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Other People's Shoes

Other People's Shoes

By: Neil Matthews
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On my show, I aim to create a space that allows us all to hear each other's points of view. Constructive dialog helps us all realize that truly hearing another person's story can enrich our lives. After all, when you walk in Other People's Shoes, you really do get a different perspective on life.℗ & © 2025 Other People's Shoes Christianity Ministry & Evangelism Philosophy Relationships Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • Happy Birthday: Reflections

    Happy Birthday: Reflections
    Jan 29 2026
    🎂🎙 SEASON 22: WHO’S THERE: REFLECTIONSA Seven-Year Birthday Episode of Other People’s Shoes🚪 SEASON THEME: WHO’S THEREThis season asks a quiet but powerful question:Who’s there when life knocks?Sometimes it’s loud.Sometimes it’s gentle.Sometimes it’s barely noticeable.Season 22 is about learning to listen, especially to the small nudges we’re tempted to ignore.🎉 SEVEN YEARS AND A DIFFERENT KIND OF BIRTHDAYThis episode marks seven years of Other People’s Shoes.In the past, birthday episodes have looked like celebrations and countdowns.This year felt different.Instead of looking outward, this milestone called for reflection on growth, on listening, and on how this show has quietly shown up, week after week, like a steady presence.So rather than a traditional birthday episode, I brought back a familiar voice from the past, echoing a line from the Season 22 intro itself.👣 My guest today is Cindy Ryan, who first joined the show on October 5, 2022.Cindy’s work has always centered on reflection, listening inward to find healing and clarity. That way of listening didn’t just shape her work. It shaped her life.In 2024, Cindy felt a nudge.A quiet knock.A sense that something needed attention.She listened.That nudge led to a cancer diagnosis.Had Cindy ignored it, had she brushed it off, or stayed busy, she would not be here today recording this episode.🎵 THE SONG THAT REOPENED THE DOORIn the midst of Cindy’s journey, including a vulnerable, hairless Instagram post during treatment, I felt led to reach out.I didn’t have the right words.So I sent a song.If You Heard It from a Friend.That song became the bridge to the reconnection and ultimately, the reason Cindy is back on the show today.Because sometimes what someone needs most isn’t advice…It’s a reminder.🪞 A FRIEND HOLDING UP THE MIRRORThe heart of that song feels like the heart of this episode and, honestly, the heart of this show:“Here I am holding up a mirrorHoping you might seeYourself a little clearerBeyond a shadow of a doubtFrom where I’m standing nowI see the light in you.”In seasons when Cindy couldn’t always see herself clearly, the song spoke what a friend would say when words fall short.And maybe in some small way Other People’s Shoes can be that too.A place you come back to.A voice that reminds you who you are.A steady presence that shows up, even when things aren’t pleasant or easy.🚨 THE POWER OF LISTENINGThis episode isn’t about guarantees.There was no promise that Cindy would “make it out.”Only the choice to listen.To respond.To take the next step when the knock came.As Cindy shares in this conversation:Cancer changes your priorities.Sometimes, listening to the smallest nudge changes everything.💭 QUESTIONS THIS EPISODE INVITESThis conversation doesn’t rush answers. It invites reflection:How do you respond when you feel a nudge to reach out?What reassurance do we really have?Can the community carry us when we’re unsure?What happens when a friend reminds you of what you can’t see?🔗 CONNECT WITH CINDY RYAN🌐 Website📸 Instagram🎙️ Podcast🪞 REFLECTION FOR THE SHOW AND FOR YOUThis birthday episode isn’t just about seven years of Other People’s Shoes.It’s about listening to the knocks, the nudges, and the quiet reminders that we’re not alone.Sometimes life knocks.Sometimes a friend does.And sometimes, you just need to hear it… from a friend.🎧 LISTEN & FOLLOW OTHER PEOPLE’S SHOES🩵 Instagram👍 Facebook🐦 X📺 YouTube👟 Website📣 LEAVE A REVIEWIf this episode felt like a friend showing up right when you needed it, a review helps keep this space open for others.👉 Leave a review
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    45 mins
  • PSA

    PSA
    Jan 28 2026

    🎙 PSA

    This season called "Who's There?" asks a simple but important question:

    Who’s there when life knocks and do we listen?

    Sometimes the knock is loud.
    Sometimes it’s subtle.
    Sometimes it comes in the form of a number on a lab report that feels easy to dismiss.

    This episode is about paying attention even when the signal feels small.

    🧪 WHY “PSA” IS MORE THAN A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

    A Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test is a blood test that measures a protein produced by the prostate gland. It’s commonly used to screen for prostate cancer.

    Higher PSA levels can indicate prostate cancer — but they can also be caused by non-cancerous conditions like prostatitis or an enlarged prostate (BPH). What matters most isn’t just a single number… it’s the trend over time, the context, and the questions that follow.

    This episode explores what happens when a knock is noticed — but not fully understood.

    👣 GUEST INTRODUCTION

    My guest today is Jason Stone, the creator and host of Prostate Cancer: The Road to Recovery.

    Jason is living with stage 4 prostate cancer, and through his podcast and YouTube channel he shares his journey openly inviting survivors, fighters, and medical experts into honest conversations about treatment, stigma, resilience, and men’s health.

    With a background in English and screenwriting, Jason brings clarity, precision, and humanity to conversations that are often rushed or avoided altogether.

    ⏳ THE MOMENT THAT LOOKED “NORMAL”

    Back in 2017, Jason had a PSA test that came back slightly elevated, but still below what was considered “high.”

    He was sent for a scan without explanation.
    No clear follow-up.
    No guidance.
    No monitoring plan.

    The doctor didn’t express concern and didn’t recommend continued PSA testing. Jason walked away believing there was nothing wrong.

    Looking back, Jason knows that moment mattered.

    If he could return to that appointment, he would have:

    Asked why the scan was ordered

    Asked what his PSA number actually meant

    Set up annual PSA monitoring to watch for changes over time

    Because sometimes what feels “fine” is actually the first knock.

    💡 WHAT THIS EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

    This conversation isn’t about blame it’s about awareness:

    Why PSA trends matter more than a single result

    The importance of asking questions, even when doctors seem unconcerned

    How silence after testing can create false reassurance

    Why self-advocacy matters especially in men’s health

    Jason’s story reminds us that not all knocks announce themselves clearly.

    🔗 CONNECT WITH JASON STONE

    📺 YouTube
    🎙️ Podcast

    🎧 LISTEN & FOLLOW OTHER PEOPLE’S SHOES

    🩵 Instagram
    👍 Facebook
    🐦 X
    📺 YouTube
    👟 Website

    📣 LEAVE A REVIEW

    If this episode encouraged you to ask better questions for yourself or someone you love a review helps these conversations reach the people who need them. 👉 Leave a review
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    49 mins
  • 2020

    2020
    Jan 21 2026
    🎙 WHO’S THERE -“2020”Hindsight is 20/20… but only after everything changes🚪 SEASON THEME: WHO’S THERESeason 22 asks a simple but unsettling question:What happens when life knocks… and you answer?And just as powerfully what happens when you don’t?Some knocks are subtle.Some are disruptive.Some arrive without warning and change the direction of everything.This season explores the moments when life crosses the threshold not always politely and asks us to respond.👁️ WHY “HINDSIGHT IS 20/20”We hear the phrase “hindsight is 20/20” all the time.It means clarity only comes after the moment has passed.After the decision.After the accident.After the door has already been opened or slammed shut.You don’t see clearly in the moment.You see clearly looking back.This episode lives right there in the space between what we thought we knew and what life revealed later.👣 GUEST INTRODUCTIONToday’s guest is Danielle Matthews and yes, we share the same last name, though we are not related. That coincidence opens the door to a deeper conversation about perspective, meaning, and how clarity often comes after impact.Danielle talks about the importance of staying in your own lane focusing inward, doing your work, and not being pulled into chaos that isn’t yours.And then she shares this:At 23, a drunk driver crossed into her lane and hit her head-on.Not because she wasn’t paying attention.Not because she did anything wrong.But because life doesn’t always respect our lanes.Only later in hindsight did meaning begin to take shape.We even briefly touch on cultural ideas of irony, including Ironic, but what surfaces is something more honest than irony: the truth that wisdom doesn’t prevent life from knocking it shapes how we respond after.🌱 HER STORYDoctors told Danielle to accept permanent impairment as her new normal.She refused.What followed wasn’t just physical recovery it was an internal awakening.Despite being told she would never heal, Danielle restored her physical health through redox signaling. That internal shift opened the door to Eastern philosophy, Yoga Nidra, and Yoga Therapy practices that helped her reset her nervous system, release stored trauma, and find calm no matter what was happening externally.What happened to her didn’t make sense in the moment.It only began to make sense looking back.That’s hindsight.💡 POWERFUL POINTS FROM THIS EPISODEThese aren’t takeaways they’re reflections that come with time:If you feel like a victim, what if life isn’t conspiring against you, but awakening you?What is this challenge making possible?Who can I be when I am complete as I am?The best thing that ever happened to me was my accident.It’s not out there it’s inside me.When awareness shifts, you see fault differently.There is a blue sky somewhere… even when you can’t see it yet.🔗 CONNECT WITH DANIELLE📺 YouTube🎧 LISTEN & FOLLOW OTHER PEOPLE’S SHOES🩵 Instagram👍 Facebook🐦 X📺 YouTube👟 Website📣 LEAVE A REVIEWIf this episode helped you see something differently looking back, a review helps others find conversations that meet them right where they are.👉 Leave a review
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    40 mins
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