Enter Wild With Carlos Whittaker

On Jan 6th, 2021 I got a text from a friend of mine… “I see now.” Three words from a super close friend who lives on the opposite side of the aisle as I do. Three words that finally broke me and I wept. A white, conservative, middle-aged, Trump-voting man whom I love dearly. We have had many deep talks the last 4 years. Me explaining the depths of my concern. Him listening and explaining his. The goal wasn’t to turn him from his conservative roots. The goal wasn’t to make him lean left. It was simply to be seen. And he saw me. That doesn’t mean he turned his back on his values... It simply meant he faced me and protected mine. In today’s episode, I talk to one of my best friends Rob Sentell. And we talk about how to have rich and deep relationships with people whom you may massively disagree with on politics and policy. Spoiler alert… It’s not only possible… It’s necessary… Thanks to our sponsors. Get 10% off your first month of therapy when you join Better Help at www.betterhelp.com/humanhope

So a few days ago I did a Q&A where I talked about how our kids have been doing all the laundry in the house since they were in elementary school. Insert 4324325543 DMs as to how we pulled that off. Yes it’s true. Heather and I have not done any laundry nor have we even made our own bed since the kids were old enough to wash a dish. We go over homeschooling, the sex talk, chores, allowance, technology, dating, roles, struggles, what we did wrong, and so much more. Our way of raising kids IS NOT the best way nor the only way. But we’ve found the best way for our kids. So take what we say with a grain of salt… But also know that we’ve known no greater honor than raising these kids. Hope this helps you guys. Thanks to our partner AIM for sponsoring the episode. Please join ME and their movement of rescuing children from sex trafficking over at www.aimfree.org/carlos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m still blown away at the opportunity I had to interview Karim. Karim was a translator for the United States Marines in Afghanistan and was granted permission to move to America but he had to leave his entire family behind. As Kabul has fallen to the Taliban Karim is now video chatting with his wife and children daily as they try and make their way to the airport to attempt to flee the country. His parents and siblings are still outside the airport walls trying to get in. Karim tells us what’s really happening. Thank you to World Relief for giving us access to Karim... You can donate to their incredible org here https://www.worldrelief.org/ We also dive into 10 tools we can use when the news is overwhelmingly bad that will keep our mental health… well… healthy. Thanks to our sponsor www.betterhelp.com/humanhope Click that to get 10% of your first month of online therapy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guys. I CAN’T WITH THIS CONVO. Mary Heffernan shares her story of how she and her attorney husband Brian risked everything and sold it all in the suburbs to raise their 4 little girls on a cattle ranch in Northern California. THEY HAD TO LEARN HOW TO DO EVERYTHING. And now they are a successful company growing every day. It wasn’t overnight. It was a lot of hard work. But today's conversation will make the most pessimistic 1/2 dreamer out there come alive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday I spent 8 hours inside a maximum-security prison here in Tennessee and even got to visit an inmate on death row. One of the inmates told me that the person they hurt had forgiven them. And now they are freer inside than they ever were outside. It got me thinking DEEP about forgiveness. Today I dive deep into the 3 types of forgiveness that finally gave me freedom. I unpack them. My wife’s forgiveness of me for how I wounded her… My forgiveness of others for their wounding me… And my forgiveness of self for hating me… (That last one is a doozy so hang on…) I think that many of you may just find the freedom you have been looking for... So join me with learning to love the F word… Forgive… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

November of 2019 we rushed our 17-year-old daughter to Vanderbilt University Medical Center as she was experiencing massive chest pain. The next 21 days in the hospital would change all of our lives and bring out a strength we didn’t know existed. Sohaila’s story is going to make you feel like you can bust down any wall that is in front of you. Also your stories of the most impactful gift you ever received. Make sure you have some Kleenex nearby. And thank you to our sponsor Better Help. www.betterhelp.com/humanhope for 10% off your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I stopped to have some Chick-fil-A in concourse A of the Atlanta airport and noticed nobody was paying attention to this piano player, so I thought I would sit down and enjoy his music. After listening for a few minutes I invited him over for a chat. I learned that Tonee has kidney disease and is on dialysis 9 hours every night but then comes to the airport to play piano 4 hours a day… I saw his empty tip jar and asked my InstaFamilia to cash app and Venmo a tip for him. 30 minutes later, and after a 20-minute conversation getting to know him, we tipped Tonee $10,000… which has since grown to $55,000 in 12 hours. In today's podcast, I sit down with Tonee and his wife Mickey to surprise them with the news that their $10,000 tip has morphed into $55,000 and their reaction is everything. Tonee shares his life journey on today's episode and it is nothing short of heroic. There is so much to learn from his life. Oh. His wife Mickey TAKES OVER the interview in what is sure to be one of my favorite podcast mo

Texas? They came after me on Instagram this week when I said that Dallas was Central Texas.  Which caused me to go through trauma that ended up with me in therapy for 4 days in San Diego. Only 1/2 way kidding. In today's episode, I take a deep dive into my journey with my dad's dementia and how therapy is helping me process it all. I also give you 2 acronyms that will help you communicate better with those you love. Those are worth the price of admission to this podcast alone. Thanks to our sponsors betterhelp.com/humanhope and policygenius.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leeann Miller met a strong, soft-spoken Amish young man when her father hired an Amish carpentry crew to fix their suburban home fireplace. 28 days later they eloped. 30 years later she sits down to tell us the story of how their 30-year love story started and how it’s going. I haven’t been this enthralled with a guest’s story in a long time. What does sacrifice really mean when it comes to relationships? How has the current cultural climate diluted what true love means? What can we learn from how the Amish do community? LeeAnn’s story is fascinating and I’m ready to squeeze all the wisdom out of her story and the Amish way of life… And thank you again to our sponsor AIM… Join the fight against sex trafficking at www.aimfree.org/carlos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recorded live from ALASKA!!! We’ve been all over the world as a family. We never let our lack of resources get in the way of our exploration. This episode is going to help every single one of you get out there and travel again… or maybe even for the first time. We took a lot of your travel questions and tried to answer them! How do we afford to travel as a family? Where do we find the incredible travel deals? (Like $500 round trip to Cape Town South Africa) How to best travel long distances with little kids and thrive not just survive? We went all in. This is a little different of an episode and I think you are gonna love it! And thank you again to our sponsor Better Help. www.betterhelp.com/humanhope for 10% Off! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’ve brought back one of your favorite episode ideas. The one where YOU GUYS deal hope. I asked you guys to leave me a voicemail with your stories of hope and YOU DELIVERED. So if you are in need of some hope… From infertility to cancer, to job loss, to relationship loss, to dreams on hold… THIS IS THE EPISODE FOR YOU. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She may just be the sweetest, most creative, entrepreneur on Instagram… But don’t let that fool you. Danielle Coke is a strong and focused freedom fighter. In today’s episode, she takes us on her journey from 700 followers on Instagram to 1/2 a million in a little over a year and we dive into the personal details of how she is feeling after 18 months of being an anti-racism educator. Follow Dani online @ohhappydani and please let her know how much you appreciated the hope she slung today! Get 10% off your first month of counseling at www.betterhelp.com/humanhope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WE ALL WANT THIS TO BE OVER. And Jessica helps us understand when we can say it's finally over. This week we dive deep into the ethos of Jessica Malaty Rivera. Infectious disease epidemiologist and science communication lead at the COVID Tracking Project. She has spent the last 16 months of her life trying to communicate the science behind Covid19 to people across the planet. I know that there are MANY different points of view with it comes to this stuff but what I ask is that you listen to understand Not listen to reply or debate. My goal with this interview isn't to get you to land on some worldview... It's to get us to understand each other. I am grateful for Jessica and her colleagues who have devoted their entire professional lives to helping us... Big ups to our sponsors AIM for showing us just how easy it is to join with the fight against sex trafficking. Join the fight at www.aimfree.org/carlos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I realized after getting numerous messages from you that I have not gone into the story of how I lost my marriage and family and how I got them back… Like I’ve written about it in detail in my book from 2017 but haven’t really talked about it online since then. With over 130,000 new friends around here I thought maybe some of you could use some encouragement that no matter how far away from freedom you feel, you are actually really, really, close… Today’s episode I dive into 3 steps that will help you finally stop whatever destructive behavior you have been trying to stop on your own. (Clue phone: We ALL have them…) Also we have a PRECIOUS MOMENTS DESIGNER on the pod along with your clean jokes and your stories of hope. Today’s episode is truly fit to be called Human Hope! Thanks to our Sponsors! Better Help - Join over 1 million people who have taken charge of their mental health. Get 10% off your first month by visiting BetterHelp.com/humanhope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad

You guys. I CAN’T WITH THESE INCREDIBLE HUMANS. My 2 new favorite humans on planet earth (sorry mom and dad). These legends are leading up the incredible organization called AIM (https://aimfree.org/carlos/) which is working to relentlessly rescue, heal and empower survivors of trafficking to be free. In addition to this, their protection programs are targeting the root of the issue by addressing the demand for purchased sex and protecting the vulnerable in the community. And the extra bonus you get? To be inspired to chase your dreams at any age… The Brewsters started AIM when they were in their 50’s. It’s never too late. Enjoy the convo… Leave your clean joke for next weeks show here… telb.ee/m0ukb As always we appreciate your reviews and you can keep up with these conversations on Instagram @loswhit Thanks to our Sponsors! That Sounds Fun - For a list of all the cities on the That Sounds Fun Podcast Tour, visit anniefdowns.com & grab your tickets now! Better Help - Join over 1 million people wh

Next week is our 21st wedding anniversary. And we are JUST BARELY figuring this marriage/relationship thing out. From almost calling it quits 10 years ago to thriving in year 21… We go all in with you guys… If you loved episode 5 with Heather and I just jawing back and forth about life you are going to love this one as well. I took questions off of Instagram and we answered your relationship questions as well as added some tips for how to spice your relationships up. Heave at times yet hopeful… This convo is one for the books. Leave a voice memo for the show here… telb.ee/m0ukb As always we appreciate your reviews and you can keep up with these conversations on Instagram @loswhit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don’t ever tell me that I don’t do anything for you.  LIKE GIVE YOU A NEW BEST FRIEND!  This is not an exaggeration when I tell you that Ruthie Lindsey is the friend you have been looking for. Ruthie is a guide and mentor to humanity. Helping people feel endeared to their own life, body, and soul. She has been to literal hell and back. But when I say back, I mean living a life of purpose unlike most people ever achieve. The good news? No matter how far away from coming alive you may feel… Ruthie shows us just how close to life we really are. You can follow Ruthie @ruthielindsey on Instagram and you can learn more about her at http://www.ruthielindsey.com/ Also please leave your best clean jokes for next week's episode here!!! telb.ee/m0ukb As always we appreciate your reviews and you can keep up with these conversations on Instagram @loswhit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I don’t know what just happened. I had a last-second idea to ask my Instagram familia to leave me voice messages on the best, most miraculous thing that has happened to them in the last 6 months… I thought I would get a few… “I got a new job!” messages… Which Are FANTASTIC… But little did I know HOW MANY MIRACLES AND HOPE FILLED STORIES would be waiting for me in my inbox. I’m honestly blown away and ready to hope forever. You guys are the real hope dealers. I’m just grateful that you let me gather you together. So if you are in need of some hope… From infertility to cancer, to job loss, to relationship loss, to dreams on hold… THIS IS THE EPISODE FOR YOU. Also here is my voicemail… Just click it and drop a note of encouragement for the Human Hope family. telb.ee/m0ukb As always we appreciate your reviews and you can keep up with these conversations on Instagram @loswhit This week's episode is sponsored by Better Help. An incredible and affordable online counseling service. As a listener, you’ll get 10% off

This isn’t 1+1 = 2 It’s more like 24x2 (−8x−3)(ax−2)−53. I don’t even know what that is. I just copy and pasted a hard math problem here. But the point is that it will be difficult… But once you get it…  You will use these tools on a daily basis when you run into conversations that need them. 6 steps that will help conversations not end up debates... Also here is my voicemail… Just click it and drop a note of encouragement for the Human Hope family. https://app.telbee.io/channel/8spzcygloi1-gwfkyvzqfg As always we appreciate your reviews and you can keep up with these conversations on Instagram @loswhit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oh heyyyyy touchy subject. Nice to meet you. I’d like you to meet John Eldredge. He is going to tackle this subject with precision and honor. To say John is a hero would be doing a disservice to who he is to me. His writings have changed my life forever. To be able to sit down with him and talk about one of his sweet spots was an honor. Oh. And yes... Heather is back on the podcast too. You're Welcome. Carlos also dives into his feelings as a black man watching the Chauvin trial verdict and what he feels should be the goal in policing. You know. Light fluffy stuff. As always we appreciate your reviews and you can keep up with these conversations on Instagram @loswhit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices