It’s a New Year, and we’re starting 2025 by looking back at everything we learned in 2024. We talk about how one of us made the life-changing decision to get sober, and how that single choice improved not only our personal lives but the direction and consistency of this podcast. We also reflect on the massive growth we’ve seen since taking the podcast seriously in August—more views, more watch time, and way more subscribers.

As for 2025? We’ve got big goals. We’re saying goodbye to bad habits (yes, we’re giving up the weed), doubling down on self-discipline, and focusing on showing up for ourselves and our audience in bigger, better ways. We dive into how we plan to tackle personal growth, like being more present, overcoming people-pleasing tendencies, and leaning into authenticity—even when it’s uncomfortable.

We also talk about getting deeper spiritually, with one of us committing to explore their relationship with God and purpose by diving into philosophical and religious texts. On the professional side, we’re excited to improve the podcast even more by bringing in new guests, engaging with our listeners, and staying consistent in everything we do.

This episode is full of real talk—about the challenges of staying grounded, learning from failure, and balancing life while chasing your dreams. It’s an honest look at where we’ve been, where we’re headed, and how we plan to make 2025 a year of transformation. Tune in, and let’s take this journey together!

00:10 - Time Jump in Our Podcast Schedule!
01:00 - Yearly Recap: Reflecting on Our Podcast Journey

Personal Growth & Achievements
01:31 - Podcast Growth Since August 2024: Our Numbers!
03:09 - Consistency & Dedication: The Secret to Success
03:40 - How Sobriety Changed Our Personal & Professional Lives
04:44 - Sober Life Reflections: More Than Just a Change in Routine
05:59 - Sobriety Struggles: The Ups and Downs

Challenges & Reflections
10:00 - Action vs. Overthinking: Lessons Learned
11:30 - Embracing Not Knowing Everything
12:22 - Spending Time Alone to Grow & Reflect
14:27 - Focusing on Trust & Intuition
18:15 - Take Action Now: Don’t Wait for the Perfect Moment
20:00 - How Physical Exercise Boosts Mental Health
25:01 - Wishing We’d Focused More on the Podcast Sooner

Goals & Intentions for 2025
31:00 - Asking for Help & Managing Emotions Better
35:00 - Staying Present: The Power of Focus
40:00 - Quitting Bad Habits (Like Weed) for a Healthier Life
50:00 - Breaking Free From Vices: The Struggle to Stay Strong

Philosophical & Spiritual Exploration
01:22:41 - Exploring My Relationship with God & Spirituality
01:24:05 - Trusting the Universe: A Spiritual Discussion
01:27:00 - Diving Into Religious & Philosophical Texts for Deeper Insight

Podcast Improvements & Audience Engagement
01:35:30 - Big Thanks to Our Audience: Your Support Means the World!
01:36:01 - Huge Plans for the Podcast in 2025—Guests, Growth & More!

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NEW EPISODES WEEKLY!

"Who Thought We'd Be Here?" is hosted by Steven Aigner and John Pugh.

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"Grounding into Gratitude & Dealing with Your Displaced Anger | Episode #048

This week, we’re digging into the big stuff—like how to handle displaced anger, break free from people-pleasing, and challenge outdated stereotypes about masculinity. We explore how mindfulness and gratitude can help you stay grounded, even when life throws you a curveball. Plus, we dive into how noticing your irritability and physically grounding yourself can shift your mindset in powerful ways.

On the practical side, we share tips for eliminating brain fog in the morning, celebrating the growth of others, and learning how to stop caring what people think about your lifestyle choices. And, as always, we sprinkle in some chaos: Steve gets fired up about perseverance, JP confesses his undying love for Kendrick Lamar’s "GNX," and we brainstorm whether advertising on a Macy’s Day Parade float could be the ultimate power move.

Life’s unpredictable, so why not celebrate the wins, rethink what’s possible, and laugh along the way? Tune in for honest reflections, actionable advice, and a few ridiculous ideas that might just inspire you.

00:18 Guests are coming

3:25 Bringing our audience unique and interesting perspectives

9:45 Awareness around how you treat strangers when you aren’t feeling your best

11:40 Dealing w/ Displaced Anger

13:15 Society stereotypes about masculinity

15:45 Disciplined mindfulness

18:00 Running in the Rain

20:15 Being your own support system

22:00 People pleasing

26:30 Rejoicing in the growth of others

29:30 Not caring what people think about your lifestyle choices

31:25 Noticing your irritability

35:15 Nothing is guaranteed in this life

38:30 Physically Grounding yourself in gratitude

43:00 Come back to this video on episode 4,000

46:55 “I want the Whoop AI to be my friend”

47:30 Steve loves the idea of perseverance

48:55 JP is very grateful for Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX”

53:00 Eliminating Brain fog in the morning

58:00 Should we advertise on a Macy’s Day Parade Float??

Join Whoop with our promotional code and get your first month free!

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Sign up for online therapy with our referral link.
Get 20% off your first month with our podcast's link:

https://www.online-therapy.com/create_account.php?ref=199376&click_id=1025bb329a3007391208e272f114bc&utm_source=3088_Who%20Thought%20Wed%20Be%20Here%20Podcast&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=2&offer_ref=offer1&&cookie_test=1

Shout out to our favorite neighborhood screen printer JOKER INK https://www.jokerink.com/

NEW EPISODES WEEKLY!

"Who Thought We'd Be Here?" is hosted by Steven Aigner and John Pugh.

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“The Power of Consistency, Mastering Your Brain States, Wisdom from Matthew McConaughey | EP 047

We’re back, and we’re leveling up. In this episode, we recap Will McGuire’s last visit, hype up our plans to bring on new, fascinating guests, and celebrate sticking with this podcast journey. Spoiler alert: we’re kind of proud of ourselves.

We dive into the life hacks that are changing our game: yoga for better sleep, avoiding your phone in the morning, and hypnotizing yourself into becoming the best version of you.

Along the way, we tackle some hard truths: stop half-assing things (shoutout #MatthewMcConaughey), control the controllable (thanks, John Cena), and admit that scrolling on social media might be ruining your brain (yikes). But hey, Deepak Chopra says you do have enough time to meditate, so there’s hope.

As always, we sprinkle in some ridiculous tangents—color TV is the root of all evil, #veganrecipes are everywhere on our Instagram feed, and apparently Tom Glavine is the number 47 GOAT. Plus, every time you watch our #podcast , you’re helping us feed our dogs. What’s not to love?

2:00 Recap of Will’s previous episode, More guests are coming
6:00 Expanding our podcast
8:20 Proving to ourselves that we could stick with the podcast consistently
9:15 We’re looking for new and interesting guests
12:10 Wanted Ad: Looking for Good Person
14:50 “You can’t shoot for the moon when you don’t even work at nasa yet”
20:00 Taking stock of the progress we’ve made so far
23:00 Incorporating yoga to improve your sleep cycle and circadian rhythm
24:40 Avoiding being on your #smartphone right away in the morning hours
26:30 Beta and alpha brain states and hypnotizing yourself to be the best version
29:20 the importance of keeping your body in peak condition
29:45 Our podcast instagram news feed is just #veganrecipes
31:00 Discussing how proud we are of our whoop scores
32:35 Giving up wrestling for yoga? No fucking way
33:50 Little habits make big gains
34:50 Your future self will thank you for putting in the work
35:22 stop half assing things and don’t bullshit yourself- Matthew McConaughey
36:50 Color TV is the root of all evil
37:55 the science behind scrolling on socials and comparing yourself to others 38:55 becoming aware of the fact that many of our problems have ourselves at the root #selfreflection
39:10 Deepak Chopra says you do have enough time to meditate
41:29 Consuming our podcast mindfully is better for you than mindlessly scrolling on TikTok
43:00 Nothing like a spirited conversation to get the podcast going
43:10 What could happen or change in your life if you cut your screen time down
45:00 Watch our podcast so we can feed our dogs
46:35 “Control the controllable” - John Cena
47:00 Tom Glavine is indeed number 47, Troy Percival is not
47:35 Shoutout to angels in the outfield and #MatthewMcConaughey

Join Whoop with our promotional code and get your first month free!

https://join.whoop.com/us/en/Whothoughtwedbeherepod/

Sign up for online therapy with our referral link.
Get 20% off your first month with our podcast's link:

https://www.online-therapy.com/create_account.php?ref=199376&click_id=1025bb329a3007391208e272f114bc&utm_source=3088_Who%20Thought%20Wed%20Be%20Here%20Podcast&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=2&offer_ref=offer1&&cookie_test=1

Shout out to our favorite neighborhood screen printer JOKER INK https://www.jokerink.com/

NEW EPISODES WEEKLY!

"Who Thought We'd Be Here?" is hosted by Steven Aigner and John Pugh.

https://linktr.ee/whothoughtwedbeherepod

Please Like, Follow, Share, and Enjoy!!!