Podcasts about define

Tyler breaks down why clients ghost builders and why the real issue usually isn't the lead, it's the process. He gets into clearer next steps, tighter follow-up, and how to stop leaving the door wide open for bad-fit clients to waste your time. Get our Discovery Call Script: https://modern-craftsman.kit.com/discovery Sign up for the newsletter: https://modern-craftsman.kit.com/1cc009f591 Show Notes:  00:00 Lead, Don't Chase 04:15 Ghosting Is a Process Problem 08:12 Stop Persuading Bad Fits 12:45 You're Giving Away Too Much 16:11 Define the Next Step 19:56 Close the Loops 22:31 Build a Follow-Up SOP 27:46 Ghosting Is Feedback 32:20 Close the Door   Video Version:https://youtu.be/ixFKtpGdGJ8   Partners:  Andersen Windows Harnish Workwear  Use code H1025 and get 10% off their H-label gear   The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Hosts:  Nick Schiffer  Tyler Grace  Podcast Produced By: Motif Media

You're listening to Burnt Toast. I'm Virginia Sole-Smith. Today is the second part of my conversation with Savala Nolan.Savala is a writer, public speaker and professor at UC Berkeley. Her brand new book, Good Woman: A Reckoning is out now. Her first book, Don't Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race, Gender and the Body, was shortlisted for the William Saroyan Prize and celebrated as a “standout collection” by the New York Times. Savala's writing has been featured in Vogue, Harper's Magazine, the New York Times, NPR, TIME and more.Today is the second part of my conversation with Savala. In part one, we talked about bodies, race and gender. Today in part two, we're getting into sex, divorce and classy and trashy Butters. This conversation is for paid subscribers only, so go to patreon.com/virginiasolesmith to join us. Membership starts at just $5 per month. You're not going to want to miss this one.One last thing! If you order Good Woman from my local independent bookstore, Split Rock Books, you can take 10% off if you have also ordered a copy of my book Fat Talk from them. Go to Split Rock Books and use the code "fat talk" at checkout.Here's Savala.You need to be a paid Just Toast subscriber to listen to this full conversation. Membership starts at just $5 per month!Join Just Toast!

Do you feel a deep pull to help people, make a difference, and serve with purpose—but aren't sure who exactly you're meant to help? Are you a spiritual woman entrepreneur ready to grow your soul-led business, but stuck guessing who your ideal client is? This episode is your roadmap to clarity, impact, and confidence.In this episode, I teach you how to:Define your ideal client and understand exactly who you're here to serveLearn why clarity around your client is the fastest way to grow your online businessUse the triple-niche strategy to attract aligned clients and stop wasting time guessingSee real-life examples of my students creating transformational “I help” statementsTake actionable steps today to define your client avatar, niche down, and serve your dream clientsRecognize how your life story is your purpose, and how serving others multiplies your impact and incomeIf you've been struggling to clarify who to help, feeling overwhelmed, or trying to grow your soul-led business without a clear plan, this episode will show you exactly how to serve with purpose, clarity, and soul-alignment.

SEG 10: Joseph Sternberg Joseph Sternberg examines UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's record unpopularity. He attributes this to economic pessimism, perceived political haplessness, and the Labour Party's internal struggle to define its ideological direction between the center and left. (11)1808 BANK OF ENGLAND

As health systems pursue growth beyond traditional avenues, the role of the strategic planner is becoming increasingly complex. High level directional data is no longer enough — achieving meaningful, differentiated growth now requires leveraging granular, sophisticated data to inform investment decisions. In this episode, host Rachel Woods sits down with Advisory Board experts Sebastian Beckman and Ellie Wiles to explore how health systems can rethink strategic planning for 2026 and beyond. Together, they unpack what it should actually look like to democratize data, why data governance matters just as much as data access, and how service line leaders can partner with planners to make faster, more precise, margin savvy decisions. We're here to help: Podcast | 289: What are health systems doing in 2026? Results from our survey are in. Playlist | Radio Advisory Provider Strategy and Financial Outlook Playlist Case Study | How UT Southwestern closed genomic testing gaps in prostate cancer care ICYMI: Webinar | The top 10 trends impacting health systems in 2026 Tools | Check out Advisory Board's Market Scenario Planner and other Advisory Board analytics and data tools to inform your strategy for growth, cost control and more. Comprehensive women's healthcare: Redefining the standard of care A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

In this heartwarming episode of "Discovering Grayslake," the host sits down with Brian Calhoun, owner of Weez's Groovin Barbecue. Brian shares his journey from truck driving and backyard grilling during the pandemic to becoming a beloved local pitmaster and competitor. The conversation highlights Grayslake's strong community spirit, local businesses, and Brian's dedication to quality, family, and authentic barbecue. Listeners get a taste of Brian's passion, his favorite local spots, and the importance of kindness and connection in making Grayslake a special hometown for all. Certainly! Here's your article with "Wheez" replaced by "weez" and "weez's" where appropriate, while keeping the format, content, and context unchanged: From Hobby to Hometown Hero: Lessons from weezs Groovin Barbecue on Building a Passion-Driven Business in Grayslake In the heart of Grayslake, Illinois, community isn't just a buzzword—it's a way of life. The latest episode of the "Discovering Grayslake" podcast captures this spirit through the story of Brian Calhoun, owner and pitmaster of weezs Groovin Barbecue. Brian's journey from truck driver and hobbyist to respected barbecue competitor and local business owner is a masterclass in following your passion, building authentic connections, and serving your community with heart. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur, a barbecue enthusiast, or simply someone who loves a good hometown success story, Brian's insights offer valuable lessons on turning a personal passion into a thriving business. Let's break down the key themes and actionable tips from this episode, so you can apply them to your own journey—whatever your "barbecue" may be. 1. Embrace Your Roots and Tell Your Story Brian's Approach:   weezs Groovin Barbecue isn't just a catchy name—it's a reflection of Brian's family history, musical background, and personal quirks. The nickname "weez" came from childhood, while "Groovin" nods to his years as a drummer. This personal touch gives his business a unique identity that resonates with customers. Actionable Advice: Infuse Your Brand with Personality:** Don't be afraid to let your story shine through your business name, branding, and customer interactions. People connect with authenticity. Share Your Journey:** Use your website, social media, and in-person events to tell the story behind your business. Customers love to support people, not just products. Honor Your Influences:** Whether it's family, music, or another passion, let those influences shape your business culture and offerings. 2. Start Small, Learn Relentlessly, and Grow Organically Brian's Approach:   Brian's barbecue journey began during the COVID-19 pandemic, sparked by a simple Weber grill and a desire to try something new. He dove into online tutorials, experimented with recipes, and gradually built his skills. His first big break came when he catered a last-minute event at a local brewery—an opportunity he seized despite initial nerves. Actionable Advice: Begin with What You Have:** Don't wait for perfect conditions. Start with the tools and knowledge you have, and improve as you go. Invest in Learning:** Watch videos, read books, and seek out mentors. Brian's willingness to learn from others—both online and in person—accelerated his growth. Say Yes to Opportunities:** Even if you feel unprepared, taking on new challenges can open doors and build confidence. Let Growth Happen Naturally:** Brian didn't force his business to scale overnight. He focused on quality and let word-of-mouth and community support drive demand. 3. Respect Tradition, But Make It Your Own Brian's Approach:   Brian is deeply respectful of the culinary traditions behind the dishes he prepares. He studies the origins of recipes, adapts them thoughtfully, and always strives to honor their roots—whether he's making Mexican barbacoa or classic American barbecue. Actionable Advice: Do Your Homework:** Understand the history and techniques behind your craft. This builds credibility and deepens your appreciation for what you do. Innovate with Integrity:** Adapt recipes or business practices to fit your style, but always acknowledge where your inspiration comes from. Ask for Feedback:** Brian's friends and family were his first taste-testers, helping him refine his recipes before going public. 4. Build Community—Inside and Outside Your Business Brian's Approach:   From the barbecue competition circuit to local Grayslake events, Brian has found a sense of belonging and camaraderie. He credits much of his success to the supportive barbecue community and the relationships he's built with sponsors, fellow competitors, and local businesses. Actionable Advice: Network Authentically:** Attend local events, join professional groups, and support other businesses. Genuine relationships lead to opportunities and support. Give Back:** Brian uses the American Legion's kitchen, knowing his fees support a good cause. Look for ways your business can contribute to the community. Collaborate:** Partner with other local businesses for events, sponsorships, or cross-promotions. Everyone wins when the community thrives. 5. Balance Passion with Practicality Brian's Approach:   Brian continues to work as a truck driver while running his barbecue business, balancing financial stability with his entrepreneurial dreams. He's strategic about which events he caters, preferring smaller gatherings where he can focus on quality over quantity. Actionable Advice: Don't Quit Your Day Job (Yet):** It's okay to build your business on the side until it's sustainable. This reduces stress and allows you to make thoughtful decisions. Know Your Limits:** Focus on what you do best, and don't overextend yourself. Brian prefers catering and competitions over running a full-scale restaurant. Set Clear Goals:** Brian's next big investment is a Texas smoker, and he's working toward it through event earnings. Define your milestones and work toward them step by step. 6. Leverage Social Media—But Stay True to Yourself Brian's Approach:   While Brian admits he could be more active on social media, he prefers a low-key, authentic approach. He shares behind-the-scenes content on Instagram and Facebook and is considering TikTok, but avoids being overly promotional. Actionable Advice: Show, Don't Just Tell:** Share videos and photos of your process, events, and personal moments. People love seeing the real you. Ask for Help:** If social media isn't your strength, enlist a friend or hire someone to help create content. Engage, Don't Just Broadcast:** Respond to comments, share community news, and celebrate your customers. Social media is a conversation, not a megaphone. 7. Make Family and Relationships Central to Your Journey Brian's Approach:   Brian's relationship with his son, Austin, is at the heart of his story. He involves Austin in competitions, travels together, and uses barbecue as a way to bond and create lasting memories. Actionable Advice: Include Loved Ones:** Find ways to involve family and friends in your business. Shared experiences strengthen relationships and make the journey more rewarding. Prioritize Balance:** Adjust your schedule to make time for important people and events. Success is sweeter when shared. Be Vulnerable:** Brian's openness about his fears and growth as a father makes his story relatable and inspiring. 8. Pursue Excellence, Not Just Success Brian's Approach:   Whether catering a small party or competing at the Jack Daniels World Championship, Brian's focus is always on delivering the best possible food. He's earned perfect scores in competitions and is known for his attention to detail. Actionable Advice: Never Stop Improving:** Treat every event as a chance to learn and get better. Solicit feedback and refine your craft. Compete with Yourself:** Set personal standards for quality, and don't settle for "good enough." Celebrate Wins, Learn from Losses:** Every competition, event, or customer interaction is an opportunity for growth. 9. Give Back and Teach Others Brian's Approach:   Brian is passionate about teaching cooking classes and sharing his knowledge with others. He sees education as a way to give back and inspire the next generation of barbecue enthusiasts. Actionable Advice: Share What You Know:** Offer workshops, write blog posts, or mentor newcomers in your field. Support Local Causes:** Use your skills to benefit community organizations, schools, or charities. Be Accessible:** Make it easy for people to reach out, ask questions, or book your services. 10. Stay Humble, Stay Kind, and Spread Positivity Brian's Approach:   Despite his growing reputation, Brian remains humble and approachable. He values kindness, genuine connections, and the simple joys of good food and good company. Actionable Advice: Practice Gratitude:** Thank your supporters, customers, and mentors often. Be a Good Neighbor:** Look for ways to help others, whether it's through your business or everyday interactions. Lead by Example:** Your attitude sets the tone for your business and community. Local Recommendations from Brian and the Host Favorite Grayslake Spots:** Beer Bazaar, Harbor Brewing, and the Grayslake Village Center for food, drinks, and community events. Community Resources:** Servpro of Northwest Lake County, City Chevrolet of Grayslake, Grayslake Rehabilitation Center, and Right at Home for local services and support. Events to Attend:** Grayslake Craft Beer Fest, McHenry Music Fest, and weezs Wicked Wing Fest for great food and fun. Connect with weezs Groovin Barbecue Website:** weezsgroovinbarbecue.com Facebook:** Groove and Barbecue Instagram:** @weezsgroovinbarbecue Reach out for catering, private events, or just to say hello! Final Thoughts: The Heart of Grayslake Brian Calhoun's story is a testament to the power of Let me know if you need the rest of the article or any further adjustments!

In this podcast, experts Naval Daver, MD; Courtney DiNardo, MD; and Eunice Wang, MD; discuss the rationale for treatment with menin inhibitors—and the data showing their efficacy and safety—in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Gordon Evans, CMO of Commerce Cloud at Salesforce, joins host Boaz Ashkenazy live from Dreamforce in San Francisco for a conversation on how AI agents are reshaping commerce across both B2C and B2B.Gordon breaks down the full scope of Salesforce's commerce portfolio—from the well-known B2C platform powering brands like Pandora and L'Oréal, to B2B commerce, order management, and the recently acquired PredictSpring point-of-sale capability. Together, these pieces deliver what Salesforce calls unified commerce: the same product, inventory, and customer view whether you're engaging online or in-store.The conversation dives into how AgentForce Commerce is bringing AI-powered personalization to retail. Gordon shares how Pandora's Gemma agent has driven a 10% increase in NPS by handling customer service with the nuance of a knowledgeable store associate, and how Williams Sonoma's Olive agent helps shoppers plan everything from Thanksgiving dinner to table decor. The discussion explores why great data is the foundation for effective agents, how B2B buyers deserve the same seamless experience as consumers, and why natural language interfaces are collapsing the technical barrier between businesses and their customers.Boaz and Gordon also examine the evolving trust dynamic around AI in commerce—how the pandemic accelerated consumer willingness to trade data for speed and convenience, and how that same value exchange is now driving adoption of AI agents. Gordon shares how his own team uses internal LLMs and Slack bots to move faster, and why learning to ask the right questions is becoming the most important professional skill.This episode is essential listening for commerce leaders, retail strategists, and product teams who want to understand how AI agents are moving beyond customer service into full shopping experiences—and why conversation and context are the two words that define what comes next.Chapters[00:00] What It Means to Be CMO of Commerce at Salesforce[02:15] AgentForce Commerce and the Unified Commerce Vision[03:37] PredictSpring, Point of Sale, and Bringing It All Together[04:20] Personalization Powered by Data and AI Agents[05:58] Why B2B Buyers Deserve the Same Experience as Consumers[07:30] First Job, Worst Job with Gordon Evans[09:30] How AI Tools Are Changing the Daily Work of Marketing[11:20] Pandora, Williams Sonoma, and the Rise of Brand Agents[13:50] Trust, Credit Cards, and the Speed-Convenience Value Exchange[15:00] Two Words for the Future of Work: Conversational and ContextConnectConnect with Gordon EvansLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordonmevans/Connect with Boaz AshkenazyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boazashkenazy/Email: info@shiftai.fm

What makes a character so compelling that readers will forgive almost anything about the plot? How do you move beyond vague flaws and generic descriptions to create people who feel pulled from real life? In this solo episode, I share 15 actionable tips for writing deep characters, curated from past interviews on the podcast. In the intro, thoughts from London Book Fair [Instagram reel @jfpennauthor; Publishing Perspectives; Audible; Spotify]; Insights from a 7-figure author business [BookBub]. This show is supported by my Patrons. Join my Community and get articles, discounts, and extra audio and video tutorials on writing craft, author business, and AI tools, at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn This episode has been created from previous episodes of The Creative Penn Podcast, curated by Joanna Penn, as well as chapters from How to Write a Novel: From Idea to Book. Links to the individual episodes are included in the transcript below. In this episode: Master the ‘Believe, Care, Invest' trifecta, how to hook readers on the very first page Define the Dramatic Question: Who is your character when the chips are down? Absolute specificity. Why “she's controlling” isn't good enough Understand the Heroine's Journey, strength through connection, not solo action Use ‘Metaphor Families' to anchor dialogue and give every character a distinctive voice Find the Diagnostic Detail, the moments that prove a character is real Writing pain onto the page without writing memoir Write diverse characters as real people, not stereotypes or plot devices Give your protagonist a morally neutral ‘hero' status. Compelling beats likeable. Build vibrant side characters for series longevity and spin-off potential Use voice as a rhythmic tool Link character and plot until they're inseparable Why discovery writers can write out of order and still build deep character Find the sensory details that make characters live and breathe More help with how to write fiction here, or in my book, How to Write a Novel. Writing Characters: 15 Tips for Writing Deep Character in Your Fiction In today's episode, I'm sharing fifteen tips for writing deep characters, synthesised from some of the most insightful interviews on The Creative Penn Podcast over the past few years, combined with what I've learned across more than forty books of my own. I'll be referencing episodes with Matt Bird, Will Storr, Gail Carriger, Barbara Nickless, and Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer. I'll also draw on my own book, How to Write a Novel, which covers these fundamentals in detail. Whether you're writing your first novel or your fiftieth, whether you're a plotter or a discovery writer like me, these tips will help you create characters that readers believe in, care about, and invest in—and keep coming back for more. Let's get into it. 1. Master the ‘Believe, Care, Invest' Trifecta When I spoke with Matt Bird on episode 624, he laid out the three things you need to achieve on the very first page of your book or in the first ten minutes of a film. He calls it “Believe, Care, and Invest.” First, the reader must believe the character is a real person, somehow proving they are not a cardboard imitation of a human being, not just a generic type walking through a generic plot. Second, the reader must care about the character's circumstances. And third, the reader must invest in the character's ability to solve the story's central problem. Matt used The Hunger Games as his primary example, and it's brilliant. On the very first page, we believe Katniss's voice. Suzanne Collins writes in first person with a staccato rhythm—lots of periods, short declarative sentences—that immediately grounds us in a survivalist mentality. We care because Katniss is starving. She's protecting her little sister. And we invest because she is out there bow hunting, which Matt pointed out is one of the most badass things a character can do. She even kills a lynx two pages in and sells the pelt. We invest in her resourcefulness and grit before the plot has even begun. Matt was very clear that this has nothing to do with the character being “likable.” He said his subtitle, Writing a Hero Anyone Will Love, doesn't mean the character has to be a good person. He described “hero” as both gender-neutral and morally neutral. A hero can be totally evil or totally good. What matters is that we believe, care, and invest. He demonstrated this beautifully by breaking down the first ten minutes of WeCrashed, where the characters of Adam and Rebekah Neumann are absolutely not likable, but we are completely hooked. Adam steals his neighbour's Chinese food through a carefully orchestrated con involving an imaginary beer. It's not admirable behaviour, but the tradecraft involved, as Matt put it—using a term from spy movies—makes us invest in him. We see a character trying to solve the big problem of his life, which is that he's poor and wants to be rich, and we want to see if he can pull it off. Actionable step: Go to the first page of your current work in progress. Does it achieve all three? Does the reader believe this is a real person with a distinctive voice? Do they care about the character's circumstances? And do they invest in the character's ability to handle what's coming? If even one of those three is missing, that's your revision priority. 2. Define the Dramatic Question: Who Are They Really? Will Storr, author of The Science of Storytelling, came on episode 490 and gave one of the most powerful frameworks I've ever heard for character-driven fiction. He explained that the human brain evolved language primarily to swap social information—in other words, to gossip. We are wired to monitor other people, to ask the question: who is this person when the chips are down? That's what Will calls the Dramatic Question, and it's what he believes lies at the heart of all compelling storytelling. It's not a question about plot. It's a question about the character's soul. And every scene in your novel should force the character to answer it. His example of Lawrence of Arabia is unforgettable. The Dramatic Question for the entire film is: who are you, Lawrence? Are you ordinary or are you extraordinary? At the beginning, Lawrence is a cocky, rebellious young soldier who believes his rebelliousness makes him superior. Every iconic scene in that three-hour film tests that belief. Sometimes Lawrence acts as though he truly is extraordinary—leading the Arabs into battle, being hailed as a god—and sometimes the world strips him bare and he sees himself as ordinary. Because it's a tragedy, he never overcomes his flaw. He doubles down on his belief that he's extraordinary until he becomes monstrous, culminating in that iconic scene where he lifts a bloody dagger and sees his own reflection with horror. Will also used Jaws to demonstrate how this works in a pure action thriller. Brody's dramatic question is simple: are you going to be old Brody who is terrified of the water, or new Brody who can overcome that fear? Every scene where the shark appears is really asking that question. And the last moment of the film isn't the shark blowing up. It's Brody swimming back through the water, saying he used to be scared of the water and he can't imagine why. Actionable step: Write down the Dramatic Question for your protagonist in a single sentence. Is it “Are you ordinary or extraordinary?” or “Are you brave enough to love again?” or “Will you sacrifice your principles for survival?” If you can't answer this with specificity, your character might still be a sketch rather than a person. 3. Get rid of Vague Flaws, and use Absolute Specificity This was one of Will Storr's most important points. He said that vague thinking about characters is really the enemy. When he teaches workshops and asks writers to describe their character's flaw, most of them say something like “they're very controlling.” And Will's response is: that's not good enough. Everyone is controlling. How are they controlling? What's the specific mechanism? He gave the example of a profile he read of Theresa May during the UK's Brexit chaos. Someone who knew her said that Theresa May's problem was that she always thinks she's the only adult in every room she goes into. Will said that stopped him in his tracks because it's so precise. If you define a character with that level of specificity, you can take them and put them in any genre, any situation—a spaceship, a Victorian drawing room, a school playground—and you will know exactly how they're going to behave. The same applies to Arthur Miller's Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, as Will described it: a man who believes absolutely in capitalistic success and the idea that when you die, you're going to be weighed on a scale, just as God weighs you for sin, but now you're weighed for success. That's not a vague flaw. That's a worldview you can drop into any story and watch it combust. Will made another counterintuitive point that I found really valuable: writers often think that piling on multiple traits will create a complex character, but the opposite is true. Starting with one highly specific flaw and running it through the demands of a relentless plot is what generates complexity. You end up with a far more nuanced, original character than if you'd started with a laundry list of vague attributes. Actionable step: Take your protagonist's flaw and pressure-test it. Is it specific enough that you could place this character in any situation and predict their behaviour? If you're stuck at “she's stubborn” or “he's insecure,” keep pushing. What kind of stubborn? What kind of insecure? Find the diagnostic sentence—the Theresa May level of precision. 4. Understand the Heroine's Journey: Strength Through Connection Gail Carriger came on episode 550 to discuss her nonfiction book, The Heroine's Journey, and it completely reframed how I think about some of my own fiction. Gail explained that the core difference between the Hero's Journey and the Heroine's Journey comes down to how strength and victory are defined. The Hero's Journey is about strength through solo action. The hero must be continually isolated to get stronger. He goes out of civilisation, faces strife alone, and achieves victory through physical prowess and self-actualisation. The Heroine's Journey is the opposite. The heroine achieves her goals by activating a network. She's a delegator, a general. She identifies where she can't do something alone, finds the people who can help, and portions out the work for mutual gain. Gail put it simply: the heroine is very good at asking for help, which our culture tends to devalue but which is actually a powerful form of strength. Crucially, Gail stressed that gender is irrelevant to which journey you're writing. Her go-to examples are striking: the recent Wonder Woman film is practically a beat-for-beat hero's journey—Gilgamesh on screen, as Gail described it. Meanwhile, Harry Potter, both the first book and the series as a whole, is a classic heroine's journey. Harry's power comes from his network—Dumbledore's Army, the Order of the Phoenix, his friendships with Ron and Hermione. He doesn't defeat Voldemort alone. He defeats Voldemort because of love and connection. This distinction has real practical consequences for writers. If you're writing a hero's journey and you hit writer's block, Gail said, the solution is usually to isolate your hero further and pile on more strife. But if you're writing a heroine's journey, the solution is probably to throw a new character into the scene—someone who has advice to offer or a skill the heroine lacks. The actual solutions to writer's block are different depending on which narrative you're writing. As I reflected on my own work, I realised that my ARKANE thriller protagonist, Morgan Sierra, follows a hero's journey—she's a solo operative, a lone wolf like Jack Reacher or James Bond. But my Mapwalker fantasy series follows a heroine's journey, with Sienna and her group of friends working together. I hadn't consciously chosen those paths; the stories led me there. But understanding the framework helps me write more intentionally now. Actionable step: Identify which journey your protagonist is on. Does your character gain strength by being alone (hero) or by building connections (heroine)? This will inform every plot decision you make, from how they face obstacles to how your story ends. 5. Use ‘Metaphor Families' to Anchor Dialogue and Voice One of the most practical techniques Matt Bird shared on episode 624 is the idea of assigning each character a “metaphor family”—a specific well of language that they draw from. This gives each character a distinctive voice that goes beyond accent or dialect. Matt explained how in The Wire, one of the most beloved TV shows of all time, every character has a different metaphor family. What struck him was that Omar, this iconic character, never utters a single curse word in the entire series. His metaphor family is pirate. He talks about parlays, uses language that feels like it belongs in Pirates of the Caribbean, and it creates this incredible ironic counterpoint against his urban setting. It tells us immediately that this is a character who sees himself in a tradition of people that doesn't match his immediate surroundings. Matt also referenced the UK version of The Office, where Gareth works at a paper company but aspires to the military. So all of his language is drawn from a military metaphor family. He doesn't talk about filing and photocopying; he talks about tactics and discipline and being on the front line. This tells us that the character has a life and dreams beyond the immediate scene—and it's the gap between aspiration and reality that makes him both funny and believable. He pointed out that a metaphor family sometimes comes from a character's background, but it's often more interesting when it comes from their aspirations. What does your character want to be? What world do they fantasise about inhabiting? That's where their language should come from. In Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a spiritual hermit, but his metaphor family is military. He uses the language of generals and commanders, and that ironic counterpoint is part of what makes him feel so rich. Actionable step: Assign each of your main characters a metaphor family. It could be based on their job, their background, or—more interestingly—their secret aspirations. Then go through your dialogue and make sure each character is consistently drawing from that well of language. If two characters sound the same when you strip away the dialogue tags, this is the fix. 6. Find the Diagnostic Detail: The Diagonal Toast Avoid clichéd character tags—the random scar, the eye patch, the mysterious limp—unless they serve a deep narrative purpose. Matt Bird on episode 624 was very funny about this: he pointed out that Nick Fury, Odin, and eventually Thor all have eye patches in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Eye patches are done, he said. You cannot do eye patches anymore. Instead, look for what I'm calling the “diagonal toast” detail, after a scene Matt described from Captain Marvel. In the film, Captain Marvel is trying to determine whether Nick Fury is who he says he is. She asks him to prove he isn't a shapeshifting alien. Fury shares biographical details—his history, his mother—but then she pushes further and says, name one more thing you couldn't possibly have made up about yourself. And Fury says: if toast is cut diagonally, I can't eat it. Matt said that detail is gold for a writer because it feels pulled from a real life. You can pull it from your own life and gift it to your characters, and the reader can tell it's not manufactured. He gave another example from The Sopranos: Tony Soprano's mother won't answer the phone after dark. The show's creator, David Chase, confirmed on the DVD commentary that this came from his own mother, who genuinely would not answer the phone after dark and couldn't explain why. Matt's practical advice was to keep a journal. Write down the strange, specific things that people do or say. Mine your own life for those hyper-specific details. You just need one per book. In my own writing, I've used this approach. In my ARKANE thrillers, my character Morgan Sierra has always been Angelina Jolie in my mind—specifically Jolie in Lara Croft or Mr and Mrs Smith. And Blake Daniel in my crime thriller series was based on Jesse Williams from Grey's Anatomy. I paste pictures of actors into my Scrivener projects. It helps with visuals, but also with the sense of the character, their energy and physicality. But visual details only take you so far. It's the behavioural quirks—the diagonal toast moments—that make a character feel genuinely alive. That said, physical character tags can work brilliantly when they serve the story. As I discuss in How to Write a Novel, Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike is an amputee, and his pain and the physical challenges of his prosthesis are a key part of every story—it's not a cosmetic detail, it's woven into the action and the character's psychology. My character Blake Daniel always wears gloves to cover the scars on his hands, which provides an angle into his wounded past as well as a visual cue for the reader. And of course, Harry Potter's lightning-shaped scar isn't just a mark—it's a direct connection to his nemesis and the mythology of the entire series. The rule of thumb is: if the tag tells us something about the character's interior life or connects to the plot, it's earning its place. If it's just there to make the character visually distinctive, it's probably a crutch. Game of Thrones takes character tags further with the family houses, each with their own mottos and sigils. The Starks say “Winter is coming” and their sigil is a dire wolf. Those aren't just labels—they're worldview made visible. Actionable step: Start a “diagonal toast” notebook. Every time you notice something strange and specific about someone's behaviour—something that feels too real to be made up—write it down. Then gift it to a character who needs more texture. 7. Displace Your Own Trauma into the Work Barbara Nickless shared something deeply personal on episode 732 that fundamentally changed how I think about putting pain onto the page. While starting At First Light, the first book in her Dr. Evan Wilding series, she lost her son to epilepsy—something called SUDEP, Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy. One day he was there, and the next day he was gone. Barbara said that writing helped her cope with the trauma, that doing a deep dive into Old English literature and the Viking Age for the book's research became a lifeline. But here's what's important: she didn't give Dr. Evan Wilding her exact trauma. Evan Wilding is four feet five inches, and Barbara described how he has to walk through a world that won't adjust to him. That's its own form of learning to cope when circumstances are beyond your control. She displaced her genuine grief into the character's different but parallel struggle. When I asked her about the difference between writing for therapy and writing for an audience, she drew on her experience teaching creative writing to veterans through a collaboration between the US Department of Defense and the National Endowment for the Arts. She said she's found that she can pour her heartache into her characters and process it through them, even when writing professionally, and that the genuine emotion is what touches readers. We've all been through our own losses and griefs, so seeing how a character copes can be deeply meaningful. I've always found that putting my own pain onto the page is the most direct way to connect with a reader's soul. My character Morgan Sierra's musings on religion and the supernatural are often my own. Her restlessness, her fascination with the darker edges of faith—those come from me. But her Krav Maga fighting skills and her ability to kill the bad guys are definitely her own. That gap between what's mine and what's hers is where the fiction lives. Barbara also said something on that episode that I wrote down and stuck on my wall. She said the act of producing itself is a balm to the soul. I've been thinking about that ever since. On my own wall, I have “Measure your life by what you create.” Different words, same truth. Actionable step: If you're carrying something heavy—grief, anger, fear, regret—consider how you might displace it into a character's different but emotionally parallel struggle. Don't copy your exact situation; transform it. The emotion will be genuine, and the reader will feel it. 8. Write Diverse Characters as Real People When I spoke with Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer on episode 673—Sarah is Choctaw and a historical fiction author honoured by the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian—she offered a perspective that every fiction writer needs to hear. The key message was to move away from stereotypes. Don't write your American Indian character as the “Wise Guide” who exists solely to dispense mystic wisdom to the white protagonist. Don't limit diverse characters to historical settings, as though they only exist in the past. Place them in normal, contemporary roles. Your spaceship captain, your forensic scientist, your small-town baker—any of them can be American Indian, or Nigerian, or Japanese, and their heritage should be a lived-in part of their identity, not the sole reason they exist in the story. I write international thrillers and dark fantasy, and my fiction is populated with characters from all over the world. I have a multi-cultural family and I've lived in many places and travelled widely, so I've met, worked with, and had relationships with people from different cultures. I find story ideas through travel, and if I set my books in a certain place, then the story is naturally populated with the people who live there. As I discuss in my book, How to Write a Novel, the world is a diverse place, so your fiction needs to be populated with all kinds of people. If I only populated my fiction with characters like me, they would be boring novels. There are many dimensions of difference—race, nationality, sex, age, body type, ability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, class, culture, education level—and even then, don't assume that similar types of people think the same way. Some authors worry they will make mistakes. We live in a time of outrage, and some authors have been criticised for writing outside their own experience. So is it too dangerous to try? Of course not. The media amplifies outliers, and most authors include diverse characters in every book without causing offence because they work hard to get it right. It's about awareness, research, and intent. Actionable step: Audit the cast of your current work in progress. Have you written a mono-cultural perspective for all of them? If so, consider who could bring a different background, perspective, or set of cultural specifics to the story. Not as a token addition, but as a real person with a real life. 9. Respect Tribal and Cultural Specificity Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer on episode 673 was emphatic about one thing: never treat diverse groups as monolithic. If you're writing a Native American character, you must research the specific nation. Choctaw is not Navajo, just as British is not French. Sarah described the distinct cultural markers of the Choctaw people—the diamond pattern you'll see on traditional shirts and dresses, which represents the diamondback rattlesnake. They have distinct dances and songs. She said that if she saw someone in traditional dress at a distance, she would know whether they were Choctaw based on what they were wearing. She encouraged writers who want to write specifically about a nation to get to know those people. Go to events, go to a powwow, learn about the individual culture. She noted that a big misconception is that American Indians exist only in the past—she stressed that they are still here, still living their cultures, and fiction should reflect that present reality. I took a similar approach when writing Destroyer of Worlds, which is set mostly in India. I read books about Hindu myth, watched documentaries about the sadhus, and had one of my Indian readers from Mumbai check my cultural references. For Risen Gods, set in New Zealand with a young Maori protagonist, I studied books about Maori mythology and fiction by Maori authors, and had a male Maori reader check for cultural issues. Research is simply an act of empathy. The practical takeaway is this: if you're going to include a character from a specific cultural background, do the work. Use specific cultural details rather than generic signifiers. Sarah talked about how even she fell into stereotypes when she was first writing, until her mother pointed them out. If someone from within a culture can fall into those traps, the rest of us certainly can. Do the research, try your best, ask for help, and apologise if you need to. Actionable step: If you're writing a character from a specific culture, identify three to five sensory or behavioural details that are particular to that culture—not the generic version, but the real, researched, lived-in version. Consider hiring a sensitivity reader from that community to check your work. 10. Give Your Protagonist a Morally Neutral ‘Hero' Status Matt Bird was clear about this on episode 624: the word “hero” simply means the protagonist, the person we follow through the story. It's a functional role, not a moral label. We don't have to like them. We don't even have to root for their goals in a moral sense. We just have to find them compelling enough to invest our attention in their problem-solving. Think of Succession, where every member of the Roy family is varying degrees of awful, and yet the show was utterly compelling. Or WeCrashed, where Adam Neumann is a narcissistic con artist, but we can't look away because he's trying to solve the enormous problem of building an empire from nothing, and the tradecraft he employs is fascinating. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, readers must want to spend time with your characters. They don't have to be lovable or even likable—that will depend on your genre and story choices—but they have to be captivating enough that we want to spend time with them. A character who is trying to solve a massive problem will naturally draw investment from the audience, even if we wouldn't want to have tea with them. Will Storr extended this idea by pointing out that the audience will actually root for a character to solve their problem even if the audience doesn't actually want the character's goal to be achieved in the real world. We don't really want more billionaires, but we invested in Adam Neumann's rise because that was the problem the story posed, and our brains are wired to invest in problem-solving. This connects to something deeper: what does your character want, and why? As I explore in How to Write a Novel, desire operates on multiple levels. Take a character like Phil, who joins the military during wartime. On the surface, she wants to serve her country. But she also wants to escape her dead-end town and learn new skills. Deeper still, her father and grandfather served, and by joining up, she hopes to finally earn their respect. And perhaps deepest of all, her father died on a mission under mysterious circumstances, and she wants to find out what happened from the inside. That layering of motivation is what turns a flat character into a three-dimensional one. The audience doesn't need to be told all of this explicitly. It can emerge through action, dialogue, and the choices the character makes under pressure. But you, the writer, need to know it. You need to know what your character really wants deep down, because that desire—more than any external plot device—is what drives the story forward. And your antagonist needs the same depth. They also want something, often diametrically opposed to your protagonist, and they need a reason that makes sense to them. In my ARKANE thriller Tree of Life, my antagonist is the heiress of a Brazilian mining empire who wants to restore the Earth to its original state to atone for the destruction caused by her father's company. She's part of a radical ecological group who believe the only way to restore Nature is to end all human life. It's extreme, but in an era of climate change, it's a motivation readers can understand—even if they disagree with the solution. Actionable step: If you're struggling to make a morally grey character work, make sure their problem is big enough and their methods are specific and interesting enough that we invest in the how, even if we're ambivalent about the what. 11. Build Vibrant Side Characters Gail Carriger made a point on episode 550 that was equal parts craft advice and business strategy. In a Heroine's Journey model, side characters aren't just fodder to be killed off to motivate the hero. They form a network. And because you don't have to kill them—unlike in a hero's journey, where allies are often betrayed or removed so the hero can be further isolated—you can pick up those side characters and give them their own books. Gail said this creates a really voracious reader base. You write one series with vivid side characters, and then readers fall in love with those side characters and want their stories. So you write spin-offs. The romance genre does this brilliantly—think of the Bridgerton books, where each sibling gets their own novel. The side character in one book becomes the protagonist in the next. Barbara Nickless experienced this firsthand with her Dr. Evan Wilding series. She has River Wilding, Evan's adventurous brother, and Diana, the axe-throwing research assistant, and her editor has already expressed interest in a spin-off series with those characters. Barbara described creating characters she wants to spend time with, or characters who give her nightmares but also intrigue her. That's the dual test: are they interesting enough for you to write, and interesting enough for readers to demand more? As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, characters that span series can deepen the reader's relationship with them as you expand their backstory into new plots. Readers will remember the character more than the plot or the book title, and look forward to the next instalment because they want more time with those people. British crime author Angela Marsons described it as readers feeling like returning to her characters is like putting on a pair of old slippers. Actionable step: Look at your supporting cast. Is there a side character who is vivid enough to carry their own story? If not, what could you add—a specific hobby, a distinct voice, a compelling backstory—that would make readers want more of them? 12. Use Voice as a Rhythmic Tool Voice is one of the most important elements of novel writing, and Matt Bird helped me think about it in a technical, mechanical way that I found really useful. He pointed out that the ratio of periods to commas defines a character's internal reality. A staccato rhythm—lots of periods, short sentences—suggests a character who is certain, grounded, or perhaps survivalist and traumatised. Katniss in The Hunger Games has a period-heavy voice. She's in survival mode. She doesn't have time for complexity or qualification. A flowing, comma-heavy style suggests someone more academic, more nuanced, or possibly more scattered and manipulative. The character who qualifies everything, who adds sub-clauses and digressions, is a different kind of person from the character who speaks in declarations. This is something you can actually measure. Pull up a passage of your character's dialogue or internal monologue and count the periods versus the commas. If the rhythm doesn't match who the character is supposed to be, you've found a mismatch you can fix. Sentence length is the heartbeat of your character's persona. And voice extends beyond rhythm to the words themselves. As I discussed in the metaphor families tip, each character should draw from a distinctive well of language. But voice also encompasses their relationship to silence. Some characters talk around the thing they mean; others say it straight. Some are self-deprecating; others are blunt to the point of rudeness. All of these choices are character choices, not just style choices. I find it useful to read my dialogue aloud—and not just to check for naturalness, but to hear whether each character sounds distinct. If you could swap dialogue lines between two characters and nobody would notice, you have a voice problem. One practical test: cover the dialogue tags and see if you can tell who's speaking from the words alone. Actionable step: Choose a key passage from your protagonist's point of view and read it aloud. Does the rhythm match the character? A soldier under fire should not sound like a philosophy professor at a wine tasting. Adjust the ratio of periods to commas until the voice feels right. 13. Link Character and Plot Until They're Inseparable Will Storr made the case on episode 490 that the number one problem he sees in the writing he encounters—in workshops, in submissions, even in published books—is that the characters and the plots are unconnected. There's a story happening, and there are people in it, but the story isn't a product of who those people are. He said a story should be like life. In our lives, the plots are intimately connected to who we are as characters. The goals we pursue, the obstacles we face, the same problems that keep recurring—these are products of our personalities, our flaws, our specific ways of being in the world. His framework is that your plot should be designed specifically to plot against your character. You've got a character with a particular flaw; the plot exists to test that flaw over and over until the character either transforms or doubles down and explodes. Jaws is the perfect example. Brody is afraid of water. A shark shows up in the coastal town he's responsible for protecting. The entire plot is engineered to force him to confront the one thing he cannot face. Will pointed out that the whole plot of Jaws is structured around Brody's flaw. It begins with the shark arriving, the midpoint is when Brody finally gets the courage to go into the water, and the very final scene isn't the shark blowing up—it's Brody swimming back through the water. Even a film that's ninety-eight percent action is, at its core, structured around a character with a character flaw. This is the standard I aspire to in my own work, even in my action-heavy thrillers. The external plot should be a mirror of the internal struggle. When those two are aligned, the story becomes irresistible. Will also made an important point about series fiction, which is where most commercial authors live. I asked him how this works when your character can't be transformed at the end of every book because there has to be a next book. His answer was elegant: you don't cure them. Episodic TV characters like Fleabag or David Brent or Basil Fawlty never truly change—and the fact that they don't change is actually the source of the comedy. But every episode throws a new story event at them that tests and exposes their flaw. You just keep throwing story events at them again and again. That's a soap opera, a sitcom, and a book series. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, character flaws are aspects of personality that affect the person so much that facing and overcoming them becomes central to the plot. In Jaws, the protagonist Brody is afraid of the water, but he has to overcome that flaw to destroy the killer shark and save the town. But remember, your characters should feel like real people, so never define them purely by their flaws. The character addicted to painkillers might also be a brilliant and successful female lawyer who gets up at four in the morning to work out at the gym, likes eighties music, and volunteers at the local dog shelter at weekends. Character wounds are different from flaws. They're formed from life experience and are part of your character's backstory—traumatic events that happened before the events of your novel but shape the character's reactions in the present. In my ARKANE thrillers, Morgan Sierra's husband Elian died in her arms during a military operation. This happened before the series begins, but her memories of it recur when she faces a firefight, and she struggles to find happiness again for fear of losing someone she loves once more. And then there's the perennial advice: show, don't tell. Most writers have heard this so many times that it's easy to nod and then promptly write scenes that tell rather than show. Basically, you need to reveal your character through action and dialogue, rather than explanation. In my thriller Day of the Vikings, Morgan Sierra fights a Neo-Viking in the halls of the British Museum and brings him down with Krav Maga. That fight scene isn't just about showing action. It opens up questions about her backstory, demonstrates character, and moves the plot forward. Telling would be something like: “Morgan was an expert in Krav Maga.” Showing is the reader discovering it through the scene itself. Actionable step: Look at the main plot events of your novel. For each major turning point, ask: does this scene specifically test my protagonist's flaw? If not, can you redesign the scene so that it does? The tighter the connection between character and plot, the more powerful the story. 14. The ‘Maestra' Approach: Write Out of Order If you're a discovery writer like me, you may feel like the deep character work I've been describing sounds more suited to plotters. But Barbara Nickless gave me a beautiful metaphor on episode 732 that reframes it entirely. Barbara described her evolving writing process as being like a maestra standing in front of an orchestra. Sometimes you bring in the horns—a certain theme—and sometimes you bring in the strings—a certain character—and sometimes you turn to the soloist. It's a more organic and jumping-around process than linear writing, and Barbara said she's only recently given herself permission to work this way. When I told her that I use Scrivener to write in scenes out of order and then drag and drop them into a structure later, she was genuinely intrigued. And this is how I've always worked. I'll see the story in my mind like a movie trailer—flashes of the big emotional scenes, the pivotal confrontations, the moments of revelation—and I write those first. I don't know how they hang together until quite late in the process. Then I'll move scenes around, print the whole thing out, and figure out the connective tissue. The point is that discovery writers can absolutely build deep characters. Sometimes writing the big emotional scenes first is how you discover who the character is before you fill in the rest. You don't need a twenty-page character worksheet or a 200-page outline like Jeffery Deaver. You need to be willing to follow the character into the unknown and trust that the structure will emerge. As Barbara said, she writes to know what she's thinking. That's the discovery writer's credo. And I would add: I write to know who my characters are. Actionable step: If you're stuck on your current chapter, skip it. Write the scene that's burning in your imagination, even if it's from the middle or the end. That scene might be the key to unlocking who your character really is. 15. Use Research to Help with Empathy Research shouldn't just be about factual accuracy—it's a tool for finding the sensory details that create empathy. Barbara Nickless described research as almost an excuse to explore things that fascinate her, and I feel exactly the same way. I would go so far as to say that writing is an excuse for me to explore the things that interest me. Barbara and I both travel for our stories. For her Dr. Evan Wilding books, she did deep research into Old English literature and the Viking Age. For my thriller End of Days, I transcribed hours of video from Appalachian snake-handling churches on YouTube to understand the worldview of the worshippers, because my antagonist was brought up in that tradition. I couldn't just make that up. I had to hear their language, feel their conviction, understand why they would hold venomous serpents as an act of faith. Barbara also mentioned getting to Israel and the West Bank for research, and I've been to both places too. Finding that one specific sensory detail—the smell of a particular location, the specific way an expert handles a tool, the sound of a particular kind of music—makes the character's life feel lived-in. It's the difference between a character who is described as living in a place and a character who inhabits it. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, don't write what you know. Write what you want to learn about. I love research. It's part of why I'm an author in the first place. I take any excuse to dive into a world different from my own. Research using books, films, podcasts, and travel, and focus particularly on sources produced by people from the worldview you want to understand. Actionable step: For your next piece of character research, go beyond reading. Watch a documentary, visit a location, talk to someone who lives the experience. Find one sensory detail—a smell, a sound, a texture—that you couldn't have invented. That detail will make your character feel real. Bonus: Measure Your Life by What You Create In an age of AI and a tsunami of content, your ultimate brand protection is the quality of your human creation. Barbara Nickless said that the act of producing itself is a balm to the soul, and I believe that with every fibre of my being. Don't be afraid to take that step back, like I did with my deadlifting. Take the time to master these deeper craft skills. It might feel like you're slowing down or going backwards by not chasing the latest marketing trend, but it's the only way to step forward into a sustainable, high-quality career. Your characters are your signature. No AI can replicate the specificity of your lived experience, the emotional truth of your displaced trauma, or the sensory details you've gathered from a life of curiosity and travel. Those are yours. Pour them into your characters, and they will resonate for years to come. Actionable Takeaway: Identify the Dramatic Question for your current protagonist. Can you state it in a single sentence with the kind of specificity Will Storr described? Is it as clear as “Are you ordinary or extraordinary?” or “Are you the only adult in the room?” If you can't answer it with that kind of precision, your character might still be a sketch. Give them a diagonal toast moment today. Find the one hyper-specific detail that proves they are not an imitation of life. And then ask yourself: does your plot test your character's flaw in every major scene? If you can align those two things—a precisely defined character and a plot that exists to test them—you will have a story that readers cannot put down. References and Deep Dives The episodes I've referenced today are all available with full transcripts at TheCreativePenn.com: Episode 732 — Facing Fears, and Writing Unique Characters with Barbara Nickless Episode 673 — Writing Choctaw Characters and Diversity in Fiction with Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer Episode 624 — Writing Characters with Matt Bird Episode 550 — The Heroine's Journey with Gail Carriger Episode 490 — How Character Flaws Shape Story with Will Storr Books mentioned: The Secrets of Character: Writing a Hero Anyone Will Love by Matt Bird The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carriger How to Write a Novel: From Idea to Book by Joanna Penn You can find all my books for authors at CreativePennBooks.com and my fiction and memoir at JFPennBooks.com Happy writing! How was this episode created? This episode was initiated created by NotebookLM based on YouTube videos of the episodes linked above from YouTube/TheCreativePenn, plus my text chapters on character from How to Write a Novel. NotebookLM created a blog post from the material and then I expanded it and fact checked it with Claude.ai 4.6 Opus, and then I used my voice clone at ElevenLabs to narrate it. The post Writing Characters: 15 Actionable Tips For Writing Deep Character first appeared on The Creative Penn.

What Is Reduced Paid-Up (RPU) Insurance? Somewhere buried in your whole life insurance policy, there's a provision called the reduced paid-up option. Most people never think about it until they need to. And by then, they're usually Googling it in a mild panic. So let's get ahead of that.  Reduced paid-up insurance is a nonforfeiture option written into every whole life policy. It gives you the right to stop paying premiums and keep a smaller, permanent death benefit, fully paid up, no strings attached, no further payments required. Your cash value funds the whole thing. https://www.youtube.com/live/ypC6twnNlsA What Is Reduced Paid-Up (RPU) Insurance?Key TakeawaysThe Short Answer: What Does "Reduced Paid-Up" Mean?How Does the Reduced Paid-Up Option Work?A Simple ExampleWhat Happens to the Cash Value?Reduced Paid-Up vs. Other Nonforfeiture OptionsWhen Might Someone Use the Reduced Paid-Up Option?Financial HardshipRetirementInherited policiesIntentional simplificationReduced Paid-Up Insurance and the Infinite Banking ConceptWhy IBC Policyholders Rarely Elect RPURPU as a Safety Net Within Your Banking SystemWhy Proper Policy Design MattersBook a Call to Find Out Your Next Step to Time and Money Freedom Why Should You Understand RPU Insurance? It's one of the most important safety nets your policy offers. But if you're building a financial strategy around your whole life policy (especially if you're using it as part of an Infinite Banking system), RPU insurance is something you should understand thoroughly, even if you never plan to use it. This guide covers what the reduced paid-up option is, how it works, how it compares to your other nonforfeiture options, and why it occupies a very specific place in the broader picture of wealth building with whole life insurance. Key Takeaways Reduced paid-up insurance lets you stop paying premiums on a whole life policy while retaining a smaller, permanent death benefit. No further payments are owed, ever. Your cash value isn't lost. It's applied as a single premium to purchase the new, reduced policy, which may continue earning dividends. RPU is one of three standard nonforfeiture options. The other two, cash surrender and extended term, serve different purposes depending on your goals. For policyholders practicing Infinite Banking, electing RPU means stepping off the accelerator. The policy still exists, but the compounding engine that makes IBC powerful slows significantly. Knowing your options is a form of control. You don't have to use RPU to benefit from it being there. The Short Answer: What Does "Reduced Paid-Up" Mean? Reduced paid-up life insurance is a contractual right baked into your whole life policy. If you reach a point where you can't (or don't want to) continue paying premiums, you can elect RPU instead of surrendering the policy entirely. When you do, your insurance company uses the cash value you've accumulated as a one-time net premium to purchase a new whole life policy. Same type of coverage. Same insured person. But with a lower death benefit that reflects the smaller amount of money funding it. No cash comes to you, and no cash leaves your pocket: the whole transaction happens inside the whole life insurance policy. An analogy that might help: imagine you have been renting a large warehouse for your business, paying monthly rent to use the full space. Your needs change, and you can't justify the rent anymore. Instead of walking away and losing the space entirely, you are offered a smaller unit in the same building, fully owned, rent-free, and yours permanently.  While you might have less room, you still have a foothold. That's RPU. The critical thing to understand is that "reduced" refers to the death benefit, not the quality of coverage. You still hold a permanent, participating whole life policy. It just covers a smaller amount. How Does the Reduced Paid-Up Option Work? The mechanics are less complicated than the policy document makes them look. Your policy has been accumulating cash value with every premium payment you've made. When you elect RPU, that accumulated cash value gets applied as a single lump-sum premium. The insurance company then calculates how much fully paid-up whole life coverage that lump sum can buy at your current age and health classification. The result: a new permanent policy with a reduced face amount. No premiums due going forward. The policy stays in force for your entire life. Depending on your carrier (particularly if you are with a mutual company), the paid-up policy may still be eligible for annual dividends. That means your cash value can continue to grow, and in some cases, the death benefit can edge upward over time. The growth won't be dramatic. Without fresh premium dollars feeding the policy, the compounding effect slows down considerably. But it doesn't stop entirely. A Simple Example Say a policyholder has been paying into a whole life policy for twelve years. The original death benefit is $500,000, and the policy has accumulated $80,000 in cash value. Premiums are $8,000 annually. Circumstances shift, maybe a business transition, maybe a pivot in priorities, and continuing those premium payments no longer makes sense. Rather than surrendering the policy and walking away with the $80,000 (minus any fees or outstanding loans), the policyholder elects RPU. The $80,000 cash value purchases a fully paid-up whole life policy with a death benefit of approximately $200,000. Ultimately, that means no more premiums, and your permanent coverage stays intact. The policy may continue to participate in dividends. (These figures are illustrative. Actual RPU amounts vary by age, insurer, policy type, and contract terms.) What Happens to the Cash Value? Your cash value doesn't disappear, it's not surrendered, and it's not paid out to you. It becomes the funding mechanism for your new, smaller policy. Once RPU is elected, the paid-up policy functions like any other whole life contract. If your insurer is a mutual company that distributes dividends, your reduced policy may still receive them. Cash value can continue to accumulate. In some cases, the death benefit gradually increases over time as dividends are applied. The difference is pace. A fully funded whole life policy with regular premium payments and Paid-Up Additions is a compounding machine. A reduced paid-up policy is more like that same machine idling; still running, still producing, but at a fraction of the output. Reduced Paid-Up vs. Other Nonforfeiture Options RPU isn't your only route if you need to stop paying premiums. Whole life contracts include three standard nonforfeiture options, each designed for a different set of circumstances. Cash SurrenderExtended TermReduced Paid-UpWhat happensPolicy terminated. You receive the accumulated cash value (minus fees and loans).Cash value buys a term policy at the original death benefit for a limited period.Cash value buys a smaller permanent whole life policy.Death benefitNone - coverage ends.Same as the original, but only for a fixed term.Reduced, but permanent and lifelong.Future premiumsNone - policy is cancelled.None during the term period.None - policy is fully paid up.Cash value after electionPaid out to you.No further accumulation.May continue to grow via dividends.Best suited forYou need immediate liquidity and are willing to give up coverage entirely.You want the full death benefit maintained for a specific window of time.You want to keep permanent coverage without any future premium obligation. RPU sits in the middle ground. You lose some death benefit, but you keep permanent coverage and a policy that can still participate in dividends. It's the option that preserves the most long-term value if you don't need immediate cash and don't want to gamble on a term expiration date. Which option fits best depends on what the policy is doing in your financial life. If it's just a death benefit, the calculus is one thing. If it's a cornerstone of a broader wealth strategy, the calculus shifts considerably. When Might Someone Use the Reduced Paid-Up Option? People elect RPU for all sorts of reasons, and none of them are failures. After all, life changes, and priorities shift. Either way, a good policy is designed to give you flexibility when that happens. Financial Hardship Job loss, health setbacks, a business downturn, if your income drops and premiums become unsustainable, RPU protects what you've already built without forcing you to surrender everything. Retirement As you move from accumulation years to distribution years, your relationship with premium payments naturally changes. Some retirees elect RPU because the reduced death benefit still covers their estate planning needs, or their income can no longer support the premium payments. Inherited policies If you've inherited a whole life policy from a family member, you may not have the budget or the desire to continue paying premiums on a policy you didn't choose. Electing RPU keeps the coverage in force at no ongoing cost. Intentional simplification Multiple policies, shifting coverage needs, and a desire to streamline. Sometimes RPU is just the cleanest way to right-size your insurance without losing the permanent coverage you've built over years of payments. Every one of these situations is legitimate, and the reduced paid-up option exists precisely to serve them. It's a built-in exit ramp, of sorts, not a sign that something went wrong, but proof that the policy was designed to handle real life. Reduced Paid-Up Insurance and the Infinite Banking Concept Most content about RPU insurance treats it as an isolated insurance term. Define it, compare it to the other nonforfeiture options, and move on. But if you are using your whole life policy as part of an Infinite Banking strategy,

Carl and Mike get into some Hawks talk as they continue to share thoughts on tonight's matchup with the Magic and agree that the Hawks have a chance to define the type of team they will be in the playoffs with wins against teams like the Magic.

Two texts are going to define this case: "If he could just go away" and "If I die, Eric did it." How does any defense attorney argue context around those? This Hidden Killers Week In Review brings together defense attorney Bob Motta and former FBI behavioral analyst Robin Dreeke to examine what the jury is actually absorbing—and what's going to be sitting in that room when deliberations start.The legal arguments matter. But this panel digs into something different: the psychology of forty witnesses, recorded jail calls, a boyfriend who broke down on the stand, and a life story Kouri Richins wrote about herself in the third person at a wellness retreat a year before Eric died. She described her marriage as emotionally exhausting and her childhood as unstable. The defense put the whole thing in front of the jury voluntarily.When a witness says Kouri told her it would be "better if Eric were dead," then walks it back, then reaffirms it—does that wobble make the statement more memorable or less?The testimony tells the story of every person prosecutors say was left in Kouri's wreckage. A lifelong best friend who lost her entire life savings. A boyfriend who loved her more than she loved him. A housekeeper who allegedly became a link in a fentanyl chain. A family that spent over $100,000 and nearly a thousand hours just to be taken seriously. A husband secretly consulting a divorce attorney because he believed his wife was reading his emails.And underneath: $7.5 million in debt, $80,000 in monthly payments, a net worth described as "imploding."From the forged insurance signature to the Walk the Dog letter written from jail—this is the full accounting of what prosecutors allege she did to everyone around her.Kouri Richins has pleaded not guilty.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#KouriRichins #EricRichins #KouriRichinsTrial #BobMotta #RobinDreeke #TextMessages #JuryPsychology #UtahMurderTrial #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime

My whole life, I've only know of one profession: Knight of the Cloth. There are Oaths to take. Oaths you should not break, cannot break. I took them before I could grow hair on my chin. The Divine Order taught me many things. Mostly how to fight with a sword and not embarrass myself in front of dignitaries. I can recite 9 different prayers for the morning, tell the difference between most devils and demons at a glance but I have no idea how to balance a budget. Contracts are a foreign concept, I was taught that my word was stronger than ironwood. I do not have the training, the brains nor the stomach for politicking. I've always hated the dishonesty of it all. But here I am, having to be dishonest to everyone because he is always listening and if he finds out what I have planned I would have died for no reason, like so many others before me.If you're still wanting to pledge for the Jarren's Outpost Board Game you can right here! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your history is data — not destiny. For women over 40, past diets, abandoned routines, or broken commitments can feel like proof that change isn't possible. In midlife, that narrative must be edited. This episode reframes past "failures" as information, explains why previous approaches didn't work, and shows how perimenopause is actually an ideal time to build sustainable change with wisdom and self-compassion. If you want to take this work deeper, grab my book The Consistency Code: A Midlife Woman's Guide to Deep Health and Happiness. ✨ It's the roadmap midlife women are using to lead themselves powerfully in the health arena and beyond. Available now at https://theconsistencycode.com 

Esta semana Juanita León y Héctor Riveros analizan cómo es la grilla de partida en estas elecciones presidenciales, qué representan las fórmulas vicepresidenciales y cómo cambia el panorama electoral los resultados de las consultas.

In this edition of UBC Sermon Discussions pastor Jason Wing answers questions from his sermon out of 1 Corinthians 3:1-23. The main idea for the sermon was: A maturing church will be gradually growing and purposely uniting in Christ.Questions discussed in this episode:Q. Define "milk" versus "solid food" when it comes to preaching. (V.2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it.)Q. When "the church" is used in scripture does it mean a physical building or the body of Christ?Q.Should verses 16-17 [Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.] give pause to believers who adorn themselves (God's temple) with tattoos or piercings or even the imagery of cremation vs burial of others or when it comes suicide. We have created a place where you can send us your questions regarding the sermons or topics we discuss in these podcasts. Send them to sermonquestions@ubcbeavercreek.com.

Providing Medical Care During Civil Unrest 1. Opening Brief introduction of the episode Define civil unrest contexts: Protests Riots Mass demonstrations Politically charged gatherings Why medical care becomes complicated in these environments: EMS access delays Crowd density Law enforcement operations Environmental hazards Emphasize guiding principles: Personal safety first Situational awareness Know your limits 2. Understanding the Operational Environment What makes civil unrest medically unique Unpredictable crowd movement Law enforcement presence and tactics Noise, confusion, and sensory overload Limited ambulance access Common operational constraints Blocked streets Limited lighting Communication disruption Delayed EMS response Situational awareness basics Know entry and exit routes Stay on the edge of crowds Avoid getting boxed in 3. The Most Common Injuries Seen in Civil Unrest Blunt Trauma Common causes: Falls Being pushed or trampled Baton strikes Thrown objects These injuries can range from minor bruising to serious head injury or internal bleeding. What to look for Pain or swelling Deformity suggesting fracture Difficulty moving a limb Head injury symptoms: Confusion Vomiting Severe headache Loss of consciousness Basic treatment Move the person out of the crowd if possible Apply ice or cold pack if available Immobilize injured limbs with a sling or improvised splint For suspected head injury, keep the person still and monitor mental status If symptoms worsen (confusion, vomiting, severe pain), they need EMS evaluation Key reminder for listeners Blunt trauma in chaotic environments often gets ignored — but head injuries and internal bleeding can worsen over time. Lacerations Common causes: Broken glass Debris Improvised projectiles What to look for External bleeding Deep cuts with visible tissue Embedded debris Bleeding that soaks through clothing Basic treatment Put on gloves if available Apply direct pressure with gauze or cloth If bleeding continues, use a compression bandage For severe extremity bleeding, apply a tourniquet Cover the wound with a clean dressing Additional considerations Do not remove deeply embedded objects If the wound is large or continues bleeding, the patient needs hospital care Key reminder The vast majority of life-threatening bleeding can be controlled withpressure and time. Respiratory Irritants Common exposures: Tear gas (CS) Pepper spray (OC) Smoke from fires These agents cause severe irritation but are usually temporary. Common symptoms Burning eyes Tearing Skin irritation Coughing Shortness of breath Disorientation Basic treatment Move the person to fresh air immediately Encourage slow breathing Flush eyes with copious water or saline Remove contaminated clothing if heavily exposed Avoid rubbing eyes or skin Important notes Oils, lotions, or milk can sometimes trap irritants against the skin Most symptoms improve within 15–30 minutes once exposure stops Red flags requiring EMS Severe breathing difficulty Asthma attack Persistent confusion Heat and Dehydration Common causes: Long hours outdoors Heavy clothing or gear Stress and exertion Limited access to water Symptoms Dizziness Weakness Headache Nausea Muscle cramps Heavy sweating Basic treatment Move the person out of the sun or crowd Have them sit or lie down Provide water or electrolyte fluids Use cooling measures Shade Wet cloths Fanning Red flags for heat stroke Confusion Collapse Hot dry skin Seizures Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Psychological Stress Reactions Crowd environments can trigger intense emotional reactions. Common presentations: Panic attacks Hyperventilation Acute anxiety Disorientation What to look for Rapid breathing Shaking Crying Feeling unable to escape the crowd Basic treatment Move the person to a quieter, safer space Speak calmly and reassure them Encourage slow breathing Inhale through the nose Exhale slowly through the mouth Help them regain orientation and control Often, simply removing the person from the chaotic environment dramatically improves symptoms. “The key point here is that most injuries in these environments are not exotic trauma cases. They're the same things EMS treats every day — bleeding, falls, heat illness, and panic — but they're happening in a chaotic environment where help may take longer to arrive.” 4. Basic Medical Kit for High-Risk Gatherings Emphasize compact, discreet gear. Essentials Nitrile gloves Gauze / compression bandage Tourniquet Saline or water for eye irrigation Simple airway mask Electrolyte packets Small flashlight Optional but useful Chest seal Trauma shears Space blanket Eye protection Basic first aid medications Practical considerations Avoid large visible medical packs Keep supplies distributed in pockets Maintain mobility 5. Working Around Law Enforcement and EMS Key points: Identify yourself if providing care Follow lawful orders immediately Avoid interfering with police operations Know when to disengage Discuss that: EMS may stage until scenes are secure Civilian aid may be temporary bridging care 6. When NOT to Intervene (Important Ethical Section) Situations where civilians should not attempt treatment: Active violence nearby Crowd crush risk Presence of chemical agents without protection Situations beyond training Reinforce: “You cannot help anyone if you become a patient.” 7. Closing Reinforce three takeaways: Personal safety comes first Simple medical skills save lives Preparation matters Invite listeners to: Get first aid training Carry basic medical kits Learn situational awareness   Medical Gear Outfitters Use Code CIVILIANMEDICAL for 10% off   Skinny Medic - @SkinnyMedic | @skinny_medic | Medical Gear Outfitters   Bobby - @rstantontx | @bobby_wales  

Providing Medical Care During Civil Unrest 1. Opening Brief introduction of the episode Define civil unrest contexts: Protests Riots Mass demonstrations Politically charged gatherings Why medical care becomes complicated in these environments: EMS access delays Crowd density Law enforcement operations Environmental hazards Emphasize guiding principles: Personal safety first Situational awareness Know your limits 2. Understanding […]

Notimundo A La Carta - Cristian Zamora, Cuenca define acciones tras intensas lluvias y desbordamiento del río Yanuncay by FM Mundo 98.1

Join Brent Daniels and Rafael Cortez as they share their tried-and-tested strategies for thriving in a competitive real estate market. In this episode, they'll provide you with a blueprint that you can replicate to achieve success in your own real estate business. Grab a pen and paper and get ready to take notes as they reveal their secrets to consistently generating more deals and bigger profits. If you're ready to accelerate your wins with Brent's help, be sure to check out his TTP training program today.---------Show notes:(0:51) Beginning of today's episode(1:33) Grab a pen and paper to jot down your notes.(2:07) Envision your ideal self - what qualities and characteristics do you aspire to have?(3:14) Define what brings you joy and fulfillment in your life.(5:40) Identify the aspects of your business that are within your control.(6:40) Reflect on what factors have the greatest impact on your success.(7:24) Prioritize what is most important in your current situation.(9:04) Remember that small victories and daily accomplishments contribute to larger successes in the long run.----------Resources:To speak with Brent or one of our other expert coaches call (281) 835-4201 or schedule your free discovery call here to learn about our mentorship programs and become part of the TribeGo to Wholesalingincgroup.com to become part of one of the fastest growing Facebook communities in the Wholesaling space. Get all of your burning Wholesaling questions answered, gain access to JV partnerships, and connect with other "success minded" Rhinos in the community.It's 100% free to join. The opportunities in this community are endless, what are you waiting for?

Caleb interviews Brian Brown, owner of Estate Landscape and Tree in the Lake Tahoe region. Brown details his professional journey, explaining how he transitioned from an employee to the owner of a high-end firm through a strategic buyout. He emphasizes the importance of utilizing business management systems like LMN and the Leandcaper operating system to maintain profitability within a strictly regulated 24-week construction season. The discussion highlights the value of peer groups, mentorship, and leadership development for entrepreneurs seeking financial freedom and a better family lifestyle. Brown also recounts a dramatic story regarding an encounter with a Mexican cartel during a previous business venture. Key Takeaways: Implement business systems and software in gradual "baby steps" to avoid becoming overwhelmed while building a more efficient operation. Transition from employee to owner by proposing a strategic buyout plan that demonstrates clear value and creates a win-win scenario for the current founder. Define an Ideal Customer Profile to align your branding and services with the specific high-end or niche market you intend to dominate. Join a peer group or hire a business coach to gain objective perspectives from other leaders and ensure you aren't operating in isolation. Commit to constant evolution and the next "expedition" to prevent your business from stagnating once you reach an initial level of success. Connect with Auman Landscape

New reporting and deposition footage have raised serious questions about the people from DOGE, including staffers who reportedly had access to sensitive government data like Social Security information, and one particularly painful deposition where a staffer pushing anti-DEI policies struggled to even explain what DEI actually stands for. All this from the same crowd that was aggressively pushing efforts to strip references to Black history, women's history, and diversity initiatives from public institutions. So this morning Don breaks down the latest revelations, the uncomfortable depositions, and the bigger question: who exactly was put in charge of the country's data and institutions… and did they have any idea what they were doing?

Send a textIn this episode of Imperfect Marketing, I sit down with Kay Miller — sales expert, author of Uncopyable Sales Secrets, and co-creator of the “Be Uncopyable” movement. Kay shares how businesses can stop blending in and start standing out by identifying their ideal customer — or as she calls it, their “moose.”From her early days in male-dominated sales industries to building a brand around differentiation, Kay breaks down why strategy must come before tactics — and why chasing everyone often leads to serving no one.We discuss:Why Most Businesses Struggle with Their Ideal CustomerThe danger of trying to be “all things to all people”Why having business doesn't always mean having profitable businessHow defining your “moose” clarifies your message and increases resultsThe power of focusing on the 20% that drives 80% of your revenueThe “Moose” Framework ExplainedWhat a moose is — and why you shouldn't waste time chasing squirrelsHow to identify customers who bring both revenue and long-term valueWhy some audiences may look ideal but lack motivation to buyWhen and how to pivot if you've targeted the wrong marketStrategy Before TacticsWhy sending a mailing without clear strategy is a mistakeThe temptation to “just do something” in marketingHow to evaluate your ideal customer through a dollars-and-cents lensWhy profitability and alignment matter more than volumeThe Power of Offline & DifferentiationWhy physical, offline marketing stands out more than everHow targeted “shock and awe” packages can create major ROIWhy branding goes beyond your product or serviceHow to position yourself as uncopyable — even in crowded marketsKey Takeaways for MarketersStart with strategy, not tactics.Define your ideal customer before refining your offer.Being different is not optional — it's essential.The right customers make your business more profitable and more enjoyable.Marketing works best when it's aligned, intentional, and focused.Whether you're just starting your business or re-evaluating your direction, this episode is a reminder to pause, reassess, and ask:Who is my moose — and am I actually speaking to them?If you're ready to stop blending in and start building a business that's truly uncopyable, this conversation is for you. Tune in and rethink the way you approach your marketing strategy.Resources & LinksConnect with Kay:

Every person carries three names.The name given by our parents.The name given by the world.And the name we acquire for ourselves.In this shiur, delivered in Tomer Devorah, Rav Burg explores a profound teaching from the Medrash about identity, destiny, and the courage required to become who we truly are.The deepest self is not something we simply discover, it is something we acquire.And the greatest achievement of a human life is to live until the name Hashem knows you by becomes the name you finally live by.

Send a textEver notice how a single idea repeats all day until it becomes the only thing you can think about? That's not an accident—it's a pattern doing its quiet work. We take you from kitchen-table math to the beating heart of social media, showing how simple operations like addition, subtraction, and multiplication shape attention, spread ideas, and, over time, harden into culture.We begin by reframing culture as repetition across time, then connect that to how algorithms curate what we see and reward what we repeat. Math anxiety often keeps us from noticing the basics: more exposure adds weight, suppression subtracts momentum, and a single high-leverage share multiplies reach at a geometric clip. When platforms optimize for engagement, negativity often rides the fastest path. Tell a lie a thousand times and familiarity starts masquerading as truth. That's the culture of algorithm, where small signals—clicks, saves, comments—compound into social reality.Instead of surrendering to the feed, we lay out a practical playbook for building positive algorithms. Set clear signals with consistent publishing, crisp framing, and useful takeaways. Invite reinforcement that rewards depth over heat. Partner with aligned voices to multiply quality, not just volume. Define success beyond clicks—look for retention, clarity, and behavior change. We also unpack the psychology behind the tech: novelty, reward schedules, pattern fluency, and social proof. Like walking a city filled with repeating colors, your focus is trained by frequencies; choose the colors you want your audience to dream about.Nature offers a model too. Ants follow trails, and when a path breaks, they adapt and lay a new one. That's the mindset we need: responsible creators engineering attention with care, communities choosing repetition that serves truth, and leaders who measure what compounds learning, not just what spikes. If we repeat better patterns, the math will work for us. Subscribe, share with a friend who shapes culture, and leave a review telling us one positive pattern you plan to repeat this week.Support the showYou can support this show via the link below;https://www.buzzsprout.com/1718587/supporters/new

Reagan Tokes var einhver harðduglegasta unga kona sem sögur fara af. Með skýr markmið og stóra drauma vann hún hörðum höndum að framtíð sínni. Meðfram háskólanámi vann hún í hlutastarfi á veitingarstað en þar hafði hún eytt síðasta kvöldi sínu á lífi. Eftir vaktina hafði hún gengið út í bílinn sinn og síðan ekki sést meir.   Þátturinn er í boði  Define the Line Sport Heimaskipulag Steinunn hjá Kosmetik   Komdu í áskrift!  www.pardus.is/mordskurinn    

Bully, Duplicitous, Hypocritical, Arrogant, Juvenile, dishonest, Racist, Revengeful are the adjectives used to assess Donald Trump's presidency and leadership today, as we brace ourselves for a war; we thought wars were far from his America first agenda. Author of the Upcoming Book, Neoliberal Globalization Reconsidered: Unfair Competition and the Death of Nations, Rev. Renaldo McKenzie sits down with his twin brother, Ricardo McKenzie, and explored the failures of Trump's leadership in America and the World today. Renaldo begins with a terse and strident rebuke of the President for his double-steps, incendiary actions towards other leaders and turning his back on America First. Renaldo and Ricardo discusses the US-Israel's war with Iran in the Middle East and even go as far as to describe the Trump's declarations as empty, an attempt to save face as the regime in Iran did not change and the war seems to be dragging out further and creating a world crisis larger than Trump expected. Trump dragged the US into a war that was poorly planned and executed without informing US allies and has even injured American credibility in the world and long standing partnerships but now wants to go to war when we need those partnerships. It is quite foolish and daunting and arrogant to think we can upset the world and now ask them for their support.This is an intense episode of The Neoliberal Round Podcast which is a media and information Non-Profit platform aimed at making popular what was the monopoly.The Neoliberal Round is operated by Renaldo McKenzie and The Neoliberal Corporation.Visit us at https://anchor.fm/theneoliberal or https://youtube.com/ ⁨@RenaldoMckenzie⁩  The Neoliberal is at https://theneoliberal.com and https://renaldocmckenzie.comThe Neoliberal can be reached at info@theneoliberal.com or calling 445-260-9198.Subscribe for free and follow US!

Even though boutique studio clients are creatures of habit, stagnant class schedules can breed boredom over time. Done right, adding new formats sparks excitement and attendance.  It's a smart balance of discipline and evolution. Get guidance on trying new class formats strategically in Episode 715: How to Test New Class Formats Without Losing Money.  Lead with the ledger: tie new formats to a revenue goal or retention gap Guard the brand: ensure new formats align with your positioning and don't muddy it Pilot, not plunge: launch a minimum viable schedule with a defined trial window Protect payroll: incorporate into the existing schedule to avoid adding new expenses  Define success early: set utilization benchmarks and a clear exit plan upfront Testing new formats should boost enthusiasm and revenue with low risk. Lead with a business mind, not just emotions. Make your next schedule update a calculated win with Episode 715. Catch you there, Lise   PS: Join 2,000+ studio owners who've decided to take control of their studio business and build their freedom empire. Subscribe HERE and join the party! www.studiogrow.co www.linkedin.com/company/studio-growco/  

You've been hitting your macros for two or three weeks, then one bad day wipes everything out and you're starting over. Again. The problem isn't your discipline but how you're setting up your targets.Most people use streaks, badges, and all-or-nothing tracking to stay consistent with nutrition. The research shows those extrinsic reward systems actually increase dropout rates and erode the motivation you need to lose fat and build muscle long term. A 2015 study found that gamified systems made people less motivated, more anxious, and worse at the task. If you've ever felt like a broken streak meant a broken week, that's the system failing you, not the other way around.This episode breaks down why streak-based tracking doesn't work, the behavioral psychology behind RPG-style skill leveling (proximal goals, the progress principle, and flow state research), and a 6-step method for building your macros one skill point at a time where progress is permanent and you never start over. Join the Eat More Lift Heavy waitlist to get first access and founder pricing on a 26-week coaching program that builds your nutrition and strength training in sequence, one skill at a time: witsandweights.com/eatmoreTimestamps:0:00 - The cycle of starting over with macros (why habit streaks fail) 2:32 - Why gamification borrows the wrong parts of games 5:00 - Self-determination theory and the what-the-hell effect 8:15 - How RPG skill leveling actually works 11:17 - Flow state and the "just manageable" challenge 14:20 - How to apply this model in practice 18:48 - Define your increments and level up when ready 22:10 - Logistics problems vs. cognitive problems 27:10 - Bonus: 3-question flow zone test 31:30 - Reframing a missed day as a level, not a reset 

In this episode, Laura talks with bereaved mom Jody Hudson, whose daughter Alex died at the age of 22 after a long battle with undiagnosed Lyme disease. Jody shares the heartbreaking journey of watching her daughter suffer through years of unanswered medical questions and treatments, and the deep grief that followed Alex's death. Yet in the midst of unimaginable loss, Jody made a conscious decision not to allow grief to define her identity, but instead to seek God's direction for how to move forward.  Through faith, honest conversations with God, and a desire to honor Alex's life, Jody found purpose in helping others, including starting a foundation to support Lyme disease patients. Her story offers encouragement for grieving parents who feel lost in the darkness, reminding them that while grief is real and lasting, it does not have to define their future. With God's help, it is possible to carry our children with us while still finding meaning, hope, and purpose again.  Jody Hudson is a faith-filled mother, author, and speaker who shares hope from the depths of loss. After walking alongside her daughter Alex through years of medical uncertainty (which was correctly diagnosed as Lyme disease in 2017), Jody now speaks honestly about grief, identity, and choosing how we show up after life-altering loss. She is the author of My Promise to Alex, an award-winning memoir woven with themes of faith, resilience, and a mother's enduring love. Jody encourages grieving parents to trust God, move forward with purpose, and remember that grief may shape us, but it does not define us.  (Note: The views and opinions of our guests outside of this podcast may not be in agreement with GPS Hope.) Links Mentioned in this episode: Jody's website and book: My Promise to Alex: Through Pain Comes Purpose Reflections of Hope: Daily Readings for Bereaved Parents Get your free copy of Rebuilding Your Life: A Gentle Guide Toward Hope and Healing After Child Loss To support this podcast and, keep it ad-free, and get exclusive content, visit us on Patreon. Birthdays: We lovingly remember and celebrate the lives of: Jeremiah Wofford was born on March 9 and is forever 44. Steven Kowalewski was born on March 11 and is forever 28. Quintin T. Flowers was born on March 12 and is forever 54. Kirsten Brown was born on March 12 and is forever 25. Visit gpshope.org/birthdays to submit your child's name and date so we can honor them, too. The special song written for our children's birthdays I Remember Well can be heard here. Remember to Hold On Pain Eases; there is HOPE! www.gpshope.org To have Laura come and minister at your event, contact us at office@gpshope.org. Grieving Parents Sharing Hope (GPS Hope) is here to walk with parents through the darkness of child-loss, guiding them to a place of hope, light and purpose. It is a safe place for anyone who has lost a child from this earth. There is no shame or judgment in where you are in this journey, including if you are struggling in your relationship with God or your faith has been completely shattered.

Chapel | March 10th, 2026 | David Shoemaker | The Spirit that Will Define Your Life | Philippians 2:14

What does it mean to be labeled a “bad mother” in the age of the internet? In this episode of Mom Curious, Daniella sits down with journalist and author EJ Dickson to discuss her new book, One Bad Mother, and the cultural forces shaping how we judge, define, and police motherhood today. As a reporter covering internet culture, gender, and politics, EJ brings a sharp lens to the public narratives that turn women into headlines. Together, they explore how online outrage cycles amplify shame, why motherhood remains such a powerful cultural battleground, and how digital platforms reward moral extremes. They discuss identity, performance, and the pressure to be both visible and flawless in a world that is always watching. Listen, share with a friend, and follow Mom Curious wherever you get your podcasts. GUEST BIO EJ Dickson is a journalist and author covering internet culture, gender, and politics. Her reporting examines how online communities shape real-world power, relationships, and identity. She is the author of One Bad Mother, a book that investigates the cultural narratives and moral panics surrounding motherhood in the digital age. Known for her incisive cultural analysis and thoughtful reporting, EJ brings clarity and nuance to the rapidly shifting world of online discourse and its real-life consequences. AFFILIATE LINKS & MENTIONS Book your podcast recording at Hoff Studios $30 off WTHN Acupuncture Booking with code MOMCURIOUS30 More info on EVOLV GLP-1 Supplements Follow @momcurious Host @daniellarabbani Subscribe, rate, and review - it helps get the word out about the show and keeps these conversations going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tiny brands don't grow through loyalty. They grow through penetration. A study of 400+ brands found that growing brands increased penetration by 135%, compared to just 26% growth from purchase frequency. So where should marketers invest first?This episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob introduce the MOO, a seven-step Marketing Order of Operations that gives marketers a clear priority sequence for building effectiveness, from defining the competitive playing field to communicating results internally. The team also covers why even small brands can't afford to ignore marketing effectiveness principles and how to balance short-term performance with long-term brand building.Topics covered: [01:00] Research on tiny brands debunks the loyalty-first growth myth[05:00] Step 1: Define your competitive playing field and category buyers[07:30] Step 2: Build distinctive brand assets that make your brand recognizable[12:30] Step 4: Choose channels for both short- and long-term growth[15:00] Step 5: Build a measurement system that matches your objectives[19:30] Step 7: Communicate results in the language of the business  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: 2026 Money Guy Article: https://moneyguy.com/guide/foo/Alicia Barker-Trowse, Steven Dunn, Charles Graham, Byron Sharp, Armando Maria Corsi, Tiny brands, big challenges: The limits of loyalty and the role of penetration in driving growth, Journal of Business Research, Volume 204, 2026, 115864, ISSN 0148-2963, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115864.   Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Many bioprocess automation projects fail, not because the technology is wrong, but because no one clearly defined the problem before buying the robot.In this episode, David Brühlmann sits down with Anthony Catacchio, CEO of Product Insight, to explore why rigorous system design and honest problem definition matter more than any individual technology, and how industrial robotics expertise translates directly into smarter lab automation.Highlights from the episode:Why biotech's "special case" mindset around automation is costing companies time and money — and what industrial robotics already has figured out (02:45).How Anthony's cross-industry career — from surgical devices to warehouse robotics — shaped a process-first approach to system design (05:05).The automation paradox: how to increase throughput and reduce errors without eliminating the expert human judgment your process depends on (09:13).Vision-guided robotics, AGVs, and quadrupeds: what has genuinely changed in capability and what that means for bioprocess applications (11:21).Human-bot testing: the low-cost validation method that reveals workflow flaws before a single robot is purchased (15:07).The $1M vs. $10K decision: a real case study where the right answer was walking away from automation entirely (15:54).Why talking a client out of an expensive project is sometimes the highest-value service a technical consultant can deliver (17:38).Building long-term credibility by recommending the simplest solution that actually solves the problem (19:24).Smart insight: The most expensive automation mistake happens at the whiteboard, not on the manufacturing floor. Define the problem with surgical precision before you ever evaluate a solution.In Part 2, the conversation continues with a deeper look at building automation systems that deliver practical solutions to bioprocessing challenges without overengineering.Tune in for practical strategies and honest reflections on automation, system design, and the importance of clear problem definition in biotech hardware development.Connect with Anthony Catacchio:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-catacchio-b881581bProduct Insight website: www.productinsight.comNext step:Need fast CMC guidance? → Get rapid CMC decision support hereSupport the show

Are you ready to transform your PMP exam preparation and tackle team dynamics like a pro? In this episode of our PMP Exam Mindset series, we dive into a powerful strategy: defining team ground rules. Whether you're navigating Agile or Hybrid methodologies, mastering this skill is essential for fostering accountability, collaboration, and efficiency within your team.Discover how clear ground rules can reduce conflicts, enhance communication, and help you ace tricky PMP exam questions. We guide you through practical advice and real-world examples, like co-creating a team charter, to ensure everyone is aligned and productive. This strategic approach is key to bridging knowledge gaps and developing a mindset for success on your journey to becoming a project management professional.Don't let team challenges hold you back! Take the next step in your transformative journey—embrace these mindset mantras, conquer Agile and Hybrid questions, and build a foundation for PMP success. Need more guidance? Join our live training sessions or webinars and access even more expert resources to supercharge your project management career. The PMP certification is within your reach—start today!#pmpexamprep #agileteamwork #agileframeworks #effectiveteams #teamagreementsCHAPTERS:00:00 - Welcome01:39 - True/False Quiz04:16 - Establishing Ground Rules Effectively05:55 - Exam Question Insights07:55 - Task 12 OverviewAre YOU Looking to Take the PMP Exam? Sign up: http://tinyurl.com/elitepmpAre YOU Looking to Take the CAPM Exam? Sign up: http://tinyurl.com/elitecapm

The NBA trade deadline has passed. All-Star weekend is over. Now, it's time to focus on basketball. Which teams need to excel over the next two months? Which award races are most fascinating? And even when the games have no impact on anything but lottery balls, which players deserve a closer look? With less than 20 games left , Let's discuss the season's stretch run. Check out Episode #600 as @JaiHov , @JEasley84 , @Lock_Tha_Great and @FSP_Wezzy analyzing stories that will define the second half of the nba season #FSPSTYLE   #FSPSTYLE.**Full Sport Press Episode #600 Breakdown**00:00-Intro7:40- Weezy's Yellow Box of Cereal Award: NBA Player Luke Kornet 12:10- 1st Half Intro13:10- 2026 NFL Combine Winners & Losers28:30-Floyd Mayweather Is Back in 202634:00- IMG has ties to the Mexican Cartel35:50- FSP HALFTIME Pick 2- NBA Power Rankings39:15- 2nd Half: Storylines That Will Define The Final Stretch of the NBA Season Show

In this episode, we break down the three games that will define the season for Auburn Tigers football. Every year there are a few matchups that truly shape how things play out—and for Auburn, these three could determine everything from bowl eligibility to where the Tigers stack up in the Southeastern Conference. We rank the three most important games on Auburn's schedule and explain why each one carries so much weight. Is it a rivalry showdown, a conference test, or a swing game that could change the entire trajectory of the season? Tune in as we debate the stakes, the matchups, and what each game could mean for Auburn football this year.

SHOW LINKSSelf-Paced Resources:Subscribe To The Interview Podcast: https://yourlevelfitness.com/podcastNew To The YLF Philosophy? Start Here: ylf30.comDaily Accountability And Structure For Your Self-Paced Inside/Out Process: https://yourlevelfitness.com/daily-emailQ&A Response YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjSupgaY5KA66MD2IdmCwFhLFbDe-pk1lIndividualized Guidance From DarylCompare All Service Levels: https://yourlevelfitness.com/coachingGet Your Merch, Mugs & Wall QuotesShop The Current Collections: https://yourlevelfitness.shop/collectionsEPISODE DESCRIPTIONIn this episode of The Daryl Perry Podcast, I am talking about something that quietly keeps so many people stuck. Forgiving yourself for your past and forgiving yourself for your present.We logically know that we cannot change the past. We know it. But emotionally, we replay it. We reinforce it. We punish ourselves for it. And over time, that creates a loop of regret.If there is behavior that needs to change, change it. Take ownership. Make adjustments. But beating yourself up over and over does not move you forward. It keeps you anchored to who you used to be.Your current circumstances are based on past decisions. That is true. But they do not define you.You still get to decide who you are. You still get to choose what type of person you want to be. You still get to change direction.In this episode, I talk about how regret becomes a pattern, how we can get stuck recycling old stories, and why forgiveness is a necessary part of growth. I also speak to the importance of therapy and having a productive working relationship with a professional who can help you unpack what is hard to untangle alone.You are going to fail again. You are going to mess up again. That is part of being human. Forgive yourself for that too.This is the inside/out approach. Appreciating who and what you see in the mirror. Not just your appearance, but the person underneath. Developing genuine belief in yourself. Building consistency as a skill around your preferences instead of punishment.You are not your worst decision.You are not your regret.You are allowed to change direction.Please share this episode with anyone you think would be interested in listening to it.Visit darylperrypodcast.com for links to the show page on each of the major podcast directories. From there, you can subscribe and share this pod.For comments, questions, topic ideas, possible collaborations please email daryl@yourlevelfitness.com

You worked incredibly hard to build your career in healthcare as a physician associate / physician assistant. Years of school, long hours of training, and often six-figure student loan debt. So when the bigger paychecks finally arrive, it's natural to want to upgrade your life. But many healthcare providers fall into a trap that quietly keeps them stuck: status spending. In this episode, we're talking about the hidden pressure in medicine to look successful — the bigger house, the luxury vehicle, the constant upgrades that signal you've “made it.” The problem? When lifestyle upgrades grow faster than your financial freedom, they can quietly increase your monthly expenses, reduce flexibility, and make it harder to step away from work that's burning you out. In this episode you'll learn: • Why PAs and other healthcare professionals are especially vulnerable to status spending • The difference between building wealth and signaling success • How lifestyle upgrades can increase burnout risk • Simple ways to start aligning your spending with freedom instead of image If you're early in your financial independence journey, make sure to download your free copy of the PA the FI Way Beginner's Workbook. Inside you'll learn how to: ✔ Define your “why” for financial independence ✔ Track your spending and build awareness ✔ Start aligning your money with what matters most Download it here: https://www.pathefiway.com/download-the-free-pa-the-fi-way-beginner-s-workbook Website / Blog: pathefiway.com Follow PA the FI Way on Instagram: @pathefiway https://www.instagram.com/pathefiway/ Connect with Kat on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katarina-kat-astrup-mspas-pa-c-175848255/ Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pathefiway Join the private Facebook group created for current and future PAs on their journey to financial independence: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pathefiway Like the Facebook page to follow along for updates: https://www.facebook.com/pathefiway Keywords: physician associate, physician assistant, PA, PA-C, nurse practitioner, physician associate finances, physician assistant finances, personal finance for physician associate, personal finance for physician assistant, financial independence retire early, how to prevent lifestyle creep

On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn discusses the next 7 games on the Denver Nuggets schedule and why he thinks they will define who and what the Nuggets can be in a playoff environment. Will the Nuggets make a run against the top teams in the NBA? He also discusses some roster moves. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There's a story we tell ourselves about money and freedom: that they're reserved for the lucky, the privileged, the ones who got a head start.But what if the very thing you lacked growing up is exactly what equipped you to build the most intentional life imaginable?I'm so thrilled to welcome our guest, Jason Graystone.Jason grew up without stability, security, or financial safety. His upbringing was chaotic — at one point, a London gangster was his childminder. But instead of letting that define him, he used it as fuel. By 14 he was running a car washing business. By his twenties, he was methodically learning every investment vehicle he could get his hands on. And by 29, he was financially free.He's now 42. And every year since has been, in his words, a bonus.Jason is a multiple business owner, trader, and investor who has spoken on stages alongside Daniel Priestley, Steven Bartlett, Ali Abdaal, and David JP Phillips. He's delivered a TEDx talk, hosts the Always Free podcast (5 million+ downloads), has 440,000 YouTube subscribers, and has his debut book Always Free out next month — his blueprint for building a life of genuine freedom.In this conversation, we get into the mindset, the money, and the meaning behind it all.What You'll Learn:Why what you lacked most as a child shapes what you value most as an adult, and how to use that self-awareness to your advantageThe van conversation with his boss that changed everything: how pricing up your dream life completely transforms your relationship with money and goalsWhy mental freedom is the foundation everything else is built on, and why you'll never truly be financially free without it firstWhat he witnessed on Necker Island that proved we're all chasing something we already have access to Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After working directly with more than 900 business owners through the Pelvic PT Rising mentorship programs and Kickstart, we've had a front-row seat to what actually leads to success in private practice.We've seen thriving practices in 45 states and 5 different countries, including places with universal healthcare. The pelvic health field is growing rapidly, and there has never been more opportunity.In this episode, we break down the nine biggest patterns of success we've seen from clinicians who start and grow successful practices.The 9 Secrets of Success1️⃣ External factors matter less than you think. We've seen successful practices in all types of communities and markets.2️⃣ There is no single path to success. Different owners succeed with very different strategies.3️⃣ Define what success means to you. Time, impact, freedom, and income can all be valid measures of success.4️⃣ Authenticity wins. Build a practice that reflects who you are and how you want to work.5️⃣ Boundaries are essential. Without them, people-pleasing can quickly lead to burnout.6️⃣ Strong systems beat relying on great employees.7️⃣ You'll mess up the first pancake. Mistakes are part of learning to run a business.8️⃣ Fun matters. Consistency is much easier when you enjoy the process.9️⃣ Success = clear direction × effort.Business Accelerator ProgramIf you're looking to hire, make sure you have the foundations in place.  Whether you are thinking about hiring in the future or already have a team, we'd love to work with you in the Business Accelerator Program - now accepting applications for June 2026!About UsNicole and Jesse Cozean founded Pelvic PT Rising to provide clinical and business resources to physical therapists to change the way we treat pelvic health.   PelvicSanity Physical Therapy (www.pelvicsanity.com) together in 2016.  It grew quickly into one of the largest cash-based physical therapy practices in the country.Through Pelvic PT Rising, Nicole has created clinical courses (www.pelvicptrising.com/clinical) to help pelvic health providers gain confidence in their skills and provide frameworks to get better patient outcomes.  Together, Jesse and Nicole have helped 900+ pelvic practices start and grow through the Pelvic PT Rising Business Programs (www.pelvicptrising.com/business) to build a practice that works for them! Get in Touch!Learn more at www.pelvicptrising.com, follow Nicole @nicolecozeandpt (www.instagram.com/nicolecozeandpt) or reach out via email (nicole@pelvicsanity.com).Check out our Clinical Courses, Business Resources and learn more about us at Pelvic PT Rising...Let's Continue to Rise!

After the initial emotional shock of estrangement wears off… after the anger fades a little and the hours turn into days without contact from your adult child… the anxiety and guilt come calling. Self-blame grows louder as you replay every potential mistake you think you might have made. God gave you the role of their mother, and you begin to wonder how you could have made such a mess of it. It can feel like you failed… like you've been disqualified as a mother. If any of this sounds painfully familiar, I invite you to come sit with me in this episode. Scripture tells a different story - one where your mistakes do not define or disqualify you. Come in, and let's talk about it. . Next Steps: 1) Apply for your FREE consultation to talk to Jenny 1:1. Find out the exact path forward to feeling better and greatly increasing your chances of getting your son or daughter back in your life. And learn how estrangement coaching can get you there: www.theestrangedmomcoach.com/schedule    ⬇️ 2) Access your audio meditation to help you cast your anxieties and worries about estrangement at the feet of Jesus: https://www.theestrangedmomcoach.com/meditation   ⬇️ 3) Join the free Facebook support community for Christian estranged mothers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/christianestrangedmothers    ⬇️ 4) Download Your Free Guide Of What To Do When Your Adult Child Estranges: https://www.theestrangedmomcoach.com/child-estrangement-next-steps  . Client Reviews… ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  Jenny's teachings have produced results reconnecting me with my estranged daughter I cannot express enough gratitude for the incredible support and guidance received in the most tragic time of my life from coach Jenny Good. Her faith, compassion, understanding, dedication and display of radical love has truly been life-changing for me. I was so overwhelmed with feelings of confusion, guilt, and sadness. I felt lost and didn't know how to navigate through the emotional turmoil I was experiencing. However, from the very first call, Jenny created a safe and non-judgmental space for me to share my details. Her ability to listen attentively and empathize while helping me understand a different way of thinking is truly remarkable. She understood my feelings and offered tools each session in ways I have not experienced even from therapy. I am forever thankful for the medicine she has poured into me to be the very best version of myself! This has rippled into all areas of life for me. Jenny's teachings have produced results reconnecting me with my estranged daughter! Thank you for being the vessel of unwavering faith & love that so many of us could benefit from, estranged or not. A true Godsend.  - Melinda Wyman . ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I am living a truly happy life, and I reconciled with my son  Having a coach and mentor who is rooted in Christ is very important. I've experienced so much inner healing with Jenny as my Coach. I am living a truly happy life, and I reconciled with my son! I feel empowered to continue stepping into my full power as a mother and to live a life where my children matter, but they don't determine my worth. I am me again. - Carol Adams

John Lee Dumas is the founder and host of Entrepreneurs on Fire, one of the longest-running and most successful business podcasts in the world. A pioneer of daily podcasting, John has built a multi–seven-figure media brand, mentored some of the biggest names in the industry, and spent over a decade teaching entrepreneurs how to turn attention into income. In this episode, John shares how he continues to reinvent himself, why most people misunderstand “success,” and how a hyper-focused micro-niche show is quietly generating $12K/month with just 20 minutes of work per day. On this episode we talk about: How to break through to high-level entrepreneurs by leading with value The power of becoming the #1 solution to a real problem in a growing industry Why copying successful creators is a losing strategy How John's ultra-micro-niche show is making $12K/month in just 20 minutes a day The overlooked word that most entrepreneurs never truly understand: “enough” Top 3 Takeaways Lead with value, not requests. If you want access to high-level people, identify a clear, specific way you can help them—remove risk, create upside, and make it a no-brainer. Micro-niche wins in today's market. You can't copy someone else's broad success model. Instead, dominate a specific corner where you can become the undeniable #1 solution. Define “enough” before you chase more. Scaling for perception instead of purpose leads to burnout. Clarity around your ideal life gives you the freedom to operate from intention, not ego. Notable Quotes “Try not to become a person of success, but rather a person of value.” “Nobody wants a pale, weak imitation of somebody else.” “The word most entrepreneurs don't understand is enough.” Connect with John Lee Dumas: Website: https://www.eofire.com Podcast: Entrepreneurs on Fire YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@johnleedumas Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnleedumas  Travis Makes Money is made possible by High Level – the All-In-One Sales & Marketing Platform built for agencies, by an agency.  Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform.  Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When productivity starts to define you, pressure and quiet exhaustion follow. For high achievers who feel responsible for everything, this isn't a discipline issue — it may be identity misalignment, and a gentle invitation to release shame.There is a difference between working hard and letting productivity define you.For many high achievers, the pressure isn't just about deadlines or performance. It's about identity. When usefulness becomes intertwined with worth, rest can feel disorienting and responsibility can feel inseparable from who you are.This episode explores the subtle identity shift that happens when competence becomes belonging.We look at:• how high performers often learned early that capability created connection• why responsibility can become a stabilizing role in families, teams, and relationships• how burnout sometimes masks identity misalignment rather than exhaustion• the grief that surfaces when you realize you became “the steady one” too soon• the fear that loosening productivity will let others downIf you have ever felt that you only belong because you are useful, this conversation meets you there.We gently separate:-Work from worth.-Responsibility from identity.-Productivity from belonging.This is not a conversation about abandoning ambition. It is about understanding what shaped it.This episode also addresses the deeper fears beneath identity drift:-What happens to everyone else if I stop being the stabilizer?-If I loosen this, do I disappear?-Who am I when no one needs anything from me?Release does not mean dropping responsibility.It means carrying it without carrying your worth inside it.If you resonate with being the capable one, the reliable one, the one who steadies the system, you are not broken. You adapted well. Now you are simply learning that you can belong without performing.Today's Micro Recalibration:Choose one accomplishment from today.Notice the impulse to attach identity to it.Gently say, “That is something I did. It is not who I am.”Let it feel unfamiliar if it does.Release often feels subtle before it feels free.Explore Identity-Level Recalibration → Schedule a conversation with Julie to see if The Recalibration is a fit for you → Learn about The Recalibration Cohort→ Join the next Friday Recalibration Live experience → Take your listening deeper! Subscribe to The Weekly Recalibration Companion to receive reflections and extensions to each week's podcast episodes. → Follow Julie Holly on LinkedIn for more recalibration insights → Download the Misalignment Audit → Subscribe to the weekly newsletter → Books to read (Tidy categories on Amazon- I've read/listened to each recommended title.) → One link to all things...

Tom Sachs is a contemporary artist and cultural provocateur known for turning branded consumer objects into high art. This conversation explores the paradoxes that define Tom's art and his iconoclastic philosophy of living; why creativity is the enemy, the power of sympathetic magic, consumerism as secular religion, the infamous Barney's nativity scene that launched his career, and why persistence — not talent — is omnipotent. And in doing so, Tom dismantles the intransigent myth that artists are a different species and makes a compelling case that we're all creative beings irrespective of what we do for a living. Tom is equal parts Werner Herzog and blue-collar craftsman. Enjoy! Show notes + MORE Watch on YouTube Newsletter Sign-Up  Today's Sponsors: Rivian: Electric vehicles that keep the world adventurous forever

Gaius and Germanicus define the 21st-century conflict between the United States and Iran as a "ceremonial war," a ritualistic display of power intended to project dominance without risking total societal mobilization or mass casualties. Germanicus explains that these "wars for show" rely on air dominance and precision strikes to establish authority. However, they warn that such wars are dangerous gambles that collapse if an opponent refuses to follow the "script" or if the dominant power's bluff is called by a stronger rival.ACHILLES AND HECTOR

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced this year's nominees. Sarah and Vinnie deep dive the list and share their thoughts on Jeff Buckley to Phil Collins to Pink. Speaking of Billy Idol, ‘Billy Idol Should Be Dead' hits theaters this week. 10 things that happened 10 years ago this week! Plus, a tight game of “When did that happen?”

Samsung just launched its newest phones, the Galaxy S26 lineup, and wow is it full of Vergecast stories. There's the very cool new Privacy Display, which seems genuinely useful; there's the AI-powered camera, which seems like a disaster waiting to happen; and there's the new agentic AI in Android, which Google and Samsung might be positioned to actually pull off. After talking through all the new stuff, Nilay and David discuss the recent executive shakeup at Xbox, and try to figure out why Microsoft just can't win in games. Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for Brendan Carr is a dummy, some truly remarkable charts, and much more. Further reading: ⁠Samsung Unpacked 2026: live updates from the Galaxy S26 ⁠⁠announcement event ⁠ ⁠Samsung Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus hands-on: More of the same ⁠ ⁠Samsung AI photos⁠ ⁠Google Gemini can book an Uber or order food for you with new agentic AI features ⁠⁠Google and Samsung just launched the AI features Apple couldn't with Siri⁠ ⁠I'm super impressed with the Galaxy S26 Ultra's new Privacy Display ⁠ ⁠Samsung announces Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro at Unpacked 2026⁠ ⁠Xbox shakeup: Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond are leaving Microsoft ⁠ ⁠Xbox chief Phil Spencer is leaving Microsoft ⁠ ⁠Read Xbox chief Phil Spencer's memo about leaving Microsoft ⁠ ⁠Sarah Bond is leaving Xbox ⁠ ⁠Read Xbox president Sarah Bond's memo about leaving Microsoft. ⁠ ⁠Inside Microsoft's big Xbox leadership shake-up ⁠ ⁠Read Microsoft gaming CEO Asha Sharma's first memo on the future of Xbox ⁠ ⁠New Microsoft gaming CEO Asha Sharma says “hear you” to complaints about a lack of Xbox exclusives.⁠ ⁠New Xbox CEO: ‘The plan's the plan until it's not the plan.' ⁠ ⁠Microsoft says today's Xbox shake-up doesn't mean game studio layoffs ⁠ ⁠Billions of dollars later and still nobody knows what an Xbox is ⁠ ⁠Chairman Carr Announces Pledge America Campaign⁠ ⁠Does Anthropic think Claude is alive? Define ‘alive'⁠ ⁠Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas AI Scenarios chart⁠ ⁠Youtube Chair Drama⁠ ⁠OpenAI's Stargate struggles. ⁠ ⁠OpenAI's first ChatGPT gadget could be a smart speaker with a camera ⁠ ⁠Subscribe to The Verge⁠ for unlimited access to ⁠theverge.com⁠, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ⁠ad-free podcast feed⁠.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to ⁠vergecast@theverge.com⁠ or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices