The Underlayer: Fear, Clarity & Personal Growth for Mid-Life Professionals

David Young
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Ever feel like you’re doing “fine” on the outside, but stuck or disconnected on the inside? You’re not broken, you’re just living above the surface. The Underlayer is a podcast for mid-life professionals navigating fear, identity, and personal growth, especially when success no longer feels fulfilling. Hosted by keynote speaker and podcast host David Young, each episode goes beneath surface-level advice to explore the deeper stories shaping how we show up at work, in relationships, and in our own lives. Through honest storytelling, psychology-informed insight, and the occasional uncomfortable truth, we unpack: Fear and anxiety that follow us from childhood into adulthoodWhy clarity and alignment feel harder in mid-lifeHow personal growth actually happens (without self-help clichés)What it means to find your voice and stop avoiding what matters You’ll hear solo reflections and conversations with personal growth experts, coaches, and deep thinkers — all focused on one thing: Understanding what’s really driving your patterns so you can move forward with clarity. 🎧 New episodes every Thursday. Start with: The Fear That Formed Me — the episode that explains why the thing that scared you most might be what you’re meant to heal. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2551407/episodes/18358211

  1. Aug 19

    Wild Golden Gophers, Costco gas, A crazy golf YT idea, and a job update with David Young

    In this solo episode of The Underlayer, David Young goes beneath the surface of what happens when a new routine is coming, and your brain decides it's the perfect time to build a side quest. We start with a job update: David walks through the new contract role, a genuinely good fit with a hybrid schedule, and why he's still excited to get back to work, earn again, and get out of the house, even when the onboarding timeline refuses to cooperate. Then golf takes over. His oldest son fell hard for the game this year, and it pulled David back into a sport he'd left behind. Twelve to fourteen rounds in, the competitive instinct is back — and so is the dangerous habit of consuming too many swing tips and trying to remember all of them over the ball. From there, David pitches a YouTube concept built around one of the longer shots in recreational golf: documenting the journey from a 12 handicap to scratch, with the 2028 U.S. Amateur qualifier at Whistling Straits sitting out there like a lighthouse.  Ambitious? Absolutely. Impossible? Probably. Worth documenting? That's the whole point. We close with real-life comedy — travel soccer practice directions that require a compass, a soccer ball that disappears into thin air, the Costco gas line phenomenon that turns normal adults into first-time astronauts, and a family story about wild golden gophers that still doesn't make sense.  If this episode hit home, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review with your most irrational public pet peeve.  The Underlayer YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@the_under_layer The Underlayer Podcast Website: https://www.theunderlayerpodcast.com/ David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-young-mba-indy/

  2. Aug 13

    Teacher Burnout, Real Self-Care, and running 3,000 days in a row with Sarah Fillion

    In this episode of The Underlayer, David Young sits down with Sarah Fillion, an educational consultant, coach, and keynote speaker with 20+ years in public education, to go beneath the surface of two crises hiding in plain sight:  What phones are actually doing to students, and what the system is doing to the people teaching them. We explore a question worth sitting with:  What happens to a generation that never learned to be bored? Sarah shares what she's seeing in schools right now as device bans spread across districts: fewer behavior issues, higher engagement, and lunch periods where students suddenly have to figure out how to talk to each other again. That discomfort, she argues, isn't a problem. It's the point. Together, we talk about the life skills missing from most curriculums: writing a clear email, questioning information in an AI-driven world, understanding personal finance, and why schools that get culture right don't just retain students. They retain teachers. Then we go straight at the burnout crisis. Sarah is direct about what educators are actually dealing with: rising demands, staffing shortages, and a job that never truly turns off. Real well-being isn't a pizza party. It's boundaries, recovery, and small non-negotiables that protect energy and purpose. This episode closes with one of the most memorable resilience stories I've heard: Sarah's nearly decade-long streak of running every single day. This episode is a reminder that sustainable performance doesn't come from pushing harder.  It comes from protecting what matters most. Topics We Cover Why phone bans are spreading — and what makes them actually workThe social skills students lose when screens fill every quiet momentLife skills that belong in every curriculum but aren't there yetWhat educator burnout really looks like beneath the surfaceWhy real self-care is about boundaries, not perksBuilding resilience through small, repeated non-negotiables Sarah's website: https://positiveschoolsolutions.com/ Sarah's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-fillion/ The Underlayer YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@the_under_layer The Underlayer Podcast Website: https://www.theunderlayerpodcast.com/ David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-young-mba-indy/

  3. Jul 29

    Why the Drummer Never Gets Credit (And What That Has to Do With Your Business) — with Stephen Moegling

    The fastest way to spot what’s really going on in your business might be to look at a band on stage.  Stephen Moegling is a longtime marketer, founder of Band of Misfits, and the drummer in a Led Zeppelin cover band, so we get to use music as a surprisingly sharp mirror for leadership, pressure, and performance.  We talk about what crowds actually want to hear, why “rare B-sides” fail, and how hiring a promoter is the same strategic move as hiring the right consultant when growth stalls. From there, we shift to the real reason so many coaches and consultants struggle to monetize their expertise: the story playing in their own heads. Steven shares what it felt like three months into going solo, the moment he almost quit, and how he recommitted.  We dig into brand positioning, authentic messaging, and the psychology of what buyers really purchase when they choose an expert. If you’ve ever felt the whiplash of a great day followed by one setback that spirals your confidence, this will land. We also get blunt about the modern coaching industry: the low barrier to entry, the marketing tactics that prey on fear, and why a supportive network can matter more than another template or funnel.  If you want a profitable, life-friendly consulting business built on clarity and courage, press play, then share this with a friend who needs a steadier beat.  Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us your most overrated band pick? Stephen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenmoegling/ Stephen's Website: https://www.welcomemisfit.com/ The Underlayer YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@the_under_layer The Underlayer Podcast Website: https://www.theunderlayerpodcast.com/ David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-young-mba-indy/

  4. Jul 22

    Leadership, Communication, Sales/Marketing, and Stand-Up Comedy with Allexis Tuccio

    Does your organization struggle with communication? Are top performers getting promoted into leadership roles, and then struggling once they get there? Are you a coach who wants to grow a real business, not just post content and hope? In this episode of The Underlayer, David Young sits down with Allexis Tuccio — Master Certified Coach, CEO and founder of EZPZ Coaching, and strategic advisor to C-Suite leaders, to unpack what's actually breaking down inside organizations, and what it takes to fix it. We explore a question most companies won't ask out loud:  What if the way you're developing and promoting leaders is the root cause of your communication problems? Allexis shares why elite individual performance rarely translates into management skills, how middle managers get trapped between leadership and frontline reality, and what it actually takes to build a coaching culture that sticks, not as a one-time initiative but as a multi-year commitment. Then we shift gears into what coaches actually need to grow a real business: visibility, niche clarity, and the pipeline basics that keep revenue steady. And yes, we talk stand-up comedy. Topics We Cover: Why top performers get promoted into management, and why it often backfiresHow to disagree upward with respect and real influenceCoaching culture as a multi-year commitment, not a quick fixCoach marketing fundamentals, consistent messaging, and the 7 to 11 touches ideaPipeline basics for coaches, tracking leads, follow-up, and using rejection as dataIf this episode helped, follow the show, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a quick review so more people can find The Underlayer. Allexis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allexistuccio/ Allexis Calendly: https://calendly.com/allexistuccio The Underlayer YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@the_under_layer The Underlayer Podcast Website: https://www.theunderlayerpodcast.com/ David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-young-mba-indy/

  5. Jul 6

    Pressure, Patterns, And The Nervous System In A Hyperconnected World with Mandy Morris

    Your nervous system is not broken. It's responding exactly the way it was trained. When email, Slack, social media, and nonstop entertainment flood your brain all day, your body reads "constant input" as "constant threat." A lot of us end up composed on the outside while feeling stuck, reactive, and exhausted on the inside, and we can't figure out why. In this episode, I sit down with Mandy Morris, a licensed professional counselor, executive psychology coach, and EMDR clinician, to unpack how pressure exposes the hidden patterns running underneath high achievers.  We go deep on why insight alone rarely creates lasting behavior change, what happens to your decision-making when stress hijacks the prefrontal cortex, and how productivity and self-worth quietly fuse into a loop that's hard to turn off. In this episode, we cover: Why the nervous system treats digital overload as a survival threatHow high achievers develop patterns under pressure that eventually work against themWhy success doesn't heal you, it amplifies what's already thereThe identity crash that can follow a big goal, and the physiology behind itHow to become an "inner scientist" who notices a thought without instantly believing itA free bilateral stimulation app that can help you downshift in under two minutesIf you've ever hit a big milestone and felt a strange emptiness afterward, or if you're running on fumes and can't explain why, this conversation will give you a framework for understanding what's actually happening and what to do about it. Listen, share it with someone who needs it, and subscribe so you don't miss what's next. Mandy's website: https://internaledge.my.canva.site/ Mandy's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandymorris/ Mandy's TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQOFmRwtR4o The Underlayer YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@the_under_layer The Underlayer Podcast Website: https://www.theunderlayerpodcast.com/ David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-young-mba-indy/

  6. Jun 30

    Reframe public speaking and make it your superpower with Amy Arbogast

    In this episode of The Underlayer, David Young sits down with public speaking coach Amy Arbogast to get underneath one of the most common fears in professional life and figure out what's actually driving it. We explore a powerful question:   What if the WAY you've been thinking about public speaking is the very thing making it harder? Amy shares why reframing the goal from performance to connection changes everything: your delivery, your structure, your nervous system, and your relationship with the room. Together, we talk about early experiences that shape how we communicate, why modern life gives us fewer chances to practice out loud, and what it actually means to build confidence that holds up under pressure. This episode is a reminder that speech anxiety isn't your enemy.  It's a signal, and you can learn to work with it instead of against it. Topics We Cover: Why public speaking feels so vulnerable (and why that's actually rational)Reframing speaking as connection, not performanceHow preparation builds confidence without becoming memorizationWhat texting culture and phone anxiety are doing to communication skillsTurning nervousness into a sign you care, not a reason to stop -- What conversation, presentation, or room have you been avoiding because you're waiting to feel ready?  Say the thing out loud this week, even imperfectly. If this episode helped, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more people can find The Underlayer. Amy's website: https://www.sparkspeakroc.com/ Amy's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyarbogast/ The Underlayer YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@the_under_layer The Underlayer Podcast Website: https://www.theunderlayerpodcast.com/ David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-young-mba-indy/

  7. Mar 5

    12 seconds, 36 words = The Best Motivational Speech of All-Time

    The Power of Pressure: How One Coach's Ultimatum Created Incredible Urgency. A slamming locker room door. A coach's warning. Thirty-six words that turned a .500 team into a wrecking crew. This isn't a story about inspiration; it's about consequences. When a high school basketball coach threatened to cancel Christmas break and institute 6 a.m. practices unless his team showed up against their county rival, everything changed. The result? Listen to find out. In this episode, we break down: Why clarity and near-term stakes outperform motivational speechesHow immediate consequences sharpen focus and elevate effortWhat leaders can learn from a full-court press and a blowout victoryA personal radio interview that revealed performance under a different kind of pressureWhether you're leading a team, running a business, or trying to ship your next project, this story offers a field-tested truth: deadlines bite harder than inspiration. Learn how to build productive pressure without burning people out. If this resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Then tell us: What's your most powerful motivation trigger? The Underlayer YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@the_under_layer The Underlayer Podcast Website: https://www.theunderlayerpodcast.com/ David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-young-mba-indy/

  8. Feb 26

    What if the Universe Rewards Your Next Bold Step?

    In this episode of The Underlayer, David Young sits down with business & leadership mentor Jodi Wilding to unpack the quiet ways high achievers play small: staying in safe roles, pleasing identities, and waiting for certainty that never comes. We explore a powerful question: What if the safest life is actually the riskiest? Jodi shares the turning points that pushed her toward alignment: loss, motherhood, and realizing her bold, adventurous self had gone quiet.  Together, we talk about guilt, worthiness, fear of rejection, and why belief has to come before evidence. This episode is a reminder that confidence doesn’t come from thinking more. It comes from doing. Topics We Cover Why capable people shrink themselvesReframing rejection as neutral dataBelief before proofTiny, repeated actions that build momentumSharing your real story, not just your resume One Question to Sit With What bold move have you been postponing because you’re waiting to feel ready? Take one aligned action this week. If this episode helped, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more people can find The Underlayer. Jodi's website: https://www.jodiwilding.com/ Jodi's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodi-wilding/ The Underlayer YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@the_under_layer The Underlayer Podcast Website: https://www.theunderlayerpodcast.com/ David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-young-mba-indy/

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About

Ever feel like you’re doing “fine” on the outside, but stuck or disconnected on the inside? You’re not broken, you’re just living above the surface. The Underlayer is a podcast for mid-life professionals navigating fear, identity, and personal growth, especially when success no longer feels fulfilling. Hosted by keynote speaker and podcast host David Young, each episode goes beneath surface-level advice to explore the deeper stories shaping how we show up at work, in relationships, and in our own lives. Through honest storytelling, psychology-informed insight, and the occasional uncomfortable truth, we unpack: Fear and anxiety that follow us from childhood into adulthoodWhy clarity and alignment feel harder in mid-lifeHow personal growth actually happens (without self-help clichés)What it means to find your voice and stop avoiding what matters You’ll hear solo reflections and conversations with personal growth experts, coaches, and deep thinkers — all focused on one thing: Understanding what’s really driving your patterns so you can move forward with clarity. 🎧 New episodes every Thursday. Start with: The Fear That Formed Me — the episode that explains why the thing that scared you most might be what you’re meant to heal. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2551407/episodes/18358211

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