E039 Doug Koning Balance by Sticking with a Dream
Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 39
Date: October 25, 2022
Participants: John Webster, Sammy Damaren, Cameron Earnshaw and Sheila Webster
Guest: Doug Koning
Start times and Segment Segments:
[0:00:44] What’s On Your Mind: We explore the concept of positive affirmations. We review a list of 10 examples, then chat about some: being allowed to take up space, choosing peace and being strong enough to make our own decisions. Will they work for us? Will they work for you?
[0:12:28] Expanding Minds Interview: [Artistic Wellness and Balance] We talk to stand-up comedian Doug Koning about balance, in the context of pursuing a calling that requires giving other things up for an extended period of time. His first experience doing stand-up felt like being struck with lightning in the best way possible way. As Doug sees it, making people laugh is just the best. It’s such a great reaction. He’s committed to the idea that you can’t fail if you follow a dream. He’ll be fulfilled in himself by doing that. Doug and Tim Nicholson also have a podcast called Best Worst Friends.
[0:32:17] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Cameron experiences ups and downs in the process of creating music, while trying a new approach.
[0:35:01] Move That Body: Sheila and John realize that people who live in big cities probably do a lot of walking every day.
[0:40:19] Running Popup: John remembers a time when he couldn’t imagine running 200 meters. Later, he was disappointed with his results when running his first marathon of 42.2 kilometres. He eventually cherished the result, thinking about how much his life had changed, because he not only ran the 200 meters, but another 42 kilometers to boot.
[0:43:18] Flipside of the Coin: A behind the scenes experience of creating a Flipside segment.
Quotes and Take-Aways:
Sammy – As a female from when I was a kid, within social constructs, you’re taught to not take up space, not be too loud, not be a know-it-all, but when a man does it then it’s okay and they’re smart and they’re powerful. Telling myself it’s okay to take up space and to be educated on things and to speak my mind is something I’m trying to get better at.
Sammy – Women are always taught to make yourself look smaller, whether that’s for jeans or an outfit or your personality.
Sammy – That’s what everyone needs to start thinking: I am here. I am qualified. I am educated and I’m here to be me.
John – Maybe behaviorism is correct and I’m not really in control of what I do, but I choose to believe that I am. That’s why my ethics matter. That’s why my choices matter, and that’s why I’m not going to let life happen to me anymore. I’m going to choose to try to be well in these different areas.
Sammy – I’ve been told with positive affirmations, you don’t believe it at the beginning, but if you say it every day at least once a day, then you’ll start to see the change and you’ll start to feel peace.
Sammy – If everybody chooses inner peace for themselves every day, then maybe our society could come to a place where it feels at peace with the environment or with each other, but I believe everybody needs to choose that inner peace first, before you can even look at a society at peace.
John – Maybe these positive affirmations have more than one advantage. Maybe they also help you become more self-aware.
Doug – I thought if I could do stand-up comedy once then I could stop obsessing about it. Then I did it once and it was like being struck with lightning in the best way possible. I caught the bug immediately.
Doug – That’s always been the test of whether you should be doing something: if it goes terribly and you still want to do it. If you still want to do comedy after you bomb, then you might be meant for this.
Doug – You learn a lot more from a bad set than from a good set.
Doug – I’m committed to the idea that you can’t really fail if you follow a dream. I’ll be fulfilled in myself. I would feel better following the dream and knowing that I did that. I don’t know how else to put it. I’d rather stick with it and suffer the consequences of doing so.
Doug – Making people laugh is just the best. It’s such a great reaction.
Doug – As a stand-up comedian you feel like an emotional alchemist in a way. If you have jokes about bad stuff that’s happened to you, it’s almost like you can take it like a clown with a balloon and turn it into a puppy. I take something that was pain for me and now it’s joy for others. Maybe not joy sometimes, but just understanding for them, or someone in the audience thinks, “I thought I was the only person who dealt with that.”
Doug – It’s a lot of screaming into the void – podcasting. A lot of times I would get hung up on it. I had another podcast in the past and would see an episode only got 20 downloads and I would feel like garbage about myself. Then a friend said, “Imagine if you did a show with 20 people who were into it.” I would be so excited to do that. To have 20 people along for the ride and who are invested in your development, it feels great.
Bulletin Board Quote brought to you by Cameron: This is hot trash.
Guest Information: Doug Koning is a walking, talking, screaming cartoon. Originally hatched in St. Thomas Ontario, Doug now lives and hates in Hamilton Ontario and is making audiences laugh wherever he goes. Having won the Go Yuk Yourself contest and been a finalist in Toronto's Comedy Brawl, Doug is no stranger to winning and losing. When he's not holding audiences hostage with his views on the world he's yelling at 12 year Olds on Xbox live to get to his level. Doug and Tim Nicholson have a podcast called Best Worst Friends.
Instagram: @dougkoning
Podcast – Best Worst Friends on Anchor (See also Spotify, Apple, etc.): https://anchor.fm/best-worst-friends
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Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila and Julie