Fishing Without Bait: A Full Impact Mindfulness Podcast

Host Jim Ellermeyer welcomes Shane Chojnacki — a professional fighter, trainer, health advocate, and pro wrestler known as Victor Benjamin — for an honest and deeply reflective conversation about resilience, choice, and personal responsibility. Shane opens up about growing up in an environment marked by addiction, violence, and scarcity, while still finding moments of community, guidance, and protection. Rather than becoming a victim of his circumstances, he made intentional decisions to stay grounded in sports, discipline, and work — even when easier and more destructive paths were readily available. Throughout this episode, Shane reflects on learning from the mistakes of others, refusing to settle for less, and choosing action over self-pity. Jim connects these experiences to mindfulness principles, recovery thinking, and the idea that real change comes from effort, behavior, and consistent choices — not just intention or wishful thinking. Topics explored include: Growing up without a safety net Making conscious “wise mind” choices Learning resilience through adversity Taking action instead of living in “ifs, buts, and maybes” Betting on yourself when others doubt you Speaking intention into existence through action This is Part 1 of a continuing conversation that sets the foundation for deeper discussions on identity, growth, and mindful living in future episodes. 🎧 Subscribe to Fishing Without Bait on your favorite podcast player 💙 Support ad-free episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/fishingwithoutbait 📘 Pick up our book: Learn to Fish Without Bait: A 365-Day Mindfulness Journal and Adult Coloring Book https://www.lulu.com/shop/james-ellermeyer-lpc-ma-ncc-lpc/learn-to-fish-without-bait/paperback/product-6n9rd8.html?page=1&pageSize=4

In Fishing Without Bait 497, we continue our thoughtful conversation with returning guest Clairvoyant Santina Grace in Part 4 of this series. This episode centers on listening — to ourselves, to others, and to the deeper awareness that helps us release fear, judgment, and mental clutter. Jim Ellermeyer and Santina discuss compassion, choice points, and the stories we hold onto, as well as the freedom that comes from letting them go. Through reflection and shared experience, this conversation invites listeners to slow down, practice mindfulness, and approach life with greater understanding and non-judgment. 🎧 Subscribe to Fishing Without Bait on your favorite podcast player ❤️ Support the show with ad-free episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/fishingwithoutbait 📘 Pick up our book Learn to Fish Without Bait: A 365-Day Mindfulness Journal and Adult Coloring Book: https://www.lulu.com/shop/james-ellermeyer-lpc-ma-ncc-lpc/learn-to-fish-without-bait/paperback/product-6n9rd8.html?page=1&pageSize=4

In this special holiday message, Fishing Without Bait takes a mindful pause to reflect on resilience, intention, and moving forward with purpose. Jim Ellermeyer shares why traditional New Year’s resolutions often set us up for disappointment — and why setting intentions, grounded in small, achievable actions, can lead to meaningful change. This episode explores gratitude, relationships, impermanence, and the idea that what we focus on and “plant” in our minds is what grows. A calm, compassionate reminder that January 1st is just another day — and every day is an opportunity to live intentionally, create memories, and take better care of ourselves and one another.

This holiday message from Fishing Without Bait is a moment of pause and gratitude. Jim Ellermeyer shares a short reflection for the season — acknowledging the challenges and emotions that often come with the holidays, while offering encouragement, mindfulness, and compassion. Whether the holidays are joyful, difficult, or somewhere in between, this message reminds us to stay present and gentle with ourselves. Thank you for listening, for growing, and for being part of this community. We’re grateful to walk this journey with you.

In Fishing Without Bait Episode 496 – *Clearing the Etch-A-Sketch: Letting Go of What Isn’t Ours, we continue Part 3 of our conversation with returning guest and Clairvoyant **Santina Grace. This episode focuses on healing trauma without rewriting or reliving the past. Through grounding visualizations, breathwork, and recovery-based insights, Santina and the *Fishing Without Bait team discuss how emotional experiences can be deconstructed so they no longer control our present moment. Using metaphors like clearing an Etch-A-Sketch or rooting into the earth through mindful breathing, the conversation highlights how releasing emotional energy that doesn’t belong to us creates space for clarity, neutrality, and joy. We also explore recovery as a universal human process — because everyone is in recovery from something — and how honoring yourself begins with learning to listen. 🎧 Subscribe to Fishing Without Bait on your favorite podcast player 💙 Support the show on Patreon for ad-free episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/fishingwithoutbait 📘 Pick up our book Learn to Fish Without Bait: A 365-Day Mindfulness Journal and Adult Coloring Book: https://www.lulu.com/shop/james-ellermeyer-lpc-ma-ncc-lpc/learn-to-fish-without-bait/paperback/product-6n9rd8.html?page=1&pageSize=4

In this episode of Fishing Without Bait, we welcome back our imaginative, energetic returning guest Santina Grace for Part 2 of a deeply insightful conversation about mindfulness, self-awareness, grounding practices, and the inner battles so many of us face every day. Together, Santina and Jim dive into themes of anchoring thoughts, depersonalization, perspective shifts, emotional resilience, and reclaiming personal agency.  Santina shares a powerful example of using sensory-based anchors—in this case, strawberry essential oil—to help a client overcome cravings by reconnecting with a memory tied to freedom, comfort, and identity. The discussion expands into how grounding techniques and sensory awareness can support those dealing with derealization or feeling out of place in their own lives. Jim and Santina also explore how filtered media realities and comparison culture distort our self-worth, leading many to believe they don’t belong. They remind us that turmoil has always existed in every era, and the real work is nurturing compassion—for ourselves first, and then for others whose perspectives differ.  Together they unpack: • The difference between worry (paralyzing) and concern (actionable awareness) • How every moment is a choice point • The importance of checking in with ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually • How meditation can look like focus, creativity, movement, or music—not silence • How the mind’s chatter creates most internal conflict • The dynamic between the “I-self” and “my-self” • How befriending your “inner critic” or “inner witch” can reveal unmet needs and opportunities for self-care  This conversation is rich with humor, honesty, and the kind of grounded wisdom that encourages us not to “find ourselves,” but to create ourselves with intention, compassion, curiosity, and joy. 🎧 Subscribe to Fishing Without Bait on your favorite podcast app 💖 Get ad-free episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/fishingwithoutbait 📘 Pick up our book: Learn to Fishing Without Bait: A 365-Day Mindfulness Journal and Adult Coloring Book https://www.lulu.com/shop/james-ellermeyer-lpc-ma-ncc-lpc/learn-to-fish-without-bait/paperback/product-6n9rd8.html?page=1&pageSize=4

In Episode 494 of Fishing Without Bait, we welcome back returning guest and clairvoyant medium Santina Grace for the first part of a warm, insightful, and deeply grounding conversation on reconnecting with joy, presence, and peace in today’s chaotic world. Jim and Santina explore some of the most important emotional and spiritual challenges of our time, including: • Finding joy in a world that feels overstimulated and overwhelming • The myth of productivity and how tying your value to output diminishes your sense of self • How fear fuels anxiety, and why anxiety can only live in the future—not the present moment • Honoring the small comforts we take for granted—warmth, food, connection, breath • How to protect your energy from negative media and emotional overload • The difference between pleasure and true joy • How children naturally process emotion with immediacy, and why adults lose that instinct • Using memories and sensory anchors to return to peace during difficult times • The illusion of separateness and the importance of compassion • Breaking generational patterns of unworthiness • Choosing where to place your attention—and therefore your experience Santina shares wisdom from her years of intuitive work, helping listeners understand how to stay grounded, grateful, and connected even when the world feels chaotic. Whether you’re struggling with stress, fear, productivity pressure, or just the pace of modern life, this episode offers comfort, clarity, and actionable mindfulness tools you can use right now. 🎧 Subscribe to Fishing Without Bait on your favorite podcast platform 🌿 Support us on Patreon for ad-free versions of every episode: https://www.patreon.com/c/fishingwithoutbait 📘 Pick up our book “Learn to Fish Without Bait: A 365-Day Mindfulness Journal & Adult Coloring Book”: https://www.lulu.com/shop/james-ellermeyer-lpc-ma-ncc-lpc/learn-to-fish-without-bait/paperback/product-6n9rd8.html?page=1&pageSize=4

In Episode 493 of Fishing Without Bait, we continue our powerful two-part conversation on the lifelong impact of religiously reinforced guilt, shame, and fear. Building on the foundation set in Episode 492, Jim Ellermeyer and host Mike Sorg peel back the layers of how religious structures shape personal identity, relationships, sexuality, and self-worth. This episode dives deep into how early conditioning around sin, purity, and punishment affects the human psyche for decades — especially for women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and anyone raised in shame-based environments. We explore how these rigid systems influence romantic relationships, create lifelong anxiety, damage self-esteem, and push people into cycles of self-criticism and fear of judgment. Jim shares personal stories from his upbringing, his time teaching within the Church, and the pivotal moment he challenged the doctrine of baptism and walked away. Together, he and Mike examine how religious authority has historically been used to suppress autonomy, silence questioning, control sexuality, and maintain power structures. Listeners will discover: • How guilt and fear are used as behavioral tools • How shame becomes internalized as a “harsh inner critic” • Why religious control disproportionately targets women • How cycles of guilt affect sexuality and relationships • How these systems contribute to depression, anxiety, and trauma • Why many still struggle with worthiness, identity, and self-acceptance • How to reclaim your inner authority, self-compassion, and spiritual autonomy This episode challenges harmful narratives—but does so with sincerity, honesty, and compassion. As always, we end with our free prescription: Fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Unplug your television and take up fishing. Forgive yourself and forgive another. Till all are free, none are free. Namaste, my friends.

In this episode of Fishing Without Bait, Jim Ellermeyer guides listeners through one of the most transformative practices in mindfulness and recovery: letting go. Whether it’s old fears, expectations, resentments, or the emotional weight we’ve carried for years, Jim explains how release is not weakness—it’s liberation. Through grounded insight, 12-step philosophy, and real-world examples, Jim explores: • Why letting go feels so difficult • How control and fear keep us stuck • The connection between surrender and mindfulness • How to recognize what you’re still carrying • Practical ways to soften your grip and reclaim peace This episode invites you to step out of old patterns and into a more open, honest, intentional life. If you’re ready to grow, breathe, and move forward—this conversation is for you. 🎧 Explore more episodes at www.FishingWithoutBait.com

In this episode of Fishing Without Bait, counselor and mindfulness guide Jim Ellermeyer takes listeners on a thoughtful and practical journey into the world of inherent truths—the deep personal values and qualities that define who we really are beneath expectations, judgment, and fear. Jim opens the conversation by reminding us that self-discovery isn’t about finding a ready-made identity—it’s about creating ourselves with honesty, open-mindedness, and a willingness to try. He introduces the idea that inherent truths are fundamental aspects of identity that aren’t shaped by outside forces. These truths include qualities like empathy, honesty, dependability, intelligence, and the capacity to learn and love. Through stories, affirmations, and compassionate guidance, Jim breaks down the barriers that commonly derail personal growth: societal pressure, family expectations, fear of judgment, and the tendency to discount our own worth. He encourages listeners to practice “I am confident…” statements to reinforce these inner truths and reclaim ownership of their choices. Listeners also learn practical tools for maintaining emotional grounding, including a powerful breathing exercise: inhale with the word “Let…” and exhale with “…go.” This simple practice helps calm the nervous system and release self-doubt. Jim adds a gratitude ritual—affirming small wins throughout the day with the phrase, “That’s a positive.” As always, the episode emphasizes actionable mindfulness: accepting compliments instead of dismissing them, setting boundaries with clarity, exploring what energizes you, and paying attention to the moments that reveal who you really are. Jim closes the episode with an invitation for listeners to share their own inherent truths and continues the show’s mission of offering practical, compassionate tools for living purposefully, mindfully, and without definitive expectations. 🎧 Listen to more episodes: https://www.FishingWithoutBait.com