YCYP - You Choose Your Path

This week's topic originated from a poll Scott posted on Instagram, asking what people thought were the criteria of people they deemed "family" in their lives. Many good responses were sent, and one of them was our guest Ryan asking if he could share his experience within the military and how that shaped his definition of family.In this episode, we let Ryan (@driftinfantry763) take the reigns for most of it! He shares his experience with creating close bonds in the military, the difficulties of leaving that lifestyle and rejoining civilian life, his new found passion in drifting, and how he's had to adjust through all of it. 

You're excited, because you have a new thing you want to do! So you tell all of your friends about this great idea you have, and that you're gonna do it big. But what happens in our minds when we tell people about our goals? What happens when things get sidetracked or we change our minds? Caleb, Scott and Stephanie discuss what we think happens when we discuss our goals, the hurdles that come with them, and how to navigate the questions we get when we change our goals.

Whether it be customizing our vehicles, having fancy clothing, or just being in a career field that not many get into, we all have things that we strive for where the appeal may largely be based on the fact that not many people have/do that thing. What does this mean though? How does it play in to our decision making, and what impact does it have on our lives? How can we be aware of when we are interested in something purely for the sake of exclusivity? Caleb and Scott take a deep dive into this phenomenon and hopefully provide some eye opening insight for you to better understand your own desires as well as seeing what compels others to seek out exclusivity.

Social Interactions involve way more than just the words that are said. How can we better understand and watch for the unspoken communication that our peers are expressing to us? How can we get better at expressing ourselves through actions instead of words? Caleb and Scott discuss their experiences with meaningful interactions, and the ones that seem to fall short, and what these interactions do for social and relationship development.

Jobs and Relationships are two things that not only occupy a large amount of our time, energy, and mental capacity, but they also tend to have similar experiences and issues.The group discusses the similarities, analogies between the two, and how we can use experience with one to better the other.At first thought, it may seem like these are two silly things to compare, but have a listen and see what you think!

On a good day, we can handle almost anything! But sometimes we just have those days where we run out of energy. Maybe it's because we had a bunch of hurdles that we encountered, maybe it is just social overload, or maybe we just feel like we've been doing too much.No matter what the circumstance, sometimes we need to recharge, and thats ok! We can't be our best selves, get good work done, or truly be supportive of our friends when we are drained. Even though it seems selfish or like it will "delay" our progress, it actually helps us get back in the mix of things with a renewed outlook and a fresh mind to fully immerse ourselves and do the best job we can!

Emotional abuse is a tricky topic to discuss, and one that often gets mis-interpreted (both overused and under recognized). But Caleb, Daniel, Stephanie and Scott take the time to discuss what early signs are, what different environments can foster emotional abuse, the ways to remove yourself from it, and most importantly, the root cause so that we can prevent it from happening. Emotional abuse is something that people often tolerate because it looks a lot like someone you care about being disappointed in you, and if you're an empathetic person, that means you feel bad for doing so. However, there are ways to know if a situation is genuine or if it is manipulation.What is extremely important is to recognize when it is abuse, and to remove yourself as promptly and safely as possible. We give our best advice on how to do so.

What is love? Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more.But seriously, the term love seems to be universally known, yet rarely explicitly defined.Even moreso, the word is often (almost always) used incorrectly. Even though we try to stray away from absolutes on this show, we discuss what the definition of love is to us, and how to properly navigate feeling, expressing, and receiving authentic love, as well as dispelling the false version that many people seem to gravitate toward.

When we are young, we see adults as all-knowing, invincible, successful people. But as we get older, we start to realize that everyone has their battles.This episode, we discuss not only being aware that other people are almost always going through some challenges, but to recognize that we become these adults that young people think have it all sorted out.

Often times we get in discussions where people say they want to do things, but they have nobody to do it with. Or they were going to do something, but had nobody to do it with, so they didn't do it.There is a common misconception of doing things by yourself, and all too frequently do people miss out on amazing experiences because they don't want to do it alone.This episode, we discuss the typically unrecognized benefits of doing things by yourself, the false ideal that you'll be judged for doing so, and ways to navigate it. 

Episode 30! Scott Caleb and Steph have a fluid conversation with open minds on peer approval. 

Change is inevitable, its something that many of us strive for and work towards.  We talk about change a lot throughout our podcast.... There are undoubtedly things that are constantly changing, but can we really change at our core? Scott, Caleb and Steph have a really great discussion surrounding change in this episode. 

In this self-titled 28th episode, Scott and Stephanie discuss their ideas on the meaning of life, and truly choosing your own path. 

Take a step back and look at all the things that limit you from accomplishing your dreams or goals. Are these really outside factors? Or are you setting limitations on yourself due to fear or influence of others. Scott, Caleb and Stephanie discuss this out of the box way of thinking in a way that some of us may have not considered. 

We all put on our rose colored glasses from  time to time and take a look at the past,  but sometimes we remember times so fondly that we wish they were the present. Caleb, Scott and Stephanie discuss how our longing for the past has the potential to hinder the future, and how often times we're overlooking the entire picture whilst looking back. 

We've all heard the saying, but to what degree-if at all is it true? Is it finding someone with your interests, or someone that compliments your traits in all of the right ways? Scott, Caleb and Stephanie are back together again to discuss if opposites really attract. 

There are many "styles" of leadership that affect us in different ways, but two of the main ones are leading by fear and incentive. The odds are that you've come across both at one time or another. Caleb and Scott break this down into manageable pieces, and discuss both styles.  

The question "Are you happy"? is something we're frequently asked on a surface level. Are there people out there that are truly entirely happy, or do we compartmentalize this into different chunks of time and parts of our lives? Scott and Caleb go in depth on the different parameters of this, and what it means to them, this episode is a fun one!  

Having the choice to forgive or ask for forgiveness is something everyone comes across at one time in life or another. Scott and Caleb dig deeper into forgiveness in this episode! 

We've all heard this saying many times over. Change is unstoppable, but we can also head it off with being prepared, and realizing that not every change is terrible, and although it takes some settling in and getting used to....it doesn't have to completely derail our lives. In this episode, Scott and Caleb dig deeper into the tides of change, and how they cope and react accordingly. 

When you hang out with friends, what's your end goal? Do you desire the occasional mimosa...a surface level chat over bunch? Or is it more than that? We all go into friendship seeking different outcomes. Ultimately, we are social creatures by nature, But what if friendships end up being something more productive? In this episode, we explore the concept of Productive Friendships--whether intended or unintended. 

There is an abundance of uncertainty in our world, now more than ever it seems. What if there are ways we can work to cope? Caleb and Steph unpack this, as well as some of the things that make them feel most alive in letting go. 

We've all been there, we make plans in the moment and then the day comes and you just don't feel up to going. Are you the type to make an excuse, ghost, or be honest and reschedule? We discuss the different feelings and thoughts associated to each end of making, and breaking plans. 

All too often people describe themselves as being "competitive", but what does that mean? It may be a motivational tool, but what else plays into having a competitive personality?Caleb, Scott and Steph spend some time discussing the benefits and downfalls in this engaging episode.

What's your 'thing'? Is this something you personally identify with...or a thing from the past that reminds you of someone else? In this episode, we delve into the subject of personally identifiable objects--and what ties us to those things. Is this a thing of the past? Or do these traditions still stand true today? We deconstruct what drives us, what we do (or don't) hold onto--and the 'things' that help us hold on to who we are today.  

The term "fake it till you make it" is something we hear often. If we take the term to heart and run with it though, we are robbing ourselves of experience and learning opportunities. Steph, Caleb and Scott dig deeper on just what we miss out on by faking it till we make it, instead of continually learning through things. 

Centralized thinking is something we've mentioned quite a bit in our episodes so far, this is the episode where we delve deeper into this tool that we can use to navigate life. 

Often times FOMO is thought of in the terms of events and social gatherings, but what if it's more? 

Guest episode with Michael FurinoThe YCYP team welcome Michael on the podcast to discuss addiction and the strategies that helped him to overcome this challenge in his life. 

The full crew is back together to talk about building new friendships. Its more than just "choosing to be friends". Stephanie, Caleb and Scott talk about proven tactics for success, with a "friendly" reminder that often it takes failure to succeed. 

Scott and Steph delve into what it means to give what you can afford to lose. Many of us think monetarily with this term, but sometimes our currency is our time, opinion and advice as well. 

Irish Goodbyes with Daniel Shidler- We welcome Daniel back on the show to discuss the art, and the meaning behind the "Irish Goodbye". 

EVERYONE has an ego, but what drives it? 

Sometimes things suck, sometimes things are amazing...but everything  is temporary. Steph, Caleb and Scott dig deeper into this helpful reminder. 

Often times we find ourselves in situations where we feel the path of least resistance is the best one, and that the lack of conflict means we did the right thing for everyone around us. But is it the right thing for ourselves?Daniel Shidler (SHY-dler), a professional tennis instructor joins us this week to speak on this topic. Daniel has found passion in not only teaching youth the skills to succeed on the court, but also the mental fortitude to excel at anything else they strive for in life.

Stephanie, Scott and Caleb discuss extreme emotion, how to respond to it and how to handle with your own emotions in the process. 

Caleb, Scott and Steph are back together again to discuss the feeling of being offended, where this feeling comes from and how to effectively communicate with others. 

Caleb and Stephanie discuss what it means to be independently present and the ways that it can not only improve your relationships, but ways that it helps to navigate difficult situations. 

Social media fame is something many aspire to have, but what if not all that glitters is gold? Our guest Adel shot to YouTube fame though his Nissan 240 builds, evolving into a career doing various builds for his OffBeat Garage channel. Adel speaks with Scott and Stephanie about his rise, and departure from internet stardom, the challenges he faced along the way and the relief he felt in making the decision to live a "normal" life. 

Red flags are something that society is progressively talking about, but what about all the other flags? Scott, Caleb and Steph dig deep into all of the flags and being true to yourself and your values in the process. We would like to add, if you feel you need help or advice of any kind- especially if you are in a relationship that you feel is damaging or dangerous to you physically or mentally, please feel free to reach out to any of us. We are happy to help with an ear, advice or resources in your area.  

Scott and Stephanie dig deep into insecurity, from ways it affects you to how to improve the way that you look at situations with others. 

Caleb, Scott and Stephanie discuss "yes" friends. When to give constructive criticism, empathy, and a little bit about lawn mower races. This episode digs deeper into how to navigate being "real" in friendships.  

Scott and Caleb explore giving and taking advice. How its perceived, and their own learning revelations along the way with some "light bulb" moments from them both.  

You step onto an elevator and the all to familiar yet uncomfortable feeling hits you. You need to fart. The theory is simple, but Caleb, Scott and Stephanie dig deeper into how metaphorical flatulence can affect everyone around you as well as yourself.