It Takes Two: Welcome To The Over Dinner Podcast
When we decided to launch Over Dinner on April 1st, I had totally forgotten it’s also April Fool’s Day.
That’s what happens when you age… things that were once important are no longer and other things take their place.
It makes me think about when we were in our young twenties when our priorities at the time were what time we were getting to the bar and what type of fast food we were picking up on the way home.
Evolution.
That’s what the Over Dinner podcast represents.
Our evolution.
Jarrod often talks about our paths as an infinity symbol.
That we’ve been on our journeys and we are now meeting at the middle point of the infinity sign.
In fact I believe we HAD to grow independently in order to meet where we are now.
And although we are still on individual paths, our roads now include one another in a more elevated way than it was before.
Part of my individual journey was launching a podcast called, What Nik Knows.
I ran two seasons of it before it became this blog in February 2024. It is still available on iTunes- click here to access it.
My last episode of What Nik Knows was on September 1st, 2021…just one month before we made the cross country move to Georgia and we began a new chapter of our lives.
Podcast EP with the incredible: Dr. Morgan Cutlip.
You can listen to our episode here.
I loved my podcast.
I loved having guests on and learning from them.
I loved the intellectual conversations and being able to utilize my curious nature by hosting and asking deepening questions.
What I didn’t love was the administration details that came with it.
Things like keeping up with a weekly release, show notes, marketing promotion, guest reach out, and editing.
These elements took so much time they ultimately turned me off from podcasting because I couldn’t keep up…and a big part of that was because I wasn’t fully clear on my vision and so I kept trying on new things which added more to my plate and I felt very unorganized and overwhelmed.
For 3 years my headphones and microphone sat on my desk.
Waiting, wondering, hoping…
When we moved to Georgia my business slowed down a lot.
I was trying to find my way, along with supporting my 18 month old son who was seemingly needing more support in his development.
In January 2022 we discovered we were pregnant with baby two and in March, Jake, received his Autism diagnosis.
By July I was so underwater in regards to my mental health I made the decision to step back fully to be a stay at home mom and take care of Jake and my growing unborn child.
Although my sole focus has been my children over the past few years my dreams have never been far away.
If anything, my children have inspired me in more ways than I could have ever imagined.
Because what I’ve realized is that my dream cannot happen with the mess.
The mess is what inspires the dream.
The mess is where creativity and growth happen.
I finally was able to understand some of the “mess” in January of 2023.
It was time to go to therapy and untangle myself – if you’re a parent you know that there is nothing like parenthood to bring up your own stuff.
While in therapy I gained tools, worked through some kinks, and started to believe I could actually be something impactful in this world.
By August of 2023 I had a new perspective –a perspective that my husband, Jarrod, had already been living in for years.
It was important to have this new sense of life because just a few weeks into August I noticed something was up with our dog, Pax.
And in early September he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Looking back I see that it was meant to be this way.
I was supposed to reach the point of becoming while Pax was unbecoming.
My new sense of self and awareness about mortality helped me understand and unpack my feelings about loss.
During this time period of deep questioning I began to poke around at my own faulty beliefs and I started to witness my authentic spirit for the very first time.
Through this exploration I wanted to share my questions and findings with someone who would understand, want to take the conversation further, and would appreciate the back and forth.
Us at the Over Dinner launch party
That person would be my husband.
My best friend. Someone who knew me better than I had known myself. Someone who was witness to my internal system that I thought I hid well enough not to see.
Most of these inspiring (and sometimes emotional) conversations happened over dinner.
Conversations that we had never had before or at least to this depth.
Breakthrough after breakthrough kept happening and so did connection.
Our conversations became so engaging we decided to record them on our iPhones so we could go back and listen to them.
And then, Over Dinner, was born.
We now have two microphones and two headphones… both used regularly and only hung up between weekly recordings.
As I wrote earlier - my favorite part of podcasting was having guests and enjoying inspiring conversations and human connection.
And now those incredible and inspiring conversations are with Jarrod.
It has been so much more enjoyable.
For so many reasons but one in particular…partnership.
For example: I am writing this blog post and working on Over Dinner marketing while he is across from me editing away.
Ahhh Partnership.
I can’t begin to tell you how incredible it feels to have a partner when building a dream.
Entrepreneurship is a lonely go.
I’ve dabbled the past few years in a few project based partnerships but nothing as cemented as this.
We live, breathe, and eat (no pun intended) Over Dinner.
We talk about it all the time…the weekly to-do's, the hopes & dreams, and the things we need to learn.
It’s fun. It’s way more fun than when I did it myself.
There is something about two people building something as they both bring their own stories, gifts, and learnings to the table.
Just like the infinity symbol I shared…growing independently in order to grow together…
Jarrod has always said we would work together in some way shape or form…and at last it has come together.
In our podcast, Over Dinner, you’ll find two people who are hungry to learn, eager to share knowledge, and most importantly share a common interest: each other.
Our hope is that you resonate with us sharing the messiness of life, our own personal growth, and all that comes with being a married couple with children.
We discuss topics such as: personal development, relationships & marriage, parenting, neurodiversity such as Autism and ADHD, life lessons, work/business, and leadership.
We will share ourselves, our “mess”, our learnings, and also give advice based on our own experiences.
Please join us, Over Dinner.
You can listen to our weekly episodes anywhere you can stream podcasts + by clicking here.
They are available to download, share, and leave comments!
Please connect with us as we would love to learn what resonates with you!
New episodes drop every Tuesday!
