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Twins Carter and Sawyer Roberts spent nearly their whole childhood side by side, then stepped onto planes that sent them to two different LDS missions in the Philippines. Same country, same base language, neighboring missions and still a completely new kind of loneliness. We talk about what that first real separation does to your confidence, your social instincts, and your faith when your built-in best friend is suddenly not there to lean on.

We get practical about missionary life in the Philippines: the Provo MTC versus the Manila MTC, why you don’t truly learn Tagalog until you’re out in the heat talking to real people, and how “Taglish” shows up everywhere. Carter and Sawyer share what actually helped them improve, from studying smarter to simply speaking more and letting members talk to them in the language even when they felt unready. We also dig into companionship life, work ethic, and why going out to serve often fixes tension faster than debating it at home.

The most moving moments come from the quiet miracles: a younger sister who prays and then chooses to listen, a husband who waits in a parking lot for years and finally walks into a meeting once, and the shift that happens when you start looking for small blessings instead of only the headline moments. If you care about faith, missionary service, learning a new language, and building spiritual habits that last after the name tag comes off, this conversation delivers.

If you enjoyed it, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What part of their story hit closest to your own life?

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We talk with Waycross, Georgia Mayor Michel-Angelo James about the long road that led him to city hall, from a fragile start in infancy to decades of ministry, teaching, and steady community work that rarely makes headlines.

We get personal about the building blocks of leadership: family traditions, pride in military service, the mentors who shaped his faith, and why he believes lifelong learning is a civic duty as much as a personal goal. Along the way, he shares how journaling and self-assessment sharpen decision-making, and why prayer remains his anchor when responsibility piles up.

Then we dig into the real mechanics of local government and community development in Waycross. He explains what a mayor can actually control in a manager-council system, what it means to be “public property,” and why government progress often feels slow even when the work is moving. We also cover downtown revitalization, small business support, housing growth, rail crossings and overpass plans, and how his Mayor’s Youth Council gives students hands-on civics through a meeting simulation behind the dais. We close with a thoughtful look at navigating contentious issues, including the Confederate monument debate, without losing the community in the process.

If you care about civic engagement, local leadership, and practical ways to strengthen your hometown, listen through to the end, then subscribe, share this with a neighbor, and leave a review with the one issue you think your city should tackle next.

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Phones often prevent conversations from ever getting started and sometimes can end a conversation because of it's distraction. "Tales is a great way to get conversations started at any gathering. We start this interview with a couple of "Tales" questions: what’s the best way to grow old, and what actually makes you feel most alive? Benji Harris doesn’t hesitate. The gym is his happy place, and where he really feels alive pumping iron. From there, we trace how a small-town kid who grew up hunting and fishing built a serious strength training lifestyle and eventually stepped onto the bodybuilding stage.

Benji walks us through the unglamorous mechanics of bodybuilding competition prep: sticking to a plan, learning from losses, and choosing the right division. He explains the difference between men’s physique and classic physique, why conditioning can beat added scale weight, and what judges look for when they talk about symmetry, flow, and muscularity. He also shares the day-to-day reality of a 14-week prep, including repeatable meal prep, a high protein diet built around basics like chicken and rice, and the discipline to say no when it matters.

Then the story gets intense: qualifying for nationals, walking backstage in Pittsburgh with nearly a thousand competitors, and earning a pro card in 2019. We talk pro shows, the truth about sponsorships, and why supplements are never “magic.” Benji also gets honest about health tradeoffs in competitive bodybuilding and why longevity, family, and a new grandson helped him decide to step back. We close with how he built Infinite Fitness into a 24/7 gym that’s welcoming for beginners and serious lifters alike. If you like this kind of straight talk on bodybuilding, classic physique, and sustainable fitness, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review. What part of Benji's discipline do you want to try for yourself?

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