Strong Towers

Summer is here! And with that comes our annual break in the action at Strong Towers. Thanks for hanging with us through Season 4 -- the vision casting and the life challenges and everything in between. As we step into summer, we find ourselves in real need of both rest and restoration and summer is always a great time to seek and savor it. So enjoy your summer, friends, and we'll see you back in the fall for another Strong Towers podcast.

How are you doing? No, seriously...how are you actually doing? Can you put words to it beyond the usual -- fine, tired, okay, etc. How aware are you of your inner world? And how do you handle it when your inner world suddenly feels a lot more public? Join Mike, Tom, and Jon for a much-needed conversation on the way we navigate our heart and our feelings and the profound good that comes when we learn to enter that space more regularly and confidently.

It finally happened -- the WHISKEY episode! If you've been listening for a while, you'll know our podcast tagline: "all topics - from brotherhood and faith to culture and whiskey." And in 2+ seasons we've talked about all of those things...except whiskey! So at long last, it gives us great pleasure to bring you the last piece of the puzzle...the missing link in the chain...the 4th horseman...Whiskey. And since we don't know much about whiskey, this is going to be a really interesting episode!

"Actions reveal belief 100% of the time." - Dallas Willard. What would a slow, thoughtful reflection on the actions of the last week reveal about the way you see yourself? Do you know who you are at a core level? There's a good chance we're going to talk about the topic of identity in a way you weren't expecting...which is all the more reason to pull up a chair and join the conversation with Tom, Mike, and Jon. You'll be glad you did!

What is your experience of daily intimacy, friendship, and reliance with God? Not Intellectually. Not philosophically. But as practically and tangibly as you can. What does it currently feel like to walk with God? And where do you feel like you're holding back? Join Tom, Mike, and Jon for an honest and open-hearted check-in on the thing we so often say matters most, but is often so challenging to cultivate.

Thanks to Alan Arnold, we've spent the last year wrestling with a revised and renewed sense of the significance of creativity. It matters... so much more than we expected, and in ways, we hadn't anticipated. Join Tom and Jon as they share the challenges and revelations of embracing a life of being creative.

How do you become wise? And once you do, how do you dispense that wisdom in ways that transform rather than bludgeon? Join Mike, Tom, and Jon as Mike shares the story of being on the receiving end of some powerful grandfatherly wisdom...and then learning how to pass it on to his own children.

In their later years, 98% of men say, "I wish I had worked less." Will you be one of those men if your current story does not change? Join Tom and Jon for an in-process conversation on rediscovering play in the midst of work.

The signs of spring are all around, and that's usually a wonderful invitation to get outdoors. But maybe we need outdoors more than we realize. Maybe the invitation is not just to get outside, but to connect with reality. Join Tom and Jon as they get pumped for spring, but even more so, share the restoration they find in the realness of nature.

After wrapping up our series on Mission and Vision, we thought we'd take a light-hearted lap around the "someday" projects -- those things we'd love to get to if time and money weren't an issue. So join Tom, Mike, and Jon for a little wishful thinking, a little creativity, a whole lot of joy.

In our final episode on Mission and Vision, we've definitely saved the best for last! The greatest adventure you will ever undertake is the discovery and restoration of who you are. And when you begin to uncover it, you will also discover a deep need in the world that you are uniquely designed and positioned to fill. Welcome to the rest of your life!

We're continuing with the peek behind the Strong Towers curtain on the topic of Mission and Vision. In our last episode, we touched on prioritizing Faith and Adventure in our growth and development. Today, we dig into Brotherhood and what we mean when we say it's central to who we are, what we do, and where we're going.

We're continuing to discuss the recent work Jon, Mike and Tom have done to solidify the mission and vision of the Strong Towers platform. Our first two core passions deserve a little explanation, so join us as we break down our fascination with faith and adventure.

At Strong Towers, we spent our holiday season much like everyone else. Some food, some family...and a back-to-basics overhaul of our entire platform! The start of a new year is always a great time to take stock of where you've been and where you're going, so come join us as we recap how we got to this point and where our vision for the future of Strong Towers may take us.

It's a bit late, but we wanted to take a last lap through 2021 before officially bidding it adieu. Some great moments that deserve a second look. Some significant challenges that still need to be processed. And a rather poignant conclusion -- we're not who we used to be. Join us as we kick off 2022 with a bang!

Happy holidays from all of us at Strong Towers! With Thanksgiving only recently in the rearview and all the wonder of Christmas just ahead, we're settling in for some of our favorite holiday festivities, traditions, and food. Pull up a chair and share in the nostalgia of the Strong Towers holiday episode.

Goats. Jiu-jitsu. Drywall. Need we say more? Check out this week's episode as Mike and Jon make sense of the craziness of learning.

Burned out? Worn out? Just plain tired? Plenty of that going around these days, but is there something deeper at work? And since that to-do list isn't going anywhere, what do we do? Pull up a chair and join the Strong Towers crew as we wade into the deeper waters of being "worn out."

Season 4 at Strong Towers has been all about the things that are stretching us this year; physical challenges, youth sports, faith, and the ongoing commitment to improvement. Along the way, we've found some literary gems that have proven incredibly beneficial. So please pull up a chair as we swap titles of books that are shaping (or reshaping) our world.

We haven't done a faith-focused episode in a while, but when the topic of the Great Commission came around recently it was too good to pass up. So join Tom, Mike, and Jon as we try to put into practice the call to follow, become a disciple, and invite others into the journey.

What do you do when you hit the phase where your kids start playing sports? You do a podcast about it, obviously. The nostalgia of our childhood, the challenge of being a sports parent, all of it. So put me in, coach!

"What's not working?" It's possibly one of the most disruptive and reorienting questions we've been asked. Disruptive because no one likes to acknowledge it, but reorienting because there are few things more helpful than taking an honest look under the proverbial hood. Put another way, "where are you fighting bravely and dying quickly?" Join Mike, Tom, and Jon as we answer that for ourselves and invite you to do the same.

Getting to our 100th episode feels like a pretty big accomplishment. Fortunately, Mike provided us with the perfect topic for this milestone -- undertaking the Pine Creek Challenge 100 Mile Ultramarathon. You truly don't want to miss hearing Mike open up about the motivations that brought him to such an endeavor and the things he learned about himself afterwards. It's powerful...just what 100 should be!

We're back! Kicking off Season 4 at Strong Towers, we are psyched to be back in the studio again. We are looking forward to an incredible slate of topics, including our 100th episode! Welcome back to the journey of building up and becoming strong.

In this episode, we discuss. Transitions. “the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.” Recently while Mike was running, the topic of Triathlons and the importance of your transition times came up in conversation. Often most athletes focus and train on the main disciplines, Swim, Bike, Run. However, your PR is achieved with the improvements of your transitions. This got me thinking, oftentimes in life, we focus on the state or condition we're currently in and where we will be next, but what about that transition time, have we prepared for that?

We're wrapping up this "influential people" series with a final reprise from the vault. We recorded our conversation with Allen Arnold back in Dec of 2020 -- you remember 2020, right? -- and the echoes of his message have been reverberating in my head ever since. Creativity isn't a side project. It's not the thing you do in retirement or after all the real work is done. Doing something creative is actually core to who we are and essential to the world around us. So take a listen, and then do something crazy -- go create.

When we think of the word "challenge", we most often think of pushing our body to the limit. One of our friends, Nathan Bramblett, has a lot of experience with that and so we'd thought we'd invite him to join our conversation. You won't want to miss this!

Our last episode on influential people brought back a host of memories of others that have been pivotal in our growth. One of those phenomenal people is Morgan Snyder. We had the pleasure of interviewing him last year on the topic of Mentorship, and it quickly became one of our favorite episodes. So as a tip of the cap to our friend and guide...and to ensure you don't miss this powerful episode...we wanted to run it back to the top of the list. Enjoy!

S3e30 - Influential People by Strong Towers

We got to sit down with Shawn Bolz and Bob Hasson for an incredible conversation on combining faith and work. Shawn & Bob encourage anyone and everyone that hearing God’s voice is not just for those in traditional ministry; and that there are Kingdom marketplace ventures waiting to be birthed through those who would lean into what God is saying. Check out their new book - Wired to Hear: Connecting God’s Voice to Your Life, Influence, and Career.

It's time for the lightning round! Welcome to Part Two of 21 Questions -- there's still no points and no prizes, but we're having a blast nonetheless! Life-changing purchase under $100? Advice you would give your 18 year-old self? Get your buzzers ready, 'cause it's game time!

Thought it might be fun to take a short break from interviews and topical conversations to ask the hard questions and get some hard answers. What superpower does Mike wish he had? What's Tom's favorite childhood toy? Join us for 21 questions that provide a little levity, a lot of nostalgia, and more depth than we were expecting.

After releasing "Listening - Pt 1" last week, we realized there was some serious potential for a follow-up conversation that included the feminine perspective. Fortunately, our wives were ready and willing to join us and offer their insights, wisdom, and vulnerability as we all continue to improve on this essential relationship skill. They're pretty much the best...we know you'll agree!

"Are you listening?" Heard that one before? In school, in relationships, at work...we often think we do a good job of taking in information and acting on it. But what if there's more to listening? Join Tom, Mike, and Jon for Part 1 of a 2-part episode on moving beyond information to the heart behind communication.

We know things have been a little uncertain for a while now, but spring showed up as promised! And with it the reminder of just how powerful, essential, and...if we're being honest...dangerous HOPE can be. Join Mike, Tom, Jon, and special guest, Shawn Ludeker, as we dare to let hope come out of its 2020 hiding place and play.

A little late this week, but definitely worth the wait! Earlier this year one of our good friends, and a member of a solid group of guys we do life with, moved away to be closer to extended family. While sad for us, the move has disconnected our brother from a support system that we have all come to truly appreciate in our lives. Join us as we sit down with our buddy Shawn to talk about the importance of having a strong men’s group in your life and how to find or start a group when you find yourself without one.

We're retooling some things here at Strong Towers in preparation for the launch of Season 4 later this year. Rather than sweeping changes, we're continuing to tweak and fine-tune...making micro-adjustments in favor of whole-sale change. I think there might be a larger lesson there than I first realized.

Happy anniversary! It's been a year - almost to the day - since virtually all of our lives underwent unexpected and uncomfortable change. What better way to wrap up this series on Discomfort than by doing some honest soul-searching in the ways we were tried, tested, and transformed over these last 12 months.

Discomfort in finances? Of course! Discomfort in faith? Absolutely! Discomfort in brotherhood? Amen! Discomfort in creativity? You betcha! Turns out your creativity is absolutely on the same level...just as critical, just as opposed. Join Tom and Jon as we revisit some pearls of wisdom from the star of S3e12, Alan Arnold, and talk about the need to fight through the discomfort in creativity as fiercely as we battle for finances, faith, and brotherhood.

Money - check! Faith - check! But rather than politics, let's get to the uncomfortable 3rd rail in many conversations between men: deeply personal brotherhood. Not with your colleagues. Not your poker buddies. Rather, the one or two guys that would walk through fire for you and know you better than your own parents, How do you work through the discomfort to get that kind of friendship? We're not 100% sure, but we've got a couple thoughts.

There's 3 things you don't usually talk about in public: money, faith, and politics. Last week we dove headfirst into the heart behind money. This week we're tackling faith and trying to get to the bottom of why it's just so...well...uncomfortable for us to talk about with others. Join us for this conversation with Tom, Mike, and Jon, and let the discomfort continue!

Money, money, money! It's amazing how much of our life often seems inextricably tied to money...and equally amazing how rarely we truly talk about. We'll offer no tips, tricks, or investments here, but with the wisdom and experience of our friend, Alex Voorhees, we'll take an even deeper dive into our relationships with money in the hopes of finding understanding, freedom, and abundance in ways we might never have imagined.

Goal-setting is a good thing. Challenging ourselves to push past our usual limits is a very good thing. But what about intentionally asking to be made uncomfortable? We're not talking about roughing it in the wilderness here, but we are talking about pursuing the frontier areas of our life that make us feel ill-equipped, unsure, and wildly uncomfortable. We usually avoid those areas like the plague, but what if discomfort is exactly where we need to go?

Many of us have been hip-deep in New Year's goals since the calendar switched over...and some of have just been happy to be living in any year other than 2020. But is it possible we said goodbye to 2020 too quickly? Might we need to linger over one of the more difficult 12-month periods in recent memory to ensure we've actually given ourselves time to grieve the hurt, pain, and loss that accompanied such trying times? Take a listen, and then take a moment for yourself.

Happy 2021 from all of us at Strong Towers as we celebrate both the new year and our 2-year anniversary as a podcast. It's been a wild ride this past year, and we're curious to see what the next 12 months hold for us all. Join us as we look back on all 2020 held and then battle plan for the year ahead.

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!" Well...sort of. It's 2020 after all, so nothing's quite the same. But nevertheless, we circled the virtual chairs one last time before the calendar changes to ring in our favorite holiday. Favorite traditions, hopes for the coming weeks, and all the holiday cheer you could ask for. Merry Christmas to all of you from all of us at Strong Towers.

Did you know that you're a wildly creative person? If you don't believe it, ask Alan Arnold. Alan's worked with creative people for decades, and has now channeled his own creative juices to produce "Chaos Can't." This book reveals how the best parts of you are thwarted, opposed, and undermined by forces designed to keep you from offering the truest parts of yourself to the world around you. This was an AMAZING conversation. We know you'll love it!

The series on "Challenge" back in Season 1 was one of our all-time favorites...both to talk about and also be, well, challenged by. A year has come and gone, and we thought it would be worth it to revisit the topic and see how things have changed. The conversation that ensued was surprising, encouraging, and convicting all at the same time. Hope you find it to be so as well.

We met Travis 2 years ago, around the same time we started Strong Towers. After hearing just a little of the story of his side-business, Dynasty Brewing, we knew we wanted the chance to record an episode with him. Two years later, thanks to our friend, Jeff Kuzma (Ego - Season 2, Episodes 8&9), we got the chance. Added bonus...both Jeff and Dynasty's brew master, Favio, joined us for the conversation. You're going to love this episode! And then you're going to want to go check out Dynasty Brewing!

We found it! The lost episode on technology has returned from the furthest corners of time and space...and our gig bag...with some pearls of wisdom on breaking free from techno-slavery whilst still enjoying all that's good in our 21st century existence. Now if only we could remember what's in it...

Between recent episodes on favorite movies and our love of learning, we got to talking about some of our favorite books. Then we decided to actually record that conversation since we were having so much fun with it. So pull up a chair as Tom, Mike, and Jon share some of their favorites -- the ones that entertain, inspire, and make great gifts (just in time for the holidays!).