Podcasts about collaborate

Tarabuster Tuesdays with Tara Devlin. Aug 25, 2026 Today on Tarabuster: Brad Bannon of Deadline D.C. joins us to break down the latest assaults on democracy, public health, and basic accountability.| Subscribe to Brad Bannon's Substack: https://bradbannon.substack.com/

What if the thing you're struggling to change doesn't require more discipline? What if you don't need another book, another podcast, another course, or another morning routine? What if you just need a different room? Because most of us are working way too hard trying to manufacture motivation when we could be building an environment where the behavior we want becomes normal. You probably don't need more motivation. You may need different people around you. In Part 1 of this conversation, April explored the Pygmalion Effect and how the expectations and behaviors of the people around us quietly influence what we believe is normal, possible, and expected of us. Now it's time to actually use it. In this episode of PivotMe, April takes the concept from awareness to action with a simple three-step framework for intentionally designing your environment around the person you're becoming. And there's an important distinction: you don't need one magical group of people who elevate every part of your life. Your business peers might challenge your thinking about growth, while your fitness friends raise your health standards and another group influences your relationships, finances, parenting, or sense of adventure. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why you need different peer groups for different areas of your life The difference between a Default Peer Group and a Designed Peer Group How to identify the gap between Current You and Future You Why obsessing over how can actually stall your progress How to identify people who already normalize the results you want Why you don't necessarily need a mentor, you need proximity How your environment can make better behaviors feel normal Why successful peers become evidence of what's possible How My3Y → Future Friends → Designed Peer Group → Pygmalion Effect work together Three actions you can take immediately to start changing your environment The 3-Step Framework 1. Find the Gap Choose one area where there's a meaningful difference between how you're living now and how you want to live. 2. Find the Person Who is already performing at or near the level you want to reach? 3. Get in Proximity Coffee. Lunch. A workout. A mastermind. A conference. A class. A running group. Just get closer.   Pick one area of your life. Find someone who already lives closer to the standard you want. Then do something to get into proximity. Send the text. Schedule the coffee. Join the class. Ask for the introduction. Go to the conference. Don't just become more educated about peer groups. Change your peer group. ---------------- 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.

Caleb Ralston is a strategist and brand builder for some of the biggest names in business. His breakthrough was back in 2018 when he grew GaryVee's TikTok from 300k to 3.5 million followers in just 3 months. In 2022 he joined Alex and Leila Hormozi's team as content employee #1, where he grew their audience from 1.2 million to 11.5 million. Caleb just doesn't miss – and now that he's out on his own, he's here to help YOU. In this episode, you'll learn the content strategy he used, how to improve your content, and where to start if you're feeling overwhelmed. ⁠⁠⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠⁠⁠ Caleb's ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ / ⁠Instagram⁠ *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) The Secret Man Behind GaryVee and the Hormozi's (01:11) How Often Do the Top 1% Post? (03:31) The Brand Journey Framework (05:18) Being Intentional With Your Content (08:51) Is It Possible to NOT Niche Down? (13:55) Say the Same Things in Different Ways (18:07) Tracking and Analyzing Data (22:36) Maintaining Quality While Increasing Quantity (24:27) What it Actually Takes to Perform like the 1% (27:21) Where to Start (30:22) Building a Personalized Team (34:54) Agency vs Full Time vs Contractor (41:58) Developing a Content Strategy (45:15) Width Content vs Depth Content (46:55) Scaling Trust Using Educational Content (50:02) Best Call to Action Strategy (52:10) Email and Web Traffic Strategy (55:27) How Caleb is Going About Hiring His Own Team (58:53) The Correct Way to Give Feedback to Your Team (1:03:17) How to Take Inspiration from Others (1:04:55) Which Platform Has the Biggest Opportunity (1:06:57) Audio Content Strategy (1:08:47) Why You Need to Collaborate with Others *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#175: Angus Parker – Ali Abdaal's right-hand man shares a YouTuber's guide to hiring.⁠ *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → ⁠⁠⁠Submit your question here⁠⁠⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY

In this episode, I'm sharing eight ways to collaborate that don't require a podcast, a membership, or any new platform.Because “I don't have anything to invite people into” is not a good enough reason to miss out on the visibility, leads, sales, and opportunities that can come from getting in front of someone else's audience.Some of these work with someone you just met, some are better for relationships you've been building over time. Some grow your email list, some make you money, and some simply deepen relationships that create bigger opportunities later. If you've been wanting to collaborate but haven't known where to start — or you've been waiting until you have the "right" platform — this one's for you. Here's what we cover:1. How to borrow each other's reputation2. Getting in front of highly qualified buyers3. Turning assets you ALREADY have into something new4. How to build each other into your offers and ecosystem 5. Creating collaborations that keep sending leads + opportunities to each other without another promo periodPlus so much more...Resources: She's a Big Deal - Learn More and apply here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iXW0B1s0PSqxJjDVpr0Z2PDrqfRblGj_dHzDO0FeLNQ/edit?tab=t.0 

Adèle Yaroulina, global co-innovation expert and author of the new book “Collaborate to Innovate: How Startups and Established Organizations Create Breakthrough Success Together,” joins Fred Schonenberg, Founder of VentureFuel, to unpack what it really takes for large organizations to turn startup partnerships into scalable growth engines. They challenge the myth that startup collaboration “isn't worth the squeeze,” arguing instead that the real risk is chasing trends, FOMO-driven pilots, and innovation theater that never moves the business forward. Why successful innovation starts with a real problem worth solving, a clear business case, and disciplined design for scale from day one. The conversation explores the evolution of startup partnerships—from supplier to co-creator, trusted advisor, and eventually joint venture or acquisition—and why trust, ownership, and measurable outcomes are essential along the way. They tackle the realities of internal resistance, not-invented-here syndrome, and legacy thinking that can stall progress. If you're serious about turning uncertainty into opportunity, thinking ahead so you don't fall behind, and building partnerships that deliver real ROC, “Return on Collaboration”, this episode is a must-listen.

Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts are one of the most impactful ways 501(c)(3) public charities can strengthen civic participation and help ensure communities have the tools and information they need to make their voices heard. From voter registration and education to reminders and access assistance, (c)(3) organizations can play an important role in helping people navigate the voting process while remaining nonpartisan. On this episode, we explore best practices for designing effective GOTV efforts, including how nonprofits can engage their communities, train staff and volunteers, and navigate election-related rules. Attorneys for this Episode: Monika Graham Natalie Ossenfort Victor Rivera 501(c)(3)s Must Remain Nonpartisan Internal Revenue Code: 501(c)(3) organizations are prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in partisan political activity (activity on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office). Keeping GOTV Efforts 501(c)(3) Safe Effective voter outreach for 501(c)(3)s is focused on expanding participation, not influencing who someone votes for. Therefore, (c)(3)s should refrain from using messages that support or oppose candidates, political parties, or groups of candidates. In addition, they should: ·       Make voter outreach activities available to all eligible voters ·       Ensure GOTV efforts are not coordinated with candidates or campaigns ·       Avoid targeting communities because they belong to a particular political party, voted a particular way in the past, or because they vote in a district where the race is likely to be close The IRS uses a facts and circumstances test when determining whether a 501(c)(3) has violated the rules against partisan electioneering. Building a Strong GOTV Effort ·       Start with your community. Use existing relationships and trusted communication channels to reach the people your organization serves. Connect with voters through tools and spaces they already use, such as text messages, social media, email newsletters, community events, and local partners. ·      Plan ahead. Start by understanding your community's needs. Then, establish goals and timelines, create written policies and training materials, and train staff and volunteers on nonpartisan rules, including the difference between organizational activities and personal political activity. ·       Build partnerships. Collaborate with community organizations, libraries, schools, faith-based organizations, and other trusted institutions to expand outreach and maximize impact. Just remember that if you are partnering with any organizations or entities that are not 501(c)(3)s, all of your collective work needs to remain nonpartisan. ·       Track and evaluate your efforts. Document outreach activities and program decisions, assess what worked, and incorporate lessons learned to strengthen future GOTV efforts. GOTV Activities 501(c)(3) Public Charities Can Conduct 501(c)(3) public charities can support voter participation by: ·       Registering voters through nonpartisan voter registration drives o   NOTE: While this is true for public charities, private foundations have more restrictive rules related to voter registration activities and funding. ·       Reminding people about upcoming elections and encouraging them to participate ·       Sharing nonpartisan information that speaks to the voting process, including registration deadlines, polling locations, early voting, vote-by-mail options, and voter identification requirements ·       Helping reduce barriers to voting by providing nonpartisan assistance, such as transportation to the polls, language access resources, or accommodations for voters with disabilities Remember, some voter registration rules and other voter assistance requirements can vary by state and have probably been updated since the last election cycle, so it is important to train your staff and volunteers on the applicable (and current) rules. Just Remember: ·       In order to remain nonpartisan, 501(c)(3)s should not suggest who people should vote for in upcoming candidate elections. ·       It's not just the Internal Revenue Code you need to think about. Federal election law and state laws also have a lot to say about how nonprofits can engage in election season advocacy. o   For example, federal election law prohibits giving someone something of value in exchange for voting. o   State law will likely regulate how you can interact with voters at polling sites, how and when voters can vote by mail (vs. in-person), and more! Best Practices: ·       Provide training to staff and volunteers so they know how to effectively engage in GOTV work without running afoul of the Internal Revenue Code, federal election laws, or state law. ·       Develop and implement an organizational election season policy that is reviewed and signed by all staff, volunteers, and others who could potentially speak on behalf of your organization. Key Takeaways: ·       GOTV efforts are a powerful way for 501(c)(3) public charities to advance civic participation and strengthen communities. ·       501(c)(3) public charities can encourage people to vote while remaining nonpartisan. ·       Thoughtful planning, training, and compliance practices help (c)(3)s strengthen civic participation in their communities ·       Effective GOTV efforts can engage communities by leveraging trusted relationships, reducing barriers to participation, and providing clear, nonpartisan voting information.   Resources: Want to Conduct or Fund a Voter Registration Drive? The Rules of the Game: A Guide to Election-Related Activities for 501(c)(3) Organizations Voter Registration Rules for Private Foundations Nonprofits, Elections, & the Fine Art of Remaining Nonpartisan Sample 501(c)(3) Organizational Policy for Election Season Vote 411

How important is collaborating with your kids?In this episode, I discuss the third C of Collaborative Discipline: Collaboration.   I share that it's the togetherness is where you problem solve. Let's turn the daily tantrums into teachable moments that align with your core values as you raise whole kids in my ⁠⁠Transforming the Toddler Years Course⁠⁠.The course is six modules and it dives deep. It gives you many resources to team up with your kids to get to the promised lands that you want to get to without all the typical parenting drama that is very popularized on the internet and social media. Check it out ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠.⁠ ⁠August 18, 2026Episode 342The Third C of Collaborative Discipline - Collaborate to Problem SolveAbout Your Host:Cara Tyrrell, M.Ed. is a mom or three, early childhood author, parent educator, and founder of⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Core4Parenting⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠A former preschool and kindergarten teacher with degrees in ASL, Linguistics, and Education, she created the Collaborative Parenting Methodology™ to help parents, caregivers, and educators understand the power of intentional language in shaping a child's identity, confidence, and future success.As host of the top-ranking podcast Transforming the Toddler Years, Cara blends science and soul to show adults how to “talk to kids before they can talk back,” turning tantrums into teachable moments and everyday challenges into opportunities for connection. She is also the author of the new book⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠T⁠⁠alk to Them Early and Often⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠a guide for raising emotionally intelligent kids who thrive in school and life.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Want to book Cara for your next speaking event? Find all the details⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Today I'm chatting with Amanda Lee Falkenberg, an internationally acclaimed Australian composer, pianist and creator of The Moons Symphony — a groundbreaking orchestral work recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra under Marin Alsop, with choral forces recorded separately at Abbey Road Studios.Amanda's work bridges science, music and storytelling, developed in close collaboration with NASA planetary scientists and astronomers. She's also the founder of Lunar (Learning under New Artistic Regimes), an immersive educational platform blending planetary science, music and art to spark curiosity in learners of all ages.In this conversation we trace the whole journey: from stumbling across an article on the "ten weirdest moons," through a cold email to a NASA scientist that led to a presentation at JPL, to the pandemic-era twist that finally brought the LSO, Marin Alsop and Abbey Road into alignment. We talk about why she built Lunar as a course rather than a one-off concert, what she's learned from planetary scientists about resilience and the long game, and how a childhood love of John Williams became the unlikely throughline for a project rooted entirely in science fact.Key TakeawaysA cold email can change everything. Amanda's project only reached NASA because she sent an unsolicited message into what she calls "the black hole email" — with no expectation of a reply.Passion projects don't need permission to start. She began researching and composing years before she had a scientist, an orchestra, or a plan for education — the vision came first.Interdisciplinary learning resonates because real life isn't siloed. Music, science and storytelling aren't separate subjects to her — they're one experience, and that's exactly why Lunar works across age groups from teenagers to retirees.Resilience is the throughline of both music and science careers. Amanda draws a direct parallel between the decades-long timelines of NASA missions and the "10,000 hours" of a musician's path — both require staying in it for the long game.Setbacks can create the conditions for a breakthrough. Covid cancelled her original recording dates — and then, months later, cleared Marin Alsop's schedule enough to make the recording finally happen.You don't need a background in either subject to benefit. Lunar is designed so that participants need no prior knowledge of music or science — just curiosity.Chapters:00:02 - Exploring the Moon Symphony with Amanda Lee Falkenberg01:54 - The Journey of the Moon Symphony12:48 - Interdisciplinary Education: Bridging Science and Art15:15 - The Journey of the Lunar Program24:21 - The Journey to Collaborate with NASA29:21 - The Impact of COVID on the Project34:31 - The Journey of Passion Projects39:55 - The Long Game: Resilience in Music and Sciencehttps://www.moons-symphony.com/https://www.moons-symphony.com/gateway-to-lunar▶️ YouTube

AJABU: The Festival Putting African Cocktails on the World StageRecorded live during Tales of the Cocktail 2026 in New Orleans, Damian sits down with Colin Asare-Appiah and Alexander Quest to explore one of the most exciting movements in global hospitality.At the heart of the conversation is AJABU Cocktail & Spirits Festival—a festival built around connection, collaboration and celebrating the incredible diversity of African hospitality. But this episode goes far beyond cocktails.Colin and Alexander discuss the philosophy of Ubuntu, why hospitality is deeply embedded in African culture, and how indigenous ingredients and local spirits deserve a place alongside the world's most celebrated brands. Along the way, they share stories of travel, flavour discovery, community, and why the global bar industry has only just begun to appreciate what Africa has to offer.If you're passionate about cocktails, culture or hospitality, this episode is a fascinating introduction to a part of the drinks world that deserves far more attention.Episode HighlightsWhy AJABU was created and what makes it different from other cocktail festivals.How African hospitality is rooted in community, generosity and genuine welcome.Discovering indigenous African spirits, ingredients and forgotten flavours.Alexander Quest's remarkable journey from thoracic surgeon to internationally recognised bartender and bar owner.Why Africa may be the most exciting emerging destination in the global cocktail industry.In this episode you'll learnWhat AJABU means and the philosophy behind the festival.Why collaboration sits at the heart of African cocktail culture.How indigenous ingredients inspire modern cocktails.The role of Ubuntu in hospitality.Why travel and cultural exchange make better bartenders.How local African spirits compare with familiar Western categories.Why Africa's cocktail scene deserves far greater global recognition.About the guestsColin Asare-AppiahBorn in Ghana, Colin Asare-Appiah is one of the drinks industry's most respected educators, mentors and global ambassadors. A multiple award winner at Tales of the Cocktail, he co-founded the AJABU Cocktail & Spirits Festival to showcase African hospitality, creativity and talent to the world.Alexander QuestAlexander Quest is an award-winning bartender, entrepreneur and former thoracic surgeon from Cameroon, now based in Côte d'Ivoire. Through his bars and educational work, he champions indigenous African ingredients, local spirits and the stories that connect communities across the continent.Topics coveredAJABU Cocktail & Spirits FestivalAfrican cocktail cultureUbuntu philosophyIndigenous African spiritsPalm spirits and traditional distillationHospitality traditions across AfricaLocal ingredients and flavour discoveryCommunity in bartendingCultural exchange through cocktailsTales of the Cocktail 2026Resources & LinksAJABU Cocktail & Spirits Festival: https://ajabu.comAJABU Instagram: @ajabuFestival tickets (via Quicket): https://www.quicket.co.zaMemorable Quotes"Connect. Collaborate. Create.""Community is a big part of AJABU.""Hospitality for us is a genuine welcome.""Travel creates better conversations.""Together we can achieve many things."If you enjoyed this episode...Please consider following The Cocktail Academy, leaving a rating or review, and sharing this episode with someone who loves cocktails, hospitality and discovering the stories behind the world's most exciting drinks cultures. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The people around you aren't just influencing what you do. They're quietly teaching your brain what's normal, what's possible, and who you're allowed to become. In this episode of PivotMe, April explores the Pygmalion Effect and the enormous influence expectations, environment, and proximity have on performance. We often think peer groups matter because of networking, introductions, or business opportunities. But April argues that the real power runs much deeper: the people around you change what your brain considers normal. When everyone around you exercises, working out feels normal. When the people around you build businesses, invest, write books, travel, or prioritize their relationships, those things stop feeling extraordinary and start feeling attainable. April introduces the difference between a Default Peer Group and a Designed Peer Group, then challenges listeners to intentionally build a group of "Future Friends" who represent where they're headed, not simply where they've been. This isn't about collecting impressive friends. It's about identity expansion through proximity. In This Episode You'll Learn How the Pygmalion Effect connects expectations to performance. Why other people's expectations can quietly influence your own. How your peer group determines what feels "normal." The difference between a Default Peer Group and a Designed Peer Group. Why being around high performers can destroy limiting beliefs. Why discomfort in bigger rooms can actually be evidence of growth. How to identify the Future Friends who represent your next chapter. Why the right relationships expand identity long before they create opportunity. Key Takeaways Expectations shape performance. What you expect from yourself matters, but so do the expectations of the people around you. Your environment normalizes behavior. The habits, conversations, and standards surrounding you eventually begin to feel ordinary. Proximity expands identity. Seeing ordinary humans accomplish extraordinary things creates evidence that you can do it too. Don't confuse discomfort with misalignment. Sometimes feeling like the least accomplished person in the room means you found exactly the room you need. Design your peer group. Your relationships should not all be accidental. Some should intentionally represent the future you're building. Quotes "Your peer group changes what your brain considers normal." "Their existence becomes evidence. Evidence destroys limiting beliefs." "Sometimes you have to stay in the room long before you feel like you belong there." "The goal isn't rich friends. The goal is identity expansion." "You don't become exceptional by begging ordinary environments to produce extraordinary results." Actionable Challenge Write down the ten people you spend the most time with and ask: What do they normalize? What expectations do they place on you? Who do you become around them? Where are you expanding? Where are you shrinking? Then identify three Future Friends you need in the next year. Don't start with names. Start with roles or identities: an author, an exceptional parent, a CEO, an athlete, a philanthropist, a healthy couple, someone who has built what you want to build. Then take one action this week to increase your proximity. Pivot Point Takeaway Your future may be shaped less by another strategy and more by the rooms you repeatedly put yourself in. Design your peer group. Protect your proximity. Choose environments where your future already feels normal. ---------------- 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.

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A world leading data visualisation expert talks about leading the global Human Reference Atlas initiative and how collaboration enables researchers to think far bigger - - - “Oftentimes it's said that if you want to go fast, you go alone, but I don't think you can go far this way. If you want to go far, you have to go together.” So states Katy Börner during this episode of Campus Talks, in which we ask her about her ground-breaking project aimed at mapping all the anatomical structures and human cells in the human body, the Human Reference Atlas (HRA). This project relies on the input of thousands of researchers across multiple disciplines from all over the world, including several other ambitious physiological ‘atlasing' efforts which are working in parallel to the HRA. The Victor H. Yngve Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Information Science at Indiana University, Katy is also a founding director of the Cyberinfrastructure for Network Science (CNS) Center and she is a curator of the international Places & Spaces: Mapping Science exhibition. She explains how she developed such an interest in data visualisation work and why she has embraced an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to research throughout her career.   To find out more about the Human Reference Atlas: Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP): 3D Human Reference Atlas construction and usage Human Reference Atlas introduction and training Upcoming events for those interested in the Human Reference Atlas Whole Person Physiome Jamboree, August 24 to 25, 2026 Human Reference Atlas, Human Phenotype Ontology, Whole Person Physiome and other EU efforts hackathon, August 27 to 28.   To book a place at the Innovation & Impact Summit 2026 in Seoul from 17 to 19 November: Book tickets | THE Innovation & Impact Summit 2026. 

If you want to operate in the private client and high-net-worth space, you cannot afford to just be "the insurance guy." Sophisticated buyers, ranging from $100 million to $29 billion in net worth, can smell a product pitch from a mile away. To win these relationships, you must master the art of leading with planning, embracing complexity, and speaking the language of their CPAs, attorneys, and family offices.My guest, Dan Bergen, Managing Director of Private Client at Higginbotham and former Head of Insurance at Goldman Sachs, joins me to discuss what it takes to operate at the absolute highest level of the industry. Dan breaks down his journey from the Northwestern Mutual internship and semi-pro hockey to quarterbacking complex strategies like Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI). We discuss the difference between needs and wants for the ultra-wealthy, the exact formula for a "zeroed-out estate tax plan," and why the most powerful thing an advisor can say is, "You are actually not a good fit for what we do."▶▶ Sign Up For Your Free Discovery Callhttps://completegameu.com/request-a-callTimestamped Outline(00:00) Lead with Planning, Not Insurance: Introducing Dan Bergen(01:29) Earning Your Stripes: The Northwestern Mutual Experience and the Power of 10-3-1(04:31) Evolving to Private Wealth: Merrill Lynch, Lincoln Financial, and Goldman Sachs(05:29) The "Thanksgiving Day Rule": Why Culture Matters at Higginbotham(07:45) Failing Quickly: How Curiosity and the "Ready, Fire, Aim" Mentality Drives Success(10:19) The Semi-Pro Hockey Injury: Breaking a Neck and the Dangers of the OHL(13:08) Learning from the Losses: The Importance of the Post-Loss Debrief Email(15:03) Needs vs. Wants: Changing Your Approach for Ultra-Wealthy Clients(16:42) The Power of "No": Why You Must Tell Prospects When They Aren't a Fit(17:56) Speaking the Language: Understanding Complex Estate Planning Tactics (SLATs, FLPs, IDGTs)(20:01) Kids, IRS, or Charity: The "Zeroed-Out" Estate Tax Plan(22:32) The Complexity of Sophistication: Upgrading Your Game for the Billionaire Buyer(26:34) Dealing with Egos: How to Collaborate with Wealth Managers Who Hate Insurance(29:00) Turning Down the Sale: Why Pushing Premium Finance Can Be a Trap(31:15) Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI): Exploiting IRC 7702 for "Structural Alpha"(38:15) Taxes for the Fee and Not for Me: Amplifying Yields and Eliminating Tax Drag(41:36) Turning a Loss into a Win: Sourcing SpaceX Pre-IPO Shares for a Client(43:59) Dan's Lightning Round: Saunas, Cold Plunges, and Functional Patterns BiomechanicsCONNECT WITH ANDY NEARY

When two esteemed artists, both of whom have won a place in your musical heart through their consistent brilliance, announce a collaboration, your pulse inevitably and instinctively quickens. But it's not a case of how good will this be; rather, how good could this be? For every memorable meeting of musical minds unleashed into an expectant world, there is a deluge of those that didn't make the grade locked in the vaults. Enter stage left Australia's Electronic Music Ambassador Anthony Pappa; and Chicago's King of the Night Nick Stoynoff… Listener, fear not! When you press play on your sound carrier of choice (the modern equivalent of putting the needle on the record when the drumbeats go like this), we can confirm that Messrs Pappa & Stoynoff will effortlessly transport you to dancefloor nirvana. This double header is greater than the sum of its already stellar parts; your summer soundtrack has arrived. '435' wears a coat of many sonic colours, knitted together expertly by our two masters. It travels from teasing intro to emotive crescendo via a series of deft detours, an electronic concept album's worth of ideas all given room to breathe in seven and a half minutes of bliss. Team Selador – Innovate, Stimulate, Collaborate xx

When two esteemed artists, both of whom have won a place in your musical heart through their consistent brilliance, announce a collaboration, your pulse inevitably and instinctively quickens. But it's not a case of how good will this be; rather, how good could this be? For every memorable meeting of musical minds unleashed into an expectant world, there is a deluge of those that didn't make the grade locked in the vaults. Enter stage left Australia's Electronic Music Ambassador Anthony Pappa; and Chicago's King of the Night Nick Stoynoff… Listener, fear not! When you press play on your sound carrier of choice (the modern equivalent of putting the needle on the record when the drumbeats go like this), we can confirm that Messrs Pappa & Stoynoff will effortlessly transport you to dancefloor nirvana. This double header is greater than the sum of its already stellar parts; your summer soundtrack has arrived. 'Selcouth' is a thing of beauty. A broodingly hypnotic bassline paves the way for a series of ever more insistent elements, until the hypnotic arpeggiated riff kicks in and all bets are off. Cue lush breakdown and a euphoric finale and the master cratfsmen's work here is done. Team Selador – Innovate, Stimulate, Collaborate xx

Episode Summary The Responsible Seafood Summit returns to Bangkok, Thailand, bringing together seafood professionals from across the global value chain for four days of learning, collaboration, and meaningful industry connections. Hosted by the Global Seafood Alliance, the Summit creates an environment where producers, retailers, suppliers, researchers, NGOs, policymakers, and seafood leaders can exchange ideas, explore emerging challenges, and work toward practical solutions that strengthen the future of responsible seafood. This year's program highlights major industry priorities including global seafood markets, aquaculture production, fisheries, animal health and welfare, feed innovation, labor practices, and seafood supply chains. With a new program structure that combines broad industry discussions with focused deep-dive sessions, attendees will have opportunities to gain valuable insights, build new partnerships, and help shape the conversations driving seafood sustainability and innovation worldwide. Episode Sponsor Thank you to Veramaris for sponsoring this episode of the Aquademia podcast Their vision is bold: reshaping how the world is nourished with Omega-3. By pioneering new ways to deliver essential nutrition, Veramaris supports the aquaculture industry in closing the Omega-3 supply gap. Through resilient innovation, they produce high quality EPA and DHA directly from natural marine algae, providing farmers with a secure, reliable supply to raise healthier fish. Earning trust in every drop of algal oil, Veramaris makes sustainable growth possible today, and tomorrow. Learn more at Veramaris.com and give them a follow on LinkedIN. Featured Guests Steve Hart Senior Vice President of Market Development Global Seafood Alliance Key Topics Covered Why Bangkok was selected to host the 2026 Responsible Seafood Summit The importance of returning the Summit to Asia The 2026 theme: Connect, Collaborate, Commit New program structure featuring plenary sessions and focused deep-dive discussions Global seafood market trends and changing consumer preferences Aquaculture production, feed innovation, and animal health Tuna sustainability, labor practices, and vessel connectivity Networking opportunities designed to encourage meaningful industry relationships Industry field trips showcasing Thai aquaculture, fisheries, feed production, and culinary experiences Executive keynote conversations with leaders from Binhuan, Umios, and Thai Union Key Takeaways The Responsible Seafood Summit emphasizes collaboration that leads to real industry action. Returning to Thailand places the event at the center of one of the world's most important seafood regions. New programming combines high-level industry perspectives with practical, solution-focused discussions. Networking is intentionally built into every aspect of the event through meals, receptions, tours, and the attendee app. Field trips provide firsthand experiences across aquaculture, fisheries, seafood production, and Thai culture. Industry leaders from across the seafood supply chain will share insights on navigating today's rapidly changing marketplace. The Summit offers valuable opportunities for professionals at every stage of their careers to build lasting relationships. Links and Resources Mentioned Responsible Seafood Summit (REGISTER) Seafood Nutrition Partnership - Summer Seafood Challenge The views expressed by external guests on Aquademia are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Aquademia or the Global Seafood Alliance. Listeners are advised to independently verify information and consult experts for any specific advice or decisions.

Just because you've survived worse doesn't mean you should settle for this. Your past taught you resilience. It was never meant to become the standard for the rest of your life. How often do you justify staying in a situation simply because it's better than what you've experienced before? A better job. A healthier relationship. A less demanding client. A business that's "good enough." In this episode, April challenges one of the most common mindset traps among high performers: measuring today's life against yesterday's struggles instead of tomorrow's vision. Surviving your past is something to celebrate. But if your past becomes your measuring stick, you may unintentionally lower the standard for the life you're capable of creating. It's time to stop asking, "Is this better than before?" and start asking, "Is this worthy of Future Me?" In This Episode You'll Learn Why comparing your life to past hardships can quietly keep you stuck. The difference between surviving and thriving. How your past should inspire you, not define your standards. Why Future You should become your new benchmark. A simple question that helps you make better decisions in business and life. Pivot Point Your past proves what's possible. It should never determine what you'll settle for. Memorable Quotes "Your past is proof of your resilience, not the standard for your future." "Stop asking if it's better than before. Ask if it's worthy of Future You." "Surviving isn't the destination. Thriving is." "If you're going to measure anything, measure it against the life you're building." "Better than yesterday doesn't always mean good enough for tomorrow." ---------------- 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.

Welcome back to the Messy Success Podcast. If your calendar is filling up with collaboration requests and your revenue isn't following, this episode is for you. Elizabeth breaks down when to collaborate in business, when to say no, and why there's a specific growth phase where accepting every invitation actually works against you. This episode is for the business owner who has moved past the early "collaborate with everyone" stage and is starting to feel drained, overextended, or unsure why events with other business owners aren't filling the room. Elizabeth shares the marketing campaign mistake most people make with collaborations, why she now limits herself to one collaboration a month, and how to tell whether a collaboration is actually serving your business goals or just keeping you in a repetitive pattern. She also offers a completely different model for supporting other business owners without becoming a full partner, one that protects your time and energy while still showing up for your community. If you've been feeling guilty about setting business collaboration boundaries, this conversation will give you permission and a framework to do it well. Press play and start protecting your calendar like the CEO you're becoming.

Since the nature of podcasting doesn't give us that immediate feedback and connection with our listeners, podcasting can feel like a solo journey. The good news is– it doesn't have to be! There are thousands of other podcasters out there that you can join together with as we collectively lift each other up. This week, episode 42 of Successful Podcasting Unlocked answers the question: How can I support other podcasters and build a community?In this episode, I share:Go out of your way to listen and engage with other podcasts. Share and promote other podcasters who's content you enjoy. Collaborate with others to expand opportunities and promote mutual growth.Offer thoughtful and encouraging feedback. Attend events and engage in online groups to foster support and connection. I challenge you to take 10 minutes today and take action on one of these things. Send me a DM and let me know how it went! I would love to hear from you. Be sure to tune in to all the episodes to receive tons of practical tips, tricks, and advice as I answer all your podcasting questions. Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me! And don't forget to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!CONNECT WITH ALESIA GALATI:InstagramLinkedInWork with Galati Media! LINKS MENTIONED:She Podcasts Facebook GroupBuzzsprout Podcast Community Facebook GroupFeminist Podcasters CollectiveProud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

What if the smartest thing you can do with your single biggest advantage is hand it to the competition?Brendan and Bianca Shah run Chado Tea Room and the wholesale arm, International Tea Importers, the family business their father Devan built into one of the engines of America's specialty tea culture. When he died in 2016, the two of them inherited a company that lived entirely in his head and rebuilt it from first principles.In this conversation, we get into why selling their best tea to direct competitors grew the entire category and made the brand their real moat, how the wholesale and retail sides power a single flywheel, and why paring a 300-tea catalog down to its essentials is what unlocks growth.If you're competing on product alone, this shows you what it looks like to build something nobody can copy.That's Brendan and Bianca Shah. To learn more about Chado Tea Room, visit chadotea.com._________________________________________________________Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

How to Stop Teen Push Back: The Brain Science of Conflict Management Picture this: It's Tuesday night. You ask your teenager a simple, reasonable question about their homework or chores. Suddenly, you're locked in a high-stakes standoff. Doors slam, voices rise, and before you know it, you're launching into a passionate, well-meaning lecture that you know they aren't listening to. We've all been there. As parents of adolescents, it's easy to feel like every interaction is a potential landmine. But what if the secret to ending teen pushback isn't arguing louder or laying down the law harder? What if the key is actually understanding the brain science behind the blowup? In this episode of The Impactful Parent, host Kristina Campos sits down with Mitch Weisberg—seasoned educator, conflict resolution trainer, and author of Mindshifting: Conflict and Collaboration. Together, they break down why well-meaning lectures backfire and how science-backed questions can flip your household script from chaos to genuine collaboration.   Episode Chapters: 00:00 - The Tuesday night standoff & brain science behind blowups 02:00 - Why your brain leaves the building in survival mode 02:56 - Conflict languages & non-complimentary statements 04:22 - Why lectures always backfire with teenagers 06:26 - The 5 Conflict Styles (Compete, Avoid, Accommodate, Collaborate, Negotiate) 10:23 - Parenting as mini-experiments & learning from feedback 12:46 - 3 immediate mind-shift tools for reactive parents 16:36 - How to ask curiosity-driven questions instead of lecturing 20:47 - Using strengths-based feedback to lower defenses 22:38 - The "Perhaps I Can" technique to boost teen confidence 26:45 - Overview of Mindshifting: Conflict and Collaboration 29:13 - The #1 fundamental truth for overwhelmed parents  

Nobody accidentally builds a great business, a great marriage, great health, or a great life. They build systems that make winning more likely. The problem? Most of us already know what works... we just stopped doing it. Have you ever looked at your life and wondered, "Why did I feel so much more productive six months ago?" The answer probably isn't motivation. It's your systems. In this episode, April shares one of the biggest patterns she sees with entrepreneurs and leaders: we abandon the very habits that once made us successful. Not because they stopped working... but because life got busy, routines changed, and one small habit quietly disappeared. The good news? You don't need an entirely new productivity system. You probably just need to remember one you've already proven works. In This Episode You'll Learn Why successful people rely on systems instead of discipline. The hidden reason your productivity slowly declines. How "residual momentum" masks broken habits. Three powerful questions to rediscover your forgotten success habits. Why becoming a student of yourself matters more than copying everyone else. How one small habit can completely change your trajectory. Success isn't built on one giant breakthrough. It's built on dozens of intentional habits repeated long enough that winning becomes predictable. Maybe your next breakthrough isn't learning something new... Maybe it's remembering something you already knew. Quotes "Successful people don't have more discipline. They have systems that make success more likely." "Your habits probably didn't stop working... you stopped doing them." "Same person. Different system." ---------------- 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.

AUA2026: Focus on: ADT in the Modern Era - Balancing Cancer Control and Cardiovascular Safety CME Available: https://cme.auanet.org/URL/FOCUS265ONL LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After participating in this CME activity, participants will be able to: 1. Integrate cardiovascular (CV) risk assessment into ADT initiation by applying key findings from the REVELUTION-1 trial to identify patients at elevated risk for atherosclerosis and MACE. 2. Compare and apply the CV safety profiles of LHRH agonists versus GnRH receptor antagonists to guide personalized ADT selection in patients with varying CV risk. 3. Implement streamlined monitoring strategies for men on oral ADT, including testosterone levels, lipid and blood pressure evaluation, and surveillance for early CV risk indicators. 4. Collaborate with cardiology and primary care to optimize statin use and coordinate CV risk-reduction strategies for prostate cancer patients receiving ADT. 5. Strengthen shared decision making and adherence by incorporating discussions of oncologic benefit, CV risk, and mitigation strategies into routine oral ADT counseling and follow-up. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Support provided by independent educational grants from: Pfizer, Inc Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.

You don't need to add more to your business. You need to subtract the right things. In this episode, Tanya breaks down the Subtraction Method: three cuts every entrepreneur needs to make before they reach for one more offer, one more hire, or one more yes. If revenue is climbing but your life isn't getting any easier, this episode is the reset you need. You'll learn: Why adding to your business is usually motion, not progress The real difference between revenue and a business that actually pays you The three cuts of the Subtraction Method: simplify the offer, simplify the role, simplify the yes The identity question hiding behind every task you "can't" hand off A 3-question audit to find where your business is overbuilt Grab your copy of How to Collaborate to keep building a business that doesn't need more of you to grow: https://www.foxtalksbusiness.com/book

Tuesday, July 7, 2026Sliced 68: Gordian Knot Strategies and Terraformation Collaborate to Unlock Climate Finance and Carbon Market Opportunities at ScaleIn this edition of SLICED, we announce our new strategic partnership with Terraformation, one of the world's leading vertically-integrated forest restoration developers. This collaboration aims to help translate Terraformation's growing project portfolio into bankable commercial and financing structures at a moment when demand for high-integrity carbon removal is accelerating.--Sliced is a weekly short-form dispatch released every Tuesday that features original thought pieces from our team members with the goal of slicing apart the various complex aspects of climate finance.If you want to check out the written version of Sliced, click here: https://gordianknotstrategies.com/weekly-newsletter/Sliced is produced by ⁠Gordian Knot Strategies⁠. It is written, narrated, and edited by ⁠Jay Tipton⁠. Visit us at www.gordianknotstrategies.com. Music is by ⁠Coma-Media.

Milli Vanilli, Young MC and C+C Music Factory - ultimate 80s party playlist - or the latest artists to feud with Donald Trump?Someone needs to stop. Collaborate. And listen.Divorce became a really hot topic in the 80s, and who better to navigate kids through it than one of TV's favourite dads? And a floating ghost from Masters of the Universe.Some 80s songs didn't mean what you think they mean, and Paulo found a movie that could have meant so much more - but instead killed a man with a giant set of pyrotechnic bobs.Two 80s Truths and a Lie rocks you with a VW fact and spends some time in Bangkok.LInksFreedom 250 Fall-OutC+C Music Factory: https://web.facebook.com/watch/?v=1529462611981886Fab Morvan: https://variety.com/2026/music/news/milli-vanillis-fab-morvan-wants-out-freedom-250-concerts-1236764699/Vanilla Ice: https://variety.com/2026/music/news/vanilla-ice-freedom-250-concert-canceled-weather-1236796016/Robin Thicke and Orko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFV7kHa40bwCherry 2000: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRNaSWtzjyAMadonna Biopic: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jun/23/madonna-biopic-scrapped-universalFalco themed VW: https://www.theautopian.com/rock-me-amadeus-volkswagen-dedicates-special-edition-to-80s-austrian-singer-falco/#That 80s Show, #Dori, #nostalgia, #Freedom 250 concerts, #America's 250th anniversary, #80s music, #Bruce Springsteen, #Madonna, #Cyndi Lauper, #Lionel Richie, #Bret Michaels, #Poison, #Young MC, #CNC Music Factory, #Donald Trump, #political events, #Vanilla Ice, #Kid Rock, #divorce in the 80s, #Alan Thicke, #Growing Pains, #Orko, #He-Man, #children coping with divorce, #80s music truths and lies, #Billy Idol, #White Wedding, #Depeche Mode, #Personal Jesus, #Suzanne Vega, #Luka, #The Police, #Every Breath You Take, #Cherry 2000, #AI companionship, #Laurence Fishburne, #cult movies, #Madonna biopic, #Who's That Girl?, #Julia Garner, #Volkswagen Austria, #Golf Falco Edition, #One Night in Bangkok, #Tim Rice, #ABBA, #Michael Winslow, #Police Academy, #80s pop culture, #podcast episode, #music history, #cultural commentary.

Influence isn't about talking louder, having better slides, or learning one more sales trick. If people aren't moving, they're missing one of three things: trust, understanding, or certainty. Build those, and everything changes. Every leader wants more influence. Whether you're leading a team, selling a service, coaching a client, or raising a family, your ability to influence others determines your impact. But influence isn't charisma. It's a formula. In this episode, April shares the three elements that create influence: trust, understanding, and certainty. Miss even one of these, and people hesitate, procrastinate, or resist taking action. If you want people to confidently move forward, you have to intentionally build all three. In This Episode You'll Learn Why trust alone isn't enough to influence someone. The difference between being trusted and being understood. Why uncertainty creates procrastination. How leaders accidentally create hesitation. The three-part formula that builds confidence and action. Pivot Point Influence isn't about convincing people. It's about creating enough trust, understanding, and certainty that moving forward feels like the obvious next step. "Influence isn't magic. It's trust, understanding, and certainty working together." ---------------- 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.

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:00:00 GMT http://relay.fm/conduit/131 http://relay.fm/conduit/131 Stop, Collaborate, and Listen 131 Kathy Campbell and Jay Miller Conduit loves working together almost as much as we love your Mom. Conduit loves working together almost as much as we love your Mom. clean 3502 Subtitle: Conduit's back with a brand new edition.Conduit loves working together almost as much as we love your Mom. Links and Show Notes: Checked Connections - Jay ✅ - Put the new shelves together - Kathy ✅ - Get brave enough to actually promote my YouTube channel.... Keep sending those MyConduit Connections to us on Discord and through Feedback! New Connections - Jay - Make that Payment for season tickets!! - Kathy - Prep one set of instant pot recipes to make meals For Our Super Conductors: Pre-Show: World Cup (it exists) Post-Show: A Year where complaining is not allowed sounds madness Credits Music: When You Smile Executive Producers: Relay FM Discord Community Support Conduit with a Relay Membership Submit Feedback You Conduit Live - July 18th, 2026Come and see Kathy and Jay in Toronto, ON, CANADA on July 18th, 2026! The Unicorn Sidekick - YouTube Postmortem of database outage of January 31 Conduit Loves Your

No one can do it alone

Hello to you listening in Lake Chelan, Washington! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga. Some 30 years ago I was taught that story is a gift to the listener. This never-forgotten advice has shepherded me through decades of professional speaking, litigation consulting, communication coaching, and story strategizing. Perhaps you've experienced someone telling a story and it feels forced, it does not ring true. What's going on? A story is organic. It will manifest in a certain place or time when it is ready to be told and the teller is ready to serve as the conduit for the story. If a story feels forced the teller isn't ready to release it.  If this was my client we would continue to collaborate on the key questions: who is it for, how did it come to be, why does it want to be heard, where does it begin, what does it mean. This is how we get to the heart of your message and the message of your heart. By recognizing that a story is as alive as the person telling it. Practical Tip: If you're curious come as you are and change inside Quarter Moon Story Arts!  You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website during reconstruction, email me [info@quartermoonstoryarts.net] to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

The best part about starting something new is that someone has most certainly gone before you, paving the way and facing the same challenges that you will. Listen to this episode to get motivated by Alex on how to connect with other podcasters with the same niche.  WHAT TO LISTEN FOR Learning trends through connecting people What is a podcast interview swap and how does it work? Advantages of collaborating with other podcasters Tips to launch a podcast Coming up with interesting and fresh content  Importance of focusing one social channel at a time  RESOURCE/LINK MENTIONED The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod  ABOUT ALEX SANFILIPPO   Alex Sanfilippo is the host of the top 20 entrepreneurship podcast, Creating a Brand. He is also the founder of PodMatch.com, a free service that automatically matches podcast guests and hosts together for interviews.     CONNECT WITH ALEX Podcast: Creating A Brand Website: PodMatch  LinkedIn: Alex Sanfilippo Instagram: Alex Sanfilippo     CONNECT WITH US Thinking about creating and growing your own podcast but not sure where to start? Visit GrowYourShow.com and Schedule a call with Adam A. Adams! SPONSOR (No sponsor was mentioned or commercial break)  We want you to have the best tools at your disposal. Right now you can get a free list of vetted equipment such as microphones, mixers, webcams, and sound treatment editing software. Everything you need is created with direct purchase links to save you time and money and make your life easier. Go ahead and get yours at GrowYourShow.com/pdf   

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.

 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 […]