Purpose and Perseverance Podcast

Deacon Brad Watkins
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Health & Fitness
  • Weekly

"By your perseverance, you will secure your lives." Luke 21:19 Conversations ordered to understanding our purpose, living well, and persevering in mind, body, and soul. AMDG

  1. 1h ago

    #76 You Can't Out Train A Bad Diet (Or Can You?)

    We've all heard the expression, "You can't out train a bad diet." But I think it works in both directions. Exercise alone is rarely enough to overcome consistently eating too much, while demanding physical training without adequate nutrition can be equally problematic. Drawing on my own experience training for an ultramarathon, in this episode I think through the relationship between nutrition, exercise, weight loss, and muscle preservation, and why being intentional about how we fuel and train our bodies is essential to long-term health and well-being.

    #76 You Can't Out Train A Bad Diet (Or Can You?)

  2. 1h ago ·  Bonus

    You Might Also Like: Possible with Reid Hoffman

    Introducing AI’s midterm coalitions, Anthropic’s safety bill, and VC conflicts from Possible with Reid Hoffman. Follow the show: Possible with Reid Hoffman Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger weigh in on AI policy heading into the midterms, from Bernie Sanders and Greg Casar’s proposal to ban superintelligence to Anthropic’s own frontier AI safety bill. They map the political coalitions forming around AI regulation, including a bipartisan push from Chris Murphy and Josh Hawley to hold developers liable when AI agents hack. Reid explains why pausing AI for a congressional process would be a mistake. He argues AI companies should work with any administration but stay transparent about political spending, and that government can borrow expertise through councils and working groups. He also makes the case for his dual mandate: keep America in the lead on AI while making sure it helps people now. They also examine Satya Nadella’s call to treat AI models as potential insider risks, the public feud between Factory and Cognition, and whether VCs can still back competing AI startups. Along the way, Reid uses water-cooler conversations to explore where company IP ends and human nature begins. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

    You Might Also Like: Possible with Reid Hoffman

  3. Oct 25

    #75 Calories: What We Don't Understand Can Hurt Us

    A family trip to Dollywood and a heartbreaking encounter with a mother unable to ride an attraction with her children prompted me to reflect on the consequences of obesity and the importance of nutritional education. In this episode, I explore the basics of calories, basal metabolic rate (BMR), total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), macronutrients, and energy balance. More importantly, I consider why we should be having more conversations about physical health within the Church, approaching these challenges with charity, compassion, understanding, and practical guidance. Caring for the whole person means caring for both body and soul, and understanding how our bodies work is an important step toward living more fully and well. BMR Calculator: Calculator.net - BMR Calculator This free calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation by default and provides estimates of both basal metabolic rate and daily calorie needs based on activity level. Remember that these are estimates, not precise measurements! Oh! And if you have any show suggestions, please email them to me at deacon.watkins@gmail.com

    #75 Calories: What We Don't Understand Can Hurt Us

  4. Oct 18

    #74 The Unintentional Calories

    There's just no question that the majority of Americans are now overweight or obese. Sad, but true. The challenge, I would argue, is that most who struggle in this regard very likely got that way unintentionally. By which I mean, they eat and drink without even considering how many calories are in their foods and beverages. And even if they do give it some thought, I'd be willing to bet they're not tracking the sneaky calories that can add hundreds of extra calories everyday.  In this episode I talk about eating and drinking intentionally as a means to the end of having better health outcomes.

    #74 The Unintentional Calories

  5. Oct 11

    #73 Not Everything Can Be Fixed

    Some problems can be solved permanently. Others, particularly those involving people, relationships, and competing responsibilities, rarely offer such satisfying resolutions. In this episode, I reflect on the mental weight of being dependable, the challenge of making prudent decisions that may leave others disappointed, and the difference between taking responsibility for our decisions and assuming responsibility for everyone's reactions to them. Drawing on personal experience and an example from Mark's Gospel, I explore what perseverance looks like when doing the right thing doesn't necessarily bring a problem to a neat and satisfying conclusion.

    #73 Not Everything Can Be Fixed

  6. Oct 4

    #72 Who Are You Going To Believe?

    We live in a world where nearly everything seems to be spun, filtered, marketed, or manipulated. Influencers exaggerate problems to sell solutions, news outlets select stories that reinforce the expectations of their audiences, politicians shape facts to fit narratives, and algorithms increasingly determine what we see and hear. In this episode, I consider what it means to live fully and well in a culture increasingly untethered from truth - and why common sense, logic, education, and a well-formed intellect matter more than ever. We may not be able to control the noise around us, but we can become much better at recognizing it, questioning it, and seeking what is actually true.

    #72 Who Are You Going To Believe?

  7. Sep 27

    #71 Life Isn't Fun And Easy

    Why do I have to learn this? When am I ever going to use it? Those are fair questions, but increasingly I wonder if something deeper is underneath them: an expectation that life should be fun and easy. In this episode, I reflect on education, our declining capacity for sustained attention, the effects of algorithms and endless scrolling, and why doing difficult things matters even when the immediate purpose isn't obvious. From algebra and geometry to the gym, artificial intelligence, the parable of the talents, and ultimately vocation, the point isn't simply learning information. It's becoming the kind of person capable of doing hard things in pursuit of things that are good - especially when life isn't fun and easy.

    #71 Life Isn't Fun And Easy

  8. Sep 20

    #70 Enough For Today

    There will always be another email to answer, another problem to solve, another task to finish, and another good thing we could be doing. For people who take their responsibilities seriously, it can become remarkably difficult to simply stop. In this episode, I reflect on our tendency to measure ourselves against everything that remains undone, the humility required to accept that we are finite creatures, and why rest is not the opposite of perseverance, but one of the things that makes perseverance possible. Drawing from Genesis, Christ asleep during the storm, and the ordinary experience of reaching the end of a day with plenty still left to do, I consider what it means to faithfully say: that was enough for today.

    #70 Enough For Today
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"By your perseverance, you will secure your lives." Luke 21:19 Conversations ordered to understanding our purpose, living well, and persevering in mind, body, and soul. AMDG

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