We tell ourselves Christmas and the holidays are supposed to be joyful — full of warmth, family, and meaning. And they are. But they also have a way of bringing grief, loneliness, and unmet expectations to the surface, especially when you’ve experienced loss of loved ones. In this episode, Kent and I talk honestly about why Christmas can feel heavy for some, how expectations shape our suffering, and why letting go of the “perfect picture” can open the door to meaningful holidays. If this Christmas feels hard for you, you’re not alone. Heres how to make it better. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Magee Foundation ⁠https://mageefoundation.org/⁠ Follow on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sitting down with my friend Dr. David Weill, I was struck by the courage it takes to return to your past and ask a hard, lifelong question: Who am I really? In this episode, we talk about his new memoir, Tell Me I Belong, and the journey that shaped it—growing up in the Deep South as the son of a father with Jewish heritage and a Southern Baptist mother, in a home where faith was rarely discussed. That silence left him searching for identity, meaning, and a sense of belonging that wouldn’t come easily. This is a conversation about family, faith, and the quiet ways we inherit confusion, and how we begin to untangle it. If you’ve ever wrestled with where you fit, or who you were meant to become, this episode will stay with you. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Magee Foundation https://mageefoundation.org/ Follow on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kent and I share the story behind our shared journey that led us to launching The Magee Foundation, work we are doing together. The Magee Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening community well-being through storytelling, education, recovery support, and collaboration. It’s the next step in the work that began and continues with our family’s own story. Find out more at mageefoundation.org David Magee's Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The holidays are supposed to be a time to exhale — to reconnect, rest, and breathe again. But for many young people, from middle school through college and well into their twenties, this season can quietly become the most dangerous stretch of the year. Structure fades. Old pressures reappear. Sleep goes sideways. Substance misuse and emotional distress often surge. I see it every day in my work with students and families — and I’ve lived it inside my own home. In this episode, I break down what’s actually happening beneath the surface and how parents can show up with steadiness and purpose. We’ll talk about the mental-health traps this season creates, why substance misuse spikes, and how to build healthier connections that genuinely protect young people. My hope is simple: to help you make this holiday stretch safer, calmer, and more connected for the young people you love. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’ve always loved Thanksgiving for its simplicity—no gifts, no pressure, just a table and gratitude. But the one year I sat alone at mine, I learned more about grace than any other holiday I’ve lived through. This is the story of how a box at my door reminded me I wasn’t as alone as I thought… and it helped lead my family and me back to each other. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I was younger, I thought 60 meant slowing down, maybe coasting into the sunset. But I’ve learned the opposite — this season of life is sharper, clearer, and freer to try and make a difference in the world. Today, my wife Kent interviews me and ask what turning 60 means and about second chances, regret, aging with peace, and the strange beauty of realizing you have nothing left to prove. It’s not a story about growing old — it’s about finally growing into yourself. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There was a time when my daughter Mary Halley and I couldn’t talk. Not really. Now we sit across from each other, laughing, asking questions, and sharing the hard-won peace that came from years of healing and growing. In this conversation, we talk about what it means to rebuild trust, the lessons that come with being parents and grandparents, and why keeping the conversation going is the victory in family. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you mark change? There’s a maple tree in my community that’s been keeping time for me all my life. Every fall, it’s the first to turn. Always early. Always beautiful. Always right on schedule. I’ve come to mark my years by its color, by the rhythm of its change. This story is about what that tree, and its brilliance, has taught me. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the eve of Halloween 2025, I talk about the things that scare me now—not the witches and monsters of childhood, but the real fears that come with being human. The fear of disconnection. Of judgment. Of forgetting how to truly see one another. But maybe fear isn’t only something to run from. Maybe it’s a reminder of what still matters. In this episode, I explore how we can choose curiosity over cynicism, grace over judgment, and how taking off the masks we wear every day might just help us find our way back to each other. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Families aren’t simple — even the strongest ones. In this episode, I sit down with my daughter-in-law, Lo Magee, to talk about staying connected when addiction, recovery, and grief have reshaped everything — from how we communicate to how we trust again. It’s honest and a little raw — because showing up, learning, and growing together is what makes a family. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠⁠⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I talk about what it really means to create something honest — not the shiny, perfect kind the world seems to want, but the kind that shows what’s real. Writing my memoir A Little Crazy taught me more about myself than any success ever could — even if the book had only been for me. Sometimes, as creators, that’s what’s needed. It reminded me that not all stories are meant to be polished. They’re meant to be true. Sometimes the idea, the execution, and the results are a little crazy — and that’s exactly how it should be. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠⁠⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I sit down with Alysia Lajune, who helps lead the William Magee Center at Ole Miss — the same center that carries my son’s name. Alysia's story is powerful, real, and full of hope. She opens up about her own journey through addiction and recovery, and how it led her to the work she’s doing now to help students find healing and purpose. We talk about what recovery really looks like — the honesty, the setbacks, the grace. Alysia shares how one person’s pain can become another person’s lifeline, and how small steps toward openness and understanding can literally save lives. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As parents, we all like to think we know our children completely. We keep up with their grades, go to their games, check their posts, and tell ourselves they’re doing okay. But sometimes, we really don’t know what’s going on. I learned that the day my daughter finally said the words I didn’t even realize I needed to hear: I need help. That moment changed how I listen. It reminded me that struggle doesn’t always look like struggle, and sometimes “I’m fine” means the opposite. In this episode, I talk about what it means to slow down, ask better questions, and make space for our kids to be honest. Because that’s when real healing and connection start. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s talk about failure—the kind that makes us wince, the kind that shapes who we become. We all know what it feels like to fall short, but what if failure isn’t the end of something, but the beginning of something better? I’ve learned that the moments we fear most often hold the greatest opportunity. When we face them instead of running from them, failure can open doors we never knew existed. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠ Follow on Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One night after my son William died, I sat on his couch. I was alone. I was cold. I was afraid. I whispered two words, “Save me,” and something shifted. What I saw, what I felt in that quiet moment, showed me where my life was headed if I didn’t change—and where it could go if I did. That night taught me that prayer isn’t some practiced speech from a pulpit. Sometimes it’s just a whisper in the dark, a desperate pleading that’s enough to open a new path. If you’ve ever been lost in grief or fear and longed for peace, this episode is a reminder that you can find it—that even in the silence, you’re not alone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I talk about what it means to take charge of your own story. Too often, we move through life feeling like characters in someone else’s script—reacting instead of writing. But when we stop and decide to name our current chapter, to rewrite what came before and imagine what comes next, we begin to heal and take back control of the narrative. I share how I’m living in my “Second Chances” chapter right now, and how even my son William’s story has been rewritten through the lives he continues to touch. You can’t erase the hard parts, but you can learn from them, revise them, and move forward. Wherever you are, pick up the pen and start writing your next steps forward to where you want to go. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠ Follow on Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I share the story of the last photograph our family of five ever took together. What felt like a moment of survival and reunion—a rare weekend of laughter, hope, and grace—would later become a reminder of how fragile and fleeting life really is. Looking back, that picture wasn’t about victory over storms, but about grace in the middle of them. It’s a reminder that every dinner, every laugh, every moment with the people we love is a gift we can’t take for granted. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠ Follow on Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I sit down with my daughter, Mary Halley, a mom of four children six-and-under, to talk about the daily hard parts and simple gifts of family life. From bedtime battles and school drop-offs to sweating through chores and learning to let go of perfection, she shares what it’s really like to juggle and celebrate motherhood in the thick of it. We also look back on the harder seasons—hospital nights, anxiety, and old wounds that still resurface—and how counseling, perspective, and faith helped Mary Halley grow into a calmer, more present mom. This is a conversation about chaos, healing, and the small moments of joy that make it all worth it. David Magee's Newsletter https://davidmagee.substack.com/ Follow on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/ Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I was a child, Sundays meant dragging my feet to church, fumbling with my shirt buttons, and mostly daydreaming about what was for lunch. I didn’t understand faith, and honestly, I thought the whole thing seemed a little crazy. Still, the hymns, the pews, even the orange juice and saltines—somehow they stayed with me. Years later, when I struggled with loss and addiction, those same sounds I once ignored came back as a lifeline. In this episode, I share how faith has a way of finding us, even when we try to push it away—and how what we don’t understand as children sometimes ends up being the very thing that saves us. David Magee's Newsletter ⁠https://davidmagee.substack.com/⁠ Follow on Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/⁠ Watch on YouTube ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all fall for it—the idea that if we can just reach the next milestone, land the job, buy the house, raise the kids, then we’ll finally feel happy. But the truth is, “arrival” never comes. In this episode, Kent and I talk about how it’s easy for couples to get caught up in that myth, what it did to our family, and what we’ve learned now about finding joy in the present instead of chasing the next thing to fix it. We also get honest about the pressures men feel in their twenties and thirties, the exhaustion of achievement culture, and the disorder that can knock us off our feet. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to stay stuck. Joy comes from something deeper—and sometimes, from realizing you may already have what you were chasing all along. David Magee's Newsletter https://davidmagee.substack.com/ Follow on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/davidmageeshow/ Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@davidmageeshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices