“The perfect moment will always wait for you to make it the now moment.”

Why do we keep waiting for the perfect time to start? In EP.027 of A Podcast by Joe Louis, Joe explores procrastination, overthinking and the question he has started asking himself whenever he catches himself waiting: why wait?

As an overthinker and overanalyzer, Joe reflects on the difference between thinking something through and becoming stuck waiting for motivation, certainty or the perfect moment. From relationships and telling people how you feel to career decisions, livestreaming and making music, he looks at how choosing to act in the present has shaped some of the most important moments of his life.

The conversation also explores when waiting is actually necessary, the difference between doing something now and rushing it, and why focusing too heavily on the future can stop you from doing the things required to reach it. Joe shares how livestreaming taught him to act in real time, why mistakes can be part of moving forward and how seemingly small decisions in the present led to people and opportunities that changed the direction of his career.

For Joe, doing it now doesn't mean acting recklessly. It means asking whether there is a genuine reason to wait—and when there isn't, choosing action over another day of thinking about it.

Key Discussion Points

(00:00) - Why This Episode Is About Doing It Now

(02:03) - The Question Joe Keeps Asking Himself: Why Wait?

(02:34) - If There's No Reason to Wait, Do It Now

(03:23) - Why Wait to Tell Someone How You Feel?

(04:49) - Stop Waiting for Motivation

(05:19) - Acting in the Present Instead of Just Thinking

(07:05) - The Livestreaming Lesson That Changed Joe's Thinking

(08:36) - Are You Waiting—or Are You Thinking?

(09:43) - There Is No Perfect Time

(11:44) - Why Are You Waiting to Shoot?

(12:32) - When Waiting Turns Into Being Idle

(14:19) - Don't Watch Your Life Go By While You're Waiting

(15:17) - When Waiting Is Actually the Right Decision

(17:31) - Doing It Now vs. Being in a Rush

(20:21) - How “Do It Now” Shaped Joe's Career

(21:22) - Letting Go of the Perfect Plan

(23:07) - When Overthinking Becomes Procrastination

(24:20) - Stop Waiting for the Perfect Moment

(25:44) - The “Right Now” Moments That Changed Joe's Life

(27:38) - Why the Present Moments Have Been the Life-Changing Ones

(30:06) - Getting Too Caught Up in the Future

(32:02) - You Get to Your Future by Being Present

(35:57) - It's Okay to Make a Mistake

(40:17) - What Joe Can Always Do Right Now

(42:01) - The Career Connections That Happened Because Joe Was Present

(44:19) - The Perfect Time Might Already Be Waiting for You

(44:55) - Make the Perfect Moment the Now Moment

(47:20) - Ask Yourself What Happens If You Stop Waiting

(48:45) - Keep Putting Yourself in Present Moments

(50:54) - There Is No Perfect Time Except the Present

#APodcastByJoeLouis #JoeLouis #StopProcrastinating #Overthinking #DoItNow #TakeAction #PersonalGrowth #StopWaiting

“Blood is thicker than water, but a blood clot will kill you before dehydration does.”

What happens when the people who feel most like family aren't the people you're related to? In EP.026 of A Podcast by Joe Louis, Joe explores chosen family, finding your people and why genuine love, understanding and belonging can sometimes come from the most unexpected relationships.

Inspired by a conversation within his livestream community, this episode begins with Glenda—a woman who found something much deeper than entertainment in a group of people she met online. What started as a place to laugh, talk and escape isolation became a family that checked on her, listened to her and gave her something she genuinely needed.

Joe reflects on the people who have become family throughout his own life, from childhood friends who understood him without explanation to the community that has supported his journey as an independent artist. He shares how these relationships have shaped his career, why being understood matters more than constantly explaining yourself, and how watching his sister's chosen family come together reminded him that family is also something we build.

This isn't about replacing blood relatives. It's about recognising the people who give you room to grow, show up when it matters and provide the love, comfort and stability you need.

Sometimes the family you're given and the family you choose look very different. Both can matter.

Key Discussion Points

(00:00) - Coming Up: Choosing Your Family

(02:00) - Why Joe Wanted to Talk About Chosen Family

(02:51) - Blood Is Thicker Than Water, But What If Blood Hurts?

(06:18) - When a Livestream Community Becomes Something More

(09:04) - How Glenda Found a Family Online

(14:57) - Sometimes This Is the Only Place Someone Feels Loved

(15:30) - Sometimes We Don't Need Solutions, We Need Love

(18:46) - Finding People Who Understand You

(21:13) - The Friend Who Knew Joe Wasn't Okay

(23:49) - When Your Community Becomes Part of Your Family

(28:41) - Choosing to Show Up for the People You Love

(35:29) - Why Chosen Family Matters to an Independent Artist

(36:01) - Building a Livestream Community With TikTok

(41:35) - How Community Culture Grows Through Its Members

(44:26) - When Blood Family and Chosen Family Support Different Dreams

(48:59) - Being Loved Without Having to Explain Yourself

(49:40) - Knowing What It Feels Like to Be Understood

(52:40) - The Childhood Friends Who Became Family

(55:42) - Why Real Friendship Doesn't Require Constant Contact

(59:10) - Surrounding Yourself With What Your Heart Needs

(01:02:46) - What His Sister's Baby Shower Revealed About Family

(01:05:53) - The Beautiful Mix of Blood Family and Chosen Family

(01:06:50) - Finding the Nurturing You Never Had

(01:08:59) - When the Family You're Given Hurts and the Family You Choose Helps You Heal

#APodcastByJoeLouis #JoeLouis #ChosenFamily #FoundFamily #FamilyRelationships #FindingYourPeople #CommunityAndBelonging #PersonalGrowth

EP“It is not a religion and it is not a cult.”

What is Freemasonry actually like from the perspective of someone inside it? In this episode of A Podcast by Joe Louis, Joe shares his personal experience as a third-degree Master Mason and Junior Warden, explaining why he became a Freemason, what drew him toward Masonry and what the fraternity has meant in his own life.

The conversation explores his long-standing interest in symbolism, mysticism and esoteric knowledge, the process of deciding to petition a lodge, and the unexpected lessons Masonry brought about manhood, masculinity, brotherhood, discipline and personal growth. He also reflects on choosing a lodge, progressing through the first three Masonic degrees, learning ritual and how some of those experiences changed his understanding of himself as a man and a creative.

Later, Joe addresses some of the subjects that frequently create confusion around Freemasonry, including the Scottish Rite and York Rite, the meaning of “occult,” whether Freemasonry is a religion or cult, the use of the Bible and other sacred texts, and how men with different religious beliefs can participate in the fraternity. This isn't presented as a definitive explanation of every branch or Mason's experience, but as Joe's perspective on the organization he joined and what he has learned from being part of it.

#APodcastByJoeLouis #JoeLouis #Freemasonry #Freemason #MasterMason #MasonicLodge #Esotericism #brotherhoodgoals

Key Points

(00:00) - Why We're Talking About Freemasonry

(02:29) - Joe's Role as a Third-Degree Master Mason

(03:23) - Why Joe Decided to Become a Freemason

(06:01) - Symbolism, Mysticism and Esoteric Knowledge

(10:18) - Deciding to Petition a Masonic Lodge

(14:18) - What Joe Wrote on His Masonic Petition

(21:20) - What He Was Looking for in Freemasonry

(24:01) - Freemasonry as a Worldwide Fraternity

(26:31) - What Masonry Taught Joe About Manhood

(30:00) - The Reality of Becoming a Man

(40:08) - Choosing the Right Masonic Lodge

(45:12) - Prince Hall Masonry and Blue Lodge

(47:14) - Going Through the First Three Degrees

(55:02) - What Joe Values Most About Masonry

(57:55) - Masculinity, Creativity and What It Means to Be a Man

(01:08:47) - Challenging a False Idea of Masculinity

(01:13:03) - The Masonic Degrees, Scottish Rite and York Rite

(01:18:10) - Is Freemasonry a Religion or a Cult?

(01:21:45) - What's Inside a Masonic Bible?

(01:25:18) - Freemasonry and Different Religious Beliefs

(01:30:32) - How to Learn More About Your Local Lodge