The Relentless Pursuit Podcast

When times get tough, then it's time to round up the people in your life who matter, because it is in the power that others give to us that helps shape our resiliency. 

We return to the podcast for our summer season by making two bold - and ultimately healing - declarations. "Here I Am" helps remind us of who we are and who we're capable of being. And "This I Resolve" will be our mantra to repeat to ourselves when the challenges of life inevitably come our way. 

Life hasn't exactly handed us a smooth, glamorous path this year. But - just like the Morton Salt girl whose anti-caking salt still pours in the rain - we too are learning to cope, recalibrate, and look towards the future with optimism.

For us, college used to just be an assumption. When we grew up, we assumed we would attend college, and - up until recently - we've made the same assumption about for our children. But times are changing, and we have to confront the fact that, at least when it comes to college, there are no safe assumptions any more.

Two years ago we asked ourselves "Should we give our high school freshman social media?" The answer at that time was an angsty NO. But now as that child is finishing his sophomore year and about to turn 16, our answer may change...

What does it mean to be an informed citizen? Today we get the latest from what's going on in the world, and seriously consider to what extent it is our responsibility to maintain an understanding of current events. 

It can be hard to hear feedback, especially when it challenges our version of who we are. But all feedback is information - even when it's messy, hurtful, or unexpected - that can be used to help shape us into an even better version of ourselves.

We're all for positive self-talk...but it has its limits. While there are plenty of ways you can talk to yourself, hype yourself, love yourself, we've also learned that there are some things you just need to hear from someone else. 

Ever feel like putting your foot in your mouth? Or that you failed to adequately "read the room?" Yeah...so have we. Today we admit the times we were tone deaf to the cares and concerns of the people around us, and how we can try to speak in ways that are more attuned others.

How can we "exceed expectations" and offer sweet, non-essential add-ons to the experiences others have through us? Today we discuss what it means to go "above and beyond" in all domains of of life.

We don't suck our thumbs anymore (we hope!), but there are plenty of ways we coping - healthily and unhealthily - with the stressors of life. 

When we reach our limits, find failure and frustration, and live in the reality of the challenges our dreams require, we might find ourselves experiencing burnout. 

It's a lot of fun to start a new, hopeful endeavor. But it's a lot of work to sustain it through to the end. Today we sort out the romance from the reality in all we hope for 2026. 

Taking our inspiration from our home team - the Chicago Bears - we follow their "Good, Better, Best" mantra and apply it to our scope for 2026. 

As we review 2025 and look towards 2026, we reflect on the victories, let downs, and lessons of the past year and how they guide us toward better versions of ourselves.

Culture is like a river that winds us this way and that without us realizing it. Today we discuss 6 "norms" in cultural - from sports gambling to Door Dash - and explore our approach to wading through the river of modern culture.

One super basic principle of a healthy mind and spirit is simply drinking enough water. But how much hydration is enough, and how can we make sure we're getting the all the water that we need? 

What do people mean when they say "Rizz," "Huzz," and "6-7?" Our slang is global, and changing faster than many of us can keep up with - but we're here to translate for you!

We find ourselves saying asking certain questions as winter approaches ("Why am I so tired?" and "Have I had any water today?"). This week we take a look at how wintertime affects our bodies, emotions, and behaviors. 

November is the month to say "no" to the things that have cluttered our lives. As the year begins to draw to a close, we have a chance to recalibrate our priorities and prune what doesn't belong. 

When was the last time you had a good cry, and what caused it? Today we discuss the different ways we cry, and specific things that are likely to induce us to tears.

The polls are clear: Americans are having less sex now than ever before. It doesn't matter if you're old or young, single or married. Less sex - unfortunately - is our new reality, UNLESS we choose to reprioritize it in our relationship. 

Millions of Americans own pets, and whether they are dogs, cats, fish, reptiles, or birds, they tend to provide a net benefit for the right families who welcome them in. 

We're back with a new season, and we start by challenging ourselves to lean toward AUTHENTICITY in how we live and present ourselves to the world. 

Today we celebrate our 200th episode! After 5 years of recording, we celebrate this milestone, and take turns interviewing one another about the our experience on the podcast, in life, and with a grab bag of hilarious topics. 

Our bank recently flagged some "suspicious activity," on our account. The activity: Rosanna finally bought herself something personal. This event inspired our quest into how "suspicious" it is or isn't to actually do something for yourself. 

What should our relationships to our parents look like once we're all grown up? We discuss the possibilities, the joys, and the boundaries of enjoying an ongoing relationship with mom and dad in this week's conversation.

We worry a lot about being the best possible parents for our kids...or at least trying not to mess up our children too much. In this conversation we discuss the pros and cons of what's commonly called "Gentle Parenting," and offer our personal - if imperfect - experiences as parents. 

Chances are you're not alone in the things you struggle with most. Today we talk about 10 battles every adult faces, and name the things that can often make life so challenging. 

Viral moments - often featuring other people's sins, mistakes, and misfortunes - capture our attention. We gossip, we investigate, we judge. But does how we respond to these moments say more about US than it does about THEM?

So many of our conversations begin with generic, predictable, scripted questions that lead...nowhere. We'll share which 10 questions we're trying to avoid, and which 10 better questions we've been sprinkling into our conversations. 

We look at ourselves all the time - but what are we looking for? In today's conversation we explore how much our appearance maters, and what happens when we prioritize how we look above other attributes.

When we purchase a "luxury," we feel a little different about it. We treat the item or experience a little better than the commonplace. But what if we thought of OURSELVES as a luxury brand, and treated ourselves with the same awe and reverence?

As much as we love our spouse, there are just some things they do that give us "the ick" - the gross feeling that is an immediate turnoff. In this episode, Jordan and Rosanna confess their icks to one another and share how they like to broach the subject. 

We all procrastinate, telling ourselves a story about who we are in the process. But, when we rethink our relationship to those tasks we just can't seem to get around to, we can actually rewrite the script and beat procrastination. 

You've heard of this ChatGPT thing...it has to do with AI or something? Today we'll discuss ChatGPT and all the wonderful uses you might find for this intriguing tool in your personal life.

As we enter the summer season, the routines of life change. Kids are off of school, the sun is out for longing, and we have a fresh opportunity to reset our minds and spirits. Today we discuss 6 specific intentions we're setting for ourselves for the summer.

While pursuing our big dreams for 2025, it's inevitable you're going to encounter obstacles along the way. Are you ready to confront and overcome the barriers in your life?

Is it us, or does it seem like everything is just more expensive these days? Well, thanks to inflation, interest, taxes, and tariffs, tough financial times may just be beginning. 

Today we share 8 simple little "rules" - guidelines, habits, standards - we have for ourselves that help us make sure we're making the best decisions as often as we can. Which of these also work for you? Which of your own would you add?

Love is difficult to quantify, but we can answer the question "How much do you love me?" by our CONSISTENT ACTIONS that show our spouse we care.

Parents have always lived vicariously through their children, but how much of what our children do should be "for their parents?" Today we look at how we might best strike the balance between passing on our values to our chidren and allowing them to develop values, preferences, and passions all their own.

There might be some fashion trends, electronic habits, and physical capabilities we just might not be cut out for after a certain age. But there also might be more serious areas of life where, now that we're old enough, we just can't use age as an excuse any longer. 

What if you could meet your 15-year-old self for a cup of coffee? What would you say? What would you notice? Today Jordan and Rosanna hop on the viral TikTok trend and compose poems visualizing meeting their teenage selves in this thought provoking and emotional reflection. 

We have often sought to label ourselves and one another as either introverted or extraverted...but the truth is that most of us are somewhere in between, and we need to become aware of our social tendencies, our strengths, our weaknesses.

Our relationships are made of thousands of "bids," requesting connection from one moment to the next. How we seek and respond to these bids may just be the most important thing in our marriage and parenting. 

Everyone gets a little lonely sometimes...but in today's era, loneliness is a downright epidemic that is sweeping across the population. With more ways to connect than ever, you'd think we'd feel less lonely, but the truth is we've replaced any of our opportunities for interaction with tech-based conveniences, isolating ourselves. Today we examine the causes of loneliness and the things we can do to combat the corrosive habits of our culture.*We apologize for the audio glitches throughout the episode!

Sometimes we're climbing, sometimes we're growing...and sometimes we're simply maintaining what we have. There's nothing glamorous about the maintenance phases of life, but they are a healthy and necessary part of the long game toward self-fulfillment.

Let's dream big dreams for ourselves in 2025...AND let's make sure we actually put the WORK into turning those dreams into realities!

One year ago, we ended 2023 with an episode expressing some disappointment over how much effort we put into our goals but weren't seeing the results. BUT at the end of 2024, we ARE seeing the results we had worked towards. In this final episode of the year, we share what we're proud of and what we credit our progress to.