Loving Goliath

The hype around true crime is absolutely real. From mugs to t-shirts, from podcasts to youtube channels, people are making millions off the true crime industry - and it is an industry. But is it moral to make money off true crime? Have we always monetized the macabre? And how does it make us feel? All that and more on this episode of Loving Goliath!

This week we're unpacking our last episode with Ivory Smith, Ben's sister and Willow's aunt! It's a continuation of a much larger conversation, so make sure to go back and listen to part 1! In this episode we're talking about how we cope with childhood trauma as an adult, the ways people process discomfort and unsafety, and so much more! Check out our Instagram, see what we're up to over on our website, or email us if you need to be in touch! You can also contact us regarding our professional services, one-on-ones and corporate cohorts and learning opportunities! https://www.instagram.com/lovinggoliath/

https://thegoliathfoundation.com/ lovinggoliath@gmail.com

It's been a long time coming on this second part of Ben's conversation with his sister Ivory on overcoming family trauma, but this was a massive conversation and, in parts, pretty heavy. Enjoy this extended episode where they discuss at greater depths the trials someone in a deep depression might face, how to alter one's perspective, coming to terms with your circumstance and rising above not just a situation, but all things.  

Check out our Instagram, see what we're up to over on our website, or email us if you need to be in touch! You can also contact us regarding our professional services, one-on-ones and corporate cohorts and learning opportunities! 

https://www.instagram.com/lovinggoliath/ 

https://thegoliathfoundation.com/

lovinggoliath@gmail.com  

(Pssst, did you know you can get 10% off Ben's new book, Facing Goliath, on our website by using the code Goliath10? We'll talk more about this later, but go on and cop yourself something nice!)

This week we're talking about our episode with Ruta Stasiunaite, whose work you can check out here: https://linktr.ee/redefiningsuccess

HUGE thanks to our new sponsors, Go Primal Apparel! Use our code GOLIATH10 for 10% off your entire purchase at www.goprimalusa.com/ !

Thank you again, Go Primal!

We'd also like to thank our new sponsors, NUNU Bioceuticals!

Using our code BENJAMINSMITH at checkout you can get 10% off your new favourite bioceuticals at www.nunubioceuticals.com/

This week we got to hear from the amazing ball of sunshine that is Ruta Stasiunaite! She's a transformational mindset coach, and you can probably see why; her perspective on mindset is awesome, and totally aligned with Ben's own thoughts on the subjects of manifestation, which can be a bit of a tricky subject with the rest of us(aka Willow). 

Check out what Ruta is up to in the world: https://linktr.ee/redefiningsuccess

HUGE thanks to our new sponsors, Go Primal Apparel! Use our code GOLIATH10 for 10% off your entire purchase at https://www.goprimalusa.com/

 ! Thank you again, Go Primal!

We'd also like to thank our new sponsors, NUNU Bioceuticals! Using our code BENJAMINSMITH at checkout you can get 10% off your new favourite bioceuticals at https://www.nunubioceuticals.com/

This week we're talking about our episode with Jefferson Roc of EIMHE! 

HUGE thanks to our new sponsors, Go Primal Apparel! Use our code GOLIATH10 for 10% off your entire purchase at www.goprimalusa.com/ !

Thank you again, Go Primal!

We'd also like to thank our new sponsors, NUNU Bioceuticals!

Using our code BENJAMINSMITH at checkout you can get 10% off your new favourite bioceuticals at www.nunubioceuticals.com/

Today we're talking about episode 73 with Mandy McIntyre talking about suicide rates in the construction industry, recognizing warning signs, the all-over boost that good mental health brings and more!

HUGE thanks to our new sponsors:

Go Primal Apparel! Use our code GOLIATH10 for 10% off your entire purchase at https://www.goprimalusa.com/ ! Thank you again, Go Primal! 

And NUNU Bioceuticals! Use code BENJAMINSMITH for 10% off your entire purchase at https://www.nunubioceuticals.com/ ! Thank you again, NUNU!

We told you there was something new on the way, and here it is! 

Welcome to our first unpacking video! Are you excited? Me too! We'll be unpacking each episode together the week after, whether it's an interview or just a regular degular Ben & Willow convo. Today we're talking about episode 72 with Ivory Smith on overcoming family trauma, starting with my dad revealing how he and my mom thought I looked like an alien when I was born. Classic. HUGE thanks to our new sponsors, Go Primal Apparel! Use our code GOLIATH10 for 10% off your entire purchase at https://www.goprimalusa.com/ ! Thank you again, Go Primal!

In part one of this second conversation with Ben's sister Ivory, the two of them dive deeper into the long-term effects of trauma in the home and how one goes about overcoming it. Despite the two sharing a similarly unsafe and unsupported upbringing, Ben and Ivory have both dealt differently with the traumas they endured during childhood. After years of reconciling, coming to terms and changing bad habits, what lessons have they learned?

Let's talk about it!

Don't forget to check out what we're up to over at https://thegoliathfoundation.com/, or write in to us at lovinggoliath@gmail.com!

This week we got to talk with the amazing Shan Foster. He is the co-founder and CEO of Fostering Healthy Solutions, LLC, where he cultivates healthy solutions to diversity issues through education, training, and execution. In this conversation he and Ben got to dive deep into the topic of violence against women and girls, how a parent or mentor can equip their young men and boys to be advocates for a solution, and the crucial role of critical thinking in expanding one's world view and tolerances. Let's talk about it!

You can see what Shan and his team are up to at https://www.amendtogether.org/leadership-team or follow their instagram @amend_together! You can also check out his book, What Hurt Didn't Hinder, over on Amazon!

To keep up with The Goliath Foundation, you can see what we're up to over at thegoliathfoundation.com, you can DM us at lovinggoliath on Instagram or you can email us at lovinggoliath@gmail.com!

Ian Hill joins us on the podcast today to talk about popping the hood and showing the world what's really going on inside the life of a suicidal man. From highly traditionally successful man to inspirational world record setter, he shares the lessons he's learned about speaking out, what Manning Up truly means and what it takes to save a life. Ian is currently on a journey to be the world's oldest man to play college football to bring attention to the upsettingly high suicide rate in middle-aged men and destigmatize men's mental health.

You can follow Ian's journey, reach out to him or support him over at https://seasontosavealife.org/ !

Want to support Loving Goliath? Consider sponsoring the podcast, or heading over to thegoliathfoundation.com to sponsor a man in need to go through our coaching without cost as a barrier. And, as always, you can reach out to us with questions, comments, concerns, to ask for support or to pitch topics you'd like us to cover at lovinggoliath@gmail.com!

(*This episode handles sensitive topics around gun violence that may be triggering)

This week, we got to sit down with Aaron Stark, speaker, mental health advocate and known primarily for his TEDx Talk, 'I Was Almost A School Shooter'. Since that talk came out in 2018, it's gained nearly 14.5 million views on Youtube and sparked a great deal of conversation around why a person becomes a school shooter in the first place. 

In this conversation, we talk a bit about recent attacks in 2022, how the back and forth of gun violence vs mental health can muddy the real issues, and how saving one life can not only save so many more, but can be as easy as a text message. 

This week Ben got to sit down with Clint Adams, author of Lighting the Blue Flame. The two of them chatted about his theory of red and blue brains, the way we process safety or the lack thereof, shifting the narrative of men expressing emotion and so, so much more!

Let's talk about it! 

And while you're at it, take a peek at his book at https://tinyurl.com/lightingtheblueflame

We're joined this week by a WICKED guest, comedian and podcast host Tim McCarthy! His podcast, 20TIMinutes, handles mental health, neurodivergence, life, love, comedy and everything in between. He joined us to talk about his experience with depression, his near brush with suicide, and the role of comedy in leading a happier, healthier life - even if the path is still unfolding. 

Be sure to check out everything he's up to at the links below and show the guy some love!

https://20timinutes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/20timinutes/

https://twitter.com/20TIMinutes

https://YouTube.com/20TIMinutes

https://linktr.ee/20timinutes

We've made it to the eighth and final step of creating your reality! Have you created your dream life? Not yet? Well that's okay, because these steps are ongoing. Every goal, every piece, is ongoing - forever, basically. As always we'd love to hear about how it's going, or isn't going. You can always reach out to us at lovinggoliath@gmail.com, or on facebook or instagram if you need some extra support, have a topic you'd like us to cover, or anything in between!

We're taking a very brief intermission (consider it a drumroll before the final step!) from our Create your Reality series for this conversation with Ben and his little sister, Ivory. In this episode, the two share some insights into their home lives, how it shaped them, what they've learned and so much more. After a storied history of violence in the home, emotional and physical, how does one find themselves again? Is there light on the other side? The answer, of course, is yes; there is always light.

If you like what we do and want to support our programs, consider sponsoring a champ at thegoliathfoundation.com. Your contribution can help a man in need get the support he's seeking from a guy who's been through it all and came out the other side to lead a happier life.

In today's episode we're chatting a bit more about our goals, breaking them down into bite-sized, easily digestible chunks, and how setting the standard for goal-setting in ourselves gives us the confidence to reach for bigger and better things!

Let's talk about it!

On to part five and we only have three more parts to go! Is your life amazing yet? If not, that's okay, because the fact is this stuff can take time! In this episode, we're building another muscle, and this one is our daydreaming muscle. We've called it visualization in the past, but today we're trying to bring the fun back to the journey to your ideal life!

Let's talk about it!

PS, here are your journaling prompts for the week:

With no boundaries, what does your ideal situation/life look like right now?

How will you feel when you’re living in that situation?

What does a day in the life of a person living in your ideal situation look like, from start to finish?

We've made it to part four of the series and it only gets juicier! In this episode we talk discipline - Willow's worst enemy. It feels like this world is made for the disciplined, so how do you join in? How does the undisciplined lead a disciplined life?

Let's talk about it!

PS, here are your journaling prompts for the week:

What is most important to me right now?

What is the very smallest baby step I could take every day regarding what's most important to me right now?

What's INSPIRING or EXCITING about the journey I'm on/going on?

We're on to part three of the series about creating the life you want, and we're getting into some meat now. Not that it hasn't all been juicy, of course.

In this week's episode, we're talking about joy. But, more to the point, what brings you joy? How important is it to follow your joy? In our opinion, nothing that brings you joy is a waste of time; taking time to do the things you like is imperative to a happy life.

Let's talk about it!

PS, here are your journaling prompts for the week:

What really fires you up? What could you talk about for hours?

How can you turn a negative experience you had today into a positive one?

How do you feel when engaging with what matters most to you?

Welcome to part two in our life glow up series about creating the life you want! In this episode we're talking about the basics - S.A.F.E. Self-assurance, faith, and ease. We talked about it in episode one, we're talking about it again now. Why? Because this is the basis of everything, of truly harnessing the energy to be That Guy so the life you want is all that much easier to obtain and live. 

Here are two journaling prompts to get you started today:

- What are several things that you personally find important, regardless of what you might feel you SHOULD find important?

- What are your true principles? What values do you hold that you won’t veer on?

For the first episode back in 2022, we're focusing for the next few weeks on creating the life you want. We could talk about resolutions, we could talk about losing weight or attracting money but the fact is, all of that falls under the umbrella of creating the life you want. Over the next few weeks we'll be chatting about how you truly can create the life you want and how to do it - no airy mumbo jumbo, no messing around, just cold hard facts. At least, as cold hard fact-ish as we get here.

As we near the end of 2021, it's time to take stock of the fact that another year's gone by! It seems like it's gone by so quickly in some regards, slowly in others. In this episode we talk about the year that's just passed, some things we were proud of, and encourage you to do the same!

As we near the end of the year, a lot of us face burnout. From our jobs, our goals, whatever we're putting a lot of effort and time into, many of us are getting to the end of our rope. But can we be working smarter, not harder? And how much effort is really necessary if the reward is so low? Let's talk about it!

In this episode, we're talking about why we as humans are still living a fear-based life in 2021. We fear the consequences of almost everything when the truth is we could be living our lives so much more fully and fearlessly. Let's talk about it!

Today we're back to just the two of us to talk about the journey of life and how we talk about our experiences can change how we actually experience life. What do you think? Are you aware of the way you talk about yourself and your life, or does it pass you by without you realizing it?

Willow's back this week and we're chatting with a friend of the pod, Naufard Messner. Born in Haiti, he was adopted by a white Canadian family when he was ten. Nofa shares with us the struggles of growing up adopted, learning a new language, the social issues that come with being raised by a family from a different ethnic group than your own and a whole lot more. 

Feel like you're missing something? The video for this episode and many more can be found over on our patreon at https://www.patreon.com/lovinggoliath!

We're joined today by James Gardiner, life coach and co-facilitator of our Moving Past Pain cohort. With over two decades of hands-on experience in business and personal growth, James is motivated to help people face their challenges so they can truly live the life of their dreams. Together, he and Ben discuss the importance of inner child work, how they show up in the world and finding a way to always keep playing in life.

Check out what James is up to here!

https://www.facebook.com/canordinaryinspire/

https://www.instagram.com/jamesgardiner___/?hl=en

Feel like you're missing something? The video for this episode and many more can be found over on our patreon at https://www.patreon.com/lovinggoliath!

We're joined today by our special guest life coach, author, musician and all-around awesome guy Kellan Fluckiger to work our way through a particularly tricky subject, and we're lucky to have him with us on this one. If the subject matter is at all sensitive or especially upsetting for you, please look after yourself first! This conversation covers some heavy themes and ideas but in the end if you are experiencing domestic abuse, know that you are worthy, you are loved and you deserve the best.

I hope you enjoy this episode with Kellan as much as we did and, if you do, check him out at https://www.kellanfluckiger.com/ where you can find his podcast, his books, more about his story and basically everything!

Now let's get into it!

Today we're talking with a good friend of mine Kris who just put out his first two albums, The Last Few Days and I Went To San Francisco And All I Got Was This Lousy Mixtape. It's a supersize episode all about following your dreams and making it work while doing it all to celebrate 50 AND there's another 30 minutes of content going up on the patreon learning more about Kris' process and the ins and outs of the album.

Check him out at https://soundcloud.com/kristopher-dante-simpson and twitch.tv/kalesdad, and come visit us on patreon.com/lovinggoliath to get the full video when it drops!

We've talked about it a little bit before, but today we're diving deeper into the subconscious mind. We chat about how to use it to help us move forward, how sometimes sitting back and letting your mind work can actually be to your benefit and, most importantly, the would you rather question. Let's talk about it!

Today we're talking about representation of men in the media, the ways guys are portrayed and how this representation can be harmful. Of course we've talked about women in media, but the image of men isn't much better. Between violence, sexualization, body ideals and emotional expectations, the media places just as much needless pressure on men.

But what do you think? Let's talk about it!

Today we're chatting with a listener named Joe! Beyond just being a stand-up guy with some good thoughts on outreach and support in systems dominated by men, he also shares with us about his experience in the navy, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Check his podcast out at https://anchor.fm/outcastsmedia or find him on twitch at twitch.tv/locccjaw

In honour of our first birthday, here's a highlight of some of my favourite moments from the last year(warning, LOTS of giggles!) Can't wait to have another year with you all!

Ironically we had the hardest time staying focused for this episode on staying focused, but we did it! In this episode we talk about focus to achieve your happiness as opposed to goals, as well as chat a bit about our upcoming birthday this weekend and some of the things we'll be getting up to that you can look forward to seeing!

We all face it now and then - be it a romantic rejection, a job or school application, we all face rejection in our lives in various ways and taking it in stride is often easier said than done. Today we talk a bit about rejections in our own lives and how to handle them as they come. Let's talk about it!

In this episode we talk primarily about mullets, but we do also get a little bit into expectations. Particularly, milestone expectations and why they really, truly, don't matter. Whether it's 20, 30, 40 or beyond, we all have moments where we feel like we have to reach a certain goal - but why, and does it really even matter? Let's talk about it!

Today on the pod we're talking to another friend of mine Donovan Isaac. From football scholarship to graphic design student to successful streamer, today we're talking to him about following your dreams, pursuing your passion despite the expectations of others and what it means to be happy. Let's talk about it!

Check out what Donny's up to in the world at https://linktr.ee/chiefdonnyszn

Why DO we do what we do? Today we're talking about the things that make us us, what motivates and moves us, what causes an opinion to form and how best to understand and empathize with the journey another person has taken to get them where you meet them now, so we can see from their perspective a bit more clearly.

As promised today on the show we have my step-mom, founder of PowHERhouse Impact Media Charlene SanJenko giving a shoutout to moms and motherhood, talking about having a friendship with your kids as adults and sharing a few stories between us! 

Hope you all had a safe, happy mother's day out there and we'll catch you with our usual programming next week!

Thank you to everyone who submitted a story to make this compilation possible. Within we have ten minutes of stories, memories and appreciation from mothers and daughters, mentors and mentees. Hope all our moms, step-moms, single moms and single dads, foster and adoptive moms all had an amazing Mother's day!

We're talking today about creating your reality through the lens of perspective. We go through a great many experiences in our lives, some positive and some negative. But the way we view those experiences can change our present from 'man, I wish...' to 'I'm so lucky I learned that lesson when I did.' So what's the difference? Let's talk about it!