Cold Water Hot Coffee
Nate Scharff
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Top 10 Cold Water Hot Coffee Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Cold Water Hot Coffee episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Cold Water Hot Coffee for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Cold Water Hot Coffee episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Waking Up
Cold Water Hot Coffee
09/20/22 • 17 min
In the introductory episode of Cold Water, Hot Coffee, Nate Scharff outlines the concept of the show, which will provide disciplines for starting your day with clarity and purpose. He explains how the show came to be, and the inspiration for its name, which came from his own daily practices of starting the day with a cold shower, and then sharing a cup of hot coffee with friends.
“One of the things I learned from this process of repeatedly getting up early and moving through something through a self-discipline practice is that our power is way greater than our day-to-day physical manifestations, how our body feels, or even our mood. We can power right past those things,” Nate says. He did this by creating a daily ritual in which he takes a cold shower as soon as he wakes up and remains in it until it doesn’t feel cold anymore. His second practice is having a nice cup of hot coffee, which he recommends doing in the company of friends.
Nate spends a moment introducing himself, explaining the background in which he grew up with hippie parents, his attempted rebellion against that lifestyle, and then subsequent rediscovery of its benefits.
He closes the episode by reminding listeners to be careful about the beliefs we take on about ourselves, and to not let them limit us.
Key Topics:
- Introduction (00:12)
- Cold water (06:54)
- Hot coffee (11:23)
- Getting to know your host (12:14)
- Take on beliefs about yourself with care (14:49)
Resources:
Grit Redefined (The Solitude Chronicles)
Cold Water Hot Coffee
04/24/23 • 17 min
“Grit is a devotional discipline of self-love and self-care,” says Nate. “It is about having enough respect for yourself to be able to show up for the things and the people that make you feel good.”
Nate kicks off the first of The Solitude Chronicles with a discussion on the power of grit.
After a few months of dealing with bladder cancer, through two surgeries and 12 sessions of chemo, Nate has been on a promising road to recovery, keeping in mind that it is almost always better “to let unanswered things stay unanswered.”
This experience taught Nate a thing or two about grit. The term is traditionally defined in one of two ways: “a small loose particle of stone or sand” or “courage and resolve, strength of character.” To him, both definitions hold weight.
Grit is traditionally thought of as toughness that involves a lot of teeth-gritting and fist-clenching. Nate invites us to consider what it means to have grit in a different light: grit as self-love.
That is, instead of allowing our inner critic to shame us for not doing, having, or being enough, we replace that destructive voice with one that forgives, has compassion, and allows us to show up for ourselves and others.
Key Topics:
- An update on Nate’s cancer journey (02:04)
- The traditional definition of grit (03:33)
- Grit as self-love (05:05)
- Showing up for ourselves by showing up for others (08:42)
- Moving forward regardless of how you feel in the present moment (10:39)
- Allowing love to flow by visualizing the people you are grateful for (12:48)
- Moving forward with a new definition of grit (14:48)
Resources:
Remembering Why You Are Here
Cold Water Hot Coffee
10/03/22 • 18 min
Today, Nate builds off the previous episode’s theme of loss. You’ll now use the mission statement built in the said episode to remember why you are here in times of fear. “When our mission is clear, it's a light,” he explains. “It illuminates our path.” Everyone faces challenges in life, but control comes from the way we react to them. Fear-based behaviors often feel instinctual, and it takes effort to return to calm. Humans, unlike most animals, hold grudges. Being minded in the past results in choosing anger over peace and can lead to anxiety and depression.
Many conflicts, Nate advises, can be avoided entirely just by being present. In being present, we can recognize bad situations and avoid them. He references the concept of attraction, which says that if we are agitated and fearful, we will see people through that lens, and are more likely to attract conflict. The opposite is also true: approaching life with calmness will result in less conflict.
He then addresses the ultimate fear: death. It is inevitable for all, so why do we fear it? Nate references a Buddhist text, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, which outlines the liberation and enlightenment that death offers. There are many things we can do to release ourselves from worry, like meditations, chanting, prayer, breath work, plant journeys, and mind-emptying activities. Another simple, everyday practice to help us get outside of our minds is service, which is selfless, connects us to others, and allows us to get beyond ourselves.
Key Topics:
- Introduction (00:12)
- Enacting mission statements (00:43)
- Reacting to fear (03:38)
- Fear-based behaviors (03:59)
- Grudges (05:24)
- Avoiding conflict (10:03)
- Fear of death (12:51)
- Releasing from worry (16:55)
- Utilizing service (17:33)
Resources:
Time Abundance
Cold Water Hot Coffee
09/20/22 • 18 min
In the second episode of Cold Water, Hot Coffee, Nate tackles his five strategies for time abundance. His first strategy is to prep for a good morning. He recommends spending 10 minutes before bed thinking deeply about the things you have to look forward to the next day. He also encourages listeners to treat the bedroom as a sanctuary for sleep and avoid watching TV, checking your, phone, or even reading in it, instead letting it serve exclusively as a space for sleep.
Nate’s second strategy is waking early. He suggests no later than 6 am, and to use that time to move out of your sleep state, and not to rush. Wake practices could be a cup of tea, prayer, reading a spiritual text, meditation, light stretching, or a quiet walk.
His third strategy is to start slow, something that is easier earlier in the morning. “You manage your mind, your mind is not managing you,” he says. “You manage your life, your life is not managing you.”
Strategy four is self-care first. Keep it simple and consistent, he explains. For Nate, this is practiced through gardening after work, slowly making a cup of coffee, getting his heart rate up, and spending time with loved ones.
The fifth and final strategy is getting enough sleep. If your day starts early, it also needs to end early. So, if you wake up at 5 am, you need to go to bed at 9 pm, and probably need to get in bed by 8:30 pm. Nate recommends keeping a journal of how you are spending your time and reflecting on how it is working for you. He also recommends natural sleep-supporting supplements that won’t leave you groggy the next day.
Key Topics:
- Introduction (00:39)
- Strategy one: prep for a good morning (02:48)
- Strategy two: wake early (05:36)
- Strategy three: start slow (06:58)
- Strategy four: self-care first (10:15)
- Strategy five: get enough sleep (13:56)
Resources:
Welcome to Cold Water Hot Coffee
Cold Water Hot Coffee
09/14/22 • 0 min
Welcome to Cold Water, Hot Coffee - disciplines for starting your day with clarity and purpose. I’m Nate Scharff, your host. If you've been looking for ways to get inspired, if you've been looking for a way to get your head off your pillow in the morning without groaning, if you’ve questioned why you're here or what you're doing, or how you ended up with the life you're living, you've come to the right place.
This podcast exists to invigorate your mood and clarify your mission. Welcome to Cold Water, Hot Coffee, a cold slap start to your day to get you awake and alive.
More information is available here: coldwaterhotcoffee.com
Moving Through Resistance
Cold Water Hot Coffee
10/17/22 • 27 min
Today, Nate explores moving through resistance. Most of us have a higher version of ourselves, but we are often impatient with ourselves and set unrealistic goals. “What if we could let go of focusing on the result of our change, and instead being on a path of change itself, be its own reward?” He references a book from Dr. Joe Dispenza, which advises having a higher vision of yourself that is so clear and associated with positive emotions, that there is no mental space for resistance.
Resistance starts with feelings, and then the thoughts that we attach to those feelings. When we have thoughts of resistance, we are not beholden to them. Sometimes, he explains, we can make an energetic choice. In making these choices, and being disciplined with them, we build new neural pathways. Being present, as self-help author Cheri Huber explains, can be achieved through simple practices. This is reiterated in the work of Julia Cameron, whose work outlines exercises that help you move into a creative flow state.
Nate shares two personal experiences in which he encountered, and eventually overcame, mental resistance. Most life challenges, he believes, can be boiled down to three choices. One: leave a situation, two: modify the situation, and three: accept the situation. Peace comes from knowing that you have the ability to make the choice. In closing, he explores the idea that death is not to be feared, which is the final lesson of letting go.
Key Topics:
- Introduction (00:12)
- Moving through resistance (01:05)
- The path of change as a reward (02:35)
- Breaking the habit of being yourself (02:59)
- What causes resistance (04:17)
- Making energetic choices (04:58)
- Being present (07:03)
- Moving into the flow state of creative energy (07:59)
- Personal anecdotes (08:26)
- Three approaches to life challenges (21:12)
- Letting go (25:05)
Resources:
- ColdWaterHotCoffee.com
- Break the Habit of Being YourselfDr. Joe Dispenza
- I Don’t Want To, I Don’t Feel Like ItCheri Huber
- The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity Julia Cameron
- The Tibetan Book of the Deaddocumentary
Being In Service
Cold Water Hot Coffee
10/31/22 • 17 min
Today, Nate explores how to get busy being in service. “When we're ready to contribute to the world, we're ready to be in service,” he says. “This is a fulfilling and energizing place to live in.” There are two components to service: selflessness and willingness.
In order to be in service, we have to be in a place of unconditional love for both others and ourselves. He talks about Paramahansa Yogananda, whose practices Nate himself has adopted. Icons like the Yogi, as well as Mother Teresa and Gandhi, share characteristics of selflessness: they have no ego, want nothing in return, give from a place of completeness, and are completely connected to their spirituality.
While he still gets caught up in day-to-day distractions, Nate has found he is moving in the right direction. Something he finds useful is exploring our motivations when we are in service to others.
One of the teachings of self-help author Cheri Huber is to get out of the ‘dark room’ of self-reproach, and learn the conditioning of the ego that is stuck in survival mentality. Her teachings mention Sangha, a Sanskrit word meaning association, assembly, company, or community. “Willingness is really about giving ourselves the grace to believe that we deserve to live the life that we want to live,” Nate says. Huber’s book explains that one thought process doesn’t lead to a different outcome. For example, working hard may earn you money, but it doesn’t always earn you happiness. Instead, we should focus on what will make us happy now–which is often service.
In closing, Nate challenges listeners, and himself, to release from your ego trappings and allow yourself to live authentically, and return to love, support, and service.
Key Topics:
- Introduction (00:12)
- Service (00:43)
- Selflessness (01:57)
- Icons of selfless service (02:48)
- No ego (06:55)
- Nothing in return(07:29)
- Giving from a place of completeness (08:11)
- Connected to spirit (09:10)
- Motivations of service (10:05)
- Willingness (10:55)
- Sangha (14:09)
- Giving ourselves grace (14:48)
- One thought process doesn’t lead to a different outcome (15:19)
- Nate’s challenge (16:53)
Resources:
Starting Over
Cold Water Hot Coffee
09/20/22 • 17 min
Today, Nate talks about how to start over after dealing with loss, the process of letting go, and how to create a mission statement. He first tackles loss, emphasizing that it is something everyone experiences, and all we can control is how we react to it. He shares his own personal experiences with loss, using the story of his divorce to explain how he overcame the grief that came with it to create a new path in his life.
He introduces the Buddhist idea that all suffering is tied to attachment. This leads to the concept of letting go and operating from a non-conditional mindset, non-attachment. He clarifies that “Nonattachment is not about not caring, or not loving. It's about freeing yourself from attachment to the outcomes of your care, to the outcomes of your love, to the outcomes of your giving, so that you can care and love and live and do these things freely without the unconscious agenda of expectation.”
So, how do we let go? Nate outlines the function of a mission statement, and how to approach writing your own. He shares his own, “I walk in peace and beauty, lighting the darkness with my love,” and then encourages listeners to write and repeat their own.
Key Topics:
- Introduction (00:12)
- Loss (01:23)
- How Nate overcame the loss of his marriage (03:19)
- Buddhist practices (07:20)
- Letting go and non-attachment (10:23)
- Mission statement (12:05)
Resources:
Getting Happy
Cold Water Hot Coffee
11/14/22 • 19 min
Today, Nate explores getting happy. “Let’s start living,” he urges. He lists the causes of unhappiness: overworking, poor diet, no routine, staying inside, not allowing yourself to feel too much, social media, not getting ready for the day, and skipping self-care. Those same areas serve as starting points on your road to happiness. Nate then lists ways to increase your happiness: make time for self-care, practice gratitude every day, consistently exercise, get outdoors daily, find your tribe, find a way to give back, and develop a spiritual practice.
He poses some questions: Is your life an endless to-do list? And does completing that to-do list really fulfill you or make you feel good in the moment? But is tomorrow filled with yet another to-do list? What if you had no to-do list? These questions can help you identify what is actually fulfilling for you. But to take action to use those identifications to make yourself happier requires courage.
Nate then outlines the steps for happiness goal scenarios. Step one: identify and understand what you want to change. Step two: rid your life of negativity. Step three: exercise more often. Step four: be kind to others. Step five: build a support network. Step six: eliminate the non-essentials. And step seven: take baby steps. He outlines some methods of self-accountability in enacting these steps, like using post-it notes to remind yourself of your goals. Nate shares some of his own goals he set for himself, and how he worked to achieve them.
He reminds listeners of the importance of modifying your goals so that they feel achievable to the stage of life you are in, and to be deliberate in your actions. He challenges listeners to pick one or two things to invest more time into in building your happiness, adding that he hopes you take on a stretch goal.
Key Topics:
- Introduction (00:12)
- Getting happy (00:43)
- Life as a to-do list (03:46)
- Action requires courage (06:59)
- Steps in happiness goal scenarios (07:39)
- Nate’s changes (09:54)
- Modify your expectations (14:54)
- Stretch goal challenge (18:11)
Resources:
The Science Behind Cold Water Therapy with Colette Sinclair
Cold Water Hot Coffee
11/28/22 • 13 min
Today, Nate is joined by Colette Sinclair, a licensed psychologist and psychonutritionist practitioner who uses nutrition and mindfulness practices to optimize brain performance and reduce psychological symptoms. They met at Glen Ivy Spa, where they both braved the cold water plunge as other visitors stayed closer to the jacuzzi.
Colette explains the benefits of cold water therapy, for both the nervous system and the brain. Alternating between hot and cold, she says, creates vasodilation, which has a detoxification effect on the body. It also mimics the effects of exercise, which stimulates dopamine, acting as a natural kind of antidepressant.
Additionally, cold water tones the vagus nerve, which is the nerve in the body which all other nerves feed into. When the vagus nerve becomes dysfunctional, for instance as it is with someone with PTSD, the nervous system is in a hyper-vigilant state. This can be regulated through natural remedies, like cold water therapy.
Key Topics:
- Introduction (00:12)
- Introducing Colette Sinclair (00:48)
- Cold water therapy (02:56)
- Vasodilation (05:14)
- The vagus nerve (09:40)
Resources:
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FAQ
How many episodes does Cold Water Hot Coffee have?
Cold Water Hot Coffee currently has 14 episodes available.
What topics does Cold Water Hot Coffee cover?
The podcast is about Purpose, Health & Fitness, Spirituality, Anxiety, Self-Help, Mental Health, Depression, Self Help, Podcasts, Self-Improvement, Education and Clarity.
What is the most popular episode on Cold Water Hot Coffee?
The episode title 'Starting Over' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Cold Water Hot Coffee?
The average episode length on Cold Water Hot Coffee is 17 minutes.
How often are episodes of Cold Water Hot Coffee released?
Episodes of Cold Water Hot Coffee are typically released every 14 days.
When was the first episode of Cold Water Hot Coffee?
The first episode of Cold Water Hot Coffee was released on Sep 14, 2022.
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