Podcasts about consume

Are your vitamins causing nerve pain? Discover the vitamins that worsen nerve pain and peripheral neuropathy, why certain nerve pain vitamins make matters worse, and what you can do to fix it.0:00 Introduction: Vitamins that worsen nerve pain0:12 Vitamin B6 1:59 Vitamin B12 4:17 Vitamin B1 deficiency and peripheral neuropathy4:35 Nerve pain vitamins 5:39 Alpha-lipoic acid for peripheral neuropathy6:41 Avoiding vitamins that worsen nerve pain Download Dr. Berg's Free Daily Health Routine: https://drbrg.co/45qtO07If it seems that your vitamins are making nerve pain worse, the solution might be simple. Vitamin B6 is vital in neurotransmission, but must be converted to its active form through the liver. Unconverted vitamin B6 can accumulate in the body and affect the nervous system if your liver is sluggish, if you don't have enough bile, or if you're low in glutathione. Inflammation, high blood sugar, and low magnesium can also inhibit your ability to make this conversion. Most vitamin B12 supplements contain cyanocobalamin, which is useless unless converted into the active form, methylcobalamin. Vitamin B1 is vital in supporting the mitochondria and the myelin sheath. Low vitamin B1 is a common cause of peripheral neuropathy. Vitamins B1, B6, and B12 are water-soluble vitamins, so they can't easily penetrate the brain and myelin sheath. Benfotiamine is a fat-soluble form of vitamin B1 that can penetrate the myelin sheath to help reverse peripheral neuropathy. Alpha-lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant that can help with peripheral neuropathy, support mitochondrial function, and improve insulin sensitivity. Key takeaways:1. Use the right forms of vitamin B1, vitamin B6, and vitamin B122. Don't go over 50 mg per day3. Ensure you have enough bile4. Consume fermented foods5. Make sure your insulin is balanced6. Don't forget about alpha-lipoic acidDr. Eric Berg DC Bio:Dr. Berg, age 60, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals and author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.Disclaimer: Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients, so he can focus on educating people as a full-time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose, and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, prescription, or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Okay so it seems that episode 148 hasn't actually gone up yet. So I will do that later. Yes, 148 goes before 149 but we are post modern and cool like that. And hey, now you can liten to episode 148 and know HKJ is wrong instead of wondering if he will be wrong. Hindsight is 20/20 indeed. This AI slop is brought to you by Copilot 'premium' which is the one that makes the talky guns and tracky cameras. Episode summaryA non‑news episode that examines personal media habits, the shifting political spectrum (using the ABC Vote Compass), the economics of modern journalism, social platforms and the disruptive risks and benefits of AI — plus a run through books, magazines, streamers and sport. The hosts compare how they start the day, which outlets they trust, and how AI is already changing creative and legal work. Key theme: media survival depends on business models, editorial craft and sensible regulation of new technologies.“Well, g'day listeners and welcome once again to the Two Jacks. We've got a slightly different program today for you. We're not going to cover the news. We're going to cover media and who we like in it and and the pressures that are on media at the moment, where that all might lead to, the role of social media, AI, et cetera.”.Show notes with timestamps (all timestamps shifted +25 seconds to allow for theme music)- 00:00:25 — Intro & episode focus — Hosts set out the plan: a media‑focused episode rather than the usual news rundown.- 00:01:47 — Political identity & background — Hong Kong Jack describes his political journey (centre‑left, former Socialist Left faction).- 00:03:38 — On the “well‑trodden path” — Discussion of how political views used to shift with age and why that pattern is changing for younger voters.- 00:06:54 — ABC Vote Compass exercise — Jack completes the Vote Compass and they discuss how algorithms and question framing shape results.- 00:21:08 — Vote Compass results & interpretation — Jack's alignment scores (e.g., 75% with Coalition, 54% with Labor, 20% with Greens) and the hosts' take on what that means.- 00:27:13 — Daily media routines — What each host reads and listens to first thing (newspapers, RN, X/Twitter scans, US/UK outlets). Practical notes on tabloids vs broadsheets for breaking local news.- 00:39:32 — Opinion vs reporting — How to spot news reporting vs opinion pages and why craftful writing (examples: Marina Hyde, Andrew Sullivan) matters.- 01:03:35 — Magazines & books — Short detour on the decline of magazines, favourite authors (PG Wodehouse, Ian Rankin, Patrick Radden Keefe).- 01:03:35 — Streamers & sport viewing — How the hosts manage subscriptions, Foxtel/streamer fatigue and watching AFL/NRL.- 00:50:45 — AI: opportunities and risks — Start of the AI segment: research uses, creative pitfalls, and legal/compliance concerns.- 00:56:21 — ByteDance / C‑Dance & IP concerns — Discussion of AI‑generated video, likeness rights and the potential for major intellectual‑property disputes.- 01:01:46 — Regulation debate — Should AI be regulated now or allowed to evolve? The hosts weigh the tradeoffs and recall missed regulatory opportunities with social media.- 01:13:03 — Sport roundup — AFL, NRL and international sport highlights and controversies (Sydney Swans commemoration, fixture fairness, early season form).- 01:29:08 — Wrap & final thoughts — Media matters; paying for quality journalism and the need to balance innovation with safeguards.Key takeaways- Media habits shape perception — where you start your day (tabloid, broadsheet, radio, X) affects what you notice and how you interpret events.- Quality writing still matters — craft, clarity and wit keep readers engaged and build trust.- AI is a double‑edged sword — powerful for research and diagnostics, risky for copyright, fabrication and legal accuracy; human verification remains essential.- Business model = survival — subscriptions and reliable revenue streams determine whether outlets can afford deep reporting.

In this video, I'm going to show you how to stop candida in 24 hours. The most common candida treatments are designed to fail. Discover a more effective way to eliminate a candida infection and learn how to kill candida fast.Download Dr. Berg's Free Daily Health Routine: https://drbrg.co/45qtO070:00 Introduction: How to stop candida in 24 hours 0:13 Candida in the gut0:37 The most powerful candida natural remedy1:45 Candida overgrowth explained 3:28 What causes candida overgrowth?6:25 24-hour candida cleanse Once candida has built a biofilm in your gut, it takes 1000 times the dosage of a typical antifungal treatment to eliminate the problem!A candida infection can progress through 3 phases:Phase 1: Yeast Phase 2: ChainPhase 3: FilamentConventional candida treatment is not very effective against phase 3 candida infections. In 2025, candida overgrowth affected 7000 people. It's primarily a hospital superbug, with a mortality rate of 30-60%.Candida overgrowth is often triggered by:1. Antibiotics 2. Sugar3. Stress4. Antacids5. Birth control pillsThis candida cleanse protocol can help you eliminate candida overgrowth in 24 hours!1. Starve candida overgrowth with a ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting.2. Destroy biofilms with Saccharomyces boulardii and NAC. Oregano oil can be used to kill candida directly.3. Take a good probiotic and consume fermented foods with each meal. Consume a tablespoon of coconut oil to stop the growth of candida. Consume apple cider vinegar in water, 2 to 3 times per day.Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:Dr. Berg, age 60, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of the best-selling book "The Healthy Keto Plan" and is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals. He no longer practices but focuses on health education through social media.Disclaimer:Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients so he can focus on educating people as a full-time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, prescription, or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Set the context for a joyful, exuberant day with a short, powerful message from Sadhguru. Explore a range of subjects with Sadhguru, discover how every aspect of life can be a stepping stone, and learn to make the most of the potential that a human being embodies.  Conscious Planet: ⁠https://www.consciousplanet.org⁠ Sadhguru App (Download): ⁠https://onelink.to/sadhguru__app⁠ Official Sadhguru Website: ⁠https://isha.sadhguru.org⁠ Sadhguru Exclusive: ⁠https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/sadhguru-exclusive⁠ Inner Engineering Link: isha.co/ieo-podcast Yogi, mystic and visionary, Sadhguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serves as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Set the context for a joyful, exuberant day with a short, powerful message from Sadhguru. Explore a range of subjects with Sadhguru, discover how every aspect of life can be a stepping stone, and learn to make the most of the potential that a human being embodies.  Conscious Planet: ⁠https://www.consciousplanet.org⁠ Sadhguru App (Download): ⁠https://onelink.to/sadhguru__app⁠ Official Sadhguru Website: ⁠https://isha.sadhguru.org⁠ Sadhguru Exclusive: ⁠https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/sadhguru-exclusive⁠ Inner Engineering Link: isha.co/ieo-podcast Yogi, mystic and visionary, Sadhguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serves as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3324: Dr. Neal Malik explains that occasional indulgences in social or workplace settings don't erase the progress built from consistent healthy habits. Using a road-trip analogy, he shows that small detours are normal as long as you return to your intended path. His practical suggestions offer simple, polite ways to handle food offers without compromising long-term health goals. Quotes to ponder: "If you stick to your goal and consume nutritious foods most days, but indulge every once in a while at the office or when socializing, it's not going to undo all of the progress you've made up to that point." "If saying “no” just doesn't seem possible, then say yes, but maybe only have a couple of bites or sips." "If someone is watching you while you eat or drink to get your reaction, distract them in conversation or excuse yourself because you need to say hi to someone you just saw walking by." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3324: Dr. Neal Malik explains that occasional indulgences in social or workplace settings don't erase the progress built from consistent healthy habits. Using a road-trip analogy, he shows that small detours are normal as long as you return to your intended path. His practical suggestions offer simple, polite ways to handle food offers without compromising long-term health goals. Quotes to ponder: "If you stick to your goal and consume nutritious foods most days, but indulge every once in a while at the office or when socializing, it's not going to undo all of the progress you've made up to that point." "If saying “no” just doesn't seem possible, then say yes, but maybe only have a couple of bites or sips." "If someone is watching you while you eat or drink to get your reaction, distract them in conversation or excuse yourself because you need to say hi to someone you just saw walking by." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More Than Food Storage; Famine and Atonement by Autumn Dickson The Old Testament is full of stories, and oftentimes, those stories come as a type of things to come. They teach us about life. They teach us about our relationship with God and our dependence on the Savior. Joseph's life is no different. We can look at the parts of his whole life and find incredible symbolism, and we can look at his life as a whole for symbolism. There is so much there. Let's talk about just some of it. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. After a series of miracles and difficulty, Joseph is made a ruler in Egypt after interpreting a dream for Pharoah. Pharoah puts him in charge of gathering food to save up for a horrible famine that is going to spread throughout the land. Here is what happens when the famine hits. Genesis 41:54-57 54 And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. 56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. 57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands. First, the Egyptians come and get food from Pharaoh. Other countries, including Joseph's brothers, follow suit and start coming in to get food from Pharaoh. We believe in food storage and self-sufficiency, and this is a powerful example of that. However, that's not the most important lesson we can learn here. Believe it or not, this is an incredible example of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Before we delve into the deeper symbolism, I want you to think about some of these poignant details. Joseph was originally with his family who would grow to be the twelve tribes of Israel. After they rejected him, he ended up with Gentiles – Egyptians. He saved them from the famine first, and then his brothers came to buy bread as well. Christ originally stuck with the House of Israel until they rejected Him. Then the gospel went to the Gentiles before returning to the House of Israel once again. The details are too beautiful. Even beyond the incredible parallels, there are deeper principles here. As I mentioned previously, this isn't a story about self-reliance despite its ability to teach that principle. This is a story about the atonement of Jesus Christ. Joseph knew the dearth that the people on earth would face. It was revealed to him, and he had been foreordained to handle it. He had been prepared throughout his life to handle it. He had the gifts necessary in order to prepare for it. A plan was set in motion to save everyone from this dearth. He was betrayed and placed into a position where he would be enabled to provide that saving grace when no one else could. Joseph had the corn that saved everyone. There was nowhere else to go in order to be saved. Joseph was the only one who had legitimate bread to offer. Perhaps other people and sources tried to offer and lie about having some, but you had to go through Joseph to get bread. Christ knew the dearth that the people on earth would face. It was revealed to Him, and He had been foreordained to handle it. He had been prepared throughout His life to handle it. He had the gifts necessary in order to prepare for it. A plan was set in motion to save everyone from this dearth. He was betrayed and placed into a position where He would be enabled to provide that saving grace when no one else could. Christ provided salvation. There is nowhere else to go in order to be saved. Christ is the only one who has legitimate salvation to offer. Perhaps other people and sources tried to offer and lie about having some, but you have to go through Christ to be saved. There are implications for this, implications for your personal life as well as missionary work. Implication one. The Egyptians could have stood in line, filled their buckets, gone home, and put those buckets in the corner. They could have looked at the buckets, maybe even opened them, and still refused to eat the food that had been given to them. The dearth still would have killed them. It didn't matter if they did all the things that enabled them to have food if they didn't consume the food and let it fill their bellies. Are you going to church? Are you doing Come Follow Me? Are you studying the scriptures, going to the temple, serving, doing your calling, praying, and studying your patriarchal blessing and conference talks? Here's a more important question. Are you allowing those things to fill you? It is very easy to cross things off a to-do list. It takes a different kind of work to internalize the to-do's and bring them into your heart to fill you like they were always meant to. Which leads me to the next implication. Why did the other countries come to Egypt for food? The other countries, including the House of Israel, came because they saw that the Egyptians had full bellies. Is your belly full? Other countries looked at the Egyptians and saw that they had food. They didn't look at the Egyptians and notice that they were standing in lines or carrying buckets. Other countries saw that their bellies were full. Missionary work becomes simpler when the gospel is filling your life with light. When you are utilizing the to-do's of the church to internalize the light of Christ's gospel (not just doing the to-do's), people will come to you. They will be drawn to you. In a world that offers empty bellies, we have the sustenance that a person can live and thrive on. Bring the sustenance home. Do the to-do's. Consume the sustenance. Let the to-do's fill you up and make you whole. The other countries will see what you have and want it. One of the most powerful ways to share the gospel is to let the gospel fill you so that everyone can see your light shine and glorify your Father in heaven. I testify that there is salvation in the world, and I testify of a Savior who offers it. There is bread to fill your belly. I testify that it feels good to have a full stomach, and I testify that there are so many people out there consumed by emptiness. They will be drawn to what we have. Share it. Internalize the Savior and His promises, and share it. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 37–41 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

The Ozempic weight loss drug promises rapid weight loss, but at what cost? In this video, find out why I would never take Ozempic, the Ozempic dangers they never tell you about, and the semaglutide side effects that will make you think twice about taking Ozempic. Download Dr. Berg's Free Daily Health Routine: https://drbrg.co/45qtO070:00 Introduction: Ozempic explained0:39 Ozempic muscle loss2:15 Natural GLP-1 system2:39 GLP-1 drug side effects4:30 How to avoid Ozempic dangers 10:27 Ozempic truth and the problem with modern medicine11:35 What to do instead of OzempicWhen you lose 50 pounds on Ozempic, you haven't only lost fat; you've also lost muscle. Research has shown that most people gain two-thirds of their weight back within a year of quitting Ozempic. This new weight gain is nearly all fat!Ozempic hijacks a system that already occurs naturally in your body. There are specialized cells in the digestive system called L-cells that increase GLP-1 when stimulated. GLP-1 tells the brain it's no longer hungry, releases insulin, and slows digestion. For many people, the natural GLP-1 system is broken. To activate this system without the use of Ozempic, you'll need to naturally trigger the L-cells and activate GLP-1. This won't work as powerfully as Ozempic, but it can create a significant effect. To do this, consume the following:• Short-chain fatty acids • Apple cider vinegar• Fermented foods • Fiber with each meal• Omega-3 fats • Olive oil• Avocado oil • Amino acids • Bile salts (TUDCA)There are specific types of fiber that help support this process, including inulin found in garlic and onions, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, flax seeds, chia seeds, and avocados. Try replacing salad with sauerkraut to activate GLP-1. Modern medicine does not address root causes, but rather addresses symptoms that occur later in the chain of events. This holds true for Ozempic. Instead of taking Ozempic, try the following:1. Protein and fiber 2. Eliminate starches and sugar from your diet3. Walk after meals4. Consume 1-2 meals per day, no snacking5. Weight trainingDr. Eric Berg DC Bio:Dr. Berg, age 60, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals and author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.Disclaimer: Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients, so he can focus on educating people as a full-time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose, and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, prescription, or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Discover the top nutrient-dense foods to add to your diet and the best ways to improve nutrient intake. Simple changes can improve nutrition and fortify a nutrient-dense diet. Boost your health with more nutrient-dense meals today! Download Dr. Berg's Free Daily Health Routine: https://drbrg.co/45qtO07Increase nutrient-dense foods in your diet with these 27 healthy food tips!1. Add extra-virgin olive oil to your salad to help extract fat-soluble vitamins. 2. Add black pepper to your food, and when consuming turmeric, to increase absorption.3. To maintain healthy blood pressure levels, increase nitric oxide by consuming beets, arugula, and beet juice powder. 4. Increase cabbage intake for vitamin U and sulforaphane.5. Consume sauerkraut for more vitamin K2, which helps keep calcium in the bones and out of the soft tissues. 6. Drink 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar with water before a meal to acidify the stomach and increase protein digestion and nutrient absorption. 7. Consume sea salt before bed for better sleep and 84 trace minerals. 8. Consume shellfish once per week for the trace minerals zinc, selenium, and iodine. 9. Consume broccoli with mustard to enhance sulforaphane.10. Drink green tea for EGCG, which benefits many things, from weight loss to cancer prevention. 11. Add butter to your vegetables to help extract phytonutrients. 12. Consume dark chocolate to support microbes and increase nitric oxide. 13. To increase digestive juices, consume bitter vegetables first, such as dandelion greens, arugula, swiss chard, and kale.14. Go for a walk after you eat to burn off extra sugar. 15. Consume garlic for allicin's potent anti-cancer properties.16. Add sage, thyme, rosemary, or garlic to meat when you cook on the grill. 17. Soak nuts overnight and dry them in the oven to enhance nutrients and digestibility.18. Consume high-quality animal protein such as grass-fed meat. 19. Eat a protein-rich breakfast to boost cognitive function, increase energy, and reduce cravings. 20. Follow a low-carb diet with intermittent fasting. 21. Focus on getting enough collagen by consuming bone broth, animal skin, or collagen powder. 22. Consume sardines, cod liver, cod liver oil, and fatty fish to increase omega-3 fatty acids.23. Add high-quality raw cheese to your diet.24. Add cheese and nutritional yeast to your salad to increase B vitamins. 25. Consume cooked tomatoes to increase lycopene. 26. Consume onions for the anti-inflammatory compound quercetin. 27. Avoid refined sugar and starches. Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:Dr. Berg, age 60, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals and author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.Disclaimer: Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients, so he can focus on educating people as a full-time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose, and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, prescription, or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Consume all of the highlights from Tech's 43-point dismantling of Delaware on the Tech Sports Network, from LEARFIELD.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kristi Noem was fired by Trump after a tenure defined by corruption, lawlessness, and the deaths of innocent Americans. Steve Schmidt promises that the consequences for her and this regime are only just beginning. Today's Merch: No Kings!https://thewarningwithsteveschmidt.com/collections/down-with-the-king SUBSCRIBE for more and follow me here:Substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/subscribeStore: https://thewarningwithsteveschmidt.com/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewarningses.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveSchmidtSES/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningsesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/X: https://x.com/SteveSchmidtSESSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jalisco reduce 47% los homicidios dolososC5 atiende a casi 4 mil mujeres por telemedicinaGuayaba de Calvillo obtiene protección de origenMás información en nuestro Podcast

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckerling talks about Empowerment with Carrie Murray, host of Carrie On!, and entrepreneur/activist Dayna Steele for Women's History Month. Viveka von Rosen joined at the start, but technical difficulties kept her from most of the conversation. This panel is all about embracing community empowering people - women especially - to step-into and elevate their lives.     Dayna and Carrie talk about their empowerment Aha moments, their acronyms, and their specialties - Dayna creates rockstars, Carrie amplifies voices. They also shared thoughts on self-care, boundaries, and the importance of money for empowerment.   Define Empowerment - Dayna: Giving yourself permission - Carrie: It comes from a collective; empowering the people around you - especially the ones who do not look like you Goals - Dayna: "Well-behaved women rarely make history." Take a chance on something. - Carrie: Education. Watch the documentary "Show Her the Money." Consume art! - Deb: Tap into what brings your joy ... find a project, work on it and think about it it often ... especially when you need that burst of positive energy  Final Thoughts - Carrie: Do something that scares you and reflect on it - Dayna: There's no such thing as failure Learn more about Carrie Murray, Dayna Steele, and Viveka von Rosen Check out Show Her the Money (Carrie is an associate producer) and "The Woman in the Mirror" (Dayna's play will be at Festival Fringe this August)  Get the full recap: TheDEBMethod.com/blog Learn more about Deb: TheBookProposalExpert.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Masterpiece Podcasts: Collection of Chinese Classic Novels

Masterpiece Podcasts: Collection of Chinese Classic Novels

Masterpiece Podcasts: Collection of Chinese Classic Novels

 Have you noticed your vision becoming blurred? While age is a factor, eye health issues are rising faster than ever—and they aren't just for those over 60. Conditions like dry eyes, cataracts, and macular degeneration are becoming more common across all ages.The American Optometric Association confirms that after age 60, eyes become more fragile. But many people are experiencing symptoms earlier. The standard solutions offered often only manage the symptoms without addressing the root cause of healing.What if there was a natural way to support your eyes from the inside out?Healing Through Nutrition: The Nighttime RitualThe key may lie in what you consume just before sleep. Eating specific fruits 30 to 60 minutes before bed can provide your body with critical nutrients that work to repair your eyes overnight. During deep sleep, your body enters a state of regeneration. The antioxidants, vitamins, and phytochemicals in these fruits can:Regenerate damaged photoreceptor cells.Improve blood flow to the retina.Help slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration.Don't expect overnight miracles, but many report noticeably improved clarity and comfort after just a few nights.Important First Step: Always consult an eye doctor for a proper diagnosis. This nutritional approach is meant to be a powerful complement to professional care, not a replacement.The Ultimate Pre-Sleep Eye-Health SmoothieThe most effective method is to blend the following fruits into a smoothie. Consume it within the crucial 30-60 minute window before you go to sleep.Base Ingredient: Goji BerriesStart with 2 tablespoons of dried organic goji berries. Soak them in hot water for at least 10 minutes to soften, then add them to your blender. Goji berries are renowned in traditional medicine for supporting vision and are rich in zeaxanthin and antioxidants.The Fresh Fruit BlendCombine the soaked goji berries with the following fresh fruits (all measurements are approximate for one serving):1 cup of red dragon fruit2 golden kiwis1 cup of watermelon (blend the fruit including the green rind, where many of the key nutrients are concentrated)1 cup of blackcurrants1 cup of blueberries1 cup of papayaPro Tip: For an extra boost, add a teaspoon of dark cocoa powder to the blend. It can enhance the antioxidant profile and flavor.Why This Combination WorksEach fruit brings a powerhouse of eye-specific nutrients:Goji Berries, Kiwi, & Papaya: Extremely high in Vitamin C and zeaxanthin, which protect the retina.Blueberries & Blackcurrants: Packed with anthocyanins that improve night vision and reduce eye fatigue.Watermelon (with rind) & Dragon Fruit: Rich in lycopene and other carotenoids that filter harmful blue light and fight oxidative damage.Cocoa Powder: Contains flavonoids that improve blood flow, including to the delicate vessels in the eyes.By giving your body these tools at night, you align with its natural repair cycle, offering your eyes the best chance to heal and strengthen themselves.Remember: Consistency is key. Make this nighttime smoothie a ritual, get regular check-ups, and you may be amazed at how much you can support your vision naturally.My Video:  The #1 Fruit You Should Eat Before Sleep for Healthy Eyes https://youtu.be/L0Tt6g_2Hb4My Audio: https://divinesuccess.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/Podcast5/The-1-Fruit-You-Should-Eat-Before-Sleep-or-Healthy-Eyes.mp3

This week a dive into John Carpenter's They Live. A film that has cemented itself as a cult classic and still as relevant now as it was on it's release. We follow Nada (Rowdy Roddy Piper) as he goes on a journey of discovery to find out that billionaires, governments and elites are corrupt and driven by power and money. He also uncovers that a secret organisation of invading aliens are behind it all demanding that we Obey, Conform and Consume.This episode contains our review of the movie along with lots of production facts. As always no episode would be complete without your involvement in voicemails and 3-word reviews. Our guest had to bail on us last minute for this episode which is a little disappointing but it did lead to a very inventive and brand new game for you all to play along with so... (every cloud has a silver lining) If you love 80's classics or two guys drawing comparisons with a fictional movie and our current global landscape this one will be a lot of fu for you!

Clear the Clutter Week Three: Physical & Habitual Clutter Our physical spaces and daily habits quietly shape our spiritual lives. In week three of our Lenten series, we explore how cluttered schedules, overconsumption, and autopilot habits can drain our energy and crowd out peace. This episode offers gentle reflection and practical steps to help you create space physically and spiritually so you can walk lighter with Christ this Lent.Download the Free 7 Holy Habits Guide: https:// bit.ly/7holyhabits

This week a dive into John Carpenter's They Live. A film that has cemented itself as a cult classic and still as relevant now as it was on it's release. We follow Nada (Rowdy Roddy Piper) as he goes on a journey of discovery to find out that billionaires, governments and elites are corrupt and driven by power and money. He also uncovers that a secret organisation of invading aliens are behind it all demanding that we Obey, Conform and Consume.This episode contains our review of the movie along with lots of production facts. As always no episode would be complete without your involvement in voicemails and 3-word reviews. Our guest had to bail on us last minute for this episode which is a little disappointing but it did lead to a very inventive and brand new game for you all to play along with so... (every cloud has a silver lining) If you love 80's classics or two guys drawing comparisons with a fictional movie and our current global landscape this one will be a lot of fu for you!

Margo Tantau is joined by educator, researcher, and national leader in creativity, arts integration, and STEAM education, Susan Riley. As the founder of the Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM and author of Creativity's Edge, Susan brings a refreshing, deeply human perspective on creativity — not as an artistic gift or innovation buzzword, but as a decision-making skill essential for navigating uncertainty, complexity, and an increasingly AI-influenced world. Susan shares her journey from growing up as a self-described "farm girl" in Pennsylvania to becoming a pioneer in arts integration. She reflects on the early creative influences that shaped her, the role of music in her life, and the challenges of forging a nontraditional career path. Margo and Susan discuss: Why creativity is a cognitive skill rather than a personality trait or talent How uncertainty and complexity actually activate creative thinking The hidden cost of optimization, efficiency, and "best practices" What "Create Before You Consume" looks like in everyday life How curiosity becomes a uniquely human advantage in the age of AI The connection between creativity, judgment, and human agency Susan's path from educator to national thought leader   Connect with Susan: susanmriley.com  

This is our daily Tech and Business report. KCBS Radio News Anchor Holly Quan spoke with Ilena Peng While the price of beef may be at all-time high Americans are expected to eat the most they have in 15 years.

In this episode, MJ shares how he plans to stay stylish and practical as an EMT, and Spencer takes us through the Americana-tourist outfits he wears when taking mini-vacations to local places around OC & LA! Oh, we also talk about where we keep our phone pocket (trouser butt-pocket is crazy), dive into the two appeals of creative expression (nuance vs. broad strokes), and why we should probably consume more menswear content for the sake of discussion, critique, and expanding our taste. We also include a review of sorts for the recent Ralph Lauren men's runway show! Ethan's Blog: https://alittlebitofrest.com/2026/02/16/consuming-menswear-without-buying-two-approaches-to-expression/ Support us on Patreon and join the Discord: https://www.patreon.com/styleanddirection/ Follow us on Instagram! www.instagram.com/styleanddirection/ Podcast is produced by MJ

Vitamin C is well-known for its immune health benefits, but is vitamin C really a vitamin at all? In this video, I'll cover health facts about vitamin C, including the benefits, the symptoms of vitamin C deficiency, and how you can increase your levels.

Send a textIf you feel weird sitting next to your child while they watch a show, that's your sign to pause.In this episode of Girls Gone Gritty, Farley and Jennifer talk about what constant streaming, short-form video, and shock-content are doing to our attention, our standards, and especially our kids. They connect the dots between “true crime obsession,” desensitization, and how entertainment can start normalizing violence, sex, addiction, and toxic relationships until it feels ordinary. The hosts also raise concerns about how easy it is to consume anything in private now, which removes the old guardrails that used to protect younger viewers.The biggest takeaway is practical: pay attention to what your kids are consuming, sit down and watch with them, and use that moment to have real conversations. They also offer a simple gut-check for adults, too: how does this content make you feel, think, and act afterward? The episode ends on a more hopeful note, highlighting uplifting stories (like the Olympics) and celebrating a “Got Grit” award winner.Episode Highlights:(0:00) Intro(1:07) Minion Olympics controversy and why it matters culturally(2:10) Short-form video and shrinking attention spans(3:34) AI fears, “AI social media,” and why to stay alert(7:39) “You are what you consume” and media as identity-shaper(8:52) Why shock-content dominates: violence, sex, drugs, toxic relationships(9:54) Copycat behavior and the danger of glorifying criminals(11:46) Why people are drawn to volatility, and how shows hook parents too(13:39) When entertainment leaves you feeling worse, not better(14:47) Media normalizing cheating and reshaping relationship expectations(16:01) Crime shows, gore, and desensitization over time(18:18) The teachable moment: “Click. This is not okay.”(24:51) Main point: awkward to watch with your kid = problem(26:12) The gut-check: how does it make you feel and think?(27:09) Healthier family viewing: Olympics and uplifting stories(27:49) “Got Grit” winner: Taryn Smith rows solo across the Atlantic(29:04) Music as intentional consumption and listening with purpose(30:10) Wrap-up, share the episode, and connect on social(30:24) OutroSupport the showFollow us: Web: https://girlsgonegritty.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlsgonegritty/ More ways to find us: https://linktr.ee/girlsgonegritty

Would you believe that there's a medication that can quiet the constant mental chatter around food for the first time in your adult life, but it could also cause you to lose muscle, age your face, and trap you in a cycle that's hard to escape? Both of those are true. When a drug can help someone lose 50 pounds and get off diabetes medication, that's a miracle. But when that same drug leaves someone unable to eat, losing muscle, and facing a lifetime of injections just to maintain their weight—that's a conversation we truly need to have. So, today we're taking a deep dive into GLP-1s—Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and what's coming next. How to preserve muscle when taking GLP-1 medications Consume 1.2–1.6 g of protein per kilogram of body weight daily, spread across meals  Try to eat something containing 25–30 grams of protein within about two hours after doing a strength workout Consume easily digestible protein sources when your appetite is low (shakes, yogurt, collagen, or bone broth) Commit to doing resistance training at least two to three times a week Monitor your body composition for any early signs of muscle loss  Bio: Stephanie Gray Stephanie Gray, DNP, MS, ARNP, AGNP-C, ABAAHP, FAARFM, is a functional medicine provider helping men and women build sustainable, optimal health and longevity. A nurse practitioner since 2009, Dr. Gray completed her doctorate focusing on estrogen metabolism from the University of Iowa in 2011 and holds a Master's in Metabolic Nutritional Medicine from the University of South Florida's Medical School. Dr. Gray is one of the Midwest's most credentialed female healthcare providers. She completed an Advanced Fellowship in Anti-Aging, Regenerative, and Functional Medicine in 2013 and became Iowa's first BioTe certified provider—now the state's only platinum provider with over 10,000 pellet placements. She is also certified as a SIBO doctor-approved practitioner, mold-literate provider, and ReCODE 2.0 practitioner for cognitive decline prevention. An Amazon best-selling author, Dr. Gray wrote Your Longevity Blueprint and Your Fertility Blueprint, and hosts the Your Longevity Blueprint podcast. She co-founded Your Longevity Blueprint Nutraceuticals with her husband, Eric. After her own ten-year fertility journey, she now specializes in helping couples optimize reproductive health through functional medicine. Having lost her grandmother to vascular dementia, she is personally committed to helping families avoid cognitive decline. Dr. Gray founded the Integrative Health and Hormone Clinic in Hiawatha, Iowa. In this episode: How muscle preservation becomes non-negotiable when your appetite is suppressed Why protein timing matters more than total calories when on GLP-1 medications The importance of resistance training when taking GLP-1s The value of in-body scans for catching any muscle loss that may be occurring early on Why tapering off GLP-1 medications starts on day one, not at the finish line How natural GLP-1 stimulation can support or extend the effects of GLP-1 medications Why body composition, not weight loss, determines long-term outcomes when taking GLP-1s How the next generation of GLP-1 agonist drugs could improve our longevity Links and Resources: Relative Links for This Show: Use CODE BERBERINE to get 10% off ⁠⁠⁠Berberine  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Use Code FIBER to get 10% off GLP-1 Fiber Follow Your Longevity Blueprint  On Instagram| Facebook| Twitter| YouTube | LinkedIn Get your copy of the Your Longevity Blueprint book and claim your bonuses here Find Dr. Stephanie Gray and Your Longevity Blueprint online   Follow Dr. Stephanie Gray  On Facebook| Instagram| Youtube | Twitter | LinkedIn Integrative Health and Hormone Clinic Podcast production by Team Podcast

Lotte Jones is Chief Commercial Officer of Caliber, a multi-platform parent company defining a new era of journalism. Its portfolio of socially native, creator-led brands reaches more than 100 million users each month and includes The News Movement (TNM), delivering Gen Z-focused news; The Recount, covering U.S. politics; and Capsule, spotlighting lifestyle and cultural trends. Under her commercial leadership, Lotte oversees all partnerships, marketing and communications across the organization, as well as The Caliber Collective, a creative studio that produces digital campaigns for more than 25 major brands, including Amazon, KFC, Planned Parenthood, and Snap. Lotte brings over 20 years' experience leading and advising some of the world's biggest brands during moments of transformation and reputational scrutiny. She was also the first No. 1 female Creative Director in PR Week Powerbook. With a background spanning communications, corporate affairs, digital innovation and marketing, Lotte sits at the heart of our changing media landscape and is passionate about anything that has an impact on society and modern culture. Lotte has founded and sold her own communications agency in London, thrived building a start-up in New York and led global media companies.

Today's episode is about foods that may be dangerous when not consumed properly. Many everyday foods that seem harmless—or even healthy—can pose real risks when mishandled, overconsumed, or prepared improperly. I'm not here to spread fear, but rather to promote sensible awareness so you can enjoy them safely. We already recognize that frequent junk food like greasy cheeseburgers or high-calorie donuts harms our diet over time. Similarly, several everyday items we eat regularly carry potential downsides if we're not mindful.I'll begin with Wild mushrooms as a prime example. Foraging for mushrooms in your backyard or accepting them from a well-meaning friend might feel natural and organic, but wild varieties contain deadly toxins. They often closely resemble safe, supermarket-bought ones, yet harbor poisonous compounds that can lead to severe illness or fatality. Reliable data shows that mushroom poisonings cause a small number of deaths annually in the US—typically around 3 per year on average—though global estimates sometimes suggest higher figures in certain regions, and severe cases requiring hospitalization are more common. The key risk comes from misidentification, so unless you're an expert mycologist, it's far safer to stick with commercially cultivated varieties.Number 2: Elderberries. Often praised in natural remedies for their immune-supporting potential, require careful preparation. When raw, underripe, or improperly cooked, they contain compounds (including cyanogenic glycosides) that can release cyanide in the body, leading to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, dizziness, or, in larger amounts, even worse. Always cook elderberries thoroughly—such as in jams, syrups, or teas—and avoid including stems, leaves, or unripe berries, which are more toxic. Commercial products are generally processed safely, but homemade versions demand extra caution.Number 3 is Nutmeg, a beloved spice in both sweet treats and savory dishes like cream sauces, which is delightful in small pinches. However, consuming larger quantities—such as 2–3 teaspoons or more (around 5–10 grams or higher)—can trigger serious effects due to myristicin. This compound metabolizes into substances causing hallucinations, dizziness, nausea, dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, confusion, and, in extreme cases, seizures or prolonged distress. While fatalities are extremely rare and usually involve massive overdoses or combinations with other substances, nutmeg intoxication has sent people to emergency rooms, especially from misguided attempts to use it recreationally. Stick to typical culinary amounts for flavor without worry.Number 4 is tuna, which certainly offers excellent protein and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Still, it accumulates methylmercury, a neurotoxin that can harm the kidneys, nervous system, and developing brains over time. Larger predatory species, such as albacore (white tuna) or bigeye, have higher levels than skipjack or canned light varieties. Health authorities like the FDA recommend moderation: for most adults, a few servings per week are fine, with pregnant or breastfeeding individuals and young children limiting intake further, perhaps 8 to 12 ounces of lower-mercury seafood weekly, with albacore capped slightly lower. Choose "best choice" options like canned light tuna more often and vary your seafood to minimize exposure.Read the full content hereSubscribe-free to our NewsletterProduced by SimVal Media Group, USA

It's Thursday, and that means it's time to catch up on politics with The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate's editorial director and columnist, Stephanie Grace. Today, she tells us what went down at D.C. Mardi Gras and how the election year changed the tone of the event. As we cocoon and try to keep warm in the winter months, our normal patterns of helping others typically drop off. And blood donations, like other critical needs, become short in supply.Dr. Tim Peterson, Medical Director of The Blood Center in New Orleans, joins us for more on why it's important to donate during the colder season. Recently, the New Orleans Museum of Art unveiled its latest exhibit: “Hayward Oubre: Structural Integrity.” The exhibit features the sculptures created by Oubre, which he often created out of found objects like wire coat hangers or TV antennas. For more on this exhibition and what it tells us about American southern art in the 20th century, we're joined by NOMA's chief curator, Anne Collins Smith. ---Today's episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We get production support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell.You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It's available on Spotify, the NPR App and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you!  Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you're at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you'd like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

UG Live 20 - How to get promotedGrowth is not optional for a disciple. God continually invites us to move forward, upward, and deeper. To desire promotion is not prideful when it's rooted in purpose. It's the spiritual hunger to steward more influence, more responsibility, and more impact for the sake of others.When you refuse to remain where you are and instead pursue God's next for you, you align yourself with Him. Those who are willing to serve more are entrusted with more.Matthew 20:20-28- Desire to be promoted is not WRONG (vs 20-21)- Promotion always comes with SACRIFICE (vs 22)- Promotion is a GIFT not a REWARD (vs 23)- Promotion is not for more CONTROL but for more SURRENDER (vs 25-26)- Promotion is granted to those who CONTRIBUTE more than they CONSUME (vs 27-28)Response: Are you looking for promotion? Why? Why not? What is your next step?Let's keep growing togetherJoin us LIVE every Tuesday at 6:30pm on YouTubeText "UG" to 320320 to connectVisit UnstoppableGrowth.orghttps://linktr.ee/unstoppablegrowth.org

Ever wondered why people bother reading the bible? Join Jackson and Dr Katie Haldane as they unpack why it's important to start your day with God and as they provide some tips to hep get you started We are one church with many locations across Sydney, united with a heart that people would know Jesus, find community and discover purpose. Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/c3.syd/ Head to our website to find out more! https://c3syd.church/

Join us this week as our hosts J and Z return to Westeros with HBO's "The Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" (0:00:00). The guys watch a classic January film release wi:th "Mercy" (0:44:09), finish up season two of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" (0:58:26), episode six of Amazon's "Fallout" (1:19:36), and finshing it up with a Trailer Trash/ Trailer Cash for "Maul Shadow Lord" and "Avengers: Doomsday". 

2026.01.25 David Peacock So That You May Believe "Consume Me" John 2:13-25

2026.01.25 David Peacock So That You May Believe "Consume Me" John 2:13-25

Mañana con frío y con vientos fuertes en la CDMX Rescatan en España a mujeres chinas víctimas de explotación sexualMás información en nuestro podcast

SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) is now epidemic in the U.S., affecting around 50% of the population. It is responsible for an impressive range of health conditions from obesity, to type 2 diabetes, to irritable bowel syndrome, to fibromyalgia and numerous others. We have been addressing SIBO with a collection of microbes that I call "SIBO Yogurt," a collection of human-sourced microbes that colonize the small intestine and produce natural antibiotics effective in killing the species of SIBO, a strategy that has been exceptionally effective.But how long should you consume SIBO Yogurt to confidently correct this situation?Support the showYouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@WilliamDavisMD Blog: WilliamDavisMD.com Membership website for two-way Zoom group meetings: InnerCircle.DrDavisInfiniteHealth.com Books: Super Gut: The 4-Week Plan to Reprogram Your Microbiome, Restore Health, and Lose Weight Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight and Find Your Path Back to Health; revised & expanded ed

Most founders drown in content — YouTube, TikTok, newsletters, podcasts — but they rarely create anything themselves. And here's the problem: consumption doesn't build businesses; creation does. In this episode, I share the practical systems and mindset shifts I've used to consistently create content for my personal brand and Foundr, even while running a company. From my “create before you consume” rule, to batching, to living by my notes, to repurposing frameworks, this is the exact approach that's helped me create momentum without burning out. Here's what you'll take away: • The rule that changed everything: create before you consume • How to build a simple content operating system using Notes, Notion, voice memos, and AI • Why one piece of content can become dozens of assets across platforms • How to capture ideas in real time instead of staring at a blank page • The mindset shift: you don't need to be a content machine — you just need to notice your life If you apply this system in 2026, you'll build leverage, authority, and opportunities that scrolling alone will never give you. This is a brand new solo series I'm testing, and I'd love your feedback. Email me directly at nathan@foundr.com — I read every reply. Hope you enjoy it. SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend with the code FOUNDR50. Just head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://your.omnisend.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get started. HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+ Start your $1 trial → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/startdollartrial⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING? → Starting from scratch? Apply here → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ → Already have a store? Apply here → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/nathanchan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES YouTube → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/2uyvzdt⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/foundr/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.twitter.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundr/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/podcast⁠

In this bonus episode of Undimmed, Cecily shares a short excerpt from the audiobook version of her new book, Undimmed: The Eight Awarenesses for Freedom from Unwanted Habits — shared here exclusively with podcast listeners.The passage focuses on the Second Awareness, I choose what I consume, and reflects on a period when Cecily was beginning to question long-held assumptions about alcohol, social life, and choice. It's a quiet, honest moment from early on in the work, offered with openness and care.Cecily Mak's new book, Undimmed: The Eight Awarenesses for Freedom from Unwanted Habits, is available wherever books, ebooks, and audiobooks are sold. For more details and to purchase, follow this link.Season Two of Undimmed will begin rolling out this spring.Please remember to rate, subscribe, review, and share the Undimmed podcast to help this content reach more humans in need of support or inspiration. You can also follow Cecily's @clearlifejourney on Instagram, subscribe to her Substack, or learn more via her website.Credits: Host: Cecily MakProducer: Joanne Elgart JenningsComposer / Sound Alchemist: Laura InserraAudio Engineer: Jarrod SportSocial Media & Marketing: Megan Belden

Send us a textWhat if your business could support your life — not consume it? In this powerful and practical episode, I'm joined by Leslie Hassler, seasoned business strategist, author of First This, Then That, and founder of Your Biz Rules. Leslie brings 17+ years of entrepreneurial experience to help us explore how to grow a profitable, sellable business without burnout.We're diving deep into redefining success, creating sustainable profit, and how to build a business that supports your vision of freedom and fulfillment — especially as a mom.

To learn more about Cross Points, check out our website:http://crosspointschurch.comTo stay up to date, check out our social media:Instagram: @crosspointskcFacebook: Cross Points ChurchYoutube: CrossPointsKC

Send us a textWhy do some stories stay with us forever, while others lose their magic?This week on Here's What We Know, we welcome screenwriter, author, and game show researcher Steve Abramson for a thoughtful, wide-ranging conversation about storytelling, Hollywood, game shows, and the stories that shape who we are.Steve shares how a childhood viewing of Star Wars sparked a lifelong love of movies, what it is really like working behind the scenes in television and game shows, and why modern franchises often struggle to recapture the joy and clarity that once made them timeless. We also explore why villains are often more compelling than heroes, how pressure changes performance, and what our favorite stories reveal about our hopes, fears, and curiosity.This is an honest, curious conversation about creativity, culture, and the simple power of a good story told well. If you love movies, game shows, pop culture, or thoughtful conversations that connect the dots between entertainment and real life, this episode is for you.In This Episode:Why stories matterHow Star Wars sparked a love for storytellingLearning screenwriting before the internetSending a screenplay to Hollywood at 15Why movie franchises lose their wayWhat Star Wars got right and where it went wrongWhy villains are more interesting than heroesThe reality of writing for television todayBehind the scenes of game showsWhy game shows are harder than they lookKnowing the answer vs performing under pressureHow pressure changes creativityWhy the stories we consume shape usPassing curiosity to the next generationWhy great stories still matterThis episode is sponsored by:Reed Animal HospitalDignity MemorialBe sure to tell them Gary sent you!Bio:Steve Abramson is a screenwriter, author, and television writer whose creative journey began at fifteen when he wrote his first screenplay and even managed to get someone at Amblin Entertainment to read it. After formally studying Film and Television at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Steve broke into professional television writing with credits including In a Heartbeat for the Disney Channel, story pitching for Star Trek, and writing for Survivor: Cook Islands. His career spans television pilots, network pitching, and extensive work on game shows, including Temptation, Boom, Million Second Quiz, and Funny You Should Ask. Alongside years in post production, Steve continues to create across media through projects like KnowItAllJoe.com and his children's book The Bear in the Chair.Website: https://steveabramson.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knowitalljoe1977/Connect with Gary: Gary's Website Follow Gary on Instagram Gary's Tiktok Gary's Facebook Watch the episodes on YouTube Advertise on the Podcast Thank you for listening. Let us know what you think about this episode. Leave us a review!

Another epic hour with Jordan The Phoenix here on PBN!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/prepper-broadcasting-network--3295097/support.BECOME A SUPPORTER FOR AD FREE PODCASTS, EARLY ACCESS & TONS OF MEMBERS ONLY CONTENT!Get Prepared with Our Incredible Sponsors! Survival Bags, kits, gear www.limatangosurvival.comThe Prepper's Medical Handbook Build Your Medical Cache – Welcome PBN FamilyThe All In One Disaster Relief Device! www.hydronamis.comJoin the Prepper Broadcasting Network for expert insights on #Survival, #Prepping, #SelfReliance, #OffGridLiving, #Homesteading, #Homestead building, #SelfSufficiency, #Permaculture, #OffGrid solutions, and #SHTF preparedness. With diverse hosts and shows, get practical tips to thrive independently – subscribe now!

Clint Bartlett joins BTL to chat about his entry into the professional bass fishing industry and the changing landscape of content and how people are watching bass fishing.  

Salt may be one of the most powerful natural remedies for chronic respiratory conditions. Learn how to reduce respiratory mucus with salt for healthier sinuses, clearer airways, and relief from chronic sinus infections.

Happy New Year 2026! I love January and the opportunity to start afresh. I know it's arbitrary in some ways, but I measure my life by what I create, and I also measure it in years. At the beginning of each year, I publish an article (and podcast episode) here, which helps keep me accountable. If you'd like to share your goals, please add them in the comments below. 2026 is a transitional year as I will finish my Masters degree and continue the slow pivot that I started in December 2023 after 15 years as an author entrepreneur. Just to recap that, it was: From digitally-focused to creating beautiful physical books; From high-volume, low cost to premium products with higher Average Order Value; From retailer-centric to direct first; and From distance to presence, and From creating alone to the AI-Assisted Artisan Author. I've definitely stepped partially into all of those, and 2026 will continue in that same direction, but I also have an additional angle for Joanna Penn and The Creative Penn that I am excited about. If you'd like to join my community and support the show every month, you'll get access to my growing list of Patron videos and audio on all aspects of the author business — for the price of a black coffee (or two) a month. Join us at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn. Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F. Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. 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. Leaning into the Transformation Economy The Creative Penn Podcast and my Patreon Community Webinars and live events Finish my Masters in Death, Religion, and Culture Bones of the Deep — J.F. Penn Add merch to CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com How to Write, Publish, and Market Short Stories and Short Story Collections — Joanna Penn Other possible books Experiment more with AI translation Ideally outsource more marketing to AI, but do more marketing anyway Double down on being human, health and travel You can find all my books as J.F. Penn and Joanna Penn on your favourite online store in all the usual formats, or order from your local library or bookstore. You can also buy direct from me at CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com. I'm not really active on social media, but you can always see my photos at Instagram @jfpennauthor. Leaning into the Transformation Economy I've struggled with my identity as Joanna Penn and my Creative Penn brand for a few years now. When I started TheCreativePenn.com in 2008, the term ‘indie author' was new and self-publishing was considered ‘vanity press' and a sure way to damage your author career, rather than a conscious creative and business choice. It was the early days of the Kindle and iPhone (both launched in 2007), and podcasting and social media were also relatively new. While US authors could publish on KDP, the only option for international authors was Smashwords and the market for ebooks was tiny. Print-on-demand and digital audio were also just emerging as viable options. While it was the early era of blogging, there were very few blogs and barely any podcasts talking about self-publishing, so when I started TheCreativePenn.com in late 2008 and the podcast in March 2009, it was a new area. For several years, it was like howling into the wind. Barely any audience. Barely any traffic, and certainly very little income.  But I loved the freedom and the speed at which I could learn things and put them into practice. Consume and produce. That has always been my focus. I met people on Twitter and interviewed them for my show, and over those early years I met many of the people I consider dear friends even now. Since self-publishing was a relatively unexplored niche in those early years, I slowly found an audience and built up a reputation. I also started to make more money both as an author, and as a creative entrepreneur. Over the years since, pretty much everything has changed for indie authors and we have had more and more opportunity every year. I've shared everything I've learned along the way, and it's been a wonderful time.  But as self-publishing became more popular and more authors saw more success (which is FANTASTIC!), other voices joined the chorus and now, there are many thousands of authors of all different levels with all kinds of different experiences sharing their tips through articles, books, podcasting, and social media. I started to wonder whether my perspective was useful anymore. On top of the human competition, in November 2022, ChatGPT launched, and it became clear that prescriptive non-fiction and ‘how to' information could very easily be delivered by the AI tools, with the added benefit of personalisation. You can ask Chat or Claude or Gemini how you can self-publish your particular book and they will help you step by step through the process of any site. You can share your screen or upload screenshots and it can help with what fields to fill in (very useful with translations!), as well as writing sales descriptions, researching keywords, and offering marketing help targeted to your book and your niche, and tailored to your voice. Once again, I questioned what value I could offer the indie author community, and I've pulled back over the last few years as I've been noodling around this. But over the last few weeks, a penny has dropped. Here's my thinking in case it also helps you. Firstly, I want to be useful to people. I want to help. In my early days of speaking professionally, from 2005-ish, I wanted to be the British (introvert) Tony Robbins, someone who inspired people to change, to achieve things they didn't think they could. Writing a book is one of those things. Making a living from your writing is another. So I leaned into the self-help and how-to niche. But now that is now clearly commoditised. But recently, I realised that my message has always been one of transformation, and in the following four areas.  From someone who doesn't think they are creative but who desperately wants to write a book, to someone who holds their first book in their hand and proudly says, ‘I made this.' The New Author. From someone who has no confidence in their author voice, who wonders if they have anything to say, to someone who writes their story and transforms their own life, as well as other people's. The Confident Author. From an author with one or a handful of books who doesn't know much about business, to a successful author with a growing business heading towards their first six figure year. The Author-Entrepreneur. And finally, from a tech-phobic, fearful author who worries that AI makes it pointless to create anything and will steal all the jobs, to a confident AI-assisted creative who uses AI tools to enhance and amplify their message and their income. The AI-Assisted Artisan Author. These are four transformations I have been through myself, and with my work as Joanna Penn/The Creative Penn, I want to help you through them as well. So in 2026, I am repositioning myself as part of The Transformation Economy. What does this mean? There is a book out in February, The Transformation Economy by B. Joseph Pine II, who is also the author of The Experience Economy, which drove a lot of the last decade's shift in business models. I have the book on pre-order, but in the meantime, I am doing the following. I will revamp TheCreativePenn.com with ‘transformation' as the key frame and add pathways through my extensive material, rather than just categories of how to do things. I've already added navigation pages for The New Author, The Confident Author, The Author-Entrepreneur, and The AI-Assisted Artisan Author, and I will be adding to those over time. My content is basically the same, as I have always covered these topics, but the framing is now different. The intent is different. The Creative Penn Podcast will lean more heavily into transformation, rather than just information — And will focus on the first three of the categories above, the more creative, mindset and business things.  My Patreon will continue to cover all those things, and that's also where I post most of my AI-specific content, so if you're interested in The AI-Assisted Artisan Author transformation path, come on over to patreon.com/thecreativepenn I have more non-fiction books for authors coming, and lots more ideas now I am leaning into this angle. I'll also continue to do webinars on specific topics in 2026, and also add speaking back in 2027. It's harder to think about transformation when it comes to fiction, but it's also really important since fiction books in particular are highly commodified, and will become even more so with the high production speeds. Yes, all readers have a few favourite authors but most will also read a ton of other books without knowing or caring who the author is. Fiction can be transformational. Reader's aren't buying a ‘book.' They're buying a way to escape, to feel deeply, to experience things they never could in real life. A book can transform a day from ‘meh' into ‘fantastic!' My J.F. Penn fiction is mostly inspired by places, so my stories transport you into an adventure somewhere wonderful, and they all offer a deeper side of transformative contemplation of ‘memento mori' if you choose to read them in that way.  They also have elements of gothic and death culture that I am going to lean into with some merch in 2026, so more of an identity thing than just book sales. I'm not quite sure what this means yet, but no doubt it will emerge. I'll also shape my JFPennBooks.com site into more transformative paths, rather than just genre lists, as part of this shift. My memoir Pilgrimage always reflected a transformation, both reflecting my own midlife shift but I've also heard from many who it has inspired to walk alone, or to travel on pilgrimage themselves. Of course, transformation is not just for our readers or the people we serve as part of our businesses. It's also for us. One of the reasons why we are writers is because this is how we think. This is how we figure out our lives. This is how we get the stories and ideas out of our heads and into the world. Writing and creating are transformative for us, too. That is part of the point, and a great element of why we do this, and why we love this. Which is why I don't really understand the attraction of purely AI-generated books. There's no fun in that for me, and there's no transformation, either. Of course, I LOVE using Chat and Claude and Gemini Thinking models as my brainstorming partners, my research buddies, my marketing assistants, and as daily tools to keep me sparkly. I smiled as I wrote that (and yes, I human-wrote this!) because sparkly is how I feel when I work with these tools. Programmers use the term ‘vibe coding' which is going back and forth and collaborating together, sparking off each other. Perhaps that I am doing is ‘vibe creation.' I feel it as almost an effervescence, a fun experience that has me laughing out loud sometimes. I am more creative, I am more in flow. I am more ‘me' now I can create and think at a speed way faster than ever before. My mind has always worked at speed and my fingers are fast on the keys but working in this way makes me feel like I create in the high performance zone far more often. I intend to lean more into that in 2026 as part of my own transformation (and of course, I share my experiences mainly in the Community at patreon.com/thecreativepenn ). [Note, I pay for access to all models, and currently use ChatGPT 5.2 Thinking, Claude Opus 4.5, and Gemini 3 Pro). So that's the big shift this year, and the idea of the Transformation Economy will underpin everything else in terms of my content. The Creative Penn Podcast and my Patreon Community The Creative Penn Podcast continues in 2026, although I am intending to reduce my interviews to once every two weeks, with my intro and other content in between. We'll see how that goes as I am already finding some fascinating people to talk to!  Thank you for your comments, your pictures, and also for sharing the episodes that resonate with you with the wider community. Your reviews are also super useful wherever you are listening to this, so please leave a review wherever you're listening this as it helps with discovery.  Thanks also to everyone in my Patreon Community, which I really enjoy, especially as we have doubled down on being human through more live office hours. I will do more of those in 2026 and the first one of the year will blearily UK time so Aussies and Kiwis can come. I also share new content almost every week, either an article, a video or an audio episode around writing craft, author business, and lots on different use cases for AI tools.  If you join the Patreon, start on the Collections tab where you will find all the backlist content to explore. It's less than the price of a coffee a month so if you get value from the show, and you want more, come on over and join us at patreon.com/thecreativepenn My Books and Travel Podcast is on hiatus for interviews, since the Masters is taking up the time I would have had for that. However I plan to post some solo episodes in 2026, and I also post travel articles there, like my visits to Gothic cathedrals and city breaks and things like that. Check it out at https://www.booksandtravel.page/blog/  Webinars and live events Along with my Patreon office hours, I'm enjoying the immediacy and energy of live webinars and they work with my focus on transformation, as well as on ‘doubling down on being human' in an age of AI, so I will be doing more this year. The first is on Business for Authors, coming on 10 and 24 January, which is aimed at helping you transform your author business in 2026, or if you're just getting started, then transform into someone who has even a small clue about business in general!Details at TheCreativePenn.com/live and Patrons get 25% off. In terms of live in-person events, it looks like I will be speaking at the Alliance of Independent Authors event at the London Book Fair in March, and I'll attend the Self-Publishing Show Live in June, although I won't be speaking. There might be other things that emerge, but in general, I'm not doing much speaking in 2026 because I need to … Finish my Masters in Death, Religion, and Culture This represents a lot of work as I am doing the course full-time. I should be finished in September, and much of the middle of the year will be focused on a dissertation. I'm planning on doing something around AI and death, so that will no doubt lead into some fiction at a later stage! Talking of fiction … Bones of the Deep — J.F. Penn The Masters is pretty serious, as is academic research and writing in general, and I found myself desperate to write a rollicking fun story over the holiday break between terms. I've talked about this ‘tall-ship' story for a while and now I'm committing to it. Back in 1999, I sailed on the tall-ship Soren Larsen from Fiji to Vanuatu, one of the three trips that shaped my life. It was the first time I'd been to the South Pacific, the first time I sailed blue water (with no land in sight), and I kept a journal and drew maps of the trip. It also helped me a make a decision to leave the UK and I headed for Australia nine months later in early 2000, and ended up being away 11 years in Australia and New Zealand. I came home to visit of course, but only moved back to the UK in 2011, so that trip was memorable and pivotal in many ways and has stuck in my mind. The story is based on that crossing, but of course, as J.F. Penn my imagination turns it into essentially a ‘locked room,' there is no escape out there, especially if the danger comes from the sea. Another strand of the story comes from a recent academic essay for my Masters, when I wrote about the changes in museum ethics around human remains and medical specimens i.e. body parts in jars, and how some remains have been repatriated to the indigenous peoples they were stolen from. I've also talked before about how I love ‘merfolk' horror like Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant, All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter, and Merfolk by Jeremy Bates. These are no smiling fantasy mermaids and mermen. They are predators. What might happen if the remains of a mer-saint were stolen from the deep, and what might happen to the ship that the remains are being transported in, and the people on board?  I'm about a third in, and I am having great fun! It will actually be a thriller, with a supernatural edge, rather than horror, and it is called Bones of the Deep, and it will be out on Kickstarter in April, and everywhere by the summer.  You can check out the Kickstarter pre-launch page with photos from my 1999 trip, the cover for the book, and the sales description at JFPenn.com/bones Add merch to CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com I've dipped my toe into merch a number of times and then removed the products, but now I'm clear on my message of transformation, I want to revisit this. My books remain core for both sites, but for CreativePennBooks, I also want to add other products with what are essentially affirmations — ‘Creative,' ‘I am creative, I am an author,' and variants of the poster I have had on my wall for years, ‘Measure your life by what you create.' This is the affirmation I had in my wallet for years! For JFPennBooks, the items will be gothic/memento mori/skull-related. Everything will be print-on-demand. I will not be shipping anything myself, so I'm working with my designer Jane on this and then need to order test samples, and then get them added to the store. Likely mid-year at this rate! How to Write, Publish, and Market Short Stories and Short Story Collections — Joanna Penn I have a draft of this already which I expanded from the transcript of a webinar I did on this topic as part of The Buried and the Drowned campaign. It turns out I've learned a lot about this over the years, and also on how to make a collection, so I will get that out at some point this year. I won't do a Kickstarter for it, but I will do direct sales for at least a month and include a special edition, workbook, and bundles on my store first before putting it wide. I will also human-narrate that audiobook. Other possible books I'm an intuitive creative and discovery writer, so I don't plan out what I will write in a year. The books tend to emerge and then I pick the next one that feels the most important. After the ones above, there are a few candidates. Crown of Thorns, ARKANE thriller #14. Regular readers and listeners will know how much I love religious relics, and it's about time for a big one! I have a trip to Paris planned in the spring, as the Crown of Thorns is at Notre Dame, and I have some other locations to visit. My ARKANE thrillers always emerge from in-person travels, so I am looking forward to that. Maybe late 2026, maybe 2027. AI + religion technothriller/short stories. I already have some ideas sketched out for this and my Masters thesis will be something around AI, religion, and death, so I expect something will emerge from all that study and academic writing. Not sure what, but it will be interesting! The Gothic Cathedral Book. I have tens of thousands of words written, and lots of research and photos and thoughts. But it is still in the creative chaos phase (which I love!) and as yet has not emerged into anything coherent. Perhaps it will in 2026, and the plan is to re-focus on it after my Masters dissertation.  I feel like the Masters study and the academic research process will make this an even better book, But I am holding my plans for this lightly, as it feels like another ‘big' book for me, like my ‘shadow book' (which became Writing the Shadow) and took more than a decade to write! How to be Creative. I have also written bits and bobs on this over many years, but it feels like it is re-emerging as part of my focus on transformation. Probably unlikely for 2026 but now back on the list … Experiment more with AI translation AI-assisted translation has been around for years now in various forms, and I have experimented with some of the services, as well as working with human narrators and editors in different languages, as well as licensing books in translation. But when Amazon launched Kindle Translate in November 2025, it made me think that AI-assisted translation will become a lot more popular in 2026. AI audiobook narration became good enough for many audiobooks in 2025, and it seems like AI-translation will be the same in 2026. Yes, of course, human translation is still the gold standard, as is human narration, and that would be the primary choice for all of us — if it was affordable. But frankly, it's not affordable for most indie authors, and indeed many small publishers. Many books don't get an audiobook edition and most books don't get translated into every language. It costs thousands per book for a human translator, and so it is a premium option. I have only ever made a small profit on the books that I paid for with human translators and it took years, and while I have a few nice translation deals on some books, I'm planning to experiment more with AI translation in 2026. More languages, more markets, more opportunities to reach readers. More on this in the next episode when I'll cover trends for 2026. Ideally outsource more marketing to AI, but do more marketing anyway You have to reach readers somehow, and you have to pay for book marketing with your time and/or your money. Those authors killing it on TikTok pay with their time, and those leaning heavily on ads are paying with money. Most of us do a bit of both. There is no passive income from books, and even a backlist has to be marketed if you want to see any return. But I, like most authors, am not excited about book marketing. I'd rather be working on new books, or thinking about the ramifications of the changes ahead and writing or talking about that in my Patreon Community or here on the podcast. However, my book sales income remains about the same even as I (slowly) produce more books, so I need to do more book marketing in 2026. I said that last year of course, and didn't do much more than I did in 2024, so here I am again promising to do a better job! Every year, I hope to have my “AI book marketing assistant” up and running, and maybe this will be the year it happens. My measure is to be able to upload a book and specify a budget and say, ‘Go market this,' and then the AI will action the marketing, without me having to cobble together workflows between systems. Of course, it will present plans for me to approve but it will do the work itself on the various platforms and monitor and optimize things for me. We have something like that already with Amazon auto-ads, but that is specific to Amazon Advertising and only works with certain books in certain genres. I have auto-ads running for a couple of non-fiction books, but not for any fiction. I'd also ideally like more sales on my direct stores, JFPennBooks.com and CreativePennBooks.com which means a different kind of marketing. Perhaps this will happen through ChatGPT shopping or other AI-assisted e-commerce, which should be increasing in 2026. More on that in trends for the year to come in the next show. Double down on being human, health and travel I have a lot of plans for travel both for book research and also holidays with Jonathan but he has to finish his MBA and then we have some family things that take priority, so I am not sure where or when yet, but it will happen! Paris will definitely happen as part of the research for Crown of Thorns, hopefully in the spring. I've been to Paris many times as it's just across the Channel and we can go by train but it's always wonderful to visit again. Health-wise, I'll continue with powerlifting and weight training twice a week as well as walking every day. It's my happy place! What about you? If you'd like to share your goals for 2026, please add them in the comments below — and remember, I'm a full-time author entrepreneur so my goals are substantial. Don't worry if yours are as simple as ‘Finish the first draft of my book,' as that still takes a lot of work and commitment! All the best for 2026 — let's get into it! The post My 2026 Creative And Business Goals With Joanna Penn first appeared on The Creative Penn.

You can have liver damage for decades without any signs of liver failure. Spotting these 7 early signs of liver disease could save your life. Find out about the signs your liver is dying so you can act before it's too late.0:00 Introduction: 7 signs your liver is dying0:32 The real cause of liver damage 1:14 7 liver dying symptoms3:05 Right shoulder pain4:06 Itchy skin and liver disease 5:16 Swollen abdomen and liver problems6:57 Reversing liver damage 8:22 How to improve liver health quickly Your liver is the hardest-working organ in your body, and the only major organ that can completely regenerate.Here are 7 liver warning signs that may indicate liver damage before the issue becomes too severe.1. Waking up between 2 and 3 a.m. A dysfunctional liver causes excessive blood sugar swings at night. A steep drop in blood sugar while you're sleeping spikes adrenaline, which will wake you up.2. Right shoulder painWhen the liver is damaged, bile production slows down, leading to sluggish and clogged bile ducts. This can cause referred pain in the right shoulder. 3. Bruise easilyThe liver makes clotting factors, so if it's damaged, you may find that you bruise more easily. 4. ItchingItching at night, particularly on the bottom of the feet and other parts of the body, can be caused by excess bile that backs up in the liver. 5. Low tolerance to alcoholPeople with liver problems can not efficiently break down alcohol, which causes more toxicity in the body.6. Fat belly/skinny legs A protruding belly is usually caused by an advanced form of liver damage called ascites, where fluid begins to build up in the abdomen. This is often associated with legs that are skinny due to muscle loss. 7. Brain irritationWhen the liver is damaged, you can't effectively break down protein, which causes a backup of ammonia. This affects cognitive function and personality, leading to irritability, temper issues, brain fog, and difficulty focusing.You can go from a severely damaged liver to a healthy liver within weeks by avoiding hidden sugars in your diet!Try these 7 tips to improve liver health and reverse liver damage:1. Stop snacking2. Eliminate sugar, starch, and seed oils 3. Eat more high-quality meat and vegetables4. Go to sleep earlier5. Choose organic foods6. Consume cruciferous vegetables7. Take TUDCA supplementsDr. Eric Berg DC Bio:Dr. Berg, age 60, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals and author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.Disclaimer: Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients, so he can focus on educating people as a full-time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose, and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, prescription, or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

If you're not losing weight, dangerous diet advice may be the reason. Discover the worst weight loss mistakes and how to lose weight fast with these 13 effective weight loss tips.0:00 Introduction: weight loss lies1:01 The worst weight loss advice 1:49 Low-calorie diets2:30 Weight loss mistakes6:01 13 weight loss tips14:08 Periodic prolonged fasting to lose weight fast Surprisingly, the most common weight loss tips given by mainstream dietitians and medical professionals are the worst diet advice! Calorie counting and portion control will leave you feeling hungry and constantly craving carbs. The body adapts to a low-calorie diet, leading to a slower metabolism. A low-calorie, high-carbohydrate diet raises insulin levels.I'm sure you've heard these other bad weight loss tips: • Eat 6 small meals per day• Count calories• Increase fiber• Drink more water to help you feel full• Chew gum• Take Ozempic These tips will not boost fat loss!Your body can use fat or glucose for fuel. Although stored fat is potential energy, you must lower your insulin to utilize it.Insulin resistance is at the root of many chronic illnesses and can negatively affect the liver, nervous system, immune system, and more. Low-calorie diets that don't lower insulin are not sustainable. You won't be able to achieve your goals if you're hungry, craving carbs, dealing with brain fog, high blood pressure, or other related issues. If you really want to lose weight, stop calorie counting! Try these 13 weight loss tips instead:1 Don't use pre-workout, sugary drinks, or protein bars.2. Keep your carbs at around 10 to 20 grams per day.3. No bright lights at night. 4. Get early morning sun.5. Avoid late-night snacking. 6. Never buy junk food at the grocery store. Don't shop while hungry!7. Be cautious around social situations.8. Walk after meals.9. Don't eat unless you're hungry.10. Prioritize healthy animal protein.11. Consume apple cider vinegar before meals.12. Avoid diets that keep you bloated.13. Do periodic prolonged fasting. Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:Dr. Berg, age 60, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals and author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.Disclaimer: Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients, so he can focus on educating people as a full-time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose, and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, prescription, or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

How can you be more relaxed about your writing process? What are some specific ways to take the pressure off your art and help you enjoy the creative journey? With Joanna Penn and Mark Leslie Lefebvre. In the intro, Spotify 2025 audiobook trends; Audible + BookTok; NonFiction Authors Guide to SubStack; OpenAI and Disney agreement on Sora; India AI licensing; Business for Authors January webinars; Mark and Jo over the years Mark Leslie LeFebvre is the author of horror and paranormal fiction, as well as nonfiction books for authors. He's also an editor, professional speaker, and the Director of Business Development at Draft2Digital. Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers, dark fantasy, and memoir as J.F. Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. Mark and Jo co-wrote The Relaxed Author in 2021. You can listen to us talk about the process here. 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 Why the ‘relaxed' author Write what you love Write at your own pace Write in a series (if you want to) Schedule time to fill the creative well and for rest and relaxation Improve your writing process — but only if it fits with your lifestyle You can find The Relaxed Author: Take the Pressure Off Your Art and Enjoy the Creative Journey on CreativePennBooks.com as well as on your favorite online store or audiobook platform, or order in your library or bookstore. You can find Mark Leslie Lefebvre and his books and podcast at Stark Reflections.ca Why the ‘relaxed' author? Joanna: The definition of relaxed is “free from tension and anxiety,” from the Latin laxus, meaning loose, and to be honest, I am not a relaxed or laid-back person in the broader sense. Back in my teens, my nickname at school was Highly Stressed. I'm a Type A personality, driven by deadlines and achieving goals. I love to work and I burned out multiple times in my previous career as an IT consultant. If we go away on a trip, I pack the schedule with back-to-back cultural things like museums and art galleries to help my book research. Or we go on adventure holidays with a clear goal, like cycling down the South-West coast of India. I can't even go for a long walk without training for another ultra-marathon! So I am not a relaxed person — but I am a relaxed author. If I wanted to spend most of my time doing something that made me miserable, I would go back to my old day job in consulting. I was paid well and worked fewer hours overall. But I measure my life by what I create, and if I am not working on a creative project, I am not able to truly relax in my downtime. There are always more things I want to learn and write about, always more stories to be told and knowledge to share. I don't want to kill my writing life by over-stressing or burning out as an author. I write what I love and follow my Muse into projects that feel right. I know how to publish and market books well enough to reach readers and make some money. I have many different income streams through my books, podcast and website. Of course, I still have my creative and business challenges as well as mindset issues, just like any writer. That never goes away. But after a decade as a full-time author entrepreneur, I have a mature creative business and I've relaxed into the way I do things. I love to write, but I also want a full and happy, healthy life. I'm still learning and improving as the industry shifts — and I change, too. I still have ambitious creative and financial goals, but I am going about them in a more relaxed way and in this book, I'll share some of my experiences and tips in the hope that you can discover your relaxed path, too. Mark: One of the most fundamental things you can do in your writing life is look at how you want to spend your time. I think back to the concept of: ‘You're often a reflection of the people you spend the most time with.' Therefore, typically, your best friend, or perhaps your partner, is often a person you love spending time with. Because there's something inherently special about spending time with this person who resonates in a meaningful way, and you feel more yourself because you're with them. In many ways, writing, or the path that you are on as a writer, is almost like being on a journey with an invisible partner. You are you. But you are also the writer you. And there's the two of you traveling down the road of life together. And so that same question arises. What kind of writer-self do you want to spend all your time with? Do you want to spend all your time with a partner that is constantly stressed out or constantly trying to reach deadlines based on somebody else's prescription of what success is? Or would you rather spend time with a partner who pauses to take a contemplative look at your own life, your own comfort, your own passion and the things that you are willing to commit to? Someone who allows that all to happen in a way that feels natural and comfortable to you. I'm a fan of the latter, of course, because then you can focus on the things you're passionate about and the things you're hopeful about rather than the things you're fearful about and those that bring anxiety and stress into your life. To me, that's part of being a relaxed author. That underlying acceptance before you start to plan things out. If the writing life is a marathon, not a sprint, then pacing, not rushing, may be the key. We have both seen burnout in the author community. People who have pushed themselves too hard and just couldn't keep up with the impossible pace they set for themselves. At times, indie authors would wear that stress, that anxiety, that rush to produce more and more, as a badge of honor. It's fine to be proud of the hard work that you do. It's fine to be proud of pushing yourself to always do better, and be better. But when you push too far — beyond your limits — you can ultimately do yourself more harm than good. Everyone has their own unique pace—something that they are comfortable with—and one key is to experiment until you find that pace, and you can settle in for the long run. There's no looking over your shoulder at the other writers. There's no panicking about the ones outpacing you. You're in this with yourself. And, of course, with those readers who are anticipating those clearly communicated milestones of your releases. I think that what we both want for authors is to see them reaching those milestones at their own paces, in their own comfort, delighting in the fact their readers are there cheering them on. Because we'll be silently cheering them along as well, knowing that they've set a pace, making relaxed author lifestyle choices, that will benefit them in the long run. “I'm glad you're writing this book. I know I'm not the only author who wants peace, moments of joy, and to enjoy the journey. Indie publishing is a luxury that I remember not having, I don't want to lose my sense of gratitude.” —Anonymous author from our survey Write what you love Joanna: The pandemic has taught us that life really is short. Memento mori — remember, you will die. What is the point of spending precious time writing books you don't want to write? If we only have a limited amount of time and only have a limited number of books that we can write in a lifetime, then we need to choose to write the books that we love. If I wanted a job doing something I don't enjoy, then I would have remained in my stressful old career as an IT consultant — when I certainly wasn't relaxed! Taking that further, if you try to write things you don't love, then you're going to have to read what you don't love as well, which will take more time. I love writing thrillers because that's what I love to read. Back when I was miserable in my day job, I would go to the bookstore at lunchtime and buy thrillers. I would read them on the train to and from work and during the lunch break. Anything for a few minutes of escape. That's the same feeling I try to give my readers now. I know the genre inside and out. If I had to write something else, I would have to read and learn that other genre and spend time doing things I don't love. In fact, I don't even know how you can read things you don't enjoy. I only give books a few pages and if they don't resonate, I stop reading. Life really is too short. You also need to run your own race and travel your own journey. If you try to write in a genre you are not immersed in, you will always be looking sideways at what other authors are doing, and that can cause comparisonitis — when you compare yourself to others, most often in an unfavorable way. Definitely not relaxing! Writing something you love has many intrinsic rewards other than sales. Writing is a career for many of us, but it's a passion first, and you don't want to feel like you've wasted your time on words you don't care about. “Write what you know” is terrible advice for a long-term career as at some point, you will run out of what you know. It should be “write what you want to learn about.” When I want to learn about a topic, I write a book on it because that feeds my curiosity and I love book research, it's how I enjoy spending my time, especially when I travel, which is also part of how I relax. If you write what you love and make it part of your lifestyle, you will be a far more relaxed author. Mark: It's common that writers are drawn into storytelling from some combination of passion, curiosity, and unrelenting interest. We probably read or saw something that inspired us, and we wanted to express those ideas or the resulting perspectives that percolated in our hearts and minds. Or we read something and thought, “Wow, I could do this; but I would have come at it differently or I would approach the situation or subject matter with my own flair.” So, we get into writing with passion and desire for storytelling. And then sometimes along the way, we recognize the critical value of having to become an entrepreneur, to understand the business of writing and publishing. And part of understanding that aspect of being an author is writing to market, and understanding shifts and trends in the industry, and adjusting to those ebbs and flows of the tide. But sometimes, we lose sight of the passion that drew us to writing in the first place. And so, writing the things that you love can be a beacon to keep you on course. I love the concept of “Do something that you love, and you'll never work a day in your life.” And that's true in some regard because I've always felt that way for almost my entire adult life. I've been very lucky. But at the same time, I work extremely hard at what I love. Some days are harder than others, and some things are really difficult, frustrating and challenging; but at the end of the day, I have the feeling of satisfaction that I spent my time doing something I believe in. I've been a bookseller my entire life even though I don't sell books in brick-and-mortar bookstores anymore—that act of physically putting books in people's hands. But to this day, what I do is virtually putting books in people's hands, both as an author and as an industry representative who is passionate about the book business. I was drawn to that world via my passion for writing. And that's what continues to compel me forward. I tried to leave the corporate world to write full time in 2018 but realized there was an intrinsic satisfaction to working in that realm, to embracing and sharing my insights and knowledge from that arena to help other writers. And I couldn't give that up. For me, the whole core, the whole essence of why I get up in the morning has to do with storytelling, creative inspiration, and wanting to inspire and inform other people to be the best that they can be in the business of writing and publishing. And that's what keeps me going when the days are hard. Passion as the inspiration to keep going There are always going to be days that aren't easy. There will be unexpected barriers that hit you as a writer. You'll face that mid-novel slump or realize that you have to scrap an entire scene or even plotline, and feel like going back and re-starting is just too much. You might find the research required to be overwhelming or too difficult. There'll be days when the words don't flow, or the inspiration that initially struck you seems to have abandoned you for greener pastures. Whatever it is, some unexpected frustration can create what can appear to be an insurmountable block. And, when that happens, if it's a project you don't love, you're more likely to let those barriers get in your way and stop you. But if it's a project that you're passionate about, and you're writing what you love, that alone can be what greases the wheels and helps reduce that friction to keep you going. At the end of the day, writing what you love can be a honing, grounding, and centering beacon that allows you to want to wake up in the morning and enjoy the process as much as possible even when the hard work comes along. “For me, relaxation comes from writing what I know and love and trusting the emergent process. As a discovery writer, I experience great joy when the story, characters and dialogue simply emerge in their own time and their own way. It feels wonderful.” — Valerie Andrews “Writing makes me a relaxed author. Just getting lost in a story of my own creation, discovering new places and learning what makes my characters tick is the best way I know of relaxing. Even the tricky parts, when I have no idea where I am going next, have a special kind of charm.” – Imogen Clark Write at your own pace Mark: Writing at your own pace will help you be a more relaxed author because you're not stressing out by trying to keep up with someone else. Of course, we all struggle with comparing ourselves to others. Take a quick look around and you can always find someone who has written more books than you. Nora Roberts, traditionally published author, writes a book a month. Lindsey Buroker, fantasy indie author, writes a book a month of over 100,000 words. If you compare yourself to someone else and you try to write at their pace, that is not going to be your relaxed schedule. On the other hand, if you compare yourself to Donna Tartt, who writes one book every decade, you might feel like some speed-demon crushing that word count and mastering rapid release. Looking at what others are doing could result in you thinking you're really slow or you could think that you're super-fast. What does that kind of comparison actually get you? I remember going to see a talk by Canadian literary author Farley Mowat when I was a young budding writer. I'll never forget one thing he said from that stage: “Any book that takes you less than four years to write is not a real book.” Young teenage Mark was devastated, hurt and disappointed to hear him say that because my favorite author at the time, Piers Anthony, was writing and publishing two to three novels a year. I loved his stuff, and his fantasy and science fiction had been an important inspiration in my writing at that time. (The personal notes I add to the end of my stories and novels came from enjoying his so much). That focus on there being only a single way, a single pace to write, ended up preventing me from enjoying the books I had already been loving because I was doing that comparisonitis Joanna talks about, but as a reader. I took someone else's perspective too much to heart and I let that ruin a good thing that had brought me personal joy and pleasure. It works the same way as a writer. Because we have likely developed a pattern, or a way that works for us that is our own. We all have a pace that we comfortably walk; a way we prefer to drive. A pattern or style of how and when and what we prefer to eat. We all have our own unique comfort food. There are these patterns that we're comfortable with, and potentially because they are natural to us. If you try to force yourself to write at a pace that's not natural to you, things can go south in your writing and your mental health. And I'm not suggesting any particular pace, except for the one that's most natural and comfortable to you. If writing fast is something that you're passionate about, and you're good at it, and it's something you naturally do, why would you stop yourself from doing that? Just like if you're a slow writer and you're trying to write fast: why are you doing that to yourself? There's a common pop song line used by numerous bands over the years that exhorts you to “shake what you got.” I like to think the same thing applies here. And do it with pride and conviction. Because what you got is unique and awesome. Own it, and shake it with pride. You have a way you write and a word count per writing session that works for you. And along with that, you likely know what time you can assign to writing because of other commitments like family time, leisure time, and work (assuming you're not a full-time writer). Simple math can provide you with a way to determine how long it will take to get your first draft written. So, your path and plans are clear. And you simply take the approach that aligns with your writer DNA. Understanding what that pace is for you helps alleviate an incredible amount of stress that you do not need to thrust upon yourself. Because if you're not going to be able to enjoy it while you're doing it, what's the point? Your pace might change project to project While your pace can change over time, your pace can also change project to project. And sometimes the time actually spent writing can be a smaller portion of the larger work involved. I was on a panel at a conference once and someone asked me how long it took to write my non-fiction book of ghost stories, Haunted Hamilton. “About four days,” I responded. And while that's true — I crafted the first draft over four long and exhausting days writing as much as sixteen hours each day — the reality was I had been doing research for months. But the pen didn't actually hit the paper until just a few days before my deadline to turn the book over to my editor. That was for a non-fiction book; but I've found I do similar things with fiction. I noodle over concepts and ideas for months before I actually commit words to the page. The reason this comes to mind is that I think it's important to recognize the way that I write is I first spend a lot of time in my head to understand and chew on things. And then by the time it comes to actually getting the words onto the paper, I've already done much of the pre-writing mentally. It's sometimes not fair when you're comparing yourself to someone else to look at how long they physically spend in front of a keyboard hammering on that word count, because they might have spent a significantly longer amount of a longer time either outlining or conceptualizing the story in their mind or in their heart before they sat down to write. So that's part of the pace, too. Because sometimes, if we only look at the time spent at the ‘writer's desk,' we fool ourselves when we think that we're a slow writer or a fast writer. Joanna: Your pace will change over your career My first novel took 14 months and now I can write a first draft in about six weeks because I have more experience. It's also more relaxing for me to write a book now than it was in the beginning, because I didn't know what I was doing back then. Your pace will change per project I have a non-fiction work in progress, my Shadow Book (working title), which I have started several times. I have about 30,000 words but as I write this, I have backed away from it because I'm (still) not ready. There's a lot more research and thinking I need to do. Similarly, some people take years writing a memoir or a book with such emotional or personal depth that it needs more to bring it to life. Your pace will also shift depending on where you are in the arc of life Perhaps you have young kids right now, or you have a health issue, or you're caring for someone who is ill. Perhaps you have a demanding day job so you have less time to write. Perhaps you really need extended time away from writing, or just a holiday. Or maybe there's a global pandemic and frankly, you're too stressed to write! The key to pacing in a book is variability — and that's true of life, too. Write at the pace that works for you and don't be afraid to change it as you need to over time. “I think the biggest thing for me is reminding myself that I'm in this to write. Sometimes I can get caught up in all the moving pieces of editing and publishing and marketing, but the longer I go without writing, or only writing because I have to get the next thing done instead of for enjoyment, the more stressed and anxious I become. But if I make time to fit in what I truly love, which is the process of writing without putting pressure on myself to meet a deadline, or to be perfect, or to meet somebody else's expectations — that's when I become truly relaxed.” – Ariele Sieling Write in a series (if you want to) Joanna: I have some stand-alone books but most of them are in series, both for non-fiction and for my fiction as J.F. Penn. It's how I like to read and write. As we draft this book, I'm also writing book 12 in my ARKANE series, Tomb of Relics. It's relaxing because I know my characters, I know my world; I know the structure of how an ARKANE story goes. I know what to put in it to please my readers. I have already done the work to set up the series world and the main characters and now all I need is a plot and an antagonist. It's also quicker to write and edit because I've done it before. Of course, you need to put in the work initially so the series comes together, but once you've set that all up, each subsequent book is easier. You can also be more relaxed because you already have an audience who will (hopefully) buy the book because they bought the others. You will know approximately how many sales you'll get on launch and there will be people ready to review. Writing in a non-fiction series is also a really good idea because you know your audience and you can offer them more books, products and services that will help them within a niche. While they might not be sequential, they should be around the same topic, for example, this is part of my Books for Authors series. Financially, it makes sense to have a series as you will earn more revenue per customer as they will (hopefully) buy more than one book. It's also easier and more relaxing to market as you can set one book to free or a limited time discount and drive sales through to other books in the series. Essentially, writing a book in a series makes it easier to fulfill both creative and financial goals. However, if you love to read and write stand-alone books, and some genres suit stand-alones better than series anyway, then, of course, go with what works for you! Mark: I like to equate this to no matter where you travel in the world, if you find a McDonald's you pretty much know what's on the menu and you know what to expect. When you write in a series, it's like returning to hang out with old friends. You know their backstory; you know their history so you can easily fall into a new conversation about something and not have to get caught up on understanding what you have in common. So that's an enormous benefit of relaxing into something like, “Oh, I'm sitting down over coffee, chatting with some old friends. They're telling me a new story about something that happened to them. I know who they are, I know what they're made out of.” And this new plot, this new situation, they may have new goals, they may have new ways they're going to grow as characters, but they're still the same people that we know and love. And that's a huge benefit that I only discovered recently because I'm only right now working on book four in my Canadian Werewolf series. Prior to that, I had three different novels that were all the first book in a series with no book two. And it was stressful for me. Writing anything seemed to take forever. I was causing myself anxiety by jumping around and writing new works as opposed to realizing I could go visit a locale I'm familiar and comfortable with. And I can see new things in the same locale just like sometimes you can see new things and people you know and love already, especially when you introduce something new into the world and you see how they react to it. For me, there's nothing more wonderful than that sort of homecoming. It's like a nostalgic feeling when you do that. I've seen a repeated pattern where writers spend years writing their first book. I started A Canadian Werewolf in New York in 2006 and I did not publish it until ten years later, after finishing it in 2015. (FYI, that wasn't my first novel. I had written three and published one of them prior to that). That first novel can take so long because you're learning. You're learning about your characters, about the craft, about the practice of writing, about the processes that you're testing along the way. And if you are working on your first book and it's taking longer than planned, please don't beat yourself up for that. It's a process. Sometimes that process takes more time. I sometimes wonder if this is related to our perception of time as we age. When you're 10 years old, a day compared to your lifetime is a significant amount of time, and thinking about a year later is considering a time that is one-tenth of your life. When you have a few more decades or more under your belt, that year is a smaller part of the whole. If you're 30, a year is only one-thirtieth of your life. A much smaller piece. Just having written more books, particularly in a series, removes the pressure of that one book to represent all of you as a writer. I had initial anxiety at writing the second book in my Canadian Werewolf series. Book two was more terrifying in some ways than book one because finally, after all this time, I had something good that I didn't want to ruin. Should I leave well enough alone? But I was asked to write a short story to a theme in an anthology, and using my main character from that first novel allowed me to discover I could have fun spending more time with these characters and this world. And I also realized that people wanted to read more about these characters. I didn't just want to write about them, but other people wanted to read about them too. And that makes the process so much easier to keep going with them. So one of the other benefits that helps to relax me as a writer working on a series is I have a better understanding of who my audience is, and who my readers are, and who will want this, and who will appreciate it. So I know what worked, I know what resonated with them, and I know I can give them that next thing. I have discovered that writing in a series is a far more relaxed way of understanding your target audience better. Because it's not just a single shot in the dark, it's a consistent on-going stream. Let me reflect on a bit of a caveat, because I'm not suggesting sticking to only a single series or universe. As writers, we have plenty of ideas and inspirations, and it's okay to embrace some of the other ones that come to us. When I think about the Canadian rock trio, Rush, a band that produced 19 studio albums and toured for 40 years, I acknowledge a very consistent band over the decades. And yet, they weren't the same band that they were when they started playing together, even though it was the same three guys since Neil Peart joined Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. They changed what they wrote about, what they sang about, themes, styles, approaches to making music, all of this. They adapted and changed their style at least a dozen times over the course of their career. No album was exactly like the previous album, and they experimented, and they tried things. But there was a consistency of the audience that went along with them. And as writers, we can potentially have that same thing where we know there are going to be people who will follow us. Think about Stephen King, a writer who has been writing in many different subjects and genres. And yet there's a core group of people who will enjoy everything he writes, and he has that Constant Reader he always keeps in mind. And so, when we write in a series, we're thinking about that constant reader in a more relaxed way because that constant reader, like our characters, like our worlds, like our universes, is like we're just returning to a comfortable, cozy spot where we're just going to hang out with some good friends for a bit. Or, as the contemplative Rush song Time Stand Still expresses, the simple comfort and desire of spending some quality time having a drink with a friend. Schedule time to fill the creative well and for rest and relaxation Mark: What we do as writers is quite cerebral, so we need to give ourselves mental breaks in the same way we need to sleep regularly. Our bodies require sleep. And it's not just physical rest for our bodies to regenerate, it's for our minds to regenerate. We need that to stay sane, to stay alive, to stay healthy. The reality for us as creatives is that we're writing all the time, whether or not we're in front of a keyboard or have a pen in our hand. We're always writing, continually sucking the marrow from the things that are happening around us, even when we're not consciously aware of it. And sometimes when we are more consciously aware of it, that awareness can feel forced. It can feel stressful. When you give yourself the time to just let go, to just relax, wonderful things can happen. And they can come naturally, never feeling that urgent sense of pressure. Downtime, for me, is making space for those magic moments to happen. I was recently listening to Episode 556 of The Creative Penn podcast where Joanna talked about the serendipity of those moments when you're traveling and you're going to a museum and you see something. And you're not consciously there to research for a book, but you see something that just makes a connection for you. And you would not have had that for your writing had you not given yourself the time to just be doing and enjoying something else. And so, whenever I need to resolve an issue or a problem in a project I'm writing, which can cause stress, I will do other things. I will go for a run or walk the dogs, wash the dishes or clean the house. Or I'll put on some music and sing and dance like nobody is watching or listening—and thank goodness for that, because that might cause them needless anxiety. The key is, I will do something different that allows my mind to just let go. And somewhere in the subconscious, usually the answer comes to me. Those non-cerebral activities can be very restorative. Yesterday, my partner Liz and I met her daughter at the park. And while we quietly waited, the two of us wordlessly enjoyed the sights and sounds of people walking by, the river in the background, the wind blowing through the leaves in the trees above us. That moment wasn't a purposeful, “Hey, we're going to chill and relax.” But we found about five minutes of restorative calm in the day. A brief, but powerful ‘Ah' moment. And when I got back to writing this morning, I drew upon some of the imagery from those few minutes. I didn't realize at the time I was experiencing the moment yesterday that I was going to incorporate some of that imagery in today's writing session. And that's the serendipity that just flows very naturally in those scheduled and even unscheduled moments of relaxation. Joanna: I separate this into two aspects because I'm good at one and terrible at the other! I schedule time to fill the creative well as often as possible. This is something that Julia Cameron advises in The Artist's Way, and I find it an essential part of my creative practice. Essentially, you can't create from an empty mind. You have to actively seek out ways to spark ideas. International travel is a huge part of my fiction inspiration, in particular. This has been impossible during the pandemic and has definitely impacted my writing. I also go to exhibitions and art galleries, as well as read books, watch films and documentaries. If I don't fill my creative well, then I feel empty, like I will never have another idea, that perhaps my writing life is over. Some people call that writer's block but I know that feeling now. It just means I haven't filled my creative well and I need to schedule time to do that so I can create again. Consume and produce. That's the balance you need in order to keep the creative well filled and the words flowing. In terms of scheduling time to relax instead of doing book research, I find this difficult because I love to work. My husband says that I'm like a little sports car that goes really, really fast and doesn't stop until it hits a wall. I operate at a high productivity level and then I crash! But the restrictions of the pandemic have helped me learn more about relaxation, after much initial frustration. I have walked in nature and lain in the garden in the hammock and recently, we went to the seaside for the first time in 18 months. I lay on the stones and watched the waves. I was the most relaxed I've been in a long time. I didn't look at my phone. I wasn't listening to a podcast or an audiobook. We weren't talking. We were just being there in nature and relaxing. Authors are always thinking and feeling because everything feeds our work somehow. But we have to have both aspects — active time to fill the creative well and passive time to rest and relax. “I go for lots of walks and hikes in the woods. These help me work out the kinks in my plots, and also to feel more relaxed! (Exercise is an added benefit!)” –T.W. Piperbrook Improve your writing process — but only if it fits with your lifestyle Joanna: A lot of stress can occur in writing if we try to change or improve our process too far beyond our natural way of doing things. For example, trying to be a detailed plotter with a spreadsheet when you're really a discovery writer, or trying to dictate 5,000 words per hour when you find it easier to hand write slowly into a journal. Productivity tips from other writers can really help you tweak your personal process, but only if they work for you — and I say this as someone who has a book on Productivity for Authors! Of course, it's a good idea to improve things, but once you try something, analyze whether it works for you — either with data or just how you feel. If it works, great. Adopt it into your process. If it doesn't work, then discard it. For example, I wrote my first novel in Microsoft Word. When I discovered Scrivener, I changed my process and never looked back because it made my life so much easier. I don't write in order and Scrivener made it easier to move things around. I also discovered that it was easier for me to get into my first draft writing and creating when I was away from the desk I use for business, podcasting, and marketing tasks. I started to write in a local cafe and later on in a co-working space. During the pandemic lockdown, I used specific playlists to create a form of separation as I couldn't physically go somewhere else. Editing is an important part of the writing process but you have to find what works for you, which will also change over time. Some are authors are more relaxed with a messy first draft, then rounds of rewrites while working with multiple editors. Others do one careful draft and then use a proofreader to check the finished book. There are as many ways to write as there are writers. A relaxed author chooses the process that works in the most effective way for them and makes the book the best it can be. Mark: When it comes to process, there are times when you're doing something that feels natural, versus times when you're learning a new skill. Consciously and purposefully learning new skills can be stressful; particularly because it's something we often put so much emphasis or importance upon. But when you adapt on-going learning as a normal part of your life, a natural part of who and what you are, that stress can flow away. I'm always about learning new skills; but over time I've learned how to absorb learning into my everyday processes. I'm a pantser, or discovery writer, or whatever term we can apply that makes us feel better about it. And every time I've tried to stringently outline a book, it has been a stressful experience and I've not been satisfied with the process or the result. Perhaps I satisfied the part of me that thought I wanted to be more like other writers, but I didn't satisfy the creative person in me. I was denying that flow that has worked for me. I did, of course, naturally introduce a few new learnings into my attempts to outline; so I stuck with those elements that worked, and abandoned the elements that weren't working, or were causing me stress. The thought of self-improvement often comes with images of blood, sweat, and tears. It doesn't have to. You don't have to bleed to do this; it can be something that you do at your own pace. You can do it in a way that you're comfortable with so it's causing you no stress, but allowing you to learn and grow and improve. And if it doesn't work but you force yourself to keep doing it because a famous writer or a six-figure author said, “this is the way to do it,” you create pressure. And when you don't do it that way, you can think of yourself as a failure as opposed to thinking of it as, “No, this is just the way that I do things.” When you accept how you do things, if they result in effectively getting things done and feeling good about it at the same time, you have less resistance, you have less friction, you have less tension. Constantly learning, adapting, and evolving is good. But forcing ourselves to try to be or do something that we are not or that doesn't work for us, that causes needless anxiety. “I think a large part of it comes down to reminding myself WHY I write. This can mean looking back at positive reviews, so I can see how much joy others get from my writing, or even just writing something brand new for the sake of exploring an idea. Writing something just for me, rather than for an audience, reminds me how much I enjoy writing, which helps me to unwind a bit and approach my projects with more playfulness.” – Icy Sedgwick You can find The Relaxed Author: Take the Pressure Off Your Art and Enjoy the Creative Journey on CreativePennBooks.com as well as on your favorite online store or audiobook platform, or order in your library or bookstore. The post The Relaxed Author Writing Tips With Joanna Penn and Mark Leslie Lefebvre first appeared on The Creative Penn.

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