Where There's Smoke

Our first ever 48 Hour Challenge! We took suggestions from our listeners and this week we were assigned trauma. We’ll explore some of our own traumas, uncover what causes it, how we can cope with it, and even how we can thrive from it. And through it all, we are reminded that no matter our circumstances, one powerful element remains.Plus, a new WTSdigs. GUESTSAuberon Wolf Website: http://www.auberonwolf.com WTS Digs Brett’s Dig: Banshee (http://www.cinemax.com/banshee) Nick’s Dig: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (https://www.netflix.com/title/80025384_) * * *If want to support the show and help keep it going, please check out Support WTS.com for our Patreon campaign. Also, help others discover the show by LEAVING AN ITUNES REVIEW! Thx. Connect with the show on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wtspod and Twitter: @exploreWTS. * * *DOWNLOAD & LISTEN directly from iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/wts-itunes. If you dig the show, please take a moment to rate & review it on iTunesFind us on Pocket Casts here: http://pc

All time is indeed created equal. Where it becomes unequal is in how we choose to spend it. This week’s episode started with 87 hours - 87 hours that Brett spent with his son, Radek. And those 3.5 days turned into an exploration of Quality Time: What is it, how do we create it, and why is it so critical to all of our relationships. Joining us in this exploration is Jim Shiels, creator of The Family Board Meeting strategy. And through several studies, including one that has spanned 75 years, we discover that quality time and the quality of our relationships has been shown to to strongly impact our health and happiness from childhood to adults.Plus, the grand return of WTSdigs. This time with Brett & Nick in the same room! GUESTS Jim Sheils Website: www.QualityTimeRevolution.com WTS Digs Brett’s Dig: Pickleback (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickleback) Nick’s Dig - Louis CK’s Horace & Pete (https://louisck.net/show/horace-and-pete) * * *If want to support the show and help keep it going, please check

Criticism seems to be running rampant in our world these days. This week, we ask some important questions: Why do we seem more interested in tearing others down than building them up? What is the deal with this plague of criticism in our world? Why do we do it? And what does it cost us?Then we turn our sights to the alternatives to criticism. How can we alter our behaviour, inspire change, and build relationships?Plus, in our midroll, Nick is joined by some listeners to revisit multitasking and share your thoughts. * * *If want to support the show and help keep it going, please check out Support WTS.com for our Patreon campaign. Also, help others discover the show by LEAVING AN ITUNES REVIEW! Thx. Connect with the show on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wtspod and Twitter: @exploreWTS. * * *DOWNLOAD & LISTEN directly from iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/wts-itunes. If you dig the show, please take a moment to rate & review it on iTunesFind us on Pocket Casts here: http://pca.st/smoke You can also go to www

It's Single-Tasking Day and we’re taking the chance to talk about all things related to “focus”. We thoroughly explore multitasking and single-tasking while trying to understand what these habits do for our efficiency and our health. Plus, we also get to the bottom of who started Single-Tasking Day in the first place! We also speak with cognitive neuroscientist, Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman. She talks about the physical and emotional costs of multitasking - and, honestly, it’s a bit shocking. But there’s also good news! We provide some strategies that can help you rev up your brain's performance at any age. Plus we visit the “WTS Offices”, where Nick has a special message on how you can support the show. GUESTS Sandra Bond Chapman, Ph.D. Website: www.brainhealth.utdallas.edu Twitter: @BrainHealth Ginger Marks http://www.holidaymarketingguide.com Theresa Gabriel tree.gabriel@gmail.com   * * * If want to support the show and help keep it going, please check out Support WTS.com for our Patreon campaign. Also, hel

This is the second episode in our examination of truth and lies. This week we’re exploring the lies we tell ourselves. Why do we do that and how can we figure out when we’re doing it? We talk to Dr. Cortney Warren, author of the book Lies We Tell Ourselves: The Psychology of Self-Deception. She talks with us about self-deception and how to combat it. * * *If want to support the show and help keep it going, please check out Support WTS.com for our Patreon campaign. Also, help others find the show by LEAVING AN ITUNES REVIEW! Thx. Connect with the show on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wtspod and Twitter: @exploreWTS. * * * This week’s guest is Dr. Cortney Warren. Visit her at www.ChooseHonesty.com. Twitter: @CortneySWarren Book: Lies We Tell Ourselves: The Psychology of Self-Deception * * * JOIN our MAILING LIST by texting the word SMOKE to 66866, or go to our website (www.wheretheressmoke.co). DOWNLOAD & LISTEN directly from iTunes here: http://tinyurl.com/wts-itunes Find us on Pocket Casts here: http:/

In honor of the return of Serial, this week we’re looking at Truth - well, truth and lies. Sometimes we lie for good reasons and sometimes we lie for bad ones. Which is which and why does it matter? Also, Author Scott Berkun also talks to us about The Myths of Innovation. Note: This is part one of a two-part episode. Make sure to come back next week!  * * *If want to support the show and help keep it going, please check out Support WTS.com for our Patreon campaign. Also, help others find the show by LEAVING AN ITUNES REVIEW! Thx. Connect with the show on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wtspod and Twitter: @exploreWTS. * * * This week’s guest is Scott Berkun. Visit him at www.scottberkun.com. Twitter: @Berkun Book: The Myths of Innovation * * * JOIN our MAILING LIST by texting the word SMOKE to 66866, or go to our website (www.wheretheressmoke.co). DOWNLOAD & LISTEN directly from iTunes here: http://tinyurl.com/wts-itunes   Find us on Pocket Casts here: http://pca.st/smoke You can also go to www.wherether

Where There’s Smoke is a year old and as Brett & Nick bounced around several themes for the anniversary show, everything kept pointing back to one idea: work. Yup. Work is both hard... and awesome. So this week they explore work. First, Nick shares Ira Glass’ concept of The Gap - a precarious place to be for anybody looking to accomplish something new. Then, Brett explores the word ‘Work’ itself and how it inspires us to keep going. Plus our first midroll in ages, and of course, WTSdigs. * * * Hey, we want to hear your thoughts and feelings on Year One of Where There’s Smoke. Send an email to connect@wheretheressmoke with your responses to some or all of these questions? What is…? Your Favorite In-Show Moment so far. What is the Best Advice/Insight you received from a Guest. What is Your Favorite Episode and Why And, if true for you, how has an episode of Where There’s Smoke, or the show as a whole, positively impacted your life? * * * If want to support the show and help keep it going, please check o

Every week, we strive to use the stories around us - news, pop culture, sports - to help make a positive change within ourselves and our listeners. With so many people emotionally impacted by the recent death of David Bowie (including us), we wanted to try and understand what we can learn from his life. That ultimately led us into an exploration of authenticity. A word that in many ways has become misused in our modern lives; but the more we looked into what it means to be authentic, the more we realized that there was something valuable there. So, join us on an exploration to understand “authenticity” and how can we become more authentic in our own lives and businesses. Plus: A special David Bowie edition of WTS Digs. * * * If want to support the show and help keep it going, please check out Support WTS.com for our Patreon campaign. Also, help others find the show by LEAVING AN ITUNES REVIEW! Thx. Connect with the show on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wtspod and Twitter: @exploreWTS. * * * Watch David Bowie’

New Year’s Resolutions. Around 45% of Americans will set a resolution for 2016 and by the end of January 36% will break them. Ultimately, only 8% of people who make resolutions, achieve them. Why? Well, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association, people cite the number one reason for not following through as a “lack of willpower”. And so in this episode, we set out to understand willpower. What is it? And how do you strengthen it? And what are some key things to be aware of in the process? Joining us is someone who knows a thing or a hundred about willpower, writer and educator Kelly McGonigal, author of The Willpower Instinct. Plus we debut a new segment, and Brett & Nick close out by sharing what they are digging. GUEST Kelly McGonigal Website: www.kellymcgonigal.com Twitter: @KellyMcGonigal * * * If want to support the show and help keep it going, please check out Support WTS.com for our Patreon campaign. Also, help others discover the show by LEAVING AN ITUNES REVIEW! Thx. Conne

Just what IS Christmas Spirit? Is it real? If so, how do we get it? What the heck does CWB stand for? And what’s the role of nostalgia in this whole holiday season?This week, it’s A Where There’s Smoke Christmas. Brett finds himself a little down in the dumps around Christmas, but Nick may have just the cure - a mysterious VHS tape he found that contains the impossible. Join Brett & Nick as they go on a journey through history, psychology, and holiday classics to understand Christmas Spirit. Along the way, we’ll meet a cast of characters that all sound a lot like Brett & Nick, find out what the best Christmas Present Brett ever got was, and ultimately hear Nick share what the Christmas Spirit is all about. (Hint: Everyone can enjoy it!) So grab a cup of eggnog, cozy up to the fire, press play, and enjoy! * * * ‘Tis the season of giving. If want to support the show and help keep it going, please go to Support WTS.com and become a Patron. Also, help others find the show by LEAVING AN ITUNES REVIEW! T

“Creativity is not a talent. It is a way of operating.” Those are the words of John Cleese in a talk he gave back in 1991 on Creativity. In this episode we explore the concept of Creativity. What is it? Are YOU creative? Can you be MORE creative? And how DOES creativity impact other areas of our lives? We go on this exploration with author, artist, entrepreneur, and activist David Usher, who earlier this year released the book, Let The Elephants Run: Unlock Your Creativity and Change Everything. Plus, a special Holiday edition of WTS Digs. GUEST: David Usher Website: www.DavidUsher.com Twitter: @DavidUsher * * * If you love the show and want to support what we do, please visit www.supportwts.com and consider a donation to our Patreon campaign. Also, help others find the show by LEAVING AN ITUNES REVIEW! Thx. Connect with the show on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wtspod and Twitter: @exploreWTS. * * * Links from our newest segment: WTS DIGS! Brett recommends A Very Murray Christmas on Netflix Nick recommends

Why is it so hard to ask for things? Why do we resist? Why don’t we do it when we need support? This week, Brett and Nick launch their Patreon campaign - but they process was a difficult one. First, they had to wrestle with asking their listeners for support! This led them to ask some questions about asking. What about asking makes us so uncomfortable? Through the journey, they had conversations with Patreon’s Creation Relations Manager, Cole Palmer, and personal development facilitator Kathy Quinlan-Perez. Brett & Nick ask you to visit www.supportwts.com and consider supporting Where There’s Smoke. They just want to keep saying “YES!” to making this show every week. Thank you for your support! * * *GUESTS Cole Palmer, Patreon Twitter: @cepvi0Kathy Quinlan-Perez, PSI Seminars Website: www.psiseminars.com * * * Be a pal and LEAVE AN ITUNES REVIEW! K? Thx. Connect with the show on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wtspod and Twitter: @exploreWTS. * * * Links from our newest segment: WTS DIGS! Brett recommends Wa

What is it about music that just takes you back to specific people, places, and moments? Well, this week, we explore how music intersects with our lives. Whether it’s playing, listening, or escaping it, music is finds a way to bury deep within us and remind us of our own stories. Nick is running this show this week and opens with a story about love, loss, and the Bb concert scale. Next, Elizabeth Sweetly tells us about how music seemingly haunted her until she came to grips with the realities of her own life. Finally, Jessi Broughton tells us about how music brought her best friend into her life - twice. We also speak with neuropsychologist Dr. Amee Baird about her research into music and memory. So, put on a stupid grin and let’s get to listening. GUESTS Dr. Amee BairdSpecial Thanks to Listeners Elizabeth Sweetly (@ej_sweetly) and Jessi Broughton (@searchtofindyou) for sharing their stories. Special thanks to Breathing Rhythm Studios in Norman, Oklahoma for audio recording assistance.  For more about the le

“Be so good they can’t ignore you.” That’s Steve Martin’s advice for anybody looking to be successful. We hear some form of this idea from countless actors, musicians, athletes, scientists: Do good work. This week, we attempt to unpack what “good work” truly means. We’re talking about “quality” - specifically as it pertains to situations where we are looking to break into a particular profession, get a promotion, or create a successful product. In those situations, doing “good work” requires us to understand what is expected in a given space and then be able to create it ourselves. Joining us in this conversation is Franklin Leonard, the founder of The Black List. We also hear from author and speaker Jon Gordon, and receive some emails from the author of The Martian, Andy Weir. Oh, and we talk about getting struck by lightning. Don’t ask, just listen. GUESTS Franklin Leonard Website: www.blcklst.com Twitter: @franklinleonard / @theblcklst Jon Gordon Website: www.jongordon.comTwitter: @JonGordon11   * * * B

Each day, roughly 205 billions emails are sent, 3.5 billion Facebook messages are posted, and 40 million tweets are shared. In short, we are talking, texting, tweeting, and chatting at a very high rate. But in this process of sharing so many words - both in speed and quantity - we ask: Do we treat words with the same care we once did? And, do we ever stop to truly consider their power? We also ask: What if the phrase “Actions speak louder than words” wasn’t always true? What if, in our modern times, it’s the opposite? Our conversation starts with the first of Don Miguel’s Four Agreements; then we take a ride through some of the stories that have elicited reactions online and offline over the past 4 months; and, lastly, we go back a decade to hear a story about Nick and his Mom, including an interview with Nick’s mom herself, Barbara Jaworski.   * * *   Be a pal and LEAVE AN ITUNES REVIEW! K? Thx. Connect with the show on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wtspod and Twitter: @exploreWTS.   * * *   Links from our new

Lulu Miller of NPR’s Invisibilia joins us this week to talk about curiosity. Well, she really wanted to talk about adventure, exploration, and discovery; but for reasons we discuss in the show, Brett just couldn’t let curiosity go. Simply by asking, “What is curiosity?”, we find ourselves confronted with another whole set of questions: How curious are you? How do you measure it? Could one believe they are curious, and then discover they’re not? Could curiosity be something different than you think? Plus, we tip our hat to the great comic strip Calvin & Hobbes, which debuted 30 years ago this November and rode off on a toboggan 20 years ago this December. Well, if we want to get any answers to these questions, there’s only one thing left to do: Let’s go exploring! * * * Guest: Lulu Miller Website: http://lutimestwo.com / http://www.npr.org/people/348775905/lulu-miller Twitter: @lmillernpr   * * * Be a pal and LEAVE AN ITUNES REVIEW! K? Thx. Connect with the show on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wtspod and Twi

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Robert Frost’s classic poem, The Road Not Taken. Also, October 21, 2015 has become known as Back to the Future Day because it is the exact date that Doc Brown, Marty McFly, and Jennifer travel to in the movie, Back to the Future 2. Now, if you look at both of these works - The Road Not Taken and Back to the Future 2 - they might seem vastly different! But, beneath the surface, both works examine the idea of choice. This week we dig deeper into Frost’s poem and discover that many people - including ourselves - have misunderstood its meaning. We lean on some insights from columnist David Orr and his new book, The Road Not Taken: Finding America in the Poem Everyone Loves and Almost Everyone Gets Wrong. And we also talk about hard choices through some powerful ideas from Ruth Chang’s TED Talk on the same subject. And all of this exists within a big hat tip to the Back to the Future trilogy. As Brett & Nick take on the pseudo roles of Marty McFly and Doc Brown to ta

Listeners asked and so our second season premiere covers a topic that everyone struggles with: Procrastination. Unfortunately for Brett and Nick, life quickly began to imitate art when they found themselves caught in their own web of procrastination to get the episode finished. Brett and Nick ask: Why do we put things off? Why do we avoid them? And, if procrastination is just a symptom of something larger, then what are its sources? For answers, Brett turns to writer and blogger, Mark Manson. Mark shares some thoughts from his insightful article, “Everything You Wanted To Know About Procrastination But Were Too Lazy To Figure Out”. Was Mark able to set Brett right? Will they cure their own procrastination and make it to the end of the episode? Will Nick stop playing Mario Kart? Stay tuned. * * * Guest: Mark Manson Website: www.markmanson.net Twitter: @IAmMarkManson * * * Be a pal and LEAVE AN ITUNES REVIEW! K? Thx. Connect with the show on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wtspod and Twitter: @exploreWTS Links from

For the past couple of years it seems like one of the biggest buzzwords in business and entrepreneurship is “Hustle”. And most of the messaging around hustle is about “go, go, go!” - harder, faster, stronger, more. But what if that’s not the whole story? What if hustle is also about slowing down, pausing, and being still? And what if it is in that stillness that the best hustlers are made? In this episode, we discuss this concept with Kyra Maya Philips, co-author of the book The Misfit Economy -- which was named by The Telegraph, Tech Republic, and The Huffington Post as one of the Top New Books to read in 2015. We also bring in lessons from the life of convict-turned-entrepreneur, Duane Jackson. We also hear some wise words from writer and traveler, Pico Iyer. Lastly, we receive some widsom from author and activist, Lynne Twist. When it is all said and done, you may be left with a new idea of how to “Do The Hustle”. (Just in time for the 40th anniversary of it reaching #1 on the Billboard 100.) *Remember*

Whether we realize it or not, day after day, we’re asked to make meaning out of our experiences. Why did something happen? What does it mean? What kind of person am I? The kinds of meanings that we pull out of these moments will have a huge influence on how our lives take shape. In this episode, Brett and Nick grapple to make meaning for themselves. Also, Nick speaks with Teri Griege - triathlete, cancer survivor, and author - about living and succeeding with cancer and how others derive meaning from her experiences. Lastly, we hear from a couple of listeners outside of North America! (Still no France.) Guest: Teri Griege Website: www.terigriege.com and www.poweredbyhope.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/terigriege JOIN our MAILING LIST by texting the word SMOKE to 66866, or go to our website (www.wheretheressmoke.co). DOWNLOAD & LISTEN directly from iTunes here: http://tinyurl.com/wts-itunes. If you dig the show, please take a moment to rate & review it on iTunes. You can also go to www.wheretheress