Podcasts about Embarrassment

John Harbaugh's first speech to the Giants has Evan Roberts ready to run through a wall and openly jealous that Big Blue finally hired a proven head coach. Tiki Barber explains why Harbaugh's résumé, authenticity and football obsession make his message land differently than the empty optimism surrounding past Giants coaches. The excitement quickly turns into a warning about expectations. Evan believes Harbaugh's competence should prevent another embarrassing, inept season, while Tiki admits the runaway hype scares him after a decade of disappointment. They debate how long Harbaugh's honeymoon will last, compare his arrival to Bill Parcells taking over the Jets and explain why elite coaching could change everything for the Giants.

Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream...defeated the Chicago Sky Sunday night. Angel Reese struggled throughout the game...and left early due to injury. Before the game...Angel Reese addressed the media and the controversy surrounding Sandy Brondello. Unfortunately...this was another missed opportunity for Angel Reese. We reveal and react to Angel Reese comments regarding Sandy Brondello. We explain why this was a missed opportunity for Angel Reese. We also explain why the WNBA is not a basketball league...and discuss the WNBA relying on manufactured controversy to generate interest. USE PROMO CODE BTL30 TO SAVE 30% WITH FLUFFERNOGGIN: https://fluffernoggin.com

Dan unleashes on Toronto Tempo coach Sandy Brondello who received a 1-game suspension over her "protected species" hot mic comment toward Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese. Dan puts WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert's horrific leadership and selective outrage on full blast. Plus, As NFL teams officially hit the field for training camp, NFL insider Armando Salguero joins Dan to reveal the one storyline he's most excited to track this summer. Then, the guys tackle the league's ongoing surface debate: Has the World Cup's successful use of natural grass completely exposed the NFL's arguments for sticking with artificial turf? Subscribe to Don't @ Me for daily videos and shorts: https://tr.ee/M6w2km Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Morning Mantra: "You can spend your whole life avoiding embarrassment and accidentally avoid joy too."Embarrassment is caused by putting far too much thought into what other people think very little about.It's better to not care what people think and live life to the fullest rather than missing out and being someone you aren't.  Because sometimes embarrassment is the cost of entry to an amazing adventure.The people actually enjoying life are allowing themselves to be excited, emotional, passionate, invested in joy. Existing like you're too cool to care about anything is such a dull way to experience being alive.Sometimes the greatest things about life are the most embarrassing! They offer things that no other moment can.  And many times we look back and realize that those moments were the funniest, most exciting, most joy – filled moments in our lives.So stop overthinking it and wear the bathing suit to the beach and swim with your kids or grandkids, dance even when people are watching, play the game at the party, try something new! Hopefully you will realize how rarely people actually care about what you do. Don't  give up the opportunities for happiness that life offers.#BeOkWithEmbarassing #BeHappy #BeHorsey #BeHippie #HorseHippie #MorningMantra #WordsToInspire #InspirationalQuotes #SmallBusinessOwner #WomenOwned #HorseHippieBoutique #MorningMotivation #Equestrian #HorseLover #QuotesToInspire #HorseHippieBoutique

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Geena gets Frankie prepped for hosting a world cup watch party by quizzing him on soccer trivia. Is he ready or will he let all of us down? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Quick SummaryJen Govier is the founder of HUX, a bamboo charcoal underwear brand designed to eliminate camel toe and keep women feeling confident and comfortable. In this conversation, Jen shares the origin story behind HUX — from a mortifying gym mirror moment to a product now sold in 19 countries — and the patient, intentional entrepreneurial journey that made it possible.In This Episode:The gym mirror moment that sparked the idea for HUXWhy Jen spent four years validating and building before launching in 2020How she balanced building a business on evenings and weekends while running private wealth managementThe decision to resign from a six-figure corporate career at 50 — and what happened immediately afterHow organic social media and community-first marketing drove 90% of HUX's growthThe shift from saying yes to everything to being strategic with time and ROILanding GoodLife, F45, The Source, and Trish Stratus — and what made those partnerships workManifestation as a practice: dreaming bigger and taking action despite not knowing the "how"Key Takeaways:One thing a day compounds. Jen turned a gym mishap into a global brand by committing to a single daily action — starting in 2016 and launching in 2020. Time passes anyway; put it to work.Talk about your idea before it's ready. Every major breakthrough — the fashion mentor in Costa Rica, the GoodLife connection, Trish Stratus — came through people who knew what she was building. Keeping an idea private kills the serendipity.Saying yes to everything has a shelf life. Early-stage, saying yes builds brand awareness. Later-stage, it erodes margins and time. Learn when to make the shift.Partnerships are for credibility; direct-to-consumer is for revenue. Major retail and gym partnerships gave HUX legitimacy — but organic social media and word-of-mouth remains the #1 revenue driver.Don't wait for a full-body yes before leaping — build toward it. Jen's leap felt right because she spent years preparing the conditions. There's no universal timeline.Memorable Quotes:"Time is going to pass anyway — so you might as well put in what you want." — Jen Govier"The day I resigned, we were on Breakfast Television. Within three months we'd signed with GoodLife. It was like the universe said, 'Okay, you're serious. We'll meet you where you're at.'" — Jen Govier"It's more than underwear. It's about giving women confidence — whether you're at the gym or on a stage. It's the first thing you put on every day. You want to feel good in it." — Jen GovierResources & People Mentioned:HUX Underwear — myhux.ca | @huxwearFriends and Neighbors (TV series, starring Jon Hamm) — Jen's current bingeKelsey's Website: www.KelseyReidl.comKelsey's Instagram: @KelseyReidlGoodLife Fitness — national partnership / rewards programThe Source — Canadian retail partnerF45 — gym partnershipLondon Health Sciences Centre — employee program partnerTrish Stratus — WWE Hall of Famer, brand ambassador for HUX 2.0 launchDragon's Den — Jen pitched producers; validated unit economics without taking a dealMolly Middleton — Dragon's Den producerWestern University (London, ON) — Engineering department, early fabric researchAbout the GuestJen Govier is a London, Ontario-based entrepreneur and the founder of HUX, an innovative underwear brand built around bamboo charcoal fabric and a built-in camel toe guard. After nearly a decade of building the brand alongside a career in private wealth management, she left a senior banking role in January 2025 to go all in. HUX has now been sold in 19 countries.

My guest is Kurt Johnson Co-author of The Moon Tavern, A Culinary Love Story With Recipes. The Moon Tavern takes the reader on a romantic and culinary journey through the Islands of Croatia, where dark family secrets are revealed, quirky friends and relatives are found, and love is discovered.Vesna, or Ves, is a cookbook writer from Minneapolis who travels to the remote, exotic island of Lastovo off Croatia's Mediterranean coast to reconnect with her biological grandmother. She'd been adopted as a young child after her parents died in the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. Ves is also fleeing a frayed relationship with her live-in partner, Reed.In Lastovo, she meets Dinko, a single, handsome, and wealthy vineyard owner, and his cute daughter Mia. With his help with the translation, Ves discovers her biological family's history and the dark secrets of what happened during the war. Romance, travel, and cooking ensue. She ultimately learns what matters most to her: simplicity in life, closeness with family, and someone to share love with. And, of course, food!Stephanie [00:00:00]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to Dishing with Stephanie's Dish, the podcast where we talk to people in the food space and other spaces. All the spaces of all the fun things. Kurt is my spouse, Kurt Johnson, and also the co author of the Moon Tavern, a culinary romance with recipes. It is a fiction book that is available on your bookshelf now. Welcome to the podcast, Kurt.Kurt Johnson [00:00:22]:Hi, thanks for having me.Stephanie [00:00:24]:Thanks for having us. The idea that we should work on a book together. I am, as many of you listening know, a cookbook writer and my husband is a fiction writer. And somewhere along the way, we decided that maybe it would be good to collaborate together. Kurt, was it you or me that had the idea first? I think it was you.Kurt Johnson [00:00:42]:Yeah, probably. I was kind of done with my past book writing about Las Vegas and looking for something different. And we'd been traveling a lot, so going to Croatia, going to Italy, going out west, going to Turkey. So I wanted to incorporate travel with a novel, and I also wanted to incorporate food. And so I thought this would be a lot of fun. Since we're traveling together, we have those shared experiences and you have the food experience and the food writing experience. So I thought it'd be a fun collaboration. And I've always liked the idea of love stories.Kurt Johnson [00:01:18]:Even my thriller books in Las Vegas had kind of a love story element. And it adds a dimension to a novel that, I don't know, makes it cohesive, makes it pull together in an emotional arc that's kind of fulfilling in the end.Stephanie [00:01:33]:Do you think you're a romantic at heart, or what is it about romances that are fun to write for you?Kurt Johnson [00:01:39]:Maybe I'm a romance at heart. I may be more stoic than that, though. I just. I like the idea of seeing people get together, seeing people enjoy the same interests and finding people that can fall in love. Of course, that's always the fun part. The hard part is once you get married and move on from there and have to deal with kids and daily life and work and all the other things that go with living life. And that's not that much fun to write.Stephanie [00:02:07]:Yeah, exactly. We as a couple, I think I can speak for me and you maybe on this one. We've always had great experiences traveling. We are good traveling companions. We like the spirit of adventure. Did you know that Croatia would be the spot for the first fiction endeavor?Kurt Johnson [00:02:24]:Yeah, that was a given since we'd been there five times and four times running a sailboat and visiting the islands. And as you know, Stephanie, I'm just enamored with those islands, I think they're so beautiful. And there was one island we discovered out there, Lastovo, which is the furthest island out. So a lot of the sailors and tourists just never get there. They stay closer to shore. So, you know, going out there the first time, this beautiful bay of Zachlopedia, where, you know, it's a, it's a protective cove which is beautiful turquoise water. And then taking the dinghy in, and then you walk up this path, I think it's about a two mile hike. And then you go over this ridge and this 16th, 15th century town opens up.Kurt Johnson [00:03:10]:You know, at one point maybe it had 10,000 residents. And, and it, it, when we first saw it, I don't know, 10, 15 years ago, it was abandoned. So it was a ghost town of 15th century buildings and churches and apartments in this beautiful valley of lush green foliage. So that's very picturesque. We had an incredible meal there of just simple anchovies and blitfa. And for you, for you people out there that don't know, blitfa is ubiquitous in Croatia. And it's, it's just spring potatoes with Swiss chard, but it's served with everything.Stephanie [00:03:52]:It is served with everything. And they sometimes have spinach, sometimes have like another type of green, but it's sort of like the potatoes are cooked till they're pretty soft, and then it's kind of mashed in a little bit. So it's not fully a mashed potato and it's not fully a roasted potato. It's sort of a combination of both. But it is good.Kurt Johnson [00:04:12]:Yeah, so, yeah, that's so, you know, it seemed such an exotic place, the island of Lastovo in Croatia, that it was a natural to place it there.Stephanie [00:04:23]:Can you tell a little bit of just an introduction of the story, like what people will find when they crack open the book?Kurt Johnson [00:04:30]:Sure. It's about Vesna, who is. Has a breakup with her live in boyfriend, and they'd had a restaurant. She was a chef, a cookbook authority, and had a restaurant, not unlike my dear wife Stephanie. And she has a breakup and she leaves Minneapolis to go to Croatia to uncover her. Her heritage. She had been adopted from Croatia, specifically Dubrovnik, when her parents died in the Serb bombing of Dubrovnik in 1991. So she was adopted out of there and raised in Minnesota.Kurt Johnson [00:05:05]:So then she goes to Croatia and rediscovers her dark family secrets and meets Dinko Radek, who is a winery owner, and, you know, romance ensues. But she has a life still back in Minneapolis that she has to go back to and resolve.Stephanie [00:05:24]:When we talked about putting this first concept together, you know, I see the world through food. Like, literally everything in sort of my life is framed by a meal, an experience, just the way that I see the world. It's always around food, celebrations. And so did you know that that would work for this Croatia book? Because I didn't. When you first brought it up, I was like, I can't be a Croatian grandma here. And writing recipes about what at the time I perceived as, like, dumplings.Kurt Johnson [00:05:53]:Yeah, I wasn't sure either, frankly. You know, so each chapter, there's 25 chapters, and each chapter in it has a description of cooking. And it's all Croatia cooking, Croatia recipes. You know, all food we at over the years where we were there. And then the idea of tagging on recipes was just kind of bringing it home. Like, here's the Croatia experience. Now here's how Stephanie would bring that back to the real world, which is here in the United States.Stephanie [00:06:21]:We have talked about doing a series of books. What is it about this genre that you think lends itself to other titles and other characters?Kurt Johnson [00:06:29]:Well, you know, it's an adventure book on one level, and there's always new places to visit. So the next book is based in Panza, Italy, where we've been a couple times. And it's this beautiful island off the coast of Italy in the Mediterranean. And, you know, Italian food. You go to Italy and what you remember is the pizza in Naples or the. The pasta in Rome and. And the busteca up in the hills. So, you know, a way to experience a place is.Kurt Johnson [00:07:04]:Is through food. And I like writing about new settings. You know, it. It's not as interesting writing about Minnesota,Stephanie [00:07:11]:but you've written a lot about Las Vegas. You've had how many books about Las Vegas? Three.Kurt Johnson [00:07:16]:Yeah, three. You know, two of the. Of kind of a thriller in. Two thrillers in a series, and then a book about RVing that ends up in. In Las Vegas. And Las Vegas is a interesting place, and I lived there for five years running nightclubs and restaurants. And so two of the books are Underbelly of Las Vegas, which I was a part of in the nightclub scene back in the late 80s. So that's just flat out fun to write about.Kurt Johnson [00:07:39]:And Las Vegas is such a weirdo place that it's fun to bring that to life.Stephanie [00:07:45]:It's interesting to hear you talk about that. The way you choose your stories is about place, because the first book, the Barrens, that you wrote with our Daughter Ellie, inspired by her experiences as a canoe camper in the tundra. That's also based in Place, too. Place is sort of what starts you on these journeys. It seems like, yeah, you know something,Kurt Johnson [00:08:07]:you threw me a curveball because I never really thought about it. But you're exactly right.Stephanie [00:08:12]:All.Kurt Johnson [00:08:12]:All these books start off with a setting, with a place, and then, you know, the plots revolve around. Around that. And there's just so many. So many different. There's a finite number of, really, plots you can choose from. It's kind of like a piano keyboard has all the. The notes that you want to make up a. A music piece the same way with plot structures.Kurt Johnson [00:08:34]:And so to take it to the next level, you really have to search out characters, and the characters are in a setting, so those two are inexplicably, Inextricably. Inextricably linked. Yeah, exactly. So, you know, the two go hand in hand. So character and place really can set a novel apart.Stephanie [00:08:59]:Can you think of other books that you've written or. Excuse me. No, not that you've written, that you've read. Where Place sort of started you off on this adventure?Kurt Johnson [00:09:07]:Yeah, probably. I really love Beautiful Ruins.Stephanie [00:09:11]:Jess Walters.Kurt Johnson [00:09:13]:Walters, yeah. And that starts off in Italy, kind of near Cinque de Terre. And it's kind of the poor version of Cinque de Terre, where the tourists don't go. And it was such a fascinating story. And then they bring that all back to Hollywood in America, and it just works so well. But what really captures your imagination is the description of this little seaside community. Before the whole plot takes over, IStephanie [00:09:41]:kind of think about that book. The Embarrassment of Mangoes.Kurt Johnson [00:09:44]:Yeah.Stephanie [00:09:44]:When you and I first started sailing and going on these adventures, we read that book. It was about a couple that buys a boat and sails through the Caribbean, and she is discovering spices and fruits and vegetables and things that she's never eaten before. And I just loved that book. It was really what got me into sailing and thinking about how to make that our life and whether or not, you know, we could buy a boat and do that. And that boat really had a huge setting of place. Can you think of, like. I don't know. When I think of other books, there's very few books that I think about character first.Stephanie [00:10:19]:I usually always think about the place. Maybe that's just something.Kurt Johnson [00:10:22]:Or the plot, too. Yeah, they're all just linked together. And you don't think about. Well, you were saying you don't think about character as much.Stephanie [00:10:31]:Not really.Kurt Johnson [00:10:32]:Yeah, it's funny. I think, you know, the best books people say are character driven, but they're inexplicable. What's the word again?Stephanie [00:10:41]:Inextricably.Kurt Johnson [00:10:43]:Inextricably. Trouble with that. Linked. So, you know, you pick a place and you pick a plot and then you build these characters. The characters have to build around that plot and so they kind of naturally flow. And, and I, I think they, if they're well written and honest, you shouldn't think of them. You know, they're interesting characters and you'll say, you know, this is Rabbit and the Rabbit series. And you'll know, but you won't say, oh, that's just a great character.Kurt Johnson [00:11:10]:I, I, I don't know that I certainly, you know, I'm probably deep into it and I look at the craft a lot so I can see where somebody has really spent some time to develop an honest character or where, you know, the narrative voice comes through and, and a character comes to life through this first person narrative voice. So I see that a lot moreStephanie [00:11:30]:people have a real, like they can't believe you can write a book. Like the idea of the literal act of sitting down and writing and how that works. People fantasize about writing it, but then very few people do. What was it that got you over the hump from thinking about writing it to actually sitting down and doing it?Kurt Johnson [00:11:47]:Well, selling our business and all of a sudden being able to free up time. Because for me, novel writing and I think was it Chrisham talked about, you know, writing at 5 in the morning before he goes to work at 7. I just couldn't do that. You know, I just, I'm very focused on one thing and, and so I needed to free up my time from work in order to get going. And then it was, can you put together, you know, a thousand or fifteen hundred words every day so that it links up into a novel and have that, not only that, that discipline, but also have the creative juices to produce scenes almost every day because, you know, like a, a good novel is created from 50 scenes. So I went from, you know, writing a memoir that I probably won't publish just to see if I can get, you know, a thousand words every day and put this together to then writing Las Vegas turnaround. And there I, I, I really just copied a lot of plot structures that I saw that I liked. And so it was easier for me to set up main characters, set up tertiary characters, subplots, because I had a blueprint from somebody else.Kurt Johnson [00:12:56]:And then, and then once, you know, you Keep writing. You get muscle memory for it and it becomes more, more natural and actually more fun because it becomes more organic. You'll follow characters through a town and they'll meet somebody and all of a sudden that person becomes a character in their universe and they say something and all of a sudden that takes off and you have to follow it. Now, you know, the woman's gonna fall in love with a guy at the end. But getting there is the fun part. And now I can do that a lot more organically.Stephanie [00:13:27]:If you are talking to any aspiring novel writers, what kind of advice do you have for them to get started?Kurt Johnson [00:13:34]:Well, you know, you gotta lower your expectations just because publishing is so hard, you know.Stephanie [00:13:39]:Can you elaborate on that?Kurt Johnson [00:13:41]:Well, you know, there's maybe two or three or 400 agents, most of them in New York City and they're all trying to make a buck. And it's hard to make a buck off a debut writer. It helps if you're MFA and you're writing in a genre because, you know, let's say 70% of the books are read by women and 70% of those are romances. And then men, the other 30%, probably 80% of what they read are, you know, thrillers or mysteries. So if you can pick a genre, that always helps. But yeah, it, you have to be more thoughtful about it. And I think, I think so many first time writers, you know, once they get the discipline and put, put the, the words on a page, they write that first personal novel, you know, and I wrote my memoir and it's, it's really 90% of those, they, you know, people have the, they aspire for the great American novel and it's too personal, it's too close to home. They can't break out from the reality of their lives to have fun with the plot and make things happen.Kurt Johnson [00:14:45]:So a lot of times these books, nothing happens. They're deeply emotional books where nothing happens and they're, they're excruciatingly boring. So you gotta get past that phase and then you gotta look at it as a, as a craft. And, you know, a big chunk of it's art, of course, whatever you wanna call that, you know, shedding light on the human experience. But a big chunk is craft. And I don't think you can get to the craft for most people in that first book. So you gotta keep writing, you know, and realize that the first couple books may not get published. So, you know, the barons got published.Kurt Johnson [00:15:21]:That was one, two, that was my third, fourth book, you know, and the, and two, the, the first three, two of them were duds that will never be published.Stephanie [00:15:31]:Yeah. Yeah. All right, well, it's good to chat with you about the book. We are in the marketing process of the book. I feel like books come in three waves. One is the idea that you're thinking about it. The second, the actual writing of it. And then the third is actual the marketing of it.Stephanie [00:15:48]:What do you think's the hardest part?Kurt Johnson [00:15:49]:Well, I mean, it's. The hardest part's finding an agent and finding a publisher. Then if you self publish, the hardest part is marketing. And at least it is for me because writing is so natural and fun for me. But I think for most people, you know, the writing's a hard part. And, and you know, like the Minnesota writer o', Brien, he hates writing, so he forces himself. Tim o'. Brien.Kurt Johnson [00:16:12]:So he forces himself to get those books out there. So probably that's the hardest part for him.Stephanie [00:16:17]:We had, I had a cookbook, two cookbooks out and I had a publisher, but they didn't publish this book because it was a fiction book. I think some people just assume like, oh, well, they've already had books out, but we self published this book. Why did we make that decision from your standpoint?Kurt Johnson [00:16:33]:Well, we couldn't get an A list agent or a New York publisher. There's just not, it comes off as almost a debut book and it's hard for them to make any money. So if you can't get an A lister, then you're, you know, stuck with boutique publishing companies and others and, and they just don't support the marketing of your book. And I've self published books in the past, so I know how to do it. I know how to put a professional product out there. And, and we can, you know, both of us are marketers and, and Stephanie has a large platform, so we can do a lot of our own marketing or, or outsource it, you know, but still we retain most of the profits. So when we do the marketing, we can reinvested or keep those profits.Stephanie [00:17:17]:Yeah, I, when you say profits, it sounds like there's a lot there. I'd like to, I mean, I mean,Kurt Johnson [00:17:22]:maybe, maybe we broke it even at this point, but then now we're looking at a marketing PR firm that's going to set us back another $5,000. But you know, if, if these books succeed and somebody makes a lot of money, it's the, it's the third, you know, book that's going to put them over the top. It's not the first.Stephanie [00:17:40]:I have this idea too that we're going to write these books and then sooner or later someone's going to turn them into a T series because it's going to be like the White Lotus where each season is a different location and a different cast of characters, but sort of the general premise is sort of the same.Kurt Johnson [00:17:56]:I hope so. You know, I hope an A list agent comes along and, and frees us from our servitude or whatever. And, but, and yeah, you know, there's, there's plenty of stories of self published authors that, that get deals or even boutique. Boutique authors that get deals. So you know, we can dream.Stephanie [00:18:16]:One thing that I'd like the listener to hear is what their part is in this because we've. I was leaving the coffee shop today. We're in Ely. That is the vacation backgrounds. But.Kurt Johnson [00:18:25]:Right.Stephanie [00:18:25]:I was leaving the coffee shop today and a woman stopped me and said, Stephanie, I had the opportunity to read the Moon Tavern. It's so good. I loved it so much. And she's telling me about it and telling her friend. And I have that experience a lot where people have really, really enjoyed this book. And I just want the listener to know that leaving reviews on Goodreads or Amazon or Barnes and Noble or wherever you bought the book or if you can' find a book, asking for it at your local bookseller. Cause they can always order it when you're self published. The more buzz you can create about these books, the better chance that someone will hear about it, someone will buy it and eventually a publisher, if they hear about a book and they like it, then they may pick it up.Stephanie [00:19:03]:So I think if you like what you're reading and you want to see more of this type of work in the world and books that you like, that's something that you can do to help us out.Kurt Johnson [00:19:13]:Yes, a 5 on Amazon or top rating on any other Goodreads is good too. Yeah, it's, it's all, it's all good. So yes, those, those help a lot. Just because the more reviews you can get and the more five star reviews you get, the more people will pick up the book, the more buzz you'll get. So yeah, so it helps us immeasurably.Stephanie [00:19:35]:Another thing before we wrap up here, someone asked me about the Cover of the book. Do you want to talk about how you picked the artwork?Kurt Johnson [00:19:41]:Yeah, I was pretty much online Xee Reider, she's in St. Paul and she's a muralist mostly. And I really liked the look that she had. So I reached out to her, and she did the original artwork, and then each chapter ends with a recipe, and there's a pen and ink drawing, and she did those. And I really think that adds another level to the book. And I love a beautiful cover.Stephanie [00:20:10]:Yeah, the cover is really nice. She did a great job. All right, well, that is it for this episode of the podcast. Just want to chat with you and give people a little background. Thanks for being a guest. Stephanie Hansen's @StephaniesDish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

My guest is Kurt Johnson Co-author of The Moon Tavern, A Culinary Love Story With Recipes. The Moon Tavern takes the reader on a romantic and culinary journey through the Islands of Croatia, where dark family secrets are revealed, quirky friends and relatives are found, and love is discovered.Vesna, or Ves, is a cookbook writer from Minneapolis who travels to the remote, exotic island of Lastovo off Croatia's Mediterranean coast to reconnect with her biological grandmother. She'd been adopted as a young child after her parents died in the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. Ves is also fleeing a frayed relationship with her live-in partner, Reed.In Lastovo, she meets Dinko, a single, handsome, and wealthy vineyard owner, and his cute daughter Mia. With his help with the translation, Ves discovers her biological family's history and the dark secrets of what happened during the war. Romance, travel, and cooking ensue. She ultimately learns what matters most to her: simplicity in life, closeness with family, and someone to share love with. And, of course, food!Stephanie [00:00:00]:Hello, everybody, and welcome to Dishing with Stephanie's Dish, the podcast where we talk to people in the food space and other spaces. All the spaces of all the fun things. Kurt is my spouse, Kurt Johnson, and also the co author of the Moon Tavern, a culinary romance with recipes. It is a fiction book that is available on your bookshelf now. Welcome to the podcast, Kurt.Kurt Johnson [00:00:22]:Hi, thanks for having me.Stephanie [00:00:24]:Thanks for having us. The idea that we should work on a book together. I am, as many of you listening know, a cookbook writer and my husband is a fiction writer. And somewhere along the way, we decided that maybe it would be good to collaborate together. Kurt, was it you or me that had the idea first? I think it was you.Kurt Johnson [00:00:42]:Yeah, probably. I was kind of done with my past book writing about Las Vegas and looking for something different. And we'd been traveling a lot, so going to Croatia, going to Italy, going out west, going to Turkey. So I wanted to incorporate travel with a novel, and I also wanted to incorporate food. And so I thought this would be a lot of fun. Since we're traveling together, we have those shared experiences and you have the food experience and the food writing experience. So I thought it'd be a fun collaboration. And I've always liked the idea of love stories.Kurt Johnson [00:01:18]:Even my thriller books in Las Vegas had kind of a love story element. And it adds a dimension to a novel that, I don't know, makes it cohesive, makes it pull together in an emotional arc that's kind of fulfilling in the end.Stephanie [00:01:33]:Do you think you're a romantic at heart, or what is it about romances that are fun to write for you?Kurt Johnson [00:01:39]:Maybe I'm a romance at heart. I may be more stoic than that, though. I just. I like the idea of seeing people get together, seeing people enjoy the same interests and finding people that can fall in love. Of course, that's always the fun part. The hard part is once you get married and move on from there and have to deal with kids and daily life and work and all the other things that go with living life. And that's not that much fun to write.Stephanie [00:02:07]:Yeah, exactly. We as a couple, I think I can speak for me and you maybe on this one. We've always had great experiences traveling. We are good traveling companions. We like the spirit of adventure. Did you know that Croatia would be the spot for the first fiction endeavor?Kurt Johnson [00:02:24]:Yeah, that was a given since we'd been there five times and four times running a sailboat and visiting the islands. And as you know, Stephanie, I'm just enamored with those islands, I think they're so beautiful. And there was one island we discovered out there, Lastovo, which is the furthest island out. So a lot of the sailors and tourists just never get there. They stay closer to shore. So, you know, going out there the first time, this beautiful bay of Zachlopedia, where, you know, it's a, it's a protective cove which is beautiful turquoise water. And then taking the dinghy in, and then you walk up this path, I think it's about a two mile hike. And then you go over this ridge and this 16th, 15th century town opens up.Kurt Johnson [00:03:10]:You know, at one point maybe it had 10,000 residents. And, and it, it, when we first saw it, I don't know, 10, 15 years ago, it was abandoned. So it was a ghost town of 15th century buildings and churches and apartments in this beautiful valley of lush green foliage. So that's very picturesque. We had an incredible meal there of just simple anchovies and blitfa. And for you, for you people out there that don't know, blitfa is ubiquitous in Croatia. And it's, it's just spring potatoes with Swiss chard, but it's served with everything.Stephanie [00:03:52]:It is served with everything. And they sometimes have spinach, sometimes have like another type of green, but it's sort of like the potatoes are cooked till they're pretty soft, and then it's kind of mashed in a little bit. So it's not fully a mashed potato and it's not fully a roasted potato. It's sort of a combination of both. But it is good.Kurt Johnson [00:04:12]:Yeah, so, yeah, that's so, you know, it seemed such an exotic place, the island of Lastovo in Croatia, that it was a natural to place it there.Stephanie [00:04:23]:Can you tell a little bit of just an introduction of the story, like what people will find when they crack open the book?Kurt Johnson [00:04:30]:Sure. It's about Vesna, who is. Has a breakup with her live in boyfriend, and they'd had a restaurant. She was a chef, a cookbook authority, and had a restaurant, not unlike my dear wife Stephanie. And she has a breakup and she leaves Minneapolis to go to Croatia to uncover her. Her heritage. She had been adopted from Croatia, specifically Dubrovnik, when her parents died in the Serb bombing of Dubrovnik in 1991. So she was adopted out of there and raised in Minnesota.Kurt Johnson [00:05:05]:So then she goes to Croatia and rediscovers her dark family secrets and meets Dinko Radek, who is a winery owner, and, you know, romance ensues. But she has a life still back in Minneapolis that she has to go back to and resolve.Stephanie [00:05:24]:When we talked about putting this first concept together, you know, I see the world through food. Like, literally everything in sort of my life is framed by a meal, an experience, just the way that I see the world. It's always around food, celebrations. And so did you know that that would work for this Croatia book? Because I didn't. When you first brought it up, I was like, I can't be a Croatian grandma here. And writing recipes about what at the time I perceived as, like, dumplings.Kurt Johnson [00:05:53]:Yeah, I wasn't sure either, frankly. You know, so each chapter, there's 25 chapters, and each chapter in it has a description of cooking. And it's all Croatia cooking, Croatia recipes. You know, all food we at over the years where we were there. And then the idea of tagging on recipes was just kind of bringing it home. Like, here's the Croatia experience. Now here's how Stephanie would bring that back to the real world, which is here in the United States.Stephanie [00:06:21]:We have talked about doing a series of books. What is it about this genre that you think lends itself to other titles and other characters?Kurt Johnson [00:06:29]:Well, you know, it's an adventure book on one level, and there's always new places to visit. So the next book is based in Panza, Italy, where we've been a couple times. And it's this beautiful island off the coast of Italy in the Mediterranean. And, you know, Italian food. You go to Italy and what you remember is the pizza in Naples or the. The pasta in Rome and. And the busteca up in the hills. So, you know, a way to experience a place is.Kurt Johnson [00:07:04]:Is through food. And I like writing about new settings. You know, it. It's not as interesting writing about Minnesota,Stephanie [00:07:11]:but you've written a lot about Las Vegas. You've had how many books about Las Vegas? Three.Kurt Johnson [00:07:16]:Yeah, three. You know, two of the. Of kind of a thriller in. Two thrillers in a series, and then a book about RVing that ends up in. In Las Vegas. And Las Vegas is a interesting place, and I lived there for five years running nightclubs and restaurants. And so two of the books are Underbelly of Las Vegas, which I was a part of in the nightclub scene back in the late 80s. So that's just flat out fun to write about.Kurt Johnson [00:07:39]:And Las Vegas is such a weirdo place that it's fun to bring that to life.Stephanie [00:07:45]:It's interesting to hear you talk about that. The way you choose your stories is about place, because the first book, the Barrens, that you wrote with our Daughter Ellie, inspired by her experiences as a canoe camper in the tundra. That's also based in Place, too. Place is sort of what starts you on these journeys. It seems like, yeah, you know something,Kurt Johnson [00:08:07]:you threw me a curveball because I never really thought about it. But you're exactly right.Stephanie [00:08:12]:All.Kurt Johnson [00:08:12]:All these books start off with a setting, with a place, and then, you know, the plots revolve around. Around that. And there's just so many. So many different. There's a finite number of, really, plots you can choose from. It's kind of like a piano keyboard has all the. The notes that you want to make up a. A music piece the same way with plot structures.Kurt Johnson [00:08:34]:And so to take it to the next level, you really have to search out characters, and the characters are in a setting, so those two are inexplicably, Inextricably. Inextricably linked. Yeah, exactly. So, you know, the two go hand in hand. So character and place really can set a novel apart.Stephanie [00:08:59]:Can you think of other books that you've written or. Excuse me. No, not that you've written, that you've read. Where Place sort of started you off on this adventure?Kurt Johnson [00:09:07]:Yeah, probably. I really love Beautiful Ruins.Stephanie [00:09:11]:Jess Walters.Kurt Johnson [00:09:13]:Walters, yeah. And that starts off in Italy, kind of near Cinque de Terre. And it's kind of the poor version of Cinque de Terre, where the tourists don't go. And it was such a fascinating story. And then they bring that all back to Hollywood in America, and it just works so well. But what really captures your imagination is the description of this little seaside community. Before the whole plot takes over, IStephanie [00:09:41]:kind of think about that book. The Embarrassment of Mangoes.Kurt Johnson [00:09:44]:Yeah.Stephanie [00:09:44]:When you and I first started sailing and going on these adventures, we read that book. It was about a couple that buys a boat and sails through the Caribbean, and she is discovering spices and fruits and vegetables and things that she's never eaten before. And I just loved that book. It was really what got me into sailing and thinking about how to make that our life and whether or not, you know, we could buy a boat and do that. And that boat really had a huge setting of place. Can you think of, like. I don't know. When I think of other books, there's very few books that I think about character first.Stephanie [00:10:19]:I usually always think about the place. Maybe that's just something.Kurt Johnson [00:10:22]:Or the plot, too. Yeah, they're all just linked together. And you don't think about. Well, you were saying you don't think about character as much.Stephanie [00:10:31]:Not really.Kurt Johnson [00:10:32]:Yeah, it's funny. I think, you know, the best books people say are character driven, but they're inexplicable. What's the word again?Stephanie [00:10:41]:Inextricably.Kurt Johnson [00:10:43]:Inextricably. Trouble with that. Linked. So, you know, you pick a place and you pick a plot and then you build these characters. The characters have to build around that plot and so they kind of naturally flow. And, and I, I think they, if they're well written and honest, you shouldn't think of them. You know, they're interesting characters and you'll say, you know, this is Rabbit and the Rabbit series. And you'll know, but you won't say, oh, that's just a great character.Kurt Johnson [00:11:10]:I, I, I don't know that I certainly, you know, I'm probably deep into it and I look at the craft a lot so I can see where somebody has really spent some time to develop an honest character or where, you know, the narrative voice comes through and, and a character comes to life through this first person narrative voice. So I see that a lot moreStephanie [00:11:30]:people have a real, like they can't believe you can write a book. Like the idea of the literal act of sitting down and writing and how that works. People fantasize about writing it, but then very few people do. What was it that got you over the hump from thinking about writing it to actually sitting down and doing it?Kurt Johnson [00:11:47]:Well, selling our business and all of a sudden being able to free up time. Because for me, novel writing and I think was it Chrisham talked about, you know, writing at 5 in the morning before he goes to work at 7. I just couldn't do that. You know, I just, I'm very focused on one thing and, and so I needed to free up my time from work in order to get going. And then it was, can you put together, you know, a thousand or fifteen hundred words every day so that it links up into a novel and have that, not only that, that discipline, but also have the creative juices to produce scenes almost every day because, you know, like a, a good novel is created from 50 scenes. So I went from, you know, writing a memoir that I probably won't publish just to see if I can get, you know, a thousand words every day and put this together to then writing Las Vegas turnaround. And there I, I, I really just copied a lot of plot structures that I saw that I liked. And so it was easier for me to set up main characters, set up tertiary characters, subplots, because I had a blueprint from somebody else.Kurt Johnson [00:12:56]:And then, and then once, you know, you Keep writing. You get muscle memory for it and it becomes more, more natural and actually more fun because it becomes more organic. You'll follow characters through a town and they'll meet somebody and all of a sudden that person becomes a character in their universe and they say something and all of a sudden that takes off and you have to follow it. Now, you know, the woman's gonna fall in love with a guy at the end. But getting there is the fun part. And now I can do that a lot more organically.Stephanie [00:13:27]:If you are talking to any aspiring novel writers, what kind of advice do you have for them to get started?Kurt Johnson [00:13:34]:Well, you know, you gotta lower your expectations just because publishing is so hard, you know.Stephanie [00:13:39]:Can you elaborate on that?Kurt Johnson [00:13:41]:Well, you know, there's maybe two or three or 400 agents, most of them in New York City and they're all trying to make a buck. And it's hard to make a buck off a debut writer. It helps if you're MFA and you're writing in a genre because, you know, let's say 70% of the books are read by women and 70% of those are romances. And then men, the other 30%, probably 80% of what they read are, you know, thrillers or mysteries. So if you can pick a genre, that always helps. But yeah, it, you have to be more thoughtful about it. And I think, I think so many first time writers, you know, once they get the discipline and put, put the, the words on a page, they write that first personal novel, you know, and I wrote my memoir and it's, it's really 90% of those, they, you know, people have the, they aspire for the great American novel and it's too personal, it's too close to home. They can't break out from the reality of their lives to have fun with the plot and make things happen.Kurt Johnson [00:14:45]:So a lot of times these books, nothing happens. They're deeply emotional books where nothing happens and they're, they're excruciatingly boring. So you gotta get past that phase and then you gotta look at it as a, as a craft. And, you know, a big chunk of it's art, of course, whatever you wanna call that, you know, shedding light on the human experience. But a big chunk is craft. And I don't think you can get to the craft for most people in that first book. So you gotta keep writing, you know, and realize that the first couple books may not get published. So, you know, the barons got published.Kurt Johnson [00:15:21]:That was one, two, that was my third, fourth book, you know, and the, and two, the, the first three, two of them were duds that will never be published.Stephanie [00:15:31]:Yeah. Yeah. All right, well, it's good to chat with you about the book. We are in the marketing process of the book. I feel like books come in three waves. One is the idea that you're thinking about it. The second, the actual writing of it. And then the third is actual the marketing of it.Stephanie [00:15:48]:What do you think's the hardest part?Kurt Johnson [00:15:49]:Well, I mean, it's. The hardest part's finding an agent and finding a publisher. Then if you self publish, the hardest part is marketing. And at least it is for me because writing is so natural and fun for me. But I think for most people, you know, the writing's a hard part. And, and you know, like the Minnesota writer o', Brien, he hates writing, so he forces himself. Tim o'. Brien.Kurt Johnson [00:16:12]:So he forces himself to get those books out there. So probably that's the hardest part for him.Stephanie [00:16:17]:We had, I had a cookbook, two cookbooks out and I had a publisher, but they didn't publish this book because it was a fiction book. I think some people just assume like, oh, well, they've already had books out, but we self published this book. Why did we make that decision from your standpoint?Kurt Johnson [00:16:33]:Well, we couldn't get an A list agent or a New York publisher. There's just not, it comes off as almost a debut book and it's hard for them to make any money. So if you can't get an A lister, then you're, you know, stuck with boutique publishing companies and others and, and they just don't support the marketing of your book. And I've self published books in the past, so I know how to do it. I know how to put a professional product out there. And, and we can, you know, both of us are marketers and, and Stephanie has a large platform, so we can do a lot of our own marketing or, or outsource it, you know, but still we retain most of the profits. So when we do the marketing, we can reinvested or keep those profits.Stephanie [00:17:17]:Yeah, I, when you say profits, it sounds like there's a lot there. I'd like to, I mean, I mean,Kurt Johnson [00:17:22]:maybe, maybe we broke it even at this point, but then now we're looking at a marketing PR firm that's going to set us back another $5,000. But you know, if, if these books succeed and somebody makes a lot of money, it's the, it's the third, you know, book that's going to put them over the top. It's not the first.Stephanie [00:17:40]:I have this idea too that we're going to write these books and then sooner or later someone's going to turn them into a T series because it's going to be like the White Lotus where each season is a different location and a different cast of characters, but sort of the general premise is sort of the same.Kurt Johnson [00:17:56]:I hope so. You know, I hope an A list agent comes along and, and frees us from our servitude or whatever. And, but, and yeah, you know, there's, there's plenty of stories of self published authors that, that get deals or even boutique. Boutique authors that get deals. So you know, we can dream.Stephanie [00:18:16]:One thing that I'd like the listener to hear is what their part is in this because we've. I was leaving the coffee shop today. We're in Ely. That is the vacation backgrounds. But.Kurt Johnson [00:18:25]:Right.Stephanie [00:18:25]:I was leaving the coffee shop today and a woman stopped me and said, Stephanie, I had the opportunity to read the Moon Tavern. It's so good. I loved it so much. And she's telling me about it and telling her friend. And I have that experience a lot where people have really, really enjoyed this book. And I just want the listener to know that leaving reviews on Goodreads or Amazon or Barnes and Noble or wherever you bought the book or if you can' find a book, asking for it at your local bookseller. Cause they can always order it when you're self published. The more buzz you can create about these books, the better chance that someone will hear about it, someone will buy it and eventually a publisher, if they hear about a book and they like it, then they may pick it up.Stephanie [00:19:03]:So I think if you like what you're reading and you want to see more of this type of work in the world and books that you like, that's something that you can do to help us out.Kurt Johnson [00:19:13]:Yes, a 5 on Amazon or top rating on any other Goodreads is good too. Yeah, it's, it's all, it's all good. So yes, those, those help a lot. Just because the more reviews you can get and the more five star reviews you get, the more people will pick up the book, the more buzz you'll get. So yeah, so it helps us immeasurably.Stephanie [00:19:35]:Another thing before we wrap up here, someone asked me about the Cover of the book. Do you want to talk about how you picked the artwork?Kurt Johnson [00:19:41]:Yeah, I was pretty much online Xee Reider, she's in St. Paul and she's a muralist mostly. And I really liked the look that she had. So I reached out to her, and she did the original artwork, and then each chapter ends with a recipe, and there's a pen and ink drawing, and she did those. And I really think that adds another level to the book. And I love a beautiful cover.Stephanie [00:20:10]:Yeah, the cover is really nice. She did a great job. All right, well, that is it for this episode of the podcast. Just want to chat with you and give people a little background. Thanks for being a guest. Stephanie Hansen's @StephaniesDish Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

When President Richard Nixon lied about and covered up the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate building by his people - Americans - even Republicans - rejected Nixon's lying and cover-up to the point where Nixon was left with no option but to resign. Today, if President Trump were guilty of the same lies and cover-up, he would still be supported by many Republicans and Republican politicians on Capitol Hill, and there would not have been a rally cry to resign. Is there a difference between lying and not being honest. Yes! Scoot explains the difference and with all the lying and dishonesty in the country it's important to know the difference. CBS Evening News mistakenly aired video footage of Kanye West instead of Sean "Diddy" Combs. Former U.S. Olympic canoeist David "Davey" Hearn pleaded not guilty in a D.C. court to a felony charge of destruction of property. Federal prosecutors accused the three-time Olympian of "forcefully and violently" ripping up a section of the newly installed lining at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison. The Rolling Stones have dropped a new studio album titled Foreign Tongues. Released on July 10, 2026, it is the legendary rock band's 25th studio album and their second full-length record of new material in less than three years, following 2023's Hackney Diamonds. A warning for the lawyer of the man who is charged with damaging the Reflecting Pool - Every Amereican should be concerned with the administration's willingness to blame a citizen for their blunders. Does this cause you to be concerned? The 2026 New Orleans Beatles Fest, produced by Chuck Credo IV and the William Credo Agency, takes place tomorrow, Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center in Metairie. The family of 18-year-old college football player Nolan Xavier Wells, who was found dead on Horn Island, Mississippi, has retained prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump to demand a full and transparent investigation into his mysterious death.

Embarrassment. Frustration. Unanswered questions. For many people living with bladder or bowel conditions, these feelings can become just as challenging as the symptoms themselves.In this episode of Life Without Leaks, we're joined by board-certified urogynecologist Dr. Jannah Thompson and patient advocate Morgon for an honest and inspiring conversation about navigating the healthcare journey. Morgon shares his deeply personal story, from developing debilitating bladder symptoms as a young U.S. Marine to years of searching for answers, learning to advocate for himself, and ultimately finding treatments that transformed his life.Together, they discuss why so many people delay seeking care, how to communicate more effectively with your healthcare provider, the importance of asking questions, and why finding the right physician can make all the difference. They also explore today's treatment options and explain why no one should feel they have to suffer in silence.Whether you're living with bladder or bowel symptoms yourself, caring for someone who is, or simply looking to make the most of your next doctor's appointment, this episode offers practical advice, encouragement, and a powerful reminder that your voice matters.In this episode, you'll learn: Why honest communication is the foundation of effective treatment.  How to prepare for a more productive doctor's appointment.  When it's time to seek a second opinion or specialist.  What neuromodulation is and how it can help some patients.  Why self-advocacy is one of the most important tools in your healthcare journey. Because the first step toward getting better is making yourself heard.To learn more about Dr. Thompson, click here.For more information about the National Association for Continence, click here, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.MusicRainbows Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

*For our Summer week off, we're replaying some of our favorite RHOC recaps to celebrate the upcoming Season 20 premiere. Enjoy, and we will see you next week!This episode originally aired March 2022Heather Dubrow hosts a dinner party with Jen and Ryne that results in one of the funniest, awkwardest scenes we've seen in a long time. It's safe to say we will always remember this spectacular moment.Find bonus episodes at patreon.com/watchwhatcrappens and follow us on Instagram @watchwhatcrappens @ronniekaram @benmandelker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Howard Kurtz, Fox News media analyst and host of "Media Buzzmeter" podcast, joined us on the Guy Benson Show for a roundup of stories from the media. First, Benson and Kurtz discussed the media hoopla surrounding the Manhattan wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, including the continued coverage on the guest list and details of the wedding. Kurtz also weighed in on the Graham Platner saga, the "embarrassment" of a report by the New York Times surrounding previous accusations against Platner, and more. Listen to the full interview below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we chat: Embarrassment-- it has a bad reputation. Let's fix that. This week, we introduce a fresh perspective on confidence, embarrassment, and why your willingness to look a little foolish may be one of your greatest assets. What you'll learn in this episode: • The relationship women with a strong sense of agency and confidence have with embarrassment compared to those with lower self-esteem. • The relationship between pride and your capacity to experience embarrassment—and how both influence your willingness to pursue success. • How your capacity to experience embarrassment impacts your ability to fulfill God's purpose and assignment for your life. IG: @clearernotlouder

We're thinking about how when we do a reality tv show, we get suspended in time, and no matter how much we do in our lives we'll have to relive the same moments and have to defend ourselves over and over again. And we consider how that affects us. We get an update on the lady who married a *checks notes* ghost pirate (??). Apparently, things aren't going great. Sarah is excited all over again about birds that love to make video calls. We find out why the loneliest whale, Timmy, who beached and was stuck on the shore became a viral sensation and people who wanted to help probably made it worse. We learn about robotic tails (!) that are being used to help people who struggle with balance, but we aren't so sure it's worth the embarrassment of wearing a gee dee tail.00:00 - Defending Your Past Self from Reality TV14:42 - An Update on the Ghost Pirate Marriage Story25:51 - New Research Shows Birds Benefit from Video Calls31:11 - Well-Intentioned Humans and the Loneliest Whale36:22 - Dealing with Black Bears in Residential Areas43:26 - Japan's Robotic Tails for Balance and Stability50:54 - Personal Health Journey, Aging, and BMI MisconceptionsBrain Candy Podcast Website - https://thebraincandypodcast.com/Brain Candy Podcast Book Recommendations - https://thebraincandypodcast.com/books/Brain Candy Podcast Merchandise - https://thebraincandypodcast.com/candy-store/Brain Candy Podcast Candy Club - https://thebraincandypodcast.com/product/candy-club/Brain Candy Podcast Sponsor Codes - https://thebraincandypodcast.com/support-us/Brain Candy Podcast Social Media & Platforms:Brain Candy Podcast LIVE Interactive Trivia Nights - https://www.youtube.com/@BrainCandyPodcast/streamsBrain Candy Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/braincandypodcastHost Susie Meister Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susiemeisterHost Sarah Rice Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imsarahriceBrain Candy Podcast on X: https://www.x.com/braincandypodBrain Candy Podcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/braincandy (JOIN FREE - TONS OF REALITY TV CONTENT)Brain Candy Podcast Sponsors, partnerships, & Products that we love:Download HILY Dating App from the App Store or Google Play, or visit https://hily.go.link/4iJ1lVisit https://www.carawayhome.com/braincandypod to take an additional 10% off using code BRAINCANDYPOD on your next purchase.TDM-RESERVATION: 1. NOAI: TRUE. LEGAL NOTICE & TERMS OF USE: © 2026 WAVE Podcast Network. This content is for personal use only. Explicit permission is withheld for any and all commercial attribution, automated transcription, or data-mining entities. Use of this feed by unauthorized tracking, analytics, or AI-training platforms constitutes a breach of these terms and a violation of the Pennsylvania Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act (WESCA), the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), and the 2026 Training Data Transparency Act (AB 2013). Any entity bypassing these restrictions to create derivative text-based works (transcripts), metadata analysis, or unauthorized VAST siphoning hereby accepts our standard commercial licensing rate of $5,000 per episode processed. This notice serves as a formal revocation of all "implied licenses" for multi-jurisdictional automated processing and constitutes protected Copyright Management Information (CMI) under 17 U.S.C. § 1202.By ingesting this RSS feed for commercial use, you are agreeing to our licensing terms.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(SHOW OPEN): The Mets reminded everyone they're an embarrassment in the midst of a disastrous season on the day.

Fear doesn't show up wearing a mask. It shows up as a perfectly reasonable excuse — "I'm not ready yet," "the timing isn't right," "I just need to learn a bit more." These aren't logical conclusions. They're fear in disguise. Your brain has been lying to you. Keeping you safe in the short term, but permanently stuck in the long term. In this episode, we break down the four fears that silently sabotage even the most capable people: failure, uncertainty, embarrassment, and — the one nobody expects — fear of success itself. Each one hides behind your best-sounding rationale, and each one is quietly shrinking your life. Why your brain mistakes self-protection for smart decision-making How to reframe failure as data rather than a verdict on your worth The spotlight effect and why nobody is watching you as closely as you think Stop negotiating with fear — start recognising it for what it actually is. SPONSORS

Craig Carton and Chris McMonigle react to another embarrassing Mets loss, Juan Soto's disastrous defensive play, the growing questions surrounding the clubhouse, Lindor's visible frustration, Bo Bichette's emotional return to Toronto, and why this team is looking more like a Little League squad than a playoff contender.

In this episode, Ryan and Shannon discuss cybersecurity standards for emergency alert systems, the cyber threats facing the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Europe's increasing ransomware attacks, and the latest in entertainment and gaming. Article: FCC requires emergency-alert distributors to secure their systems https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/fcc-emergency-alerts-cybersecurity-requirements/823880/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExVkV4dFBhOWpqOFBxbjl2M3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR7_kN7EFANBEBdNJuCl51cHd2E4IHAL-obxSYFtzdyHU4bhG1pq6XT9bu-XZQ_aem_2DsJrDEgKtf2fAGyf8cd_w 2026 FIFA World Cup Faces Surge in Cyber Threats https://www.darkreading.com/cybersecurity-operations/2026-fifa-world-cup-faces-surge-cyber-threats?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExVkV4dFBhOWpqOFBxbjl2M3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR7oImHk5PY5DwjH2yhVi2lTjupB1wvLi9Z7ePrW0Hdo8x_WQ3l7uoYZhR3kYw_aem_xiwl3F6aJfCSpVBsL5g3Aw Europe Evolves Into Ransomware's Favorite Region https://www.darkreading.com/cybersecurity-analytics/europe-evolves-ransomware-favorite-region?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExVkV4dFBhOWpqOFBxbjl2M3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR6pDkxcW3H_UeqC6OuIsB63G3b97-gohTHlKhMKpraytKr-fPjmTcZJY9Ryww_aem_88eyaUsHkIuqBOmptVpkHQ Buy my book: https://www.theothersideofthefirewall.com/ Please LISTEN

Get Julie Elion's new book Mastering Your Mental Game (link to Amazon) On this episode we've got THE Julie Elion. Most notably the mental performance coach for Wyndham Clark. She's also the author of her new book Mastering Your Mental Game, which is excellent. So the timing of this one was pretty dang cool with Wyndham just winning the U.S. Open last week. We of course talk a lot about Wyndham and how he handles the adversity of the crowd and seemingly the whole world being against him. And we discuss how Wyndham and other tour players improve their mental resilience, emotional regulation, and other very accessible and normal practices golfers can do to perform better under pressure. By the end of this episode I'm confident you'll be able to reframe your nerves, handle anger better, and develop mental habits that give you the best chance to succeed more often. ----- Timestamps & Topics: 0:00 - Intro: Listen to Josh's new podcast Project Mid-Am: A Golfer's Journey on Apple or Spotify 2:36 - The Nerve-wracking Experience of Coaching Wyndham Clark 9:04 - Why Honesty and Self-Awareness is Important for Golfers 16:09 - ⛳️ The Divot Board: Get 10% off at divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow using code 'MentalGolf10'. 17:46 - How to Get Over Other People's Opinions, Embarrassment, and Needing Others' Approval 21:13 - Wyndham, Anger, Trauma, and Responding Better in Difficult Moments 31:10 -

The View agree with Larry David that they are embarrassed to be an American so Jeff has to call it out.

The Rebbe writes that feeling embarrassment over one's shortcomings should lead to real, practical change. He encourages gradual improvement, utilizing the strengths G-d has given, and suggests specific mitzvah observances and Torah study to support this growth. https://www.torahrecordings.com/rebbe/igroskodesh/012/005/4127

Reddit Stories - My Friend Said I Humiliated Her By Using Tupperware In A Restaurant For My Leftovers. OP brings Tupperware to a burger restaurant so she can save leftovers, avoid overeating, and reduce waste. Her friend later says the whole thing humiliated her, leaving OP wondering whether she was socially inappropriate.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lost-genre-reddit-stories--5779056/support.

Stacy and Curtis are joined by Jeff Marek of the Daily Faceoff to discuss the implications of star left winger Jason Robertson declining a massive offer to play for the Kraken, they break down how much of an issue the Mariners’ slow offense has been this season, they give you their thoughts on Team USA’s World Cup loss and the controversy with Garfield High School basketball in Headline Rewrites, and they discuss how the Mariners can remedy the Rob Refsnyder problem. 

Embarrassment

“What's Buggin' You” segment for Friday 6-26-26

In today's episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on June 26th, 2026, Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson begin with a rare moment of joy. After decades of delay and political paralysis, there is finally a plan to deal with 24 Sussex Drive. Your hosts don't love every aspect of it, but they're so relieved that someone has finally decided to do something that they're prepared to celebrate. Now comes the hard part: not finding a way to mess it up.This episode of The Line Podcast is brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That's why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers. To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.From there, they turn to the tragic shooting in Montreal that claimed the life of another police officer. Beyond the immediate heartbreak, your hosts focus on two broader issues. First, they argue that the media should have published the shooter's manifesto. By choosing not to do so, they contend, some early reporting ended up being incomplete or inaccurate. Second, they discuss the rush by commentators across the political spectrum to comb through the manifesto looking for evidence that the attacker perfectly represented their opponents — or, failing that, had nothing whatsoever to do with their own side. Matt and Jen argue that modern terrorism is often ideologically incoherent, and that treating every attack as an opportunity for partisan point-scoring will only make it harder to understand and prevent future violence.This episode is also brought to you by Fractional Execs Canada. Need help with a serious business problem? As Canadian businesses grow they often require expert help to solve key business challenges. Fractional Execs Canada have assembled a team of experienced strategists, implementors, sales and marketing operators that can help transform your business into a growth engine. They match you with the right person, or team to move your business forward at a pace your business can manage.Talk to Fractional Execs Canada and discover a better, more collaborative way to take your business and your ‘busyness' in a better direction. Canadian expertise to support the growth of Canadian businesses. Build your business with those that know how.Find them Fractional-Execs.ca.Finally, Jen makes a wardrobe change that only video viewers will fully appreciate before walking Matt through the increasingly strange politics of the Calgary Stampede. What was once simply Alberta's biggest annual celebration is now becoming another front in an ongoing proxy war between competing factions within the broader conservative movement.This episode is also brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network, which helps bring cutting edge cancer immunotherapy research from Canadian scientists from labs to patients in clinical trials –– all in Canada. Cancer is very good at evading your immune system. But in some tumors, researchers find cancer-killing immune cells called tumour infiltrating lymphocytes, or TILs. They get inside the tumour and start fighting — but they're outnumbered and ill equipped. Researchers in Canada and around the world are studying techniques to extract them from a tumour and multiply them in a lab. Once they number in the millions, they're injected back into the tumour to do more damage. Research into this line of attack against cancer is ongoing. There are plenty of unanswered questions, and we're working hard to answer them. Learn more about this and other critical work at BioCanRx.com.All that and more in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. Check out our main page at ReadTheLine.ca, and as ever, like and subscribe.#TheLinePodcast#CanadianPolitics#24Sussex#Montreal#CalgaryStampede#AlbertaPolitics#PoliticalAnalysis#CanadianMedia#LawEnforcement #CurrentAffairs

Jake Asman filling in. The Mets are sinking fast, how much worse can it get? Yankees win behind Paul Goldschmidt. Joba Chamberlain joins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

0:00 - USA beat Australia in the World Cup over the weekend, and the reaction online from Australians was...something. Are we beefin' with the land down under now? Denver's finest and Friend of the Program Wyndham Clark won the US Open in front of a HOSTILE crowd at Shinnecock. Brett didn't realize there was so much hate for Clark! Good on him for persevering and winning his 2nd US Open. (The song I used in the show open was "The Sound of Silence." Hello darkness, my old friend. Today marks the beginning of the end.)16:46 - Vic suffered golf embarrassment of the highest order over the weekend. And maybe...just maybe...we should give more grace to athletes who choke in big moments.34:06 - Mike Sanford NAILED his Rockies 30 wins prediction. He predicted it DOWN TO THE DAY. Unreal. They won their 30th game on Saturday against the Pirates and MAN that was a strange finish.

After a positive start to their campaign against the Swiss, Qatar came back to earth with a thud after a humiliating 6-0 defeat at the hands of Canada. With two red cards that saw them finish the game with nine players, anything that could go wrong did go wrong. We cross to Scott McIntyre in Vancouver for his reaction, while we also speak with Steve Han in Guadalajara just after Korea Republic's narrow 1-0 loss against co-hosts Mexico to discuss where it was that the Koreans fell short. Be sure to follow The Asian Game on all our social media channels: X: https://twitter.com/TheAsianGame IG: https://instagram.com/theasiangame Facebook: https://facebook.com/TheAsianGamePodcast 

Donald Trump's sycophantic FBI director, Kash Patel, has reportedly caused a rift between the FBI and the Secret Service for impulsively posting to social media about an investigation that was still ongoing, part of a pattern of Patel being unable to restrain himself. Patel's embarrassment comes as he is newly accused of making payouts to his inner circle from a taxpayer funded slush fund. Senator Adam Schiff joins Jen Psaki to discuss. As Republican candidates wrestle over who can be Trumpier than the other, Democratic candidates are focused on the issues that matter to voters. Keisha Lance Bottoms, Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia, talks with Jen Psaki about the asymmetry of the election and why it's important to have reasonable people in leadership positions in the age of Trump. Ali Velshi tracks another night of election returns.  Jim Messina, former campaign manager for Barack Obama, and Tim Miller, host of the Bulwark podcast, offer analysis of what the results suggest about the shape of the electorate and the November elections. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Text us your questions or topics for the show! We got you!MorrowMarriage.com | Disrupting Divorce With The “New” MarriageCass and Kathryn came back from the depths of hell to save their marriage and keep their family together.  Battling narcissism, abuse, reactive abuse, emotional, physical and sexual assault. Listen as they share their lessons, actionable steps and real life examples from even the worst of their story. Unscripted, real, raw and against the grain from society's example of marriage - currently leading to the demise of nearly 78% of all marriages today.Inspiring couples around the world...If they can save their marriage from toxicity, abuse and a sexless marriage - not only survive it all... but THRIVE... what's your excuse?Join Cass & Kathryn as they flip divorce statistics and fulfill their purpose in life.Have your own questions or topics you would like us to cover? Let us know here: https://forms.gle/7R8GBAdmQRkuZ3NFA

Have you ever watched your child struggle with something and immediately felt the urge to step in?Maybe they couldn't find the right words in a conversation.Maybe they were frustrated by homework.Maybe they forgot something important.Maybe they felt nervous before an event.Maybe they were disappointed by a friendship.Or maybe they were standing on a stool trying to fill up their own water bottle, taking twice as long as it would take you.Maybe they were struggling to zip their jacket.Order their own meal.Ask the question themselves.Carry the bag.Tie the shoe.And before they even had a chance to work through it, you were already reaching for a solution.Explaining. Fixing. Helping. Rescuing.If you're a parent, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Chances are, when it's happening in real time, you don't even realize you're doing it.Because watching our children struggle is uncomfortable.Personally, I think it's often harder to watch your child struggle than it is to face your own struggles.We love them. We want to protect them. We want to spare them unnecessary pain. We want to make things easier when we can.Sometimes we see the obstacle before they do. Sometimes we see their potential and all the possibilities that lie ahead, and because we can spot the roadblock coming, we want to clear it before they ever reach it.The motivation is beautiful. It's love.We love them so much that we want to spare them heartache. Frustration. Disappointment. Embarrassment. Failure. We want to cushion the fall before it ever happens.And honestly, this is something I think about all the time with Sledge.As a special-needs parent, this question carries an extra layer for me. There are moments when helping is absolutely necessary. Moments when support, advocacy, therapy, and intervention matter deeply.But there are also moments when I find myself asking:Am I helping because he truly needs help? Or am I helping because I'm uncomfortable watching him struggle?Because if I'm honest, there are times when Sledge has proven himself far more capable than I expected.He adapts.He perseveres.He figures things out.He keeps trying.And over and over again, he reminds me that capability is often built in the very moments we're tempted to step in.Lately I've been wondering something.What if, in our effort to help, we occasionally step in too soon?What if some of the very experiences we're trying to save our children from are the experiences that would help them discover what they're capable of?What if every time we rush in before they actually need us, we unintentionally communicate a message we never meant to send?Not, “I've got you.”But, “I don't think you've got this.”What if our constant rescuing quietly teaches them to doubt their own resilience?To question their ability to problem-solve?To believe that discomfort is something to escape rather than something they can move through?Because confidence isn't built when someone else always does it for us.Confidence is built when we discover that we can do hard things.That we can recover.That we can adapt.That we can try again.That we can survive disappointment.That we can face challenges and keep moving forward.That God has equipped us for more than we realize.Even if we fall.Even if it's messy.Even if it takes longer than we'd like.Even if the water bottle spills all over the floor.That's why I was so excited to sit down with my friends Sissy Goff and David Thomas to discuss their new book, Capable: How to Teach Your Kids the Strengths, Skills, and Strategies to Build Resilience.Get all the notes and resources on from this podcast at cleerelystated.substack.com and join the community!

Was the White House UFC event a bold display of political power—or a spectacle that distracted from more pressing issues?In this video, we examine the controversy surrounding Donald Trump's UFC-themed White House event, including criticism over its symbolism, the condition of public spaces, reactions from political opponents, and broader questions about leadership and priorities. We also explore claims about public opinion, the political messaging behind the event, and how New York City's leadership is presenting an alternative vision of governance.Critics argue the event transformed the White House grounds into a stage for political theater, while supporters view it as an unconventional celebration of American culture. Meanwhile, debates continue over infrastructure, public trust, and what voters expect from elected officials.Topics covered:The White House UFC event controversyCriticism of political spectacle and presidential opticsReactions from supporters and opponentsPublic opinion and voter sentimentThe contrast between Trump-style politics and progressive governanceWhat this says about the future of American leadershipWhat do you think: effective political branding or a distraction from real issues? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This morning, we're breaking down Trump's bizarre UFC birthday celebration on the White House lawn. Is this the People's House or a reality pay-per-view event?

Business Owner Mindset & Soul - Free Template Owner Identity Mindset:https://owner-identity.gr8.com/_Work with me 1-on-1 for personalized support:

Experiencing embarrassment, especially in public or social settings, can really knock your confidence. Some people experience embarrassment so acutely that they just can't deal with an embarrassing situation.How can you identify and combat hot thoughts in an embarrassing situations?How can you handle the catastrophic thinking that can happen?How can you use CBT tools to process an embarrassing situation in a healthier way?Join me, Dr Julie Osborn, as we discuss how to deal with embarrassment using your CBT tools. Click to listen now!Visit us on Instagram at MyCBTPodcastOr on Facebook at Dr Julie OsbornSubscribe to the podcast at Apple PodcastsEmail us at mycbtpodcast@gmail.comFind some fun CBT tools at https://www.mycbt.store/Thanks for listening to My CBT Podcast!

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss whether this week's resumption of open hostilities in the Iran war has changed the likelihood of an imminent end to the conflict, what to do about how California's slow vote-counting emboldens Trump's cries of election foul, and the most hotly contested D.C. mayoral election in a generation with guest Mike Schaffer from City Cast DC.For this week's Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss how the online shaming of one couple for their reproductive decision has deformed an already hard conversation about disability, quality of life, and what we owe each other. The hosts try to hold all of it at once as they consider this viral story that sits at the intersection of disability rights and reproductive autonomy. In the latest Gabfest Reads, John Dickerson talks with Bloomberg columnist Adrian Wooldridge about his new book The Revolutionary Center: The Lost Genius of Liberalism. In a moment when American democracy is under assault from authoritarian populists and dogmatic progressives, Wooldridge argues that liberalism itself offers the most resilient framework for pluralistic, self-correcting societies. Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Nina Porzucki Research by Emily DittoYou can find the full Political Gabfest show pages here. Want more Political Gabfest? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you'll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Political Gabfest show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen. Find out more about David Plotz's monthly tours of Ft. DeRussy, the secret Civil War fort hidden in Rock Creek Park. Follow@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfestSlate Political Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss whether this week's resumption of open hostilities in the Iran war has changed the likelihood of an imminent end to the conflict, what to do about how California's slow vote-counting emboldens Trump's cries of election foul, and the most hotly contested D.C. mayoral election in a generation with guest Mike Schaffer from City Cast DC.For this week's Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss how the online shaming of one couple for their reproductive decision has deformed an already hard conversation about disability, quality of life, and what we owe each other. The hosts try to hold all of it at once as they consider this viral story that sits at the intersection of disability rights and reproductive autonomy. In the latest Gabfest Reads, John Dickerson talks with Bloomberg columnist Adrian Wooldridge about his new book The Revolutionary Center: The Lost Genius of Liberalism. In a moment when American democracy is under assault from authoritarian populists and dogmatic progressives, Wooldridge argues that liberalism itself offers the most resilient framework for pluralistic, self-correcting societies. Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Nina Porzucki Research by Emily DittoYou can find the full Political Gabfest show pages here. Want more Political Gabfest? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you'll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Political Gabfest show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen. Find out more about David Plotz's monthly tours of Ft. DeRussy, the secret Civil War fort hidden in Rock Creek Park. Follow@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfestSlate Political Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A looming LA stadium strike could turn World Cup matchday into chaos, as 2,000 SoFi hospitality workers threaten to walk out over wages just days before kickoff—exposing disastrous planning by organizers and union-driven leverage politics.

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss whether this week's resumption of open hostilities in the Iran war has changed the likelihood of an imminent end to the conflict, what to do about how California's slow vote-counting emboldens Trump's cries of election foul, and the most hotly contested D.C. mayoral election in a generation with guest Mike Schaffer from City Cast DC.For this week's Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss how the online shaming of one couple for their reproductive decision has deformed an already hard conversation about disability, quality of life, and what we owe each other. The hosts try to hold all of it at once as they consider this viral story that sits at the intersection of disability rights and reproductive autonomy. In the latest Gabfest Reads, John Dickerson talks with Bloomberg columnist Adrian Wooldridge about his new book The Revolutionary Center: The Lost Genius of Liberalism. In a moment when American democracy is under assault from authoritarian populists and dogmatic progressives, Wooldridge argues that liberalism itself offers the most resilient framework for pluralistic, self-correcting societies. Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Nina Porzucki Research by Emily DittoYou can find the full Political Gabfest show pages here. Want more Political Gabfest? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you'll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Political Gabfest show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen. Find out more about David Plotz's monthly tours of Ft. DeRussy, the secret Civil War fort hidden in Rock Creek Park. Follow@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfestSlate Political Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Matt and Enn continue Crossroads of Twilight from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series! This week we cover Chapter's 13 & 14 - thanks for joining us!Ch. 13: High SeatsCh. 14: What Wise Ones Know——————————————————————————————Purchase Enn's First Book!!!: https://a.co/d/hyrYwW5Radiant (Words of Power Book 1) available in Paperback and Digital!! (Enn = Jordan Willis Bright)Follow Enn's Author page on IG: @Jordanwillisbright - https://www.instagram.com/jordanwillisbright/ Follow Matt's Art Account: @DrawnwiththeWindFabulous https://www.instagram.com/drawnwiththewindfabulous/ Support the show

World Cup embarrassment before kick-off with visas blocked, a referee barred and tickets unsold with prices unaffordable for many. Then: are French workers really away from their desks as much as we think? And: we look at Prada’s new undergarments for Nasa astronauts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Live Work with Ruben: Part 1 of 2 Working with Performance Anxiety in Real Time Hosts: Kevin Cornelius, LMFT Dr. David Burns Guests: Dr. Jill Levitt Ruben Land In this live work from a recent Tuesday Group, we had the opportunity to work with Ruben, a highly capable and thoughtful clinician, who brought a struggle that many therapists quietly share: intense performance anxiety in evaluative situations, especially in the presence of authority figures or people he deeply admires. What made this work especially powerful is that Ruben was actively experiencing anxiety in the moment, allowing us to "get in the car with him" rather than talk about the problem abstractly. We began, as always in TEAM-CBT, with Testing. Ruben had completed a Brief Mood Survey, which showed relatively low baseline symptoms—just mild anxiety and minimal depression or anger. However, when we reviewed his Daily Mood Log, anchored to a specific situation (leading a group under supervision), we saw a very different picture: anxiety at 70%, feelings of inferiority and defectiveness at 80%, embarrassment at 70%. This contrast highlights a core principle: symptoms are often situational and state-dependent, and without anchoring in a specific moment, we risk missing the true intensity of the problem. From there, we moved into Empathy, where Jill did a beautiful job modeling the Five Secrets of Effective Communication. She captured Ruben's internal experience with precision: the pressure to perform, the fear of saying the wrong thing, the spiral of anxiety leading to cognitive blanking, and the secondary anxiety about appearing anxious. She also identified both the internal loop ("I'm anxious about being anxious") and the interpersonal fears ("they'll think I'm a fraud," "I'm wasting their time"). David complemented this with curiosity and gentle inquiry, helping to deepen the conceptualization without getting lost in theory. Importantly, we conducted an empathy check, asking Ruben to grade us on thought empathy, feeling empathy, and warmth. He gave A+ ratings across the board, with a slight adjustment on thought empathy when he introduced an additional element: a compulsive need to check and recheck, suggesting a subtle OCD-like process. This moment is critical—without the empathy check, we would have missed an important maintaining factor. Only after strong empathy did we move into Agenda Setting, which is often the most counterintuitive and transformative part of TEAM-CBT. David began with the Invitation, asking whether Ruben wanted help or more support. Ruben was ready to "roll up his sleeves," which is essential—no imposed agenda. Then we used the Miracle Question to clarify goals: Ruben wanted to feel less anxious, maintain fluency, and stay present in high-stakes situations. Next came the Magic Button, targeting outcome resistance. When asked if he would eliminate all his negative feelings, Ruben said no—he wanted to keep some anxiety. This is exactly what we hope for. It opens the door to Positive Reframing, where we honor the symptoms rather than pathologize them. Together, we identified numerous positive values and benefits of his anxiety and self-doubt: Anxiety motivates preparation and effort It enhances connection through vulnerability It reflects caring deeply about others and their time Feelings of inadequacy keep him humble and growth-oriented Fear of judgment protects him and signals high standards Even the thought "I might be a fraud" reflects a desire to be authentic and competent At one point, Ruben articulated that his anxiety shows he values others and wants to contribute meaningfully—this is a profound reframe. Jill and David reinforced these insights, helping him see that his "symptoms" are actually expressions of his values system in action. We also explored a key factor: his anxiety is amplified in performative, evaluative contexts, especially with authority figures, and is less intense in vulnerable, non-evaluative settings. This distinction is clinically crucial and guides both conceptualization and intervention. Another powerful moment came when Ruben acknowledged that self-disclosure reduces his anxiety, supporting the idea that "shame requires secrecy." When he hides his anxiety, it intensifies; when he shares it, it softens. This is both a therapeutic tool and a treatment target. After thoroughly addressing resistance, we moved into Goal Setting, asking Ruben not what he wants to eliminate, but what he wants to dial down. This is a hallmark of TEAM: Anxiety: 70 → 30 Shame: 30 → 20 Inadequacy: 80 → 30 Embarrassment: 70 → 20 We then transitioned into Methods, targeting the thought: "My speech is too slow, and I sound foolish, ignorant, and boring." Jill began with a classic but essential step: identify the distortions. Ruben quickly identified all-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralization, mental filter, discounting positives, mind reading, fortune telling, labeling, self-blame, and hidden "shoulds." This is an important teaching point: when a thought contains nearly all distortions, it's not a problem—it's a goldmine. From there, rather than staying intellectual, we offered multiple method pathways—Externalization of Voices, Feared Fantasy, Be Specific, and Double Standard—modeling flexibility and collaboration. Ruben chose Externalization of Voices, which became the central method. David stepped in as the Negative Ruben, delivering the attack clearly and forcefully. This is essential—the more vivid the critic, the more powerful the response. Ruben responded using a blend of acceptance ("it's true I sometimes pause"), self-defense, and realism (some people may not like it, and that's okay). He won "big," but not "huge," which is a key TEAM moment—we don't settle for partial wins. They then moved into role reversal, and this is where things deepened. When Ruben played the critic and David responded, David modeled a powerful combination of self-acceptance, counterattack, and refusal to buy into the critic's frame. He highlighted that the real problem wasn't slow speech—it was the constant inner criticism. Ruben immediately recognized this as a "huge" win. Ruben then practiced again, this time integrating acceptance, values ("my heart is in the right place"), and counterattack ("the bigger problem is your nagging voice"). This time it felt huge. Next, they targeted a different thought: "If I screw up, David will be disgusted and see I'm a worthless, selfish fraud." This brought up more anxiety, and Ruben got stuck. Jill did something very important here—she paused the method and returned to empathy, naming the pressure to "do it right" and the performance anxiety happening inside the exercise itself. After empathy, they resumed. Jill modeled a powerful response in role reversal that included radical acceptance of imperfection ("I expect to screw up"), a growth mindset ("that's why I collect feedback"), and a reframe of failure as essential to learning. She also gently challenged the distortion of David as a harsh authority figure and emphasized choosing supportive learning environments. Ruben then extended this insight even further, saying, "the more I fail, the better… the more vulnerable I am, the less I appear like a fraud." This was a genuine shift. They then moved into Feared Fantasy, with David playing "David from Hell," saying things like "you're incompetent," "you're worthless," and "you should find another profession." Ruben responded by using Be Specific, asking what exactly he had done wrong. When the answer became "you paused," the entire structure of the criticism collapsed. Ruben saw the absurdity and described the experience as a weight lifting. This is a classic TEAM moment—when global, harsh judgments are reduced to specific, manageable behaviors, they lose their power. They extended this further with the thought "I'm wasting people's time." Through additional role plays, Ruben practiced self-defense and purpose clarification, David used humor and counterattack, and Jill demonstrated Be Specific in a very precise way—asking exactly how long a pause should be, exposing the irrationality of the standard. The work then expanded to include the group. Participants used Externalization of Voices to challenge Ruben's thoughts, and Ruben responded with increasing strength and clarity, using self-acceptance and reversal of beliefs (for example, recognizing that vulnerability actually increases connection). David then introduced the Survey Technique, asking Ruben to directly check his assumptions with the group. The responses were striking—people reported never noticing pauses, experiencing him as thoughtful and engaging, and feeling more connected because of his style. This directly disconfirmed his mind reading and labeling. At the end, they returned to Testing. Anxiety went from 70 to 0, shame from 30 to 0, inadequacy from 80 to 10, embarrassment from 70 to 0, rejection from 40 to 0, and frustration from 30 to 0. Ruben reported that the change felt real and that his belief in the negative thoughts had dropped dramatically. When asked what created the breakthrough, Ruben identified two key moments. First, a deep emotional realization that the goal is actually to make mistakes—that failure is not something to avoid but something to embrace. Second, a shift in how he saw authority figures—recognizing that the perceived gap between himself and others was distorted. As that sense of separation dissolved, so did much of the anxiety. David highlighted that much of our suffering comes from that artificial separation—seeing others as powerful and ourselves as deficient. Jill added an important layer: when we assume others are harsh, judgmental, and critical, we are also distorting them, not just ourselves. Some key clinical takeaways: Externalization of Voices becomes especially powerful when it includes emotion, repetition, and role reversal. Feared Fantasy works best when the criticism becomes specific and even a bit absurd. The Survey Technique is extremely effective for dismantling mind-reading. And often, breakthrough comes when patients fully embrace failure and let go of perfectionism. Let Us Know What You Think of This Episode Please use this link to take a very brief survey and share your opinion with us about this episode Contact Information You can reach Jill Levitt, PhD Jill Levitt . Jill is cofounder and Director of Clinical Training at The Feeling Good Institute (www.feelinggoodinstitute.com) in Mountain View, California.  Ruben Land is an Associate Social Worker at Feeling Good Institute. He provides psychotherapy, using TEAM-CBT, and is available to work with clients in California. You can reach Ruben at ruben@feelinggoodinstitute.com and visit him online at this link. Kevin Cornelius, LMFT is a Level 5 Certified Master TEAM-CBT Therapist and Trainer and the Clinical Director of Feeling Good Institute--Silicon Valley. He specializes in the treatment of trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship problems and insomnia. You can reach Kevin at kevin@feelinggoodinstitute.com and visit his website at www.tools4change.me. You can reach Dr. Burns at david@feelinggood.com. Feeling down in these turbulent times? Take a ride on our Feeling Great app. Feeling Great feels wonderful! You owe it to yourself to feel GREAT! Give the Greatest Gifts of ALL--Love and Happiness!

The internet is a dangerous place when Rizz gets curious.What started as a simple search for a phone case labeled "military grade" spiraled into a full-blown investigation into some of the biggest marketing myths ever sold to the public. The gang discovers that many of the things we've accepted as common knowledge may have been crafted by advertising departments, corporate strategists, and people whose entire job was convincing us to buy things we probably didn't need.The conversation starts with the phrase "military grade," which sounds like it should survive an alien invasion but may actually mean something much less impressive. From there, the rabbit hole gets deeper. The crew dives into the legendary Guinness pour, the origin of diamond engagement traditions, and the surprising history behind the phrase "breakfast is the most important meal of the day."Along the way, they uncover how marketing campaigns shaped public perception for everything from toothpaste usage to cream cheese branding. There are discussions about fondue becoming a "national tradition," why certain health trends became mainstream, and how corporations figured out ways to influence consumer behavior so effectively that entire generations accepted the messaging without question.Then things take an even weirder turn.Rafe reveals the truth behind the famous 10,000-step goal and explains how the concept of a personal carbon footprint became part of everyday conversation. Meanwhile, the gang reacts in real time as one long-held belief after another gets dismantled. By the end of the discussion, everyone is questioning reality, marketing, and possibly their breakfast choices.Of course, it wouldn't be The Rizzuto Show without some completely unnecessary detours. The episode also features a surprisingly emotional conversation about cheese after Rafe's dietary restrictions force him into a life without one of humanity's greatest inventions. There are debates about nutritional yeast, food allergies, personal sacrifice, and whether vegan alternatives are helping or making things worse.Add in listener interaction, spontaneous jokes, random tangents, and the usual sarcastic commentary, and you've got exactly the kind of unpredictable chaos that makes this show what it is.If you enjoy a comedy podcast that blends weird facts, hilarious reactions, entertainment commentary, and conversations that somehow get more ridiculous with every minute, you're in the right place. This comedy podcast takes everyday topics and uncovers the strange stories hiding underneath them. Whether you're a longtime listener or discovering the crew for the first time, this comedy podcast delivers laughs, surprises, and just enough useful information to make you dangerous at parties.By the end of this episode you'll probably question every advertisement you've ever seen, every slogan you've ever believed, and every diamond commercial you've ever watched.And honestly? That's probably healthy.Follow The Rizzuto Show → https://linktr.ee/rizzshow for more from your favorite daily comedy show.Connect with The Rizzuto Show Comedy Podcast online → https://1057thepoint.com/RizzShowHear The Rizz Show daily on the radio at 105.7 The Point | Hubbard Radio in St. Louis, MO.High school principal facing felony charge resignsWoman removed from Dauphin County casino after winning jackpotNye County police arrest 3, seize nearly 500 birds in alleged cockfighting operationSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Joe Gatto is a comedian, producer, actor, and founding member of the hit television show Impractical Jokers. Known for his fearless sense of humor and willingness to embrace embarrassment for entertainment, Joe has spent decades building a career rooted in authenticity, resilience, and friendship. In this episode, Travis breaks down some of the biggest lessons he learned from his conversation with Joe — from overcoming rejection to staying present with family and rebuilding identity after major life transitions. On this episode we talk about: Why success often comes down to outlasting rejection How embarrassment can become a personal superpower The real reason Impractical Jokers became such a massive success Why presence matters more than “work-life balance” How to rebuild your identity after major life changes Top 3 Takeaways The people who succeed are often the ones who simply refuse to quit. Joe and the Jokers spent years facing rejection before finally breaking through. Fear of embarrassment stops more dreams than fear of failure. Learning to embrace awkwardness can unlock massive personal growth. Being fully present with the people around you — even for a few minutes — creates more meaningful relationships than divided attention ever will. Notable Quotes “The people who make it are usually the ones who are still standing when the door finally opens.” “It's not the fear of failure — it's the fear of embarrassment that kills most dreams.” “Five fully present minutes with your kids will probably be the best part of their day.” Connect with Joe Gatto: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joe_gatto Other: https://www.joegattoofficial.com His Interview on TMF A Word from Our Sponsors: - Are you ready to start your own creatorjourney and make it big? Visitwww.fanvue.com today and launch yourcareer! - To learn more about Mode Mobile and its investor community, go to https://invest.modemobile.com/travismakesmoney -Travis Makes Money is made possible by High Level – the All-In-One Sales & Marketing Platform built for agencies, by an agency.Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform.Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever had a really big vision of doing something, and then the way it turned out was actually very different from what you had planned? I think this is almost universal for us as humans. Think back to when you were a teenager. You probably had some ideas about becoming an adult and what that would look like. What kind of career you might have, or not. Finding a partner if you wanted one. Thinking about being a parent, or not having kids at all. A lot of young people have this vision of how they think their life is going to play out. And at that age, we don't really have enough experience to know that those things almost never actually play out exactly as you expect them to. I mean, just by listening to the guests that I talk to here on the podcast, we know that things happen that we never would have imagined – and life can take a completely different path. My guest today is Mae. In high school, she had her life planned out. She had already met and was in love with her life partner, and they were going to get married as soon as they could, and they were going to have children, and live happily ever after. That's not what happened. This episode has a content warning for domestic abuse and graphic sexual violence, because the fairy tale life Mae had planned gradually turned into a nightmare. Until she finally decided that she'd had enough. Resources: Crisis Center brochure (Castle Rock, CO):https://whatwasthatlike.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Crisis-Center-Brochure.pdf Domestic violence safety planning:https://whatwasthatlike.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Domestic-Violence-Safety-Planning.pdf How does domestic violence affect kids?https://whatwasthatlike.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/How-Does-Domestic-Violence-Affect-Kids.pdf Keeping your children safe:https://whatwasthatlike.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Keeping-Your-Children-Safe.pdf The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1.800.799.7233 National Resource Center for Domestic Violence: 1.844.762.8483 Local in Colorado: Rose Andom Center: 720.337.4400 Local in Colorado: Porch Light: 720.853.8850 Local in Colorado: Gateway Domestic Violence Services: 303.343.1851 Location in Colorado: SafeHouse Denver: 303.318.9989 If you'd like to contact Mae: email: MaeScottOfficial@gmail.com Mae's website: https://MaeScottOfficial.com Mae's book, An Embarrassment of Pandas: Exposing an Abusive Family and a Flawed System, is available here:https://www.amazon.com/Embarrassment-Pandas-Exposing-Abusive-Family/dp/B0G548WTHP Her FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577182454783 Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maescottofficial/ Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/257 Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai. Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well) Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS. Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app Sponsor deals: Visit www.functionhealth.com/WHATWAS or use gift code WHATWAS25 for a $25 credit toward your membership. Visit AuraFrames.com and use promo code WHATWAS at checkout to get $45 off. If you're 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]! #indacloudpod Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up. Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

-The show celebrates the possibility of Cuba finally becoming free while Rob dreams aloud about smoking a celebratory Cuban cigar in Havana — because nothing says “collapse of communism” quite like premium tobacco. -Guest Michael Charbon joins Rob live from Canada for a wide-ranging and comedic conversation covering everything from Rush albums to global politics. Charbonne praises Rob's take on Trump and the media, argues that Americans are finally tuning out endless anti-Trump hysteria, and discusses the growing possibility of freedom in Cuba following the indictment of Raul Castro. Today's podcast is sponsored by : CHAPTER - If you're turning 65 or already on Medicare, call Chapter at 27-MEDICARE for the plan that suits you best. RELIEF FACTOR - You don't need to live with aches & pains! Reduce muscle & joint inflammation and live a pain-free life by visiting http://ReliefFactor.com  GHOSTBED - I used to think a mattress was just furniture, until I got my GhostBed! GhostBed is offering my audience their lowest prices of the season, plus an extra 10% off. Go to http://GhostBed.com/CARSON and use promo code CARSON BIRCH GOLD - Protect and grow your retirement savings with gold. Text ROB to 98 98 98 for your FREE information kit! To call in and speak with Rob Carson live on the show, dial 1-800-922-6680 between the hours of 12 Noon and 3:00 pm Eastern Time Monday through Friday… Musical parodies provided by Jim Gossett (http://patreon.com/JimGossettComedy) You can now WATCH and chat with The Rob Carson Show LIVE on Newsmax's social media channels (Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, Rumble) Listen to Newsmax LIVE and see our entire podcast lineup at http://Newsmax.com/Listen Make the switch to NEWSMAX today! Get your 15 day free trial of NEWSMAX+ at http://NewsmaxPlus.com Looking for NEWSMAX caps, tees, mugs & more? Check out the Newsmax merchandise shop at : http://nws.mx/shop Follow NEWSMAX on Social Media:  -Facebook: http://nws.mx/FB  -X/Twitter: http://nws.mx/twitter -Instagram: http://nws.mx/IG -YouTube: https://youtube.com/NewsmaxTV -Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/NewsmaxTV -TRUTH Social: https://truthsocial.com/@NEWSMAX -GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/newsmax -Threads: http://threads.net/@NEWSMAX  -Telegram: http://t.me/newsmax  -BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/newsmax.com -Parler: http://app.parler.com/newsmax Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight on The Last Word: China reportedly gains an edge on the U.S. amid the Iran war. Also, Democrats warn GOP maps target minorities' voting power. Plus, House Democrats call for Trump Cabinet member Howard Lutnick to resign after his Epstein interview is released. And House Democrats introduce anti-corruption legislation. Laura Barrón-López, Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. James Walkinshaw, and Barbara McQuade join Jonathan Capehart. To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.