Podcasts about establish

Cooper Leary is a Canadian entrepreneur who manages a multimillion-dollar enterprise encompassing landscape supply, construction, and snow removal companny. Based in Calgary, Leary shares his journey from starting the business during university to overseeing nearly 90 employees and generating $16 million in annual revenue. The discussion with Caleb highlights the transition from an owner-operator mindset to an enterprise-level leadership style, emphasizing the importance of systemization, data-driven decision-making, and high-level delegation. Leary attributes his success to being customer-obsessed, maintaining a growth mindset, and fostering a team culture defined by grit and lifelong learning. Key Takeaways: Optimize your crew sizes by keeping teams to a lean three-person setup and using equipment to maintain high productivity. Delegate key responsibilities early to competent people so you can step away from daily tasks and focus on strategic growth. Have ongoing conversations about performance with your team members so that a final, difficult talk never comes as a surprise. Establish core guiding principles and rely on solid business data to make your largest, most impactful decisions. Prioritize weekly one-on-one meetings to genuinely show up for your employees and help them develop professionally. Connect with Auman Landscape

In this episode Andrea Samadi explores how movement and sleep work together in a "brain operating system" for human performance, focusing on restorative sleep (deep + REM), personal WHOOP data, and the trade-offs created by early-morning exercise. She shares four lessons and a simple experiment to help listeners protect REM and deep sleep while maintaining an active life, emphasizing weekly rhythms, small changes, and tracking patterns rather than chasing perfect numbers. SEASON 16 | BONUS EPISODE 4 RESTORATIVE SLEEP Where Adaptation Happens Why deep sleep restores the body, REM helps integrate experience, and healthy habits must work together. ON BONUS EPISODE 4, YOU'LL LEARN: ✔ What restorative sleep really measures ✔ How deep sleep and REM support different forms of recovery ✔ Why REM percentage and duration tell different stories ✔ What my six-month sleep data revealed ✔ The hidden tradeoff behind my 4:00 AM hiking routine ✔ What happened when I slept just 21 minutes longer ✔ Why healthy habits can sometimes compete ✔ How to protect sleep without giving up movement ✔ 4 Lessons and a simple experiment for discovering your own best rhythm Episode Introduction Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we bridge neuroscience, social and emotional learning, and human performance to create measurable improvements in well-being, achievement, leadership, productivity and results. I'm Andrea Samadi, and throughout Season 16 we have been building what I call the Brain's Operating System for Human Performance—a neuroscience-based framework for understanding how the systems of the brain and body work together to influence how we learn, adapt, connect, lead and ultimately perform. We are currently in Phase 3: Movement, Learning and Cognition. Movement is the foundation of this phase because it affects far more than our muscles. When we move, we activate processes throughout the brain and body. Movement supports neurogenesis—the development of new neurons—particularly in areas involved in learning and memory. It strengthens connections between neurons through synaptic plasticity. We covered neurogenesis on EP 141[i] if you want to revisit that episode, if you are as curious as I am about how to regrow our brain cells. Movement that we are learning in this phase, also influences brain chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine and acetylcholine, which affect motivation, mood, attention and learning. Movement can also strengthen our resilience by helping us manage stress and become more emotionally flexible. It builds sleep pressure, (the longer we stay awake, the more adenosine accumulates that increases our need or “pressure” to rest) which can support deeper, more restorative sleep. And over time, these changes may contribute to greater creativity, insight, endurance and human potential. But movement only creates the stimulus. The benefits don't come from movement alone. They come from the way the brain and body respond to that movement—and that response is called adaptation. Movement changes the brain. Adaptation changes the body. Recovery is what connects the effort we make today with the strength, resilience and capacity we hope to build tomorrow. Without adequate recovery, we can receive the stimulus without fully receiving the benefit. That is why sleep belongs inside the Movement Loop. Sleep is not separate from movement, learning or performance. It is one of the primary places where the brain and body respond to what we have asked them to do. Throughout Season 16, I've been sharing some of my own health and performance data as a living case study—not because everyone should try to reproduce my numbers, but because our individual trends can help us understand how neuroscience shows up in everyday life. I thought that if I was curious about understanding my numbers—and using them to improve my health, well-being and productivity—then other people might benefit from what I've learned along the way. My data has helped me see that movement, recovery and performance cannot be understood in isolation. They work together as a system: Movement creates the stimulus. Recovery creates the conditions for adaptation. Restorative sleep is one of the places where that adaptation unfolds. And this brings us to one of the most important recovery metrics I've learned to follow: Restorative sleep. We often celebrate what happens while we're awake: Our productivity. Our focus. Our learning. Our movement. Our performance. But much of the adaptation supporting those abilities happens while we sleep. Deep sleep supports physical restoration. REM sleep supports emotional processing, memory integration and cognitive flexibility. Together, these stages help convert the demands of one day into greater capacity for the next. This episode began with one honest question about my own routine: THE QUESTION: What am I gaining by waking at 4:00 AM to hike—and what might I be giving up by not sleeping longer? This is not simply an episode about sleeping more. It is about creating a rhythm in which two essential health behaviors—sleep and exercise—support one another instead of competing for the same limited hours. You will see my data exactly as it is. Sleep is one of the weaker links in my current health routine, which makes it a useful place to learn. The goal is not to judge the data. The goal is to let the data ask a better question. Lesson 1: Restorative Sleep Contains Two Stories WHOOP (the wearable device that I use to measure sleep) defines restorative sleep as the combined time spent in deep sleep, also called slow-wave sleep, and REM sleep. Combining the two creates a useful overview, but separating them reveals two different parts of the story. Deep Sleep or Slow-Wave Sleep: Physical Restoration Deep sleep is concentrated more heavily in the earlier part of the night and supports processes associated with physical restoration. It is relevant after hiking, Zone 2 exercise, strength training and other demanding activity because sleep is part of how the body responds to the strain we create. During deep sleep: Tissue repair is supported. Growth hormone release increases. Immune function is supported. Energy is restored. The body adapts to physical strain. REM Sleep: Integration REM stands for rapid eye movement sleep and is known as the “mentally restorative” stage of sleep. This is where most dreams occur, and short-term memories are converted into long-term memories. During REM, the brain is highly active while most voluntary muscles remain temporarily inhibited. I'll never forget the part of our interview with Dr. Jaland Balal[ii], when he explained that this feature is what keeps us safe from moving around too much while we are sleeping, keeping our sleeping partners safe. REM has been associated with: Emotional processing Memory integration Aspects of learning Cognitive flexibility Creative associations Connecting new information with previous experiences Memory is supported across several sleep stages—not by REM alone. REM helps the brain process, connect and integrate. REM periods also tend to become longer as the night progresses. That means shortening the end of the sleep window may disproportionately reduce the opportunity for the longer, more REM-rich cycles that occur toward morning. Deep sleep helps restore the body. REM helps integrate the brain. We need both. That second sentence is personally meaningful because I have logged my dreams for years. A dream is not a diagnosis or a literal solution, and dreams can occur outside REM. But a dream log gives me a qualitative record of recurring emotions, images, relationships, problems and emerging ideas that my mind may still be processing. Since I enjoy learning, interviewing, writing, teaching and connecting ideas across neuroscience and social-emotional learning, REM matters for more than dream recall (which by itself is fascinating and something we will look deeper at in Phase 5 with Integration and Meaning). Lesson 2: My Data Revealed a Duration Gap When I looked at my WHOOP trends, the total restorative-sleep number was only the beginning.   Metric My average   Six-month restorative sleep 2 hr 43 min   Lifetime REM 1 hr 37 min   Last 90 days REM 1 hr 18 min   Last 30 days REM 1 hr 20 min   Recent REM percentage About 20% When I looked at six months of WHOOP data, my average restorative sleep was: 2 hours and 43 minutes per night. That number gave me the total time spent in deep sleep and REM—but it did not tell me how those two stages were distributed. When I separated them, another story emerged. My lifetime REM average was approximately: 1 hour and 37 minutes per night. But over my more recent periods, that changed: Last 90 days: approximately 1 hour and 18 minutes Last 30 days: approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes Recent REM percentage: approximately 20% of my total sleep Twenty percent is within a commonly reported adult range. But compared with my own lifetime average, my recent REM duration was approximately 17–19 minutes lower per night. That distinction matters. My REM percentage may appear healthy while my total REM duration is still lower than my personal historical average. So my real question became: Not “Is my REM normal?” but “What conditions help my brain produce more of its own normal REM?” This is the value of tracking. THE DATA LESSON: A population range provides context. Your baseline provides the story. Your trend gives you a question to test.           Lesson 3: The 4:00 AM Tradeoff I love hiking early. It gives me cardiovascular conditioning, time outside, morning light, mental clarity and consistency. In Arizona, it also helps me finish before extreme heat heats around 8am. But if I go to bed at 8:30 PM and wake at 4:00 AM, I create a maximum sleep opportunity of seven and a half hours. That is time in bed—not necessarily time asleep. It does not include the time required to fall asleep or periods of wakefulness during the night. If I remain in bed until 6:00 AM, I create two additional hours of sleep opportunity. Those two hours would not equal two hours of REM. They would contain a mixture of sleep stages and perhaps brief wakefulness. But because REM episodes generally lengthen later in the night, the added opportunity may protect some of the more REM-rich portion of sleep. If you want to understand sleep cycles, I highly recommend taking Dr. Mathew Walker's Masterclass[iii] The Science of Better Sleep. What the Early 4am Wake Gives Me Early movement and consistency Cardiovascular conditioning Time outdoors and morning light The mental and emotional benefits of hiking What Might it Cost Me Up to two hours of total sleep opportunity (lost) Part of one or more later sleep cycles (lost) Greater opportunity for REM and dream recall (important to me) Time for memory and emotional processing across sleep (important to me) The accurate interpretation is not that I lose two hours of REM. It is that I may give up two hours of sleep opportunity containing some of the night's more REM-rich cycles. That led to my central realization: healthy behaviors (like my early wake to hike) can compete when their timing is not coordinated. MY AHA MOMENT: Am I creating better sleep through movement—or repeatedly borrowing from the final part of sleep to make that movement happen? My wearable cannot prove that early wake times caused the change. Consumer wearables estimate sleep stages; they do not measure them with clinical polysomnography. But the pattern gives me a reasonable hypothesis to test. That is what self-tracking should do: not make us anxious about a number, but help us ask a better question. A Real-Time Clue: What 21 More Minutes Revealed While preparing this episode, my data gave me a real-time example of the tradeoff. On Thursday, August 27, I woke at 4:21 AM instead of 4:00 AM. That night I recorded three hours and two minutes of restorative sleep—the highest total of the week. It included one hour and seven minutes of deep sleep and one hour and 55 minutes of REM. That REM duration was approximately 35 minutes above my recent 30-day average. My graph in the show notes showed a substantial REM period close to the end of the sleep window. Twenty-one additional minutes cannot explain a 35-minute difference, and one night cannot establish cause. Sleep varies from night to night. But the observation supports the hypothesis that a 4:00 AM alarm may sometimes interrupt a REM period already underway. I also remembered my dream and added it to my dream log. That gave me another kind of data: not just how long I slept, but what my mind may have been processing, integrating or connecting. One night is a clue—not proof. Watch the trend. The lesson is not that 4:21 AM is a magical wake time. The lesson is that the final portion of sleep may be more valuable than its length makes it appear. A small extension may sometimes allow the brain to finish a cycle that an earlier alarm (or your natural body's alarm) would interrupt. Lesson 4: Build a Rhythm, Not a Perfect Day The remedy I've concluded is not to stop hiking, (I would be miserable) and it is not to maximize sleep or exercise in isolation (I wouldn't feel productive sleeping in longer). The solution is to create a weekly rhythm in which movement provides the stimulus and sleep protects the opportunity for adaptation. For me, that rhythm can include two kinds of days: 1. Early-Hike Days (twice a week) When a 4:00 AM wake time is necessary, (and possible). I can treat bedtime as part of the training plan. If family responsibilities the night before make a very early bedtime unrealistic, I can recognize that constraint and adapt. But it is important that I get to bed by 8:30pm if I want to wake up 4am.   2. Sleep-Protected Mornings On selected non-hiking days, I can remain asleep until approximately 5:00 or 6:00 AM and move later.  These mornings create more opportunity for later sleep cycles and give me a comparison condition for my experiment. What happens if I stay in bed longer? The goal is not a perfect day. The goal is a sustainable week. The Movement Loop is not: Move → Move More → Keep Pushing. It is: Movement → Recovery → Adaptation → Performance → Greater Capacity. For you, the listener, are you giving yourself enough time to recover? To Adapt? To Increase Performance? That leads to greater capacity? Or, did you notice, like me, that there was a trade off with your schedule? Tips to Implement: Run Your Own Restorative-Sleep Experiment You do not need my wake time, my REM number or a WHOOP device to learn from your own pattern. Use this five-step experiment for two to four weeks. Establish your baseline. Record your usual bedtime, wake time, estimated sleep duration, morning energy and—if available—deep and REM sleep for at least seven nights. The Whoop device rewards users who go to bed, and wake at the same time, calling it sleep consistency. Choose one change. Add 20–60 minutes of sleep opportunity on selected mornings, or move bedtime earlier before early-training days. Avoid changing every variable at once. Stanford Professor, Dr. Andrew Huberman[iv] suggests that if you can find a way to add heat to your sleeping environment in the final 2 hours of your sleep, it can increase your REM sleep. Sleeping just 21 more minutes for me made a notable difference. Protect movement differently. On sleep-protected mornings, move later, shorten the session or choose a lower-intensity option instead of skipping movement entirely. This was the game changer for me.  I opted for a walk on sleep protected days. Track a small set of outcomes. Use total sleep, restorative sleep or dream recall if available, morning clarity, afternoon energy and exercise quality. Optional wearable metrics include recovery, HRV and resting heart rate. This is where you have to notice what you see from this ONE change. It might be obvious like mine—I noticed that extra time led to a dream that I could recall. Review the pattern—not the best night. Compare at least one or two weeks of early mornings with sleep-protected mornings. Look for a repeatable combination that supports both recovery and movement. The patterns will reveal whether the ONE thing you changed made a difference for you. If you do use a wearable, remember that sleep stages are estimates. Use the device to compare patterns under similar conditions, not to diagnose a sleep disorder or chase a perfect stage score. KEY QUESTION: Can I preserve the benefits of movement without repeatedly borrowing the time my brain and body need for recovery? A Bigger Experiment Is Still Underway I have also removed one significant sleep disruptor and am tracking what happens to my REM, sleep stress, HRV, resting heart rate and recovery. I do not want to draw conclusions too early. I want enough data to distinguish a temporary response from a genuine physiological shift, so I will return to that experiment in a future episode. For now, the question is narrower: how can I protect restorative sleep while continuing to live an active life? Review  To review and conclude this week's BONUS EP 4, let's bring the four lessons—and the data—together. Lesson 1: Restorative Sleep Contains Two Stories Restorative sleep combines two important stages: Deep sleep and REM sleep. Deep sleep supports physical restoration and adaptation. REM supports emotional processing, memory integration, cognitive flexibility and creative association. We need both. Every morning, I look at my restorative-sleep total and hope it is closer to three hours than two. But this episode taught me not to stop at that combined number. The total gives me the overview. Deep sleep and REM tell me how that restoration was distributed. And REM is personally meaningful to me for another reason: I have recorded my dreams for years. Dream recall does not provide a literal interpretation of everything happening in my life. But it gives me a qualitative record of the emotions, experiences, problems and ideas my mind may still be processing. So Lesson 1 is: Restorative sleep is not one number. It contains the story of how the body restores—and how the brain integrates. Lesson 2: My Data Revealed a Duration Gap Over the past six months, my average restorative sleep has been two hours and 43 minutes. My recent REM has represented approximately 20% of my total sleep—a percentage that may appear reasonable. But when I looked at duration rather than percentage, I discovered that my recent REM was approximately 17–19 minutes below my lifetime average. REM percentage and REM duration answer different questions. Percentage tells me how my sleep was distributed. Duration tells me how much actual time my brain spent in that stage. That distinction matters because someone can have a reasonable REM percentage but still receive less total REM when the overall sleep window is shortened. So Lesson 2 is: A percentage can look healthy while duration still reveals a gap. This is why personal baselines are so valuable. Our trends help us identify the question we need to investigate. Lesson 3: The 4:00 AM Wake Time Creates a Tradeoff My data led me to examine my 4:00 AM wake time. Waking at 4:00 does not mean I am losing two hours of REM. It means I may be giving up two hours of total sleep opportunity—time that could contain approximately one to one-and-a-half later, more REM-rich sleep cycles. Then, while I was preparing this episode, I received an early clue. When I slept just 21 minutes longer—waking at 4:21 instead of 4:00—my restorative sleep reached three hours and two minutes. That included one hour and seven minutes of deep sleep and one hour and 55 minutes of REM—approximately 35 minutes more REM than my recent 30-day average. I also remembered my dream and added it to my dream log. Twenty-one additional minutes cannot explain the entire 35-minute difference, and one night does not prove causation. But the graph showed a substantial REM period close to the end of my sleep window. That gave me a clue worth investigating: My 4:00 AM wake time may sometimes interrupt a REM period that is already underway. So Lesson 3 is: The final portion of sleep may be more valuable than its length makes it appear. This does not mean that 4:21 is a magical wake time. It means that a small extension may sometimes allow the brain to finish a cycle that an earlier wake time would interrupt. Dr. Huberman, and Dr. Holmes offered tips to stay in bed longer, to capture REM rich sleep time. Lesson 4: Build a Rhythm, Not a Perfect Day My early-morning hikes provide cardiovascular conditioning, time outside, morning light, mental clarity and emotional regulation. They support my health. They also make me happy. The remedy is not to stop exercising and become miserable. The remedy is to protect sleep as well as I realistically can and arrange movement around a more complete sleep window. That might mean saving selected mornings for longer sleep. It might mean moving later on non-hiking days. It might mean moving bedtime earlier when possible. And it might mean shortening a workout when sleep has been limited. The goal is not to maximize sleep or exercise in isolation. It is to create a sustainable weekly rhythm in which both can happen. So Lesson 4 is: The best routine is not the one that produces a perfect number. It is the one that allows the whole system to work. Now let me ask you: Do you know how much restorative sleep you receive? Do you look beyond the total and examine both deep sleep and REM? Are you tracking percentages—or actual duration? Does your schedule give you enough sleep opportunity? And could one healthy behavior in your life be unintentionally competing with another? My restorative-sleep average gave me the overview. My REM duration revealed the tension. My 4:00 AM wake time created the hypothesis. My additional 21 minutes gave me an early clue. My next step is to test a better rhythm. That is what measurement is supposed to do. Not judge us. Not pressure us to produce a perfect number. Guide us toward a better decision. I hope this deeper look at restorative sleep encourages you to identify one small experiment of your own—not to chase a perfect number, but to discover the rhythm that helps you learn, adapt and perform at your best.   We'll see you next time as we return to Dr. John Medina's work—not to repeat what we have already learned about attention, but to answer the next question in the Movement Loop: once movement activates the brain, how does attention determine what becomes learning? From there, we'll revisit Jason Wittrock's work through a new lens: how metabolic health, nutrition and energy availability help the brain and body sustain movement, recovery and performance. Resources and Episode Pathway Phase 1: Regulation & Safety The Foundation Core Question: Is the nervous system safe enough to learn? Everything begins with regulation. Before we can focus, learn, lead, or perform, the brain first asks one fundamental question: Am I safe? Throughout Phase 1, our guests showed us that regulation isn't simply about reducing stress—it's about creating the biological conditions that allow the brain to learn, adapt, and thrive. Together we explored: Baland Jalal – how sleep, curiosity, imagination, and creativity prepare the brain for learning. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/hypnagogic-genius-capture-your-best-ideas-at-the-edge-of-sleep/   Dr. Bruce Perry – why regulation, rhythm, and relationships form the foundation of every healthy nervous system.  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/safety-first-why-a-regulated-brain-is-the-key-to-learning/   Dr. Sui Wong – how lifestyle medicine and autonomic balance build lifelong brain resilience. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/your-eyes-the-brain-s-early-warning-system/   Rohan Dixit – how heart rate variability gives us real-time feedback on our ability to regulate stress. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/breathe-to-reset-how-hrv-tech-reveals-hidden-stress/   Dr. Kristen Holmes – how recovery metrics reveal our physiological readiness to perform. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kristen-holmes-from-whoopcom-on-unlocking-a-better-you-measuring-sleep-recovery-and-strain/   Dr. Antonio Zadra – how sleep and dreaming consolidate memories, regulate emotions, and generate insight. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/when-brains-dream-how-sleep-integrates-emotion-insight-and-creativity/ Together these conversations taught us that sleep and stress regulation aren't optional—they're the operating system that allows every higher brain function to work. Phase 2: Motivation & Neurochemistry The Direction Core Question: What moves us into action? Once the brain feels safe, it becomes ready to pursue goals. In Phase 2, we explored the internal chemistry that transforms intention into action. Our experts helped us understand that sustainable motivation isn't about willpower—it's about aligning our beliefs, thoughts, attention, energy, and movement. Together we discovered: Bob Proctor — our beliefs determine the direction of our lives. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/belief-first-the-neuroscience-of-motivation/   Dr. Carolyn Leaf — our thinking literally changes our brain chemistry. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/thoughts-as-biology-how-your-mind-shapes-neurochemistry/   Dr. John Medina — attention determines what the brain encodes and remembers. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/theory-of-mind-the-missing-link-between-attention-reward-and-motivation   Dr. Anna Lembke- Dopamine, Motivation and Why the Brain Repeats Behavior https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dopamine-nation-the-pleasure%e2%80%93pain-balance-that-drives-motivation/   Dr. Friederike Fabritius — managing our energy allows high performance to become sustainable. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/fun-fear-focus-closing-the-motivation-loop/   Dr. Chuck Hillman & Paul Zientarski — movement activates the brain, preparing it to learn. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/move-to-learn-how-movement-activates-the-brain-and-fuels-motivation/   By the end of Phase 2, we introduced what became The Motivation Loop, showing how beliefs influence thoughts, thoughts influence actions, actions create results, and results reinforce future beliefs. Phase 3: Movement, Learning & Human Performance The Transformation Core Question: How does movement change the brain—and how does recovery transform that change into performance? Now we're taking the next step. Phase 3 builds on everything we've learned so far. If Phase 1 created a regulated nervous system... If Phase 2 created motivation and direction... Phase 3 explains how the brain and body actually become stronger. Together we've explored this process through conversations with: Dr. Chuck Hillman & Paul Zientarski — why movement activates the brain before learning. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/movement-first-how-a-20%e2%80%91minute-walk-lights-up-the-brain/   Dr. John Ratey — how exercise builds a healthier, younger brain. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/movement-matters-how-every-move-rewires-the-brain/   Dr. Kristen Holmes — why recovery determines adaptation and readiness. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/movement-isnt-enough-how-recovery-drives-real-adaptation   Dr. John Medina — how attention transforms movement into lasting learning. Jason Whitrock — how metabolism and cellular energy fuel long-term performance. WHERE WE ARE GOING NEXT Phase 4 — Connection, Emotion & Social Intelligence The Human System Core Question: How do we thrive with other people? The brain didn't evolve in isolation—it evolved through relationships. In Phase 4, we'll explore emotional intelligence, empathy, communication, trust, leadership, and psychological safety to understand how our relationships shape learning, well-being, and performance. Phase 5 — Integration & Human Performance The Complete System Core Question: How do all the systems work together? In our final phase, we'll bring everything together—regulation, motivation, movement, emotion, relationships, learning, and recovery—into one integrated framework. We'll discover how these systems work together to create measurable improvements in our well-being, achievement, leadership, productivity, and results. Selected Sleep References “What Is Restorative Sleep?” https://www.whoop.com/us/en/thelocker/what-is-restorative-sleep/ Patel AK, Reddy V, Shumway KR, Araujo JF. “Physiology, Sleep Stages.” StatPearls/NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526132/ Goldstein AN, Walker MP. “The Role of Sleep in Emotional Brain Function.” Annual Review of Clinical Psychology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4286245/ Paller KA, Creery JD, Schechtman E. “Memory and Sleep: How Sleep Cognition Can Change the Waking Mind for the Better.” Annual Review of Psychology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7983127/   REFERENCES:   [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 141 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-neurogenesis-what-hurts-or-helps-your-brain-cells/   [ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 384 Review of our Interview with Dr. Baland Jalal  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/hypnagogic-genius-capture-your-best-ideas-at-the-edge-of-sleep/   [iii] www.masterclass.com Mathew Walker The Science of a Better Sleep   [iv] https://www.instagram.com/p/DbO7dKLO-c8/?hl=en Dr. Andrew Huberman on ways to increase REM sleep.  

Everybody seems to be telling entrepreneurs to write a book.Write it in a weekend. Use AI. Upload it to Amazon. Become a bestselling author. Watch the clients roll in.Except…that's not quite how it works.This week on Casa De Confidence, Julie sits down with publishing expert Ally Machate, founder of The Writer's Ally, to pull back the curtain on what it actually takes to write and publish a book that supports your business, serves your reader, and creates lasting impact.With experience that includes working at Simon & Schuster and helping authors navigate the publishing process, Ally challenges one of the biggest assumptions in entrepreneurship: just because you can write a book doesn't necessarily mean you should—or that the book you're planning is the right one.Ally explains why the first question shouldn't be “What should I write?” but rather “What do I want this book to do?”Do you want it to attract clients? Generate speaking opportunities? Grow your email list? Establish thought leadership? Change the way people think about an issue?That answer changes everything.Julie also gets personal about her own publishing experience, including what she would do differently, the emotional reality of receiving developmental edits, and why publishing her book ultimately opened doors far beyond book sales.In This EpisodeWhat You'll HearWhy not every entrepreneur needs to write a bookThe difference between publishing a book and publishing a book people actually want to readWhy identifying your reader comes before writingHow a book can support your larger business strategyWhy your book is a product—not your babyWhat developmental editing actually doesWhy copyediting alone isn't enoughWhere AI can help authors—and where it still falls shortHow to create a transformational journey for your readerThe “macrocosm and microcosm” approach to structuring nonfictionTraditional publishing vs. hybrid publishing vs. DIY self-publishingWhat Ally calls supported indie publishingWhy distribution, ISBNs, Amazon KDP, and IngramSpark matterWhy giving books away can sometimes be smarter than selling themHow books create opportunities for coaching, consulting, speaking, and visibilityWhy becoming a bestseller isn't the only—or even necessarily the best—definition of publishing successOne of Ally's most important reminders?“If you're talking to everyone, you're connecting with no one.”Before investing months—or years—writing your book, get clear about the person you're writing for and what you want the book to accomplish.Because the goal isn't merely to become a published author.It's to write the right book.

It's time for your fantasy football draft. Are you ready? Yeah I know you're not. That's ok. We'll get you ready this week with position previews and targets and fades. This is our first offering for the Blowout audience and it's a good one. John Daigle of Establish the Run joins me to talk about his fades and targets from the 2026 class. We're here to help you win your league so tap in and we'll get you right this week. Position previews we'll be coming later in the week.

If bedtime in your house feels like a nightly negotiation, or you're the one lying in the dark at 2 a.m. wondering why nothing seems to work, this conversation is for you. Pediatric sleep consultant Allison Ezell spent years stuck between a sleep doctor telling her to sleep train and a TBRI therapist affirming the trauma-informed parenting she knew her son needed, unable to find anyone who could bridge the two. She eventually became the person she needed, and she's bringing that hard-won wisdom to us today. What We Cover in This Episode The two building blocks of sleep science, sleep associations and sleep pressure, and why understanding sleep associations alone resolves most of the sleep struggles Allison sees. The difference between "putting a child to sleep" and "putting a child to bed," and why that distinction matters most for kids who wake in the middle of the night. A practical bedtime routine built around what a body actually needs to fall asleep: sensory input earlier in the evening, a warm bath or shower, real connection, and a small snack. How to build felt safety around bedtime fears through repeated, low-pressure exposure, and a gradual pullback method for weaning off sleep associations without a jarring overnight switch. A consistent, scripted response for middle-of-the-night wake-ups, plus the red flags (frequent waking, restless legs, long sleep onset, excessive daytime sleepiness) that mean it's time to talk to a doctor. Resources Mentioned Dwell Pediatric Sleep Allison Ezell on Instagram (@dwellpediatricsleep) Timestamps 00:00:37 — Allison's story: years of sleeplessness with her son, and how she became a pediatric sleep consultant 00:05:03 — The two big buckets: trouble falling asleep vs. trouble staying asleep 00:08:01 — Sleep science 101: sleep associations, explained through "the pillow" 00:11:09 — "For a lot of parents, they are the pillow": why parents become the sleep association 00:13:36 — Building a child's confidence and tolerance for separation 00:20:35 — Why temperament and history change how a child responds to sleep 00:22:45 — Sleep pressure, naps, and finding the right wake windows 00:30:36 — What has to happen in the body to fall asleep: heart rate and body temperature 00:33:07 — Building a bedtime routine: sensory input, bath or shower, connection, snack 00:41:37 — Creating felt safety around bedtime fears through repeated exposure 00:47:52 — The gradual pullback: weaning off unsustainable sleep associations 00:53:07 — The scripted response for middle-of-the-night wake-ups 00:55:16 — Red flags that mean it's time to talk to a doctor 00:59:47 — Allison's closing message: it's not selfish to want to fix your family's sleep Connect Line Have a question or topic you'd like us to cover? Send it to podcast@empoweredtoconnect.org Chapters (00:00:00) - Empowered to Connect: Everything Sleep(00:00:45) - What a Sleep Consultant Can Help You(00:05:00) - How to Get Your Child to Fall asleep(00:08:05) - Sleep Science for Adopted Kids(00:09:19) - Sleep Associations and Sleep Pressure(00:14:50) - How to Sleep Well With Your Child(00:22:49) - How to Raise a Sleepy Child(00:27:04) - How to Establish a Sleep Schedule for Foster Kids(00:30:40) - The Science of Falling asleep(00:31:18) - Sleep Aid for Kids(00:35:56) - How to Have a Good Bedtime(00:41:50) - How to Put Your Child to Sleep(00:47:11) - Waking Up in the Night(00:51:42) - How to Talk Your Child Out of Night Fever(00:54:52) - Signs of Insomnia in Parents(00:59:28) - How to Sleep Your Child

In this rare and highly anticipated episode, Dr. George Hariri sits down for an exclusive roundtable with pre-owners Elijah Dunlap, Ben Vickery, and Josh Ward from the Business-Minded Dentist podcast. If you are a dental student or associate looking to transition into ownership, this conversation is packed with proven dental business strategies to help you avoid the common traps that cause 30% to 40% of new owners to make less money than they did as associates.George unpacks the exact dental business strategies Shared Practices uses to help clients achieve 37% to 39% growth in their first year of ownership. This roundtable with pre-owners dives deep into the realities of the modern dental market and why the days of simply "hanging a shingle" are over.Here is what you will learn from this essential conversation:Target "Neglected" Practices: The most explosive growth happens when you acquire a clinic from a retiring doctor who has underdiagnosed their patient base for years. These established patients essentially become a goldmine of new, high-value treatment needs.Prioritize Facility Size: A single-doctor, three-operatory practice is a dying model. You must buy a facility with at least six (preferably seven to twelve) operatories to successfully implement group dental business strategies.Leverage Access to Care: The easiest way to succeed without spending a fortune on marketing is to open a practice in a rural or semi-rural area where patient demand vastly outweighs the supply of dentists.Master Speed and Specialty: Before buying a practice, use your first four to six months out of dental school to build clinical speed and master endodontics and surgical extractions. Referring these cases out kills your profitability and damages patient goodwill.Don't Fear Staff Turnover: Retaining a legacy team is important, but not if it prevents you from establishing your own modern clinical culture. Establish your expectations on day one and let patient retention fund the transition of staff who refuse to adapt.Ready to take the next step in your dental practice journey? Visit https://sharedpractices.comto learn more about our Buyer Representation and Coaching services, designed to help dentists buy, grow, and optimize profitable practices. You can also use our Free Look to evaluate dental practice opportunities with real data before making a decision. For daily Dental Moneyball insights, strategy tips, and updates, follow us across our social channels.

"There's an absolute risk of procurement's role and scope being diminished by AI, unless we embrace new ways of working." - Nick Heinzmann, Head of Research, Zip According to new research from Zip, only 17 percent of organizations can demonstrate clear ROI from AI today. The difference between those seeing results and those still struggling offers some timely and important lessons for procurement. In this episode, Philip Ideson welcomes back Nick Heinzmann, Head of Research at Zip, to unpack findings from Zip's 2026 State of AI in Spend report. They explore what separates organizations achieving measurable returns from those still dabbling with AI, and why deeper adoption requires procurement teams to rethink how work gets done. Nick also shares what the research reveals about procurement's changing operating model, including the emergence of new AI-focused roles and the growing importance of evaluating AI outputs rather than simply generating them. He discusses how leaders can create room for experimentation while managing shadow AI, why traditional three-to-five-year transformation roadmaps are becoming less practical, and how procurement can use its unique position across the enterprise to help shape AI governance and adoption. In this episode, Nick discusses how procurement can: -Establish a stronger role in enterprise AI adoption and governance -Move beyond AI experimentation to achieve measurable ROI -Treat shadow AI as a signal for unmet demand while maintaining appropriate governance -Move past common blockers and use early AI challenges to guide what comes next   Links: Nick Heinzmann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-heinzmann-787a5041/  2026 State of AI in Spend Report: https://zip.com/resources/state-of-ai-in-spend-2026  Subscribe to the AOP Newsletter: https://resources.artofprocurement.com/art-of-procurement-podcast-subscribe  Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtofProcurement   

Is your practice website actually helping patients choose you, or is it just a digital brochure listing your services? In this episode, Dr. Lauryn sits down with branding strategist Alexa Torres to unpack what makes a healthcare brand connect, convert, and stand out in 2026. They explore why great marketing starts with making patients feel seen, not simply telling them how qualified you are.Alexa breaks down emotional selling, identifying your primary audience, creating a website that functions like a pre sales conversation, and designing for both quick decision makers and analytical buyers. They also dive into using AI to develop your brand voice, write better content, build websites, and even create an AI twin that helps you show up consistently without constantly being on camera.Key TakeawaysPatients buy outcomes, not services. Effective healthcare marketing speaks to the emotional problem behind what a patient is experiencing so they immediately recognize that your practice understands them.Your website should operate like a sales conversation. Strategic messaging, clear positioning, intentional calls to action, and a series of small “yeses” can pre sell prospective patients before they ever contact your practice.Your personal brand matters, but your patient should remain the focus. Establish your expertise and personality without making the homepage a résumé about your education, credentials, and accomplishments.AI works best when you give it your ideas instead of asking it to invent them. Detailed prompting, voice training, AI assisted website building, and tools like AI twins can make marketing faster while still preserving the perspective that makes your brand unique.Guest BioAlexa Torres is a creative director and branding strategist who has built more than 200 brands and websites since beginning her career in 2009. After shifting her focus exclusively to healthcare in 2016, Alexa and her team have helped more than 100 health entrepreneurs transform their ideas into magnetic brands that attract ideal patients, communicate their value clearly, and inspire action. Through her branding agency, Care Identity, and educational platform, The Clinician's Atelier, she helps healthcare entrepreneurs strengthen their branding, websites, messaging, and marketing while leveraging emerging AI tools to work more efficiently.For ways to work with Alexa, visit The Kliˈnishen's AtelierFollow Alexa on InstagramResources:Find all things Dr. Lauryn B including ways to work with herFollow Dr. Lauryn: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedInFollow She Slays on YouTubeMentioned in this episode:INSiGHT CLAThis episode is brought to you by the INSiGHT scanning system from CLA, the tool that helps chiropractors show patients objective neurological data so the value of care becomes clear, fueling conversion, retention, and growth. She Slays listeners get preferred pricing, affordable financing, and a free Getting Into Scanning guide.CLA (Current)Holistic Marketing HubThis episode is sponsored by Holistic Marketing Hub. Created by marketing strategist Molly Cahill, it's a proven Instagram system with a 500+ caption content library and a step-by-step curriculum that's helped 400+ chiropractors, acupuncturists, and other health pros fill their practices with right-fit patients. Enroll Now!Holistic Marketing HubClinic MindClinic Mind is the all-in-one EHR and practice management platform built for chiropractors — billing, documentation, scheduling, and patient follow-up in one place, whether you run a cash practice, take insurance, or are scaling to multiple locations. She Slays the Day listeners get an exclusive offer.Clinic Mind

If you've ever struggled to get in a groove with working out, you owe it to yourself to listen to this episode. The guest is Lynda Rowan, a longtime endurance coach, prolific triathlete, and the coach of Feisty Fit. Along with hosts Sarah Bowen Shea and Tish Hamilton, Coach Lynda covers:-the power of just giving something a try-the importance of setting realistic goals-how to remove internal barriers-why you need to celebrate the “small” victories-“gray” workouts: what they are + how to avoid themAfter Tish tells of a recent trip to the Boston area (her first time there without running the Boston Marathon!), the guest hops on around 13:30.FeistyFest Info: https://livefeisty.com/events/feisty-fest/Feisty Running Retreat, Feb. 5-8, 2027 in Austin: https://livefeisty.com/events/feisty-womens-running-retreat/Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themotherrunner/Previnex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off your first purchase at https://www.previnex.com/Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/Currex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off at https://currex.com/Tifosi Optics: Use code FEISTY2026 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/ PLUS: Register to win a Free Pair of Sunglasses: https://feistymedia.activehosted.com/f/121

My friend Meredith Mann, better known as The Peachie Spoon, is back on The SavvyCast for the fourth time, and we talk about it all! Since her last visit, her supplement business has taken off, and this time she gets real about her journey with HRT in perimenopause, from her first symptoms at 43 to the testosterone treatment she eventually stopped. It's also a personal life update as her teens get closer to leaving the nest. Plus, she walks through her current strength training routine. And of course, she shares her favorite high protein recipes for fall, along with the wellness without obsession philosophy that guides how she eats, moves, and thinks about the number on the scale. If you are pursuing a more balanced relationship with wellness, eating habits, and workout routines, and just need a little more grace in how you talk to your body, this conversation is for you. Meredith has a way of making it all feel tangible and obtainable!   WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS EPISODE: Meredith's honest journey with HRT in perimenopause, from her first symptoms at 43 to why she quit a testosterone cream after only three weeks How Peachie Spoon has grown since her last visit, from her first cookbook to a full supplement line with protein, collagen, and creatine Her advice for pregnant and postpartum women who cannot stomach protein but still need to fuel their bodies The story behind her most-requested high protein recipes, from her Balanced Baked Spaghetti to her Ninja Creami treats What a typical strength training week looks like for Meredith, plus the kettlebell move she cannot stop doing Why she is choosing wellness without obsession over chasing a number on the scale   LINKS & RESOURCES Follow Meredith Mann on Instagram: @thepeachiespoon Follow her business on Instagram: @thepeachiespoon.nutrition Shop the Peachie Spoon Protein Powders, Creatine, & Collagen (Code: FAMILYSAVVY for a special discount!) Check out The Peachie Spoon's recipes   COOKBOOKS The Blood Sugar Balance Cookbook  Well Made Cookbook   RECIPES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Balanced Baked Spaghetti Chicken Corn Chowder High Protein Rotel Queso Dip Queso Chicken High Protein Alfredo Chocolate Cheesecake Smoothie Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie Cookies and Cream Smoothie High Protein Oreo McFlurry Ninja Creami (Cookies & Cream) Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie  Balanced Meal Chili   OTHER RESOURCES MENTIONED Koia (pre-made protein drinks) HerScan (mobile breast ultrasound screening) — mentioned as an alternative Meredith is considering   WHERE TO LISTEN If this episode encouraged you, we would love it if you took a few minutes to rate and review The SavvyCast! It means so much and helps more women (just like you) find the show! Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube   ENJOYED THIS EPISODE? CHECK THESE OUT! Blood Sugar Balancing Recipes with Meredith Mann Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube   How to Establish a Healthy Relationship with Food with Meredith Mann from The Peachie Spoon Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube   A Talk with Meredith Mann About Her Balanced Eating Cookbook "Well Made" Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube

https://teachhoops.com/ Title: How Do You Evaluate and Assess Your Preseason? Subtitle: A simple framework for measuring what actually got better before the first game tips off Show Notes Preseason flies by, and most coaches judge it by feel. Did practice look sharp? Did the team seem to click? Feel is a bad measuring stick. In this episode we break down how to assess preseason with evidence instead of vibes, so you walk into game one knowing exactly what your team can and cannot do. What we cover: 1. Start with what you said you wanted Go back to the three or four goals you wrote before preseason started. Install the offense. Establish shell defense. Build conditioning. Identify a rotation. If you never wrote them down, that is the first fix for next year. You cannot evaluate against a target that does not exist. 2. Assess in four buckets Physical: conditioning tests, sprint times, weight room numbers, injury count. These are the easiest to measure, so measure them. Skill: shooting percentages from your charted spots, live ball turnovers per practice, free throw numbers under fatigue. System: can they run your top five sets without a whistle stoppage? Can they get into your press break in under three seconds? Execution under pressure is the test, not walkthrough. Culture: who talks on defense, who sprints back, who picks teammates up. Track it. You will learn more about your rotation here than anywhere else. 3. Use scrimmage and situational data, not just eye test Chart your own practices. Five on five segments, situational work, last four minutes scenarios. Keep it simple with three or four stats you actually care about. Deflections, defensive rebounding percentage, points per possession in your primary offense. 4. Ask the players A two question survey works. What do you feel most confident in? What do you feel least prepared for? Their answers will surprise you and often expose a gap you were about to walk right past. 5. Rank your roster honestly By the end of preseason you should be able to list one through fifteen and defend every spot. If you cannot, you have not seen enough competitive reps. 6. Write the postseason preseason report One page. What worked, what did not, what to cut next year. Do it in the first week of the season while it is still fresh. Future you will thank present you. Coach takeaway: Preseason is not about looking good. It is about gathering information. Evaluate it like a scout would, not like a fan. More coaching resources, practice plans, and the Coaching Community at https://teachhoops.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Getting back on track doesn't mean switching every healthy habit back on at full throttle. Episode #271

See what the team at The Successful Bookkeeper has on right now →Jon Sheldon has lived through more transitions than most people can imagine — Marine Corps infantry, corporate finance director, and now founder of Belleau Wood Coaching. This episode is a practical conversation about what it actually takes to lead yourself and your team well: getting clear on purpose, planning for what will go wrong, and building the kind of confidence that only comes from taking action. Whether you're just starting your bookkeeping practice or managing a growing team, there's something here for you.Chapters[00:00] Purpose as the Common Thread[02:54] Jon's Background: Marines to Finance[08:00] Life's Purpose vs. Purpose Right Now[10:48] Accepting the Cost of Transition[15:00] Contingency Plans Beat Burning Boats[17:54] The Six-Step Decision Framework[22:00] Failure, Resilience, and Confidence[26:00] The Four-Pillar Performance Blueprint[31:00] Accountability and Radical Honesty[34:00] How to Connect with JonPurpose Is Not Just a ClichéJon believes purpose is the most overlooked driver in business — and in life. "Most people I run into don't ever take the time to, or have never taken the time to, really plan it out or think about what, how are they living a purposeful life?" It doesn't have to be a grand existential answer. Finding what fills you with purpose right now is enough to start leading better — yourself and the people around you.Plan for What Will Go WrongOne of the most practical ideas Jon brings from his Marine Corps days is what he calls "accepting the cost." Most people building a business focus on the vision and avoid thinking through what could go wrong — because they don't want to scare themselves out of it. Jon flips that: "Most battles are won with better contingency plans. That's how most missions are won — by thinking through the challenges and obstacles that are inevitably going to come." Knowing your worst-case scenarios in advance doesn't kill confidence. It creates it.A Six-Step Decision FrameworkJon teaches a repeatable process he calls Clarity, Condition, Cost, Align, Act, Adapt. Get clear on what you're deciding. Do a gear check — do you have everything you need? Establish the cost of what could go wrong. Make sure your first action actually aligns with your goal. Act. Then adapt based on what you learn. "I've had the best plan and then the first action has nothing to do with pushing my business forward." The framework keeps that from happening.Failure Is Part of the DealJon is direct about this: failing is how you build the confidence to lead. "You might not hire the right person the first time. You might not make a great investment here or there. It's how you bounce back from that and get resilient that's going to really boost your confidence." If you're just getting started, expect some rough patches. If you have a clear purpose tied to where you're going, those rough patches are easier to push through — because the destination still matters.The Four-Pillar Performance BlueprintJon works with every client through a four-pillar framework: Purpose (your why), Vision (a day-in-the-life picture of where you're headed, three years out), Ecosystem (who and what you're surrounding yourself with — including your tools and your workspace), and Motivators (what actually energizes you to take action). From there, his coaching is high accountability and action-driven: clients leave every session with a tracked action step, session notes, and metrics they've defined themselves. As Jon puts it, he's "tactfully tough and radically honest" — because most business owners don't have enough people in their corner telling them the truth.Links mentionedBelleau Wood Coaching website: belleauwood.coachInstagram: @belleauwood_coachingLinkedIn: Jonathan Sheldon (search "Jonathan Sheldon Belleau Wood Coaching")Start With Why by Simon SinekAbout the guestJon Sheldon is the founder of Belleau Wood Coaching and a former Marine Corps infantryman who completed two back-to-back deployments to Iraq, leading 13 Marines through more than 200 combat missions. After leaving the military, he built a 14-year career in financial planning — running his own practice and then directing a regional team — before going full time into leadership coaching. He works with business owners and their teams on purpose, decision-making, and building the kind of resilient confidence that actually holds up when things get hard.About the hostMichael PalmerMichael Palmer is the host of The Successful Bookkeeper podcast and co-founder of Pure Bookkeeping and The Successful Bookkeeper. He started this work because of his father — a brilliant electrical contractor who worked twice as hard as he should have had to, because nobody on the financial side was in his corner. That gap is what The Successful Bookkeeper exists to close. His view: bookkeepers are the most undervalued force in small business — and every bookkeeper who builds a real business changes two families: theirs, and their clients'.

Join guest Dr. Jeff Rodgers and hosts Michael Cowen & Joanna Booher on a Q&A-style webinar discussing everything you need to know for finally making the PIVOT away from general dentistry and going sleep-only.You'll learn to:- Establish concrete financial & timeline benchmarks to systematically phase out general dentistry without risking your baseline revenue- Transition your existing staff from a traditional dental mindset into an elite, specialized DSM team optimized for sleep workflows, medical billing procedures, and physician outreach- Implement robust billing systems that ensure consistent cash flow during your practice's pivot- Construct a physician-facing marketing system that positions you as the local sleep expert and replaces your reliance on internal GP patients

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There are tons of things leaders should be doing. The sheer volume of advice can become a mental blizzard—a complete leadership whiteout. That is why it helps to isolate a few essential leadership practices and remind ourselves why they matter. These are not complicated theories. They are practical leadership disciplines that determine whether teams produce results, understand expectations, cooperate effectively and continue moving in the right direction. Here are eleven leadership basics worth revisiting. What should leaders focus on first? Leaders should focus chiefly on the results to be achieved rather than simply on the activities being performed. Everything happening in the organisation should move the team towards a desired outcome. That sounds obvious. However, analyse your diary and look closely at where your time is going. You may be shocked by how few appointments, meetings and activities are directly propelling important results. Busy work is seductive because it creates the sensation of progress. Emails are answered, meetings are attended and reports are produced. Yet activity is not the same as achievement. Leaders also need to plan and organise effectively around the desired result. They must coordinate everyone involved so that individual contributions combine into meaningful organisational progress. Markets change, customer expectations move and circumstances can run over the top of even a good plan. Leaders must therefore keep asking whether the current plan is still relevant, whether the organisation is properly structured and whether the balance between individual responsibility and teamwork is right. Do now: Review your calendar and identify which activities directly contribute to your organisation's most important results. Reduce, delegate or eliminate the rest. How should leaders turn major objectives into action? Major objectives should be divided into bite-sized pieces, communicated clearly and supported by deadlines, measurements and individual accountability. Large organisational goals can sound inspiring but remain useless if people do not understand what they personally need to do. Leaders must translate strategic objectives into specific actions, time targets and measurable outcomes. Every important objective needs an accountability system. Without measurement, deviation from the plan can remain invisible until it is too late to make an easy correction. The post-pandemic workplace has made this more difficult. For many organisations, the orderly pursuit of targets was replaced by constant disruption, emergency responses and scrambling to survive. Even after the immediate crisis passed, hybrid work, shifting customer behaviour and economic uncertainty continued to complicate performance management. Textbook answers are not always enough. Leaders must combine data, judgement and practical experience to decide which performance standards remain realistic. Do now: Take one major organisational objective and break it into milestones, owners, deadlines and measurable indicators of progress. How can leaders establish effective performance standards? Leaders must make expectations explicit so that people know what successful performance looks like, why it matters and how it will be measured. Vague expectations create frustration. Employees believe they are doing well, while managers quietly feel disappointed. Effective performance standards remove this ambiguity. Standards should guide people towards profitable and productive action. They should be demanding enough to encourage growth but realistic enough to maintain credibility. Leaders must also build a results-oriented attitude throughout the organisation. This means helping people develop self-reliance, confidence and ownership of their goals. Remote and hybrid work have shifted visibility. Leaders can no longer judge contribution by who arrives early, stays late or appears busy in the office. Performance is increasingly represented by customer outcomes, project completion, financial measures and numbers on a spreadsheet. Some people thrive with autonomy. Others struggle without direct supervision, informal contact and frequent teamwork. Leaders must recognise these differences rather than assuming one working style suits everyone. Do now: Ask each team member to explain what is expected of them and how success is measured. Any inconsistent answers reveal a communication gap. Can leaders really motivate their people? Leaders cannot directly inject motivation into another person. They can, however, create an environment in which people are more likely to become self-motivated. Try yelling, "Be motivated, be motivated, be motivated," at your team and see how far that gets you. Leaders can motivate themselves, but they cannot control the internal drive of another person. Their real task is to understand what helps each individual perform at their best. That may include recognition, autonomy, meaningful work, career growth, financial reward, mastery, belonging or the opportunity to contribute to something important. The correct combination varies from person to person. This is where leadership becomes difficult. There is no universal motivational switch. The leader has to understand people individually and deliver the right environment one person at a time. Leaders should also encourage creativity. Creativity can be learned, but many leaders have never studied how creative thinking works. If leaders do not know how to generate ideas, challenge assumptions or explore alternatives, they will struggle to develop those abilities in others. Do now: Ask each team member what conditions help them do their best work. Do not assume their answer will be the same as yours. How should leaders track progress and coordinate people? Leaders must track progress consistently and coordinate everyone whose contribution affects the final result, both inside and outside the organisation. Tracking progress sounds easy. The reality is that leaders are often lost in the weeds, pulled hither and thither and overwhelmed by constant urgencies. Following up on planned results gets postponed because something more immediate demands attention. Yet when leaders stop tracking, deadlines slip, responsibilities blur and small problems grow into expensive ones. Coordination has also become more demanding in remote and hybrid workplaces. When everyone was in the office, people could exchange information informally, notice emerging problems and resolve misunderstandings quickly. When employees, clients, suppliers and partners are separated, leaders must expend more time and energy ensuring that the right people know what they need to know. They must also confirm that tasks are being completed when they need to be completed. Communication cannot be left to chance. Coordination requires deliberate updates, clear decision rights and reliable follow-through. Do now: Establish a simple review rhythm showing each priority, its owner, its current status, the next action and any obstacle requiring leadership intervention. Why must leaders keep communicating purpose and teamwork? Leaders must repeatedly connect everyday work to the organisation's continuing purpose and demonstrate through their decisions that teamwork is genuinely expected. Leaders often pontificate from on high about purpose and imagine everyone is on board. They assume the message was received, understood and accepted. It is always a shock to discover that not everyone got the message—or that they interpreted it differently. Purpose must therefore be communicated repeatedly. Leaders must explain what the organisation is trying to achieve, why it matters and how each person's work contributes. They must also check for understanding rather than assuming agreement. Leadership credibility is tested most severely when a high performer refuses to act as a team player. Are you prepared to confront—or even fire—a top performer who persistently undermines teamwork? This is where the rubber meets the road. If leaders praise collaboration but tolerate the corporate outlaw who does whatever they want, everyone learns how the organisation really operates. Behaviour that is tolerated becomes part of the culture. Do now: Identify one behaviour that contradicts your stated values. Address it directly before it becomes the organisation's unofficial standard. What is the most important leadership starting point? The most important starting point is self-awareness. Very few leaders can give themselves a perfect score across all eleven areas: Focusing on results Planning and organising effectively Breaking objectives into manageable actions Establishing clear performance standards Building a results-oriented culture Creating conditions for self-motivation Developing creativity Tracking progress Coordinating people and resources Communicating organisational purpose Demonstrating leadership and teamwork I certainly cannot give myself a perfect score. Reviewing this list is a painful reminder of my own failings and imperfections. That is the point. Busy work can mask what is vital. Leaders become tied up in meetings, messages, minor decisions and operational stuff. Eventually, they lose sight of the leadership responsibilities that matter most. Let's get back to basics. We are not divine. We still have work to do on ourselves. Author Bio Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie One Carnegie Award in 2018 and 2021 and received the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2012. As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver leadership, communication, sales and presentation programmes globally, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including the bestsellers Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery and Japan Presentations Mastery, as well as Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His books have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō（ザ営業）, Purezen no Tatsujin（プレゼンの達人）, Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō（トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう）and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā（現代版「人を動かす」リーダー）. Greg publishes regular business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook and X and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery and Japan's Top Business Interviews for executives and professionals seeking practical strategies for succeeding in Japan.

With fantasy football draft season in full force, JJ sits down with Establish the Run's Evan Silva to discuss 10 players they're targeting in drafts this year. Make sure to check out LateRound.com to order the 2026 Draft Guide. And while you're there, become a member! The new Members Hub is the place for rankings and tiers, data dumps, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you feel constantly defeated by a packed calendar and rushed for time? Reclaiming control of your schedule starts with changing how you view your 168 hours. This episode of part 2 of 4 in the 'Career Well Spent Series' Drawing on Laura's bestselling books '168 Hours' and 'Big Time', Helen explores what it means to achieve true time abundance, and what your default response to a busy calendar reveals about you.

Message Take Aways:1. The Second Coming of Christ is not delayed due to a slackness on God's part in fulfilling His word, but rather a demonstration of His patient longsuffering—“For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!” Ezekiel 18:322. The Day of the Lord will come suddenly upon an unrighteous world eventually ushering in the new heavens and a new earth as promised in God's word—“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” Matthew 24:423. Knowing the promises of God, the believer is to walk in steadfastness by knowing the word and continually growing in the Lord—“You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” James 5:8

What does it really mean to be patient when the rain hasn't come, the situation hasn't changed, and the waiting lasts longer than you expected?In this message from James 5:7–11, we discover that biblical patience is more than simply waiting—it's trusting God when we're not in control, continuing to work when we don't see results, and refusing to abandon hope when the journey gets long. Through the examples of the farmer, the prophets, and Job, we learn how God uses trials to mature us and make us more like Christ.And ultimately, patience isn't just about enduring difficult circumstances—it's about loving and bearing with people. God calls us to become a bridge for others, patiently walking with them as He transforms their lives.Be patient. Establish your heart. Keep going. The Lord is near.

Dr. John Townsend shares practical tips for parents struggling to set boundaries with their children. He’ll provide insights on relatable situations spanning every stage of the parenting journey, from teaching unruly toddlers to dealing with adult children who still live at home. Hear his advice for teaching kids to take responsibility and grow into healthy adults.Boundaries with KidsAge and Stage eNewslettersSpeak to a counselor For more great parenting content, check out our Practice Makes Parent podcast

Gareth Scott, the founder of Real Reef Rock, talks with Eric during the LA Pet Fair. The conversation highlights how the company developed a sustainable, man-made alternative to harvesting live rock from natural coral reefs, which was once the industry standard. Scott explains the transition from importing Tonga branch rock to manufacturing calcium-based substrates in the USA to prevent environmental degradation and the spread of aquarium pests. The episode covers the technical aspects of their aquaculture process, including how they achieve a purple coralline aesthetic and ensure biological stability. Key Takeaways: Opt for sustainably manufactured alternatives to protect natural habitats: Choose responsibly made materials rather than harvesting wild rocks from natural ocean reefs to help preserve delicate ecosystems. Select clean, pre-treated materials to avoid introducing unwanted pests: Use aquarium products that have been properly leached and stabilized to prevent issues like invasive hair algae, pests, and chemical instability. Establish your biological systems with precise, quantifiable starters: Use bottled bacteria when setting up a new system to ensure a predictable, healthy starting baseline instead of guessing what wild organisms survived transport. Utilize modular design pieces to customize your layout: Take advantage of sized, interlocking structures to build creative, personalized setups that maximize open space and flow. Overcome resistance to innovation to make your hobbies more enjoyable: Keep an open mind toward modern product alternatives that solve historical pain points and simplify your day-to-day maintenance.

The Business Leaders Using Spiritual Practice to Win! Define Your Spiritual Practice: Customize Your Connection! Supersize Your Business Annual Challenge Day 219! Pop in here every day for a dose of different business building perspective! https://facebook.com/supersizebusiness Supersize Your Business (free) Skool link: https://www.skool.com/supersize-your-business-1654/about #supersizeyourbusiness #supersizechallenge #supersizeyourbusinessannualchallenge #contribution #give #dowhatyoucan #supersizeyourbusinesschallenge #spirituality #spiritofyourbusiness #businessspirit #secretadvantage #spiritual #spiritualpractice #customize #makeityouown #rightforyou Establish a sustainable spiritual practice for leaders to improve decision-making and clarity. Learn how to balance growth with peace. Running a company requires more than just strategy; it demands internal alignment. This video outlines how to integrate a spiritual practice for leaders into your daily schedule, regardless of how busy your calendar looks. Drawing on lessons from the 219th day of the Super Size Your Business challenge, we examine practical ways to maintain focus and composure while navigating the pressures of entrepreneurship. If you are a business owner feeling overwhelmed, this approach offers a framework for stability. By prioritizing an entrepreneur wellness routine alongside operational tasks, you can sustain high-level performance without burning out. Developing a consistent spiritual practice for leaders helps you stay grounded when business challenges arise, ensuring that your leadership development remains purposeful and authentic. Subscribe for daily business challenge insights and leadership development tips. Comment below: what is one habit you use to stay centered during your workday?

In this new episode, Canon Mark and Rev. Brian explore the practical follow-up principles to Episode 3, focusing on the first two practices in our LEADS framework: Listen without remaining defensive and Establish what belongs to your role. The central leadership shift we find in Exodus is that Moses moves from, “The people come to me because God appointed me to lead,” toward a more mature understanding: God appointed him to develop a people capable of carrying the mission together.

Accountability Without Micromanaging: How Great Leaders Create Ownership Delegating work should free leaders to focus on strategy, relationships, and growth. Too often, however, delegation swings between two unhealthy extremes: micromanagement and abandonment. In this episode of The Customer Service Revolution Podcast, Denise Thompson and John DiJulius explore how leaders can build accountability without micromanaging. The solution is not less communication—it is greater clarity, consistent checkpoints, and genuine employee ownership. Why Delegation So Often Turns Into Micromanagement Most leaders do not intend to micromanage. They want to protect the quality of the work, meet an important deadline, or ensure a strong customer experience. But when leaders dictate every step, employees become hesitant to make decisions without approval. John explains that leaders must clearly define the desired outcome and then give capable employees room to determine how to achieve it. Employees need to own more than the execution; they need to feel ownership over the approach and and the result. That means leaders must avoid "dropping an anchor" by presenting their preferred solution before employees have had an opportunity to think through the challenge themselves. How to Build Accountability Without Micromanaging Define What Victory Looks Like Before delegating a project, leaders must establish a clear objective, deadline, priorities, decision-making authority, and definition of success. A vague assignment followed by constant corrections is not accountability. It is confusion disguised as supervision. Establish a Consistent Check-In Cadence Accountability should prevent surprises. Weekly reports, one-on-one conversations, or structured operating systems such as EOS and Scaling Up allow leaders to identify obstacles before a commitment is missed. Instead of waiting until the deadline to ask what happened, leaders can ask: Where does the project stand? Are we still on track? What obstacle could prevent success? What support do you need from me? Give Employees Ownership of the Method Leaders should remain firm about the outcome while allowing employees flexibility in how they achieve it. When employees can contribute their ideas and place their fingerprints on a project, they become more invested in its success. Giving up control of the method can also produce a better result. John shares how The Customer Service Revolution Conference improved when the team took ownership of many aspects he had previously managed himself. Adjust Oversight to the Employee and the Risk Not every employee or assignment requires the same level of autonomy. New employees, emerging leaders, employees without a proven track record, and high-risk projects may require more collaboration and support. Closer oversight should be explained as coaching—not as punishment or a lack of trust. As the employee demonstrates sound judgment and consistent performance, the leader should intentionally step back. Why Leaders Must Let Employees Struggle Leaders who immediately step in to solve every problem unintentionally train employees to wait for answers. Failure, when handled constructively, gives employees an opportunity to learn, develop judgment, and become more capable. Instead of immediately providing the answer, ask the employee what they think should happen next. They may arrive at the same answer—or develop a better one. The goal is not to leave employees unsupported. The goal is to provide enough guidance for them to grow without making them dependent on the leader. Key Takeaways Accountability begins with a clear definition of the desired outcome. Employees should own the approach, not merely execute the leader's instructions. Weekly checkpoints help leaders identify delays and obstacles before deadlines are missed. Leaders should avoid changing priorities without explaining what happens to earlier commitments. New or inexperienced employees require more coaching until they establish a track record. Leaders should ask questions before jumping in with solutions. Failure can build confidence and judgment when it is treated as a learning opportunity. A company becomes stronger when its success does not depend on one indispensable person. Leaders create ownership by providing clarity, authority, support, and room to act. Memorable Quotes "Hire really good people, create what the outcomes need to look like, and then get out of their way." — John DiJulius "Besides just the execution, they need to own it." — John DiJulius "Your business is worth nothing if you're the most important person in the short term." — John DiJulius "You should never be surprised if you have a weekly cadence." — John DiJulius "Accountability doesn't require hovering. It requires clear expectations, agreed-upon checkpoints, honest feedback, and consistent follow-through." — Denise Thompson "Great leaders don't create people who wait for instruction. They create people who can be trusted to move the work forward." — Denise Thompson Episode Chapters 00:46 — Accountability versus micromanagement 01:32 — Why leaders must stop doing everything themselves 04:24 — What separates healthy accountability from control 06:40 — Developing inexperienced employees and future leaders 10:56 — Why capable leaders become micromanagers 13:24 — Establishing priorities through rocks and must-do commitments 17:21 — Managing the outcome without dictating every step 21:32 — How employee ownership improves the final result 23:30 — Building stronger leadership and service systems 24:13 — When leaders want employees to remain dependent on them 25:05 — Responding when an employee misses a commitment 27:33 — When closer supervision is appropriate 28:41 — A practical accountability system leaders can use 30:50 — Developing employees who are afraid to take risks 33:32 — What to ask instead of "Are you done yet?" 34:29 — Creating employees who can move work forward Resources Mentioned Entrepreneurial Operating System—EOS Scaling Up The Soul of a Start-Up—Harvard Business Review Build a Culture of Accountability and Ownership If your organization wants greater accountability, stronger leadership, and a more consistent employee and customer experience, The DiJulius Group can help. We work with organizations to build practical leadership and service systems that turn expectations into repeatable behaviors. Visit TheDiJuliusGroup.com or schedule a call at https://tdg.click/call. Links: ROX Dashboard:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/rox-dashboard/ The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ Company Service Aptitude Test:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/c-sat-forms/individual-c-sat/ Schedule a Complimentary Call with one of our advisors:  tdg.click/claudia Ask John!  Submit your questions for John, to be aired on future episode:  tdg.click/ask Customer Experience Executive Academy: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/project/cx-executive-academy/ Experience Revolution Membership:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Books:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/shop/ Contacts:  Lindsey@thedijuliusgroup.com , Claudia@thedijuliusgroup.com If you want to learn how world-class organizations build cultures customers cannot live without, explore The Experience Revolution Membership. Inside the membership you'll gain access to livestream workshops, practical frameworks, and proven strategies used by organizations around the world. Learn more at https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Learn More If your organization is working to improve customer experience but struggling to connect it to measurable business outcomes, The DiJulius Group can help. Visit: https://thedijuliusgroup.com Listen to more episodes: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/the-customer-service-revolution-podcast/ Subscribe We talk about topics like this each week; be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode.

Dave's summer vacation got cut from three months down to two, and Adam has a theory. New baby, plus he hasn't been working near as hard. Dave tried to get a second opinion from Anthony Fauci, who invoked the Fifth on advice of counsel, so we're left with the ruling as it stands. Either way, the new van is getting loaded and the Niles family is headed to a cabin in Michigan for two weeks. Fifties at night, fires in the morning and the evening, which means chopping enough firewood to replace what you burn. Golf, swimming, and a little aluminum fishing boat that Davey gets to ride in. Joseph and Joshua stay on shore. Joseph has a big knot on his head at the moment anyway.Sponsor: Amen app (from the Augustine Institute) Sunday morning in a Catholic family is not easy like Sunday morning. It's kids in the van, beat Father down the aisle, get to the pew. The Amen app is how the guys prepare their kids to receive the Gospel before Mass even starts, plus free access to Divine Mercy in My Soul and True Devotion to Mary. Since 2021 it's hit 950,000 downloads. Let's get them to a million. No paywall, no subscription, no upfront cost. Download the Amen app right now.Sponsor: Select International Tours When Adam and Dave went looking for help leading their first pilgrimage, every single person pointed them to Select International Tours. Having used them, the guys can vouch. Wherever in the world you want to go, head to selectinternationaltours.com and see what they have ready.On the drive back from Lady Pamela's family reunion in Arkansas, Dave counted three mopeds inside 45 minutes, which would be unremarkable in Portland and is deeply strange here. A moped gang remains unconfirmed but would be extremely cool. His reading time is going to Plato's Republic with the group at Deacon Harrison's house, book 10 now, while Adam has missed it all year and is on record that he'll haunt them if they kick him out.Dave also saw the new Odyssey movie, alongside Dr. Frank Grabowski, Juan in a dog onesie as Argos, and Deacon Harrison Garlick, who announced in the group text beforehand: "I have filled my heart with hate." Verdict, 7.5 for entertainment. They shouldn't have tried to cram the whole epic into one film, they changed the ending, which you can't do, and they folded the lotus eaters into Calypso's island. That last one guts the most important choice in the story. Odysseus rejects immortality for his family. That's the whole thing.The pour is Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey, the flagship, from a bottle the distiller sent the guys when the show started and that has sat on the shelf about ten years since. The label reads: Warning, contains high levels of manliness. No age statement, and no, ten years in your house doesn't count. Whiskey only ages in the barrel. Small batch, four barleys, virgin charred American white oak. Not bourbon, not 51% corn. Made in the style of Scotch, right here in America.Then the topic: the five precepts of the Church, Catechism 2041, page 548 if you've got the classic 90s edition. This is the Church flexing authority, which she rarely does. Most of what she does is defensive. Papal infallibility is a negative power, not a positive one. The precepts are different. They bind, and they're the floor, not the ceiling.Attend Mass on Sundays and holy days, and rest from servile labor. Everybody knows the first half. The second half is the one that stings, because going out to eat after Mass means you're compelling somebody else to work. Nurses show up, gas stations stay open, and nobody needs to be demolished by guilt over a trip to the store. Don't be a Pharisee about it. Do take it seriously.Confess your sins at least once a year, meaning your mortal sins. Go monthly anyway, and do a daily examination of conscience, because you can't remember what you ate two days ago, much less where you lost your temper 28 days ago. Dave prays to Our Lady on the way in: help me make this confession as if it were my last. Adam leaves his phone outside, because it's listening, and that's not a conspiracy. And if you deliberately hold a mortal sin back, the confession is invalid and you've just added to the pile. Compound interest is powerful. Compound sin is worse.Receive the Eucharist at least during the Easter season. Observe the days of fasting and abstinence, which used to be far heavier, and nothing is stopping you from going heavier now. Adam has never once enjoyed fasting. Dave eats nothing until dinner and swears he thinks more clearly for it. Both of them fast every Wednesday with a group of men and offer it up for their wives and their families. That's the domestic priesthood doing what it's for.And help provide for the needs of the Church. Notice it doesn't say if you can afford it. Money is the easy part. Time is the sacrifice, especially in the seasons of fatherhood when there isn't any. Fr. Brian O'Brien's answer when somebody says the church really ought to do this: "I totally agree. You should do it." Your kids need to see you make some of your time sacred, not because nothing else was asking for it, but because you told everything else no.It all lands on stewardship. You don't owe God 10%. You owe Him 100%. The house, the money, the hours, and most of all the kids were never yours, and He's going to want all of it back. Adam is honest about where that gets hard: leaving work drained, walking in the door, wanting to shut down instead of engage. The fix isn't willpower. It's routine. A liturgy of the home. Because those minutes belong to Him too, and at judgment there won't be a single moment that goes unjudged.One housekeeping note. The Camp Out is always the last weekend of September, so put it on the calendar now. Sign-ups open at the end of August, late on purpose, because opening early means people sign up and don't come, and space is limited. Patrons still come free. This year the guys will be asking for donations on site, because Patreon numbers are down and 100% of what comes in goes straight back into the show. Neither of them takes an income from it.Protect what you were given. Provide more than the minimum. Establish a house that looks like the King is coming back for it. Raise your glass.TOPICS COVEREDDave's summer vacation demoted from three months to two, with Fauci pleading the Fifth on the scienceTwo weeks at a Michigan cabin, chopping firewood to replace what you burn, and a little aluminum fishing boat15,000 miles on a brand new van because Oklahoma City is a multiple-times-a-week tripThree mopeds in 45 minutes in Arkansas, and the unconfirmed existence of a moped gangReading Plato's Republic with the group at Deacon Harrison's, book 10, and Adam's threat to haunt them if he gets kicked outThe new Odyssey movie reviewed: Juan in a dog onesie as Argos and Harrison Garlick arriving with his heart pre-filled with hateWhy folding the lotus eaters into Calypso's island wrecks the most important choice in the storyWhiskey of the week: Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey, on the shelf ten years, "warning, contains high levels of manliness"Why an age statement stops the day it's bottled, because whiskey only ages in the barrelWhat makes Stranahan's American whiskey and not bourbon: four barleys, virgin charred American white oak, made in the style of ScotchBringing back the old show warning, sporadically and without noticeThe five precepts of the Church, Catechism 2041, and why they're the floor and not the ceilingPapal infallibility as a negative, defensive power versus the precepts as the Church flexing positive authorityWhy the Church legislates as little as possible and prefers freedom from the law over obedience to itResting from servile labor: the case against going out to eat after Mass, and why nurses and gas stations are fineSt. John Chrysostom on why you cannot pray at home the way you pray in churchConfessing mortal sins at least once a year, and why monthly confession is the better habitThe daily examination of conscience as the thing that makes confession possible at allDave's prayer to Our Lady walking into the confessional: make this confession as if it were my lastWhy Adam leaves his phone outside the confessionalSt. Alphonsus Liguori on concealing sin, and why an intentionally incomplete confession is invalid and grave matterThe Easter duty and St. Thomas Aquinas on why the Eucharist completes what baptism beginsAquinas's threefold purpose of fasting, and why the second reason is the most interesting oneSt. Basil the Great: fasting as a weapon for the valiant and a gymnasium for athletesFasting every Wednesday with a group of men and offering it up for your wife and familyProviding for the needs of the Church with time, not just money, and Fr. Brian O'Brien's "you should do it"Why churches were built with a piazza out front, and what that says about communityStewardship: you don't owe God 10%, you owe Him 100%, and He wants your kids back"It's the King's house" as a reason to actually take care of what you haveComing home mentally exhausted and shutting down instead of engaging, and why routine beats willpowerThe liturgy of the home: building routines so a weak will has somewhere to fallCatholic Man Show Camp Out: always the last weekend of September, sign-ups open at the end of AugustREFERENCED IN THIS EPISODEBooks &...

What if healthcare's greatest barrier is not funding, technology, or policy, but leaders' lack of self-awareness? In this episode of SoundPractice, host Mike Sacopulos talks with Jess Bunin, MD, MHPE, FACP, FCCM, CEC, a psychiatrist, author, and co-founder of All Levels Leadership, a consulting firm designed to revolutionize healthcare leadership training. Dr. Bunin brings a perspective forged at West Point and through a military career that included deployment to Iraq, leadership as an ICU director and chief of critical care, and service as dean of community at the Uniformed Services University, the nation's military medical school. She argues that healthcare's deepest wounds are relational—and that healing them starts with leaders doing the hard work of understanding themselves. Dr. Bunin discusses: - Why physicians often overestimate their self-awareness, and what research reveals about the inverse relationship between confidence and competence. - How struggling as a program director helped her distinguish between mentoring for her own success and mentoring around a resident's needs. - How today's medical students and residents differ from those trained 15 years ago, and why digital communication, COVID, and political polarization have weakened the skills needed for productive disagreement. - How patients have changed as well, and why declining doctor-patient trust and the rise of Dr. Google make emotional attunement essential. - The CLEAR framework for civil discourse: Create psychological safety, Listen actively, Establish common ground, Adjust your thinking, and Respond skillfully. Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org

Business owners are some of the most courageous, capable, and ambitious people in the world. We create something from nothing, make decisions without guarantees, solve problems no one prepared us for, and continually become the person our business needs next.Yet even highly successful entrepreneurs can unconsciously hesitate when they reach the exact threshold they have worked so hard to create.The larger stage appears. The higher-caliber client enters the conversation. The meaningful partnership becomes possible. The business is ready to grow beyond what we personally deliver.And suddenly, growth is asking for more than another strategy.It is asking for an identity shift.In this episode, Tiffany explores identity lag: the distance between the opportunities available to you and the version of yourself you are still accustomed to being.Often, the identity creating the limitation is not an unsuccessful version of you. It is the hardworking service provider, behind-the-scenes expert, responsive leader, or deeply involved founder who created the success you have today.That version of you deserves to be honored. But it may not be equipped to lead what comes next.This episode explores how to consciously step into your next identity without manufacturing a new persona, exaggerating your authority, or abandoning who you are. It is an invitation to fully inhabit the experience, perspective, leadership, and capacity you have already spent years developing and become a responsible steward of the opportunities now available to you.Key TakeawaysGrowth eventually stops asking only for a better strategy and begins asking for a larger self-concept.Identity lag occurs when your business, opportunities, or external reputation have evolved faster than the way you see and relate to yourself.The identity you need to release may not be an unsuccessful one. It may be the highly capable version of you that created your current level of success.Qualities that helped you build the business (constant availability, customization, personal control, humility, and hard work) can become limitations when carried unchanged into the next stage.Successful business owners rarely hesitate in obvious ways. Hesitation can look like overdelivering, continuing to prove established value, hiding ideas inside practical advice, or holding onto responsibilities the business has outgrown.Your identity may not create every opportunity, but it influences which opportunities you recognize, pursue, accept, and allow yourself to keep.Claiming your authority is not about exaggerating your accomplishments. It is about no longer requiring another achievement every time you acknowledge what your existing body of work already demonstrates.The action that creates external evidence often requires an internal identity decision first.Authority is not only something you claim. It is something you become capable of holding responsibly.Identity becomes tangible through decisions: the pitch you send, the boundary you establish, the idea you publish, the support you accept, and the way you introduce yourself.The next version of you is not a manufactured persona. It is already appearing through the decisions, beliefs, opportunities, and responsibilities you are being asked to embrace.The Three Identity Shifts1. From Service Provider to AuthorityA service provider is known primarily for what they do.An authority is known for how they think.This does not mean you stop delivering excellent work or that execution becomes beneath you. It means the value of your business is no longer located only in the tasks you perform.It also lives in your perspective, frameworks, discernment, intellectual property, and the patterns you can recognize because you have spent years inside the work.At the service-provider level, the central question is often:“How can I prove I am good at this?”At the authority level, it becomes:“What conversation am I uniquely prepared to lead?”2. From Proving to ClaimingMany accomplished experts continue operating as though their authority is perpetually on trial.They overdeliver before anyone questions their value. They wait for another credential, stage, client, media feature, or achievement to give them permission to see themselves differently.But there will always be another piece of proof available.Claiming your authority does not mean presenting yourself as something you are not. It means no longer needing a new achievement every time you are asked to recognize what your experience and body of work already demonstrate.At some point, authority must become an internal decision as well as an external perception.3. From Ambition to StewardshipThe next identity shift is not simply about becoming more impressive, visible, or successful.It is about becoming a better steward of the message, ideas, team, community, impact, and opportunities available to you.Instead of asking:“Who am I to lead this?”You begin asking:“Who do I need to become to lead this responsibly?”This means developing the capacity to hold greater visibility, lead a larger team, maintain your standards in higher-stakes rooms, allow others to contribute, and remain connected to your own voice as more people respond to your work.Four Questions to Explore Your Identity Lag1. What opportunity do I say I want, but continue behaving as though I am not ready to receive?You may say you want to speak, but you are not pitching yourself.You may want partnerships, but continue waiting for others to find you.You may want higher-caliber clients, while your positioning still speaks to the earliest-stage audience you served years ago.Where are your stated ambitions and current behavior telling two different stories?2. What version of me created the success I have, but may not be able to lead what comes next?Perhaps it is the version of you who believes being valuable means always being available.The version who personally controls every detail.The version who remains behind the scenes because visibility feels self-promotional.The version who proves their value through exhaustion.You do not need to criticize or reject that version of yourself. Honor what they helped you build, and then ask whether your next chapter requires something different.3. Where am I asking for more proof when the real next step is a decision?What has your experience already demonstrated?What do you already know?What are you delaying because you believe another credential, testimonial, invitation, or year of preparation will finally make you feel ready?There may always be more to learn. But there also comes a point when preparation quietly becomes protection.4. What would change this month if I began acting as a responsible steward of the authority I have already earned?Would you send the pitch?Develop the keynote?Name the framework?Update your website or positioning?Ask for the introduction?Establish the boundary?Allow your team to take on more?Identity shifts become real when they begin changing your behavior.The Question to Carry ForwardWhat opportunity are you asking your business to create that your identity may not yet be prepared to hold?You do not have to become someone else.But you may need to stop operating only as the person you needed to be to get here, and begin leading as the person your next chapter requires.Mentioned Resources:Book a call with Tiffany to discuss your brand and how you can position yourself as an Authority and move to your next-level identity.Rate, Review, and Follow on Your Favorite Platform! If you loved this episode, leave us a review. And always make sure you're following the podcast so you never miss an episode. Follow now!

What separates elite performers from everyone else isn't skill, strategy, or preparation. It's psychology. Collin Henderson knows this firsthand. A former Division I wide receiver at Washington State University, seven-time author, and host of the Master Your Mindset podcast, Collin has spent his career cracking the code on peak performance — training number one NBA draft picks, Heisman football finalists, and top sales teams at Nike, Amazon, Salesforce, and Alaska Airlines. His new book, The Oz Method: Psychological Secrets of Influence for Sales, Leadership, and Life (IdeaPress, 2026), delivers a parable-driven framework inspired by L. Frank Baum's classic — and it just might change the way you sell, lead, and communicate forever. In this episode of the Business of Story, Collin reveals why sales psychology beats sales strategy every time. We unpack his five-part story framework — Set the Scene, Establish the Challenge, The Growth Journey, Face Your Fear, Resolution — and explore why the brain is hardwired to respond to problems before solutions. Collin also shares why your identity is the hidden ceiling on your performance, how "trauma, drama, daddy and mama" shapes the way high achievers either freeze or fly under pressure, and why boring will put you out of business faster than any competitor. This is a masterclass in the psychology of influence, the neuroscience of storytelling, and the courage it takes to communicate when the moment gets biggest. What you'll discover in this episode: The five-part story framework every seller, leader, and communicator needs to master. Why psychological readiness trumps preparation in high-stakes moments. How to close the gap between what your team can do and what they actually deliver Connect with Collin Henderson at thecolinhenderson.com and on LinkedIn and Instagram @ColinHendersonCoach. Find The Oz Method wherever books are sold. Learn more about the Business of Story at businessofstory.com.

Introduction: Why Are We Doing This? (Psalm 90): Because TIME IS SHORT . (Ps 90:1-12) Because GOD IS GOOD . (Ps 90:13-15) Because THERE IS WORK TO DO . (Ps 90:16-17) Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Gratitude - Part 2 Jeff Miller / Taylor Brown Download Audio Transcript Paster Jeff00:00Open up your Bibles with me please to the book of Psalms. And we will be looking at the 90th Psalm. I can think of a couple reasons now why we need a building on that property. Both of them pretty evident today, right? Alright, let's get into God's Word together. Pray for me please.Paster Jeff00:30A sermon in three acts. So you pray for Pastor Rich and Pastor Taylor. All right? And we all will pray for you. All right? Let's pray. Father in heaven, as we turn to your word now, I just pray for all of us that our hearts are open to receive what it is that you've taught us through your eternal word. Thank you, Father. Thank you for All that you have so richly blessed us with, but most of all, Father, for the salvation that we find in Christ, because otherwise we would be so lost and hopeless. Father, I thank you that you have left us a guarantee of your love for us, the provision of salvation, the means by which eternal life can be restored, Father. And I pray that you would help us all to just Zero in now in your word. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. I love the kid sounds, by the way. Not a distraction up here. Don't let it distract you. It's a sign of life. I love it. Alright? I told you before when I hear kids making noise, in my mind I just hear, Amen! Amen! Amen! That's how I hear that. So it just encourages me, alright? Psalm 90. Let's take a look.Paster Jeff02:00This is a prayer of Moses, the man of God. Verse 1, Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Again, this was written by Moses. And I thought, what an appropriate place for us to land today after this last series that Pastor Taylor took us through.Paster Jeff02:29The Psalm that was actually written by Moses. And look at what he says again in verse 1. Look close. Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. That's really a funny statement when you consider what was going on when Moses wrote this. You could say that Israel was between homes.Paster Jeff02:59Right? What is home? Anyways, I was thinking about that a lot as I was preparing for this. All the places I lived. I grew up in Shakura. Moved to Ohio for school where I lived probably a half a dozen different places during my years in Ohio. Then moved back to Butler where I lived on Locust Street and then on North Street and then on Pearl Street.Paster Jeff03:29And then we moved to Renfrew, Prospect, Chicago, back to Prospect, then to Economy, and now in beautiful Zillian Opal. Every time I moved, I swore it was the last time I was ever going to move. So I stopped doing that. But what is home? What is it? I think about the church, right?Paster Jeff03:59met at the meeting room in Pantera Bread. Lo these many years ago. Then we were in a man's basement. He knew. He was there. Then we met in the chiropractor's office. Marshall Middle School. Then 12330 Perry Highway Suite 100. And then almost 414 Klein Road, but right back to 12330.Paster Jeff04:29Perry Highway Suite 100. What is home? Well, if you're a believer, there's no place on earth that's ever really going to feel like home. Because earth is not our home. Wherever we are, wherever we are, that's what Moses is talking about here. Lord, You have been our dwelling place.Paster Jeff04:59Church, our dwelling place isn't this office building or even Klein Road or wherever the Lord has. Our dwelling place, Church, is the Lord. Wherever geographically that is, He is our dwelling place. Well, if this isn't our home, and if the new church building isn't something any of us are going to enjoy forever, then why are we...Paster Jeff05:29Why are we going to joyfully and gratefully go after the work of this church building? Why?Paster Jeff05:40So what's the point? Well, there's three points actually. Here's the first one that Moses reminds us this. Time is short.Paster Jeff05:52Time is short.Paster Jeff05:55Look at verses 2 through 6. He says, For the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.Paster Jeff06:08You return man to dust and say, Return, O children of man.Paster Jeff06:14For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday, when it is past, or as a watch in the night.Paster Jeff06:23You sweep them away as with a flood.Paster Jeff06:26They are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning. In the morning, it flourishes and is renewed. In the evening, it fades and withers. Time is short. Oh, not for God, right? He made that clear. From everlasting to everlasting, you are God. When God revealed to Moses what His name is, He said, his name is I Am. And that tells us everything we need to know about God. God's not I was, like you should have seen me in high school. I was in shape and good looking. No, no, God's not the I was. And God is not the I will be. Right? Like, you know what, Moses, I might not look like much now, but I'm exercising and I'm on this paleo diet.Paster Jeff07:26and I just did a juice cleanse and I'm seeing a good chiropractor and I'm going to be something great. No, no, no. He's not the I will be. He is the I am. He is the I am in Moses' day and he is the I am today. And Moses points out here, God is from everlasting to everlasting, but I think it's pretty obvious he says we are not. He says we're not.Paster Jeff07:56around you, you and I are here and gone. Right? Gone like what he tells us in verse 5. He uses three pictures here. First of all, he sweeped them away as with a flood. Could you imagine? Some of you can. Then he says, they're like a dream. I love that image. Have you ever, this happens to me all the the time. Have you ever had one of those dreams that seem like they take place over the course of like days or weeks and then you wake up and it's only been like, you've only been in bed like an hour? Has that ever happened to you? He's like, that's what man's like. We think this is like such a long thing, but it's over quick. He uses another image here that shouldn't be lost on us. He says, we're like grass. We're renewed in the morning. We flourish. We grow.Paster Jeff08:56in the evening we fade.Paster Jeff09:00We wither.Paster Jeff09:02Why is life so short?Paster Jeff09:05He tells us, look at verse 7.Paster Jeff09:07He says, For we are brought to an end by your anger.Paster Jeff09:13By your wrath, we are dismayed.Paster Jeff09:17You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins, in the light of your presence.Paster Jeff09:23For all our days pass away under your wrath. We bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are 70, or even by reason of strength 80, yet their span is but toil and trouble. They are soon gone, and we fly away.Paster Jeff09:53the power of your anger and your wrath according to the fear of you. Why is life so short? He just basically very poetically sums it up just as one concept. It's the curse of sin. It's because of sin that life is short. God promised Adam, the first man, if you sin against me, God literally says, dying you will die. You're going to get old and wear out and die. Dying you will die.Paster Jeff10:22It's an act of judgment from God on a world that's rejected Him.Paster Jeff10:30You're like, so what's the point?Paster Jeff10:33Why would Moses bring this up?Paster Jeff10:36Verse 12 is Moses' point.Paster Jeff10:39He says, so, this is his prayer to the Lord, should be ours.Paster Jeff10:43So, teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.Paster Jeff10:55Teach us to number our days. Okay, so the Bible says that we should number our days. So let's obey, shall we? How many days do you have left on this earth? How many days? Well, we'll take Moses' average here, right? Did you notice he says, in verse 10, 70 or 80. So we'll take the average, which is 75. All right, thank you, accountants. So if we take Moses' average, 75. Now that's just the average. This is an exercise, right? I did the math for you. Okay, so if you're 50, I'm not going to ask you to raise your hand with your age or anything like that, right? Okay, so So if you're 15 years old, you're sitting here today and you're 15 years old, do you know how many days you have left on this earth? 21,900. All right? If you're 25, you have 18,250. If you're 35, you have 14,600 days left on this earth. If you're 45, you have 10,950 days left on the earth.Paster Jeff12:21If you're 55, you have 7,300 days left on the earth. And if you're 65, you have 3,650 days left on the earth. And if you are 75, you're done. Anything over that is borrowed time.Paster Jeff12:54That's really not the point, is it? I don't think Moses was calling us to some numeric exercise, was he? Here's the point. Moses is not asking that God helps us consider when we may die, but that God helps us consider how we live our short lives. You see, We don't know the number of days that each of us have, but it's knowing that our days on the earth have a number. We just don't know what it is. I mean, what if you don't make the average? I mean, our family's high score is 73. Both of my parents died at 73. What if you don't make the average?Paster Jeff13:52What if your number of days left is 30? Would that change the way you live August? What if the number of days left is 7? Would that change your week? What if the number of days you have left is 1? How would you live today? Because wisdom says, make the most out of however many days I have left. And I will remind you that time is like money. If you're not deliberate in how you spend it, it's going to be gone, and you're not going to know where it went. So this church building that we've been talking about, building, church, this is one way that you can make the most of your short days.Paster Jeff14:52by praying, by giving, by serving. Because we live in a day when more and more people... No, it's always been that way with people. The thing that concerns me is we live in a day when more and more churches, churches are rejecting the Word of God, rejecting the love of God, rejecting the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And this church building, Is our flag in the ground where we say not here? Not here.Paster Jeff15:32If we learned anything when we studied Jesus' parable of the talents, He's given every one of us resources and opportunity to use in this short time that we have on this earth.Paster Jeff15:43And the Bible says He's coming back.Paster Jeff15:46And He wants to see what we did with what He's entrusted to us.Paster Jeff15:53And that's one of the things that gets me excited about this church building. When the Lord returns, I want to be able to point to that building and say, here, this was for you. This was for you. This is what we did with the opportunity and resources that you gave us. Jesus, this is what we did. We established a place where your word was not going to be denied, where your word was not going to be compromised, but it was going to be preached, It was going to be lifted up. We were going to train other people how to preach your word. This is a place where missionaries were sent out. Because though the last, excuse me, though the first Adam, the first Adam brought sin and death, the Bible says the last Adam. Jesus Christ, through His death and resurrection, brought forgiveness and life.Paster Jeff16:51to share this good news.Paster Jeff16:55Teach us to number our days.Paster Jeff16:58That we may get a heart of wisdom.Paster Jeff17:03Our time is short.Paster Jeff17:05So let's wise up.Paster Jeff17:07Let's make the most of them.Paster Jeff17:09Pastor Rich.Pastor Rich17:11So as Jeff said, why are we doing this?Pastor Rich17:15Why are we seeking to build this new place of worship?Pastor Rich17:18Because God is good.Pastor Rich17:21God is good. Look at verses 13 through 15 with me. Return, O Lord, how long? Have pity on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us and for as many years as we have seen evil. Verses 1 through 12 impressed on us that life is brief.Pastor Rich17:50So the question is, what should we do with this short, momentary, vapor of a life that has been granted to us? Jeff's statistics hit home. I'm not 35. Yeah, how should we spend it? Should we spend it worshiping ourselves, seeking comfort, material gain, wealth, fame, and a name for ourselves?Pastor Rich18:20Eat, drink, and be merry since tomorrow we die. Now Psalm 90 reminds us that satisfaction is not found in any of those things. Rather, satisfaction is found only in the Lord himself. Verse 14 says, Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. See, to be satisfied is to be filled up. The image is a full stomach, right? After a good meal, When you're satisfied, nothing else is needed. You're completely content. We all know that that satisfaction is temporary. It doesn't last. That's why Moses cries out to God that you, Lord, you be our satisfaction. Satisfaction in the Lord is permanent because he is eternal.Pastor Rich19:19He is the I Am. This image is similar to that of Psalm 23.1 where David writes, the Lord is my shepherd. The Lord, Yahweh, the I Am is my shepherd. Nothing I lack. Well, how about you? Are you satisfied in God and God alone? Or do you need other things to be satisfied? And when you don't have those things, what do you do?Pastor Rich19:49Do you become resentful toward God and grumble and complain? What do you think you deserve? What causes you to complain against our good God? You know, I've thought a great deal about Pastor Taylor's sermon from last Sunday and the infectious disease of complaining. Complaining stems from ingratitude, and the sermon really challenged me to be thankful about everything. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to be thankful to God for everything, every event, every circumstance in life. Because if I'm spending my time being thankful for everything, I'll have very little time to complain about anything. I'm thankful for how things turned out this morning. This rain was an opportunity to complain and grumble and like, man, nothing ever goes right. Nothing ever works.Pastor Rich20:49And I'm thankful. I'm thankful. Everybody is here. I'm thankful for the folks who showed up here, set the auditorium, got ready to worship. And here we are lifting our voices in praise to God. Amen. I want to be thankful to God in ways that show that I am really thankful with my whole heart, thankful in ways that honor him and glorify him because he is good.Pastor Rich21:19I ought to do that. Why? Because as we begin to be thankful for everything, we will see how incredibly generous God is toward us. And as we see how generous God is, we will indeed rejoice and be glad all of our days. He will indeed make us glad for as many days as he afflicted us. And why were we afflicted?Pastor Rich21:49Why are we afflicted?Pastor Rich21:51Because we complain instead of praise.Pastor Rich21:56Remember, this was a song of Moses, so he could have written it in response to any one of the many times the people grumbled and complained against God and felt his stern discipline.Pastor Rich22:09So we should instead praise and give thanks.Pastor Rich22:14Well, what exactly has God so generously given each one of us? There are gifts that every one of us here has in equal, overflowing, abounding measure. I don't have more of these gifts than you do. You have these same gifts in equal measure as Peter, James, and John, as much as George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, and Barnabas over in Thailand. The real question is, how much do you lay hold of these good gifts with a grateful heart? The psalm tells us the first and most important gift that God has generously bestowed on us is himself. When you have him, you have all you need to be satisfied. We are assured of his presence with us. It's why Moses says, satisfy us with your steadfast love. That is, Lord, your fill us with who you are lord a god merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness keeping steadfast love for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin how intently do you seek to know him you are in christ if you have confessed him as your Lord and Savior. He abides in you. Are you gratefully abiding in him? Second, he is generously giving you life and breath. He sustains you. You have the privilege of this brief life to enjoy him, to enjoy his creation and all the things he has created. You have the privilege in participating in rest and work, enjoying food and drink, days and seasons.Pastor Rich24:09Rain and sun and sea is handiwork in everything around you. And in Christ, we're going to enjoy all these things forever. Third, you have the joy of loving and being loved generously. In your salvation, you are placed into perfect relationship with the triune God who overflows with steadfast love.Pastor Rich24:38And you're in a new relationship to every person. And in such relationships, you can extend grace and mercy and love to others. You can seek forgiveness and grant forgiveness. We are made new for the purpose of generously living out the gospel in real time with real people. That time is brief. So be thankful for it and generous with it.Pastor Rich25:07Fourth, he has granted you citizenship in his glorious kingdom. He has delivered you from the domain of darkness and transferred you into the kingdom of his beloved son. Moreover, he has given you authority to rule with him here in this world in the midst of his enemies. And how do we rule? We rule by sharing the gospel of Christ, seeing enemies converted into children of God and seeing them become.Pastor Rich25:37are brothers and sisters in Christ.Pastor Rich25:41And yes, because he is a good father, he has given you all you need.Pastor Rich25:47Is there anyone here who truly lacks anything?Pastor Rich25:52There may be plenty of worldly and material things that you want, and you know, you may have even convinced yourself that you need these things.Pastor Rich26:02But the reality is that we individually and collectively are among the wealthiest people who have ever lived on the face of the earth. God has indeed shown us his steadfast love and dealt with us all, every one of us here, generously. So what kind of people then ought we to be? We ought to be grateful, thanking God profusely for all he has put into our hands We ought to strive to lay hold of the full and abundant life we have in God our Savior. We ought to be generous toward God and toward others with the same level of generosity that he has bestowed on us. We should be generous towards God and others with our time. Generous towards God and others with love. Generous towards God and others with the resources that God has generously bestowed on us.Pastor Rich27:02We should be gracious in showing mercy, generous in extending grace, and generous in showing hospitality. Our Father has been so, so good to harvest for nearly 15 years. He has been exceedingly generous to us for all that time. Just look around you. And if we had been at the property this morning, there would be so much to see and thankful for.Pastor Rich27:32But look at his generosity and the evidence of his desire to use harvest for his glory. To use you and your generosity for his glory. We are doing this because he is good. And he wants you to join him in this endeavor. There is more to do. And Pastor Taylor is going to tell us about that. Parents and children, don't worry. As the third preacher this morning, I know it's my job to be short.Pastor Taylor28:02I'm going to try my best. So why are we doing this? First, because time is short. Second, because God is good. And thirdly, and finally, because there is work to do. Moses has a final request of the Lord in verse 16. He says, let your work be shown to your servants and your glorious power to their children. In other words, God, do what only you can do. Be at work in our lives. Be at work in the lives of others. You know, growing up, dads can seem very mysterious to their children. Especially when they are gone for eight or more hours of the day going to a place called work. You don't know what they do at work, but you know it's very important. You know that it's a very big deal. Very often, my kids will get sad when I have to go to work. They'll say, oh, why are you going to work, dad? I'll ask them questions. Do you like eating? Do you like wearing clothes?Pastor Taylor29:02Do you like not living outside? Yes. Then I have to go to work. For 40 years, my dad was in the orthopedic sales business. He would sell replacement hips, knees, shoulders, and other equipment. He would be a consultant in the operating room, and the doctors could ask him questions as they did the surgery. And as a child, none of those things really made sense to me. My dad's job was a big mystery.Pastor Taylor29:32changed in third grade when my dad came in for career day to explain what his job was. And my dad did more than just that. He brought a small pair of scrubs, a mask, and a beeper for me to wear. Kids, if you don't know what a beeper is, find someone older and ask them about it. After I suited up, my dad had me hold and hand out replacement joints to my classmates. My dad was so happy to include me, and I felt so cool to be included. As long as I live, I'll never forget that day because I got to be a part of my dad's work. For a very short time, I was in the orthopedic sales business. I got to see my dad at work and join him in his work. Do you know that we get to see our heavenly father at work? We get to join him in his Our dad is at work all the time and his work isn't a mystery. We're told in scripture what this work is. Our dad is in the salvation business. He is in the business of changing lives both now and forever. We have been recipients of our dad's work. We have been saved. We have been forgiven. We have been transformed. We have been changed. We've been given a church family to belong to.Pastor Taylor31:01We have been recipients of our dad's work. But even more than that, we get to join our father in his work. We get to be co-laborers with our dad. Did my dad need me all those years ago? I think he could have explained his job perfectly well without me. My dad didn't need to use me, but he wanted to use me.Pastor Taylor31:31need to use us. No. He doesn't need me. He doesn't need you. He doesn't need Pastor Jeff, Pastor Rich, Brian Behe, Justin Katie. He doesn't need anybody or anything. He is 100% self-sufficient every single way. He doesn't need to use us, but he wants to use us. It's a good feeling to be needed. It's an infinitely greater feeling.Pastor Taylor32:01to be wanted.Pastor Taylor32:03Do you truly believe that God wants to use you?Pastor Taylor32:07That He desires to use you?Pastor Taylor32:11God wants to include you in His work of saving the lost.Pastor Taylor32:15Of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.Pastor Taylor32:17Of building this church.Pastor Taylor32:19Of sanctifying His people.Pastor Taylor32:21We have been called into the family business.Pastor Taylor32:25We are in the business of seeing our Heavenly Father save sinners and change lives.Pastor Taylor32:31There is no greater calling. There is no more meaningful work. There is no better job in the entire world. But we cannot do our dad's work in our own power. We desperately need his help. We need to pray the words of Moses in verse 17. He says, Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands upon us. Yes! Establish the work of our hands. What we build will crumble unless God sustains it. What we achieve will fade away unless God blesses it. It's easy to look at a massive project like building this building and be overwhelmed. It's easy to think, well, how's this going to happen? There's so much money to raise. There's so much How is this going to happen? You know, I know exactly how it's going to happen. God will make it happen. He will be at work in and through us like he always has been. God is at work behind the scenes and through you as well. Instead of falling back into fear, let's lean forward in hope. Let's boldly and passionately pray for the Lord's gracious favor.Pastor Taylor33:52And that word for favor in verse 17 can also be translated as approval, delight, or beauty. A proud dad delights when his children try their best. A proud dad approves when his kids make an effort and do not phone it in. A proud dad smiles when his kids work hard and do not give up. It's like Moses praying, Lord, smile upon the work of your people.Pastor Taylor34:22Let's pray the same exact thing this morning. Lord, smile upon the work of Harvest Bible Chapel. Smile upon this building project. Smile upon our effort to build a bigger space where more people can worship you, encounter you, and learn about the good news of Jesus Christ. So let's pray right now that we would get to work and that God would establish the work of our hands. Father, we thank you so much for who you are. We thank you so much for all that you do for us.Pastor Taylor34:57As Pastor Rich already said, we so often complain when things don't go according to plan.Pastor Taylor35:02Instead, let us always give thanks because you are always at work.Pastor Taylor35:06You're always doing something that we can't see.Pastor Taylor35:10You are always changing lives.Pastor Taylor35:11You are always doing amazing things behind the scenes.Pastor Taylor35:17Lord, from a human standpoint, I don't know how this building project is going to work.Pastor Taylor35:21I don't know how all the details are going to come together. But the great thing is I don't have to worry about that because you have it all figured out. You will make it happen, Father. You will bring about what you want in this building project. We trust you because you are the I Am. From everlasting to everlasting, you are God. We thank you that you don't need us, but you choose to use us anyway. We ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen.Pastor Taylor35:51So before we close, I want to read verse 17 again. Let your work be shown to your servants and your glorious power to their children. We seek to put up this new building for the sake of our children. For the sake of the next generation encountering the glorious power and life-giving work of our great God. We want a safe place for our kids to be kids. To have fun. To have joy in the Lord. And to be trained for the work of God themselves. So we're actually going to put the kids to work right now. So kids, come forward. You're actually going to be singing for the entire church. So if you're able to sing, come forward kids and get ready to sing our song. Hey, that was fantastic, guys.Paster Jeff36:53Don't you think they should do that song with you? And by the way, if you're like, that's kid stuff. Remember Levi's sermon on Wednesday night? Unless you have the faith of a child, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. We are all called to have this kind of excited faith that is so joyful at what the Lord is doing.Paster Jeff37:21So let's stand. Let's all be VBS kids right now, alright? Small Group DiscussionRead Psalm 90What was your big take-away from this passage / message?BreakoutPray prayers of specific things you are thankful for.

Lynn Shaw Speaks With Lionel About the Huge Battle for the Safety of Kids Agasint Big Tech. And Lobbyisty. Spotlighting That a New Act From Congress Is Aiming to Establish a Duty of Care for Tech Giants, Forcing Them to Prioritize User Safety Over Advertising Revenue.

(2:00) Corey starts us off with a defense of Michael Alford (10:00) Student-athlete (15:00) Betting on FSU (24:00) How to make your kid an FSU fan (29:00) How to convince adults to respect FSU (37:00) Offensive potential greater or lesser than last year (45:00) Establish, stop run (56:00) Ashton Daniels, Charlie Ward and ball security Music: Cursive - The Avalance Of Our Demise Follow CumminsLifestyle on IG   Upgrade your wallet today! Get 10% Off @Ridge with code WAKEUP at https://www.Ridge.com/WAKEUP #Ridgepod   Download Cash App Today: https://click.cash.app/ui6m/7v4dbwf9 #CashAppPod. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa® Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. See terms and conditions for the Sutton prepaid card, Sutton debit flex card, and Bancorp debit flex card.  Savings provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(2:00) Corey starts us off with a defense of Michael Alford (10:00) Student-athlete (15:00) Betting on FSU (24:00) How to make your kid an FSU fan (29:00) How to convince adults to respect FSU (37:00) Offensive potential greater or lesser than last year (45:00) Establish, stop run (56:00) Ashton Daniels, Charlie Ward and ball security Music: Cursive - The Avalance Of Our Demise Follow CumminsLifestyle on IG   Upgrade your wallet today! Get 10% Off @Ridge with code WAKEUP at https://www.Ridge.com/WAKEUP #Ridgepod   Download Cash App Today: https://click.cash.app/ui6m/7v4dbwf9 #CashAppPod. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa® Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. See terms and conditions for the Sutton prepaid card, Sutton debit flex card, and Bancorp debit flex card.  Savings provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

#top .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-98191d0f547ef706035ac722b608a1f6{ padding-bottom:10px; } body .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-98191d0f547ef706035ac722b608a1f6 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{ font-size:25px; } .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-98191d0f547ef706035ac722b608a1f6 .av-subheading{ font-size:15px; } Through My Bible Yr 03 – July 31Amos 5 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – July 31 Amos 5 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0731db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Mourning for Fallen Israel 1 Listen to this word that I am raising against you as a lament, [1] O house of Israel: 2 Virgin Israel has fallen, and she will not rise again.     She is abandoned on her own soil.     There is no one to lift her up. 3 For this is what the Lord God says:     A city that marches out with a thousand will have a hundred left.     A city that marches out with a hundred will have ten left for the house of Israel. Seek the Lord and Live! 4 Listen, this is what the Lord says to the house of Israel:     Seek me and live! 5 But do not seek Bethel.     Do not go to Gilgal.     Do not travel to Beersheba,     because Gilgal surely will go into exile,     and Bethel will become nothing. 6 Seek the Lord and live,     or he will rush upon the house of Joseph like fire.     The fire will consume, and no one will extinguish it for Bethel. 7 There are some who turn justice into wormwood, [2]     who throw righteousness to the ground. 8 There is one who made the Pleiades and Orion,     who turns the shadow of death into morning,     who darkens day into night,     who summons the waters of the seas,     who pours them out upon the face of the earth—     the Lord is his name. 9 He causes destruction to flash against a stronghold,     and destruction comes upon a fortress. 10 There are those who hate an arbitrator [3] in the city gate. [4]     They despise anyone who speaks honestly. 11 That is why you trample on the poor,     and you collect taxes on their grain.     You have built houses of cut stones,     but you will not live in them.     You have planted choice vineyards,     but you will not drink their wine. 12 For I know that your rebellious deeds are many,     and your sins are numerous,     you who are enemies of a righteous man,     you who take bribes.     They thrust away needy people in the city gate. 13 That is why a prudent man will be silent in that time,     because it is an evil time. 14 Seek good and not evil, so that you may live,     and then it will be like this for you:     The Lord, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you claim. 15 Hate evil and love good.     Establish justice in the city gate.     Perhaps the Lord, the God of Armies,         will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. 16 Therefore, this is what the Lord says,     the God of Armies, who is the Lord:     In the city squares there will be grief,     and in the streets they will say, “Woe, woe!”     They will summon the farmer to mourn     and the professional mourners to sing laments. 17 In all the vineyards there will be grief,     because I will pass through your midst, says the Lord. The Day of the Lord Brings Darkness 18 Woe to those who long for the Day of the Lord!     What good will the Day of the Lord be for you?     It will be darkness and not light. 19 It will be as if a man flees from a lion,     but a bear meets him,     or he enters a house and rests his hand on a wall,     but a snake bites him. 20 Will not the Day of the Lord be darkness and not light,     gloom without a trace of brightness? The Lord Hates Faithless Worship 21 I hate, I reject, your festivals!     I do not delight in the aroma of the sacrifices at your sacred convocations. 22 Even if you offer up to me your whole burnt offerings and your grain offerings,     I will not accept them.     I will not pay any attention to your fellowship offerings of fattened calves. 23 Get the noise of your songs away from me!     I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 But let justice roll like the waters,     and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. 25 Did you bring me sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? 26 You lifted up images of Sakkuth, your king,     and of Kiyyun, your star god, which you made for yourselves. [5] 27 So I will exile you beyond Damascus,     says the Lord, whose name is the God of Armies. Footnotes Amos 5:1 Or sad song Amos 5:7 Wormwood is a toxic, bitter-tasting substance (absinthe). Amos 5:10 Or a mediator Amos 5:10 The city gate served as the courthouse. Amos 5:26 The form and meaning of several of the terms and names referring to gods in verse 26 are uncertain. The terms seem to refer to astral deities, most likely including Saturn. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-aocsdx-89cb4ca21532423cf697fc393b6fcee0{ height:10px; } The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-4vzadh-3f04b370105df1fd314a2a9d83e55b26{ height:50px; } Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

Re-releasing a Dental A-Team podcast favorite! Tiff is on the pod to chat with Kiera about an office she just visited which needed some attention on its collections and accounts receivable. To give an idea of where this practice sits at, its collections are at 80% and case acceptance is at 56%. Tiff shares three points she touched on with this office: Three tactics to put into place to raise collections Establish tracking methods Spun complaints in a positive direction Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera. And today we are bringing you something so special. I am so excited because this is one of our most popular episodes from the archives. Whether you're hearing this for the first time or catching it again, I am so excited because it's jam packed with a ton of takeaways that you can start using right now in your practice. We have released thousands, literally thousands of episodes. And I wanted to start bringing a few of these amazing episodes back for you. So I hope you enjoy. And as always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time.   on the Dental A Team podcast.   speaker-0 (00:32) and you guys don't worry. We say we travel in the Dental A Team, and this time you might actually hear proof of it because I have the one and only Tiffanie Trader back on the podcast. She is getting ready to fly home, just finish up with an office, and we definitely got her to podcast while she's at the airport. So Tiff, where are you at today? How is this podcasting going?   speaker-1 (00:54) podcasting is gonna be fantastic because it is because I put it out there into the universe and I am I'm actually in DC, which is funny because it's funny because I thought I I thought I booked a different airport and I thought I booked an airport I had been to and then on the way here I was like, Yeah, I've surely never actually even been to DC and anyways it's been fun. This is how my life is.   speaker-0 (01:18) So funny travel story about Tiffanie and airports. We always giggle about this. Tiff, do you want to tell about the one time like this is like real life consulting one one for you guys? Do you remember the time that you maybe missed your alarm? You set like twenty five of them, but that's fine. Like I've seen your phone and there are seriously like, Wake up, no, like really wake up. No, like you've got to get out of bed. Like that's all your alarms that you have. But like what happened that time? Because it was a really funny travel experience.   speaker-1 (01:42) Here's the thing, Kiera. I just want to point out that I am in Virginia right now. It's   speaker-0 (01:47) Yeah.   speaker-1 (01:48) the only state that I have ever, ever, ever had any travel mishaps of any sort have been either coming to or leaving Virginia. I have Virginia stuck   speaker-0 (01:59) Is your   speaker-1 (02:00) here. I've gotten stuck here on a layover. Like Virginia just doesn't want me to leave, I think. So I slept through my alarm leaving New York, coming to Virginia.   because my flight was at six thirty in the morning, which is if you know me at all is not   speaker-0 (02:16) It's okay. It's all right. We all make decisions that we shouldn't have done. And I'll be honest, sometimes when we're like booking the travel, we're like, yeah, that seems like a really good idea until we actually have to live the travel we booked for ourselves and we're like, That was a really bad idea. So   speaker-1 (02:30) It was a poor choice.   speaker-0 (02:32) You're   up late. I remember you were texting me late at night that night and I'm like, Tiff, your freaking flight leaves so early tomorrow and you're like, I'll be fine   speaker-1 (02:40) Yes, but I was fine because I actually figured out that it was quicker to drive to where I needed to be than to fly anyway. So   speaker-0 (02:49) Only after she missed her flight. So it was you know a win.   speaker-1 (02:52) Because   I had to pivot. I had to be at an office that afternoon and I was like, shoot, how do I do this? So pivot or die is like what we live and breathe by. so I mapped it and I went and I got a car and the car rental guy was like, my gosh, this is absurd. so I drove a car from New York to Virginia and it was by far my favorite road trip of working experience because it was beautiful. I got this in so many I went through   It was like fall time, but I got snow, I got fall leaves changing. I have like every possible season.   speaker-0 (03:27) It's   one of favorite stories that I definitely feel like needed to be recorded for all of our posterity to hear and all of you listeners. So this might be mine and Tiff's like journal time over here. But this is liter   speaker-1 (03:36) I think I've I think I've now flown out as of today. I will have flown in and out of every airport in Virginia.   speaker-0 (03:45) Well, I'm glad that you're able to get the last one knocked off your list today. but you guys, that's literally the day in life of a consultant. I think it's it's fun to point out the fact that like in offices when things don't go as planned, like literally pivot. I know Tip and I have many times, I mean the time that I almost got deported out of Canada, hashtag I was literally a one hour drive across the border, but no, I flew back down to New Jersey and then back trying to get across the border.   And it would have been way better had I just driven. So I think also it's like looking at it. I mean, had we mapped it, now when people are booking travel, we're always thinking like, Could you drive there faster than flying? 'Cause there's always alternatives. So I love it. Welcome to Virginia. I'm glad you're coming home. Glad your office was there. Let's kinda like   speaker-1 (04:29) office was in New Orleans. It's   fine.   speaker-0 (04:34) Everything's fine, guys. Everything's fine. We are totally competent in dental offices and we're about like seventy-five, eighty percent competent traveling. We have that like twenty percent lack that we definitely are not great at.   speaker-1 (04:44) It   just needed to hit Virginia as a state this year, so I got it in.   speaker-0 (04:48) Good job, Tiff. So actually let's like deep dive on your practice you just came from. this is not the topic we were going to go on, but I just realized like we're talking about you leaving an office. Kinda walk us through some of the things you just implemented in that practice that you were in, just so people can kind of get an experience of what it's like having a consultant in their practice.   speaker-1 (05:05) Yeah, I think that's fun. Yep. So this was and I love a bit or die.   speaker-0 (05:10) Don't worry, we had a totally different topic, but like why not why not just keep with this consulting travel theme?   speaker-1 (05:16) I like it. So yes. this is my second time in the practice. This was Ashley actually saw this practice probably like a year ago, I suppose. so she saw them first and Ashley's no longer with us, wildfires, crying, lots of tears.   speaker-0 (05:29) Decided   to get married and move away and become a practice manager. It's fine. That office got real lucky. I shout out to them.   speaker-1 (05:37) Yeah. So anyways, this is their third visit. So it's really cool to see the progression and the growth that they've experienced, but then also like the holdups that they've had. So it's like, yes, we've been consulting them for a little over a year now. but there's still so much to be done. So this week what we did yesterday and today was we focused really heavily on collections and AR because they're just   struggling a little bit in that area and they're having a hard time dialing it into where it's coming from. So it was really fun because we saw the issue and then what I did was I kind of worked my way backwards, right? Because I think in any practice you can find something that's wrong and then I can tackle that person. Right. So I can go straight for the billing representative and the office manager and be like, why aren't you collecting? Where's your money? But it's not just them.   that are the the only cause of that, right? So the only effect of the cause. So we backtracked, we looked at everything, we realized, hey, patients aren't always getting signed treatment plans. Like patients aren't even they're not always getting told what they're going to owe in the first place. So then when they're coming in, it's a little bit more difficult to collect because I noticed we have a crown you know, a crown was in last week and they paid a hundred dollars. And so if you know anything about   Crowns in dental insurance, typically a hundred dollars is not going to be the copay required. So I thought, okay, why is this patient only paid a hundred dollars? Well, probably because this patient was not prepared to pay the six hundred dollars that he had owed when he came in. So we kind of backtracked. So we figured out, okay, our collections percentage is low. It's about 86% for last month, and overall for the year they're hovering in the mid 80s.   I like to see ninety eight percent for my practices or higher. I usually tell my Medicaid practices, Medicaid slash PPO providers, ninety-three to ninety-five percent just because Medicaid takes so long. So ninety-eight percent is what we're looking for here in this practice. So eighty six percent was like, my gosh, how are how are we paying the bills? So we back chopped and we started implementing they did NDTR for us like a boss. We've done that twice to the guys don't know the N D T   speaker-0 (08:00) And you're new, that's a perfect handoff. So next visit, date, time, recare. And I will say it's magic sauce when people do it. So good to know this office was which is great. It's good. Like Tip, I love that you're breaking this down. And I think offices should do this. Like when you find a gaping hole, don't go after it. Look at all the pieces that factor in to find out where is the true breakdown. So we already know that the handoff and the doctor exam   is spot on. We are crushing that. Our handoffs are good. Our doctor exams are great. So that's not the cause of the collections being low. Like good job Tiff of checking that box to ensure and I hope people are able to see that that that's what you're doing in this. Like you're assessing to find out where the breakdown is at.   speaker-1 (08:38) And I think that's right. And as you're saying that, it made me think of like treatment planning, right? So doctors, you go in the operatory and if you just looked at a tooth and you saw this this piece of decay, right? No x-ray, nothing else. You just look at the tooth, you're like, okay, there's decay there. We need to get it out. Let's do a filling. Okay. So you do a filling, you get in there, because you haven't looked at the x-ray yet, you get in there and you're like, holy cow, that's not the only problem. So I think of it as like   You go in, you look at the tooth, but you also look at the x-rays and all the other evidence that you have. You look at you know, intra-oral photos, you look at structure, all of these items to assess what the patient needs on that tooth. So if you look at the x-ray, maybe the x-ray shows like all of this patient's pain is actually stemming from a huge abscess at the root of the tooth. Had we not looked at the x-ray, we might have just tried to fill it, right? So I kind of think of that of something like that when I go into practices. So I do see, okay, there's an   issue so we're we're bleeding money right so there's an issue but what's the root cause of it so I think that's great what you said Kiera because it made me think of that like it's really we go in and we dig for the root cause so overhead is high collections are low so what's the root cause so handoffs are working great the diagnosis is there the treatments there the schedule's pretty full right they're producing 120 grand with two doctors and two hygienists that's not bad per month   so we really diagnosed. So we ramped up treatment planning with the front office, ramped up treatment planning, which should ramp up over the counter collections, and then we tackled cancellations, which I think cancellations across the board, across the country, and all of my practices have been really high lately. I think it's just a product of the mentality that we're living in right now, and a product of what we've become. So that aside, we just set some new goals. So   Over the counter collections and collections in general, they I set them another goal. So their goal now is 98% by the end of the year. Okay, and remember they're at about 86% now. Case acceptance, they're doing dollar for dollar. So case acceptance, dollar for dollar is set at 75% is their goal. They're hovering at about 56% right now. And then I want to see cancellations at less than 10% every day. So they'll do that by week and they're tracking all of those items.   It is actually really fun to hammer in the collections because the front office ladies are like, I don't know what I don't know why she keeps saying collections, collections, why are you saying collections is an issue? We collect the money. We collect all the money over-the-counter. We we don't let patients leave without paying. And so I said, Okay, totally fine. So, what we did was we set, we created a new tracker, right? So I created a tracker for them for over-the-counter collections. If they do not   collect in full from a patient, they've got to put it on the tracker. So it's just in their Google spreadsheets, something the office manager can check in on, but it's going to hold them accountable. So number one, I saw that you know we had a few patients we weren't collecting over-the-counter 100% from. So there should be some names on there. Number two, they're not going to want to fill out the tracker and they're not going to want anyone to see your name on there. So hopefully it will ramp up that over-the-counter collections.   But then also they had a good point. If they feel like they're collecting over the counter correctly, maybe it's on the back end where it's like our claims, you know, our treatment plans are are not accounting for downgrades, and maybe our claims are coming in, EOVs are being paid, and we're left with balances, it will show. So I took the problem, diagnosed what needed to happen, implemented three items and three different goals that should help. And then   allowed them the grace and the space to say, okay, fantastic. We're gonna push real hard on these items to ensure that your over the counter collections is happening exactly how you're saying that it is, just because I want you guys to kill it. And the proof will be in the end. Right. So if I see that over the counter collections is better and now our overhead is decreasing our collections is higher, then I know we tackle the problem.   If it's not and it stays where it is, and we start saying, okay, it's actually left over after insurance, we actually tackled that problem as well because we've we have our insurance, the team who's doing the insurance verifications are gonna start they're putting down grades in now. so that should be resolved as well. But it was kind of fun to see where it's like sometimes we think we're doing something and we can say, like, I always do this thing, which always and never are never accurate, right? So like   always well whenever I think like I always do it I'm like okay so I don't always do it so I need to like back off and take a look at the area where I probably could improve. So as soon as I hear something that I'm like okay I totally get it. It's like a it's a defensive space and we do feel like we're killing it in that area and it's great if we are you might be so we're gonna put this into place to see that to show it. So let's prove that you are doing the things and it's not you on the opposite side of the spectrum.   We're putting attention on it and so no matter what, whether you were doing it before and you're doing it y now you're doing it even more or you're doing it the same as before or you weren't ever doing it, it's going to improve no matter what, because we're putting attention on it.   speaker-0 (14:01) I love it.   speaker-1 (14:03) That's what we did in this caucus.   speaker-0 (14:05) So I think there's like a c quite a few pieces I wanna highlight from it is number one, I love that you talked about how you see an issue, but that issue is usually a symptom of a bigger problem. And so it was collections are low. And so you found three other areas to fix. I also love that you put tracking into place. And I also love that you took what people said of I'm always collecting and spun it into a really positive way. Cause some people be like, Okay, well, I get that you say you're always doing this, but the reality is we're not collecting. You didn't make them wrong. You said, Hey   I hear you. Let's actually track this and prove that you guys are really doing it. So like I'm on your team versus I'm making you wrong. And so I hope a lot of people listened and heard that. And I think that that's one of the beauties of coming in person. Because over the phone, I can't we can't move and navigate as easily as we can in person. In person we're able to see, okay, here's this broken piece. Let's go fix, let's look at the whole way up the chain to see where is the broken link. Because down below we know something further up is broken. But then we can get the in   entire team working on it. So you see quick, fast changes in a practice that are usually sustainable. So Tiff, I thought you did so many awesome things in it. And I know you tackled so many more pieces. Like that's just a quick, I mean, we're talking 15 minute synopsis right here where you're like, hey, I was there for a day and a half, but let me give you a quick 15 minutes. But I hope people took that. And so I'm like digesting this in for an office of how do you take this and make this applicable to you is number one, when you find a problem, look to see like what are all the pieces up ahead of that problem that got there.   To get to collections, what has to happen before collections? Insurance verification, inputting information, sending claims, getting the checks back from insurance. Are they getting lost in the mail? Do we have EFTs set up? How are we posting it? What about downgrades? What about our write-offs? Then you also looked at like, okay, what creates that copay amount for the patient portion? That's treatment plans. Are we giving every patient a treatment plan and having it signed and putting that copay amount or the amount that they owe in the appointment box so that way everybody knows and we just collect that?   Then let's go back even further and say, first and foremost, how's our case acceptance? Like, are we even having good handoffs to get the treatment that's diagnosed, to get the case acceptance, to get the schedule, to be able to then send it out. So that's why we love what we do. Like I just broke all that down. I'm like, that is what we freaking do, and we love it. We love it so much. But I hope you guys take it and diagnose that. And if you have a hard time seeing up that chain, Tiff and I are really good at seeing like, okay, here's the billing system, here's the case acceptance system, here is our new patient acceptance.   system like here are all these systems that could be impacting your collections. Let's look to see where it's at. Let's come up with some tracking. Let's give your team goals and then let's see magic happen. So if you guys are needing help with that, always email us Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. But gosh Tip like way to way to kill it at that practice. I love I love hearing your recaps after a practice.   speaker-1 (16:52) Thank you. Yeah. And you're right. We did a ton more, especially on the collection side. but yeah, I love it. And I love the diagnosis piece and really seeing like the light bulbs go off and doctors and teams too. So and I think you're right. I think it it can be done over the phone. It just takes a lot longer. And and I think we do miss pieces because it's a biased opinion. I'm I'm relying on the team or the doctor to provide me the information. I'm not seeing it firsthand. So   It is much more effective when we're able to get in practice and probably I'd say the f first one in office is like, okay, this is a good starting point. Second and third in office are really where we really I mean, we dig deep on those suckers because we know we know the practice at that point. So totally. I love it. I love it.   speaker-0 (17:38) So fun. Well, Tiff, as always, I love you headed to offices. I love you representing our company. And it's fun to see. So I hope you guys like take this into yourself. Put on the Tiffanie Kiera consultant hat. Look at your practice. See if you can uncover those spots and where it might be broken further up the chain. And if you can't see it or you also want to pick our brains, email us. Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. And as always, thank you all. Thank you, Tiffanie. Thank you all for listening. And we'll catch you next time   Kiera Dent (18:04) I hope you all loved today's episode as much as I did. It is crazy to think that this many episodes have been released since we started the Dental A Team Podcast. And I started looking to say, my goodness, our listeners need to be reminded of some of the things they may have learned a year ago or two years ago or five years ago, because so many things in our practices weren't relevant back then when we heard them, but they are relevant today. And I would be doing you a huge disservice if I didn't re-release some of these episodes for you to remember, to refine.   to optimize and really truly if you ever need a topic or you're like, my gosh, I wonder if the Dental A Team has anything like this, go onto our website, TheDentalATeam.com, click on our podcast tab and you can literally search any topic. So whether it's overhead or hiring or firing or team morale or engagement or case acceptance or hygiene or associate onboarding or whatever it is, we have so many episodes for you. And so I am going to intentionally be   re-releasing some of the top best episodes for you, pulling back some of the ones that I needed to remember, some of the things that I feel for you to really, really relearn right now and to re-remember, or if it's the first time, welcome. I'm so happy you're listening to it, but I hope you truly enjoyed today's episode. I hope that you share this with somebody. I hope that you go and implement today because we only have one day. We only get today. And so making today the best that it possibly can be. If we can help you in any way, shape or form, reach out Hello@TheDentalATeam.com.   And as always, thanks for listening and we'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.  

You know the conversation. The one you should have had three weeks—or three months—ago. Instead of addressing the behavior, missed expectation, or performance issue, you start withdrawing. You stop coaching. You stop advocating. You quietly move the best projects somewhere else and tell yourself you are "giving them space." That is not kindness. That is quiet firing. In Episode 141 of Leadership Sandbox, Tammy J. Bond challenges leaders to confront the difference between caring for people and protecting themselves from discomfort. Avoiding a bold conversation does not preserve peace. It delays conflict, compounds the cost, and teaches the rest of the team that the leader cannot—or will not—handle what is hard. Tammy breaks down three reasons leaders avoid difficult conversations and introduces a practical four-step COMMAND tool: Claim the observable reality. Use the 24–24 Rule. Open with care and clarity. Establish the "By When" and follow-up. You will also get the exact sentence to begin the conversation you have been rehearsing but refusing to have: "I want to talk about something I should have brought up sooner because I respect you too much to keep letting it slide. Can we grab 15 minutes today?" Quiet firing is not leadership. It is leadership's absence wearing a name badge. Explore the COMMAND Leadership Behavior Operating System: https://www.bondgroupenterprises.com/command-leadership

JJ and Rich break down some of the biggest recent average draft position risers and fallers before JJ is joined by Establish the Run's Adam Levitan. The two discuss optimal draft strategy for 2026, Adam's favorite late-round targets, the importance of Week 17 correlation, and so much more. ---------- Download the DraftKings Daily Fantasy app and sign up with promo code LATEROUND. Enter a lineup in the $20 million Best Ball contest for $25 and get a bonus ticket for a second entry — two shots at the title. Draft One, Get One, only on DraftKings. The Crown Is Yours.Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit ccpg.org (CT). 18+ in most eligible states, but age varies by jurisdiction. Eligibility restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. 1 per customer. Must enter a lineup into the NFL Best Ball $20M Headliner Contest. $25 entry fee. Bonus issued as 1 ticket to NFL Best Ball $20M Headliner Contest. Ticket reward is site credit valid for use only on NFL Best Ball $20M Headliner Contest. Ticket reward is single-use and expires at contest lock on 9/9/26. See terms at https://www.draftkings.com/promotions. Ends 9/9/26 at contest lock. Sponsored by DraftKings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malcolm Hoenlein and Thaddeus McCotter turn to Lebanon's attempt to establish humanitarian pilot zones where the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) replace withdrawing Israeli troops. Critics argue this model mirrors the failed Gazadisengagement, as Hezbollah remains entrenched and unwilling to disarm. Additionally, Hoenlein discusses a recent Ukrainian attack on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea, which signals a dangerous expansion of the regional conflict that may have broader retaliatory implications for the future. (6)

Mats Steen spent most of his short life indoors in Oslo. To his parents he looked like a young man with no one. When he died, hundreds of people reached out to say they had known him for years, inside World of Warcraft, as a character named Ibelin. His parents had no idea.That story sits at the center of this episode, and so does the question underneath it: how much of what games actually do is invisible to the people measuring them?Recorded on a rooftop in New York at Games for Change 2026, this episode brings together three people running the organization. Susanna Pollack on twenty-plus years of arguing that games carry purpose beyond entertainment. Then Dr. Rachel Kowert and Arana Shapiro on brand-new research that says the panic about kids and gaming is not coming from the evidence.GuestsSusanna Pollack, President, Games for ChangeDr. Rachel Kowert, Research Director, Games for ChangeArana Shapiro, Chief Program/Operating Officer, Games for ChangeInterviews by Lewis Ward.Chapters00:00:00  Cold open: the story of Mats Steen00:00:42  Games for Change 202600:04:38  Susanna Pollack, and this year's awards00:06:30  What Games for Change actually is00:09:05  Rebuilding the festival: workshops and the Playtest Lab00:12:23  The argument the industry keeps failing to make00:14:37  Games are one of the few places failing is fine00:15:41  The education spine, and kids in 92 countries00:18:25  Raising Good Gamers: the 2019 origin00:22:11  Going global, and working with the UN00:27:54  What's coming next00:28:57  Dr. Rachel Kowert and Arana Shapiro00:30:00  The white paper, and 200,000 articles00:31:43  Why bad news about games travels further00:32:52  Stop counting hours, start asking why00:33:55  Most media is passive. Games are not.00:35:17  SPACE: the five moves00:36:25  60% of kids want their parents to play00:36:57  What Raising Good Gamers ships00:41:53  Self-determination theory and the Proteus effect00:43:41  Academy, Intel, and the DiscordWhat you'll take awayThere is more positive coverage of games than negative. The negative just gets shared further, which leaves parents inside what Dr. Kowert calls a biased information ecosystem.A game does not need to be designed for impact to have it. Joy, stress relief, connection, and a space where age, gender and location stop deciding anything.Games are one of very few activities where failing is acceptable and repeatable. That is how mastering a system quietly builds resilience.The parental concerns have not changed in fifty years. What changes is the question: not how many hours, but what purpose the play is serving.SPACE, the framework: Start with curiosity. Play together. Adjust for context. Cultivate digital citizenship. Establish boundaries together.60% of kids want their parents to play with them. What stops most parents is assuming they'll be bad at it.Mentioned in this episodeRaising Good Gamers, and the white paper by Dr. Rachel Kowert. Free, along with a conversation guide and a family gaming code of conduct template. Workshops rolling out through the PTA, Boys and Girls Club, and libraries.The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, the Netflix documentary about Mats Steen. A feature film is in development.The Games for Change Student Challenge, 10+ years, participants from 92 countries.2026 award winners: South of Midnight (Compulsion Games), the Vanguard Award to Jenn Panattoni, and the Giving Award to SpecialEffect for their adaptive controller work.The Proteus effect, first described by Nick Yee, who joined us back in February.Katie Salen, professor of informatics at UC Irvine, co-creator of Raising Good Gamers.Disclosure: the FTI Consulting media analysis underpinning the white paper was commissioned by Tencent.Where to go nextAcademy — free, built in short packs you can finish on a commute. academy.playerdriven.ioIntel — our prediction game. Call what the industry does next and see if you were right. intel.playerdriven.ioDiscord — where this conversation actually continues.The Operator's Briefing — Tuesdays, if you'd rather it come to you.

Episode Trigger Warning: Discussion of Rape Have you ever questioned where your boundaries came from and how they shape the way you see yourself and your relationships? Survivor, sex education speaker and founder of Better Boundaries CIC, Larissa Astara Gray speaks about her journey from childhood trauma and teenage rape to reclaiming her voice and purpose. She shares why breaking the silence around sex, consent and healthy relationships is essential, how education can empower the next generation, and why safe connections begin with understanding our own boundaries. On a mission to change the narrative for young people, discover what it truly means to establish better boundaries.   KEY TAKEAWAY "We've been fed this very, very toxic view of what sexuality is, which is objectification, control, dominance, performance. That's so far away from what true intimacy is, which is safety, care, consideration, respect, honesty, and actually what that does is it empowers and it expands both parties. The other stuff is limiting, it's constrictive, it's disempowering, it's everything we don't want it to be."   BOOK RECOMMENDATION* Coming of Age on a Porn Set by Jewel Baraka - https://amzn.eu/d/0arNyQCR    RESOURCE Interview with Christopher Zeischegg for Porn Education Awareness Week Day 3 - The Human Cost: https://riverside.com/shared/exported-clip/b42e26d0105a1202e60a    ABOUT THE GUEST – LARISSA ASTARA GRAY Larissa Astara Gray is an inspirational positive sex education speaker and founder of Better Boundaries CIC, a Community Interest Company dedicated to protecting and educating young people on the dangers of online toxic sexual content. She delivers empowering, shame-free talks on consent, boundaries, pornography awareness, trauma prevention, and healthy sexuality. Drawing from her personal journey overcoming rape, sexual shame, and addiction, Larissa equips young people, educators, and parents with the knowledge and tools for informed choices, safer relationships, and confident sexual communication. She also offers practical resources and workshops to foster respect and long-term positive change.   CONNECT WITH LARISSA ASTARA GRAY https://www.larissaastaragray.co.uk  https://www.betterboundaries.co.uk  https://www.linkedin.com/in/larissa-astara-gray-a98374202/    https://www.vibe25radio.com  https://www.instagram.com/betterboundariesonline    ABOUT THE HOST - AMY ROWLINSON Amy is a purpose and fulfilment coach, author, podcast strategist and mastermind host who empowers purpose-driven leaders to boost productivity, engagement and meaning in life and work. Through transformational conversations, Amy helps individuals overcome overwhelm and live with clarity, building living legacies along the way.   WORK WITH AMY If you're interested in how purpose can help you and/or your business, please book a free 30 min call via https://calendly.com/amyrowlinson/call    KEEP IN TOUCH WITH AMY Sign up for the weekly Friday Focus - https://www.amyrowlinson.com/subscribe-to-weekly-newsletter    CONNECT WITH AMY https://linktr.ee/AmyRowlinson    BUY AMY'S BOOK (Shortlisted in the 2025 Business Book Awards) * Focus on Why by Amy Rowlinson with George F. Kerr – https://amzn.eu/d/6W02HWu    HOSTED BY AMY ROWLINSON   DISCLAIMER The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast belong solely to the host and guest speakers. Please conduct your own due diligence.  *As an Amazon Associate, Amy earns from qualifying purchases.

In this fan-favorite episode of Design Business Freedom, we're diving into time mastery and a better workflow for interior designers who want to reclaim control of their schedules. You'll learn how to eliminate time-wasting habits, create productive workweeks, and recover hours that can be reinvested in your business, your creativity, and your life. Being busy does not automatically make an interior design business productive or profitable. This episode introduces a practical time-blocking method built around tracking your time, categorizing your responsibilities, assigning themes to your days, protecting uninterrupted creative work, and establishing communication boundaries with clients, contractors, vendors, and team members. In This Episode You Will Learn: Identify time-shrinking beliefs that keep you feeling overwhelmed, rushed, and behind. Track your time in 15-minute increments to uncover revenue rabbit holes and costly distractions. Categorize your weekly responsibilities into personal care, business building, creative delivery, and administrative work. Build a time-blocked weekly workflow that helps Design Business Freedom listeners protect billable and creative hours. Establish communication boundaries that allow interior designers to serve clients well without being constantly available. While one word can truly grow your profits, mastering more will lead to a full business and personal transformation. Get them all in my book "The Language of Success: 35 Words to Boost Your Worth and Wealth". You'll be pleasantly surprised at the effectiveness of these word swaps and the increased confidence you'll feel in business and life.  Timestamps: (00:03) Welcome to this Design Business Freedom fan favorite (01:27) Identify limiting beliefs and take control of time (04:01) Replace time-shrinking thoughts with empowering new beliefs (08:50) Manage your behaviors instead of trying to manage time (09:30) Track every activity in fifteen-minute increments for one week (11:08) Create a complete master list of weekly business tasks (12:02) Organize responsibilities into four essential time-blocking categories (17:07) Assign specific themes and priorities to each workday (19:59) Protect uninterrupted creative time from constant team interruptions (21:49) Set clear communication boundaries with clients and contractors (26:36) Build a color-coded weekly plan using Google Calendar (27:53) Find underbilling leaks that reduce interior design profitability (31:57) Create project deadlines and work backward from completion (35:38) Schedule vacations and quarterly CEO planning time annually (39:51) Reorganize your schedule and build a four-day workweek Key Takeaways: Busy work creates burnout, while productive work drives profitability, satisfaction, and sustainable growth. Time tracking reveals the distractions, interruptions, and administrative tasks that quietly consume your workweek. Interior designers need uninterrupted creative blocks to produce stronger work and increase billable capacity. A profitable interior design business requires clear boundaries, planned deadlines, and a calendar designed around your priorities. About Melissa Galt: Melissa Galt is an award-winning business coach, marketing consultant, speaker, and interior designer with more than 30 years of experience helping interior designers build profitable, scalable, and sustainable businesses. Through Design Business Freedom, Melissa shares proven Interior Design Business strategies, Interior Design Marketing insights, leadership training, pricing expertise, and growth systems designed to help designers attract better clients, increase profitability, and create lasting success. Connect with Melissa Instagram Facebook Linkedin Website  

Navigational Keywords - Business Strategies for Websites (Best Practices)The conversation focused on the critical role of navigational keywords in business website strategies and best practices for SEO. Several points were raised, including the distinction between informational and navigational keywords, the practical implications for website structure, and how search engines and users interact with these elements.Key Themes & ConceptsWhat Are Navigational Keywords?One concept discussed was the definition of navigational keywords: these are brand-specific queries used to find specific web pages or destinations within a website, such as "Brand + login," "Brand + pricing," or "Brand + contact." Navigational keywords contrast with informational keywords, which are broad and unbranded, like "best restaurant near me" or "how to tie a tie" 09:06.Why Are Navigational Keywords Important?A key theme that emerged was the way navigational keywords indicate high search intent. Users searching with these terms already know the brand and are seeking specific information or functionality—like product pages, contact details, or policy documents 10:15.How to Implement Best PracticesThe discussion explored actionable best practices for leveraging navigational keywords on business websites:Dedicated Pages: Businesses should create clear, dedicated pages for key navigational actions—such as /contact, /about, /pricing, /reviews, /careers—so that search engines have specific, easily indexed URLs to display in search results 14:03.URL Structure & Keyword Density: URLs should reflect the navigational query and use clear, hyphenated keywords to make it easier for algorithms and users to understand (e.g., yourwebsite.com/privacy-policy). Hyphens are treated as word separators by search engines 15:12.Sitemaps & Technical SEO: XML sitemaps act as a roadmap for algorithms to crawl a website efficiently. Keeping both HTML (what users see) and XML (what bots crawl) structures organized is vital 26:31.Regular Updates: Pages should be maintained and regularly updated. The two critical dates for each page are the date published and the date last modified—these inform algorithms the content is current and relevant, improving SEO performance 45:04.Importance of Brand & Action PairingsThe conversation emphasized that effective navigational keywords pair the brand with a specific action or destination (e.g., "Sephora privacy policy," "Amazon shipping"), which allows businesses to "own" those key queries and drive high-intent traffic 12:24.Measuring & Managing SEOThe discussion also touched on website management:The number of well-structured, dedicated pages can impact investment and SEO value 18:03.Regular auditing and technical optimization of all primary and secondary web properties ensures consistency, compliance, and discoverability 22:41.Understanding audience awareness stages (unaware, problem aware, solution aware, product aware, most aware) helps align SEO content and navigational structure with user intent 35:12.TakeawaysNavigational keywords are essential for brand recognition and conversion, providing shortcuts for users seeking specific brand information.Businesses should invest in user-focused, clearly named, and regularly maintained navigational pages to capture high-intent searches 43:06.Effective technical SEO, including XML sitemaps and proper URL structures, boosts a website's usefulness to both users and search engines.By adopting these best practices, businesses ensure their websites are easily navigable for users and highly visible to search engines, setting the stage for better awareness, engagement, and growth.Who Is This For?The conversation focused on business owners, entrepreneurs, creators, and anyone looking to optimize their website's visibility and effectiveness, particularly through the strategic use of navigational keywords.It is especially relevant for those responsible for maintaining or improving the web presence of a brand, including solopreneurs and those with multiple or complex sites seeking clarity on SEO best practices and site structure (00:01:45, 00:21:48, 00:39:24).Key Moments & SEO Summary with TimestampsIntroduction to Navigational Keywords & Series Context: Outlining the focus on keywords for website business strategies (00:00:10).Website as a Core Asset: Emphasizing the necessity of a website as a brand hub for discovery and operations (00:03:00).Value of Quick Links and Site Accessibility: How having links to websites, calendars, and resources streamlines connections at events (00:04:02).Technological Tools for Networking: RFID/NFC and QR codes as ways to share multifaceted digital presences instantly (00:05:27, 00:07:00).Defining Navigational Keywords: Explained as brand-specific, high-intent search queries driving direct access to internal pages (e.g. “Brand + Contact,” “Brand + Login”) (00:08:39-00:12:24).Site Structure & Essential Pages: Importance of clear, dedicated URLs for contact, about, pricing, policies, reviews, etc. for both users and search engines (00:14:03, 00:16:17).Keyword Density, URL Structure, and Modifiers: The technical aspects affecting SEO on navigational and branded queries (00:13:33).Role of Sitemaps and Algorithm Interaction: Front- and back-end elements (HTML/XML) and the importance of current, updated content (00:26:31, 00:28:12).Awareness Stages: Moving from “unaware” to “most aware” for web users and the importance of matching their journey (00:34:42-00:36:46).Regular Updates and Maintenance: The necessity of revisiting and updating site pages to keep them “alive” in the algorithm (00:44:46, 00:45:50).Summary and Call to Action: Clarity, connection, and proactive site management—with encouragement to take the next steps (00:47:12, 00:48:28).FAQs1. What are navigational keywords and why do they matter?Navigational keywords are search queries aimed at finding specific branded pages (e.g. “Brand + Contact”). They guide users directly to the information or action they seek, playing a key role in brand visibility and customer experience (00:08:39, 00:10:15).2. What essential pages should every business website have?Contact, About, Pricing, Privacy Policy, Reviews, Careers, Locations, Return Policy, and Service pages—all clearly labeled with descriptive, hyphenated URLs (00:16:08).3. How often should I update my website pages?Regular updates signal activity and relevance to both users and algorithms. Important dates include “published” and “modified,” which should reflect recent engagement (00:45:04).4. How can I connect multiple websites or domains effectively?Centralize branding, ensure consistent linking, and consolidate scattered domains when possible so search engines understand their relationship and users can easily navigate between them (00:21:57).5. What's the role of awareness stages in website strategy?Your content and site structure should serve users at different familiarity levels—from “unaware” to “most aware”—with easy access to relevant information at every stage (00:35:12).Action Steps from Favour Obasi-ikeAudit All Active Website Pages:Ensure every required page exists, is linked clearly, and contains current information (00:16:17).Check and Update URLs:Use descriptive, hyphenated slugs for internal navigation—e.g., /about-us, /contact, /pricing (00:15:12).Establish an Update Routine:Schedule regular reviews to update modified dates—especially for high-traffic or business critical pages (00:44:46).Centralize Links Across Platforms:Use tools (link aggregators, NFC cards, QR codes) for seamless access from all touchpoints (00:05:52, 00:07:00).Monitor User Awareness:Identify which stage (unaware, problem aware, solution aware, product aware, most aware) your visitors occupy and tailor CTAs and navigation accordingly (00:35:12).Encourage Feedback and Continuous Learning:Collect responses (like the “put a 1 in the chat”) to gauge clarity and adjust future content and site structures (00:46:10).Ready to Rank? Book Your SEO & Web Dev Services Today

Establish the Run's John Daigle returns to Perspectives for a third time to talk about 2026 draft strategy, the running back dead zone, ambiguous backfields, and so much more. ---------- All DraftKings Customers enter a lineup into the Best Ball $20 million Headliner Contest and receive a bonus ticket for a 2nd entry! Download the DraftKings app and sign up using https://bit.ly/LateRound2026 or promo code LATEROUND! The Crown is Yours! Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Help is available for problem gambling. Call (888) 789-7777 or visit ccpg.org (CT). 18+ in most eligible states, but age varies by jurisdiction. Eligibility restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. 1 per customer. Must enter a lineup into the NFL Best Ball $20M Headliner Contest. $25 entry fee. Bonus issued as 1 ticket to NFL Best Ball $20M Headliner Contest. Ticket reward is site credit valid for use only on NFL Best Ball $20M Headliner Contest. Ticket reward is single-use and expires at contest lock on 9/9/26. See terms at https://www.draftkings.com/promotions. Ends 9/9/26 at contest lock. Sponsored by DraftKings. #DKPartnerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We had a guest walk in with gooey butter bars, so you already know it was a good night. Deacon Michael Halbrook is back, his fourth trip to Tulsa (one more and Dave's putting him in a green jacket), and Lady Pamela's baking came with him. Adam's oldest, Luke, was in studio too, which almost never happens, because mom was away and there were no rules. Luke's been out most nights hunting the raccoon that's been picking off the family chickens. No kill yet. But he knows what he's after now, and that's half the hunt.This week's pour was fitting: Hazel Baker Kentucky Straight Bourbon, six years old, bottled-in-bond at 100 proof, family owned out of Louisville. It came from a barrel the dads at Father McGivney Catholic High School picked out in Kentucky. Full strength, real caramel, nothing watered down.-------------------------------This episode is brought to you by the Amen app from the Augustine Institute, the free app Adam's family uses to pray the Sunday readings on the way to Mass. No paywall, no subscription trap, just Scripture, prayer, and audiobooks like Divine Mercy in My Soul and True Devotion. And by Select International Tours, the group Adam and Dave trust for pilgrimages. Whether you want to lead one or join one, that's who you call.-------------------------------Then it got serious. Michael spent 18 years in corporate tech and walked away from it to build something for the Church. Not on a whim. He built it nights and weekends for years while the paycheck was still coming, took the business plan to his wife and sons like a board of directors, and only leapt when the runway made sense. But the moment that broke him open happened kneeling in the back pew before Mass. He asked our Lord for the certainty he could keep providing for his family, and he heard back, unmistakably: You've never been the one who provided. I've always been the one who provided.That's the whole episode in one line.Bishop Paprocki gave him the order of operations: pray for clarity first, then courage. Most men flip it and go charging into the dark. Michael talks through the discipline of saying no to good things so you can say yes to the right one, and then walks us through what he built, the &Altar app from Domus Formation. One reading, five minutes, a launch pad for your holy hour instead of a replacement for it. Pray, fast, give. A track for every season of life: the man, the woman, the family, the teen, the young adult, the elder.The back half is fatherhood. Michael's second son, Matthew, is at Air Force basic training right now (pray for him), and Michael's living the Establish pillar in real time. Protect and Provide, most of us understand. Establishing a son (raising him to walk on his own, then actually letting him go) is the hard one. They get into the father wound, the men who never had an example to copy, and the way out: be a good husband first and the father will follow. Because the office of father never ends, and neither do your prayers for your kids.Raise your glass.Topics covered in this episode:Deacon Michael Halbrook's fourth visit, Lady Pamela's gooey butter bars, and Luke's ongoing raccoon huntHazel Baker Kentucky Straight Bourbon, a bottled-in-bond barrel pick from Father McGivney Catholic High SchoolLeaving 18 years in corporate tech to build a ministry, without doing it recklesslyBuilding the thing on nights and weekends while the secure paycheck was still comingTaking the business plan to your wife and kids and making them the boardThe back-pew moment: "You've never been the one who provided. I've always been the one who provided."Bishop Paprocki's rule: pray for clarity first, courage second, and why men flip the orderWhy success is more about saying no than saying yes, and the hundred failures you never see behind the one winCharlie Kirk's seven things and the discipline of a short listWhat the &Altar app actually is: five minutes to seed a holy hour, not to replace itPray, fast, give, and tracks for the man, woman, family, teen, young adult, and elderLiturgical living: letting the Mass form the home instead of the other way aroundMatthew at Air Force basic training and learning to let a son goProtect, Provide, and the hard third pillar: EstablishThe father wound, and the men trying to be good dads with no example to copyBe a good husband first, and the father will followWhy the office of fatherhood, and your prayers for your children, never expireReferenced in this episode:Deacon Michael Halbrook: permanent deacon, Diocese of Springfield in Illinois; founder of Domus FormationDomus Formation: https://wearedomus.com/&Altar app: https://andaltar.wearedomus.com/Bishop Thomas Paprocki, Diocese of Springfield in IllinoisBishop David Konderla, Diocese of Tulsa ("two moments in a Catholic's life: at Mass, and getting back to Mass")Hazel Baker Kentucky Straight Bourbon: bottled-in-bond, Louisville, KYFather McGivney Catholic High School barrel selection programCharlie Kirk, on the discipline of focusing on a short listMaria von Trapp, early writer on liturgical livingAmen app (Augustine Institute): Divine Mercy in My Soul by St. Maria Faustina; True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort

Today, host John Norlin shares an evidence-based reflection strategy called EMR, developed by Dr. Clayton Cook. Using a simple roster exercise, educators categorize each student or staff member into one of three relationship phases: Establish, Maintain, or Restore, and then focus their energy where it is needed most. He also explains why this kind of intentional reflection matters. You cannot be all things to all people at once, but taking a few minutes to identify where each relationship stands gives educators a clear, actionable starting point for being more purposeful in the work they do every day. In this conversation, John offers important reminders for educators and leaders: Relationships with students and staff are not all in the same place at the same time. Some need to be established, some maintained, and some restored, and knowing which is which changes how you show up. You cannot prioritize everything at once. The EMR exercise helps educators zero in on the relationships that need the most intentional attention right now. Restoring a relationship takes real, deliberate action. Naming it honestly is the first step toward doing something about it. Learn More About CharacterStrong:  Access FREE MTSS Curriculum Samples Request a Quote Today! Learn more about CharacterStrong Implementation Support Visit the CharacterStrong Website

SCHEDULE FOR THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 7-22-2026.1740 BATAVIA MASSACREGordon Chang and Rick Fisher examine Xi Jinping's introduction of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), designed to establish Chinese dominance in setting global AI rules. Headquartered in Shanghai, the group aims to make international partners dependent on Chinese technology while promoting anti-democratic values. Meanwhile, China's economy is struggling, with real growth potentially near zero. Despite manufacturing strengths, China remains vulnerable due to a critical lack of high-end Nvidia chips required for advanced AI development. (1)Gordon Chang and Peter Huessy discuss the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) bill to drastically reduce the U.S. nuclear triad, including cutting ICBMs from 400 to 150. Supported by Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the plan effectively promotes unilateral disarmament. Critics argue this trashes the concept of nuclear deterrence just as China and Russia expand their arsenals. Furthermore, there is a widespread "miseducation" of Americans regarding the necessity of a modernized nuclear deterrent. (2)Gordon Chang and Victoria Coates report that Iran has activated the Houthis to attack the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a critical choke point for Saudi Arabian oil exports. This escalation has pushed oil prices past $95 as the Houthis use Iranian-supplied missiles and drones to harass shipping. While the House of Saud is targeted, internal frictions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE complicate a unified regional response. The conflict represents a major humanitarian and economic disaster for global commerce. (3)Gordon Chang and Victoria Coates continue: China benefits from discounted Iranian oil but views the regime's economic instability as a "bad debt." Simultaneously, Saudi Arabia is deepening its partnership with the U.S. through a landmark nuclear cooperation deal. Iraq has also signaled a shift toward Washington, signing $60 billion in energy deals with American companies like Chevron. While Russia seeks to sell extra capacity to Asia, Ukrainian strikes on refineries may hinder Putin's ability to remain a reliable energy supplier. (4)Peter Earle traces how the word "trillion" entered the economic lexicon in 1981 when the U.S. passed $1 trillion in public debt. Today, the U.S. national debt approaches $40 trillion, with annual interest payments exceeding $1 trillion. Unlike 19th-century millionaires who faced high risks, modern trillion-dollar figures are often a product of government monetary expansion. We have entered "Trillionstan," where massive quantities of money are common, yet their long-term significance is often overlooked by the public. (5)Peter Earle argues that not all trillions are equal; some represent genuine wealth creation, such as SpaceX's $2 trillion valuation based on future technological potential. However, inflation and government borrowing have also inflated nominal values, potentially leading to a fiscal reckoning. If creditors lose faith in U.S. debt, the government may be forced to print more money, further devaluing the currency. Maintaining prosperity requires ensuring that economic forces focus on creating new wealth rather than merely redistributing it. (6)Henry Sokolski warns that the Trump administration's nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia allows the kingdom to enrich uranium, a process that can easily be diverted for bomb-making. Saudi Arabia has rejected the "additional protocol" for rigorous UN inspections, raising concerns about their true intentions. This "black box" arrangement lacks sufficient safeguards to prevent a rapid diversion of nuclear materials. Critics warn that providing enrichment technology to an ally involved in regional warfare is inherently delusional and dangerous. (7)Henry Sokolski continues: the Saudi nuclear deal could trigger a proliferation race, with nations like Egypt, Turkey, and the UAE demanding similar enrichment rights. Furthermore, allies such as South Korea and Poland may reconsider their own nuclear ambitions if they view American security guarantees as insufficient. Proliferation is no longer "old news" but a growing threat as nations seek their own deterrents. The result is a destabilized global order where multiple states hover on the verge of nuclear weapon status. (8)Michael Bernstam explains how Ukrainian drone strikes have destroyed 30% of Russia's refining capacity, causing the "crack spread"—the profit margin for refining oil—to triple worldwide. While Russia exports crude, it now suffers from severe domestic shortages of gasoline and jet fuel. Consequently, Russia is forced to buy back its own refined oil from India at premium prices. Putin has been "hoist on his own petard," creating a global energy weapon that has ultimately turned against the Russian economy. (9)Michael Bernstam reports that Ukrainian drones recently destroyed major distribution hubs for Wildberries, the Russian equivalent of Amazon, causing $2 billion in damage. These strikes have devastated small businesses and middle-class consumers, fueling internal resentment against the Kremlin. Simultaneously, 18 local Russian officials signed a petition calling for Putin's resignation as economic conditions worsen. The loss of consumer infrastructure and rising fuel costs are creating a constituency for ending the war to prevent a total economic collapse. (10)Bob Zimmerman reports that SpaceX is preparing for its 13th Starship flight, a prototype featuring major upgrades for future orbital missions and in-orbit refueling. In India, the startup Skyroot achieved a landmark success with the Vikram-1 rocket, signaling the rise of a private, capitalist space sector. However, the Indian government has counterproductively restricted ISRO employees from leaving for private firms. These contrasting approaches highlight the tension between state-run agencies and the efficiency of private enterprise in the global space race. (11)Bob Zimmerman surveys new discoveries: astronomers have detected a helium atmosphere on a terrestrial exoplanet located 48 light-years away in its star's habitable zone. Closer to home, archival data from Pluto reveals massive landslides, proving the dwarf planet is geologically active rather than dormant. Meanwhile, new images of Valles Marineris on Mars illustrate the canyon's staggering scale, with depths equivalent to the height of Mount McKinley. These discoveries emphasize that planetary bodies across our solar system are dynamic and evolving. (12)Simon Constable notes European energy prices are skyrocketing, with Brent crude hitting $95 and natural gas up 47% in a single month. In France, a heatwave and suspicious forest fires have added environmental stress to the economic crisis. A political movement in the U.S. is targeting data centers for their high energy consumption, which now exceeds 4% of usage. Surprisingly, the United Kingdom hosts the second-highest number of data centers globally, despite its historical association with "Luddite" skepticism. (13)Simon Constable observes that new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces immediate skepticism, with polls indicating nearly half of voters feel his government lacks direction. Burnham's focus on domestic issues like capping bus prices is criticized as a "tax and spend" policy that might alienate the wealthy. While he has emphasized national security, his early days have been defined by local populist initiatives. Critics worry his leadership style mimics a "Lord Mayor" rather than a strategic global prime minister. (14)Brandy Shufutinsky details how Qatar has provided extensive grants for Arabic language and culture programs in U.S.K-12 schools. These programs often utilize textbooks that omit Israel from maps and glorify extremist ideologies. Qatar Foundation International (QFI) even funds teacher salaries and work visas, raising concerns about who these educators truly report to. This funding creates a "pipeline" from elementary school to higher education, potentially instilling foreign-influenced perspectives in future generations of American citizens. (15)Conrad Black argues that Canada's economic growth has stalled due to high corporate taxes and "climate alarmist" policies under the Trudeau government. He suggests that new leadership under Mark Carney could revitalize the nation by making it more tax-competitive with the U.S. Canada's vast resources and skilled workforce provide the potential for a rapid rebound. For Canada to succeed, it must pivot back to pro-capitalist policies and attract foreign investment to drive future growth. (16)Two spelling corrections applied: Peter Earle (5, 6 — transcribed as "Pete Earl"; the AIER economist) and Brandy Shufutinsky (15 — transcribed as "Shubatinsky"). Both added to the log unless you'd prefer otherwise.

Gordon Chang and Rick Fisher examine Xi Jinping's introduction of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), designed to establish Chinese dominance in setting global AI rules. Headquartered in Shanghai, the group aims to make international partners dependent on Chinese technology while promoting anti-democratic values. Meanwhile, China's economy is struggling, with real growth potentially near zero. Despite manufacturing strengths, China remains vulnerable due to a critical lack of high-end Nvidia chips required for advanced AI development. (1)1923 TOKYO EARTHQUAKE

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Adam's about to be Coweta's biggest celebrity. Porter and Prairie Farm's SEO game has worked so well that a Tulsa news station called wanting an interview about egg prices and how they're crushing family farms. Problem is, Adam has no idea what egg prices are doing anywhere else. He just knows what he charges, and that they've lost 35 chickens in two weeks. Lady Haylee, in her prudence, said maybe skip the interview. Adam already said yes. The real debate of the week: overalls or no overalls for the camera. Overalls, obviously. Carhartt, not blue jean, collared shirt underneath. Now both guys want branded farm overalls, Niles Ranch and Fecundity Farm for Dave, Porter and Prairie Family Farm for Adam.Sponsor: Amen app (from the Augustine Institute) The Amen app is the free Catholic prayer app the guys use to walk through the Sunday Gospel with their kids on the way to Mass, plus free access to classics like Divine Mercy in My Soul and True Devotion to Mary. No paywall, no subscription trap. Download the Amen app right now.Sponsor: Select International Tours When Adam and Dave planned their first pilgrimage, Select International Tours is who everyone pointed them to, and having used them, the guys can vouch for it. Wherever you want to go, head to selectinternationaltours.com and see what they offer.Dave's week wasn't any calmer. He harvested and shucked 500 to 700 ears of corn with the whole family, then blanched all of it late into the night while Lady Pamela held down a house full of unexpected company. His exact line on the way out the door: "I gotta go drink with my buddy for Jesus. It's a ministry, babe." Piglets are due any day, and this time he's praying they're born alive.The pour is a revisit: Salterra 14-Year Single Malt Scotch, finished in an Oloroso barrel, 48% ABV. Warm, not hot. Worth going back to.The prayer request is Mary. She's got an eye procedure Thursday, lasers, to make sure her retina stays attached so she doesn't go blind. She needs to put on weight first. Some days she gains 70 grams, some days she loses it. Thank you for praying. Keep it up.Then the real topic: what actually happens to your soul between the moment you die and the resurrection of your body. Can fire really burn something with no body to burn? Pulling from Aquinas's Summa, the guys walk through it. Your body dies, your soul doesn't, and it faces judgment immediately, heaven, hell, or purgatory on the way to heaven. The senses go dark since they run through bodily organs, but the intellect and the will, the parts that never needed a body to operate, stay fully awake. Aquinas's answer to the fire question: it doesn't burn the soul like a stove burns wood. It binds it. In sin, you subjected your higher self to a lower appetite, so in justice, a lower thing, fire, now holds your higher self captive. It's God's instrument, not chemistry.Then the bonus round: limbo. The limbo of the fathers, emptied by Christ at the Harrowing of Hell. The limbo of infants, never defined as dogma, still debated, and Dave's new coinage for where he thinks it actually belongs: limburgatory. A place with no suffering doesn't belong bolted onto hell.Protect what you love. Provide the truth even when it costs you something. Establish your kids in what's actually at stake. Raise your glass.TOPICS COVEREDPorter and Prairie Farm's SEO play working so well a Tulsa news station wants an egg price interviewLosing 35 chickens in two weeks and having zero idea what egg prices are doing anywhere elseThe overalls debate: Carhartt over blue jean, collared shirt, and the case for branded farm overallsThe economics of homesteading: it only "pays for itself" if you value your own labor at zeroDave shucking and blanching 500 to 700 ears of corn with the whole family in one night"I gotta go drink with my buddy for Jesus, it's a ministry, babe"Piglets due any day and praying for a better outcome than last timeBourbon of the week: revisiting Salterra 14-Year Single Malt Scotch, Oloroso barrel finish, 48% ABVPrayer update on baby Mary: a Thursday laser eye procedure to protect her retina, and the fight to gain weightWhat actually happens to the soul between death and the resurrection of the bodyMatthew 25:41 and what "everlasting fire" could mean for a devil who has no body to burnThe difference between your particular judgment at death and the general judgment at the end of timeWhy death is genuinely abhorrent: the violent separation of body and soul, not just leaving earthAquinas on why the intellect and will stay fully awake after death even though the senses go darkSt. Gregory versus Aquinas on whether merely seeing hellfire is itself the punishmentAquinas's actual argument: fire doesn't cook the soul, it binds it, as an instrument of divine justiceWhy the fires of hell and purgatory are, per Aquinas, the very same fireThe three conditions required for mortal sin, and why hell is always a freely chosen destinationThe limbo of the fathers, the bosom of Abraham, and Christ emptying it at the Harrowing of HellThe limbo of infants, the 2007 theological commission document, and why it was never defined as dogmaBaptism of desire and the "intent of an intent" question for unbaptized infantsDave's case for "limburgatory" against Dante's placement of limbo as an annex of hellWhy presuming on God's mercy is itself a sin, and how that shapes the whole limbo debateREFERENCED IN THIS EPISODEBooks & Writings:Summa Theologiae, Supplement, Questions 69 and 70, by St. Thomas Aquinas (compiled by his students after his death)The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (limbo placed as an annex of hell)Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul by St. Maria Faustina Kowalska (free on the Amen app)True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort (free on the Amen app)Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1261 (hope for children who die without baptism)The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized, International Theological Commission, 2007 (approved by Pope Benedict XVI)Saints & Church Figures:St. Thomas AquinasSt. Gregory (the Great)St. AugustineSt. Francis de SalesSt. Maria Faustina KowalskaSt. Louis de MontfortPope Benedict XVIDr. Peter Kreeft (referenced via the Matt Fradd interview clip, and the recent death of his wife of 63 years)People:Adam Minihan (host; Porter and Prairie Family Farm, Lady Haylee, baby Mary's NICU and eye procedure update, M6 Marketing, The Grounded Builder on Substack)Dave Niles (host; Fecundity Farm, Niles Ranch, Lady Pamela, the corn harvest, coiner of "limburgatory")Lady Haylee (Adam's wife)Lady Pamela (Dave's wife)Matt Fradd (interviewer in the referenced Peter Kreeft clip)