ONE: "MY Epitaph"

My eight-year-old daughter Claire recently wrote my epitaph. 

I tend to get lost, but that's not all bad. 

Janae is an inspiring person with a powerful message. She is a transgender woman who also identifies as gender fluid and non-binary.   Janae is a former United States Marine, body builder, and world record holding power lifter. She's also a cancer survivor, licensed pharmacist, and dedicated parent.

We get used to things, for worse and for better. We fall into the trap of getting comfortable, but we can also use our adaptability to make change.

We have differences, but we are similar in the most significant ways.

I took a crack at writing a song. I was thinking about my dad when I wrote it. In this episode, I play the song and talk about my pops.

I sat down with one of my best friends, A.J. Giovanetti. Coach Gio is the strength and conditioning coach at Notre Dame Academy in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He is an accomplished coach, and this podcast is a great resource for all athletes and coaches, especially those working at the high school level.

In this episode, I talk with my friend Coach Mike Minikwu.
Now is a time for meaningful conversations between people from different backgrounds. Mike and I discuss racism, the importance of listening to each other, and some things that are bringing us hope.

It is a tragic and confusing time for many, right now. In this episode of ONE, I spend some time discussing the the current situation. I don't have any answers, and it is not my intention to tell people how to feel or react. Mostly, I tell some stories about things that bring me hope. 

This is the debut of a new podcast from Luke Nielsen Media. This show is dedicated to the belief that everyone have something that can make even one person's life one percent better. 

It's our seniors' last week of high school. I generally try to offer up some parting bits of advice before the seniors leave my classroom. This year is a little different, but here's one more lesson all the same.

Sometimes we find inspiration in unexpected things, like a tree growing out of a silo.

We're in a challenging time.  We can decide where we go from here, but we have to remember how we feel in this moment.  

We live in an era of scrolling. We scroll through streaming services and social media feeds.  We scroll because we're looking for something, but we have to seek if we hope to find it.

We all face challenges, and it's often hard to get to the heart of the problem. As we swing away at surface issues, more pop up. We have to find a way to get to the root of the situation, and sometimes we need help.

If we want to fly, we have to jump. My eight-year-old daughter knows this. Guy Clark knew it too. Living is jumping.

Many things in life are the aggregate of many small things.  Success is most often the result of little practices performed over and over again.  It's not flashy, but we can make steady progress when we understand it all matters.

There are a lot of tragedies in the world, and we all have our challenges. It can be overwhelming, and we might not know where to place our focus. We don't have control over everything, but we are not powerless. The best we can do is what we can with what we've got for whatever time we have.

Our high school football season is over, so the blog is back.  In this post, I'm talking about the end of the football season, why it's so emotional for my kids and me, and why some people might not understand it.  More than that, I'm talking about ignoring the doubters and doing the things we love.