The Next Baseline

Danny DeJesus
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Self-Improvement

The Next Baseline is a podcast about what happens after life no longer looks the way it once did—and how we intentionally build what comes next. Hosted by Danny De Jesus, the show combines original solo episodes with thoughtful conversations featuring people whose experiences, perspectives, and work illuminate the realities of disruption, transition, identity, leadership, relationships, and personal transformation. At the heart of the podcast is the C2R2E Framework: Collapse, Confrontation, Realignment, Reclamation, and Elevation. Through personal insight, structured exploration, and honest conversation, the framework examines transformation not as a single breakthrough, but as a process of understanding what changed, confronting what can no longer be ignored, rebuilding from greater clarity, reclaiming personal agency, and creating a stronger baseline for the future. The Next Baseline is not about empty motivation, polished success stories, or quick fixes. It offers grounded perspectives, practical insight, and meaningful reflection for navigating change in real life. Whether the disruption is personal, professional, relational, or unexpected, each episode invites listeners to think more clearly about where they are, who they are becoming, and how they want to move forward.

  1. 2d ago

    Love Without Losing Yourself

    What if the thing you’re calling “relationship problems” is really something quieter: the slow, almost invisible way you’ve been negotiating pieces of yourself away? I’m Danny DeJesus, and I’m starting with a clear disclaimer. This is not permission to blow up your marriage, abandon your family, or chase someone new just because you felt a spark. Awareness is information, not instructions. A night of Latin dancing gave me language I didn’t have before. Dancing became a laboratory where I could observe myself in real time: when I’m anxious, when I’m performing, when I’m managing someone else’s reactions, and when my mind finally goes quiet. That quiet matters because it reveals what freedom in relationships feels like for me. Not freedom from commitment or accountability, but freedom to remain myself while loving someone else. From there we dig into the hard stuff: who gets to decide what your expression “means,” and how interpretations like jealousy can slowly turn healthy consideration into exhausting self-monitoring. We also connect the dots between freedom and intimacy. For many of us, creativity, confidence, sensuality, and sexuality live in the same neighborhood. Suppress one long enough and desire can go offline. That’s why I challenge the easy story that the answer is always “someone new.” Don’t confuse novelty with compatibility, being desired with being understood, or chemistry with character. The better question is tougher: can this part of you exist inside the life you already built, and can you and your partner create trust and psychological safety that goes both ways? If this resonates, subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s one part of you you’re done shrinking? Tell Danny your story Support the show Links to the Elevatus Coaching Ecosystem: Elevatus Coaching Website Sign up for our newsletter, it's free Social Media LinkedIn YouTube Pinterest Instagram

  2. Oct 25

    Breaking Old Patterns By Rewiring Perception with Pratiqk Jaani

    A lot of us can name our triggers, quote the self-help ideas, and still end up reacting the same way. That’s the tension we sit in today: the space between recognizing a pattern and actually changing it.  We’re joined by Pratiqk Jaani, a London-based business advisor, qualified hypnotherapist, and creator of the Dhrasti method. Pratiqk shares the personal disruption that forced him to re-evaluate everything, including a tuberculosis diagnosis that left him bedridden and face-to-face with a brutal question: do I really need to “die” to finally live the life I want? From there, we talk practical risk and transition, including how he built a bridge into entrepreneurship by growing a client base before taking the leap.  Then we go deeper into perception and conditioning. We explore why quiet and reflection can help you hear what’s happening underneath the noise, how identity and ego get built from learned emotional loops, and what it looks like to “de-label” experience so old reactions lose their grip. Pratiqk breaks down Dhrasti as a shift in viewpoint from the conditioned self to the real self, using clear examples like the red car focus and the nervous system’s tendency to default to lack. We also challenge common law of attraction advice and argue for a different starting point: wholeness first, goals second.  If you’ve been doing the work but still feel stuck, this conversation offers a grounded framework and a starting practice you can do in minutes. Subscribe for more, share this with someone navigating change, and leave a review with the pattern you’re choosing to build differently next. Click here to learn more about Pratiqk Jaani and his work in Dhrasti Tell Danny your story Support the show Links to the Elevatus Coaching Ecosystem: Elevatus Coaching Website Sign up for our newsletter, it's free Social Media LinkedIn YouTube Pinterest Instagram

  3. Oct 25

    Who Are You After Military Service Ends with Danny DeJesus

    The hardest part of leaving the military isn’t the checklist. It’s the moment you realize the uniform has shaped how you think, lead, speak, and even understand yourself and now you have to rebuild on purpose. I’m Danny DeJesus, and I’m walking through my own retirement transition in real time after more than 20 years of service across the US Air Force and the US Space Force, using my C2R2E framework: collapse, confrontation, realignment, reclamation, and elevation.  We get practical fast. I talk about why transition planning should start about 24 months out, not 90 days before final out. We break down what actually matters: taking care of your health, getting medical documentation in place for future VA claims, learning LinkedIn for veterans, translating your resume into civilian language, and understanding how companies hire through applicant tracking systems. I also share how informational interviews and genuine relationship-based networking can open doors long before an online application ever does.  We also zoom out to the bigger issues most people ignore. AI is changing the job market, and I explain how to use it wisely without losing the one advantage it can’t replicate: your personal story. We dig into education and continuous learning, salary research, negotiation, and total compensation, plus the truth that your MOS, AFSC, SFSC, rating, or rank does not define your future. I even speak directly to employers about what they miss when they skim veteran resumes instead of reading for capability.  If you’re serving, separating, or already out and still finding your place in the world, hit play, share this with one person who needs it, and subscribe so you don’t miss what comes next. After you listen, what are you building now to reach your next baseline? Tell Danny your story Support the show Links to the Elevatus Coaching Ecosystem: Elevatus Coaching Website Sign up for our newsletter, it's free Social Media LinkedIn YouTube Pinterest Instagram

  4. Oct 18

    The Apple Pie That Started A Life Reboot with Audra Phelps

    Your body can tell the truth long before your mind is ready to accept it—and that single idea reshapes how we understand faith transitions, motherhood, mental health, and identity. In this episode of The Next Baseline, I’m joined by Audra Phelps, founder of Mama Audra, who supports women rebuilding their lives after leaving Mormonism and other high-control organizations. Audra shares her own journey out of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after decades of conditioning—and how anxiety and depression became the first unmistakable signals that the life she had been taught was “right” was no longer aligned with who she was becoming. We explore what happens after deconstruction: rebuilding an identity when familiar labels fall away, learning to make decisions without relying on an external authority, and finding community that is not built around worthiness, obedience, or conformity. Audra also explains how living overseas exposed her to different cultures and spiritual traditions, creating the cognitive dissonance that eventually made room for clarity. This conversation moves beyond awareness and into the practical work of reclamation: pausing before reacting, noticing where emotions appear in the body, questioning the belief beneath the response, regulating the nervous system, and intentionally choosing beliefs that feel expansive, authentic, and true. One of the most revealing moments is Audra’s “apple pie” story—a simple experience in the kitchen that exposed years of people-pleasing, self-sacrifice, and disconnection from her own preferences. That realization became the beginning of a much deeper reclamation journey involving marriage, motherhood, identity, nervous-system regulation, and mentorship. If you are navigating a faith crisis, post-Mormon parenting, identity loss, religious deconstruction, or any major life transition, this conversation offers grounded tools and an important reminder: you are not alone, and rebuilding does not require you to have every answer before taking the next step. What is one belief you are ready to stop outsourcing? Subscribe to The Next Baseline, share this conversation with someone rebuilding their life, and leave a review if the episode resonates with you. Connect with Audra Phelps Learn more about Audra and her work: https://mamaaudra.com/ Explore one-on-one coaching or schedule a free consultation: https://mamaaudra.com/oneonone Special offer for podcast listeners: Audra is offering women navigating a faith transition after leaving any high-control organization—not only Mormonism—50% off their first individual coaching session. Schedule a free consultation through the link above and mention PODCAST during your call to receive the discount. Tell Danny your story Support the show Links to the Elevatus Coaching Ecosystem: Elevatus Coaching Website Sign up for our newsletter, it's free Social Media LinkedIn YouTube Pinterest Instagram

  5. Oct 11

    Find Your Next Baseline

    Your life can change in one conversation, one email, one afternoon. The harder part is what happens after: becoming the person who lives on the other side of that change. That is why I built C2R2E, and in this final chapter of the series I make it practical so you can actually use it to locate where you are, name why you feel stuck, and decide what the present moment requires from you. We walk through the five phases of life transition, personal growth, and rebuilding your life: Collapse (what isn’t working), Confrontation (what is true that you are resisting), Realignment (what values should guide what comes next), Reclamation (what you will take ownership of and act on), and Elevation (how the experience is changing the way you live). I also share why this is not a neat step-by-step ladder. You can be in multiple phases at once across different parts of your life, and a new collapse does not mean you failed, it means you are living. By the end, you will have five clear questions you can take to your journal, your next hard conversation, or your next decision, plus a simple way to notice which question you most want to skip and why that might be the doorway forward. If this helped you, subscribe to The Next Baseline, share it with someone in a transition, and leave a review so more people can find the framework. Tell Danny your story Support the show Links to the Elevatus Coaching Ecosystem: Elevatus Coaching Website Sign up for our newsletter, it's free Social Media LinkedIn YouTube Pinterest Instagram

  6. Oct 4

    Retirement Works Best When You Know What You’re Retiring Into

    The weirdest part of retirement isn’t the party, the speeches, or even the final paycheck. It’s the first ordinary Monday when the alarm doesn’t need to ring, nobody is waiting for you, and the role you’ve lived inside for decades suddenly goes quiet. That’s where the real question shows up: who are you when nobody needs you to be who you’ve been? We walk through retirement as a true life transition, not just a financial milestone. I use the C2R2E framework (collapse, confrontation, realignment, reclamation, elevation) to explain why leaving work can trigger grief, drift, or restlessness even when you’re excited to be done. We dig into the losses people don’t name out loud: structure, respect, belonging, contribution, and the identity that comes from being competent in a system that reflects it back to you every day. Then we get practical. We talk about how to do an honest “loss inventory” so you stop trying to solve the wrong problem, and how to realign retirement around values instead of job titles. If family, health, community, curiosity, or peace matter to you, retirement may be your clearest shot at building a life that actually matches those priorities. We also explore why your worth doesn’t disappear with your title, and how real freedom becomes the ability to choose your responsibility on purpose. If you’re approaching retirement, already retired, or planning a military retirement or second career, this conversation will help you design what you’re retiring into. Subscribe, share this with someone nearing the finish line, and leave a review with your answer: what do you want an ordinary Tuesday to look like now? Tell Danny your story Support the show Links to the Elevatus Coaching Ecosystem: Elevatus Coaching Website Sign up for our newsletter, it's free Social Media LinkedIn YouTube Pinterest Instagram

  7. Sep 27

    Career Change As A Life Transition

    Your career can be stable, respected, and well paid and still feel wrong. That’s when the real question shows up: who are you without the job you’ve spent years becoming? I’m Danny DeJesus, and I break down why a career change is often a life transition, not just a professional move, especially when your work has been carrying your identity, routine, and sense of security. I use the C2R2E methodology to map the turning points of a career transition. We start with collapse as data, not drama: the heavier Sundays, the quiet burnout, the creeping sense that you’ve outgrown the role, or the shock of a layoff. Then we move into confrontation, where we get honest about what keeps us stuck, including money, benefits, status, and the “golden cage” of predictability. I also share my own real-time decision to retire from the military after more than two decades, and what it reveals about values and alignment. From there, we step into realignment and ask better questions than “What’s my next job?” We look at how your values change over time, what you want your life to look like now, and how to build a plan with wisdom instead of recklessness. I close with reclamation and elevation: you’re not starting from zero, you’re carrying transferable skills, resilience, and hard-won experience, and your work can matter without becoming your entire identity. If this resonates, subscribe, share this with someone in a career transition, and leave a review with the question you’re wrestling with right now. Tell Danny your story Support the show Links to the Elevatus Coaching Ecosystem: Elevatus Coaching Website Sign up for our newsletter, it's free Social Media LinkedIn YouTube Pinterest Instagram

  8. Sep 20

    A Breakup Is An Event But Healing Is A Transition

    A breakup can feel like it’s everywhere at once: the street you used to drive, the coffee shop, the song, the holiday plans, even the person you still reach for in your mind when something good happens. We talk about why that punch-in-the-gut feeling makes sense, because you’re not only losing a person, you’re grieving a shared world and a future that now won’t happen. That’s a different kind of grief, and it deserves language and a map. I’m Danny DeJesus, and I apply the C2R2E methodology (Collapse, Confrontation, Realignment, Reclamation, Elevation) to the end of a relationship, whether it’s a breakup, separation, or divorce. We separate the event from the transition: the relationship ending is the event, but learning to live afterward is the life transition. We dig into “collapse” as a signal, not a verdict, and why the mind tries to negotiate for one more conversation, one more explanation, one more shot at closure. Then we get honest about closure and healing. If your peace depends on their apology or their agreement, part of your peace still belongs to them. From there, we move into realignment, using the quiet as a place to rediscover who “me” is now, and reclamation, where you pick the pen back up through routines, boundaries, friendships, and choices you can control. We close with elevation: the moment you’re no longer rebuilding “after them,” you’re simply living your life again, on a new baseline.  Subscribe, share this with someone in transition, and leave a review with the question you’re wrestling with right now. Tell Danny your story Support the show Links to the Elevatus Coaching Ecosystem: Elevatus Coaching Website Sign up for our newsletter, it's free Social Media LinkedIn YouTube Pinterest Instagram

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About

The Next Baseline is a podcast about what happens after life no longer looks the way it once did—and how we intentionally build what comes next. Hosted by Danny De Jesus, the show combines original solo episodes with thoughtful conversations featuring people whose experiences, perspectives, and work illuminate the realities of disruption, transition, identity, leadership, relationships, and personal transformation. At the heart of the podcast is the C2R2E Framework: Collapse, Confrontation, Realignment, Reclamation, and Elevation. Through personal insight, structured exploration, and honest conversation, the framework examines transformation not as a single breakthrough, but as a process of understanding what changed, confronting what can no longer be ignored, rebuilding from greater clarity, reclaiming personal agency, and creating a stronger baseline for the future. The Next Baseline is not about empty motivation, polished success stories, or quick fixes. It offers grounded perspectives, practical insight, and meaningful reflection for navigating change in real life. Whether the disruption is personal, professional, relational, or unexpected, each episode invites listeners to think more clearly about where they are, who they are becoming, and how they want to move forward.

Information

  • Creator
    Danny DeJesus
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    37
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Next Baseline
  • Show Website
    The Next Baseline