Podcasts about continuously

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

YOU MUST CONTINUOUSLY ABIDE IN CHRIST(VOL-2)

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 ||

Dealing with Disappointment While Continuously Pursuing Your Dreams & GoalsIf you have ever pursued a big dream, the kind that requires planning, training, sacrifice, and shifts... then you've already become well acquainted with disappointment.When we focus on the challenges that stretch us beyond our current capacity, we give ourselves the opportunity to awaken dormant talents, skills, and abilities... that the added pressure activate.This happens when we push through our present limitations, we stay the course, even amidst disappointments.The old adage says it best, "If success were easy, everyone would have it." If your dream is as big as it feels to you right now, know that it will always be worth pushing through the disappointments that the path to achievement will inevitably bring.#mindset #failure #feedback #growth 0:00 - 1:30 - Introduction1:30 - 8:30 Dealing with Disappointment8:30 - Wrap Up*RESOURCES*For all topics related to renewing and rebuilding family, communities and relationships, check out our blogs! We post bi-weekly:https://www.spe-projectpurpose.com/blogsMake sure to come visit us, subscribe to the website, and join our Member's Area for more valuable content:*SOCIALS*Website: www.spe-projectpurpose.com Facebook Page: @ProjectPurposeSPEInstagram: @ProjectPurposeSPE or my personal account @realistraeTwitter: @Purpose_SPEPinterest: @ProjectPurposeSPE

YOU MUST CONTINUOUSLY ABIDE IN CHRIST (VOL-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

Simon explores the important concept of "you don't know what you don't know" in the context of property investing, emphasising the dangers of assuming you have all the knowledge necessary for success, sharing personal anecdotes from his 30 years of experience in the field.  Simon also discusses the significance of continuous learning, the value of working with specialists, and the importance of maintaining an open mind to avoid costly mistakes KEY TAKEAWAYS It's crucial to recognise that you don't know everything. Continuously seek to grow your knowledge and expertise in property investing to avoid making costly mistakes. While theoretical education is important, practical implementation is essential. Engage in property investing actively to gain real-world experience and insights. Work with specialists who have relevant experience in their fields. However, be cautious as even experts may not know everything, particularly in niche areas of property investing. Stay open to new ideas and approaches. Question your current methods and seek better, faster, and more effective ways to achieve your goals. BEST MOMENTS "You see, the decisions we make are based on the knowledge, the past experience, and our beliefs that we hold at that time." "If you get to the point where you think you know everything, that can be very dangerous. You can make some very expensive mistakes." "You're never going to know everything about property investing. I don't know everything about property investing." "Using experts and consultants can massively speed up your journey." VALUABLE RESOURCES Join my free 2-hour live workshop where I'll show you how to choose the right property coach to fast-track your results in 2026: https://property.isrefer.com/go/GRF26CW/Podcast/ To find your local pin meeting visit: ⁠www.PinMeeting.co.uk⁠ and use voucher code PODCAST to attend you first meeting as Simon's guest (instead of paying the normal £20). Contact and follow Simon here: Facebook: ⁠http://www.facebook.com/OfficialSimonZutshi⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonzutshi/⁠ YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/SimonZutshiOfficial⁠ Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/simonzutshi⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/simonzutshi/⁠ Simon Zutshi, experienced investor, successful entrepreneur and best-selling author, is widely recognised as one of the top wealth creation strategists in the UK. Having started to invest in property in 1995 and went on to become financially independent by the age of 32. Passionate about sharing his experience, Simon founded the property investor's network (pin) in 2003 ⁠www.pinmeeting.co.uk⁠   pin has since grown to become the largest property networking organisation in the UK, with monthly meetings in 50 cities, designed specifically to provide a supportive, educational and inspirational environment for people like you to network with and learn from other successful investors. Since 2003, Simon has taught thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners how to successfully invest in a tax-efficient way.  How to create additional streams of income, give them more time to do the things they want to do and build their long-term wealth. Simon's book “Property Magic” which is now in its sixth edition, became an instant hit when first released in 2008 and remains an Amazon No 1 best-selling property book. Simon launched his latest business, ⁠www.CrowdProperty.com⁠, in 2014, which is an FCA Regulated peer to peer lending platform to facilitate loans between private individuals and property professionals. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. ⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

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.

This week's special Thanksgiving episode of the En Factor features oncology nurse and book author Pamela Baptiste, who was a pleasure to have on the show. Pamela's journey began on the Caribbean island of Trinidad where her hardworking and resilient mindset was built by the positive and inspiring influence of her parents. She always wanted to be a nurse growing up, as she was inspired by the compassion and care that she saw from other nurses at a young age. Her lifelong dream became a reality after moving to New York for nursing school and becoming a registered nurse at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where she spent more than 20 years working. Continuously driven by her passion for not only dealing with patients' symptoms and diseases, but also reinforcing their spirit and mindset, Pamela found her way to Tampa, Florida where she has been a RN for Moffit Cancer Center ever since. Throughout her professional journey and as you will hear throughout today's episode, Pamela's career and mission always has had gratitude, mentorship, and giving back at the forefront. These qualities and Pamela's inspiring journey of building her career coming from another country and working tirelessly all while raising her daughter led her to wanting to inspire and fuel the fire for other nurses that are on their own journeys. And one of the results of her philanthropic mindset was becoming an author and publishing her own book, The Flame Within, written to encourage and help guide aspiring and practicing nurses on their journeys. You won't want to miss a moment of Pamela's amazing story and impactful advice, as she and Dr. Rebecca White dig into topics of conversation including how her upbringing in Trinidad shaped her mission and mindset, technological factors that are driving more nurses to become entrepreneurial, and the importance of gratitude and giving back to others and your community. Connect with Pamela on LinkedIn here! https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-baptiste-msn-rn-ocn-575986161/ Check out Pamela's book, The Flame Within, on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/Flame-Within-Channels-Nursing-Passion-ebook/dp/B0CW1HM1B7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=FBMU1Q6KWYBA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3rb1k7_bxZe3AScpwT4mZL-2SQ_eP16CQJNbkCZkuno.h4D-SBHnmSGTOR1LlZcO4jmMO9pylx_6tHkU5qWYrVE&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+flame+within+pamela+baptiste&qid=1764116720&sprefix=the+flame+within+pamela+baptiste%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1  Key Words - Healthcare, Gratitude

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

Tron has never been a massively successful franchise in terms of Box Office or critical acclaim, yet its always been a franchise that had amazing ideas that the 3 films have never delivered on.Join Neil & Jose as the delve into all 3 Tron films and look at what made the first two films cult hits and have such a hardcore fan base, but also why the films have never been able to be mainstream box office and critical successes?We also give our good, bad and WTF moments from the latest film Tron: Aresand we finish by asking is this the end for Tron on the big screen as Disney have hinted, and what is the future of the franchise? Let us know in the comments what you want from a great Tron film?#tron #tronlegacy #tronares #endofline #flynns #cultfilm #gretalee #jodieturnersmith #gilliananderson #evanpeters #jaredleto

In this special SaaS Fuel episode, host Jeff Mains welcomes James Piacentino, co-founder and CEO of Thrive Genetics—a company at the intersection of healthcare, genetics, technology, and compassionate mission. James shares his deeply personal connection to the opioid crisis, describing the family loss that shaped his life's purpose and eventually sparked the founding of Thrive Genetics.The conversation explores how advances in genetic testing, behavioral analysis, and AI are enabling physicians to proactively identify and mitigate addiction risk—before opioids are prescribed. Along the way, they discuss building solutions in complex, regulated markets, the importance of pilots and product-market fit, and why mission-driven leadership can turn innovation into real-world impact.Key Takeaways00:00 "Building Leaders and Scaling Success"06:25 Generational Trauma: Beyond Genetics07:24 Breaking Cycles Through Innovation11:53 High Pain Procedures and Opioids15:30 "Genetic Testing for Addiction Risk"20:09 Market Applications and Opportunities22:48 Integrated Healthcare Ecosystem Insights25:43 "Customer-Centered Product Development Insights"29:36 "Vision and Path to Scale"33:52 Streamlining Customer Service Efficiency37:27 "Focus on Solutions, Not Problems"40:01 Simplifying Healthcare Innovation43:18 "Collaborate for Impactful Leadership"47:18 AI Monitors Patient Pain Signals49:50 "Simple Design, De-Identified Data"52:16 "Embracing Rejection as Growth"55:36 "Fractional Legal & Personality Insights"Tweetable QuotesViral Topic: Building Products That Truly Fit Customer Needs: "It's very important to sit with your customer and just literally build the product to ensure that you are satisfying those specific business needs." — James PiacentinoViral Topic: Simplicity in Healthcare Innovation: "Complicated's fun and tech, maybe, but when you get into these healthcare scenarios, it's gotta be really, really lean, simple." — James Piacentino Viral Topic: Keep It Simple in Complex Systems: "We're just giving you some Information to use. We're not telling you you should. You should drive here or not, you know, so it was like a very simple workaround to something that could have been awfully complex, especially for what we're doing." — James PiacentinoViral Topic: Rethinking Opioid Addiction Prevention: "Why is it that we only talk about addiction after it happens, when technology now makes it possible to see the risk before the first prescription is even written?" — Jeff MainsViral Topic: The Future of Opioid Prescription"Advancements in personalized medicine are helping physicians make better informed decisions, balancing the need for pain relief with the responsibility to prevent addiction." — Jeff Mains Healthcare Innovation Mindset: "You don't have to tackle the bear, just drive by and wave." — Jeff Mains SaaS Leadership LessonsMission Drives Resilience:Stay true to your personal and company values, especially in high-stakes industries. Purpose fuels perseverance through complexity.Customer Collaboration is Key:Meet customers where they are. Continuously incorporate their feedback to ensure product-market fit and genuine value.Embrace Simplicity:In regulated spaces, complexity can kill progress. Strive for solutions that minimize barriers for adoption and use.Learn from the ‘No's:Rejection (from investors or stakeholders) is a gift. Each “no” teaches you something new to incorporate or consider.Surround...

The Intensity is Real, But Your Power is Greater.Acknowledge the current intense environment (mentally, emotionally, globally).Reintroduce the core belief: When you are soul-centered, you are more powerful than anything.The problem: We absorb "heavier energies" without realizing it.The Core Practice: 5-to-10 Conscious Cycles.Break down the simple, powerful formula (5-10 breaths).Affirmation Focus: Dedicate each in-breath to calm and centering ("Breathing in, I calm my body, mind, and emotions.") and each out-breath to release ("Breathing out, I release all heavier energies and attachments...").The Command: Lock in the shielding and safety ("I am centered. I am safe. I am surrounded and infused with divine light and shielding. And SO IT IS.").Energetic Inventory & Regulation.Explain the concept: Continuously stay aware of what is yours and not yours—mentally and emotionally.This is not just for spiritual folks; this is nervous system regulation at its finest. When you release what isn't yours, your system calms down.The Cleanest Frequency: Nature.Why Nature is a non-negotiable step. It is the least contaminated, cleanest frequency on the planet right now.Practical call to action: Walk barefoot, sit by a tree, simply Breathe in the natural air. This simple act recenters your entire spirit.Conclusion: Keep Returning Here.Reiterate that Breath is the connect point, the clearing, and the recentering.Encouragement to practice daily, especially during moments of intensity.Wim Hof breathing techniques, which focus on deep, intentional breath cycles, can help regulate the autonomic nervous system, a key component in managing stress and emotional energy, which directly correlates with the "conscious in and out breaths" and "nervous system regulation" mentioned in your notes. Join Grandpa Bill for your daily dose of holistic wisdom, health, and high-vibe wellness. From the power of Wim Hof breathing to managing your energy field, this podcast cuts through the noise to deliver practical, soul-centered strategies for all ages. It's a healing hour that keeps you grounded, healthy, and connected to your inner power.In a world of constant noise, how do we use a simple, 5-breath cycle to instantly discern between our energy and the heavy energies we unknowingly carry!Podcasts-#BreathIsTheBridge, #EnergeticBoundaries ,#SoulCenteredLiving, #NervousSystemRegulation ,#GrandpaBill #SilverStreakers, #WimHofWisdom ,#ConnectToNature #CleanFrequency #HolisticHealing,

► Gather with us live online and in person every Sunday at 9:30a and 11:00a: https://live.fbcw.org/► Watch/listen to our services: https://fbcw.org/worship-with-us/► Give to help our mission: https://fbcw.org/give/

Key Takeaways:True leadership success is measured by alignment with your values and season of life. It is not about busyness but about making intentional, sustainable choices that bring fulfillment.Leadership has natural rhythms of growth, energy, refinement, and rest. Recognizing and embracing each season allows leaders to act with clarity and avoid burnout.Success is reflected in energized weeks, meaningful relationships, lasting influence, and personal joy. Leadership thrives when others feel better and positive change continues.Lead from peace, set boundaries, and focus on depth over breadth. Continuously evolve your definition of success to expand in wisdom and align your leadership with purpose. “Sometimes you have to stop moving to see where you're really going.” “Busyness is not being important. It's just filling your life with stuff so you can feel important.” “Joy is not optional. It's a leadership strategy.”- Maryanne Dersch   Let's Work Together to Amplify Your Leadership + Influence1. Group Coaching for Nonprofit LeadersWant to lead with more clarity, confidence, and influence? My group coaching program is designed for nonprofit leaders who are ready to communicate more powerfully, navigate challenges with ease, and move their organizations forward. 2. Team Coaching + TrainingI work hands-on with nonprofit teams to strengthen leadership, improve communication, and align around a shared vision. Whether you're growing fast or feeling stuck, we'll create more clarity, collaboration, and momentum—together. 3. Board Retreats + TrainingsYour board has big potential. I'll help you unlock it. My engaging, no-fluff retreats and trainings are built to energize your board, refocus on what matters, and generate real results.Get your free starter kit today at www.theinfluentialnonprofit.comConnect with Maryanne about her coaching programs:https://www.courageouscommunication.com/connect Book Maryanne to speak at your conference:https://www.courageouscommunication.com/nonprofit-keynote-speaker

What does leadership look like at the highest levels of service?  SUMMARY In this episode of Long Blue Leadership, Col. (Ret.) Michael Black '85 discusses his journey from cadet to commanding the White House Communications Agency. He reflects on what it means to be a calm, steady presence in high-pressure environments — and how small daily practices can shape a lifetime of leadership. The full episode is now available.   SHARE THIS PODCAST FACEBOOK  |  LINKEDIN   MICHAEL'S LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS Develop a personal leadership philosophy that guides your actions (like Michael's 5F's: Family, Fitness, Flying, Fairness, and Fun). Always be aware that people are watching you and learning from your example, even when you don't realize it. Nurture relationships continuously - they are critical for long-term success and mentorship. Practice empathy and compassion, especially during difficult moments like delivering challenging news Maintain a holistic approach to fitness - physical, mental, and spiritual well-being are interconnected. Take pride in leaving organizations better than you found them and focus on developing future leaders. Be fair and be perceived as fair - understanding different perspectives is crucial to effective leadership. Incorporate fun and balance into your professional life to maintain team morale and personal resilience. Stay connected to your roots and be willing to mentor the next generation, sharing your experiences and lessons learned. Continuously practice self-reflection and ensure you're living up to your core values and leadership principles.   CHAPTERS Chapter 1 - 0:00:00 - 0:08:55: Family and Military Roots   Michael Black shares his background as a military brat and the educational legacy of his family. Chapter 2 - 0:08:55 - 0:12:10: Delivering a Difficult Notification A profound leadership moment where Black sensitively delivers news of a combat-related death to a staff sergeant's family. Chapter 3 - 0:12:10 - 0:18:40: The 5F Leadership Philosophy Introduction Col. Black explains the origin and core components of his leadership framework: Family, Fitness, Flying, Fairness, and Fun. Chapter 4 - 0:18:40 - 0:25:59: Detailed Exploration of 5F Philosophy   In-depth breakdown of each leadership principle, including personal anecdotes and practical applications. Chapter 5 - 0:25:59 - 0:32:21: Family Legacy and Academy Experience   Discussion of his son's Air Force Academy journey and the importance of nurturing relationships across generations. Chapter 6 - 0:32:21 - 0:38:36: Mentorship and Relationship Building Michael shares his approach to mentoring cadets and the significance of maintaining long-term professional connections. Chapter 7 - 0:38:36 - 0:40:13: Leadership in Civilian and Nonprofit Sectors Reflection on applying military leadership principles in private and nonprofit environments. Chapter 8 - 0:40:13 - 0:41:28: Personal Reflection and Leadership Advice  Final thoughts on leadership, self-improvement, and the importance of continuous personal development.   ABOUT COL. BLACK BIO Michael “Mike” B. Black, vice president for Defense, joined the nonprofit Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International in July 2022. He is a senior cyber/information technology leader with more than four decades of experience in cyber operations, communications, project/program management, leadership disciplines and organizational development. As AFCEA's vice president for Defense, Col. Black builds strong professional relationships with government, industry and academia partners to position AFCEA International as a leader in the cyber, defense, security, intelligence and related information technology disciplines. Col. Black leads defense operations in support of planning and executing global, large-scale, technically focused, trade shows/conferences supporting Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Operations, Cyber and Homeland Security.  Col. Black is focused on providing opportunities for engagement between and among government, industry and academia. Prior to joining AFCEA International, Col. Black served as chief operating officer at Concise Network Solutions for four years, directly supporting the CEO in developing, executing and managing CNS's master business plan. Prior to joining CNS, he served as the COO and chief corporate development officer at JMA Solutions for two and a half years, working in concert with senior executives to lead operations and the planning and execution of strategies. Prior to joining JMA Solutions, he served as the COO at Premier Management Corporation for four years, where he was responsible for day-to-day operations, all business units and the company's profit and loss. Prior to joining the private sector, Col. Black spent 26 years in the U.S. Air Force holding various communications and leadership positions at many levels. He culminated his distinguished military career as a colonel, commander, White House Communications Agency, leading a 1,200-person team of selectively manned military, then-Department of Defense civilian and contract personnel to provide “no fail” telecommunications services for the president, vice president, named successors, first lady, senior White House staff, National Security staff, U.S. Secret Service and the White House Military Office. Col. Black holds a Bachelor of Science in basic science from the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he was a Distinguished Military Graduate. He holds a Master of Science in national resource strategy, with an information operations concentration, from the National Defense University, Industrial College of the Armed Forces; a Master's Degree in military arts and science from the Army Command & General Staff College; and a Master of Arts Degree in management from Webster University. He is a published author, including writing several leadership articles for The New Face of Leadership Magazine as well the thesis Coalition Command, Control, Communication, and Intelligence Systems Interoperability: A Necessity or Wishful Thinking? BIO EXCERPTED FROM AFCEA.ORG   CONNECT WITH MICHAEL IG: @chequethemike FB: @michael black LinkedIn: Michael Black   CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org Ted Robertson | Producer:  Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org    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 ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS   TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS Guest, Col. (Ret.) Michael Black '85 | Host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   Naviere Walkewicz Welcome to Long Blue Leadership, where transformative journeys of Air Force Academy graduates come to life. There are moments in a leader's life that leave a permanent mark. For my guest today, Col. (Ret.) Michael Black, USAFA Class of '85, one such moment came when he was actually sent to deliver news of a combat-related death. It was the first time he'd ever been tasked with that duty, and knew he only had one chance to get it right. As he sat with the widow, Michael found the strength to guide the family through their grief. That part of Michael's story speaks to the depth of his empathy and the calm steadiness that defines him as a leader. We'll explore much more of Michael's journey, from leading the White House Communications team to mentoring cadets at the Academy to daily practices that ground him and the framework that guides him today, what he calls the five Fs of leadership: family, fitness, flying, fairness and fun a guide not only for his life, but for the leaders he inspires. Michael, welcome to Long Blue Leadership. Michael Black Naviere, thank you for having me, and thank you for that very kind introduction. I'm so happy to be here, and I'm just thankful for what you guys do, the AOG and putting this together and telling stories. I think this is amazing. So thank you for the opportunity. Naviere Walkewicz Well, we're grateful you're here. You got your silver on. You got your ‘85 Best Alive, you know, I mean, I'm just blown away here. The class crest… Michael Black Yeah, got it all, you know, the crest and the two squadrons that I was in. I'm just excited, back here for our 40th reunion. Yeah. So that's amazing. So fellowship and fun with your classmates, and just seeing the mountains, you know. Getting off the plane and looking west and seeing the mountains and seeing God's creation is just amazing. And then, of course, the Academy in the background, you know, pretty excited. Naviere Walkewicz Wonderful, wonderful. Well, we're going to jump right in. And actually, the topic is a bit sensitive, but I think it's really important, because we know that when we all raise our right hand, some are prepared and they give all. But not everyone has to actually give the news to the family when their loved one is lost, so maybe you can share what that was like. Michael Black Thank you for allowing me to talk about that. You hit the nail on the head when you said you only have one chance to get it right when you're talking to the family. And so I had a young staff sergeant that was deployed down range at the Horn of Africa, and he happened to be a radio operator in a helicopter supporting the Marines. And there was a mid-air collision that happened while he was deployed, and he was one of the people that perished. So the first notification that I had to make was duty status: whereabouts unknown — to say that to the family. And of course, you can think about the range of emotions that are associated with that. They don't know. We don't know.   Naviere Walkewicz There's still hope. There's not hope.   Michael Black So that was the first day. So going over there with my first sergeant, a medical team, chaplain, you know, that kind of thing, to support us and the family.   Naviere Walkewicz And what rank were you at that time?   Michael Black So I was a lieutenant colonel. So I was a squadron commander of the 1st Comm Squadron at Langley Air Force Base. And I like to say, you don't get to practice that. You have one time to get it right. At least back then, there was not a lot of training to do that. It doesn't happen that often, and so having to make that notification was a tough thing. It was one of the hardest things, if not the hardest thing, I had to do in the service. Two young boys. He had two sons, and at the time, his spouse was military as well, so I go over there to do that the first day. You can imagine, you know, knocking on the door, right, and I'm in uniform, and just the emotions that they can be going through. So we're sitting on the couch in their house, two young boys. I believe their ages were 3 and 5 at the time, they were very young. And I explained to Michelle what we knew. And again, it's scripted. I can't say more or less than that, because 1) don't know, right? And 2), you just don't want to speculate on anything. And then we're waiting to find out his status. So then I have to go back the next day to make that notification, and you're representing the chief of staff of the United States Air Force, and that's kind of something that's scripted for you. “I'm here on the behalf of the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, and I regret to inform you of the untimely death of your spouse.” The part that was even more heartening for me was after I told her, and with the boys sitting, I believe, on either side of me, she said, “And now Col. Black is going to tell you what happened to your dad.” That was a tough thing to do. And I would say it was the hardest thing that I had to do in the Air Force, in my career, and reflect on “you have one chance to get that right.” I believe we got it right, me and my team, but that was tough. Naviere Walkewicz Wow. Have you kept in touch with the family? Michael Black Yes, I keep in touch with Michelle, just from — just a personal because I'm very personal, outgoing, as you know. And so I've kept in touch with Michelle and the boys. But we're forever bonded by that, and I think that's important to stay in touch. And that's kind of one of my things I think we'll get into a little bit later in the conversation, but that's what I do. Naviere Walkewicz Well, it touches, certainly into, I think, that the family aspect of the five Fs, and because it seems like you even take in them as your family. And I'm curious about your family, because when you're going through that, I mean, you have at least a son — you have son, right?   Michael Black Yes, and two daughters.   Naviere Walkewicz Two daughters. So were you thinking about — did you put on your dad hat in that moment?   Michael Black I certainly did put on my dad hat and, and I think that helped in things. And I think all of the training that I got along the way about dealing with tough situations, and being a leader, it helped. But I took it upon myself after that to talk to other commanders. And in fact, my wing commander at the time, Burt Field, Gen. field was a '79 grad, and we talked, and that also brought him and I closer, because he also asked me to brief the other squadron commanders on that process and how I handled that. And I know when — to this day, Gen. Field and I are still very connected, and he's pretty engaged right now with the Air Force Association's birthday and all that. But a great mentor of mine who also helped in dealing with that. But he was extremely supportive and, and I think that had a factor in just how he evaluated me, right, how I handled that situation?   Naviere Walkewicz Well, it sounds like you certainly picked up some of those traits of taking care of your people recognizing empathy within processes and sharing it. I'm curious, were you always like this, or did you see some of this emulated from your family? Michael Black No, it's a great question. I am a military brat. My dad was in the Army. My dad went to Tuskegee — it was called Tuskegee Institute at that time. My mom went to Alabama A&M, so two schools in Alabama. They're from a very small towns in Alabama. My dad's from Beatrice, Alabama — which is less than 200 people today — and my mom is from Vredenburgh, Alabama. It's about 15 miles away, and it's even smaller than Beatrice. But they went to the same elementary school and high school, so high school sweethearts, and then they went off to college. And then dad got a direct commission in the Army, the Signal Corps. Well, he started out Medical Service Corps, but getting back to your question, so yes, family with that, and even take a step further back to my grandparents, on both sides of the family, but particularly with my paternal grandparents, they went out and visited the Tuskegee Institute at that time, and they saw the statue of Lifting the Veil of Ignorance there, and they decided at that point that they wanted their kids to go to that school. And so there's seven kids within my dad's family, and six of them went to Tuskegee. Naviere Walkewicz   Wow. So I want to fast forward a little bit, and you can certainly share whether it was during the Academy or after graduation, but you have kind of had this great foundation from your family. Let's talk a little bit about the Academy or after-Academy experience, where you had seen additional time where you had grown as a leader. Was there a particular experience that can come to mind, where another shaping of this leadership journey that you've been on? Michael Black Yeah, I think there's multiple throughout my career. I mean, I went to the Army Command and General Staff College for my intermediate professional military education. And there's a story there too. My dad was in the Army, and so I wanted to experience some of the things that my dad did, even though I was Air Force. And so one of my mentors, now-retired Lt. Gen. Harry Raduege, was instrumental in me getting selected for Army Command and General Staff College. And so I went there, and I think that was a big portion of my shaping, although had mentors and folks and coaches in my life leading up to that were, you know, helped shape me, but going to that school… And what I noticed when I got there that the Army was very serious about leadership and leadership philosophy, so much so that we took a class on that where we had to develop a leadership philosophy. And so in taking that class, before the Christmas break, I found out that I was going to be a squadron commander. So I was a major, and I was going to be a squadron commander. And so in that leadership course, I said, “Well, I'm going to go be a squadron commander. I'm going to the fifth combat con group in Georgia. Let me make this philosophy that I'm doing in class be my philosophy, so that when I get there…” And that was really the first time that I thought very serious about, “OK, what is my leadership philosophy?” And I had been a flight commander before, and had people under my tutelage, if you will. But being a squadron commander, you know, being on G series orders. And you know, we know how the military takes the importance of being a commander. And so having that so I did decide to develop my philosophy during that time. And you mentioned the five Fs earlier. And so that was — that became the opportunity to develop that. So family, that's what it was. That's when I developed that — in that course. So family, fitness, flying, fairness and fun — the five Fs. I worked on that when I got there. And so then when I got to take command, I had prepared all of that stuff in this academic environment, and I used it to a T and I briefed the squadron after I took command. I think this is my command philosophy, the five Fs. I subsequently had the opportunity to command two more times after that, another squadron, and then at the White House Communications Agency, which is now wing command equivalent. So had the opportunity to tweak and refine, but the foundation was still the five Fs. And so in doing that, and I can go into a little detail. So you know, family is your immediate family, your your blood family, and that that kind of thing. But family also encompasses your unit, your extended family, you know, and part of that. And so I always tell people you know, your family, you don't want to be the only one at your retirement ceremony because you neglected your family. And I've done many retirement ceremonies. In fact, I've done 25-plus since I retired. Well, that shows you really made no so family is, is important, take care of your family. And I, you know, one of the things I said about that to the folks was if you in your unit, if folks are getting assigned unit, permanent changes, station, PCS to your unit, and they haven't found the place to live in the due time and whatever the house hunting days are, I always gave my folks the option of give them some more time to find a place. They may be looking for schools, I mean looking for a place that just fits the environment that they need. And let's give them that time now, because they're not going to be effective in the organization if they're worried about where they have to live, where their kids are going to go to school and that kind of thing. So take care of all of that, and then get them to work, and they'll be that much more effective because they won't have to worry about where they're living, where the kids are going to school. So take care of your family fitness. You understand physical fitness and what you do and all of that, and I admire all of your accomplishments in that. And so physical fitness in the military kind of goes without saying. You have to maintain certain standards and do that, and do a PT and take a test and that kind of thing. But fitness is more than just physical fitness. It's spiritual and mental fitness. Now I would never be one to tell somebody this is how you need to nurture your spiritual and mental fitness. I think that's personal. But if your spiritual mental fitness is not being nourished, you're not going to be doing yourself any good, your team any good. And honestly, you would be able to tell if an individual is struggling with their spiritual or mental fitness, particularly as a leader and just kind of looking and observing characteristics and the behavior of folks. So I basically told my team, I want you to do whatever it takes to nurture your spiritual and mental fitness, whatever you need to do — if it's meditating, if it's praying, if it's walking, whatever is personal to you, but make sure that it's nurtured. But I also told my folks that if you think my spiritual fitness and mental fitness is out of balance, I want you to tell me, because I might have blinders on. I could be focused on things, just like they could be focused on things, and I would tell them. And I think folks really appreciated the candor and the openness of the leader, the commander, you know, saying that, yes, I want you to tell me if you think my spiritual mental fitness is, you know, is out of balance.   Naviere Walkewicz Did you ever have anyone tell you that?   Michael Black I did. I had strong relationships with my first sergeant, or my command sergeant major, the senior enlisted adviser. So we were, you know, we're hand-in-hand and all the places I was at. And so, yes, I've had them. I've had my wife tell me that. So I think that's important. I just — like I said, you can easily have blinders on and maybe just not see that or have blind spots. And speaking of that, I've written a leadership article on blind spots. I've kind of studied that and understand that. Flying — at the time the primary mission of the Air Force was flying. And so I'd always say, “What is your role in supporting the primary mission, or what is our role in supporting the primary mission of the Air Force?” So make sure you understand that. As a communicator, how do you contribute to the primary mission, or as a logistician, or as information management? But understand what your role is in the primary mission of the Air Force. Fairness, as a leader — it is so important for the leader to be fair, right? It can affect good order and discipline if you're not fair, but equally important is to be perceived as being fair. So I could think I'm being fair, I could think that I'm being fair, but if the perception of the unit, the team, is that I'm not being fair, that's just as detrimental to the mission as actually not being fair. And so I think perceptions are important, and you need to understand that. You need to be aware of the perceptions; you need to be ready to receive the information and the feedback from your team on that. And so I stress the importance of also the perception people have different management. I could be looking at something over there, and I say, “OK, yeah, sky is blue over there,” but somebody's looking at it from a different you know, they may see a touch of some clouds in there, and so they see some light in there, and from their vantage point. And it's just like that in life: Respect everybody's vantage point in things. And so that was the fairness aspect. Then finally, fun. I'm a person that likes to have fun.   Naviere Walkewicz You are?!   Michael Black Yes, I am. I'm a person that loves to have fun. And so for me, I grew up playing sports. And so I played sports throughout my Air Force career. So that was kind of one of the things I did for fun, intramurals.   Naviere Walkewicz What was your favorite sport?   Michael Black My favorite sport was baseball growing up. I mean, I dreamed about trying to play in the Major Leagues and that kind of stuff. And I played on a lot of baseball teams growing up, and then when I got into the service, played softball, and I played competitive softball. Back in the day, they have base softball teams, and so you would, you know, try out for the team, and I would try out, and I played on base team at probably at least four or five bases that I was at. So I was, these are my own words: I was good. So I played and was very competitive in intramurals. That's another way to bring your team together — camaraderie. They see the boss out there playing. And I always would tell folks that on the squadron team: They're not playing me because I'm the commander. They're playing me because I'm good. I can contribute to the wins in a game. But so it's very competitive. I wasn't a win at all costs, but it wasn't fun to lose. So being competitive and fun. So that's one of the things I did for fun. I also follow professional sports. San Antonio Spurs is my basketball team; Washington Commanders, my football team. So I would go to those events, those games, those contests and stuff like that. Music, concerts, still do that kind of stuff with my kids and my family incorporate fun into — so it's not all work and no play. I think you do yourself justice by, winding down relaxing a little bit and having fun and that kind of thing. And so I encourage my team to do that. Wasn't gonna tell people what they needed to do for fun. I think that's personal, but having fun is important and it helps strike that balance. So that's really the five Fs. And I carried that, as I said, every time I command, every time I've, you know, unit that I've been associated with, particularly after the 2000 graduation from Army Command and Staff College. And I still carry that five Fs today And incidentally, I think the if you bump into somebody who was in one of my units, they're going to remember the five Fs, or some portion of it. In fact, I have a couple mentees that commanded after me, and they adopted the five Fs as their command philosophy. And that's kind of something that's very satisfying as a leader to have somebody adopt your leadership style. They think that it was good for them while they were in the unit. And it's very flattering to see that afterwards. I mean, so much so that I've had people that were in my unit, and then they got assigned to one of my mentee's unit, and they would call me up and they'd say, “Hey, Col. Black, you know, Col. Packler says his command philosophy is the five Fs.” Yeah, I said Marc was in my unit at Langley, and he probably felt that. But that's, that's a true story. Naviere Walkewicz That's a legacy, right there; that's wonderful. Well, speaking of legacy, you have a son that's also a graduate. So talk about that. I mean, you were expected to go to college. It wasn't an if, it was where? How about your children? Was that kind of the expectation? Michael Black So my wife is a college graduate. She's a nurse as well. And so we preached education throughout. And just as an aside, shout out to my wife, who just completed her Ph.D.   Naviere Walkewicz Wow, congratulations!   Michael Black Yes. Wilda Black, last week, in doing that. And so between my family, my immediate family — so my wife, and my two daughters and my son, there are 15 degrees between us.   Naviere Walkewicz And you?   Michael Black And me. So five us, there are 15 degrees. My wife has two master's, a bachelor's and now a Ph.D. My oldest daughter has a bachelor's and two master's. My son has a bachelor's and a master's. My younger daughter has a bachelor's and a master's, and I have a bachelor's and three master's degrees. So I think that adds up to 15.   Naviere Walkewicz I lost count. Social sciences major here.   Michael Black So yes, education. And so my son — he really liked quality things, likes quality things growing up. And so he was looking at schools and researching and looking at the Ivy League, some of the Ivy League schools, and some other schools that, you know, had strong reputations. I purposely did not push the Air Force Academy to him because I didn't want him to go for the wrong reasons. I didn't want him to go because I went there and that kind of thing. But late in the game, you know, in his summer, going into his senior year of high school, he came to me and said, “Hey…” and I'm paraphrasing a little bit, “Dad, you know, your alma mater is pretty good, you know, pretty, you know, pretty has a strong reputation.” And I said, “Yeah, you know, you know, strong academic curriculum and everything else there.” So that summer he said, “Well, I'm thinking I might want to go there.” And I'm thinking to myself, “That's a little bit late in the game, like the summer going into senior year.”   Naviere Walkewicz Did you recruit your mom again?   Michael Black Mom got involved. And then I think you know Carolyn Benyshek. So Carolyn was the director of admissions. I reached out to her and just said, “Hey, I got my son that's interested.” They were actually coming to Baltimore, I believe, for a…   Naviere Walkewicz The Falcon Experience. Right.   Michael Black And so we went to see her, and I'll just kind of say the rest is history. Through her help and guidance, through my son's qualifications — he was able to get in. He went to the Prep School, which is great, and I just want to give a shout out to the Prep School for that. I did not attend the Prep School, but I saw the value of my son going to the Prep School and then coming to the Academy. So I just to this day, thankful for our Prep School and how they prepare folks.   Naviere Walkewicz We feel similarly about that.   Michael Black So, yeah. So he went. And so, of course, a proud dad, right? Your son following in your footsteps, and that kind of thing. So Clinton, Clinton Black is in the Space Force now, and he's assigned to Vandenberg. But my son, he was a soccer player growing up, played a lot of competitive soccer, came here and decided that he wanted to do Wings of Blue, and so he was on Wings of Blue parachute team. And the neat thing about that is that the jump wings that my son wears are the jump wings that my dad earned at Airborne School in 1964, '65 — sometime in the early ‘60s. And so my dad was still living at the time and so he was able to come out here and pin the wings on Clinton. So it skipped a generation because I didn't jump or anything. But my son jumped, and he has mid-500 number of jumps that he's had. And so my dad was able to see him jump, and that was even though Airborne is a teeny bit different than free fall, but still, you know, parachuting, and all of that. So getting to see Clinton excel and do that and see him jump into the stadium, and that kind of thing. He jumped with some of the former Navy SEALs in the X Games, you know, in the mountains. So that was just a proud parent moment. Naviere Walkewicz Wow. That is very exciting. And so, through all of these experiences that you had, I keep wanting to go back to the five Fs .yYu had mentioned earlier that you did some refinement to it. So where you are now, how are you using them? How have they been refined? I mean, flying. What is that? Michael Black So, I asked people to take a little bit of a leap in that, understand where it came from, in my 5s but that aspect refers to the mission, right? And so the Air Force mission has evolved to include space and that kind of thing. But even on the private side, the civilian side, I still use the five F's. And so the flying aspect just refers to the mission, or whatever the mission of your organization is. And so there was some refinement as we brought in space into our mission, but it really reflected on the mission. And so I had different AFSCs that worked for me in in the different units that I was at, and also different services. And so understanding the service aspect of things also was something that I had to take into consideration as far as keeping and refining that, at the White House Communications Agency, about 1,200 military — more Army than Air Force, more Air Force than Navy, more Navy than Marine Corps, and more Marine Corps than Coast Guard. And so being an Air Force commander of a joint unit that had more Army folks in it, you have to understand that lingo, and be able to speak cool and that kind of thing. Dad loved that. And so going to the Army Command General Staff College, and, getting some of that philosophy and understanding that. And then I went to what's now called the Eisenhower School, now ICAF, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, which is another joint school. And so being around that helped me in those aspects. But really applying that throughout and after I retired, I did 10 years in the private sector with a couple of different small businesses that were government contracted focused, providing professional services, but still, as the chief operating officer of each one of those, it's a pretty high leadership position within the company and so I talked about the five Fs in some terms that my team could understand that, and so still apply that. And then now, with three years working for the nonprofit, the AFCEA organization, where we bring government, industry and academia together to do IT, cyber kind of things, machine learning, artificial intelligence — I still have that philosophy to buy that and what I do, I think it's something that's applicable across the board, not just military. At least I've made it applicable. Naviere Walkewicz I was just gonna ask that, because talk about the private sector and — some of our listeners, they take off the uniform, but they still have that foundation of the military, but they're working with people who maybe don't have that foundation of the military. So how did you translate that in a way that they could feel that same foundation, even though they hadn't gone through a military family or through the Air Force Academy? Michael Black Yeah, no, that's a great question, Naviere. And I think, as a leader, you have to be aware of that. You have to be aware of your team and their background and their experiences. You also you have to speak their lingo, right? I mean, I can't talk just Air Force or military lingo. We talk a lot in acronyms. Naviere Walkewicz Like AFCEA. And I'm sure many know it but would you mind spelling it out? Michael Black Armed Forces Communications Electronics Association. And even though we have that we are more than the armed forces now, so we really are known by just AFCEA, even though that's what that acronym stands for. So I mean, I work with Homeland Security, VA and that kind of thing. But to your point, getting folks to understand where I'm coming from, and I need to understand where they're coming from, you have to take the time, put in the work to do that, so that you can communicate with your folks, and so that they understand where you're coming from, and also, so that they feel valued, right? That you understand where they're coming from. And I think all of that is important. And I tried to make sure that I did that, and I had coaches, mentors and sponsors along the way. So I learned when some of my mentors transition from the military time, and so when they went to go work in the private sector, I still lean on them. “OK, how did you make this transition? And what is it about? And what are the similarities and what are the differences? What do I need to consider in doing that?” And I'm thankful, and that goes back to one key point that I want to make about relationships and nurturing that relationship. I mentioned Gen. Field, worked for him in the early 2000s. But here we are, 2025, and he's in my contacts, he will take my call, he will respond to a text, and vice versa. You know, building that relationship. And so he's with a nonprofit now, and so I still stay in touch with him. The director of the White House Military Office was a Navy admiral that I worked for when I was at the White House. He is now the president and CEO of the United States Naval Institute — Adm. Spicer. You know, 20-something, 15 years ago, worked for him and now we're working together on a big conference. But those relationships are important in nurturing those relationships. And I learned about nurturing from my family. You know, my grandparents, who did that. My grandfather was a farmer. He had to nurture his crops for them to produce. So the same thing, analogy applies in relationships; you have to nurture that relationship. And you know, it circled all the way back to, you know, our 40-year reunion now, and my classmates that are here and nurturing those relationships with those classmates over the years is important to me. I'm the connector within my class, or the nucleus. I mean, those are two nicknames that my classmates have given me: the Col. Connector and Nucleus, and I embrace those. Naviere Walkewicz Yes, that's wonderful. I know that you also mentor cadets. And I think my question for you, from the aspect of some of our listeners, is, did you seek out the cadets? Did they seek you out? How does that mentorship relationship start? Because you talked about how, like, for example, Gen. Field, you had that relationship years ago. That's kind of carried through. But how do you know when that mentorship is beginning? Michael Black I think both of those aspects, as you mentioned. Do they seek that? There are cadets that seek that based upon just what they've experienced and what they've learned. And then some of the cadets know people that I know, and so they've been referred to me, and all that. Some were — like their parents, I worked with their parents. I mean, particularly in the Class of 2023 there are three young ladies that I mentored in the Class of 2023 one whose father worked with me on the White House Communications Agency, one whose mother babysat my kids OK. And then one who's ROTC instructor in junior in high school was my first sergeant. So in those three instances, I was connected to those folks through relationship with either their parents or somebody that worked for me and that that kind of thing. And that was a neat thing to, you know, to be here. I did the march back with those young ladies, and then I connected those three young ladies who did not know each other at the march back, when we got back on the Terrazzo, I found all three of them and explained my relationship with each of them. And they were able to be connected throughout and two of them I actually commissioned, So that was really, really nice. And so, you know, seeking mentorship is, well, mentorship has just been important to me. I benefited from mentorship, and I want to return that favor. I am the chairman of the Air Force Cadet Officer Mentor Association, AFCOMA, whose foundation is mentorship, fellowship and scholarship, and so I'm passionate about mentorship and doing that. I've seen the benefits of it. People did it for me, and I think you can shorten the learning curve. I think you can just help folks along the way. So I'm very passionate about that. Naviere Walkewicz Well, this has been amazing. I think there's two questions I have left for you. The first one being — and I think we've learned a lot about this along the way — but if you were to summarize, what is something you are doing every day to be better as a leader? Michael Black I think every day I take a deep look inside myself, and am I living and breathing my core values? And what am I doing to help the next generation? You know, trying to put that on my schedule, on my radar, that's important to me. And whether I'm at work with AFCEA, whether I'm out here at my 40th reunion, whether I'm on vacation, I always take the time to mentor folks and pass on that. I think that's something that's passionate for me. You mentioned, when we talked about the retirement ceremonies. I mean, I've done 20-plus since I retired. In fact, I have one in November, but it will be my 27th retirement ceremony since I retired. And those things are important to me. And so I reflect, I try to keep my fitness — my physical, spiritual and mental fitness, in balance every day so that I can be effective and operate at a peak performance at the drop of the hat. You know, being ready. And so that's important to me. So there's some self-analysis, and I do live and breathe the five F's. I think that's important. And I think I've proven to myself that that is something that is relatable, not only to my time in the military, but my time in the private sector, and now my time in a nonprofit. And I just continue to do that so self-reflection and really practicing particularly the fitness aspect of the five Fs. Naviere Walkewicz Wow, that's outstanding. And then you probably share this with your mentees. But what is something that you would help our aspiring leaders — those who are already in leadership roles in any facet of it — but what is something that they can do today so that they will be more effective as a leader? Michael Black So I think being aware that people are watching you and your actions. Even when you think that somebody is not watching, they are watching. And so they are trying to learn what to do next, and to be aware of that. And so I think, again, that goes with what you asked me first: What do I do every day. But also being aware of that, so that you can be that example to folks. And then take the time, have some pride in leaving the organization better than it was when you got there. I mean, it's a cliche, but I think I take a lot of pride in that. And then, when the team does good, everybody does good, so you shouldn't necessarily be out there for any kind of glory. That's going to come. But do it for the right reasons. And provide… give the people the tools, the resources and the environment to be successful. And in… I just take satisfaction when I see one of my mentees get squadron command, go do something like the current commander of the White House Communications Agency, Col. Kevin Childs. He was a captain and a major in the organization when I was there. Nothing makes me happier than to see my mentees excel. And then, in this particular instance, he's holding a job that I had, and we still talk. I mean, he had me come out there to speak to the unit about a month ago. And those things give me a lot of pride and satisfaction and confirmation that I am doing the right thing. And so I'm excited about that. Naviere Walkewicz Well, I can say, from the time that I met you a few years ago, you are living what your five Fs. I see it every time you help champion others. Every time I'm around you I'm  energized. So this has been a true joy. Has there been anything that I haven't asked you that you would like to share with our listeners? Michael Black Well, I do want to say personally, thank you to you for all that you do and what the association is doing here. This Long Blue conversation, Long Blue Line — I think this is important to share. There's a Class of 1970 that's in the hotel with us, and I don't know, really, any of those folks, but when I see them walking around with their red hat on — that was their color — and I think about, “OK, 15 years before me.” And so I'm 62. These guys are, if I did the public math, right, 77, 78, maybe even older, depending upon what they did, and still out there doing things, and some of them here with their spouses and that kind of thing. I was just talking to one of the classmates this morning, I said, “You know, I wonder if we're going to be like this when our 55th reunion is,” and they were walking around, and most were in good health and able to do things. So that gives a lot of pride. But, what you're doing, what the rest of the folks here are doing, I think this is amazing. I love the new building, the studio that we're in. This is my first time in the new building, so I'm thankful for this opportunity, and just excited about what you guys do. Naviere Walkewicz Well, thank you so much for that. It's been an absolute pleasure having you on Long Blue Leadership. Michael Black Well, I appreciate it. It's been an honor, and I'm glad you guys timed this for my '85 Best Alive reunion and in the new studio. Naviere Walkewicz Yes, wonderful. Well, as we bring today's conversation to a close, Michael left a reminder for us that stands to me. As a leader, you're always on, you're always being watched. You know your steady presence and deep empathy were forged in life's hardest moments, from guiding a young family through unimaginable loss to breaking the barriers at the highest levels of service to mentoring cadets who will carry forward the legacy of leadership. And then there's that framework he lived by, the five Fs of leadership. It is practical as it is powerful, family, fitness, flying mission, fairness and fun, each one a reminder that leadership is about balance grounding and the courage to keep perspective no matter the challenge. His story reminds us that true leaders create more leaders, and when we anchor ourselves in purpose, faith and these five Fs, we leave behind a legacy that lasts. Thank you for listening to Long Blue Leadership. I'm Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz. Until next time. KEYWORDS Michael Black, Air Force leadership, 5F leadership philosophy, military mentorship, leadership development, combat communication, White House Communications, Space Force, veteran leadership, empathetic leadership, military career progression, leadership principles, professional growth, organizational effectiveness, cadet mentoring, military communication strategy, leadership resilience, Air Force Academy graduate, leadership philosophy, team building, professional relationships.       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation    

Stevie Case breaks down how she's building one of the most advanced outbound sales machines in SaaS—balancing AI-driven efficiency with human-first selling to achieve conversion rates that beat inbound.

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.

This integrative session weaves together all the week's insights, allowing you to embody peace in reality's flow. You'll solidify your connection to truth, reinforcing your ability to navigate challenges from a place of grounded serenity. WELCOME TO THIS WEEK'S Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow Welcome to "Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow," a journey designed to anchor you in the authentic calm of the present moment. In a world of constant change and swirling perceptions, discovering peace often means aligning with what is, rather than resisting. Each episode will gently guide you to release illusions, embrace reality, and uncover the profound serenity that blossoms when you live in harmony with truth. This is a replay of a series I released a few years ago! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed recording it for you. As always, I'll be listening to the series along with you. This is day 7 of a 7-day meditation series, "Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow," episodes 1480-1486. YOUR WEEKLY CHALLENGE You're Invited To Take Part In Quest to Trust Yourself! Every day this week, start your day by tuning into your intuition. Trust your intuition. Continuously tune into your intuition as you go about your day. YOUR MEDITATION JOURNEY DURING THIS WEEK'S SERIES This is episode 7 of a 7-day meditation series, "Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow." Day 1:   Truth Visualization Day 2:  Truth Affirmation Day 3:  Your Breath as an Anchor Day 4:  Mudra to Trust Yourself Day 5:  Trust Chakra Focus Day 6: Flow meditation combining the week's techniques Day 7:  Weekly review meditation and closure SHARE YOUR MEDITATION JOURNEY WITH YOUR FELLOW MEDITATORS Let's connect and inspire each other! Please share a little about how meditation has helped you by reaching out to me at Mary@SipandOm.com or better yet -- direct message me on https://www.instagram.com/sip.and.om. We'd love to hear about your meditation ritual!  WAYS TO SUPPORT THE DAILY MEDITATION PODCAST SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a single episode. Consistency is the KEY to a successful meditation ritual. SHARE the podcast with someone who could use a little extra support. I'd be honored if you left me a podcast review. If you do, please email me at Mary@sipandom.com and let me know a little about yourself and how meditation has helped you. I'd love to share your journey to inspire fellow meditators on the podcast! All meditations are created by Mary Meckley and are her original content. Please request permission to use any of Mary's content by sending an email to Mary@sipandom.com. FOR DAILY EXTRA SUPPORT OUTSIDE THE PODCAST Each day's meditation techniques are shared at: sip.and.om Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sip.and.om/ sip and om Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SipandOm/ SIP AND OM MEDITATION APP Looking for a little more support? If you're ready for a more in-depth meditation experience, allow Mary to guide you in daily 30-minute guided meditations on the Sip and Om meditation app. Give it a whirl for 7-days free! Receive access to 2,000+ 30-minute guided meditations customized around a weekly theme to help you manage emotions. Receive a Clarity Journal and a Slow Down Guide customized for each weekly theme.  2-Week's Free Access on iOS https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sip-and-om/id1216664612?platform=iphone&preserveScrollPosition=true#platform/iphone All meditations are created by Mary Meckley and are her original content. Please request permission to use any of Mary's content by sending an email to Mary@sipandom.com.Let go of repetitive negative thoughts. The beach waves were composed by Mike Koenig. Music composed by Christopher Lloyd Clark licensed by RoyaltyFreeMusic.com, and also by musician Greg Keller.

Embrace the ever-changing nature of life with grace and equanimity. This meditation uses visualization and mindful presence to help you release attachment to outcomes and find peace in life's natural ebb and flow. WELCOME TO THIS WEEK'S Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow Welcome to "Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow," a journey designed to anchor you in the authentic calm of the present moment. In a world of constant change and swirling perceptions, discovering peace often means aligning with what is, rather than resisting. Each episode will gently guide you to release illusions, embrace reality, and uncover the profound serenity that blossoms when you live in harmony with truth. This is a replay of a series I released a few years ago! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed recording it for you. As always, I'll be listening to the series along with you. This is day 6 of a 7-day meditation series, "Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow," episodes 1480-1486. YOUR WEEKLY CHALLENGE You're Invited To Take Part In Quest to Trust Yourself! Every day this week, start your day by tuning into your intuition. Trust your intuition. Continuously tune into your intuition as you go about your day. YOUR MEDITATION JOURNEY DURING THIS WEEK'S SERIES This is episode 6 of a 7-day meditation series, "Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow." Day 1:   Truth Visualization Day 2:  Truth Affirmation Day 3:  Your Breath as an Anchor Day 4:  Mudra to Trust Yourself Day 5:  Trust Chakra Focus Day 6: Flow meditation combining the week's techniques Day 7:  Weekly review meditation and closure SHARE YOUR MEDITATION JOURNEY WITH YOUR FELLOW MEDITATORS Let's connect and inspire each other! Please share a little about how meditation has helped you by reaching out to me at Mary@SipandOm.com or better yet -- direct message me on https://www.instagram.com/sip.and.om. We'd love to hear about your meditation ritual!  WAYS TO SUPPORT THE DAILY MEDITATION PODCAST SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a single episode. Consistency is the KEY to a successful meditation ritual. SHARE the podcast with someone who could use a little extra support. I'd be honored if you left me a podcast review. If you do, please email me at Mary@sipandom.com and let me know a little about yourself and how meditation has helped you. I'd love to share your journey to inspire fellow meditators on the podcast! All meditations are created by Mary Meckley and are her original content. Please request permission to use any of Mary's content by sending an email to Mary@sipandom.com. FOR DAILY EXTRA SUPPORT OUTSIDE THE PODCAST Each day's meditation techniques are shared at: sip.and.om Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sip.and.om/ sip and om Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SipandOm/ SIP AND OM MEDITATION APP Looking for a little more support? If you're ready for a more in-depth meditation experience, allow Mary to guide you in daily 30-minute guided meditations on the Sip and Om meditation app. Give it a whirl for 7-days free! Receive access to 2,000+ 30-minute guided meditations customized around a weekly theme to help you manage emotions. Receive a Clarity Journal and a Slow Down Guide customized for each weekly theme.  2-Week's Free Access on iOS https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sip-and-om/id1216664612?platform=iphone&preserveScrollPosition=true#platform/iphone All meditations are created by Mary Meckley and are her original content. Please request permission to use any of Mary's content by sending an email to Mary@sipandom.com.Let go of repetitive negative thoughts. The beach waves were composed by Mike Koenig. Music composed by Christopher Lloyd Clark licensed by RoyaltyFreeMusic.com, and also by musician Greg Keller.

If you have followed recent activations and the meditations on my channel I have focused on a new and powerful concept that transcends quantum jumping. We are learning to access our future self from another timeline and accessing their intelligence as they essentially become a walk in and create a total identity shift. I have to report the most profound results of any technique ever as I have explored this with my clients. Many of you have tried this activaiton or meditation. You've experienced the identity shift. The future self walk-in has occurred. But now you're discovering that with great power comes great responsibility to learn how to use it. If this is your first time with me, Iwork with the concept that your future self—the version of you living your optimal timeline—can merge with your current identity through advanced consciousness techniques. This is the next evolution of human potential. The emergence of abilities that were always latent within the structure of consciousness itself. Your future self didn't just merge with you and disappear like some cosmic one-night stand. They're still there. Present. Active. Continuously guiding you through frequencies, sensations, and quantum information streams that your consciousness receives every moment of every day. Most people who experience transformation—whether through meditation, plant medicine, near-death experiences, or consciousness work—report the same phenomenon. They return to their ordinary life with expanded awareness, but they struggle to integrate that expansion into practical decision-making. They have access to higher wisdom, but they don't know how to consistently tap into it when they need it most. Without proper navigation, you become like someone with a smartphone who only uses it to make phone calls. You have access to infinite information, but you're only using a fraction of the available functions. Today we're upgrading your internal GPS. We're teaching you to receive, interpret, and act on the constant guidance flowing from your optimal timeline. You're going to learn to read the quantum information streams that your future self broadcasts every second of every day. By the end of this session, you'll have a functioning navigation system that turns decision-making from guesswork into precision. You'll stop wondering whether you're making the right choice and start knowing it with unshakeable certainty. This is your user manual for operating at your highest potential. 

Bonus episode! Today's full meditation guides you with deeper insight and a full guided meditation. Treat yourself to meditating a little longer today as you open your heart center to feel what genuinely resonates as true and aligned for you. This meditation helps you distinguish between external pressures and your deepest, most authentic desires, fostering clarity and inner harmony. Welcome to "Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow," a journey designed to anchor you in the authentic calm of the present moment. In a world of constant change and swirling perceptions, discovering peace often means aligning with what is, rather than resisting. Each episode will gently guide you to release illusions, embrace reality, and uncover the profound serenity that blossoms when you live in harmony with truth. This is a replay of a series I released a few years ago! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed recording it for you. As always, I'll be listening to the series along with you. This is day 5 of a 7-day meditation series, "Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow," episodes 1480-1486. YOUR WEEKLY CHALLENGE You're Invited To Take Part In Quest to Trust Yourself! Every day this week, start your day by tuning into your intuition. Trust your intuition. Continuously tune into your intuition as you go about your day. YOUR MEDITATION JOURNEY DURING THIS WEEK'S SERIES This is episode 5 of a 7-day meditation series, "Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow." Day 1:   Truth Visualization Day 2:  Truth Affirmation Day 3:  Your Breath as an Anchor Day 4:  Mudra to Trust Yourself Day 5:  Trust Chakra Focus Day 6: Flow meditation combining the week's techniques Day 7:  Weekly review meditation and closure SHARE YOUR MEDITATION JOURNEY WITH YOUR FELLOW MEDITATORS Let's connect and inspire each other! Please share a little about how meditation has helped you by reaching out to me at Mary@SipandOm.com or better yet -- direct message me on https://www.instagram.com/sip.and.om. We'd love to hear about your meditation ritual!  WAYS TO SUPPORT THE DAILY MEDITATION PODCAST SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a single episode. Consistency is the KEY to a successful meditation ritual. SHARE the podcast with someone who could use a little extra support. I'd be honored if you left me a podcast review. If you do, please email me at Mary@sipandom.com and let me know a little about yourself and how meditation has helped you. I'd love to share your journey to inspire fellow meditators on the podcast! All meditations are created by Mary Meckley and are her original content. Please request permission to use any of Mary's content by sending an email to Mary@sipandom.com. FOR DAILY EXTRA SUPPORT OUTSIDE THE PODCAST Each day's meditation techniques are shared at: sip.and.om Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sip.and.om/ sip and om Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SipandOm/ SIP AND OM MEDITATION APP Looking for a little more support? If you're ready for a more in-depth meditation experience, allow Mary to guide you in daily 30-minute guided meditations on the Sip and Om meditation app. Give it a whirl for 7-days free! Receive access to 2,000+ 30-minute guided meditations customized around a weekly theme to help you manage emotions. Receive a Clarity Journal and a Slow Down Guide customized for each weekly theme.  2-Week's Free Access on iOS https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sip-and-om/id1216664612?platform=iphone&preserveScrollPosition=true#platform/iphone All meditations are created by Mary Meckley and are her original content. Please request permission to use any of Mary's content by sending an email to Mary@sipandom.com.Let go of repetitive negative thoughts. The beach waves were composed by Mike Koenig. Music composed by Christopher Lloyd Clark licensed by RoyaltyFreeMusic.com, and also by musician Greg Keller.

Be guided with a calming breathing technique to cultivate deep acceptance of your current experience. This meditation teaches you to breathe through discomfort and uncertainty, finding a steady rhythm that supports inner peace regardless of external circumstances. WELCOME TO THIS WEEK'S Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow Welcome to "Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow," a journey designed to anchor you in the authentic calm of the present moment. In a world of constant change and swirling perceptions, discovering peace often means aligning with what is, rather than resisting. Each episode will gently guide you to release illusions, embrace reality, and uncover the profound serenity that blossoms when you live in harmony with truth. This is a replay of a series I released a few years ago! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed recording it for you. As always, I'll be listening to the series along with you. This is day 3 of a 7-day meditation series, "Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow," episodes 1480-1486. YOUR WEEKLY CHALLENGE You're Invited To Take Part In Quest to Trust Yourself! Every day this week, start your day by tuning into your intuition. Trust your intuition. Continuously tune into your intuition as you go about your day. YOUR MEDITATION JOURNEY DURING THIS WEEK'S SERIES This is episode 3 of a 7-day meditation series, "Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow." Day 1:   Truth Visualization Day 2:  Truth Affirmation Day 3:  Your Breath as an Anchor Day 4:  Mudra to Trust Yourself Day 5:  Trust Chakra Focus Day 6: Flow meditation combining the week's techniques Day 7:  Weekly review meditation and closure SHARE YOUR MEDITATION JOURNEY WITH YOUR FELLOW MEDITATORS Let's connect and inspire each other! Please share a little about how meditation has helped you by reaching out to me at Mary@SipandOm.com or better yet -- direct message me on https://www.instagram.com/sip.and.om. We'd love to hear about your meditation ritual!  WAYS TO SUPPORT THE DAILY MEDITATION PODCAST SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a single episode. Consistency is the KEY to a successful meditation ritual. SHARE the podcast with someone who could use a little extra support. I'd be honored if you left me a podcast review. If you do, please email me at Mary@sipandom.com and let me know a little about yourself and how meditation has helped you. I'd love to share your journey to inspire fellow meditators on the podcast! All meditations are created by Mary Meckley and are her original content. Please request permission to use any of Mary's content by sending an email to Mary@sipandom.com. FOR DAILY EXTRA SUPPORT OUTSIDE THE PODCAST Each day's meditation techniques are shared at: sip.and.om Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sip.and.om/ sip and om Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SipandOm/ SIP AND OM MEDITATION APP Looking for a little more support? If you're ready for a more in-depth meditation experience, allow Mary to guide you in daily 30-minute guided meditations on the Sip and Om meditation app. Give it a whirl for 7-days free! Receive access to 2,000+ 30-minute guided meditations customized around a weekly theme to help you manage emotions. Receive a Clarity Journal and a Slow Down Guide customized for each weekly theme.  2-Week's Free Access on iOS https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sip-and-om/id1216664612?platform=iphone&preserveScrollPosition=true#platform/iphone All meditations are created by Mary Meckley and are her original content. Please request permission to use any of Mary's content by sending an email to Mary@sipandom.com.Let go of repetitive negative thoughts. The beach waves were composed by Mike Koenig. Music composed by Christopher Lloyd Clark licensed by RoyaltyFreeMusic.com, and also by musician Greg Keller.

Gently observe where you might be resisting reality or clinging to how things "should be." This session offers practices to soften resistance and surrender to the natural flow of life, creating space for peace to emerge. WELCOME TO THIS WEEK'S Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow Welcome to "Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow," a journey designed to anchor you in the authentic calm of the present moment. In a world of constant change and swirling perceptions, discovering peace often means aligning with what is, rather than resisting. Each episode will gently guide you to release illusions, embrace reality, and uncover the profound serenity that blossoms when you live in harmony with truth. This is a replay of a series I released a few years ago! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed recording it for you. As always, I'll be listening to the series along with you. This is day 4 of a 7-day meditation series, "Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow," episodes 1480-1486. YOUR WEEKLY CHALLENGE You're Invited To Take Part In Quest to Trust Yourself! Every day this week, start your day by tuning into your intuition. Trust your intuition. Continuously tune into your intuition as you go about your day. YOUR MEDITATION JOURNEY DURING THIS WEEK'S SERIES This is episode 4 of a 7-day meditation series, "Truth's Embrace: Finding Peace in Reality's Flow." Day 1:   Truth Visualization Day 2:  Truth Affirmation Day 3:  Your Breath as an Anchor Day 4:  Mudra to Trust Yourself Day 5:  Trust Chakra Focus Day 6: Flow meditation combining the week's techniques Day 7:  Weekly review meditation and closure SHARE YOUR MEDITATION JOURNEY WITH YOUR FELLOW MEDITATORS Let's connect and inspire each other! Please share a little about how meditation has helped you by reaching out to me at Mary@SipandOm.com or better yet -- direct message me on https://www.instagram.com/sip.and.om. We'd love to hear about your meditation ritual!  WAYS TO SUPPORT THE DAILY MEDITATION PODCAST SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a single episode. Consistency is the KEY to a successful meditation ritual. SHARE the podcast with someone who could use a little extra support. I'd be honored if you left me a podcast review. If you do, please email me at Mary@sipandom.com and let me know a little about yourself and how meditation has helped you. I'd love to share your journey to inspire fellow meditators on the podcast! All meditations are created by Mary Meckley and are her original content. Please request permission to use any of Mary's content by sending an email to Mary@sipandom.com. FOR DAILY EXTRA SUPPORT OUTSIDE THE PODCAST Each day's meditation techniques are shared at: sip.and.om Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sip.and.om/ sip and om Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SipandOm/ SIP AND OM MEDITATION APP Looking for a little more support? If you're ready for a more in-depth meditation experience, allow Mary to guide you in daily 30-minute guided meditations on the Sip and Om meditation app. Give it a whirl for 7-days free! Receive access to 2,000+ 30-minute guided meditations customized around a weekly theme to help you manage emotions. Receive a Clarity Journal and a Slow Down Guide customized for each weekly theme.  2-Week's Free Access on iOS https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sip-and-om/id1216664612?platform=iphone&preserveScrollPosition=true#platform/iphone All meditations are created by Mary Meckley and are her original content. Please request permission to use any of Mary's content by sending an email to Mary@sipandom.com.Let go of repetitive negative thoughts. The beach waves were composed by Mike Koenig. Music composed by Christopher Lloyd Clark licensed by RoyaltyFreeMusic.com, and also by musician Greg Keller.