Podcasts about Bangkok

Today’s podcast begins with some exciting and helpful updates (0:18), followed by a little bit of China/Asia/US news with Marco Rubio here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (10:43). Then, after a short word about how impressed I am with our missionary friends here in Bangkok (21:08), we have a lengthy testimony time as I share a series of updates and stories from 22 years ago this week (24:00), followed by our Pray for China segment (and even more stories) right up to the end. (47:59) Welcome to China Compass on the Fight Laugh Feast Network! I'm your China travel guide, Missionary Ben. Follow and/or message me on Twitter/X (@chinaadventures) where I post (among other things) daily reminders to pray for China.You can also email me @ bfwesten at gmail dot com or find everything we are involved in at PrayGiveGo.us! First, a few quick updates: Pray4China.us is now an alternative to our usual domain: PrayforChina.us Chinacompass.vip takes you to our podcast home page on the Fight Laugh Feast network website: https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/tabs/the-pub/podcasts/30293 PrayMo.org is Missouri’s dedicated Pray for China link. Please contact me if you want one for your state! (ie, OKSisterState.com) Not the Bee Makes My Point from Last Week https://notthebee.com/article/china-says-the-dalai-lama-must-follow-chinese-law-if-he-wants-to-reincarnate Rubio meets China's Wang Yi in Malaysia as trade tensions deepen https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/us-china-marco-rubio-wang-yi-meeting-asean-trade-tensions-5232851 A True Tale of Two Teenagers and Two Tibetan Towns https://chinacall.substack.com/p/a-true-tale-of-two-teenagers-and Pray for China cities of the week: https://chinacall.substack.com/p/pray-for-china-july-13-19-2025 Follow or subscribe to China Compass and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Don’t forget: Follow @chinaadventures on X, and find everything else @ PrayGiveGo.us. Luke 10, verse 2, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few!

Stuart Pollington was born in the United Kingdom and grew up there. After college he began working and along the way he decided he wanted to travel a bit. He worked in Las Vegas for six months and then had the opportunity to work for a year in Australia. He then ended up doing some work in Asia and fell in love with Thailand. For the past 20 years he has lived in Thailand where he helped start several entrepreneurial endeavors and he began two companies which are quite alive and well.   My discussion with Stuart gave us the opportunity to explore his ideas of leadership and entrepreneurial progress including what makes a good entrepreneur. He says, for example, that anyone who wishes to grow and be successful should be willing to ask many questions and always be willing to learn. Stuart's insights are quite valuable and worth your time. I believe you will find most useful Stuart's thoughts and ideas.     About the Guest:   Stuart Pollington is a seasoned entrepreneur and digital strategist who has spent over two decades building businesses across the ASEAN region. Originally from the UK, Stuart relocated to Thailand more than 20 years ago and has since co-founded and led multiple ventures, including Easson Energy and Smart Digital Group. His experience spans digital marketing, AI, and sustainability, but at the heart of it all is his passion for building ideas from the ground up—and helping others do the same.   Throughout his career, Stuart has worn many hats: Sales Director, CTO, Founder, Digital Marketer and growth consultant. He thrives in that messy, unpredictable space where innovation meets real-world execution, often working closely with new businesses to help them launch, grow, and adapt in challenging environments. From Bangkok boardrooms to late-night brainstorms, he's seen firsthand how persistence and curiosity can turn setbacks into springboards.   Stuart's journey hasn't always been smooth—and that's exactly the point. He's a firm believer that failure is an essential part of the learning process. Whether it's a marketing campaign that flopped or a business idea that never got off the ground, each misstep has helped shape his approach and fueled his drive to keep moving forward. Ways to connect with Stuart:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartpollington/ www.smart-digital.co.th www.smart-traffic.com.au www.evodigital.com.au https://easson.energy     About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hello, everyone. Once again, it is time for an episode of unstoppable mindset. And today we have a guest, Stuart pullington, who is in Thailand, so that is a little bit of a distance away, but be due to the magic of science and technology, we get to have a real, live, immediate conversation without any delay or anything like that, just because science is a beautiful thing. So Stuart is an entrepreneur. He's been very much involved in helping other people. He's formed companies, but he likes to help other entrepreneurs grow and do the same things that he has been doing. So I am really glad that he consented to be on unstoppable mindset. And Stuart, I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset. And thank you for being here,   Stuart Pollington ** 02:14 Ryan, thank you for the invitation, Michael, I'm looking forward to it.   Michael Hingson ** 02:18 And Stuart is originally from the United Kingdom, and now for the past, what 20 years you've been in Thailand? Yes, over   Stuart Pollington ** 02:27 a bit over 20 years now. So I think I worked out the other day. I'm 47 in a couple of weeks, and I've spent more than half of my life now over in Asia.   Michael Hingson ** 02:39 So why do you like Thailand so much as opposed to being in England?   Stuart Pollington ** 02:46 It's a good question. I mean, don't get me wrong, I do, I do like the UK. And I really, I really like where I came, where I'm from. I'm from the south coast, southeast, a place called Brighton. So, you know, pretty good, popular place in the UK because of where we're situated, by the, you know, on the on the sea, we get a lot of, you know, foreign tourists and students that come over, etc. I mean, Asia. Why? Why Asia? I mean, I originally went traveling. I did six months in America, actually, first in Las Vegas, which was a good experience, and then I did a bit of traveling in America, from the West Coast over to the East Coast. I did a year in Australia, like a working holiday. And then on my way back to the UK, I had a two week stop over in Thailand, and I went down to the beaches, really enjoyed kind of the culture and the way of life here, if you like. And ended up staying for a year the first time. And then after that year, went back to the UK for a little bit and decided that actually, no, I kind of liked the I liked the lifestyle, I liked the people, I liked the culture in Thailand, and decided that was where I wanted to kind of be, and made my way back   Michael Hingson ** 04:13 there you are. Well, I can tell you, Las Vegas isn't anything like it was 20 years ago. It is. It is totally different. It's evolved. It's very expensive today compared to the way it used to be. You can't, for example, go into a hotel and get an inexpensive buffet or anything like that anymore. Drinks at the hum on the on the casino floors are not like they used to be, or any of that. It's it's definitely a much higher profit, higher cost. Kind of a place to go. I've never been that needy to go to Las Vegas and spend a lot of time. I've been there for some meetings, but I've never really spent a lot of time in Las Vegas. It's a fascinating town. Um. One of my favorite barbecue places in New York, opened up a branch in Las Vegas, a place called Virgil's best barbecue in the country. And when they opened the restaurant, the Virgil's restaurant in Las Vegas, my understanding is that the people who opened it for Virgil's had to first spend six months in New York to make sure that they did it exactly the same way. And I'll tell you, the food tastes the same. It's just as good as New York. So that that would draw me to Las Vegas just to go to Virgil's. That's kind of fun. Well, tell us a little about the early Stuart kind of growing up and all that, and what led you to do the kinds of things you do, and so on. But tell us about the early Stuart, if you would.   Stuart Pollington ** 05:47 Yeah, no problem. I mean, was quite sporty, very sporty. When I was younger, used to play a lot of what we call football, which would be soccer over, over your way. So, you know, very big, younger into, like the the team sports and things like that, did well at school, absolutely in the lessons, not so great when it came to kind of exams and things like that. So I, you know, I learned a lot from school, but I don't think especially back then, and I think potentially the same in other countries. I don't think that the the education system was set up to cater for everyone, and obviously that's difficult. I do feel that. I do feel that maybe now people are a bit more aware of how individual, different individuals perform under different circumstances and need different kind of ways to motivate, etc. So, yeah, I mean, I that that was kind of me at school. Did a lot of sport that, you know was good in the lessons, but maybe not so good at the PAM studying, if you like, you know the studying that you need to do for exams where you really have to kind of cram and remember all that knowledge. And I also found with school that it was interesting in the lessons, but I never really felt that there was any kind of, well, we're learning this, but, and this is how you kind of utilize it, or this is the practical use of what we're learning for life, if that, if that makes sense. Yeah. So, you know, like when we were learning, and I was always very good at maths, and I love numbers, and you know, when we were learning things in maths and things like that, I just never felt that it was explained clearly what you would actually use that for. So when you're learning different equations, it wasn't really well explained how you would then utilize that later in life, which I think, for me personally, I think that would have made things more interesting, and would have helped to kind of understand which areas you should focus on. And, you know, maybe more time could have been spent understanding what an individual is good at, and then kind of explaining, well, if you're good at this, or passionate with this, then this is what you could do with it. I think I remember sitting down with our I can't they would have been our advisors at the time, where you sit down and talk about what you want to do after school, and the question was always, what do you want to be? Whereas, you know, for me personally, I think it would have been more useful to understand, what are your passion you know? What are you passionate about? What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? And then saying, Well, you know, you could actually do this. This is something you could do, you know. So you could take that and you could become, this could be the sort of career you could do, if that makes sense. So anyway, that that was kind of like, like school and everything like that. And then after school, you know, I didn't, I worked for a couple of years. I didn't really know what I wanted to do. Funnily enough, there was actually a Toys R Us opening in Brighton in one of the summers she went and got, I got a summer job there at Toys R Us. And I really enjoyed that. Actually, that was my first step into actually doing a bit of sales. I worked on the computers. So we were, you know, selling the computers to people coming in. And when we opened the store, it's a brand new store. You know, it was just when the pay as you go. Mobile phones were kind of just coming out. We had Vodafone analog, but it was the non contract where you could just buy top up cards when they first came out, and I remember we were the first store, because we were a new store. We were the first store to have those phones for sale. And I remember just being really determined to just try and be the first person to just sell the first ever mobile phone within Toys R Us. And I remember I started in the morning, and I think my lunch was at, say, 12, but I missed my lunch, and I think I was up till about one, one or 2pm until finally I managed to find someone who, who was, who me, had that need or wanted the phone, and so I made that first sale for toys r us in the UK with the mobile phone, and that that, in itself, taught me a lot about, you know, not giving up and kind of pushing through and persevering a bit. So yeah, that that was kind of my, my early part. I was always interested in other cultures, though. I was always interested at school, you know, I do projects on Australia, Egypt and things like that. And, you know, in the UK, when you get to about, I think similar, similar to America, but, you know, in the UK, where you either before or after uni, it's quite usual to do, like, a gap year or do a bit of traveling. And I just kind of never got round to it. And I had friends that went and did a gap year or years working holiday in Australia, and I remember when they came back, and I was like, Yeah, you know, that's that's actually what I want to do. So when I was about 22 it was at that point, and I'd worked my way up by them from Toys R Us, I'd already moved around the country, helped them open new stores in different locations in the UK. Was working in their busiest story of in Europe, which was in London. But I decided I wanted to kind of I wanted to go and travel. So I remember talking to my area manager at the time and saying, Look, this is what I want to do. I had a friend who was traveling, and he was meeting up with his sister, and his sister happened to be in Las Vegas, which is how we, we kind of ended up there. And I remember talking to my area manager at the time and saying that I want to leave, I want to go and do this. And I remember him sat down just trying to kind of kind of talk me out of it, because they obviously saw something in me. They wanted me to continue on the path I was doing with them, which was going, you know, towards the management, the leadership kind of roles. And I remember the conversation because I was saying to him, Look, I want, I want to, I want to go and travel. I really want to go. I'm going to go to Las Vegas or to travel America. And his response to me was, well, you know, if you stay here for another x years, you can get to this position, then you can go and have a holiday in America, and you could, you can get a helicopter, you can fly over the Grand Canyon, and kind of really trying to sell me into staying in that path that they wanted me to go on. And I thought about that, and I just said, No, I don't want to just go on a holiday. I really just want to immerse myself, and I just want to go there, and I want to live the experience. And so yeah, I I left that position, went to Las Vegas, ended up staying six months. I did three months. Did a bit in Mexico, came back for another three months. And that's where I met a lot of different people from different countries. And I really kind of got that initial early bug of wanting to go out and seeing a bit more of the world. And it was at that point in my life where I was in between, kind of the end of education, beginning of my business career, I guess, and I had that gap where it was the opportunity to do it. So I did, so yeah, I did that time in America, then back to the UK, then a year in Australia, which was great. And then, yeah, like I said, on the way home, is where I did my stop over. And then just obviously fell in love with Thailand and Asia, and that became my mindset after that year going back to the UK. My mindset was, how do I get back to Thailand? You know, how do I get back to Asia? I also spent a bit of time, about five years in the Philippines as well. So, you know, I like, I like, I like the region, I like the people, I like the kind of way of life, if you like.   Michael Hingson ** 14:23 So when you were working in the Philippines, and then when you got to Thailand, what did you do?   Stuart Pollington ** 14:30 Yeah, so I mean, it all starts with Thailand, really. So I mean, originally, when I first came over, I was, I was teaching and doing, trying to kind of some teaching and voluntary stuff. When I came back, I did a similar thing, and then I got, I get, I wouldn't say lucky, I guess I had an opportunity to work for a company that was, we were, we were basically selling laptop. Laptops in the UK, student laptops, they were refurbished like your IBM or your Dell, and we they would be refurbished and resold normally, to students. And we also, we also used to sell the the laptop batteries. So we would sell like the IBM or Dell laptop batteries, but we sell the OEM, you know, so we would get them direct from, from from China, so like third party batteries, if you like. And back in the day, this is just over 20 years ago, but back then, early days of what we would call digital marketing and online marketing. And you know, our website in the UK, we used to rank, you know, number one for keywords like IBM, refurb, refurbished. IBM, laptop Dell, laptop battery, IBM battery. So we used to rank above the brands, and that was my introduction, if you like, to digital marketing and how it's possible to make money online. And then that kind of just morphed into, well, you know, if we're able to do this for our own business, why can't we do this for other businesses? And that would have been the, you know, the early owners and founders of the of smart digital and smart traffic seeing that opportunity and transitioning from running one business and doing well to helping multiple businesses do well online and that, that was the bit I really enjoy. You know, talking to different business owners in different industries. A lot of what we do is very similar, but then you have slightly different approaches, depending on them, the location and the type of business that people are in.   Michael Hingson ** 16:47 Well, you, you have certainly been been around. You formed your own or you formed countries along the way, like Eastern energy and smart digital group. What were they? Right?   Stuart Pollington ** 16:59 Yeah. So, so yeah, going back to the computer website. Out of that came a company called smart traffic that was put together by the free original founders, guy called Simon, guy called Ben, and a guy called Andy. And so they originally came together and put and had created, if you like, smart traffic. And smart traffic is a digital marketing agency originally started with SEO, the organic, you know, so when someone's searching for something in Google, we help get websites to the top of that page so that people can then click on them, and hopefully they get a lead or a sale, or whatever they're they're trying to do with that, with that traffic. So, yeah, they originally put that together. I being here and on the ground. I then started working within the business. So I was running the student website, if you like, the laptop website, and then got the opportunity from very early on to work within the Digital Marketing Company. I've got a sales background, but I'm also quite technical, and I would say I'm good with numbers, so a little bit analytical as well. So the opportunity came. We had opened an office in the Philippines, and it had been open for about, I think, 18 months or two years, and it was growing quite big, and they wanted someone else to go over there to support Simon, who was one of the founders who opened the office over there. And that's when I got the opportunity. So I was over in Cebu for what, five, five and a half years. At one point, we had an office there with maybe 120 staff, and we did a lot of the technical SEO, and we were delivering campaigns for the UK. So we had a company in the UK. We had one in Australia, and then also locally, within the kind of Thai market. And that was fantastic. I really enjoyed working over in the Philippines again. Culture enjoyed the culture enjoyed the people. Really enjoyed, you know, just getting stuck in and working on different client campaigns. And then eventually that brought me back to Thailand. There was a restructure of the company we, you know, we moved a lot of the a lot of the deliverables around. So I was then brought back to Thailand, which suited me, because I wanted to come back to Thailand at that point. And then I had the opportunity. So the previous owners, they, they created a couple of other businesses in Thailand. They're one that very big one that went really well, called dot property, so they ended up moving back to the UK. Long story short, about maybe 10 years ago, I got the opportunity to take over smart digital in Thailand and smart traffic in Australia, which are both the. Marketing agencies that I'd been helping to run. So I had the opportunity to take those over and assume ownership of those, which was fantastic. And then I've obviously been successfully running those for the last 10 years, both here and and in Australia, we do a lot of SEO. We do a lot of Google ads and social campaigns and web design, and we do a lot of white label. So we we sit in the background for other agencies around the world. So there'll be agencies in, you know, maybe Australia, the UK, America, some in Thailand as well, who are very strong at maybe social or very strong ads, but maybe not as strong on the SEO so we, we just become their SEO team. We'll run and manage the campaigns for them, and then we'll deliver all the reporting with their branding on so that they can then plug that into what they do for their clients and deliver to their clients. So that's all fantastic. I mean, I love, I love digital marketing. I love, I love looking at the data and, you know, working out how things work. And we've been very successful over the years, which then led on to that opportunity that you mentioned and you asked about with Eastern energy. So that was about three and a half years ago, right right around the COVID time, I had a meeting, if you like, in in Bangkok, with a guy called Robert Eason. He was actually on his way to the UK with his family, and kind of got stuck in Bangkok with all the lockdowns, and he was actually on his way to the UK to start Eastern energy there. And Eastern energy is basically, it's an energy monitoring and energy efficiency company. It's basically a UK design solution where we have a hardware technology that we retrofit, which is connects, like to the MDB, and then we have sensors that we place around the location, and for every piece of equipment that we connect to this solution, we can see in real time, second by second, the energy being used. We can then take that data, and we use machine learning and AI to actually work with our clients to identify where their energy wastage is, and then work with them to try and reduce that energy wastage, and that reduces the amount of energy they're using, which reduces their cost, but also, very importantly, reduces the CO two emissions. And so I had this chance encounter with Robert, and I remember, at the time I was we were talking about how this solution worked, and I was like, oh, that's quite interesting. You know, I've I, you know, the the digital marketing is going quite well. Could be time to maybe look at another kind of opportunity, if you like. So I had a look at how it worked. I looked at the kind of ideal clients and what sort of other projects were being delivered by the group around the world. And there were a couple of big name brands over in there. So because it works quite well with qsrs, like quick service restaurant, so like your fast food chains, where you have multiple locations. And it just so happened that one of the in case studies they'd had, I just through my networking, I do a lot of networking with the chambers in Bangkok. Through my networking, I actually happened to know some of the people in the right positions at some of these companies. I'd never had the opportunity to work with them, with the digital marketing because most of them would have their own in house teams, and I just saw it as an opportunity to maybe do something with this here. So I, you know, I said to Robert, give me a week. And then a week later, I said, right, we've got a meeting with this company. It's international fast food brand. They've got 1700 locations in Thailand. So when ended that meeting, very, very positive. And after that meeting, I think Robert and I just I said to Robert, you know, currently you have a plan to go to the UK. Currently you're stuck in Thailand with lockdown, with COVID. We don't know what's going to happen and where everything's going to go. Why don't we do it here? And that's where it originally came from. We decided, let's, you know, let's, let's give that a shot over here. Since then, we've brought in two other partners. There's now four of us, a guy called Gary and a guy called Patrick. And yeah, I mean, it's a bit slower than I thought it would be, but it's in the last. Six months, it's really kind of picked up, which has been fantastic. And for me, it was, for me, it was just two things that made sense. One, I love I love data, and I love the technology. So I love the fact that we're now helping businesses by giving them data that they don't currently have the access to, you know. So when you get, you know, when you when you get your electricity bill, you get it the month after you've used everything, don't you, and it just tells you how much you've got to pay. And there's not really much choice. So what we're doing is giving them the visibility in real time to see where their energy is going and be able to make changes in real time to reduce that energy wastage. And I just thought, Well, look, this is great. It's very techie. It's using, you know, date big data, which I love, using machine learning and AI, which is great. And then I also, you know, I do care about the environment. I got two young kids, so I do care about what's happening around the world. And for me, that was a win, win. You know, I got to, I got to do something with tech that was new and exciting. It's definitely new to this region, even though it's been new to the same sort of technology has been utilized in Europe and America for a number of years. So it felt new, it felt exciting. And it's also good, you know, because we are helping people on the path to net zero. You know, how can we get to net zero? How can we reduce these emissions? So, yeah, I mean that that, for me, is   Stuart Pollington ** 26:40 two different types of, in my opinion, entrepreneurial kind of journeys. One is that the with the digital marketing is, is all it's a story of working my way up to then reach the top, if you like. And whereas Eastern energy is more of a traditional kind of as an entrepreneur, this is, this is an idea. Let's do something with it and get an exciting about it. So two kind of, two different approaches to get to the ownership stage, if you like.   Michael Hingson ** 27:14 I have an interesting story. I appreciate what you're saying. The whole entrepreneurial spirit is so important in what we do, and I wish more people had it. But years ago, one of my first jobs out of college was working for a company in Massachusetts, Kurzweil Computer Products. Ray Kurzweil, who developed, originally a reading machine for the blind, and then later a more commercial version of it. And there's somebody that I had met when I was a student at UC Irvine who ended up being back in Massachusetts working for at that time, a think tank consulting company called Bolt Beranek and Newman. I don't know whether you're familiar with them. They changed their name to, I think it was CLOUD NINE or Planet Nine. But Dick was telling me one day that, and this is when mainframe computers were so large and there was a lot needed to keep them cool and so on. Anyway, he was telling me that one day the gas utility came in because the total heating bill for the six story building was like $10 and they wanted to know how BBN bolt, brannic and Newman was stealing energy and and making it so that they didn't pay very much money. And the the president of the company said, let me show you. They went down to the basement, and there they had two PDP 20s, which are like dual PDP 10s. And they put out a lot of heat, needless to say, to run them. And what BBN did was to take all of that heat and pipe it through the building to keep the building warm in the winter. Rather than paying all the gas bills, they were using something that they already had, the entrepreneurial spirit liveth well. And the bottom line is they, they kept the building well heated. And I don't know what they did in the summer, but during the winter it was, it was pretty cool, and they were able to have $10 gas bills for the six story building, which was kind of fun. No,   Stuart Pollington ** 29:39 that's brilliant, yeah, and that just goes to show me, that is what a large part of this, you know, energy efficiency and things like that, is, it's, it's, it's not about just completely replacing or stopping something. It's about better utilizing it. Isn't it? So they, you know the example you just gave there, with the heat and the wasted energy of being lost in that heat release they've used and utilized, which is brilliant.   Michael Hingson ** 30:12 I a couple of years ago. So my wife passed away in 2022 and we have a furnace and so on here, and we had gas bills that were up in the $200 a month or more up as much as $300 a month in the winter to keep the house at a temperature that we could stand. And two years ago, I thought about, how do we lower that? And I was never a great fan of space heaters, but I decided to try something. We got a couple of space heaters, and we put them out in the living room, and we have ceiling fans. So turned on the space heaters and turned on the ceiling fans, and it did a pretty decent job of keeping the temperature down, such that for most months, I didn't even have to turn the furnace on at all, and our heating bill went down to like $39 a month. Then last year, we got an additional heater that was a little bit larger, and added that to the mix. And again, the bottom line is that if I start all of that early in the morning, our heating bill is like 30 $35 a month. Now I do cheat occasionally, and I'll turn the furnace on for about 45 minutes or 50 minutes in the morning with the ceiling fans to help distribute the warmer air, and I can get the house up to 75 degrees, or almost 30 Celsius, in in a very quick time. And then with the other two space heaters running, I don't have to use furnaces or anything for the rest of the day. So I think this year, the most expensive heating bill we had was like $80 because I did occasionally run the the the heaters or the furnace, and when I was traveling, I would turn the furnace on for the cat a little bit. But the bottom line is, there's so many things that we can do to be creative, if we think about it, to make things run more efficiently and not use as much energy and eliminate a lot of the waste that that we have, and so that that has worked out pretty well, and I have solar on the house. So in the summer, when most people around here are paying four and $500 a month for their electric bills to run the air conditioning. My electric bill year round, is $168 a month, which is   Stuart Pollington ** 32:47 cool. Yeah, no, that's great that you've and you've that is a great example there of kind of how you know our approach to energy efficiency. You know what? What are you currently doing? Is there a more efficient way of doing it? Which is exactly what you found, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 33:07 yeah, and it works really well. So I can't complain it's warming up now. So in fact, we're not I haven't turned the furnace or anything on at all this week. This is the first week it's really been warm at night. In fact, it was 75 degrees Fahrenheit last night. I actually had to turn the air conditioner on and lower the house to 70 degrees, and then turned it off because I don't need to keep it on, and made it easier to sleep. But it's it's amazing, if we think about it, what the things that we can do to make our energy lives more efficient, lower the carbon footprint, and all those kinds of things. So I hear what you're saying, and it's and it's important, I think that we all think about as many ways as we can of doing that. I   Stuart Pollington ** 33:56 think one of the biggest problems with energy is just invisible. You don't, you know, you don't really see it. No. So just, it's just one of those. You just don't really think about it. And again, you only get, you only get told what you've used once you've used it. Yeah, so it's too late by then. And then you go, Oh, you know, you might get an expensive bill. And go, oh, I need to be careful. And then you're careful for a few days or a week, and then again, you don't see it until you get your next bill. Yeah, it's really hard as with anything. I mean, it's a bit like going to the gym. If you go to the gym or the fitness and you just do it sporadically. You don't really have a routine, or, you know, it's gonna be very hard to achieve anything. But then if you, if you set your mind to it, if you maybe get a trainer, and you get a you go onto a better diet, and you follow your routine, you can you will see the results. And it's very similar to what we do. If you've once you've got the data, and you can actually see what. Happening, you can make proper, informed and educated business decisions, and that's what we're trying to do with that is to help businesses make the right decision on the path to net zero   Michael Hingson ** 35:11 well, and you have to develop the mindset as the consumer to bring in a company like yours, or at least think about yourself. What can I do consistently to have a better energy pattern? And I think that's what most people tend not to do a lot, and the result of that is that they pay more than they need to. The power companies like it, the gas companies like it. But still, there are better ways to do it so. So tell me you have been in business and been an entrepreneur for a long time. What is maybe an example of some major crisis or thing that happened to you that you you regard as a failure or a setback that you have had to deal with and that taught you something crucial about business or life.   Stuart Pollington ** 36:08 Brilliant question. I mean, I would, I would guess, over 20 years, there's been a lot of different, sorry, a lot of different things that have happened. I think probably, probably an impactful one would have been. And this taught me a lot about my team, and, you know, their approach and how everyone can pull together. So it would have been, I think it was about, it was when I was in the Philippines. So it would have been about maybe 1212, years ago, we're in Cebu, and there was a big earthquake, and when it hit Cebu, I think it was quite early in the morning. It was like 6am and I remember the whole bed was kind of shaking and rocking, and we, you know, had to get out of the condo. And we're, at the time, living in a place called it Park. And in the Philippines, there's a lot of cool centers, so it's very much 24/7 with an office environment. So as we're coming out of the condo, in literally pants, as in, when I say pants, I mean underwear, because you literally jump out of bed and run. And they were like 1000s, 1000s of all the local Filipinos all all in their normal clothes, because they've all doing the call center work. And I remember just, you know, sitting out on the ground as the aftershocks and whole grounds moving and and, and that that was a very, you know, personal experience. But then on top of that, I've then got over 100 staff in in Cebu at the time that I then have to think about. And, you know, is everyone okay? And then, because of the time it happened, Luckily no one was in the office because it was early, yeah, but it all but it also meant that everything we needed   Michael Hingson ** 38:08 was in the office. Was in the office. Yeah, yeah. So,   Stuart Pollington ** 38:10 so I remember Matt, you know, I remember getting a group of us there, was myself and maybe three or four others from the office, and I remember getting in my car, drove to the office. We were on, I think it's like the eighth or ninth floor, and they didn't want to let us in because of, obviously, the earthquake, and it was a, it was a couple of hours later, and you've got to be obviously, you know, everything needs checking. You still got all the aftershocks, but we managed to let them allow us to run up the fire exit to the office so we could grab, you know, I think we were grabbing, like, 1520, laptops and screens to put in the car so that we could then, and we had to do that of the fire exit, so running up, running down, and that was all into The car so we could then drive to a location where I could get some of my team together remote and to work in this. I think we ended up in some coffee shop we found that was open, and we had the old free G boost kind of the Wi Fi dongles, dongles. And I just remember having to get, like, 1015, of my team, and we're all sat around there in the coffee shop in the morning. You know, there's still the after shops going on the I remember the office building being a mess, and, you know, the tiles had come in and everything, and it was all a bit crazy, but we had to find a way to keep the business running. So we were in the Philippines, we were the support team. We did all of the delivery of the work, but we also worked with the account managers in the UK and Australia as their technical liaisons, if you like. So we. Helped do the strategy. We did everything. And so with us out of action, the whole of Australia and of the whole of the UK team were kind of in a limbo, so we really had to pull together as a team. It taught me a lot about my staff and my team, but it also kind of it taught me about, no matter what does happen, you know, you can find a way through things, you know. So at the time that it happened, it felt like, you know, that's it, what we're going to do, but we had to turn that around and find the way to keep everything going. And yeah, that, that that just taught me a lot of you know, you can't give up. You've got to find a way to kind of push on through. And yeah, we did a fantastic job. Everyone was safe. Sorry. I probably should have said that. You know, no one, none of my team, were affected directly from the from the earthquake, which was great, and we found a way to keep things going so that the business, if you like, didn't fall apart. We,   Michael Hingson ** 41:09 you know, I guess, in our own way, had a similar thing, of course, with September 11, having our office on the 78th floor of Tower One, the difference is that that my staff was out that day working. They weren't going to be in the office. One person was going to be because he had an appointment at Cantor Fitzgerald up on the 96th floor of Tower One for 10 o'clock in the morning, and came in on one of the trains. But just as it arrived at the station tower two was hit, and everything shook, and the engineer said, don't even leave. We're going back out. And they left. But we lost everything in the office that day, and there was, of course, no way to get that. And I realized the next day, and my wife helped me start to work through it, that we had a whole team that had no office, had nothing to go to, so we did a variety of things to help them deal with it. Most of them had their computers because we had laptops by that time, and I had taken my laptop home the previous night and backed up all of my data onto my computer at home, so I was able to work from home, and other people had their computers with them. The reason I didn't have my laptop after September 11 is that I took it in that day to do some work. But needless to say, when we evacuated, it was heavy enough that going down 1463 stairs, 78 floors, that would have been a challenge with the laptop, so we left it, but it worked out. But I hear what you're saying, and the reality is that you got to keep the team going. And even if you can't necessarily do the work that you normally would do you still have to keep everyone's spirits up, and you have to do what needs to be done to keep everybody motivated and be able to function. So I think I learned the same lessons as you and value, of course, not that it all happened, but what I learned from it, because it's so important to be able to persevere and move forward, which, which is something that we don't see nearly as much as sometimes we really should.   Stuart Pollington ** 43:34 Yeah, no, no, definitely. I mean the other thing, and I think you you just mentioned there actually is it. You know, it was also good to see afterwards how everyone kind of pulls together. And, you know, we had a lot of support, not just in the Philippines, but from the UK and the Australia teams. I mean, we had a, we had a bit of an incident, you know, may have seen on the news two weeks ago, I think now, we had an incident in Bangkok where there was a earthquake in Myanmar, and then the all the buildings are shaking in Bangkok, yeah, 7.9 Yeah, that's it. And just, but just to see everyone come together was, was it's just amazing. You know? It's a shame, sometimes it takes something big to happen for people to come together and support each other.   Michael Hingson ** 44:27 We saw so much of that after September 11. For a while, everyone pulled together, everyone was supporting each other. But then over time, people forgot, and we ended up as a as a country, in some ways, being very fractured. Some political decisions were made that shouldn't have been, and that didn't help, but it was unfortunate that after a while, people started to forget, in fact, I went to work for an organization out in California in 2002 in addition to. To taking on a career of public speaking, and in 2008 the president of the organization said, we're changing and eliminating your job because nobody's interested in September 11 anymore, which was just crazy, but those are the kinds of attitudes that some people have, well, yeah, there was so little interest in September 11 anymore that when my first book, thunderdog was published, it became a number one New York Times bestseller. Yeah, there was no interest. It's   Stuart Pollington ** 45:31 just, I hope you sent him a signed copy and said, There you go.   Michael Hingson ** 45:35 Noah was even more fun than that, because this person had been hired in late 2007 and she did such a great job that after about 18 months, the board told her to go away, because she had so demoralized the organization that some of the departments were investigating forming unions, you know. So I didn't need to do anything. Wow, so, you know, but it, it's crazy, the attitudes that people have. Well, you have it is, it's it's really sad. Well, you have done a couple of things that I think are very interesting. You have moved to other countries, and you've also started businesses in unfamiliar markets. What advice? What advice would you give to someone who you learn about who's doing that today, starting a business in an unfamiliar market, or in a foreign country, or someplace where they've never been?   Stuart Pollington ** 46:34 Yeah, again, good questions. I looking back and then so and seeing what I'm doing now, and looking back to when I first came over, I think chambers, I think if I have one, you know, obviously you need to understand the market you want. You need to understand, like the labor laws, the tax laws and, you know, the business laws and things like that. But I think, I think the best thing you could do in any country is to check out the chambers. You know, I'm heavily involved and active with aus Jam, which is the Australian Chamber of Commerce, because of the connection with smart traffic in Australia, in Sydney, the digital marketing. I'm also involved with bcct, the British chamber as British Chamber of Commerce Thailand as well, that there's a very big AmCham American Chamber over here as well. And I just think that the chambers can help a lot. You know, they're good for the networking. Through the networking, you can meet the different types of people you need to know, connections with visas, with, you know, work permits, how to set up the business, recruiting everything. So everything I need, I can actually find within this ecosphere of the chambers. And the chambers in Thailand and Bangkok, specifically, they're very active, lots of regular networking, which brings, you know, introductions, new leads to the business, new connections. And then on top of that, we've had, we've had a lot of support from the British Embassy over in in Thailand, especially with the Eastern energy, because it is tech based, because it is UK Tech, and because it is obviously something that's good for the environment and what everyone's trying to push towards. So I think the two key areas for me, if you are starting a business in an unfamiliar area, is one. Check out the chambers. So obviously the first one you'd look at is your own nationality. But don't stress too much about that. I mean, the chambers over here will welcome anyone from any nationality. So, you know, utilize the chambers because it's through that that you're going to get to speak to people, expats, already running businesses. You'll hear the horror stories. You'll hear the tips. It will save you some time, it will save you some money, and it will save you from making similar mistakes. And then also talk to your embassy and how they can maybe support you. We've had, again, some great support from the British Embassy. They've witnessed demo use. They've helped us with introductions. On the energy efficiency side,   Michael Hingson ** 49:26 one of the things that clearly happens though, with you is that you also spend time establishing relationships with people, so you talk about the chamber and so on. But it also has to be that you've established and developed trusting relationships, so that you are able to learn the things that you learned, and that people are willing to help teach you. And I suspect that they also realize that you would be willing to help others as well.   Stuart Pollington ** 49:55 Yeah, and I think I mean yes, and I'm talking about. And I mentioned, sorry, networking and the changes. But with networking, you know, you don't, you shouldn't go in there with the mindset of, I'm going into networking. I want to make as many sales as I can. Whatever you go into the networking. Is an opportunity to meet people, to learn from people you then some of those people, or most of those people, may not even be the right fit for you, but it's about making those relationships and then helping each other and making introductions. So you know, a lot of what I do with the chambers, I run a lot of webinars. I do workshops where I do free training on digital marketing, on AI, on SEO, on ads, on social. I use that as my lead gen, if you like. So I spend a lot of time doing this educationally and helping people. And then the offshot of that is that some of those will come and talk to me and ask me to how I can help them, or they will recommend me to someone else. And you know, we all know in business, referrals are some of the best leads you can get.   Michael Hingson ** 51:11 Yeah, by any, by any definition, one of, one of the things that I tell every sales person that I've ever hired is you are a student, at least for your first year, don't hesitate to ask questions, because in reality, in general, people are going to be perfectly willing to help you. They're not going to look down on you if you ask questions and legitimately are looking for guidance and information. Again, it's not about you, it's about what you learn, and it's about how you then are able to use that knowledge to help other people, and the people and the individuals who recognize that do really well.   Stuart Pollington ** 51:50 No, exactly, and I don't know about you, Michael, but I like, I like helping people. Yeah, I like, it makes me feel good. And, yeah, that's, that's a big part of it as well. You know   Michael Hingson ** 52:01 it is and, and that's the way it ought to be. It's, that's the other thing that I tell them. I said, once you have learned a great deal, first of all, don't forget that you're always going to be a student. And second of all, don't hesitate to be a teacher and help other people as well.   Speaker 1 ** 52:16 Man, that's really important. Yeah, brilliant.   Michael Hingson ** 52:20 Now you have worked across a number of sectors and market, marketing, tech, sales, energy and so on. How did how do you do that? You You've clearly not necessarily been an expert in those right at the beginning. So how do you learn and grow and adapt to be able to to work in those various industries.   Stuart Pollington ** 52:41 Yeah, I mean, for the marketing, for the marketing, it helps that I really was interested in it. So there was a good there was a good interest. And if you're interested in something, then you get excited about it, and you have the motivation and the willingness to learn and ask the questions, like you said, and then that is where you can take that kind of passion and interest and turn it into something a bit more constructive. It's a bit like I was saying at the beginning. It's the sort of thing I wish they'd done a bit maybe with me at school, was understand what I was good at and what I liked. But yeah, so with the marketing, I mean, very similar to what you've said, I asked questions. I see it just seems to click in my head on how it worked. And it kind of made sense to me. It was just one of these things that clicked, yeah. And so for the marketing, I just found it personally quite interesting, but interesting, but also found it quite easy. It just made sense to me, you know. And similar, you know, using computers and technology, I think it just makes sense. It doesn't to everyone. And other people have their strengths in other areas, but, you know, for me, it made sense. So, you know that that was the easy part. Same with Eastern energy, it's technology. It makes sense. I love it, but at the end of the day, it's all about it's all about people, really business, and you've got your people and your team, and how you motivate them is going to be similar. It's going to be slightly different depending on culture and where you're based, in the type of industry you're in, but also very similar. You know, people want praise, they want constructive feedback. They want to know where they're gonna be in a year or five years. All of that's very similar. So you people within the business, and then your customers are just people as well, aren't they? Well, customers, partners, clients, you know that they are just people. So it's all, it's all, it's all about people, regardless of what we're doing. And because it's all very similar with tech and that, it just, yeah, I don't know. It just makes sense to me. Michael, I mean, it's different. It's funny, because when I do do network and I talk to people, I say, Well, I've got this digital marketing agency here. Work, and then I've got this energy efficiency business here. And the question is always, wow, they sound really different. How did you how did you get into them? But when, again, when I look at it, it's not it's it's tech, it's tech, it's data, it's people. That's how I look at it,   Michael Hingson ** 55:16 right? And a lot of the same rules apply across the board. Yes, there are specific things about each industry that are different, but the basics are the same.   Stuart Pollington ** 55:28 That's it. I, in fact, I that isn't almost, there's almost word for word. What I use when I'm explaining our approach to SEO, I just say, Look, you know, there's, there's three core areas with SEO, it's the tech, the on site, it's the content, and it's the off site signals, or the link building. I said they're the three core areas for Google. They've been the same for, you know, 20 years. Within those areas, there's lots of individual things you need to look at, and that changes a lot. And there's 1000s of things that go into the algorithm, but the basics are the same. Sort your tech, sort the text, sort the tech of it out, the speed of the site and the usability. Make sure your content is good and relevant and authoritative, and then get other sites to recommend you and reference you, you know So, but, yeah, that's very similar to how I try and explain SEO. Yeah, you know all this stuff going on, but you still got the core basics of the same.   Michael Hingson ** 56:29 It is the same as it has always been, absolutely. So what do you do? Or how do you deal with a situation when plans necessarily don't go like you think they should, and and all that. How do you stay motivated?   Stuart Pollington ** 56:45 I mean, it depends, it depends what's gone wrong. But, I mean, I'm, I'm, I'm a big believer in, you know, learning from your mistakes and then learning also learning from what went wrong. Because sometimes you don't make a mistake and something goes wrong, but something still goes wrong. I think it helps. It helps to have a good team around you and have a good support team that you can talk to. It's good to be able to work through issues. But, I mean, for me, I think the main thing is, you know, every like you were saying earlier, about asking questions and being a student for a year. You know everything that happens in business, good or bad, is a lesson that should help you be better in the future. So you know the first thing, when something goes wrong, understand what's gone wrong first. Why did it go wrong? How did it go wrong? How do we resolve this, if we need to resolve something for the client or us, and then how do we try and limit that happening in the future? And then what do we learn from that? And how do we make sure we can improve and be better? And I think, you know, it's not always easy when things go wrong, but I think I'm long enough in the tooth now that I understand that, you know, the bad days don't last. There's always a good day around the corner, and it's about, you know, working out how you get through   Michael Hingson ** 58:10 it. And that's the issue, is working it out. And you have to have the tenacity and, well, the interest and the desire to work it out, rather than letting it overwhelm you and beat you down, you learn how to move forward.   Stuart Pollington ** 58:25 Yeah, and that's not easy, is it? I mean, let's be honest. I mean, even, even being when we were younger and kids, you know, things happen. It does. We're just human, aren't we? We have emotions. We have certain feelings. But if you can just deal with that and then constructively and critically look at the problem, you can normally find a solution.   Michael Hingson ** 58:46 Yeah, exactly. What's one piece of advice you wished you had learned earlier in your entrepreneurial career?   Stuart Pollington ** 58:56 Um, I Yeah. I mean, for this one. I think, I think what you said earlier, actually, it got me thinking during wise we've been talking because I was kind of, I would say, don't be afraid to ask questions just based on what we've been talking about. It's changed a little bit because I was going to say, well, you know, one of the things I really wish I'd learned or known earlier was, you know, about the value of mentorship and kind of finding the the right people who can almost show you where you need to be, but you could, you know, but when people hear the word mentor, they think of either or, you know, someone really, yeah, high up who I could I'm too afraid to ask them, or someone who's going to cost you 1000s of dollars a month. So actually, I'm going to change that to don't be afraid to ask questions, because that's basically what you'd expect from a mentor, is to be able to ask. Questions, run ideas. And I think, I think, yeah, I think thinking back now, understanding that the more questions you ask, the more information you have, the better your decisions you can make. And obviously, don't be afraid to learn from other people's experience, because they've been through it, and potentially they could have the right way for you to get through it as well.   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:24 And you never know where you're going to find a mentor. Exactly,   Stuart Pollington ** 1:00:28 yeah, no, exactly. I think again, you hear the word mentor, and you think people have this diff, a certain perception of it, but it can be anyone. I mean, you know, if I my mom could be my mentor, for, for, for her great, you know, cooking and things that she would do in her roast dinners. You know that that's kind of a mentor, isn't it making a better roast dinner? So I think, yeah, I think, I   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:54 think, but it all gets back to being willing to ask questions and to listen,   Stuart Pollington ** 1:01:02 and then I would add one more thing. So ask the questions, listen and then take action. And that's where that unstoppable mindset, I think, comes in, because I think people do ask questions, people can listen, but it's the taking action. It's that final step of having the courage to say, I'm going to do this, I'm going to go for   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:23 it. And you may find out that what was advised to you may not be the exact thing that works for you, but if you start working at it, and you start trying it, you will figure out what works   Stuart Pollington ** 1:01:37 exactly. Yeah, no, exactly. That's it, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:41 Well, what a great place to actually end this. We've been doing this now over an hour, and I know, can you believe it? And I have a puppy dog who probably says, If you don't feed me dinner soon, you're going to be my dinner. So I should probably go do that. That's   Stuart Pollington ** 1:01:57 all good. So for me, I'm going to go and get my breakfast coffee. Now it's 7am now, five past seven in the morning.   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:03 There you are. Well, this is my day. This has been a lot of fun. I really appreciate you being here, and I want to say to everyone listening and watching, we really appreciate you being here with us as well. Tell others about unstoppable mindset. We really appreciate that. Love to hear your thoughts and get your thoughts, so feel free to email me with any of your ideas and your your conceptions of all of this. Feel free to email me at Michael H, I m, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, I B, e.com, you can also go to our podcast page. There's a contact form there, and my podcast page is www dot Michael hingson.com/podcast, and Michael hingson is spelled M, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, s, O N. Love to hear from you. Would really appreciate it if you'll give us a five star rating wherever you're watching or listening to the podcast today, if you know anyone and steward as well for you, if any one of you listening or participating knows anyone else that you think ought to be a guest on unstoppable mindset, we'd love to hear from you. We'd love introductions, always looking for more people to tell their stories. So that's what this is really all about. So I really appreciate you all taking the time to be here, and Stuart, especially you. Thank you for being here. This has been a lot of fun, and we really appreciate you taking your time.   Stuart Pollington ** 1:03:26 Thank you, Michael. Thank you everyone. I really enjoyed that. And you know, in the spirit of everything, you know, if, if anyone does have any questions for me, just feel free to reach out. I'm happy to chat.   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:39 How do they do that? What's the best way, I   Stuart Pollington ** 1:03:41 think probably the LinkedIn so I think on when you post and share this, you will have the link. I think   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:49 we will. But why don't you go ahead and say your LinkedIn info anyway? Okay, yeah.   Stuart Pollington ** 1:03:53 I mean, the easiest thing to do would just be the Google search for my name on LinkedIn. So Stuart pollington, it's S, T, U, a, r, t, and then P, O, L, L, I N, G, T, O, N, and if you go to LinkedIn, that is my I think I got lucky. I've got the actual LinkedIn URL, LinkedIn, forward slash, I N, forward slash. Stuart pollington, so it should be nice and easy.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:19 Yeah, I think I got that with Michael hingson. I was very fortunate for that as well. Got lucky with   Stuart Pollington ** 1:04:23 that. Yeah, they've got numbers and everything. And I'm like, Yes, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:30 Well, thank you again. This has been a lot of fun, hasn't   Stuart Pollington ** 1:04:33 it? He has. I've really enjoyed it. So thank you for the invitation, Michael.   **Michael Hingson ** 1:04:42 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

In recent years, near-death experience (NDE) researchers have dared to suggest that this "out-of-body," or dualistic, phenomenon is evidence that consciousness survives death, thereby validating the words of St. Paul that we have two bodies-physical and spiritual-the spirit body separating from the physical body at the time of physical death, or within minutes of it. This "spirit" body has also been referred to as an etheric body, astral body, vehicle of vitality, double, doppelganger, and mental body. Some mystics and psychics claim there are more than two bodies, the so-called "second death" which involves a transition from one spirit body to a higher spirit body. The spirit body is attached to the physical body by what the Bible calls a "silver cord."While the umbilical cord is severed at birth, the silver cord is severed at death. Those having NDEs have experienced a separation of the bodies, but not a severance of the silver cord. For many years, dedicated researchers concluded that the NDE was more than a hallucination, a drug-induced reaction, the illusions of oxygen-deprivation, or some evolutionary chemical effect not yet understood by science, but most of them stopped short of suggesting that anything spiritual was involved. Such an hypothesis would have been looked upon as a "religious" explanation, and conflicted with the advancement of science, which was not open to a dualistic explanation, believing it had already impeached religion. Dedicated researchers, however, eventually came to see it as an advancement of science even if it did support religion.While the NDE was given a name in 1975 by Dr. Raymond Moody, and was being studied at the same time by Dr. Elisabeth Kűbler-Ross, reports of the phenomenon existed here and there but had not been collected in a single reference until Moody's best-selling Life After Life. Section two of this four-part book offers a number of pre-Moody NDEs, two of them probably the most dynamic or profound NDEs ever reported. The author otherwise draws from his interviews with a number of experiencers and researchers, along with leading references, all supporting the dualistic nature of the NDE.BioA 1958 graduate of the School of Journalism (B.A. Public Relations) at San Jose State University, Michael Tymn has contributed more than 1,600 articles to some 40 newspapers, magazines, journals, and books over the past 60 years. While most of his articles have dealt with subjects from the sports arena, Mike has done business, travel, metaphysical, and human interest features. He won the 1999 Robert H. Ashby Memorial Award given by The Academy of Religion and Psychical Research for his essay on "Dying, Death, and After Death." Writing assignments have taken him to such diverse places as Bangkok, Panama, Glastonbury (England), Jerusalem, Hollywood, St. Paul, and Tombstone. He has interviewed and written about more than 40 Olympians in his sports writing and has interviewed more than 20 scientists, researchers, educators, and philosophers in his metaphysical writing.Mike's four metaphysical books include include "The Articulate Dead," "The Afterlife Revealed," "Transcending the Titanic" and "The Afterlife Explorers." His running book is titled "Running on Third Wind." "The Afterlife Revealed" has thus far proved to be his most popular book. His sixth book, titled, "Resurrecting Leonora Piper: How Science Discoverd the Afterlife" is expected to be released late 2012 or early 2013.Mike serves as Vice-President of The Academy of Spiritual and Consciouness Studies, Inc. and is editor of the Academy's Journal and mini-magazine, "The Searchlight." He is a frequent contributor to "Atlantis Rising" magazine, "Running Times" and "National Masters News." Mike can be contacted at METGAT@aol.comhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F3BLY66R https://www.pastliveshypnosis.co.uk/https://www.patreon.com/ourparanormalafterlifeMy book 'Verified Near Death Experiences' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXKRGDFP

In this episode of The Other Half podcast, the boys watched two different halves of The Man With The Golden Gun, which features Christopher Lee with three whole nipples!Roger Moore is chasing an elite assassin who seems to be threatening Bond. It leads to a whole bunch of twists and turns and a trip to China and Bangkok! Also, we learned a lot about Queen Elizabeth, the ship, and the actual queen. Shout-outs to Nick Nack, the best part of the movie! Plus, this movie has a great little fun house section that seems like it was created by a demented Walt Disney.Don't forget to join our Discord for movie nights and additional podcast discussions!Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-other-half/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Tommy and Ben take a break from impersonating Marco Rubio to cover Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington to kiss Trump's ass, the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Qatar, the IDF's latest plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza, and shifting opinions on Israel within the Democratic Party. They also discuss Trump's confusing about-face on sending weapons to Ukraine, the continued incoherence of Trump's tariff policy and his needless antagonism of the BRICS countries. Finally, they talk about the finger-wagging at Tucker Carlson for his interview with Iran's president, the border crisis in Afghanistan, the Dalai Lama's succession plan and how China could interfere, the dispute between Thailand and Cambodia that's caused a political meltdown in Bangkok, and the administration's cruel termination of Temporary Protected Status for Hondurans and Nicaraguans. Then, Ben speaks with Representative Jason Crow about how the “Big Beautiful Bill” will tank America's global standing, intelligence in the age of Trump and Tulsi Gabbard, and where the Democratic Party needs to go on foreign policy.

Greg interviews repeat guest Justin Dunne, who previously appeared on Season 6, Episode 24, discussing his cool side project ‘Bangkok Haunts.' Justin's main gig is to be a legend of the Food & Beverage scene in Bangkok, having been the GM of the epic Bed Supperclub back in the day, and many more bars and restaurants between then and now. Oh yeah, he's also the head of F&B consultancy Evolution48.  The guys begin by discussing Bangkok's rise in status as a culinary capital. Justin contends there are many factors, not least of which is Bangkok's ability to capture Michelin ratings, which is a traditional way to get on the international stage for great food. Another explanation is the shift in Bangkok away from the previous sole emphasis on street food to more diverse, upscale offerings. And last, food shows on TV and the Internet, including high-profile foodies such as Anthony Bourdain, had an effect. Justin also mentions other significant milestones in the development of the food scene in Bangkok. One is the shift towards employing both Burmese and Filipino staff, which helped change the customer service culture more towards an international standard. Another is the rise of food delivery services and the embrace of technology, such as QR codes, which have reduced the friction points so much that the motivation for cooking at home is reduced. In short, Bangkok has a restaurant culture where a high percentage of people from all walks of life are either eating out or ordering in. Combined with relatively low prices compared to other international capitals, you have the recipe for a food paradise.   Don't forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. We also sometimes post on Facebook, you can contact us on LINE and of course, head to our website (www.bangkokpodcast.com) to find out probably more info than you need to know.  

GFA 465. Startup horror stories turned growth lessons. Mike shares 3 epic founder fails—from ecom to Web3—live in Bangkok. Rug pulls, real talk, and rebuilding. The post Rekt Survivor – Startup Scars & Battle-Tested Lessons in Web2 & Web3 with Michael Michelini appeared first on Global From Asia.

This week on Film Sack, a hitman who's in Bangkok to pull off a series of jobs violates his personal code when he falls for a local woman and bonds with his errand boy. The movie is called Bangkok Dangerous, and it was from that time Nic Cage had a lot of bills to pay. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Film Sack, a hitman who's in Bangkok to pull off a series of jobs violates his personal code when he falls for a local woman and bonds with his errand boy. The movie is called Bangkok Dangerous, and it was from that time Nic Cage had a lot of bills to pay. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this powerful episode of People, Alpha Warrior sits down with Ellie “Belly” Dempster to uncover her extraordinary story of grit, transformation, and redemption. Ellie opens up about her sheltered upbringing in Canada, where traditional expectations clashed with her restless spirit. She recounts how a leap to Australia at 18 led to years of addiction, living on the edge, and a moment of reckoning that propelled her to Thailand to teach and train in Muay Thai. From her first fight in a Bangkok ring to stepping onto the Power Slap stage with just weeks to prepare, Ellie shares the mindset that has carried her through injuries, self-doubt, and the weight of proving herself in male-dominated arenas. The conversation covers her work supporting orphanages, her viral ACL tear in competition, and the deep belief that no failure is final if you learn from it. With raw honesty and infectious determination, Ellie shows how every setback can become fuel for growth, and why she'll never stop stepping into the unknown.

Use our code for 10% off your next SeatGeek order*: https://seatgeek.oneRrlink.me/nK/VIEWS10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount On today's podcast David, Jason and Natalie record from Bangkok, Thailand to talk about their night going to see Jurassic Park and why Jason was pissed he had to pay for the tickets. Also, the gang discusses Love Island, David's sexuality, and what the hotel worker told Ilya when he asked about "Ladyboys." And David reaches a verdict on funding Jason's's pilot, Natalie wants to hire a new employee and David uses the wrong finger on his butt. Listen to Jason's pod here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/00MvrO8mYsPokBAodmzEpS?si=8iB6WrnTQ_KTArBKfl0iog Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarayu is a key figure amidst the Bangkok underground and remains pivotal in the progression of the scene. As the co founder of More Rice records he has been pivotal in releasing music from locals and broadening the reach of music from Thailand. He works tirelessly and also produces his own music alongside involvement in Bar Temp and Bangkok Community Radio. He keeps busy. This mix demonstrates his prowess as a DJ and what a mix it is. Weaving between different variations of house music, this one is perfect for the hot, sticky summer and is packed with feel good moments and deep groves galore.

Zsuzsanna Berencsi has been to every country in the world   Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. Zsu Berencsi shares with us her awesome travel adventures to every country in the world with a big celebration this past December in her last country, Jamaica.  I have met Zsu twice before at both ETFs and she promises a third.  I got it on tape.  I also reconnected with Zsu at April Peregrino's 193 party in Bratislava where Zsu arranged a special field trip.     I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons.  You know them, you love them!  Bisa “fully nomadic” Myles, Ted Nims, Adam “one-away” Hickman, Steph “Phuket” Rowe, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ed Hotchkiss, Barry Hoffner, Katelyn Jarvis, Philippe “BC” Izedian, Gin Liutkeviciute, Sunir Joshi, Carole Southam, Sonia Zimmermann, Justine, Per Flisberg, Jorge Serpa, Sam Williams, Scott Day, and Dana Mahoutchian for supporting this podcast.  You can support this podcast by going to .  My patrons will hear extra content with Zsu that you will not hear and you can be part of our members only FB group.  And my patrons will get behind the scene video and audio from a unique roadtrip that Zsu hosted to her favorite ice cream parlor!    And now I want to take a moment for one of my parts of the podcast and that is to welcome two new patrons to the Counting Countries family.     First up is Mihai Dascalu.  He recently retired, and after a NM survey, he and his wife decided to officially Chase 193. They have a passion for UNESCOs and Mihai plays classical piano.  And I got to meet him last November at the ETF, so you know he is a cool guy!   And also welcome Ryan Knott, who has listened to over 100 episodes in the last two years, especially while driving on some roadtrips.  He visited all 50 US states with his Dad by the age of 20.  And he is planning on 100 countries by 2030.  Good luck Ryan!    And congratulations to Phil Marcus who just hit 100,000 on his Youtube channel, Phil's Guide To The World.  Occasionally, I make some cameos.     And one more and, congratulations to Alvaor Rojas for his second time to every country in the world.   And, we also have partnered with Ahmed at Aknaf Tours in Iraq who offers monthly fixed date trips from Baghdad to the marshes.  Of course it is a bit too hot.  But start planning those trips starting in September and beyond.  .  And ask me for the discount code.      Remember to keep up to date with the Extraordinary Travel Festival by joining our Instagram and Facebook groups and signing up for the on our  ETF will be sometime, somewhere in 2026 around October/November, destination unknown.     I was in Bangkok and Zsu was in Dubai for this recording. Please listen in and enjoy.    Thank you to my - you rock!! … Bisa Myles, Ted Nims, Adam Hickman, Steph Rowe, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ed Hotchkiss, Barry Hoffner, Katelyn Jarvis, Philippe Izedian, Gin Liutkeviciute, Sunir Joshi, Carole Southam, Sonia Zimmermann, Justine, Per Flisberg, Jorge Serpa, Sam Williams, Scott Day, Dana Mahoutchian, Mhai Dascalu, and Ryan.        And now you can listen to ! And Alexa!   And write a review! More About Zsuzsanna Berencsi Counting Countries Instagram: Her Story: https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lifestyle/20241229/zsuzsanna-berencsi-journeys-across-196-countries   About Counting Countries Counting Countries is the only podcast to bring you the stories from the dedicated few who've spent their lives on the singular quest of traveling to every country in the world. Less people have traveled to every country in the world than have been to outer space. Theme music for this podcast is Demeter's Dance, written, performed, and provided by .  About GlobalGaz Ric Gazarian is the host of Counting Countries. He is the author of three books: , , and .  He is the producer of two travel documentaries: and .   Ric is also on his own quest to visit every country in the world. You can see where he has and keep up with his journey at How Many Countries Are There? Well… that depends on who you ask!  The United Nations states that there are . The British Foreign and Commonwealth office states that there are . The Traveler's Century Club states that there are . The Nomad Mania The Most Traveled Person states that there are 1500 . SISO says there are .     Me? My goal is the 193 countries that are recognized by the UN, but I am sure I will visit some other places along the way. Disclaimer: There are affiliates in this post. Zsuzsanna Berencsi Counting Countries   

Russ Williams is a Welsh blogger & the author of Where the Folk; A Welsh Folklore Roadtrip from Caernarfon, Wales. After readings about the Cŵn Annwn [a mythological pack of otherworldly hunting hounds], we open our conversation on Welsh identity with the preservation of their Celtic language along with tidbits of history and local foods such as the lunch meal of the miners, the Welsh oggie. Jumping into Russ' book on the folkways and lore of Wales we hear about: the macabre horse skull costume known as the Mari Lwyd; a mermaid sex-slave; a tourist town banking on the legend of Gelert the Dog killed by his own master; and finally the epic Mabinogion, a collection of medieval Welsh mythology. For his own uncanny story, Russ takes us out of his homeland to the streets of Bangkok where he was outwitted by a fortuneteller. We bring it back around on more canine folklore and a travel tip for Eryri National Park, formerly known as Snowdonia. Reading from the Mabinogion translated by Lady Charlotte Guest. Check out Russ' book Where the Folk; A Welsh Folklore Roadtrip. And learn more about him at RussWilliams.orgSupport Our Numinous Nature on Patreon.Follow Our Numinous Nature & my naturalist illustrations on InstagramCheck out my shop of shirts, prints, and books featuring my artContact: herbaceoushuman@gmail.com

The break-up was rough, but looking around the house, the realization hit me: enough time had passed. The house felt hollow, the memories mere echoes as the walls finally exhaled. It was time for a new beginning. A new dawn that can only commence at the ultimate church of eclectic, spirited commerce: World Market. I started small—replacing our antique China with vivid Moroccan flatware that seemed kissed by the sun, swapping the boring coffee table with a teakwood piece who's carved inlays most assuredly had stories to tell. The sleek, curated house slowly gave way to joyous chaos and vibrant international hues: I bought handwoven baskets from Chile, glass incense holders from Bangkok, a wine decantor shaped like a pineapple that said, "Why am I shaped like a pineapple? Let me counter your inquiry with one of my own: why are you shaped like a human?" One night, while nestled snuggly on the Brazilian velvet sectional under the glow of a copper Turkish lantern, I laughed—genuinely, stupidly, fully—for the first time in months. Healing, it turns out, doesn't always mean moving on; sometimes it means turning your break-up into a credit card-fueld World Market fever dream. This week's episode is brought to you by the stupendously delicious Wonderful Pistachios! Head to: https://WonderfulPistachios.com to learn more! Follow Trixie: @TrixieMattel Follow Katya: @Katya_Zamo To watch the podcast on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/TrixieKatyaYT⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To check out our official YouTube Clips Channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/TrixieAndKatyaClipsYT⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Don't forget to follow the podcast for free wherever you're listening or by using this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/thebaldandthebeautifulpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you want to support the show, and get all the episodes ad-free go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thebaldandthebeautiful.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you like the show, telling a friend about it would be amazing! You can text, email, Tweet, or send this link to a friend: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/thebaldandthebeautifulpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To check out future Live Podcast Shows, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://trixieandkatyalive.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To order your copy of our book, "Working Girls", go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://workinggirlsbook.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To check out the Trixie Motel in Palm Springs, CA: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.trixiemotel.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen Anywhere! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/thebaldandthebeautifulpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   Follow Trixie: Official Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.trixiemattel.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@trixie⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/trixiemattel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/trixiemattel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter (X): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/trixiemattel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   Follow Katya: Official Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.welovekatya.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@katya_zamo⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/welovekatya/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/katya_zamo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Twitter (X): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/katya_zamo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠    About the Podcast: The Bald and the Beautiful with Trixie and Katya features a pair of grizzled gay ghouls sitting on chairs, holding microphones, and discussing their fabulous lives in Tinseltown. (featuring occasional forays into movies, television shows, and air-conditioning) The New York Times called them models, moguls, actors, influencers, drag queens, RuPaul's Drag Race contestants, and even humanoids. If one thing can be said about these two preternaturally gorgeous queens' podcast, it's that Trixie and Katya find the sheer, unadulterated beauty of pure insanity. Tune in every week to experience the auditory pleasure that is The Bald and the Beautiful with Trixie and Katya. #TrixieMattel #KatyaZamo #BaldBeautiful Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the political turmoil in Thailand continues to worsen, Monocle’s Asia editor, James Chambers, gives us the view from Bangkok. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are foreigners seen as walking ATMs in Thailand? In this episode, we dive into a recent story from Bangkok that left me with a surprising bill—and raised questions about how Westerners are perceived in Thai social circles. We explore cultural expectations around money and group outings, and some potential situations foreigners often don't see coming. We also discuss the new privacy laws in the Philippines affecting YouTubers, and the possibility of similar laws coming to Thailand. Lastly, we cover the big changes in Thailand cannabis laws, how it might affect tourism and businesses, and the potential risk of starting a new venture in Thailand.

VOV1 - Thủ tướng Phạm Minh Chính chủ trì cuộc họp với lãnh đạo các bộ, ngành để tiếp tục xem xét, giải quyết các vấn đề phía Hoa Kỳ quan tâm liên quan đến thương mại và thuế quan- Cục Hải tạm dừng tiếp nhận tờ khai hải quan từ 22h ngày 30/6 đến 5h ngày 1/7/2025 để triển khai hệ thống công nghệ thông tin phục vụ cơ cấu tổ chức bộ máy mới.- Cục Hàng không đã xác định được nguyên nhân sự cố va chạm giữa hai máy bay của Vietnam Airlines tại Cảng hàng không quốc tế Nội Bài chiều 27/6 vừa qua.- Biểu tình lớn ở Bangkok yêu cầu Thủ tướng Thái Lan Paetongtarn Shinawatra  từ chức.- Trung Quốc thử nghiệm thành công tàu chạy bằng amoniac nguyên chất đầu tiên trên thế giới.- Chương trình còn có bình luận: “ NATO tăng ngân sách quốc phòng- một mũi tên, nhiều mục đích”

Today we'll be talking about heavy police presence expected for a major Bangkok protest, cannabis advocates planning a mass protest over recriminalisation, and a little later, Thailand and Cambodia easing border rules amidst political tensions.

What marketing strategies are actually working in 2025? Karla Singson shares standout tactics from a DC Mexico meetup she hosted, where 6- and 7-figure founders revealed how they're landing clients organically through Facebook groups, trade show podcast hacks, and thoughtful LinkedIn comments (no ad spend required). We also dive into Karla's own playbook: how she's built multiple businesses around authenticity, reputation, and smart delegation. She shares tips for handling sales calls, choosing offers that sell themselves, and why relationships (not reach) are her #1 growth lever. LINKS: Karla's Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/karla.singson) Karla's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/karlastefan/) Karla's Business (https://proximityoutsourcing.com/) Dennis Yu's “Dollar a Day” Strategy (https://dennisyu.com/category/dollar-a-day/) Connect with generous global entrepreneurs (https://dynamitecircle.com/) Founders getting together in Bangkok this October for DCBKK 2025 (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GFaF1Vj7I7H0f5BmGYuyoaGuEdMCo-3CkBnVDuaSwrI/edit?usp=sharing) Read Dan's book “Before the Exit” (https://www.amazon.com/Before-Exit-Thought-Experiments-Entrepreneurs-ebook/dp/B07BN2KD1J) Share your story/sponsor the pod (https://forms.gle/gKZFuwReHSvg8LD48) CHAPTERS: (00:00:13) Intro: Affordable Marketing for Scrappy Founders (00:01:29) Karla's Business Portfolio: From Flowers to Facebook Funnels (00:05:00) Why Founders Struggle to Delegate (00:10:17) 3 Low-Cost, High-Impact Client Acquisition Channels (00:12:59) Organic Facebook Marketing Still Works (Here's Why) (00:15:34) The 400% Revenue Trade Show Hack (00:18:29) How to Capture Leads by Commenting on LinkedIn (00:21:17) Why Most Founders Are Hesitant to Run Ads (00:22:50) The Rise of Hyper-Authenticity (00:26:30) Why In-Person Still Matters (But Not for the Reason You Think) (00:27:25) The '10 Industry Friends' Strategy for Rapid Growth (00:34:41) Why Karla Keeps a Business Portfolio (Not Just One Focus) (00:36:30) The “Duh” Test for Business Ideas (00:38:46) Sales Calls: What Actually Works in 2025 (00:38:54) Building Rapport That Converts (No Cringe Small Talk) (00:41:23) Refunds, Guarantees, and the Power of Reputation (00:42:11) Lessons from a Business Partnership Gone Wrong (00:45:31) Why Golf Is the Best Business School (00:48:05) Playa del Carmen as a Business Base: Pros and Cons (00:52:37) Karla's Love Letter to DCBKK CONNECT: Dan@tropicalmba.com Ian@tropicalmba.com Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella. PLAYLIST: Marketing to High-Dollar Clients (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/marketing-to-high-dollar-clients) $1.5 Million from LinkedIn: Strategies for Building Influence and Consistent Revenue (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/million-from-linkedin) Niche B2B Content = Big Revenue on YouTube (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/b2b-content-youtube) 50/50 Partnerships: Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/50-50-partnerships)

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Dana Garnett. What happens when a privileged life built on international corporate success suddenly implodes? Dana discovered the high cost of poor communication during conflict when she and her ex-husband burned through $270,000 in legal fees to get through their divorce. That was equivalent to the money they had saved for their daughters' college educations. But Dana's story doesn't end there. As a former Coca-Cola executive turned mediator, she transformed her painful divorce experience into a mission to help others navigate life's most challenging conversations with greater ease. Her story reveals powerful insights about how we can preserve not just our financial wealth, but our health and our relationships during times of crisis. Dana Garnett, Mediator & Conflict Resolution Strategist, helps you resolve conflict preventing you from successfully living and running your personal or professional life – like clashes over business strategy or operating values, C-suite or team confrontations, succession rivalries, generational and family fallouts, divorce, and disputes over trusts and estates. Anything where conflict poses a risk to your professional or personal well-being. From years of experience as a Mediator for the State of Texas for civil and family cases, Dana has developed and refined a unique conflict resolution coaching process outside of mediation where you get to the heart of and clear complex conflict fast with lasting change, without needing everyone around the table. It takes two or more to tangle, but it only takes you to achieve real resolution so you can focus freely on matters most in your life. Founder of The Mindful Strategy, Dana merges CPA Big 8 Accounting and her international career with The Coca-Cola Company with vast global life lessons from working and living for 22 years across diverse cultures on six continents – including seven years in Bangkok, Thailand where she learned mindfulness directly from Eastern philosophical teachings. First-hand experience as a party to litigation that resulted in personal and financial loss prompted Dana's deep dive into relationship dynamics and her passion for helping you avoid the pitfalls of unnecessary conflict. Dana is a national speaker, certified trainer, and holds a Master of Arts in Dispute Resolution and Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching from Southern Methodist University, and a Master of Science in Accountancy and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the University of North Texas. She sits on the Board of Fulfilling the Vision, a nonprofit that supports the arts in Dallas, Texas and beyond through books and media that publicizes Dallas artists who are successful around the world.

If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. — Isaiah 58:10 The roles of mom, dad, brother, and sister can be broader than traditional definitions suggest. My mom has embodied an expansive view of motherhood throughout her life. She not only raised my siblings and me alongside our father, but she also served as a Christian school principal for 35 years and as an elder in her church. Her influence reached far beyond our home—spending summers in Ukraine, Uganda, and Russia, as well as three years in Bangkok to help establish Christian schools. When I was a single father with sons ages 7, 4, and 1, my mom stepped in to help me, sharing as a grandmother the same energy and devotion she had shown as a mother. Her love, especially in times of need, reflected God's calling to spend herself on behalf of others. She's always been a square peg in a world that tries to fit people into round holes, and that uniqueness is her strength. The churches, orphanages, and schools she has served have benefited deeply from her gifts—as have we, her family. God promises his servants: “You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Is there someone in your life whose faith and service reflect God's light and bless others in remarkable ways? Lord, thank you for all whose love and service reflect your light. Bless those who give generously of themselves. May their lives be like well-watered gardens, ever refreshing others. Amen.

Bangkok-based ship manager Highland Maritime is working with local universities to hire female cadets.In this episode we are in conversation with Andrew Airey, Managing Director of Highland Maritime. Seatrade Maritime News Editor Marcus Hand explores the world crewing and management in Thailand with Andrew.A key focus of their discussion is how Highland Maritime is partnering with universities in Thailand to encourage young female engineering graduates to take up a career at sea through cadetships with the Bangkok-based ship manager.The conversation covers:Ship management and crewing in ThailandLanguage barriers and trainingWorking with universities to bring in female cadetsThe integration of female crewThe advantages of diversity on board shipCarbon capture technology in shippingFuture plans for Highland MaritimeListen to the full conversation to learn about all these topics and much moreIf you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to ensure you don't miss our latest uploads. For the latest news on the shipping and maritime industries, visit www.searade-maritime.com.Connect with Marcus Hand, Editor of Seatrade Maritime News:Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/marcushand1 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-hand-b00a317/Don't forget to join the conversation and let us know what topics you want us to cover in future on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn

Greg and Ed do a first for the the show, with a panel discussion with four guests! Why four? Well, everyone knows that cliche about Bangkok being a heaven for expat men, but we didn't know much about expat women. It stands to reason that one woman can't speak for all women, so we upped the game a bit. After some introductions, we get into the meat of the show, with a myriad of stories that show how complex, nuanced, and (depending on the person) important the issue is to a life well lived in the capital. Among many other things, the ladies discuss the differences between the attention they get back home and what they get in Bangkok, what it's like to date Thai men (and women), the quality of farang men in Thailand, and a host of other issues. There are also some hilarious(ly awful) Tinder stories, anecdotes about being approached on the street, issues that single moms have to deal with, discussion about western women who leave Thailand bitter and angry, and how Asian American women are treated in Thailand. Suffice it to say more than one can of worms are opened up in part one of a two-part mega interview. As always, the podcast will continue to be 100% funded by listeners just like you who get some special swag from us. And we'll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

Send us a textThailand, considered to be the #1 tourist destination in the world, now has a new member, Contrology! Join me as ATP welcomes Kitti Cheevasittiiyanon, owner of two Pilates studios in Bangkok who is helping to bring awareness and enthusiasm of Joe Pilates' Method to the Thai people. As Kitti regularly says to anyone who wants to listen, “Contrology is for all, regardless of age, gender or race.”Support the showAbout Darien Gold ~ https://www.dariengold.com, https://www.allthingspilatespodcast.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/darien_gold_pilates_expert, https://www.instagram.com/allthingspilatespodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/dariengoldMusic credits ~ Instagram: @theotherjohnmayer About The Pilates Method @ House of Cheeva https://sites.google.com/view/thepilatesmethod-houseofcheeva/home?source=sh/x/srp/wr/m1/4&kgs=056a7484991dbc77IG/FB: thepilatesmethod.houseofcheevaEmail: houseofcheeva@gmail.comSupport the show

In collaboration with CCW Europe Summit 2025:CCW Europe Summit 2025 unites CX pioneers to solve today's challenges and shape tomorrow's solutions. Dive into next-gen AI, journey redesign, and customer-centric growth with leaders from Google, Nestlé, Ryanair, and more.Spot are limited! Join the event join the movement:Use the discount code CXGOALKEEPER20 for 20% additional discount!.https://europe.customercontactweekdigital.com/events-ccweurope-What if your biggest setback could spark your biggest insight? In this episode, Darshan Mehta shares powerful “aha” moments that shaped his life, career, and even the launch of his restaurant. You'll discover how insights are hiding in plain sight — if you know where to look.About the GuestDarshan was born in India and raised in the US. He has been coming to Thailand every year since 1989 to teach in the Master's in Marketing (MIM) program at Thammasat University. In 2020, he moved to Thailand and founded three Thai companies, iResearch (SaaS software), Aha Brands (F&B) and Aha Enterprise (construction) and a non-profit Big Mango.His entrepreneurial spirit stems from starting his own branding and marketing consultancy to help others for more than twenty-five years to grow their business and thrive. In February 2024, he opened Carmina on Sukhumvit Soi 20 to introduce a symphony of Modern Latin cuisine to Bangkok.Drawing upon his years of strategy experience, Darshan is also the author of a best seller titled, “Getting to Aha! Why Today's Insights Are Tomorrow's Facts,” to help business leaders understand and leverage changing consumer preferences. In addition to his full-time business roles, Darshan has taught in the US, Sweden, and in Thailand. He a has traveled to more than 90 countries. Forbes Magazine recently featured Darshan has one of 9 CMOs to watch.You can follow Darshan on his podcast, Getting to Aha!,Relevant Linkshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/darshan--mehtaThe Top 3 Key LearningsAha moments are insights that reveal deep truths — they often come from combining facts, trends, and emotion.Talking to customers is essential — the most valuable ideas are found through real conversations and listening for pain points.Evoking emotion in business drives exponential impact — when you move customers emotionally, they come back and bring others.Chapters00:00 Introduction to CCW Europe Summit 202501:15 Welcome to the CX Goalkeeper Podcast01:51 Guest Introduction: Meet Darshan02:27 Values Driving Professional Career04:08 Defining Aha Moments05:54 Restaurant Business Insights08:48 The Power of Insights and Market Research15:57 Artificial Intelligence and Future Trends20:25 Golden Nugget and ConclusionFollow & Subscribe to the CX Goalkeeper Podcast:Apple Podcast: http://cxgoalkeeper.com/appleSpotify: http://cxgoalkeeper.com/spotifyWe'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment or share your feedback!

Thinking of moving to Thailand? Dating Thai women? Want to work or start a business here?In this episode, we answer YOUR questions and dive deep into the real experience of living in Bangkok as a foreigner — the culture shock, the challenges of doing business, navigating Thai dating culture, and if you can really ever escape just being a tourist.Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans. Use code "bangkok" at checkout. ➡ https://saily.com/bangkok

During our Saturday Mornings Sit-Down conversation… host Glenn van Zutphen talks with Antonio Saponara, General Manager of the Capella Bangkok about the draw his city and hotel have for Singaporeans. In 2024 over 1.6 million of them visited the Land of Smiles. Beyond the street food, temples, tuk-tuks, and tropical charm, Bangkok offers something truly exceptional for those seeking something more than luxury. Along the banks of the storied Chao Phraya River is the Capella Bangkok. Since opening in 2020, it has carved out a prestigious place in the city’s hospitality landscape... claiming the No. 1 spot on The World’s 50 Best Hotels list in 2024. With 101 riverfront-facing accommodations, Capella Bangkok blends five-star hotel cred with cultural experiences. Set on Charoen Krung Road, Bangkok’s oldest paved street, the hotel offers guests both serenity and a taste of the capital’s bustling, rich heritage. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Simon Brooke, Rainbow Murray and Emma Nelson unpack the week’s news. Then: Andrew Mueller and Sanam Vakil on the latest on Iran. Plus: Tyler Brûlé in San Sebastián and James Chambers in Bangkok.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To give us the benefit of his vast experience as a diplomat, former Ambassador Chas Freeman, helps us sort through the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. Then Christian Sorenson, military analyst from the Eisenhower Media Network, explains just how the military industrial complex works.Ambassador Chas Freeman is a retired career diplomat who has negotiated on behalf of the United States with over 100 foreign governments in East and South Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and both Western and Eastern Europe. Ambassador Freeman served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense, U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d'Affaires in the American embassies at both Bangkok and Beijing. He was Director for Chinese Affairs at the U.S. Department of State from 1979-1981.The claim that suddenly Iran was on the verge of building a nuclear weapon has no basis in fact. And neither the CIA nor the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, agree with the statement of the President that Iran is about to build a bomb.Ambassador Chas FreemanThe Israelis have a strange way of negotiating. They went into negotiations with Hamas, and they killed the top two people in charge of the negotiations. Then they go into negotiations – with U.S. auspices – with Iran. And in the middle of them, they kill the top military and scientific people in Iran.Ambassador Chas FreemanIt's as least as likely, maybe more likely, that there will be regime change in Jerusalem as there will be regime change in Tehran.Ambassador Chas FreemanChristian Sorensen is the Associate Director of the Eisenhower Media Network. He is an author and military affairs analyst covering the business of war. Mr. Sorenson is a former U.S. Air Force Arabic linguist, served at a variety of stateside posts and a tour in Qatar. He is the author of “Understanding the War Industry.” Since leaving the military, he has become the foremost expert studying military contracting and how corporations profit from war.The U.S. taxpayer gives any year around three to $4 billion of U.S. tax dollars to Israel, and then Israel is supposed to turn around and use that money to purchase from the U.S. war industry. So it is incredibly profitable for the U.S. ruling class to do that because it doesn't come out of the pockets of the U.S. ruling class because the U.S. ruling class doesn't pay their fair share of taxes.Christian SorensonPer Ralph's call to action - Even non-veterans can sign up for Veterans for Peace Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Looking for unique and authentic F1 merchandise? Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.racingexclusives.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Check out The RaceWknd magazine ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Title music created by J.T. the Human: https://www.jtthehuman.com/ Contact & Feedback: Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you enjoy podcasts Email: scuderiaf1pod@gmail.com X: @ScuderiaF1Pod Episode Show Notes: June 19th, 2025 Welcome back to the Scuderia F1 Podcast! We've got a packed rundown of the biggest stories for you this week. A shock resignation has thrown one team's future into doubt, the 2026 driver market is already kicking off with a huge rumor, and F1 continues its global expansion with a multi-billion dollar bid for a new race. Here are the details you need to know: SHAKE-UP AT ALPINE: Renault's CEO is out! 1 Luca de Meo's shock resignation puts the F1 team's long-term future in doubt. 2 RUSSELL TO ASTON?: The 2026 silly season may have already begun, with reports that Aston Martin is targeting George Russell. But Russell himself says he's not talking with any other team and remains loyal to Mercedes. ROSBERG'S WARNING: After a costly crash in Canada, 2016 champion Nico Rosberg warns Lando Norris of the "dark mental spiral" that can follow repeated high-pressure mistakes. F1 EXPANDS: The Canadian Grand Prix is locked in until 2035, and Thailand has officially tabled a massive $1.2 billion bid to bring a street race to Bangkok. HAMILTON'S HISTORIC SLUMP: For the first time in his career, Lewis Hamilton has gone 10 races into a season without a podium finish. 3 LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!: The new F1 movie drops next week. 4 Initial reviews are strong with an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes and an "AMAZING" haptic trailer. 5 QUICK HITS: Robert Kubica was victorious at the Le Mans 24 hours 6 and Abbi Pulling is set to join the Nissan Formula E Team as a rookie driver. 7 So there you have it—a week of major shake-ups, from the management suites to the driver market. The pressure is on for Norris, Hamilton is chasing that elusive podium, and the grid of the future is already taking shape. Up next, we'll break down what all this means as we look ahead to the next race weekend. Stick with us. Join the conversation! Follow us on X @ScuderiaF1Pod Subscribe to the Scuderia F1 Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave us a rating and review if you enjoyed the show! Thanks for tuning in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Linktree: ⁠https://linktr.ee/Analytic⁠Become A Patron Of The Notorious Mass Effect Podcast For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme! Join Our Patreon Here: ⁠https://ow.ly/oPsc50VBOuH⁠ Join Analytic Dreamz on Notorious Mass Effect for an in-depth segment on ENHYPEN's “Bad Desire (With or Without You)” and their sixth mini-album, Desire: Unleash, released June 5, 2025. Explore the K-pop septet's gothic, supernatural storytelling through haunting visuals and diverse tracks like “Flashover,” “Helium,” and “Loose.” Analytic Dreamz breaks down the album's emotional depth, Coachella 2025 debut, and Walk the Line world tour, spanning New York, London, and Bangkok. Stay tuned for insights into ENHYPEN's evolving artistry and fan connection with Engenes. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We get the view on the ground in Bangkok as a secret recording of Thailand’s prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, plunges the country into political turmoil. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Love Thai food? It might be thanks to a two-decade long policy on the part of the government of Thailand to promote its food culture abroad, with the express aim of increasing trade and tourism. Ruth Alexander explores how food can be used as a foreign policy tool, influencing not just world leaders but seeking to win the hearts and minds of the public. Academic Sam Chapple-Sokol at George Washington University in the US explains why gastro-diplomacy is such an effective tool for soft power. Jan Wisansing, tourism policy consultant in Bangkok, explains the impact of the Global Thai scheme on international tourism to the country. Ruth speaks to the owners of LumLum Thai restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark, who have recently received a Thai SELECT award, an official endorsement from the government of Thailand. And writer and historian Ali Domrongchai in the US talks about the impact of this approach on her own family's Thai restaurant in Florida. Producer: Beatrice Pickup. Reporter: Gideon Long in Bangkok(Image: A plate of pad thai, said to be Thailand's national dish, with Thailand's flag in the background. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

In this episode, I sit down with Andrew Esquire from the YouTube channel Legal Mindset  to expose the growing trend of nuisance streamers in Asia—content creators who break local laws for clout, profit, and views. We dive into shocking cases like Johnny Somali and Vitaly, who face serious legal consequences in Korea and the Philippines for disrespecting cultural norms and engaging in illegal behavior during livestreams.Andrew, a U.S. attorney currently living in Thailand, breaks down the legal systems in Asia, why these streamers think they're untouchable, and how local governments are starting to crack down. We also discuss what makes Bangkok such a hotspot for digital nomads and content creators—and why Thailand isn't the lawless playground some outsiders think it is.

The Southeast Asian country has witnessed a huge influx of electrical and electronic waste in recent years. Old mobile phones, computers, circuit boards and fridges are being shipped to the country and processed, often in unlicensed industrial sites. We explore why this has happened, who is behind it, and find out what the Thai government is doing about it. We join the Thai industry ministry on a raid of an unlicensed Chinese-owned recycling plant, and talk to a Thai farmer who says his cassava crop has been blighted by pollutants from an unlicensed smelter. We also hear from Thais about their own electronics recycling habits. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Gideon Long Additional reporting and translation by Wilawan Watcharasakwej in Bangkok (Image: Officials look at a mound of e-waste at a site near Bangkok, Thailand.)

Greg and Ed discuss a fascinating question: Are Thai weddings or American weddings more fun? The question was raised after Greg attended the wedding of friend of the podcast Daniel Fraser. As everyone knows, Dan is a legit expert on travel in Thailand, in addition to being a bit of a celebrity in the country due to his appearances in various TV shows and movies. Greg noted that the experience reminded him how much more fun Thai weddings are than Western weddings, leading Ed to raise his eyebrows a bit and raise a few objections. Ed admits that Thai weddings can be very interesting due to their local cultural aspects, which would certainly apply to Dan's well-choreographed affair. And, of course, all weddings can be heartfelt experiences due to your wishes for the bride and groom. But when it comes to FUN in the conventional sense of the term, Ed argues that most Thai weddings are nothing more than elaborate dinners and typically lack the band, the dancing, and the drunkenness that are de rigueur at most American weddings. For fun rather than formality, Ed opts for Western weddings.  Greg begs to differ, however (as he did on his blog ‘Greg to Differ'), and argues that Isaan weddings can include frivolity from the get-go, including shots of ya dong or Thai moonshine in the a.m. (!) Ed concedes there's no topping that, but theorizes that perhaps there's a difference between the typical Bangkok wedding, which might be more Thai-Chinese, and the typical Isaan wedding, which might be more fun and informal. Perhaps Ed just needs to attend some weddings out in the provinces!  Don't forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. We also sometimes post on Facebook, you can contact us on LINE and of course, head to our website (www.bangkokpodcast.com) to find out probably more info than you need to know.

Liz chats with Madison Sinclair, a comedian and writer by way of Florida who has stolen the hearts of the Internet with her hilarious standup. From arranging her first lesbian experience to her mom being an iconic Hooters model, Madison is as funny as she is gorgeous!  Watch the episode on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lizculley Connect with Madison Sinclair: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madisonsinclair/ Connect with Liz: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@listentoliz415 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listentoliz/ , https://www.instagram.com/coolcoolcool/    Website: https://www.listentoliz.com/   For exclusive content, support Liz on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/listentoliz    

Learn about growing up in Argentina during the 2001 economic collapse and then traveling the world solo since 2009.  _____________________________ Subscribe to The Maverick Show's Monday Minute Newsletter where I email you 3 short items of value to start each week that you can consume in 60 seconds (all personal recommendations like the latest travel gear I'm using, my favorite destinations, discounts for special events, etc.). Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram ____________________________________ Jimena Serfaty joins Matt and they begin talking about meeting at the Extraordinary Travel Fest in Bangkok, and then discuss recommendations for spending time in Argentina.  Jime talks about her family's immigrant history in getting to Argentina, including her Jewish heritage and her Dad's Moroccan heritage, and describes her family's recent trip to Morocco. She then talks about her experience growing up in Argentina during the economic collapse of 2001, her childhood desire to travel the world, and her first backpacking trip through Europe at age 18.  Jime then takes us on her journey living in New Zealand for a year, seeing the Komodo Dragons in Indonesia, traveling through India, and moving to the UK.  Next, she reflects on spending time in Poland, visiting Auschwitz, and re-connecting with her Polish Jewish heritage.  She also talks about her decision to visit the Killing Fields in Cambodia and shares her reflections on genocide. Finally, Jime talks about visiting China, seeing the Rainbow Mountains and the Avatar Mountains, and taking the TransSiberian railway through Russia.  FULL SHOW NOTES INCLUDING DIRECT LINKS TO EVERYTHING DISCUSSED ARE AVAILABLE HERE.  ____________________________________ See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that's not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn  See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ____________________________________ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Please Leave a Rating and Review. It really helps the show and I read each one personally.  You Can Buy Me a Coffee. Espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Michael Zervos has been to every country in the world   Hey now, I am your host, Ric Gazarian. This is a bonus episode with Michael Zervos.  I interviewed Michael back in December of 2023, before he had started his quest.  His quest?  To travel to every country in the world in the quickest possible time.  We have heard this before … someone who wants to break the GWR.  And many in the community would ask what is the point?  This is not a race.  What will the traveler gain from spending just a day or two in each country?   And once the record is broken, it will be broken again.  First it was Cassie de Pecol, and then Taylor Demonbreun, who currently holds the GWR for quickest at 554 days to every country in the world.  The current male GWR holder is Robson Jesus at 772 days.  On a random note, I met Robson in Phuket, his second country on his quest.  Former guest, Indy Nelson claimed 539 days to every country.  Anderson Dias traveled 543 days to every country in the world, also claiming a record, both unverified by GWR.   Michael just completed his journey in 499 days to every country in the world … overcoming potential challenges such as DPRK and Sudan.    But Michael put his own spin on his journey.  He wanted to create a library of the world's “what is the happiest moment of your life?”  As he traveled to every country in the world, he would meet locals and pose this question to them, and create videos.  On another random note, I organized a meetup in Bangkok when he visited, introducing him to two local Thai friends who were interviewed at the event.     Remember to keep up to date with the Extraordinary Travel Festival by joining our Instagram and Facebook groups and signing up for the on our  ETF will be sometime, somewhere in 2026 around October/November, destination unknown.     Some other notes in the travel community.  I joined the NM travel conference to Fergana Valley where I met 100 other travelers, including many from the ETF community.  One of the highlights was a visit to a unique and amazing enclave.  Hats off to the NM team which organized this great event.    I just got my copy of the Impossible Journey.  This is Thor Pedersen's mission to visit every country in the world without flying.  Make sure you pick up your copy, and take a look at this .     I also attended April Peregrino's last country party celebration in Bratislava.  Congrats to April who was interviewed on one of the early .  She did an amazing job organizing this multi-day event for 50 people.     And one more piece of news, extreme traveler Krazy Koala just visited her last country.  And she celebrated in a unique manner by writing a song in honor of her completion.  Check out her song Solo 193.  Also, she has noted that she is the first double Ivy League graduate and the first “Independent” Solo Female to visit 193 countries (95% no guide).   Please note this conversation took place before Michael's quest began.  I was in Chicago and Micheal was in Michigan for this recording. Please listen in and enjoy.    Thank you to my - you rock!! … Bisa Myles, Ted Nims, Adam Hickman, Steph Rowe, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ed Hotchkiss, Barry Hoffner, Katelyn Jarvis, Philippe Izedian, Gin Liutkeviciute, Sunir Joshi, Carole Southam, Sonia Zimmermann, Justine, Per Flisberg, Jorge Serpa, Sam Williams, Scott Day, Dana Mahoutchian, and .        And now you can listen to ! And Alexa!   And write a review! More About Michael Zervos Counting Countries Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theprojectkosmos/   About Counting Countries Counting Countries is the only podcast to bring you the stories from the dedicated few who've spent their lives on the singular quest of traveling to every country in the world. Less people have traveled to every country in the world than have been to outer space. Theme music for this podcast is Demeter's Dance, written, performed, and provided by .  About GlobalGaz Ric Gazarian is the host of Counting Countries. He is the author of three books: , , and .  He is the producer of two travel documentaries: and .   Ric is also on his own quest to visit every country in the world. You can see where he has and keep up with his journey at How Many Countries Are There? Well… that depends on who you ask!  The United Nations states that there are . The British Foreign and Commonwealth office states that there are . The Traveler's Century Club states that there are . The Nomad Mania The Most Traveled Person states that there are 1500 . SISO says there are .     Me? My goal is the 193 countries that are recognized by the UN, but I am sure I will visit some other places along the way. Disclaimer: There are affiliates in this post. Michael Zervos Counting Countries   

For 35 years, Ash and Anji Barker have made bold, countercultural choices—embedding themselves in some of the world's most overlooked and underestimated neighbourhoods. From the rough edges of Springvale in Australia, to the vibrant resilience of Bangkok's Klong Toey slum, to the heart of inner-city Birmingham, their journey is one of hope, grit, and deep-rooted faith.Through it all, they've championed the belief that every local community holds untapped potential—and with the right love, leadership, and lived presence, transformation is possible. Their story is not just inspiring—it's a living testament to what happens when you show up, stay the course, and believe that no place is too far gone. Don't miss this powerful conversation. Check out www.seedbeds.org Connect with Ash at ash.barker[@]seedbeds.org Do grab hold of his book 'No Wastelands: How to grow seedbeds of Shalom in your neighbourhood' ---

The Director of the Far East Broadcasting Company ministry in Thailand converses with Wayne Shepherd about his radio ministry.  (click for more)   Sumet Techarukpong is a Thai businessman whom God called to serve in the radio ministry of FEBC. In this FIRST PERSON interview he tells his personal story as well as outlines the staff's extensive radio work in Thailand, resulting in millions of responses to it's Bangkok office.For more about Thailand and FEBC's outreach in that country, please visit www.FEBC.org/Thailand.                                                 NEXT WEEK:  Rob ElliotSend your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:FEBC National Processing Center Far East Broadcasting CompanyP.O. Box 6020 Albert Lea, MN 56007Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

Text me your content win!You've got 7% battery, no charger, and a million ideas swirling in your content creator brain. Do you panic-scroll or power through with purpose? If you've ever found yourself stuck in a foreign café with no outlet in sight, this one's for you.Today I break down how to turn those dying battery moments into productivity gold. Whether you're in a Bangkok airport or a Prague café, 7% can be all you need to get your content creator to-do list moving.You'll learn:How to use constraint (like low battery) as a creativity tool ✨The 7% Rule I swear by for high-impact microtasksMy go-to tasks when my devices are running on fumesThe types of work to completely avoid when power is lowHow these micro moments actually strengthen your travel creator workflow

In this episode, attorney and writer Tara Krieger discusses Tim Rice, Benny Andersson, and Björn Ulvaeus's 1986 musical Chess. We also talk about the song "This Is the Hour" from Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's 1989 musical Miss Saigon. You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you'd like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald. Music played in this episode: "Merano" from Chess "Pity the Child" from Chess "One Night in Bangkok" from Chess "Someone Else's Story" from Chess "Nobody's Side" from Chess "The Arbiter" from Chess "Quartet (A Model of Decorum and Tranquility)" from Chess "Endgame #1" from Chess "Endgame #3" from Chess "This Is the Hour" from Miss Saigon

Watch us on YouTube! Richard got the chance to stay at one of the new Standard Hotels in NYC. Take a look at his first experience, including the upgrade he scored on his stay. Capital One made some big changes to lounge access. This will impact all Venture cardholders starting next year. These are changes you need to know about if you hold one of these cards. Alaska Airlines has some new promo awards to incredible destinations around the world. Rome, Bangkok, Lisbon and more! They're launching nonstop service between Seattle and Rome, and also have a great new credit card offer that can help get you to all of these destinations. There's a targeted Chase offer for $100 off a hotel stay when booked through Chase travel. And, Hyatt has rolled out new promo tracking in their app that drastically improves the visibility of all the various promos franchisees are available. #standardhotels #capitalone #capitalonelounge #alaskaairlines #rome   If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! If you're looking for a way to support the show, we'd love to have you join us in our Travel Slack Community.  Join me and other travel experts for informative conversations about the travel world, the best ways to use your miles and points, Zoom happy hours and exciting giveaways. Monthly access Annual access Personal consultation plus annual access We have witty, funny, sarcastic discussions about travel, for members only. My fellow travel experts are available to answer your questions and we host video chats multiple times per month. Follow Us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milestogopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@milestogopodcast Ed Pizza: https://www.instagram.com/pizzainmotion/ Richard Kerr: https://www.instagram.com/kerrpoints/    

Michael Every of Rabobank discusses the evolving global financial and geopolitical landscape. He explores the potential transformation of the dollar system from one based on financialization to one focused on industrial production, possibly involving Bitcoin as a strategic reserve and dollar stablecoins, with the aim of reducing inequality both within and between countries. The conversation also touches on the concept of multipolarity and the emergence of regional blocs, while questioning whether any alternative currency or system can truly replace the dollar's global acceptance. He examines the potential for military conflict in this great interregnum period and explains neo-mercantilism as the key takeaway. Watch on BitChute / Brighteon / Rumble / Substack / YouTube Geopolitics & Empire · Michael Every: Neo-Mercantilism & the New World Order #563 *Support Geopolitics & Empire! Become a Member https://geopoliticsandempire.substack.com Donate https://geopoliticsandempire.com/donations Consult https://geopoliticsandempire.com/consultation **Visit Our Affiliates & Sponsors! Above Phone https://abovephone.com/?above=geopolitics easyDNS (15% off with GEOPOLITICS) https://easydns.com Escape Technocracy course (15% off with GEOPOLITICS) https://escapethetechnocracy.com/geopolitics PassVult https://passvult.com Sociatates Civis (CitizenHR, CitizenIT, CitizenPL) https://societates-civis.com Wise Wolf Gold https://www.wolfpack.gold/?ref=geopolitics Websites Rabobank https://www.rabobank.com/knowledge/our-experts/011085368/michael-every X https://x.com/TheMichaelEvery About Michael Every Michael Every is a Global Strategist at Rabobank. He analyses major financial developments and contributes to the bank's various economic research publications for internal and external customers and to the media. Michael has over two decades of experience working as an Economist and Strategist. Before Rabobank, he was a Director at Silk Road Associates in Bangkok, Senior Economist and Fixed Income Strategist at the Royal Bank of Canada in both London and Sydney, and an Economist for Dun & Bradstreet in London. Michael holds a Masters degree in Economics (with distinction) from University College London and speaks a smattering of languages, including Thai. *Podcast intro music is from the song "The Queens Jig" by "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)

ชมวิดีโอ EP นี้ใน YouTube เพื่อประสบการณ์การรับชมที่ดีที่สุด https://youtu.be/_DWrw6E8Do8 . คนเราจะ “เสียเวลา 50 สัปดาห์ นั่งทำอะไรที่ใจไม่ได้รัก เพียงเพื่อรอคอยวันหยุดเพียง 2 สัปดาห์” ไปเพื่ออะไร? . คำนี้ดี Featuring เอพิโสดนี้พูดคุยกับ บอย-ถกลเกียรติ วีรวรรณ CEO ช่อง one31 ผู้บุกเบิกวงการละครเวที ละครเพลง ละครทีวีไทย ที่มีจุดเริ่มต้นยาวนานตั้งแต่ปี 1978 ที่สหรัฐอเมริกา กับความตระการตาของละครเวทีบรอดเวย์ระดับโลกที่กลายเป็น ‘ความฝัน' ของ ‘ถกลเกียรติ' มาจนถึงปัจจุบัน .

Click the post for details on this episode! Welcome back to Open House! Randy Seidman here, with another two hours of the grooviest beats. Summer is heating up, and I'm Looking forward to upcoming shows in Bangkok, Bali, Tokyo and Seoul. Hope to see you on the dance floor! To stay up with my travels and tunes follow me @randyseidman and randyseidman.com. Today's episode is is a special one, with some of my favorite recent tunes in the first hour, followed by an exclusive session with the LA legend, Eric Sharp, featuring a portion of his recent set on the Mojjo Rooftop in Bangkok. You can grab all past episodes and track lists from openhousepodcast.com, Soundcloud, or wherever you like to download your favorite podcasts. For now, turn it up. Randy Seidman's Website Randy Seidman's SoundCloud Randy Seidman's Beatport Randy Seidman's Spotify Randy Seidman's Facebook Randy Seidman's Twitter Randy Seidman's Track List: 01. Purple Disco Machine f. Dabeull - Paradisco (Original Mix) [Sweat It Out] 02. Purple Disco Machine, Benjamin Ingrosso f. Nile Rodgers & Shenseea - Honey Boy [Extended Mix) [Sweat It Out] 03. Nelly Furtado - Say It Right (Pedro Cazanova Remix) [ID] 04. andhim, AMÉMÉ & Malou - Feel The Love (Extended) [Insomniac Records] 05. Notre Dame - Miracle (Original Mix) [LW Recordings] 06. Soul Of Zoo, Don Mescal - Madifayou feat. Stephane Salerno (Jean Vayat Extended Remix) [Frooogs Records] 07. Den Macklin - Hunter House (Instrumental Mix) [SkyTop] 08. John Shepard, Well Tone - Illusion (Extended Mix) [SkyTop] 09. Arodes, Emvafaya, Francis Mercier f. Darla Jade - Teenage Crime (Original Mix) [Deep Root Underground] 10. Slow B - Melancholy (Extended Mix) [Beatlick] 11. HWIN - Love Is All I Need (HWIN Extended Remix) [57 Records] 12. QTEQ, Alexandr Craft, Shamil - Resurrection (Original Mix) [Bunny Tiger] I hope you enjoyed the first hour with some of my top recent tunes. Up next is a special exclusive session with the LA dance music heavyweight, Eric Sharp. I had the pleasure of catching and recording his recent sunset session on the Mojjo Rooftop in Bangkok, embedded within the incredible city skyline. This is a man with the unique combination of charisma and skills, passion and perseverance. With legendary residencies in LA and SF's top clubs, releases that have topped Beatport charts and crushed on Spotify, and stage time with the world's biggest artists, this is a man who has his eye on the prize, and today, he is here just for you. For the next hour, Eric Sharp is in the mix, live from the Mojjo Rooftop in Bangkok. Eric Sharp's Website Eric Sharp's Spotify Eric Sharp's Beatport Eric Sharp's SoundCloud Eric Sharp's Instagram Eric Sharp's Track List: 01. Amtrac - Contrast ft. Rita Devito [Openers] 02. Rockin Moroccin - You Got The Love [Get Physical] 03. Greg Cerrone & Claudia Kennaugh - This Is Your Day [Lifecode] 04. Pepe Braddock - Burning (Allen Craig Jackin' Mix) [Unreleased] 05. Eric Sharp - Monday Blues ft. Zhao (Pandhora Club Remix) [House Music With Love] 06. Eric Sharp - Confluence (Sanvero Remix) [House Music With Love] 07. Constantin Nasiri & Mitiades Pistof - Children [House Music With Love] 08. Télépopmusik - Breathe (Krystal Klear Remix) [Virgin] 09. Rufus Du Sol - On My Knees (Adriatique Remix) [Rose Avenue] 10. Vandelor & Schmidt (BR) - Sirin [Where The Heart Is] 11. Eran Hersh, Marasi - Sweet Dreams [Hurry Up Slowly] 12. Massane - Lose My Head [This Never Happened] Randy Seidman · Open House 244 w/Randy Seidman + Eric Sharp [June. 2025]

Alone on dark highways and forgotten truck stops, drivers encounter chilling figures, vanishing women, and inhuman eyes staring back from the night—reminding us that not everything out there is flesh and blood.Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicateABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.IN THIS EPISODE: Did lost cosmonauts make it into space before Yuri Gagarin? (The Tombs in Space) *** Don't take a gift from Gracie Watson's grave... or her life-like statue might cry tears of blood. (Gracie's Ghost) *** A latchkey kid comes home to an empty house… or so they thought until they heard footsteps in another room. (The Laundry Room) *** People often encounter strange and frightening things when they experience sleep paralysis – but in one particular story, the horrors began well before going to bed. (Sleep Paralysis in Bangkok) *** Did Bonnie Scott run away? Was she kidnapped? Murdered perhaps? All anyone knew was that no one had a clue where she was. She had simply disappeared without a trace. (The Murder of Bonnie Leigh Scott) *** Samuel Joselyn was buried in 1810 in a North Carolina cemetery.  Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that Samuel was actually DEAD at the time of his burial! (Buried Alive in Wilmington) *** in 1894 Rosa Lochner was a witness to murder, but she had been deaf since birth and her spoken vocabulary was limited. So how could she testify against the accused? (Murder In Pantomime) *** A boy wakes to find his previously closed curtains now open – and the only explanation involves a previous resident of the house he's nowliving in. (Strange Manifestations) *** Mention the word “Chupacabra” and most people will think of a strange, hairless dog-like animal. They are never described as having the ability to fly… until now. (Winged Chupacabras) *** These UFOs aren't shiny metallic discs or cigar-shaped spaceships. They are humanoid – and they fly without the help of a jetpack, wings, cape or even a broom to sit on. And the sightings are still coming in all throughout Mexico. (The Flying Humanoids of Mexico) *** The North Carolina Cherokee have a story about how dangerous it can be even near a calm river – where the waters can suddenly foam and a giant beast can appear on the rocks. (James and the Giant Leech) ***Supernatural women, shadowy men, odd animal sightings, and more… they can all be found at late-night truck stops if you're not careful. (Truck Stop Horror Stories)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Lead-In #1 (Truck Stop Horrors)00:01:07.291 = Lead-In #2 (Murder of Bonnie Leigh Scott)00:02:52.812 = Show Open00:06:05.191 = The Murder of Bonnie Leigh Scott00:17:51.945 = The Tombs In Space00:36:04.582 = Gracie's Ghost00:41:21.481 = The Laundry Room (by Anonymous)00:43:31.415 = Sleep Paralysis in Bangkok (by Mark iO)00:51:31.441 = True Truck Stop Horror Stories01:17:45.625 = Buried Alive in Wilmington01:22:17.553 = Murder in Pantomime01:27:30.229 = Strange Manifestation (by Brian Abraham)01:31:56.159 = Winged Chupacabras01:40:38.608 = The Flying Humanoids of Mexico01:52:36.560 = James and the Giant Leech01:56:59.016 = Show CloseSOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…“The Tombs in Space” posted at The Unredacted: http://ow.ly/nW5U30mwbWw“Gracie's Ghost” by Gary Sweeney for The Line Up: http://ow.ly/arFz30mwaLc“The Murder of Bonnie Leigh Scott” by Troy Taylor for American Hauntings Ink: http://ow.ly/v6wX30mwbwW“The Laundry Room” submitted anonymously to Weird Darkness“Sleep Paralysis in Bangkok” by MarkiO for YourGhostStories.com: http://ow.ly/FUOD30mwc0C“Truckstop Horror Stories” by Erin McCann for Ranker: https://tinyurl.com/wldxxnl“Buried Alive in Wilmington” by TheresaHPIR for Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State: https://tinyurl.com/rr4cvoh“Murder in Pantomime” by Robert Wilhelm for Murder By Gaslight: https://tinyurl.com/y97rswf5“Strange Manifestation” by Brian Abraham posted at My Haunted Life Too: https://tinyurl.com/wmlzd22“Winged Chupacabras” by Nick Redfern for Mysterious Universe: https://tinyurl.com/th8p7ox“The Flying Humanoids of Mexico” by Brent Swancer for Mysterious Universe: https://tinyurl.com/urxujoc“James and the Giant Leech” by James Mooney from the book “Myths of the Cherokee”: https://amzn.to/2JHpUFo=====(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: November 07, 2018NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is NOT an AI voice. (AI Policy)EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/LongHaulToHell

Our shops are full of products sourced from all over the world, and its someone's job to find and secure them – at the right quality and quantity for the best price possible. In this programme Ruth Alexander speaks to three food buyers on three different continents. She is joined by Beatrice Muraguri, a Tea Buyer and exporter based in Mombasa, Kenya; Chloe Doutre-Roussel, who travels the world sourcing cacao beans for speciality chocolate makers. And Jim Gulkin, the chief executive of a trading company, which deals mainly in frozen seafood based in Bangkok, Thailand. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk Produced by Rumella Dasgupta and Beatrice Pickup. (Image: a cup of tea with teabag in it, a peeled prawn and some squares of milk chocolate. Credit: Getty Images/ BBC)