10 episodes
Walk with DeCo: A physical & spiritual journey in the face of adversity. Mike DeCoursey, aka DeCo
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5.0 • 23 Ratings
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A physical & spiritual journey in the face of adversity. Crisis = Opportunity. Walk with me (figuratively, but also literally if you want) as I take on a massive steps challenge to raise funds and awareness for a rare genetic condition that I have (VEDS / Vascular EDS / Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome). Goal: 4 million steps walked and $40,000 raised by the end of 2021. While I walk, I'll also talk and reflect about my life and its everyday challenges, in the hopes that you can glean some inspiration (and humor) from it all.Donate to the cause! https://www.gofundme.com/f/walk-with-deco-4-VEDS?utm_source=podcast
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9/11/2001 - 20 Years Later - Processing Trauma Throughout The Years (Part 2 of 2)
I want to be upfront and honest about one thing...doing this episode was for me. It was something I felt that I needed and wanted to do. I wanted to document and preserve my journey over the last 20 years of dealing with Trauma and PTSD since 9/11. Hopefully you can get something out of listening to my story. I hope it can be medicine for others, for people still processing things from that day, or dealing with any other types of trauma.
I'm so thankful to have my best friend of 35+ years, Dominick Quartuccio, guide me on this journey of memories and reflections over the last 20 years since 9/11. Dominick is the host of the Great Man Within podcast (highly recommend to check it out and subscribe!) and leader of the Great Man Mastermind. I'm sure I'll have him back on the show soon to talk more about what he does, but for this episode, I brought him on as a guest to interview me, and to bring out the best in me.
Last but certainly not least, it's necessary to acknowledge the almost 3,000 lives that were lost on September 11th, 2001. The people on the planes. The people in the towers. The people at the Pentagon. Firefighters. Police Officers. Military Personnel. And even many people who made it out of the Towers that day but died later due to exposure to dust and toxins. These lives were tragically cut short, but will undoubtedly be remembered forever.
Never Forget.
Links/References
Great Man Within podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-great-man-within/id1449269930
Great Man Mastermind - https://www.thegreatmanmastermind.com/
Nick's 9/11 College Fund - http://nicks911collegefund.org/ -
9/11/2001 - 20 Years Later - My Story of that Day (Part 1 of 2)
I want to be upfront and honest about one thing...doing this episode was for me. It was something I felt that I needed and wanted to do. I wanted to document and preserve my story and experience on 9/11/2001 in an audio format. For my kids one day, and for anyone else who wants to hear my story. And yes, it was somewhat cathartic and therapeutic. But hopefully you can get something out of listening to my story. I hope it can be medicine for others, for people still processing things from that day, or dealing with any other types of trauma.
I'm so thankful to have my best friend of 35+ years, Dominick Quartuccio, guide me on this journey of memories and reflections from that day. Dominick is the host of the Great Man Within podcast (highly recommend to check it out and subscribe!) and leader of the Great Man Mastermind. I'm sure I'll have him back on the show soon to talk more about what he does, but for this episode, I brought him on as a guest to interview me, and to bring out the best in me.
WARNING: there are some tough things to listen to as I recount my story. Depending on your experience from that day, there may be triggers that bring up certain emotions. By all means, if you have to hit that 30 second fast forward button, please do so. We do our best to warn you of these moments. My goal here was not shock value, it was simply to document my experience and to process and explore some of the emotions that still come up for me twenty years later.
Last but certainly not least, it's necessary to acknowledge the almost 3,000 lives that were lost on September 11th, 2001. The people on the planes. The people in the towers. The people at the Pentagon. Firefighters. Police Officers. Military Personnel. And even many people who made it out of the Towers that day but died later due to exposure to dust and toxins. These lives were tragically cut short, but will undoubtedly be remembered forever.
Never Forget. -
18 summers: Spousing & Parenting with Purpose
Glad to be back and excited to discuss this topic! I pride myself on being a great husband and father, but I'm always looking for ways to improve. Whether you're a current parent, soon to be parent, or a son or daughter looking for ways to connect with your parent(s) in deeper ways, I think you'll find a lot of value out of this episode. Some of these "principles" & "rhythms" my wife and I are currently using in our marriage or as part of our parenting strategies, and some we are implementing ASAP and excited to report back the results in a future episode. 18 SUMMERS - of the time you spend with your child in their lifetime, 85% of it is before the end of their 18th summer. That's a crazy sobering statistic. Therefore, as parents, how can we make the most of those first 18 summers of a child's life? Listen to this episode to find out the answers to that question!
Also, if you can spare a few minutes, please don’t hesitate to write a review. That 5 star rating goes a long way to helping me bring more awareness to this Walk with DeCo mission. And make sure to hit that subscribe button too if you haven’t already! Also let me know what you think - you can always hit me up at mike@walkwithdeco.com. Remember, crisis equals opportunity. If you’re going through a rough patch, try and reframe it that quite possibly you are being given a gift, one that could set you on an even greater path of self worth joy and fulfilment. Cheers everyone, be well! See ya!
References that inspired me to do this episode:
https://www.18summers.com/ - founders Jim and Jamie Sheils
The Family Board Meeting Book by Jim Sheils - https://amzn.to/3hNPMRa
Work Life Balance & The 18 Summers You Have with Your Kids (a Chat with Jim Sheils) - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/smart-passive-income-online-business-blogging-podcast/id383084001?i=1000524744801 - this is on The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast with Pat Flynn
The Adventure Challenge: Couples Edition - https://www.theadventurechallenge.com/collections/products -
Body Shame and the Chain Reaction of Vulnerability
This episode wasn't easy for me to talk about. It brings me out of my comfort zone. I show vulnerability. But what you'll hear me harp on multiple times in the episode, is that Vulnerability = Power.
I talk about my weight loss and weight gain journey throughout my life and how I've never been happy with the way my body looks.
Then, for the last ~20 minutes of the episode, I talk about a breakthrough moment I had at our men's mastermind retreat a couple of weeks ago, all thanks to this episode and man that inspired me - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-great-man-within/id1449269930?i=1000521971438 . Hence, the chain reaction of vulnerability and how powerful it can be.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The Feeling Full Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/feeling-full/id1540876733
Mordechai on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mr.mordechai
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WALK WITH DECO MISSION
The Mission: DeCo is walking 4,000,000 Steps AND Raising $40,000 - All For Vascular EDS
Follow DeCo's journey throughout the "Walk with DeCo" mission here - https://www.walkwithdeco.com/
The GoFundMe Page - https://gofund.me/782d391a
The "Walk with DeCo" Mission Teaser Video (with narration) - https://youtu.be/Jw3w4k06YSo
DeCo's full story about Vascular EDS on YouTube in its entirety - https://youtu.be/HmxChx_LSno -
Scenes from an Italian Mother - Part 2 of 2 (the heavier version)
Full disclosure, this episode is not as light as part 1, as my Mom and I discuss some tougher moments in our lives, and I thank her for passing down to me her toughness and ability to overcome adversity. We also talk about the moment when she found out about my diagnosis of Vascular EDS and how she handled that as a parent. But, we get through these more serious conversations and thankfully end on a much lighter note...how could I not mention the infamous "Rusty Nail"!
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Scenes from an Italian Mother - Part 1 of 2 (the lighter version)
Not sure if anyone has ever started off a podcast with outtakes or bloopers, but I am. As promised, here is my episode on mothers on the heels of Mother's Day last weekend. This episode includes my first special guest star, my mother, Marion DeCoursey. My audio ebbs and flows at parts while out on my walk, just hang in there, the content hopefully won't disappoint. If you're Italian, so much will resonate with you, but even if you're not, you'll still get a kick out of the one and only, Mariooch! Love ya, Mom! Had to split this one up into 2 parts, so here's part 1 of 2, what I'm calling the "lighter version", as we discuss many signs or traits of being raised by an Italian mother!
Customer Reviews
9/11
Wow. I never knew you faced this experience. I have no words. I remember I was 17 or 18 years old in HS at Langley High in McLean Virginia right down the street from where the Pentaogn was hit). I remember we were put on lockdown. I was ironically in Govt class. My teacher turned on the TV and the news kept replaying the planes flying into the Towers in NY. We had just heard about the Pentagon. Students started getting called to
The office and students with parents who work there were in panic. Thankfully the side of the pentagon that was hit was newly recovered to withstand fire and the windows were shatter proof (otherwise the aftermath would of been far worse), but it was still horrific and awful nonetheless.
Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your story about your experience with 9/11. I just can’t believe you were there witnessing all of that. What an horrible tragedy to have to witness.
Inspiring - very much worth listening to!
I love the content and hearing this man’s journey is super inspiring. You will not regret subscribing to this podcast!
Powerful show!
This is a genuinely great podcast! I love the message, I love the motivation, the story and most of all, the content. It's a really enjoyable listen and you'll walk away a better person. Thanks for making this Deco -- the world needed it!