In this episode, I catch up with my friend, Matthew Bacchus. Matthew is a licensed professional counselor based out of CO and TX. I wanted to have Matthew on the podcast because he has a gift for connecting with people and cultivating friendships.

The episode is full of life and fun and laughter, but we also hit some very deep topics, so I wanted to give you a heads up that there are a couple of points in this episode where we talk about sensitive things like suicide and self-harm.

That being said, I wanna take a quick moment to say thank you to Matthew for sharing his life with us and for being willing to share some pretty vulnerable parts of his story.

As always, I value your feedback. So feel free to DM me, email me, take our community survey, send up a flare, do whatever you gotta do, but please reach out! Also, do me a favor and subscribe to the Life with People podcast. It helps others find the show like you!

To Connect with Matthew:
On IG: @mathewxbacchus
If you're a Denver local who wants to sprint: IG @crackodawnsprintcrew
For Counseling: https://www.bacchuscounseling.com/
https://christiancounselingco.com/who-we-are/matthew-bacchus/

Helpful Resources:
Modern Man In Search of Soul by Carl Jung
Love's Executioner by Irvin Yalom
Healing Path by Dan Allender
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Mate

Matthew also referenced this episode of the Modern Wisdom Podcast early on in our conversation about social media:
Is Having a Boyfriend Cringe Now? - Rob Henderson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbtPRgMOTCU

To Connect with Theresa
IG: @therea_babbitt
IG:@life_with_people_pod

Here's part three of our series, "Holding Space for Grief." In this episode I talk with my friend and Grief Recovery Method Specialist, Jocelyn Jackson Williams about telling the truth about ourselves and helping others to do the same as they move through the process of grief recovery. We hit some deep topics in this one and wrestle through our human tendencies when it comes to responding to loss and those around us.

Jocelyn Jackson Williams is an advocate for healing, recovery, and happiness. Over the past decade, she has been training professionals to help their clients heal from devastating loss and heartbreak as a Certification Trainer for the Grief Recovery Institute. Jocelyn has a background in consulting for couples and churches utilizing the tools of the DISC personality profile and Fierce Conversations program. As a life coach, Jocelyn is thrilled to support people to move past self-imposed roadblocks to achieve the life they truly desire. A published author, you can find her musings on her blogspot and in her monthly column with the Sacramento Observer.

To Connect with Jocelyn:
TikTok, IG, & Threads @jocelyn_takes_on

jocelynjacksonwilliams.com

Helpful Resources:
The Grief Recovery Handbook by John James and Russell Friedman

The Deeply Formed Life by Rich Villodas

This is part 2 of our series, "Holding Space for Grief." In this episode, I sit down with creative entrepreneur and Marriage and Family Therapist Associate Ceci Frost to talk about her own journey with grief. Ceci's story uniquely positions her to talk about how different (but similar) losses can affect us is vastly different ways in varying seasons of our lives. How to embrace people who are showing up for you, even if those people are not the people you expected. And, how to accept that there is no right or wrong way to grieve.

I really enjoyed my conversation with Ceci. I hope her passion for this topic gives you courage and added insight into how to walk with people who are grieving as you continue to do life with people right where you are.

Connect with Ceci:
https://hopecollectivetherapy.com/

Books Ceci recommends on grief:
https://hopecollectivetherapy.com/blog/books-that-help-you-understand-grief

This episode kicks off a series of conversations around the topic of grief and how we can hold space for it in our relationships. It's a topic that while I feel is gaining more awareness, is more often ignored when we think about building community and doing life with people. Truthfully, I think one of the main reasons is because it feels hard, heavy and it often requires something from us. It requires courage to wade into the uncomfortable waters of grief, to sit with them in their losses and to walk alongside them in dark seasons. And because grief looks and feels different for everyone I think one of the most powerful ways we can learn about it is by hearing people's stories. In this episode I talk with my good friend Noelle Roberts about her story of loss, facing a side of God she didn't recognize, sifting through ashes and learning how to dream again. You're going to want to lean in for this one...

To Connect more with Noelle:
IG: @noellerobertsstudio
Website: Noelle Roberts Studio
Find Noelle on the Playbook App

Books mentioned in the episode that were helpful to Noelle during the early stages of grief.
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
It's Okay That You're Not Okay by Megan Devine

More on the U-Shaped Diagram and Healing
Episode 91 from Adam Young's Podcast The Place We Find Ourselves

To Follow the Podcast on IG: @life_with_people_pod

I value your feedback and your insights into what community looks like for you. So feel free to DM me, email me, take our community survey, send up a flare, do whatever you gotta do but please reach out! Also do me a favor and subscribe to the Life with People podcast it helps others find the show like you!

In this episode, I talk with Rolling Cerros Run Club (RCRC) founder Austin Alfaro. I wanted to talk to Austin because I love what he's doing to build community with the run club, and it's clear that he's having a blast doing it. As always, I value your feedback and your insights into what community looks like for you. So, feel free to DM me, email me, take our community survey, send up a flare, do whatever you gotta do, but please reach out.

If you want to connect more with Austin:
IG: @austinalfaro

Strava: https://strava.app.link/1FJ8C6PQ5Xb

If you want to connect more with Rolling Cerros Run Club
IG: @rollingcerrosrunclub
Strava: https://strava.app.link/CjbAVIUQ5Xb

In this episode I reflect on my conversation with Mika and Moriah from Episode 3. I focus primarily on the the following:

1. Vulnerability is an entryway (or a doorway) for deeper connection
2. How we can lean into vulnerability ourselves and invite others into deeper levels of vulnerability
3. Naming a few fears that sometimes pop up when we choose to be vulnerable.

I would love to hear some ways you are being intentional with your relationships! What's working for you? What fears are you facing?

I hope you enjoy with episode with my friends Moriah McLeod and Mika Harris. Our original intention was to discuss a book we were all reading but we ended up simply having a conversation about what community looks like for each of us in this season. I confess, we laughed a lot and I found the limits of my cheap microphone, so apologies for that. But if you can get through our silly banter and laughing spells I believe you’ll get some gems from today’s episode. Together we talk about the impact of community on vulnerable groups of people, how community looks different for everyone, how vulnerability unlocks community and so much more. If you make it to the end drop a comment letting us know what color you are today!

As always, I value your feedback and your own personal insights into what community looks like for you. So feel free to DM me, email me, take our community survey, send up a flare, do whatever you gotta do but please reach out! Also do me a favor and subscribe to the Life with People podcast it helps others find the show like you!

If you want to connect more with today's guests, here's those IG handles!

Moriah: @moriahm_
Mika: @mikajharris

On this episode, I reflect on the conversation that we had with Daniel and Marissa Zheng last episode. In particular I focus on Daniel's encouragement to not take rejection personally when you are building relationships with people. In my reflecting, I share some personal stories of failure and how those failures actually helped me to establish friends in my new city (eventually). At the very least, I hope that some of these stories make you laugh. Let me know if you can relate!

What out of the box things have you tried to make a friend? Did it work?

As always, I value your feedback and your own personal insights into what community looks like for you. So feel free to DM me, email me, take our community survey, send up a flare, do whatever you gotta do but please reach out! Also do me a favor and subscribe to the Life with People podcast it helps others find the show like you!