In this episode of Cultivate the Ordinary Podcast, host Travis explores the themes of rootedness, geography, and personal history as he reflects on his time growing up on a farm in North Dakota. He shares on the importance of place in shaping identity and the innate human longing for connection to our origins.

Through personal anecdotes and reading book excerpts, Travis discusses how experiences in various landscapes influence our character and sense of belonging. He also emphasizes the need for stability in a fast-paced world and the profound impact that specific places can have on our souls.

Because of the freedom of technology and remote jobs, many of us can live in places but not be rooted in those places. That's a big problem and the difference between "being stationed" vs "being rooted" changes how we live life.

Books mentioned in this episode:

The Language of Cottonwoods: Essays on the Future of North Dakota

Dakota: A Spiritual Geography

In this episode of Cultivate the Ordinary, Jessie and Travis explore some exciting things going on in their lives and how they're finding inspiration in these things. They talk some about the current journey of Travis's brother Jeremy, who has faced significant challenges due to a traumatic brain injury (in 2009). They also share some cool stories of all the things he is doing to bring joy and hope to the world despite limited abilities.

The conversation also highlights the joy of music through Travis learning to play the ukulele, the development of a documentary about Jeremy's life, and the importance of community and friendship in their lives. They discuss Jeremy's artistic endeavors, the gift of friendship, and the inspiration they and so many others draw from his story.

Cool stuff to checkout from this episode!

Follow Jeremy on Facebook:

Jeremy's Instagram:

Jeremy painting

Wes performing a spoken word for Jeremy

Jeremy's website: joyindespair

Checkout the band Wasperjaws

Wes' website: https://www.meaningfulscience.com/

In this episode of Cultivate the Ordinary Podcast, hosts Travis and Jessie explore the theme of beauty through personal experiences, reflections on a recent cruise, and the evolution of their understanding of beauty over time. They discuss moments of astonishment, the connection between beauty and art, and how beauty can serve as a bridge to deeper understanding and connection with the world around us.

Travis and Jessie discuss the profound impact of beauty in our lives, discussing how it can inspire, captivate, and connect us to deeper truths. They delve into the relationship between beauty and art, the importance of imagination, and how beauty can transform our perception of the ordinary. The discussion also touches on practical ways to cultivate beauty in daily life and community, emphasizing that beauty is essential for our well-being and creativity.

Travis' book:

Shiny Eyes: Seeing Better Through the Lenses of Joy, Tears, Beauty, and Hope

Podcast:

John O'Donohue- The Inner Landscape of Beauty

In this episode of Cultivate the Ordinary, host Travis discusses the transformative power of gratitude, especially in the face of personal struggles. He shares his family's recent challenges, including health scares involving his brother, and how these experiences have deepened his appreciation for life's gifts.

Through a heartfelt story about his favorite band Carbon Leaf, Travis illustrates the importance of connection and gratitude in difficult times. Times that God is nearer to us than we often feel, and orchestrates gifts and unexpected moments to encourage us in our difficulties. He also shares about the discipline of trying to find more gratitude in the small everyday moments of life.

He emphasizes that joy often stems from gratitude and encourages listeners to recognize and cherish the small moments that make life meaningful.

Checkout some of Carbon Leaf's music:

https://youtu.be/4BItUurqpsw?si=p_dDnDgmJQyAzRGn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlhlHsGE6as

Travis's book:

Shiny Eyes: Seeing Better Through the Lenses of Joy, Tears, Beauty, and Hope

Takeaways

• Gratitude can spark a sense of aliveness.
• Personal struggles can deepen our appreciation for life.
• Connection with others can provide comfort during tough times.
• Gratitude is a discipline that can be cultivated.
• Finding joy in small moments is essential.
• Living in radical amazement can transform our perspective.
• Gratitude can help us navigate through suffering.
• The little things in life often become the big things.
• Being grateful for one thing a day can change our outlook.
• Joy is rooted in gratitude, not the other way around.

In this episode of Cultivate the Ordinary, hosts Travis and Jessie discuss their excitement for the new year, reflecting on personal goals and experiences. They explore the concept of bucket lists, the psychology behind New Year's resolutions, and the importance of identity in forming habits.

The conversation emphasizes the need for both motivation and structure in achieving personal growth and setting meaningful goals for 2025. In this conversation, Jessie and Travis explore the themes of personal growth, the importance of influential voices, and the necessity of finding what makes one come alive. They discuss the challenges of burnout and the significance of encouraging each other in their journeys.

The dialogue emphasizes the need for sustainable structures in life, the power of music and community, and the importance of self-awareness in navigating life's complexities.

Resources mentioned in the podcast:

book:

Atomic Habits: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

Additional resources from Travis and Jess:

Guided Pace website: resources for coaching, soul care, and spiritual retreat offerings

Travis' books:

Shiny Eyes: Seeing Better Through the Lenses of Joy, Tears, Beauty, and Hope

Redemption's Echo: Living in the Reflection of God's Grace

In this season finale episode, Travis is joined by his son Asher to talk about curiosity and creativity. Asher sees the world so imaginatively and is full of curiosity. He's also brings the gift of gratitude wherever he is and Travis talks about the ways Asher teaches him as his son.

The conversation steers around Asher's insights into drawing and creating and ends with questions around his favorite things. This has been a great season of inspiring people, stories, and lives that showcase curiosity, wonder, and looking for God's presence in the everyday.

Additional resources from Travis and Jess:

Guided Pace website: resources for coaching, soul care, and spiritual retreat offerings

Travis' books:

Shiny Eyes: Seeing Better Through the Lenses of Joy, Tears, Beauty, and Hope

Redemption's Echo: Living in the Reflection of God's Grace

In this episode, Travis and Jess talk about cultivating friendship as a centerpiece to healthy marriages. Travis shares about the importance of humor as a tool that connects, heals, and helps us in all kinds of ways.

Jess talks about activities that promote connection, togetherness, and friendship. They both discuss a marriage resource and training they've received through the Gottman Institute that has been immensely helpful in unlocking stuck patterns in their own marriage. They unpack some of the principles from these resources including the biggest predictors of divorce. They share the antidotes to unhealthy patterns and describe the path forward for maintaining connection and growing stronger as couples.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Book- Humor's Hidden Power: Weapon, Shield, and Psychological Salve

Additional resources from Travis and Jess:

Guided Pace website: resources for coaching, soul care, and spiritual retreat offerings

Travis' books:

Shiny Eyes: Seeing Better Through the Lenses of Joy, Tears, Beauty, and Hope

Redemption's Echo: Living in the Reflection of God's Grace

In this episode, Travis shares about his journey caregiving for his dad when he had late stage dementia. Alzheimers and dementia are brutal diseases that are rapidly rising globally. So many people know a loved one personally dealing with this tragic struggle.

Travis also shares about the beautiful moments and lessons learned that can still be gained if we look more closely and pay attention. Travis' shares how God in his grace gave moments of gifts and that even as his dad lost nearly all functionality he still graced the world with the power of his smile.

Travis reminisces about both the immense difficulties involved in caregiving and the heavy emotional toll of seeing a loved one continued to lose more of their world and themselves in a staggeringly slow death. Travis reads an excerpt on a piece he wrote as he was in the grips of dealing with his dad's disease and how writing this piece helped him process.

He also offers encouragement and shares some stories on God's grace radiating through even the darkest moments and bleakest times. Sometimes in very surprising ways. We hope this episode can be an encouragement for you in some way as you deal with your own story of a loved one with dementia.

Reach out to Travis:

Travis' email: travisvangsnes@gmail.com

Resourced mentioned in this podcast:

Forbes article on dementia

Additional resources from Travis and Jess:

Guided Pace website: resources for coaching, soul care, and spiritual retreat offerings

Travis' books:

Shiny Eyes: Seeing Better Through the Lenses of Joy, Tears, Beauty, and Hope

Redemption's Echo: Living in the Reflection of God's Grace