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What builds trust when you don't have a title or position of authority? SUMMARY According to Lt. Col. Joe Bledsoe '11, it's honesty, integrity, humility presence and action. Tune in as he shares practical leadership lessons learned from the Academy, combat aviation and years of mentoring others.   SHARE THIS EPISODE FACEBOOK  |  LINKEDIN   COL. BLEDSOE'S TOP 10 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS 1. Leadership starts before the title. People follow your example, ideas, and presence long before you get formal authority. 2. Informal leadership is as real as formal leadership. Class president, wingman, or peer—your influence, credibility, and support role matter even without rank. 3. Be “clay to be molded.” Show eagerness, humility, and effort; people notice fresh attitude and willingness to embrace hard things. 4. You can't lead alone—build a trusted team. Time management and heavy responsibility force you to delegate to people you trust and empower them. 5. Trust has two layers: inherent and earned. Start with inherent trust (shared values, shared background) and deliberately grow earned trust through behavior. 6. Five traits that build credibility fast: Honesty, integrity, humility, presence (actually being there, engaged), and decisive action. 7. Debrief like a fighter pilot: brutally honest, never personal. Separate the person from the performance, do root‑cause analysis, fix errors, and then move on—no re‑litigating. 8. Own your mistakes out loud. Saying “I'm sorry,” “I was wrong,” or “I don't know, but I'll find out” accelerates trust and models humility. 9. Mentors and mentees are non‑negotiable. Continuously seek guidance from those ahead of you and invest in those behind you to sharpen your own thinking. 10. Prioritize relationships and pride in the mission. Treat family and friends well, cultivate the Long Blue Line, and remember you're on the A‑team—act like it.   CHAPTERS 00:00:00 — Opening & Guest Intro Show open, Naviere introduces Lt Col Joe “Paveway” Bledsoe and his career highlights. 00:01:13 — Voluntold to Lead: Becoming Class President Basic cadet training, being “voluntold,” interview gauntlet, and getting elected class president. 00:04:09 — What a Class President Actually Does Informal vs formal leadership, picking the class exemplar (Robin Olds), dining‑ins, spirit missions, and accountability. 00:08:38 — From Future Doctor to Fighter Pilot Arriving at USAFA wanting to be a physician, loving biology and medicine, and the first seeds of doubt. 00:10:03 — Ops Air Force, Powered Flight, and the Pivot Deployed Ops Air Force in CENTCOM, exposure to flying in theater, powered flight, and choosing pilot training over med school. 00:12:22 — Mentors, Family, and Making a Hard Call Mentorship from family, upperclassmen, and permanent party; emotional weight of changing paths and family's reaction. 00:14:08 — Leading Without Rank: Credibility and Trust Informal leadership as a young wingman, lessons from time management and delegation as class president, inherent vs earned trust, and key traits (honesty, integrity, humility, presence, action). 00:22:06 — Fighter Pilot Debriefs & Radical Feedback Culture Brutally honest debriefs, owning mistakes, root‑cause analysis, safety and mission focus, and how that mindset translates beyond the cockpit. 00:27:48 — Leadership at Home: Marriage, Parenting, and ‘Knock It Off' High‑school‑sweetheart marriage, parenting, using accountability and humility with kids, and balancing “fighter pilot” mode with being a husband and dad. 00:30:30 — Future Conflict, Growth, and Pride in the Long Blue Line Risk and future fight, Institute for Future Conflict, exposure to other AFSCs and logistics, daily growth habits (mentors, mentees, reading, writing, running), advice to younger self, and closing message on being proud of USAFA and the A‑team.   ABOUT COL. BLEDSOE BIO Lt. Col. Joseph “Paveway” Bledsoe '11 is a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and recognized leader whose career has spanned combat operations, advanced airpower development and service to the Long Blue Line. A native of rural Pennsylvania, Bledsoe graduated from the Academy in 2011 with a degree in biology before earning a Master of Public Policy from the University of Maryland.  He is Currently assigned to the Institute for Future Conflict at the U.S. Air Force Academy where he studies the future of airpower, emerging technologies and the challenges of great-power competition. Prior to joining the Institute, he helped lead training and operational planning efforts at the 366th Fighter Wing, contributing to major exercises and the wing's first deployment to the Indo-Pacific region. His work bridges the gap between today's operational realities and tomorrow's strategic challenges. A recipient of the Association & Foundation's Young Alumni Excellence Award, Bledsoe is widely respected for his emphasis on faith, family and service. Throughout his career, he has remained deeply connected to the Academy community through mentorship, alumni leadership and a commitment to developing the next generation of leaders. On this episode of Long Blue Leadership, he shares lessons learned from leading peers, building influence before authority and navigating high-stakes decisions in both the cockpit and the profession of arms.   CONNECT WITH JOE LINKEDIN   CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LINE PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Ted Robertson | Producer and Editor:  Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org Please note: we are only considering USAFA graduates as guests at this time. Ryan Hall | Director:  Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org  Bryan Grossman | Copy Editor:  Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org Wyatt Hornsby | Executive Producer:  Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org     ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE AT USAFA.ORG/LONGBLUELEADERSHIP AND ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS     FULL TRANSCRIPT Guest, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Joe "Paveway" Bledsoe" '11  |  Host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99    Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz 0:01 Sometimes leadership begins long before you've ever been put in charge. It starts when people trust you enough to follow your example, your ideas or your vision. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99; Long Blue Leadership starts now. Well, Lt. Col. Joe “Paveway” Bledsoe the Third. Welcome to Long Blue Leadership. Lt. Col. Joe Bledsoe 0:20 Naviere, it's great to see you. Thank you for having me here today. I'm looking forward to the conversation. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:24 So, Joe, your career has been exciting so far, and you're still in it. You know, you have been operational leader, obviously an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot. You've been deployed, you have been a researcher, you're a Young Alumni Excellence Award winner for our Association & Foundation, you've been an AOG board director and a fellow for the Institute for Future Conflict. And that, that's just, you know, a short little list, because you're a student heading back into, over to, is it North Carolina, right? Seymour Johnson.   Col. Joe Bledsoe 0:53 That's correct. Seymour Johnson, yep.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:54 In the cockpit, yeah. Col. Joe Bledsoe 0:56 Yeah, we're super excited. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:59 Yes. Well, we're going to touch on probably many of those places, but I want to dial it back to something that only one graduate in every class experiences, and for you it happened shortly after Basic Cadet Training. Your class selected you as your class president. How did that come about? Col. Joe Bledsoe 1:14 How did that all go down? That's a great question. So there we were, right after basic training. I was in Cadet Squadron 19 for my freshman year, and I got the opportunity — this is one of those voluntold moments, right — where the upperclassmen and BCT cadre said, “Joe,” or “Cadet Bledsoe, report to H-1 during transition week.” That's when everybody's coming back, and you're like, “Sure, yep, yes, sir, yes, ma'am. Here we go.” So I show up with 40, 50 other fourth-class cadets, and we come to find out it was for us, and we were going to go through who was going to be the class officers. So first off, as I look back on that experience, a lot of respect and no humility being asked to go like represent Squadron 19, right? Like, I didn't volunteer, they just kind of pointed me in that direction, so we show up and got to interview with the upperclassmen, class officers, and there's funny interview questions, real serious interview questions. You know, I was just honest, right? Like, I'm here. This is what I think about what being a leader looks like, and how I could help serve the class, not thinking I would ever be selected, right? And as the night is going on, and ACQ is right around the corner, they kind of whittle it down to four or five of us, and we get up in front of the rest of the cadets and classmates that were there, and it was an open forum, like you know, back in Rome times, like you're standing in the gauntlet, Yeah, like it was like Roman voting, right? And asked a bunch of questions, and I remember standing up there with, you know, preppies, prior enlisted, and then me, just like straight off the street, and there's a couple other of us up there, and just answer the questions honestly, and at the end of that, there was a vote, and you know, they read the results, and I was like, "Holy smokes, I'm class president. How did this, how did this happen,” right? And I think there's a lot that — it was daunting at first, right? And then also, like, “This is awesome, I don't know what I'm getting into,” right? I just found out about it. I remember walking back on the Tizo. This was the first time I can say this now, because you know, grad, and I didn't run the strips because the upperclassmen and class officers walked me back, and I distinctly remember to — back to my squadron to — Jordan Kraft and Forrest Underwood walked back and were given some mentorship to me, like here's how to succeed, here's things we would recommend, and it was just an awesome opportunity to like kind of learn what pure leadership looks like, what it means to be in this not org chart that is unique to the Academy, and that's where the, that's where the adventure started for class president. I'm still, I haven't been fired yet, and I still proudly serve the Class of 2011 — Robin Olds' class — as their class president, and it's one of the best jobs that I have the privilege of doing. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 4:10 My goodness. I mean, just to unpack that a little bit, obviously, in basic cadet training, you did enough to impress your cadre, I'm sure that there was probably some sort of cadre selection to bring however many of them forth first. Would you say that you would you agree with that, or is that — am I way off? Col. Joe Bledsoe 4:28 Yeah, I would say —I think when I look back my time at basic training, like I wanted to come to the Academy since I was in your school, right? So, like, I thrived — I'm not saying it was easy by any means, right? We all know that, but I thrived in like this new adventure, right? And I took everything, I embraced everything. I think that may have been something they saw, right? Like I was clay to be molded, right? And I had some prior opportunities in basic to show that to my BCT cadre, and they picked up on it. It wasn't that I was trying, but I think looking back on that experience, there was moments of like my freshness, my eagerness, my like pride in that I made it to basic training, that I wanted to just try as hard as I could, and I think some of that probably shown through, and ultimately may have been why I was selected to go try that interview process, right? Col. Naviere Walkewicz 5:20 So that interview process, at the end of the day, you were elected by your peers, and you know it — to your point — you said in that unusual, the not normal org chart, right, the one that doesn't exist, but yet you have leadership of your class. What did that look like? How did that translate? Because not many of us are class president, I'm certainly not my class president, and so I'm not sure what that leadership role looks like. Can you share a little bit more about some examples? Col. Joe Bledsoe 5:46 Yeah, I think that that leadership role was very different each year, right? As a freshman and a sophomore, as a four-degree and a three-degree, before any official academy leadership position starts to present themselves, that they do for two-degrees and firsties, it was a lot of helping the class stay as a collective whole, right? So one of the first big things as freshmen was selecting our class exemplar, right? And running like — how do, who do we select? How do we come together and figure that process out? How do we then, once we have a name, once we selected Robin Olds, how do we have a formal dining in? Things that I had never even heard of, right? As well as on the other side, the shenanigans, right? So, the spirit missions, right? There was many times I've had to go to the commandant's office and say, I don't know where the class crest is, like, out of pure honesty, right? But, like, that is, that was like a way, as an underclassman, that we kind of got that informal leadership, but also you're the leader by default here, so we're gonna, we're gonna make you accountable for your class. So I got to see both sides, that transitioning a little bit more to two-degree and first a year was now taking a little bit step back in writing in the informal leadership position, so I looked as myself as like a supporting agent, supporting member to our cadet leadership, and I always presented that like, “Hey, if you need our class to do something, I will do that, but if militarily you own that, like, I'm not ever going to step on your toes or push back,” right? The other thing we got, I was able to do is also help provide, like, morale inputs, right? Like you kind of had the pulse of morale, I think, more as the class president sometimes than in the official leadership, so could help provide some inputs along those ways, and there are some, say more shenanigans or morale events that we get to help put forth and present those to the cadet leadership for official approval later on as we firsties. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 8:04 Gosh, well, that was, I mean, it's really insightful for us to understand some of the roles that a class president and class cabinet plays, and so understanding that it's — I like how you put it as a supporting agent to the formal leadership. And we're gonna touch on this a lot more, because I think there's going to be times when you'll share how you build that trust and credibility throughout, both when you're a cadet and as an officer. But before we jump there, I happen to find out, Joe, that you weren't coming to the Air Force Academy to become a fighter pilot, but to become a physician. Can we talk about that for a moment? Col. Joe Bledsoe 8:37 Absolutely, that's absolutely a — I came to the Air Force Academy, wanted to be a doctor. I knew I wanted to be a biology major. I declared, I think, the first day I could declare and went through the gauntlet of getting ready for med school applications, and I loved every second of it. It was awesome. Even my fellow classmates would say he was a huge nerd and studying all the time, because that was my goal, right? I came into the Academy, and I wanted to be a doctor, and I knew the gauntlet that is, that that is required to do such a thing. And I still love medicine, right? I still love — I think medicine is fascinating. Every time my probably get there someday, or in the conversation, but anytime my kids have to go to the ER, like I'm like, “Can I scrub in,” right? All that kind of stuff. Yeah, put me in. I love medicine, and it wasn't till the summer between my two-degree and firstie year did I have that midlife crisis at the age of 21 and then firstie year is when that crisis kind of came to a head, and new doors opened, and here we are today, right? So that, yes, you're absolutely right. Always wanted to be a doctor. I was still fascinated by medicine, but now I'm just a pilot. So, there we go. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 9:57 So, can we, can you expand a bit more on it? So, was it a decision you wanted to make or a decision you had to make? Col. Joe Bledsoe 10:03 Yeah, yeah, that's great. It was a decision I had to make, ultimately, myself. Right? No one, no one said, “Joe, you can't be a doctor.” So, the summer — there's two key things that really happened that helped influence that decision. The first one was the summer between two-degree in firstie year, I had the opportunity to deploy to the Middle East, and we've heard of Ops Air Force. You know Ops Air Force. Well, at that time we had a deployed Ops Air Force, so they sent cadets overseas to deployed locations to see what was, you know, to get the full experience in a deployed location. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 10:40 Wow. Col. Joe Bledsoe 10:40 So I had the opportunity to do that. Spent the summer in CENTCOM and kind of opened my eyes to… Col. Naviere Walkewicz 10:47 Oh, Central Command. Col. Joe Bledsoe 10:47 Yeah, sorry, Central Command, and got to experience — I got attached to a C-130 unit, right, and I got to see what flying looked like in a deployed environment, and I kind of opened my eyes, where I've been hyper focused on medicine, right? Like, you know, so focused on this is what it takes to be a doctor. I kind of like put my blinders on to what the rest of the Air Force did, right? So I was like, “This is pretty, this is, these guys and gals are doing awesome stuff, like this is this is the pointy end of what was going on.” And that planted a seed, that planted a seed. So it came back, firstie year was doing the med school applications, going through, I had some free time in my academic calendar, and I got to go down to the airfield and do the powered flight program. So, I got to see flying over the summer, and then I was blessed enough to have the opportunity to go fly an airplane, and I was like, “OK, the seed was planted, let's see if I get air sick, like, let's see if there's anything else here that might make me not want to do this.” And I loved it. Right, I fell in love with flying down at the airfield. I came back, and I was like, I'm gonna pause the med school applications and put my name in the hat for pilot training, and the rest was history, right? So, doors open, doors close, right? But that was my story, and I loved getting to talk to cadets about that, because so many can be — so many times we see some that are hyper focused, and like there's always other options out there, and it's OK to have a crisis we can talk you through. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 12:23 I think that's a fantastic lesson that you actually learned early, because you know it's interesting — had you not been sent to Ops Air Force at a deployed location, you might not have taken Alex flight, and so you know when you think about leadership opportunities and lessons, this is one of those moments where it actually steered you in a new direction. So, as we think about that, I'm curious, how your family responded to that, because, you know, you had come to the Air Force Academy to be a doctor. Were they happy for you? Were they surprised, a little nervous? Col. Joe Bledsoe 12:57 Yeah, there was a ton of mentorship there, right? Not just from my family, but from upperclassmen peers, permanent party, like, “What are you doing? Like, you came here telling us this was your goal. Where did this new goal come from?” So, there was a lot of time talking that through, and I needed that myself. It wasn't, as you know, in any decision, like, it wasn't a snap decision. So, a lot of time walking through that decision process and leaning on mentors and kind of asking the questions, like I knew what four years of med school, and then residency, but I knew what that like, what does pilot training look like? How long does that take, right? So, a lot of questions to help answer, or to find answers through, and ultimately, my family was super supportive, super supportive, and they still joke, like, “Hey, how come you're not doctor.” Well, because I fly F-15s now, right? But all supportive all throughout the process, right? And that's where you lean on others, right? Lean on others, because it very much felt like a crisis, like I still have scar tissue over it. But looking back on it, it wasn't just me making — I ultimately made the decision, but they helped me through it. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 14:08 That's fantastic. You know, I think about you as an officer, as a fighter pilot, and obviously there's a lot of steps you took to get there on the road was certainly not easy. Often, though, I think that there can be some misconceptions, or maybe this is accurate, that earlier in your pilot life or your aviator life, there's probably not a lot of leadership lessons where you're leading others. Maybe, maybe that's a misperception, and we'd love to talk about that. You know, how do you find the leadership opportunities then when you are, you know, you're party of one, right? You don't necessarily have any direct reports. What does leadership look like there? Col. Joe Bledsoe 14:43 Yeah, can we take that back to like some lessons I learned at the Academy?   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 14:46 Oh, absolutely.   Col. Joe Bledsoe 14:47 Right, I think, I think that's where I've leaned most heavily in, like, not in there's this difference between formal leadership and informal, positional versus informal, and I was blessed enough at a pretty young age to learn the plus — the how to succeed and how to fail in informal leadership. I've tried to carry that throughout my career. So when you say like the younger days of being a wingman in the F-15 community, it's a lot about credibility. It's a lot about that peer leadership. How do you build the credibility? How do you build the trust to be someone that others look up to in that informal system, right, in that informal system. When they look down their phone, like, “Who do I call? Who do I have to call? Who do I want to call?” Right? and I think that's where you have to balance some of that stuff, and I spent time thinking about that, and trying to lean on lessons that I learned from the Academy, and while formal leadership positions were never handed to me, that doesn't mean you're not a leader, right? Like, you can't beat it, doesn't mean you don't just get to sit back and not lead. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 16:02 Can you share an example of a time when you learned that about yourself, or what that looked like?   Col. Joe Bledsoe 16:09 In the flying world? Col. Naviere Walkewicz 16:11 Or as a cadet?   Col. Joe Bledsoe 16:12 Yeah, as a cadet, I think the biggest one was — I'll take it back to, like, freshman, sophomore year, where I learned one of the key pillars that I'm convinced the Air Force Academy teaches all us grads about is time management, right? And I thought I was pretty good at time management, and then when you're now the president of 1,000 other cadets, your inbox fills up very quickly, right? Or you're like, “I thought I was good at time management.” And I learned very quickly that you can't do it alone, right? You can't do it alone, and I had to learn to surround myself with people that I trusted and that I could delegate or hand tasks off to, and just say, “I need this accomplished,” and I did that to my friends that I knew would get the mission done, right? And I had to have that level of trust, and I think that is translated throughout my career, where I inherently trust people with a project, right? I think there's two versions of trust, inherent trust and earned trust. When I look at the graduate network, whether that's the Air Force Academy, Navy, West Point, and I see a class ring, I'm like, “I inherently trust you,” and I can, I believe, or I see some other veterans have on — like, “I inherently trust you,” and then in other cases where I've had to learn and work with people, it's now, “I'm earning your trust, and I hope you're earning mine as well,” and that is this unique balance of I inherently trust you, I learned that at the Academy. Now let's build on that as a foundation and get this earned trust to as high as we can. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 17:54 What does some of that earned trust or becoming more credible look like when young leaders don't have the benefit of time? Right, so I, the more time I work with you, the more I learn about you. You build that credibility, etc. How does one accomplish that, maybe either shorten the gap or do that a little quicker or impactfully earlier? Col. Joe Bledsoe 18:18 Yeah, time is always — like we always need more time, right? How often do you say, like, “I only have 24 hours, but I need more time,” right? So, if we're always fighting time, like, and everybody's fighting time, then, like, that's a constant. So, let's not worry about time. So, I look at it as, like, what traits do people bring to the table, or what traits can we can we sharpen? Honesty, right? Honesty is huge. You have to be honest, and that's a pillar of trust. Integrity, right? Integrity first and showing people that you display integrity is really important. Humility, I think, is also really important. Humility is really important. I was listening to a podcast the other day, and it really struck home to me, a sense of humility is — if a leader is able to say three things, they're gonna — I know I could, I can build that trust, no matter what that time gap is. “I'm sorry,” “I was wrong,” or one of the seven basic responses: “I don't know, but I'll find out,” right? I think that's really important with humility. The other one is presence, not with a T, like we're not giving presents, but presence. Being present is really important character trait in my mind, and the fifth one that I try to reflect on a lot is action. Right? I think defaulting to not doing something is not what we want. That doesn't help build trust. Taking action with what knowledge you have and making a decision is really important, and I think those are the traits that help build that credibility, help build that trust in that time gap, whatever that looks like. If you can hit those, the five that I try to hit home. If you can do that, hopefully you're building that relationship that is going to foster — have great fruition out of it. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 20:06 That's outstanding, and that's really helpful, I think. I love how you took out the constant of time being an excuse, right? Like, we don't always have the benefit of time, whether it's time and getting more experience or just time in general, I think those are outstanding examples of how you can build credibility. So, thank you for sharing that. You know, one of the things that I also would love to kind of dig into a little bit of your experiences, Joe — because they've been really vast, right? So, I don't believe that everyone has the same kind of path. How have you grown as a leader in these different experiences that really, again, aren't positional leadership roles? I'm just curious, how your growth has been in that space. Col. Joe Bledsoe 20:47 Think a lot of it's been through failure. I think a lot of it's been through failure. These might not be huge, like we lost a million dollars, or like, not through those kind of failures, but relationship failures, or conversation failure at the micro level, and how I've tried to handle that is surround myself with people that will tell me that the emperor — I'm gonna go back to the, I'm gonna go back to the old fairy tale, or fable, right? If you surround yourself with people that are able to come up to you, and you trust them, and you trust their feedback, that is something I've tried, that was Cadet Bledsoe, advice given to me is Cadet Bledsoe. Surround yourself with people that you will listen to and take their feedback honestly. And sometimes that means if I don't have that person in the room and I know I fumbled a conversation or I made a poor decision, it's going to that individual and saying, “I messed up, I'm sorry, I was wrong,” or “I don't know,” right. And that's how I try to use that to present humility, I think, and that's important, because we're all fallible, we all make mistakes, and if I can't admit that, then, like, we're off to the wrong foot right away. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 22:06 Do you think some of that that skill that you've developed over time has been something that you've learned in, and forgive me, I don't know if it's a fighter pilot community, specifically, or you know, I think about when you do your sorties and you have some sort of debrief, right? I feel what I've heard, I've not actually sat in one, but they're very real. Like, there's no, it's not about making you feel good about it, like it's about the safety and the mission, and so I'm curious, if that skill of humility, and you know, calling a spade a spade, and calling it I'm wrong and I'm wrong, did that come from some of that experience, and maybe you can talk through what that's like, because not everyone, I think, practices at that level of transparency. Col. Joe Bledsoe 22:46 Yeah, the fighter pilot debrief. I learned some of the importance of that through mentorship as a cadet, and then that was sharpened as a fighter pilot. And I learned the importance of that through the form, my formal job, right, the mission, the lives at stake, aircraft, that kind of stuff. And I think I've tried, I've only honed that skill through Air Force training, right? The Air Force has trained me to think like that, and I've tried to translate that into my personal life and leadership positions, because I think there's tons of value to that. There is tons of value in being willing to find a mistake, own up to that mistake with the knowledge and hope that it doesn't happen again, right? And if that is like, if you, if that's your north star, we don't do this again, like, why wouldn't you want to be on that team? Why wouldn't, why don't you want to be? That's how we get better, right? And I think that seed again was planted as a cadet. Like, let's, I tell cadets all the time, like, you're joining the A-team, so put in A effort, right? Like, if you're going to join the A-team, I don't want B-players, and this is what we got to get, like, let's go, right? It's a motivating factor in my mind. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 24:08 What are some of the ways to approach that in a leadership conversation for someone who would be interested in taking on some of those, those learned lessons? Col. Joe Bledsoe 24:18 Yeah, I think the first thing is transparency and honesty right up front. Like this, Naviere, if we were flying together, right and you were my instructor, your job is not to degrade me as a human, but to prove to me that I made a mistake with the ultimate goal of making me better, right? Your job is to always, like — and the relationship you and I have as an instructor and a student is my — I'm gonna sit here in the debrief and go, and Naviere is here to make me better, right? Like, that's your, that's your job, right? Right. So, once you start that as the foundation, like, it can only get better if I know your job is to make me better, and your job is I'm supposed to make this guy better, right. And often we can, when feedback is provided, you're like, this could be a personal attack, or, like, that's all left out, that's all left outside the debrief room, right? Like, we're here to make everybody better, and I think that's where it starts: with that transparency and honesty up front of the expectation. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 25:15 So you'll actually say that. You would actually… Col. Joe Bledsoe 25:17 No, I think that's just a common, that's a common theme, right? That's the expectation in the community. And not just in the fighter community. I think it's throughout the Air Force, right? I think that's what makes us really, really unique. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 25:32 Because feedback is something that we, we do — although maybe some can do it better than others — I think that's a really fantastic way — before you're giving someone feedback, you're really clear on this is what we're hoping to accomplish by having this time together. And so, I think what you just said can make feedback so much more impactful, because it's not about the person, it's about what are we trying to accomplish and helping you, I guess. It is about you, but ultimately helping you. Col. Joe Bledsoe 25:59 Absolutely, right? Like the where every debrief starts is we had a mission objective and we had tactical objectives. Did we do them? If we didn't, let's figure out why, right? So translating to the business world or private sector, it's a root cause analysis, right? It's a root cause analysis, and we will get down to the nitty gritty of like, what type of error — did you make a decision error? Did you perceive the environment wrong? Did your actions cause the error, right? And we get down to that level, so that when the student, student Paveway walks away, Naviere, knows, Naviere, you gave me the exact, like, you decided wrong, because X, Y and Z; don't do that again. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 26:43 Right. Col. Joe Bledsoe 26:44 Here's your fix. You know, that debrief can take hours, and that's the beauty of it, right? “We're gonna sit there, and we're not gonna let anything not be uncovered, because we're gonna go do this again tomorrow, and we can't make the same mistake tomorrow,” right? “We can't make the same mistake.” Col. Naviere Walkewicz 27:01 No, that's, that's fantastic. I mean, to have it that clear, and to know it, like, OK, we're not gonna, we don't stay in that space. We've addressed it, we know we've identified a fix, and we move forward. Is that what you said? Col. Joe Bledsoe 27:12 Absolutely. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 27:13 There's no like, continue to revisit, like… Col. Joe Bledsoe 27:15 Yep, that's the point, right? Like, “I've learned something, I know, I've acknowledged my mistake. Let's move on. This wasn't personal, this was you making me better.” Iron sharpens iron, right? So, here we go, and then move on. And now that translates, as you asked kind of a couple minutes ago, right, that can translate to so many things in your life, right? And I try to do that sometimes, like my wife will tell me, I go too fighter pilot, but there's versions of that that translate as we are not in a fight or pilot debrief. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 27:50 You literally got in my head because I was gonna say, now I want to put you on the spot, because Joe, you are married to your high school sweetheart, you make a 2% club, right? Like, you actually started the Academy with a sweetheart and ended with the same sweetheart. And now you have three amazing, beautiful children. How do you translate that to, you know, feedback to your family or your personal life? And I love how your wife said too fighter pilot, but how about to your kids? Col. Joe Bledsoe 28:15 Yeah, married my high school sweetheart, Alicia. We started dating our sophomore year, and we've been together ever since. So she is not a grad, but she has a lot of Air Force in her blood, so that's great, and the kids, I would say there's a couple things when it comes to taking some things I've learned or been trained in the Air Force, translating on the home front. The first one goes to accountability, right? I think accountability is really important because in an aircraft, you have to be accountable for your actions, and I think that translates to being a parent, as well as trying to teach the kids some humility. Right, where to be humble, when to own up to your mistakes, and sometimes that works in the fighter pilot way, sometimes it doesn't, and I think that's leadership, right? You can have leadership skills and be consistent in some, in some ways, but other times adaptability is really important, especially with the kids, and each one of my kids is very unique, and we have to cater to each one of them and their unique skills. I will say about my wife, I love her with all my heart, but she knows the words “knock it off” as well, right, because that's a sacred word, not just in the military, but on our, in our homefront, and that usually means stop being a full fighter pilot, like go back to being Dad, right? So she knows, she knows the words and how to make that all go down. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 29:47 I love that it's another language, right? You have your, your fighter pilot language, and you have a home front language. I love that. Thank you for sharing that. You know, I'd like to switch gears a little bit to your time operationally, and maybe this translates into now your work at the Institute, or your most recent work at the Institute for Future Conflict and preparing cadets for the future fight. I'm curious, how all of these skills that you've learned, and these leadership traits that you've continued to develop in yourself, have translated in moments of, you know, like, real conflict, real distress, like when the stakes are high, and how you prepare cadets to think that way, even though maybe they've not experienced that. I'm just curious, what that looks like. Col. Joe Bledsoe 30:31 Yeah, it is hard to translate — like cadets love war stories, right? Like, “So there I was…” but it's hard to translate some of, like, the putting, having the cadets put themselves in the shoes of someone that has 15 years of flying under their belt, right? Like, that's hard for them to grasp, and I understand that, and that's not what I'm asking of them to do, but there are certain skills that I think are really important, and that I've got to experience and talk to cadets and research and spend time thinking about at the Institute for Future Conflict at the IFC. One is risk, right? How do we, how do we think about risk, right? Are we risk prone? We risk adverse? How do we think about risk, not just in this moment, but how does our decision today affect five days from now, a month, right? And, as you remember, because I know it happened to you as a cadet, like you're just in the, like, “What's my next problem,” right? What's my next — OK, how does, like, fixing this problem affect next week? Right. And I think that's what I've got had the opportunity to think a lot about the IFC, as well as try one thing I've learned being back here at the Academy was my experience as a cadet is not the same experience as the cadets now. And what do I mean by that is when I graduated, GWOT, Global War on Terror was the thing we knew what we were getting into. I very much knew flying, going to the Middle East. Now the cadets looked to me and other permanent party, and like, what's our fight going to look like? And right, the question mark is, I don't know, but let me tell you, think about this, and I could be wrong, and I think that is where I've had a lot of time to think about future conflict and what's problems, maybe not nations or adversaries, but like big meta level things they'll have to think about, information access, information sharing, trust, right? How do you, how do you help develop some of these skills in the cadets? And that's where I've spent a lot of time the last two years trying to think and spend, spend some brain bytes, like what does air power look like in this unknown environment? Col. Naviere Walkewicz 32:52 And as you're about to step back into it, I'm thoughtful of that, and so now you're taking what you've helped cadets start to hone in and think about. How are you different now as a leader going back into the cockpit than you were when you came to the Academy? Col. Joe Bledsoe 33:09 Yeah, let me get back to the cockpit, and everyone can tell me what, how I'm different. We'll use that as the test. But here's one thing I think — I've reflected on this recently, going back to the Strike Eagle community. One has been my exposure here in Colorado Springs and at the Air Force Academy, meaning I've learned a lot about what others do that I wasn't — I knew other jobs existed, I knew other AFSCs did things, but not being in a flying day-to-day ops tempo, I've had the opportunity to sit down and, like, “What do you say you do?” “Oh, that has some effects here, here, and here,” and I use a specific vignette would be, I've got to spend a lot of time in the management department and helped teach in the global logistics minor, and like, I knew there was logisticians in the Air Force, and like, that's yeah, right? That's how stuff got here, but like, understanding the importance of, like, that's how my bombs got here, this is how the b…, right, like, truly understanding their frustrations, I think will make me get less frustrated in my day to day, right, and I think that has been one thing that the Academy has given back to me the second time I've been here, is a little bit more exposure to the Air Force, as well as the Space Force, being here in Colorado Springs, like seeing what each team member, like each cog in the machine brings to the fight, right? And I think that's been a blessing here. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 34:42 So those that you will begin to get back working with — your men and women in your community — they won't have had that exposure, and so I'm now going back to our where we started with the sense of informal leadership. How do you help others gain that experience and thought, and maybe thought process informally, since they haven't really been exposed to that? How would you help them navigate it? Col. Joe Bledsoe 35:09 Naviere, I think the best way to do stuff like that is, like, you raised your hand when you said logistics officers, like Naviere, we're doing a podcast with my next squadron, you're coming to talk, right? Col. Naviere Walkewicz 35:19 Right, it's like that was like a long time ago, we need someone more recent. Col. Joe Bledsoe 35:24 But, OK, Naviere, it's not you, but you know people, that's how stuff gets done, right, that's how stuff gets done. And while I by no means want to stand up in front of everybody and say I'm the expert on logistics, but I, I'm not that person, but I trust Naviere, Naviere's contact here, and that's how, like, you create this network of knowledge and this network of trust and credibility. And to my, to the fighter pilots that I'll be flying with, it's somewhat like throwing mud at the wall sometimes, like we're gonna keep throwing mud and see what sticks, but at least they know it's there, right? Like, we're gonna, your job is still to go kill things and blow things up, but at the same time, you know there's this other network out there that you can lean into. But let me be a conduit to make that happen. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 36:15 That is awesome. That's fantastic. So I want to go into this period now, where we talk about you and your continued growth as a leader. What is something, Joe, that you're doing every day to be a better leader? Col. Joe Bledsoe 36:30 I have mentors, and I've tried to find mentees. I think that is where growth can happen, leaning on others for mentorship and mentees to try to talk through some things you've thought through and give experience and exposure to others, right? And that's that network we were just talking about, right? Other things I think are really important is reading and writing. Read a lot, write a lot, nobody writes good anymore, right? Thanks, ChatGPT. But being able to communicate in the written form is really important. So, writing and reading. And the other thing, too, is as a leader, just find an outlet, find something, find a hobby, find something that's fun to do, right. So, I got into running here at the Academy, because we're at high elevation, and I'm, why not, right? But find something that, like, rounds you out, right? It's fine, find an outlet that helps give you some relief from all the stresses that can happen in leadership. That's where I would say I spend a lot of time, or what I think about trying to sharpen my skills. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 37:34 Daily. So, what are you reading right now? Col. Joe Bledsoe 37:37 Oh, that's a great question. I have a couple books that are on the table. Mask of Command is one that I'm reading as I get ready to go back and potentially be in a leadership role. There's a couple other books that come to mind. I'm reading a baseball coaching book, because I coach my baseball, it's a basketball book by Coach K from Duke, as I go back to North Carolina, but it's a book, how to coach kids, right, Leadership on the Court, and it's fun to just think about training and coaching kids and how to keep them inspired. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 38:18 Oh, that's awesome. So, speaking of kids, if you were to go back in time, and talk to younger Joe Bledsoe, the third, what advice would you give him? Col. Joe Bledsoe 38:30 Yeah, if I had to go back, I would say it's worth it. Every second, work hard at the Academy, right? The doors that it opens, that's where my mind went when you asked the question, like, younger me at the Academy. Be good to Alicia, my wife, right? Be good, because she's going to be with you for a long time. So be good to her, as well as foster your, foster your friendships. They're going to mean a lot to you in the future, right? The relationships you build on that hill are going to come back in ways you have no idea years to come. So take time and prioritize the people that you meet. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 39:10 Those are really great reflections. Joe, is there anything that we haven't covered in our conversation that you would love to share with our Long Blue Leadership listeners and viewers? Col. Joe Bledsoe 39:24 Absolutely, be proud of this institution. I'm proud of it. I know you are too, Naviere. Proud of this Academy. Be proud of the cadets, be proud of the permanent party that work here. There's an A-team out there, and this is this is where it starts, right? And it's not just if you're serving in blue or in the Space Force, right? If you're out there doing awesome things for our country on the private, in the private sector, thank you. Keep doing what you're doing. There's no shade of blue in the Long Blue Line, that's my, my phrase for that one. There's no shade of blue. Serve your country, be proud. And that's — just be proud to be an Academy grad. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 40:07 That's fantastic. So, you know, in our time together, I have loved this, this, this leadership conversation, because we really span an area that I don't think a lot of people talk about, and it's, how do you demonstrate leadership in an informal way, you know, without titles and without necessarily key positions or in the hierarchical structure, and so some of the things that really stood with me, Joe, that you've covered, have been being credible, being present, and humble. I really like that, and you didn't say this in these words, but what I took from that was, you know, being honest and truthful is almost one of the most kind ways you can be right, because you're actually helping someone be better, and that really stuck with me, you know. I don't, we have an A-team, we don't need B-players, that I think you exactly said that, so definitely stuck with me. But watching the way that you have led, not with your class, not just the cadets, and, you know, certainly not the squadron that you will have here shortly as a director of operations, but I think you've continued to just be who you've always been, which is someone who leads with integrity through those pillars and certainly by example. So this has been an incredible conversation, and for anyone that is watching us and listening to this, for others that are in their leadership journeys, this is another one you're going to want to share, because it's not just about, you know, Lt. Col. Bledsoe's journey right now, it's been all of these moments and experiences and memories and they really do connect with anyone on a leadership journey. So, be sure to join in on longblueleadership.org or wherever you get your podcasts, not just to see this one, but all of our other conversations. So, Joe, thank you so much for joining us today. Col. Joe Bledsoe 41:46 Thank you Naviere. Go Air Force! Col. Naviere Walkewicz 41:48 Go Air Force!   Col. Joe Bledsoe 41:49 There we go. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 41:50 Absolutely, until next time, we'll see you on Long Blue Leadership. KEYWORDS informal leadership, peer leadership, Air Force Academy leadership, USAFA class president, fighter pilot debrief culture, building trust and credibility, leadership humility, future conflict and airpower, Long Blue Leadership podcast, military leadership lessons.     The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation          

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Here is a structured summary of the Ri‑Karlo Handy interview with Rushion McDonald from Money Making Conversations Masterclass, including its purpose, key takeaways, and notable quotes.

June 19th, or Juneteenth, commemorates the day in 1865 when enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas learned they had been freed from bondage. It was two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, and a city of Milwaukee holiday one year later. But Milwaukee has been celebrating Juneteenth for much longer -- 55 years. It's thanks, in large part, to community leader Margaret Henningson and Northcott Neighborhood House, which put on the first Juneteenth celebration in 1971. Henningson says she learned about Juneteenth in a conversation with her grandmother, during a family trip to Georgia when she was a teenager. Henningson tells WUWM Race & Ethnicity Reporter Teran Powell that message came full circle for her when she began working for Northcott in the 1970s. 

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Here is a structured summary of the Ri‑Karlo Handy interview with Rushion McDonald from Money Making Conversations Masterclass, including its purpose, key takeaways, and notable quotes.

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Here is a structured summary of the Ri‑Karlo Handy interview with Rushion McDonald from Money Making Conversations Masterclass, including its purpose, key takeaways, and notable quotes.

Iterative development systems are no longer optional—they are the backbone of modern software teams that need to move quickly without breaking everything. In the second half of the conversation, Thanos Diacakis moves beyond communication problems and into something deeper: the systems that enable teams to consistently deliver. About Thanos Diacakis With over 25 years in software development, Thanos Diacakis has worked across startups and companies like Uber and Included Health, where he scaled complex systems to millions of users. He now focuses on helping teams build faster, improve quality, and avoid the chaos that comes from outdated practices. Connect with Thanos on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thanosd/ Why Iterative Development Systems Replace Traditional Pipelines Traditional development follows a sequence: Research → Product → Design → Engineering That model is breaking down. Thanos explains that these steps are now compressed into a single continuous loop.   Instead of handing work between teams, modern systems integrate them.

In this episode of the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast, your hosts, Sean V. Bradley and LA Williams, take a hard look at what it really takes to succeed in automotive sales in today's market! "The market has been changing, and guess what? It doesn't change back." – Sean V. Bradley The car business has changed, but too many dealerships are still training like it hasn't. Sean and LA unpack why outdated methods are holding sales professionals back, why self-education has become non-negotiable, and how the next generation of top performers will separate themselves through practice, preparation, and adaptability! "Practice makes permanent, not perfect." – Sean V. Bradley This conversation also explores the growing role of AI in automotive sales training, especially how new role-play technology is giving salespeople, BDC reps, and managers a safe place to practice real conversations before they happen on the showroom floor. "AI is your friend because it's going to make you lots and lots of money." – Sean V. Bradley If you're in the automotive industry and want to sharpen your skills, build confidence, and stay ahead of the competition, this episode will challenge the way you think about training, growth, and what it means to become a true professional in 2026 and beyond! Key Takeaways: ✅ The automotive industry is reverting to pre-pandemic sales dynamics, demanding a higher level of skill and training from sales teams to succeed. ✅ Investment in self-education and business strategies is crucial for automotive professionals to adapt to changing market conditions. ✅ AI role-playing technology offers sales professionals a unique opportunity to practice and refine their skills without the need for a human partner. ✅ Sean V. Bradley emphasizes the need for building a personal brand within the dealership to enhance long-term career prospects. ✅ The new AI systems in training can track metrics like talk-listen ratios and word speeds to fine-tune a salesperson's communication skills.   About Sean V. Bradley Sean V. Bradley, CSP, is the President of Dealer Synergy, a renowned figure in the automotive sales industry, and co-host of the Millionaire Car Salesman podcast. With over two decades of experience, Sean is recognized for his expertise in automotive sales training, digital marketing, and consulting. He is also an international best-selling author and motivational speaker known for pioneering video search engine optimization in the auto industry.   About LA Williams Vice President with Dealer Synergy, LA Williams, also known as the Blind Master, is a co-creator of the Millionaire Car Salesman podcast. He is a respected figure in the automotive training world with a background in music production, having worked with top artists and producers including Beyonce and Dr. Dre. Williams is well-regarded for his insights into effective communication and sales strategies.     Maximizing Automotive Sales in the Age of AI: Strategies and Expertise from Industry Leaders Key Takeaways The integration of AI role-playing technology can transform training and onboarding in the sales industry, ensuring effective skill development. Building a personal brand within a dealership's brand and leveraging social media are crucial for success in today's market. Continuously investing in personal development and business growth is essential for thriving in the competitive automotive sales landscape. Embracing AI in Automotive Sales Training The rapidly evolving landscape of automotive sales demands that professionals adapt by enhancing their skill sets, particularly through innovative tools like AI role-playing technology. As Sean V. Bradley and LA Williams emphasize, effective selling today isn't just about understanding the basics; it involves mastering a comprehensive skill set to stay ahead in a highly competitive market. Leveraging AI for Skill Development The introduction of AI in sales training is a pivotal shift that addresses the age-old issue of skill retention and application. Bradley highlights that a significant number of new sales professionals lack the foundational training necessary for success. "These people don't know how to sell," he points out, emphasizing the outdated nature of training materials in use. AI role-playing technology presents a solution, enabling salespeople to practice, drill, and rehearse in a controlled environment. Williams adds, "You'll get someone that will do that and they'll be like, 'Oh, I set so many appointments.' Okay, that's because you get people to say yes. But how many of them actually show up?" This statement underscores the need for a robust training tool that goes beyond surface-level engagement to ensure measurable results. The AI role-playing platform offers a unique advantage: the ability to simulate real-world scenarios repeatedly, allowing participants to refine their approach without the pressure of live interactions. This method of learning mirrors the practice required in professional sports or music, where repetition and feedback lead to mastery. Building a Personal Brand and Maximizing Referrals In today's digital age, a salesperson's ability to build a personal brand is as crucial as their sales acumen. Bradley and Williams discuss the importance of leveraging technology and social media to create a distinct identity within the automotive sales industry. Tiana Mick and Cody Carter are exemplary figures in this regard, utilizing websites, social media, and content marketing to expand their reach and influence. Bradley posits, "If you are not willing to invest in yourself, why the hell should anybody else?" This assertion not only challenges salespeople to take initiative but also highlights the broader trend of personal branding becoming integral to professional success. By establishing a recognizable and trustworthy personal brand, salespeople can generate consistent referrals and repeat business, a strategy that effectively fortifies their market position. Maximizing referral agents and building a strong network are emphasized as key strategies. Professionals in the field should prioritize establishing solid relationships that can consistently feed them potential leads, ensuring a steady flow of opportunities that enhance stability in their careers. Constantly Investing in Personal and Professional Growth The central theme advocated by Bradley and Williams is the continuous investment in personal development and business growth. Drawing from their extensive industry experience, they argue that education, business acumen, and financial investment are pivotal to achieving long-term success in automotive sales. "The best time to be training is right now," asserts Bradley, emphasizing the importance of staying updated with current methodologies and technologies. Sales professionals are encouraged to immerse themselves in every aspect of their field, from mastering product knowledge to understanding advanced systems like customer relationship management (CRM) and artificial intelligence (AI). Williams echoes this sentiment by discussing the trajectory from dependency to independence and ultimately, interdependence. This developmental journey involves strategically utilizing available resources, both human and technological, to cultivate a successful career. The integration of AI into training programs illustrates the shift towards a more interdependent learning environment where technology and human expertise coalesce to produce the most effective outcomes. In the dynamic field of automotive sales, the need for robust training methodologies, personal branding, and continuous growth is more critical than ever. The insights shared by Sean V. Bradley and LA Williams offer a blueprint for success, driven by strategic innovation and a commitment to excellence. Professionals who embrace these principles are positioned to not only survive but thrive in an industry marked by rapid change and technological advancement.     Resources + Our Proud Sponsors:   ➼ The Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group: Join the #1 Automotive Sales Mastermind Facebook Group with over 29,000 automotive professionals worldwide. The Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group is the go-to community for car salespeople, BDC agents, sales managers, general managers, and dealer principals looking to increase performance, income, and leadership skills. Inside the group, members collaborate daily on automotive sales strategies, lead handling, phone scripts, closing techniques, CRM best practices, dealership leadership, and accountability systems. Learn directly from top automotive trainers, industry mentors, and high-performing sales leaders who are actively winning in today's market. If you're serious about growing your automotive career, increasing car sales, and building long-term success, join The Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group today! ➼ Dealer Synergy: Dealer Synergy is the automotive industry's #1 Sales Training, Consulting, and Accountability Firm, with over 20 years of proven dealership success nationwide. We specialize in helping car dealerships increase sales, improve processes, and build high-performing Sales, Internet, and BDC departments from the ground up. Our expertise includes automotive phone scripts, rebuttals, CRM action plans, lead handling strategies, BDC workflows, Internet sales processes, management training, and accountability systems. Dealer Synergy partners directly with dealership leadership to align people, process, and technology, ensuring consistent results and scalable growth. From independent dealers to large dealer groups and OEM partnerships, Dealer Synergy delivers measurable performance improvements, stronger teams, and sustainable profitability. ➼ Bradley On Demand: Bradley On Demand is the automotive industry's most advanced interactive training, tracking, testing, and certification platform for car dealerships — built to develop top-performing teams across Sales, Internet Sales, BDC, CRM, Phone Skills, Leadership, and Management. In addition to LIVE virtual automotive training classes and a library of 9,000+ on-demand dealership training modules, Bradley On Demand now includes AI Phone Roleplaying and Coaching to help salespeople and BDC agents practice real dealership conversations before they ever get on the phone with customers. This AI-powered roleplay technology strengthens phone scripts, objection handling, appointment setting, lead follow-up, and closing skills, while providing measurable coaching feedback for continuous improvement. Bradley On Demand empowers dealerships to train faster, coach smarter, improve call performance, increase closing ratios, and sell more cars more profitably — all through structured, trackable, modern automotive training.

Watch the show on television by downloading the e360tv channel app to your Roku, LG or AmazonFireTV. You can also see it on YouTube.Devin: What is your superpower?Omar: Ability to combine undying persistence with visionary thinking.When most people think of healthy food, the first things that come to mind are bland flavors and unfamiliar ingredients. Omar Atia, Founder and CEO of ZeroCarb LYFE, is changing that perception. His growing food company delivers indulgent, crave-worthy foods that are also healthy—creating a game-changing option for consumers seeking low-carb, high-protein alternatives.Leveraging his experience with major food brands like Kraft and Procter & Gamble, Omar has transformed a simple kitchen-table idea into a thriving enterprise with products now available online and even on Target shelves. His mission? To create “tasty and healthy” products, including protein-based pizza crusts, chips, and tortillas, that improve quality of life.“Our protein-based pizza actually brings people's blood sugar down instead of raising it,” Omar explained in today's episode. For those living with diabetes or athletes looking for sustained energy, ZeroCarb LYFE provides an alternative to traditional comfort foods.What began as a partnership during the pandemic has now scaled into a trusted brand with over 70,000 customers. Omar emphasized how e-commerce played a pivotal role early on, noting that having a direct connection with customers allowed him to test, iterate, and refine his products using real-time feedback.Critically, ZeroCarb LYFE is building a movement around a core insight: indulgence doesn't have to mean sacrificing health. “People currently think about healthy food as something that doesn't taste great. What we want to do is bring a very different version of that,” Omar explained.In support of scaling his vision, ZeroCarb LYFE has launched a regulated crowdfunding campaign via Wefunder, inviting customers and fans alike to become co-owners. Omar sees this community-driven approach as an opportunity to “hockey-stick” growth while allowing supporters to share in the company's success.With today's growing recognition of protein's importance in human diets, ZeroCarb LYFE is more than a food brand—it's a reimagining of how we approach healthy eating. If you're intrigued, consider checking out ZeroCarb LYFE to see how this company is reshaping the way we snack and dine, one protein-packed bite at a time.tl;dr:Omar Atia shares his mission to create indulgent, healthy protein-rich foods with ZeroCarb LYFE.E-commerce allowed early product testing, feedback, and scaling to over 70,000 customers since 2019.ZeroCarb LYFE offers products like protein-based pizza crusts, chips, and tortillas for healthier eating.By engaging customers via a Wefunder campaign, ZeroCarb LYFE invites everyone to be co-owners.Omar attributes his success to persistence, visionary thinking, and applying consumer insights effectively.How to Develop Persistence and Vision As a SuperpowerOmar's superpower is his ability to combine undying persistence with visionary thinking. He said, “I just constantly believe that if you put in the effort and keep moving toward the goal you genuinely believe in, you will accomplish it.” This blend of determination and big-picture perspective— “seeing systems at a global scale,” as he described it—allows Omar to not only create comprehensive solutions but also inspire others to work toward transformative change.At the start of ZeroCarb LYFE, Omar envisioned not just a product but a platform. He and his team began with protein-based pizza crusts but built a broader concept around creating indulgent, healthy foods across categories. He brought a systems-level perspective to the operation, demonstrating how the brand could impact restaurants, e-commerce, and retail simultaneously. His vision and persistence turned ZeroCarb LYFE from a single product into a scalable, category-defining company.Actionable Tips to Develop the SuperpowerSet clear long-term goals to guide your efforts, even amid immediate challenges.Regularly zoom out to see the “big picture” and assess your decisions within a systems perspective.Continuously iterate your solutions based on customer feedback and market testing.Surround yourself with a team of capable people who align with your mission.Stay persistent and learn to filter useful signals from distracting noise in your journey.By following Omar's example and advice, you can make persistence and vision a skill. With practice and effort, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world.Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you!Guest ProfileOmar Atia (he/him):Founder and CEO, ZeroCarb LYFEAbout ZeroCarb LYFE: ZeroCarb LYFE is a food company focused on transforming health through food by making protein-forward, lower-carb, clean-ingredient products that are convenient, familiar, and transparent. The company was built to help consumers eat better without needing to become food experts, and it operates through a multi-channel model spanning direct-to-consumer, retail, and foodservice.Website: zerocarblyfe.comCompany Facebook Page: facebook.com/zerocarblyfeOther URL: wefunder.com/zerocarb.lyfeBiographical Information: Omar Atia is Founder and CEO of ZeroCarb LYFE. He is a Purdue University graduate with a Chemical Engineering degree and a Master's in Industrial/Mechanical, and he built his career inside major CPG companies including Procter & Gamble, Kraft Foods, ConAgra Foods, Dean Foods, and Mead Johnson Nutrition, where he worked across R&D and operations. After leaving corporate in 2013 to launch a consulting business that grew teams in the U.S. and Dubai, he began advising startups and contributing hands-on operational and product expertise. In 2019, he discovered the product concept that became ZeroCarb LYFE, recognized its ability to scale beyond a single recipe, and built the business into a growing CPG platform centered on ingredient transparency, health transformation through food, and operational control.LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/omaratiaSupport Our SponsorsOur generous sponsors make our work possible, serving impact investors, social entrepreneurs, community builders and diverse founders. Today's advertisers include SorbiForce, High Desert Gear and Climatize. Learn more about advertising with us here.Max-Impact Members(We're grateful for every one of these community champions who make this work possible.)Brian Christie, Brainsy | Cameron Neil, Lend For Good | Carol Fineagan, Independent Consultant | Hiten Sonpal, RISE Robotics | John Berlet, CORE Tax Deeds, LLC. | Justin Starbird, The Aebli Group | Lory Moore, Lory Moore Law | Marcia Brinton, High Desert Gear | Mark Grimes, Networked Enterprise Development | Matthew Mead, Hempitecture | Michael Pratt, Qnetic | Mike Babbit | Coledger Solutions | Mike Green, Envirosult | Nick Degnan, Unlimit Ventures | Dr. Nicole Paulk, Siren Biotechnology | Paul Lovejoy, Stakeholder Enterprise | Pearl Wright, Global Changemaker | Scott Thorpe, Philanthropist | Sharon Samjitsingh, Health Care Originals | Add Your Name HereUpcoming SuperCrowd Event CalendarIf a location is not noted, the events below are virtual.SuperCrowd Impact Member Networking Session: Impact (and, of course, Max-Impact) Members of the SuperCrowd are invited to a private networking session on May 19th at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT. Mark your calendar. We'll send private emails to Impact Members with registration details. Upgrade to Impact Membership today!SuperCrowdHour, May 20, 2026, at 12:00 PM Eastern. Devin Thorpe will lead a session on “How to File Your Form C-AR Yourself for Free!” Designed for founders and issuers navigating regulated investment crowdfunding, this practical session will walk attendees through the annual Form C-AR filing process and show how to complete it independently—without unnecessary legal or filing expenses. Devin will explain what information is required, common mistakes to avoid, important deadlines to remember, and how staying compliant helps build trust with investors while protecting your raise. Whether you've recently closed an offering or are preparing for your first annual report, this SuperCrowdHour will provide a clear, cost-effective roadmap to filing your Form C-AR with confidence. Register here: https://thesupercrowd.com/20may26SuperCrowd26 featuring PurposeBuilt100™: This August 25–27, founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders will gather for a three-day, broadcast-quality global experience focused on disciplined capital formation, regulated investment crowdfunding, and purpose-driven growth. We're bringing together leading voices in impact investing, compliance, digital marketing, and circular economy innovation to deliver practical frameworks, real-world case studies, and actionable strategies. The event culminates in the PurposeBuilt100™ Showcase, recognizing 100 of the fastest-growing purpose-driven companies in the U.S. Register now to secure your seat and get all the details. August 25–27, streaming worldwide.Share the application for the PurposeBuilt100™: Purpose-driven founders deserve recognition. The PurposeBuilt100™ application window is now open—celebrating the fastest-growing companies building profit with purpose. If you know a founder creating real impact and real growth, please share this opportunity. Applications are free and confidential. Explore the program and apply today: PurposeBuilt100.com.Superpowers for Good Live Pitch on e360tv — June 3, 2026. Purpose-driven founders raising capital through Regulation Crowdfunding are invited to apply by May 6, 2026, for a chance to pitch live to a national audience of investors and impact champions.Community Event CalendarSuccessful Funding with Karl Dakin, Tuesdays at 10:00 AM ET - Click on Events.Earthstock Summit, Ojai, CA, May 29-31: The Earthstock Regenerative Summit in Ojai brings together leaders and community members for panels, workshops, films, music, and hands-on projects focused on regenerative agriculture, ecological design, resilience, health, and sustainable living.Save the Date! October 20th and 21st will be the Crowdfunding Professional Association Regulated Investment Crowdfunding Summit for 2026. This is the event of the year for everyone in the crowdfunding ecosystem.If you would like to submit an event for us to share with the 10,000+ changemakers, investors and entrepreneurs who are members of the SuperCrowd, click here.Manage the volume of emails you receive from us by clicking here.We share educational information—not investment advice. Some links may generate compensation. See our full disclosure.We use AI to help us write compelling recaps of each episode. Get full access to Superpowers for Good at www.superpowers4good.com/subscribe

Connected cars are no longer just vehicles — they are rolling networks of sensors, cameras, microphones, and constant data transmission. In this Cybersecurity Today Weekend Edition, David Shipley is joined by former CSIS intelligence officer Neil Bisson and cybersecurity expert Federico Simonetti to break down what that really means. They explain how modern vehicles: Continuously report location, behaviour, and system data to the cloud Contain dozens of interconnected computers controlling everything from steering to braking Can be vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks, remote access, and system compromise May expose drivers to surveillance — not just by companies, but potentially by nation states The conversation goes beyond theory. Real-world examples are discussed, including: Remote vehicle manipulation demonstrated by security researchers How infotainment systems can become entry points to critical controls Why some countries are already restricting certain vehicles from sensitive locations The panel also tackles the bigger issue: This is not just about one country or one manufacturer. Every connected vehicle expands the attack surface. And while solutions exist — from better authentication to architectural changes — the challenge is no longer technical. It's political, economic, and global. If you think your car is just transportation, this discussion may change your perspective. 00:00 Connected Cars: More Than Just Vehicles 01:20 Meet the Panel: Intelligence and Cybersecurity Perspectives 03:10 Every Car Is Now a Networked Computer 06:00 Surveillance Risks: Are Cars "Rolling Spy Vans"? 09:10 What Intelligence Agencies Can Do With Car Data 12:30 Sensors, GPS, Cameras — What Your Car Collects 16:20 Real Example: Tesla Camera Privacy Incident 19:00 Can Hackers Take Control of a Car? 22:30 Real-World Hacks: Jeep and Nissan Cases 26:40 The Regulatory Gap: No Enforced Cybersecurity Standards 30:10 Why Governments Are Struggling to Act 34:00 Cheap EVs vs National Security Risks 37:40 Can Software Fix the Problem? 41:20 Global Response: China, US, and Europe 45:10 Policy Ideas: Kill Switches, Car Bill of Rights 49:00 Prevention vs Detection in Cybersecurity 52:30 Are We Already Too Exposed? 55:10 Final Thoughts: Can Connected Cars Be Made Safe?

Welcome to the Grace in Focus podcast. Today, Bob Wilkin and Sam Marr are answering a question about Matthew 7:21, the phrase “But he who does the will of My […] The post Does Matthew 7:21 Say We Must Continuously do the Will of God to be Saved? appeared first on Grace Evangelical Society.

Paul Halpern describes how inspired by a horror movie's looped narrative, Hoyle developed the "Steady State" theory, proposing a "creation field" where matter continuously fills gaps as galaxies drift apart. A major breakthrough occurred when Hoyle predicted a specific energy state for carbon-12, explaining how life-essential elements form in dying stars. Gamow conceptualized "Ylem" as the universe's original substance, though he disliked Hoyle's derisive "Big Bang" nickname — a debate culminating in 1964 when Penzias and Wilson accidentally discovered the cosmic radio "hiss," providing definitive evidence for the Big Bang. (3)FEBRUARY 1958

In this episode, David Vicknair, founding partner of Scott Vicknair, a Louisiana-based personal injury law firm, shares insights on how he integrates principles from the hospitality industry to create a client-centered culture. By prioritizing client experience and implementing unique strategies, David explains how his firm stands out in a competitive market, leading to increased client satisfaction and referrals. Key Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction 00:45 – David’s unique approach to blending legal and hospitality principles 01:30 – Transitioning focus to personal injury work 02:54 – Creating a client-centered culture through hospitality practices 04:21 – Implementing systematic client communication strategies 06:08 – Continuously evolving the hospitality program to exceed client expectations 08:27 – Enhancing client appreciation through personalized gestures and experiences 10:55 – Establishing a dedicated client center for enhanced engagement 11:58 – Implementing a thoughtful client gifting program for personalized touch 13:31 – The impact of client appreciation on referrals and business growth 15:51 – The importance of creating memorable client experiences in a competitive market 17:50 – Leveraging client satisfaction as a powerful marketing tool 19:32 – Cultivating a fulfilling culture through client-focused initiatives 21:47 – Hiring team members with service-oriented backgrounds to enhance client experience 23:32 – Cultivating a unique corporate culture that resonates with both clients and team members 25:37 – Transitioning from hourly work to a contingency model for better client outcomes 28:11 – Advice for attorneys on embracing a hospitality mindset for client-centered practices See all episodes or subscribe to the Personal Injury Marketing Minute here: https://optimizemyfirm.com/podcasts/. Why is it important to incorporate hospitality principles into a law firm’s culture? Incorporating hospitality principles into a law firm’s culture is crucial for creating a client-centered environment. By focusing on delivering the best hospitality experience to every client, law firms can set themselves apart from competitors and ensure client satisfaction. This approach involves systematizing client communication, tracking proactive client interactions, and ensuring a high level of service and care throughout the client journey. What are some key elements of a successful hospitality program in a law firm? A successful hospitality program in a law firm includes creating a welcoming lobby experience, offering personalized amenities like water, cookies, and thoughtful touches, and designing dedicated client spaces for meetings and interactions. Additionally, implementing a random client gifting program, where team members have autonomy to send personalized, non-branded gifts based on client needs and preferences, can enhance the overall client experience and foster client loyalty. How can a law firm benefit from focusing on client experience and hospitality? By prioritizing client experience and hospitality, a law firm can not only improve client satisfaction but also boost client referrals and retention rates. Creating a positive and memorable client experience through personalized interactions, thoughtful gestures, and exceptional service can lead to increased client loyalty, word-of-mouth referrals, and ultimately, a higher percentage of new cases coming from referrals. How can law firms attract and retain team members who align with a client-centric culture? When hiring team members, law firms should look for individuals with service-oriented backgrounds, such as experience in hospitality, retail, or customer service. Candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to delivering excellent service and creating positive experiences for others are more likely to align with a client-centric culture. By focusing on hiring team members who value client satisfaction and relationship-building, law firms can strengthen their culture and enhance the overall client experience. What advice do you have for attorneys looking to implement a hospitality mindset in their practice? Attorneys seeking to implement a hospitality mindset in their practice should prioritize client care and satisfaction above all else. By changing their perspective to focus on existing clients before seeking new ones, attorneys can build trust and loyalty with their client base. Mapping out the client journey and identifying opportunities to enhance the client experience at each touchpoint can lead to meaningful improvements over time. By implementing small changes consistently and tailoring the client experience to meet client needs and preferences, attorneys can create a client-centric practice that stands out in the legal industry.

Communication - How can I best communicate with my 90 year old mother who talks continuously and exclusively about her fringe religion? Listen to caller's personal dramas four times each week as Dr. Kenner takes your calls and questions on parenting, romance, love, family, marriage, divorce, hobbies, career, mental health - any personal issue! Call anytime, toll free 877-Dr-Kenner. Visit www.drkenner.com for more information about the show (where you can also download free chapter one of her serious relationships guidebook).

A practitioner in Finland began practicing Dafa in 2017 when she was still in high school. Here she shares her recent cultivation experiences including identifying her shortcomings and improving; and viewing her attachments from a rational perspective in order to more closely follow the teachings of Dafa. This and other experience-sharing from the Minghui website.Original Articles:1. [Fahui] Continuously Looking Inward to Rectify Myself and Walk My Path2. Assisting a Young Falun Dafa Disciple in Her Cultivation Journey and Studies3. Master's Protection Dissolved the Danger To provide feedback on this podcast, please email us at feedback@minghuiradio.org

In this episode of the Econ Dev Show, Dane Carlson talks with David Parker of the Bermuda Business Development Agency about how a small island became a global powerhouse in reinsurance and is now strategically diversifying its economy. David explains Bermuda's unique “triangle” of government, regulator, and private sector alignment, the role of regulatory innovation like sandboxes, and how the agency targets the right companies using data and intelligence. The conversation explores investment attraction, high-net-worth migration programs, and why Bermuda focuses less on competing broadly and more on being the obvious choice for specific industries and business models. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! 10 Actionable Takeaways for Economic Developers Focus on becoming the best location for a specific niche instead of competing broadly. Align government, regulators, and private sector around a shared vision to create a unified value proposition. Use data and intelligence to target companies that are a strong fit rather than marketing to everyone. Build strong aftercare programs so existing companies become your best ambassadors. Develop regulatory flexibility (like sandboxes) to attract innovative industries. Think of your community as a launchpad into larger markets, not just a standalone market. Prioritize certainty and stability, especially when targeting global investors and firms. Engage high-net-worth individuals as network multipliers, not just direct investors. Invest in research capacity internally to guide strategy and outreach. Continuously advocate for policy and regulatory improvements to stay competitive. Special Guest: David Parker.

How One AI Agent Is Replacing Entire Development Teams (And Why You Need This Now)   Episode Summary AI entrepreneurs are building empires without code—and Meta's $2B Manus acquisition just signaled the biggest opportunity for parent side hustles in 2026. Discover seven specific, AI-powered revenue streams generating real income for parents with zero technical skills: from no-code website builders generating $10,000 sites in 20 minutes to AI app creation without developers. Learn the practical automation roadmap that works around your family schedule and builds passive income streams that actually sustain.     DarkHorseEntrepreneur.com Key Timestamps & Insights 00:00 - Opening: The $2B Acquisition That Changes Everything 00:50 - Episode Overview 01:15 - The Parent's Dilemma: Jessica's Story 04:00 - What Makes Manus AI Different 04:25 - Revenue Stream #1: The $10K Website Revolution 06:00 - Revenue Stream #2: Apps Without Developers 07:25 - Revenue Stream #3: Content Machine That Never Stops 09:00 - Revenue Stream #4: Competitive Intelligence 10:40 - Revenue Stream #5: Hiring While You Sleep 12:20 - Revenue Stream #6: Lead Generation on Autopilot 13:35 - Revenue Stream #7: Reviving Dead Deals 16:05 - The Bigger Picture 17:30 - Whiskered Wisdom: Your Immediate Action     Resources Mentioned Manus AI Platform: manus.im AI Escape Plan Newsletter: DarkHorseInsider.com Butterfly Effect Company: Manus AI creator GAIA Benchmark: AI performance testing standard Claude 3.7 Sonnet: AI model powering Manus Greenlight Property Management: Development cost example     Action Steps to Take Immediate Actions (Tonight): Visit manus.im and create your account Start with a simple project (landing page or basic app) Focus on proof of concept, not perfection This Week: Choose one revenue stream to implement first Define your target audience and business concept Test the voice-to-text prompt system This Month: Build and deploy your first automated system Measure results and iterate based on feedback Scale successful systems and add new revenue streams Ongoing: Subscribe to AI Escape Plan newsletter for weekly strategies Set monthly "revive dead leads" calendar blocks Continuously test and optimize AI-powered systems     Call to Action Ready to build your AI-powered escape plan? The gap between parents using AI and those still thinking about it grows wider every day. While you're debating whether this is real, other parents are already building automated income streams that work around their family schedules. Sign up for the AI Escape Plan newsletter at DarkHorseInsider.com and get practical, AI-powered strategies delivered weekly. Each issue shows you how to start, grow, and streamline side hustles designed to protect your family time while boosting your income. Don't let another week pass wondering "what if." Your roadmap to more money, more freedom, and more of what truly matters starts today. Think Successfully & Take Action!  

Welcome to the Grace in Focus podcast. Bob Wilkin and Ken Yates are answering a question from Matthew 7:21. What does it mean to “Do the will of My Father […] The post Does Matthew 7:21 Say that We Must Continuously Believe to Have Everlasting Life? appeared first on Grace Evangelical Society.

Chad Alexander | March 22, 2026

Ron Bower, Senior Pastor"Pray Continuously" - 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18Original Date: March 15, 2026

This Week In Startups is made possible by:Caldera + Lab - https://CalderaLab.com/TWISTNorthwest Registered Agent - https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twistLemon - https://Lemon.io/twistToday's show:Computers that read your mind? Jets that are all wings? Continuously tracking your body's vital signs to live longer? We've got all that and more on the show today.First, we sat down with the CEO of Paradromics, Matt Angle, to dig into the progress that his brain-computer interface startup has made. Yes, there are more companies working on BCIs than just Neuralink. Paradromics, in particular, is looking for early clinical trial subjects as it works to bring its technology out of the lab and into the market.If you ever wanted to know more about how BCIs work and how long it will be until we can all benefit from the tech, this is the interview for you.Next, we got JetZero CEO Tom O'Leary on the phone to tell us all about his startup's jet. No, it's not competing with Boom, a startup that wants to build a supersonic passenger airliner. Instead, JetZero is building jets that are mostly wing, allowing them to fly with far greater fuel efficiency. Best of all? The future JetZero planes can fit right into normal airports.Finally, we chatted with Nutrisense CEO Dan Zavorotny. While keeping tabs on your glucose levels may not be the sexiest topic in the world, the data that continuous monitoring can bring is incredibly valuable health information. Mix that signal with coaching, and Nutrisense reckons its combination of software, data, and dieticians can really improve health outcomes for its customers.If you needed a break from pure-play AI news, TWiST has you covered!Timestamps:0:00 Introduction1:47 Paradromics3:26 How do BCIs read your mind?9:58 Lemon - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at Lemon.io/twist19:54 Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at northwestregisteredagent.com/twist27:24 JetZero29:07 The advantages of more wing30:13 Caldera Lab - Whether you're starting fresh or upgrading your routine, Caldera Lab makes skincare simple and effective. Head to CalderaLab.com/TWIST and use TWIST at checkout for 20% off your first order.55:30 NutrisenseSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisGreat TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com

In this episode, Heather and Nicole explore burnout from a completely different perspective. Instead of assuming burnout is caused by working too hard, they looked at the deeper reasons it actually shows up in your business. Through this conversation, they break down the hidden patterns that lead to exhaustion, frustration, and disconnection—and why the real issue is often misalignment, not workload. Key Takeaways: Burnout isn't simply caused by working too hard. It often comes from working hard without alignment, meaning, or control. Misalignment between effort and values leads to exhaustion. When the work you're doing no longer reflects what matters to you, burnout grows quickly. Lack of agency accelerates burnout. Feeling trapped by pricing, schedules, or expectations creates frustration and helplessness. Vision fuels momentum. Working toward a meaningful future energizes effort, while working without purpose drains it. Emotional suppression creates resentment. Continuously overriding your own needs for clients or expectations will eventually take a toll. Integrity gaps quietly drain your energy. When your actions don't match your values or standards, it creates internal friction. Burnout is feedback, not failure. It's a signal that something in your business needs attention, adjustment, or realignment. Heather and Nicole discuss how burnout tends to emerge when effort no longer feels connected to your values, when you feel trapped or powerless in your business decisions, or when you're repeatedly overriding your own needs to meet expectations. The good news? Burnout isn't a personal failure. It's feedback. It's your nervous system signaling that something in your business needs attention. How to Support the Podcast: Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. Please like, share, and leave a review. If you like the content, please share with your friends by posting on social media so that we can reach and impact more people. Join our next free coaching workshop: www.getcoachedbyheather.com Connect: Heather Lahtinen: Website, Facebook, Instagram

Dr. Deb Muth 0:00 Welcome back to Let’s Talk Wellness Now. I’m your host, Dr. Zab, and we are continuing our discussion this week on 0:08 peptides. And so, if you haven’t heard our first conversation about peptides, 0:13 please go back and look at that episode. We talk all about the manufacturing, the safety, the quality of peptides, and we 0:20 dove into GLP1s. And today we’re going to dive into peptides for sexual 0:26 wellness, immune function, growth hormone, and all the amazing fun things 0:32 we can do with peptides. So, as usual, grab your cup of coffee or tea, settle 0:37 in, and let’s talk wellness now. And we’re going to take a short pause from our sponsor. I know we’ve got to do 0:44 that, you guys. They’re who keep us on the air. So, I’m going to pause for just a minute and be right back after this 0:50 message from our sponsor. Ladies, it’s time to reignite your vitality. Primal 0:56 Queen supplements are clean, powerful formulas made for women like you who want balance, strength, and energy that 1:03 lasts. Get 25% off at primal queen.com. Serenity Health. That’s primalqueen.com. 1:10 Serenity Health. Because every queen deserves to feel in her prime. All 1:15 right, everybody. We are back. And are you ready? We are talking all things peptide and I am opening the show today 1:23 with sexual wellness. Yes, I’m going there, you guys. I am going there. You 1:29 know, this has really become a big issue for people um of all ages. It’s not just 1:3 4us older people. It’s younger people, too. And there’s a whole variety of reasons why we have sexual dysfunction. 1:42 And when we’re talking about sexual dysfunction, we’re not just talking about it doesn’t work, right? Or I can’t 1:48 reach orgasm. A lot of it is around desire and um the thought of it and 1:54 wanting to connect, wanting to be kinder to one another, wanting to be touching 2:00 one another. A lot of it resolves or revolves around that. And so there are some peptides that can help us and I’m 2:08 really excited to be able to talk about those today. So the first one is called PT-141. 2:14 This targets the brain not the periphery. Right? So for many women I 2:20 will always tell you sex starts between here. It is a brain thing for us. It is 2:26 not necessarily a physical thing. For guys that’s a little different. It’s very physical. For women it’s all in our 2:32 brain. So tip for you men that are listening. You have to prime your woman’s brain first if you want her to 2:38 have sex with you that night. You have to be nice to her. You have to bring her flowers. Do the dishes for her. Do 2:45 something kind. Bring her a cup of coffee or tea or a glass of wine. Take her to dinner. You have to woo her. And 2:51 I don’t care how long you’ve been married. That has to happen. And tip number two, don’t say anything stupid 2:57 that day. I’m just being honest. When you guys say things that make us upset, 3:03 that lingers with us for the rest of the day. And it’s it’s a turnoff for us. And 3:08 for a lot of women, we can’t get past that when it comes time to snuggle at night. And sex doesn’t always have to be 3:14 at night either. So, you can tell I really love talking about this conversation, but we’re going to get into the peptide part of it because this 3:21 is going to help people. So, um, PT-141 is marketed as I’m going to slaughter 3:28 this name, Vali, and it represents a fundamentally different approach to 3:34 sexual dysfunction than the PDE5s inhibitors like Slenden, Viagra, 3:40 Tedataphil, which is Seialis. And while the PDE5 inhibitors work specifically by 3:47 enhancing blood flow to the genital tissues, PT-141 works centrally in the brain by 3:54 modulating neural s neural circuits involved in the sexual desire and 4:00 arousal. Now PT-41 is a cyclic hpatipeptide. It’s seven amino acid 4:07 peptide arranged in a cyclic structure that acts as a melanoortin receptor 4:13 agonist and with particularly the infinity for MC3R and MC4R subtypes. 4:20 It’s actually a metabolite of the melanotan 2, a peptide originally 4:26 developed for tanning that was also found to enhance sexual desire in early 4:31 studies. Now the melanoortin system in the brain is involved in multiple functions including energy homeostasis 4:39 but it also is involved in sexual motivation and arousal behaviors. The FDA approved PT-141 in 2019 specifically 4:48 for the treatment of acquired generalized hypoactive sexual desire 4:54 HSDD in permenopausal women. So for the first time we have a medication that was 5:01 approved by the FDA to use for women for sexual dysfunction. We have had all of 5:07 these seialis tedataphil viagros for men but we had nothing for women. And so 5:12 this is amazing that this is available for women and approved by the FDA. It’s a big deal. This represents the first 5:19 and only FDA approved medication specifically targeting these circuits of sexual desire rather than the peripheral 5:27 arousal mechanisms. And this indication is quite specific, meaning it was developed at some point, not lifelong. 5:35 So I if you’ve had sexual dysfunction your entire life, this medication was 5:40 not approved for you. But if it’s something that you developed over time, like when you went through pmenopause or 5:46 menopause or some women have this experience happen after childirth, that’s what we’re talking about here. 5:53 Now, it’s also not just um supposed to be used if you dislike your partner, 5:59 right? If your relationship is bad and you dislike your partner, this probably isn’t going to fix a ton. It might help 6:05 a little bit, but that’s not what it’s meant for. So, you really have to know what you’re using it for and why. And 6:11 the other thing that I would say is this is something that we don’t go to if your hormones are not balanced properly. You 6:17 have to balance your hormones properly before using something like this because it still may not work. Now, the only 6:24 caveat to that is if you’re a woman that has a risk of breast cancer and can’t use hormones, then that’s a different 6:31 story and we would have that conversation about whether or not this medication would be appropriate for you. Now, the FDA label specifies PTA1 uh 6:39 PT-141 as it not being indicated for HSDD in causes where low sexual desire 6:46 is due to coexisting medical or psychiatric conditions, problems with relationships, like we had talked about, 6:53 side effects to medications or other substance use. This specifically reflects the importance of differential 6:59 diagnosis. Low sexual desire can have many root causes and PT-41 is only 7:05 appropriate when those causes have been ruled out. Now, I have I used PT41 in 7:10 people who have sexual dysfunction issues as a result of using 7:16 anti-depressants. Yes, I have. I’ve used Flynn in that effect as well. And it 7:21 does work sometimes, but it doesn’t work completely. But you need to know that that is not what the approval is for the 7:27 FDA. So that is done in something that we call off label use. So very important 7:33 to know. Now in these clinical trials leading to FDA approval, this was published by Kinsburg and colleagues in 7:40 obstetrics and gyne gynecology in 2019. PT-141 demonstrated statistically 7:46 significant improvements in sexual desire and decreases in distress related 7:51 to low desire compared to placebo. The effects manifest over 45 minutes to 7:56 several hours after the injection and the mechanisms involved modulation of dopamine and melanoorton pathways in the 8:04 hypothalamus and the brain regions that involved sexual motivation. Now cardiovascular effects of PT 141 require 8:12 careful attention. This drug causes transient increases in blood pressure about 3 to four points and transient 8:20 decreases in heart rate. And because of this, it is contraindicated in patients 8:25 with uncontrolled hypertension or known cardiovascular disease. And it has been studied in patients who’ve had recent 8:32 cardiovascular events or sorry hasn’t been studied hasn’t been studied in patients who’ve had recent 8:39 cardiovascular events. So patients need to have their blood pressures checked before starting therapy. Nausea is 8:45 extremely common. It is one of the biggest things I often will tell people to take an anti-nausea medicine if 8:52 they’re going to do this because the last thing you want to do is inject this medication and think it’s going to give 8:57 you this great time with your partner and you’re so nauseated that you can’t even perform, don’t want to kiss, don’t 9:05 want to do anything. It it can be pretty profound for some people. um it does affect about 40% of the patients in 9:12 clinical trials which is why many clinicians require or recommend an 9:17 anti-nausea medication like I had just said other common adverse effects include flushing injection site 9:24 reactions headache in about 13% of the population which I have seen worse if 9:30 people are prone to headaches and the headaches are pretty intense so I will also have them premedicate if they have 9:36 that um sensitivity ity with a Tylenol or Advil, Alie, whatever it is they 9:42 typically use for their headaches to help prevent that from occurring. Now, some patients also experience a 9:50 generalized hyperpigmentation of their skin, particularly in areas with chronic friction, and this may not be reversible 9:57 after discontinuation. So from an integrative perspective, PT-41 10:03 represents one tool in addressing female sexual dysfunction, but it should never be the first or only intervention. And 10:11 low sexual desire in women is complex. Multiffactorial involving hormonal imbalances, low testosterone, estrogen 10:18 deficiency, progesterone imbalances, thyroid dysfunction, adrenal dysfunction, and with elevated or 10:24 disregulated cortisol levels, sleep deprivation, relationship issues, unresolved trauma, including sexual 10:31 trauma, chronic pain, body image concerns, and medication side effects such as SSRIs are notorious for this. So 10:39 a comprehensive hormone panel including total and free testosterones, estradile, 10:45 progesterone, DHEA, thyroid function in cortisol assessment, ideally four-point 10:51 cortisol, salivary should precede any pharmacological intervention. And additionally, addressing the 10:57 psychological component and relationship dimensions through appropriate therapy is necessary. I have a lot of patients 11:03 that say, “This is just too much work for sex. I don’t want the side effects. I don’t want to deal with this.” and that’s totally fine. But for some 11:09 people, their sexual dysfunction is actually causing more problems on their 11:14 relationship and they want to do something to fix that. And just know that if you’re using a peptide like this 11:20 that comes with some of these side effects and you have to premedicate for it, it is not the end of the world. Um, 11:27 but it may be a possibility that you may need that. So, let’s dive into body composition and growth hormone access. 11:34 So Tesmarellin is the only FDA approved GH 11:40 analog. Tesarelin is marketed as Agrifta and Agria SV. It is a synthetic analog 11:48 of human growth hormone releasing hormone. So GH RH human growth hormone 11:53 releasing hormone. These things are such long names it’s confusing and it’s difficult to spit out, right? It 11:59 consists of 44 amino acids. The structure is identical to our own 12:05 body’s growth hormone GHR um with the addition of trans3 hexonol group which 12:14 stabilizes the molecule that extends its half-life compared to the native GHR. 12:19 The mechanism of tesmarellin is elegant in its preservation of physiological 12:24 growth hormone GH secretion patterns and rather than administering an exogenous 12:30 growth hormone directly, tesmarillin binds to the GH receptor in the anterior 12:36 pituitary gland stimulating the indogenous pulsatile release of GH. So 12:42 you know it it’s slower in that stimulation and it pulsates instead of a direct rise and fall. This pusile 12:49 pattern more closely mimics natural GH secretion which occurs in bursts 12:54 primarily during sleep. The GH then stimulates the liver to produce insulin-like growth factor IGF-1 which 13:01 exerts many of the downstream metabolic effects including lipolytic effects on 13:07 the atapost tissue. So fat atapose and how we break that down. The FDA approved 13:13 tesmarellin in 2010 for a very specific narrow indication, the reduction of 13:19 excess abdominal fat in HIV infected patients with lipodistrophe. This 13:25 condition characterized by abnormal fat redistribution with accumulation of visceral body fat and the loss of 13:32 subcutaneous fat in face and limbs developed as a complication of an 13:37 antiviral therapy particularly with older protease inhibitor reg uh 13:42 regimens. The visceral fat accumulation in patients is not just cosmetic. It’s associated with increased cardiovascular 13:49 risk, insulin resistance, and inflammatory markers. The pivotal trial that led to the FDA approval included 13:56 work by Stanley and colleagues published in the annuals of internal medicine in 2014. It demonstrated that tesmarillan 14:03 significantly reduced the visceral atapose measured by CT scan by approximately 15 to 20% which is a 14:10 significant difference to placebo over a short period of time only 26 weeks. Now, 14:16 interestingly, the total body uh weight typically remained stable or even 14:21 increased slightly as the reduction of visceral fat was sometimes offset by increases in lean body mass or 14:28 subcutaneous fat. This highlights an important point. Tesmearellin is not a weight loss drug in its conventional 14:34 sense. Its effects are specifically on body composition and fat redistribution. 14:40 Now the glucose metabolism effects of tesmarellin do require careful monitoring because GH and IGF1 can 14:47 induce insulin resistance. Tesmearellin can increase glucose levels and hemoglobin A1C and in these clinical 14:54 trials glucose tolerance and new onset diabetes occurred in some patients. So 14:59 this creates a therapeutic paradox while res reducing visceral fat we should theoretically improve metabolic health. 15:07 The GH mediated insulin resistance can worsen the glycemic control and patients 15:12 with diabetes require particularly close monitoring. The potential need for adjustment in diabetic medications can 15:19 occur. So I already know what you guys are thinking. Can I use Tesmarellin and 15:24 GLP1 at the same time? And the answer is yes. Especially in those people that we 15:30 know have an insulin resistance already or are prone to that, we can use lowd 15:36 dose micro doing GLP-1 along with tesmarellin to help prevent this from 15:42 occurring um or reduce the risk of it occurring. Now there are some other adverse related problems to growth 15:49 hormone access which include fluid retention which can uh manifest as uh 15:55 ankle swelling, joint pain, muscle pain, paristhesas, carpal tunnel syndrome is 16:01 common to see. Of course you can always see injection site reactions reported about 26 to 30% of the time in the trial 16:08 participants. And this also theoretically has a concern about IGF-1 elevation potentially promoting 16:14 malignancy through long-term data is limited. So we have to be cautious about 16:20 this but it is a growth hormone and anything that is a growth hormone can cause cells to grow and it cannot 16:26 necessarily differentiate between healthy cells and bad cells. So the drug is contraindicated is contraindicated in 16:33 patients with active cancer and in patients with the disruption of the HPA access from conditions like pituitary 16:40 tumors, pituitary surgery, head of radiation um and traumatic brain injury. 16:46 Now off label use of tesmarellin for general anti-aging or body composition 16:51 optimization in non-HIV population, it doesn’t have FDA approval. There is no 16:58 FDA studies. um that promote this, but practitioners do prescribe it for these 17:04 purposes under an experimental and not supported by FDA approved indications. 17:10 And um from an integrative medical standpoint, optimizing natural growth 17:15 hormone secretion through lifestyle interventions, high quality sleep is important. GH primarily is excreted 17:22 during sleep and deep sleep waves. So improving your deep sleep is important. Intermittent fasting can also increase 17:28 growth hormone by five-fold as demonstrated in a Hartman and colleagues uh study from the journal of clinical 17:35 endocrinology and metabolism in 1992. And highintensity interval training, adequate dietary protein, blood sugar 17:42 control, these all can help naturally increase your growth hormone. So, let’s 17:47 dive in now and talk about bone health. peptide hormones um such as oh I’m gonna 17:54 I’m gonna really slaughter this name. Terraparatide is a true bonebuilding 18:01 peptide. It’s marketed as forio. It’s a recumbent form of the first 34 amino 18:08 acids out of 85 of the human parathyroid hormone PTH. It represents a unique 18:13 approach to osteoporosis treatment because it’s one of the few truly anabolic anabolic bone therapies meaning 18:21 it actively binds new bone rather than simply preventing bone loss. The biology 18:26 of parathyroid is fascinating and seemly contraindicated or uh contradictory. 18:32 Continuously sustained elevations of PTH as occurs in hyperarathyroidism 18:37 is catabolic to bone. So people who have hyperarothyroidism typically have significant bone loss 18:44 especially before it’s diagnosed and it causes causes increased bone 18:49 reabsorption loss of bone density increased fracture risk and however 18:55 intermittent exposure to PTH as achieved with once daily uh injections of forio 19:01 has the opposite effect. This intermittent exposure preferentially stimulates osteoblasts bone building 19:08 cells over osteoclasts bone reabsorbing cells and it leads to 19:13 the net bone formation. So terraparatide binds to the PTH receptors on 19:20 osteoblasts and renal tubular cells in bone. It increases the number of 19:25 activity of osteoblasts stimulating the differentiation of osteoblast precursor cells and may 19:32 reduce osteoblast apoptosis basically programmed cell death allowing this bone 19:37 building cell to work longer. The result is increased bone formation, improved bone architecture and tbacular 19:45 connectivity and ultimately increased bone mineral density um particularly in the hip and the spine which is so 19:51 difficult to regain. The FDA approved this medication in 2002 based on pivotal 19:57 studies by Near and colleagues published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2001 which demonstrated significant 20:05 reductions in vertebral and non-vebral fractures in post-menopausal women with 20:11 osteoporosis. specifically uh reduced new vertebral fractures by 20:17 65% and nonvettebral fragility fractures by 53% 20:23 compared to placebo over a median followup of 21 months. This is really 20:29 incredible because we have not seen this kind of um change uh in other 20:35 medications that we’ve used for osteoporosis. So current FDA approval 20:40 indicates uh this for post-menopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for 20:46 fracture, men with primary or hypoconatal osteoporosis at high risk for fracture 20:53 and men and women with glucocord cord glucocordide 21:00 induced osteoporosis at high risk for fracture. The high risk qualifier is 21:05 important. uh terrapeptide is reserved for patients with severe osteoporosis, 21:11 multiple fractures, very low low bone density and those who have failed or are 21:16 intolerant of other therapies. The most significant concern for this medication 21:21 is highlighted in a boxed warning with rat toxicology studies where it caused 21:27 osteioaroma which is a bone cancer in a dose dependent and treatment duration dependent manner. The revolence of this 21:34 finding to humans is debated. Rats have fundamentally different bone biology than humans with continuous bone growth 21:41 throughout life and different PTH receptors. Now post marketing 21:46 surveillance in humans hasn’t shown a clear increase in osteocaroma risk but 21:51 theoretically concerns persist and because of this terapeptide is 21:57 contraindicated in patients at risk baseline risk for osteioaroma 22:02 including those with pageantss disease of the bone unexplained elevations of alkaline phosphate prior skeletal 22:10 radiations bone metastases or skeletal malignancies and pediatric patients or young adults 22:16 with open hyes. There’s also a lifetime treatment duration of only 2 years and 22:22 terrapeptide can cause transient hypercalcemia. So an elevated blood calcium and as PTH normally increases 22:31 calcium levels by enhancing bone reabsorption, increasing renal calcium 22:36 reabsorption and promoting activation of vitamin D which increases intestinal calcium absorption. Some patients 22:43 experience orthostatic hypotension within 4 hours of injecting requiring 22:48 caution in at risk populations for blood pressure. Common side effects include 22:53 muscle pain, joint pain, pain in the limbs, nausea, headache, and dizziness. So from an integrative bone health 23:00 perspective, terrapeptides should be part of a comprehensive strategy. Adequate calcium intake, 500 to a,000 23:08 milligrams of calcium a day from food and supplements combined. and vitamin D. 23:13 Getting vitamin D levels of at least 50 to 80 are essential for the drug to work 23:20 optimally. But beyond this, bone health requires vitamin K2, which directs calcium into the bones rather than soft 23:27 tissues, magnesium as a co-actor in bone metabolism, trace minerals like boron, 23:33 copper, silica, and of course, adequate protein intake, which many of us, especially as women, don’t do 0.8 8 to 1 23:42 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight, weightbearing exercise. Of 23:47 course, these all provide mechanical signals that complement the biochemical 23:52 symbol uh signals of terrapeptide. Sequential therapy is also critical. The 23:58 bone mass gains from terraparatide can be lost if patients don’t transition to 24:05 an anti-resorbbitive agent a bisphosphinate after completing this therapy and the anabolic effects to 24:12 build bone but maintaining the new bone requires preventing excess reabsorption. 24:18 So positive things about this but there are definitely some concerns as well. So 24:23 the next one we’re going to talk about is Lu Prolrooide. It is marketed under 24:29 the multiple brand names of Lupron, Depo, Eligard, and it’s a synthetic 24:34 nonapeptide analog of naturally occurring ginonadotropen releasing 24:39 hormone G&R, also called luteinizing hormone releasing hormone, LHR. 24:46 It’s a fascinating example of how manipulating natural hormonal feedback systems can create therapeutic effects. 24:53 So, G&RH is normally secreted in a pulsatile fashion by the hypothalamus 24:59 and travels to the anterior pituitary where it binds to G&R receptors and 25:05 stimulates the release of luteinizing hormone LH and follical stimulating hormone FSH. These ginatotropins signal 25:13 the ovaries or the testes to produce sex hormones, estrogen, progesterone in 25:18 women, testosterone in men. Uh, luoprololi lupron as a GNR agonist 25:26 initially mimics the action of natural G&R causing an acute flare response with 25:33 uh increased LHFSH secretion which temporarily increases sex hormone 25:38 production. However, the continuous administration which is in the depo 25:44 formulations, the GNR receptors in the pituitary become desensitized and 25:50 downregulated. And after about 2 to four weeks of continuous exposure, LH and FSH 25:56 secretion is profoundly suppressed, leading to what’s termed as chemical 26:01 castration. Testosterone levels in men drop to castrated levels less than 50 26:08 and estrogen production is marketkedly suppressed in women. This bifphasic 26:13 response creates both therapeutic applications and management challenges in prostate cancer where tumor growth is 26:20 typically androgen dependent and the ultimate goal is testosterone suppression. However, the initial 26:27 testosterone surge during the flare phase can temporarily worsen symptoms potentially causing increased bone pain, 26:34 urinary obstruction, or even spinal cord compression in patients with metastatic 26:40 disease. This is why uh luoprolide is often started with an anti-ad androgen 26:47 like bicladamide for the first two to four weeks to block the effects of the 26:52 testosterone surge. The FDA has approved lupalide for multiple indications across 26:59 formulations. In oncology, it’s used for palletive treatment of advanced prostate cancers. In gynecology, various 27:06 formulations are approved for endometriosis, for pain management and lesion reduction and for fibroids. 27:13 Typically for pre-operative uh hematological improvement in anemic patients. In pediatrics, it’s used for 27:20 central precocious p puberty basically to halt the premature sexual development of these young people. Now, there are 27:28 adex uh adverse effect profile that reflects profound hormonal suppression. 27:34 In men treated for prostate cancer, hot flashes affect about 59% of the patients. Other common effects include 27:41 general pain, swelling, bone pain. Um long-term use of these medications leads 27:47 to metabolic changes. It increases fat mass. It decreases lean mass. It worsens 27:53 insulin sensitivity, disrupts the cholesterol uh lipid panels, increases 27:59 diabetic risk, has some concerns over cardiovascular disease. And the metaanalysis have shown increased risks 28:06 of heart infarction, myocardial inffection, sudden cardiac death, and stroke in populations receiving 28:13 long-term androgen deprivation therapy. The bone effects are particularly dramatic. Without sex hormones, bone 28:20 density decreases significantly, typically 3 to 4% per year during the 28:26 first two to three years of therapy. And this bone loss may not fully be reversible after the the therapy 28:32 discontinues. The American Society of Clinical Oncology recommends bone density monitoring and consideration of 28:39 bisphosphinates uh in men receiving long-term androgen deprivation. In women treated for 28:46 endometriosis or fibroids, the estrogen suppression creates a hypoestrogenetic state similar 28:54 to menopause. Hot flashes affect 90% of patients with other common effects 29:00 including headaches, emotional irritability, decreased sex drive, vaginal dryness, bone density loss. And 29:08 because of these bone concerns and treatment duration with endometriosis, typically limited to six months, though 29:14 some formulations allow for longer use with adback hormonal therapy to 29:20 partially mitigate these side effects. The mood and cognitive effects can be s 29:25 significant. I’ve seen it over the years. the depression, the memory impairment, difficulty focusing and 29:31 concentrating. It can be very very traumatic and the quality of life that 29:37 happens for these uh women and men can be unbearing for many of them. Um, from 29:44 an integrative perspective, patients receiving this medication need comprehensive support care. Bone health 29:51 interventions using calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K2, weightbearing exercise, 29:58 cardiovascular risk management becomes critical, including blood pressure monitoring, lipid management, diabetes 30:05 screening. For hot flashes management, some patients respond to black coohos, 30:10 sage, or vitamin E. Though evidence is mixed and individual response varies, 30:16 omega-3s may help with the mood and the inflammation, resistance training becomes specifically important to 30:22 preserve lean muscle mass in the face of hormonal suppression. 30:27 Now there’s something called calcetonin salamon which is marketed as miaelin. 30:34 It is a nasal spray. It is now discontinued. And foral is the new 30:39 synthetic polyeptide hormone of 32 amino acids identical to calcetonin of salamon 30:47 origin. It represents an interesting case study in how initial promise gives 30:52 way to safety concerns that regulate a therapy to historical footnote status. 30:58 Calcetonin is naturally occurring hormone in humans. It’s secreted by the paraphalicular sea cells in the thyroid 31:04 gland. Its primary physiological role is to lower blood calcium levels by 31:10 directly inhibiting osteoclast activity, reducing bone reabsorption, increasing 31:16 renal calcium secretion or excretion, and possibly reducing the intestinal 31:21 calcium absorption. So, salamon calcetonin is used therapeutically because it’s more potent and longer 31:27 acting than human calcetonin. The FDA initially approved calceton and salmon 31:34 for several indications post-menopausal osteoporosis in women more than five 31:39 years post-menopausal when alternative treatments are not sustainable. Padet’s 31:44 disease for bone and hypercalcemium as emergency treatments. The nasal spray formulation is particularly popular for 31:53 osteoporosis because it offered a non-injectable alternative to bisphosphinates. 31:58 However, in 2012, the European Medicine’s Agency, EMA, conducted a 32:05 comprehensive safety safety review after a poolled analysis of 21 clinical trials 32:10 involving over 10,000 patients showed a statistically significant increase in 32:15 malignancy risk in patients treated with calceton salamon compared to compared to 32:21 placebo. The overall malignancy rate was 4.1% in calcetonin treated patients 32:28 versus 2.9% in placebo patients. The types of cancer 32:34 varied with no single cancer type predominating, making it difficult to establish a clear mechanistic link. 32:41 However, the signal was concerning enough that the EMA restricted the use of calcetonin containing medicines. In 32:48 the United States, the FDA issued communications about malignancy signal and conducted its own review. While they 32:56 didn’t fully withdraw the drug, the cons consensus shifted dramatically. The nasal spray formulations miaelson was 33:03 voluntarily discontinued by the manufacturer and current clinical practice guidelines now consider 33:10 calcetonin salamon as a second line or lower option for osteoporosis. While 33:15 behind bisphosphinates, dennism mob, uh, terrapeptide, the analesic effect of 33:21 calcetonin in bone pain, particularly in acute vitibbral, uh, compression 33:26 fractions from osteoporosis or pageantss disease may still provide a role for short-term use in these selected 33:32 patients. The mechanism of this pain relief is unclear, but may involve 33:38 effects of endorphin systems and/or direct actions on pathways. The history serves as an important reminder in 33:45 peptide medicine. Initial approval and early clinical use does not guarantee 33:50 long-term safety effects. Post marketing surveillance and poolled analysis of the clinical trial data can reveal adverse 33:58 effects that weren’t apparent in initial studies. It also underscores why newer 34:04 agents with better safety profiles um have largely replaced calcetonin in 34:10 clinical practice. So this is really an important thing. Not one thing stays the same forever. We have to change as we 34:18 identify new and better products as we identify problems and concerns. I will 34:24 always tell my patients if you are uncertain of taking a new drug which we 34:30 all should be wait five years. Within five years we are going to find the 34:36 problems that they didn’t find in the clinical studies. Remember, a lot of these clinical studies are small, small 34:43 groups, short periods of time. It’s expensive to do these trials. So, if you 34:49 wait for five years, in the first two to three years, you will see the problem start to emerge. And what are you going 34:55 to look for? You’re going to look for the the news um commercials from lawyers 35:02 suing a drug. And they will tell you what the problem is. and then you can decide, is this something that I want to 35:09 use or not. Don’t jump on bandwagon and be the first one to do this, especially 35:14 if you’re sensitive. You know, give it time so you can see exactly what’s going on. So, I’m going to end our show on 35:22 this and we are going to pick up on part three of peptide therapy in our next 35:28 segment where we’re going to talk about the investigational peptides and some 35:34 exciting things that are happening with that. So, I want to thank you for joining me today on Let’s Talk Wellness 35:39 Now. It’s always a pleasure having a conversation with you guys and I hope this brings value to you with what we’re 35:45 talking about. If you have ideas for topics that you want me to discuss, 35:51 please message us, you can share your comments on Facebook, you can email us, 35:58 um you can get a hold of us however you would like to share that. I do look at the comments below in the episodes as 36:04 well. So you can place your comments there. And once again, one of the best things you can do for me is like, 36:11 subscribe, and share so that we can spread the messages of what we’re doing. 36:16 I do this at no cost. I don’t make any money out of this. I do this as an 36:21 educational purpose for everybody else. I love doing it, but it really helps us 36:28 on the algorithms if you would be just willing to like, subscribe, and share. 36:33 So, thank you for spending your time with me. I know time is important.The post Episode 257 – Peptides for Sexual Wellness & Hormonal Health: PT-141, Growth Hormones, Bone Health & More! first appeared on Let's Talk Wellness Now.

In Part 2 of yesterday's conversation, Travis Chappell and his producer, Eric, continue their candid discussion about building a career without following the traditional “prestigious school → perfect job” blueprint. From mission-field poverty to producing millions of podcast views, this episode explores the messy middle of modern work—where stability and ambition can coexist. If you've ever felt stuck between the safety of a 9–5 and the pull of entrepreneurship, this conversation is your roadmap for navigating both. On this episode we talk about: The hybrid model: why you don't have to “burn the boats” to build something meaningful Treating your 9–5 like a client instead of a prison Continuously reevaluating your skills, goals, and what fulfillment actually looks like Leveraging content, outsourcing, and systems to build momentum on the side Why complaining repels opportunity—and action creates clarity Getting comfortable with uncertainty in a rapidly changing economy Top 3 Takeaways You can hold both worlds. You don't have to fully quit your job or fully surrender to it—build stability while creating leverage on the side. Clarity comes from action, not overthinking. The only way to discover what you actually want is by trying things, adjusting, and trying again. Opportunity favors ownership. Complaining about the system changes nothing—creating inside of it (or alongside it) changes everything. Notable Quotes “Find the thing that actually takes care of you—and build the vision on the side.” “There's never been an opportunity gained from sulking and complaining.” “The bad news is you have to figure it out. The good news is—you get to.” “If there was opportunity repellent in a spray, it would be complaining.” Connect with Travis Chappell: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travischappell Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/traviscchappell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travischappell Other: https://travischappell.com  Travis Makes Money is made possible by High Level – the All-In-One Sales & Marketing Platform built for agencies, by an agency.  Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform.  Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ਰਾਗੁ ਸੂਹੀ ਮਹਲਾ ੪ ਛੰਤ ਘਰੁ ੧    ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਮਿਲਾਇ ਅਵਗਣ ਵਿਕਣਾ ਗੁਣ ਰਵਾ ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਇ ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ ਨਿਤ ਨਿਤ ਚਵਾ ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥ ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ ਸਦ ਮੀਠੀ ਲਾਗੀ ਪਾਪ ਵਿਕਾਰ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥ ਹਉਮੈ ਰੋਗੁ ਗਇਆ ਭਉ ਭਾਗਾ ਸਹਜੇ ਸਹਜਿ ਮਿਲਾਇਆ ॥ ਕਾਇਆ ਸੇਜ ਗੁਰ ਸਬਦਿ ਸੁਖਾਲੀ ਗਿਆਨ ਤਤਿ ਕਰਿ ਭੋਗੋ ॥ ਅਨਦਿਨੁ ਸੁਖਿ ਮਾਣੇ ਨਿਤ ਰਲੀਆ ਨਾਨਕ ਧੁਰਿ ਸੰਜੋਗੋ ॥੧॥ ਸਤੁ ਸੰਤੋਖੁ ਕਰਿ ਭਾਉ ਕੁੜਮੁ ਕੁੜਮਾਈ ਆਇਆ ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥ ਸੰਤ ਜਨਾ ਕਰਿ ਮੇਲੁ ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ ਗਾਵਾਈਆ ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥ ਬਾਣੀ ਗੁਰ ਗਾਈ ਪਰਮ ਗਤਿ ਪਾਈ ਪੰਚ ਮਿਲੇ ਸੋਹਾਇਆ ॥ ਗਇਆ ਕਰੋਧੁ ਮਮਤਾ ਤਨਿ ਨਾਠੀ ਪਾਖੰਡੁ ਭਰਮੁ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥ ਹਉਮੈ ਪੀਰ ਗਈ ਸੁਖੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਆਰੋਗਤ ਭਏ ਸਰੀਰਾ ॥ ਗੁਰ ਪਰਸਾਦੀ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਪਛਾਤਾ ਨਾਨਕ ਗੁਣੀ ਗਹੀਰਾ ॥੨॥ ਮਨਮੁਖਿ ਵਿਛੁੜੀ ਦੂਰਿ ਮਹਲੁ ਨ ਪਾਏ ਬਲਿ ਗਈ ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਮਮਤਾ ਕੂਰਿ ਕੂੜੁ ਵਿਹਾਝੇ ਕੂੜਿ ਲਈ ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥ ਕੂੜੁ ਕਪਟੁ ਕਮਾਵੈ ਮਹਾ ਦੁਖੁ ਪਾਵੈ ਵਿਣੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮਗੁ ਨ ਪਾਇਆ ॥ ਉਝੜ ਪੰਥਿ ਭ੍ਰਮੈ ਗਾਵਾਰੀ ਖਿਨੁ ਖਿਨੁ ਧਕੇ ਖਾਇਆ ॥ ਆਪੇ ਦਇਆ ਕਰੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਦਾਤਾ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਮਿਲਾਏ ॥ ਜਨਮ ਜਨਮ ਕੇ ਵਿਛੁੜੇ ਜਨ ਮੇਲੇ ਨਾਨਕ ਸਹਜਿ ਸੁਭਾਏ ॥੩॥ ਆਇਆ ਲਗਨੁ ਗਣਾਇ ਹਿਰਦੈ ਧਨ ਓਮਾਹੀਆ ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥ ਪੰਡਿਤ ਪਾਧੇ ਆਣਿ ਪਤੀ ਬਹਿ ਵਾਚਾਈਆ ਬਲਿ ਰਾਮ ਜੀਉ ॥ ਪਤੀ ਵਾਚਾਈ ਮਨਿ ਵਜੀ ਵਧਾਈ ਜਬ ਸਾਜਨ ਸੁਣੇ ਘਰਿ ਆਏ ॥ ਗੁਣੀ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਬਹਿ ਮਤਾ ਪਕਾਇਆ ਫੇਰੇ ਤਤੁ ਦਿਵਾਏ ॥ ਵਰੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਅਗੰਮੁ ਅਗੋਚਰੁ ਸਦ ਨਵਤਨੁ ਬਾਲ ਸਖਾਈ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਕਰਿ ਕੈ ਮੇਲੇ ਵਿਛੁੜਿ ਕਦੇ ਨ ਜਾਈ ॥੪॥੧॥  RAAG SOOHEE, FOURTH MEHL, CHHANT, FIRST HOUSE:ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU:If only I could meet the True Guru, the Primal Being. Discarding my faults and sins, I would chant the Lord's Glorious Praises. I meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord, Har, Har. Continuously, continually, I chant the Word of the Guru's Bani. Gurbani always seems so sweet; I have eradicated the sinful residues from within. The disease of egotism is gone, fear has left, and I am absorbed in celestial peace. Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, the bed of my body has become cozy and beautiful, and I enjoy the essence of spiritual wisdom. Night and day, I continually enjoy peace and pleasure. O Nanak, this is my pre-ordained destiny. || 1 || The soul-bride is lovingly embellished with truth and contentment; her Father, the Guru, has come to engage her in marriage to her Husband Lord. Joining with the humble Saints, I sing Gurbani. Singing the Guru's Bani, I have obtained the supreme status; meeting with the Saints, the self-elect, I am blessed and adorned. Anger and attachment have left my body and run away; I have eradicated hypocrisy and doubt. The pain of egotism is gone, and I have found peace; my body has become healthy and free of disease. By Guru's Grace, O Nanak, I have realized God, the ocean of virtue. || 2 || The self-willed manmukh is separated, far away from God; she does not obtain the Mansion of His Presence, and she burns. Egotism and falsehood are deep within her; deluded by falsehood, she deals only in falsehood. Practicing fraud and falsehood, she suffers terrible pain; without the True Guru, she does not find the way. The foolish soul-bride wanders along dismal pathways; each and every moment, she is bumped and pushed. God, the Great Giver, shows His Mercy, and leads her to meet the True Guru, the Primal Being. Those beings who have been separated for countless incarnations, O Nanak, are reunited with the Lord, with intuitive ease. || 3 || Calculating the most auspicious moment, the Lord comes into the bride's home; her heart is filled with ecstasy. The Pandits and astrologers have come, to sit and consult the almanacs. They have consulted the almanacs, and the bride's mind vibrates with bliss, when she hears that her Friend is coming into the home of her heart. The virtuous and wise men sat down and decided to perform the marriage immediately. She has found her Husband, the Inaccessible, Unfathomable Primal Lord, who is forever young; He is her Best Friend from her earliest childhood. O Nanak, he has mercifully united the bride with Himself. She shall never be separated again. || 4 || 1 ||

For two decades, organisations have invested heavily in ERP and procurement platforms to digitise source-to-pay. Yet many procurement leaders still find themselves managing critical processes in Excel, chasing approvals over email, and relying on experience rather than real-time intelligence to negotiate with suppliers. The uncomfortable truth? Most enterprise systems were built for control and record-keeping, not optimisation. Unfortunately, we now live in a world increasingly defined by margin pressure, supply chain volatility, and investor scrutiny. So archaic, clunky, limited technology is no longer good enough, especially in Europe with strong economic headwinds, that will last for several years and rapid growth of AI disruption. CFOs Want Efficiency. Procurement Is Under-Resourced. Today's forward thinking CFO's are laser focused on cost discipline, working capital, OpEx/CapEx optimisation, and resilience. Global advisory firms consistently reinforce this and amplify the need for urgent digital transformation and efficient implementation of AI technology across all functions, especially procurement. McKinsey & Company highlights that digital procurement leaders can unlock 5–10% cost savings while improving speed and compliance. PwC points to AI-driven automation reducing manual effort and improving decision quality across finance and procurement. Deloitte emphasises that procurement must move from transactional processing, to insight-led value creation to meet modern CFO expectations. The ambition is there. The problem is structural. Procurement teams are often: Lean relative to spend under management Burdened with manual processes Operating across fragmented systems Dependent on legacy ERP architecture Even when CFO's fully support cost efficiency initiatives, procurement leaders struggle to execute because they lack manpower, clean data, optimal process and intelligent tooling. The ERP Illusion: Control Without Intelligence Multinational ERP platforms — such as SAP S/4HANA, Oracle ERP Cloud, or Microsoft Dynamics 365 — are incredibly powerful financial engines. But they are not purpose-built data driven intelligence platforms, especially for areas such as procurement. They: Capture transactions. Enforce controls. Process invoices. Store supplier records. What they do not do well is: Continuously benchmark pricing. Detect commercial leakage, proactively. Provide dynamic, AI-driven negotiation insights. Surface supplier optimisation opportunities automatically. Remove friction from Supplier relationships. Worse, these systems are extremely expensive and complex. Companies often pay for vast feature sets they never fully deploy, let alone understand. Customisation is costly. Implementation cycles are long and upgrades can be highly disruptive. As a result, procurement teams have no choice but to revert to: Excel models. Offline bid comparisons. Manual supplier evaluations. Email-driven approvals. Even pen and paper in parts of the workflow. The industry becomes digitally "enabled", but not digitally optimised. Even Major Procurement Suites Have Limitations Many of the major procurement platforms such as Coupa, SAP Ariba, and Jaggaer have advanced the market significantly. Yet challenges remain: Rigid workflows. Heavy configuration. Limited/Non existent contextual AI. Fragmented modules across sourcing, contracts, and P2P. High total cost of ownership. They digitise process, but often stop short of delivering continuous, embedded intelligence. Procurement becomes systemised, but not truly strategic. AI Changes the Equation Artificial intelligence shifts procurement from reactive administration to proactive optimisation. Instead of merely recording what has happened, AI answers: Where are we overpaying? Which suppliers present commercial risk? Which contracts contain value leakage? Where can we renegotiate based on real-time market data? Which spend categories are fragmented and unleveraged? AI can: Benchmark pricing at ...

Chad Alexander | 2/15/2026

Indoctrinate is a verb defined by Apple's Dictionary as "teach (a person or group) to accept a set of beliefs uncritically." Apple's thesaurus offers these similar words: "BRAINWASH, propagandize, proselytize, inculcate, re-educate, persuade, convince, condition, discipline, mold; instruct, teach, school, drill, ground." It implies that the students, or the horse owners, believe everything they are taught. The "teachers" of horse care range from marketing ads and barn gossip to social media fodder, to poorly trained and unlicensed professionals, and even to young licensed professionals. Missing are mentors with decades of experience who have learned from experience and have no agenda in their teaching other than to support and nurture the student. The Wall Street Journal wrote an article in their newspaper titled "Cognitive Laziness," where the author was tasked to determine if "fake news" existed. The article didn't answer the question because it was so obvious that it didn't need to. However, the conclusion was that the receiver of any news, fake or not, was too lazy to verify its validity. Are horse owners also too lazy to do critical thinking of what we are told is "good" for our horses? I don't think horse owners are lazy at all! They work more than one job to pay for their care, then wake before dawn, get dirty every day, and risk everything to drive to an event to win a ribbon. Most horse owners don't have the time to even read this summary of my podcast. But when something goes wrong with a horse, the natural response is to do "research," which is a very precise science most horse owners aren't trained to do. Further, research takes time, which busy horse owners don't have. Indoctrination is the result rather than critical thinking, and often, the horse suffers. The purpose of what I do here at Community.TheHorsesAdvocate.com is to do the work for horse owners. However, I expect you to ask questions and to challenge what I say, or at least take a moment to think it over. Continuously ask this question: "Is what I'm doing the best for my horse?" Together, we can Help Horses Thrive In A Human World™. ********** Community.TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a place to learn about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its information is free, and there is a membership side that allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and deepen their understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide who works with horses. The Equine Practice, Inc. website discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Click here to make an appointment. The Horsemanship Dentistry School is a place for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. Please give a thumbs-up or a  5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Are you maintaining your software team management like you do your car? In this week's episode of Troubleshooting Agile, Squirrel and Jeffrey use their car maintenance issues to help explore the concept of continuous monitoring versus manual checks and ask about the impact of alert fatigue. Join us to learn how you can create effective monitoring systems to prevent major issues. -------------------------------------------------- You'll find free videos and practice material, plus our book Agile Conversations, at agileconversations.com And we'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show: email us at info@agileconversations.com -------------------------------------------------- About Your Hosts Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick joined forces at TIM Group in 2013, where they studied and practised the art of management through difficult conversations. Over a decade later, they remain united in their passion for growing profitable organisations through better communication. Squirrel is an advisor, author, keynote speaker, coach, and consultant, and he's helped over 300 companies of all sizes make huge, profitable improvements in their culture, skills, and processes. You can find out more about his work here: douglassquirrel.com/index.html Jeffrey is Vice President of Engineering at ION Analytics, Organiser at CITCON, the Continuous Integration and Testing Conference, and is an accomplished author and speaker. You can connect with him here: www.linkedin.com/in/jfredrick/

Superpowers for Good should not be considered investment advice. Seek counsel before making investment decisions. When you purchase an item, launch a campaign or create an investment account after clicking a link here, we may earn a fee. Engage to support our work.Watch the show on television by downloading the e360tv channel app to your Roku, LG or AmazonFireTV. You can also see it on YouTube.Devin: What is your superpower?Brad: Listening deeply to understand the needs of athletes, race organizers, and sponsors.Running a marathon is a life-changing experience. The journey demands dedication, perseverance, and grit—and crossing the finish line is a moment to be cherished. MarathonFoto, under the leadership of its president Brad Kroll, has mastered the art of capturing these transformational moments and turning them into lifelong treasures.Brad, who joined MarathonFoto in 1998, fell in love with the endurance sports industry, which includes both running and cycling. His passion for the work is rooted in the unique ability of endurance events to inspire anyone willing to put in the effort. “Every runner has a story,” Brad said during today's episode. “And these photos sort of bookend that story. It kind of covers the whole story for them and highlights what they've accomplished.”What sets MarathonFoto apart is its commitment to enhancing the experience for both runners and race organizers. The company captures thousands of images of participants across events in North America and Europe, offering athletes a chance to relive their monumental achievements. Brad explained, “We go and we capture these images of athletes… and we're able to really enhance their whole experience and help them celebrate what they accomplished.”Beyond just photographs, MarathonFoto plays a pivotal role in supporting the broader running community. Brad shared that 30–35% of the company's revenue is returned to race organizations, many of which are nonprofits. This revenue-sharing model not only funds future events but strengthens the community by providing resources for race organizers to improve their offerings.In addition to its financial contributions, MarathonFoto supports industry organizations like Running USA and the Road Race Club of America, which educate race leaders and promote best practices. By doing so, the company ensures that its impact extends far beyond the finish line.MarathonFoto's rapid image delivery system, which provides runners with enhanced, shareable photos within minutes of finishing a race, exemplifies its commitment to customer experience. “Runners want that instant gratification of seeing their photo almost immediately after crossing the finish line,” Brad said. These images, enhanced for vibrant colors and optimal skin tones, allow runners to celebrate and share their triumphs with their communities.Brad's leadership at MarathonFoto demonstrates the company's dedication to uplifting the running community, celebrating personal achievements, and fostering inspiration for future generations of athletes.tl;dr:MarathonFoto captures life-changing moments at endurance events, enhancing runners' experiences with professional photos.The company supports nonprofits by sharing 30–35% of its revenue with race organizations.MarathonFoto's rapid image delivery system gives runners instant access to their finish-line photos.Brad Kroll's strategic empathy drives innovation, ensuring athletes, organizers, and sponsors benefit.Brad encourages active listening and adaptability to build meaningful connections and deliver impactful solutions.How to Develop Strategic Empathy As a SuperpowerBrad describes his superpower as “strategic empathy,” which he defines as listening deeply to understand the needs of athletes, race organizers, and sponsors. This skill enables him to align MarathonFoto's operations with the desires of all stakeholders. “If the athletes are happy, then the race is happy. And if the race is happy, the sponsors are happy,” Brad explained. By internalizing feedback and adapting the business to meet those needs, he ensures MarathonFoto delivers value that benefits everyone involved.Brad highlighted the development of MarathonFoto's rapid image delivery system as a prime example of his strategic empathy. Runners expressed a desire to share their race finishes with friends and family immediately after completing a marathon. Listening to this feedback, Brad and his team developed a system to provide runners with enhanced finish-line photos within minutes of crossing the finish line. This innovation not only delighted participants but also strengthened relationships with race organizers and sponsors.Tips for Developing Strategic Empathy:Practice active listening by focusing on understanding others' perspectives and needs.Ask clarifying questions to ensure you've captured the essence of what someone is saying.Reflect on feedback and adapt your approach to meet others' expectations.Collaborate with your team to brainstorm and implement solutions that align with stakeholder needs.Continuously evaluate how your actions impact all parties involved.By following Brad's example and advice, you can make strategic empathy a skill. With practice and effort, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world.Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you!Get Your Copy!Guest ProfileBrad Kroll (he/him):President, MarathonFotoAbout MarathonFoto: MarathonFoto provides professional photography services at marathons and other endurance events, capturing runners before, during, and after the race so they can purchase personalized images and photo products. MarathonFoto also supports race organizers and sponsors with marketing-focused imagery and digital albums that highlight the event experience and brand.Website: marathonfoto.comCompany Facebook Page: facebook.com/marathonfotoBiographical Information: Brad Kroll is a running industry leader and sports photography expert. Brad is the President of MarathonFoto. He leads the MarathonFoto team in delivering exceptional race photography services that celebrate the achievements of athletes at some of the largest mass participation and endurance sports events in the world. In his role, he also drives strong partnerships with race directors and event organizers, innovations in the company's solutions, and the furthering of the organization's mission to inspire athletes and celebrate their journeys through high-quality imagery. Brad started with MarathonFoto in 1998, and was led to his work by his unwavering love of sports. Upon attending his first race, he felt called to be a part of the running community and industry. Throughout his 27-year career with MarathonFoto, he has overseen each individual department within it. This gives him a unique perspective into how all contribute to the success of the company and the realization of its vision. Brad holds an MBA from the University of Iowa's Tippie College of Business, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Northern Iowa. Brad lives in Washington, Iowa with his wife and three kids.LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/brad-kroll-a19750112The Super Crowd, Inc., a public benefit corporation, is proud to have been named a finalist in the media category of the impact-focused, global Bold Awards.Support Our SponsorsOur generous sponsors make our work possible, serving impact investors, social entrepreneurs, community builders and diverse founders. Today's advertisers include rHealth, and Make Money with Impact Crowdfunding. Learn more about advertising with us here.Max-Impact Members(We're grateful for every one of these community champions who make this work possible.)Brian Christie, Brainsy | Cameron Neil, Lend For Good | Carol Fineagan, Independent Consultant | Hiten Sonpal, RISE Robotics | John Berlet, CORE Tax Deeds, LLC. | Justin Starbird, The Aebli Group | Lory Moore, Lory Moore Law | Mark Grimes, Networked Enterprise Development | Matthew Mead, Hempitecture | Michael Pratt, Qnetic | Mike Green, Envirosult | Nick Degnan, Unlimit Ventures | Dr. Nicole Paulk, Siren Biotechnology | Paul Lovejoy, Stakeholder Enterprise | Pearl Wright, Global Changemaker | Scott Thorpe, Philanthropist | Sharon Samjitsingh, Health Care Originals | Add Your Name HereUpcoming SuperCrowd Event CalendarIf a location is not noted, the events below are virtual.SuperCrowd Impact Member Networking Session: Impact (and, of course, Max-Impact) Members of the SuperCrowd are invited to a private networking session on February 17th at 1:30 PM ET/10:30 AM PT. Mark your calendar. We'll send private emails to Impact Members with registration details. Upgrade to Impact Membership today!SuperCrowdHour February: This month, Devin Thorpe will be digging deep into my core finance expertise to share guidance on projections and financial statements. We're calling it “Show Me the Numbers: Building Trust with Financial Clarity.” Register free to get all the details. February 18th at Noon ET/9:00 PT.Superpowers for Good Live Pitch: The top-raising Reg CF campaign of 2025 won the June 2025 Superpowers for Good Live Pitch. We're taking applications for the March 17, 2026, Live Pitch now. There is no fee to apply and no fee to pitch if selected! Apply here now!Community Event CalendarSuccessful Funding with Karl Dakin, Tuesdays at 10:00 AM ET - Click on Events.10 Years of Reg CF: How It Started vs. How It's Going: Join the CfPA on Feb 11, 2026, for a special anniversary webinar reflecting on a decade of Regulation Crowdfunding. Hear from Jenny Kassan on Reg CF's origins and Woodie Neiss on what 10 years of data reveal about what's worked, what hasn't, and what's next—followed by live Q&A. Register here.If you would like to submit an event for us to share with the 10,000+ changemakers, investors and entrepreneurs who are members of the SuperCrowd, click here.Manage the volume of emails you receive from us by clicking here.We use AI to help us write compelling recaps of each episode. Get full access to Superpowers for Good at www.superpowers4good.com/subscribe

For everyone saying that Thor is slowly becoming Sky, this one is for you. Emily recieved a text with a picture of Thor wearing something new that he has CONTINUOUSLY voiced his disapproval of and he even wore them into the studio today... Check our instagram @theshowrock1053 to see the picture...

For everyone saying that Thor is slowly becoming Sky, this one is for you. Emily recieved a text with a picture of Thor wearing something new that he has CONTINUOUSLY voiced his disapproval of and he even wore them into the studio today... Check our instagram @theshowrock1053 to see the picture...

012026 7 MIN Why Are We Getting Northern Lights In The USA Continuously? by Kate Dalley

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from continuously reusing an unwashed french press for coffee and tea. Dr. Don - not risky

For over a decade, Law Abiding Biker has been built by riders, for riders. What started as a passion for American V-Twin motorcycles has grown into one of the largest Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycle media platforms in the world—while staying true to our core mission: bikers helping bikers. As we continue to grow at a rapid pace, we're opening a rare opportunity for the right person to step into our team as an Assistant Store Manager, with a clear path to becoming Store Manager. This isn't a typical retail job—it's a leadership role inside a rider-run, bootstrap company that lives and breathes the motorcycle lifestyle. If you're passionate about motorcycles, love helping fellow riders, and want more than "just a job," keep reading. Assistant Store Manager (Growth Track to Store Manager) Position Overview Company: Law Abiding Biker™ Media & Law Abiding Biker™ Store Location: Yakima, Washington (on-site, daily presence required)f Position Type: Full-time, salaried Growth Path: Promotion to Store Manager after ~12 months based on performance Compensation: Very competitive salary + performance bonuses (increase upon promotion) Who We Are Law Abiding Biker™ Media and the Law Abiding Biker™ Store are built by bikers—for bikers. We are one of the largest American V-Twin Harley-Davidson / Indian motorcycle media brands in the world, with a massive YouTube audience, the #1 listened to motorcycle podcast globally, and a rapidly scaling international e-commerce store shipping motorcycle parts worldwide. We are not a corporate giant. We are a bootstrap company of riders helping riders. We don't just sell parts—we: Test them Install them Ride with them Review them Film them Teach bikers how to install them themselves Customer service, integrity, and real-world riding matter here. The Role: Assistant Store Manager This role is designed for a highly driven, motorcycle-obsessed leader who wants to grow into a full Store Manager position within approximately one year. You will be trained, supported, and trusted—but you must be self-motivated, fast-learning, confident, and comfortable wearing many hats in a fast-scaling business. This is not a slow-paced or retirement role. This is one of the most exciting jobs in the motorcycle industry—for the right person. Core Responsibilities Store & Operations Leadership Assist in overseeing daily store operations Inventory oversight, fulfillment workflows, and shipping operations Maintain organization, efficiency, and accountability across the store Help manage and lead employees (shipping, inventory, support roles) Grow into full responsibility for store operations over time Customer Service & Communication Respond to customer emails and inquiries with professionalism and empathy Assist walk-in customers at the Yakima location Maintain high emotional intelligence—we value our customers deeply Resolve issues calmly, fairly, and efficiently Motorcycle Product Knowledge Learn, understand, and confidently explain motorcycle parts we sell Answer fitment, benefit, and usage questions for Harley-Davidson & Indian motorcycles Leverage personal riding and wrenching experience to help customers Continuously learn new products and systems Media & Brand Participation Appear on camera for YouTube content when needed Participate in live and recorded podcast episodes Speak clearly, confidently, and professionally on video and audio Represent the Law Abiding Biker brand publicly and authentically Software & Systems Daily use of Shopify (POS + online store backend) Comfortable working entirely in the Apple / Mac ecosystem Use and learn various software platforms (inventory, logistics, communication) Embrace AI tools (ChatGPT, workflow AI, etc.) as part of operations Heavy daily computer usage is required Industry & Growth Opportunities Communicate with vendors, distributors, and partners Attend industry events, distributor shows, or brand meetings (occasionally) Possible travel for projects, shoots, or events Participate in scaling systems and improving workflows Required Qualifications (Non-Negotiable) Lives in or near Yakima, Washington (daily on-site presence required) Owns and actively rides an American-made V-Twin motorcycle (Harley-Davidson or Indian) Deep passion for the motorcycle lifestyle and community Strong computer and smartphone skills and comfort in the Apple ecosystem Ability to lift and move heavy boxes and equipment Comfortable on camera and speaking into microphones Willingness to work weekends and some extended hours Highly self-motivated, adaptable, and accountable Strongly Preferred (Huge Advantages) Experience wrenching on your own Harley-Davidson or Indian motorcycle Prior experience with Shopify E-commerce, retail, or operations leadership experience Familiarity with AI tools and modern workflows Experience managing employees or teams Strong written and verbal communication skills Work Environment & Culture Fast-paced, high-energy, growth-oriented Hard work—but a lot of fun Bikers, riders, and real humans—not corporate robots Family-oriented and flexible when life happens Everyone wears multiple hats We fix problems—we don't ignore them If you love motorcycles, people, and building something meaningful, this is one of the best jobs you'll ever have. Compensation & Growth Competitive salaried position Performance-based bonuses Defined path to Store Manager within ~12 months Salary increase upon promotion Long-term growth potential in a rapidly expanding brand How to Apply (Important) We don't do things the traditional way, so here's what you need to do if you're interested.  To apply, you must submit a 5-minute video (no longer—we will not review longer videos). Video Requirements: Create a video in any style you want. Feel free to be creative or not.  Include: Sell yourself to us in the video and why we should hire you over other candidates.  HERE ARE SOME BASIC IDEAS BUT DON'T LIMIT YOURSELF: Who you are & your background Your motorcycle history (what you ride, how you ride, wrenching experience) Why you want to work at Law Abiding Biker What skills you bring to the table Past experience and expertise Why you're the right person for this role

Premise: Almost all leaders today lead in an environment that is ripe with disruptions and ever changing competitive landscape. The challenges of leading in this constantly evolving landscape are very different from that of leading in a stable environment where the current management practices are rooted in. So, if we have to succeed in this new world, we need to change the lens through which we view leadership and management practices. That begs the questions - where can we draw inspiration for the new way of leading. Thankfully, we don't need to look far. We can learn from Evolutionary Biology. Leading an organisation today and how evolution works are very similar - they are both a part of and navigate complex adaptive systems. And nature has had a long time to perfect the techniques and tactics that have allowed life to bloom. So, I think there are some interesting and important lessons that we can learn from nature and the evolutionary process. Foundational Tenets of Evolutionary Biology Here are the most fundamental and foundational tenets on which the entire field of Evolutionary Biology is based on: Random events produced the first signs of life. Since then, variation (mutation - adjacent possible and genetic drift - random shifts) provides the impetus for evolution. Selection acts as the fitness test (ability to reproduce and stay alive) Inheritance ensures successful traits are passed on to next generations. Deep time allows cumulative change to produce new functions or species. Over time, simple rules lead to complex patterns, behaviors and species. The starting of our organisation was the random event that started this journey of survival. Embrace Variation - Adjacent Possible & Genetic Drift All evolution happens when there is some sort of variation - either within the organisation or its context. This variation results in something new, which is then put through a rigorous test by its environment and only those variations that are able to navigate the environment successfully are then preferred. Every other variant slowly but definitely dies out. Similarly, as leaders, we need to create an ecology of ideas. We need to look at adjacent possibles (continuous improvement) in our area of work all the time. We should also be on the look out for the genetic drift (random, breakthrough ideas) which can help us shift the level we operate at. Every time something changes - internally within our organisations or externally within the context in which we operate in, we need to explore and come up with experiments and the one that is able to navigate the changes the best, needs to be promoted, while the other ideas slowly but surely die out. Actionable Tip for Leaders: Invite everyone on the team to constantly explore ways to improve the existing processes by running small SMART experiments. And once in a while (maybe quarterly), explore to identify game changing ideas. It is great if you succeed, if not, you would have atleast some more interesting experiments to run. Idea is to engage in the process. Selection acts as the filter for fitness Evolution uses fitness as the only filter to assess whether a variation in a species continues to evolve or simply goes extinct. It is nature's job to be always creating variations, testing them for fitness, promoting the fit one's to be passed on and killing off all other variations. It is exactly our job as a leader. We need to continue to create experiments (variations) both in the adjacent possibles and attempt at breakthroughs (genetic drift), give them some air to test and continue to invest in those that are providing to be successful and kill those that are not. Actionable Tip for Leaders: Lets ideas clash for investments - money, attention and time. Let the best idea (defined before the process is run) win, and let the rest die quickly. Inheritance of successful traits: In addition to variation, evolution also ensures that the successful traits are always passed down from one generation to the next. In exactly the same way, as leaders it is our responsibility to ensure that good ideas and what we learn is spread across the organisation and passed on. This can be done by creating systematic process for documenting and sharing of ideas - good one's that work well. In evolution, the only key criteria is for the organism to continue to survive as a species by reproducing itself. In business, the most important criteria is similar - to survive for another day. Anything that can help in this regard needs to be well known and well shared within the teams. Actionable Tip for Leaders: Ensure that best practices and good ideas are widely shared among the team so that everyone can learn and build on them. Let time play out The biggest strength of the evolutionary process is that it takes its time and is in no hurry. It allows for simple variations to compound over time to create complex abilities and species as a result. As leaders, we can also leverage the power of time on our side - by continuing to work on the different experiments, we are in a way creating a flywheel. This flywheel has the potential to compound over time and create an outsized impact for our business. We just need to trust in the process and let time do the rest. Actionable Tip for Leaders: Have a long term view and approach. Allow multiple small ideas compound over time. What does this mean for us as a leader? This requires us to shift from being a controller to a facilitator, creating environments that empower self-organization, experimentation, and optimizing for learning. We can do that by Encouraging exploration and manipulation of ideas and contexts Design robust feedback and feedforward loops for continuous learning Empower teams with autonomy and reward experimentation, even failures Value diversity and inclusion to prevent blind spots and foster robust solutions Be comfortable with ambiguity and utilize managed tension between agents as a driver for adaptive change and novel information Be responsive to environmental shifts Continuously modify internal models Implement continuous learning loops ("learning by doing") Leverage inherent resilience and self-organization of complex adaptive system Adopt adaptive governance with decentralized decision-making As leaders, we need to treat leadership as Experimentation. We treat decisions as hypotheses to be tested, learn from feedback, and adapt accordingly. Self Organisation and Emergence: In evolution, all of these principles when play out and result in what we call Self organisation and emergence. Emergence by its definition is random and can not be predicted in advance and is a result of self-organisation (there is no one in charge there). This also shows that the overall entropy in the system is ever growing (with variation and emergence). As leaders, we need to be aware and constantly looking for emergence as and when it emerges. Once we see what emerges, we can explore how to exploit the emergence towards our goals. Smart leaders are always on the lookout for emergence everytime, they change something - for both expected and unexpected consequences and deal with them in real time. Self-organized Criticality One of the results of emergence is also the concept of self organised criticality, where the response to a small action can be outsized and can cause ripple effects across the entire system (as in the last grain of sand falling on an already tall sand pile leading to the collapse of the sand pile). As leaders, we need to be constantly on the look out for such criticality building up within our systems and plan for the inevitable shock that will come. By being better prepared, we can not only minimize the shock but possibly even find ways to leverage the shock to accelerate our pursuit to our goals. Conclusion Evolutionary biology offers an invaluable lens for leading complex adaptive systems. By embracing variation, facilitating selection via feedback, prioritizing adaptation over prediction, cultivating self-organization and co-evolution, organizations can move beyond outdated management practices. When leaders act as adaptive facilitators, empowering systems to learn, evolve, and adapt to an unpredictable future, we build resilient and some times even an Anti-fragile organisation and that can lead to consistent and significant high performance over a long and sustained period of time in a turbulent environment. In the past few posts, we explore about how we can learn from Anthropologists, Behavioral Scientists, Coaches and Directors. As you can see, Leaders worth following can learn from anything and everything. In order to succeed in the ever evolving environment, we need to optimize for our learning ability.

Hour 2 of A&G features... The non stop violent rhetoric Golden Globes & online arguing about ICE shooting What are "A.W.F.U.L.S?" The age of literacy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hour 2 of A&G features... The non stop violent rhetoric Golden Globes & online arguing about ICE shooting What are "A.W.F.U.L.S?" The age of literacy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"I put myself in situations where I didn't have a back door and couldn't run away from myself. The natural consequence was that I felt lighter, and I'm finishing the year more proud of myself than I've ever been, with more confidence." In this episode, Heather guides you through her unique process for creating a personalized, focused plan for 2026 that brings real lightness into your life. But that doesn't mean bypassing internal struggles or heavy emotions, because you can't reclaim your time or create more peace without addressing your biggest energy leaks. If your goal is to feel lighter next year, while bringing on more responsibilities that move you forward, this conversation will guide you to work with the four essential energy types that support real growth, so you can release what no longer fits and move forward with more ease, clarity, and self-trust. What to listen for: ✨ 80% of how you spend your day is hiding, and why you need a north star ✨ The four types of energy you need to understand how to manage for growth ✨ Understanding the type of dreamer you are and how to work with yourself ✨ Why the more responsibility you have, the lighter you should feel "When you begin to embody this identity of 'the more responsibility I have, the lighter I should feel', your brain begins to find evidence of how that's possible. Because the way that you manage your time and energy is focused on how light you can feel." ✨ Shifting the belief systems that limit your ability to experience lightness ✨ Continuously and relentlessly facing the parts of yourself you avoid ✨ Living for others as a way to feel better, but with strong boundaries "You have to face parts of yourself that you've never, ever, ever faced, especially with that identity. And to be lighter, you have to let go." ✨ Getting radically honest about what you're sacrificing by holding on to stories ✨ Auditing the tasks currently on your plate to uncover what you can release ✨ Holding the emotional discomfort of learning how to trust and receive ✨ Why women often use strategy and information to avoid integration "You have one precious life, and if you're wasting time on a strategy that's not working, it's time to put it down. If you are wasting it on relationships or skills that aren't working, or you feel like you've outgrown a career, it's time to put them down." ✨ Using community support to enhance personal growth and accountability ✨ Understanding that fear can be a catalyst for growth if managed intentionally ✨ Creating a 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' list to help clarify your desires ******* For those of you who are ready to stop feeling drained, overextended, and out of alignment… join me for a one-on-one Time & Energy Audit, a focused session designed to help high-achieving women uncover what's draining them, clarify what truly matters, and create a simple plan that fits their life. We'll pinpoint your biggest time + energy leaks, identify the top areas to focus on for quick momentum, and map out exactly what to let go of so you can reclaim your energy, your time, and your joy. Ready to make your time work for you without adding more to your plate? Book a Time & Energy Audit: https://heatherchauvin.com/audit    Not ready for 1:1? Join the membership (cancel anytime): https://heatherchauvin.com/membership 

THE ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERY OF THE BIG BANG Colleague Professor Paul Halpern. Halpern explains how a horror movie inspired the Steady State theory, which posits that new matter is continuously created to maintain cosmic density. Ironically, Hoyle coined the term "Big Bang" as a derisive label during a radio broadcast, preferring his continuous creation model. The segment highlights Hoyle's genius in calculating how carbon forms in dying stars, a necessity for life. However, the debate shifted decisively when Penzias and Wilson accidentally discovered the cosmic microwave background hiss. This radiation, identified by Robert Dicke's team, provided the observational proof that vindicated Gamow's hot origin theory. NUMBER 3 AUGUST 1938

Today Eric focuses on the concept of challenging traditional methods—or the mindset of "that's the way I've always done it"—within business, specifically contracting and the aquatic hobby. Triplet emphasizes the importance of innovation and efficiency, using examples like adopting new software (CompanyCam) to dramatically shorten the time spent on client reports, moving from burning CDs to using digital playlists, and ditching physical blueprints for digital plans. The conversation also explores the psychological traps that keep contractors stuck in outdated, less-profitable routines, highlighting that clinging to old methods can prevent necessary growth and adaptation to modern technology. Ultimately, Eric and his guests advocate for staying open-minded and ready to pivot rather than being rigidly attached to established, even if suboptimal, practices. Key Takeaways: Always keep your mind open to suggestions and new ideas for improvement. Continuously look for innovation to create efficiencies and collapse time in your processes. Stay nimble and be ready to pivot and adjust your approach when situations change. Do not blindly accept long-standing practices; verify facts and question the way things have always been done. Maintain knowledge of old methods and foundational skills in case new technology fails or is unavailable.

Mego remains in studio and discusses with Arcand Drake Maye's multiple long pass attempts against the Bills and why he's got learn dinking and dunking works just as well.

Edomae sushi is an Edo style of sushi making that underscores marinating, curing, and aging techniques. Within that, there is one chef, Cheng Lin, standing out for his attention not only to these techniques, but bringing an emphasis on seasonality and sourcing of ingredients.   Born and raised in Fujian, China, chef Cheng Lin began his culinary career in 1997 when he moved to New York City and worked in restaurants such as Hatsuhana, Sushi Seki, and Blue Ribbon. Continuously looking to refine his skills at trailblazing culinary concepts, he eventually joined Chef Masa Ito and Kevin Kim at ITO Tribeca. Chef Cheng Lin was captivated by the comic "Shota No Sushi," a tale of a boy whose passion for sushi mirrored his own, and dreamt of creating a haven for sushi enthusiasts that he would call Shōta. Now, over two decades later, Chef Cheng Lin helms Shōta Omakase in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and it is the culmination of his near 30-year commitment to perfecting the art of sushi making. Combining traditional Edomae-style sushi with modern flair, and a painstaking dedication to sourcing the highest quality ingredients, Chef Cheng Lin shares his love through attention to detail, refined technique, and unmatched flavor. In today's conversation, we explore his commitment to sourcing ingredients that honour the traditional techniques used in Edomae-style sushi, considerations of seasonality when selecting which fish to incorporate on the menu, and how Cheng and his staff have adjusted to their dining services in the wake of receiving a Michelin star within one year of opening.  Resources: Shōta Omakase Restaurant Website Instagram: @shotaomakase Chef Cheng's Instagram: @sushi.chef.cheng.lin

Welcome to episode 308 of Grow Your Law Firm, hosted by Ken Hardison. In this episode, Ken welcomes back Eric Morgan, President and CEO of Roux Advertising, to discuss the importance of planning effective marketing strategies for small and midsize law firms. They focus on the Brand Realization Program, which helps firms identify their unique selling points and core values to create impactful marketing strategies. Eric highlights the significance of differentiation, client feedback for continuous improvement, creating memorable brand identities, and standing out without excessive spending. The discussion emphasizes the need for firms to articulate their unique value propositions and differentiate themselves from competitors by focusing on authenticity and purpose. What you'll learn about in this episode:   1. Planning effective marketing strategies for small and midsize law firms involves: - Identifying unique selling points and core values - Creating impactful marketing strategies that resonate with target audiences 2. Small law firms need to: - Clearly articulate their unique value propositions - Differentiate themselves from larger competitors 3. Soliciting client feedback is crucial for law firms to: - Continuously improve - Leverage genuine client experiences over self-promotion 4. Memorable brand names and workshops can help firms: - Create distinct brand identities - Make informed marketing decisions 5. Enhancing competitive edge and market presence requires law firms to: - Focus on authenticity, purpose, and differentiation - Stand out without excessive spending Resources:  Website: rouxadvertising.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/eric-morgan Facebook: facebook.com/RouxAdvertising Instagram: instagram.com/rouxadvertising Additional Resources:    https://www.pilmma.org/the-mastermind-effect https://www.pilmma.org/resources https://www.pilmma.org/mastermind AI for PI Expo:   www.pilmma.org/ai-for-pi-expo

Vayishlach | Hegemonism or Conquest? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom ולזרעך נתתי את הארץ - What was at the core of Yaakov's dispute with his sons after the massacre of Sh'khem?  Continuously throughout Sefer Bereishit, our Patriarchs are promised by Hashem that their descendants will be "given" the Land - but there is no indication of how that gift will be given, of how that "inheritance" will be achieved. We explore what may have been the perspective of our Avot in that regard - and how and why it changed by the time we arrived in Mitzrayim. Source sheet >>

Eric shares audio from a weekly coaching call primarily aimed at contractors and small business owners, emphasizing the fragility of their businesses and the constant risk of financial collapse, which he metaphorically terms the "contractor's glass floor." The discussion centers on the importance of proactive planning, understanding profit margins, and sales training to ensure business sustainability and the ability to "rebound" from unexpected setbacks like accidents, illness, or job losses. Participants share personal vulnerabilities and challenges related to financial management and the demanding nature of being an entrepreneur, underscoring the necessity of peer support and continuous training rather than operating in isolation. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on roleplaying and practicing communication skills to improve sales confidence and ensure proper client communication. Key Takeaways: Develop a clear rebound plan detailing how you would recover from major personal or professional risks. Refuse to become comfortable or complacent because relying on comfort often destroys a business. Work to fortify the financial foundation of your business so it can sustain disruptions without collapse. Continuously seek training and peer groups to avoid losing your edge and operating as a solitary entity. Thoroughly understand your operational numbers to ensure you charge profitably and avoid financing your own projects.

On this episode I sit down with indie app builder and designer Chris Raroque to break down how solo developers can make apps that truly stand out in a world of “vibe-coded” clones. Chris walks through concrete examples from his own products, Ellie (planning), Luna (budgeting), and Amy (calorie tracking), showing how small details in animations, interactions, and haptics dramatically change how an app feels. We dig into mascots and illustrations, iconography and typography, widgets and Apple Watch apps, and the design resources Chris studies to sharpen his eye. The episode is a practical blueprint for turning AI-assisted prototypes into polished, premium-feeling apps that users remember and keep coming back to. Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 03:54 – Animation and Interactions 20:50 – Illustrations and Mascots 33:57 – Iconography and Typography 37:28 – Widgets 43:04 – Design Inspiration Resources Key Points In a world where anyone can ship an AI-generated app in 24 hours, polish and interaction design are the real differentiators. Thoughtful animations, micro-interactions, and haptics can be the difference between a tweet that flops and one that goes viral. Mascots and custom illustrations give apps a recognizable personality and can transform empty states and onboarding into memorable moments. Consistent iconography and basic typography choices have outsized impact on perceived quality, yet are often overlooked by “vibe-coded” apps. Home screen, lock screen, and watch widgets act as retention engines by giving apps constant real estate in users' daily flows. Continuously studying well-designed apps and curated UI libraries sharpens design taste and makes it easier to brief AI tools effectively. The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/ The Vibe Marketer - Resources for people into vibe marketing/marketing with AI: thevibemarketer.com Startup Empire - get your free builders toolkit to build cashflowing business - https://startup-ideas-pod.link/startup-empire-toolkit Become a member - https://startup-ideas-pod.link/startup-empire FIND ME ON SOCIAL X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/ FIND CHRIS ON SOCIAL Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@raroque  X/Twitter: https://x.com/raroque  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chris.raroque/

PREVIEW Anne Stevenson-Yang focuses on the decline of China's economic miracle, which was fueled by borrowing and falsehoods and is potentially headed toward japanification or worse. The idea that China was continuously rising and overtaking the United States is now largely disregarded. Although some asset investors hold hope that Asia, specifically China, will provide yield, few believe the downturn is temporary. Guest: Anne Stevenson-Yang. 1918 PEKING

Ben Baird reveals US government agencies, under both Obama and Biden administrations, continuously funded extremist Muslim groups. Despite warnings and previous Trump administration cuts, over $25 million in grants went to organizations with alleged ties to terrorism, antisemitism, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Hamas. This included partnering with groups like CAIR, which also provided firearms training to radical mosques, raising serious questions about oversight and vetting standards for federal funds.

From the archive: This episode was originally recorded and published in 2022. Our interviews on Entrepreneurs On Fire are meant to be evergreen, and we do our best to confirm that all offers and URL's in these archive episodes are still relevant. Taijaun Reshard is a 20 year old who helps business owners make 10,000 plus dollars/month in their business by utilizing JUST Instagram Theme Pages - no Facebook or Google ads. Top 3 Value Bombs 1. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. Find new and creative ways for people to consume your content. 2. Instagram theme page marketing is so effective because it allows you to reach your target audience in a direct and cheaper way. 3. Constantly test new pages and ads. One ad may do good and another ad may do bad. Even if you have a good ad, don't be complacent. Continuously test new ads and new pages. Sponsors HighLevel - The ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies! Learn more at HighLevelFire.com. Franocity - Franocity has helped hundreds of people leave unfulfilling jobs, invest in recession-resilient businesses, and create legacy income for their families through franchising. Get started today by downloading Franocity's Franchise Funding Guide at Franocity.com.