Pretend Conversations

In this episode of the Real Life Mentoring podcast, Chris and Christina Elledge explore the difference between pretend conversations and authentic conversations. They discuss how fear, discomfort, and a lack of experience can keep us from being honest in our closest relationships. Through personal stories, practical examples, and biblical insights, they challenge listeners to examine their own conversations and consider what they may be missing when they avoid difficult topics. Your takeaway: Identify one relationship where you tend to keep conversations on the surface, ask yourself what’s holding you back, and take one step toward a more honest, meaningful conversation. Authentic relationships begin when we stop pretending everything is fine and create space for real connection and growth.The Real Life Mentoring Podcast is brought to you by Shelter Insurance – The Aaron Ruiz Agency! His Agency offers Auto, Home, Life and Business insurance and they strive to build real life relationships with all of their customers!As clients of the Aaron Ruiz company, we are happy to recommend them. You can contact them at: Phone: (405) 773-5500

Why do we mentor, and what motivates us to invest in the lives of others? In this episode, Chris and Christina talk about how experiencing God’s love changes the way we love others. Through personal stories and practical examples, they explore the connection between the Great Commandment and the Great Commission and why mentoring isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about building authentic relationships, growing together, and sharing what God is doing in our own lives. Discover how your relationship with God can shape the way you show up for others.The Real Life Mentoring Podcast is brought to you by Shelter Insurance – The Aaron Ruiz Agency! His Agency offers Auto, Home, Life and Business insurance and they strive to build real life relationships with all of their customers!As clients of the Aaron Ruiz company, we are happy to recommend them. You can contact them at: Phone: (405) 773-5500

In this powerful conversation, a business leader shares his journey from outward success to inward collapse—and the hard road back through recovery, humility, and faith. What looked like achievement was actually addiction to performance, control, and self-focus. Through loss and rebuilding, he discovered a different way to live and lead—one grounded in surrender, honesty, and caring more about people than perception.This episode explores hidden addiction, imposter syndrome, leadership under pressure, and the freedom found in shifting from self-centered living to a life rooted in purpose, accountability, and faith.This episode is sponsored by The Aaron Ruiz Agency, offering auto, home, life, and business insurance. They strive to build real-life relationships with their clients — and as clients ourselves, we are happy to recommend them!Contact them at (405) 773-5500

We train and equip adults to become holistic, effective mentors in the church and in the marketplace—impacting individuals, families, and communities into the next generations.In this episode of our series on The Six Areas, we explore the emotional and the hidden consequences of emotional neglect. While we often emphasize physical or spiritual health, unprocessed emotions quietly shape how we think, relate, make decisions, and endure hardship.Emotional neglect can look like avoiding feelings, lacking emotional vocabulary, suppressing tears or anger, not repairing conflict, or having no safe outlet for what’s happening inside. Over time, that creates anxiety from unprocessed fear, depression from unprocessed grief, and relational disconnection from a lack of empathy or repair.We talk about how this often shows up in mentoring conversations through statements like:“I blow up over small things.” “Nothing motivates me anymore.” “I feel disconnected from myself and others.”Without emotional awareness, thriving becomes accidental rather than intentional.We also discuss why emotional health matters for discipleship. Scripture gives us permission—and language—to feel and express emotion, from the Psalms to the life of Jesus. Emotional honesty becomes a doorway into deeper relationship with God and with others.Finally, we share a simple mentoring framework for helping people engage the emotional domain through naming, reflecting, seeking support, and regulating rather than suppressing.Action Step: Name what you're feeling today and take it to God. Support the mission: fahrenheitmentoring.com (Podcast tab)This episode is sponsored by The Aaron Ruiz Agency, offering auto, home, life, and business insurance. They strive to build real-life relationships with their clients — and as clients ourselves, we are happy to recommend them!Contact them at (405) 773-5500

We’re launching a new series on The Six Areas: spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, physical, and professional/educational. Instead of talking about growth, we’re asking: what are the consequences of neglect?This episode explores the physical area — what happens when we ignore rest, nutrition, movement, and medical care. Common outcomes include fatigue, preventable health issues, chronic stress symptoms, irritability, and reduced capacity to focus, work, or serve. The physical area often becomes the bottleneck for growth in every other domain.We share a simple mentoring tool to assess neglect and take one small action to move toward health.Sponsor: The Aaron Ruiz Agency — auto, home, life & business insurance. Contact: (405) 773-5500. Support the mission: fahrenheitmentoring.com

We train and equip adults to become holistic, effective mentors in churches and businesses—impacting individuals, families, and communities into the next generations.In this episode, we continue our series on The Six Areas (spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, physical, professional/educational) by exploring the spiritual —and what happens when it’s ignored or neglected.Spiritual neglect can look like a lack of purpose, calling, moral framework, forgiveness, or meaningful practices. The consequences often show up as identity confusion, a meaning vacuum, cynicism, guilt without resolution, or “survival mode” living. In mentoring, this often sounds like: “What’s the point?” or “Nothing matters.”We offer a simple mentoring framework (prayer, Scripture, worship, community, service) and invite listeners to take one small step toward spiritual renewal.Action Step: Spend 10 minutes in prayer or Scripture today. Support the mission: fahrenheitmentoring.com (Podcast tab)

Today's guest is Dr. Brent DeLong with DeLong Family Chiropractic Care in Norman, Oklahoma. Since we take a holistic approach: spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, relational, professional or educational, Dr. DeLong was a natural guest due to his holistic approach to health.In today's conversation, Chris and Christina tackle the questions:Why chiropractic care?What it does for overall health?What you may not be aware of concerning the benefits of chiropractic care.Reach out to DeLong Family Chiropractic Care today!2214 Tecumseh Dr, Norman, OK 73069PHONE(405) [email protected]’s episode is brought to you by DeLong Family Chiropractic Care.Discover a life where health issues no longer hold you back and where your body’s needs are the top priority. As founder of DeLong Family Chiropractic, Dr. Brent has been leading thousands of patients to not only feel healthy, but to achieve true health, through the MaxLiving 5 Essentials™.

Today is the continuing conversation with Katie Kain.Katie has been singing her whole life. She has a passion for teaching kids the joy of music. Katie grew up taking voice lessons, doing musical theatre, and dance. She has been teaching for 12 years and has a gift for bringing out the best in her students. Katie graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Master’s Degree in Human Relations. Katie is wife to Nathan, and mom to Jazmine, Alonso, and Andres. She loves coffee, fall, and quiet mornings before her kids wake up.Her children's theatre company is called Center Stage. At Center Stage, their primary goal is to build confidence in our students! They accomplish this goal through several avenues including music, drama, and performance. Their vision is that each student will leave their class more confident, more proud of who they are, and having had an amazing experience. Their mission is to give every student the chance to shine, be in the spotlight, and get out of their comfort zone!Katie's story is not only compelling, but a primary example of what it means to have another person give of themselves in a mentoring relationship. In today's episode, Katie openly discusses her struggles with OCD and Tourette's and how the arts helped her discover freedom and helped her pursue her life's calling.Contact Katie:https://www.shineatcenterstage.com/Find out more about her foundation:https://www.centerstagefoundation.org/

In today's episode, Chris and Christina interview Katie Kain. Katie has been singing her whole life. She has a passion for teaching kids the joy of music. Katie grew up taking voice lessons, doing musical theatre, and dance. She has been teaching for 12 years and has a gift for bringing out the best in her students. Katie graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Master’s Degree in Human Relations. Katie is wife to Nathan, and mom to Jazmine, Alonso, and Andres. She loves coffee, fall, and quiet mornings before her kids wake up.Her children's theatre company is called Center Stage. At Center Stage, their primary goal is to build confidence in our students! They accomplish this goal through several avenues including music, drama, and performance. Their vision is that each student will leave their class more confident, more proud of who they are, and having had an amazing experience. Their mission is to give every student the chance to shine, be in the spotlight, and get out of their comfort zone! Katie's story is not only compelling, but a primary example of what it means to have another person give of themselves in a mentoring relationship. This is part one of two you won't want to miss!!Contact Katie:https://www.shineatcenterstage.com/Find out more about her foundation:https://www.centerstagefoundation.org/

Todd Vinson is no stranger to the Real Life Mentoring podcast. He and his wife Jeannie shared their story with us and Todd comes back from time to time to share his thoughts on effective leadership. Today, he joins Chris as they tackle the book, 5 Gears: How to Be Present and Productive When There Is Never Enough Time by Jeremy KubicekThe 5 Gears principle is a tool Todd teaches, helping you to shift into the right gear at the right time so that you can grow in your relational intelligence. Using these gears consistently allows you to bring a new level of relational intelligence to your life that offers a competitive advantage in our task-driven world.You won't want to miss today's discussion and hear from Todd.Todd Vinson is the founder of Overlander Consulting.Overlander's Goal is to be:Rooted in insight.‍Driven by purpose.‍Focused on people, over performance.To find out more about Overlander Consulting, schedule a 30 minute session or subscribe to Todd's blog click on: https://www.overlanderconsulting.com/contactAaron Ruiz Sponsor