Send us Fan Mail

Sometimes nothing around you has completely changed yet.

But somehow, you know the sun is coming up.

In this episode of UNLOADED, Michael shares a memory from his Army days during a field training exercise. After being assigned the 2 a.m. security watch on an unexpectedly freezing night without the proper cold-weather gear, there was only one thing he wanted to see:

The sun.

Hours later, before the temperature had meaningfully changed, the first light appeared on the horizon—and something inside him changed immediately.

He knew warmth was coming.

That memory becomes a metaphor for the difficult seasons of life Michael and Shannon have spent the last several episodes discussing. Sometimes the storm hasn't ended. The weight hasn't disappeared. The problem isn't completely resolved.

But you finally see movement.

The first light.

The first step downhill after carrying a heavy ruck uphill.

And sometimes that small psychological shift is enough to remind you that where you are right now isn't where you'll remain.

Michael shares why these are the moments he doubles down on journaling—not just documenting the painful days, but recording when things start to get better. Those pages become evidence he can return to during the next difficult season:

I've been here before. I got through it. Things changed.

The conversation then turns toward one of the simplest ways Michael and Shannon reconnect with the present moment: gratitude.

Not for something enormous.

For another morning.

Working eyes and ears.

Food in the refrigerator.

A safe place to sit.

Coffee outside while the world wakes up.

Family.

Relationships.

And sometimes a 135-pound dog who's pretty damn excited that Dad came home.

Life will get heavy again.

The tide will change again.

That's part of it.

But sometimes it's worth stopping long enough to recognize:

The sun is coming up. You're home. You're safe. And life's gonna be alright.