Podcast appearances and mentions of emily brown

Mike, Brandy, and Jake Berg are joined by esteemed local industry god Emily Brown, and Jordan Harvey provides an update on a cool new collab, all in this episode of The DC Beer Show.We kick things off with Brandy and Jake's thrilling escapade to Nationals Park for media day, where the lineup of beers for the upcoming baseball season is overflowing with local flavor and they met the legendary Ryan Zimmerman, who was celebrating the Number 11 Kölsch from Lost Barrel, one of the many local drafts available this season.Next, we dive deep with Emily Brown, the passionate beverage director for Andy's Pizza, who's gearing up to open her dream bar, eebees, right in the heart of Shaw. She shares her plans for this welcoming hotspot, where patrons can expect to find crafted cocktails, classic American bites, and an impressive selection of beers, all seasoned with Emily's signature enthusiasm and love for the Baltimore Orioles.Meanwhile, ballpark aficionados and craft beer lovers will be pleased to hear the insider tales from our local brewing scene. From celebrated collaborations between established names like Right Proper and Streetcar 82, to the poignant goodbyes and hopeful beginnings for breweries across D.C. Metro, there's no shortage of excitement.And be sure to check out Chocolate City Porter, a new collaboration by black-owned breweries past and present, organized by Jordan Harvey.As we wrap this chapter, we're reminded of the camaraderie that binds this community together—whether you're sipping at the latest spot or cheering at a game, we raise a toast to the local craft. So, sit back, relax, and let The DC Beer Show be your guide to the capital's hoppiest adventures! Thanks to our monthly supporters Catherine Ramirez Michael Whitman Amarendra Sahoo Kristin Adam Frank Steven Lynch Jared Prager Jeff Michael O'Connor Favio Garcia Josh Ellen Daniels Juan Deliz Mike Lastort James Wisnieski Brian Minch Chris Frome Jon Gilgoff Sam Chip Tory Roberts Steven M Quartell Chris DeLoose Lauren Cary Amy Crone Clifton B Scott Pavlica Greg Antrim jeffrey garrison Joshua Learn Alexis Smith A t Dan Goldbeck Anthony Budny Greg Parnas Frank Chang Mikahl Tolton Kim Klyberg Chris Girardot Alyssa jeffrey katz Andrew MacWilliams Jamie Jackson Meegan Mike Rucki Jason Tucker Nick Gardner Amber Farris Sarah Ray Peter Jones Blue2024 Brad Stengel Matt Winterhalter Bill and Karen Butcher Jordan Harvey Justin Broady Stephen Claeys Julie Verratti DFA Howie Kendrick

My third oldest child turned 15 this past weekend and as I spent time looking back over photos of his youngest years of childhood, especially when he was really little, there was a noticeable difference in how I felt this weekend, compared to past years.  Instead of feeling sad or twinges of regret remembering some of the hardest years of my life, this weekend I noticed joy, peace, and contentment while thinking about those memories.  I didn't realize that shift had happened until I paid attention to the lack of sadness! But that didn't just happen. It was hard earned.  I'd like to invite you to grab your earbuds and join for today's podcast episode where I break down the steps that I went through to create that shift over the past several years to: Heal the Past in the Present. Click here to join BELOVED!

Emily is the Founder and CEO of Attane Health, a digital health company in the “food is medicine” space. Rooted in lived experience, Emily leads a passionate team dedicated to changing health outcomes through harnessing the healing power of food. After experiencing first-hand the challenges of managing chronic health conditions with limited resources, Emily founded Food Equality Initiative (FEI). Under her leadership the nonprofit grew to a 7-figure annual budget, supporting patients' access to healthy food. Emily is a national patient advocate who has provided both oral and written testimony to the FDA and USDA. Active in her community, Emily serves on several hospital committees and food policy coalitions. A member of the 2025 Child and Adult Core Set Annual Review Workgroup, Emily works to advance health equity in all pursuits. Her research interests include food systems, health disparities, and patient-centered approaches to care. Emily is a published co-author of several peer-reviewed articles with top research institutions in allergic disease. Emily believes in the power of patients and data to achieve greater health outcomes.

Emily and Amy did the damn thing. Meaning, they lived life early on a copy/paste version of what the world told them to be and how to act. This didn't always feel good, as a matter of fact, it started to feel really bad.They unsubscribed, and ventured onto a path that opened up the world's infinite possibilities - most importantly, they walk a path toward challenging their own biases or discomforts in an effort to always question a thought they were taught. This allows for a breakthrough in humanity, to create the balance we've never seen in this lifetime. Amy and Emily discussed their personal journeys, experiences with societal influences, and the importance of embracing individuality and connecting with nature and each other. They also shared their experiences as highly attuned individuals, their disillusionment with mainstream systems, and their desire to align with their true selves. The conversation also covered the need for unity and balance between the divine feminine and masculine, the importance of considering diverse perspectives and needs, and the importance of education and personal growth.Find Emily on LinkedIn and TikTok to follow her work and engage in a rich discussion about societal norms and breaking through.Thank you for tuning in to Women Making Moves! Please follow and rate on your favorite platform as well as on Instagram. Visit Amy at Unlock the Magic, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok!Women Making Moves is for personal use only and general information purposes, the show host cannot guarantee the accuracy of any statements from guests or the sufficiency of the information. This show and host is not liable for any personal actions taken.

In this episode, Greg Glynn, Founder & CEO of Pliable Marketing sits down with PWHL agent Krista Kerth to answer questions for female hockey players who are looking to play in the PWHL. As a PWHL agent, Krista represents more than 25 women's hockey players who are paving the way for the future generation of young girls. She is currently working with some of the top talent in the league, including Ella Shelton, Jincy Roese, Britta, Curl, Abbey Levy, Emily Brown, Lexie Adzija and more. Krista is proud to support these women who are living out their dreams representing who they truly are; passionate, talented, unique, and beautiful individuals.  In this episode:  - The growth of the PWHL, including where it started, how it's evolved, where it's going and upcoming expansion. - How Krista does things differently than traditional professional sports agents. - How NIL and personal branding can help female athletes during and after their hockey career. - Getting ready for the runway, what you should be doing to prepare yourself for the PWHL draft. - Greg and Krista talk about the passion they share for women's sports, including Pliable's #MissionE50, an initiative to always represent more than 50% female athletes. Show links: loraathletes.com danbrands.company/ instagram.com/loraathletes/ instagram.com/danbrands.company/ PliableMarketing.com/e50 Margot Norehad List of Pliable athletes Contact information Krista Kerth, PWHL agent Krista@loraathletes.com Greg Glynn, Founder & CEO of Pliable PliableMarketing@gmail.com

About Last Night by horn pixy. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.Well, she thought almost bitterly as she got dressed in sweatpants and a plain black sweater that was soft and a little loose after her latest, and to date most successful, weight-loss plan. She considered shoes, but settled for her fluffy pink slippers instead. So much for her brilliant theory. She had sat there for hours and hours on the most uncomfortable stool ever, drinking glass after glass of whiskey because she didn't know what else to order and was too shy to ask. And nobody; not even one man; had shown any interest in her. The only one who talked at her at all was the hot bartender, who…The bartender! Of course! That's why the man had looked familiar to her in her bathroom. His features had been blurry without her glasses, of course, but she was reasonably sure it was him. She was almost a hundred percent certain of it. The only question was; what was he doing in her apartment?“It's a long story,” he said when she asked him later, in her kitchen, her hair wrapped up in a towel and perched on her head. His eyes followed her movements around the kitchen as she got milk from the fridge for the coffee and put bread in the toaster. The irony of the morning-after-nothing-happened breakfast didn't escape his notice.“I have time,” she said carefully, closing the blinds to avoid all possible sources of light. “Give me the quick version.”“Fine,” he said with a sigh. “You were drunk, I helped you home. My keys are locked in my car and I couldn't get a cab to come get me. That's it, in a nutshell. And because I know you're still wondering, I spent the night on your couch, shivering a little. Ok, shivering a lot. It was damn cold. Plus I have a crick in my neck now.”She winced. “I'm sorry. I wish you'd waken me up, I would at least have helped you with a blanket.”“I could have used your hairdryer to build a nuclear bomb right next to your bed and you wouldn't have woken up. You were out cold.”Another wince.“I'm really sorry,” she said. “I don't know what came over me. I've never been that drunk before. I'm really not the type.”“I know,” he said, not bothering to hide his grin. “You told me last night.”She chewed her bottom lip nervously. Brandon wanted to take that hot little task over for her. He imagined nibbling on those petal soft lips and cleared his throat a little.“What else did I tell you?” she wanted to know apprehensively.“Well, you work in a library, and you can't lie even to telephone salespeople.”“Is that all?”“Not by a long shot. By the way, what does technically mean?”She frowned and cocked her head in a ‘what do you mean?' way. “Technically?”“Yes. When is something technically and when is it; I don't know, untechnically? Physically? Literally?”“I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about,” she said and smeared a thin strip of margarine over her dry toast.He cupped his hands around the plain white cup filled to the brim with coffee and leaned forward.“Tell me,” he said conversationally, sadistically waiting for her to take a bite of toast. “How does one remain a virgin, but only technically?”She started choking as he'd expected, coughing and wheezing and grabbing her coffee to help the dry bread down the right pipe.“What?”“Apparently, if you were speaking the truth last night which drunk people seem prone to do for some reason, you are technically still a virgin, but not in a physical sense. I was just wondering how that happens.”“I told you that? Oh my; I'm so sorry!”He laughed at the red flush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks.“Relax,” he said. “Its fine. I would just love to hear that story. Because there has to be a story.”“Not really,” she muttered, and then, as an afterthought, “I'm never drinking again.”“Wise words that has been spoken by many, many people over the years.”“I mean it,” she insisted. “I honestly can't believe I told you that.”“Virginity is nothing to be ashamed of,” Brandon said, stroking one finger down her arm.“It kind of is, when you're twenty nine.”He gaped. “You're twenty nine and you've never had sex? How the hell had that happen?”“I don't know, it just; happened,” she muttered. “Or more to the point, it just never happened.”“There must be a reason,” he prompted.“There isn't one specific reason, it's more like a series of non-sexual incidents, strung together by everything from dating sites to five-minute dating games and more blind dates than I can count.”“I take it none of that worked for you?”“I met the most interesting people. Like Mike, who was seventy two at the time, and told me he had a granddaughter fantasy he wanted to play out with me.”“He wanted you to pretend to be his granddaughter?”She shook her head. “If only. I'm not sure how this would have played out since I didn't stick around to find out, but I had to play the grandfather. And he was one of the better options.”Brandon sat back, stunned. “No way,” he said disbelievingly.She nodded. “I'm serious. After him was a series of serial losers; men who couldn't hold on to jobs and girls and had to borrow money from one loan shark to pay off the next. The type of guys whose idea of cleaning out the trailer means letting a stray dog in to lick the stains from the floor and to put all the porn in one box.”Oh, he was in deep shit, Brandon thought as he roared with laughter. She had a sense of humor. There was, to his mind, nothing sexier in a girl than a sense of humor.“And after them?”She frowned. “I met this guy, his name is Stanley, online. We went on a few dates and it didn't go too bad, till his parole officer contacted me to let me know he was back in jail for harassing little kids at a park.” She winced. “It was messy. The police went through my house, looking for signs of kiddie-porn. Apparently he was part of a child-prostitution and trafficking ring. I had no idea. I got off with a warning, since there was no evidence that I was involved, and he told them that I knew nothing. I suspect they still monitor my internet history every once in a while.”Helpless laughter rocked through him. No wonder she was still a virgin, if these were the kind of men she stumbled across during her search.“What about high school?” he asked. “And college?”She looked down at her hands. “I wasn't exactly Miss Popular in school,” she said simply. “I wasn't even that shy girl that nobody talks to except when they need help with math, because I sucked at math. Still do, as a matter of fact. I didn't fit in with any of the clicks. I wasn't pretty and I wasn't clever, and I didn't have any secret talents. The only thing I was good at was reading, and I did a lot of that. But nobody makes friends in the school library, right? Especially not if the girl is chubby and have the fashion sense of a blind nun.”“Now that part I can help you with,” he said. “Why don't I go shopping with you and help you pick out a few outfits that will make the, uh, best of your figure?”She looked down at herself. True, she was wearing sweatpants, but they were new and still neat. And her sweater might be a bit too big after her diet, but it was of a good material and had been expensive and it didn't lose shape in the wash. But his words made her feel downright dowdy.“Do you remember what I told you last night?” he asked.“I barely remember you, never mind anything you told me,” she said, stung.He frowned a little and gazed at her with an intent look on his face that made her wonder if he could see more than what she revealed.“You expressed the wish to... how to put this delicately? find somebody to enjoy yourself with, but you were concerned that you don't have the right look and personality to attract men. I merely offered my advice to help you if you wanted an objective opinion.”“Oh,” she said, pushing her plate away from her with one finger.Actually, what he'd promised was to help her learn to fake it, but Brandon was strangely reluctant to hurt her feelings by telling her that. She was female, after all, and would immediately conclude that he thought she wasn't good enough or pretty enough, or didn't have what it takes to attract men like ants to a syrup bottle.And that was just bull.Even if he had had almost those exact same thoughts not twelve hours ago.“Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked after a few semi-awkward moments of silence.He shrugged. “Maybe I'm just a nice guy.”“Men are never nice unless they have an agenda.”He winced. “Ouch. True, but ouch.”She gave him a small smile. “So what's your agenda?”Getting in your pants.“Maybe I want library privileges.”She snorted. “Like what?”Showing you what the reference section should really be used for.“Maybe I have a fine for a book that's late. Think you can help me make it disappear?”Her smile was like the sunrise.“Are you trying to bribe me?”He leaned forward with a grin. “Maybe I am. Are you corruptible?”“Certainly not. I'm a good girl, you know.” She was trying hard to look prim and proper, and failing miserably. Her eyes; those bluer-than-the-sky eyes of hers; were filled with laughter behind her pretty glasses, despite the way she was pursing her lips and trying to look chastising.“All right. So I'll have to pay the fine, then. How about this? There's a book I want to read, but it's on a waiting list. I would love to be moved to the top of the list.”She pretended to think about it. “That depends,” she decided. “What book is it?”He couldn't help it, couldn't resist the invitation their flirting was issuing.“The Art of Pleasuring Women,” he said, wondering if she would accept the unvoiced challenge.She did, though her eyes widened slightly in scandalous provocation. “Well, now,” she said, clearing her throat a little. “I guess I can be convinced. Wouldn't want your girlfriend to be dissatisfied by your prowess. It would be sad for the poor girl if you didn't know how to; get things done. You might even say it's my civic duty to let you have the necessary instruction.”His throat was a little dry and he lifted his cup to his lips, surprised to realize there wasn't another drop. “Yeah,” he said. “Education is important. Speaking of education, I think it's time for lesson one.”“Lesson one in what?”He grinned. “Making you irresistible.”Emily twisted her hair into a clip with a practiced movement. Brandon had given her couple of hours while he got a cab to take him home and get his spare keys, promising to be back for her first lesson. She felt awkward when he left, sure it would be the last time she saw him. She knew he thought her plain and uninteresting– he'd basically said it himself in so many words; and he had absolutely no reason to waste his Saturday on her. She was surprised at the desolation she had felt when she stood at her window, watching his cab pull off. He was the first man in a long time to be nice to her. Not many guys would go to the trouble he'd gone too to get her home safely. He'd looked after her as if they were friends, and this morning he'd joked with her and put her at ease, making her forget about the humiliation of her alcohol-loosened tongue of the previous evening. For goodness' sake, she had told him she was still a virgin. Why on earth had she felt the need to share that with him? Now he would always remember her as that crazy girl who couldn't handle a few drinks and had no taste in clothes. He was nice, and talking to him had been very nice and seeing him again would be even nicer, but she was not naïve enough to believe he would be back. Still, she couldn't help taking extra care when she dried her hair and did her make-up. The result was less than satisfactory, to her own eyes. No matter what she did, she would be plain. Nothing could change that. She had never been pretty, nor would she ever be.“And you'd best make peace with it,” she muttered to her slightly depressed image in the mirror. She threw open her closet and looked at the piles of clothes that had been arranged with military precision, according to color and styles.It was a bit sad, watching her cupboard. Most of what she owned was either white or beige or cream, or any variation of that. There were blacks and navy blues, and a few browns and greys. Some dowdy shades of maroon and a mourning, drab purple, but that was it.Was this really what her life had whittled down to? Her job was going nowhere, fast, she had no relationships outside her head, and her closet looked like she let her grandmother do her shopping. Why on earth had she bought that grey and brown coat hanging in the back? It was horrible. It was hideous, even if it was made of the finest wool she'd ever touched.Emily pulled it off the hanger and dumped it on the bed unceremoniously. She grabbed another jacket, a few skirts she was ashamed to say she'd worn more than twice. The heap on her bed piled high as she emptied her closet almost completely. She was feeling slightly frantic by the time she was done with the coats and jackets and started on slacks and trousers. Had she been blind her entire life, to wear this?“What are you doing?” a voice suddenly said, disturbing her. Emily dropped a faded charcoal blouse on the floor in surprise. Her sort-of friend and downstairs neighbor was staring at the bed, which was covered with clothes, with an expression of revulsion. She must have used the spare key Emily had left with her, because Emily had locked the door behind Brandon. Usually Judith knocked, but Emily hadn't heard anything.“You!” said Emily accusingly, bending down to pick up the shirt and holding it out in front of her. “I blame you!”“For what?” Judith asked, clearly not sure what to expect.“This is partly your fault,” Emily scolded, shaking and accusing finger at Judith. “How could you let me wear this crap? In public?”Judith stared at the bed, her mouth working a little as she processed the situation.“I thought you liked it.”“You should have told me I look about ninety! What sort of friend are you?”“Em, you always look neat. I thought…”“Neat! I looked neat. And how many guys want to have sex with neatness, I ask you?”“Uhm…” Judith cleared her throat. “Clearly, not as many as you'd like.”Emily threw another armful of blouses; a mustardy floral, a khaki-with-frills and a navy box neck that looked like the wrong end of the fifties; on the bed.“None, that's how many,” she said grimly. “How am I supposed to get somebody to marry if I can't even find a man to have sex with me? What's wrong with me?”“There is not a thing wrong with you,” Judith said immediately and loyally. “You just; appeal to a different demographic than the men you meet.”“Yeah,” Emily muttered. “The men at the senior citizen really enjoy chatting to me on Library Tuesday. They show up by the busloads to come see me.”Judith stifled a laugh. “Why are you taking all of your clothes out of your closet?”Emily sank down on her bead and glanced at the pile of ugly materials and styles.“I'm getting rid of it,” she said darkly. “All of it. And I'm going to buy new things. Pretty things. Color, Judith, I need color. Pink and green and yellow. Red! I don't even have a red dress. Why don't I have a hot red dress?”“Red's really not your color,” Judith said. “Or yellow, to be honest. You need to stay away from red and yellow, and definitely no orange.”“See? Why haven't you told me this before? Look at me, Judith, I'm a mess.”Judith sat down next to her. “I guess you always seem so content, so at peace with your life. I used to envy you that. I'm the most unstable person I know, and you just never cared what people thought about you. I had no idea you were dissatisfied. I'm sorry I let you wear ugly clothes.”Emily gave a small laugh and glanced at the empty hangers in the closet. There were two coats that had passed her test; a truly timeless black cashmere and a really warm, snowy white one she'd bought on sale but hadn't worn yet because it would get dirty the second she ventured out of her bedroom.“It's ok. It's not your fault. I should have realized I need help long before now.”“What brought this on?” Judith asked, picking up the mustard shirt looking at it shrewdly. “This would make an excellent floor rag, by the way.”Emily laughed slightly. “Nothing brought it on. I'm just; I'm tired of being part of the scenery in my own life, you know? When is it my turn to have some fun? I've been waiting so patiently for my life to begin, and look where it's brought me. I'm twenty nine, I've never had sex, and I'm too scared to venture outside this comfort zone I've been digging for myself with serviceable clothing and comfortable shoes and not enough friends.”“Your shoes are really ugly,” Judith said, honestly. “And I promise I'll tell you from now on if you wear something that doesn't work.”Emily looked at her nearly empty cupboard. “Thanks,” she said. “I guess I'll take this stuff to the Salvation Army, if they want it.”“Let me help with that,” Judith said. “I have a car, so it'll be much easier for me. I know a great homeless shelter that needs donations desperately.”“I'd appreciate that,” Emily said. “Why did you come here today? Did they drop my mail off in your box again?”“No, I wanted to ask about that really hot guy I saw coming out of your apartment a while ago. Was he the cable repair man or something?”“No,” Emily said, blushing a little. “He; actually, he spent the night here. On my couch,” she added quickly. “Nothing happened. I was so drunk he had to bring me home from the bar.”Judith's eyes widened. “But you never drink,” she said.“I did last night.”“Never mind that, then. Oh my word, Emily, you let a stranger sleep over at your house? And you didn't jump him?”“He wasn't interested in being jumped,” Emily said. “He's just; a nice guy I'm never going to see again.”Judith chewed the inside of her lip. “Leave this stuff,” she said, “and bring your credit card. We're going to go shopping.”Brandon paced the hallway outside Emily's apartment. He'd been there for an hour and she still wasn't opening the door. She was either avoiding him on purpose, or incapable of answering the damn bell, or, most probably, not home.Which just plain pissed him off. Hadn't he told her he would be back? She had no business being out when he wanted to see her!He kept walking, following the generic grey carpeting with the navy pattern with his eyes. This was ridiculous. He should be at home, watching sport or having an afternoon nap. He should not be pacing around, waiting for Emily to show up. What was he, a horny teenager who mistakes lust for love?He forced himself to leave after another half hour. No girl was worth waiting for like this. It was pathetic and sad and told him, more than anything else, how much he needed to get laid. These; feelings he seemed to have caught, were like a disease. Or a virus. And the best cure for unwanted feelings is a good old-fashioned boink fest. He knew plenty of girls who would be more than happy to oblige. It was just such a pity he wasn't interested in anybody except Emily.Brandon scowled.“Are you sure about the dress?” Emily asked for the third time, loading the last of the shopping bags into Judith's car. They'd spent almost five hours straight in the shops, with Judith dragging her from the one shop to the next, picking out clothes and smelling discounts from miles away. Her arms were sore from carrying the bags around, and her credit card had given up screaming in pain ten purchases ago. Instead, she imagined it making small little whimpers as it lay in her wallet, trying to curl itself up against the agony and torture she'd put it through.But oh, she loved the clothes! The colors; Emily had never thought there were so many shades of pink, or that she could look so good in pastel and bright colors alike. For the first time in years, she didn't feel dowdy. She felt pretty, since Judith had made her go to a bathroom and change from frumpy and dumpy to smart and sexy. She was wearing a short skirt, teetering around on high-heeled boots that could not possible be good for her insteps. She felt deliciously slutty, even though the skirt wasn't that short. But the tight black sweater she wore with it dipped low enough to make men take a second look, and the jacket she had on over it was hot-pink and attention grabbing. Added to that the new jewelry and a sexy little scarf, and she felt like a million dollars.Judith didn't need to ask what dress she was talking about. It was a slinky black number with very flattering, very seductive lines. It was shorter than sin, and with the right bra, would show off more cleavage than a centerfold Playboy Bunny. It was completely backless and basically said, ‘take me to bed and tear me off her body.'“I'm sure,” she said. “Em, you look so hot in that dress, even I wanted to jump you in the fitting room. Brandon's gonna eat his heart out.”“I don't want Brandon to eat his heart out,” Emily muttered, but she grinned a little. “I wouldn't mind him eating something else out, though.”Judith gasped in shock. “Why, Emily Brown," she said. “You're positively slutty!”“What,” Emily said defensively, “just because I'm a virgin, I need to be prudish?”“I created a monster,” Judith said, shaking her head as she backed out.Brandon couldn't stop scowling as he rolled out of bed the next morning. It was still snowing outside, and he had spent the entire evening stomping around in his house. That bloody librarian had him all tied up. He was angry, and horny, and annoyed all at the same time. After waiting around for three hours outside her apartment the previous day, he'd gone home, only to keep thinking about her. And now it was Sunday, and it was still snowing, and he was damned if he would spend another day frustrated as hell.The lady needed lessons, and he was damned well going to be the one to teach them to her.Starting today.Emily brushed her hair, marveling at the lightness of the layered and highlighted strands. The swelling on her eyebrows had finally gone down, after the waxing and tinting she'd agreed to the previous day. And the new eyeliner made all the difference in the world. She experimented at leisure with the new make-up Judith had helped her choose, and loving the outfit she had decided on that morning; a pair of surprisingly comfortable jeans with the boots of the previous day, an amethyst-color sweater that hugged her body and showed off the curves she had always kept hidden for some reason. She fixed the silver hoops in her ears and wondered how she was going to settle the bills on her credit card. She almost had more debt now than right after she finished her degree at the university.But oh, it was worth every cent. Every time she opened her cupboard doors and saw the cornucopia of colors adorning her pretty white shelves, she wanted to hug herself and dance a little jig. She had the weirdest urge to grab her hairbrush and sing along to the mixed CD she was listening to while she got dressed, but she figured it was unacceptable behavior to anybody over the age of oh, say, fourteen.But then she got a what-the-hell feeling and grabbed her brush. She might have missed out on the dance-like-you're a teenager phase when she actually was a teenager, but there was no reason not to catch up on that now, was there? She spun around her room, ignoring the unmade bed and singing along to the newest teen-sensation swooning about a boy and what he did to her.“And you make me want you like a grown-up…” she crooned along to the singer.Emily could relate. She had never been passionate, to say the least. She had a vibrator in her bedside table, and she used it occasionally, but she suspected there was something wrong with her that she didn't enjoy it much. It made her feel pathetic, the way she'd felt at twenty-five when she finally decided to end her virginal status on her own, if she couldn't get a man to help her with the pesky little task. She cried when she broke through the barrier, so lonely and depressed that she just took out the vibrator; a pretty pink one with different settings; and went to go clean up in the bathroom. There had been no pleasure, none of the ecstasy she'd read about in books and seen in movies. It had felt humiliating and like giving up, and she had hated herself for it.She tried using the vibrator again, and after a few times she actually had an orgasm. Which was great while it lasted, but afterwards she felt stupid and tainted and like such a loser. She still used it occasionally, though the orgasms seemed to be getting smaller every time. Maybe she was getting too old to enjoy sex. Maybe her body was tricked into thinking it was time to go through menopause, since it wasn't being used the way nature intended for it to be used. And she had never, with one exception, looked at a man and gotten turned on. Men were from Mars, and she didn't speak Martian. She was tongue tied and avoided them like a second-grade girl, at the same time wishing one of them would just look at her once, fall head over heels and coax her out of her shell. But Brandon; Brandon made her want him in a way she had never thought it was possible to want somebody. Maybe it was because he was the first man to take the time to talk to her, or maybe it was because he'd hit her at a vulnerable stage with that smile of his, but when she had looked out of her shower to see him standing there, she'd felt the heat low in her belly, unfurling and moving to her nether regions. He was hot. He made her want things, like one-night stands and short flings and naked bodies writhing together.He made her feel like a women, even if he wasn't interested.And that was more pathetic than anything else.Her doorbell rang, several times shortly after each other, indicating irritation on the other side of the door. It was probably Judith, so she slicked one last coat of gloss over her lips and headed to the sitting room, eager to show her friend what she looked like. Only it wasn't Judith.It was Brandon.Brandon swallowed once. Was he at the wrong apartment? Because there was a really, really hot girl standing where he had expected to see Emily. And maybe his cock was finally ready to get down and dirty with somebody else, because it was stirring subtly, reminding Brandon that he hadn't had sex in about five months. At least not with somebody else in the room.“Hey,” the girl said. Brandon's eyes were glued to the plump, shiny lips the color of ripe cherries and he swallowed convulsively.She was wearing Emily's glasses, and she was standing in Emily's doorway, but there was no way Emily could be wearing clothes that made him want to take her right there, against the wall in the hallway.“Hi,” he croaked, feeling as if he was in high school again and trying to talk to pretty girl who owned the locker next to his. All tongue-tied and awkward. The pretty girl cleared her throat and gave a step back. “Would you like to come inside?”“Sure,' he said, but he couldn't seem to move. It felt as if the connection between his feet and his brain had been severed (best guess put the cut-off point somewhere near his groin) and he was unable to do anything but stare.At her tits. Those previously thought plain, nondescript tits. They were perfect. Not too big, not too small. Full and high, soft and plump. He itched to have them in his hands and do something; anything; with them. To them. On them. For them.“Brandon?”Her voice sounded like it had been made to say his name, preferably in different tones of passion. He could imagine her crying it out as the orgasm hit her, and he swallowed again, trying to force his brain to get rid of the lust-driven haze so he could function like a normal human being.“Sorry,” he said quickly. “You look…”“Different?” she guessed and looked down at the soft, form-fitting sweater that made her skin seem all healthy and glowing and; stuff. Or something.“Really beautiful,” he amended. “Really, really beautiful.”“Thanks,” she said, glancing down uncomfortably, reminding him that she was a very shy girl, despite the fact that she set fire to his fantasies.“Where did you disappear to yesterday?” he asked when the awkward silence stretched out too long.She smiled, a surprised, delighted smile that brought forth a little dimple he hadn't noticed before.“You came back,” she said. “I didn't think you would.”He just looked at her. “I said I would,” he said quietly. “Why didn't you believe me?”She blushed, and damn if it wasn't cute. “Well, I didn't think I would see you again. I know I'm not the kind of girl men comes back to, especially not men like you.”“Men like me?”“I know what I am and what I am not; you don't need to pretend anything to spare my feelings. But anyway, I went shopping. For clothes. With my friend Judith.”“I'm glad you went shopping,” he said. “But to come back to the men like me remark…”“Hot men,” she muttered, shamefacedly. “But like I said, I know what I see in the mirror so you don't have to pretend to be attracted to me or whatever. I won't blame you if you don't want me, or don't want to help me. Only…” she paused for a second. “Just don't pity me, okay? I don't need anybody's pity. I'm fine with who I am.”Brandon didn't think; he simply acted. He gave one step and then he was flush up against her. He twisted their bodies skillfully so that her back was pressed against the doorway. He didn't take the time he'd imagined he would when he cupped her face between his palms, took off her glasses and dropped it on the floor behind her, bent his head, and kissed her.It was an electric thing, the kiss. Their lips were barely touching, and there was not enough pressure to satisfy him, but it still sent chills racing up and down his body. He rubbed his lips over hers, getting some of that cherry-red gloss on his own mouth and not minding one bit. He sucked her bottom lip between his and enjoyed her surprised little gasp. He licked over that softest skin on the inside of her lip and then nibbled lightly with his teeth. He pulled back, stretching her lip a little before letting go. He didn't move away; not yet. Instead, he pressed a chaste kiss on the one corner of her mouth, and another on the other side. She smelled fantastic. No heavy, seductive perfume that made him want to sneeze and drink allergy medicine. She carried the scent of her innocence, and it smelled like some light sort of flower. Clean, and fresh, and young, like a rose covered with early morning dew, and could he possibly get any cornier? If he didn't stop thinking, he was going to start spouting poetry soon.So he stopped thinking and touched her lips again, a bit firmer this time, just to remind her who was in charge. He felt the natural softness that indicated her femininity, felt the way they gave and molded under his, shaping around his in a warm, strangely familiar way. He touched his tongue to the Cupid 's bow, following the line of her lips with the tip of his tongue, knowing that it would intoxicate her as much as it did him. When he reached the plump bottom lip, he slipped his tongue to taste the seam of her closed mouth, sliding it first in one direction and then the next. He pressed lightly, asking her wordlessly for permission, for access. She softened her lips further and he slid his tongue in a little further.Her taste blossomed and he groaned as it assaulted his senses. He couldn't wait to taste the rest of her, to taste all of her. He could feel his breathing picking up speed as he explored her mouth relentlessly. Her arms slipped around his neck and she rose on her toes to press herself closer to him. He could feel and taste and sense her inexperience in her hesitation. She was a little bit clumsy, and it was endearingly sweet to him, knowing that this girl-woman trusted him enough to let him kiss her like this.He deepened the kiss, one of his hands sliding achingly slowly down her back to press her against him even more. He wanted to move his hand to the more interesting terrain of her front, but he was oddly content just to hold her like this while he taught her more about the art of kissing with infinite patience. He pressed a little harder, hungry for just a little more, and coaxed her tongue from her mouth with his own. She didn't understand what he wanted, and he knew she was confused by the change in the angle of his mouth as it slanted over hers.“Give me your tongue,' he whispered hoarsely against her lips.“What?” she asked dazedly.“Your tongue,” he said again, moving his hand lower to cup her deliciously soft ass in his palm. She was all feminine curves; firm, but not overly muscled, like too many women nowadays who spent more time in a gym than at home. She felt so different from him, and he reveled in the way their bodies fit together, hard against soft, muscles against curves. She wasn't fat, not even chubby, but she wasn't a stick figure either.She was so; absolutely; perfect.To be continued, by horn pixy.

About Last Night by horn pixy. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.Well, she thought almost bitterly as she got dressed in sweatpants and a plain black sweater that was soft and a little loose after her latest, and to date most successful, weight-loss plan. She considered shoes, but settled for her fluffy pink slippers instead. So much for her brilliant theory. She had sat there for hours and hours on the most uncomfortable stool ever, drinking glass after glass of whiskey because she didn't know what else to order and was too shy to ask. And nobody; not even one man; had shown any interest in her. The only one who talked at her at all was the hot bartender, who…The bartender! Of course! That's why the man had looked familiar to her in her bathroom. His features had been blurry without her glasses, of course, but she was reasonably sure it was him. She was almost a hundred percent certain of it. The only question was; what was he doing in her apartment?“It's a long story,” he said when she asked him later, in her kitchen, her hair wrapped up in a towel and perched on her head. His eyes followed her movements around the kitchen as she got milk from the fridge for the coffee and put bread in the toaster. The irony of the morning-after-nothing-happened breakfast didn't escape his notice.“I have time,” she said carefully, closing the blinds to avoid all possible sources of light. “Give me the quick version.”“Fine,” he said with a sigh. “You were drunk, I helped you home. My keys are locked in my car and I couldn't get a cab to come get me. That's it, in a nutshell. And because I know you're still wondering, I spent the night on your couch, shivering a little. Ok, shivering a lot. It was damn cold. Plus I have a crick in my neck now.”She winced. “I'm sorry. I wish you'd waken me up, I would at least have helped you with a blanket.”“I could have used your hairdryer to build a nuclear bomb right next to your bed and you wouldn't have woken up. You were out cold.”Another wince.“I'm really sorry,” she said. “I don't know what came over me. I've never been that drunk before. I'm really not the type.”“I know,” he said, not bothering to hide his grin. “You told me last night.”She chewed her bottom lip nervously. Brandon wanted to take that hot little task over for her. He imagined nibbling on those petal soft lips and cleared his throat a little.“What else did I tell you?” she wanted to know apprehensively.“Well, you work in a library, and you can't lie even to telephone salespeople.”“Is that all?”“Not by a long shot. By the way, what does technically mean?”She frowned and cocked her head in a ‘what do you mean?' way. “Technically?”“Yes. When is something technically and when is it; I don't know, untechnically? Physically? Literally?”“I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about,” she said and smeared a thin strip of margarine over her dry toast.He cupped his hands around the plain white cup filled to the brim with coffee and leaned forward.“Tell me,” he said conversationally, sadistically waiting for her to take a bite of toast. “How does one remain a virgin, but only technically?”She started choking as he'd expected, coughing and wheezing and grabbing her coffee to help the dry bread down the right pipe.“What?”“Apparently, if you were speaking the truth last night which drunk people seem prone to do for some reason, you are technically still a virgin, but not in a physical sense. I was just wondering how that happens.”“I told you that? Oh my; I'm so sorry!”He laughed at the red flush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks.“Relax,” he said. “Its fine. I would just love to hear that story. Because there has to be a story.”“Not really,” she muttered, and then, as an afterthought, “I'm never drinking again.”“Wise words that has been spoken by many, many people over the years.”“I mean it,” she insisted. “I honestly can't believe I told you that.”“Virginity is nothing to be ashamed of,” Brandon said, stroking one finger down her arm.“It kind of is, when you're twenty nine.”He gaped. “You're twenty nine and you've never had sex? How the hell had that happen?”“I don't know, it just; happened,” she muttered. “Or more to the point, it just never happened.”“There must be a reason,” he prompted.“There isn't one specific reason, it's more like a series of non-sexual incidents, strung together by everything from dating sites to five-minute dating games and more blind dates than I can count.”“I take it none of that worked for you?”“I met the most interesting people. Like Mike, who was seventy two at the time, and told me he had a granddaughter fantasy he wanted to play out with me.”“He wanted you to pretend to be his granddaughter?”She shook her head. “If only. I'm not sure how this would have played out since I didn't stick around to find out, but I had to play the grandfather. And he was one of the better options.”Brandon sat back, stunned. “No way,” he said disbelievingly.She nodded. “I'm serious. After him was a series of serial losers; men who couldn't hold on to jobs and girls and had to borrow money from one loan shark to pay off the next. The type of guys whose idea of cleaning out the trailer means letting a stray dog in to lick the stains from the floor and to put all the porn in one box.”Oh, he was in deep shit, Brandon thought as he roared with laughter. She had a sense of humor. There was, to his mind, nothing sexier in a girl than a sense of humor.“And after them?”She frowned. “I met this guy, his name is Stanley, online. We went on a few dates and it didn't go too bad, till his parole officer contacted me to let me know he was back in jail for harassing little kids at a park.” She winced. “It was messy. The police went through my house, looking for signs of kiddie-porn. Apparently he was part of a child-prostitution and trafficking ring. I had no idea. I got off with a warning, since there was no evidence that I was involved, and he told them that I knew nothing. I suspect they still monitor my internet history every once in a while.”Helpless laughter rocked through him. No wonder she was still a virgin, if these were the kind of men she stumbled across during her search.“What about high school?” he asked. “And college?”She looked down at her hands. “I wasn't exactly Miss Popular in school,” she said simply. “I wasn't even that shy girl that nobody talks to except when they need help with math, because I sucked at math. Still do, as a matter of fact. I didn't fit in with any of the clicks. I wasn't pretty and I wasn't clever, and I didn't have any secret talents. The only thing I was good at was reading, and I did a lot of that. But nobody makes friends in the school library, right? Especially not if the girl is chubby and have the fashion sense of a blind nun.”“Now that part I can help you with,” he said. “Why don't I go shopping with you and help you pick out a few outfits that will make the, uh, best of your figure?”She looked down at herself. True, she was wearing sweatpants, but they were new and still neat. And her sweater might be a bit too big after her diet, but it was of a good material and had been expensive and it didn't lose shape in the wash. But his words made her feel downright dowdy.“Do you remember what I told you last night?” he asked.“I barely remember you, never mind anything you told me,” she said, stung.He frowned a little and gazed at her with an intent look on his face that made her wonder if he could see more than what she revealed.“You expressed the wish to... how to put this delicately? find somebody to enjoy yourself with, but you were concerned that you don't have the right look and personality to attract men. I merely offered my advice to help you if you wanted an objective opinion.”“Oh,” she said, pushing her plate away from her with one finger.Actually, what he'd promised was to help her learn to fake it, but Brandon was strangely reluctant to hurt her feelings by telling her that. She was female, after all, and would immediately conclude that he thought she wasn't good enough or pretty enough, or didn't have what it takes to attract men like ants to a syrup bottle.And that was just bull.Even if he had had almost those exact same thoughts not twelve hours ago.“Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked after a few semi-awkward moments of silence.He shrugged. “Maybe I'm just a nice guy.”“Men are never nice unless they have an agenda.”He winced. “Ouch. True, but ouch.”She gave him a small smile. “So what's your agenda?”Getting in your pants.“Maybe I want library privileges.”She snorted. “Like what?”Showing you what the reference section should really be used for.“Maybe I have a fine for a book that's late. Think you can help me make it disappear?”Her smile was like the sunrise.“Are you trying to bribe me?”He leaned forward with a grin. “Maybe I am. Are you corruptible?”“Certainly not. I'm a good girl, you know.” She was trying hard to look prim and proper, and failing miserably. Her eyes; those bluer-than-the-sky eyes of hers; were filled with laughter behind her pretty glasses, despite the way she was pursing her lips and trying to look chastising.“All right. So I'll have to pay the fine, then. How about this? There's a book I want to read, but it's on a waiting list. I would love to be moved to the top of the list.”She pretended to think about it. “That depends,” she decided. “What book is it?”He couldn't help it, couldn't resist the invitation their flirting was issuing.“The Art of Pleasuring Women,” he said, wondering if she would accept the unvoiced challenge.She did, though her eyes widened slightly in scandalous provocation. “Well, now,” she said, clearing her throat a little. “I guess I can be convinced. Wouldn't want your girlfriend to be dissatisfied by your prowess. It would be sad for the poor girl if you didn't know how to; get things done. You might even say it's my civic duty to let you have the necessary instruction.”His throat was a little dry and he lifted his cup to his lips, surprised to realize there wasn't another drop. “Yeah,” he said. “Education is important. Speaking of education, I think it's time for lesson one.”“Lesson one in what?”He grinned. “Making you irresistible.”Emily twisted her hair into a clip with a practiced movement. Brandon had given her couple of hours while he got a cab to take him home and get his spare keys, promising to be back for her first lesson. She felt awkward when he left, sure it would be the last time she saw him. She knew he thought her plain and uninteresting– he'd basically said it himself in so many words; and he had absolutely no reason to waste his Saturday on her. She was surprised at the desolation she had felt when she stood at her window, watching his cab pull off. He was the first man in a long time to be nice to her. Not many guys would go to the trouble he'd gone too to get her home safely. He'd looked after her as if they were friends, and this morning he'd joked with her and put her at ease, making her forget about the humiliation of her alcohol-loosened tongue of the previous evening. For goodness' sake, she had told him she was still a virgin. Why on earth had she felt the need to share that with him? Now he would always remember her as that crazy girl who couldn't handle a few drinks and had no taste in clothes. He was nice, and talking to him had been very nice and seeing him again would be even nicer, but she was not naïve enough to believe he would be back. Still, she couldn't help taking extra care when she dried her hair and did her make-up. The result was less than satisfactory, to her own eyes. No matter what she did, she would be plain. Nothing could change that. She had never been pretty, nor would she ever be.“And you'd best make peace with it,” she muttered to her slightly depressed image in the mirror. She threw open her closet and looked at the piles of clothes that had been arranged with military precision, according to color and styles.It was a bit sad, watching her cupboard. Most of what she owned was either white or beige or cream, or any variation of that. There were blacks and navy blues, and a few browns and greys. Some dowdy shades of maroon and a mourning, drab purple, but that was it.Was this really what her life had whittled down to? Her job was going nowhere, fast, she had no relationships outside her head, and her closet looked like she let her grandmother do her shopping. Why on earth had she bought that grey and brown coat hanging in the back? It was horrible. It was hideous, even if it was made of the finest wool she'd ever touched.Emily pulled it off the hanger and dumped it on the bed unceremoniously. She grabbed another jacket, a few skirts she was ashamed to say she'd worn more than twice. The heap on her bed piled high as she emptied her closet almost completely. She was feeling slightly frantic by the time she was done with the coats and jackets and started on slacks and trousers. Had she been blind her entire life, to wear this?“What are you doing?” a voice suddenly said, disturbing her. Emily dropped a faded charcoal blouse on the floor in surprise. Her sort-of friend and downstairs neighbor was staring at the bed, which was covered with clothes, with an expression of revulsion. She must have used the spare key Emily had left with her, because Emily had locked the door behind Brandon. Usually Judith knocked, but Emily hadn't heard anything.“You!” said Emily accusingly, bending down to pick up the shirt and holding it out in front of her. “I blame you!”“For what?” Judith asked, clearly not sure what to expect.“This is partly your fault,” Emily scolded, shaking and accusing finger at Judith. “How could you let me wear this crap? In public?”Judith stared at the bed, her mouth working a little as she processed the situation.“I thought you liked it.”“You should have told me I look about ninety! What sort of friend are you?”“Em, you always look neat. I thought…”“Neat! I looked neat. And how many guys want to have sex with neatness, I ask you?”“Uhm…” Judith cleared her throat. “Clearly, not as many as you'd like.”Emily threw another armful of blouses; a mustardy floral, a khaki-with-frills and a navy box neck that looked like the wrong end of the fifties; on the bed.“None, that's how many,” she said grimly. “How am I supposed to get somebody to marry if I can't even find a man to have sex with me? What's wrong with me?”“There is not a thing wrong with you,” Judith said immediately and loyally. “You just; appeal to a different demographic than the men you meet.”“Yeah,” Emily muttered. “The men at the senior citizen really enjoy chatting to me on Library Tuesday. They show up by the busloads to come see me.”Judith stifled a laugh. “Why are you taking all of your clothes out of your closet?”Emily sank down on her bead and glanced at the pile of ugly materials and styles.“I'm getting rid of it,” she said darkly. “All of it. And I'm going to buy new things. Pretty things. Color, Judith, I need color. Pink and green and yellow. Red! I don't even have a red dress. Why don't I have a hot red dress?”“Red's really not your color,” Judith said. “Or yellow, to be honest. You need to stay away from red and yellow, and definitely no orange.”“See? Why haven't you told me this before? Look at me, Judith, I'm a mess.”Judith sat down next to her. “I guess you always seem so content, so at peace with your life. I used to envy you that. I'm the most unstable person I know, and you just never cared what people thought about you. I had no idea you were dissatisfied. I'm sorry I let you wear ugly clothes.”Emily gave a small laugh and glanced at the empty hangers in the closet. There were two coats that had passed her test; a truly timeless black cashmere and a really warm, snowy white one she'd bought on sale but hadn't worn yet because it would get dirty the second she ventured out of her bedroom.“It's ok. It's not your fault. I should have realized I need help long before now.”“What brought this on?” Judith asked, picking up the mustard shirt looking at it shrewdly. “This would make an excellent floor rag, by the way.”Emily laughed slightly. “Nothing brought it on. I'm just; I'm tired of being part of the scenery in my own life, you know? When is it my turn to have some fun? I've been waiting so patiently for my life to begin, and look where it's brought me. I'm twenty nine, I've never had sex, and I'm too scared to venture outside this comfort zone I've been digging for myself with serviceable clothing and comfortable shoes and not enough friends.”“Your shoes are really ugly,” Judith said, honestly. “And I promise I'll tell you from now on if you wear something that doesn't work.”Emily looked at her nearly empty cupboard. “Thanks,” she said. “I guess I'll take this stuff to the Salvation Army, if they want it.”“Let me help with that,” Judith said. “I have a car, so it'll be much easier for me. I know a great homeless shelter that needs donations desperately.”“I'd appreciate that,” Emily said. “Why did you come here today? Did they drop my mail off in your box again?”“No, I wanted to ask about that really hot guy I saw coming out of your apartment a while ago. Was he the cable repair man or something?”“No,” Emily said, blushing a little. “He; actually, he spent the night here. On my couch,” she added quickly. “Nothing happened. I was so drunk he had to bring me home from the bar.”Judith's eyes widened. “But you never drink,” she said.“I did last night.”“Never mind that, then. Oh my word, Emily, you let a stranger sleep over at your house? And you didn't jump him?”“He wasn't interested in being jumped,” Emily said. “He's just; a nice guy I'm never going to see again.”Judith chewed the inside of her lip. “Leave this stuff,” she said, “and bring your credit card. We're going to go shopping.”Brandon paced the hallway outside Emily's apartment. He'd been there for an hour and she still wasn't opening the door. She was either avoiding him on purpose, or incapable of answering the damn bell, or, most probably, not home.Which just plain pissed him off. Hadn't he told her he would be back? She had no business being out when he wanted to see her!He kept walking, following the generic grey carpeting with the navy pattern with his eyes. This was ridiculous. He should be at home, watching sport or having an afternoon nap. He should not be pacing around, waiting for Emily to show up. What was he, a horny teenager who mistakes lust for love?He forced himself to leave after another half hour. No girl was worth waiting for like this. It was pathetic and sad and told him, more than anything else, how much he needed to get laid. These; feelings he seemed to have caught, were like a disease. Or a virus. And the best cure for unwanted feelings is a good old-fashioned boink fest. He knew plenty of girls who would be more than happy to oblige. It was just such a pity he wasn't interested in anybody except Emily.Brandon scowled.“Are you sure about the dress?” Emily asked for the third time, loading the last of the shopping bags into Judith's car. They'd spent almost five hours straight in the shops, with Judith dragging her from the one shop to the next, picking out clothes and smelling discounts from miles away. Her arms were sore from carrying the bags around, and her credit card had given up screaming in pain ten purchases ago. Instead, she imagined it making small little whimpers as it lay in her wallet, trying to curl itself up against the agony and torture she'd put it through.But oh, she loved the clothes! The colors; Emily had never thought there were so many shades of pink, or that she could look so good in pastel and bright colors alike. For the first time in years, she didn't feel dowdy. She felt pretty, since Judith had made her go to a bathroom and change from frumpy and dumpy to smart and sexy. She was wearing a short skirt, teetering around on high-heeled boots that could not possible be good for her insteps. She felt deliciously slutty, even though the skirt wasn't that short. But the tight black sweater she wore with it dipped low enough to make men take a second look, and the jacket she had on over it was hot-pink and attention grabbing. Added to that the new jewelry and a sexy little scarf, and she felt like a million dollars.Judith didn't need to ask what dress she was talking about. It was a slinky black number with very flattering, very seductive lines. It was shorter than sin, and with the right bra, would show off more cleavage than a centerfold Playboy Bunny. It was completely backless and basically said, ‘take me to bed and tear me off her body.'“I'm sure,” she said. “Em, you look so hot in that dress, even I wanted to jump you in the fitting room. Brandon's gonna eat his heart out.”“I don't want Brandon to eat his heart out,” Emily muttered, but she grinned a little. “I wouldn't mind him eating something else out, though.”Judith gasped in shock. “Why, Emily Brown," she said. “You're positively slutty!”“What,” Emily said defensively, “just because I'm a virgin, I need to be prudish?”“I created a monster,” Judith said, shaking her head as she backed out.Brandon couldn't stop scowling as he rolled out of bed the next morning. It was still snowing outside, and he had spent the entire evening stomping around in his house. That bloody librarian had him all tied up. He was angry, and horny, and annoyed all at the same time. After waiting around for three hours outside her apartment the previous day, he'd gone home, only to keep thinking about her. And now it was Sunday, and it was still snowing, and he was damned if he would spend another day frustrated as hell.The lady needed lessons, and he was damned well going to be the one to teach them to her.Starting today.Emily brushed her hair, marveling at the lightness of the layered and highlighted strands. The swelling on her eyebrows had finally gone down, after the waxing and tinting she'd agreed to the previous day. And the new eyeliner made all the difference in the world. She experimented at leisure with the new make-up Judith had helped her choose, and loving the outfit she had decided on that morning; a pair of surprisingly comfortable jeans with the boots of the previous day, an amethyst-color sweater that hugged her body and showed off the curves she had always kept hidden for some reason. She fixed the silver hoops in her ears and wondered how she was going to settle the bills on her credit card. She almost had more debt now than right after she finished her degree at the university.But oh, it was worth every cent. Every time she opened her cupboard doors and saw the cornucopia of colors adorning her pretty white shelves, she wanted to hug herself and dance a little jig. She had the weirdest urge to grab her hairbrush and sing along to the mixed CD she was listening to while she got dressed, but she figured it was unacceptable behavior to anybody over the age of oh, say, fourteen.But then she got a what-the-hell feeling and grabbed her brush. She might have missed out on the dance-like-you're a teenager phase when she actually was a teenager, but there was no reason not to catch up on that now, was there? She spun around her room, ignoring the unmade bed and singing along to the newest teen-sensation swooning about a boy and what he did to her.“And you make me want you like a grown-up…” she crooned along to the singer.Emily could relate. She had never been passionate, to say the least. She had a vibrator in her bedside table, and she used it occasionally, but she suspected there was something wrong with her that she didn't enjoy it much. It made her feel pathetic, the way she'd felt at twenty-five when she finally decided to end her virginal status on her own, if she couldn't get a man to help her with the pesky little task. She cried when she broke through the barrier, so lonely and depressed that she just took out the vibrator; a pretty pink one with different settings; and went to go clean up in the bathroom. There had been no pleasure, none of the ecstasy she'd read about in books and seen in movies. It had felt humiliating and like giving up, and she had hated herself for it.She tried using the vibrator again, and after a few times she actually had an orgasm. Which was great while it lasted, but afterwards she felt stupid and tainted and like such a loser. She still used it occasionally, though the orgasms seemed to be getting smaller every time. Maybe she was getting too old to enjoy sex. Maybe her body was tricked into thinking it was time to go through menopause, since it wasn't being used the way nature intended for it to be used. And she had never, with one exception, looked at a man and gotten turned on. Men were from Mars, and she didn't speak Martian. She was tongue tied and avoided them like a second-grade girl, at the same time wishing one of them would just look at her once, fall head over heels and coax her out of her shell. But Brandon; Brandon made her want him in a way she had never thought it was possible to want somebody. Maybe it was because he was the first man to take the time to talk to her, or maybe it was because he'd hit her at a vulnerable stage with that smile of his, but when she had looked out of her shower to see him standing there, she'd felt the heat low in her belly, unfurling and moving to her nether regions. He was hot. He made her want things, like one-night stands and short flings and naked bodies writhing together.He made her feel like a women, even if he wasn't interested.And that was more pathetic than anything else.Her doorbell rang, several times shortly after each other, indicating irritation on the other side of the door. It was probably Judith, so she slicked one last coat of gloss over her lips and headed to the sitting room, eager to show her friend what she looked like. Only it wasn't Judith.It was Brandon.Brandon swallowed once. Was he at the wrong apartment? Because there was a really, really hot girl standing where he had expected to see Emily. And maybe his cock was finally ready to get down and dirty with somebody else, because it was stirring subtly, reminding Brandon that he hadn't had sex in about five months. At least not with somebody else in the room.“Hey,” the girl said. Brandon's eyes were glued to the plump, shiny lips the color of ripe cherries and he swallowed convulsively.She was wearing Emily's glasses, and she was standing in Emily's doorway, but there was no way Emily could be wearing clothes that made him want to take her right there, against the wall in the hallway.“Hi,” he croaked, feeling as if he was in high school again and trying to talk to pretty girl who owned the locker next to his. All tongue-tied and awkward. The pretty girl cleared her throat and gave a step back. “Would you like to come inside?”“Sure,' he said, but he couldn't seem to move. It felt as if the connection between his feet and his brain had been severed (best guess put the cut-off point somewhere near his groin) and he was unable to do anything but stare.At her tits. Those previously thought plain, nondescript tits. They were perfect. Not too big, not too small. Full and high, soft and plump. He itched to have them in his hands and do something; anything; with them. To them. On them. For them.“Brandon?”Her voice sounded like it had been made to say his name, preferably in different tones of passion. He could imagine her crying it out as the orgasm hit her, and he swallowed again, trying to force his brain to get rid of the lust-driven haze so he could function like a normal human being.“Sorry,” he said quickly. “You look…”“Different?” she guessed and looked down at the soft, form-fitting sweater that made her skin seem all healthy and glowing and; stuff. Or something.“Really beautiful,” he amended. “Really, really beautiful.”“Thanks,” she said, glancing down uncomfortably, reminding him that she was a very shy girl, despite the fact that she set fire to his fantasies.“Where did you disappear to yesterday?” he asked when the awkward silence stretched out too long.She smiled, a surprised, delighted smile that brought forth a little dimple he hadn't noticed before.“You came back,” she said. “I didn't think you would.”He just looked at her. “I said I would,” he said quietly. “Why didn't you believe me?”She blushed, and damn if it wasn't cute. “Well, I didn't think I would see you again. I know I'm not the kind of girl men comes back to, especially not men like you.”“Men like me?”“I know what I am and what I am not; you don't need to pretend anything to spare my feelings. But anyway, I went shopping. For clothes. With my friend Judith.”“I'm glad you went shopping,” he said. “But to come back to the men like me remark…”“Hot men,” she muttered, shamefacedly. “But like I said, I know what I see in the mirror so you don't have to pretend to be attracted to me or whatever. I won't blame you if you don't want me, or don't want to help me. Only…” she paused for a second. “Just don't pity me, okay? I don't need anybody's pity. I'm fine with who I am.”Brandon didn't think; he simply acted. He gave one step and then he was flush up against her. He twisted their bodies skillfully so that her back was pressed against the doorway. He didn't take the time he'd imagined he would when he cupped her face between his palms, took off her glasses and dropped it on the floor behind her, bent his head, and kissed her.It was an electric thing, the kiss. Their lips were barely touching, and there was not enough pressure to satisfy him, but it still sent chills racing up and down his body. He rubbed his lips over hers, getting some of that cherry-red gloss on his own mouth and not minding one bit. He sucked her bottom lip between his and enjoyed her surprised little gasp. He licked over that softest skin on the inside of her lip and then nibbled lightly with his teeth. He pulled back, stretching her lip a little before letting go. He didn't move away; not yet. Instead, he pressed a chaste kiss on the one corner of her mouth, and another on the other side. She smelled fantastic. No heavy, seductive perfume that made him want to sneeze and drink allergy medicine. She carried the scent of her innocence, and it smelled like some light sort of flower. Clean, and fresh, and young, like a rose covered with early morning dew, and could he possibly get any cornier? If he didn't stop thinking, he was going to start spouting poetry soon.So he stopped thinking and touched her lips again, a bit firmer this time, just to remind her who was in charge. He felt the natural softness that indicated her femininity, felt the way they gave and molded under his, shaping around his in a warm, strangely familiar way. He touched his tongue to the Cupid 's bow, following the line of her lips with the tip of his tongue, knowing that it would intoxicate her as much as it did him. When he reached the plump bottom lip, he slipped his tongue to taste the seam of her closed mouth, sliding it first in one direction and then the next. He pressed lightly, asking her wordlessly for permission, for access. She softened her lips further and he slid his tongue in a little further.Her taste blossomed and he groaned as it assaulted his senses. He couldn't wait to taste the rest of her, to taste all of her. He could feel his breathing picking up speed as he explored her mouth relentlessly. Her arms slipped around his neck and she rose on her toes to press herself closer to him. He could feel and taste and sense her inexperience in her hesitation. She was a little bit clumsy, and it was endearingly sweet to him, knowing that this girl-woman trusted him enough to let him kiss her like this.He deepened the kiss, one of his hands sliding achingly slowly down her back to press her against him even more. He wanted to move his hand to the more interesting terrain of her front, but he was oddly content just to hold her like this while he taught her more about the art of kissing with infinite patience. He pressed a little harder, hungry for just a little more, and coaxed her tongue from her mouth with his own. She didn't understand what he wanted, and he knew she was confused by the change in the angle of his mouth as it slanted over hers.“Give me your tongue,' he whispered hoarsely against her lips.“What?” she asked dazedly.“Your tongue,” he said again, moving his hand lower to cup her deliciously soft ass in his palm. She was all feminine curves; firm, but not overly muscled, like too many women nowadays who spent more time in a gym than at home. She felt so different from him, and he reveled in the way their bodies fit together, hard against soft, muscles against curves. She wasn't fat, not even chubby, but she wasn't a stick figure either.She was so; absolutely; perfect.To be continued, by horn pixy.

Welcome to episode 124. This will be particularly interesting for you if you want to know how much the head of client services role can impact the agency's business. Listen in if you don't currently have a client services team and you're perhaps thinking about having one, or your client services function isn't performing as you'd like it to and you're exploring options for perhaps bringing in a head of department. Or maybe you are the client services director in your agency and are curious to understand how someone else in this role operates. Emily Brown and Matt Loughlin joined me today from digital marketing agency, Receptional. I met Emily when she was just a few months into joining the agency and I've been very lucky to have the opportunity of working with her in my Account Accelerator programme, and that means I've been working with her for almost a year. This conversation reflects on what she's achieved as the new head of client service. Here are the key themes that we cover during our chat: • why the agency decided in the first place to hire a head of client service • Emily's first 90 days in the role, and how she pinpointed and tackled the key priorities and established herself with the team • the impact this CSD role has had on the agency's operations team and clients just 16 months later • and the learnings from both Matt and Emily's perspective of establishing this new role in the agency that hopefully you can benefit from in your agency. They share lots of detailed tips and examples that I'm sure you're going to find useful. You can connect with Emily and Matt here: https://www.receptional.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-brown-5073993a/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattloughlin/ If you'd like to discuss training and coaching for your client-facing account management team, then you can book a no obligation call with me via my website: https://www.accountmanagementskills.com. You'll be able to see the different training options I have available, from self-study to long term coaching, and also sign up for my regular newsletter.

One of the biggest obsatcles to having more peace in your day is finding acceptance of uncomfortable and even painful situations you find yourself in. Especially when it comes to your kids. I can already hear you reply, "But I can't be okay with bad behavior! Or disrespect!"  Or anything else that feels problematic right now. Like poor worth ethic, lying, politics, inflation, or just your husband's bad mood. And I totally agree, you don't have to be okay with those things!  But being okay with something is very different than accepting it. If you're most people and really struggle with understanding the difference, I created today's podcast episode just for you! So grab your earbuds and let's dive into: The Difference Between Acceptance and Condoning.  Make sure you're on my email list, beacuse later this week I'm unveiling a new way for you to work with me and you will not want to miss those details!  Join my mailing list HERE. 

In this episode of ‘Simply Sustainability', host Ruth Wilkinson welcomes guests father and daughter duo Andy and Emily Brown to explore the dynamic interplay between generations in shaping purpose-driven organisations.  Whether you're a seasoned leader or an emerging talent eager to make your mark, this conversation reveals the transformative power of intergenerational collaboration. The trio delves into innovative ideas, the significance of cultivating passion within teams, and how to effectively bridge the gap between experience and fresh perspectives to drive meaningful change. For more information and to read the transcript, visit our website: https://clarasys.com/insights/thinking/podcast/generations-of-change-bridging-ideas-for-a-purpose-driven-future

About Last Night by horn pixy. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.Well, she thought almost bitterly as she got dressed in sweatpants and a plain black sweater that was soft and a little loose after her latest, and to date most successful, weight-loss plan. She considered shoes, but settled for her fluffy pink slippers instead. So much for her brilliant theory. She had sat there for hours and hours on the most uncomfortable stool ever, drinking glass after glass of whiskey because she didn't know what else to order and was too shy to ask. And nobody; not even one man; had shown any interest in her. The only one who talked at her at all was the hot bartender, who…The bartender! Of course! That's why the man had looked familiar to her in her bathroom. His features had been blurry without her glasses, of course, but she was reasonably sure it was him. She was almost a hundred percent certain of it. The only question was; what was he doing in her apartment?“It's a long story,” he said when she asked him later, in her kitchen, her hair wrapped up in a towel and perched on her head. His eyes followed her movements around the kitchen as she got milk from the fridge for the coffee and put bread in the toaster. The irony of the morning-after-nothing-happened breakfast didn't escape his notice.“I have time,” she said carefully, closing the blinds to avoid all possible sources of light. “Give me the quick version.”“Fine,” he said with a sigh. “You were drunk, I helped you home. My keys are locked in my car and I couldn't get a cab to come get me. That's it, in a nutshell. And because I know you're still wondering, I spent the night on your couch, shivering a little. Ok, shivering a lot. It was damn cold. Plus I have a crick in my neck now.”She winced. “I'm sorry. I wish you'd waken me up, I would at least have helped you with a blanket.”“I could have used your hairdryer to build a nuclear bomb right next to your bed and you wouldn't have woken up. You were out cold.”Another wince.“I'm really sorry,” she said. “I don't know what came over me. I've never been that drunk before. I'm really not the type.”“I know,” he said, not bothering to hide his grin. “You told me last night.”She chewed her bottom lip nervously. Brandon wanted to take that hot little task over for her. He imagined nibbling on those petal soft lips and cleared his throat a little.“What else did I tell you?” she wanted to know apprehensively.“Well, you work in a library, and you can't lie even to telephone salespeople.”“Is that all?”“Not by a long shot. By the way, what does technically mean?”She frowned and cocked her head in a ‘what do you mean?' way. “Technically?”“Yes. When is something technically and when is it; I don't know, untechnically? Physically? Literally?”“I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about,” she said and smeared a thin strip of margarine over her dry toast.He cupped his hands around the plain white cup filled to the brim with coffee and leaned forward.“Tell me,” he said conversationally, sadistically waiting for her to take a bite of toast. “How does one remain a virgin, but only technically?”She started choking as he'd expected, coughing and wheezing and grabbing her coffee to help the dry bread down the right pipe.“What?”“Apparently, if you were speaking the truth last night which drunk people seem prone to do for some reason, you are technically still a virgin, but not in a physical sense. I was just wondering how that happens.”“I told you that? Oh my; I'm so sorry!”He laughed at the red flush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks.“Relax,” he said. “Its fine. I would just love to hear that story. Because there has to be a story.”“Not really,” she muttered, and then, as an afterthought, “I'm never drinking again.”“Wise words that has been spoken by many, many people over the years.”“I mean it,” she insisted. “I honestly can't believe I told you that.”“Virginity is nothing to be ashamed of,” Brandon said, stroking one finger down her arm.“It kind of is, when you're twenty nine.”He gaped. “You're twenty nine and you've never had sex? How the hell had that happen?”“I don't know, it just; happened,” she muttered. “Or more to the point, it just never happened.”“There must be a reason,” he prompted.“There isn't one specific reason, it's more like a series of non-sexual incidents, strung together by everything from dating sites to five-minute dating games and more blind dates than I can count.”“I take it none of that worked for you?”“I met the most interesting people. Like Mike, who was seventy two at the time, and told me he had a granddaughter fantasy he wanted to play out with me.”“He wanted you to pretend to be his granddaughter?”She shook her head. “If only. I'm not sure how this would have played out since I didn't stick around to find out, but I had to play the grandfather. And he was one of the better options.”Brandon sat back, stunned. “No way,” he said disbelievingly.She nodded. “I'm serious. After him was a series of serial losers; men who couldn't hold on to jobs and girls and had to borrow money from one loan shark to pay off the next. The type of guys whose idea of cleaning out the trailer means letting a stray dog in to lick the stains from the floor and to put all the porn in one box.”Oh, he was in deep shit, Brandon thought as he roared with laughter. She had a sense of humor. There was, to his mind, nothing sexier in a girl than a sense of humor.“And after them?”She frowned. “I met this guy, his name is Stanley, online. We went on a few dates and it didn't go too bad, till his parole officer contacted me to let me know he was back in jail for harassing little kids at a park.” She winced. “It was messy. The police went through my house, looking for signs of kiddie-porn. Apparently he was part of a child-prostitution and trafficking ring. I had no idea. I got off with a warning, since there was no evidence that I was involved, and he told them that I knew nothing. I suspect they still monitor my internet history every once in a while.”Helpless laughter rocked through him. No wonder she was still a virgin, if these were the kind of men she stumbled across during her search.“What about high school?” he asked. “And college?”She looked down at her hands. “I wasn't exactly Miss Popular in school,” she said simply. “I wasn't even that shy girl that nobody talks to except when they need help with math, because I sucked at math. Still do, as a matter of fact. I didn't fit in with any of the clicks. I wasn’t pretty and I wasn’t clever, and I didn't have any secret talents. The only thing I was good at was reading, and I did a lot of that. But nobody makes friends in the school library, right? Especially not if the girl is chubby and have the fashion sense of a blind nun.”“Now that part I can help you with,” he said. “Why don't I go shopping with you and help you pick out a few outfits that will make the, uh, best of your figure?”She looked down at herself. True, she was wearing sweatpants, but they were new and still neat. And her sweater might be a bit too big after her diet, but it was of a good material and had been expensive and it didn't lose shape in the wash. But his words made her feel downright dowdy.“Do you remember what I told you last night?” he asked.“I barely remember you, never mind anything you told me,” she said, stung.He frowned a little and gazed at her with an intent look on his face that made her wonder if he could see more than what she revealed.“You expressed the wish to… how to put this delicately? find somebody to enjoy yourself with, but you were concerned that you don't have the right look and personality to attract men. I merely offered my advice to help you if you wanted an objective opinion.”“Oh,” she said, pushing her plate away from her with one finger.Actually, what he'd promised was to help her learn to fake it, but Brandon was strangely reluctant to hurt her feelings by telling her that. She was female, after all, and would immediately conclude that he thought she wasn't good enough or pretty enough, or didn't have what it takes to attract men like ants to a syrup bottle.And that was just bull.Even if he had had almost those exact same thoughts not twelve hours ago.“Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked after a few semi-awkward moments of silence.He shrugged. “Maybe I'm just a nice guy.”“Men are never nice unless they have an agenda.”He winced. “Ouch. True, but ouch.”She gave him a small smile. “So what's your agenda?”Getting in your pants.“Maybe I want library privileges.”She snorted. “Like what?”Showing you what the reference section should really be used for.“Maybe I have a fine for a book that's late. Think you can help me make it disappear?”Her smile was like the sunrise.“Are you trying to bribe me?”He leaned forward with a grin. “Maybe I am. Are you corruptible?”“Certainly not. I'm a good girl, you know.” She was trying hard to look prim and proper, and failing miserably. Her eyes; those bluer-than-the-sky eyes of hers; were filled with laughter behind her pretty glasses, despite the way she was pursing her lips and trying to look chastising.“All right. So I'll have to pay the fine, then. How about this? There's a book I want to read, but it's on a waiting list. I would love to be moved to the top of the list.”She pretended to think about it. “That depends,” she decided. “What book is it?”He couldn't help it, couldn't resist the invitation their flirting was issuing.“The Art of Pleasuring Women,” he said, wondering if she would accept the unvoiced challenge.She did, though her eyes widened slightly in scandalous provocation. “Well, now,” she said, clearing her throat a little. “I guess I can be convinced. Wouldn't want your girlfriend to be dissatisfied by your prowess. It would be sad for the poor girl if you didn't know how to; get things done. You might even say it's my civic duty to let you have the necessary instruction.”His throat was a little dry and he lifted his cup to his lips, surprised to realize there wasn't another drop. “Yeah,” he said. “Education is important. Speaking of education, I think it's time for lesson one.”“Lesson one in what?”He grinned. “Making you irresistible.”Emily twisted her hair into a clip with a practiced movement. Brandon had given her couple of hours while he got a cab to take him home and get his spare keys, promising to be back for her first lesson. She felt awkward when he left, sure it would be the last time she saw him. She knew he thought her plain and uninteresting– he'd basically said it himself in so many words; and he had absolutely no reason to waste his Saturday on her. She was surprised at the desolation she had felt when she stood at her window, watching his cab pull off. He was the first man in a long time to be nice to her. Not many guys would go to the trouble he'd gone too to get her home safely. He'd looked after her as if they were friends, and this morning he'd joked with her and put her at ease, making her forget about the humiliation of her alcohol-loosened tongue of the previous evening. For goodness' sake, she had told him she was still a virgin. Why on earth had she felt the need to share that with him? Now he would always remember her as that crazy girl who couldn't handle a few drinks and had no taste in clothes. He was nice, and talking to him had been very nice and seeing him again would be even nicer, but she was not naïve enough to believe he would be back. Still, she couldn't help taking extra care when she dried her hair and did her make-up. The result was less than satisfactory, to her own eyes. No matter what she did, she would be plain. Nothing could change that. She had never been pretty, nor would she ever be.“And you'd best make peace with it,” she muttered to her slightly depressed image in the mirror. She threw open her closet and looked at the piles of clothes that had been arranged with military precision, according to color and styles.It was a bit sad, watching her cupboard. Most of what she owned was either white or beige or cream, or any variation of that. There were blacks and navy blues, and a few browns and greys. Some dowdy shades of maroon and a mourning, drab purple, but that was it.Was this really what her life had whittled down to? Her job was going nowhere, fast, she had no relationships outside her head, and her closet looked like she let her grandmother do her shopping. Why on earth had she bought that grey and brown coat hanging in the back? It was horrible. It was hideous, even if it was made of the finest wool she'd ever touched.Emily pulled it off the hanger and dumped it on the bed unceremoniously. She grabbed another jacket, a few skirts she was ashamed to say she'd worn more than twice. The heap on her bed piled high as she emptied her closet almost completely. She was feeling slightly frantic by the time she was done with the coats and jackets and started on slacks and trousers. Had she been blind her entire life, to wear this?“What are you doing?” a voice suddenly said, disturbing her. Emily dropped a faded charcoal blouse on the floor in surprise. Her sort-of friend and downstairs neighbor was staring at the bed, which was covered with clothes, with an expression of revulsion. She must have used the spare key Emily had left with her, because Emily had locked the door behind Brandon. Usually Judith knocked, but Emily hadn't heard anything.“You!” said Emily accusingly, bending down to pick up the shirt and holding it out in front of her. “I blame you!”“For what?” Judith asked, clearly not sure what to expect.“This is partly your fault,” Emily scolded, shaking and accusing finger at Judith. “How could you let me wear this crap? In public?”Judith stared at the bed, her mouth working a little as she processed the situation.“I thought you liked it.”“You should have told me I look about ninety! What sort of friend are you?”“Em, you always look neat. I thought…”“Neat! I looked neat. And how many guys want to have sex with neatness, I ask you?”“Uhm…” Judith cleared her throat. “Clearly, not as many as you'd like.”Emily threw another armful of blouses; a mustardy floral, a khaki-with-frills and a navy box neck that looked like the wrong end of the fifties; on the bed.“None, that's how many,” she said grimly. “How am I supposed to get somebody to marry if I can't even find a man to have sex with me? What's wrong with me?”“There is not a thing wrong with you,” Judith said immediately and loyally. “You just; appeal to a different demographic than the men you meet.”“Yeah,” Emily muttered. “The men at the senior citizen really enjoy chatting to me on Library Tuesday. They show up by the busloads to come see me.”Judith stifled a laugh. “Why are you taking all of your clothes out of your closet?”Emily sank down on her bead and glanced at the pile of ugly materials and styles.“I'm getting rid of it,” she said darkly. “All of it. And I'm going to buy new things. Pretty things. Color, Judith, I need color. Pink and green and yellow. Red! I don't even have a red dress. Why don't I have a hot red dress?”“Red's really not your color,” Judith said. “Or yellow, to be honest. You need to stay away from red and yellow, and definitely no orange.”“See? Why haven't you told me this before? Look at me, Judith, I'm a mess.”Judith sat down next to her. “I guess you always seem so content, so at peace with your life. I used to envy you that. I'm the most unstable person I know, and you just never cared what people thought about you. I had no idea you were dissatisfied. I'm sorry I let you wear ugly clothes.”Emily gave a small laugh and glanced at the empty hangers in the closet. There were two coats that had passed her test; a truly timeless black cashmere and a really warm, snowy white one she'd bought on sale but hadn't worn yet because it would get dirty the second she ventured out of her bedroom.“It's ok. It's not your fault. I should have realized I need help long before now.”“What brought this on?” Judith asked, picking up the mustard shirt looking at it shrewdly. “This would make an excellent floor rag, by the way.”Emily laughed slightly. “Nothing brought it on. I'm just; I'm tired of being part of the scenery in my own life, you know? When is it my turn to have some fun? I've been waiting so patiently for my life to begin, and look where it's brought me. I'm twenty nine, I've never had sex, and I'm too scared to venture outside this comfort zone I've been digging for myself with serviceable clothing and comfortable shoes and not enough friends.”“Your shoes are really ugly,” Judith said, honestly. “And I promise I'll tell you from now on if you wear something that doesn't work.”Emily looked at her nearly empty cupboard. “Thanks,” she said. “I guess I'll take this stuff to the Salvation Army, if they want it.”“Let me help with that,” Judith said. “I have a car, so it'll be much easier for me. I know a great homeless shelter that needs donations desperately.”“I'd appreciate that,” Emily said. “Why did you come here today? Did they drop my mail off in your box again?”“No, I wanted to ask about that really hot guy I saw coming out of your apartment a while ago. Was he the cable repair man or something?”“No,” Emily said, blushing a little. “He; actually, he spent the night here. On my couch,” she added quickly. “Nothing happened. I was so drunk he had to bring me home from the bar.”Judith's eyes widened. “But you never drink,” she said.“I did last night.”“Never mind that, then. Oh my word, Emily, you let a stranger sleep over at your house? And you didn't jump him?”“He wasn't interested in being jumped,” Emily said. “He's just; a nice guy I'm never going to see again.”Judith chewed the inside of her lip. “Leave this stuff,” she said, “and bring your credit card. We're going to go shopping.”Brandon paced the hallway outside Emily's apartment. He'd been there for an hour and she still wasn’t opening the door. She was either avoiding him on purpose, or incapable of answering the damn bell, or, most probably, not home.Which just plain pissed him off. Hadn't he told her he would be back? She had no business being out when he wanted to see her!He kept walking, following the generic grey carpeting with the navy pattern with his eyes. This was ridiculous. He should be at home, watching sport or having an afternoon nap. He should not be pacing around, waiting for Emily to show up. What was he, a horny teenager who mistakes lust for love?He forced himself to leave after another half hour. No girl was worth waiting for like this. It was pathetic and sad and told him, more than anything else, how much he needed to get laid. These; feelings he seemed to have caught, were like a disease. Or a virus. And the best cure for unwanted feelings is a good old-fashioned boink fest. He knew plenty of girls who would be more than happy to oblige. It was just such a pity he wasn’t interested in anybody except Emily.Brandon scowled.“Are you sure about the dress?” Emily asked for the third time, loading the last of the shopping bags into Judith's car. They'd spent almost five hours straight in the shops, with Judith dragging her from the one shop to the next, picking out clothes and smelling discounts from miles away. Her arms were sore from carrying the bags around, and her credit card had given up screaming in pain ten purchases ago. Instead, she imagined it making small little whimpers as it lay in her wallet, trying to curl itself up against the agony and torture she'd put it through.But oh, she loved the clothes! The colors; Emily had never thought there were so many shades of pink, or that she could look so good in pastel and bright colors alike. For the first time in years, she didn't feel dowdy. She felt pretty, since Judith had made her go to a bathroom and change from frumpy and dumpy to smart and sexy. She was wearing a short skirt, teetering around on high-heeled boots that could not possible be good for her insteps. She felt deliciously slutty, even though the skirt wasn’t that short. But the tight black sweater she wore with it dipped low enough to make men take a second look, and the jacket she had on over it was hot-pink and attention grabbing. Added to that the new jewelry and a sexy little scarf, and she felt like a million dollars.Judith didn't need to ask what dress she was talking about. It was a slinky black number with very flattering, very seductive lines. It was shorter than sin, and with the right bra, would show off more cleavage than a centerfold Playboy Bunny. It was completely backless and basically said, ‘take me to bed and tear me off her body.'“I'm sure,” she said. “Em, you look so hot in that dress, even I wanted to jump you in the fitting room. Brandon's gonna eat his heart out.”“I don't want Brandon to eat his heart out,” Emily muttered, but she grinned a little. “I wouldn't mind him eating something else out, though.”Judith gasped in shock. “Why, Emily Brown,“ she said. “You're positively slutty!”“What,” Emily said defensively, “just because I'm a virgin, I need to be prudish?”“I created a monster,” Judith said, shaking her head as she backed out.Brandon couldn't stop scowling as he rolled out of bed the next morning. It was still snowing outside, and he had spent the entire evening stomping around in his house. That bloody librarian had him all tied up. He was angry, and horny, and annoyed all at the same time. After waiting around for three hours outside her apartment the previous day, he'd gone home, only to keep thinking about her. And now it was Sunday, and it was still snowing, and he was damned if he would spend another day frustrated as hell.The lady needed lessons, and he was damned well going to be the one to teach them to her.Starting today.Emily brushed her hair, marveling at the lightness of the layered and highlighted strands. The swelling on her eyebrows had finally gone down, after the waxing and tinting she'd agreed to the previous day. And the new eyeliner made all the difference in the world. She experimented at leisure with the new make-up Judith had helped her choose, and loving the outfit she had decided on that morning; a pair of surprisingly comfortable jeans with the boots of the previous day, an amethyst-color sweater that hugged her body and showed off the curves she had always kept hidden for some reason. She fixed the silver hoops in her ears and wondered how she was going to settle the bills on her credit card. She almost had more debt now than right after she finished her degree at the university.But oh, it was worth every cent. Every time she opened her cupboard doors and saw the cornucopia of colors adorning her pretty white shelves, she wanted to hug herself and dance a little jig. She had the weirdest urge to grab her hairbrush and sing along to the mixed CD she was listening to while she got dressed, but she figured it was unacceptable behavior to anybody over the age of oh, say, fourteen.But then she got a what-the-hell feeling and grabbed her brush. She might have missed out on the dance-like-you're a teenager phase when she actually was a teenager, but there was no reason not to catch up on that now, was there? She spun around her room, ignoring the unmade bed and singing along to the newest teen-sensation swooning about a boy and what he did to her.“And you make me want you like a grown-up…” she crooned along to the singer.Emily could relate. She had never been passionate, to say the least. She had a vibrator in her bedside table, and she used it occasionally, but she suspected there was something wrong with her that she didn't enjoy it much. It made her feel pathetic, the way she'd felt at twenty-five when she finally decided to end her virginal status on her own, if she couldn't get a man to help her with the pesky little task. She cried when she broke through the barrier, so lonely and depressed that she just took out the vibrator; a pretty pink one with different settings; and went to go clean up in the bathroom. There had been no pleasure, none of the ecstasy she'd read about in books and seen in movies. It had felt humiliating and like giving up, and she had hated herself for it.She tried using the vibrator again, and after a few times she actually had an orgasm. Which was great while it lasted, but afterwards she felt stupid and tainted and like such a loser. She still used it occasionally, though the orgasms seemed to be getting smaller every time. Maybe she was getting too old to enjoy sex. Maybe her body was tricked into thinking it was time to go through menopause, since it wasn't being used the way nature intended for it to be used. And she had never, with one exception, looked at a man and gotten turned on. Men were from Mars, and she didn't speak Martian. She was tongue tied and avoided them like a second-grade girl, at the same time wishing one of them would just look at her once, fall head over heels and coax her out of her shell. But Brandon; Brandon made her want him in a way she had never thought it was possible to want somebody. Maybe it was because he was the first man to take the time to talk to her, or maybe it was because he'd hit her at a vulnerable stage with that smile of his, but when she had looked out of her shower to see him standing there, she'd felt the heat low in her belly, unfurling and moving to her nether regions. He was hot. He made her want things, like one-night stands and short flings and naked bodies writhing together.He made her feel like a women, even if he wasn’t interested.And that was more pathetic than anything else.Her doorbell rang, several times shortly after each other, indicating irritation on the other side of the door. It was probably Judith, so she slicked one last coat of gloss over her lips and headed to the sitting room, eager to show her friend what she looked like. Only it wasn’t Judith.It was Brandon.Brandon swallowed once. Was he at the wrong apartment? Because there was a really, really hot girl standing where he had expected to see Emily. And maybe his cock was finally ready to get down and dirty with somebody else, because it was stirring subtly, reminding Brandon that he hadn't had sex in about five months. At least not with somebody else in the room.“Hey,” the girl said. Brandon's eyes were glued to the plump, shiny lips the color of ripe cherries and he swallowed convulsively.She was wearing Emily's glasses, and she was standing in Emily's doorway, but there was no way Emily could be wearing clothes that made him want to take her right there, against the wall in the hallway.“Hi,” he croaked, feeling as if he was in high school again and trying to talk to pretty girl who owned the locker next to his. All tongue-tied and awkward. The pretty girl cleared her throat and gave a step back. “Would you like to come inside?”“Sure,' he said, but he couldn't seem to move. It felt as if the connection between his feet and his brain had been severed (best guess put the cut-off point somewhere near his groin) and he was unable to do anything but stare.At her tits. Those previously thought plain, nondescript tits. They were perfect. Not too big, not too small. Full and high, soft and plump. He itched to have them in his hands and do something; anything; with them. To them. On them. For them.“Brandon?”Her voice sounded like it had been made to say his name, preferably in different tones of passion. He could imagine her crying it out as the orgasm hit her, and he swallowed again, trying to force his brain to get rid of the lust-driven haze so he could function like a normal human being.“Sorry,” he said quickly. “You look…”“Different?” she guessed and looked down at the soft, form-fitting sweater that made her skin seem all healthy and glowing and; stuff. Or something.“Really beautiful,” he amended. “Really, really beautiful.”“Thanks,” she said, glancing down uncomfortably, reminding him that she was a very shy girl, despite the fact that she set fire to his fantasies.“Where did you disappear to yesterday?” he asked when the awkward silence stretched out too long.She smiled, a surprised, delighted smile that brought forth a little dimple he hadn't noticed before.“You came back,” she said. “I didn't think you would.”He just looked at her. “I said I would,” he said quietly. “Why didn't you believe me?”She blushed, and damn if it wasn’t cute. “Well, I didn't think I would see you again. I know I'm not the kind of girl men comes back to, especially not men like you.”“Men like me?”“I know what I am and what I am not; you don't need to pretend anything to spare my feelings. But anyway, I went shopping. For clothes. With my friend Judith.”“I'm glad you went shopping,” he said. “But to come back to the men like me remark…”“Hot men,” she muttered, shamefacedly. “But like I said, I know what I see in the mirror so you don't have to pretend to be attracted to me or whatever. I won't blame you if you don't want me, or don't want to help me. Only…” she paused for a second. “Just don't pity me, okay? I don't need anybody's pity. I'm fine with who I am.”Brandon didn't think; he simply acted. He gave one step and then he was flush up against her. He twisted their bodies skillfully so that her back was pressed against the doorway. He didn't take the time he'd imagined he would when he cupped her face between his palms, took off her glasses and dropped it on the floor behind her, bent his head, and kissed her.It was an electric thing, the kiss. Their lips were barely touching, and there was not enough pressure to satisfy him, but it still sent chills racing up and down his body. He rubbed his lips over hers, getting some of that cherry-red gloss on his own mouth and not minding one bit. He sucked her bottom lip between his and enjoyed her surprised little gasp. He licked over that softest skin on the inside of her lip and then nibbled lightly with his teeth. He pulled back, stretching her lip a little before letting go. He didn't move away; not yet. Instead, he pressed a chaste kiss on the one corner of her mouth, and another on the other side. She smelled fantastic. No heavy, seductive perfume that made him want to sneeze and drink allergy medicine. She carried the scent of her innocence, and it smelled like some light sort of flower. Clean, and fresh, and young, like a rose covered with early morning dew, and could he possibly get any cornier? If he didn't stop thinking, he was going to start spouting poetry soon.So he stopped thinking and touched her lips again, a bit firmer this time, just to remind her who was in charge. He felt the natural softness that indicated her femininity, felt the way they gave and molded under his, shaping around his in a warm, strangely familiar way. He touched his tongue to the Cupid 's bow, following the line of her lips with the tip of his tongue, knowing that it would intoxicate her as much as it did him. When he reached the plump bottom lip, he slipped his tongue to taste the seam of her closed mouth, sliding it first in one direction and then the next. He pressed lightly, asking her wordlessly for permission, for access. She softened her lips further and he slid his tongue in a little further.Her taste blossomed and he groaned as it assaulted his senses. He couldn't wait to taste the rest of her, to taste all of her. He could feel his breathing picking up speed as he explored her mouth relentlessly. Her arms slipped around his neck and she rose on her toes to press herself closer to him. He could feel and taste and sense her inexperience in her hesitation. She was a little bit clumsy, and it was endearingly sweet to him, knowing that this girl-woman trusted him enough to let him kiss her like this.He deepened the kiss, one of his hands sliding achingly slowly down her back to press her against him even more. He wanted to move his hand to the more interesting terrain of her front, but he was oddly content just to hold her like this while he taught her more about the art of kissing with infinite patience. He pressed a little harder, hungry for just a little more, and coaxed her tongue from her mouth with his own. She didn't understand what he wanted, and he knew she was confused by the change in the angle of his mouth as it slanted over hers.“Give me your tongue,' he whispered hoarsely against her lips.“What?” she asked dazedly.“Your tongue,” he said again, moving his hand lower to cup her deliciously soft ass in his palm. She was all feminine curves; firm, but not overly muscled, like too many women nowadays who spent more time in a gym than at home. She felt so different from him, and he reveled in the way their bodies fit together, hard against soft, muscles against curves. She wasn’t fat, not even chubby, but she wasn't a stick figure either.She was so; absolutely; perfect.To be continued, by horn pixy.

For Episode 177 we have Emily Brown. Emily is a Co-Founder of the newly created Spearfish Trails Coalition based in Spearfish, SD. If you haven't been to the Black Hills in South Dakota, this place is truly remarkable. Spearfish has a history of trails and mountain biking that runs parallel with the history of mountain biking itself. Emily discusses the importance of this new coalition and why it is being formed now. Emily is also a Field Guide for SRAM, and SRAM happens to have an office in Spearfish, this means SRAM is also investing in trails and trail advocacy in their backyard. Topics Include: The Emily Brown Backstory Women in Mountain Biking Field Guide for SRAM Women Specific Aspects of Emily's Role The Spearfish Recreation Path Black Hills Region / Black Hills National Forest Trails in Spearfish The Spearfish Trails Coalition Founding this and why The importance of having a plan Paying Respect to those who built trails before the STC in Spearfish Traveling to other communities as a SRAM Field Guide Joining the IMBA Local Program Working with local government and the Parks Department The goal to diversify trail experiences in Spearfish, SD The riding culture in Spearfish, SD SRAM Investing in their backyard How SRAM has invested in Spearfish Sturdy Dirty Women's Enduro Emily's Take on the ideal Trail Community Closing Comments Trail EAffect Show Links: Spearfish Trails Coalition: https://spearfishtrails.org/ Dakota 5-0: https://www.dakotafiveo.com/ IMBA Local: https://www.imba.com/local-partners Sturdy Dirty: https://www.sturdydirty.com/ SRAM – Our Responsibilities: https://www.sram.com/en/company/campaigns/our-responsibilities   Episode Sponsor - Coulee Creative: www.dudejustsendit.com https://www.couleecreative.com/ Loam Pass Affiliate Link: https://www.loampass.com?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=track&utm_campaign=traileaffect Loam Pass – Free Pass Protection Code: TAPOD Trail One Components 20% off Coupon Code: trailpod Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/?ref=XavfBrRJfk4VOh Contact Josh at evolutiontrails@gmail.com This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services

Emily Brown is one of the most kind-hearted and fun-spirited people we have had on the podcast. We unpack her journey of being adopted, the ins and outs of her childhood, and what it was like meeting her biological mom. Her life story continues with a fairy tale-like story of how she met her husband and she further unpacks more life transformations. Audience, we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did!

Claire is joined by Emily Brown and Amy Storer both experienced Primary School leaders as they chat about what Primary Education could be like under the next government.

When we talk about our immigration system being broken, we're really talking about asylum. Our laws let people seek refuge from persecution, but the rules weren't created to handle hundreds of thousands. Out guests include Emily Brown, director of the Immigration Clinic at Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law; Chris Levesque, assistant professor of law at Kenyon College; Debu Ghandi, senior director of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress.

When we talk about our immigration system being broken, we're really talking about asylum. Our laws let people seek refuge from persecution, but the rules weren't created to handle hundreds of thousands. Out guests include Emily Brown, director of the Immigration Clinic at Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law; Chris Levesque, assistant professor of law at Kenyon College; Debu Ghandi, senior director of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress.

Back in March, during Women's History Month, I re-introduced you to an extraordinary lineup of women I've honored over the past four years. These women are making change in the food and beverage industry with their passion, innovation, and commitment to safety, sustainability and inclusivity. On this special episode of the Eating at a Meeting Podcast, I share the inspiring stories of over 40 women making waves. From transforming food waste into renewable energy to advocating for safe flying conditions for those with peanut allergies, these women led the charge in their respective fields. I highlighted heroes like Tina Piña, founder of Renewable, and Lianne Mandelbaum, known as the No Nut Traveler. I explored the groundbreaking work of Mary Vargas, an attorney passionate about disability rights for people with food allergies, and Dr. Ruchi Gupta from Feinberg School of Medicine, whose research led to sesame being recognized as the 9th top allergen in the U.S. We also heard about Emily Brown of the Food Equality Initiative and Nina Curtis, who presented the first vegan meal at the White House. These women redefined food and dining experiences, shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future. From the work of advocates like the Kitchenistas and chef Carla Ortiz to community initiatives by Sera Cuni and Eliza Tuttle, their contributions reshaped the food landscape one meal at a time. The episode was filled with heartfelt stories, impactful innovations, and advice for anyone aspiring to dream big in the food and beverage world. We also showcased collaborative efforts like the New Jersey Food Tour Trail and empowering programs like Jen Gilho and Cate Faulkner Zero Proof Collective. Join the Eating at a Meeting Community and be inspired by these incredible women who prove every day that food is not just about sustenance but community, healing, and empowerment. Join the Eating at a Meeting Community Connect with Tracy at tracy@thrivemeetings.com

Now, this is going to be a treat for ALL our homeschool mommas! We have the absolute blessing of chatting with a Catholic Homeschooling and Certified life coach (who ALSO has an excellent podcast named Happy, Holy Mama). She's got 7 stellar kids (all homeschooled), she's a wife of 17 years, AND she's devoted her life to helping Catholic families fall in love with God through their relationships and homeschooling lifestyle.Emily Brown (00:45)I Just Don't Want Them to be Weird (04:30)The Litany of Not Enough (07:07)Calm Down & Connect (11:30)The Fountain (14:20)Mom's Office Hours (17:30)You Can Never be Behind in God's Will (29:00)Sacred S.P.A.C.E.S. (35:00)Final Questions (38:30)More About Emily (49:45)More from Emily Brown...Emily will be a Keynote Speaker at The Catholic Homeschool ConferenceTo learn more about her, head to her websiteIf you're interested in learning more about her membership, you can find it here.Her brand new Homeschool Course is available now!  While you're checking out her offerings, don't forget about Emily's podcast!Finally, never forget...Sweet momma, you are doing beautiful work!Find the complete podcast notes on our website.To find The Deliberate Day on Instagram, click here.Looking for items shared in our podcasts?! Here's the Editable Homeschool Clipboard Template Here's our Homeschool Plan Like A Mother Guide! For the 12 Week Planner, click here! (Use code PODCASTMOM for 20% off!) Get your Deliberate Start here! Get your FREE Meal Planning Kit here. For the Favorites List, go here. If you're planning an adventure, you'll find the Ultimate Family Road Trip Guide here.

Smartphones. Social media. Online living. It's ubiquitous. It's the new norm. And, at an alarming rate, it's harming us. We need to examine the power of presence, shaping our space and managing our time for real encounters over unhealthy habits.The sermon today is titled "Dying To Self(ies)." It is the second installment in our series "Jesus At Home: Parenting In His Presence." The Scripture reading is from Romans 13:14 (NLT). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on Sunday, May 19, 2024. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under GROW: Families & Relationships.Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.Sources of Inspiration for the Lesson Used in Today's Podcast: Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness (New York: Penguin Press, 2024).Andy Crouch, The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place (Baker Books, 2017).Edward Tronick, et.al., “The Infant's Response to Entrapment Between Contradictory Messages in Face-To-Face Interaction,” Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry 17, no. 1 (Winter 1978): 1-13.Andy Crouch, The Life We're Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World (Convergent, 2022).Heather Cadenhead, “Why I Quit Social Media for Good,” Rabbit Room (May 3, 2024).Greg Jackson, “Within the Pretense of No Pretense,” The Point Magazine, Issue 31 (Dec 17, 2023).Isabel Fattal, “How Being Busy Became A Status Symbol,” The Atlantic (April 19, 2024).Grayson P. Walker, “Rooted Lives or Activist Lifestyles?” Front Porch Republic (Feb 23, 2024).Jon D. Schaff, “Public Enemy #1: Smartphones and a Generation at Risk,” Front Porch Republic (April 3, 2024).Emily Brown, “Sixty Percent of Gen Z Says They're Lonely,” Relevant (April 1, 2024)."Are Smart Phones Ruining Our Culture?" Current Magazine."How Technology Works on Us." Current Magazine.“Parents have a problem with screentime too, teens say,” Washington Post.“The Good Failures of Unplugging.” Current Magazine.Brad East, “All together now: Social media is bad for reading,” BradEast.com (March 16, 2024).

Is indie publishing right for you. Discover the intricacies of indie publishing with author Jodi Gibson. Delve into Jodi's journey across traditional and independent publishing avenues for her novels. She highlights the distinct processes involved in each. Jodi shares valuable tips for indie authors, ranging from understanding why you want to indie publish to learning to love the hustle of marketing your work. The conversation covers the importance of a professional presentation of your book, meeting genre expectations, and the crucial role of building a mailing list. Additionally, Jodi discusses the necessity of assembling a publishing team, including editors and cover designers, to ensure a book's success. This episode offers a comprehensive look at the dedication required for indie publishing and the importance of defining one's own success in the literary world. Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you providing INTERNS with a summer job? or a CAREER PATH? Do you view interns as just "part of doing business", or as "THE FARM TEAM" from which to pull your future star players? Emily Brown, Vice President of Learning & Development talks about McCownGordon's INTERN PROGRAM and how it is providing them with an IMPRESSIVE retention rate and landing their company the full time employees that will become their FUTURE LEADERS.To capitalize on my experience INSIDE the Construction Industry in order to MORE SUCCESSFULLY RECRUIT & RETAIN great people for your construction related organization, CONTACT ME at Barb@LevocityForChange.com Follow me on LinkedIN, Instagram, and/or Facebook. Visit my website ConstructionBarb.com. Or, to share YOUR construction industry story and experiences as a GUEST on the podcast, connect here.

Cute Emily Brown joined us on the podcast this week. Virtually pull up a seat to this fun conversation as we all listen and learn from Emily!Youth Face to Face Devotional 2023Using our voice to share the gospelKeeping our passion for the gospel alive Where is she going on a mission?Finding happiness and Joy Embarrassing storiesAmanda Dixon | InstagramSara Harley | InstagramThe Lighthearted Podcast | InstagramEmily Brown | Instagram 

 CTL Script/ Top Stories of December 9th        Publish Date: December 8th    Henssler :15  From the Ingles Studio Welcome to the Award-Winning Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast  Today is Saturday, December 9th and Happy 69th Birthday to actor JOHN MALKOVICH. ***12.09.23 - BIRTHDAY - JOHN MALKOVICH*** I'm Keith Ippolito and here are the stories Cherokee is talking about, presented by Credit Union of Georgia.  Waleska Man Convicted of Assaulting Girlfriend Canton Man Sentenced to 20 Years of Prison for Child Sexual Abuse Two CCSD Students Win State Academic Quiz Bowl We'll have all this and more coming up on the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger Podcast, and if you're looking for Community news, we encourage you to listen and subscribe!  Commercial: CU of GA STORY 1: Waleska Man Convicted of Assaulting Girlfriend Bradley Scott McDaniel, a Waleska man, has been convicted on charges including family violence aggravated assault, false imprisonment, family violence battery, cruelty to children, and simple battery. The Cherokee County District Attorney's Office announced the jury's verdict after a three-day trial. The charges stem from a February assault on McDaniel's girlfriend, during which he allegedly applied pressure to her neck, leaving visible marks. The victim, who escaped to a neighbor, reported incidents of domestic abuse. McDaniel will be sentenced in January. The case was investigated by the Cherokee Sheriff's Office and prosecuted by Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Rachel Ashe. STORY 2: Canton Man Sentenced to 20 Years of Prison for Child Sexual Abuse Jonathan Ricky Millwood, a Canton man, has been sentenced to two decades in prison after pleading guilty to charges including two counts of aggravated sexual battery, one count of aggravated child molestation, and one count of child molestation. The Canton Police Department investigated the case, initiated in March 2023 when a girl under 10 reported inappropriate touching by Millwood. The child's disclosure led to forensic interviews, a Sexual Assault Nurse Exam confirming male DNA, and Millwood's guilty plea. He received a 20-year prison sentence without parole, life probation, and lifetime registration as a sex offender. Millwood is prohibited from contacting the victim or her family. STORY 3: Two CCSD Students Win State Academic Quiz Bowl Two students from Cherokee County School District secured first place in statewide academic quiz bowl competitions. Woodstock High School senior Owen Markette topped the social studies quiz bowl, focusing on early American history, while Creekview High School sophomore Thomas Wang secured first place in the spelling quiz bowl. These achievements were part of the Georgia Career and Technical Instruction program's Fall Leadership Conference, where students from across the state participated in various academic and leadership events. Both winners will be recognized by the Cherokee County School Board for their achievements at an upcoming meeting. We have opportunities for sponsors to get great engagement on these shows. Call 770.874.3200 for more info.  Back in a moment  Break: DRAKE – ESOG – INGLES 1 STORY 4: Sequoyah High School Teacher Honored with State Award Casandra Hembree, who leads the Work-Based Learning program at Sequoyah High School, has received the Outstanding Achievement in Career Awareness and Exploration Award from the Georgia Department of Education. The award recognizes her excellence in career education, particularly for her role in the WBL program that allows high school students to earn school credit while working in a job related to their Career Pathway studies. Hembree has been serving as the WBL program coordinator at Sequoyah High School for seven years, contributing to the success of students like Emily Brown, who earned the 2023 Georgia WBL Student of the Year Award for the northwest region. STORY 5: Georgia General Assembly Passes Republican-Drawn Congressional Map The Georgia House has given final approval to a new congressional map in response to a federal judge's ruling that the current map violates the Voting Rights Act. The new map, passed along party lines by the Republican-controlled House, creates an additional Black-majority district in the western part of metro Atlanta, complying with the judge's order. Democrats argue that the map eliminates a "coalition" congressional district and accuse Republicans of political gerrymandering to maintain their 9-5 majority in Georgia's congressional delegation. The new maps for the state House and Senate were also adopted earlier in the week. Commercial: CHEROKEE CHAMBER – HELLER LAW STORY 6: Woodstock Woman Named Finalist for Georgia's Early Childhood Educators of the Year Donna Humphries, an early childhood educator from Woodstock, has been named a finalist for the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning's Toddler Teacher of the Year. This recognition is part of the state's Early Childhood Educators of the Year program, honoring outstanding teachers of children aged birth to preschool. Each finalist will receive $500, and winners, to be announced in December, will receive cash prizes for personal use, a classroom makeover, and funding for their school. The winners will serve as ambassadors for the program, highlighting effective classroom practices and making public speaking appearances. STORY 7: Candlelight Vigil to Remember Homeless Veterans Dec. 21 The Cherokee County Homeless Veterans Program is hosting a candlelight vigil on December 21 at Cherokee Veterans Park to remember homeless veterans. The vigil, starting at 5:15 p.m., will include a moment of silence, prayer, and wreath-laying. The event aims to raise awareness about homelessness among veterans, with the program reporting a 32% increase in homeless veterans compared to the previous year. The public is invited to attend the vigil at the homeless veterans statue at Cherokee Veterans Park. The nonprofit emphasizes the growing concern for homeless female and senior veterans, as well as those with small children. We'll have closing comments after this.  COMMERCIAL: Henssler 60  SIGN OFF –   Thanks again for listening to today's Cherokee Tribune Ledger podcast. . If you enjoy these shows, we encourage you to check out our other offerings, like the Marietta Daily Journal Podcast, the Gwinnett Daily Post, the Community Podcast for Rockdale Newton and Morgan Counties, or the Paulding County News Podcast. Get more on these stories and other great content at tribune ledger news.com. Giving you important information about our community and telling great stories are what we do.   Did you know over 50% of Americans listen to podcasts weekly? Make sure you join us for our next episode and be sure to share this podcast on social media with your friends and family. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home Briefing and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.    www.henssler.com  www.inglesmarkets.com  www.esogrepair.com  www.elonsalon.com  www.jeffhellerlaw.com  www.drakerealty.com www.cherokeechamber.com www.bgpodcastnetwork.com   #NewsPodcast #CurrentEvents #TopHeadlines #BreakingNews #PodcastDiscussion #PodcastNews #InDepthAnalysis #NewsAnalysis #PodcastTrending #WorldNews #LocalNews #GlobalNews #PodcastInsights #NewsBrief #PodcastUpdate #NewsRoundup #WeeklyNews #DailyNews #PodcastInterviews #HotTopics #PodcastOpinions #InvestigativeJournalism #BehindTheHeadlines #PodcastMedia #NewsStories #PodcastReports #JournalismMatters #PodcastPerspectives #NewsCommentary #PodcastListeners #NewsPodcastCommunity #NewsSource #PodcastCuration #WorldAffairs #PodcastUpdates #AudioNews #PodcastJournalism #EmergingStories #NewsFlash #PodcastConversationsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to another effervescent episode of DC Beer, where we tap into the heart of the region's craft brew scene! Jacob Berg, joined by our veritable encyclopedia of ale Michael Stein and Papa Beer Richard Fawal, leads us through an episode brimming with insights from the local beer world.We start by checking in with metrobar's John Groth, who fills us in on the 12 Beers of Christmas event. Veering away from the traditional and possibly overwhelming advent calendar format, he's curated a thoughtful selection of a dozen seasonal local beers that will resonate with beer aficionados and casual drinkers alike. Join the team at DC Beer at metrobar on Saturday, for a taste of all 12 holiday brews! Your ticket gets you access to the afternoon tasting with 3oz pours of each of the 12 beers and discussion with the DC Beer team and the breweries in attendance. Ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/12-beers-of-christmas-a-local-seasonals-tasting-with-dc-beer-tickets-761795088617We're also thrilled to welcome Emily Brown of Andy's Pizza (and more), who will fill us in on the much-anticipated opening of Foggy Bottom's Andy's Pizza - the newest slice of heaven for pizza and beer aficionados. She'll pour out the challenges of curating beer selections amidst Montgomery County's bureaucratic maze and share how sourcing sought-after suds has become smoother in Virginia and DC.Our bubbly discussion will venture into the contrasting beer tastes of Virginia and DC, from the hazy obsession of Virginia beer lovers to DC's darker cravings. Emily's passion for the craft will shine through as we chat about her New York beginnings, Andy's Pizza's commitment to an educated staff, and the struggle to get the recognition they deserve on local beer lists. We'll also host a toast to community and connect over the perfect pairings of hazy IPAs and festive foods.So pull up a stool, friends. Whether you're here for the camaraderie, the latest beer trail news, or just on the hunt for nonalcoholic options, The DC Beer SHow has a pour for every palate. Let's raise a glass to the stories and the storytellers of the DC beer scene! Cheers to you all and be excellent to each other. Thanks to our monthly supporters Greg Parnas Frank Chang Mikahl Tolton Kim Klyberg Chris Girardot Alyssa jeffrey katz Andrew MacWilliams Jamie Jackson Meegan Mike Rucki Jason Tucker Nick Gardner Amber Farris Sarah Ray Peter Jones Michael Rafky Brad Stengel Matt Winterhalter Bill and Karen Butcher Jordan Harvey Justin Broady Thor Cheston Stephen Claeys Julie Verratti Bill DeBaun

Jason Shaw and Emily Brown, owners of Our Country Hearts and Binghamton Yoga, talk with J about scale, sustainability, and local community. They discuss slow flow circa 2014, grass roots politics and making change by focusing on shared intentions, post-pandemic realities, dedicated yoga spaces, co-creative aspect of in person classes, working inward rather than outward and feeling vs doing, soft sells and attraction over promotion, coming together in grounded states of mind, and opening doorways in a seemingly walled future.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

BONUS Episode:  rapid fire Q and A with Functional Nutritionist Emily Brown. This quick bonus episode covers the most popular questions we got on Instagram. We talk: Healthy snack ideasIf we should have a parasite cleanseWhat are some easy go-to dinner ideas How much protein should we eat in a dayEmily shared some amazing nutrition information in this super quick episode! Emily Brown, founder of Genetic Garden, she's an integrative and functional nutrition practitioner, epigenetics expert, and Pilates pro, as quoted in GOOP! She developed the Genetic Garden program based on the fact that every human body is unique and in order to achieve results, we must understand the whole picture - food sensitivities, energy levels, sleep habits, stress levels, hormones, exercise and of course, DNA.  Her approach is client-centric, collaborative and takes each unique personality into consideration when working with clients. She holds them accountable while providing tools and resources so they may take control of their health. Emily aims to change the way modern society understands their body and takes preventative measures to live long vibrant lives. Follow Emily Brown! https://genetic-garden.com/https://www.instagram.com/genetic_garden/Check out her range of supplements that are amazing here: SHOP Find Jess below!Website: Simply Jess Skincare SIMPLY JESS SKINCARE:Each and every product is naturally derived, highly concentrated and most importantly, super performing! Every product was born out of a need to have a truly pure product that met my high standards for efficacy. You can take 20% off Your Order of our all natural skincare line with code PODCAST Shop Now! Email Us! jess@learningtoglow.comFollow us! Instagram Tik Tok

If you suffer from weight gain, migraines, inflammation, fatigue this episode is for you!In this episode of Learning to Glow, we delve into the intricate world of mitochondrial  health. Our guest, Emily Brown, a functional nutritionist, joins us to unravel the secrets of optimal energy production. We explore how factors like stress and toxins can disrupt mitochondrial function and metabolic balance, leaving us drained. Emily shares how specific nutrients, stress management, and even sunlight exposure play pivotal roles in supporting mitochondrial health.She breaks down: What are mitochondriaWhy are they importantWhat happens when they're unhealthy, tired, overworked, or lack nutrients they needSymptoms we see how do we increase the mitochondria and get it to function properly.Mitochondrial dysfunction + metabolic disordersHow to improve it! We discuss, exercise, sunlight and circadian rhythm, getting the proper nutrients and more! We are honored Emily could come back to our show as our first repeat guest! Emily is the founder of Genetic Garden, she's an integrative and functional nutrition practitioner, epigenetics expert, and Pilates pro, as quoted in GOOP! She developed the Genetic Garden program based on the fact that every human body is unique and in order to achieve results, we must understand the whole picture - food sensitivities, energy levels, sleep habits, stress levels, hormones, exercise and of course, DNA.  Her approach is client-centric, collaborative and takes each unique personality into consideration when working with clients. She holds them accountable while providing tools and resources so they may take control of their health. Emily aims to change the way modern society understands their body and takes preventative measures to live long vibrant lives.Follow Emily Brown!https://genetic-garden.com/https://www.instagram.com/genetic_garden/Check out her range of supplements that are amazing here: SHOP You can here her first episode where we discuss hormone health, intermittent fasting and weight loss roadblocks HERE Find Jess below!Website: Simply Jess Skincare SIMPLY JESS SKINCARE:Each and every product is naturally derived, highly concentrated and most importantly, super performing! Every product was born out of a need to have a truly pure product that met my high standards for efficacy. You can take 20% off Your Order of our all natural skincare line with code PODCAST Shop Now! Email Us! jess@learningtoglow.comFollow us! Instagram Tik Tok

Emily certainly didn't see herself coming back to her family potato and barley farm in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, but a husband, child, and global pandemic later, she finds herself learning how to farm from her parents, participating in succession conversations, and becoming an advocate within the ag community. In this episode of Regeneration Rising, host Taylor Muglia talks with Emily Brown about her fascinating story. Find out more about Emily's work with Rocky Mountain Farmers Union and Annie's Project. We're Hiring a Communications & Podcast Intern! Find out more here.

Join us on this enlightening episode of Voices Of Value as we sit down with Emily Brown, the visionary founder and thought leader behind the revolutionary "food is medicine" movement. As the driving force behind Free From Market, Emily shares her personal journey and the profound realization that led her to create a groundbreaking solution to address the unmet nutritional needs of individuals with chronic conditions. https://freefrommarket.com/https://www.linkedin.com/company/freefrommarket/https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-brown-866092a7/https://www.startlandnews.com/2022/09/free-from-market/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/voicesofvalue/message

You'll Have to Listen To This EpisodeThis was an awesome interview with Emily Brown. We had an amazing conversation. As always, I don't really do show notes for my interviews because they're not scripted. We just talk and go. Powerful PointsIn this episode we talked about how many parents struggle homeschooling their children because they're trying to do all the tasks, before building connections. We talked about how important it is for you to meet your needs, connect with God, connect with your teen, and then provide for their schooling. Emily also addressed 4 stages in parenting:Doer, Teacher, Mentor, ConsultantThe universe is reflecting you. If you want to change the world, BE THE CHANGE!Want To Connect with Emily?Here are all the links from this episode:Fiat Life Coaching Website Intro to Loving Your Homeschool LifeFREE Teen Relationship Tune-up If you want to take this to the next level, I'd like to give you my FREE Teen Relationship Tune-up training. In only 15 minutes, you can completely fix your relationship with your teen. Imagine enjoying your teen, laughing together and doing fun things together because you have an impactful relationship with them. It's as simple as: Committing to Love, So you can have purpose and direction in even the toughest of parenting moments. Respecting Their Process, So you can show them that you do trust them. Stop Trying to Control/Fix Them, So you can finally be in control of YOU and your parenting. And, Taking 100% Responsibility for YOUR relationship with them, So you can stop being the victim, at the mercy of your teen, and start BEING the parent of your dreams! Teen Relationship Tune-Up FREE

In this episode, we delve into the importance of setting healthy boundaries for Catholic homeschooling moms. Emily Brown, a seasoned homeschooler and life coach, shares insightful tips on protecting your peace and fostering a more balanced homeschooling journey. Discover how to define boundaries, why emotions play a vital role, and how to embrace a more intentional approach with your children. Learn how to transition from being a doer to becoming a mentor and consultant in your children's educational journey. Get Emily's Creating Healthy Boundaries worksheet HERE. August Workshop:  SIMPLIFY YOUR SCHOOL YEAR.  Save your Seat. Amazing news: True Presence is on Feedspot's list of the Top 15 Catholic Mom Podcasts!!!! Thanks to everyone who tunes in. Dive Deeper into True Presence: NEW!! Join our Facebook Group for Challenges and Community! NEW!! Instagram/threads: @truepresencepodcast NEW!! Facebook: True Presence Podcast Well-Ordered Week newsletter: weekly inspiration and journal prompts   Episode Notes: Understanding Boundaries: - Boundaries are often misunderstood. Emily explains that they are about protecting your peace, not controlling others. - The goal is to have peace within yourself and to decide how you want to show up in any situation. - Understand what is within your control: thoughts, feelings, and actions. Implementing Boundaries in Homeschooling: - Emily shares her experience of starting homeschooling and feeling overwhelmed with trying to do everything. - She recommends transitioning from a doer to a teacher and eventually a mentor and consultant as children grow. - Determine the best time for learning based on your child's unique needs and creativity. Preparing Ahead of Time: - Emily suggests setting time aside in your daily preparation to remember what you love about your kids and how you want to show up for them. - Teaching From Rest by Sarah McKenzie is an excellent resource to ease overwhelm in homeschooling. Applying Boundaries to Chores: - Emily realized she was guilting and shaming her kids to do chores, leading to overreacting. - By adopting an employer-employee approach, she detached emotionally from the outcome and allowed natural consequences to play out. - Children become more responsible when they experience the natural consequences of their actions. Conclusion: - Remember to prioritize relationships over tasks in homeschooling. - Get Emily's free download, "Creating Healthy Boundaries" worksheet, to explore your desires and show up intentionally in your homeschool journey. - Check out the Happy Holy Mama podcast and explore life coaching options at fiatlifecoaching.com. Dive Deeper into True Presence: NEW!! Join our Facebook Group for Challenges and Community! NEW!! Instagram/threads: @truepresencepodcast NEW!! Facebook: True Presence Podcast Well-Ordered Week newsletter: weekly inspiration and journal prompts  

Written by Reed Lochamy Played by Will Lochamy, Andrew Gelderman, Emily Brown, and James BrownFor most rounds, there are three questions, and you rank your answers, assigning point values of 5, 3, and 1 each round, depending on your level of confidence. The one you feel best about is your 5-point answer, the one you're just guessing on is your 1-point answer. (For any rounds where the points don't work this way, we'll discuss that during the game.)If you feel certain that you know the answer to all three questions in a typical round, then instead of assigning points of 5, 3 and 1, you can go for 11 points. If you do that and you answer all three questions correctly, you get 11 points (instead of 9). However, if you do that and you miss just one question, you get a 0 for the round.The bonus round question has five possible answers. You get 3 points for every correct answer you submit. Like with going for 11 in typical rounds, though, you can choose to go for 20 in the bonus round (but doing so is risky in the same way that going for 11 in typical rounds is).Have questions about the game or how it works? Please feel free to email those to will@bhammountainradio.com

In episode 333, we revisit a conversation Bradley had with Emily Brown, Vice President of Learning & Development at McCownGordon Construction.  Bradley and Emily discuss the importance of getting the right people into the right roles while understanding what motivates employees to engage them in their work.  Emily emphasizes the importance of focusing on employee strengths but also developing areas that need improvement.  She also suggests methods of providing constructive feedback while addressing weaknesses.  This episode is brought to you by The Simple Sales Pipeline® which will organize and value any construction sales rep's roster of customers and prospects in under 30 minutes.   *** If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd sincerely appreciate it if you left a review on Apple Podcasts. The feedback helps improve the show and helps with our visibility as well. The more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it to make it even better.   Since we're asking for things . . . we'd also love it if you recommended this show to your friends and colleagues. Your network looks to people like you to learn where to invest their time and attention. We'd love the opportunity to add value to more people in our community. For more info: constructionleadershippodcast.com Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/bradleyhartmannandco/ Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: Bradley Hartmann & Co.

If you are interested in learning how more about weight loss roadblocks and how hormonal imbalances can manifest in our bodies. Emily Brown is an incredible Holistic Nutritionist who helps her clients with her customized approach to health!We talk about so much in this juicy episode including the BioPsychoSocial Model of health!We are so lucky to have Emily epigenetics expert and Functional Nutritionist  educate us and answer our important questions!Emily Brown, founder of Genetic Garden, she's an integrative and functional nutrition practitioner, epigenetics expert, and Pilates pro, as quoted in GOOP! She developed the Genetic Garden program based on the fact that every human body is unique and in order to achieve results, we must understand the whole picture - food sensitivities, energy levels, sleep habits, stress levels, hormones, exercise and of course, DNA.  Her approach is client-centric, collaborative and takes each unique personality into consideration when working with clients. She holds them accountable while providing tools and resources so they may take control of their health. Emily aims to change the way modern society understands their body and takes preventative measures to live long vibrant lives. Check out Emily here on her website Genetic Garden! She has a great Instagram page, so go follow her there! Emily Instagram!She also has a new range of supplements, check them out! Find Jess below!Website: Simply Jess Skincare SIMPLY JESS SKINCARE:Each and every product is naturally derived, highly concentrated and most importantly, super performing! Every product was born out of a need to have a truly pure product that met my high standards for efficacy. You can take 20% off Your Order of our all natural skincare line with code PODCAST Shop Now! Email Us! jess@learningtoglow.comFollow us! Instagram Tik Tok

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Joshua and Amber Niven. Joshua and Amber are the co-authors of "Discovering the Appalachian Trail: A Guide to the Trail's Greatest Hikes." Appropriately, we chat all about the AT including some fun historical facts, their favorite day hikes, the most underrated spots on the trail, the hardest hikes on the trail, and much more. We wrap the show with a triple crown of things we're NOT looking forward to this holiday season, a preview of some QA episodes we're putting together, 10 things someone ought to know before hiking the CDT, and more! RTIC Outdoors: Shop at rticoutdoors.com. Organifi: Use code “BACKPACKER” for 20% off at organifi.com/backpacker. Enlightened Equipment: Use code “ULTRALIGHT10” for 10% off Enlightened Equipment's Stock Revelation Quilt or Torrid Jacket at enlightenedequipment.com. Gossamer Gear: Use code “TAKELESSTREKMORE” for 15% off at gossamergear.com.  [divider] Interview with Amber & Joshua Niven Amber's AT Day Hikes Trek Post Amber's Website Joshua's Website Discovering the AT Book Website Get the book at REI Asheville Fine Art Printing Time stamps & Questions 00:04:58 - QOTD: What things baffle you about the opposite sex? 00:16:27 - Reminders: Patreon Q&A video episodes will be coming out in 2023 00:17:37 - Introducing Amber & Joshua Niven  00:18:20 - How long was Joshua in Germany? 00:19:40 - When did Zach and Joshua first meet? 00:20:19 - How did Amber and Joshua meet? 00:22:26 - Tell us about the printing shed and business. 00:24:19 - What's the strangest thing you've ever printed? 00:25:37 - Where in the journey did hiking the AT happen? 00:28:20 - Was it hard to get off trail? 00:30:30 - Tell us about your old log cabin and building a new one. 00:33:02 - Discussion about kids and parenting 00:35:36 - What is The Thru Project? 00:38:14 - Discussion about how the Thru Project transformed into the book 00:40:46 - What are some wheelchair accessible hikes along the AT? 00:43:50 - Joshua's ‘what not to do on trail' story 00:48:20 - Did you two ever butt heads in the process of writing the book? 00:50:10 - What would you say is the most underrated day hike along the AT? 00:55:35 - Give us a second underrated day hike! 00:57:26 - What do you mean by secret camping? 00:59:40 - What are some really difficult day hikes? 01:03:43 - What are some easier day hikes? 01:04:55 - What's a good hike for stargazing? 01:07:07 - Tell us some interesting history facts about the AT. 01:11:55 - How much did you travel to write the book? 01:14:00 - Legend about Frog Town 01:14:52 - Discussion about hiking with kids 01:17:40 - Are you still able to appreciate nature while hiking with kids? 01:19:32 - Fuck Marry Kill: McAfee Knob, Dragon's Tooth, and Grayson Highlands 01:21:00 - Discussion about the trail in Virginia 01:22:56 - The history of Tinker Cliffs 01:23:43 - Fuck Marry Kill: New Jersey, Vermont, and Pennsylvania 01:29:00 - Duncannon stories 01:33:41 - What camera setup are you using? 01:35:50 - What are your best photography tips for thru-hikers? 01:39:23 - Do you still do your own photography? 01:40:32 - What are your favorite yoga poses and breathing techniques for hikers? 01:44:10 - Where can people get the book and follow you? SEGMENTS MG Check-In Stupid Thing of the Week Trek Propaganda 10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Hiking the CDT by Jenn Wall Triple Crown of things we're NOT looking forward to this holiday season Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @paulyboyshallcross. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Greg Mac, Tracy “Trigger” Fawns, Mike Poisel, Kristina Diaz, and Dayne. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Niki Choo. Niki, alongside her partner, recently completed an expedition across Canada from ocean to ocean (Pacific Ocean in Alaska to the Arctic circle) via canoe. We learn quite a bit about what goes into this style of adventure, as this is our first interview foray into extended paddle adventures, including the challenges of canoeing upstream, through waterways with limited and sometimes inaccurate intel, doing so in such remote country, and much more. Whether you're interested in paddle adventure sports or not, we think you'll get a kick out of Niki's insane stories from this adventure. We wrap the show with a preview of the 2023 Badger Sponsorship, a triple crown of hikes not on our bucket list, we have a couple of listener voicemails, including a Chaunce pat on the back for her improved comfort with poop talk, and more! RTIC Outdoors: Shop at rticoutdoors.com. Good To-Go: Use code “BF30” for 30% off at goodto-go.com. Enlightened Equipment: Use code “ULTRALIGHT10” for 10% off Enlightened Equipment's Stock Revelation Quilt or Torrid Jacket at enlightenedequipment.com. Gossamer Gear: Use code “TAKELESSTREKMORE” for 15% off at gossamergear.com. [divider] Interview with Niki Choo Niki's Instagram Time stamps & Questions 00:04:45 - QOTD: Do you feel like you're doing something incredibly naughty when you venture into the bakery section of the grocery store? 00:10:01 - Reminders: Badger Sponsorship launches on January 30, 2023 - subscribe to our newsletter! 00:11:12 - Introducing Niki 00:11:49 - How does someone get into whitewater kayaking at 14 years old? 00:13:38 - Tell us more about your background growing up. 00:15:50 - What makes Whistler such a special destination? 00:17:50 - Give us the basic plan of your trip and discussion about leaving Niki's dog behind. 00:22:17 - How did you move if you didn't ski? 00:23:42 - What were the weather windows and the mileage you did?  00:25:20 - Were you the first ones to do this trip? 00:27:48 - What was the inspiration for the trip? 00:30:25 - Did you have experience doing pioneering trips like this before? 00:31:42 - Discussion about the length of days in the Arctic and sleeping in the light 00:33:30 - Discussion about wildlife 00:36:00 - Tell us about your gear and canoe modifications. 00:39:38 - What would you do if your canoe breaks? 00:42:53 - How did you go about finding emergency contacts in small towns? 00:45:35 - What is the culture like where you were? 00:51:37 - Tell us about the upstream section and returning to Dawson. 00:56:16 - What were some of the high consequence moves you had to make? 01:05:46 - How do you portage a 1,000 pound boat? 01:07:45 - Discussion about muskeg 01:10:24 - How did you ultimately get out of that situation? 01:11:22 - What did the route look like from there forward? 01:12:40 - Discussion about upstream paddling 01:17:50 - What did your diet look like on this adventure? 01:20:37 - What were some of your treat-yourself meals? 01:22:30 - Did you send a lump of coal to the person who gave you bad beta? 01:23:56 - Tell us about the scariest night of the trip. 01:33:04 - How well did you sleep that night? 01:35:17 - What were the redeeming qualities of the trip? 01:38:54 - How did your relationship fare during the stressful parts of the trip? 01:41:40 - The proposal story! 01:44:55 - Tell us about your startup. 01:47:48 - Do you have any ambitions to bring it back sometime in the future? 01:49:28 - Tell us about pingos and the effects of climate change you saw on your trip. 01:51:07 - Discussion about human behavior and helping the environment 01:54:17 - Any parting words? SEGMENTS MG Check-In Stupid Thing of the Week Trek Propaganda 10 Reasons why the AT is Better than the PCT by Eloise Robbins Triple Crown of hikes NOT on our bucket list Listener Voicemails (and leave us your own!) Mail Bag 5 Star Reviews [divider] Check out our sound guy @paulyboyshallcross. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, Greg Mac,  Tracy “Trigger” Fawns, Mike Poisel, and Kristina Diaz. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Leonard Adkins.  Leonard is a backpacking legend and author of more than twenty books, including several guide books, a book about the flora, fauna, and geology on the the Appalachian Trail, and his most title, "All About the Appalachian Trail" the first and only book for children grades 4-8.  We go in depth on Leonard's backpacking history, which includes more than 20,000 miles dating back to the early 80s.  We learn what it was like to be one of the first to hike the Pacific Northwest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and the first (alongside his wife) to hike the Allegheny Trail.  We learn some fun facts about the plants along the AT.  And we get the ultimate endorsement for this interview from Leonard himself, who says, "I enjoyed that more than I was expecting.”  We were flattered. We wrap the show with the worst all-time Christmas songs, the triple crown of baked goods, a new stupid thing of the week, and more. RTIC Outdoors: Shop at rticoutdoors.com. Organifi: Use code “BACKPACKER” for 20% off at organifi.com/backpacker. Enlightened Equipment: Use code “ULTRALIGHT10” for 10% off Enlightened Equipment's Stock Revelation Quilt or Torrid Jacket at enlightenedequipment.com. Gossamer Gear: Use code “TAKELESSTREKMORE” for 15% off at gossamergear.com.  [divider] Interview with Leonard Adkins Leonard's Website Time stamps & Questions 00:05:15 - QOTD: What is the all-time worst Christmas song? 00:13:52 - Reminders: Hiker Meetup, Saturday December 10! 00:17:08 - Reminders: apply to blog in 2023, shop the Trek's new shorts and hats! 00:18:34 - Introducing Leonard 00:19:19 - What's your origin story? 00:22:56 - How popular was the trail in 1980? 00:26:18 - How was the trail or route different in 1980? 00:29:14 - Did you hike the trail to research for your books or did your books result from hiking? 00:31:55 - How much time did you spend on your first book? 00:33:33 - Tell us more about hiking the AT in 1980. 00:37:50 - If you could backpack the AT today or in the 80's again, which would you pick? 00:40:11 - Do you remember your original backpacking gear? 00:44:29 - Tell us about the Allegheny Trail. 00:50:42 - How long do you think it would take the average thru-hiker to complete? 00:54:30 - What was the Pacific Northwest Trail like in 1983? 00:57:54 - How did you know about these trails to hike them before they were completed? 01:00:22 - How did you plan your hikes without guide books or maps? 01:03:30 - Discussion about hiking the Continental Divide Trail in 1987 01:05:26 - How many maps did you carry on the CDT and how did you get them? 01:07:37 - What does your navigation setup look like today? 01:10:05 - What shorter trail stands out from the ones we haven't talked about yet? 01:11:54 - Would you describe your hiking experience as Type I or Type II fun? 01:12:50 - What was your most challenging day of backpacking? 01:14:58 - What percent of your time is spent hiking, researching, and writing books? 01:16:21 - If you could hike one of your international trails again, which would it be? 01:21:39 - Did you re-hike sections of the trail to write your books? 01:25:37 - What's your favorite story about nature that's in your books? 01:27:44 - What's your favorite story about the animals you researched? 01:29:43 - Tell us more about your educational and professional background. 01:32:08 - What are the best overnight hikes on the AT? 01:34:06 - Are the ponies in Grayson Highlands wild or feral? 01:35:41 - Tell us about your wife getting struck by lightning. 01:40:14 - Was the pain localized to her foot? 01:42:00 - Laurie's perspective on the story 01:42:55 - What was the inspiration for writing a book for kids? 01:45:42 - What feedback have you gotten on the book? 01:47:50 - Do you have a larger mission for writing books? 01:48:53 - Where can people follow you and get your books? SEGMENTS MG Check-In Trek Propaganda 5 Stupid Light Gear Choices That Take Ultralight Too Far by Alex Brown aka GPS Stupid Thing of the Week Triple Crown of baked goods Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @paulyboyshallcross. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, Greg Mac,  Tracy “Trigger” Fawns, Mike Poisel, and Kristina Diaz. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by our long lost former intern turned Production Assistant who ABANDONED the podcast to go for a silly little hike, called thru-hiking the CDT, Elise "SOS" Ott alongside her fiancé, Josh "Kid" Gribble.  This is a Sunday morning interview, which of course means mimosas are involved, setting the mood perfectly to learn all about Elise and Josh's adventures on the CDT. We chat in depth about their epic proposal (spoiler alert), the highs and lows of their trek, we get a thorough primer of fly fishing, especially in the context of backpacking, and much more. It goes without saying, but this is a fun conversation amongst pals and if you disagree you are wrong. We wrap the show with a triple crown of spices, our top food buzzwords, and some details of the Holiday Hiker Meetup Extravaganza that we're hosting on December 10th in Golden (head to our Instagram to get the full deets). RTIC Outdoors: Shop at rticoutdoors.com. Organifi: Use code “backpacker” for 20% off at organifi.com/backpacker. Enlightened Equipment: Use code “trekit20” for a 2 day head start to 20% off and free shipping on November 3 and November 17 at enlightenedequipment.com. Gossamer Gear: Use code “takelesstrekmore” for 15% off at gossamergear.com.  [divider] Interview with Elise & Josh Elise's Instagram Elise's Youtube Josh's Instagram Time stamps & Questions 00:05:24 - QOTD: What are your food buzzwords? 00:14:28 - Reminders: Hiker Meetup, Saturday December 10! 00:15:34 - More Reminders: Badger Sponsorship launching in January - sign up for The Trek's newsletter! 00:16:20 - Introducing Elise & Josh 00:17:08 - The engagement story 00:19:00 - The engagement story actually starts 00:31:16 - How did Josh get the ring size? 00:33:02 - Discussion about trail runners 00:35:22 - Who's taking whose last name? 00:37:20 - What is Zach's wedding advice? 00:40:14 - What are your honeymoon ideas? 00:43:37 - Elise's trail resume & BPR resume 00:46:41 - Josh's trail resume 00:47:35 - Josh's trail name story 00:51:44 - Tell us about fly-fishing on the CDT. 00:55:28 - What are the appropriate questions to ask people who fish? 00:58:27 - Tell us about the rod you used. 00:59:21 - Tell us about backcountry fishing gear. 01:02:09 - What's the difference between fly fishing and regular fishing? 01:07:50 - Floating versus sinking bait 01:10:01 - What's the appeal of fishing? 01:13:25 - Are there certain fish that are notorious? 01:15:44 - Do you have any universal backcountry fishing truths? 01:16:44 - Tell us about bait and flies. 01:21:40 - How do you gut and cook a fish in the backcountry? 01:28:03 - Do different types of trout taste different? 01:30:12 - Tell us about the fires in New Mexico. 01:44:42 - Tell us about the National Forest fire closure and getting to Colorado. 01:47:50 - Tell us about hiking through the snow in the San Juans. 01:55:12 - Did you ever consider skipping the snow section? 01:57:02 - Did you seriously consider quitting the trail? 01:58:33 - Discussion about cow/grizzly closure in Glacier 01:59:20 - Quadzilla's quads 02:00:46 - Discussion about grizzlies on the CDT 02:07:43 - What thoughts about gear did you take away from the trail? 02:14:19 - How does the CDT compare to the PCT and AT? 02:15:49 - Josh, what are the best and worst things about hiking with Elise? 02:17:45 - Elise, what are the best and worst things about hiking with Josh? 02:19:30 - Can you give us some impromptu trail related vows? 02:20:49 - How did your pre-trail anxieties live up to your expectations? SEGMENTS Triple Crown of spices 5 Star Reviews [divider] Check out our sound guy @paulyboyshallcross. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, Greg Mac,  Tracy “Trigger” Fawns, Mike Poisel, and Kristina Diaz. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Kevin Conley. Kevin is a thru-hiker, wildland firefighter, and the author of Above the Ashes, a memoir about battling mental illness during a 3,500 mile bike ride from California to Florida with his dog. Kevin shares the history of his troubled upbringing- and how this eventually lead to his discovering the Appalachian Trail, and consequently his infatuation with thru-hiking. Kevin goes in-depth about the life of a wildland firefighter, how his crippling panic attacks nearly lead to his demise, and his spirit of giving back and bettering the community around him. This is a really deep, honest, and at times dark conversation- and we'd like to offer a trigger warning to listeners that the following interview touches on talks of suicide. We wrap the show with a chat about whether rain pants are necessary for backpacking, the triple crown of fast food breakfasts, if weekend warriors are allowed to use limited AT campsites, an update from MG, and more. RTIC Outdoors: Shop at rticoutdoors.com. Organifi: Use code “backpacker” for 20% off at organifi.com/backpacker. Enlightened Equipment: Use code “trekit20” for a 2 day head start to 20% off and free shipping on November 3 and November 17 at enlightenedequipment.com. Gossamer Gear: Use code “takelesstrekmore” for 15% off at gossamergear.com.  [divider] Interview with Kevin Conley Kevin's Website Kevin's Instagram Time stamps & Questions 00:05:18 - QOTD: Would you rather live in the Avatar, Jurassic Park, or Avengers universes? 00:07:20 - Reminders: Hiker Meetup, Saturday December 10! 00:07:53 - Introducing Kevin 00:09:09 - Tell us about your origin story and first thru-hike. 00:14:58 - What about wilderness therapy didn't work for you?  00:17:56 - How did you go from that experience to the AT? 00:19:27 - What sort of trouble did you get into as a kid? 00:20:30 - Discussion about high school background 00:22:46 - Walk us through the early days of starting on the AT. 00:25:10 - Tell us your trail name origin story. 00:27:15 - When did you feel like you hit your groove on the AT? 00:28:17 - Did you ever think you may not finish the trail? 00:28:55 - Tell us about getting bit by a black widow. 00:30:40 - Tell us about fracturing your foot twice. 00:32:08 - Tell us about getting and treating Lyme disease. 00:37:05 - At what point during the hike did you know you would hike another trail? 00:41:34 - Do you feel like the hike helped you process your grandfather's death? 00:44:37 - Tell us about starting the PCT. 00:46:32 - Do you feel like you processed your grandmother's death better due to spending more quality time with her? 00:48:08 - How was the PCT experience different from the AT? 00:50:05 - Tell us your PCT love story. 00:51:25 - Why didn't your relationship continue? 00:53:54 - Discussion about Burgers and Love 00:55:10 - Were the burgers the start of your charitable endeavors? 00:57:17 - How much money have you raised on your hikes and bike tours? 00:58:18 - Give us more of the background on Backcountry Ninjas. 01:02:07 - Talk us through the evolution of your relationships with your parents. 01:03:53 - Tell us about hiking the John Muir Trail four times. 01:05:52 - How did you meet Hawaii? 01:07:01 - Tell us about how you got started bike touring. 01:10:42 - If you had to pick bike touring or hiking from now on, which would you pick? 01:12:28 - Why did you bike south from Canada? 01:13:12 - How did you get into firefighting? 01:16:17 - What do you have to do to get the job or during training? 01:18:20 - Do a lot of people back out once they get onto a Hotshot crew? 01:20:09 - How does the toughest day of firefighting compare to the toughest day of thru-hiking? 01:22:09 - What other days have stood out to you from firefighting? 01:27:07 - How do you go back to doing your job after a near death experience? 01:29:05 - Did you follow a specific training program or did you have to pass a test to join? 01:31:57 - Zach & Chaunce kill time 01:33:39 - What firefighting tasks did you favor? 01:39:51 - Can you say “I'm a Hotshot burn boss taking care of a dinner plate”? 01:41:10 - Tell us about the mental illness you were dealing with before your bike trip. 01:47:00 - *Begin trigger warning* 01:54:30 - *End trigger warning* 01:55:30 - Story about the man in the well 01:56:30 - Discussion about the bike trip. 01:59:57 - Was there a trigger to the panic attacks? 02:04:10 - What do you see as your path out of the panic attacks? 02:08:54 - Bison facts and gratitude 02:13:33 - Can you speak to changes you've seen in firefighters talking about mental health? 02:16:00 - *Begin trigger warning* 02:20:19 - *End trigger warning* 02:20:19 - Did you ever tell your dad about hearing his voice? 02:22:07 - Tell us about the book, Above the Ashes. 02:24:42 - Any other parting messages you want to share? SEGMENTS MG Check-In Trek Propaganda Do You Really Need Rain Pants for Backpacking? by Rachel Shoemaker I've Thru-Hiked Over 8,700 Miles. This Is the Gear I Brought on My 99-Day CDT Thru-Hike by Joseph Gonzalez Triple Crown of fast food breakfasts Backcountry Meal Critics: Heather's Choice Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @headnodculture. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, Greg Mac,  Tracy “Trigger” Fawns, Mike Poisel, and Kristina Diaz. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by friend of the podcast, renaissance woman, and Executive Director of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition, Teresa Martinez. Teresa feeds us prickly pear margaritas and shares some of the key achievements of the CDT since our last chat, including the recent National Monument designation of Camp Hale in which she got to meet President Biden. We get the full story of her interaction with the POTUS, including some well-earned water works, she reflects on what work has gone into growing the CDTC into thriving organization that it is today, what challenges and opportunities lie ahead, the process of turning trail towns into gateway communities, how climate change is impacting the thru-hikability of the trail, and much more. Teresa is the best and this conversation offers a very clear reminder of why this is true. We wrap the show with some new segments! We introduce backcountry meal critics, where Chaunce and I sample new dehydrated meals and offer our reviews. We also introduce "Stupid Thing of the Week", which likely needs no explanation. We check in with some former guests of the podcast. And we get another update from MG! RTIC Outdoors: Shop at rticoutdoors.com. Good To-Go: Use code “BF30” for 30% off at goodto-go.com. Enlightened Equipment: Use code “trekit20” for a 2 day head start to 20% off and free shipping on November 3 and November 17 at enlightenedequipment.com. Gossamer Gear: Use code “takelesstrekmore” for 15% off at gossamergear.com. [divider] Interview with Teresa Martinez CDTC Website Time stamps & Questions 00:05:04 - QOTD: How was Mexico? 00:12:53 - Reminders: apply to blog for the Trek, check out our new stretch shorts, apply to be the Trek's Youtube personality, Hiker Trash Meetup December 10! 00:17:53 - Introducing Teresa 00:22:38 - What does the 10 year anniversary of the CDTC feel like? 00:24:31 - Tell us about meeting the President. 00:29:39 - How have your fears for the organization changed? 00:25:47 - What are some of the things you're doing that could be considered risky? 00:39:48 - Are there certain organizations you're modeling the CDTC after? 00:44:11 - What elements of your ATC work did you bring to the CDTC versus improve upon? 00:52:31 - Tell us about the Camp Hale designation. 00:59:00 - What are the primary benefits of it becoming a National Monument? 01:04:29 - What would you consider some of the other major accomplishments of the CDTC? 01:08:19 - Do CDT purists get mad when signs are added? 01:13:40 - What's your take on mapping and navigation? 01:18:28 - How did the Imbibe the Divide events go? 01:20:23 - What is your favorite pie flavor in Pie Town? 01:24:45 - How much of building a trail community happens organically versus planned? 01:29:47 - Is community fostering getting easier with people migrating into the mountain west? 01:34:48 - How has the percentage of completed trail increased since we last spoke? 01:38:09 - What does it take to galvanize communities to maintain remote sections of the trail? 01:41:55 - Tell us about the 10 for 10 Themes and October's theme of hunting. 01:46:20 - Tell us about climate change impacts to the CDT. 01:49:00 - What's your take on the future of thru-hiking? 01:52:45 - Tell us about the floods. 01:56:02 - Does water used to put out a fire ever cause flooding? 01:57:17 - Fuck Marry Kill: snow, fire, flood 01:58:33 - If we wanted to open a hiker hostel for CDT hikers in Colorado, what areas or towns would you recommend? 02:00:11 - Would the CDTC consider making a “trail alert” social media page for current trail status? 02:01:30 - Is it better to NOBO or SOBO? 02:02:25 - Does the CDTC have any professional full time trail crews? 02:03:33 - Any parting messages? SEGMENTS MG Check-In Backcountry Meal Critics: Packit Gourmet Trek Propaganda Tips for Flying With Your Backpack from A Flight Attendant by Sarah Lesiecki Stupid Thing of the Week Previous Guest Voicemails (leave us a voicemail!) Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @headnodculture. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, Greg Mac,  Tracy “Trigger” Fawns, Mike Poisel, and Kristina Diaz. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Nick Van Buer. Nick is an associate professor specializing in hard-rock geology at Cal Poly Pomona and recently completed a 530-mile hike across the Mojave Desert on what he's dubbed as the Mojave Wilderness Route. We obviously nerd out on rocks, learn more about the history and science of geology at large, and talk in depth about Nick's trek across the most remote parts of the Mojave Desert. We wrap the show with a triple crown of non alcoholic drinks, we are blessed with a wonderful listener poop story via voice mail, and discuss the appropriate time to start and stop sending nudes. RTIC Outdoors: Shop at rticoutdoors.com. Organifi: Use code “backpacker” for 20% off at organifi.com/backpacker. Enlightened Equipment: Use code “trekit20” for a 2 day head start to 20% off and free shipping on November 3 and November 17 at enlightenedequipment.com. Gossamer Gear: Use code “takelesstrekmore” for 15% off at gossamergear.com.  [divider] Interview with Nick Van Buer Nick's Website: Across the Mojave Nick's Youtube series LA Times Article about Nick Time stamps & Questions 00:05:05 - QOTD: At what point in a relationship do you start and stop sending nudes? 00:15:49 - Reminders: Apply to blog or video-blog for the Trek! And check out our new shorts. 00:17:37 - Introducing Nick 00:18:45 - What got you interested in geology? 00:20:51 - Give us a taste of the professor life. 00:23:14 - How do you grind up a rock and find out how old it is? 00:25:38 - Do your students want to take geology? 00:27:20 - What are the most common geology careers? 00:28:37 - Did you use your geology skills during your hike? 00:29:37 - What are the best excuses you've gotten for people not coming to class or turning work in late? 00:31:20 - Can you teach us the basics of your research focus? 00:35:07 - Given your knowledge, on a scale of 1 to 10, what is your earthquake fear level? 00:38:33 - What was the process to get your sabbatical approved? 00:40:00 - Can you paint us a picture of the history of the Mojave Desert? 00:41:42 - Did you have a wishlist of things you were hoping to find during your hike? 00:43:41 - Did you develop the route? 00:45:44 - How long were your water carries and how did you carry it? 00:47:52 - Tell us about the weather you experienced. 00:48:38 - How did you know you'd be able to find water? 00:50:55 - Tell us about hiking through wilderness areas or passing notable interest points? 00:52:39 - Tell us about your previous backpacking experience. 00:55:07 - Were you nervous going into this hike? 00:56:33 - What kind of wildlife did you see? 00:57:35 - Describe to Zach what a geological map looks like. 01:00:40 - Is there one standout rock encounter? 01:03:15 - How often are there large paradigm shifts in geology? 01:04:57 - Was there anything in this hike that surprised you? 01:08:29 - Do you have any hot takes about currently accepted geological ideas? 01:10:39 - What's the process for proving your theory? 01:13:22 - Tell us about the peer review process. 01:14:43 - Have you witnessed a lot of politicking within geology? 01:15:40 - Are there any fun geological facts you can relay to PCT hikers? 01:16:43 - How do you decide to take rocks from the field? 01:20:00 - What part of you just loves the desert, and what part of this is just public service? 01:20:56 - Tell us about swimming across the Colorado River. 01:25:50 - Tell us about the Youtube series that you made. 01:27:39 - Were there any standout stories you got more feedback on? 01:30:20 - How much weight in samples did you take? 01:31:54 - If these people were rocks, what rocks would they be and why? 01:35:01 - Do you have any other backpacking routes you'd like to do? SEGMENTS MG Check-In Trek Propaganda Modifying your Gear List for High Routes and Off Trail Hikes by GPS 9 AT Thru-Hikers Share Their Top Advice by Rachel Shoemaker Triple Crown of non-alcoholic drinks Listener Voicemails (leave us your own!) Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @headnodculture. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, Greg Mac,  Tracy “Trigger” Fawns, Mike Poisel, and Kristina Diaz. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are answering your burning backpacking questions! Chaunce and I tackle a wide array of Backpacker Radio listener questions - everything from how we plan our nutrition for a backpacking trip, to how we deal with the fading of trail friends after a thru-hike, when and where we recommend using a bear canister and what our go-to bear prevention strategies are, what qualities you should look for in a tent if you're backpacking with your dog, what innovations we foresee happening in the world of backpacking, and much much more. We also catch up with Backpacker Radio team members Leah and Rachel on their recent backpacking trips of the Colorado Trail and the Four Pass Loop, respectively. Also, if you get far enough into the episode, you'll be blessed with a BIG SURPRISE. This is a marathon show fueled on beer, strap in. Gossamer Gear: Use code “backpackerradio” for 15% off at gossamergear.com.  RTIC Outdoors: Shop at rticoutdoors.com. Enlightened Equipment: Use code “trekit20” for a 2 day head start to 20% off and free shipping on November 3 and November 17 at enlightenedequipment.com. Green Chef: Use code “backpacker599” for free shipping on your first $5.99 meal at greenchef.com/backpacker599. [divider] Drunk Q&A! Time stamps & Questions 00:04:50 - QOTD: How drunk are you? 00:06:24 - Reminders: Apply to join the Trek! 00:08:44 - What is the best beginner east coast trail and beginner west coast trail? @sduugs 00:15:37 - Have you made your own dehydrated meals? If so, which ones? 00:19:35 - What is the best trail for learning navigational skills and off-trail hiking? @tales_on_trail 00:24:25 - Do you have a favorite electrolyte powder? @jacob_neary_ 00:30:30 - Zach, tell us more about how you plan meals and caloric intake before a long hike? 00:33:28 - What do your meals look like for a typical day on trail?  00:43:43 - How do you cope with post-trail friendships fading? @imhikinghere 00:51:19 - Is it challenging to find full-time work with a thru-hiking gap on your resume? 00:59:18 - Is a bear bag or bear canister better? Pros and cons of each? @wyatthart_9b 01:06:24 - How do you hang an Ursack? 01:07:21 - Thoughts on the DIY ultralight community? Have you built anything for hiking in a DIY spirit? @balkenbrij_  01:12:18 - What tents are best when bringing a dog? @hunter_clark_4  01:23:40 - What will the next big leap forward in backpacking innovation/technology be? @jasonhikedsunedited  01:26:55 - Drone resupply in the backcountry: good or evil? @reedinthewind  01:29:39 - What do you look for when picking a spot to pitch a tent? @guerrero403  01:33:09 - What's a reasonable water carry for the southern terminus of the CDT? I always bring too much. @bryce.294  01:37:10 - Can you talk about how different thru-hiking would be without trail magic or trail angels, specifically in reference to the AT? 01:46:30 - If you had to fuel your hike with PBR, how many miles per PBR would you average? Would it change once you blacked out? 01:55:15 - Triple Crown of hikers/previous podcast guests who you would want to be with you during a zombie apocalypse @trinitymarie.b  01:58:55 - While thru-hiking, what's the craziest and most desperate fantasy you've had? @steven__cannon  02:01:49 - What is the most disgusting, hiker trash thing you've done on trail that would be totally unacceptable off trail? @chandlersam_ 02:06:24 - What is the weirdest/spookiest thing you've encountered hiking or backpacking at night? @jerry.ellsworth  02:17:35 - What's your worst hiking fear? @staticmuscial 02:22:04 - Triple Crown of what you put in your fanny pack @riley.seeholzer 02:25:06 - Who is having the next kid, Zach or Chaunce? @jameswashburn 02:28:14 - What's your tattoo? @mr_siewruk  02:28:37 - It's okay to kind of hate hiking alone, right? @russelltee SEGMENTS Leah's Colorado Trail Hike Rachel's Four Pass Loop Hike [divider] Check out our sound guy @headnodculture. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, Greg Mac,  Tracy “Trigger” Fawns, Mike Poisel, and Kristina Diaz. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Carl Stanfield aka "Professor". Professor is in the midst of attempting to hike the most known miles over the course of a single calendar year, including a calendar year triple crown. We of course dive deep into his journey including his Florida Trail hike in January, hiking through frigid temps on the AT, yet- how he's gotten incredibly lucky with weather throughout his trek at large, we learn how he's managed to prioritize the overall experience above making miles, the number of free beers he's accumulated over his many miles, and much more. And, because Professor is a major gear nerd, we dissect his pack, his apparel, and what changes he's made throughout the course of his journey. It was a ton of fun to have Carl in studio for this show, we hope you enjoy the chat as much as we did. We wrap the show with a triple crown of non R-rated insults, Chaunce has her mind exploded about the proper way to use coffee ice cubes, and we get yet another update from our intrepid adventurer MG. RTIC Outdoors: Shop at rticoutdoors.com. Enlightened Equipment: Use code “trekit20” for a 2 day head start to 20% off and free shipping on November 3 and November 17 at enlightenedequipment.com. Gossamer Gear: Use code “takelesstrekmore” for 15% off at gossamergear.com.  [divider] Interview with Carl “Professor” Stanfield Carl's Instagram  Time stamps & Questions 00:03:26 - QOTD: What's the proper way to use coffee ice cubes? 00:08:43 - Reminders: Shop the Trek's shorts, apply to join the Trek, and support us by subscribing wherever you listen! 00:10:57 - Introducing Professor 00:11:53 - How tired are you? 00:14:00 - Define your hiking goals for us. 00:17:03 - Did you expect to complete your goal at the beginning? 00:18:33 - Did you reach out to the Guinness Book of World Records? 00:20:10 - What was your backpacking background prior to this year? 00:23:19 - What did you go to school for and what jobs did you aim to get afterwards? 00:25:10 - Discussion about Carl's gear reviews for the Trek 00:26:05 - Tell us about the Florida Trail! 00:31:44 - What kind of mileage did you do on your first thru-hikes? 00:33:25 - Tell us about spending half your AT nights indoors. 00:35:11 - Are you socially or physically tired when staying with strangers? 00:37:11 - Have you had to scale back on the social events to meet your mileage goals? 00:38:19 - Do you have a standout social experience that stands out? 00:42:49 - Discussion about intense emotions on trail 00:46:28 - Let's talk about cold and snow on the AT! 00:49:22 - Why wasn't the cold too bad for you? 00:51:09 - Why was the AT physically harder than you expected? 00:52:14 - What advice would you give to someone who wants a similar indoor experience? 00:56:20 - How did the AT wrap up? 00:59:47 - Was it stressful or nice to take time off? 01:02:09 - Were there other people around when you started the Sierras on the PCT? 01:03:54 - Was there a shock level being thrust into the Sierra landscape from the AT? 01:04:42 - How many fires did you encounter on the PCT? 01:06:59 - Did the social element from the AT maintain on the PCT? 01:08:10 - What kind of food were you craving for dinner or in town? 01:11:09 - How did you save up to do this hike? 01:12:42 - Discussion about Carl's frugality. 01:15:01 - Discussion about experiences with people and Quadzilla's Quads. 01:19:54 - What happened after the northern terminus of the PCT? 01:20:50 - Breakfast buffet benders 01:24:25 - Tell us about the CDT so far. 01:27:43 - What types of things are you tracking? 01:31:18 - Have you had any grizzly encounters? 01:31:59 - What else has happened on the CDT? 01:33:47 - What remains of your hike now? 01:37:52 - What's the bigger goal: the calendar year triple crown or the mileage record? 01:38:34 - What qualifies as miles that count toward your goal? 01:40:28 - What are your big 3? 01:46:42 - Tell us about your footwear. 01:49:17 - Fuck Marry Kill: your gear 01:51:06 - Tell us about your shirt. 01:54:24 - What else is worth talking about in your gear? 01:57:18 - Any other gear you want to talk about? 01:58:47 - What have been the major takeaways of your journey so far? SEGMENTS MG Check-In Trek Propaganda Carl “Professor” Stanfield on Attempting the Most Miles Ever Hiked in One Year by Penina Satlow How to Pick the Perfect Sun Hoodie for Your Next Hike by Eloise Robbins Triple Crown of non R-rated insults 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @headnodculture. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, Leah, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, Greg Mac,  Tracy “Trigger” Fawns, Mike Poisel, and Kristina Diaz. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Minus33, we are joined by Sarah Dramis.  Sarah is a triple crowner turned ultrarunner, a fitness coach, former VIP travel family manager and nanny, and the survivor of a serious back injury resulting in several broken vertebrae.  We go deep on Sarah's backpacking career, including some of the standout highs and lows from each of her backpacking trips, we do a fuck marry kill on the triple crown trails, we learn about Sarah's passion for strength training and fitness in general, her failed attempt at the Colorado Trail FKT, and much more.   We wrap the show with a triple crown of rainy day activities, we hear from a fan of the show who was viciously lied to by Chaunce, and we chat about some of our favorite trail meals. Minus33: Use code “backpacker22” for 15% off at minus33.com. Organifi: Use code “backpacker” for 20% off at organifi.com/backpacker. Enlightened Equipment: Use code “ultralight10” for 10% off Enlightened Equipment's Stock Revelation Quilt or Torrid Jacket at enlightenedequipment.com. Gossamer Gear: Use code “takelesstrekmore” for 15% off at gossamergear.com.  [divider] Interview with Sarah Dramis Sarah's Instagram Time stamps & Questions 00:04:46 - QOTD: What is your favorite trail meal? 00:06:57 - Reminders: Support the PNTS at bellsbeer.com/trails, apply to join the Trek, and support us by subscribing wherever you listen! 00:09:17 - Introducing Sarah 00:09:57 - How'd you get your trail name? 00:10:30 - What's the backpacking scene like in Hawaii? 00:11:50 - What put the PCT on your radar? 00:13:05 - Tell us about breaking your back. 00:16:36 - Discussion about the rod in Sarah's back. 00:20:00 - How did the rod protect you when you got hit by a car? 00:22:06 - What was it like transitioning to long-distance hiking? 00:23:35 - How did you know how to train your body? 00:24:50 - How much was strength training a part of your routine before thru-hiking? 00:27:23 - How did thru-hiking change your wiring? 00:28:50 - Where does fearless Sarah come from? 00:30:00 - Tell us about getting frostbite and hypothermia. 00:34:58 - Tell us about doing the Colorado Trail in 2016. 00:36:48 - Was there any challenge to thru-hiking with your best friend? 00:39:50 - Tell us about the Annapurna Circuit. 00:43:35 - Was the person you did the circuit with a love interest? 00:45:00 - Tell us about the Appalachian Trail. 00:47:58 - Are you more of a solo hiker or a group hiker? 00:49:28 - Tell us about rain on the AT. 00:53:42 - What'd you do in 2018? 00:55:00 - What makes a family VIP? 00:59:12 - How much free time did you have while nannying? 01:00:30 - Tell us about the CDT in 2019. 01:02:58 - How did the CDT snow compare to the AT rain? 01:08:10 - How is it seeing 4 grizzlies in one day? 01:10:21 - What were your emotions when finishing the trail? 01:11:17 - Tell us about getting into ultrarunning.  01:14:30 - Fuck Marry Kill: the triple crown trails 01:15:47 - Tell us about the CT FKT attempt. 01:23:59 - Do you have more FKT aspirations? 01:25:03 - What are your song recommendations for climbs, running, and trail? 01:31:43 - Are there training differences between backpacking and running? 01:35:00 - Tell us about your diet and your thoughts on nutrition. 01:41:56 - Chaunce's drink 01:48:10 - Tell us about your plans for a homestead. 01:50:22 - Discussion about animals as food vs. pets 01:52:24 - Chaunce's chicken story 01:53:51 - How could someone get involved in your fitness coaching or follow your adventures? 01:56:38 - Anything else you want to share? SEGMENTS MG Check-In Trek Propaganda Is Universal Cell Phone Coverage Around the Corner? by Kelly Floro Triple Crown of rainy day activities 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @headnodculture. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, Greg Mac,  Tracy “Trigger” Fawns, Mike Poisel, and Kristina Diaz. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Mike Clelland. Mike is the author of one of the preeminent UL backpacking books, "Ultralight Backpackin' Tips: 153 Amazing & Inexpensive Tips For Extremely Lightweight Camping". We go through some of his top tips for getting pack weight down, how he arrived to the world of UL backpacking, his work with NOLS, his Alaskan expeditions, and much more. We also dive into Mike's fascination with the interplay of owls and UFOs which is perhaps predictably equal parts bizarre and fascinating. We wrap the show with a Triple Crown of things we don't like about Colorado, clichés that we think are total bullshit, and we get another update from MG. RTIC Outdoors: Shop at rticoutdoors.com. Gossamer Gear: Use code “backpackerradio” for 15% off at gossamergear.com.  Minus33: Use code “backpacker22” at minus33.com. Enlightened Equipment: Use code “ultralight10” for 10% off Enlightened Equipment's Stock Revelation Quilt or Torrid Jacket at enlightenedequipment.com. [divider] Interview with Mike Clelland Mike's Website Mike's Instagram Time stamps & Questions 00:04:47 - QOTD: What is a cliche you think is total bullshit? 00:07:17 - Reminders: support the Blue Sky Fund and subscribe to Backpacker Radio! 00:08:57 - Introducing Mike 00:11:02 - When did you get into illustration and cartoons? 00:13:51 - What was your favorite toy to draw advertisements for? 00:16:29 - Was your job anything like Mad Men? 00:21:05 - How did you get into backpacking? 00:28:56 - What was your backpacking experience prior to working at NOLS? 00:30:31 - Were you apprehensive about switching to ultralight gear? 00:32:16 - What are some of the key differences between Lighten Up! and Ultralight Backpackin' Tips? 00:37:35 - Tip #3: Scrutinize Everything 00:41:40 - Tip #6: Try Something New Every Time You Go Camping? 00:46:44 - What's a recent example of something you've tweaked in your setup? 00:48:24 - How important is it for someone to have DIY skills? 00:50:56 - Tip #9: Cut Stuff Off Your Gear 00:58:07 - Why should someone go ultralight? 01:05:30 - Tip #25: Appreciate the Wilderness 01:08:17 - Tip #30: Is going ultralight more expensive? 01:11:22 - Do you scrutinize your food as much as your gear? 01:16:31 - Tip #55: Prepare a Simple First Aid Kit 01:20:44 - What's your take on torso length sleeping pads? 01:24:08 - You say a backpack can be as light as 3 ounces?! 01:26:22 - Tip #65: Choose Bold Routes 01:29:01 - Tip #100: The Humble Pillow 01:31:15 - Tip #116: Poop 01:40:44 - What are some of your favorite and least favorite natural wiping devices? 01:49:30 - Talk to us about UFOs and owls. 01:59:17 - What is hypnotic regression? 02:03:02 - Do you think these are ghost, alien, or other paranormal experiences? 02:04:45 - What percent of owls do you consider suspicious?  02:10:00 - Should we be suspicious of owls? 02:11:48 - Mike's newest owl stories 02:17:28 - Are certain types of owls more suspicious than others? 02:22:07 - Where can people go to learn more? SEGMENTS MG Check-In Send Us Your Owl Stories Leave us a voicemail Email us at podcast@thetrek.co Write us a 5 Star Review Trek Propaganda Wind River High Route Trip Report Part 1: Photographic Route Description by Kelly Floro Triple Crown of things we don't like about Colorado 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @headnodculture. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, Greg Mac,  Tracy “Trigger” Fawns, Mike Poisel, and Kristina Diaz. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, guest co-host Steven Shattuck aka Twinkle and yours truly are joined by Kylie Yang. Kylie is a Field Programs Manager at the Continental Divide Trail Coalition, a thru-hiker, a former AT ridgerunner, and overall a wealth of knowledge regarding all things pertaining to the great outdoors. We chat about Kylie's foray into the world of thru-hiking, what being an Appalachian Trail ridgerunner looks like- including being called "an overly tattooed, hipster slut" by an angry hiker, and we learn all about her present-day role with the Continental Divide Trail Coalition and the challenges of getting volunteers to remote sections of the trail. We wrap the show with a triple crown of conspiracies you maybe buy into a little, useful items you'll likely find in a hiker box, new gear that we've been digging over the last season or two, what hitchhiking on the AT really looks like, and much more. Gossamer Gear: Use code “takelesstrekmore” for 15% off at gossamergear.com.  Organifi: Use code “backpacker” for 20% off at organifi.com/backpacker. Minus33: Use code “backpacker22” at minus33.com. Enlightened Equipment: Use code “ultralight10” for 10% off Enlightened Equipment's Stock Revelation Quilt or Torrid Jacket at enlightenedequipment.com. [divider] Shoutout to our guest editor for this episode, Tina Mullen! Interview with Kylie Yang Kylie's Instagram The Bridge Project Continental Divide Trail Coalition Time stamps & Questions 00:05:16 - QOTD: What does today's guest's dad do for a living? 00:06:13 - Reminder 1: Apply to be a blogger for 2023! 00:06:31 - Reminder 2: Please subscribe! 00:07:04 - Introducing Kylie 00:07:54 - Discussion about growing up in southeastern Virginia/Yorktown 00:09:15 - How did you get into the outdoors? 00:11:08 - How did you transition to thru-hiking? 00:13:40 - Did you have a partner when you hiked? 00:14:52 - Tell us about your social experience on the AT. 00:16:25 - What's your favorite story from your AT hike? 00:19:05 - Tell us another AT story! 00:21:02 - What was it like to hike through the places you grew up? 00:23:03 - What is a ridgerunner, for those who don't know? 00:24:17 - Tell us about bears in New Jersey.  00:26:56 - Tell us about your tattoos! 00:30:06 - What's the most common fuckup you see hikers making? 00:31:03 - Discussion about Kylie's job setup 00:32:33 - Tell us about the interplay between you and thru-hikers. 00:35:24 - What's a regular day in the life of a ridgerunner?  00:36:45 - Were you trained in how to educate people? 00:39:27 - What's the weirdest trash you collected? 00:40:34 - Discussion about becoming a ridgerunner, the salary, and tips for interested people 00:43:44 - What's the most common way people went against LNT practices? 00:46:10 - Tell us about the Long Path! 00:48:42 - Why did you hike in winter? 00:50:01 - How long would it take the average person to hike the Long Path? 00:51:03 - Why the Long Path? 00:53:14 - More discussion about section hiking the Long Path in the winter 00:56:57 - Tell us about working for the Continental Divide Trail Coalition. 00:58:25 - Tell us about the Bridge Project. 01:00:00 - Shoe tangents 01:01:43 - What would you tell people looking to get into trail work? 01:02:12 - Is there a difference between volunteering out east and in the Rockies? 01:03:57 - Tell us about the type of work you do and what is most rewarding. 01:05:30 - Discussion about the openings at the CDTC. 01:07:20 - What's been the most exciting project in Colorado? 01:08:05 - Discussion about qualifications and incentives for volunteering 01:13:20 - Discussion about trail adopters 01:15:52 - How much of the trail is adopted? 01:18:00 - What else should people know about volunteering or the CDTC? 01:19:08 - What's next for you? SEGMENTS MG Check-In Trek Propaganda 6 Useful Items You Can Almost Always Find in an AT Hiker Box by Kelly Floro Triple Crown of conspiracies you maybe buy a little New Gear Review Listener Voicemail (and leave us your own!) 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @headnodculture. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, Greg Mac,  Tracy “Trigger” Fawns, Mike Poisel, and Kristina Diaz. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are bringing you another panel episode. Today we are joined by Backpacker Radio regular, Clay Bonnyman Evans aka Pony to compare and contrast thru-hiking and section hiking. We go deep, focusing largely on the benefits of each of these styles of hiking, who they're for, what we have personally gained from them, and much more. If you're curious about whether you should hit the pause button on your life and take a half year to meander in the mountains, this episode will hopefully serve you a ton of value. And, as always when Pony is studio, this one is delightfully wild.   Gossamer Gear: Use code “backpackerradio” for 15% off at gossamergear.com.  Organifi: Use code “backpacker” for 20% off at organifi.com/backpacker. Minus33: Use code “backpacker22” for 15% off at minus33.com. Enlightened Equipment: Use code “ultralight10” for 10% off Enlightened Equipment's Stock Revelation Quilt or Torrid Jacket at enlightenedequipment.com. Panel with Badger, Chaunce, and Pony Tom Turcich (and His Pup) Set to Complete 7-Year Around-the-World Walk Next Month by Clay Bonnyman Evans Leave us a voicemail! Time stamps & Questions 00:05:03 - QOTD: What's the stupidest thing you've done this week? 00:20:05 - Reminders: Apply to be a blogger for 2023! 00:20:32 - Introducing the panel topic 00:22:30 - Panelist's hiking experiences 00:23:55 - Discussion of the definition of section hiking 00:26:05 - Chaunce's Thru-Hiking Pro #1 00:28:25 - Zach's Thru-Hiking Pro #1 00:31:40 - Pony's disclaimer about section hiking 00:34:02 - Pony's Thru-Hiking Pro #1 00:38:15 - Chaunce's Thru-Hiking Pro #2 00:46:18 - Zach's Thru-Hiking Pro #2 00:57:44 - Pony's Thru-Hiking Pro #2 01:02:00 - Chaunce's Thru-Hiking Pro #3 01:05:55 - Zach's Thru-Hiking Pro #3 01:06:50 - Discussion of friends and trail families while thru-hiking 01:09:05 - Pony's Thru-Hiking Pro #3 01:12:10 - Chaunce's Section Hiking Pro #1 01:17:48 - Zach's Section Hiking Pro #1 01:20:56 - Pony's Section Hiking Pro #1 01:26:40 - Chaunce's Section Hiking Pro #2 01:27:30 - Zach's Section Hiking Pro #2 01:30:05 - Chaunce's Section Hiking Pro #3 01:32:48 - Pony's Section Hiking Pro #2 [divider] Check out our sound guy @headnodculture. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, Greg Mac,  Tracy “Trigger” Fawns, Mike Poisel, and Kristina Diaz. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Minus33, we are joined by Kraig Adams. Kraig has accumulated more than 700,000 YouTube subscribers while showcasing his adventures from around the world, including Mae Hong Son Loop in Thailand, Adirondack High Peaks, Tour Du Mont Blanc Loop in France, Santa Cruz Trek in Peru, Torres del Paine in Chile, Kesugi Ridge Trail in Alaska, Sawtooth Loop Trail in Idaho, just to name a few. We learn how Kraig got into the world of video blogging, how he's turned it into a full time profession, his favorite and least favorite hikes domestically and abroad, what advice he'd offer to aspiring worldly travelers, how and why he maintains a life of minimalism, and much more. We wrap the show with a triple crown of things that you aren't superstitious about but may be a little-sticious about, a guide to edible berries along the PCT, and another update from MG! Minus33: Use code “backpacker22” at minus33.com. Gossamer Gear: Use code “takelesstrekmore” for 15% off at gossamergear.com. Enlightened Equipment: Use code “ultralight10” for 10% off Enlightened Equipment's Stock Revelation Quilt or Torrid Jacket at enlightenedequipment.com. [divider] Interview with Kraig Adams Kraig's Youtube Channel Kraig's Instagram Time stamps & Questions 00:03:03 - QOTD: What's a sport that no matter the skill level, you don't find impressive at all? 00:07:23 - Reminders: Apply to be the Trek's Youtube personality! 00:07:29 - Introducing Kraig 00:08:20 - Tell us about your background. 00:09:57 - Discussion about initial filmmaking in NYC.  00:11:45 - What's your benchmark for a successful video today? 00:12:57 - What's the inspiration for your video style? 00:14:34 - Are you using backpacking as a means to travel or travel as a means to backpack? 00:16:06 - Tell us your hiking resume. 00:17:54 - Does it feel like work for you? 00:18:52 - Do you ever hike with your dog? 00:20:00 - What goes into planning a trip for you? 00:23:35 - Would you say your priority is more the video product or your own experience? 00:25:07 - How do you balance your work and home life? 00:27:02 - How does being a minimalist impact the decisions you make while traveling? 00:29:09 - How does minimalism influence your physical belongings? 00:30:48 - Is your wife a minimalist? 00:34:10 - Discussion about Big Bend 00:34:50 - What are your top three favorite US hikes? 00:35:47 - What are your top three favorite international hikes? 00:37:31 - How was your most recent Tour du Mont Blanc? 00:38:05 - What is it like to do a trip with subscribers? 00:42:10 - Do you get recognized a lot? 00:43:02 - Do you have any stories about trips going awry? 00:45:57 - How do you prepare for camping alone in Alaska? 00:47:15 - Discussion about navigation 00:48:30 - Hike superlatives 00:53:15 - What tips do you have about the Sawtooth Loop? 00:54:03 - What international hike would you recommend for beginners? 00:55:32 - Which trail has the best wildlife? 00:57:08 - What's your fear level? 01:00:14 - Do you have any other travel tips and tricks? 01:03:03 - What are some primary/secondary hike pairs? 01:05:06 - Tell us about your camera gear and video process. 01:08:27 - Is there one component that accounts for the majority of your revenue? 01:11:09 - Discussion about brand partnerships 01:13:20 - Where can people follow you? SEGMENTS MG Check-In Trek Propaganda A Short & Sweet Introduction to Picking Edible Berries Along the PCT by J. Taylor Bell Triple Crown of things you aren't superstitious about but are maybe a little-stitious about Twitter Picture Chaunce Surprise Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @headnodculture. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, Greg Mac,  Tracy “Trigger” Fawns, Mike Poisel, and Kristina Diaz. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Robbie Balenger. Robbie is a plant-based ultra-endurance athlete, with achievements including a run across the United States and a feat he dubbed the Colorado Crush which involves hiking the 485-mile Colorado Trail, summiting all 58 of Colorado's 14,000-ft peaks, and running the Leadville Trail Series- the marathon, the-50 mile race, and the 100-mile race...all of this in the span of 63 days! We of course go in-depth about these endurance undertakings, including how he manages his diet, his recovery, the highlights and lowlights from these adventures, the role his crew plays, and much more. You will walk away from this one feeling either very inspired or very lazy- and quite likely both. We wrap the show with a triple crown of trees, some promising news on the Lyme disease vaccine front, we get another update from MG, and we share some of our favorite shorter thru-hikes for a listener. RTIC Outdoors: Shop at rticoutdoors.com. Gossamer Gear: Use code “backpackerradio” for 15% off at gossamergear.com.  Enlightened Equipment: Use code “ultralight10” for 10% off Enlightened Equipment's Stock Revelation Quilt or Torrid Jacket at enlightenedequipment.com. Interview with Robbie Balenger Robbie's Website Robbie's Instagram Colorado Crush Documentary Outlast a Tesla The Audacious Report Time stamps & Questions 00:05:19 - QOTD: What's something that you like less as you get older? 00:15:26 - Introducing Robbie 00:16:17 - When did you get into athletics and endurance sports? 00:19:23 - What is it about running that draws you in? 00:20:44 - Discussion about marathon strategies and breaking through the wall 00:22:48 - Discussion about food during running 00:24:02 - How did you prevent injury on your transcontinental run? 00:25:20 - Discussion about shoes 00:26:12 - Tell us about your plant-based diet. 00:30:42 - Discussion about alcohol 00:31:52 - What do you eat to get enough calories? 00:34:44 - How did you occupy your mind on your transcontinental run? 00:37:29 - Tell us about the Central Park Loop 00:39:55 - Discussion about backyard ultras 00:41:07 - What would you say your mental drive is? 00:43:29 - Discussion about training intensity and strategies 00:46:18 - Do you have any recurring injuries? 00:47:26 - Tell us about NuCalm 00:56:41 - What was the inspiration for the Colorado Crush? 00:58:05 - What lessons did you learn about setting up a good sponsorship model? 01:00:19 - What was the structure and order of the Colorado Crush? 01:01:34 - What made the Leadville 100 the most difficult event? 01:03:42 - How did you decide the timing? 01:04:41 - Has anyone told you they're interested in replicating the Colorado Crush? 01:05:02 - Fuck Marry Kill: the Leadville Trail Series, all the 14ers, and the Colorado Trail 01:05:40 - How did the Colorado Trail compare to your expectations? 01:07:13 - How do you compare/contrast road running and trail running? 01:09:48 - Any fun hallucination stories? 01:12:21 - What's your mentality while running at night? 01:14:30 - What lazy things do you love doing? 01:15:42 - What did you learn about yourself as a man? 01:18:22 - Is it unusual to have the height of your career start late? 01:19:14 - How was your mindspace as you started the 14ers? 01:21:06 - What were the logistics for getting to and up all the 14ers? 01:23:10 - Did you have any close weather calls? 01:24:33 - Tell us about your crew 01:26:23 - Is there anything you can't eat anymore? 01:27:37 - Anything else to share from the Leadville 100? 01:28:41 - What does the future hold for you? 01:32:00 - Where can people keep up with you? SEGMENTS MG Check-In New Sound Bites Trek Propaganda In Defense of Wild: Cheryl Strayed's Memoir Is Nothing Like Your Trail Journal, and That's OK by Penina Satlow Lyme Disease Vaccine Enters Phase 3 Trials by Penina Satlow Triple Crown of trees Quadzilla's Quads Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @Paulybooyshallcross. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, Greg Mac,  Tracy “Trigger” Fawns, Mike Poisel, and Kristina Diaz. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Wyn Wiley, better known online as Pattie Gonia. Pattie is a "professional homosexual", environmentalist, and a drag queen. This conversation is fun and informative. We go deep learning all the fun nuances of the drag world, including what goes into a good tuck (who owns the title for the GOAT of tucking), the best drag songs, and the core components of a good drag performance. Pattie shares all the good work she's is doing with various outdoor organizations to improve representation in the outdoors. And of course we get a run down of what goes into being ultra-athletic in high heel boots. We close the show with a triple crown of awkward places to run into an ex, a Q&A segment, and we cover if thru-hiking the PCT can give you a dumptruck ass. Gossamer Gear: Use code “backpackerradio” for 15% off at gossamergear.com.  Organifi: Use code “backpacker” for 20% off at organifi.com/backpacker. Enlightened Equipment: Use code “ultralight10” for 10% off Enlightened Equipment's Stock Revelation Quilt or Torrid Jacket at enlightenedequipment.com. Interview with Wyn Wiley aka Pattie Gonia Pattie's Instagram The Outdoorist Oath Website The Outdoorist Oath Instagram Queer Outdoor and Environmental Job Board Austin Smith Instagram Time stamps & Questions 00:04:56 - QOTD: What's the easiest meal of the day to eat healthfully? 00:10:39 - Reminder: Apply to be a 2023 Trek Blogger 00:11:34 - Introducing Wyn! 00:13:05 - Who is Wyn Wiley? 00:15:26 - How did you become Pattie Gonia? 00:17:40 - Were you always openly queer? 00:19:23 - Who put boundaries on you as a kid? 00:22:10 - How do you run in high heels? 00:24:20 - What were you thinking when you posted some of your first viral videos? 00:27:22 - Were some people okay with you being gay but not with your wearing heels? 00:29:26 - Can you explain Wyn and Pattie's different pronouns? 00:31:40 - What's a good protocol for knowing when to ask someone their preferred pronouns? 00:33:36 - Discussion about being Pattie versus Wyn 00:35:10 - What's the most difficult physical endeavor you've done in heels? 00:36:14 - Discussion about tucking 00:41:45 - Tell us about your hiking clothes. 00:42:48 - Do you have any tips for hiking in heels? 00:44:42 - Do you have any good eating shit stories from hiking in heels? 00:45:41 - Tell us about your recent event with the North Face. 00:48:29 - How can businesses be better allies? 00:50:34 - How can businesses move into the advocacy space? 00:52:31 - Do you want to give any particular people a shoutout? 00:54:09 - Have you had experiences where brands have approached you the wrong way? 00:55:48 - What were some of the biggest lessons you learned? 00:57:18 - What do you recommend for people looking to join queer outdoor communities? 00:59:07 - What does into a 10/10 drag performance? 01:03:42 - If you're stranded on drag island, what 3 songs do you bring for your performance? 01:05:25 - If you were to make a drag starter pack, what would be in it? 01:06:28 - What is your go-to hiking snack? 01:11:18 - Do you feel like the thru-hiking community better accepts the queer community? 01:15:35 - How do you think you can bring more straight, white men to allyship? 01:17:01 - Do you see any backlash for caring about hair and makeup in the outdoors? 01:20:10 - Tell us about your makeup process. 01:22:09 - If you could pick only 3 pieces of makeup, what would you choose? 01:22:50 - Tell us about the plastics crisis work you did in Hawaii. 01:27:50 - Tell us about your organization, the Outdoorist Oath. 01:28:56 - What are the first projects your organization is starting with? 01:30:32 - Can you tell us about calling out NOLS? 01:37:29 - What should companies prioritize to do better by communities? 01:40:03 - Where can people go to keep up with you? SEGMENTS Trek Propaganda Hiker Dies After Being Found Unresponsive on Mt. Washington by Penina Satlow Triple Crown of awkward places to bump into an ex Instagram Q&A Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @Paulybooyshallcross. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, Greg Mac,  Tracy “Trigger” Fawns, Mike Poisel, and Kristina Diaz. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.