Cooking dinner while I talk this one out. Work’s weird right now. We’ve got a few big deals in the hopper, and any one of them could be life changing. It’s minute by minute, waiting for my life to change again, and I can feel it coming in phenomenal ways.
I’ve had some amazing times in my life. I got to marry a beautiful woman and I have two amazing children. But through all of it, I was always fighting something. Always drunk, always overcoming something. No matter how good life got, there was always another mountain.
And now, for the first time ever, things are good.
There’s still chaos. Still devils. But they’re new ones.
New level, new devil, and yeah, the angels are different here too.
I like where life’s at. Even the hard parts. I’m dealing with things that would wreck most people, and I can still stand here and say I’m grateful.
Some of what I deal with, I can’t share publicly because it involves coaching clients and private stuff, but it’s deep, soul level work. The kind of work only a small handful of people ever do.
After everything I’ve lived through, I can sit with almost anyone and not judge them. Doesn’t matter if they tell me something dark or strange. I can sit in that space with them. That’s love in action, standing next to someone in their extremes and still seeing the human underneath.
And comedy’s a big part of why I can do that.
Learning to stand on stage and tell my truth without breaking down, that’s emotional management at its finest. Comedy’s therapy. It’s practice for being present. It’s helped me connect with people in a way I never could before.
I’ve been in front of cameras and microphones for most of my life. I’ve hosted a podcast for years, written almost every day for decades, and even spoken in front of crowds of thousands. Those are advantages most comics don’t start with.
Now I’m using those tools to grow faster, to build something bigger. I’ve been writing more in the flow lately, running ideas through my head throughout the day. It’s working.
Went to the Funny Bone tonight and didn’t get on stage, which was a bummer. Good crowd too. But I was up last week, so the streak resets. That’s part of the grind. You take the hits.
Then I went to Purple Quarters. The rivalry with Andreas Mendoza cracks me up. He’s a solid comic, puts in the work, and I’d love to collaborate someday. He reminds me of one of my first boxing students, a dear friend from way back. Guess I’m getting sentimental.
Personal life’s good in some places, just okay in others. I’ve changed so much I barely recognize myself. I don’t think anyone else does either.
Signed up early at Purple Quarters. Small crowd, good set, but I missed a section I wanted to tie together. Tried a callback to my “Milk Carton Famous” bit, the one about Joe, and it didn’t land the way it usually does. My fault. I gave it away too early. Still learning.
That’s the fun of it though. Adjust, rework, evolve.
On the upside, I got some huge news. I was invited to speak on the comedy panel at Podfest Expo 2026 in Orlando. Not official yet, but the email came through today, and I’m over the moon. That event’s one of my favorites every year. They’re even doing an open mic that weekend. Perfect combo.
https://podfestexpo.com
The theme lately is learning to tell the difference between distraction and treat.
I’ve got an addictive personality, so I’m trying to celebrate the right things, hoops before bed, long walks, stage time. Still, there are temptations everywhere.
There’s so much opportunity right now it’s hard to stay focused. But I am.
Goddamn, I am staying focused.
That’s it for now.
Cox out.
