Cohort 11 for The Thread is open now! To apply, visit www.thethreadwichita.com/apply

Ever catch yourself thinking you should be further along by now? That quiet fear that everyone else has it figured out while you're still trying to catch up? Here's the truth: being "behind" isn't a personal failure—it's a misdiagnosis. Whether you're hitting a milestone birthday, navigating a career shift, or simply comparing your life to others, that nagging feeling of not measuring up is more common than you think. Let's talk about three powerful tools to help you reframe this story and show up from a place of abundance instead of scarcity.

Highlights

• Why the feeling of being "behind" often stems from outdated timelines and comparison traps

• The power of looking back to recognize how far you've actually come

• How to identify who you're comparing yourself to and why it matters

• Bill Gates' wisdom on overestimating one-year progress while underestimating decade-long growth

• The danger of building a life that works for other people but not for you

• Four essential questions to examine your thoughts: Is this true? What else could be true? What am I making this mean? What neutral thought could I choose instead?

• Why your 80-year-old self has better perspective than your current anxious mind

Chapters

[0:00] Introduction: Are You Feeling Behind in Life?

[1:30] Personal Anecdote: Cooking Misadventures

[6:45] Reflecting on Milestones and Progress

[9:20] Tool 1: Looking Back

[15:45] Tool 2: Looking Up

[22:30] Tool 3: Looking Ahead

[25:15] Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Resources Mentioned

• Super Simple cookbook by Tieghan Gerard (Half Baked Harvest)

• How We Feel app

• Rachel Hollis podcast

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

Cohort 11 for The Thread is open now! To apply, visit www.thethreadwichita.com/apply

What if the thing you use to cope is actually keeping you from truly living? I sat down with Josh Luton to explore his journey from daily drinking to sobriety, and how removing alcohol revealed parts of his life that weren't working—his career, his presence with family, and his disconnection from himself. We talk about the courage it takes to feel your feelings instead of numbing them, why overwhelm is actually rooted in fear, and how small decisions (like buying a sauna) can lead to life-changing transformations. Whether your "thing" is alcohol, busyness, social media, or something else, this conversation will challenge you to get curious about what you're avoiding and what might be waiting for you on the other side.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Why alcohol (or any numbing behavior) keeps us from feeling discontent in our lives

• The connection between overwhelm and fear, and how to get curious about your emotions

• How sobriety opened up space for Josh to discover what he actually wanted

• The three-year journey from stopping drinking to becoming a full-time entrepreneur

• Practical tips for tracking what energizes vs. drains you

• Why you don't have to tell everybody everything, but you should tell somebody something

• How to live a regulated, honest life by listening to your body

CHAPTERS

[0:00] Introduction to Josh Luton

[2:30] Josh's Journey with Alcohol

[6:45] The Shift to Sobriety

[8:15] Current Life and New Career

[14:30] Understanding and Feeling Emotions

[20:00] Emotional Sobriety and Internal Family Systems

[28:00] The Promise and Reality of Sobriety

[32:45] The Impact of Sobriety on Life and Career

[34:00] Connecting Sobriety to Entrepreneurship

[35:15] Discovering Unfulfilled Aspects of Life

[38:30] The Role of Writing in Sobriety

[43:00] Exploring New Ventures and Self-Discovery

[49:00] Practical Tips for Self-Reflection and Growth

[56:30] Living a Regulated and Honest Life

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• One Year No Beer - Challenge program for taking a break from alcohol

• Laura McKowen - Author of "We Are the Luckiest" (sober memoir)

• Julia Cameron - Author of "The Artist's Way"

• The Feelings Wheel - Tool for identifying and naming emotions

• Josh's Substack: Gone Dry

• Josh's Coaching Website: joshualuton.com

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

Cohort 11 for The Thread is open now! To apply, visit www.thethreadwichita.com/apply

What if the best decades of your life are still ahead of you? My grandmother has spent her life proving that aging isn't about shrinking—it's about clarifying. From starting her first business in her fifties to becoming a master gardener in her late seventies, she's shown me that life doesn't have an expiration date on growth, reinvention, or joy. Today, she shares the wisdom she's gathered across eight decades: why your forties are transformative, how to stop judging yourself, what it means to be truly present, and why the past doesn't define your future. If you've ever felt like it's "too late" for something, this conversation will change your mind.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Why the forties are the best decade—and what makes them so transformative

• How to learn from your mistakes without living in regret

• The connection between judgment and presence (and why you can't have both)

• What it takes to build character traits like integrity at any age

• Why moving outside your bubble creates exponential personal growth

• How to let go of worrying about what other people think

• The importance of forgiving yourself—and others

• Why women need to stop judging themselves and start saving for their future

• What a good life actually looks like: health, presence, and acceptance

CHAPTERS

[1:04] - Introduction: Why I'm Not Afraid of Aging

[1:58] - What Mattered Then That Doesn't Matter Now

[3:50] - The Power of Being Present

[7:53] - Remembering the Good Shots: Life Like Golf

[9:33] - Seasons That Surprised Her

[11:48] - Moving to Atlanta: Starting Over in Your Forties

[14:23] - Building Integrity in Your Forties

[16:08] - It's Never Too Late: Starting a Business at 50

[19:05] - Letting Go of Hesitation and What Others Think

[20:26] - What I Want You to Know at 40

[21:57] - One Kind Truth for Your Younger Self

[23:03] - What to Be Proud Of: Integrity and Acceptance

[24:53] - What Women Worry About Too Much

[26:17] - What Women Need to Worry About More

[26:52] - What a Good Life Actually Looks Like

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.