Thanks listeners/viewers for hanging out with me for this one – experimenting with recording on QuickTime to have both an audio and video version. With this episode…

• Why did Ryan bust his knee on a treadmill? Hint: It came in like a wrecking ball.
• 5-mile hike to a peak in Big Bend. No big deal, start two hours before sunset, right? Wrong.
• WTF, that was a breakup too? Yeah, a breakup can also be the death of a relationship (either real or perceived). Time to mourn/process is required.

From my birthday trip in Mexico when a fellow traveler suspected something was up with my “throat chakra,” (and then discussed with my friend Brie) – these few months have been about “Finding My Voice” again: who I am on my own and finding clarity and focus.

This podcast gives an update on that journey through the context of daily life in Dallas and a solo road trip to Marfa, Texas.

This playlist is my perfect mix to where I am. Thanks for listening!

• Apple Music
• Spotify

Intro & Outro Music:
https://www.purple-planet.com

From broken moments to shared experiences, ends and beginnings of relationships, my first-ever international solo trip, a closing of a lawsuit, waiting on a grad school application…… this is 32.

After being on hiatus with the podcast, I’m coming back “Ryan Emerged.” And I’m taking a lesson from my original Cali Soundtrack with a mixed tape approach.

I invite you to listen to this podcast first, then check out the accompanying playlist. All the songs were chosen very intentionally to speak to this moment in my life, and to bring you into my experience:

• Listen on Apple Music.
• Listen on Spotify.

Songs listed below if you need to look them up on another platform. And feel free to follow me on Apple Music, and we can share in the creation of the next soundtrack/playlist.

And, as a good friend recently told me as I navigate tough times, “remember who’s steering the ship.” Be kind to yourself, give yourself permission to take the time for all the feels, and let’s 👏🏼 keep 👏🏼moving! 👏🏼

1. Wonder - Shawn Mendes
2. Quarantini - Kyan Palmer
3. Blinding Lights (Remix) - The Weeknd & Rosalía
4. I Wanna Help Your Mind - Goth Babe
5. Limbo - Royal Blood
6. WITHOUT YOU (Miley Cyrus Remix) - The Kid LAROI & Miley Cyrus
7. Broken - lovelytheband
8. Best of Me - Dreamer Boy
9. Warrior (feat. SG Lewis) - Aluna
10. Keep Moving - Jungle
11. Let Me Down Easy - Paolo Nutini
12. The Way I Loved You (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift
13. Never Be Alone - Shawn Mendes
14. Letter To A Girl - Brynn Elliott
15. Fireworks (feat. Moss Kena & The Knocks) - Purple Disco Machine

Intro & Outro Music:
https://www.purple-planet.com

There are four sandwiches total, and three of them were evenly divided among n students, but four students didn't want any of the fourth sandwich. But you know Carol. She came along and wanted a bit from all four. So what fraction did Carol eat of a whole sandwich?

IDK, Carol -- just keep livin' your best carb life and let me do ANYTHING else.

That's how I felt Sunday night. I'm at the intersection of the hittin-the-gas and shit's-gettin-real stage of this GMAT as part of my plan for applying to grad school for an MBA. The countdown timer is ticking louder than ever, and it's game on.

In this short 20-minute episode, I'll take you through my raw emotions, from the beginning of the ups and downs with the GMAT, a little bit why I'm doing this, and ultimately a few takeaways. Because what good is this pod if you can't get something useful out of it?

Whether you're studying for your GMAT, preparing to run your first 5K, or buying your first home, here are three steps that are working for me and they might work for you, too:

1. Write that dream down. Or type it. Or vision-board it. Whatever way you do it, see its existence as something that can become a reality. No idea is too crazy.
2. Make a plan and go for it. Don’t spend too long planning. Give yourself an outline, some general guidelines, just enough structure to get things rolling.
3. Get back up when you get knocked down.

And if you can guess the artist of the song I sing at the end, DM me and I'll get you some banana bread muffins ;)

I'm going solo for this episode. Tim to chat about Both/And thinking - a mindset I've been developing these last few weeks in particular. I'm learning that "wholeness is about embracing, not denying, all of our feelings," as Michelle L Buck Ph.D. wrote; multiple feelings can exist at the same time, even if they feel incongruous or contradictory.

I dare you to challenge yourself how you can shift your mindset to think Both/And in your every day experience. Come from a place of abundance, not limits.

Resources:
Check out "The Power of 'Both-And' Thinking" in Psychology Today.

Music:
https://www.purple-planet.com

We make fun of the word unprecedented and how overused it's felt as a way to describe 2020. But for real, 2020 had its challenges for everyone.

With my friend Thomas Renner -- a yoga instructor and life coach based in Dallas -- we take a moment to reflect on 2020, share gratitude for positive reflections we gained from this past year, and discuss setting and maintaining resolutions for 2021.

Maybe you're one of the estimated 188.9 million adult Americans (74.02% of the population) who said they’re determined to learn something new in 2021.

Or maybe, like Thomas, you think New Year's resolutions are shit; resolutions can be started at any moment. The important thing is that you do them for you, and you remember to celebrate the wins along the way.

Tips for making (and keeping resolutions or goals):

1. Be specific.
2. Generate your why behind it.
3. Do you really want it?
4. Generate a reward for achievement depending on your goal.

Have a listen, find something you're grateful for each day, and be kind to one another as we're all looking for hope, healing, and reconciliation with the New Year. Much love.

Find Thomas On:

• Instagram at @thomasrennerofficial
• Email: thomasrennerofficial@gmail.com

Let’s talk about our status. And I’m not talking single, taken, or it’s complicated. I’m talking about HIV status. Because when we arm ourselves with information and know more about our personal health, we can make fact-based decisions for ourselves and those we interact with.

In hindsight, Ryan didn’t know a thing about HIV and AIDS, until he found the community of AIDS/LifeCycle. In this episode, you’ll hear from AIDS/LifeCycle Ride Director Tracy Evans and Senior Outreach Coordinator Albert Ontiveros, representing both the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center as we:

• Define HIV and identify ways in which the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation are on the frontlines fighting this pandemic
• Discuss the current state of HIV and AIDS in the U.S.
• Examine the stigma surrounding the virus
• Grasp the reality of how people of color are disproportionately impacted by HIV and AIDS and how these agencies are advocating for health justice
• Understand the importance of culturally competent care

Then, learn more about TogetheRide – an evolution of AIDS/LifeCycle – as a way for everyone, including the entire family, to get involved in activism for the fight against HIV and AIDS.

Know your status, get tested, make healthy informed decisions – and join me on TogetheRide. Or donate: www.tofighthiv.org/goto/ryanmhines.

www.TogetheRide.org

Some mind-blowing stats:

• About 1.2 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV.
• Almost 1 in 7 of those who contract HIV are not aware of their status.
• Black gay and bi men are disproportionately affected, accounting for 25% of new diagnoses.
• Black communities comprise of only 13% of the total U.S. population, yet accounted for an estimated 43% of new HIV infections nationally in 2017. They also accounted for 42% of everyone living with HIV in the U.S.

A fake laugh to get the perfect candid smile? Yeah, of course. How else do you think I got the photo for this podcast album art?

From the rise of social media and how it's permeated every aspect of our lives, Ryan invites Liz Navarro onto the pod to discuss how we consume social media and some of the emotions and psychology behind what we post.

Liz is the founder of Liz Navarro + Co., helping clients and students communicate effectively. She’s a professor of public speaking at Southern Methodist University, a copywriter, and a strategist helping professionals activate new opportunities.

So how does what we do for our professional lives sync up with our personal lives on social media? We focus in on three main themes:

• Comparisons
• Assumptions
• Pressure to Perform Positively

Don't be scared. It's definitely not all bad. Like anything, there are pros and cons. Listen and find out some ways Liz and I find the joys in social media while keeping a check on its impact on our mental health.

In episode album art: Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash.

Ryan welcomes back Eddie Kring from Save.LGBT, and is also joined by Save.LGBT's Executive Director Orlando Gonzales. It felt like a long week leading up to the time of this recording, and Biden had not yet been declared winner of the 2020 U.S. Presidential elections.

However, the conversation we focus on is timeless. We discuss healing and how we as a nation can move forward with healthy, constructive conversation. And we dive into some of what got us here, including the spread of disinformation, systemic racism, and culture wars.

The healing isn't about the last four years. "It's about the last four hundred years," said Gonzales.

Visit www.Save.LGBT to learn more about this organization's work with political advocacy and community outreach.

• Follow Save LGBT on Intsa: @savelgbt

Comment and let me know where you are on your journey, and let's celebrate a time of renewed unity and hope for the future.