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Celebrities, Trends & Fashion Week: The Truth About Editorial HairEveryone wants to work Fashion Week—until they find out what it's actually like.In this episode of the Destroy The Hairdresser Podcast, Cyd and David pull back the curtain on the world of celebrity hairdressing, editorial work, and Fashion Week. From working backstage under intense pressure to chasing opportunities that often pay little (or nothing), we discuss the realities that most hairdressers never hear about.And yes—we even talk about why Fashion Week can feel like a scam.But here's the twist: that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it.Editorial work has the power to stretch your creativity, build your confidence, expand your network, and expose you to parts of the industry most hairdressers never experience. Some of the most valuable lessons you'll learn behind the chair happen backstage, on set, and outside the salon.In this episode, we discuss:What it's really like working with celebritiesThe truth about Fashion Week and editorial opportunitiesWhy so many artists romanticize editorial workWhat editorial experience can teach you about your craftHow stepping outside the salon can make you a stronger hairdresserWhy every hairdresser should experience editorial work at least onceWhether you've always dreamed of working Fashion Week or you're wondering if editorial hair is worth the hype, this episode offers an honest look at an often misunderstood side of the beauty industry.Want more conversations that challenge conventional industry thinking? Join us inside the Hairdresser Business Club, where salon owners and hairstylists gather every week for business coaching, marketing support, leadership development, and real conversations about the future of our industry.And don't miss the Disobedient Tour. We're hitting cities across the country to help hairdressers rethink success, challenge outdated industry rules, and build careers on their own terms.Listen now and discover why Fashion Week might be both the biggest scam and one of the best experiences, you'll ever have as a hairdresser.
What if we told you the fastest way to ruin your clients is to switch to hourly pricing?In this episode of the Destroy The Hairdresser Podcast, Cyd and David break down why so many clients become completely spoiled once they experience time-based pricing. No more surprise charges. No more confusing service menus. No more feeling like they're being upsold every five minutes.Instead, clients get transparency, trust, and the freedom to book based on their goals,not a list of services they don't fully understand.The truth? Once clients experience hourly pricing, many of them never want to go back to traditional salon pricing models.We discuss:Why clients are actually asking for more transparencyHow hourly pricing changes the salon experienceThe psychology behind why clients prefer time-based pricingCommon fears salon owners have before making the switchWhy the future of pricing may look very different than the pastIf you've ever wondered whether hourly pricing could work in your business or why so many salon owners are making the change, this episode is for you.Want help implementing modern pricing models, improving profitability, and building a salon business that actually works for your life? Join us inside the Hairdresser Business Club, where we host weekly coaching, business classes, marketing support, and real conversations with salon owners who are challenging industry norms every day.And if you're ready to experience Destroy The Hairdresser in person, grab your tickets for the Disobedient Tour. We're traveling across the country helping salon owners rethink everything they thought they knew about leadership, pricing, culture, and the future of the salon industry.Listen now and find out why hourly pricing might just ruin your clients forever, in the best possible way.
In this nostalgic (and slightly chaotic) episode of the Destroy The Hairdresser Podcast, Cyd and David take a trip down memory lane and revisit their early days living in New York City. From tiny apartments and big dreams to career pivots and financial uncertainty, they share stories that shaped who they are today.But this episode isn't just about looking back.It's a reminder that every stage of life comes with challenges. When you're starting out, you stress about making enough money. As you grow, you stress about maintaining momentum, supporting a team, raising a family, and protecting what you've built. The problems change but they never completely disappear.If you've been telling yourself, "I'll finally be happy when..." this conversation may be exactly what you need to hear.Join us inside the Hairdresser Business Club, where salon owners and hairstylists come together every week for coaching, business strategy, marketing support, and honest conversations about what it really takes to build a sustainable career behind the chair.And don't forget, the Disobedient Tour is back. If you're ready to challenge industry norms, rethink how you run your business, and connect with other rebellious hairdressers, grab your tickets and come hang out with us in person.Because success isn't about reaching a destination, it's about learning how to navigate every chapter along the way.
Head spas are everywhere right now.From social media feeds to salon conferences, owners are being told this is the next big thing that's going to transform their business. But is it really?In this episode, Cyd and David unpack the head spa trend, the pressure salon owners feel to jump on every new opportunity, and the costly mistakes that happen when businesses invest in trends without a real strategy behind them.They discuss:Why trendy services aren't automatically profitableThe hidden costs of adding new services to your salonHow forcing staff into new services can create resentment and burnoutThe surprising similarities between aggressive head spa sales and retail sales pressureWhy "more services" doesn't always equal more revenueThe difference between adding a service because it's trending versus because it supports your business modelWhat successful head spa businesses are doing differentlyThis isn't an anti-head spa episode. It's a conversation about making intentional business decisions instead of chasing shiny objects.If you're considering adding a head spa, wellness service, or the next big trend to your salon, this episode might save you thousands of dollars and a lot of headaches.
In this episode of the Destroy The Hairdresser Podcast, David shares his perspective on partnership, leadership, and what it actually takes to build a business with another person over the course of a decade.From hard conversations and emotional intelligence to division of roles and learning how to trust each other's strengths, this episode pulls back the curtain on the reality of running a company together — especially in an industry built on burnout and control.Cyd and David talk about how partnership evolves over time, the mistakes they made early on, and why conscious communication matters more than “perfect systems.”If you've ever struggled with leadership, business dynamics, or feeling alone while building your salon, this episode is going to hit hard.Want deeper conversations like this every single week? Join us inside the Hairdresser Business Club where we teach leadership, social media, hiring, pricing, and modern salon business strategies live every week. And don't forget the Disobedient Business Tour is happening in NYC this July for salon owners ready to think differently, lead differently, and salon differently.
In this solo episode, Cyd breaks down why so many salon accounts are struggling to attract clients, stylists, and attention online and why it has nothing to do with the algorithm. From boring content and copy-paste branding to playing it too safe, this episode dives into the real reasons your salon isn't standing out. Plus, Cyd shares 3 simple shifts salon owners can make right now to create content that actually converts.The Salon Attraction Edit, happening June 1st.https://www.destroythehairdresser.com/offers/c2VD3tSB/checkout
Most people assume their distance from God is a faith problem. It may be something older — a pattern in the nervous system, learned long before you had words for it, that quietly shapes how close you let God come.Dr. Geoff Holsclaw and his wife Cyd spent years watching people plateau spiritually and realized the stall wasn't theological — it was relational. This conversation traces how our earliest attachment wounds create an image of God in our own likeness, why trying harder to believe rarely moves us from the head to the heart, and what it looks like to run new experiments in faith that slowly rewrite those patterns from the inside out.Geoff also unpacks three concrete practices — cultivating joy, naming river and wilderness moments, and silence and solitude — and why the same practice works entirely differently depending on your attachment landscape.Dr. Geoff Holsclaw is a pastor, theologian, and professor in the Doctor of Ministry program at Western Theological Seminary, and co-author with Cyd Holsclaw of Landscapes of the Soul.Support the showENGAGE THE RESTORING THE SOUL PODCAST:- Follow us on YouTube - Tweet us at @michaeljcusick and @PodcastRTS- Like us on Facebook- Follow us on Instagram & Twitter- Follow Michael on Twitter- Email us at info@restoringthesoul.com Thanks for listening!
What if the way you've been taught to run a salon… isn't the most profitable way to run a salon?In this episode, Cyd and David break down one of the most talked about—and misunderstood—concepts in the industry: station sharing.We're diving into:→ What station sharing actually is (and what it's not)→ Why the traditional “one stylist, one chair” model is limiting your income→ How this method increases flexibility, freedom, and profitability→ The mindset shifts salon owners need to make to implement it successfullyThis isn't about cramming more people into your space.It's about using your space smarter—and building a business that actually works.If you've been feeling maxed out, stuck, or like your salon has hit a ceiling… this episode will open your eyes.Ready to go deeper?Grab our Station Sharing Blueprint for just $9.99 →https://www.destroythehairdresser.com/offers/bBBHkJEF/checkoutOr join the Hairdresser Business Club and get your first 2 weeks free →https://www.destroythehairdresser.com/offers/DbMChf8w/checkoutBecause this industry doesn't need more hustle.It needs better systems
We need to talk about the lie.The one we hand to every new stylist the second they walk into this industry.Work harder. Charge less. Say yes to everything. Pay your dues.And somehow… it'll all work out.Yeah, no.In this solo episode, Cyd breaks down how this mindset is actually setting stylists up to be underpaid, overworked, and completely burnt out before they even have a chance to build a real career.From tipping culture to low pricing to the toxic “pay your dues” narrative, this episode calls out the systems that keep stylists stuck—and what needs to change if we actually want a better industry.If you've ever felt busy but broke, successful but exhausted, or like something just isn't adding up… this one's for you.It's time to stop teaching struggleand start teaching stylists how to actually make money
Embodied Faith: on Relational Neuroscience, Spiritual Formation, and Faith
Hosts Geoff and Cyd talk about how to return to joy in a doomscrolling world by creating small moments to turn toward God instead of compulsively turning to devices.They explore why people doom scroll—negativity bias, seeking control, dopamine loops, emotional avoidance, fear of missing out, and “revenge bedtime procrastination”—and how constant exposure to global danger can overwhelm the nervous system and fuel comparison and anxiety. They emphasize that “choosing joy” requires active training, not slogans, and point to biblical rhythms of rejoicing as a model. Practical experiments include intentionally looking for and savoring goodness and beauty, pausing to pray (“God, you know”) before scrolling, setting phone boundaries, and changing a lock screen as a prompt.Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.Stay Connected: Check out our Attaching to God 6-Week Learning Cohort.Join the Embodied Faith community to stay connected and get posts, episodes, & resources.Support the podcast with a one-time or regular gift (to keep this ad-free without breaking the Holsclaw's bank).
Welcome back to Gnostic Insights and to the Gnostic Reformation on Substack. Last week, I had a good conversation on the telephone with my brother that I thought I’d share that with you today. It’s another aspect of what I call Gnostic Psychology that my brother Bill, Dr. Bill Puett, and I have been developing. He wanted to share with me an article about psychopathy and his Gnostic insight about the article. These conversations started when I was probably about four years old, and Bill was a young teenager at that point. He was already a philosopher, and he and I would have these conversations together. So I grew up with these sorts of interactions with my older brother concerning the nature of reality, God, physics, astronomy, psychology. We’ve been talking about these things now for well over 60 years. from left: Billy, Cyd, and brother David. Recently returned from a sojourn in Japan, 1958. When I became a PhD, I imagined that I would be able to have these sorts of conversations with other people, especially with other professors at the universities I taught at. I expected that this is the nature of conversation, to have this give and take, this interaction, this sharing of information, interrupting each other, getting excited, moving on. But I haven’t found that with anyone else except my brother. I think that when we pass out of this particular material life and return to the abode above, I expect this sort of conversation to be happening up there. Well, certainly in the philosophers’ cafes, if there are such things up there. You know, my vision of the afterlife is very much like what we have here on Earth, because this is, after all, a deficient copy, a deficient imitation by the Demiurge of the land above. And so I expect that we will have these sorts of communities and churches and experiences, but without any of the death, destruction, disappointment, the negative memes, the vices, that will not be there. It’s all going to be good. It’s all going to be on the up and up. And so what I’m hoping for, what I’m expecting, is that there will be gatherings with people like Socrates and Plato and Aristotle, and of course, Christ. Jesus is going to be there, no doubt. And we’ll be having these interesting conversations about things. School of Athens, a fresco by Rafael, painted in 1509 to 1511 So let me bring you up to speed with a thumbnail sketch of what Gnostic psychology is. What I have gleaned from the Tripartite Tractate and other Gnostic books is that we are all fractals. We all carry the Spirit of God within us. We are made in the image of God, it says in the Old and New Testaments. And that image of God, as I see it, is the pleroma of the Fullness of the Hierarchy of God, which itself is a breaking out into all of the variables contained within the Father and the Son, but broken out into their individualities. So if you can imagine that the Father or the Son knew all of music and all of mathematics and all of everything, right? Well, the breakout personalities of those knowing everything would be the philosophers, the mathematicians, the musicians of various types, and everything else. All other personalities are represented in the Fullness of God. And not only the personalities are in the Fullness of God, and by the way, we probably refer to those as angels. Angels are not in the Tripartite Tractate—we use the word Aeons. Those are the inhabitants of the Fullness of God, and they are each one a particularity of the Son, and they have come to self-awareness. But the Fullness of God is not only those personalities, those angels, as we think of them, but it’s concepts like mathematics, like music, like dynamics—up and down, in and out—chemistry, physics. Every concept that can be broken out into a particularity is also part of the hierarchy of the Fullness of God. The Aeons of the Fullness dream as one of Paradise. Okay, so back to the psychological aspect. Each of us second-order powers, and I’ll talk about us humans since we are humans sitting here, we have a fractal copy of that Fullness of God– the image of God as they put it in the Bible. So we have that pure, idyllic self that is a perfect fractal of the Fullness of God. So it’s all good, it’s all loving, it’s the consciousness of the Father and the Son, it’s the purity of talent. So for example, when someone is in the zone, if someone’s a great basketball player, and they’re in the zone in the game, and they’re sinking those baskets like nobody’s business, that’s an aeonic trait of the great basketball player in the sky, you could say. It’s like that, but for every particular skill, for everything that humans are, we each represent constellations of those personalities that are represented in the Fullness of God. We’re each unique in the distribution of those talents. We have the Fullness within us, but certain parts of ourselves are highlighted, and those are our personalities. And so that’s what I call the capital S self. In a lot of spiritual writing, they call that your spirit or your soul. We also have an ego, and the ego is not a negative thing. Even the Aeons above have egos, and the ego is simply your designation. It’s your particular place, position, power; it’s your talent, it’s your duty in the hierarchy. And so when we are born into this material world, we bring that identification of our particular ego with us. Now here’s where the Gnostic Psychology comes in, once we’re in this material world and we are attached to the molecules that make up our body, which are not from above—they come from the Fall. In Gnosticism, this materiality of the cosmos, this materiality of our physical space, is a demiurgic construction based on the Demiurge’s blueprint memory of the Fullness of God, except that the Demiurge doesn’t realize that. The Demiurge thinks he cooks it all up. The Demiurge believes itself to be the only pre-existent consciousness. The Demiurge thinks consciousness began with it when it woke up, and that it is now God. And look all the things it can do. It can create the heavens and the earth. It can create all of the minerals and elements. It can build rocks and crystals and mountains. But it thinks it came up with it. It doesn’t remember it fell from the Fullness of God. It doesn’t remember it is the ego of the fallen Aeon. And here at Gnostic Insights, we identify that fallen Aeon as the Aeon known as Logos. And Logos was the last Aeon to be created in the Fullness of God. And it carried within itself the entirety of the Fullness in a fractal form. When we are sent into this world as a conscious birthing choice by the Aeons above and by our pre-existent spirit, we are melded onto that material, that mud of the Demiurge. Because the Demiurge can build stuff, but he can’t bring it to life. The Demiurge doesn’t contain the life, the light, the love, the memory of the Father and the Son and the Fullness. We bring that into this world when we are born here. So our physical part of our human body, the purely physical part underneath the cells, the molecules, the amino acids, the chemicals, even the processes, these are demiurgic. And we, our Fullness spirit and our ego, that is what is melded into the physical molecules. And then we grow up with those molecules and build up through the stages of gestation and become born as a fully-fledged second-order power. So we’re one third material. We’re also about one third ego identification. Who we are—those are our proclivities, those are our talents and our personality, our recognizableness. We are also perfect Self with a big S. Our Self, which is a fractal of the Fullness of God. So all three of those parts walk around with us. We 2nd Order Powers are melded to the demiurgic material below us and are infused with life from above Now, the Gnostic Psychology part is how it is that our ego and our Self share the consciousness of this body. And it’s not just our ego now, because once we’re in the world, especially once we’re in the culture of the world, we start picking up memes. A meme is a unit of information. So we pick up these memes, and the ones we love, the ones we like a lot, get stuck to our egoic structure, like strings wrapped around our egoic structure. We start acquiring memes throughout our lifetime from the culture around us, from our parents, from the books we read, and our education. We not only collect the memes we like, such as, I like dogs. That’s a meme. Obey your parents, that’s a meme. Vote, that’s a meme. I’m an American, that’s a meme. You see, every thought we have, every discrete unit of information is a meme, and we wrap those around our bundle of the ego. But not only the ones we like, we also pick up the memes we don’t like, the things we are completely repelled by and hate. We carry that hatred wrapped around us as well. So things that stir you up, your triggers, your baggage, those are memes that are wrapped around your ego. And then this idea of vices and virtues. Virtuous memes are the memes that come from the Fullness of God, the virtues that we think of, such as love, belonging, helpfulness, caring, honesty, all that sort of thing. All the good, good things. Those are virtues. They all have inverses down here. They all have opposites, because in Gnostic philosophy, down here is the shadow of above. So what was a virtue originally is a vice down here, and it’s the opposite. So we have hatred, and lying, and dishonesty, and lack of trustworthiness—these sorts of things. Those are the vices that are shadows of the virtues. So that is the entirety of our psychological makeup: The perfect Self that is at the core of our being, and the ego, which is who we were born as, who we were meant to be in the personality sense. Your innate talents. The Self at the center of our souls is a fractal of the Fullness of God Who are you innately? Are you really good at something? That’s part of your ego that you were born with. And then we have this meme bundle that’s wrapped around our ego. And the things that cause us discomfort, the things we’d like to get rid of, the things that weigh us down, and dishearten us, and make us cry. Those are negative memes that have stuck onto our ego. And we can drop them by deciding to. I’m not going to do it. I’m quitting smoking this time. I’m never going to pick up a cigarette again. That is a decision, for example, to drop that I love cigarettes meme. And so if you can drop these negative memes on your own, and everyone can, if you realize it, decide it. Because we have a very strong willpower. We have free will. Free will is a characteristic of the Father, the Son, and the Aeons. We were born in that line of inheritance whereby we have free will. We just forget about it down here because of the confusion in the world. But if you enable your free will, you can drop your negative memes. If you can’t do it on your own, you can do it through prayer by appealing directly to Christ to help me. Please, Lord Jesus, take this burden from me. Heal me of this alcoholism, or whatever the thing is, right? You can do it through prayer. It can happen in a miraculous second. Or you can do it through therapy, if it’s good therapy. The idea in good therapy is to peel off those memes one at a time. Get rid of those negative memes through therapy, not through pharmaceuticals. You can’t peel off memes from pharmaceuticals, either self-administered pharmaceuticals or psychiatric drugs. That doesn’t peel the memes off of you. It just throws a wet blanket on them, but you’re still carrying them around. The best type of therapy is where you realize the negative meme and you decide with the therapist’s help to drop it. That could be something like rational emotive therapy. It can be hypnotherapy. Before I go any further, let me share with you this article my brother was citing. It’s from the blog known as Aeon. The article is called, There Are No Psychopaths: Virtually everything you know about psychopathy has been thoroughly debunked. Why does this zombie idea live on? Quoting the article, Psychopathic personality disorder, or psychopathy as it is commonly called, is one of the oldest and most researched mental health diagnoses. In modern science, psychopaths are typically described with reference to concrete symptoms, like a lack of empathy, remorse, and conscience, or more explicit behavioral signs, like predatory violence, pathological lying, and impaired impulse control. The psychopath has also become a well-known figure of fascination in popular culture, frequently portrayed in best-selling novels and cinematic thrillers, [such as the movies No Country for Old Men and Natural Born Killers]. However, there’s a problem with this idea of psychopathy. While it has been researched across hundreds of empirical studies, especially since the explosion of research in the late 1990s, there is still remarkably little evidence that corroborates popularized claims about the diagnosis. Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis in Natural Born Killers Despite enthusiasm among researchers in the 1990s and 2000s, the past two decades have been sobering. Today, virtually every claim about psychopathy has been either thoroughly refuted or failed to find empirical support in experimental settings. Psychopathy may not exist at all. I’m jumping all around in this article. The article is much longer. The link is included in the transcript to this episode, if you want to go look it up. In the vast majority of tests, [89% of all tests], no clear distinction can be made between psychopaths and control groups. That is extremely strong. So there you go. Hence the title of the article, Psychopathy Does Not Exist. This author produced a study of all the other studies of psychopathy, and this is his conclusion. An alternative answer to this question, that has so far received little attention, is the possibility that psychopathy may be an instance of what scientists colloquially refer to as a zombie idea. Ideas that have the quality of being intuitively appealing, but the idea itself is essentially a fallacious misconception of reality. Just like zombies, when these ideas have been falsified, known to be dead ideas, they somehow still manage to stubbornly stick around in the halls of prestigious universities, only to once again infect another generation of young scientists. He says, The aggregation of scientific evidence does not corroborate the idea of psychopathy. If anything, it throws the whole notion into doubt. And by the way, psychopathy is included as a personality disorder. I couldn’t think of that word when I was talking to him on the phone, but the word I was searching for is personality disorder, and those are pretty much agreed to be impossible to treat. A person is a certain way, and that’s the way they are. My brother and I both agree that so-called psychopathy is a collection of memes that have stuck onto a person’s personality, because they were not born that way. It’s not part of their eternal aeonic personality. It’s a bundle of negative memes. And like any other memes, they can be pulled off if you understand the psychology in this manner. At this point in the episode, I had planned to share about 10 minutes of the phone conversation my brother and I had on this topic but we decided to pull that segment. We felt it was possibly too lighthearted for such a serious topic and that our joshing around might be misunderstood. So we'll leave it at this. I hope you have enjoyed this look at psychopathy and a review of Gnostic psychology. So until next week, God bless us all, and Onward and Upward!
Embodied Faith: on Relational Neuroscience, Spiritual Formation, and Faith
Cyd and Geoff continue their Lent/wilderness theme by challenging common images of God as stern, aloof, or judgmental and emphasizing instead that God's face is turned toward us with joy. Using the Aaronic blessing (Numbers 6:22–27), they describe two dynamics: “amplification of joy” (God's face shining upon us) and “returning to joy” (God turning toward us to bring peace), illustrated through parent-infant eye contact and attunement that builds resilience. Join them to remember that God actually likes you!Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.Stay Connected: Check out our Attaching to God 6-Week Learning Cohort.Join the Embodied Faith community to stay connected and get posts, episodes, & resources.Support the podcast with a one-time or regular gift (to keep this ad-free without breaking the Holsclaw's bank).
Embodied Faith: on Relational Neuroscience, Spiritual Formation, and Faith
In this new episode, Geoff and Cyd explore joy as a crucial part of practicing Lent, making Lent worthwhile by creating space for a deeper connection with God. They begin with a gratitude practice, and then reflect on Hebrews 12:1–2 and “the joy set before Jesus" as he endured the cross. They link this to wilderness experiences and the concept of spiritual bypassing.Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.Stay Connected: Check out our Attaching to God 6-Week Learning Cohort.Join the Embodied Faith community to stay connected and get posts, episodes, & resources.Support the podcast with a one-time or regular gift (to keep this ad-free without breaking the Holsclaw's bank).
If you are living in a perpetual state of fear and discomfort, it's time to get curious and ask yourself why! Dr. Geoff and Cyd Holsclaw discuss the integral link between faith and attachment, sharing their thoughts about why Christians get spiritually “stuck” and how they can overcome that. Geoff and Cyd are authors and the co-hosts of the Attaching to God podcast. They are also the co-directors of the Center for Embodied Faith, which examines the science of today and how that technical knowledge is backed up by the best source: the Bible. “Science today is just catching up to the wisdom that God has already given us so long ago,” say Geoff and Cyd. TAKEAWAYS The brain and the body reflect the truth found in Scripture A foundation of joyful attachment is found in a healthy relationship between a child and a parent We naturally develop survival strategies as we grow up that adapt to the environment we live in If something feels unsettling to you, ask yourself WHY and bring your fears and anxiety to Jesus daily
Hairdressers have never had more tools to market themselves… yet so many stylists are still struggling to fill their chairs.In this episode, Cyd and David unpack the real truth about salon marketing today. Social media has become the go-to strategy for many stylists, but chasing followers, likes, and viral moments doesn't always translate into actual paying clients. While online marketing is powerful, it's only one piece of the puzzle.They talk about the marketing method many stylists have forgotten: building real relationships in the real world. From word-of-mouth referrals to becoming known in your local community, the most reliable clients—the ones who come back again and again—are often built through connection, conversation, and confidence outside of a screen.Cyd shares how some of her strongest clientele came from relationship-driven referrals that eventually turned into entire friend groups booking together. David reflects on how many stylists today feel uncomfortable promoting themselves in person and how hiding behind social media can slowly erode real-world confidence.This conversation is all about finding the balance between modern digital marketing and timeless relationship building—because the most successful salons aren't choosing one or the other.They also introduce David's upcoming class Bread & Butter, a live workshop designed to teach hairdressers simple, modern strategies for building a loyal clientele using both online and offline marketing.The class costs less than a loaf of bread and a stick of butter and focuses on practical strategies you can start using immediately to grow your clientele and your income.If you're ready to stop chasing likes and start building real clients, you can learn more and save your seat here:https://www.destroythehairdresser.com/bread-butter-2026
When someone you love is late to a party, how do you react? When your spouse doesn't text you back promptly, what happens? Do your palms get sweaty? Does your heart race? Are you filled with panic, imagining the worst possible scenario for what happened to your loved one if they are MIA? If this type of anxiety response sounds relatable, you're not alone. Dr. Geoff and Cyd Holsclaw are the co-directors of the Center for Embodied Faith and the authors of Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection. Cyd has wrestled deeply with anxiety and attachment issues due to traumatic life events in her past, that she has now overcome. Geoff and Cyd share practical and God-centered solutions for dealing with fear and panic. TAKEAWAYS God made us for connection and relationship and we need both connection and protection from God and others The way we manage our relationships on a human level is how we interact with God Relying on our own strategies to deal with fear gives us a distorted view of who God really is The way to get yourself unstuck from a fear cycle is to learn new strategies that can give you the ability to adapt and overcome
In this solo episode of Destroy the Hairdresser, Cyd takes the mic to talk directly to salon owners about one of the biggest frustrations in the industry: hiring.Every week she hears the same thing in coaching calls:“I can't find good stylists.”“No one wants to work anymore.”“Everyone just wants to rent a suite.”But what if hiring isn't actually the problem?In this episode, Cyd breaks down why recruiting feels harder than ever and why the constant “we're hiring” posts on Instagram aren't bringing in the right people. She explains how many commission salons were built by copying outdated structures instead of intentionally designing a system that attracts talent.You'll hear about:Why hiring has become so emotionally exhausting for salon ownersThe cycle of hiring, training, and losing stylistsWhy “we're hiring” graphics actually repel great talentHow desperation shows up in recruitingWhy profitability and structure determine whether stylists want to work for youIf you're a salon owner feeling stuck in the hiring hamster wheel, this episode will challenge the way you think about recruiting and leadership.Because the real issue isn't finding stylists.It's building a salon that great stylists actually want to join.JOIN THE NEW COMMISSION SALON HERE: https://www.destroythehairdresser.com/the-new-commission-salon-2026
In this episode of Destroy The Hairdresser, David and Cyd accidentally prove a point.What starts as a conversation about social media strategy, live video, and “visual hooks” quickly spirals into stink bugs in microphones, lice trauma, wolf spiders, sponsorship rants, and whether salons should infect clients to create recurring revenue (kidding… mostly).But here's the experiment:They hit record.They go live.They stop trying to be educational.And they let the nonsense unfold.And if you're still listening to the end… that's the point.This episode explores:Why voyeur-style content is the futureWhy audiences don't want lectures — they want accessThe shift from “teaching” to “being watched”Why going live as a salon might be smarter than you thinkHow influence really works in everyday conversationsThere is no polished takeaway.There is no 5-step system.Just proof that attention is built through presence, not perfection.And if you made it to the end?Congratulations.You're part of the experiment.
Embodied Faith: on Relational Neuroscience, Spiritual Formation, and Faith
The Attaching to God podcast continues a three-week Lenten series on the Temptations of Jesus.This episode reframes Jesus' second temptation as an attack on his secure attachment to the Father—an attack on FAITH, provoking anxiety and testing whether God is really available. Geoff and Cyd talk about all the different reasons we develop “trust issues” and how they come out in our lives. They define faith as embodied reliance and lived loyalty, they share practical examples, and offer a practical Lenten practice. Dive deeper in our new book, Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection, and learn about our trainings and other resources at embodiedfaith.life.Stay Connected: Check out our Attaching to God 6-Week Learning Cohort. Join the Embodied Faith community to stay connected and get posts, episodes, & resources. Support the podcast with a one-time or regular gift (to keep this ad-free without breaking the Holsclaw's bank).
Universal Salvation, part 4 Welcome back to Gnostic Insights. I'm going to do my best to wrap up this review of David Bentley Hart's book, That All Shall Be Saved, Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation. And I hope you understand, particularly those of you who are Christians that are listening to this, that I do all of this in the name of the Father. It's not to tear down Christianity. It's to uphold the mission of the Messiah, which has been lost over the past several hundred years of Christianity. And so this talk of universal salvation is a necessary component of believing in the glory of God. Because universal salvation of all souls, not only all humans, but the dogs, the cats, the birds, the grasses, all living things, have to return to the Father, or else the Anointed loses power. The Father loses parts of himself. Okay, let's get back to David Bentley Hart. So we're going to run through these four meditations that are the body of his book. The first meditation is, Who is God? He says, The New Testament, to a great degree, consists in the eschatological interpretation of Hebrew Scripture's story of creation, finding in Christ as eternal Logos and risen Lord, the unifying term of beginning and end. There's no more magnificent meditation on this vision than Gregory of Nyssa's description of the progress of all persons towards union with God in the one pleroma, the one fullness of the whole Christ. All spiritual wills moving, to use this loving image, from outside the temple walls to the temple precincts, and finally beyond the ages into the very sanctuary of the glory as one. Okay, let me jump in here to say, do you notice that the New Testament words, when you use the correct translations, are the same as the translations in our Tripartite Tractate of the Nag Hammadi? Logos is the eternal spirit of humanity and the risen Lord. The Fullness is the one pleroma, the whole Christ. And in this statement, it's saying that all that is spiritual, which includes the spirits that reside within each of us, will all move as one into the pleroma of the Christ. That's who Christ is to us. He's the head of our pleroma. And when I speak of pleromas, I always picture that pyramidal shape, that hierarchical shape, and the capstone is the head. We 2nd order powers are children of the 1st order powers. The 3rd order powers are the Army of Christ that have come to redeem us. When Paul spoke of this, he was applying it literally to the temple in Jerusalem, where there were the walls of the temple, and most of the people were outside of the walls, and some of the people were in the temple precincts. And finally, the very sanctuary of the glory, where only the priests were allowed. These are the three parts that were mentioned, and these are archetypal of the movement of humanity, Hart is saying, from the outside of the pleroma of the Christ, into the pleroma of the Christ, and then into the very glory of God through the Christ. On page 90, Hart says, If one truly believes that traditional Christian language about God's goodness and the theological grammar to which it belongs are not empty, then the God of eternal retribution and pure sovereignty proclaimed by so much of Christian tradition is not and cannot possibly be the God of self-outpouring love revealed in Christ. If God is the good creator of all, he must also be the savior of all without fail, who brings to himself all he has made, including all rational wills, and only thus returns to himself in all that goes forth from him. And that's the end of the chapter, Who is God? And that pretty much states my basic belief on why everyone is going to heaven, because we all come from the Father, and therefore we all must return to the Father because the Father cannot be diminished in any way. And if he lost us, he'd be diminished. Do you see? The second meditation is, What is Judgment? And the subtitle is A Reflection on Biblical Eschatology. And eschatology, that's one of those big theological words that just means the end times, the end of time. On page 93, Hart says, There's a general sense among most Christians that the notion of an eternal hell is explicitly and unremittingly advanced in the New Testament. And yet, when we go looking for it in the actual pages of the text, it proves remarkably elusive. The whole idea is, for instance, entirely absent from the Pauline corpus as even the thinnest shadow of a hint, nor is it anywhere patently present in any of the other epistolary texts. There is one verse in the Gospels, Matthew 25-46 that, traditionally understood, offers what seems the strongest evidence for the idea, but then now Hart's going to explain how that can't be true. And then he says there are also perhaps a couple of verses from Revelation, and he says nothing's clear in Revelation, so he's not going to go there. But, What in fact the New Testament provides us with are a number of fragmentary and fantastic images that can be taken in any number of ways, arranged according to our prejudices and expectations, and declared literal or figural or hyperbolic as our desires dictate. It's why people can make the case for eternal damnation, but you can also make the case for not eternal damnation, because it's so metaphorical. On page 94, Hart says, Nowhere is there any description of a kingdom of perpetual cruelty presided over by Satan, as though he were some kind of Chthonian god. On the other hand, however, there are a remarkable number of passages in the New Testament, several of them from Paul's writings, that appear instead to promise a final salvation of all persons and all things, and in the most unqualified terms. How did some images become mere images in the general Christian imagination, while others became exact documentary portraits of some final reality? If one can be swayed simply by the brute force of arithmetic, it seems worth noting that, among the apparently most explicit statements on the last things, the universalist statements are by far the more numerous. And then he lists a number of verses from the New Testament that speak of universal salvation, over 20 of them at least, and I'll give you just a couple. Romans 5.18 says, So then, just as through one transgression came condemnation for all human beings, so also through one act of righteousness came a rectification of life for all human beings. And jumping in from the Gnostic sense, he doesn't say the fall of one human, he doesn't say through Adam, he says one transgression—and we would call that one transgression the Fall of Logos, the fall of the Aeon, which is a higher order being than we are. Or Corinthians 15.22 says, For just as in Adam all die, so also in the anointed Christ all will be given life. I would say where it says for just as in Adam all die, it's not because Adam ate the apple, it's that we humans who are outside of the Christ, we're outside of the walls of the temple, we are in the pleroma of Adam—we are in the pleroma of human beings. When you accept the anointed, then you move into the pleroma, or you nest up higher into the pleroma of the Christ. That would be the Gnostic way of saying that. Second Corinthians 5.14 says, For the love of the anointed constrains us, having reached this judgment, that one died on behalf of all, all then have died. And of course that one is the Anointed, and He died on behalf of everyone. Or even Romans 11:32, For God shut up everyone in obstinacy, so that he might show mercy to everyone. And there's a long discussion in the chapter about how God's chosen—the original elect, that being the Hebrew nation—has been obstinate about accepting Jesus of Nazareth as the Anointed. And so he's saying that everyone is shut up in obstinacy, that's the Hebrews, so that he might show mercy to everyone. And that is, they're temporarily set up in obstinacy so that the message of the Anointed can be preached far and wide, before death and after death, we Gnostics would say, and not be just constrained to only the Hebrews. That's why the Hebrews are set aside for the moment, so that those outside the temple walls can also come to Christ. And then there are 19 more verses after this, and he lists them all between pages 96 and page 102. And if you are a theological scholar or a concerned Christian that wants to know if this is heresy or not, I really suggest you buy the book, That All Shall Be Saved, by David Bentley Hart, and read it carefully from cover to cover. Jumping to page 116, Hart says, There are those metaphors used by Jesus that seem to imply that the punishment of the world to come will be of only limited duration. For example, “if remanded to prison, you shall most certainly not emerge until you pay the very last pittance.” Or, “the unmerciful slave is delivered to the torturers until he should repay everything he owes.” And Hart says it seems as if this until should be taken with some seriousness. Some wicked slaves, moreover, “will be beaten with many blows, while others will be beaten with few blows.” Hart says, of course, everyone will be “salted with fire.” This fire is explicitly that of the Gehenna. But salting here is an image of purification and preservation, for salt is good. Gehenna is the Valley of Hinnom from the Old Testament, and that is where, outside of the city of Jerusalem, the refuse was burned, and even carrion and bodies were burned. And that is why it is considered to be a hellish place. And it has become a metaphor in the time of Jesus for the purging fire, the Aeonian chastening for the good. Hart says we might even find some support for the purgatorial view of the Gehenna from the Greek of Matthew 25:46, which is the supposedly conclusive verse on the side of the Infernalist Orthodoxy, where the word used for the punishment of the last day is kolasis, which most properly refers to remedial chastisement, rather than timoria, which more properly refers to retributive justice. So, the fire of the judgment. What is judgment? The fire is the chastening fire, the fire of personal guilt and remorse over the sins one has done, that causes one to repent and turn to redemption. Hart says, It is not clear in any event that the fourth gospel, [and the fourth gospel, that's the gospel of John, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John], it is not clear in any event that the fourth gospel foretells any “last judgment,” in the sense of a real additional judgment that accomplishes more than has already happened in Christ. To see His words as pointing toward and fulfilled within his own crucifixion and resurrection, wherein all things were judged and all things redeemed. The kingdom has indeed drawn very near, and even now is being revealed. The hour indeed has come. The judge who is judged in our place is also the resurrection and the life that has always already succeeded and exceeded the time of condemnation. All of heaven and of hell meet in those three days. . . Hell appears in the shadow of the cross as what has always already been conquered, as what Easter leaves in ruins, to which we may flee from the transfiguring light of God if we so wish, but where we can never finally come to rest, for being only a shadow, it provides nothing to cling to. And he attributes that concept of hell being only a shadow to Gregory of Nyssa, although we would attribute it to the Tripartite Tractate of the Nag Hammadi which came before Gregory of Nyssa. Hell exists so long as it exists only as the last terrible residue of a fallen creation's enmity to God, the lingering effects of a condition of slavery that God has conquered universally in Christ and will ultimately conquer individually in every soul. This age has passed away already, however long it lingers on its own aftermath, and thus in the Age to Come, [and that's capital A, Age, which we would interpret as the Aeons to Come, the Aeonian Pleroma to Come], and beyond all ages, all shall come to the kingdom prepared for them from before the foundation of the world. And that's the chapter, What is Judgment? The third meditation or chapter of Hart is called What is a Person? A Reflection on the Divine Image. It says over and over in the Bible that we are made in the image of God. Man is made in the image of God. That is the divine image. On page 131, Hart says, Christians down the centuries have excelled at converting the good tidings of God's love in Christ into something dreadful, irrational, and morally horrid. [And we covered that in depth in the previous three episodes, if you want to go back there.] On page 132, Hart says, I suspect that no figure in Christian history has suffered a greater injustice as a result of the desperate inventiveness of the Christian moral imagination than the Apostle Paul, since it was the violent misprision of his theology of grace, starting with the great Augustine, it grieves me to say, that gave rise to almost all of these grim distortions of the Gospel. Aboriginal guilt, predestination, (ante praevisa merita), the eternal damnation of unbaptized infants, the real existence of vessels of wrath, and so on. All of these odious and incoherent dogmatic motifs, so to speak, and others equally nasty, have been ascribed to Paul. And yet, each and every one of them, not only is incompatible with the guiding themes of Paul's proclamation of Christ's triumph and of God's purpose in election, but is something like their perfect inversion. Well, isn't that interesting? Because we already know that the archons represent the inversions of the Aeons of the Pleroma. And so, although Hart doesn't realize he's implying this, to say that what has come down to us in Christian tradition through Augustine is the perfect inversion of what Paul was actually saying about universal salvation, which means, by definition, that it's the demiurgic or the archonic version of salvation. Isn't that interesting? I mean, that is what I have been implying, that what has been taken to be Christian tradition for the last couple of thousand years is actually a diminishment of the power of Christ and the power and love of the Father. By saying that people can be lost and condemned to eternal torture, that is sacrilegious to me. That is the heresy. And that is what Hart is saying here. He goes on to say on page 133, This is all fairly odd, really. Paul's argument in those chapters is not difficult to follow. What preoccupies him from beginning to end is the agonizing mystery that the Messiah of Israel has come, and yet so few of the children of the house of Israel have accepted the fact, even while so many from outside the covenant have. And Paul wonders, how is the promised Messiah rejected by so many, yet so many outside the temple walls have accepted the Messiah? There are far more Christians than there are Jews at the moment. Why is that? Paul was wondering. Hart says, Paul's is not an abstract question regarding which individual human beings are the saved and which are the damned. In fact, by the end of the argument, the former category, [that is the saved], proves to be vastly larger than that of the elect or the called, while the latter category, [that is the damned], makes no appearance at all. Jumping down the page, he says, “so then what if,” so now he's going to go ahead and quote Paul here, Romans 9:19, Paul says, So then what if God should show his power by preserving vessels suitable only for wrath, keeping them solely for destruction, in order to provide an instructive counterpoint to the riches of the glory he lavishes on vessels prepared for mercy, whom he has called from among the Jews and the Gentiles alike. For as it happens, rather than offering a solution to the quandary in which he finds himself, Paul is simply restating that quandary in its bleakest possible form, at the very brink of despair. He does not stop there, however, because he knows that this cannot be the correct answer. It is so obviously preposterous, in fact, that a wholly different solution must be sought, one that makes sense and that will not require the surrender either of Paul's reason or of his confidence in God's righteousness. Hence, contrary to his own warnings, Paul does indeed continue to question God's justice, and he spends the next two chapters unambiguously rejecting the provisional answer, the vessels of wrath hypothesis, altogether, so as to reach a completely different and far more glorious conclusion—God blesses everyone. Romans 10: 11, 12. And by the way, in Gnostic gospel, we would say the law is actually the Demiurge's rules for human behavior, because our self-will makes us otherwise uncontrollable. Because to the Father above, the only law is love. When we act out of love, all else follows. Going on, Hart says, As for the believing remnant of Israel, [Romans 11:5], it turns out that they have been elected not as the limited number of the saved within Israel, but as the earnest through which all of Israel will be saved. They are waiting for the Anointed to come and take the place of the King of Israel, King of the Jews. King of the Jews is one of the titles of the Messiah. That means the capstone of their pleroma. You see? It's all of these pyramidal shapes that are first designed up there in the Fullness of God, the pleroma. What Paul is saying is that the Jews that are in the pleroma of Israel, it's their remnant that makes them holy. It's their remnant that is the spiritual part, the higher part, the called part, the elect part of the pleroma of the nation of the Hebrews. And it is through those elect that all of the Jews will be saved, ultimately. Hart says, For the time being, true, a part of Israel is hardened, but this will remain the case only until the ”full entirety” [that is the pleroma] of the Gentiles enter in. The unbelievers among the children of Israel may have been allowed to stumble, but God will never allow them to fall. Hart's just saying that Israel's reluctance or slowness to believing that Jesus is the Messiah is just slowing down the progress of history to give everyone else a chance to catch up to it. Quoting Hart again, We're in Romans now, 11:11. This then is the radiant answer dispelling the shadows of Paul's grim what if in the ninth chapter of Romans. It's clarion negative. It turns out that there is no final illustrative division between the vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy. That was a grotesque, all too human thought that can now be chased away for good. God's wisdom far surpasses ours, and his love can accomplish all that it intends. “He has bound everyone in disobedience so as to show mercy to everyone.” [That's Romans 11:32.] All are vessels of wrath precisely so that all may be made vessels of mercy. . . That Paul's great attempt to demonstrate that God's election is not some arbitrary act of predilective exclusion, but instead a providential means for bringing about the unrestricted inclusion of all persons, has been employed for centuries to advance what is quite literally the very teaching that he went to such great lengths explicitly to reject. . . Yet this is still not my principal point. I want to say something far more radical. I want to say that there is no way in which persons can be saved as persons except in and with all other persons. This may seem an exorbitant claim, but I regard it as no more than an acknowledgment of certain obvious truths about the fragility, dependency, and exigency of all that make us who and what we are. Oh, this is a very interesting portion. Okay, listen to this. Jumping to page 149. No soul is who or what it is in isolation, and no soul's sufferings can be ignored without the sufferings of a potentially limitless number of other souls being ignored as well. And so it seems if we allow the possibility that even so much as a single soul might slip away unmourned into everlasting misery, the ethos of heaven turns out to be “every soul for itself”—which is also, curiously enough, precisely the ethos of hell. But Christians are obliged, it seems clear, to take seriously the eschatological imagery of scripture. And there all talk of salvation involves the promise of a corporate beatitude, a kingdom of love and knowledge, a wedding feast, a city of the redeemed, the body of Christ, which means that the hope Christians cherish must in some way involve the preservation of whatever is deepest in and most essential to personality rather than a perfect escape from personality. But finite persons are not self-enclosed individual substances. They are dynamic events of relation to what is other than themselves. And then Hart summons up the idea of a single recurrent image, he says, That of a parent whose beloved child has grown into quite an evil person, but who remains a parent nevertheless, and therefore keeps and cherishes countless tender memories of the innocent and delightful being that has now become lost in the labyrinth of that damaged soul. Is all of that, those memories, those anxieties and delights, those feelings of desperate love, really to be consigned to the fire as just so much combustible chaff? Must it all be forgotten or willfully ignored for heaven to enter into that parent's soul? And if so, is this not the darkest tragedy ever composed? And is God not then a tragedian utterly merciless in his poetic omnipotence? Who or what is that being whose identity is no longer determined by its relation to that child? [Skipping to page 153] Personhood as such is not a condition possible for an isolated substance. It is an act, not a thing. And it is achieved only in and through a history of relations with others. We are finite beings in a state of becoming, and in us there is nothing that is not an action, dynamism, an emergence into a fuller or a retreat into a more impoverished existence. And so, as I said in my first meditation, we are those others who make us. Spiritual personality is not mere individuality, nor is personal love one of its merely accidental conditions or extrinsic circumstances. A person is first and foremost a limitless capacity, a place where the all shows itself with a special inflection. We exist as the place of the other, to borrow a phrase from Michel de Certeau. Certainly, this is the profoundest truth in the doctrine of resurrection. That we must rise from the dead to be saved is a claim not simply about resumed corporeality, whatever that might turn out to be, but more crucially, about the fully restored existence of the person as socially, communally, corporately constituted. Each person is a body within the body of humanity, which exists in its proper nature only as the body of Christ. Well, that's pretty neat. See, we are nested fractal hierarchies of the pleroma of the Fullness of God. And if you've been with me a while, you know what that long and complicated sentence means. Picture a pyramidal shape, picture every living part of your body as building up the pyramid, and your conscious self is the capstone of that pleroma that makes up your body. Now, you are then nested along with all other humans into the pleroma of humanity, the body of humanity, also called the body of Adam. Just the way our cells nest up into building us, we nest up into building the great body of humanity. And then, Hart is saying this body of humanity exists in its proper nature only as the body of Christ, because when we then nest up and make Christ the king of our pleroma, we are nested into the Fullness of Christ. And that is what the final salvation resting point is. When we all finally pass through the final judgment and nest up into Christ, then we're all nested up into the pleroma, we're all nested up into the Son. And there we are. And we will still have our lives the way the Fullness has their lives. They dream together as one of paradise. And that's where we're headed. Hart says, Our personhood must truly consist not only in the immediate love of those close at hand, but also in our disposition toward those whom we, by analogy, care for from afar. Or even in the abstract, for the most essential law of charity, of love, when it is truly active, is that it must inexorably grow beyond all immediately discernible boundaries in order to be fulfilled and to continue to be active. And all of those in whom each of us is implicated, and who are implicated in each of us, are themselves in turn implicated and intertwined in countless others, and on and on without limit. We belong of necessity to an indissoluble co-inherence of souls. And I think that down here on the physical level, on the material plane, the demiurgic version of that shared coherence of all souls together is quantum entanglement. That's the Demiurge's material version of how we are implicated and intertwined with every other soul. And now he goes on to say something that's very Gnostic. On the next page, Hart says, There may be within each of us—indeed there surely is—that divine spark, that divine light or spark of nous or spirit or atman that is the abiding presence of God in us, the place of radical sustaining divine imminence, nearer to me than my inmost parts. But that light is the one undifferentiated ground of our existence, not the particularity of our personal existence, in and with one another. Oh, hey, there it is. That's what I'm always saying. This one spark, that's what we call the big S Self. And the particularity of our personal existence is what we here at Gnostic Insights label as our Ego. So we are made up of the Self that we share with all others and that we share with the Son, but we are also our own individual existence. That's why we can't just blink out into nothingness and not be missed, because we have our particularity, and it has its own place in the hierarchy. Then Hart says, But then this is to say that either all persons must be saved or that none can be. [He says,] God could, of course, erase each of the elect as whoever they once were by shattering their memories and attachments like the gates of hell and then raise up some other being in each of their places, thus converting the will of each into an idiot bliss stripped of the loves that made him or her this person, associations and attachments and pity and tenderness and all the rest. If that were the case, only in hell could any of us possess something like a personal destiny, tormented perhaps by the memories of the loves we squandered or betrayed, but not deprived of them altogether. [Jumping to 157, he says], I am not I in myself alone, but only in all others. If then anyone is in hell, I too am partly in hell. . . For the whole substance of Christian faith is the conviction that another has already and decisively gone down into that abyss for us to set all the prisoners free, even from the chains of their own hatred and despair, and hence the love that has made all of us who we are and that will continue throughout eternity to do so, cannot ultimately be rejected by anyone. Amen. And that's the end of the third meditation. Now the fourth meditation, we just don't even have time to get to. It's called, What is Freedom? And if you want to hear the fourth meditation in depth, please text me in the comments and ask for more David Bentley Hart That All Shall Be Saved. But as for now, this treatise on what is freedom? I'll actually just jump to the last page and skip all of the explanations. The fourth meditation, What is Freedom? is all about free will. I guess I'll include it in some future episode about free will and just quote Hart extensively in that episode. But to close it out, Hart says, It would make no sense to suggest that God, who is by nature not only the source of being, but also the good and the true and the beautiful and everything else that makes spirits exist as rational beings, would truly be all in all if the consummation of all things were to eventuate merely in a kind of extrinsic divine supremacy over creation. But God is not a god, [or as we would say, the God Above All Gods is not the Demiurge, is how we would put it in Gnostic terms]. And his final victory, as described in scripture, will consist not merely in his assumption of perfect supremacy over all, but also in his ultimately being all in all. Could there then be a final state of things in which God is all in all, while yet there existed rational creatures whose inward worlds consisted in an eternal rejection of and rebellion against God as the sole and consuming and fulfilling end of the rational will's most essential nature? If this fictive and perverse interiority were to persist into eternity, would God's victory over every sphere of being really be complete? Or would that small miserable residual flicker of Promethean defiance remain forever as the one space in creation from which God has been successfully expelled? Surely it would, so it too must pass away. All right, that ends this long episode, because I was trying to wrap up the entire book, which I almost did. Write to me, tell me what you think of this sort of thing. I'd especially like to hear from people who used to be Christians, or who were raised in the church, and who fell away from the church because of some of these very problems and conundrums that we've been talking about for the last four episodes. God bless us all, and onward and upward! If you find these gnostic insights meaningful, please donate to the cause. Cyd pays for these podcasts out of her retirement money, and the well is running dry. If I am to keep this up, I need your financial assistance as well as your good company. I thank my (very few) paid subscibers from the bottom of my heart to the top of my pleroma. Please help. Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Stripe Credit Card *Choose your item *Item A - $10.00Item B - $25.00Item C - $50.00Total$0.00Submit
In this solo episode, Cyd shares the real story behind her coaching journey, why Destroy The Hairdresser was created, and how coaching at DTH is fundamentally different from traditional programs.This isn't about hype, motivation, or fixing hairdressers. It's about critical thinking, emotional intelligence, sustainable systems, and building businesses that actually support real lives.Cyd reflects on her experience behind the chair, what she saw hairdressers struggling with for years, and why community—not virality or hustle—is the missing piece in the industry right now. She also shares why she's deeply proud of the Hairdresser Business Club and the quiet, powerful work happening inside it every day.If you've ever felt disconnected from the industry, burned out by “industry standards,” or unsure where you fit anymore—this episode is for you.
In this New Year's Day episode, Cyd sits down with Cheri Oteri for a wildly honest, hilarious, and unexpectedly deep conversation about grief, burnout, leadership, and the absolute massacre of language in modern marketing.They kick things off by questioning why humans invented New Year's celebrations in the first place, spiral into sickness updates and hospital scares, and then land squarely on the real theme of the episode: we've officially ruined some words beyond repair. Think “era,” “toxic,” “narcissist,” and other once-meaningful terms that now mean… absolutely nothing.From there, the conversation sharpens. They unpack why you cannot motivate your team, why forcing staff to do social media is unhinged, and why salon owners need to stop asking “How do I get them to…” and start asking “Is my business even worth documenting?”This episode dives into:Why behavior doesn't change unless the environment doesWhy boring salons create silent teamsWhy posting hair is dead (sorry)Why leadership-by-example is annoying but necessaryWhy imperfect, human content is about to matter more than ever in an AI-saturated internetIt's funny, spicy, blunt, and grounded in real coaching experience. No platitudes. No buzzwords. Just the uncomfortable truth: you can't spark something if there's nothing to light.If you're a salon owner, leader, or coach heading into 2026 feeling stuck, this episode will either piss you off a little or make everything click. Possibly both.JOIN THE HAIRDRESSER BUSINESS CLUB AND GET TWO WEEKS FREEhttps://www.destroythehairdresser.com/offers/DbMChf8w/checkout
This show has been flagged as Clean by the host. Hello, again. This is Trey. Welcome to part 6 in my Cheap Yellow Display (CYD) Project series. Thank you for hanging in there with me on this rambling series. If you wish to catch up on earlier episodes, you can find them on my HPR profile page https://www.hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents/0394.html To review, my project is to build a portable morse code "Keyer memory" which can be connected to any of my amateur HF transceiver radios by simply plugging it in to the code key input port. This is based around an ESP32 platform which comes prepackaged on a yellow PC board with a color touchscreen display, WIFI, and Bluetooth. We fondly call this contraption the Cheap Yellow Display. So far, I have defined the necessities, collected the required hardware, and failed miserably building the graphical user interface (GUI). While I sort out the technical challenges getting my GUI code to play nicely with the CYD's touchscreen, it is important that we spend some time discussing Morse code itself, and the timing standards we will need to follow. I am not going to dive too deeply into the history behind telegraphs and Morse code, but it is very interesting. If you want to learn more, Wikipedia has the origins and evolution written out quite nicely at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_code For our purposes, we will fast forward from the year 1820 (When telegraphy began) all the way to 1865 when the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standardized, what it called "International Morse Code". When I say Morse Code for the remainder of this podcast, I am referring to this ITU International Morse Code. Morse code typically includes the following characters: The 26 letter basic Latin alphabet The Indo-Arabic numerals 0 to 9 There is also a single accented Latin letter (É), which is written as an E with an accent mark, and a handful of punctuation marks. These characters are encoded using a sequence of short and long signals. Each short signal is referred to as a dit . Each long signal is referred to as a dah . At a young age, I began to refer to them as dots and dashes, as this is how they are usually written. For example, the letter "A" consists of a single dit followed by a single dah. When written out this would look like a period followed by a hyphen (what some might call a minus sign) .- This encoding method allows messages to be sent by turning on and off an electrical signal. This could result in a light flashing or a tone sounding to the pattern of the signal. The timing of a dit and dah, along with the spacing between them is carefully defined. Morsecode.world does a great job explaining the timing, and you can find their explanation at https://morsecode.world/international/timing/ It all starts with the dit, or more accurately, the amount of time the dit signal is turned on. We will call this length of time 1 unit. We will get to the actual length of time for a unit later in this episode. For now, it is just one unit. So, if a dit is 1 unit long, a dah will be 3 units long, so there is an obvious and consistent difference between a dit and a dah. Also, empty space between elements of the same character is 1 unit long. The space between characters should be 3 units long. Let's demonstrate using the letters H, P, & R. An "H" would be 4 dits …. A "P" would be 1 dit followed by 2 dahs and ending with 1 dit .--. An "R" would be 1 dit followed by 1 dah and ending with 1 dit .-. Remember when we send these grouped together like a word, we need 3 units of spacing between each character. You can hear this now. This is Morse code for the letters "HPR" at 15 words per minute .... .--. .-. That is the perfect segue to the next section, words per minute. The speed of morse code is measured in "words per minute". But how do you calculate this when some characters are short (Like the letter "E" which is only a single dit long), and other characters are long (Like the letter "J" which starts with a single dit and is followed by 3 dahs)? And that's just letters. What about words? We have short words and long words. How can we standardize on words per minute with so much diversity of length? Well, thanks to the French, we have a quite elegant solution to this problem. Well, not the French in general. Just PARIS. PARIS is the standard word which has been agreed upon to be used for determining the speed of Morse code. The word PARIS is 50 units long. "P" = dit(1) + (1) + dah(3) + (1) + dah(3) + (1) + dit(1) = 11 units {Space between letters} = 3 units "A" = dit(1) + (1) + dah(3) = 5 units {Space between letters} = 3 units "R" = dit(1) + (1) + dah(3) + (1) + dit(1) = 7 units {Space between letters} = 3 units "I" = dit(1) + (1) + dit(1) = 3 units {Space between letters} = 3 units "S" = dit(1) + (1) + dit(1) + (1) + dit(1) = 5 units {Space between words} = 7 units 11+3+5+3+7+3+3+3+5+7 = 50 units Here is the word PARIS sent at 15 WPM .--. .- .-. .. ... Morsecode.world again does a great job explaining the maths for how many milliseconds long a dit should be for a specific WPM of code ( https://morsecode.world/international/timing/ ) But, no... We could not keep it that simple. Some guy named Donald R. "Russ" Farnsworth had to complicate things and increase the gaps between letters and words to make interpreting code much easier. There are even more maths for Farnsworth timing... Wait a minute. When did I start saying "Maths" instead of "Math" like a normal North American? What is the reasoning around pluralizing "Math" anyways? Which way is more original English, "Math" or "Maths"? This sounds like a show idea for someone other than me. If you know or are interested in researching it, I look forward to listening to your show in the future. ANYWAYS, there IS much more MATH about Farnsworth timing on another page on Morsecode.world. ( https://morsecode.world/international/timing/farnsworth.html ). But I don't want to get into all of it in detail here. Not when there is a shortcut we can use in our code. Simplified, we can take 1,200 and divide it by the WPM we desire, and it will give us a close enough approximation of the number of milliseconds long a dit should be. For the 15 WPM messages you have heard throughout this episode, a dit was 1200/15 = 80 ms in length. If I speed it up to 20 WPM (The speed at which I try to practice) a dit will be 1200/20 = 60 ms long. This will be an important calculation for us as we develop the code we will later be using to construct our messages using the CYD. And this is also a good stopping point so that I can get back to trying to build that infernal GUI. Provide feedback on this episode.
In this New Year's Day episode, Cyd sits down with Cheri Oteri for a wildly honest, hilarious, and unexpectedly deep conversation about grief, burnout, leadership, and the absolute massacre of language in modern marketing.They kick things off by questioning why humans invented New Year's celebrations in the first place, spiral into sickness updates and hospital scares, and then land squarely on the real theme of the episode: we've officially ruined some words beyond repair. Think “era,” “toxic,” “narcissist,” and other once-meaningful terms that now mean… absolutely nothing.From there, the conversation sharpens. They unpack why you cannot motivate your team, why forcing staff to do social media is unhinged, and why salon owners need to stop asking “How do I get them to…” and start asking “Is my business even worth documenting?”This episode dives into:Why behavior doesn't change unless the environment doesWhy boring salons create silent teamsWhy posting hair is dead (sorry)Why leadership-by-example is annoying but necessaryWhy imperfect, human content is about to matter more than ever in an AI-saturated internetIt's funny, spicy, blunt, and grounded in real coaching experience. No platitudes. No buzzwords. Just the uncomfortable truth: you can't spark something if there's nothing to light.If you're a salon owner, leader, or coach heading into 2026 feeling stuck, this episode will either piss you off a little or make everything click. Possibly both.
In this New Year's Day best-of show, Embodied Faith's Geoff Holsclaw, co-author with his wife Cyd of "Landscapes of the Soul," looks at the science around attachment and how it really points us to God's design for us. He offers ideas for applying God's word and this science to our relationship with Him and others. Jessica Smartt, author of "Come On Home," talks about how to cultivate a family environment that makes it so that you family loves to be together, especially as adults. The Reconnect with Carmen and all Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: Click here
Is transgenderism a mental disorder? Is transexualism a delusional pursuit? Is sexual identity a cultural value arbitrarily assigned at birth? This is the topic of today's discussion. My first experience with a person seeking transexual modification was as a private practice marriage counselor in Idaho, back in the early 1980's. This fellow was seeking an official diagnosis of transexualism as required by the state in order to proceed with surgical procedures. He had been denied certification by other psychologists and was hoping I would provide him with the needed diagnosis. One session was enough for me to deny his claim. Why? After hearing his story, it turned out that his wife had recently decided she was a lesbian and no longer wanted to have sex with him. In order to save his marriage he decided to have his genitals surgically removed so he could “become a woman” to save their marriage. Though motivated by love for his wife, this reason would not qualify him for surgery under any transgender or transexual definition. I can tell you he was plenty pissed off by my refusal to go along with his plan. By definition, a transgendered individual is one who identifies with a gender incongruent with their body. They prefer dressing in clothing usually associated with the “other” gender and purposely minimize their secondary sexual characteristics. They may prefer engaging in activities more popular with the “other” gender. Population estimates of transgender persons has jumped from an historically steady 0.6% of the total population as of 2016 to 1.0% of the population surveyed in 2025, with young people ages 13-17 now accounting for 3.3% of the general population. Transexual is defined as taking the extra step of body modification through surgery or hormones to bring the body into closer congruence with self-identity. It is estimated that 25% to 30% of transgendered individuals now undergo body modification, up from an estimated 10% to 15% in the early 2000's. What accounts for this rise in trans identity? Is it merely a rise in societal acceptance that grants the freedom to declare one's identity publicly as many claim, or is there another, more gnostic, interpretation of this phenomena? Let's consider this carefully. Many gnostic texts suggest that the spiritual plane is gendered and populated by male and female entities, which gives rise to tidy mythological pantheons of male and female gods. However, I question the meaning of the term “gender” as it applies to the aeonic realm. At least one important book of the Nag Hammadi makes no mention of gender in the spiritual realm, and that's the Tripartite Tractate upon which this gnosis is based. [I take that back. Actually, there's one mention of the fallen Aeon being as one stripped of their masculinity, but that's more a statement of overall loss of integration and power arising from the fall.] Everything I'm sharing with you today is based upon the Tripartite Tractate and the logical conclusions that arise from that book. Yes, the terms “Father” and “Son” are assigned to the originating consciousness out of which our consciousness flows, but the meaning of those terms has nothing to do with sexual attributes or form. Neutral names like “Source” and “Offspring” would do as nicely but lack the personal relatability of family and the familiarity of traditional names. Sexual orientation and activity only applies to us creatures here in the Deficiency for purposes of reproduction. The portal between the ethereal and the so-called material cosmos requires a mechanism for fruiting the 2nd Order Powers arriving from the Fullness. Sexual activity is primarily responsible for populating the 2nd economy for all creatures above the level of bacteria, amoeba, fungi, and some plants and invertebrates. It would seem that the rules for fruiting changed from asexual to sexual as the complexity of the 2nd Order creatures arriving on the planet changed from smallest to largest. The Aeons are not male and female. They are fully integrated units of consciousness. What we call male identity and female identity reflect our lack of integration of our complete identity, or what Jung referred to as the lack of self-actualization of our animus and anima. In other words, our essential identities are neither male nor female but both. So identifying with either is actually a deficiency that represents incomplete individuation hampered by overidentification with the physical form. Male identity is misclassified as belonging to a man's soul identity, or what we here at Gnostic Insights call “ego” identity. The same goes for female identity. Remember, all 2nd Order Powers share the same One Self consciousness that flows unimpeded from Above. What distinguishes us is our ego identity—our self-identified name, position, place, and duty. The same goes for the Aeons. The Aeons share their One identity with the Son as fractals of the Son, and are distinguished from one another by their self-identified egoic position within the hierarchy of the Fullness of God according to name, position, place, and duty. Like the Aeons, we encompass and embrace the full anima/animus spectrum within our ego identity. But down here, physical and material forces act upon our bodies and influence self-identity as either male or female. In reality, we are equally both. Furthermore, the memes we pick up here from our childhood experiences, especially childhood sexual trauma, can affect our gender identity. The Son is the Father's only direct emanation. The Son is a monad, not a dyad or syzygy. Even though we call this monad the Son, it is not a male figure. The Son is a fully realized individual representing all aspects of the originating Source. The Son is the singular embodiment of the ALL. The Totalities of the ALL are the full expression of the diversity of the Son. The Totalities of the ALL are not self-aware; they are fully identified with the ungendered Son. The ALL is called the “aeon of the Aeons.” During the act of singing glorious praise to the Father, this “aeon of the aeons” produces a limitless variety of Aeons that occupy the Fullness of God. The Aeons of the Fullness are fractal iterations of the ungendered Son. The Aeons self-sort themselves into a hierarchy of unique positions, ranks, and duties within the Fullness. Their job is to continue giving glory to the Father through song. The Aeons do not reproduce sexually. They combine with other Aeons and sings songs of glory to the Father all together within these various combinations, which produces fruit from their comingled glory. And during the giving of glory, the Aeons dream of Paradise. We 2nd Order Powers are the fruit of these Aeons dreaming of Paradise. We enjoy making love the same way the Aeons enjoy giving glory together. In our fallen world, we 2nd Order Powers manifest as only two sexes for the purpose of reproduction. Self-assigned gender identity is irrelevant to the end goal of biological reproduction; male plus female are required. Love is not confined to sexual activity or reproduction. Love is love and we are all full of love that flows like an unending stream from the Father through the Fullness. Love is not limited to sex, reproduction, or gender identification. Now we move on to a consideration of reincarnation and its implications for transgender confusion. We've talked about reincarnation in prior episodes. If you would like to review those, the links are in the transcript to this episode, so if you are listening to an audio podcast, please visit the Gnostic Insights website where all previous episodes are posted, or view this transcript at the Cyd Ropp Gnostic Reformation Substack. [Revisiting Reincarnation] [Reincarnation, Research, and Gnosis] Reincarnation provides an excellent counter-argument to transgenderism, so let's consider the logic of this together. We do not necessarily reincarnate as the same gender from lifetime to lifetime. Therefore it follows that our ego's memory houses all of our prior gender identities. What we take for our gender identity is usually associated with the body we are currently inhabiting. A person may identify with their previous life's gender and carry those memes strongly forward into this incarnation. It is not an error to notice those gender-identified memes and behave accordingly. The error is thinking this current body needs to conform to that previous meme chord that we call gender. Confusion arises from thinking one is born into the wrong body or telling a child they are born into the wrong body. No. We are born into the most perfect body possible for our current incarnation. We are sent into this fallen world by our aeonic parents with our full cooperation. We forget our mission once we are here. We forget why we are here and who we really are, just as the Demiurge did. The error is thinking we know better than the Fullness from our fallen perspective down here who we are and what body we should be wearing. “Tomboy” girls and so-called “effeminate” boys are just that. There is no need to make the body conform to the previous life's body. There is a reason to inhabit the body one is born into. Perhaps lessons to be learned by living a lifetime in a less familiar body configuration. Remember, our talents are gifted by our aeonic parents, just as our DNA comes through our earthly parents. A female who is gifted with so-called “masculine” traits is not masculine. The words masculine or feminine are misnomers of our gender-obsessed, fallen culture. Here's a chart of so-called masculine and feminine traits drawn up by an AI at my request. The AI noted that, “Personality traits are often categorized as masculine or feminine, though it's important to note that these traits exist on a spectrum and can be present in anyone, regardless of gender.” And, indeed, you can see by the chart that a well-balanced, integrated personality would display both types of traits as needed, regardless of sex. Trait Type Communication Masculine: Direct, assertive Feminine: Empathetic, nurturing Emotional Expression Masculine: Reserved, independent Feminine: Expressive, relational Leadership Style Masculine: Authoritative, task-oriented Feminine: Collaborative, inclusive Conflict Resolution Masculine: Competitive, confrontational Feminine: Cooperative, harmony Decision Making Masculine: Decisive, risk-taking Feminine: Reflective, consensus-building Problem Solving Masculine”: Analytical, logical Feminine: Intuitive, holistic Self-Perception Masculine: Self-reliant, confident Feminine: Community building, supportive Offering my own experience as an example, this unit of consciousness that is known as Cyd is often miscategorized by others as exhibiting so-called masculine traits in academic and workplace settings. Yet, at home, I skew much more toward the “feminine.” That's probably why I enjoyed running a large bed and breakfast for several years, because both types of traits make for an efficient yet caring innkeeper. Growing up, I was considered a “tomboy,” preferring wrestling and sports to playing with dolls and trying on make-up. My pixie haircut displays my lifelong disdain for futzing with hairdo's, curlers, and hair products. My mother was a glamorous woman, a real girlie-girl that forever tried to force me into pink and ruffles while I preferred jeans and hoodies, much to her frustration. Again, I don't think that any of these distinctions have one whit to do with gender. It never even crossed my mind that I should be a boy. Rude people from time to time have suggested I “come out” as gay and join the alphabet community. No thanks. No need. I am not confused. I am who I am. Knowing who you are, your aeonic inheritance and lifetimes of experience, transcends the tidy categories the culture would like to cram us into. The categories become irrelevant. We carry our fixed, God-given personalities along with our self-identity egos with us from lifetime to lifetime, adding and subtracting memes and meme chords like gender identity as we go. However, our initial personalities were formed by Aeons giving praise together in various combinations. Eventually we reach our final resting place. That resting place is not the silence of decomposing flesh in the grave. We have occupied countless bodies and forms throughout our lifetimes. We have left those bodies behind every time. We are not confined to those vessels of flesh and bone that sicken and die. Our One Self spirit and ever-evolving ego carry on. We either return to the next, most perfect body for our unit of consciousness to inhabit, or we stay in the higher ethereal plane occupied by Aeons and 2nd Order Powers who have left behind the material cosmos and the confusion that arises in the Deficiency. We will remain recognizable by ourselves and others. Our ego identification is not dependent on our gender or appearance; we have occupied so many different bodies in so many different incarnations that there is no way our identity is anchored by a single material form. Like Christ and the 3rd Order of Powers, we will all be recognizable to those who know us, irrespective of appearance or sexual traits. Like the Aeons, our ego is tied to our mind, our words, our rank in the overall system of the Fullness. “Each of those who glorify has his own station, rank, dwelling place, and place of rest, which is the glorification he brings forth.” [Tripartite Tractate verse 70] “For each of the aeons is a name corresponding to each of the Father's qualities and powers. Since he exists in many names, it is by mingling and through mutual harmony that they are able to speak of him, by means of a richness of speech. Thus, the Father is a single Name because he is One, but nevertheless innumerable in his qualities and names.” [verse 73] Just be who you are without labels or gender identification. Embrace your self-identity irrespective of how you present to others as long as it is true to your aeonic, God-given Self and ego. Drop those confusing and unnecessary cultural memes that weigh down your soul. Our God Above All Gods is not the author of confusion. Gender confusion is just another demiurgic ploy to throw you off track and keep you down. The Father's will is strong and clear and uplifting. The path of discovering gnosis and self-actualization is not through the labyrinths of despair and self-doubt. And it is certainly not through a surgeon's scalpel. Turn your eyes up to the Fullness and within to find true self identity and acceptance. This article is not meant to criticize but to uplift divergent individuals like myself. God blesses all of us. Onward and upward. Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Stripe Credit Card *Choose your item *Item A - $10.00Item B - $25.00Item C - $50.00Total$0.00Submit
Part 2 The search for Teor's brother Cyd continues as the Soldiers are guided by the Hounds of the King down a mysterious fey shortcut... New Episodes Release Weekly on Thursdays.Learn more about Campaign 4 at https://critrole.com/campaign4/ GET MORE CAMPAIGN 4 WITH BEACONWe're excited to bring you even MORE Campaign 4 with a Beacon membership! Get access to exclusive shows like our behind-the-scenes Critical Role Cooldown and ask the Campaign 4 cast your burning questions directly through our LIVE monthly Fireside Chats.You'll also receive NEW Beacon exclusive series, instant ad-free access to VODs & podcasts, live event pre-sales, merch discounts, & a private Discord.Start your 7-day free trial today at https://beacon.tv/join and get unparalleled access to everything Critical Role! OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN 4 CASTGAME MASTER Brennan Lee MulliganLaura Bailey as ThimbleLuis Carazo as Azune NayarRobbie Daymond as Kattigan ValeAabria Iyengar as Thaisha LloyTaliesin Jaffe as Bolaire LathaliaAshley Johnson as VaelusMatthew Mercer as Sir Julien DavinosWhitney Moore as TyrannyLiam O'Brien as Halandil ""Hal"" FangMarisha Ray as Murray Mag'NessonSam Riegel as Wicander ""Wick"" HalovarAlexander Ward as Occtis TachonisTravis Willingham as Teor Pridesire CREDITSProduced by Maxwell James, Steve Failows, & Kyle ShireSet Designed by Shaun EllisProduction Designer: Noxweiler BerfCharacter Art by Loren HontanillaEdited by Taylor Burke and Emily ""Stevie"" StevensonCritical Role Announcement Playhouse Editor: Vinny CelestiOpening Title Editor: Paul FoyderOpening Title Colorist: Peter KoocheradisWindow Effects by Christian BrownGraphic Design by Aaron Monroy & Jordyn TorrenceDol-Makjar art by Daniel Jiménez VillalbaMiniatures Painted by Payton Keo LacebalOpening Title Theme by Neal AcreeCampaign 4 Key art by Hannah FriederichsAdditional Art & Design by Hannah Friederichs Episode QC by Catherine Zimmerman & Paula FloresAssistant Editor: Gianna GencarellaPost Production Coordinators: M Swing & Bryn HubbardClosed Caption Editing by Margaret Dill, Nikki Kindelberger, Courtney Knewtson, Danielle Lackie, Eleanor Smith-Dufresne & Alice TsoiPost Production Supervisor: Tal Levitas HEALTH & WELL-BEINGDue to the improv nature of Critical Role and other RPG content on our channels, some themes and situations that occur in-game may be difficult for some to handle. If certain episodes or scenes become uncomfortable, we strongly suggest taking a break or skipping that particular episode.Your health and well-being is important to us and Psycom has a great list of international mental health resources, in case it's useful: http://bit.ly/PsycomResources Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Part 1 The search for Teor's brother Cyd continues as the Soldiers are guided by the Hounds of the King down a mysterious fey shortcut... New Episodes Release Weekly on Thursdays.Learn more about Campaign 4 at https://critrole.com/campaign4/ GET MORE CAMPAIGN 4 WITH BEACONWe're excited to bring you even MORE Campaign 4 with a Beacon membership! Get access to exclusive shows like our behind-the-scenes Critical Role Cooldown and ask the Campaign 4 cast your burning questions directly through our LIVE monthly Fireside Chats.You'll also receive NEW Beacon exclusive series, instant ad-free access to VODs & podcasts, live event pre-sales, merch discounts, & a private Discord.Start your 7-day free trial today at https://beacon.tv/join and get unparalleled access to everything Critical Role! OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN 4 CASTGAME MASTER Brennan Lee MulliganLaura Bailey as ThimbleLuis Carazo as Azune NayarRobbie Daymond as Kattigan ValeAabria Iyengar as Thaisha LloyTaliesin Jaffe as Bolaire LathaliaAshley Johnson as VaelusMatthew Mercer as Sir Julien DavinosWhitney Moore as TyrannyLiam O'Brien as Halandil ""Hal"" FangMarisha Ray as Murray Mag'NessonSam Riegel as Wicander ""Wick"" HalovarAlexander Ward as Occtis TachonisTravis Willingham as Teor Pridesire CREDITSProduced by Maxwell James, Steve Failows, & Kyle ShireSet Designed by Shaun EllisProduction Designer: Noxweiler BerfCharacter Art by Loren HontanillaEdited by Taylor Burke and Emily ""Stevie"" StevensonCritical Role Announcement Playhouse Editor: Vinny CelestiOpening Title Editor: Paul FoyderOpening Title Colorist: Peter KoocheradisWindow Effects by Christian BrownGraphic Design by Aaron Monroy & Jordyn TorrenceDol-Makjar art by Daniel Jiménez VillalbaMiniatures Painted by Payton Keo LacebalOpening Title Theme by Neal AcreeCampaign 4 Key art by Hannah FriederichsAdditional Art & Design by Hannah Friederichs Episode QC by Catherine Zimmerman & Paula FloresAssistant Editor: Gianna GencarellaPost Production Coordinators: M Swing & Bryn HubbardClosed Caption Editing by Margaret Dill, Nikki Kindelberger, Courtney Knewtson, Danielle Lackie, Eleanor Smith-Dufresne & Alice TsoiPost Production Supervisor: Tal Levitas HEALTH & WELL-BEINGDue to the improv nature of Critical Role and other RPG content on our channels, some themes and situations that occur in-game may be difficult for some to handle. If certain episodes or scenes become uncomfortable, we strongly suggest taking a break or skipping that particular episode.Your health and well-being is important to us and Psycom has a great list of international mental health resources, in case it's useful: http://bit.ly/PsycomResources Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This show has been flagged as Clean by the host. Hello, again. This is Trey. Welcome to part 5 in my Cheap Yellow Display (CYD) Project series. If you are still listening to me ramble about this project, thank you. If you wish to catch up on earlier episodes, you can find them on my HPR profile page https://www.hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents/0394.html To review, My project is to build a portable morse code "Keyer memory" which can be connected to any of my HF transceiver radios by simply plugging it in to the code key input port. Then I could transmit stored messages by simply touching their specific icon on the touch screen. I also want to be able to program each macro individually from the graphical user interface (GUI). To do this, I need to learn how to build a GUI. Most of the CYD resources I have been referencing recommend using Squareline Studio for GUI development on the CYD. Sadly, Squareline Studio is not open source. If any of you have experience with a good, open source alternative to Squareline Studio, please record a show to help the rest of us. Squareline does have a free trial and a free single user / single computer license, which I am using for this project. It will run on Windows, Linux, and Mac. After watching several videos about using the CYD with Squareline, I started to outline the functionality I needed. Squareline provides a wide range of pre-configured boards and interfaces to choose from, in addition to widgets and controls which you can drag onto your screens, and it will automatically generate the supporting code in the background. The initial page needs to have the macro buttons, with labels for the message they will send when pressed. There also needs to be navigation buttons to move from one page to others. Another important page will be the configuration page, where the user can store the contents of each macro and set the speed at which code will be sent. I would like to have a keyboard page where the user can type a custom message and send it. I made a few GUI sketches on post-it-notes, then I installed Squareline Studio on my Ubuntu laptop to start designing. There is a bit of a learning curve. Even with guide videos, I found the user experience to be... challenging. Their own GUI leaves much to be desired. It was not designed to run on the laptop's screen size/resolution. I had to switch to a much higher resolution monitor and rearrange frames within the app itself in order to see many of the controls. Button size adjustments, alignments, and label text did not work quite as expected. Getting things sized and aligned properly took quite a bit of fiddling. The text displayed on a button is a separate object from the button itself, so I have had to put some thought into object naming so that I can write code which will change button labels dynamically. I am including some screenshots from Squareline for the interface I designed. One great feature is that you can define actions and conditions for objects in your project. For example, there are buttons on the left which will navigate to specific screens. I defined actions within Squareline, such that when the specific navigation button is pressed, it will change the button appearance to look like it has been pressed and will then scroll left or right to a specified screen. Actions were also valuable for the Speed (WPM) slider on the Config screen. When this slider is moved left and right, the GUI will change the actual number for WPM to the right of the slider. Next, there is a simulator function which can be used to test how well the GUI works. It took some trial and error, but I was able to build and successfully test, navigational actions and the WPM slider. As I was working on building the afore mentioned WPM slider, and thinking about the default words per minute of Morse to use, my ADHD interrupted me (As usual). I decided to change the default speed that I use for the Arduino Nano based Morse code practice keyer which I keep on my desk. You can learn more about this keyer in episode 3 of this series. And we will also discuss Morse code speed in a future episode in this series. The original code (As found on https://github.com/jmharvey1/ArduinoCPO ) specified 12 words per minute (WPM) as the default speed, with buttons to increase or decrease this. However, I am practicing at 20 WPM. Every time I turn on the practice set, I need to turn up the speed and guess when I am close to 20. I went ahead and opened the PracticeOscilator project in Arduino IDE and updated the wpm variable to a value of 20. No, you will not see this change reflected in my own GitHub repo because: A) I wanted to test it locally first B) 20 WPM may be a little fast for a default C) I do not use git the way that it is meant to be used, or the way I SHOULD be using it, with pull requests and all. Bad Trey. D) I was distracted ANYWAY, the reason I bring this up is that it is the first time I have used the Arduino IDE to program a board with this system since I upgraded from Ubunto 20.04 to Ubuntu 22.04. Try as I might, I was not able to get the Arduino Nano's USB port to be recognized in Linux so that I could upload the updated keyer code. I spent several days troubleshooting, using other Arduino devices, different USB ports, and different cables, all to no avail. If anyone has any recommendations, I am open to suggestions. So, I dug out my son's old Windows 10 PC and started again. I had to install the Arduino IDE, load all the necessary libraries, and my code from Github (Which I had to manually change once again, because I don't fully get git). Finally I was able to update the Arduino Nano with its new code, and it works perfectly. But this revealed the same problem for the CYD. I also could not get it to connect over USB to my Ubuntu system. Time to migrate the entire project to Windows. My next step was to install Squareline Studio on Windows. Here, I ran into another snag, as my trial license was only for one system, so I had to uninstall Squareline from Linux before I could activate the license on Windows. Did I mention that I would love to find an open source, free software product to use instead? If you know of one, please ping me or post a comment. I wasted more time trying to get the GUI project I had written on the Linux machine imported into Squareline on Windows, all the while thinking of improvements I could make if I started again from scratch. It would not load, and would not load. In the end, I started all over again. After much blood sweat and tears, my GUI code was working again, and this time in Windows. I was able to run it in the simulation mode and move from page to page successfully and also use the WPM slider. I exported the UI from Squareline, and I loaded the code it generated into a new project within Arduino IE. Now was the moment of truth. I followed instructions found on the Pang YouTube channel video [ESP32 + LVGL] Configuration input device rotary encoder ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGM6gu9OpbA ). I connected the CYD and uploaded the code. SUCCESS!! You can see my "Send" screen loaded perfectly! Now to try other screens. Wait. Drat. It does not seem like my navigation buttons work. Actually, it does not appear that the touch screen is responding at all. I spent the next several days trying to figure out what went wrong. I checked and double checked interrupt and configuration settings (Such as those described in another of Pang's videos, [CYD + LVGL] Configuration Cheap Yellow Display | Easy Guide ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmR-mjJVumU ). Nothing worked. I came to realize that I bit off more than I could chew, and I should NOT have started with such an ambitious project. Instead I should have started with a simple equivalence of "Hello World", where I could build and test simple functionality to make sure I knew exactly what I was doing, then expand on it. Lessons learned, and a good stopping point for this episode. I am open to your feedback on what you would recommend, what I should do differently, etc. You can post simple feedback as a comment or send me an email using the address in my HPR profile. As usual, if your feedback is more than a sentence or two, you might want to record it as an episode so that other listeners can benefit from it as well. Time for an espresso. Maybe I will make it a double. Or even a triple! Provide feedback on this episode.
This week, Cyd is lighting up the mic with the conversation the industry still tiptoes around: the retail system is broken, stylists are stuck at the bottom of the food chain, and product companies are out here winning big while hairdressers are left dusting shelves and doing math gymnastics hoping to find the “profit” everyone keeps promising.We dive into the era when salons ran the show, how ego and toxicity pushed stylists into the great suite exodus, the pandemic reset that flipped retail upside down, and the moment big brands pivoted to affiliate links because they had no choice. And just when hairdressers finally started winning? The TikTok influencer wave crashed over the industry and shoved stylists right back to the bottom — even though YOU are the one doing the actual work.Cyd breaks down what really happened, why influencers are cashing the checks meant for professionals, and what product companies must do if they want to stay relevant in the new era of creator-driven commerce. Spoiler: the future of retail belongs to the people who touch the hair, not the people who touch a ring light.Whether you're a stylist, a salon owner, suite-based, or somewhere in between — this is the episode you'll be sending to everyone in your salon group chat.And if you're ready to stop feeling behind, stop playing by outdated rules, and actually build a profitable, modern salon career?Your salon business shouldn't feel like guesswork — and you shouldn't have to do it alone. Inside the Club, you get weekly coaching, real strategies that actually work in 2025, a community that understands the industry you're living in, and systems that help you make more money with LESS stress.If this episode hit a nerve… the Club is where you turn the lightbulb moment into action.
In this episode, Cyd and David go off (lovingly) on the rise of woo-woo salons—the ones where your haircut somehow turns into an unsolicited aura reading, your schedule is set by the moon cycle, and “vibes” are doing more work than the actual business plan.They unpack:When spirituality and religion in the salon cross a line from “on brand” to “manipulative”Why your team and clients did not sign up to be part of your personal awakeningThe difference between building a clear brand experience vs. blindsiding people with energy workTroll comments like “no pain, no gain” and why DTH exists specifically so the next generation doesn't have to suffer the way the last one didHow Destroy The Hairdresser's “disruptive” branding triggers people who haven't actually looked at the resultsAnd of course, they circle it back to hourly pricing, boundaries, and critical thinking as the actual structure that lets you build any kind of salon—woo, churchy, ultra-clinical, whatever—without burning everyone out.
Part 2 Tyranny struggles with her crueler instincts as the Soldiers discover a safe haven for fairies that may hold clues about Cyd's whereabouts... New Episodes Release Weekly on Thursdays.Learn more about Campaign 4 at https://critrole.com/campaign4/ GET MORE CAMPAIGN 4 WITH BEACONWe're excited to bring you even MORE Campaign 4 with a Beacon membership! Get access to exclusive shows like our behind-the-scenes Critical Role Cooldown and ask the Campaign 4 cast your burning questions directly through our LIVE monthly Fireside Chats.You'll also receive NEW Beacon exclusive series, instant ad-free access to VODs & podcasts, live event pre-sales, merch discounts, & a private Discord.Start your 7-day free trial today at https://beacon.tv/join and get unparalleled access to everything Critical Role! OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN 4 CASTGAME MASTER Brennan Lee MulliganLaura Bailey as ThimbleLuis Carazo as Azune NayarRobbie Daymond as Kattigan ValeAabria Iyengar as Thaisha LloyTaliesin Jaffe as Bolaire LathaliaAshley Johnson as VaelusMatthew Mercer as Sir Julien DavinosWhitney Moore as TyrannyLiam O'Brien as Halandil "Hal" FangMarisha Ray as Murray Mag'NessonSam Riegel as Wicander "Wick" HalovarAlexander Ward as Occtis TachonisTravis Willingham as Teor Pridesire CREDITSProduced by Maxwell James, Steve Failows, & Kyle ShireSet Designed by Shaun EllisProduction Designer: Noxweiler BerfCharacter Art by Loren HontanillaEdited by Taylor Burke and Emily "Stevie" StevensonCritical Role Announcement Playhouse Editor: Vinny CelestiOpening Title Editor: Paul FoyderOpening Title Colorist: Peter KoocheradisWindow Effects by Christian BrownGraphic Design by Aaron Monroy & Jordyn TorrenceCountdown Graphic by Daniel Jiménez VillalbaMiniatures Painted by Payton Keo LacebalOpening Title Theme by Neal AcreeCampaign 4 Key art by Hannah FriederichsAdditional Art & Design by Hannah Friederichs Episode QC by Catherine Zimmerman & Paula FloresAssistant Editor: Gianna GencarellaPost Production Coordinators: M Swing & Bryn HubbardClosed Caption Editing by Margaret Dill, Nikki Kindelberger, Courtney Knewtson, Danielle Lackie, Eleanor Smith-Dufresne & Alice TsoiPost Production Supervisor: Tal Levitas Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This show has been flagged as Clean by the host. Hello, again. This is Trey. Welcome to part 4 in my Cheap Yellow Display (CYD) Project series. If you have hung in there with me so far on this journey, thank you. If you have missed earlier episodes, you can find them on my HPR profile page https://www.hackerpublicradio.org/correspondents/0394.html If you have questions, comments, concerns, or other feedback, please leave an episode comment, or drop me an email (Using the address in my profile). Even better, you could record and upload your own show which shares your viewpoint or expertise. To review, I finally have an actual project to build using the CYD. It is a portable, programmable morse code "Keyer memory" which can be connected to any of my HF transceiver radios by simply plugging it in to the code key input port. Then I could transmit stored messages by simply touching their specific icon on the touch screen. So, now I purchased a pair of CYDs. Each arrived in an anti-static zipper bag with a USB C cable, a 6 inch long 4 pin PB1.25mm to Dupont 2.54mm cable harness, a plastic case holding the CYD itself and a small plastic stylus. There are pictures in the show notes. Depending on how many IO connections I may need, and how I plan to power this, I am probably going to need more 4 pin PB1.25mm wired connectors. You can see a description of the various features and connectors on RandomNerdTutorials writeup about this board ( https://randomnerdtutorials.com/cheap-yellow-display-esp32-2432s028r/ ). The only difference I can see between this description and what I received is that mine have both a MicroUSB and USB C port. Of course, first thing, I had to plug it in and see what happens. It appears to be running some kind of simulation of a web site. The backlit display looks alright. It is not super high resolution, but for the price, it will suite my needs. The touch screen is responsive, but it is pressure sensitive and works best using the provided stylus or a fingernail and not your finger tip. So, I have the CYD. What other hardware do I need? I need to address how one of these will actually connect to my radios. Modern amateur radio transceivers which support continuous wave (CW) transmission (Which is another name for Morse code) generally can use one of two different pieces of hardware for input. The first is what we call a straight key. Below is a photo of the one I own. This is a classic, old fashioned telegraph style code key. It is designed to quickly and easily be pressed down to close a circuit and when released the circuit is opened, effectively making it a normally open push button switch. To send a dot, the operator holds down the key for a short period of time, then releases it. To send a dash, the operator holds down the key for a longer period of time, before releasing it. (We will discuss actual timing specifications for morse code in a future podcast) Connectivity for the switch has been standardized to use a 3.5 mm mono male phone connector which has only sleeve and tip connections. The second option is a paddle style electronic keyer. There are many styles of these, and I am including a picture of the one I use, which once belonged to a close friend of mine who is now silent key. In general, the paddle is two separate normally open switches. In the most common configuration, if an operator presses and releases the paddle on the right, a dash is sent. If the paddle on the right is held, a continuous series of dashes will be sent until that paddle is released. The left paddle works similarly. If it is pressed and released, a single dot is sent. If it is pressed and held, a series of dots is sent until it is released. The function of these paddles can be swapped from left to right using the radio configuration. There is additional functionality which can be configured in some radios for when both paddles are pressed simultaneously, but I am not going to describe those here. The paddle generally uses a 3.5mm stereo male phone connector with the sleeve being common. The tip of the phone connector is wired to the left paddle and ring of the connector is wired to the right paddle. Most modern radios have a built in keyer which can be configured for a paddle and will automatically transmit the dots or dashes at whichever speed is configured based on the paddle pressed. You can see this phone connector illustrated on Wikipedia's phone connector page. . https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_connector_(audio ) You can learn more about all the various devices which can be used for sending morse and how they function at Morse Code World . https://morsecode.world/keys.html Ideally, controlling all the morse code timing within the CYD would be best. That way, it could be connected as a straight key and any keyer settings already configured within the radio shouldn't matter. However, If I wish to also be able to manually send morse code myself using my paddles, without disconnecting the CYD and reconfiguring the radio, that could be problematic. I may need to factor in the possibility of connecting my paddle to the CYD and then building in code to respond to inputs from the paddles. As I mentioned in a previous episode, I have an Arduino Nano on my desk as a practice oscillator for my paddles. I may be able to reuse some of that code on the CYD. So, if I want the CYD to appear to the radio like a straight key, I will need it to be able to control a switch quickly and accurately. But I also want the CYD and the radio to be electrically isolated from each other. This calls for a relay. I was able to find and order some inexpensive relay modules which work nicely with Arduino and ESP32. These allow connectivity to 5v power and to one of the CYD's GPIO pins. These feed an optocoupler circuit, which, in-turn, drives the coil of the relay. This provides inductive kickback protection to the CYD and can drive a coil which would require more current than the GPIO can provide. Inductive kickback rabbit trail: An inductor is simply a coil of wire. Direct current flowing through any wire generates a magnetic field. Within the inductor, because the wire is coiled, the magnetic field builds from each pass of the wire in the coil. If you include an iron core, it sustains the magnetic field even better. This is the basis for an electro magnet. A relay is simply a momentary contact switch controlled by an electromagnet. One unique property of an inductor is that, current wants to keep flowing in the direction it was applied. To be specific, when the current source is removed, the magnetic field still exists for a while, and it effectively "generates" an electric current within the coil, in the same direction as the one which initially created the magnetic field to begin with. If it has a path to flow, this current will create another weaker magnetic field, which creates its own electric current, in a diminishing loop. If the circuit which drives the coil of a direct current relay is not ready for this continued push of current, damage can be done. Many times this is countered by wiring a "flyback diode" in parallel with the coil and in the opposite direction in which current will be applied. This way, when the current source is stopped, the diode gives a path for the inductive kickback current to safely flow while the magnetic field dissipates. Explained in greater detail at https://inductive-kickback.com/2019/04/inductive-kickback-made-simple-to-grasp-easy-to-handle/ The switch side of the relay is a single pole double throw (SPDT) and makes connections available for common, normally closed (NC), and normally open (NO). It will be easy to connect the common and NO connections to a 3.5mm mono male connector so that it may be plugged into the "key" port on any radio transmitter. I will need to do some testing on the speed of the relay, but I think it will work just fine. Once I start writing some code for the CYD, I will be able to connect and test the relay. Well, this is a good place to end this episode, and it is one of the longest in this series so far. In the next episode, we will begin to look at how we design the user interface for our program, something I do not know anything about (yet). Stay tuned weekdays for additional exciting episodes of Hacker Public Radio, and, at some point, the next episode in this series. If you like what you have heard, please leave an episode comment, or drop me an email (Using the address in my profile). If you have more than a single sentence to contribute on the subject, I encourage you to record an episode with your thoughts and expertise. If you dislike what you have heard, you are encouraged even more strongly to record and upload your own show which shares your viewpoint or opinion. Until next time. Provide feedback on this episode.
Part 1 Tyranny struggles with her crueler instincts as the Soldiers discover a safe haven for fairies that may hold clues about Cyd's whereabouts... New Episodes Release Weekly on Thursdays.Learn more about Campaign 4 at https://critrole.com/campaign4/ GET MORE CAMPAIGN 4 WITH BEACONWe're excited to bring you even MORE Campaign 4 with a Beacon membership! Get access to exclusive shows like our behind-the-scenes Critical Role Cooldown and ask the Campaign 4 cast your burning questions directly through our LIVE monthly Fireside Chats.You'll also receive NEW Beacon exclusive series, instant ad-free access to VODs & podcasts, live event pre-sales, merch discounts, & a private Discord.Start your 7-day free trial today at https://beacon.tv/join and get unparalleled access to everything Critical Role! OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN 4 CASTGAME MASTER Brennan Lee MulliganLaura Bailey as ThimbleLuis Carazo as Azune NayarRobbie Daymond as Kattigan ValeAabria Iyengar as Thaisha LloyTaliesin Jaffe as Bolaire LathaliaAshley Johnson as VaelusMatthew Mercer as Sir Julien DavinosWhitney Moore as TyrannyLiam O'Brien as Halandil "Hal" FangMarisha Ray as Murray Mag'NessonSam Riegel as Wicander "Wick" HalovarAlexander Ward as Occtis TachonisTravis Willingham as Teor Pridesire CREDITSProduced by Maxwell James, Steve Failows, & Kyle ShireSet Designed by Shaun EllisProduction Designer: Noxweiler BerfCharacter Art by Loren HontanillaEdited by Taylor Burke and Emily "Stevie" StevensonCritical Role Announcement Playhouse Editor: Vinny CelestiOpening Title Editor: Paul FoyderOpening Title Colorist: Peter KoocheradisWindow Effects by Christian BrownGraphic Design by Aaron Monroy & Jordyn TorrenceCountdown Graphic by Daniel Jiménez VillalbaMiniatures Painted by Payton Keo LacebalOpening Title Theme by Neal AcreeCampaign 4 Key art by Hannah FriederichsAdditional Art & Design by Hannah Friederichs Episode QC by Catherine Zimmerman & Paula FloresAssistant Editor: Gianna GencarellaPost Production Coordinators: M Swing & Bryn HubbardClosed Caption Editing by Margaret Dill, Nikki Kindelberger, Courtney Knewtson, Danielle Lackie, Eleanor Smith-Dufresne & Alice TsoiPost Production Supervisor: Tal Levitas Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In this solo episode, Cyd gets brutally honest about the excuses holding you back—from business growth to social media visibility to your own damn potential. If you're still hiding behind “I don't know what to post,” it's time to admit the truth: you're not confused, you're insecure. Cyd breaks down how fear of judgment becomes a trap, how to get unstuck, and how to actually build a system that works for you—not against you.She shares how she coaches stylists to simplify, organize, and show up with strategy instead of burnout, proving you don't have to post every day to see results. And before wrapping, she spills all the details on her signature program The Social Circus—a 4-week immersive experience designed to help hairdressers find their rhythm, grow their socials, and finally stop overthinking their content.
Cyd and David get real about the industry's favorite lie: “I don't need help.” They unpack why stylists and owners hide behind busyness, how product culture hijacked salons, and why going all-in on social while skipping real-world connection is costing you money.Then they lay out the fix: The Hairdresser Business Club—DTH's coaching community where owners and independents learn modern pricing, marketing that actually books, recruiting that works, and leadership that doesn't burn you out. You'll get weekly live classes with Cyd (social) and David (business), replays, and access to the private clubhouse where students share scripts, wins, and receipts. It's $39/month with a 2-week free trial, cancel anytime. If you're tired of white-knuckling your business alone, come sit with us. https://www.destroythehairdresser.com/offers/DbMChf8w/checkout
This show has been flagged as Clean by the host. Hello, again. This is Trey. Welcome to part 3 in my Cheap Yellow Display (CYD) Project series. You can find Part 1 in episode 4472 and Part 2 in episode 4488. We previously left our handy hero searching for a solution to an amateur radio signal propagation dilemma, while he is trying to become proficient with Morse code. The CYD technology is simmering in the back of his brain – an answer in search of a problem. Hah! I love trying to create the feel of a vintage radio or television series with the intro and outro for these episodes. But I am by no means the hero. I am simply Trey – a grumpy old man and tinkerer. Instead, the real hero in this episode is Keith VE3SVQ-THE SHAKY KEY on YouTube. So.... Let's see. Where were we? Oh yes. I have been trying to learn Morse code -.-. --.- -.-. --.- (CQ CQ) That was me, tapping out "CQ CQ" in Morse code using the practice set I keep on my desk. This consists of a set of code paddles, connected to an Arduino Nano, which I built several years ago based what I learned watching Code Practice Oscillator; Aka: The Three Arduinos on Jmhrvy1947's YouTube Channel, and based on the code from his GitHub https://github.com/jmharvey1/ArduinoCPO . I did need to make modifications, both to support the Ardunio Nano on which I chose to run it, and for my own sanity, as the way that I learned to write code for Ardunio is very different. I focus on readability and flexibility. You can see these changes on my own GitHub ( https://github.com/jttrey3/PracticeOscillator/blob/main/PracticeOscillator.ino ) Anyway, I have been studying. I have been watching videos. I have been practicing. I might actually be learning some of this stuff. If you are interested in more details about the resources I am using, leave a comment for this episode, or drop me an email using the address in my profile, and I may record an episode about it. The result is that I have been learning. But also, the google and YouTube algorithms have been learning about me. And they have started to feed me more videos about Morse code. It is both helpful, and super creepy at the same time. So one day, when I opened YouTube, a title in my feed caught my eye. " NEW CW OP USE THE REVERSE BEACON NETWORK TO IMPROVE YOUR CODE ". I said to myself, "Self, this could be interesting." I watched Keith's video and learned about the Reverse Beacon Network . According to their website, "The Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) is a revolutionary new idea. Instead of beacons actively transmitting signals, the RBN is a network of stations listening to the bands and reporting what stations they hear, when and how well." Let's pause for a second and discuss amateur radio beacons. These are stations which repeatedly broadcast their identity on dedicated frequencies. Other operators around the world, who hear a beacon, can evaluate the signal propagation between their station and the beacon location. The RBN is just the opposite. Here, the station operator can transmit a test signal with their call sign, using CW or other digital modes. Then, they can look at the RBN website to see which RBN listening stations received their transmission, and even get a signal report. On the main page of the RBN website, one can observe a world map with paths showing where signals were received, and where they originated based on the registered grid square of the originating call sign. The table displayed below the map reveals the sending and receiving call signs, their distance apart (In miles or kilometers), the frequency, the mode, the type of transmission, the signal to noise ratio, the speed of the transmission, and the time/date using UTC. This information is collected by a network of volunteer reverse beacon receiving stations all over the world, which monitor the various radio bands, decode transmissions of CW (Morse code), RTTY (Radio Teletype), and PSK31 or PSK63 (Digital modes using Phase Shift Keying). These receiving stations report what they receive as well as the signal strength back into the Reverse Beacon Network to be recorded and published over the internet. Dave Casler discussed the RBN back in 2016 on his YouTube video The Ham Radio Reverse Beacon Network, AD#32 . This gives very good detail of how the network works. This sounds like exactly what I have been looking for. All I need to do is come up with a way to reliably, accurately, and consistently transmit "CQ CQ CQ TEST DE" followed by my call sign three times at a constant 20 words per minute (WPM). If I can do this a few times, I can then check the RBN to see where I was received. By including the "TEST" string, recipients know that I do not wish to start a conversation. I can get accurate reporting of where my signal is going and how strong it is. But remember that my morse code skills are still inadequate. And my radios do not have "Keyer memories" like those which can be found in higher end transceivers like the Icom 7300, enabling programmed messages to be sent at the touch of a button. But there is a fairly inexpensive solution to this problem. One which has been nagging at the back of my mind. Maybe, I could use the Cheap Yellow Display to effectively add "Keyer memory" to any of my radios by simply plugging it in to the code key input port. These stored messages could be transmitted by simply touching their specific icon on the touch screen. Now we have a plan. But how will we do it? What else will we need to learn? Will it even work? Tune in to the next episode in the series to find out the answers to some of these questions and more! Provide feedback on this episode.
In this episode, Jessie Cruickshank sits down with Geoff and Cyd Holsclaw to explore their new book Landscapes of the Soul—a beautiful and practical guide to understanding attachment theory through the lens of faith and discipleship.Together, they unpack what it means to live with secure, insecure, or disorganized attachment, reframed as landscapes of the soul: the pasture, the jungle, the desert, and the war zone. Geoff and Cyd share how these metaphors help us see our relational and spiritual patterns without shame—inviting us to move from self-protection toward deeper connection with God and others.This conversation bridges brain science and spiritual formation, showing how embodied faith and attachment awareness can transform the way we read Scripture, practice discipleship, and experience God's love in everyday life.Learn more about Geoff and Cyd's work at embodiedfaith.lifeORDER Jessie's newest book, Ordinary Discipleship: How God Wires Us for the Adventure of Transformation → https://a.co/d/51j86DGFor more great stuff, check out: Ordinary Discipleship by Whoology: https://whoology.coFollow us on social media:https://instagram.com/ordinarydiscipleshiphttps://facebook.com/ordinarydiscipleshipFollow Jessie on social media:Instagram: https://instagram.com/yourbrainbyjessFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessica.s.cruickshank/Twitter: https://twitter.com/yourbrainbyjess ORDER Jessie's newest book, Ordinary Discipleship: How God Wires Us for the Adventure of Transformation → https://a.co/d/51j86DGFor more great stuff, check out: Ordinary Discipleship by Whoology: https://whoology.coFollow us on social media:https://instagram.com/ordinarydiscipleshiphttps://facebook.com/ordinarydiscipleshipFollow Jessie on social media:Instagram: https://instagram.com/yourbrainbyjessFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessica.s.cruickshank/Twitter: https://twitter.com/yourbrainbyjessJessie Cruickshank is a disciple-maker, wilderness guide, and ordained minister. She has trained thousands of people how to survive when their life depended on it and earned a Master's degree in experiential education at Harvard to learn how the brain works to help people train more effectively.The key to discipleship is not more information, but learning how to create intentional environments where people can learn and grow. By working with the brain and treating individuals as whole persons, you too can discover how God wired our brains for transformation. You already have all the tools you need, it is time to activate them in you and your church.
Something magical happened while we were recording — we both yelled “witchcraft!” at the same time, and honestly… it fits.In this episode, Cyd and David pull back the curtain on why DTH Level One: The New Commission Salon feels like pure magic for salon owners who are tired of running their businesses on chaos.We talk about what actually changes when you stop guessing, start using systems, and realize leadership doesn't have to feel like survival. From hiring to pricing to the emotional side of letting go — this episode is a mix of humor, truth bombs, and a little DTH sorcery.If you've ever said, “There has to be a better way,” this one's for you. Join DTH LEVEL ONE Here: https://www.destroythehairdresser.com/offers/KFq6eMzz/checkout
EPISODE 605 - Jayne Mills - BOTTOM OF THE BREATH - Seeking Answers in The Grand Canyon, Using Our Write BrainLike both my mother and my daughter, I have always loved to read. I also dreamed of writing a book someday. In fact, as a young person, I planned to be a writer by profession.Life, however, has a way of reminding us that we're not in charge. In the book, Cyd's aunt tells her, “Man plans and God laughs.” That has certainly been true in my life. It was a happy accident that I ended up changing my major from journalism to finance. I have enjoyed a long, successful, and rewarding career doing math (which I also love) and working with the best clients anyone could hope for.In 2019, as I was undergoing chemotherapy treatments and spending lots of time on my sofa, I began writing this book in earnest. I haven't stopped since.BOTTOM OF THE BREATH is the result. I took five years to write, and another year to get published. I knew nothing about writing a novel when I began, and it's a good thing I didn't know what I didn't know—otherwise I'm certain I would have never started.In the course of writing this book and questioning everything from my writing ability to my sanity, I kept coming back to the desire to leave a story for my children and all my readers in which I share some of the lessons I've learned in my life—about the importance of family, the absolute necessity of friendship, and the power of forgiveness.https://www.jaynemills.com/Support the show___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca
All of us are quick learners when it comes to fear and trauma, and because of this, have developed strategies to survive the landscapes of our childhood. Some of us anxiously protect our relationships while others avoid connection and become self-reliant. Thankfully you can follow the Good Shepherd into a new landscape — the pasture of secure attachment. Tune in for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi chat with Cyd and Geoff Holsclaw — teachers, podcasters, and authors of Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection. You'll discover how to integrate intimacy and independence under Jesus' care to cultivate the same healthy attachment he experienced with the Father and others.Resources for this Episode:Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and ConnectionAttaching to God SummitDeeply Loved: Receiving and Reflecting God's Great Empathy for YouDonate to Support Soul Shepherding and Soul Talks
Grab your spot in Cyd's Booked on Repeat: The hairdressers guide to IG stories class https://www.destroythehairdresser.com/offers/F63haZi5/checkoutCyd and David turn a chaotic Miami flight (two kids, two blowouts, one traumatized spouse) into a masterclass on Instagram Stories as the real engine of modern salon marketing. They unpack how branding is “friendly brainwashing,” why Stories outperform feeds for conversions, and how to turn everyday life into narrative arcs that book clients and sell classes—fast. You'll learn the difference between feed (discovery) and Stories (nurture + conversion), how to structure Story sequences with purpose, and why showing up imperfectly beats perfectly curated posts every time. Cyd announces her live class, Booked on Repeat: The Hairdresser's Guide to IG Stories, and shares practical prompts you can swipe today to turn taps into appointments.Need salon business support? Book a free coaching call https://www.destroythehairdresser.com
I'm thrilled to welcome Geoff and Cyd Holsclaw to this bonus episode as we talk about their new book Landscapes of the Soul. Bridging spirituality and relational neurobiology, they help us consider what it means to live a life of joy in relationship. Geoff and Cyd help us identify our attachment strategies, how they developed and how we heal. These attachment strategies, the ways we connect with others (or don't), color how we see everything, including God. Listen to the end because Cyd leads us in a beautiful practice designed to help us move a little further into safe attachment with Jesus. Connect with the Holsclaws to learn more about what they offer, including their cohorts, at embodiedfaith.life. If this conversation is meaningful for you, please take a minute to like, subscribe and share with a friend who needs this encouragement today. You can connect with me and find free resources at susancarson.net. Thanks for joining me today!
In this solo episode, Cyd takes a flamethrower to pricing confusion and breaks down the three models most stylists use—à la carte, session pricing, and hourly—without the fluff or guilt. She lays out clear pros and cons for each, then makes the simple, disruptive case: everything you sell is already time-based. If a cut takes 45 minutes and a blonding takes three hours, the price is always tied to time—whether you package it, rename it, or hide it under “starting at.”Cyd tackles the real barrier to hourly (it's not the math—it's saying your rate out loud), and gives exact scripts for explaining hourly to clients (“I charge for my time so you're never upsold”), teams (“we don't sell haircuts—we sell time”), and your socials/website (“book the time you need—if you're not sure, I'll guide you”). If you're sick of defending add-ons, confused by sessions, or nervous to claim your rate, this is the clean, transparent framework you've been looking for.
Shit Happens (Literally): Salon Horror Stories & Hangover HaircutsIn this completely unhinged episode, Cyd and David take you on a ride through some of their most chaotic, disgusting, and relatable salon (and parenting) stories. From toddler poop smears and salon accidents to 21-year-old hangover horror shows and questionable Blue Martini nights—this episode proves that behind every hairdresser is a wild story no one talks about (but everyone has).They reflect on what it meant to “show up” in their early careers, how the industry used to be way less documented (thank God), and why having a sense of humor about the messiness of life might just be your best business strategy.If you've ever had to throw up mid-foil, cover a client in a cape of shame, or clean poop off your own child before a coaching call… this one's for you.Need salon business support? Book a free coaching call https://www.destroythehairdresser.com
What exactly is the Gnostic Pleroma? Is it like Heaven or is it like Nirvana? I can't think of anyone better than Dr. Cyd Ropp for this odyssey. She'll cover the concept of the eternal realm of the Valentinians. She'll also discuss her fantastic new work, Children of the Fullness: A Gnostic Myth. This charming children's book recounts an ancient Gnostic creation myth in a way that even the most skeptical reader can grasp (including James Lindsay or the average orthodox individual). From the One to the creation of the Demiurge, get ready to experience the Gnostic cosmology in an approachable but enlightening way. Get the book: https://amzn.to/4nPrKWD More on Cyd: https://gnosticinsights.com/business/ Get The Occult Elvis: https://amzn.to/4jnTjE4 Virtual Alexandria Academy: https://thegodabovegod.com/virtual-alexandria-academy/ Gnostic Tarot Readings: https://thegodabovegod.com/gnostic-tarot-reading/ The Gnostic Tarot: https://www.makeplayingcards.com/sell/synkrasis Homepage: https://thegodabovegod.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aeonbyte AB Prime: https://thegodabovegod.com/members/subscription-levels/ Voice Over services: https://thegodabovegod.com/voice-talent/ Support with donation: https://buy.stripe.com/00g16Q8RK8D93mw288 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In this explosive episode, Cyd and David go off about the parasitic nature of big beauty—and why hairdressers keep defending brands that would never return the favor. From industry-standard buy-ins to retail shelves that make more dust than profit, they break down the manipulative dynamics between product companies and salons.They discuss how affiliate links could empower stylists, the myth of being “partnered” with a brand, and why so many stylists are unknowingly trapped in MLM-style sales models. Spoiler: if you're stocking shelves and selling out just to buy back in… that's not a partnership—it's a hustle.This episode is a reality check for anyone still clinging to outdated retail relationships and calling it loyalty. If you're ready to make money on your terms, set boundaries with brands, and stop cosplaying as a beauty distributor—this one's for you.Need salon business support? Book a free coaching call https://www.destroythehairdresser.com
In this unfiltered, unhinged, and unexpectedly tender episode, Cyd and David talk about what it really means to be professional in 2025. From FaceTime parenting and digital nostalgia to the weird, winding journey of social media, the two co-founders of Destroy the Hairdresser reflect on how much the industry—and their own lives—have changed.They explore why curated content no longer sells, why storytelling is the new marketing, and why oversharing might actually be the secret to client trust. Somewhere between discussions of holograms, Tom Green, and “putting on a lip,” they dismantle old-school expectations and make a bold case for showing up online exactly as you are.Whether you're building your brand, grieving in silence, or just missing salad fingers… this one's for you.Need salon business support? Book a free coaching call https://www.destroythehairdresser.com
Today on Karl and Crew, we discussed the importance of separating ourselves from bad influences. As followers of Christ, it’s crucial to surround ourselves with a community of fellow Christ-followers, as being surrounded by a worldly community can significantly influence our walk with Christ. We see this affirmed in 1 Kings 12, where we see how a young king, Rehboam, took the advice of bad influencers, and it led to destruction. We then turned to the phone lines to hear stories about good and bad influences from our listeners. Then we had Dr. Geoff and Cyd Holsclaws join us to talk about the intersection of faith, neuroscience, and spiritual formation. The Holsclaws are hosts of the podcast Attaching to God and wrote the book, “Landscapes of the Soul: How the Science and Spirituality of Attachment Can Move You into Confident Faith, Courage, and Connection.” Dr. Geoff has also authored several other books and is a visiting professor of theology at Western Theological Seminary. At the same time, Dr. Cyd is a Spiritual Director and a trauma-informed, Jesus-centered, professional certified coach with the International Coaching Federation. She is also a Certified NLP Master Practitioner and Master Coach. We also had Asheritah Ciuciu join us to talk about being sensitive to the presence of God in our lives and embracing it. Asheritah is a national speaker, bestselling author, and founder of One Thing Alone Ministries, an online ministry that helps overwhelmed women find joy in Jesus. She also has a YouTube Channel where she posts guided prayers, bible tips, and other resourceful videos. She has also authored several books, including “Delighting in Jesus-Rhythms to Restore Joy When You Feel Burdened, Broken, or Burned-Out.” You can hear the highlights of today's program on the Karl and Crew Showcast. If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps: Caller segment ( Stories Bad influences) [08:03- 20:07] Dr. Geoff and Cyd Holsclaw Interview (Faith, Neuroscience and Spiritual Formation) [20:11- 35:31] Asheritah Ciuciu Interview (Delighting in God) [38:15-52:33] Good and Bad Influences Devotion [55:43- 1:00:12] Caller segment ( Stories about Good Advice) [1:00:15- 1:05:12] Karl and Crew airs live weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. Central Time. Click this link for ways to listen in your area! https://www.moodyradio.org/ways-to-listen/ Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
There’s a good chance that you, like so many of us, have tried it all: read your Bible more, gone to church more, prayed more, and delved deeper into self-awareness. But you still struggle with discontent, anxiety, avoidance, and doubt. You still feel stuck. No matter where you find yourself emotionally, relationally, or spiritually, Jesus meets you there and helps you move toward a place of peace and rest. Pastors, coaches, and educators, Cyd and Geoff Holsclaw, will join us to draw on the science and spirituality of attachment theory, biblical wisdom, and the language of spiritual formation to show us why Christians tend to get stuck spiritually―and how to get unstuck and move forward.Become a Parshall Partner: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/inthemarket/partnersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.