Breaking Ground

Back at it again! This week we wrap up our two part series on addiction! We get into the darker chapters of our addictions when things took a plunge and really got ugly. What did we do to get out of these cyclical behaviors and unmanageable habits? How do you overcome the overwhelming thoughts of having to stay sober for the remainder of your life? What can you do to help the addict(s) in your life? What does life look like on the other side? All these questions plus another special guest on this weeks episode! 

This week we get into some really personal areas of our lives and talk about addiction! Henry and I, as well as some friends we bring on board go back into our past and talk about our addictions. In this episode, Part 1, we  look at the earlier days of our drinking and drug using, when things were still fun and seemed like they were under control. We reminisce on some of the silly things we did to justify and normalize our daily habits, when in reality these were the choices that gave rise to the harsh insanity we experienced later on. Mark, Teddy and Justin join us to dole out some laughable but truly mad stories from their former lives to shed some understanding on what really goes through the mind of a fiend!

Death is something we must all face, some sooner than later! Most of us live out our lives not acknowledging this, some of us spend our whole life preparing for this! What happens to us when we die? What becomes of our flesh and what becomes of our souls? Why do we mourn if we truly believe our loved ones have moved onto somewhere better? Join us as we remember a dear friend of ours this week and celebrate his life and his death!

This week Henry and Bryan talk Faith and why patience and obedience go hand in hand with creating a foundation for our beliefs! We explore the ideas of self reliance and higher powers and their roles in our lives today!When life is good, Faith is easy, but as soon as the tides turn why is it we like to think our problems are bigger than God and let them crowd over us? Where is your faith when life becomes challenging? How much can you really rely on yourself?How do you exercise your faith so you're prepared for the next season? 

This week we talk BOUNDARIES!!! Why do we need them and what do they offer in return? We dissect ourselves this week to take a deeper look into some areas in our lives that have caused us to create physical, spiritual and mental boundaries! Some healthy reminders, but others, painful mistakes, all for the greater good of growing as positive and spiritually uplifting individuals!

This week we talk about first dates! Do's and Dont's! Expectations versus reality! Awkward moments that led to some of our most notable dating experiences! It's all fun and games in this week's episode, Join us for a laugh!

If you could go back in time and change anything. What would it be? And why would you do it?  Change the course of history, for the betterment of mankind?? Or perhaps something more personal. An opportunity you let pass by? Save a loved one? Or maybe, just maybe nothing at all! These are questions most of us have entertained at some point in our lives! Truth be told, all of us have at least a couple of things we've wished we could go back and change! Well, what if we could! Join us as we look back and ponder what we might have done differently and why! 

This week we introduce a new segment to the podcast, CURRENT EVENTS! We cite a new city ordinance that just took affect in our hometown of Los Angeles, California. The Ordinance moves to uproot our homeless population,  criminalize and penalize offenders sitting, sleeping, lying, storing personal property or otherwise obstructing the public right of way in several areas of the city, which we read directly from the source. Our discussion this week seeks to hypothesize what potentially may happen as a result of the new ordinance. Where will our homeless population go? How does this affect the city as a whole? And what can we as citizens who might be looking to help do in an effort to help our brothers and sisters out there on the streets? Here are the resources discussed from the podcast for those looking to get hands on and help!  Let's educate ourselves a bit more on how to appropriately help individuals seeking aid by checking  out these links! Different services provide strict and limited amounts of help for particular homeless citizens. https://www.lamayor.org/how-help-home...   -A website put forth by the Mayor’s office with a concise list of available resources specifically for concerned community members looking to help out our houseless neighbors. https://www.lahsa.org/get-help.       - For individuals looking to get off the streets immediately, The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority can assist individuals with accessing shelter resources. They can also be reached by phone on their hotlines. - 1(800) 548-6047 for adults, (1800) 548-6047 for youth and visit 211.org a community service for families seeking aid in acquiring food, mental and physical healthcare help. We also recently received a recent resource for Covid-19 Rent Relief which provides financial assistance for rent and utilities to income-eligible California renters and their landlords who have been impacted by COVID-19. Both renters and landlords can apply for assistance. - https://housing.ca.gov and lastly,  for mental health-specific resources, including requests for crisis evaluation, anyone may call the Department of Mental Health Access line 24/7 at 1-800-854-7771.

We've all been desperate before, but to what end?!  Living in despair often takes us to places where we are willing to do just about anything to get whatever it is we seemingly can't be without and often times it involves those closest to us! This week we weigh the pros and cons of our past desperation! By taking a closer look at how some of our most selfish choices affected others we now laugh about some of the silly things we've done to make ends meet  and celebrate life since we've spun the tables on that state of mind!

Commitment can be a scary word for some people, but for all of us, our day to day lives involve some level of dedication . Whether it  be  jobs,  hobbies,  families, ideas,  character traits/ behavior or just being committed to yourself. There are levels of allegiance that lie so far within us, sometimes we don't even realize it anymore! We get down to the details of our past ideals surrounding commitment and what that looked like for each of us. We break down  the difference between involvement and commitment and how that can transform any wandering life that may be wanting, it starts by being  willing, and that starts with you!

We are all subject to our own emotions. Undoubtedly, we are also subject to temptation! How do you respond when emotionally perturbed? Do you lash out and ease your discomfort with food, substance or sexual distractions? We explore a sensitive subject on this episode and talk about  our  well being or lack of and how that can translate into poor choices, which create vicious, cyclical traps! 

It's happened to most of us at some point in life! That secret infatuation you have with a special someone, but you just don't have the guts to tell them how you feel because you're afraid to lose what you already have! THE FRIENDZONE can make a fugitive out of anybody! The triple threat (Henry, Pam and Bryan) tackle this dreaded topic with stories from personal experiences in an effort to offer advice, alternative perspectives, copious laughs and to help better understand the age old question? How do I get out of the friend zone?!

What does sex Accomplish? Does size really matter? Why do we put so much pressure on our sex lives and why do we jump into bed with people so quickly?? Sex always has been and always will be a hot topic! This week we talk about what the intimate and sexy side of our lives look like by answering some of these questions. Sparing no details, we aim at highlighting sexual failure, misleadings and manipulations that have brought to us to a point in life where it's more than just something or someone to do!