🎙 Golden Ticket

🧩 Season Theme: Hungry
This season, we’re exploring what it means to be hungry not just for food, but for purpose, meaning, connection, and identity. Hunger can drive us, define us, and sometimes destroy us. But it also reveals what truly satisfies the soul.

👣 Guest Introduction:
Remember Charlie Bucket from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory the kid who found the Golden Ticket and got a glimpse behind the gates of wonder? This episode plays with that same idea, but through the story of Charles Fernández, a two-time Olympian from Guatemala who discovered that the real “golden ticket” isn’t found on a candy bar wrapper it’s discovered within.

Charles grew up doing humanitarian work with his family in the mountains of Guatemala before rising to become a world champion in modern pentathlon. He’s competed at two Olympic Games, won gold at the Pan American Games, and stood among the world’s best. But after the applause faded, Charles faced a deeper challenge: Who was he when the medals and titles weren’t enough?

Today, Charles leads IMPACTA, a high-performance coaching company helping leaders, athletes, and changemakers align identity, mindset, and purpose. His story is one of hunger for integrity, for presence, and for the kind of success that isn’t just seen, but felt.

💡 Episode Highlights:

What it really takes to compete and win on the world stage

The crash that comes after achieving your biggest dream

Redefining integrity: living in alignment with who you are

The difference between performing and being present

How to pursue excellence without losing yourself in the process

Why the “golden ticket” might not be what you think it is

🔗 Connect with Charles Fernández:
Website: Coach Compare Profile

🎧 Listen & Follow Other People’s Shoes:

👟 Website

🩵 Instagram

👍 Facebook

🐦 X (Twitter)

📺 YouTube

📣 Leave Us a Review:
If this episode gave you something to think about—or reminded you what your own golden ticket might be—share that with us! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and let us know how stepping into Charles’ shoes inspired you.

🧩 Season Theme: Hungry
What does it really mean to hunger for something deeper something more than routine, more than the surface-level faith that just gets us through the day? This season invites us to pay attention to what our souls crave and how we’re feeding that hunger.

👣 Guest Introduction:
How comfortable are you in the seat you’re sitting in right now? Not just physically but spiritually, emotionally, and mentally?

This week, I’m joined by Tera Elness, speaker, writer, and author of Sitting with Jesus a 365-day devotional born out of her own mornings spent literally “sitting with Jesus.” Tera invites us to pull up a chair and stay a while: to hear the small, life-changing words “I love you”, to feed our souls daily the way we feed our bodies, and to notice the small details like the sandals people wore in Bible times that reveal surprisingly big spiritual truths about how we walk through life.

💡 Episode Highlights:

How comfortable are you in the “chair” you’re sitting in today?

Why hearing “I love you” from God can change everything

The sandals of Bible-time people what their footwear teaches us about humility, journey, and how we actually walk in faith (Tera shares a memorable story about this)

The daily rhythm that deepened Tera’s relationship with Jesus

How to move from surviving to truly living

🔗 Connect with Tera Elness:
🌐 Website
📘 Sitting with Jesus on Amazon
💬 Facebook Group

🎧 Listen & Follow Other People’s Shoes:

👟 Website

🩵 Instagram

👍 Facebook

🐦 X (Twitter)

📺 YouTube

📣 Leave Us a Review:
If this episode stirred something in you if it made you think about where you’re sitting and what you’re truly hungry for leave a review and tell us what spoke to you most.

🎙 Access Pass

🧩 Season Theme: Hungry
This season, we’re exploring what it means to be truly hungry not for food, but for purpose, belonging, and meaning. Sometimes, that hunger shows up when the door won’t open and we’re left wondering if we even have the right password.

👣 Guest Introduction:
Ever typed in a password that should have worked… and it just didn’t? That locked-out feeling hits deeper than tech frustration it’s about access, belonging, and opportunity. My guest today, Vinnie Potestivo (or “Vin,” as I call him), knows that world well.

Vinnie is an Emmy Award-winning Media Advisor and Creator Economist, known for helping people unlock their potential and turn moments of creativity into legacy. As the Editor-in-Chief of I Have A Podcast® a Google News-verified platform amplifying independent voices Vin’s mission is to open doors for storytellers everywhere.

Before that, he spent nearly a decade at MTV Networks (1998–2007), where he helped discover and develop talent behind iconic shows like Punk’d, The Osbournes, TRL, Wild ‘N Out, and Laguna Beach. His fingerprints are all over the pop culture that shaped a generation.

💡 Episode Highlights:

The power of access and what to do when it’s denied

How Vinnie discovered and developed talent at MTV

Why storytelling is the real “password” to connection

The creative hunger that drives lasting impact

What it means to open doors for others in a world obsessed with gatekeeping

Why Cass Elliot’s “Make Your Own Kind of Music” still rings true today and how it connects to the freedom of owning your creative voice

🔗 Connect with Vinnie Potestivo:
Website: vpetv.com
Podcast: I Have A Podcast®
Instagram: @vinniepotestivo
🎁 Free Resource: vpe.tv/gift

🎧 Listen & Follow Other People’s Shoes:

👟 Website

🩵 Instagram

👍 Facebook

🐦 X (Twitter)

📺 YouTube

📣 Leave Us a Review:
If this episode challenged or inspired you, don’t keep it to yourself! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and let us know how stepping into Vinnie’s shoes helped you think differently about access and creativity.

🎙 Discomfort

🧩 Season Theme: Hungry
The season theme Hungry explores the ache for something more the hunger for fulfillment, meaning, and a life that actually feels like our own.

👣 Guest Introduction:
We’ve all heard the phrase about the ostrich sticking its head in the sand. But what happens when we live that way avoiding, numbing, or ignoring what’s right in front of us?

Today’s guest, Megan Warren, knows this tension firsthand. Once a single mom working full-time in a foreign country while raising her son with autism, Megan wore the mask of success while quietly wrestling with people-pleasing, emotional suppression, and burnout. At 40, she made the courageous choice to stop hiding and start living differently.

Now, as an inner development coach and founder of Extraordinary Lives, Megan helps high-achieving women stop checking society’s “should” boxes and start creating a life that’s actually aligned with what they’re hungry for. She believes transformation doesn’t come from the outside it starts within.

💡 Episode Highlights:

What it really means to “put your head in the sand”

The hunger behind high-achieving women who ask: “Is this all there is?”

Megan’s journey of breaking patterns of suppression, people-pleasing, and numbing

The turning point of rebuilding life from the inside out at age 40

The five pillars of her Extraordinary Lives process:

Radical Self-Connection 💞

Keep it Lit Mastering Glo Mode 🔥

BOSS Energy Activation ⚡

Emotional Ninjas 🥷

BIG Magic ✨

Why letting go is the key to welcoming what’s truly meant for you

How fulfillment isn’t “out there” it’s already within you

🔗 Connect with Megan Warren:
Website: meganwarrencoaching.com
Extraordinary Lives: subscribepage.io/extraordinary_lives

🎧 Listen & Follow Other People’s Shoes:

👟 Website

🩵 Instagram

👍 Facebook

🐦 X (Twitter)

📺 YouTube

📣 Leave Us a Review:
If this episode gave you something to chew on, challenged you, or inspired you don’t keep it to yourself! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and let us know how stepping into Megan’s shoes impacted you.

🎙 Corner Booth

🧩 Season Theme: Hungry
This season we’re exploring what it means to be hungry not just for food, but for belonging, for meaning, for God himself. Maybe you’ve walked into a room and wondered if there was a place for you. Today, consider this your invitation: there’s a spot at the corner booth waiting, and you don’t have to sit alone.

👣 Guest Introduction:
My guest today is Brandon Booth, President and Spiritual Director of Signpost Inn and host of The Signpost Inn Podcast. Brandon and his team walk alongside people in the middle of life’s chaos, offering friendship, compassion, and spiritual direction. Their mission is simple but deeply needed: to lift weary eyes toward Jesus and help people discover his steady presence in the mess.

💡 Episode Highlights:

What it feels like to show up at church and feel like you’re not one of the “cool kids at the cool table”

Why hospitality and belonging are essential to the life of faith

How Signpost Inn helps people reconnect with God when he feels distant

Brandon’s own journey into spiritual direction and why slowing down matters

What it means to “be still and know” in a distracted, noisy world

🔗 Connect with Brandon Booth & Signpost Inn:
Website: signpostinn.org
Podcast: The Signpost Inn Podcast

🎧 Listen & Follow Other People’s Shoes:

👟 Website

🩵 Instagram

👍 Facebook

🐦 X (Twitter)

📺 YouTube

📣 Leave Us a Review:
If this conversation gave you a taste of belonging, hope, or a new way of seeing God, let us know! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share how stepping into Brandon’s shoes impacted you.

🎙 Sugar-Free

🧩 Season Theme: Hungry
This season we’re talking about hunger physical, emotional, and spiritual. What do we crave? What fills us? And what leaves us empty?

👣 Guest Introduction:
Dr. Cali Estes knows firsthand the dangers of quick fixes and hidden addictions. Early in her life, she was prescribed the now-banned weight-loss drug Fen-Phen a combination that promised results but came with devastating risks like heart valve disease and pulmonary hypertension. That experience, paired with her own journey, fueled her mission to expose the hidden dangers in substances we consume every day including one of the biggest culprits: sugar.

Known as “The Female Dr. Drew” and “The Battery Recharger,” Cali is a global leader in addiction recovery, mental health, and performance optimization. She’s the founder of Sober On Demand®, and she’s spent over 25 years helping CEOs, athletes, creatives, and everyday people reset their brain chemistry, break free from burnout and addiction, and reclaim their lives.

💡 Episode Highlights:

Cali’s personal story of being prescribed Fen-Phen and the fallout when it was banned.

The dangers of sugar and why it’s one of the most addictive substances we face daily.

How sugar impacts not just physical health but also mental clarity and emotional stability.

Why high-performers are especially at risk of hidden addictions.

Tools Cali uses from neurofeedback to biohacking to help clients heal and thrive.

👉 Your Challenge This Week:
Go sugar-free for seven days. Notice how your body, mind, and mood respond. Hungry isn’t always about food it’s about what we run to when we’re empty.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Cali Estes:
Website: Sober On Demand®
X (Twitter): @caliestes

🎧 Listen & Follow Other People’s Shoes:

👟 Website

🩵 Instagram

👍 Facebook

🐦 X (Twitter)

📺 YouTube

📣 Leave Us a Review:
If this episode challenged you or gave you something new to think about, let us know! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share how stepping into Cali’s shoes impacted you.

🚨 If You’re Struggling
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, please don’t wait. Help is available.

In the U.S., dial 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Visit 988lifeline.org for more resources.

You are not alone.

🧩 Season Theme: Hungry
The season theme Hungry explores the cravings that shape our lives not just for food, but for healing, hope, and meaning. “Bitter herbs” remind us of the hard and painful parts of life that we must sometimes taste in order to fully appreciate sweetness and renewal.

👣 Guest Introduction:
This week, we step into the shoes of Zach Tidwell a Marine Corps veteran whose journey is both heartbreaking and deeply inspiring. On his second deployment, Zach received devastating news: his wife was having an affair. The marriage ended in 2018, and just months later, he was in a motorcycle accident that left him with a severe traumatic brain injury. As he battled impulsivity, agitation, and alcohol abuse, he was honorably discharged and tried to start fresh in Colorado, pursuing a nursing degree. On the outside, life looked steady. Inside, he was spiraling.

By spring of 2019, Zach reached his breaking point. On March 31st, he attempted to take his life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the face. Against all odds, he survived but awoke to a new reality: completely blind and deaf in one ear.

What could have been the end of Zach’s story became the beginning of something remarkable. He relearned how to eat, brush his teeth, and walk. Within eight months, he was back on a snowboard in the Rocky Mountains. Soon after, he returned to college, where he began to pursue accessibility solutions after facing new challenges as a blind student.

Today, Zach is not just a survivor he’s a force. He skis, rock climbs, whitewater kayaks, skydives, and even competes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His story of resilience, innovation, and perseverance offers hope for anyone tasting the bitter herbs of life, especially during Suicide Prevention Week.

💡 Episode Highlights:

The painful unraveling that began with betrayal and a traumatic brain injury.

The moment Zach attempted to end his life and why survival changed everything.

His courageous journey of learning to live blind, and choosing to thrive.

Why his message matters so deeply in the conversation around suicide prevention.

🔗 Connect with Zach Tidwell:
Website: zachtidwell.net
X (Twitter): @ZachCTidwell

🎧 Listen & Follow Other People’s Shoes:

👟 Website

🩵 Instagram

👍 Facebook

🐦 X (Twitter)

📺 YouTube

📣 Leave Us a Review:
If this episode moved you, challenged you, or gave you something to think about don’t keep it to yourself! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and let us know how stepping into Zach’s shoes impacted you.

🎙 Saying Grace

🧩 Season Theme: Hungry
This season, we explore what it means to be hungry, in all its forms. Hungry for food, for meaning, and for connection. Together, we’ll pull up a chair, break bread, and discover what truly nourishes us.

👣 Guest Introduction:
Does prayer really do any good or are we just talking to the ceiling? In this opening episode of Season 21 Hungry, we step into the shoes of Rachel Wojo, affectionately known as the “Prayer Girl.” Rachel has inspired thousands with her writings, speaking, and authentic faith. Her latest book, Desperate Prayers: Embracing God in Life’s Darkest Moments, invites readers into raw, honest conversations with God when life feels darkest. In our conversation, Rachel opens up about the power of prayer, the struggles that shaped her journey, and even the hardest person she’s ever had to pray for.

💡 Episode Highlights:

Why Rachel became known as the “Prayer Girl”.

The story behind Desperate Prayers and how it was born out of life’s hardest seasons.

Who Rachel finds hardest to pray for and why.

How prayer feeds the deeper hunger for peace, purpose, and connection.

🔗 Connect with Rachel Wojo:
🌐 Website
📘 Facebook Author Page
📖 Her Book – Desperate Prayers

🎧 Listen & Follow Other People’s Shoes:

👟 Website

🩵 Instagram

👍 Facebook

🐦 X (Twitter)

📺 YouTube

📣 Leave Us a Review:
If this episode moved you, challenged you, or gave you something to think about don’t keep it to yourself! Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and let us know how stepping into Rachel’s shoes impacted you.