Circle This

The Life You Were Built For with Julia Gabor

What if the experiences that shaped you—even the painful ones—weren't detours at all, but preparation for the life you're here to live? This episode will leave you thinking differently about your past, your purpose, and the healing power of genuine human connection.       In this episode, Dre sits down with educator, speaker, and Kid Grit co-founder Julia Gabor for a deeply honest conversation about childhood loneliness, resilience, emotional intelligence, and the surprising ways our greatest struggles can become our greatest contribution.       Dre and Julia grew up in New York City, and their circles have remained connected through the years, bringing  a love, history, and genuine chemistry to this conversation.       Julia shares the remarkable story of growing up far too fast, raising herself through family dysfunction, addiction, and instability before dedicating her life to helping children, teachers, and communities build emotional resilience through authentic human connection. Together, she and Dre explore why loneliness has become one of our greatest modern epidemics, why emotional intelligence may be the most important skill we'll ever teach, and how storytelling can transform shame into purpose.       This conversation is about much more than education. It's about learning to stop asking, "Why did this happen to me?" and beginning to ask, "How did this prepare me for the life I'm here to live?" If you've ever wondered whether your past still defines you—or whether it might actually be pointing you toward your purpose—this episode is for you.       Follow: @julesfrmnyc Learn More At: https://kid-grit.com/     --       Stay connected with the Circle This team: @andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace For sponsorship inquiries, email: circlethispod@gmail.com

The Courage to Trust Yourself with Rosa Blasi

In this episode,  actress, author, therapist, and addiction specialist Rosa Blasi joins Dre for an honest conversation about intuition, reinvention, accountability, grief, and the courage to trust yourself.        Together they explore why so many of us ignore our instincts, how feelings of "not enough" quietly shape our lives, and what it actually takes to break old patterns instead of simply understanding them.       They dive into the connection between the healing arts and the creative arts, the courage to tell the truth about your life, and why building self-trust often begins with keeping the smallest promises to yourself.       This is a conversation about owning your voice, following your inner knowing, and remembering that your next chapter doesn't begin when life changes, it begins the moment you decide to trust yourself.       Follow: @therosablasi Learn More At: www.rosablasitherapy.com     --     Stay connected with the Circle This team: @andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace For sponsorship inquiries, email: circlethispod@gmail.com

Demystifying Modern Men with Davide De Pierro

Davide De Pierro has become one of the internet's most thoughtful voices on love, heartbreak, and modern relationships as he willing asks questions many of us quietly carry.       In this conversation, we circle around modern masculinity, loneliness, dating, and the stories we tell ourselves about love. Along the way, an even bigger question emerges: What are we really searching for? Is it permanence...or presence?       Together we explore why chemistry isn't the same as emotional capacity, why endings aren't always failures, and how our desire to matter shapes the way we love, choose partners, and imagine our future.       Thoughtful, funny, and unexpectedly moving, this conversation reminds us that perhaps a life well lived isn't measured by how long something lasts, but by how fully we show up while it's here.       Follow: @davi87dp on IG, and see bio to purchase audio book and tickets for his tour!      --       Stay connected with the Circle This team: @andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @goodmessmedia  For sponsorship inquiries circlethispod@gmail.com

The Power of Possibility: Healing the Stories That Shape Us with Jim Curtis

In this episode, Dre sits down with transformational coach, hypnotist, and author Jim Curtis to explore how our subconscious stories shape the lives we create. Jim shares his own journey through chronic illness, heartbreak, isolation, and reinvention, revealing how some of life's most difficult moments became catalysts for profound transformation.       Together, they explore how childhood experiences, inherited patterns, and unconscious beliefs influence everything from relationships and self-worth to connection, purpose, and possibility. They dive into the difference between meditation and hypnosis, the power of identity language, and why lasting change begins beneath the surface.       The conversation touches on modern loneliness, particularly among men, the courage required to create community, and the role vulnerability plays in building meaningful connection.       One theme keeps emerging: possibility. Not as wishful thinking, but as a practice. A willingness to loosen our grip on old identities, expand what we believe is available to us, and step into a new relationship with ourselves and our lives.       Jim closes the episode with a BONUS guided hypnotic meditation designed to help listeners reconnect with calm, clarity, alignment, and the deeper truth beneath fear and conditioning.       Jim's upcoming book, The Book of Possibility, arrives in September 2026 and offers readers an immersive journey into subconscious transformation, combining practical exercises, guided hypnosis, and the tools Jim uses in his one-on-one coaching work.       Follow: @jimcurtis1 PreOrder The Book Of Possibility:  https://www.bookofpossibility.com/ Learn More At:  https://www.jimcurtiscoaching.com/     --       Stay connected with the Circle This team: @andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @goodmessmedia  For sponsorship inquiries circlethispod@gmail.com

What Happens When Cops Sit In A Circle? With LAPD Officer Lyndon Barber

In this episode, Dre sits down with former LAPD officer Lyndon Barber for a conversation about policing, loneliness, vulnerability, nervous systems, and what happens when people trained to suppress emotion are finally given permission to speak honestly. They explore how council-based practices (think circle) are transforming law enforcement from the inside out.       A 16-year veteran of the LAPD, including years in gang enforcement, Lyndon opens up about the hidden emotional toll of law enforcement, the "hero complex" inside police culture, surviving thyroid cancer in isolation, and the moment a council circle cracked something open in him.       Lyndon now helps lead the POWER Program through Beyond Us & Them,  bringing emotional regulation, mindfulness, and human connection into police units, prisons, and communities across the country.       What started as a training he thought looked "cultish" became a practice that transformed the way he leads, listens, regulates stress, and relates to both his fellow officers and the communities he serves.       Together, Dre and Lyndon explore:
how circles dissolve labels and uniforms…
why so many officers are silently struggling…
how mindfulness can de-escalate violence in real time…
and what becomes possible when people stop talking at each other and start listening human to human.     Join Dre and Lyndon for an in person / CoEd Community Connection Circle at the Den Meditation Center in Los Angeles. Sunday June 14th, 9:45am. Sign up via link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soulful-sundays-the-london-weho-los-angeles-community-connection-circle-tickets-1987745089070   Follow: @beyondusandthem 
Learn more: Beyond Us & Them     --     Stay connected with the Circle This team: @andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace For sponsorship inquiries, email: circlethispod@gmail.com