What does it take to leave everything you know behind, and then figure out who you actually are when the thing that defined you is gone?

In this episode of What's the CO2?, Matt sits down with Ross Moffat, therapist, soccer coach, and Glasgow native, for a raw, wide-ranging conversation about identity, mental health, and what it really means to grow up.

Ross shares his journey from the streets of Clydebank, Scotland to the Scottish Premier League at 16, then a leap of faith to Des Moines, Iowa with a couple hundred bucks and a soccer dream. But the more compelling story is what happened after the soccer stopped, and how long it took him to realize he'd never truly left it behind.

This Episodes dives into:

• The adaptation triangle: safety, belonging, and significance, and the behavioral drivers we develop as kids that quietly run our adult lives
• Why athletes are especially vulnerable to identity collapse when their sport ends
• The overscheduling and early specialization crisis in youth sports
• Why men wait until crisis hits to seek help, and what therapy actually looks like
• The "software update" model of self-awareness (not a reset, just an update)
• Jason Wilson's work on masculinity and what it means to be "the man the moment demands"

Ross brings both the lived experience and the clinical lens. This one goes deep.

What do Chick-fil-A, a gas station taco stand, and a top 1% real estate career have in common?

Jake Moore.

Jake Moore is the founder of the Jake Moore Group and one of the most successful realtors in the country, but his path there was anything but a straight line. From burning out at a booming software company, to a brief (very brief) stint in fast food, to running a taco stand three hours from home while juggling a corporate job, Jake has tried it all, failed at some of it, and kept going anyway.

In this episode, Jake shares how faith, family, and a stubborn refusal to quit eventually led him to build one of the most trusted real estate businesses in the Houston area and why he wouldn't change a thing.

We sit down with Pastor Scott Rains from Lutheran Church of Hope in Ankeny, Iowa to explore the profound intersection of healthcare, spirituality, and the human experience of grief. The conversation delves into the "meaning making model," examining how we bridge the gap between our foundational beliefs and the often-traumatic realities of life, while emphasizing that a truly "full life" requires embracing the low side of emotions like sorrow and anger. Through poignant references to community, addiction, and even modern media like "The West Wing" and "The Pitt", we highlight how isolation can hinder healing and how authentic connection, rooted in compassion rather than condemnation, serves as the vital engine for emotional and spiritual transformation.