The Connected Life

For many of us, we carry secrets that seem too dark for anyone to understand. We carry this heaviness until is crushes us or we explode. Here in this darkness, crippling lies slowly wear us down, leaving us suffering in isolation. September is Suicide awareness month. Suicide is one of the most difficult and scary subjects for people to openly address. In this episode Justin and Abi vulnerably tackle their own war with suicide. In a world of silence, this episode is meant to be a conversation starter that sheds light on one of the darkest and heaviest battles that many unknowingly suffer through on a daily basis. If you've never felt suicidal, listening to and sharing this episode is the first step in creating an environment safe for loved ones to open up about their secret challenges. September is the perfect time to start open dialogues. Please partner with us throughout the month in hopes of saving lives.

For most of us, we want to feel inspired day to day and we often dream of living a life full of adventure. Unfortunately, the reality is often a life that feels boring and uninspired. The hurdles to this type of excitement are often wrapped into a simple question such as, "How do I practically implement inspiration and thrill into my life?" In this episode we hear from Lauren, one of our favorite friends, about how she learned to buck the norm, let go of the reigns, and live wildly out of control! Join us as Lauren shares how she suddenly and drastically changed her life by quitting her accounting job and moving to Africa. She opens up as to why she's chosen to continue taking risks and how she practically lives a lifestyle of excitement. If you're in need of a pick-me-up, or want to be challenged to live a life full of wonder, then you won't want to miss this episode!

Self-sufficiency and the victim mentality often keep us from experiencing true freedom. It's all too easy to fall into the trap of self-protection when people in our lives hurt and disappoint us. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of conversation about exactly HOW to work through trauma, past pain, and move towards wholeness and freedom. Join Justin and special guest Chris Cook as they share their deeply personal experiences with trauma and PTSD. Get ready to hear how they fought their way out through learning healthy coping mechanisms, facing their greatest fears, and choosing not to do the journey alone. If you've ever felt stuck in painful circumstances or like you have to keep it all together on your own, then do not miss this episode! Freedom is just around the corner!

For most of us, family vacations can be a tricky time to navigate. They're often chock full of triggers and past pain that hasn't been resolved. Often times, it can be difficult to let our walls down long enough to feel known and free amidst our siblings, parents, and relatives. So how do we go from surviving family vacations to thriving in them? Join Justin and Abi on their own vacation as they drive through Glacier National Park and discuss Justin's fresh explosion with his dad. They'll share important insights as to why honesty is the biggest key that will affect change within families and why purposely validating the child in you is so important. You don't want to miss this incredibly vulnerable story or the profoundly impactful and healing moment that followed!

We've all been guilty of venting about the negative things that happen in our lives and rarely verbalizing the positive aspects. This can be especially harmful when it comes to romance. Everything is butterflies and rainbows in the beginning of a new relationship. We gush non-stop about every little thing our partner does. Soon life gets real and things aren't so peachy any longer. This can leave us frustrated, complaining, and wondering what happened to the romance. Why is this? We're so glad you asked! Join us on The Connected Life as we dig into the 3 stages of love and the 7 themes that feed and fuel romance in a relationship! And don't forget to head over to www.justinandabi.com to learn more about THE FATHER SERIES!

For most of us, life is experienced through a lens of traditions and rules established by family and culture at large. Rarely do we stop to question why we do what we do. Many traditions are beautiful and the rules that govern us can be very helpful. However, left unchecked, we can spend an entire lifetime living for traditions and by rules that we neither have value for, nor are they helpful. Join us as we revisit the story of our unconventional wedding. We share how we created a unique expression of ourselves through a process of healthy introspection and how that led to new traditions and breaking many of the rules often connected to such a sacred moment. If you're ready to break out of the box and find an authentic expression of yourself, this episode is for you! And don't forget to head over to www.justinandabi.com to learn more about THE FATHER SERIES!

We all have triggers around emotions, money, and other people's behavior… and we'd like to blame them for how they affect us. But truth is, that our triggers are our responsibility. Join us for round two of a blame free lifestyle. In this episode our freshly married friends, Marcus & Brianna, share stories about some of their trigger happy moments. From vulnerable honeymoon experiences, to money problems in Seattle, this episode hands us recent examples and practical tools to help with any type of relationship! Strap on your seat belts and get ready to take a ride and explore the foundations for beginning a healthy relationship! And don't forget to head over to www.justinandabi.com to learn more about THE FATHER SERIES!

Blaming, shaming and complaining, sound like a familiar experience to you? The list of people in our lives who behave this way is endless, but often times we're just as guilty. Whether to our friends, parents, romantic partners, spouse, kids, the random sales associate, or especially - to ourselves, we can't deny our role in this style of communication. In today's episode, we are joined by special guest and fellow life consultant Laura Duncan. Laura walks us through stories from her own personal parenthood journey in an effort to demonstrate how we can maneuver through our triggers in a way that's both healthy and beneficial for everyone involved. Join us as we search to discover tools to create a blame free life-style!

For many people, dating is a game to be played with a singular goal in mind, winning. The game is one of proving we can get someone or get someone to choose us. This often leads to needless tug of wars that end in grief and a sense of feeling unfulfilled. But what if dating could be entirely redefined? In this episode our good friend Ruth is back with us to share about her 5 year, dating hiatus and how the experience created success for her dating journey that followed. Join us as we talk about breaking free from shame-dating and learn how to redefine the purpose of dating as one of growing into the best version of yourself. Singles, you won't want to miss this one!

In order to have successful relationships with the opposite sex, whether in dating, marriage, or friends, we can't be at war with those we want to love. For many of us, it's easy to find ourselves in an unconscious tug of war with those of the opposite sex. Unknowingly, we can have entire power struggles happening under the surface due childhood pains and promises of who we'd never be, or how we'd never act. In this episode, Abi and Justin sit down with their close friend, Ruth, and discuss her journey to face the unconscious war she had been waging for years with masculinity. Through getting honest with herself and choosing to face her fear, Ruth created much needed resolve, but not until she was aware it was even happening. Come join us in turning over some rocks and getting really honest about what we find.