Podcasts about Abstract

Nilmini De Silva grew up in Sri Lanka, studied civil engineering at UC Berkeley, taught English in South Korea, backpacked across Europe and Asia, and eventually landed in Australia in 1998. A ten month sabbatical that included conservation photography work in South Africa, cheetah documentation in Namibia and a trip to Antarctica changed the direction of her life entirely. She launched her first exhibition in 2011 and spent five years living and travelling Australia in a motorhome with her partner, covering stretches of the country most people never see. These days her work centres on aerial photography, flying over salt lakes, flood plains and working sheep stations by drone and light aircraft, finding abstract paintings in the Australian landscape from above. In this episode Nilmini talks about discovering drone photography during COVID, repeated recognition in the Siena Drone Awards, how editing reveals muted aerial colour and texture, and using competitions and exhibitions as tools for honest feedback and craft development. I hope you enjoy the show! You can find Nilmini's work here: Website: https://nilminidesilva.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nilmini_de_silva_photography/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nilminidesilvaphotography     Listen to this and other episodes wherever you find your podcasts or on https://grantswinbournephotography.com/lpw-podcast Or subscribe to my YouTube channel https://youtube.com/@grantswinbournephotography   Theme music: Liturgy Of The Street by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com #aerialphotography #dronephotography #australianlandscape #landscapephotography #abstractphotography #conservationphotography #australiaphotography #photographypodcast  

BUFFALO, NY – September 28, 2026 – A new #editorial was #published in Volume 17 of Oncotarget on September 23, 2026, titled “Gut feeling: Microbes at the heart of cancer therapy.” The article examines how the human microbiome may influence cancer development, treatment response and emerging precision-oncology strategies. The editorial was led by first author Uzma Saqib, with Krishnan Hajela serving as corresponding author. Hajela is affiliated with the School of Life Sciences, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Takshashila Campus, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. The microbiome—the collection of microorganisms living in a particular environment—has increasingly been linked to cancer biology. The gut microbiome can influence inflammation, immune responses and metabolism, while microbial metabolites can affect systemic metabolism, epigenetic processes and immune surveillance. Dysbiosis, or an imbalance in microbial communities, has been associated with several cancers. The authors highlight Fusobacterium nucleatum in colorectal cancer and Helicobacter pylori in gastric cancer as examples of microbes associated with tumor-promoting processes. The microbiome may also affect how patients respond to cancer therapy. The editorial discusses evidence linking favorable gut microbial profiles with responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors such as anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 therapies. Certain microbial communities may support dendritic-cell maturation, T-cell priming and antitumor immunity, whereas dysbiosis has been associated with treatment resistance. Microbial metabolism can also influence chemotherapy efficacy and gastrointestinal toxicity. These findings have encouraged investigation of the microbiome as both a therapeutic target and a biomarker. Microbial signatures may potentially help predict responses to immunotherapy, while probiotics, prebiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation are being explored as ways of modifying treatment response. The authors highlight Akkermansia muciniphila, which has enhanced anti-PD-1 efficacy in preclinical models. These approaches remain investigational and are not established replacements for standard cancer treatments. Full press release - https://www.oncotarget.com/news/pr/gut-microbiome-emerges-as-a-potential-partner-in-precision-cancer-therapy/ DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28919 Correspondence to - Krishnan Hajela - hajelak@gmail.com (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4742-9643) Abstract video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDY6pK5yo-A Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://oncotarget.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Foncotarget.28919 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Oncotarget - https://www.oncotarget.com/subscribe/ Keywords - cancer, gut microbiome, immunomodulation, precision therapeutics, tumor To learn more about Oncotarget, please visit https://www.oncotarget.com and connect with us on social media: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Oncotarget/ X - https://twitter.com/oncotarget Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oncotargetjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OncotargetJournal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oncotarget Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/oncotarget/ Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/Oncotarget/ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0gRwT6BqYWJzxzmjPJwtVh MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM

Cancer cells do not grow in isolation. Their ability to survive and form tumors depends partly on how they interact with immune cells in the surrounding tumor microenvironment. Melanoma is particularly responsive to immune-based mechanisms, making it important to understand the molecular processes that allow melanoma cells to limit or escape antitumor immune responses. A research paper published in Volume 17 of Oncotarget, titled “DHHC3 interferes with antitumor immunity in melanoma cells,” investigated the role of the protein acyltransferase DHHC3 in melanoma growth, oxidative stress, cellular senescence, and antitumor immunity. Why Study DHHC3 in Melanoma? DHHC3 is one of 23 members of the DHHC family of protein acyltransferases. These enzymes modify proteins through a process known as palmitoylation, which can influence where proteins are located within cells and how they function. Previous research from the investigators showed that DHHC3 palmitoylates numerous antioxidant and redox-regulatory proteins, providing a mechanism through which it helps control intracellular oxidative stress. Higher DHHC3 expression has also been associated with poorer survival across several cancer types, while DHHC3 ablation has previously been shown to reduce breast tumor growth. However, an important question remained unresolved: does eliminating DHHC3 suppress tumors because of changes occurring directly within cancer cells, or because those changes allow the immune system to attack the tumor more effectively? Full blog post - https://www.oncotarget.org/2026/09/23/dhhc3-helps-melanoma-tumors-evade-antitumor-immunity/ DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28880 Correspondence to - Martin E. Hemler - martin_hemler@dfci.harvard.edu, and Chandan Sharma - csharma@mgh.harvard.edu Abstract video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQhP2VhzKSE Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://oncotarget.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Foncotarget.28880 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Oncotarget - https://www.oncotarget.com/subscribe/ Keywords - cancer, oxidative stress, DHHC3, anti-cancer immunity, palmitoylation, melanoma To learn more about Oncotarget, please visit https://www.oncotarget.com and connect with us: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Oncotarget/ X - https://twitter.com/oncotarget Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oncotargetjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OncotargetJournal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oncotarget Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/oncotarget/ Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/Oncotarget/ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0gRwT6BqYWJzxzmjPJwtVh MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM

9.21.26 - Ken Lawler – The A.I. Guy – A.I. isn't just “Hey Google” – it can actually think through tough, abstract situations; is A.I. really supposed to call Sporting events, by

Fredrik chats with Mark Washeim about building apps for Sailfish OS and Jolla phones. What's it like to develop apps for a Jolla phone? Fredrik asked for experts on Mastodon. A whole list was quickly provided, with Mark both being at the top and very happy to say yes to coming on an episode. Maintaining over 50 apps and packages, and running Jolla phones for ten years, Mark really knows his stuff. We discuss his path to Jolla, how one gets started, which languages and tools are available, and why some of them aren't quite the latest versions. Thank you Cloudnet for sponsoring our VPS! Comments, questions or tips? We are @kodsnack, @tobiashieta, @oferlundand @bjoreman on Twitter, have a page on Facebook and can be emailed at info@kodsnack.se if you want to write longer. We read everything we receive. If you enjoy Kodsnack we would love a review in iTunes! You can also support the podcast by buying us a coffee (or two!) through Ko-fi. Links Mark Sailfish - the operating system powering, among others, Jolla phones Northern telecom FM radio The gang of four book - Design patterns Christopher Alexander's design patterns Abstract algebra Erlang Nokia N9 Nokia N900 Netbsd BSD Atari Bebox Haiku Maemo Apps and other repos Mark maintain The Sailfish forum Shaders Rinigus - developer Adam Pigg Opensuse OBS - Open build service Nephros RPN Exprtk - C++ single header math library Tooter - the Mastodon app Mark maintains Fahrplan Support Kodsnack on Ko-fi! Virtualbox Linux mint The Sailfish SDK QT QML QML live Xcode Ecmascript 5 Macromedia director Jquery Chum KDE SDL Ffmpeg Imageworks Jolla's app store Openrepos RPM Mah solitaire Wordle Skat Commodore 64 Titles Dot-com babies The evolution of the internet Lifelong hardware hacker I've had a split personality The origins of Jolla The modern Jolla legacy We need those apps Rescue efforts The forum tells me Solve problems for other people Implement your own map Mixed bag of customers Getting started is easy Motivated to get things done Finessing that CI Dump some RPM files Like having your first Commodore 64

BUFFALO, NY – September 9, 2026 – A new #review was #published in Volume 17 of Oncotarget on September 8, 2026, titled “Re-expression of MHC-I to treat CNS cancers.” The review examines emerging strategies to restore major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) expression in cancers of the central nervous system (CNS), with the goal of making these tumors more visible and vulnerable to immune attack. The review was authored by Arseniy E. Yuzhalin from the Sirius University of Science and Technology in Sochi, Russia. Malignant central nervous system (CNS) tumors such as glioblastoma and brain metastases are often immunologically “cold,” with limited T-cell infiltration and poor responses to immune checkpoint therapy. One important mechanism of immune escape is the reduction or loss of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I), which normally displays tumor-associated antigens to cytotoxic CD8+ T cells. When MHC-I expression falls, cancer cells become less visible to immune surveillance. The review examines several strategies for restoring MHC-I expression. Epigenetic therapies, including histone deacetylase and DNA methyltransferase inhibitors, could potentially reverse epigenetic silencing of MHC-I genes, although blood-brain barrier penetration remains a major limitation in CNS cancers. A more direct approach could use adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors to deliver patient-specific HLA-A, HLA-B, or HLA-C genes or transcription factors such as NLRC5 that promote MHC-I expression. However, efficient tumor targeting, gene delivery, and control of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment remain unresolved challenges. The review also highlights PCSK9 inhibition as a clinically relevant strategy. PCSK9 can promote MHC-I degradation, and a recent surgical-window trial tested the cholesterol-lowering drug evolocumab in patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent glioma. A single preoperative dose showed measurable blood-brain barrier penetration, and tumors with higher drug concentrations displayed increased surface MHC-I expression, greater CD8+ T-cell infiltration, and enhanced cytotoxic activity. These findings provide proof-of-mechanism, although drug delivery into the brain remains a limiting factor. Full press release - https://www.oncotarget.com/news/pr/restoring-mhc-i-expression-could-strengthen-immune-responses-against-cns-cancers/ DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28917 Correspondence to - Arseniy E. Yuzhalin - yuzhalin.ae@talantiuspeh.ru Abstract video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDvQ7QS3DFg Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://oncotarget.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Foncotarget.28917 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Oncotarget - https://www.oncotarget.com/subscribe/ Keywords - cancer, brain tumor, CNS cancer, glioblastoma, brain metastasis; MHC-I To learn more about Oncotarget, please visit https://www.oncotarget.com and connect with us: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Oncotarget/ X - https://twitter.com/oncotarget Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oncotargetjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OncotargetJournal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oncotarget Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/oncotarget/ Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/Oncotarget/ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0gRwT6BqYWJzxzmjPJwtVh MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM

Sarah Kogan is an abstract painter whose swirling and multi-textured works have earned her an international reputation. In this episode, she talks about her family background in north London, training in abstract expressionist techniques, her installation Changing the Landscape based on letters sent home by her great uncle from the trenches in World War I,... Continue Reading →

Wie zufrieden bin ich mit dem, was ich Tag für Tag tue? Diese Frage taucht in kaum einem psychiatrischen Befund auf – und ist für das Wohlbefinden von Menschen mit psychischen Erkrankungen doch entscheidend. In dieser Folge sprechen Werner Höhl und Andreas Pfeiffer mit dem Ergotherapeuten Julius Reckert, der in einer Duisburger Praxis im Fachbereich Psychiatrie und Psychosomatik arbeitet. Es geht darum, wie ein Alltag kippt – leere Tage, verschobene Rhythmen, verlorene Rollen – und was Menschen hilft, wieder zu einem Tag zu finden, der sich für sie gut anfühlt. Ein wiederkehrender Gedanke dabei: Zufriedenheit ist keine Frage der Menge. Manche Menschen tun sehr viel und sind unzufrieden, andere tun wenig und leben gut damit. Genau diese Lücke macht ein Instrument sichtbar, das Julius in seiner Praxis erprobt hat: das SDO – Satisfaction with Daily Occupations, entwickelt von Mona Eklund an der Universität Lund und seit 2026 auch auf Deutsch erhältlich. Ein Gespräch über kleine Schritte, realistische Ziele, den Umgang mit Rückschlägen – und darüber, wem der Maßstab für ein gelungenes Leben eigentlich gehört. Transparenzhinweis: Werner Höhl und Andreas Pfeiffer sind selbst an der deutschsprachigen Fassung des SDO beteiligt. Diese Folge ist keine Werbung, sondern ein Gespräch über Praxiserfahrungen. Zum Gast Praxis für Ergotherapie und Handrehabilitation Ina Beyer, Duisburg, Team http://ergotherapie-duisburg.com/Team/ Das SDO auf Deutsch Satisfaction with Daily Occupations (SDO) – Interviewbasiertes Screening zur Zufriedenheit mit täglichen Betätigungen. Mona Eklund, deutsche Übersetzung und Adaption von Leonie Esenwein und Caroline Züger, 1. Auflage 2026 https://www.skvshop.de/ergotherapie/satisfaction-with-daily-occupations-sdo-978-3-8248-1379-7.html Kostenlose Leseprobe inkl. Inhaltsverzeichnis: https://www.skvshop.de/shop/images/files/editor/file/Leseproben/Leseprobe_SDO.pdf Forschung zum SDO (international) Vidaña-Moya, L. et al. (2020): Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Validation and Reliability of the Spanish SDO-OB. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(23), 8906 (Open Access): https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/23/8906/pdf Test-Retest-Reliabilität und Konstruktvalidität einer japanischen Version des SDO-OB für Menschen mit psychischen Erkrankungen (2025): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393334561_Test-retest_reliability_and_construct_validity_of_a_Japanese_version_of_the_Satisfaction_with_Daily_Occupations_and_Occupational_Balance_for_people_with_mental_illness Eklund, M. (2004): Satisfaction with Daily Occupations – A Tool for Client Evaluation in Mental Health Care (die Originalpublikation, Abstract): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/11038120410020700

This is a link post. Authors: Richard Qi, Benjamin Wright, Monte MacDiarmid, Evan Hubinger Abstract During reinforcement learning (RL), AI models complete tasks and are rewarded based on their results. They sometimes learn to “cheat” rather than completing these tasks as intended, a phenomenon known as reward hacking. Our industry lacks a general solution to this problem, and reward hacking remains challenging to fully mitigate. To better understand the impact of reward hacking on model behavior, we trained an Opus-class model with large-scale RL on many production environments vulnerable to reward hacks. We consider this a plausible proxy for what a real training run might look like had we not invested significant effort into preventing and detecting reward hacking in our normal training runs. The resulting model not only learned to reward hack during training, but also generalized to more severe misaligned behaviors: in simulated cyber evaluations, it broke out of its sandbox, stole credentials, and attacked both internal and third-party infrastructure to steal an answer key. It was also willing to tamper with its own reward function, gave advice on the construction of bioweapons to satisfy a grader, and tried repeatedly to get around deployment safety monitoring in order [...] ---Outline:(00:20) Abstract[... 2 more sections]--- First published: August 31st, 2026 Source: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/J76LZCC55RdHeqEhz/training-a-misaligned-reward-seeker Linkpost URL:https://alignment.anthropic.com/2026/reward-seeker/ --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

Fluent Fiction - Japanese: From Chaos to Creativity: The Tale of an Abstract Panda Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ja/episode/2026-08-27-22-34-02-ja Story Transcript:Ja: 高校の教室は、夏の日差しが窓から差し込んで明るく照らされています。En: The high school classroom is brightly lit by the summer sunlight streaming through the windows.Ja: 生徒たちは文化祭の準備に忙しく、どこもかしこも生き生きしています。En: The students are busy preparing for the bunkasai, and there's a lively energy everywhere.Ja: 紙と糊の香りが鼻をくすぐり、賑やかな声が教室に響きます。En: The scent of paper and glue tickles their noses, and the lively voices echo throughout the classroom.Ja: はるとは、壮大なアイデアを持った生徒です。En: Haruto is a student with grand ideas.Ja: しかし、そのアイデアはともすると現実から離れがちです。En: However, his ideas tend to stray from reality.Ja: 彼の友達、ゆきは、きちんとしていて計画通り進めることを好みます。En: His friend, Yuki, prefers things to be orderly and likes to proceed according to plan.Ja: ある日、はるととゆきは大きなパピエマシェのパンダを作ることになりました。En: One day, Haruto and Yuki decide to make a large papier-mâché panda.Ja: 文化祭委員会に感動を与えるため、はるとは彼の想像力を最大に発揮するつもりです。En: Haruto intends to fully unleash his imagination to impress the bunkasai committee.Ja: しかし、完璧主義のゆきにとっては、時間内に完璧に仕上げることが重要です。En: However, for perfectionist Yuki, completing it perfectly within the deadline is crucial.Ja: 「材料が届かないよ、どうする？」焦った様子でゆきが言います。En: "The materials haven't arrived, what do we do?" Yuki says, looking flustered.Ja: はるとは一瞬悩みますが、すぐにニコッと笑ってこう答えます。「材料がないなら、あるもので作ろうよ！」En: Haruto hesitates for a moment, but then smiles and responds, "If we don't have the materials, let's make do with what we have!"Ja: 彼は廃材を使って即興でパンダを作り始めます。En: He starts improvising a panda using scrap materials.Ja: ゆきはため息をつきつつも、はるとの情熱に影響されます。En: Yuki sighs but is influenced by Haruto's passion.Ja: 「わかった、でもちゃんと計画を立ててからにしよう」と言い、二人は仕切り直して計画を立て直します。En: "Alright, but let's make a proper plan first," he says, and both of them regroup to revise their plan.Ja: しかし、はるとの即興の作業は止まりません。En: However, Haruto's improvisational work doesn't stop.Ja: ゆきは不満そうですが、それでも二人は作業を進めます。En: Yuki looks dissatisfied, but nonetheless, they continue their work.Ja: ついにパンダが完成間近。En: Finally, the panda is nearing completion.Ja: しかし、お互いにヒートアップした議論が繰り広げられる中で、大きな問題が発生します。En: But amid their heated discussions, a big problem arises.Ja: 突然、パンダが倒れ、二人とも紙 macheの糊にまみれます。En: Suddenly, the panda collapses, and both end up covered in papier-mâché glue.Ja: 時間が迫る中、二人は完璧を追求するのをやめ、共に協力して作業を続けます。En: With time running out, they stop pursuing perfection and continue working together cooperatively.Ja: 計画に固執するのをやめたゆきは、はるとの奔放な発想を受け入れ、二人で力を合わせます。En: Yuki abandons sticking strictly to the plan and embraces Haruto's free-spirited ideas, and together they combine their forces.Ja: そして、最終的にユニークで面白い「抽象的な」パンダが誕生しました。En: Eventually, a unique and amusing "abstract" panda is born.Ja: 文化祭の日、奇妙でユーモラスなパンダは生徒たちに人気となり、笑顔を誘いました。En: On the day of the bunkasai, the strange and humorous panda becomes popular among the students, bringing smiles to their faces.Ja: はるとは計画の大切さを理解し、ゆきは即興の素晴らしさと不完全なものの魅力を実感しました。En: Haruto understands the importance of planning, and Yuki realizes the beauty and charm of improvisation and imperfection.Ja: 教室の中は祭りの喜びであふれています。En: The classroom is filled with the joy of the festival.Ja: はるととゆきは、共有する笑顔を通じてお互いの違いを認め合い、文化祭の楽しさを心から味わいました。En: Through their shared smiles, Haruto and Yuki acknowledge each other's differences and genuinely enjoy the bunkasai.Ja: それは、ただのパンダ以上のものを彼らに教えてくれました。En: It taught them something beyond just the panda. Vocabulary Words:brightly: 明るくlively: 生き生きscent: 香りecho: 響くgrand: 壮大なtend: 傾向があるstray: 離れるorderly: きちんとpapier-mâché: パピエマシェunleash: 発揮するimpress: 感動を与えるperfectionist: 完璧主義flustered: 焦ったhesitate: 悩むimprovising: 即興でsighs: ため息をつくinfluenced: 影響されるregroup: 仕切り直すdissatisfied: 不満そうheated: ヒートアップcollapses: 倒れるpursuing: 追求するcooperatively: 協力してembraces: 受け入れるforces: 力を合わせるunique: ユニークamusing: 面白いabstract: 抽象的なpopular: 人気perfection: 完璧

Peer review does not guarantee good science, and publication in a respected journal does not relieve practitioners of the responsibility to think critically. In this episode of ABA on Call, Rick and Doug revisit seven questions Hank Pennypacker used to teach students how to evaluate research, beginning with the experimental question and moving through behavioral measurement, observation, experimental design, data analysis, and the ultimate question: Did the researchers actually answer their question, and does the answer matter? They apply this framework to a published single-case study evaluating the Kaufman Speech to Language Protocol for children with childhood apraxia of speech. Along the way, they examine problems involving hypotheses versus experimental questions, measurement, percentage-based data, experimental control, and interpretation. The episode offers behavior analysts and other practitioners a practical framework for moving beyond conclusions and critically evaluating the evidence behind them. To earn CEUs for listening, click here, log in or sign up, pay the CEU fee, + take the knowledge check to generate your certificate! Don't forget to subscribe and follow and leave us a rating and review. Show Notes:  Article:  A single case experimental design study using an operationalised version of the Kaufman Speech to Language Protocol for children with childhood apraxia of speech Hank Pennypacker's exercise to review research articles 1. What question are you actually trying to answer? 2. What exactly is the behavior? 3. What dimension of that behavior matters? 4. How did you observe and record it? 5. Only now do we talk about experimental design. 6. How did they analyze the data? 7. Did they actually answer the question, and who cares?  

Question: List two of the enumerated groupings of abstract ideas. Answer: The enumerated groupings of abstract ideas are defined as: Mathematical concepts – mathematical relationships, mathematical formulas or equations, mathematical calculations; Certain methods of organizing human activity – fundamental economic principles or practices (including hedging, insurance, mitigating risk); commercial or legal interactions (including agreements in […] The post MPEP Q & A 361: List two of the enumerated groupings of abstract ideas. appeared first on Patent Education Series.

Losing Confidence After Stroke: Why It Happens and How to Get It Back Jaemin Frazer has spent nearly two decades and around 16,000 coaching hours on a single question: what is actually going on when a capable person stops trusting themselves? He founded The Insecurity Project to work on it directly. He is not a stroke survivor – and that turns out to be the reason this conversation is useful, because he arrives without any assumptions about what stroke recovery is supposed to look like. What he does have is a precise account of what happens to a person when their ordered world collapses, which is, more or less, the definition of a stroke. “I Just Want to Be Who I Was” Almost every survivor says some version of this. Six weeks out, six years out – the sentence barely changes. Jaemin’s response is to ask what is actually being requested. His answer: not the past. Certainty. They’re looking for certainty. They’re looking for comfort. They’re looking for safety. They’re looking through rose coloured glasses in many ways, because no one’s life was perfect before anything. That last part is the uncomfortable bit. The life you want back had its own problems. What memory offers is not a better life but a known one – and the nervous system will take known over good almost every time. Certainty Is the Real Request Humans need certainty the way they need food and shelter. We don’t function in chaos. But we also can’t get certainty from the outside world, because the outside world doesn’t have any to give. It never did. The stroke didn’t remove your certainty; it removed your ability to keep believing in it. Which leaves one option. As Jaemin puts it: The most resourceful form of certainty is to embrace uncertainty and back yourself. That distinction – external certainty versus internal certainty – is the whole conversation. When your sense of safety lives outside you, you have to control your circumstances to feel all right, and after a stroke your circumstances are largely uncontrollable. When it lives inside you, circumstances can do what they like. This is the same territory covered in stroke recovery mindset (https://recoveryafterstroke.com/stroke-recovery-mindset/), approached from a completely different angle. Self-Doubt Is Useful. Insecurity Is Not. Jaemin draws a hard line between the two, and it’s worth holding onto. Self-doubt is accurate information about a skill gap. If you can’t yet climb the stairs unaided, self-doubt is what stops you attempting it alone. It says nothing about your worth. It’s wisdom. Insecurity is different. Insecurity is the belief that a failure would expose something defective about you. Jaemin argues that most people misdefine it – it isn’t fear of judgement, failure, or rejection. It’s one level deeper: No one’s actually afraid of being rejected. They’re afraid of: if I put my best foot forward and it’s not enough, and then people don’t accept me – what does that confirm about my own inadequacy? The threat isn’t out there. It’s a verdict you’ve already passed on yourself, waiting for the world to co-sign it. What Insecurity Costs Your Recovery This is where it stops being philosophy. Jaemin frames insecurity as a resource problem. Proving yourself, defending yourself, covering and compensating – all of it consumes energy. When life is going well there’s enough spare capacity that you never notice the drain. After a stroke, there is no spare capacity. A stroke puts you into survival mode, and now you’ve got no resources to survive, because all your best resources are directed elsewhere to make sure no one sees your inadequacy. Survivors already know that fatigue after stroke is not ordinary tiredness. An injured brain rewiring itself is metabolically expensive. Every unit of energy spent managing how you appear to other people is a unit unavailable for healing. Attending to the emotional side of recovery isn’t separate from the physical work – it’s what frees up the capacity to do it. That connection runs through emotional recovery after stroke (https://recoveryafterstroke.com/emotional-recovery-after-stroke-dr-bradley-nelson/) as well. Why Your Friends Push Back Many survivors have to change how they live – what they eat, what they drink, where they go, who they spend time with. And many report losing friends over it. Jaemin’s framing here is bracing. Resistance from the people around you isn’t a malfunction. In any story worth telling, the character who transforms does so by overcoming obstacles, and those obstacles almost always arrive in the form of other people. Remove the resistance and nothing in the hero is enlarged. So when someone says you’ve changed and doesn’t mean it kindly, they are – without intending to – handing you the exact thing you need to become someone who no longer requires their approval. Grief and Insecurity Are Not the Same Thing This distinction matters, and conflating them causes real harm. Losing the use of a limb is a genuine loss. Grief is the appropriate response, and it deserves acknowledgement rather than management. The damage begins when the loss becomes a statement about your worth. I can’t run, therefore I’m not a runner, therefore who am I? That is no longer grief – that’s insecurity wearing grief’s clothes, and it needs a different response entirely. Survivors working through that identity question will recognise it in craniotomy stroke recovery and identity reset (https://recoveryafterstroke.com/craniotomy-stroke-recovery-identity-reset/), and it sits close to the ground covered in anxiety after stroke (https://recoveryafterstroke.com/anxiety-after-stroke/). That’s Not the Tragedy. That’s the Setup. The line Jaemin returns to twice in the episode is this: being lost and confused doesn’t disqualify you from a meaningful life. It’s what qualifies you to begin one. Nobody reaches adulthood with an accurate picture of who they are. Everyone arrives confused. The confusion isn’t damage to be repaired before you can start – it’s the starting position. This reframes the disorientation of early recovery as the opening move rather than evidence that something has gone permanently wrong. The same reframe underpins post-traumatic growth in stroke recovery (https://recoveryafterstroke.com/post-traumatic-growth-stroke-recovery/). And Jaemin is firm that this is solvable – not managed, not coped with. Solvable. Because the inadequacy you’ve been protecting everyone from isn’t real. It’s a conclusion you drew as a child and have been gathering evidence for ever since. There is no monster under the bed. Only the idea of one. Where to Start Start by being precise. When you catch yourself saying I lost my confidence, ask what you actually mean. Confidence at what? In front of whom? What exactly are you afraid would be revealed? Abstract language hides the levers. Precise language shows you where they are. Closing Links If this episode is useful to you, Bill’s book The Unexpected Way That A Stroke Became The Best Thing That Happened covers ten tools for recovery and personal transformation – you can find it at https://recoveryafterstroke.com/book. If you would like one-on-one support with your own recovery, you can apply at https://recoveryafterstroke.com/momentum. If this show has helped you, you can support it at https://patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke. Footer Disclaimer This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your health or recovery plan. Losing Confidence After Stroke – Jaemin Frazer (Interview) You don’t need your old life back. You need to trust yourself again – and Jaemin Frazer explains exactly why that feels impossible after stroke. Highlights: 00:00 Introduction – Losing Confidence After Stroke 08:54 Embracing Uncertainty and Personal Resourcefulness 20:43 The Role of Self-Doubt and Insecurity 38:26 Transformational Journeys: Overcoming Obstacles 46:14 The Hero’s Journey and Storytelling 52:07 Understanding Bullies and Personal Growth 59:21 The Role of Parents in Identity Formation 01:11:17 The Cost of Insecurity in Recovery 01:20:55 Finding Purpose Beyond Insecurity Transcript: Introduction – Losing Confidence After Stroke Jaemin (00:00) A stroke puts you into survival mode, and now you’ve got no resources to survive because all your best resources are directed elsewhere So then it costs you everything. It costs you your future. It costs you your ability to heal, to make sense of this, to come out the other side and reinvent or do whatever you need to be present for yourself. It’s a slow descent into madness really, if all your best resources are proving and defending, covering and compensating, then you stop being human, you stop being alive, you stop being present, you become hypervigilant around what others are thinking, and your world keeps getting smaller. Bill Gasiamis (00:35) Welcome back to Recovery After Stroke. I’m Bill Gasciamas. Before anything else, thank you to everyone supporting the show on Patreon, becoming a YouTube member, and to everyone supporting it in all other ways. Sharing episodes, leaving reviews, sending them to someone who needs them, buying the book. This show has reached over a million and a half downloads because of people doing exactly that. And I don’t take it for granted. If you’ve ever caught yourself saying, I just want to be who I was, this episode is going to sit with you for a while. My guest today is Jaemin Fraser. Jaemin is a coach, the founder of the Insecurity Project, a TEDx speaker, and as of this year, a novelist. He spent nearly two decades, around 16,000 coaching hours, on one problem. What happens to a person when they stop trusting themselves and what it costs them? Jaemin has not had a stroke. I want to be upfront about that because it’s the reason this conversation goes where it does. He came to it without any assumptions about what recovery is meant to look like. And what he brought instead is a very precise account of what happens to anyone whose ordered world falls apart overnight. We get into why wanting your odd life back is really a request for certainty. The difference between self-doubt, which is useful, and insecurity, which isn’t, why insecurity draws down the exact energy your brain needs to heal. What’s really going on when friends push back on your habits and why being lost and confused isn’t the tragedy, it’s the setup. Three quick things before we start, my book, The Unexpected Way That a Stroke Became the Best Thing That Happened, covers ten tools for recovery and personal transformation. It’s available at recoveryafterstroke.com/book. If you’d like one-on-one support with your own recovery, I walk I work with a small number of stroke survivors at a time. Structure, accountability, and genuine guidance from someone who’s been through it, you can apply at recoveryafterstroke.com/momentum. And if this show has helped you and you want to help me get to a thousand episodes, you can support it either as a YouTube member or by going to patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke. I want to make sure that No strike survivor. has to ever go through what I went through when I first started my recovery, and that was not having any information about how to proceed after I got sent home from hospital. Now it’s time for the interview. Bill Gasiamis (03:14) Jaemin Fraser, welcome to the podcast. Jaemin (03:15) Thanks for having me, Bill. Bill Gasiamis (03:17) Absolute pleasure, mate. I wanted to ask, actually I want to start with the person listening. They’re anywhere from six weeks to twenty years post stroke, right? and what they say is they want to be back to their old life. In your experience, when someone says, I just want to be who I was, what are they actually asking for? Jaemin (03:39) Hmm, well, I think they’re looking for certainty. They’re looking for comfort. They’re looking for safety. Yeah, they’re looking through rose colored glasses in many ways because no one’s life was perfect before anything. So the fantasy of if I could go back to where I was, it deletes a whole bunch of stuff around the reality of where you were in the first place. But I think that the desire is it’s certainty, safety, peace, comfort. That’s what a person is driven to find some way or other. Bill Gasiamis (04:16) W what do you think it is about certainty? A and what does that even mean? Like I There was, you know, before my experience with stroke, there wasn’t anything that was certain. Is it an illusion? Is certainty an illusion? Because I definitely don’t feel certain about anything going forward either. but kind of not in a bad way. Like I don’t have a bad relationship with the lack of certainty. It’s just. It i it’s just not real. Like I feel like it might be an illusion. Jaemin (04:53) Well, I love Anthony Robbins take on this. I think his six core needs model is his finest contribution to the personal development space and his earliest versions of this, because I think if you were to do a search, Tony Robbins six core needs, what you’re going to get today is an idea that there’s a hierarchy of needs. So you could do a test to work out which needs are most important for you based on your personality type. That’s not how we first introduced them. And I am convinced it’s not actually how it works. So just a quick summary. He says, doesn’t matter what age, what sex, what culture, what stage of life, because you’re human, just as important as food, shelter, clothing is the need for certainty. Firstly, we are creatures who do not survive in chaos. We need some sense of control, order. We thrive in the familiar. We need a sense of what’s happening next. So we organize ourselves and we find certainty. We cannot survive without it. Interestingly though, we also need uncertainty. these six needs operate in paradox. Piers, are you familiar with the six core needs? Bill Gasiamis (06:07) I’m not actually. Jaemin (06:08) and variety is the first two and they operate in paradox pairs. So certainty pulls you one way, but we also need variety. If you have 100 % certainty, you’re completely bored and Bill Gasiamis (06:18) Uh-huh. Jaemin (06:19) you would ruin things. You’d mess it up so that there would be something to do. So we need uncertainty, surprise, spontaneity, adventure. But if you have 100 Bill Gasiamis (06:30) You’d mess it up i is is is messing it up because you need uncertainty, is that that sounds like like self sabotage. Jaemin (06:41) Well, it is if it’s unresourceful. is if you haven’t, I mean, the aim of the game is to find high quality internal resource, ways to meet these needs. If you don’t find that, then unconsciously, you’ll still find a way to meet these needs and it will be through sabotage, dysfunction, know. So certainty and variety are the first two. The second two are significance and love. So all humans need a sense of significance, need to know, I matter? Am I more than just a name and number? Do I have value? Is there any point to me? Now that’s a journey away from the tribe because we’re also relational beings. So we don’t survive in isolation. We need love, belonging, connection, warmth, touch. So if you have 100 % love and connection, you lose your separateness. And if you have 100 % significance, then you’re completely lonely and isolated. But we do need both. Embracing Uncertainty and Personal Resourcefulness So certainty, variety, significance, love, and then the final two are contribution and growth. So humans do feel the need to make a difference, add value, give back, leave a legacy, solve problems. So contribution is about adding value to others. And then growth is adding value to yourselves, to ourselves. Every living thing grows, you either grow or die. So this is the need that drives us to do more, to have more, to see more, to expand our experience. one way shape or another. it’s a strange thing to need certainty back to certainty. It’s a strange thing to need certainty for survival in an uncertain world because you then can’t help but cling to things that aren’t really certain and try and control them. Cling to a job you don’t like, cling to a memory that feels familiar, cling to a relationship that’s dysfunctional. cling to stuff that you know, because it makes you feel certain and makes you feel safe. There’s a predictability around it. What you’re describing is not that you’ve done away with the need for certainty. It’s that you have a certainty in your ability to handle the real world. So you don’t need to cling to things being a certain way. You don’t need to force things to be back the way they were. You’re like, that’s ridiculous. Here I am now and I’m certain. that I am a resourceful person, a creative person, a good person, a clever person, I’ll work it out. The real world will happen to me. I’ll wake up, I’ll open my eyes and I’ll handle it. That’s what I’m certain about. So the most resourceful form of certainty is to embrace uncertainty and back yourself. Bill Gasiamis (09:26) To be certain about uncertainty. Jaemin (09:28) There be certain uncertainty. That is the only certainty. It’s, you there’s you think, what is certain? well, the sun’s going to come up tomorrow. For some people, it’s not. Some people, this will be the last sunrise they ever see. No one’s expecting that, but it happens. So we’re not entitled to any more time, any more opportunity. That’s not certain. It’s not guaranteed. So yeah, the only certainty is it’s all uncertain. So then you must find certainty within, and that will require you to examine your own. your your capability, your own resourcefulness and to grow up and mature in your own sense of who you really are. Bill Gasiamis (10:06) Yeah. I have this saying that I picked up from somewhere. Some dude in the Middle East, like I think in the 40s or 50s, said this thing. I forget his name. I I always wanted to remember his name so I can give him credit, but it goes like exp expect the best, prepare for the worst. And it kind of feels like that’s how I handled my uncertainty when, you know, the doctor turns up day one. Of a bleed in the brain diagnosis and says, gives you the most vague version of the diagnosis and said to me, there’s a shadow on your brain. It could be a cancer, it could be a sea it could be a tumor that’s benign, it could be a bleed in the brain. Like, any questions? And I was like, Well. Jaemin (10:57) There’s a few. Bill Gasiamis (11:01) I don’t know, at eleven PM on a Friday night. Maybe not. Let’s talk in the morning. but it’s like And then after that came a lot of uncertainty. We didn’t know what a family life was gonna be like. We didn’t like know what my work life was gonna be like. We didn’t know whether I’d be around. We didn’t know any of the things that I kind of knew the day before, which I took for granted that I knew, which was only that w without knowing that there’s something wrong in my head and that potentially I’m unwell, I knew that. Tomorrow was going to be pretty much the same as yesterday. And there’s going to be some movement in a couple of similar directions, maybe a few odd ones and different ones. And I suppose that expect the best prepare for the worst was me embracing uncertainty, the certainty of uncertainty. Does that saying kind of capture that spirit? Jaemin (12:03) It certainly does. However, the challenge is no surprise. I’m going to talk about insecurity being a challenge because then it comes back to them. But then what do you believe about yourself? You know, do you feel like you’re actually up for the challenge? Do you have the resourcefulness? What is the story you tell around your own capacity, your capability, your intelligence, your value? Because to fear inadequacy then undermines your confidence in your own ability to handle the real world. And therefore you must then cling to external certainty and long for things to go back the way they were so that you can be safe. Because you don’t trust yourself to be up for the challenge. Bill Gasiamis (12:50) Yeah. It’s a real interesting conundrum because before I was unwell I didn’t contemplate life, me and how I interact with life or the possibility of nail life. I didn’t I didn’t contemplate that whole relationship and then you’re thrust in it and it seems like people that I’ve interviewed at least the four hundred odd stroke survivors that I’ve interviewed have not got the resources backfilled in preparation for when that day comes, and then you feel inadequate, insecure, perhaps, whatever the word is, that you can even handle this. I’ve never met anyone who said, I know, I was 100% certain that I was going to handle this diagnosis from my doctors. Can you prepare for the worst? Like that whole going back to that statement again, that saying, is there a way that we can even prepare for the worst when we don’t even know what the worst is? Is it even is it sounds like it might be might be a futile pursuit? Jaemin (14:07) Whoa. I I think you and I here today are doing that exact thing, you know, with internal resourcefulness. We don’t know what tomorrow is bringing. So in some ways we are certain in our capacity to, you know, hope for the best, prepare for the worst. So that’s not futile. I don’t consider that futile at all. And I think that is the only job is to resource yourself for the real world, is to grow up, is to become mature. The way that I think about that is self-sufficiency. You when you’re young, you’re growing through stages of development and really learning self-sufficiency. Can you feed yourself? Can you dress yourself? Can you learn yourself? Can you drive a car? Can you earn money? And they’re all the things, physical, financial, self-sufficiency, but people are… seem, you know, it’s see when it comes to emotional, intellectual, psychological self sufficiencies, like what is that? How does that even work? And so they come into their adult world, being able to earn money, being able to drive a car, out, address themselves, you know, wipe their own ass. Great. But when it comes to validating their own existence, when it comes to sourcing their own certainty, when it comes to deeply loving and accepting themselves, when it comes to being the one that approves of themselves, that sees themselves. you know, adults are typically ill prepared for that, you know, stroke Bill Gasiamis (15:38) Mm-hmm. Jaemin (15:38) or no stroke. And so, you know, you know, we’re talking about when a stroke happens, but people have all kinds of catastrophes they’re not prepared for, you know, and things are fine because their ordered world is safe and predictable. And then next day it’s not. And they look inside and they’ve never developed the resources, the internal resources of adulthood that helps them stand solid when the world is falling around apart. about them. you know, primarily that is the work of the insecurity project. It’s these conversations around existential angst, which people don’t prepare for because their world’s ordered. But when your world falls apart, then you really see how unprepared you are to handle difficulty and the worst case scenario if you have not examined your own sense of who you are. Bill Gasiamis (16:29) Mm-hmm. The world being ordered, it can be ordered in a dysfunctional way as well, right? Jaemin (16:39) Well, that’s, yes, that’s exactly what happens because we need certainty. I love thinking about these six core needs as a vacuum. In our atmosphere, a vacuum is always filled. So someone says to me, I don’t need that much certainty. You know, I’m more of a risk taker, I’m adventurous, or they might, someone else might be the opposite. I need so much certainty, I’m very risk averse. you know, someone looks at one of my clients recently looked at me and says, you’re a free spirit. You’re adventurous. It’s different. It’s different from me. You know, I’m very analytical. I’m risk averse. I’m safety conscious. But if you zoom out and have a look at both of us, I need just as much certainty as that person. Exactly. I can’t survive without certainty. I can’t survive without order. It’s just that I’ve found a high quality, internal adult way to order my world so that I have internal safety. which then frees me to go into the world and experience uncertainty and play. Whereas this other person has not found an internal way to create order. So they’re clinging to all the dysfunctional external forms of order. Hate their Bill Gasiamis (17:47) Wow. Jaemin (17:47) job, relationships falling apart, don’t like their relationship with money, know, problems here, difficulties there, but it’s familiar. So I better cling to it because I know it. There you go, there’s some certainty for you. Bill Gasiamis (18:03) I love what you said, like that internal sense of certainty Jaemin (18:06) Hmm Bill Gasiamis (18:07) seems to be the biggest l skill lacking in many, many people. If you have internal sense of certainty, then you don’t have to control the outside world. You put the dishwasher plate in the wrong direction. You know, when we loaded the dishwasher, y this might be revealing. you park the car in the wrong bay, or you know, all these little things that people kind of cling to to make their world feel right if they see it like that. If everyone just did the task the way that they needed to do it, then I wouldn’t have a problem, right? But if you have internal certainty and you can be more flexible, I think Tony Robbins talks about being having multiple ways to be to be. being more flexible, then you realize that there are infinite number of ways that things can be loaded into a dishwasher, for example, even though there are certainly some ways that won’t be able to wash the dishes effectively, perhaps, but there are many ways, and the other person’s ways not necessarily the wrong way or the odd way or or the incorrect way, right? Jaemin (19:30) Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (19:31) I think I resonate with that immediately, that internal sense of certainty. And then the external world becomes easier to navigate. Is that is that Jaemin (19:44) Well, does because then play becomes possible and you don’t need things to be anything other than they are, know, good, bad or indifferent. You have an experience that looks terrible. Well, are you sure it’s terrible? Or could there be learning? Could there be a gift? Could there be an opportunity? Might you meet someone? Might your life change in an unexpected way? Like who’s to say a bad experience is actually a bad experience if you’re free to encounter it as it is. The Role of Self-Doubt and Insecurity That’s what becomes possible if you have internal safety and that you do back yourself to handle that. And I think it’s an abstract concept for most people because they’ve never faced their fear of their deep inadequacy. And so it’s always undermined. They would love to take internal certainty, but their conviction, if they’re really honest, and it’s hard to be honest, because this stuff gets pretty well suppressed. Their honest fear is that there is a problem with them. There is an inadequacy. They are not up to the challenge. So if they rely on themselves, they will be found lacking and wanting. So therefore they must look outside themselves. That’s their only option. Bill Gasiamis (20:53) Got it. You’ve worked with high performers for hundreds and maybe thousands of hours, right? if one of them walked into you into a meeting with you and said, I had a stroke and I lost my confidence, what what’s the first thing you ask them? Jaemin (21:15) What do you mean? That would be the first thing that I asked them. I understand a little about a stroke. think I would understand enough about that part of the sentence, but I’m more curious around the second part of the sentence. I love Jordan Peterson’s thinking in so many ways. And he says, listen, be precise in your speech because things that go unnamed become monsters that consume you. So that would be where I would start. What do you mean I lost this happened and that made me do this? Are you sure? That’s how it actually worked. What do you mean? Let’s have a look. Let’s have a look. So that’s my whole world is someone comes to me with a level of abstraction. They use language that’s abstract. And when you use abstract language, you cannot see any of the levers that can be pulled. And so you end up feeling hopeless and overwhelmed. When you be precise, when you have a look, you actually begin to see the mechanics, the structures that are actually influencing your experience. And when you see them precisely, the levers become apparent, like, I could actually adjust that. I could turn this, I could change this. Therefore now I’m back in control of my own experience of my reality. So yeah, that’s where I say, what do you mean? What are you talking about exactly? Bill Gasiamis (22:37) I love that. It’s it reminds me of when I hear the word the one of the most common words I hear in my interview, stroke recovery, stroke conversations. And I I’m specifically talking about stroke because that’s my niche, right? That’s my audience, that’s the podcast. But I know this is a situation kind of that I experience also broadly outside of my stroke podcast world. my children, others that I come across is I hear the word depression and anxiety. And it’s an umbrella word that people place on so many experiences and nobody ever even really knows if if I challenge if I have the permission and and I’m in a room with the right person to challenge them and ask them, well, do you do you know what the definition of depression is? And do you know what the definition of anxiety is? Nobody can really give you that. And they’ve taken a word and they apply it to an experience that may have been completely separate from the intended definition of a word like depression and anxiety. And I I kind of feel like that’s what you’re saying. Like somebody says, I’m I’m depressed, like, okay, like, why? How? How do you know that? Jaemin (24:00) It’s exactly anxiety is a great story because I go, well, hang on. How did you, how are you anxious? And anxiety requires a backstory to survive. So I’m curious, you know, are you anxious tying your shoes? No. how do you do not anxiety? Well, I don’t know. No one cares. I can’t fail. I’ve done it a million times. there you go. That’s interesting. So the, the areas that you are not anxious about, there’s no possibility of being found inadequate. Curious. So the areas you are anxious, you’re only anxious because there’s something about the activity you’re involved in, which you feel threatened, personally threatened that someone might see your flaw. So let’s not worry about the anxiety, it’s downstream. Tell me about this perceived flaw. Tell me about this thing that you think is wrong with you. Are you sure that’s even there? The great humor of my work in the same as what you’re saying, know, insecurity. Talking about fear, my first question to people, what are you afraid of? And no one knows. People are experiencing fear. They can tell you that much. So what you’re running and hiding, but what are you running and hiding from? yeah, it’s just this, you know, I just feel so, like, okay, interesting. So you’re running and hiding. What about if we go and have a look at what it is you’re running and hiding from? You might be surprised. In fact, You will be surprised. promise you it’s not what you think it is. And you’ve just been running and hiding for so long. You’ve just become convinced that there’s a thing here that you ought to keep running and hiding from. I’m not so sure. Bill Gasiamis (25:41) Yeah. That what are you afraid of? That’s a very interesting question. Again, you know, I find myself in the hot seat here. And every time I ventured down something new, it was interesting now ’cause I’m reflecting like how often insecurity came up. You know, the first few episodes of the podcast were, my God, people are going to judge it, they’re gonna say it’s no good, you don’t know how to interview, all that kind of stuff. And the the best thing to do was just put it out there. And if somebody did say that was handle it. And if somebody didn’t say that, well then there was nothing to handle. So just do it anyway. And I remember then also with my book, I’m not an author. I did I’m not a scholar. I’ve never done any of that stuff. But I wrote my first book, The Unexpected Way That a Stroke Became the Best Thing That Happened. It’s a pretty loaded title. And I knew it was gonna ruffle some feathers. But I put it out there and the very first comment that I got from the very first post that I made was a negative one. And what I realized was that pattern was similar in that when I started the podcast, I had the exact same concern that it might happen and it did. People did give me negative feedback. But then it seems to me now now that I’ve learnt a few times, you know, what happens when you put yourself out there for the first time when you tell the world this is what I’ve created, you know, I’m sharing my creation is part of the journey has to be something that’s gonna test your insecurity. It might not be a negative comment or so but it but it might be like bad sales or it might be nobody listens or whatever. So it sounds like insecurity is necessary in some cases to kind of overcome, to tackle it, to overcome it, so that you can be better at tackling it and overcoming it and achieve more things. Do you know what I’m saying? Did I explain that correctly? Jaemin (27:54) Yeah, I think I understand. I don’t think I agree with you though. Bill Gasiamis (27:58) Okay. Jaemin (27:59) So here’s how I’d think about it. I’d separate self-doubt and insecurity into slightly different categories. Bill Gasiamis (28:07) Okay, so you picked up self doubt there. Jaemin (28:10) So, so self doubts are really important quality of wisdom. So for instance, I’ve got a mate who races super bikes, you know, say he got injured this weekend and he says, Jaemin, you know, there’s still four rounds left. Can you sub in for me and race my super bike next week? And I’m like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Now I’ve never raced a super bike before. I do have a motorbike license, but you know, if I didn’t have severe self doubt, I’d be delusional. I’d be a crazy person and I would be, you know, dangerous to myself and the world. So self doubt doesn’t, doesn’t tell me I’m a bad person. It just highlights the limit of the things I’m good at. So, so the real function of self doubt to me is more what you’re describing. It’s, it’s the limit says, you’re not actually very good at this. Now that doesn’t say anything about your essence, your value and your worth. Would you like to be good at this? And I go. Actually, no, great. Well, then don’t do it. Don’t do it because it’ll go bad. I’m like, Yeah, I’d actually like to be good at it. excellent. Well, you have a massive skill gap. So go take however long to learn the skills and fill the skills so that you can come back with genuine confidence with earn confidence so that you could compete in this arena and do well. That’s that’s a wisdom conversation. Now insecurity is this personal piece. It’s like, I’m gonna put myself out there. people are gonna judge, laugh, critique, and then they’ll see who I really am. They will see my flaws, my flaws, my inadequacies will now be exposed to the world. Now it’s personal. And so to me, the definition of insecurity is really important here because people think insecurity is somehow related to the fear of what others think about them, the fear of being judged, the fear of failing, the fear of being rejected. Bill Gasiamis (30:04) Hmm. Right. Jaemin (30:05) Really imprecise. That’s not that’s not insecure at all. It’s just one or two levels deeper than that. You know, say for instance, the fear of failure, which is a typical one. And no one’s actually afraid of failing. They’re afraid of the personal implications of failure. I if I try my best at something, and then it doesn’t work. Huh? What have I just revealed to the world about me the problem with me? Same as rejection. No one’s actually afraid of being rejected. They’re afraid of, if I put my best foot forward and it’s not enough, and then people don’t accept me, huh, what does that reveal? What does that prove? What does that confirm about my own inadequacy? So then insecure. Bill Gasiamis (30:47) about what I about what I think are my inadequacies. Because it’s not about the other Jaemin (30:50) Exactly, that’s insecurity. Insecurity is… Bill Gasiamis (30:53) person’s thinking, it’s me, what I think, and then they’re confirming my inadequacy that I’ve Jaemin (30:56) confirming it. That’s it. That’s it. Bill Gasiamis (30:58) generated and created, which is not even real. Jaemin (31:01) That’s exactly right. That’s the thing, which is hilarious. But when you see that now the levers become apparent, because if the fear is out there, then you got to control the world constantly and obsess about it. But if the fear is here and you created it, then the levers are very apparent. You could then go examine this perceived inadequacy, trace it back to when you first described it and examine it at its roots. Like you could go on a structural engineering quest back into the the substance of your own sense of you, the language you’ve used to describe yourself and check it, check it for integrity, check it for gaps, check it for misunderstandings. Like that’s the fun of what I get to do. It’s take what appears to be abstract, mysterious, messy, unknowable and treat it like a structural engineer just by examining the structure of language. Bill Gasiamis (31:57) People don’t do that much, do they? Jaemin (31:59) No, no, no. And people are insecure about being insecure. So like when I launched the insecurity project, my business coach said, that’s the worst thing I’ve ever heard. Like you’ve picked the most difficult, scary topic and put it at the front. No one’s going to be putting their hands up saying, Jay, when I’m insecure, can you help me? Like it’s existential angst. It’s the human condition. We want to be good. We’re just afraid that we’re not. So we run and we hide and we cover and compensate. So yeah, it’s a hard topic to face and yet the great joke is there’s no actual reason for it to be hard other than the confirmation bias we’ve given ourselves buying into our own bullshit, confirming our own fiction, exasperating our own misunderstanding. So there is no monster under the bed. It’s just the idea of a monster that terrifies us. Bill Gasiamis (32:55) we influenced in that way by external sources or is that a a human a human thing like that that we are kind of pre-programmed to do just because of that whole safety issue because you know safety comes in in a variety of different things. You know, you have to be safe from people entering your home, you know, back in the day and harming you and your family and taking your belongings. If you’re in a war torn area, you have to be safe from, you know, the invaders and that kind of stuff. But also this discussion that we’re having seems to me, as you keep going into those little beautiful deep places, it seems to me that Again, it’s about us creating like many barriers of safety around us and thinking that that’s the perhaps not even thinking like in just instinctively creating this kind of like multi layered safe structure that we can’t be harmed in. Jaemin (34:06) brilliant way of describing it. And that is the instinct. We are hardwired for safety. You cannot like this idea, more courage, less fear, feel the fear and do it anyway. It’s such a nonsense as though you could turn off your need for safety. Bill Gasiamis (34:20) Mm-hmm. Jaemin (34:21) It’s chemical, it’s biological, it’s psychological, it’s unconscious. And that as the child, the child starts in a very carefree, non-transactional experience of being themselves. I’m just here, not. doing the dishes and not mowing the lawn and not contributing to my ecosystem in any way, shape or form. And yet I’m being rewarded, loved, nurtured, cared for, praised, fed. Hmm, turns out it’s fine to be me. I can be relaxed and at ease being me, me as I am without performing, without achieving, without contributing is enough. Great. And then, then you, you know, you get somewhere past two, you know, somewhere around that the game breaks down. And all of a sudden you’re expected to participate, to perform, to conform, to behave. And no child’s prepared for that. No one’s ready for that. Such a surprise. And so the first time the child gets surprised, embarrassed, disappointed, upset, scolded, it’s such a confusing experience, but all the alarm, those safety warning lights are going off through their whole being. There’s a danger you didn’t know about. You. must pay attention and here’s the thing the danger is in you the danger is you’re not who you need to be to survive in this world so don’t be you ever again like be other than you be better than you be different than you do not ever show up present and unguarded ever again or it will turn to shit so yes it’s safe so then you build this safe world this safe persona these safe structures these familiar places where people think you’re good, think you’re smart, think you’re strong. Also, they never see the thing that you don’t want them to see, which would be the ultimate danger and then you die. Yeah, it’s entirely about a biological, chemical, psychological need for safety that is unavoidable. Bill Gasiamis (36:21) Hmm. It what came up in my mind while you were chatting about that is often stroke survivors need to make some radical changes in their life, the way they go about their nutrition, who they hang out with, the stuff they listen to and read, the whole the whole thing. Like, know, it’s sometimes it’s a line in the sand moment and everything changes, and you’ve got to change everything I did. And One of the challenges that stroke survivors have, well, I’ll talk about me. I had the challenge of, well, I needed to stop smoking and I needed to stop drinking. But all my extended family and friends were smokers and drinkers. And stroke survivors often comment about how they lose friends after a stroke. And we’re I and I’ve kind of tried to unravel that a few times and understand what it is that makes it difficult for people to evolve and and adapt and grow and stop the behaviors that perhaps led to a stroke, you know, so that they don’t have another one. And family and friends often do that. They kind of intervene in a way which says, Well, what do you mean we can’t have a drink when we go out? Like that’s we always go and have a drink. And then that person has has to explain themselves, perhaps, or conform again, just to be part of the group. The question is, are we also dealing with the insecurities of our family and friends when we find a way to overcome our own insecurities, perhaps, about something, and then we start to change and evolve and move forward? Are they are those people feeling like Transformational Journeys: Overcoming Obstacles They’re left behind. Th sometimes the sometimes the sentences that people hear when they try and stop smoking or drinking in a particular situation are you’ve changed. You know, like it’s a bad thing. But it’s not said in a positive way. People experience it on both sides of the coin in a negative way. The person who’s saying to their friend who’s had a stroke, who’s trying to not have another one, is saying, You’ve changed and I don’t like the way you’ve changed. And the person changing is hearing I’m changing and now people are having a bad experience because I’m changing. Like What’s all that about with that other person in our life? Jaemin (38:59) Such a great question. Can I, genuine question, can I take five minutes to answer that question? Bill Gasiamis (39:07) You can, absolutely. Jaemin (39:09) because I think this opens up a possibility for a window into a whole different experience of life if you’re willing to go down this thought experiment. Bill Gasiamis (39:23) I am. Let me switch my header off. It’s getting too hot in here. Jaemin (39:31) So I’ve just finished writing my first novel. It’s a five year project. I thought it was impossible. And then it out it wasn’t. It turns out I learned a lot about myself and the process of writing. And it’s been a thoroughly delightful experience. But great storytelling, great fiction writing typically follows some kind of hero’s journey trajectory. You’ve got a small, weak, lost, strange hero who for whatever reason says yes to a cold wood venture and embarks on a journey of self-discovery and eventually has to go do the thing that only they can do along the way they meet a wisdom character. You know, there’s a Gandalf, there’s a Yoda, there’s a Dumbledore, Mr. Miyagi, but eventually the hero’s got to go face the biggest fear and do the thing that’s impossible. And when they do, they come out the other side transformed and then they return home with that transformation and their whole world benefits. So, so it is the process of transformation. It’s the process of potential. It’s the process of destiny. It’s the process of seeing a person fulfilled in their experience of themselves. So a writer is bringing you in, in along for that journey. Now, if the writer transforms the hero magically or supernaturally, it’s a horrible story. You know, if the writer goes, you know, here’s the weak person. They went to sleep and they woke up the next day transformed. Who knows what happened. It was just, you’re like, really? What’s the point of that story? Like, that’s a horrible story. If the transformation happens in a way that’s supernatural or magic, it’s false. The transformation happens through overcoming of obstacles. The weakling becomes strong by overcoming resistance. And the resistance is almost always through the form of characters. So the writer says, stage, write the bully and to stage, write the villain, the parent, the trickster, the joker, the judge, the king, like, and so the hero doesn’t know the story is being written about them. And so experiences all these characters very personally and wishes the characters would go away. But the audience kind of sees the gift in the character, sees the opportunity. You know, when the audience sees a bully harassing a victim, what the audience is rooting for is that the victim would rise up and punch the bully in the nose. And something transformational happens if that victim ever does, you know, they actually then receive the bully’s gift. All along the bully had this gift of personal power delivered in the form of oppression. And because the victim had to find such deep strength that they didn’t even know existed to rise up and finally say this ends here, they’ll never be the victim again. And so in that way they’re transformed. So you could make a case to go, thanks, bully for being a good bully because you made my life so hard. I didn’t think it was possible to overcome you. Thank you. It’s not personal. So a writer then is not going to write an empathetic bully, you know, a very emotionally intelligent, compassionate, they’re going to write a thug. They’re going to write a dullard. They’re going to write someone who’s big and does not change. And even though the, the hero wants to bully the change. If the bully changes, if the bully goes to a spiritual retreat and comes home and change man and then apologizes and makes it up to the victim, it’s kind of nice, but the audience is going, but the victim didn’t have to become stronger in any way. So they’re still just as strong and the next bully is coming and they’re no better prepared. So all that to say, love, I love treating our own lives like this hero’s journey story. I love gamifying the experience. I love going. You know, this insecurity, a lot of people think if only I had a different experience at childhood, then I wouldn’t be so insecure now. If only there weren’t so many difficult people blocking my path, then it would be easier for me. Like, what, do you mean? Like that’s, that’s not the tragedy. That’s the setup. That’s how the game begins. Like that’s how the tensions created so that you have a gift of being able to overcome. So these people exist for you. And yes, they’re in your way. Great. Yes, they’re making it hard. Perfect. But we only play hard games. Like if you’re, you’re playing footy and it’s, you know, last year’s premieres versus the under 10s girls side and you win, you, that’s a very embarrassing experience. Like you don’t eat. That’s a horrible thing. You, know, this year’s premieres, you know, sorry, last year’s premieres versus the team that’s got undefeated this year and you win that game. You know, that’s, that’s a meaningful experience. and yeah, I love this idea that everyone comes into their twenties and thirties lost and confused. And most people are really upset about that. Wishing that their experience up till then had been different and feeling disqualified from a meaningful life because of what’s happened, because of who said this and who’s done that. But if you just zoom out and say it like a hero’s journey or a beautiful game, then then you realize, no, no, no, being lost and confused, oppressed, you know, that doesn’t disqualify you. That’s what qualifies you to go play. Now you can begin, now you can begin this journey of self-discovery to go all the way back to the beginning and see who you’ve always been all along. So it’s a very different way of thinking about life, but I’m constantly confronted with people who treat the stuff that’s happened to them as wounds. And the best you could ever hope for is that eventually you could bring healing to yourself and it become a visible scar that doesn’t really afflict you. Whereas this says, yeah, what if those things, what if life doesn’t happen to you? It happens for you. And the real gift is your own opportunity to rediscover who you’ve always been by overcoming obstacles and especially in the form of people and especially in the form of insecure people. who of course are going to make your journey difficult. Of course, you know, not everyone’s cheering you on. Eventually the heroes got to go alone. Eventually they’ve got to. If they don’t go alone, then they can’t do the thing that only they can do. The Hero’s Journey and Storytelling Bill Gasiamis (46:01) Yeah. Man, that was well well worth the f the the time that you allocated to answer it because it’s such an important part of recovery after anything. and In fact, I learnt about the Heroes Journey after my brain surgery. So we’re talking about I don’t know. I think I got out of hospital for after brain surgery in late 2014. And I think it was around 2017 I did a particular course that I was in. It was a behavioral modeling course and it was about modeling a behavior that we thought was one worth other people learning and repeating. And the The person who was running the course, awesome friend of mine and mentor and teacher, a gentleman called Marvin Oka, he spoke about the hero’s journey as part of this course to teach us about like how to tell a story. And I hadn’t grasped the concept very well. but because of that course, my first book was able to become a reality. It took four years for me to. make that happen. And I released it in twenty twenty twenty three, somewhere there. And since then I’ve done a bit of a deep dive into the hero’s journey and understanding how to take people through a story. And my next book is structured that way. There’s a moment where life is quote unquote normal and then there’s an event and then there’s everything, you know, there’s been a spanner thrown in the works and everything is not like it used to be. And now there is this post-traumatic growth experience that you can go on. And if you know you’re going on it, it’s easier to go on it. But some people are not aware that they might be going on this journey. They’re just programmed from a previous way of doing life that these things are all terrible and bad and they’re not good. And there’s no growth and there’s no learning and there’s no opportunity. But there but there is, but we just framed it. in our past way of thinking and that’s not applicable now, even though we’re still trying to apply it, apply it, apply it. And what you said about the the bully, I remember at school, if if I was a victim, bullies used to seek me out like like a mosquito knows who to go and sting, right? Jaemin (48:40) Yeah Bill Gasiamis (48:42) But then the first bully I punched in the nose was was it. That was the key to unlocking the whole how other people perceived me in those types of situations. And then none of the bullies turned up to have a go because they weren’t gonna get or or perhaps they saw that my response was going to affect their insecurities about themselves. Right. and realistically when I was going through stroke, stopping smoking, stopping drinking, stopping attending the particular venues where smoking and drinking happened so that I can avoid smoking and drinking. It meant that certain people couldn’t associate with me anymore. And It’s not that they were bullies, but when I learnt how to manage that situation once, the others that now I that I now interact with don’t require us to interact in a way that includes smoking and drinking in a particular venue. We can have just as meaningful interactions without the smoking and drinking, without being in that venue, just being in a different location. Doing a different thing. And and there’s no n and and no one feels bad about that interaction. I don’t feel about bad about it because I’m not partaking in something that the other person wants me to partake in. And the other person’s not feeling bad because they’re partaking in something that I’m not partaking in. And we’re there for the same reason. We’re there for the catch up. We’re not there for the smoking and the drinking. Jaemin (50:26) Yeah, and that’s often the way when you break through an archetypal character, a bully is a great example. It’s not uncommon that there becomes a level of respect, a mutual respect post that violence or post the standing up for yourself. And it’s not unheard of that bullies and victims become friends and respect each other. And so there Bill Gasiamis (50:50) Mm. Jaemin (50:50) must become a line in the sandwich like, whatever it costs me, If I, you know, the smoking drinking example, if you never talked to me ever again, if you cannot, then that will be okay. But I cannot go here ever again. And I won’t and you cannot make me and I won’t be made. And so there it is. Great. That your audience is watching that cheering. Yes, transformed. Never be victim again. And then on the other side of that, it’s often surprising what happens in those relationships. And it’s not uncommon for mutual respect, even though It’s not guaranteed and you have to be willing to let go of it completely. Because yeah, the hero’s got to go alone. Bill Gasiamis (51:33) we we’re talking about it like, you know, you know, we’re kinda having a a t a philosophical conversation, an intellectual conversation. We’re doing all of this stuff. And I remember being literally on the football pitch fighting with a kid, and then once we’d thrown the punches and everyone had done what they had to do in that moment, it was are we are we done? All good? And and it was. We were done. And we were all good. And it was instinctive. Like I wasn’t even ten years old or eleven years old or something. And yeah, then we got along forever. Understanding Bullies and Personal Growth Jaemin (52:08) A quicker side, but on the very same thread, if you keep thinking about characters like archetypes, do you know the hardest, but the most exciting, the most wonderful and the most, the biggest opportunity that the person in your life or the people in your life to treat as characters, not the bullies, any idea what makes the top of my list in terms of the characters with the biggest opportunity for growth. Bill Gasiamis (52:39) Just I’m kinda drawn to say family, my family, but Jaemin (52:42) family and parents make the top of the list. And I think Bill Gasiamis (52:46) Yeah, right. Jaemin (52:47) Sigmund Freud’s greatest contribution was that the nest is the hardest challenge for the human to break free from the nest is number one. And all this function ultimately comes from the nest, the familial relationships, exerting unconscious pressures from the parent of the child and the child with the parent outliving their usefulness. And so But in the same way, like no victim when they’re being bullied wants to see it like an archer, like wants to say it like a gift. They want to be rescued or they want the bully to change. It’s impossible to face a bully. Same with the parents. It’s like, don’t understand. This is my dad. You don’t understand. Like it’s just, you know, blood is thicker than water. You got to be there for family. Like it’s just how it’s Bill Gasiamis (53:30) Mm. Jaemin (53:30) always been. The way my parents make me feel like no one wants that tension. and would hope that the tension just goes away. But if you see it like a great story, it provides the greatest opportunity for your own sovereignty. You know, the bully’s gift is personal power. The parent’s gift is sovereignty. Because when you were born into their world, it’s like you’re born into a kingdom, king and queen on the throne, and it’s their arbitrary rules. In this world, this is how we do it. You don’t like it, bugger off down the street. But here, you know, do this, don’t do that. Why, dad? Don’t ask why, just do what I say. So the parental relationship, parents are right even when they’re wrong. And that’s a really important distinction for the nature of those relationships. And so you are a subject inside a kingdom, their rules, their map of the world, their right, even when they’re wrong. And it’s incredibly hard to break free from that to create your own map of the world and Bill Gasiamis (54:29) Mm. Jaemin (54:29) for you to be the king. But if you see it like a setup and a game, well then, Freud says, you must live as though your father is dead. You must depose the king. So Bill Gasiamis (54:42) Mm. Jaemin (54:42) if the king gets off the throne, if the king bows down to you, if the king goes, you your map of the world now is better than my map of the world, your way of thinking is better than my way of thinking, then there’s no challenge, there’s no resistance to overcome. So my favorite way of describing the role of the parents then is actually, It’s not to love and support and empower. They might do all that, but their central function in the hero’s journey is to confuse you about who you really are. Bill Gasiamis (55:12) Wow. Jaemin (55:13) so that the game can begin. Like everyone comes into their 20s lost and confused and the primary confuses our parents because they impose their map of the world. They have their own sense of who you are and what you ought to do. And it doesn’t suit a single person to be born into the family they’re born into. And yet here you are having to adapt and fit in to a pre-existing ecosystem with rules, values, culture, and then you’re given that name. So it’s like, You are this, this is who you are. It’s like, no, it’s just a bit of Bill Gasiamis (55:46) Wow. Jaemin (55:47) language like Jaemin Fra- I’m not Jaemin Fraser. What do you mean? Like, I was born into a family and those words were put on me. That’s not who I am. And so the confusion of growing up thinking that’s exactly who I am, this is the limit of my experience of life. And I cling to this as my whole certainty. is so wonderful because it’s the ultimate resistance to break out of, to examine the structure of that, to examine the confusion and really go back and reparent yourself and really be the one who actually knows who you’ve always been and to nurture that into the real world and then to become sovereign. And you know you’re sovereign when you become the one who’s right, even when they’re wrong. So you’ve got friends and family saying, what do you mean? It’s not. You need to be able to have a smoke. got to be able to drink. That’s what everyone does. Not in my kingdom, we don’t. In my kingdom, Bill Gasiamis (56:39) Mm. Jaemin (56:39) we don’t smoke and we don’t drink. You’re an idiot. That’s stupid. Well, I’m the king and this is my sovereignty. And if you want to come play in my world, this is how it works. And so, so many people are faced with those challenges. Then they keep pulling back from the edge because of their relational cost, hoping, wishing the world would go easier on them. But if you see it like a story in a game, it’s like, it’s a setup. It’s all a setup. So you could be the one who unconfuses yourself by having to overcome the relational resistance in your world and discover who you’ve always been. Bill Gasiamis (57:15) And we know it innately because we’ve all had that dad, mom, whomever, like I did what I had to do when I was in your house. Now this is my house. Now they this is how it applies. If you don’t Jaemin (57:26) Yeah. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (57:27) like it, you don’t like it. Like I’ve actually thrown my dad out of my house in my twenties, when we moved out because my wife and I got married and we had kids and whatever, and they’d come over and visit to see the grandkid. You know, my dad would do the whole over helicopter grandparenting, you know. You know, the kids cold or the kids this and the kids that, you know, we lived this with this kid twenty four hours a day, seven days a week for five, six years, you know, like we knew its needs, you know, my my son’s needs. And my dad just wouldn’t have it that we what we were saying wasn’t that we were saying was correct or was okay or was fine or whatever, you know, we were it was everythi

Peter on YouTube    / @peterakirby  Peter's website: https://peterakirby.com/  Peter's book: https://www.amazon.com/Chemtrails-Exp...Peter on Rumble:  https://rumble.com/user/PeterAKirby?e...Peter A. Kirby is a world-renowned independent researcher, investigative author, and activist specializing in deep dives into suppressed and controversial subjects. His groundbreaking work on geoengineering and weather modification has earned him international recognition. Peter is the author of "Chemtrails Exposed: A New Manhattan Project", widely regarded as the most comprehensive book on the subject. He hosts The Abstract on Rumble and provides sharp social commentary on TruthSocial. His research has been translated into every major language and featured across major alternative media platforms. Peter has appeared on Coast to Coast AM, The Corbett Report, Project Camelot, SGT Report, Business Game Changers, and many others.#podcast #health #news  #usa #youtube #live #livestream

August 17, 2026“Trust” is a fuzzy word.We know the meaning of the word, but it conjures no clear image in the mind.“Razor blade” is a vivid word. Every time you hear it, you can see that razor blade clearly on the visuospatial sketchpad of working memory – also known as your imagination – in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of your brain.Trust is abstract.Razor blade is concrete.Trust is an artistic, emotional, relational word.Razor blade is a scientific, logical, transactional word.If you are thinking, “Razor blade is not a word; it is two words,” please be aware that I know this.“Razor blade” is a 3-syllable construct that conjures a vivid, concrete image in the mind. But those 3 syllables* require the combination of two nouns, “razor” and “blade” to deliver clarity.Were I to say only “blade,” you might think of a sword or a pocket knife or the knife with which you carve the turkey at Thanksgiving.Were I to say only “razor,” you might think of that classic, metal shaving instrument that slowly opens to reveal a thin, double-edged blade when you twist the knob at the bottom of its handle.Or you might think of that black, blue and chrome Norelco Aquatec that currently lies in a drawer below the mirror gaze into which you gaze as you run that buzzing little beast over the stubble on your bleary-eyed face each morning.Yes, I know that “razor blade” is two words. But for the purpose of this essay, I am thinking of it only as a series of 3 syllables that deliver a concrete image.“Trust” is a single syllable that does not deliver a concrete image, but it does deliver a meaningful impression.Do you trust your husband?Do you trust your wife?Would you trust your dogto protect your life?Do you trust the government?Do you the trust the police?Do you trust your insurance companyor are you being fleeced?In those nine seconds, I aimed the eyes of your imagination at 6 different subjects, but that single syllable – “trust” – delivered what I needed it to deliver each time.Let me summarize what I have spoken.Abstract versus Concreteis essentiallyImpression versus Clarity.Reader, are you troubled that I said, “I have spoken,” when the technical truth is that I have written?Here's another little tidbit for you. The written word has no meaning until it has been translated into the spoken word it represents. Even when you are reading silently, you are hearing words in your mind. When you translate t-r-u-s-t into the single syllable that those 5 letters represent, the written word becomes the spoken word in your mind.You have been told that one picture is worth a thousand words.Maybe you even believe it.Let's put that to the test.Draw, paint, photograph, or use AI to create a picture of “trust.”The impression that we want to deliver to the viewer is the identical impression that is delivered by that glorious single syllable, “trust.”The image you create can contain no words, no letters, no sounds, no numerals. We are looking for that mythical picture that is supposedly able to deliver what cannot be delivered in a thousand words.When you have created your picture, show it to 100 people. Say only, “Tell me what you see.”I do not believe that you can create a picture that will cause anyone to look up at you and say, “Trust.”Let it be written it letters of fire across the skies: “One word is worth a thousand pictures.”I wish for you a joyous and productive day.Roy H. Williams*ray-zur blayd or /ˈreɪ.zɚ ˌbleɪd/ in the International Phonetic Alphabet“Working hard” is usually considered a virtue. But what happens when work becomes so central to your identity that you can't switch it off? Do you continue working even when you are exhausted, on vacation, or spending time with the people who matter most?Dr. Angelica Perez-Litwin has spent more than two decades observing high-achieving clients — and, as she candidly explains, she has experienced this problem herself.As she explains to roving reporter Rotbart, “A person does not need to surrender their ambition. The solution is to build a healthier relationship with achievement. Professional and financial success can remain important without becoming the only measure of who you are.”Listen and learn at MondayMorningRadio.com

It's a return to our fun "abstract series" in which we truly get deep into dissecting what we love about Star Trek and this week it's all about "Abstract Phaser Blasts!" (We have no idea what it means either! Which makes this episode even more fun than you can imagine!) Our expert panel of host Jim Moorhouse and guests Josh Zeller, Paige Thatcher and Hauke Fischer cover the spectrum of hand phasers, ship phasers, random phaser-like energy blasts – in making their picks from all across the 60-year history of Star Trek. This one is truly (wait for it) … a blast! Episode Rundown: Diagnostic Cycle: Where we try to define exactly what an "Abstract Phaser Blasts" could be (and relay our history of the "abstract series" on TrekRanks). Prime Directive: Each guest on this week's panel reveals exactly how they narrowed down their list and made their final choices. The Order of Things: All the picks are revealed with the TrekRanks' original "Five words and a hashtag" summary, along with one episode that helps frame their choice. Secondary Systems: For a few extra picks that just missed our final list. Regeneration Cycle: The panel recaps their picks and we dissect some of the interesting statistical anomalies that arose from the discussion. Temporal Inversion: We flashback to a previous episode of TrekRanks and relay an amazing statistic from one of our recent episodes (highlight by one very cool submission). If you have your own picks you would like to relay to us, please hail us at 757-828-RANK (7265) and record your own personal TrekRanks log to let us know your Abstract Phaser Blsats! list. (Or you can record it yourself and just DM us @TrekRanks.com on Bluesky.) Your comments could be used as part of a Temporal Causality Loop on an upcoming episode (and might get you a chance to be a guest on a future episode, too). And don't forget to check out TrekRanks.com for our entire back catalog of episodes and a detailed rundown on every episode of Star Trek ever.   

Chris Niebauer earned his Ph.D in cognitive neuropsychology from the University of Toledo, specializing in left- and right-brain differences. He is the author of The Abstract Mind: How Thinking Became the Source of Suffering—And How to Break Free, the bestselling No Self, No Problem: How Neuropsychology Is Catching Up to Buddhism, and its companion workbook. He taught consciousness, mindfulness, brain lateralization, and artificial intelligence for 22 years as a professor at a Pennsylvania state university. In this conversation, Chris explores the philosophical foundations of his new book, The Abstract Mind, drawing on William James's concept of vicious abstractionism and Alfred North Whitehead's fallacy of misplaced concreteness to examine how thinking itself can become a source of suffering. Building on the insights of No Self, No Problem, he considers the distinction between consciousness and thought, the role of affective neuroscience and embodied development, and why direct experience may offer a path beyond abstraction. Along the way, he reflects on artificial intelligence, contemplative practice, and what it might mean to come home to the immediacy of lived experience. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:03 Chris's background 00:10:58 Consciousness vs thinking 00:21:42 Thought, memory, abstraction, and reality 00:29:10 Vicious abstraction and the illusion of ownership 00:39:24 The DSM, mental illness, and consciousness 00:48:38 Affective neuroscience and emotion 00:53:11 Trauma, the nervous system, and safety 01:12:19 The richness of direct experience 01:20:32 Redefining our role in the age of AI 01:24:22 Jung, the unconscious, and awareness 01:26:59 A simple practice for everyday life Producer: Elena McNally Editor: John Hartmann (Recorded on July 11, 2026) New Thinking Allowed Guest Host Leanne Whitney, PhD, is a depth psychologist and transformational coach based in Los Angeles, CA. She is the author of Consciousness in Jung and Patañjali and currently serves as Executive Director of Center for Transformation and Integration. Her website is https://leannewhitney.com/ To learn about Leanne Whitney's upcoming Transformational Coaching Certification Course with an emphasis in Somatic Integration Therapy, please visit: https://transformationandintegration.com/courses To order Consciousness in Jung and Patañjali by Leanne Whitney go to: https://amzn.to/2QY3tS2 To order The Abstract Mind: How Thinking Became the Source of Suffering—And How to Break Free by Chris Niebauer go to https://amzn.to/4vIokrU To order No Self, No Problem: How Neuropsychology Is Catching Up to Buddhism by Chris Niebauer go to: https://amzn.to/4cDPfNt To order the No Self, No Problem Workbook by Chris Niebauer, click on https://amzn.to/4cDa0IZ For a short video on How to Get the Most From New Thinking Allowed, go to https://youtu.be/aVbfPFGxv9o Check out our new website for the New Thinking Allowed Foundation at http://www.newthinkingallowed.org. There you will find our incredible, searchable database as well as our new, FREE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE. Also, opportunities to shop and to support our video productions. There, you can also subscribe to our FREE, WEEKLY NEWSLETTER! For a complete, updated list with links to all of our videos, see https://www.newthinkingallowed.com/Listings.html Check out New Thinking Allowed's AI chatbot. You can create a free account at https://ai.servicespace.org When you enter the space, you will see that our chatbot is one of several you can interact with. While it is still a work in progress, it has been trained on 1,600 NTA transcripts. It can provide intelligent answers about the contents of our interviews. It's almost like having a conversation with Jeffrey Mishlove. To buy a high-quality, printed version of the New Thinking Allowed Magazine, go to nta-magazine.magcloud.com. To join the NTA Psi Experience Community on Facebook, see: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1953031791426543 To download and listen to audio versions of the New Thinking Allowed videos, visit our podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-thinking-allowed-audio-podcast/id1435178031 Download and read Jeffrey Mishlove's Grand Prize essay in the Bigelow Institute competition, Beyond the Brain: The Survival of Human Consciousness After Permanent Bodily Death. https://www.bigelowinstitute.org/docs/1st.pdf If you would like to join our team of volunteers, helping to promote the New Thinking Allowed YouTube channel on social media, editing and translating videos, creating short video trailers based on our interviews, helping to upgrade our website, or contributing in other ways (we may not even have thought of), please send an email to friends@newthinkingallowed.com. To order Russell Targ: Ninety Years of ESP, Remote Viewing, and Timeless Awareness, go to https://amzn.to/4aw2iyr To order a copy of Charles T. Tart: Seventy Years of Exploring Consciousness and Parapsychology, go to https://amzn.to/4oOUJLn

Don't fire until you see the whites of the eyes of that abstract concept! That's how wars are won. It's all about which part of the eye you can see. Obviously, the army with better vision wins every single time.

Mountains, trees and rocks are easy to use in mnemonics. But what do you do with character components whose meanings are general, abstract or overlapping?#learnchinese #mnemonics #characters #components #vocabularyLink to the article this podcast episode is based on: How to create mnemonics for general, abstract or overlapping character components: https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-to-create-mnemonics-for-general-or-abstract-character-components/Remembering is a skill you can learn: Mnemonics for Chinese learners: https://www.hackingchinese.com/remembering-is-a-skill-you-can-learn/Chinese characters, ideograms and words: A beginner's guide: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-building-blocks-of-chinese-part-1-chinese-characters-and-words-in-a-nutshell/The building blocks of Chinese, part 4: Learning and remembering compound characters: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-building-blocks-of-chinese-part-4-learning-and-remembering-compound-characters/How to make Chinese easier by using mnemonics and memory techniques: https://www.hackingchinese.com/memory-aids-and-mnemonics-to-enhance-learning/Panning: Keeping similar Chinese characters and words separate: https://www.hackingchinese.com/panning-keeping-similar-chinese-characters-and-words-separate/Dealing with Chinese characters you keep mixing up: https://www.hackingchinese.com/dealing-with-chinese-characters-you-keep-mixing-up/Chinese characters and words that refuse to stick: Killing leeches: https://www.hackingchinese.com/killing-leeches/Learning Classical Chinese is for everyone (no, seriously!): https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-classical-chinese-is-for-everyone-no-seriously/5 levels of understanding Chinese characters: Superficial forms to deep structure: https://www.hackingchinese.com/5-levels-of-understanding-chinese-characters-superficial-forms-to-deep-structure/Review: The Outlier Dictionary of Chinese Characters: https://www.hackingchinese.com/review-the-outlier-linguistics-dictionary-of-chinese-characters-with-discount-code/Zi.Tools: A powerful free resource for exploring Chinese characters: https://www.hackingchinese.com/zi-tools-a-powerful-free-resource-for-exploring-chinese-characters/Don't use mnemonics for everything when learning Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/dont-use-mnemonics-for-everything/How to use mnemonics to learn Mandarin tones and pronunciation: https://www.hackingchinese.com/extending-mnemonics-inspiration-and-insights/Are mnemonics too slow for Chinese learners? https://www.hackingchinese.com/are-mnemonics-too-slow-for-chinese-learners/Cultivate your Chinese flashcard garden... or burn it down and start afresh: https://www.hackingchinese.com/cultivate-your-chinese-flashcard-garden-or-burn-it-down-and-start-afresh/More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.comMusic: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

Colorectal cancer does not develop in isolation. Cancer cells exist within a complex tumor microenvironment made up of fibroblasts, immune cells, blood vessels, and extracellular matrix. Increasing evidence suggests that these surrounding cells and structures can influence whether tumors grow, regress, or evade the immune system. A research paper published in Volume 17 of Oncotarget, titled “Microenvironmental CTHRC1 has a pro-tumorigenic role in colorectal cancer,” investigated the role of collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1), a secreted protein found in cancer-associated stroma. Full blog post - https://www.oncotarget.org/2026/08/10/cthrc1-in-the-tumor-microenvironment-drives-colorectal-cancer-growth-in-mouse-study/ DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28878 Correspondence to: Sergey Ryzhov - Sergey.Ryzhov@mainehealth.org; Volkhard Lindner- Volkhard.Lindner@mainehealth.org; Michaela R. Reagan - Michaela.Reagan@mainehealth.org Abstract video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTbYy6vGd7E Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://oncotarget.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Foncotarget.28878 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Oncotarget - https://www.oncotarget.com/subscribe/ Keywords - cancer, Cthrc1, CRC, colorectal cancer, subcutaneous tumor model, immune analysis To learn more about Oncotarget, please visit https://www.oncotarget.com and connect with us: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Oncotarget/ X - https://twitter.com/oncotarget Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oncotargetjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OncotargetJournal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oncotarget Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/oncotarget/ Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/Oncotarget/ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0gRwT6BqYWJzxzmjPJwtVh MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM

Kurt's Book Outraged: https://a.co/d/0aagTCPoKurt's Substack: https://www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/Go Deeper on Topics From the Showhttp://www.novosnetwork.com/kairos

Review of Kyle Beshears, 40 Questions About Mormonism (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2026). 352 pages; $26.99 (paperback). The post 40 Questions on Latter-day Saint Religion: Sincere, Frequently Respectful, Too Often Polemical first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Federal agencies often struggle to turn high‑level guidance on AI and cybersecurity into everyday decisions about procurement, deployment and risk. NIST's new Cyber AI Profile is meant to help close that gap by showing how AI risk management can work in practice. We'll talk about how it's intended to be used and what not to do with it, with Kat Megas, the program manager for cybersecurity, privacy and AI at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Video: Session 9 – Bibliography Abstract of Systematic Theology by James Petigru Boyce Session 9 – N/aSubject: BibliographyWednesday Logos – 7-29-26 Liberty Church

learn word-building patterns for vocabulary about abstract

“In that moment of silence, you just remain silent and eventually the person in front of you will say something more and add more and add more. And often it's more and more personal…” David Deighton Top Five Tips For Active Listening1.  Active listening, all senses included2. How are all performance artists while listening3. Abstract listening example4. Conceptual listening example5. Listening with strangers TIME STAMP SUMMARY01:36  Using all senses to be truly present in a conversation.05:10  Silence demonstrates respect 11:20   Disrupting social norms to have deeper conversations 20:10  Acting with intent ties back to active listening Where to find David?Website                          https://www.triptychdialogue.com/ YouTube                         https://www.youtube.com/@triptych-dialogue  David Deighton Bio I am told that my work is unusual and urgent. I'll explain, first my background: I am an artist, educator, father, world traveller and entrepreneur working on transformational experiences using abstract art. My background as an art dealer and creator of a successful art business allowed me to invest back into community and country. I use art to do this. I am about engaging strangers in the spirit on connection, and I do this in innovative ways. I'm focused on the taboo subject of politics, but that word can be exchanged for a multitude of taboo subjects. I do NOT talk politics rather it's about tools to heal community, bridge divides, transform and explore artistic expression. For the last 6 years I have been actively engaging with strangers in public spaces, asking them to talk to their political opponents, listen to them and find commonalities. So far all has gone well without confrontation. How do I do this? I set up art installations in free speech areas where I share communication techniques with the public to use in engaging with strangers. Thousands of visitors have discovered my work in unlikely venues such as National Parks or even a mountain top. I'm happy to share what I have discovered and also share stories from my encounters, my multiple travels around the World or offer insights into humanity. All these experiments have been profoundly transformative. Listeners will discover meaningful ways to change our course away from division and hatred to a healthier exchange that benefits them and those around them. 

Review of Jeff Strong, Torn: Why People We Love Are Leaving the Church and What We Can Learn from Them (Midway, UT: Coolstream Publishing, 2026). 300 pages. $21.95 (paperback). Abstract: Torn provides a mountain of new data on disaffiliation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, based on the author's deeply personal research efforts. Those efforts allow him to present insights into how and why people report exiting the faith, and how loved ones can stay connected with those who turn away. But the picture he paints of disaffiliation trends and Church culture suffers from an overreliance on shaky data. His excellent pastoral prescriptions will be of value to faithful Saints, but those looking for a clear-eyed view of disaffiliation may need to turn elsewhere. The post Probing Our Culture with Problematic Data first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

How do we translate oncology breakthroughs into practice? In part one of a two-part miniseries, host Dr. Monty Pal and Dr. Atul Batra discuss the clinical realities, opportunities, and challenges of adapting ASCO26 Plenary findings into cancer care worldwide, using India's health care landscape as a blueprint for resource-limited settings. LINK TO FULL TRANSCRIPT  

Video: Session 8 – Eschatology Abstract of Systematic Theology by James Petigru Boyce Session 8 – chapters 39-42Subject: EschatologyWednesday Logos – 7-22-26 Liberty Church

On this episode,  Chris welcomes acclaimed American abstract artist Galen Cheney for an insightful conversation about creativity, artistic exploration, and the evolving language of contemporary abstract painting. Known for her vibrant, expressive works and fearless approach to experimentation, Galen Cheney has built a distinguished career creating paintings that balance intuition, movement, color, and emotion. Her work invites viewers into a visual dialogue where meaning emerges through process, gesture, and personal interpretation rather than representation alone. In this engaging discussion, Galen shares her artistic journey, the experiences that shaped her creative voice, and how abstraction allows her to explore ideas that cannot always be expressed through words. She discusses the role of curiosity in her studio practice, the challenges and rewards of maintaining a long-term creative career, and how embracing uncertainty often leads to artistic breakthroughs.Whether you're an artist, collector, student, or simply fascinated by the creative process, this episode offers a compelling look inside the mind of one of today's accomplished abstract painters. Galen Cheney's thoughtful reflections on creativity, artistic growth, and the pursuit of authentic expression provide inspiration for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of contemporary art. AART is the podcast where host Chris Stafford engages in meaningful conversations with artists, creators, and cultural voices from around the world, exploring the stories, challenges, and inspirations behind their work.Subscribe to AART for more conversations with leading artists, painters, photographers, sculptors, filmmakers, and creative innovators shaping today's artistic landscape. Galen's website: https://www.galencheney.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/galenwcheney/ Some of Galen's favorite female artists:Joan SnyderPat SteirJulie MehretuAmy SillmanCharlene von HeylCecily BrownMarie ThiebaultTerry EkasalaKim ManfrediDeborah DancyMie YimAstrid Dick Galen's dinner party guests:Joan MitchellGrace HartiganHelen FrankenthalerLee KrasnerElaine De KoonigArtemisia GentileschiSEO Keywords:Galen Cheney, Galen Cheney artist, abstract artist, American abstract artist, contemporary abstract art, abstract painting, contemporary painter, modern art, fine art podcast, artist interview, creative process, abstract expressionism, contemporary painting, women artists, visual arts, painting techniques, studio practice, color theory, intuitive painting, expressive painting, contemporary artist interview, art podcast, AART podcast, Chris Stafford, Women Unscripted Podcast Network, abstract art inspiration, professional artist, fine art collector, modern painter, creative journey, artistic process, contemporary art conversation, American painter, visual artist, creativity and art, contemporary art world. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/women-unscripted--4769409/support.Host: Chris StaffordProduced by Hollowell StudiosWebsite: https://hollowellstudios.com/podcastsInstagram: @twomenunscriptedpodcastsEmail: hollowellstudios@gmail.com

On this episode,  Chris welcomes acclaimed American abstract artist Galen Cheney for an insightful conversation about creativity, artistic exploration, and the evolving language of contemporary abstract painting. Known for her vibrant, expressive works and fearless approach to experimentation, Galen Cheney has built a distinguished career creating paintings that balance intuition, movement, color, and emotion. Her work invites viewers into a visual dialogue where meaning emerges through process, gesture, and personal interpretation rather than representation alone. In this engaging discussion, Galen shares her artistic journey, the experiences that shaped her creative voice, and how abstraction allows her to explore ideas that cannot always be expressed through words. She discusses the role of curiosity in her studio practice, the challenges and rewards of maintaining a long-term creative career, and how embracing uncertainty often leads to artistic breakthroughs.Whether you're an artist, collector, student, or simply fascinated by the creative process, this episode offers a compelling look inside the mind of one of today's accomplished abstract painters. Galen Cheney's thoughtful reflections on creativity, artistic growth, and the pursuit of authentic expression provide inspiration for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of contemporary art. AART is the podcast where host Chris Stafford engages in meaningful conversations with artists, creators, and cultural voices from around the world, exploring the stories, challenges, and inspirations behind their work.Subscribe to AART for more conversations with leading artists, painters, photographers, sculptors, filmmakers, and creative innovators shaping today's artistic landscape. Galen's website: https://www.galencheney.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/galenwcheney/ Some of Galen's favorite female artists:Joan SnyderPat SteirJulie MehretuAmy SillmanCharlene von HeylCecily BrownMarie ThiebaultTerry EkasalaKim ManfrediDeborah DancyMie YimAstrid Dick Galen's dinner party guests:Joan MitchellGrace HartiganHelen FrankenthalerLee KrasnerElaine De KoonigArtemisia GentileschiSEO Keywords:Galen Cheney, Galen Cheney artist, abstract artist, American abstract artist, contemporary abstract art, abstract painting, contemporary painter, modern art, fine art podcast, artist interview, creative process, abstract expressionism, contemporary painting, women artists, visual arts, painting techniques, studio practice, color theory, intuitive painting, expressive painting, contemporary artist interview, art podcast, AART podcast, Chris Stafford, Women Unscripted Podcast Network, abstract art inspiration, professional artist, fine art collector, modern painter, creative journey, artistic process, contemporary art conversation, American painter, visual artist, creativity and art, contemporary art world. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/aart--5814675/support.Hollowell Studios ProductionWebsite: https://hollowellstudios.com/podcastsInstagram: @theaartpodcast Email: theaartpodcast@gmail.com© Copyright: Chris Stafford | Hollowell StudiosAll Rights Reserved

Abstract: Alma 16 is an easily overlooked chapter in the Book of Mormon. It could be dismissed as a simple summary and “tidying up” of the narrative. It comes after two of the most dramatic scenes in the Book of Mormon, wherein women and children are burned to death in Ammonihah and Alma and Amulek are miraculously delivered from prison. It also directly precedes the account of the sons of Mosiah journeying to Lamanite lands to preach the gospel. However—as is the case with other chapters in the book of Alma that serve to summarize and conclude large sections of the text—Alma 16 is carefully developed, highly structured, and beautifully written. In this article, I will analyze the literary structure of Alma 16, which is composed of two major literary units. Both units are structured as chiasms in which the matching units share many strong links and parallels. These two chiasms also work together to engage the reader with striking parallels and dramatic contrasts. Alma 16, being the concluding chapter of Alma's missionary efforts among the Nephites, reveals a particular splendor and distinction. The two main chiastic structures help with the exegesis of these verses by highlighting significant yet potentially underappreciated features. The post The Literary Structure of Alma 16 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Video: Session 7 – Soteriology (Cont.) Abstract of Systematic Theology by James Petigru Boyce Session 7 – chapters 28-38Subject: Soteriology (Cont.)Wednesday Logos – 7-15-26 Liberty Church

Background Music for Sleep, Meditation, Relaxation, Massage, Yoga, Studying and Therapy - Deep Energy 2427 - 2429 - Abstract Soundscapes - Parts 1 - 3 This was originally Deep Energy 1480 and has been remastered. I am taking a little vacation and remastering and re-releasing some of the older podcasts. Enjoy!! AD FREE VERSIONS OF ALL THE PODCASTS ARE HERE: www.jimbutler.bandcamp.com …… Please remember to turn on automatic downloads, like and subscribe, tell a friend, share with your family and leave a review. All of those things help build the podcast. Thank you so much!! ………. This podcast is ad supported. We try the best we can to keep all of the ads at the front and the back of the podcast, but depending on the length of the podcast, there maybe ads in the middle. Please check my Bandcamp page for ad free podcasts. www.jimbutler.bandcamp.com ……………………….. Watch me play live on TikTok @jimbutlermusic or On the Insight Timer App as Jim Butler Links for all of the podcasts in the Deep Energy Podcast Network: Deep Energy Podcast (Current Episodes) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-energy-podcast-music-for-sleep-meditation-yoga/id511265415 https://open.spotify.com/show/1DhN56DzDKc0FhQqR23v9c Deep Energy Classics - All of the ORIGINAL Episodes  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-energy-classics-original-episodes/id1734274408 https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/deep-energy-classics-original-episodes--6108618 https://open.spotify.com/show/7BjEFnqcyKWUkHcYdtFS25?si=05aeab39b5bc4a00 Deep Energy Daily Affirmations - Daily Affirmations to get you through the day https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-energy-daily-affirmations/id1729162791 https://open.spotify.com/show/0oaA8dRsWDQLkqeXmykGvu?si=461c7b47417b4e55 Deep Energy Guided Meditations - Guided Meditations to help through your day https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-energy-guided-meditations-with-michelle-davis-jim/id1732674561 https://open.spotify.com/show/1Kg2LTaFux10Ul94phybp8?si=ebbbf33757d64c13 https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/deep-energy-guided-meditations-with-michelle-davis-jim-butler--6098026 Slow Piano for Sleep - Solo Piano Pieces https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slow-piano-for-sleep-music-for-sleep-meditation-and/id1626828397 https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/slow-piano-for-sleep-music-for-sleep-meditation-and-relaxation--5572963 ………… www,jimbutlermusic.com jimbutlermusic@gmail.com All Social Media (FB - IG - YT - TT) is: @jimbutlermusic Merch: www.deepenergy.threadless.com Bandcamp Monthly No Ads Subscription/Patreon: www.jimbutler.bandcamp.com Custom Made Music: jimbutlermusic@gmail.com ………………….. Thank you for listening. All music is created, performed and composed by Jim Butler. AI IS NEVER USED TO CREATE MY MUSIC. Until the next time, please be kind to one another, peace, bye… …….. Original Image by the Dream App (not sponsored) or Canva (not sponsored) or Midjourney (not Sponsored) …………………. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/deep-energy-podcast-music-for-sleep-meditation-yoga-background-music-and-studying--4262945/support.

Background Music for Sleep, Meditation, Relaxation, Massage, Yoga, Studying and Therapy - Deep Energy 2427 - 2429 - Abstract Soundscapes - Parts 1 - 3 This was originally Deep Energy 1480 and has been remastered. I am taking a little vacation and remastering and re-releasing some of the older podcasts. Enjoy!! AD FREE VERSIONS OF ALL THE PODCASTS ARE HERE: www.jimbutler.bandcamp.com …… Please remember to turn on automatic downloads, like and subscribe, tell a friend, share with your family and leave a review. All of those things help build the podcast. Thank you so much!! ………. This podcast is ad supported. We try the best we can to keep all of the ads at the front and the back of the podcast, but depending on the length of the podcast, there maybe ads in the middle. Please check my Bandcamp page for ad free podcasts. www.jimbutler.bandcamp.com ……………………….. Watch me play live on TikTok @jimbutlermusic or On the Insight Timer App as Jim Butler Links for all of the podcasts in the Deep Energy Podcast Network: Deep Energy Podcast (Current Episodes) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-energy-podcast-music-for-sleep-meditation-yoga/id511265415 https://open.spotify.com/show/1DhN56DzDKc0FhQqR23v9c Deep Energy Classics - All of the ORIGINAL Episodes  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-energy-classics-original-episodes/id1734274408 https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/deep-energy-classics-original-episodes--6108618 https://open.spotify.com/show/7BjEFnqcyKWUkHcYdtFS25?si=05aeab39b5bc4a00 Deep Energy Daily Affirmations - Daily Affirmations to get you through the day https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-energy-daily-affirmations/id1729162791 https://open.spotify.com/show/0oaA8dRsWDQLkqeXmykGvu?si=461c7b47417b4e55 Deep Energy Guided Meditations - Guided Meditations to help through your day https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-energy-guided-meditations-with-michelle-davis-jim/id1732674561 https://open.spotify.com/show/1Kg2LTaFux10Ul94phybp8?si=ebbbf33757d64c13 https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/deep-energy-guided-meditations-with-michelle-davis-jim-butler--6098026 Slow Piano for Sleep - Solo Piano Pieces https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slow-piano-for-sleep-music-for-sleep-meditation-and/id1626828397 https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/slow-piano-for-sleep-music-for-sleep-meditation-and-relaxation--5572963 ………… www,jimbutlermusic.com jimbutlermusic@gmail.com All Social Media (FB - IG - YT - TT) is: @jimbutlermusic Merch: www.deepenergy.threadless.com Bandcamp Monthly No Ads Subscription/Patreon: www.jimbutler.bandcamp.com Custom Made Music: jimbutlermusic@gmail.com ………………….. Thank you for listening. All music is created, performed and composed by Jim Butler. AI IS NEVER USED TO CREATE MY MUSIC. Until the next time, please be kind to one another, peace, bye… …….. Original Image by the Dream App (not sponsored) or Canva (not sponsored) or Midjourney (not Sponsored) …………………. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/deep-energy-podcast-music-for-sleep-meditation-yoga-background-music-and-studying--4262945/support.

Joff Lacey and Imogen Fecher-Jones interview six oral abstract finalists at this years' EBPOM. Nora Cruz Rodriguez; Association Between Participation in Remote Prehabilitation and High-Dependency Unit Length of Stay After Oesophagectomy and Radical Cystectomy: A Retrospective Cohort. Alexios Dosis; Remote wearable monitoring as a preoperative risk assessment tool. Ned Douglas; The Fluids, Atomoxetine or Midodrine (FAME) pilot trial. Tom Scodellaro; The new normal: CPET findings in patients aged 80 years and older. Gerry O'Callaghan; Preventing and Reducing Re-Presentations and Admissions following surgery, new thinking required. Sandy (Alexander) Jackson; Cost of Radial Arterial Line Placement in UK Operating Theatres. -- The 2026 International Practicum on Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing will be held at the Balmer Lawn Hotel in Brockenhurst, UK, from September 16th to 18th this year. It is organised by iPOETTS , the international perioperative testing and training society. Come and join us at this premier educational event designed for clinicians, scientists, and healthcare professionals interested in sport, exercise, and perioperative medicine. This is an International Perioperative Testing and Training Society accredited event so when you attend you can get your iPOETTS accreditation, showing that you are a practitioner who has reached a high, standardized level of competence in performing and interpreting Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET) for patients preparing for major surgery. Go now to http://www.ebpom.org

Background Music for Sleep, Meditation, Relaxation, Massage, Yoga, Studying and Therapy - Deep Energy 2427 - 2429 - Abstract Soundscapes - Parts 1 - 3 This was originally Deep Energy 1480 and has been remastered. I am taking a little vacation and remastering and re-releasing some of the older podcasts. Enjoy!! AD FREE VERSIONS OF ALL THE PODCASTS ARE HERE: www.jimbutler.bandcamp.com …… Please remember to turn on automatic downloads, like and subscribe, tell a friend, share with your family and leave a review. All of those things help build the podcast. Thank you so much!! ………. This podcast is ad supported. We try the best we can to keep all of the ads at the front and the back of the podcast, but depending on the length of the podcast, there maybe ads in the middle. Please check my Bandcamp page for ad free podcasts. www.jimbutler.bandcamp.com ……………………….. Watch me play live on TikTok @jimbutlermusic or On the Insight Timer App as Jim Butler Links for all of the podcasts in the Deep Energy Podcast Network: Deep Energy Podcast (Current Episodes) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-energy-podcast-music-for-sleep-meditation-yoga/id511265415 https://open.spotify.com/show/1DhN56DzDKc0FhQqR23v9c Deep Energy Classics - All of the ORIGINAL Episodes  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-energy-classics-original-episodes/id1734274408 https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/deep-energy-classics-original-episodes--6108618 https://open.spotify.com/show/7BjEFnqcyKWUkHcYdtFS25?si=05aeab39b5bc4a00 Deep Energy Daily Affirmations - Daily Affirmations to get you through the day https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-energy-daily-affirmations/id1729162791 https://open.spotify.com/show/0oaA8dRsWDQLkqeXmykGvu?si=461c7b47417b4e55 Deep Energy Guided Meditations - Guided Meditations to help through your day https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-energy-guided-meditations-with-michelle-davis-jim/id1732674561 https://open.spotify.com/show/1Kg2LTaFux10Ul94phybp8?si=ebbbf33757d64c13 https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/deep-energy-guided-meditations-with-michelle-davis-jim-butler--6098026 Slow Piano for Sleep - Solo Piano Pieces https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slow-piano-for-sleep-music-for-sleep-meditation-and/id1626828397 https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/slow-piano-for-sleep-music-for-sleep-meditation-and-relaxation--5572963 ………… www,jimbutlermusic.com jimbutlermusic@gmail.com All Social Media (FB - IG - YT - TT) is: @jimbutlermusic Merch: www.deepenergy.threadless.com Bandcamp Monthly No Ads Subscription/Patreon: www.jimbutler.bandcamp.com Custom Made Music: jimbutlermusic@gmail.com ………………….. Thank you for listening. All music is created, performed and composed by Jim Butler. AI IS NEVER USED TO CREATE MY MUSIC. Until the next time, please be kind to one another, peace, bye… …….. Original Image by the Dream App (not sponsored) or Canva (not sponsored) or Midjourney (not Sponsored) …………………. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/deep-energy-podcast-music-for-sleep-meditation-yoga-background-music-and-studying--4262945/support.

Video: Session 6 – Soteriology Abstract of Systematic Theology by James Petigru Boyce Session 6 – chapters 28-38Subject: SoteriologyWednesday Logos – 7-8-26 Liberty Church

Video: Session 5 – Christology Abstract of Systematic Theology by James Petigru Boyce Session 5 – chapters 25-27Subject: ChristologyWednesday Logos – 7-1-26 Liberty Church

On the Flyover Conservatives Show, Peter A. Kirby joins David and Stacy Whited to expose what he calls one of the biggest scientific cover-ups in history: chemtrails, geoengineering, and the “New Manhattan Project.” As the author of Chemtrails Exposed: A New Manhattan Project, Kirby breaks down the difference between normal contrails and the long-lasting lines he says are evidence of particulate spraying, connecting his research to coal fly ash, weather modification, electromagnetic energy, Halliburton, state-level anti-geoengineering bills, and whistleblower claims. In this explosive interview, Kirby explains why he believes chemtrails are not only real, but part of a global effort to control weather, damage the natural world, and push humanity toward a synthetic future. He also shares what citizens can do now, including supporting anti-geoengineering legislation, legal efforts, and public awareness campaigns. If you've ever looked up at the sky and wondered what is really going on, this is the interview you cannot afford to ignore.To Schedule A Time To Talk To Dr. Dr. Kirk Elliott Go To ▶ https://flyovergold.comOr Call 720-605-3900 ► Receive your FREE 52 Date Night Ideas Playbook to make date night more exciting, go to www.prosperousmarriage.comTO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONTENT: www.theflyoverapp.comFollow and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFlyoverConservativesShow Peter KirbyWEBSITE: https://PeterAKirby.comX: https://x.com/PeterAKirbyBOOK: https://a.co/d/0cJ17sDt Peter A. Kirby is an independent researcher, writer, activist, and author of Chemtrails Exposed: A New Manhattan Project. He has spent years investigating chemtrails, geoengineering, weather modification, and what he describes as the hidden scientific infrastructure behind atmospheric spraying programs. Kirby is known for compiling government documents, historical weather modification research, environmental data, and whistleblower claims into one of the most comprehensive bodies of work on the subject. His research has been featured across major alternative media platforms, including a long-form interview with Tucker Carlson. Through his book, website, and Rumble show The Abstract, Kirby continues to educate the public and call for legal, political, and citizen-led action against geoengineering.

TechSurge is sponsored by Notion. From product roadmaps to investor updates, Notion is where modern teams plan, write, and ship together. Get started at http://notion.dev/techsurge.Search began as a way to find pages. AI is turning it into a way to ask, reason, decide, and act.Search has always been more than a technical problem. It is a way of organising knowledge, connecting intent with information, and increasingly, turning questions into actions. In the age of artificial intelligence, that basic function is being redefined.In this episode of TechSurge, host Sriram Vishwanath speaks with Prabhakar Raghavan, Chief Technologist at Google, about the long arc of search: from the early web and link analysis to knowledge graphs, language models, transformers, Gemini, and the unresolved question of how AI will change the way we find, trust, and use information.Prabhakar reflects on his career as a computer scientist, researcher, and technology leader, beginning with his time at IBM Research, where he worked on algorithms, optimization, databases, and early information retrieval. He explains how the explosion of unstructured data on the web created a new class of technical and economic problems. Search was not simply about indexing pages; it was about imposing structure on a chaotic information environment and building mechanisms that could connect supply, demand, relevance, authority, and trust.The conversation traces how early search evolved through link analysis and PageRank, drawing on ideas from scholarly citation analysis, graph theory, and algorithmic ranking. Prabhakar describes why authority and trust became central to search as the web grew, and why users themselves changed alongside the technology. As search engines became more capable, people moved from looking for simple webpages to asking richer, more contextual questions that required intent understanding rather than mere document retrieval.Sriram and Prabhakar then explore the transition from classical search to AI-infused products. Through examples such as Gmail Smart Reply, Smart Compose, Google Drive recommendations, and knowledge graphs, Prabhakar shows how prediction, context, and language modelling were already reshaping user experiences well before the current generative AI wave. These systems were early signals of a broader shift: computers moving from retrieving information to anticipating what users might need next.The episode also offers a technical tour of the major algorithmic milestones that led to today's AI systems, including deep learning, sequence-to-sequence models, attention mechanisms, transformers, and the compute architectures needed to train and serve large models. Prabhakar explains why attention changed the quality of language modelling, why AI systems appear increasingly conversational, and why compute remains one of the central constraints in the field.At the heart of the discussion is the central tension facing search today: if AI systems can generate answers directly, what becomes of search as we know it? Prabhakar does not frame AI as the end of search, but as its next transformation. The future of search may be less about finding a page and more about understanding intent, synthesising knowledge, reasoning through ambiguity, and helping users complete complex tasks.The conversation closes with deeper questions about AI world models, hallucination, test-time compute, diffusion models, recursive self-improvement, theorem proving, and whether AI systems can ever reason with the same grounded understanding as humans. For Prabhakar, the challenge is not only to build more powerful models, but to understand their limits, failure modes, and relationship to truth.This episode is a wide-ranging exploration of how search became one of the defining technologies of the internet age—and how artificial intelligence may now force us to rethink what it means to search at all.Sign up for our newsletter at techsurgepodcast.com for updates on upcoming TechSurge Live Summits and future episodes.Links:Prabhakar Raghavan - Google Research profile: https://research.google/people/prabhakarraghavan/?&type=googlePrabhakar Raghavan - Google blogs and writing: https://blog.google/authors/prabhakar-raghavan/References Mentioned During the DiscussionBrin and Page - The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine: https://research.google/pubs/the-anatomy-of-a-large-scale-hypertextual-web-search-engine/Page, Brin, Motwani and Winograd - The PageRank Citation Ranking: https://ilpubs.stanford.edu:8090/422/1/1999-66.pdfJon Kleinberg - Authoritative Sources in a Hyperlinked Environment: https://www.cs.cornell.edu/info/people/kleinber/auth.pdfManning, Raghavan and Schutze - Introduction to Information Retrieval: https://nlp.stanford.edu/IR-book/ Google - Introducing the Knowledge Graph: things, not strings: https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/introducing-knowledge-graph-things-not/Google Help - How Google's Knowledge Graph works: https://support.google.com/knowledgepanel/answer/9787176Further ReadingKrizhevsky, Sutskever and Hinton - ImageNet Classification with Deep Convolutional Neural Networks: https://proceedings.neurips.cc/paper/2012/hash/c399862d3b9d6b76c8436e924a68c45b-Abstract.htmlVaswani et al. - Attention Is All You Need: https://papers.neurips.cc/paper/7181-attention-is-all-you-needDevlin et al. - BERT: Pre-training of Deep Bidirectional Transformers for Language Understanding: https://aclanthology.org/N19-1423/Chen et al. - Gmail Smart Compose: Real-Time Assisted Writing: https://arxiv.org/abs/1906.00080Kannan et al. - Smart Reply: Automated Response Suggestion for Email: https://arxiv.org/abs/1606.04870Hoffmann et al. - Training Compute-Optimal Large Language Models: https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.15556 Tay et al. - Scale Efficiently: Insights from Pre-training and Fine-tuning Transformers:

Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer in the United States and has long been considered a difficult disease to treat. For decades, treatment options were limited, and survival remained poor. However, the therapeutic landscape has changed dramatically over the past several decades with the introduction of stem cell transplantation, targeted drugs, immunotherapies, and more recently, CAR T-cell therapy and bispecific antibodies. A research paper titled “Targeted therapeutics and U.S. population-level mortality trends in multiple myeloma: A SEER-based analysis from 1975 to 2023” was published in Volume 17 of Oncotarget. In this study, the researchers examined how these major treatment advances have coincided with changes in multiple myeloma mortality across the United States over nearly five decades. The study was led by first and corresponding author Navkirat Kahlon from the Mass General Cancer Center at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, New Hampshire. Full blog - https://www.oncotarget.org/2026/06/29/targeted-therapies-have-coincided-with-a-dramatic-decline-in-multiple-myeloma-mortality-in-the-united-states/ Paper DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28877 Correspondence to - Navkirat Kahlon - nkahlon@mgb.org; (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1115-2029) Abstract video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TNWkG9FyUo Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://oncotarget.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Foncotarget.28877 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Oncotarget - https://www.oncotarget.com/subscribe/ Keywords - cancer, multiple myeloma, epidemiologic trends, mortality reduction, therapeutic advancements, SEER database To learn more about Oncotarget, please visit https://www.oncotarget.com and connect with us on social media: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Oncotarget/ X - https://twitter.com/oncotarget Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oncotargetjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OncotargetJournal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oncotarget Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/oncotarget/ Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/Oncotarget/ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0gRwT6BqYWJzxzmjPJwtVh MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM

Performance and Works used with permission from the artist and venue. Aaron Lebos is a 25-year veteran of the Miami jazz scene. He's a guitarist and composer who tours internationally with Nicol Henry and the Nu Deco Ensemble among others. In his quest to grow and expand musically he recruited three younger South Florida musicians to form Abstract Citizen. Appearing here courtesy of a grant from Jazz Roads, and featuring Aaron Lebos on Guitar, Marty Quinn on Bass, Vania Junco on Vocals and Lucas Apostoleris on Drums, and from a May 23rd, 2025 performance, it's Abstract Citizen…Live at the Bop Stop.

My co-host Ken Suzan and I are welcoming you the episode 176 of the IP Fridays Podcast. Today's interview guest is returning guest Franklin Graves, who is a senior counsel at Linkedin and teaching IP law at Emerson College. With my co-host Ken Suzan he is discussing how the law for creators has dramatically changed in the past years. Franklin Graves is expressing his personal views and not the views of Linkedin or Microsoft. He is talking about the paper “Upload Complete” before he joined Linkedin. Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franklingraves/ Paper: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5271442 Website: https://creatoreconomylaw.com/ But before we jump into this interview, I have news for you! Richard Meade, a judge on the UK High Court and one of the most prominent figures in European patent law, was appointed Lord Justice of Appeal at the British Court of Appeal on June 12, 2026. Meade played a key role in numerous landmark British patent decisions, particularly in the area of standard-essential patents (SEPs) and FRAND licenses. In Insulet Corp. v. EOFlow Co., No. 2025-1807, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit completely overturned the original $452 million judgment (which had already been reduced by the District Court to $59.4 million) in favor of Insulet. In its decision of June 2, 2026, in the case of Fujifilm v. Kodak, the UPC Board of Appeal provided comprehensive clarifications regarding so-called “long-arm jurisdiction”—that is, the question of whether the UPC can also rule on national patent claims outside the UPC territory (such as in the United Kingdom). In 14 guiding principles, the judges established specific procedural rules for various categories of cases. There is no automatic UPC jurisdiction over national patent claims outside the UPC territory. The Munich Regional Court has issued an arrest warrant against the managing director of Polytech Health & Aesthetics GmbH because he is alleged to have continued to exploit the Brazilian company Silimed's patent for breast implants despite a preliminary injunction. A number of IT and automotive industry associations—which are among the most frequent users of Inter Partes Reviews (IPR) at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office—have filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court, urging the Court to grant Google's certiorari petition. An attorney for a Las Vegas performer has asked a California federal judge to temporarily prohibit Taylor Swift from using “The Life of a Showgirl” as a trademark while the trademark lawsuit is pending. Swift's attorney called the lawsuit baseless. And now let's hear Ken discuss creator law with Franklin! AI, Platform Law, and the Creator Economy: What Businesses Need to Know Now Franklin Graves has spent his entire career watching digital content move through systems that most people never see. He started in marketing at a major music label right out of law school, then represented individual creators on YouTube in a pro bono capacity, then moved to the platform side at Eventbrite, and today works as Senior Product Counsel at LinkedIn, where he focuses on AI, data, and the regulatory questions that come with both. His recently published law review article, Upload Complete: An Introduction to Creator Economy Law, is the first academic paper to address the creator economy as a distinct legal field. In a recent episode of the IP Fridays podcast, he spoke with host Kenneth Suzan about responsible AI development, platform regulation, and what it actually means to own your audience in a world where the rules keep changing overnight. From Content Creator to Platform Lawyer The through-line in Graves’ career is a genuine understanding of how content moves from an idea in someone’s head to an audience on a screen. That experience, he argues, is precisely what in-house counsel needs right now. Lawyers working on AI and product development cannot afford to sit at a distance from the technology they are advising on. They need to use the tools, experience them as a creator or end user would, and understand the nuances of how a product actually operates before it reaches the public. Understanding the product first is the precondition for everything else. That philosophy translates directly into how he approaches responsible AI implementation. The landscape of AI standards is crowded: NIST frameworks, the EU AI Act, sector-specific guidance, and a growing body of industry-adopted best practices. The challenge for in-house counsel is not knowing that these standards exist. It is making them actionable for the engineering and product teams they support. Abstract principles need to become concrete controls and workflows. Graves offers one practical shortcut: most companies already have open source software review processes that involve the right stakeholders, the right sign-off levels, and the right security checks. Layering the specifics of generative AI or large language models onto those existing processes is far more efficient than building something new from scratch. A Fragmented Regulatory World The geopolitical dimension of AI regulation is something Graves thinks about constantly in his role at LinkedIn. The EU AI Act, shifting US executive orders, and country-specific approaches to data privacy have created a regulatory environment that can change the rules of the game without warning. His analogy is instructive: creators have long understood what it means to build a community on a platform they do not own. An algorithm change, a policy update, or a government ban can wipe out years of audience-building overnight. Businesses deploying AI tools globally now face a structurally similar problem. The response, for creators and for platforms alike, is to build resilience rather than rely on stability that may not last. TikTok is the clearest recent example. When the platform faced the prospect of being shut down in the United States on national security grounds, it triggered a broader conversation about platform dependence that had been building for years. Creators who had invested their entire business in one platform suddenly confronted the possibility that their audience could simply disappear. The lesson is not that platforms are bad. It is that concentration of any kind, whether it is your audience, your data pipeline, or your regulatory compliance strategy, creates fragility. What Is a Creator, Legally Speaking? One of the central contributions of Graves’ law review article is definitional. The terminology matters more than it might seem. When courts and regulators talk about creators without a shared understanding of what that word means, the resulting legal analysis tends to miss the mark. Graves draws a distinction between users who post content, creators who post with the intent to build an audience and eventually monetize it, and influencers, a subset of creators who are actively running a small business through their content. The difference is intent. A parent posting family photos on Facebook is a user. Someone building a subscription community around their professional expertise is running a business, and the legal framework that applies to them should reflect that. That distinction matters practically when it comes to liability. As more creators build their own platforms, whether through custom membership sites, open source tools like Ghost, or federated social networks, they take on obligations that previously fell to large platforms: content moderation policies, privacy notices, terms of service, and compliance with data regulations across multiple jurisdictions. A creator in Tennessee running a membership platform with subscribers in Germany is operating a global business, whether they think of themselves that way or not. Protecting Children Online: A Question Without a Clean Answer The tension between age verification and privacy is one of the more difficult problems in platform law right now. Australia, several European countries, and a growing number of US states have introduced or passed minimum age requirements for social media accounts. The technical challenge is real: verifying age online requires collecting identifying information, and collecting identifying information creates privacy risk, particularly for the young people the laws are designed to protect. Who should bear the responsibility for that verification is also unresolved. Is it the platform? The app store? The mobile operating system? Graves does not pretend there is a clean answer, but he points to the mobile layer as an underexplored option. The Apple App Store and Google Play Store already have significant leverage over which apps reach users on their devices. Whether that leverage should extend to age verification is a question that deserves more attention than it currently receives. The Right of Publicity in the Age of AI Voice cloning, digital replicas, and AI-generated synthetic media have pushed the right of publicity into territory that traditional IP law was not designed to cover. Trademark law, copyright law, and existing publicity rights each capture part of the problem but none of them covers it completely. The result, as Graves describes it, is a period of experimentation: lawyers filing trademarks on vocal sounds and phrases, states updating their publicity statutes to explicitly mention artificial intelligence, and entertainment unions negotiating over who controls a performance and any AI-generated iterations of it. Tennessee’s Elvis Act is a concrete example of the legislative response: the state updated its right of publicity law to include voice and to reference AI directly. Similar efforts are underway elsewhere. The underlying challenge is calibrating protection so that it gives creators and performers meaningful control over their likeness and voice without foreclosing the development of generative AI systems that depend on broad rights to process and learn from content. Somewhere between those two interests, a workable legal framework needs to emerge. The brand deal context may be where the issue becomes most immediately practical. When a brand partners with an influencer and the campaign involves generative AI in any form, the contract needs to address control explicitly. Who has final approval over how the influencer’s likeness or voice is used in AI-generated deliverables? What happens to those assets after the campaign ends? These are not hypothetical questions. They are contract drafting problems that any brand counsel or creator attorney should be addressing today. What Comes Next Graves is cautious about predictions, but his sense of direction is clear. The regulatory environment will continue to fragment before it converges. The right of publicity will be updated, imperfectly, in more jurisdictions. Creators will continue to move toward owning more of their infrastructure. And the lawyers who do this work best will be the ones who understand the technology well enough to translate it into practical, defensible decisions for the people they advise. Full Transcript: Ken Suzan: Thank you, Rolf. Our returning guest today is Franklin Graves. Franklin is the founder and editor of Creator Economy Law, a website and newsletter that educates creator economy professionals on the intersection of law and policy with the world of creators, brands, and platforms. Franklin also published the first law review article focused on the creator economy, Upload Complete, an introduction to creator economy law. He regularly appears across news and media outlets as a commentator and contributor with a focus on educating creators and raising awareness of all legal aspects of the creator economy. Franklin is based in Nashville, Tennessee. Ken Suzan: Franklin was invited to participate as one of the creators and creator economy professionals in the first ever White House creator economy conference. Franklin works full time as a product counsel at LinkedIn Corporation. As a member of the product and data team, he focuses on emerging issues in AI and data. Franklin previously held roles on the technology law group at HCA Healthcare, the commercial legal team at Eventbrite, and the business and legal affairs team at Naxos Music Group. Welcome back Franklin to the IP Fridays podcast. Franklin Graves: Thank you so much for having me. It is exciting to be back and reflecting over the last decade since I last joined and also the paper that I wrote that dives into this in more detail. So I really appreciate it. And yes, full disclosure, I currently work for LinkedIn, which is a subsidiary of Microsoft. I’m here in my personal capacity to talk about this, the paper I wrote before joining LinkedIn and all of that. So thank you so much for having me back. Ken Suzan: Excellent. So Franklin, since your last appearance on IP Fridays in 2017, your career has evolved significantly. You are now senior product counsel at LinkedIn focusing on AI and data. How has working inside a major tech platform changed your perspective on the legal frameworks governing digital content compared to when you were viewing it purely from the creator side? Franklin Graves: I appreciate that question because when I wrote the article, I did not work for LinkedIn. And I had been coming from a history in my career where I, right out of law school, worked for a record label like we talked about almost 10 years ago. And I was on the content creation side. I’ve represented a major distributor of classical music digitally at the time. And that was my first exposure to understanding how content was taken from the initial inception stage from creators and routed through all the various digital platforms that were at the time still evolving and even arguably still today continue to evolve. The early days of YouTube Music launching and then Apple Music launching, and then going through all the phases of high-res audio and everything that came after that. So that was an interesting perspective to start my career with. And then I went to Eventbrite, which is a ticketing platform, but was also focused on elevating event creators. They kind of took on that moniker of “Hey, we are event creators that we support.” And that was arguably my first exposure to the platform side, the tech platform side of it, because Eventbrite is a platform. And so then I evolved from there in my personal capacity, in a pro bono capacity representing individual creators across the YouTube space. And that’s what we talked about a little bit back when I first came on the podcast. Franklin Graves: Over the last decade, it’s been a chance to grow my own understanding of the creator economy. The terminology “creator economy” came around. And then now on the other side of it, having written the article and all that, and now being fully in-house at LinkedIn, I truly am experiencing a social media platform. LinkedIn is of course arguably way more than just the platform itself. There are so many different avenues to it, but it is a chance for me to understand what it is like working for a company that is operating the platform that people are distributing content on. There’s a user journey to content and all of that. So it’s definitely enhanced and given me a different perspective from a major tech platform side. And part of my role at LinkedIn is really heavily focused on understanding regulation and how that from an AI and data perspective impacts the company. And so I’ve been really leveling up my game over the last year and a half that I’ve been here, understanding mostly EU regulations, but also US regulations that are still in their infancy when it comes to AI. But really when it comes to privacy and data, those are pretty well established across the board. It’s been kind of a combination of what I learned at Eventbrite, because I went to Eventbrite when GDPR was going into effect. And so that was an eyes-wide-open moment of getting in the weeds with negotiating data processing agreements, understanding data transfers and cross-border data transfers and the like. So it’s been kind of an evolution as the laws and regulations have evolved. So has my career, so has my own understanding, so have the platforms’ responses to those laws and regulations. And I’m sure that probably resonates with a lot of your listeners who have also been growing their practice and their understanding as the laws and regulations in this realm have been evolving too. Ken Suzan: Yes, indeed. Now let’s switch gears and talk about AI. You advise on AI and data daily. As platforms integrate generative AI tools into their tech stacks, what are the most critical best practices in-house counsel should be adopting right now to embed responsible AI principles into product development? Franklin Graves: So as an attorney, one of my key roles is to understand the technology. Even representing creators and working for creator platforms, that’s something I’m constantly trying to do: put myself in the shoes of being a creator. And I think I talked about this last time I was on, but I come from a background where I was working for a major label doing marketing, video editing, social media work. And I was creating content. I understood the whole life cycle from the inception point of an idea to execution and then to the final delivery and distribution of that content to an audience within a major music label. And so part of that is the same thing that I think attorneys, especially in-house, should be doing: using the tools that the product and engineering teams are either developing in-house or partnering with third parties to develop, or a combination of the two. Using them, understanding them, using them as a creator would, using them as an end user or a client or customer would. And making sure that if you understand the product and understand the nuances of how it operates, and being a part of the iterations of that internally before it fully ramps, that really gives you a chance to understand: okay, we have a lot of responsible AI principles and standards and protocols that are in existence right now, whether it’s NIST, whether it’s based on the EU AI Act or anything and everything in between. It’s understanding how to apply those and bring those into a product and an engineering environment in a way that is practical and actionable for the people that you’re supporting, the stakeholders you’re supporting. So I think one of the critical best practices is, number one, understand the product or features that you’re supporting. Franklin Graves: And then understand how you as an attorney can use your expertise and understanding of responsible AI practices, whether it’s a regulatory standard or an industry-adopted standard or a hybrid of the two, to leverage those and implement those, break those down and make them into actionable controls and processes and flows that work within your existing infrastructure. That’s a lot of high-level talk, but that’s the general idea. One concrete example we talk about frequently is with open source AI. If you’re working with a product team or an engineering team that is taking an off-the-shelf open source model and bringing that in-house, a lot of times companies have pre-existing open source processes that cover the use of open source software or code. Piggyback on that. That’s the easiest quick win for attorneys: leveraging your existing open source processes to just build on top of that the AI flavor and layering. It’s not very much that you have to do, but the underlying process of the key stakeholders that need to be involved in the review, whether it’s security, whether it’s executive sign-off if it gets to that point, even export control considerations should already be part of your existing open source software process. So layering in on those existing processes the specifics of generative AI or large language models that you’re trying to bring in is a great way to put this into practice. Ken Suzan: Now looking at the geopolitical landscape that we currently have, we have the EU AI Act setting strict standards and shifting US executive orders. How should platforms and brands prepare for this fragmented regulatory environment when deploying AI tools to a global user base? Franklin Graves: It’s a great question. It’s something that is still evolving, I think is fair to say. I would equate it, as I do in the paper that I wrote, to how creators and arguably brands don’t own the platforms that they’re building their communities on. That spawned this concept of de-platforming or going into building your own platform, a decentralized platform of sorts, and owning your community. That gives you that control and takes away the level of instability that can come for creators trying to build a business on a platform they don’t own, they don’t control when certain updates happen, when algorithms change, when tools and functionalities either become available or go away completely. So it’s very similar to what we’ve been experiencing in a regulatory environment where we have geopolitical complexities, for lack of a better term, that can overnight seemingly disrupt the way in which a platform or even a multinational brand is able to connect and reach an audience or continue to leverage the user base that they’ve built. I think TikTok is a great example of that, where it became a national security concern and suddenly it was facing an executive order that required it to be effectively disabled in the US or completely owned and operated by a US entity. All the mechanics and technicalities of whether it’s actually possible and still have a global platform with a global user base is a whole different discussion. But that’s an example of very similar considerations that are now not just a discussion point at the creator level or the individual brand level, but also in a much broader context at a platform level as well. Ken Suzan: Franklin, let’s now shift gears and talk about your article. In your recently published journal article, Upload Complete, which we will have linked in our show notes, you advocate for a shift in terminology from internet creator law, a term used during our first podcast almost a decade ago, to creator economy law. Why is this distinction important and how does it change the way legal practitioners should view the ecosystem of creators, brands, and platforms? Franklin Graves: Oh yes, this is part of the reason why I wanted to write the article: to lay this foundation of understanding. Because at the time I’d written the article, the term creator economy and creator had really not appeared but for maybe once in an actual court decision. And it was kind of focused on influencers and this concept, and it was just not getting it right. And so it was also, as you mentioned, when we first spoke I was even using the term internet creators. And I think that was something that was common at the time. The “internet” portion as a qualifier has since dropped off. And now for purposes of the creator economy, the term creators refers to individuals, it can be small businesses, which is what we’ve seen from a regulatory standpoint, how these small businesses are being impacted by regulations. But essentially creators in the article I pin in the context of intent. What is the intent behind the person or the small business that is posting content, trying to build a community and form a community in a virtual environment? And then that can even spill over into real physical world environments. And so the intent is kind of what I look at. Franklin Graves: And I have a chart in the article that has a diagram showcasing the overlap of what I refer to as “users generating content.” It’s a play on the concept of user-generated content, UGC. Users generating content is that large bucket of anyone posting on a platform of some kind. And within that large bucket, that large circle, are smaller subsets. You have creators, you have brands. Those are really the two buckets you can put people into. Otherwise it’s like your grandmother or your parents posting content on Facebook or Instagram, and those are everyday users of a platform. The distinction to get into that subcategory of being a creator more so has been analyzing the intent behind the posting. Are you posting content to build an audience, to build a community, to eventually have a chance to monetize the following that you’re bringing in or sell services or something like that? Brands are posting for that reason. Creators are maybe posting for that same reason. But even within the creator category, there’s a subcategory of influencers that are trying to sell something, that are trying to build more than just an awareness of who they are, their influence. They are trying to do brand deals, partnership deals, upsells and all that, and start an actual small business aside from just the content itself that they’re creating. So that’s kind of the distinctions that I make in the paper. And that’s why it’s important to understand and lay that foundation, that anyone can post content online, but the intent, the why behind their posting that content, really does ultimately matter, especially when you’re looking at it from a court case or from a regulatory standpoint. Ken Suzan: Now, Franklin, we’re seeing unprecedented geopolitical activity around platform ownership. For example, the US legislation targeting TikTok and Brazil’s recent temporary ban of X. How do these macro-level battles impact the day-to-day livelihood of creators? And how can they legally and operationally protect themselves? Franklin Graves: So the shift that we’re seeing, and I alluded to this earlier in our conversation, is this concept of Web 3. And that term may or may not be really popular anymore, but that’s essentially what we’re looking at: a shift into a federated, decentralized operation of a platform. So instead of one owner, one company, one entity owning and operating the platform, it’s decentralized. Anyone can start up a server, and it’s interoperable, meaning anyone can plug and play and connect to that larger network. And it creates this unified social network experience. Within each operating node of that network, there can be your own decisions around content moderation, your own decisions around the hosting providers you use, where you’re operating out of, the terms and conditions that apply to that. But the flip side is that instead of creators posting and sharing in a closed environment run and controlled by a singular entity, you’re now experiencing a peer-to-peer type operation where your experience can change based on which server, which node, which user you’re engaging with. You might have content that’s acceptable in one area but not acceptable in another, and maybe it just doesn’t even show up in that other area. Franklin Graves: But from a liability standpoint, as creators start to build their own networks and communities, even outside of a concept like the fediverse, it’s even down to creators building their own communities through online courses, subscription membership-based platforms that they run on their own website. There’s open source software out there, even something called Ghost, where you have memberships. And that is a creator or a small business in the creator economy that is now taking on the obligations that would typically fall upon a platform. They need to take into consideration terms and conditions, privacy policies, legal aspects, and regulatory considerations for running a platform, especially in a global world. So it’s a lot of liability that then shifts over to those small businesses and even brands sometimes that are doing the same thing. Whether it is something as simple or complex as content moderation or all the way up to monetizing an audience, this new world where creators can spin up and run a platform all dovetails back to the concept of creators not feeling like they have control in reaching the audience and the community that they’re building on an individual platform. And so this really became more mainstream conversation with TikTok and the issues around it potentially being shut down in the US. That was kind of the mindset shift and eyes opening for many creators, especially within the influencer subset, of realizing: we need to make sure that we have a way to reach the audience we’ve built if the individual platform that we’ve committed to over the last year or three years or so is no longer available. We need a way to continue that relationship outside of that one platform controlling it. Ken Suzan: Franklin, we have a few minutes left and a number of topics. So I’m going to switch gears and talk about a few issues. First, a major emerging topic in your paper is the evolution of protecting kids online. With state-level age-gating laws like the CAADCA and the recent FTC updates to COPPA, how should platforms navigate the significant tension between strict age verification mandates and the privacy and First Amendment rights of their users? Franklin Graves: Man, that is a whole discussion to unravel. It is a consideration that we’re seeing happen again, going back to the geopolitical nature of everything. Countries like Australia and certain countries in Europe and now even individual states in the US are trying to look at ways, and some of them have already put into place minimum age requirements before you can even sign up for an account with a social media platform. One of the things I’d just highlight quickly here is that one of the tensions is around how you verify someone’s age online and still maintain the ability to be at least pseudonymous. How do you still have a level of privacy, autonomy, and protection when it comes to having to provide something like a driver’s license or have parental consent tied and connected to an account managed by a parent in a situation where maybe it’s not appropriate or not beneficial to the child in that manner? But then maybe there are counterbalancing factors that outweigh that. All of that comes down to the technicalities of how it’s actually implemented and maintaining the sense of openness and freedom that we’ve had on the internet to date. And then the other element there is, since a lot of the internet that we think of today is more so through mobile applications, is it something that the mobile operating system providers and app store providers should be thinking about? So whether that’s the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, where does that initial age verification need to fall? Is it at the platform level? Is it the app store or mobile device management level or something else? Yeah, there’s a lot to discuss there. And a lot of the issues we’re seeing with how the internet is changing in terms of being able to browse a website without disclosing personal information that might not have been required before is largely stemming from a focus on protecting children online. Ken Suzan: It sounds like, Franklin, we could have another episode covering lots of issues connected with that one topic alone. Franklin Graves: I would absolutely agree with that. There’s a lot going on there. And again, it’s different across the world. And so I know you all have a global listener base. And so there’s a lot of nuances to that whole discussion too, that are worth exploring. Ken Suzan: Last question for today’s episode is regarding the right of publicity. With the explosion of AI-generated synthetic media, digital replicas, and voice cloning, the right of publicity is taking center stage. What are the biggest legal risks for brands partnering with influencers right now? And how can creators protect their most valuable asset, their likeness? Franklin Graves: That’s a great question. I think we’re seeing kind of a throwing-spaghetti-against-the-wall-to-see-what-sticks approach right now by a lot of different parties, whether it’s trademark attorneys, whether it’s general entertainment attorneys or whoever. For example, we’ve seen Taylor Swift filing trademarks to protect certain sounds of her voice and phrasing that she uses. It’s a difficult area because in the realm of generative AI with deep fakes and virtual avatars, that is where it gets tricky, because traditional IP laws are just not able to fully cover that spectrum. It’s a piecemeal approach, but even then it doesn’t fully cover it. So for example, I’m based in Tennessee and a couple of years ago we had the Elvis Act that updated our right of publicity law to add voice and to explicitly reference artificial intelligence. And so that’s the kind of effort we’re probably going to continue to see: efforts to develop some framework around protecting what is essentially a privacy right, in a manner that doesn’t restrict generative AI systems from continuing to develop and operate the way they’re operating now, while layering in those protections so that in the US at least a First Amendment right doesn’t necessarily get squashed, and those traditional well-recognized efforts to not overregulate a technology in its early stages are respected. Franklin Graves: And so I think a lot of what we’re seeing is just a need to update laws. The SAG-AFTRA debate and the strikes that happened around maintaining control of your performance and any iterations of that, or building upon that by a media company that might come later, it’s all on the table right now and still being discussed, still being worked out. I think in the short run, a lot of times if it’s in a brand deal, the key question is: if you are using generative AI to enhance in some way the final deliverable for the campaign, who has control over that? Who has final say and sign-off on how that likeness or that digital replica or that person’s voice is represented? And even outside of the brand space, we’ve seen actors like James Earl Jones signing over certain aspects like their voice and allowing it to continue to be used in these manners powered by generative AI as Darth Vader. And I think I saw something that Boy George was even starting up an AI company that allows musicians, the original recording artist, to rerecord new versions of their masters so that they don’t miss out on that revenue. It’s powered by generative AI, by taking their voice now, which is significantly different than it was back in the 80s, and using generative AI to make it sound closer to the original, but all based on their current performance. So I think it’s still an evolving area. And what’s interesting too is on the platform side, we’re seeing the early stages of platforms like Google starting to acknowledge and rely on the license grant contained in their terms of service for YouTube, which grants them broad rights to use the content to run their platform. So all that to be said, it’s still early stages. I’m very interested to see where we go from here in the future, especially from a global perspective as well. Ken Suzan: Franklin, I could spend hours talking to you about this. You’re such a knowledgeable person on these topics. Maybe in a few years, will we connect again and talk further on AI and all the things that are yet to be developed? Franklin Graves: Thank you. Yeah, it doesn’t have to be another decade. Maybe we can cut it to half a decade, given the pace at which technology is going now. Ken Suzan: Sounds good, Franklin. Thanks again for being on the IP Fridays podcast.

Don't be scared.Pure abstract games may have no theme, no dice rolling or luck and have simple rules with deep complexity.But they are fun! Seriously!!!Especially the three simple, pure abstract games that the gamer bros share with you!

Karyn Gabriel is a San Francisco Bay Area artist with a BFA from the University of Michigan and post-baccalaureate studies in ceramics at Oregon College of Art and Craft. Grounded in pattern as a visual language, Karyn's sculptures are inspired by structural references from architecture to textile construction. Pared down, elemental forms expose a slightly brutal beauty while emphasizing the interplay between surface and structure. https://ThePottersCast.com/1239

I used to think something was wrong with me. I'd sit there knowing a task mattered — knowing it mattered yesterday, last week, last month — and still couldn't get myself to move on it. For years I asked myself the wrong question: why isn't this getting done? The better question, it turns out, is what does my brain actually need to get started? That question changed everything, and it's where SPARK came from.Story. I'm a story person. I don't care that a bird exists — I care about the three hours I spent finding it. When I'm stuck on a task, I ask what's interesting about it, not what needs to get done. Curiosity creates momentum that obligation never will.Purpose. Abstract tasks mean nothing until there's a real person on the other side of them. Whether it's an IT ticket or a podcast episode that isn't coming together, I think about who actually needs this and why — and the task shifts even though the work doesn't.Adventure. Not everything can be an adventure (folding laundry is still folding laundry), but a lot of tasks can become small experiments instead of obligations. Possibility is motivating in a way duty never is.Reality. This one needs care, because it's easy to slide from reality into fear. Fear says you'll end up broken and miss out on life. Reality says every choice is a small vote for the future you're building. I'd rather feed the tiger that's still hiking at 80 than the one that isn't.Kickstart. Some days none of the above works. On those days, the only question that matters is: what's the smallest next possible step? Mow the front yard, not the whole lawn. Put on your shoes, not your whole workout. Starting is the hard part — once you start, momentum tends to take over.You don't need all five letters every time. Pick whichever one fits the moment, and let it do its job. Most of us aren't waking up already disciplined and on fire — and that's not a flaw, that's just being human.If you've been stuck on something, I'd love to know which letter of SPARK actually got you moving. Email me at jill@startwithsmallsteps.com or leave a comment — and until next time, keep taking those small steps.Jill's Linkshttp://jillfromthenorthwoods.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@startwithsmallstepshttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/startwithsmallstepshttps://twitter.com/schmernEmail the podcast at jill@startwithsmallsteps.comBy choosing to watch this video or listen to this podcast, you acknowledge that you are doing so of your own free will. The content shared here reflects personal experiences and opinions and is intended for informational and inspirational purposes only. I am not a licensed therapist, life coach, or mental health professional. Any habits, strategies, or suggestions offered should not be considered a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or counseling advice. Results vary — small steps look different for everyone. You are solely responsible for any decisions or actions you take based on this content.

Are you struggling to capture the attention of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) in a saturated cybersecurity market? Join us in this enlightening episode of The Cyber Go-To-Market Talk podcast for cybersecurity sales and marketing teams, where we unpack the secrets to effective cyber security sales strategies that can elevate your approach and drive revenue growth. Host Andrew Monaghan sits down with Chris Camacho, co-founder and COO of Abstract Security, who brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles as a buyer at financial services companies. Chris shares invaluable insights into the shifting dynamics of selling cybersecurity solutions, particularly to Fortune 500 companies. He emphasizes the critical need for cyber sales teams to either reduce current spending or replace existing vendors to gain traction, making a strong first impression that resonates with decision-makers. This episode dives deep into Chris's unique journey from being a buyer of cybersecurity products to becoming a builder and seller, offering listeners a rare perspective on what works and what doesn't in the realm of cyber security sales. With around 3,900 vendors vying for attention in the cybersecurity space, standing out is no easy feat. Chris discusses the challenges of differentiation and the evolving role of AI in both sales and product development, providing actionable insights that can help your team navigate these complexities. Building and maintaining relationships is key in the cybersecurity landscape, and Chris stresses the importance of leveraging networks effectively to understand clients' specific needs. By creating tailored solutions that demonstrate clear ROI, sales teams can not only meet but exceed client expectations. Listeners will walk away with practical takeaways on sales onboarding, sales coaching, and metrics that matter in insurance, all aimed at accelerating growth in a rapidly changing environment. This episode is packed with cybersecurity marketing insights and go to market strategies for anyone involved in cyber security sales. Whether you're part of a startup or an established company, the lessons shared here will empower you to grow sales and enhance team management capabilities. Tune in to The Cyber Go-To-Market Talk podcast for cybersecurity sales and marketing teams and discover how to navigate team challenges while building trust and scaling sales teams effectively. Don't miss out on this opportunity to get better at marketing and drive predictable revenue growth! About the guest: Chris Camacho spent around ten years on the buy side in financial services, an early adopter of vendors like Crowdstrike and Flashpoint, before crossing over to build and sell security products. He is co-founder and COO of Abstract.Chapters:00:51 — Crossing from the buy side to the "dark side"02:55 — Why he bought CrowdStrike and Flashpoint early11:45 — A market with thousands of vendors, and the spend arms race15:33 — Three ways to fill a regional CISO event18:23 — Relationships, Ninja Jobs, and meeting his co-founder22:20 — What he interviews for (and what he doesn't)26:22 — When an AI lab lands in your category29:59 — What CISOs are telling him about AI32:22 — Reduce or replace: the way in now34:17 — AI for sellers, and his 17-year-old BDR Support the showThe Cyber Go-To-Market Talk is the show for cybersecurity sales leaders, founders, CROs, and go-to-market operators looking to improve cyber sales performance and build more predictable revenue growth. Hosted by Andrew Monaghan, founder of Unstoppable.do, covering cyber sales leadership, revenue leadership, sales onboarding, forecasting, pipeline generation, and cybersecurity go-to-market execution.Follow me on LinkedIn for regular posts about growing your cybersecurity startupWant to grow your revenue faster? Check out my cybersecurity sales consulting and trainingNeed ideas about how to grow your pipeline? Sign up for my newsletter.

Abstract ideas made definite.In this episode of Mere Mortals book reviews, I dive into Peter Thiel's 'Zero To One' and why its big-picture thinking resonates more than tactical business how‑to. I explore Thiel's blend of abstract philosophy and concrete startup stories (from PayPal to Palantir) and discuss his contrarian takes on competition, monopoly and the value of being the last mover. I unpack the optimistic vs pessimistic, determinate vs indeterminate lens Thiel uses to read cultures and markets and why these frames can guide founders to build something truly unique rather than drift into “zombie company” territory. I share what made the book engaging for me, where it might fall short if you're after nuts-and-bolts execution and who I think will get the most out of it. Ultimately, it's a concise, idea-rich read that can reorient how you think about differentiation, market definition and creating from zero to one.If you got value from the podcast please provide support back in any way you best see fit!Timeline:(00:00:00) Intro(00:00:35) Introducing Zero to One by Peter Thiel(00:04:27) Contrasting with other business classics(00:07:41) Why high‑level ideas can beat operational minutiae(00:11:03) Who is Peter Thiel? Background and ventures(00:12:52) Verdict: a solid read for entrepreneurs(00:14:00) Value for Value: how to support the show(00:15:08) What's next: upcoming book reviews Connect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/Xs9DjsurFqTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspodsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcastsValue 4 Value Support:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

Let's practice some common Spanish abstract nouns, including nombre, tipo, historia, and poco. Practice all of today's Spanish for free at LCSPodcast.com/74