A short hiatus turned into a clear-eyed look at what this show stands for: celebrating the normal, telling honest stories, and making love a verb. I open up about rescheduling interviews, moving house, and why I’m choosing to weave my own perspective into the conversations you hear—so you know the “why” behind every question I ask.

That takes us straight into the question people keep sending: are you a Christian? I walk through why I stepped away from denominational leadership out of integrity, not resentment, and where I stand on the pulpit-politics divide. We also crack open a supposed feud between faith and science. If curiosity is honest, a geologist’s lifetime of study doesn’t threaten belief; it deepens wonder. The Bible reads like a library of human experience with God, shaped by language and time, and worth approaching with humility rather than fear.

From there, we get practical. Love is not a mood; it’s a form. 1 Corinthians 13 becomes an instruction manual: refuse performative care, suffer with people patiently, and stop keeping ledgers. In marriage, that means serving each other in small, concrete ways—trash out, socks picked up, meals cooked—because service builds trust and endurance. We talk about growing out of childishness while keeping a childlike curiosity, and we sit with the “foggy mirror” of time: how to move with faith and hope when the details are unclear. If culture pushes us toward isolation, the antidote is ordinary kindness. Coach a team, pick up trash, hold a door, forgive the lane change. Quiet service is how love stays real.

If this resonates, stick around. We’ve lined up everyday voices from Santa Cruz—neighbors, strangers, old friends—whose stories remind us why humanity matters. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review with one small act of service you’ll try this week.

The story starts with following Chris Balthasar from a Swiss-American childhood in Philadelphia and winds through Hollywood backlots, a B-movie alligator, and a surreal day in a Sonic the Hedgehog suit getting heckled by Tony Danza all day-then pivots into law, environmental advocacy, and a move to Santa Cruz that finally felt like home. Chris takes us on a winding road with uncommon honesty, connecting big breaks and bigger heartbreaks to the simple habits that keep him grounded: food choices with purpose, a community that welcomes you as you are, and the discipline of Jiu-Jitsu.

We explore how a single book, Diet for a New America, reshaped his view of health and ethics and led to meaningful work with EarthSave. We dig into his time at a major plaintiffs’ firm in what turned into the movie Aaron Brockovich without him even knowing. He shares the emotional whiplash of career shifts, and why Santa Cruz’s quirky, collaborative culture changed his sense of belonging. Along the way, we talk candidly about wealth sitting beside work boots, street music and science labs, and a shared commitment to the redwoods and the bay that cuts across politics.

Jiu-Jitsu threads it all together. Chris trained at the original Gracie academies in the early 90s, stepped away for years, then came back in a personal storm—businesses failing, marriage ending, savings evaporating. The mat became therapy and tribe. He set a terrifying goal, entered the Pan Ams, which is one of the most important tournaments in the US, and walked out with gold and no points scored against him. We unpack how trust, mercy, and presence define the art, why fundamentals beat fads, and how the sport has evolved without losing its heart.

Gratitude, he says, is the real engine: waking up healthy, loved, and in a place that fits.

If you’re navigating change, looking for a community that heals, or curious how Santa Cruz quietly reshapes people, this conversation will land. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs some hope, and leave a review to help others find the show.

What happens when a kid from São Paulo lands in Santa Cruz and discovers a town where surfing, jiu-jitsu, and community can actually shape the way you live? We go deep with Rafael Eboli—longtime local, Cafe Brazil mainstay, and black belt professor at Claudio Franca Jiu Jitsu Academies—on how a six-month plan turned into a life built around waves, trust, and family.

Rafael shares why Santa Cruz clicked: the ocean as a daily classroom, in a culture that rewards respect over noise, and a gym where people are learning to kill each other, yet leave more connected. We unpack the sharp differences between judo and jiu-jitsu, how humility shows up because the mat tells the truth, and why tapping on time is a profound lesson in empathy. He explains the unwritten rules of the lineup, why regulation matters for safety, and how coming from a high-pressure city shaped his early edge—and the mellow he earned later from a town that embraced him.

This is also about balance and purpose. We talk hangovers punished by white belts, the quiet discipline of training three to four times a week, and the strange joy of pain that signals growth rather than damage. Rafael opens up about fatherhood, teaching, and building a life that prioritizes presence over performance. From West Side crowds to East Side community, from Cafe Brazil’s warmth to the hard warm-ups that make people swear and smile, you’ll hear what keeps him here: trust, mercy, and the people who practice both.

If you’ve ever wondered how surf etiquette meets self-control, or how a combat art becomes a safe haven, this conversation offers a grounded, human map. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves Santa Cruz or jiu-jitsu, and leave a review with your favorite takeaway. Where do you practice trust in your life?