Podcasts about Community

Actor and comedian Joel McHale isn't just one of the nicest people working in entertainment; he's also got a unique, firsthand perspective on the massive shifts that have occurred in the television industry over the past twenty years. From the TV-skewering comedy of The Soup to the metatextual self-awareness of Community, Joel's career has served to comment on the evolution of the medium of television. Today, he takes a bit more of a direct approach and sits with Adam to talk about the massive shifts in TV comedy and where it might go next.Download Cash App Today: https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/2vjj5nrh #CashAppPod. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See terms and conditions at https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/card-agreement. Discounts and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit http://cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures.SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/adamconoverSEE ADAM ON TOUR: https://www.adamconover.net/tourdates/SUBSCRIBE to and RATE Factually! on:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/factually-with-adam-conover/id1463460577» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0fK8WJw4ffMc2NWydBlDyJAbout Headgum: Headgum is an LA & NY-based podcast network creating premium podcasts with the funniest, most engaging voices in comedy to achieve one goal: Making our audience and ourselves laugh. Listen to our shows at https://www.headgum.com.» SUBSCRIBE to Headgum: https://www.youtube.com/c/HeadGum?sub_confirmation=1» FOLLOW us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/headgum» FOLLOW us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/headgum/» FOLLOW us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headgum» Advertise on Factually! via Gumball.fmSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Im Januar 532 kommt es während eines Wagenrennens im Hippodrom von Konstantinopel zu einem Aufstand. Anhänger der Zirkusparteien zerstören Teile der Stadt und erheben schließlich Flavius Hypatios zum neuen Kaiser. Kaiser Justinian hat die Wahl: Flucht oder Gegenangriff. Wir sprechen in der Folge über einen der größten Aufstände der Antike und darüber, warum es sich lohnt, die überlieferten Quellen immer wieder neu zu lesen. //Erwähnte Folgen - GAG535: Das Jahr 536 und die Spätantike Kleine Eiszeit – https://gadg.fm/535 - GAG514: Anna Komnene – Prinzessin, Intellektuelle und Historikerin – https://gadg.fm/514 Literatur - Joanna Jessica Ayaita: Justinian und das Volk im Nikaaufstand, 2015 (https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/20002/1/Ayaita_Nikaaufstand.pdf). - Meier, Mischa. „Die Inszenierung einer Katastrophe: Justinian und der Nika-Aufstand“. Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 142 (2003): 273–300. - Koehn, Clemens. „Stasiôtai into Stratiôtai: The Nika Riot Revisited“. Byzantinische Zeitschrift 116, Nr. 1 (2023): 77–104. https://doi.org/10.1515/bz-2023-0004. - Meier, Mischa. „ZUR FUNKTION DER THEODORA-REDE IM GESCHICHTSWERK PROKOPS (BP 1,24,33-37)“. Rheinisches Museum für Philologie 147, Nr. 1 (2004): 88–104. //Aus unserer Werbung Du möchtest mehr über unsere Werbepartner erfahren? Hier findest du alle Infos & Rabatte: https://linktr.ee/GeschichtenausderGeschichte //Geschichten aus der Geschichte jetzt auch als Brettspiel! Werkelt mit uns am Flickerlteppich! Gibt es dort, wo es auch Becher, T-Shirts oder Hoodies zu kaufen gibt: https://geschichte.shop // Wir sind jetzt auch bei CampfireFM! Wer direkt in Folgen kommentieren will, Zusatzmaterial und Blicke hinter die Kulissen sehen will: einfach die App installieren und unserer Community beitreten: https://www.joincampfire.fm/podcasts/22 //Wir haben auch ein Buch geschrieben: Wer es erwerben will, es ist überall im Handel, aber auch direkt über den Verlag zu erwerben: https://www.piper.de/buecher/geschichten-aus-der-geschichte-isbn-978-3-492-06363-0 Wer unsere Folgen lieber ohne Werbung anhören will, kann das über eine kleine Unterstützung auf Steady oder ein Abo des GeschichteFM-Plus Kanals auf Apple Podcasts tun. Wir freuen uns, wenn ihr den Podcast bei Apple Podcasts oder wo auch immer dies möglich ist rezensiert oder bewertet. Wir freuen uns auch immer, wenn ihr euren Freundinnen und Freunden, Kolleginnen und Kollegen oder sogar Nachbarinnen und Nachbarn von uns erzählt! Du möchtest Werbung in diesem Podcast schalten? Dann erfahre hier mehr über die Werbemöglichkeiten bei Seven.One Audio: https://www.seven.one/portfolio/sevenone-audio

Could our hunger for content be costing us real connection? On Believer's Voice of Victory, Courtney Copeland Acuña joins Grant Skeldon and Greg Stephens to explore why authentic relationships matter more than endless information. They reveal how shared meals, conversations and everyday moments build the kind of multigenerational community people crave. Learn why multigenerational faith flourishes where connection comes first.

On this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies I am joined by PYC community member, Rachel Eisman. Rachel is a public sector consultant and new mom of two. When she's not working, she likes writing and reading. As we dive into Rachel's birth story, we also revisit her first birth and explore the differences between the two. Rachel shares what she learned the first time around, and how she intentionally applied those insights to her second experience… which ended up unfolding swiftly! I hope you enjoy this exciting and empowering story. Get the most out of each episode by checking out the show notes with links, resources and other related podcasts at: prenatalyogacenter.com Don't forget to grab your FREE guide, 5 Simple Solutions to the Most Common Pregnancy Pains HERE  If you love what you've been listening to, please leave a rating and review! Yoga| Birth|Babies (Apple) or on Spotify! To connect with Deb and the PYC Community:  Instagram & Facebook: @prenatalyogacenter Youtube: Prenatal Yoga Center Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Workday Playdate, Erin explores a leadership truth that's impossible to ignore right now: leaders are more connected than ever and lonelier than ever. Erin shares practical frameworks and personal stories to help you cultivate authentic community that strengthens your leadership, boosts resilience, and fuels sustainable confidence.If leadership has felt isolating, this episode is your reminder: you were never meant to do this alone.Inside This Episode:The Loneliness Paradox in Leadership: Why high achievers often feel the most isolated—and how social connection reduces burnout, increases engagement, and strengthens resilience.Leadership Is a Team Sport: The “buddy bench” metaphor that reframes leadership growth as something you practice with others, not in silos.The 4-Step Community Framework: A clear, actionable process to build a community that aligns with who you're becoming.From Spectator to Participant: Why passive membership doesn't build confidence and how contribution, visibility, and real-time sharing accelerate growth.Normalize Honest Feedback: How vulnerability + peer coaching deepen trust, psychological safety, and real leadership skill-building.Audit Your Energy: The simplest question to curate stronger relationships: Do I feel energized or drained after this interaction?Treadmill Friends vs. Couch Friends: Why some relationships stretch you and others soothe you, and why you need both (but in the right balance).Intentional Community > Accidental Proximity: Why mutual investment is the foundation of meaningful leadership support.Practice in Public: How spaces like Leadership Playground give leaders a monthly rep to test ideas, receive feedback, and build social confidence.Confidence Is a Community Byproduct: Why resilient leaders focus less on doing it alone and more on surrounding themselves with people who reflect their growth back to them.Who This Episode Is For:Leaders tired of carrying growth alonePeople managers craving deeper connectionHigh achievers who secretly feel isolatedEntrepreneurs and founders building something boldHumans ready to move from polished to presentYour Playdate PracticeFirst, write down the people who you interact with the most in professional settings. Second, ask yourself, “Do they challenge me? Do they support me? Do they inspire me?” Third, reach out to one leader and say something along the lines of, “Hey, how are you? I'm genuinely interested in your answer. Also, could you help me with X? I'm feeling like I need a little more help in this area.”Your FreebieYou want to support your people the same way you want to be supported—but in fast, emotionally charged moments, the right words can be hard to find.Enter, your free resource - Human Leadership in the Age of AI: An Empathy Playbook. It gives you a simple, 3-part list of human-first phrases you can use in meetings, emails, and one-on-ones.Empathy isn't extra anymore. It's essential. Download your Empathy Playbook here.Connect with Erin Diehl x improve it!Erin's websiteErin's InstagramErin's TikTokErin's LinkedInimprove it!'s websiteimprove it!'s InstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mark 11:27-12:17

Mark 11:27-12:17

Could our hunger for content be costing us real connection? On Believer's Voice of Victory, Courtney Copeland Acuña joins Grant Skeldon and Greg Stephens to explore why authentic relationships matter more than endless information. They reveal how shared meals, conversations and everyday moments build the kind of multigenerational community people crave. Learn why multigenerational faith flourishes where connection comes first.

Numbers 21-22

Numbers 21-22

Lev 27:14- Num 1:54, Mark 11:1-26, Ps 46:1-11, Pr 10:23

Lev 27:14- Num 1:54, Mark 11:1-26, Ps 46:1-11, Pr 10:23

I brought back Becky Pierson Davidson to compare notes on where community is headed — and we found a few areas of disagreement. Becky works with 6, 7, and 8-figure businesses helping them build memberships and courses through design thinking and customer research, and she's seeing a major shift right now: course businesses are slowing down, and the smart ones are pivoting to membership models. The difference? Shared learning experiences are replacing self-paced education. Community is what people stay for. We dig into the real mechanics: how to set expectations that don't feel like a bait-and-switch, why meaningful engagement isn't what most people think it is, the mastermind paradox (increases retention, decreases forum activity), and why in-person events might be the most important retention lever you're not using. Becky's hot take for 2026: content drops are dying. People don't need more stuff — they need connection and programming that moves them forward. Affinity Collective Build with Becky podcast Episode 197: Building Raving Fans (with Becky & Chanel) Circle (community platform) TightKnit (Slack archive plugin) Dreamers and Doers Full transcript and show notes *** TIMESTAMPS (02:35) Defining community as a product, not a growth engine (04:09) Why community is rising as a business model in 2026 (06:02) The reality of transitioning from courses to memberships (08:01) Finding the right community design for your appetite (10:02) How to avoid the bait-and-switch with member expectations (13:06) Value perception vs. value experience (13:57) The smallest viable promise for your sales page (16:44) Where we disagree: transformation vs. community of practice (21:14) Forum design: why fewer spaces wins (23:17) Solving the engagement problem (what meaningful engagement actually is) (25:50) How the best members actually use your community (29:46) The mastermind paradox: retention up, forum participation down (32:09) In-person experiences and the graduation weekend model (36:39) The economics of offline events (39:35) 2026 Hot Take: Content drops are dying (43:07) Retention rethink: Did I get my money's worth vs. Will I next year? (46:04) Why connection drives retention more than results (48:23) Tool stack: Circle 9 times out of 10 (51:14) The future: personalization in community software *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → Episode 197: Building Raving Fans *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE → Submit your question here *** WHEN YOU'RE READY

Longevity Over Hype: Building a Lash Brand That Lasts with EBL Founder Lindy Williams Hosted by Sheila Bella, Founder of Pretty Rich Bosses Featuring Lindy Williams, Founder of EBL In an industry obsessed with going viral, what does it actually take to build a lash brand that lasts? In this powerful conversation, Sheila Bella sits down with Lindy Williams, founder of EBL, to talk about choosing longevity over hype, discipline over dopamine, and brand equity over quick wins. If you are a lash artist, product line owner, salon owner, or beauty entrepreneur who wants to build something sustainable instead of something trendy, this episode will reset your standards. They break down what most beauty pros get wrong about branding, why consistency beats spikes of attention, and how to create trust that compounds over time. This is about building a real company, not just a social media moment. If you are tired of chasing trends and ready to build authority, credibility, and long term revenue, 

If you want to listen to the full episode (XYBM 151) from this clip, search for the title: "Ep. 151: God has NOT ABANDONED you" — it was released on February 23, 2026.In XYBM 151, I open up about a season I recently went through where I genuinely felt abandoned by God — and the uncomfortable truth I had to face about what was actually happening beneath that feeling.       I talk about what it looks like to shift disagreements before they turn into destructive arguments, how betrayal trauma hits men differently when you've been cheated on or crossed by someone you trusted, and how to heal without becoming hardened or passing that pain onto the people you love.        If you're in a season of spiritual and mental growth that feels heavy or confusing, this episode will meet you there. Tune in on all podcast streaming platforms, including YouTube.Leave a 5-star review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ if you found value in this episode or a previous episode!  BOOK US FOR SPEAKING + BRAND DEALS:————————————Explore our diverse collaboration opportunities as the leading and fastest-growing Black men's mental health platform on social media. Let's create something dope for your brand/company.Take the first step by filling out the form on our website: https://www.expressyourselfblackman.com/speaking-brand-dealsHOW TO FIND A DOPE, BLACK THERAPIST: ————————————We are teaching a FREE webinar on how to find a dope, Black therapist – sign up for the next session here: https://event.webinarjam.com/channel/black-therapistAll webinar attendees will have the opportunity to be paired with a Black mental health professional in Safe Haven. We have had 5K+ people sign up for this webinar in the past. Don't miss out. Slots are limited. SAFE HAVEN:————————————Safe Haven is a holistic healing platform built for Black men by Black men. In Safe Haven, you will be connected with a Black mental health professional, so you can finally heal from the things you find it difficult to talk about AND you will receive support from like-minded Black men that are all on their healing journey, so you don't have to heal alone.Join Safe Haven Now: https://www.expressyourselfblackman.com/safe-haven SUPPORT THE PLATFORM: ————————————Safe Haven: https://www.expressyourselfblackman.com/safe-havenMonthly Donation: https://buy.stripe.com/eVa5o0fhw1q3guYaEE Merchandise: https://shop.expressyourselfblackman.com FOLLOW US:————————————TikTok: @expressyourselfblackman (https://www.tiktok.com/@expressyourselfblackman) Instagram:Host: @expressyourselfblackman(https://www.instagram.com/expressyourselfblackman)YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ExpressYourselfBlackManFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/expressyourselfblackman

Sign up for our Family Retreats here at this  link: Retreats & Getaways | Joni and Friends --------Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org. Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

If you've been on TikTok lately, you've probably seen "bed rotting," people staying in bed all day, calling it self-care and radical rest. Gen Z is embracing it as a way to recover from burnout (and I'm finding it's not just Gen Z's who are doing this). But here's what's actually happening: your nervous system has gone into shutdown mode. Today we're talking about the difference between genuine rest and nervous system shutdown, why your body sometimes chooses immobilization over action, and what to do when you literally can't get yourself out of bed. You'll learn the science behind shutdown, how to tell if you're resting or avoiding, and practical tools to gently reactivate when you're stuck. Full blog and show notes: https://abbymedcalf.com/bed-rotting-isnt-self-care Download my free guide on nervous system regulation: https://abbymedcalf.com/nervous-system-check Join my online community, One Love Collective, on Substack: https://abbymedcalf.com/substack. You'll get...✨ Early drops + ad-free podcast episodes✨ Worksheets, journal prompts, downloads, and guided visualizations✨ Community chats and live Q&A calls with Abby_________ Subscribe to the Love Letter and get my little messages each week! https://abbymedcalf.com/loveletter-opt-in/

Mike Brcic is an entrepreneur, adventurer, and community-builder. He is the founder of Wayfinders, an organization that helps high-performing entrepreneurs and leaders find greater meaning, connection, and happiness through curated adventures and experiences. Mike previously founded Sacred Rides, which he built into the "#1 Mountain Bike Tour Company on Earth" according to National Geographic Adventure. His personal journey through entrepreneurial success, depression, and the search for deeper fulfillment informs his current mission: helping people find their own path to joy and purpose. Mike Brcic joined host Robert Glazer on the Elevate Podcast to discuss finding meaning beyond success, his personal journey through entrepreneurial success, depression, and the search for deeper fulfillment informs his current mission: helping people find their own path to joy and purpose. Thank you to the sponsors of The Elevate Podcast Shopify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shopify.com/elevate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Masterclass: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠masterclass.com/elevate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Framer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠framer.com/elevate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Northwest Registered Agent: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠northwestregisteredagent.com/elevatefree⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Indeed: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠indeed.com/elevate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Vanguard: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vanguard.com/audio⁠⁠⁠ Notion: ⁠⁠⁠notion.com/elevate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Essential Ingredients, Justine Reichman speaks with Hillary Cohen and Sam Luu, co-founders of Everyday Action, a nonprofit dedicated to recovering food from the entertainment industry and redistributing it to those in need. They discuss their journey from working in the entertainment industry to founding Everyday Action, the challenges they faced, and the importance of community and collaboration in their mission. The conversation highlights the impact of their work, the growth of their organization, and their aspirations for the future.   Takeaways Everyday Action aims to inspire people to take action every day. The organization started as a response to food waste and insecurity in Los Angeles. Frustration can be a powerful motivator for positive change. Collaboration is key to the success of Everyday Action. The entrepreneurial journey requires discipline and adaptability. Mistakes are learning opportunities that contribute to growth. Community support is essential for nonprofit success. Everyday Action has fed over 110,000 people in a year. The organization is focused on building a sustainable community hub. Future aspirations include expanding their collaborative efforts with other nonprofits.    Sound bites "Nothing is too complicated." "We need each other and we need community." "We can use volunteers all days 24-7."   Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Everyday Action 01:14 The Mission Behind Everyday Action 05:35 Turning Frustration into Action 09:09 The Entrepreneurial Journey 12:04 Collaboration and Community Building 15:25 Growth and Impact of Everyday Action 19:54 Evolving Operations and Strategies 25:18 The Role of Community and Support 26:49 Future Aspirations and Closing Thoughts

We loved Marale, Fae Ascendant during the Lorwyn Eclipsed review. Now, John from CCO Nation joins us to tell all about how he built it with no other elves and no other faeries. A true CCO classic! Come find out what the heck we are talking about this week on CCO 531!Huge thank you to our sponsors, Fusion Gaming Online. They're your source for all of your gaming needs. You can find them here: www.FusionGamingOnline.com. You want a 5% discount off all of your MTG order? Head over to Fusion Gaming Online and use exclusive promo code: CCONATION at checkout.This week's community decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/mB7wRRpUfE6i66KqmP-L1gWant your deck or topic featured on Commander Cookout Podcast? Check out the reward tiers at Patreon.com/CCOPodcast. There are a lot of fun and unique benefits to pledging. Like the CCO Discord or getting your deck featured on the show.Ryan's solo podcast, Commander ad Populum:https://www.spreaker.com/show/commander-ad-populumYou can listen to CCO Podcast anywhere better podcasts are found as well as on CommanderCookout.com.Now, Hit our Theme Song!Social media:https://www.CommanderCookout.comhttps://www.Instagram.com/CommanderCookouthttps://www.Facebook.com/CCOPodcast@CCOPodcast and @CCOBrando on Twitterhttps://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcasthttps://ko-fi.com/commandercookout

What if your restaurant wasn't just a place to eat, but a world people stepped into to feel something?Brandon Hoy didn't set out to build a pizza place, he set out to create a party, a refuge, a piece of living art in a neighborhood hungry for connection. As co-founder of Roberta's, he tapped into timing, tribe, and a radical commitment to craft to turn a scrappy Bushwick pizzeria into a cultural institution.In this conversation, we get into why community beats marketing, how mythology makes brands magnetic, and why defining what your restaurant means matters more than what it serves. Brandon breaks down the tension between consistency and evolution, and why the brands that survive are the ones willing to move with the wind.If you're building more than a menu—if you're building a movement—this conversation is for you.To learn more about Roberta's and explore what they're building next, visit robertaspizza.com._________________________________________________________Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff.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

Numbers 18-20

Apply for the Leap Year 6-week Minimind - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.oliviatati.com/leapyearminiIn this live-from-the-beach episode, Olivia Tati shares how she's spending six weeks in Costa Rica — fully funded by her real estate portfolio.

Lev 25:47-27:13, Mark 10:32-52, Ps 45:1-17, Pr 10:22

Today - Nearly every purchase we make offers the “opportunity” to pay over time. Why Clark seriously despises Pay-In-4.  Also, Clark addresses the worsening doctor shortage and a related  profession that can help fill the gap. The Pay-In-4 Trap: Segment 1 Ask Clark: Segment 2 Ask Your Pharmacist: Segment 3 Ask Clark: Segment 4 Mentioned on the show: Buy Now, Pay Later: A Helpful Tool or a Debt Trap? How Lemon Laws Safeguard Consumers from Defective Goods What Is a C.L.U.E Report and Its Impact on Your Insurance 5 Things To Know About Amazon Pharmacy Before You Sign Up Why Does Clark Howard Wear 2 Watches? [The Washington Post] Here's a proven way to slow aging. Any volunteers? Clark.com resources: Episode transcripts Community.Clark.com  /  Ask Clark Clark.com daily money newsletter Consumer Action Center Free Helpline: 636-492-5275 Learn more about your ad choices: megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah and Susie are participating in an unconventional macabre game when they predict which celebrities will die this year, but Sarah argues it's a "celebration of life." We debate the Tourette's Syndrome scandal at the BAFTAs and consider what the appropriate way to handle it was. Susie shares a story of a woman who's AI chatbot started claiming she would meet her soulmate at a particular time and place, and, spoiler alert, she didn't, but now she's raising alarm bells about the persuasive nature of AI and LLMs. We discuss the Olympic skater known as the Quad God and his disappointing performance in Madrid, and we learn the science of "choking" when put under pressure and techniques to help prevent the "yips," or choking when stressed. Susie describes The Queen of Chess documentary, the sexism in the sport, the little girl who beat Bobby Fisher's 30-year record, and why grown men are petrified of losing to a girl.Brain Candy Podcast Website - https://thebraincandypodcast.com/Brain Candy Podcast Book Recommendations - https://thebraincandypodcast.com/books/Brain Candy Podcast Merchandise - https://thebraincandypodcast.com/candy-store/Brain Candy Podcast Candy Club - https://thebraincandypodcast.com/product/candy-club/Brain Candy Podcast Sponsor Codes - https://thebraincandypodcast.com/support-us/Brain Candy Podcast Social Media & Platforms:Brain Candy Podcast LIVE Interactive Trivia Nights - https://www.youtube.com/@BrainCandyPodcast/streamsBrain Candy Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/braincandypodcastHost Susie Meister Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susiemeisterHost Sarah Rice Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imsarahriceBrain Candy Podcast on X: https://www.x.com/braincandypodBrain Candy Podcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/braincandy (JOIN FREE - TONS OF REALITY TV CONTENT)Brain Candy Podcast Sponsors, partnerships, & Products that we love:Get $30 off your first box - PLUS free Croissants for life - when you go to https://wildgrain.com/braincandy to start your subscription today!This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp. Sign up and get 10% off at https://www.betterhelp.com/braincandyGo to https://thrivecausemetics.com/braincandy for an exclusive offer of 20% off your first order.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you only have one tomatillo plant in a garden, it'll never produce any fruit because it needs other plants to cross-pollinate. And Christians are kind of like tomatillo plants in that way. Healthy believers will produce the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. But first, you have to be rooted in Christ, and second, you need to have community.

In this conversation, Rob Anderson shares his insights on the importance of company culture, customer service, and effective recruitment strategies in the home services industry. He emphasizes the need for businesses to focus on making customers happy and creating a positive work environment for employees. Rob discusses the significance of data-driven decisions, the impact of partnerships, and the challenges posed by private equity. He also highlights the importance of leadership development, emotional intelligence, and the art of storytelling in building relationships with clients and partners. Ultimately, Rob encourages a forward-looking mindset and the continuous pursuit of personal and professional growth. 00:00 The Importance of Culture in Business  05:52 Recruitment and Retention Strategies 08:55 Defining and Measuring Company Culture 15:01 Navigating the Challenges of Home Services 18:04 The Role of Partnerships in Business Growth 20:57 Giving Back to the Community 23:50 The Impact of Private Equity on Business 26:58 Leadership Development and Emotional Intelligence 30:07 The Art of Storytelling in Business 33:00 Building Relationships with Clients and Partners 35:57 The Future of Business and Personal Growth

A storm‑tossed blockade‑runner, a satchel of Confederate gold, and a woman whose secrets shaped the early days of the Civil War—this episode uncovers the life of famed spy Rose O'Neal Greenhow. From Washington parlors to prison cells to the dark waters off Fort Fisher, her story reveals the hidden world of Southern espionage and the final choice that bound her to the cause she refused to abandon. Join the Community on Patreon: Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries

Carl Radke of Bravo's Summer House joins Suzanne and Katie to talk about his sobriety journey and his wonderful book Cake Eater: A Journey of Self Discovery. Carl will share his history with alcohol and cocaine, the challenges he experienced with moderation, how the heartbreaking passing of his brother ultimately led him to choosing sobriety, what it has been like to go through growth in front of reality TV cameras, the importance of community in his recovery, and how sharing his story through his book and his new podcast More Life has helped him find purpose through his story. Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 6+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women. Get Your Copy of my book! The Sober Shift Follow on Instagram @thesobermomlifeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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How do you build a creative life that spans music, writing, film, and spiritual practice? Alicia Jo Rabins talks about weaving multiple creative strands into a sustainable career and why the best advice for any creator might simply be: just make the thing. In the intro, backlist promotion strategy [Written Word Media]; Successful author business [Novel Marketing Podcast]; Alliance of Independent Authors Indie Author Bookstore; Bones of the Deep – J.F. Penn This podcast is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets through the Kobo eco-system. You can also subscribe to the Kobo Writing Life podcast for interviews with successful indie authors. This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Alicia Jo Rabins is an award-winning writer, musician, performer, as well as a Torah teacher and ritualist. She's the creator of Girls In Trouble, a feminist indie-folk song cycle about biblical women, and the award-winning film, A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff. Her latest book is a memoir, When We Are Born We Forget Everything. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights, and the full transcript is below. Show Notes Building a sustainable multi-disciplinary creative career through teaching, performance, grants, and donations Trusting instinct in the early generative stages of creativity and separating generation from editing Adapting and reimagining religious and cultural source material through music, writing, and performance The challenges of transitioning from poetry to long-form prose memoir, including choosing a lens for your story Making an independent film on a shoestring budget without waiting for Hollywood's permission Finding your creative voice and building confidence by leaning into vulnerability and returning to the practice of making You can find Alicia at AliciaJo.com. Transcript of the interview with Alicia Jo Rabins Joanna: Alicia Jo Rabins is an award-winning writer, musician, performer, as well as a Torah teacher and ritualist. She's the creator of Girls In Trouble, a feminist indie-folk song cycle about biblical women, and the award-winning film, A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff. Her latest book is a memoir, When We Are Born We Forget Everything. So welcome to the show, Alicia. Alicia: Thank you so much. I'm delighted to be here. Joanna: There is so much we could talk about. But first up— Tell us a bit more about you and how you've woven so many strands of creativity into your life and career. Alicia: Yes, well, I am a maximalist. What happened in terms of my early life is that I started writing on my own, just extremely young. I'm one of those people who always loved writing, always processed the world and managed my emotions and came to understand myself through writing. So from a very young age, I felt really committed to writing. Then I had the good fortune that my mother saw a talk show about the Suzuki method of learning violin—when you start really young and learn by ear, which is modelled after language learning. It's so much less intellectual and much more instinctual, learning by copying. She was like, that looks like a cool thing. I was three years old at the time and she found out that there was a little local branch of our music conservatory that had a Suzuki violin programme. So when I was three and a half, getting close to four, she took me down and I started playing an extremely tiny violin. Joanna: Oh, cute! Alicia: Yes, and because it was part of this conservatory that was downtown, and we were just starting at the suburban branch where we lived, there was this path that I was able to follow. As I got more and more interested in violin, I could continue basically up through the conservatory level during high school. So I had a really fantastic music education without any pressure, without any expectations or professional goals. I just kept taking these classes and one thing led to another. I grew up being very immersed in both creative writing and music, and I think just having the gift of those two parts of my brain trained and stimulated and delighted so young really changed my brain in some ways. I'll always see the world through this creative lens, which I think I'm also just set up to do personally. Then the last step of my multi-practice career is that in college I got very interested in Jewish spirituality. I'm Jewish, but I didn't grow up very religious. I didn't grow up in a Jewish community really. So I knew some basics, but not a ton. In college I started to study it and also informally learned from other people I met. I ended up going on a pretty intense spiritual quest, going to Jerusalem and immersing myself after college for two years in traditional Jewish study and practice. So that became the third strand of the braid that had already been started with music and writing. Torah study, spiritual study, and teaching became the third, and they all interweave. The last thing I'll say is that because I work in both words and music, and naturally performance because of music, it began to branch a little bit into plays, theatre, and film, just because that's where the intersection of words, performance, and music is. So that's really what brought me into that, as opposed to any specific desire to work in film. It all happened very organically. Joanna: I love this. This is so cool. We are going to circle back to a lot of this, but I have to ask you— What about work for money at any point? How did this turn into more than just hobbies and lifestyle? Alicia: Yes, absolutely. Well, I'm very fortunate that I did not graduate college with loans because my parents were able to pay for college. That was a big privilege that I just want to name, because in the States that's often not the case. So that allowed me to need to support myself, but not also pay loans, which was a real gift. What happened was I went straight from college to that school in Jerusalem, and there I was on loans and scholarship, so I didn't have to worry yet about supporting myself. Then when I came back to the States, I actually found on Craigslist a job teaching remedial Hebrew. It was essentially teaching kids at a Jewish elementary school who either had learning differences or had just entered the school late and needed to be in a different Hebrew class than the other kids in their grade. That was my first experience of really teaching, and I just absolutely fell in love with it. Although in the end, my passion is much more for teaching the text and rituals and the wrestling with the concepts, as opposed to teaching language. So all these years, while doing performance and writing and all these things, I have been teaching Jewish studies. That has essentially supported me, I would say, between 50 and 70 per cent. Then the rest has been paid gigs as a musician, whether as a front person leading a project or as what we call a sideman, playing in someone else's band. Sometimes doing theatre performances, sometimes teaching workshops. That's how I've cobbled it together. I have not had a full-time job all these years and I have supported myself through both earned income and also grants and donations. I've really tried to cultivate a little bit of a donor base, and I took some workshops early on about how to welcome donations. So I definitely try to always welcome that as well. Joanna: That is so interesting that you took a workshop on how to welcome donations. Way back in, I think 2013, I said on this show, I just don't know if I can accept people giving to support the show. Then someone on the podcast challenged me and said, but people want to support creatives. That's when I started Patreon in 2014. It was when The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer came out and— It was this realisation that people do want to support people. So I love that you said that. Alicia: It's not easy. It's still not easy for me, and I have to grit my teeth every time I even put in my end-of-year newsletter. I just say, just a reminder that part of what makes this possible is your generous donations, and I'm so grateful to you. It's not easy. I think some people enjoy fundraising. I certainly don't instinctively enjoy it, but I have learned to think of it exactly the way that you're saying. I mean, I love donating to support other people's projects. Sometimes it's the highlight of my day. If I'm having a bad day and someone asks for help, either to feed a family or to complete a creative project, I just feel like, okay, at least I can give $36 or $25 and feel like I did something positive in the last hour, even if my project is going terribly and I'm in a fight with my kid or something. So I have to keep in mind that it is actually a privilege to give as well as a privilege to receive. Joanna: Absolutely. So let's get back into your various creative projects. The first thing I wanted to ask you, because you do have so many different formats and forms of your creativity—how do you know when an idea that comes to you should be a song, or something you want to do as a performance, or written, or a film? Tell us a bit about your creative process. Because a lot of your projects are also longer-term. Alicia: Yes. It's funny, I love planning and in some ways I'm an extreme planner. I really drive people in my family bonkers with planning, like family vacations a year in advance. In terms of my creativity, I'm very planful towards goals, but in that early generative state, I am actually pure instinct. I don't think I ever sit down and say, “I have this idea, which genre would it match with?” It's more like I sit on my bed and pick up my guitar, which is where I love to do songwriting, just sitting on my bed cross-legged, and I pick up my guitar and something starts coming out. Then I just work with that kernel. So it's very nebulous at first, very innate, and I just follow that creative spirit. Often I don't even know what a project is, sometimes if it's a larger project, until a year or two in. Once things emerge and take shape, then my planning brain and my strategy brain can jump on it and say, “Okay, we need three more songs to fill out the album, and we need to plan the fundraising and the scheduling.” Then I might take more of an outside-in approach. At the beginning it's just all instinct. Joanna: So if you pick up your guitar, does that mean it always starts in music and then goes into writing? Or is that you only pick up a guitar if it's going to be musical? Alicia: I think I'm responding to what's inside me. It's almost like a need, as opposed to, “I'm going to sit down and work.” I mean, obviously I sit down and work a lot, but I think in that early stage of anything, it's more like my fingers are itching to play something, and so I sit down and pick up my guitar. Sometimes nothing comes out and sometimes the kernel of a song comes out. Or I'm at a café, and I often like to write when I'm feeling a little bit discombobulated, just to go into the complexity of things or use challenging emotions as fuel. I really do use it as a—I don't know if therapeutic is the word, but I think it maybe is. I write often, as I always have, as I said before, to understand what I'm thinking. Like Joan Didion said—to process difficult emotions, to let go of stuck places. So I think I create almost more out of a sense of just what I need in the moment. Sometimes it's just for fun. Sometimes picking up a guitar, I just have a moment so I sit down and mess around. Sometimes it's to help me struggle with something. It doesn't always start in music. That was a random example. I might sit down to write because I have an hour and I think, I haven't written in a while. Or I do have an informal daily writing thing where I'll try to generate one loose draft of something a day, even if it's only ten pages. I mean, sorry, ten words. Joanna: I was going to say! Alicia: No, no. Ten words. I'm sorry. It's often poetry, so it feels like a lot when it's ten words. I'll just sit down with no pressure, no goal, no intention to make anything specific. Just open the floodgates and see what comes out. That's where every single project of mine has started. Joanna: Yes, I do love that. Obviously, I'm a discovery writer and intuitive, same as you. I think very much this idea of, especially when you said you feel discombobulated, that's when you write. I almost feel like I need that. I'm not someone who writes every day. I don't do ten lines or whatever. It's that I'll feel that sense of pressure building up into “this is going to be something.” I will really only write or journal when that spills over into— “I now need to write and figure out what this is.” Alicia: Yes. It's almost a form of hunger. It feels to me similar to when you eat a great meal and then you're good for a while. You're not really thinking of it, and then it builds up, like you said, and then there's a need—at least the first half of creativity. I really separate my generation and my editing. So my generative practice is all openness, no critique, just this maybe therapeutic, maybe curious, wandering and seeing what happens. Then once I have a draft, my incisive editing mind is welcome back in, which has been shut out from that early process. So that's a really different experience. Those early stages of creativity are almost out of need more than obligation. Joanna: Well, just staying with that generative practice. Obviously you've mentioned your study of and practice of Jewish tradition and Jewish spirituality. Steven Pressfield in his books has talked about his prayer to the muse, and I've got on my wall here—I don't talk about this very often, actually — I have a muse picture, a painting of what I think of as a muse spirit in some form. So do you have any spiritual practices around your generative practice and that phase of coming up with ideas? Alicia: I love that question, and I wish I had a beautiful, intentional answer. My answer is no. I think I experience creativity as its own spiritual practice itself. I do love individual prayer and meditation and things like that, but for me those are more to address my specifically spiritual health and happiness and connectedness. I'm just a dive-in kind of person. As a musician, I have friends who have elaborate backstage rituals. I have to do certain things to take care of my voice, but even that, it's mostly vocal rest as opposed to actively doing things. There's a bit of an on/off switch for me. Joanna: That's interesting. Well, I do want to ask you about one of your projects, this collaboration with a high school on a musical performance, I Was a Desert: Songs of the Matriarchs, and also your Girls in Trouble songs about women in the Torah. On your website, I had a look at the school, the high school, and the musical performance. It was extraordinary. I was watching you in the school there and it's just such extraordinary work. It very much inspired me—not to do it myself, but it was just so wonderful. I do urge people to go to your website and just watch a few minutes of it. I'm inspired by elements of religion, Christian and Jewish, but I wondered if you've come up against any issues with adaptation—respecting your heritage but also reinventing it. How has this gone for you. Any advice for people who want to incorporate aspects of religion they love but are worried about responses? Alicia: Well, I have to say, coming from the Jewish tradition, that is a core practice of Judaism—reinterpreting our texts and traditions, wrestling with them, arguing with them, reimagining them. I don't know if you're familiar with Midrash, but just in case some of your listeners aren't sure I'll explain it. There's essentially an ancient form of fanfic called Midrash, which was the ancient rabbis, and we still do it today, taking a biblical story that seems to have some kind of gap or inconsistency or question in it and writing a story to fill that gap or recast the story in an interestingly different light. So we have this whole body of literature over thousands of years that are these alternate or added-on adventures, side quests of the biblical characters. What I'm doing from a Jewish perspective is very much in line with a traditional way of interacting with text. I've certainly never gotten any pushback, especially as I work in progressive Jewish communities. I think if I were in an extremely fundamentalist community, there would be a lot of different issues around gender and things like that. The interpretive process, even in those communities, is part of how we show respect for the text. When I was working with the high school—and I just want to call out the choir director, Ethan Chen, who has an incredible project where he brings in a different artist every two years to work with the choir, and they tend to have a different cultural focus each time. He invited me specifically to integrate my songwriting about biblical women with his amazing high school choir. I was really worried at first because most of them are not Jewish—very few of them, if any. I wanted to respect their spiritual paths and their religious heritages and not impose mine on them. So I spent a lot of time at the beginning saying, this project has religious source material, but essentially it is a creative reinterpretive project. I am not coming to you to bring the religious material to you. I'm coming to take the shared Hebrew Bible myths and then reinterpret those myths through a lens of how they might reflect our own personal struggles, because that's always my approach to these ancient stories. I wanted to really make that clear to the students. It was such a joy to work with them. Joanna: It's such an interesting project. Also, I find with musicians in general this idea of performance. You've written this thing—or this thing specifically with the school—and it doesn't exist again, right? You're not selling CDs of that, I presume. Whereas compared to a book, when we write a book, we can sell it forever. It doesn't exist as a performance generally for an author of a memoir or a novel. It carries on existing. So how does that feel, the performance idea versus the longer-lasting thing? I mean, I guess the video's there, but the performance itself happened. Alicia: I do know what you mean. Absolutely. We did, for that reason, record it professionally. We had the sound person record it and mix it, so it is available to stream. I'm not selling CDs, but it's out there on all the streaming services, if people want to listen. I do also have the scores, so if a choir wanted to sing it. The main point that you're making is so true. I think there's actually something very sacred about live performance—that we're all in the moment together and then the moment is over. I love the artefacts of the writing life. I love writing books. I love buying and reading books and having them around, and there's piles of them everywhere in this room I'm standing in. I feel like being on stage, or even teaching, is a very spiritual practice for me, because it's in some ways the most in-the-moment I ever am. The only thing that matters is what's happening right then in that room. It's fleeting as it goes. I'm working with the energy in the room while we're there. It's different every time because I'm different, the atmosphere is different, the people are different. There's no way to plan it. The kind of micro precision that we all try to bring to our editing—you can't do that. You can practice all you want and you should, but in the moment, who knows? A string breaks or there's loud sound coming from the other room. It is just one of those things. I love being reminded over and over again of the truth that we really don't control what happens. The best that we can do is ride it, surf it, be in it, appreciate it, and then let it go. Joanna: I think maybe I get a glimpse of that when I speak professionally, but I'm far more in control in that situation than I guess you were with—I don't know how many—was it a hundred kids in that choir? It looked pretty big. Alicia: It was amazing. It was 130 kids. Yes. Joanna: 130 kids! I mean, it was magic listening to it. And yes, of course, showing my age there with buying a CD, aren't I? Alicia: Well, I do still sell some CDs of Girls in Trouble on tour, because I have a bunch of them and people still buy them. I'm always so grateful because it was an easier life for touring musicians when we could just bring CDs. Now we have to be very creative about our merch. Joanna: Yes, that's a good point because people are like, “Oh yes, I'll scan your QR code and stream it,” but you might not get the money for that for ages, and it might just be five cents or whatever. Alicia: Streaming is terrible for live musicians. I mean, I don't know if you know the site Bandcamp, but it's essentially self-publishing for musicians. Bandcamp is a great way around that, and a lot of independent musicians use it because that's a place you can upload your music and people can pay $8 for an album. They can stream it on there if they want, or they can download it and have it. But, yes, it's hard out there for touring musicians. Joanna: Yes, for sure. Well, let's come to the book then. Your memoir, When We Are Born We Forget Everything. Tell us about some of the challenges of a book as opposed to these other types of performances. Alicia: Well, I come out of poetry, so that was my first love. That's what I majored in in college. That's what my MFA is in. Poetry is famously short, and I'm not one of those long-form poets. I have been trained for many years to think in terms of a one-page arc, if at all. Arc isn't even really a word that we use in poetry. So to write a full-length prose book was really an incredible education. Writing it basically took ten years from writing to publication, so probably seven years of writing and editing. I felt like there was an MFA-equivalent process in the number of classes I took, books I read, and work that went into it. So that was one of my main joys and challenges, really learning on the job to write long-form prose coming out of poetry. How to keep the engine going, how to think about ending one chapter in a way that leaves you with some torque or momentum so that you want to go into the next chapter. How many characters is too many? Who gets names and who doesn't? Some of these things that are probably pretty basic for fiction writers were all very new to me. That was a big part of my process. Then, of course, poets don't usually have agents. So once it was done, I began to query agents. It was the normal sort of 39 rejections and then one agent who really understood what I was trying to do. She's incredible, and she was able to sell the book. The longevity of just working on something for that long—I have a lot of joy in that longevity—but it does sometimes feel like, is this ever going to happen, or am I on a fool's errand? Joanna: I guess, again, the difference with performance is you have a date for the performance and it's done then. I suppose once you get a contract, then for sure it has to be done. But memoir in particular, you do have to set boundaries, because of course your life continues, doesn't it? So what were the challenges in curating what went into the book? Because many people listening know memoir is very challenging in terms of how personal it can be. Alicia: Yes, and one thing I think is so fascinating about memoir is choosing which lens to put on your story, on your own story. I heard early on that the difference between autobiography and memoir is that autobiography tries to give a really comprehensive view of a life, and memoir is choosing one lens and telling the story of a life through that lens, which is such a beautiful creative concept. I knew early on that I wanted this to be primarily a spiritual memoir, and also somewhat of an artistic memoir, because my creativity and my spirituality are so intertwined. It started off being spiritual, and also about my musical life, and also about my writing life. In the end, I edited out the part about my writing life, because writing about writing was just too navel-gazing. So there's nothing in there about me coming of age as a writer, which used to be in there, but that whole thing got taken out. Now it's spiritual and musical. For me, it really helped to start with those focuses, because I knew there may be things that were hugely important in my life, absolutely foundational, that were not really going to be either mentioned or gone deeply into in the book. For example, my husband teases me a lot about how few pages and words he gets. He's very important in my life, but I actually met him when I was 29, and this book really mainly takes place in the years leading up to that. There's a little bit of winding down in the first few years of my thirties, but this is not a book about my life with him. He is mentioned in it. That story is in there. Having those kinds of limitations around the canvas—there's a quote, I forget if it was Miranda July, but somebody said something like, basically when you put a limitation on your project, that's when it starts to be a work of art. Whatever it is, if you say, “I'm taking this canvas and I'm using these colours,” that's when it really begins, that initial limitation. That was very helpful. Joanna: It's also the beauty of memoir, because of course you can write different memoirs at different times. You can write something about your writing life. You can write something else about your marriage and your family later on. That doesn't all have to be in one book. I think that's actually something I found interesting. And I would also say in my memoir, Pilgrimage, my husband is barely mentioned either. Alicia: Does he tease you too? Joanna: No, I think he's grateful. He is grateful for the privacy. Alicia: That's why I keep saying, you should be grateful! Joanna: Yes. You really should. Like, maybe stop talking now. Alicia: Yes, exactly. I know. Marriage, memoir—those words should strike fear into his heart. Joanna: They definitely should. But let's just come back. When I look at your career— You just seem such an independent creative, and so I wondered why you decided to work with a traditional publisher instead of being an independent. How are you finding it as someone who's not in charge of everything? Alicia: It's a great question. The origin story for this memoir is that I was actually reading poetry at a writing conference called Bread Loaf in the States. This was 16 years ago or something. I was giving a poetry reading and afterwards an agent, not my agent, came up to me and said, you know, you have a voice. You should try writing nonfiction because you could probably sell it. Back to your question about how I support myself, I am always really hustling to make a living. It's not like I have some separate well-paying job and the writing has no pressure on it. So my ears kind of perked up. I thought, wait, getting paid for writing? Because poetry is literally not in the world. It's just not a concept for poets. That's not why we write and it's not a possibility. So a little light turned on in my brain. I thought, wow, that could be a really interesting element to add to my income stream, and it would be flexible and it would be meaningful. For a few years I thought, what nonfiction could I write? And I came up with the idea of writing a book about biblical women from a more scholarly perspective, because I teach that material and I've studied it. I went to speak to another agent and she said, well, you could do that, but if you actually want to sell a book, it's going to have to be more of a trade book. So if you don't want an academic press, which wouldn't pay very much, you would have to have some kind of memoir-like stories in there to just sweeten it so it doesn't feel academic. So then I began writing a little bit of spiritual memoir. I thought, okay, well, I'll write about a few moments. Then once I started writing, I couldn't stop. The floodgates really opened. That's how it ended up being a spiritual memoir with interwoven stories of biblical women. It became a hybrid in that sense. I knew from the beginning that this project—for all my saying earlier that I never plan anything and only work on instinct, I was thinking as I said that, that cannot be true. This time, I actually thought, what if, instead of coming from this pure, heart-focused place of poetry, I began writing with the intention of potentially selling a book? The way my fiction writer friends talked about selling their books. So that was always in my mind. I knew I would continue writing poetry, continue publishing with small presses, continue putting my own music out there independently, but this was a bit of an experiment. What if I try to interface with the publishing world, in part for financial sustainability? And because I had a full draft before I queried, I never felt like anyone was telling me what to write. I can't imagine personally selling a book on proposal, because I do need that full capacity to just swerve, change directions, be responsive to what the project is teaching me. I can't imagine promising that I'll write something, because I never know what I'll write. But writing at least a very solid draft first, I'm always delighted to get notes and make polish and rewrite and make things better. I took care of that freedom in the first seven years of writing and then I interfaced with the agent and publisher. Joanna: I was going to say, given that it's taken you seven to ten years to do this and I can't imagine that you're suddenly a multimillionaire from this book. It probably hasn't fulfilled the hourly rate that perhaps you were thinking of in terms of being paid for your work. I think some people think that everyone's going to end up with the massive book deal that pays for the rest of their life. I guess this book does just fit into the rest of your portfolio career. Alicia: Yes. One of the benefits of these long arcs that I like to work on is, one of them—and probably the primary one—is that the project gets to unfold on its own time. I don't think I could have rushed it if I wanted. The other is that it never really stopped me from doing any of my other work. Joanna: Mm-hmm. Alicia: So it's not like, oh, I gave up months of my life and all I got was this advance or something. It's like, I was living my life and then when I had a little bit of writing time—and I will say, it impacted my poetry. I haven't written as much poetry because I was working on this. So it wasn't like I just added it on top of everything I was already doing, but it was a pleasure to just switch to prose for a while. It was just woven into my life. I appreciated having this side project where no one was waiting for it. There were no deadlines, there was no stress around it, because I always have performances to promote and due dates for all kinds of work. It was just this really lovely arena of slow growth and play. When I wanted a reader, I could do a swap with a writer friend, but no one was ever waiting for it on deadline. So there's actually a lot of pleasure in that. Then I will say, I think I've made more from selling this than my poetry. Probably close to ten times more than I've ever made from any of my poetry. So on a poetry scale, it's certainly not going to pay for my life, but it actually does make a true financial difference in a way that much of my other work is a little more bit by bit by bit. It's actually a different scale. Joanna: Well, that's really good. I'm glad to hear that. I also want to ask you, because you've done so many things, and— I'm fascinated by your independent film, A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff. I have only watched the trailer. You are in it, you wrote it, directed it, and it's also obviously got other people in, and it's fascinating. It's about this particular point in history. I've written quite a lot of screenplay adaptations of my novels, and I've had some various amounts of interest, but the whole film industry to me is just a complete nightmare, far bigger nightmare than the book industry. So I wonder if you could maybe talk about this, because it just seems like you made a film, which is so cool. Alicia: Oh yes, thank you. Joanna: And it won awards, yes, we should say. Alicia: Did we win awards? Yes. It really, for an extremely low-budget indie film, went far further than my team and I could ever have imagined. I will say I never intended to make a film. Like most of the best things in my life, it really happened by accident. When I was living in New York— I lived there for many years—the 2008 financial collapse happened and I happened to have an arts grant that gave a bunch of artists workspace, studio space, in essentially an abandoned building in the financial district. It was an empty floor of a building. The floor had been left by the previous tenant, and there's a nonprofit that takes unused real estate in the financial district and lets artists work in it for a while. So I was on Wall Street, which was very rare for me, but for this year I was working on Wall Street. Even though I was working on poems, the financial collapse happened around me, and I did get inspired by that to create a one-woman show, which was more of a theatre show. That was already a huge leap for me because I had no real theatre experience, but it was experimental and growing out of my poetry practice and my music. It was a musical one-woman show about the financial collapse from a spiritual perspective, apparently. So I performed that. I documented it, and then a friend who lives in Portland, Oregon, where I now live, said, “I'm a theatre producer, I'd like to produce it here.” So then I rewrote it and did a run here in Portland of that show. Essentially, I started to tour it a little bit, but I got tired of it. It was too much work and it never really paid very much, and I thought, this is impacting my life negatively. I just want to do a really good documentation of the show. So I wanted to hire a theatre documentarian to just document the show so that it didn't disappear, like you were saying before about live performance. But one of the people I talked to actually ended up being an artistic filmmaker, as opposed to a documentarian. She watched the archival footage, just a single camera of the show, and said, “I don't think you should do this again and film it with three cameras. I think you should make it into a feature film. And in fact, I think maybe I should direct it, because there's all this music in it and I also direct music videos.” We had this kind of mind meld. Joanna: Mm. Alicia: I never intended to make a film, but she is a visionary director and I had this piece of IP essentially, and all the music and the writing. We adapted it together. We did it here in Portland. We did all the fundraising ourselves. We did not interface with Hollywood really. I think that would be, I just can't imagine. I love Hollywood, but I'm not really connected, and I can't imagine waiting for someone to give us permission or a green light to make this. It was experimental and indie, so we just really did it on the cheap. We had an amazing producer who helped us figure out how to do it with the budget that we had. We worked really hard fundraising, crowdfunding, asking for donations, having parties to raise money, and then we just did it and put it out there. I think my main advice—and I hear this a lot on screenwriting podcasts—is just make the thing. Make something, as opposed to trying to get permission to make something. Because unless you're already in that system, it's going to be really hard to get permission to make it. Once you make something, that leads to something else, which leads to something else. So even if it's a very short thing, or even if it's filmed on your phone, just actually make the thing. That turned out to be the right thing for us. Joanna: Yes, I mean, I feel like that is what underpins us as independent creatives in general. As an independent author, I feel the same way. I'm never asking permission to put a book in the world. No, thank you. Alicia: Exactly. We have a vision and we do it. It's harder in some ways, but that liberation of being able to really fully create our vision without having to compromise it or wait for permission, I think it's such a beautiful thing. Joanna: Well, we're almost out of time, but I do want to ask you about creative confidence. Alicia: Hmm. Joanna: I feel I'm getting a lot of sense about this at the moment, with all the AI stuff that's happening. When you've been creating a long time, like you and I have, we know our voice and we can lean into our voice. We are creatively confident. We'll fail a lot, but we'll just push on and try things and see what happens. Newer creators are struggling with this kind of confidence. How do I know what is my voice? How do I know what I like? How do I lean into this? So give us some thoughts about how to find your voice and how to find that creative confidence if you don't feel you have it. Alicia: I love that. One thing I will say is that I always think whatever is arising is powerful material to create from. So if a lack of confidence is arising, that's a really powerful feeling to directly explore and not just try to ignore. Although sometimes one has to just ignore those feelings. But to actually explore that feeling, because AI can't have that, right? AI can't really feel a crisis of confidence, and humans can. So that's a gift that we have, those kinds of sensitivities. I think to go really deep into whatever is arising, including the sense that we don't have the right to be creating, or we're not good enough, or whatever it is. Then I always do come back to a quote. I think it might have been John Berryman, but I'm forgetting which poet said it. A younger poet said, “How will I ever know if I'm any good?” And this famous poet said something like—I'm paraphrasing—”You'll never know if you're any good. If you have to know, don't write.” That has been really liberating to me, actually. It sounds a little harsh, but it's been really liberating to just let go of a sense of “good enough.” There is no good enough. The great writers never know if they're good enough. Coming back to this idea of just making without permission—the practice of doing the thing is being a writer. Caring and trying to improve our craft, that's the best that we can have. There's never going to be a moment where we're like, yes, I've nailed this. I am truly a hundred per cent a writer and I have found my voice. Everything's always changing anyway. I would say, either go into those feelings or let those feelings be there. Give them a little tea. Tell them, okay, you're welcome to be here, but you don't get to drive the boat. And then return to the practice of making. Joanna: Absolutely. Great. So where can people find you and your books and everything you do online? Alicia: Everything is on my website, which is AliciaJo.com, and also on Instagram at @ohaliciajo. I'd love to say hello to anyone who's interested in similar topics. Joanna: Brilliant. Well, thanks so much for your time, Alicia. That was great. Alicia: Thank you. I love your podcast. I'm so grateful for all that you've given the writing world, Jo.The post Creative Confidence, Portfolio Careers, And Making Without Permission with Alicia Jo Rabins first appeared on The Creative Penn.

If you want to listen to the full episode (XYBM 151) from this clip, search for the title: "Ep. 151: God has NOT ABANDONED you" — it was released on February 23, 2026.In XYBM 151, I open up about a season I recently went through where I genuinely felt abandoned by God — and the uncomfortable truth I had to face about what was actually happening beneath that feeling.       I talk about what it looks like to shift disagreements before they turn into destructive arguments, how betrayal trauma hits men differently when you've been cheated on or crossed by someone you trusted, and how to heal without becoming hardened or passing that pain onto the people you love.        If you're in a season of spiritual and mental growth that feels heavy or confusing, this episode will meet you there. Tune in on all podcast streaming platforms, including YouTube.Leave a 5-star review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ if you found value in this episode or a previous episode!  BOOK US FOR SPEAKING + BRAND DEALS:————————————Explore our diverse collaboration opportunities as the leading and fastest-growing Black men's mental health platform on social media. Let's create something dope for your brand/company.Take the first step by filling out the form on our website: https://www.expressyourselfblackman.com/speaking-brand-dealsHOW TO FIND A DOPE, BLACK THERAPIST: ————————————We are teaching a FREE webinar on how to find a dope, Black therapist – sign up for the next session here: https://event.webinarjam.com/channel/black-therapistAll webinar attendees will have the opportunity to be paired with a Black mental health professional in Safe Haven. We have had 5K+ people sign up for this webinar in the past. Don't miss out. Slots are limited. SAFE HAVEN:————————————Safe Haven is a holistic healing platform built for Black men by Black men. In Safe Haven, you will be connected with a Black mental health professional, so you can finally heal from the things you find it difficult to talk about AND you will receive support from like-minded Black men that are all on their healing journey, so you don't have to heal alone.Join Safe Haven Now: https://www.expressyourselfblackman.com/safe-haven SUPPORT THE PLATFORM: ————————————Safe Haven: https://www.expressyourselfblackman.com/safe-havenMonthly Donation: https://buy.stripe.com/eVa5o0fhw1q3guYaEE Merchandise: https://shop.expressyourselfblackman.com FOLLOW US:————————————TikTok: @expressyourselfblackman (https://www.tiktok.com/@expressyourselfblackman) Instagram:Host: @expressyourselfblackman(https://www.instagram.com/expressyourselfblackman)YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ExpressYourselfBlackManFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/expressyourselfblackman

Join host Patrick Kelly as he welcomes special co-host Jonathan Buettner of Buettner Processing Solutions, LLC. for a lively discussion from the Southern Exposure 2026 event in Orlando, Florida. This episode dives into the heart of the produce supply chain community, highlighting trade show insights, industry collaborations, and innovations shaping the future of fresh produce. Tune in to hear about networking, new technology, and the spirit of support that keeps this industry growing strong.

Mark 10:32-52

Mark 10:32-52

Megan chats with Laura Arnold about what is actually working in SEO right now and how to build a food brand that can withstand AI and platform shifts. Laura Arnold is the founder of Dang Good Digital, a food focused digital strategy studio specializing in recipe SEO and social media growth. With over a decade in food media and marketing, she helps creators increase visibility, traffic, and long term growth. An Emmy nominated culinary television producer with credits on The Kitchen and The Chew, and a cookbook consultant on multiple New York Times bestselling titles, Laura brings a behind the scenes perspective on how food content is created and discovered across platforms. Search is changing fast. Relying on Google alone is no longer a safe strategy. In this episode, you will learn how to think beyond individual blog posts and start building a diversified, resilient brand that drives traffic from multiple sources and keeps growing even as AI evolves. Key Topics Discussed: -Diversify or stall: Relying on SEO alone is no longer a sustainable growth strategy. -Video builds trust fast: Imperfect, consistent video creates community and drives traffic. -Keyword research still matters: Use it to guide smart content decisions, not to limit creativity. -EEAT is non negotiable: Show clear expertise in every post, not just on your About page. -Community beats algorithms: Loyal followers protect your traffic from AI disruption. -Consistency compounds: Steady publishing across your website and two core platforms wins long term. Connect with Laura Arnold Website | Instagram

"You see locals wearing very proudly their Nine Trails Rabbit shirts." Sam Marks is the Community and Events Manager for the brand Rabbit. In this episode, Sam chats with Luis about running, 9 Trails, working with Rabbit, trail races that they sponsor and put on, and custom gear created for specific races. Support Road Dog Podcast by: 1. Joining the Patreon Community: https://www.patreon.com/roaddogpodcast 2. Subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you listen on. GO SLEEVES: https://gokinesiologysleeves.com HAMMER NUTRITION show code: Roaddoghn20 Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.hammernutrition.com DRYMAX show code: Roaddog2020  Listeners get a special 15% off at https://www.drymaxsports.com/products/ LUNA SANDALS "Whether I'm hitting the trails or just hanging out, LUNA Sandals are my favorite. They're designed by Barefoot Ted of Born to Run and made for every adventure—ultra running, hiking, or just kicking back. Its minimalist footwear that's good for your feet!" Check them out and get 15% off at lunasandals.com/allwedoisrun. Allwedoisrun.com Sam Marks Contact Info: Email: sam.marks@runinrabbit.com Rabbit Website: https://www.runinrabbit.com Luis Escobar (Host) Contact: luis@roaddogpodcast.com Luis Instagram Kevin Lyons (Producer) Contact: kevin@roaddogpodcast.com yesandvideo.com Music: Slow Burn by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Original RDP Photo: Photography by Kaori Peters kaoriphoto.com Road Dog Podcast Adventure with Luis Escobar www.roaddogpodcast.com

In this powerful episode of Compared to Who?, Heather Creekmore takes a deep dive into one of the most important (and personal) topics discussed in our community—negative self-talk. Are you your own harshest critic? Do you find it easy to be kind to others but unbearable when it comes to your own reflection? This episode is for you! Heather openly explores the critical inner dialogue that many of us experience, especially on our journeys toward body image freedom. She addresses where negative self-talk comes from, why it's so hard to stop, and shares practical steps to start recognizing, writing down, and confronting those mean inner phrases that hold us back. What You'll Learn: How negative self-talk becomes a habit The spiritual and emotional roots of self-criticism Why simply "thinking positive" isn't enough Practical tips for noticing, documenting, and challenging negative thoughts How to find community and encouragement on the road to body kindness How our deep-seated beliefs shape the way we treat ourselves Key Takeaways: You can't stop negative self-talk until you notice it—awareness is the first step. Much of our negative inner dialogue stems from lies we’ve adopted as truth, often rooted in our childhood or from past hurtful comments. Community and vulnerability are vital; you’re not alone, and healing often grows in connection with others. Action Steps: Start tuning into your self-talk. Notice and write down the harsh words you’re telling yourself. Reflect: What’s stuck with you—and who put it there? Visit the Compared to Who? community at www.waitingforweightloss.com to share your story and receive support from others on the same journey. Challenge those hurtful statements with what God says about you. Links & Resources: Join the community: waitingforweightloss.com Learn more about the 40-Day Body Image Workbook and interactive journey Stay tuned for Heather Creekmore’s new book, coming in 2027! Rate & Review:If this episode resonated with you, please rate and review this podcast and share it with a friend who needs encouragement! Ready to ditch the inner critic and start your journey to body image freedom? Tune in now! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Social media sensation, librarian Jen Miller joins to discuss Read Across America Day. Also, a couples dream wedding in Mexico was cancelled due to cartel violence, a look at how their hometown of Chicago came together to help them still have the wedding of their dreams. Plus, Jamie Lee Curtis discusses her new project "Scarpetta". And, Daniel Radcliffe chats his new peacock show "The Fall And Rise Of Reggie Dinkins". Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Numbers 16-17

Numbers 16-17

In the fourth season of the romantic period drama "Bridgerton," Luke Thompson stars as Benedict, the latest Bridgerton sibling to find love. Thompson discusses the new season, which is available to stream now on Netflix. Photo courtesy of Netflix

The live music venue "The Bottom Line" closed in 2004, 30 years after being a go-to place for everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Gil Scott-Heron. Co-founder Allan Pepper has teamed up with journalist Billy Altman talk about their new book Positively Fourth & Mercer: The Inside Story of New York's Iconic Music Club, and listeners call in to share their Bottom Line memories. Photo by David Gahr/Getty Images: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at The Bottom Line

In the new one-man show written by David Cale, Sean Hayes stars as Elliott, a playwright and lyricist suffering from writer's block. But as he searches for something to write about, he begins to realize that he might be being stalked. Cale, Hayes, and director Leigh Silverman discuss "The Unknown," running at Studio Seaview through April 12. Image courtesy of the production

From Tony, to Paulie, to Junior, the characters of The Sopranos are television legend. But just as iconic are the sets of the show. A new exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image gathers the archives of Sopranos creator David Chase, as well as sketches and designs behind some of the show's principal sets, including Dr. Melfi's office, the Soprano home, the Bada Bing strip club, and Satriale's Pork Store. Barbara Miller, museum deputy director for curatorial affairs, discusses the exhibit, 'Stories and Set Designs for The Sopranos,' on view through May 31. Photograph by Courtesy of HBO

The community God has created for us is one of the greatest gifts he's given us because it comes from his very nature. Charles Tapp continues his series Sweet Fellowship with his message "Created for Community."

Luke 22:31-34, 39-46, 54-6231“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” 34Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”39And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”54Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62And he went out and wept bitterly.

...He Came for Our Salvation | We Believe | Rick Atchley by The Hills Church

Lev 24:1-25:46, Mark 10:13-31, Ps 44:9-26, Pr 10:20-21