This is a hard blog post to write.

I've been feeling really rough lately.

At first, I thought it was my incessant "artist struggle" to get bills paid and pour myself out for all to see. I thought maybe it's that gosh-darned low grade depression which follows me around from time to time... (It very well might be.)

But as the gloom presses down upon me further and further, my detective-brain hunts furiously to get to the bottom of it. Perhaps it's just the continued life changes I've endured over the last 5 years? Perhaps too much proverbial shit has hit the fan for me? Perhaps I'm just too worn down to smile like I used to?

The blanket of despair gets heavier.

So my detective-brain works harder...

But zooming out across a timeline doesn't help me see this source of despair any clearer.

It's zooming out across the world which brings me to see the real source of all this seriousness and joylessness in myself.

It's Orlando. It's Istanbul. It's Paris. It's Baghdad. It's our fucking politics. It's Alton Sterling. It's Dallas. It's misplaced power.

It's grief.

It's vulnerability.

It's sorrow.

So, yes, this is a hard blog post to write. 

But then again, it's easy.

In fact, some would say writing a blog post is the least I could do. And in some respects, they would be absolutely correct. 

You know what's really hard?

• Saying goodbye to your husband-the-police-officer or husband-the-citizen as he leaves for work this morning
• Not saying goodbye to your beloved before they depart from this world.
• Watching your beloved die before your very eyes.
• Watching your beloved die unjustly before your very eyes.
• Feeling powerless.
• Feeling like choice and freedom is stripped from your life.

...

Some of you know that I've been working up some magic in the near distance. I'm starting a podcast. It launches August 16th. On one hand, I'm thrilled about it. It's exciting. It lets me feel creative. I get to have cool conversations and talk about interesting things with interesting people. 

But on the other hand, the production and launch plan of this little podcast seems futile.

Especially this morning.

As I was wallowing in the sorrow of it all pressing down on me, I was (understandably) having a hard time motivating myself out of bed.

In light of my existential global awareness, I was feeling really useless. 

Making graphics, creating content, editing interviews, scheduling future guest appearances, etc. - it doesn't really make a big difference to start a little weekly podcast from my home studio...

But then it hit me. THAT is what this podcast is about.

That change I want to see in the world?

It's more BRAVERY.

We need people to do brave things, now more than ever.

We need to hear about someone else's fear.

We need to understand someone's vulnerability.

We need the courage to finally do something about it.

We need the creativity to finally make a change happen.

We need more bravery.

We need each other.

So this humble little show which seemed so futile this morning is what I want to see in the world.

It's more Bravery. 

The podcast launches August 16th.

It'll be on iTunes and any other place you can listen to podcasts. If you're on my Early Access List you'll get a reminder when it launches and little summaries of each episode in your weekly email. 

But if you are like me and know our world needs more bravery...

Then maybe you want to help launch the show. If so, click here. 

I'm accepting applications now until July 22nd.

But the bottom-line I want to communicate to you is this:

Be Yourself. Be Vulnerable. Be Brave. 

We need your bravery.

*I* need your bravery.