Proverbs 19 gives us a powerful lesson about stress, wisdom, trusting God, letting go, and learning to walk through life a little lighter. 

In this INCHSTONES episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, we break down Proverbs 19 and one of the simplest lessons my Pops ever taught me: “Boy, the only reason you’re stressed is because you’re carrying things you weren’t designed to carry.”

Thanks, Pops. Super helpful. 

Meanwhile, I’m over here carrying tomorrow, next Tuesday, everybody else’s problems, three imaginary conversations that haven’t happened yet, and a situation God never asked me to touch.

My Pops? Peaceful.

Why?

Maybe because he understood something I’m still learning: God never designed us to carry everything.

Proverbs 19 reminds us that 

a little with God is worth more than a lot without Him. 

Desire without knowledge isn’t good. 

Honesty is a superpower. 

You can’t buy relationships. 

Wisdom matters. 

Diligence works. 

Jealousy is heavy. 

Speak life. 

Honor your family. 

Make good friends—and more importantly, be one.

And yes… push-ups work too.

Unfortunately, you actually have to do them.

The same goes for wisdom.

Seek it. Listen to it. Accept it. Apply it.

Plans are good, but purpose prevails.

Peace works when you practice it.

And when we stop listening to God, eventually His voice becomes harder for us to hear. It’s like turning off the faucet of knowledge and then wondering why we’re thirsty.

God is light.
God is love.
And the alternative gets heavy really fast.

Maybe the goal was never to become strong enough to carry everything.

Maybe wisdom is learning what was never ours to carry in the first place.

Pops, you were right.

“Boy, the only reason you’re stressed is because you’re carrying things you weren’t designed to carry.”

When we realize we were designed to carry God’s love—not the weight of the entire world—we can finally walk light and free.

Thanks again, Pops.

I love you, and I miss you more than you’ll ever know.

INCHSTONE: What are you carrying today that God never asked you to pick up?

 The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas
INCHSTONES | Proverbs 19
 Speak Life. 

Words create worlds.

#Proverbs19 #Proverbs #BibleStudy #ChristianPodcast #Faith #TrustGod #Wisdom #Stress #Anxiety #LetGoAndLetGod #ChristianMotivation #BiblicalWisdom #SpiritualGrowth #FaithOverFear #GodsPurpose #Peace #PersonalGrowth #Leadership #Inchstones #TheVIBE #KellyCardenas

You Have to Meet My Friends with Kelly Cardenas is an unscripted podcast series about friendship, relationships, entrepreneurship, leadership, success, and some ridiculously interesting people. It’s part of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas and quite possibly the least professionally produced interview concept in podcasting.

Here’s the format:

I call my friends.

That’s it.

No scheduling. No pre-interview. No prepared questions. No publicist. No idea if they’re going to answer.

Very cutting edge.

They usually have no clue they’re about to be on a podcast, and occasionally they’re doing something that makes me immediately question whether calling them was a good idea.

Perfect.

We talk business, leadership, entrepreneurship, relationships, success, failure, family, personal growth, money, life and whatever else happens before somebody says something they probably wish I would edit out.

I usually don’t.

These are some of the smartest, funniest, most successful and most interesting people I know.

More importantly…

They’re my friends.

Because relationships grant access, and apparently mine have granted me permission to randomly call people and put them on the internet.

Welcome to You Have to Meet My Friends.

No preparation.
No warning.
Questionable journalism.

Let’s see who answers the darn phone.

What does Proverbs 11 teach us about expanding our capacity for success, relationships, leadership, business, wealth, and the blessings God has for our lives? My Pops used to tell me, “Boy, don’t shrink your thinking”—and Proverbs 11 might be one of the clearest biblical blueprints I’ve ever found for building a foundation strong enough to think bigger, live bigger, and handle more.

Yesterday, a friend told me about a phone call that happened because of one relationship—and that conversation could lead to a $25 million investment capable of shifting the landscape of one of the most well-known sports in the world.

Then we talked about Maddox getting serious about photography and what we were doing this weekend.

Normal conversation. 

Oh…and I forgot. My morning started with one of the most elite trial lawyers in Atlanta talking about preparation, motherhood, serving her community, and some of the highest-profile cases in the country.

And it hit me:

Relationships expand your world—but your foundation determines your capacity to handle what enters it.

Proverbs 11 lays that foundation out in almost ridiculous detail.

Do the right thing.
Integrity wins.
Pride brings disgrace; humility brings wisdom.
You can’t buy love.
Relationships cannot be faked.
Put your hope in the right place.
Speak Life.
Preparation creates confidence.
Be generous.
Be good to people.
Watch your mouth.
Gossip never wins.
Foolish people talk about people. Wise people talk about ideas.
Seek wise counsel.
Stay out of debt.
Do right business.
Honor what is truly valuable.
Honor your family.
Trust God to provide.

Years ago, Mark Palermo told me that most challenges in business ultimately come down to capacity.

I think that’s true about life too.

If we want to expand our capacity, we have to strengthen our foundation.

Proverbs 11 shows us how.

Because when the foundation is strong, maybe we stop shrinking ourselves to fit our circumstances—and develop the capacity to receive the relationships, opportunities, responsibilities, and blessings designed for our lives.

Pops, you were right again.

And somehow you summed up an entire chapter of Proverbs in five words:

“Boy, don’t shrink your thinking.”

Sit with that for a second.

Wisdom doesn't have to be complicated.

Thanks, Pops. I miss you every day. I love you.

Subscribe to The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas for INCHSTONES on Proverbs, biblical wisdom, leadership, personal development, relationships, business, faith, mindset, purpose, entrepreneurship, and becoming the person capable of carrying what you're asking God for.

Madeleine Simmons is a nationally respected trial attorney, equity partner, public servant, and advocate who has personally recovered more than $100 million in settlements and verdicts for her clients.

On The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas #844, Madeleine brings the kind of perspective that can only come from standing for people when the stakes are real—and choosing service, leadership, and justice as a calling.

Madeleine is an equity partner with Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys, a City Councilwoman for the City of Brookhaven, and Past President of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association.

Her résumé is extraordinary—but the woman behind it is even more compelling.

Madeleine has served as lead counsel in more than 30 personal injury jury trials across 11 Georgia counties, representing people whose lives have been changed through the negligence of others. Her work spans premises liability, sexual assault, motor vehicle, and trucking cases, and she has been consistently selected to the Georgia Super Lawyers list.

But leadership, for Madeleine, extends far beyond the courtroom.

She invests in developing and mentoring other attorneys, has coached law-school mock trial, serves on Georgia’s Civil Justice Political Action Committee board, and is a fellow of the American Board of Trial Attorneys. She is also a sought-after speaker on leadership, management, trial strategy, complex motions, and evidentiary practice.

At the center of all of it is something much simpler:

Madeleine Simmons believes helping others is both her professional and spiritual calling.

That conviction is what makes this conversation different.

Success can give you a platform.
Leadership gives you responsibility.
Service gives it meaning.

🎙️ THE VIBE with Kelly Cardenas — Episode #844
Featuring Madeleine Simmons

If leadership, justice, personal injury law, entrepreneurship, public service, mentorship, faith, purpose, or building a life of meaningful impact matter to you, this is a conversation worth your time.

SUBSCRIBE to THE VIBE and share this episode with someone who believes success should be measured by more than what we accomplish—it should also be measured by who we help.

What if there were something that could give you the benefits you’ve been searching for—with ZERO SIDE EFFECTS? What if that “product” was wisdom, and Proverbs 8 tells us it’s readily available to every single one of us?

In this episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, we break down Proverbs 8 and one of the most powerful promises in the Bible: the value of wisdom.

We spend our lives searching for things that promise a better life—more success, better relationships, stronger leadership, financial prosperity, clarity, confidence, influence and peace.

But almost everything comes with a trade-off.

Wisdom is different.

Proverbs 8 describes wisdom as more valuable than silver, gold or rubies. It connects wisdom with prudence, knowledge, discretion, sound judgment, insight, strength, leadership, riches, honor, righteousness and justice. And then comes the part that stopped me:

Those who seek wisdom can find it.

It’s available.

No prescription.
No exclusive membership.
No secret handshake.

And ZERO SIDE EFFECTS.

The question isn't whether wisdom exists.

The question is whether we're willing to seek it—and then have the discipline to actually use it.

This is another INCHSTONES conversation about biblical wisdom, personal growth, leadership, faith, success and becoming the person capable of carrying what you're asking for.

Because sometimes the biggest transformation doesn't come from adding something new to your life.

It comes from getting wiser with what is already in your hands.

What would change in your life if you pursued wisdom as aggressively as you pursue success?

🎙️ The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas
Making heroes human. One conversation—and one Inchstone—at a time.

Focus, discipline, faith, and wisdom are the difference between being good and becoming the best—and Proverbs 5 gives us a powerful blueprint for knowing what deserves our attention, who we should listen to, and how to stay focused on God’s purpose.

Start your Inchstones journey click here

In this episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, we unpack the hidden cost of success, the danger of distraction, and why you may not actually want the result you say you want.

A woman once told me she wanted my job.

So I described the job:

Quit your current position.
Move across the country.
Make $200 a week.
Show up first.
Leave last.
Work 15–60 hours a week.

She said, “That sounds awful.”

Then she told me she wanted my job.

I had to explain something:

She didn't want my job. She wanted my results.

And that's where this episode gets real.

Most of us want the harvest without the planting. The platform without the preparation. The success without the sacrifice.

We don't understand the hidden cost of our own desires.

Proverbs 5 points us back to the foundation: wisdom, discretion, knowledge, and—most importantly—knowing WHO deserves our focus.

Because distractions don't care about you.

God does.

You don't need more inspiration.

You need discipline.

So ask yourself:

Do you want to be good, or do you want to be the best?

The answer may be easier than you think.

You just have to learn how to focus.

🎙️ The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas
Legends • Moments • Momentum

#Focus #Discipline #Proverbs5 #Faith #Leadership #Purpose #PersonalGrowth #KellyCardenas #TheVIBE #Inchstones

Eliot Davis shares his powerful story of mental health, depression, PTSD, and anxiety—and why it’s okay not to be okay. In this conversation, Eliot talks about struggling in silence, finding peace through pain, and using your resources to begin healing and helping others do the same.

There are some conversations we avoid because they’re uncomfortable. Eliot Davis believes those are often the conversations we need the most.

After experiencing his own struggles with mental health and seeing the impact those struggles can have on the people around him, Eliot turned his pain into purpose. His message is simple, powerful, and deeply human:

“It’s okay to not be okay. Don’t suffer in silence.”

In this episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, we talk about depression, PTSD, anxiety, mental health, self-care, asking for help, and what it really means to create an environment where people feel safe enough to tell the truth about what they’re going through.

Eliot brings a unique combination of passion, vulnerability, peace, and love to his message. His goal isn’t to pretend he has all the answers. It’s to remind people that they are not alone, that their story matters, and that there are people and resources available when they need help.

His message is already reaching students through speaking engagements at high schools throughout California, with more opportunities ahead.

This is a conversation for anyone who has ever struggled with their mental health, supported someone who has, or simply needed someone to say:

You don't have to go through this alone.

If this conversation connects with you, share it with somebody who needs to hear it.

And if you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to a qualified mental health professional or a trusted resource in your community.

Executive producers - Brooklyn Cardenas, Makena Cardenas and Maddox Cardenas

#MentalHealth #Depression #PTSD #Anxiety #MentalHealthAwareness #EliotDavis #TheVIBE #KellyCardenas #DontSufferInSilence #ItsOkayToNotBeOkay

Todd Pierce of Riding High Ministries joins Kelly Cardenas for a powerful conversation about God, transformation, faith, relationships, prison ministry, horses, identity, and what it really takes to become the person God created you to be. Based in Idaho, Todd has spent decades using horses, ministry, and authentic relationships to help people discover freedom, purpose, healing, and a deeper relationship with God.But this isn't just a conversation about ministry.It's about transformation.What happens when God starts changing you instead of simply changing your circumstances? What can horses teach us about trust? What does spending time with people behind prison walls teach us about identity, shame, forgiveness, and second chances? And how do we recognize the prisons we may be living in—even when there are no bars around us?Todd Pierce brings decades of experience, faith, leadership, and some incredibly powerful stories to the table. But the rabbit hole we really wanted to go down was this:Who are we becoming?Because your accomplishments may tell people what you've built. Your transformation tells them who you are.This conversation goes into faith, fatherhood, relationships, leadership, prison ministry, purpose, surrender, and the uncomfortable—but beautiful—process of becoming.If you've ever wondered how God can use your past, your pain, your failures, your relationships, or even the things you thought disqualified you, this conversation is for you.Watch until the end for the question Todd answers that brings the entire conversation full circle.Subscribe to The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, and join us as we transform leadership and life one Inchstone at a time.#ToddPierce #RidingHighMinistries #Faith #God #Transformation #ChristianLeadership #PrisonMinistry #Purpose #Leadership #KellyCardenas #TheVIBE

What if the life you’re nostalgic about is actually the life you’re living right now? In this episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, we talk about nostalgia, sports, family, relationships, Proverbs 31, and the strange way we can spend so much time looking back at the good old days that we completely miss the good day we’re standing in.

My mama used to tell me, “I am praying for your wife. You need a Proverbs 31 woman in your life.”

I didn’t fully understand it then.

Forty years later, I get it.

She wasn’t just praying for a result. She was praying that I would be prepared to recognize, appreciate, and honor the answer when it arrived.

That got me thinking about everything we call a “throwback”—old sports, old music, old pictures, old memories, old versions of ourselves. Maybe we don’t actually miss the past. Maybe we miss who we were.

And maybe someday, we’re going to look back at THIS exact moment and realize it was one of the best days of our lives.

The future is okay, but it’s uncertain. The past is finished. The magic is right here.

So be good to people. Use your voice for good. Love the people in front of you. Appreciate what you have while you have it.

Because someday…

you’re going to be nostalgic for today.

That’s your Inchstone.

#TheVIBE #KellyCardenas #Proverbs31 #Nostalgia #Leadership #PersonalGrowth #Relationships #SportsNostalgia #GoodOldDays #Inchstones

Las Vegas sports reporter and News 3 Las Vegas anchor

Alexa Belcastro joins The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas to talk Las Vegas sports, the Las Vegas Raiders, Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Aces, UNLV, sports broadcasting, and the human stories behind the biggest games in Southern Nevada. A Las Vegas native who chased her dream of sports broadcasting across California, Montana, Colorado, and Nashville, Alexa has come full circle—back home covering the teams and athletes she grew up watching.

Alexa covers some of the biggest sports stories in Las Vegas, including the Raiders, Golden Knights, Aces, UNLV and the rapidly evolving sports landscape across Southern Nevada. But her approach to sports journalism goes far beyond scores, statistics, and highlights.

A graduate of the University of San Diego, Alexa spent years moving across the country to build her career in sports media. From California to Montana, Colorado and Nashville, every stop brought her closer to the dream of becoming a sports reporter and anchor.

Now, that dream has brought her home.

In this conversation, Kelly and Alexa talk about what it means to cover sports in the city where you were born and raised, the incredible growth of Las Vegas sports, the rise of the Raiders, Golden Knights and Aces, UNLV athletics, and what it takes to build a career in sports broadcasting.

But perhaps most importantly, they talk about the story behind the story—the people, personalities, struggles, victories and moments that make sports so much bigger than the final score.

If you love Las Vegas sports, sports journalism, sports broadcasting, the Las Vegas Raiders, Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Aces, UNLV, News 3 Las Vegas, or behind-the-scenes stories about the people shaping sports in Southern Nevada, this episode is for you.

🎙️ The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas

The VIBE isn't the energy you bring into the room.
It's the way people feel when you leave.

Subscribe for conversations with legends, unforgettable moments, leadership lessons, sports, entertainment, culture and the Inchstones that help us become better one step at a time.

This edition of The VIBE Report is proudly sponsored by Cardenas Law Group.

The #1 personal injury law firm in Las Vegas, Cardenas Law Group delivers boutique, concierge-level legal service with the experience and results of a premier litigation team. When life takes an unexpected turn, they stand beside you every step of the way.

Also sponsored by Panther Diamonds.

Experience Madison Avenue quality with Diamond District prices. Panther Diamonds helps you celebrate life's biggest moments with exceptional craftsmanship, remarkable value, and timeless

Executive producers Brooklyn Cardenas, Maddox Cardenas, and Makena Cardenas

#AlexaBelcastro #LasVegasSports #LasVegas #SportsReporter #SportsBroadcasting #SportsJournalism #LasVegasRaiders #Raiders #GoldenKnights #VegasGoldenKnights #LasVegasAces #UNLV #News3LasVegas #LasVegasNews #SouthernNevada #KellyCardenas #TheVIBE

Amanda Vega is a marketing strategist, entrepreneur, fractional CMO, and technology and culture expert who has spent more than 30 years helping brands, founders, and organizations find their voice, build communities, and create movements. From her early days on the AOL team to earning an MBA from Columbia University, building and selling two agencies, and now working at the intersection of emerging technology, genomics, precision health, and personalized wellness, Amanda Vega has lived through—and helped shape—the evolution of the internet, marketing, business, and human behavior.

In this episode of The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas, Amanda and Kelly explore marketing, entrepreneurship, technology, faith, health, relationships, reinvention, music, and the power of language. Amanda shares what she has learned from more than three decades in business, why she considers herself an “Internet dinosaur,” and what happens when we stop forcing people into neat little boxes.

Amanda is a co-founder of Rephase Health, focused on creating a more precise roadmap for menopause and andropause. She also works as a fractional CMO and entrepreneur across emerging technology and precision health while navigating the beautiful chaos of raising teenage boys, launching a podcast, and finding ways to keep dancing—even when a broken back has other plans.

But this conversation goes far beyond Amanda’s résumé.

Amanda and Kelly talk about civil discourse, the importance of asking difficult questions, the courage to say uncomfortable truths, and why curiosity may be one of the most important leadership skills we have lost. They explore how business, culture, faith, technology, health, music, and human connection can coexist in a life that refuses to fit neatly into a box.

At the heart of this conversation is a bigger question: What happens when we stop trying to define ourselves by what we’ve already done and start paying attention to where we are being called next?

The VIBE isn't the energy you bring into the room. It’s the way people feel when you leave.

Subscribe to The VIBE with Kelly Cardenas for conversations with extraordinary people about leadership, business, culture, personal growth, entrepreneurship, technology, and the moments that shape who we become.

#AmandaVega #MarketingStrategy #Entrepreneurship #FractionalCMO #TheVIBE #KellyCardenas #Marketing #Leadership #Technology #PrecisionHealth #Genomics #PersonalBranding #CivilDiscourse #PersonalGrowth