In The Trenches Podcast

Rebekah is an old friend of mine and our careers have reconnected us. Rebekah is a licensed clinical social worker and founded Satya Family Coaching where she does workshops, retreats, and family work, and individual therapy and coaching. She knows her stuff, so please enjoy! Rebekah Tayebi www.satyafamilycoaching.com Andrew Taylor www.purelifeadventure.com www.octagonmentoring.com

Tim Hightower injured his knee early in his NFL career. He ended up out of the league for four years and was able to return becoming the only player to ever return after four years. Off the field, he has taken his story of overcoming adversity and finding purpose to organizations, athletic teams and Universities. Tim is the owner of Hightower Enterprises, where he develops programs on health and wellness. www.purelifeadventure.com www.octagonmentoring.com

This interview was initially shot as a video but I have been unable to find a good system for posting as a video. It doesn't matter, the content is there and it's good. Derek Daley, Jeremy McGeorge, Jillian Broeckert, and Mike Petree have a wealth of knowledge and shared interesting and fun insights into Wilderness Adventure Therapy and how much it has changed through the years. For people who are unfamiliar with the work we do, this will be a helpful history of the development of field guiding and best practices.

This is my second episode with Sanford. He's a lot of fun to talk to and has great insight into many issues. Sanford is a learning disabilities specialist who is a highly sought after trainer and speaker, noted for his ability to bridge gaps between therapy and cognitive science. He is the author of two children's books, A Light Within and A Light Within My Dyslexia. I always learn something important every time I talk with Sanford. www.octagonmentoring.com www.purelifeadventure.com

Sarah is high energy and extremely bright. Every time we get together there’s never enough time to finish our conversation and you will see why in this interview. She is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to education and developmental psychology. Sarah earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Colby College and was a collegiate athlete and team captain there. She also holds a master's degree in English and history from Boston College and a doctoral degree in developmental and counseling psychology from Boston University. Sarah taught English at Boston College and has been an adjunct member of the clinical faculty at Boston University, teaching graduate-level courses in child and adolescent development, educational assessment and intervention, and young adult vocational and identity development. Along with her husband Don, she runs McMillan Education. A consulting group who has helped families worldwide with independent boarding and day school, college, crisis planning and graduate program planning. www.mcmillaneducation.com www.purelifeadventure.com

Jeffrey Jensen Arnett is Research Professor of Psychology at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. He is the originator of the theory of emerging adulthood and the author of Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the Twenties, recently published in a second edition by Oxford University Press. Currently he serves as the Executive Director of the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood (www.ssea.org). He lives in Worcester with his wife Lene Jensen and their twins, Miles and Paris. arnett@jeffreyarnett.com www.jeffreyarnett.com ataylor@purelifeadventure.com www.purelifeadventure.com

I heard Dr. Bryant speak a few years ago and his ideas have positively impacted me and others with respect to difficult topics. We have an interesting conversation around racism, sexism, privilege, discrimination and oppression. Dr. Bryant is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work and College of Health and Human Services at the University of North Carolinian at Charlotte. Dr. Bryant is a dynamic guest speaker, published author, Dr. Bryant is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work and College of Health and Human Services at the University of North Carolinian at Charlotte. Dr. Bryant is a dynamic guest speaker, published author, researcher, and social activist who has been trained as a critical social theorist and social worker. His research and writing focus on racial institutional inequity and Black and White body politics within the United States. Dante.Bryant@uncc.edu www.purelifeadventure.com ataylor@purelifeadventure.com

I heard Dr. Bryant speak a few years ago and his ideas have positively impacted me and others with respect to difficult topics. We have an interesting conversation around racism, sexism, privilege, discrimination and oppression. Dr. Bryant is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work and College of Health and Human Services at the University of North Carolinian at Charlotte. Dr. Bryant is a dynamic guest speaker, published author, Dr. Bryant is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work and College of Health and Human Services at the University of North Carolinian at Charlotte. Dr. Bryant is a dynamic guest speaker, published author, researcher, and social activist who has been trained as a critical social theorist and social worker. His research and writing focus on racial institutional inequity and Black and White body politics within the United States. Dante.Bryant@uncc.edu www.purelifeadventure.com ataylor@purelifeadventure.com

Joanna is a millennial educational consultant. Due to her vast experience at two major universities as a college retention specialist, she has unique and helpful insight into the college experience and what's going on right now with young people. She's a firecracker and shares her passion on her own blog and website (below). I hope you all enjoy this conversation as much as I did. https://www.lilley-consulting.com joanna@lilley-consulting.com ataylor@purelifeadventure.com www.purelifeadventure.com

Many people are unaware what psychological testing really means. Dr. Hyken and I have a short discussion around the different kinds of testing and how it all works. Dr. Hyken earned a PhD in psychology from Capella University, an Educational Specialist degree from Webster University, an MA in counseling from Saint Louis University, teaching certification from Washington University and a BA in communications and a BS in marketing from Saint Louis University. After working more than fifteen years as a teacher, school counselor, psychological examiner, and school administrator, Dr. Hyken founded Educational + Psychotherapy Services, LLC, and specializes in psychoeducational evaluations, ADHD assessments, individual/family therapy, and educational therapy. Dr. Hyken is a happily married father of two boys. He enjoys spending time with his family, running, and playing tennis. www.ed-psy.com rhyken@ed-psy.com www.purelifeadventure.com

Ethan Knight is the Executive Director of the Gap Year Association. In 1996, back before gap years were a thing in the US, he took a gap year to India, Nepal, and Tibet. The experience changed his life and he’s pretty much been working in gap year programming ever since. In this episode we cover a lot of the research around gap years. For example, young adults who do gap years graduate from college faster and are much happier in their careers. You will notice right away that Ethan and I have a lot in common and had a blast talking about how gap years have been so impactful in our own lives. Thank you for listening in and enjoy the podcast! ethan@gapyearassociation.org www.gapyearassociation.org ataylor@purelifeadventure.com www.purelifeadventure.com

Ruben and I met the first year I opened Pure Life, my program in Costa Rica, and we immediately hit it off. Every time I talk to Ruben I learn something new and this interview was no exception. Ruben is a licensed therapist, speaker, coach, counselor, pastoral counselor (which we talk about in the interview), and author of a book called The Road Home, a guide for parents of kids coming home from therapeutic treatment programs. He currently spends most of his time coaching, running expedition workshops for his clients, and traveling with his son, which he talks about in depth. Where to find Ruben: www.rubenjimenez.com www.theroadhomegroup.com ruben@rubenjimenez.com Where to find Andrew: www.purelifeadventure.com ataylor@purelifeadventure.com

Rachael is the founder of Todaysmama.com a parenting website with millions of followers. She's the first person I've talked to that has real concrete solutions for parents struggling with managing their kids screen time. She has a well thought out method that requires work and discipline. You need this! www.todaysmama.com rachael@todaysmama.com

Ed Peisner has quite a story. After tragedy struck his family he decided to make a "mess into a message." He shares his story and how he and Marc teamed up to start passing laws that require people of all ages to be more accountable and responsible with what they post online. Together they founded the Organization for Social Media Safety in California. https://ofsms.org ed@ofsms.org marc@ofsms.org

Dr. Aaron Wallis knows more about the science behind recreational cannabis use than anyone I know. He's a wilderness therapist at Open Sky Wilderness and has significant experience working with young people getting off of heavy cannabis use. We really get into the weeds in this interview. He's able to clarify some of the myths around casual and heavy cannabis use. Just for fun at the end we get into some of the science behind motivation and lack thereof. Fun fact, Aaron has a fantastic beard! I hope you enjoy the interview. You can find Aaron's contact information below. drwallis@openskywilderness.com www.openskywilderness.com

Dr. Mike Gass and Dr. Anita Tucker are at the center of much of the research being done with respect to outdoor behavioral healthcare. Derek Daley and I interview Anita and Mike about the recent findings and the direction outdoor behavioral healthcare is going. Mike and Anita run the OBH Center (obhcenter.org) in collaboration with the OBH Council to help continue to research and validate the impact of taking therapy off the couch and into the outdoors. Derek Daley, Co-Founder, of Legacy Outdoors joins me as a co-host in this interview. obhcouncil.com obhcenter.org legacyoutdooradventure.com

Stephen and Shirley are my parents! This interview is self serving in nature. As I approach parenthood myself (expecting twins in August), I had a number of questions I wanted to ask my parents and figured a podcast interview would be a fun way to document how I was raised. Shirley was a school teacher before marrying Stephen and then spent most of her time raising five children. She worked for years at the Utah State Senate and currently donates her time managing the volunteer effort at the Hope Clinic, a free clinic for people without insurance. Stephen worked as an Emergency Room physician for 40 years and also currently spends a day a week at the Hope Clinic. In their free time they enjoy gardening and spending time with their grandchildren. www.utahhopeclinic.org

Adam Barker is a renowned outdoor photographer with editorial work in various reputable sources such as Ski, Skiing, Powder, Outdoor Photography, USA today, Flyfish Journal, Mountain Magazine, and The Drake. Adam has produced imagery for Nike, Black Diamond Equipment, Volkswagen of America, Deer Valley Resort, Suunto Watches, and many more. In this interview we discuss a lunch we had over 10 years ago where we were both talking about our dreams that we're now living and all of the lessons learned along the way. www.adambarkerphotography.com

When Marlee was a teenager she found herself in desperate need of a wilderness therapy experience. Her father, Rob, who is an educational consultant that has coached thousands of families in this same situation found himself in the shoes of so many of his clients. Marlee thrived in wilderness but shortly after she left she fell apart again. She returned two more times and talks about what was working and what wasn't working and how most of it really had to do with her approach. Young people and their families who are currently considering a wilderness therapy program will benefit greatly from hearing this father daughter story. http://www.northlightfamily.com/index.html rob@northlightfamily.com

We are about to experience the greatest transition of wealth in the history of the world. Baby Boomers are and will be passing on their wealth and businesses to their millennial children. This issue is not without it's challenges and Dave Specht is an expert on this very thing. He's the author of The Family Business Whisperer and The Farm Whisperer, both currently available on Amazon. He's very insightful and thoughtful about a delicate topic. This interview will be beneficial for parent and millennial alike. www.familybusinesswhisperer.com

John Huie has a long history as a teacher and educator. From his youth he has always had a deep connection with nature and adventure. As a young adult he found his way to Outward Bound where he spent a lot of time leading youth in the outdoors. He has been educational consulting for many years and has recently retired. In this episode he shares his stories of adventure and learning about life in the outdoors and especially staying young! http://johnhuie.com/about-us/

Sanford Shapiro is widely known as a learning disabilities specialist with deep experience and love for students with with dyslexia and autism spectrum disorder. He authored "A Light Within," a children's book about anxiety. He has a long history as an educator and as an educational consultant. He currently resides in Ecuador with his wife where he enjoys writing and consulting with families and programs. https://www.amazon.com/Light-Within-Sanford-Shapiro/dp/1544731590 http://www.ldresources.org sanfordmshapiro@gmail.com

In this interview Bill talks about his experience in his early teens with drug addiction and recovery. A story of his path that lead him to Synanon, the first drug rehabilitation center. He went on to work at Synanon and eventually started his own transporting company. Transporting is the service of assisting adolescents and young adults in a smooth transition from the home into a program. Bill is a all heart and wealth of experience and knowledge. Enjoy! http://www.billlaneandassociates.com/index.html

Meditation and mindfulness are two concepts that have escaped me for years. I've always known that there's a lot we can benefit from both of them but it's difficult to find people that know much about them or can teach them in a way that makes sense. Josh and Maureen are some of the best I've found yet. In this interview we discuss tools, practices, methods, physiological benefits, mental benefits, health benefits, and more. Maureen White earned her Master’s Degree in Psychology from Naropa University, the nation’s leading training program for mindfulness-based therapy. Maureen is known for her ability to combine penetrating insight with humor and warmth. She has worked with young people and their families since 1996, helping countless parents and young adults to resolve long-standing issues and move into new places of abundant love and peace. Maureen speaks Spanish and has taught internationally. Maureen is a sought-after trainer for businesses seeking to learn mindfulness-based organizational management strategies. For seven years, she led transformational three-day workshops at a residential treatment center for young women. An authorized meditation teacher, she has served as core staff for multiple meditation retreats and worked with hundreds of adolescents and young adults at the apex of therapy and mindfulness practices. Josh White, Sensei, MA, LCMHC, CGP earned his Master’s Degree in Psychology from Naropa University, the nation’s premier mindfulness-based therapeutic training institution. A recognized leader and innovator within the young adult treatment field, Josh has presented nationally at conferences for the Young Adult Transition Association, American Group Psychotherapy Association, Independent Educational Consultants Association, Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Council, and National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs. After beginning his career with adolescents and young adults as a martial arts instructor in 1994, Josh shifted his focus to behavioral health in 1998, serving as both a behavioral health technician and a Master’s-level clinician before becoming an administrator in 2005. Prior to the founding of Red Mountain, Josh served as a Program Director, Clinical Director, and Executive Director in top treatment programs for adolescents and young adults, gathering a wealth of experience which now guides the philosophy and day-to-day operations of Red Mountain. A Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Certified Group Psychotherapist, Josh is a Senior Instructor and the second-ranking active practitioner of Ten-Chi Kenpo, an innovative martial art combining Karate, Jujitsu, Judo, Aikido, and T’ai Chi. Josh is one of approximately 250 teachers worldwide authorized to teach in the White Plum Zen tradition, and enjoys incorporating Zen teachings into his clinical work. Josh served on the faculty at Naropa University and Oregon Health and Science University, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the White Plum Zen Teachers Association and Prajna Zendo. Josh was a founding officer of the Colorado Group Psychotherapy Society, and is active in local and national charities. A proud husband and father whose greatest joys in life are his wife and son, Josh is also an avid guitarist and former professional musician who opened for Run DMC, Vertical Horizon, and the Violent Femmes. When he’s not spending time with his family and Red Mountain students, he enjoys hiking with his dogs in Sedona’s majestic Red Rocks; building and playing guitars; and competing in (and occasionally winning) his long-running fantasy baseball league. “Mindfulness saved my life. Learning how to watch my thoughts, feelings and impulses arise and fall saved me from a self-destructive path fueled by past trauma and poor choices. Today I am living my dream teaching and mentoring young people who are just like I was, and helping them find a path of productivity and peace.” www.redmountainsedona.com

This podcast really has two very different parts. In the first part, Colleen talks about her experience in sending her own daughter to a Wilderness Therapy program and all of the emotions surrounding that experience. In the second part she talks about managing millennials in the workplace. She love millennials and her enthusiasm is contagious! Over the course of her 20-plus-year career, Colleen has specialized in selling software and services that support the B2B sales community. As chief sales officer, she leads sales team initiatives worldwide as Brainshark continues to help new customers on their paths to better sales effectiveness. Colleen was most recently vice president of worldwide sales at SiriusDecisions, where she led the firm’s business development, customer support, sales enablement, sponsorship and worldwide sales teams. She loves millennials love millennials in sales and all they bring to the organizations they join. She's born and raised in Boston and a big fan of the Patriots!

Jenney Wilder M.S.Ed launched All Kinds of Therapy in 2015, as the only independent online directory for the Family Choice Behavioral Healthcare Industry. With an impressive case of ADHD and her starter career in the 90's in Silicon Valley, the dream for creating a website with features like side-by-side comparison and an integrated newsletter was born. Jenney stopped counting treatment centers and all types of schools that she has visited when she hit 500 many years ago. She was the sponsoring author of the only Economic Impact Study of the Family Choice Behavioral Healthcare Industry, which revealed the only true financial figures about this industry (in Utah). Jenney has a Masters in Special Education from Bank Street College (NY) and a Bachelors of Arts focused on History from Wheaton College (MA). www.allkindsoftherapy.com

Jeff Dvorak grew up on Long Island, NY and after finishing high school there, he did a gap year with the National Outdoor Leadership School. His love of the outdoors, lead him to stay out west and attend the University of Montana. After graduation with a BA in Journalism and English, he began his education career working with at-risk youth—first in a therapeutic wilderness program in Idaho and, then creating and directing a service-learning program in Costa Rica for a therapeutic boarding school based in Western Massachusetts. Jeff returned to school and completed a Masters of Education with a focus on Administration at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. After graduating with high honors Jeff was given a full scholarship to participate in a doctoral program in Special Education Leadership at UMass. While working on his doctoral degree he continued to work in local public schools as English teacher and then an administrator. Subsequent positions included a post as a Assistant Principal in London, England and then five years as a 6-12th grade college counselor for the San Francisco Public School District. Jeff is currently the college and career counselor at the Greenwood School in Putney, VT, which is a school that serves 6-12th grade boys with learning differences. Since 2010, Jeff has worked for The University of California, Berkeley as a freshman application reader, a position that has afforded him insight not only into what great universities are looking for, but more importantly what separates one great student from thousands of other high-performing applicants. Jeff continues to read thousands of applications ever year for UC Berkeley. Currently based in Riverdale, NY; Jeff work runs a Eduction Consulting practice that works with young people and their families to find and place students at top universities, traditional high schools, therapeutic programs and schools, post graduate and gap year programs, schools and colleges that serve students with learning differences, and programs that help young adults move towards independence. jeff@educoconsulting.com 704-724-1781

Amanda has 15 years of experience in the therapeutic field.* She specializes in Marriage and Family therapy and has a lot of experience with attachment and trauma. It's an area I have always had a hard time wrapping my head around. We explore in depth the difference between trauma and when someone needs to "buck up". Enjoy! *In my intro I say she does interventions but she is actually no longer doing interventions. integrativeapproach@gmail.com https://www.integrativeapproachtx.com/about-1/

Derek has been a mentor to me over the past year. He's knowledgable and insightful about his work and every time we get together we talk for hours. In the last part of the interview he drops some inspiring advice for millennials, do not miss it. I hope you enjoy!

Max is an alumni of the Pure Life program. He opens up about his own experience as a millennial who struggled in his transition to college and how he came to make the decision to step into a wilderness therapy program. He shares about the ups and downs of his stay and what most young adults experience in wilderness therapy programs. It's been two years since he graduated and he is healthy and thriving. He offers excellent perspective on the benefits of taking that step and leading a happy life on a new path as a millennial.

C'mon really? Addiction is a disease? But people decide to use drugs and should just as easily decide to quite right? I wish it was that simple but it's actually much more complex than that. Addiction is one of the most misunderstood issues of our time. It can be very difficult to be close to someone who destroys everything in their path (including friends and loved ones) through their addiction. Yes, addiction is a disease and I explain why in this episode.

Maureen Brennan has been educational consulting for 13 years. She has a Masters in Experiential Therapy and has vast experience working with families in crisis. In this interview we discuss standardized tests, college education, helicopter parenting, and most importantly grit. I hope you enjoy! http://www.brennanfamilyconsulting.com

Will White authored Stories From the Field: A History of Wilderness Therapy (Amazon link below). He currently runs Summit Achievement (www.summitachievement.com) an adolescent wilderness therapy program with a heavy emphasis on academics. He took a year to travel Asia and study buddhism and has a fascinating story to tell about it. For anyone thinking about going to a wilderness program or wanting more outdoors exposure in your life, this could be a very informative interview. https://www.amazon.com/Stories-From-The-Field-Wilderness-ebook/dp/B016YNG7F8

Jeremy Mc George has almost 20 years of experience working with young people from all over the US. He currently lives in Connecticut and has the opportunity to work with many families in the east coast that are dealing with crisis. In this episode we talk about what he does, how he does it, and what he's learned along the way. You can find Jeremy at the link below. https://thebertramgroup.com/about-us/meet-our-team/partners/jeremy-mcgeorge

In this episode I interview my best friend Riley Jensen. Not only is he a great friend, but he's a coach and sports psychologist. Riley has been an inspiration in my life and as you listen to this episode you will see why. We talk about communication in friendship, what it means to be loyal, how to find new friends when you have to start over, and addiction for a minute at the end.

Millennials have been told they can be anything they want to be, they just have to have the courage to follow their dreams. While there's a part of me that likes that message, I'm not so sure it's really helping.

Some of your favorite entertainers, athletes, and musicians are meditating daily. Meditation isn't just for hippies and yogis anymore, you should be doing this.

As a society we are giving millennials terrible advice when it comes to careers. It's time to start a different conversation.

People seem to always ask the same question when I tell them what I do for a living. This podcast episode is about that question and how I generally answer it.

Why I am doing this podcast. What I'll be talking about. And the bet that got it all started.