Unwrapped With Gift

John Ashi Gift
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Music Interviews

Unwrapped with Gift is a podcast where we explore life's realities through honest conversations about growth, health, business, relationships, struggles, addiction, and personal development. One conversation at a time, we uncover lessons that inspire, heal, and transform.

  1. 18h ago

    When Real Life Feels Stranger Than Fiction: Cryptids,Campfire Tales,Stories From the Wild |Robert B.

    What happens when real-life adventures become stories that are stranger, funnier, and more mysterious than fiction? In this fascinating episode of Unwrapped With Gift, host Gift welcomes Robert O. Bowers, an outdoorsman, storyteller, and self-published author whose lifelong experiences in nature have inspired stories of adventure, humor, mystery, and the unexplained. After an impressive 43-year career with ODOT, Robert embraced a new chapter by turning his experiences and imagination into books. From the true-life adventures of Campfire Tales From Uncle Rob to the cryptid-inspired mysteries of Red Eyes at Black Mesa and Have Dog Will Travel, his writing invites readers into a world where ordinary outdoor adventures can lead to extraordinary stories. Together, we explore Robert’s love for fishing and hunting, his fascination with cryptids such as Bigfoot, the experiences that have shaped his storytelling, and the difference between writing about real events and creating fiction. We also discuss retirement, discovering new purpose, embracing creativity later in life, and finding the courage to pursue passions that have been waiting for their moment. In this episode, we explore: - The journey from a 43-year career to becoming an author. - Turning real-life outdoor adventures into compelling stories. - Cryptids, Bigfoot, and the enduring mystery of the unexplained. - The inspiration behind his true-life tales and fictional adventures. - The humor, surprises, and lessons hidden in everyday experiences. - Finding purpose, creativity, and fulfillment in retirement. - Why it’s never too late to start writing or pursue a dream. Whether you love outdoor adventures, mysterious encounters, campfire stories, or simply hearing how people transform their life experiences into something meaningful, this conversation offers a little mystery, a little laughter, and plenty of reasons to stay curious. 🎙️ Tune in to Unwrapped With Gift, where we go beyond the surface to uncover the experiences, discoveries, and stories that shape who we become. Because sometimes, the most unforgettable stories begin with something we cannot easily explain. Guest: Robert O. Bowers Host: Gift Podcast: Unwrapped With Gift Call to Action Link to send listeners to: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robert-O-Bowers/author/B0BTCBBJWR?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=7d3fb2cd-78b1-435c-aa73-16d16ad4c478ebook/dp/B0F255S3LT?ref_=ast_author_mpb If you enjoy stories that blend real-life experiences with humor, mystery, and a touch of the unexplained, check out my four book series Campfire Tales From Uncle Rob: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQ4MN7HM?binding=kindle_edition&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tkin My new book, Have Dog Will Travel, a cryptid horror novel, is available now on Amazon—https://www.amazon.com/Have-Will-Travel-Robert-Bowers-ebook/dp/B0F255S3LT?ref_=ast_author_mpb along with my last book Red Eyes at Black Mesa: https://www.amazon.com/RED-EYES-at-BLACK-MESA-ebook/dp/B0G6K8XDGB/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=n76YS&content-id=amzn1.sym.f8e88413-4697-42ea-9bf7-b28eb886330d&pf_rd_p=f8e88413-4697-42ea-9bf7-b28eb886330d&pf_rd_r=134-6167801-9585205&pd_rd_wg=f9CRV&pd_rd_r=d1a861cd-bf09-4535-9b8b-d1daba10ef91 along with my collection of short stories.

  2. 20h ago

    Beyond Trauma: The Science of Gentle Healing, Post-Trauma Growth & Rediscovering Yourself | Steven H

    Beyond Trauma: The Science of Gentle Healing, Post-Trauma Growth & Rediscovering Yourself | Steven Hoskinson What if healing doesn't always require us to revisit our deepest pain? What if it could also begin by reconnecting with the present moment, recognizing positive experiences, and gradually expanding our capacity to experience life? In this thought-provoking episode of Unwrapped With Gift, I sit down with Steven Hoskinson, founder of Organic Intelligence®, an approach to human development and post-trauma growth that explores the body's natural capacity for healing and resilience. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience as an international teacher and professional trainer, Steven shares his perspective on trauma recovery, the mind-body connection, and the importance of creating space for positive experiences alongside life's challenges. Together, we explore why healing looks different for everyone, how overwhelming stress can affect our bodies and relationships, and why small moments of safety, connection, curiosity, and joy may matter more than we realize. In this conversation, we explore: - What Organic Intelligence® is and how it approaches trauma recovery and personal growth. - Why healing doesn't always mean repeatedly revisiting painful memories. - Understanding the body's response to stress and the mind-body connection. - What post-trauma growth means and how people may discover new possibilities after difficult experiences. - How reconnecting with our surroundings can help us engage with the present moment. - Recognizing small moments of comfort, connection, and positive change. - Building greater emotional capacity and resilience when life feels overwhelming. - The role of healthy relationships, mindfulness, spirituality, and meaning in personal growth. - How to approach healing with greater patience, self-awareness, and compassion. This conversation offers a different perspective on healing not as a race to overcome the past, but as an opportunity to develop a greater capacity for connection, resilience, and meaningful experiences. Whether you've experienced overwhelming challenges, supported someone through a difficult season, or simply want to understand yourself better, this episode invites you to consider new perspectives on healing and growth. Sometimes, progress begins not by pushing harder, but by discovering what helps us feel more connected to life. 🎙️ About the Guest Steven Hoskinson is the founder of Organic Intelligence®, an approach focused on human development, trauma recovery, and post-trauma growth. Through his work as an international teacher and professional trainer, he explores how people can develop greater resilience and well-being. 🎧 Listen, reflect, and join the conversation. Welcome to Unwrapped With Gift, where we go beyond the surface to explore the experiences, struggles, breakthroughs, and possibilities that shape who we become. Disclaimer: This episode is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional mental health care, diagnosis, or treatment. Call to Action Link to send listeners to: https://organicintelligence.org/ Steve is helping democratize the field of therapy and coaching. Many Organic Intelligence coaches are also seasoned therapists. However, Steve and his team are expert teachers and trainers, and everyone--whether they have no experience or 35 years of experience--can learn how to do OI coaching well. OI Coaches do individual OI sessions, they teach in schools, they train meditation teachers, yoga instructors, physical therapists--anyone with compassion and able to commit to this yearlong course may apply.

  3. 1d ago

    From Dancer to Capital Coach: Reinventing Yourself and Becoming Your Future Self | Josh “Juice” W.

    From Dancer to Capital Coach: Reinventing Yourself and Becoming Your Future Self | Josh “Juice” Washington What happens when the career you’ve built your identity around is no longer the future you want? In this episode of Unwrapped With Gift, we sit down with Josh “Juice” Washington, a former professional dancer who spent about a decade performing, including with the renowned Jabbawockeez, before embarking on a journey of reinvention into sales, marketing, entrepreneurship, coaching, and capital raising. Josh shares how stepping away from dancing challenged him to rethink his identity, approach to money, and vision for the future. His journey reveals an important truth: sometimes, building a new life requires more than changing what you do; it requires changing what you believe is possible. Together, we explore the power of personal growth, overcoming limiting beliefs, setting clear goals, and taking intentional steps toward the person you want to become. Josh also discusses the importance of writing goals down, creating a compelling vision, and using practical frameworks like the 12-Week Year to turn big dreams into actionable plans. Whether you're navigating a career transition, starting a business, searching for direction, or feeling called to something beyond your current circumstances, this conversation will challenge you to rethink your potential and take ownership of your next chapter. In this episode, we explore: - Reinventing yourself when your old identity no longer fits. - Transitioning from professional dancing to entrepreneurship and coaching. - Building a new relationship with money, time, and ownership. - Challenging limiting beliefs and developing a growth-oriented mindset. - Understanding the connection between identity, action, and personal transformation. - Turning your vision into achievable goals through intentional planning. - Discovering what success means beyond financial achievements. - Taking courageous steps toward the future you truly want. The Big Takeaway: You don't have to remain the person your past circumstances shaped you to be. With clarity, intentional action, and a willingness to grow, you can begin building a future that reflects who you want to become. 🎙️ Tune in to Unwrapped With Gift for an inspiring conversation about reinvention, mindset, purpose, and the power of becoming your future self. Because sometimes, the most important question isn't just, “What do I want to achieve?” It's “Who do I need to become to achieve it?” Keep growing, keep believing, and keep unwrapping the story beneath the surface. — Gift, Host of Unwrapped With Gift Call to Action Connect with me on Linkedin.

  4. 1d ago

    From Homelessness to Hope: Faith, Purpose & Creating a Legacy for the Next Generation with Xenia L.

    What happens when life strips everything away, leaving you to rediscover your faith, your identity, and your purpose? In this powerful episode of Unwrapped With Gift, I sit down with Xenia Ioannidis, a Greek-American author, coach, teacher, songwriter, creative director, and creator of the Crowned in Faith children's series, for a deeply personal conversation about faith, resilience, healing, and the power of beginning again. Xenia shares insights from her experience with homelessness in Miami and the spiritual transformation that followed. Through faith, surrender, and creativity, a difficult season of her life became the inspiration for a 12-book children's series designed to introduce young minds to spiritual principles through storytelling, coloring activities, and original music. We explore how life's most challenging moments can become opportunities for growth, why teaching children faith and emotional resilience matters, and how creativity can become a meaningful expression of purpose. Xenia also reflects on her work in personal development, wellness, entrepreneurship, and leadership, sharing lessons from her diverse journey. In this conversation, we explore: - Finding faith and purpose during life's most difficult seasons. - Understanding the inner struggles behind our external circumstances. - Turning personal hardship into something meaningful for others. - Teaching children faith, compassion, courage, and emotional resilience. - Using storytelling, music, and creativity to inspire the next generation. - Reinvention, personal growth, and discovering new possibilities. - Holding on to hope when life feels uncertain. - Learning to surrender, rebuild, and begin again. Whether you're navigating a difficult season, searching for direction, or hoping to leave a meaningful legacy for the next generation, this conversation offers an invitation to reflect, grow, and rediscover hope. About Xenia Ioannidis Xenia is a multifaceted creative professional whose work spans authorship, coaching, teaching, songwriting, wellness, and creative direction. She is the creator of Crowned in Faith, a children's faith series that combines books, coloring questbooks, and original songs to make spiritual learning engaging and accessible for young readers. Listen, reflect, and be inspired. Sometimes, the season that brings us to our knees becomes the beginning of a journey that touches countless lives. 🎙️ Unwrapped With Gift — Going beyond the surface to uncover the stories, lessons, and experiences that shape who we become. Remember: your story is still being written. Call to Action Link to send listeners to: https://www.amazon.com/author/xenia2025 Website Under Construction: Please find the books on Amazon on the link provided: Real Change Academy is Xenia's personal website which includes ALL pertinent about her Coaching/Healing as well as her Book Series & songs. They can join the mailing list to be informed about books, seminars etc.

  5. 1d ago

    The Real Reason People Don't Buy: The Power of Connection in Marketing | Racheal Blackmore

    Why do some marketing messages turn people into paying customers while others get ignored even when the product or service is excellent? In this episode of Unwrapped With Gift, we sit down with Racheal Blackmore, a messaging strategist, creative director, founder of The Messaging Lab, and creator of the Connect-First Method, to explore the power of connection in marketing and why people are more likely to buy when they feel understood. Racheal shares her fascinating journey from becoming the youngest certified Wicklander-Zulawski interrogator at a major retailer to building a career as an award-winning copywriter and messaging strategist. She reveals how the psychology of human connection shaped her approach to communication, persuasion, and business growth. Together, we explore why marketing messages fail to resonate, how entrepreneurs can communicate their value without sounding pushy, and how storytelling, authentic messaging, and ethical persuasion can build trust and turn potential customers into loyal clients. We also discuss how to use AI in marketing without losing your unique voice, overcome challenges, and create messages that speak directly to the people you want to serve. Whether you're an entrepreneur, coach, creator, service provider, or business owner struggling to attract the right audience, this conversation offers practical insights to help you communicate with greater clarity, confidence, and authenticity. In this episode, you'll discover: - Why connection matters more than clever sales tactics. - The Connect-First Method and how it can transform your marketing. - Common messaging mistakes that prevent businesses from making sales. - How to sell confidently without being pushy or manipulative. - The role of storytelling in building trust and attracting clients. - How to use AI while preserving your authentic brand voice. - Practical ways to improve content that isn't generating engagement or sales. - Lessons in resilience, purpose, and balancing entrepreneurship with personal responsibilities. At its heart, this conversation reminds us that effective marketing isn't simply about convincing people to buy. It's about understanding their needs, speaking their language, and helping them recognize the value you offer. Because people don't just connect with what you sell, they connect with how well you understand them. 🎙️ Tune in to Unwrapped With Gift for a meaningful conversation about marketing, messaging, human connection, and the power of making people feel seen and understood. Call to Action Link to send listeners to: https://messaginglab.ai This link takes listeners to The Messaging Lab, a Connect-First AI marketing team built for coaches, healers, and service providers. They can start a free 7-day trial with no credit card and have the team write and design in their own voice. For anyone in your audience tired of marketing that sounds like everyone else, it's a way to put the method we talked about to work the same day

  6. 1d ago

    Beyond the Surface: Faith, Revelation, Identity & 40 Nights in the Red woods with META TITUS

    What happens when faith, identity, isolation, and spiritual revelation completely reshape the way you see yourself and the world? In this thought-provoking episode of Unwrapped With Gift, I sit down with Meta Titus for a deeply personal and unconventional conversation about faith, identity, spirituality, biblical prophecy, and the experiences that have shaped his understanding of purpose. Meta shares his journey of spending 40 nights in the Redwoods, living off the grid for years, studying the Book of Revelation, navigating gender transition, and experiencing hold profound spiritual significance. He also opens up about his belief that he may have a unique connection to Jesus Christ, his interpretations of biblical prophecy, and the challenges of being misunderstood because of his beliefs. We explore questions surrounding Revelation Chapter 12, the mark of the beast, technology, modern society, fear, stress, spiritual discernment, and identity—while looking beyond the claims themselves to understand the person and experiences behind them. This conversation isn't about telling you what to believe. It's about listening, asking meaningful questions, and going beyond the surface of a story that may challenge how we think about faith, identity, and human experience. In this episode, we explore: - Meta's 40 nights in the Redwoods - His journey of faith and spiritual discovery - Identity, gender transition, and spirituality - His interpretation of the Book of Revelation - Revelation Chapter 12 and biblical prophecy - Living off the grid and stepping away from modern society - Technology, digital currency, and the mark of the beast - Fear, stress, isolation, and feeling misunderstood - Spiritual practices and staying grounded - Finding meaning and purpose through extraordinary experiences 🎙️ Listen with an open mind, ask your own questions, and decide what resonates with you. This is Unwrapped With Gift—where we go beyond the surface and have honest conversations about the experiences that shape who we become.

  7. 3d ago

    Why Upgrade Your Brain? Brain Fitness, Neuroplasticity & Becoming a Better Leader with ARNOLD B.

    What if your brain could be trained just like your body? In this episode of Unwrapped With Gift, I sit down with Arnold Beekes, creator of Brain Fitness and Brain Athletes, for a fascinating conversation about the brain, neuroplasticity, emotional states, leadership, and human potential. Arnold shares decades of experience across technology, psychology, organizational leadership, coaching, innovation, and personal development as we explore what it really means to train the brain and nervous system for greater clarity, resilience, and performance. We go beyond the surface to discuss why change is difficult, neuroplasticity, un-conditioning, the three brains, emotional regulation, self-mastery, digital dementia, brain health and aging, leadership, and the impact of AI on our humanity. Arnold also explains his vision of developing “Better for All Leaders” and why true transformation isn't simply about gaining more knowledge, it’s about integrating what we learn and embodying it in the way we live. If you’ve ever felt mentally overwhelmed, distracted, emotionally reactive, or curious about how to become sharper, steadier, and more intentional, this conversation offers practical insights to help you begin. In this episode, we explore: - What Brain Fitness really means - How neuroplasticity allows us to change - Why breaking old patterns can be difficult - The power of un-conditioning - Understanding the “three brains” - Training emotional states like courage, curiosity, and compassion - What it means to become a Brain Athlete - Self-improvement vs. self-mastery - Leadership that makes things “Better for All” - Digital distraction and its effect on our brains - Protecting brain health as we age - AI, technology, and what it means to remain human - Turning knowledge into real transformation Guest: Arnold Beekes Host: Gift | Unwrapped With Gift 🎙️ Listen in and discover how training your brain could transform the way you think, feel, lead, and live. Call to Action Link to send listeners to: https://www.brainathletes.club/ Who is a Brain Athlete? How can they co-create Better for All ways of learning, living and working. Keep going beyond the surface.

  8. 5d ago

    When Grief Changes Everything: Finding Love, Gratitude & Hope After Loss with Mark Stackpole

    In this deeply moving episode of Unwrapped With Gift, Gift sits down with Mark Stackpole, a father and husband who shares the heartbreaking story of losing his 22-year-old daughter, Corinne, to leukemia. Mark opens up about Corinne’s life, her 11-month battle with leukemia, the bone marrow transplant, and the devastating loss that changed his family forever. He also shares what grief has taught him about marriage, parenting, family, gratitude, resilience, and finding moments of joy after unimaginable loss. This conversation explores what it means to grieve without allowing grief to define your entire life, how families can support one another through loss, and why remembering and honoring the life of someone we’ve lost can become part of the journey forward. Mark also discusses the importance of blood-cancer awareness and stem-cell donation, encouraging listeners to consider how they might help give another family hope. A heartfelt conversation about love, loss, resilience, and learning to live again while carrying someone’s memory in your heart. Call to Action Link to send listeners to: HTTPS://nmdp.org This is a website where people between the ages of 18-35 can go to find out more about joining the stem cell blood donation registry. Bone marrow transplants are often the only chance for recovery for those living with leukemia and blood cancer. It takes only a few seconds to join, and you could literally save someone’s life!

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5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Unwrapped with Gift is a podcast where we explore life's realities through honest conversations about growth, health, business, relationships, struggles, addiction, and personal development. One conversation at a time, we uncover lessons that inspire, heal, and transform.

Information

  • Creator
    John Ashi Gift
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    89
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © John Ashi Gift
  • Show Website
    Unwrapped With Gift