Episodes

  • Restoring Guardian Mansion | Chasing Dreams and Building a Life Together | Nate & Zaid Plummer

    Restoring Guardian Mansion | Chasing Dreams and Building a Life Together | Nate & Zaid Plummer
    Feb 5 2026
    In this episode of the Observatory Podcast, Scott and LaRae Wright sit down with Nathan Chase Plummer and Zaid Plummer to explore the story behind Guardian Mansion — a bold cross-country move, a historic restoration, and a shared vision rooted in partnership, creativity, and purpose.

    Together, they reflect on how a simple dream of restoring historic spaces evolved into a life-changing journey. Nate and Zaid share how they discovered the Kentucky property, what it felt like stepping into the mansion for the first time, and how the process of renovation mirrors deeper themes of identity, resilience, and co-creation. This episode dives into the emotional realities behind chasing big dreams — the hard days, the unexpected beauty, and the profound connection that comes from building something meaningful together.

    Timestamps:

    [00:00:18] Introducing Nate and Zaid Plummer and the story of Guardian Mansion
    [00:01:05] Early dreams of restoration and historic properties
    [00:05:17] First conversations about buying and restoring old buildings
    [00:09:51] Working through challenges together and trusting the vision
    [00:12:54] Discovering historic architecture styles and the “Second Empire” home
    [00:15:54] Traveling to Kentucky and arriving at the Bluegrass region
    [00:17:43] Turning into the driveway — the first emotional moment seeing the mansion
    [00:26:40] The deeper meaning behind restoring a historic space
    [00:38:15] Creative vision, storytelling, and preserving history
    [00:52:20] The realities of renovation and learning as you go
    [01:04:30] What Guardian Mansion represents today

    Noteable Quotes:
    • “I would love to buy it and renovate it and restore it.” – Nate Plummer [05:17]
    • “The houses we were drawn to were the antebellums or the Greek revivals — like this house, a second empire.” – Nate Plummer [12:54]
    • “Sometimes we have really hard days. But, we work.” – Zaid Plummer [10:08]
    • “We flew into Lexington airport where my family for years had lived and done the horse business.” – Nate Plummer [16:03]
    • “A dream together...” – Zaid Plummer [01:14:43]
    Relevant links:

    Follow the adventure here:
    Guardian Mansion YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GuardianMansion
    Guardian Mansion Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guardianmansion/

    Also, listen to Nate's story; coming out at 30, business & authorship, meeting Zaid — the big wedding, and manifestation of the Guardian: here!

    Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcast
    Produced by NC Productions
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 17 mins
  • Peace Feels Good | Bobby Ahlander on Depression, Healing, and Finding Life Beyond Survival

    Peace Feels Good | Bobby Ahlander on Depression, Healing, and Finding Life Beyond Survival
    Jan 8 2026
    In this episode of The Observatory Podcast, hosts Scott and LaRae Wright sit down with Bobby Ahlander for an expansive and deeply human conversation about suffering, healing, and what it means to truly come home to yourself. Bobby shares his journey growing up in a rigid religious environment marked by instability and fear, living much of his adult life on “autopilot,” and eventually reaching a breaking point that included leaving the Church, divorce, job loss, and a prolonged season of depression with suicidal ideation.

    Through therapy, psychiatry, EMDR, Buddhist study, and eventually plant medicine, Bobby describes the slow and nonlinear rebuilding of his inner world. He introduces a personal “numbers” framework that helped him track emotional states — from survival, to “fine,” to happiness, joy, bliss, and ultimately a state he later names cosmic union. At the heart of this conversation is the embodied realization that arrived not through force or fixing, but through surrender: peace feels good.

    Timestamps

    [01:10] Introducing Bobby Ahlander and the theme “peace feels good”
    [04:05] Childhood in a conservative religious home marked by instability
    [08:45] Learning invisibility, safety, and survival as a child
    [14:55] Living adulthood on “autopilot” and inherited identity scripts
    [20:15] Becoming a bishop and the weight of enforcing institutional rules
    [25:35] LGBTQ+ policy conflict and values colliding with authority
    [31:50] Leaving the Church, divorce, and relocation all at once
    [36:40] Wiping the slate clean and questioning every belief
    [41:05] First acts of autonomy and reclaiming personal choice
    [46:00] Discovering Buddhism and non-dual thinking
    [51:40] First psilocybin experience and expanded awareness
    [58:45] COVID, job loss, unhealthy relationship, and emotional collapse
    [01:05:40] Suicidal ideation and surviving for his children
    [01:12:30] Therapy, medication, and the “numbers” emotional scale
    [01:20:10] Ayahuasca: opening a door that never closes
    [01:27:30] Integration, healing, and learning to live at “fine”
    [01:33:40] Oregon coast turning point and happiness returning
    [01:38:10] Discovering joy, bliss, and something beyond the scale
    [01:41:00] Embodied peace, “peace feels good,” and what comes next
    [01:41:58] Closing message and listener invitation

    Notable Quotes
    • “You have just opened a door that can never close again.” — Scott Webb (quoted by Bobby Ahlander) [00:36:08]
    • “I don’t want to die, but I don’t want to be alive.” — Bobby Ahlander [00:31:58]
    • “The whole choice to awake puts you on a path.” — Scott Wright [01:13:33]
    • “So we honor you for being there and being able to express that.” — LaRae Wright [01:29:42]
    • “The cost of the new is the old.” — Scott Wright [01:32:36]
    • “Turbulence is just a reminder you’re flying.” — Bobby Ahlander [01:34:42]
    • “You will continue to suffer until you’ve learned the lesson that the suffering is trying to teach you.” — Bobby Ahlander [01:38:18]
    • “This is peace.” — Bobby Ahlander [01:23:57]
    • “Peace feels good.” — Bobby Ahlander [01:25:01]
    Relevant Links

    Bobby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bobbyahlander/

    Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcast
    Produced by NC Productions
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 42 mins