MindShape

God's Got This Mar 23, 2023

Avery and Joey talk about their faith and tell stories about how God has guided them exactly where they need to be in life.

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RECAP: The Committee Mar 06, 2023

Avery and Joey talk about episode 7 with Jamal Rhoden-Stevens

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The Committee Mar 02, 2023

Jamal Rhoden Stevens is a track and field athlete from Great Britain. He has been competing since he was nineteen years old. Jamal shares his story about how he was denied going to the Olympics because of a committee decision that was out of his control. This is a story that needs to be heard and shared with people and athletes all around the world. Jamal is on track to compete in the 2024 Olympics, and his plan is to compete and make a comeback story of a lifetime.

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RECAP: Mysterious Headaches Feb 26, 2023

Avery and Joey Recap episode 6 with Millie

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Mysterious Headaches Feb 22, 2023

Millie McGinnis comes on the podcast to share her story about getting a stage 4 brain tumor. Millie talks about what it was like getting the news about her tumor, what surgery and chemotherapy were like and how she is doing at this stage in her life.

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RECAP: This Saved My Life Feb 20, 2023

Avery and Joey recap episode 5

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This Saved My Life Feb 15, 2023

Arielle is a health coach from California. Arielle grew up a regular kid but throughout her childhood she developed poor eating habits. Back then Arielle had no idea about the impact that food had on our bodies as a whole. Like most people on earth, she was eating everything everyone else ate. As she got older she would develop multiple chronic illnesses that would put her in and out of the hospital and even challenge her own will to live.
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RECAP: Mom, My Biological Mom? Feb 10, 2023

Avery and Joey recap the latest episode featuring Belle Vanderlaan

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Mom, My Biological Mom? Feb 08, 2023

Belle Vanderlaan comes on the podcast to share her story about being adopted. Belle was adopted at the age of 1, so she never really knew who her biological parents were or what they were like. CPS stepped in and took Belle's sister out of the home and placed her in foster care around the same time Belle was born. Her sister was soon adopted by a great family who shortly after decided to also adopt Belle as a baby.
In the first part of this episode, Belle talks about her biological parents and the details she has learned about them, and in the second part of the episode, Belle talks about how amazing her family is and the ways her parents made her feel loved throughout her childhood.

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RECAP: The Suppressed Void Feb 03, 2023

This is the recap for episode 3 with Sean Landes. Avery and Joey talk about their conversation with Sean and the impact that it had on them. Joey also shares a story that he has never told anyone publically in this recap episode.
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The Suppressed Void Feb 01, 2023

Sean Landes is 30 years old and is from Midland, Michigan. Sean comes on the podcast to share a story about childhood trauma and drug addiction. During this podcast, Sean breaks down the events that led him to develop a drug addiction and how he dealt with the trauma of sexual abuse that happened to him at a young age.
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RECAP: 1000 Points Jan 27, 2023

Avery and Joey recap the second episode of the season with Isaiah Sheffield.

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1000 Points Jan 24, 2023

Isaiah Sheffield is from Olive Branch, Mississippi. Isaiah had a stress-free life until the end of 5th grade. He would find out from his Mom that his Dad had a tumor in his lungs and his brain. He watched his Dad battle cancer for the next seven years. Isaiah and his Dad bonded over sports. Even though his Dad loved and wanted him to play baseball, he decided to play basketball. They would always talk about the milestone of Isaiah reaching 1000 points scored. He dreamed that his Dad would live to see his accomplishment.
Isaiah's Dad was an incredible father and always had a positive attitude. He was a selfless man who always prayed for others instead of himself. Listen and be inspired as Isaiah shares his Dad's story in this week's episode.
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RECAP: The King of Chemo Jan 18, 2023

This is the first season where we are doing recaps after every episode. The purpose of this is for our listeners to learn more about us (Joey and Avery) as hosts and to discuss the story that we all just listened to. These recaps are going to be serious and, at the same time very light-hearted and funny. Enjoy and make sure to tap that subscribe button so you don't miss a story on Season .

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The King of Chemo Jan 16, 2023

Iain Ward's life changed forever when he received a diagnosis of stage 3 terminal brain cancer at the age of 31 in 2019. Since then, he decided to take on a world record. Iain is dedicated to raising the most money ever for cancer research for running a marathon.
In order to break the world record, he needs our help to share his content so he can get more sponsors that will donate to his goal. We can also help by sharing his content on social media (@thekingofchemo) and by donating to his latest GoFundMe at
https://www.gofundme.com/f/Ultra-Marathon-World-Tour?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_content=undefined&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer&utm_term=undefined
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Catfish Feb 23, 2022

As the hosts, we are still figuring out the mystery behind this story. So we are letting our listeners decide for themselves what transpired during this episode.
Was Kaylee groomed by her best friend, or was her best friend involved in a sex trafficking ring run by Ken?
Kaylee Makenna is 21 years old and is from Michigan. Kaylee comes onto the podcast to share a story about a supernatural grooming situation between her and her best friend Sarah. Her relationship with her best friend was great until a guy named Ken came into her life. Ken and Kaylee were dating even though their only interactions were through text messages. One day Sarah told Kaylee that she could channel Ken and bring him out supernaturally through her. For years Kaylee had a relationship with Ken through Sarah until her cousin visited one weekend and noticed they were sleeping in the same bed.
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Watching My Friend Die & Conquering My Demons Feb 09, 2022

Luke Colson is a senior executive producer from Los Angeles, California. Luke comes on the podcast to share a traumatic childhood event.
When Luke was 11 years old in England, he watched his best friend get hit by a car and die right before his eyes. The trauma from watching his friend die had an everlasting impact on his future. He talks about how it led him down a path of doing hardcore drugs throughout his college years and eventually becoming a severe alcoholic. His alcoholism would lead him to rock bottom, which triggered a set of decisions that changed his life for the better.
In the later parts of this episode, Luke shares how he overcame his demons and rebuilt his relationship with himself and everyone in his life.
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Leap of Faith Feb 02, 2022

Avery and Joey talk about why giving is more powerful than receiving and Avery shares how meeting his biggest fear head-on changed his life.
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Divorced Parents & Overcoming Heartbreak Jan 26, 2022

Joey and Avery discuss what it was like having their parents get divorced while they were young and how to heal from a broken heart.
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NFL vs. Navy Jan 18, 2022

Cameron Kinley is 21 years old and is from Memphis, Tennessee. Every since Cam was a little kid he had a football in his hand. Like most kids, he had a dream to eventually play in the NFL. As he grew older his mindset shifted from reaching the NFL to using football as a vehicle to get into the best college that he could out of high school. Cam would end up getting a scholarship to play at multiple Ivy schools but would end up choosing to play football at the Naval Academy.
Cam fought his way into the starting lineup his Junior year. He gained major confidence and was looking forward to his senior year. However, his last year of college didn't go as planned, he would end up being benched a couple of games into the season. Cam knew that this would hurt his chances of going to the NFL and his failure to start deflated his confidence. Nevertheless, he didn't give up there, he became determined to chase his dreams despite his fear of failure.
In this episode, Cam highlights the crazy sequence of events that happened after he signed a free-agent contract. From getting his waiver to play professional sports denied, to being the centerpiece in a viral sports story that lead to Senators and eventually the President getting involved.
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Upper Limb Deficiency Jan 12, 2022

Martin was born in Russia with an upper limb deficiency which caused him to start his life without hands. In Russia, he was categorized as disabled which meant he wouldn't be able to go to school and would need a caretaker for the rest of his life. However, his life changed when an American family decided to adopt him and bring him back to New York. In this podcast, Martin talks about what it is like to live with an upper limb deficiency and how he became a famous TikTok creator with over 3 million followers.
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Regrets of the Dying Jan 05, 2022

Kandiee Campbell joins us on the podcast this week to share a story that focuses on her relationship with her Mom and the grief she experienced after losing her Mom, Dad, 4-month-old baby, and a pet in a short time frame. Kandiee breaks down the abnormal relationship she had with her mom and how the stress and chaos molded her into someone that she wasn't proud of. The first honest conversation she had with her mom was in the hospital while her mom was on her death bed. Her mom apologized to Kandiee for the way that she treated her growing up and regretted that she had such a distant relationship with her.
Kandiee open-heartedly tells this emotional story while revealing the powerful transformation she went through after her mom died. At 40 years old she realized that she didn't want the resentment of the past to hold her back.
Kandiee is a transformational Coach. a therapist and an energy healer. She has a passion to help people live their best lives and be the person they were meant to be. She helps individuals who struggle with anxiety, stress, and constant worry. Please check out her website: https://kandieecampbell.net/
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38 Surgeries Dec 28, 2021

Kristen Means was an all-around athlete growing up, all she wanted to do was play sports and compete. Everything was great until when she was in her teens she got hurt and the injury never healed right. Kristen kept getting hurt over the next decade and couldn't quite understand why. She was eventually diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome which is a disorder of the connective tissue which is caused by the body not making enough collagen.
Kristen walks us through her life and how she wins the battle against EDS every single day.
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Online Addiction Dec 21, 2021

Sathiya Sam comes on the podcast to talk about a topic that is not widely discussed in today's day and age. Sathiya comes on to talk about porn addiction. He talks about the negative impact porn had on his life growing up and how he was able to conquer his addiction after 15 years of what seemed to be endless dependence. Sathiya breaks down studies that show how being addicted to porn can affect a person physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Sathiya is also the founder of Deep Clean which is a company he started to help men all over the world overcome porn additions.
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Quadriplegia Dec 14, 2021

Rick Werry was born in a small town in Utah and grew up on a dairy farm, the youngest of four kids. As a teenager, Rick loved sports and being outdoors. In 2007 Rick married his college sweetheart Tara. One year later while building their house, Rick was in a construction accident and broke his neck. His life changed that day as Rick became paralyzed from the chest down. Rick was scared, sad, and unsure what the future would hold when a nurse came into his hospital room. The nurse was holding a red pen and a calendar. She told Rick that any time you accomplish something you couldn't do yesterday we will write it down and call it a "Red Letter Day.”
Rick has taken that nurse's advice not only in recovering from a spinal cord injury but also in life. In Rick’s ‘wheelchair life’ he has accomplished so many amazing things. He is a husband, a father, an avid hand-cyclist, a wheelchair rugby player, and a hunter. Rick is compiling his life lessons and “Red Letter Days” into a memoir and plans to have it published.
Rick is passionate about using his journey to inspire others by being featured as a keynote speaker, motivating sports teams through storytelling, presenting to religious organizations, and sharing his story on podcasts. To book Rick for a podcast or an upcoming event, send him a message today.
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Acupuncture & Childhood Abuse Dec 07, 2021

Hannah is a 29-year-old intuitive healer and acupuncturist whose journey to transformation began with healing from childhood sexual abuse. She comes on the show to speak to her past trauma and how she turned her struggle into strength and empowerment. Her work to heal her childhood wounds has taught her that our triggers and traumas can be some of our greatest opportunities for growth.
While she treats a wide variety of concerns in her wellness practice, she has a focus on helping others release past traumas and spiritual blocks so that they may step into the fullest expression of themselves.

She is the founder of Soul and Lune Wellness where she practices acupuncture, energy healing, and coaching in Baltimore, Maryland. She is also the host of the Practically Well Podcast.
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Gen X and Transgender Nov 30, 2021

Amy Stephens is a woman who happens to be transgender. Since coming out, she has found her voice as a podcaster, comic, and storyteller. Amy is currently working towards her Masters's in Mental Health Counseling at the State University of New York - Brockport. Amy lives in Rochester, New York, with her ex-wife, daughter, and kid. She has entertained and educated audiences in New York City, Washington DC, Las Vegas, and London, England.
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300 Calories a Day Nov 23, 2021

Isabelle Jordan is 21 years old and is a student at Augustana College. She comes on the podcast to share a story that focuses on her struggle with disordered eating. During this episode, she breaks down what it was like mentally and physically to live with an eating disorder. It got to the point where she was only consuming 300 calories a day while consistently going on runs.
Ending the stigma of mental health is incredibly important to Isabelle, that’s why she was so excited to be featured on MindShape and to get to share her own recovery journey with an eating disorder. As she rediscovers the importance of recovery, she remembers that we never truly know what others are battling silently. So, remember to lead with love, be kind to yourself, and be kind to others.
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America's Strongest Disabled Man Nov 16, 2021

Alex "The Tank" Armor was born in Calgary, Alberta, and currently resides in Johnson City Tennessee. After high school, Alex decided that he wanted to serve his country. He joined the US Army in 2004. While deployed Alex suffered major injuries after hitting 2 IEDs in Iraq. In 2010 Alex's injuries became too much and he was given noticed that he would be medically retired from the military.
After being medically retired he found his way as an adaptive Highland Games and Strongman competitor. At his peak, he ended up taking 1st in America's strongest disabled man and 3rd place in Worlds strongest disabled man. On top of that, he was able to pioneer and introduce the first-ever Adaptive Highland Games in Scotland. Alex has started 3 public charities that work towards the advancement of adaptive sports and the advancement of people with disabilities. He is the founder of Uncle Sams Highlanders and the Gimp Style Foundation.
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Strange and Unusual Creatures Nov 09, 2021

Megan Hatfield was just a normal girl growing up when one day everything changed. It all started one day at the age of 22 while she was working her job at soul cycle. She noticed that she was feeling tired that day and was overall just really fatigued. Over the course of the next couple of days, her body just kept getting weaker and weaker so she ended up going on a journey to find out what was going on. After getting multiple diagnoses and hopping from doctor to doctor she was finally diagnosed with Lyme's Disease. After years of battling Lyme's Megan feels like she is in a great spot and is on the right path in her healing journey.
Megan is now a women's empowerment coach and a Leadership mentor. Her goal is to help women alchemize their pain into purpose. In 2020, she released a book called "Strange and Unusual Creatures" which is about her journey of healing from chronic Lyme disease and trauma.
This episode is unique because Joey (our co-host) has a similar story to Megan so they were able to connect and tell their stories in the same episode. Joey was diagnosed with Lyme's disease at the age of 12 and it eventually led him to be diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called juvenile dermatomyositis. During this episode, Joey tells his story and breaks down how his autoimmune disease affected his life.
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Flesh Eating Disease Nov 02, 2021

In the spring of 2015 Chris faced a life-changing decision. He occupied a hospital bed in St. Mary’s Hospital, a Mayo clinic facility, in Rochester, MN. About a week and a half prior, he had contracted necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating bacteria) from a tiny scratch on his right hand.

He had recently run a Pi-Day race (3.14 miles) in 19:29, which is great for a 40-year-old husband and a father of three. As Chris crossed the finished line, the last thing he imagined was that he would nearly die, have a major portion of his skin removed, need a flap of skin transferred from his left thigh to his right hand and forearm, and incur around $1,000,000 in medical bills.

Chris is now self-employed and is an international speaker who speaks about gratitude and overcoming personal bacteria (negative thoughts).
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Losing My 17 Year Old Daughter Oct 26, 2021

Dan Loeffler comes on the podcast to share with us his journey through grief after he lost his daughter Leah in a car accident. 20 years ago, his daughter Leah was a senior in high school and driving to school one morning when she was involved in an accident. As usual Dan made sure that Leah was awake and then went to work, Leah would drive her self to school as usual. Shortly after arriving at work Dan got a phone call from the school that he had to go to the hospital immediately and that there has been a bad accident. He arrived to find his daughter in the hospital room in critical condition. The doctors ended up putting her in a coma to try and save her life but she never woke up.
That morning Dan and his wife Nancy's life would be altered forever. In the matter of a routine drive to school they had lost their 17 year old daughter. Now they faced a battle of dealing with the grief that the loss brought.
After years of dealing with grief Dan found a private counselor who introduced him to the Grief Recovery Method. This method helped him heal and learn how to deal with the high level of grief he was experiencing. Dan and his wife started a business called Being with Grief where they help other people deal with their grief. Here is their website: https://beingwithgrief.com/
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Stripping and Sexual Abuse Oct 19, 2021

Jane Epstein comes on the podcast to share her courageous story. Between the ages of 6 and 12, Jane was sexually molested by her sibling. Years later, after barely graduating high school Jane went to college to study court reporting. Her time in college didn't last long and she ended up dropping out to become a stripper. Jane talks about how stripping filled the gaps of the trauma she experienced as a child. In 1989 she met her late husband Mark in the strip club, she describes him as her "knight". Mark eventually passed away from cancer and a couple of years later she got remarried.
Now Jane makes a strong effort to share her story so that she can help advocate for other survivors and other people that will be impacted by her experiences
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Divorce, Drugs & Incarceration Oct 12, 2021

Amanda Acker comes on the podcast to share her story which is full of captivating and difficult moments. When Amanda was 15 her parents got divorced which led her down a dark path of feeling abandoned. She found herself getting into a lot of toxic relationships with friends and with boyfriends. She ended up getting heavy into the party scene where she got addicted to alcohol and a whole variety of drugs. All of this led to what she calls “The worst decision of her life”, a decision where she would end up being incarcerated.

After years of turmoil and broken relationships, Amanda found the love of her life and she has been happily married ever since. She is now extremely happy and is an author, speaker, and podcast host.

Tune in as Amanda breaks down her life and the events that led her to become a convicted felon.
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My Husband Came Out Oct 05, 2021

Jessica Frew is a mom, wife, ex-wife, step-mom, lover of all things active, and entrepreneur.
Jessica's Bio: My first husband (Steve) and I were active members of the LDS/Mormon church and just a few months into our marriage is when my husband came to terms with the fact that he was gay. We stayed married for another 6 years while he worked through understanding and accepting this part of himself. We had an amazing marriage at that time. It was hard but we loved and supported each other and at the same time, we came to love ourselves in a whole new way. We also brought an amazing little girl into our lives. We did eventually divorce but we have stayed best of friends through it all. Today I am remarried to another amazing man (Matt), I have 2 step kids, still active in my church, and my ex and I are still best of friends. Not only that, my husband and ex-husband are now great friends as well. We understand and relate to all things co-parenting because while we have an exceptional relationship with Steve, Matt's ex is very high conflict. My ex-husband, my husband, and myself host a podcast together called Husband in Law. We are sharing our stories of love, marriage, coming out, infidelity, divorce, and co-parenting. We are doing this to help individuals view themselves and others in a new light so that they can see not only their own self-worth but also the worth of others. We are changing how people view themselves and others to create stronger relationships.
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An Unforgettable Night May 18, 2021

Andrew Nies is from Midland, Michigan. In 2016, his Dad and sister were involved in a murder-suicide while he was at work. His Dad decided to put down his family dog without telling anybody else and it stirred up a ton of emotion. His sister had a difficult relationship with his Dad and a really close bond with their dog so this decision made her really upset. While emotions were flared she ended up grabbing a shotgun and shooting his Dad at point blank range, a couple hours later she took her on life at a nearby park. In the first part of this episode Andrew walks us through that night in vivid detail.
Despite losing his Dad and his sister in 2016, Andrew still has a positive attitude and outlook on life. Over the past couple of years, Andrew has taken the time to work on his mental and physical health. He hopes that his story and his recovery can inspire someone to get through a difficult situation they are facing.
This marks our 80th episode and the final story of Season 3. Thank you to everyone who listens to our podcast and thank you to all the brave individuals who shared their story this season.
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Uncharted Waters May 11, 2021

As a lifelong surfer, Matthew Schwab grew up on the coast of New Jersey. He allowed his love for water to lead him to experience living on the coasts of Hawaii, California, Oregon and now Tampa, Florida. Having spent 20 years traveling the world’s oceans and experiencing nearly 40 countries as a United States Merchant Marine officer, Captain Matthew Schwab has led others through seemingly insurmountable challenges while sailing the world.

After experiencing his spiritual awakening through multiple near-death experiences, aptly termed ‘The Inner Voyage’, Matthew made it his mission to support other leaders in navigating the uncharted waters of fear and isolation to achieve spiritual breakthroughs and personal and professional growth.

Join us on this voyage as Matthew shares how his life changed after coming face to face with death at multiple points in his life. The lessons and wisdom in this episode will give you a whole new perspective and show you what the Inner Voyage is all about.
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Imposter Syndrome Apr 20, 2021

Laura Cathcart Robbins is a freelance writer and host of the popular podcast, The Only One In The Room. She lives Studio City, California. Laura comes on the podcast to talk about living a double life, her drug addiction and being the only one in the room. In the beginning of the episode she talks about how imposter syndrome took over her life in high school and how she started a successful PR firm in her early 20s. In the middle part of the episode Laura tells us about her drug and alcohol addiction that started in her early 30s and in the final minutes of the podcast she talks to us about her podcast and what inspired her to start it.
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Dior Scott (Last Chance U) Mar 30, 2021

Dior Scott is 21 years old and is from Antioch, California. Dior was the star wide receiver for the Laney College Eagles in Season 5 of Last Chance U on Netflix. The season takes you through Dior's story but we wanted to bring him on the podcast to dive deeper into his life. Growing up Dior and his Dads relationship slowly deteriorated, it got to the point where Dior couldn't look at his Dad as a father figure anymore. His turbulent relationship with his Dad caused a lot of set backs in his life, especially when it came to football. After he ran away his Dad pulled him off his high school football team which caused him to lose his scholarship offers. Dior decided to take matters into his own hands, he attended Laney Community College in hopes that he could earn a scholarship by impressing college scouts. He ended up attending Laney and playing for Coach Beam. In order to survive he worked at Wing Stop and lived in his car. He did it all so he could one day live his dream of making it to the NFL.
After playing 11 games at Laney he was left with 0 offers. Despite having zero offers Dior was still confident that he had what it takes to get a scholarship, he just needed an opportunity to prove himself. With the help of Coach Beam he got the chance to walk on to the University of Hawaii football team. After working his ass off, Dior finally earned what he worked so hard to get. In early February 2021 he was offered a scholarship to play at the University of Hawaii.
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The Sole Survivor Mar 16, 2021

Kristie Bennett is 29 years old and is from Sydney, Australia. Kristie was the winner of the first ever Australian Survivor (S1-2016). Since she was 8 years old it was her dream to be on Survivor. In this episode she talks to us about surviving with little food, backstabbing, her personal anxiety attacks while on the island, the immunity challenges and how she ended up winning Survivor.
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Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro Without Legs Mar 09, 2021

Spencer West is 40 years old and is from Toronto, Canada. Spencer is a double amputee and lost both his legs from the pelvis down at the age of five. He was born with Sacral Agenesis which is a rare birth condition characterized by partial or complete absence of sacrum and lower lumbar spine. In the first part of the episode Spencer shares how growing up without legs affected his life and his parents lives. Halfway through the episode Spencer talks about his college experience and what it was like for him to come out while living in Salt Lake City. He also opens up about what is was like to come out to his parents.
The later half of the episode is focused on Spencers accomplishments. Spencer is a world renowned motivational speaker for social change. He is also the author of the book Standing Tall. Spencer climbed and reached the peak Mt. Kilimanjaro while raising money to bring clean water to people in Africa. He also went on tour with Demi Lovato and spoke in every city that she went to.
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Dating Apps & Dad Bods Mar 02, 2021

Julie Griggs and Danielle Dietzek are the founders of a Double Dating App called Fourplay. The join us to talk about their app and the struggles that they have encountered along their journey. In the beginning of the episode Danielle dives into her struggle with eating and talks about how having an eating disorder has affected her life. We also dive into undiscussed topics such as male eating disorders and the female dad bod. Later in the episode Julie and Danielle break down Fourplay and how they aim to change the online dating game.
This episode is light hearted and is full of laughs. While it’s a fun episode we talk about some serious topics that go undiscussed in today’s society.
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High School to War Feb 23, 2021

Dick Bork is 27 years old and is from Midland, Michigan. After he graduated high school he decided that he wanted to serve his country and joined the Marine Corps. Dick talks to us about the time he spent in the Marines. From his first day outside of the wire in Afghanistan to detailed accounts of firefights with insurgent groups. While he encountered life or death situations on a daily basis there was a part of his deployment that stuck out to him the most, the people in Afghanistan. While the news covers the tragic events that happen overseas they fail to cover the other side of the story. Dick talks about how kind the people were and the amazing relationships that he built with the locals. Dick and his other marines felt a duty to protect the people at all costs during their time in Afghanistan.
After coming back from his deployment Dick had a tough time finding his identity as a civilian and struggled to connect with people. In the later half of this episode he talks about what this transition was like and who he adapted back to life outside of the Marine Corps.
Dick opened up a gym called Valhalla Warriors Club which gives people a place to heal and grow. He wants to help people heal from their traumas and have peoples thoughts motivate them instead of consume them. He plans to open up a big gym in the near future.
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Blind Greek National Athlete Feb 09, 2021

Vicky Agoe is 21 years old and is from Greece. Vicky was born with a visual impairment at birth called retina detachment. This caused her to have extremely poor vision at birth and to eventually lose her sight altogether. Vicky walks us through the struggles that she has faced in her everyday life. When she first started school she was placed in a school for the blind which allowed her to connect with her classmates but as she grew up and went to college things slowly changed. College became a lot more difficult as she was surrounded by people who didn't understand her and her disability. On top of that none of her classes were geared or adapted in a way to help a visually impaired person. This made college really frustrating for Vicky. Despite her struggles she is an amazing student who just recently switched her major to special education.
Vicky is also on the Greek National Goalball team. Goalball is a team sport designed specifically for athletes with a vision impairment. Participants compete in teams of three, and try to throw a ball that has bells embedded in it into the opponents' goal.
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Priest Charged with Sexual Assault Jan 26, 2021

Sarah Zastrow is 26 years old and is from Midland, Michigan. She was working for a priest who was arrested for criminal sexual assault. He was the priest of the church that she grew up going to and 1 year before he was arrested he actually married Sarah and her husband. After he was arrested there were two other priests in nearby towns that were arrested for similar charges. In this episode Sarah breaks down the story from when her mom broke the news to her via text to the chaos the ensued after her priest was arrested.
Sarah is a podcaster, speaker and coach who teaches people the tool to have less stress, more energy and live an aligned life.
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Podcast music provided by Gus Glasser (@mcgymnasty), William Coombs (@dj__willie), and Alec Pruitt (@anucon).

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My Family Got Kidnapped Jan 19, 2021

Carlos Rodriguez is 37 years old and is from Modesto, California. Carlos is a photo journalist, a film editor and an Emmy Award winner. He has accomplished a lot in his career but also has gone through some tough situations.
In September of 2011 his wife and his 2 month year old son were kidnapped by a fugitive who was on the run from the police. In the first part of this episode Carlos breaks down exactly what happened on the day his wife and his son were kidnapped.
In the second part of the episode he shares a different story. It was the middle of the night in 2017 when his car broke down on the side of the highway. He called his Dad and he agreed to come help him fix it. When his Dad opened the door to exit his vehicle he was struck and killed by a drunk driver. Carlos talks to us about what happened that night and how it changed his life forever.
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Podcast music provided by Gus Glasser (@mcgymnasty), William Coombs (@dj__willie), and Alec Pruitt (@anucon).

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Worlds Rarest Disease Jan 12, 2021

Stephen Ludwig aka Stevo is 22 years old and is from North Carolina. Stephen was born with a extremely rare bone disease called Maffucci's syndrome. There are only 250 people in the world that have been diagnosed with Maffucci's. His condition causes his bones to grow in all different shapes and sizes around his body. The most noticeable difference is that one of his legs is 9 inches shorter than the other. To make up for the difference he wears a big platform on the bottom of his shoe. The remarkable thing is that despite his limitations he still excels at sports and has an extremely competitive nature.
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Podcast music provided by Gus Glasser (@mcgymnasty), William Coombs (@dj__willie), and Alec Pruitt (@anucon).

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Heaven & Heroin Jan 05, 2021

Mike Ashe is 35 years old and is from Baltimore City Maryland. In this episode Mike tells his story of being incarcerated and overcoming a decade long heroin addiction. Mike gives us vivid accounts of overdosing and breaks down moments when he tried to take his own life. After being charged with multiple felonies he spent a total of 5 years in prison between 2006 and 2011. After leaving prison he went right back to using heroin. After surviving an attempted suicide by overdose in a hotel room he decided that he needed to make a change. He joined a 12 step program that would get him on the road to recovery. Today, Mike is clean and is a successful business owner of a brand called Dream-XL.
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Podcast music provided by Gus Glasser (@mcgymnasty), William Coombs (@dj__willie), and Alec Pruitt (@anucon).

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My Battle With Cancer Jun 30, 2020

Markus Hogg is 17 years old and is from Toronto, Canada. When he was 15 years old Markus noticed that he had an abnormal pain in his hamstring. After a couple doctor visits he ended up getting an MRI. The results of the MRI would change his life. The MRI showed that Markus had a large tumor growing in his spine. He was later diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. Over the past couple years Markus has been undergoing chemotherapy and has been in and out of the hospital. He has had multiple surgeries including one that left him paralyzed from the knees down. Markus is now waiting to have another surgery in hopes to remove the tumor completely. Take 30 minutes to listen to his incredible story, you wont regret it!

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I Was In a House Fire (Part 2) Jun 02, 2020

Marius Woodward is 21 years old and is originally from Romania. When he was 8 years old he was in a house fire. 75 percent of his body was burned. During his recovery 2 girls from the United States came to visit him everyday. The ended up getting Marius to the United States and getting him medical treatment. One of those girls families would later adopt Marius and welcome him with open arms. In this episode Marius talks about what happened the night of the house fire, his recovery and what his life is like now. This by far the most heart breaking and inspiring story we have ever heard.

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I Was In a House Fire (Part 1) May 26, 2020

Marius Woodward is 21 years old and is originally from Romania. When he was 8 years old he was in a house fire. 75 percent of his body was burned. During his recovery 2 girls from the United States came to visit him everyday. The ended up getting Marius to the United States and getting him medical treatment. One of those girls families would later adopt Marius and welcome him with open arms. In this episode Marius talks about what happened the night of the house fire, his recovery and what his life is like now. This by far the most heart breaking and inspiring story we have ever heard.

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He Brought A Gun To School Mar 17, 2020

Taylen is 20 years old and is from Benton, Kentucky. Taylen was a senior in high school when a tragic event happened that would change her life. She was in her high school when a school shooting happened. Taylen tells the story in depth from her perspective. She talks about what happened, how she felt in the moment, what she did and how it affected her and her classmates. We all have heard about school shootings and see them on the news. In this episode Taylen give us a personal story that will open our minds to the reality of being involved in such a tragic event.

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Six Feet Apart Feb 18, 2020

Kelsey Richardson is 25 years old and from Madison, North Carolina. Kelsey went to college at Towson University in Maryland. Kelsey was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when she was 5 months old. In this episode Kelsey takes us into her personal life and what living with CF has been like for her. You will not only learn her story but you will learn a lot about the reality of CF. Kelsey is a ball of energy and her positivity is contagious. We can all learn something from her. You will be glad you took 25 minutes out of your day to listen to her incredible story.

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I Lost My Baby Jan 14, 2020

Our first guest on season 2 is Kaley Whelan. She is 20 years old and lives in North Carolina. Kaley shares a deep and very recent life story. She was just a girl heading to college until one day she found out that she was pregnant. A couple months into the pregnancy she was told news by her doctor that no one ever wants to hear. Kaley tells her story and talks about how she has dealt with such a big loss.

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Story Time with Joey Braun Oct 01, 2019

In the final episode of Season 1 Avery interviews Joey. Joey shares his life story from what he was doing before MindShape, his struggles with an autoimmune disease and where he plans to go in life from here. He shares stories that he has never shared with more than a couple people in his life.
We all have a story. A life story that is full of ups and downs. With parts that include a lot of struggle and pain. We tend to hold these stories close to use because in our eyes they are very personal. We sometimes feel like we are the only ones struggling but in reality thats not true, we all do. We have to realize that these stories from our past don’t define us. The only way they hold power over us is if we let them. These negative stories inflict so many self limiting beliefs in our lives. While it is hard to let go, its possible. Remember that we not only have the power to flip to the next chapter of our book, but we can throw the old one out and write a whole new one.

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Live Authentically with Avery Chatman Sep 24, 2019

As Season 1 comes to an end we wanted to do something special for you guys. For the past 28 episodes we have interviewed amazing individuals and allowed them to share their stories with you. For the final 2 episodes we wanted to bring you the stories of the MindShape hosts. In this episode Joey interviews Avery. You will find out about Averys life growing up throughout High School until now. He also answers some questions that he hasn't answered before. Over the next 20 minutes you will truly see what it means to Live Authentically and get an inside peak of the life of the man, the myth, the legend, Avery Chatman.

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