Michael Sanders: Hi folks and welcome to Between Here and There. I'm Michael and joining us is my co-founder and friend, Brian. And we know that many, or we suspect many of you are going through a period of transition or uncertainty, reinvention, maybe you're struggling with burnout and you may be wondering what Between Here and There is and frankly, this is the space. for all of you that are feeling those feelings. So if there's a moment in life where you realize that the current version of yourself is not necessarily the version of you to carry forward, that's really what Between Here and There is for ⁓ space to hold conversation and community around those types of things. So Brian, with all of that said, You know, we've been working on this space, this community that we're calling Between Here and There. For you, what does the name specifically Between Here and There mean to you?
Brian Di Bartolomeo: Yeah, well, you know, we have, we've taken a good amount of time to figure out what is the naming of what we're trying to build and bring together as a community and for people and Between Here and There was the winner. ⁓ And ⁓ clear that we're trying to create this space where people can be ⁓
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: and. not only just be, but also to discover. So where you're at this moment of something's moving within me, I don't know what And maybe you have the opportunity to pause, ⁓ listen, think, talk,
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: understand what it means ⁓ and start to move towards what's next. So that, I think just in a very brief... sentence or two encapsulates what that space looks like and feels like that we're trying to create. And most importantly, I think for us, we're trying to bring a space in which it's a safe space. And I know that is often used with many things, but really a place where you can be vulnerable, a place where you can share your truths
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: and really use those to understand where you want to go. And what is that, you know, half a step that takes you to what the next thing is, we can help with that.
Michael Sanders: Yeah, all of that very well said, you know, I like to think of Between Here and There as a space for holding conversations ⁓ around these transition points in life, right? And we'll,
Brian Di Bartolomeo: Mm-hmm.
Michael Sanders: we'll dig into what those transition points are and indications that you're on the precipice of something and ⁓ what to do when you're going through it, you know, and we don't, certainly don't claim to have all the answers. Really this grand thing that we're building is more about, ⁓ you know, learning how to stay present. while ⁓ you and the rest of your life changes. And I guess that's a good segue into really what the focus of what Between Here and There is going to be. And really what we're focusing on ⁓ is life pivots, right? We're creating a space to have conversations and building a community around life pivots because everyone goes through them, right? Everyone goes through some form of pivot, it emotional or spiritual or physical or a pivot in relationships or, ⁓ you know, I think A lot of people tend to think that life pivots are exclusively focused around a professional pivot. And while that is certainly part of what we talk about really in my view, professional pivots are a smaller piece of this greater life pivot, you know, and, and, and What I think, or at least How I like to think about life pivots is, ⁓ you sometimes you choose a life pivot. You're like, I want to get married or I want to start a business or whatever. ⁓ And sometimes life pivots choose you, right? Like you get laid off. So you're going to do something else or a creative project dissolves and meets its natural conclusion. And you're left ⁓ with kind of a creative void that you have to fill. ⁓ you know, so those are all the types of things that we will in future episodes begin exploring and digging into. you know, there's a variety of life pivots. And I guess a good question for you, Brian is, know, we didn't just randomly decide to build Between Here and There. And we didn't randomly decide to focus on life pivots and creating space and conversations for those. So, you know, Why does this topic matter to you personally?
Brian Di Bartolomeo: Well, I've lived it and that's part of what we're going to bring to this community is that experiential understanding, lived experience and the life events that happen for all of us and whether
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: or not we choose to pause and hear them, that is really the opportunity. if I, I sum it up in one word for what I think this means for Everyone is authenticity. And
Michael Sanders: Mm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: the reason why I use that word is we have life events that meet us. Sometimes they're in our control, sometimes they're not. Very often they're not. And it feels very overwhelming. It feels chaotic.
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: It feels like you don't know where to go next. And no matter what you
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: do, you're never going to get out of it. So almost in a hopeful, hopeless moment. And if you look real deep through all of that, a lot of times it's this internal struggle that the person's having of who am I, where am I going, what am I doing, what's
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: next, who do I need, what am I to other people, and keep filling in all of those questions. And really what is at the foundation of that is... Becoming or understanding who they truly are that authentic person and taking that with them to what's next and
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: So that can come through like we said many life pivots or just listening internally that something just doesn't feel right and maybe it's been beating within you for a decade and all of a sudden this is that moment where you're at that moment of what's next and that's where we want to kind of pause, listen, hear, talk, understand,
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: feel, I think is another key piece, because it is within us, and just help move toward that next step.
Michael Sanders: Yeah, ⁓ absolutely. And you know, one thing that I always reflect on in terms of like, why Between Here and There this space that we're building is so important to us individually is, you know, long story short, we've both navigated some pretty significant life pivots. Just a little funny story for folks watching, know, Brian and I actually originally met in yoga teacher training of all places after kind of, you know, deliberately. exiting relatively successful professional paths. Because we got to this point where we're like, hey, that's no longer filling my cup. And we'll dig into this stuff in much more detail in future episodes. But long story short, we're trying to cultivate the space for conversation around life pivots because it's something we've gone through. And really the pivoting in life never really ends, right? There may be significant periods of life pivoting ⁓ and it kind of feels like they taper off a little bit, but really if you reflect on your life, they never really completely stop. So I guess the next thing I'd like to talk about is just like what listeners and folks in this community that we're building can kind of expect from Between Here and There. ⁓ And we've already touched on a lot of this stuff. or at least alluded to it, but We're going to be creating content and conversations, both between ⁓ Brian and I, but also we'll have ⁓ other folks join the space and share their stories with us. But really it's about conversations around transition and identity. ⁓ A lot of times when you're making a pivot, you kind of have these holy crap moments where you're like, who am I at this point? That can be a very unnerving. experience to have. you know, we also, I mentioned we, Brian and I met originally in yoga teacher training. And I think some of that yogic philosophy will kind of weave its way into some of our insights without getting overly preachy or woo-woo about it. You know, but I've certainly benefited a lot, not only from the physical practice of yoga, but also the philosophical and meditative aspects of the practice. I guess, Brian, do you want to talk a little bit about what kind of makes Between Here and There different from maybe some other ⁓ offerings in the space? ⁓ I alluded to some things, you know, like we're kind of Midwest rooted as
Brian Di Bartolomeo: Right.
Michael Sanders: opposed to California rooted. But what other kind of unique qualities do you think we're bringing to folks here?
Brian Di Bartolomeo: Yeah, I think what's unique overall is the hyper specificity that we're bringing to our focus, which is really that pivotal moment of when you think you might want to change or you're in this moment and you don't know what to do.
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: Or you're in this moment and you know what to do, but it's overwhelming and you need help kind of thinking it through. There presently is really nothing out there like that. And it moves beyond, as we said, just career, but that is a big part of kind of corporate burnout and things that we're seeing right now. But what I would say is some of the differentiation is, of course, we talked about coaching, listening, hearing, understanding, all of those things, which you would expect from something of this caliber. But then I would extend that to pulling from a lot of our experience. as Michael mentioned, we both are yoga teacher trained. ⁓ Breath work is a key piece of helping us to ground and kind of root into the moment so that you're not overwhelmed. And the breath can do such amazing things when used in these high stress situations. So what I would expect some of that, And while I said that it is a safe space, it definitely always will be a safe space. But I will say that one thing that we will do is challenge. And
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: If you're in this in-between space and it's something that you want to move towards something, a decision point, an inflection point, that is something that I would expect. Some of that I'm working with is to challenge me with the difficult things so that I can be really thinking
Michael Sanders: Yeah.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: through how to move to what's next.
Michael Sanders: Yeah, for sure. You know, I like to think, you know, that what makes Between Here and There different from maybe other offerings is that we're exclusively focused on like life pivot conversations, content, experiences, all that kind of stuff.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: I'm sorry.
Michael Sanders: And, you know, My hope at least is by, you know, holding space for conversations around life pivots and sharing stories about life pivots that will ultimately... help other people who are navigating these transitionary periods in their life. So that's kind of our, or at least my aspirational goal in what we're doing here. So I think that pretty well hopefully introduces folks to what Between Here and There is and why we're doing it. So I'd like to invite everybody to follow us on social, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, our YouTube channel. to keep track of what we're doing and talking about. And just to tease about what will be coming out soon is Brian will share his larger life pivot story as will I. So we hope you join us soon and it was great to meet everyone via the internet.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: Yeah, well, you know, we have, we've taken a good amount of time to figure out what is the naming of what we're trying to build and bring together as a community and for people and Between Here and There was the winner. ⁓ And ⁓ clear that we're trying to create this space where people can be ⁓
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: and. not only just be, but also to discover. So where you're at this moment of something's moving within me, I don't know what And maybe you have the opportunity to pause, ⁓ listen, think, talk,
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: understand what it means ⁓ and start to move towards what's next. So that, I think just in a very brief... sentence or two encapsulates what that space looks like and feels like that we're trying to create. And most importantly, I think for us, we're trying to bring a space in which it's a safe space. And I know that is often used with many things, but really a place where you can be vulnerable, a place where you can share your truths
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: and really use those to understand where you want to go. And what is that, you know, half a step that takes you to what the next thing is, we can help with that.
Michael Sanders: Yeah, all of that very well said, you know, I like to think of Between Here and There as a space for holding conversations ⁓ around these transition points in life, right? And we'll,
Brian Di Bartolomeo: Mm-hmm.
Michael Sanders: we'll dig into what those transition points are and indications that you're on the precipice of something and ⁓ what to do when you're going through it, you know, and we don't, certainly don't claim to have all the answers. Really this grand thing that we're building is more about, ⁓ you know, learning how to stay present. while ⁓ you and the rest of your life changes. And I guess that's a good segue into really what the focus of what Between Here and There is going to be. And really what we're focusing on ⁓ is life pivots, right? We're creating a space to have conversations and building a community around life pivots because everyone goes through them, right? Everyone goes through some form of pivot, it emotional or spiritual or physical or a pivot in relationships or, ⁓ you know, I think A lot of people tend to think that life pivots are exclusively focused around a professional pivot. And while that is certainly part of what we talk about really in my view, professional pivots are a smaller piece of this greater life pivot, you know, and, and, and What I think, or at least How I like to think about life pivots is, ⁓ you sometimes you choose a life pivot. You're like, I want to get married or I want to start a business or whatever. ⁓ And sometimes life pivots choose you, right? Like you get laid off. So you're going to do something else or a creative project dissolves and meets its natural conclusion. And you're left ⁓ with kind of a creative void that you have to fill. ⁓ you know, so those are all the types of things that we will in future episodes begin exploring and digging into. you know, there's a variety of life pivots. And I guess a good question for you, Brian is, know, we didn't just randomly decide to build Between Here and There. And we didn't randomly decide to focus on life pivots and creating space and conversations for those. So, you know, Why does this topic matter to you personally?
Brian Di Bartolomeo: Well, I've lived it and that's part of what we're going to bring to this community is that experiential understanding, lived experience and the life events that happen for all of us and whether
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: or not we choose to pause and hear them, that is really the opportunity. if I, I sum it up in one word for what I think this means for Everyone is authenticity. And
Michael Sanders: Mm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: the reason why I use that word is we have life events that meet us. Sometimes they're in our control, sometimes they're not. Very often they're not. And it feels very overwhelming. It feels chaotic.
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: It feels like you don't know where to go next. And no matter what you
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: do, you're never going to get out of it. So almost in a hopeful, hopeless moment. And if you look real deep through all of that, a lot of times it's this internal struggle that the person's having of who am I, where am I going, what am I doing, what's
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: next, who do I need, what am I to other people, and keep filling in all of those questions. And really what is at the foundation of that is... Becoming or understanding who they truly are that authentic person and taking that with them to what's next and
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: So that can come through like we said many life pivots or just listening internally that something just doesn't feel right and maybe it's been beating within you for a decade and all of a sudden this is that moment where you're at that moment of what's next and that's where we want to kind of pause, listen, hear, talk, understand,
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: feel, I think is another key piece, because it is within us, and just help move toward that next step.
Michael Sanders: Yeah, ⁓ absolutely. And you know, one thing that I always reflect on in terms of like, why Between Here and There this space that we're building is so important to us individually is, you know, long story short, we've both navigated some pretty significant life pivots. Just a little funny story for folks watching, know, Brian and I actually originally met in yoga teacher training of all places after kind of, you know, deliberately. exiting relatively successful professional paths. Because we got to this point where we're like, hey, that's no longer filling my cup. And we'll dig into this stuff in much more detail in future episodes. But long story short, we're trying to cultivate the space for conversation around life pivots because it's something we've gone through. And really the pivoting in life never really ends, right? There may be significant periods of life pivoting ⁓ and it kind of feels like they taper off a little bit, but really if you reflect on your life, they never really completely stop. So I guess the next thing I'd like to talk about is just like what listeners and folks in this community that we're building can kind of expect from Between Here and There. ⁓ And we've already touched on a lot of this stuff. or at least alluded to it, but We're going to be creating content and conversations, both between ⁓ Brian and I, but also we'll have ⁓ other folks join the space and share their stories with us. But really it's about conversations around transition and identity. ⁓ A lot of times when you're making a pivot, you kind of have these holy crap moments where you're like, who am I at this point? That can be a very unnerving. experience to have. you know, we also, I mentioned we, Brian and I met originally in yoga teacher training. And I think some of that yogic philosophy will kind of weave its way into some of our insights without getting overly preachy or woo-woo about it. You know, but I've certainly benefited a lot, not only from the physical practice of yoga, but also the philosophical and meditative aspects of the practice. I guess, Brian, do you want to talk a little bit about what kind of makes Between Here and There different from maybe some other ⁓ offerings in the space? ⁓ I alluded to some things, you know, like we're kind of Midwest rooted as
Brian Di Bartolomeo: Right.
Michael Sanders: opposed to California rooted. But what other kind of unique qualities do you think we're bringing to folks here?
Brian Di Bartolomeo: Yeah, I think what's unique overall is the hyper specificity that we're bringing to our focus, which is really that pivotal moment of when you think you might want to change or you're in this moment and you don't know what to do.
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: Or you're in this moment and you know what to do, but it's overwhelming and you need help kind of thinking it through. There presently is really nothing out there like that. And it moves beyond, as we said, just career, but that is a big part of kind of corporate burnout and things that we're seeing right now. But what I would say is some of the differentiation is, of course, we talked about coaching, listening, hearing, understanding, all of those things, which you would expect from something of this caliber. But then I would extend that to pulling from a lot of our experience. as Michael mentioned, we both are yoga teacher trained. ⁓ Breath work is a key piece of helping us to ground and kind of root into the moment so that you're not overwhelmed. And the breath can do such amazing things when used in these high stress situations. So what I would expect some of that, And while I said that it is a safe space, it definitely always will be a safe space. But I will say that one thing that we will do is challenge. And
Michael Sanders: Mm-hmm.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: If you're in this in-between space and it's something that you want to move towards something, a decision point, an inflection point, that is something that I would expect. Some of that I'm working with is to challenge me with the difficult things so that I can be really thinking
Michael Sanders: Yeah.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: through how to move to what's next.
Michael Sanders: Yeah, for sure. You know, I like to think, you know, that what makes Between Here and There different from maybe other offerings is that we're exclusively focused on like life pivot conversations, content, experiences, all that kind of stuff.
Brian Di Bartolomeo: I'm sorry.
Michael Sanders: And, you know, My hope at least is by, you know, holding space for conversations around life pivots and sharing stories about life pivots that will ultimately... help other people who are navigating these transitionary periods in their life. So that's kind of our, or at least my aspirational goal in what we're doing here. So I think that pretty well hopefully introduces folks to what Between Here and There is and why we're doing it. So I'd like to invite everybody to follow us on social, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, our YouTube channel. to keep track of what we're doing and talking about. And just to tease about what will be coming out soon is Brian will share his larger life pivot story as will I. So we hope you join us soon and it was great to meet everyone via the internet.
