The Narrow Path, Nukes, and Cardiac Arrest
Three conversations about identity, hardship, and the moments that change a life
Do you know what’s a surprisingly difficult challenge to solve? Studio lighting. Never before did I realize what kind of art it was to configure a lighting setup for a simple video call. I even phoned into the experts: a friend and future podcast guest who directed seventy-seven episodes and won Emmys for his work on Duck Dynasty. After fifteen minutes of his own tinkering and troubleshooting, he simply stated, “you’ve got a tough space to work with.”
Now, I can’t watch a single show or bit of content without noticing the details of their lighting, background, and camera work. It’s those small learnings in life that catch you off guard and really add some flavor to your day.
The beauty of it all is how little it actually matters for the incredible conversations I’ve been blessed to have.
Grant Hankins: Taking the Harder Path and Finding Identity
Take Grant Hankins, for example. A kid raised in rural Colorado who felt destined for a hard life of alcohol, drugs, and jail. But hockey saved him. Or at least, for a time it saved him. It brought him to new places and removed him from the path that felt inevitable. But, like everything, hockey came to an end, too. We talked identity, navigating hardship, discipline, and taking the more difficult, narrow road.
Full episode with Grant is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
Morgan Hampel: Transitions, Legacy, and Military Stigmas of Mental Health
I recognize how lucky I am to have a group of incredible friends doing incredible things. Very few exemplify this more than Morgan Hampel. Morgan and I became friends in undergrad, where he was a roommate of mine during an extremely lax period of time, my senior year. Morgan was destined for greatness, even then, and the number of times he would walk into our room with me sitting there (generally not yet fully dressed) watching Queen Live in Montreal is slightly embarrassing, if not for the greatness of that entire performance.
Morgan went on to navigate some truly incredible feats (and literally navigate large ships) in our time since undergrad. He worked through hardship associated with seemingly big changes in his professional life as he went on to become a Naval Officer, went through the incredibly rigorous Navy Nuke program, and then made a seemingly massive career change once again as he eyed replacing his Naval income upon leaving his active duty service.
Full episode with Morgan on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
Tyler Moon: Second Chances, Talking with God, and Service to Others
Most recently, there was Tyler Moon, a self-described ordinary suburban dad who had an extraordinary moment in his life that changed everything. Kept alive by a group of strangers in the middle of the street in St. Paul back in 2019, Tyler recounts his road to healing, the lessons it taught him, and how he views his responsibility to share and help others.
Tyler lives authentically and unapologetically, a refreshing stance in today’s world of masks, false narratives, and self-driven amplification of personal achievements. One thing I didn’t expect to connect on was Tyler’s short, but exhausting, bout with living a life built on a web of lies.
Full episode with Tyler on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
If you enjoyed any of these conversations, follow the show on your listening platform of choice so you never miss one. If you’re willing, rate the show, share it with a friend, or leave a comment. Those seemingly small actions have big impacts and can help these stories reach the people who need them.
Through the last month or so, I have felt honored and privileged to be sitting on the receiving end of these individuals’ messages. It has humbled me and pushed me to be better, to focus on those things that truly matter in life and make an impact on others.
Lighting these days isn’t as much of a problem as when I started. Not because I mastered the art of studio lighting, but because I learned to focus on what actually matters: the conversation, the lessons, and what it means to show up for yourself so you can show up for others.
Keep showing up,
Kyle