I rarely talk about race because the language around race is usually sloppy and politically charged. It means that when we should be focused on solving problems that affect our communities, we wind up focusing on how to prop up our ego. Conversations about race tend to devolve into polar opposites—we feel like we need to pick sides.

I hate picking sides because I am usually uncomfortable with shutting down either side of an argument. I’m not talking about extremists—on either side—who advocate for violence or total separation. I’m talking about people who express the depth of their lived experiences and are struggling to know how to live their best life.

Somehow, my friend Adrian got me to open up more about race. Adrian and I started graduate school together and wound up getting our Ph.D. on the same day.

Check out Adrian’s website and his engaging conversations with people from all over the world.

In this podcast I’m really excited to talk to one of my best friends who I’ve known for over 20 years. One of the most interesting things we discussed was how it felt for Cody to see me up and leave for the Middle East every few months. I never knew that it was difficult for him to have his best friend constantly in harm’s way and it really got me thinking and led to some deep insights for me.

We also got to talk about the importance of Veteran’s mental health. In my travels I experienced a lot of trauma and I know lots of others who experienced the same. Veterans—and anyone who goes to combat—do their best to live their hero life and it’s important that all of us work to protect them. It doesn’t matter if we agree with the policies that send us to war—principled disagreement is a necessary component of a vibrant civil society—those who head to the front lines need every bit of support we can give them.

I hope you’ll enjoy hearing about my life through the lens of someone who knows me better than almost anyone else.

This is my first podcast and it’s with a good friend of mine, Jon Caviness. Jon and I met while we were both working at Hallmark.

Neither one of us had recorded a podcast, but it was a great opportunity to explore a new way to share my story. Jon really helped me open up about the good and difficult parts of my story by weaving together things he’s known about me and topics he never knew were a part of my life’s journey.

I hope you enjoy this adventure into a new medium to share crazy anecdotes that make up my experiences around the world.