trust, and identity? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Katie Hadiaris, workplace trauma coach, HR professional, former recruiter, and founder of Work Is Not Family. Katie spent 15 years building a successful career in corporate America before taking a risk and moving into a smaller company. At first, the move felt like everything she had hoped for. Then the environment became toxic and abusive. That experience destabilized Katie for nearly two years and eventually pushed her to study workplace trauma, nervous-system regulation, employment systems, manipulation, and recovery. Today, she helps others understand what happened to them—and how to move forward without abandoning themselves. In this episode, you will discover: • Why workplace trauma is real • How toxic environments affect the nervous system • Why “just quit” is often terrible advice • Why leaving a toxic workplace does not automatically make you feel safe • How institutional betrayal destroys trust • Why people can carry workplace trauma into their next job • The difference between stress, burnout, and emotional absorption • Why high performers often absorb everyone else’s urgency • How childhood experiences can influence workplace behavior • Katie’s Traffic Lights of Tolerance framework • How leaders can create psychological safety • Why coworkers are not automatically family • How to separate what is yours to carry from what belongs to someone else • Why healing starts with naming what actually happened • How one small step can begin restoring your power WHY “JUST LEAVE” DOESN’T WORK When someone is trapped in a toxic workplace, people often say: “Just get another job.” Katie explains why that advice can create even more shame. People stay for many reasons. Income. Health insurance. Family responsibilities. Fear of the unknown. Hope that things will improve. And when your nervous system is already overwhelmed trying to survive the current environment, making a major life change can feel almost impossible. THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS OF TOLERANCE Katie uses a simple framework to help people recognize what their nervous system is doing. GREEN — Regulated You feel safe, calm, connected, clear, and confident. YELLOW — Activated Your system detects a threat. You may experience anxiety, anger, frustration, worry, or rage. Katie suggests releasing some of that energy through movement, shaking out your hands, walking, or long exhales. RED — Shutdown You feel depleted, numb, detached, depressed, or unable to engage. Gentle movement, stretching, walking, swaying, or humming can begin helping the body reconnect with energy. WORK IS NOT FAMILY Katie believes work should be understood first as an agreement. You provide the work you were hired to perform. Your employer compensates you. Healthy workplaces can absolutely provide friendship, community, support, and belonging. But expecting unconditional family-style relationships from coworkers or an organization can create emotional expectations the workplace never agreed to fulfill. NAME WHAT HAPPENED Before rushing toward positivity, Katie encourages people to identify their experience. Was it betrayal? Gaslighting? Manipulation? Abuse? Broken trust? A blindside? You cannot fully process something you refuse to name. Healing often begins by acknowledging the impact before trying to find the silver lining. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Katie’s seed is: You have more control than you think. You may feel stuck. You may not know the solution. But ask: What is one small step I can take? You do not need every answer today. You simply may not know the answer yet. Keep moving. Keep learning. And most importantly: Don’t give up on yourself. CONNECT WITH KATIE HADIARIS Work Is Not Family: https://workisnotfamily.com/ Find Katie’s coaching and free workplace recovery resources through her website. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #KatieHadiaris #WorkIsNotFamily #WorkplaceTrauma #ToxicWorkplace #Burnout #Leadership #NervousSystem #WorkplaceCulture #MentalWellness #CareerGrowth To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

STOP BRAGGING. START CONNECTING: DR. DANNY BRASSELL ON STORYTELLING, LEADERSHIP & TAKING ACTION What if the best way to connect with an audience is not to tell them how successful you are—but to show them where you failed? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Dr. Danny Brassell, educator, speaker, author, coach, and co-founder of The Well-Crafted Story. Danny’s career has included journalism, teaching, speaking, coaching, writing, and plenty of pivots along the way. He once covered President George H.W. Bush, became a teacher for what he jokes were “the noble reasons of high pay,” lost everything financially after a real estate seminar scam, and then built a successful speaking business during one of America’s toughest economic periods. Through every chapter, Danny learned how powerful stories can be when they connect instead of impress. In this episode, you will discover: • Why Danny believes his autobiography could be called Pivots • What covering President George H.W. Bush taught him about character • Why failure can connect audiences more effectively than success • How to uncover hundreds of stories already hiding in your life • Why speakers should stop manipulating audiences with pain • How laughter can be more powerful than fear • Why every leader is at least responsible for leading themselves • What reading teaches us about effective leadership • Why Danny wrote Leadership Begins With Motivation • How Misfits and Crackpots celebrates unexpected success stories • Why memorable speakers embrace what makes them different • How stories can move an audience toward action • Why serving beats selling • Danny’s Five C’s for creating a Well-Crafted Story • Why one clear call to action is better than giving people three choices STOP SHARING ONLY YOUR SUCCESSES Danny’s advice to speakers is simple: Share your failures. Not everyone in your audience has achieved what you have achieved. But everyone has failed. When you share mistakes, setbacks, and moments of uncertainty, people can see themselves in your story. That creates connection. And connection is what makes people want to keep listening. BUILD YOUR STORY BANK Danny gives clients a simple exercise. Sit down for one hour and write short triggers for every story you can remember: The time you locked yourself out of the car. The embarrassing dinner. The mistake at work. The childhood experience you never forgot. Then ask: What is this story really about? Persistence? Love? Trust? Leadership? Failure? Once you know the meaning, you know where the story belongs. BE MEMORABLE Danny studies comedians, politicians, speakers, and performers to understand why certain people stay in our minds. The lesson? Use what makes you different. Your accent. Your appearance. Your humor. Your experiences. Even what you once considered a weakness. Instead of hiding those things, turn them into part of your connection with the audience. SERVE, DON’T SELL Danny encourages speakers to stop worrying about sounding “salesy.” Instead, focus on serving. If you genuinely believe something you offer can help another person, your responsibility is to clearly show them the opportunity. The objective is not manipulation. It is helping the right person take the right next step. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Danny’s seed comes from what he used to tell his students: Education is valuable, but execution is priceless. Knowledge alone is not power. Applied knowledge is power. Knowing what to do and actually doing it are two completely different things. Learn. Then act. And use what you know to make the world a little better. CONNECT WITH DR. DANNY BRASSELL Free Well-Crafted Story Blueprint: https://FreeStoryGuide.com/ Learn more about Danny’s speaking, coaching, books, and The Well-Crafted Story. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #DannyBrassell #Storytelling #Leadership #PublicSpeaking #TheWellCraftedStory #Communication #Execution #Motivation #PersonalGrowth #Speaking To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY: SHELI DODSON ON HEALING, FAITH & CHOOSING A DIFFERENT RESPONSE What if the emotional weight you have been carrying is affecting you more than you realize? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes longtime friend Sheli Dodson, full-time traveler, live-in life coach, and practitioner of Splankna, a faith-centered approach she uses to help clients explore emotional healing. After more than 40 years in Alaska, Sheli now travels across the country, often living directly alongside clients so she can help them apply personal-growth tools in the moments when life is actually happening. Her journey has taught her that healing is not simply about understanding what happened. Sometimes it is about releasing the emotional weight attached to it. In this episode, you will discover: • Why Sheli became a full-time traveler and live-in life coach • How another family’s experience introduced her to Splankna • Why emotional reactions can remain long after an event is over • How Sheli experienced an unexpected shift around her own divorce • Why healing does not always happen on our preferred timeline • How surrender can create space for something different • Why retreats and coaching tools sometimes struggle to transfer into everyday life • What makes Sheli’s live-in coaching model different • How labyrinth walking helps her slow down and gain clarity • Why faith and community became central to her personal journey • How changing environments can help us recognize old patterns • Why growth requires both willingness and action WHEN THE EMOTIONAL WEIGHT DISAPPEARS During one Splankna session, Sheli wanted to address a specific issue. Instead, the session moved toward unresolved emotions connected to her second marriage and divorce. She was not happy about it. She believed that chapter was finished. Then, weeks later, someone mentioned her former husband—and Sheli noticed something surprising. The old anger was no longer there. The circumstances had not changed. Her response had. For Sheli, healing created something incredibly valuable: a fork in the road between an automatic emotional reaction and a conscious choice. GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY Sheli and Uncle Dave discuss how often people say they want change while resisting the tools that might help create it. Wanting life to be different is only the beginning. Growth requires participation. You have to practice. You have to explore. And sometimes you have to surrender the expectation that healing will happen exactly the way you planned. WALK THE LABYRINTH One of Sheli’s favorite practices is walking a labyrinth. Unlike a maze, a labyrinth has one continuous path toward the center and back out. For Sheli, walking becomes a way to quiet everything competing for her attention. She enters asking: What do I need to know? Where do I need to be? What do I need to hear? Sometimes slowing down is what finally allows clarity to arrive. LOVE THEM WITHOUT BECOMING THEM Sheli shares an idea she has been reflecting on: “We love them, but we don’t want to be like them.” We can deeply love family and friends while recognizing behaviors, bitterness, or patterns we do not want to carry into our own lives. But Sheli turns the question inward too: What parts of me would someone else not want to become? Where does my character need refining? Where am I holding resentment? Where can I demonstrate more grace? SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Sheli’s seed is about continual growth. Ask yourself: What do I need to do today to become better than I was yesterday? Love people. Learn from people. But also have the courage to examine yourself. Healing is not about becoming perfect. It is about becoming lighter, more aware, and more intentional about the person you are becoming. CONNECT WITH SHELI DODSON Website: https://shelidodson.com/ Learn more about Sheli’s coaching, travel, Splankna work, and other projects through her website. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #SheliDodson #Healing #Faith #LifeCoaching #Splankna #PersonalGrowth #SelfAwareness #Forgiveness #Labyrinth #Mindfulness #SpiritualGrowth To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547     Thumbnail     Edit                          

LEAD YOURSELF FIRST: DR. ANDY NEILLIE ON TRUST, SERVANT LEADERSHIP & THE GOLDEN PRINCIPLES What separates someone who manages people from someone people genuinely want to follow? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Dr. Andy Neillie, leadership speaker, coach, author, and founder of Neillie Leadership Group. Andy’s fascination with leadership began by seeing two very different examples: the servant leadership he read about through his faith and bosses whose behavior showed him exactly how he did not want to lead. Those experiences began a decades-long journey of studying what makes leaders effective, how trust is earned, and why leadership ultimately starts with the person in the mirror. In this episode, you will discover: • The difference between managing and truly leading • Why leaders must balance results with developing people • Andy’s Four Leadership Necessities • How “anti-mentors” can teach powerful leadership lessons • Why leadership is stewardship rather than status • How leaders influence organizational culture • Why avoiding one difficult employee can hurt an entire team • How trust is earned through purposeful time • Leadership lessons Andy learned from his rescued dog, Redford • Why you cannot simply declare yourself a “trusted advisor” • How leaders can meet people where they are without leaving them there • What virtual leaders must do differently • Why purposeful meetings matter more than simply scheduling meetings • How self-awareness and feedback improve leadership • Why different personalities can strengthen a team • The importance of leading yourself before trying to lead others MANAGER VS. LEADER Andy describes managers as often having their eyes down—focused primarily on processes, numbers, deadlines, and production. Leaders learn to get their eyes up. They still have responsibility for results, but they also ask: Do my people have what they need to succeed? That means balancing accountability with empathy, helping people grow while still fulfilling the mission. TRUST CANNOT BE GIVEN BY TITLE One of Andy’s most powerful teachers was Redford, a Golden Retriever rescued from a terrible puppy-mill environment. When Redford arrived, he was terrified of Andy. Trust did not happen because Andy wanted it to happen. He had to slow down, meet Redford where he was, and make small deposits over time. The same principle applies to leadership. You cannot put “Trusted Advisor” on a business card and make it true. Other people decide whether you have earned their trust. SOMETIMES THE BAD BOSS IS THE TEACHER Andy also talks about anti-mentors—leaders who demonstrate exactly what you never want to become. One former boss took credit for the team's successes. Another early supervisor struggled to control his anger. Those experiences helped Andy recognize that leadership is not about being the most important person in the organization. Sometimes the leader is closer to the bottom of the pyramid, supporting everyone else. THE GOLDEN PRINCIPLES Andy’s bestselling book, The Golden Principles: Life and Leadership Lessons from a Rescued Dog, uses Redford’s story to explore trust, relationships, patience, and leadership. His work emphasizes that trust takes time—and purposeful investment in people. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Andy’s seed is: You will never be a better leader than you are a person. Leadership starts with you. Andy encourages leaders to create a Leader’s Hour—not necessarily exactly 60 minutes, but intentional time devoted to personal disciplines. Exercise. Reflection. Prayer or meditation. Planning. Reviewing priorities. Thinking about your people. Before you can effectively lead others, you must continually practice leading yourself. CONNECT WITH DR. ANDY NEILLIE Neillie Leadership Group: https://neillieleadershipgroup.com/ Book: The Golden Principles: Life and Leadership Lessons from a Rescued Dog #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #AndyNeillie #Leadership #ServantLeadership #TheGoldenPrinciples #Trust #LeadershipDevelopment #SelfLeadership #CompanyCulture #ExecutiveLeadership To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

YOU ARE UNBREAKABLE: CAROLYN SOPHIA SKOWRON ON RESILIENCE, MENTAL HEALTH & FINDING YOUR VOICE What if the hardest moments of your life could become the foundation for helping someone else survive theirs? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Carolyn Sophia Skowron, author, speaker, mental health advocate, and creator of Unbreakable. Carolyn grew up feeling different, isolated, and misunderstood. At 16, she was diagnosed with Nonverbal Learning Disability (NVLD), helping explain challenges with executive functioning, spatial awareness, conceptual skills, and overthinking. Her journey went much deeper. Carolyn shares openly about anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, therapy, a life-threatening car accident, and the moments that helped her realize her story had a purpose. In this episode, you will discover: • What Nonverbal Learning Disability is and why awareness matters • Why support and understanding from others can change everything • How Carolyn moved from feeling alone to using her voice publicly • Why her 2020 car accident became a turning point • How therapy, mindfulness, gratitude, movement, and community supported her • Why asking for help is an act of strength • How social media and comparison can deepen negative spirals • Why self-awareness helps interrupt rumination • How music, exercise, faith, creativity, and connection can become anchors • How pain can eventually become purpose FROM SURVIVING TO UNBREAKABLE Carolyn says her book Unbreakable came from years of struggle, but the catalyst was a 2020 car accident that could have ended her life. Seconds before impact, she grabbed her seatbelt. Surviving changed the way she looked at life. Years earlier, during college, Carolyn had also experienced suicidal thoughts and came frighteningly close to losing her life. A phone call from her best friend arrived at exactly the moment she needed it. Those experiences helped Carolyn understand why sharing her story mattered: You are not alone. BUILD YOUR FOUNDATION Mental wellness, Carolyn says, is often built through small, repeatable actions. Drink water. Move your body. Go outside. Listen to music. Practice gratitude. Find community. Talk honestly with people you trust. And when professional help is needed, find someone you genuinely connect with. Therapy requires participation. Carolyn explains that her progress came when she became honest, engaged in the process, and used what she learned outside the session. STOP THE SPIRAL Carolyn has learned to recognize when her thoughts begin moving down what she calls the “rabbit hole.” Today she works to interrupt the pattern: Pause. Breathe. Ask what you can control right now. Step away from comparison. Use the tools and people that bring you back to center. Progress does not mean life stops being difficult. It means you become better equipped to meet difficulty without letting it erase everything you have built. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Carolyn’s seed is: Don’t wait to get help. A painful season does not have to become your permanent reality. Use your voice. Reach out. Find your people. Grow through what you are going through. And remember: You are unbreakable. If you are in the U.S. and experiencing a suicidal or mental health crisis, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. CONNECT WITH CAROLYN SOPHIA SKOWRON Website: https://carolynsophia.com/ Book: Unbreakable: Breaking the Silence, Finding My Voice, Sharing My Story #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #CarolynSophiaSkowron #Unbreakable #MentalHealth #Resilience #SuicidePrevention #NVLD #SelfAwareness #MentalWellness #YouAreNotAlone To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

FIND YOUR WHY: JOE WYRWAS ON LEADERSHIP, GROWTH & RISKING WELL What if leadership is not something you are born with—but something you can learn, practice, and continuously improve? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Joe Wyrwas, leadership coach, keynote speaker, educator, Vice President at Anthem Engineering, and founder of Wyser with Joe. Joe’s leadership journey began in high school during a 10-day leadership development program that transformed how he saw himself. A quiet, shy teenager discovered that leadership did not require a title. It required a willingness to step forward, learn, and make an impact. Today, Joe develops leaders while continuing to practice leadership inside the technology world—and even brings lessons from his experience as a skydiving coach into conversations about risk, decision-making, and growth. In this episode, you will discover: • Why leadership can be learned • How a growth mindset changes the meaning of failure • Why leaders should start before they feel completely ready • The importance of over-communicating without oversharing • How self-awareness improves leadership decisions • Why leaders must be comfortable saying, “I don’t know” • How openness creates healthier organizational cultures • Why leadership skills require continuous practice • How small course corrections prevent larger failures • Why monthly feedback can outperform annual reviews • How to support employees through different seasons of life • Why treating adults like adults builds trust • How long-term thinking strengthens company culture • What four years of tracking every minute taught Joe about data • Why more information eventually creates diminishing returns • How skydiving teaches leaders to “risk well” • Why every leader needs trusted advisors • How finding your “why” creates direction START BEFORE YOU FEEL READY One lesson Joe wishes he understood earlier is: Start now and learn as you go. Too many people wait until they feel completely prepared. Joe believes growth happens when we stretch outside our comfort zones, take action, make mistakes, and learn from the experience. Leadership does not have a finish line. Every new level creates another opportunity to grow. OVER-COMMUNICATE Joe learned an important principle from a mentor: Over-communicate—because what feels like over-communication is often just enough. Leaders frequently assume everyone understands the vision. They usually do not. Communicate down. Communicate across. Communicate up. Then ask whether the message was actually understood. RISK WELL As a skydiving coach with hundreds of jumps, Joe understands that eventually you have to leave the plane. Leadership decisions work the same way. You will rarely have 100% of the information. At some point, more data produces diminishing returns. Joe recommends listening to your: Head. Heart. Gut. Gather enough information, talk with trusted people, make the decision, and then evaluate what you learned. BUILD YOUR INNER CIRCLE Joe recommends having at least three types of trusted advisors: Someone who has walked the path. Someone who challenges your thinking. Someone who knows you at your foundation. You do not need people who simply agree with you. You need people who help you see more clearly. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Joe’s seed is: Find your why. Your why becomes your North Star when circumstances change or the path becomes unclear. Ask yourself: When do I feel most alive? When do I lose track of time? What do people see me light up about? Then keep asking deeper questions. Joe’s why is creating opportunities for other people to learn, grow, and become better. Find yours—and use it to guide the decisions you make. CONNECT WITH JOE WYRWAS Connect with Joe Wyrwas on LinkedIn. Learn more about his leadership development, coaching, speaking, and Wyser with Joe. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #JoeWyrwas #WyserWithJoe #Leadership #FindYourWhy #GrowthMindset #RiskWell #SelfAwareness #LeadershipDevelopment #Mentorship #PersonalGrowth To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

FROM FRICTION TO FLOW: SHAUN MADER ON TRUST, TEAMWARE & THE ART OF LEADERSHIP What if the biggest obstacle to your team’s performance is not talent—but the conversations happening every day? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Shaun Mader, leadership coach, strategist, and creator of TeamWare and the Team Flow Architecture. After years of leading transformational leadership programs, Shaun realized something important: developing the leader alone is not enough. The entire team has to participate. His work focuses on helping leaders create the conditions where people take ownership, communicate clearly, build trust, navigate conflict, and move from simply doing their jobs to functioning as a true team. In this episode, you will discover: • Why great individual performers do not automatically become great leaders • How leaders accidentally become bottlenecks • Why listening is harder than most people think • Why “soft skills” should really be called power skills • How AI is changing the value of specialized knowledge • Why leadership training often fades after an offsite • How TeamWare keeps leadership practices alive inside everyday work • Why organizations are really networks of conversations for action • How better conversations create better results • Five critical dimensions of high-performing teams • Why productive conflict can strengthen a team • How leaders move people from me to we • Why different personalities and intelligences make teams stronger • How shared language reduces unnecessary friction • Why leaders should stop assuming they need all the answers • How inquiry creates ownership LEADERS CAN BECOME THE BOTTLENECK Shaun often sees high performers promoted because they were excellent at doing the work. Then suddenly their job is getting results through other people. That requires a completely different skill set. When leaders constantly tell people exactly what to do, team members can become passive. The better question is: How do I create the conditions for my people to perform at their best? SOFT SKILLS ARE POWER SKILLS Trust. Listening. Communication. Conflict. Self-awareness. These skills may not appear directly on a quarterly KPI, but without them everything becomes harder. Shaun argues that these are not “soft” skills. They are the power skills that determine whether teams can execute when conditions become difficult. FROM ME TO WE A real team is different from a group of people working for the same company. Shaun describes the shift from: What is my job? to: How does what I do affect everyone else? When people understand each other’s strengths, working styles, and perspectives, they can stop fighting their differences and start using them. You do not need an entire basketball team made up of point guards. Different positions create stronger teams. REDUCE THE FRICTION Shaun encourages leaders to look for the places where time, attention, and energy are being wasted. Unclear ownership. Meetings without decisions. Different definitions of the same words. Unproductive conflict. Duplicated work. Teams often do not need to work harder. They need to remove the friction preventing good work from flowing. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Shaun’s seed is: Lead through inquiry. Instead of immediately giving someone your answer, turn your point of view into a question. Ask something that activates their thinking. When people discover the answer themselves, they are far more likely to own it. That is one of the most powerful shifts a leader can make: Stop giving every answer. Start asking better questions. CONNECT WITH SHAUN MADER Friction to Flow Consulting: https://frictiontoflowconsulting.com/ TeamWare Essentials: https://getteamware.com/ Connect with Shaun Mader on LinkedIn. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #ShaunMader #Leadership #TeamWare #FrictionToFlow #TeamBuilding #Trust #Communication #HighPerformanceTeams #LeadershipDevelopment #PowerSkills To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

EVERY KID BELONGS: DJ NICHOLSON ON INCLUSION, LEARNING & THE POWER OF “YET” What happens when we stop asking, “Why can’t this child do it?” and start asking, “What support do they need to do it?” On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes DJ Nicholson, former teacher, instructional coach, trainer, and founder of Inclusivology—the study of inclusion. DJ works with educators across the country to help create classrooms where every child feels included academically, socially, and emotionally. Her passion is personal. Growing up, DJ struggled intensely with math and was even told by a teacher that she was the worst math student they had ever taught. Years later, she earned an A in graduate statistics. The difference? She finally had the tools, context, and learning environment she needed. In this episode, you will discover: • Why inclusion means more than putting every student in the same classroom • How belonging creates safer learning environments • Why labels without support can limit children • How to identify the actual barrier to learning • Why reading difficulty does not automatically mean a child is bad at math • How parents and teachers can work together earlier • Why the word “yet” changes the conversation • How technology and changing childhood experiences affect development • Why executive functioning matters for focus, planning, organization, and independence • How ADHD requires tools rather than excuses • Why conversation builds curiosity and confidence • How parents can encourage independence while allowing mistakes • Why DJ created Inclusivology after being told to “stay in your lane” THE POWER OF “YET” DJ repeatedly reminds educators that children may simply not be ready yet. A five-year-old may not sit still yet. A fourth grader may not read on grade level yet. A child may not know how to organize their backpack yet. “Yet” does not lower expectations. It creates room for growth, development, support, and possibility. As Uncle Dave puts it, “yet” is a promise that something can change. LOOK FOR THE REAL BARRIER DJ challenges teachers to ask what is actually preventing a student from succeeding. If a student struggles to read a math problem but understands the computation, is math really the problem? If a child cannot independently read grade-level material, could text-to-speech give them access to the same content? Instead of stopping at: “They can’t.” Ask: “What can we try?” BUILD THE TOOLBOX DJ believes teachers need multiple strategies because children do not all learn the same way. Sometimes a student needs technology. Sometimes they need a visual organizer. Sometimes they need movement. Sometimes they need information presented differently. Sometimes they simply need more time. The goal is meaningful access to learning—not forcing every child to reach the destination using the exact same path. INDEPENDENCE STARTS AT HOME Parents play an important role too. DJ encourages families to build conversation, curiosity, routines, and independence early. Let children get dressed. Let them organize their belongings. Let them make breakfast when developmentally appropriate. And let them make mistakes. Those everyday experiences help build executive functioning skills that support success later in school and life. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN DJ Nicholson’s seed is simple: See kids for who they are right now. Not the label. Not the diagnosis. Not what they cannot do. Look at the child in front of you and ask what support will help them take the next step. Every child deserves the opportunity to feel safe, successful, capable, and included. And if they are not there today? They are simply not there yet. CONNECT WITH DJ NICHOLSON Inclusivology: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

AUTHENTIC CONNECTION: TONY BAKER ON LEADERSHIP, TRUST & KNOWING WHO YOU ARE What happens when leadership stops being about authority and starts becoming about authentic connection? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Tony Baker, a 30-plus-year veteran of the creative industries, former commercial photographer, author, coach, and consultant. Tony began his career at 17, sweeping floors and cleaning studios before building a career that took him into entertainment, fashion, advertising, large-scale creative operations, and corporate leadership. Along the way, he learned that success is not only about talent. It is about being valuable. Being trusted. Knowing who you are. And communicating that clearly enough that other people want to follow you. In this episode, you will discover: • How Tony went from minimum wage studio work to high-level creative leadership • Why being invited back became an early measure of success • How great leaders make people understand their value • The difference between building a team and inheriting one • Why listening is one of the most powerful leadership skills • How leaders create trust during high-stakes situations • Why mistakes can become your greatest teachers • How ego can grow when success arrives quickly • Why recognition can be more powerful than new information • How authentic connection became the thread running through Tony’s career • What portrait photography taught him about understanding people • Why leaders must communicate who they are, what they are doing, and why • How knowing your foundation helps you stay steady when everything changes HOW DO YOU BECOME VALUABLE? Tony says one of the earliest lessons of his career was simple: Do a good enough job today to be invited back tomorrow. At first, his value was his willingness to work harder than everyone else. Over time, that developed into creative skill, leadership, communication, trust, and the ability to deliver when the stakes were high. BUILDING AUTHENTIC CONNECTION As a commercial portrait photographer, Tony often had very little time to connect with someone who did not want to be in front of the camera. His job was to help that person relax enough to reveal something real. That same skill became central to his leadership and coaching. Be curious. Listen. Find common ground. Help people recognize the strongest version of themselves. HERE’S WHO WE ARE Tony references a powerful scene from Gladiator where the leader essentially declares: Here’s who I am. Here’s what I’m about. Here’s what I’m going to do. That is leadership. When leaders clearly communicate: Who we are. What we are doing. Why we are doing it. People know what they are being asked to follow. Trust grows when the message comes from an authentic place. FIND YOUR FOUNDATION Tony believes people become unstable when they lose connection with who they are at their core. Careers change. Organizations change. Relationships change. The world around us changes. Your foundation keeps you from being blown around by every new circumstance. When you reconnect with yourself, choices may not become easy—but they often become clearer. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Tony’s advice: Listen to yourself. Be curious about who you really are. Know what matters to you. Understand the thread that has run through your life. Return to the practices that help you become centered and clear. The stronger your connection with yourself, the stronger your leadership can become. CONNECT WITH TONY BAKER https://tonybaker.com/ Field Guides to Life: https://fieldguidestolife.com/ Tony’s Field Guides to Life explore ideas including clarity, wisdom, connection, values, and being enough. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #TonyBaker #Leadership #Authenticity #Connection #Trust #CreativeLeadership #SelfAwareness #PersonalGrowth #FieldGuidesToLife To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

HIDDEN METRICS: NORA BOUCHARD ON LEADERSHIP, FEAR & THE EXPECTATIONS NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT What if the biggest thing holding you back as a leader is something no one else can see? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Nora Bouchard, leadership and executive coach, writer, speaker, facilitator, and author of Hidden Metrics. Nora works with experienced executives, emerging leaders, and newly promoted professionals who are learning that leadership is about much more than hitting KPIs. It is about understanding yourself. Your fears. Your values. Your strengths. And the expectations that come with leadership—even when nobody tells you what they are. In this episode, you will discover: • What a “hidden metric” really is • Why coaching often starts with what matters to the individual • How putting senior leaders on a pedestal can hold you back • Why newly promoted leaders need their own vision • Why leading by example is only the baseline • How values shape your leadership philosophy • Why promotions require a change in identity and expectations • How imposter syndrome can become healthy self-doubt • Why leaders spend so much time managing emotions • How strengths increase energy, engagement, and satisfaction • Nora’s framework of vision, values, and strengths • Why fear-based leadership damages trust • How meditation can look as simple as mowing the lawn • A practical framework for delivering healthy feedback WHAT ARE YOUR HIDDEN METRICS? Nora describes a hidden metric as a personal goal that may never appear on an organizational dashboard. Sometimes it is a blind spot. Sometimes it is an internal fear. Sometimes it is a vision so big that sharing it too early could invite doubt from people who do not understand it yet. The first step is learning to trust yourself enough to recognize what truly needs to change. VISION. VALUES. STRENGTHS. Nora says these three areas form the core of how she helps leaders grow. Vision — What are you trying to create? Values — What keeps you aligned when decisions get difficult? Strengths — What naturally energizes and engages you? She calls values your Personal Guidance System—or PGS. The clearer those three areas become, the easier it is to lead with confidence instead of simply reacting to organizational expectations. WHEN FEAR TAKES OVER Nora shares a powerful story from early in her career. She was successful, respected, and delivering results—but her team was also afraid of her. When pressure increased, she became angry and demanding. Her boss asked one question: “What are you afraid of?” That question changed the way Nora led. She realized her anger was really fear showing up in another form. Her own hidden metric became learning to lead without allowing fear to control her behavior. HEALTHY FEEDBACK Nora uses a simple three-part framework: Observation — What behavior did you see? Impact — What effect did that behavior have? Action — What should happen differently next time? Feedback becomes more useful when people understand both what happened and why it matters. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Nora’s final lesson comes with a little help from her dog: Don’t cut the treats in half. Give the whole treat. Pay attention to the unconditional love around you. Slow down. Listen to yourself. Know what you value. And make room for more love instead of allowing fear to run the show. CONNECT WITH NORA BOUCHARD Hidden Metrics: https://hidden-metrics.com/ Nora Bouchard: https://mnarabouchard.com/ Book: Hidden Metrics — available through Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and other major retailers. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #NoraBouchard #HiddenMetrics #Leadership #ExecutiveCoaching #SelfAwareness #Fear #LeadershipDevelopment #PersonalGrowth #Feedback  

  What if success comes down to one question: What value are you bringing to the people around you? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes David Hines, a U.S. Navy veteran and author of The Big MAC Effect who has lived in Kuwait for the past 16 years. Born in Brooklyn and adopted at age seven, David joined the Navy after high school while searching for purpose. Military structure, accountability, discipline, and mentorship shaped his approach to leadership—and ultimately inspired the lessons in his book. In this episode, you will discover: • Why adding value strengthens relationships • How a Big Mac became a leadership philosophy • Why accountability starts with your thoughts • How military discipline shaped David’s mindset • Why asking better questions accelerates growth • How small habits build long-term discipline • Why self-doubt keeps people stuck • How planning reduces overwhelm • Why leadership begins with leading yourself • How empathy helps leaders understand others • Why self-awareness becomes a battle plan for life THE BIG MAC EFFECT David explains that when he wants a Big Mac, he is willing to walk farther and pay more because he sees value in what McDonald’s offers. That became a bigger question: Why should someone build a relationship with you? For David, success requires becoming valuable to others—solving problems, serving people, and contributing something meaningful. ACCOUNTABILITY CHANGES EVERYTHING One of David’s earliest leadership lessons was simple: You are accountable for your life. Your thoughts. Your attitude. Your philosophy. Your actions. The past matters, but David believes your vision for the future matters more. Instead of staying trapped in yesterday, ask what you can do today to create a better tomorrow. DISCIPLINE IS SELF-LOVE David still makes his bed every morning because discipline is built through small actions repeated over time. Exercise. Planning. Reading. Saving money. Keeping promises to yourself. He also shares how a conversation with a financially successful friend forced him to confront his own finances. Rather than blame circumstances, David began studying investing and wealth-building. His philosophy: when you recognize a weakness, take responsibility and start learning. LEAD YOURSELF FIRST Leadership is not simply giving orders. Before anyone follows you, you must be able to lead yourself. David challenges leaders to set expectations clearly, hold people accountable, show empathy, and sometimes ask others to view the problem from the leader’s chair. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN David shares a lesson from his parents: “It’s not what other people say about you that determines your success. What matters is what you say about yourself.” Your internal voice helps shape your destination. And when life becomes the battlefield, David’s battle plan starts with: Self-awareness. Know yourself. Keep learning. Read. Ask better questions. Take responsibility. Keep moving forward. CONNECT WITH DAVID HINES Website: https://davidhinesliving.com/ Facebook: David Hines / Author Book: The Big MAC Effect — available on Amazon #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #DavidHines #TheBigMACEffect #Leadership #Discipline #Accountability #SelfAwareness #PersonalGrowth #VeteranLeadership #Mindset To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

  What if pressure is not something to avoid—but something you can learn to use? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Silvia Rizzo, Italian Grand Prix dressage rider, entrepreneur, life coach, branding professional, and founder of Hof Marabunta. Silvia has spent years competing in high-performance environments where trust, pressure, risk, discipline, and split-second decisions are part of everyday life. Her relationship with horses taught her something powerful: communication happens long before words. Horses react to energy, emotion, confidence, hesitation, and intention. Silvia discovered that many of those same lessons apply directly to leading people. In this episode, you will discover: • Why pressure does not have to become your enemy • What horses teach us about trust and communication • How elite sport prepares leaders for high-stakes decisions • Why leaders must adapt to different personalities • How emotions can turn one mistake into a second mistake • Why accountability protects credibility • How sport and business leadership overlap • Why teams need a shared vision • Why motivation alone does not create lasting performance • How character reveals itself when plans fall apart • Why leaders must make decisions without having every answer • How avoiding responsibility is still a decision • Why adaptability is more powerful than trying to control everything PRESSURE IS PART OF THE GAME Silvia Rizzo believes pressure exists everywhere—in sport, business, relationships, and life. You cannot eliminate it. You can learn how to perform within it. For Silvia, the answer is building an internal structure based on: Values. Experience. Mistakes. Fundamentals. Character. When pressure rises, you do not have time to reinvent yourself. You rely on what you have already built. DON’T TURN ONE MISTAKE INTO TWO Silvia believes making a mistake does not automatically destroy credibility. What happens next matters more. The first mistake happens. The second mistake begins when ego takes over. Blaming others, making excuses, becoming defensive, or refusing accountability can cause more damage than the original error. Instead: Recognize it. Own it. Learn from it. Reset. Move forward. Strong leadership does not require perfection. It requires stability and accountability. LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO Silvia compares leadership to riding a horse. You cannot constantly stare at where you are. You have to look toward where you want to go. The same applies in business. A leader needs a clear goal while remaining aware of changing circumstances, new opportunities, risks, and the people around them. The destination can remain the same even when the route must change. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Silvia Rizzo’s seed is to create your own internal structure. Take your experiences. Take your mistakes. Take your values. Take what life has taught you. Put them together and understand who you are. Then when pressure arrives, uncertainty increases, or plans fall apart, you have something solid to return to. Stay focused. Accept responsibility. Adapt when necessary. And keep looking forward. CONNECT WITH SILVIA RIZZO Hof Marabunta: https://www.hofmarabuntablog.com/ Silvia Rizzo can also be found on LinkedIn and Instagram. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #SilviaRizzo #Leadership #HighPerformance #Dressage #Pressure #Adaptability #Accountability #SelfAwareness #HofMarabunta #PersonalGrowth To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

  What if leadership begins before you ever lead a team? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Dustin Shepherd, a 30-year Army veteran, combat leader, mentor, and founder of Polaris Leadership Academy. Dustin joined the military right out of high school after growing up in an environment where he needed structure, safety, and purpose. The Army gave him all three. Over three decades of service—including combat deployments, infantry leadership, and senior-level responsibility—Dustin learned that leadership is not simply about authority, rank, or accomplishing the mission. It is about understanding the human being first. That lesson became even more important during his own transition, recovery, and personal growth. Dustin realized that before anyone can effectively lead others, they must first learn how to lead themselves. In this episode, you will discover: • Why self-leadership is the starting point for recovery • How military structure can create safety and trust • Why strong teams do not require everyone to like each other • How leaders manage different levels of commitment • Why psychological safety creates better decisions • How trust must continually be earned • Why habits and patterns shape behavior • How pausing can interrupt chaos and poor decisions • The difference between treating a symptom and solving the real problem • Why leaders must know when to coach, mentor, or lead • How listening to understand differs from listening to respond • Why human connection matters more than organizational mechanics • How Dustin’s own recovery shaped Polaris Leadership Academy LEAD THE HUMAN FIRST After leaving the military, Dustin took a hard look at his leadership career. He noticed something important. Where he succeeded, he usually met the human need first. Where he struggled, he often placed the organization, system, process, or mission ahead of the person. That realization became central to his leadership philosophy. People need to feel safe enough to communicate honestly, make decisions, and take responsibility. A leader cannot control another person. But a leader can help create an environment where trust, accountability, and growth become possible. COACH. MENTOR. LEAD. Dustin believes leaders must move between three roles: Coach — Help people improve technique and execution in the moment. Mentor — Help people develop judgment, awareness, and their own approach. Lead — Step forward when pressure, uncertainty, or friction requires clear direction. Great leadership is knowing which role the moment requires. TAKE THE PAUSE Dustin shares a story about losing his keys while changing a trailer tire. The keys were nearby the entire time. But stress pushed him into chaos mode. A stranger saw what Dustin could not. The lesson became what he calls the “15 extra steps.” When everything feels like it is going wrong: Pause. Create space. Look again. Ask better questions. Sometimes the answer is already in front of you. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Dustin’s seed is: Work on your own growth first. Before trying to fix everyone around you, understand your own patterns, triggers, strengths, and blind spots. Growth starts with awareness. Once you begin leading yourself differently, you become more capable of helping others move forward too. Your starting point can always be reset. CONNECT WITH DUSTIN SHEPHERD Polaris Leadership Academy: https://4pla.org/ Explore the academy’s work around leadership, recovery, mentorship, human connection, and its Pay It Forward campaign. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #DustinShepherd #PolarisLeadershipAcademy #Leadership #SelfLeadership #VeteranLeadership #Recovery #Mentorship #Trust #PersonalGrowth #PayItForward To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

CAN’T BREAK ME: KEVIN “KAYR” ROBINSON ON DISCIPLINE, TRANSFORMATIONAL WEALTH & REWRITING YOUR FUTURE What if the place you start in life has nothing to do with where you finish? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Kevin “Kayr” Robinson, entrepreneur, real estate investor, author, and founder of Kayr Motivates. Kevin grew up in Philadelphia as one of seven children raised by a single mother on welfare. Before turning 18, he moved about 18 times and grew up surrounded by instability, poverty, overcrowding, and uncertainty. By eighth grade, Kevin was smoking, skipping school, and barely passing. Then one conversation changed everything. His stepfather told him not to repeat the mistakes he had seen around him. Kevin decided to build a different life around what he calls the Three Ds: Desire, Discipline, and Determination. He went from the bottom of his class to graduating valedictorian, becoming class president, debate captain, and track captain, earning a scholarship, building a Wall Street career, and eventually becoming a multimillionaire real estate investor with more than 160 rental units. In this episode, you will discover: • How Kevin escaped a cycle of instability and poverty • Why desire without discipline does not create results • How determination carries you through setbacks • Why mentors became Kevin’s “personal board of directors” • How vulnerability helped him ask for the help he needed • Why a closed mouth does not get fed • How he went from survival to structure to stability • Why success starts with mastering the basics • How internships and relationships helped him reach Wall Street • Why you should run your own race at your own pace • How real estate helped Kevin create financial freedom • The difference between generational wealth and transformational wealth • Why confidence can be taught and practiced • How daily routines keep people moving when motivation disappears THE THREE Ds Kevin’s framework begins with: Desire — Want something better strongly enough to pursue it. Discipline — Build routines and do what you say you are going to do. Determination — Keep moving when setbacks make quitting easier. Kevin also believes success requires the right people around you. He built a personal board of directors made up of mentors, teachers, coaches, sponsors, and people who could teach him what he could not learn at home. DO WHAT’S NECESSARY Kevin lives by a simple progression: Do what’s necessary. Then do what’s possible. Eventually, you may find yourself doing what once felt impossible. His advice for staying focused is practical: choose only three or four things each day that truly move the needle. Everything else is extra. TRANSFORMATIONAL WEALTH Kevin distinguishes generational wealth from what he calls transformational wealth. Instead of only leaving assets behind someday, he uses success today to create opportunities for family members, friends, and others around him. The goal is not simply leaving wealth behind. It is helping transform lives now. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Kevin’s final seed is: It’s not where you start. It’s where you finish. Your past may explain you. It does not get to define your future. Keep reinventing yourself. Keep learning. Keep moving. And stay unbreakable. CONNECT WITH KEVIN “KAYR” ROBINSON Website: https://kayrmotivates.com/ Social Media: @KAYRMotivates Book: Can’t Break Me #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #KevinKayrRobinson #KayrMotivates #CantBreakMe #Discipline #RealEstate #TransformationalWealth #PersonalGrowth #Mentorship #Resilience To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

  What if your brain needs training just as much as your body does? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Arnold Beekes, founder of Brain Athletes, for a conversation about leadership, change, brain health, neuroplasticity, and why most people wait too long to intentionally train how they think, feel, and respond. Arnold grew up in a highly controlled household and later built a successful corporate career in technology, eventually managing thousands of people and a billion-dollar business. But in his 40s, a coach asked him a question nobody had ever asked before: “What do you want?” That moment forced Arnold to confront how much of his life had been shaped by expectations, conditioning, and obedience rather than personal choice. In this episode, you will discover: • Why change feels threatening even when it is necessary • How childhood and workplace conditioning shape behavior • Why many people only change when pain forces them to • How neuroplasticity allows the brain to keep creating new connections • Why brain health should be trained like physical fitness • How caregiving for his mother and supporting his sister changed Arnold’s mission • What “digital dementia” means and how constant scrolling affects attention and memory • Why instant gratification can weaken concentration • How learning, creating, and caring can strengthen the brain • Why prevention matters long before cognitive decline appears • How belief systems can become invisible “straitjackets” • Why being kind to yourself is part of becoming mentally stronger THE 6R BRAIN FITNESS METHOD Arnold Beekes organizes his work around six Rs: Reveal — Identify the beliefs, conditioning, and “straitjackets” limiting you. Recover — Recover from suppression, unhealthy coping patterns, and addictive behaviors. Reactivate — Reconnect with emotional, physical, spiritual, social, and environmental dimensions of yourself. Reset — Change the lens through which you see yourself and the world. Relearn — Build new knowledge, skills, habits, and mindsets. Recreate — Use what you have learned to redesign your life, relationships, community, and future. Arnold believes your brain can continue changing throughout life. The key is consistent practice. Just as an athlete does not become world-class after one workout, brain fitness requires repetition, discipline, and time. DIGITAL DEMENTIA Arnold uses the term “digital dementia” to describe declining memory, concentration, and attention connected to overreliance on devices and constant short-form stimulation. His message is simple: If you do not use a capability, you risk losing it. Read longer material. Learn something new. Break familiar patterns. Give your brain something to work on. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Arnold leaves listeners with three actions: Learn. Create. Care. Learn something new every day—even if it is one word, one fact, or the name of a bird you noticed outside. Create something from what you learn. And care for yourself first so you have the capacity to care for others. His final reminder: Be kind to yourself. You can rebuild, retrain, and continue growing. CONNECT WITH ARNOLD BEEKES Brain Athletes: https://brainathletes.club/ Explore Arnold Beekes’ Brain Athletes training, resources, and programs focused on brain fitness, neuroplasticity, personal growth, and lifelong learning. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #ArnoldBeekes #BrainAthletes #BrainFitness #Neuroplasticity #Leadership #PersonalGrowth #MentalFitness #DigitalWellness #LifelongLearning To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

STOP CONFUSING STRATEGY WITH CULTURE: ROBERT WHITE ON LEADERSHIP, TRUST & A HIGHER STATE OF NOTICING What if extraordinary leadership has less to do with having all the answers—and more to do with creating a culture where people can tell the truth? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Robert White, entrepreneur, leadership teacher, author, and pioneer in experiential learning whose work has reached more than a million people. Robert’s story began in poverty and abuse. As a young man, his driving purpose became simple: “I’ll never be poor again.” That motivation helped him create extraordinary success, but eventually forced him to ask a deeper question: What is my life actually for? From radio to Mind Dynamics, LifeSpring, international leadership work, and more than two decades living abroad, Robert’s career became an ongoing study of human behavior, culture, purpose, trust, and transformation. In this episode, you will discover: • Why culture is foundational to extraordinary performance • How a negative purpose can still produce impressive results • Why purpose, vision, values, and strategic intent must align • Why people often make decisions emotionally and justify them logically • How trust grows when people work toward meaningful goals • Why leaders must sometimes hear uncomfortable truths • How hidden resentment damages organizations • Why authenticity increases honesty inside teams • How being committed to “I’m right” destroys connection • Why your personal story can prevent you from seeing reality • How relationships become the foundation of leadership • Why noticing is one of the most important leadership skills CULTURE BEFORE STRATEGY Robert believes culture is not a slogan, poster, retreat, or corporate catchphrase. Culture is how people actually experience an organization. He shares lessons from working with major companies, including Chase, where senior leaders were brought together to deeply examine purpose, vision, values, trust, and relationships. A strategy may look brilliant on paper. But if the people executing it do not trust one another, communicate honestly, or understand what they are building together, that strategy will suffer. Robert’s framework centers on three things: Focus. Alignment. Commitment. When people become clear about what matters and why, extraordinary performance becomes possible. HONESTY BUILDS TRUST Robert says people often know what is wrong inside an organization long before leadership admits it. They talk privately. They feel it in meetings. They communicate it through silence, frustration, body language, and the occasional eye roll. Leadership requires being willing to see reality instead of remaining trapped inside your own story. Strong relationships require trust. And trust grows when people can tell the truth while continuing to work toward meaningful goals. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Robert White’s seed is simple: Wake up. Develop a higher state of noticing. Notice what repeatedly triggers you. Notice your anger, sadness, fear, and joy. Notice the people around you more deeply. And notice your environment. Spend time alone with yourself—walking, swimming, praying, meditating, or simply being outside. Do not immediately run from what you feel. There may be a lesson inside it. Live the life you were born to live. CONNECT WITH ROBERT WHITE Website: https://extraordinarypeople.com/ Book: Building an Extraordinary Life Robert also offers a free resource on eight principles for extraordinary living and his weekly ezine, An Extraordinary Minute. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #RobertWhite #ExtraordinaryLeadership #Leadership #CompanyCulture #Trust #Authenticity #PersonalGrowth #SelfAwareness #Relationships To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547        

CURIOSITY OVER JUDGMENT: ERIC ROBINSON ON LEADERSHIP, THE FBI & HUMAN INTELLIGENCE What happens when a Baptist pastor trades the pulpit for 24 years in the FBI? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes retired FBI Special Agent Eric Robinson, whose career included drug cartels, gangs, public corruption, organized crime, crimes against children, financial crimes, counterterrorism, national security, SWAT, firearms instruction, and tactical operations. Before the FBI, Eric served as a pastor. That background became one of his greatest strengths in law enforcement. He learned how to listen. Eric discovered that whether he was talking with a victim, informant, gang member, financial criminal, or sex offender, curiosity often produced better results than judgment. In this episode, you will discover: • What 24 years in the FBI taught Eric about human behavior • How pastoral listening skills transferred into criminal investigations • Why first responders often use dark humor to process difficult experiences • How constant on-call responsibility affects stress and presence • Why training creates confidence under pressure • How trust between SWAT teammates reduces fear • How Eric helped investigate former Chicago police commander Jon Burge • Why law enforcement must confront misconduct inside its own ranks • How Eric approached offenders without excusing their actions • Why connection can lead to stronger confessions and cases • How diverse backgrounds strengthen investigative teams • Why asking experts for help is a leadership strength • How curiosity keeps leaders from assuming they know the answer TRAIN UNTIL FEAR GETS QUIET Eric says one of the most important lessons from SWAT was the power of competence. Through constant training, firearms practice, tactical exercises, and real-world operations, he learned to trust his own abilities and the people beside him. That trust allowed him to stay present. Instead of thinking about everything that could go wrong, he could focus on one question: What is my job right now? Preparation did not eliminate danger. It eliminated unnecessary hesitation. CURIOSITY OVER JUDGMENT Eric worked cases involving people who had committed horrific crimes. His job was not to deliver the punishment. His job was to uncover the truth and build the strongest possible case. Rather than beginning with condemnation, Eric learned to listen, ask questions, and let people talk. That same skill had served him as a pastor. People reveal more when they believe someone is genuinely listening. The lesson is powerful: Do not enter every conversation believing you already know everything. IRREVEREND Eric’s upcoming book is: Irreverend: From Saving Souls to Chasing Sinners in the FBI The book follows his journey from the ministry into the FBI and the remarkable cases, people, dangers, and lessons he encountered along the way. It is scheduled for release in October. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Eric’s seed is simple: Lead with curiosity. Before judging, ask. Before assuming, listen. Before deciding you understand someone, learn more. You may discover information that changes the entire situation. The smartest person in the room is not always the one with the answers. Sometimes it is the person willing to ask the next question. CONNECT WITH ERIC ROBINSON Website: https://preachertobreacher.com/ Instagram: @_eric_robinson Book: Irreverend: From Saving Souls to Chasing Sinners in the FBI #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #EricRobinson #FBI #Leadership #LawEnforcement #HumanIntelligence #Curiosity #Teamwork #Irreverend To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

STOP TREATING DOUBT LIKE A WEAKNESS: MARTIN J. WATTS ON DESIGNING YOUR WAY FORWARD What if doubt is not a sign that something is wrong with you—but a signal that something in your situation needs attention? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes entrepreneur, inventor, author, and founder Martin J. Watts, whose four decades in business span advertising, manufacturing, product invention, and leadership. Martin’s path was anything but conventional. A C-average student who did not attend college, he was fired from his first job and started his own business. After 9/11 devastated his advertising business, Martin lost nearly everything and filed for bankruptcy. He kept building. That journey became the foundation for his book When Doubt Becomes Design. In this episode, you will discover: • Why doubt is a signal—not a weakness • How unstable situations create uncertainty • Why entrepreneurs must learn to build through failure • How intentional culture can outperform strategy • Why core values must reflect who you truly are • How poor culture fit can damage teams • Why leaders should hire people who align with values, not identical personalities • The four factors of instability behind doubt • Why confirmation can be more useful than affirmation • How action breaks paralysis • Why smart leaders ask questions • Why good coaches create clarity instead of dependence • How structure helped Martin survive childhood trauma • Why counting wins protects leaders from constant firefighting WHEN DOUBT BECOMES DESIGN Martin identifies four common sources of instability: Pending Decisions — Something needs to be decided, but no decision has been made. Unresolved Tension — Everyone can feel that something is wrong, but nobody addresses it. Perceived Instability — Fear, comparison, assumptions, or imposter feelings appear before the facts are known. Uncertain Outcomes — You take action, but you cannot control how things will turn out. Martin’s message is that doubt itself is not the real problem. Instability is the source. Doubt is the signal. Instead of sitting in doubt, identify what is uncertain, gather information, create a plan, and execute. CULTURE EATS STRATEGY Martin believes every organization already has a culture. The question is whether it happened accidentally or was built intentionally. Team outings do not create culture by themselves. Culture comes from repeated behaviors, values, expectations, communication, accountability, and how people treat one another. One of Martin’s core values was simple: Own it. If you make a mistake, own it. If you succeed, own that too. ACTION OVER DOUBT Martin says many leaders spend too much time talking and too little time executing. Ask questions. Write things down. Talk with trusted people. Build a plan. Then move. He points to the principle that inaction breeds doubt while action creates confidence and courage. You do not need certainty about the outcome before taking the next intelligent step. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Martin leaves listeners with a favorite idea: “On the day of victory, no one is tired.” His challenge is to count your wins. Martin once held “Humble Brag Friday” with his team. Everyone had to name something they did well that week. Why? Because leaders spend so much time solving problems that they can forget how much they accomplished. Count your wins. Acknowledge progress. And keep building. CONNECT WITH MARTIN J. WATTS Website: https://martinjwatts.com/ Book: When Doubt Becomes Design #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #MartinJWatts #WhenDoubtBecomesDesign #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #CompanyCulture #Mindset #PersonalGrowth #BusinessLeadership #SelfAwareness To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

STOP LIVING BY AN OLD STORY: JIM BURGOON ON TRANSITION, SERVANT LEADERSHIP & TELLING A BETTER STORY What if the story holding you back is one you have repeated for so long that it started feeling like truth? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes his friend Jim Burgoon, leadership coach, veteran, author, and creator of Lead With Jim. Jim helps people understand who they are, confront limiting beliefs, strengthen relationships, and move toward what they believe they are called to create. His work includes leadership development, mindset, DISC personality, communication, faith, and personal growth. The conversation begins with transition—what happens when you realize you no longer belong in the place where you once fit. Jim believes every season needs an exit strategy. How you leave matters. Leaders should close relationships well, finish responsibilities, train others, avoid burning bridges, and leave things better than they found them. But transition is not only organizational. It is emotional. In this episode, you will discover: • Why DISC profiles can shift and should never become identity prisons • How to leave a job, role, or season with integrity • Why transition requires grieving what is ending • How “radical acceptance” helps people move through change • Why relationships must be redefined rather than simply discarded • How old stories become limiting beliefs • Why you cannot change what you refuse to confront • How confirmation bias can reinforce a false identity • Why self-awareness is essential for leadership • How trust, communication, and compassion grow together • Why wisdom comes from evaluating experience—not simply surviving it • How servant leaders combine service with direction • Why natural gifts, learned skills, and spiritual gifts are different • Why your inner circle matters when identifying your strengths • How celebrating progress makes the road ahead less overwhelming TELL A BETTER STORY Jim shares a deeply personal example from his own life. As a young trumpet player, he dreamed of studying music and performing. Despite real accomplishments, important people told him he had no talent. He believed them. That sentence became a story Jim carried for decades. Later failures appeared to confirm it, creating a cycle of self-sabotage. His message is simple: You will never change what you do not confront. First, identify the story. Then ask why you believed it. Finally, replace the lie with something true. That process became part of Jim’s first book, Tell a Better Story. SERVANT LEADERSHIP Jim believes servant leadership is one of the strongest models of leadership. Serving does not mean refusing to lead. A leader still needs to climb above the trees, see the direction, communicate the vision, then come back down and help everyone move toward it together. Leadership starts with relationship. And healthy relationships begin with learning how to relate to yourself. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Jim’s seed is about patience. Take your time and process properly. There is no race. Hustle culture can convince people that everything must happen immediately, but emotional, mental, physical, relational, and spiritual health deserve time. Have compassion for yourself. Take one step. If you fall back, get up and take another. Every step forward matters. The only true failure is deciding to quit completely. CONNECT WITH JIM BURGOON Website: https://leadwithjim.com/ Social Media: @leadwithjim Book: Tell a Better Story #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #JimBurgoon #LeadWithJim #TellABetterStory #ServantLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #SelfAwareness #PersonalGrowth #Faith #Mindset #Transition To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

STOP PRETENDING YOU HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS: IVANNA ROSENDAL ON LEADERSHIP, HUMOR & TRANSFORMATION What if the fastest way to transform an organization is to stop acting like everyone has to be serious all the time? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Ivanna Rosendal, a Copenhagen-based life sciences leader who combines behavioral science, organizational transformation, and comedy. Ivanna leads a technology organization within Ascendis Pharma and studies why organizations behave the way they do. Her mission became personal after watching a former partner struggle with chronic illness and limited treatment options. She became determined to help make pharma work better for patients. She also uses improvisational and stand-up comedy to expose the absurdities inside serious corporate environments. Ivanna believes many professionals wear a “mask of competence,” pretending they understand everything because they are afraid to admit uncertainty. Humor can break through that mask, lower defenses, and help teams see dysfunctional systems differently. In this episode, you will discover: • Why serious workplaces need more humor • How the “mask of competence” creates dysfunction • Why pharma employees care deeply about patients • How failure in drug development can still represent progress • Why transformation requires experience—not simply telling • How leaders can paint a vision without pretending they have every answer • Why different assumptions create conflict inside teams • How metaphors and humor can uncover those differences • How Ivanna manages ADHD-style distraction with physical reminders • Why everyone should remain a beginner at something • How learning new skills builds empathy • Why communities make skill-building easier • How office design affects stress, connection, and belonging • Why corporate “games” like year-end budget spending should be questioned • How business travel can build community TRANSFORMATION THROUGH EXPERIENCE Ivanna believes telling people what to do has limited power. Real transformation happens when people experience something for themselves. When a leader simply tells people the answer, it can create a power dynamic: “I understand this, and you need to catch up.” But leaders do not have all the answers. Instead, Ivanna helps teams identify what already works, uncover where assumptions differ, and imagine what those pieces could become together. Maybe the answer is not the “Lego giraffe” the leader pictured. Maybe it becomes a gorilla. The goal is not proving the leader right. It is building something better. FOCUSING THE “SQUIRREL BRAIN” Ivanna describes herself as having a brain that can easily chase the next idea. Her solution is simple. She places a Post-it on her computer stating exactly what she is doing: “Right now you are answering emails.” When another thought appears, she writes it in a notebook instead of abandoning the task. The notebook holds the distractions. The Post-it holds the focus. She also credits the Pomodoro Method, physical activity, and task-management systems with helping her concentrate. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Ivanna leaves listeners with one question: “What about the situation I’m in is funny?” When something goes wrong—a delayed flight, difficult meeting, or frustrating process—look for the absurdity. Humor does not erase the difficulty. It changes your relationship with it. Seeing what is funny can create enough space to see another possibility. CONNECT WITH IVANNA ROSENDAL LinkedIn: Ivanna Rosendal Lab Twives: https://labtwives.com/ Maneuvering Monday: https://maneuveringmonday.com/ #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #IvannaRosendal #Leadership #Transformation #OrganizationalChange #BehavioralScience #WorkplaceCulture #Comedy #ADHD #PharmaLeadership To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

STOP LETTING THE PAST DEFINE YOU: MASSIMO Rigotti ON RECOVERY, IDENTITY & THE S.O.B.E.R. METHOD What happens when achievement, addiction, trauma, and identity all collide? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes entrepreneur, author, and recovery advocate Massimo Rigotti creator of The Sober Method. Massimo built companies across tech, banking, entertainment, publishing, and printing. Along the way, drinking became part of the lifestyle. Eventually, alcohol was joined by cocaine as his life unraveled. He lost his business, home, marriage, cars, and nearly everything he had built. By 2015, Massimo was living on the streets of Kansas City. In March 2016, he stood up sober—and has remained sober for 10 years. Recovery forced him to confront something deeper: a childhood fear of abandonment. Massimo realized much of his drive to perform came from believing he had to work harder to be wanted. A turning point came when he met Samantha. Only hours after meeting him, she whispered: “You don’t have to drink to be awesome. I see you.” Samantha became an important part of his sobriety journey. Tragically, she was killed by a drunk driver in 2020. In that grief, Massimo chose not to return to alcohol and committed to carrying their planned work forward. In this episode, you will discover: • How high achievement can hide unresolved trauma • Why addiction can slowly shift from celebration to coping • How childhood abandonment shaped Massimo’s identity • Why removing the “performative mask” became essential to recovery • How grief tested his sobriety after Samantha’s death • Why recovery must include rebuilding identity • How stigma can follow people long after substance use ends • Why labels can affect opportunity and self-perception • How phones, social media, food, and substances can all become avoidance tools • Why support systems are essential in recovery • How changing your circle can change your future • Why confidence grows by stacking skills, experiences, and new identities THE S.O.B.E.R. METHOD Massimo’s framework stands for: S — Stoic O — Observe B — Behavior E — Execute R — Restore The idea is to slow down, understand your thinking, identify the behavior that follows, choose a better response, and repeat until healthier patterns grow stronger. At the center of the method is one question: Why am I doing what I am doing? Massimo believes people often stay trapped in identities created by trauma, expectations, relationships, or old habits. Growth requires being willing to examine those identities and let go of what no longer serves you. BUILDING A SUPPORT SYSTEM Massimo says recovery cannot survive on willpower alone. During his final struggle to become sober, he experienced seven difficult relapses within a few weeks. He eventually realized some people around him were pulling him back toward the life he was trying to leave. So he built a new community. He created a monthly guys’ night where friends could eat, play cards, talk, and connect without substances being the center of the relationship. Sometimes recovery requires changing more than your behavior. It requires changing your environment. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Massimo leaves listeners with a simple challenge: Go to the mirror. Look at yourself and say: “I am enough.” Your first steps may be uncertain. You may wobble. You may fall. But confidence grows by taking another step. The power to rebuild your life begins within. CONNECT WITH MASSIMO VERGATI The Sober Method: https://sobermethod.com/ Social Media: @sobermethod Books: The Sober Method Flavors of Confidence Digital Sober Method #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #MassimoVergati #SoberMethod #Recovery #Sobriety #PersonalGrowth #TraumaRecovery #Confidence #SelfAwareness To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

STOP ASKING “WHY DIDN’T YOU?”: DALE TURNBULL ON ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP What if your employees are not ignoring your instructions—what if your leadership approach simply is not reaching them? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Dale Turnbull, founder of Lead Adapt Impact and creator of the Seven Positions of Leadership framework. After studying German and Spanish, Dale entered recruitment and spent more than 12 years in learning and development. His frustration with repeatedly telling people what to do led him to ask a harder question: If an employee has been told the same thing 100 times, how responsible is the leader for finding a better way to communicate? That realization led Dale to study neuro-linguistic programming, hypnosis, personality differences, motivation, and behavioral flexibility. His work helps leaders understand how people process information so they can tailor communication without manipulating, labeling, or limiting anyone. Dale believes most employees want to do a good job. The challenge is that leaders often teach, motivate, and manage people according to what worked for them. That approach may succeed with employees who think similarly—but fail with everyone else. The Seven Positions of Leadership framework encourages leaders to recognize their natural strengths while developing the flexibility to lead from different positions. Sometimes a team needs a trailblazer out front. Sometimes it needs a guide beside them, a coach behind them, or a values-driven leader pointing toward the right path. Effective leadership is not about permanently adopting one style. It is about choosing the position that creates the greatest impact in that particular moment. In this episode, you will discover: • Why repeating the same instruction rarely solves a communication problem • How leaders can adapt messages for emotional and logical thinkers • Why personality assessments should inform people—not imprison them • How introverts and extroverts process information differently • Why understanding motivation is essential for engagement • The difference between moving toward a goal and away from pain • Why “Why didn’t you do that?” immediately creates defensiveness • How “What made you choose differently?” opens a productive conversation • Why leadership titles do not automatically create influence • How the Seven Positions of Leadership framework increases flexibility • Why being right can prevent leaders from hearing better ideas • How to review difficult experiences without judging yourself • Why confidence grows through practicing uncomfortable actions • How admitting mistakes creates trust with employees • Why personal goals must align with team and company objectives • How honest leaders can help employees recognize when another path fits better A BETTER QUESTION When an employee makes a decision you do not understand, avoid beginning with an accusation. Instead of asking, “Why didn’t you do what I told you?” try asking: “What made you choose to handle it differently?” That question replaces blame with curiosity. The employee may have received competing priorities, misunderstood the desired outcome, or made a decision that was reasonable based on the information available. Once leaders understand the thinking behind the behavior, they can coach the decision instead of attacking the person. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN High performers often become their own harshest critics. Self-criticism may encourage improvement, but it can also erase any appreciation for what went well. At the end of each day, ask yourself three questions: • What are two things I did well today? • What progress should I acknowledge? • What is one thing I could choose to do differently next time? This is not about identifying everything you did wrong. It is a nonjudgmental practice for recognizing success while continuing to grow. Plant that seed every day, and you may become not only a more capable leader—but a happier and prouder one. CONNECT WITH DALE TURNBULL Lead Adapt Impact: https://www.leadadaptimpact.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daleturnbull Explore Dale’s leadership coaching, communication training, team-development programs, and Seven Positions of Leadership framework. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #DaleTurnbull #AdaptiveLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #CommunicationSkills #ExecutiveCoaching #TeamPerformance #NLP #SelfAwareness #LeadAdaptImpact To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

WRITE THE BOOK—EVEN IF IT SITS FOR SIX YEARS: T.A. THOMPSON ON CREATING THE MARK What if the story sitting unfinished on your computer is the one somebody else needs to read? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Michigan author T.A. Thompson for a revealing conversation about dystopian fiction, world-building, criticism, creative resilience, and the long road from finishing a manuscript to finally publishing it. T.A. spent more than a decade working in commercial insurance, where analyzing risk and anticipating worst-case scenarios became part of his daily life. That professional mindset now fuels his fiction. When developing a scene, he asks what could go wrong—and then places his characters directly inside that pressure. His novel, The Mark, is a gripping post-apocalyptic story shaped by genetic disaster, collapsing civilization, violent communities, and impossible choices. At its center is Alexandra, a morally complicated survivor who expects death at any moment. That expectation changes how she views motherhood, relationships, consequences, and survival. T.A. explains how writers can create immersive worlds without burying readers beneath unnecessary details. His process begins by writing everything down and trimming later. Every description must earn its place by strengthening the setting, advancing the story, or helping the reader experience the character’s emotions. Although T.A. finished The Mark in 2020, insecurity and uncertainty about publishing caused him to put it aside. Years later, he submitted it for professional beta reading—and discovered that honest feedback can feel like “a colonoscopy without being knocked out.” The criticism hurt, but it also made the book stronger. Beta readers encouraged T.A. to add a prologue explaining the genetic disaster behind his dystopian world. That new opening became one of the sections readers praised most. The lesson was clear: feedback is not automatically an attack. A writer should consider every suggestion, apply what improves the story, and reject what compromises the original vision. It remains the author’s book—but a trusted team can help transform an imperfect manuscript into a much stronger finished product. In this episode, you will discover: • How commercial risk management shaped T.A.’s imagination • Why fiction becomes stronger when characters face worst-case scenarios • How to balance immersive details with narrative momentum • Why removing material can be easier than adding it later • How T.A. created a female protagonist living without long-term expectations • Why fictional characters can begin to feel like real friends • How writing can provide escape, healing, and emotional connection • Why finishing the manuscript is only the beginning • What beta readers revealed about The Mark • How criticism can become a tool instead of a personal attack • Why writers should implement only the feedback that improves their vision • How corporate resilience helped T.A. survive the publishing process • Why forcing yourself to write does not always produce your best work • How returning to an old manuscript can reconnect you with a former version of yourself SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Do not let everything that comes after writing frighten you away from finishing the story. Forget the editor, marketing plan, reviews, sales, and publishing decisions for a moment. Finish the book first. Even if you never publish it, you created something that did not exist before. If the manuscript sits untouched for six years—or even 20—you can return when the time is right, rediscover your old voice, and decide what the story should become. Do not write only because you expect to become rich. Write because you love creating, because the characters refuse to leave you alone, and because finishing something meaningful is already a victory. CONNECT WITH T.A. THOMPSON Official website: https://tathompsonwriter.com/ Purchase The Mark on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mark-T-Thompson/dp/1969818484 The Mark blends dystopian tension, biological catastrophe, moral ambiguity, motherhood, survival, sacrifice, and immersive world-building into a dark story where every decision carries consequences. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #TAThompson #TheMark #DystopianFiction #PostApocalypticFiction #AuthorInterview #WritingCommunity #WorldBuilding #CreativeWriting #AspiringAuthors To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

SERVANT LEADERSHIP SCALES FASTER: KURT UHLIR ON BUILDING HIGH-PERFORMANCE TEAMS What would break inside your company if you received 100 times more customers tomorrow? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Kurt Uhlir, a chief marketing officer, growth catalyst, keynote speaker, and operating executive known as the “King of Scaling.” Kurt helped take a company public for $880 million before it was later sold for $8 billion. Today, he applies lessons from major enterprises to companies generating between $10 million and $200 million that want to add another zero to their revenue. True scaling is not simply hiring more people or increasing sales. It requires building systems, developing leaders, documenting essential processes, and creating a culture that can withstand rapid growth without collapsing under pressure. Kurt begins with an uncomfortable truth: every leader is probably wrong about at least three important things inside the business. Great leaders create an environment where employees can challenge assumptions, expose problems, and help the company correct course before two years of mistakes pile up. Leaders must also separate decisions into distinct time horizons: short-term, midterm, and long-term. If those conversations are blended together, employees may interpret every discussion as pressure to hit immediate numbers. Clear timeframes give teams permission to invest in outcomes that may not produce revenue for months or years. The conversation then explores the difference between authoritative and servant leadership. An authoritative leader focuses on specific activities: “Do exactly what I say, exactly how I say it, by the deadline I set.” A servant leader establishes the business outcome and asks, “What can I do to help you achieve it?” Servant leadership is not soft leadership. It requires clarity, accountability, transparency, healthy conflict, and sometimes difficult decisions. Empathy is one tool in the toolbox—but it cannot replace vision, standards, or results. In this episode, you will discover: • Why growth and true scaling are not the same thing • What would break if your customer base suddenly increased 100 times • Why leaders must actively search for what they are wrong about • How to separate short-, mid-, and long-term priorities • The difference between leading and lagging indicators • Why teams need outcomes instead of lists of activities • How authoritative leadership encourages employees to hide problems • Why leaders must publicly acknowledge their own failures • How transparency makes company values believable • What it means to have strong opinions held loosely • Why meetings need an agenda and a defined outcome • How documentation prevents one employee from becoming the entire system • Why rewarding healthy conflict strengthens company culture • How servant leadership supports employees during personal crises • Why accountability should never arrive as a surprise • How to identify employees capable of growing into larger roles YOUR COMPANY IS NOT A FAMILY Kurt challenges leaders to stop describing their companies as families. You do not fire your brother, sister, aunt, or child. A company is better understood as a professional sports team. Every person deserves respect, coaching, clear expectations, and an opportunity to improve—but every player must contribute to the team’s required outcomes. When someone is not right for a particular role, a servant leader does not blindside them. The leader communicates expectations, provides training, works beside them, and determines whether another position or organization would better fit that person’s strengths. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Servant leadership does not slow growth. When practiced correctly, it produces faster, stronger, and more resilient organizations. Set clear outcomes. Give your people room to determine how to reach them. Encourage healthy disagreement. Admit when you fail to demonstrate the values you expect from others. Then serve shoulder-to-shoulder with your team. Empathy matters, but it is only a tool. A servant leader still needs a destination, a standard, and the courage to make difficult decisions. You are not there merely to be nice. You are there to help people succeed while moving the entire organization toward a shared outcome. CONNECT WITH KURT UHLIR Website: https://kurtuhlir.com/ Explore Kurt’s insights on servant leadership, resilient company cultures, modern go-to-market systems, high-performance teams, and sustainable business growth. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #KurtUhlir #ServantLeadership #BusinessGrowth #ScalingCompanies #Leadership #HighPerformanceTeams #CompanyCulture #Entrepreneurship #BusinessStrategy To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

ONE MORE PLAY CHANGED EVERYTHING: JAMES PERDUE’S ABCs OF PERSEVERANCE What do you do when one unexpected moment destroys the future you spent your entire life building? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Dr. James Perdue—the Professor of Perseverance—for a powerful conversation about accepting adversity, beginning the battle, and conquering life’s greatest challenges. At 19, James arrived at college on a baseball scholarship with professional scouts watching his progress. He was the only freshman starting for his team and dreamed of becoming a professional player. Then he agreed to play one more play in a pickup football game. James carried the ball, broke several tackles, and scored a touchdown. After the play was over, another player hit him near the shoulder. James heard a loud pop and fell to the ground. When he tried to stand, nothing below his head followed. Three cervical vertebrae—C4, C5, and C6—were fractured. James was instantly paralyzed. Doctors warned that he might never move below his neck, and his family was advised to place him in a nursing home. Fortunately, James and his family were too stubborn to accept that as the end of his story. His athletic competitiveness became fuel for a new challenge. After years of pursuing rehabilitation and searching for a way to walk again, James accepted that he needed to create a meaningful life using the abilities he still possessed. He returned to college, earned advanced degrees, became an award-winning educator, and entered coaching without knowing much about basketball. By learning, adapting, and refusing to quit, James helped lead teams to repeated county championship appearances and a state championship. James also advocated for accessible recreation in his community. What began as a request for a wheelchair-accessible baseball field eventually helped inspire an inclusive park project where children with and without disabilities could play together. His story is not about pretending adversity does not hurt. It is about facing reality, developing a plan, learning from people who have traveled a similar road, and using what works to move forward. In this episode, you will discover: • How one final football play changed James’s life forever • Why his competitive spirit became a tool for survival • How acceptance differs from surrender • Why James searched for rehabilitation options for five years • How he redirected his athletic discipline toward education • What coaching taught him about leadership, humility, and compassion • Why winning should never require humiliating another person • How accessible spaces create opportunities for entire communities • Why forgiveness can release burdens carried for decades • How James became known as the Professor of Perseverance • Why mentorship can provide shortcuts through difficult seasons • How to apply James’s ABC approach to your own adversity THE ABCs OF OVERCOMING ADVERSITY A — ACCEPT YOUR ADVERSITY Acceptance does not mean that you approve of what happened or stop hoping for something better. It means recognizing the reality in front of you so you can begin developing a workable plan. B — BEGIN YOUR BATTLE Find people who have faced something similar. Ask questions, seek mentors, study available resources, and learn from their experience. You may feel alone, but someone else has probably walked a road close enough to help guide you. C — CONQUER YOUR CHALLENGE Put what you have learned into action. If one strategy fails, it does not mean the effort was wasted—it only means that approach was not right for you. Adjust the plan, keep moving, and build the best life possible with the cards you were dealt. SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN When you are going through a storm, keep moving through it. You do not have to like the adversity in front of you, but running from it may only keep you trapped inside it longer. Accept what has arrived, begin your battle, and take the next available step. When you finally see light at the end of the tunnel, make sure it is not another train—and then keep rolling toward it. CONNECT WITH DR. JAMES PERDUE Website: https://professorofperseverance.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/professorofperseverance/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamesPerdueSpeaks/ Professor of Perseverance Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/professor-of-perseverance-podcast/id1518353436 #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #JamesPerdue #ProfessorOfPerseverance #Perseverance #OvercomingAdversity #Resilience #DisabilityAwareness #InclusiveSports #Leadership #NeverGiveUp To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

PERFECT IS THE ENEMY OF HEALING: MALISA HEPNER ON TRAUMA, SELF-LOVE & REAL CONNECTION What if the pressure to become “perfect” is the very thing keeping you stuck? On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave sits down with Oklahoma-based therapist, podcast host, speaker, and workbook creator Malisa Hepner for a deeply honest conversation about trauma, perfectionism, emotional awareness, and the healing power of human connection. Malisa survived an incredibly traumatic childhood and entered adulthood believing those experiences had not significantly affected her. A serious mental-health crisis forced her to confront the truth: the past was still present, influencing her emotions, relationships, and sense of self. Her desire to survive—and eventually heal—led her to leave her job, open a private practice, and launch the Emotionally Unavailable podcast. What began as a personal exploration became a lifeline and a place where Malisa could practice vulnerability, connect with others, and discover practical tools for healing. Malisa and Dave explore the enormous difference between knowing about mental-health tools and actually using them. You can understand every concept, collect every resource, and still struggle if you never reach into your toolbox when life becomes difficult. They also challenge the illusion that healing should follow a clean, predictable path. Phoenix moments rarely look like they do in the movies. Sometimes you rise, fall again, and need another spark—your own or one borrowed from someone who reminds you that you still matter. Malisa explains how perfectionism keeps us frozen by convincing us that our lives, relationships, creative work, and recovery must look a certain way. Her decision to begin podcasting without perfect equipment, a flawless plan, or all the answers taught her a liberating lesson: imperfect action can create connection, growth, and purpose. The conversation also turns toward the body as a powerful communicator. Tightness in the chest, a clenched jaw, tension in the shoulders, agitation, fatigue, and other sensations can reveal feelings we have ignored or intellectualized. By becoming curious instead of judgmental, we can learn what our bodies need and respond with greater care. Healing does not mean you will never be triggered again. It means you develop healthier ways to recognize, process, and respond to what happens. Accountability does not require self-crucifixion. You can acknowledge a mistake, repair the harm, and choose a different response without declaring yourself broken or unworthy. In this episode, you will discover: • Why perfectionism can prevent healing, creativity, and meaningful action • The difference between trauma dumping and genuine emotional availability • Why knowing your mental-health tools is not the same as using them • How curiosity can interrupt catastrophic thinking and harsh self-judgment • Why your body may recognize an emotion before your conscious mind does • Simple ways to notice and release emotional energy • How hunger, exhaustion, agitation, and a need for solitude affect reactions • Why healing does not eliminate triggers—it changes how you respond • How to replace self-deprecating language with compassionate accountability • Why authentic connection is essential to emotional well-being • How the belief that everything must look a certain way keeps us stuck • Why “perfect is the enemy of good” can become a life-changing practice SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN Connection is essential to our survival, yet the subconscious mind may build barriers between us and other people in an attempt to keep us safe. When you notice disconnection in an existing or potential relationship, become curious. Ask yourself what fear, belief, or past wound may be encouraging you to withdraw. Awareness can reveal the walls you have built—and help you begin taking them down. You do not need to heal perfectly. You only need the courage to notice, feel, connect, and keep practicing. CONNECT WITH MALISA HEPNER Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malisa.hepner/ Follow Malisa for conversations and resources surrounding trauma recovery, emotional awareness, vulnerability, self-love, and authentic connection. Her podcast and additional resources are available through the links in her Instagram bio. Important note: This episode discusses trauma, suicide, mental-health treatment, and medication. The experiences shared are personal and are not a substitute for professional medical or mental-health advice. If you are struggling or in immediate danger, contact emergency services or call or text 988 in the United States. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #MalisaHepner #TraumaHealing #MentalHealthAwareness #Perfectionism #SelfLove #EmotionalHealing #EmotionalAwareness #AuthenticConnection #Therapy #Vulnerability #SelfCompassion #PersonalGrowth #HealingJourney #Podcast To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

DAVID NASSIEF: FIRED AT 63—FINANCIALLY FREE BY 69 What happens when a successful 40-year career ends and you discover that earning good money never taught you how to build lasting wealth? In this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes David Nassief, entrepreneur, financial educator, and author of One-Page Wealth Compass: Fired at 63, Nearly Broke—Safely a Millionaire by 69. At 63, David was fired after spending 18 years with the same company. When he calculated his family’s finances, the result terrified him: even after draining their savings and retirement accounts, he believed they could be broke by 65. The hardest moment was not leaving the company. It was driving home and wondering how he would tell his wife, Mary, that the future they had built over 30 years was suddenly in danger. David began applying for jobs, but employers showed little interest in hiring someone his age. He also knew that returning to corporate life was the last thing he wanted. With few alternatives, David became an independent sales agent working entirely on commission. He had no salary, benefits, safety net, or guarantee that his gamble would work. The first months were brutal. David made cold calls, endured constant rejection, and committed every rookie mistake available. Looking back, he believes that resistance developed the mental strength required for what came next. After 10 months, David was earning more than his previous six-figure corporate salary. For a brief moment, he believed he had solved the problem. Then he confronted a harder truth: He had earned good money for decades and still reached the edge of financial collapse. Making money and building wealth were different skills. David began studying personal finance intensely. He read 21 books, followed 13 podcasts, and reviewed blogs and newsletters. Whenever he discovered a useful principle, he wrote it down and continued simplifying it until everything fit on one page. His inspiration came from an experiment involving people attempting to walk straight through a forest without a visible point of reference. Although they believed they were moving forward, many gradually traveled in circles. David realized that this described his financial life. He had worked hard, moved quickly, and earned well—but without a reliable reference point, he repeatedly circled back to the same problems. He needed a compass. The One-Page Wealth Compass combines nine trail markers for progressing toward financial independence with five North Star principles designed to prevent costly distractions. It offers the 30,000-foot view, while David’s book provides the detailed ground-level steps. The system begins with career and income because many people are underemployed, underpaid, or undervalued. It then addresses spending, debt, emergency savings, investing, financial independence, and what David calls graduating into your “next adventure.” David does not believe retirement should mean abandoning purpose. A career may provide structure, relationships, movement, and meaning. Without a plan for what comes next, endless leisure can eventually feel empty. Financial independence creates choices. It allows someone to work because the mission matters—not simply because the bills demand it. David also explains why simplicity matters. Financial complexity can leave ordinary people intimidated, dependent, and inactive. His goal is to help readers understand basic principles, recognize unnecessary costs, and stop postponing the decisions that shape their futures. In this episode, you will discover: • How being fired at 63 changed David’s direction • Why earning money and building wealth are different skills • How rejection strengthened his entrepreneurial mindset • Why financial progress requires a visible point of reference • What the One-Page Wealth Compass contains • Why career and income belong in a financial plan • How overlooked fees may reduce long-term results • Why procrastination can become extremely expensive • What it means to graduate into your next adventure • Why clear direction beats misdirected speed David’s seed for the magic garden is simple: Clear direction beats misdirected speed every time. For 40 years, David moved quickly without reaching the financial destination he wanted. Once he created a clear direction, he says he accomplished more in six years than during the previous four decades. The best time to begin may have been years ago. The next-best time is today. David does not promise that everyone will become a millionaire in six years. His message is that consistent action and clear direction can place someone in a stronger position than remaining frozen by fear or confusion. Connect with David: Free Compass: https://onepagewealthcompass.com/free Book: One-Page Wealth Compass: Fired at 63, Nearly Broke—Safely a Millionaire by 69 Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G5JPX17R The book title and author information are confirmed through David Nassief’s official Amazon listing. This episode is educational and does not provide individualized financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Bring peace and love into your life. When necessary, bring a bat, choose clarity over complexity, take responsibility for your direction, and hit your sweet spot. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #UncleDave #DavidNassief #OnePageWealthCompass #FinancialFreedom #PersonalFinance #RetirementPlanning #Entrepreneurship #WealthBuilding #NeverTooLate To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

  What happens after a major loss when the world expects you to move forward—but you no longer recognize the life or identity you have been left with? In this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Lynn Banis, executive coach, leadership-development professional, grief-transformation guide, and founder of Women Rising Together. Lynn shares how three devastating losses inspired her to help women rediscover their identities, rebuild their lives, and move toward purpose and joy. Lynn spent much of her career working with a major global consulting firm, where she coached executives and developed leaders. Her work centered on helping people recognize their strengths, navigate crises, and become the best versions of themselves. Then grief arrived in waves. Lynn’s 106-year-old mother, who had been living with her, passed away. Nine months later, Lynn received a call informing her that her younger brother had died from a massive heart attack. Several months after that, her husband, Bill, died unexpectedly from complications following surgery. Within approximately two and a half years, Lynn lost three of the most important people in her life. A few months after her husband’s death, Lynn looked around their five-bedroom home, pool, and large yard and realized she could no longer manage everything. She quickly sold the house and downsized—something she now cautions people against doing while overwhelmed by fresh grief. After the move, Lynn’s body forced her to stop. She spent three months recovering physically and emotionally from the accumulated pressure, loss, and major life changes. As the fog began to lift, Lynn recognized that her professional experience had given her tools that could help others. She reviewed what had helped her, what had failed, and what had been missing. That reflection eventually became a transformation program for women rebuilding after significant loss. Lynn does not focus on the earliest stage of grief, when emotions may be too intense for major decisions. Her work begins when someone reaches the point of saying, “I cannot remain here, but I do not know what comes next.” Loss changes more than circumstances. It can remove identities built around being someone’s spouse, caregiver, employee, leader, mother, or provider. When those roles disappear, people may no longer know who they are or where they belong. Lynn helps women peel away outdated stories, limiting beliefs, and expectations accumulated throughout life. They examine their values, strengths, moments of flow, supportive environments, and the activities that make them feel most alive. That information becomes the foundation for a new vision. The process continues inside a supportive community where women can share experiences without being judged, rushed, or “fixed.” Lynn believes transformation happens through connection because people do not heal in isolation. The conversation also explores how friends and family can support someone grieving. You do not need perfect words. Call, visit, sit quietly, offer coffee, or simply say, “I’m thinking about you, and I love you.” Presence is often more valuable than advice. For the person experiencing grief, early steps can be small. Sit outside. Take a short walk. Feel the sunlight. Speak with someone safe. Attend the pity party when necessary—but do not move in and start forwarding your mail. Grief is not something we simply “get over.” We learn to carry it differently while creating room for purpose, relationships, laughter, and joy to return. In this episode, you will discover: • How three major losses changed Lynn’s life and work • Why grief can create a profound identity crisis • Why major decisions during fresh grief require caution • How isolation can delay healing • What friends can say when they do not know what to say • Why nature and movement can become valuable first steps • How values may change after a significant loss • Why rebuilding is different from recreating the past • How community supports lasting transformation • Why purposeful action matters more than empty affirmations Lynn’s seed for the magic garden is this: Everything you have experienced has already developed capabilities within you. Those strengths have not disappeared. You may simply need help recognizing and accessing them. Instead of demanding that you already be healed, tell yourself, “I am on the path,” or “I am working toward my next chapter.” Honor what you lost without building your permanent home inside the loss. Your future will not duplicate your past—but it can still contain meaning, purpose, community, and joy. Connect with Lynn: Women Rising Together: https://womenrisingtogether.org Resources: Next Chapter Workbook and grief-support materials available through her platform Bring peace and love into your life. When necessary, bring a bat, reach for community, take the next small step, and hit your sweet spot. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #UncleDave #LynnBanis #WomenRisingTogether #GriefSupport #LifeAfterLoss #Transformation #Community #Healing #Purpose To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

HENRY MIMS: MORE THAN LOVE NOTES AND LAUGHTER What does it take to build a relationship that survives mistakes, difficult conversations, personal growth, and the realities of everyday life? In this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Henry Mims, realtor, coach, husband, father, and co-author of More Than Love Notes and Laughter: Hen and Danny’s Guide to Building a Relationship Beyond the Ordinary. Henry shares how hearing loss, family tragedy, anger, legal trouble, fatherhood, self-discovery, and grace helped transform him into the man and husband he is today. Shortly after birth, Henry contracted bacterial meningitis. By age three, his family discovered that he was deaf. Before his hearing loss was understood, adults believed he had behavioral problems—especially because he reacted aggressively toward his mother, whose higher-pitched voice he could not hear. Henry is now approximately 95 percent deaf and communicates largely by reading lips and interpreting body language. His desire to understand people became part of a lifelong effort to understand himself and the human condition. Raised in Florida by a Cuban immigrant mother and a Southern father, Henry grew up in a household where excuses carried little weight. His mother fled Cuba after Castro’s rise, learned English, and built a new life in America. When Henry was 14, his father died from cancer. Grief, anger, and poor decisions eventually led Henry into serious legal trouble. He found himself facing the possibility of decades behind bars. Receiving pretrial intervention gave him another opportunity—but discovering that he had a daughter gave him a reason to use it. Henry looked at the people and dangers surrounding his life and realized they could eventually reach his child. He decided he was finished with that path. Years later, after a marriage ended, Henry found himself alone and unsure of his identity. Instead of rushing into another relationship, he began dating himself. He went to restaurants and movies alone, explored new interests, and learned how to enjoy his own company. He discovered that loving yourself is not merely positive self-talk. It means sitting honestly with your flaws, accepting responsibility for your choices, and deciding what you want your life to become. That inner work prepared Henry to reconnect with Danny, the woman he affectionately calls “Love.” Their paths had nearly crossed several times through mutual friends. After months of friendship, one dinner lasted until the restaurant closed—and continued for another two hours in the parking lot. Their relationship became the foundation for More Than Love Notes and Laughter. Henry explains that healthy love is not constant agreement, empty niceness, or avoiding difficult conversations. It requires communication, accountability, correction, trust, freedom, and grace. Henry and Danny recognize that each of them has different strengths. When a decision falls within Danny’s expertise, Henry defers to her. When he makes the final decision, he accepts responsibility for the result. If either person gets something wrong, they examine what happened without humiliating the other or keeping score. They also give one another space to have difficult days. If Henry needs quiet, Danny does not punish him for withdrawing. When he is ready to reconnect, she welcomes him rather than demanding payment for the time apart. That experience taught Henry the power of receiving grace—not merely offering it. The conversation also explores Henry’s transformation from anger to awareness. He eventually recognized that many conflicts began with his own words, reactions, expectations, or unresolved emotions. Instead of blaming everyone around him, he began filling his own emotional cup and giving others only from what genuinely overflowed. In this episode, you will discover: • How deafness shaped Henry’s understanding of people • Why fatherhood inspired him to leave a dangerous path • How he rebuilt his identity after divorce • What it means to learn how to love yourself • Why grace is essential in a lasting relationship • How couples can make decisions without competing for control • Why responsibility must accompany leadership • How Henry learned to recognize his role in conflict • Why kindness is more meaningful than simply being nice • How correction can become an expression of genuine love Henry’s seed for the magic garden is to understand the difference between niceness and kindness. Niceness often avoids discomfort. Kindness carries a sincere desire to help another person become the best version of themselves—even when that requires an honest conversation. Love does not mean ignoring someone’s flaws. It means standing beside that person as they confront those flaws, while allowing them to do the same for you. As one of Henry’s friends reminded him during a difficult business season: You cannot pray for strength and then complain about the workout. Growth is rarely comfortable, but difficult seasons often become the ground where the strongest things grow. Connect with Henry: Book: More Than Love Notes and Laughter: Hen and Danny’s Guide to Building a Relationship Beyond the Ordinary Available in Kindle, paperback, and hardcover editions on Amazon Bring peace and love into your life. When necessary, bring a bat, choose kindness over empty niceness, accept responsibility, extend grace, and hit your sweet spot. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #UncleDave #HenryMims #MoreThanLoveNotesAndLaughter #Marriage #Relationships #SelfLove #Grace #Kindness #PersonalGrowth To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

BONNIE LIOTTA: CHAMPIONS ARE NOT BORN—THEY ARE CREATED What if children struggling with cooperation do not need harsher punishment—but clearer guidance, meaningful goals, and someone willing to show them how to succeed? In this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Bonnie Liotta, parenting educator, speaker, and co-creator of Creating Champions for Life. Bonnie shares how a painful childhood, teenage pregnancy, entrepreneurship, personal development, and struggles inside her own home led her to develop a different approach to raising capable, confident, and independent children. Bonnie grew up feeling unseen and unworthy. Her family home burned down when she was six, her stepfather survived a plane crash when she was 11, and Bonnie found herself carrying adult responsibilities while still a child. She left home at 15 and became a teenage mother while searching for the love and acceptance she believed she lacked. Her direction changed after answering a newspaper advertisement requiring no education or experience. The job involved selling vacuum cleaners door to door in the freezing Alberta winter. Terrified, Bonnie spent hours pretending to knock until she finally forced herself to take the first step. She stumbled through the presentation but sold the vacuum and earned $600. More importantly, the company introduced her to Think and Grow Rich and the concept of intentionally setting goals. Bonnie immediately realized that if she had understood success principles as a child, she might have made different decisions. She promised her father that she would find a way to help children recognize their greatness before age 12. That mission required years of personal growth. Bonnie became successful in sales and network marketing, eventually building a team of more than 17,000 people and ranking among the top performers in her industry. However, the leadership principles she taught professionally were missing from her parenting. At home, Bonnie was overwhelmed. Her four children struggled with behavior, anxiety, depression, ADHD, and oppositional patterns. Timeouts, takeaways, lectures, and attempts to force compliance were creating more conflict—not cooperation. Bonnie would speak publicly about human potential and then cry privately because she felt like a failure as a mother. Her breakthrough came after meeting Thomas Liotta, who later became her husband. Bonnie watched Thomas communicate with her children using the same goal-setting and leadership principles she used to develop adults. He asked what the children wanted, helped them create plans, demonstrated the necessary skills, and allowed them to experience the connection between their choices and results. Because the children felt important and understood their “why,” they began participating willingly. Bonnie realized she had encouraged independence in business while doing too much for her children. She taught professional teams to develop burning desires but gave her children nearly everything they requested without allowing them to earn, practice, or grow. Together, Bonnie and Thomas developed Creating Champions for Life, a parenting philosophy built around guiding rather than controlling children. Bonnie encourages parents to identify what their children genuinely want and connect those desires to parent-approved plans. This is different from offering an unrelated bribe. A child who wants a video game, phone, special treat, or additional privilege can learn exactly which constructive actions will help make that goal possible. The conversation also examines why expectations must be taught before they are enforced. Parents frequently become frustrated when children fail to complete skills they have never practiced. Bonnie recommends role-playing routines such as getting ready for school, making a bed, putting away shoes, carrying groceries, ordering food, or speaking respectfully to an employee. Children need repetition, feedback, encouragement, and the opportunity to try again. Before someone can become great at a skill, they must be allowed to perform it imperfectly. In this episode, you will discover: • How Bonnie’s difficult childhood shaped her parenting mission • Why one terrifying knock changed her life • How goal setting helped her overcome limiting beliefs • Why professional success did not automatically create peace at home • How leadership principles can strengthen parenting • Why children need guidance before correction • How role-playing teaches practical life skills • Why listening to a child’s desires does not require immediate agreement • How parent-approved plans build internal motivation • Why parents must give themselves grace while learning new tools Bonnie’s seed for the magic garden is this: Champions are not born—they are created through practice, perseverance, guidance, and repeated opportunities to rise. Instead of parenting reactively, decide what skills your child needs before adulthood. Create a list and teach those skills intentionally. Demonstrate them, practice together, allow mistakes, and adjust along the way. The goal is not merely to raise children who obey. It is to develop adults who believe in themselves and can build meaningful lives independently. Connect with Bonnie: Website: https://creatingchampionsforlife.com Bring peace and love into your life. When necessary, bring a bat, replace reaction with intention, guide your children toward greatness, and hit your sweet spot. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #UncleDave #BonnieLiotta #CreatingChampionsForLife #Parenting #PositiveParenting #IntentionalParenting #GoalSetting #RaisingChampions #FamilyLeadership To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

ZAC DEANE: THE SLOW WAY IS THE FAST WAY What if the quickest route to lasting success is refusing the shortcuts that promise immediate results? In this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Zac Deane, entrepreneur, speaker, podcaster, wellness advocate, and creator of the Life Blueprint System. Zac shares how overcoming self-doubt, embracing faith, traveling the world, and choosing purpose over instant gratification transformed his understanding of health, wealth, relationships, and success. Raised in Australia by four entrepreneurial parental figures, Zac learned early to think differently and solve problems independently. His education at a Rudolf Steiner school emphasized mythology, art, music, movement, nature, and creativity. Although he later struggled to adjust to traditional education, that unconventional foundation helped him develop a broader and more curious view of life. As a teenager, Zac had little confidence. He avoided public speaking, rarely raised his hand, and spent long stretches playing computer games. His inner dialogue repeatedly told him that he was not smart enough or good enough. Instead of accepting those limitations, Zac intentionally entered situations that made him uncomfortable. He pursued acting, telemarketing, door-to-door sales, and public communication. Rejection gradually became training rather than evidence that he should remain silent. Zac eventually combined his interests in entrepreneurship, health, and personal development. He built large network-marketing organizations, including one with approximately 10,000 members, and helped generate millions of dollars in business. That success gave him the freedom to travel extensively and experience different cultures, religions, communities, and definitions of wealth. Through those experiences, Zac recognized two possible paths. The first is the path of convenience—quick money, instant health, rushed relationships, immediate pleasure, and shortcuts promising dramatic transformation. It can feel exciting, but Zac found that it often produces instability and chaos. The second is the slower path of discipline, humility, patience, consistency, truth, and service. It may not provide immediate rewards, but it creates the foundation for lasting health, meaningful relationships, sustainable business, and a purpose-driven life. “The slow way is the fast way” became one of Zac’s central lessons. The conversation also explores Zac’s spiritual journey. He did not grow up regularly attending church or studying the Bible. In adulthood, several intense experiences led him to investigate Christianity, faith, good, evil, and the deeper meaning of his life. As his faith developed, his definition of wealth changed. Wealth was no longer merely money, status, influence, or freedom. It also included strong relationships, family, service, health, integrity, and the positive effect we have on another person’s life. Zac believes entrepreneurship can strengthen character while helping communities create solutions. Business, however, becomes most meaningful when purpose leads and profit follows. Building something worthwhile requires genuine relationships rather than purely transactional connections. Uncle Dave and Zac discuss the importance of unlearning beliefs inherited from families, schools, entertainment, and society. Popularity does not make a behavior wise, and social proof does not guarantee truth. Growth requires examining what we believe, deciding whether it still serves us, and choosing our values intentionally. Goal setting has remained one of Zac’s strongest tools during periods of uncertainty and transition. He develops 10-year goals and works backward into annual, 90-day, monthly, weekly, and daily actions. This process keeps his immediate choices aligned with the larger life he wants to build. In this episode, you will discover: • How Zac transformed self-doubt into confident communication • Why rejection can become personal-growth training • The difference between convenience and lasting fulfillment • Why quick fixes often create long-term chaos • How faith changed Zac’s understanding of wealth • Why purpose should lead profit • How travel reshaped his views on family and community • Why unlearning can be as important as learning • How long-term goals sharpen present-day decisions • Why your attention is one of your most valuable resources Zac’s seed for the magic garden is his Life Blueprint System. Envision where you want to be in 10 years across the most important areas of your life. Then ask whether today’s actions are moving you toward that vision. If you want a family, are your present choices preparing you for one? If you want health, wealth, meaningful relationships, or a stronger spiritual life, are your habits building those outcomes—or quietly pulling you away from them? Life does not always follow our plans, but direction matters. Set the vision, remain present, review your progress, and keep choosing actions aligned with your values. Connect with Zac: Website: https://zacdeane.com Podcast: The Breakthrough Moment Podcast Email: [email protected] Bring peace and love into your life. When necessary, bring a bat, reject the shortcut, choose purpose over convenience, and hit your sweet spot. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #UncleDave #ZacDeane #TheBreakthroughMoment #Entrepreneurship #PurposeOverProfit #GoalSetting #PersonalGrowth #Faith #Authenticity To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

MATT RAI: YOUR THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR IDENTITY What if mindfulness is not about silencing your mind—but learning to observe it without allowing every thought to control you? In this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Matt Rai, a mindfulness and resilience coach, musician, father, and founder of Schools for Nepal. Matt shares how international experiences, personal loss, neurodivergence, service, and self-awareness shaped his approach to helping people create meaningful inner and outer change. Born in the United Kingdom to a family of Indian heritage, Matt lived with his grandparents in rural Punjab when he was young. Moving from a privileged British upbringing into a community with fewer resources transformed his perspective. Everyday comforts such as warm showers and refrigerated milk suddenly felt like luxuries. Matt later lived in Canada before moving to Australia, where he has spent the past 15 years and is raising two children. His experiences across different cultures taught him that perspective changes when we step outside the world we know. That awareness eventually inspired Matt to establish Schools for Nepal. The volunteer-run charity helps provide educational opportunities in rural Nepal, particularly for girls who might otherwise never attend school. Matt cannot solve every global inequality, but he can act within his circle of influence and help individual communities. Matt also speaks candidly about losing his mother to a heroin overdose. She had been a successful, compassionate nurse before a series of decisions and difficult reactions to adversity changed her life. Her death reinforced Matt’s belief that resilience is not simply about what happens to us—it is about developing the awareness needed to choose our response. The conversation challenges popular definitions of mindfulness, meditation, and resilience. Matt believes these words are often repeated without being understood. Mindfulness is not forcing ourselves to think positively or achieving a completely empty mind. It begins by noticing our thoughts without immediately identifying with or judging them. Recurring thoughts such as “I’m not good enough,” “What if I fail?” or “I’m not worthy” can feel like facts because they have repeated for years. Matt encourages people to notice the voice, say its message aloud, and ask where it appears physically—in the throat, chest, stomach, or another part of the body. Once we observe a thought, we create separation between the thought and our deeper identity. Instead of saying, “I am not good enough,” we can recognize, “There is the voice telling me I’m not good enough again.” Matt sometimes invites clients to turn this voice into a character. Who does it resemble? How old is it? Where did it originate? What is it attempting to accomplish? Although the voice may feel destructive, it often developed as an attempt to protect us from rejection, danger, embarrassment, or pain. Rather than attacking that frightened part of ourselves, Matt encourages curiosity and compassion. Asking, “How is this voice trying to serve me?” can fundamentally change our relationship with it. Mindfulness must also be practical. Matt helps clients build routines that fit their actual lives. Instead of prescribing an unrealistic hour of meditation, he may begin with five minutes. The individual chooses the time, location, environment, and ritual—perhaps sitting on a bed after the children leave for school and lighting a candle before looking at a phone. Progress begins by deciding that the practice is worthwhile, identifying potential obstacles, and taking one manageable step. Matt also discusses being diagnosed later in life with ADHD and autism after his son received similar diagnoses. He explains that ADHD does not necessarily mean someone cannot focus. Many neurodivergent people can concentrate intensely on subjects they find meaningful while struggling with tasks that feel disconnected from their interests. Purpose matters. When people understand what they genuinely want and why it matters, focus becomes easier. Practical systems, small habits, medication when appropriate, and self-awareness can all help—but meaningful change cannot be forced upon someone unwilling to participate. In this episode, you will discover: • Why mindfulness begins with observing your thoughts • How to separate recurring thoughts from your identity • Why negative inner voices may be attempting to protect you • How physical sensations reveal emotional patterns • Why five intentional minutes can begin a lasting practice • How ADHD can involve hyperfocus as well as distraction • Why purpose and passion influence concentration • How service transformed Matt’s perspective on gratitude • Why inner change must precede sustainable outer change • How compassion creates space between stimulus and response Matt’s seed for the magic garden is to identify your most persistent negative message. Write it down. Notice its voice, age, personality, and physical location. Give it a character if that helps. Then become curious about why it exists and how it may be trying to protect you. You are experiencing the thought—but the thought is not the entirety of who you are. Connect with Matt: Website: https://mat Rai.com.au Name Search: Matt Rai Charity: Schools for Nepal EP: Silence As Bombs Fall Down Music: Available on major streaming platforms Bring peace and love into your life. When necessary, bring a bat, observe your thoughts, give yourself grace, serve where you can, and hit your sweet spot. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #UncleDave #MattRai #Mindfulness #Resilience #SelfAwareness #Meditation #ADHD #Autism #Neurodiversity #SchoolsForNepal #PersonalGrowth To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547    

MARTIN MAYR: FROM CONCERT HALLS TO HOSPITAL WALLS—AND BACK AGAIN What happens when the physical ability behind your life’s passion suddenly disappears? In this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Martin Mayr, a Canadian neoclassical concert pianist and composer whose remarkable career—and painful road back to the piano—offers a powerful lesson in resilience, advocacy, and hope. Martin’s professional journey began when he made a $35,000 bet on himself at age 18. He independently produced, filmed, and recorded his first concert, hoping it would attract attention in Canada or the United States. Instead, a performing-arts agency in China discovered his music online and invited him on a 16-city tour. Almost overnight, Martin went from performing one self-produced concert to appearing on billboards, receiving police escorts, and being surrounded by fans seeking autographs. By 2019, Martin was performing across 20 cities in 30 days. Then, while returning home from the tour, a hotel shuttle stopped abruptly. Martin flew forward into his luggage, dislocating his left pinky and spraining a finger on his right hand. For a concert pianist, the accident threatened far more than his next performance. It threatened his career, identity, independence, and reason for getting up each morning. What followed were four and a half years involving 21 specialists, 233 medical appointments, major surgery, intense pain, and countless unanswered questions. The struggle became even more isolating when the COVID-19 pandemic caused medical offices to close and delayed access to care. Medication initially concealed the severity of Martin’s injuries. He continued playing because the pain signals were being blocked—but the underlying damage remained. As the medication was reduced, the pain became overwhelming. Eventually, Martin could no longer cook, drive, shop for groceries, use his phone comfortably, or lift a teacup. Playing professionally was no longer the immediate goal. He first had to find a way to live as a human being without constant pain. Martin candidly discusses the grief of losing the identity he had built over decades. He describes setting aside “Martin the musician” and focusing on Martin the person. That emotional separation felt like hanging a treasured suit inside a closet, locking the door, and not knowing whether he would ever wear it again. His search for answers required relentless self-advocacy. When one specialist could not help, Martin found another. A crucial turning point came when a hand specialist recognized that the source of his pain was not actually in his hands. That revelation provided the small glimmer of hope he needed to continue searching. Martin also learned that musicians should be treated like elite athletes. Their bodies endure thousands of repetitive movements, demanding practice schedules, extensive travel, and long performances. Yet many silently perform through significant pain because the industry often stigmatizes injury. Recovery required Martin to rebuild from the ground up. He adjusted the height of his piano bench, changed his posture, learned to generate movement from his shoulders instead of overworking his hands, and incorporated warmups, cooldowns, stretching, nutrition, rest, and intentional self-care. Martin eventually returned to the piano and released Solo Piano Collection, featuring 16 pieces from throughout his career. The collection includes “New Beginnings,” the first piece he wrote and performed after returning to the instrument. Its artwork carries equally personal meaning. The cover features a sunrise Martin painted during art therapy after being asked to imagine what life might look like on the other side of recovery. Together, the painting and composition represent the new beginning he once struggled to believe was possible. In this episode, you will discover: • How Martin’s $35,000 gamble launched an international career • Why one accident led to more than four years of treatment • How chronic pain affected his career, identity, and mental health • Why musicians should be viewed as elite athletes • How self-advocacy helped Martin find the right medical team • Why the source of pain may not be where it appears • How small physical adjustments transformed his playing • Why recovery must begin with manageable steps • How art therapy inspired “New Beginnings” • Why sharing your struggle can help someone feel less alone Martin’s seed for the magic garden is simple but courageous: Share your story. Being the first person to stand up and admit that you are struggling can be frightening, but it gives others permission to stand beside you. Sometimes saying, “I’m struggling too,” is enough to remind another person that they are not alone. Connect with Martin: Website: https://martinmayr.com Music Website: https://martinmayrmusic.com Facebook and Instagram: @iammartinmayr Music: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, and Tidal Bring peace and love into your life. When necessary, bring a bat, advocate for yourself, hold tightly to hope, speak up, and hit your sweet spot. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #UncleDave #MartinMayr #NewBeginnings #SoloPiano #ConcertPianist #ChronicPain #Resilience #MusicianHealth #SelfAdvocacy #MentalWellness

SANDY COHAN: BUILD THE MINDSET TO BECOME UNSHAKABLE What separates high performers from everyone else when pressure rises, failure hits, or the plan falls apart? In this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Sandy Cohan, former hockey player, coach, bestselling author, global speaker, and founder of Mental Edge Hockey. Sandy explains how athletes, leaders, and everyday people can strengthen their mindset, perform under pressure, and maximize their potential. After his playing career ended, Sandy spent years coaching professional, collegiate, Olympic, and youth hockey players. He eventually realized that physical talent alone does not separate good performers from great ones. The missing piece is often mindset. Sandy identifies seven essential qualities: belief, attitude, grit, focus, emotional control, discipline, and self-awareness. These are not emergency tools used only when something goes wrong. They form the foundation beneath everything a person wants to accomplish. Adversity eventually reaches everyone. Sandy believes parents and coaches should not try to prevent every fall. Their responsibility is to teach young people how to get back up. Falling does not automatically mean failure, and failure does not define someone. The important question is: “Now what?” High performers do not necessarily forget difficult moments or completely “get over” them. They learn how to move through them. Instead of remaining trapped in disappointment, they identify the next useful action and return their attention to what they can control. Sandy also explains why success must be clearly defined. Moving through life without a target is like getting into a car and driving without knowing the destination. The target may change, but having direction allows us to evaluate our progress, adjust our behavior, and recognize meaningful victories. Perfection, however, is a dangerous target. It often grows from fear of judgment, criticism, and how others see us. Rather than chasing a flawless outcome, Sandy encourages people to pursue progress and become one percent better every day. True focus does not mean blocking everything out. It means locking in on the right actions. Outcomes matter, but we cannot always control them. We can control our preparation, effort, discipline, attitude, decisions, and response. The conversation explores the important relationship between belief and confidence. Sandy compares confidence to the visible portion of a tree and belief to its roots. Without strong roots, the tree cannot remain standing. Confidence grows when we remember previous successes and create a mental highlight reel of times when we performed well. Thoughts are not facts. A fearful thought does not prove that something bad will happen. Instead of constantly asking, “What if I fail?” Sandy suggests considering the opposite possibility: What if it works? What if this becomes your best decision, performance, or opportunity? Elite performers practice pressure until their responses become familiar. Michael Jordan missed more shots than he made. Alex Ovechkin became hockey’s greatest goal scorer while failing to score on most of his attempts. Their success came from continuing to shoot, trusting their preparation, and focusing on their actions instead of obsessing over statistics. In this episode, you will discover: • Sandy’s seven foundations of a powerful mindset • Why adversity should be navigated rather than avoided • How high performers reset after mistakes • Why focus means locking in—not merely blocking out • How belief creates lasting confidence • Why thoughts should never be confused with facts • How practicing pressure creates dependable responses • Why actions and behaviors matter more than outcomes • How to distinguish between what you want and what you need • Why youth sports should develop better human beings Sandy’s seed for the magic garden centers on self-talk. If you would not say something cruel or destructive to another person, do not say it to yourself. Correct the mistake, learn from it, and prepare for the next opportunity—but do not become your own worst opponent. Ultimately, Sandy is not simply developing better hockey players. He wants to help build stronger human beings who believe in themselves, manage pressure, enter future locker rooms and boardrooms with confidence, and maximize their potential wherever life takes them. Connect with Sandy: Website: https://sandycohan.com Mental Edge Hockey: https://mentaledgehockey.com Instagram: @sandycohanofficial Bring peace and love into your life. When necessary, bring a bat, doubt your doubts, keep shooting, and lock in on the next right action. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #UncleDave #SandyCohan #MentalEdgeHockey #Mindset #MentalPerformance #Confidence #Focus #Resilience #HighPerformance To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

KATE MARKLAND: WHEN ONE HOUR A WEEK BECOMES AN UNBREAKABLE STORY What can a mother and son build when nearly everything is taken from them except one weekly conversation? In this deeply personal episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Kate Markland, former physiotherapist, business consultant, author, and founder of StoryQuest. Kate shares how an agonizing separation from her son, Gabriel, unexpectedly led them to create an Amazon bestselling children’s series—and a storytelling method now inspiring children around the world. Kate spent years running physiotherapy clinics before selling her final practice following the 2020 lockdowns. She then began helping other clinic owners understand what she calls the “anatomy and physiology of a business.” In 2023, Kate and nine-year-old Gabriel left a difficult personal environment to stay with a friend. According to Kate, what followed was a nationwide search, police intervention, family-court proceedings, and the traumatic removal of Gabriel only days before his tenth birthday. Kate recounts watching officers take her barefoot son from the house and place him inside a police van. She says she was not told where he was being taken and later discovered that court proceedings had occurred without her participation. Eventually, she was allowed only one hour of FaceTime contact with Gabriel each week. Faced with a system she believed was unwilling to hear her, Kate made a decision: she would not quit, and she would use every available minute to protect her relationship with her son. At first, Kate read illustrated books to Gabriel during their weekly calls. Storytelling had always been central to their family. Gabriel loved bedtime stories, audiobooks, and creating adventures, while Kate grew up listening to her grandfather recite poems and monologues. After several months, Kate asked Gabriel a simple question: “Shall we make up a story where you’re the hero?” Gabriel immediately began creating a world filled with extraordinary characters and adventures. Kate became his scribe, recording his ideas without correcting or restricting his imagination. During each call, she read the previous story back to him, invited his edits, and helped him continue. After approximately eight weeks, they had created six short stories. Kate organized everything into a Word document merely to clean up her desktop. When Gabriel saw it, he recognized something she had not yet seen. “Mum, it’s a book.” They published The Adventures of Gabriel, which became an Amazon bestseller. What began as a way to preserve their connection became a larger mission centered on children’s creativity, confidence, identity, and self-leadership. Kate realized that her storytelling process mirrored her work as a physiotherapist. Instead of listening for the story behind someone’s pain, she was listening for the worlds inside a child’s imagination. The storyteller speaks freely, a partner acts as the scribe, and the story is read back so its creator can expand and refine it. Kate brought this process into schools. Hundreds of children—including reluctant writers and pupils with different learning needs—were invited to become heroes in their own stories. By separating imagination from the pressure of spelling, grammar, and the blank page, StoryQuest allowed children to focus on one task at a time and discover that their ideas mattered. The stories have since gained attention across the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Canada, the United States, and Argentina. Kate believes children’s stories can cross educational, cultural, and political borders that adults often cannot. In this episode, you will discover: • How Kate transformed weekly FaceTime calls into a bestselling series • Why listening without correcting unlocks a child’s imagination • What “Mum, it’s a book” taught Kate about believing children • How storytelling helped Kate and Gabriel survive separation • Why every child deserves to become the hero of a story • How oral storytelling removes barriers for reluctant writers • Why creativity can build confidence and self-leadership • How children’s stories can cross borders and create connection • Why resilience sometimes means refusing to quit Each book reflects another stage of their journey. The first centers on perseverance. The second introduces a resurrected dodo named Hope and explores the return of hope. The third examines identity and freedom from the prisons, labels, and limitations imposed by others. Kate’s seed for the magic garden comes from Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If,” which her grandfather repeatedly recited to her. She never imagined how deeply she would need its lessons decades later. Her message is a reminder that oral stories, poems, and words planted during childhood can become sources of strength when life demands everything we possess. Connect with Kate: Website: https://storyquestglobal.com LinkedIn: Kate Markland Book Series: The Adventures of Gabriel Bring peace and love into your life. When necessary, bring a bat, never stop listening, refuse to quit, and give every child the freedom to tell their story. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #UncleDave #KateMarkland #StoryQuest #TheAdventuresOfGabriel #ChildrensBooks #Storytelling #Resilience #ChildrensVoices #SelfLeadership #NeverQuit To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

CHIP SCHOLZ: SMALL DECISIONS CREATE BIG SHIFTS What if changing your life does not require one enormous breakthrough—but a series of small, intentional decisions made every day? In this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Chip Scholz, executive coach, speaker, author, woodturner, husband of 42 years, and proud father of three daughters. Chip shares lessons from nearly three decades of coaching leaders, working with family, recovering from a stroke, embracing creativity, and learning when leadership requires letting go. After being laid off from a corporate position in California in 1998, Chip and his family moved to North Carolina. He knew he wanted to work for himself, but he arrived without an established network or local reputation. The first five years were difficult, yet one speaking opportunity at a Rotary Club introduced him to the warehousing and logistics industry. That connection led to regional and national conferences, assessment work, leadership programs, and executive-coaching relationships around the world. Chip has now spent more than 20 years working within logistics and has led one client’s leadership program for 17 years. Chip explains that careers rarely follow straight lines. His guiding phrase is “Semper Gumby”—always flexible. Plans change, opportunities disappear, and unexpected paths open. The key is remaining flexible enough to change direction without abandoning your values. That flexibility became essential after Chip suffered a stroke in 2012. Although he does not want the stroke to define his story, it became a pivotal moment. His wife gave him a lathe for Christmas, introducing him to woodturning. Working with spinning wood demanded concentration, movement, patience, and creativity while helping him rebuild his cognitive abilities. Recovery also required daily action. Chip initially could not walk around the block, but he began making the decision to put on his shoes and walk. Over two years, he walked approximately 3,500 miles and lost 110 pounds. The transformation did not come from one heroic act. It came from repeatedly choosing the next right action. That philosophy inspired his book Small Decisions, Big Shifts. Chip reminds listeners that every decision leads toward an outcome. The routines of work, family, school, and responsibility can create a whirlwind that consumes our attention. Meaningful change begins when we intentionally make room for what matters most. Uncle Dave and Chip also explore delegation, succession, and why many leaders hold on too long. Chip says fear is natural, but leaders must name it, understand it, and discuss it honestly. Delegation requires trust, humility, and the willingness to accept that another person may accomplish the goal differently. Leadership eventually requires a shift from doing to being. Early in our careers, we are rewarded for personal performance. Once we lead others, our responsibility becomes developing people, communicating outcomes, and giving someone else the same opportunity once given to us. Chip believes strong leaders do not need to be the smartest people in the room. They surround themselves with capable people, listen to different perspectives, and remain focused on results—as long as the methods remain legal, moral, and ethical. In this episode, you will discover: • Why small daily choices produce major transformations • How Chip rebuilt his life after a stroke • Why woodturning became part of his recovery • What “Semper Gumby” teaches about flexibility • Why delegation is fundamentally about trust • How identity can prevent leaders from letting go • Why leaders must move from doing to being • How honest coaches and mentors expose blind spots • Why curiosity helps us continue growing at every age • How storytelling can transfer wisdom without controlling others Chip also discusses his books Every Dog Has Its Day: Reflections on Life, Love, and the Lathe and Small Decisions, Big Shifts. His upcoming fiction book, Handoffs, explores an aging owner, his adult son, family-business succession, control, identity, and the difficult process of passing leadership to the next generation. His message is clear: Get over yourself, remain curious, trust capable people, and make the small decisions that move you toward the life you want. You may not control every turn, but you can choose how you respond. Connect with Chip: Books: Small Decisions, Big Shifts Every Dog Has Its Day: Reflections on Life, Love, and the Lathe Upcoming Book: Handoffs Bring peace and love into your life. When necessary, bring a bat, stay flexible, remain curious, and make the next right decision. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #UncleDave #ChipScholz #SmallDecisionsBigShifts #Leadership #ExecutiveCoaching #Delegation #StrokeRecovery #Woodturning #SemperGumby #Curiosity To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

NANCY DEYO: WHEN PUSHING THROUGH STOPS WORKING What happens when the determination that created your success becomes the very thing causing you harm? In this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Nancy Deyo, former Silicon Valley CEO, writer, speaker, resilience advocate, and longtime champion for women and girls. Nancy shares how business failure, a devastating injury, 15 years of chronic pain, and opioid dependence forced her to redefine resilience and rebuild her identity. Nancy was the CEO of Purple Moon, an innovative technology company created to help adolescent girls become comfortable and competitive with computers. The company combined software, internet experiences, collectibles, and books designed specifically for girls. Nancy built a team that was approximately 94 percent women and believed in hiring the smartest people possible. However, her leadership example came with a cost. She worked longer, pushed harder, and measured herself by how many goals she could surpass and how much she could endure. When Purple Moon began running out of money, Nancy sold it to a competitor she considered an archrival. Although others viewed the sale as an accomplishment, Nancy experienced it as a personal failure. Determined to prove she could still achieve something meaningful, she decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Two weeks before the climb, Nancy injured her back. Instead of stopping, she compartmentalized the pain and continued. Her team eventually fashioned a back brace from duct tape and an inflatable pillow. At 16,000 feet, she collapsed in a tent, unable to move her legs and feeling as if a steel rod were being driven through her spine. That moment exposed the danger in the strategy that had guided her life: pushing harder could no longer solve the problem. The injury began a 15-year struggle with debilitating chronic pain. Nancy spent years lying down beside a supply of opioids, grieving the athlete, CEO, wife, and active person she had once been. Even after surgery repaired the original damage, her nervous system remained sensitized, creating a cycle of pain, fear, isolation, and declining function. A pain-rehabilitation and detoxification program attempted to remove the medication and rapidly restore physical activity. Nancy’s body could not tolerate the aggressive approach, and she entered the hospital unable to walk and requiring even higher doses of opioids. Nancy finally recognized that the medical system had done what it could. Her survival required a different strategy: listening to her body, respecting its limits, releasing the person she used to be, and directing her remaining energy toward what was still possible. A therapist encouraged Nancy to accept a “new normal.” Nancy hated the phrase until she understood that acceptance was not surrender. She did not have to give up; she needed to stop fighting herself long enough to move forward. Unable to sit in a classroom, Nancy enrolled in graduate school and attended while lying on an army cot. During orientation, she told her classmates, “I’m good with it, so you can be too.” Months later, those classmates challenged her description of herself as a disabled chronic-pain patient. They saw a capable contributor who simply happened to work lying down. Nancy realized that her limitations affected her—but did not define her. She eventually traveled by purchasing three airplane seats so she could lie down, returned to meaningful work, strengthened her body, regained function, and completed a careful yearlong opioid taper under the care of a compassionate physician. In this episode, you will discover: • Why pushing through is not always genuine resilience • How professional failure can damage identity and self-worth • What Mount Kilimanjaro taught Nancy about listening to her body • Why accepting a new normal is not the same as giving up • How Nancy attended graduate school while lying on a cot • Why chronic pain patients can feel blamed or dismissed • How medical bias may affect women’s treatment • Why our roles and limitations should never define our worth • How focusing on what remains possible can reopen a life Nancy’s seed for the magic garden is to separate yourself from your professional roles. Titles such as CEO—and labels such as chronic-pain patient—may describe part of an experience, but they are not your complete identity. Determine what is true, stay aligned with your body and mind, focus on what you can do, and take the first step before you feel completely ready. Connect with Nancy: Website: https://nancydeyo.com Substack—Life Inside Pain: https://nancydeyo.substack.com Bring peace and love into your life. When necessary, bring a bat, bring awesome thoughts, listen to your body, remain authentic, and hit your sweet spot. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #UncleDave #NancyDeyo #LifeInsidePain #ChronicPain #Resilience #Identity #WomenInLeadership #OpioidRecovery #NewNormal #Authenticity To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

REGINA HUBER: LEAD WITH HEART, ENERGY, AND YOUR UNIQUE BRILLIANCE What can dancing teach us about trust, communication, leadership, and empowering ourselves? In this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Regina Huber, leadership coach, speaker, trainer, author, and founder of Transform Your Performance. Regina shares how her international business experience, passion for dance, and heart-centered approach help leaders build trust, recognize talent, and create thriving teams. Regina grew up in a tiny Bavarian village of approximately ten houses before moving to Munich, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, New York City, and Florida. She spent 16 years with Boston Consulting Group, helped open offices in Portugal and Brazil, built brick-and-mortar businesses, and eventually launched her own coaching, speaking, and training company. Although Regina did not grow up dancing, it became one of her greatest teachers. Partner dancing requires a leader and follower to communicate without words. If the leader cannot clearly express an intention through movement, energy, and body language, the follower will not feel safe or know where to go. The same principle applies in business. Leadership is not merely about words, titles, clothing, or carefully prepared presentations. People quickly sense whether someone is confident, authentic, and trustworthy. Regina explains that energy often communicates faster—and louder—than words. Dance also teaches awareness of space, cooperation, and trust. Whether moving through a crowded floor or being lifted into the air, every dancer must understand their role while remaining aware of the people around them. Teams operate the same way: individuals need clarity, communication, responsibility, and confidence that others will support them. Regina defines heart-centered leadership as putting people at the center of an organization. When business results decline, leaders often focus first on numbers. However, the people create those results. By investing in employees, listening to them, and understanding their strengths, leaders create the conditions for performance to improve. Her New Paradigm Leadership framework contains four elements: heart, mind, message, and trust. Heart represents compassion, courage, intuition, and accumulated wisdom. Mind represents mindset. Message covers communication, while trust is the glue that allows teams, creativity, and innovation to flourish. True leadership begins with self-leadership. A thriving leader is more likely to create a thriving team. Leaders must develop self-awareness, care for their well-being, communicate the larger vision, and include others in decisions when appropriate. Delegation becomes more effective when people feel challenged, valued, and connected to a meaningful purpose. Regina also encourages leaders to become genuinely curious about their team members. Someone may possess hidden abilities that never appear in a formal job description. By asking deeper questions, leaders may discover that employees can contribute more effectively—and feel more fulfilled—in different roles. Everyone possesses what Regina calls “unique brilliance.” When leaders understand their own brilliance, they become less threatened by the talents of others. Leadership stops being a competition and becomes an opportunity to combine complementary strengths. In this episode, you will discover: • What partner dancing teaches about leadership and trust • Why energy and body language speak louder than words • How heart-centered leaders improve business performance • Regina’s four-part New Paradigm Leadership framework • Why courage and curiosity are essential leadership qualities • How leaders can uncover hidden talent within their teams • Why authentic leadership begins with self-awareness • How to identify and value your unique brilliance • Why business owners can become trapped by the success they created • What it truly means to empower yourself Regina recommends listing your talents, skills, positive qualities, and accomplishments. Ask trusted people what they value in you and where you can grow. This practice can strengthen confidence while revealing possibilities you may have overlooked. Her final message is direct: Nobody else can empower you. Leaders, coaches, and communities can offer guidance, but empowerment remains an individual decision. Do not wait for someone else to grant permission to become who you are capable of being. Connect with Regina: Website: https://transformyourperformance.com Invisible Success Trap Audit: https://reginahuber.com/audit Bring peace and love into your life. When necessary, bring a bat, bring awesome thoughts, lead with heart, and be authentic. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #UncleDave #ReginaHuber #TransformYourPerformance #Leadership #HeartCenteredLeadership #ExecutivePresence #SelfLeadership #Authenticity #UniqueBrilliance To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547

ANNIE EMPRIMA: WHEN TRAUMA RIPPLES, HEALING CAN RIPPLE TOO What if healing required more than addressing the mind and body? What if the soul, nervous system, memories, and earlier versions of ourselves also carried wisdom we needed to hear? In this deeply personal episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Annie Emprima, a veteran and metaphysical trauma researcher who explores healing through a mind-body-soul perspective. Rather than conducting a traditional interview, Uncle Dave hands Annie the reins and participates in a guided healing session. Annie’s journey began during a military deployment in 2016, when she says her intuitive senses suddenly intensified. Over the following decade, she studied trauma beyond conventional medical and mental-health frameworks. She developed modalities intended to help people reconnect with parts of themselves that no longer feel authentic or aligned with their path. Annie guides Uncle Dave into a symbolic “black room,” where emotionally significant memories appear as murals. Together, they enter those scenes as observers and connect with earlier versions of Dave who were carrying grief, guilt, loneliness, fear, and unanswered questions. The first memory brings Dave to the funeral of a girlfriend whose death left him overwhelmed by sadness and survivor guilt. Through breathwork and visualization, Annie helps him offer his younger self the compassion and support he did not receive at the time. He reminds that version of himself that he is loved, supported, and capable of eventually finding joy beyond the pain. The second scene involves eight-year-old Dave crying at his grandmother’s home because he wanted to be with his friends. What initially appears to be a childhood disappointment reveals a deeper pattern of feeling excluded, unheard, and unable to see the larger picture. Looking back, Dave recognizes that he missed an opportunity to appreciate time with his grandmother—but also understands that a child cannot possess the perspective of an adult. That eight-year-old version of Dave then accompanies them into one of his darkest adult experiences: a period of suicidal ideation. Together with Annie and symbolic ancestral support, the different versions of Dave surround the man who could not see beyond his pain. They remind him that he is not alone, his future contains experiences he cannot yet imagine, and his story will eventually help others heal. The session reveals an unexpected connection between Dave’s childhood love of baseball, his need for community, and the mission behind Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat. What appeared to be a simple childhood passion was already pointing him toward connection, storytelling, teamwork, and service. Annie explains that healing does not require revisiting every painful memory. The focus should be on wounds that continue interfering with the present. Even joyful or seemingly unimportant memories may contain valuable wisdom because the soul does not measure significance in the same way as the conscious mind. In this episode, you will discover: • Why Annie views trauma as a 360-degree mind-body-soul experience • How guided visualization can uncover patterns within memories • Why survivor guilt may remain hidden for years • What Uncle Dave learned from his eight-year-old self • How childhood exclusion can influence adult experiences • Why support and communication matter during emotional crises • How storytelling can transform pain into connection • Why healing one person can affect families and communities • What it means to move from awareness to alignment and alchemy Annie leaves listeners with an important message: Trauma ripples. Unhealed wounds can affect spouses, children, friends, pets, workplaces, classrooms, and communities. However, healing ripples too. We cannot heal another person or override their free will, but we can take responsibility for ourselves, change what we carry forward, and positively influence those around us. Connect with Annie: Website: annieemprima.com Book: Trauma Whispers Before It Roars Bring peace and love into your life. When necessary, bring a bat, tell your story, support your community, and hit your sweet spot. #PeaceLoveAndBringABat #UncleDave #AnnieEmprima #TraumaHealing #InnerChildHealing #MindBodySoul #HealingJourney #SelfAwareness #Community #Authenticity To support us: https://davidchametzky.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547