Life Without Crutches Podcast

It can be very hard to even figure out how you are feeling inside or what is driving those emotions, let alone being able to express them to another person! But when your job is to help a child learn how to navigate life and to cope with their own emotions, there's just no other way than to be able to speak from personal experience. In this episode, I share a couple of stories to illustrate my point. If you have a story and would like to share it on this podcast, email info@lifewithoutcrutches.com!

There are no two ways about it, parenting is a very challenging job which is only made more difficult for those who must do it alone and yet even more so when that person is a man trying to raise a little girl! However, with the right mindset, some helpful tips and the willingness to challenge time honored social norms and gender roles, any father can turn this challenging job into a rewarding opportunity that will change both lives! Email us at info@lifewithoutcrutches.com if you want to be a guest!

It's easy to say you're going to take the bull by the horns and live your life the way you want to. But when that means uprooting your family and moving to a new place just because you fell in love with a sport? That's not so easy! In this podcast the daughter of the Wave Woman tells us about overcoming that challenge, as well why it's so important to make time to talk to those we love while we still can. Email info@lifewithoutcrutches.com to be a guest! Buy the book! https://wavewomanbook.com

It's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of emotions surrounding an unexpected event, like falling in love. In the honeymoon stage, you find yourself feeling happier, more hopeful, more cooperative and all around better about life. It just feels effortless, meant to be even. But before long, we see that it actually requires a concerted effort to keep those feelings going, lest they fade away. Maybe that is how we will keep feeling as though we are "all in this together" as well? Email to be a guest!

Some people think that talking about your pet peeves is just being negative and we are certainly urged by society to just be accepting of everything these days. But, while there is merit to letting things just roll off your back, there are also lessons to be learned from the things in life that cause strong emotional reactions within us! And it is only by taking a closer look at these pet peeves that we can understand why they trigger us and let them go! Email info@lifewithoutcrutches.com to be a guest

Making a major career and lifestyle change is hard. There is so much uncertainty and it is easy to just put off making the decision to another day. But when the answer to your prayer for guidance comes in the form of a loaded gun and the only thing you're uncertain about is whether you are going to see your loved ones again, the decision is made for you. What you do with that answered prayer, however, is entirely up to you! Tim's book PTSD, God and Me is available on Amazon and Kindle Email info@lifewithoutcrutches.com to be a guest!

They say that it is through adversity that you see what people are truly made of and, as people, businesses and entire states closed and locked their doors to keep that which they value the most safe, difficult decisions were made. As we slowly start to open back up and resume some kind of normalcy, we all have the opportunity to decide whether normal is what we really want to go back to and whether those difficult decisions were acceptable. Email info@lifewithoutcrutches.com to be a guest!

In the midst of our busy days, as we run around from one task to another trying to accomplish all of the things on our to-do lists, what is often cast aside first are the small things we should be doing to care for our health. But what happens when those small things that we neglect, turn into a big problem that we can no longer ignore? Sometimes, coming face to face with our own mortality can be both a blessing and a curse. Email info@lifewithoutcrutches.com to be a guest!

In the midst of the busy schedules we keep, it can be hard to justify stepping away from the things that our brains are telling us to do so we can follow what our hearts are calling us toward. But if you start small, answering the more inconsequential callings, you may soon see that the reward for following your heart is often greater than the one your mind would lead you to. Email info@lifewithoutcrutches.com to be a guest!

Sometimes we have to learn to let go of something that we have held on to so tightly for so long, to be able to find out who we truly are. That certainly was the case for my guest today, Blue Haught. Listen in as we discuss how he came to the decision to leave Mormonsim, how doing so has changed his life for better and for worse, some ways in which you can make the same type of change and some general insight into religion, spirituality and growing up! Email info@lifewithoutcrutches.com to be a guest!

Sometimes we have to learn to let go of something that we have held on to so tightly for so long, to be able to find out who we truly are. That certainly was the case for my guest today, Blue Haught. Listen in as we discuss how he came to the decision to leave Mormonsim, how doing so has changed his life for better and for worse, some ways in which you can make the same type of change and some general insight into religion, spirituality and growing up! Email info@lifewithoutcrutches.com to be a guest!

As human beings, we scramble to find a sense of certainty and safety.  Especially in unsafe and uncertain times, we find ourselves desperate to regain some kind of control over the situation.  Too often, that desperation causes us to act in ways that we normally wouldn't, ruin our experience of the present moment and potentially bring about a worse future for ourselves.  But, what if we could learn to just let go of that need for control, safety and certainty that our life is going to turn out some particular way?     If you would like to be a guest on this show, please email us at info@lifewithoutcrutches.com

In the midst of these unprecedented times of self quarantining and stay at home orders, I read an article about the alarming rate of relapse among those in addiction recovery.  Suddenly stripped of their ability to go to a meeting whenever they felt those old urges creeping back up and with an increasing sense of loneliness and hopelessness for the future, it is understandable that a former addict would think "what's the point?"   As people who are also in recovery, my guest Nik Edmonds and I discuss this topic that is very near and dear to our hearts.  We share our own struggles in dealing with this new normal, the ways that we are finding to not return to those old painkillers and provide some tips to those that may be struggling to stay on the wagon as the road gets evermore bumpy. If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, or simply indulging too much in some unhealthy behaviors, please listen and share this episode! If you have your own story to share and would like to be a guest on this podcast, email us at info@lifewithoutcrutches.com.  

After I recorded the initial version of the trailer, my publisher told me "No! That's too long!" What can I say? I like to tell stories! So, here is the story that I wanted to tell you in the trailer, but without a time restriction.

Welcome to Life Without Crutches, a podcast that aims to help you overcome the various, complex and unique challenges of life.  I am your host, Jon Kowanetz.  By sharing my own experiences as well as those of my guests, I hope to help you find the motivation, strength and balance to stand on your own, without the crutches that you have come to rely on.  Let’s take the first step, together!