Podcasts about Audit

The Minnesota Vikings have been the worst drafting team in the NFL since 2022, and it's not close; How many former first overall picks have played for the Vikings; Plus, Vikings feedback on the salary cap; Should the Vikings trade for RB De'Von Achane; Does KOC and Vikings QB JJ McCarthy still have a good relationship; Plus latest Vikings news and a Snake Draft of the Week on Purple Daily.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Jared sits down with Corey Ganim to break down AI automation that drives results, starting with a simple ROI filter: effectiveness, efficiency, and customer experience. Corey shares his AOA sequence (Audit, Optimize, Automate) so you stop automating messy 12-step processes and start building repeatable systems with AI. You'll hear the difference between AI agents and reusable skills and "speed to lead" replies. Walk away with three clear takeaways: how to choose the right workflows to automate, how to simplify them before automating, and how to build repeatable AI skills you can reuse across your business.   Sponsor: Quiet LightGet a free, confidential valuation at https://quietlight.com/! Links & ResourcesTake the quiz to get your free AI action plan: https://returnmytime.com/quiz Learn more about Return My Time: https://returnmytime.com/ Connect with Corey: https://x.com/coreyganim   Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter  Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links?  Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper  Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative 

I ran 50 miles in 13 hours. Not one person said congratulations. That's exactly how I knew I was on the right track. A marathon gets a standing ovation on social media. A 50-miler gets silence — because most people can't even comprehend it. And that silence taught me everything about the kind of goals worth chasing. In episode #1492, I introduce the 50 Mile Theory — the framework for setting goals so far beyond what people expect of you that they stop being impressive to everyone except the one person who matters. I also break down the concept of Mental Medals and why your internal trophy case will always outperform the one the world can see. If everyone around you thinks your goal is achievable — you're not dreaming big enough. Hit play. Then go set a goal nobody understands. Who This Episode Is For If you've been shrinking your goals to fit what other people can applaud — this one's for you. Key Takeaways The 50 Mile Theory: the right goal is so far outside people's comprehension that it doesn't even register as impressive to them — and that's the point Goals built for applause will always be short-sighted — the crowd sets the ceiling A real goal changes who you are in the pursuit of it, not just at the finish line Mental Medals are the internal wins nobody else can see or appreciate — and they're the ones that build unshakeable confidence You're often the only one in the room when you do the work. It's fitting you're often the only one cheering when you finish. Questions for Reflection What is your 50 mile goal — the one that makes people say "I wouldn't even drive that far?" Are you chasing goals that impress the masses or goals that transform you in the pursuit? What mental medals have you earned that you've been discounting because nobody else noticed them? Action Steps Write down your 50 mile goal — the one that feels almost too big to say out loud. Say it out loud anyway. Build your mental trophy case. List three things you've done that nobody applauded but that you are genuinely proud of. Keep that list somewhere you can see it when doubt shows up. Audit your current goals. If everyone in your life thinks they're achievable, push the target further until at least one person asks you why. Featured Quote "The mental medals are proof of your resilience, your discipline, and that you can overcome anything. Those are the ones that matter."

Southwest Michigan's Morning News for 03-18-26See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If your calendar is packed with meetings, updates, and problem-solving—but your team still lacks clarity—your calendar may be revealing a leadership problem.In this episode, I challenge you to audit your calendar and delegate one meeting this week so you can create space to lead and develop stronger leaders on your team.This is what you'll learn:00:05:17 – Audit Your Calendar Like a Leader00:11:50 – Delegate One Meeting This Week00:19:21 – Use the Time You Get Back to Actually Lead00:23:01 – Next-Level Leadership LIVE Event 2026Grab your tickets here: chrislocurto.com/liveevents

Can AI really help you communicate better with patients? What if you could audit your own consultations and discover which words, pauses, and stories increase treatment acceptance? Dr. David Amador joins Jaz for a fascinating episode exploring how AI can transform the way we interact with patients. From auditing conversations to radiographic interpretation, they break down practical applications that improve both communication and patient care. They also discuss how storytelling, patient trust, and ethical use of AI all come together to boost treatment acceptance — showing that AI isn't here to replace us, but to make us better. https://youtu.be/L38Hhu855Ro Watch IC069 on YouTube Key Takeaways AI is transforming the way dental practices operate. Storytelling is crucial for effective patient communication. Building a strong team culture enhances practice success. Data security is paramount when using AI tools. Continuous training is essential for team development. Patient engagement strategies can improve treatment acceptance. AI tools can streamline administrative tasks and improve efficiency. Understanding patient needs leads to better care outcomes. Effective marketing requires a solid online presence and SEO. Networking with other professionals can provide valuable insights. Highlight of the episode 00:00 Teaser 00:34 Intro 02:23 Dr. Amador’s Background and Practice 08:14 Using AI for Decision Support 10:26 Leveraging AI for Communication and Training 15:57 Using AI for Patient Care and Diagnosis 21:37 Midroll 1 24:58 Using AI for Patient Care and Diagnosis 26:11 Leveraging AI for Dental Practice Efficiency 27:35 Midroll 2 30:20 Leveraging AI for Dental Practice Efficiency 32:44 Training and Scaling with AI Tools 33:45 Creating SOPs and Playbooks 36:53 Enhancing Patient Communication with Personalized Videos 40:36 Training and Data-Driven Growth 44:52 Outro AI isn't the future — it's your next teammate. Imagine: while you focus on patient care, AI records your consults, summarizes them, audits your communication, and helps interpret radiographs. Plaud.ai makes note-taking automatic. Overjet makes diagnostics and patient communication crystal clear. Check out Midtown Dental Studio — where cutting-edge technology meets genuine care.  If you found this episode valuable, don't miss PS015: Communicating Fees, Treatment Plans, and More #InterferenceCast #CareerDevelopment #Communication This episode is eligible for 0.75 CE credit via the quiz on Protrusive Guidance.  This episode meets GDC Outcomes A and B AGD Subject Code: 550 – Practice Management and Human Relations Aim: To explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to audit communication, enhance storytelling, and improve patient conversion while maintaining patient-centered care. Dentists will be able to – Explain how AI tools can support communication, diagnosis, and patient understanding in dentistry. Demonstrate how storytelling and patient-centered communication influence treatment acceptance. Evaluate the ethical, professional, and practical considerations of integrating AI into dental practice.

WSJM Afternoon News for 03-17-26See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What makes a character so compelling that readers will forgive almost anything about the plot? How do you move beyond vague flaws and generic descriptions to create people who feel pulled from real life? In this solo episode, I share 15 actionable tips for writing deep characters, curated from past interviews on the podcast. In the intro, thoughts from London Book Fair [Instagram reel @jfpennauthor; Publishing Perspectives; Audible; Spotify]; Insights from a 7-figure author business [BookBub]. This show is supported by my Patrons. Join my Community and get articles, discounts, and extra audio and video tutorials on writing craft, author business, and AI tools, at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn This episode has been created from previous episodes of The Creative Penn Podcast, curated by Joanna Penn, as well as chapters from How to Write a Novel: From Idea to Book. Links to the individual episodes are included in the transcript below. In this episode: Master the ‘Believe, Care, Invest' trifecta, how to hook readers on the very first page Define the Dramatic Question: Who is your character when the chips are down? Absolute specificity. Why “she's controlling” isn't good enough Understand the Heroine's Journey, strength through connection, not solo action Use ‘Metaphor Families' to anchor dialogue and give every character a distinctive voice Find the Diagnostic Detail, the moments that prove a character is real Writing pain onto the page without writing memoir Write diverse characters as real people, not stereotypes or plot devices Give your protagonist a morally neutral ‘hero' status. Compelling beats likeable. Build vibrant side characters for series longevity and spin-off potential Use voice as a rhythmic tool Link character and plot until they're inseparable Why discovery writers can write out of order and still build deep character Find the sensory details that make characters live and breathe More help with how to write fiction here, or in my book, How to Write a Novel. Writing Characters: 15 Tips for Writing Deep Character in Your Fiction In today's episode, I'm sharing fifteen tips for writing deep characters, synthesised from some of the most insightful interviews on The Creative Penn Podcast over the past few years, combined with what I've learned across more than forty books of my own. I'll be referencing episodes with Matt Bird, Will Storr, Gail Carriger, Barbara Nickless, and Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer. I'll also draw on my own book, How to Write a Novel, which covers these fundamentals in detail. Whether you're writing your first novel or your fiftieth, whether you're a plotter or a discovery writer like me, these tips will help you create characters that readers believe in, care about, and invest in—and keep coming back for more. Let's get into it. 1. Master the ‘Believe, Care, Invest' Trifecta When I spoke with Matt Bird on episode 624, he laid out the three things you need to achieve on the very first page of your book or in the first ten minutes of a film. He calls it “Believe, Care, and Invest.” First, the reader must believe the character is a real person, somehow proving they are not a cardboard imitation of a human being, not just a generic type walking through a generic plot. Second, the reader must care about the character's circumstances. And third, the reader must invest in the character's ability to solve the story's central problem. Matt used The Hunger Games as his primary example, and it's brilliant. On the very first page, we believe Katniss's voice. Suzanne Collins writes in first person with a staccato rhythm—lots of periods, short declarative sentences—that immediately grounds us in a survivalist mentality. We care because Katniss is starving. She's protecting her little sister. And we invest because she is out there bow hunting, which Matt pointed out is one of the most badass things a character can do. She even kills a lynx two pages in and sells the pelt. We invest in her resourcefulness and grit before the plot has even begun. Matt was very clear that this has nothing to do with the character being “likable.” He said his subtitle, Writing a Hero Anyone Will Love, doesn't mean the character has to be a good person. He described “hero” as both gender-neutral and morally neutral. A hero can be totally evil or totally good. What matters is that we believe, care, and invest. He demonstrated this beautifully by breaking down the first ten minutes of WeCrashed, where the characters of Adam and Rebekah Neumann are absolutely not likable, but we are completely hooked. Adam steals his neighbour's Chinese food through a carefully orchestrated con involving an imaginary beer. It's not admirable behaviour, but the tradecraft involved, as Matt put it—using a term from spy movies—makes us invest in him. We see a character trying to solve the big problem of his life, which is that he's poor and wants to be rich, and we want to see if he can pull it off. Actionable step: Go to the first page of your current work in progress. Does it achieve all three? Does the reader believe this is a real person with a distinctive voice? Do they care about the character's circumstances? And do they invest in the character's ability to handle what's coming? If even one of those three is missing, that's your revision priority. 2. Define the Dramatic Question: Who Are They Really? Will Storr, author of The Science of Storytelling, came on episode 490 and gave one of the most powerful frameworks I've ever heard for character-driven fiction. He explained that the human brain evolved language primarily to swap social information—in other words, to gossip. We are wired to monitor other people, to ask the question: who is this person when the chips are down? That's what Will calls the Dramatic Question, and it's what he believes lies at the heart of all compelling storytelling. It's not a question about plot. It's a question about the character's soul. And every scene in your novel should force the character to answer it. His example of Lawrence of Arabia is unforgettable. The Dramatic Question for the entire film is: who are you, Lawrence? Are you ordinary or are you extraordinary? At the beginning, Lawrence is a cocky, rebellious young soldier who believes his rebelliousness makes him superior. Every iconic scene in that three-hour film tests that belief. Sometimes Lawrence acts as though he truly is extraordinary—leading the Arabs into battle, being hailed as a god—and sometimes the world strips him bare and he sees himself as ordinary. Because it's a tragedy, he never overcomes his flaw. He doubles down on his belief that he's extraordinary until he becomes monstrous, culminating in that iconic scene where he lifts a bloody dagger and sees his own reflection with horror. Will also used Jaws to demonstrate how this works in a pure action thriller. Brody's dramatic question is simple: are you going to be old Brody who is terrified of the water, or new Brody who can overcome that fear? Every scene where the shark appears is really asking that question. And the last moment of the film isn't the shark blowing up. It's Brody swimming back through the water, saying he used to be scared of the water and he can't imagine why. Actionable step: Write down the Dramatic Question for your protagonist in a single sentence. Is it “Are you ordinary or extraordinary?” or “Are you brave enough to love again?” or “Will you sacrifice your principles for survival?” If you can't answer this with specificity, your character might still be a sketch rather than a person. 3. Get rid of Vague Flaws, and use Absolute Specificity This was one of Will Storr's most important points. He said that vague thinking about characters is really the enemy. When he teaches workshops and asks writers to describe their character's flaw, most of them say something like “they're very controlling.” And Will's response is: that's not good enough. Everyone is controlling. How are they controlling? What's the specific mechanism? He gave the example of a profile he read of Theresa May during the UK's Brexit chaos. Someone who knew her said that Theresa May's problem was that she always thinks she's the only adult in every room she goes into. Will said that stopped him in his tracks because it's so precise. If you define a character with that level of specificity, you can take them and put them in any genre, any situation—a spaceship, a Victorian drawing room, a school playground—and you will know exactly how they're going to behave. The same applies to Arthur Miller's Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, as Will described it: a man who believes absolutely in capitalistic success and the idea that when you die, you're going to be weighed on a scale, just as God weighs you for sin, but now you're weighed for success. That's not a vague flaw. That's a worldview you can drop into any story and watch it combust. Will made another counterintuitive point that I found really valuable: writers often think that piling on multiple traits will create a complex character, but the opposite is true. Starting with one highly specific flaw and running it through the demands of a relentless plot is what generates complexity. You end up with a far more nuanced, original character than if you'd started with a laundry list of vague attributes. Actionable step: Take your protagonist's flaw and pressure-test it. Is it specific enough that you could place this character in any situation and predict their behaviour? If you're stuck at “she's stubborn” or “he's insecure,” keep pushing. What kind of stubborn? What kind of insecure? Find the diagnostic sentence—the Theresa May level of precision. 4. Understand the Heroine's Journey: Strength Through Connection Gail Carriger came on episode 550 to discuss her nonfiction book, The Heroine's Journey, and it completely reframed how I think about some of my own fiction. Gail explained that the core difference between the Hero's Journey and the Heroine's Journey comes down to how strength and victory are defined. The Hero's Journey is about strength through solo action. The hero must be continually isolated to get stronger. He goes out of civilisation, faces strife alone, and achieves victory through physical prowess and self-actualisation. The Heroine's Journey is the opposite. The heroine achieves her goals by activating a network. She's a delegator, a general. She identifies where she can't do something alone, finds the people who can help, and portions out the work for mutual gain. Gail put it simply: the heroine is very good at asking for help, which our culture tends to devalue but which is actually a powerful form of strength. Crucially, Gail stressed that gender is irrelevant to which journey you're writing. Her go-to examples are striking: the recent Wonder Woman film is practically a beat-for-beat hero's journey—Gilgamesh on screen, as Gail described it. Meanwhile, Harry Potter, both the first book and the series as a whole, is a classic heroine's journey. Harry's power comes from his network—Dumbledore's Army, the Order of the Phoenix, his friendships with Ron and Hermione. He doesn't defeat Voldemort alone. He defeats Voldemort because of love and connection. This distinction has real practical consequences for writers. If you're writing a hero's journey and you hit writer's block, Gail said, the solution is usually to isolate your hero further and pile on more strife. But if you're writing a heroine's journey, the solution is probably to throw a new character into the scene—someone who has advice to offer or a skill the heroine lacks. The actual solutions to writer's block are different depending on which narrative you're writing. As I reflected on my own work, I realised that my ARKANE thriller protagonist, Morgan Sierra, follows a hero's journey—she's a solo operative, a lone wolf like Jack Reacher or James Bond. But my Mapwalker fantasy series follows a heroine's journey, with Sienna and her group of friends working together. I hadn't consciously chosen those paths; the stories led me there. But understanding the framework helps me write more intentionally now. Actionable step: Identify which journey your protagonist is on. Does your character gain strength by being alone (hero) or by building connections (heroine)? This will inform every plot decision you make, from how they face obstacles to how your story ends. 5. Use ‘Metaphor Families' to Anchor Dialogue and Voice One of the most practical techniques Matt Bird shared on episode 624 is the idea of assigning each character a “metaphor family”—a specific well of language that they draw from. This gives each character a distinctive voice that goes beyond accent or dialect. Matt explained how in The Wire, one of the most beloved TV shows of all time, every character has a different metaphor family. What struck him was that Omar, this iconic character, never utters a single curse word in the entire series. His metaphor family is pirate. He talks about parlays, uses language that feels like it belongs in Pirates of the Caribbean, and it creates this incredible ironic counterpoint against his urban setting. It tells us immediately that this is a character who sees himself in a tradition of people that doesn't match his immediate surroundings. Matt also referenced the UK version of The Office, where Gareth works at a paper company but aspires to the military. So all of his language is drawn from a military metaphor family. He doesn't talk about filing and photocopying; he talks about tactics and discipline and being on the front line. This tells us that the character has a life and dreams beyond the immediate scene—and it's the gap between aspiration and reality that makes him both funny and believable. He pointed out that a metaphor family sometimes comes from a character's background, but it's often more interesting when it comes from their aspirations. What does your character want to be? What world do they fantasise about inhabiting? That's where their language should come from. In Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a spiritual hermit, but his metaphor family is military. He uses the language of generals and commanders, and that ironic counterpoint is part of what makes him feel so rich. Actionable step: Assign each of your main characters a metaphor family. It could be based on their job, their background, or—more interestingly—their secret aspirations. Then go through your dialogue and make sure each character is consistently drawing from that well of language. If two characters sound the same when you strip away the dialogue tags, this is the fix. 6. Find the Diagnostic Detail: The Diagonal Toast Avoid clichéd character tags—the random scar, the eye patch, the mysterious limp—unless they serve a deep narrative purpose. Matt Bird on episode 624 was very funny about this: he pointed out that Nick Fury, Odin, and eventually Thor all have eye patches in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Eye patches are done, he said. You cannot do eye patches anymore. Instead, look for what I'm calling the “diagonal toast” detail, after a scene Matt described from Captain Marvel. In the film, Captain Marvel is trying to determine whether Nick Fury is who he says he is. She asks him to prove he isn't a shapeshifting alien. Fury shares biographical details—his history, his mother—but then she pushes further and says, name one more thing you couldn't possibly have made up about yourself. And Fury says: if toast is cut diagonally, I can't eat it. Matt said that detail is gold for a writer because it feels pulled from a real life. You can pull it from your own life and gift it to your characters, and the reader can tell it's not manufactured. He gave another example from The Sopranos: Tony Soprano's mother won't answer the phone after dark. The show's creator, David Chase, confirmed on the DVD commentary that this came from his own mother, who genuinely would not answer the phone after dark and couldn't explain why. Matt's practical advice was to keep a journal. Write down the strange, specific things that people do or say. Mine your own life for those hyper-specific details. You just need one per book. In my own writing, I've used this approach. In my ARKANE thrillers, my character Morgan Sierra has always been Angelina Jolie in my mind—specifically Jolie in Lara Croft or Mr and Mrs Smith. And Blake Daniel in my crime thriller series was based on Jesse Williams from Grey's Anatomy. I paste pictures of actors into my Scrivener projects. It helps with visuals, but also with the sense of the character, their energy and physicality. But visual details only take you so far. It's the behavioural quirks—the diagonal toast moments—that make a character feel genuinely alive. That said, physical character tags can work brilliantly when they serve the story. As I discuss in How to Write a Novel, Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike is an amputee, and his pain and the physical challenges of his prosthesis are a key part of every story—it's not a cosmetic detail, it's woven into the action and the character's psychology. My character Blake Daniel always wears gloves to cover the scars on his hands, which provides an angle into his wounded past as well as a visual cue for the reader. And of course, Harry Potter's lightning-shaped scar isn't just a mark—it's a direct connection to his nemesis and the mythology of the entire series. The rule of thumb is: if the tag tells us something about the character's interior life or connects to the plot, it's earning its place. If it's just there to make the character visually distinctive, it's probably a crutch. Game of Thrones takes character tags further with the family houses, each with their own mottos and sigils. The Starks say “Winter is coming” and their sigil is a dire wolf. Those aren't just labels—they're worldview made visible. Actionable step: Start a “diagonal toast” notebook. Every time you notice something strange and specific about someone's behaviour—something that feels too real to be made up—write it down. Then gift it to a character who needs more texture. 7. Displace Your Own Trauma into the Work Barbara Nickless shared something deeply personal on episode 732 that fundamentally changed how I think about putting pain onto the page. While starting At First Light, the first book in her Dr. Evan Wilding series, she lost her son to epilepsy—something called SUDEP, Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy. One day he was there, and the next day he was gone. Barbara said that writing helped her cope with the trauma, that doing a deep dive into Old English literature and the Viking Age for the book's research became a lifeline. But here's what's important: she didn't give Dr. Evan Wilding her exact trauma. Evan Wilding is four feet five inches, and Barbara described how he has to walk through a world that won't adjust to him. That's its own form of learning to cope when circumstances are beyond your control. She displaced her genuine grief into the character's different but parallel struggle. When I asked her about the difference between writing for therapy and writing for an audience, she drew on her experience teaching creative writing to veterans through a collaboration between the US Department of Defense and the National Endowment for the Arts. She said she's found that she can pour her heartache into her characters and process it through them, even when writing professionally, and that the genuine emotion is what touches readers. We've all been through our own losses and griefs, so seeing how a character copes can be deeply meaningful. I've always found that putting my own pain onto the page is the most direct way to connect with a reader's soul. My character Morgan Sierra's musings on religion and the supernatural are often my own. Her restlessness, her fascination with the darker edges of faith—those come from me. But her Krav Maga fighting skills and her ability to kill the bad guys are definitely her own. That gap between what's mine and what's hers is where the fiction lives. Barbara also said something on that episode that I wrote down and stuck on my wall. She said the act of producing itself is a balm to the soul. I've been thinking about that ever since. On my own wall, I have “Measure your life by what you create.” Different words, same truth. Actionable step: If you're carrying something heavy—grief, anger, fear, regret—consider how you might displace it into a character's different but emotionally parallel struggle. Don't copy your exact situation; transform it. The emotion will be genuine, and the reader will feel it. 8. Write Diverse Characters as Real People When I spoke with Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer on episode 673—Sarah is Choctaw and a historical fiction author honoured by the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian—she offered a perspective that every fiction writer needs to hear. The key message was to move away from stereotypes. Don't write your American Indian character as the “Wise Guide” who exists solely to dispense mystic wisdom to the white protagonist. Don't limit diverse characters to historical settings, as though they only exist in the past. Place them in normal, contemporary roles. Your spaceship captain, your forensic scientist, your small-town baker—any of them can be American Indian, or Nigerian, or Japanese, and their heritage should be a lived-in part of their identity, not the sole reason they exist in the story. I write international thrillers and dark fantasy, and my fiction is populated with characters from all over the world. I have a multi-cultural family and I've lived in many places and travelled widely, so I've met, worked with, and had relationships with people from different cultures. I find story ideas through travel, and if I set my books in a certain place, then the story is naturally populated with the people who live there. As I discuss in my book, How to Write a Novel, the world is a diverse place, so your fiction needs to be populated with all kinds of people. If I only populated my fiction with characters like me, they would be boring novels. There are many dimensions of difference—race, nationality, sex, age, body type, ability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, class, culture, education level—and even then, don't assume that similar types of people think the same way. Some authors worry they will make mistakes. We live in a time of outrage, and some authors have been criticised for writing outside their own experience. So is it too dangerous to try? Of course not. The media amplifies outliers, and most authors include diverse characters in every book without causing offence because they work hard to get it right. It's about awareness, research, and intent. Actionable step: Audit the cast of your current work in progress. Have you written a mono-cultural perspective for all of them? If so, consider who could bring a different background, perspective, or set of cultural specifics to the story. Not as a token addition, but as a real person with a real life. 9. Respect Tribal and Cultural Specificity Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer on episode 673 was emphatic about one thing: never treat diverse groups as monolithic. If you're writing a Native American character, you must research the specific nation. Choctaw is not Navajo, just as British is not French. Sarah described the distinct cultural markers of the Choctaw people—the diamond pattern you'll see on traditional shirts and dresses, which represents the diamondback rattlesnake. They have distinct dances and songs. She said that if she saw someone in traditional dress at a distance, she would know whether they were Choctaw based on what they were wearing. She encouraged writers who want to write specifically about a nation to get to know those people. Go to events, go to a powwow, learn about the individual culture. She noted that a big misconception is that American Indians exist only in the past—she stressed that they are still here, still living their cultures, and fiction should reflect that present reality. I took a similar approach when writing Destroyer of Worlds, which is set mostly in India. I read books about Hindu myth, watched documentaries about the sadhus, and had one of my Indian readers from Mumbai check my cultural references. For Risen Gods, set in New Zealand with a young Maori protagonist, I studied books about Maori mythology and fiction by Maori authors, and had a male Maori reader check for cultural issues. Research is simply an act of empathy. The practical takeaway is this: if you're going to include a character from a specific cultural background, do the work. Use specific cultural details rather than generic signifiers. Sarah talked about how even she fell into stereotypes when she was first writing, until her mother pointed them out. If someone from within a culture can fall into those traps, the rest of us certainly can. Do the research, try your best, ask for help, and apologise if you need to. Actionable step: If you're writing a character from a specific culture, identify three to five sensory or behavioural details that are particular to that culture—not the generic version, but the real, researched, lived-in version. Consider hiring a sensitivity reader from that community to check your work. 10. Give Your Protagonist a Morally Neutral ‘Hero' Status Matt Bird was clear about this on episode 624: the word “hero” simply means the protagonist, the person we follow through the story. It's a functional role, not a moral label. We don't have to like them. We don't even have to root for their goals in a moral sense. We just have to find them compelling enough to invest our attention in their problem-solving. Think of Succession, where every member of the Roy family is varying degrees of awful, and yet the show was utterly compelling. Or WeCrashed, where Adam Neumann is a narcissistic con artist, but we can't look away because he's trying to solve the enormous problem of building an empire from nothing, and the tradecraft he employs is fascinating. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, readers must want to spend time with your characters. They don't have to be lovable or even likable—that will depend on your genre and story choices—but they have to be captivating enough that we want to spend time with them. A character who is trying to solve a massive problem will naturally draw investment from the audience, even if we wouldn't want to have tea with them. Will Storr extended this idea by pointing out that the audience will actually root for a character to solve their problem even if the audience doesn't actually want the character's goal to be achieved in the real world. We don't really want more billionaires, but we invested in Adam Neumann's rise because that was the problem the story posed, and our brains are wired to invest in problem-solving. This connects to something deeper: what does your character want, and why? As I explore in How to Write a Novel, desire operates on multiple levels. Take a character like Phil, who joins the military during wartime. On the surface, she wants to serve her country. But she also wants to escape her dead-end town and learn new skills. Deeper still, her father and grandfather served, and by joining up, she hopes to finally earn their respect. And perhaps deepest of all, her father died on a mission under mysterious circumstances, and she wants to find out what happened from the inside. That layering of motivation is what turns a flat character into a three-dimensional one. The audience doesn't need to be told all of this explicitly. It can emerge through action, dialogue, and the choices the character makes under pressure. But you, the writer, need to know it. You need to know what your character really wants deep down, because that desire—more than any external plot device—is what drives the story forward. And your antagonist needs the same depth. They also want something, often diametrically opposed to your protagonist, and they need a reason that makes sense to them. In my ARKANE thriller Tree of Life, my antagonist is the heiress of a Brazilian mining empire who wants to restore the Earth to its original state to atone for the destruction caused by her father's company. She's part of a radical ecological group who believe the only way to restore Nature is to end all human life. It's extreme, but in an era of climate change, it's a motivation readers can understand—even if they disagree with the solution. Actionable step: If you're struggling to make a morally grey character work, make sure their problem is big enough and their methods are specific and interesting enough that we invest in the how, even if we're ambivalent about the what. 11. Build Vibrant Side Characters Gail Carriger made a point on episode 550 that was equal parts craft advice and business strategy. In a Heroine's Journey model, side characters aren't just fodder to be killed off to motivate the hero. They form a network. And because you don't have to kill them—unlike in a hero's journey, where allies are often betrayed or removed so the hero can be further isolated—you can pick up those side characters and give them their own books. Gail said this creates a really voracious reader base. You write one series with vivid side characters, and then readers fall in love with those side characters and want their stories. So you write spin-offs. The romance genre does this brilliantly—think of the Bridgerton books, where each sibling gets their own novel. The side character in one book becomes the protagonist in the next. Barbara Nickless experienced this firsthand with her Dr. Evan Wilding series. She has River Wilding, Evan's adventurous brother, and Diana, the axe-throwing research assistant, and her editor has already expressed interest in a spin-off series with those characters. Barbara described creating characters she wants to spend time with, or characters who give her nightmares but also intrigue her. That's the dual test: are they interesting enough for you to write, and interesting enough for readers to demand more? As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, characters that span series can deepen the reader's relationship with them as you expand their backstory into new plots. Readers will remember the character more than the plot or the book title, and look forward to the next instalment because they want more time with those people. British crime author Angela Marsons described it as readers feeling like returning to her characters is like putting on a pair of old slippers. Actionable step: Look at your supporting cast. Is there a side character who is vivid enough to carry their own story? If not, what could you add—a specific hobby, a distinct voice, a compelling backstory—that would make readers want more of them? 12. Use Voice as a Rhythmic Tool Voice is one of the most important elements of novel writing, and Matt Bird helped me think about it in a technical, mechanical way that I found really useful. He pointed out that the ratio of periods to commas defines a character's internal reality. A staccato rhythm—lots of periods, short sentences—suggests a character who is certain, grounded, or perhaps survivalist and traumatised. Katniss in The Hunger Games has a period-heavy voice. She's in survival mode. She doesn't have time for complexity or qualification. A flowing, comma-heavy style suggests someone more academic, more nuanced, or possibly more scattered and manipulative. The character who qualifies everything, who adds sub-clauses and digressions, is a different kind of person from the character who speaks in declarations. This is something you can actually measure. Pull up a passage of your character's dialogue or internal monologue and count the periods versus the commas. If the rhythm doesn't match who the character is supposed to be, you've found a mismatch you can fix. Sentence length is the heartbeat of your character's persona. And voice extends beyond rhythm to the words themselves. As I discussed in the metaphor families tip, each character should draw from a distinctive well of language. But voice also encompasses their relationship to silence. Some characters talk around the thing they mean; others say it straight. Some are self-deprecating; others are blunt to the point of rudeness. All of these choices are character choices, not just style choices. I find it useful to read my dialogue aloud—and not just to check for naturalness, but to hear whether each character sounds distinct. If you could swap dialogue lines between two characters and nobody would notice, you have a voice problem. One practical test: cover the dialogue tags and see if you can tell who's speaking from the words alone. Actionable step: Choose a key passage from your protagonist's point of view and read it aloud. Does the rhythm match the character? A soldier under fire should not sound like a philosophy professor at a wine tasting. Adjust the ratio of periods to commas until the voice feels right. 13. Link Character and Plot Until They're Inseparable Will Storr made the case on episode 490 that the number one problem he sees in the writing he encounters—in workshops, in submissions, even in published books—is that the characters and the plots are unconnected. There's a story happening, and there are people in it, but the story isn't a product of who those people are. He said a story should be like life. In our lives, the plots are intimately connected to who we are as characters. The goals we pursue, the obstacles we face, the same problems that keep recurring—these are products of our personalities, our flaws, our specific ways of being in the world. His framework is that your plot should be designed specifically to plot against your character. You've got a character with a particular flaw; the plot exists to test that flaw over and over until the character either transforms or doubles down and explodes. Jaws is the perfect example. Brody is afraid of water. A shark shows up in the coastal town he's responsible for protecting. The entire plot is engineered to force him to confront the one thing he cannot face. Will pointed out that the whole plot of Jaws is structured around Brody's flaw. It begins with the shark arriving, the midpoint is when Brody finally gets the courage to go into the water, and the very final scene isn't the shark blowing up—it's Brody swimming back through the water. Even a film that's ninety-eight percent action is, at its core, structured around a character with a character flaw. This is the standard I aspire to in my own work, even in my action-heavy thrillers. The external plot should be a mirror of the internal struggle. When those two are aligned, the story becomes irresistible. Will also made an important point about series fiction, which is where most commercial authors live. I asked him how this works when your character can't be transformed at the end of every book because there has to be a next book. His answer was elegant: you don't cure them. Episodic TV characters like Fleabag or David Brent or Basil Fawlty never truly change—and the fact that they don't change is actually the source of the comedy. But every episode throws a new story event at them that tests and exposes their flaw. You just keep throwing story events at them again and again. That's a soap opera, a sitcom, and a book series. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, character flaws are aspects of personality that affect the person so much that facing and overcoming them becomes central to the plot. In Jaws, the protagonist Brody is afraid of the water, but he has to overcome that flaw to destroy the killer shark and save the town. But remember, your characters should feel like real people, so never define them purely by their flaws. The character addicted to painkillers might also be a brilliant and successful female lawyer who gets up at four in the morning to work out at the gym, likes eighties music, and volunteers at the local dog shelter at weekends. Character wounds are different from flaws. They're formed from life experience and are part of your character's backstory—traumatic events that happened before the events of your novel but shape the character's reactions in the present. In my ARKANE thrillers, Morgan Sierra's husband Elian died in her arms during a military operation. This happened before the series begins, but her memories of it recur when she faces a firefight, and she struggles to find happiness again for fear of losing someone she loves once more. And then there's the perennial advice: show, don't tell. Most writers have heard this so many times that it's easy to nod and then promptly write scenes that tell rather than show. Basically, you need to reveal your character through action and dialogue, rather than explanation. In my thriller Day of the Vikings, Morgan Sierra fights a Neo-Viking in the halls of the British Museum and brings him down with Krav Maga. That fight scene isn't just about showing action. It opens up questions about her backstory, demonstrates character, and moves the plot forward. Telling would be something like: “Morgan was an expert in Krav Maga.” Showing is the reader discovering it through the scene itself. Actionable step: Look at the main plot events of your novel. For each major turning point, ask: does this scene specifically test my protagonist's flaw? If not, can you redesign the scene so that it does? The tighter the connection between character and plot, the more powerful the story. 14. The ‘Maestra' Approach: Write Out of Order If you're a discovery writer like me, you may feel like the deep character work I've been describing sounds more suited to plotters. But Barbara Nickless gave me a beautiful metaphor on episode 732 that reframes it entirely. Barbara described her evolving writing process as being like a maestra standing in front of an orchestra. Sometimes you bring in the horns—a certain theme—and sometimes you bring in the strings—a certain character—and sometimes you turn to the soloist. It's a more organic and jumping-around process than linear writing, and Barbara said she's only recently given herself permission to work this way. When I told her that I use Scrivener to write in scenes out of order and then drag and drop them into a structure later, she was genuinely intrigued. And this is how I've always worked. I'll see the story in my mind like a movie trailer—flashes of the big emotional scenes, the pivotal confrontations, the moments of revelation—and I write those first. I don't know how they hang together until quite late in the process. Then I'll move scenes around, print the whole thing out, and figure out the connective tissue. The point is that discovery writers can absolutely build deep characters. Sometimes writing the big emotional scenes first is how you discover who the character is before you fill in the rest. You don't need a twenty-page character worksheet or a 200-page outline like Jeffery Deaver. You need to be willing to follow the character into the unknown and trust that the structure will emerge. As Barbara said, she writes to know what she's thinking. That's the discovery writer's credo. And I would add: I write to know who my characters are. Actionable step: If you're stuck on your current chapter, skip it. Write the scene that's burning in your imagination, even if it's from the middle or the end. That scene might be the key to unlocking who your character really is. 15. Use Research to Help with Empathy Research shouldn't just be about factual accuracy—it's a tool for finding the sensory details that create empathy. Barbara Nickless described research as almost an excuse to explore things that fascinate her, and I feel exactly the same way. I would go so far as to say that writing is an excuse for me to explore the things that interest me. Barbara and I both travel for our stories. For her Dr. Evan Wilding books, she did deep research into Old English literature and the Viking Age. For my thriller End of Days, I transcribed hours of video from Appalachian snake-handling churches on YouTube to understand the worldview of the worshippers, because my antagonist was brought up in that tradition. I couldn't just make that up. I had to hear their language, feel their conviction, understand why they would hold venomous serpents as an act of faith. Barbara also mentioned getting to Israel and the West Bank for research, and I've been to both places too. Finding that one specific sensory detail—the smell of a particular location, the specific way an expert handles a tool, the sound of a particular kind of music—makes the character's life feel lived-in. It's the difference between a character who is described as living in a place and a character who inhabits it. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, don't write what you know. Write what you want to learn about. I love research. It's part of why I'm an author in the first place. I take any excuse to dive into a world different from my own. Research using books, films, podcasts, and travel, and focus particularly on sources produced by people from the worldview you want to understand. Actionable step: For your next piece of character research, go beyond reading. Watch a documentary, visit a location, talk to someone who lives the experience. Find one sensory detail—a smell, a sound, a texture—that you couldn't have invented. That detail will make your character feel real. Bonus: Measure Your Life by What You Create In an age of AI and a tsunami of content, your ultimate brand protection is the quality of your human creation. Barbara Nickless said that the act of producing itself is a balm to the soul, and I believe that with every fibre of my being. Don't be afraid to take that step back, like I did with my deadlifting. Take the time to master these deeper craft skills. It might feel like you're slowing down or going backwards by not chasing the latest marketing trend, but it's the only way to step forward into a sustainable, high-quality career. Your characters are your signature. No AI can replicate the specificity of your lived experience, the emotional truth of your displaced trauma, or the sensory details you've gathered from a life of curiosity and travel. Those are yours. Pour them into your characters, and they will resonate for years to come. Actionable Takeaway: Identify the Dramatic Question for your current protagonist. Can you state it in a single sentence with the kind of specificity Will Storr described? Is it as clear as “Are you ordinary or extraordinary?” or “Are you the only adult in the room?” If you can't answer it with that kind of precision, your character might still be a sketch. Give them a diagonal toast moment today. Find the one hyper-specific detail that proves they are not an imitation of life. And then ask yourself: does your plot test your character's flaw in every major scene? If you can align those two things—a precisely defined character and a plot that exists to test them—you will have a story that readers cannot put down. References and Deep Dives The episodes I've referenced today are all available with full transcripts at TheCreativePenn.com: Episode 732 — Facing Fears, and Writing Unique Characters with Barbara Nickless Episode 673 — Writing Choctaw Characters and Diversity in Fiction with Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer Episode 624 — Writing Characters with Matt Bird Episode 550 — The Heroine's Journey with Gail Carriger Episode 490 — How Character Flaws Shape Story with Will Storr Books mentioned: The Secrets of Character: Writing a Hero Anyone Will Love by Matt Bird The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carriger How to Write a Novel: From Idea to Book by Joanna Penn You can find all my books for authors at CreativePennBooks.com and my fiction and memoir at JFPennBooks.com Happy writing! How was this episode created? This episode was initiated created by NotebookLM based on YouTube videos of the episodes linked above from YouTube/TheCreativePenn, plus my text chapters on character from How to Write a Novel. NotebookLM created a blog post from the material and then I expanded it and fact checked it with Claude.ai 4.6 Opus, and then I used my voice clone at ElevenLabs to narrate it. The post Writing Characters: 15 Actionable Tips For Writing Deep Character first appeared on The Creative Penn.

When an IVF cycle fails, the focus usually shifts to the next protocol. Different medications. Higher doses. Another retrieval. But an IVF cycle produces a huge amount of biological data that is rarely fully analyzed before repeating treatment. Ovarian response, egg maturity, embryo development, and the internal environment around transfer all provide important signals about what may be influencing the outcome. Yet many couples are encouraged to move forward with another cycle before those patterns are carefully reviewed. In this episode, we step back and walk through how to interpret a failed IVF cycle from a systems perspective so the next decision is based on biology, not momentum. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why a failed IVF cycle contains important biological clues that often go unexamined • What a true IVF cycle audit should include before repeating a protocol • The patterns in ovarian response, egg maturity, and embryo development that may reveal underlying imbalances • Why embryo development reflects whole body physiology, not just the laboratory environment • How to decide whether repeating a cycle makes sense or whether a different approach should be considered I'm Sarah Clark, founder of Fab Fertile and host of Get Pregnant Naturally. For over a decade, my team and I have reviewed hundreds of low AMH and failed IVF cases using functional testing alongside conventional fertility care. We specialize in helping couples identify the physiological patterns driving poor outcomes so decisions are grounded in interpretation, not guesswork. If you've been moving from cycle to cycle without a clear way to evaluate what's actually been addressed, I created a free resource called the Embryo Audit Checklist. It helps you organize past cycles and labs so you can see what's been looked at and what may not have been considered yet. Access it here.

The results you're seeing today are a direct reflection of seeds you planted long ago, and if that hits a nerve, this episode is for you. Nikki and David are getting real about the wild truth that what you plant is what you get. From the legendary patience it takes to grow a Chinese bamboo tree to the behind-the-scenes grind of podcasting and showing up as your best self each day, this convo hits deep. They break down how to audit your daily "seeds," why choosing your crop before planting is the move, how AI is just like soil, and why protecting your energy is non-negotiable. Oh, and if you've ever doubted yourself during the slow seasons, this is your sign to keep going. The bamboo might just be about to shoot up. Betterment takes time, but with intention, patience, and a little self-awareness, your growth is coming

Welcome to Dark Work Daily—the podcast for those willing to do the work no one sees. Here, we dive into resilience, discipline, and perseverance required to unlock your full potential when motivation fades.

Audit anxiety is one of the most common — and least talked about — pressures facing ABA business owners.  Hosts Stephen and April, joined by Alecia Barrett from A. Barrett Academy LLC, share candid stories about the audits they personally went through, including moments when accusations of fraud and recoupment demands threatened their stability. These stories highlight an important truth for ABA owners: audits are stressful, but they're also manageable when you understand your rights and keep strong documentation. They also walk through what happens when insurers raise fraud concerns, how to respond to recoupment demands, and the importance of preparing long before an audit begins. Clean documentation, consistent systems, and proactive processes can make the difference between a stressful review and a business-threatening crisis. If you've ever felt the weight of compliance anxiety or worried about what an audit might uncover, this episode offers reassurance, practical guidance, and real-world lessons from leaders who have navigated these challenges themselves. Have a question for Stephen and April? Call the ABA Business Leaders Hotline: (737) 330-1432 Resources & Links MarginKeepers: https://3piesquared.com/business-affiliate/MarginKeepers Business Essentials List https://www.3piesquared.com/blog/the-essential-list-for-a-successful-business_24 Schedule a consultation with Stephen https://3piesquared.com/stephen-booking-page Free ABA Business Readiness Assessment https://3piesquared.com/aba-business-readiness-assessment ABA Billing Tips Guide https://3piesquared.com/productDetails/ABA_Billing_Tips ABA Business Leaders Podcast CEUs https://3piesquared.com/productDetails/ABA_Business_Leaders_Podcast_CEUs 

Découvrez ma formation aux fondamentaux de l'accueil, un parcours d'excellence, accessible à toutes & tous !1️⃣ Présentation de l'épisode :Combien d'hôteliers-restaurateurs demandent des avis… et sabotent leur image sans s'en apercevoir ?Aujourd'hui, je vous partage les meilleures pratiques autour de ce sujet essentiel.Comprendre pourquoi demander un avis est stratégiqueSavoir comment bien le demanderIdentifier ce qu'il ne faut plus jamais direEn bonus, en fin d'épisode, je vous partage les formulations qui fonctionnent pour demander un avis client !2️⃣ Notes et références :▶️ Toutes les notes et références de l'épisode sont à retrouver ici.3️⃣ Le sponsor de l'épisode : MewsMews, c'est la plateforme de gestion hôtelière qui réunit tout ce dont vous avez besoin : PMS, POS, RMS, housekeeping et paiements.L'objectif ? Automatiser les tâches répétitives à faible valeur, pour que vos équipes puissent se concentrer sur ce qui compte vraiment : créer des expériences mémorables pour vos clients.Si vous souhaitez en savoir plus ou demander une démo, contactez Mews de ma part — et bénéficiez d'une offre exclusive. Rendez-vous sur mews.com !4️⃣ Chapitrage : 00:00:00 - Introduction00:02:00 - L'avis client comme outil marketing00:05:00 - Les erreurs de formulation à éviter00:09:00 - Les trois principes fondamentaux pour demander un avis00:13:00 - Les outils et canaux de sollicitation00:16:00 - ConclusionSi cet épisode vous a passionné, rejoignez-moi sur :L'Hebdo d'Hospitality Insiders, pour ne rien raterL'Académie Hospitality Insiders, pour vous former aux fondamentaux de l'accueilLe E-Carnet "Devenir un Artisan Hôtelier" pour celles et ceux qui souhaitent faire de l'accueil un véritable artLinkedin, pour poursuivre la discussionInstagram, pour découvrir les coulissesLa bibliothèque des invités du podcastMerci de votre fidélité et à bientôt !Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Former Turloughmore manager Joe Hession and Paul review Galway's comprehensive victory over Kilkenny in the National Hurling League. The lads also look ahead to Pres Athenry's Croke Cup final against St Kieran's.This Podcast is brought to you by Hoare Chartered Accountants and Drone Works Ireland. Drone Works Ireland is your go to place when it comes to buying a drone, repairing your drone and also when you need professionals to carry any aerial work you may need ,check out their website www.droneworksireland.ieHoare Chartered Accountants based in Galway City are a leading provider of Audit, Accountancy and Taxation services.. For more information, visit their website on www.hoarecharteredaccountants.ieIf you have any questions or thoughts for upcoming podcasts, email the maroonwhitepod@gmail.com

The Last Ten Nights Are HereBefore diving into the final ayah of Surah Al-Muzzammil, a timely reminder — tonight is the 23rd night of Ramadan. The last ten nights are upon us, and the Prophet ﷺ told us to hunt for Laylatul Qadr in these nights, especially the odd ones. Tonight is one of them.So what should fill these nights? Extra raka'at. Extra Quran. Extra dhikr. And the best du'a for this occasion comes to us through Sayyidatuna Aisha (رضي الله عنها), who asked the Prophet ﷺ: if I encounter the Night of Al-Qadr, what should I say? He replied: “Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul ‘afwa fa'fu ‘anni” — “O Allah, You are the Most Pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me.”Now, there's an important distinction here between ‘afw and ghafar. When we say astaghfirullah and ask for Allah's forgiveness (ghafar), the record of the sin remains — but the punishment is cancelled. The deed is still in the books on the Day of Mahshar, but Allah will not punish us for it.Al-'Afw is something else entirely. It is when the record is expunged altogether. Wiped clean. As if the sin never happened. This is why the Prophet ﷺ said that whoever fasts sincerely and prays during the nights of Ramadan — and catches Laylatul Qadr — will have all their past sins forgiven. They exit Ramadan like the day they were born. No record of sins whatsoever.It's just a few nights. Sleep a little less. Yes, there will be tiredness — that's okay. This is our training. Don't miss a night that is greater than a thousand months, greater than 83 years of worship.Grounded is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Where We Left Off — The Arc of Surah Al-MuzzammilThe surah opened with a command: stand up at night, pray, and recite the Quran. Why? Because the day is full of heavy tasks — spreading truth, standing for justice, enduring hardship — and the strength to carry all of that comes from the spiritual work done at night. Reading about Jannah motivates. Reading about Jahannam sobers. The connection to Allah realigns everything.Then came the warning through the story of Fir'aun — richer, stronger, more powerful than the Quraysh, yet destroyed in an instant when he rejected Prophet Musa. Then the terrifying imagery of Yawmul Qiyamah: skies torn apart, children's hair turning white from sheer terror. And finally, the choice: believe and take the prophetic path, or reject and face the consequences. Every choice carries a consequence.Now the surah circles back to where it began — Qiyamul Layl — but this time with something remarkable: mercy.Allah Knows Our WeaknessThe original command was demanding. Stand up most of the night — two-thirds, or at least half, or at the very minimum a third. The Prophet ﷺ did this every single night, without exception, even while travelling, even during battle. But Allah knew that the rest of the ummah would struggle.Allah says: “Indeed, your Lord knows that you stand less than two-thirds of the night, sometimes half, sometimes even less than a third — and so do a group of those with you.”Allah is the One who measured the length of night and day. Some seasons, the nights are long and Qiyamul Layl is easier — in Perth during winter, Maghrib comes in at 5:15 and Fajr isn't until around six. Plenty of time to sleep and still wake up. But in the peak of summer, when Fajr is at 3:30? That's a different story. Allah knows all of this.And so He says: “He has forgiven you.” Qiyamul Layl is fard upon the Prophet ﷺ, but for the rest of us, Allah has already shown mercy and lifted that strict obligation.But Don't Abandon It AltogetherHere's the key — just because the full obligation has been eased doesn't mean doing nothing is an option. Allah says: “So read what is easy for you from the Quran.” Stand up for even two raka'at. Read whatever surahs have been memorised. Carve out even a small portion of the night for spiritual work.This is a fundamental principle in Islam: what cannot be accomplished entirely should not be abandoned in totality. Islam doesn't teach perfectionism — it's not 100% or nothing. It teaches consistent effort. The Prophet ﷺ said that the most beloved deeds to Allah are those that are consistent, even if they are small. Two raka'at every single night outweighs a marathon session once a month.And this, by the way, is one of the great purposes behind memorising the Quran — so that those surahs can be recited in prayer. Al-Kahf, Al-Mulk, Al-Baqarah — they come alive when recited standing before Allah at night.The Three Excuses Allah AcceptsThen Allah provides specific concessions. First: those who are sick. Illness isn't a choice — when rest is needed for recovery, Allah says it's okay.But then come two more categories that are remarkable, because they are things people can choose — and Allah still grants them as valid reasons for doing less Qiyamul Layl.The first: those who travel the earth seeking Allah's bounty — meaning those who are out working, doing business, building economic stability. The second: those who fight in the path of Allah, defending the religion and the community.These two are placed in equal standing. Working hard to earn a living is given the same weight as defending the faith. That is extraordinary. It tells us something profound about how Islam views economic productivity — not as a worldly distraction, but as an act valued by Allah Himself.The Prophet ﷺ said the best rizq is what a person earns from their own effort, and he pointed to Prophet Dawud (عليه السلام) as the example — a prophet, a king, and yet also a blacksmith who worked with iron and ate from the labour of his own hands.Ibn Umar expressed this beautifully. He said the best deaths he could wish for were two: martyrdom in the path of Allah, and dying on a business journey — on his camel, with his trade goods, on his way to earn a living. Because this ayah puts them side by side.Islam Wants Muslims to Be Wealthy — But With PurposeThe encouragement to work hard and build wealth doesn't come without direction. Islam doesn't say: get rich so you can buy the fanciest car, then a fancy island, and once you run out of things to buy on earth, spend a trillion dollars trying to conquer Mars.Islam says: be rich, but that's not the end goal. The ummah becomes strong when Muslims have economic power and an akhirah mindset. With wealth, the community can build schools, support students in critical fields, fund long-term projects. This is Sadaqatul Jariyah — continuously flowing charity that keeps giving long after the initial contribution.There's a telling hadith in Imam Al-Nawawi's Forty Collection that captures this tension perfectly. The poor companions once came to the Prophet ﷺ and complained: “Ya Rasulullah, the rich have taken all the extra reward! They pray like we pray, they fast like we fast — but they can give charity from their surplus wealth, and we can't.” The Prophet ﷺ reassured them that dhikr — saying SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar — is also charity. The poor companions went away happy. But a few days later? The rich started doing dhikr too. Now they had both. The poor came back and said: what about us now?The point isn't to vilify poverty. The Prophet ﷺ went on to explain that there is charity in every good act — helping someone onto their ride, carrying someone's load. But wealth opens doors that nothing else can. Zakat, the pillar of Islam, is only payable by those who have wealth. And the framing matters: it's not that the wealthy have to pay zakat — they get to pay zakat. Without wealth, that entire pillar of Islam is inaccessible. And hajj is the same.The story of Sayyidina Uthman (رضي الله عنه) at the Battle of Tabuk drives this home. He donated so generously — horses, camels, wealth — that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Nothing Uthman does after this will harm him.” Guaranteed paradise. And Uthman wasn't living in poverty. He had luxuries. But look at the scale of what his wealth allowed him to do for the ummah.At the same time, Islam doesn't expect anyone to give 100% away. The best charity, the Prophet ﷺ said, is what is spent on family — on spouses, on children. The balance is always there: spend on yourself, on your family, and on the ummah for the sake of the akhirah.The Beautiful LoanEven with all these concessions, Allah says: still, read what is easy from the Quran. Establish your salah. Pay your zakat. Don't let the extras overshadow the foundations — a hundred raka'at of Qiyamul Layl mean nothing if Fajr is missed. Generous charity donations mean nothing if zakat is neglected. The obligatory always comes first.Then comes a stunning phrase: “And give Allah a beautiful loan (qard hasan).”A qard hasan is a loan with no deadline for repayment and no interest. Every good deed — every act of worship, every charity, every kindness — is a loan to Allah. And here's the beauty of it: Allah doesn't need our loan. He owns everything in the heavens and the earth and everything in between and beyond. He could simply say: “That's Mine, I gave it to you, give it back.”But in His mercy, Allah understands human nature. He understands that people are wired to think in terms of profit and return on investment. So He frames it as a transaction: give Me a loan, and I will surely repay you — multiplied many times over. In human transactions, demanding extra on a qard is riba. But with Allah, He is the One promising to multiply the return. It's the ultimate ROI.And what can a person invest with? Two things: wealth or skills. Both require Muslims to be hardworking.It's All For UsAllah then makes something clear: whatever is sent forth for the akhirah, it's essentially for our own benefit. Allah doesn't need our investment. Every command He gives is for our sake, not His.And there's a profound observation embedded here. As humanity lives more and more comfortably — materially, physically — mental health continues to decline. The richer the country, the higher the rates of depression and anxiety. Why? Because life without purpose erodes the soul. When everything is easy and comfortable, humans lose their sense of direction.Islam solves this by providing a purpose so enormous that no amount of wealth or comfort can make it irrelevant: getting to Jannah. How do we get there? That question structures every day, every decision, every effort. It keeps life purposeful no matter the circumstances. And when the community works together with that shared purpose, everyone rises.Ending with IstighfarThe surah closes with a command to seek Allah's forgiveness. Wastaghfirullah — make istighfar. There are two dimensions to this.First, the timing. The pre-dawn hours — suhoor time — are the best time for istighfar. Allah praises those who seek forgiveness in the early morning. For those already awake for Qiyamul Layl, this flows naturally.Second, there's a subtler reason. Sometimes, in the middle of worship and good deeds, something dangerous creeps into the heart. A feeling of: “I woke up for Qiyamul Layl. I read Surah Al-Kahf in one raka'ah and Surah Al-Mulk in the next. I'm amazing.” Or after giving a large charity: “I'm so generous. Look at what I gave.”This is kibr — arrogance — and it's one of Shaitan's favourite tricks. When he can't stop someone from doing good deeds, he tries to spoil the deed through the intention. So the surah ends with the antidote: astaghfirullah. Centre yourself. Realign the intention. “Ya Allah, if there was any misalignment in my heart, I seek Your forgiveness.”Indeed, Allah is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful.The Complete Message of Surah Al-MuzzammilAnd with that, Surah Al-Muzzammil comes to a close. Its message is beautifully complete: stay up at night, even a little. Pray. Read Quran. Let that spiritual recharge fuel everything in the day — the work, the earning, the serving of the ummah. Islam is a religion of balance: worship at night, work hard in the day. And in between, give everything its right. The body has a right — rest, nutrition, exercise. Family has a right — time and attention. And Allah has a right — acts of worship.Fulfil all those rights. That's the straight path.Your Action Steps This Week* Make the du'a of Laylatul Qadr every night. Memorise “Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul ‘afwa fa'fu ‘anni”and repeat it abundantly in the remaining nights of Ramadan. Understand the difference — this isn't just asking for forgiveness, it's asking for a complete clean slate.* Do something every night, even if it's small. If two raka'at is all that's manageable, pray two raka'at. If one page of Quran is what's realistic, read one page. Don't let the inability to do everything become an excuse to do nothing.* Reframe how work fits into worship. This ayah places earning a livelihood alongside fighting in the path of Allah. Approach work this week with the conscious intention that economic productivity is an act Allah values — and use what is earned to benefit family and community.* Audit the foundations before the extras. Before adding more nawafil, make sure the obligatory salah and zakat are fully in order. The extras don't compensate for gaps in the foundations.* End every night with istighfar. After Qiyamul Layl, after du'a, after any act of worship — close with astaghfirullah. Let it be the safeguard against arrogance creeping into the heart through the very deeds meant to bring closeness to Allah.May Allah grant us the strength to apply the lessons from Surah Al-Muzzammil — to pray at night, recite the Quran, and work hard in the day for the benefit of the ummah. May Allah allow us to enter Jannah with the Prophet ﷺ and with the Sahaba.Next week, inshaAllah, we begin Suratul Muddaththir. Don't forget — tonight is the 23rd night. Qiyamul Layl. Stay up extra. Make lots of du'a.Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.Thanks for reading Grounded! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit groundeddaily.substack.com/subscribe

Lindsey Archila is the Director of Premium Audit at MEMIC. Her 20-year career in the premium audit world began as a field auditor, and she now leads a team of field auditors and audit analysts. She is an authentic, people-centered director with deep experience in Premium Audit, P&C Insurance, Talent, DEI, Operations, and Project & People Management. In this episode of In the Know, Chris Hampshire and Lindsey discuss the impact of premium audit on other departments and how it fits into the overall insurance ecosystem, the evolution of premium auditing, and the future of the insurance industry under the influence of AI.   Key Takeaways ● Lindsey's field auditor career started with the promise of a company car. ● Unique insurance offerings from MEMIC. ● The role of premium audit in the insurance lifecycle. ● Details of underwriting claims and financing. ● Workers' comp processes and checks. ● The evolution of premium auditing and process improvement. ● Possibilities for the future of AI. ● Strategies for addressing the talent gap in the insurance industry. ● A five-year look to the future of the industry. ● Lindsey's advice to her early-career self.   In the Know podcast theme music written and performed by James Jones, CPCU, and Kole Shuda of the band If-Then.   To learn more about the CPCU Society, its membership, and educational offerings, tools, and programs, please visit CPCUSociety.org.   Follow the CPCU Society on social media: X (Twitter): @CPCUSociety Facebook: @CPCUSociety LinkedIn: @The Institutes CPCU Society Instagram: @the_cpcu_society   Quotes ● "By doing audits virtually, we're minimizing the time that our customers have to prepare for the audit." ● "In insurance, we have to continually evolve." ● "Premium audit is cool! Insurance is cool!" ● "There is something for everyone in insurance because insurance is constantly evolving." ● "Premium audit is one area where you get a lot of insurance knowledge and education in a very small space."  

Key Topics Covered: 1. Why Pooling Is a Missing Mindset in Financial Planning Most financial advice is built around the nuclear family unit, not the wider family tree. Families often manage money in isolated silos, which benefits institutions more than the family. Pooling is framed as efficiency and joined up planning, not “taking someone's money”. 2. Pooling Cash: Better Rates, Lower Risk, and Less Bank Dependence Technology platforms can provide access to better savings rates and multiple banking options. Spreading cash across institutions reduces the risk of a single point of banking failure. Many people stay with the same bank for decades and miss better returns and protections. 3. Pooling Investments: Aggregating Platforms to Cut Fees Stock market investing is now largely platform based, and platform fees are often percentage based. By aggregating family pots, it may be possible to reduce platform fees across the whole family. The compound impact of fee savings over time can be enormous, especially as portfolios grow. 4. What a SSAS Is and Why It's Different SSAS is described as a pension that operates more like a business: entrepreneurial and flexible. It can invest in many asset types beyond the stock market, including commercial property and more. It is multi person and multi generational, allowing family members to pool pension pots. 5. SSAS Pooling Benefits: Activity Based Fees and Tax Deductible Costs SSAS fees are based more on activity than value, unlike many platforms that charge by percentage. SSAS running costs can be tax deductible expenses for the business paying them. This can mean a larger SSAS can cost less to run than a smaller conventional pension. 6. Who Can Join a SSAS and How Big It Can Be A SSAS can include up to 11 members in total (you plus 10 others). Members must be genuinely connected, commonly spouses, adult children, or wider family. More families are now exploring bringing children into pension structures earlier. 7. Inheritance Tax Planning Inside SSAS: Earmarking Earmarking allows families to assign higher growth assets to children and lower growth assets to parents. This can accelerate children's pension growth while slowing the parents' pension growth. A smaller parent pot can reduce the inheritance tax exposure when pensions are included from 2027. 8. Inheritance Tax Planning Inside SSAS: Loanback SSAS loanback allows business owners to borrow from their own pension into their company. Loans can be up to 50 percent of the SSAS value and must be secured under the rules. The interest rate can be far lower than commercial borrowing, potentially saving tens of thousands in fees. If the company is structured with next generation shareholders, profits can accumulate outside the parents' IHT problem. 9. Pooling Wisdom and Documents: Preparing the Next Generation Families should involve adult children sooner so they understand what exists and why it matters. A digital vault can pool documents, passwords, and key financial information securely in one place. Physical originals (like wills) should also be stored in a fireproof, waterproof container. Pooling memories and family stories can be part of the vault too, strengthening legacy beyond money. Actionable Takeaways Review where your family is paying percentage based platform fees and explore whether aggregation could reduce them. Audit cash holdings and consider spreading across institutions to improve rates and reduce risk. If you are a business owner with pensions, explore whether a SSAS could reduce costs and increase flexibility. Learn the SSAS tools that matter for 2027 planning: earmarking and loanback. Bring adult children into the conversation early so wealth transfer includes competence, not confusion. Create an ICE file and a digital vault so your family knows where everything is in an emergency. Resources & Next Steps WealthBuilders Membership: wealthbuilders.co.uk/membership Family Wealth Fortress: wealthbuilders.co.uk/fortress Download our FREE Pensions and Inheritance Tax Guide WealthBuilders Membership: Free access to guides, webinars, and community Connect with Us: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. Next Steps On Your WealthBuilding Journey:   Join the WealthBuilders Facebook Community Schedule a 1:1 call with one of our team Become a member of WealthBuilders If you have been enjoying listening to WealthTalk - Please Leave Us A Review!

Vers un audit du « contrat siècle » entre la République démocratique du Congo et la Chine. Cet accord économique majeur, signé en 2008 sous la présidence de Joseph Kabila avec un consortium d'entreprises chinoises, repose sur un échange « ressources contre infrastructures » : le financement et la construction d'infrastructures (routes, voies ferrées, hôpitaux…) en échange d'un accès privilégié aux ressources minières congolaises. Un partenariat critiqué par plusieurs organisations de la société civile pour son déséquilibre et son opacité. Que peut-on attendre de cet audit ? Et pourquoi maintenant ? Elisabeth Caesens est la directrice exécutive de l'ONG Resource Matters qui plaide pour une meilleure répartition des richesses minières en RDC. Depuis Bruxelles, elle répond aux questions de Charlotte Idrac. RFI : Est-ce que l'annonce de cet audit vous surprend et son timing également ? Elisabeth Caesens : L'annonce nous surprend un peu parce que cet accord a été déjà renégocié il y a à peine deux ans. Et donc en fait, cet audit, on l'avait attendu avant cette renégociation initiale. Donc elle nous surprend un petit peu dans ce sens où on annonce en fait maintenant une potentielle nouvelle renégociation, alors que la précédente date d'il y a deux ans. Et a priori, cet audit couvrirait tous les aspects, mines, infrastructures, fiscalité. Quelles sont vos attentes ? Alors nous, si l'audit est bien fait et va jusqu'au fond, nous on s'attend à beaucoup d'évidence en fait, de détournement de fonds ou bien des projets surfacturés au moins, avec des routes qui ont coûté beaucoup plus cher que ce qu'elles n'auraient dû coûter et donc éventuellement un redressement à ce niveau-là. Pour l'instant, il n'y a pas encore eu de promesses que les résultats de l'audit seraient publiés, mais en tout cas, c'est une bonne nouvelle au moins que l'audit soit lancé. Vous l'évoquiez, tout à l'heure, il y avait eu une importante révision de cet accord en mars 2024 par le président Tshisekedi, en principe au bénéfice de Kinshasa. Quel bilan vous faites de cette révision de l'époque ? Alors, elle était pour notre part vraiment très, très décevante. C'était sûr qu'une révision devait être faite depuis très longtemps. Les promesses que cet accord apportait à l'époque, en 2008, étaient très importantes, on attendait des milliards de dollars d'infrastructures et en fait, en réalité, très peu a été décaissé. À lire aussiRDC: un audit du «contrat du siècle» relance le débat sur cet accord signé avec des groupes chinois en 2008 Est-ce qu'on peut chiffrer justement les résultats ? Oui. Alors on s'attendait à des prêts de 3 milliards de dollars pour des infrastructures et au bout de plus de quinze ans de travaux ou de projets, moins d'un milliard avait été décaissé. Donc, c'était extrêmement décevant pour la partie congolaise. Et en plus, la qualité des infrastructures n'était pas toujours au rendez-vous. On espérait en fait que tout cela serait corrigé, mais en fait, cela n'a pas été complètement réglé. Les paiements auxquels le Congo a droit maintenant sont 100 % dépendant du cours du cuivre. Donc en gros, si le cuivre atteint un tel montant sur le marché international, le Congo recevra autant. Le premier grand problème, c'est que le montant que le Congo recevra ne dépend pas du tout de combien les Chinois exportent. Donc imaginez-vous que vous exportez 100 000 tonnes de cuivre, ou 400 000 tonnes de cuivre, vous allez payer la même chose. C'est un peu comme si un boulanger, s'il vend 500 pains ou 1000 pains, il paye les mêmes taxes. C'est un peu aberrant. Et puis le deuxième grand problème, c'est que, que le cours du cuivre soit à 8000 ou à 11 000, la partie chinoise paye la même chose. Donc imaginez toute la marge bénéficiaire qui se rajoute au-delà de 8000, c'est en fait pour l'investisseur, le Congo ne touche rien. Et nous on a fait des calculs, déjà rien que pour la première année de mise en œuvre de ce nouveau contrat, donc 2024, le Congo a perdu ainsi plus de 100 millions de dollars rien qu'à cause de cette clause qui dit que, que le cours soit à 8000 ou à 11 000, on paye la même chose. Dans quelle mesure cet audit annoncé entre, selon vous, dans le cadre d'une rivalité entre les États-Unis et la Chine ? Alors ça, ce n'est pas très clair. Comme je le disais, l'accord a déjà été renégocié entre 2022 et 2024. Et à cette époque-là, c'est clair que cette renégociation entrait quelque part dans une rivalité avec les États-Unis. Le président Tshisekedi voulait apparaître comme mettant la pression sur les partenaires chinois que l'ancien président Kabila avait accueilli au Congo, et il voulait voir en fait qu'il était quelque part dur avec les Chinois. Maintenant que ça a mené à un avenant négocié déjà, on se demande est-ce que c'est toujours cette rivalité qui joue ? C'est aussi possible qu'autre chose joue, c'est-à-dire le cours du cuivre est extrêmement élevé aujourd'hui et peut-être que la partie congolaise se dit il y a moyen d'attirer plus du jeu que ce que nous avons finalement négocié en 2024. Ce qu'il faut savoir aussi, c'est que lors des précédentes négociations, quelque chose qui nous a aussi vraiment choqué, c'est qu'on a découvert que la partie chinoise a fini par payer des jetons de présence, ce qu'on appelle en fait des primes de négociation à tous les acteurs qui étaient impliqués du côté congolais. Donc en fait, la partie chinoise a couvert les frais de négociation de la partie adverse, ce qui constitue en fait un conflit d'intérêts assez gigantesque. Est-ce que maintenant on se dit qu'il faut retourner à cette table de négociation dans l'espoir de toucher à nouveau des primes de négociation ? On espère vraiment que non. C'est pour ça aussi d'ailleurs que « Le Congo n'est pas à vendre » demande à ce que les frais des parties congolaises qui sont en train de faire cet audit, et puis surtout d'éventuellement renégocier une nouvelle fois l'accord, soient payés par le Trésor public congolais. Et dans cette révision, en mars 2024, il y a un point qui reste en suspens pour vous, ce sont les exemptions fiscales pour la Sicomines, le conglomérat Sino-congolais ? Il y a deux gros problèmes avec le projet Sicomines. Le premier problème, c'est combien la Sicomines paye à l'État congolais. Et le deuxième problème, c'est comment l'État congolais, par la suite, dépense l'argent reçu. Et en fait, les deux sont problématiques. L'État congolais ne touche pas assez de recettes dans ce projet. Et le deuxième problème, c'est que le peu d'argent qui est touché est dépensé de manière opaque. Et c'est surtout ce deuxième aspect que l'audit va essayer de vérifier. À lire aussiRDC: le «contrat du siècle» avec les entreprises chinoises modifié pour rééquilibrer les profits

Former Corofin manager and Scotstown performance coach Kevin O'Brien joined Paul to preview Galway's clash with Monaghan in round six of the National Football League.This Podcast is brought to you by Hoare Chartered Accountants and Drone Works Ireland. Drone Works Ireland is your go to place when it comes to buying a drone, repairing your drone and also when you need professionals to carry any aerial work you may need ,check out their website www.droneworksireland.ieHoare Chartered Accountants based in Galway City are a leading provider of Audit, Accountancy and Taxation services.. For more information, visit their website on www.hoarecharteredaccountants.ieIf you have any questions or thoughts for upcoming podcasts, email the maroonwhitepod@gmail.com

The most expensive thing in your life isn't what you're paying for — it's what convenience is costing you. I don't walk the golf course often. But when I do, something shifts. You start seeing things you completely miss from the cart. The landscape. The slope. What your next shot actually requires. And your score gets better — not because you worked harder, but because you slowed down enough to see clearly. In episode #1486, I break down why convenience is silently killing your growth — and what happens when you get off the cart, walk your own course, and actually take it all in. The people sprinting past you right now? They're missing everything. Hit play. Then slow down. Who This Episode Is For If you've been rushing through life just trying to get to the next thing — this one's for you. Key Takeaways Convenience feels like a shortcut but always charges a hidden fee — in growth, in awareness, in opportunity Rushing to the next thing means you're experiencing your own life as a blur Walking the course forces you to visualize, prepare, and engage — the cart just delivers you unprepared Skipping the foundational steps always comes back to bite you — every skill builds on the last Slowing down doesn't make you fall behind. Done right, you arrive just as fast — with far fewer mistakes Questions for Reflection Where in your life are you riding the cart — just trying to get through it instead of growing through it? What have you been rushing past that deserves your full attention and presence? What foundational skill or step have you glossed over that is quietly limiting your next level? Action Steps Identify one area of your life where you've chosen convenience over development — a skill, a relationship, a process — and commit to walking it instead of riding through it. This week, slow down one daily task you normally rush. Pay attention to what you've been missing. Audit your current pace. Are you moving fast because it's strategic — or because stillness and process make you uncomfortable? Featured Quote "It's better to slow down and do it right than to sprint to the next thing without learning anything — just to say you got there faster."

Audit ATX speaks with Auditor Henry Katumwa about a recent audit that evaluated  whether the City is managing consultant contracts in an efficient and economical manner.

March is here, and healthcare HR is staring down three stories that cut straight to the core of organizational trust, workforce safety, and labor vulnerability — all in one week.⚖️ LeapFrog's Credibility Collapse A federal judge ruled that LeapFrog deliberately assigned artificially low safety grades to hospitals that declined to participate in its voluntary survey. Five Florida hospitals were affected. This isn't a data dispute — a court found deliberate punishment of non-participants credible enough to act on.The HR takeaway is urgent: every external rating your organization amplifies — LeapFrog, U.S. News, Magnet — carries reputational weight with nurses, recruits, and your community. When a rating agency's methodology is found to be punitive rather than objective, the credibility problem belongs to you, not them. Audit your ratings dependencies now.

Dr. Friday highlights expanded IRS partnership audit enforcement under the Bipartisan Budget Act framework. She stresses clean records for basis, allocations, and distributions to protect partners. Transcript G’day, I’m Dr. Friday, president of Dr. Friday’s Tax and Financial Firm. To get more info, go to www.drfriday.com. This is a one-minute moment. And this is really for people that are in partnerships, which would also be LLCs. The IRS is expanding its partnership audit regime against the Bipartisan Budget Act framework, which allows adjustments to be assessed at the partnership level rather than partner level. That means the partnership can actually end up with the partner being in trouble, so you need to make sure proper documentation is in place. The partnership must maintain clear records supporting basis calculations, income allocations, and distributions. These are important words, and you need to make sure your tax person and accountant are doing them. You need help? drfriday.com. You can catch the Dr. Friday Call-in Show live every Saturday afternoon from 2 to 3 p.m. right here on 99.7 WTN.

Hey Team! This week I've got Cate Osborn and Erik Gude on the show. Cate, known online as Catieosaurus, holds an M.Ed and uses her background in research and sex education to help neurodivergent folks navigate relationships and communication. Erik, known online as HeyGude, is an advocate and speaker who uses his platform to destigmatize the messy internal monologue of the ADHD brain. Honestly, it almost feels like I don't need to introduce these two given everything they've produced; they are definitely an online powerhouses. I've been a fan of their podcast, Catie and Erik's Infinite Quest: An ADHD Adventure, for quite a while now. So I imagine you've probably seen at least something from them. And they've spent the last few years distilling their combined experiences into a new book designed to act as a foundational knowledge base for neurodivergent adults. The book The ADHD Field Guide for Adults was a ton of fun to read; it's written in an incredibly ADHD-friendly manner, and I really appreciated the approach, making this a book for adults where I don't feel like I'm being talked down to. So in the episode, we're definitely talking about the book, but we go into a ton of different topics. We talk about the "systems-first" approach to ADHD management. We break down the precision of language and why understanding that distinction matters. And a whole lot more, there's just a ton of stuff in this episode. Check out The ADHD Field Guide for Adults which is available in hardcover, e-book, and as an audiobook narrated by the authors Cate and Erik. Visit Catieosaurus.com for information on Cate's national tour, "Wildly Unprepared," and upcoming book signing events. If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/279 YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD This Episode's Top Tips Understand the difference between shame (a fixed belief about who you are) and guilt (a feeling about what you did). Shame is an unchangeable dead end, but guilt is a "window for change" that allows you to acknowledge a behavior, such as being late or having a messy car, without condemning your entire identity. Recognize that "defeat" is often more comfortable than "failure" because defeat asks nothing of you; it simply means the game is over. Overcoming ADHD difficulties requires a healthy relationship with failure. Try viewing failure as a data point for "dissecting the system" rather than a reason to just stop trying. Many ADHD systems fail because they are built to satisfy "residual gook" from childhood. We often have internalized rules about how things "should" be done, like folding socks or separating silverware that have no basis beyond that it's just how we've always done it. Audit your tasks to see if you actually care about the result; if you don't, dismantling the expectation (like using bins instead of folding laundry) can remove the cognitive load of a performance you don't actually value.    

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Mitch Bach talks with Jenn Barbee, co-founder of Destination Innovate, about the real inner workings of DMOs, those three letters that every tour operator has an opinion about but few actually understand. Jenn has spent 30 years inside destination marketing, from a shoestring US Department of Commerce team trying to promote America on a $50,000 budget to her current work closing the gap between DMOs and the small businesses they are supposed to serve. The conversation covers how DMOs get funded, why they sit on valuable visitor data, and what tour operators can actually do to get beyond the dead-end website listing.It goes further than the typical "how to work with your tourism board" advice. Jenn and Mitch get into the identity crisis hitting tour operators and DMOs at the same time: both are losing ground to OTA platforms, both need direct guest relationships, and neither is building enough local partnerships to fight back. They talk short-term rental hosts as untapped referral channels, guerrilla marketing tactics that cost almost nothing, and the hard truth about inbound tourism to the US heading into World Cup and the 250th anniversary.Key TakeawaysYour DMO has expensive visitor data that could sharpen your product, pricing, and ads, but they will not hand it over unless you ask. 06:14 – 07:19 DMOs invest in data about visitor appetite, competing markets, and traveler clusters by neighborhood and interest type. That information rarely trickles down to small tour businesses because DMOs feel pressure to contextualize it or fear judgment on their numbers. Frame your ask around strengthening the destination's tourism product, not just helping your business, and you stand a real chance of getting access to insights you could never afford on your own.The single best first move with your DMO is to find the community manager and introduce yourself with specific visitor language, not a sales pitch. 11:48 – 12:58 Audit your tour product against what the destination website is promoting in terms of itineraries or themes, then reach out where you see a match or a gap. Lead with collaboration. Once you have that baseline, you can inch toward higher-value asks like data sharing or co-promotion, but only after you have earned the relationship through showing up and being useful.Survey your customers about whether they booked the experience before the hotel, then bring that data to the DMO. 56:29 – 56:39 If you can show a DMO that your tour attracted bed nights, you are speaking their only real language: occupancy and bed tax justification. Most tour operators never collect this data, and most DMOs have never seen it from a small business. It positions you as a strategic asset rather than another name on a listings page.DMOs are shifting from marketing organizations to stewardship organizations, and that tension is something you can use. 08:50 – 09:59 Many DMOs now describe themselves as "destination management" or "stewardship" organizations, moving toward what is right for their communities. Their boards and bed tax collectors still want heads-in-beds KPIs. If your tour disperses visitors into underserved neighborhoods, supports local businesses, or tells a more honest destination story, you become the kind of partner that helps a DMO justify its new direction to the people holding the purse strings.Getting listed on the DMO website is a win. Stop underestimating it. 13:10 – 13:45 Many operators treat a listing as table stakes, but some DMOs do not even offer that without a paid membership. If you are listed, follow up by tagging the DMO constantly on social media and feeding them content they can reshare within their brand guidelines. The social media managers have more flexibility than the executive staff and will amplify content that feels fresh or on-brand.If your local DMO is stuck promoting only the marquee attractions, skip them and go to the state level. 17:38 – 18:32 A DMO locked into bread-and-butter promotion is usually in protection mode, worried about occupancy numbers. State tourism offices have embraced experience-driven programming and are more open to working with operators who tell a broader story. For most small tour businesses, the state governor's conference on tourism is where accessible DMO relationships start.Short-term rental hosts are closer to the guest than any DMO, and tour operators should be building direct relationships with them now. 24:31 – 26:00 Short-term rentals nationally overtook hotels in occupancy as of September 2025. Those hosts talk directly to guests about what to do in town. A recommendation from a local Airbnb host is warmer than any OTA listing and costs zero commission. Finding them is manual (social media DMs, local searches), but the payoff is a direct referral channel with no middleman.Stop chasing first-time visitors. Loyal, repeat visitors spend more, stay longer, and sustain the businesses that matter. 32:49 – 33:32 DMOs and operators both fixate on acquiring new customers while ignoring the people who already love the destination. Repeat visitors become patrons of smaller, niche experiences and local businesses. For multi-day operators especially, a returning guest who books a deeper or different tour is more profitable than constantly feeding the top of the funnel.Identity beats branding. Know who you are and say no to the rest. 38:44 – 41:27 Jenn draws a hard line between brand (what you market) and identity (who you actually are and who you serve). When you lead with identity, you market less because the right people find you. That means turning down some customers and product ideas, which is terrifying for newer operators, but it prevents the bland, generic positioning that makes you invisible on platforms like Viator and GetYourGuide.The "book direct" movement matters for tour operators just as much as it does for short-term rentals and hotels. 42:58 – 44:28 Hotels lost roughly 80% of their distribution to OTAs. Tours and activities sit around 40% OTA-controlled, which means there is still time to build direct channels. DMOs missed the OTA boat the first time and are caught in a relevancy crisis. That creates a shared interest: both of you need to reclaim the guest relationship before the platforms own it entirely.Guerrilla, person-to-person marketing is the only thing worth betting on in this environment. 34:16 – 35:03 Replace coffee sleeves at a local shop for a week with a message like "next time mama's in town, try this." That costs almost nothing and puts your name in front of a local audience in a real, physical moment. Operators burning money on flashy ad campaigns and agencies are losing to the ones doing the manual work of building one relationship at a time.Bring tour operators, short-term rental hosts, and local businesses into the same room. The collaboration that comes out of it is worth more than any campaign. 30:35 – 32:17 A 12-person Tourpreneur meetup in Dallas turned competitors into collaborators planning joint tours before they left the room. Those rooms should include short-term rental hosts, restaurants, coffee shops. Nobody is organizing these cross-sector local gatherings yet. That is the opportunity.Rethink the "travel presentation at the library" model. Gather local people around something that is not your tour. 53:23 – 54:46 Jenn pitches a revival of the house-party model for travel: 10 to 15 people, food, conversation, then introduce the experience. For multi-day operators, this replaces the stale slide deck. Book clubs are surging. House gatherings are surging. The sale happens because you built trust in a personal setting, not because you ran a Facebook ad.Quirky, unpolished video cuts through. But virality does not equal business success. 36:32 – 37:38 Behind-the-scenes, day-in-the-life content is what is actually getting traction on social right now. The less templated and less AI-generated it feels, the better it performs. Use that attention as a hook, then shift to collaborative content and real relationship-building that converts. A weird 30-second clip of your tour prep is worth more than a polished banner ad.The inbound tourism situation in the US is worse than most operators realize, and pretending otherwise is a losing strategy. 48:28 – 50:43 Canadian airlines are pulling US routes for summer 2026. Sixteen countries now have travel advisories against

Your life cannot outgrow the story you tell about yourself. If you've been feeling like you're hitting an invisible ceiling—whether in your career, your relationships, or your personal growth—the culprit is rarely your skill set. It's your Internal Narrative. In this powerful solo episode of She Shift, we are going behind the scenes of the most important conversation you'll ever have: the one happening inside your head. Most of us are living out "Version 10.0" of our lives while running an outdated "Version 1.0" mental operating system. Today, we're changing that. I'm walking you through a step-by-step Internal Narrative Audit to help you identify the silent scripts running your life, cross-examine the "ghostwriters" of your past, and reclaim your role as the Editor-in-Chief of your reality. In this episode, you'll discover: • The "Always/Never" Trap: How to identify identity labels that are masquerading as facts. • The Defense Attorney Method: 3 power questions to dismantle limiting beliefs in real-time. • The Neutral Bridge: A simple linguistic shift to move from "I can't" to "I am becoming." • The Plot Twist Challenge: A 48-hour mission to rewrite your narrative and elevate your frequency. Stop being a passive reader of your life story. It's time to pick up the pen and shift the narrative. Listen in to start your audit today.

Many florists say they want higher wedding budgets and luxury clients… but their brand is sending a completely different message.In this episode, Jeni walks you through a quick 5-minute brand audit you can do today to see whether your Instagram, portfolio, and messaging are actually attracting the type of clients you want.Because if your brand looks like a $2,000 florist, it's going to be very hard to book $10,000 weddings.Jeni breaks down the key things to look at in your social media, design consistency, and brand language so you can start positioning your floral business for higher-end events and more profitable weddings.If you're ready to elevate your portfolio and brand, Jeni also shares details about the Business, Bouquets & Branding Workshop, a hands-on experience designed to help florists build a portfolio that attracts premium clients.In This Episode You'll LearnHow to quickly audit your floral brand in just 5 minutesWhy your Instagram feed may be turning away higher-budget clientsThe difference between a florist brand that attracts $2K weddings vs. $10K weddingsHow your language (like “budget friendly”) affects the clients you attractWhy consistency in your design style matters more than you thinkA simple question to ask others that reveals how your brand is actually perceivedThe 5-Minute Floral Brand AuditLook at your Instagram like a client.Ask yourself: If I didn't know me, would I think this florist is affordable or premium?Review your portfolio consistency.Does your work feel cohesive or like a random mix of styles?Audit your language.Words like affordable or budget friendly can unintentionally position you as the cheapest option.Ask someone you trust.Ask them: What three words come to mind when you look at my brand?Ask the big question.Does your brand actually support the level of clients you want to attract?Workshop Mentioned in This EpisodeBusiness, Bouquets & Branding WorkshopA 2.5-day immersive workshop designed to help florists elevate their brand and portfolio.You'll experience:A tour of Jeni's home-based floral studioBusiness coaching and open Q&ACreating a spiral bouquet for your portfolioParticipating in a professional styled shootA mini personal branding shoot with makeup touch-upsProfessional content for your portfolio and social media

What if the device keeping you alive was also a cybersecurity vulnerability? That's not a hypothetical — it's Victor Barge's reality. In this episode of The Audit, IT Audit Labs' Global Delivery Director Victor Barge shares the story of his sudden cardiac event and the life-saving defibrillator now implanted in his chest and the eye-opening security questions that followed. Co-hosts Joshua Schmidt, Eric Brown, and Nick Mellum connect Victor's story to the real-world cyber risks organizations ignore every single day. What you'll learn in this episode: How modern pacemakers and defibrillators transmit biometric data 24/7 — and what happens if that data is compromised Why the 2017 Abbott pacemaker recall of 500,000 devices is a warning the industry hasn't fully heeded The parallel between reactive healthcare and reactive cybersecurity — and why waiting costs you more Why billion-dollar organizations are still storing passwords in spreadsheets in 2026 What continuous monitoring in IT security can learn from real-time cardiac telemetry Whether you're a CISO, IT auditor, or just someone wearing a smartwatch, this episode will make you rethink what "sensitive data" really means. 

Découvrez ma formation aux fondamentaux de l'accueil, un parcours d'excellence, accessible à toutes & tous !1️⃣ Présentation de l'invité : Avez-vous déjà imaginé ce qui se passe en coulisses dans les palaces les plus prestigieux de Paris ? Cette semaine, j'ai eu l'honneur d'être accueilli par Jean-Pierre Trevisan, un hôtelier chevronné qui a fait ses armes dans des établissements emblématiques comme le Georges V, le Ritz et le Crillon. Aujourd'hui, il est à la tête du seul palace de la rive gauche de Paris, le Lutetia. Diplômé de l'école hôtelière de Strasbourg, il a gravi les échelons en passant par des postes clés dans des hôtels de renom à Paris. Son expérience au sein de groupes prestigieux comme Accor et Four Seasons lui a permis de développer une expertise unique en matière de gestion hôtelière. Depuis 2021, il dirige le Lutetia, où il a relevé le défi de repositionner l'hôtel en véritable palace après sa réouverture post-pandémie. Comment transformer le Lutetia, de la gestion des équipes à la mise en place d'un service d'excellence ? Quelles sont ses réflexions sur l'évolution du secteur hôtelier post-Covid ? Quels sont leurs défis en termes de recrutement et de formation continue ? Comment ses passions pour la musique, l'art et l'architecture, enrichissent-elles son approche de l'hôtellerie ? Un épisode riche en enseignements pour tous ceux qui aspirent à une carrière dans l'hôtellerie de luxe. 2️⃣ Notes et références : Lutetia Paris - The Set Collection - Bar Aristide École hôtelière de Strasbourg Ferrandi Paris - Céline Nasution Passion avec Jean-Luc Naret, CEO de The Set Collection Le livre "Chronique Des Jours A Venir" de Ronald Wright 3️⃣ Pour contacter l'invité : Via LinkedIn 4️⃣Chapitrage : 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:00 - La suite Coppola 00:01:54 - Jean-Pierre Trevisan 00:07:30 - Paris, capitale de l'hospitality 00:10:05 - L'hôtellerie de luxe vs lifestyle 00:15:58 - Relance post-Covid du Lutetia 00:18:00 - Transition de 4 étoiles à 5 étoiles 00:22:20 - Défis de recrutement 00:28:00 - Stratégies de recrutement 00:32:00 - Importance du coaching 00:40:40 - Un bon directeur de palace 00:48:00 - Questions signatures Si cet épisode vous a passionné, rejoignez-moi sur :L'Hebdo d'Hospitality Insiders, pour ne rien raterL'Académie Hospitality Insiders, pour vous former aux fondamentaux de l'accueilLe E-Carnet "Devenir un Artisan Hôtelier" pour celles et ceux qui souhaitent faire de l'accueil un véritable artLinkedin, pour poursuivre la discussionInstagram, pour découvrir les coulissesLa bibliothèque des invités du podcastMerci de votre fidélité et à bientôt !Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio discussed the latest in her ongoing battle to audit the State Legislature. This week, a Supreme Judicial Court judge denied DiZoglio's request for an outside lawyer to represent her in her battle to audit the State Legislature. The judge said, DiZoglio didn't cite a statute, power, or rule that would allow the court to appoint an outside lawyer. What happens next? Diana checked in to discuss!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's competitive boutique fitness market, "good" simply isn't enough. If your brand isn't current and clearly differentiated, you may be invisible—or worse, interchangeable. Explore how to audit and refresh your brand to resonate today with Alina Cooper and Lisa Taylor in Episode 714:  Is Your Brand Outdated? Proven Ways to Stay Relevant in 2026. Audit the gap: compare your brand intent to actual client perception  Clarify your promise: sell the transformation and experience—then deliver Cultivate vibrancy: refresh your visuals, messaging, offers & tech stacks, Train touchpoints: ensure your team reinforces your promise & evolution Form a habit: embrace relevance as a mindset—not a one-time project Brand drift is subtle over time—but eventually costly. As your clients evolve, your business must adapt as well—without losing your foundation. Recalibrate strategically with Episode 714.  Catch you there, Lise   PS: Join 2,000+ studio owners who've decided to take control of their studio business and build their freedom empire. Subscribe HERE and join the party! www.studiogrow.co www.linkedin.com/company/studio-growco/  

You're not overcompetitive. You're just competing in the wrong arenas. I asked my dog's groomer what he'd need to do to get an A+ instead of an A. The lady next to me thought I was crazy. She was wrong. I break down why being wired to win isn't a character flaw — it's a competitive advantage most people are too afraid to claim. Plus, the etymology of the word "compete" will completely reframe how you see your rivals, your industry, and the people chasing the same finish line as you. The real question isn't whether you're competitive. It's whether you're competing for the right things. Hit play. This one's for the winners. Who This Episode Is For If someone has ever told you that you're too competitive — this one's for you. Social Caption Everyone's competitive. Not everyone's honest enough to admit what they actually care about winning. Key Takeaways Being wired to win isn't overcompetitive — it's a sign you take your limited time seriously True winners don't just excel in one area; their integrity, values, and execution make them winners across all areas of life Everyone is competitive — just not about everything. Find your arenas and own them. The etymology of "compete" means striving together — your rivals make you better, not worse As you grow, the skill isn't wanting to win less — it's choosing your battles with more precision Questions for Reflection What areas of your life are you pretending not to care about winning — when deep down you know you do? Are you competing in battles that drain your energy without advancing your actual goals? Who are the competitors in your life that are making you sharper — and are you grateful for them? Action Steps List the three arenas where you are genuinely, unapologetically competitive. Own them — stop apologizing for wanting to win there. Audit the battles you're currently in. Identify one you need to exit because it's costing you energy without moving you forward. Identify one competitor — in business, fitness, or life — and genuinely root for them to get better. Iron sharpens iron. Featured Quote "Don't compete for everything — but the things you do compete in, give it your absolute all."

In this panel discussion from the Inch 360 Conference, cybersecurity experts explore the intersection of compliance, insurance, and risk management. Moderated by Maria Braun (Baker Tilly), the panel features Casey Wheeler (Marsh McLennan Agency), Dan Brown (CISA), and Deb Wells (BECU).Key Topics Covered:The Compliance vs. Security MythWhy having SOC 2, ISO 27001, or PCI-DSS doesn't automatically mean you're secureHow to move beyond "check-the-box" compliance to holistic risk managementThe importance of building security in, not bolting it onCyber Insurance EssentialsTop 5 controls insurers look for: MFA, comprehensive backups, email filtering, security awareness training, and wire transfer verificationHow insurance underwriting works and what carriers assessWhy you should contact your carrier FIRST during an incidentCommon policy pitfalls: waiting periods, coverage triggers, and business interruption termsEffective Risk ManagementHow to run meaningful tabletop exercises (not just compliance theater)Why you need to include the right people: IT, legal, HR, facilities, and your insurance carrierThe importance of making cybersecurity a daily habit, not a one-time eventHow to quantify risks and prioritize using heat maps and business impactThird-Party RiskWhy outsourcing doesn't transfer all responsibilityThe growing importance of vendor risk managementHow downstream attacks can impact your operations We're thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL's comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers' timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

This week's episode comes from my recent conversation on Mike Crowson's Check-In's Pro podcast, and it was too good not to share here. We dive into what it actually means to be “set up for scale,” why so many coaches try to grow before their foundation is ready and the simple audit I mentally run when setting up strategy for a business owner. Whether you're trying to hit your first $10k or $100k month, this conversation breaks down the difference between growth that lasts and growth that creates chaos. We also talk about what scaling really looks like behind the scenes of a 7-figure business and the lessons we're seeing play out in the industry right now. If you've ever felt like you're working harder but not growing cleaner, or want to see if you're on the right path, this episode will help you diagnose why.–Create your high-ticket online coaching offer, get niche clarity and ensure you're set up for scale. https://go.taelerdehaes.com/nichedInstall these five questions in your sales process that'll convert leads into calls booked. https://go.taelerdehaes.com/bookedI'll create a profitable profile for you in minutes. Click to attract high-paying clients. https://go.taelerdehaes.com/bio-surveyJoin our Fit Pro Business Secrets Made Simple group over on Facebook for exclusive resources, trainings and help as you're growing your online fitness business. https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitprobusinesssecrets/  Follow Taeler on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/taelerfit/Learn more about working with Taeler, whether you're just starting your online coaching business or scaling to multi-6/7-figures. https://taelerdehaes.com/ Watch this video to learn exactly how we've helped more than 1,600+ coaches start and grow to $10k months online and beyond. https://go.taelerdehaes.com/case-study 

Y'all, if you take your foot off the gas in March, your studio's likely to have a long, quiet summer. While you're still in the busiest quarter of the year, this should be a leverage month.  Focus on intentionality, exploration and creativity now. Join Lisa Taylor and me for your must-do list in Episode 713: What to Do in Your Boutique Studio Business in March.  Prep your pipeline: plan your 90-day marketing plan and start selling now  Audit your schedule: trim excess volume, protect variety and check summer staffing Reset retail: clear winter inventory and drive demand with open houses or upsells Refresh & reward: treat your team to something special after intense demands Tackle taxes: meet with your accountant for strategic tax and filing decisions March is about front-loading traffic and revenue, tightening operations and taking care of your team while you still have strong momentum. Get your game plan in Episode 713.  Catch you there, Lise   PS: Join 2,000+ studio owners who've decided to take control of their studio business and build their freedom empire. Subscribe HERE and join the party! www.studiogrow.co www.linkedin.com/company/studio-growco/  

Are you truly productive, or are you just... "busy"? In this episode of Pursue Your Passion, we're pulling back the curtain on the "Busy Trap"—the socially acceptable excuse we use to keep our biggest dreams on the back burner. We often treat our passions like a luxury we'll get to "someday" when things finally settle down. But the truth is, life doesn't settle down; it expands. Today, [Your Name] dives deep into the psychology of why we fill our schedules with "good" obligations that prevent us from reaching "great" milestones. In this episode, you'll learn: The Back Burner Effect: Why neglecting your passion isn't just a time issue—it's an identity crisis. The "Good" vs. "Great" Filter: How to identify the tasks that are stealing your creative energy. The Art of the "No": Tactical ways to set boundaries without the guilt. The Passion Pivot: A 3-step framework (The Audit, The Non-Negotiable Hour, and The Big Three) to reclaim your time starting today. It's time to stop being a "doer of chores" and start being a "creator of dreams." If you've felt like your spark has been dimming under the weight of a crowded calendar, this episode is your permission slip to clear the deck and put yourself first. To get in touch with Tyler - https://www.tylerkamerman.com/

Okay guys, we need to talk about the sneaky fears.The ones you dress up as strategy. The ones that feel responsible and safe but are actually just keeping your business tiny.In this episode, I'm getting raw about the fears I've been holding onto - the kind that sound tactical but are actually emotional.I had to check myself hard on this, and I'm walking you through what happened when I finally looked at the actual data instead of the drama.We're talking about auditing your numbers, choosing above-average activity, and the question that changed everything: where are you redesigning your entire business strategy to protect your feelings?If you've been optimizing for emotional comfort instead of growth, this one's gonna sting in the best way.

Send a textBehind every successful business is a series of strategic decisions no one talks about. In this conversation, Fractional CMO Mallory Musante and I say those quiet parts out loud.  We're giving you a peek behind the curtain at how we decide what tools to keep, swap, and cancel this year - and why.This is more than an interview. It's an open, honest conversation between business besties about how we evaluate tools based on cost, capacity, simplicity, and actual workflow fit.We talk through what earned its spot (like Canva, ClickUp, HoneyBook, and ChatGPT), what got cut, and why consolidation often creates more momentum than adding something new.We also discuss:How to tell if a tool is actually driving growth or just keeping you busyUsing AI as a thought partner without outsourcing your voiceReducing meetings and increasing productivity with async tools like Fathom and LoomSimplifying your tech stack without slowing your marketingWhen to stay with your "comfort zone" tools and it's time to level upIf you've ever wondered whether there's a simpler way to run your business or you're curious how experienced entrepreneurs make real operational decisions, this episode will help you audit your tools with more clarity and confidence.Links & References:Come network with us! CLICK HERE to attend your first PWR Connection Network virtual speed networking event at no cost!Learn more about Mallory Musante and her work here: www.mallorymusante.comConnect with Mallory on Instagram, Threads or LinkedInSupport the showConnect with Your Host!Melissa Snow is a Business Relationship Strategist and the founder of Powerful Women Rising - a business growth ecosystem for female entreprenuers who want to create real momentum through real relationships. Inside the PWR Connect Network and the PWR Business Growth Mastermind, Melissa helps women in business get build relationships, increase visibility and get more referrals without pressure, perfection or performative networking. She's on a mission to change the way women grow their businesses - proving that you can be authentic, values-driven and profitable at the same time. Melissa lives in Colorado with two dogs (Peyton and Ally), three cats (Giorgio, Karma and Betty) and any number of foster kittens. She hates winter, seafood and feet. She loves iced coffee, Taylor Swift, and buying books she'll never read.

You drop into an iMessage quick tip and quickly branch into a whole toolkit for running your Apple life smarter. You learn faster ways to edit messages, how Slack's up-arrow muscle memory carries over, and why platforms limit your edit window. From there, the show rolls into clever NFC and QR workflows for appliance manuals, Time Machine fixes over SMB on Synology, and a deep dive on spam and email hygiene: Fastmail's undelete safety net, SaneBox's smart filtering, Apple Mail's categories, plus when to reach for SpamSieve or even your own chatbot to watch junk folders so you Don't Get Caught losing important mail. The crew also compares real‑world email providers, DNS setups (Cloudflare, Google, Quad9), and router‑level changes that stabilize your network. You get a reality check on legacy cruft—Trip Mode, MacFUSE, ancient launch agents—still loading after years of Migration Assistant, and how tools like Lingon and CleanMyMac help you audit what's secretly running. On the fun-and-productivity side, you hear honest impressions of Apple Vision Pro: tabletop-style multiplayer games like Demeo, surprisingly usable virtual desktops, the importance of dual straps and decent cases, and when to skip hotel Wi‑Fi in favor of hotspots or a UniFi travel router so your Macs, iPads, and headsets all “think” they're at home. 00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1131 for Monday, March 2nd, 2026 March 2nd: National Banana Cream Pie Day MGG Monthly Giveaway – Enter to win a copy of SoundSource from Rogue Amoeba! Congrats to February's winners! The MGG Merch Store is Live! Quick Tips 00:00:01 Fernando-QT-Command+E lets you edit your most recent iMessage on the Mac 00:07:39 Ian-QT-Put NFC Tags or QR Codes on your tools with links to user manuals iFixIt Repair Guides and Manuals 00:11:03 That's not Multitasking, That's Cheating 00:13:16 Ben-QT-Select & Move Junk Mail Without Displaying its Content Private Internet Access hides you from spammers 00:15:03 Ernesto-How do you deal with spam email? SaneBox 00:25:20 Fastmail DOES offer a restore-from-backup option 00:27:13 Build domain-specific rules to filter spam SpamSieve 00:31:34 David-Which email provider do you use? Dave – Fastmail and Gmail Adam – Gmail/Google and iCloud Pete – Bluehost and iCloud 00:34:42 Migrating mail to a new provider Sponsors 00:38:24 SPONSOR: Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll when you start at gusto.com/MGG 00:39:54 SPONSOR: BBEdit, the power tool for text from Bare Bones Software; now with integrated Notebooks and extended language support. Audit your apps, Login Items, and Launch Agents 00:41:22 Pilot Pete-QT-MacOS 26 How I Fixed My Time Machine Backups on Synology after Tahoe 00:44:53 Tanel-DGC-Be aware of what you installed years ago MacFUSE CleanMyMac Lingon 00:54:10 Will-QT-DNS Adjustment fixes Hinky Internet (That's a Technical Term!) Cloudflare DNS: 1.1.1.1 Google DNS: 8.8.8.8 Quad9: 9.9.9.9 OpenDNS What do you use for Wi-Fi in Hotel Rooms? 01:00:13 UniFi Travel Router 01:02:15 Tethering to your iPhone Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared! 01:06:40 Rob-How do you like your Apple Vision Pro? How do you use it? Demeo on Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest, and more Syntech Apple Vision Pro Case Belkin Case for Apple Vision Pro 01:22:06 MGG 1131 Outtro MGG Monthly Giveaway Bandwidth Provided by CacheFly Pilot Pete's Aviation Podcast: So There I Was (for Aviation Enthusiasts) The Debut Film Podcast – Adam's new podcast! Dave's Business Brain (for Entrepreneurs) and Gig Gab (for Working Musicians) Podcasts MGG Merch is Available! Mac Geek Gab YouTube Page Mac Geek Gab Live Calendar This Week's MGG Premium Contributors MGG Apple Podcasts Reviews feedback@macgeekgab.com 224-888-GEEK Active MGG Sponsors and Coupon Codes List BackBeat Media Podcast Network

Hannah Blass from @thestyleaudit joins Jamie on the KICK-ASS Stepmom Podcast to share how to shift from compulsive shopping to healthier financial habits through embracing intentional style.  Hannah will share how her own compulsive shopping journey led her to wake up to the ways that social media, societal pressures, and negative stereotypes of women inform our shopping habits. You'll hear practical strategies to build a more authentic wardrobe and maintain a healthier money mindset, all while keeping your love of fashion alive.  Check out more from Hannah on Instagram @thestyleaudit Masterclass: How to Stop Letting a High Conflict Ex Highjack Your Life  www.jamiescrimgeour.com/masterclass Join Elevate: Group Coaching For The High Level Stepmom www.jamiescrimgeour.com/elevate  Subscribe to my Substack:  https://substack.com/@jamiescrimgeour Get My Ebook -  120 Ways To Be A KICK-ASS Stepmom  www.jamiescrimgeour.com/ebook  Episode Sponsors:  Cozy Earth | www.cozyearth.com and use the code COZYJAMIE for 20% off  Boncharge | www.boncharge.com and use the code SCRIM for 15% off  Kajabi | www.jamiescrimgeour.com/kajabi to get all the details.