Podcasts about birkenstocks

There's been a lot of action in the world of footwear fashion – especially legal action involving claims and counter-claims about cheap fakes of expensive originals, and also expensive rip-offs of cheaper originals. First it was the crocs, the uniquely shaped perforated sandals. The American company which makes them, Crocs Inc., is pursuing legal action against several Indian companies, including the likes of Bata and Liberty, for copying their visual design and “passing off” their product as crocs. Then we have the case of Italian luxury fashion brand Prada, which has been facing heat in India after it showcased men's ‘Toe-ring Sandals' that looked a lot like Kolhapuri chappals. And now we have the German sandal brand Birkenstock getting court approval to inspect factories in India and seize counterfeit Birkenstock sandals. Are these three cases comparable? How exactly does the copyright regime work in the fashion world? And why are Indians crazy for Birkenstocks? In Part 2, we shift focus to the cultural and fashion dimensions of the sandal scandal, examining how Crocs, Birkenstocks, and even Kolhapuris became trend statements. Host: G Sampath Guests: Rosella Stephen, editor of The Hindu's Sunday Magazine, and Shantanu Sood, a lawyer who specialises in intellectual property-related issues. Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Kristi and Beth are rounding up their favorite finds for the season, from everyday essentials to a few just-for-fun indulgences that make summer feel like summer. They're talking Birkenstocks (of course), bug spray that actually works, sunless tanners that deliver the glow without the damage, and the tinted moisturizers they're reaching for on repeat. You'll also hear about the best iced lattes in town, creative classes they're loving, and a few standout apps and podcasts to keep your days inspired and organized. Whether you're soaking up the sun or just trying to keep the bugs away, this episode is your laid-back guide to a better summer—with plenty of laughs and real-life recs along the way. Let's dive in!

There's been a lot of action in the world of footwear fashion – especially legal action involving claims and counter-claims about cheap fakes of expensive originals, and also expensive rip-offs of cheaper originals. First it was the crocs, the uniquely shaped perforated sandals. The American company which makes them, Crocs Inc., is pursuing legal action against several Indian companies, including the likes of Bata and Liberty, for copying their visual design and “passing off” their product as crocs. Then we have the case of Italian luxury fashion brand Prada, which has been facing heat in India after it showcased men's ‘Toe-ring Sandals' that looked a lot like Kolhapuri chappals. And now we have the German sandal brand Birkenstock getting court approval to inspect factories in India and seize counterfeit Birkenstock sandals. Are these three cases comparable? How exactly does the copyright regime work in the fashion world? And why are Indians crazy for Birkenstocks? In Part 1, we look at the legal battles. In Part 2, we explore how footwear became a cultural and fashion phenomenon. Host: G Sampath Guests: Shantanu Sood, a lawyer who specialises in intellectual property-related issues, and Rosella Stephen, editor of The Hindu's Sunday Magazine. Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this recap episode, Lesley and Brad explore the foundational role of our feet in overall body health. Reflecting on Lesley's conversation with board-certified chiropractor and co-founder of Gait Happens, Dr. Jenifer Perez, they unpack the surprising impact foot function has on posture, mobility, and even mental health. You'll learn why toe strength matters, how modern shoes may be hurting you, and simple, effective steps to reclaim your foot health from the ground up.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:The connection between foot function and whole-body movement.How toe strength directly affects your risk of falling.The hidden impact of modern footwear on foot dysfunction.How foot pain can lead to emotional and cognitive decline.How to shop more intentionally for shoes that actually support you.Episode References/Links:eLevate Workout and Q&A - https://lesleylogan.co/elevatewaitlistAgency Mini - https://prfit.biz/miniOPC Summer Tour - https://opc.me/tourUK Mullet Tour - https://opc.me/ukCambodia October 2025 Retreat Waitlist - https://crowsnestretreats.comSubmit your questions - https://beitpod.com/questionsGait Happens Affiliate Link - https://gaithappens.com?ref=mwe4ndk (Code: "LESLEY") If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! 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I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. Lesley Logan 0:59  Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co-host in life, Brad, and I are going to dig into the grounding convo I had with Dr. Jenifer Perez in our last episode. If you haven't yet watched that episode, listen to that episode. You, your feet are missing out, and that means your whole body is missing out. Brad Crowell 0:59  Gait Happens. Lesley Logan 1:10  I am so excited that this is finally in your ears, you guys. I can't even, I've been waiting for this to come out. Anyways, they're really, really amazing. But before you get into your feet, today is July 10th 2025 and it's Global Energy Independence Day. We observe Global Energy Independence Day on July 10th yearly. It aims to raise awareness about the importance of alternative fuels. We are currently using fossil fuels as our sources, and they need replacing. Fossil fuels are non renewable and require a very long time, millions of years to form. They also are a source of pollution. On this day, on this day, we raise awareness against fossil fuels and focus on finding alternative sources that are renewable and relatively non-polluting source of energy. Michael D. Antonovich, a member of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. Brad Crowell 2:16  Antonovich. Lesley Logan 2:17  Antonovich. Brad Crowell 2:18  Antonovich. Lesley Logan 2:18  Well, I think you could have done either way. Yeah. L.A. County Board of Supervisors started this day in 2006. Brad Crowell 2:25  Good for him. Lesley Logan 2:25  I know. And so we should all so do you know? Just like, just look at what you can, you know, obviously, some don't come at me. I know some of you live in places where you can't have electric car because it's going to be negative 30 and, you know, whatever, and that's hard. But like, what can't what what renewable resources can you use? You know, like, what can you switch out? Or how, like, what can you reduce or what can you be more thoughtful of? Maybe, instead of driving to work every day, you carpool with people, you know, just like things like that, because, like our friends, we've talked about them before, they take each other's kids to school. So instead of two cars going to the same school from the same neighborhood every day, they have one. Brad Crowell 3:05  Yeah, I love that. I mean, also too, you know what the grid taking more abuse because things are getting hotter and colder, it's important to have energy independence, even for your house. Yeah. How do we do that? You know how my parents used to do it? Firewood, you know? I mean, that's creating smoke when they're burning it. But I don't think there's that. I don't think there's a a full way out of non-pollution, because batteries take, you know, an effort to mine and make, but, but like, you know, fossil fuels also take energy to mine and make, mine and form and stuff like that. to Lesley Logan 3:34  People had to come out but, like, oh, well, what about the bat the electric car battery, and how long it takes. And it's like, okay, but the ozone layer, like the ozone layer, guys? Brad Crowell 3:46  Yeah. I mean, there's still a lot of issue with getting the materials to make the batteries themselves. But, you know, I think that there's, it's inevitable we need to transition away from what we've been doing for the past 100 years that has actually damaged our planet. Lesley Logan 4:00  And also, fight with the cities to make sure they have public transportation that is easier to use, because, like, if you could take a train or a bus rather than co-drive your car. Yeah, yeah. I'm not saying that you don't, like, we don't have electric cars, but what I am saying is, like, we also don't drive every day. You know, like we there's a certain thing that we what can we be thoughtful about? You know, like, how can we be thoughtful? We talked about this other day, about, like, the plants that you plant, like, are they native plants so that they don't need as much water, like, all these different things, so that, you know, you could just, we can keep this fucking world somewhat livable. Brad Crowell 4:36  Keep this world. Global Energy Independence Day is today, July 10th.Lesley Logan 4:41  All right. Brad Crowell 4:42  Yesterday, we hosted the eLevate workout. So if you missed it, the replay is available on the website. It's a workout that you could take for free. The reason that we hosted that workout is so that we could also answer questions that you actually might have about Lesley's mentorship program. It's a nine month program. It's called eLevate. It's specifically for Pilates teachers to help them tie everything together when it comes to this Pilates method that we have inherited here from from our dear Joe Pilates guy. Lesley Logan 5:10  Our dear Joe. Brad Crowell 5:11  Our dear Joe. The reality is that the way that marketing has taken the world by storm when it comes to Pilates is that most people just think Pilates is one of the many pieces of equipment that are involved in the system of Pilates, and they just don't know all of the other pieces. And often what happens in our training is that there's a major focus on one or two pieces of equipment, and people don't see the bigger picture. And so during eLevate, it allows you the opportunity to dive in on the Cadillac, the chairs, the barrels, and then, of course, also the Reformer and the mat. But you know, it brings it all together. Lesley Logan 5:47  It and it's even if you've like, I want to highlight it brings it all together. Even if you've learned all these things, are you using them as a system? Brad Crowell 5:54  Sure. Lesley Logan 5:54  Because that's something that, like, I think, is the most mind-blowing part of it all for the eLevators is to, like, see how all these exercises work together. And it's not like I'm doing Reformer Pilates, I'm doing Tower Pilates, I'm doing Wunda Chair Pilates. You're doing Pilates. Brad Crowell 6:09  I only do Toe Corrector Pilates, people, okay.Lesley Logan 6:11  Well, on this episode, I think we can be okay with that. All right. Next week, July 17th, Agency Mini is back. This is for Pilates instructors and studio owners who run their own business or want to run their own business, not for the Pilates employees, love you, but you there's not. Brad Crowell 6:29  Well, you can come in and join us. There's no reason you can't do that, but you're going to feel frustrated because you don't have control to adjust the things that we're going to be discussing.Lesley Logan 6:39  Yeah, or you can come because, you know you want to be doing that. Brad Crowell 6:42  That's right. I was gonna I was gonna argue it's still valuable, because maybe that's what you want to do in the future, is open up your own space, or have a home studio, or take some clients on the side, where you are in control of what you're charging. Lesley Logan 6:53  It's also okay to love being an employee like we love (inaudible). Brad Crowell 6:55  Totally is, 100%. Lesley Logan 6:57  So in Agency Mini, it's three days. We'll have a live webinar. We'll have a day where you do your homework, you can choose to use the Lesley on Demand tool. And then we'll have an office hours day complete with breath work. And there is two days of replay. So even if you are busy the 17th and 19th of 17th through 19th of July, you'll have two extra days for those replays. Brad Crowell 6:57  Three. 21st and 22nd of replays. Lesley Logan 7:17  Look how generous you are. That clearly was not something I said. So anyways, you guys, look at that. And if you go to prfit.biz/mini you can sign up. It's 62.50 right now. But there's ways to get coaching call with us. Even though you're not an Agency member, there's a lot of different little extra goodies in there.Brad Crowell 7:29  Yeah, I mean, 62.50 the value of the overall value is 980 bucks, y'all, we're set we're offering it to you for 62.50, so go to prfit.biz that's profit without the O dot biz slash mini.Lesley Logan 7:48  And then in a couple weeks, we leave for summer tour.Brad Crowell 7:51  I'm so excited this, y'all, Lesley and I have had a mission to make the van hospitable in more extreme weather, and we've been able to pull it off. We finally got an air conditioner heater inside of the van. So that. Lesley Logan 8:05  Yeah, because we had a fan before for last summer tour. And let me just tell you, if it's 100 degrees out and the fan is just sucking out hot air, it's not really cold.Brad Crowell 8:15  It's not bringing in any cold air. It's bringing in what's outside. So, in this case, we actually now have an AC unit and heater, so when we're in the cold, we can kick it on. When we're in the heat, we can kick it on. And so that's been really, really exciting. And we're gonna kick those tires, as it were, on this tour. It's 4500 miles. We're gonna be gone for 25 days, and we're gonna be doing our very first international tour, y'all, we're going up into Canada. We're going to hit three cities up in Canada. We're going to hit another 13 cities in the United States, and we can't wait to meet you in person. We're going to take Bayon with us. You get to hang with him, and he's just so fun. So go to opc.me/tour that's opc.me/tour.Lesley Logan 8:58  And there's a virtual option on this tour as well. So if you can't go to this in person, there are two workshops that are virtually we will be doing hybrid. And so we invite you, if you're filling the FOMO, to sign up for those. Brad Crowell 9:09  And if you're trying to figure out where they are, they're in Calgary. Okay, so when you go to opc.me/tour, click on the Calgary stop in there, you'll see there's two workshops. They're going to be those virtual workshops. Good point. Love that. It is the first time we've ever offered that available to everybody. So that's, that's a big deal. So check that out. All right. Next up, we are going to be in the U.K.Lesley Logan 9:10  We're still touring. It's just a different tour, instead of the OPC Summer Tour, it's the U.K. Mullet Tour, and it's business in the front and Pilates in the back. So there's business, like life-type workshop in the morning and then Pilate workshops in the daytime, plus a class if you are there's two locations. You can go to Leeds or Essex or both. There's only one workshop that crosses over and you want to go to opc.me/uk there are day passes for the Essex stop, because that is during the week. Yep, we're doing a workshop on a Tuesday and a Wednesday, because sometimes that's the best day. And then we have the weekend, the Saturday, Sunday options are at the Leeds location and that that only has a couple spots left. So opc.me/uk to get your spots for that.Brad Crowell 10:10  And then finally, come join us in Cambodia. We'll be there in October. It's going to be just an amazing trip. We're really, really looking forward to it. It's going to be one of those, like, markers in your life, where you get to look back on and go, remember when it's going to be one of those, like, literally, we have people who have gone on this trip, and then they've talked about it so much when they got home that they came back with their friends the next year. It's happened three times now over the years. Lesley Logan 10:38  Three times. Brad Crowell 10:38  Three different times we've had repeat visitors, because it's just one of those trips that is mind-blowing. So, crowsnestretreats.com. Come do Pilates. Come eat amazing food. Meet awesome people and actually take a break from life. Take a retreat. Take a retreat. Come join us. All right, before we get into this great gait conversation that we have with Jenifer Perez, trying to be cute there, we had a question, and it was from @MailSandyMurali from YouTube asks, "Can you talk about flat cervical neck or herniation in cervical areas and the effect of exercises such as jackknife?Lesley Logan 11:16  Okay, so the Jackknife exercise is one of many exercises and Pilates that you go overhead. And so if you have stuff going on with your neck, like herniation, you don't, it's not for you. Brad Crowell 11:27  Not allowed. Don't do it. Lesley Logan 11:28  No. So if you have a flat neck, and there's no pain or contraindications, like you just have, like a military spine, yeah, it's just like Brad. Brad Crowell 11:37  Brad has this. Lesley Logan 11:38  You, you can do overhead exercises, that being said, they're going to be much harder, because we've got to be able to flex your thoracic spine and stand on those shoulders so you, so Jackknife does not it no overhead exercise should be weight on your neck at all. It's not like a shoulder stand in yoga, like there's no and actually there's no weight on your neck there you're using blankets, if you do it correctly, to be up on your shoulders, but there's no weight on your neck. You are on your shoulders. But typically, if you have a herniation of the neck, have to be mindful of the things you're doing with your shoulders, and especially the weight you're putting there, because it's very easy for you to strain that, right? So, so if you have a flat cervical neck, and there's no issues, no conjugations, we just have to really build up your shoulder stability. You can stand on that. But if you have anything going on, fusions, herniation, stenosis, things like that, with your neck, guess what you get to do, so many other exercises, so many. Brad Crowell 12:33  499 other exercises.Lesley Logan 12:35  Yeah, yeah, double. Brad Crowell 12:36  Well, any of them that are not going upside down in the back. Lesley Logan 12:39  Well, and also, Jackknife is a flex like a dynamic exercise, where you flex your spine, and then you stand on your shoulders, and then you guide everything down with your core, and then you work the legs away. So double straight leg stretch is great for you. Elephant is great for you. Up stretch up stretch combo is going to be good for you if you can get to extension. But up stretch for sure. So, like, there's just so many so don't ever, ever let overhead exercises like being outside of your practice make you go, oh, I'll never be advanced. No, an advanced practitioner means that even beginner exercises are hard for you, so just omit those things that are overhead and replace them. Like if you're doing OPC classes, you'd replace Jackknife with an exercise that was challenging for you. Boom, there you go.Brad Crowell 13:19  I dig it. Well, that's a that's a really helpful explanation, and thanks for writing in your question. If you have a question, please join us by going to beitpod.com/questions, beitpod.com/questions and you can submit a question there, or you can submit a win. If you listen to the pod, you're very familiar with our Friday episodes, where we get to celebrate you. This is the easiest way for you to send that in. Send in your questions beitpod.com/questions. Yeah, let's do it, people, let's get to it. Brad Crowell 13:49  Stick around. We'll be right back. We're going to dig into this really helpful conversation that Lesley had with Dr. Jenifer Perez. All about the feet. Brad Crowell 13:57  Okay, now let's talk about Dr. Jenifer Perez. Dr. Perez is a is a doctor of chiropractics and a lower extremity specialist, as well as the co-founder and vice president of Gait Happens G-A-I-T gait as in, how you walk. A platform dedicated to helping people understand, strengthen and reclaim their foot health. Though initially uninterested in feet, her perspective shifted after discovering the critical role they play in overall biomechanics. Today, she empowers people through evidence-based tools and exercises that address common issues like foot pain, plantar fasciitis and bunions. Her mission is to help people move better, starting from the ground up.Lesley Logan 14:39  Yeah, I mean so many things I like that she said, I actually still follow them and like, do their tips, and I am a big fan of their toe spacers. And we do have an affiliate link, and we do have discounts for you. So make sure you go into the show notes. I think the code is Lesley, if I'm not mistaken, just L-E-S-L-E-Y but you'll have our links in there. Get the tools you need. I like the little to spreaders, I like, like little TheraBands for my toes, which is really, really fun. So anyways, one of the things that I love that she said is our feet are our foundation, and how they interact with the ground has a huge influence on the rest of our body. I would say it is the influence on the rest of our body, right, like how your feet hit the ground, how your how you roll through your whole foot, or don't right, if you roll at the side of your foot, or if you're avoiding your big toe because it hurts or it aches, or, you know, anything like that, like that kind of stuff affects how your body is moving through the world. And she said modern footwear is a major contributor to foot dysfunction. And we talked a lot about modern footwear, and like, Brad, save its handles and, and just like, you know, I've been really interested in this. I was buying some new weight training shoes, and I was quite specific. And, like, look at the weight training she was like, okay, how do I get ones that have a wide toe box for my foot? How do I get ones that don't that I can, like, really feel my feet on the ground that, you know, like, I, I really happen to, like, the ones I'm using. It's almost like I'm not wearing shoes, which is really nice, but they're not, they're not like Vibrams or whatever, but they're really, really great. So I just think that, like, we need to be more conscientious of the shoes that we're buying and how we're doing this is affecting our whole body. And she said, because your body can only move in the range of motion that's allowed if you're working with shoes that don't let you roll through your feet because they're really stiff, or you're working, you know, you're walking around in heels, they have a time and a place my loves, but like, it affects how your whole body moves, and that's why your back can hurt, or your hips can hurt, or things like that. And she said there's a ton of small things you can do to add to your foot health each day. So you guys, like, right here, while you're listening to this pod like you can actually massage your foot, like you could have, we have a noboso ball that is in Brad's office, and we just both toss it on the floor. We're watching TV, and we, like, roll our feet on this ball, because it's so good for spreading the bone, spreading the toes, things like that. So you gotta give your feet a little love. That's what she said. Brad Crowell 16:56  Yeah, I was listening, when I was listening to the interview, what struck me was the progression that we make inadvertently a negative progression, so I guess it's a regression in our foot health when we try to solve the problem by putting them into comfy shoes, right? So we put it into a shoe that we're like, oh, feels so much better, and then that only lasts for so long, and then we need to find a better solution, or another solution. And then now we have a softer shoe, or we have, you know, whatever, and it just keeps getting worse and worse and worse. And she said, at one point, we have to break that cycle. And how do we break the cycle? You can do it with Pilates, y'all. You can also work with them if it's really a bad thing, like if you got a lot going on there, and they'll, they'll be able to help you start to figure that out. But you know, she said, I love my Birkenstocks. I'm a big fan. And she said, there's a couple of really amazing things. They let you spread your toes wide and all that kind of stuff, she said, but they're also a very stiff shoe, and so you're not bending your foot, you know, during your walk, as you're walking the way that you ultimately want to be doing. And so while it certainly, it's not like a it's not a bad shoe. It's also, if you're only wearing Berks all day, everyday, you're not actually helping yourself either, right? So, you know it's, it was just interesting to hear her say that. Lesley Logan 18:10  So, just so you know, Dr. Jenifer Perez, Brad, walks on the treadmill at the gym without shoes on which I don't know is any better for his foot health, but.Brad Crowell 18:20  I do not walk on the treadmill with no shoes on. No.Lesley Logan 18:23  I caught you, yes, oh, yes you did. Brad Crowell 18:27  Yeah, maybe, maybe I had socks. Okay, if you're, so, so, one thing she also talked about, which I thought was really helpful, is she said, if you're in pain and you're not active, other things are going to shut down, right? And she said being unable to walk or participate in activities you enjoy due to foot pain can also lead to mental and emotional decline. She said at the end of the day, foot pain, it affects every part of you, and it does hold us back. She highlighted research that indicated that where there's a connection between cognitive ability and mobility, your brain actually, like is affected by this, right? She also talked about toe strength is one of the biggest indicators of a fall risk, which this was, I mean, now that she said it, it's, it's so freaking logical, right? Because the toes of these tiny, little itty bitty thingies, the ankle and the knees and the hips are way stronger muscles around it, but those tiny, little bitty toes, why do we have them propulsion for movement and balance, right? And if the toes are weak, then you're not going to be able to stay balanced. It's much easier to fall like, soon as she said it, I was like, oh, duh, that makes total sense, right? So keeping your toes, your foot, healthy and strong, is going to help you as you age, because maybe you don't have that slip and fall, right? Because maybe it wasn't a slip and fall. Maybe you just don't have any foot strength, toe strength. Right? She also noted that research has looked at strength of how your toes are strong and what they're actually, like, doing. The big toe, obviously, is stronger than the pinky toe, right? Lesley Logan 20:07  The goal of it. Brad Crowell 20:07  Correct. It should be stronger than the pinky toe. She said, when it comes to strength, the big toe should be able to press with about 10% of your body weight and about 7% for the other toes, right? Also, she said our bodies, like, are amazing, and that they can compensate, which is, it's when we start compensating, when we're not evenly using the strength of our toes, when we start to compensate, that's when things start to get jacked up, right? Like, think about it, if you're always walking on the one side of your foot, and you're not using your feet, your toes equally when you're walking forward, eventually there, you know, those that the outside of your foot, or the inside of your foot is going to be, you know, off balance from the rest of it, and it's going to start to affect where, where it gets picked up by other things. I've experienced, plantar fasciitis. I also know I literally walk on the outside of my feet. I literally used to stand on the outside of my feet when I was working in restaurants, because my feet were in pain, and it was like less painful to stand on the outside of my feet. Lesley Logan 21:10  You can, you can, maybe you should walk on the inside of your feet to balance that out. Brad Crowell 21:14  Well, actually, because I have a high arch, that's exactly what I need to do. It's very typical to see people with high arches walk more towards the outside of their feet. I didn't know that. I didn't realize. I didn't learn that until recently, until I started watching some videos from Gait Happens, actually.Lesley Logan 21:31  I know they have abundance of videos. They're very helpful. Very, very helpful. Brad Crowell 21:36  Yeah. So you know, now it's been fascinating. It's been something I've been really thinking about consciously, and she she actually talked about that, too. I'm sure that's actually one of our Be It Action Items, it is, literally. So stick around. We're gonna dig into that. We'll be right back. Brad Crowell 21:50  All right. So finally, let's get into these Be It Action Items that you covered with Dr. Jenifer Perez from Gait Happens. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo with her? As I just mentioned, we did dig into this in the Be It items here, she said, go barefoot, just for five minutes. Okay? And while you're barefoot, obviously you're taking your shoes off. She said, start to feel, you know, your toes, and try to do it on a different texture, maybe, if it's always on a rug, try walking on a tile floor or concrete or linoleum or something like that, right? Go outside. Walk on the grass. Let your feet move and feel. Lesley Logan 22:31  Because when you walk on grass, grasses, even though they cut it level, like currently, while we're recording this, they're mowing our lawn, and it will look level. And then you walk out there, and it's like, oh, very uneven. Actually, very uneven. Brad Crowell 22:43  But she talked about how when you're walking, just feel each toe, feel what you're doing with your foot. We don't consciously think about it. When we're using our feet, we just flop them down, because I don't know we've been walking for our entire life, so you know, but we're not consciously aware of how we're doing it. So think about it for five minutes. Actually, focus on it for five minutes. That's free, easy and, and like, I mean, it's actually very enlightening, because I started to notice, oh, wow, I, I almost, I'm actually hardly using my big toe, which is where, which should be used more, right? Crazy stuff. What about you?Lesley Logan 23:21  Well, I already slayed this one. And she, actually a couple of times. She also challenged the next time you buy a pair of shoes, buy a pair that may look a little different than you're used to. So for example, your it should the shape of the shoe should look like your foot. Okay, so, like, ideally, what people are, if you look on Instagram, what people are trying to do is, like, put your foot on the shoe, like on a running shoe, your big toe should be able to be straight ahead, because if your shoe is pulling this big toe or pinching your toes into, I'm covering the mic, sorry, guys, pinching your toes into a little triangle, duh, your foot hurts. Duh, you have back pain, all that stuff. It's not good for your feet. Brad Crowell 23:58  Yeah, dress shoes definitely don't give you much room in there, right? Lesley Logan 24:02  I've never I'm only wearing really beautiful tennis shoes now, but, um, I, we got hiking boots recently. I also was looking I was like, oh, I like this. I'm like, oh, that's gonna be too narrow. Oh, I don't, that's gonna be, that's not the shape of my toe box. I got these ones. They're wide, they're a little. They're like the all they could be, like, freaking Uggs how wide they are. But my whole toe box fits, and my toes aren't scrunched. And I really like it. And I like those toe spacers I was talking about that they had. I love I know it's a good running shoe and weight training shoe, if I can wear my toe spacers in them, because there's room for my toes to be spread out in that spacer and there's room for my foot. And I love it.Brad Crowell 24:38  You know, another tip she talked about when it comes to shoes. First off, they have, like, a list of shoes on their website, so go check that out and be like, I'm shopping for this type of shoes. See what they recommend. But also, she said, if you're never like, like, like, look what is the Vibrams, Vibrams that are the toe shoes? Right? Lesley Logan 24:57  Yeah, yeah, they're so not sexy. Brad Crowell 24:59  Yeah, whatever, not the point. The point is that they are clearly giving you your foot shape, you know, the room to be its own shape, instead of jamming it into something small. But imagine if you've never worn something like that before, you know, it's going to take time for your body to adjust and accept that. So you might get those thinking this is going to be the thing that's going to help me, and it might help you eventually, but start small. She's like, wear them for a few minutes. Then, you know, wear something else. Wear them again. Wear them again, and get used to it. Because I remember when we bought our initial hiking shoes years ago, and it was the first time I ever had like, they weren't trail running shoes. Were they? Yeah, they were trail running shoes, and they were basically, like, huge, open inside shoe. There was very little support, and as wide. And I never worn a shoe like that, and it took me weeks to, like, be able to wear them all day. Lesley Logan 25:51  Oh, yeah, the ones we got for our honeymoon. Yeah, I think, yeah, you definitely want to start small. Start for a few minutes. Get used to it. I mean, like, same goes if you're actually working on your gait, like they're doing like, I switched my running pattern for a long time. I went from being a heel striker to, I forget what they call it, but anyways, a four-foot runner, and it just takes time. You can't, I can't, I couldn't go run six miles, even though I'm used to running six miles because new muscles had to be used, there's a new pattern, so be nice to yourself, and all or nothing mentality gets you nowhere. Brad Crowell 26:26  Well, all and you're not wrong on that, and good for you. I mean, learning how to run, it seems so, it seems so weird to say that, but like it's important. It is so important, just like learning how to walk and actually use our feet properly. So anyway, y'all, we actually have a link for you if you're interested in having Gait Happens work with you on your walk, your feet like any issues. If you have a bunion or you have plantar fasciitis and you're feeling stuck in life, check out the link in the show notes. We also have a coupon code there for you. And so make sure you're dropping that in. It'll allow them to know A. that we sent you, and B. it should hook you up. Yeah, it should hook you up. Lesley Logan 27:07  And when you let them know we sent you, it helps. Brad Crowell 27:10  10% off your purchase. Lesley Logan 27:11  Yeah, it supports the pod. It lets them know that they, you know, they you came from here. And so they go, oh, wow, I should go back and tell more things about the feet. You guys. I'm Lesley Logan. Brad Crowell 27:21  And I'm Brad Crowell. Lesley Logan 27:23  Thank you so much for joining us today. How are you going to walk these tips into your life? Brad Crowell 27:28  Ooh.Lesley Logan 27:28  Ooh, I want to know. Gait Happens wants to know. So make sure you tag us when you share this episode with a friend. And until next time, Be It Till You See It. Brad Crowell 27:37  Bye for now.Lesley Logan 27:39  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 28:22  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell. Lesley Logan 28:26  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 28:31  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 28:38  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals. Brad Crowell 28:41  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Foot health expert and co-founder of Gait Happens, Dr. Jennifer Perez unpack the misunderstood world of feet. From bunions and plantar fasciitis to toe strength and footwear myths, Dr. Jen breaks down how your feet impact your entire body and what you can do—starting today—to reconnect and restore their natural strength. Expect actionable advice, surprising insights, and some myth-busting around the shoes you might be wearing right now. If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:Why Dr. Jen shifted her focus to feet after her own injuries.How foot pain can derail confidence and daily life.Exercises to activate toe strength and rebuild foot control.What plantar fasciitis and bunions actually are—and how to treat them.Why most shoes are harming your feet and how to choose better ones.The role of toe spacers, barefoot training, and natural gait.What “less shoe” really means and how it helps prevent injury.Episode References/Links:Gait Happens Website - https://gaithappens.com/Gait Happens Referral Link - https://gaithappens.com?ref=mwe4ndk (use code: LESLEY)Jen Perez's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gaithappensGait Happens YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@gait_happensGuest Bio:Dr. Jennifer Perez is a board-certified chiropractor and co-founder of Gait Happens, an education-focused platform helping people rethink foot health from the ground up. With advanced training in biomechanics and years of hands-on experience, she focuses on improving foot strength, mobility, and overall movement to keep people doing what they love—without pain or limitations. In her Lafayette, Colorado practice, Dr. Perez works with everyone from high-level athletes to everyday movers. Through Gait Happens, she also supports clients around the world with virtual consults and programs designed to get to the root of common foot issues like plantar fasciitis and bunions—without jumping straight to orthotics or surgery. Known for her real-world, movement-first approach, Dr. Perez is also a trusted voice in the health and fitness space. Whether she's working with patients, teaching professionals, or speaking on stage, she's passionate about helping people build a stronger foundation—literally—and showing that taking care of your feet doesn't have to be complicated.If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClassesEpisode Transcript:Dr. Jenifer Perez 0:00  She kind of pulled the curtain back on how important our feet are. And not just, you know, when you think about like your skin health and things like that, but truly, from a biomechanics perspective, our feet are our foundation, and how they interact with the ground is really important and has a huge influence on the rest of our body.Lesley Logan 0:19  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. Lesley Logan 1:02  All right, Be It babe. This conversation, this is about your feet. We got to talk about them. We got to talk about them because I don't want your dreams in this life, the things you want to do to ever be held back by pain. And a lot of pain that we have in our bodies is actually coming from what's going on in our feet. And the guest we have today is one of the most amazing experts on feet, like just truly, truly amazing Dr. Jenifer Perez from Gait Happens. She is going to nerd out with us. And if you're not watching this, I do recommend that, after the end of listening to it, that if you are interested in seeing what she's showing, you want to go to our Be It Pod YouTube channel and see the video, because she's showing the muscles of the feet. We talk about bunions, we talk about plantar fasciitis. We talk about even this, like, how to choose shoes. And I know this can be a little off the beaten path, because you're like, what about the journals? You guys, you got to take care of your feet. You have to, if it's between journaling and doing a foot exercise, maybe do a minute of foot exercise and a minute of journaling, because it's important that you know yourself inside and out, but that you're taking care of your feet, because they are going to take you everywhere you want to go, every place you want to be it until you see it. So here is Dr. Jen Perez from Gait Happens. Lesley Logan 2:11  All right, Be It babe. So this, today's guest is someone I've been kind of hunting down, kind of stalking in the best way, exploring all their things, nerding out, and I'm really excited, mostly personally, because I've been so interested in my own feet and and just like trying to not have the bunions that I feel like are inevitable happening to my feet. But, at any rate, Dr. Jen Perez from Gait Happens is our guest today. And Dr. Jen Perez, can you tell everyone who you are and why you rock at feet so much?Dr. Jenifer Perez 2:42  Absolutely, I love that you're so excited. I mean, this is, this is what I do. It is foot education, essentially, what it all boils down. And it's kind of funny, you know, not to dive too deep into my story, but I didn't like, I hated feet growing up.Lesley Logan 2:54  I'm so glad you're telling us, because I'm like, are you really into feet? Dr. Jenifer Perez 2:57  I know I like, I was like, feet are gross. I want nothing to do with feet like and then halfway through chiro school, I attended a seminar, we're trying to learn how to tape shoulders, and the instructor kept talking about feet. And essentially, what ended up happening is she kind of pulled the curtain back on how important our feet are. And not just, you know, when you think about like your skin health and things like that, but truly from a biomechanics perspective, our feet are our foundation, and how they interact with the ground is really important and has a huge influence on the rest of our body. And as soon as I kind of really started to think about feet from this perspective, I got really excited, because it's something that is not talked about enough, which is why I love having conversations like this, so kind of how I ended up in the foot world, I guess. Lesley Logan 3:46  I think that's really great, because I was gonna, like I, part of me was thinking, like, you must have seen some weird looking feet. I'm a Pilates instructor. I've seen some weird feet, and when I see them, I kind of inquired, like, what's your life been? How long have you had this? Because I don't, you know, like in Pilates, they don't go deep on any one thing. You can, you can niche out and everything. But like, you know, I'm really obsessed with Joseph Pilates had a ton of foot stuff. He had the toe corrector and the foot corrector. And, like, it's really kind of cool to see people like yourself and other people doing stuff that, like the toe corrector does, and so it's like, it's nice to know that, like, you know, in the 40s, he was doing these things. But we don't go into nuances. When I'm like, seeing arches have fallen, then I see like, you know, 70 year old people who had arches fall now their ankle bones are, like, humongous. And I'm like, oh my God, we have to know more about our feet. And I, like, one of the things I hear people, hold people back from, like, things they want to do is pain. You know, as a Pilates instructor, I work with a lot of people, when they're in pain, they don't go on trips, you know, and that's like a luxury, anyways, but it also holds people back from just even attempting taking on jobs or moving or trying new things. And so kind of wanted to dig into like, you know, What? What? How important are feet? And do they really hold us back or is that like a story we're telling ourselves?Dr. Jenifer Perez 5:01  No, you're, you're absolutely right. And of course, my population is biased, because they're coming to me with pain, typically. But those stories that you all mentioned are stories I hear every single day. Someone saying, you know, I had this trip to Europe planned, and I canceled it because I can't walk, you know, more than 100 steps a day, and that's going to require me to walk thousands of steps a day. Or someone who is they have they can't walk to the mailbox at the end of their driveway, and or they're terrified to even shower barefoot because their feet hurt so bad. I mean truly, foot pain, like we said, you're on your feet all day long, and so when your feet hurt, it really does hold you back. And that kind of comes in a spectrum of different severities and different kinds of pain and different pathologies, but at the end of the day, it does hold us back. And that's what I'm trying to help people do, is kind of retake their foot health and really strengthen their feet so that they're not holding them back anymore.Lesley Logan 5:59  Yeah. I mean, like, my, my dad's 72 and like, I yesterday, were at the gym together, and I watched him, like, navigate his leg over a bench. And I, part of me, was like, oh, I don't want to do that. And part was like, no, get that leg over that bench. Like, as long as he can lift his leg high enough to go over a bench sideways, he's holding the barbell. Like, we're good. But like, I think, you know, I, he lives in a senior living center, and I watch people like, their life declined so fast because they're not as active. But if you are in pain and you're not active, like other things, shut down, you know, like, and we can talk about, like the calves are like the second heart, right? So if you're not taking steps, you're not pumping the blood back up, and you're not taking steps because your feet hurt, like other things just go wrong.Dr. Jenifer Perez 6:42  Well, and it's and to your point, it's also, it's not just the physical right, it's our mental and emotional health as well. Because if you can't walk, if you can't do the activities that you love, then we start to see mental decline with that as well. And it's really fascinating. There's more and more research coming out around cognitive ability, which is also fascinating in itself but, fall risk alone, fall risk, one of the biggest indicators of fall risk is toe strength. They used to think it was, you know, the bigger muscles, like the glutes and the hamstrings and things like that. And when they did a comparative analysis, the two biggest indicators of fall risk were blood pressure and toe strength. Lesley Logan 7:18  This is insane to me. I love because I always like, say, like, say, like, like, Pilates helps you fall better. And there is some truth to that. Like, we help with, like, you know, hip muscles and core strength. And you're like, you understand, move your legs with your center, but it is your, the toe strength is something that's so interesting and like, so let's talk about, like, maybe we should just get into it. Like, I kind of, is it like our big toe only? Is it all 10 toes? What if you lose a toe? What? How do we strengthen our toes? Dr. Jenifer Perez 7:48  Yeah, let's jump in. So that research in particular looked at all 10 toes. So it looked at big toes and outer toes, and it found a significant difference in fall risk based on both. So the good news about that is, we have 10 toes. So let's say there is a toe amputation or, you know, some kind of accident or injury, you know, we have 10 so we can (inaudible) strength, right? Our bodies are amazing adapters. But in the average person, we are looking for strong toes. We actually have kind of a reference range around that we even measure toe strength in our office. Lesley Logan 8:24  Oh, my God, I have to come visit you. I just want to know if they're good. Dr. Jenifer Perez 8:28  Right? Everyone's favorite part of their appointment, because everyone starts like clenching their fists and sweating in the chair, trying so hard. But we're looking for about 10% of our body weight out of the big toe and about 7% of our body weight out of the outer four toes. So the big toes, (inaudible) is supposed to be stronger. It also has, for those watching, you can see my fancy foot model. So it also has a thicker bone. It has reinforcements. It even has two sesamoid bones which increase the lever arm, which basically makes it better for propulsion, similar to what our kneecap does. And so all of this is designed to make us really, really strong. But we have four layers of built-in muscles inside our feet. And I love using this foot model with my patients because.Lesley Logan 9:18  Oh my gosh. You guys. This is the most. I've never seen a foot model like this. This is insane. I've never seen one like this. I know that the feet have, like, all the the feet have the most amount of joints and muscles, correct, like, that's, it's in your feet, yes.Dr. Jenifer Perez 9:31  So lots of joints and muscles, (inaudible) both the most. But a quarter of our bones are in our, a quarter of our bones in our entire body are in our feet. And we have 33 joints in our feet. They're designed to move and be flexible. And it's, it's really, really incredible and intricate, but I use this foot model to show and for those that are listening, it's a model that shows the four layers of muscles to really give you a visual of how much muscle is in our feet. And how much we truly can strengthen that?Lesley Logan 10:03  Yeah, I, okay. So the reason you came up is because I was doing a lot of research on Joseph Pilates' accessories, because I'm doing his big accessory deck of flash cards. And my listeners know we've been talking about this a long time. I've been doing this. And so, like, there's all these, like, little toys and tools that he used to use, and one was marbles, and one was towels. And the marbles he would have you pick up a marble with your big toe, and then your second toe, and then your third, and your fourth and your fifth. And when I was doing the research, I could not pick up a marble with five different toes. I could do it with like two toes at a time, or these three toes over here. And I am proud to say when I was when I was actually having to film it, I was like, oh, one, and I did all five. I'm so proud of my feet. Like, over six months, I've, like, improved the dexterity of that. The towels is so hard, because I can scrunch it, but I couldn't flick it out. And, yes, I couldn't, I couldn't unravel the towel. And I'm like, what is going on? But so it's like, like, part like, the bottom part of my foot was strong, but maybe the top part of my foot wasn't so strong. So I have, like, so do you strengthen your toes? I don't think it's just by squeezing them, because I'm afraid, am I wrong about giving people hammer toes? Like, I don't want to do.Dr. Jenifer Perez 11:11  Such a good question. It's such a good question. Let's dive in a little bit, because this is one, one area where Joseph Pilates was so far ahead of the curve. But we have also learned a lot since his work, right? Yeah. Lesley Logan 11:28  Thank God. Thank God, we've learned more. It's been a while. Dr. Jenifer Perez 11:31  I love like using towel scrunches or marble pickups if we need to start somewhere, and that's what's going to do it for you, then do it. It's better than not doing anything, but in general, I tend to avoid those exercises. And the reason is because of hammertoes, you were totally right on the right track. So essentially, we have four sets of muscles that flex and extend our toes. So hammertoes is when the toes start to lift and curl over time. And if they stay in that position, they can become rigid and arthritic and really, really painful. They also were associated in that same study with an increase in fall risk as well, as well as bunions. And so what we want to do is activate the muscles, but with the toes in a long and flat and wide position. So, an alternative, something that you can do right now, if you're barefoot, is if you just lift up all 10 toes and then spread them out as wide as you can. And even if it feels like they're not listening to you, just keep telling them to spread and then reach them out long and wide and try to bring them back down to the ground. Hold that engagement, hold that press, and you should start to feel the arch underneath your foot start to activate. That's the muscle that's right here that I already took off my model.Lesley Logan 12:51  And it can activate even if you like, have flat feet, because I have people always who like to fight me on this, like, I have flat feet, it won't lift. And I'm like, I think the muscle still activates, guys.Dr. Jenifer Perez 13:03  Yes, yes, exactly. We can dive in to foot shape in a second, too. But the last piece of that exercise is, if you want to add a little bit more, just barely lift your heels like enough for a credit card. Lesley Logan 13:09  Oh, that I haven't done. The spreading of the flick the lifting the toes, I love to teach. The spreading them out. I even try to get people to do one toe at a time, which, by the way, I can do it reverse pinky toe to big toe, but not big, for whatever reason, it's like big toe and then all four. But, so, okay, that's, I've not done the heel lift, okay.Dr. Jenifer Perez 13:32  Yeah, I think you can do to improve dexterity, improve activation of the muscles, rebuild the connection between our brain and our feet, because that's a big piece of it is because we don't use our feet. Many people, our feet are stuffed into cushy socks and cushy shoes and ignored all day long. They even have indoor shoes that they're wearing. Lesley Logan 13:52  Yes, yes.Dr. Jenifer Perez 13:52  Our feet are ignored. Just even rebuilding that connection can be really important. But when I'm dealing with patients in pain, one of my big things, especially when it comes to trying to encourage them to walk and move past their barriers, is engaging the muscles in a way that we actually use in locomotion. And in the gait cycle, we activate the muscles of our feet in order to push off and move forward. That's why I really like that long press lift the heels, because that's exactly how we use those muscles in the walking gait cycle.Lesley Logan 14:26  Yeah, okay, love, love, I'm gonna send you, my friend has a, I take a Pilates session with a friend. He's an amazing teacher, and he's got a client he's been with for 10 years. The guy will not take his shoes off. He does yoga in shoes. His Pilates in shoes. He's like, if I take my shoes off, my feet hurt. I have plantar fasciitis and I, if I take them off, my feet hurt. And I was just like, you know, I think, I think they hurt because you don't take them off. I'm just, just something that, like, maybe you should.Dr. Jenifer Perez 14:55  Yeah, I mean that really like the first kind of knock on the door, but you're totally right. It is typical. Because people have felt pain. So then they get into orthotics or cushier shoes, shoes that really are designed to do the work for you, because it alleviates the pain. But then the golden rule of the musculoskeletal system is use it or lose it. So the longer that we're now in these shoes and these orthotics that are doing the work for us that may have been good in the short term, but in the long term, our feet start to atrophy more, and we become reliant on them, and then we need a more aggressive orthotic and a cushier shoe, and it just becomes this cycle that we have to eventually break. Lesley Logan 15:34  Yeah, yeah. Thank you. Everyone, please re-listen to that. So a yoga teacher, he's like, the two worst inventions were shoes and chairs and, like, you know, they and I'm excited for Brad to listen to this, because he, he, he's been wearing Birkenstocks in the house because he was having, like, plantar fasciitis pain. But if he wear these Birkenstocks, he won't have it and I think that's fine. He's really good at spreading his toes. Like, this is not a knock on him. But I do get concerned, like, are we just like, not forcing the feet to do the job that they're supposed to do, even if they are Birkenstocks. And, you know, there's lots of information about they can be amazing, but I just sometimes worry, like, are we not giving his feet the opportunity to be strong on their own? Dr. Jenifer Perez 16:15  Yeah, yeah, I would give Birkenstocks a B minus, for me, like, they're great because they're, they're a decently low stack height, so not, they're not really cushiony. They have a beautiful wide toe box so it allows your toes to spread, but they're very rigid, and they do have that arch support. So it kind of depends on what our goals are. If we do have an active diagnosis, active diagnosis, like plantar fasciitis, they can be helpful in alleviating that pain. But, again, on the flip side of that, we want to start strengthening our feet, because plantar fasciitis, you okay if I dive into plantar fasciitis? Lesley Logan 16:55  I want you to do that because and then we're gonna get to bunions because of my own personal interest. Dr. Jenifer Perez 16:59  Those are kind of the two that like, everybody (inaudible). Lesley Logan 16:54  I think everyone's heard of. I think we can definitely, yeah, we don't have to go into, like Morton's neuroma, unless we have time. Dr. Jenifer Perez 17:01  Plantar Fasciitis is and fasciitis means more of an inflammatory response. So we're talking about like short term acute pain. The kind of umbrella term is plantar fasciopathy, something going wrong with the plantar fascia. But essentially, the plantar fascia is best friends with this muscle right here, called our flexor digitorum brevis. Lesley Logan 17:20  Okay. Dr. Jenifer Perez 17:21  That muscle is one of the two muscles that presses our toes down, flexor digitorum brevis is the one that presses our toes down flat. Flexor digitorum longus is the one that curls our toes. Lesley Logan 17:32  Got it. Dr. Jenifer Perez 17:32  Right. Going back to our conversation before, when we lengthen the toes and press them, FDB is the one we're activating. The reason this matters with the plantar fascia is because when we go to push off, when we go to take a step and we push off of our foot, FDB is actually what gives us the elasticity to push off of. It's like the trampoline that we're pushing off of. But it has to be strong in order to do that. It has to be able to be, have tension. If it doesn't, we have to get tension from somewhere else. We get it from our next door neighbor, the plantar fascia. Every step we take, rather than using a strong FDB to push off of we're using the plantar fascia, and it becomes more and more irritated while we're on our feet, and then it kind of does this, like stiffening and recoil when we're off our feet, and the second we go to stand up again, that's when it's like, there's the pain again. So when it comes to plantar fascio, when it comes to plantar fasciopathy, the number one thing I'm looking at is strength, and how do we create a stable foot at push off.Lesley Logan 18:37  Yeah, okay. Thank you for that. I think that is really key, and it makes me that like one, because you start to watch people like, I don't watch people in the airports anymore because it's just too much. The posture, the head, head to the side, the heads hanging off of the bodies, like the hip over I'm like, I can't I cannot. They're not paying me. I can't do it. And my husband's just like, look at how that person's walking. Like, look at how that one foot, I'm like, babe, they're not asking for our help, yeah, put some blinders on. But he's like, what's (inaudible) I'm like, they don't, they can't, they no longer can roll through their foot. They're no longer, they're now they're kind of like, and that is going to limit you. That's going to affect falling, first of all, because it's not how you're supposed to walk. It's also going to affect knees, hips, back, like, it just a whole chain, right? I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but I always think of the feet is like, the shocks of the car and also the tires of the car, because, like, if they're off, then the whole body is off, right? Dr. Jenifer Perez 19:25  That's actually an analogy we use all the time, is even with, like, performance athletes, right? Like, if you compare an athlete to a car, you can have the best performance car, sports car in the world, but if the tires don't work, it's not going anywhere, you know. Yeah. Lesley Logan 19:40  Yeah, yeah, okay, let's talk bunions. You know, I obviously things have gotten wildly different, you know, like it used to be, don't get a bunion surgery, you'll never walk again. And now, like, people are getting bunion surgery and they are successful. But like, do we is everyone who gets a bunion, like, destined for surgery? Can you change that? Can you fix it? What do we got? Dr. Jenifer Perez 20:00  Yeah, great questions. So first of all, for those that don't know what a bunion is, bunion is when we have a deviation of the first metatarsal, so the long bone that's behind the big toe starts to deviate outwards, and then the toe starts to deviate towards the other toes, and it creates this angle of what we call the first ray, which is the big toe and the first metatarsal, and then as this drifts outwards, we start to see a bump develop on the inside of that joint. Now that bump is not it's not arthritis, it's not a growth of the bone. It's actually the head of the metatarsal sticking out sideways. And so it's truly a joint dislocation that then we are walking on all day long. So when it comes to bunions, they come in different grades. So we have a mild, a moderate or a severe bunion. Mild to moderate bunions can absolutely be helped with conservative care. Conservative care being things like toe spacers, things like strengthening exercises, adjusting your shoes, working on building strength and stability. When we get past that moderate mark, that's when we start to have that discussion of, is surgery going to help? And there's also lots of different kinds of surgery out there. I'm in favor of never get a fusion unless you have to, because especially at the big toe, we have to be able to bend the big toe in order to walk, run, move, and if we can't, we're going to go somewhere else. And then, like you said, that is going to affect that whole chain. So that's kind of the brief thing of bunions. What else do you want to dive in? Lesley Logan 21:28  Okay, so this is fascinating. So okay, I have a wide toe box, right? Like, we'll just get personal. I'm just, I think it's better to have an example. So a wide toe box always have, I have my father's feet, like, really, really narrow heels, super high arches, wide toe box, and I had a big space between my big toe, my four, my other four toes that no longer exists. My toe is now over, right? I use those amazing toe spacers. I do want to know if I'm supposed to put something in those little slits. So I use those. I'm like, kind of obsessed with them, because with them on, I can actually point my big toe when I don't have them on my big toe doesn't really point, like it go, it's straight, but it doesn't really like point with the foot. It's very fascinating to me when it's when it's in alignment, it's like doing a great job, which is probably what's, what has, what's happened. But because of all the footwork that I do, I mean, like I have, I do footwork on my Reformer with no padding, I have no pain. I do a lot of foot corrector, toe corrector, tons of stuff to really, like, keep my feet strong. But I am not like, I don't know. Maybe I'm like, expecting something that shouldn't happen. I'm not seeing a reduction of my bunion, nor is my big toe staying where it needs to be without the spacers. So is it just time? Is it daily homework? Like, what? What are people with bunions who have a minor to moderate supposed to do?Dr. Jenifer Perez 22:43  Yes, I love it. So couple of things there. So let's talk about you first, and then I'll talk about a different presentation, because there's kind of two different presentations of bunions and one would be kind of more the like, like you said, the high arch, more rigid foot type. There's another kind of bunion that happens in a more flexible low arch, flat foot, foot type. And so number one, when we're talking about bunions, it starts to be an instability in that joint. So although we can strengthen, although we can improve function and decrease pain, it's not always going to stay there. So even Dr. Conley, my business partner, she has a pretty significant bunion on her right foot. She wears her toe spacers all day long, every day, and if she doesn't, she doesn't get pain, not right away. If she didn't consistently, she probably would over the course of few weeks or a month. But if she doesn't, you can definitely see that bunion popping out more. So she uses them as a guide, because of that laxity that's developed in that joint. So it kind of depends on how far along that spectrum we are as to whether the big toe will stay there or not, because it can in definitely the more mild cases, but it just depends. Now talking about, kind of one piece of the puzzle that might be missing with everything that you mentioned, is with the more stiff foot presentation. So you're more high arch foot type. One of the really important jobs of our foot, like we said, there's 33 joints, it has to be able to move and dissociate and unlock. And sometimes what people with high arches have a hard time with, is pronation. We live in this more supinated position. The arch is higher up. And now when the foot comes down to the ground, since we can't move through the mid foot, which has all of these that are designed to twist, if I can't move through there because it's locked down, I'm going to move excessively through my forefoot, so we're basically making up for that motion in the forefoot, which can lead to that instability and that bunion. This is the same presentation as Dr. Conley, by the way.Lesley Logan 24:51  Oh, well, I mean, I'm in good company. But that makes a lot of sense, because, you know, I like, I've had to work really hard when I point my feet to not, is it like, like, supinate? Is it like? What do you mean? You, like, I like, I want to make sure that my don't have like, flippers. I have like, two feet. So I'm like, I'm pointing my feet, but the pinky toes are not coming towards each other. It's a really, it's a really big thing that I have to work on, because my ankles are so hyper mobile, so that, that makes a lot of sense, and got it. So I need to stretch. I need to actually let my arch stretch out.  Dr. Jenifer Perez 25:23  Let your feet relax. And it's also, it's kind of a learned response too. Like you said, if you have hypermobile ankles, sometimes what we'll do is we'll try to make up for finding stability with our feet, and then we just never let them relax. So the conversation used to always be like around pronation and like, pronation is the devil, but really, I see a pretty good 50-50, split of people who need strength and control of pronation versus people who need to learn how to relax their feet again and start to pronate. Lesley Logan 25:24  Yeah. Okay, super fun. So you mentioned there's another, there's another type of bunion, though. Dr. Jenifer Perez 25:34  So, basically, exactly the opposite. Okay, so now think about your more flat foot, foot type, more flexible foot type. What happens here is, because we don't have good control of the mid foot, we start to spill over into uncontrolled pronation. Again, pronation isn't the devil we just need to be able to control it. So now, when I spill over into uncontrolled pronation, you see how my forefoot starts to deviate, this way? Lesley Logan 26:21  Yes, yes. I had a client who that's how his foot, he had callus. It was so bad. It was like. Dr. Jenifer Perez 26:26  Like a callous on the inside of the big toe. Sometimes they'll even have it on the inside of the joint where it is, too. Those are called pinch calluses. And the reason they get them is because when the forefoot starts to deviate with that uncontrolled pronation. Now, when they go to push off, they're pushing off across the big toe, so they get a callus on the side of the toe, and that pushes their toe over towards the other toes, which can contribute to a bunion. The one thing we haven't mentioned across the board is absolutely footwear. Footwear 100% contributing to this as well, because your body can only move in the range of motion that's allowed. And if we are in footwear that has a triangular shaped toe, then it is bringing your toe towards the other toes. There's no way your toe can sit in alignment if it's in a shoe with a pointed toe box. Lesley Logan 27:16  Yeah, I know I've had to, like, change all of my shoes. I keep my my high heels for my wedding that I'll never put on ever again. I don't think my feet would even fit in them at this point, but I like, keep them for just like the look of it. But like, I am a tennis shoe. Like, if I if I can't wear tennis shoes, we are really in trouble. I have one pair of, like, really wide toe box clogs, and I'm like, okay, if I have to wear dressy shoes, we will put these on and. Dr. Jenifer Perez 27:39  Well, I mean, there's also, like, more and more and more options coming out. So like at our website, Gait Happens, we have a whole list of footwear that has a wide toe box, but for example, so for those again, watching so, I mean, you look at more of like a traditional flat even, and you have this absolutely pointed toe box. Imagine your big toe in this position. Your big toe is supposed to be here.Lesley Logan 28:02  Because it's straight up, and it's going literally across the middle of your foot.Dr. Jenifer Perez 28:04  Right? And now we're going to bend on that joint, yes, imagine a door that's hung crooked, and then we just decide to open it 10,000 times a day. Lesley Logan 28:05  Right. Dr. Jenifer Perez 28:13  So it just is basically, really harming that joint. But there's options out there that you can have a shoe that's similar, but with a wide toe box. I mean, same thing with looking at, like, more of your daily tennis shoes or your running shoes, right? Like, there's options that have a wide toe box out there. I also have, like, I got these (inaudible) loafers that I am loving, and I could not find them this morning, I'm so upset. Lesley Logan 28:41  Someone stole them from you. They're so good. Okay. We all have to go, like, scour your website before you buy new shoes, because that is, that is the thing. Like, my feet do not have pain. You don't have any issues. But if I put on a pair of shoes where it's going to put my toe in the wrong spot, then I am going to have pain. Like, that's when I have it. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, you know? I mean, like footwear. So basically, we're outsourcing the natural gait of our body to a footwear, which is then affecting how our rest of our day goes, but then also how our bodies feel in the future.Dr. Jenifer Perez 29:15  Yeah, absolutely. I mean, our bodies conform to shapes. We've seen that with foot binding in history, we've seen that with the whale bone corsets. We've seen that with the neck elongation, our body will conform to a shape if you put it in that shape, and it is not any different when it comes to the foot. Lesley Logan 29:33  Yeah, yeah. Okay. So, so how often should we be paying attention to our feet? Like, is this something we're supposed to do? Because, you know, people, everyone has, I don't have enough time. They barely have enough time to work out, like, how how often should they do foot exercises? How should they be thinking about their feet? What do we got?Dr. Jenifer Perez 29:49  So as much as you can give me, I mean, I'm very realistic, right? If you're having pain, then spend more time on this, because it really does impact your life. But if we're just talking about the average person looking for prevention and longevity, then how about we just start with going barefoot a little bit like let your feet be feet. Go barefoot around the house. Let's get rid of the house shoes. Let's maybe go walk on a few different surfaces outside when it's warm enough and not snowing, like it is here, you know. So just let your feet be feet, and then you can do stuff like adding toe spacers. If you're concerned about the spacing between your toes. We like the toe spacers that we have because you can wear them while you're moving around.Lesley Logan 30:31  They're, they're amazing. I actually will just say, like, I wear them just to walk around my house. And I thought maybe they won't stay in because like, of how they are. No, they stay. I also wear them doing yoga. I wear them doing Pilates. I don't have to have socks with them on. Like, you know, sometimes I have to adjust it a little bit. But, like, it's actually, they're really amazing, and they fit in almost all my shoes. And when they don't fit, I'm like, hmm, maybe these shoes, maybe these shoes need to go get donated.Dr. Jenifer Perez 30:56  Yeah. So, I mean, just simple tips to honestly, like, if you're going to be doing a ton of walking, maybe you just roll your foot out on a ball afterwards, give it a little bit of love. Maybe add a little bit of foot activation before a workout. If you know you're going to be doing, like single leg workout or things like that, there's, there's a ton of small things that you could do to add foot health into your day, and part of it is just the awareness. Go walk around your hallway after listening to this or wherever you are, and actually think about reaching your toes long and engaging your toes with each step, and see how different that is from how you've been walking for the last 10 years.Lesley Logan 31:32  Yeah, you know, this fascinates me, because I will sometimes see, okay, like, you know, people wear flip flops at the airport and they're like, pinky toe doesn't touch the ground. And I was like, isn't it supposed to touch the ground? Like, were they born like that? Did they like change their body like, what happened? Why is their pinky toe not on the ground? Dr. Jenifer Perez 31:50  To your point, I can't look at a lot of people in the airport anymore, but I do celebrate with people when I see them in shoes that I do approve of, because it's so far and few between. So I'm like, hey, nice Altras. And they're like, that was weird.Lesley Logan 32:04  I, you know what? I love that we just had an amazing guest on who was talking about, like, your bubble of influence. And like, like, just giving a stranger a compliment is, like, affecting your bubble of influence. And like, you are doing that within what your influence wants to be. So I, I'm, I'm all in on that. This is so fascinating. I think, you know, I just, I think a lot of times people think about the way our media has trained us is like, think about your abs, or the abs that will like, the muscles that will tone your, the exercise will tone your core, these will tone your arms. And I'm always just like, because I get asked these all the time, and I tell my publicist, I'm like, I gotta talk about, like, their, are their feet aligning like it does, like their hips, we have so many things to talk about before they even do the sit up like, there's just like, and it's not that I'm a nitpicky person. I'm not. I'm kind of like, safe, ugly movement is fine, you know, as long as it's not dangerous. But we're so obsessed with like, from the waist up that we're not really focusing on like, really where some of the root problems are and where we have a lot of control, which is like our foot choices, our shoe choices, like walking around our house barefoot, giving our feet some love.Dr. Jenifer Perez 33:07  Yeah, I think it all comes down to what are your goals? Right? Are your goals to live fast, die hard, whatever, right? If you if your goal is, I want a six pack and I want to enjoy my life for whatever that looks like. Great. If your goal is I want to go climb Machu Picchu, or I want to be able to run into my 70s and 80s, then we need to have a conversation that looks very different around supporting that longevity and that movement potential. Lesley Logan 33:35  Yeah, yeah, you're amazing. Okay. I mean, I could talk to you for hours, but we're gonna take a brief break and find out how people can find you, follow you, work with you and your Be It Action Items. Dr. Jenifer Perez 33:51  Perfect. Lesley Logan 33:45  All right. Dr. Jen Perez, where do you hang out? Where can people like, if people, I know you're in a place that snows, but like, can people work with you who don't live near you? Like, what? What do you have? Dr. Jenifer Perez 33:54  So, great question. So first of all, we have lots of free resources. So our Instagram account is Gait Happens, G-A-I-T Happens. And we have thousands of videos on there. We also are expanding our YouTube as well. So Gait Happens on YouTube, lots of free videos, lots of things to check out there. If you're wanting a more personalized approach. So for those that are worldwide, we, our team does virtual consultations. I don't personally do virtual consultations anymore, but we have a whole team of practitioners that do. We also have DIY programs, like a 12-week Fit Feet program. If you'd rather just get a program that you do on your own, but if you do want to come work with me, I am in Colorado. I'm in Kinetic Chiropractic is my clinic in Lafayette, Colorado, and I have people fly in all the time, and then we can do follow up appointments virtually, but we do that first appointment together. Lesley Logan 34:46  That's so cool. I have to see if that's on the way to Aurora, because that's where, that's my next trip into Colorado. So okay, I mean, I feel like you've given us a lot, but I just want to like for our people who are like, okay, what's my first next step? No pun intended. Bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted steps people can take to be it it till they see it, what do you have for us?Dr. Jenifer Perez 35:08  I love it. I have two kind of challenges, I would say. One that can be immediate and one that's for the next time you buy shoes. So, the immediate challenge is go barefoot for five minutes. That's it doesn't require any equipment. Just take your shoes off. And if you're not already going barefoot, and if you're already going barefoot, then I challenge you to go barefoot for five minutes on new textures. So if you're already going barefoot at home, go outside, go walk in the grass, go walk over some stones, let your feet start to discover texture and movement over surfaces again. And if you're not going barefoot, then start by going on those soft surfaces for five minutes, let your feet move and feel. So that's my, my number one. You can do this right after this. And then my number two is the next time that you buy a pair of shoes, I challenge you to not only buy a pair of shoes that may look a little different than you're used to because they have a nice, beautiful, wide toe box that lets your foot move, but I challenge you to buy something that's a little less shoe, and what I mean by that is less aggressive, so less stiff, less arch support, less cushion, less shoe than you think that you need just step it down a little bit, because that's going to challenge your feet to do a little bit more of the work.Lesley Logan 36:33  Yes, I'm in on all of this. I love this so much. Dr. Jen Perez from Gait Happens, thank you. This was a dream interview I wanted to do since I've stumbled upon you and all that you're doing. And I just think it's really amazing. And I know for a fact, if you're an OPC member, you guys, come on. You have to, you have to go check this out. It's gonna be part of your like, we always, I always say, like, your feet are connected to your seat. Like, that's, you know, and it's you know, that's really is. And people challenge. I've had people literally tell me I was doing the Toe Corrector with rubber bands. I was just showing people like, you don't have to buy fancy things. You can just use rubber bands. Here's what I'm doing, and it connects to the seat. And I had trainers of the wazoo going, that's not how your like, glutes work. And I was like, okay, I don't know how you study for anatomy, and that's fine, but I'm gonna tell you right now you obviously haven't done it, because if you do the exercises correctly, you can't help but feel your butt work like the outer hips work, the hand, everything is like turning on so they are connected, maybe not directly, because your feet are not touching your seat.Dr. Jenifer Perez 37:29  Absolutely. I actually have a fun party trick that I will do with trainers when I'm working with trainers, and I have them lay on their stomach and extend their leg behind them with their their knee bent, and then you down on their thigh. And what this is doing is it's a muscle test for your hips. So it's like, if you're, you've got strong hips that should be nice and strong. So I have them do that barefoot. And it's usually like, okay, great. That was awesome. You were able to not let me press down. And then I take my other hand and I squish their toes together, and I press down, and it goes because you you can't when your toes are squished together, it affects the whole chain. Now, can I explain that neurologically? No, I cannot, but I can tell you that it works every time I do it.Lesley Logan 38:13  Yeah, I think, you know, I think we'll get the neuro I mean, it's just going to take time for us, especially in this western society where everything's kind of siloed to like, see how it all connects, you know, but it is connected. And if you can feel it, then, like, we don't actually need the science right now to prove that what you're feeling is true. So someday, someday, well, you are doing the Lord's work. I really think so. And thank you so much for being here with us today. Everyone, how are you going to use these tips in your life? Are you gonna go buy a new pair of shoes with this in mind? Are you going to go walk around barefoot? Please tag Gait Happens. Tag the Be It Pod and share this with a friend, especially your friends who are complaining about your feet. You know who those people are? They tell you all the time. So make sure the ones that take their shoes off at the club, which is a little not okay, please don't do that. I live in Las Vegas, and I'll see people walking barefoot. I'm like, I don't think you want to do that here. That's, don't do it there. Anyways, until next time, Be It Till You See It. Lesley Logan 39:10  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 39:54  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 39:59  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 40:03  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 40:10  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 40:14  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode, host Raul Rodarte Suto sits down with John Wittler, Executive Director of Ogallala Commons, to explore his inspiring journey from growing up on a farm in southeast Colorado to leading a multi-state nonprofit focused on revitalizing rural communities. John shares his unconventional path—opting out of college to pursue entrepreneurship, finding meaning through work and family, and eventually joining Ogallala Commons to empower youth and small towns across the High Plains. He discusses the value of integrating work and life, the importance of an entrepreneurial mindset, and how his personal philosophy around meaning (inspired by Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning) influences his leadership. The episode also delves into: The mission and multi-state reach of Ogallala Commons Key program areas: leadership development, natural resource stewardship, and local food systems What it means to build “life-giving” rural communities The importance of non-traditional education and youth mentorship And yes—why some people know him simply as “Sandals” This is a heartfelt, insightful conversation about leadership, learning, and living with purpose—whether you're in boots or Birkenstocks.

You're ready for summer ... right?You've been wearing your BIRKENSTOCKS since the May long weekend, but have you really fully engaged in the energy of summer yet?Today, on Episode #158 of the Habit Thrive Podcast, we're going to bring our foundational habits from the spring into the summer.Step 1: Think about your non-negotiables. What are you going to stick with over the summer, no questions asked?It might be a skincare routine or a morning movement.Or, perhaps you just can't give up your daily walk (you just might move it from the afternoon to the evening).Step 2: What are you going to let go of?What habits just don't fit in this season?It could be your famous chili recipe that gets tucked away until October.Or you could ditch your indoor exercise class and opt for something outside instead.Step 3: Take it a step further - What else can you let go of?Overscheduling.Perfectionism.Meditations that don't match your rhythm.Free yourself from anything that feels like something you "should" do instead of something you "want" to do (even if it's exercise!).These are our Me Now years, ladies!The years when we can be more courageous and unapologetic.Remember: We're not building habits to impress anyone else. We're building them to reclaim our time, our power, our energy, and our awesomeness.Love,Lorrie xoxoxLoving the show? Let's connect! Find me:Facebook: Women's Wellness Community: For women wanting to rock their “Me Now” YearsInstagram: @Habitguru365Website: lorriemickelson.comMemberVault: lorriemickelson.vipmembervault.comHabits, Mindfulness Routines & Self Care For Women 50 & BeyondLoving the show? Let's connect! Find me:Facebook: Women's Wellness Community: For women wanting to rock their “Me Now” YearsInstagram: @Habitguru365Website: lorriemickelson.comMemberVault: lorriemickelson.vipmembervault.comHabits, Mindfulness Routines & Self Care For Women 50 & Beyond

Quaranteam – Book 1: Part 14 Andy reconnects with his past, and Emily explores. Based on a post by CorruptingPower, in 25 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. And, after two weeks of trying to subtly discern it from her, Andy eventually just asked Taylor what she did for a living, and Taylor informed Andy that she'd been a phlebotomist before moving into the Rook household, and once she was done with her time in the penalty box, she would go back to it. It was the first step she had taken towards eventually becoming an anesthetist, which was her long term goal. She'd met Lauren when the Aussie had needed someone to come in and blood test a few of the 49ers she was training. Taylor insisted that if Andy ever wanted her to stay in his bed for a night, she would without reservation, but that otherwise, she would be sleeping in the same bed with Lauren, who had set up her own bedroom now, so as to not wake Andy when she left early in the morning for practice.               Piper and Sheridan had also set up their own bedrooms, for similar reasons. Piper insisted her workout routine begin at the butt crack of dawn, and she also had a tendency to go to bed almost immediately after dinner, and Sheridan had started joining her in those hours, although the two women had very different work out routines in the morning. Andy had never been awake for any of them, but both of the women had filmed themselves working out, so he could see what they were up to in the wretched early hours. Aisling, Niko, Emily and Sarah had flatly refused to sleep away from Andy, although the order they laid against one another in the bed at night varied quite regularly. At various points over the last few days, he'd woken up in the night to find Emily quietly making out with each of the other three. He was a little surprised that Emily and Sarah didn't want another bedroom for times when the two of them wanted to fool around with just each other. He'd asked them about it, but Sarah had just teased him and insisted that when they did, he should be nearby in case he wanted to watch or join in. The craziest part of the day, however, was when Emily came to track him down in his office just before dinner with a rather baffling request. He'd spent most of the day writing, knowing that tomorrow there would be new women joining the household, and that he'd likely get very little work done on that day. He felt like he was very close to considering the draft for what he was now calling "The Doppleganger's Identity," the next book in the Druid Gunslinger series, ready for his first pass readers to take a look at, and hoped to wrap it up today. It would certainly stop Sarah from asking him yet again when she could read it, since she had insisted she get a spot on that esteemed small council. He kept the door to his office open most of the time, but Emily insisted on knocking before entering the room anyway. "Andrew, love, I know you're writing right now, but might I bother you for just a skosh?" she said, smiling at him in that disarmingly charming English way of hers. "It's never a bother, Em," he said, closing up his laptop. "You know, you're the only one of my partners I'm okay with calling me 'Andrew?' Anyone else does it, and I know I'm in trouble, but you somehow make me not hate the sound of my full name. C'mon in. Sit down, talk to me." The blonde Englishwoman sashayed into the room before lifting one of his legs so she could sit down on the footstool in front of his writing chair. She was wearing a billowy floral print dress that hung down past her knees, loose fitting but still draped enticingly well. Andy wondered if maybe it was tailor made for her, but before he could think to ask, she launched into the reason she'd come to see him. "My agent received a rather odd request today, and I wanted to come and talk to you about it before I answered it. If you're not comfortable with it, I would completely understand that, but I personally think that it would be an excellent thing for us to do, so I hoped we might talk a bit about it before you came to any decision, and perhaps I could bring you around to my way of thinking." Andy set his laptop on the coffee table to the side of his writing chair and shifted to sit up a little bit. "Who's the request from, and what is it that you think I might be uncomfortable with?" "It came from the office of the president, if you can believe it. My agent said President Pelosi didn't call personally, but a member of her staff did." Emily took his large hands in her small ones, holding onto them softly as she kept his gaze focused on her sapphire blue eyes. Clearly whatever they were going to discuss was of great importance. "When the announcement hits next week, they're expecting much of the nation to be in rather dire shock. Such massive casualties means the American way of life going forward is going to have to be something extremely different than what it once was, something radical and new." She licked her lips, a touch of nervousness Andy wasn't sure he'd seen from the usually confident young woman before. "Something like us. To sort of help assert the new norms in the minds of the general public, they want a handful of celebrities to do talk show appearances, with the hosts who are still alive anyway, and most of them seem to have made it out okay, and talk about their new family units, how polyamory is going to be the lay of the land, and how the laws are immediately being changed so that a single man can have multiple wives, to help repopulate the country after the severe losses." Andy laughed a little bit. "If you want to go on television, Em, you certainly don't need my permission. What makes you think I'd be against that?" She smiled at him kindly, and he realized immediately he'd missed what she'd been specifically asking him. "I don't just want to go on television by myself, Andrew. I want to go on television with you and with Sarah and maybe with a couple of the other girls, Niko in particular. I think it's important that we get out there as a new family unit, on The Daily Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night With Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, anyone who wants to talk to us, so that we can help put the country a little more at ease that we are going to get through this. Normally, I would be most in favor of shielding all of you from the horror that is the paparazzi, just to keep my personal life simply that,  personal. But this is a very strange new world we find ourselves in, Andrew, and we need to help our fellow humans become comfortable with their new reality." "You sound pretty committed to the whole idea," he said, trying to keep his voice as non committal as possible, but Emily had gotten very good at reading him in the short time they'd been together, so he knew she could tell he wasn't entirely opposed to it, simply gauging how it would all work. The particulars of opening his private life to the entire world seemed a little daunting at first blush, but certainly not insurmountable. "We wouldn't be the only ones, I think it's important to stress that, love," she said, squeezing his hands a little bit. "And Sarah and I would also be coming out about our relationship with each other, so you wouldn't have to field a lot of questions if you didn't want to. We could take on the brunt of the questions if that makes it any easier. But I just know many people in this adopted homeland of mine are going to be frightened, and I think the idea to show them the way through would be a step in the right direction." She leaned her head down and kiss the tops of his hands before looking up at him. "Oh! And you could also use it to promote your books, if that might sweeten the pot a smidge. It might help, having twenty minutes of prime mental real estate for your face and your writing?" He chuckled, nodding his head. "You know as well as I do that my agent would string me up by my toes if I had a chance to get this much free publicity for my next novel and didn't take it, so how can I say no? I'm not going to hide from journalists. I'll do my fair share. Tell me how all this is going to work." She smiled, leaned in and kissed him, soft and tender, but for what felt like a delicious eternity. "We will set up the camera and microphones in Sarah and I's little studio, and then we'll just take an hour or so a day for a few weeks to record segments with whoever asks. The president's office wants us to do a 60 Minutes interview even before the announcement is made, as our sort of grand unveiling. For that, they're actually going to send Katie Couric here with a camera woman to do the interview in a few days. They're likely to want to do that in a larger room, or maybe out on the back deck, by the pool. They're going to do an entire show all about the deaths, the vaccine and the new post pandemic world we're starting to grow into. The ten to twenty minute interview with us will just be part of the larger package. They were hoping to have us for a day on the 14th. They're going to be filming at the base on the 13th and doing interviews with President Pelosi on the 15th. The president's representative seemed to think Niko might be a good link between the two segments, if she was one of the people helping to give the tour of the base, and the vaccination process. I asked Niko about it, and she said she wouldn't mind if you didn't, but that I had to ask you first. The whole episode of the show is going to air immediately after the President's speech on the 20th." "Good lord, sounds like they've got all this planned out. I'm surprised I didn't hear from the Office of the President personally." Emily offered him another smile, and considered her next words carefully. It wasn't that she worried about bruising his ego, because Andy had never come across that way, but she also didn't want to seem too full of herself. "Love, I've been a very well known movie star for a decade now, so I think they figured out where I was first and went from there. That's no slight against you! I'm just saying that you aren't a household name that millions of people recognize, and, for better or worse, I am. The Dagger Academy movies were everywhere, as were the books. Simon, my costar in the movies, he's still living in England, so he's in an entirely different world than we are here in the States." Andy grinned. "Oh, I know, I know. All I'm saying is that it wouldn't hurt for the President to have called me herself, y'know. But that's fine. It's fine." "Well, when the paparazzi are struggling to get topless photos of you in Ibiza, then we'll have a conversation about how you aren't being taken seriously as an artist, alright darling?" She giggled a little. "It was fun, teasing them, knowing they so desperately wanted to get images of my tits to sell, and that a bidding war would erupt for the image." "They are excellent tits, Em." "Bless you, love. But you're never going to convince me they're as nice as, say, Sarah's or Hannah's. And all those tits, theirs and mine, are exclusively the purview of this family now and forever more, so the paparazzo can fuck right off. So, the interview? You'll do it? You'll dance for the media circus with us, for the good of the nation?" "I'll do almost all of it, sure." She tilted her head slightly in confused amusement, that coy smile on her pink lips, as her tender fingers squeezed his thigh. "Almost all of it? Which part of it am I going to have to have to convince you for?" He rolled his eyes a little, a playful smirk on his lips. "I'll do all the evening shows, magazines, newspapers and website interviews you want me to, but doing Good Morning America might be a hill too far, simply because of how goddamn early I'd have to get up for it." "Or we could simply stay up very late and do it before bed," she said, moving to slide off the footstool so she could climb into his lap. "I'm sure we could find some way to keep you awake and alert that far into the night. Four thirty in the morning our time could give us the opportunity to go on live television with sex hair," she said, waggling her eyebrows at him lasciviously. "Oh, and I'm not gonna do Fox News." "Christ, love, haven't you heard? They're barely running a skeleton crew over there. Most of their on air talent died over the last few months, and now that the women are in charge over there, they're losing some of that ridiculous bullshit they used to be spouting." Andy chuckled, shaking his head a little bit. "All it took was most of the men dying." "It's pretty hard to pretend the plague isn't a real thing when it keeps killing people off left and right, dear," she said. "The rescheduled Presidential election next month is going to be between Senators Kamala Harris and Susan Collins, two women. That's never happened before in the history of this country. The vast majority of people voting in the election are going to be women. This is all completely unprecedented, so all those women who have felt powerless for so many years, this is their chance to shine. But the old tribal lines are still going to be there, even if the genders of the people leading those parties has changed. Republicans will still be Republicans and Democrats will still be Democrats. But there's too many dead people for everyone to go on pretending like the plague isn't real, or that it's not better to not get a grip on the new reality. One side was already telling their people that the plague wasn't real, so more of their men died than the on the other side. They can't afford to do that any more. So the new Fox News agenda is to go back to simple fiscal conservatism, pro military and pro old school Christianity stances. They're just going to drop all the anti woman bullshit that they've been poisoning their own wells with for so long." "And all it took was most of their men dying." Andy rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll leave it up to you on whether or not you want to do any of the Fox News shit." "Oh heavens no," Emily laughed, shaking her head. "No, you couldn't pay me enough to appear in front of those horrid people. They've been trying to tell me they have the right to regulate my body for decades but that I should keep my mouth shut when it comes to how they spend the money I pay in taxes. At least a few of their remaining hosts have called me horrible things for daring to disagree with them. 'Entertainers should be sit down and be quiet when it comes to politics,' they've said about me for far too long. Fuck that, darling. I'm having none of it." "Well, on that we can agree." "Now, I do believe I have some convincing to be doing," she said, licking her lips playfully, as she slid off his lap and down onto her knees before him, pushing his legs apart. "That's really not necessary, Em," he said, reaching forward to put a hand on her shoulder, but her delicate fingers moved to grab his wrists, lifting them so that one of his hands was along the back of her neck, and the other was sliding up into that radiant cascade of blonde hair. "It might not be necessary, Andrew, but that isn't to say I wouldn't enjoy it anyway," she said, her hands moving to unbutton his jeans, slowly drawing the zipper down. "Because sometimes a girl just needs to get her fix, you know?" She leaned down and kissed part of his exposed stomach. "You wouldn't deny me that, would you, love? Not innocent little me?" "I don't know that I could deny you anything, Emily," he chuckled. She licked her lips, those inescapable blue eyes of hers looking up at him. "That's what I like to hear. Because it's time for me to do something before Sarah does." She fished out his cock, tucking his balls over his boxers to protect them from accidentally getting caught in the zipper of the jeans, because she wasn't willing to wait long enough to pull his jeans off. "I let her have first go at you, but I'm entitled to have some firsts with you before she gets a chance. That's fair, isn't it?" She leaned down and pressed her pink lips against the head of his cock, covering it in tiny kisses. "I think we can both agree that's only fair." "I seem to recall you and Sarah taking turns blowing me at the same time," he said, tilting his head a little. "I wouldn't say she got there first." "She got to fuck you first though, Andrew," she sighed, stroking his cock tenderly. "And I understand why. She's madly in love with you because of your writing, although she's very much fallen in love with the man behind that writing as well." Her tongue slipped out and dragged a long trail across the bottom of his cock, from the base up to the tip, teasing the slit with the tip of her tongue for only a split second. "Me, on the other hand, I fell in love with the man first, when I heard all the lengths you'd gone to in protecting the women who'd chosen to hitch their wagons to your train. Niko painted such a wonderful portrait of you, and you haven't failed to live up to that yet." "I'm always going to put my family's needs above my own, Em," he said, shivering as he felt her pursing her lips around the mushroom tip of his circumcised cock for a long moment. "So what is you want to do before Sarah, hmm?" "Oh, bless, Andrew, I would've thought it would've been obvious," she giggled, blowing air along his cock, teasing his balls with her finely manicured fingernails. "I want you up the serviceman's entrance. I want you in my ass, before Sarah thinks to ask you to do it to her. We've had fingers and small toys up both hers and my asshole before, naturally, but never the real thing, and I'm afraid I simply cannot risk the chance that she get the opportunity to convince you to do it to her before you do it to me. I want to have at least one first of my very own with you before she does, and while I'm a little nervous, I must confess I am also rather excited. First times are always so exhilarating." Andy licked his own lips, swallowing a breath of air. "First times can also be quite intense, Em. Even overwhelming." "Yes yes yes Andrew, that's why I'm going to ask you if you can remember a color code when you're worked up. I know those kinds of sensations can be, distracting to self control, but you've always struck me as level headed." Her tongue took a long swirling path around the underside of the head of his cock, and his fingers tightened in her sandy hair a moment, clenching a fistful of it, which evoked a clear quiver of delight from the girl. "What do you mean a color code?" "You see, when Sarah and I are adventuring into, shall we say, uncharted sexual waters between the two of us, we use a color code. If one of us says 'green,' then things are wonderful, enjoyable and the other should carry on full steam ahead. If one of us says 'yellow,' then perhaps a bit of caution or easing back is needed. If one of us says 'red,' then a moment's rest is needed, or second thoughts are being had, and it's best to stop, until the other is ready to go again. Like a stoplight. We strike the use of those colors for any other uses when we're on the code." She looked up at him with those tender azure orbs again, soft and warm, as her fingertips stroked his shaft and juggled his balls. "Would that be alright, Andrew?" He leaned forward and kissed her again, and this time he found her not only pliant but a touch more eagerly wanton than she'd been moments ago. "Of course, love," he said to her. "But just be careful and remember you can't use those words for anything else while we're in color code mode." She titled her head to the side, a curious expression of amusement on her face. "Oh? Do you anticipate me slipping? I'm quite bright, you know," she teased, winking at him. "I have a degree in feminist studies from Cambridge and everything." He smirked a little bit. "I simply thought you might ask me to paddle your ass red, and then I'd have been more than a little conflicted from the mixed signals." She began to giggle fiercely, having even to take one of her hands from his cock up to cover her mouth, as she nodded furiously, her blonde curls falling in front of her face before her hand lifted from lips and pushed it from her eyes. "You're right! You're right you're right you are absolutely right, I most certainly would have done that, said that without even thinking about it, and what a right git I would've looked, while you would've been standing there frozen in fear that you'd gone too far." "You think you can keep that in mind, then?" She nodded once more, this time more slow and deliberate, before she pressed her hands on the tops of her thighs, moving to stand herself up. "I had Nicolette conceal a couple of bottles of lube in nearly every room of the house, in case this particular stripe of lust struck one of us. She seemed to think it was an excellent idea." Andy couldn't help but snicker a little bit. "I'm sure she did. She seemed to enjoy the hell out of it when she got her turn at it a couple of days ago." Emily giggled again as she reached behind the couch in the corner of his writing studio, her fingers reemerging with a small bottle of lube in them. "I did notice her walking a little funny yesterday, but she wouldn't tell me when I asked her about it. She simply blushed a wonderful shade of crimson and walked away from me. So I take it you gave her the ol' heave ho?" He tried to keep that ain't I a stinker smile from spreading on his face, but in the end, he just couldn't help it. "She told me she likes to be a bit bratty and put into her place, so I stuffed her panties in her mouth while I had a go at her ass. She seemed to like that quite a bit." While Emily approached him, he stood up and tugged off his jeans and boxers, not wanting to get any of the lube on them, setting them on his writing chair. For the hell of it, he pulled off his shirt as well. The idea of resembling Donald Duck appalled him. Emily's eyes widened in amusement and delight, shaking her head frantically. "You didn't! You absolutely didn't! Tell me that you didn't, Andrew!" "I surely and truly did, and she loved it. She even made a point to tell me that it was exactly how I should have a go at her moving forward." "Well, not this time, but I might like to try something like that at some point in the future," she said, as she walked over to him, lifting her dress up and over her head, tossing it aside, revealing she was completely naked beneath it. "Mostly because it wouldn't let me speak the color code if need be, but also because I'm simply not wearing any panties today." She flashed him another saucy wink, as she moved to set up her cell phone to point at the couch. Andy suspected she might be filming it to show to Sarah later, or perhaps just for her own personal edification. "Now let me pour some of this lube on your cock, and you can tell me what position I should be in for my first time at this." He shivered a little as she drizzled clear fluid onto his prick, her slender fingers stroking his shaft again, making sure to get every inch of his thick cock slicked up as much as possible. "If you want total control, you could climb on for a ride, but some women think the sensations are just too intense, and tend to seize up, so they prefer to have the man controlling things. If that's more your speed, then you probably want to get on your knees on the couch, laying your arms down on the top of it, your head resting on your arms, or with your arms behind you, so you can grab at your legs, or rub on your clit. Lauren rubbed her cunt her entire first time, saying it helped the nerve endings get all tangled up in one another." She licked her lips, that tiny hint of reticence fading away the moment he saw it, as she nodded. "I do think it will all be simply too much for me to keep my head clear, so I think I will try the position on the couch, and you can be in the driver's seat." She handed him the small bottle of lube. "Make sure you get me slicked up before you go rampaging in, however." "You sure you  " His sentence was interrupted by her grabbing the back of his head, smearing lube on his skull while she pulled him into a feral, almost delirious kiss, her tongue rampaging into his mouth with a carnal frenzy that he didn't normally associate with his more restrained and reserved partner. When she pulled back, she didn't let her face move more than an inch away from his, her blue eyes peering directly into his greens. "I have been a posh prig my entire life, Andrew," she cooed at him in a sing song fashion. "Now it's time for you to take that stick out of my prim ass and jam this wicked cock up it instead. If you don't, I may well go mad, and that wouldn't be ideal for either of us, I somehow think. Now let's get to it." "As the lady requests," he said, watching her sashay away from him. She slid one knee up on the couch demurely, followed by the other, bending forward at the waist, leaning down until she was resting on her hands and knees on the plush sofa. God, she was gorgeous, he thought to himself. Almost criminally so. She held pose there as he walked over towards her, but as he got closer, she lowered her shoulders down towards the top of the couch, sliding her hands back behind her, to cup her perky porcelain white ass. "This is all yours, Andrew," she moaned. "Virginal. Unspoiled. Unsullied. Uncharted territory." She shivered and he could see goosebumps run across her skin as the lube started to drizzle down the cleft of her ass, smearing over that rosy pucker. "God, I feel so wanton and exposed like this, ready to be debauched and debased, your eager whore, giddy for you to introduce her to these new delights, to expand her horizons and blow her mind." Andy set the bottle on the table next to the couch, then moved to use two of his fingers to smear the clear liquid along her anus, seeing her body twitch and wriggle just a little bit, as he smeared the substance around, pushing his index finger inside of her, hearing her gasp sharply following by a tiny, high pitched yelp, as she clamped down on that digit. "How are we doing, Em?" She drew in a long breath that sounded like it took some effort before she exhaled, a slow controlled push of air over her lips, as that sphincter muscle relaxed around his fingertip. "Green! We're green, Andrew. I just, I simply needed a moment to compose myself once more. Your fingers are quick thicker than Sarah's," she said with a nervous laugh. "You're going to be getting something much bigger than that in a moment," he said. "If you still want it, that is. Not too late to change your mind." "I have come too far to back out now, Andrew." "You haven't cum at all, I don't think," he teased. "Shows what you know," she giggled once more, looking over her shoulder at him to stick her tongue out in his direction. "I definitely came when you pushed your finger in. The pre fuck jitters, one might think. Like a bloody schoolgirl, I am, right now." "Alright then," he said, as he slipped his fingertip out, her asshole closing up immediately. "Remember, you merely have to say what you want, and I'm going to listen." She nodded again, one hand reaching between her legs to rub her fingertips against her cunt, stroking her finely manicured digits against her cunt, as her other hand reached up and over behind her, grabbing one of her asscheeks, pulling it aside, as if to make sure she was open and exposed for him. "Let me feel it, Andrew, but go slow. Just a bit at first." Andy nodded, as he moved his hips, settling the tip of his cock against her asshole, which he felt spasm just a little when the mushroom head of his cock made contact with it. He gave her half a second to relax once more, then began to push forward. He leaned his body against hers, feeling some initial resistance, but after a few moments, the head of his cock popped through that ring of muscle, and a guttural, almost primitive moan erupted from her throat, loud and carnal. "Fuck that's big that's so fucking big yellow yellow Andy, yellow,” she rambled, and immediately Andy held perfectly still. "Too much?" he said, feeling her ass clinging onto the head of his cock with an intense amount of pressure. "Stop? Pull out? Just wait?" "Don't pull out! Are you fucking crazy?" she said, a borderline delirious laugh cackling from her lips. "I just, I just, just give me a moment, please, you're fucking big, you know that? You and your fat fucking cock feel like you've shoved a telephone pole up my tight young virgin ass, so I'm going to need a god damned moment, thank you very much, but don't you dare fucking slip out, or I will beat you bloody senseless with a cricket bat!" Andy blushed a little bit, a wry smile on his lips, as he held perfectly still. "In your own time, Em." The tiny blonde Brit drew in a long breath, then slowly exhaled it, like she was doing some form of yoga and trying to center her chi. She did it again, and Andrew started to get worried that maybe she simply wasn't ready for this, but just about the time that thought started to roll around in his head, he felt her starting to lean back against him just a little bit. "Green, Andrew, but,” she said, shifting her body just enough so that she could look back at him, "please, for heaven's sake, take it slowly." He nodded to her, and began to lean forward, feeling her body almost being pried apart as his cock worked his way inside of her virginal asshole. Her fingertips were rubbing down firmly on her clit, and while he tried to keep the forward momentum as slow as possible, when he was nearly half way into her ass, she suddenly pushed back into him, engulfing the rest of his cock in her back door, as a wash of goosebumps rolled across her flesh, starting at the small of her back and blossoming outwards in an instant flare, followed by a hard tremble intermingled with a high pitched whine that started racing upwards in octaves and volumes until it crested, breaking and dissolving into a frantic, almost demented giggle, as his balls rested against her fingers which hadn't stopped stroking at her cunt. "You alright, Em?" he asked. "Alright? Alright? Are you asking if I'm alright now, Andrew?" she hissed, although the tone was giddy and excited. "I am green, super green, all the greens! I am awesome, fucking brilliant. That felt,” she drew in a long breath, "So fucking good, and I came So fucking hard." Her head whipped to look directly at her cellphone camera. "Sares, it's like it builds and builds and builds, and you're getting more and more and more tense and then,” she said, pulling her hips forward, sliding his cock mostly back out of her ass before, "Wham!" she said as she slammed her ass back onto his cock hilt deep once more, and let out another unearthly moan. "Holy fuck, that feels so good. Your cock just jammed up right my ass, your balls resting right on my cunt." Her head snapped again to look back at him, and her soft and kind blue eyes had gone more than a little crazy. "Go on then, in for a penny, in for a pound. Pound your little penny. Go on, you dirty wanker. Do it to me! Fuck my ass!" At this point, he was pretty sure that if he had said 'red,' she would've ignored him and just played on through. The kind of wild lust in her eyes would've been completely unfamiliar to him if he hadn't seen it before, briefly, with both Piper and Sheridan, though those had been chemically induced. Later in the evening, he'd consider whether maybe she'd tapped into that same mental state that being deprived of his semen developed in women, but in that particular moment, the only thing he could do was to fuck Emily Stevens, film sweetheart of a generation, within an inch of her sanity. His hips drew back and then thrust forward, a solid grind on his first real pump, which was met by a hard squeeze of her ass around his cock and a burbling, uncorked moan oozing from her lips. He drew back again, but this time his forward thrust was met by the snap of her hips pushing her ass back into him, making her toned asscheeks ripple just a tiny amount. "Oh fuck, Andrew," she babbled, "I want more, but I know I'm going to cum soon, and once I start again, it's not going to stop, so I need it, I need you, I love you, I need you to fucking cum inside of my ass, fill it up with that hot spunk for the first time. Mark your territory with your seed! Please Andrew, I'm fucking begging you, let me have it, show my ass you love it, teach me this final thing. Fucking cum in my ass!" The entire time, she was doing more of the thrusting than he was, although he was trying to keep pace with her. And just towards the end, he knew that he wouldn't be able to stave off the impending orgasm for long, so at her insistence, he let loose a hot jet of jizz right into her ass. The minute he felt the first spurt escape him, it felt as though she clamped down on him in a fist like grasp, and then he felt a heavy rush of liquid against his balls, her cunt gushing all over them and down the inside of his thighs. The very sensation of it made him splattered a handful more blasts of cum into her ass before he stopped, one of his hands holding onto the back of the couch for dear life, as he felt her fingertips fall away from her cunt as her arm slumped downwards. He'd gone soft almost right away, but her ass was still trying to milk any last remaining droplets of cum from his cock with gentle squeezes, even as he finally slid out of her. Her body was mostly propped up by her knees, although her face was buried into the couch cushions. He waited a minute or so before he finally said, "You alright, Em?" She began giggling, slowly moving to roll onto her side, so he could see her face had turned bright red, the color of Sarah or Aisling's hair, and she was clutching one hand to her mouth, trying to contain the infectious laugh that would not be suppressed. "Holy fucking Christ, Andrew, I am so so so embarrassed by that," she whimpered. "I've, fuck, I've never done that before. I didn't know I could fucking do that, Christ, I'm made such a mess, how awful of me. I'm horrible." Andy knelt down alongside the couch, and leaned in to press his lips against hers. She struggled for half a moment, still caught up in her own awkwardness of the moment, before she gave in and simply returned the kiss, which he held for an endlessly long time. "Did you enjoy it?" he said, when he finally gave her a moment to breathe again. "Fuckin' 'ell, Andrew," she stumbled, "I think that would've been bloody obvious." "Then who the fuck cares about the mess?" He kissed her again, one hand stroking her sweaty hair from her face, the energy cooling down a little, as they both came down from the orgasmic plateaus they'd just been dancing in. "Besides, I'd have thought you'd enjoy the idea of telling Nicolette to come and clean my office without giving her any explanation into why." Emily face almost hurt from smiling so much as she nodded. "Thank you for this, Andrew, and for making me feel at home in my own body as it learns new things about itself." She looked down then looked up at him, almost a touch of fear in her eyes. "I know I've said it before, but it's important to me that you know this, Andrew. I well and truly love you, like no other man I've known before." "I love you too, Emily," he said, making sure he was looking directly into her eyes when he said it, so she would understand there were no reservations. "And I'm very glad you agreed to marry me. You've been not only good for me, you've been good for the whole house." "Oh shush, now my heart's all aflutter," she said, moving to stand up, pausing to wince for a second. "Well, I'll jolly well feel that for the next few days. It's sore and it's still tingling in pleasure. Both, together, at the same time. What an odd delight." He laughed, grabbing her dress for her, holding it out. "Go on, get dressed and bring Nicolette in here to see the mess that you've made for her to clean up. I'll bet she's not at all embarrassed, and more than a little jealous." "You know, I suspect you might well be correct, Andrew. Brilliant." A cast list intermission for Quaranteam The House of Rook Andy Rook,  A 38 year old content writer for Netflix, who also lives a double life as semi successful urban fantasy writer Blake Conrad, known for his Druid Gunslinger books. Shaved head, neatly trimmed brown beard, 5'11", hazel eyes, tattooed on the chest with a griffon, could stand to lose a few pounds. Originally from Ohio, has lived in the Bay Area for over a decade. Our protagonist, such as he is. Still reaping the benefits from one random act of kindness to a stranger named Dave. Aisling (Ash) Blake,  A 27 year old graphic design contractor for Google. Originally from Dublin, she's lived in the States for 4 years. Red hair, freckles, short (5'4"), fit. Outgoing and charming, but also protective of Andy. Aisling showed up first (at the same time as Lily) and has helped keep Andy level headed and sane throughout the entire ordeal. Pregnant with Andy's child. Engaged to Andy. Lauren White,  A 35 year old personal trainer for the San Francisco 49ers. Originally from Australia, she's lived in the States for 2 years. Very tall (6'6"), very tan, blonde, athletic, emotionally involved with Taylor as much as (if not more so) Andy. Lauren is big and boisterous, but has a tendency to not think things fully through. 2nd Lieutenant Niko RedWolf,  A 22 year old Air Force Security Forces officer (military police). Originally from South Dakota. Half Lakota, one quarter Mexican and one quarter Japanese. Long black hair, toned and slender. 5'4". Sarcastic, wry and witty, Niko has basically become Andy's right hand woman, along with Ash, whom she considers her best friend. She's helped provide endless insight to the vaccine program being managed at the local Air Force base, where she works. Also pregnant with Andy's child and engaged to him. Nicolette (Yvette) Seydeaux (staff),  The 22 year old maid of Rook Manor. Blonde, with long curly hair. Extremely buxom. 5'9" or 6'1" (in heels). Second generation French American. Enjoys wearing classic maids outfits and being a bratty submissive. Pretended to be named Yvette at first, at the suggestion of Phil. Katie Rodriguez (staff),  The 32 year old gardener of Rook Manor. Hispanic, butch, 5'8", with short black hair cut in a bob, almost always seen in overalls and a button up shirt. Lesbian and wife of Jenny Peters. Had reservations about the program, but wanted to ensure safety for her and her wife, so they took the deal and came to join the House of Rook. Jenny Peters (staff),  The 31 year old cook of Rook Manor. Midwestern and plump, 5'8", with brown bushy hair. Wears large circular glasses. Tends to be overly motherly. Bisexual and wife of Katie Rodriguez. Taylor Morrison,  The 25 year old ex ex girlfriend of Lauren White. Platinum blonde, stacked, short (5'2"). Currently still in the doghouse for cheating on Lauren almost a year ago, but close to working her way out of her trouble. As part of her current punishment (dictated by Lauren), she is not allowed to wear clothes. Piper Brown,  A 26 year old Olympic Volleyball player. Brunette, tall (6'2"), muscular but lean, blue eyed. Went viral for a video of her pre game warm up dance. Still slightly recovering from abusive treatment at Andrew Covington's home. Asha Varma,  An 18 year old college student and daughter of Dr. Charlotte Varma. Half Indian, half French, raised in London until last year. Brown skin, black hair, pierced navel, wild child attitude. 5'6". Party girl and socialite, Asha tends to enjoy causing trouble, as it gets her attention. Has some growing up to do. Sarah (Sares) Washington,  A 31 year old actress. 6'2", redheaded, quirky, clumsy and a bit dorky. Originally from New Jersey. Swears like breathing. Very girl next door. Huge fan of the Druid Gunslinger books, and had a crush on Andy before she even met him. Big lover of Broadway theater and musicals, both attending and performing in. Partner of Emily Stevens. Engaged to Andy. Emily (Em) Stevens,  A 30 year old actress, 5'1", blonde, blue eyed, pale, slender, very posh, British. Left London for L A just a few years ago. Incredibly charming and witty, with an almost supernatural social sense. Grew up as a child actress in a wildly popular series of movies called "The Dagger Academy" series, but has since struggled to establish a successful acting career outside that role. Partner of Sarah Washington. Engaged to Andy. Sheridan Smith,  A 32 year old acrobat and performer for Cirque Du Soleil. 5'7" Blonde, frizzy hair, slender and extremely flexible. Very laid back and go with the flow. Has been teaching the girls of the house yoga in her spare time. Hannah Nakamura,  And 18 year old college student and former cheerleader. Half Hawaiian, half Japanese. Short (5'1"), Asian, with long black hair with blonde stripes in it. Curvy, very well endowed (44G) and a firecracker of energy. Originally supposed to be joining the House of Watkins, she is much happier being part of the House of Rook. The House of Yang Eric Yang,  A 39 year old engineer, and Andy's former roommate. Second generation Japanese American. Short (5'5") but athletic, if a bit shy and bookish. Piggybacked on Andy's one good deed into a complete life change he wasn't expecting. Andy and Eric are friends, but not overly close ones, despite having shared a condo for most of a decade. Lily Wu,  a 25 year old coder for Door Dash. Second generation Japanese American. Dyed purple hair, short (5'2"), punkish. Eric's first partner, who expected to be his only partner only for life to get majorly in the way. Lily is the iron fist that runs the House of Yang, sometimes making decisions for Eric so he doesn't spend too long dwelling on them. Jenny Carnero,  a 28 year old meteorologist for the local Fox News channel. Statuesque brunette (5'10") who always remains overly tanned. Lily's ex roommate who had to be rescued after fleeing from the person she was supposed to be paired up with, before getting paired up with Eric. Threatened to tell her story to the reporters at the station she worked at, but Lily convinced her that doing so would be bad for all involved. Phil cleaned the mess up. Sarah Wilson,  a 26 year old HR specialist with Adobe Systems. Short (5'3"), blonde, Nordic and curvy. Originally from Kansas. The House of Marcos Phil Marcos,  a 34 year old Filipino project manager for Boeing, working in conjunction with the Air Force to manage the vaccine development/distribution program trying counter the epidemic. Probably involved in a sizable amount of heavily classified shit. Tall (5'11"), slender and usually exhausted. Has a deep love of fighting games and mischief. Phil always knows more than he can talk about. Audrey Percy,  a 29 year old Hispanic psychologist. Short (5'1"), very curvy. Also a big fighting games fan. Has been doing her best to keep Phil sane throughout the apocalypse. One of the first successful recipients of the current vaccine. Pregnant with Phil's child and engaged to him. Captain Linda Hayes,  a 35 year old Caucasian captain in the Air Force. Blonde, fit, lethal. Also doubling at Phil's bodyguard most days. Tamika Jefferson,  an 18 year old African American college student. Short (5'2"), curvy, disaffected and disinterested in most things. Yuko Takahashi,  a 22 year old first generation Japanese immigrant and video game engineer. Very short (4'10"), very slender but extremely agile. The most sarcastic of Phil's partners. Dr. Charlotte Varma,  a 44 year old French infectious disease researcher working with the Air Force and Boeing. Lead developer on the current vaccine. Average height (5'7"), blonde, matronly but also a bit bougie. Originally from Paris, she moved to London and married Dev Varma, before they emigrated to the US earlier this year with their teenage daughter, Asha (now part of the House of Rook). Was rescued by Andy but chose to go with Phil. The House of Covington Arthur Robert Covington IV,  a 63 year old investment banker. Considers himself the most important person in New Eden. Certainly is the richest. A horrible prick with a rumored proclivity for making his partners do awful things. Runs a regular poker game where people are used as stakes. The person Andy hates the most. Lisa Davis,  a 25 year old graphic design contractor for Google. Ex colleague of Aisling. Partner for Covington, who does not allow her to speak in public. Ash has been trying to find ways to talk to her on the side. Rachel DeMarco,  a 28 year old infectious disease researcher working with the Air Force and Boeing. Has only been spoken of, not actually see in the story thusfar. Veronica DeLaCruz (deceased),  a 27 year old Hispanic card dealer for the House of Covington privately, as well as professionally over at a local casino. Cheated on her partner (Arthur) with a man named Brian Morrison, and the sexual encounter resulted in her death. The first fatality in New Eden, her death is being used to remind women the dangers involved in being unfaithful in the new world. The House of Vikovic Gregor Vikovic,  a 52 year old business owner. Russian, huge (6'2", 275lbs), mucular, with a big braided silver beard and a fondness for expensive things, particular food and drink. One of the more elite members of New Eden. The House of Watkins Nathaniel Watkins,  a 41 year old investor and insanely rich self made gadfly. Tall (6'1"), lean and Waspy, Nathaniel tends to look more like an out of work yoga instructor than the forty first richest man in the world. His brown beard is always somewhat disheveled, and seems to relish always walking around in socks and Birkenstocks. Has a friendly relationship with Andy, whom he gave a shitload of money to, seemingly to punish his son. Benny Watkins,  an 18 year old high school student. Benny is Nathaniel's biggest failure, spoiled and thoughtless, entitled and arrogant. His claiming of Deborah Barnes resulted in his punishment by his father, and the reassignment of Hannah to Andy. Deborah Barnes,  a 34 year old veterinarian from Los Gatos, originally from Kansas. She was originally assigned to Nathaniel, who used her as a stake in one of Covington's poker games. She was won by Andy, but Benny claimed her before she could be relocated. As part of Benny's punishment, Deborah's been assigned control of Benny. Erin Donegal,  a 36 year old pharmaceutical representative. Dated and lived with Andy about a decade ago until she gave him an ultimatum “ "either your friends go, or I do." Andy gave her the boot, and she stalked him on and off since then. Second generation Irish American. Blonde (but dyes her hair brown), curvy. Andy refused to bring her into his house, and she was reassigned to the House of Watkins. The House Of Haunton Mayor James Haunton,  the 54 year old mayor of New Eden. Portly and short tempered. Has a mustache that whole bowls of soup could get lost in. Major Monica Peters,  the 36 year old wife of the mayor, who doubles as the greeter and tour guide of New Eden for the most recent arrivals. The House of Jacobson Jake Jacobson,  the 49 year old owner of the AllStore chain of department stores. Jet black hair with a pencil thin mustache. More reptilian than human, with beady eyes and a perpetual sneer on his face. Hot tempered, petty and vindictive.. The House of Baker Xander Baker,  a 38 year old auto mechanic and car restorer from Ohio. Andy's oldest and best friend. Being relocated to New Eden to get paired up with Captain Betsy Ross. Covered in tattoos, ridiculously muscular, Xander is a gentle giant. Not to be allowed near karaoke machines under peril of death. Captain Betsy Ross,  a 34 year old Air Force officer, working on the reconstruction program, rebuilding America's heavily damaged infrastructure. Soon to be Xander's first partner. Brooke Maloney,  a 24 year old Olympic swimmer, and friend of Piper. Second generation Swedish American. Blonde, short (5'4") and extremely athletic. Originally, Piper was trying to convince Andy to bring Brooke into the House of Rook, but Andy immediately recognized her personality would be a better fit for Xander, and asked Phil to help redirect her. The House of, Dave? Dave, something or other?,  a thirty(ish) something(?) quarantine management engineer for the CDC, who came to test Andy and Eric, and found out that Andy was secretly Dave's favorite author. In exchange for an advance copy of the newest unpublished Druid Gunslinger book, he put Andy and Eric into the system as Top Level V I P, which has changed their life forever. Nice dude, but Dave's just this guy, you know? Chapter 29 The next day, Andy and Ash met up with Eric and Lily for lunch in a restaurant, something they still weren't accustomed to, even though they'd done it a couple of times since moving into New Eden. They'd been in quarantine so long that the basic things like eating out felt alien. They'd found a nice little BBQ joint that someone had opened within the walls of New Eden, and Andy was ecstatic. Andy's hope was that they were going to keep getting more varieties of food in their new home town. The little 1950s dinner was nice, but the village needed things like a Mexican joint, a Chinese restaurant, a ramen house, a place where he could get a banh mi, Andy realized he really just needed the place to be less exclusively white. The guy who owned and ran the BBQ was a big black guy named Bryant Walters who'd apparently played football for the 49ers a couple of decades ago. He'd settled in the Bay after his football career ended, and he had brought his love of southern BBQ to opening his own restaurant, called "Smoke On The Water." He had a dozen of his own BBQ sauces, brisket that he smoked for at least twelve hours and some of the best damn ribs Andy had ever tasted. It didn't hurt that Bryant was also massively friendly, making sure to come out and talk to patrons of the place. The wait staff was comprised of his partners, five women in all, at least one a former 49ers cheerleader. Over lunch, Andy made sure to tell Bryant that he should have delivery service for the community, and the big burly man told him that was an excellent idea, and that he'd start working on a website for online orders. The meal was the first chance that Andy and Eric had really been able to sit down and catch up one on one since they'd gotten to New Eden. Sure, they'd seen each other at parties and big gatherings, but with just Ash and Lily there, it felt like a throwback to the first days of the whole adventure when they'd been a pair of new couples sharing a tiny little condo. "So yeah, what with all the casualties on my team, I've been promoted up the food chain to be director of the division," Eric said, poking at his brisket with his fork. "I like the responsibility and the increase in pay, but it's also incredibly depressing to think about all the former coworkers that died, none of whose funerals I can attend, because nobody's allowing funerals." "Yeah," Andy sighed, "Phil told me they're moving to mass cremations now, since so many people died. They'll probably build some sort of memorial after we're through all of this, like the Vietnam Wall or Ground Zero for 9/11." "It's so strange, seeing all the names on Slack that aren't lighting up any more," Eric sighed. "At some point, the death toll crossed from a number I can understand to a number I can't." "Kill one person and it's murder; kill a hundred thousand and it's a statistic. Good ol' Stalin," Lily joked, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "Don't try and think about it, dear. You're only going to get angry or depressed again, and we're having a nice lunch here, with everyone getting a chance to see one another. I mean, I love Niko to death, but if Andy shows up with his entire tribe, it takes over the whole room. How many are there now, fifty?" Ash giggled, rolling her eyes. "It really isn't tha' bad, Lily. How many're over there?" "Seven, including Lily," Eric said. "I refuse to let them send any more," Lily growled. "Each of the girls gets one day a week to spend with him, and he gets Sundays off." "Then when do ya get time with him?" "Any time I fucking want to," Lily laughed, waggling her beer in Eric's direction. "We're trying to have a kid now, and I'm refusing to let any of those other bitches get a go at getting knocked up until I'm well and truly swollen. Once I'm half way through my second trimester, then I'll let'em get off their birth control, and not a minute fucking sooner." "Still got Eric under your thumb, huh, Lil?" Andy teased. "Thumb, palm, e

Train the Best. Change EMS.Howdy, y'all, I'm Dr Jeff Jarvis, and I'm the host of the EMS lighthouse project podcast, but I'm also the medical director for the new EMS system we're building in Fort Worth Texas. We are looking for an experienced critical care paramedic who is an effective and inspiring educator to lead the initial and continuing training and credentialing of a new team of Critical Care Paramedics who will be responding to our highest acuity calls. The salary is negotiable but starts between $65,000 and $80,000 a year for this office position. Whether y'all wear cowboy boots or Birkenstocks, Fort Worth can be a great place to live and work. So if you're ready to create a world-class EMS system and change the EMS world with us, give us a call at 817-953-3083, take care y'all.The next time you go to intubate a patient, should you give the sedation before the paralytic or the paralytic before the sedative? Does it matter? And what the hell does Bayes have to do with any of this? Dr Jarvis reviews a paper that uses Bayesian statistics to calculate the association between drug sequence and first attempt failure. Then he returns to Nerd Valley to talk about how to interpret 95% confidence intervals derived from frequentists statistics compared to 95% credible intervals that come from Bayesian statistics. Citations:1.     Catoire P, Driver B, Prekker ME, Freund Y: Effect of administration sequence of induction agents on first‐attempt failure during emergency intubation: A Bayesian analysis of a prospective cohort. Academic Emergency Medicine. 2025;February;32(2):123–9. 2.     Casey JD, Janz DR, Russell DW, Vonderhaar DJ, Joffe AM, Dischert KM, Brown RM, Zouk AN, Gulati S, Heideman BE, et al.: Bag-Mask Ventilation during Tracheal Intubation of Critically Ill Adults. N Engl J Med. 2019;February 28;380(9):811–21.3.     Greer A, Hewitt M, Khazaneh PT, Ergan B, Burry L, Semler MW, Rochwerg B, Sharif S: Ketamine Versus Etomidate for Rapid Sequence Intubation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials. Critical Care Medicine. 2025;February;53(2):e374–83.

On The Big Flop, we unpack history's most fascinating flops, frauds, and fiascos. But The Best Idea Yet brings you the untold stories behind some of the most successful products of all time. So...what happens when both shows cover the same topic? A proper debate!Listen in as Nick & Jack, the hosts of The Best Idea Yet, join Misha to dive into the fascinating world of Beanie Babies – those unassuming critters with birthdates and bios that took America by storm in the late 90s. They explore how these plushie pals helped launch eBay, why you should never trade your Bucky the Beaver for a cupcake, and the eventual market crash that wiped out millions, all to decide whether they were a success or a flop.You can listen to the full 'Beanie Babies' episode of The Best Idea Yet right now, on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts: Wondery.fm/TBIY_IFDThe Best Idea Yet explores the most viral products of all time every week, from Birkenstocks to Sriracha, Air Jordans to Super Mario. Come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

SUMMER IS SERVED—and Holly has the accessories to prove it. ☀️

Warum zündet man an Sylvester nicht mal ein Wasserwerk statt eines Feuerwerks an? Hatten Adam und Eva einen Nabel? Wenn man zu einem Liliputaner sagt, dass er kleinlich ist, ist es dann eine Beleidigung? Wann kann man endlich den Panama-Kanal im Kabel empfangen? Alle Antworten auf diese Fragen, bekommt Ihr in der neuen Ausgabe meines […] Der Beitrag Stevinho Talks #617: Stinkige Birkenstocks erschien zuerst auf Stevinho.de - Ein ausgezeichneter Blog!.

Nach zwei Wochen Japan habe ich einiges zu erzählen: von schrägen Begegnungen am Flughafen (Stichwort: Dickpic), über kulturelle Missverständnisse beim Teppanyaki, bis hin zur tiefen Ruhe, die ich dort gefunden habe - zumindest bis Johanna Mikl-Leitner mit ihrer Delegation im Meiji-Schrein aufgetaucht ist.Ich spreche über meinen Fieber-Start in den Urlaub, über die wohltuende japanische Zurückhaltung und darüber, wie ich mir wünsche, dieses Lebensgefühl mit nach Wien zu nehmen - obwohl Birkenstocks in Japan offenbar schon als kriminell gelten. Außerdem gibt's ein paar überraschende Einsichten aus dem Hotelgym… „Ein bisschen Hass muss sein“ am Dienstag, 17. Juni um 22:30 Uhr auf ORF1 und am gleichen Tag auf ORF ON streambar.www.patreon.com/michibuchinger

Ever wondered how Birkenstocks went from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Or who created that bottle of Sriracha that is permanently living in your fridge? Did you know that Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery's new weekly podcast, The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories, plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi's 501 jeans, come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch. Listen on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on What a Great Punk, we're joined by writer and comedian Izzy Beach to chat about her $1,000 designer Birkenstocks that were "half price," the traumatic memory of filming with food poisoning while wearing a fake pregnant belly, and her narrowly-avoided Good Charlotte tramp stamp that might have been her ticket to fashion influencer fame. Plus: being masochists who enjoy the hollow feeling after saying something vulgar, discovering the humiliation of dry cleaners who can't actually clean anything, and Todd's controversial defense of wearing the same Metallica cut-off singlet to Greece every year. We also somehow manage to go from feeding rainbow lorikeets to American imperialism in less than three minutes.You can watch the video of this episode exclusively on our Patreon: https://patreon.com/whatagreatpunkShout outs @isobelbeechdotcom and cheers to the legends at @younghenrys for sponsoring the pod!Watch videos of the pods and get weekly bonus episodes on our Patreon — it's only 5 bucks a month, but it's still 5 bucks!:https://patreon.com/whatagreatpunkJoin us all in the TNSW Discord community chat:https://tnsw.co/discordWatch our Comedy Central mockumentary series and TNSW Tonight! on YouTube:https://youtube.com/thesenewsouthwhalesTNSW on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/0srVTNI2U8J7vytCTprEk4?si=e9ibyNpiT2SDegTnJV_6Qg&dl_branch=1TNSW: @thesenewsouthwhalessJamie: @mossylovesyouTodd: @mrtoddandrewshttps://patreon.com/whatagreatpunkhttps://thesenewsouthwhales.comShout-outs to the Honorary Punks of the Pod:Harry WalkomHugh FlassmanZac Arden BrimsClaireJimi KendallLachy TanDerrotonin69Adjoa SamMatt Sanders

Dies ist eine Radreise-Folge – und es werden Kilometer abgefahren! Ortlieb-Ambassadorin Wiebke Rosa Lühmann, die mit dem Rad 20.000 Kilometer durch Afrika gefahren ist – und das Ganze in Birkenstocks! Allein, selbstbestimmt und mit jeder Menge Geschichten im Ortlieb Gepäck.

In the retail world, we often throw around the term "disruptor" when we're talking about a promising new brand that breaks through the busy marketplace and challenges the status quo; or even leads the charge in a broader cultural movement. But in some cases, that story isn't about something new at all, but something enduring. Something that's been there all along, waiting for the world to catch up. Birkenstock is one such brand. For the majority of their roughly 250-year lifespan, Birkenstock—one of the oldest footwear brands in the world—has been slowly simmering in the background. They built a modestly successful business around the revolutionary innovation and the thoughtful evolution of their signature contoured footbeds, and over time their undeniable comfort and noticeable orthopedic benefits earned them an incredibly loyal yet hyper-niche following. Then, something remarkable happened. In 2012, at a Celine runway show, designer Phoebe Philo—known really in the fashion world for redefining modern luxury—walked out wearing a pair of fur-lined sandals that looked remarkably like Birkenstocks. It wasn't a marketing campaign. It wasn't a collaboration. It was just one woman, making a choice. And the world noticed. To help us better understand the incredible growth of this brand in the last decade plus, and the very tangible touchstone for its continued success, we're going to hear from David Kahan, President and General Manager of the Americas for Birkenstock. After that we'll take a closer look at Nordstrom's unique partnership with Birkenstock from one of our very own: Women's Footwear Buyer Randa Farran. Thanks for tuning in to episode 86. We hope you enjoy it! Did you know that YOU can be on The Nordy Pod? This show isn't just a one-way conversation. We want to hear about what Nordstrom looks like through your eyes. Share your Nordstrom experience, good or bad, by giving us a call and leaving a voicemail at: 206.594.0526, or send an email to nordypodcast@nordstrom.com to be a part of the conversation! And be sure to follow us on Instagram @thenordypod to stay up to date on new episodes, announcements and more.

This week, Sara's acolytes defend her honour, plus a lone wolf speaks out - speaks truth - to power. To the power. Of a butt. We watch Seth Rogen's new show The Studio, and we open our chakras to the feedback on our feedback on The White Lotus. Write to us: fuckoff@firecrotchandnormcore.comHelp Sara buy new Birkenstocks and enjoy our show ad free! patreon.com/theyliketowatch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was T-Day: Tariffs, Tesla, & Trump… We got an update on all of ‘em (and why it'll cost you $3,600/year).Tinder launched a Flirt-bot… Because AI's most powerful use is training pickup lines (seriously).Nintendo's Switch 2 is its biggest launch in 8 years… and Mario Kart is getting social.Plus, we found a Skier's Arbitrage: It's cheaper to fly to Japan for a weekend of shredding than staying here in the states…$NTDOY $TSLA $SPYWant more business storytelling from us? Check out the latest episode of our new weekly deepdive show: The untold origin story of…

Are exposed ankles back? Luigi Mangione sure says so. Also, stuffie reports, Jibbitz musings, purchasable solutions, travel lacrosse balls, and more!   Stuffie bag charms are happening at 10 Corso Como, we ate up Liza Corsillo's "I Spent 3 Hours at the Jellycat Diner" for NY Mag, and we're just getting to know Mofusand and their loreless world via their Uniqlo collab.    Jibbitz-inspired living is taking over! The Boulder Public Library hosted a make-your-own jibbitz event, and shoe charms and sandal rings are coming for Birkenstocks. Speaking of Birks, do you have thoughts on Reykjaviks?    We love this Ruth Madievsky quote in her piece in The Cut about the Berlant/Novak podcast:  “The pair bonded over their mutual obsession with purchasable solutions to the problem of being alive.” Two of our current solutjions: a lacrosse ball when traveling and a magnifying mirror with a light. The concept made us think about the book Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman.   What purchasable solutions to the problem of being alive (aka Thingies?) do you rely on? Let us know at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, @athingortwohq, or in our Geneva.   Treat your hair nice with Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first month's subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO. Ring in spring with Fast Growing Trees. Get 15% off your first purchase with the code ATHINGORTWO. Sleep better and get 20% off your Helix mattress when you use our link.  YAY.

Our comedians Te Radar and Pinky Agnew with a few laughs including the German court ruling that Birkenstocks are not works of art.

KMOX Legal Analyst, Brad Young, a partner at Harris Dowell Fisher & Young, joins Megan Lynch weekly with a look at various legal matters. This week, firings for 'government efficiency', the rights of the Associated Press at the White House, Greenpeace, and are Birkenstocks art?

Dave and Chuck the Freak talk about a metal detector video, train aquarium coffee table, home nurse for older woman with dildo collection, emailer looking for coins for sale for Craigslist ad for senior ladies wanted, 5 cops arrested and department shutdown for selling drugs, donut shop worker gunned down would-be robber, snow plow driver driving fast down the road, Hooters may be facing bankruptcy, man reunited with lost dog after 8 years, Dave’s hair is growing faster, NFL investigation into Justin Tucker, Rob Ray hit by puck on live TV, Rams granted Matthew Stafford permission to speak with other teams, Yankees will allow facial hair, one of Diddy’s lawyers wants to be removed from team, movie director allegedly groped actor, Menendez Brothers denied another trial, video of Justin Bieber acting strangely, Ben Affleck casually dating, dog awards, comedies that are funny from start to finish, lady who got knocked up by Dave Grohl identified herself, woman peed on food, guy peed on bar, 11-year-old crashed car into daycare, delivery driver caught stealing customer’s food, hot air balloon mile high club, plastic surgeon computer hacked, man recorded women working out at female only gym, brawl at a Spirit Airlines gate, someone emailed bomb threat, pilot bit by tarantula during flight, Jet Blue will reimburse travelers if their vacation gets rained out, man won casino jackpot but won’t get it because he banned himself from casino, thieves win scratcher jackpot with stolen credit card, bald men being attacked for rituals, Birkenstocks trying to stop competitors from copying design, TikTok trend dropping heavy stuff on feet, drunk get got 2 DUIs in 2 nights after crashing car 2x in same spot, drunk guys found with weapons and drugs after passing out behind wheel, man had coke in couch, chunk of ice flew off truck, fire ball from gas fireplace, woman died after sticking head out train window for selfie, what would happen if Yellowstone volcano erupted, how many ways are there to brush your teeth, noise cancelling headphones, how people described a mummy smell, leaving room for dessert, and more!

Post Malone Oreos. Target. This date in history. Crunchy. Vacuuming. Taking down the Santas. Pear problem. It does get better. It's not illegal, but should be. State cryptid in California. Birkenstocks are not works of art. How to merge on the highway. Stolen credit card used to buy a winning lottery ticket.

Brick collector. Post Malone Oreos. Target. This date in history. Crunchy. Vacuuming. Taking down the Santas. Pear problem. It does get better. It's not illegal, but should be. State cryptid in California. Birkenstocks are not works of art. How to merge on the highway. Stolen credit card used to buy a winning lottery ticket. How much can you spend without telling your spouse? Biodegradable Mardi Gras beads. New iPhone. AI cheats to win. Amazon is removing the ability to save e-books on your computer.

The Supreme Court on Friday chose not to intervene in a case involving President Donald Trump’s firing of an independent agency head. As the case is passed back to the lower courts, it tees up a legal battle that will test the president’s power to dismiss officials. We’ll get into what this could all mean for the Federal Reserve. And, U.S. national parks are being hit by the administration’s purge of the federal workforce. Plus, we’ll weigh in on Birkenstocks, prebiotic sodas and the “White Lotus effect” during a round of Half Full/Half Empty! Here’s everything we talked about today: “Supreme Court Declines for Now to Let Trump Fire Agency Head” from Bloomberg  Post on Bluesky about national park closures “Trump administration backtracks on eliminating thousands of national parks employees” from The L.A. Times “Firings Squeeze National Parks: ‘You Won't Have the Full Experience'” from The New York Times “Can sandals be art? Birkenstock says yes, but a German court says no” from AP News “‘Gut Pop' Is Injecting New Fizz Into the Beverage Aisle” from The Wall Street Journal “Politics are changing how and where consumers spend” from Marketplace “The ‘White Lotus effect’ on tourism” from Marketplace “Amazon Gains Creative Control Over the James Bond Franchise” from The New York Times Got a question or comment for the hosts? Email makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

The Supreme Court on Friday chose not to intervene in a case involving President Donald Trump’s firing of an independent agency head. As the case is passed back to the lower courts, it tees up a legal battle that will test the president’s power to dismiss officials. We’ll get into what this could all mean for the Federal Reserve. And, U.S. national parks are being hit by the administration’s purge of the federal workforce. Plus, we’ll weigh in on Birkenstocks, prebiotic sodas and the “White Lotus effect” during a round of Half Full/Half Empty! Here’s everything we talked about today: “Supreme Court Declines for Now to Let Trump Fire Agency Head” from Bloomberg  Post on Bluesky about national park closures “Trump administration backtracks on eliminating thousands of national parks employees” from The L.A. Times “Firings Squeeze National Parks: ‘You Won't Have the Full Experience'” from The New York Times “Can sandals be art? Birkenstock says yes, but a German court says no” from AP News “‘Gut Pop' Is Injecting New Fizz Into the Beverage Aisle” from The Wall Street Journal “Politics are changing how and where consumers spend” from Marketplace “The ‘White Lotus effect’ on tourism” from Marketplace “Amazon Gains Creative Control Over the James Bond Franchise” from The New York Times Got a question or comment for the hosts? Email makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

During this hour of the show, guest host Steve Thomson welcomes Reid Spencer on the show to discuss the opening of the 2025 NASCAR season. The home of another sports star was robbed. Plus, Birkenstocks get a specific classification.

President Trump says Mexican drug cartels are terrorists groups. And Mexico is accusing the US of facilitating terrorism by putting guns into the cartels hands.And the James Bond film franchise will no longer be controlled by the Broccoli dynasty. Creative control will now be given to Amazon MGM Studios.How has life changed since the LA firestorms? LA resident and Business Matters regular Allie Garfinkel tells us what life in the city is like now.Also why is the comfy sandal brand Birkenstocks being told they are not a work of art in a German court?Global business news, with live guests and contributions from Asia and the USA.

Hamas and Israel continued their prisoner-for-hostage exchanges as part of the ceasefire deal in Gaza, but on Thursday, the hostages released to Israel were already dead. Hamas claims they were killed by Israeli airstrikes while they were in captivity, which Israeli officials have not denied. The occasion was a somber shift in tone for the hostage releases, which are usually days of relief and celebration in Israel. Also, on Wednesday, in Paris, European leaders held another round of emergency talks focused on how to bolster the continent's defense capabilities and support Ukraine's fight against Russia. The continent is worried about how to defend itself in a world with fewer security guarantees from NATO ally the US. Also, a German court rules that Birkenstocks are not art that can be copyrighted. Hear about the history and aesthetic of the beloved, ugly, centuries-old German footwear. And, the story of the Latvian film "Flow," about animals banding together to survive a flood, which is up for an Oscar.Listen to today's Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks!Mark Ibold and Scott Kannberg from Pavement, director Jed I. Rosenberg, and producers Jeffrey Lewis Clark and Brian Thalken discuss Louder Than You Think: A Lo-Fi History of Gary Young and Pavement, our states of being near the strange top of 2025, their respective experiences knowing Gary and playing in the Fall of Christianity and Pavement, Mark's memory of Scott's socks-and-Birkenstocks stage wear and first encountering Gary, how this film was conceived of and navigating Gary's alcoholism and ill health to interview him, marionettes, LSD, and Pavement puppets, Gary's remarkable drumming, another new Pavement song that appears in this film, future plans, and much more.Support vish on Patreon! Thanks to the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad's Donuts. Support Y.E.S.S., Pride Centre of Edmonton, and Letters Charity. Follow vish online.Related episodes/links:Ep. #934: Rebecca Clay ColeEp. #933: Alex Ross Perry, Scott Kannberg, and Robert Greene on ‘Pavements'Ep. #924: Lance Bangs and Bob Nastanovich on ‘Pavements'Ep. #910: The Hard QuartetEp. #678: Mark IboldEp. #677: PavementEp. #392: Stephen MalkmusEp. #373: Pavement's Bob Nastanovich and Steve WestEp. #165: Bob Nastanovich of Silver JewsEp. #74: Stephen MalkmusSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/kreative-kontrol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the Office Ladies break down Email Surveillance. They are joined by a member of Michael's improv group, and Office Ladies super fan, Ken Jeong (Community, The Masked Singer). Ken shares his memories from set, and his love of The Office. We are introduced to the beginnings of the Dwight and Angela romance (aka Dwangela). Then, Jenna and Angela chat about Pam in Jim's bedroom, double posters, those amazing karaoke scenes. Birkenstocks will be bumpin' by the end of this episode.  Check out Office Ladies Merch at Podswag: https://www.podswag.com/collections/office-ladies  Office Ladies Website - Submit a fan question: https://officeladies.com/submitaquestion  Follow Us on Instagram: OfficeLadiesPod Episode Transcript To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You know you have a great idea when you start having competitors copy you. Well, Dr. Scholl's copied the foot bed from Birkenstock. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I'm Stephen's sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today's episode, a word from our sponsor, which is... Well, it's us, but we're highlighting ads we've written and produced for our clients, so here's one of those. [Out Of This World Plumbing Ad] Dave Young: Welcome back to the Empire Builders Podcast. Dave Young, here with Stephen Semple. And today, man, today is the day, man. Dude, we're going to rap about Birkenstocks. It's the crunchy granola shoe from the seventies. That's what I think of with Birkenstocks, and I want to like Birkenstocks. I tried them on many times in my life and I don't know that I could get through the learning curve or whatever it is. They just didn't. Anyway, I'm anxious to hear the story, because I think we're headed to Europe. Stephen Semple: So the average, so people who own Birkenstocks on average own Fortair. Dave Young: Yeah, I get it. Stephen Semple: In 2023, Birkenstock went public. Dave Young: Oh, did they? Stephen Semple: At a $7 billion valuation. Dave Young: Dang. Why? Why would they need to? Stephen Semple: A lot of times, I think when things like this happen, it's to free up money for the family. Dave Young: Yeah, they're cashing out. Stephen Semple: It's the give ability for key employees to have ownership. Often, there's a lot of reasons for doing an IPO, and in future, we're going to do one on Jacuzzi where it'll really highlight that really well because it's a crazy story. Dave Young: Cool. Well, take me back to the beginning of Birkenstock, man. Stephen Semple: Yeah. The model that Birkenstock is really known for is that classic one with the strap and whatnot. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: And it's called the Arizona. And it has been growing, sales on the Arizona have been growing like 24% a year. It just Dave Young: Just year over year? Stephen Semple: It's just growing, and growing, and growing, and growing year over year. But Birkenstock is a really old company. It was founded in 1774 by Johann. Dave Young: Well, that's pretty old. Stephen Semple: Yeah, Johann Adam Birkenstock in Germany. And the original idea was to create shoes that gave support and contour to the foot. And in 1896, the Fußbett, which is footbed, was designed. And by 1925, Birkenstocks were being sold all over Europe. And in 1966 is when they were brought to America. And literally the first documented mention of Birkenstock was basically March 25th, 1774 as a vassal and shoemaker in some local church archives is where it was first mentioned. Dave Young: Wow. Stephen Semple: Right. I mean, holy crap. We're talking generation, after generation, after generation of master shoemakers or part-time shoemakers, all called Birkenstock. This is a business that's gone from Birkenstock to Birkenstock to Birkenstock to Birkenstock. Dave Young: Wow. Stephen Semple: It's been really quite incredible. Dave Young: That is amazing. Yeah. Stephen Semple: Yeah. And so basically where they really had their big breakthrough was following World War I, because shoes were now starting to be mass-produced. It started to become cheap. But here's the crazy thing is the early mass-produced shoes, there were no arch support. And in a lot of cases there was not even a left or right. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: And so this is when they created this whole idea of a footbed being able to be put in the shoe to create better comfort and whatnot.

Whether you're in Birkenstocks or combat boots or some other fine shoe, traipse on into this conversation with author/illustrator MariNaomi (“I Thought You Loved Me”) for a pre-2025 chat about Marin County, edgy high school subway-related plays, and even a side helping of Tupac!

On this episode Aries and Andy talk about relive my 20's, white people and animals, broke, Ronald Williams, flawless, manfood movies, Dragon Ball Z, porn titles, John Q, Alpha Brain, The Piano Lesson, and Ms. Deidre Ann Johnson. Social Media Instagram: @SpearsBergPod Twitter: @SpearsBergPod Facebook: SpearsBergPod Patreon: SpearsBergPod Youtube: SpearsBergPod  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The untold stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery's new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet aka TBOY) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi's 501 jeans, come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch. Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Wondery.fm/TBIY_IPSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The untold stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery's new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet aka TBOY) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi's 501 jeans, come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch. Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Wondery.fm/TBIY_IPSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The untold stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery's new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet aka TBOY) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi's 501 jeans, come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch. Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Wondery.fm/TBIY_IPSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The untold stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery's new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet aka TBOY) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi's 501 jeans, come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch. Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Wondery.fm/TBIY_IPSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The untold stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery's new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet aka TBOY) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi's 501 jeans, come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch. Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Wondery.fm/TBIY_IPSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The untold stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery's new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet aka TBOY) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi's 501 jeans, come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch. Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Wondery.fm/TBIY_IPSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The untold stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery's new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet aka TBOY) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi's 501 jeans, come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch. Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Wondery.fm/TBIY_IPSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The untold stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery's new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet aka TBOY) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi's 501 jeans, come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch. Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Wondery.fm/TBIY_IPSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The untold stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery's new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet aka TBOY) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi's 501 jeans, come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch. Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Wondery.fm/TBIY_IPSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The untold stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery's new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet aka TBOY) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi's 501 jeans, come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch. Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Wondery.fm/TBIY_IPSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The untold stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery's new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet aka TBOY) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi's 501 jeans, come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch. Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Wondery.fm/TBIY_IPSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The untold stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery's new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet aka TBOY) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi's 501 jeans, come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch. Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Wondery.fm/TBIY_IPSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The untold stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery's new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet aka TBOY) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi's 501 jeans, come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch. Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Wondery.fm/TBIY_IPSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The untold stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery's new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet aka TBOY) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi's 501 jeans, come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch. Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Wondery.fm/TBIY_IPSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The untold stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler's passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery's new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet aka TBOY) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi's 501 jeans, come for the products you're obsessed with, stay for the business insights that'll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch. Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Wondery.fm/TBIY_IPSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.