Auti Premieres “4 Years” Music Video in PEOPLE Exclusive
Pivotal Moments Media ambassador and Pivotal Records artist, Auti, shares the inspiration and meaning behind her song, “4 Years” in this PEOPLE exclusive.
A story of love and loss.
The music video displays an ethereal presence that carries the lyrics seamlessly. In the interview, Auti details that “[The song] was something that I wrote about my friend Luke to acknowledge that suicide is real and does affect everyone involved, but it was also mostly written as a message to him.”. There is an emptiness only people who have experienced a similar loss can relate to; Auti uses her platform to connect with her fans that may feel alone in their journey to healing.
As photos from Luke’s life shine around her, she plays the piano, and her beautiful voice tells the tragic story weighing on her heart. Director Jeremy Ryan and creative director Chrissy Yoder do a phenomenal job of encapsulating the emotions and love for her friend. This song and video are a testament to their friendship and provide a sense of peace, new beginnings, and closure.
The final chapter.
“There is so much love and light to be found in life, and it may take some searching, but it is out there.”
Pivotal Moments Media and Pivotal Records are honored to have you on the team, Auti.
If you or someone you love is experiencing a mental health crisis, Call or Text 988.
Additional resources for suicide prevention can be found at pivotalomomentsmedia.com
Episode 4: Abigail Osborn and Being The Bad Guy
Ian attempts to minimize damage when delivering bad news. Abigail Osborn plays “Ruin Your Night” and the two chat about listening to their own music, when the art and the artist don’t match, dating friends, and reinventing themselves.
Show Notes
00:00 Intro
00:50 Breakups and bad news
05:00 Ian plays his song “Her Heart”
09:00 Abigail Osborn joins the show and plays her song “Ruin Your Night”
12:30 Ian and Abigail talk about being the breaker-upper
38:00 Close
Life After The Military: Operation Mend with Dr. Jo Sornborger and Dana Katz
In this new episode of Life After the Military, Lee and Howie speak with Dr. Jo Sornborger and Dana Katz about the work they do with the Operation Mend Program at UCLA Health as part of the Warrior Care Network.
Doctor Sornborger currently serves as the Executive Director of the UCLA Health Operation Mend Program. She is a certified clinical psychologist who has associated herself with UCLA Health for over fourteen years.
Dana Katz is the Director of Community Engagement and Buddy Programs for the UCLA Operation Mend Program. Dana has worked with this program for over fifteen years.
The Operation Mend Program is a partnership between UCLA Health and the United States military. In this episode, learn from Dr. Sornborger and Dana Katz how this program provides advanced surgical and medical treatment, comprehensive psychological evaluation and support, and intensive treatment programs for symptoms to post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury for service members, veterans, and family members.
Show Notes
1:32 Dr. Jo explains her involvement in Operation Mend.
4:28 Dr. Jo Expands on the Resilience of the military family.
8:49 The scope of Operation Mend’s Care
11:45 Dana Katz shares her experience being with Operation Mend for 15 years and the organization’s origins with her family.
18:28 Dana and Dr.Jo discuss the community of buddies and warriors that Operation Mend has built.
22:57 Lee shares an anecdote about meeting some of the Band of Brothers.
36:53 Dana talks about sourcing “Buddies” for Operation Mend and the Importance of Warriors to seek help.
48:00 Howie Delves into the “Deadly Gap”.
58:54 Lee calls to action! “You are not alone”.
1:10:00 How our guests practice mental fitness in their lives.
CEO Robert Morgan Shares Advice and Road to Success with Market Daily
From a farm in Pennsylvania to the CEO of Pivotal Moments Media, learn what cultivated Robert Morgan’s success story in this feature from Market Daily with Lillian Swift.
Growing up on a dairy farm and witnessing the hard work and hustle of his parents and grandparents, Morgan was exposed to a lifestyle that promotes hard work, and an entrepreneurial mindset from an early age. As his career path has changed through the years, the drive to create has remained. From his federal government career to creating consulting firm Morgan Franklin, and now Pivotal Moments Media, he has acquired a lot of excellent knowledge and helpful tips for other entrepreneurs.
Advice from our CEO
Morgan shares 10 pieces of advice for those on the entrepreneurial path. The core values, lessons, and motivation in his words make this article a must-read.
While Morgan has gained knowledge and experience in many industries, his most important piece of advice is to live and discover the person outside of the CEO. Pivotal Moments Media is built upon taking care of your mental fitness and that is something he lives by.
“Success does not make you immune from mental health issues. We all need mission, purpose, and connectedness.”
Remember to never lose touch with that kid on the farm in Pennsylvania.
Episode 3: Whitney Miller and Do I Have ADHD?
Ian rides a train of thought through the topics of grapes, climate change, mental math, the AI gaming presidents, and attention spans. Ian and Whitney meet for the first time ever and talk as if they were meeting at a party.
Learn how Whitney won Miss United States, started a career in fighting, and then her career as a musician in this incredible episode.
Show Notes
00:00 Intro
03:30 Finding fascination in everything
09:00 What you can control and a song called “Being Like This”
13:30 Whitney Miller joins and talks about winning Miss Texas and Miss United States
19:00 How Whitney transitioned into fighting
22:30 Whitney on beginning her career as a singer
32:15 Whitney sings her song “15 of Fame”
35:40 Ian asks Whitney about her music taste
38:00 Close
Ty Herndon Joins Bloom to Discuss Recovery & Album Inspiration
Pivotal Moments Media ambassador and podcast host, Ty Herndon, discusses mental health and his new album, JACOB, on Bloom with Gayle Guyardo. The “Til You Get There” music video introduces the interview with a special shout-out to the album.
Ty is no stranger to struggle.
Some of his darkest days and comeback stories are what his music is inspired by. The loneliness he experienced turned into his incredible self-discovery journey detailed in JACOB. Ty mentions his song, “Lean In”, which encourages people to check in on their neighbors. A kind gesture can have a powerful impact on someone struggling.
Ty is determined to extract purpose out of his pain by creating music and content that matters. He explains how there is beauty in passing forward the gems of advice we learn along the way- one of the many reasons he has pursued the role as a Host for SoundBoard, a podcast by Pivotal Moments Media. SoundBoard is a podcast created within the Resilience channel that features high-profile artists and musicians and their mental fitness journeys. Ty describes the collaboration with PMM as a “perfect match”. Similar goals, values, and mission; to advocate for mental health.
Through hard work, great counseling, and a strong support system, Ty is a true mental fitness warrior.
For more guidance and education on mental fitness, check out the MindCareKit bundle on our website. Thank you for the feature and interview, Bloom.
Episode 2: Maddy Hicks and the Scientific Method
“I’m on the hunt for some goals. I’m flip-flopping between taking everything too seriously and not seriously at all. I ask country music sensation and aspiring adult film star Spencer Crandall whether he is aware that strangers desire the life he lives. We also talk about numbers, which, as a math boi, gets me all hot and bothered. Some good shit in here. Make yourself comfortable and enjoy Uncomfortable with Ian McConnell (that’s me).”
Show Notes
00:00 Ian on The Scientific Method and his song Fine
04:25 Learning How to Cook
09:00 Pain and feelings are actually good
13:45 Maddy Hicks joins the show
17:30 Ian asks Maddy if she knows what she wants from making music
21:20 Maddy talks about being honest and specific in her music
26:10 A conversation on embarrassment and writing
32:00 Maddy plays her most recent single Deadline
35:38 Close
Military Spouses, Serving Others, and The Emotional Rucksack
In this new Pivotal Moments Media Charlie Mike Channel episode of Life After the Military, Lee and Howie speak with Richelle Futch.
Richelle is a Marine Corps Veteran, current special operations military spouse, and advocate for military employment, preventative mental health care and reform. She has worked with members of congress on policy reform and has been invited to the White House on behalf of her work and advocacy efforts.
An accomplished 4x published author, Richelle printed more than 10,000 copies and sold thousands of digital editions of her workbook Unpacking Your Emotional Ruck.
In this episode, Richelle shares her experience as she transitioned from her active-duty tour by pursuing her undergraduate degree and working as a court appointed special advocate who provided the voice for children in the foster care system. Richelle emphasizes the importance of focusing on and serving others.
Richelle discusses the work she does with youth by using didactic training techniques to help them understand and overcome their challenges. Richelle also describes the work she does with military and first responder families. She talks about the family system and how each family member can be successful in our stress filled society today.
Richelle masterfully describes the work she does with families to build resilience and their ability to overcome adversity. Richelle talks about the work she did that led to the development of her workbook, Unpack Your Emotional Ruck.
Richelle shares about the challenges she faces as a spouse as she and her husband prepare for his transition out of the military.
Show Notes
2:14 – Richelle takes us through her transition out of the military and her advice for those going through it today
5:41 – Richelle talks about redefining purpose
8:54 – Lee and Richelle dive into serving others
17:25 – Richelle explains what it means to meet people where they are at
33:20 – Howie & Richelle discuss the importance of allowing children and teens to experience hardship in order to better prepare them throughout life
41:58 – Richelle explains what unpacking your emotional ruck means
50:08 – Richelle discusses her husband’s upcoming transition out of the military and how they are preparing for it
57:08 – Richelle discusses how she practices mental fitness
Pilot: Spencer Crandall/Goals
“I’m on the hunt for some goals. I’m flip-flopping between taking everything too seriously and not seriously at all. I ask country music sensation and aspiring adult film star Spencer Crandall whether he is aware that strangers desire the life he lives. We also talk about numbers, which, as a math boi, gets me all hot and bothered. Some good shit in here. Make yourself comfortable and enjoy Uncomfortable with Ian McConnell (that’s me).”
Show Notes
00:00 Intro
00:55 – Ian sings candidly about how he feels about spending time on what he loves and reevaluating his goals.
03:03 – Ian talks about Google and the “human-desire” to be known and sings about the irony of how the internet knows him best.
05:36 – Ian touches on working from home and highlights in a song about finding guilt around things he “should” be doing.
08:58 – Ian shares a mental fitness tactic he uses when he’s feeling down to shift his mindset.
10:35 – Ian jumps into a song about not dwelling on your worries.
13:28 – Spencer Crandall joins Ian on stage as Ian introduces him and reflects on the intro songs about controlling what you can.
17:12 – Spencer talks about how he focuses on “enjoying the ride” and “living in the moment”.
19:51 – Ian asks Spencer about his mindset as he made his debut at the Opry.
23:06 – Spencer and Ian discuss differentiating their identities as artists.
27:27 – Ian segways into a conversation about creating value for fans.
30:56 – Spencer shares how he reacts to hearing his own music and feeling pressure from comparing current work to past work.
36:45 – Spencer and Ian briefly talk about how it’s hard to watch your streams and stats in real time.
37:17 – Ian asks Spencer if he’s aware that there are other people who desire his life.
40:00 – Spencer closes the show with his song “Side of the Stage”.
44:50 Close
Passion: When Curiosity Meets Community
In this new episode of Life After the Military, Lee and Howie speak with Sergeant Major (Retired) Topaz Navarro. Topaz shares the importance of being curious, vulnerable, and fearless as he learned to use LinkedIn to find his voice and establish his network to help with his transition planning and execution.
Learn from Topaz as he describes his passion for helping others through his business, Escape Velocity Academy, where he teaches others to become intrinsically motivated to find the overlap between curiosity and community.
Topaz highlights the work he does with Work Play Obsession All In Foundation to help others deal with challenges they may have with their mental fitness.
Topaz defines his concept – authentic happiness – to help transitioning veterans find their meaning and purpose in their post-military life. He beautifully describes our need and desire to find and experience micro-flow states in all we do.
Learn how Topaz strengthens his mental fitness by taking his MEDSS (Mindfulness, Exercise, Diet, Sleep, Social Interaction) every day.
Show Notes
1:28 Topaz gives an overview of his transition out of the military.
11:40 Topaz expands on the focus of the Escape Velocity Academy
13:15 Where curiosity intersects with community, you will find purpose/passion
19:45 The Origin of the Escape Velocity Academy name and its services
22:51 Howie explains what “Mile 62” means in relation to building good habits
26:06 Topaz explains the influence that “ The Second Mountain has had on his work
33:10 Topaz opens dialogue on the role of mentors vs coaches
39:30 Topaz elaborates on Work Play Obsession and his role as a connector to other non-profits
47:35 Lee explains the importance of finding community
54:12 Topaz expands on “purpose” and finding it through authentic happiness
1:04:09 Topaz talks about taking his M.E.D.S in maintaining his mental fitness
