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Women Leaders Career Advancement: The 4-Relationship Framework and Personal Success Plan (2026) Executive Summary: Women leaders career advancement stalls most often at the relationship level, not the skill level. Women hold only 29% of C-suite roles despite representing nearly half the workforce. Former IBM VP Shelmina Babai Abji reveals the four strategic relationships that accelerate promotion and the Personal Success Plan that keeps you on track week after week. Quick Takeaways: Women leaders career advancement remains stalled at every pipeline level for the 11th consecutive year (McKinsey, 2025). The four relationships that accelerate promotion are: boss, peers, mentors, and sponsors — and all four must be intentionally built. Only 31% of entry-level women have a sponsor, vs. 45% of men — closing this gap is one of the highest-ROI actions you can take. Responding to bias with proof, not reaction, protects your power and changes minds more effectively than confrontation. A Personal Success Plan reviewed weekly keeps your business results, relationships, competencies, and leadership brand advancing together. Key 2025–2026 statistics on women leaders career advancement: the C-suite gap, the broken rung, and the sponsorship deficit. Women leaders career advancement has a number that should stop you: for every 100 men promoted to their first manager role, only 81 women make the same leap. That gap — what McKinsey researchers call the "broken rung" — has barely moved in years. And it is not primarily a skills gap. It is a visibility gap, a relationship gap, and a strategy gap. I'm Sabrina Braham, MA, MFT, PCC — executive leadership coach with over 30 years of experience and host of the Women's Leadership Success Podcast, ranked in the top 1.5% globally with over 950,000 downloads. In Part II of my interview with Shelmina Babai Abji — TEDx speaker, former IBM Vice President, and author of Show Your Worth — we go deep on the practical mechanics that drive women leaders career advancement forward. If you caught Part I, you already have Shelmina's Power Quotient framework for silencing self-doubt. This episode is what comes next: the external strategy. How do you intentionally build the four relationships that move careers forward? How do you handle a boss who doesn't see your value? How do you navigate workplace bias without giving your power away? And what is the weekly planning practice that keeps even the most overwhelmed leader — including single mothers carrying impossible loads — on a clear path to the C-suite? This is one of the most actionable episodes I have recorded in 19 years of podcasting. Let's get into it. Why Women Leaders Career Advancement Stalls: The Strategy Gap The McKinsey Women in the Workplace 2025 report — which surveyed approximately 10,000 employees across 124 organizations — found that women hold only 29% of C-suite roles, unchanged from 2024, and that women remain underrepresented at every level of the corporate pipeline for the eleventh consecutive year. Women of color face a steeper drop-off at every rung. The same research surfaces a critical sponsorship gap that most women don't know exists: only 31% of entry-level women have a sponsor, compared to 45% of men at the same level. Sponsorship — not mentorship — is the relationship that most reliably unlocks promotions, stretch assignments, and visibility with senior leaders. And women are starting from a 14-point deficit. Shelmina's response to this data is direct: "The reason the numbers are as bad as they are is we cannot wait for organizations to change, or for people to change. We have to be the change we want to see." That is not resignation to an unfair system. It is a strategic recognition that women leaders career advancement is not waiting for institutions to fix the pipeline — it is built deliberately, relationship by relationship, decision by decision, week by week. The Four Relationships That Accelerate Women Leaders Career Advancement Shelmina's book Show Your Worth dedicates an entire chapter to what she calls "intentional relationships" — the four categories of professional connection that, when built strategically, become the scaffolding of a senior career. She credits them with her own advancement from immigrant engineer to IBM Vice President. Relationship 1: Your Boss This is the most high-leverage relationship in your career, and the one most women invest in least strategically. "At the end of the day, you work for your boss, not an organization," Shelmina says. "It is up to you to build that relationship." The mechanism is not flattery or politics. It is a deliberate daily practice of contributing value that advances your boss's success — specifically, unique value that makes you essential. Shelmina describes this as "leaning into your authenticity and your uniqueness until you become essential to your boss's success." When you are essential to your boss's success, you are in a position of power to negotiate what you want — flexible boundaries, stretch assignments, sponsorship, promotion recommendations. Power in a workplace relationship is not seized; it is earned through indispensability. Practically, this means: Understanding your boss's most critical success metrics and aligning your work visibly to them Ensuring your boss has a "front-row seat" to your contributions — proactively, not passively Asking for help on stretch assignments (which demonstrates self-awareness, not weakness) Preparing thoroughly for performance reviews with documented, outcome-quantified contributions Relationship 2: Peers Peer relationships are the often-overlooked engine of influence. In 2026's increasingly matrixed organizations, influence flows horizontally as much as it flows vertically. Peers who trust you, advocate for you in rooms you're not in, and co-create solutions with you are a form of organizational capital that compounds over time. Shelmina notes that the same principle applies here as with the boss relationship: the foundation is contribution, not connection for its own sake. Peers who see you as someone who makes their work better — not someone who competes with them for credit — become your most organic advocates. Relationship 3: Mentors — The Right Ones, Not Just Any Here Shelmina offers a counterintuitive observation that stopped me when I heard it. She regularly asks women at conferences: "How many of you have mentors?" Almost every hand goes up. Then she asks: "How many of those mentors have pushed you, accelerated your success, made you significantly better personally or professionally?" Most hands go down. "We need to be intentional and strategic even when we look for mentors," she says. "We must know: why is this person the right mentor for me, at this point in time?" A mentor who is a perfect match for where you are today may be misaligned with where you need to go next. Great mentors: Have navigated the specific transition you are facing Will push you, not just validate you Are willing to give you honest, sometimes uncomfortable feedback Have relationships and visibility at levels above your current role Shelmina's own pivotal mentor was Susan Whitney — an IBM General Manager who, in the two minutes it took to walk from a roundtable back to an office, changed the entire direction of Shelmina's career by asking one question: "Where do you want to be in five years?" That question planted a seed. Shelmina did not have the answer — but she pursued Susan as a mentor, did whatever it took to get noticed and earn time with her, and eventually built the relationship that shifted her from "doing a great job in my current role" to "thinking strategically about what I want to do next, and next, and next." Relationship 4: Sponsors — Your Most Powerful Accelerant A mentor gives advice. A sponsor gives opportunity. This distinction is critical and widely misunderstood. Sponsors use their own political capital to advocate for you — in the rooms where promotions are decided, on the committees where assignments are distributed, in the conversations where names are put forward. A sponsor says your name when you are not in the room. A mentor helps you prepare for the room. Both matter. But only one moves the needle on the broken rung. Given that women enter careers with a 14-point sponsorship deficit compared to men, closing this gap is one of the highest-ROI investments you can make in your own career advancement. You earn a sponsor the same way you earn every other relationship: by making yourself visible, demonstrating your capability in high-stakes situations, and becoming someone whose success the sponsor wants to be associated with. Shelmina's guidance: identify one person at two levels above you who has both visibility with senior leadership and the willingness to advocate. Do the work to get in their orbit. When you are there, make their decision to sponsor you easy — by showing up with the kind of work that reflects well on anyone who recommends you. The four relationships that drive women leaders career advancement: boss, peers, mentors, and sponsors How to Navigate Workplace Bias Without Losing Your Power As a woman of color scaling the corporate ladder, Shelmina encountered both internal barriers — the self-doubt and fear of belonging described in Part I — and external barriers: leaders who did not automatically see her as a candidate for leadership roles, colleagues who underestimated her capabilities, and structural biases that filtered opportunity away from people who didn't fit the existing template. Her framework for navigating bias is one of the most strategically intelligent approaches I have encountered in 30 years of coaching. It has three operating principles: Principle 1: Don't React — Prove "When you react, you give your power away to them....

Most real estate investors are stuck choosing between flipping for income and holding for wealth but 30-year industry veteran Aaron Chapman says you don't have to choose. In this episode of The M.O.R.E. Show, Justin Colby sits down with Aaron Chapman, mortgage expert, real estate investor, and author, to break down how to run a flipping business and a holding portfolio simultaneously without coming out of pocket, how to use family trusts to protect and pass down real estate wealth across generations, and why the foundation you build your business on matters more than how fast you grow it. KEY TOPICS COVERED: How to flip houses and hold assets at the same time using the right entity structure. Family trust strategy explained: grantor, trustee, and beneficiary roles. How Aaron structured his children's homes inside a trust to build generational wealth. Why growing too fast without a strong foundation will eventually collapse your business. The legacy mindset: ensuring every bloodline never wonders where they will live. How to use life insurance and compounding inside a trust to create unstoppable family wealth. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Aaron's daughter calls him landlord instead of dad — the trust conversation 01:21 — Introduction: Aaron Chapman, 30-year real estate professional and author 02:07 — Why building fast without a foundation is the most dangerous move in real estate 03:48 — Aaron's background: in the game since 1997 07:00 — Entity structure and financing: how to flip and hold simultaneously 15:00 — Family trust breakdown: grantor, trustee, and beneficiary explained 25:00 — How Aaron built homes for his children inside a trust 35:00 — Legacy, faith, and centering a family around shared values 47:00 — Using business enterprise structures for tax deductions and family benefit 49:00 — Ensuring your bloodline never lacks for housing 49:53 — Aaron's book: Redneck — available on Amazon Connect with Aaron Chapman: Book: Redneckonomics — https://www.amazon.com/Redneckonomics... Youtube - @AaronChapmanSGOC About The M.O.R.E. Show: The M.O.R.E. Show is hosted by Justin Colby and is dedicated to helping real estate professionals, investors, and entrepreneurs maximize opportunity in any market. New episodes every week. Learn more: www.timeformore.com Invest with Elevest Capital: www.elevestcapital.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As the World Cup gets underway, how can performance marketers best leverage the opportunity before them?On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Alex Maude, Head of Insight & Research at Ozone, joins host Joe to assess the best ways for brands to win a share of attention during the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026. Are traditional ad placements the way to go, or is the real attention battle taking place on second screens? Also, where does the premium web come into this? Listen on to uncover the answers to these burning questions and many more. This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ (3:30) Bigger tournament, bigger advertising opportunity?(10:46) Ensuring social media is an asset, not a burden(21:35) Making the World Cup count beyond June and July(24:05) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge~ Further reading ~ Everything advertisers need to focus on ahead of the 2026 FIFA World CupThe ads scoring biggest ahead of the World CupHalf of the World Cup audience doesn't watch weekly football. Are you planning for them? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We recently had the chance to sit down with Rajeeb Khatua, MD, Chief Operating Officer at ReMedi Health Solutions, and Sara Helvey, MD, Chief Clinical Information Officer at Care New England to talk about the Epic Go-Live experience at Care New England. In our discussion, we dive into some of the specialized training and support Remedi Health Solutions provided leading up to, during, and after their Epic Go-Live.Learn more about Care New England: https://www.carenewengland.org/Learn more about ReMedi Health Solutions: https://www.remedihs.com/Healthcare IT Community: https://www.healthcareittoday.com/

Every now and then, I like to hop into the wayback machine and share a fresh listen to conversations that influenced our current times. The one you are going to register to today was recorded live in 2014 from DIEM, Design Intersects Everything Made symposium presented by the West Hollywood Design District featuring Frances Anderton, then with KCRW ad Jeff Denby, co-founder and then with Pact. A clothing brand you will be hearing more about.  The following conversation was focused on values based capitalism, an economic model with which places value on profit generation that also generates positive social impact. Designer Resources Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise. TimberTech – Real wood beauty without the upkeep Shelter Republic – Request your membership invitation As you listen to this chat between Frances and Jeff, you might notice the “feel-good” vibes and high ideals that come from a focus on values based consumerism patterns. Buy well-made products that come from sustainably based materials and made by people who are valued to those producing the products and then by those who buy the product. At the time of this recording, this idea was catching on and even now, companies that have a value-system connected directly to products speak openly about the social capital being generated. I would argue we hear far less now because sustainability has been linked politically to DEI, and there is a group of people who see that has more of a social ill, than a societal benefit. I'm not here to change any minds, only share different perspectives. And this is one worth sharing with the hope that it will make a return, not just in fashion or consumer packaged goods, but in the home decor and architectural materials sectors. Consumer Awareness Evolution How Whole Foods and the food industry educated consumers about product origins. Extension of that curiosity to body care and apparel: understanding what goes on the skin and into daily wear. The role of design in making sustainable products attractive and desirable. Philanthropy and Social Impact Early collaborations with nonprofits through limited-edition collections and direct aid. Shift toward improving the lives of workers within the supply chain. Emphasis on economic, environmental, and social impact as part of the business model. Challenges of Domestic Manufacturing Difficulties of reviving large-scale apparel production domestically, including labor costs, fractured supply chains, and compliance issues. Comparison with global supply chains and the decision to work where systems already exist. Insights from attempts at localized production and the challenges of sustainable sourcing. Product Expansion and Market Strategy Focus on apparel basics for the emerging generation of socially conscious consumers. Building a generational brand by appealing to evolving values. Commitment to price accessibility while maintaining sustainability and ethical production. Supply Chain Ethics and Certification Working exclusively with certified factories and farms to ensure fair labor practices. Ensuring worker protections and representation, including female supervisors. Direct engagement with farmers and supply chain partners to secure market access and stability. Sustainability and Waste Management Recycling factory scraps and leftover materials into new products. Finding secondary uses for garment remnants, including mattress filling. Factories incentivized to reduce waste as part of both economic and environmental sustainability. Consumer Education and Transparency Educating customers about the human and environmental story behind clothing. Leveraging social media, coalition branding, and events to communicate supply chain practices. Positioning Pact as a non-toxic apparel brand with safe-for-skin products. Research and Industry Collaboration Participation in textile and sustainability coalitions with like-minded brands. Supporting the growth of organic cotton farming and sustainable supply chains. Promoting transparency in manufacturing practices and educating the public on chemical exposure in conventional apparel. Ethical apparel requires intentional design, transparent supply chains, and collaboration across the industry. Consumers increasingly demand products that are safe, well-designed, and socially responsible. Philanthropy is most effective when integrated into the core business, benefiting both workers and communities. Scaling sustainability in mass-market apparel is challenging but possible with careful planning, partnerships, and public education. Conscious Basics: How Textiles Can Be Ethical, Sustainable, and Stylish In an era when consumers increasingly demand transparency and ethical responsibility, Pact is reshaping the apparel industry by marrying sustainability, social impact, and thoughtful design. Co-founder Jeff Denby spoke with Frances Anderton in 2014 about the philosophy behind the brand, tracing a journey from organic cotton farms in India to certified factories in Turkey, all with the goal of delivering high-quality, accessible clothing that respects both people and the planet. Denby notes that consumer awareness has evolved in stages. Shoppers first became curious about food origins, learning that groceries come from farms, not just shelves. This consciousness extended to body care products, as people began asking what they were putting on their skin. Apparel is the next frontier. “People want to know what they're wearing every day,” Denby explains. “They want products that are beautifully designed, sustainable, and safe, without having to reinvent what underwear or socks should look like.” Early in Pact's history, the company experimented with philanthropic partnerships, designing collections that supported nonprofit causes. These initiatives provided aid to communities abroad, from distributing lanterns in Haiti to rebuilding community centers in Japan. However, Denby realized the brand could make a deeper impact by focusing inward—supporting the lives of the workers who create the products. By investing in stable, ethical supply chains, Pact achieves a triple bottom line: economic, social, and environmental benefits. Reviving large-scale apparel manufacturing in the United States proved impractical for Pact. Labor costs, fractured supply chains, and limited domestic processing infrastructure made it impossible to produce affordable basics at scale. Instead, the brand partnered with existing factories abroad, ensuring they meet strict certifications such as the Global Organic Textile Standard. Denby emphasizes that these certifications guarantee fair labor practices, gender equity, and safe working conditions—factors often overlooked in conventional apparel production. Beyond ethical sourcing, Pact prioritizes product safety and environmental responsibility. Cotton cultivation and traditional textile processing can involve significant pesticide use and harmful chemicals. Pact works with organic cotton farmers and certified dye houses, eliminating heavy metals and carcinogens from their products. Waste management is also integral; leftover yarn and fabrics are recycled into new garments or repurposed for other industries, demonstrating that sustainability extends from field to factory to finished product. Denby envisions Pact as the “basics brand for the change generation,” appealing to consumers who value ethics, transparency, and design. The brand is part of a coalition with other sustainable apparel companies, collaborating to secure fair market access for farmers, grow organic cotton production, and educate the public on the human stories behind clothing. Social media and events provide direct channels to communicate these values, allowing consumers to engage with the brand and understand the people and processes behind the garments they wear. For Pact, the mission goes beyond selling clothing. It is about proving that everyday apparel can be ethical, well-designed, and accessible, while creating meaningful social impact. By integrating philanthropy, sustainability, and consumer education into the business model, Pact is showing that the basics—underwear, socks, and t-shirts—can carry a powerful message: that fashion can be responsible, thoughtful, and inclusive.

The rules for how nonprofits can use AI are being written right now, and there's a real issue over who gets to write them. In this midweek check-in, Carolyn Woodard walks through the federal-versus-state fight over AI regulation, why none of this requires you to be a lawyer to follow along, and how to stay informed about state AI rules-making where nonprofits should be at the table.She also notes new environmental research showing the water use per prompt really depends on where the data center is sited and the state of the grid in that location - another reason that local advocacy is a real way to have agency in this moment. She closes by advocating for a values-grounded AI policy that is still your best foundation no matter which way the rules shift.This episode covers:In December 2025 an executive order "Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence" set out to replace a 50-state "patchwork" with one federal approach. The nuance that matters for your compliance: an executive order doesn't automatically erase existing state laws, and the March 2026 framework urging Congress to act is non-binding — so the rules already on the books in your state still apply for now.How Colorado and California are splitting: Colorado scaled back its comprehensive AI law (hiring, housing, lending, healthcare) and pushed the effective date to January 1, 2027, while California's frontier-safety law applies only to large developers — and Governor Newsom vetoed the worker-focused "No Robo Bosses Act" after industry pushback.New UC Riverside research (Prof. Shaolei Ren) showing the water cost of an identical AI query depends enormously on where the data center sits — a more than 20x swing — reframing the "is my individual prompt harmful?" question toward the bigger siting-and-grid picture as Fortune 500 companies integrate AI into everything they do.Who actually shaped these laws: well-resourced industry groups on one side and consumer-advocacy and civil-rights nonprofits on the other. There is a clear role for nonprofit leadership in the AI regulation debate.Resources Mentioned:Artificial Intelligence Legislation Database — National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)U.S. State AI Governance Legislation Tracker — IAPP (nonprofit)Find & Contact Elected Officials — USA.govEnsuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence (Executive Order, Dec. 11, 2025) — The White HouseColorado Governor Signs SB 189, Significantly Amending the State's AI Law — Holland & KnightCalifornia's SB 53: The First Frontier AI Law, Explained — Future of Privacy ForumAI Programs Consume Large Volumes of Scarce Water — UC Riverside News (Prof. Shaolei Ren)Making AI Less "Thirsty" (peer-reviewed) — Communications of the ACMAI's Energy Footprint Investigation — MIT Technology ReviewTemplate: Acceptable Use of AI Tools in the Nonprofit Workplace — Community IT InnovatorsNot mentioned in the podcast but apropos. The Fight Over AI is Really a Fight Over Who Governs - op ed from McGovern Foundation in Time  _______________________________Start a conversation :)Register to attend a webinar in real time, and find all past transcripts at https://communityit.com/webinars/email Carolyn at cwoodard@communityit.comon LinkedIn on reddit/r/nonprofitITmanagementon the Community IT websiteThanks for listening. 

Dry eye disease (DED) impacts countless individuals, and while therapies like Xiidra® (lifitegrast ophthalmic solution) 5% have proven effective,1 ensuring consistent patient compliance remains a challenge for eye care professionals. Xiidra, which can improve signs and symptoms as early as two weeks,1* is most effective when used consistently. Based on insights shared in the Defocus […]

Send us Fan MailIt's not every day that a bestselling author invites you into the secret world behind their creative process. In this episode, I sit down with April Henry, acclaimed writer of thirty-two mysteries and thrillers, to discuss how she crafts her gripping stories—making them both intricately plotted and beautifully accessible. Here, we dive into the wisdom and practical strategies April shared about writing, resilience, and reaching all readers.Timestamp:00:00 Finding Inspiration for Story Ideas03:34 Blending Plotting with Pantsing09:12 Tessa's DNA discovery and implications12:56 Ensuring accuracy in medical details15:20 Overcoming writing roadblocks20:04 Persistence leads to publishing success23:10 Writing books with teen protagonists24:43 Making books exciting for readers30:18 Starting a New Book33:05 Writing through challenges and goals37:03 Editing and revising chapters40:21 Collaborating with an editor43:23 Finding writing community and resources47:44 Concerns about book censorship48:55 Where to find April's workFull show notesCOMMUNITY PROGRAMS

In this episode, I'm chatting all about how eating too little or in a deficit for too long will hinder your progress and the overall effects on your metabolism. Especially for women aiming for body recomposition.Some of the topics we cover include:The misconception that eating less always leads to faster fat lossHow food has been demonized and its impact on women's nutritional choicesSigns that your caloric intake is too low, including fatigue, poor sleep, and hormonal imbalancesThe risks of long-term undereating, such as metabolic slowdown and muscle lossThe importance of a strategic, balanced caloric deficit for body recompositionHow to monitor progress effectively through photos, measurements, and body composition data Timestamps: 00:00 - Why low calorie intake can sabotage your results 00:30 - Signs you've been under-eating for too long 01:56 - The dangers of demonized foods and improper caloric restrictions 02:54 - How under-eating impacts metabolism and hormones 04:01 - Recognizing when your calories are too low 05:23 - The mismatch between calorie deficit and actual fat loss 06:48 - Long-term effects of calorie restriction on metabolism 08:11 - Signs of chronic undereating and what to do about it 09:23 - How body fat loss stalls in prolonged caloric deficits 10:48 - The importance of priming your body for fat loss 12:07 - Structuring a sustainable strength training routine 14:40 - Ensuring your workouts promote muscle hypertrophy 16:00 - Nutrition strategies for muscle preservation and fat loss 18:10 - Tracking progress beyond the scale: photos, measurements, and body composition scans 21:20 - The influence of stress, sleep, and hormonal health on fat loss 22:51 - Final tips: building habits and structuring your plan for success Hume Health Scale Work with me____Disclaimer: The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical, nutritional, fitness, or healthcare advice. Always consult with your physician or qualified healthcare provider before starting any exercise program, nutrition plan, or making changes to your health routine. Participation in any fitness or wellness activities discussed on this podcast is done at your own risk. The views expressed are based on personal experience, professional expertise, and available research at the time of recording. Share feedback/send fanmailFreebies/ProgramsTransformation Roadmap: Why you're stuck + scorecardApply for the Transformation ProgramHigh Protein/Macro-Friendly Recipe eBookAll links Support the showInstagram | TikTok | YouTube | Pinterest

Radiologists must adopt strong backup and redundancy standards for virtual contrast supervision to ensure CMS-compliant oversight. This episode unpacks dual internet connections, tiered failure protocols, UPS systems, and emergency response training that keep supervision running when technology fails.Learn more at https://www.contrast-connect.com/blog-post/tele-contrast-supervision-redundancy-standards-backup-coverage-and-failure-containment ContrastConnect City: Las Vegas Address: Las vegas Website: https://www.contrast-connect.com/

Jack and Cal are joined by new Thorne Harbour Health CEO Chad Hughes, and discuss the critical challenge of delivering equitable health services to our diverse communities in regional Victoria and South Australia. Chad dives into the organisation’s strategy of embedding practitioners with lived experience into mainstream rural clinics to ensure privacy and reduce stigma for those not ready to come out locally. We also explore the unique dynamics of regional pride events and the importance of empowering local experiences over a one size fits all approach. Given the growing crisis of misinformation in the age of AI, Thorne Harbour’s forty-year legacy of trust is more vital than ever, especially as the organisation expands its national reach through innovative digital platforms. Chapters 00:00 – Intro 01:56 – Chad’s origin story involving genetics, a trip to Uganda in the late 90s, and the pivotal moment that drove him toward public health 06:14 – Setting up harm reduction programs over four years living in a remote Nepalese village, learning the language, and overcoming his needle phobia 11:39 – Leadership philosophy, focusing on mentoring others, the satisfaction of population-level impact versus individual care, and his framework for making tough decisions under pressure 14:45 – Living in Daylesford, the unique nature of regional queer communities compared to the city, and the specific challenges of delivering health services to isolated trans and gender-diverse youth 20:00 – The importance of supporting local autonomy in events like Bendigo Pride 24:46 – Thorne Harbour’s 40-year history of adapting to diverse community requirements 28:47 – Misinformation and AI-generated content, highlighting why Thorne Harbour’s reputation for trusted health information is more valuable than ever 33:32 –  The current political climate, funding challenges in Victoria, the importance of a unified sector, and the significance of having a community member as the new Minister for Health 38:13 – Chad’s hobby of birding, his spark bird, and how observing nature serves as a mindfulness practice 48:14 – Parallels between the patience required for birding and the calm, observant leadership style needed to manage staff dealing with vicarious trauma and complex community crises 49:42 – Ensuring services are truly community-led, responsive to emerging threats like Mpox, and accessible to everyone regardless of location or identity Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell. If there's something you'd like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at wellwellwell@joy.org.au Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria and South Australia at thorneharbour.org and samesh.org.au

Europe's renewed exposure to geopolitical instability has underscored the urgency of reducing its dependence on imported fossil fuels. Ensuring a resilient, sustainable and secure energy supply is now a central pillar of the EU's economic and strategic agenda. In this context, green molecules have been highlighted as one of the key enablers of greater energy autonomy and competitiveness.To support these goals, the European Commission has proposed the Industrial Accelerator Act, which aims to expand resilient and decarbonised industrial production within the EU. Many stakeholders note, however, that success will depend on whether Europe can overcome the cost and infrastructure barriers associated with scaling new technologies while ensuring a predictable investment environment.Listen to this Euractiv Hybrid Conference to explore how green molecules can reinforce Europe's energy security, improve cost competitiveness and support the creation of strategic European value chains. Questions to be addressed include:• How can green molecules be integrated efficiently into existing infrastructure to boost Europe's industrial competitiveness?• What policies and infrastructure are needed to scale up green molecules as part of Europe's energy security strategy?• How can the Industrial Accelerator Act help build resilient European supply chains while keeping costs under control?• What regulatory levers are required to create EU-led markets for green molecules and strengthen Europe's strategic autonomy?

This episode starts back at the Viewfield Food Distribution Centre where Chris Hammer speaks about fruit rescue. The next conversation is about preparing food for the Queens Street site... and so of course we transfer there to see where individuals and families can find the nourishment they need. Executive Director of the Mustard Seed Treska Watson continues the tour with us throughout the entire building with a specific focus on the actual interaction where need meets food possibilities.

What actually goes into the financial data powering your brokerage app? In this episode, Alex Perny sits down with Andrew Lebbos, Director of Licensing at Benzinga, to pull back the curtain on how financial data is produced, validated, and delivered at scale.Key Points:- Benzinga provides earnings, dividends, analyst ratings, and news to Robinhood, Fidelity, Schwab, and more- Data validation combines AI-enabled QA systems with human oversight to catch outliers- Proprietary first-party data is increasingly valuable as LLMs demand accurate inputs- Benzinga powers Perplexity Finance and works with major hedge funds and brokerages- Companies issue intra-quarter guidance to manage large expectation gaps- Conference call transcripts and guidance calendars add context beyond raw earnings- Private market data coverage is actively being built out by Benzinga- Blockchain-based secondary markets and tokenized assets are opening private markets to retail investors- Illiquidity in private markets can act as a behavioral safeguard against panic sellingChapters:0:00 Introduction and guest background2:15 How financial data is packaged and produced5:41 Data validation and QA systems8:11 What outlier data means for investors10:54 Earnings surprises and guidance calendars13:13 AI's role in financial data accessibility16:56 Benzinga's data-first business model19:58 Ensuring data accuracy for AI platforms22:36 How investors can verify AI outputs26:32 LLM data sourcing and direct integrations30:51 Changing investor behavior and private markets34:08 Private market data challenges38:51 Blockchain, tokenization, and secondary markets45:12 Illiquidity as a behavioral benefit48:25 Real estate, prediction markets, and Benzinga's scope53:17 Where to find BenzingaSubscribe to our YouTube channel and join our growing community for new videos every week.If you are interested in being a podcast guest speaker or have questions, contact us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Podcast@AdvantaIRA.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Learn more about our guest, Andrew Lebbos:https://www.benzinga.com/Learn more about Advanta IRA: https://www.AdvantaIRA.com/ https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/advanta-irahttps://www.linkedin.com/company/Advanta-IRA/https://twitter.com/AdvantaIRA https://www.facebook.com/AdvantaIRA/ https://www.instagram.com/AdvantaIRA/#FinancialData #RetailInvesting #Benzinga #AlternativeInvesting #AIInvesting #PrivateMarkets #AlternativeInvestingAdvantage #FinancialLiteracy #InvestingPodcast #DataDrivenInvesting

Bad News for Muslims/Isl@mi in West Bengal | Court + Government Ensuring Big Action | Sanjay Dixit

A hotel bar is much more than a place to grab a drink while you're on vacation or traveling for work. It's about connection, relaxation and rituals as old as mankind. A really good hotel bar will even attract the locals. That's the case at The Tampa Edition, a five-star hotel located on downtown's bustling Channelside Drive. Throughout the hotel's bars and restaurants, service is as important as what's in the glass. Ensuring that hospitality is the Tampa Edition's director of bars, Nihat Çam.We sat down with Çam at the hotel's Punch Room speakeasy. Over virgin hibiscus cocktails, he shares how his Turkish upbringing and global travels led him to this role. Çam also shares the latest trends in alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks and discusses the larger role that hotels play in society, as detailed in his book. It's called Bar Culture: Hospitality, Hotel Bars and Spirits.

Dr. Jenny Bay-Williams, Productive Ways to Build Fluency with Basic Facts ROUNDING UP: SEASON 4 | EPISODE 18 This summer we're replaying favorite listener episodes from the first four seasons of Rounding Up—like this one from Season 1. We'll return with all new episodes in early September. Ensuring students master their basic facts remains a shared goal among parents and educators. That said, many educators wonder what should replace the memorization drills that cause so much harm to their students' math identities. Today on the podcast, Jenny Bay-Williams talks about how to meet that goal and shares a set of productive practices that also support student reasoning and sensemaking.  BIOGRAPHY Jennifer Bay-Williams is a professor of mathematics education at the University of Louisville. She has authored over 40 books and 100 journal articles and book chapters that focus on making mathematics meaningful to all students. She is an international leader in the field of mathematics education, frequently speaking at state, national, and international conferences and serving on national boards.  RESOURCES "Eight Unproductive Practices in Developing Fact Fluency" article by Gina Kling and Jennifer M. Bay-Williams Math Fact Fluency: 60+ Games and Assessment Tools to Support Learning and Retention book by Jennifer M. Bay-Williams and Gina Kling Math Fact Fluency companion website by Kentucky Center for Mathematics TRANSCRIPT Mike Wallus: Welcome to the podcast, Jenny. We are excited to have you.  Jennifer Bay-Williams: Well, thank you for inviting me. I'm thrilled to be here and excited to be talking about basic facts.  Mike: Awesome. Let's jump in. So, your recommendations start with an emphasis on reasoning. I wonder if we could start by just having you talk about the why behind your recommendation and a little bit about what an emphasis on reasoning looks like in an elementary classroom when you're thinking about basic facts.  Jenny: All right, well, I'm going to start with a little bit of a snarky response: that the non-reasoning approach doesn't work.  Mike and Jenny: (laugh)  Jenny: OK. So, one reason to move to reasoning is that memorization doesn't work. Drill doesn't work for most people. But the reason to focus on reasoning with basic facts beyond that fact, is that the reasoning strategies grow to strategies that can be used beyond basic facts. So, if you take something like the making 10 idea—that 9 plus 6, you can move one over and you have 10 plus 5—is a beautiful strategy for a 99 plus 35. So, you teach the reasoning upfront from the beginning, and it sets students up for success later on.  Mike: That absolutely makes sense. So, you talk about the difference between telling a strategy and explicit instruction. And I raise this because I suspect that some people might struggle to think about how those are different. Could you describe what explicit instruction looks like and maybe share an example with listeners?  Jenny: Absolutely. First of all, I like to use the whole phrase: "explicit strategy instruction." So, what you're trying to do is have that strategy be explicit, noticeable, visible. So, for example, if you're going to do the making 10 strategy we just talked about, you might have two 10-frames. One of them is filled with nine counters, and one of them is filled with six counters. And students can see that moving one counter over is the same quantity. So, they're seeing this flexibility that you can move numbers around, and you end up with the same sum. So, you're just making that idea explicit and then helping them generalize. You change the problems up and then they come back and they're like, "Oh, hey, we can always move some over to make a ten"—or a twenty, or a thirty, or whatever you're working on. And so, I feel like, in using the counters, or they could be stacking Unifix cubes or things like that. That's the explicit instruction. It's concrete.  And then, if you need to be even more explicit, you ask students in the end to summarize the pattern that they noticed across the three or four problems that they solved. "Oh, that you take the bigger number, and then you go ahead and complete a ten to make it easier to add." And then, that's how you're really bringing those ideas out into the community to talk about.  For multiplication, I'm just going to contrast. Let's say we're doing [the] add a group strategy with multiplication. If you were going to do direct instruction, and you're doing 6 times 8, you might say, "All right, so when you see a six," then a direct instruction would be like, "Take that first number and just assume it's a five." So then, "Five eights is how much? Write that down." That's direct instruction. You're like, "Here, do this step. Here, do this step. Here, do this step." The explicit strategy instruction would have, for example—I like, for eights, boxes of crayons because they oftentimes come in eights. So, but they'd have five boxes of crayons and then one more box of crayons. So, they could see you've got five boxes of crayons. They know that fact is 40, they—if they're working on their sixes, they should know their fives. And so, then what would one more group be about?  So, just helping them see that with multiplication through visuals, you're adding on one group, not one more, but one group. So, they see that through the visuals that they're doing or through arrays or things like that. So, it's about them seeing the number of relationships and not being told what the steps are.  Mike: And it strikes me, too, Jenny, that the role of the teacher in those two scenarios is pretty different.  Jenny: Very different. Because the teacher is working very hard (chuckles) with the explicit strategy instruction to have the visuals that really highlight the strategy. Maybe it's the colors of the dots or the exact 10-frames they've picked and have they filled them or whether they choose to use the Unifix cubes and how they're going to color them and things like that. So, they're doing a lot of thinking to make that pattern noticeable, visible. As opposed to just saying, "Do this first, do that second, do that third." Mike: I love the way that you said that you're doing a lot of thinking and work as a teacher to make a pattern noticeable. That's powerful, and it really is a stark contrast to, "Let me just tell you what to do."  I'd love to shift a little bit and ask you about another piece of your work. So, you advocate for teaching facts in an order that stresses relationships rather than simply teaching them in order. I'm wondering if you can tell me a little bit more about how relationships-based instruction has an impact on student thinking.  Jenny: So, we want every student to enact the reasoning strategies. So, I'm going to go back to addition, for example. And I'm going to switch over to the strategy that I call "pretend-to-10", also called "use 10" or "compensation." But if you're going to set them up for using that strategy, there's a lot of steps to think through. So, if you're doing 9 plus 5, then in the pretend-to-10 strategy, you just pretend that 9 is a 10. So now you've got 10 plus 5 and then you've got to compensate in the end. You've got to fix your answer because it's 1 too much. And so, you've got to come back 1. That's some thinking. Those are some steps. So, what you want is to have the students automatic with certain things so that they're set up for that task. So, for that strategy, they need to be able to add a number onto 10 without much thought.  Otherwise, the strategy is not useful. The strategy is useful when they already know 10 plus 5. So, you teach them this, you teach them that relationship—10 and some more—and then they know that 9's 1 less than 10. That relationship is hugely important, knowing 9 is 1 less than 10. And so then they know their answer has to be 1 less. 9's 1 less than 10. So, 9 plus a number is 1 less than 10 plus the number. Huge idea.  And there's been a lot of research done in kindergarten on students understanding things like 7's 1 more than 6, 7's 1 less than 8. And they're predictive studies looking at student achievement in first grade, second grade, third grade. And students—it turns out that one of the biggest predictors of success is students understanding those number relationships. That 1 more, 1 less, 2 more, 2 less. Hugely important in doing the number sense.  So that's what the relationship piece is, is sequencing facts so that what is going to be needed for the next thing they're going to do, the thinking that's going to be needed, is there for them. And then build on those relationships to learn the next strategy.  Mike: I mean, it strikes me that there's a little bit of a twofer in that one. The first is this idea that what you're doing is purposely setting up a future idea, right? It's kind of like saying, "I'm going to build this prior knowledge about ten-ness, and then I'm going to have kids think about the relationship between 10 and 9." So, the care in this work is actually really understanding those relationships and how you're going to leverage them.  The other thing that really jumps out from what you said [is] this has long term implications for students' thinking. It's not just fact acquisition; it's what you said: Research shows that this has implications for how kids are thinking further down the road. Am I understanding that right?  Jenny: That's absolutely correct. So just that strategy alone. Let's say they're adding 29 plus 39. And they're like, "Oh hey, both of those numbers are right next to the next benchmark. So instead of 29 plus 39, I'm going to add 30 plus 40, [which equals] 70. And I got, I went up 2, so I'm going to come back down 2. And I know that 2 less than a benchmark's going to land on an 8." So that, again, it's coming back to this relationship of how far apart numbers are, what's right there within a set of 10, [which] helps then to generalize within tens or within hundreds.  And by the way, how about fractions?  Mike: Hmm. Talk about that.  Jenny: (laughs) It generalizes to fractions. So, let's take that same idea of adding. Let's just say it's like, 2 and seven-eighths plus 2 and seven-eighths. So, if we just pretended those were both 3s because they're both super close to 3, then you'd have 6, and then you added on two-eighths too much. So, you come back two-eighths, or a fourth, and you have your answer. You don't have to do the regrouping with fractions and all the mess that really gets bogged down. And it's a much more efficient method that, again, you set students up for when they understand these number relationships. When you get into fractions, you're thinking about, "How close are you to the next whole number?" maybe, instead of to the next tens number.  Mike: It strikes me that if you have a group of teachers who have a common understanding of this approach to facts, and everyone's kind of playing the long game and thinking about how what they're doing is going to support what's next, it just creates a system that's much more intentional in helping kids not only acquire the facts, but build a set of ways of thinking.  Jenny: Mike, that's exactly it. I mean, here we are, we're trying to make up for lost time. We never have enough time in the classroom. We want an efficient way to make sure our kids get the most learning in. And so, to me that is about investing early in the fact strategies. Because then actually when you get up to those other things that you're adding or subtracting or multiplying or whatever you're doing, you benefit from the fact that you took time early to learn those strategies. Because those strategies are now very useful for all this other math that you're doing. And then students are more successful in making good choices about how they're going to solve those problems that are, oftentimes—especially when, I like to mention fractions and decimals at least once in a basic facts talk because we get back, by the time we get into fractions and decimals—we're back to just sometimes only showing one way. The sort of standard algorithm way. When, in fact, those basic facts strategies absolutely apply to, almost always, more-efficient strategies for working with fractions and decimals.  Mike: I want to shift a little bit. One of the things that was really helpful for me in growing my understanding is the way that you talk about a set of facts that you would describe as foundational facts and another set of facts that you would describe as derived facts. And I'm wondering if you can unpack what those two subsets are and how they're related to one another.  Jenny: Yeah. So, the foundational facts are ones where automaticity is needed in order to enact a strategy. So, to me, the foundational fact strategies are their names. Like the doubling strategy—or double and double again, some people call it. Or add a group for multiplication. And the addition ones of making 10s and pretend-to-10 strategies. And in those strategies, you can solve lots of different facts. But there's too much going on (laughs) in your brain if you don't have automaticity with the facts you need.  So, for example, if you have your 6 facts, and you're trying to get your 6 facts down. And you already know your 5s, like, automaticity with your 5s, then that becomes a useful way to get your 6s. So, if you have 6 times 8, and you know 5 times 8 is 40, then you're like, "I got one more 8, [which equals] 48." That's an added group strategy.  But if you're not automatic with your 5s, this is how this sounds when you're interviewing a child. They're going to use add a group strategy, but they don't know their 5s. So, then they're like, "Let's see. 5 times 8 is 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40. Now, what was I doing?" Like, they can't finish it because they were skip-counting with their 5s. They lose track of what they're doing, is my point. So, the key is that they just know those facts that they need in order to use a strategy. And that, going back to, like, the pretend-to-10, they got to know 10 and some more facts to be successful. They have to know 9's 1 less than 10 to be successful. So, that's the idea is, if they reach automaticity with the foundational fact sets, then their brain is freed up to go through those reasoning strategies.  Mike: That totally makes sense.  I want to shift a little bit now. One of the things that I really appreciated about the article ["Eight Unproductive Practices in Developing Fact Fluency" by Gina Kling and Jennifer M. Bay-Williams] was that you made what I think is a very strong, unambiguous case for ending many of the past practices used for fact acquisition—worksheets and timed tests, in particular. This can be a tough sell because this is often what is associated with elementary mathematics, and families kind of expect this kind of practice. How would you help an educator explain the shift away from these practices to folks who are out in the larger community? What is it that we might help say to folks to help them understand this shift?  Jenny: That's a great question, and the real answer is it depends, again, on [the] audience. So, who is your audience? Even if the audience is parents, what do those parents prioritize and want for their children? So, I feel like there's lots of reasons to do it, but to really speak to what matters to them. So, I'm going to give a very generic answer here. But for everyone, they want their child to be successful. So, I feel that that opportunity to show, to give a problem, like 29 plus 29, and ask how parents might add that problem. And if they think 30 plus 30 and subtract 2 to get to the answer or whatever, then that gives this case to say, "Well this is how we're going to work on basic facts. We're building up so that your child is ready to use these strategies. We're going to start right with the basic facts, learning these strategies. These really matter." And the example I gave could be whatever fits with the level of their kid. So, it could be like 302 minus 299. It's a classic one where you don't want your child to implement an algorithm there; you want them to notice those numbers are 3 apart. And so, there's this work that begins early. So, I think that's part of it.  I think another part of it is helping people just reflect on their own learning experiences. What were your learning experiences with basic facts? And even if they liked the speed drills, they oftentimes recognize that it was not well-liked by most people. And also, then they really didn't learn strategies. So, I feel like we have to be showing that we're not taking something away; we're adding something in. They are going to become automatic with their facts. They're not going to forget them because we're not doing this memorizing that leads to a lot of forgetting. And, bonus, they're going to have these strategies that are super useful going forward.  So, to me, those are some of the really strong speaking points. I like to play a game and then just stop and pause for a minute and just say, "Did you see how hard it was for me to get you quiet? Do you see how much fun you were having?" And then I just hold up a worksheet (laughs). I'm like, "And how about this?" You know, again, that emotional connection to the experience and the outcomes.  Mike: That is wonderful.  Since you brought it up, let's talk about replacements for worksheets and timed tests.  Jenny: Mm-hmm.  Mike: So, you advocate for games, as you said, and for an activity-based approach. I think that what I want to try to do is get really specific so that if I'm a classroom teacher, and I can't see a picture of that yet, can you help paint a picture? What might that look like?  Jenny: I love that question because there's lots of good games and lots of places. But again, like I said earlier, this thinking really deeply about what game I'm choosing and for what—what do my students need to practice? And then being very intentional about game choice is really important.  So, for example, if students are working on their 10 and some more facts, then you want to play a game where all the facts are 10 and some more facts. That's what they're working on. And then maybe you mix in some that aren't. Or you play a game with that and then they sort cards and find all the, solve the 10 and some more, or there's lots of things they can do. They can play Concentration, where the fact is hidden and the answer is hidden and things like that. So, you can be very focused. And then when you get to the strategies, you want to have a game that allows for students to say, allow their strategies.  So, I'm a big fan of, like, sentence frames, for example. So, there's games that we have in our Math Fact Fluency[: 60+ Games and Assessment Tools to Support Learning and Retention] book [by Jennifer Bay-Williams and Gina Kling] that are in other places that specifically work on a strategy. So, for example, if I'm working on the pretend-to-10 strategy, I like to play the game Fixed-Addend War, which is the classic game of War, except there's an addend in the middle, and it's a 9, to start. And then each of the two players turns up a card. So, Mike, if you turn up a 7, then you're going to explain how you're going to use the pretend-to-10 strategy to add it. And I turned up a 6, so I'm going to, I'm going to do this then I'll, you can do it. So, I turned up a 6. So, I'm going to say, "Well, 10 and 6 is 16, so 9 and 6 is 1 less, [which equals] 15.' I've just explained the pretend-to-10 strategy. And then you get your turn.  Mike: And I'd say, "Well, 7 and 10, I know 7 and 10 is 17, so 7 and 9 has to be 1 less, and that's 16." Jenny: Yeah. So, your total's higher than mine. You win those two cards, you put them in your deck, and we move on. So, that's a way to just practice thinking through that strategy. Notice there's no time factor in that. You have a different card than I have. You have as much time, and we're doing think-aloud. These are all high-leverage practices. Then we get to the games where it's like, you might turn up a 6 and a 5 where you're not going to use the pretend-to-10 strategy for that. You've got to think, "Oh, that doesn't really fit that strategy because neither one of those numbers is really close to 10. Oh, hey, it's near a double; I'm going to use my doubles." So, you sequence these games to—if you start with one of those open-ended games, it might be too big of a jump because students aren't ready to choose between their strategies. They have to first be adept at using their strategies. And once they're adept at using them, then they're ready to play games where they get to choose among the strategies.  Mike: So, you're making me think a couple things, Jenny. One is, it's not just that we're shifting to using games as a venue to practice to get to automaticity. You're actually saying that when we think about the games, we really need to think about, "What are the strategies that we're after for kids?" And then make sure that the way that the game is structured, like, when you're talking about the pretend-to-10, with the fixed addend. That's designed to elicit that strategy and have kids work on developing their language and their thinking around that particularly. So, there's a level of intent around the game choice and the connection to the strategies that kids are thinking about. Am I understanding that right?  Jenny: That's it. That's exactly right. That's exactly right. And a huge—a lot of intentionality so that they have that opportunity in a no-pressure, a low-stress, think-through-the-strategy [way]. If they make a mistake, their peer or themselves usually correct it in the moment, and they get so much practice in. I mean, imagine going through half a deck of cards playing that game.  Mike: Yeah.  Jenny: That's 26 facts. And then picture those 26 facts (laughs) on a page of paper. And then—and again, in the game that you've got the added benefit of think-aloud, and then you're hearing what your peer has said.  Mike: You know, one of the things that strikes me is, if I'm a teacher, I might be thinking, like, "This is awesome, I'm super excited about it. Holy mackerel, do I have to figure these games out myself?" And I think the good news is, there's a lot of work that's been done on this. I know you've done some. Do you have any recommendations for folks? There's, of course, curriculum. But do you have recommendations for resources that you think, help a teacher think about this or help a teacher see some of the games that we're talking about?  Jenny: Well, I'm going to start with my Math Fact Fluency book because that is where we go through each of these strategies, each of the foundational facts sets and the strategies, and for each one supply a game. And then from those games they're easily adaptable to other settings. And some of the games are classic games. So, there's a game, for example, called Square Deal. And the idea is that you're covering a game board, and you're trying to make a square. So, you get a 2-by-2 grid taken, and you score a point or 5 points or whatever you want to score. Well, we have that game housed under the 10 and some more facts. So, all the answers are, like, 19, 16, 15, and the students turn over a 10 card and another card, and if it's a 10 and a 5, they get to claim a 15 spot on the game board.  Well, that game board can be easily adapted to any multiplication fact sets, any other addition [sets]. I like to do a Square Deal with 10 and some more, and then I like to do Square Deal with 9 and some more. There's my (laughs) effort, again, to come back to either pretend-to-10 or making 10. Where they're like, "Oh, I just played 10 and some more. Now we're doing the same game, but it's 9 and some more." So, I feel like there's a lot of games there. And there is a free companion website that has about half of the games ready to download in English and in Spanish.  Mike: Any chance you'd be willing to share it?  Jenny: Yeah, absolutely. So, you can just google it. The Kentucky Center for Mathematics created it during COVID-19, actually, as a gift to the math community. And so, if you type in "Kentucky Center for Math" or "KCM Math Fact Fluency companion website," it will pop up.  Mike: That's awesome.  I want to ask you about one more thing before we close because we've really talked about the replacement for worksheets, the replacements for timed tests. But there is a piece of this where people think about "How do I know?" right? "How can I tell that kids have started to build this automaticity?" And you make a pretty strong case for interviewing students to understand their thinking. I'm wondering if you could just talk again about the why behind it, and a little bit about what it might look like.  Jenny: So, first of all, timed tests are definitely a mistake for many reasons. And one of the reasons—beyond the anxiety they cause—they're just very poor assessment tools. So, you can't see if the student is skip-counting or not, for example, for multiplication facts. You can't see if they're counting by 1s for the addition facts. You can't see that when they're doing the test, and you can't assume that they're working at a constant rate; that they're just solving one every, you know, couple of seconds, which is the way those tests are designed. Because I can spend a lot of time on one and less time on the other. So, they're just not, they're just not effective as an assessment tool.  So, if you flip that. Let's say they're playing the game we were talking about earlier, and you just want to know, "Can they use the pretend-to-10 strategy?" That's your assessment question of the day. Well, you can just wander around with a little checklist (chuckles), you know? "Yes, they can." "No, they can't." And so, a checklist can get at the strategies, and a checklist can also get at the facts, like, "How well are they doing with their facts?" So, once they do some of those games that are more open-ended, you can just observe and listen to them and get a feel for that. If they're playing Square Deal with whatever fact, you know. So, what happens is, you're like, "I wonder how they're doing with their 4s. We've really been working with their 4s a lot.' Well, you can play Square Deal or a number of other games where that day you're working on 4s. The [game] Fixed-Addend War can become Fixed-Factor War, and you put a 4 in the middle. So adaptable games and then you're just listening and watching.  And if you're not comfortable with that approach, then they can be playing those games, and you can have students channeling through where you do a little mini-interview. It only takes a few questions to get a feel for whether a student knows their facts. And you can really see who's automatic and who's still thinking. So, for example, a student who's working on their 4s, if you give them 4 times 7, they might say, "28." I call that automatic. Or they might, they might do 4 times 7, and they pause, and they're like, "28." Then I'm like, "How did you think about that?" And they're like, "Well, I doubled and doubled again." "Great." So, I can mark off that they are using a strategy, but they're not automatic yet. So that to me is a check, not a star. And if I ask, "How did you do it?" And they say, "Well, I skip-counted." Well then, I'm marking down they skip-counted. Because that means they need a strategy to help them move toward automaticity. Mike: I think what strikes me about that, too, is, when you understand where they're at on their journey to automaticity, you can actually do something about it as opposed to just looking at the quantity that you might see on a timed test. What's actionable about that? I'm not sure, but I think what you're suggesting really makes the case that I can do something with data that I observe or data that I hear in an interview or see in an interview.  Jenny: Absolutely. I mean this whole different positioning of the teacher as coaching the student toward their growth; helping them grow in their math proficiency, their math fluency. You see where they're at and then you're monitoring that in order to move them forward instead of just marking them right or wrong on a timed test. I think that's a great way to synthesize that.  Mike: Well, I have to say, it has been a pleasure talking with you. Thank you so much for joining us today. Jenny: Thank you so much. I am, again, thrilled to be invited and always happy to talk about this topic.  Mike: This podcast is brought to you by The Math Learning Center and the Maier Math Foundation, dedicated to inspiring and enabling all individuals to discover and develop their mathematical confidence and ability.

Welcome back to The SaaS CFO Podcast! In this episode, Ben Murray sits down with Ankur Goyal, CEO and founder of Fibr AI, to explore the cutting edge of AI-powered web experiences in the B2B tech landscape. Ankur Goyal shares his journey from engineering and early roles at Nestle and startups, through an MBA at Stanford, to launching and exiting his first venture before starting Fibr AI. We'll dive into how Fibr AI transforms static websites into intelligent, campaign-driven experiences, helping heavily regulated industries like banking and healthcare boost conversion and personalize customer journeys. Ankur Goyal also opens up about raising $7.5 million in funding, lessons learned from multiple startups, and why clear alignment with investors is crucial in early rounds. Expect insights on enterprise SaaS go-to-market strategies, the realities of pricing complex AI products, and the operational metrics driving growth at Fibr AI. Whether you're a SaaS founder, finance leader, or just AI-curious, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways and inspiration. Show Notes: 00:00 How Fiber AI started 03:41 Ensuring consistent web messaging 07:09 Entering B2B with banking clients 10:11 Raising funds with angel investors 15:30 Challenges with investor feedback 18:44 Explaining the pricing model 22:49 Tracking sales cycle duration 25:23 Focusing on internal scalability 26:46 Ending and show notes info Links: SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/fibr-ai-raises-7-5-million-seed-round Ankur Goyal's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankurgoyal22/ Fibr AI's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fibrai/ Fibr AI's Website: https://fibr.ai/ To learn more about Ben check out the links below: Subscribe to Ben's daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe Subscribe to Ben's SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/ Join Ben's SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray

The Rebbe writes that the primary goal of a yeshivah is the welfare of its students, and that all decisions by hanhalah and educators must prioritize this. He emphasizes open discussion, collective decision-making, and selflessness for the students' benefit. https://www.torahrecordings.com/rebbe/igroskodesh/015/010/5531

Ever wondered what actually happens behind closed doors at a wine competition? How do judges decide what makes a wine exceptional and what separates a gold medal from the rest? In this episode of Wine in Focus, Palesa Mapheelle is joined by local wine doyenne, Michael Fridjhon and Wine Master and international judge, Heidi Makinen. Together, they explain the rigorous judging process of the Investec Trophy Wine Show, what they look for in a winning wine, how to navigate judges' disagreements and the importance of wine competitions to the local wine industry. KEY MOMENTS: 00:00: Intro 00:38: Recognising the devastating storms suffered by the Western Cape winelands 01:47: Why are competitions necessary? 03:23: Comparing Investec Trophy Wine Show to other international competitions 04:26: Shaping consumer perceptions 05:43: The mechanics of judging 09:09: Judge's chemistry 10:07: Explaining a flight of wines 10:34: Finding consensus between judges 13:47: Ensuring judge neutrality 15:14: The importance of blind tasting 18:00: What makes a winning wine? 20:20: SA wine industry transformation over 25 years: from bulk to beautiful 23:13: The Investec Trophy wine show “guarantee” 24:33: When wine turns from interest into a passion and a career 27:00: Outro Investec Trophy Wine Show · Investec Focus Radio SA

I sat down with a special guest, Janelle Wehsack, to dive deep into the world of masterminds for corporate women.We explore the unique dynamics of marketing to corporate professionals, the nuanced challenges women face in group environments, and how to create safe, transformational spaces within masterminds. We unpacked proven strategies for fostering trust, the importance of referrals and confidentiality, and why more women are choosing to invest in mastermind experiences out of their own pockets. Plus, you'll hear their top tips for anyone wanting to launch or grow group programs for ambitious corporate clients.00:00 Finding value in masterminds05:43 Sharing personal stories online08:26 Ensuring confidentiality in groups09:36 Opening up about personal struggles13:18 Using the term mastermind17:11 Coaching high-performing women20:53 Importance of follow-up in networking25:08 Encouraging women to join mastermindsLINKS:FREE GUIDE: Sell Out & Retain Mastermind Clients in 2026: https://ellieswift.com/mastermind2026Connect with Ellie on Instagram: https://instagram.com/elliehswiftSubscribe to Inside The Mastermind Newsletter: https://ellieswift.com/newsletterWatch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@elliehswiftKeen to work together?Sell Out Your Mastermind: The Mastermind Model - https://ellieswift.com/modelBe Coached By Ellie to $500k+ : The Scalable Freedom Mastermind - https://ellieswift.com/scalablefreedom

In this episode, Geddes Munson (SVP of Engineering @ Affirm) joins us to discuss operational / engineering excellence, scaling, and AI-native transformation! We explore Affirm's approach to operational and engineering excellence and how a 2024 outage became a turning point in refining that focus. We deconstruct “AI retooling week”, the internal tools it inspired (including an incident tracing system), how the AI-native transition is impacting operational / engineering excellence, and how to connect these projects to business goals. Plus, we take a look at their early work building in agentic commerce, infrastructure decisions they made years ago setting them up for success now, how they're thinking about designing for agent-first experiences.   ABOUT GEDDES MUNSON Geddes Munson serves as Affirm's SVP, Engineering. Previously, Geddes held several engineering leadership roles at Affirm, including oversight of the merchant engineering group, where he was responsible for the development of Affirm's solutions for key partners including Amazon, Shopify and Walmart. Prior to Affirm, Geddes held various technical leadership roles at rapidly growing startups including Mixpanel, SingleStore and EasyPost. He received his B.A. from Haverford College, where he started the Linux club on campus. Geddes lives in New Jersey with his wife and three children.   Unblocked: The context engine your coding agents are missing. Give your coding agents the context your best engineers have. Your agents can read code, but they don't know how your team works. Rules and MCPs give access to information but not understanding. That's why you still have to tell them where to look and what to look for. Unblocked gives your agents the history, conventions, and decisions behind your code so they generate mergeable output without the back and forth. It automatically surfaces the right context for every task, so agents stay on track without the set up tax or the correction loops. getunblocked.com/elc   SHOW NOTES: Defining operational excellence & what it looks like @ Affirm (4:36) Understand why your company / product matters to your customers (8:11) Key pivot points around engineering excellence @ Affirm (11:10) Creating a genuine culture change of operational / engineering excellence (14:27) Adopting agentic models @ Affirm (16:30) Navigating the balance between transformation, safety & reliability (18:30) Affirm's AI retooling week & hackathon setup (20:57) How the hackathon helped quickly change the company culture (23:15) Ensuring your practices serve your overall organizational vision & goals (26:11) Insights on scaling & increasing CICD investment @ Affirm (28:28) Approaches to building agentic commerce products (30:11) Strategies for building an agent-first experience (33:33) Bridging the gap between engineering & business goals / outcomes (35:44) Rapid fire questions (38:46)   LINKS AND RESOURCES 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in History – and How It Shattered a Nation - New York Times bestselling author Andrew Ross Sorkin takes readers inside the chaos of the crash, behind the scenes of a raging battle between Wall Street and Washington and the larger-than-life characters whose ambition and naivete in an endless boom led to disaster. The dizzying highs and brutal lows of this era eerily mirror today's world—where markets soar, political tensions mount, and the fight over financial influence plays out once again. Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose - a best-selling 2010 memoir by former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh detailing his entrepreneurial journey and outlines his core philosophy: building a phenomenal corporate culture and focusing on the happiness of employees and customers ultimately drives long-term profits and business success.   This episode wouldn't have been possible without the help of our incredible production team: Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host Jerry Li - Co-Host Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/ Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan's also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/ Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gen Z and millennial consumers are leading in both purchase frequency and annual spending. Neal Hull, director of state and regional marketing with the National Pork Board, said they are working with retailers to ensure ground pork is prominently placed and easy for shoppers to find in the meat case. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How organisations identify deserving recipients, Local vs rural vs international and Ensuring dignity

Stalin strategically delayed Operation Bagration until two weeks after D-Day, ensuring that the Western Allies would exhaust German forces first. Using American steel, fuel, and Studebaker trucks, the Red Army emerged as a massive, mechanized force capable of expanding Soviet dominance from Berlin to Beijing. Sean McMeekin explains that after the war, the U.S. facilitated this rise by arming Stalin's far eastern armies while cutting off aid to the Chinese Nationalists in 1946. Ultimately, Lend-Lease provided the mobility and resources—including butter and sugar—that created the conditions for the Soviet Union to emerge as a global superpower. (8/8)1900

In this insightful episode of TBCY, we sit down with Jyoti Bhasin, Managing Director for India and the Middle East at NSF, a global leader in standards and certification committed to protecting and improving human health and the environment. With over three decades of cross-sector experience, Jyoti Bhasin discusses the evolution of her leadership philosophy, NSF's global mission, how technology and AI are transforming food and water safety, and the growing importance of certification for consumers worldwide.Discover how NSF maintains impartiality while working with regulators, the role of local capabilities in addressing diverse markets, and the unique challenges of ensuring food and water safety in today's complex ecosystem. Jyoti Bhasin also addresses emerging risks such as supply chain disruptions, traceability, microplastics, and policy gaps in India's regulatory landscape.Whether you're a business leader, policymaker, or conscious consumer, this conversation provides valuable perspectives on the present and future of global public health, safety standards, and leadership diversity.Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more leadership insights!

Don't get to the end of this year wishing you had taken action to change your business and your life.Click here to schedule a free discovery call for your business: https://geni.us/IFORABEShop-Ware gives you the tools to provide your shop with everything needed to become optimally profitable.Click here to schedule a free demo: https://info.shop-ware.com/profitabilityUtilize the fastest and easiest way to look up and order parts and tires with PartsTech absolutely free.Click here to get started: https://geni.us/PartsTechTransform your shop's marketing with the best in the automotive industry, Shop Marketing Pros! Get a free audit of your shop's current marketing by clicking here: https://geni.us/ShopMarketingPros In this episode, David and Lucas discuss the challenges of handling difficult customer complaints, specifically a negative review following a diagnostic process and the denial of repair work. They dive into the importance of clear communication, setting expectations with consumers, and defending the value of professional diagnostic procedures. Throughout the conversation, they emphasize the need for industry-wide improvement, highlighting how prioritizing quality repairs and properly educating both staff and customers can help move the automotive industry in a better direction.00:00 Client disputes repair charges04:23 Diagnostic process and repair decision06:32 Challenges of Dealing with Customers12:13 Discussing steak pricing strategies14:11 Handling customer expectations16:25 Discussing repair pricing strategy22:10 Ensuring quality car repairs24:46 Surrounding yourself with success26:35 Frustrations in the auto repair business32:03 Challenges of business growth35:45 Focusing on quality and process37:05 Why we started the show40:35 Technician frustrations over pricing

Send us Fan MailWelcome to episode 247 of the Laundromat Resource Podcast! In this special AI masterclass, Jordan Berry welcomes back Barbara Wardell and Ernesto Cullari of Cullari and Wardell Marketing & Ad Agency. This episode dives deep into how laundromat owners can harness the rapidly evolving power of artificial intelligence in their businesses—ranging from cutting-edge chatbots and unified communication platforms to leveraging automation tools pioneered in the healthcare sector.Whether you're just curious about AI basics, want to streamline customer interactions, or are ready to upgrade your marketing, Barbara Wardell and Ernesto Cullari break down both DIY AI steps and advanced solutions that could put your laundromat on the map. Plus, hear about upcoming opportunities to get your own AI questions answered LIVE and learn how these tools can build customer trust, increase profitability, and transform your operations—no matter your current tech level. Get ready to take your laundromat business into the future!In this episode, Jordan, Ernesto and Barbara Discuss:00:00 Live Q&A on AI for business07:50 AI's practical applications in industries11:09 Exploring AI in business analytics20:49 ChatGPT's impact on search and SEO24:01 Challenges in the laundry industry29:45 Using WiFi to build relationships35:43 AI agents vs. basic chat widgets37:38 Delegating tasks for consistency46:04 Using language detection and geolocation51:23 Helping laundromats with local SEO54:26 Introducing Active Geo technology01:01:56 Discussing our tech stack01:05:17 Ensuring system uptime and integration01:10:42 Communicating and serving customers01:16:40 Solving efficiency in laundromats01:20:41 Researching AI masterclass resourcesConnect with Ernesto & Barbara:cullarimedia.comartemistargeting.comcwadagency.comTo book a call: https://calendar.app.google/oT2pvzGDkzy8xrju7732-939-5790Check out LUKE: luke.careFree Strategy Zoom Call with Jordan:https://calendly.com/laundromatresource/free-strategy-call?back=1

DM me "AUDIT" to connect to learn how together we can increase your leads, revenue, and confidence in your salon business. instagram.com/jenniferjadealvarezGRAB YOUR FREE FREEDOM CALCULATOR™ https://jenniferjadealvarez.myflodesk.com/freedom-calculatorThe #1 tool to help you plan to work less BTC and into Salon CEO3 Months Free- SURGEDiscover how Billy Davison, CEO of Occipital Marketing, is transforming the beauty industry with smarter systems, personalized client journeys, and cutting-edge AI tools. In this episode, you'll learn practical strategies to increase retail sales, enhance client retention, and boost your salon's visibility in an increasingly digital landscape.Main Topics Covered:The importance of understanding the modern consumer's research and booking journeyHow to optimize your salon's online presence across Google, AI, and social media channelsThe surge of AI-powered retail sales tools and how they increase conversion ratesStrategies for making your website discoverable and customer-friendlyPractical tips to incorporate AI chatbots and quizzes for client education and retail upsellingThe significance of full-stack local SEO for salons and spasHow Reddit and other underutilized platforms can be powerful marketing toolsThe benefits of Surge: a new AI assistant for retail sales, integrated with your salon's existing systemsHow to implement Surge with no setup fees or long-term commitmentsTimestamps:00:00 - Welcome and episode overview: Exploring innovative salon marketing strategies00:56 - Billy Davison's background: From barrel racing to digital marketing success02:13 - Building a local client base using online marketing outside traditional social media03:35 - Key lessons from Billy's experience: Building clientele quickly with smart online strategies05:04 - How Occipital approaches the client journey: From search to rebooking07:02 - The importance of optimized, consumer-focused websites and booking systems08:25 - Understanding today's consumer behavior in a multi-channel digital age10:02 - The evolving client search process and how to stay visible organically12:27 - Strategies for maximizing local SEO and online presence for salons13:10 - The role of AI and content in salon discovery and client engagement14:54 - The significance of listing across numerous platforms and directories15:24 - Detailed service descriptions and visual content to boost conversions17:18 - The difference between visual appeal and backend SEO optimization18:28 - How professional website setup outperforms DIY platforms like Wix and Squarespace19:59 - Ensuring your website is discoverable versus just visually appealing20:52 - Introducing Surge: Billy's new AI retail assistant for salons22:28 - Surge's ability to understand client preferences and promote retail naturally23:57 - How Surge personalizes product recommendations and integrates with booking software25:49 - The “try before you buy” feature and real-time retail sales boosting27:17 - Surge's integration with popular salon CRMs and inventory systems30:19 - Success metrics: Surge's conversion rate exceeding 40% and client feedback31:58 - Surge's branded, client-friendly design and real-time stylist updates33:21 - How Surge can help spas and skincare professionals enhance their retail offerings35:42 - The simplicity of getting started with Surge: No contracts, setup fees, or hidden costs36:21 - Special offer: Three free months for podcast listeners37:36 - Other innovative tips: Utilizing Reddit, full journey mapping, and strategic ad spend41:34 - Expert advice: Think like your client, not just like a salon professional42:52 - Final thoughts: Embracing new technology for sustainable growthResources & Links:Connect with Billy Davison:Special Podcast Offer: Sign up for Surge today and get 3 months free — use code GAMECHANGER at checkout.

Ensuring health data can flow across health services has been one of the big topics for a gathering of digital health leaders in Wellington.

Upgrading your ecommerce platform can be daunting, especially with the risk of disrupting sales. Experts James Gurd and Paul Rogers share strategies to modernise confidently without adversely impacting revenue.The podcast is based on a combined 40 years' replatforming experience. Discussion points include:Managing Technical DebtTechnical debt, like inefficient code and clunky integrations, can hinder platform upgrades. Addressing this debt is crucial for a smooth transition. We discuss conducting thorough audits, prioritising cleaning up bloated themes and implementing continuous code reviews to prevent new debt.Handling SEO risksSEO traffic drops are a major concern during platform changes but there's a clear process to follow to minimise risk: for example, benchmark current rankings, plan URL changes carefully and use 301 redirects. Post-migration, monitor organic traffic and keyword rankings closely to recover quickly.Building a business case for changeDespite economic pressures, replatforming can be justified through cost savings, efficiency gains and potential revenue uplift. Calculate reduced support costs, forecast growth conservatively and highlight support cost reductions to build a strong business case.Using prototyping to validate planned changesRapid prototyping allows you to test and refine concepts on your existing stack before full implementation, reducing costly rework. Focus on high-impact areas like checkout and navigation, and use low-code platforms to simulate user journeys.Modernising your ecommerce platform doesn't have to mean risking revenue. By addressing technical debt, safeguarding SEO, building solid business cases and using rapid prototyping, you can stay competitive without disrupting sales. Incremental improvements guided by expert advice are the safest route to a resilient, revenue-driving platform.Chapters:[00:30] - Introduction: Modernisation challenges and risk mitigation[02:00] - Approaches to reducing technical debt: legacy code, documentation and third-party integrations[05:00] - Common issues with front-end themes and how bloated themes impact performance[08:10] - Replatforming considerations: scope, costs and agency support[11:00] - Ensuring performance and accessibility standards in theme builds[13:00] - Practical steps for enhancing front-end performance without replatforming[17:40] - Justifying replatform ROI amid economic pressures[22:50] - Cost-effective opportunities in migration projects: feature scope and trade-offs[28:15] - Solution MVPs and phased launches for risk management[32:50] - Using existing site data for testing and benchmarking pre-launch changes[34:55] - Strategies to avoid SEO traffic drops during migration[40:20] - Increasing team agility through prototype-driven development and low-code solutions

Join Jesse Enniss and John Yeager as they chat with Kaury Edwards, a visionary Annual Conference worship leader preparing to pass the baton after four years of shaping unforgettable conference experiences. Kaury shares the meticulous process of blending deep-rooted Methodist traditions with bold, innovative design that reimagines sacred space — from stunning backdrops inspired by Taylor Swift's Eras Tour to visual art that celebrates 660+ churches. You'll discover how intentional planning, community participation, and spiritual discernment turn routine gatherings into Holy Spirit-filled Annual Confernce celebrations. Show Notes:  Annual Conference 2026 - June 18-21. Lake Junaluska, NC Failure-Sparked Innovation: The Key to Ensuring the Future of Local Churches by Kaury C. Edwards Chapters  00:00 The Heart of Annual Conference Worship 03:02 Planning and Preparation for Annual Conference Worship 06:05 Balancing Tradition and Creativity 09:11 Creative Elements in Worship 12:06 Engaging with Juneteenth 15:00 Transitioning Out of Leadership 18:01 Strangely Heartwarming Moments 22:42 Connecting Through Liturgy 23:59 Bold Creativity in Worship 26:21 Epic Fails 30:23 Embracing Failure as a Path to Growth 32:24 The Spirit's Role in Community 35:12 Anticipation for Annual Conference

In this episode of Reboot IT, host Dave Coriale, president of DelCor, sits down with Joe Carr, Vice President of Information Technology at the American Academy of Ophthalmology, who shares how “light governance” can encourage experimentation while still protecting member data and intellectual property. They also discuss IT's evolving role as an enabler rather than a gatekeeper, the importance of data hygiene and content management, and why fostering an entrepreneurial mindset matters more than chasing the perfect AI policy. The conversation offers guidance for IT leaders and non-technical staff alike on how to safely and usefully integrate AI into daily work.Themes and Topics:Light AI Governance vs. OverengineeringKeeping AI governance policies short (3–5 pages) and written in plain language.Establishing “rules of the road” instead of rigid, draconian controls.Allowing experimentation while increasing oversight for sensitive data use.IT's Evolving Role: From Gatekeeper to EnablerIT provides secure platforms, guardrails, and integration—not every AI solution.Encouraging staff to explore AI independently within safe environments.“Making the sandbox” so staff can build their own solutions.Multiple AI Tools, One StrategySupporting several leading platforms (Copilot, Claude, OpenAI, Gemini) based on use cases.Focusing on how tools are used, not controlling which tool is used.Ensuring security, legal review, and IP protection across platforms.Data Hygiene and Content Management as AI FoundationsRecognizing that outdated or unmanaged content can undermine AI results.Shifting from document retention to true knowledge management.Designing content and websites so AI can surface accurate, relevant information.Encouraging AI Curiosity Through CultureUsing non-IT staff to demonstrate real-world AI use cases.Hosting lunch-and-learns, showcases, and Teams channels for sharing ideas.Executive support as a key driver of experimentation and adoption.Entrepreneurial Thinking and Mission AlignmentEmbracing experimentation and being willing to fail safely.Using AI to rethink workflows, not just automate existing tasks.Tying AI initiatives back to organizational mission and business goals.

2/3: Preview for Later Today: Burnham explains how China's Ministry of State Security employs private hackers and front companies for cyber operations, ensuring the government always maintains plausible deniability.

Key Topics Covered:   1. New Pension Tax Rules (2027 Changes) The government's ability to tax pensions on death marks a major shift. Impacts long-term retirement and legacy planning strategies. 2. Understanding the Finance Act Changes The move from proposal to law and what it means in practice. Why this change is significant compared to previous pension rules. 3. Risks of Traditional Pension Planning Relying solely on pensions may no longer be as efficient. Potential erosion of wealth intended for future generations. 4. Taking Back Control of Retirement Planning The importance of being proactive rather than reactive. Exploring alternative strategies to maintain control over assets. 5. Role of SSAS in Wealth Planning Using Small Self-Administered Schemes for flexibility and control. How SSAS can support more strategic wealth management decisions. 6. The “7 C's” Framework A new way to think about retirement planning in changing conditions. Adapting strategies to navigate uncertainty and complexity. 7. Protecting and Transferring Wealth Planning not just for accumulation, but for efficient transfer. Ensuring wealth reaches the next generation as intended. 8. Adapting to Regulatory Change Why staying informed and flexible is essential. Turning policy changes into opportunities for better planning. Actionable Takeaways Review your current pension strategy in light of the 2027 rule changes and assess potential tax implications on death. Avoid relying solely on traditional pension structures—consider diversifying how your wealth is held and managed. Explore options like SSAS to gain greater control and flexibility over your retirement funds. Take a proactive approach to retirement planning rather than waiting for changes to take effect. Develop a clear strategy for how your wealth will be transferred to the next generation. Stay informed on legislative changes and adjust your plans accordingly to protect your assets. Use frameworks or structured thinking (like the “seven seas”) to simplify complex financial decisions. Seek guidance where needed to ensure your long-term wealth strategy remains effective and aligned with your goals. Resources & Next Steps WealthBuilders Membership: Free access to guides, webinars, and community Download our FREE Pensions and Inheritance Tax Guide Connect with Us: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms. Next Steps On Your WealthBuilding Journey:   Join the WealthBuilders Facebook Community Schedule a 1:1 call with one of our team Become a member of WealthBuilders If you have been enjoying listening to WealthTalk - Please Leave Us A Review!

1. Strategic Importance of the Strait of Hormuz The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most critical maritime choke points in the world. Over 20% of the global oil supply passes through it daily, not including broader commercial shipping. Although often perceived as narrow and easily controlled, the strait is ~21 miles wide at its narrowest, making comprehensive surveillance extremely difficult. Large commercial vessels are confined to two-mile-wide shipping lanes due to depth requirements, making them predictable and vulnerable. 2. Vulnerability of Commercial and Naval Shipping Massive oil tankers and cargo ships: Cannot maneuver quickly or stop. Take miles to change course. Become “sitting ducks” within narrow sea lanes. The remaining waters outside the main lanes provide cover for hostile actors. 3. Iranian Asymmetric Naval Strategy Iran avoids direct, conventional naval confrontation with the U.S., which it previously lost decisively. Instead, it relies on small, fast, low-profile attack boats operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). These boats: Are often smaller than recreational boats. Use multiple engines for high speed. Are armed with heavy machine guns, rockets, and anti-ship missiles. Operate in swarms from multiple directions. 4. Concealment and Tactical Advantage Iranian fast boats: Operate in shallow waters close to shore. Blend in with fishing vessels and heavy commercial traffic. Remain difficult to detect by radar until moments before attack. The Persian Gulf’s dense maritime traffic makes threat identification even harder. 5. Recent Military Developments The U.S. reportedly sank six Iranian fast attack boats attempting to harass vessels. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) stated: Iran typically deploys 20–40 such boats, but only six were observed in this clash. U.S. naval and air assets (Apache and Seahawk helicopters) are heavily positioned in the area. Iran’s naval capabilities have been significantly degraded. 6. U.S. Position and Policy The U.S. frames its role as defensive, focused on: Protecting commercial shipping. Ensuring freedom of navigation. Hundreds of ships from 87 different countries are currently backed up in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. has offered escorted passage through the strait. 7. Escalation Risks and Political Messaging President Trump issued strong warnings to Iran, threatening overwhelming retaliation if U.S.-flagged or escorted ships are attacked. Iran insists ships must coordinate with Tehran before transiting the strait. Recent incidents include: A South Korean vessel explosion and fire. A Panama-flag cargo ship engine fire. A UAE oil tanker reportedly targeted by an Iranian drone. These events raise questions about: The durability of a fragile ceasefire. Whether strikes could expand to Iranian territory or leadership targets. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast and Verdict with Ted Cruz Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Stacey Brown Randall shares her inspiring journey from business failures to becoming a trusted referral expert, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and intentional branding. Discover her tactics for building meaningful relationships, protecting your IP in the age of AI, and shifting the traditional mindset around referrals.   Key topics: Stacey's entrepreneurial journey: from failed startups to strategic branding The significance of being intentional about brand consistency, especially with signature colors How understanding your “why” fuels resilience through business setbacks Reevaluating success: shifting from financial milestones to personal fulfillment Practical strategies for generating referrals without asking Distinction between word-of-mouth, introductions, and true referrals How building relationships with referral sources differs from prospecting and marketing Adapting business models over time based on market shifts and personal life changes Protecting intellectual property in a rapidly evolving AI landscape The impact of consistent content like books and podcasts on long-term trust-building   Timestamps:   00:00 – Welcome & Stacey's background: from embarrassment to branding 02:07 – What others might say about Stacey at her kids' baseball game 03:29 – The importance of being on brand and intentional with style choices 04:34 – Stacey's book: Generating Business Referrals Without Asking & Referable Client Experience 05:49 – The pivotal moment: learning from her first business failure 06:46 – The evolution from corporate America back to entrepreneurship 07:16 – Why entrepreneurship is in her blood and the desire for control and freedom 08:32 – How Stacey's lifestyle aligns with her brand values 09:23 – Defining success beyond revenue: family, fulfillment, and authenticity 10:13 – The yearly reset ritual to realign goals and priorities 11:12 – How setbacks and life surprises shape her resilience and business approach 12:26 – The importance of understanding your true “why” 13:51 – Navigating businessduring life changes and market shifts 14:19 – Developing her core strategies: referrals, client experience, and new client acquisition 15:50 – Lessons from her first HR consulting firm & the value of scaling 16:47 – Why she returned to corporate America before launching her second business 17:13 – Recognizing opportunity in necessity & the power of strategic niche selection 18:55 – Building a productivity coaching business through genuine relationships 20:19 – Transitioning into her current focus: referral systems and relationship building 22:08 – Overcoming the early hype and misconceptions around referrals 23:29 – The three-legged stool approach: referrals as a separate, relationship-based pillar 24:54 – Humanizing referral conversations and avoiding gimmicks 26:16 – Tracking referral sources accurately and avoiding self-referrals 27:57 – Finding your niche and leveraging your personal network for referrals 29:26 – Creating scalable programs that meet clients where they are 30:56 – Adjusting business models based on market preferences 32:41 – Protecting your IP in a digital age & AI considerations 36:46 – Authentic connection strategies: permission, intentionality, and specificity 38:19 – The evolution of her business offerings & online vs. in-person strategies 41:23 – Teaching clients how to get referrals without asking directly 44:47 – Moving away from traditional “ask for referrals” tactics 47:31 – Reframing referrals as part of the core relationship-building process 49:35 – The “Go-Giver” mindset & serving genuinely for the long term results 51:52 – Strategic introductions & the importance of context & permission 54:36 – How true referrals differ from word-of-mouth buzz or accidental introductions 56:08 – The importance of data in understanding referral dynamics 57:23 – Overcoming objections to referral strategies and unlearning misconceptions 58:52 – The influence of books and podcasts on long-term trust-building 62:19 – Planning future content and strategic themes for ongoing growth 63:21 – The process of writing her latest book & foundational referral strategies 66:01 – Combining book, podcast, and relationship-building for sustained growth 67:32 – Diversifying client acquisition channels to reduce risk 68:22 – The “why” behind her entrepreneurial drive: from freedom to meaningful impact 70:49 – Lessons from setbacks: blessings in disguise and resilience 73:00 – Protecting your business in the AI era: authentic human connection matters 76:21 – Ensuring confidentiality & IP protection in today's digital world 77:55 – The future of AI: leveraging tools without compromising core values 78:48 – The irreplaceable role of human emotion & intuition 79:33 – Final thoughts & how to connect with Stacey   Resources & Links: Generating Business Referrals Without Asking by Stacey Brown Randall Referable Client Experience by Stacey Brown Randall Roadmap to Referrals Podcast Stacey Brown Randall on LinkedIn Stacey's Website

Dave dives into the latest strategies for Amazon listing image optimization, A/B testing, and AI-driven Amazon listing images with Michael Shackleford, a former EcomCrew Premium member and SaaS owner. They share what they've learned works best on Amazon.  Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and Michael's e-commerce journey from poker to Amazon seller 00:18 - How poker shares mental models with online selling 00:56 - The risk and reward in gambling versus Amazon 2:20 - The importance of AI in Amazon image creation in 2026 2:29 - Do's and don'ts for Amazon main gallery images today 3:08 - How to test variations of main images effectively 3:37 - Creative ideas for image variations: packaging, lifestyle, environment 4:59 - Flexibility in Amazon's white background rule and embellishments 6:29 - Optimal image resolution and size considerations 7:10 - Mobile optimization and best practices 8:14 - The effectiveness of Amazon Manage My Experiments vs. third-party polling tools 9:16 - Strategies for high-ticket product testing with limited traffic 10:37 - Manual image switching schedule for more reliable tests 12:11 - Using PPC data to measure image performance 13:20 - The versatility of Prolific for custom surveys 14:08 - Secondary images: core types and customer objection handling 15:45 - Designing mobile-friendly, visual answer images 17:09 - Diminishing returns of lower-positioned listing images 19:09 - Image order placement for maximum impact 20:10 - Avoiding poor-quality images  21:14 - Tips for avoiding AI-generated "slop" 22:10 - The myth of JSON prompts 23:58 - Crafting effective prompts for product scenes 25:00 - Why reference images are important  26:32 - Issues with AI-generated images  28:53 - Ensuring realistic human figures 30:45 - Photoshop's new AI capabilities 31:26 - Introduction to generupt.com 34:10 - Gathering market data with extensions 37:11 - Staying ahead in Amazon Resources & Links generupt.com Prolific A/B testing tool Photoshop Firefly AI GPT Image 2 (search for latest tools) Market analysis & review scraping extension

Title: How to Make a RippleScripture Reading: Genesis 41:14-16Series: Be Bold!Can one single act of boldness really change the course of a nation and preserve the future of God's people? In this message, we use the acronym R.I.P.P.L.E. to examine how Joseph's one bold act ripples outward. It begins with Joseph Revealing the Source by boldly crediting God for his ability to interpret dreams, which leads to Impacting the Throne as Pharaoh himself acknowledges the Spirit of God. This faithfulness transforms Joseph's Personal Identity, where even his Egyptian name points to the living God, and leads to a Promotion to Power that places him over the resources of Egypt. Furthermore, we see how his Lineage and Legacy create inroads for God's influence in a foreign land, ultimately Ensuring the Covenant by positioning Joseph to save the family of Jacob during a global famine. Determine what 'bold rock' God is calling you to throw today—whether it is sharing a testimony or crediting Him in your workplace—and trust Him to handle the ripple effects.

→ How do traditional grading systems quietly undermine deep learning?→ How can teachers shift assessment paradigms without burning out?→ What steps can administrative teams take to genuinely support their staff?About Danielle PaloposkiDanielle is an educator and former school administrator with extensive experience as a classroom teacher and middle level leader, specializing in standards aligned, competency based assessment. A contributing author to the British Columbia K–12 Reporting Policy, she has led system wide shifts from traditional grading to competency focused approaches grounded in feedback, professional judgment, and evidence of learning over time. Danielle now partners with the Canadian Assessment Centre to support schools in building coherent, humane, and sustainable assessment systems that cultivate transferable skills and self regulated learners.You can connect with DanielleOn Facebook, LinkedIn, On Instagram @dpalo_ed, and On her website at https://danielle-paloposki.mykajabi.com/Timestamps from This Episode0:00:00 - How traditional assessment undermines learning4:15 - Why Danielle founded the Competency Code Collective9:52 - How to support teachers in assessment transitions16:10 - Are learning targets just for administrators?18:59 - From evaluator to learning coach23:39 - Ensuring our assessment language is consistent31:08 - How to use AI to design better assessment35:49 - Assessment resources from DanielleVisit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.Song Track Credit: Tropic Fuse by French Fuse - retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library.

Every day in an organization, good work is being done. Ensuring that all this good work is aligned and focused on the same goals and outcomes is what Superintendent Michael Maine of Martin County, Florida calls getting “locked tight,” and Superintendent Maine is a master at this alignment process.In this episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher and Superintendent Maine discuss how getting locked tight has resulted in the success of Martin County School District. Listen as they explore the power of aligning strategic plans, goals, scorecards, and measures that matter; and they talk about the importance of having a strong, united team working together to create this alignment.Recommended Resources:  Measure Impact to Drive Improvement, Drive Student Achievement with ScorecardsFollow Host Dr. Janet Pilcher on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janetpilcher/

Yir'at Shamayim – the awareness that Hashem is watching us at all times, and sees everything we do – does not come naturally. Since we do not directly perceive Hashem with our senses, it is difficult to live with this awareness. This is something that requires work and a conscious effort. One of the important things we can do to help ourselves develop Yir'at Shamayim is to pray for it. The Gemara (Shabbat 156b) relates that Rav Nahman Bar Yishak's mother was informed by astrologers that her child would grow to become a criminal. She immediately ensured that he would never go about bareheaded, and she instructed him to regularly pray to be saved from the Yeser Ha'ra (evil inclination). Sure enough, the Gemara in Masechet Sota (49b) cites Rav Nahman Bar Yishak as testifying about himself that he possessed Yir'at Shamayim. This was, undoubtedly, due at least in part to his impassioned prayers for Yir'at Shamayim. The Maharsha (1555-1631) explains that although the Talmud (Berachot 33b) teaches, "Everything is in G-d's hands, except for the fear of G-d," implying that G-d does not help us fear Him, nevertheless, one who sincerely strives for Yir'at Shamayim can certainly pray for Hashem's assistance. If Hashem sees that a person has made the decision to try to live with Yir'at Shamayim, and beseeches Him for help, then He will assist that person. Indeed, we pray in Birkat Ha'mazon, "Ha'Rahaman Hu Yita Torato Ve'ahabato Be'libenu Ve'tiheyeh Yir'ato Al Panenu Le'bilti Neheta" – "The Merciful One shall plant in our hearts the love of His Torah and the love of Him, and the fear of Him shall be upon our faces so that we do not sin." At several points during the prayer service, too, we ask Hashem to help us in our quest for Yir'at Shamayim so we conduct ourselves properly at all times. It is also critically important to pray for one's children to have Yir'at Shamayim. Rav Haim Soloveitchik of Brisk (1853-1918) said that a boy's level of Torah learning depends on how often his father studies Torah with him, and his level of Yir'at Shamayim depends on how many tears his mother sheds while praying for his Yir'at Shamayim during candle lighting on Friday evening. Additionally, many great Rabbis gave us "tips" and strategies for developing our fear of G-d. The Yafeh La'leb (Rav Rahamim Nissim Yishak Palachi, Turkey, 1813-1907) writes that we can help engender Yir'at Shamayim within ourselves by regularly saying "Be'ezrat Hashem" – "with G-d's help" – before we proceed to do something. The more we remind ourselves that nothing we try to do can succeed without Hashem's assistance, that He is with us at all times helping us to do all that we need to do, even simple tasks, the more aware we will be of His continuous presence. Rav Yisrael Bitan cites from a wide range of sources fifteen "Segulot" that help one attain Yir'at Shamayim: 1) Looking up to the sky, to heighten our awareness of Hashem. 2) Looking at one's Sisit. 3) Reciting the verses in the Book of Debarim about Yir'at Shamayim (10:12-13) while wearing Tefillin Rabbenu Tam. 4) Learning Torah while wearing Tefillin Rabbenu Tam. 5) Spending a good deal of time in the synagogue. 6) Exercising care to avoid all kinds of forbidden speech. 7) Always seeking peace and promoting peace, while avoiding conflict and fights. 8) Ensuring to fulfill the Misva of standing in honor of the elderly and of Torah scholars. The Arizal noted that right after the Torah commands us to stand to honor the elderly and the scholars, it adds, "Ve'yareta Me'Elokecha" – "You shall fear your G-d" (Vayikra 19:32), indicating that fulfilling this Misva helps one develop Yir'at Shamayim. The Gemara (Berachot 28a) tells that when Rabbi Zera grew tired, and was unable to learn Torah, he would stand by the entrance to the study hall, explaining that when the Rabbis would pass by, he would stand in their honor and thereby receive reward. The Hida (Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1806) explained that Rabbi Zera certainly did not fulfill Misvot for the sake of earning reward. However, he was saying that by fulfilling the Misva to honor the Torah scholars, he would be rewarded with Yir'at Shamayim, and this is how he could continue developing himself spiritually when he lacked the strength to learn Torah. 9) Picturing in one's mind the Name of "Havaya" punctuated with the vowels of the word "Yir'a." 10) Regularly studying Torah. 11) Conducting oneself with humility at all times. 12) Having the works of the Rambam in one's home. 13) Regularly studying the Tur, the Bet Yosef, and the Shulhan Aruch. 14) Eating Shabbat meals with the specific intention of giving honor to the Shabbat. 15) Speaking sparingly, and spending periods of time in silence. When we are with great people, we feel somewhat uncomfortable and therefore speak little, afraid that we might say something inappropriate or foolish. Therefore, we should accustom ourselves to avoid excessive speech, sensing that we are in the presence of the Almighty. I would humbly add another piece of advice – to study the works of the Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909). His works are written in a very unique style, in a way that engenders a great deal of excitement for every topic he writes about. Regularly studying these precious books can help inspire us and inject us with Yir'at Shamayim. It is told that Rav Nahman of Breslav (Ukraine, 1772-1810) would spend some time each day outdoors, alone, speaking to Hashem, thanking Him for all his blessings, expressing all his needs, concerns and wishes, and asking for His assistance. This, too, is a very effective way to develop Yir'at Shamayim – taking some time each day to speak to Hashem in our own words, without a fixed text, as though He is right in front of us, expressing our feelings of gratitude as well as our fears, our needs and our wishes. These regular "meetings" help us remain conscious of His ongoing presence in our lives. One of the most important strategies for developing and maintaining Yir'at Shamayim is ensuring to be in good company, with likeminded individuals who share our religious values and our religious commitment. We are profoundly influenced by our surroundings, and so the more time we spend with G-d-fearing people, the more likely we are to be G-d-fearing ourselves. Furthermore, Rav Chaim Soloveitchik would advise people to have a close peer, a confidant, with whom to discuss matters related to Yir'at Shamayim and work together to think of practical measures to help them live with genuine fear of Hashem.

Before you focus on making money, you need to learn how to protect it. In this episode, Gino shares key principles to minimize risk, avoid common investing mistakes, and build a solid foundation for long-term wealth. Want to learn how to invest in real estate and build long-term wealth? Wheelbarrow Profits provides education, tools, and strategies to help you grow as an investor. Learn more: https://wheelbarrowprofits.com   0:00  Introduction to asset ownership and estate planning statistics. 0:27  Discussion on estate planning and baby money soldiers. 0:55  Introduction of Gino Barbaro and the concept of baby money soldiers. 1:31  Importance of protecting and perpetuating wealth. 1:59  Personal story about asset protection and LLCs. 2:28   Explanation of entity protection and legal advice. 2:57   Importance of consulting with an attorney. 3:25  Considerations for keeping assets in personal name. 3:52  Importance of legal advice and using AI for initial guidance. 4:18  Introduction to insurance and its importance. 4:48  Using AI to understand insurance policies. 5:14  Ensuring for catastrophic losses. 5:40  Example of adjusting car insurance deductibles. 6:07  Explanation of insurance deductibles and savings. 6:31 Importance of ensuring for catastrophic events. 7:01 Discussion on insurance claims and premiums. 7:28  Importance of life insurance for the general of the army. 7:44  Explanation of term and whole life insurance. 8:12  Introduction to buy-sell agreements. 8:42  Personal story about buy-sell agreements. 9:10 Explanation of key man insurance. 9:39 Importance of key man insurance for business continuity. 10:10 Introduction to umbrella policies. 10:39 Importance of reviewing insurance policies. 11:07 Transition to estate planning. 12:23  Importance of having an estate plan. 12:46 Explanation of legacy and estate planning. 13:14 Components of an estate plan. 13:41 Importance of a last will and testament. 14:09 Additional estate planning tools. 14:35  Explanation of revocable trusts. 15:02 Importance of avoiding probate. 15:32  Exercise on understanding personal finances. 15:55 Importance of high deductibles and financial independence. 16:23 Conclusion and contact information.   We're here to help create real estate entrepreneurs... About Jake & Gino: Jake & Gino are multifamily investors, operators, and owners who have created a vertically integrated real estate company. They control over $350M in assets under management. Connect with Jake & Gino here --> https://jakeandgino.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Dr. Shari Simpson talks with Megan Leasher, founder of Disruptive Journeys, about the challenges of succession planning in organizations. They discuss how to shift the perception of succession planning from a reactive process to a proactive strategy that involves all levels of the organization. Listeners will learn practical steps to identify critical roles, engage employees in the process, and create a culture of shared responsibility for leadership development. Understand the difference between succession planning and replacement planning. Identify critical roles that impact organizational success. Implement a committee approach to succession planning. Normalize conversations about succession planning within teams. Develop a common language to discuss succession planning effectively. 00:00 -- Introduction to the episode and guest 00:30 -- Importance of proactive succession planning 01:05 -- Personal story that sparked passion for succession planning 02:25 -- Difference between succession planning and replacement planning 04:03 -- Basketball analogy for succession planning 05:14 -- Limitations of focusing on high-level positions 07:03 -- Identifying critical roles in organizations 08:49 -- Committee approach to succession planning 10:29 -- Peer recognition in succession planning 11:24 -- Overcoming ego and turf wars in leadership 12:43 -- Common language for succession planning discussions 14:02 -- HR's role versus business leaders' responsibilities 15:02 -- Engaging employees in succession planning 16:20 -- Handling employees who are not interested in advancement 18:05 -- Ensuring fairness and equity in succession planning 20:04 -- Final thoughts and actionable question for leaders Guest: Megan Leasher, founder of Disruptive Journeys. She helps organizations strengthen leadership pipelines and develop intentional succession strategies. With extensive experience in leadership development, Megan focuses on creating proactive approaches to succession planning that involve all levels of an organization. Keywords: succession planning, leadership development, employee engagement, critical roles, committee approach, organizational culture, skills development, HR responsibilities, workforce planning, talent management

Josh Rogin cautions against a technocracy, arguing that Silicon Valley leaders cannot replace national security professionals. He emphasizes that the government must set policy, ensuring that technology serves democratic roles rather than dictating them. (6)JANUARY 1931