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Sometimes the hardest setback becomes the start of a far better life. I speak with Jeff Brown, an international photography business mentor whose path began with dyslexia, school struggles, and a fishing fly business at age 16. Jeff shares how military photography, personal branding, and business skills helped him build a successful creative career. He also opens up about losing everything through a failed pub, rebuilding his mental health, and creating a global photography mentoring business. His story shows how persistence, clear goals, strong branding, and the courage to change direction can create an unstoppable life. Highlights: 00:01:38 - How dyslexia and school struggles shaped Jeff's drive to work for himself. 00:05:58 - The first sale that showed him entrepreneurship was possible. 00:14:50 - Why passion and effort mattered more than early photography skills. 00:35:49 - How branding and marketing helped grow four photography businesses. 00:39:06 - The business failure that forced Jeff to rebuild his life. 01:01:49 - Why clear goals, strong branding, and steady action create growth. About the Guest: Jeff Brown is an International Photography Business Mentor, Best Selling Photography Business Author, Public Speaker and President of The British Institute of Professional Photography. Also working for The International School Photography Conference Team he has delivered sell-out courses and workshops around the world. Jeff works closely with photographers from all niches and photographic backgrounds having a real passion to help them grow their online brand and achieve their goals.          Jeff first dipped his toe into entrepreneurship at the age of 15 while still at school, selling handmade fishing flies to local tackle shops to boost his pocket money. After leaving school at 16 he set up his first full-time venture, a mail-order fishing tackle business. His fishing tackle business came to an end 7 years later, shortly after Jeff enlisted in the Royal Navy where he went on to serve as a military photographer and intelligence analysist.            Following nearly 10 years service he left the armed forces to set up his own photography company, and eighteen months later had a successful six-figure wedding photography company and a commercial photography business, then going on to open a separate school photography business and a Boudoir Makeover studio turning over 1,000 boudoir and model shoots per year.            In 2014 Jeff decided to follow his dreams of owning a country food pub by investing over £120k of his own money into a pub venture, which turned out to be his greatest ever failure, losing his entire investment and racking up £60k of debt in just 12 months while at the same time going through a divorce.           After suffering from depression in 2015, he changed direction again and developed an online photography business mentoring program, making it his mission to help and inspire photographers worldwide to market their businesses better.                                                Part of Jeff's major focus and teachings are in the areas of Goal Setting, Brand Message, Consistency, and Website Content including the new AI and AEO search on Google, and also his favourite social media platform which is LinkedIn. It's essential to have a mindset for success and a clear path to follow. No business can truly succeed without goals, direction, a powerful brand and a positive mindset to achieve.        Jeff has written 4 internationally best-selling photography books and recently published his first travel book – ·      The Photographers Missing Link-edIn ·      The Ambitious Photographer's Journal          ·      Help My Photography Website Needs More Customers        ·      The Photographer's Gratitude & Mindset Journal       ·      Plan Your Ultimate Northumberland 250 Road Trip   He writes for several photography magazines and associations and is also a brand ambassador for OM System (Olympus Cameras), The British Photography Awards, Studio Ninja, The Societies of Photographers, and the UK and US Brand Ambassador for The Shutter Studio App.         Jeff lives in the beautiful scenic county of Northumberland, England. He's a keen traveller having visited over 60 countries so far, as well as being an outdoor enthusiast, motorbiker and loves getting out in nature when ever he can. Ways to connect with Jeff**:** Website: www.thephotographersmentor.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/JeffBrownThePhotographersMentorLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/thephotographersmentorAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jeff%20Brown/author/B09M76J1XK About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson  00:04 What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't what's in front of you, but rather what you believe? Welcome to Unstoppable Mindset, where inclusion, diversity, and the unexpected meet. I'm your host, Michael Hingston, speaker, author, and advocate for inclusion and possibilities. This podcast explores how the beliefs we carry shape the way we live, lead, and connect with others. Each week, I talk with people who challenge assumptions, face adversity head-on, and show what's possible when we choose curiosity over fear. Together, we focus on mindset, resilience, and the small shifts that lead to meaningful change. Let's get started. Hi again, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Unstoppable Mindset. You know what's really fun about this podcast is we get to meet all sorts of people who talk about all sorts of different kinds of things, and today we get to talk to a gentleman from England, Jeff Brown, and Jeff, among other things, is an international photography business mentor, best-selling photography business author, he's a public speaker and also the president of the British Public Institute of Photography. I think I said that right. Jeff Brown  01:36 British British Institute of Professional Photography. British Michael Hingson  01:40 Institute of Professional Photography. Got to say it right, but anyway, and and all sorts of other things. He's an adventurous kind of person, as you're going to learn in the course of the day. So, Jeff, I want to welcome you to Unstoppable Mindset, and we're really glad you're here. Jeff Brown  01:55 Thank you. Thanks for having me on. Michael Hingson  01:57 Well, I'm glad to do it, and I have a visitor in the studio today, my cat Stitch, who is monitoring this, and I'm sure that if she has any opinions, she's going to voice them. But we'll see. Stitch is a wonderful kitty. She's almost 16 years old, and we we love having her around. But anyway, so Jeff, why don't we start by you telling us kind of maybe about the early Jeff growing up and some of those things, and we'll go from there. Jeff Brown  02:25 So growing up, so I grew up in the northeast of England, and I was born in 1970. So I'm 55 now, and back in sort of late 70s, early 80s, the northeast of England was a was a bit of a grim place. It was gray. It was there was a lot of poverty. It was mainly coal mining and shipbuilding, and it was the old sort of mentality of you know you go to school, you study hard, you get a job, you stay in the job for for your life, you retire, and then you're dead. That's it. Yeah. So, for some reason, that didn't really, really appeal to me. And I used to love reading. I read loads of books. I was obsessed with books. Got into books from a very early age. Into sort of fantasy type books, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and stuff like that. But it was only when I got into maybe probably about the the junior schools I'd gone through the infant school I got to about eight or nine year old that I realized there was something the matter with me in the fact that I'm really struggled with with school I wasn't very good at it years and years later, I found out I was dyslexic, but I couldn't read out aloud. I had real problems with numbers. Numbers seemed to always look the wrong way around to me, and I got an instant dislike of school and an instant dislike of authority. I had I just I couldn't wait to get out of it, but I was quite creative when I got into fishing, I was good at making fishing flies. I got into photography, and that sort of gave me more of a creative mindset. Where I thought, well, I don't want to work for anybody else. I don't want to be told what to do. I want to try and make my own direction. And I decided that I was going to be self-employed or you know start my own business at the age of 14, Michael Hingson  04:23 what did your parents think of your your kind of independent mindset or entrepreneurial mindset? Because you must have voiced it along the way. Jeff Brown  04:31 Well, I did, yeah, and funny enough, you know, I said I had a real dislike of school. I mean, I actually not not overly proud of it, but I was expelled from school at the age of 16, kicked out of school because I got into quite a bit of trouble. I was I was very rebellious. I really disliked it with the passion, and I left school with zero qualifications. So I didn't I didn't pass any exams. I filled every exam that I actually bothered to turn up for, but to. It matters worse. My dad was a college lecturer, and my mum was a teacher. So, so obviously it didn't go down well with with having two parents who were in the education system. But they backed me 100% They were they they could see that I was struggling, but dyslexia wasn't really a thing that was talked about back. Yeah, and yeah, my my dad put forward at the time one and a half 1000 pound to help me get onto the you know get the equipment I needed and the the office space to start my first business. Michael Hingson  05:34 So it was pretty supportive, Jeff Brown  05:36 very supportive. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and and and I think it helped as well that my first business was making fishing flies and tying and exporting fishing flies to fishing businesses around the world. But my dad was keen on fishing as well, so he had he had an attraction to the business. Michael Hingson  05:54 Okay. Well, I know that my wife had lots of relatives in England. A lot of them were from the Cornwall Mosel area, and a lot of them, of course, were very much into fishing. Jeff Brown  06:05 Oh yeah, yeah. I know Cornwall. In fact, I spent a year in Cornwall on on Navy search and rescue, and that would have been 1919 98 I think it was then very beautiful place. Michael Hingson  06:19 I've not been. I'd love to go sometime. We'll have to figure that out. Jeff Brown  06:23 Yeah, it is. It's gorgeous. It's gorgeous. Michael Hingson  06:26 So you started this business. So you were basically 15 when you started the the business, which I think is kind of interesting. That's at a young age, and of course, by the time you were 16, as you said, you got expelled from school, which had to not be very very much fun. Jeff Brown  06:44 Yeah, I mean, well, to be honest, so the the starting of the business, I used to I used to go into the fishing tackle shops at weekend myself and one of my friends who who I used to go fishing with, and he was good at making flies. He was called Phil. Obviously, I'm called Jeff, and we decided we were going to create a business called PJ Flies. And one weekend, we we went into one of the local fish and tackle shops, and we were buying some some bits and bobs to make fish and flies with. And the business owner, the owner of the shop, said, "Look, says, look, if you bring me some flies down next week, if they if they if they're any good, I'll buy them off you. So we walked into the shop and took these fishing flies in the following week in a little presentation box. And I remember him individually taking each fly out at a time because he said, "How much how much how much are you going to sell me them for? And I said, "Well, I'll sell them for 10 pence each. So he was taking them out, and I was counting up in my head. And at the time, my pocket money was, I think, was three or four pounds a week, and I came out of that shop with a 10-pound note. So it was double what I was getting paid off my pocket money, and it was such a great feeling. So that was my first ever sort of dip into entrepreneurship, earning money, and and he said, and the last thing he said as I went out the door, he says, if you can if you can make the same amount next week or even double, bring them back and I'll buy them off you. So the following week I went back and made 20 quid. Michael Hingson  08:18 Wow, what goes into making a fly, I'm not a fisherman by by training or anything, so I don't know a lot about fly fishing. Jeff Brown  08:27 Yeah, so it's all feathers and so feathers and furrows, and it's all held onto the hook with with a very fine thread, like what's called a gossamer thread. It takes it takes a while to learn. So I was taught by an old guy who was a really good fisherman, and he he had a caravan on the same caravan site that my parents had that they used to go on holiday on, and because we we we never used to go abroad in those days, all the holidays were spent in England, and that he he saw that I was getting into fishing, and he came and taught me how to how to tie fishing flies, which was great. Michael Hingson  09:06 Yeah, and of course, the whole idea behind the fly is to attract the fish, right? Jeff Brown  09:10 That's right. Yeah, yeah. Michael Hingson  09:13 So that they will, if you will, take the bait. Jeff Brown  09:16 Yeah, yeah, totally. And the funny thing was, I was yeah, I used to love fishing, but I don't need fish, so I would either put you know put them back in the in in the river, or I'd I'd give them away to to members of the family. Michael Hingson  09:30 Wow. Well, and suddenly fortunes changed, and there you were making flies and selling them. Jeff Brown  09:37 That's right. That's right. Michael Hingson  09:39 So how long did you do that? Jeff Brown  09:42 So we we got we got a proper sort of business premises in 1986. So when I was I was 16 year old, and we applied for a grant with the then Prince's Trust, which was run by Prince Charles, who's now King Charles. And we were the youngest people in in the UK to be accepted for a grant. They bent the rules and they give us the grant under the age of 18. So we got the grant at 17 year old, and then shortly after, we were in a business sort of a business community, a big a big workspace with lots of offices with other creative people in, and shortly after the the center had opened, about six months after, the the the manager of the center came up and says, "Well, look, we'd like to we'd like you to make a box of salmon flies, but a really good box of salmon flies, all the best ones, and we'll pay you. And it's going to be a presentation box for a special guest who's coming to officially open the business center in a few months. But we can't tell you who it is. And anyway, it turned out two months later it was it was Prince Charles. Speaker 1  10:59 He Jeff Brown  10:59 came to visit us, and he was presented with a box of fishing flies-the the flies that we tied from. Michael Hingson  11:07 Wow, that was pretty cool. So you got to meet him. Jeff Brown  11:11 So yeah, we got to meet him. He talked about fishing. He talked about fly tying. He said he'd he'd been bought a fly tying kit for Christmas one year from his wife, who would have been Princess Diana, but he couldn't get away from get away from it. It was too. He found it too complicated and too complex. So he says, "I really admire that you you know that you guys can can tie the flies. So so yeah. So it was nice. It was nice to meet him. It was nice to be able to do that presentation box, and we had that business till I was 26 so Michael Hingson  11:45 10 years, Jeff Brown  11:46 nearly 10 years. Yeah. Michael Hingson  11:48 Now, have you met him ever since Jeff Brown  11:52 then? I haven't met him, but I have met other members of the the royal family because I was a my next stage in business, so my next stage in life was to become a a military photographer. I met a few members of the royal family in my capacity as a military photographer. So I went from so one avenue being creative, which was the fishing flies, into sort of another avenue being creative. And the funny thing was, I'd never had any intention of John in the military. None of my family were in the military. My dad had done his national service, and my granddad had served in the in the navy during the Second World War. But just on a whim, one day I happened to be walking past a military careers office, and I thought I'd pop in. I love cooking. I thought, oh look, I'd seen a picture on the window where he could train to be a military chef. Yeah, okay. So I went into enquire about being a chef, joined as an aircraft engineer, and then transferred across to become a military photographer. And funny enough, like I said early on, that I hate authority and I hate being told what to do because that came from a hatred of hatred of schools. Michael Hingson  13:10 A school, right? Jeff Brown  13:11 But I believe that the military was different because people say, "Well, you know, if you if you hate authority and hate being told what to do, why the hell did you go and join the military? But the military was very different in the fact that I put up with the I put up with the authority because the military give you adventure. It wasn't a nine foot nine to five. It wasn't a routine job, you know. So it give and I love excitement. I love adventure. I love the the idea of every day being different. So so I was happy enough to put up with military life, and I did that for nearly nine years. Michael Hingson  13:49 Well, so did you find that the military respected your creativity as you grew at being a photographer, and so you were a photographer, so that you were allowed to, to to be creative and do the things that you wanted to do, or did you find that there was just as much authoritarianism, if you will, and they kept telling you what to Jeff Brown  14:15 do? No, no, they were very good at being creative. Funny, the the military photography branch-it's only a small branch. It's about 80 people in the in the in the navy photography branch. So by comparison to all the other branches of the navy, it's tiny, and it's always also a very sought after branch. So basically, have to wait till somebody retires or somebody, you know, gives up their position that you can actually request, and I just managed to get in at the right time where somebody had left, and I applied, and I got accepted and went on to their training course, and their training course is is quite intense, 26 exams in six months, but. All the people who run it are really passionate photographers, so they're all about developing your own creativity. Yes, there's rules and regulations to follow, but it was very different than other other avenues of the armed forces. And then, you know, your average working day, you were you were given a lot of freedom. You were given a brief for a job, but then quite often you would just go off and design that job the way you wanted, you know. Michael Hingson  15:24 But why did you, since you, I guess you, as you said, joined as an aircraft engineer? Why did you decide to look at photography? What what attracted you to that? Jeff Brown  15:35 Because I didn't. Well, first of all, I didn't realize you could be a military photographer. So it was, and you can't join as a military photographer anyway. It's what's called a sidewards entry branch. You have have to have served three years in a in a another part of the armed forces before you can apply. And to apply to get into the military military photography branch, you have to pretty much do it on your own merit. So you've got to build a portfolio up. You've got to do all the application yourself, and they also look at your. It's not like the way you react to discipline, the way you think on your own two feet, sort of thing. So, funny enough, when I went through the interviews and and they looked at my portfolio, they said that my my work was pretty poor, but they loved the way I thought, and they loved the way I was driven, and would get up early and go out and do stuff. This is, you know, it's the it's the passion and the the willingness to learn. We can teach you all the other stuff, but you you know you you're showing that willingness and and going that extra mile. That's that's what got us in and and got us to be accepted into the into the branch. It wasn't my skills as a photographer because I was that was pretty useless. Pretty new, Michael Hingson  16:49 yeah, Jeff Brown  16:50 yeah. But you know they they developed that. Michael Hingson  16:55 So the the whole idea of going in and learning to cook and being a chef kind of went by the wayside, huh? Jeff Brown  17:00 It did, yes. But I still, I still, I still love cooking to this day, and I was still very passionate about it. And I always had a dream of, you know, one day owning a a pub or running a food pub, Michael Hingson  17:12 right? Well, and you know things happen, but you you clearly are an adventurous sort of person that you even chose to do all of this, and that-that's in of itself, I think, admirable to you know to do that. So you you became a photographer, and so what kind of things did you do during the time you were in the military from a photographic standpoint? Jeff Brown  17:40 So we would do everything. We do everything from portraits of sort of admirals in uniform, official portraits. We do big presentations and awards. We do a lot of PR photography. So we'd be we'd be tasked with with a concept or an idea, or being told something is happening, or we want to promote this, so they might say, right? We've got an aircraft carrier coming into your area. Can you come up with some ideas to to sort of really promote it? Something that look really exciting. It'll encourage people to to join the military because one of the one of the things military photography branch, it's it's about PR. It's trying to get pictures of the military into the into the newspapers in a positive light. So you know, young young men and women go, "Oh, that looks great! I'd love to join, and it serves them an absolute fortune in in in advertising. So so that was that was a lot of the stuff we did, we create concepts and ideas, and quite often the concept and ideas led to having a lot of fun. You know, I'd say like, well, what have I got at my disposal? And then an admiral might say, well, what do you need? I said, well, I need a few helicopters. I need some fast patrol boats. I need some marines on on on ribs lent over these these you know rigid inflatable boats all camouflaged up with their cam cream on and their rifles and they'll be in front of the in front of the the aircraft carrier then we'll have the the helicopters flying in the background and all this was was so basically controlled by us, so we would have headsets on. We'd be talking to the, talking to the the pilots. We'd be directing people, and those shoots probably cost 10s and 10s of 1000s of pounds to to put together. When you think about it, but it was great to see some of the images come out. And in those days, when I first started doing it, we were shooting a lot of the stuff on film, so we didn't have the the the the benefit of seeing the images instantly, as in you know with digital photography. Michael Hingson  19:51 I was going to say much less digitally editing it. It was all on film. Jeff Brown  19:54 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Michael Hingson  19:56 When did it migrate over to be more digital? Jeff Brown  20:00 So we were still we when I was in training we we were using digital but still preferred you to to do a bit more on the film side of things Michael Hingson  20:08 higher quality Jeff Brown  20:10 yeah and and they also I think for like an archival purposes for the idea of have negatives and hard print Speaker 2  20:18 yeah Jeff Brown  20:19 but then you know towards like the 2004 two you know 2003 2004 Then they were starting to embrace digital fully, and and you know do away with all the the film. Michael Hingson  20:33 Wow! Jeff Brown  20:34 And obviously there is the cost aspect as well. You know because you with film it costs every time you you press the shutter button, you know you can you can take a lot more images. But I suppose it does it does make you a bit more of a lazy photographer. Michael Hingson  20:49 Well, I I suppose in some senses it can. It just depends on how disciplined you are. Well, you seem to be a pretty disciplined kind of person, and so you you worked at that pretty well, and I can. I can appreciate that. So so when did you start doing photography for the military? When did you enroll in the military? Jeff Brown  21:11 So that was 1997 Michael Hingson  21:14 Okay, so you were what 2526 25 Jeff Brown  21:19 Yeah, 2026 Yeah, yeah, 2627 yeah. Michael Hingson  21:23 Well, and the the thing about photography or or any skill like that that is is pretty unique and pretty new for you is that you had to really develop the knack to doing it, but you obviously also had to have a lot of understanding about things like, as you said, PR and all that. I mean, some of that just had to be a little bit more natural, or just you observed so much that you realized the value of it. And as you pointed out, having the the whole photography branch in the military had to be incredibly much less expensive for the military, no matter what you wanted them to do, than them doing PR in other ways because it was all done internally. Yes, yes, you had to have helicopters and military people and all that other stuff, but they didn't have to pay the company to go out and, or didn't have to pay it much to go out and do the photography because you're the company. Jeff Brown  22:29 That's right. That's right. And also, some some of the jobs were required a certain level of vetting that they couldn't bring a company in unless those people were vetted. To you know, like on, I did quite a few photography shoots on nuclear submarines, which you you can't enter a nuclear submarine base unless you're you're vetted to a certain level. Michael Hingson  22:51 Right. Now that brings up a point. So let's let's go back to that. So going into a nuclear submarine base and so on, and and doing photography. What what was the purpose of pictures for that? Since it had to be pretty cleared and must have been somewhat classified. Jeff Brown  23:11 Well, sometimes some of the the shoots on board the submarine would be like award ceremonies. So okay, yeah, you know, people getting medals or achievements, and actually getting a photograph from receiving their award from the captain of the submarine. But then sometimes we would have PR photographs of of the the submarine sailing, and we'd be on speedboats going down the lock, photographing the submarine. Michael Hingson  23:41 But what you were not doing was taking pictures of things that were so classified that they didn't dare show them to the public or whatever. Jeff Brown  23:49 Yes, yes, Michael Hingson  23:50 yeah. Which which makes sense. Speaker 1  23:57 If you enjoy unstoppable mindset and would like to help us continue bringing these conversations to you each week, we've created a way for you to support the show. Your contribution helps us cover production costs and continue sharing stories, insights, and ideas that inspire people to live with purpose and possibility. If supporting the podcast feels right for you, you'll find the link in the show notes. Thank you for being part of the Unstoppable Mindset Community. Michael Hingson  24:30 So you you did that, and so you clearly found a niche to to do and to to work at, and obviously loved it. Jeff Brown  24:43 I do. I mean, it took it took a while to get the confidence. I'm quite an introverted person, so where I love taking photographs, and you know, it's easy to take photographs of things and objects and landscapes and that sort of stuff. It's. It's quite hard when you don't have a lot of confidence and you are quite introverted to start directing people and telling people what to do, especially when you had to direct, you know, entire ships, companies, or groups of 4050, people to do a a group shot at the awards ceremony. So that that was something that took a bit of getting used to and put me out of my comfort zone to to become a bit more sociable and a bit less introverted, and also direct people from behind the camera. Michael Hingson  25:31 So you you became a director, Jeff Brown  25:35 I suppose. Yeah, you do. In some senses, Michael Hingson  25:38 anyway. Jeff Brown  25:38 Yeah, yeah, and from from another point of view, I sudden realized that you know you might not like directing people, or you might be really nervous about speaking to people you've never met before and telling them what to do. But quite often, the people on the other side of the camera are just as nervous as you because they don't like having their photograph taken. They feel awkward, so you know part of your job as a photographer is to put people at ease and make people feel comfortable. Michael Hingson  26:03 Yeah, and I think about it as a public speaker. I keep hearing all the time that one of the top fears that people have is speaking and standing on a stage and speaking. And I and I finally realize that that's because we're conditioning people to think that it's scary, but the fact of the matter is that, and I still believe this to this day, audiences want speakers to succeed. Unless you're just a real jerk, audiences want you to succeed, and I would think that that some of that same level of confidence goes into what you do as a photographer. You are-they want you to succeed, and the people who are nervous about you taking their pictures and so on. Your job, as you point out, is to kind of help make them feel more comfortable about Jeff Brown  26:55 it. Yeah, and and you, you know, on from your point of view, you know, you you want somebody to love the picture? Michael Hingson  27:02 Yeah, Jeff Brown  27:02 you want someone to go, oh wow, you know, like actually take away their their dislike and awkwardness of having a photograph taken, and you know it's it's quite rewarding when you see somebody go, oh wow, I didn't know I could look that good, you know, because you've you've directed them, you've posed them, you've helped them feel more relaxed, and they see themselves in a different because it's it's quite it quite often it's not that somebody always looks awkward or you know they don't take a good picture as people say oh don't take my picture I don't take a good picture you know it's the fact that they've never been directed they've never they've always felt felt uncomfortable and awkward so it comes through in the the final image because they don't look relaxed. They don't look natural. They've got this fake smile. They look uncomfortable. Michael Hingson  27:49 I know. For me, I've I've never worried about that. Of course, being blind my whole life, I never really cared a whole lot about pictures. Yeah. So I love to pick on pictures all the time. So you know, for example, people say that a picture is worth 1000 words, and I just point out, yeah, but it takes a whole lot more memory. So, but but but I I appreciate pictures, and I've learned a lot more about photography and appreciating photography ever since September 11th. And part of that was my guide dog Roselle at the time, who became a real camera ham hound. She loved to be in front of the camera, and there was one time we were on a Larry King show on CNN, and you know his shots are and the photographers and and the and everything on the show is basically front like from the chest up, and and so on, and they take pictures. So one day we were going to be on the show, and they made a a little platform that Roselle, my guide dog, could lie on, and they said, "Okay, put her up on there, and I did, and she laid down, put her head between her paws, and that was it. And the director came like about a minute before the show started, and he said, "Isn't there anything you can do to get her to react more and to be a little bit more involved in the show? And I said, "Are the Klieg lights on yet? And he said, "No. I said, "Just wait till you turn the lights on. Everything will change. The lights came on. She lifted up her head, started blinking her eyes and flashing her eyelashes, smiling and licking her chops, and just having a good old time. She loved the camera. It was so funny. Jeff Brown  29:39 Yeah, I can't get. I can't get my dog to sit. He won't sit in front. He won't sit in front of the camera. He's a working Springer Spaniel. He will not stay still for two minutes. And there's something about it. Every time you look, you pick up the camera. I think he knows that you want to take a picture, and he turns his head away. He looks the opposite direction. Michael Hingson  29:57 Yeah. See, Roselle was exactly the opposite. Knew you wanted to take her picture, and she was going, "Bring it on! She just absolutely loved it. It was so funny, and and and it was it was a blessing. But it it as as we talked about it, as I talked to photographers and other people when we dealt with different interviews and so on, I grew to appreciate the value of pictures and what it was that they were trying to get, and it didn't take any work really to get Roselle to be involved in that. It didn't take a lot of work to get me involved with it, but I gained a greater understanding of it. So I certainly value the fact that there's there's a lot of reasons for taking photographs, although I also like audio input and other things like that that I'm going to see. But still, it's it's great that we have this technology, and nowadays, of course, because it is so digital, it makes it so much easier. Jeff Brown  30:59 It does. I think I think obviously there's you know everybody's using photographer now. Everyone walks around with a camera in their pocket, which is you know effectively a smartphone, and the quality of the images that you can take on a phone are fantastic. You know the you know the the resolution, the color saturation, the the look absolutely amazing. But sometimes I think people forget to stop and appreciate the moment. So everybody is more, you know, getting the picture taken, sticking it onto Instagram, onto Facebook, and also we have all these digital memories. But not many people are printing pictures out and putting them on the walls like we used to in the 80s and 90s. You know, family portraits, and I think that is a big thing that photographers need to be to be sort of reinventing and encouraging people to to enjoy the wall art, personalize the home, have a picture on the wall that brings a smile to your face every time you see it. Because if you take it on your phone, you you enjoy it for a second, and then it becomes a memory, and it goes in. I looked the other day. I've got 14 and a half 1000 pictures on my phone. Yeah. So, and I only ever see them, you know, seconds after I take them and I post them on Facebook, and then maybe a year later when a Facebook memory comes up and reminds me, oh, this is what you were doing this time last year. Michael Hingson  32:20 Yeah. Well. Well, and I understand that, and I, I, I also understand what you're saying about lazy photography because, as you said, you take the picture, you look at it, and it's gone, and you don't necessarily do all you can to make sure that the picture is looking as good as it as it can look, and sometimes we just rely on the automatic zoom and other things like that to make the picture look good. But the bottom line is that ultimately we're in control of it and really should make the picture as good as we can make it. Jeff Brown  32:54 Yeah, I mean that was that was what we were taught in the military right at the very beginning. And as I say, you know, was starting out on on on film cameras. It was get it right in the camera. You know, get it right in the camera. It'll look a lot better, and it'll save you hours of time in the dark room. And then there's a tendency now for photographers to think, "Oh, that'll do. I'll just sort it out in Photoshop afterwards, and which again takes time. And as a photographer, time is money. So yeah, yeah. The better you can get the composition and the and the way a photograph looks in the camera, then the less work you're going to have to do afterwards. Michael Hingson  33:35 Yeah, which makes perfect sense. And so I appreciate that. Well, so you were in the military for 10 years, and what made you retire from the military? And also, what kind of skills did you learn that you then took away from the military? One of them had to be accepting authority a little bit more, but I'm being sarcastic. But still, what what kind of skills and so on did you learn, and and did you take away, and and why did you even leave the military after 10 years? Jeff Brown  34:07 So, so being a military photographer, I was a military photographer, and there was a new a new sort of breed of like a new discipline that was coming into into the into our area into the the photography branch, and it was called IA, which is an intelligence analyst, and they believed that photographers, probably rightly, had a real attention to detail and a keen a keen eye for spotting things, and they were so they recruited intelligence analysts from the photography branch to analyze intelligence imagery, satellite imagery, reconnaissance, and then collate this information with other intelligence services. Like Lacher on I six and JCHQ, so so people on the ground, you know, and and military listening outposts, and so I got sent to work. So I did my intelligence course, and I got sent to work for with the intelligence services for about two and a half years now. While I was while I was doing my job as a military analyst, intelligence analyst, I started getting people coming into my office and saying, "You're a military photographer, aren't you? Yeah. Would you photograph my dog? Can you can you photograph my daughter at her birthday? Do you do weddings? Can you do my my my partner's wedding and stuff like that? So started doing a little bit of stuff on weekends, and then soon realized that there was actually quite a good bit of money being a photographer. So that was it. So that that set me on the path of right. I'm going to get out the military. I'm going to start with my own business. I'm going to go back to being self-employed again, but this time using my skills as a photographer. And yeah, I had good photography skills. I had other skills that the military had sort of drummed into me, which was you know timekeeping, organization, attention to detail, and that would work brilliant with a wedding because with a wedding you've got to organize people, everything's got to be on time. You've you've got to have that attention to detail, so started doing weddings on weekends, and then I left, and now decided to go into partnership with another military photographer who was working at the same the same base as me, and was also from the same the same area, the same the same city. So I left first because he was married with two kids. Alif first to set the business up and get the business bringing in money, and then about six months later, the business was bringing in enough money for him to put his notice in and and come out and and join me full time in the photography business. So and then it just skyrocketed from there. We ended up having four different photography businesses, Michael Hingson  37:03 pretty impressive, huh? Jeff Brown  37:05 It was good, but I think you know a lot of the lot the stuff that we did is when we left the military is you get a resettlement grant to resettle you back into civilian life to to to get you ready to work for other people, but obviously we were going to go self employed, so we we spent this resettlement grant of 7000 pound on marketing and branding training. So I got 7000 Kev got 7000 So we spent spent a lot of our money on understanding how to run a business, understanding what brand was all about and brand concept and and marketing. And it wasn't necessarily our photography skills that helped us succeed. It was the skills of actually understanding how to run a business and how to market our brand, Michael Hingson  37:49 which also goes a little bit back to understanding PR and just as you said, understanding all about business, which is which is pretty cool. Speaker 3  37:57 Yeah. Michael Hingson  37:59 Well, as you as you did that, how easy was it for you to integrate back into society and become disciplined enough to run your own business? Because when you were in the military, you had other people who were making a lot of those decisions, but you had to learn something along the way or figure out something along the way that allowed you to truly run your own business. Jeff Brown  38:22 To be honest, I felt I felt quite excited to be going back to it because, obviously, you know, from sort of 1415, year old, I'd had I'd had my own business, and that that was my first my first ever job. You know, working for myself with fish and fish and tackle business, and I sort of realized early on that yes, I don't have a boss, but ultimately the business is the boss because the business demands from you all the time. It demands how much work you need to put in, and if you don't put the work in, then you don't get the money. But the other good thing about running your own business is you're not on a fixed wage. You know, you have that ability to make a lot more money, without having to be promoted or or impress somebody else, you know. So for some people, it doesn't work. Like my girlfriend always says, she doesn't think she could do what I do because she doesn't like that uncertainty. Of you know, because every business is ups and downs, ups and downs. You have low moments. You have high moments, but that's life in general, isn't it? And I think you've just got to have more high moments than low moments. But yeah, I love it. I don't think I could ever work for anybody else. But a lot of, I think I'm unemployable. I don't think I can. I don't think I could go into a normal job. But a lot of those high Michael Hingson  39:40 moments are also moments that essentially you create. It's your mindset. That's Jeff Brown  39:45 right. Yeah, Michael Hingson  39:46 because you know, like failure. Everybody talks about failure. Well, you know, you're going to experience failure in your life, and I have gotten to the point where I tend to react and say there really is no such thing as failure. Because failure seems to be an absolute-you screwed up, and that's all there is to it. And the reality is, it's not. Failure isn't really the issue. The issue is okay. You made a plan. Something didn't work right. The question really is now: Where do you go from here? How do you fix it? What have you learned from what happened? And I think that's really the issue. Jeff Brown  40:20 That's totally that's totally right, and you know, but I made a a decision back in 2014 So you said, you know, I love cooking, and had the photography businesses, which which were both doing very well. They were both they were all super successful, you know, bringing in the money, and I decided, wouldn't it be nice to buy a really, really beautiful traditional country pub, one with log fires, you know, in the middle of the countryside, maybe a two, 300 year old building, and and run my own pub? So that was that was my idea. So so I found this this beautiful little country pub in Durham, in the northeast of England, and it was like a picture postcard country pub that looked beautiful. It actually had two log fires. It had, I think, it was about 300 year old. It had wooden beams, everything, and so I fell in love with it. I I bought the lease on it. I plowed 120,000 pounds of my own money into it, and within 12 months, I'd lost all that money. I was a further 60,000 pound in debt, and I couldn't see any way out. Because you say, you know, like failure. Sometimes people think failure is that's it, that's the end. They can't see past it, and stupidly, I decided that that was it. I couldn't go on anymore, so I tried to drive my car off a bridge. I was, I was drunk at the time, but you know, luckily I didn't. I just damaged the car. I didn't damage myself. I woke up the next morning feeling utterly disgusted with myself because my daughter at the time would have been seven year old. and I realized I needed to get out the pub, and I needed to change a different direction, which I did. So I ran away, and I came to the countryside where I live now in Northumberland, and moved away from all my family and and my friends, about an hour away from all my family and friends to restart my life again, and I spent probably about six months listening to positivity books and audio books, and and trying to rewind my mindset, and then take a new direction. And that's when I got into the idea of because I was in the middle of the countryside, I could run an online business training photographers in marketing and branding, and you know how to how to promote themselves on the internet, and I could do that with anybody anywhere in the world who was a photographer. So that was my idea, and that's what I went for. And you know, looking back at it, 11 years on from that, it would be 11 years in March when I tried to take my own life, and I thought that was that was the biggest worst failure I'd ever have. It was the best failure I ever had because I've never been as happy. I've never been as stress free. My work takes me all over the world, speaking and meeting photographers. I have an absolutely amazing community. No day is the same because I'm on all different time zones, speaking to different people, and and I just love it. It's stress free, but you know, if I'd stayed at the pub, that wouldn't have been stress free. So, Michael Hingson  43:33 so what happened? That why did the pub fail? Fail, or or why didn't the public pub succeed? And what did you learn from that? Jeff Brown  43:40 So, well, first of all, probably I probably fell in love with the idea of the pub, but I probably didn't do enough research. Now, funny enough, it was in an old mining village, my coal mining village, that was very, very much based around if you weren't born and bred in the area, you didn't fit in, so first of all, I think fit into the village very well. But the profitability in the pub trade is is very hard, especially if the pub, if the building is owned by a brewery and you've got to buy your beer direct from the brewery, it reduces the profit margins. And I just think everything that could go wrong in that 12 month did go wrong. We had staff stealing offers. We had a couple of sabotages to the pub, a couple of really big bills that wasn't expected, equipment going wrong and equipment failing, and yeah, the costs just spiraled out of control. Michael Hingson  44:38 Just a lot of lack of research, Jeff Brown  44:41 yeah, yeah, yeah, Michael Hingson  44:42 and I would suspect that you would say that because of that, and because you realized all that, you learned. Jeff Brown  44:50 I learned, yeah, yeah, I, I totally learned, and I think you know that I, I, I fell in love with the idea of it. I fell in love with the building, and probably, probably didn't research it. And also, you know, yeah, I was great at marketing. I was great at business, but I'd never run a pub before. And yeah, it was probably a bit of a. I'd probably sort of trying to run before I could walk. In that, you know, might have been better off going and working for somebody else and being a manager or working in a bar. And you know, the the day I opened the pub, I'd never even pulled a pint before. Never stood behind a bar and served served a drink. So, Michael Hingson  45:28 yeah, and that's that's an art in of itself. Jeff Brown  45:32 Yeah, yeah, that's right. Michael Hingson  45:34 I used to when I lived in New Jersey and worked in New York. I used to go to a restaurant called Virgil's Real Barbecue, best barbecue I think in the country, and so if you're ever in New York, it's Virgil's. Anyway, they had opened a facility in Las Vegas. Also, they opened a restaurant in Las Vegas, and so last week when I was at the Consumer Electronics Show, I went there, and one of the things I had heard early on when they I heard about them opening the restaurant several years ago, was that the people who opened the restaurant before they could open it had to go spend six months in New York at the original Virgil's, learning everything about it, so that they could make this restaurant and the food be the same as as what they experienced, because they wanted Virgil's to be the same in both places, and they did. And I can say that, from my perspective, at least, they did a really great job, and they learned from that, which was exactly what you wanted for the people in Las Vegas to do, and they survived the pandemic, and it's still open. So when you're in Las Vegas next time, Jeff Brown  46:47 yeah, I'm there next week. So yeah, I'll have to Virgil's. Yeah, I'll check it out. Michael Hingson  46:52 Virgil's real barbecue, best ribs in the country. That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it, everybody. Well, that's cool. So. So, do you believe that things happen for a reason? I mean, a lot has happened, and of course, the pub closed and and all that. Do you believe that things happen for a reason? Jeff Brown  47:13 I do, and and you know now I I think one of the things as well when you get to that point where you you don't believe there's there's there's any way out, and and you know you you get that alone, you get depressed, but you you feel that you've got to take your own life. You are right at the very bottom. I think for you to go to the very bottom and then come back up again, it changes your mindset about stuff. And I I never get stressed. I am a very, very chilled out person. If something goes wrong now or something fails, I just go. Well, it's happened for a reason. Maybe something better is around the corner. Maybe it's the universe trying to direct me in a in a different path. You know, and and I think the less you live, the more you live by that mindset, the more it opens you up to other opportunities. Yeah, keeps you living it. You know, you're not living in the past; you're living in the future. It it was for the first six months coming up here 11 years ago. It was hard to move away from that failure in my mind. I kept playing it over and over again, but you know, playing it over and over again wasn't going to make that failure with the pub any different. The outcome had happened, and what I needed to do was focus on the future, get back together and get my myself back together, both mentally and also establish a new business and a new way of life. And that in itself was a a massive learning curve, but for the better. Michael Hingson  48:44 Well, and and the reality is, it it certainly has made a big difference in your life. And the fact is that, again, it goes back to failure isn't the end all, and failure is is probably the wrong way to put it. It's a learning experience, and I think that it's so important to do that. I am like you. I refuse to feel stress. I've been through too many experiences in my life that that caused stress, and I've learned that there are always ways to to deal with things, and so it's important to not let the stress overwhelm you. I wrote a book that was published in 2024 called "Live Like a Guide Dog: True Stories from a Blind Man and His Dogs About Being Brave, Overcoming Adversity, and Moving Forward in Faith. And moving forward in faith is part of it, but the whole issue is we focus on our lives on so many things. We think we need to control everything, and the reality is, we only control probably much less than 10% of all the things that we experience, but we worry about 100% of everything, and that doesn't help. And so, it builds up so much fear and causes so much stress. And if we would just focus on the things over which we really can control, we would be much better off. Jeff Brown  49:59 Saying that, you know, after leaving the pub, because my mindset was very, very delicate, and I had to build my my mental health back up, I decided to stop watching the news. So I used to used to get up and go downstairs and put the news on TV and have my morning coffee and and listen to all this negativity, all this drama, every single morning, which I've done for probably 40, you know, well, at least 30-five years, and and that was it. I've never watched the news since. I don't watch any live TV. I don't watch the news. People say, "Well, how do you manage? So, well, somebody will tell me something, but most of the time, half the stuff that people get worried about never actually happens. And if it does happen, quite often there's nothing you can do about it because it's the other side of the world. Michael Hingson  50:53 Well, even if it's in England, you don't have control over it, so why worry about it? Now, I watch I watch the news, but I do it because I want to get the information. But I won't worry about it. And there's so much that happens. But I feel that that at least there is information to be gained by watching the news. But what I had to learn somewhere along the line is don't take it personally because you don't have any control over it. And there are so many things that that go on, but the the trick is not to let things you don't have any control over really affect you to the point where you get nervous and stressful again. Jeff Brown  51:34 Yeah, yeah, and I think that you know the the same thing can be put into social media. You know, people say social media is negative. Social media is dangerous, and it depends how you react to it and what you engage on. You know, in my own social media, I follow a lot of photographers, a lot of people who talk about adventures and motorcycle rides and travel and nature. So my news feed is filled with a lot of positive stuff. And if if I see something negative or see something sensationalist, what I do is I don't unfriend that person. I just unfollow them, so I don't see their content again. Michael Hingson  52:09 Yeah. Jeff Brown  52:10 But from from the plus side, you know, social media has bought me more opportunity than anything else, and and effectively for free. And I've traveled traveled a lot because of my work. I have over 100,000 followers across my my social media platforms, and social media brings me customers, brings me clients. It helps me sell books, so there is a lot of positivity to it. I suppose it. The negative is only if you engage in the negative, then you will you'll find the the negative aspect. Michael Hingson  52:40 Yeah. Well, and the reality is that again, it's it's how you approach life, and you've clearly learned a lot about how to approach life in a much more positive way. You've developed, well, we'll call it an unstoppable mindset. You've developed a mindset that allows you to go through life and do the things that you need to do, and focus on the things that you can, and you leave the rest of it alone. Jeff Brown  53:06 Yeah, yeah, totally, totally. Michael Hingson  53:08 Which which makes a lot of sense. Well, for you, you you talked earlier about the fact that you have dyslexia, and you've been with dyslexia for most of your life, or maybe all of your life. It's interesting. I've talked to so many people who didn't know that they had dyslexia when they were in school and so on, and experienced a lot of the same frustrations and kinds of experiences that that you've experienced. And somewhere along the line, they finally discovered that they they had dyslexia. How did that when you when you finally realized that? What did that do for you? How did how did that really affect you? Jeff Brown  53:52 Well, funny enough, I I can remember a moment where I must have been about eight year old, where a teacher and you know, back in the 70s, teachers weren't as kind, weren't as kind to to schoolchildren as they are now. You know, and and this this teacher singled me out in front of the class and and told me that I was stupid and I wouldn't amount to anything because I kept struggling with this reading and my numbers. And at the time, I I was I was chubby. I had ginger hair, so I didn't have a I didn't have a lot going for us in in the popularity front, and also being you know the the stupid one in the class. So I found it really negative, and I found it really really personal because I didn't realize that I was dyslexic because nobody knew what dyslexia was now, and when I got to my mid 30s, and I went to train to go into the work with the intelligence services and be an image analyst, I had to redo my English and maths all level qualifications that I should have passed at school, but obviously I didn't. I had to do them through the military, and that was when I found out I was dyslexic, and I didn't actually know what dyslexia was until until I made up on it, and then it all made sense. You know why why I'd struggled for so long. I have my own workarounds. I know what my I know what my what my issues are. I mean, now with with with my work, there's so much out there that helps you as a dyslexic. You know, you you have you have spell checker, you have read aloud where you might not be able to see see it. You know, so quite often I'll do a social media post, and I'll I'll get Word document to read it out aloud so I can hear it. But if I if I if I read it back, I can't see the mistakes I've made because my mind doesn't process that. I know when I write a number down, I probably write write it down the wrong way. So if somebody gives me a phone number and I phone it and it's dead, I just change some of the digits around and figure Michael Hingson  55:58 it out. Do you agree? Do you use technology like Dragon, naturally speaking, to dictate? Jeff Brown  56:04 I tend, I tend to. So I started using only in the past six months. I was quite, I was quite sort of against AI, and well, not against it, but everybody was jumping on the chat, ChatGPT bandwagon, and I always tend to do something different than everybody else does. Six months ago, I jumped on a piece of software called Claude, and because I've because I've written five books now, I've written four business books, and I've written a travel book. I also had a lot of content to give to Claude to feed Claude, and then I had transcripts from my YouTube channel, and and then I gave them some do's and don'ts about you know tone of voice and language, and you know I would never say things like this, I would never say things like that. Told them that you know don't be spelling color without a U. Don't put a Z in sympathize because not American English. It's English, English, and the funny thing is, like over the over the past few months, he's he's pretty much replicated my tone of voice, so I can get Claude to write me a social media post, and then I I just tweak it slightly, and I'll make some changes, and then when I've written that social media post, I give it back to Claude and say, can you note? Can you identify the changes that I've made from what you've originally made, Michael Hingson  57:24 right? Jeff Brown  57:25 And take them on board for the next one, and then you give a summary of the changes. And it's yeah, it's it's it's quite impressive. It's quite scary as well because he he says things like, "Am I becoming more Jeff? Yeah, yeah, you are a bit. Michael Hingson  57:42 Well, the other thing is there are programs and technologies, as I mentioned, like Dragon, which is a a technology that you can get where you dictate, and it recognizes your voice, and it will then convert what you say directly into digitized form, which is pretty cool. I use Dragon when I write a fair amount, and and so that that goes back far earlier than AI. Although I'm sure that there are AI, there are AI components to Dragon naturally speaking today. But it's a it's a great program, and it makes writing a lot easier. So rather than typing on a keyboard, I'm speaking, and it is essentially taking what I write, and it just completely digitizes it by recognizing my voice and then putting it out in in in a digital form for me. I can use it with Microsoft Word and other things like that, Jeff Brown  58:41 yeah. And then do then do you listen back to that and then give edits on on what has been on what is being done? Michael Hingson  58:49 Yeah, I can. I just go back and read the word doc, and but it's but it literally is is transcription of what I say, so I can then go back and say, okay, let's fix this, or everything is fine, and I can go even go back and figure out what's misspelled if there are things that it misrecognized. But it works pretty well. Jeff Brown  59:12 Yeah, tech technology is is is fantastic. It's also got it's it's it's I suppose worrying sides for creative people, where there's a lot, a lot of creatives that potentially AI could could really damage their careers going forward. So it's it's interesting to see which direction it's taken. You know, work with it, but then also be aware of it. Michael Hingson  59:40 Yeah. Well, you still need to take control. Jeff Brown  59:43 Yeah, yeah. Michael Hingson  59:45 So, what's the most unusual or interesting country that you've ever visited since you do so much traveling? Jeff Brown  59:52 I've been to North Korea. So, 2019 I went to North Korea for New. New Year's Eve to celebrate New Year in in Pyongyang Square with another 100,000 North Koreans. There was only 12 Western tourists in Pyongyang at the time, and we were there for 10 days. So yes, I've I've done North Korea, which it took a bit getting into getting into North Korea. It's not as easy as just you can't go on and book a holiday. He can't choose a hotel. It all has to be done through a third-party agent, and it took about six months to get the whole thing to together. But it was-it was very interesting. It was a completely different than every anything I'd ever experienced before, and it's also supposed to be one of the safest countries you can travel to because you you're followed by the North Korean secret police everywhere you go, even inside buildings, when you're in restaurants, when you're in bars. That nothing could ever happen to you, but the North Korean people would never dare to come up and speak to you anyway, you know. But the the thing with North Korea is everything is everything is orchestrated. Everything is set for you alive and there in advance, so you only ever see what they want you to see. You never see the other side of North Korea. I've also been to Chernobyl, where the the last was that was absolutely fascinating, and last year I went to Transnistria, which is one of these countries that doesn't exist. It's not officially recognized by by the UN, and that was like stepping back into the 1980s Speaker 1  1:01:38 That was, Jeff Brown  1:01:39 but everywhere I've been, you know, I think that that's t

Od genetike raka do biodiverzitete na poljih: zgodbi raziskovalk, ki ju je nagradil UNESCO 16. novembra leta 1945 so predstavniki 37 držav v Londonu podpisali ustavo Organizacije Združenih narodov za izobraževanje, znanost in kulturo, krajše Unesco. Ustava je v veljavo stopila 4. novembra leta 1946 in tako Unesco letos praznuje svojo 80-letnico. Večina to organizacijo pozna predvsem zaradi varovanja kulturne in naravne dediščine, a to še zdaleč ni vse, kar počne. Ob okroglem jubileju odkrivamo 'primere dobrih praks', ki vam bodo pobliže predstavili obseg delovanja Unesca.Začeli smo marca v Italiji, ko smo pobliže spoznali enega zadnjih vpisov na Unescov seznam nesnovne kulturne dediščine človeštva, italijansko kuhinjo. Aprila smo prisluhnili glasovom, ki jih prepogosto preslišimo – glasovom otrok, ki so v projektu Veter miru razmišljali, risali in prepevali o miru. Od ohranjanja nesnovne kulturne dediščine in izobraževanja o miru, ki sta pomembni nalogi Unesca, gremo danes k spodbujanju znanosti. Unesco to počne na več načinov: s spodbujanjem mednarodnega znanstvenega sodelovanja, podporo raziskavam in inovacijam, posebnimi znanstvenimi programi, pa tudi z različnimi nagradami in priznanji znanstvenikom in znanstvenicam. Andreja Čokl se je pogovarjala z dvema znanstvenicama: prva, dr. Kyriaki Michailidou s Cipra, je lani prejela pomembno mednarodno nagrado UNESCO-Al Fozan za znanstvenike na področjih znanosti, tehnologije, inženirstva in matematike za svoje raziskave na področju genetike raka dojk. Živa Alif, ki pripravlja doktorat s področja varstva narave v kmetijskih ekosistemih, pa je ena od letošnjih prejemnic priznanja nacionalnega programa L’Oréal-UNESCO »Za ženske v znanosti«.

Recorded by Safia Elhillo for Poem-a-Day, a series produced by the Academy of American Poets. Published on May 28, 2026. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.poets.org⁠

Anna Skowrońska z wydawnictwa Muchomor opowiada o książkach „Alif i A. Wędrówki wśród alfabetów” oraz „Mam mały problem, powiedział niedźwiedź”. W drugiej części rozmowy wyjaśnia też, dlaczego ustawa o ochronie rynku książki może być ważna dla wydawców, księgarń i czytelników.

Welcome to the 116th Episode of the ABC Pod the Adult Book Club where we drink and we read things. This episode features Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson. Discussion of the book starts at the 12th minute. Spoilers are between the 42 and 1:18 minute marks. We discuss our dislike of Alif from the start and how he never really redeemed himself. Inspoilers we talk about our villain, magic, and our plan that wasn't much of a plan and how the ending left us feeling. We finish with our usual segments and a dark academia novel for next time. Enjoy!Ubaka U Rwanda - https://www.ubakaurwanda.org/

PART 2I n this episode, we're joined by Dr. Andrew Zhang, and we explore Lumbar Interbody fusion. We discuss indications, relevant anatomy, differences between ALIF, OLIF, XLIF, + much much more.   Dr. Zhang is a board-certified, dual fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon specializing in spine surgery. He has a clinical interest in treating complex spinal deformity in adult and pediatric patients, including scoliosis and kyphosis, as well as robotic surgery, minimally invasive techniques, and the latest technology such as endoscopic spine surgery. His patient-centered approach involves empowering patients by educating them on their individual spinal conditions and developing a specific evidence-based treatment plan together with them as if they were his own family members. Dr. Zhang also has a particular interest in teaching residents and medical students and is actively involved in several research studies. He has been published in numerous peer-reviewed scientific journals and textbooks, and he has presented posters and on podiums at several national and international conferences. Dr. Zhang earned dual undergraduate degrees in biology and economics with highest honors from The George Washington University and obtained his medical degree with distinction in research from the same institution. He completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at Louisiana State University. He then completed an advanced spine fellowship at Brown University, followed by additional spine training at Yale University and the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia and Shreveport. Dr. Zhang completed a second fellowship in advanced adult and pediatric comprehensive spine surgery at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University/Cornell University, training with the world's foremost experts in spine surgery. He served as an Assistant Attending and Postdoctoral Clinical Fellow at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons as well as a Clinical Instructor of Orthopedic Surgery in Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. His higher education culminated in graduating with distinction from the Surgical Leadership Program at Harvard University. Prior to joining Penn Medicine, Dr. Zhang was the Chief of Adult and Pediatric Orthopaedic Spine Surgery, as well as an Assistant Professor and the Associate Program Director to the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Education and training Medical School: George Washington University Residency: Montefiore Medical Center Residency: Louisiana State University Hospital Fellowship: Brown University Fellowship: NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center Fellowship: Harvard University Goal of episode: To develop a baseline knowledge of Lumbar Interbody Fusion In this episode, we cover a wide array of topics including: Lumbar interbody fusion vs posterolateral fusion indications for interbody fusion danger and surgical pearls for ALIF, OLIF, XLIF, PLIF pertininent lumbar spine surgical anatomy 

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Andrew Zhang, and we explore Lumbar Interbody fusion. We discuss indications, relevant anatomy, differences between ALIF, OLIF, XLIF, + much much more.   Dr. Zhang is a board-certified, dual fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon specializing in spine surgery. He has a clinical interest in treating complex spinal deformity in adult and pediatric patients, including scoliosis and kyphosis, as well as robotic surgery, minimally invasive techniques, and the latest technology such as endoscopic spine surgery. His patient-centered approach involves empowering patients by educating them on their individual spinal conditions and developing a specific evidence-based treatment plan together with them as if they were his own family members. Dr. Zhang also has a particular interest in teaching residents and medical students and is actively involved in several research studies. He has been published in numerous peer-reviewed scientific journals and textbooks, and he has presented posters and on podiums at several national and international conferences. Dr. Zhang earned dual undergraduate degrees in biology and economics with highest honors from The George Washington University and obtained his medical degree with distinction in research from the same institution. He completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at Louisiana State University. He then completed an advanced spine fellowship at Brown University, followed by additional spine training at Yale University and the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia and Shreveport. Dr. Zhang completed a second fellowship in advanced adult and pediatric comprehensive spine surgery at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University/Cornell University, training with the world's foremost experts in spine surgery. He served as an Assistant Attending and Postdoctoral Clinical Fellow at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons as well as a Clinical Instructor of Orthopedic Surgery in Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. His higher education culminated in graduating with distinction from the Surgical Leadership Program at Harvard University. Prior to joining Penn Medicine, Dr. Zhang was the Chief of Adult and Pediatric Orthopaedic Spine Surgery, as well as an Assistant Professor and the Associate Program Director to the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Education and training Medical School: George Washington University Residency: Montefiore Medical Center Residency: Louisiana State University Hospital Fellowship: Brown University Fellowship: NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center Fellowship: Harvard University Goal of episode: To develop a baseline knowledge of Lumbar Interbody Fusion In this episode, we cover a wide array of topics including: Lumbar interbody fusion vs posterolateral fusion indications for interbody fusion danger and surgical pearls for ALIF, OLIF, XLIF, PLIF pertininent lumbar spine surgical anatomy 

Send us a textOn this episode of Embedded Insiders, Ken is joined by Alif Semiconductor's founder and president, Reza Kazerounian. The two discuss an ensemble of small-footprint, power-efficient solutions capable of running fast AI. In addition to being secure and integrated, the MCUs and fusion processors leverage hardware acceleration for transformer networks.Next, Ken is back with another episode of ICYMI, featuring the latest news from this week. But first, Ken and I are highlighting some of the top things to see and do for those attending embedded world North America in Anaheim, California, next week. Embedded Computing Design will be attending as a media partner, and we're hosting a ton of activities for attendees that you won't want to miss. For more information, visit embeddedcomputing.com

What happens when a complaint over a scale and polish changes everything? For Alif Moosajee, a GDC investigation became the catalyst that transformed him from a dentist flying under the radar into the owner of Oakdale, one of Leicester's most distinctive private practices. This conversation charts his path from undergraduate struggles with imposter syndrome through the crucible of regulatory scrutiny to building a seven-surgery practice rooted in authentic patient care. Along the way, Alif shares hard-won insights about guided implantology, the perils of well poisoners, and why breaking kayfabe—wrestling's term for dropping the performance—might be the most honest thing you can do for your patients. It's a story about choosing growth over comfort, one calculated risk at a time.In This Episode00:01:00 - The Smiling Dentist origins 00:02:20 - Tony Robbins and the power of physiology 00:15:00 - Undergraduate struggles and fixed mindset 00:16:25 - The GDC complaint that changed everything 00:22:20 - Buying Oakdale practice 00:26:40 - Growing up in Slough and choosing dentistry 00:31:55 - Building the practice vision 00:35:20 - Firing the well poisoner 00:38:30 - Custodian of the vision 00:47:00 - The unmeasurable things that matter most 00:53:30 - Surprise and delight tactics 01:00:25 - Contentment versus ambition 01:06:00 - The Tony Robbins business mastery mistake 01:09:00 - Dark days in practice ownership 01:19:00 - Blackbox thinking 01:24:15 - Switching to fully guided implants 01:28:30 - Fantasy dinner party 01:33:55 - Last days and legacyAbout Alif MoosajeeAlif Moosajee studied dentistry at Birmingham and owns Oakdale Dental in Leicester, a seven-surgery private practice where he focuses on implant dentistry and digital workflows. Known as "The Smiling Dentist" from his book published over a decade ago, Alif has built his practice around immediate implant protocols and fully guided surgery following early clinical challenges that reshaped his approach to risk management.

learn how to write ى (alif layinah)

Sufism is one of the doors to Islam for many in the West and the story of the Sufi mystic poet Jalal Ad-Din Ar-Rumi has captivated people for centuries. Rumi brought Islam to the Greek speaking world of his time and still his poetry reveals the beauty of Islam today across the world. In this episode we learn the history of Rumi with Muhammad Ali Mojaradi aka Sharghzadeh, a Persian translator, Persian language teacher, and founder of Persian Poetics. Listen and learn from the life of the beloved poet Rumi and how his words still stir hearts of Muslims and non-Muslims alike even to this day.Check out the book!“The Flame of Love” Translated by Muhammad Ali Mojaradihttps://www.sharghzadeh.com/the-flame-of-love-bookLearn Persian Poetry with Muhammad Ali Mojaradi at Persian Poeticshttps://www.persianpoetics.com/#muslimpodcast #islamicpodcast #sufism #rumi #islamicpoetry #islamichistoryPomoroi: https://pomoroi.com/ansariMention the podcast for a FREE ConsultationProvision Capital: https://www.provisioncapital.comHabbah: https://www.habbah.ioAyubi CollectiveFREE 10-Part Masterclass “How to Build Your Own Multi-Billion Dollar Business”https://www.ayubi.com/ansariAlif Network: https://Alif.build/network-tapSupport Us On Patreon @ ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcast0:00 The Life Story of Rumi6:00 The Conference of the Birds12:55 Shams, The Mystical Teacher27:05 The Jurists Teach Law, Not Love32:37 Teachings and Death of Shams36:48 Why the Poems about Shams?45:56 Why Was Rumi so Beloved by People?59:38 Sufi Orders, Cults, or Hippie Islam?1:09:35 Rumi's Poetry and Fame1:13:37 Sharghzadeh's Personal Journey1:24:05 A Final PoemListen on All Audio Platforms: https://tr.ee/JeX-ILYSyjFollow The Ansari PodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/ansaripodcastTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@theansaripodcastTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/ansaripodcast

In this episode Dr. Stef Keris explains why European History is impossible without Islam. From the first Muslims to enter Europe, trade with the Vikings, to the conversion of the Bosnians as an entire people to Islam, you cannot have Europe without Muslims. Not even the Renaissance could have happened if it was not for the preservation of ancient texts by the European Muslims. It is not a contradiction to be European and Muslim … Dr. Stef Keris is proof as Greek historian who converted to Islam.Dr. Stef Keris BA, MA, PHD - Historian & Authorhttps://www.skool.com/world-of-islamic-humanities#muslimpodcast #islamicpodcast #islamichistory #europeanhistory #islamineurope #convertstoryPomoroi: https://pomoroi.com/ansariMention the podcast for a FREE ConsultationProvision Capital: https://www.provisioncapital.comHabbah: https://www.habbah.ioHumaniti: https://donor.muslimi.com/page/Humaniti-emergency-AnsariAlif Network: https://Alif.build/network-tapSupport Us On Patreon @ ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcast00:00 Converting To Islam From European History??04:49 How Islam Entered Europe11:10 How Muslims Made the Renaissance14:17 Muslim Religious Freedom24:56 How Islam Entered the Balkans32:29 The Printing Press and the Ottomans38:38 Why Didn't Muslims Force Conversions?48:23 The Vikings and The Muslims56:30 The Tartars1:03:28 The Rise of the Nation States in EuropeListen on All Audio Platforms: https://tr.ee/JeX-ILYSyjFollow The Ansari PodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/ansaripodcastTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@theansaripodcastTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/ansaripodcast

Thinking Muslim & Ansari Podcast COLLAB! Muhammad Jalal, host of the The Thinking Muslim, visits from across the pond to break the stereotypes that American Muslims have about their British counterparts. Mohammad Jalal opens up about the origin story of The Thinking Muslim, the death of his beloved son, the most impactful guests on the thinking muslim. And both analyze american and european muslim strategy for living and politics. Who was right? The repression of french muslims, the global muslim strategy. The civilizational spark needed to bring back the muslim ummah. And the great potential for Muslim power. This episode is a call for a unification of the Muslims of the West to use their privilege to help those who cannot change their own conditions.#muslimpodcast #islamicpodcast #politics #muslimummah *Pomoroi:* https://pomoroi.com/ansariMention the podcast for a FREE Consultation*Provision Capital:* https://www.provisioncapital.com*Habbah:* https://www.habbah.io*Humaniti:* https://wearehumaniti.org*Alif Network:* https://Alif.build/network-tap*Support Us On Patreon @* ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcast00:00 Origin Story of Thinking Muslim Podcast15:48 The Most Impactful Guests25:04 American & European Muslim Culture Strategy30:41 The Repression of French Muslims39:43 American Muslim vs UK Muslim Culture55:20 The Global Muslim Strategy1:00:22 The Muslim Potential for Power1:14:54 Political Organizer, Not Podcaster1:24:37 Losing Loved Ones *Listen on All Audio Platforms:* https://tr.ee/JeX-ILYSyj*Follow The Ansari Podcast**Instagram:* https://instagram.com/ansaripodcast*TikTok:* https://tiktok.com/@theansaripodcast*Twitter/X:* https://twitter.com/ansaripodcast

What did Ibn Al-Arabi mean by Oneness of Being? How should we interpret our dreams? Did Prophet Idris (peace be upon him) order the building of the pyramids? Dr. Ali Hussain, resident scholar at the Cave Labs: History and Metaphysics of Sound and Music and founder of Adhwaq Center, an oud musician, creative mentor, and educator on the sacred dimensions of the creative process. Check out this episode where we dive into the mind of Ibn Al-Arabi and discuss some of his most mystical teachings about reality.You can connect with Dr. Ali Hussain on Instagram @ali_z_hussainWebsite: https://www.alizhussain.org/Dr. Ali Hussain's Books“A Nostalgic Remembrance: Sufism and the Breath of Creativity”“The Art of Ibn al-Arabi”“IstimĀ': The Sound Way & Listening for God”#muslimpodcast #islamicpodcast #sufism #spirituality #mysticismPomoroi: https://pomoroi.com/ansariMention the podcast for a FREE ConsultationProvision Capital: https://www.provisioncapital.comHabbah: https://www.habbah.ioHumaniti: https://wearehumaniti.orgAlif Network: https://Alif.build/network-tapSupport Us On Patreon @ ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcast00:00 The Oneness of Being17:56 Imaginal Realm: Spirits, Jinn & Ghosts34:24 Importance of Dreams In Islam55:20 Are Mythical Creatures Real?1:02:04 Prophet Idris Built the Pyramids? Plato.1:09:31 Relevance of the Imaginal Realm Today1:15:52 Quranic Stories Through The Imaginal Realm1:21:16 Understanding Ai spiritually 1:32:45 Forgive Yourself-Have Spiritual Awakenings1:41:14 What Would You Ask Ibn Al-Arabi?Listen on All Audio Platforms: https://tr.ee/JeX-ILYSyjFollow The Ansari PodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/ansaripodcastTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@theansaripodcastTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/ansaripodcast

In this episode of the Ansari Podcast, Sheikh Suhaib Webb shares his personal journey converting to Islam. Can weed lead people to Islam? Sheikh was a blood member and a rapper - now he's one of the top Muslim scholars in America, how did get there? Tackling spiritual Loneliness, the importance of community support, father Figures and how converts should deal with their family's opposition to their conversion to islam.#muslim #convertstory #muslimpodcast #islamicpodcast *Support US @* ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcast*Pomoroi:* https://pomoroi.com/ansariMention the podcast for a FREE Consultation*Human Appeal* DONATE at: https://give.humanappealusa.org/ansaripodcast*Alif Network:* https://Alif.build/network-tap*Listen on All Audio Platforms:* https://tr.ee/JeX-ILYSyj*Follow The Ansari Podcast**Instagram:* https://instagram.com/ansaripodcast*TikTok:* https://tiktok.com/@theansaripodcast*Twitter/X:* https://twitter.com/ansaripodcast*Chapters:*00:00 The Transgender Question03:57 Weed Leads People to Islam?08:56 Converting to Islam 24:12 Dealing with Desires30:50 Spiritual Loneliness40:00 No Father Figure in Your Life45:00 Holidays as a convert 59:30 a dead religious heart 1:03:00 Naruto, Ai and the Dajjal

In this episode, we are joined by Brother Mohammed Faris, author of 'The Barakah Effect' and 'The Productive Muslim,' as well as the founder of The Productive Muslim Company. Mohammed Faris coaches individuals of any faith background through a faith-based productivity mindset known as the Barakah Effect. Mohammed explains the concept of Barakah, how it manifests in our lives and how a faith-driven approach to productivity can lead to a more fulfilled and balanced life. From discussions on embracing the Abundance Mindset versus the Scarcity Mindset, to the importance of intention setting and the challenges of overcoming hustle culture, this episode is packed with insightful reflections and practical advice for anyone looking to integrate a more meaningful and spiritually aligned productivity system in their personal and professional lives.Pomoroi: https://pomoroi.com/ansariMention the podcast for a FREE ConsultationMuslim Professionals: https://www.muslimprofessionals.us/Human AppealDONATE at: https://give.humanappealusa.org/ansaripodcastAlif Network: https://Alif.build/network-tapSupport US @ ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcastListen on All Audio Platforms: https://tr.ee/JeX-ILYSyjFollow The Ansari PodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/ansaripodcastTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@theansaripodcastTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/ansaripodcastChapters:00:00 The Barakah of Al Bayk Chicken04:11 What if You Don't Feel the Barakah?10:55 What is Barakah?20:32 Abundance vs. Scarcity Mindset34:38 Escape The Golden Handcuffs of Consumerism37:48 Finding Purpose, Passion, and Meaning through Barakah44:46 Creating a High Form Intention49:22 Relationship with Your Schedule55:14 Choosing a Spouse with a Barakah Mindset57:05 Can Non-Muslims Experience Barakah?59:35 Embracing Death and Its Liberating Effects01:06:14 Practical Steps for a Barakah-Filled Day01:13:56 Quickfire Questions and Final Thoughts

Osama from Center DC discusses a study his team conducted to address the systemic issues preventing marriages in the Muslim community. Osama and Ansari talk about the cultural, social, and economic challenges men and women face in the marriage market, and what solutions there are. Plus, hear Osama's experience of creating an animated project that tackles social justice and gender challenges, reflecting the diverse and dynamic experiences of American #relationship #marriage #love #lonely #single Muslims.*Muslim Professionals:* https://www.muslimprofessionals.us/*Pomoroi:* https://pomoroi.com/ansari_Mention the podcast for a FREE Consultation_*Human Appeal*_DONATE at:_ https://give.humanappealusa.org/ansaripodcast*Alif Network:* https://Alif.build/network-tap*Support US @* ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcast*Listen on All Audio Platforms:* https://tr.ee/JeX-ILYSyj*Follow The Ansari Podcast**Instagram:* https://instagram.com/ansaripodcast*TikTok:* https://tiktok.com/@theansaripodcast*Twitter/X:* https://twitter.com/ansaripodcast*Chapters:*00:00 The Muslim Marriage Crisis10:43 Muslim Women20:31 Muslim Men24:12 Delusional syndrome35:47 Should you invest in your spouse?42:45 Red flags & Green Flags53:42 Muslim Animation01:05:53 Supporting Muslim artists01:15:21 Investing in Local Communities vs Abroad01:18:10 Creative Projects

Georgetown PhD candidate Saad Yacoob is back! What is needed to build a Muslim Empire? What is the formula to create a civilizational project? The simple answer is, we have to dream. Each Muslim has to imagine being apart of a larger civilizational project. Imagination, ideals, culture, education, money, and military power impact the vision for a future Muslim world. Here's how and why.*Muslim Professionals:* https://www.muslimprofessionals.us/*Pomoroi:* https://pomoroi.com/ansariMention the podcast for a FREE Consultation*Human Appeal*DONATE at: https://give.humanappealusa.org/ansaripodcast*Alif Network:* https://Alif.build/network-tap*Support US @* ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcast*Listen on All Audio Platforms:** https://tr.ee/JeX-ILYSyj*Follow The Ansari Podcast**Instagram:* https://instagram.com/ansaripodcast*TikTok:* https://tiktok.com/@theansaripodcast*Twitter/X:* https://twitter.com/ansaripodcast00:00 You Must Imagine & Dream 08:00 Find your ideal then protect it with your life19:41 Aim for Power: Education, Economics, Art, and Defense33:52 Your Individual Purpose 44:47 The Role of the Self49:42 Magic and “Self-Love”52:50 Concluding Thoughts

Is music actually haram? Are drawing eyes prohibited? Is art haram? Sheikh Ammar Al Shukry from Al Maghrib Institute talks about Islamic art, music & creativity in our modern world. He talks about how the Muslim community needs creative trailblazers: storytellers, actors, and even media editors, to convey Islamic values to the masses. He also touches on the challenges and controversies creative mediums such as music, and how they can be addressed. Stay tuned to hear about the new “Nasheedical” possibly coming to a live theatre near you produced by Al Maghrib Institute and Muslimi Studios. #muslimpodcast *Muslim Professionals:* https://www.muslimprofessionals.us/*Pomoroi:* https://pomoroi.com/ansari_Mention the podcast for a FREE Consultation_*Human Appeal*_DONATE at:_ https://give.humanappealusa.org/ansaripodcast*Alif Network:* https://Alif.build/network-tap*Support US @* ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcastChapters:00:00 The Power of Stories 09:28 Boundaries of Islamic Art14:46 Did Muslims Lose Their Creativity?29:07 Is Music Haram?35:55 Sports and Muslim Priorities44:35 Sh. Ammar Al Shukry Performs Some Poetry

Looking back at the 2010s, it's easy to get caught up in the hype of popular fantasy novels like A Song of Ice and Fire and The Kingkiller Chronicle. But what about the hidden gems that flew under the radar? In this episode, Jim is revealing the most underrated fantasy & science fiction novels from each year of the 2010s, great books you probably missed. From debut authors to lesser-known series, we're diving into the worlds of sci-fi and fantasy to uncover some of the best books you didn't read. Whether you're a seasoned genre reader or just looking for something new, this episode is for you. So sit back, relax, and get ready to add some amazing books to your to-read list!#FantasyForTheAges #SFF #SciFi #ScienceFiction #Fantasy #UnderratedBooks #FantasyFiction #BookRecommendations #TBR #HiddenGems #booktube #booktuberWant to purchase books/media mentioned in this episode?Alif the Unseen: https://t.ly/OEsToAutonomous: https://t.ly/T4RnxThe Bards of Bone Plain: https://t.ly/mUtZ0Beasts Made of Night: https://t.ly/Qbr_0The Burning Dark: https://t.ly/vhgrfDead Astronauts: https://t.ly/Lf0xwEchopraxia: https://t.ly/GHNOcA Face Like Glass: https://t.ly/ngd1DThe Fishermen: https://t.ly/3jXkgFoe: https://t.ly/GfTYFThe Girl in the Road: https://t.ly/cY6DgHome Fires: https://t.ly/uZJFFKingfisher: https://t.ly/aR4P2Monstress: https://t.ly/Zw6fBNeptune's Brood: https://t.ly/WnzllThe Old Lie: https://t.ly/sc8hUParasite: https://t.ly/jQ_HdPerihelion Summer: https://t.ly/s2KGGPym: A Novel: https://t.ly/UmWkIThe Quantum Thief: https://t.ly/FZ-ymRosewater: https://t.ly/lLzUhS.: https://t.ly/zEKdeSemiosis: https://t.ly/29ZJYSeverance: https://t.ly/zWiiJSong of Scarabaeus: https://t.ly/XFnIhTerra Nullius: https://t.ly/nR6s5Too Like the Lightning: https://t.ly/Nw9JGThe Vorrh: https://t.ly/3oANdVortex: https://t.ly/DaXT3The Water Knife: https://t.ly/qgln3Ways to connect with us:Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FantasyForTheAges Follow Jim/Father on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13848336-jim-scriven Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/jMWyVJ6qKk Follow us on "X": @Fantasy4theAges Follow us on Blue Sky: @fantasy4theages.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram: fantasy_for_the_ages Follow us on Mastodon: @FantasyForTheAges@nerdculture.de Email us: FantasyForTheAges@gmail.com Check out our merch: https://www.newcreationsbyjen.com/collections/fantasyfortheagesJim's Microphone: Blue Yeti https://tinyurl.com/3shpvhb4 ————————————————————————————Music and video elements licensed under Envato Elements:https://elements.envato.com/

Ousama Al Shurafa, the founder of Muslim Hub Club and author of the Afterlife Manual, shares rich philosophical reflections on Who God is and how he operates in this world. The perception of reality, the concept of time. The role of drugs and psychedelics in our reality and the test of God and how to overcome addictions. Also, why do we pray? This episode provides a transformative perspective on seeing beyond the veils of worldly phenomena to grasp the essence of divine consciousness.Muslim Professionals: ⁠https://www.muslimprofessionals.us/⁠Pomoroi: ⁠https://pomoroi.com/ansari⁠Mention the podcast for a FREE ConsultationHuman AppealDONATE at: ⁠https://give.humanappealusa.org/ansaripodcast⁠Alif Network: ⁠https://Alif.build/network-tap⁠Support US @ ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcastChapters00:00 Who is God?06:43 Reality is not how it appears18:40 How to Balance Both Worlds 24:24 The Soul is the only reality31:14 The Past & Future Don't exist41:11 Psychedelics and Weed49:37 The Solution to Addictions53:22 Why do we Pray?01:00:17 Differences Between Scholars vs Da'is01:06:15 Your Personal Identity and Sins#muslimpodcast #islamicpodcast #spirituality #dimensions #philosophy #God

Grave Digger Ahmad Hraichie, aka The Muslim Undertaker, talks about death meditation, how it gets you closer to Allah and makes you a better Muslim. His personal journey burying other Muslims of all ages and backgrounds. How he maintains a soft heart despite being surrounded by death. Brother Ahmad shares profound insights on the temporary nature of this world, the significance of remembering death, and how it impacts one's worship and love for life. This episode sheds light on the spiritual, emotional, and physical dimensions of death.*Muslim Professionals:* https://www.muslimprofessionals.us/*Pomoroi:* https://pomoroi.com/ansari_Mention the podcast for a FREE Consultation_*Human Appeal*_DONATE at:_ https://give.humanappealusa.org/ansaripodcast*Alif Network:* https://Alif.build/network-TAP*Support Us @* ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcast00:00 Intro03:00 Prophet PBUH on Death Meditation07:35 A Powerful Muslim Grave Digger Experience13:37 Death Gets You Close to Allah18:00 Death Inspired European Renaissance24:03 Stories from the Graveyard35:23 Why People Fear Death40:01 Workout Routine and Fitness Philosophy49:05 Bodybuilding Lessons and Masculinity54:09 Advice for the Younger Generation56:04 Speed Round Questions#muslimpodcast #death #spiritualawakening

Join us for an interview with Sheikh Abdullah Oduro, Yaqeen Scholar, founder and head coach of Masterman and Ahmed Lazzouni aka Modern Muslim Man, a top fitness expert as they discuss what a young Muslim needs to know to become a true man and find an honorable wife. In this episode, they explore masculinity, personal growth, faith, fitness, the vital role of meaningful relationships and family dynamics. Dive into a conversation that intertwines the principles of Islam with practical advice on self-improvement and achieving excellence in every aspect of life.Muslim Professionals: https://www.muslimprofessionals.us/Pomoroi: https://pomoroi.com/ansariMention the podcast for a FREE ConsultationHuman Appeal DONATE at: https://give.humanappealusa.org/ansaripodcastAlif Network: https://Alif.build/network-tapSupport US @ ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcastChapters:00:00 Introduction03:29 Testosterone, and Struggles Stages in Men's Lives06:56 What Age is Your Prime?14:14 Dealing with Highs and Lows for Long Term Goals17:11 Maintaining Fitness while Building a Business22:46 The Struggle with Loneliness26:29 Shaytani Thoughts Holding You Back29:19 The Fitnah of Little Debbie and Other Snacks34:19 How to be Comfortable in Your Own Skin38:53 Overcoming Video Game Addiction41:15 What is Masculinity?43:38 Gender Roles in Marriage57:57 Advice for Your Twenties01:01:52 What Kind of Man Women Want01:12:53 Choosing the Right Partner01:20:48 What Men and Women Bring to Marriage01:31:47 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Edge AI is evolving fast - but how do we accelerate the path from development to deployment, and get real products into users' hands sooner? Welcome to the Edge of Tomorrow - The Edge AI Debate, our brand new spin off series on The IoT Podcast in collaboration with the ‪ @edgeaifoundation  bringing together the leading minds in Edge AI for debates and discussions on the biggest challenges, opportunities, and emerging trends shaping the future of Edge AI. In this episode, host Pete Bernard (CEO, EDGE AI FOUNDATION) sits down with Rajesh Subramaniam (Founder & CEO at EmbedUR Systems) and Reza Kazerounian (Founder & President at Alif Semiconductor) to tackle one of the most pressing questions in the space:How do we accelerate getting Edge AI products to users - and close the gap between innovation and deployment? From chip design to software pipelines, product cycles to killer apps, this episode dives deep into the real-world friction between building cutting-edge Edge AI and actually commercialising it. Expect thoughts on...

In this episode of the Ansari podcast, Mohamed Gula, a political strategist, national organizing director at Emgage, and co-founder of the Virginia Muslim Chamber of Commerce, joins the discussion. They talk about Emgage's endorsement of Kamala Harris, Muslim politicians, Muslims influence in national elections and the challenges and strategies for Muslim political engagement in America. Tune in for an insightful and thought-provoking conversation about the state of Muslim politics in the United States.#muslim #podcast #politics *Muslim Professionals:* https://www.muslimprofessionals.us/*Pomoroi:* https://pomoroi.com/ansari_Mention the podcast for a FREE Consultation_*Human Appeal*_DONATE at:_ https://give.humanappealusa.org/ansaripodcast*Alif Network:* https://Alif.build/network-tap*Support US @* ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcast00:00 Muslim Running for New York Mayor07:13 Endorsing Kamala Harris10:06 America First Movement 15:42 Disagreements with Sami Hamdi29:37 Muhamed's Personal Journey into Politics36:09 The Impact of Muslim Voters40:11 How to Interact with Politicians46:47 EPIC City51:56 Muslim Political Wins, Abandon Biden, Uncommitted56:56 Disagreement with Butch Ware Campaign Strategy01:05:28 The Muslim Community is Out-Organized, Not Outnumbered

On this episode, we dives into a fascinating new study straight from the Global Spine Journal, taking a close look at the neurological complications that can arise after an anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF)—a spinal surgery that's exploding in popularity, with a staggering 600% increase in procedures between 2000 and 2019.We'll break down what every chiropractor should know about ALIFs: from the most common neurological risks to how these complications can impact post-surgical care and patient outcomes. You'll hear practical tips on how to have confident, informed conversations with patients considering spinal surgery, and how chiropractors can play a vital role both before and after these procedures.Episode Notes: Neurological Complications Following Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF): A Systematic ReviewLeander Tables- Save $1,000 on the Series 950 Table using the code EBC2025 — their most advanced flexion-distraction tableTurncloud EHR- Minimalist design, without being sparse. Practical, yet elegant. Turncloud's design was to find the most efficient path in a day in the life of a chiropractic office. Connect with their team at www.turncloud.com Patient Pilot by The Smart Chiropractor is the fastest, easiest to generate weekly patient reactivations on autopilot…without spending any money on advertising. Click here to schedule a call with our team.Our members use research to GROW their practice. Are you interested in increasing your referrals? Discover the best chiropractic marketing you aren't currently using right here!

Saad Yaqoub explains everything they never tell you about the spiritual experience. There are misconceptions and myths that Muslims tell themselves about "The Islamic Experience". Saad Yacoob shares his personal Islam transformation story in Mecca that saved his life and grew a passion in him for the love of Allah. How depression and difficulty propel you to become who you need to become. How Allah makes you come face to face with your self and who you really are. He also discusses how many Muslims don't understand how their emotions work and the “uncivilized” behavior of Muslims during and outside of Umrah. If you are feeling distant from Allah SWT then this episode is for you. *Muslim Professionals:* https://www.muslimprofessionals.us/*Pomoroi:* https://pomoroi.com/ansari_Mention the podcast for a FREE Consultation_*Human Appeal*_DONATE at:_ https://give.humanappealusa.org/ansaripodcast*Alif Network:* https://Alif.build/network-tap*Support US @* ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcast*Chapters:*00:00 Spiritual Crisis06:23 Finding Purpose 16:46 1 of the Great Secrets of life23:04 Is the Muslim World Uncivilized?#muslim #podcast #sad #purpose #islamicreminder

Professor Khaled Beydoun, an associate professor of law at Arizona State University and author of the critically acclaimed book 'American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear.' Professor Beydoun discusses the role of social media in shaping public opinion, Palestine, the condition of Uyghurs in China, and the global war on Muslims. Tune in for an insightful discussion on global politics and activism.*Muslim Professionals:* https://www.muslimprofessionals.us/*Pomoroi:* https://pomoroi.com/ansari_Mention the podcast for a FREE Consultation_*Human Appeal*_DONATE at:_ https://give.humanappealusa.org/ansaripodcast*Alif Network:* https://Alif.build/network-TAP*Support US @* ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcast*Chapters*00:00 Intro02:43 Social Media 04:45 Uyghurs in China10:03 Israel-Palestine14:31 Trump & Muslim Countries21:45 Mainstream Media24:58 American Muslim Politics 35:43 The Global War on Islam37:40 Final Thoughts

Omar Waseem, the founder of Alif, a Venture Capitalist firm that supports Muslim businesses and startups. He shares his extraordinary journey from his first business at 12 years of age to becoming a prominent figure in the venture capital world and silicon valley by 21. Omar talks about building Alif, how to build a company, navigating the pitfalls of startup life, the importance of intentionality and ethics in business, and how Islam has been a guiding force in his entrepreneurial endeavors. Join us for an inspiring discussion on ambition, resilience, and the drive to create meaningful change for the Ummah.#business #podcast #muslim *Pomoroi:* https://pomoroi.com/ansari_Mention the podcast for a FREE Consultation_*Human Appeal*_DONATE at:_ https://give.humanappealusa.org/ansaripodcast*Alif Network:* https://www.Alif.build/network-tap*Boycat app:* https://www.boycat.io/_Business Code:_ ANSARI10*Support US @* ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcast*Chapters:*00:00 Intro05:43 The Drive Behind Building Companies13:11 A Turning Point: The Car Accident24:01 Common Startup Mistakes28:49 Building Alif31:00 The Doctor Disease41:59 The Power of Tech in Politics45:34 The Work Ethic Needed51:28 Dealing with Burnout53:31 Guilty Pleasures & Hollywood Parties58:32 Muslim Billionaire Role Models01:00:09 Fun Questions01:07:25 Final Thoughts

Dr. Omar Suleiman shares his incredible journey from skepticism to faith, the early days of his da'wah work, and his passion for helping those in pain. He speaks out and advocates for prisoners, the power of social media in da'wah, and the role of art and culture in reviving the Muslim ummah. Don't miss this inspiring discussion that bridges personal stories with larger socio-political issues affecting Muslims today.#omarsuleiman #podcast *Muslim Professionals:* https://www.muslimprofessionals.us/*Pomoroi:* https://pomoroi.com/ansari_Mention the podcast for a FREE Consultation_*Human Appeal*_DONATE at:_ https://give.humanappealusa.org/ansaripodcast*Alif Network:* https://www.Alif.build/network-TAP*Boycat App:* https://www.boycat.io/_Business Code:_ ANSARI10*Support US @* ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ansaripodcast*Chapters:*00:00 Dr. Omar's Life Journey04:40 Discovering Youtube09:13 Dr. Omar's Vision/Life in Fame15:06 Reviving Muslim Civilization18:02 The Role of Art in Cultural Renaissance21:33 Choosing the Ramadan Series23:58 Political Engagement and Community Responsibility27:56 Challenges of Muslim Entrepreneurs and Artists53:35 Dreams of Companions01:00:57 Final Reflections and Personal Insights

Alif denkt dat haar mysterieuze buurvrouw een ninja is! Met haar vrienden volgt ze de buurvrouw door de nacht. Vol actie, spanning en verrassingen. Niets is wat het lijkt. Uitgegeven door ROSE stories Spreker: Najiba Abdellaoui

Tajweed Tuesday – The Hidden Sound of Ikhfa!Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh!Welcome back to Be Quranic—it's Tajweed Tuesday! This week, we're diving into Ikhfa, one of the biggest Tajweed rules. We'll also break down the ayat of the week, which is Surah Ar-Rahman, verses 46 to 55. If you missed the recitation, check out Sunday's post!Quick Recap of Past LessonsBefore we get into this week's new rule, let's go over what we've learned so far:• Tajweed is about perfecting our recitation by understanding letter rules and stopping points.• Types of errors:• Major (Lahan Jali) – changes meaning (serious issue!).• Minor (Lahan Khafi) – affects beauty but not meaning.• Mad Asli (natural elongation) – Stretching vowels correctly (Alif, Waw, Ya).• Wajibul Ghunnah – The nasal sound in Nun and Mim Shaddah.• Nun Sakin & Tanwin rules:• Idhar (clear pronunciation) – When Nun meets throat letters.• Idgham (full merging) – When Nun disappears into Yarmaloon letters.• Iqlab (switching sound to Meem) – When Nun Sakin meets Ba.New This Week: Ikhfa – The Half-MergerThis week, we focus on Ikhfa, which literally means “hiding.” It happens when a Nun Sakin or Tanwin meets one of 14 specific letters (not Idgham, not Iqlab, not Idhar).How do you read Ikhfa? Instead of a full merger (where the Nun disappears), you blend the Nun sound into the next letter while shaping your mouth for that letter.Example:• Ikhfa with Fa → Nuhasuffala (your mouth is shaped for “Fa,” but the Nun sound is still present).• Ikhfa with Ta → Tantasiran (your tongue is positioned for “Ta,” but the Nun sound is hidden).• Ikhfa with Sheen → In sha Allah (the Nun sound is softly blended).It's not a full Idgham (merger), but not a clear Idhar either—it's the in-between!Tajweed Breakdown of the AyatAs we recited Surah Ar-Rahman (46–55), we spotted:✅ Ikhfa in action – Nun Sakin blending into letters like Fa, Kaf, Zay, Ta, Sheen.✅ Idhar (clear pronunciation) – When Nun meets a throat letter (e.g., Min Istabraq).✅ Madd rules – Stretching for four harakats where marked.✅ Iqlaab – Small Meem above a Nun Sakin, meaning it turns into a Meem sound.✅ Qalqalah (bouncy letters) – The usual suspects: ق ط ب ج د.Final Thoughts & What's Next?We've now covered all four of the Nun Sakin & Tanwin rules!

Mawlaya Seydi Mouhamed ElCheikh

learn how to write ا (alif)

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.Welcome to BeQuranic!Today is Tuesday, the 26th of Shaaban, 1446 Hijrah—which means Ramadan is just a few days away! SubhanAllah, we are so close to the blessed month, the month of the Qur'an.And since it's Tajweed Tuesday, let's make the most of these last few days by working on beautifying our Qur'anic recitation. After all, what better way to prepare for Ramadan than by improving the way we connect with the words of Allah?Before we dive into today's lesson, let's do a quick recap of what we've covered so far.Over the past few weeks, we've explored:✅ The meaning of Tajweed – which is all about enhancing our recitation by following the rules of pronunciation, knowing how letters interact with each other, and understanding when to stop and when to continue.✅ Major and minor mistakes in Tajweed – Some mistakes, like switching letters or changing vowels, can actually alter the meaning of the ayah, and we absolutely need to avoid them. Other mistakes, like slight mispronunciations, don't change the meaning, but they still affect the beauty of our recitation.✅ Mad Asli (the foundational elongation) – Remember the golden rule? “Nuhiha” – three letters:• Alif after a Fathah• Waw after a Dhammah• Ya after a KasrahAnd we hold them for two harakat. Simple, right? But crucial, because missing it completely changes the meaning. Like how:

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh!Welcome back to BeQuranic!Alhamdulillah, today is Tuesday, the 12th of Shaaban. Shaaban is a special month, one that Rasulullah ﷺ would fast in more than any other month outside of Ramadan. Why? Because this is the month when our deeds are lifted and presented to Allah annually.We already have our daily presentation of deeds that happens after Fajr and after Asr, which is why Rasulullah ﷺ would dedicate those times for Qur'an recitation and dhikr. Then we have the weekly presentation on Mondays and Thursdays, which is why we are encouraged to fast on those days. Rasulullah ﷺ loved for his deeds to be lifted while he was in the state of worship.And then there's the annual presentation that happens in Shaaban. Saidatuna Aishah رضي الله عنها mentioned that Rasulullah ﷺ fasted the most in Shaaban, apart from Ramadan. And when asked why, he said, “I love for my deeds to be lifted while I am fasting.”Powering Up Our Intentions!Tomorrow is the 13th of Shaaban, which means we are entering the White Days—the 13th, 14th, and 15th of every lunar month, known as Ayyamul Beed (the White Days), because the nights are bright with the full moon.These days are Sunnah to fast in every month except Ramadan, as it is obligatory to fast the whole month. And here's the beautiful thing—you can combine multiple intentions when fasting these days!✅ For Wednesday: Intend to fast for Shaaban and the White Days—you get double the reward.✅ For Thursday: Intend to fast for Shaaban, the White Days, and the Sunnah fast of Thursday—that's triple the reward for one single fast!This is how we multiply our rewards with just one act of worship!Tajweed Tuesday: Let's Get into It!Since today is Tuesday, that means it's Tajweed Tuesday—the day we break down the rules of Qur'anic recitation so we can beautify and perfect our reading.Let's start with the basics of Tajweed before we dive into our practical session with Surah Ar-Rahman.What is Tajweed?The word Tajweed literally means “to beautify”. In the context of Qur'anic recitation, it means:

Should young people be talking about - and planning for - their deaths? Synopsis: The Usual Place host Natasha Ann Zachariah hunts for new perspectives on issues that matter to young people. In this episode of The Usual Place, three millennials under 35 get candid about mortality and what changed their perspectives on death.Ho Hui Sze, 30, a counselling psychologist and host of Being With Grief podcast, G. Kethlyn Gayatiri, 32, a freelance educator, and Muhammad Alif, 28, a financial advisor and content creator, are no strangers to talking about death. They feature on Let's Talk About Death - a five-episode docuseries by The Straits Times, which premiered on Oct 23, 2024. From choosing a casket to protecting their passwords for their online accounts, each of them explores different aspects of end-of-life planning and dying well.Kethlyn is filmed in Episode 2 with her mother, Irene Koh, while Alif appears with his wife Liyana (@financewithliyandlif), in Episode 4. As for Hui Sze(@beingwith.grief), she chooses to memorialise her own bedroom in Episode 5. Natasha wants to find out how discussing death can be liberating, the misconceptions that often come up when planning for death, and how thinking about dying has made them live life differently. Highlights (click/tap above): 1:36 What made these millennials change their perspective of death?6:16 Hui Sze talks about the pain of death and the gifts of grief17:19 What if I die first? Kethlyn recounts talking to her mother 23:12 Alif gets emotional when creating his will - his “last love letter”31:25 A ‘Dabao Kit' and and Death Cafes to talk about death39:32 How has talking about death made them live life differently?Follow Natasha on her IG account and DM her your thoughts on this topic: https://str.sg/8WavHost: Natasha Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg)Read Natasha's articles: https://str.sg/iSXmFollow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN Filmed by: Studio+65 Edited by ST Podcast producers: Eden Soh & Teo Tong Kai Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong Follow The Usual Place Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops: Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P YouTube: https://str.sg/wEr7u Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa --- Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX #tup #tuptrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(00:00) Negation Forms: Different forms and usage of negation in Arabic. (Nafi ke Sighay)(10:10) Vowels (Waaw, Alif, Yaa (Huroof-e-Illat), Hamzah, Ek Jaise Do Haroof)(20:09) Relative Pronouns: Usage and forms of pronouns that connect clauses. (Asma-e-Mawsoolat)(26:06) Ism-e-Mubaligha: The noun of exaggeration. (Ism-e-Mubaligha) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is full of crunchy chicken ASMR. This isn't your typical fried chicken fare - it's even more finger-lickin' good, found in the heart of West Philly. We've got an exciting lineup of Best Bites, and a ton of events and pop-ups to fill your calendar. (00:00) Dave took a trip to the Fancy Food Expo, and Philly was well represented! (04:59) White meat, dark meat or vegan meat? (06:46) Mabruka Kane joins us in studio. She and her sister Hayat Ali serve up Ethiopian-inspired fried chicken at Doro Bet in Philly. Not only does it have that perfect crunch, it's gluten free, too. She tells us the secret ingredient in this heavenly chicken coating (12:35) Mabruka tells us about her journey from growing up in Ethiopia to meeting her husband while working in hospitality, and later opening three restaurants in three years here in Philadelphia, starting in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. She tells us about how opening the first spot, Alif, was a family affair, and led the way for Salam Cafe and Doro Bet (38:18) In It to Win It: We're giving away $100 to dine at Morea, thanks to Center City SIPS! (42:17) Save the date: we're talking about ‘The Bear' on the podcast later this month, so send us your thoughts and questions about the show (and how it relates to real kitchens) on Instagram: @deliciouscitypodcast (48:15) Best Bites include the Bolo anniversary dinner, a tribute to Le Bec Fin, hot and cold crab, and rooftop oysters for a good cause (57:07) There's a ton of foodie events to satisfy your summer appetite. We'll celebrate Christmas in July, Bastille Day, and Mebruka tells us about a pop-up happening at Doro Bet… and much more! And of course, we could not do this without our amazing partners who are as passionate about food and drink as we are: For the most tasty, healthy, and satisfying salads and noodle dishes in Philly, click here to order Honeygrow If your restaurant or company wants to be in the headlines for all the right reasons, click here to discover how Peter Breslow Consulting and PR can take your business to the next level Social media and digital content are two of the most important things you can create for your brand. Check out Breakdown Media, a one stop shop for all of your marketing needs. Connect with us on Instagram and, of course, share your eating adventures with us, as well as tag us in your posts so we can talk about them on air!

1. Synthetic cage vs. allo/autograft in ACDF. 2. Unplanned re-operation in Adult Spinal Deformity surgery. 3. ALIF vs TLIF at L5-S1. 4. Spinal Cord Shape and Intra-operative Neuromonitoring

Summary   Ron Gura, the co-founder and CEO of Empathy joins us today on our show. Empathy aims to provide support and guidance to individuals who have lost a loved one, helping them navigate the administrative and emotional aspects of the process. He shares his personal journey and the inspiration behind starting Empathy. The conversation delves into the workflow and touchpoints of Empathy's services, the co-branded experience for carriers and producers, and the impact of Empathy's services on claimants. The episode concludes with a discussion on breaking the taboo around death and the value of experience over product in the insurance industry.   Takeaways   Empathy is a company that provides support and guidance to individuals who have lost a loved one, helping them navigate the administrative and emotional aspects of the process. The taboo around death and loss needs to be broken, and conversations about mortality and end-of-life planning should be encouraged. Empathy offers a co-branded experience for carriers and producers, allowing them to provide personalized support and resources to their policyholders and beneficiaries. Having conversations about death and end-of-life planning is essential, and individuals should take the time to discuss their wishes and make necessary arrangements with their loved ones. Experience and support are more important than the product itself in the insurance industry, and companies should focus on delivering a positive customer experience throughout the claims process.   Chapters   00:00 Introduction and Weather Update 01:03 The Importance of Life Insurance Claims 02:07 Introduction of Guest: Ron Gura, Co-founder and CEO at Empathy 03:06 The Taboo Topic of Death and Empathy's Mission 04:12 Ron Gura's Background and Journey to Empathy 06:26 The Impact of Personal Loss on Ron Gura's Mission 08:25 The Need for Conversations About Loss and Death 10:04 The Workflow and Touchpoints of Empathy's Services 11:25 The Co-branded Experience for Carriers and Agents 13:26 The Administrative Support Provided by Empathy 15:44 The Impact of Empathy's Services on Claimants 17:44 The Logistics and Timing of Introducing Further Business Relationships 19:02 The Importance of Breaking the Taboo Around Death 23:20 The Value of Experience Over Product in the Insurance Industry 31:10 The Right Time and Approach to Introduce Further Business Relationships 35:12 Closing Thoughts and Advice on Having Conversations About Death 38:33 Conclusion and Call to Action     Paul Tyler (00:03.303) Hi, this is Paul Tyler and welcome to another episode of That Annuity Show. Bruno, how are you? Good. Coming in clear from Canada. This is great today. Yeah. Tisa, how are you?   Bruno Caron (00:09.152) I'm very good, thank you Paul.   Bruno Caron (00:13.94) Always happy to be here.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (00:18.474) We've got snow here in the Connecticut area, but snow day, but doing good.   Paul Tyler (00:22.459) Indeed, indeed we do. Ramsey, it's the first time it snowed in forever. You missed it.   Ramsey Smith (00:27.473) Yeah, I think we sent it your way. It was raining like crazy here for a couple days, but now the sun's just coming out, so yeah, you're welcome.   Paul Tyler (00:34.003) All right, well good. Hey listen, we got a really interesting episode with a great guest today, just to sort of connect the dots with some of our previous shows. What's the most important thing about life insurance? It's gotta be claims, right? That's at the end of the day, what we're doing is paying checks or income payments or death claims and there's no more sort of fundamental purpose in our business, yet it's a hard one to, it's hard to do right.   You know, TISA, we've had a couple of conversations, right, with people who've explained how it can be disruptive in terms of cross-generational relationships, right? Yeah, so today we have somebody who's actually trying to fix that. It's Ron Gura. Ron, I hope I pronounced your name correctly, co-founder and CEO at Empathy. Thank you so much for joining us today.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (01:11.073) Absolutely. Yeah.   Ron Gura (01:26.154) great to be here. I always dreamed about being on a podcast with the word nudity and now I'm... look at my eye. I made it.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (01:34.967) Hahaha   Ramsey Smith (01:35.961) Oh dude, all right.   Bruno Caron (01:36.) Today's your day.   Paul Tyler (01:37.441) Today it is, you know. SEO is going to go through the rough. SEO will go through the rough here.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (01:40.098) Dreams come true.   Ron Gura (01:43.682) Absolutely. I'm excited to be here and eventually talk about just that, that big moment of truth. That's what a claim really is, right? It's a premise. It's more than just financial peace of mind. What else happens? So that's where we come in and excited to talk about that and what's happening in life insurance.   Paul Tyler (01:52.697) Yeah.   Paul Tyler (02:07.375) Yeah, well this is great. So, well first off, tell people like, you know, what is empathy and what does your company do?   Ron Gura (02:14.102) Sure thing. So empathy is primarily the friend you wish you had when you lose a loved one. That's how I'd love people to really think about it. It's not just a friend, it's that knowledgeable neighbor that happens to be an ex-state lawyer, but now maybe also a social worker. And it's really, really experienced with...   winding down the affairs of a loved one, but also helping you get back on your feet again. That's really what we're trying to do here, save people, families, time and money and stress when the inevitable happens. As you know, Paul better than most, it happens. It doesn't escape any of us. It's the inescapable truth, but at the same time, it's the single largest consumer sector that is, for some reason, untouched. Untouched by innovation.   untouched by technology, unspoiled by software really. And I think we can all agree the reason it's untouched is not some regulatory barrier or technology barrier. It's just us, us here on the call as humans, trying really hard, so hard, not to think about us, not to contemplate our own self-mortality.   And we believe here at Empathy that like any other taboo topic, this one should be broken down as well. And if we put the right technology in place with the right amount of human touch, we can really change the market and empower people during what we believe is life's most challenging moments.   Ramsey Smith (03:55.041) So tell us a little bit about your journey. You've touched a lot of different areas, the innovation space, various startups. Tell us about how that journey informs your approach to empathy.   Ron Gura (04:12.642) So yeah, I'm a consumer internet person. I'm not a life insurance expert. I play my ignorance for what it's worth and get to be the outsider in a lot of meetings asking funky questions like, hey, didn't that claimant beneficiary who just called you, he's not a good lead. Like, isn't that an adult child, stranger, who's not your customer?   calling you, giving you all of his information, all of his data, chasing you again, giving you more data, telling you he's at need, need money, money you know you have, money you know he's gonna get in a few weeks, big liquidity event, bigger than probably any other big event he's gonna have.   And what are you going to do? Like you're going to do what? You're going to send him the check and do more Superbowl ads? The guy's right here. So a glass of wine as you wait for your table is really how I look at this from an outsider view. Like, what's going on? Isn't this weird that the only industry within insurance   where the beneficiary is not the policyholder, technically, is not, people don't think about it. Of course, if a PNC claim, that's a renewal moment. Like someone's gonna give you really good service. And don't get me wrong, paying effectively and accurately and with sympathies is good service. And a lot of carriers, I think have their...   They wear their heart on their sleeves and they're trying to do good in this neutral negative event. But long story short, it's not enough. From a background standpoint, that's me. I'm a consumer intent person. I've been going in and out from startups that usually I get to start myself as a naive person. I get to wear my pink rose glasses all the time.   Ron Gura (06:26.278) And in and out from bigger companies, I had the chance to have meaningful executive roles at eBay and PayPal and WeWork, and always very much focused on the product and the consumer. In terms of what led me to this, I think, well, nobody starts an end-of-life company without having their fair share of loss. I had my fair share of loss, definitely. I can share with you that...   while probably not the final trigger, definitely the earliest one was losing my brother at an early age, Amir, that completely changed family dynamics. My single mom with three opinionated, well, playful boys, over energetic Israeli boys, who...   Ron Gura (07:28.274) grew up in Haifa, north of Israel. And my brother, Amir, my middle brother, was diagnosed with a very severe and aggressive type of cancer. And after he passed away, I vividly remember one Saturday morning, my mom literally taking a lock, key and locking his door, which remained locked for the next 15 years.   and was a very vivid and clear representation and reminder of what happened. And also how we're shutting it down, not to be talked about in many ways. With no complaints on my mom's side here, but... It's the first time I understood nobody wants to talk about loss. Well, kids usually get up from watching Lion King for the first time.   Bruno Caron (08:25.584) Thanks for watching!   Ramsey Smith (08:26.587) Mm-hmm.   Ron Gura (08:26.947) and kind of losing their faith in humanity, lions and uncles at the same time. But they have a lot of questions. Kids, I got two daughters myself now, Tom and Danny, and nine and six years old. They ask a lot of questions and sometimes after Disney movies, they do ask me questions about mortality and life and death and they kind of move on. But I didn't.   I made my mom's life very difficult. I've been asking questions again and again and again. And then I had more loss, friends, colleagues, natural loss, even friends from the army. But it was actually only after eBay acquired my first startup, the GIFS project, and I was a young product director at eBay, one of my employees lost his wife to cancer.   and I showed up in an apartment in Milpitas, San Jose.   Knowing that I don't know what to expect, knowing that it's going to be very different than my community, my religion, my experience, but didn't know how different. He was by himself with a suit, shaved, doing probate paperwork, asking me about when do I need him back. That was really a big aha moment for me. That was when I took my black notebook and said, oh.   That's weird. Like, why don't we have anything for this? Like we need headspace for grief, but we really need toolable tax for a state settlement. And we kind of need both. And we kind of can't decouple the two. Grief is made hard by logistics. Logistics are made harder by grief. And I don't get the luxury of choosing one of them and say, I'll do a FinTech product that is only pre-filling your probate stuff. That's...   Ron Gura (10:33.142) It's not going to be something people want to talk about or use such an emotional period. So long story short, three and a half years ago, my co-founder and I, Jan, we started Empathy. We're now 80 people between New York headquarters and Tel Aviv R&D Center. We have $48 million in venture capital from 2.1 folks like General Catalyst, Alif, Entree, and others.   We work with MetLife, New York Life, Guardian, many other, dozens of other carriers, dozens of big employers, progressive employers who want to show up for their teams. And what I think we're doing more than anything else is putting a spotlight on this taboo topic and creating hopefully a very empowering workflow of continuity of care.   Paul Tyler (11:25.115) Maybe talk to us a little bit about the workflow. You know, we have people who listen who are, some people on the group side, we've got some people on the individual side, of course, we always look at it from our own lens, right? At the end of the day, it's a person. Stuff for the loss is getting checked. Maybe talk about the customers on either end. Like if I'm a, you know, I've got an employee and I've had a policy, or I guess my loved one was an employee and I've got a policy check or I'm a beneficiary. How does that workflow?   Ron Gura (11:36.75) Mm-hmm.   Paul Tyler (11:54.515) feel to a person who's a beneficiary.   Ron Gura (11:58.478) So the tiny differences. The differences would mostly be on the touch points. We do a no-code, simple implementation. We learned the hard way that the one thing that is more expensive to carriers than money is IT resources. I think that's a big lesson for us. And since we got that, we shifted to a no-code implementation and added more than 14 carriers in 14 months.   And that was a big aha moment for us and what drove a lot of our Forex growth in 2023. We add a few multifaceted simple touch points. For example, the script on that call, sorry for a loss, but we're not going anywhere. That insert on the brochure on the snail mail with the QR code, hey, if you need anything at all, scan this.   Email that says, number one, we got your claim. Number two, you're eligible for 24-7, bereavement care. So these simple touch points didn't require any data transfer. We don't need to know the social security. We don't need to know the face value. We don't want to know if Ms. Jones was rich or poor. We want to democratize access for grief in the state administration. So when you think about group and individual, it's just those touch points that are slightly different.   the bereaved next of kin, who cares? Like they're dealing with so much, who cares if they got the policy from, you know, New York Life GBS or New York Life individual. It's group or individual, you still have probate, funeral, grief, sleep support, mood tracking, social security, IRA, deactivation of social media, deactivation of accounts, banks.   selling the property, fighting with your sister, doing a state tax, thinking about identity theft, and you know, just 50 other topics from veteran administration all the way to IRAs. So when someone passes away, it's overwhelming. We publish every January the cost of dying report to create more awareness.   Ron Gura (14:23.026) on the full implications on us as individuals and as a society for the employer cost, the financial cost, the emotional cost. You can see that on empathy.com. And it's 50 pages of infographics that are basically showing us it's more than a year of work to wind down the affairs of a loved one on average. It's more than 400 hours of direct work. Of course, from a group standpoint.   Of course your employee has a second job, he can't bring his whole self back to work. Of course from an individualized standpoint, that glass of wine as you wait for your table makes a lot of sense when you are thinking about generational loyalty and asset retention and NPS because what other moment of truth do you have that is bigger than someone calling in and saying, I lost a loved one?   Where is my money? Of course, of course you need to have the money ready. That's the 90%. I, life insurance is still about financial protection, but people expect much more and we hope they will. I hope they will continue to expect much more. Right now, one out of seven claimants in the U S is getting more from empathy.   Ramsey Smith (15:44.821) So is it, is the solution, I don't want to call it a product, because that doesn't give it the right name, but the experience, let's call it the experience. Is it branded according to the carriers? Is it branded as empathy? So is it white label or is it, are the carriers able to carry their own brand?   Ron Gura (16:05.462) So it's both. It's a co-branded experience. Just give you a quick example if you're already on video. So I'm going to pop my Empathy app. And one of our carriers is going to pop as a covered by. And then inside the experience, you're going to have both the digital app. You're going to have your care team service element 24-7, especially social workers and more that are available for discussion.   Ramsey Smith (16:21.344) Yep.   Ron Gura (16:35.106) You're going to have other places where you understand this is coming from this carrier specifically. And can even create a lead back to them at the right time in the least intrusive way possible. The exact opposite from an agent calling after the loss and say, hey, what about you? This is actually about first thing and first thing first, cementing.   trust in showing up. First let me save you some time in money and stress.   First, let me offer you a glass of wine. Then let's check what's going on with the table. First, make sure that you got what you need right now. If that's funeral comparison, if that's estate tax, if that's cleaning the property. Whatever advice or support you need, you got it. Then when you're ready to talk about your financial legacy, your family.   Of course, the same carrier that sent you to empathy would love to continue that conversation with you. And why not?   Ramsey Smith (17:44.737) So how much of the logistics? So there's the, obviously there's the, there's a psychological element of it, but of all the long list of logistical hurdles you have to go through that you mentioned before, how many of those are you providing sort of specific intervention on to make those steps easier?   Ron Gura (18:03.638) I'd say it's half of what we do. We do the filing for petition for probate. We do the preparing for the house for vacancy. We close and deactivate accounts and cancel subscription. We give you a dedicated personal care plan that is personalized for you, Arizona or New Jersey, five siblings or none, Jewish or Muslim, executor or not.   We help with the eulogy, with the obituary, the funeral, the debts, the notifications of loss, the social security, the IRAs, the purchasing of a headstone all the way to the bonds, the credit bureaus. So it's a long list of tens of items in the administrative side, probably hundred something items that you need help with. Every one of them could be quickly five other items. So we don't just tell you what to do.   We actually do it for you and with you.   Ramsey Smith (19:01.417) Got it.   Paul Tyler (19:02.131) Tisa, could you have used this?   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (19:05.874) Yes, so I experienced a significant loss in August of 2021. As a middle-aged adult, it was my first major loss, so I'm grateful for that. But because it was my first major loss, it was a long process. So I think it took two and a half years. We just closed probate.   We just did. I don't know, what's this? This is February. Maybe it was right before Christmas. So as I'm listening to you speak, Ron, I'm thinking through all of it feels very real. I guess I have a couple of follow-up questions. One of my questions was, I heard you say bereavement care, I think is what you said. So I wanted to dig into a little bit of the services under that umbrella, but I think you probably just spoke about that a little bit.   I guess I'm curious looking at the mobile app that you showed that is claimant or beneficiary focused. What are the resources or what is the version of that app, if any, look like for the agent? What sort of support or guide or talk track are you giving to the agent so that they can handle that claim experience differently? Say the things differently, do the things differently to still cultivate the lead, but in...   you know, in that way that's not intrusive, to use your word, and in a way that sort of shifts their thinking about the opportunity in that moment of truth. You could talk a little bit.   Ron Gura (20:42.127) First thing, I'm sorry to hear about your loss and the process that you're going through and two and a half years in. It might feel like a lot of time to do the administration, but it's actually very normal on the executor side. Like when we're talking about 18 months average, it's...   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (20:57.687) Get coming.   Ron Gura (21:04.53) including a lot of folks that are not the official executor. Once you are and you're actually going through probate, two years plus is very regular in the US, unfortunately. And well, I do.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (21:17.95) In particular, when everyone lives in different states where they grew up. Don't cross the state line because that adds, you know, months, years.   Ron Gura (21:26.294) that's also not very rare in the United States. And just even having one piece of property in Arizona and a motorcycle in New Jersey, that's it. You're going through a whole new fun process and we help refill that. So on your questions, first, bereavement care is really the emotional side of everything we do. So there's really just the two halves that I was mentioning before. And on the...   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (21:29.689) Yeah.   Ron Gura (21:55.826) emotional side, I would split it also into the product and the service. The product would be everything you would imagine a wellness app to do in 2024, but tailored for grief. So grief coaching.   grief meditation, grief music, audios, podcasts, videos, thousands of articles about any topic from as small as how do I tell the kids all the way to a specific probate petition in New York City. So that would be mood tracking and sleep support. And of course,   a lot of self-reflections and healing. At the same time, anything the app can do just yet, or if you need anything, 24-7 bereavement care with our care managers. That could be 2 a.m., can't fall asleep, or it could be middle of your workday when you ran out of a conference room to cry in the bathroom because you feel guilty. You call us, we take those calls.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (22:54.623) Mm-hmm.   Paul Tyler (23:10.535) Wow. Well, you know, maybe...   Ron Gura (23:10.826) You can chat on the app, you can talk on the phone. We're always there. You're never alone when you have empathy.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (23:11.478) Yeah, it's.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (23:18.652) That's very comprehensive.   Paul Tyler (23:20.999) Yeah, it is. And, you know, just double clicking on something you said, you know, because we do have a lot of distributors and stuff on the line. You said, Oh, you kind of like insert the opportunity for an agent to actually help somebody through the financial process at the right time. I like to understand that a little more just to give you my backstory. I worked at MetLife when that was, you know, actually had a retail division, you know, it was, and we had a whole program called Delivering the Promise, which was delivering the death claim check.   You know, two observations there. One is any agent who actually gets to deliver a death claim check will be an agent for life. That is a transformative experience. I think a lot of agents are selling the product. You never actually get to see the product getting used. And those who are lucky enough to actually see this, it was a huge, a huge, a huge event in their life to deliver that and see, see the product actually works. Um, now to flip that side, it was also very.   competitive process because as you said, it's a massive event financially for somebody. A lot of big liquidity event, maybe one of the biggest ones they'll have in their lives. How do you do this appropriately? Now, we screened agents. This is not something you just sort of drew a number for. You had to get approved. You had to go through a coaching process. You had to learn how to do this. Talk to us about how and when do you digitally   start that conversation. You know, when, to T's point, is it month, you know, I think this is horrible, month 15 or is it month 16 or is it something that happened along the way that you've, that say, okay, now's the right time to do that.   Ron Gura (24:51.639) Mm-hmm.   Ron Gura (25:05.486) So first thing I can tell you that while Midlife did decouple from the retail business, they still deliver on the promise and they do it on the group side. I got to know the organization very closely and the way they show up for their national accounts and employers and support the next of kin of the employees is very, very unique, very efficient and I think very comprehensive.   And when that happens, it's really no different, like I said, between an individual and a group. You are still going through all of this, even if your loved one was a Nike employee or a Google employee, or never was a freelancer and never had a group life. It's still a loss of a loved one. From the agent perspective...   The shortest explanation I can give in probably a good summary of everything we do here is taking a transaction and shifting into our relationship. That's really what this is about. We have this massive multi-trillion dollar industry that is intermediated, that is lacking engagement. It's kind of, you know, you have such amazing retention.   relatively speaking to SaaS products, but you don't really have any meaningful engagement with the policyholder. And even on the agent side, let's take a classic agents of business, probably 200 years old, some big mutual in the US, and 10,000, 20,000 agents, whatever the number are gonna be, still 70% of the claimants are gonna be unassigned.   or how the industry likes to call them, but I don't, orphans, orphan claims. 70%, that's the number. We have a pretty good umbrella view on the entire industry of seven-digit volume of claims every year. Not even the largest carriers in the United States have seven digits in claim volume. I can tell you, even if you did the absolute best job as an agent...   Ron Gura (27:24.446) The chances of my dad's agent to still be in business practicing when my dad passed away, just not likely. High net worth individuals, of course, different mechanics here, different physics, people make different efforts for obvious reasons. And while we don't differentiate, the market does. And you'll see.   people spend more time about generation loyalty and getting to know the son or the daughter. However, at the end of the day, agents are about top line. Agents are about my next deal. And talking to the Barret family, showing compassion, it's a part of the job, but it's not my training. It's not something...   I'm uniquely positioned to do outside of the fact that I've seen it before. And my admin or myself are going to shift them to the claim center. Maybe have some extra layer of care like, Hey, how's it going? Do you need anything else? But it's there's a claim center. That's what's going to happen. What we do is we, when there's an agent involved on the 30%, we do everything around the agent. Agents are the heroes. So John Smith.   is sending empathy to Mrs. Jones.   and everything is coming from him. If it's automated or not, he decides, he can send something every month. Every time, hey, I see you're making some progress on the will, on the probate, do you need help with this? And provide just a series of emails that are coming branded from the agent. That's a big help for people.   Ron Gura (29:21.234) And I think the industry is aligned. And when there is an agent involved, you want to go for the agent. And we have a back office for them. To your question, Tis, this is what we do. I showed you a little bit of the consumer app, of course. But there is a whole different system for agents. They can add a phone number and one click.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (29:34.151) Yeah.   Ron Gura (29:41.942) They get the whole experience co-branded agent front and center. There's even a letter from the agent waiting in there. So putting the agent's front and center is, is very important.   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (29:55.222) That's great. It helps them build that relationship you talked about.   Ramsey Smith (29:59.285) I mean, there's so many sort of interesting time-related issues to this sort of customer journey, right? So, Paul, you talked about delivering the promise. So the first time gap is between the point of sale and the claim, which things change, maybe the agent's not in the business anymore. All right, so then you have the claim, very important point of delivering the promise, right? But everything else that you're talking about, Ron,   around bereavement and settling the estate. And then at some point being ready for some further business relationship is essentially undefined, right? Ahead of time, you know, at T zero, it's undefined. And it could take months or weeks or years. And so that's a very interesting sort of part of the experience and how you manage it, how you figure out when it's time and when it's time, to whom do you send that?   Who ultimately gets that lead? Does it go back to the company? Does it go back to the same agent or that agent has gone to somebody else? Like how does, what is the path for the further business relationship down the road?   Ron Gura (31:10.358) So the last part is actually the easiest, right? Like the company defines if they want everyone to go to a central location, a phone, a digital form, easy to enhance and customize. It's within our three weeks implementation period. That's the easy part. But figuring out what and when to say to the beneficiary in order to put this in front of them, but not selling them.   Ramsey Smith (31:13.213) Yeah.   Ramsey Smith (31:18.963) Yeah.   Ramsey Smith (31:22.206) Mm-hmm.   Yeah.   Ron Gura (31:39.382) is really important. So I won't share exactly our unique data around when to surface what, but I will tell you that if someone is a few months in, it's not a secret that they're starting to think about the fact that, well, I'm next. There's a reason why 33% of the wheels that people buy   Ramsey Smith (31:41.249) It's very hard.   Ron Gura (32:08.626) are after the loss of a loved one, usually a parent. It's that clear generational movement that people comprehend. And we wanna surface that at the right time, in the right place. People are understanding the implications of not having those sensible conversations with their loved one just a few weeks and months ago.   They understand even if they had a will, even if they had insurance, they didn't have the iPhone password. They don't know what to do with the dog. They're not sure what's, you know, you prefer cremation or not. They didn't have these conversations. And now they're thinking, you know what? I want to have all this information in place for my kid. They also get big check and they have liquidity and they're well positioned to now.   make a big purchase like life insurance and a big commitment. And they kind of understand like that their best position to understand the value of this industry because they get that check. And just like Paul said, an agent that delivered a check, understand the value, a beneficiary that received the check, understand what life insurance is. Until then it's a financial tool.   Ramsey Smith (33:09.511) Yep.   Ron Gura (33:34.374) And for us, it's really important to surface that at the right time. People are reading. We have far more data points than an agent sitting at their office thinking, should I call me Jones today or tomorrow? It's been two months or three months.   Ron Gura (33:52.794) we see what's going on and what state of mind she is and what can really add value to Ms. Jones. We will never do anything that is not 100% aligned with the beneficiary's best interest. I think if we do that once, we don't have a justification in this end of life category. And every employee that on board here at Empathy, that's the first thing they read on their.   Onboarding, if we lose track of our mission to help families deal with loss, we're just as good as the next predatory funeral home chain. Just another person trying to sell people something. But if we first and foremost say, wait, is this saving time and money and stress? Is this a good offer? Is this a good brand? Is this what the beneficiary wants to hear right now? Is this going to find its empowering?   to get support on probate. They're going to find it empowering to get an agent, call them and say, hey, here are your options in terms of your proceeds. Or maybe it's not the right time for that, and they're right now dealing with something very different. We know that. We're best positioned to know that more than the carrier, the agent, or any advisor.   Paul Tyler (35:10.471) Bruno, what are your thoughts?   Bruno Caron (35:12.349) Well, I was wondering, I mean, do you have any advice or any kind of a low hanging fruits, easy things people can do to save, to save significant amount of time when those things happen?   Ron Gura (35:31.882) Well, estate planning as a whole is something that pretty much 70% of Americans don't do. I can't say that's a low-hanging fruit. The folks that say it is, I would not necessarily trust them.   People that say, oh, five minute and you're gone, easy, fast, affordable. Wills and trusts and guardianship documents should not be fast and affordable. They should be thoughtful. You should be thinking about your hierarchy of values. You should be opening a bottle of wine with your significant other and asking you some really tough questions about who's going to raise the kids. Uh, however, even without proper documentation, having the conversation is a lot, talking with your parents is a lot.   Sometimes they will start talking back if you bring this up, but people don't wanna talk about mortality. So the longing fruit is break the taboo. Nothing to be ashamed of. This is literally like sex education in the 50s. Like just the fact that we are running away from it doesn't mean it's not a thing and people don't wanna, and need the support and advice.   Paul Tyler (36:41.799) Break the taboo. I think we've got a title for our podcast here. Tisa, do you think that works?   Tisa Rabun-Marshall (36:46.134) Absolutely. That's a note to end on, or start to end on. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I couldn't agree with you more. The loss I referenced a few minutes ago is exactly that. Thankfully, I had everything, my father had everything lined up, but it was the aha moment that like, ooh, I'm a parent. I probably need to do something, so if something, you know, so that the same experience could be for my child.   That is absolutely the reaction of getting your own affairs in order when you either probably witness a loved one not having their affairs in order and the impact it has to you or having them in order and the impact that has to you, you know how much harder it could have been without things in place. So I totally agree with you there. And I think it's just the conversation, setting the expectations, making those wishes known. They are hard conversations to have.   having to ask my 14 year old who you want to be with if mommy's not here. Who you know, I mean my heart's like pounding right now even saying that again. But it's necessary. And I think on the fight, it's kind of a similar like topics that are off limits, right? Like politics, religion, money.   Death. So, we shy away from having the conversations. They're uncomfortable sometimes and we have differing values. But I think to your point, like for your question of low hanging fruit and wrong, your answer of one of the easiest things, yet hardest things to do is to have a conversation and start to talk about things. So I appreciate that advice. I hope it resonates with our listeners.   Paul Tyler (38:06.175) Death.   Paul Tyler (38:29.148) Yeah, Ramsey.   Paul Tyler (38:33.482) Oh, sorry.   Ramsey Smith (38:37.717) Sorry, I was on mute. So I've long been of the view that if there were a simple mathematical formula for the opportunity set in the insurance space, it would be experience greater than product, just that. Like that is the direction that I think in all sectors of our industry, whether it's.   Ron Gura (38:50.263) Mm-hmm.   Ron Gura (38:57.526) Beautiful.   Ramsey Smith (38:58.301) with life, whether it's life, PNC, et cetera, that is where the greatest opportunity lies, both in terms of having happy customers for our existing businesses, but also to be able to extend our businesses into other areas. And Ron, you started out talking about just how you have this interesting situation in like in insurtech generally, what ends up being the problem that blows up a lot of new companies is that they...   their customer acquisition is too high, right? Then you have incumbents that have really deep relationships, even if they're not really worked on explicitly, but there's these really deep relationships of trust that exist. There's people that are under the tent and depend on you, and I think there's great opportunity to expand those relationships over time if done properly.   Paul Tyler (39:52.255) Yeah. Hey, Ron, listen, thanks so much for your time. I think what you're building is, it sounds like a wonderful service. I think, you know, I've been through it twice with both parents and I would have loved to have it as well. A little less recent than Tease's experience, but what's the best way for people to learn more about your company and, you know, for your carrier or, you know, distributing, you want to learn more about offering the product? What would they, where should they go?   Ron Gura (40:20.086) We'll keep it very simple. You go to empathy.com, you'll see our testimonials and case studies, our videos, our care team, our app, can reach out to us for a demo. And I think really join the movement of more and more carriers who are embracing a new standard when it comes to beneficiary care. And we're very excited.   about the momentum in the US, expanding beyond the US in 2024, and even beyond the life claims into additional adjacent categories that also include a moment of truth. And you'll be hearing more about that. But for now, empathy.com is really the simplest and easiest way to learn more about us.   Paul Tyler (41:09.119) Excellent. All right. Well, thanks so much. And I want to thank our listeners. Share this show. Recommend us to your friends. Give us feedback. And be sure to join us next week for another great episode of That Annuity Show. Thanks, everybody.

Professor Ruby Lal discusses her new book, "Vagabond Princess,” and we hear about the Alif Institute's Ramadan and Easter Bazaar.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's #TheErasTourSingapore week, the only Southeast Asia stop for Taylor Swift's concert! TTYL's die-hard Swiftie, Nell, has invited two fellow Swifties to discuss their shared admiration for @taylorswift. They delved into how she has influenced their creativity, molded them as individuals — and why The Eras Tour holds such profound significance for Swifties worldwide. Swifties often face criticism from those who don't understand their devotion. In this episode, they address misconceptions about @taylorswift and explain why she is one of the greatest artists of all time. This #SwiftiesSpecial episode is a deep appreciation of Taylor's artistry. Let's maintain civility and respect. If you're feeling hateful, remember Taylor's words: "You just need to take several seats and then try to restore the peace, and control your urges to scream about all the people you hate." Who knows, you might learn valuable things from this amazing artist/businesswoman

The Zamzam of Spiritual Knowledge. Excerpts from the teachings of Shaykh Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari (qs).

We got celebrity Alif Satar joning us on the show today telling us about his journey in the entertainment showbiz, completing his Ironman journey and partying on a multi million dollar yatch.

Ronnie Raviv joined Leah to try and figure out if he has any favorite things. We talk about cocktails, cocktail bars, books, TV, great meals and our friendship origin story. For someone who claims to have no favorite things, there was no lacking in conversation. Like my beloved Zouks, Ronnie is not on twitter. Show Notes Second City Conservatory  Quipfire Improv  Sally Albright Chicken Pot Pie origin story  Mexican Mule Journeyman White Whiskey Jasper Fforde  OCD TLV Taizu  Fantastic TLV  Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde Blind Barber Duck Duck Goat Aviary Rosemary Tango Sur Bar Roma Frasca Monte Verde Dear Margaret  Yom Tov Deli (Tel Aviv) Harry's Epic Israel Food Tours Transcript follows Ronnie Raviv  0:00   Hello, my name is Ronnie Raviv. And I don't think I really have favorite things, but I have a lot of things that I like a lot, and you can hear all about them. In this week's finding favorites. ----more---- Announcer  0:10   Welcome to the findings favorites Podcast where we explore your favorite things without using an algorithm. Here's your host, Leah Jones. Leah Jones  0:23   Hello, and welcome to finding favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. It's Sunday, August 27. Really a beautiful, perfect day in Chicago after that brutal heatwave earlier in the week. Nice to have the windows open and to eat dinner outside today. Not too much to report other than my shoulder MRI shows a what seems to be a completely boring, small rotator rotator cuff tear. So hopefully, I will have some resolution to my shoulder pain soon. The orthopedist I saw last week said shit your shoulder is jacked. Which I think is sports for let's take this injury seriously. This week on the podcast I am talking with my one of my very dear friends Ronnie Raviv. You have heard about him on the podcast for years because he kept me company during a lot of chemo therapies and steroid Saturdays. We went to Israel on overlapping trips recently, so we just had that fabulous dinner in Tel Aviv. We talked about that a little bit. So I twisted his arm and said, Come be on a podcast. Now he does not listen to podcasts. He's not a he's not into the audio medium of podcasting. So I don't know if he will ever listen to this. But we have a fun conversation. Just sitting around bullshitting on the couch for an hour or so. And hit record. So without further ado, wear your mask. Wash your hands. Get your booster. I know a new booster is coming out soon. So I guess, wear your mask more diligently while you wait for the new booster to be available. And keep enjoying your favorite things. Leah Jones  2:43   Hello, and welcome to finding favorites. I'm your host, Leah Jones. And this is the podcast where we learn about people's favorite things and get recommendations without using an algorithm. Today I'm joined a rare in person interview for finding favorites. With my own personal algorithm. You do all the research that wire cutter doesn't do for me. So I don't have to do it. Yeah. What do we just found out recently? You didn't know what wire cutter Ronnie Raviv  3:08   was? No, I had no idea. You introduced me to wire cutter. Leah Jones  3:11   Right. So wire cutter is consumer a modern consumer reports. Yeah, basically. And then anytime I need a new phone. You are my Consumer Reports. Ronnie Raviv  3:23   Yeah, I would just from like the one article that I read or the one article with all the links to the other articles that I read. It it I wouldn't describe it necessarily as the modern consumer reports. I would describe it as the less nerdy Consumer Reports. So let's let's charts and figures and more. Recommendations. Leah Jones  3:49   Yes. Ronnie Raviv  3:50   It's a curated fair Consumer Reports. Leah Jones  3:57   I'm fine with him doing all the research for me. Sure. Because I am too lazy. Yeah, I would rather buy it. It'd be the wrong thing. Never return it and buy another thing. I wouldn't rather that but that's more likely how my life goes, Ronnie Raviv  4:10   right? Yeah, no, I'd much rather would buy the right thing to begin with. Leah Jones  4:14   Yes. Right. Which is why every two years when I'm a Verizon, it's time to buy a new phone. I call you with no warning. And I'm like, What phone am I buying today? Right. I've done that for 15 years, at least. Once I went away from my Blackberry, Ronnie Raviv  4:29   which I think we're all happy for. Leah Jones  4:31   Yeah. So Ronnie, usually, this is when so this is like the time of the podcast where people get to know the guest. And often we're I'm getting to know the guests because usually they are a complete stranger. Right? And you're not No, Ronnie Raviv  4:48   no, we've known each other for I was trying to do the math. I feel like 21 or 22 years we've known each other. Yeah. And we've known each other well, for maybe 18 years. Yeah, we know each other very well for 15 years. Yeah, maybe that's I think Leah Jones  5:06   that's about right. I moved here in Memorial Day 2002. Okay. And started going to open mics immediately. Yeah. And very quickly. Got to the tequila Roadhouse. RIP, RIP tequila Roadhouse and Ronnie Raviv  5:25   their crack fries. Yeah, they were surprised that were I don't know what they put on. There were so bad. Leah Jones  5:33   Well, there was my cousin's Friend's Boyfriend maybe wasn't conservatory with you? I don't remember. Okay. I think he was Greek. Okay, or he had a friend and I don't remember. Somehow I want to but one of your conservatory shows Ronnie Raviv  5:55   site. Yes. Second City conservatory Right. Leah Jones  6:00   Which quickly led to tequila Roadhouse. Yes. Ronnie Raviv  6:03   Because my many of the people I would go into group and that improv group, not only did stuff but also held an open mic. First tequila Roadhouse, then they went to Weiss fools. Yep. Neither of which are around because this is over 20 years ago. Leah Jones  6:19   Yeah. So it was a mixed bag. Open Mic. Yes. Very. So I did stand up comedy. And you were reading your as of yet unfinished novel Ronnie Raviv  6:31   as of still yet unfinished novel? Yes. And you would read a chapter a week? Yes, that was probably the most productive time because I had the actual deadline to like, do the chapter, right. But the way I write I don't outline or plan ahead, I sorta have to get into the, into the fugue state, which means that every time I sit down and write I don't necessarily remember what it was that I wrote, because I'm in a bit of a fugue state, right. And that's generally how I read books as well. I don't remember things after I just sort of get the good feeling. Yeah. And so I, so now it's just become this daunting mountain, because as the chapters pile up, every time I sit down, I have to read the whole thing to get into that flow. And it's just like, you know, if I have an hour to write, that's all well and good, but it'll take me like three or four hours just to read the thing to like, get into the meat into you know, and I don't have three or four. Let's be honest, I probably do. I just don't have the, Leah Jones  7:28   you don't have it set aside. You haven't scheduled in, right. Reread the novel, Ronnie Raviv  7:33   right? Before I read a new chapter, right? You know, so I'll like read, I like spend three hours rereading it to the right, a few pages. And then the next day, I have to like, reread a bunch to get into, this doesn't really happen. Maybe one of these days, I'll outline what I actually want to have happen. And that will help spur me on to like, Oh, now I need to read. Now I need to write this thing that happens. But I don't even know what will happen. It just sort of happens as it happens. Yeah. That's why I always wrote short stories when I was in college. Yeah, Leah Jones  8:06   I was gonna say maybe your short story guy. Ronnie Raviv  8:08   I am. But I don't like I want to write a novel. Yeah. I like I'm better suited for short stories. It's the same. It's the same thing with improv. Like, I did improv in college and we did short form improv improv games. And then and that's what I was good at, because I'm like, I'm good at that kind of quick joke thing. And then I went through the conservatory program at Second City, after many different things like twists and turns of my life and then ended up there. And I appreciate improv long form. Improv is an art form. And I sort of denigrate short form improv is just gimmicky, right? And so I don't like the short form improv as much. But that's the thing I'm better at I'm not good at the long form. So now I can't really do improv because the thing that I like, I'm not as good at writing that I I'm better at I don't like as much right. Leah Jones  9:01   But do you have? When's the last time you I don't I've never I don't think I've ever seen you do short form improv. I've seen you do sketch. Yeah. No, you haven't because I don't even know if I've ever seen you do long form improv. You have. Ronnie Raviv  9:13   I think, Okay, what if you? Well, I guess no, because it's because the seconds are the conservatory shows were more your sketch. They were born they were born out of improv to do with the improv in the class. And there was, there was a certain amount of improv, improvising on the stage. Like we make beats, we didn't have anything written out. Right. Sketches weren't, weren't scripted. But we sort of knew what was going to happen. A little more like, Curb Your Enthusiasm type. Leah Jones  9:37   I remember I guess I mostly remember your musical numbers. Yeah. White people brown line. Yes. Ronnie Raviv  9:43   I did not write that one. No, Leah Jones  9:45   but somebody asked you that you look at your watch. And somebody asks you the time and you were like, I don't know what time it is. And you put your hand down. Yeah. Ronnie Raviv  9:54   You have more memory than I do. Leah Jones  9:56   I think because of the time I lived on the brow, I took the brown line about Each and every time I get on the Brown Line, I would think about the song. Yeah. So Ronnie Raviv  10:04   yeah, no white people brown line. That was that was a brilliant piece of work. I did a song that was a parody of modern gender. Yeah. That was a mouthful. It was like a victim of the new new economy or something, which at this point is like, three economies ago. Because this was in the early aughts. Yeah. It's been awhile. It's been a lifetime. It's been so long. So yeah, so the last time I did improv, I think is when my undergrad improv group. This is pre pandemic came through Chicago, they would come through Chicago, New York or LA. So every three years it comes to Chicago. And then they, they they did a little show to basically no audience is just really for us. Yeah. And then they called on the alums to come. And I thought they were gonna just kind of, we were just gonna do a quick little scene, like what we would do at reunion is like a world's worst. I like my women or men, like I like my blank or whatever. Yeah. But no, they then said, Okay, now you're going to do now, all the alarms now you're going to do a long form improv. Which, so when I was going through that group, it's called quickfire? Yeah. When I was going through it, we only did short form improv, right? Leah Jones  11:21   Because it was before UCB. It was before the Herald had New York. Ronnie Raviv  11:25   Yeah, this was this was in the mid in the early mid 90s. So we only did short form improv. And so the only reason I even knew like, luckily for me, I had gone through the second city experience. So I had had experience with long form, right. But so this was in I think, 2017. Okay. And my last experience with long form improv was in 2002. Yeah. So, and I was by far the oldest alarm there. The next oldest alarm was from the class of 2009. Okay, so the next oldest alarm was sort of complaining that they hadn't done improv in a while. had done it at like at that point. quickfire had done long form improv when they were in school. And so they had last done in 2009. You know, I had last done it before they were even in school. Leah Jones  12:22   Right before they were in grade school. Ronnie Raviv  12:25   Not quite that far, but they weren't probably Junior High. Last time I did long form improv, right. And that only by like luck, because previous to Second City, I'd only done short form improv. So I was like, I felt like it was a fish out of water, but somehow didn't. Didn't crap the bed too bad, I guess. I don't know. We did. Okay. It was only for us. So it didn't really matter, right. low stakes, no stakes, stakes improv. Leah Jones  12:50   I did. Eventually I gave in and I did the five classes at annoyance when I was managing the ice cream parlor, right? Because so many lifetimes ago, many, many lifetimes ago. Because I was so tired of people asking me if I did improv, I was like, I do stand up comedy. Sometimes, Ronnie Raviv  13:12   ironically, because literally everybody who does improv their families all assumed that their stand up comedian, right, right. Oh, do some do some stand up comedian comedy Ford's like, that's not what I do. I do improv. Okay. Well then do improv. Right? No, it's a group thing. Right. Stand up here and do improv. Leah Jones  13:27   I know. But you did have me come out once and do stand up comedy. For your parents friends. For Param. Yes, I remember that. Ronnie Raviv  13:37   I wasn't, I don't think you would not have gone without No, I wouldn't you did it. And you were brave. They were they were they were welcoming audience. Leah Jones  13:48   They were welcoming audience. You had Ronnie Raviv  13:52   you had my favorite joke, my favorite Lea joke. But it will have been we don't necessarily have to. Leah Jones  13:58   Was it about the date with a little person? No, I remember that one being Ronnie Raviv  14:02   No, it was the learning Hebrew. Oh, yeah. That you the needle pointed for me. And I still haven't hung but I will in a minute. Yeah. Leah Jones  14:10   Right. So Ronnie helped me. When I was learning the alphabet, the Hebrew alphabet. We would like go to Jack's for chicken potpie. And sometimes I would drag out these giant workbooks and make them help me with Hebrew. And when I had finally gotten really confident that I could like, kind of like know the alphabet in order. I was like, Ronnie, I have learned everything from Alif to Zion, Ronnie Raviv  14:37   which you know, translated from A to Z except it's really more like if you're familiar with the Greek alphabet from alpha to zeta, and that's like the seventh letter. Right? But Leah Jones  14:48   you know, yeah. So I for Ronnie's 40th birthday, I cross stitched him something that said met LF Ronnie Raviv  14:57   Zion Yeah, from A to zeta Right. So essentially, Leah Jones  15:00   right, I've learned everything from A to F. Yeah. Which honestly appropriate. Yeah. Because I had not learned Hebrew from A to Z like, No, probably not. I can. I can't even function anymore. I used to use my Hebrew used to be better, but everybody in English, everybody in Israel's English got way better. And also technology got way better. Ronnie Raviv  15:23   Yes. Not as important anymore. No. But I remember that crowd really liked that joke, right because it was a crowd of Hebrew speakers. Right. So they, they were all right there they that was the that was the crowd. That Leah Jones  15:36   was the only crowd I didn't have to explain the punchline to Yeah, yeah, like we just did here. Right. Ronnie Raviv  15:43   But you know, jokes are always better when you have to explain the punchline. Leah Jones  15:46   Yeah. Right. So I did improv it annoyance. But I've never performed it outside of a class. Ronnie Raviv  15:57   So that's alright. That's fine Leah Jones  15:58   with me. Yeah, it's okay. I understand it. And I understand I don't want to do it. Ronnie Raviv  16:04   Yeah. Yeah, I'm sort of I'm sure I'm right there with you. It took me longer time to understand that. Leah Jones  16:10   Yeah. That you didn't want to do it anymore. Or that or to understand it? Ronnie Raviv  16:15   Both, I guess. Yeah. Because I was in a more because they started with the short form, right, which is like the games and the, the joke Enos right. Leah Jones  16:23   The Whose Line Is It Anyway, who's that's exactly boarded for puns and jokes and dad jokes and quick thinking, right. Yeah. Ronnie Raviv  16:30   Which is what we were, which is what I was really good Leah Jones  16:33   at. Yeah. So you're still really good at? Yeah, Ronnie Raviv  16:36   I think so. I'm okay that for sure. Yeah. But you know, when it comes to like, improvising long scenes where you have to like, react and have emotions and whatever, I'm not as good as that. Leah Jones  16:51   Till we met, and then comedy ended, comedy didn't really end I got transferred to London. So I was like, and you finish conservatory. And I think by the time I was back from London, I think the tequila Roadhouse might have been closed. Ronnie Raviv  17:09   I think it was around for maybe a little longer than that. But we were but they were no longer doing the open mic. Yeah. Leah Jones  17:15   Yeah. And we ran into each other at a board game. It's a bar on Addison started with a G threes. threes. Ronnie Raviv  17:23   I have no recollection of this. You know, me. I'm, you know, me. I sort of have no recollection of things. Yeah. Leah Jones  17:30   I remember it clearly, somewhat clearly. And then I recently searched my blog to see if I had when it happened. Okay. And I reference people that I'm like, I referenced someone named Jamie. And I'm like, Who the fuck is Jamie? Jamie Allen? Probably no, no. Like I was there with my friend Jeff from high school. Were Jeff from college. Jamie might have been his girlfriend at the time. Ronnie Raviv  17:52   Oh, girl. Okay. Yeah. Leah Jones  17:55   I don't know. Like, I don't know the description of the people that I say I walked in with Oh, okay. And then you watch because I moved to London and quit comedy. And we figured out like, Oh, hey, what's up? Sell your number. And so then we went for chicken Popeye. Nice. Shortly thereafter, Ronnie Raviv  18:14   yeah. Chicken. Popeye was so good. Yeah. Last, Leah Jones  18:19   so rip jacks. Yeah. And long before they were closed. Rip the chicken pot pie. Ronnie Raviv  18:23   Right. Rip that chicken pot pie. More so than jacks. Yeah. And then the Diag. Yeah, it's Leah Jones  18:28   rip. Yeah. Ronnie Raviv  18:31   Yeah. But yeah, the chicken pot pie was gone long before that. And that was really the big tragedy of the whole thing. Leah Jones  18:39   Was the chicken potpie gone before your ability to process? Dairy? Ronnie Raviv  18:45   No, it was worth it. Ya know, my ability. My inability to process dairy disappeared before the dream pop. I did. But it was worth it. Leah Jones  18:53   Yeah. That's another conversation locked in my brain because it was so insane. Because you picked me up from the 14th station. And you pretended like I had any choice about where we were going to dinner. Right? Which was nice of you to pretend. Right? And then you said, Leah, you know, the type of chicken Popeye that you dream of? And I was like, I do not dream of chicken pie. I Ronnie Raviv  19:14   see. You remember this as dream of I feel like I wouldn't have put it that way. Maybe I did at that point. But I sort of always see it as you know, when you have a hankering for chicken, Popeye. And you sort of have in your mind's eye. What? You're sort of picturing like, Oh, I could go for that. Right? And then you order it. And it's like, oh, well, that's not really what I was picturing. Chicken Popeye, but it's not the chicken coop I had in my brain. Yes. This place had that chicken. Leah Jones  19:45   Yeah. And I was very skeptical. Of course, Ronnie Raviv  19:49   as was everybody I told this story to right there. Leah Jones  19:53   And you were of course correct because they they baked it an individual that you had a cross pinched on To the top of your bowl. Ronnie Raviv  20:01   Yeah. But it was just it wasn't it was beyond that it was I think it was like the way the sauce that like Allah King sauce or whatever it is. It's like the like just the chicken, the combination of vegetables, the proportions, the sauce, the flavor, the cross, like all of it. It was like the platonic ideal of a chicken about pie, right. And I had many a convert to that chicken. Popeye was good. It was great. And then the chef left and they could not recreate it. No. And then it just kept getting worse and worse and worse. And then they closed and it became a sports bar. Leah Jones  20:38   Yeah. And then somehow that was the last time we went I think was probably my 40th Ronnie Raviv  20:45   Yeah, I don't know what's been called for a while. Leah Jones  20:47   Yeah. But we went that's where we went after. That was where the after party was okay? Was Diag. Okay, because it was walking distance. So, according according to the pictures I have. Yeah, I don't I don't recall that either. No, I don't have a lot of memories. Right that night. Ronnie Raviv  21:07   Yeah, no, that and that was a bit of a blur. Yeah. Yeah. Leah Jones  21:12   Um, yeah. So that's the origin story. Yeah. Is comedy. And then happened to happen? Chance happenstance, happenstance. Yeah. Yeah. And people were listened to the podcast have heard about you, Matthew. David brozik. One of your good one of your best friends from college has been a guest. And people have certainly heard about you on steroids. Sunday. Steroid Saturday's one of my Mayo Clinic. Road trip buddies. Yeah, the OG hospital host the OG hospital husband. Yes. And you still probably wear your pen. That was that was really sweet. Leah Jones  22:02   So one of the things when we talked about favorite things, like what would you talk about? As favorite things first, you're like immediately I don't have anything. Ronnie Raviv  22:12   No, I still I've been racking my brains. And I have. I have no favorite things. I have a lot of things I dabble in and things I like, right. Like a lot of things. Yeah. I'm a fairly easygoing, sometimes guy. Usually going in a sort of very high maintenance way. Leah Jones  22:31   I joke last night about you being Sally Albright. But you are Sally Albright from When Harry Met Sally. I mean, I'm you are easy going in the way that Sally Albright is easygoing. Ronnie Raviv  22:42   I think maybe not quite that heightened. But yeah, there's just there's no, there's certainly some truth to that for sure. No, I'm, I like a lot of things. Yeah. I also hate a lot of things. But I like a lot of things. And I'm sort of, you know, generally fairly open to whatever. Is there a certain way Leah Jones  23:01   you'll eat almost anywhere as long as you can order around the menu. Which is true. Ronnie Raviv  23:06   Yeah. Because you're a lot of picky eater. Bit of a super taster. Yeah, not an adventurous Well, no, that's not true. I Leah Jones  23:14   don't think that's fair. Ronnie Raviv  23:15   You know, I'm an I'm adventurous. I just picky. Leah Jones  23:18   You are adventurous. If you trust the chef. Yeah, that's true. Because we could just talk about, we can even just talk about great meals we've had together. Yeah, we've had some good ones. Yeah. Because Thai zoo and Tel Aviv last year. Yep. And OCD. Yep. Are both to where it was where? You would? I mean, they both places where they took our tastes seriously? Yeah. Ronnie Raviv  23:49   Yeah. We said what we liked and didn't like whatever and pointed them in a direction, right? And they said, Okay, trust us, and they delivered. Leah Jones  24:00   Yeah. So I think if the chef can't deliver at that level, you are less adventuresome. Right, for sure. Or you will amend the menu to make something better than they have on them. And yeah, Ronnie Raviv  24:13   well, I mean, I try not to be as annoying about it as Sally. I try to, I generally try to say, just eliminate these one or two things that I don't like. And also like if there's like a thing that I have to eliminate five things. I'm not going to get that thing, right. I'm gonna just get the thing like okay, I can have this like just take out the raw onions and avocado and I'm good. Yeah, you know, just like the things I don't like. I don't try to like have them do a concoction. Except for if there's mac and cheese on the menu and there's chili on the menu. That's a thing where things have to be put together. Yeah, because that's amazing. Chili Mac is the best thing ever. And I don't know why any restaurant that has chili and then has mac and cheese does not have Have a chili Mac. Yeah, option. It's silly. Leah Jones  25:03   Yes. I do think we have to get the purchase doesn't have Mac and mac and cheese right? Ronnie Raviv  25:09   I don't believe so they have an amazing chili. Chili was so good. Chili was so good, but I did not see mac and cheese. Yeah. Leah Jones  25:16   So we'll have to get it to go and then take and then go to the mac and cheese. Max. Yeah, yeah. Be like don't worry. We have purse chilly Ronnie Raviv  25:28   we got chilly to go. Leah Jones  25:30   Yeah. Um, I don't know, do you wanna talk about with CD? We could. Or something? Ronnie Raviv  25:37   Oh, no, I could. I could. I could throw this back on you. Okay. I mean, the name of the podcast is finding favorite. Yes. So find my favorite. What's my favorite? Leah Jones  25:51   Well, your favorite liquor right now is Mezcal. True? That is? Yes. It's Mezcal number is affirm. Number one. This Ronnie Raviv  26:01   girl is affirmed. Number one, but with a huge caveat. Like the bartender was mixologist. Whatever has to be Mezcal is pickier. It's harder to blend. Okay, well, so if I don't trust the bartender, I will fall back on tequila, which is easier to deal with. But if the bartender is really good in Moscow, they can do a better job. Leah Jones  26:29   Right. So the the Mezcal meal has been your go to cocktail this summer? Ronnie Raviv  26:37   Yes. If I again, if you trust them, trust them. Otherwise, I'll go with Mexico meal because that's a lot more right. Reliable, Leah Jones  26:46   yeah. But I don't know when that because not you were never really you're not really a Gen drinker? Because that's a little too aromatic. Yeah. But for a long time, it was like vodka or rum, but like tequila, I feel like is new on like, in the last five years has gone up your list? Ronnie Raviv  27:11   Well, I think it probably was, realistically, it was there longer than that. Maybe afraid. Like I figured, because I'm like, I don't love the taste of alcohol, like vodka is my thing. And I like you know, and if you go to a bar that doesn't have anything, like you go to a like, an event, right? And all you know, they had the most basic stuff, then I'll get a vodka cranberry, right, you know, splash soda and some wine. Ronnie Raviv  27:40   But if there's a place that and then for a while, I was like, oh, but if you have ginger beer, I'll do a Moscow Mule. Yeah. And then I discovered the Mexico mule. And that is so much better than the Moscow Mule. Right. And then I was also like, at that point, I was like, But wait, but also if there's a margarita, I will go for a margarita. Yeah. And it's like, well, maybe, you know, really the only vodka drink I like is the vodka cranberry. And I like the Mexico mule as my fallback, right? You know, my my go to and I like the the the margarita, right? Maybe, maybe tequila is my favorite. And so then I'm like, You know what, maybe I want to kill a guy and I didn't know and then like, and then I discovered the Moscow Mule. And I'm like, wow, that elevates the, the Mexico mule to a whole new level. But you go to a bar that doesn't know what they're doing a Moscow Mule is gonna be hit or miss. Yeah. Leah Jones  28:33   I also I mean, mezcal has come into its own in America in the last few years. So Ronnie Raviv  28:38   it's more popular. You it was there, there were times where you there are a lot of bars that still don't have it. Yeah. Leah Jones  28:44   And they also suspect as you and your friends as like all of our paychecks have changed. And our base level to Keela has changed in our houses. Like in the I think there's like grote, we're older. We're middle age now. So we're not getting like the cheapest tequila and none of your friends have the cheapest tequila in their house and and so like I also think there's something to be said for like access to better quality. Yeah, I Yeah, that's a killer you were introduced to at 21 You probably want to drink today. Ronnie Raviv  29:25   Maybe or maybe it's about the mixers the quality of the mix. Like ginger beer just really solves a lot of problems. Yeah, alcohols in general. But also think that vodka is a much, much more consistent thing. So you know, there's bad gin and bad tequila and certainly bad Moscow. Yeah, vodka. It might be mediocre you know, but But by the same ticket there's excellent tequila is an excellent Moscow's right and excellent gins. And there's not really an excellent vodka. Maybe there's a few I have a very Leah Jones  30:00   nice vodka right now. Ronnie Raviv  30:02   Exactly a very nice vodka. Leah Jones  30:04   It's a Polish. It's the buffalograss. Polish vodka. Ronnie Raviv  30:08   Very nice vodka. It's not an excellent vibe. But it can't be excellent because there's just not enough complexity there. Right? It's like the best vodkas are the ones that taste least like anything. Right? Like the bad vodkas are the ones that like tastes a little bit like gasoline and the ones that the excellent bikers are the ones that taste less like gasoline fare, whereas tequila has the complexity of the brown liquors that I don't like right without being the brown occurs and I don't like Leah Jones  30:34   right, because the brown look, error is not on my favorites. No. Ronnie Raviv  30:40   But it's not just a bitter there's it's just that gasoline, turpentine sort of alcohol it tastes Yeah. And I don't know there's the peatiness I don't know there's something the barrel. Yeah. Because I because journeyman, we're plugging so many should get. You should get all sorts of free stuff. Leah Jones  30:57   Oh, I don't link to all of it. And they they give me nothing. Yeah. But Ronnie Raviv  31:02   journeyman, in three oaks, Michigan. They have a white whiskey Leah Jones  31:10   that's aged in glass, Ronnie Raviv  31:13   or it's not aged. They distill the whiskey but then they don't agent in the barrel, maybe a moonshine? No, it's whiskey, right? But it just doesn't have that PD. Yeah. Woody, barely taste or whatever it is that I don't like about it. That makes an excellent mule. And they also have this drink called OCG. The old country goodness, it's like an apple cinnamon, nice cider that they do either straight up or is a frozen slushy. And it's really, really good. It's good. Yeah. So with a white whiskey, that's the only whiskey to drink. Unless it's like a really, really cool, complicated, right drink where the whiskey sort of really balanced out by other stuff. Like get at the aviary. Yeah, plug plug plug. Leah Jones  32:05   Right so that the aviary and like less so the violet hour or what's the one on Damon? Ronnie Raviv  32:16   Violet hours on Damon? Oh, what's Leah Jones  32:18   the other one on Damon? closer to me? Damon on LinkedIn. Victor or Victor Victor bar? Ronnie Raviv  32:24   Yeah. Just like the sticks. Used to be Yeah. Leah Jones  32:28   So you do you also have I would say also a favorite thing of yours is a well crafted complex, very Ronnie Raviv  32:35   well crafted. Interesting cocktail. Yes, I do like that. Yeah. Oh, sorry. Yeah. Yeah. Well crafted, interesting cocktail or fantastic. In Israel. Yeah. Or bellboy? Right? In Israel in Tel Aviv, Leah Jones  32:53   Imperial. Ronnie Raviv  32:55   Imperial was good. Like Ultra. Yep. also has very good cocktails. Leah Jones  33:04   Yeah, I do Ronnie Raviv  33:05   have one Barber has good cocktails. Yep. There's another place that has had really good cocktails. I can't remember. There's a lot of places with good cocktails. Yeah. Leah Jones  33:17   So I think that is I think, like if you're in a new city, not that you go to new cities often, right? No, I don't if you are returning to a city. So like my friend Dave. He uses hardrock cafes as like, an excuse to go to a city. He collects going to them just because it gives him a reason to put a city on his itinerary. Ronnie Raviv  33:41   In and of itself, that's a terrible excuse. But if it gets you to a new city, it gets you there. But it's terrible underlying excuses. Leah Jones  33:49   Check off boxes. Yeah, right. There's a list you can check out against the list. Okay. So that is not, you know, not implying it is. So if you are returning to a city you've been to before Tel Aviv, New York. Chicago, I think you will seek out a new interest. Like you will seek out a cocktail bar. Yeah. Something to do. Yeah. Ronnie Raviv  34:16   I'm usually if I'm if I'm there on my own. No, that's not true. I'm usually there with somebody. Visiting somebody seeing somebody. Yeah. So I will get from them. What's the good? What's the good cocktail, right? So I went to business. I went on business to Copenhagen. And so I made sure that our business contacts told me where the good cocktail bar Leah Jones  34:39   right was. Yeah, yeah. So all right, so there I've already found Mezcal and fancy pants cocktail bar, Ronnie Raviv  34:51   Fancy Pants cocktail. Yes, girly drinks, girly, girly drinks. Leah Jones  34:56   I was just reading an article this morning about how sometimes men to freak out when they're served something in stemware and will like make the bartender put it in a rocks glass. Oh, my Ronnie Raviv  35:08   friend Bob hates coupe glass. Really? I don't like martini glasses because martini glasses are stupid. Because they spill everywhere. Right? But a coupe glass that doesn't spill as much as a little bit because it's up to the rim. Yeah, but no, my friend Bob hates Kool Aid. He like will reject cocktails if they come in. Like he's not if they come to him that he won't reject them. But he was like, sometimes if you if you remember his he'll say, Is that coming to coupe? Like, oh, and then I want it? Leah Jones  35:33   Yeah. I mean, I will sometimes say like, is it up or on the rocks? And I will often ask for something that's served up to be served on the rocks. Yeah. But that's because I love ice. Right? Yeah, that's a whole different thing. And not because I hate Well, it's I love ice. I will drink it way too fast and a coupe. Like if there's not ice in it. It's just might as well just be a shot. Right? So Ronnie Raviv  35:57   I don't know why I feel myself to ice. I do a good job of sipping when it's in the coupe glass. Yeah. Something about the coupe glass. Not that I love it or hate it and anything else but something about it always. Like if it's in a tall glass. I will down that like nobody's okay. Yeah, I'll go and like down. Yeah. Whereas in the coupe glass that's like, oh, it's like I can see the whole thing. And I can sort of take little, little dainty sips and none of Leah Jones  36:25   its hiding behind the ice. Right. Exactly. Exactly. And they're not served with a straw. Ronnie Raviv  36:30   Which I never use. I very rarely use. Yeah. Only if it's like, really, really like impossible. Like it's piled high with ice and other things like, like sticking out of the rim. Leah Jones  36:43   Like the so we had a drink at fantastique in Tel Aviv with Ronnie Raviv  36:48   Chuck flowers, electric flowers, look them up on Google, which are Leah Jones  36:53   I have smuggled them home. They're in my purse. Ronnie Raviv  36:57   They're crazy. Yeah. It's just this little. It's like It's like almost I don't know how to describe it. It's Leah Jones  37:07   not quite a thistle. Yeah, because it doesn't. It doesn't poke you hurt, right? It's kind of like Ronnie Raviv  37:15   it's like the dandelions like the inside of the puffball. Dandelion. Yeah, before it's opened. No, after after it's open. When you've blown all the puffs off. It's like the round ball. It's a little bit bigger. And it's a little bit fuzzy, Leah Jones  37:28   right? Oh, you know, it's kind of like a pussy willow. Like the Yeah, Ronnie Raviv  37:34   but yellow. Yeah. And you bite into it just a teeny tiny little, tiniest, tiniest amount. It's bitter, and it's not great. And it doesn't taste good. But you just the tiniest amount just a little tiny nibble, like Alison Wonderland noodling on, nibbling on it and mushroom, just the tiniest little nibble. And then for the next, depending on how big the nibble was. 1015 minutes. Your tongue feels like it's constantly licking a nine volt battery. And as you drink something, it enhances that. Yes. And it's really, really interesting and cool and different and bizarre. Yeah. And unpleasant and pleasant at the same time. Leah Jones  38:18   I think you have been telling me about it for like four years. Ronnie Raviv  38:21   Yeah. And you and you still didn't quite picture it in your head. Leah Jones  38:25   No. Even in my mouth. I did not. It was so in SAM. It was you are as giddy right now as you were in the moment. So wonderful Ronnie Raviv  38:35   to see. For the look of a horror and shock on your face of like, what is this? What am I done? What is happening to my insides in my face right now? It was so awesome. Leah Jones  38:49   It was so weird. Yeah. And then it was right like a tequila based drink with a lot of ice. Yeah, a lot of drama. Oh, yeah. Ronnie Raviv  38:57   There was a plan sticking thorns. I'm all sorts of stuff. It was. Yeah. I think the drink was called like, dangerous. Something deep something like danger in the world in the name, Leah Jones  39:06   right. But it was very, it was it was very fun. Ronnie Raviv  39:12   Yeah, yeah. It was really, really tasty drink, too. Yeah. Leah Jones  39:18   I think that was the I think you did a better job or I got whatever. Oh, might have a good and plenty, isn't it? Ronnie Raviv  39:25   Well, yeah. Because you wanted something that tasted like licorice. Leah Jones  39:29   Yeah, but it was such a literal interpretation of tastes like licorice. It was was good. And plenty is melting in the bottom of a whiskey drink Ronnie Raviv  39:37   with some bitters that you could inject with? Yeah, syringe? Yeah. Leah Jones  39:42   It was dramatic and creative, but not delicious, right. I mean, it was fine. Yeah, it was but I'll never order it again. Ronnie Raviv  39:50   No. My drink was better. But honestly, the best drink was the one that we went with the electric flower. Yeah. Leah Jones  39:59   Was very funny. It Ronnie Raviv  40:00   was just for the gimmick would be fine. But it was not just a gimmick. It was a really, really good drink. Right. Really well balanced with the gimmick. Yes. Leah Jones  40:06   Yeah. So that was that's That was great. And I had gone to loutra earlier in the weekend in Tel Aviv and had some very nice cocktails to I don't remember what they were. Because it was all tequila. Yeah. And Ronnie Raviv  40:24   very few Mexican restaurants in Israel. Yeah. A little surprising. Yeah, but I mean, just from like, the palate like you would think like spicy foods and right. Cilantro. Yeah. It's like all these things. Oh, yeah, it's all rice. You'd think that it would be really popular in Israel and for some reason. There aren't that many of them Leah Jones  40:50   for many years. When I would like check a huge bag instead of checking a small bag or three Ronnie Raviv  40:57   small bag, three medium sized. Leah Jones  41:01   Um, and I would take like my friend David, when a trash bags like Benji and tall Tali both wanted like, El Paso taco seasoning. Like my friends were like, bring me like envelopes of taco seasoning. And American trash bags. And American toothpaste. And aspirin. Yeah. Ronnie Raviv  41:24   And then what would you bring back? Israeli ketchup? And my friend who is a modern Orthodox would ask me for Doritos, because Oh, because they're kosher isn't Israel. They're kosher. Leah Jones  41:39   I I remember, early trip bringing you back like olives. Ronnie Raviv  41:44   Yes, you brought? Yeah, but now you can get them. Yeah. I still have those olives and pickles because they were the wrong ones. They're the cracked olives that are bitter, as opposed to the sort of the more the Arabic olives that are bitter as opposed to the kibbutz olives that I like, and it was the the cucumbers in vinegar instead of in Brian. Leah Jones  42:11   I still I still have entries been at minimum 10 years that I gave you those possibly longer Ronnie Raviv  42:20   I think more like eight but yes, it's been a while. During the probably not. They're not. I'm moving in six weeks or so. Leah Jones  42:28   Yeah, I will sneak in and take them and throw them out for you. You're not moving them? Ronnie Raviv  42:36   Probably not. But it's against my religion to throw food away. Leah Jones  42:40   I understand. I understand that. Ronnie Raviv  42:42   I know. I know. It's possible I gave the olives to my mom because she does like those correct olives. Yeah, but none of us like the pickles and vinegar. Brian, Leah Jones  42:52   it's also sweet of you to wait eight years to tell me that I brought you the wrong thing. Ronnie Raviv  42:57   No. It was like it was so sweet of a gesture I'm not gonna I didn't have the heart to tell you know, beggars can be choosers I don't like the free thing you got me. Leah Jones  43:09   Um, when my nephews were of a certain age, which is much younger than they are now I would bring back I would go to the shuk and Jerusalem and buy like all of the fake Kinder eggs like I would go to the Kinder Egg store that had like all the off brand unlicensed Kinder eggs Ronnie Raviv  43:30   because they were legal here for a while. They're still Leah Jones  43:31   illegal here. Ronnie Raviv  43:32   I thought they weren't I thought they just thought they figured out how to because now you can buy it now they just buy them but they suck. Right because they don't have because they they've been protected for the litigious American mark. Yes. Leah Jones  43:43   So there were times when I would like have an entire layer of Kinder eggs and bootleg Kinder eggs for the kids of Leroy, Illinois, for the O'Briens and the DeVivo is to have like a Kinder Egg Unboxing party at my sister's house. Nice. Yeah. Leah Jones  44:12   Okay, other favorite things of yours. You consume a lot of TV for someone who is not a TV critic. Ronnie Raviv  44:21   Right? I do. I used to consume a lot more admittedly. I consume less nowadays. Yeah, still consume a lot. Leah Jones  44:28   Right? For sure. When we met you had three VCRs. Correct. Ronnie Raviv  44:32   And then you worked on a client on the TiVo account and the TiVo account. And so I got a TiVo that can record six things at once. Yeah. Which I still have. Yeah. Actually, no, between those I had a DVR I had like a I had a Windows Media DVR that could record four things at once. Yeah, but the hard drives kept going out. Yeah. And then I got the TiVo. I have that to this day. But now I'm not going to have cable in my new place. Right? So I'm gonna have to figure out what's going on with that whole new era. It's a whole new era. Yeah. Because YouTube TV isn't going to quite do it for me, but I'm not sure that ATT DirecTV is going to do it for me, but like, I can get you like I can get internet for sort of free because the building has internet, but I don't know if it's reliable enough, and it won't have the 18 T. Like, I'd have to pay extra. So do I want to pay the extra it's a whole big thing that I have to Leah Jones  45:30   sort of figure out it's, it's going to be a major lifestyle, it is going to be a major lifestyle change. But how what is your origin story with TV? Like, how did you become? When did you go from one to two to three visa like when I've only ever known you as someone with a huge queue of TV to watch, but I don't know why you watch so much TV. Ronnie Raviv  45:56   I don't either. Um, because it's good escapism, I always like watching TV. Like I had a TV, I got it, I got a small little TV. Like, I don't know, like a 13 inch TV or something for my Bar Mitzvah that I had in my room. So I'd watch TV there sometimes. And then I took that to college, and then we would watch Whose Line Is It Anyway, like we'd all crammed right, and we didn't have cable, freshman and sophomore year. So I would like take speaker wire and toss them out the window, click attach to the rabbit ears in hopes of getting a decent signal on. Because that's how old we are Lea. And so yeah, so I was watched that and then and then I guess maybe after college I started recording things on on the VCR so I wouldn't like because, you know, I'm I have friends who will not have plans because they want to go do something they want to watch TV or something. So I would like record whatever because why not? And so maybe a little bit after college that started but then it really was in earnest it during business school. That's when I collected sort of like a second and maybe even my third DVR. VCR. Yeah. In business school. So I could record things but not miss out on social occasion. Right. And also, there's an additional advantage of that is because if there's an hour long show that you record, you can zip through the commercials and watch it in 45 minutes very efficient. So yeah, so I think it's, I'm all about if you if I had to pick a favorite thing would be efficiency. That's which is really the polite way of saying lazy. But yeah, so it was really the efficient thing to do. Leah Jones  47:50   Right. And when and when, like comedy so much of it wasn't right. Yeah. I mean, classes might have been during the day, but like so much of comedy was Yeah, evenings and yeah, Ronnie Raviv  48:01   so I wouldn't be never home but I wouldn't want to I wouldn't want to miss out on things. Like you know, I'm, I'm a very much a homebody, right and need an inordinate amount of me time, right? I don't like having plans day after night after night after night after night after night. Right? Even if I'm enjoying all those plans it just like I get stir crazy. I need my time. But I don't want to be the kind of person who misses out on plans with friends. Because Oh, no, I have to watch this at home. Right? That's I feel like, you know, that's You can be addicted to the thing, but not make it ruin your life. Right. So, yeah, so I just like started recording anything that was vaguely interesting. And I would watch it. Yeah. And my bar for vaguely interesting is pretty low. Right? Leah Jones  48:51   It's not reality. No, I Ronnie Raviv  48:52   don't I don't do reality TV. And I don't like shows about unpleasant people making bad decisions. Leah Jones  49:02   It's a madman. Ronnie Raviv  49:03   Yeah. Madman Breaking Bad. I watched a few episodes and like, succession. Haven't you watched that? Yes. Like at this point, I kind of know, oh, this is a show about shitty people making bad decisions, right? I'm not gonna like it. Because if it's a good person making bad decisions, okay, if it's a shitty person making good decisions, like an antihero kind of a thing. You know, like a Dexter or whatever, fine. But if it's like a crappy person who's making bad decisions and gets in trouble for their bad decisions, like I'm not gonna root for them to get out of trouble. Like you just you do this yourself. Yeah. Why do I care if you get out of it? Leah Jones  49:38   That's how I felt. I feel like I watched the pilot of girls. The TV show it was on HBO. Lena Dunham. Yeah. Adam Driver. Yeah. And I think I watched the pilot and I was like, Oh, I agree with the parents. This show is not for me because I think the parents should be kind Putting her off. And then I think that was like one of like five episodes of the whole series that I ever watched because I was like, No, I think I think she should be cut off and have to like, figure it out a little bit better. Yeah, I Ronnie Raviv  50:13   think that was on during the years that I didn't have HBO. Yeah. Because I had HBO for many years while I was, you know, when I first moved into my apartment, because for some reason, the cable company screwed up and it wasn't scrambled. Great. So I had free HBO and Showtime and then one day they caught on and they re scramble them and it's not like I could pick up the phone and call them and say Hey, how come he scrambled the free Why am I free cable that I'm not taking away? Yeah, so I you know, watch the first several seasons of sopranos and the first couple seasons of Kirby enthusiasm, and then I lost HBO so then I didn't watch those shows anymore. Well, sopranos Leah Jones  50:51   was on Sunday nights right before the tequila Roadhouse. Open Mic. So sometimes people would watch it at kill Roadhouse in the front and the bar and then go to the back for the open mic. Yeah, maybe I recorded it. Yeah. Right. You're gonna have to find a whole new system. Ronnie Raviv  51:10   Yeah, well now so they all it's streaming DVR, so you could just have hit it, but from what I read, they're not good about time shifting. Yeah, like in my current on the on the TiVo, I can say, okay, record this show, like when it supposed to be but then keep recording for another, you know, three, five minutes, another hour and a half. Like if there's a baseball game on before a football game before? And they're gonna like start it late. I can just keep recording. Yeah. But now with these online, these these streaming DVRs. You have to sort of set to record the show after it because he can't like extend the show. They don't know well enough, and but you might be able to go back and I don't know. It's a whole complicated thing. Yeah. I'm gonna have to figure out yeah. So yeah, TV is sort of a favorite. Yeah. But again, okay. I have a lot of things I like but none of these are my favorites. The the cocktails is probably the closest Yeah, but like people ask me, oh, what's your favorite show? If you watch too much TV? I don't have a favorite show. Just like I watch a lot of shows. Yeah, I don't favorite. Yeah, efficiently. I don't have a favorite though. Yeah. I have a bunch that I like. So I like more or less, where I'd be hard pressed to even say what those are. Yeah. I also like with books, I watch a TV show or a movie or a book. And I get the good feeling of it in the moment. And I appreciate it. I enjoy it in the moment, but then asked me what it was about. Right. When I'll have a tough time. Yeah. I just like it goes out of my head. I'm like, Oh, I remember I liked that book. What's it about? I don't know. What happens and I don't know. I just remember that it came away thinking it was a great book. Leah Jones  52:49   Do you ever come away thinking it's a bad book? Yeah. Okay. Ronnie Raviv  52:54   But I'll still read it. i There's only there's only, I think, two books on my list that I have started and not finished. Which are Moby Dick. And gravity's rainbow by Thomas Pynchon. Which is weird, because there was a time period where I was when every book I was really enjoying and reading. Everyone was describing it as pinching ask. And I'm like, well, it's weird that the one book that I didn't finish is by Thomas Pynchon. But all these bitchiness, yes. I liked Leah Jones  53:30   I thought you were gonna say Moby Jack, either because you have told me before or because in the airfare she is sentence to live until she finishes the most boring book in the world. Ronnie Raviv  53:46   Book airfare and I don't remember. I have no, Leah Jones  53:49   not in airfare. It's it's further along in the series. Ronnie Raviv  53:53   I've read the whole series, and I have no recollection of what you're saying. This is what I'm talking about. Right. No recollection of these things? Leah Jones  53:58   Yeah. It is. It's one of my top topics I recommend to people. Ronnie Raviv  54:06   It's a good it's a good series of books. Yeah, sure. Leah Jones  54:08   Especially if people are readers. You're rewarded for being a lifelong reader. Yeah. And in his books, yeah. Ronnie Raviv  54:16   And there's good wordplay. And there's just clever. Yeah, yeah, it's good stuff. Yeah, Jasper Ford is very good. Yeah, I'm very much looking forward to eventually reading the sequel to my favorite book of his the great. The shades of grey shades of grey. Yeah. Not to be confused with 50 Shades of Grey, right. Shades of Grey is an awesome book. Again, don't ask me what it's about because I don't remember. I just remember thinking it was an awesome book. Let me tell you what I know. I know. It's I vaguely know it's like some people can't see certain colors, but some people can see certain colors, but not all of them. But then some people can like the more of the spectrum we can see. I don't remember what it signifies. But I just remember there are people who can like see greens and People can see reds. And there's like, sort of, but I don't really remember anything beyond that. Leah Jones  55:04   The it's the caste system is based on how much how colorblind, you are right with the people with the best cut the best vision at the top, and the most limited vision or at the bottom. Ronnie Raviv  55:18   But even the best limit, even the best vision, it's like, you only see one spectrum of colors, Leah Jones  55:23   right? And it's a coming of age story because of the age 16. You take the test, right? You're allowed to live without a caste until you're 16 or whatever. And then you take the test. And it is is the protagonist, I believe is realizing that if his parents are who his parents are supposed to be, he should not be able to see what he can see. Right. So they his mom stepped out to get his to get the kid better vision of a chance of a better future. You don't remember any of that that Ronnie Raviv  56:06   part? I don't remember. Yeah, no. No, I like read the book I enjoyed in the moment. And then I just come away with a good feeling. Leah Jones  56:14   Yeah. No, I'm excited for the sequel to Yeah, yeah. Ronnie Raviv  56:20   Yeah, it was really? Yeah. Because for a long time, it looked like he wasn't gonna do the sequel because it didn't sell that well, even though it's his best book, like by far. Yeah, the goal is because all of his books are good. But that one is the best book by far. Leah Jones  56:32   I think I've heard about him a lot during this current war in Ukraine. Why is that? Because a detail you don't remember from the era fair, right, is that the Crimea, the Crimean War has been ongoing for 20 years. Okay. Everybody in the UK eventually fights in the Crimean War, and it's unending. Ronnie Raviv  56:54   Yeah. I bet you remember something about the Crimean War? Yeah. Leah Jones  56:58   And so when it when it was annexed ahead of the war, a couple years ago, I was like, this Jasper Ford, like, actually, psychic, because it was like that. There was something wild that happened with Amazon and Kindles and like the deleting of content. And, you know, you don't really own your digital content. And so it was like Crimea, digital content going away, and something else and I was just like, what is Jasper Ford on? Like, how can he, as a futurist, and a science fiction writer have such a clear vision of where things are going, Ronnie Raviv  57:43   especially since it was written in such an almost absurdist fantastical way? Like nothing here is even remotely close to reality, right? Leah Jones  57:52   Yeah, I forget what your airfare is from. Ronnie Raviv  57:59   The 80s? Maybe? Oh, no. Like when it was published, or when published? Oh, like takes place in like, what feels like the 80s? Yeah. But I think it was, yeah, I Leah Jones  58:09   think I'm looking at my early aughts. I'm looking at my bookshelves as if it's there as if I haven't loaned it out for the 50th time, right. I've given it to so many people. Ronnie Raviv  58:19   I mean, I can Oh, takes place in alternative 1985. Right. Publishing 2001 According to Google, July 19 2001. So So pre 911, but Leah Jones  58:34   yeah, a pre Kindle. Ronnie Raviv  58:38   Yeah. You know, yep. Leah Jones  58:42   Amazon was only Amazon existed. But barely, barely. And only for books. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Cocktails, efficient TV watching. chicken potpie. That doesn't exist anymore. Right. Trustworthy chefs. Yeah. So which dinner do you think was better? tysew or OCD, OCD by far? Yeah. Ronnie Raviv  59:09   I mean, he was great. But OCD was amazing. Yeah. OCD was some of the best food I've ever read. Leah Jones  59:13   I was so nervous. I got so anxious that week, leading up to it that we oversold that we had oversold it. Ronnie Raviv  59:22   No, no, no, no, I wasn't nervous about that. I knew no matter what it was going to be good and fun and an experience and interesting. Yeah. And what was all those things, but it also was delicious. Yeah. Leah Jones  59:34   It was it was just a remarkable. Yeah. And every bite with one exception was phenomenal. For me. There was just that one salad. That was a little too sour. The chard? The chard, lettuce, chard greens. Yeah. And like the lemon sauce. Ronnie Raviv  59:55   Oh, yeah. You have you have a thing with sour right now. Leah Jones  59:58   Yeah, yeah. I made a face. I made a face when I tried it and I saw the staff see me make the face. And I was like, Oh, it was like unintentional, right? Because everything had been so perfect. Yeah. And even that one I appreciated but like just my Ronnie Raviv  1:00:16   I'm just off, ya know, just hit your jaw. Yeah, sour in the sour spot. Leah Jones  1:00:20   I mean hard in the sour spot. I still am thinking about the the freeze dried parfait the cloud? Oh, yeah. Ronnie Raviv  1:00:30   Which you would think that the top layer of it would be the melty part would be the melt in your mouth part. And the bottom layer would be sort of like the, but it was the opposite for me. Like the bottom layer was the stuff that melted and disappeared in your mouth like candy. Almost. It wasn't. And the top layer was sort of like it crunched down like those like, green plant. You know, the green Styrofoam look really thick. Yeah, Styrofoam stuff. Leah Jones  1:00:57   I know. You're talking about floral, floral Styrofoam. Yeah. Ronnie Raviv  1:01:01   Yeah, so it was like it's sort of that just got dense. So I would, I was expecting that top layer to just melt away like cotton candy. But it got dense. Yeah, and really good. And the bottom stuff, which was like more ice creamy sort of that. I figured it was going to just be like sort of become liquid and it just sort of disappeared. I don't know how Yeah, that was that was really good. Leah Jones  1:01:22   Yeah. And then like cuz it started with like, that was like a celery. Grenada. Yeah, it was wild. Yeah. Ronnie Raviv  1:01:30   And the creme brulee that mean made out of potatoes. Yes. With like little potato chips on it like yeah, like shoestring potatoes, but sweet. Yeah, that was and what was the ice cream with that? Leah Jones  1:01:45   It wasn't it was non dairy. I think it was salted like a salted caramel maybe. Ronnie Raviv  1:01:50   I feel like it was also something that was savory. Yeah. Like a savory like some of you would expect to be savory but they made it a sweet Yeah, ice cream. Yeah, potatoes, but like some like not potato ice cream. But like some other kinds of something like turnips. Yeah, like something. Yeah. Leah Jones  1:02:08   And now they've already changed. We were we went for the smoke and fire menu. They're already on a new menu. And it's like, Ronnie Raviv  1:02:22   yeah, we have to we have to go back. Right. So good. It was so good. Leah Jones  1:02:25   I think Thai zoo because it was so I think Thai zoo is what unlocked for us. Like, we can have a nice time if we don't have plans. Yeah. So Thai zoo was like a friend of your cousin's got us a last minute reservation. It's hard. it hard to get reservation but not impossible. Like OCD, right? We went a year ago. And it was they interviewed us at the beginning of the meal. And we were like, Yeah, take it away. Like what they ordered for us. Yeah. And my only the only thing I told them about me was like they serve like whole fish like racinos like whole fish. And I was like, I don't face. I can't deal with a face. I'm already embarrassed thinking about how to eat that in public. Right. So like, I don't want the full fish. But other than that, like, I'll try anything. Yeah. And that was such an amazing dinner because it was just like, didn't know it. We didn't know what we were gonna do. Yeah, Ronnie Raviv  1:03:29   we didn't know what to expect. Yeah. Yeah, we were very good at the sponge. We've had incredible luck with the spontaneous. Yeah. dinners in the last few months. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, like your birthday was awesome. Leah Jones  1:03:44   We couldn't if we had planned if we had made all those reservations, it wouldn't have worked. Ronnie Raviv  1:03:48   No, we couldn't have planned that. Yeah, the one thing we did plan like we did plan Yes. But we just decided to skip it at the last minute. Yeah. And go completely plan LIS Yeah. To like the most the busiest part of town for like restaurants like where you can't get reservations for anything. No. And we just went to four different places all without reservations. And ended up being we just went from place to place to place all within like a block and a half. Yeah. Leah Jones  1:04:21   Because that's all I could do at the time right? Yeah, blind barber for drinks. Yeah. Ronnie Raviv  1:04:28   And then Duck Duck go duck duck go for a last minute dinner right Open Table reservation Yeah, yeah, that Leah Jones  1:04:34   we did make a reservation but then like literally just walked across the street. Two minutes later. Yeah, we looked Ronnie Raviv  1:04:39   looked like oh, look, they have a table. It's 15 it's six. Let's go. Yeah, we put our name down. Yep. Went Leah Jones  1:04:46   and then and before every stop. We've went to aviary and tried to get an aviary Yeah. Ronnie Raviv  1:04:54   So tried to start the evening at aviary. We were denied because it was closed for private event. Yeah. So We went to get drinks at blind Barber. Yeah. And we went to dinner. Then we tried to go back to a beer. Yeah. And we're denied again. So then we went to to get dessert. Leah Jones  1:05:08   And we said, where would you go for dessert? And they told us about rosemary. This Croatian restaurant. Yeah. It's like what do you have now been for dinner? And I have not been Yeah, Ronnie Raviv  1:05:15   it is. Really good. Yeah. Leah Jones  1:05:20   So then we just like so rosemary, also very hard to get a table at Ronnie Raviv  1:05:24   like I've looked. Yeah. And I might, it's not an easy get. Leah Jones  1:05:28   But we just waltz in. And they Ronnie Raviv  1:05:30   sat us like, at the kitchen. Yeah. Like, at the counter at the kitchen. We were the only ones and yeah, had dessert there. Leah Jones  1:05:38   So we have like three, we ordered two. And they brought us a third because it's my birthday. Yeah. So we had these amazing desserts there. Ronnie Raviv  1:05:45   And as soon as they pop them down, we get a text from the aviary saying okay, you can come over Yeah, so we just download desserts and went wander over the aviary and had a nightcap there. Yes. A really good evening. Leah Jones  1:05:57   It was a fun night. Yeah. Yeah, so we've had good luck and we had good the night before your birthday party. We went to Frasca. Ronnie Raviv  1:06:06   Yeah, fresca, fresca. Braska fresco Frasca? Yeah Leah Jones  1:06:10   oh my god, we ordered so much food we Ronnie Raviv  1:06:12   ordered so much. Leah Jones  1:06:16   Delicious. Got it got a table right before it started to rain again. Right before everybody from the patio had to come inside. Yeah. Tremendous luck. Yeah. Ronnie Raviv  1:06:28   A few other like one or two other places to that we just lucked out on. Leah Jones  1:06:32   Yeah, like we went to Tango sore after we saw Oh, yeah. Heimer. Yeah. Ronnie Raviv  1:06:35   And that's like, yeah, we're just like, hey, let's walk towards your car, and then maybe go drive somewhere. It's like, oh, or we could go into here, right. Oh, and then. Oh, and a few months before that we had we went to Barbara Roma. Yes. Where my friend is my friend's husband is the headshot. And so we went there and just like got a table there. Also not a particularly easy get that's pretty popular place. Leah Jones  1:07:01   Because it was a day after Ronnie Raviv

Alif Bank has grown into one of the leading fintechs in Central Asia; and with its portfolio of Sharia-compliant lending, payments, and banking products it's showing that fintech can be based on noble values.Alif Bank and all its products can be found at www.alif.tj (click the link to jump to English) or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/alif-capital/Abdullo himself, who you've heard is very personable, is also there at https://www.linkedin.com/in/akurbanov/You can read about the academy and how Alif are building future tech stars at https://fintechmagazine.com/financial-services-finserv/fintech-in-tajikistan-director-of-alif-academy-on-diversityThen, in the episode Abdullo mentions how Alif are now an AWS case study, and he means that literally, you can read more about their hybrid migration to AWS at https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/alif-bank-case-study/Somon.tj is exactly where you'd expect it: https://somon.tj/Tajikistan is a mountainous, rugged country - if you'd like to visit it, read more here https://wikitravel.org/en/Tajikistan or here https://advntr.cc/the-not-knowing-an-adventure-in-tajikistan/You can learn more about myself, Brendan le Grange, on my LinkedIn page (feel free to connect), my action-adventure novels are on Amazon, some versions even for free, and my work with ConfirmU and our gamified psychometric scores is at https://confirmu.com/ and on episode 24 of this very show https://www.howtolendmoneytostrangers.show/episodes/episode-24If you have any feedback, questions, or if you would like to participate in the show, please feel free to reach out to me via the contact page on my site: https://www.howtolendmoneytostrangers.show/contact-us.Oh, and if you're in need of more banking podcasts, you can find related content at https://blog.feedspot.com/banking_podcasts/Regards, Brendan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.