Christian's Corner

Good Explanations has evolved into Chrisitan's Corner. I've gone from long-form conversations to short-form shares. I'll be documenting my life, my reflections, & the beauty of my experiences. Today, I talk about being let go, not fired, from my dream job as a content marketer in the psychedelic industry. While it's a new challenge, & it sucked to be let go, I see it as a blessing, as a door opening. I go into what I've learned having been fired twice & let go once & what I'm looking forward to as I close this chapter & begin a fresh one. “The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday." - Steve Maraboli Relevant Links: Christian's Website: https://christianscorner.org/ My Related Blog: https://christianscorner.org/blogs/i-got-fired-again Christian's Newsletter: https://christianscorner.substack.com/ Gwella: https://gwella.store 1heart: https://1heart.com

Good Explanations has evolved into Chrisitan's Corner. I've gone from long-form conversations to short-form shares. I'll be documenting my life, my reflections, & the beauty of my experiences. Today, I give you some background info on me, why I'm doing this (spoiler alert, it's for my mom), what & how I hope you find value from these shares, & a few nuggets of shared knowledge. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margret Mead Relevant Links: Christian's Website: https://christianscorner.org/ Christian's Newsletter: https://christianscorner.substack.com/ Gwella: https://gwella.store 1heart: https://1heart.com

Stephanie and I discuss common dating misconceptions, struggles, and traps from an individual point of view, understanding our values and intentions before meeting new people, the difference between choosing and being chosen, and the importance of small talk. This was engaging, adventurous, and deep. I pushed publically vulnerable limits and Stephanie brought the house down. Stephanie Larsen LCPC, CST, E-RYT, is a licensed clinical counselor, certified sex therapist, and experienced yoga instructor. She has worked at inpatient and outpatient mental health programs for years, created and ran a wellness program for hospital staff at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, does contract work for businesses - making sure employee dynamics and wellness needs are addressed - and currently owns and runs a private practice with her husband who is also a licensed clinical counselor. She specializes in treating trauma, sexual and relationship issues. Connect with Stephanie: Website: https://restorebehavioral.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/restore.behavioral.health/ If you listened to this podcast and are up for it, I'd truly appreciate a review & any feedback on Apple Podcasts. At a minimum, it is a chance for me to connect with you, at a medium, your feedback could convince just the right person to give Good Explanations a listen (or avoid it), and at a maximum, it can help influence the future, harder-to-get guests to join us for a discussion on Life. Connect with Christian: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/goodexplanations Website: https://christianscorner.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chrisalfaro1017 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisalfaro17/ Newsletter: https://christianscorner.substack.com/p/growing-up

Mary Marshall is the studio manager and yoga teacher at YogaSix Milwaukee. Mary has multiple degrees, in Art, Fashion, and Marketing and found Yoga thanks to a good friend. In her free time, Mary loves to hang out with her cats, dance, sing, and make occasionally bomb dishes. She loves a good concert, the occasional libation, and might have been a standup comedian in a former life. In this episode we talk about the beauty of Yoga, the struggles she faced as she was walking a path that wasn't hers, the importance of control and letting go, what she feels and thinks about as a yoga teacher, and much more. Connect with Christian: If you listened to this podcast and are up for it, I'd truly appreciate a review & any feedback on Apple Podcasts. At a minimum, it is a chance for me to connect with you, at a medium, your feedback could convince just the right person to give Good Explanations a listen (or avoid it), and at a maximum, it can help influence the future, harder-to-get guests to join us for a discussion on Life. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/goodexplanations Website: https://christianscorner.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chrisalfaro1017 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisalfaro17 Newsletter: https://christianscorner.substack.com/p/growing-up SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/goodexplanations

Gaochi Vang is a daughter, sister, writer, and peer. She believes that to progress in the work that we do, we must first know where we have been – the experiences our parents, grandparents, and ancestors have lived through. Understanding that she not only carries her story but those before her, Gaochi passionately advocates for culturally sensitive mental health resources, specifically for her Hmong community and other minoritized communities. In her current role as the Assistant Director of a peer-run mental health respite, Gaochi provides emotional and mental health support for people across Wisconsin through respite care and warmline services. She is strongly committed to aligning her values with her passion for peer services - an initiative she believes will be revolutionary for our minoritized communities. Gaochi attained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Women and Gender Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2013, and she completed her Master of Science in Psychology, specialization in Social Psychology from Walden University in 2019. Connect with Christian: If you listened to this podcast and are up for it, I'd truly appreciate a review & any feedback on Apple Podcasts. At a minimum, it is a chance for me to connect with you, at a medium, your feedback could convince just the right person to give Good Explanations a listen (or avoid it), and at a maximum, it can help influence the future, harder-to-get guests to join us for a discussion on Life. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/goodexplanations Website: https://christianscorner.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chrisalfaro1017 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisalfaro17 Newsletter: https://christianscorner.substack.com/p/growing-up SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/goodexplanations

Jessica is a beautiful blend of a hard-working professional who knows when it's time to truly listen to her Person. While she's currently juggling a few potential and independently generated professional paths, she has put in her time in the political sphere over the last decade. She is as down-to-earth as it gets while having a vast set of inspiring life experiences. On top of that, she chooses to bring a radically honest, yet objective sense to our discussion, and what a treat it was to have a talk with her. In this episode, Jessica shares what it's actually like working in politics, from making split-second decisions to learning to lose gracefully. We also discuss how her childhood influenced her desire to travel, the importance of relationship building, the hows and whys of her decision to embark on a 10-day silent retreat, and so much more. *Disclaimer* Although Jessica has a political background, this isn't a politically-based episode by any means. We spend some time understanding her work in the space and the internal framework she's built having spent years influencing and impacting certain aspects of the political landscape. And that was born out of my curiosity for her and the naive perceptions I have on the vastness of the political world. On Jessica: Jessica Boling was recently the director of community engagement for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Milwaukee 2020 host committee. In the role, she had an opportunity to bring various Asian communities in Milwaukee together for the Democratic National Convention. Unfortunately, the pandemic cut this experience short but created a new one where Jess became the AAPI Outreach Director for the successful Biden Campaign. In this time, she developed and implemented statewide strategies to reach over 90,000 AAPI voters to help swing Wisconsin Biden's way. Jessica has also held other community engagement roles at firms like P3 Development Group, Better Business Bureau, and Silicon Pastures - which is known for its angel investing network. And prior to her work in the United States, Jess taught English in South Korea, learned French in order to live in accord with Cambodian Culture, and as a child, housed foreign exchange students from at least six different countries. She has graduated from Seattle University with a Bachelor of Science in International Development before going on to earn her Master's in Social Work, Community Organizing, and Policy and Administration from Boston College. Connect with Jessica: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-boling-86a80037/ If you listened to this podcast and are up for it, I'd truly appreciate a review & any feedback on Apple Podcasts. At a minimum, it is a chance for me to connect with you, at a medium, your feedback could convince just the right person to give Good Explanations a listen (or avoid it), and at a maximum, it can help influence the future, harder-to-get guests to join us for a discussion on Life. Connect with Christian: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/goodexplanations Website: https://christianscorner.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chrisalfaro1017 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisalfaro17 Newsletter: https://christianscorner.substack.com/p/growing-up SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/goodexplanations

Toni is a rockstar. A thoughtful entrepreneur who has built her life around Art and championing artists, or as she and the team have coined such people, creative professionals. We met at a coffee shop over a borrowed piece of paper and little did I know how wonderful she is. After learning more about Toni, I realized she was my first Tim Ferriss-esque guest. A real-life kickass doer who also knows how to express her vulnerability, both on and off the air. In this episode, Toni and I talk about, well talking, and why we must give it a shot even if we don't know what to say. We also discuss how the word Art has evolved in her life and throughout history, dropping the overwhelming need for balance, how to turn big ideas into small strategic steps, and so much more. On Toni: Toni Sikes is a successful entrepreneur with 30 years of operational, fundraising, and investment banking experience. She is the founder of three art companies and currently serves as the co-founder and CEO of CODAworx, the global leader in commissioned art, serving as a professional network for a wide variety of artists, design professionals, and industry resources. Sikes has spent her 30-year career connecting artists to their best markets. As the founder of The Guild, a pioneering e-commerce company that brought the work of artists directly to consumers, she raised over $50 million from leading venture capital firms. Toni is also General Partner in Calumet Venture Fund. Previously she was a Senior Advisor at Gruppo, Levey & Co., a New York investment bank, where she led their technology practice focused on helping technology companies in their financing and M&A strategies. While serving on the boards and advisory board of several technology companies. She is active in Wisconsin and national economic development organizations. She is the Past Chair of the Wisconsin Technology Council, the Advisory Board of MERLIN Mentors, the Board of Advisors of the UW Weinert Center for Entrepreneurs, and the Board of Directors of Healthy Minds Innovations and BuildingBrave. She holds a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Alabama and an M.S. in Market Research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Connect with Toni: Website: https://www.codaworx.com/ If you listened to this podcast and are up for it, I'd truly appreciate a review & any feedback on Apple Podcasts. At a minimum, it is a chance for me to connect with you, at a medium, your feedback could convince just the right person to give Good Explanations a listen (or avoid it), and at a maximum, it can help influence the future, harder-to-get guests to join us for a discussion on Life. Connect with Christian: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/goodexplanations Website: https://christianscorner.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chrisalfaro1017 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisalfaro17 Newsletter: https://christianscorner.substack.com/p/growing-up SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/goodexplanations Affiliate Brands: Float Milwaukee MUD/WTR YogaSix Milwaukee Meat on the Street

Derek B. was introduced to me thanks to Derek M. Small world to be a Derek... However, in the conversation with Derek Bell, we explored much different ground, and speaking with him allowed me to go deeper on things I had only known about from more of a surface level. This was the first time I had a guest where we had no prior relationship. But, that's the beauty of people and this platform. Whether I've known someone for decades or minutes prior to recording, everyone has a story to share and some knowledge to drop and Derek did not disappoint. In this episode, Derek and I discuss new perspectives of wellness (which is a big word & topic), our relationship to writing, reading, and exercising, what self-therapy might look like, Derek being a Law School dropout, the power of cultivating micro-moments, and so much more. On Derek: Derek Bell, MS, CWP, loves whammy bars, soccer, peanut butter. and eats burpees for lunch. An amateur ultramarathoner and CrossFit fan, Derek is the leader of Wellness & Strategy for Ascension Wisconsin at Work. He is also a faculty member at Mid-State Technical College, where he teaches behavior change and population health management, Derek is helping to grow a world where humility, kindness, and generosity reign. He believes a happy and fruitful life requires being CONNECTED, CARING for yourself and others, CONTRIBUTING to your community, and exploring your CREATIVITY. Derek received his bachelor's degree from Knox College and his master's from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. Prior to his work at Ascension, Derek directed the National Wellness Institute, including the National Wellness Conference. Recently, Derek won the United Soccer Coaches Association High School Coach of Significance award for developing assets in youth through his implementation of the Coaching Boys into Men Program with the Stevens Point High School soccer team, where he is the head coach. With over 20 years of experience in wellness, Derek has worked with some of the best minds in the field. His passion lies in the evolving nature of wellness and its interaction with the human experience. You can listen to these discussions in his podcast series, “Highway to Well,” and the accompanying podcast, “AMWAP.” Connect with Derek: Website: https://www.derekbellwellness.com/ Podcast: https://www.derekbellwellness.com/highway-to-well-podcast-1 If you listened to this podcast and are up for it, I'd truly appreciate a review & any feedback on Apple Podcasts. At a minimum, it is a chance for me to connect with you, at a medium, your feedback could convince just the right person to give Good Explanations a listen (or avoid it), and at a maximum, it can help influence the future, harder-to-get guests to join us for a discussion on Life. Connect with Christian: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/goodexplanations Website: https://christianscorner.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chrisalfaro1017 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisalfaro17/ Newsletter: https://christianscorner.substack.com/p/growing-up

For me, Derek is the coach of a lifetime, and I'm lucky to be on round three with him and he has demanded excellence every single day we've spent together since we met. Whether it was on the field, eating with the team afterward, or Now, as I begin this new journey. Derek has always been able to bring out the best in me or get me to bring out the best in me; whether it was on the field, eating with the team afterward, or Now, as I begin this new journey. He's a combination of an older brother, coach, and mentor gift wrapped into one human and he continues to teach me in soccer and in life while never forgetting the importance of humor and sharing some laughs. In this episode, Derek and I discuss what he's learned while coaching and building relationships, how and why we can be more empathic as males, what being a Father & a Husband means to him, how a tragic moment helped him find himself, and so much more. On Derek: Derek Marie returned to his alma mater, Carroll University, in 2013 as an assistant men's soccer coach, before being named the head coach prior to the 2018 season. He was a standout performer for the Pioneers, earning all-Midwest Conference honors in each of his four seasons at Carroll, making him one of just three players in team history to achieve the feat. Marie also garnered state and regional recognition during his career, with first-team all-Wisconsin and second-team All-Central Region accolades following his junior campaign. He played a vital role in Carroll's first-ever Midwest Conference title in 2007 and the team's first Midwest Conference Championship in 2008. The 2008 team also won the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament game. Marie was a student assistant coach for the Pioneers in 2009, then went on to serve as an assistant coach for the UW-Stevens Point women's soccer team the following year. The UW-SP squad advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. Marie was previously involved with the Croatian Eagles Soccer Club, where he was the head coach of the club's U-18 Midwest Regional team for the spring 2014 season. As a prep at Stevens Point Area High School, Marie earned first-team all-conference and was an all-State selection while finishing his senior campaign as his league's leading scorer. Marie graduated from Carroll with a degree in Business Marketing. He earned his master's degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University in Irvine, California in 2015. Connect with Derek: Carroll: https://gopios.com/staff-directory/derek-marie/70 Podcast Guest: https://www.derekbellwellness.com/podcast-blog/highway-to-well-dmarie If you listened to this podcast and are up for it, I'd truly appreciate a review & any feedback on Apple Podcasts. At a minimum, it is a chance for me to connect with you, at a medium, your feedback could convince just the right person to give Good Explanations a listen (or avoid it), and at a maximum, it can help influence the future, harder-to-get guests to join us for a discussion on Life. Connect with Christian: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/goodexplanations Website: https://christianscorner.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chrisalfaro1017 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisalfaro17/ Newsletter: https://christianscorner.substack.com/p/growing-up

As you'll learn below, Mr. Collins, aka PC, aka Jim, has done and continues to do many great things professionally. Most importantly to me, however, is the impact he's had on my personal life. While we were born in two different generations, we get along like peanut butter & jelly or eggs & bacon. President Collins has become one of my dearest friends, truest advisors, and Guru-esque in my life. In this episode of Good Explanations, I largely turn the tables on my (unofficial) Therapist and ask him questions on how he thinks about & makes decisions, what he's learned as a husband, father, Mentor, and Mentee, learning when to ask for help or say something, and so much more. And, as any great friend does, Jim lets me riff on a couple of matters that naturally arise. I hope you enjoy the second podcast of Good Explanations with my best of friends, President Jim Collins. James (Jim) Collins obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance from Loras College in 1984 and a Master of Arts degree in Higher Education from the University of Iowa in 2004. After graduating from Loras, Mr. Collins returned to campus as an admissions representative and has continued to operate in a variety of positions in his 37 years of service at Loras College. In 1999, he was appointed as the College's Senior Vice President, before being elected in 2004 as Loras College's 26th President. During his presidential tenure, Collins has served as a leader on the national, state, and local fronts to include: Chair, Treasurer, and board member of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities; Board of Regents and Board of Trustees, Seton Hall University; Chair, Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities; Executive Committee, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities; Chair, Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, and Archdiocese of Dubuque Board of Education. A Crystal Lake, IL native and the oldest of 6 children, Jim has been twice recognized as one of America's Top 100 Irish Educators. In 2007, he was also recognized by his high school, Marian Central Catholic High School, with the Alumni Excellence Award. Connect with Jim: Website: https://www.loras.edu/administration/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimcollins5/ If you listened to this podcast and are up for it, I'd truly appreciate a review & any feedback on Apple Podcasts. At a minimum, it is a chance for me to connect with you, at a medium, your feedback could convince just the right person to give Good Explanations a listen (or avoid it), and at a maximum, it can help influence the future, harder-to-get guests to join us for a discussion on Life. Connect with Christian: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/goodexplanations Website: https://christianscorner.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chrisalfaro1017 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisalfaro17/ Newsletter: https://christianscorner.substack.com/p/growing-up

"When it's time to get serious," therapy is there to help guide us back to ourselves. As Stephanie's mentor said, it's at this point an individual comes to therapy or therapy comes to them. As you'll learn below, Stephanie is a legit-ass therapist and my legit-ass therapist for a few years now. She has influenced my way of thinking and as a healthy consequence, living, as much as anyone in my life. She has taught me how to ask better questions of myself, lean into feelings and emotions, remain curious throughout uncertainty, and the power of meeting myself where I'm at in order to build bridges towards the person I aspire to become. In this conversation, Stephanie and I highlight what therapy is and might look like. We also talk about the importance of prioritizing bored time, fostering internal curiosity, intellectualizing feelings and emotions, creating space for ourselves and others, and much more. I hope you enjoy the first podcast of Good Explanations with my first Spiritual Teacher (and current Therapist) Stephanie Larsen. Stephanie Larsen LCPC, CST, E-RYT, is a licensed clinical counselor, certified sex therapist, and experienced yoga instructor. She has worked at inpatient and outpatient mental health programs for years, created and ran a wellness program for hospital staff at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, does contract work for businesses - making sure employee dynamics and wellness needs are addressed - and currently owns and runs a private practice with her husband who is also a licensed clinical counselor. She specializes in treating trauma, sexual and relationship issues. Connect with Stephanie: Website: https://restorebehavioral.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/restore.behavioral.health/ If you listened to this podcast and are up for it, I'd truly appreciate a review & any feedback on Apple Podcasts. At a minimum, it is a chance for me to connect with you, at a medium, your feedback could convince just the right person to give Good Explanations a listen (or avoid it), and at a maximum, it can help influence the future, harder-to-get guests to join us for a discussion on Life. Connect with Christian: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/goodexplanations Website: https://christianscorner.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chrisalfaro1017 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisalfaro17/ Newsletter: https://christianscorner.substack.com/p/growing-up

This is dedicated to those at Field Trip Health. Per their website, they use "psychedelic therapies that bring you to life [through] evidence-based, legal psychedelic therapies to help you heal depression and feel better." Ronan Levy, the host of their podcast Field Tripping, asks a great question about what this pandemic has taught the guests. Since it's given us 'more time' and expressed differing branches of uncertainty, Ronan wonders how The Great Pause allowed us to grow, gather insights, realizations, or reflections, and in what respects. This is my much shorter answer to that question. It was born a few days after I tried to record another short response that ended up being half an hour - which is also out there. I hope you enjoy it! In this, I discuss the importance of personal and self-development and how I was able to continue looking inwards for answers rather than outside myself. Catalysts along this internal journey were, and still are, Yoga, Reading, Writing, and Meditation, among others not expressed. The second big takeaway, for me, is how we all must learn to live alone at some point in our lives and why. On their podcast, Field Tripping: "Turn on and tune into Field Tripping, a podcast about psychedelics, the people that use them, and what our renewed love affair with both says about who we are and where we're going. Explore how psychedelics awaken new views on sex, science, business, fitness, life, and death in the lives of our influential and inspiring guests. Join us on a journey into psychedelic experiences and how they change the world and our lives – one trip at a time. The podcast sometimes deals with some challenging or sensitive topics, so we ask that you please be thoughtful and use good judgment when considering some of the subjects discussed." If any of this has sparked some curiosity, start with episode #5 or episode #10 of the Field Tripping podcast. Field Trip Health: https://www.fieldtriphealth.com/ Field Tripping: https://www.fieldtripping.fm/ Christian's Website: christianscorner.org