Other People's Shoes

Neil Matthews
  • 4.9 (77)
  • CHRISTIANITY
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On my show, I aim to create a space that allows us all to hear each other's points of view. Constructive dialog helps us all realize that truly hearing another person's story can enrich our lives. After all, when you walk in Other People's Shoes, you really do get a different perspective on life.

  1. Twenty Twenty

    3D AGO

    Twenty Twenty

    🎙 WHO’S THERE -“2020”Hindsight is 20/20… but only after everything changes 🚪 SEASON THEME: WHO’S THERESeason 22 asks a simple but unsettling question: What happens when life knocks… and you answer? And just as powerfully  what happens when you don’t? Some knocks are subtle. Some are disruptive. Some arrive without warning and change the direction of everything. This season explores the moments when life crosses the threshold not always politely and asks us to respond. 👁️ WHY “HINDSIGHT IS 20/20”We hear the phrase “hindsight is 20/20” all the time. It means clarity only comes after the moment has passed. After the decision. After the accident. After the door has already been opened or slammed shut. You don’t see clearly in the moment. You see clearly looking back. This episode lives right there in the space between what we thought we knew and what life revealed later. 👣 GUEST INTRODUCTIONToday’s guest is Danielle Matthews and yes, we share the same last name, though we are not related. That coincidence opens the door to a deeper conversation about perspective, meaning, and how clarity often comes after impact. Danielle talks about the importance of staying in your own lane focusing inward, doing your work, and not being pulled into chaos that isn’t yours. And then she shares this: At 23, a drunk driver crossed into her lane and hit her head-on. Not because she wasn’t paying attention. Not because she did anything wrong. But because life doesn’t always respect our lanes. Only later in hindsight did meaning begin to take shape. We even briefly touch on cultural ideas of irony, including Ironic, but what surfaces is something more honest than irony: the truth that wisdom doesn’t prevent life from knocking it shapes how we respond after. 🌱 HER STORYDoctors told Danielle to accept permanent impairment as her new normal. She refused. What followed wasn’t just physical recovery it was an internal awakening. Despite being told she would never heal, Danielle restored her physical health through redox signaling. That internal shift opened the door to Eastern philosophy, Yoga Nidra, and Yoga Therapy practices that helped her reset her nervous system, release stored trauma, and find calm no matter what was happening externally. What happened to her didn’t make sense in the moment. It only began to make sense looking back. That’s hindsight. 💡 POWERFUL POINTS FROM THIS EPISODEThese aren’t takeaways they’re reflections that come with time: If you feel like a victim, what if life isn’t conspiring against you, but awakening you? What is this challenge making possible? Who can I be when I am complete as I am? The best thing that ever happened to me was my accident. It’s not out there it’s inside me. When awareness shifts, you see fault differently. There is a blue sky somewhere… even when you can’t see it yet. 🔗 CONNECT WITH DANIELLE📺 YouTube 🎧 LISTEN & FOLLOW OTHER PEOPLE’S SHOES🩵 Instagram 👍 Facebook 🐦 X 📺 YouTube 👟 Website 📣 LEAVE A REVIEWIf this episode helped you see something differently looking back, a review helps others find conversations that meet them right where they are. 👉 Leave a review

    40 min
  2. Rejected

    JAN 14

    Rejected

    🎙 Episode Title: Rejected🧩 Season Theme: Who’s There? 🚪 This season asks one haunting question: Who’s knocking at your life’s door? Some knocks invite healing. Others demand courage. And some… almost change everything. ⚠️ Listener AdvisoryThis episode contains adult and mature subject matter. Listener discretion is strongly advised. This conversation includes honest discussions around addiction, recovery, suicide awareness, and life-altering trauma. These themes are shared with care and purpose, but they may be difficult for some listeners. Please take care of yourself and choose the right time and space before pressing play. 👣 Guest Introduction: Some knocks don’t come gently. Some arrive loud, chaotic, and terrifying. This week’s guest, Tim Wessel, experienced an almost knock a moment so close to opening the door that it would have changed his life forever. At one of the darkest points in his life, Tim was on his way out the door to end his life when someone else was already there, about to knock. That interruption. That presence. That moment changed everything. Tim is an ordained pastor and certified Peer Recovery Coach with a deep background in business leadership, ministry, and recovery. After earning his BBA in Accounting Information Systems from Eastern Michigan University, Tim spent 12 years working in public accounting, serving everyone from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies across the United States. But Tim’s true calling has always been people. For more than a decade, he served as an Outreach and Recovery Pastor, building relationships and walking with individuals through addiction, loss, and rebuilding a life rooted in passion, purpose, prosperity, and peace. Tim is a powerful communicator whose story has reached state capitals, conferences, and awareness events focused on addiction, alcohol abuse, and suicide prevention. His testimony, known worldwide through The Tim Video, continues to deliver hope to those who feel stuck in survival mode—pointing the way toward thriving. This episode isn’t easy. It’s honest. And it’s exactly the kind of story this season exists to tell. 💡 Episode Highlights: The almost knock that nearly changed Tim’s life forever. The moment someone showed up when Tim was ready to walk away. How does Tim forgive? Could you forgive? 🔗 Connect with Tim Wessel: 🎥 The Tim Video-most watch Learn more about Tim here 📣 Share this episode with someone who may need hope today. 🎧 Listen & Follow Other People’s Shoes: 🩵 Instagram 👍 Facebook 🐦 X 📺 YouTube 👟 Website 📣 Leave Us a Review: If this episode moved you, challenged you, or made you pause before answering the next knock don’t keep it to yourself. Leave a review and let us know how stepping into Tim’s shoes impacted you.

    56 min
  3. Intruder

    JAN 7

    Intruder

    🎙 SEASON 22: WHO THERE 🚪 As we step into Season 22, I’m asking one big question: Who’s knocking at your life’s door? 👤 Is it a long-lost friend… a past mistake… or an opportunity you never saw coming? 💡 Is it joy, peace, and purpose… or fear, doubt, and bad habits? Some doors we throw open 🔓 Some we keep locked 🔒 Some knocks change everything This season is about the front-door moments the knock you can’t ignore. ⚠️ LISTENER WARNINGListener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussion of abuse, physical assault, and gun violence. 👣 GUEST INTRODUCTIONWhat if someone invaded your home and your life through physical, emotional, and sexual violence? Could you forgive them? Would you ever want to? My first guest of Season 22 is Kimberly Haar, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), and author of Healing from Life’s Deepest Hurts. Kim doesn’t speak about forgiveness from theory she lives it. A survivor of domestic violence, she discovered firsthand what real healing looks like when faith meets trauma. 💡 EPISODE TAKEAWAYSHave you ever danced with Jesus in the middle of pain?Can forgiveness be learned or is it a daily decision?How do you draw close to God after trauma?How do you find joy when the night has been long?📘 ABOUT THE BOOKKim’s work is a reminder that God can transform pain into joy. Her book offers: A gentle guide through healing from grief, loss, and trauma Compassionate biblical wisdom paired with practical mental-health tools Insight from a survivor, counselor, and therapist with nearly two decades of experience If you’ve struggled with shame, guilt, anger, unforgiveness, or felt abandoned by God, this book may be exactly what you need to move toward restoration. 🔗 CONNECT WITH KIMBERLY HAAR🌐 Website 📕 Book 🎧 LISTEN & FOLLOW OTHER PEOPLE’S SHOES🩵 Instagram 👍 Facebook 🐦 X 📺 YouTube 👟 Website 📣 LEAVE A REVIEWIf this episode stayed with you, a quick review helps more people find stories that matter. 👉 Leave a review

    52 min
  4. Atlas

    12/31/2025

    Atlas

    🎙✨ SEASON FINALE: ATLAS✨🧩 SEASON THEME: HUNGRY: This season finale asks a simple but weighty question: what are you carrying?Atlas, the Titan condemned to hold up the sky, has become a symbol for anyone who feels responsible for keeping everything together relationships, expectations, appearances, success. Strength slowly turns into obligation. Responsibility becomes identity. By the end of the Hungry season, the tension is clear: you can’t keep holding the world and still be fed. This episode explores the invisible weight of approval, people-pleasing, and perfection and what happens when hunger finally forces you to put something down. 👣 Guest Introduction:Megan Bunnell is a transformational coach, speaker, and founder of Megan Bunnell Coaching, a space dedicated to helping women stop surviving and start choosing themselves. Her work is rooted in the idea of tantalum a rare, resilient metal known for its strength under extreme pressure. That metaphor runs deep here. Megan believes resilience isn’t something women need to find it’s something they need permission to trust. Through practical tools, reflection, and honest conversation, Megan helps women navigate burnout, self-doubt, and over-functioning, guiding them back to who they are beneath the weight they’ve been carrying. Her clients describe her as grounding, clarifying, and steady someone who helps you trust your own voice again. 💡 Episode Highlights⚖️ How heavy is the burden of people-pleasing  really? 🤐 Is other people’s approval worth keeping secrets for? 🪨 What are you holding that was never yours to carry? 🧠 What is your algorithm feeding you and who does it benefit? 📝 What is a brain dump, and how can it clear internal noise? ⏰ What would a 4 a.m. wake-up do for you? 🎭 Not as hustle… but as space. 📝  Silence before the world speaks. 🧠 Stillness before expectations arrive. 📝  Could waking early help you hear yourself again? 🤝 Can you really trust yourself and what happens when you do? 💭 Is it actually okay to be you, without permission? 🔗 Connect with Megan Bunnell🌐 Website: Megan Bunnell Coaching 📸 Instagram: @meganbunnellcoaching 🎧 Listen & Follow Other People’s Shoes👟 Website 🩵 Instagram 👍 Facebook 🐦 X 📺 YouTube 📣 Leave Us a ReviewIf this episode made you pause, exhale, or rethink the weight you’re carrying, we’d love to hear from you. 💬 Leave a review and tell us how this conversation met you.

    46 min
  5. The Gift

    12/24/2025

    The Gift

    🎙 EPISODE TITLE: THE GIFT🎁  🧩 SEASON THEME: HUNGRYThis season has been about appetite  not just for success or answers, but for meaning, honesty, and something real. The Gift sits right in the middle of that hunger, asking a simple but unsettling question: What does this world actually need right now? 👣 GUEST INTRODUCTION: A CHRISTMAS TRADITIONFor six years now, Christmas on Other People’s Shoes has looked a little different. No polished bow. No scripted cheer. Just Neil and Garrett sitting down together reflecting, laughing, asking harder questions than expected, and revisiting the journey they’ve been on together. This year, the tradition continues with The Gift  a conversation about what we give, what we withhold, and what we’re still hungry for when the lights come down and the wrapping paper is gone. 💡 EPISODE HIGHLIGHTSWhat we say we want for Christmas vs. what the world actually needs Why some gifts can’t be bought, wrapped, or returned The danger of mistaking comfort for fulfillment A lighthearted but telling moment around shoe sizes  including the reminder that Shaquille O’Neal famously wears a U.S. men’s size 22, proving once again that not everyone walks through life with the same footprint Reflections on six years of Christmas episodes and how the meaning keeps changing A reminder that hunger isn’t a flaw  it’s often an invitation 🎁 THE HEART OF THE EPISODE: THE GIFTForgiveness. Time. Attention. Listening without fixing. Showing up when it’s inconvenient. These are the gifts that don’t trend, don’t sparkle, and don’t fit neatly under a tree but they’re the ones people remember. 🎧 Listen & Follow Other People’s Shoes: 🩵 Instagram 👍 Facebook 🐦 X (Twitter) 📺 YouTube 👟 Website 📣 Leave Us a Review: If this episode made you pause, reflect, or rethink what you’re offering the people around you, we’d love to hear from you. Leave a review and let us know what The Gift meant to you. 🎄 🎧 LISTEN, REFLECT, AND WALK WITH US Thank you for spending another Christmas with us. Thank you for walking in Other People’s Shoes. And thank you for staying hungry for more compassion, more perspective, and more truth. Merry Christmas from Other People’s Shoes. 👟🎄

    52 min
  6. Crap...

    12/17/2025

    Crap...

    🎙✨ CRAP🧩 Season Theme: Hungry It starts with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread. 🥪 Cheap. Easy. Normal. At 15 years old, Dr. Aaron Chapa found himself overweight, confused, and hungry for direction  with no real guidance on food, health, or how the body actually works. This episode is called “CRAP” because sometimes what we eat, what we trust, and what we’re told is “normal” slowly shapes us in ways we don’t see… until it costs us. 👣 Guest IntroductionDr. Aaron Chapa’s health journey didn’t start in a clinic  it started in his own body. In eighth grade, struggling with his weight, he made one bold decision: cut sugar. That single change led to a 45-pound weight loss in one summer and sparked a lifelong pursuit of health and wellness. But everything shifted when Aaron held his father in his arms as he passed away suddenly from a heart attack. In that moment, he realized the system meant to protect health had failed and his calling became clear. Today, Dr. Chapa is a functional wellness educator, chiropractor, and co-founder of Living Well Clinical Nutrition Center, helping people heal without drugs or surgery by focusing on health at the cellular level. 💡 Episode Highlights🥪 How “normal food” quietly becomes long-term damage 📏 Why a 1-degree change matters  inch by inch, it’s a cinch 🫀 How losing his father reshaped his mission and message 📊 Does the American Heart Association actually get nutrition right? 📖 The recipe you can’t afford to miss 🎥 Are we eating “make-believe food”? (Think "Hook" the movie) 🍭 Should sugar be treated like a controlled substance? 🚫 What C.R.A.P. really stands for and why it matters 🥩 Is carnivore the answer… or just part of the conversation? 🔗 Learn More About Dr. Aaron Chapa🌐 Website: drchapawellness.com 🎧 Listen & Follow Other People’s Shoes🩵 Instagram 👍 Facebook 🐦 X 📺 YouTube 👟 Website 📣 Leave Us a ReviewIf this episode challenged what you eat, how you think, or what you’ve been told about health, we’d love to hear it. 💬 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

    50 min
  7. Now And Next

    12/10/2025

    Now And Next

    🎙✨ NOW AND NEXT🧩 Season Theme: HungryyAs we enter the home stretch of this season, the conversations get even more honest. “Hungry” has always been about the things we long forrconnection, clarity, purposeeand this episode lands right in that space..Most of us spend too much time wishing we could rewrite the past..However, in this episode leans into a mindset shift called “the now and the next.” It’s about asking two simple but powerful questions: What can I do with the now that’s right in front of me? And who is the next person I can impact in a meaningful way? It’s presence and purpose staying grounded in today while staying open to who might need you tomorrow. 👣 Guest IntroductionToday I’m joined by Marco Vega a full-time music industry pro, part-time story listener, and the self-proclaimed “bad boy of Music Row.” 🎸😎 Behind the persona is someone who understands connection, presence, and what it means to truly show up for people. Marco also works with Loqui, a human-to-human “listening as a service” platform that gives people someone real to talk to when life feels heavy. 🗣❤️ 💡 Episode Highlights✨ How “the now and the next” can reframe the way you move through life 😋 “Don’t yuck someone else’s yum” honoring others’ joy without judgment 📞 Do you have a 911 person for life’s emergencies? 🔌 Why we’re hyper-connected yet deeply lonely ❓ Would your friends actually call you if they needed something? 🏝️ What Tom Hanks & Wilson (yes, that Wilson) still teach us about connection 👂 Loqui’s mission: real people, real listening, real support 🔗 Connect with Marco Vega:Marco Vega 🔗 Learn More About Loqui:🌐 Website: https://loquilistening.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/loquilistening 🎧 Listen & Follow Other People’s Shoes:🩵 Instagram 👍 Facebook 🐦 X 📺 YouTube 👟 Website 📣 Leave Us a ReviewIf this episode nudged you, challenged you, or gave you something to chew on, we’d love to hear it. 💬 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

    48 min
  8. Chicken Or Fish

    12/03/2025

    Chicken Or Fish

    🎙 Chicken Or Fish🧩 Season Theme: Hungry As we enter the home stretch of this season, the conversations get even more honest. “Hungry” has always been about the things we long for connection, clarity, purpose and this episode lands right in that space. 👣 Guest Introduction: My guest this week is Jonathan McLean, a true “Why” guy. He’s the kind of person who isn’t afraid to ask the deeper questions and follow them wherever they lead. Our conversation begins in a vulnerable place: the hunger to be seen, heard, and loved by those closest to us. Jonathan opened up about his relationship with his father and the ache that comes from waiting for someone to reach out. It’s something I relate to and maybe you do too. The title Chicken Or Fish comes right out of Jonathan’s world at Osprey Guide. He shared a powerful picture: the osprey, a bird that doesn’t play it safe. It dives headfirst into cold, deep, messy water to get what it needs. It goes all in, even when it’s uncomfortable. Because staying stuck scared, hesitant, and frozen like a chicken never gets you fed. That became the heart of our conversation: Are you diving into the life that’s meant for you? Or are you standing on the shore, afraid of the water? We explore what it means to be truly seen, the weight we carry when success doesn’t feel aligned, and the pain of longing for connection from someone who never quite reaches back. And near the end, Jonathan leads us into something I don’t think has ever happened on the show before an exercise you’re invited to do with us. It’s simple, grounding, and surprisingly emotional. Jonathan’s work centers on helping people understand their wiring through Human Design and step into their lives with clarity and courage. If you’ve felt “successfully stuck,” overwhelmed, or shaped by the expectations of others, his approach may hit home. 💡 Episode Highlights: The osprey metaphor: choosing courage over fearJonathan’s deep hunger for connection with his fatherWhat it means to feel seen and understoodThe weight we carry when success doesn’t feel alignedA first-time-on-the-show guided exercise🔗 Connect with Jonathan McLean: 🌐 Osprey Guide 👍 Facebook 🎧 Listen & Follow Other People’s Shoes: 👟 Website 🩵 Instagram 👍 Facebook 🐦 X 📺 YouTube 📣 Leave Us a Review: If this episode stirred something in you, leave a review and share how stepping into Jonathan’s shoes shifted your view. Leave a Review

    43 min
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4.9
out of 5
77 Ratings

About

On my show, I aim to create a space that allows us all to hear each other's points of view. Constructive dialog helps us all realize that truly hearing another person's story can enrich our lives. After all, when you walk in Other People's Shoes, you really do get a different perspective on life.

Information

  • Creator
    Neil Matthews
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    371
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    ℗ & © 2025 Other People's Shoes
  • Show Website
    Other People's Shoes