A Christian faith journey gets real when belief stops being inherited and starts shaping how you live, pray, and keep going through hard questions. On Scott Asmar: The Man & Everything In Between, Scott sits down with Victor Lopez for a conversation that offers more than a personal story. It gives listeners a grounded picture of what trusting God can look like when faith and identity feel complicated. Victor shares a moving gay Christian testimony about growing up in church, staying open to God through struggle, and building a real relationship with God that is rooted in honesty rather than performance. He also talks about the value of a daily devotional routine and how scripture, worship and prayer, and time in God’s presence help him stay centered.

This episode speaks to people who want their Christian faith journey to feel personal, steady, and honest. Scott and Victor talk about grace, spiritual discipline, and what it means to keep choosing God without pretending to have every answer. If you have been looking for encouragement that feels human and lived in, this conversation delivers that. It is a Christian faith journey shaped by trust, surrender, and the daily decision to stay close to God.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Christian Faith Journey and Growing Up in Church

05:14 Gay Christian Testimony and Trusting God

11:37 Daily Devotional Routine and Spiritual Discipline

17:08 Worship and Prayer for a Stronger Relationship With God

21:16 Relationship With God Over Rules and Religion

Connect with Scott Asmar:

Follow Scott on Instagram

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Most of us have been told ‘that ship has sailed,’ yet this conversation flips that idea on its head and shows how midlife careers can open new chapters long after others think the moment has passed.

Scott sits down with Denyse Rabbat, a career coach, to talk through the moment many people reach when the work they’ve done no longer feels like the work they want. They look at why so many adults assume opportunity expires and why that belief holds so much power even when it doesn’t match real life. Denyse shares how reconnecting with early interests can offer clues to a more aligned path, and Scott opens up about the comment that pushed him away from acting for years before he found his way back to it.

The conversation invites listeners to rethink the idea of timing. Who decided that a goal has an expiration date? What if a delay points to preparation instead of failure? Scott and Denyse leave space for these questions and offer a grounded reminder that careers can evolve at any stage, often in ways that feel far truer to who you have become.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Career Transitions in Midlife

02:58 The Real Meaning of “The Ship Has Sailed”

05:55 Childhood Passions and Career Direction

09:06 How Career Expectations Have Changed

11:47 Patience and Timing in Career Growth

Connect with Denyse Rabbat:

Visit Denyse Rabbat’s Website

Follow Denyse on Instagram

Connect with Scott Asmar:

Follow Scott on Instagram

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

A grandson and an uncle keep a soldier’s memory alive by revisiting the love, faith, and quiet heroism that defined one man’s life in World War II.

In honor of Veterans Day, Scott Asmar sits down with his uncle, Eric Prieto, to share the legacy of Scott’s grandfather, John Asmar—an 82nd Airborne paratrooper whose courage carried him through Holland, France, and the Battle of the Bulge. Through family stories and vivid recollections, they uncover the humanity behind the history: a young man’s promise to his mother, the love he refused to burden before war, and the vision that convinced him he’d return home.

The episode reflects on patriotism, sacrifice, and how memory keeps meaning alive long after the generation that lived it is gone. It’s a quiet reminder that legacy isn’t measured by medals, but by the stories we choose to keep telling.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Honoring a Grandfather’s Legacy

03:03 How John and His Wife Met

05:52 Choosing Love After the War

07:03 Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne

09:27 A Vision in Paris

15:03 The Battle of the Bulge

21:03 Remembering Through Generations

23:16 A Final Farewell

Connect with Scott Asmar:

Follow Scott on Instagram

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

What if the most honest version of you only appears when you’re asleep?

In this episode, Scott Asmar revisits his longtime fascination with dreaming—not to interpret symbols, but to explore the bigger mystery of why we dream at all. He touches on lucid dreaming, where some sleepers become conscious enough to steer the story, and contrasts that sense of control with his own real-life struggle with night terrors—episodes of sheer panic that strike in non-REM sleep, where the body thrashes but the mind can’t fully wake.

Scott also reflects on new research linking nightmares to accelerated aging and long-term health risks, raising an unexpected question: what is the emotional toll of what happens at night?

From recurring school dreams to the fading era of black-and-white dreamers, this episode is less about explanation and more about awareness. Whether your dreams comfort you or confront you, Scott invites you to pay attention, because even in sleep, your mind may be trying to tell you something.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction & Dream Theory Recap

01:15 What Is Lucid Dreaming? (Inception, History & Science)

03:29 Can You Train Yourself to Control Dreams?

04:12 Why Do We Dream? The Unanswered Question

05:07 Night Terrors vs. Nightmares: Personal and Scientific Insights

08:38 Recurring Dreams and Dreaming in Color vs. Black & White

09:54 Share Your Dream Experiences

Connect with Scott Asmar:

Follow Scott on Instagram

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Dreams aren’t just stories we forget when the alarm clock goes off. For Scott Asmar, they’re part memory lab, part survival training, and sometimes, part mystery that can’t be explained.

In this episode, Scott shares how an old dissertation he wrote back in 1999 opened the door to a fresh look at dream theory. Growing up in a family where dreams carried meaning—his great-grandmother once dreamed of him standing by a white lamb, and later dreamed of her late son comforting her—Scott learned early that dreams can heal, warn, and guide. Revisiting his work decades later, he asks: what do researchers say about dreams now?

From theories that see dreams as survival rehearsals, to those that mirror daily stress or act as emotional “housekeeping,” Scott explores the many ways science has tried to explain what happens when we sleep. Technology has even entered the mix, with AI now able to turn dream reports into 3D visualizations. Still, Scott comes back to a simple truth: just as no two people are alike, no two dream lives are either.

On #WorldMentalHealthDay, this episode invites you to pause, reflect, and consider what your own dreams might be saying about your mind, your heart, and your healing.

Quotes

• “I grew up in a family that always valued their dreams. For whatever reason, they valued their dreams. My grandmother had dreams. My great grandmother had dreams. And in fact, two distinct dreams that my great grandmother had was she would tell me that when I was born, she had a dream of me as a toddler standing next to a white lamb. And that was a dream that always stuck with me.(01:53 | Scott Asmar)
• “From the time I've done my research to the present, dreams are no longer just mystical messaging or random noise. And we've got to remember that dreams were also in biblical times and ancient times and dreams are from the beginning of time.” (08:29 | Scott Asmar)
• “We’ll never understand dreams. That is just one concept.” (09:40 | Scott Asmar)
• “ We are all wired differently…I think just as we're different, we dream different.” (09:51 | Scott Asmar)
• “Sleep Good and Dream Big.” (11:01 | Scott Asmar)

Links

World Mental Health Day: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day

Connect with Scott Asmar:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottasmar5/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

What do nuclear fusion physics and micro-budget filmmaking have in common? More than you’d think. In this episode, Scott Asmar sits down with longtime friend (and newly discovered distant relative!) Robert Deranian, a PhD physicist turned independent filmmaker.

Robert shares how surfing, Armenian heritage, and a love of storytelling pulled him from the lab into independent film. From micro-budget sets where everyone wears multiple hats to projects that bridge history, politics, and personal identity, his work reflects both curiosity and conviction.

The conversation spans Robert’s early documentary work to his newest film The Republic, which looks at Vietnam, January 6th, and the question of what really shapes our choices. He and Scott also talk about the freedom of independent filmmaking, the challenge of distribution, and why heartfelt stories still matter in a world dominated by blockbusters.

For anyone reevaluating purpose in midlife, Robert’s journey is a reminder that it’s never too late to connect the dots between science, art, and personal truth.

Quotes

• “I really like science, and I still do, you know. With film, and when I say film, it’s all aspects of it.” (05:30 | Robert Deranian)
• “People that make these kinds of films, what’s great about them is they’re not beholden to a budget, essentially. So on the one hand, you can’t have big explosives or anything like that, but you can make really innovative stories because you’re the one that controls it.” (06:38 | Robert Deranian)
• “At one point, the actor John Cook, playing Mike, says, “How the hell did I get into this?” Like, he doesn’t know. It just happens. That’s life, right? We get into problems. We don’t realize where it’s going to take us, you know? But I think in the end, it’s a super powerful message.” (14:16 | Robert Deranian)
• “There’s so much duplication in Hollywood of movies. It’s like, OK, the Marvel movies are like over and over and over and over again. And there’s a reason for it. My understanding is the reason they do that is because they’ve got so much money into it, they cannot afford to take chances. So they’re just going to play it safe. Whereas guys like us, like you and me, we just can go for it.” (15:26 | Robert Deranian)
• “I think my view of actors is that I think that there’s something natural about a good actor. They’re good because it’s just in them.” (17:21 | Robert Deranian)

Connect with Scott Asmar:

Instagram

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

What you wear says more than you think, and midlife is the right time to let your style catch up to who you’ve become. In this episode, Scott Asmar is joined by fashion expert AJ of Beverly Hills to talk personal style, quiet luxury, and how fashion can be both expressive and practical, especially in midlife. From the impact of a well-cut bomber jacket to the psychology behind subtle prints and quality fabrics, AJ shares insights shaped by years in the luxury fashion world, including his start at Cartier and his current work as an image consultant and stylist.

Their conversation moves from fashion weeks in Milan and Paris to everyday style choices that make people feel more like themselves. AJ offers advice for men and women who want to feel current without chasing trends, and explains why mixing vintage with new, or designer with basic, can still look intentional. He also opens up about the role of jewelry in personal style and why some pieces are worth the investment, while others are better customized.

For anyone reevaluating their image at midlife, Scott and AJ’s conversation is a reminder that style isn’t about impressing others, but about expressing yourself.

Quotes

• “Fashion is a lot more important than people think. I mean, you’re in the courtroom, and you’re a lawyer—the way you dress is so important.” (03:32 | AJ of Beverly Hills)
• “It’s not about being loud. It’s about the luxury being for you.” (10:36 | AJ of Beverly Hills)
• “We forget that sometimes we dress for everyone else, but it’s also for ourselves. Dressing for yourself.” (10:57 | AJ of Beverly Hills)
• “You don’t want to dress yourself to the point where you’re aging yourself, and then you don’t want to dress yourself to the point where you look like you’re 18 and it doesn’t work.” (27:21 | AJ of Beverly Hills)
• “There’s a lot of ways you can subtly change the type of piece that you’re wearing that will change the way you look, the way you feel, and you’ll just look very fresh and feel great.” (28:46 | AJ of Beverly Hills)

Links

Lotus Beverly Hills:

www.lotusbeverlyhills.com

https://www.instagram.com/lotusbeverlyhills/

Connect with Scott Asmar:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottasmar5/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Diane Christiansen thought she’d missed her big break. But the path that opened instead led to a life full of creativity, community, and unexpected fulfillment.

In this episode, Scott Asmar welcomes Diane, his friend, mentor, and acting coach, to reflect on the stories behind her memoir “The Last Real Showgirl: My Sequined 70s on Stage.” She shares how she got her start at 13, fueled by babysitting money and a clear sense of purpose. From that moment on, she poured herself into the work, never waiting to be chosen.

What do you do when the opportunity you’ve been waiting for never comes? Diane opens up about her early audition for the Rockettes and the painful truth she uncovered years later, that her mentor never passed along the callback. It’s a moment that could have defined her differently. Instead, it pushed her toward something else entirely.

Scott and Diane talk about ambition, mentorship, and the winding nature of a creative life. They look at the ways the entertainment industry has shifted, and the parts that haven’t. There’s a sense of perspective here that only comes with time: the kind that sees rejection differently and understands the value of patience.

This conversation is for anyone standing at a crossroads, wondering if the missed chances ever really mattered.

Quotes

• “I don’t think I could have been just like every other girl in the line. I don’t think it was my destiny.” (11:20 | Diane Christiansen)
• “The great author Marianne Williamson says in her book, ‘A Return to Love,’ she said, she finds that grist of your mill the most interesting thing about a person. It’s like, what happened to that person to make them great?” (14:01 | Diane Christiansen)
• “It had a lot to do with ambition. It had a lot to do with wanting to stay in show business and at that level and being paid well and with those kinds of contracts and with the wonderful people that I got to work with.” (16:53 | Diane Christiansen)
• “The things that were difficult, I learned the most from.” (35:01 | Diane Christiansen)
• “It’s always a joy when people apply the skills and run with them.” (37:42 | Diane Christiansen)

Links

Connect with Diane Christiansen:

https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-last-real-showgirl/?srsltid=AfmBOopIU_UQUjzdoxLncQojXCx-0Ok6jvpHUkPcVLlSI2IG1MtRJYdz

https://www.instagram.com/the_last_real_showgirl/

https://www.christiansenactingacademy.com/

Connect with Scott Asmar:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottasmar5/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm