The Connected Life

Confrontation with people we deeply care about can feel high stakes to say the least. In our anxiety it’s easy to unintentionally communicate in ways that suck the sense of love right out the room. But what if the love we have for others can be felt and leave a lasting impact in the midst of incredibly honest conversations? In part two of this mini series Abi and Pietze continue the conversation with Pietze’s parents, Doug and Janice. Together they talk about the powerful affects of creating an atmosphere of love free from blame and accusation. They share how acknowledging their triggers, and taking ownership for their own emotions turned the tide in how they relate. Through vulnerability they paint a picture of how they love one another and what their relationship looks like moving forward. If you’re wanting hope for deeper connections and strength to live a lifestyle of honesty, this episode will leave you inspired to take brave leaps like never before! Also, enrollment for The Pathway to Freedom 2022 is NOW LIVE! Head to https://justinandabi.com/courses/the-pathway-to-freedom/ to get enrolled and learn more!

Whether we like to admit it or not, family matters to all of us and being honest with them can be difficult to say the least. Working through relational problems with our family can sometimes feel impossible. But, what if there are hopeful strategies that can deeply impact how we repair connection with each other? In part one of this two part episode, Abi and her long time best friend, Pietze, sit down with Pietze’s parents to discuss their road to repair. Together the gang explores some of the more difficult parts of their past, the messes that were made seeking healing, and the reality of everyone’s intentions along the way. If you need repair in your family, have lost hope for connection, or you’re just looking for greater compassion and understanding for yourself and the people that matter the most, this episode will not disappoint! Also, enrollment for The Pathway to Freedom 2022 is NOW LIVE! Head to https://justinandabi.com/courses/the-pathway-to-freedom/ to get enrolled and learn more!

Masculinity sometimes has a way of getting a bum wrap for not caring or not being emotionally connected. For many men survival has been in learning how to shut up, keep your head down, and moving forward. More often than not, intimate relationships such as marriage, friendship, and being a father, have a way of exposing undeveloped emotional tools and lack of self-awareness. But does it really mean that men just don’t care? In this episode Justin is joined by his good friend Jonny Duffield and their special guest Nathan. Nathan opens up about his life of logic, the judgment he held towards emotions, and the painful reality of why he couldn’t access emotions that he inherited from his childhood. Together they dispel the myths about men and their emotions, while shedding light on reasons why they don’t share their feelings. Nathan’s story will give hope to men and women alike that even the most shut down person can find their way back to themselves and develop the language necessary to share about it with the world. Also, enrollment for The Pathway to Freedom 2022 is NOW LIVE! Head to https://justinandabi.com/courses/the-pathway-to-freedom/ to get enrolled and learn more!

Overcoming the loss of anything that matters to us can be incredibly difficult, especially when we’ve experienced loss before. Separating the past from the present can seem almost impossible when navigating our grief. But what if there is a path to clarity that can resolve the past and bring compassion to the present? In this episode Abi and her best friend Pietze sit down with special guest Shanna to navigate the freeze response Shanna recently had  around her family. Shanna vulnerably shares her history of pain from disconnection in relationships and allows Abi and Pietze to participate in the repair process. Shanna’s story is a story of miraculous redemption. Her life will inspire and give hope to anyone that is faced with overcoming the messiness of life. Don’t miss out on this healing episode as it happens in real time!

We’ve all had times where we’ve had to interact with people we don’t like. These experiences can feel uncomfortable and frustrating, but often short lived. But what happens when we can’t escape the person we don’t like because they’re a family member, part of a friendship group, or they’re employed at the same place we work? In this episode Abi and Justin share their own stories about dealing with difficult people they haven’t liked in the past. Together they break down 8 powerful keys to successfully navigating life with people you don’t like but can’t avoid while maintaining a lifestyle of love and connection. If you’ve ever had to interact with someone you don’t like on a consistent basis, this episode will help you move past plastic smiles and pleasantries to authentic exchanges and care for even the most difficult people! You won’t want to miss this massively empowering episode! Also, enrollment for The Pathway to Freedom 2022 is NOW LIVE! Head to https://justinandabi.com/courses/the-pathway-to-freedom/ to get enrolled and learn more!

Most parents are trying their best to raise their kids. Since there’s no official handbook on parenting, each parent can find themselves overwhelmed and feeling like a failure from time to time. No parent is perfect, but what if there were some fundamental tips that could change the game altogether? In this episode Abi sits down with Speech Pathologist Kelsey Brown to talk about Positive Parenting the Highly Sensitive Child. As a balanced voice on positive but not permissive parenting, Kelsey shares vital keys to being with children in their emotions, but not letting them run the home. Through video recording her journey in parenting, Kelsey has created a reflective understanding of herself and her children. Her study of her own highly sensitive child has created a roadmap to help others understand their kids during meltdowns. Her study of herself has helped her develop practical tips on how to regulate yourself as a parent so you can help your kids settle their emotions. If you’re a parent that wants to break shame in the places you’ve made mistakes and better understand yourself and your children, this profound episode will help change the course of your life. You won’t want to miss it!

Freely serving other people can be incredibly gratifying. For many of us service can have a history of pain because we’ve lost ourselves in others. Then there are some of us that are so absorbed in our own lives, that the thought of freely giving ourselves away to others has rarely if ever crossed our minds. But what if it was possible to live a balanced life full of intentional impact? In this episode Abi and Justin discuss the varying approaches to serving, the signs of over-giving, the messiness of creating an identity out of service, and how loving others betters your own life. Together they explore what it is to come alive to other-centered love. To top it all off they announce a major give away! If you’re ready to experience some of the best that life has to offer, this episode is an invitation to understand what that could tangibly look like!

The hope for finding love is something most of us can relate to. The desire to love and be loved is woven into our humanity. For many of us, dreaming of a fulfilling future can be scary, especially when we’ve had so many disappointments. But is there hope for goodness when the worst case scenario seemingly destroys the promises we’ve been believing for? In this episode Abi and her best friend Pietze sit down with Rachel and Joshua, a newly married couple. Rachel and Joshua reveal the messy beginnings of their own lives that shattered their hope for a future filled with love and connection. They share their journey of picking up the pieces and the miraculous story of redemption that found them through a serendipitous set up that will blow your mind! If you’re looking for a reminder that good things happen without having to figure it all out on your own, this inspiring story will ignite your faith to believe that the most beautiful things have a way of emerging out of ashes. If you want to be part of a redemptive love story, be sure to listen all the way to the end for Abi’s invitation to participate in the beauty that is already unfolding! You can return here to give  https://www.amazon.com/baby-reg/3TRSO63J17OTZ

For many people it’s easy to go with the flow of life. It’s much more difficult to show up and share what you feel or go against the grain and do what you want. But what if there’s an invitation around every corner to shake things up and change the way you’ve been living? In this episode Justin sits down with his executive assistant Nicole to discuss her process of coming out of hiding and finding her authentic voice. Nicole shares vital insights into her history that defined her approach to life and how relating to Justin has challenged her to change the way she’s showing up to the life right in front of her. If you’re wanting to develop more confidence and experience the most out of life, this episode will help to inspire you to take your own steps towards a fulfilled and authentic lifestyle!

Every where we look, the world is filled with people in need. It’s easy to see the enormity of this need and to get overwhelmed. Some times it feels easier to turn a blind eye than to try and figure out how to tackle the problems of this world. But what if we didn’t need to help everyone? What if we only needed to intimately and deliberately invest in one or two people? In December of 2021 The Connected Life hosted a giveaway of $1,000 to someone who had a great idea of how to give that money away. A generous Connected Life listener matched that donation and not one, but two people got a chance to love someone extravagantly. In this second episode, Abi and Justin sit down with Angel, who turned her world upside down in her late 40’s to go back to school to learn how to teach English to immigrants and refugees. She shares her heartwarming interaction with a widowed woman from Laos who’s worked rigorously to take care of her two children (one is special needs) while fighting to learn English and adapt to the American culture. Through compassion Angel partnered with love to help change the course of another person’s future. If you’re looking for hope and inspiration in your life, this is a MUST listen to episode!