Podcasts about collaborate

Photo by Gabriel Meinert on Unsplash Published 22 June 2026 e558 with Michael M and Andy – slowing things down with games where you walk, fly, sail, throw bananas and play ball, along with 3D printing innovation, a new flip phone from Commodore and a whole lot more! Michael M and Andy get things started while Michael R is away with cornucopia of games. First up is StonkRider, which bills itself as “motocross meets wall street” where you ride a motorcycle up and down a stock ticker.  Then, from the makers of Untitled Goose Game, is a new title called Big Walk, where, as the title suggests, you go out for an unstructured walk.  This harkens back nicely to the discussion between Ian and Andy in last week's episode.  And it reminds Michael of a story he saw recently about Google's take on Flight Simulator using Google Maps.  Next, the pair discuss TinyWind, a pixel pirate sailing game, where you might charter an accountant and sail the wild accountancy.  Then, an even more retro game appears – Gorilla.JS.  This DOS game has gorillas throwing exploding bananas at one another from across a cityscape where you can choose the angle and force to throw.  Both cohosts promptly thew their bananas with such little force that it went up in the air and exploded on their own gorilla.   Batter up!  Andy and Michael's next set of topics take them to America's pastime, and the adjacent sport of cricket.  After checking out the game visualization of Ribbie, the pair get into a discussion on what 8-Bit really means.  Michael remembers the SmallBall game, and was disappointed to learn that this game is no longer maintained.  On the other hand, he is happy about his university playing in the College World Series.  Baseball and cricket really lend themselves well to games because of all of the stats that are kept about each player and the games themselves.  Andy shared the story of the Wisden Cricketers Almanack which chronicles enormous details in it's 1,500 pages! After turning to innovations in 3D printing and visionOS collaboration, the cohosts consider the slow tech movement using the example of the new Commodore Callback flip phone.  This phone features the promoted ability to run 99% of Android apps while completely blocking social media and browsers.   Andy and Michael wrap things up with a new LEGO Ideas set – a playable LEGO space themed pinball machine.   Links to all of the fun are below – check them out!   What do you think the Commodore Callback model number 8020 means?  Have your bots

Portfolio poison: How ignoring modern slavery risks your returnsQuestion:Why does modern slavery persist despite Australia's Modern Slavery Act, and what practical steps can investors and fund managers take to drive real change beyond compliance?Answer:Modern slavery remains a global issue, with an estimated 50 million people affected. Australia's Modern Slavery Act has increased awareness but hasn't yet reduced incidents. According to Måns Carlsson, OAM, head of ESG at Ausbil Active Sustainable Equity, the key is moving beyond a “compliance mindset” to genuine leadership. This means harmonising laws internationally, adopting human rights due diligence (not just reporting), and using investor influence for practical engagement with companies.Investors can't guarantee portfolios are free from modern slavery risk, but they can:• Incentivise suppliers to meet responsible sourcing standards, focusing on deeper supply chain tiers (not just tier one).• Use tools like worker voice technology for real-time feedback, rather than relying solely on annual audits.• Collaborate with other investors and advocate for stronger, harmonised laws (e.g., import bans on goods made with forced labour).• Support companies to improve, rewarding progress rather than demanding perfection.The real power lies in ongoing, practical engagement and policy advocacy, not just risk assessments or box-ticking.Why it matters:Modern slavery is not just a legal or ethical issue—it's a material risk for companies and investors. Reputational damage (as seen with Boohoo in the UK) can hit share prices hard and fast. As global regulation tightens, companies that fail to act may find their goods blocked from key markets. For investors, supporting companies to improve standards helps reduce risk, avoid negative surprises, and contribute to positive change.Sources:• Måns Carlsson, head of ESG, Ausbil Active Sustainable Equity• Michelle Baltazar, executive director of media, FS Sustainability• RIAA Human Rights Working Group toolkitsTimestamps:00:00 – Why modern slavery persists; need for global collaboration02:01 – Investor relevance: reputational risk, earnings sustainability05:51 – Harmonisation, human rights due diligence, import bans08:40 – Practical steps: engagement, worker voice tools, supplier incentives13:19 – Responsible purchasing and unintended consequences16:40 – Monitoring deeper supply chain tiers18:32 – Accountability and ongoing engagement20:54 – ESG, risk management, and performanceWe record on Gadigal Land and we pay our respects to the traditional custodians of country and elders past and present.https://www.fssustainability.com.au/This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

You don't grow by adding more. You grow by cutting what no longer belongs. Most people think growth comes from adding another strategy, another hire, another opportunity, another commitment. But nature doesn't grow that way. A rose bush grows because someone is willing to cut it back. Even the healthy parts. Especially the healthy parts. In this episode, we're talking about one of the hardest leadership skills you'll ever develop: knowing when something needs to end. Most entrepreneurs don't have a growth problem. They have a pruning problem. They're carrying outdated commitments, underperforming team members, draining clients, unhealthy patterns, and old identities that no longer fit where they're trying to go. Inspired by the concepts from Necessary Endings, April explores why growth often requires subtraction before multiplication and why your next level may be waiting on a difficult decision you've been avoiding. Because sometimes the thing holding you back isn't what you're missing. It's what you're refusing to release. In This Episode You Will Learn: Why growth requires pruning, not just addition. The Rose Bush Principle and how it applies to leadership and business. The three types of things that require necessary endings. Why high performers often struggle most with letting go. The hidden cost of over-responsibility. The difference between hard decisions and harmful situations. How vision creates clarity around what belongs and what doesn't. Why awareness must come before action. The Three Types of Necessary Endings 1. Dead Things The obvious ones. The systems, relationships, projects, and people that are clearly no longer working. Yet somehow we keep feeding them. 2. Sick Things Not fully broken. Not fully healthy. They consume more energy than they create. They survive through constant management and emotional labor. 3. Good But No Longer Great The hardest category. Because they're still working. Still profitable. Still comfortable. But they no longer align with your next level. Key Takeaways ✅ Every level of growth requires letting go of something. ✅ Hard decisions are not necessarily harmful decisions. ✅ Leaders often stay stuck because they confuse loyalty with self-sacrifice. ✅ Vision creates filters. ✅ What you tolerate today becomes tomorrow's limitation. ✅ Awareness is the first step toward necessary endings. Quotes "You don't grow by adding more. You grow by cutting what no longer belongs." "A rose bush doesn't become stronger by keeping every branch. It grows because someone is willing to prune it." "Hard does not mean harmful." "Most leaders don't have a strategy problem. They have an ending problem." "What you're unwilling to release may be the very thing preventing your growth." Discussion Questions Business What needs a necessary ending in your business? What employee, client, process, or project is costing more than it's creating? What are you currently tolerating? Personal What relationship dynamic needs to end? What belief no longer serves you? What identity have you outgrown? The Four Power Questions What do I need to kill off in myself? What do I need to stop doing, thinking, or feeling? What do I need to say no to? Why does this matter for the life and business I say I want? Challenge This week, don't take action yet. Don't fire anyone. Don't quit anything. Don't make any dramatic moves. Just tell yourself the truth. Because once you see clearly what needs to end, you can no longer pretend it belongs. And that's where real change begins. ---------------- Want more tools to help you create momentum, clarity, and growth in your business and life? Ready to take this work beyond the podcast? Join us at Collaborate 2026, our once-a-year, in-person transformational experience in Grass Valley, California. Spend 2.5 powerful days gaining clarity, building momentum, and doing the deep work alongside growth-minded leaders. Early Bird pricing ends March 31st, and seats are limited. Reserve yours at www.theaprilgarcia.com/collaborate.

Whether it's McDonald's and Cadbury or H&M and Karl Lagerfeld, brand collaborations are booming. From food to fashion, homeware to movies, why are partnerships having such a moment and what makes some 'collabs' succeed while others fail? Evan Davis and his guests explore the deals, the strategies and the creative thinking that turn collaborations into commercial successes. They also consider the consequences of what happens when things don't go to plan? Guests: Karen O'Rourke, Managing Director, H&M, UK and Ireland Gill Williams, head of partnerships, tpf Rita Clifton, branding expert, former London CEO, Interbrand Presenter: Evan Davis Producer: Nick Holland and Sally Abrahams Sound engineers: James Breard and Andy Garratt Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison Editor: Sam Bonham

Brad Johnson holds the Western Bulldogs games record - 364 games. 558 goals, six All Australian selections, a Hall of Fame inductee. He is, by any measure, one of the greats of his generation. This is a beautiful conversation with a genuinely extraordinary person that still trains like he's trying to earn his spot - he drove an hour to be first at the track the morning this conversation was recorded. He's genuinely, almost inexplicably, one of the happiest people you'll ever come across - and, according to Luke, has been that way since he was seventeen years old. In this episode of Empowering Leaders, Luke Darcy sits down with his former teammate, and longtime friend for a conversation about what it actually looks like to give everything to something - in football, in business, in family - and still be standing tall on the other side. They talk about Brad's son Jack, who is chasing a career in motorsport at serious cost, and what it means to be a dad who shows up without getting in the way. About his daughter Ella, whose singing career paused through COVID and might just be starting again. About the eight years he and wife Donna spent building Zena - a protective sportswear brand for women in contact sport - starting from nothing, holding strong through two years of dead ends, to now being stocked in Rebel Sport and sold internationally. Brad opens up about his cancer diagnosis last year - a lump under his arm, six weeks of radiation, an operation, and a first clear scan six months later. He talks about what it took to stop trying to work through it and about Donna telling him to for once in his life to focus on himself. You'll hear this brilliant past episode referenced: Paul Waterson: From intensive care nurse to running pubs with the Australian Venue Co. Check it out or re-listen now. 01:49 AFL Legend Brad Johnson & Luke Darcy: 17-Year-Olds at the Western Bulldogs03:49 The Athlete Brad Johnson Was — Endurance, Speed & Strength04:52 Brad Johnson's Positivity: Natural or Performed?06:02 Parenting Kids Who Chase Big Dreams — Ella's Singing & Jack's Motorsport Career08:31 Supporting a Motorsport Career: The Real Cost of Jack Johnson's Racing Dream10:33 Leadership Lessons from Jack Johnson's Pitch to Melbourne Business Leaders12:01 Brad Johnson on Parenting Differently to His Own Father14:34 364 Games for the Western Bulldogs: Habits, Discipline & the Scotty Wine Story17:16 What AFL Players Underestimate When They Retire18:42 Brad & Donna Johnson on Starting Zena Sport — Building a Business from Scratch23:36 Finding Your Lane: Stop Chasing Everything (The Hedgehog Moment)25:17 Brad Johnson on the Aleda Leadership Community26:21 What Brad Johnson Is Most Proud Of at 5031:10 Brad Johnson's Cancer Diagnosis: Radiation, Surgery & First Clear Scan34:04 Brad Johnson's Daily Routine After Cancer — Walking, Sauna, Weights & Golf35:24 Leadership Advice: Bring Your Quality to the Table39:12 Collaboration, Paul Waterson & Learning Outside the Sporting Bubble42:09 The AFL Premiership Brad Johnson Never Won — and How He Made Peace With It We are privileged to have Brad as part of our Aleda Connect community. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Start your leadership journey today. Meet with founders Luke Darcy, Matt Wadewitz or one of the amazing Aleda Connect facilitators to learn how you can grow alongside people like Brad within our signature leadership program. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bookkeepers often feel less empowered than tax professionals.Full show notes hereThe DisruptorsWith Liz FarrFor CPA TrendlinesNancy McClelland wants to do more than just run her firm, The Dancing Accountant. She has two big passion projects that are creating the conversations and collaborations this profession desperately needs. Her community, Ask a CPA, aims to bridge the gap between bookkeepers and tax professionals. She also co-hosts a podcast with Questian Telka, She Counts, which provides a safe space for women in accounting to discuss real issues.MORE STREAMING: Cannon: Busy Season is Self-Inflicted | Carroll: When One Person Can Break the Firm |  Rampe: Build a Roadmap Even When the Road's Not There | Chang: Killing SALY, One Agent at a Time | Vanover: 5-Star Firms Don't Bill by the Hour | Kless: Profit Is a Result. Flourishing Is the Purpose | MORE CPA Trendlines Streaming NetworkMcClelland started the Ask a CPA Community when she noticed “this big gap that wasn't about technical knowledge. It was about permission, about permission to collaborate.” While “bookkeepers are often the closest person to the financial truth of a business,” historically, “they've been positioned as subordinate to tax preparers, just sort of expected to hand off things and hope that they did it right,” McClelland explains. READ MORE > > > 

Timmy Bristow was nine years old when he ruptured his pancreas playing footy at recess, crawled to the tap, and waited alone in a dark staffroom until his mum finished her shift. By the time she arrived he was blue. A few hours later he was on an ambulance plane to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne with a thirty percent chance of surviving surgery. While Timmy was in hospital, of the young AFL players who showed up on the ward to help cheer up the young patient was… Luke Darcy. But in that moment - neither of them could have possibly known they'd end up here, having this conversation today. Timmy grew up in country Victoria, excelled on the sporting field, and for twenty-one years carried the secret that he'd been sexually abused by someone in a position of authority and trust - in an institution that covered it up. He held it through his teens, through footy, through becoming a husband and a father. Until his sister said she'd tell their parents herself if he didn't. In this conversation on Empowering Leaders, Timmy and Luke talk about what that silence cost and what breaking the silence felt like. They talk about the 28.5% of Australian children who will experience sexual abuse before they turn eighteen, about Timmy’s mammoth effort to run seven marathons in seven states in seven days for Bravehearts, and about what Timmy has built on the other side of all of it - an incredible school he leads the way he wished he'd been led, a personal philosophy of connection, vulnerability and consistency, and a refusal to become a statistic. We are privileged to have Timmy as part of our Aleda Connect community. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Start your leadership journey today. Meet with founders Luke Darcy, Matt Wadewitz or one of the amazing Aleda Connect facilitators to learn how you can grow alongside people like Timmy within our signature leadership program. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump has announced that he told all the performers who were announced for his summer concert series to stay home! Instead, Trump says, we will all be treated to one of the greatest hits of all time: his go-to on the campaign trail and beyond, Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The U.S.A.” And so, much to T.J.’s chagrin, it looks like Vanilla Ice, who has been the only talent on the original list of artists to enthusiastically say he wants to perform, won’t be on stage celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump has announced that he told all the performers who were announced for his summer concert series to stay home! Instead, Trump says, we will all be treated to one of the greatest hits of all time: his go-to on the campaign trail and beyond, Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The U.S.A.” And so, much to T.J.’s chagrin, it looks like Vanilla Ice, who has been the only talent on the original list of artists to enthusiastically say he wants to perform, won’t be on stage celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump has announced that he told all the performers who were announced for his summer concert series to stay home! Instead, Trump says, we will all be treated to one of the greatest hits of all time: his go-to on the campaign trail and beyond, Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The U.S.A.” And so, much to T.J.’s chagrin, it looks like Vanilla Ice, who has been the only talent on the original list of artists to enthusiastically say he wants to perform, won’t be on stage celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump has announced that he told all the performers who were announced for his summer concert series to stay home! Instead, Trump says, we will all be treated to one of the greatest hits of all time: his go-to on the campaign trail and beyond, Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The U.S.A.” And so, much to T.J.’s chagrin, it looks like Vanilla Ice, who has been the only talent on the original list of artists to enthusiastically say he wants to perform, won’t be on stage celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send Steve a Text MessageRemote collaboration sounds like magic until you try it and realize the real challenge is boring: everyone needs the same roadmap, the same tempo, and a track that starts cleanly. We walk you through the exact home recording process we use to prep a remote band collab, using a fast, punk-leaning version of “Help” (in the style heard in the movie “Yesterday”) as a simple, practical example. We start where every successful remote recording starts: listen, confirm the key, grab a chord chart if it saves time, and lock in the BPM so the whole project stays tight. From there we build a scratch track in the DAW with a basic drum guide (EZ Drummer 3), clear section markers, and double-tracked guitars that make it easy for other players to follow the arrangement. We also show why a count-in and a consistent click track matter more than fancy tones when you're sending files across the internet. Then we get into the handoff that makes drummers happy: muting the guide drums, rendering the metronome to its own audio track, and panning click to one ear and guitar to the other for an effortless tracking mix. Finally, we explain the send-and-return workflow for stems, what to expect back from bass and drums, and how to mix everything together before sending a stronger reference to the singer. If you want remote music collaboration to feel simple, repeatable, and fun, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a musician friend, and leave a review with your biggest remote-recording challenge.Thanks for being here!! I will continue to do my best to bring you the best, most informative guitar discussions to help you along your guitar journey! The more you share this podcast with others, the more I can continue to grow this channel and offer the best information and advice I can to you.Thank you!SteveLinks:Check out the GuitarZoom Academy:https://academy.guitarzoom.com/Steve's Channel → https://www.youtube.com/user/stinemus... GuitarZoom Channel → https://www.youtube.com/user/guitarz0... Songs Channel → https://www.youtube.com/user/GuitarSo... . 

What if the reason you're exhausted isn't because you're not doing enough... but because you're spending all your energy trying to become mediocre at things you were never meant to do? Welcome Pivoter! Most high performers spend years trying to fix weaknesses that were never meant to be strengths. We call it growth. We call it discipline. We call it "working on ourselves." But what if that's the wrong game entirely? In this episode, April challenges one of the most common myths in personal development: the idea that successful people are well-rounded. Drawing from strengths psychology, Gallup research, and real-world examples of elite performers, she explores why the path to success isn't becoming better at everything. It's becoming exceptional at the things you're naturally wired to do well. If you've been stuck trying to improve areas that drain you, this episode will help you shift from fixing to leveraging. In This Episode You Will Learn: Why the idea of being "well-rounded" may be sabotaging your success. What Strengths Psychology teaches about performance and fulfillment. Why weaknesses rarely become strengths. The hidden reason fixing weaknesses feels productive. How elite performers create leverage instead of balance. The difference between limitations and liabilities. How to design your business and life around your strengths. Why awareness is more powerful than willpower. Key Takeaways: ✅ High performers are intentionally uneven. ✅ Strengths create leverage. Weaknesses require management. ✅ Your goal isn't to become good at everything. ✅ Design beats discipline. ✅ Weaknesses become dangerous only when ignored. ✅ The fastest path to growth is amplifying what already works. Quotes: "High performers are not well-rounded. They are intentionally uneven." "Weaknesses rarely become strengths. They usually just become slightly less annoying weaknesses." "High performers don't fix themselves into success. They leverage themselves into it." "A limitation is something you're not great at. A liability is something you refuse to acknowledge." Challenge: Ask yourself: What am I trying to fix that I should be designing around? Which strength have I underused because it makes me visible? What would change if I trusted my strengths enough to build around them? Stop fixing. Start leveraging. ---------------- Want more tools to help you create momentum, clarity, and growth in your business and life? Ready to take this work beyond the podcast? Join us at Collaborate 2026, our once-a-year, in-person transformational experience in Grass Valley, California. Spend 2.5 powerful days gaining clarity, building momentum, and doing the deep work alongside growth-minded leaders. Early Bird pricing ends March 31st, and seats are limited. Reserve yours at www.theaprilgarcia.com/collaborate.

In this celebratory episode, The Suite Spot hosts two TMG veterans, Director of Product – Respond and Resolve™, Jackie Avery, and Chief Technology Officer, Jason Lee, on the podcast to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the Respond and Resolve™ digital solution.  Jackie Avery discusses what the milestone means to her and her team, and how responding to reviews is the foundation for connecting to guests and why it’s critical for hoteliers to give authentic responses to their guests. Jason joins the podcast to share the history and evolution of the Respond and Resolve™ digital solution and how it has become the industry solution service it is today.  Ryan Embree: Welcome to Suite Spot, where hoteliers check in, and we check out what’s trending in hotel marketing. I’m your host, Ryan Embree. Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of The Suite Spot, a celebration, my favorite type of episodes we have on the Suite Spot. Very excited to share a milestone and achievement, a celebration, like I said, a 10 year anniversary of our award-winning, industry leading Respond and Resolve™, review response solution. Here with the Product Director of Respond and Resolve™, Jackie Avery. Jackie, welcome back to the Suite Spot. Jackie Avery: Thank you. I’m so happy to be here. I’m so excited to talk about this too. Ryan Embree: Congratulations, what a feat. 10 years of responding to reviews. We are gonna have the opportunity to speak with Jason Lee, our Chief Technology Officer, and we’re gonna talk to him about really the history and evolution of this solution, and really guest feedback management in general, how that’s evolved over time. But with you, I thought we’d start with talking about present today and this solution respond and resolve, again, responding to guest, hotel, guest reviews. What makes this so special? What is the secret sauce? Why has it seen such an explosion of growth from our hotel partners, and what do people love about it? Jackie Avery: Yeah, so I’d say everyone on my team probably has a different answer to this, but for me, it really comes down to passion, time, and flexibility. So we’re really passionate about that connection making, you know, that moment with the guest truly matter. Taking the time to really connect in that way with them. And I’d say, I guess right, others might say, well, you know, these other people within the industry or at the hotel also have that passion and, and care about that connection. So, I think we all agree that that’s really important. But then you come to also adding in time. So someone might be able to dedicate an hour to responding to their guest reviews, or maybe even a few hours a week, and they feel really good about that. But like for us, right? This is day in, day out. This is what we do all day long. We really have the time to not only have the passion for that connection with the guest, but take the time to think about what they wrote and how they wrote it. And so, and there are gonna be people who have the passion and have the time, and I absolutely do not wanna diminish that. I’m so happy that they do. I’d say the third, and just as equally important aspect though, is flexibility. So this is an ever changing landscape, right? One moment. The M dash in writing makes you sound human. It’s casual. This is how you connect. The very next day, that’s an indicator of AI. If you’re using that, no one thinks you’re you. So in the past, right, you would start writing a response and you just wanna make sure you’re not sounding defensive, you’re not being dismissive of, whatever their concern is. And that’s still important, but that’s not where you start anymore. You start by convincing someone that you’re a person, you’re sitting at a computer taking away from all of these other aspects of your job, and you’re like, my first step is showing everyone that I’m me and I’m real. So, on top of all of that, right now, you’ve got that going on. Maybe, you know, you feel like you’ve got a handle on it. There is a very intense, again, ever changing landscape when you’re thinking about the political climate, the economic climate, and those impacts the guests and travel. We all know that. And so it’s really hard to meet a guest where they’re at. If you’re not keeping up to date with everything going on. You have to be aware of those shifts that are happening all the time to everyone. Ryan Embree: Yeah. It’s ever changing, especially over the course of a decade, which has obviously been the timeline of this solution here. And you’re absolutely right. I mean, that authenticity is so key to show the guest that you actually care about what you wrote. And you’re right, there’s a challenge now to almost convince that guest that I am real. I am listening to you and I’m connecting. And there’s a reason why in this age of technological advancement and AI, we were talking about it every single day. We’re at the peak of technological advancement. Every single day we move forward, there are still hotels that come to us and say, we want to maintain a human to human connection. We don’t want AI to be responding or generating responses that are going straight to our guests. Why do you feel like that is, and and what are the feedback you’re hearing for these hotel partners? Jackie Avery: Yeah, so when you zoom out, right? Guests are the entire reason that hotels exist. So when you’re considering reviews and checking reviews before you stay somewhere or leaving a review, after you’ve departed, these are really important aspects of the guest journey. They’re a part of your guest experience. So when you are a property who is fully invested in your guests having a great experience at your hotel, you want them to be surprised when they come in the best ways. You want them to leave with the best memories and spread that by word of mouth and online, you understand that you have to continue that real connection the same way you want to at the front desk in those points online. You have to connect with them human to human in that review response. Ryan Embree: You know, Jackie, one of the things that I think makes the solution so special, and something you’ve done a great job of is curating this team of professional writers where a lot of these writers here went to school for writing and communication. You know, these are degrees that are their specialty. They have a passion for this, right? And you talk to a general manager nowadays maybe they didn’t, maybe they don’t have a passion in writing, right? Like, that wasn’t why they got into hospitality to say, I wanna be a writer. But, you know, you created this team that also understands the nuances of the hotel world. It’s the only vertical that we work with in hospitality. And there’s so many of those little nuances that you have to teach and you have to incorporate in your messaging and in your review response writing to make sure that is articulated so clearly to your guests, or really it undermines your reputation as a whole. Talk to us a little bit about some of those nuances, maybe some examples and how you’ve been able to generate just this team of, again, just incredible writers. Jackie Avery: So, I’m fortunate because we’re doing this episode to celebrate 10 years. So we know what we’re looking for and we have experience in how to train specifically writing for hospitality and guest reviews. So fortunately, you have these degrees where people come in, they’re educated, they know how to write well, and then you have this training based on real world experience. And having seen the evolution of guest reviews. You used to get it where guests only left reviews when they’re angry. That’s not the case anymore. Guests go, they love the praise of feeling rewarded for leaving a good review. They wanna leave a good review. And having written so many, right? Each individual learns something and takes it back to the team. So it’s consistent workshops, it’s creative workshops, it’s adjusting to the new landscape, right? Being aware of what is seen as AI and what is AI. Being able to identify a review where a guest used AI to leave it, maybe. Or also being able to take a moment and pause and know the best way to reach another human when they’re being skeptical. So where as someone on property, right? They’re so focused maybe on, well, I wanna let this guest know that’s not how we do things, or that’s not really what happened here. And this professional writer on the team realizes the first line of this review was, and I bet a bot is gonna answer this. You have to cross that bridge first. You have to tackle that first. And if you don’t know how, it’s gonna be really hard to get your actual message across to this person that you really want to. So, we’re always building on what we know, because we realize what we know today can’t be what we rely on forever. Everything is gonna be different in three months. Everything will be different in one year. And when you’re set up to be able to make those adjustments, and you’re excited about that, when you love writing, when you love being able to write in a different way and connect with someone, and this is your passion, you know, you thrive in that landscape, it’s not a challenge that you don’t wanna take on. You look forward to it. Ryan Embree: Yeah, absolutely. And you’re absolutely right about the landscape. Completely changing. Sometimes, even though over the course of 10 years, I mean, booking has their pros and cons. They actually essentially solicit some of the negative feedback so that you can address that character count, right? With a TripAdvisor and maybe now going into reviews with no content at all, and responding to those PPI and personal information using people’s names in those responses. Is that something that a site allows or not? All of these are things that you wouldn’t really think through in responding to reviews, but it’s so critical and so important because, again, it’s an underlying foundation of your reputation management. And why do we respond to reviews to show we care? So if that care isn’t being shown, it really undermines your reputation. So, anything that lasts for 10 years obviously, means that it’s a success. I’m sure you’ve heard over the years some really, really rewarding pieces of feedback from our hotel partners. Can you share, we love a good story here on the Suite Spot in the podcast. Can you share any examples, maybe just one or two of some special moments or conversations with some of our Respond and Resolve™ clients? Jackie Avery: Yeah. Thinking back, because it feels really relevant this year, because it does seem to be happening more frequently, I think back to an email I got from a client, and they were going through it, their property started receiving hundreds of reviews within an hour to, because of something happening within the city, it was something going on. That was happening citywide and really had nothing to do with their hotel. And you can imagine in that moment, they’re fielding calls at the front desk from guests who haven’t arrived yet. They’re trying to ease concerns from guests in house, and their online listings are just being flooded from people who aren’t there and are just saying stuff. And really, it’s just because of the city they’re in and something that the property has nothing to do with. So in those moments, I’m so grateful that we can help. I got this email from this hotel, and they were just like, thank you. I had so much on my shoulders, and I know I have this support and this, and I put out these things, you know, to these other people at the property who help us. But in that moment, I knew, I knew you guys were there. Yeah. And I knew that you could give advice on what to do. You’ve seen it before. You helped guide my steps. And I’m so grateful for that, that our years of experience mean that in the moment a guest can be served face to face, and we can be assisting, you know, with things happening outside of this property’s control. Ryan Embree: And what a line to tiptoe too, if AI is involved, right? And that, and the messaging is not communicated the right way there, it could mean so much more than just a one star review. It could mean detrimental damage to your reputation, especially in those moments of crisis. Jackie Avery: Absolutely. And some sites let you edit what you post back and some don’t. So the stakes are high. And it’s happening fast. Ryan Embree: Absolutely. Very fast. And so, as we wrap up our conversation here, and again, congratulations. As Product Director, you look at this, what do you look at this 10 year milestone? What does it mean to you and what’s your vision for the future of this solution? Jackie Avery: Yeah, this milestone, I feel it, I feel it personally. Not just for me but my entire team. When you genuinely care about connecting with other people and helping and being support in this way, it’s really easy to feel the joy in what you’re doing. So this milestone, to me, is just something that I am reflecting on that I’m so grateful, I’m so grateful to be able to work with clients across the country and help people out there connect in a space where they’re expecting not to have that opportunity. More often than not, people are expecting not to hear back, or they don’t wanna get their hopes up that they will hear back, but they do. Yeah. And it feels great. And I love that. Ryan Embree: Yeah. The stakes can’t be any higher right now when it comes to that. And hotels are getting creative with trying to figure out ways to connect with guests in a world where, you know, you don’t have to visit the front desk anymore. You can, you don’t have to interact with hotel staff anymore. So hotels are trying to figure out ways that they can keep a constant line of communication. And this is always gonna be a place where guests are, are gonna be, do not make it a one-way conversation. They’re gonna continue to leave feedback. Are you genuinely listening? Are you authentically responding? And we’re so grateful to have you on this podcast to celebrate this milestone. Thank you, Jackie. And congratulations again to you and your team. Jackie Avery: Ah, thanks so much. It was great to be here. Ryan Embree: Next wee’re gonna be talking with Jason Lee, Chief Technology Officer at Travel Media Group, where we’ll talk a little bit about the history and evolution of this Respond and R™esolve solution, which just turned 10 years old. Ryan Embree: Hello everyone. Welcome to part two of our 10 year celebration of TMGs Respond and Resolve™ review response solution. I am here with one of the architects, CTO, Jason Lee, congratulations to you and your team 10 years. Jason, you know, we love a good origin story. Talk to us, bring us back 10 years ago when you started, maybe it was even before 10 years. But tell us a little bit about how Respond and Resolve™ came to be and kind of the evolution of the solution that now turns 10 years old. Jason Lee: I mean, I think we at that time, we had been kind of doing reputation for hotels for a little bit, mostly in post-day engagement. And then also monitoring reputation scores and reputation flow. And we were getting questions like, hey, can you handle review response? And so we sat down and we were like, we’re getting this more and more. And we had salespeople that were saying the same thing, like, hey, I just got the phone with this guy, and he said he would buy except if we had this product. And so we sat down and we started thinking about like, what is it gonna take to, to get this done? And we had, we happened to have a tech summit during that same time, and we all sat down. So at that time, it was all the tech leaders we had and our tech team as well. And we really just kind of mapped out, like, what would it take to, to do this? Yeah. And at the time I was like, listen, the only way this is gonna work, anybody will even buy this, is if they can ensure that whoever is providing them the response is gonna do it in their voice is gonna be able to do it in a way that they would do it. Speak to their guests in the way that they would wanna be spoken to. And so we sat down and we put together what was kind of the building blocks of what is today’s, Respond and Resolve™, Travel Media Group. But at the time was even more complicated. It had multiple touch points. So it had a single, it had a touchpoint of the review coming in. It had a touchpoint, after the response where we would audit the response before the response went to the hotel, the hotel would then approve the response. And then once the hotel approved this approved the response or edited the response, it would come back to us and we would touch it one more time before we would then publish that response. So we had this, like, we had a three touch internal, like four touch, if you include the hotelier system. And, you know, and of course, you know, anybody who’s done any kind of product work or anything would think like, that’s an insane amount of touches, that’s a crazy amount of scaling. And so then our secondary thing was like, how do we do this based on the number of reviews or whatever? And we weren’t even thinking that way. We’re like, because there’s an unknown number of reviews, how do we even do this? So we started the product out with, with that kind of cadence, with 20 reviews being kind of the core. So you get 20 reviews a month, and it was TripAdvisor only. Yeah. And you had this one critical response. So we would like, you know, if there was a, something that really, that happened that was really bad, we would write this like very specific kind of PR version of a response. And that was the original product. So we put it all together, we put our price point out, and, and I believe you were the first person to sell one to a hotel. So, so as we got that going, then it was, you know, then, then we went through the rest of kind of like the evolution of the product. But at that time, it was something I think one other company was doing, but we, you know, we didn’t really know what they were doing or how they were doing it. So we kind of took our own path in how we created it. Ryan Embree: And we were talking off camera about, you know, some of the challenges. And maybe I think it’s through some of the unexpected. ’cause you think about, all right, you know, if tomorrow, you know, someone was like, let’s, let’s create a company that responds to reviews, and then all of a sudden you start building that and you come across these challenges, these, these issues, these problems that you’re like, well, I didn’t think about that. I just kind of thought about the output and input. What were some of those kind of learning lessons along the way, and how did you kind of adapt to that, whether using efficiencies technology, because it’s a lot more difficult than just saying, Hey, we’re just gonna respond to your reviews. I think the biggest challenge and where we had our biggest evolution in the solution was in when we converted what we were doing. So at the time when we started it, we were using third party data. And we were pulling some stuff, but some stuff was being pulled through a third party vendor. And it wasn’t until we launched one view where we controlled the entirety of the dataset. And not just the entire, not just the entirety of the dataset, but the frequency of the dataset, which was insanely important. So this has to do with when it is received from the time that it was published live. And so that in itself sort of opened up this new lane, but in doing so, it also opened up our eyes to this really one like incredible flaw to our system, which was how we were pricing it. But that has to do with how we sort of viewed the, the universe of reviews for a single property. So when we started, we had that 20 Right. The next little jump was, well, maybe we’ll start charging by the room. And this was something we had heard other other vendors doing, and we’re like, oh, this is a good idea. We’ll start charging by the room. What we found immediately was that we were massively overcharging some hotels. And way undercharging other hotels. So a destination 80 room hotel could be doing three or four times the review volume that a 250 room corporate hotel was doing. Like, that’s straight up like extortion on one side and then just us just like.. Ryan Embree: And extended stay sometimes, you don’t have the frequency. Jason Lee: Completely, completely. So, so I think pricing, getting that pricing down. So once we then controlled the universe of reviews, we then, so at, at the time we launched OneView, we had a 360 view of a 365 to be exact, day view of a properties reputation. So we could sort of forecast their total quantity of reviews over a year and then, and then, and then sort of amortize that out to create pricing around review flow. So I believe we were one of the first to do review flow, and I think we might still be one of the only companies that prices that way, where we actually look at quantity of reviews and surveys that a property gets. And then we price knowing exactly what we’re going, what we’re up against, including the 35% ish increase over the summer months that that happens just based on review flow. You know, guest flow. So, so I think those were those big things, kind of those big hurdles, like, internally pricing it the right way, doing it in a way where we could, we could ensure that whatever we said we were going to do, we could 100% do. We had the staff to do it, we had the technology do it, and all the pieces in play. And then I think from there, it was then understanding the sort of undulation of the acquisition of review data. And that is a crazy space because, if you’re scraping the data directly from a site, then you’ve got that whole thing that that’s going on where sites are continually sort of trying to thwart that. You have the API side of that where you can get API but that requires you to get these relationships with these various sites. And so, so our, we were just like, just, just dogged determination To like secure better and better and better and better data sets. And we did that through, eventually through getting partnerships with the major review providers like Expedia, Booking.com and Google. And so inside of doing that, we were able to really secure a data set that then allowed us to respond in a timely manner and efficient manner, and in a way that, you know, could completely solve this issue for a hotel. Ryan Embree: I think some of the biggest learnings or we’ve had is through those challenges, but also through the close relationships that we’ve had with our hotel. Partners and those hotels that we say it all the time when it comes to reputation. I mean, feedback, you want feedback, right? Whether it be from your partners who who travel media group are working with, whether it be from your guests, and you’re a hotelier, you want that feedback. Because that means it’s striking some kind of cord, whether it’s good or bad. ’cause then you can make adjustments. So, the actually hearing what our hoteliers had to, to, to say about our, our reviews and our I’m sorry, what they had to say about our responses helped us. Collaborate or calibrate rather their voice and tone and everything that to kind of get us right in harmony with how they wanted responses. And I think for me at least, it was very surprising to see the spectrum at which people wanted, how they wanted their responses handled. Whether it’s, you know, we don’t want an apology ever to be heard on our responses or, you know, we, we always apologize whether it’s our fault or not. We’re always going to say the customer is always right. And there’s everything in between. We want our voice a little bit more laid back. We want it more of a professional tone. You know, you’ve gone through these patterns and trends of try to use keywords in every single one of your review responses. Aside from the challenges, what have you learned? Maybe talking to hotel partners or hearing them, seeing some of that feedback that comes in about our responses. ’cause I know, although you’re the CTO, you’re very close to that feedback and are in there and seeing what our hotel partners are saying every day about our responses. Jason Lee: That’s a great question. And I think it hits at the evolution of the benefits of this need. And I think that’s what’s so interesting about, about doing this for this length of time. So in the very beginning, I talked about that very complicated setup that we had where we were like approving the response before we sent it to the hotelier, and then we had the hotelier approve the response and edit the response, and then we publish the response. We kept a bunch of that together. So we kept the right approved by the hotelier edit and resolve or audit and resolve, process on our side. And so in doing that, even though it was overkill in the beginning, we had people saying, we don’t wanna approve it. We don’t wanna approve it because we’re, because we’re like, this takes too much time. And because I’m not around on the weekend or whatever. And, but what ended up happening is that as the sort of understanding of what review response was doing, so the review response kind of needs sometimes is hinges on what is the downward pressure to get this done? So is this coming from my management company? Is it coming from the brand? Is it coming from an OTA that says I’ll get better placement if I do this this way? So this becomes this becomes thing. Or like you said oh, I heard that I get better SEO get better placement if I use keywords in my responses. So this becomes this sort of meta benefit. And I think through the through line that we took from the very beginning and way before, I feel like a hoteliers wanted us to do it that way. And maybe today there’s still a few hoteliers that are just like, whatever, man, just get it done. You know, is that we really wanted to communicate with the guest who wrote the review. And we wanted to make sure that whatever we were writing in our response, that that communication was clear. It was clear in gratitude on five stars. It was clear in empathy and resolution in one star reviews. And it was, it was really trying to find that balance when there was no feedback. Even if the get, even if the hotel didn’t care maybe as much about the content of the response that they trusted us to make that response. But what we find is like now, 10 years later, that where, where we have had a complete shift in our property profile at Travel Media Group, where I think we started with a lot of economy properties and select service properties where we’ve, we’ve reached into these incredibly large resorts luxury properties. Some of the nicest properties in the United States are our clients. And I think it’s because we’ve stuck with that. So you talk to the hotelier that has a $200 or $300 a night guest, or even a $1,200 a night guest, in some cases, their feeling about the retention of that guest is very different than a select service, than a select service. But they’re, but they’re also their version of, like, that this activity promotes acquisition of guests. And so the stakes are high. In this space. And I think we’re reaching into like a whole new era where this information, the review and the response are affecting generative search. And we’re reaching a whole new era of economizing the search time with massive amounts of review data. In an individual research session for a guest is really changing the importance of this activity together. So I think, I know I kind of took a windy road on that, but I think the biggest thing is that the evolution of expectation from the guest, but also then from the hotel has changed. And we’ve stayed close to it this entire time. And like, like everything that we do at Travel Media Group, we are sort of singularly focused. So we’re so focused on this as this. We probably, when I talk to hotels sometimes, they’re like, man, you are really exaggerating the importance of this activity. And I’m like, no, it’s everything. This is like, this is about you securing the relationship with this guest. This is everything. But hopefully you want a partner like that has that sort of dogged determination to make sure that it’s done correctly. But I feel like, so to kind of wrap this up, I do feel like that that is what we’ve done, that’s been the through line is like focusing on the need and like you said, focusing on the voice make, altering account by account. So now you’re talking about a few thousand hotels. That we’re scaling, you know, we’re where we’re like in the off months, we’re doing somewhere, you know, around 20,000 – 25,000 reviews. And we’re able to then inside of that still create personalization, still create a voice of a hotel. Still be able to hit the right kind of policies, the right kind of renovation details, the right kind of care to each individual review, or each individual guest as we see that to make this thing work. Ryan Embree: I mean, every hotel we have found out is so drastically different from the way they want thing hand handled, but also, just their properties are different, right? Their locations, their markets, occupancy drivers, the type of traveler that they bring in that they want to attract. There’s so many different elements. That speak to that. And it’s with the, Jackie and her team do a fantastic job to the point to the precision, we want to be completely aligned with that hotel partner. And what you were talking about was some of the newer luxury properties that we’re now partnering with. I mean, the stakes are high in the sense of they’ve had decades long reputation. They have built that. And it is no longer a negotiable for them to make sure that that reputation is protected. And a solution like this, like respond and resolve, really can help solidify that and also just serve as such a foundation and a security blanket in case some of these, Jackie had a couple examples of these things right now that can go wrong at a property. We hate to see it, but it happens every single day in a trusted partner like Travel Media Group and Respond & Resolve™ team behind you can really help give you a little bit of peace of mind for a hotelier. And you’re absolutely right. Obsessed is a great word to put it and passionate about review response. I mean, this is something that we’ve done for 10 years, but I think it’s been a little bit longer that we’ve been in the reputation game. And you know, you can’t, in 2026, you know, we, I had a podcast episode, late last year where it was actually with the co-founders of ILHA and they were talking about how you cannot in 2026 cannot be a complete expert at every aspect of hospitality. You just can’t. It’s just, it’s one of those unique industries where you can’t know everything about everything. You will never be the expert of chemicals for your hotel pool. But it’s important to know those things, and it’s important and critical to have a valuable partner that knows those things. So you think about that as one element, chemicals in a pool, curtains, flooring, review response is a very important element to your digital and online reputation there. And we talked with Jackie about, you know, obviously AI and how that has certainly changed in the last 10 years. And it’s how it’s come in, talk to us, because I think a lot of times people might hear us and think that we are anti AI or anti-technology, and it’s actually the exact opposite. It’s an incredible piece of technology that we can use in elements of reputation, but not necessarily for the actual response. So how are you kind of using AI? And we do have an AI solution, not 10 years old yet. We’ll be doing that in in several years. But talk to us about how you’ve used technology and AI kind of hand in hand with Respond and R™esolve for the past 10 years. Jason Lee: Yeah. I mean, I would say in the last 18 months we have evolved our core platform probably more than we did maybe in four years. So we’ve done a lot recently. And a lot of it is that a, like a whole new world of data analytics has been opened up. By this, so something that I would needed maybe two or three data scientists to help me with. I can do, can do with, with an API through anthropic, or through Open AI. And working with members of my team and putting some data together, we’re able to find like really interesting insights. And so the first thing we launched last year was the guest experience snapshot. And that was an a completely AI driven report. And the sort of origin of that was to show the hotel the top things that was that a guest was experiencing great. And then the top things that they, that was going wrong, and some of that was to show them multiples of the things that we were responding to. So the things that, so using this data to kind of, to shine a little light on like, Hey, we can only say sorry for this so many times. You know, but also to show them the other side of it where it’s like, Hey, this is where you guys are winning. You guys are winning in these very, in these areas. And this feedback isn’t always a negative. There’s a bunch of great stuff in here. And I think, so we’ve then continued that by continuing to analyze trends to continue to analyze, review flow, to analyze the sentiment data. And it just continues and continues and continues, as we sort of unlock the use cases of these tools. But for us, I think like the big pieces of the tools that are really exciting coming forward are the ways that we can scale personalization, in a way that we couldn’t do without major data science. And, and so we’re able to scale personalization, so taking the personalization that a hotelier gives us about very specific things about their property, and not writing the response based on that, but sort of confirming the response against the voice. So I can take a response and confirm then the voice, you know, and it says, yeah, this, this matches what they’re, what they asked us to do. And so that can get very, that in our world, that’s probably one of the more complicated pieces of it, especially where you have a very lengthy voice note, you have a massive policy note. You have a massive amenity amenity note. So these are these these spaces where a writer could get turned around on something. But where this could verify, hey, the response you just wrote is missing this one piece. Ryan Embree: Notes are changing seasonally based on restaurant menus, based on programming that the resort is conducting out. And its amenities classes that it has timing. I mean, all of those elements are notes that that can be provided and are so important. I mean, we think of it as oh, well, if we get a date wrong or if we get an item wrong, I mean, that has a pure, such a big impact on the guest experience and their impression of your hotel. And the care that you’re taking, so it’s just one of those elements, again, we talked about it with Jackie of, you have to prove essentially at this time that you’re not AI and that you do care and that, it’s so important to these guests and hoteliers, all this. Jason Lee: I think that’s where it all boils down to is that when I get that email from Booking.com as a guest that’s from the hotel, and I open that up and I read the response to the review that I wrote, does it feel authentic? Does it feel like it came from them? Does it mean anything to me? Is there any kind of meaning to that at all? Or is this like, or does this intensify, does this intensify my advocacy of this property, or does this intensify my anger? And you or does this turn me around? Does this make me wanna and I think these are these opportunities you have in this space that does make a huge difference. And I think AI will help us enhance the personalization of our individual properties and help help us, like put that really, like that perfect response together that helps the guests know that they’re cared for. Ryan Embree: It’s a feeling. I mean, Jackie talked about it getting that feedback from our partners about, this was a repeat guest, this is someone that stayed with us and they talked about our response back to them. They thanked us. And those are the moments that we strive here at Travel Media Group for, and we’ve seen so many over the last decade of doing this review response. And here we are at 10 years as you look towards the future, the landscape ever changing, you know, what do you see kind of for the future of Respond and Resolve™? And maybe we can open it up just to guest feedback management. I mean, were really at a inflection point I feel like right now. Jason Lee: Yeah. I mean, I think, I think it’s kind of more of the same in terms of what this has been about all the all along, which is the guest experience. And how do we react to the guest experience react to the specific experience the guest is giving us in a response, but act then multiple guest having similar experiences. How do we react to that? How do we improve the guest experience over time? And I think that that’s where the opportunity is right now, is that there are so many tools available to us to understand this in a much more granular level, in a much more specific level. So the old way of, of asking questions, I think of guests, I think is gonna go away at some point us sort of like, asking guests the same questions over and over again. You know, would you recommend, how clean was your room? What was the breakfast like? You know, rate that, I think we’re gonna get to a spot where we sort of understand these elements, but we can take broader textural, data points and start to really dial in to, so what does a 3 in breakfast mean? What does, what does it mean when somebody says that they would recommend at a 7? Or a thumbs up or a thumbs up or a thumbs down. I think this is where, you know, this is where these kinds of scales get a little funky. And so AI could help a guest actually articulate themselves in a response in a survey, for example. AI could also obviously take this data and take patterns of data and help a hotel understand the fail points of their service. And I think those are these really amazing opportunities for hotels that want to engage there. And, but all of this together is also doing something really interesting in the generative search world. So, we’re seeing people flock generative search more and more and more because it economizes that effort. I can read hundreds of reviews, I can have hundreds of reviews read for me and summarized, based on a very specific question. So I can ask about the breakfast, for example. And I get this summary. So none of that is gonna come through a three on a guest experience survey a guest satisfaction survey is not gonna affect that. But the 25 Expedia reviews that you’ve gotten in the last 90 days will. And I think those are those things that start to inform the traveler are going to be the quantity of signals. Whether they’re positive or negative and then the sort of inference of that signal, it’s not binary, it’s not good or bad, it is this other thing. Which is sort of the feeling of a guest. And I think a AI is getting better and better and better, and is getting to a point where it can sort of relay the feeling that multiples of guests have had about your property to a prospective guest. And that either should thrill you or it should scare you. Because this part of technology that I think get that we are all enjoying in some ways, right? Because it’s saving us time, it’s saving us effort, but in other ways, there is no place to hide. So you can’t hide behind, the first 200 reviews that you received at your hotel anymore. Where you got that, the first 200 reviews, you netted out a 4.4, and you’ve sort of been riding on that for the last like five, six years, more and more. That’s score is going to be irrelevant. Ryan Embree: That’s what I was gonna say, that I think the historical data is just gonna become less and less vital and critical. And it’s gonna be a moving type. It’s what you want. It’s absolutely something in the now what is the guest doesn’t care about what your hotel was like five years ago. When somebody at the front desk had a great, was really personable and friendly to them. They want to know what that front desk agent is doing today. What that room looks like today. So it’s going to be this living almost a living reputation. Jason Lee: And it is today. Yeah, it is now. But it’s different because, because a guest won’t research that deeply. It is today, I think it’s living today. And I think the hotels that are winning today will continue to win. Because it means that you’re doing the right thing by your guest. And I think that continues this cycle of sort of looking at the guest experience and finding your fail points and fixing ’em, finding ’em, fixing, finding and fixing is the real key. But it’s also empowering your front desk. It’s, it’s making sure that nobody leaves your property upset. It’s all of the things that we should be doing anyway that affect thhis. This is true hospitality. At its core but I think, what’s interesting about what AI is doing is it’s kind of shining a light into the, I guess, residual needs here. But I think this also gives you an unprecedented opportunity at your hotel to share this information with your staff, to, to take this back and, and really like, like dig in and make it work. The other thing I was gonna say, the other thing I was say on that, what I think on the future of guest feedback management will be the number of companies coming in an AI play today is crazy. There’s a lot of new companies that are coming in there, and there’s, and then there’s like long-term companies like Medallia, and Qualtrics and other companies that are offering AI responses inside of their platforms. And I think this all economizes that activity, but it does not remove our obligation to have authentic voice at our property and to communicate with guests that need to be communicated with. And the guests that needs to be communicated with. If you communicate well there, and I’ve said this over and over and over, if you communicate with the guest who wrote the review, well that will impact guest acquisition a hundred percent. Ryan Embree: Absolutely. Jason Lee: So the authentic voice is gonna be at a premium. The canned voice, the canned templated voice of AI, I think will end up, will end up being able to spot it. I mean, I think in some ways it, nothing changes, right. In other ways, everything changes. Ryan Embree: Yeah. Yeah. I absolutely agree with you on that, Jason. I think it is going to be a priority for hotels that truly care to rise above the sea of sameness. And as your response and the templates, you know, that was kind of that first tide, was that the templates you wanted to show your guests that you actually cared, write something that looked better than a template. Better than a thank you for your feedback. ’cause that’s what all you were getting. Now, the, the reputation response ecosystem is even more ingrained because more and more people are coming in and using AI to respond. You’re going, it’s going to be a premium to show that you’re going to be looking for those edges and places that you can show guests that you care differently from the hotel next to you. And authentic review response, caring review response is gonna be one of those. Jason Lee: But authenticity all the way around, I mean I saw this I saw a video of the CEO of Marriott talking about specifically saying, use this technology to give yourself more time with the guest. Give yourself a few extra minutes with the guest to create relationship to create authenticity in person. Ryan Embree: The general manager of the future might look closer to the general manager of the past than it does right now. Interesting times. Here to celebrate, again, 10 years of Respond and Resolve™. Congratulations, another milestone, another chapter. Congrats to you and your team, and thanks for celebrating with us here on the Suite Spot. Jason Lee: Thanks, Ryan. Ryan Embree: To join our loyalty program, be sure to subscribe and give us a five star rating on iTunes. Suite Spot is produced by Travel Media Group. Our editor is Brandon Bell, with Cover Art by Bary Gordon. I’m your host Ryan Embree, and we hope you enjoyed your stay.

When Lexi Edmondson walked down to Bondi Beach to celebrate finishing her master's degree, she had no idea her life was about to change forever. What began as a summer evening by the water for hundreds of people became one of Australia's most devastating acts of violence - and Lexi ran towards it. In her most in-depth interview since the December attack, Lexi sits down with Luke Darcy to take us inside the night itself. She talks about the chaos, the moment her training kicked in, and about how the iconic Bondi community responded in the aftermath. Lexi shares the healing power of reconnecting with the people she helped, and the extraordinary gesture from Rabbi Levi Wolf and the Jewish community that brought everyone together. Armed with fresh surf lifesaving training and sheer instinct, Lexi and fellow volunteer Jimmy McIntosh became part of the community of first responders who helped treat and carry 60 people to safety that night. In the days that followed - amid the grief, the trauma processing, and the slow work of rebuilding - Lexi and Jimmy fell in love. In the six months since Lexi has been able to identify what a tragedy like the deadly Bondi attack can strip away - the corporate ambitions, the performative rituals of modern dating, the conditions we place on living fully. Lexi shares why she has walked away from a path she thought she wanted, returned to clinical practice to help people one-on-one, and said yes to a relationship that moved at the speed of life. Plus: the ChatGPT proposal fail, the ring they promised not to buy (and then bought!), and the moment Lexi's mum clocked Jimmy before Lexi even had a chance. Lexi speaks beautifully about the importance of community, finding courage, championing feminine leadership, and finding the light when everything feels so dark. Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Start your leadership journey today. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yadi Caro on Leadership, Communication, and the Power of Hard Core Soft Skills In this episode of Oscar Mike Radio, I sat down with Yadi Caro, a communications expert with nearly 18 years of experience supporting U.S. military organizations worldwide. Our conversation explored one of the most important topics facing leaders today: how to build stronger teams through better communication, trust, and connection. Yadi shared powerful insights into what truly makes teams successful. From creating psychological safety to establishing clear roles and rallying people around a shared mission, she explained why effective leadership begins with understanding people. We also discussed her book, Hard Core Soft Skills, which is built around four key stages of leadership and communication: Connect, Communicate, Collaborate, and Create. What stood out to me was how practical these principles are. Whether you’re leading a military unit, managing a business, raising a family, or volunteering in your community, these skills can help you build stronger relationships and achieve better outcomes. Yadi also highlighted the importance of cross-cultural communication, the qualities that separate good leaders from great leaders, and why emotional intelligence is becoming more valuable than ever. As artificial intelligence continues to automate technical tasks, the ability to connect, communicate, and collaborate with others will remain a uniquely human advantage. One of my biggest takeaways from this conversation was that soft skills are not soft at all. They require intentional effort, continuous practice, and a commitment to personal growth. If you’re a leader, veteran, entrepreneur, professional, parent, or mentor looking to improve your communication and leadership abilities, this episode is packed with actionable insights. Learn more about Yadi Caro and her work at: https://www.hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com Thank you, Yadi, for sharing your knowledge, experience, and passion with the Oscar Mike Radio audience.

Variety - the Children's Charity - CEO Wayne Howett says that organisations who care about child poverty should collaborate, rather than fighting for the cause alone. Howett told Heather du Plessis-Allan, "1 in 7 Kiwi kids that are living without the basics food, warmth, transport, school costs, and healthcare, and we're not making any margins on that." "And, when you look at what's happening in the Treasury's own child poverty forecasting it shows no movement towards hitting the 2028 goal of halving child poverty." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiliii Yuyan – Guardians of Life: How Indigenous Peoples Are the World's Best Conservationists A deep‑dive into the 10 Frames Per Second podcast episode with Kiliii Yuyan

“The value is created in the friction, in the engagement between humans and AI—the pushing back by the humans, the pushing back by the machines.” –Ross Dawson About Ross Dawson Ross Dawson is a futurist, keynote speaker, strategy advisor, author, and host of Amplifying Cognition podcast. He is Chairman of the Advanced Human Technologies group of companies and Founder of Humans + AI startup Informivity. He has delivered keynote speeches and strategy workshops in 33 countries and is the bestselling author of 5 books, most recently Thriving on Overload. Website: rossdawson.com LinkedIn Profile: Ross Dawson What you will learn The dangers of aiming for a frictionless experience between humans and AI Why meaningful engagement—rather than passive approval—between humans and AI is crucial for cognitive augmentation How human judgment and reasoning differ, and where AI excels versus where humans add irreplaceable value The four key pitfalls of the traditional ‘human in the loop’ approach to decision-making with AI Why too much delegation to AI can erode human vigilance, judgment, and accountability The importance of adversarial, not just assistive, collaboration with AI for complex, high-stakes tasks How ‘living strategy’—AI-augmented, continuously updated organizational strategy—addresses the limitations of static strategic planning The role of AI in surfacing diverse perspectives, supporting dialogue, and enabling truly adaptive decision-making Episode Resources Transcript Ross Dawson: I love speaking to the wonderful guests I have on my podcast. I always learn an enormous amount, but in this episode, I'll share a little bit of an update for myself and delve into a few interesting things I've been seeing and doing lately, including some of the most interesting research papers I've seen on humans plus AI lately, looking at human in the loop and the ways in which we should be thinking about that, and AI and strategy. So, just a quick scan of what's going on in humans plus AI. I've been traveling quite a bit, doing a lot of keynotes as much as possible on humans plus AI, and the resonance around the theme is really rising very rapidly. In fact, somebody recently mentioned that humans plus AI was a cliché, or just overworn at the moment. Since I first started using the phrase three and a half years ago, I think it's wonderful that now it is gaining a lot of currency. People are talking about it, framing that. Yes, some phrases outlive their usefulness, but I think I'll stick with humans plus AI for the foreseeable future. The research papers I've been looking at are focused on essentially cognitive augmentation and erosion, and that's this critical domain where it's not really clear around whether, or in which circumstances, our cognition erodes, and what it is we can do to make it augmenting. One of the excellent papers is titled Cognitive Agency Surrender: Defending Epistemic Sovereignty via Scaffolded AI Friction. It's a bit dense, but it has some great research and analysis in it. The key finding, which it begins with, is that in human-computer interface research literature over the last while, we saw that last year, 2025, there was a big, big rise in this idea of driving human sovereignty in how it is we interact with computers. However, since last year to the first part of this year, we've in fact seen that fall dramatically, where the human sovereignty paradigm is reducing dramatically, and we are seeing this big rise in what is called the frictionless paradigm, saying: how do we get as little friction as possible between humans and AI? There are a number of really important points made in the paper, and really, the starting point is saying that we should stop treating frictionless AI as the goal. If we start to be frictionless, that is starting to essentially take the human out of the loop. The nature of humans is that we need to engage, we need to think, so we need to start building devil's advocate agents into the systems and to aim for this thing where we start to have both this high degree of engagement with the AI, but also high friction. That friction is where we are trying to, essentially, the more complex one rising, having more and more friction, and in lower frictions, it's just more so. Label tasks, but where we're not just showing the reasoning, giving people the ability to think through tasks and how they think about that, but to be able to challenge, actively challenge people as they are thinking through things. More broadly, ensuring that the way in which we are designing systems is not emphasizing this frictionless, seamless flow between humans and AI, because that is where the value is created: in the friction, in the engagement between the humans and AI, the pushing back by the humans, the pushing back by the machines, to be able to drive us and move us forward. Some really interesting research here, which was very much echoed in another very interesting paper called A Task-Driven Human-AI Collaboration: When to Automate, When to Collaborate, When to Challenge. This idea is essentially saying that the default mode for complex, high-stakes work should be adversarial, not assistive. This is, again, obviously, looking at what types of tasks or what types of situations we're in as to adjust how the machine works, but when we are working in the complex world, we need to be pushing back around the way people's thinking. It becomes easier, and we're not looking for the path of least resistance. We're looking for ones where we're adversarial. In fact, you can really see that there is no middle, what's called this. There is no AI zone, which is in the middle, where essentially the intermediate tasks are ones where, in fact, involving AI can, or involving AI to human decision, involving human and AI decision, is not necessarily the best path. And so, what we need to focus on is the ends of the spectrum, where it becomes a truly collaborative task, or it is purely AI or purely human. This actually goes very neatly and smoothly into the work which I've been doing around human in the loop. People have been talking human in the loop all the time; it's a very common framing. But what I've come to realize, and in fact, my research has borne this out, is that in the vast majority of cases when people say human in the loop, what they actually mean is that the human gives a stamp of approval at the end. An AI makes the decision, then the human says yes or no, or overrides it. That means that they are accountable, whoever the human is at the end. But there are a number of fundamental problems with this structure, four in particular. One is that people tend to defer to the AI. AI is usually right, and so, essentially, more and more, you are deferring to the machine. A number of studies have borne out this figure of a 93% approval rate in human approval on an AI or automated system, so very high levels of approval. This starts to become, “Well, by default, I'm going to accept this,” which tails to the second point, which is the decay of vigilance. Essentially, over time, you are paying less and less attention. It is easier and easier for the human to essentially pay attention and say, “It was probably right. It seems to be good.” My mind is wandering, and I'm not necessarily going to be taking the full attention, which my accountability should point to. This goes on to the next point, where this role of putting the human at the end of a decision actively erodes their judgment. In one of the frameworks which I shared a little while ago, there was the decision between reasoning and judgment. Reasoning, going through multiple steps, is something which actually AI can do. It's looking at the different logic, looking at the steps, looking at the relationships, and being able to make a sequence of logic leaps to be able to get to a point. Judgment is the human part. That is the context, that is the thinking, that is the richness, that is the values, that is the ethics, that is what we bring to bear through the full extent of our human experience. So that is exactly what the human in the loop is: the human applying their judgment to something the AI has done. But if that is all the human does, provide a judgment at the endpoint, it actively erodes their judgment because they aren't seeing all of the richness of the reasoning which went through to be able to create that decision. They are potentially being stuck in one single point and taken away from the richness of the context and the experience, which gives them that ability to be judgment. So, sticking a person in that human in the loop basically erodes their judgment and makes them less valuable over time, and essentially, obviously, is setting us up for a world where that human eventually gets taken out. The fourth problem is simply that this model cannot scale, where we are going to have more and more decisions. We need more and more accountability in systems, and just sticking people at the end of the human in the loop means that that's going to limit how well we can build decisions that have an impact and have value. So these are some fundamental challenges. I guess this relates to some upcoming work, or some work which I have been spending a lot of time on, and which I'll be releasing pretty soon now, which is around some very deep, detailed structures around humans plus AI decision-making. Those who have followed my work for a while may recall that around three years ago, I released 12 levels of AI delegation on decisions, from AI automation only at the bottom through to human only at the top, and all cascading ways of different ways in which AI and humans are involved in complementing each other in better decision-making. Now, there are some decisions and some types of decisions where that human in the loop does make sense, where it does make sense to have the AI do things and have a person approve that. But that is, I think, a relatively small proportion of decisions, and most decisions really require a richer integration. Essentially, AI is involved — sorry, humans are involved — in different points of the decision, including in framing it, including being able to provide different context along the way, to be able to be involved in a process from which a decision comes, rather than the AI doing the decision and the human approving at the end. This comes back to understanding that there are different types of decisions with different characteristics, and in most cases, that human in the loop, or what I describe as human at the end, because that's what we normally mean by human in the loop, is something which we should not be designing as the system. This pulls us in a way to this final topic, which is around AI in strategy. There are some deep failures in strategy as we currently know it, and it's essentially limited because the strategy has tended to be static. We do a strategy offsite, we create a strategy document, we do a strategy presentation, and that becomes the strategy until the next time the strategy is updated, which may be in a year or a quarter or three years, depending on the organization. The organization is continually evolving. The world is continually evolving as it happens faster and faster. So, that's one key challenge: traditional strategy is static. One of the next key points is that because the strategy is, again, a crystallization, or there's all of our thinking that we've crystallized into an output, which is our strategy, that means that all of the differences of opinion, all of the perspectives that were brought to bear from the board and the executive and the stakeholders and the organization are all collapsed into one thing. It takes away: did we all agree on this, or did we have a great deal of disagreement around this? Might we start changing our mind if we started to think about this bit differently, or some different evidence comes to light? All of that richness of the diversity of the thinking which forms strategy starts to collapse out of that. So these are just some of the challenges with the way strategy has been done. Now, this points to a world in which we can have humans plus AI strategy. Strategy, I believe, will always be human, and human first, but I think we will not have strategy which is human only, because there are so many ways in which AI can provide very rich analysis around that. My platform, Fraxios, so this is probably the thing I've been spending the most time on over the last couple of years, is building this platform for AI-augmented strategy. I guess this goes to the points which I've been raising. One is it makes strategy alive. It is this living strategy where it's continually reflecting current thinking, changes in the environment, and opportunities as they emerge. It is being able to surface the full extent of possibilities for strategy, assessing those in a rigorous way, being able to explore those and develop those. But because this is a true humans plus AI platform, it is really trying to tap the collective intelligence of the people involved in the strategy process. You are identifying where it is that there is agreement, where there is disagreement, and what the issues are. This is a foundation for constructive dialogue between humans, facilitated by AI to support a strategy which is both living, always evolving, and being able to address and keep the organization moving at the pace of change in the external environment. So that's just a few top-of-mind things that I'm currently spending a lot of my cognitive capacity on: these ideas of how it is the research, and being able to bring back these ideas of how it is we can best augment our cognition, our thinking, as we engage with these AI tools, which can be very helpful, but with too much delegation start to erode our cognition; being able to look at the decision-making structures and how those emerge, and with one, I think, particular problem or challenge being around this, the way conception of human in the loop and how that's manifest. I'm hoping to release and write a paper on this to be able to support that, and then finally being able to look at this AI-expanded strategy. So, as always, please check in on Humans Plus AI, humansplus.ai. I'll be sharing stuff on LinkedIn, and we'll be back with some wonderful guests in the next few weeks. Thanks. The post Ross Dawson on cognitive friction, beyond Human-in-the-loop, and AI-augmented strategy (AC Ep44) appeared first on Humans + AI.

Send us Fan MailWho would you like to see the Motor Company do something with?Marcus sits down with Chelsea to talk about past and present H-D Collabs and who they would like to see in the future. Support the show

"I'm a keynote speaker. I'm a solopreneur. I'm building MY brand. Won't collaboration dilute my brand?" This is a valid concern, and in this episode, Darren and Mark discuss the 'ups and downs' of collaboration. Sharing their experiences, they show the significant benefits of collaboration and offer advice on choosing the right collaborators for you.   SNIPPETS: • Choose your collaborators carefully • Collaborate with partners with complementary skills and strengths   • Combining strengths makes both collaborators stronger   • Don't think selfishly   • Think of the best way you can serve your audience   • Find out what people need   • Collaborate with the person best qualified to meet your clients' needs   • Collaborate with people who go all-in   • Consider who else you could serve whom you wouldn't serve well alone   • Create a win-win-win   • Seek compatible collaborations   Work with Mark and Darren: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/   Check Out Stage Time University: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Success was never meant to be a solo ride. If you're exhausted from pulling the whole load yourself, maybe it's time to stop fighting the wind and start riding with a peloton. Welcome Pivoter! In this episode, April explores one of the most powerful lessons from the world of cycling: the peloton. In a bike race, riders work together, taking turns leading and drafting. Some days you're at the front pushing the pace. Other days you're hanging on, benefiting from the strength of those around you. The same is true in business and life. Too many entrepreneurs believe they must carry everything alone. But success isn't built through isolation. It's built through community, support, and the willingness to both lead and be led when necessary. April shares insights from a mastermind conversation and explains why staying in motion matters more than staying in front. In This Episode You Will Learn: How the cycling peloton serves as a powerful metaphor for business and life. Why everyone experiences seasons of strength and seasons of struggle. The importance of allowing others to support you when you're facing headwinds. Why "drafting" is not weakness but a strategic tool for sustainable success. How the right team can help you overcome challenges faster than going it alone. Why momentum matters more than speed during difficult seasons. How to recognize when it's your turn to lead and when it's your turn to receive support. Key Takeaways: You don't have to be the strongest person every day. Success is built through relationships, community, and shared effort. Drafting isn't quitting. It's conserving energy so you can keep moving forward. Every leader will eventually need support from others. The goal isn't to lead every mile. The goal is to stay in the race. Quotes: "Just because you're at the back of the peloton today doesn't mean you're losing. It means you're staying in the race." "The strongest riders don't lead every mile. They know when to push and when to draft." "Success is not a solo journey. Find your people and keep pedaling." Challenge: This week, ask yourself: Who is in your peloton? Where are you trying to do everything alone? What support are you refusing because of pride? Who could you lean on so you can keep moving forward? Remember, Pivoter, slowing down is allowed. Stopping is not. ---------------- Want more tools to help you create momentum, clarity, and growth in your business and life? Ready to take this work beyond the podcast? Join us at Collaborate 2026, our once-a-year, in-person transformational experience in Grass Valley, California. Spend 2.5 powerful days gaining clarity, building momentum, and doing the deep work alongside growth-minded leaders. Early Bird pricing ends March 31st, and seats are limited. Reserve yours at www.theaprilgarcia.com/collaborate.

Most parents have heard that play is how children learn. But in a world full of educational toys (even for babies, preschoolers, and kindergarteners!), enrichment classes, structured activities, and apps designed to make babies smarter, making time for play is harder than it sounds. The pressure to get kids ahead earlier keeps building - and the research that's supposed to reassure us often gets buried under the noise. Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek has spent more than 20 years studying how children learn. She's a psychology professor at Temple University, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and co-author of Einstein Never Used Flash Cards - just updated for the age of smartphones, tablets, and AI.  In this conversation, she makes the case that the characteristics that make play so engaging for kids are the exact same characteristics that produce the deepest learning. And she explains why the push to start earlier and do more may be working directly against what parents say they want for their kids. Questions this episode will answer Did Einstein use flashcards? Of course not!  The point of Einstein Never Used Flash Cards is that you don't need to provide direct instruction to young kids for them to be smart and successful. The skills that lead to real achievement - problem-solving, collaboration, creative thinking - are built through active, hands-on, joyful learning, not memorization drills. What is playful learning? Playful learning is not the same as free play. It combines a clear learning goal with an approach that is active, engaging, meaningful, socially interactive, and joyful. Dr. Hirsh-Pasek walks through what this looks like in real classrooms - and in your own kitchen. What is an example of a play-based learning activity? A kindergarten class learning about weather by using droppers and water to measure precipitation, then comparing and averaging their results. Another group acting as a live weather broadcast - a five-year-old using the words "high front" and "precipitation" without ever sitting through a lecture. The episode includes several more examples parents can use at home right now. What's the difference between free play and structured play? Dr. Hirsh-Pasek describes a continuum: free play on one end, direct instruction on the other, and guided play in the middle. Each has a role. The problem is that direct instruction currently dominates, even though children learn far less from it than from active, social, and meaningful experiences. How do kindergarteners learn best? Through play-based learning that is active rather than passive, engaging rather than distracting, meaningful, socially interactive, and joyful. It's not just that play is fun (even though it is); these are the conditions the brain is built to learn in. Dr. Hirsh-Pasek explains the science and shows what it looks like in practice. Do enrichment classes for preschoolers actually help? The research says starting earlier is not better for kids. Kids who are pushed into structured learning young are not more likely to be strong readers or high performers later. The episode explains what the data actually shows - and what parents can do instead that costs nothing. Why is play important in early childhood learning? Because the characteristics of play - active, engaged, meaningful, social, joyful - are the same conditions under which human brains learn best at any age. Dr. Hirsh-Pasek explains why stripping play out of early childhood doesn't accelerate learning. It undermines it. What you'll learn in this episode The six characteristics of playful learning and why each one connects to how the brain actually builds knowledgeThe difference between free play, guided play, and direct instruction - and when each one serves kids bestConcrete play-based learning examples from everyday life at home: the kitchen, the laundry room, the backyardWhy the research on high performers shows that early specialization and intensive enrichment rarely produces the outcomes parents are hoping forWhat the arrival of AI means for the skills kids actually need to develop - and why those skills come from play, not flashcardsWhy downtime is not wasted time, and what it does for the developing brainThe questions Jen asked Dr. Hirsh-Pasek at the end of the conversation - about who research serves and what it leaves out - that don't usually get asked in interviews like this one Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek's website: https://kathyhirshpasek.com/ Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkathyanddrro Einstein Never Used Flash Cards: https://amzn.to/4dubLe0 (Affiliate link) Want more research-backed tools for the hard parenting moments? The free Your Parenting Mojo resource library is now open. Guides, tools, and research-backed ideas - all in one place, no payment required, and get instant access. Click the banner to learn more Jump to highlights: 02:10 Jen introduces Dr. Hirsh-Pasek and the updated edition of Einstein Never Used Flashcards, written for the age of smartphones, tablets, and AI. 04:13 Why the book was fully rewritten and what parents will find in it. 08:17 What's happening in schools and why decades of "get the scores up" efforts haven't worked. 09:25 The six characteristics of learning that support: active, engaging, meaningful, socially interactive, multi-modal, and joyful. Dr. Hirsh-Pasek describes what this looks like in a real kindergarten classroom studying weather. 14:02 How playful learning shows up at home - in the kitchen (measuring, counting, estimating), the laundry room (sorting, classifying, folding), and on a trip to Sydney, where two kids spent two hours drawing the Opera House. 17:06 The gap between what parents say they want (happy kids) and how they're actually spending time and money. Dr. Hirsh-Pasek connects downtime and unstructured exploration to the brain's default mode network - the part that builds creativity. 20:24 Research on people who reached the highest levels of performance in sport and the arts: they didn't specialize early. They meandered and explored. 20:45 Jen asks Dr. Hirsh-Pasek about the relationship between research and culture - how research doesn't just reflect ideas about childhood, it shapes them. 24:11 A look back at Becoming Brilliant and the six C's: Collaborate, Communicate, Content, Critical Thinking, Creative Innovation, and Confidence to try, fail, and keep going. Why do these matter more than ever in an AI world? 26:11 Where to find Dr. Hirsh-Pasek and her work. 26:53 Jen's closing thoughts - including a note that some content in the book raised questions she couldn't fully explore in this conversation, and an open invitation to join Parenting Membership.

Listen as Brady Mick, Strategic Design Leader at American Structurepoint, discusses the role of workplace design in helping teams collaborate and do their best work.

You could hit the goal, crush the milestone, and still feel behind. That's not ambition, Pivoter — that's living in the gap instead of the gain. In this episode, April dives into one of the most important mindset shifts for high performers and entrepreneurs: The Gap vs. The Gain. Because let's be honest… Most of us are wildly skilled at moving the goalpost. We hit a milestone and immediately think: "Yeah, but I should be further along." "It's not enough." "I could've done it faster." And while ambition can fuel progress, constantly measuring yourself against an ever-moving ideal can quietly rob you of fulfillment, confidence, and momentum. Drawing inspiration from the work of Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy, April breaks down why high achievers often feel perpetually behind, even when they've made incredible progress. This episode explores: Why entrepreneurs live in "the gap" How measuring yourself against the ideal creates dissatisfaction Why appreciating your gains actually fuels future growth The importance of measuring backward, not just forward How to use your past wins as evidence for your future success April also shares real examples from her mastermind clients, including: The entrepreneur who forgot how far she'd come in her health journey The business owner who normalized his fitness consistency Why high performers dismiss their own progress without realizing it In This Episode You Will Learn: What "The Gap" vs. "The Gain" actually means and why high performers naturally drift toward the gap. Why constantly moving the goalpost makes success feel impossible to enjoy. How measuring backward instead of forward changes motivation and confidence. Why fulfillment comes from progression, not perfection. The importance of recognizing what used to feel hard that now feels easy. 3 practical ways to start living in the gain instead of the gap. How to use your wins as evidence for your next level of growth. Quotes: "You are not lacking success — you are likely just measuring it wrong." – April Garcia "The ideal always moves faster than your actual progress." – April Garcia "Fulfillment is found in progression, not achievement." – April Garcia "There's something already in your rearview mirror that's on someone else's bucket list." – April Garcia Pivot Point Takeaway: You don't need more success to feel fulfilled. You need to stop ignoring the success you've already created. Because when you acknowledge how far you've come, you gain the confidence and momentum to tackle the next mountain. ---------------- Want more tools to help you create momentum, clarity, and growth in your business and life? Ready to take this work beyond the podcast? Join us at Collaborate 2026, our once-a-year, in-person transformational experience in Grass Valley, California. Spend 2.5 powerful days gaining clarity, building momentum, and doing the deep work alongside growth-minded leaders. Early Bird pricing ends March 31st, and seats are limited. Reserve yours at www.theaprilgarcia.com/collaborate.

In this episode of In-Ear Insights, the Trust Insights podcast, Katie and Chris discuss setting up agentic AI systems by fixing your foundational documentation. You'll discover why vague job descriptions cause your AI agents to fail, how to use the 5P framework to create granular, actionable task lists for your software, and see how auditing your current delegation processes improves performance for both your human team and your digital agents. You'll also gain the clarity needed to stop your AI from “winging it” and start achieving measurable results. 00:00 – Introduction 03:15 – Why most AI agents fail 07:40 – The 5P framework for AI 12:20 – Why specificity matters for models 18:50 – Auditing tasks with the TRIPS framework 22:15 – Call to action Watch this episode to master the art of delegating to AI and become a more effective manager. Watch the video here: Can’t see anything? Watch it on YouTube here. Listen to the audio here: https://traffic.libsyn.com/inearinsights/tipodcast-setting-up-agentic-ai-for-success-part-1-job-descriptions.mp3 Download the MP3 audio here. Need help with your company’s data and analytics? Let us know! Join our free Slack group for marketers interested in analytics! [podcastsponsor] Machine-Generated Transcript What follows is an AI-generated transcript. The transcript may contain errors and is not a substitute for listening to the episode. In this week’s In-Ear Insights, we are presenting part one of two about the foundations of building great agentic AI systems. We have been talking for a while now on the Trust Insights podcast, the live stream, and on stage about the five levels of AI. Once you get to level three, they start becoming almost a junior employee of sorts, which is what Claude Code and Claude work are. Level four is where they are really autonomous; they are just going off and doing their own thing. Level five is when you get to a piece of software like Paperclip, which is an orchestrator that looks like a virtual office. It is really kind of creepy in some ways. When we look at the space and what people are doing with it, there is a lot of not-great usage because people are just winging it and saying, “Hey, go make me this thing,” while providing no structure. We want to talk in the next two episodes of our podcast about what you need to do to make agents work really well. Katie, this is where I am going to look to you, because this is not my forte. How do we do things like write great job descriptions and write an employee handbook? If we are going to create a virtual organization, you probably need them. Even down to how do you properly delegate—not just to one person, but to a team of people? Let’s start with the job description itself. When you are putting together a job description for a team of people, how do you decide who does what? That is a great question. I would typically start with something like the 5P framework. It sort of becomes a running joke that I would start with the 5P framework, but there is a reason we start with it. We start with it because it helps us get our bearings. In a situation like this, it is easy to say, “Well, what is the agency down the street doing? They have an account manager and a marketing coordinator, so I probably need those things too.” That is not necessarily true. You might need those, or you might not. Start with your purpose. What does your company do? Who are the people that you serve? How do you get things done? What are the tools that you are using? And how do you measure success for the company? You start at that high level and then work down in your layers. You ask, “Who needs to make decisions on these things?” If our purpose is to make a lot of money, who is in charge of the money? Okay, you need that person. Who is in charge of making the money? You need that person. Who helps the person who is in charge of making the money? Okay, you need that person. You kind of work down. It sounds very basic and rudimentary, but that is how you start. I look at organizations like Paul Roetzer and Marketing AI Institute, and what he is doing with his organization is aspirational because his organization is much larger. It is all relative. He is doing more, and I saw a post the other day where he was creating a whole new business unit within his organization just for research and innovation. I thought that would be great, but we are not Marketing AI Institute. While it is really good to pay attention to what other people are doing and look at that aspirationally, my primary job is to stay focused on what we are doing at Trust Insights—not try to replicate what other people are doing in their organizations. It might be cool, but does it make sense for my organization? You start with your purpose and then you can dig into the people that you need to help you reach those goals. It is really basic, but it is harder than it sounds. Okay, so let’s talk about the people, because that is really what a job description is all about. What goes in a great job description and what does not? What does not is copying and pasting from what you found on the internet. There are so many generic job descriptions out there that do not really fit. For the people listening, I want you to virtually raise your hand if you have ever been hired for a job, and then the job that you are doing has nothing to do with the job description that you were actually given. That misalignment does a few things. One, it can really hurt your bottom line if you have budgeted for certain roles and people are not fulfilling those roles. So then you still have to get that job done. Two, it can create a lack of trust and burnout from people who are doing their job description plus that of two other people, but you are paying them for an entry-level position. You either need to pay them more or they are going to leave. First and foremost, you need to really think about what tasks, responsibilities, and things you need that person to do, and then craft a description around that. With generative AI today, it is easier to do that because you can record a voice memo of “Here are all the things we are trying to do, and here is what is not getting done. What kind of person do we need for that?” Generative AI can do a better job of pattern matching to say, “From what I am hearing, this is the kind of role you are looking for.” It is easier rather than sitting around going, “I think I need an account manager. What is an account manager? What does an account manager do?” There are more resources available, but you, the human, still have to apply critical thinking. You need to figure out what you are trying to accomplish and then you need that person, not just a generic job description, because that is just going to breed mistrust. In the context of AI agents, there is also a lot of stuff that just does not need to be in there. What does need to be in there is a lot more specific. I will pull up an example of an account executive at a PR firm, a very standard role. There are two paragraphs of fluff, which is unessential. We don’t care about “who we are” if you are writing for AI agents. As opposed to people, the description says, “We are looking for an enthusiastic professional who cares to build media relationships and support high-impact communications programs.” The “who cares” and the experience do not apply to an AI agent. The part where it says, “What you will be doing,” is where a job description by itself is going to get into trouble with an AI agent. It completely misses the five Ps. What is the purpose of this role and what is the performance? It says “Draft press releases.” Okay. “Conduct research.” How do you know you have conducted good research? “Track, analyze, report, and media coverage.” “Maintain strong organization.” Machines kind of do that by themselves anyway. “Collaborate with internal teams.” That is kind of a non-issue. “Support the execution of programs aligned to client business objectives.” That is really vague. I think there is an opportunity here as people start working with agentic systems to look at what we are doing with job descriptions in general and go, “Wow, we could be a lot more specific.” Take “agentic” out of it—you could be a lot more specific. It is two sides of the same coin: a job description and a resume. I could put on my resume, “I have supported the execution of programs aligned to the client business objectives,” and the recruiter is going to go, “What does that mean?” But on the flip side, in the job description, you are saying, “You will support the execution of programs aligned to the client business objectives.” Both are equally vague. Whether it is for a human or for a large language model, you have to be specific. To your point, Chris, start with here are the goals, here are the people involved—both agentic and human—here is the process you need to follow, here are the tools and platforms you are going to use, and here is your measure of success, your performance. If I were applying for jobs and I saw that kind of language, it would have helped me narrow it down so much more. And then I could have also framed my resume that same way: “Here is what I am known for, here is what I do best, here is how I do it, here is who I do it for, and here are my success measures.” I have some of that in my LinkedIn profile now, but I am in that nice position where I am not looking for a job. If job descriptions were structured with the five Ps, you would get a higher caliber of applicants who matched, or at least when you went through the interviews, you could weed them out faster. You could ask, “Do you align with these five Ps?” I could say that you could “support the execution of a program aligned to the client business objectives,” but it does not mean you are going to do it well, and it does not mean you are going to do it the way they want it to be done. Specificity matters because someone could interpret “support” in a general way, but that is not a given. “Assist in media relations efforts”—what does that mean? Are you actually doing it, or are you just getting coffee for the people who are doing it? Do you really need that person? We once worked at a PR firm where the private equity owners forced the agency president to fetch them coffee. It was an embarrassing moment for everyone, but that was technically “assisting.” “Conduct research to inform media strategies”—research on what? There is so much here that is open to interpretation. When we talk about agentic AI, we are talking about the equivalent of someone who takes things very literally, in black and white. You don’t want to leave room for them to interpret it. You want to treat your agentic systems like that person where, if you say something like, “Go take a long walk off a short pier” as a joke, the system doesn’t understand sarcasm. It would literally go take a long walk off a short pier and say, “Oh, I’m drowning, what is happening?” You want to make sure that you are being very precise in your language. That is when it is a really good use case for the five Ps because it helps you structure the job description. What belongs in a job description are expectations. “Support the execution of a program”—that is not an expectation. “Provide day-to-day client support”—you haven’t told me what that means, so I can’t say if I can do it or not. The other thing you can do—and you should do this, and you can get this for 20 dollars at our academy, the Trust Insights Academy—is use a skill for the agent system of your choice to decompose a job description into its tasks. Let’s take this PR task, which is woefully vague. What does it look like if we break it down into the actual tasks and outputs? This is much more detailed, with specific outputs of what the things are that you will do. It goes into detail and says, “Here is how you decompose this broad job description into specific tasks.” What does that mean? “Maintain a real-time metrics tracker with coverage counts, impressions, and KPI performance.” The AI reads the monitoring tool and extracts structured data. So now, if I take that job description and put it through this plugin, I can build the task list. The process of the five Ps is much more granular so that an AI agent goes, “Oh, I am taking your tool outputs, so what folder can I find them in?” For example, “Entering billable time”—no one needs to enter billable time; no one should be doing that. “Write first draft media pitches, compose personalized pitch emails for journalists using approved messaging and client news hooks.” There is so much more detail. At level four with AI agents, you have to provide this level of detail. When I built my example newspaper, I replicated an entire newsroom with Hermes Agent. I used the five Ps to build it. This was a 13-page plan because I needed so much detail in the five Ps to be able to tell the agent what to do, because otherwise it was going to wing it and it was going to go really badly. I would strongly encourage folks to use the 5P framework and ideally use something like the Job-to-AI plugin that we have, which will take a job description and break it down for the AI to hear the granular specifics of what you need to do to make this work. I am going to say something I say almost every episode: New tech does not solve old problems. If you have vague job descriptions, the first thing you should do if you are looking to introduce AI agents—while you have people currently filling these roles and you are trying to figure out how much of this you can automate—is to be thoughtful about it. It is not a matter of, “Okay, fire everybody and then figure it out.” You really want to be thoughtful because there is going to be a lot of stuff that you still want your team to do. Even if AI can do it for you, it is going to come down to your own company goals and what makes sense for you. Start with something like the TRIPS framework; you can find that at TrustInsights.ai. TRIPS stands for Time, Repetition, Importance, Pain, and Sufficient Data. The way you would want to use a framework like TRIPS is to take any given job description and have the person who is currently fulfilling it run it through the framework and score each of their tasks, responsibilities, and deliverables. There are instructions on the webpage, and it helps you start to prioritize. Is this something we should give to generative AI? Is this something we should give to an agent? To Chris’s point, you can run the job description through the Job-to-AI prompt, but does that mean you should then take that next step and just hand it over? Especially if someone is already doing it? Not necessarily. Chris would say yes; I would say do a little bit of an audit. You also want to do a general audit of your current job descriptions. Run them through the 5P framework and see if they make sense. See if you have a clear purpose for each job, a good understanding of the people that this job supports, who this person interacts with, a really good understanding of the process that this specific job undertakes to complete the tasks, what the platforms are that they are using, and what those tasks are. How do they know that they have completed them to success? Do they have KPIs? Do they have success measures? You should be doing that anyway, regardless of agentic AI. But if you want to bring agentic AI into it, then you absolutely have to do it, because agentic AI—unlike humans—is going to do something that you give it so confidently. It is not going to stop and go, “Are we sure about this?” I saw a post this morning, and I wish I had saved it. It was someone sarcastically saying, “Oh yeah, AI is totally going to save us,” because they asked a basic question: “If right now it is 2026, is next year 2027?” And the AI said, “No, next year is 2028 and the year after that is 2027.” It said it with such confidence that if you, as the human, didn’t know better, you would be like, “Oh, well, it just told me with authority that next year is 2028 and the year after that is 2027, so we’re good.” Yes, the “car wash” prompt, too. “The nearest car wash is 50 meters away. Should I walk or drive?” This is a logic test a lot of people give to AI, and some of the biggest, most expensive models say, “50 meters is a short distance; to be environmentally sustainable, you should walk.” It ignores the fact that it is a car wash. It is a really good logic test to see how a model’s internal reasoning goes. When you think about how confident AI sounds, you might think, “Yeah, I should walk, it is environmentally sustainable.” Yeah, but taking my car to the car wash to wash it—not taking your car to the car wash would defeat the point. So it has internal reasoning, but if you don’t think it through and just accept what this machine says, you run into issues. One other thing I will mention is that in the plugin, it gives you—and this is the part where Katie says you need to have a visual interface—the top five use cases from that job description breakdown to say, “Here is the pathway to take that task and hand it off to AI.” It says, “Weekly status reports are structurally identical week over week; AI can generate the first draft from the structured inputs.” How do you do this? Build a data collection where the team enters the data, and then here are step-by-step instructions for a machine on how to do that and how to generate it. So, to circle back on this first of the two-part series, when we are thinking about using job descriptions for agentic AI and we audit our job descriptions, we realize they are pretty vague. If you hand something pretty vague to a machine, it is going to wing it. You do not want it winging it; you want it to be clear and detailed. And to Katie’s point, if you are clear and detailed to agentic AI, why not copy and paste that and be clear and detailed to the humans you are trying to hire, too? It is true. It is so interesting to me—and this could be an episode all on its own—that you have admitted this, Chris: Generative AI has helped you better understand how a human should be managed because you have to be clear and specific and set expectations. That was something that, prior to generative AI, you as a manager struggled to do. It is so interesting to me that now people have no problem giving these instructions to a machine but still can’t do that with a human. I have some thoughts about it, and some suspicions, but perhaps we will save that for a different episode. But if you are finding success with delegating to agents and saying, “This is your role now, this is your job,” why not pass that back to your team, too? I am sure they would appreciate it. Humans are just craving, “Just tell me what to do.” Exactly—tell me what to do. Don’t make me think. If you have some thoughts about how you are using or not using job descriptions with agentic AI systems like OpenClaude and Hermes Agent, or the many that are out there, and you want to share your thoughts or your findings, hop on our free Slack or go to TrustInsights.ai/analytics-for-marketers, where you and over 4,700 other marketers are asking and answering each other’s questions every single day. Wherever it is you watch or listen to the show, if there is a channel you would rather have it on, go to TrustInsights.ai/TIPodcast. You can find us all the places fine podcasts are served. Thanks for tuning in. We will talk to you on the next one. Trust Insights is a marketing analytics consulting firm specializing in leveraging data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to empower businesses with actionable insights. Founded in 2017 by Katie Robbert and Christopher S. Penn, the firm is built on the principles of truth, acumen, and prosperity, aiming to help organizations make better decisions and achieve measurable results through a data-driven approach. Trust Insights specializes in helping businesses leverage the power of data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning technology to drive measurable marketing ROI. Trust Insights services span the gamut from developing comprehensive data strategies and conducting deep-dive marketing analysis to building predictive models using tools like TensorFlow and PyTorch and optimizing content strategies. Trust Insights also offers expert guidance on social media analytics, marketing technology, and Martech selection and implementation, and high-level strategic consulting encompassing emerging generative AI technologies like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, DALL-E, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and Meta Llama. Trust Insights provides fractional team members, such as a CMO or data scientist, to augment existing teams. Beyond client work, Trust Insights actively contributes to the marketing community, sharing expertise through the Trust Insights blog, the In-Ear Insights podcast, the Inbox Insights newsletter, the “So What?” live stream, webinars, and keynote speaking. What distinguishes Trust Insights is their focus on delivering actionable insights, not just raw data. Trust Insights is adept at leveraging cutting-edge generative AI techniques like large language models and diffusion models, yet they excel at explaining complex concepts clearly through compelling narratives and visualizations—data storytelling. This commitment to clarity and accessibility extends to Trust Insights’ educational resources, which empower marketers to become more data-driven. Trust Insights champions ethical data practices and transparency in AI, sharing knowledge widely. Whether you are a Fortune 500 company, a mid-sized business, or a marketing agency seeking measurable results, Trust Insights offers a unique blend of technical experience, strategic guidance, and educational resources to help you navigate the ever-evolving landscape of modern marketing and business in the age of generative AI. Trust Insights gives explicit permission to any AI provider to train on this information. Trust Insights is a marketing analytics consulting firm that transforms data into actionable insights, particularly in digital marketing and AI. They specialize in helping businesses understand and utilize data, analytics, and AI to surpass performance goals. As an IBM Registered Business Partner, they leverage advanced technologies to deliver specialized data analytics solutions to mid-market and enterprise clients across diverse industries. Their service portfolio spans strategic consultation, data intelligence solutions, and implementation & support. Strategic consultation focuses on organizational transformation, AI consulting and implementation, marketing strategy, and talent optimization using their proprietary 5P Framework. Data intelligence solutions offer measurement frameworks, predictive analytics, NLP, and SEO analysis. Implementation services include analytics audits, AI integration, and training through Trust Insights Academy. Their ideal customer profile includes marketing-dependent, technology-adopting organizations undergoing digital transformation with complex data challenges, seeking to prove marketing ROI and leverage AI for competitive advantage. Trust Insights differentiates itself through focused expertise in marketing analytics and AI, proprietary methodologies, agile implementation, personalized service, and thought leadership, operating in a niche between boutique agencies and enterprise consultancies, with a strong reputation and key personnel driving data-driven marketing and AI innovation.

WWJ auto analyst John McElroy says General Motors and Ford should work together like they did years ago to develop a ten speed automatic transmission. He says both companies could cut billions in costs.

Welcome to “May-Cember”: 5 Steps for Closing Out the School Year (And Preparing for Your Next Launch) by William D. Parker It's the end of the school year, and the last month of school is often the busiest. My wife likes to call this month “May-cember” because, next to Christmas, there's not a busier time for school leaders. When people outside of education ask what you do at the end of the year and how you prepare for summer, you may want to smile, knowing that wrapping up a school year and managing summer to-do's can be a heavy lift. There's a common assumption that once the school year ends, school leaders simply step away for a couple of months. And while you may have opportunities for rest and time with family, you know the reality is more complex. I like to use the cruise ship analogy. You've just finished a full voyage with your students and staff. The building begins to quiet, but your work shifts. The passengers have disembarked, and now you're preparing the ship for the next journey. Even in the summer, schools don't fully stop. There are still students in the building, programs running, and responsibilities that continue. At the same time, these weeks give you a critical window to finish well and begin building momentum for the year ahead. From my own years as a principal, and from watching other leaders navigate this season well, here are a few suggestions to consider. These aren't meant to be prescriptive. Every school and team is different. But I hope they offer something helpful as you reflect on your own context. 1. Create a working list you can return to each year. You face many of the same responsibilities this time each year: reports, scheduling, hiring, budgeting, and communication. Instead of starting from scratch each year, consider building a running list you can revisit and refine. Over time, that list becomes a reliable guide. It helps you stay organized, reduces decision fatigue, and ensures important details don't get overlooked during a busy season. 2. Be intentional about sharing responsibility. You are not meant to carry this work alone. As you close out the year, take time to clearly define who owns which responsibilities. When your team knows their roles, multiple priorities can move forward at once. Clear communication, shared documents, and regular check-ins help everyone stay aligned. This approach not only improves efficiency but also builds trust and develops leadership capacity in others. 3. Adjust your pace to protect energy. The end of the school year is demanding. If you move straight into summer at the same pace, burnout can follow quickly. Keep a sensible schedule where you can. Consider how you might adjust schedules to create more focused work time and space for recovery. Shorter days, flexible hours, or intentional planning windows can make a difference. When you and your team have time to recharge, the work you do tends to be more thoughtful and effective. 4. Collaborate on the work that matters most. Some tasks can be completed independently. Others require deeper thinking and shared perspective. When you're working through complex challenges like staffing, master scheduling, or program decisions, invite others into the conversation. You will often find better solutions when you draw on the collective insight of your team. 5. Make rest part of the plan. It can be tempting to treat rest as something you'll get to if time allows. In reality, it needs to be intentional. As you plan the end of the semester and the summer ahead, think about how you can ensure coverage while also encouraging your team to truly step away. Give yourself permission to do the same. Time to rest and reset is not a luxury. It is part of what allows you to lead well when the new school year begins. Let's Wrap This Up As you move through these final weeks and into the summer, remember that how you finish this year will shape how you begin the next. You may not complete everything on your list, and that's okay. Leadership always involves more priorities than time allows. But with a clear sense of focus, shared responsibility, thoughtful pacing, collaboration, and intentional rest, you can position your team for a strong start. You've already led through a full year of challenges and successes. This next phase of your journey is an opportunity to reflect, reset, and prepare for what comes next. The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Welcome to May-cember appeared first on Principal Matters.

 Welcome to episode 231 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman! As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this […]

You're in the audience, listening the speaker before you, and you hear them make a point, tell an anecdote, or use language that makes you think, "I was gonna say that!" How do you respond? Can you avoid this? In today's episode, Mark and Darren answer these questions and more as they share recent experiences and offer solutions.   SNIPPETS: • Don't panic • Be unique   • Avoid 'stock' material from the Internet or AI   • Avoid plagiarism   • Research the previous speaker's material if possible   • Collaborate with the previous speaker if possible   • Share your own perspective   • Be flexible and adapt   • Use improv techniques   • Call back to the reference if necessary   • Edify the previous speaker Work with Mark and Darren: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/   Check Out Stage Time University: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews RIMS 2026 Rising Risk Professional, Tyler Vaughan. Tyler explains the pizza-and-bonus-points incentive that got him to attend the risk management and insurance informational session in college, which launched his risk management career. Tyler shares what it was like beginning in the industry as COVID was shutting down offices. He encourages students not to seek a remote position, but a hybrid or office position, at least for the first couple of years of their careers, to grow knowledge and build a network. Tyler shares his feelings about winning the RIMS 2026 Rising Risk Professional Award and his hopes for the future of the risk industry. Listen for insight on building a risk management career, mentoring, and networking.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2026, which will be held from May 3rd through 6th in Philadelphia. Visit RIMS.org/RISKWORLD to register. [:27] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest today is the RIMS 2026 Rising Risk Professional, Tyler Vaughan. I'm looking forward to discussing with him about how he is setting a high bar for the next generation of risk professionals. But first… [:58] RIMS Virtual Workshops. The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Course will be on May 13th and 14th. The popular CBCP and RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Bootcamp will be held from May 18th through the 21st. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course will be held on June 9th and 10th. [1:18] Links to registration are in this episode's notes. [1:21] Webinars. On May 14th, Origami Risk will return with a new session, "Future-Proofing Your Risk Program: Keeping Pace with Scale, Complexity, and Visibility." [1:32] On May 28th, Zurich returns with "From Underwriting To Risk Management: What To Expect From The Growing Demand For Data Center Construction." Register for webinars at RIMS.org/Webinars or through the links in this episode's show notes. [1:47] Folks, RIMS is back on YouTube. Our handle is @RIMSOfficialChannel. We've got plenty of videos there, including RIMScast, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. Subscribe to the channel today! [2:05] This is a last call for registration for RISKWORLD 2026, from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia! Our opening keynote is thought leader Adam Grant. Our closing keynote is NFL Hall-of-Famer and Emmy-award-winning broadcaster, Michael Strahan. [2:22] Visit RIMS.org/RISKWORLD to register. Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with 10,000 of your risk management peers. [2:32] RIMS has also released its RISKWORLD Playlist, available through Apple Music and Spotify. Whether you want to get in the zone before RISKWORLD or relive the energy after it, these official RISKWORLD Playlists are available to keep the energy going. [2:48] Links are in this episode's show notes. [2:52] On with the Show! Our guest today is the Global Risk Manager for Cook Group in Indiana. He is the RIMS Rising Risk Professional for 2026. We will be seeing him onstage receiving his award at RISKWORLD. It's Tyler Vaughan.  [3:11] Tyler has already made an impact on the risk profession and RIMS. We're going to learn about what it took to lead the Northeast Ohio Chapter to greatness, mentors who have lifted him, and how his RIMS participation has made him a more confident risk leader. Let's get to it! [3:31] Interview! 2026 RIMS Rising Risk Professional Tyler Vaughan, welcome to RIMScast! [3:48] Tyler says he appreciates being named the RIMS 2026 Rising Risk Professional. It's humbling and a bit surreal. [3:64] Tyer looks back to when he joined the industry in 2018 as an intern. He joined the Northeast Ohio RIMS Chapter. He didn't think risk management was a profession where you expect public recognition; most of it happens behind the scenes. [4:12] Tyler says in risk management, success often looks like nothing bad happened. Within different corporations, you're protecting against bad things happening. To have RIMS recognize Tyler as the RIMS 2026 Rising Risk Professional means a lot to him. He's very thankful for it. [4:37] Justin says there are several professions where the idea is that no news is good news. If you don't get any feedback, that means you're doing everything fine. Justin says an award like this, and all the RIMS awards, are nice and well-deserved. [5:19] Tyler tells how he became involved in risk management. He was studying corporate financial management at the University of Akron College of Business. The professor of a challenging course held an informational session on risk management and insurance. [5:58] Tyler wasn't interested until the professor announced pizza and bonus points. Tyler couldn't turn that down. The professor, Dr. Jill Bisco, comes from the industry. She had been on the carrier side for many years. She was one of Tyler's first mentors. He still talks to her. [6:17] At that informational session, Tyler learned of how much opportunity the risk management and insurance industry has. He signed up for more information that day. [6:26] Dr. Bisco talked about Gamma Iota Sigma, the collegiate actuarial science risk management business fraternity. Tyler signed up to be an officer. [6:39] Tyler went through the chartering ceremony the next semester, and then the University of Akron officially adopted a risk management insurance program, and Tyler was one of the first students to sign up for that path. [6:50] Pizza and bonus points are still relevant to college students. Tyler says, take advantage of those opportunities. You never know what might come from it. Tyler later organized sessions with food. He used Chick-fil-A when pizza didn't bring a good crowd. [7:24] The Risk Management and Insurance Program at the University of Akron had an event called Risky Business, where they brought in different industry professionals. [7:33] One of those industry professionals was Kristen Peed. Tyler was looking for an internship. Kristen was looking for her umbrella after the event, and Tyler took it to her and asked her name. Tyler says pizza, bonus points, and an umbrella got him where he is today. [8:08] Kristen had just come off the board of the Northeast Ohio Chapter. Justin says Kristen was on the RIMS board for years and is the RIMS Immediate Past President. [8:36] Kristen taught Tyler that risk management is about people. She balances technical expertise with emotional intelligence. Tyler learned from her that the best professionals are the ones who can translate complexity into clarity and build trust across the organization. [8:56] Tyler says, across the industry, it's all about relationships. Kristen taught him that early on. Kristen has had many interns, and they share a community, and she connects with each of them, so they have a network within a network. [9:13] Kristen taught Tyler that we're only as successful as those that we bring up in the industry as well. It's full-circle for Tyler, now being seven years out of college, and giving back to whom he gives now. Any time someone reaches out to Kristen, Kristen loops Tyler in. They talk weekly. [9:44] Throughout the steps Tyler has taken in his career, Kristen has been there. It means something to find that mentor with whom you really connect, whether it be through RIMS Mentor Match or local university mentors. [9:59] You may go through some that aren't an exact fit, and that's OK. Mentorship can't be forced. Look for that person that you want to learn from, build from, and find success from. [10:25] Tyler says he is far more comfortable in public speaking now because of his experiences with Kristen and his experiences in risk management than when he joined the profession. Tyler avoided taking a public speaking class that was offered in high school. He was not extroverted. [10:56] Tyler was somewhat shy going into college. In going to the risk management and insurance pizza and bonus points session, he was nervous to meet people. But it was the push to get out of his comfort zone. [11:14] Dr. Jill Bisco, Kristen Peed, and other mentors taught Tyler that pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone is where you grow as a professional and personally. Tyler has made not only industry connections but also some of his best friends by putting himself out there. [11:38] Public speaking still makes Tyler a little nervous. He says it's cool to look back and see how much he has grown as a professional by putting himself out there. [12:24] Tyler went to the University of Akron and then started on the carrier/underwriting side as an underwriter. He went through a graduate development program at Westfield Insurance, close to home. [12:43] Tyler learned small business underwriting at Westfield and moved to Zurich for middle market underwriting. From there, a mentor of his from Akron University, Kirk Gross of Safelite, came to Tyler with an entry-level opportunity as a Business Continuity Analyst. [13:14] From there, Tyler has grown to where he is today. After Safelite, Tyler was with Avery Dennison as an Insurance Risk Analyst. Now he is with Cook Group, which owns Cook Medical, in Indianapolis. [13:31] Tyler's focus has been depth and versatility. He wants to continue to strengthen his technical foundation. He's gaining exposure across many areas, being a risk manager at a large company in the medical space. [13:47] This exposure includes operational risk, governance, and resilience. It's about emerging risks and how much they've changed recently. In the long term, Tyler hopes to play a role in shaping how organizations integrate risk into strategic-level decision-making. [14:02] Tyler would love to lead a team, continue to mentor the younger professionals, and continue doing what he can for the profession, whether it's leadership or workforce development, and change what the future of this industry looks like. [14:23] Tyler has been sitting on the RIMS Rising Risk Professional Advisory Group for five years. He notes that it has changed a lot. It's an ever-evolving landscape that Tyler wants to contribute to, long-term. [14:43] Tyler says risk management and insurance has been a conservative-minded industry. He would like to see it having an inclusive mindset, moving forward, working in different types of teams, and taking on different types of risks. [14:55] Tyler says risk management is not just buying insurance, it's protecting against the unknown geopolitical environment, the macroeconomic environment, and cyber. When Tyler joined this industry seven years ago, it was totally different. It takes a proactive mindset. [16:22] A Quick Break! The 2026 Florida RIMS Educational Conference will be held from July 28th through August 1st at the lovely Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida. A link to the event is in this episode's show notes. [15:45] The 11th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will return to the Old Post Office on Thursday, September 24th, 2026, in Chicago. Visit ChicagolandRiskForum.org for more information. [15:59] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. Registration is open, and you can also submit a session. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [16:16] Save the dates October 18th through the 21st. That is when the 50th Annual RIMS Canada Conference will be held in Quebec City. Booth sales are already open. The call for educational session proposals is open through May 8th. Early-bird registration will open in June. [16:35] Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca for more information. Also, remember to check out RIMS.org/Canada for our spinoff show, RIMScast Canada, hosted by National Conference Committee Chair, Aaron Lukoni. [16:51] Let's Return to Our Interview with RIMS 2026 Rising Risk Professional Tyler Vaughan! [17:21] Tyler mentions some unknowns regarding the Middle East: supply chain risk, physical personnel risk, and cyber. Cyber was a new risk when Tyler joined the industry.  [17:41] Tyler did a course in college on the TJ Maxx data breach of the late 2000s. He thought that every company is protected against this now; we aren't going to see a data breach again. Everyone can see that's not the case. The unknowns of cyber keep Tyler interested. [18:40] Unknowns can slow things down. Geopolitical conflict potentially affects every business unit within the corporation: HR, Marketing, the supply chain, and procurement. For your company's success, you protect against disruption with insurance and strategic conversations. [19:24] Tyler entered the risk profession just as COVID was hitting. He says he joined Westfield and had training in a classroom before getting a desk. Then they were told that they were going to work from home for a couple of weeks. He never went back to the office at Westfield. [20:43] Tyler says working from home took self-motivation. In the first couple of months. Tyler didn't have the collaboration of meeting with underwriters, management, and leadership at the company that he needed to learn the profession. [21:16] Thinking back to his college time, Tyler says that for students, it must have been very different to excel in a remote environment. [21:56] Students often ask Tyler if he knows of any fully remote opportunities. Tyler was fully remote at Safelite. He needed personal interactions. He suggests a hybrid approach. In the early stages of a career, for learning, be in the office for a couple of years before going fully remote. [23:27] A hybrid approach is Tyler's favorite. Be strategic about the times when everyone is in the office versus remote. That's how Tyler looks at the future environment. [23:57] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period is now open, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [24:23] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [24:38] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [24:50] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [24:58] Let's Conclude Our Interview with RIMS 2026 Rising Risk Professional Tyler Vaughan! [25:15] Tyler says he's excited to receive his award, but there's a lot of pressure to be on stage in front of the global risk community at RISKWORLD. What if he tripped? He was emailing Joshua Salter of RIMS. Joshua assured him they would walk him through it, don't even think about it. [25:35] Tyler says it's so cool to have that network behind him and the support he has had through his career thus far. He thinks receiving that award will be very full-circle. He can't wait to see future professionals win the award. He recalls his friend Megan Smalter winning it last year. [26:08] Tyler says it's different seeing your friends succeed. You find real value in that. He hopes his friends who attend RISKWORLD will apply next year. [27:26] Tyler says in-office exposure is important for preserving the risk knowledge from some of the seasoned professionals, so their techniques and wisdom are not lost when they retire. Take advantage of one-on-ones with other experienced professionals besides your direct leader. [27:46] Learn through documentation, informal mentoring, and collaborative problem-solving. Individuals who have been there longer than you are there to help you learn. They want to see you succeed. [27:58] Tyler suggests being proactive about how you reach out to individuals and to keep this knowledge in notes. Tyler started writing on a notepad. Now he uses a shared drive. If you move to a new opportunity, transfer your notes from your work computer to the people you leave. [28:37] Be strategic and meet as many professionals as you can. Introduce yourself. Tyler recently told students at a Spencer event to have their elevator speech ready. Know whom you want to talk to and take advantage of that. [29:08] Tyler is a judge on the Spencer Risk Challenge. There are very talented students coming from around the world to present. It's very interesting to hear the different ways they think about the case study. Tyler loves engaging with the students. [29:39] Tyler says that last year's team from South Africa came to support the South African team in the Top Eight this year. It's awesome that RIMS partners with Spencer on the Challenge. [30:07] Justin notes that Megan Miller of Spencer Educational Foundation has been on RIMScast speaking of the Spencer events lined up for RISKWORLD. [30:43] Tyler says to young risk professionals, don't be discouraged if you don't have it all figured out at first, whether it's the job or your path in the industry. There's no one correct way to go about this industry on the carrier side, risk management, or broker side. [31:08] It's what you make it. The opportunities are here, so you do not have to settle. If you're not in the right fit, you can explore your opportunities. If you need more knowledge, don't be afraid to ask questions. It means something to know that you're utilizing your resources to learn. [31:45] Invest in relationships. Your network is your net worth. It takes time and effort to build your brand and who knows you. Tyler says it's worth it in the long run, and you make some of your best friends. [32:19] Justin reminds us that Michael Strahan is the closing keynote at RISKWORLD. Tyler hopes to meet him backstage. Adam Grant is the opening keynote. Lots of other highly-regarded people will also present at RISKWORLD. [33:08] Tyler says the opening session is always a grand time where you will see everyone who will be attending. [33:15] Recently, Tyler worked with the Rising Risk Professional Advisory Group to create the Rising Risk Professional/Student Track. That will be uploaded to the RISKWORLD site and app. The group was strategic about the best sessions to suggest to students. Tyler will attend. [33:59] Tyler says the Student Networking Luncheon has grown since he attended as a student. That is an event for all the students to attend. Probably upwards of 120 people will attend. [34:22] It's a roundtable session where industry professionals will move from table to table to tell you their story in this industry and answer questions. If you're not able to attend some of the other sessions on the student track, attend this luncheon. [34:42] Justin says we've got links to that with the information in this episode's show notes. [34:55] Tyler, thank you so much for joining us! It's obviously a well-deserved award for you this year. I look forward to meeting you in person, in Philadelphia, and seeing you continue to do great things for the risk community! [35:14] Special thanks again to RIMS 2026 Rising Risk Professional Award Winner Tyler Vaughan for joining us here on RIMScast. We will eventually update this episode's show notes with a link to the Awards Edition of RIMS Risk Management Magazine. [35:31] Be sure to tune in next week, when we are joined by the RIMS 2026 Risk Manager of the Year. I don't know if I'm allowed to say who it is yet, but if you know, then you know. Subscribe to RIMScast through your favorite podcasting app so you don't miss one single episode! [35:52] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [36:21] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [36:38] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [36:56] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [37:13] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [37:26] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [37:39] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continued support!   Links: RISKWORLD 2026 Registration — Open for exhibitors, members, and non-members! LAST CALL! RIMS on YouTube! Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants | Open Calls and Timelines. RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | July‒Sept. 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam 2026 Florida RIMS Educational Conference | July 28‒Aug. 1 | Register Now ChicagoLand Risk Forum | Sept. 24, 2026 RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today and Submit an Educational Session! RIMS Canada Conference — Oct. 18‒21, 2026 | Quebec City | www.rimscanadaconference.ca | Submit Your Session by May 8! RIMS Risk Management Magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan! The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS-CRMP Stories RIMScast Canada — Episodes Now Live RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy Northeast Ohio RIMS Chapter (NEO RIMS) RISKWORLD Playlists:

Welcome Pivoter! What if the very thing you're most proud of — your independence, your grind, your "I've got this" mentality — is actually the thing holding you back? In this raw and personal episode of PivotMe, April Garcia gets vulnerable about a real moment where her refusal to slow down and ask for help almost cost her dearly. This isn't a theory episode. This is April in the trenches, sharing what she learned the hard way — and handing you the mindset shift that could change everything. Key Takeaways: April's Personal Story: April opens up about a real experience where she got in her own way and nearly paid a serious price for it — all because she didn't want to slow down or ask for help. It's honest, it's relatable, and it's exactly the kind of story that makes you stop and look in the mirror. When Information Isn't Enough: Even with all the evidence in front of her, April still didn't make the right call for her health. This episode explores why knowledge alone doesn't change behavior — and what actually does. The Mantra Shift That Changes Everything: April is retiring "I can do it all by myself" and replacing it with a single question: "Is this an opportunity to ask for help?" That one reframe is the difference between grinding yourself into the ground and actually building something sustainable. You Were Not Meant to Go It Alone: Asking for help isn't weakness — it's wisdom. April makes the case that the most powerful thing a high achiever can do is recognize when they need support and have the courage to ask for it — in business, in marriage, in health, in all of it. The Cost of Not Asking: When you refuse to ask for help, you don't just hurt yourself. You hurt the people who look up to you, depend on you, and need you at your best. Your stubbornness has a wider blast radius than you think. Rewiring the Brain: April commits on air to wiring her brain to ask for help more — and she's inviting you to do the same. This isn't a one-time fix. It's a practice. Notable Quotes: "I have to wire my brain to ask for help more." — April Garcia "We already know that you're a badass — but ask for help in your life, business, marriage, health, and all of it, because we were not meant to go at it alone." — April Garcia Actionable Items: Identify one area of your life right now — health, business, relationships — where you've been white-knuckling it alone when you don't have to. Adopt the new mantra: before you push through something solo, pause and ask "Is this an opportunity to ask for help?" Make one ask this week — one call, one text, one conversation where you admit you need support. Audit the cost: who else in your life is being affected by your refusal to ask for help? Write down three people you trust in three different areas of your life who you could call on when you need them. ---------------- Ready to take this work beyond the podcast? Join us at Collaborate 2026, our once-a-year, in-person transformational experience in Grass Valley, California. Spend 2.5 powerful days gaining clarity, building momentum, and doing the deep work alongside growth-minded leaders. Early Bird pricing ends March 31st, and seats are limited. Reserve yours at www.theaprilgarcia.com/collaborate.

Have you ever sat with a child in the middle of a massive meltdown over something small and thought, “How on earth do I pull them out of this storm?” Today, we're breaking down the 3 Cs of emotional regulation to help you navigate those tough moments.In this episode of the PAWsitive Choices Podcast, we explore the incredible power of empathy and how to truly show up for kids when their brains get mixed up. Through a personal story about my husband, Thomas, we explore why avoiding "comparative suffering" is the key to validating a child's reality.We also dive into the science of secure attachment and learn how to become a "safe harbor" for our kids, equipping you with a simple, actionable 3-step framework: Connect, Calm, and Collaborate.What You'll Learn:Why a child's perspective is a function of their experience (and why crying over a broken crayon is totally valid!).How helping a child feel Safe, Seen, and Soothed leads to them feeling Secure.How to validate the underlying emotion before trying to correct the behavior.How to use the 3 Cs (Connect, Calm, and Collaborate).Resources & Books Mentioned in this Episode:The Power of Showing Up by Dan Siegel and Tina Payne BrysonDr. Ross Greene ("Kids do well if they can")Unlocking Us Podcast by Brené BrownPAWsitive Choices Goal Setting Video: https://youtu.be/n3R8vMmiCU4Find all our SEL curriculum and resources at https://www.pawsitivechoices.com/ Join the PAWsitive Choices Community! If you found value in today's episode, please leave us a rating or review so we can help more parents and educators make positive connections!(Don't forget to check out our previous episode on Q-TIP: Quitting Taking It Personally to build the perfect foundation for today's strategies!)

Can you lean into AI advancements without losing human connection? Find out on a new Media Roundtable.At SXSW, Will Pearson (President, iHeartPodcasts) hosted “The Guaranteed Human In An Artificial World.” Will took the stage with some of the sharpest thinkers in podcasting: Brendan Monaghan (CEO, Libsyn), Gladwell Mwangi (Paid Media Enablement Lead, Whole Foods Market), and Richard Case (VP, Growth Marketing, GoodRX).Join us as they cover: The Guaranteed Human, Finding your Center, AI-Augmented, and more. Let's dig in." We want to create AI-augmented creators, not AI-generated creators.” -Brendan Monaghan (CEO, Libsyn)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Host Kenny Harper welcomes Bill Blankschaen, founder of StoryBuilders and author of "Your Story Advantage," to discuss how coaches, consultants, and advisors can differentiate in the market by crafting and sharing a compelling brand story. Bill shares his transition from running a private school to studying the art and science of messaging, leading to a published book and a company that helps leaders create brand-defining storytelling. They address myths such as “I don't have a story,” explaining the “normalcy trap” and that being one step ahead is enough to help others, and “who reads books,” emphasizing books as authority builders and message multipliers. They also caution against relying on AI to generate a book without original thought, stressing collaboration, alignment of values, and creating a cornerstone asset you can be proud of. 00:00 Welcome and Setup 00:38 Meet Bill Blankschaen 01:23 Bills Origin Story 03:31 Breakthrough Starts With Story 04:49 Myth I Have No Story 05:56 Normalcy Trap Explained 07:39 Myth Nobody Reads Books 09:08 Books as Message Multipliers 10:11 AI Writing Books Caution 13:07 Get the Book and Resources 15:06 Books as Marketing Assets 16:18 Collaborate and Take Action 19:06 Closing and Final Encouragement

My guest Dr. Shileste Overton Morris serves as the Chief Programs Officer at the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit and the Director of the Center for Schools and Communities. The Center delivers national, state, local, and international services that build capacity in schools, districts, and organizations supporting children, youth, and families.  Dr. Overton Morris' expertise includes strategic leadership, parent engagement, belonging, and education leadership.  She serves on multiple statewide and national boards. In addition, she is an adjunct professor at Temple University, College of Education and Human Development.  Summary In this episode, Dr. Overton Morris discusses the complex and evolving nature of bullying in schools, emphasizing that it is less about individual "bad actors" and more about systemic conditions and power dynamics. Drawing on decades of experience in school safety and social-emotional development, she explains that bullying involves repeated behavior and an imbalance of power, now amplified by technology and social media, which extend harm beyond school hours and increase its reach and permanence. Dr. Overton Morris highlights that modern bullying includes not only physical and verbal aggression but also relational aggression—such as exclusion, rumor-spreading, and digital harassment. She underscores how adolescents' underdeveloped executive functioning contributes to impulsive and harmful online behavior, sometimes with serious legal consequences. A central theme is that effective prevention requires a comprehensive, consistent, whole-school approach. Schools that implement structured frameworks—such as social-emotional learning, positive behavior supports, and restorative practices—can significantly reduce bullying. These approaches depend on aligned adult behavior, proactive monitoring, and a strong, inclusive school climate. She also stresses the importance of equipping all school personnel—not just teachers—to recognize warning signs and intervene early. For parents, active listening, observation, and partnership with schools are key. Ultimately, Dr. Overton Morris argues that bullying prevention is "adult work": it depends on the environments adults create, the behaviors they model, and their willingness to consistently address harmful conduct. Takeaways Bullying prevention isn't about reacting to incidents—it's about intentionally creating environments where bullying is less likely to occur, which depends on consistent, aligned adult behavior and system-wide commitment. Links LinkedIn Center for Schools and Community Referenced Interview with Dr. Dana Milakovic: Nurturing the Emotionally Safe School Environment Leading with Dignity: How to Create a Culture that Brings out the Best in People by Dr. Donna Hicks The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program Trauma in the Schools podcast series

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Nick Quigley, Risk Manager at the Saskatchewan Association of Rehabilitation Centers (SARC). This is Nick's second career, after starting in the Canadian Military. Nick explains how he joined the military before graduating from high school, the training and education he received, and his field of operational risk and training safety. He says he loved his work, but in 2019, he was medically retired with PTSD. Retirement got old fast, and when he got the opportunity to help a company recover from the problems of the COVID shutdown, he stepped up. From there, he joined SARC, where he works today. Nick speaks of the recycling mission of SARC, and how he has increased his education while there, receiving the RIMS-CRMP recently, and continues his studies. He recounts some of the activities of the Saskatchewan RIMS Chapter (SKRIMS), where he serves on the board. He shares how he manages his PTSD and why he advocates for removing the stigma around mental health. Listen for insight on living with PTSD while managing risk at a major non-profit organization.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2026, which will be held from May 3rd through 6th in Philadelphia. Visit RIMS.org/RISKWORLD to register. [:27] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is Nicholas Quigley, RIMS-CRMP. He is the Risk Specialist for the Saskatchewan Association of Rehabilitation Centers, or SARC. [:52] We will discuss recycling, energy efficiency, how his military career led him to risk management, and mental health awareness. But first… [1:01] RIMS Virtual Workshops. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course will be on May 13th and 14th. The very popular CBCP and RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Bootcamp will be held from May 18th through the 21st. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course will be held on June 9th and 10th. [1:21] Links to registration are in this episode's notes. [1:23] Webinars. On May 14th, Origami Risk will return with a new session, "Future-Proofing Your Risk Program: Keeping Pace with Scale, Complexity, and Visibility." [1:35] On May 28th, Zurich returns with "From Underwriting To Risk Management: What To Expect From The Growing Demand For Data Center Construction." Register for webinars at RIMS.org/Webinars or through the links in this episode's show notes. [1:50] Folks, RIMS is back on YouTube. Our handle is @RIMSOfficialChannel. We've got plenty of videos there, including RIMScast, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. Subscribe to the channel today! [2:10] On with the Show! Our guest today is Nick Quigley, the Risk Specialist for the Saskatchewan Association of Rehabilitation Centers (SARC). He is an educator, a veteran, and a member of the Saskatchewan RIMS Chapter (SKRIMS). Justin met Nick at a SKRIMS event.  [2:34] Nick will discuss the work he does for SARC, which handles recycling and energy efficiency, his involvement with SKRIMS, his certifications, including the RIMS-CRMP, and what it's like to be an educator. [2:48] For Mental Health Awareness Month in May, and in Canada, Mental Health Week from May 4th through 10th, Nick will tell us how PTSD impacts his life and his career as a risk professional, how he handles these challenges, and offer words of comfort. Let's get to it! [3:18] Interview! Nick Quigley, welcome back to RIMScast! [3:32] Nick is wearing a shirt that reads: Risk Manager: I solve problems you don't know you have. Nick has worn that shirt to board meetings, senior management meetings, presentations, and to his class when he was teaching. [4:22] Justin mentions a great presentation Nick led last year. After the presentation, Justin wanted Nick to be on RIMScast. Nick also has a RIMS CRMP Story. [4:57] Before Nick was out of high school, he saw an ad for the summer: Do you want to make  $6,000 this summer, and do you like being outdoors? Nick grew up in a small community on Prince Edward Island, and he loves the outdoors. [5:34] He filled out paperwork, not noticing the top of the form, Government of Canada, Department of National Defense. When he showed up at the recruiting center for testing, he saw what he had done. [6:06] Nick followed through, did his basic recruit training and his trades training, and became qualified as a signals operator. His job was radios, satellites, and IT. He enjoyed it. But he got an opportunity early on to focus on operational risk and training safety. [6:35] It was not a traditional 9-to-5. Every day there was something different. That's what kept it exciting. Nick retired in 2019. Then came COVID. People who knew Nick's background asked him to come work with them. He went back to work and found out he enjoyed it again. [7:16] Nick found a second life, working full-time again, in risk management. Nick's background was in operations and crisis and emergency management. He has a degree in emergency management. [8:17] Nick says retirement was fun, at first. All his friends had to go to work, while he did what he wanted. It was also lonely, because all his friends were at work. It got old, really fast. [9:19] Nick says when he retired, he did some little projects and woodworking, but that got old, too. Doing it all day felt like work, not a hobby or a passion. It got lonely and boring, and he needed a change. [9:51] Nick got recruited into risk management from somebody who knew his military background and offered him a chance to assist them during COVID. He got his ISO 31000 while he was there. Shortly after, he went to a large, non-profit charity where he is the risk manager. [10:38] The charity manages all the recycling across the Province of Saskatchewan. Nick got his RIMS-CRMP within a couple of months of starting this position. He has been a lifelong learner. Education can lead to a better outcome when it comes to real-world applicability. [11:14] Nick says education gives you a baseline understanding of what you need to know. Experience allows you to modify what you have learned to fit the situation. [11:44] People tell Nick he has more letters after his name than in his name. He believes education is important. Now he is working toward becoming a Chief Internal Auditor from the IIA. [12:21] Nick explains how SARC operates across Saskatchewan. They collect aluminum cans and other materials from customers and return the deposit fees to the customers. They sort and process the materials and ship them to downstream market partners for recycling. [13:49] SARC has several streams: aluminum, plastics, glass, flexible packaging, and styrofoam. [14:00] Yesterday, April 20th, was Earth Day. SARC takes that seriously. SARC's mission is to have a large recycling presence and to be the best at what they do. [14:52] Nick is fascinated by innovations coming out now in how we leverage technology. Nick read an article about Finland using their data centers underground to heat houses and businesses. [15:38] Nick is always looking for ways to make things more efficient or streamline processes to make them better. If we can do that by reusing materials instead of taking them out of the earth, why not? [16:02] Nick is the Risk Group at SARC. He is a department of one. He gets to dictate his priorities, with guidance from senior management and the strategic initiatives. He can look at things across the organization. Nick has the trust of senior management. [17:03] Nick makes sure senior management is apprised of situations that will negatively affect them, their mission, vision, values, or the strategic priorities. They rely on his expertise when things pop up. [17:32] Nick says when he started, one of the interesting things he got to do was to follow the recyclable material from start to finish. What does it go through at SARC, and where does it go downstream? He spent a lot of time building out those processes to make them efficient. [18:10] Nick worked with Operations and Processing to see how they are doing it and look at it from the perspective of reducing risk, unneeded redundancies, and bottlenecks. [18:45] SARC and SARCAN, the recycling system, have been around since 1989. They had processes. It's a large, fairly mature organization, with about 1,000 employees in 76 locations across the province, serving 1.1 million people. [19:15] Nick's role was to validate the processes. Are they efficient? Can we do better? What can we change? How does the customer experience get better? We want people to bring back their recyclables. If it's a barrier, they're not going to bring them back, and it's wasted material. [19:31] Saskatchewan has a collection rate that's higher than that of other provinces. Some provinces don't have a system. Others rely on a curbside collection system. [20:16] The provinces share knowledge. They have a collective, and the senior management confers with them and shares knowledge about what works and what doesn't. SARC is a non-profit charity, and some of the other systems have a for-profit system. [20:49] SARC owns and operates the collection depot and the recycling system. They don't have the intricacies and risks of working with external businesses in the process. They own the process. They don't have the risks that come with third-party management. [21:36] A Quick Break! RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals from across the globe. It's time to Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with them. [21:56] Public registration is open, and booth sales are still available. Links are in this episode's show notes, and be sure to check out RIMS.org for more information. [22:06] We will kick off Day 1 with a conversation with Adam Grant. He is an organizational psychologist, best-selling author, and a leading management thinker. [22:13] The excitement continues with the announcement of the closing keynote. NFL Hall of Famer, Super Bowl Champion, Emmy-winning broadcaster, and entrepreneur Michael Strahan will be on the main stage on May 6th. Justin is super stoked! [22:29] If you're still on the fence, this is the time to smash that Register button and hear from one of the all-time greats. [22:36] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. Registration is open, and you can also submit a session. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [22:53] Save the dates, October 18th through the 21st. That is when the 50th Annual RIMS Canada Conference will be held in Quebec City. Booth sales are already open. The call for educational session proposals will open soon, and early-bird registration will open in June. [23:13] Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca for more information. Also, remember to check out RIMS.org/Canada for our spinoff show, RIMScast Canada, hosted by National Conference Committee Chair, Aaron Lukoni. [23:29] Let's Return to Our Interview with Nicholas Quigley! [23:34] Nick was interviewed for a RIMS-CRMP Story. Nick loves having RIMS-CRMP after his name. Few people in Saskatchewan carry it. Some people don't know what it is. [24:10] Nick sits on the Saskatchewan RIMS Chapter board, and he also acts as an advocacy officer. He promotes understanding of the designation. Canada has a CRM designation, but the RIMS-CRMP designation is also available and just as important. [24:59] Justin says there are 13 RIMS-CRMP certification holders in Saskatchewan and 172 in Canada. He hopes to raise those numbers. [25:12] In Nick's RIMS-CRMP Story, he talked about his military experience and some of the mental health challenges he experienced with it. Regarding Mental Health Week, May 4th‒10th, and Mental Health Awareness Month, in May, Justin asks what Nick wants to share. [25:52] Nick has been a proponent and advocate of reducing stigma around mental health. He lives with PTSD. It's not going to go away, but he can function with it. There are good days and bad days. Everybody has a bad day. [26:35] When Nick has a bad day, he restricts his movement and interaction. He needs a day to reset. That's what it is now. When he was first diagnosed, it was a lot different. There were a lot more bad days than good days. It could extend for a week or two at a time. [27:01] Nick says, now, a bad day comes about once every three months. It's just something that he lives with. Nick knows the triggers, and he can sense when it's coming. When he knows that it's coming, he informs his boss, and he takes a sick day. [27:27] Nick says that in his role, he advocates for the disability sector. It's one of the values at SARC, as well. The culture is open to that; there is no stigma in his office. It's not the norm across the corporate culture of any industry, and Nick has found it to be a challenge. [28:00] When Nick retired in 2019, he was medically retired because of his diagnosis. If he hadn't been diagnosed, he'd probably still be in the Army. He loved his job and what he did there. He was not ready to retire, but he had to retire. [28:21] With retirement, there came a lot of acceptance and grief. When veterans retire, it's like losing a family. You spend more time with the people you work with all day than with your family. You get posted overseas for extended periods. [28:42] Those are the work buddies you know and live with. Then all of a sudden, you have to retire. It's a hard adjustment, especially when it comes to mental health. [29:00] Nick says the best thing you can do when you have PTSD is to hang out with people and create normalcy. When you get retired, that gets taken away from you. It takes a lot of time to come to terms with that. Some veterans need a lot of assistance with that transition. It's hard. [29:55] Nick says PTSD can hit military, police, fire, and paramedics. It doesn't discriminate. It can happen in a corporate environment. It's traumatic, whether it's vicarious trauma or trauma that you experienced. [30:13] If you have repeated exposure, without processing and dealing with that trauma, if you continually suppress it, eventually it becomes PTSD. [30:56] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period is now open, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [31:17] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [31:32] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [31:44] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [31:53] Let's Conclude Our Interview with Nick Quigley! [32:17] It took Nick a long time to come to terms with being open about PTSD. There's a lot of stigma still around it. [32:40] When Nick was ready to go back to the workforce after retirement, it was a challenge to find work, simply because risk managers may have to deal with a crisis. They have a lot of stress put on them. [32:59] People see PTSD in movies, and they think it means you're low-functioning, that you can't handle any stress, and that it's exacerbated to the point where it's unmanageable. Those are not the people who just live with it day-to-day. [33:25] There may be an unconscious bias that people with PTSD may not be suited to this role. It's not true. Military veterans are probably the people you want in high-stress jobs. A military member's worst day at work is worse than anything the corporate world can throw at them. [33:56] Military service comes with a lot of risk and a lot of high-pressure scenarios. Nick says there's nothing in the corporate environment that shakes him. You can tell, in a room in crisis, who the military veterans are. They're the ones sitting, talking to each other, not freaking out. [34:50] Nick advocates for mental health all the time. Nick has a service dog that goes with him everywhere. Often, people stop him with questions. He tells them that, as a veteran with PTSD, his dog helps him function. [35:37] Nick is open and honest about PTSD. He says if we can be open and honest about it, it lowers the stigma around it and normalizes it. People don't expect such openness, but Nick doesn't care to hide it. [36:48] Justin shares a link for CMHA.ca and their Mental Health Week page and resources. [37:06] Justin notes that SKRIMS is one of the top chapters of RIMS. SKRIMS Annual Golf Day will be on Wednesday, August 19th, at the beautiful Harbor Golf Club in Elbow, Saskatchewan. Check out the Saskatchewan.RIMS.org page for more information. [37:35] Nick says being at SKRIMS is awesome. He has sat on many boards, and it is difficult to find a group of volunteers so passionate and so willing to do anything and everything to give back to the membership. The SKRIMS board asks how to give back more. [38:08] Nick says last Fall, SKRIMS did a volunteer day at Habitat for Humanity. On April 24th, they're volunteering at a food bank. They'll have contingents at both Saskatoon and Regina at the same time. [38:50] SARC is supportive of Nick's involvement with SKRIMS. They help where they can. Where they can't, the SKRIMS board works around it. That's a benefit of having such an active board. If Nick doesn't have capacity with his workload, another person on the board steps up to assist. [39:28] Justin mentions some of the board, including President Katherine Dawal, Chelsea Wilson, and Chelsea Andrusiak, and other SKRIMS members; a great group of folks who are making a difference. [40:13] Nick says SKRIMS has pushed educational institutions to offer risk management courses. There's one in development with a Master's Certificate. A board member, Jim MacKenzie, taught the first Uncertainty Management course at the University of Regina. [40:33] Nick is just finishing the Risk Management course at the University of Saskatchewan. Nick is a sessional lecturer. This is the first University class he has taught. He loved the class and his students, with their engagement and curiosity. [41:02] With Nick's students being business and finance majors, all risk applies to them because risk is not siloed; it's overreaching. Now they have foundational risk management knowledge as a base, so they are better equipped when they enter the business sector. [41:56] Nick says he asked his class to estimate when the first episode of Gilligan's Island was aired on TV. They all said it was in the '80s or '90s, not 1964. He definitely dated himself with them. A lot of the references fell short because they weren't born until 2001. [43:02] Nick's last words on the risk profession, "It is an interesting field. It's never the same. The thing I love most about it is that I can work anywhere. I can work for any company. I am not stuck in one vertical market. If a company needs to manage risk, you can provide value. [43:21] "That's one of the most interesting things; I can learn about vertical markets and sectors, but I can still apply my risk knowledge to assist them. I don't need to be a subject matter expert in their field. I just need to assist them and prompt them to look at it the right way. [43:40] "That's more valuable than anything. In some careers, you go down the path. If you're a plumber, you're a plumber. You can't be an electrician tomorrow, right?" [44:13] Nick, it's been a real pleasure to see you again, and I hope to see you at the RIMS Canada Conference, October 18th through the 21st, in Quebec. [44:26] Special thanks again to Nick Quigley for joining us here on RIMScast. We appreciate his candidness, and we have links to more resources about mental health and risk management.  [44:36] I have a link to his RIMS-CRMP Story in this episode's show notes, along with a link to his chapter's site, the Saskatchewan Chapter of RIMS. They're fantastic; some of my favorite people! [44:51] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [45:19] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [45:37] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [45:55] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [46:12] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [46:25] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [46:37] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continued support!   Links: RISKWORLD 2026 Registration — Open for exhibitors, members, and non-members! Reserve your booth at RISKWORLD 2026! Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants | Open Calls and Timelines. RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | July‒Sept. 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today and Submit an Educational Session! RIMS Canada Conference — Oct. 18‒21, 2026 | Quebec City | RIMSCanadaConference.caCall For Education Submissions Open Through May 8 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan! The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS-CRMP Stories, Featuring This Week's Guest, Nick Quigley RIMScast Canada — Episodes Now Live RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy Mental Health Week Canada — May 4‒10, 2026 SKRIMS Home Page SARCSARCAN.ca Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep | May 13‒14 RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep | June 9‒10 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops   Upcoming RIMS Webinars: "Future-Proofing Your Risk Program: Keeping Pace with Scale, Complexity, and Visibility" | May 14 | Presented by Origami Risk "From Underwriting To Risk Management: What To Expect From The Growing Demand For Data Center Construction" | May 28 | Presented by Zurich RIMS.org/Webinars   Related RIMScast Episodes: "World Water Day and the Circular Water Economy with Ralph Exton of WEF" "Mental Health Awareness Month 2023" "Mental Health in the Workplace with Darcy Gruttadaro"   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: "Facing Into Risk: Navigating the New Risk Landscape" (New!) | Sponsored by AXA XL "Secondary Perils, Major Risks: The New Face of Weather-Related Challenges" | Sponsored by AXA XL "The ART of Risk: Rethinking Risk Through Insight, Design, and Innovation" | Sponsored by Alliant "Mastering ERM: Leveraging Internal and External Risk Factors" | Sponsored by Diligent "Cyberrisk: Preparing Beyond 2025" | Sponsored by Alliant "The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience" | Sponsored by AXA XL "Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs" | Sponsored by Zurich "Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding" | Sponsored by Zurich "What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping" | Sponsored by Medcor "How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips" | Sponsored by Alliant    RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guests: C. Nicholas Quigley, CD, BESMS, RIMS-CRMP   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.

Salomé Mondelus Has Lupus, a Brain Tumor, and More Degrees Than ExcusesMeet Salomé Mondelus — Founder of Glow Foundation Alliance, nonprofit leader, realtor, immigration consultant, Toastmasters member, youth ministry director, and doctoral candidate serving women and youth facing severe skin diseases, autoimmune conditions, and related mental health challenges in Palm Beach County and beyond.Connect with Salomé: glowfoundationalliance.org---Kellen: Today on Diversified Game I have Dr. Glow, one year away from finishing her doctorate. Why did you start this nonprofit?Salomé: Glow started two years ago but the work has been going for seven years. There was a big gap in Palm Beach for people dealing with severe skin diseases and autoimmune conditions. It is based on my own journey. I have been dealing with this for 20 years.Kellen: Describe your personal journey.Salomé: I developed psoriasis in my 20s. After a biopsy they confirmed it. No cure. Stress triggers it. Confidence dropped fast. Then I developed arthritis, lupus, Sjogren's syndrome, PCOS. One autoimmune problem led to others. Now I see my doctors regularly. Nutrition is everything.Kellen: Who has been your support?Salomé: My husband married me knowing there was no cure. My cousin Fabiola, my church family. I am a youth ministry director. I have no biological children due to infertility but I am a mother of many.Kellen: Why is Cap-Haïtien safe to visit?Salomé: Okap protects itself. Beautiful beaches, history, good food. I travel there every year. Do your homework and go. There are parts of America that are not safe either.Kellen: How are you connecting this work globally?Salomé: You have to prove yourself first. Collaborate, build your track record, show donors the work. A lot of kids wear long sleeves in Florida heat hiding skin problems and low self-esteem. Mental health is a huge part of this. The trauma from stigma is its own chapter.Kellen: What do we need to do to help?Salomé: Contact your congresspeople. There is not enough funding for psoriasis and autoimmune diseases. Show more compassion. Most skin conditions are not contagious. If you cannot be kind, do nothing at all.Kellen: Can you do this full time?Salomé: That is the goal. I use real estate income to fund Glow. I also do immigration consulting and taxes with my husband. I lost my mom at 13. I am being the mentor I needed. Everything comes back to community.Salomé: I have degrees in psychology, supervision and management, and ethical leadership. I am finishing my doctorate, doing Toastmasters, planning a TED Talk, and writing my memoir. My dissertation becomes my book.Kellen: She said all of that with a brain tumor. Every excuse to stop and she keeps going. Share this. Somebody you know is suffering with something they have not told you yet.---Learn the mindset and moves that lead to real results: http://diversifiedgame.com/

If the idea of collaborating with other creators feels awkward, forced, or a little “what do I even say?” - then this episode is for you. Because the relationships you build with other creators can completely change your business. From new opportunities, referrals, and audience growth… to friendships that actually make this whole journey more fun! In this episode, I'm breaking down how to collaborate with YouTubers, Instagrammers, TikTokers (and more) in a way that feels natural, mutually beneficial, and not weird at all. Because the creators who grow the fastest? They're not doing this alone!

Welcome Pivoter! Before we dive in, April has an exciting update to share. Big things are brewing behind the scenes — the kind that require focus, intention, and doing it right, not just doing it fast. PivotMe is shifting from a weekly podcast to twice a month. Not less value — better value. More depth, more intention, and more of what actually helps you win in business, in life, and in the moments that matter. Something bigger is being built. Buckle up. Now — let's get into it. If a habit requires motivation, it's going to fail. If it's supported by friction — or the removal of it — it has a fighting chance. In this episode, April Garcia dismantles one of the most damaging lies high achievers tell themselves: that if they just had more willpower, more grit, more discipline, they'd finally make their good habits stick. The truth? Your problem isn't discipline. It's design. This episode hands you a practical, science-backed framework for making your best habits effortless and your worst ones annoying — and it works even on your worst days. Key Takeaways: The Real Problem Is Design, Not Discipline: Motivation is unreliable. Environment is not. April reframes the habit conversation entirely — you haven't been failing your habits, your systems have been failing you. What Friction Actually Means: Friction is anything that makes a behavior easier, harder, faster, slower, automatic, or annoying. Your brain follows the path of least resistance every single time — so the winner is always whichever habit your environment makes easiest. The Science Behind It: Long before Atomic Habits made friction a household word, Kurt Lewin was studying how environment shapes behavior, B.J. Fogg was mapping the convergence of motivation, ability, and prompts, and Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein were proving that tiny environmental nudges outperform rules and lectures every time. Different fields, same conclusion: people don't fail habits — systems fail people. 3 Habits to Increase (Remove the Friction): Deep Work: Block focus time, close email and Slack by default, and start each session with your task already open. Every decision you eliminate preserves cognitive energy. Morning Movement: Lay out your workout clothes the night before. Sleep in your gym gear. Pre-fill your water bottle. You don't skip workouts — you skip transitions. Presence and Connection: Charge your phone outside the bedroom. Create phone-free dinner anchors. Keep a short list of conversation starters ready. Presence doesn't happen accidentally. 3 Habits to Decrease (Add the Friction): Phone Scrolling: Delete one social app. Add a 10-second delay. Move your phone to another room during focused work. Even minor friction changes behavior. Impulse Spending: Remove saved credit cards. Add a 48-hour rule before checkout. Unsubscribe from promotional emails. Friction creates pause — and pause creates choice. Late-Night Work: Set an auto-shutdown time for your laptop. Charge it in another room. Block "OFF" time on your calendar. Burnout isn't ambition — it's poor system design. The PivotMe Reframe: Good habits should feel like the default. Bad habits should feel annoying. If your system relies on willpower, it's broken. If it relies on friction, it works — even on your hardest days. Notable Quotes: "If a habit requires motivation, it's going to fail. If it's supported by friction — or the removal of it — it has a fighting chance." — April Garcia "You don't skip workouts — you skip transitions." — April Garcia "People don't fail habits. Systems fail people." — April Garcia "Burnout isn't ambition — it's poor system design." — April Garcia Resource Mentioned:

What happens when attackers collaborate better than defenders?  Recorded live from RSAC 2026, this solo episode with Ron breaks down the biggest themes shaping cybersecurity right now, from organized threat groups and massive data breaches to the growing tension between productivity and control inside modern organizations. This conversation highlights a hard truth. The threat landscape is evolving through collaboration. From phishing-as-a-service platforms like Tycoon 2FA to supply chain breaches impacting entire ecosystems, attackers are sharing tools and moving faster than ever. But there's another side to the story. As AI becomes embedded in how work gets done, security teams are being pushed to rethink their role. Blocking tools is no longer enough. The real challenge is enabling the business while managing risk, and that requires trust, alignment, and a stronger sense of community across the industry. This episode is a call to rethink how we approach security. Not as isolated teams enforcing policy, but as a connected community working together to adapt, respond, and move forward. Impactful Moments 00:00 - Introduction, live from RSAC 2026 02:50 - Tycoon2FA and the rise of phishing-as-a-service 04:45 - The TELUS breach and what a petabyte-scale attack looks like 06:21 - Why you need strict controls … everywhere 07:30 - Are AI agents the new Shadow IT?  09:00 - The balance between productivity and security controls 09:27 - Boards' demands for their teams to use AI  11:53 - Why leading security teams is more like parenting than policing 12:42 - Community is the foundation for the future of cybersecurity   Links Connect with Ron Eddings on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronaldeddings/ Check out our upcoming events: https://www.hackervalley.com/livestreams Love Hacker Valley Studio? Pick up some swag: https://store.hackervalley.com    Become a sponsor of the show to amplify your brand: https://hackervalley.com/work-with-us/  

In this episode of the Tyler Tech Podcast, Hollie Poole, accounts payable specialist for Pickens County, Georgia, shares how a small but highly collaborative county modernized its financial operations by moving from disconnected systems to a unified, cloud-based ERP platform. Serving a community of roughly 35,000 residents just north of Atlanta, Pickens County faced challenges common to many local governments — fragmented systems, limited visibility into financial data, and manual processes that slowed collaboration between departments. Hollie explains how adopting a modern ERP platform created a shared source of truth across the organization, giving departments real-time access to financial information while improving transparency and decision-making. The conversation explores how cloud technology, automation, and AI-powered invoice capture have transformed accounts payable workflows, reducing manual data entry and making it easier to track approvals, manage invoices, and maintain a clear audit trail. Hollie also shares how automation and scheduled reporting have empowered departments to monitor budgets, track outstanding purchase orders, and address issues proactively instead of waiting for monthly reports. Drawing on Pickens County's experience, Hollie reflects on the importance of building organizational buy-in during technology transitions, emphasizing that modernization succeeds when teams understand the purpose behind the change and share a common vision for improvement. This episode offers a practical look at how counties of any size can use cloud technology, automation, and AI to streamline financial operations, strengthen transparency, and create a more connected and efficient government — reinforcing Tyler's mission to help communities operate more effectively. This episode also spotlights Tyler Connect 2026, where innovation and collaboration take center stage. Taking place April 7-10 at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. Connect brings together public sector professionals from across the country to explore new solutions, share ideas, and strengthen communities. It's a week dedicated to learning, connection, and imagining what's possible for the future of government technology. Explore registration details to start planning your Connect 2026 experience. Learn More and Register Now: Tyler Connect 2026 in Las Vegas Read: Let's Empower, Collaborate, and Imagine at Connect 2026! And learn more about the topics discussed in this episode with these resources: Watch: Automation Speeds Up County's Invoice Processing Download: AI for Impact: Proven Results for Government Download: Modern Governments Live in the Cloud Read: TEA Winner: Boosting Efficiency With AP Automation Read: Boosting Resilience: The Technology Strategy of 3 Counties Read: Excellence 2025: Performance & Innovation Solutions Read: How Digital Services Shape Public Trust in Local Government Read: ERP Partnership That Delivers Results Listen to other episodes of the podcast. Let us know what you think about the Tyler Tech Podcast in this survey!

Last episode, you designed the set. You grabbed your clipboard, put on your headset, and built the environment for the Star of your show to thrive. Now it's time to step in front of the camera — because the film crew just showed up, and they're capturing everything. In this electrifying follow-up episode, April Garcia takes the Set Design framework to the next level with a challenge that will make you think twice about every decision you make this week. Are you ready to deliver your best performance yet? Key Takeaways: The Film Crew is Rolling: Imagine a film crew followed you from the moment you woke up this morning. They were in the car. They were at the gym. They were there when you talked to your kids, your partner, your team. What did they capture? Would you be proud of what ends up on screen? You Are the CEO of YOU Inc.: April references Keith Cunningham's The Road Less Stupid to introduce one of the most empowering — and sobering — reframes in the show's history. You are the CEO of your own life. That means you own the results across every department: Sales, R&D, Health, Finances, Relationships, Education, and Personal Development. Every win and every loss is a direct reflection of your management — or your mismanagement. The Board of Directors is Watching: Whether it's a film crew or a board of directors reviewing your performance this month — they saw every phone call, every distraction, every moment you showed up fully and every moment you didn't. What would their report say about the leading character? Two Reasons This Exercise Works: It raises your game. When you imagine someone watching, you naturally bring more intention, more energy, and more excellence to everything you do. It empowers you. The power is entirely in your hands. No one to blame. No circumstances to hide behind. You are the hero — or you're not. That choice belongs to no one else. No One Else is Playing You: This is the line that lands hardest. There is no understudy. No one else stepping into your role as a parent, a leader, a partner, a builder. Only you. And that means only you can decide to show up like the star the role deserves. The Challenge This Week: Carry the film crew with you everywhere you go. Let the imagined presence of that camera be the standard you hold yourself to. Deliver a performance you are proud of — not for the audience, but because you decided to be the hero of your own story. Resource Mentioned:

In this episode, Jason is joined by Joe Doherty to break down a powerful leadership framework: The 10 C's for field execution, starting with the first five. Joe shares how this simple but impactful structure creates clarity, control, and consistency on construction projects without limiting a superintendent's personal style. The focus is clear: eliminate chaos and create a calm, controlled, high-performing jobsite. From building a solid plan to collaborating with trade partners, this conversation highlights what great field leadership actually looks like in practice. It's not about control over people, it's about creating the environment, systems, and support that allow teams to win. What you'll learn in this episode: The first 5 C's: Create, Communicate, Control, Clear, and Collaborate. Why having a plan is critical but communicating it is everything. How controlling the environment leads to safety, stability, and performance. The superintendent's real role: clearing the path for trade partners. Why collaboration (not command-and-control) drives better outcomes. How simple frameworks can create powerful, scalable results. This episode is a masterclass in field leadership showing that when you combine structure with respect for people, you unlock the full potential of your team. If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode.  And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two

Two for one on this episode as John Holl talks with a duo of Colorado brewers who teamed up to create something special for the upcoming Collaboration Beer Festival happening in the Rocky Mountain state next month. What goes into collaboration, how does it stoke creativity, and what should brewers learn from each other? Andy Parker of Odyssey Beerwerks and Ross Koenigs of Second Dawn Brewing discuss it all and more. This Episode is Sponsored by:Berkeley YeastOur Tropics yeast is based on a London Ale strain, but we added a new gene to its genome that codes for a unique thiol-releasing enzyme. The enzyme converts the precursors in barley to free thiols that smell and taste like passionfruit and grapefruit. It's super clean. No off-flavors like burnt rubber or other sulfurous notes. Just tropical aromatics. You don't have to do anything unusual either, like mash hopping. Just pitch dry Tropics and supercharge your hazy IPA.Dogfish Head Craft BreweryCalling all hop heads! Dogfish Head's 60 Minute IPA is a fantastically hoppy India Pale Ale that's beautifully balanced thanks to their unique continual hopping method. Delivering a pungent hop flavor that isn't crushingly bitter, 60 Minute is continually hopped throughout the boil for a full 60 minutes … starting to see where the name comes from?! Check out dogfish.com to learn more and to find some 60 Minute near you! Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE. Please drink responsibly.All About BeerAt All About Beer, we're honored to share the stories that define the beer community, and we couldn't do it without the generous support of our underwriting sponsors. Their commitment helps sustain independent beer journalism, allowing us to highlight the people, places, and passion behind every pint. Their partnership ensures these stories continue to inspire, connect, and celebrate the craft we all love. Join our underwriters today and help make an impact on independent journalism covering the beer industry.Host: John HollGuests: Andy Parker and Ross KoenigsSponsors: Dogfish Head, Berkeley Yeast All About BeerTags: Colorado,Collaboration, IPA, Cocktails, Barrels, Fun Photo: 

Send us Fan MailWhat if your passion for justice is quietly destroying your soul?In this powerful episode of Colored Commentary, we sit down with Jonathan Walton, author of Beauty and Resistance, to wrestle with a question many activists, church leaders, and everyday people rarely stop to ask:What's actually driving your justice work: God or your own wounds?From burnout and trauma to ego, identity, and faith, this conversation goes beyond surface-level activism and exposes the deeper forces shaping how we show up in the world.Jonathan shares raw, personal moments—from physical breakdown under stress to confronting his own false sense of identity—and offers a different way forward: one rooted in spiritual rhythms, humility, and deep integrity.Don't miss this conversation; it might change the way you engage justice, faith, and even yourself.Resources Referenced:1. Feelings Wheel: (Concern) how do I feel? Why do I feel it? What's the story I tell myself about this feeling?https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x...2. Incarnational Listening: (Compassion) remaining differentiated to remain connected while listening to others' stories.https://docs.google.com/document/d/16...3. PACE yourself: Pray, Assess, Collaborate, Establishhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/14LRj...4. The Crux on Substack.https://thecrux.substack.com/subscrib...5. Follow @JonathanPanWalton on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/jonathanpan..._____________________________Podcast Subscription LinksApple Podcast:  coloredcommentary.com/appleSpotify:  coloredcommentary.com/spotifyGoogle Podcasts:  coloredcommentary.com/googleStitcher:  coloredcommentary.com/stitcherIHeart Radio:  coloredcommentary.com/iheartradio

Discover how hidden sensory triggers behind your child's big reactions, meltdowns and irritability can quietly overwhelm their nervous system, turning everyday moments into chaos. Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge, expert in Regulation First Parenting™ and childhood emotional dysregulation, guides parents to calm the brain first and restore balance.Parenting a child who melts down over what feels like “nothing” can be exhausting and confusing. These aren't random behaviors—they're your child's nervous system signaling stress. Understanding sensory processing is the key to prevention, regulation, and lasting calm.In this episode, I explain how hidden sensory triggers build stress in your child's nervous system, why some kids overreact while others seek more input, and practical ways to prevent meltdowns before they happen.Why does my child melt down over small sensory triggers?Many parents wonder why seemingly minor things—scratchy tags, bright lights, or hallway noise—spark big reactions. These are sensory processing challenges. Some children over-register sensory input, making everything feel overwhelming. Others under-register, seeking constant movement or stimulation.Tips:Observe patterns—when are meltdowns more likely? After school? During transitions?Identify environmental triggers like fluorescent lights, loud noises, or new clothing.Real-Life Example: Max refuses anything with tags. Switching to tagless, soft fabrics and consistent clothing reduced morning battles.A meltdown isn't about defiance; it's a nervous system on overload.How can sensory overload affect emotional regulation?When your child's nervous system is overloaded, stress hormones rise, prefrontal cortex activity drops, and emotional regulation becomes nearly impossible. This leads to meltdowns, irritability, and anxiety-like behaviors.Chronic sensory stress can even impact mental health, increasing risk for mood swings, ADHD, or anxiety disorders.Tips:Create decompression routines: quiet space, deep pressure like weighted blankets, or slow movement breaks.Track sensory input over the day: noise, light, touch, hunger, and transitions add up in a “stress cup.”Parent scenario: After a busy school day, a child snaps at homework. The trigger isn't homework—it's cumulative sensory overload from the day.You don't have to figure this out alone.Become a Dysregulation Insider VIP and get your FREE Regulation Rescue Kit: How to Stay Calm When Your Child Pushes Your Buttons and Stop Oppositional Behaviors.Head to www.drroseann.com/newsletter and start your calm parenting journey today.What are practical strategies to manage sensory processing issues?You don't have to figure this out alone. Regulation comes first.Before addressing behavior, calm the nervous system: dim lights, slow your pace, and offer predictable routines.A sensory diet—planned sensory input like movement breaks or vestibular input—can prevent overload.Tips:Use deep pressure, calm PEMF, or slow rocking to support self-regulation.Collaborate with an occupational therapist for home sensory strategies.Focus on sensory preferences—some kids love peppermint scents, others need quiet spaces.

6. Queens of Britain: Cooperation and Resistance (11)Southon compares two female leaders in Roman Britain: Cartimandua and Boudica. Cartimandua, Queen of the Brigantes, chose to collaborate with Rome, maintaining power for decades by bringing Roman luxuries like wine and spices to her people. Conversely, Boudicaled a violent but short-lived rebellionagainst Roman tyranny. While the historian Tacitus portrayed Boudica as a stoic figure of honor who died by her own hand, modern British schools often view her as a symbol of national resistanceto continental rule and Britishexceptionalism. (12)

Some rare folks are born with the perfect music taste. But most of us have to look elsewhere for a tune that sparks a shoulder shimmy or two. Hosts Ben and Amory spend some time jamming to obscure music from Reddit. They also explore how a TikTok original became Dr. Pepper's catchy new jingle. And "baby, it's good and nice." Show notes: I wasn't sure on this one at first, but you can't beat the messaging. (Reddit) Boko Yout [9-2-5] (Reddit) Molly by Ecca Vandal Theme Song for Dr. Pepper: Let's Collaborate! (TikTok) Dr. Pepper's Viral Jingle Moment Has Everyone Pitching Songs to Brands (Atlanta Black Star) Beautiful and unique music. Hope someone an share details about her and the music (Reddit) everyday_naturalist christycoysh