The Motyv Podcast · Shayden J. Bertagnolli MS LMFT Men's Mental Health Expert

The Motyv Podcast Episode 15 | How Gratitude Is More Than Something You Do

·27 min·1 clip

Gratitude is described as the “soil within which all other virtues can grow.”

1. The Motyv Podcast Episode 15 focuses on gratitude, Thanksgiving, and what the hosts call “the doctrine of things.” 2. Shaden leads the conversation, while Steve, Jordan, and Sadie respond as the main voices in the discussion. 3. The episode asks what gratitude does beyond politeness: it asks whether gratitude can change how a person sees suffering, identity, and God. 4. Shaden links gratitude to the Holy Ghost and says a person must be “present” and “still” to connect with God. 5. He says gratitude centers a person on “what is” rather than “what isn’t,” and he contrasts abundance with scarcity. 6. Shaden cites President Monson and describes gratitude as “the soil within which all other virtues can grow.” 7. Steve says it is hard to be grateful and depressed or anxious at the same time. 8. He corrects himself to say “grateful and depressed,” then explains that gratitude does not erase difficult emotions. 9. Steve argues that gratitude gives people a chance to pause and shift perspective on grief and heaviness. 10. He brings up Michael J. Fox’s line that “gratitude sustains optimism.” 11. Jordan says gratitude strips him of ego and makes pride harder to hold onto. 12. He says gratitude reminds him that he is “small and finite,” and that thankfulness points him back to God. 13. Jordan describes gratitude as a wave of thankfulness tied to what he has been given, including opportunities and opened doors. 14. The discussion turns to a question about how people practice gratitude without dismissing their own suffering. 15. Jordan tells a story about his father’s ALS and about a support group at the Roy library. 16. He says the men in that group would not trade their cases, which he uses to argue that meaning can coexist with suffering. 17. Sadie says “comparison kills compassion,” and she connects gratitude with accurate reflection instead of invalidation. 18. The tone is reflective, conversational, and faith-centered, with several moments of back-and-forth correction and personal examples. 19. People who like Latter-day Saint reflection, therapy language, and practical gratitude ideas will get the most from it. 20. People looking for a fast, entertainment-first episode may skip it.

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