The Connected Life

They say hindsight is 20/20. For many of us, it’s not always clear that we’re going to be okay, or that goodness is all around us, until we reflect on our past. The many things that should have destroyed us didn’t, and the times we thought we were on our own, grace showed up in the form of people that helped us. Sometimes stories of goodness are the inspiring shoulder we need to lean on when we don’t feel like we can take another step! In this episode Justin and his close friend Marcus Miller sit down to talk about beautiful stories, filled with goodness, from their own lives. They reflect on times of being scared and hopeless, while exploring the profound impact trust has had on their journeys. Together they discuss the powerful ways their belief in a really good Heavenly Papa has changed their lives for the better.  If you could use a dose of hope and joy, this episode is the boost you didn’t know you needed! Be sure to listen and dob’t forget to share it with all the people you want to see inspired!

It’s estimated that over 8 million adults and nearly 6 million children have ADHD. The chances are that someone you know has been diagnosed with this disorder. Unfortunately, the potential impact of this on relationships can’t be measured, but it can be addressed.  In this episode Abi and Justin are joined by their dear friends Marcus and Bryant. Abi, Marcus, and Bryant discuss growing up in their childhoods with ADHD, the affects it’s had on their adult lives, and the ways they’ve learned to navigate life with this disorder. Justin shares his experience of those closest to him having ADHD and together they have a fun filled and heartfelt time.  If you have a disorder or have been impacted by someone with a disorder, this episode will help you to feel understood and create compassion for yourself and others!

For most of us, communicating our emotional experiences with those closest to us can be challenging, for them and for us. Often times when sadness or pain is communicated the message sent or received is that someone is bad. It’s common to find ourselves trying to assign blame, as most of us believe that someone had to be bad in order for pain to have been experienced. But, what if no one has to be bad in order for someone to be sad? In this episode Justin and Abi sit down with their friends Aaron and Jenna Zint to discuss the power of accepting that someone doesn’t have to be bad just because someone else is sad. Jenna shares how a simple, yet powerful parenting moment initiated a change in the dynamics of their entire family. Aaron vulnerably opens up about how this perspective has even impacted their sex life.  In a world riddled with barrier-building blame and accusation, this episode will have you rethinking how you approach yourself and others, while giving you practical advice on how to extend bridges to the ones you care about the most. You won’t want to miss a second of it!

For many people friendship can be as anxiety educing as it is enjoyable and fulfilling. Every friendship comes with its ebbs and flows. For some of us, friendship is sacred and the expectations for a long term commitment are set high. For others, friendship is fluid with light attachment. Regardless, friendship has the power to leave a long lasting impact to our benefit or detriment, making each relationship potentially high-stakes. But are we powerless to decide the outcome, or is it possible to dictate our experiences? In this episode Justin sits down with his close friend and fellow Life Consultant Marcus Miller. Marcus and Justin discuss the seasonal changes that friendships go through. They explore the ways some friends are short term, while others last a lifetime, and how each friendship, no matter how messy it gets, has the potential to leave the impact of an important lesson or love that is worth holding on to. If you’re wanting to learn how get the most out of friendships, this episode will leave you with important ideas on how to process the best and worst of each relationship, while holding boundaries and keeping an open mind.  Also, check out The Compassion Project at https://justinandabi.com/courses/the-compassion-project/ to learn how to love yourself and others through the power of compassion!

It’s easy to view the world at large as a place filled with monstrous villains out to cause us harm. However, woven into the fabric of each of our beings is the nature of love, regardless of how broken we seem. From the moment we exit the womb we find ourselves yearning for a direct connection to the comfort and safety of a loving and nurturing experience. Through the years we all find ourselves acting in ways that contradict this nature of love. But is this contradiction who we really are? In this episode Justin is joined by his dear friend and fellow Life Consultant Rachel Hughes. Rachel vulnerably opens up about the anxiety she’s feeling in the conversation and humbly allows Justin to get curious about her experience. She shares about the profound impacts her awareness of love has had on her healing. Together they dive into the ways loving experiences not only impact us, but how they have the potential to reveal the truth of who we are.  If you’re needing a gentle reminder that the sum total of your messiness isn’t the truth of who you are, this episode will leave you feeling a sense of compassion for your story and hope for what’s truly inside of you.

Whether it’s friendships, marriage, parenting, business, health goals, finances, or faith, we all have areas where our subconscious beliefs are affecting the way we’re experiencing life. It’s easy to feel like life is happening to us, but what if we’re always getting what we really want?  In this episode Justin and Abi are joined by their close friend Ruth who shares about the “ah-ha’s” she had moving back to England to live with her mom during the pandemic. Through a series of meltdowns and repeated attempts to control her mom’s experience she began to realize that the world wasn’t just “happening to” either of them. Digging deep, Ruth came to terms with a well of conflicting intentions that held her back from many of her desires. Through a mirror reflecting Ruth’s intentions she realized that her desire for her mom’s well being was merely control disguised as love, with hopes of getting her needs met. Understanding the subconscious sabotaging, through her conflicting beliefs, Ruth began to change the course of her life, and so can you!   If you’ve ever experienced problematic cycles that you’d be happy to do without, this episode will leave you with clarity and inspiration necessary to begin repairing the things that seem to be broken!

Disorders like ADHD are prevalent all around us and often go undiagnosed. These disorders not only affect those that have them, but the people around them as well. If left undiagnosed, these kinds of disorders can be crippling and create devastating affects on relationships. Getting clarity on these disorders can be a massive game changer for spouses, parents, children, friends, and bosses! In this episode Abi is joined by her good friend Jenna, a Health, Life, and Habit Coach, to talk about their battle with ADHD and its impact on their lives. Together they share their stories of being diagnosed, how it affects people’s day to day tasks, relationships, and sex lives, and the life-hacks they’ve created that have made them successful regardless of the disorder.  With so many people affected by ADHD, chances are this will create unexpected ah-ha’s and give validation to those that have struggled for years living in the dark about something they didn’t even know was impacting their well being. You won’t want to miss this episode! 

Sadly, there are many people that have childhood stories littered with cruel experiences. Those that are entrusted to care for the most innocent sometimes have ways of neglecting their duty to the point of deliberate and outright abuse. For the children suffering in these conditions it can often feel hopeless and impossible to bounce back from. But what if there are answers of radical love and care waiting to redeem and repair even the most broken situations?  In this deeply vulnerable episode Justin sits down with Annika, a Connected Life listener, who shares about her abusive childhood, her time in the foster care system, and the radical love that has played a pivotal role in her repair. Together they tackle the simple, yet plentiful and powerful ways others can participate in a system with almost a half million children each year.  This messy, yet miraculous story will remind you that no circumstance is too broken that a redemptive genius of a God can’t touch it with the help of a few humble and loving hearts.

The idea of making changes to our lives can easily paralyze even the best of us. Getting traction and creating momentum can especially feel overwhelming and confusing if we don’t know where to start. The steps to change can seem cluttered with enormous hurdles too big to tackle. But what if the smallest of changes could impact our entire lives? In this episode Abi is joined by her good friend, Jenna a Health, Life, and Habit Coach. Jenna shares about the power of celebrating small wins, how finding the little things that have a high impact were a game changer for her, and the brain science of how to change your life. Together they explore how transforming your beliefs that are keeping you stuck is vital to living an abundant life.   If you’re feeling busy or overwhelmed and want to feel like you’re in the driver seat of your life, this practical, yet insightful episode is just what you’re looking for!

Long-term, romantic relationships are filled with many ups and downs. As humans, it’s easy to unintentionally hurt the people we love the most. When the difficulties become too much it’s only a matter of time before someone gets help or walks away. But what happens when one person chooses the path to wholeness while the other one wants to stay the same? In this episode Justin is joined by his close friend and brother Jeremy Morris. Jeremy shares the single most pivotal advice Justin ever gave him and how that advice saved his marriage and changed the course of his life. Together they explore possible reasons as to why one partner seemingly resists growth, what to do when you’re changing and your partner isn’t, and how to approach radical personal ownership with pure intensions that don’t put a demand on someone else to change.  If you’re wanting to develop an abundant life, regardless of your partners approach, this episode will empower you with the knowledge necessary to adjust limiting perspectives that can keep you from your desires!