Army of Normal Folks

Latest Episodes:

The Paradox of Quitting—So That Your Work Can Live Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

In this Shop Talk, we reflect on a simple question that can haunt all of this: What do we need to quit so our best work can truly live?

Featuring Erik Løkkesmoe's powerful essay "I Quit," Coach Bill explores the things that quietly pull us away from meaningful work—chasing applause, feeding the algorithm, climbing ladders, waiting for permission, and letting urgency replace purpose. Sometimes the most important step forward isn't doing more—it's having the courage to let something die.

Check out Erik’s Substack here

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The One Thing You Need Before Grit, Resilience, or Confidence (Pt 1) Jun 23, 2026

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Contrary to popular belief, hope isn't a feeling. It's a formula that Dr. Ashley Cross is about to teach you about. And according to research, it's the single best predictor of wellbeing. More than grit, resilience, confidence, and it’s needed to unlock all of them.

Dr. Cross is one of the nation's leading practitioners of the "Science of Hope” through the incredible work of her Rochester nonprofit Hope 585 and now through her work advising the hope-centered movement in Memphis.

Her hope lessons in this episode might just change your life… and definitely can help many of the lives you’re serving. Learn more about her work at Hope585.org

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The One Thing You Need Before Grit, Resilience, or Confidence (Pt 2) Jun 23, 2026

Show notes

Her hope lessons in this episode might just change your life… and definitely can help many of the lives you’re serving. Learn more about her work at Hope585.org

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#join

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Plane Was in the Bay. Then He Said Something Remarkable. Jun 19, 2026

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In today's Shop Talk, Bill and Alex discuss the Asoh Defense — the forgotten leadership principle that says admitting your mistake honestly and immediately is more powerful than any excuse you could make.

This one's for anyone who's ever been wrong about something. So, everyone.

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He Was a Pastor With a Sex Addiction. Now He's Helped 25,000 Men Heal (Pt 1) Jun 16, 2026

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Nate Larkin spent 20 years hiding a sex addiction. For 5 of those years, he was a pastor. When it was exposed and everything collapsed, it could have been the end of his story. It turned out to be the beginning.

In this conversation, Nate shares what it took to rebuild and how that journey led him and a dozen guys to start the Samson Society, a community built on radical transparency, vulnerability, and confidentiality. What started as one small group has now grown to more than 600 local chapters, daily virtual meetings in 8 languages, and has helped over 25,000 men heal!

You might benefit from the Samson Society or the newer women's version called the Sarah Society. We all know family members and friends who could. And Nate can teach all of us how to be real and live authentically.

Check out Samson Society here: https://www.samsonsociety.com/about

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He Was a Pastor With a Sex Addiction. Now He's Helped 25,000 Men Heal (Pt 2) Jun 16, 2026

Show notes

Check out Samson Society here: https://www.samsonsociety.com/about

Join Army of Normal Folks and receive our Soul Service newsletter: https://www.normalfolks.us/#join

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#join

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eric Church Compared Life to a Guitar. And It Went Viral. Jun 12, 2026

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Most commencement speeches are forgotten within days. But when country music star Eric Church compared life to a guitar with six strings that must stay in tune—faith, family, relationships, ambition, community, and identity—the message struck a chord with millions. In this Shop Talk, Bill and Alex unpack the viral speech and explore what it means to keep your own life in tune when the world keeps pulling you out of it.

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The Generosity of Scars: How Your Hardest Moments Can Help Others Heal (Pt 1) Jun 09, 2026

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After nearly taking his own life during a difficult transition from the military, retired Green Beret Scott Mann discovered an unexpected path to healing: telling the stories he most wanted to hide.

In this conversation, Scott shares lessons from combat, leading Operation Pineapple Express (rescued 1,000 Afghanis from the Taliban), and his new book, The Generosity of Scars, showing us how our hardest moments can help others feel less alone—and why the stories we're most afraid to tell may be the ones the world most needs to hear.
Buy The Generosity of Scars here

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The Generosity of Scars: How Your Hardest Moments Can Help Others Heal (Pt 2) Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

After nearly taking his own life during a difficult transition from the military, retired Green Beret Scott Mann discovered an unexpected path to healing: telling the stories he most wanted to hide.

Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/#join

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She Heard One Podcast and Drove Nine Hours to Volunteer Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

For Shop Talk, the extraordinary story one Army member inspiring another one, which inspires us and hopefully you! Amy Crenshaw's nonprofit ComeUnity Cafe where you can donate money or work for your food inspired Lisa Fox to drive 9 hours from Wellington, OH to Jackson, TN to volunteer there for several days and explore if she can do something similar in her community. Listen to this episode and think: Who can inspire me to do even more?

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.