What if the expectations you are trying so hard to meet are the very things preventing you from enjoying your life?

That question sits at the heart of the latest episode of Fishing Without Bait, as behavioral health therapist Jim Ellermeyer continues his conversation with Melissa Carey.

From exploring Reiki and alternative spiritual practices to discussing the complicated emotions of motherhood, Melissa shares a journey of learning to trust herself and accept the unexpected turns in her life.

What does it actually mean to stand up for human dignity?

In Episode 536 of Fishing Without Bait, Jim Ellermeyer concludes his three-part conversation with Monica Ruiz of Casa San José by moving from awareness into action.

Throughout the conversation, Monica challenges listeners to look beyond assumptions and headlines and instead have meaningful conversations with the people around them.

What happens to a community when people become afraid to participate in everyday life?

That question sits at the heart of Fishing Without Bait Episode 535, as Jim Ellermeyer continues his conversation with Monica Ruiz of Casa San José.

This is Part 2 of their discussion, and Monica brings the conversation directly into the experiences of immigrant families in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

What does it mean to advocate for a community without speaking over the people who actually make up that community?

That question is at the heart of Part 1 of Jim Ellermeyer’s conversation with Monica Ruiz of Casa San Jose.

Monica is a social worker who has called Pittsburgh home for nearly 20 years. Her work has taken her from helping individuals directly to working on larger systems and policies that affect entire communities.

That path eventually brought her to Casa San Jose.

What if personal growth isn’t always about repairing something that is broken?

In Episode 533 of Fishing Without Bait, Jim Ellermeyer begins a four-part conversation with Melissa Carey, whose work draws from music therapy, mindfulness, breathwork, sound, meditation, and other practices centered around presence.

Early in the conversation, Melissa offers a simple but meaningful idea: “I feel we are already whole.”

Sometimes growth starts with doing something you aren't completely comfortable doing.

In Part 3 of our Fishing Without Bait conversation with sports broadcaster Austin Cairns, that idea becomes a common thread connecting everything from professional wrestling and broadcasting to mindfulness and simply paying attention to what is happening in front of us.

Austin has spent enough time around independent wrestling to learn that what happens behind the curtain can be just as complicated as what happens inside the ring.

How often do we accomplish something meaningful and immediately start thinking about what comes next?

In Part 2 of our conversation with sportscaster Austin Cairns, that question becomes an important part of the discussion.

Austin describes himself as someone who spent a lot of his college years wanting to “go, go, go.” There was always another project, another opportunity, another goal. The problem was that constantly moving forward also made it easy to burn out and difficult to appreciate what was happening around him.

What happens when you don't know what you want to do with your life?

For Austin Cairns, the answer began to emerge during one of the most uncertain periods imaginable.

In Episode 530 of Fishing Without Bait, Jim Ellermeyer begins a conversation with Austin about growing up in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, navigating high school during the COVID-19 pandemic, and gradually discovering an interest in broadcasting.