Podcasts about delegates

Some service businesses plateau because the owner stays trapped in daily operations. Others scale because they build teams, install systems, and let go of the work that keeps them stuck. This episode shows exactly what that transformation looks like.  In this episode of The Better Than Rich Show, Mike Abramowitz interviews Andrea Bryant, owner of Staged Right, one of Tampa Bay's leading home-staging companies. Andrea went from a 20-year schoolteacher to a full-time house flipper to running a staging company that now completes 150–175 homes a year. Her journey shows how systems, team development, CRM automation, and targeted hiring free owners from 60–70 hour weeks and create a business that scales with consistency.  Andrea explains how she replaced herself in staging, delegated administration, built a reliable team culture, and streamlined client nurturing using automated pipelines and campaigns. She breaks down the shift from doing everything herself to running a company that performs better without her in the day-to-day. Her hours dropped below 40 a week, she took a full month away while revenue held steady, and the company hit more than 100 five-star Google reviews.  You'll hear the real before-and-after: working nonstop with constant stress vs. creating freedom, stronger family relationships, and optionality to one day sell the business. This is a practical look at how everyday owners can buy back their time, build a self-sustaining company, and use business as a vehicle for their life.  Timestamps  [00:00] Introducing Andrea Bryant and Staged Right [01:10] From schoolteacher to home flipper to staging owner [03:30] Early fears, slow first months, first clients [04:35] Coaching, foundations, and learning real business systems [05:45] Building the team: movers, stagers, assistants [07:40] Hiring breakthroughs and culture wins [09:00] Current team structure and roles [10:40] Shifting out of admin and staging tasks [12:15] Volume growth: 150–175 homes a year [13:45] Revenue increases and price adjustments [15:40] What systems bought back time [16:50] CRM campaigns, nurture sequences, and business card automation [19:00] Staying in her “genius” and keeping relationship-driven sales [21:10] What's automated behind the scenes [23:00] Impact of automation on reputation and client experience  [27:40] 100+ Google reviews and rising service quality [28:45] Receiving acquisition offers and thinking about selling [30:30] Making a business sellable vs. owner-dependent [37:04] Experience with Better Than Rich and key results [40:10] What being “better than rich” means [41:20] Who Staged Right serves and where to reach Andrea [42:45] Close and next steps for listeners  Key Quotes  “I realized the business actually performs better when I'm not the one staging.” “My 60–70 hour weeks are gone. I'm under 40 now, and the revenue is higher.” “Automation doesn't replace personalization. It protects it.”  Key Takeaways  Hire for passion and skill so you can step out of the technical work. Build systems early: CRM, campaigns, tagging, automations, pipelines. Delegate admin immediately; every 10-minute task adds up to lost hours. A business grows faster when the owner focuses on relationships and rainmaking. Culture matters: loyalty, celebrations, shared wins, and team pride drive results. Removing yourself from operations increases valuation and creates optionality.  Links Mentioned  Staged Right www.stagedrightllc.com Better Than Rich betterthanrich.com/gsd Connect with The Better Than RichWebsite - https://www.betterthanrich.com/Facebook - https://m.facebook.com/betterthanrich/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/betterthan_rich/Twitter - https://mobile.twitter.com/betterthan_richTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@betterthanrichYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3xXEb7rKBvkCOdtWd4tj2ALinkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/betterthanrich

Maryland House of Delegates elects a new speaker and overrides 19 governor vetoes. PJM, the regional electric grid operator which includes MD, VA, and DC, holds a capacity auction that predicts sharp increases in rates but is held in check by a price cap. Frederick County Council considers whether to approve an expanded area for data center building near Adamstown. Damascus and Wootton High School communities contest who will get a new building first. Montgomery County Public Schools announced its new operating budget, but we are still stuck And more. Music by Kara Levchenko.

Eric introduces the concept of the Eisenhower Matrix as a tool for improving time management and business efficiency. This matrix is explained through its four quadrants—urgent/important, not urgent/important, urgent/not important, and not urgent/not important—and Eric emphasizes that Quadrant Two (not urgent, but important) is the "magical spot" for strategic planning and growth, encouraging listeners to delegate or eliminate tasks in the other quadrants to avoid living in a state of chaos. The discussion then broadens into how different personality types may perceive urgency and importance, with participants sharing personal anecdotes and challenges related to over-helping, procrastination, and managing staff expectations using these principles. Ultimately, Triplett advocates for a deeper understanding of one's own behavioral patterns and the matrix to improve leadership and business outcomes, citing related concepts from other business authors. Key Takeaways: Prioritize activities that are important but not urgent, which is the most effective zone for vision and future planning. Turn off phone notifications because they create false urgency for things that are not truly important. Delegate urgent and important tasks whenever possible to avoid being constantly stuck in a reactive state of "firefighting." Protect your time by learning to say "no" to other people's emergencies that are not important to your core goals. Refrain from giving customer discounts to ensure you can afford to hire teams and take care of your staff at a higher level.

If the idea of hiring help in your practice immediately brings up fear about HIPAA, confidentiality, or losing control, this episode will bring a lot of clarity. Dr. Kate Walker breaks down exactly what therapists can delegate right now, what you should never hand off blindly, and how to protect your license while still getting critical tasks off your plate.Kate walks through real-world examples of delegation—from marketing and intake calls to email management and SOP creation—while explaining how HIPAA actually works in practice (not the scary myths most of us carry around). You'll hear why delegating the wrong things first can waste time and money, how to train VAs responsibly, and why systems—not hustle—are what allow practices to grow without chaos.If you've been trying to “build the plane while flying it,” or you know your systems need to be in place before your caseload spikes, this episode will help you delegate with confidence instead of fear.In this episode, you'll learn:What therapists can safely delegate to a VA, including marketing tasks, intake calls, email workflows, and follow-ups—without violating HIPAA.How to train and onboard virtual assistants using HIPAA education, clear boundaries, and simple SOPs that actually prevent mistakes.Why screen-recorded SOPs, Trello boards, and structured workflows work better than long written instructions—and how to set them up efficiently.If you're ready to stop doing everything yourself and start building systems that support your growth, this episode gives you a practical, HIPAA-safe place to start.If you're ready to lead with confidence, join the 2026 Supervisor Course waitlist for early access to bonus tools, templates, and fast-track grading. Strengthen your systems today with the free Supervision Onboarding Checklist, and get ongoing CEUs and live coaching inside the Step It Up Membership. You're not just building a practice, you're building a legacy.Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.

Why Customer Success Can't Be Automated (And What AI Can Actually Do) In this special year-end episode of the FutureCraft GTM Podcast, hosts Ken Roden and Erin Mills sit down with Amanda Berger, Chief Customer Officer at Employ, to tackle the biggest question facing CS leaders in December 2026: What can AI actually do in customer success, and where do humans remain irreplaceable? Amanda brings 20+ years at the intersection of data and human decision-making—from AI-powered e-commerce personalization at Rich Relevance, to human-led security at HackerOne, to now implementing AI companions for recruiters. Her journey is a masterclass in understanding where the machine ends and the human begins. This conversation delivers hard truths about metrics, change management, and the future of CS roles—plus Amanda's controversial take that "if you don't use AI, AI will take your job." Unpacking the Human vs. Machine Balance in Customer Success Amanda returns with a reality check: AI doesn't understand business outcomes or motivation—humans do. She reveals how her career evolved from philosophy major studying "man versus machine" to implementing AI across radically different contexts (e-commerce, security, recruiting), giving her unique pattern recognition about what AI can genuinely do versus where it consistently fails. The Lagging Indicator Problem: Why NRR, churn, and NPS tell you what already happened (6 months ago) instead of what you can influence. Amanda makes the case for verified outcomes, leading indicators, and real-time CSAT at decision points. The 70% Rule for CS in Sales: Why most churn starts during implementation, not at renewal—and exactly when to bring CS into the deal to prevent it (technical win stage/vendor of choice). Segmentation ≠ Personalization: The jumpsuit story that proves AI is still just sophisticated bucketing, even with all the advances in 2026. True personalization requires understanding context, motivation, and individual goals. The Delegation Framework: Don't ask "what can AI do?" Ask "what parts of my job do I hate?" Delegate the tedious (formatting reports, repetitive emails, data analysis) so humans can focus on what makes them irreplaceable. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and AI Updates from Ken & Erin 01:28 - Welcoming Amanda Berger: From Philosophy to Customer Success 03:58 - The Man vs. Machine Question: Where AI Ends and Humans Begin 06:30 - The Jumpsuit Story: Why AI Personalization Is Still Segmentation 09:06 - Why NRR Is a Lagging Indicator (And What to Measure Instead) 12:20 - CSAT as the Most Underrated CS Metric 17:34 - The $4M Vulnerability: House Security Analogy for Attribution 21:15 - Bringing CS Into Sales at 70% Probability (The Non-Negotiable) 25:31 - Getting Customers to Actually Tell You Their Goals 28:21 - AI Companions at Employ: The Recruiting Reality Check 32:50 - The Delegation Mindset: What Parts of Your Job Do You Hate? 36:40 - Making the Case for Humans in an AI-First World 40:15 - The Framework: When to Use Digital vs. Human Touch 43:10 - The 8-Hour Workflow Reduced to 30 Minutes (Real ROI Examples) 45:30 - By 2027: The Hardest CX Role to Hire 47:49 - Lightning Round: Summarization, Implementation, Data Themes 51:09 - Wrap-Up and Key Takeaways Edited Transcript Introduction: Where Does the Machine End and Where Does the Human Begin? Erin Mills: Your career reads like a roadmap of enterprise AI evolution—from AI-powered e-commerce personalization at Rich Relevance, to human-powered collective intelligence at HackerOne, and now augmented recruiting at Employ. This doesn't feel random—it feels intentional. How has this journey shaped your philosophy on where AI belongs in customer experience? Amanda Berger: It goes back even further than that. I started my career in the late '90s in what was first called decision support, then business intelligence. All of this is really just data and how data helps humans make decisions. What's evolved through my career is how quickly we can access data and how spoon-fed those decisions are. Back then, you had to drill around looking for a needle in a haystack. Now, does that needle just pop out at you so you can make decisions based on it? I got bit by the data bug early on, realizing that information is abundant—and it becomes more abundant as the years go on. The way we access that information is the difference between making good business decisions and poor business decisions. In customer success, you realize it's really just about humans helping humans be successful. That convergence of "where's the data, where's the human" has been central to my career. The Jumpsuit Story: Why AI Personalization Is Still Just Segmentation Ken Roden: Back in 2019, you talked about being excited for AI to become truly personal—not segment-based. Flash forward to December 2026. How close are we to actual personalization? Amanda Berger: I don't think we're that close. I'll give you an example. A friend suggested I ask ChatGPT whether I should buy a jumpsuit. So I sent ChatGPT a picture and my measurements. I'm 5'2". ChatGPT's answer? "If you buy it, you should have it tailored." That's segmentation, not personalization. "You're short, so here's an answer for short people." Back in 2019, I was working on e-commerce personalization. If you searched for "black sweater" and I searched for "black sweater," we'd get different results—men's vs. women's. We called it personalization, but it was really segmentation. Fast forward to now. We have exponentially more data and better models, but we're still segmenting and calling it personalization. AI makes segmentation faster and more accessible, but it's still segmentation. Erin Mills: But did you get the jumpsuit? Amanda Berger: (laughs) No, I did not get the jumpsuit. But maybe I will. The Philosophy Degree That Predicted the Future Erin Mills: You started as a philosophy major taking "man versus machine" courses. What would your college self say? And did philosophy prepare you in ways a business degree wouldn't have? Amanda Berger: I actually love my philosophy degree because it really taught me to critically think about issues like this. I don't think I would have known back then that I was thinking about "where does the machine end and where does the human begin"—and that this was going to have so many applicable decision points throughout my career. What you're really learning in philosophy is logical thought process. If this happens, then this. And that's fundamentally the foundation for AI. "If you're short, you should get your outfit tailored." "If you have a customer with predictive churn indicators, you should contact that customer." It's enabling that logical thinking at scale. The Metrics That Actually Matter: Leading vs. Lagging Indicators Erin Mills: You've called NRR, churn rate, and NPS "lagging indicators." That's going to ruffle boardroom feathers. Make the case—what's broken, and what should we replace it with? Amanda Berger: By the time a customer churns or tells you they're gonna churn, it's too late. The best thing you can do is offer them a crazy discount. And when you're doing that, you've already kind of lost. What CS teams really need to be focused on is delivering value. If you deliver value—we all have so many competing things to do—if a SaaS tool is delivering value, you're probably not going to question it. If there's a question about value, then you start introducing lower price or competitors. And especially in enterprise, customers decide way, way before they tell you whether they're gonna pull the technology out. You usually miss the signs. So you've gotta look at leading indicators. What are the signs? And they're different everywhere I've gone. I've worked for companies where if there's a lot of engagement with support, that's a sign customers really care and are trying to make the technology work—it's a good sign, churn risk is low. Other companies I've worked at, when customers are heavily engaged with support, they're frustrated and it's not working—churn risk is high. You've got to do the work to figure out what those churn indicators are and how they factor into leading indicators: Are they achieving verified outcomes? Are they healthy? Are there early risk warnings? CSAT: The Most Underrated Metric Ken Roden: You're passionate about customer satisfaction as a score because it's granular and actionable. Can you share a time where CSAT drove a change and produced a measurable business result? Amanda Berger: I spent a lot of my career in security. And that's tough for attribution. In e-commerce, attribution is clear: Person saw recommendations, put them in cart, bought them. In hiring, their time-to-fill is faster—pretty clear. But in security, it's less clear. I love this example: We all live in houses, right? None of our houses got broken into last night. You don't go to work saying, "I had such a good night because my house didn't get broken into." You just expect that. And when your house didn't get broken into, you don't know what to attribute that to. Was it the locked doors? Alarm system? Dog? Safe neighborhood? That's true with security in general. You have to really think through attribution. Getting that feedback is really important. In surveys we've done, we've gotten actionable feedback. Somebody was able to detect a vulnerability, and we later realized it could have been tied to something that would have cost $4 million to settle. That's the kind of feedback you don't get without really digging around for it. And once you get that once, you're able to tie attribution to other things. Bringing CS Into the Sales Cycle: The 70% Rule Erin Mills: You're a religious believer in bringing CS into the sales cycle. When exactly do you insert CS, and how do you build trust without killing velocity? Amanda Berger: With bigger customers, I like to bring in somebody from CX when the deal is at the technical win stage or 70% probability—vendor of choice stage. Usually it's for one of two reasons: One: If CX is gonna have to scope and deliver, I really like CX to be involved. You should always be part of deciding what you're gonna be accountable to deliver. And I think so much churn actually starts to happen when an implementation goes south before anyone even gets off the ground. Two: In this world of technology, what really differentiates an experience is humans. A lot of our technology is kind of the same. Competitive differentiation is narrower and narrower. But the approach to the humans and the partnership—that really matters. And that can make the difference during a sales cycle. Sometimes I have to convince the sales team this is true. But typically, once I'm able to do that, they want it. Because it does make a big difference. Technology makes us successful, but humans do too. That's part of that balance between what's the machine and what is the human. The Art of Getting Customers to Articulate Their Goals Ken Roden: One challenge CS teams face is getting customers to articulate their goals. Do customers naturally say what they're looking to achieve, or do you have a process to pull it out? Amanda Berger: One challenge is that what a recruiter's goal is might be really different than what the CFO's goal is. Whose outcome is it? One reason you want to get involved during the sales cycle is because customers tell you what they're looking for then. It's very clear. And nothing frustrates a company more than "I told you that, and now you're asking me again? Why don't you just ask the person selling?" That's infuriating. Now, you always have legacy customers where a new CSM comes in and has to figure it out. Sometimes the person you're asking just wants to do their job more efficiently and can't necessarily tie it back to the bigger picture. That's where the art of triangulation and relationships comes in—asking leading discovery questions to understand: What is the business impact really? But if you can't do that as a CS leader, you probably won't be successful and won't retain customers for the long term. AI as Companion, Not Replacement: The Employ Philosophy Erin Mills: At Employ, you're implementing AI companions for recruiters. How do you think about when humans are irreplaceable versus when AI should step in? Amanda Berger: This is controversial because we're talking about hiring, and hiring is so close to people's hearts. That's why we really think about companions. I earnestly hope there's never a world where AI takes over hiring—that's scary. But AI can help companies and recruiters be more efficient. Job seekers are using AI. Recruiters tell me they're getting 200-500% more applicants than before because people are using AI to apply to multiple jobs quickly or modify their resumes. The only way recruiters can keep up is by using AI to sort through that and figure out best fits. So AI is a tool and a friend to that recruiter. But it can't take over the recruiter. The Delegation Framework: What Do You Hate Doing? Ken Roden: How do you position AI as companion rather than threat? Amanda Berger: There's definitely fear. Some is compliance-based—totally justifiable. There's also people worried about AI taking their jobs. I think if you don't use AI, AI is gonna take your job. If you use AI, it's probably not. I've always been a big fan of delegation. In every aspect of my life: If there's something I don't want to do, how can I delegate it? Professionally, I'm not very good at putting together beautiful PowerPoint presentations. I don't want to do it. But AI can do that for me now. Amazingly well. What I'm really bad at is figuring out bullets and formatting. AI does that. So I think about: What are the things I don't want to do? Usually we don't want to do the things we're not very good at or that are tedious. Use AI to do those things so you can focus on the things you're really good at. Maybe what I'm really good at is thinking strategically about engaging customers or articulating a message. I can think about that, but AI can build that PowerPoint. I don't have to think about "does my font match here?" Take the parts of your job that you don't like—sending the same email over and over, formatting things, thinking about icebreaker ideas—leverage AI for that so you can do those things that make you special and make you stand out. The people who can figure that out and leverage it the right way will be incredibly successful. Making the Case to Keep Humans in CS Ken Roden: Leaders face pressure from boards and investors to adopt AI more—potentially leading to roles being cut. How do you make the case for keeping humans as part of customer success? Amanda Berger: AI doesn't understand business outcomes and motivation. It just doesn't. Humans understand that. The key to relationships and outcomes is that understanding. The humanity is really important. At HackerOne, it was basically a human security company. There are millions of hackers who want to identify vulnerabilities before bad actors get to them. There are tons of layers of technology—AI-driven, huge stacks of security technology. And yet no matter what, there's always vulnerabilities that only a human can detect. You want full-stack security solutions—but you have to have that human solution on top of it, or you miss things. That's true with customer success too. There's great tooling that makes it easier to find that needle in the haystack. But once you find it, what do you do? That's where the magic comes in. That's where a human being needs to get involved. Customer success—it is called customer success because it's about success. It's not called customer retention. We do retain through driving success. AI can point out when a customer might not be successful or when there might be an indication of that. But it can't solve that and guide that customer to what they need to be doing to get outcomes that improve their business. What actually makes success is that human element. Without that, we would just be called customer retention. The Framework: When to Use Digital vs. Human Touch Erin Mills: We'd love to get your framework for AI-powered customer experience. How do you make those numbers real for a skeptical CFO? Amanda Berger: It's hard to talk about customer approach without thinking about customer segmentation. It's very different in enterprise versus a scaled model. I've dealt with a lot of scale in my last couple companies. I believe that the things we do to support that long tail—those digital customers—we need to do for all customers. Because while everybody wants human interaction, they don't always want it. Think about: As a person, where do I want to interact digitally with a machine? If it's a bot, I only want to interact with it until it stops giving me good answers. Then I want to say, "Stop, let me talk to an operator." If I can find a document or video that shows me how to do something quickly rather than talking to a human, it's human nature to want to do that. There are obvious limits. If I can change my flight on my phone app, I'm gonna do that rather than stand at a counter. Come back to thinking: As a human, what's the framework for where I need a human to get involved? Second, it's figuring out: How do I predict what's gonna happen with my customers? What are the right ways of looking and saying "this is a risk area"? Creating that framework. Once you've got that down, it's an evolution of combining: Where does the digital interaction start? Where does it stop? What am I looking for that's going to trigger a human interaction? Being able to figure that out and scale that—that's the thing everybody is trying to unlock. The 8-Hour Workflow Reduced to 30 Minutes Erin Mills: You've mentioned turning some workflows from an 8-hour task to 30 minutes. What roles absorbed the time dividend? What were rescoped? Amanda Berger: The roles with a lot of repetition and repetitive writing. AI is incredible when it comes to repetitive writing and templatization. A lot of times that's more in support or managed services functions. And coding—any role where you're coding, compiling code, or checking code. There's so much efficiency AI has already provided. I think less so on the traditional customer success management role. There's definitely efficiencies, but not that dramatic. Where I've seen it be really dramatic is in managed service examples where people are doing repetitive tasks—they have to churn out reports. It's made their jobs so much better. When they provide those services now, they can add so much more value. Rather than thinking about churning out reports, they're able to think about: What's the content in my reports? That's very beneficial for everyone. By 2027: The Hardest CX Role to Hire Erin Mills: Mad Libs time. By 2027, the hardest CX job to hire will be _______ because of _______. Amanda Berger: I think it's like these forward-deployed engineer types of roles. These subject matter experts. One challenge in CS for a while has been: What's the value of my customer success manager? Are they an expert? Or are they revenue-driven? Are they the retention person? There's been an evolution of maybe they need to be the expert. And what does that mean? There'll continue to be evolution on that. And that'll be the hardest role. That standard will be very, very hard. Lightning Round Ken Roden: What's one AI workflow go-to-market teams should try this week? Amanda Berger: Summarization. Put your notes in, get a summary, get the bullets. AI is incredible for that. Ken Roden: What's one role in go-to-market that's underusing AI right now? Amanda Berger: Implementation. Ken Roden: What's a non-obvious AI use case that's already working? Amanda Berger: Data-related. People are still scared to put data in and ask for themes. Putting in data and asking for input on what are the anomalies. Ken Roden: For the go-to-market leader who's not seeing value in AI—what should they start doing differently tomorrow? Amanda Berger: They should start having real conversations about why they're not seeing value. Take a more human-led, empathetic approach to: Why aren't they seeing it? Are they not seeing adoption, or not seeing results? I would guess it's adoption, and then it's drilling into the why. Ken Roden: If you could DM one thing to all go-to-market leaders, what would it be? Amanda Berger: Look at your leading indicators. Don't wait. Understand your customer, be empathetic, try to get results that matter to them. Key Takeaways The Human-AI Balance in Customer Success: AI doesn't understand business outcomes or motivation—humans do. The winning teams use AI to find patterns and predict risk, then deploy humans to understand why it matters and what strategic action to take. The Lagging Indicator Trap: By the time NRR, churn rate, or NPS move, customers decided 6 months ago. Focus on leading indicators you can actually influence: verified outcomes, engagement signals specific to your business, early risk warnings, and real-time CSAT at decision points. The 70% Rule: Bring CS into the sales cycle at the technical win stage (70% probability) for two reasons: (1) CS should scope what they'll be accountable to deliver, and (2) capturing customer goals early prevents the frustrating "I already told your sales rep" moment later. Segmentation ≠ Personalization: AI makes segmentation faster and cheaper, but true personalization requires understanding context, motivation, and individual circumstances. The jumpsuit story proves we're still just sophisticated bucketing, even with 2026's advanced models. The Delegation Framework: Don't ask "what can AI do?" Ask "what parts of my job do I hate?" Delegate the tedious (formatting, repetitive emails, data analysis) so humans can focus on strategy, relationships, and outcomes that only humans can drive. "If You Don't Use AI, AI Will Take Your Job": The people resisting AI out of fear are most at risk. The people using AI to handle drudgery and focusing on what makes them irreplaceable—strategic thinking, relationship-building, understanding nuanced goals—are the future leaders. Customer Success ≠ Customer Retention: The name matters. Your job isn't preventing churn through discounts and extensions. Your job is driving verified business outcomes that make customers want to stay because you're improving their business. Stay Connected To listen to the full episode and stay updated on future episodes, visit the FutureCraft GTM website. Connect with Amanda Berger: Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn Employ Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of any company or business we currently work for/with or have worked for/with in the past.

Brighter Futures: Making 2026 Better Than 2025 Podcast Description In the final episode of 2025, Duane and Allie get real about what it takes to set yourself—and your martial arts school—up for a brighter, better new year. They reflect on big wins, tough lessons, and how to keep the fire burning after decades in the business. This is a candid, hopeful conversation about letting go of what doesn't serve you, doubling down on what matters, and building a future that's easy, lucrative, and fun (ELF). Key Takeaways Make Your Future Brighter Than Your Past: Don't get stuck reminiscing or complaining—use your experience to fuel positive change for 2026. The ELF vs. HALF Framework: Aim for a business that's Easy, Lucrative, and Fun—not Hard, Annoying, Lame, and Frustrating. Motivation & Burnout: Staying inspired as an owner takes real connection with students, families, and your own “why.” Inventory & Elimination: Take stock of your systems, automations, and routines. Delegate, automate, or delete what no longer serves you. Retention Over Replacement: Don't just chase new leads—focus on deeper connections, leadership development, and community-building. Action Management: You can't control time, but you can manage your actions and energy. Action Steps for School Owners Reflect on 2025: What worked? What didn't? What will you leave behind? Set Clear Goals for 2026: What do you want to start, stop, or double down on? Apply the ELF Test: Is every process, program, or promotion easy, lucrative, and fun? If not, can you fix it or let it go? Reconnect with Your “Why”: Find fresh inspiration in student breakthroughs, family connections, and your own growth. Streamline Communication: Use tech and AI to connect, but avoid white noise—make every touchpoint matter. Empower Your Team: Delegate, automate, and build leaders so you can focus on what only you can do. Additional Resources Mentioned Dan Sullivan's “Brighter Future” philosophy Joe Polish's ELF (Easy, Lucrative, Fun) and HALF (Hard, Annoying, Lame, Frustrating) frameworks Brian Tracy's Million Dollar Habits Spark school management software Allie's mini course: Referral of a Lifetime

ON THIS week's podcast, Kieran caught up with both county winning Kilmacabea captain Ian Jennings and Munster council delegate Joe Blake.Jennings is after a season where he led Kilmacs to the McCarthy Insurance Group Cork Junior A Football Championship after they beat Donoughmore recently.It means that the Leap and Glandore club will taste county championship football in 2026 after years of knocking on the door.We are also joined by Blake, friend of the show, as he explains his club championship idea that could be for the better in years to come.The Adrigole native is a former Cork GAA PRO and is currently a delegate with the Munster council.All this and more on this week's Star Sport Podcast. Watch above. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, by using the player below or by searching 'Southern Star Sport Podcast' wherever you get yours.Follow our hosts on X: @matt_hurley01 and @KieranMcC_SSProduced by Matthew Hurley***The Star Sport Podcast is brought to you in association with Access Credit Union.Access Credit Union - Where your bank really does matter. Choose Credit Union, Choose Local, Choose Community. For more visit www.accesscu.ie Subscribe to The Southern Star's digital edition for less than €2 per week via https://subscribe.southernstar.ie/plans Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this bonus podcast episode! If you've ever looked at your red-hot competitors and wondered about their secrets to success, we've got you. Spoiler: it's not money, tech…or magic.  Coaches Caroline Plambeck and Rachel Prairie break down the simple, smart moves that create momentum in Episode 694: What Other Studio Owners Are Doing That You Are Not.  Share the why: host regular team meetings to build communication and buy-in Sell with soul: train your team to connect naturally and ditch pressure tactics Treat them right: onboard well and share opportunities to maximize retention   Guard your time: block hours to think big picture, plan ahead and get out of the weeds Track and tweak: scrutinize your data, refine and experiment without fear You don't have to overhaul everything. Start by excelling in the basics: know your numbers, empower your team and lead with clarity rather than chaos. Episode 694 is your overview.. 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/ Top studios don't rely on luck, trends, or chaos—they rely on rhythm, clarity, and consistent follow-through. Start with five small shifts, put them into practice, and suddenly you're operating like the studios everyone else is trying to learn from.      

Are you ready to stop relying on a single platform and take true control of your bookings, brand, and profits?In this episode, I sit down with Jennifer Spencer— who left her corporate career to master the world of direct bookings. Jennifer's journey from a single property in the Canadian Rockies to a diversified portfolio in Maui taught her one powerful lesson: you need to own the guest relationship.We dive deep into her proven, anchor strategies for success:Crafting property brands that guests instantly recognize and remember.Leveraging email marketing to drive loyalty and repeat, direct bookings.Implementing smart automations that scale income without sacrificing the personal, top-notch guest experience.If you feel overwhelmed by the thought of shifting from one platform to multiple channels, Jennifer offers a practical, step-by-step roadmap for taking manageable action, discovering your unique hosting style, and building a supportive network.Tune in to learn how to brand boldly, optimize smarter, and turn casual stays into lifelong fans.HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY POINTS:[01:03] A short introduction about our guest Jennifer Spencer, and how she got into the short-term rental industry in the Canadian Rockies to expanding to Maui[03:53] Jennifer shares how her transition from corporate sales and marketing into the vacation rental space happened almost unexpectedly[06:08] Jennifer highlights the mindset shift required to move from an Airbnb-only approach to a diversified, business-driven booking strategy[10:16] Jennifer shares her go-to tools and guest-experience strategies that reliably drive repeat direct bookings[12:19] Jennifer outlines a balanced, human-first approach to using AI in guest messaging without sacrificing authenticity[16:05] Jennifer shares her compliant, subtle strategy for priming guests for direct bookings without violating platform rules[18:28] Jennifer's top strategies for helping a property go from staying afloat in the market to truly outperforming its competitive set[21:31] Why dynamic pricing tools only work when paired with proactive revenue management[25:20] Jennifer explains why a defined, memorable brand is critical for driving direct bookings and standing out in a saturated market[29:13] The critical role of guest communication and proactive problem-solving in creating memorable experiences and earning five-star reviews[34:54] Jennifer highlights that the biggest challenge in shifting to a diversified direct booking strategy[39:15] The lightning round Golden Nuggets:“If you're really wanting to grow, whether it's one or two or an empire, you need to have a diversified strategy.”“I'm also super passionate about making sure that we are doing the work– number one that is within our genius zone. But it's also work we enjoy. If you don't enjoy that, don't just not do it. Delegate it to someone else.”“If there's nothing unique about you, it can be very difficult to stand out.”“You can turn any negative situation into a positive if you handle it properly.”“Find the support that matches what you need and what you're looking for.”Let's...

Send us a textSome years, Christmas looks quieter—and that's okay. In this segment, Dr. Jackson and I talk about giving yourself permission to take a pass from the pressure. A full pass or a partial one. No explanations required.Because the season can still be merry and bright without all the things. And sometimes, honoring your healthy habits—rest, movement, nourishment, boundaries—is the most meaningful gift you can give yourself. You don't have to wait for January 1 to begin again. You can start the new year now, by choosing peace.✨ If this resonates, you're not alone.

fWotD Episode 3142: George Mason Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Thursday, 11 December 2025, is George Mason.George Mason (December 11, 1725 [O. S. November 30, 1725] – October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U. S. Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, where he was one of three delegates who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including substantial portions of the Fairfax Resolves of 1774, the Virginia Declaration of Rights of 1776, and his Objections to this Constitution of Government (1787) opposing ratification, have exercised a significant influence on American political thought and events. The Virginia Declaration of Rights, which Mason principally authored, served as a basis for the United States Bill of Rights, of which he has been deemed a father.Mason was born in 1725 in present-day Fairfax County, Virginia. His father drowned when a storm capsized his boat while crossing the Potomac River in 1735 when Mason was about nine years old. His mother managed the family estates until he came of age. Mason married in 1750, built Gunston Hall, and lived the life of a country squire, supervising his lands, family, and slaves. He briefly served in the House of Burgesses and involved himself in community affairs, sometimes serving with his neighbor George Washington. As tensions grew between Great Britain and the North American colonies, Mason came to support the colonial side, using his knowledge and experience to help the revolutionary cause, finding ways to work around the Stamp Act 1765 and serving in the pro-independence Fourth Virginia Convention in 1775 and the Fifth Virginia Convention in 1776.Mason prepared the first draft of the Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776, and his words formed much of the text adopted by the final Revolutionary Virginia Convention. He also wrote a constitution for the state; Thomas Jefferson and others sought to have the convention adopt their ideas, but Mason's version was nonetheless adopted. During the American Revolutionary War, Mason was a member of the powerful House of Delegates of the Virginia General Assembly, but to the irritation of Washington and others, he refused to serve in the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, citing health and family commitments.In 1787, Mason was named one of his state's delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, his only lengthy trip outside Virginia. Many clauses in the Constitution were influenced by Mason's input, but he ultimately did not sign the final version, citing the lack of a bill of rights among his most prominent objections. He also wanted an immediate end to the slave trade and a supermajority requirement for navigation acts, fearing that restrictions on shipping might harm Virginia. He failed to attain these objectives in Philadelphia and later at the Virginia Ratifying Convention of 1788. His prominent fight for a bill of rights led fellow Virginian James Madison to introduce the same during the First Congress in 1789; these amendments were ratified in 1791, a year before Mason died. Obscure after his death, Mason later came to be recognized in the 20th and 21st centuries for his contributions to Virginia and the early United States.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:57 UTC on Thursday, 11 December 2025.For the full current version of the article, see George Mason on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Ayanda.

Jonathan Swanson has built two rare successes: Thumbtack, the home-services marketplace, and Athena, the fast-growing platform that pairs ambitious people with world-class personal assistants. Today he runs a 4,000-person company, invests on the side, and raises four kids — all by designing his life around leverage.a16z General Partner, Erik Torenberg, sits down with Jonathan to unpack what that actually looks like. They discuss how elite assistant culture shaped his philosophy, why delegation is a skill most founders never truly learn, and how the combination of humans and AI is redefining personal productivity. Jonathan explains why he believes ambition grows with leverage, not the other way around, and breaks down how he delegates everything from scheduling to search processes to entire life systems.They also get into the future of work, the rise of machine-generated delegation, the expanding role of chiefs of staff, and how founders can design their time around the few things that matter most. It's a conversation about work, life, and the systems that allow people to operate at scale. Resources:Follow Jonathan on X: https://x.com/swaaansonFollow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Stay Updated:If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends!Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zListen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYXListen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures. Stay Updated:Find a16z on XFind a16z on LinkedInListen to the a16z Show on SpotifyListen to the a16z Show on Apple PodcastsFollow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Read more Special elections set for Richmond-area House of Delegates, state Senate seats State water board OKs new pollution limits for James River tributaries Henrico County approves Dominion's solar project at former landfill  Other links VMFA returns trafficked 6th-century terracotta fragments to Turkey (WRIC) Perriello mounts comeback bid in Virginia's 5th District (Virginia Mercury) Albemarle officials call on state lawmakers to fix 'funding pie' for local road projects (The Daily Progress)* 250 years ago today, Virginians went to war against their governor (and won) (Cardinal News) *This outlet utilizes a paywall.  Our award-winning work is made possible with your donations. Visit vpm.org/donate to support local journalism. 

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from Russel's 120 °F prime rib recipe, which is a follow up to episode 854, Chef John's Perfect Prime Rib. Dr. Don - risky ☣️ Professor Ben - risky ☣️ 854. Chef John's Perfect Prime Rib — Risky or Not? Conference for Food Protection, Inc - Issues 2025-III-33 Raw Animal Foods Come-Up-Time (CUT) Conference for Food Protection, Inc - Biennial Meeting Materials 2025 Council III Issues Packet sent to Assembly of Delegates.pdf - Google Drive Conference for Food Protection, Inc - Guides CFP Guidance Documents for Safe Handling and Cooking of Roaster Pigs 10-25-21. Microbiological Safety of Commercial Prime Rib Preparation Methods: Thermal Inactivation of Salmonella in Mechanically Tenderized Rib Eye - ScienceDirect

Most leaders chase tasks in December. The best ones reset vision.

" You do not want a business that is entirely dependent on you. You want an independent running business." -Ron Bester Ron Bester, VP of Client Experience at Successful Bookkeeper Global, breaks down why so many bookkeepers feel buried in day-to-day work and how the SODA framework helps you reclaim time, reduce stress, and build a business that doesn't rely on you to survive. In this episode, you'll learn… How to spot where your time is leaking & fix it Build simple systems that remove bottlenecks Use automation to cut repetitive tasks & free up hours Connect with Ron on LinkedIn. Time Stamp 00:00 – Why running a business is different from doing work you enjoy 03:00 – The common pitfalls small business owners face 07:00 – Why every business needs a plan, systems & an exit strategy 10:00 – Introduction to the SODA framework 12:00 – Systemize: building processes that create consistency 15:00 – Outsource: letting experts handle non-core work 17:00 – Delegate: breaking the "only I can do it" mindset 20:00 – Automate: using tech to remove repetitive tasks 23:00 – The biggest transformation bookkeepers experience with SODA 26:00 – Early wins & what shifts first 28:00 – Why most owners don't realize they are the bottleneck 30:00 – One small action you can take today 31:00 – How the SODA pre-checklist and intensive work 33:00 – Building a business that runs independently of you

Why knowing what to do isn't enough You already know what to do. Delegate more. Set boundaries. Lead from your strengths. Be authentic. So why aren't you doing it? The truth is, the gap between knowing and doing is where most transformations die. Today's episode explores the gap between knowing and doing. To find out more about my work, please visit www.danawilliamsco.com LinkedIn Instagram My Book - The Internal Revolution: Lead Authentically and Build Your Personal Brand from Within Email: hello@danawilliamsco.com The Strengths Journal™ is the only Gallup-certified, purpose-driven daily planner that helps you actively use your strengths to plan your days. Get Your copy here

The November election for the House of Delegates saw record-breaking numbers for campaign finance. Michael Pope has the details.

A group of Mary Baldwin alumni send a statement of no confidence in the current president… We have an update on a Staunton man detained by immigration enforcement, and denied the right to stay in the U.S… The November election for the House of Delegates shows record-breaking numbers for campaign finance….

Tired of saying it's faster if I do it myself? We dive into a practical, human way to break the bottleneck and build a business that runs with you, not because of you. Our guest, Brittany Bettini of I Need a VA, lays out a straightforward blueprint: start with a life audit, delegate low-joy work, and capture your “pie recipe” in clear SOPs so results stay consistent even when hands change.We get honest about control, especially the hyper-independence many women entrepreneurs carry into their businesses. Brittany shares how she moved from doing everything to doing only what lights her up—coaching, teaching, creating—while VAs handle operations, inboxes, research, scheduling, design assets, and home tasks like groceries and laundry. The key isn't just offloading tasks; it's choosing what to keep based on joy, genius, and revenue impact, then backing the rest with documentation that a new hire can follow on day one.You'll hear how to use Loom and AI to turn screen recordings into step-by-step SOPs, why in-house virtual assistants (especially experienced Filipino VAs) protect your IP and culture, and how to structure training so your team writes and updates the manuals as they work. We cover mistakes to avoid—like over-relying on agencies for core functions—and the management rhythms that keep quality high without micromanaging: clear outcomes, visible dashboards, and monthly SOP reviews. Think of delegation like a pendulum: initial training takes time and money, then the swing returns with compounding freedom, focus, and revenue.If you're ready to stop being the bottleneck and start being the leader, this conversation gives you the tools and the nudge to move. Read more HERESupport the show

The reasons some service businesses thrive while others struggle with ongoing crises and high employee turnover can be perplexing. While many attribute these challenges to market conditions, the true issues often stem from disorganized systems, ineffective hiring practices, and intricate customer journeys that obstruct growth. In this episode of The Better Than Rich Show, host Mike Abramowitz interviews Christine Hodge, CEO of Process CEO and owner of Clear View, New Jersey's fastest-growing exterior cleaning company. Christine shares straight talk on how workflow systems, hiring frameworks, and clear client intake turn chaos into rapid, sustainable growth. She breaks down the “budget-middle-luxury” bundle pricing and her structured hiring process, and shows how automation frees owners from busywork. Christine's approach keeps teams loyal, clients happy, and scaling steady—without burnout. You'll get practical playbooks for qualifying leads, onboarding talent, and building company culture that employees never want to leave. Timestamps [00:00] Meet Christine Hodge—Background and Family Business [02:03] Fixing Business Bottlenecks and Moving to Digital [04:36] Standardizing Estimates and Increasing Ticket Price [07:04] Cross-Sell, Upsell, and Sales Team Training [09:53] Bundle Pricing: Budget, Middle, Luxury [13:44] Pre-Qualifying Clients and Streamlining Quotes [17:36] Remote vs In-Person Estimates: The 3000 sqft Rule [18:56] Building Trust with Branding and Online Systems [23:39] Automations: Email, Text, and Sales Follow-Ups [33:36] Hiring Framework: Multi-Step, Long-Term, Referral Driven [36:42] Company Culture: Clear View Day and Investing in People [45:01] Replacing Yourself: Hiring Experts as You Grow [52:51] The Process CEO: Coaching, Systems, Scaling [55:39] Work-Life Balance and Defining Better Than Rich Key Quotes “We don't just hire a warm body. We build loyalty and careers.” “Our average ticket nearly doubled after bundling, cross-selling, and upselling—systematically.” “If your sales process takes ten steps, automate nine. Free yourself for what matters.” “Company culture isn't an add-on. It's the core of keeping great team members.” “There's always a framework: qualify, quote, deliver, and delight.” Key Takeaways Move off paper—every process can and should be digitized. Create pricing bundles: basic, middle, luxury. This maximizes options and value. Systemize hiring: detailed, multi-step, and incentivized for referrals. Use automation for client comms and internal reminders—don't leave anything to chance. Culture matters: recurring appreciation events, a clear mission, and personal investment retain talent. Delegate and invest strategically—know when to stay lean and when to buy back your time. Links Mentioned The Process CEO Community : https://www.theprocessceo.com/Jobber : https://www.getjobber.com/Connect with The Better Than RichWebsite - https://www.betterthanrich.com/Facebook - https://m.facebook.com/betterthanrich/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/betterthan_rich/Twitter - https://mobile.twitter.com/betterthan_richTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@betterthanrichYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3xXEb7rKBvkCOdtWd4tj2ALinkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/betterthanrich

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, investors! Scott Carson here, fresh off our "Note Buying for Dummies" workshop, where the #1 lesson is always: market smarter, not harder! As one past coach put it about my students: "Scott knows his shit when it comes to raising capital marketing, and it works!" If you're tired of marketing being a 40-hour work week and want to blast past the competition, this episode is your blueprint. No more smoke signals – let's automate your success, even over holidays!In this episode, you'll learn:Holiday Marketing on Autopilot (Canva + CRM): Create stunning, personalized holiday greetings (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's!) with Canva's AI design templates. Upload your headshot, brand it, and preschedule a year of warm touches to your entire database via your CRM. It's an extra touch that truly pays off!Social Media Domination (Buffer): Schedule all your content (those awesome Canva images!) across every platform with Buffer. Free for two channels (LinkedIn & Twitter!), or super affordable for more. Set it and forget it – your marketing machine keeps rolling while you're enjoying life!Video to Viral (OpusClip.ai): Turn long videos into dozens of engaging shorts for TikTok, Reels, and YouTube. OpusClip.ai auto-generates titles, copy, and hashtags, then mass-schedu les across all your profiles. For just $29/month, transform one interview into weeks of content!AI Avatar Marketing (HeyGen.ai): Create personalized videos with AI avatars (even of yourself – Santa Scott, anyone?). Upload your voice, type your script, and generate professional messages for holidays or deal announcements. Grab free tickets to their upcoming boot camp – why wait for 2026 for cutting-edge marketing?Delegate & Conquer (REVA Global VA Services): Overwhelmed? REVA Global offers phenomenal VAs to manage all these tools, from creating Canva images and posting to Buffer, to bookkeeping and due diligence. Free up your time with their expertise (check out their Black Friday VA placement deal!)Don't be a January 1st resolution casualty! The holidays are prime time to get ahead. These tools – Canva, Buffer, OpusClip, HeyGen, and REVA Global – are for smart investors like YOU. Stop waiting for deals and capital to fall into your lap. Automate your marketing, absolutely shock and awe your competition, and make 2026 your most profitable year yet. Go out, take some action, and we'll see you at the top!Watch the Original VIDEO HERE!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here's How »Join Note Night in America community today:WeCloseNotes.comScott Carson FacebookScott Carson TwitterScott Carson LinkedInNote Night in America YouTubeNote Night in America VimeoScott Carson InstagramWe Close Notes Pinterest

​​Join our champion program: mark@themomentumcompany.comAttend a Thriving Leader event: https://www.themomentumcompany.com/thrivingleader2026Instagram: @the.momentum.companyLinkedIn: /momentum-companyIn this episode of the Intentional Agribusiness Leader Podcast, Mark Jewell sits down with Michael Hill, CEO of H&A Farms, a vertically integrated operation in Florida that has transformed the blueberry supply chain. Starting as a fourth-generation farmer with a single employee, Michael now leads the business responsible for packing 40% of Florida's blueberry crop while running thriving agritourism and processing divisions.Michael opens up about the pressures of scaling, surviving pandemic-era uncertainty, finding—and keeping—the right people, and the mindset it takes to grow, diversify, and lead through chaos. His story is a lesson in intentionality, delegation, resilience, and never forgetting the value of your name.Key Takeaways:1. Leadership Starts With Your Word: Intentional leaders don't just tell others what to do—they hold themselves accountable first. Michael reminds us that the most dangerous promises to break are the ones we make to ourselves.2. Delegation Is a Skill — Not a Surrender: From running everything himself in year one to scaling to over 2,000 seasonal workers, Michael learned the hard way that growth depends on your ability to trust others, define responsibility, and let go of control.3. Crisis Reveals Character: During COVID, 98% of Michael's sales evaporated overnight. Instead of shutting down and causing market collapse, he held the line, protected his growers, and managed an unprecedented backlog until demand returned.4. Culture Evolves — But It Must Be Protected: Michael's business outgrew its early “everyone does everything” startup DNA. To evolve, he had to install structures, set standards, and protect culture by removing mediocre players who couldn't or wouldn't keep up.5. Seasonal Ag Labor Is Not for the Faint of Heart: Managing hundreds of local workers and 1,800 H2A harvesters in a seven-week window requires systems, communication, and acceptance that during peak season, work takes over life. Not everyone is built for that kind of leadership—and that's okay.Notable Quotes:“You die with one thing in this world — your name.” – Michael Hill“If I believe I can bet on myself, is it really a risk?” – Michael Hill“Winners want to be around other winners. The mediocre don't.” – Michael Hill“You can't just delegate — you have to put the right people in the right seats.” – Michael Hill“Still being here? That's the win.” – Michael HillAction Steps:Create your own Delegate-to-Elevate grid and get honest about what needs to go.Assess your team: Who's a fit for the mission? Who's just along for the ride?Consider crisis planning: What would you do if 98% of demand stopped overnight?Make one visible choice this week that protects your integrity and leadership reputation.Listen If You Are:Building or scaling an agribusiness from scratchStruggling to delegate or develop leaders around youCurious about blueberries, packing, and agritourism at scaleLeading teams with seasonal or H2A laborLooking for real-world stories of grit, growth, and intentional leadership

Welcome back to the Empower Her Business Accelerator podcast! I'm your host, Philippa Channer, and I'm so glad you're tuning in today. We're in the middle of our December series designed to help solopreneurs step into their role as CEOs. In this episode, we're unpacking one of the biggest hurdles for solo business owners: delegation. If you've ever thought, "How can I delegate when I'm the only one in my business?", this episode is your guide. From automation to outsourcing to systemization, we're redefining what it means to delegate without a big team or big budget. ⏱ Timestamps & Segment Titles (00:00) Welcome and CEO Mindset Recap (01:00) The Truth About Delegation (01:30) Automate the Repetitive Tasks (03:00) Outsource Where It Hurts (04:30) Systemize Your Workflows (06:30) Delegate to a Digital Assistant (07:30) Why Delegation = Leadership

In this episode, I share how tutors and education business owners can streamline, automate and delegate to support real business growth. If your admin is taking over your time, this is for you.I explain how to decide what truly needs you, what can be automated, and what can be delegated. We cover systems, invoicing, tech, and how to save time without losing the personal touch.Ideal for tutors and education entrepreneurs focused on marketing, sales, and building a sustainable tutoring business.Enjoy :-)Sumantha____________________

Send us a textWhen your mental to-do list is a full-blown swirl of chaos, you don't need more time—you need a system.This one clears the clutter in under five minutes.47 tabs open in your brain? Dump them into AI and let it hand back a clean, prioritized plan. This founder-tested workflow turns overwhelm into action in five minutes flat.In Day 7 of 12 Days of AI Quick Wins, Dawn walks you through a chaos-clearing ritual every founder needs: the AI Brain Dump. If you've ever felt frozen by too many ideas, responsibilities, and decisions, this tool separates signal from noise. All you need is two minutes of stream-of-consciousness typing and one prompt—and you'll walk away with a focused to-do list and a calmer mind.Your Day 7 Action:Next time your brain is buzzing, take two minutes to dump your thoughts into ChatGPT.Then use today's organizing prompt to turn the mess into momentum.You'll be surprised how fast clarity returns when your brain stops juggling 47 things.Key Takeaways:Start messy. Don't organize your thoughts—just dump them.Use the Chaos Organizer Prompt to sort tasks into: Action Items, Decisions, Delegate, and Park.AI helps you prioritize based on urgency and effort—no more guessing what matters.Only do three things. Once your list is sorted, pick your top 3. That's your day.Mental load = lifted. You think. AI organizes. You act.Resources & Links:Get the full 12 Days of AI Quick Wins Toolkit – just $7Register FREE for the Day 13 Live AI Implementation Party – win a 90-minute Strategy IntensiveRelated Episodes:Day 1: Stop Overthinking ChatGPT: Free vs. $20—Which One Actually Matters for FoundersDay 2: The 3 AI Prompts Every Female Founder Needs in Her PhoneDay 3: Why ChatGPT Sounds Like a Robot (And the One Sentence That Fixes It)Day 4: AI Email Triage: End Inbox Overwhelm in 5 MinutesDay 5: The 5-Minute Meeting Prep AI Hack That Makes You Look Totally PreparedDay 6: Stop Rewriting Everything AI Writes: The 10-Minute Voice Training for FoundersWant to increase revenue and impact? Listen to “She's That Founder” for insights on business strategy and female leadership to scale your business. Each episode offers advice on effective communication, team building, and management. Learn to master routines and systems to boost productivity and prevent burnout. Our delegation tips and business consulting will advance your executive leadership skills and presence.

Thanks to our Partners, NAPA TRACS, Today's Class, KUKUI, and Pit Crew Loyalty Watch Full Video Episode Shop owners, are you feeling burned out or stuck in the grind? This episode is for you. Shop owners Jimmy Alauria and Dave Kusa dive into how to pause, reflect, and reignite your passion for the business you built. Key takeaways: Think Bigger:Grow your business beyond what you can manage alone—empower your team and expand your vision.Evolve as a Leader:Stop being just a manager—step into the CEO role and watch your business thrive.Culture Matters:Set the tone, share your dream, and build a positive environment your team can rally around.Delegate & Recharge:Offload the hats you wear, hire strategically, and take time off to see the big picture.Balance Family & Business:Set boundaries to protect both your shop and your relationships. The truth? Falling in love with your business again starts with falling in love with your ability to lead it. Jimmy Alauria, 3A Automotive and Diesel Repair, Phoenix, AZ. Jimmy's previous episodes HERE Dave Kusa, AutoTrend Diagnostics in Campbell, CA. Listen to Dave's other episodes HERE Thanks to our Partner, NAPA TRACS NAPA TRACS will move your shop into the SMS fast lane with onsite training and six days a week of support and local representation. Find NAPA TRACS on the Web at http://napatracs.com/ Thanks to our Partner, Today's Class Optimize training with Today's Class: In just 5 minutes daily, boost knowledge retention and improve team performance. Find Today's Class on the web at https://www.todaysclass.com/ Thanks to our Partner, KUKUI Stop juggling multiple marketing tools. KUKUI's integrated platform delivers 4x better website conversions, automated follow-up, and real-time ROI tracking. Get industry-leading customer support with KUKUI at https://www.kukui.com/ Thanks to our Partner, Pit Crew Loyalty You're probably tired of chasing new customers who never return. We understand. Pit Crew Loyalty ends the one-and-done cycle, turning first visits into lasting, reliable revenue at https://www.pitcrewloyalty.com/...

If you're running a startup, chances are you're the bottleneck. Brittany Rastsmith joins Product Driven to talk through why founders constantly end up in this trap and how to escape it. She works with early-stage companies through her consulting firm, Bloom Remote, and she's seen it all. We get into how to create clarity, visibility, and accountability across your team so you're not stuck answering every question, solving every problem, or staying up all night wondering if anything is getting done. If you want your team to take ownership and drive outcomes—not just check boxes—this episode is for you.[01:00] - Why being the bottleneck it's a stage [02:30] - Choose your hard: micromanage or build trust [07:30] - How to measure what matters[10:30] - Delegating doesn't work if you dump chaos [14:30] - Explain your thinking if you want your team to carry it out [16:00] - The power of decision logs and written rationale [19:45] - Why psychological safety is key to team ownership [21:30] - Rubber-stamping is the death of progress [24:00] - Why most managers are untrained (and why that matters) [28:00] - Productivity vs. busyness: where your team might be stuck [29:15] - Inputs vs. outcomes: how to tell what's actually broken [31:05] - Where to find Brittany and learn more about Bloom RemoteLinks & Resources:Brittany Rastsmith on LinkedIn: Bloom RemoteGet the Book: https://mybook.to/productdrivenNewsletter: productdriven.comConnect with Matt: https://linkedin.com/in/mattwatsonGet the Offshore Hiring Guide: https://hirefullscale.com/offshore-hiring-guide

12 Game-Changing Time Management Principles for Doctors Time is the ONE resource you can't make more of—so let's make sure you're spending it on what actually matters!

Send us a textYou're not bad at email, you're overwhelmed. AI can triage your inbox before it hijacks your morning. Let's fix your overwhelm with one simple daily ritual.In Day 4 of 12 Days of AI Quick Wins, Dawn delivers a game-changing AI workflow that helps female founders regain control of their inbox—without the spiral. Instead of stress-scanning emails and reacting to the loudest ping, you'll learn how to copy your top 20 unread subject lines and let AI sort them into clear, actionable priorities. Your mornings just got 20 minutes lighter.Your Day 4 Action:Tomorrow morning, before opening anything—copy your top 20 email subject lines into ChatGPT with the triage prompt from today's episode. Watch your inbox go from chaos to clarity in under 5 minutes.Key Takeaways:The 5-minute inbox fix: Use AI to sort unread emails into: Urgent, Important, Delegate, Delete.Why it works: AI sees patterns and priorities you miss when you're in panic-scroll mode.Copy/paste efficiency: Just send subject lines—AI handles the sorting.Founder clarity = founder power. Start your day with purpose, not email-induced anxiety.Stop answering the easy emails first. Start with what actually moves your business forward.Resources & Links:Get the full 12 Days of AI Quick Wins Toolkit – just $7Register FREE for the Day 13 Live AI Implementation Party – win a 90-minute Strategy IntensiveRelated Episodes:Day 1: Stop Overthinking ChatGPT: Free vs. $20—Which One Actually Matters for FoundersDay 2: The 3 AI Prompts Every Female Founder Needs in Her Phone (Copy These Now)Day 3: Why ChatGPT Sounds Like a Corporate Robot (And the One Sentence That Fixes It)EP. 99 | Stop Writing Terrible Prompts (Your AI Is Only As Smart As Your Instructions)Want to increase revenue and impact? Listen to “She's That Founder” for insights on business strategy and female leadership to scale your business. Each episode offers advice on effective communication, team building, and management. Learn to master routines and systems to boost productivity and prevent burnout. Our delegation tips and business consulting will advance your executive leadership skills and presence.

Tim, Phil, & Elaad are joined by Nick Freitas to discuss Candace Owens implying TPUSA was behind assassination of Charlie Kirk, Sabrina Carpenter losing it over the White House using her song, NYT debunking the Hegseth Narco Bombing hoax, and the GOP winning the special election in Tennessee.   Hosts:  Tim @Timcast (everywhere) Phil @PhilThatRemains (X) Elaad @ElaadEliahu (X) Producer: Serge @SergeDotCom (everywhere) Guest: Nick Freitas @NickJFreitas (X) Nick Freitas is an American Republican politician, former U.S. Army Special Forces veteran, and social media influencer who has served in the Virginia House of Delegates since 2016.

“The Chair Recognizes” With November's stinging election results not even a month behind the Virginia GOP, their chairman, State Sen. Mark Peake, announced that he will be stepping down. Peake told me that he's leaving his post at the end of December because he wanted to make sure he could devote his full effort in the Virginia Senate to defeating the redistricting referendum before it needs a special election. He also said that the Republican Party requires a chairman who can devote a similar amount of energy to getting out the vote should it make it to a Spring special election, and beyond that, helping win whatever districts there will be come November's midterms. Peake stepped in after longtime chair Rich Anderson earned a post as assistant secretary of the Air Force.  Cameron Hamilton has announced that he wants the State Central Committee to consider him. Hamilton mounted a challenge for the GOP nomination in Virginia's 7th Congressional District in 2024 and his wife Karen was just elected to Virginia's House of Delegates from the 62nd District, succeeding the retired Nick Freitas.  Some other frontrunners for the chairmanship include current chairs of Virginia's 1st, 5th, and 6th congressional districts. They are Jeff Ryer, Rick Buchanan, and John Massoud respectively.  Ryer has helped Rep. Rob Wittman win reelection in a very competitive district while even outperforming statewide and national Republicans. Buchanan led the 5th District through the tumultuous (and expensive) primary battle between challenger John McGuire and incumbent Rep. Bob Good. Buchanan also pulled the district together to deliver a 15% victory for McGuire in the general election.  Massoud has helped Rep. Ben Cline build a strong base that supports him at a better-than-60% clip and has also managed to withstand out-of-state money attempting to flip Virginia House 34th District where incumbent Tony Wilt survived the 2025 “blue wave.”  Would Loudon County GOP chair Scott Pio try again for the chairman position? He has been vocal on social media about the need for a change and called for Peake to step down in the wake of the Democrat sweep of the statewide races and a 14-seat “flip” in the house. He was a candidate for the position when Anderson departed and lost to Peake at the State Central Committee vote.  Keep Up With The Daily Signal   Sign up for our email newsletters:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.dailysignal.com/email⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠     Subscribe to our other shows:    The Tony Kinnett Cast: ⁠https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL2284199939⁠ The Signal Sitdown: ⁠https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL2026390376⁠   Problematic Women:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL7765680741⁠   Victor Davis Hanson: ⁠https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL9809784327⁠     Follow The Daily Signal:    X:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=DailySignal⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/thedailysignal/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/TheDailySignalNews/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Truth Social:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://truthsocial.com/@DailySignal⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1⁠    Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2026 Planning: Setting Up Your School for a Strong New Year Podcast Description In this episode, Duane Brumitt and Allie Alberigo dig into how martial arts school owners can close out 2025 strong and set themselves up for a stellar 2026. They reflect on this past year's unique challenges—from shifting parent and student behaviors to the realities of running a personality-driven business—and share real talk on what worked, what flopped, and what every school owner should focus on as the new year approaches. Expect honest stories, actionable frameworks, and practical steps you can use right now to plan for growth, retention, and sanity in 2026. Key Takeaways 2025 Was Unique: Owners everywhere felt the impact of cultural shifts, last-minute signups, and changing family priorities. What worked last year might not work now. Year in Review Matters: Sit down with your staff to review wins, flops, and lessons. Honest feedback is gold. Retention Over Enrollment: Enrollment is important, but retention is the real driver. Invest in personal connections, customer service, and systems to keep students engaged. Set Real Goals: Pick 1-2 core 2026 goals (enrollment, retention, revenue, staff dev). Break them down and track them monthly and quarterly. First Quarter Planning: Map out January–March for tuition, retail, and events. Don't just wish—make a plan and communicate it clearly to your team. Systems & Simplicity: Review your automations, teaching, and processes. Use the “rule of three” to simplify and avoid overwhelming families (and staff). Stop Doing List: Write out what drains your energy or isn't working. Delegate, delete, or redesign those tasks. Ask your staff for their input, too. Community & Accountability: Engage with other school owners (like in the School Owner Talk FB group) to share plans, get feedback, and stay motivated. Action Steps for School Owners Year in Review: Meet with your team to discuss what worked, what didn't, and what to change for 2026. Set 1–2 Core Goals: Enrollment, retention, revenue, or staff development—pick what matters most for your school. Quarterly Planning: Break down your goals by month and quarter for tuition, events, and retail. Make a clear action plan. Simplify Systems: Audit automations and teaching methods. Apply the rule of three wherever possible. Create a Stop Doing List: Identify and eliminate (or delegate) tasks that eat up energy or don't move the needle. Team Buy-In: Communicate your plan to staff, get their feedback, and adjust where needed. Engage Your Community: Share your goals in the Facebook group and connect with other owners for accountability and ideas. Additional Resources Mentioned Duane's book: Raising a Black Belt (chapter on quitting) Allie's book: The Five Gateways to Happiness (I Love/I Hate list) Seven Steps to Income (Allie's framework) Spark school management software Past podcast episode with Matthew Brenner (three-prong enrollment system) School Owner Talk Facebook group

On this episode of Catholic Forum, after a news update from The Dialog, we talk to Sister Ann David Strohminger, OSF, Delegate for Religious for the Diocese of Wilmington. Sister tells us about all the ways that religious women and men are vital contributors to the life of the Church in Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore. Sister also highlights how the money raised during the Retirement Fund for Religious Collection - held this year on Dec. 13/14 - helps the religious of our diocese to have a more secure retirement. You can see a video of this interview on the Diocese of Wilmington's YouTube channel. Catholic Forum is a production of the Office of Communications of the Diocese of Wilmington. Please like, share and subscribe!

Sawyer Dennison announces his run for the House of Delegates as a Republican in District 78. Mike Oliverio, R, Monongalia, 13, announces his plans to run for reelection. 

Are AI bots snagging up the best seats in the house? Michael Pope has this report about a member of the House of Delegates who wants to crack down on algorithms that buy tickets in bulk.

In this episode of Ask and Answered by Soul, Jennifer Urezzio sits down with Bonnie Schultz — founder of Tandem Resource Solutions and host of the Delegate to Elevate podcast — to dive deep into the spiritual, emotional, and practical power of letting go. With honesty, humor, and heart, Bonnie shares her journey from corporate imposter syndrome to empowered CEO. She reveals how reclaiming her voice, choosing joy, and building a business based on trust and team have helped her create spaciousness in both her life and her soul. Together, Jennifer and Bonnie explore: Why letting go is more than a spiritual cliché — it's a leadership skill. How control keeps us stuck (and broke). What delegation has to do with Divine alignment. The songs that inspire surrender (yes, “Let It Go” makes a cameo). What it really means to lead with heart and strategy in tandem. You'll walk away with tangible practices to release control, reconnect with joy, and grow a soul-aligned business that doesn't cost you your peace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

298: How to Scale Your Business Without Diluting Your Brand Today we're diving into one of the biggest challenges for growing businesses — scaling without losing control of your brand. Growth is exciting, but it can also expose every weakness in your systems, your messaging, and your client experience. So in this episode, we're talking about how to protect your brand's integrity as you bring on more clients, more team members, and more opportunities. Because scaling should amplify your brand — not dilute it. Topics Mentioned: Brand Control and Defense Brand Alignment Brand Guardrails Consistency Builds Trust Key Thoughts:  Clarity Becomes More Critical As You Scale Weaknesses in brand clarity become louder and more obvious as you scale. Create a documented, teachable brand identity. Your offer, audience, client experience, and brand promise should be crystal clear and written. Systems Are Your Brand's Best Defense Systems replicate your standards when you are not in the room. Use SOPs and checklists to stay consistent. Systems create freedom. Delegate the Work, Not the Brand Identity Team members and outsourced partners need guardrails. Define what is flexible and what is non-negotiable.   Consistency Builds Trust Faster Than Marketing Every touchpoint communicates something about your brand. Consistency creates trust, referrals and brand recognition. Inconsistency kills scaling efforts.   Your Team Must Become Brand Stewards Team training should include philosophy. Teams should connect the dots to the "why". Teams that understand the "why" will protect the brand without micromanagement.   Protect the Vision As You Grow Many businesses forget to scale vision leading to scattered offers and brand drift. Scaling requires strategic "no's". Avoid expanding so wide that you lose focus.     Contact Michele: Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL Website: ScarletThreadConsulting.com LinkedIn: Michele Williams   References and Resources: Work with Me The Designers' Inner Circle - Become a Member Today    CFO2Go Strategy2Go Metrique Solutions

Delegation is the critical skill that separates struggling freelancers from successful business founders. In this episode, Preston Lee and Vijay Rajendran break down the complex art of managing subcontractors, offering a roadmap for entrepreneurs who find themselves constantly fixing mistakes and feeling overwhelmed. Learn how to transform your leadership approach from constant oversight to strategic team development. This episode provides practical insights that can help you build a more efficient, scalable business by mastering the nuanced art of delegation. Support our show sponsors -> https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Submit your own question -> https://freelancetofounder.com/ask Connect with Vijay -> ⁠StartupSystem⁠  | ⁠Read My Book⁠ | ⁠Follow me on Substack⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join the Growth Letter for weekly strategic perspectives on sustainable business growth - https://www.darrellevans.net/subscribeIn this final episode of the series, I tackle the most expensive problem successful founders face - and it's not what you think. After 14 years working with businesses doing $1M to $20M+ in revenue, I've watched brilliant founders become prisoners of their own expertise. Your team's sharp, your processes are solid, but clients still only want to talk to you. I break down why this isn't a delegation problem or a hiring problem - it's an infrastructure problem. I reveal the three specific conditions that allow trust to scale systematically beyond you, including the one layer most founders completely miss (it's the most complicated, and I still struggle with it myself). If you've ever thought "I'm trapped by my own reputation," or your team keeps running decisions back to you that they should make themselves, this episode shows you exactly why that's happening and what actually fixes it. No guru tactics - just the proven system that transfers judgment, not just tasks.Join the Growth Letter for weekly strategic perspectives on sustainable business growth - https://www.darrellevans.net/subscribe No tactics. No trends. Just clear thinking on what actually works from three decades of working with $1M+ businesses that have outgrown tactics but need strategic clarity.

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, investors! Scott Carson here, fresh off our "Note Buying for Dummies" workshop, where the #1 lesson is always: market smarter, not harder! As one past coach put it about my students: "Scott knows his shit when it comes to raising capital marketing, and it works!" If you're tired of marketing being a 40-hour work week and want to blast past the competition, this episode is your blueprint. No more smoke signals – let's automate your success, even over holidays!In this episode, you'll learn:Holiday Marketing on Autopilot (Canva + CRM): Create stunning, personalized holiday greetings (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's!) with Canva's AI design templates. Upload your headshot, brand it, and preschedule a year of warm touches to your entire database via your CRM. It's an extra touch that truly pays off!Social Media Domination (Buffer): Schedule all your content (those awesome Canva images!) across every platform with Buffer. Free for two channels (LinkedIn & Twitter!), or super affordable for more. Set it and forget it – your marketing machine keeps rolling while you're enjoying life!Video to Viral (OpusClip.ai): Turn long videos into dozens of engaging shorts for TikTok, Reels, and YouTube. OpusClip.ai auto-generates titles, copy, and hashtags, then mass-schedu les across all your profiles. For just $29/month, transform one interview into weeks of content!AI Avatar Marketing (HeyGen.ai): Create personalized videos with AI avatars (even of yourself – Santa Scott, anyone?). Upload your voice, type your script, and generate professional messages for holidays or deal announcements. Grab free tickets to their upcoming boot camp – why wait for 2026 for cutting-edge marketing?Delegate & Conquer (REVA Global VA Services): Overwhelmed? REVA Global offers phenomenal VAs to manage all these tools, from creating Canva images and posting to Buffer, to bookkeeping and due diligence. Free up your time with their expertise (check out their Black Friday VA placement deal!)Don't be a January 1st resolution casualty! The holidays are prime time to get ahead. These tools – Canva, Buffer, OpusClip, HeyGen, and REVA Global – are for smart investors like YOU. Stop waiting for deals and capital to fall into your lap. Automate your marketing, absolutely shock and awe your competition, and make 2026 your most profitable year yet. Go out, take some action, and we'll see you at the top!Watch the Original VIDEO HERE!Book a Call With Scott HERE!Sign up for the next FREE One-Day Note Class HERE!Sign up for the WCN Membership HERE!Sign up for the next Note Buying For Dummies Workshop HERE!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here's How »Join the Note Closers Show community today:WeCloseNotes.comThe Note Closers Show FacebookThe Note Closers Show TwitterScott Carson LinkedInThe Note Closers Show YouTubeThe Note Closers Show VimeoThe Note Closers Show InstagramWe Close Notes Pinterest

Author Kate O'Neill's Book "What Matters Next": AI, Meaning, and Why We Can't Delegate Creativity | Redefining Society and Technology with Marco CiappelliKate O'Neill: https://www.koinsights.com/books/what-matters-next-book/Marco Ciappelli: https://www.marcociappelli.com/ When Kate O'Neill tells me that AI's most statistically probable outcome is actually its least meaningful one, I realize we're talking about something information theory has known for decades - but nobody's applying to the way we're using ChatGPT.She's a linguist who became a tech pioneer, one of Netflix's first hundred employees, someone who saw the first graphical web browser and got chills knowing everything was about to change. Her new book "What Matters Next" isn't another panic piece about AI or a blind celebration of automation. It's asking the question nobody seems to want to answer: what happens when we optimize for probability instead of meaning?I've been wrestling with this myself. The more I use AI tools for content, analysis, brainstorming - the more I notice something's missing. The creativity isn't there. It's brilliant for summarization, execution, repetitive tasks. But there's a flatness to it, a regression to the mean that strips away the very thing that makes human communication worth having.Kate puts it plainly: "There is nothing more human than meaning-making. From semantic meaning all the way out to the philosophical, cosmic worldview - what matters and why we're here."Every time we hit "generate" and just accept what the algorithm produces, we're choosing efficiency over meaning. We're delegating the creative process to a system optimized for statistical likelihood, not significance.She laughs when I tell her about my own paradox - that AI sometimes takes MORE time, not less. There's this old developer concept called "yak shaving," where you spend ten times longer writing a program to automate five steps instead of just doing them. But the real insight isn't about time management. It's about understanding the relationship between our thoughts and the tools we use to express them.In her book "What Matters Next," Kate's message is that we need to stay in the loop. Use AI for ugly first drafts, sure. Let it expedite workflow. But keep going back and forth, inserting yourself, bringing meaning and purpose back into the process. Otherwise, we create what she calls "garbage that none of us want to exist in the world with."I wrote recently about the paradox of learning when we rely entirely on machines. If AI only knows what we've done in the past, and we don't inject new meaning into that loop, it becomes closed. It's like doomscrolling through algorithms that only feed you what you already like - you never discover anything new, never grow, never challenge yourself.We're living in a Hybrid Analog Digital Society where these tools are unavoidable and genuinely powerful. The question isn't whether to use them. It's how to use them in ways that amplify human creativity rather than flatten it, that enhance meaning rather than optimize it away.The dominant narrative right now is efficiency, productivity, automation. But what if the real value isn't doing things faster - it's doing things that actually matter? Technology should serve humanity's purpose. Not the other way around. And that purpose can't be dictated by algorithms trained on statistical likelihood. It has to come from us, from the messy, unpredictable, meaningful work of being human.My Newsletter? Yes, of course, it is here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7079849705156870144/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Text your thoughts and questions!Are you constantly battling a massive to-do list that leaves you feeling guilty and behind before you even start? What's meant to be a helpful tool for productivity often becomes a major source of stress and overwhelm. The reason? You're working from the wrong list. This week, episode 289 of the Positively LivingⓇ Podcast is about where your to-do list trips you up!In this episode of the Positively LivingⓇ Podcast, I'm unpacking why your brain dump list is not your to-do list (and how viewing it as such is sabotaging your success) and sharing actionable steps you can take right now to transform your chaotic list into a focused guide that works for you. I cover the following topics:Why the traditional to-do list leads to analysis paralysis and stress.Why starting with a Guided Mind Sweep to get everything out of your head is essential, though not enough.How to avoid the task list pitfalls with the 4Ds Framework for task processing: Delete, Delegate, Delay and Do.It's time to take back control. Stop letting your overflowing list be the boss! True productivity isn't about doing more, it's about doing what matters most with clarity. Download the Guided Mindsweep for FREE at positivelyproductive.com/resources Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me!  And don't forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!Learn more about Positively LivingⓇ and Lisa at https://positivelyproductive.com/podcast/Stop trying to fit into someone else's productivity rules! Grab my free Productivity Toolkit, a collection of workbooks designed to help you explore how you work, uncover what truly matters to you, and create your very own energy-friendly systems. Get it here: www.positivelyproductive.com/plpkitCONNECT WITH LISA ZAWROTNY:FacebookInstagramResourcesWork with Lisa! LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:(Find links to books/gear on the Positively Productive Resources Page.)Tackle Your To-Do List in Four Simple StepsUsing the 80-20 Principle to Leverage a Better LifeMake Your Holiday Season Less Stressful with the 80-20 PrincipleDance Song Playlist V1, V2, V3Music by Ian and Jeff ZawrotnyStart your own podcast with Buzzsprout!

It's Friday morning in Belém and COP30 is moving fast. After yesterday's fire and the overnight closure of the venue, the Brazilian Presidency worked through the night and released a new draft text early this morning. It has immediately triggered significant pushback.In this emergency episode the team talks through what changed overnight, and why so many countries are unhappy. Christiana Figueres highlights how the new text removes the roadmaps for transitioning away from fossil fuels and for halting deforestation, and why that has triggered such a strong response.The mood on the ground has shifted. Delegates are back after the disruption yesterday, rested just enough to be energised, and preparing to make their views known in plenary. The Presidency now has to listen, absorb, and decide how far it can move.This is our Friday morning take on a rapidly changing situation, the snapshot before whatever comes next. Follow us on social media across the day for real time updates from Belém.Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimismLearn more:

One way to make a lot of money in America today is to have a good book or seminar on the subject of management, especially time management. We are management crazy! Tell me how to get more from my time, how to get more done, and get other people to do things. Well, I've got some very interesting advice and it didn't cost me a dime. It was on a wall plaque. It said, "When in charge, ponder. When in trouble, delegate. When in doubt, mumble." As our society gets more complicated and more stressful we try to delegate more and more; things that we all used to do for ourselves years ago, at least in other generations. You know, a lot of kids used to be raised and educated at home. Then our culture got to the point where we delegated all of the education out to others. And now, the pendulum is swinging back to homeschooling. And, most of us don't work on the farm very much any more, so we have to delegate the physical development that our children used to get doing all those chores on the farm to P.E. teachers so they don't turn into blobs. We can delegate house cleaning to other people if you've got a little money. There are people who say, "We'll take care of your lawn for you." You can delegate cooking to McDonald's. You can delegate a lot of things. There's one thing, one assignment, you actually cannot delegate. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Parent's 'No Delegate' Job." Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Deuteronomy 6. Here we find the instructions that God gave to the Jews when they were going to have to raise their children in an atmosphere that had two challenges. Challenge number one: after having been pretty poor, now He's going to put them in an environment where they have lots; where they have plenty. They'll be affluent. Secondly, they're going to be in the middle of a pagan culture, tempted by pagan girls, pagan guys, and pagan music. Sounds a little bit like the world in which we're raising our kids: pretty affluent culture, pretty pagan culture. Well, in that kind of a setting, God gives these instructions - couldn't be more relevant. Our word for today from the Word of God: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." You can delegate some of the education of your children, and some of their physical development - might get someone else to drive them around. But you cannot delegate this one responsibility - helping them fall in love with the Lord. That's your job if you're a mom or dad. "Love the Lord your God," and that's supposed to come through the parents. They'll teach the kids to do that. You just can't give that responsibility to any Christian school, or leader, or organization. Only a parent can get close enough to transfer a love relationship with Christ. Others can give your child information, encouragement, examples, but the buck for shaping your child's soul stops with you. How does it happen? Well, there are two things here. First of all, there's time spent. You can tell. It says, "as you're walking with them, sitting with them, you're there when they get up, you're there when they go to bed." We're talking about the classroom of everyday life; you have to spend that kind of time. Secondly, it happens through natural faith. "There's another person living at our house, guys." This isn't just formal devotions. You learn to love Christ as He is a real person at your house; somebody we relate to, we talk to. We talk about Him and we talk with Him in real and natural ways in the fabric of our everyday life. Don't forget the Lord because of all the goodies of life. We fall in love with those goodies and get too busy to do our number one job. Our mission is not to create church members, or to create believers in their parent's faith. We're to raise God lovers, and that's got to begin in your own heart. Maybe the epitaph of your life will be, "He taught us to love Jesus." No one else can do that like you can.

The United Nations climate summit, known as COP30, will wrap up later this week, and its achievements will likely be more muted this year. Delegates from nearly 200 countries are meeting near the Amazon rainforest, but the Trump administration decided not to send anyone. As part of our Tipping Point series, William Brangham discussed more with former Secretary of State John Kerry. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

In this episode, Kathi Lipp shares the one tool that rescued her holidays from overwhelm: the Help List. If your brain goes blank when guests ask, “How can I help?” this episode gives you an easy, repeatable system to turn stress into shared responsibility. Listeners will learn how to: - Create a list of five-to-fifteen-minute jobs guests can grab without instructions - Pre-stage hosting tasks (charcuterie tools, serving dishes, bathroom wipe-downs, ice duty) - Delegate non-cooking roles (greeting, recycling runs, kid/dog duty, dessert station) - Keep food hot and transitions smooth with real-life tips from the Clutter Free community (trivets + sticky notes, buffet swap captain, leftovers station) Kathi shows how a simple Help List declutters your mental load and builds a shared home culture—so you can enjoy your people without playing the one-woman show. Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, and small groups.

In this Friday Field Notes episode, Ryan Michler challenges men to stop drifting through life and confront the apathy holding them back. He breaks down the five core actions that help men regain direction, eliminate complacency, and move with purpose. Ryan speaks candidly about distraction, burnout, and his own past patterns of escape, giving listeners a direct path to clarity and discipline. This episode offers a clear call for men to reclaim their focus, cut the noise, and commit to what actually matters. A powerful, practical reminder for anyone who feels stuck or overwhelmed. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS 00:00 Introduction 00:22 Burnout and rising apathy 01:54 Why men are giving up 03:40 Know what you want 06:10 Delegate what drains you 08:45 Remove energy draining people 11:23 Go deep, not wide 14:50 Ryan's story of sedation 16:06 Stop escaping your life 18:34 Final message and call to action Battle Planners: Pick yours up today! Order Ryan's new book, The Masculinity Manifesto. For more information on the Iron Council brotherhood. Want maximum health, wealth, relationships, and abundance in your life? Sign up for our free course, 30 Days to Battle Ready

John F. Kennedy once said; “Victory has 100 Fathers and Defeat is an Orphan.” He may have left out the part where defeat has many cousins ready to tell you what went wrong. The secret to growing from a defeat is being able to cull the appropriate lessons from the multitude of offerings of analysis. Such is the story of Virginia's GOP and the defeats suffered State-wide and in the House of Delegates. One rule of thumb is to seek out people with first-hand experience during the defeat because they might often have real direct experience with where “the train started to come off the rails.”  Such is the story of Scott Pio, he is the Loudon County GOP chair. Glenn Youngkin's gains in his county helped propel him to the Governors' Mansion in 2021. Now he's demanding leadership changes within the statewide party and we sit down with him to talk about what he wants to see happen and what he's prepared to do if it doesn't change. Keep Up With The Daily Signal   Sign up for our email newsletters:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.dailysignal.com/email⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠     Subscribe to our other shows:    The Tony Kinnett Cast: ⁠https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL2284199939⁠ The Signal Sitdown: ⁠https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL2026390376⁠   Problematic Women:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL7765680741⁠   Victor Davis Hanson: ⁠https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL9809784327⁠     Follow The Daily Signal:    X:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=DailySignal⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/thedailysignal/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/TheDailySignalNews/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Truth Social:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://truthsocial.com/@DailySignal⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1⁠    Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices