Up Your Average

Episodes

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  105: How Unselfish Communication Keeps Conflict from Taking Over 19.10.2026 32m

  "Most communication is selfish."What if the conflicts in your life are trying to teach you something? In this episode, Keith Tyner and Doug Shrieve talk about how they learned to communicate at work and at home. And they make the case that the best conversations start with what the other person needs.This episode covers:- How to raise a problem without putting anyone on edge- What Doug's dad says when someone tells him he's wrong- Who keeps the grandkids at her table with a frying pan and a board game- Why Keith leaves his desk to offer the mail carrier a soft drink- When to pick up the phone instead of firing off an emailKeep one good question in your pocket and try it on whoever pours your next coffee.👉 Work with us: https://www.gimbalfinancial.com00:00 Cold open00:41 Pumpkin spice season02:09 A wonderful life or a life full of conflict04:21 What becoming an employer taught Keith07:46 Business class and the disarming question08:25 Accusations that put people on edge09:10 Listening to your kids12:17 A frying pan and a game of Aggravation17:29 Interruptions, neighbors and the mail carrier22:57 Getting fired two or three times a year26:54 The case for unselfish communication29:31 Why hard news never goes in writingWatch Keith's Thanksgiving questions on Up Your Average (episode 61): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do1z69-FKfM#CommunicationSkills #ConflictResolution #ActiveListening #FinancialPlanning #GimbalFinancial
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  104: Who You Are When the Career Ends with MLB Pitcher Andy Benes 12.10.2026 28m

  "I want people to see me, when my career was over, as a person."Could you introduce yourself without mentioning your job? In this episode, Keith Tyner and Phil Byers sit down with former No. 1 overall draft pick Andy Benes. And they make the case that an identity built on your role can't survive the swings.This episode covers:- How the third-best pitcher on his high school team reached the majors- Who to cheer for on your hardest days- When a month at home taught Andy empathy for players sent down- Why comparing contracts cost Andy two seasons with the Cardinals- What Andy's first financial advisor meant by hitting singlesPass this one to a friend with a retirement date circled on the calendar.👉 Work with us: https://www.gimbalfinancial.com00:00 Cold open01:21 A three-sport kid from Evansville04:02 From 85 miles an hour to 10106:32 Humility, and a shutout at Arizona State08:49 The veterans who encouraged a 21-year-old10:17 Bouncing back after a bad start12:04 Separating who you are from what you do15:06 Cheering for a teammate on your worst days17:45 Sent home in his final season20:45 The deadline that sent Andy to Arizona23:12 A friend's call and Jennifer's ultimatum25:24 Greed, comparison and hitting singles#AndyBenes #LifeAfterBaseball #FaithAndFamily #FinancialPlanning #GimbalFinancial
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  103: What a Dog Costs You: Money, Time, and One Hard Goodbye 05.10.2026 28m

  "There's an opportunity cost of time with having a dog."What is your dog worth to you? In this episode, Keith Tyner and Doug Shrieve sit down with Keith's son Caleb Tyner, a dog lover since he was knee-high. And they make the case that a dog belongs in your financial plan.This episode covers:• How to budget a dog's whole life before you bring one home• What Caleb learned about time the day his dog was away• Where Keith found a Bible verse on his dog's last walk• When to set the most you'll spend on a sick dog• Why more young adults are choosing a dog over a childListen with your dog at your feet, then take them on a long walk.👉 Work with us: https://www.gimbalfinancial.com
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  102: This Top Salesman Took an 86% Pay Cut to Pastor a Church 28.09.2026 34m

  What would you give up for the work you were made to do?In this episode, Keith Tyner and Doug Shrieve sit down with Curt Edmondson, pastor of Emerge Church in Fortville, Indiana, who also runs Kona Ice of Indy. Curt traded a sales career for a pulpit and is happier for it.This episode covers:• How Curt beat his sales region by $6 million and still got fired• What he prayed when he could not tell which door to take• When an 86% pay cut arrived two days before his fourth child• Where he launched a church with $4,000 in the middle of lockdown• Why more money would have stopped the whole storyIf a job pays but doesn't fit what you want to do, listen for Curt's one-word answer near the end.⛪️ Find Curt at Emerge Church: https://www.emerge317.church👉 Work with us: https://www.gimbalfinancial.com00:00 Cold open02:37 How Doug and Curt met at a Christmas program04:52 One coffee, an invitation to Ukraine and a $1,500 bonus07:18 Zhytomyr, and the pastor Curt decided to become09:42 Fired at the top, and the resume that would not send10:41 The campus pastor call, an 86% pay cut and a fleece15:49 India, a bridge job and a church launched with $4,00020:47 Makeup, pickles and olives: every product is a widget21:48 A turn in the road versus a straight line23:13 How Kona Ice of Indy became the family business27:15 One word for anyone stuck in their forties28:24 When more money would have gotten in the way
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  101: The Giants Behind Gimbal: A Mom, a Mentor and a Trig Teacher 21.09.2026 35m

  "None of us got to where we are today on our own accord." Who paved the way for your success? In this episode, Keith Tyner, Doug Shrieve and Keith's son Caleb Tyner name the parents, mentors, teachers and clients who came before them. And they make the case that gratitude opens doors for your future.This episode covers:• How Keith's mom came up with $10,000 when he was $10 short on rent• What humility tells you about whose shoulders to stand on• Who tutored Doug in trig at 6 AM every Friday• Why a retiring mentor's gift has Keith and Doug thinking five years out• When retirement should look like more than the golf courseListen with a pen handy, because a few names of your own mentors will come to mind.👉 Work with us: https://www.gimbalfinancial.com
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  100: He Wrote Every Student a Birthday Letter Every Year Since 1984 14.09.2026 35m

  Dan Stroup's handwritten birthday letters have followed his students from eighth grade into their fifties, and some of them have kept every one.Dan spent 41 years at Heritage Christian School in Indianapolis, most of them teaching eighth grade Bible. When CBS News sent Steve Hartman to Indianapolis in 2013, the count stood at 2,800 birthdays and the writing ran up to three hours a night. Keith Tyner and Doug Shrieve call him living proof that you can change someone's world ten minutes at a time.This episode covers:How Dan keeps every letter from reading like a form letterWho kept him in stamps for thirty yearsWhether a text or an email can do what paper doesWhen a stranger told Keith his late mother had changed her worldWhat Dan tells young teachers who never hear how it turned outDoug ends with a challenge: look up the address of a teacher who changed you and write the letter today.👉 Work with us: https://www.gimbalfinancial.com
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  99: Call It a House, Not a Home: Keith's Rule for Buying and Selling 07.09.2026 29m

  Buying and selling, mortgage interest, and the case for calling where you live a house, not a home. Keith Tyner and his son Caleb Tyner compare 40 years of moving from place to place.Caleb's first house is a new build beside a cornfield, with a bed, a desk, and not much else inside. Keith and his wife have listed the house they raised their kids in and are hauling a load a day to Goodwill. Keith grew up with 220 square feet per person and has 2,250 today, and the house he most enjoys visiting raised six kids in under 1,000 square feet.This episode covers:• Where 70% of Caleb's first mortgage payment went• How Keith paid next month's principal with this month's payment• What a campground office in Malibu asked about a box back in Indiana• Who told a friend in assisted living that she was already home• Why 50 DVDs in the back of a Suburban made Keith count his working weeksKeith's parting word to his son comes from Proverbs 24: whatever you fill the rooms with, those are the riches, and he does not mean furniture.👉 Work with us: https://www.gimbalfinancial.com
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  98: Living Courageously with Keith's Daughter Kristen Hakalmazian 31.08.2026 37m

  Living courageously is a choice. Keith's daughter has made it in a war zone, facing brain surgery at 24, and alone in cities where she knew no one.Keith Tyner and Doug Shrieve sit across from Kristen Hakalmazian, Keith's daughter, who details the anxiety and perfectionism she has struggled against and the motto that reframed her setbacks: rejection is spiritual protection.• How fear loses its grip when you move toward the thing you dread• Why failure at 18 in San Diego turned into redirection• What a brain tumor diagnosis at 24 changed about ordinary days• When a mission trip to Ukraine met the Crimea crisis in real time• Whether comparison on social media is stealing your nerveThe safety net you can't see is usually there, and sometimes it looks like your dad.👉 Work with us: https://www.gimbalfinancial.com
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  97: He Sold Everything and Moved to Costa Rica with Tony O'Neill 24.08.2026 37m

  The road to someday leads to a town called Never. That warning moved Tony from Indianapolis to a surf town in Costa Rica.Tony O'Neill, founder of Highline Outdoor Group, runs executive search for the outdoor and sporting goods industry and once built Yeti's leadership team during its biggest growth run. He tells Keith Tyner and Doug Shrieve why he and his wife Marla were not trying to escape Indianapolis, and what finally made leaving practical.This episode covers:• Why paying off a mortgage created the capital for land abroad• What selling a house by owner looks like with one showing window• How location independence and time zones shaped the business model• When a winter rental became a land purchase and an architect• Whether a lifetime of belongings deserves one shipping containerTony's one piece of guidance for anyone circling a move this big: do it immediately, don't wait.👉 Work with us at https://www.gimbalfinancial.com
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  96: Why the Crowd Is Always Wrong About Money with Don Murphy 17.08.2026 33m

  The crowd follows the same biases into the same losses. Don names every one and shows how to catch yourself before the next mistake.Keith Tyner and Doug Shrieve sit down with Don Murphy, a former Marine and longtime friend of the show who has spent decades around markets and the people who invest in them. He starts with the behavioral gap: investments that performed fine while their owners earned less.This episode covers:- What a breadmaker that wouldn't sell reveals about restaurant wine lists- How one question about your news network predicts your vote- Why missing the market's 50 best days turns 13% into negative 4- Whether AI is 1995's browser war all over again- Who wins when your twenty dollars bets against a professional gamblerThe best market advice in the conversation came from a park ranger: when you meet the bear, resist the urge to run.👉 Work with us: https://www.gimbalfinancial.com
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  95: How 10 Minutes a Day Can Change Your World 10.08.2026 26m

  10 minutes is the one block of time nobody is too busy for. Doug set a stopwatch at a coffee shop table and beat it with 36 seconds to spare.Keith argues that our world shrinks with time. And investing only 10 minutes a day in the right activities can keep it open. Doug warns that even 10 careless minutes close it just as fast. The old line about handing a job to a busy person turns out to be about valuing the 10 minutes rather than the hustle.This episode covers:• How you can buy wisdom with 10 minutes a day by reading the book of Proverbs• How one page at a time becomes a book for a kid's 16th birthday• Whether an AI counts as a friend once you have thanked it• Why Keith rolls his eyes when someone says the phone goes both waysIf you want to change your world, take 10 minutes (or more) and listen to this episode.👉 Work with us: https://www.gimbalfinancial.com
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  94: Keith's Bobber Test for Hiring People You Can Trust 03.08.2026 33m

  Choosing who to trust comes down to two qualities. Keith has used both to vet every professional in his life and he uses a fishing bobber to explain them.Most people negotiate every hire like a commodity, shopping price on work they have no way to evaluate. Keith and Doug Shrieve argue the habit costs more than it ever saves, and that the fix is a short list of people you stop pricing altogether.This episode covers:• What the two colors on a bobber tell you before you hire anyone• How a fifteen-year-old stopped a sixty-foot tree from hitting the crew• Who Keith trusts with his own house and how little he has to manage it• Why Keith turned down a discount that would have halved his cost• When a private equity sale starts changing your serviceKeith’s artist friend put it best: once white paint goes gray, nothing brings it back.👉 Work with us: https://www.gimbalfinancial.com
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  93: The Feedback Loop That Cost Me 20 Sleepless Nights 27.07.2026 35m

  Keith hired his first employee at thirty and got one thing badly wrong. He waited too long to say the hard thing, and it cost him twenty nights of sleep.Keith Tyner and Doug Shrieve talk through feedback: how to give it, how to take it, and why the gap between those two skills shape your life. Keith elaborates on how, just like a good story, your life is filled with protagonists and antagonists. You choose which one you play at work, at home, and in every room you walk into. Doug admits he still flinches when someone criticizes him, and he doubts anyone truly enjoys it. What they land on is plain enough. A system corrects itself only when feedback moves fast, and most of us let the loop run open for years.Key Topics:• Why Keith scrapped the annual review at Gimbal• What "you could be right" does to an argument• How to tell a protagonist boss from an antagonist boss• When a decent tip beats an honest one• What Doug still finds hard about hearing criticismIf there is a conversation you have been putting off, this one may be the nudge to go have it this week.👉 Work with us: https://www.gimbalfinancial.com
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  92: Just Because You Believe Something Doesn't Mean It's True 20.07.2026 31m

  Keith and Doug learned the hard way that being sure of something and being right are two different things. This week, they name three things they believed for years, and none of them held up.Keith Tyner and Doug Shrieve open up about opinions they held onto for too long. Doug avoided the weight room for years, then swung from insecurity to overconfidence before landing on humility. Keith misjudged a stranger's parenting, misread his own father, and misunderstood what clients actually want from an advisor. They trace how fear shapes what people believe, why competition doesn't have to mean someone loses, and what changed their minds along the way.Key Topics:• What kept Doug out of the weight room for most of his life• How a different view of competition changed the way Keith sees success• Why being wrong about the same thing twice is worse than being wrong once• What an accidental $2,500 auction bid taught Keith about humility• How a neighbor's yard sent Doug down a rabbit hole about marketing and memoryIf you've ever wondered whether you're still holding onto an opinion that stopped being true a long time ago, this conversation is worth the drive.👉 Work with us: https://www.gimbalfinancial.com
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  91: Andy Benes and the Home Run That Gave Him Chills 13.07.2026 25m

  Andy Benes gave up the home run that tied a playoff game, and three decades later it still gives him chills. The man who hit it was Don Mattingly, and Yankee Stadium came unglued.Keith Tyner and Phil Byers sit down with Andy Benes, the number one overall MLB draft pick in 1988 and a 14-year veteran of the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, and Arizona Diamondbacks, for an All-Star break conversation about the moments that stick. Andy and Don Mattingly both grew up in Evansville, Indiana, yet never faced each other until the 1995 playoffs, when Mattingly turned on a Benes fastball and the crowd threw their drinks on the field chanting "Donnie Baseball." From that pitch to the catcher who taught him to trust, Andy tells the stories behind a big-league life.Key Topics:• What it felt like to give up Don Mattingly's home run at Yankee Stadium• Why two kids from Evansville, Indiana never crossed paths until the big leagues• How catcher Tom Pagnozzi changed Andy's career with one talk about trust• Who really leads a clubhouse, from Scott Rolen to Albert Pujols• Why baseball's unwritten rules still settle scores with a fastball• What 14 years and four teams taught him about winning togetherIt's the kind of conversation that reminds you the best lessons rarely show up in the box score.👉 Work with us: https://www.gimbalfinancial.com
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  90: Freedom, Faith, and the Founding Fathers with Sabin Howard 06.07.2026 42m

  America's founding fathers stepped into total uncertainty with no guarantee it would work. The only thing that gave them the courage to do it was faith.On this Fourth of July weekend, Keith and Doug sit down with sculptor Sabin Howard, the artist behind the National WWI Memorial in Washington, D.C., as he prepares to unveil his next project: the Grand Liberty Arch, a monument to America's founding story headed for the Utah State Capitol. The conversation moves from faith and freedom to why self-responsibility feels harder to find today, and what it actually takes to build something that lasts.Key Topics:What gave America's founding fathers the courage to risk everythingWhy Sabin believes perseverance matters more than talentHow losing touch with neighbors changed once air conditioning became commonWhere Sabin's next monument, the Grand Liberty Arch, will standWhy creating something is more powerful than protesting against it👉 Work with us at https://www.gimbalfinancial.com#SabinHoward #GrandLibertyArch #AmericanFreedom #FinancialPlanning #GimbalFinancial
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  89: What Every Young Parent Needs to Hear Before the Baby Arrives 29.06.2026 33m

  Before you assemble the crib and install the car seat, there are a few commonly forgotten questions you should ask.Keith Tyner and Doug Shrieve of Gimbal Financial cover the financial and life decisions young families get wrong, skip entirely, or never think to ask. From estate planning basics to building community, rethinking the cost of kids, and developing a parental education philosophy that outlasts any classroom.Key Topics:Why every young couple needs a will before the baby arrivesWhat term life insurance costs when you’re just starting outHow weekly date nights function as a financial and relational investmentWhy children are assets, not expensesWhat an intentional education philosophy looks like at homeHow working from home costs young families more than they realizeWhether you’re expecting your first or wondering if there’s room for one more, this one’s worth passing on.👉 Work with us: https://www.gimbalfinancial.com
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  88: The Letter His Dad Never Got to Give Him 18.06.2026 1h 30m

  A legacy letter, a father's voice, and the question every child carries for the rest of their life without asking out loud. Blake Brewer, founder of Legacy Letter, joins Keith Tyner and Doug Shrieve to share how a letter his father wrote before his unexpected death became the framework for helping more than 20,000 families pass down what matters most.This episode walks through the Legacy Letter framework from beginning to end: apology, unconditional love, specific affirmation, belief in your children's future, shared memories, and the advice that only sticks when it follows genuine connection. Blake draws on stories from parents across the country, like a Delta Force veteran whose son reads his letter every week to a daughter who told her mom it was the best Christmas of her life. Keith and Doug close with their own reflections on what this work means for the families Gimbal serves.Key Topics:Legacy letter writing: how to start, what to include, and how to structure a letter that lastsFatherhood and parenting: communicating love, pride, and belief in ways children carry into adulthoodApology and reconciliation: the five elements of an apology that actually opens a child's heartEmotional intelligence and identity: how parental affirmation shapes how children see themselvesLegacy planning and family values: writing the letter before life makes it urgentLearn more and schedule a conversation at gimbalfinancial.com.
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  87: Stop Carrying Expectations You Never Agreed To 15.06.2026 30m

  Keith packed everything for the Inca Trail. A porter could have carried most of it for a few dollars a day. It’s a good picture of how most of us handle life.In this conversation, Keith Tyner and Doug Shrieve of Gimbal Financial talk through the expectations, costs, and burdens people carry without ever deciding to. They cover the SpaceX IPO and what investor history actually teaches, why the idea that parents fund college only dates to the 1980s, how housing cost is the single biggest financial variable most people can control, and what Doug learned about carrying the need to be liked well into adulthood. It’s a financial conversation that keeps turning into a life conversation, which is usually how the best ones go.Key Topics:SpaceX IPO excitement and what Facebook’s public offering history teaches about hypePersonal responsibility in financial planning: the pack-your-own-chute principleCollege funding expectations and the 1980s shift that put new weight on middle-class familiesHousing cost as the primary financial variable you can controlThe burden of wanting to be liked: what it costs and what letting it go frees upFun, communication, and shared activity as the foundation for sound long-term financial decisionsKeith and Doug started talking about this the day before they recorded it. That’s usually a sign.Learn more and schedule a conversation at gimbalfinancial.com.
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  86: The Book That Freed Us from Trying to Be Enough 08.06.2026 26m

  Have you ever felt like no matter how much you accomplish, it still isn't enough?Many people spend their lives chasing success, approval, achievement, and significance, hoping the next milestone will finally bring peace. In this episode of Up Your Average, Keith and Doug share how Bob Warren’s Romans study challenged that mindset and changed the course of their lives.What began as a simple study eventually transformed how they viewed themselves, God, forgiveness, purpose, and what it truly means to live with confidence and peace. Decades later, the lessons they learned continue to influence their families, businesses, relationships, and everyday decisions.They discuss why so many people struggle with identity and self-worth, the danger of tying your value to performance, and the freedom that comes from understanding who you are apart from your achievements.Whether you're a business owner, professional, retiree, or someone searching for greater purpose, this conversation offers a perspective that may completely change the way you think about success, significance, and fulfillment.If you're looking for clarity, confidence, and a financial plan that aligns with what matters most, learn more about working with our team at https://www.gimbalfinancial.com#BobWarren #PersonalGrowth #ChristianLiving #FaithJourney #Identity #SelfWorth #Purpose #Confidence #Peace #UpYourAverage