PODCAST · health
Purpose and Perseverance Podcast
by Deacon Brad Watkins
"By your perseverance, you will secure your lives." Luke 21:19 Conversations ordered to understanding our purpose, living well, and persevering in mind, body, and soul. AMDG
Episodes
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#74 The Unintentional Calories
There's just no question that the majority of Americans are now overweight or obese. Sad, but true. The challenge, I would argue, is that most who struggle in this regard very likely got that way unintentionally. By which I mean, they eat and drink without even considering how many calories are…
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#73 Not Everything Can Be Fixed
Some problems can be solved permanently. Others, particularly those involving people, relationships, and competing responsibilities, rarely offer such satisfying resolutions. In this episode, I reflect on the mental weight of being dependable, the challenge of making prudent decisions that may...
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#72 Who Are You Going To Believe?
We live in a world where nearly everything seems to be spun, filtered, marketed, or manipulated. Influencers exaggerate problems to sell solutions, news outlets select stories that reinforce the expectations of their audiences, politicians shape facts to fit narratives, and algorithms…
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#71 Life Isn't Fun And Easy
Why do I have to learn this? When am I ever going to use it? Those are fair questions, but increasingly I wonder if something deeper is underneath them: an expectation that life should be fun and easy. In this episode, I reflect on education, our declining capacity for sustained attention, the...
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#70 Enough For Today
There will always be another email to answer, another problem to solve, another task to finish, and another good thing we could be doing. For people who take their responsibilities seriously, it can become remarkably difficult to simply stop. In this episode, I reflect on our tendency to measure...
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#69 Is It Cheating?
GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide are helping people lose significant amounts of weight and, in many cases, improve their long-term health. But along with their growing popularity has come a strange stigma: the idea that using medication to lose weight is somehow "cheating." In this...
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#68 Fortitude or Forbearance: Homily for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
When someone wrongs us, Jesus tells us to do something increasingly countercultural: go directly to the person and speak to them alone. In this homily for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, I reflect on our modern tendency to broadcast grievances to an ever-larger audience and propose two more...
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#67 Fr. John De Guzman
This episode is a conversation with my very dear friend, Fr. John De Guzman. After his brief introduction and how we came to know each other, and later become close friends, we discuss the idea of perseverance, especially for him throughout his eight years of seminary formation, before moving to...
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#66 Keynote Address for the Diocese of Arlington 2026 Mental Health Day of Prayer
This episode is a recording of my keynote address at the Diocese of Arlington's Mental Health Day of Prayer in August 2026. I explore what our Catholic understanding of the human person can contribute to the growing conversation around mental health, anxiety, suffering, and human flourishing....
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#65 Unable
A day walking the hills and stairs of VMI during Matriculation got me thinking about a lesson a PE professor taught me nearly forty years ago: fitness isn't just about what we look like or what we can do in the gym. It's about what we are capable of doing when circumstances demand something from...
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#64 The Storm Didn't Stop
Many years ago, during a silent retreat at Mepkin Abbey, I spent an early morning praying with Matthew's account of Jesus and Peter walking on the water. Sitting alone in the monastery refectory before sunrise, with a Bible and a bottomless cup of coffee, I encountered that familiar Gospel in a…
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#63 Expect Nothing
What if many of our frustrations and disappointments have less to do with God's will than with our own expectations? In this episode, I explore the difference between expectations and aspirations, and why that distinction has become increasingly important in my own life. Along the way, I reflect…
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#62 Out of Joy: What If Excellence Looks Ordinary?
I'm pretty excited about this one. I wouldn't usually say this, but I think this might be one of the more important episodes I've recorded so far. Modern culture tells us that joy comes after achievement. St. Francis of Assisi, elite ultramarathoner Courtney Dauwalter, and even today's Gospel...
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#61 What a Week at the Beach Reminded Me
After a week in the Outer Banks, I came home with four reflections: slowing down, the restorative power of nature, why health is really about freedom, and why a good vacation renews our desire to return to the work and people we love. In this episode, I explore how the environments we choose...
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#60 More Than Just A Symbol: Why the Bison?
Folks have often asked about the logo of Purpose and Perseverance. The answer begins with a honeymoon camping trip through Yellowstone and the surrounding national parks and winds through close encounters with bison that survived near extinction, unforgettable family adventures, and a lifelong...
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#59 Let's Begin Again
One year ago, on the Fourth of July, I uploaded the first episode of Purpose and Perseverance. This week marks fifty-two consecutive Sundays and fifty-nine total episodes. So, I thought it was a good opportunity to pause, look back, and reflect on what I've learned. In this episode, I talk about...
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#58 Fully Alive
This week I explore one of the more misunderstood quotations in Christian history: St. Irenaeus' statement that "The glory of God is man fully alive." Drawing from the 13th Sunday readings, St. Paul's call to die to sin and live for God, and Christ's paradoxical teaching that whoever loses his…
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#57 Whispers: Homily for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
In this homily for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, I reflect on the contrast between the whispers Jeremiah hears from those seeking to tear him down and the whispers Christ entrusts to His disciples to proclaim from the housetops. We all face the pressure of other people's opinions, criticism,...
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#56 The Church Is Ignoring One of Jesus' Commands (sort of)
In today's Gospel, Jesus gives His disciples a clear command: "Cure the sick." That passage has become one of the guiding principles of my own life, yet I can't help but wonder whether we have unintentionally narrowed its meaning. I share why I believe one of the greatest acts of charity today…
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#55 The Tyranny of Good Things
Summer is supposed to be the season when life slows down (at least for people working in schools). So why does it often feel busier than ever? In this episode, I reflect on the challenge of juggling work, family, faith, health, and countless good responsibilities while discovering an important...
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#54 St. Thomas More Academy Class of 2026 Baccalaureate Mass Homily
My homily for the St. Thomas More Academy Class of 2026 Baccalaureate Mass Homily. Godspeed graduates!
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#53 The Cult of the Emotional Support Water Bottle
What does our cultural obsession with giant metal water bottles reveal about modern life? In this episode, I use the rise of "emotional support" hydration tankards as a jumping off point to discuss consumerism, social conformity, unhealthy relationship with food, electrolyte imbalances, athlete...
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#52 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - Perseverance Under Pressure/OSS
On June 11, 2024, Sam, Chantal, and I walked through the doors of Journey Martial Arts Academy in Youngsville, NC for the first time. It was a practice what you preach moment in terms of the "doorstep mile." What began simply as an opportunity to expose our son to grappling before he matriculated...
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#51 Chantal Watkins (my wife): The Embodiment of Purpose and Perseverance
When I started this podcast, I had the aspiration of eventually getting to interviews. Because this isn't my full time job, or even close to it, time for all of that has admittedly been a challenge. However, I knew that if I ever got around to it the first person I interviewed would be my wife,...
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#50 Persevering While Underwater
Short one this week, because there aren't enough minutes in the day. The end of April and beginning of May are pretty crazy for me in terms of obligations and commitments. All good stuff, but just a LOT. So I didn't have time to work on an actual episode this week. Hopefully, this coming week…
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#49 Homily for the 4th Week in Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday
In this homily for Good Shepherd Sunday, I reflect on what it really means to imitate Christ as the Good Shepherd. While some are clearly called to lead others in the Church or in their families, all of us are called to lead ourselves in the quiet, unseen moments of daily life. It's about the...
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#48 Humility and the Adventurous Life (Part Two)
In Part Two of this series, I explore humility not as weakness, but as the hidden virtue behind courage, adventure, and a life fully lived. Building on my previous episode on fear of the unknown, I consider how pride makes us extremely risk averse through what many now call FOPO, the fear of...
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#47 Be Not Afraid: Rethinking Fear of the Unknown (part one)
On this Divine Mercy Sunday, I take some time to reflect on a familiar phrase that has started to feel a little incomplete to me. Is "fear of the unknown" really just one fear among many, or is it actually the foundation beneath most of what unsettles us? In Part One of this two-part series, I...
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#46 Easter Sunday - Do We Understand What He Has Done?
On this Easter Sunday, I reflect on how easy it is to move through the Triduum with familiarity, knowledge, and even reverence, yet still miss the deeper meaning of what Christ has done for us. In this episode, I revisit my Holy Thursday homily, which centers on a simple but demanding question...
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#45 From Wonder to Love: The Path We Keep Abandoning
In this episode, I reflect on something I have been contemplating for the past year, which is the idea that real learning follows a progression from wonder to information, from information to knowledge, and ultimately toward understanding. What I am increasingly convinced of is that most of us…
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#44 Refuse To Drift: Be Intentional
In this episode, I take a hard look at what I call mindless passive consumption and how it has quietly become the default mode of our culture. I challenge myself, and you, to stop drifting through life and start living with real intentionality in mind, body, and soul. This is about more than...
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#43 Know Thyself: From Delphi to the Gospel to Today
In this episode of the Purpose and Perseverance Podcast, I reflect on the ancient command "Know thyself," the phrase carved at the entrance of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi that challenged visitors to examine their own hearts before seeking wisdom from the gods. Drawing from the insights of...
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#42 From Rejection to Redemption - A Lenten Retreat Homily
This week's episode is my homily from the Adoration Society Lenten Retreat at St. Thomas More Academy. The reflection was on the biblical pattern of redemption after rejection. From Joseph being betrayed by his brothers to Christ in the parable of the wicked tenants, Scripture reveals how God…
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#41 Lenten Mission Homily - St. Pier Giorgio Frassati
Today's episode is a recording of my homily for the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral Lenten Mission - "Praying With The Saints." It was honor to be invited by our Cathedral Rector, Monsignor David Brockman, to offer a brief reflection on my dear friend in heaven, St. Piet Giorgio Frassati.
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#40 Homily for the First Sunday in Lent
Today's episode is a recording of my homily for the First Sunday in Lent.
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#39 Integrity: Becoming One Person in Mind, Body, and Soul
A reflection on living whole—aligning thoughts, words, and actions—and why real integrity is about inner transformation, not just outward behavior, in light of this Sunday's Gospel.
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#38 Salt of the Earth: Faith and Physiology
In this episode, I look at Christ's "salt of the earth" passage, and why salt is such a powerful analogy for both spiritual life and physical survival. I talk about the real physiological role of sodium in the body, the importance of electrolyte balance, the dangers of both too little and too…
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#37 Be Not Afraid In An Economy Of Fear
This episode is a follow up to episode 35. These are my thoughts on the modern fear economy and how constant exposure to anxiety-driven media shapes our mindset, stress levels, and even our physical health. Building on the idea of secondhand stress, I talk about why fear is such an effective…
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#36 - Fighting Decrepitude and Getting After It With Age
In this episode, I'm talking about decrepitude — the slow, often unnoticed decline that many people mistake for "normal aging." Rather than focusing on disease or dramatic outcomes, I'm talking about the everyday metabolic forces that quietly shrink capacity over time. Using what I call the four...
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#35 Second Hand Stress and Anxiety
In this episode, I talk about secondhand stress—the anxiety and tension we absorb simply by moving through certain environments. From school hallways and lunch tables to workplace break rooms and meetings, I discuss how stress spreads through proximity, chronic negativity, and politicized...
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#34 The New Food Pyramid - Eat Real Food
The USDA put out a new food pyramid and dietary guidelines this week. This week's episode is my thoughts on the the idea food pyramids/dietary guidelines in general, along with some history, and politics behinds them.
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#33 The Epidemic of Loneliness
In this episode of Purpose and Perseverance, I reflect on the truth that we were never meant to do life alone. Drawing from Scripture, the Harvard longevity study, and the growing epidemic of loneliness, we explore how deep, meaningful relationships shape not only our spiritual lives but our…
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#32 Personal Exceptionalism: Becoming Who You're Meant to Be in the New Year
In this episode, I talk about personal evolution - the quiet, often uncomfortable work of becoming better over time. Not better than other people, but better than who we were yesterday. The idea of personal exceptionalism is not about ego, entitlement, or comparison, but responsibility: the...
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#31 Expectations vs. Aspirations: Why One Traps Us and the Other Sets Us Free
As the New Year approaches, this episode is about exploring the difference between expectations and aspirations, and why confusing the two can quietly undermine our mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Expectations outcomes, they're finite, and often fuel anxiety and discouragement when…
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#30 Thoughts on Joy, and Answers to Student Questions
As we celebrate the third Sunday of Advent, these are some of my thoughts from the week on Joy, and especially gratefulness as a precedent for joy. Then I answer two questions from students - one on energy drinks, and the second on if we can reverse coronary artery (cardiovascular) disease.
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#29 Weight Loss, and Cognitive Health As We Age
A question from a friend about weight loss, and some thoughts on maintaining cognitive health with age.
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#28 Homily For the 1st Sunday in Advent - Stay Awake!
For today's episode, I wanted to share my homily for this first Sunday in Advent on the theme of staying awake - which seems to fit perfectly with the overarching themes of this podcast - purpose and perseverance!
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#27 Advent Disciplines & New Year Resolutions
Following up on last weeks Q&A episode, I wanted to continue talking about the disciplines of Advent as a means to prepare for not only the second coming of Christ, but renewals in mind, body, and soul as we get ready to take on resolutions for the New Year.
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#26 First Ever Q&A Episode
Thanks to folks for sending in some great questions! What simple habit has had the greatest impact on your life this year? What is something people care about far too much, and what should they care about more? What is a piece of advice you heard as a child that turned out to be completely wrong?...
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#25 When Motivation Fails
I've come to realize that motivation is one of the most overrated words in our culture. We talk about it as if it's the fuel that drives everything, but really, it's just a feeling. It comes and goes. And if you rely on it, you'll be tempted to quit every time it fades. Motivation might get you...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Purpose and Perseverance Podcast have?
Purpose and Perseverance Podcast currently has 73 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Purpose and Perseverance Podcast about?
"By your perseverance, you will secure your lives." Luke 21:19 Conversations ordered to understanding our purpose, living well, and persevering in mind, body, and soul. AMDG
How often does Purpose and Perseverance Podcast release new episodes?
Purpose and Perseverance Podcast has 73 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Purpose and Perseverance Podcast?
You can listen to Purpose and Perseverance Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Purpose and Perseverance Podcast?
Purpose and Perseverance Podcast is created and hosted by Deacon Brad Watkins.
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