In this episode of Feeding Curiosity, host Erich Wenzel reflects on the journey and insights from training for and completing two marathons. He discusses the challenges and sacrifices involved, including balancing marathon training with a full-time job and transitioning to a new career. Erich emphasizes the importance of building new experiences, pushing personal limits, and the mental and physical discipline required for such a demanding goal. He shares practical tips on endurance training, managing expectations, and the broader life lessons from this transformative experience.

In this episode, Joe and Erich discuss their experiences in 2022 and their plans for 2023. They reflect on how they felt stagnant in the previous few years and lay the groundwork for the reemergence that started in late 2022. They talk about the shift in momentum when Joe began to live streams after moving to Nashville in mid-2022. Erich also talks about pushing himself physically with runs and rides, which has led to his commitment to run in the Chicago Marathon in 2023. They mention how the book "The Comfort Crisis" has influenced them to get more comfortable with the uncomfortable. They also talk about Joe's pursuit of a master's and Ph.D. and the importance of being critical of human culture and striving for something greater. They believe that setting aspirational goals, even if the likelihood of achieving them is small, can lead to personal growth and embodiment of those goals.

I was reflecting on four years of podcasting and creating content for Feeding Curiosity! I wanted to share how I think about this project and how it impacts my life and those I connect with! Thank you to everyone who's been a part of this project for the past four years.

Today, my guest on the podcast is returning friend Jordan Criss. As always, Jordan jumps on the podcast and is off to the races. This episode was recorded on new year's Eve, a couple of hours before 2021. We took this time to reflect on the year. This year was a whole bunch of changes for all of us personally outside of the podcast. We dove around the different things we learned about ourselves and what changed in 2020.

Each year, I reflect on what it means and why I continue to spend an inordinate amount of time on Feeding Curiosity.

This year, I was drawn to the first episode of the podcast. I finally listened to it again in its entirety. As someone who criticizes themselves heavily. Had I not put it out in the wild less than 24 hours after recording the episode on February 8th, 2018. I don't know if I would have kept going.

I've spent the last two weeks reflecting on what is most important to me. This short episode was born from contemplating what I am most grateful for in 2020. We could talk endlessly about what could have been better in the last year, but what were the rays of light shown through this year?

A short episode on ways to get me out of a creative slump. What works for you?

Erich shares some ideas that he's been working through. The weight of the world's problems and chaos has almost felt insurmountable in the last few weeks. At its worst, how can one person make a real difference in the chaos?

Today's episode is a special one that I've been honestly planning for quite some time. We've now reached, well, frankly, over a hundred episodes of Feeding Curiosity instead of doing the typical interviewing Q&A. That didn't feel like it captured the spirit of what Feeding Curiosity has been for me and what it has evolved into over the last two years.

Erich shares his thoughts on the journey of Feeding Curiosity and what others can take away from it.

It's officially one year of podcasting! What a wild ride it's been. I would never have expected this is where it would take me. Looking back over what we've created is fantastic. The responses I've received blow me away, and I hope to keep getting more of those. Here is a special episode of the podcast, looking back on the last year and where we are heading. I want to thank every guest who's come on the show to share a little bit of their story with me. It's been an honor and a privilege that you let me share it with the world.

Happy New Year from Joe, Jordan, and Erich! This has been a wild ride, and it honestly couldn't be more fun! As Feeding Curiosity approaches its first birth, we look back on the last year of podcasts with twenty-nine episodes! Thank you to every listener for coming along for the ride!

Thank you to all the guests who have been on the show and for sharing your stories!

In 2019, we were just getting started!