Peace Love and Bring a Bat

High-Stakes Leadership: Bruce Babashan on Self-Awareness, Systems, & Decision-Making

What does it take to lead well when pressure is high and the stakes are real? In this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, David Chametzky speaks with Bruce Babashan about leadership reliability, self-awareness, and the habits that help people perform at their best when the moment demands it.

Bruce shares why strong leadership is not about having every answer. It is about recognizing your limits, asking for help, and building systems that support good decisions. Through real-world examples, the conversation explores how leaders can prepare for pressure instead of relying on instinct alone.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL DISCOVER:

• Why self-awareness is essential to reliable leadership

• How simple systems can help people perform under pressure

• Why recognizing your vulnerabilities can strengthen your leadership

• How humility and asking for help support better decisions

• Why preparation matters when the stakes are high

LEADERSHIP STARTS WITH SELF-AWARENESS

Leadership requires an honest understanding of your strengths and limitations. When people recognize where they need support, they can make better decisions and build stronger teams. Self-awareness is not a weakness. It is part of becoming a more reliable leader.

SIMPLE SYSTEMS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Reliable performance does not depend on talent alone. Simple systems, clear processes, and consistent preparation can help people respond when pressure rises. Bruce discusses how practical structures can support better decisions and help leaders stay focused on what matters.

PRESSURE REVEALS WHAT NEEDS WORK

High-pressure moments can expose gaps in preparation, judgment, and emotional control. Instead of waiting for a difficult situation to reveal those weaknesses, leaders can identify them early and build habits that help them respond more effectively.

HUMILITY IS PART OF STRONG LEADERSHIP

Effective leaders understand that they do not have to do everything alone. Recognizing when help is needed allows people to learn, adapt, and improve. Asking for support can strengthen leadership rather than undermine it.

SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN

“Recognizing that you are vulnerable and need help is not an indictment of your leadership capability; it is an affirmation of it.”

Strong leadership begins with honesty about what you know, what you do not know, and where you need support. Preparation and self-awareness help turn that honesty into more reliable action.

CONNECT WITH BRUCE BABASHAN

Website: https://brucebabashan.com/

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#Leadership #SelfAwareness #LeadershipDevelopment #PersonalGrowth #PeaceLoveAndBringABat

WHO ARE YOU WITHOUT THE GOAL? BRENT KOCAL ON PURPOSE, BELIEF & PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

What happens when you finally achieve everything you thought you wanted—and realize you still have to figure out who you are?

On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Brent Kocal, entrepreneur, creator and host of Better Beliefs, storyteller, and lifelong explorer of human potential, spirituality, healing, consciousness, and personal growth.

Brent built a company from the ground up beginning in 2003 and eventually grew it into the largest of its kind in the United States. After years of chasing business and financial goals, he reached the point where he no longer needed to work. But instead of feeling completely fulfilled, he found himself facing a deeper question:

Who am I without the business, the goals, and the grind?

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why achieving a goal does not automatically create happiness
• The difference between chasing goals and pursuing progress
• Why Brent believes accomplishment should be celebrated intentionally
• How journaling opened the door to deeper self-exploration
• Why looking inward can be uncomfortable but necessary
• How intuition can get buried under overthinking
• Why Brent says you should act before you talk yourself out of it
• How curiosity can reshape beliefs
• Why a made-up mind can become dangerous
• How gratitude changes the quality of your experience
• Why Brent created the Better Beliefs podcast
• The difference between default mode and directive mode
• Why he believes everyone has something to teach you
• How responsibility can create greater personal freedom

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER SUCCESS?

Brent spent years focused on one destination:

Build the company.

Create financial security.

Reach freedom.

Then he reached it.

Suddenly, the identity connected to work was no longer enough.

Brent discovered that surface-level experiences could only keep him entertained for so long. Eventually, he had to explore something deeper:

Purpose. Identity. Spirituality. Meaning.

GOALS VS. PROGRESS

Brent explains that goal-oriented living can create constant dissatisfaction.

You reach one milestone, and almost immediately your mind looks for the next gap.

His shift was from obsessing over fixed goals to focusing on:

Progress.

Progress means moving forward without always needing to know exactly where the destination will be.

It also means pausing long enough to celebrate what you have already accomplished.

THINKING. KNOWING. BELIEVING.

Brent shares a deeply personal spiritual experience in which he was confronted with three ideas:

Thinking.
Knowing.
Believing.

For Brent, the experience challenged what he thought he understood about himself, spirituality, and the connection between people and the world around them.

His takeaway was not that he suddenly had every answer.

It was realizing how much more there was to explore.

ACT BEFORE YOU TALK YOURSELF OUT OF IT

Brent says intuition often gives us a signal before the rational mind begins listing every reason not to act.

His advice:

Take one small step immediately.

Buy the running shoes.

Write the first sentence.

Make the phone call.

Start before your mind builds the argument for staying exactly where you are.

DEFAULT MODE VS. DIRECTIVE MODE

Most people move through life in default mode.

Brent encourages something different:

Directive mode.

Set an intention.

Decide that every person you meet can teach you something—or may need something you can teach them.

When you enter life looking for the lesson, you begin noticing opportunities that were always there.

BETTER BELIEFS

Brent’s podcast explores ideas most people accept without questioning.

What if there is another possibility?

What if healing, relationships, identity, consciousness, and personal growth can be viewed from a different angle?

His goal is not to hand listeners all the answers.

It is to encourage them to ask better questions.

SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN

Brent Kocal’s seed is:

“Everything that happens in your life is 100% your responsibility, no matter how much you protest.”

For Brent, responsibility is not about blame.

It is about power.

When everything is someone else’s fault, you surrender your ability to change it.

When you take responsibility for your choices, reactions, perspective, and next move, you regain control over the direction of your life.

CONNECT WITH BRENT KOCAL

Podcast: Better Beliefs

Search Better Beliefs on your favorite podcast platform and choose an episode that speaks to something you are currently exploring.

#PeaceLoveAndBringABat #BrentKocal #BetterBeliefs #PersonalGrowth #Purpose #Spirituality #Mindset #Responsibility #Intuition #SelfDiscovery #Consciousness #Leadership

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PEOPLE MATTER AT WORK: JOSH BLOCK ON LEADERSHIP, CULTURE & PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST

What changes when leaders stop treating people like pieces on a chessboard and start building something together?

On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Josh Block, president of Block Imaging, business leader, culture builder, and author of People Matter at Work.

Josh’s leadership journey changed overnight in 2011. At just 29 years old, while raising two young children, his father unexpectedly stepped away from the family business and named Josh president of a roughly $30 million organization. Over the next 15 years, Josh learned that great leadership is not about having every answer—it is about asking better questions, building trust, and creating a workplace where people genuinely matter. Pasted markdown

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why being thrown into leadership can become an unexpected advantage
• Why humility matters more than pretending to know everything
• The million-dollar lesson Josh learned from layoffs
• Why difficult business decisions can still be handled with humanity
• Josh’s Three Ts: Together, Thoughtful, Transparency
• How those Three Ts create the Three Ss: Safe, Seen, Successful
• Why healthy organizations move from a me cycle to a we cycle
• How one-on-one meetings can develop leaders instead of followers
• Why employees should help create their own measures of success
• Why transparency reduces fear and wasted energy
• How small workplace issues can become big culture problems when ignored
• Why asking the right question can matter more than having the right answer
• How believing in people changes what they become
• Why investing in people can drive stronger business performance

THE MILLION-DOLLAR LESSON

Before becoming president, Josh helped facilitate a leadership decision that resulted in layoffs.

The organization made the cuts quickly—but Josh watched the impact ripple through the remaining team.

Fear increased.

Security disappeared.

Trust was shaken.

Years later, Josh asked himself:

What if I had asked a better question?

The experience taught him that leadership is not only about the final decision.

It is also about how you walk people through it. Pasted markdown

TOGETHER. THOUGHTFUL. TRANSPARENT.

Josh’s culture philosophy centers on three principles:

Together — sharpen important decisions with other people.

Thoughtful — carefully consider how decisions affect others.

Transparent — communicate what is happening as openly as possible.

When leaders consistently practice those three behaviors, Josh believes teams become:

Safe. Seen. Successful. Pasted markdown

MOVE FROM ME TO WE

Josh describes unhealthy organizations as living in a me cycle.

Bosses protect themselves.

Employees respond by protecting themselves.

Eventually, work feels like a chess match where everyone is trying to outmaneuver someone else.

Healthy cultures shift toward a we cycle.

Bosses become leaders.

Employees become team members.

Everyone begins working toward the same picture—more like assembling a puzzle together than playing against one another. Pasted markdown

SAY WHAT’S GOING ON

Josh believes leaders often underestimate the power of simply explaining what is happening.

Employees want to know:

What is going on?

Where are we headed?

How am I doing?

Even when the answer is incomplete, communication can reduce uncertainty.

His advice:

Say the obvious.

Acknowledging the issue often matters almost as much as solving it. Pasted markdown

ASK BETTER QUESTIONS

One of the biggest lessons Josh wishes he had learned earlier:

It is better to know the right question than the right answer.

In a world filled with information and AI, leadership is increasingly about curiosity, discernment, and helping people think.

The right answer to the wrong question can still send you in the wrong direction. Pasted markdown

SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN

Josh Block’s seed is:

“People are a gift. Work is a privilege. Leadership is the stewardship of those two realities.”

Even the person frustrating you has a family, a story, and people who love them.

Leadership means remembering the human being while still doing the hard work.

CONNECT WITH JOSH BLOCK

Book: People Matter at Work
Website: peoplematteratwork.com
Email: josh@peoplematteratwork.com Pasted markdown

#PeaceLoveAndBringABat #JoshBlock #PeopleMatterAtWork #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #PeopleFirst #ServantLeadership #Transparency #BusinessLeadership #TeamCulture

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RELATIONSHIPS ARE EVERYTHING: JIM PAULK ON SERVICE, LOVE & LEGACY

What if the most important thing you build in life is not a title or accomplishment—but the relationships you create along the way?

On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Jim Paulk, U.S. Naval Academy graduate, former submarine officer, longtime Procter & Gamble leader, conservation advocate, author, and storyteller. Jim shares a life shaped by service, friendship, love, and the belief that almost nothing meaningful is accomplished alone. Pasted markdown

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why Jim dreamed of attending the Naval Academy
• How his classmates went on to shape history
• Stories involving GPS pioneer Brad Parkinson, Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke, and NFL referee Bob McElwee
• How Jim helped lead a successful effort to phase out gill nets in California
• Why relationships became his central life lesson
• Why he began writing books in his 80s
• The story behind How I Found Love
• What his marriage to Pat taught him about lasting love
• Why it is never too late to begin again

A LIFE OF SERVICE

Jim grew up during the Great Depression and World War II, dreaming of Annapolis. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1957, served as a submarine officer, and later spent 26 years with Procter & Gamble. He then led a fishing conservation organization that supported fish restoration, artificial reefs, and a successful California initiative to phase out gill nets. Pasted markdown

SHAKING UP THE WORLD

Jim’s book Shaking Up the World grew from admiration for his Naval Academy classmates.

Their stories include the architect of GPS, a man who walked on the moon, a legendary NFL official, prisoners of war, and military leaders.

The goal: preserve real history through the people who lived it. Pasted markdown

RELATIONSHIPS ARE THE ONE THING

Jim says he does not believe he ever accomplished anything significant by himself.

Every achievement involved other people.

Every success involved relationships.

His conclusion:

There is nothing more important than relationships.

Friendship, family, loyalty, mentorship, and love are the foundation of a meaningful life. Pasted markdown

HOW I FOUND LOVE

Jim’s newest book explores love found in unexpected ways and at different stages of life.

One favorite story follows a premature baby born in 1933 who was not expected to survive. Four people poured extraordinary care into that child and helped keep him alive. Decades later, he described their devotion as agape—love given without expecting anything in return. Pasted markdown

JIM & PAT

Jim also shares the story of meeting his wife, Pat, while at Annapolis.

They married the day after his graduation and built a marriage Jim still speaks about with unmistakable joy.

He says the keys were:

Respect. Loyalty. Admiration.

They disagreed, but they never stopped honoring one another. Pasted markdown

IT IS NEVER TOO LATE

Jim did not begin publishing books until his 80s.

His life is proof that a new chapter can begin late, a story can still be told, and a contribution can still be made.

SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN

Jim’s seed is:

Be ready.

Love, friendship, opportunity, and purpose do not always arrive when expected.

Someone may be right around the corner.

Keep living. Keep connecting. Keep loving.

And stay ready for what comes next.

#PeaceLoveAndBringABat #JimPaulk #Relationships #Love #Leadership #Veteran #NavalAcademy #Legacy #HowIFoundLove #ShakingUpTheWorld

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LEADING WHILE HUMAN: RALPH KELLOGG ON VULNERABILITY, MENTAL HEALTH & AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP

What would change if leaders stopped pretending they had everything together and started showing up as human beings?

On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Ralph Kellogg, Chief Human Resources Officer, executive coach, TEDx speaker, public speaker, and author of Leading While Human: Notes I Wish Someone Had Given Me.

Ralph’s book grew from decades of personal journals documenting defining moments in his life and career. His message is clear: leadership is not about hiding your humanity—it is about creating environments where people feel respected, heard, and safe enough to do their best work. Ralph Kellogg on Peace Love and…

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why vulnerability can strengthen leadership rather than weaken it
• How leaders create permission for others by going first
• Why “people are our greatest asset” requires more than benefits and perks
• Ralph’s experience living with anxiety and panic disorder
• How hiding parts of yourself creates an emotional cost
• Why workplace layoffs affect the employees who remain
• The importance of compassion-based management
• Why transparent communication matters during uncertainty
• How organizations can support employees through grief and change
• What psychological safety really looks like after someone opens up
• Why mental health conversations cannot end with simply handing someone an EAP number
• How storytelling creates connection between leaders and teams
• Why mental health days can help normalize self-care
• Ralph’s advice for anyone who feels isolated, exhausted, or unable to be themselves at work

LEADERS HAVE TO GO FIRST

Ralph believes authentic workplace cultures begin with leadership.

If leaders can acknowledge difficult experiences, admit mistakes, or talk openly about challenges, employees receive an important message:

It is safe to be human here.

Vulnerability is not about sharing everything.

It is about demonstrating enough humanity that people know they do not have to hide everything either. Ralph Kellogg on Peace Love and…

THE COST OF HIDING

For years, Ralph separated his personal and professional identities and hid important parts of himself.

Over time, he learned how exhausting it can be to constantly worry about what people might discover or how they might react.

His eventual decision to live more openly became empowering:

“This is exactly who I am. This is exactly how I show up.” Ralph Kellogg on Peace Love and…

LAYOFFS AFFECT EVERYONE

Organizations often focus on employees who leave during reductions.

Ralph reminds leaders not to forget those who stay.

Remaining employees may be grieving coworkers, carrying additional responsibilities, wondering whether they are next, and trying to remain productive while uncertainty grows.

His recommendation:

Communicate honestly.

Listen.

Acknowledge the emotional reality.

And invest in helping people process change. Ralph Kellogg on Peace Love and…

PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY MUST BE REAL

A company can say it is psychologically safe all day long.

Ralph says the real test comes after an employee shares something vulnerable.

Did you protect their confidence?

Did you treat them differently?

Did you follow up?

Did your behavior prove they were actually safe?

His message:

Stop saying it is safe. Show them it is safe. Ralph Kellogg on Peace Love and…

MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK

Ralph believes many organizations still avoid meaningful conversations about mental health.

Sometimes an employee showing up at 75% may actually be using 100% of their available strength just to get through the day.

Managers do not need to become therapists.

But they can ask:

How are you doing?

What do you need?

How can I support you?

Knowing someone sees you can make an enormous difference. Ralph Kellogg on Peace Love and…

LEAD WHILE HUMAN

Ralph encourages leaders to remember that employees are not one-dimensional workers.

They have families.

Relationships.

Losses.

Anxiety.

Responsibilities.

Dreams.

Fear.

And lives that cannot simply be left at the office door.

The strongest leaders recognize the entire person. Ralph Kellogg on Peace Love and…

SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN

Ralph Kellogg’s seed is:

Allow yourself—and other people—grace.

You are not going to be 100% every day.

Neither is anyone else.

Sometimes:

“The best you can do is the best you can do, and let that be enough.” Ralph Kellogg on Peace Love and…

CONNECT WITH RALPH KELLOGG

Website: ralphkellogg.com
Book: Leading While Human: Notes I Wish Someone Had Given Me
LinkedIn: Search Ralph Kellogg

#PeaceLoveAndBringABat #RalphKellogg #LeadingWhileHuman #Leadership #Vulnerability #MentalHealth #Authenticity #PsychologicalSafety #WorkplaceCulture #HumanResources #ExecutiveLeadership

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SEE MIRACLES IN LIFE EVERY DAY: BARRY SHORE ON JOY, PURPOSE & MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Can you live with joy even when life gives you circumstances you never would have chosen?

On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Barry Shore, known as the Ambassador of Joy, author, speaker, creator of the Keep Smiling movement, and a man whose life changed dramatically after sudden paralysis.

On September 17, 2004, Barry says he woke up healthy and by that evening was completely paralyzed from the neck down due to a rare illness. He spent 144 days in the hospital, two years in a hospital bed at home, and four years using a wheelchair. Today, he remains physically limited but has built his life around purpose, service, gratitude, and joy. Barry Shore on Peace Love and B…

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why Barry says joy is possible regardless of circumstances
• What SMILE means: Seeing Miracles In Life Everyday
• Why JOY means Journey Of You
• How purpose helps us MAD — Make A Difference
• Why “Choice, not chance, determines your destiny”
• How prayer, therapy, and love helped Barry move forward
• Why he kept challenging physical limitations
• How he eventually began swimming after paralysis
• Why “motion is lotion” became part of his philosophy
• How the Keep Smiling movement reached millions of people
• Barry’s practical 94-second breathing practice
• What DOGPOOP really means
• Why helping other people can change your own perspective
• How self-talk shapes the direction of your life
• Why Barry believes laughter should be a daily practice

SMILE

Barry’s philosophy starts with one word:

SMILE — Seeing Miracles In Life Everyday.

That does not mean ignoring pain or pretending everything is perfect.

It means training yourself to recognize what is still good, meaningful, beautiful, and possible.

Barry believes that when we intentionally look for good, we begin experiencing life differently. Barry Shore on Peace Love and B…

CHOICE, NOT CHANCE

At 17, Barry made a decision:

“I choose to be happy.”

That choice eventually became one of his core messages:

“Choice, not chance, determines your destiny.”

We cannot control everything that happens.

But we can work on how we respond to what happens. Barry Shore on Peace Love and B…

PRAYER, THERAPY & LOVE

Barry describes his recovery philosophy with three words:

Prayer. Therapy. Love.

His physical recovery was slow.

For two years, his goal was simply sitting up and putting his feet over the side of the bed.

Later, aquatic therapy helped him discover movement he had not experienced in years. Eventually, he developed a regular swimming practice despite continuing physical limitations.

His message:

Keep moving. Keep trying. Keep showing up. Barry Shore on Peace Love and B…

BREATHE LIKE A BABY

Barry teaches a simple practice he calls BLAB — Breathe Like A Baby.

Take four slow, conscious breaths.

Breathe through your nose into your abdomen.

Slowly breathe out through your mouth.

He describes the exercise as a 94-second practice and emphasizes:

“Repetition creates transformation.” Barry Shore on Peace Love and B…

THE POWER OF ONE PERSON

Barry loves acronyms—even unusual ones.

DOGPOOP means:

Doing Of Good — Power Of One Person.

His point is serious.

One person serving another can create a ripple.

One act of kindness can lead to another.

One person can make a difference.

And Barry believes everyone has that ability. Barry Shore on Peace Love and B…

TALK TO YOURSELF WITH KINDNESS

Barry says some of the most powerful words we ever hear are the words we say to ourselves.

His definition of SELF-TALK centers on teaching ourselves love and kindness.

If you would show patience, compassion, and attention to a struggling friend, why would you deny those same things to yourself? Barry Shore on Peace Love and B…

SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN

Barry’s seed is wonderfully simple:

Laugh out loud.

Not eventually.

Not when everything is perfect.

Today.

Move the energy.

Smile.

Connect.

Serve somebody.

And remember:

Your life has purpose. Go MAD. Make A Difference. Barry Shore on Peace Love and B…

CONNECT WITH BARRY SHORE

Website: barryshore.com

Books include The Joy of Living, Reframing: The Art of Living, and Pocketful of Acronyms. Barry Shore on Peace Love and B…

#PeaceLoveAndBringABat #BarryShore #AmbassadorOfJoy #Joy #Purpose #MakeADifference #Resilience #Gratitude #PositiveMindset #SelfTalk #KeepSmiling

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UNVEIL THE BEAST: KAITIE ENTRIKIN ON BODY IMAGE, FOOD FREEDOM & BECOMING YOUR TRUE SELF

What if the goal is not becoming someone new—but uncovering who you were before the world told you who you were supposed to be?

On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Kaitie Entrikin, coach, creator of Beautiful Beast Within, podcast host, musician, and advocate for healing our relationships with food, exercise, body image, and ourselves.

Kaitie grew up being bullied about her weight and learned to believe her body was the problem. That led to years of restrictive eating, obsessive exercise, guilt, tracking numbers, and believing health meant constantly trying to make herself smaller. Eventually, education and experience forced her to question many of those beliefs. Kaitie Entrikin on Peace Love a…

In this episode, you will discover:

• What Kaitie means by “Unveil the Beast”
• Why the beast represents your authentic self
• How limiting beliefs become layers or “veils”
• Why eating less and exercising more is not always healthier
• How pregnancy changed Kaitie’s relationship with her body
• Why she stopped viewing food as simply “good” or “bad”
• How guilt can fuel restriction and binge patterns
• Why exercise should not be punishment for eating
• The difference between tracking information and obsessing over numbers
• Why emotional eating is not automatically bad
• How to develop other coping tools besides food
• Why noticing without judging is one of the biggest keys to change
• What “weight-neutral” coaching means
• Why health is about behaviors, not only the number on a scale
• How to vet wellness advice before trusting it
• Why becoming yourself requires questioning what the world taught you

WHAT IS THE BEAST?

Kaitie describes the “beast” as your real, authentic self.

Over time, we collect veils:

Other people’s expectations.

Body-image messages.

Rules about food.

Ideas about what success should look like.

Beliefs about who we are allowed to become.

Her work is about removing those layers one at a time. Kaitie Entrikin on Peace Love a…

GUILT DOESN’T BELONG ON YOUR PLATE

One of Kaitie’s strongest messages is that food does not determine your moral value.

Instead of labeling everything “good” or “bad,” she encourages a different perspective:

Some things may be good for your body.

Other things may be good for your soul.

A cupcake does not make you a failure.

And guilt does not belong on your plate. Kaitie Entrikin on Peace Love a…

EXERCISE IS NOT PUNISHMENT

Kaitie remembers eating until she felt physically uncomfortable and then spending an hour on an elliptical because she believed she needed to “burn it off.”

At the time, she thought that was health.

Today, she sees it differently.

Movement can be powerful—but when exercise becomes punishment for eating, the relationship with both food and movement can become unhealthy. Kaitie Entrikin on Peace Love a…

NOTICE WITHOUT JUDGING

Kaitie says one of the biggest tools in her own healing has been:

Notice without judging.

Notice what you eat.

Notice what you say.

Notice what you think about yourself.

Notice your habits.

Notice the rules you are following.

You do not have to immediately fix everything.

Awareness simply gives you the ability to choose differently. Kaitie Entrikin on Peace Love a…

HEALTH IS WHAT YOU DO

Kaitie encourages people to look beyond the scale.

Weight is one piece of information—not the entire story.

Her focus is on behaviors, habits, movement, nourishment, mental health, and the relationship you have with yourself.

As she puts it:

“Health is what you do, not what the scale says.” Kaitie Entrikin on Peace Love a…

SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN

Kaitie’s seed is simple:

Be you.

And if you do not know who you are yet:

Go find out.

The time is going to pass anyway.

Do the work.

Remove the veils.

Question the rules.

And become the version of yourself that actually feels like you. Kaitie Entrikin on Peace Love a…

CONNECT WITH KAITIE ENTRIKIN

Website: beautifulbeastwithinstudios.com

Find her podcast, social channels, and YouTube content through the website. Kaitie Entrikin on Peace Love a…

#PeaceLoveAndBringABat #KaitieEntrikin #BeautifulBeastWithin #BodyImage #FoodFreedom #IntuitiveEating #SelfAcceptance #MentalHealth #Wellness #Authenticity #PersonalGrowth

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REGAIN YOUR MO-JOY: LINDA JOY BENN ON BURNOUT, ALIGNMENT & COMING BACK TO YOURSELF

What happens when you look successful on the outside—but inside you feel exhausted, disconnected, and empty?

On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Linda Joy Benn, transformational coach and holistic wellness practitioner who helps high-achieving professionals and leaders reconnect with themselves, reduce burnout, and rediscover purpose.

Linda introduces her BEN Method—Balance, Energy, Nurture, and Nourish—which she describes as advanced self-care for the soul. Her work focuses on helping people examine what feels out of alignment, what is draining them, and what may be keeping them disconnected from who they believe they truly are. Linda Joy Benn on Peace Love an…

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why outward success does not always mean inner fulfillment
• Linda’s personal journey after a cancer diagnosis in 1990
• How childhood experiences can shape adult beliefs and patterns
• Why self-awareness starts with an honest life assessment
• The meaning behind the BEN Method
• How people-pleasing and overgiving can contribute to burnout
• Why boundaries matter when protecting your energy
• How Linda uses breathwork, meditation, reflection, and body awareness
• Why she encourages people to notice what expands or drains them
• How triggers can become opportunities for reflection
• Why nature, quiet time, music, creativity, and water can be forms of self-care
• How reconnecting with joy can help people feel more present and fulfilled
• Why Linda believes following your bliss is part of finding your purpose

THE BEN METHOD

Linda’s framework is built around four words:

B — Balance
Look honestly at the areas of your life that feel out of alignment.

E — Energy
Notice what strengthens you—and what consistently leaves you depleted.

N — Nurture
Create space for rest, reflection, boundaries, and self-compassion.

N — Nourish
Choose practices, relationships, and activities that help you feel more connected and alive. Linda Joy Benn on Peace Love an…

WHAT IS DRAINING YOU?

Linda says burnout is often deeper than simply having too much work.

She encourages people to look at patterns such as:

People-pleasing.

Overgiving.

Seeking approval.

Trying to keep everyone happy.

Always saying yes.

And believing you must constantly prove your worth.

Her invitation is to ask:

What in my life is expanding me—and what is contracting me? Linda Joy Benn on Peace Love an…

TRIGGERS CAN BECOME TEACHERS

When someone pushes your buttons, Linda suggests pausing before reacting.

Ask yourself:

Is there something here for me to learn?

Did they touch an insecurity or unresolved issue?

Or is this simply their anger or behavior being projected onto me?

Sometimes the lesson is self-reflection.

Sometimes the lesson is:

This is not mine to carry. Linda Joy Benn on Peace Love an…

NOURISH YOURSELF

Self-care does not have to be complicated or expensive.

Linda recommends simple ways to slow down and reconnect:

Sit quietly with a cup of tea.

Meditate.

Walk barefoot on the grass.

Spend time in nature.

Swim.

Listen to uplifting music.

Create art.

Cook.

Dance.

Exercise.

Or simply do something that brings you into the present moment.

The goal is finding what genuinely brings you joy. Linda Joy Benn on Peace Love an…

SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN

Linda’s seed is:

“Follow your bliss.”

Do more of what brings you joy.

Nurture yourself.

Nourish yourself.

Pay attention to what makes you feel alive.

For Linda, coming back into alignment begins when you stop giving all of yourself away and start reconnecting with the person underneath the expectations, responsibilities, and noise. Linda Joy Benn on Peace Love an…

CONNECT WITH LINDA JOY BENN

Website: lindabenn.com

Linda also invites listeners to explore her Joy Connection community, free resources, energy assessment, programs, and one-to-one support. Linda Joy Benn on Peace Love an…

#PeaceLoveAndBringABat #LindaJoyBenn #Burnout #SelfCare #BENMethod #PersonalGrowth #Purpose #Boundaries #MindBodySpirit #Transformation #FollowYourBliss

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OBSERVATION AT THE SPEED OF LIFE: ED DOHERTY ON LEADERSHIP, OPTIMISM & CHALLENGING YOURSELF

What happens when life moves so fast that you miss the moments that matter most?

On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Ed Doherty, leadership consultant, former restaurant executive, nonprofit leader, marathon finisher, mentor, and author of Observation at the Speed of Life.

At 75,Ed has led 135 restaurants, served as chief human resource officer for an 11,000-employee company, run a nonprofit, completed a marathon, and turned decades of lessons into a book. Ed Doherty On Peace Love and Br…

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why Ed chooses positive intent
• Why failure can teach more than success
• His philosophy: Observe. Act. Stay with it.
• Why planning creates a more interesting life
• His two-word definition of time management: Controlling events
• Why clarity generates action
• Why leading by example matters
• How effort, progress, and results change over time
• Why feedback can be a “glass ceiling buster”
• How running a marathon at 70 changed him
• Why your biggest challenge should come from inside you

OPTIMISM IS A CHOICE

Ed believes we move through life assuming either positive or negative intent.

His preference is simple: look for the positive.

For Ed, optimism is not pretending problems do not exist. It is deciding how quickly you get back up after getting knocked down. Ed Doherty On Peace Love and Br…

OBSERVE. ACT. STAY WITH IT.

Ed says the speed of life causes us to miss small moments.

A teammate loses enthusiasm. A standard slips. Something feels off.

Sometimes leadership is simply noticing what others miss.

That led Ed to a core philosophy:

Observe. Act. Stay with it. Ed Doherty On Peace Love and Br…

CLARITY GENERATES ACTION

While overseeing 135 restaurants, Ed wanted cleaner stores. Eventually, he made his standard unmistakable: a restaurant should be clean enough to eat off the floor.

Then he literally did it.

His lesson:

Clarity generates action.

When expectations are fuzzy, people hesitate. When they are clear, people know where the bar is. Ed Doherty On Peace Love and Br…

LEAD BY EXAMPLE

Ed’s number one leadership principle is:

Never ask someone to do something you have not done—or would not do yourself.

Teams respond differently when the boss is willing to do the difficult work first. Ed Doherty On Peace Love and Br…

FEEDBACK IS A GIFT

Early in his career, a boss told Ed that the thing he did best was getting gas—and unless he improved elsewhere, he was not going to make it.

Ed listened.

Those meetings became tutorials. Eighteen months later, that same leader chose him to run San Francisco.

Ed calls accepting feedback a:

“Glass ceiling buster.” Ed Doherty On Peace Love and Br…

THE MARATHON AT 70

Ed started walking at 60, then running, then racing.

At 70, he completed a marathon by running 47 laps around Fenway Park and raised $13,000 for the Boston Bruins Foundation.

He was not running for time.

He was running to finish.

The discipline changed how he saw himself. Ed Doherty On Peace Love and Br…

SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN

Ed’s seed is:

Challenge yourself.

Nobody walked up to him at 70 and told him to run a marathon. That challenge came from inside.

Set your own goals. Push yourself. Do not wait for someone else to define your next level.

If you want to reach new heights:

It has to come from the inside. Ed Doherty On Peace Love and Br…

CONNECT WITH ED DOHERTY

Book: Observation at the Speed of Life
Consulting: ambroselanden.com Ed Doherty On Peace Love and Br…

#PeaceLoveAndBringABat #EdDoherty #Leadership #Optimism #Resilience #TimeManagement #Feedback #Legacy #PersonalGrowth

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YOUR BRAIN HEALS EVERY DAY: SANDRA LEE ON BRAIN INJURIES, ENERGY, SOUND & THE POWER OF POSSIBILITY

What if recovery does not have to end when someone tells you, “This is as good as it gets”?

On this episode of Peace, Love, and Bring a Bat, Uncle Dave welcomes Sandra Lee, longtime massage therapist and practitioner who works with people exploring recovery after brain injuries, migraines, strokes, accidents, stress, and other challenges.

Sandra shares how decades of bodywork, craniosacral study, sound practices, visualization, and a brain-training arrow chart shaped her approach to helping clients. She describes combining these methods with the belief that physical, emotional, and mental experiences all influence how people feel and function. Sandra Lee On Peace Love and Br…

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why Sandra became passionate about working with brain-injury recovery
• How an arrow-reading exercise became part of her practice
• Why she believes sound and bodywork can complement recovery work
• How she describes “energy flow” and blockages in the body
• What decades of craniosacral and massage work taught her about stress
• Why she calls chronic shoulder tension “shoulder boulders”
• How thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and physical symptoms can interact
• Why hydration and sleep are foundational habits she emphasizes
• Why even healers need outside perspective and support
• How visualization can help people reconnect with future possibilities
• Why Sandra believes the language we use about our bodies matters
• Her Spectrum of Anger framework
• Why she sees uncomfortable emotions as information rather than failure
• The message she wants people facing limitations to remember

WHEN THE BODY HOLDS THE PRESSURE

Sandra describes seeing stress show up physically in the people she works with.

One example is tension across the shoulders—the feeling of carrying the “weight of the world.”

She encourages people to notice what they are carrying emotionally instead of viewing every symptom as an isolated physical problem. Sandra Lee On Peace Love and Br…

RECOVERY CAN INCLUDE MORE THAN ONE LAYER

Sandra often works with people who have already gone through conventional medical treatment but still do not feel like themselves.

Her approach is complementary: she describes looking at physical function alongside emotions, thoughts, beliefs, sound-based practices, and other bodywork techniques.

For Sandra, the question becomes:

What else may be affecting how this person feels and functions? Sandra Lee On Peace Love and Br…

START WITH THE BASICS

Some of Sandra’s advice is remarkably simple.

Drink enough water.

Get enough sleep.

Ask for help.

She says even with decades of experience, she still needs other people to help her see what she cannot see herself.

Sometimes we need an “outside of my head perspective” to interrupt an old pattern and create a new possibility. Sandra Lee On Peace Love and Br…

SEE WHERE YOU WANT TO GO

Sandra and Uncle Dave discuss the importance of visualization.

If someone believes, “This is my life now,” it can become difficult to imagine anything different.

Sandra encourages people to begin picturing the activities and experiences they want to return to.

Her message is not to deny current limitations—but to stop allowing the limitation to become the only future you can imagine. Sandra Lee On Peace Love and Br…

REFRAMING ANGER

Sandra also introduces her Spectrum of Anger project.

She believes anger, worry, fear, uncertainty, and other uncomfortable emotions are not automatically signs that something is wrong with us.

They can be information.

Instead of immediately suppressing the emotion, she asks:

What is this trying to get me to pay attention to?

For Sandra, awareness creates more freedom in how we respond. Sandra Lee On Peace Love and Br…

SEED FOR THE MAGIC GARDEN

Sandra’s seed is:

“Your brain heals itself every day of your life.”

Whether someone is dealing with a physical injury, a limiting belief, or a story that says they cannot become who they want to be, Sandra wants people to keep believing change is possible.

We cannot rewrite the past.

But we can keep working on how we respond, adapt, and move forward. Sandra Lee On Peace Love and Br…

CONNECT WITH SANDRA LEE

Body Symptoms Decoder:
shinewithsandra.com/body

#PeaceLoveAndBringABat #SandraLee #BrainInjury #BrainHealth #Recovery #SoundHealing #MindBodyConnection #Anger #PersonalGrowth #Resilience #HealingJourney

To support us:

https://davidchametzky.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@davidchametzkyNOW

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peace-love-and-bring-a-bat/id1552738547