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I quit my job once and for all on October 15, 2004, 13 years ago this month. It was a six figure job with really good health insurance and all the trimmings, a job I could have kept for life. My wife (now ex-wife) and I moved from Los Angeles back to Salt Lake City, Utah because the cost of living was about 1/6th the price and our families were there. A couple months later, at a christmas party put on by my X's family, her sister was grilling me on why were were back. "Soooo... You quit your job and moved back to Salt Lake..." She said, it was more of a statement than a question. I answered anyway. "Yep." I said. "Didn't it take you like 12 years to get your "dream" job?" She used her fingers to make quote motions when she said the word dream. She had heard her sister talk about how hard I had worked for a job I had considered my dream job. "Ya." I said. "And you just quit...gave it all up?" She said with obvious confusion mixed with disgust. "Ya." I said. "Do you have another job?" She said. "No, I'm going to figure out how to start a business, so I don't have to work a boring ass job ever again." I said. "Have you ever started a business before?" She pressed. "Nope, I'm going to figure it out." I said. She stared at me a few moments, brow furrowed. "You're weird..." She exclaimed and that was that. I don't think she ever talked to me again before I got divorced from her sister. Some people just don't get it. But you do. Know how I know? You're listening to this podcast. You have the desire to be in control of your life and how you create and receive value. Now, you don't need to quit before you get started, looking back it was extremely risky of me to do that. I had to go after the dream, for myself and my family. I had a savings and I happen to work well in very risky situations. I didn't know where to start or how to do any of it, but I had to go for it. You're weird too (and that's a good thing), but you're also lucky. When I started I didn't know of any single place I could go that would just teach my how to start a business. I didn't know that what I was looking for was a very specific type of business, a FREEDOM business. You know both. Everything I've learned and taught to over 10,000 other entrepreneurs is right here, in one place, just for you: http://www.FreedomClubVIP.com Jeremy Frandsen World Leader in Freedom Business Education

There's a new superhero coming to the popular CW network lineup. Stargirl features actor Brec Bassinger, who lives with type 1 diabetes. We first spoke to Brec a couple of years ago, just after her run on Nickelodeon's "Bella and the Bulldogs." She shares what’s changed with her diabetes management since then, advice about speaking up for what she needs without feeling weird about diabetes & much more. Check out Stacey's new book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! It's an athletic edition of Tell Me Something Good with marathons! Hiking! And that feeling when you do something your middle school coach told you you’d never do because of diabetes. Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Get the App and listen to Diabetes Connections wherever you go! Click here for iPhone      Click here for Android Episode transcript:   Stacey Simms  0:00 Diabetes Connections is brought to you by One Drop created for people with diabetes by people who have diabetes. By Real Good Foods real food you feel good about eating and by Dexcom take control of your diabetes and live life to the fullest with Dexcom.   Announcer  0:20 This is Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms.   Stacey Simms  0:26 This week, there's a new superhero coming to the popular CW network lineup. Stargirl features actor Brec Bassingerwho lives with type one. After they started production, she found out another person in the cast and on her superhero team also lives with T1D.   Brec Bassinger  0:44 I think it's more of having that companionship, that person who understands when we're on the 17th hour of work and they bring out another snack that just as carby but we're hungry and sleepy but we don't want to eat all these carbs and just being able to look at like okay, you get it, and talk to each other and understand that was just so nice to have.   Stacey Simms  1:02 She'll share more about what it meant to have that actor Cameron Gellman on the set with her. We first spoke to Brec a couple of years ago after her run on Nickelodeon, in Bella and the Bulldogs. She talks about what's changed with her diabetes management advice about speaking up for what she needs without feeling weird about diabetes, and a lot more and athletic addition of telling me something good this week, marathons hiking, and that feeling when you do something your middle school coach told you, you never do because of diabetes. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Welcome to another week of the show. I'm so glad to have you along. We aim to educate and inspire about type 1 diabetes by sharing stories of connection. I have a feeling that this interview is gonna bring a lot of new people into the show. So just a quick word. I'm your host, Stacey Simms. My son was diagnosed with type one right before he turned two He is now 15 years old. He's had diabetes for more than 13 years. My husband lives with type two diabetes. I don't have diabetes, I have a background in broadcasting. I spent a lot of time in local television and radio news. And that's how you get the podcast. A reminder popped up on my phone this morning about one of the trips I was supposed to be taking, like many of you, you know, of course, we had travel plans for this spring and this summer, and I was going to a lot of diabetes conferences. And it's so sad right to see those reminders pop up. But we have been doing a lot of virtual stuff. And that's been really fun to not the same, but a wonderful way to stay connected. And I'm bringing that up because I'm going to put links in the show notes. I've got a couple of events coming up jdrf and other organizations. I did one for Project Blue November not too long ago. They've been really great about scheduling these talks, the online summits, the webinars, and I've been thrilled because my topic right now is the world's worst diabetes mom, and it's been so much fun to share the information That's my book that is just out. And I'm still so excited about that. But it's been really fun to share it to people that I wouldn't have been able to meet, right? Because if I was going to Detroit, which I should have been going to this month, then we would be meeting people just at that summit. But instead, I get to meet people from all over the country. I'm trying to look at the silver lining on it. And really, that's about all we can do right now. But thank you so much the support for the book and just the last couple of weeks has really picked up if you want to check it out. Of course, I'll put a link in the show notes. It's on Amazon, The World’s Worst Diabetes Momis a parenting advice and humor book. It's kind of part memoir, kind of part, advice column and all about our experiences, making every mistake in the book when it comes to diabetes, and watching my son grow up as a confident and responsible and healthy kid, despite my many, many errors along the way. So thanks for letting me tell you about that. And boy, I hope we get back to see each other in person. Soon, it'll be a while, but it'll get better Right to Brec in just a moment. But first diabetes Connections is brought to you by Real Good Foods, nutritious food delivered straight to your door. They have so many options. They have pizzas, I think they were first known for their pizzas and they have this great cauliflower crust pizza, chicken crust pizza, and the pizzas come in different varieties or just plain crust and then you can make your own. We also really enjoy the breakfast sandwiches. They are seven carbs per sandwich. 22 grams of protein, they always post up on their Instagram, they have these grape varieties that what they show it you could really do to jazz this stuff up and people put all sorts of things to add to their sandwiches. I like them just the way they are. You can find out more about all of their products, where to buy How To order, just go to Diabetes connections.com and click on the Real Good Foods logo.   My guest this week is the star of the newest superhero show on The CW Brec Bassinger plays Stargirl aka Courtney Whitmore, and this show is getting great reviews. I will link some of that up in our Facebook group. And if you're not familiar with the CW lineup, this is the same people behind the hit shows Arrow and Flash and Supergirl. I will put this clip in the group as well. No, you can't see it. But here's a little taste. (Show Clip here)   Stacey Simms  5:38 Stargirl is set to premiere May 18. Now I first spoke with Breck three years ago, and since then she's moved out she's living on her own. And as you'll hear, that is a big reason why she now wears a CGM. I need to tell you we did this interview back in January before COVID-19 and the quarantines and all the changes we're going through right now. So I tell you that just So you're not surprised at the tone, right? It's a little bit different, a little bit lighter than we might have done right now. And she's also talking about travel and conventions and things that you know have absolutely changed. Alright, but here is my interview with Brec Bassinger Brec thanks so much for coming back on the show. It's been a while. It's great to talk to you again.   Brec Bassinger  6:18 Yeah, three years. It's good stuff.   Stacey Simms  6:21 A lot has certainly changed for you. This is so exciting. I mean, you were busy then. You're busy now. But what can you tell me about Stargirl? I mean, we'll talk about diabetes eventually. But let's talk about the show.   Brec Bassinger  6:33 The important stuff in life. All of last year 2019. I was in Atlanta filming it. I've seen a few of the episodes and I'm really proud of it. I've never been part of something that I'm so like, shamelessly proud of where like the sounds are put doesn't like bragging I'm just so proud of I want every single person to see and I feel like that has to do a lot with the show runner. His name is Geoff Johns. He worked on like wonder woman and he just so amazing and like this spirit and happiness he brought to us that I feel like really just rubbed off on everyone. That was a part of it. So I I really am shamelessly. So excited for everyone to see it.   Stacey Simms  7:10 I think that's great. And you know, we've been watching the CW, DC heroes comic book shows for a couple of years now. And you know, they're just fun. And they're for families. They're good hearted. Is this in that same spirit?   Brec Bassinger  7:23 Yeah, it totally fits in with those. I've had. My family they got to all watch the first episode of the holidays with me, and they all really enjoyed it. I feel like as a whole, this one's more comparable to a film like a movie just the way films like the way it's written, like, like Flash and Arrow. It's normally like a villain per episode. And ours is more kind of like one season story arc like you can't just sit down and watch one episode and know what's going on. You kind of have to watch the full season more like a stranger things. I'd say that's kind of the main difference, the odds of like fear and it's just like happy it's not too dark. It's not Raise you like it's definitely a family friendly show, which there's not much of those. Yeah.   Stacey Simms  8:04 a that is great to hear. All right. So I know nothing about TV process and CGI and everything else. But to watch what's out there already. It looks like not only are there a lot of special effects, there's a lot of practical effects and you're, you're doing a lot of stunts. Are you doing all of those stunts or some of those stunts? I mean, it looks like it's a very challenging role physically.   Brec Bassinger  8:23 Yeah. So Stargirl, she has her her cosmic staff. So before we started filming, they put me in training with like staff training and stunt training. And so I got to do a lot of it. It was it was so funny because like at the beginning of the series, even with a couple weeks of training behind my belt, they would hand me the staff in a scene. And I just, like forget how to act because I would be so overwhelmed with having to like fight with this six foot long, both staff, but I thought that was really special because at the beginning like Courtney or struggle, like she shouldn't be as comfortable with that staff. And then towards the end of the season, when they gave me some staff, I felt so confident wasn't even thinking that it was coming. have like an extension of my arm at that point. And that's where Courtney should have been. So it was cool to kind of have that journey with Courtney.     Stacey Simms  9:11 Yeah. All right. So let's jump in and talk about diabetes. When you're training with a six foot both staff and you are not six feet tall. What does that do to your blood sugar? I mean, I'm assuming that there was a lot of planning that had to go into that and you really had to stay on top of things.   Brec Bassinger  9:24 Fortunately, like I exercise a lot so I know how to regulate my blood sugar cuz definitely like when I'm more active, it causes my blood sugar to drop. But with the stunt training stuff, it's a lot of just staying still and moving the staff around me so bad and it actually dropped my blood sugar. It was more trying to figure out like on fat I was working like one day I work 20 hours obviously that messes with my blood sugar and I really just have to learn to accept the circumstances and some days I was gonna have highs and lows and stop beat myself up about it because I I was I was working hours that aren't humanly normal.   Unknown Speaker  9:59 Can you share your diabetes management. Do you wear a CGM? Do you use an insulin pump? That sort of thing?   Brec Bassinger  10:04 Yeah, so I've always done insulin injections. I have my pin and actually have a half unit pin, which I got this past year, which has been really helpful. And then I have a CGM, a Dexcom.   Stacey Simms  10:14 Oh, and when did you start using that, if you don't mind me asking   Brec Bassinger  10:17 two years ago,   Stacey Simms  10:18 so it's pretty recent.   Brec Bassinger  10:20 Yeah, I started living by myself. And it was either that or one of the diabetes service dogs. And I had the CGM for the very first time I was like, Okay, I can't imagine a life without this just for safety reasons. And my mom wanted me to have something where she could feel more secure.   Stacey Simms  10:36 I was gonna say who gave you that choice because as a mom of my child,   Brec Bassinger  10:40 still in high school, especially during that time, I was having so many lows during the night, actually, when I started eating really healthy and working out a lot but because of that, I was just having lows all the time. And she's like, I do not feel comfortable. You living by yourself with all these lows. This is not safe. And so   Stacey Simms  10:57 do you share with your mom like she just said does she see your number Is that not Yes,   Brec Bassinger  11:01 I share with my mom, my dad, my boyfriend and my fellow diabetics with OnStargirl with me in Cameron Galvin, we have each other's follow apps. And that's really fun.   Stacey Simms  11:12 Well, there's another person with diabetes on the show.   Brec Bassinger  11:15 Yes. And we're both superheroes on the show. I'm like, come on.   Stacey Simms  11:18 So did you know each other before the casting?   Brec Bassinger  11:20 No. Well, that's the thing we had never met. I had a film something with one of my one of my friends. And she had reached out to me, she was like, Hey, can I give this guy your number? Like, you know, type one diabetic. He's talking about when you involve with Jr. And I told him, I thought you were so can I get in your contact info. So I got this random text like saying, Hey, are you going to the walk next month, if you are about to join you and your friend, Christina. And we just like it kind of sprinkled away. We never connected again. It just never worked out. And then he booked it in like, he goes to give me my number. And we're like, oh my gosh, we talked like three years ago. And he's like, Oh, it's all coming back to me. So it was like Cuz we hadn't met, we had talked it was really funny and weird.   Stacey Simms  12:03 That's great, though. I mean, obviously not everybody who has diabetes is going to be friends. Right? I have my son accuses me of that sometimes like, Oh, you should meet this person. But it's like it worked out really well.   Brec Bassinger  12:15 But I have to say like, I, maybe this is like an optimism or not not just rose colored glasses. Definitely. Every time I need a diabetic, they're the best person to my eyes and like, Oh, I lost them. We go through the same things for soulmate best friends, at least with my experience. Yeah, like I said, first podcast is might be a part of that as   Stacey Simms  12:35 well. I think it's more, you know, a 15 year old boy doesn't want his mom making friends for him. Right. But everybody could definitely do that.   Unknown Speaker  12:44 So all kidding   Stacey Simms  12:45 aside, though, I'm sure you don't talk about it all day on the set. I don't want to imply that you do. But has it come in handy. I mean, do you both kind of help each other is there is it just a kinship and a friendship on set.   Brec Bassinger  12:58 I think it's more of having Got companionship, that person who understands when we're on the 17th hour of work and they bring out another snack that just is carbee. But we're hungry and sleepy, but we don't want to eat all these carbs and just being able to look you get like look at each other and talk to each other and understand that was just so nice to have.   Stacey Simms  13:18 And you're both Well, obviously you're playing the superhero, but the other actor is playing a superhero as well.   Brec Bassinger  13:23 Mm hmm. Yes. Okay, so that   Stacey Simms  13:24 will lead me to my one of my questions. I had a couple of listeners who wanted to know if you have any issues wearing diabetes technology under the costume.   Right back to her answer, but first diabetes Connections is brought to you by One Drop, and One Drop is diabetes management for the 21st century. One Drop was designed by people with diabetes. For people with diabetes. One Drops glucose meter looks nothing like a medical device. It's sleek, compact, and seamlessly integrates with the award winning One Drop mobile app. sync all your other health apps to One Drop to keep track of the big picture and easily see health trends. And with a One Drop subscription you get unlimited test strips and lancets delivered right to your door. Every One Drop plan includes access to your own certified diabetes coach have questions, but don't feel like waiting for your next doctor's visit. Your personal coach is always there to help go to Diabetes connections.com and click on the One Drop logo to learn more. Right back to my interview. I'm asking Breck about wearing diabetes gear under the costume.   So you don't wear an insulin pump. But you were a CGM. And the Dexcom is just a little bit of a raised bump. Do you have to do any accommodations for that? And I know it can be personal So   Brec Bassinger  14:44 no, no, I'm, I'm an open book. When I was doing the cuts to the costume. It took in about 12 to 15 sittings hours and hours upon work like dozens of people touched and worked on it. And while we were doing the city I saw the G five which was bigger than the G six. It's still small but bigger. And they're like oh, but you can take that off. And I was like I can, but I'm not going to because I just I for safety reasons. It makes them feel more comfortable. It helps me like everything in Lj the costume designer, she was super understanding. But yeah, I haven't come my super suit is super tight. So I'm sure if you watch close enough in the series comes out, you'll be able to spot it sometimes but like it is what it is.   Stacey Simms  15:30 Well, you just gave a challenge to everybody with diabetes in their family watching they're gonna be freeze frame. I know.   Brec Bassinger  15:37 You're gonna be able to see it. Fortunately, I think a lot of times they would go in and edit it out. We do have that. Oh, yeah. And editing budget, which makes it nice, but I like some of the episodes I've watched. I've spotted it. So I'm so curious to see if other people will be able to as well.   Stacey Simms  15:52 And let me ask you about Cameron, if you don't mind. And again, this is too personal. I'll take this part out. Let me ask you about Cameron, just as he were up. pump for CGM, can we be spotting for stuff on him?   Brec Bassinger  16:02 Yeah. So see, I know he's had more experience in like the pump world than I have. I've never had one. So that doesn't take much. I'm not exactly sure. I know he was more lenient to take it on and off than I was. But that would be a question for him. I'm not really sure.   Stacey Simms  16:20 All right, well, we'll just get a remote controls that will just stop it as the show goes. That's really funny. Yeah. You know, it does have to be difficult because as you said, there's crazy hours, they are feeding you, but maybe it's not exactly what everybody wants to have at those long hours. Those long days. As you mentioned, the carves, you've been in television for a long time. I mean, I'm curious, are you able to talk to people on the set and say, you know, I really would prefer this or I need that or is it just a question of you kind of finding your way through what's out there?   Brec Bassinger  16:51 I have a couple things with that. It's really interesting. As an actor, it's so easy to get this diva persona you ask for anything in someone gonna call you a diva. And so I always felt really bad or that I couldn't ask for things because I never, I never wanted that. But then at some point, you have to realize there's people there that want to help you that will help you. It's their job to help you. And so walking onto this site, I made a pact with myself that when I needed help, I wasn't gonna be afraid to ask, because of what other people were going to think just for my own health, I say health as well. And so I went into the show with that new like perspective, and it definitely was helpful like, we have like a craft service guy, who who provide all the snack foods, and I became best friends with him. And they were absolutely amazing to me, they would get any like if ever there was a time I wanted something special. They never made me feel like a diva for asking for it, which is so great of them. And then also Karen and I share something else we both actually have celiac disease as well. So our diet is extremely strict and once again, not health that's not me being like a diva like Oh, I can't eat gluten because I don't want to it's I I can't. So once again, like I think maybe having these health issues makes it easier for me to ask because I kind of have an excuse. But it still was difficult to like, get over that hump.   Stacey Simms  18:13 Well, and I know that there are going to be younger people, maybe more than usual listening to the show, because you're on it. And I'm so glad you said that, because it's very difficult to ask for things. Right? It's difficult to say, I'm different. I need nobody wants to be a bother or as you're saying, like a diva. You know, nobody wants to be perceived that way. And I'm curious, were you always like that? Or you said you made a pact on this show? Do you feel like it took you a while to build up to have the confidence to ask for those things.   Brec Bassinger  18:42 100% I have to give a lot like living by myself for the first time. I think living in LA as I was 18 my mom and dad prepared me as much as they could, but it's hard living by yourself. And I think that's the time when I really learned to not be like diabeetus I, that's the time of my life that I learned that it's okay to ask for help. But it took practice, I think asking for help. It's a skill that you have to work on. And sometimes you have to swallow your pride. And sometimes you have to feel like a diva or needy. But in the long run, if you can do that, you'll be so much happier.   Stacey Simms  19:17 That's fantastic. I know you've gone to jdrf children's congresses, and you've been very involved with jdrf What's it like for you when you meet these kids? Because they're so excited to meet you. You know, there's somebody on TV who lives with type one and goes through what I go through and take shots and has to put the CGM on and their mom worries and wants to follow just like my mom. Is it still for you talk to these kids?   Brec Bassinger  19:38 Oh, yes. Like I said, maybe it's a rose colored glasses. But every time I meet another diabetic, I have like, this instant connection with them. I'm like, Oh my gosh, do you miss drinking a regular coke without having to pay for it for the next 24 hours? Like, oh my gosh, I can't remember the last time I did like, it's so funny. It's like what I like when you can connect to someone on such a personal thing. Like it's just fun and then yeah Like, I was a kid with diabetes, and so like, being able to, like, have these things that I've learned throughout the years and kind of helping them like if they've had questions, I think, oh, I've been in your shoes. Let me tell you what helped me. Hopefully it'll help you. I mean, all bodies are different, but kind of like that older sibling. I think that's so fun.   Stacey Simms  20:19 Yo, I wanted to ask you, and this may be a really dumb question, but I'm gonna ask it anyway. I wanted to ask you, there was a movie that you were in and I couldn't see it. I'm sorry. I don't do any kind of horror movies. I don't do scary stuff. 47 meters down on K. Yeah. Right, which was water and scary and AR and was that and again, I don't know anything about how they make movies. So I don't know maybe it was in a swimming pool. But was that hard to film with somebody who has type one I did that presented a unique challenges.   Brec Bassinger  20:47 That was the best experience for me. It's because I actually never was in the water. Not once the filming process that you were in the water was insane and like in hindsight, Cuz I actually originally auditioned for one of the main girls but whatever it was maybe I wasn't right for it shooting schedule a Stargirl didn't align for whatever reason I didn't get it, but they, they offered me a smaller like, I'm like the mean girl in it. And in hindsight like it would have been a really big team to overcome having to be under what they were under water for eight hours a day, I'm sure like, my blood sugar would have I would have figured it out because I refuse to let it stop me from doing anything. But it definitely would have been a battle that I haven't had to deal with yet.   Stacey Simms  21:33 All right, sorry. For my ignorance. I find seniors I'm sure it would have known that but there's no   Brec Bassinger  21:38 okay, every like every time someone finds out, I'm like, how'd you get killed by a shark? I'm like, I don't get killed. Like, oh, you're the one that survives the shark. I was like, No, I never see the shark.   Unknown Speaker  21:51 Totally Okay, I got it. That's hilarious.   Stacey Simms  21:53 Oh my god. That's too funny. When you were diagnosed, you were eight years old. And I'm curious. Did your family meet other people with diabetes right away. Did you do the jdrf walks and things like that? Or did it take you a while to find people?   Brec Bassinger  22:06 I got involved with jdrf pretty quickly. I think I was diagnosed in January. And I think that October I did the walk. And that was actually I think the that year was the year I was most involved with jdrf not talking about like, recent years like ambassador, things like that. But we raise so much money, we had a team of like 40 people come out and all walk with like breakfast buddies shirts on pretty instantly I got involved with jdrf they've always been that sense of community for me, and I'm so grateful for them. Actually. Funny enough, I think when I was kin to be chosen for children's Congress is one of like the type of kids that goes you have to like write an essay. And I wrote an essay trying to get chosen and I didn't try it. Eight years later, or nine years later, whatever it is, I got to come as like one of the people speaking on the panel and one of like, the role models for all the kids who got Cuz I'm like, wow, that's full circle. I felt so blessed. It was such a cool like thing to look back on. That is   Stacey Simms  23:06 great. Oh my goodness yeah children's Congress really is incredible. So your schedule for the next couple of weeks months is going to be bananas I would assume How does it work? So the whole the whole series is shot.   Brec Bassinger  23:19 Yeah, so we shot for eight months last year and actually like the past few months has been pretty not busy for me because I'm just we call it the hiatus and we're waiting to hear about season two. So fingers crossed about that. But right now it's kind of like the waiting game and then I imagine I'll start doing press promoting first season I heard I can't talk too much about it. But I've heard about me getting to go to some of those conventions like similar like Comic Con or writer con things like that. And I'm just like, above the moon I think that's the coolest I'm so excited. Yeah.   Stacey Simms  23:53 Well, and you know, superhero movies of the whole genre is obviously goes without saying is so huge right now. Is this something that When you were younger, that I mean not even as an actress because it means are great roles to play. But as a consumer did, is this your thing? Did you go to these kinds of movies? Did you are you into comic book characters,   Brec Bassinger  24:10 so I never read comics growing up, but I've always been like the first one to go see the comic movies that come out. That being said, though, like, I remember one day on set in particular, I was in a harness, because I was supposed to be flying in the scene. So I was in our green screen room on set, hanging in this harness in my superhero costume with this like custom, beautifully made cosmic staff. I was like, Oh my gosh, my dreams have been made. I did not know this was my dream. But this this exact thing is my dream. He must   Stacey Simms  24:41 be wild to work in the green screen setting. So I mean, as an actress, you know, you don't know what's around you.   Brec Bassinger  24:47 It is so weird. I had never done anything like it before. And so in it, there's their strike. he's a he's a 15 1615 or 16 foot robot and while we had a practical one, any Time like we were fighting together, or a lot of times, if we were in random places just talking, it was all CGI. So I was talking to that tennis ball. Like if you've ever watched like BTS videos like, I had that as well. And I'm really I'm really hoping from many reasons that we get picked up for a second season, but particularly because like, I'll have watched the whole first season by the time we go back to phone. And so I like when I'm talking to that tennis ball. I'll know exactly what I'm talking to. For first season. It was pure imagination. I was just doing the best I could. I was like, What second season I would have more point of reference, but it was it was definitely hard, but it's really, really cool.   Stacey Simms  25:38 I'm gonna dive in. We're gonna start wrapping it up here. But so here's a question I got from a listener. It's actually from Jessica wanted to ask her her daughter's question. And this is a might be a tough one. She wants to know why you like acting. This young woman is nine years old and has typed on herself.   Brec Bassinger  25:54 Oh, why do I like acting? It's funny. So the only Everything I've ever wanted to be in my life was an astronaut because I thought the moon was made of cheap. And then when I found out the moon wasn't made of cheese, I said, Well, I don't want to be an astronaut anymore. I'm gonna be an actress. Like little six year old Breck was running around and people will be like, why do you want to grow up and I'm like, I don't want to be anything, I'm gonna be an actress. And so I feel like it really was just put in me. And I think I love it. Because the way it stimulates my creative side, and also the way it makes me, it's created this, I'm able to have empathy for other people in my work. So like, as I take on another character, I feel like while studying and becoming this character, I learned so much about the world and different people in it. Just that I'm such a people person. So it's like a job where I literally get to play other people and learn about people is such a perfect fit for me.   Stacey Simms  26:52 And before I let you go, I don't want to make too much of an issue of it. But I do think it's worth talking about that in the last few years. It's been really Nice to see a lot of the superhero shows and movies be led by women. I mean, this show is Stargirl. And I think that's just phenomenal. I'm so excited to have young women and little girls watching this show. Does it make you a little nervous though? I mean, when you're filming this Did you kind of think of the back your mind, I'm gonna be somebody's role model. Somebody is Halloween costume.   Brec Bassinger  27:22 Unfortunately, I feel like fell on the Bulldogs, which was the Nickelodeon show I was on for a couple years, like prepared me for that or prepared me for this. Like I played a female quarterback, very strong female lead. I had girls dressing up for me of Halloween. So I think that was like a good stepping stone for what the school be. I mean, I'm not sure what this will be. But I hope it's big and I hope girls are watching it and feeling inspired. I feel prepared. I'm not scared.   Stacey Simms  27:49 Yeah, that's a great point because that show was terrific. And really was it was different to which was fun. You know, it really was different light. brick. Thank you so much for talking with me. Please tell kameron that we said Hi, and we're excited to watch the both of you on this show. I really appreciate you spending some time with me. We'll be looking for the CGM outline. And I hope we get to talk again. Thank you so much.   Brec Bassinger  28:13 Thank you. Good to talk to you.   Unknown Speaker  28:21 You're listening to diabetes connections with Stacey Simms.   Stacey Simms  28:26 You can find out more about Stargirl and about Rick, just go to Diabetes connections.com and click on the episode homepage. We have transcriptions. Now I've been adding for 2020 and hoping to go back into that for many more episodes. But if you know someone who would prefer to read the show, rather than Listen, you can send them to the episode homepage. You should all be there along with the clip I was telling you about earlier and some more information about BRAC I think this is going to be a big hit. I'm so excited for her and I will follow up and see if we can talk to Cameron as well. nice thing to have support and somebody who gets it on the set. All right up next is tell me something good but first diabetes Connections is brought to you by Dexcom. And you know when you have a toddler diagnosed with type one like we did you hear rumblings for a long time about the teen years right over the treaded teen years, but it did hit us a little early. And I was really glad that we had Dexcom Benny's insulin needs started going way up around age 11. He looks like a completely different person. I was going through photos, my cousin was asking me to send some photos for an event that she's having. So I was going through photos from three to four years ago, right when he was in the swing of this right at the beginning. He looks like a completely different person. He's probably grown six or seven inches just since age 11. I don't have to spell out what else has happened. He's shaving. I mean, he looks completely different. It's so wild. But along with the hormone swings, I just can't imagine managing diabetes during this crazy time. Without the Dexcom continuous glucose monitoring system. We can react more quickly to highs loz see trends and adjust insulin doses with advice from our endocrinologist. I know using the Dexcom g six has helped improve Benny's agency and overall health. If your glucose alerts and readings from the G six do not match symptoms or expectations, use a blood glucose meter to make diabetes treatment decisions. To learn more, go to Diabetes connections.com and click on the Dexcom logo.   In Tell me something good This week we have some great stories from athletes. I'm going to start with Zoe cook. She was told by a coach when she was younger that she would never be an athlete because of type 1 diabetes. So he says she was diagnosed at 10 kicked off the competitive swim team because the coach said she was too high risk that in middle school when she was 13. Her test coach told her that because she went low running sprints, she would have to leave the team. That was the coach who said she would never be an athlete. So he says she's really glad that she had parents who could tell me he was ready. Wrong way to go. So we and she also says that last year she ran the New York City Marathon with her mother who also has type one way to go. So we and way to show that dumb coach. You know what things really are all about. It is amazing how I always think that that's ancient history, right that someone will say you can't do this because of diabetes, but it still happens and we still have to advocate for our kids. Or if you're living with type one I know you know, you have to advocate for yourself. And you know, we'll get there. It's just a lot of education. Julie's Tell me something good is herself. Julie Raiden has been type one for 53 years. She posted all her wonderful numbers. She has a pretty extraordinary one c 4.9. She has incredible time and range and she is 61. If you listen to the show, often you know that I don't often share numbers. We all do this on our own way. But man Julie, I wanted to share that because I can't even imagine how hard you work. Good for you. She also is a hiker and stays very active. I did ask you I sent a note back and I said, What's something you didn't think you could do when you were first diagnosed that you have been able to accomplish? And I thought she would say, you know, hiking or staying active or something like that. And she really hit it on the nose when she said, I hate to say this, but successfully living to 60. I was always told I wouldn't. So that does give you perspective. Julie, thank you so much for responding and sending that in. I appreciate it. And finally, Mike Joyce. Mike shared that last year he hiked 2200 miles from Maine to Georgia. And this year, he is going to hike the Pacific Northwest trail that's a 1200 mile trail from Glacier National Park to Olympic National Park. I think I've profiled him before or mentioned him because I remember this last year when he was on the Appalachian Trail, right Mike? He says he uses a phrase of the inhaled insulin and packs a ton of food. Remember this Mike, I'm gonna have to look you up and put up a link from from last year when we talked about this. And he sent me some pictures that I'll share on social media. And one more story for today. Something good. I got a review that I wanted to share. I sometimes share reviews, I get reviews on podcast apps like Apple podcast player or whatever, you know, there's a bajillion of them. And it's always wonderful to get a nice review. So I appreciate that if you want to do that, you know, I love it. Thank you so much. It does help the show. But you know, frankly, Apple podcasts is kind of a pain to leave reviews on. But I got one that made me really smile and I wanted to share it. T Piper writes, Stacey is a diabetic. I love it. Thank you for being so Frank and direct with the head of Dexcom. You are our voice and we are so grateful. Our family is so appreciative. You know, that refers to the Dexcom interview we did recently, I believe about the CGM in the hospital. And if you haven't heard, I did ask about assistance, financial assistance during this time because other companies are doing that with Dexcom follow suit and they said at the time while we're thinking about it, we haven't done anything. And more recently, they did announce Some help so I will link that up as well. But t Piper, that's very cool. Thank you very much for that review. I have to tell you it made my husband really laugh. I showed it to him and he thought that was amazing. A diabetic, I appreciate it so much. All right, give me your Tell me something good stories. I love to share them on the show. I post in the Facebook group all the time, or you can always email me Stacey at Diabetes connections.com.   Working on a couple of projects behind the scenes, if you have a homegrown diabetes, a company or a smaller diabetes company and you are looking for advertising, I'm going to be posting in the Facebook group and probably on the public page as well pretty soon about a new project that I'm working on. And it's an opportunity for smaller companies to get attention from the type 1 diabetes community so be on the lookout for that. I'm very excited about it. I already have a couple of partners on board and you know, we're just going to keep moving forward. Things do not look the way we thought they would look this year. But we have no choice but to keep moving. And thank you all for all of the support you show not only by listening, downloading and sharing the show, but by taking part in the zoom chats that I'm doing by just having the community in the Facebook group. It really helps me personally, I just feel better about things and I hope it's helping you as well. thank you as always to my editor john Buchanan's from audio editing solutions, who is slam packed jam busy Is that even a word phrase? Because everybody wants to do a podcast now and everybody wants to do one, you know, remote at home and doesn't know how to do it. So they're all calling john and he's really busy right now, which I guess is good. There's another silver lining. And thank you so much for listening. I'm Stacey Simms. I'll see you back here next week.   Brec Bassinger  35:48 Diabetes Connections is a production of Stacey Simms media. All rights reserved. All rounds avenged.   Transcribed by https://otter.ai

"Everything I've changed about my life has been one step at a time." Looking at Marzia Prince and her Plant Chics brand now, it's hard to imagine a time when she wasn't living a healthy lifestyle. But an atmosphere of negativity in childhood followed by several years of unhealthy living made Marzia long for a change. What steps did she take? And can she convince a notorious picky eater that even he can live a plant-based lifestyle? Learn more about Marzia at PlantChics.com Second Shot Sit-Downs is an in-depth look at the people who inspire us, from your friends at Second Shot! This interview series is meant to highlight the types of people we talk about on the show: the people who really embody that idea of taking a Second Shot at business, at relationships, at life.

It's St. Patrick's Day! And guess what? I'm here to tell you ONE thing and ONE thing only. Luck doesn't exist. People aren't handed ANYTHING. When I look back at my life and everything I've encountered, achieved, or even failed at- sister, my resume doesn't scream LUCK. Everything I've been given or NOT given is a result of me working my tush off or lack there of. Your success in your life has NOTHING to do with your race, gender, background, or whatever you want to blame it on. It's a result of your mindset and doing what you need to do to create the life you've always dreamed of.

THE ORPHAN PART 1 TIDALWAVES Silent sound don't mean much to me Silent sound brings out the worst in me I wonder should I lock my door And hide away in my hideaway? Violence found don't mean much to me Violence found beings out the worst in me I wonder should I lock my door And hide away in my hideaway? Hideaways mean a lot to me Tidalwaves bring out the best in me I wonder should I lock my door And hide away in my hideaways? In my hideaway Tidalwaves Dave - guitars and vocals Brian - bass and production CJ - drums BRING THE MALL Bring the mall and crash it to it's knees Grow a dozen spineless wheezing trees Circumstance confronted for a buck Scream and rant and yell "what the fuck" Fourteen in a bottle raze it to the ground Laugh at evil sell it rich to keep you down Boil it up frustration with its sauce Arguments excelsior with the boss Trade a name and number and a look Fish a corpse out of the country brook Fourteen in a bottle raze it to the ground Laugh at evil sell it rich to keep you down Maybe, man, the world don't make no sense So a song reflects a vision that's all pretense In the meeting of the matter of a trillion minds That together all together go collectively blind In the bedrock formed a condo bath In a motion that gives man's epitaph To a surly motherfucker in construction boots With a fortune in his pocket from laundry chutes So gather 'round the stage to see Employment congregations in a word to be Exploited in a question of monopoly That never gives an answer of what's to be For a moment just a moment in a fashion craze And a trillion motherfuckers living in a daze Of a colony that's bitterest of them all In a sentence of an essence, man, bring the mall Bring the mall Dave - guitar and vocals APOCALYPSE TOMORROW Exploding erupting orgasmic and more See through the ceiling and punch through the floor Huff like a big bad wolf and kick down that door Blue like horizons on the oceanless shores Come on Blue is the color inevitably The blues is the core and the Earth is the sea Unkind unkempt ungainly Blue is the color the masses see Blue like the glass hewn desert Blue like the drugs of comfort Blue like the song of the used and oppressed Blue like the mood of the sad and depressed Apocalypse Tomorrow Do you have an armageddon I can borrow The waters rise and suffocate The air hangs burning concentrate Do you have an armageddon I can borrow Apocalypse tomorrow Come On! Dave - guitars and vocals Brian - bass and production Pork - drums SUICIDE NOTE My lips taste the gun and it tastes just like salvation Cold steel on my tongue and it's dogging my salivation Powder residue and an exit wound will be redemption Hemmingway, Cobain, and Hunter S the congregation I'm throwing in the towel, man, I can no longer fight Too many goddamned hardass days too many sleepless nights Just another suicide will be one in a million It doesn't matter anyway to the rotting vast cotillion chorus I'm writing this all down but no one will ever read it As soon as I'm all done I'm gonna motherfucking burn it That way it's a gift to all like Jimi's burning Strat Or maybe it's a gift to none I guess it could be that I'm sobbing uncontrollably scared shitless of this ending Just one twitch and soon enough there'll be no more pretending I can't stop the flow of life remembering through my soul Goddamn, make it stop, one twitch, oh shit I lost control chorus Click, combustion, bullet in the head Yes it is salvation time Suicide is no joke. If you're feeling like shit call the suicide prevention hotline 1-800-273-8255. Hang in there. Dave Dave Linantud - guitar and vocals Brian Lutz - bass, engineering, mixing C.J. Johnson - drums Ian Burke - mastering Recorded and mixed at Possum Studios FEVER DREAM Listen up gather 'round there's a new thing to be found All around everything you -n- me Have a care bout the things everyone get up and sing Bout the way you and me can be free I want a super new computer But no one can ever use her And the only one who knows her is me And if somebody tried to get her They couldn't even find her And the only one who knew her would be me Here's a joke or a screed to all the people now in need Find the truth if you want to be free Give a look or a wink don't care what anybody thinks If you blink then you will miss it to be free And if you think of even lying There's no point in even trying Cause then there ain't no meaning you see? And if that ship just sails away Just take the next ship the next day And say "I didn't think that last ship wanted me" Here's a look for the night when every other thing was right And the only thing that matters here is you Find a hope and a dream if you don't know what it means Well the only one who needs to know is you Come on Take a breath or a day play it every other way If you can't get back to zero then it's right On the beach in the sun in the mountains on the run Find the way to the day to fool the night Fever Dream Dave: guitar and vocals Brian: bass, engineering, mixing Ochster: drums and percussion Ian: mastering, mixing I GOTTA LEAVE The song was wrong all along ain't wrong It's gone just gone away The dream it seems it means to be Free and gone away The song was long the throng is gone Long gone with ease The crowd was loud but now out loud Announce to all I gotta leave Where is the sun to guide us through the dark? Has it begun to even touch the mark? How can it be when ours is just to question why? Where do you go when you never want to die? When the clock becomes the enemy and night time gets so cold Last call for something more than simply growing old How can Iive without that ragged company? It ain't for free Cause I gotta leave yeah yeah yeah I gotta leave 'Cause it ain't for free no no no Dave - guitars and vocals Brian - bass and production Andy - drums and percussion WHY Why me why you why try try to Why not why not you Why should I try to Why am I so blue Why can't I see through Dave - guitars and vocals Brian - bass, production, vocals Andy - drums and percussion THE DRIVER SAYS IT'S OVER, YES "I need to sleep" 's what she said Out loud to none when she bled Emotional projects of despair Wondrously woven through her silk hair Flowing freely like a winter sun That's setting 'fore its work is done It never settles in a sky That's wounded enough to try Conversely the arguments fly Evenly like sandless beaches Grasping at a butterfly that's Floating just outside of reachless Hands that grasp at everything To be or was or so it seems To blast off into evening streams Of sunlight shadow dusty seams Of reason Of treason Of poison Beholden Of superstitious portions of a Brew that's boiling patiently The driver says it's over, yes It's over Transparent transparency Trans piracy Piracy unbroken dreams Cascading falls of brawling emotions Pirated away Spirited away A way difference scorned Crisis crises Spices sailed from foreign lands landing Unhanded Mishandled 'Til the nothingness surrounds astounding Fractured like a broken heart Punctured but still beating Still beating Over and over Yes it's over and over "I need to sleep" 's what she said The moon lurked softly by and by Around the mourning of a sparrow Whistling Neil Young's "Broken Arrow" Harvesting a crop of memories That motion t'wards the center Of a universe that hangs a sign The sign reads "do not enter" The driver says it's over, yes It's over Dave - guitars and vocals Brian - bass and production Andy - drums I WAS BORN I was born in the night Sacrificed to the roving blight I'd welcome death if she'd only suck my breath My only pedigree Is this faceless madding sea Bodies surround me but not one can see me Isolation here for no one and not me My only lifelong quest is to have a painless death I only want to see Where do you run to when you ain't got no home Safely chewed off society's bone A young priest took me in She was bathed in earthly sin I have a pistol but I can't I can't read She gave me love unconditionally She kicked me in the teeth Turned my gun on me I only want to see Why she loves me *coproduced by Ian Burke Dave - guitars and singing Brian - bass, production and engineering CJ - drums Ian - production, mixing, mastering RUN THE FUCK AWAY You're a memory Far as I can see Priestly evil deeds to me Free as lusting chance Bathed in decadance Got it in my pants My pants I'm leaving here today Leaving anyway Gonna live today Today Run the fuck away Got an itch for a more evil dare I'm gone like a song in the air I'm gone like a song in the air I spent my young life running away The more I ran the more I stayed Motion is home to the restless And mad I'm gonna muse my dream Lead me where it leads Lead the voiceless away Leave me the fuck alone Leave me just the motherfuck alone Leave me the fuck alone Alone Pleased to be remembering me well Dave - vocals and guitar Brian - bass, engineering, mixing CJ - drums Ian - mastering FUCK THE HERD Break your back break your face Fall asleep miss the race Scared to be anything Scaredy scared of everything Go People suck people lie Just complain all the time Whine all day fall in line Just fit in it's lemming time So fuck the herd Fuck 'em Cattle sheep chew your cud Stupid and dumb as mud You don't care if it's true Or a lie so fuck you And fuck the herd Fuck 'em Dave - guitar and vocal Brian - bass, engineering, mixing C.J. Johnson - drums Ian Burke - mastering ALL FALL DOWN They tell you to walk before you run But me I want to fly Shake off that misanthropy And try and touch the sky A sky that's cold as winter icicles in May A rage that never really goes away Spend all your spare time looking back 'Cause memories never fade Everything I've seen just seems To be a grand charade Of faceless voices claiming to be the status quo But never let them show you where to go They tell you to think before you leap Lives they just fall down All these wasted people They just burrow in the ground That's hard as screaming arctic glaciers late in June Just another word for a cocoon And so I sit back and think a while Wondering what it's for This grand scheme that builds some dreams And thrashes others on the floor That's crowded by a billion entities and some Who never even heard the starting gun Dave - guitar and vocal Brian- bass, mix, engineer C.J. Johnson - drums Ian Burke - mastering HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT Life is useless so is love Blood is nothing done is done Take me backwards over there Once a lifetime never fair NO Will it ever end I wish it could Where's they sting like it should Life done broke me all fucked up Nothing's happening nothing's up Didn't ask to be here so Let's drop the curtain it's time to go see it said See where you're at How do you like that If I were Shakespeare I'd write a song Of romantic longings and soliloquies sung Death and carnage would not despair The choices made would cloud the air But I ain't Shakespeare I ain't a man I've taken it all I've bitten the hand I've stared at the abstract claiming it's truth I punctured the priest in the confessional booth Didn't care more yesterday How can it seem to be that way when you're dead So where you at How do you like that Dave - guitar and vocals Brian- bass and production Wil - drums HOMELESS I will work for food Often misconstrued Please don't think me rude Baseless, strained or crude Inside out they come I'm the chosen one Sleep with Jesus' son Be the lonely one I will do anything I'm the homeless one Terrorized for fun I'm the chosen one Lest we come undone I will do anything Let me have some food Please give me some food Can I have some food May I have some food Dave - guitars and vocals Brian - bass, engineering, mixing C.J. Johnson - drums Ian Burke - mastering

Everything I've been carrying out for the last few years and how I got my ripped to 6% bodyfat and how I'm maintaining it. Deep insights on the nutrition timing and training methodologies.

I quit my job once and for all on October 15, 2004, 13 years ago this month. It was a six figure job with really good health insurance and all the trimmings, a job I could have kept for life. My wife (now ex-wife) and I moved from Los Angeles back to Salt Lake City, Utah because the cost of living was about 1/6th the price and our families were there. A couple months later, at a christmas party put on by my X's family, her sister was grilling me on why were were back. "Soooo... You quit your job and moved back to Salt Lake..." She said, it was more of a statement than a question. I answered anyway. "Yep." I said. "Didn't it take you like 12 years to get your "dream" job?" She used her fingers to make quote motions when she said the word dream. She had heard her sister talk about how hard I had worked for a job I had considered my dream job. "Ya." I said. "And you just quit...gave it all up?" She said with obvious confusion mixed with disgust. "Ya." I said. "Do you have another job?" She said. "No, I'm going to figure out how to start a business, so I don't have to work a boring ass job ever again." I said. "Have you ever started a business before?" She pressed. "Nope, I'm going to figure it out." I said. She stared at me a few moments, brow furrowed. "You're weird..." She exclaimed and that was that. I don't think she ever talked to me again before I got divorced from her sister. Some people just don't get it. But you do. Know how I know? You're listening to this podcast. You have the desire to be in control of your life and how you create and receive value. Now, you don't need to quit before you get started, looking back it was extremely risky of me to do that. I had to go after the dream, for myself and my family. I had a savings and I happen to work well in very risky situations. I didn't know where to start or how to do any of it, but I had to go for it. You're weird too (and that's a good thing), but you're also lucky. When I started I didn't know of any single place I could go that would just teach my how to start a business. I didn't know that what I was looking for was a very specific type of business, a FREEDOM business. You know both. Everything I've learned and taught to over 10,000 other entrepreneurs is right here, in one place, just for you: http://www.FreedomClubVIP.com Jeremy Frandsen World Leader in Freedom Business Education

Everything I've said is based on facts, I've collected from various pages on the Internet. Since the heartbreaking news of Australia have been a big topic right now, I decided to summarize the big catastrophic situation in Australia. Whenever you feel sad, remember what the people, animals and even plants in Australia are going through. We all can help. We just need to gather the courage to do so.

This is the first of hopefully many mini-episode where I go into the details of my plan of becoming financially independent. Everything I've been doing up to this point has been free content that has been put out into the world, but starting this year I'm on a mission to make a profit from it all. It's an honest and raw conversation with myself (and possibly others down the road) of how I'm doing and my plans of where I'm going.    

She writes Emmy-winning television comedy, bestselling children’s books, plays, and sentences for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Is there nothing Jill Twiss can’t do?Musical theater actress and stand-up comic Jill Twiss dreamed of writing for television but did not know how to break in to the world of late-night comedy shows. The stars aligned when a few supportive women called some chits on her behalf, and lo, she landed a spot in the writing room of the Emmy-award winning show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Her work on Last Week Tonight has earned her multiple Emmys, WGA and Peabody Awards, and led to a series of bestselling children’s books as well as the opportunity to write humorous “Can I have that word in a sentence, please?” hints for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. This week, Jill and Jess talk about how Jill got her start in television, her love of Vice President Mike Pence’s pet rabbit Marlon Bundo, how her children’s books came to be, their shared need for pressing deadlines, and Jill’s play-in-progress about the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention.Episode links and a transcript follow—but first, you know we dropped the Top Five Ways to Find the Right Agent to pitch into everyone’s inbox last Monday. What will our supporters find there this Monday? It’s SO FRESH WE DON’T EVEN KNOW. But if you become a supporter, you will. Support the podcast you love AND get weekly #WriterTopFives with actionable advice you can use for just $7 a month. As always, this episode (and every episode) will appear for all subscribers in your usual podcast listening places, totally free as the #AmWriting Podcast has always been. This shownotes email is free, too, so please—forward it to a friend, and if you haven’t already, join our email list and be on top of it with the shownotes and a transcript every time there’s a new episode. Want to share this one? Click here to share on Facebook, and here for an editable tweet. LINKS FROM THE PODCAST#AmReading (Watching, Listening)Jess: Good Luck with That by Kristan HigginsJill: The World Only Spins Forward: The Ascent of Angels in America by Isaac Butler and Dan KoisOur guest for this episode is Jill Twiss.Last Week Tonight with John OliverA Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo The Someone NewEveryone Gets a SayThe Marlon Bundo episode of Last Week Tonight (full episode): Just the excerpt about A Day in The Life of Marlon Bundo with a clip of the animated all-star cast audiobook: This episode was sponsored by Author Accelerator, the book coaching program that helps you get your work DONE. Visit https://www.authoraccelerator.com/amwritingfor details, special offers and Jennie Nash’s Inside-Outline template.Find more about Jess here, Sarina here and about KJ here.If you enjoyed this episode, we suggest you check out Marginally, a podcast about writing, work and friendship.The image in our podcast illustration is by Kate DeCarvalho. The music in our podcast is by Max Cohen.Transcript (We use an AI service for transcription, and while we do clean it up a bit, some errors are the price of admission here. We hope it’s still helpful.)KJ:                                        00:01                    Hello fellow writers. The beginning of the year is a great time to think about what you really want from your writing life and if one of the things that's filled you with joy in the past is time spent encouraging, editing, and helping another writer you might want to consider becoming a book coach yourself. Our sponsor, Author Accelerator provides book coaching to authors like me, but also needs and trains book coaches. And they'll be hosting a free book coaching summit in January for anyone who wants to learn more. If that's got your ears perked up, head to authoraccelerator.com/summit. Is it recording?Jess:                                     00:39                    Now it's recording.KJ:                                        00:40                    Yay.Jess:                                     00:40                    Go ahead.KJ:                                        00:41                    This is the part where I stare blankly at the microphone and try to remember what I was supposed to be doing.Jess:                                     00:45                    Alright, let's start over.KJ:                                        00:47                    Awkward pause and I'm going to rustle some papers.Jess:                                     00:50                    Okay.KJ:                                        00:50                    Now one, two, three.Jess:                                     00:58                    Hey, I'm Jess Lahey and this is #AmWriting. Our podcast about writing all the things, the podcast about sitting down, getting the work done and often that work looks like pitches, looks like queries, looks like invoicing so that you can get paid for all that stuff. But really this is just the podcast about the nuts and bolts of being a writer.Sarina:                                 01:22                    I'm Sarina Bowen, when I do my writing it's about fiction and novels. I'm the author of 30-odd romance novels and my new one is called Heartland.Jess:                                     01:32                    And I'm Jess, again. And my work of writing is about mostly nonfiction and I'm in the process of writing a new book and in the process of editing it. But my first book is the Gift of Failure, How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed. And we are missing KJ again today. She is still hockey tournament-ing. And we are going to have an interview today with someone really, really cool. But I wanted to catch you at the beginning of this, Sarina to tell you that you and our guest today have something in common.Sarina:                                 02:01                    We do, what?Jess:                                     02:03                    So a couple of years ago you sent us a text, KJ and myself, a text about the fact that someone had gotten a tattoo in your honor. And are we still at a couple of people, two people who have tattoos of your books?Sarina:                                 02:18                    I know of three...Jess:                                     02:19                    Three people. And what do they have on their bodies?Sarina:                                 02:22                    Well, the first one had the cover of Him.Jess:                                     02:27                    Okay. Him being one of the books that you have written.Sarina:                                 02:31                    Right. And then another one has a quote from The Year We Fell Down.Jess:                                     02:35                    Oh, that's cool. A quote, I love that.Sarina:                                 02:38                    And hers is in French because she helped me proofread the French edition. And then I have a lovely friend, Claudia, who has a tattoo of The True North titles.Jess:                                     02:49                    That's just so permanent. It's so permanent. I mean, number one, you gotta be a super fan to get a tattoo of. Well the other thing is you said that one of them has The True North novels, which means this is a tattoo that will expand over time, maybe.Sarina:                                 03:05                    Well, perhaps...Jess:                                     03:11                    What if you end up writing like 70 books in this series? It'll be like all the way up her arm or his arm.Sarina:                                 03:16                    Yeah, but I'll be dead from writing all those. So you know, we have bigger problems...But, so tell me about our guest.Jess:                                     03:24                    So our guest today is Jill Twiss and she is a writer on the show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. And she found someone who has a tattoo of a rabbit on them and that rabbit's name is Marlon Bundo. Do you know who Marlon Bundo is?Sarina:                                 03:41                    He's the bunny in her book.Jess:                                     03:43                    The bunny in her book. And we'll talk to her a little bit about that tattoo and what it was like to find out that she has landed a place of permanence on someone's body, which just to me, blows my mind. I can't even picture. It's just amazing.Sarina:                                 03:57                    You know what blows my mind?Jess:                                     03:58                    What's that?Sarina:                                 03:59                    If your first book in Amazon is a picture book with like 8 million reviews and went viral, like I'm so excited for this.Jess:                                     04:09                    I know, this is going to be great also because as you will find out when you listen to this interview, it's her first writing job.Sarina:                                 04:16                    That's amazing. Okay, I'm ready to have my mind blown.Jess:                                     04:20                    Alright, so with no further ado, here is my interview with Jill Twiss. I am here today with Jill Twiss. She is a senior writer at Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. She has a crazy, amazing story. She has Emmies, she has WGA awards, she has Peabody awards. There are some other things she does that I am so excited to talk about. I'm not going to burst the the surprise right off the bat. But Jill, thank you so much for coming on the podcast.Jill:                                       04:52                    Thank you so much for having me. I'm such a huge fan of your podcast and I'm so excited to be here.Jess:                                     04:58                    What was really funny was when I first asked you to be on the podcast, you were on Twitter, I was on Twitter, and we were following each other and I messaged you about being on the podcast and you were so excited. You're like, I'm a fan. And I'm like, I'm a fan. So we got to fan girl a little bit. It was very, very exciting.Jill:                                       05:14                    Well, I'm new-ish to book world. And so this podcast was sort of as I was thrown into it, how I learned about what I was supposed to be doing.Jess:                                     05:26                    Well, and you come at it from a really unconventional angle, which is part of what I want to talk about today. Speaking of books - so you have now two books. One is about to come out. But you have a book out that some of our audience may have heard of, which is called A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, which is a children's book. And I wanna talk a little bit about how that book came to be. But I'm also going to link to a wonderful article that you wrote for Glamour about why you wrote this children's book since it seems in contrast with what you do day to day, which is to write for a late night audience. Which is a story that I love. Could you tell us a little bit about how Marlon Bundo came to be? Because he is a cool, cool character. Oh, and by the way, before I keep going, you tweeted recently that you saw someone with Marlon Bundo tattooed on them. How did that happen? How did you come across that?Jill:                                       06:28                    Okay, well, it was at my gym. I just happened to be there and I go to sort of a very fun, weird gym where we all know each other pretty well. And so we do a name game at the beginning of every class. And this woman heard me say, my name was Jill and she said, 'Are you Jill Twiss?' And then she held up her arm and she had a full Marlon Bundo tattoo. And she said she'd gotten them with her cousin. It was the craziest thing. I can't imagine ever even getting a tattoo of my own books, much less someone else's, but it could not be a bigger honor.Jess:                                     07:06                    Well, and I mentioned in the introduction to Sarina because she knows of three people that have tattoos of her books on them and one is a line from one of her books and two of them are just pictures of the books. And that blows my mind. That's a level of permanence and fandom that I can't even imagine. I can't even imagine. So tell us a little bit about this book, Marlon Bundo. Who in the heck is Marlon Bundo?Jill:                                       07:33                    Sure. Okay. So as you said at the beginning, I am a writer at Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. And I have been a writer there since the show started. So I am a pretty, you know, dark, angry, comedy writer kind of person.Jess:                                     07:51                    And I just realized that with you saying that, that I started in absolutely the wrong place. I don't have KJ here to kick me under the table to say, 'No, no, no. You're starting in the wrong place.' Which she does so brilliantly. Because am I correct - I heard somewhere that this is your first writing job, the Last Week Tonight. Is that correct?Jill:                                       08:11                    It was my first professional writing job, yes. I had done stand up comedy,Jess:                                     08:17                    I'm sorry, but we have to talk about how that happens because the idea that your very first job, professional writing gig out of the gate is with a late night television show. I guess we kind of have to start there before we can even talk about how Marlon Bundo came to be.Jill:                                       08:32                    Sure, it's a lovely story about women helping women, actually.Jess:                                     08:40                    Oh, we like those stories a lot.Jill:                                       08:42                    I don't want to mislead you, it wasn't an accident. I was very much trying to get a late night writing job. I had done standup comedy. I'd loved the comedy part, but the standing up in front of people made me sort of sick to my stomach all the time. And part of me was like, if you're not happier when people clap, maybe you're a writer, maybe this isn't for you. And I started to try to find writing jobs. And as everyone listening I'm sure knows, it's really hard. And the TV late night world is just really hard to break into because it's really hard to find out how those jobs are out there. And crazily I got an email one day from a woman named Nell Scovell, who I now know was the co-writer of Lean In. She wrote for The Simpsons. She wrote for David Letterman. I had never met her, or at the time heard of her, and she said, 'Have you ever wanted to write for late night?' And I said, 'Yeah, that's all I want. Who are you? What are you talking about?' And she said, 'I've been reading your Twitter. I think you'd be great at it. She said, you know, she had been a woman writing comedy for decades and sort of thought that was enough. You know that she was the woman in the writer's room, wasn't she doing enough for women? And she realized things weren't getting any better. So she wanted to start to find women. So in any case she said, I can't get you a job but I can get your packet read, I can get someone to read your stuff. So, literally within four months I had this job.Jess:                                     10:23                    You do realize that you're inadvertently ratifying David Sedaris's advice that he gave on our show (which is to never, well, and I'm sure you weren't like in a position of just sitting in your apartment waiting for opportunities to come to you) but his advice on our show was to never ask anything of anyone and just wait and be ready when the opportunities come to you.Jill:                                       10:47                    Well, if I go back one more step. I actually did ask something of someone because my job (I was a musical theater actress and I was a standardized test tutor) and I tutored a real smart kid whose mom worked for David Letterman. And when he did really well on the SAT I asked his mom if she would meet with me and if I could write a packet, and I ended up asking someone who I didn't really know to read over that packet. She was a writer for Conan and it turns out five years later Nell had gone to her and said, 'Do you know anybody that should be writing for TV?' And she said, 'I read this packet years ago. She should be writing for late night.' So I did ask for a little help in someone just reading something and giving advice. And she couldn't help me at the time, but when she could, she did.Jess:                                     11:42                    That is so cool. And you've used the word packet a couple of times, and that's a word I don't think we've ever heard on our show before. So I'm sure there are people out there saying, 'Oh my gosh, what's a packet? I don't have one. I need it. What is it?' \.Jill:                                       11:55                    Fair. In the late night world, and that's, you know, shows like The Daily Show or Jimmy Fallon show, all the Jimmy's shows, Jimmy Kimmel's show. Instead of doing what you do I think in narrative television, which is you write a spec script of like a whole show, they want packets and every show wants a different packet. So you might write a whole bunch of monologue jokes that happen at the beginning of Stephen Colbert's show. For a show like ours, you're going to write something similar to what is going to air on the show and they give you that assignment. So you have to find out about the packet. At the time I did it, we didn't have a show, so it was a lot looser. It was a little bit like, guess what John Oliver might do on a show that doesn't exist yet. I think specifically they asked to write a domestic and an international story. For something like The Daily Show, you would write maybe something similar to what happens in like a seven minute increment. They might tell you exactly what they want, they might not. Every late night show has a different packet, but you generally have to write it specifically for that show.Jess:                                     13:09                    So there's no just like writing some vague generalized packet and hoping that it lands right.Jill:                                       13:15                    No, although weirdly I would recommend that, just because there's no way to practice this but to do it. And so I had written packets for shows that I never, ever got to submit that were just me trying to figure out, you know, how do you do this? How do you write a packet for this show? I had seen (it sounds crazy now) but I used to read like every article about writing for late night and someone had said, 'You know, well, at this late night show, they write monologue jokes. They show up at 9:00 AM and then they write till noon.' And I was like, great, three hours, I can write monologue jokes for three hours every day. So that's what I did. You know, I just tried to find like, let's pretend I have this job and figure out how to do it until finally, and it took a long time, someone gave me the opportunity to show what I'd been working on all that time.Jess:                                     14:08                    Is there a magic format for a packet? Like there are certain tells for hacks. Like you know, if I try to send in a spec script in just the wrong format or in a way that doesn't adhere to the look of the standard spec script, someone's going to ding it right away cause they're going to say, 'Oh, this person doesn't have the slightest idea what they're doing.' Or, we had a children's book author come on and she said one dead giveaway of people who don't know what they're doing with children's books is that they send in the wrong format, or an odd number of pages, or they say, and here's the illustrator I need to have in order to write this book.Jill:                                       14:52                    I did all of those wrong things, by the way. Literally, all the things you just said I'm pretty sure I did, but whatever.Jess:                                     14:58                    So is there a magic format for a packet? Is there a program out there that you have to have that adheres to this magic format?Jill:                                       15:07                    Weirdly, no, like late night I think is the Wild West of everything. Every show is different. I can't tell you they're going to be great about telling you what they want, but I think some of the best shows will give you samples of what their scripts look like and you can do your best to copy them. The closest I can give you is that you have to put it in the language of the show. You know, the packet you write for John Oliver is not going to be the same packet you write for Trevor Noah. Even if you're writing on exactly the same topic. So the big thing that they're looking for is, 'Yeah, are you putting some of yourself in there because we're hiring you because of you, but also are you in the voice of the show? We're not interested in you changing the whole format of the show. I think some people like to come in and be like, you know, I have a new idea. Like what if Jimmy Fallon was in space the whole time? And it's like, well, you're not showing us that you can write the show that we have. This is really you showing you could start today and fit in with the show that's already there.Jess:                                     16:16                    I was a political speech writer for a while and part of the fun (for me anyway), was the challenge of writing in someone else's voice completely and not letting my voice dominate. So that's a really interesting balance. And are there times when you write scripts and then the person who for example, John Oliver, will put his own particular read on it so you don't have to be too worried about writing it exactly the same way he would say it?Jill:                                       16:41                    Oh yeah. I think of course he's going to put everything in his own words. I will say, because some of us have been there since the beginning, I've absolutely adapted to John's voice, but I think in some weird ways he's adapted to our voices, too. There are jokes he tells because I love them or because you know, someone else loves that voice and he (I think) has just a lot of skill at doing lots of different kinds of jokes. So I for sure have adopted his speech patterns, but I think he has in some ways altered his speech patterns for all of us, too.Jess:                                     17:20                    That's fascinating. Alright, so back to Marlon Bundo. So you're writing on a television show, which isn't the normal pattern of things that the next thing on your plate, affiliated with the show is a children's book. Will you tell us how that came to be?Jill:                                       17:37                    Sure, yes. We are not a children's show. We say a lot of words that you wouldn't say on children's shows.Jess:                                     17:45                    But you do have a lot of very cute, mascot looking creatures that come on the show.Jill:                                       17:54                    It's true, we do love that. So it happened that I was and am obsessed with a very real bunny named Marlon Bundo. Who is, if you don't know, the Vice President, Mike Pence's actual pet.Jess:                                     18:10                    Now is he still around? Bunnies don't have the longest lifespan. Is the real Marlon Bundo still around?Jill:                                       18:15                    To my knowledge, the real Marlon Bundo is still around. I don't want to start any conspiracy theories here. I believe that there is still a Marlon Bundo living.Jess:                                     18:29                    I will put it in the show notes if I find otherwise.Jill:                                       18:32                    Right. Yeah. Don't blame it on me. And Marlon Bundo had an Instagram and I loved this bunny. It's a very cute bunny. I am not, perhaps, the biggest fan of Mike Pence and some of his policies. And one day I saw an announcement that they were releasing a book about Marlon Bundo. And for some reason I got like weirdly territorial, as though I had any ownership of this bunny, which I obviously do not. And I was like, 'No, I want to write the book about Marlin Bundo.' So I pitched it, I just wrote an email that said no, we should write a book about Marlon Bundo. That, you know Mike Pence himself does not have the kindest record perhaps with same sex marriage. And so we decided to make Marlin Bundo a gay bunny.Jess:                                     19:27                    So you pitched it to the show, not necessarily to a literary agent first?Jill:                                       19:31                    Oh, not at all. No, that was in no way involved.Jess:                                     19:35                    Did you have a literary agent at that point?Jill:                                       19:37                    Nope, I did not. I also didn't have a TV agent, for whatever that's worth. No, I just pitched it to the show as like we should put out a book, which, you know, I pitch a thousand things to the show and most of them don't happen. But they said, 'Okay, yeah, let's do it.' And we had a quick meeting just to decide if it should be an actual children's book or if it should be one of those like parody books that's really for adults, but looks like a children's book. And I think we just decided why not? Like, why not write a kind book for kids about a thing that really matters to us.Jess:                                     20:20                    Now the writer in me and the person who now understands publishing timelines is freaking out. Because if you have just seen that a press release or some sort of release on the Twitter feed about the fact that they're going to come out with this book about Marlon Bundo, how on earth do you get a children's book out in time to have it still be relevant to the release of the other book? Because that was part of the deal when it was announced is that it was a competing book with the real Marlon Bundo's book. So how do you make those timelines work? Publishing moves slow, Jill.Jill:                                       20:55                    The great news is I didn't have to do any of it. I wrote the book, actually I didn't even... I went back to my office and we didn't even assign a book at that point. We were just kind of like pondering some ideas and I said, 'You know what, I'm just going to write something that way it'll be easier for them to be like, Oh no, not that. Now that we see that, we'll say, not that, we want something more like this.'Jess:                                     21:26                    You have a comfort with rejection of ideas that will be so refreshing to so many of our listeners because still - there's a pitch I put out there like two weeks ago and I haven't heard back and I am just feeling all sorts of rejection and yet now I can have Jill Twiss's 'almost everything I say gets rejected at some stage of the game' You're my new voice in my head. I love it.Jill:                                       21:52                    I mean, all of us probably write I would guess 30 to 50 jokes for every joke that goes on the show. So that's just the norm for sure. So I wrote this - just a thing just to be like, 'Hey, I don't know what about this?' And they said, 'Oh yeah, that. We'll just publish that.' So, it turned out to be like a day-long process. We changed literally a couple of words, had someone help us with things that you're talking about now. Like this is the number of pages or whatever. And I now realize that the publisher, Chronicle, was probably flipping out. But, not my problem. I didn't know. I had no idea. We found, again, what I now know is an extremely fast illustrator. We just picked the best person we found. Who was E.G. Keller, who is fantastic.Jess:                                     22:55                    I have to say, the illustrations are absolutely fantastic. I love the illustrations.Jill:                                       22:59                    When you were saying earlier you can't ever come in demanding an illustrator, that's exactly what I did for my next book. I didn't demand anything. That's not at all true. But after this (we're skipping ahead), I did get a literary agent, and she did sell us together. So my next two books are also with the same illustrator.Jess:                                     23:20                    And your next two books, including the one that is going to be coming out soon, which is called The Someone New...Jill:                                       23:26                    Oh, that one's out.Jess:                                     23:27                    Oh, that one's out now. Okay.Jill:                                       23:28                    That one was out last June so you can buy that one right now.Jess:                                     23:31                    Okay. So the two books you're talking about are in addition to the Marlon Bundo book and The Someone New?Jill:                                       23:37                    No, sorry, I'm saying this weird. So Marlon Bundo exists in the world of the show. My first book, that is entirely outside the show, was The Someone New and that is about welcoming someone new to your life, or your country, or your whatever.Jess:                                     23:57                    It is delightful, and beautiful, and sweet. I got a little choked up reading The Someone New. Well, mainly, I mean the town that I live in (I'm right near Burlington, Vermont) has been a sanctuary city. You know, there are lots of someone news in Burlington. Every single time I'm out and about in Burlington I run into people who are new to town and it had a really important place for me in terms of thinking about what it must be like to try to be new somewhere. And I love the book. I absolutely loved The Someone New.Jill:                                       24:36                    Thank you so much. I went to 11 schools in 12 years, so I was always the someone new. So when it came down to, Hey, you can actually write anything now, generally when I write for the show, I have very specific parameters. So when it came down to I had a literary agent, I could write a children's book on anything I wanted. What I wanted to write about are the things that really mattered to me right now, which is welcoming someone new to our country, but also just - kids are faced with new things every day. And new things are scary. You know, you don't know when you're a kid. And I really wanted to help that new kid in school...Jess:                                     25:23                    Which gets back to your Glamour article, you talk in that article about the fact that it can be really, really difficult to reach people who are adults, who can be really entrenched in their thinking, and really entrenched in their views. Whereas with kids, there seems to be more of an openness and (that's not easier to write to) but it's a welcome and it's the reason that I've been a teacher for so long is it is so wonderful to be able to reach someone when before they've become completely entrenched in their views one way or the other and have a conversation about things that are difficult.Jill:                                       25:59                    Yeah, I think that whatever side of the political spectrum you're on, one thing that we're all experiencing is just finding out that adults are tough sometimes. They're frustrating. It's hard to watch things happen and realize that people are just so set in their ways and they don't want to hear always what's true. They want to hear what they want to hear. And kids, everything's new, you know, and they are perfectly willing to learn a new fact, take it in, change their mind if it changes what's previously there. There's just such a wonderful openness and I have so much hope for the next generation and I need that hope right now.Jess:                                     26:48                    Yeah. There was a moment when I was teaching at my very first teaching gig, I was teaching middle school kids and there was a kid who came from a really, really remote rural town. You know, he came into my classroom and from the first day he would say things that I could tell were not his words. He was parroting things that he'd heard from other adults. And it was really interesting cause he was putting things out there to see what our reaction would be. And it led to some really, really interesting conversations and moments when he realized, 'Oh, I do believe that thing I said', or 'No, I don't believe that thing I said, but I'm just putting it out there because I've never had the opportunity to get feedback on the thoughts that I hear from the adults around me. So it's just really cool to be able to get inside of a kid's head and see how their thought process is when they're forming their identity, and their views, and their beliefs, and their ethics. It's really cool.Jill:                                       27:47                    I've really fallen in love with the book world, first of all. But the children's book world and just like the chance to go and read books to kids and sing songs with kids. I don't have kids, so this is new to me. Everything I've learned in the children's book world has been a shock as far as like what age kids read what kind of books, like all of that stuff. I'm learning at sort of double speed as I go through this. But it is just delightful to get to work with kids and see them and you get nice emails instead of mean emails, you get nice pictures of children and dogs with your books instead of like me and emails of people threatening to you know, hurt you.Jess:                                     28:33                    Well, and speaking of kids you do something that I just had never even thought of as a task. You write sentences for the Scripps Spelling Bee. How did that come about? And how is that a gig that you become aware of and get?Jill:                                       28:52                    Yeah. Well first of all, I'm obsessed with the spelling bee. I have been for years. So it was very much on our radar. And again, I would pitch it as a story for the show and we did do it on the show once as just a short, funny story in the show. Right around then, I hit this stage of my life that I would I highly recommend, which is just ask for things you want. I don't know. Maybe they'll say yes. I've never done that before. But we did that story about the spelling bee and then I went to our executive producer and I said, 'Do we have a contact there? Can I ask them if I can write for them?' And she was like, 'Why would you want to do that?' And I was like, 'Fine, not your problem. It's fine. And I literally just emailed the spelling bee, told them what I do and that I had worked on the piece for the show and I said, 'I know you must have comedy writers write sentences. Like, I've seen the sentences that show up there, can I be one of them?' And they said, 'Yes'. That was really that easy, which I know is not how life works. And I know I had many years of opportunities not coming like that. So, now that I have a little clout and a little something, I'm just asking for all the weird things that I want. My next goal, I'm just going to put this out in the world, I want to write for the Tony awards. So if you know anyone, if you could make it happen, let me know.Jess:                                     30:20                    Very cool. So wait, they give you the word and then you write the sentence to go with the word that helps? So when the kid says, 'Could you give me that word in a sentence?' you're writing that sentence?Jill:                                       30:31                    Yes. Not all of the sentences. They have like really great experts writing sort of I'll say 'not funny sentences'. But, yes. So they do that to make sure everything is grammatically exactly what it needs to be. It's really important. It's so much more important that the sentences be correct than that they be funny. But they have comedy writers that go through maybe a month before the B and write a certain number of comedy sentences for it. And then this year for the first time, I actually got to go to the spelling bee. And as it was on the air, we were up there writing sentences for words that were coming up because they could switch the order of the words, for anyone that saw it this year, everything went crazy because there were eight champions and so everything was sort of getting decided on the fly. So we write sentences there, too.Jess:                                     31:31                    Wow. I actually had read somewhere, I think it might've been at the Tony awards one year, that they were writing - it was the year that Neil Patrick Harris rapped at the end and they were writing the rap during the show as winners were announced. First of all, Neil Patrick Harris, all hail Neil Patrick Harris and his ability to learn that stuff and perform it with like 10 minutes to spare. But the television world always to me, you know, Shonda Rhimes talks about writing for television as laying tracks while you're on the train that's going to... Sorry, Shonda, I'm sure I said that terribly, but it has always petrified me because of the speed at which things need to happen. So I'm always amazed when I hear things like the script story, where you're actually under pressure writing stuff while the show is happening.Jill:                                       32:20                    I was nervous because our show is once a week. And I have a lot of people, I have a lot of oversight on Last Week Tonight. But I actually found it incredibly calming. There's something really nice about not being able to read over what you've done. I'm writing a play right now and it could not be more stressful because I just have infinite time to revise and do and if it's up to me I will just revise for the rest of my life and no one will ever read anything I've written. So there's something really calming about being there and being under time pressure and being like, well it's out there. It worked or it didn't work. Who knows?Jess:                             &

Are you having slower weight loss?  Have you been trying all the different diets but not seeing results?  In this episode we dive into what makes our metabolism speed up and slow down, and what things can help our weight loss. In this episode I talk with Ann Louise Gittleman, one of the world’s foremost experts in functional and integrative medicine and Linda’s mentor, joins us to discuss her book, Radical Metabolism, and give us tips and tricks to help us lose weight easier, fuel our bodies better, and even help slow losers kick their metabolism into higher gear. Ann Louise has written over 30 books on diet and nutrition and has spent 40 years in this industry. She shares advice on weight loss, healthy diet, what fats we need, and how to balance your lifestyle and still lose weight. Questions I asked: Why did you write this newest book? Why do you need to balance omega 3 and omega 6? Why hemp seed oil? Is it true that sourdough bread is a probiotic? What is CLA, and why is it important? What is the difference between CLA & GLA? Why is bile important to us? Is lemon going to help with bile? How can you deal with inflammation? Any tips to deal with bloating? Why should people buy your book?   Topics Discussed: Coffee can actually be a healing beverage. High-Fat Diets. Why people are slow losers. Hemp seed oil, and hemp seed protein. Curing dermatitis with hemp seed oil. Omega 6 keeps you tight and toned. CLA is basically “snake oil” for your body. How Ann Louise stays young and glowing. Why we need to reduce our iron intake. Get more bitters in your diet. Why Radial Metabolism can help people.   Quotes from the show: “There is so much new research out there, and women who are slow losers, or over the age of 40 aren’t losing like they used to.” @chtwellness @SisterhoodSweat “When you start adding hemp seed oil, you get healthy skin, beautiful hair, and you start losing weight.” @chtwellness @SisterhoodSweat “You've gotta get bitters back in your diet. Bitters are better for digestion, for metabolism, and for overall weight loss.” @algittleman @SisterhoodSweat “I have to set the record straight and re-write the rules of nutrition.” @algittleman @SisterhoodSweat “The book, Radical Metabolism, is great for slow losers, people over 40. Everything I've gleaned from my 40 years on the front lines is included in this book.” @algittleman  @SisterhoodSweat “Hemp Hemp Hooray. 1-2 Tablespoons each day. Move over coconut oil.” @algittleman @SisterhoodSweat How you can stay in touch with Ann Louise: https://annlouise.com https://www.facebook.com/annlouisegittleman/ https://www.youtube.com/user/DrAnnLouise Get the new Book, Radical Metabolism: https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Metabolism/dp/B07G7DY737/ Check out her other books: https://annlouise.com/books/   How you can stay in touch with Linda: Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest YouTube SoundCloud   "Proud Sponsors of the Sisterhood of S.W.E.A.T" Essential Formulas   My daily energy stems from mushrooms... mushroom coffee that is! Have you checked out Four Sigmatic yet? If you want a coffee that contains superfoods and adaptogens like rhodiola, eleuthero, and schisandra to help you live a healthier, more enhanced life, then you need Four Sigmatic mushroom coffee in your daily routine! Check out their products here and be sure to let me know what you think of it!  

Donnie B.: All right, guys. I'm looking forward to this one. I'm bringing out a new buddy of mine, Brad Milford and dude, he's got a really cool story and I love some of the things that he's doing. So I'm Donnie Boivin. This is Donnie’s Success Champions. Brad, my new friend, tell us your story. [Music] Brad M.: I love that. You’re just like open mic day. Donnie B.: Yeah. All day long. Brad M.: I love it. I have a pretty interesting and fascinating story and I love speaking into it. So I appreciate you having me on. It's an honor to be here and let me just start out like, when I was like seven years old because I'm just a serial entrepreneur. When I was seven years old and I'm kind of a deep guy. So you'll talk me through that, I’m sure. Donnie B.: Yup. Brad M.: When I was seven years old, I came to realize, see, my Mom and my stepfather had an argument and this was one of those arguments that they ended the relationship and I also never knew my father and so when they split, I'll just be honest, I realized I needed attention. My mom was working all the time. So now, she was a single parent, four children. I just needed some attention. I really just wanted to be loved but the truth is, I didn't know how to get that. So I went on a path. I took a path and I became the class clown and I went through that stage and you know, I did all kinds of entrepreneurial things in succession with that. And perhaps, that's what has brought me here today. I went from there. I was that guy who was turning pop bottles and I had three paper routes and I was changing the marquee on the local movie theater. I mean, I did everything I could to generate, you know, to buying gum and selling it for twice the price. Those types of things, I went on to. At 16 and 17, I left home and went on to take a sales path up and down the East Coast. I hit almost all the beaches. Well, not all but a lot of beaches and that was fascinating. Then I went to the Navy. So what I came to find through this is that I was searching for something. I kept searching for something. First, I thought it was attention. Then I thought it was just camaraderie. That's why I went to the military for travel. Then I thought it was culture from around the country. Donnie B.: Wait. I can't let this go by really quick. You know, thank you for being my taxi service. I was a jarhead so … Brad M.: I love that. I love that. I knew it right away when you said that. Donnie B.: Just for our listeners and they know I'm going to do it but you know, I really appreciated being in the Department of the Navy which just happened to be the men's department. I'm sorry, Brad. Keep going. Brad M.: Great. I love it. I love it. Yeah. So I was fascinated by the Navy almost 6 years. I got out just a little bit early, a couple of months early. But it was fascinating. I learned a lot. But I also learned that it wasn't camaraderie that I was searching for and so I came out with a ton of experience. I was a cryptologist. So I studied, they call us ‘spook’. We were always in what’s called a SCIC, special compartmented information center. And they're highly locked up. We were locked up in rooms with no windows and that kind of stuff. But it was tremendous and I did learn a lot about camaraderie but I also learned that that wasn't the thing I was searching for either. Came out of the Navy, in a shortened version of this story, believe it or not, and I fell into building stadiums. So a buddy of mine from the Marines introduced me to building stadiums and I started out as a laborer. But then a year and a half into that, my entrepreneurial mindset, I looked around and said, “Guys, why are we working for a nitwit? We could do this ourselves.” And so we branched off and then two weeks later, we had our first $250,000-contract which was amazing and then we built that business. And then on to another business and a third business in that recreation industry. So playgrounds, tennis courts, basketball courts. Anything you basically have ever seen in a park, I began to become experienced in. And those businesses were awesome. But … there's always a ‘but’ in these stories, right? Donnie B.: There almost always is. Brad M.: But through this search, I still wasn't finding what I was looking for. So it came to over 14 ½, 15 years in that business which was amazing. It was extremely lucrative. It paid me very well. I made tons of money but I'm not the metaphorical guy that came to the top of the mountain, looked over and said, “Are you freaking kidding me? Is this all there is?” I mean, there's fun stories and I love telling stories. I mean, I had come from the military and I had come from a relatively poor family. I'm sure there's worse off but we didn't have a whole lot. A single parent, four children, we didn’t have a whole ton of money. I came from that poverty mindset. So I had a lot of stuff going on. I went from that to the military, heavy drinking environment, to construction, heavy drinking environment, needless to say, I had a relationship with alcohol. Not an alcoholic but I noticed around my circles that that's what everybody was doing. And I'm going to just be frank here, what I came to find when I came to the top of that mountain was, I was surrounded by people. So it looked to all my friends like I had an amazing life. I was making a ton of money. I had people around me all the time. I had a team of 22 people who work for me. They were all amazing. But I was so empty inside. When we go to the bars, there would be 40 people lined up and we'd all be “having fun”, but it wasn't fun. That wasn't real friendship and frankly, I was surrounded by people but I was empty and alone. So I knew something was wrong. I definitely knew something was wrong and I know that’s deep stuff but it's real and that's what I pride myself on is the reality of this. I mean, there's a lot of people in life who appear to us at times to be really happy or to have the greatest of this or the greatest of that. But they're carrying this thing inside them that does not represent that at all. So I went on a search, a different search to figure out what that was. So that was about 12 years ago and I gave up that company. So I was making a ton of money. I literally gave up all of that. Six-figure plus, the money is not important. But you know, high amount of income. I had no idea what I was going to do but I knew one thing. My son was just reaching his high school years. So those two things kind of came together at the same time and I decided to just make a massive shift. I said, “I'm not going to, 1, waste the time with him because I have one child.” So I'm not going to waste the time with him. I'm going to go home, be there with him through his high school and college years and I'm going to figure this thing out, whatever this thing is. So I did that very thing. So I went from high six figures to zero. Absolute zero and that was a struggle. So talk about overcoming some adversity. I knew there were a number of things going on. One, my character was and you said it was okay to swear so I love that. My character was shit. The one good thing that I had done along the way was, I had always listened to some kind of audiobook because I was traveling. Building stadiums, building playgrounds, tennis courts. You're traveling constantly. So I’m just a road warrior. So I listened to, I'm going back a few ways, so cassette tapes. Donnie B.: Oh, wow. Way back. Brad M.: Probably some listeners that don't know what those are. Donnie B.: Brad, I'm just curious, were dinosaurs really that big? Brad M.: They sure appear that way to me. Donnie B.: All right. Cool. Brad M.: No, that's awesome. So I had some mentoring via audiotape, if you will back at that time. But I had traveled so much. So from the time I was 16 to that time, up to like 12 years ago was consistent travel. In the stadium industry, one day, I was in Reno and the next day I was in, Staten Island, New York. I mean, it was real, heavy travel. So I don't like to waste time. I'm a maximizer. So that was a way that I could continue my education. So I knew based on that foundation, I knew something was seriously wrong. I just, I couldn't put a finger on it. I just couldn't put a finger on it. But I knew it had something to do with character and it had something to do with leadership. What I know now that I didn't know then is I had, yes, I was “successful” but there are levels of success. I've defined those. At least my definition of those. What those levels are, I'm happy to share those with the listeners. But I came to find that my leadership lid, as I said, was capped. So that was a successful business but quite frankly, I couldn't have taken that any higher because I didn't have the capacity to be able to do that. Even having three, you know, I was doing about $7 million for each company which is an incredible feat for a guy with what I’ll say, a piss-poor background. Not bad at all. And I think people can do that. But there are some levels of success and I'd love to share those with your listeners to drop something really practical. I believe the first level is struggle. So I see now, today, looking back, we tend to come through a thing and have a breakthrough and then that gives us the ability to look back through it and see others in that space, if you will. And so struggle is the first and I think people are reaching out because there's so many pieces to the puzzle and that's the first level, struggle. Then the second level is structure. When we begin to build a business, we begin to structure systems, all these things that people talk about, they're not so sexy. But they're real. Once you begin to get to that structure, then it becomes a real company. The third level actually is striving. So here's how I describe striving. When you wake up in the middle of the night and you have these ideas and your mind is just turning like a million miles a minute, that's what I call striving. And so every entrepreneur has had these moments of striving and what happens is, we bounce back and forth between these levels as we're learning. The next level is success. That's when you really, when you start to move through these levels and you really start to produce consistently, predictably, you start to really become successful. But there are levels beyond that too and I don't hear a whole lot of people talking about it. So I'm really passionate about talking about those levels. They’re excellence. That's above success. And then you have what I call, brilliance. There’s mastery and then there's brilliance and then there's genius. And if we look at this as like a tier or a ladder, it gives us a format to know where we are through that process. And I love speaking into those because I've heard a lot of people say, “Wow. I've never heard anything like that before.” And I can see how I'm filtering back and forth through those levels. Donnie B.: Now, this is really, really interesting. I want to talk a little bit about your background, then I want to dive into … no. How about that? We heard your background. I love these levels. Here’s why I love the levels, is I can see myself in those levels and it's not often that I can do that when I talk to people, right? When they hit me with a philosophy that maybe I haven't fully heard before and I can see where I'm at, right? So I went through the struggle because that's how I figured out who I was. I'm in the structure/success side of things right now, right? Because I do have some very cool successes. I do have some very cool wins but I'm building the structure for stability portion of the company, right? And that's really, really where I see it. So I'm curious, is, I'm looking at success and everybody defines it to their own terms, right? I'm looking at success right now by micro-wins and different win levels. Do you put a definition to success? Which I find hard to believe but I'm just curious if you do. And then, how do you go beyond that, right? If that makes sense. Brad M.: I love that. It makes perfect sense and I absolutely love the question. It’s a fantastic question. So I created those structures so that I could label them because I've come through them in different industries. Not just that one industry. So yes, I mean, I do think success is subjective. It’s relative. It's different for everybody. For me though, what I came to find is that, so I said I was on a search, right? Donnie B.: Yeah. Brad M.: I came to find that it wasn't any of those things. That my meaning, so I'm one of those guys who was searching for purpose all my life. “I want to find purpose. I need to find my purpose. I need to find my purpose,” right? How often do we hear those things? Purpose is not out there. It's just not out there. So there's too many people. I'm so passionate about this. There's way too many people and I love Simon Sinek and I think he's convoluted this, I mean, he has a great subject. He's a great leadership teacher. For anybody that has heard of him and he does this great stuff about why, right? And why has been talked about. It’s talked about all over the Internet now. However, I think they convoluted the situation. One, purpose is not out there somewhere. Purpose is inside. And I want to encourage people to actually look inside. It’s not out there. The more you're out there looking for it, you think it's, you want to be this or you have to be that or you're ashamed because you're not good enough. All these things that we carry around, we get really down deep. So I did say I was a deep guy. I tried to warn you. It's not out there. It's inside. And when we realize that, when we come to realize that and we look in, then we begin to grow. That is when I believe that you find true purpose. I mean, that's where you find true success because it's not out there. Those are all just, those are all byproducts of the thoughts that we’re carrying inside. Donnie B.: So this is interesting. I 100% agree with you. Here's my follow-up question then. Brad M.: Mm-hmm. Donnie B.: How do I find what's inside of me? Because for me, I feel like I've discovered it. But I know there's tons, thousands of people that are listening to this right now, going, “Okay, cool. That's cute.” Brad M.: Give me some stuff I could … Donnie B.: Right. Right. Right. You know? Brad M.: I love it. I absolutely love that. Donnie B.: How do I define it? Brad M.: So let me share with you, in the interest of not overpowering the audience or being like a firehose of just straight-up information, I mean, I can go through some practical steps. In fact, I could go through about 12 steps in reinventing yourself. Donnie B.: This isn't AA. Brad M.: I know. I knew that was coming. I have thought about actually making to get eleven steps just because. But the first one, I believe, I think you have to find some type of discontent. Anyone who wants change, they want to reinvent themselves, believe me, I have a PhD in mistakes. And I kid you not. I have made lots and lots and lots of mistakes in my life but I don't regret them. I'm proud of them only because they have brought me to the point of they’re the aggregate of who I am and that is why I'm able to do effectively what it is that I do today. Discontent is a huge, it's like pain. So I believe pain is an indicator of change. Just like wind is an indicator of change in the weather. Like when you're going from cold to hot, you'll get a lot of wind or when it's about to rain, you get a lot of wind. It's an indicator of change. Pain is the same thing and when we look at it that way, if I'm bending my thumb back just to be silly, bending it back, “It hurts. It hurts.” Well, that's telling me, “Hey, you should let your thumb go.” It's just an indicator change. So when we look at that, when we recognize the frustration, the discontent, then we know it's time to change. That's the first thing. Some people don't realize that so they don't go to the next step. They just swirl in that discontent. That's a mindset issue. Donnie B.: Yeah, no. I love that talk just because I often believe, you got to get pissed off to move, right? I'm going to take a stab and say that some portion of you running those companies got beyond some level of beyond discontent and went full-on frustration to mad because you didn't find what you were seeking, if we're going to bring it all full circle. And that's what forced you to leave because I mean, that's how I jumped was, I just got pissed off that I was living other people's dreams and their stories and that's … is that what you're talking about? Brad M.: That’s exactly what I'm talking about. So there's a lot of dynamics involved in that. I mean, there's lots of things that came to culminate into one point. But yes. To keep at least one thing simple here, not too deep. Yes. It was a lot of things. But yes, I was so frustrated on living someone else's life. I knew there was more. I think there's a lot of people out there that want more but they just don't know what more is or how to go about finding it. And that's the point that I had come to. I was living someone else's life, what I was told I needed to be doing. I was carrying all these mental thoughts that were not mine. So that's the point. So the next step, once you become discontent like that, here's some practical things you can do. Pick a target. So I decided there's something wrong with me. I want to reinvent myself. I want to be somebody different than who I am today. And we have the ability as brilliant human beings to be able to do that. And I think it's a great message. Like, your message needs to be heard. You need to know that you have the ability to be anybody you want to be. So the next step, once you just pick a target and you don't need to have your purpose fully defined and you don't have to have your why and all these things that people say because why is nested. That's a whole different conversation. But you just have to pick a target. Pick a general target. “Hey, I want to be this kind of person.” I tried to write out who exactly I wanted to be and I found it hard. I had to literally and here is a great exercise for people. I had to remove myself from me and do it in third person. As in, when he walks in the room, this and then that allowed me to actually describe who I wanted to be. For some reason, I was stuck. I was strolling and trying to describe me in a different light and so I offer that to people. If you happen to be in that headspace, step outside of yourself. Think of some of the people you have modeled. Maybe it's some of the people you admire. Maybe some songs you know of. Maybe some quotes that resonate with you and try to put yourself in that space and just describe what it is that you want. It doesn't have to be perfect. You only need a sense of it. Once you get to that part, you have a starting point. You don't have to be great to get started. You just have to start to be great which is a well-known quote and then begin to create a foundation. So I am a foundation guy. What I didn't know through my path then, I didn't know I was going to be in construction. That's a whole other fascinating story I love to tell in my public speaking. But I was pouring foundations all over the country for these stadiums, specifically, in these multi-million dollar projects. I was pouring foundations. What I didn't know is I was preparing myself for the foundation, the new foundation of when I reinvented myself. I learned that process. I learned how to read blueprints. I learned how to be very systematic and I use that process to reinvent to come to the point to who I am today. Part of what that taught me is and I'll throw out one other great exercise and this is so powerful and I really want to drop some serious value for the listeners. This is a great exercise. When I realized that I wanted to change, I knew I needed a foundation because I had locked that. I had to have something solid, some concrete and it had to be strong and sustainable and I just got so frustrated. I said, “What the hell do I believe? I don't even know what I believe anymore.” And so I decided to remove all my beliefs. I just played a game with myself. For two weeks, I said, “I'm going to remove everything. All my axioms. Everything I've ever been taught. Everything I've ever been told. Everything that's been discussed with me. I'm going to remove them all and I'm going to start fresh.” So I literally played that game. What do I believe? And I came up with a foundation of eight beliefs that were not proposed by someone else. So I have this little formula, SI versus PO. Self-imposed versus proposed by other. So I wrote down all these beliefs that I could come up with. It's a challenging exercise because there’s this like soup of these beliefs that we picked up so readily that we don't often think into. So I wrote them all down and then I narrowed them all down to eight and then I classified them. Were they proposed by others or are they mine? And I got rid of the ones that weren't mine and I made them. I decided what I believe and what I don't believe. It's one of the most powerful exercises I've ever seen anybody do. Donnie B.: That's awesome, man. I mean, here's why I love it. One, very few people have the mental bandwidth to dissect what they've done and turn it into something. So well done for that. Two, I love the fact that you're describing your methodology by sharing what you had to go through to discover it, right? And I love the practical advantage of that. I mean, every time I interview somebody, a lot of times, I look at it from the perspective of how it's ridden with me and my journey. Is what they’re saying, did it play out as part of what I'm going through? And I love it because yours absolutely is and what's interesting is this whole last portion you said, “Is it my beliefs or is it some of the others?” That's a deep thought and that's got to be, I mean, I'm just thinking, if I went through that process, would I be able to pull it off? Would I be able to dissect my own beliefs enough to embrace, did I come up with that or did somebody else feed that idea to me? How did you do that? I mean, how did you really differentiate between the two beliefs? Brad M.: Yeah. It took a lot of filtering. So a lot of journaling, a lot of paragraphing, if you will. I think I just made up a word there. Donnie B.: I love it. I love it. Brad M.: But it took some work. So I threw it on paper and then I narrowed it down and narrowed it down and narrowed it down. And so now, I actually am at the point where I've been doing this for a while now and I go to this area as well. But now, I have eight beliefs and my number one belief number, I can tell you right off the top of my head. I can tell you all of them. But my number one belief is, ‘making the impossible’. I believe that you can make the impossible possible and I see that sounds like a crazy statement. People, I know there's listeners saying, “That doesn't even make sense.” But it does to me because I see it in my coaching and in my clients every day. They believe something is possible when I first meet them and when we first connect and then they're able to actually work through that to the point where, what they thought was impossible becomes possible. So even a simple statement like that can be super, super powerful. So it's really just a distillation process, if you will. So taking what was complicated, and this is what I pride myself in. Taking what is complicated and just distilling it down, distilling it down, distilling it down to make it simple. That in itself is a powerful nugget in business alone. There's a lot of businesspeople. I work with a lot of entrepreneurs. There's a lot of businesspeople who make things more complicated than they need to be, really. So using that distillation process to consolidate things and make them simple is another powerful nugget that I can offer. Donnie B.: No, that's awesome. That's awesome. What's interesting is, you've done a lot of really cool things in your life. Where do you think this is all going to take you? Brad M.: That's a great question. So every influencer, I'm fortunate. I went to seven events last year all over the country. I was down in Miami. I was all over. I was in Miami, Austin and one other country. I went to California and then came back. The best event, I saw an intensity of events. So a spectrum of intensity. Some of them were low intensity. Some were just in the beginning stages. I love supporting people who do these types of things. So I went out of the country just meeting a lot of group owners and different people and influencers. Micro influencers and heavy influencers. The highest intensity by far was Tony Robbins’. That event, UPW is just unbelievable. Maximum intensity. Like, it was, I mean, if you go there and you don’t say, “Wow,” you might be dead. And I saw lower ones. So where I'm going with this is, I'm going on a speaking path. So I am on a speaking path and that helped show me what intensity level I want to be at. So I would say, if you're a speaker, you better have some tennis shoes on because I'm chasing you. Donnie B.: That's awesome. Growing up as a kid, I guarantee you that on that journey, when the teacher looked at you during your years where you were class clowning and everything else, and she said or he said, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” At what portion did you jump out of your chair, run around the classroom and scream, “I'm going to be this big celebrity on stage inspiring people to go for it.”? Brad M.: At no point. This has definitely been a succession of incremental micro-wins and losses. It is definitely … so I’m a pattern guy. Being a cryptologist in the Navy helped me tremendously. But I think that's a natural talent anyway. Seeing patterns deeply and I'm a why guy. So I like to really figure out the engineering behind something. I need to know why. That's why I wasn't engaged in school because I would ask, “Well, why is zero, zero? I don't understand that.” And the teacher would basically say, “Well, that's the way it is.” And that didn't work for me. They wanted me to do that rote memorization and that style of learning doesn't work for me because I need to take something to a deep level. But when I'm able to do that at my own pace, then I’m able to recraft it into something that can be super powerful for people so that they can understand it in a different way. For those types of people that that resonates with, I'm sort of probably a few years ago, “Yes! I get that.” But you have to really learn at a deep level to be able to do that. So I think that I'm going to continue to use that in order to serve people in the best way. For me, that's where I found my meaning. That meaning is inside me. I want to serve people. I want to impact people. I have a goal to impact a billion lives. So I want to be able to truly transform a billion lives. Now, that sounds like a lot and that might sound like a crazy statement. But if we deep dive it a little bit, it's not. If I impact one person who impacts another person, who impacts another person or if I impact one to many on a speaking stage, then maybe even 20 or 30 or potentially, maybe a thousand. And they then too impact people. Then a billion really isn't that much. Donnie B.: So here's what keeps going through my mind. I love this whole theory … Brad M.: This guy's nuts. Donnie B.: Well, that’s true. Yeah. Yeah. I thought that when I first saw you. What's interesting to me is, I think a lot of people are gunning for Tony Robbins, right? A lot of people want that level of stage. Brad M.: Mm-hmm. Donnie B.: I think you actually will probably pull it off from a process standpoint. I think you just got that in you. But here's what I'm curious about. We're having a conversation here and you're pretty mellow, down-to-earth guy. Brad M.: Mm-hmm. Donnie B.: You grew up in a blue-collar lifestyle, you go through the Navy which is blue collar still. You get into construction. Still blue collar even though you held the top title, if you will. Now, a speaker. How the hell is this guy who grew up in a blue-collar world that is kind of mellow, wanting to get that amped up and fired up when on stage? Brad M.: It’s a great question. In fact, I think that's the first time I've ever been asked that question in that style. So I love that. I commend you and celebrate you for that. It's a great question. I'm just amped up about serving people in a massive way. I am so passionate about this because I didn't have a mentor growing up. The only thing that I had available to me at that time was what I used, the audiobooks. See how we come full circle? So I'm going back pre-Internet. Yes, I remember the rotary phones and the listeners that never even heard of or maybe seen a picture of. And I don't regret that. It's brought me to who I am today. It's actually given me an ability and a passion. See, things were a little bit different back then. The Internet's a beautiful thing and I think, sometimes, we miss what's right there in front of us. It's like the fish doesn't see the water, right? We may be missing the fact that with the Internet, we have the ability to connect with anybody with this phone thing that we hold in our hand. Anybody. Billions of people across the planet which is amazing. I didn't have that ability when I was young. And so I'm super passionate about making sure that everybody that wants a mentor or a coach, I mean, a coach is just like, it's a term that people use. They take this, and forgive me, but I am really passionate about this. They take this six-week course and they call themselves a coach. I saw something on the Internet the other day about, take this course for $25. What? And then you're going to try to coach me? I'm sorry. And I don't mean this from ego. I really don't. I mean it with the utmost humility but you're not going to have a whole lot to offer me in my walk, in the walk that I've had. Donnie B.: Well, come on, man. There are 21-year-old life coaches. Brad M.: That's what I'm talking about. That's a great path. Donnie B.: You know what, to that point, because I've been zinged on podcasts for saying this and one gal hit me with a zing that I actually listened to. She's like, “Look it doesn't mean that 21-year-old cannot coach a 16 and 17-year-old about the next stage of their life.” So even if you are a $25-course coach, that whole thought process is funny to me. If you are, make sure you're teaching people to your level. Don't overstate where you can get them and what you can do for them. If you've never run a million-dollar business, don't tell them you're going to get them to a million-dollar business. You don't know how. Brad M.: There's way, way, way too much of that. I still give them credit. They're doing their thing and I give them credit for actually taking action but authenticity is huge. So when I began to reinvent myself, I began to realize all these things. Authenticity, character. I don't think character is talked about enough. Integrity sometimes is talked about in a way that doesn't even describe integrity. These things, deep diving these words, they're just words but they have meanings and stories behind them. And so I'm fascinated nowadays about deep diving these words for people, helping them discover who they really truly are. Hence, the name of my company, Build Brilliance. It's really pulling the brilliance from inside you. We are all brilliant in our own unique right. Here's a fascinating thing. My company is built on the brilliant diamond and we don't just use that as a metaphor for what I do. Inside a diamond, there's these scratches. Inside. Deep inside. There's these scratches and these little faults. They’re in every diamond. They're called inclusions. And if we would look at our life like that, yes, we're flawed in certain ways. We have these little different uniquenesses. I may have just created another word. Donnie B.: Yeah, that's twice today. Keep it up, Brad. Brad M.: These uniquenesses. But they're just included in us. They’re just a part of our life. When we realize this and we begin to really discover who we are, then we stop thinking about what other … we stop looking for validation from other people. We don't need it anymore. We just become ourselves authentically and we just show up aligned and that's not a real sexy word. But it's a powerful one. When we're fully aligned, when we're the same person at work and at home and at church and all these things that we do at the basketball game and the football game, when we're the same person in all those areas, you’re unfuck-with-able. Donnie B.: That’s another word. Brad M.: Seriously. Yeah, people can't touch you. You don't have to worry about … there’s too much worry and doubt and fear in the world. It's like an epidemic. Donnie B.: Yeah. I got to tell you, it was empowering for me because I was the guy growing up in the sales world that the best sales guys were driving the nice cars and wearing the big suits and walking a certain way and talking a certain way. So I was a replica of what these guys were and because I wanted to get where they were and what’s interesting is when I stopped trying to be those guys, my career took the hell off. Interestingly enough, same thing happened when I started my business. I was trying to be all these other people in name and everything else and when I said, “Screw it. Just be me,” my company took off. So it's very becoming that when you step into who you are, man, it's amazing about who you become. Brad M.: Yeah. I'm so 100% with you. Coming full circle, that's where my search, well, I don't want to say ended because I haven't died. In fact, my life is just beginning. But coming full circle for the journey, that is what happened. When I stopped chasing those things, what I was told I was supposed to be, I’m supposed to have a big house and a big car. That's how I show my success. I'm with you. When I let all that go, that's when I started to really find my meaning. And meaning, when we’re driven by meaning, it's so powerful. So that is why I want to chase the heels of those types of people because I think they've discovered that too. The greats, they all knew that. Jim Rohn. I mean, Jim Rohn was a mentor to Tony Robbins. Donnie B.: Yes, he was. Brad M.: John Maxwell. These people. I think they discovered that and that's when their levels of success really started to propel. So I'm with you 100%. Donnie B.: That’s awesome. So what do we see in the nearest future? I mean, for you, what's happening next? Brad M.: Yeah. I love it. So I have a joint venture with a couple of other people and we're starting what's called, UNleashed and UNlimited. So it's a Tony Robbins . Of course, this is a journey. So you don’t have to worry yet, Tony. Just kidding. I’m just having a little fun with that. I mean, what he does is amazing and what we'll do is a slight variation of that. But it's similar. We really want to help people become unleashed and unlimited. I have the utmost belief that no matter what you want to do, then it is possible. Now, there's some probability in that too. I mean, there's some chemical and stuff. I'm not going to be a running back. Let's face it. Donnie B.: My buddy’s running joke is, he's like, “I'm 6’4, 300 pounds. I'm never going to be a jockey. I don't care how many times I tell myself I can be a jockey.” And my response is, “There's Clydesdales.” Brad M.: That’s true. But within those, understanding those constraints, there are always some constraints. But the constraints in our mind and the actual constraints, there's a gap between those oftentimes with most people. So we want to be able to help people through some of those and we really want to truly just get them unleashed which I’m just so passionate about. When somebody becomes fully unleashed, there's nothing stopping them. I have this statement, “I'm going to get there or you're going to find me dead and pointed in that direction.” That's how strongly, that's how committed I am to this path. When you're that passionate about anything and we have these inclusions. We have these different brilliances. When you figure out what that thing is, there's nothing stopping you. So UNleashed and UNlimited. That's what's coming around the corner now. Donnie B.: That's awesome. That's awesome. Brad, how do people get in touch with you? If they want to reach out, they want to find out more about Unleashed and UNlimited and I love that name, they want to send you an e-mail, carrier pigeon, maybe it's the old rotary phones that you got to dial, I mean, how do people get in touch with you? Brad M.: Yeah. That's a great question. Carrier pigeon would be extremely effective, I would say because that would definitely get my attention. Donnie B.: Yeah. I just got to admit, if I walk out my front door of my farm and there's a pigeon sitting on the thing with a notarized leg, I'm going to read that message. Brad M.: If you really want to get an influencer’s attention, send them a carrier pigeon. That’s a great nugget. I love it. Now, Facebook is probably the best. I mean, I'm on LinkedIn as well, Facebook, I'm on Instagram. But I do mostly Facebook. I have a Facebook group called Entrepreneur Escalation. However, and you're going to get a preview because nobody knows this yet. That will be changing to, UNleashed and UNlimited. Donnie B.: Nice. Nice. Brad M.: So that's the best way. Just Facebook. Build Brilliance is my business page and just look me up, Brad A. Milford. Donnie B.: That’s awesome. That’s awesome. Well, my brother, I got to tell you, it's been a lot of fun having you on the show and hearing your journey and what you went through. Thank you. I can't talk today, obviously. Here's how I like to wrap up every show and I do stump some people. So get ready. Brad M.: Bring it. Donnie B.: If you were going to leave the Champions that listen to this show, entrepreneurs from all over the world, veterans, business-owners, all people that are trying to find their own success on their journey, if you were to leave them with a quote, a phrase, a saying, a mantra, a motto, something they can take with them on their journey especially when they're stacked up against it and going through it, what would be that quote you would say, “Remember this,”? Brad M.: Who you are is greater than where you are. Donnie B.: That is a powerful statement. Who you are is greater than where you are. I love that. Brad M.: I think during adversity and we all hit it, if you really reach deep inside and you say to yourself, “Who I am is greater than where I am.” Donnie B.: I love that. I love that. I love that. Brad, brother, thanks so much for doing this. I really appreciate being a part of your journey, hearing your story. Thanks again for coming on the show. Brad M.: Likewise. Thank you. It's been an honor. [Music] Donnie B.: There you have it, Brad Milford. Man, what a cool dude. I probably say it too often. But I'm telling you, the people that come on this show, I just enjoy because they become friends. They become colleagues. They just become people that I look up to and have great conversations with and I love, love the relationships I’ve formed because of this show, man. I hope you enjoyed this one, guys. Do me a favor, make sure you go check out Point Blank Safety Services. Find them at www.pointblanksafety.com and then jump over to Facebook. Come hang out with us. I am telling you, if you want to unleash your inner badass and really go for it, come hang out with us in Success Champions. Just go to Facebook, type in, Success Champions in that search box, click on groups and you'll find us there. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuccessChampion And then guys, like and share and review this show. It means everything to me. And when you do that, it is literally like you walked up, gave me a high-five, gave me a hug, said hello, told me you're a badass and it means everything to me. Guys, seriously, go blow some shit up. Go big and loud and light this damn world on fire. We'll catch you next time.

With Dmitriy away, Brian gets away with mischief. Afterwards, Brian dives deep into what makes Hunter tick. Learn about Hunter Slay's perspective on productivity, producing music, real estate, and raising a family. Video bookmarks: Canadian Dmitriy sings the theme song: https://youtu.be/2oPHaXJExJw?t=479 Show Notes: Today's Scotch: Ardbeg Ten: https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/66/ardbeg-10-year-old Norlan Nosing Glass: https://www.norlanglass.com Activity Tracker App: https://activitytrackerapp.com/ Nura Headphones: https://www.nuraphone.com/ Hunter on the wisdom he would impart to his future 10 year old child: "Wherever you felt fear in life, embrace it head on, tackle it and eliminate it, spend time there, wallow in it, because it goes away. Everything I've ever had any fear around or about, I've just faced it head on and and it has been uncomfortable, but I've grown through the experience, I've come out a better person, even for trying, even in some situations where I didn't achieve what i set out to do, i was still better off than if I had never tried, and I feel like a lot of times fear keeps people from the best decisions in life. A lot of the fear comes from just uncertainty. And [uncertainty is] all that life is - and if you don't embrace it you're going to be running from it, your entire life. Wherever you see fear, tackle it, make love to it, and enjoy the process if at all possible."

We ask David Crystal about standard English: why does standard English exist? How is it changing? Should students be exposed to different accents from around the world? And what role should culture play in English language teaching?Ross Thorburn: Welcome back to the TEFL Training Institute Podcast. This episode, we have Professor David Crystal ‑‑ linguist, writer, editor, lecturer, and broadcaster. In this episode, I asked David Crystal about standard English. Why does standard English exist? How is it changing? What type of English or Englishes should teachers teach?We talked about pronunciation and also the role that culture plays in language teaching. I hope you enjoy the interview.David Crystal, welcome to the podcast. Can you start off by telling us, when did the idea of standard English first start? Is it something that also came into play in the 18th century along with things like prescriptive grammar and Samuel Johnson and the first dictionary, etc., or was it something that started earlier than that?David Crystal: One has to ask the question, what is a standard for? A standard is to guarantee intelligibility amongst lots of people, because if you carry on writing in your regional dialect, eventually you won't understand each other.The first signs of standard English come in the Middle Ages when England becomes a nation rather than a set of independent kingdoms and there is a national civil service evolving, and a national parliament and all these things and English is becoming the language of the nation.Then it became essential to get rid of some of these variations, and all sorts of influences caused the evolution of standard English ‑‑ civil service scribes, for instance, individual authors like Chaucer, the influence of the Bible ‑‑ many, many different variations, but the point is that between 1400 and 1800, standard English as we know it today evolves.By 1800, virtually everybody was writing, and this is the point. Writing standard English is essentially a written form of English, not a spoken form. Even today, only a tiny proportion of the world's English‑language users speak standard English naturally at home as a first language. Most people learn standard English in school, and I'm talking not just about foreign language learners. I'm talking about native speakers as well.Only about four or five percent ‑‑ maybe even that's an exaggeration ‑‑ of people in England speak standard English as a natural home language. Most people speak regional variations. Most people say, "I ain't got this. We ain't got no nothing" and things of that sort. Double negatives, all non‑standard features ‑‑ that's how they normally speak.Then they go to school and they learn that, "That's not correct, dear boy. You have to say it this way," and you learn standard English. That's very useful, as long as you don't then your local accent and dialect demeaned in the process, which of course used to be the case.Anyway, around about 1800, standard English in this sense of a universal, pretty unified form of writing had emerged, thanks to Dr. Johnson, with his dictionary. People like Lindley Murray and Bishop Lowth with their grammars, people like John Walker with their pronunciation dictionary and so on and so forth.There's still a certain amount of variation, but on the whole, it's pretty standard. Then along comes Noah Webster in America and messes everything up, saying, "We don't want that standard anymore. We want a different sort of standard for a new nation," so he develops different standards for American English.Again, only about five percent of American English is different from British English in terms of spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, grammar, and so on, but it's a pretty significant five percent, nonetheless. Suddenly there are two standards in the world, British and American.Then that opened the floodgates, doesn't it, because any other country now who comes along and wants to use English. As soon as they adopt English they immediately feel they need to adapt it to express the identity of their own milieu.This is where non‑standard comes into play, because what non‑standard does is it expresses identity rather than intelligibility. You and I are speaking now non‑standard English to each other. We're not going to understand each other, but I'm proud of my non‑standard English and you're proud of yours.Of course, the result could be chaos but in many parts of the world, what happens is that the two varieties are so distinct that they don't mix each other up. I use standard English on some occasions. I use non‑standard English on other occasions.Ross: Presumably, now, then, most people recognize that one version of English isn't necessarily superior to the other. It's just that they get used at different times and in different situations, I suppose.David: Yeah. In other words, it's a notion of appropriateness rather than a notion of correctness. The 18th‑century notion was that only standard English was correct. Everything else was incorrect and rubbish and should never be used. You'll be punished if you use it.These days it's a notion of appropriateness ‑‑ that standard English is appropriate for some kinds of functions, non‑standard appropriate for other kinds of functions. This is where it gets relevant to all countries. We're not just talking about British and American and Australian and Indian or the old colonial territories. We're talking about Chinese English and Japanese English and so on.What is Chinese English for me? Chinese English is not somebody learning English from China and getting it wrong.No, it's somebody learning English from China who is now developing a good command of English but using it to express Chinese concepts and Chinese culture in a way that I would not necessarily understand, because I don't understand Chinese culture, coming from outside it.All over the world now, we see these "new Englishes," as they're called, being very different from traditional standard British English and traditional standard American English.What they're doing is they're allowing the expression of their local identity to become institutionalized in dictionaries and in novels, you see, and plays and poetry and grammars and things like this, so that we now have to respect the identity of whatever it might be ‑‑ Indian English, Nigerian English, Chinese English, by which I mean, English written by Chinese authors expressing a Chinese milieu but with a competent command of English, so that one can't just say, "Hey, that's a mistake."That is a genuine, shared expression of some section that's coming from China.Ross: Given all that, then, it really complicates the job of English‑language teachers, doesn't it? What's acceptable to teach and what is it acceptable to leave out? It's a lot more difficult, I guess, than it used to be, isn't it?David: Oh, gosh, it does, doesn't it? It is a fact that English‑language teaching has become more difficult because of the evolution of English in this way. It isn't a simple, "Oh, there's British and American English. As long as you know those two, you're home and dry."It's not the case anymore. Everything I've said, mind you, is really only relevant for language comprehension, not so much for language production. After all, if you're used to teaching standard British English in Received Pronunciation, as many teachers are and in any case as many exam boards expect and as a lot of materials expect anyway, then fine. Carry on.Standard British English is a good thing. RP is a good accent, etc., etc. But when it comes to listening comprehension and reading comprehension, if one restricts one's ability only to British English and RP, then you miss out Heaven knows how many percent ‑‑ probably most of the English language around the world.How many people speak traditionally British English in an RP accent? We're talking about, what, a couple of percent of the world's population. It's a very useful accent still. No question about that.Standard British is still a very useful dialect, but nonetheless, from a comprehension point of view, how often are you going to encounter it in the street, in literature, and so on? Only a minority of the time.It's an increasing gap, it seems to me, between production and comprehension when it comes to teaching. That's me finished now, Ross, because now it's your problem to decide how to implement this in terms of syllabus design and at what point in the teaching process do you introduce these variations? I have the easy job here.[laughter]Ross: That's a pity, because that was actually my next question.David: [laughs]Ross: What do you think? Should teachers and course books and writers be trying to work in examples of non‑standard English and non‑standard accents from all around the world into their lessons and in their course books?It seems that even, for example, native speakers might even need help with their listening skills in developing an ear from accents from parts of the world that they're maybe traveling to that they haven't been before. Presumably the same is true for non‑native speakers as well.David: Absolutely. These days there is no difference, essentially, between a native and a non‑native speaker of English in this respect. I go to another part of the world just like a second‑language learner goes to the same part of the world and we're both equally foxed by the local identity of the language.I have this all the time. I go to places. I don't know what the heck is going on, because I just don't understand the local words, the local expressions, the local nicknames of the politicians. All these cultural identity things are everywhere now. It's a problem for me as much as for the other.As far as materials are concerned, yes I think one should build in right from the very beginning an awareness of variation. Some programs do this. Global, for example, does this to a certain extent. I think it's more general than that. All the materials, of course, have always had a certain cultural input.You teach the present tense by for example saying, "Let us go for a walk down Oxford Street. Let's buy some things," and we'll use the present tense for that. It's drama driving the content.You can also at the same time let culture help to drive the content. Not only do you have a vocabulary list at the end of the chapter which says what's going on or explains what's going on, but you have a culture list as well.For example, we've done Oxford Street. When somebody says, "Let's look at your watch," and you say, "Oh, it's a nice watch," and the person says, "Yes, but it's not actually Bond Street. It's Portobello Road."That's the kind of comment that anybody might make ‑‑ completely unintelligible to most foreigners until they know that Bond Street is the posh street and Portobello Road is the street market.You could easily imagine how going into a shop to buy a watch to drill the present tense or whatever might also be supplemented by a little cultural panel somewhere or other which says, "Here ‑‑ this is a posh place to buy. This is not a posh place to buy." You gradually build up a sense of the cultural identity of the place.I'll put it another way. If I go to Beijing, how do you translate Bond Street and Portobello Road into Beijing or wherever? How would you do it? If a Chinese person said that sentence to me in English ‑‑ "Go to this part of..." ‑‑ I would not know what it meant until it was explained, which, you know what I mean by saying it's a very general issue.Ross: I also wanted to ask you a bit about how new meanings come about, because obviously that's something that happens, I think, both in standard and non‑standard English. I think you mention in "A Little Book of Language" about encouraging people to look up word meanings in dictionaries.Is it also the case that words often only really take on new meanings when people misuse them? Can you tell us a bit about how new meanings come about, or maybe how first they might be non‑standard or maybe even just considered to be wrong?David: To begin with, some people would say that any new meaning was a wrong use. There are always pedants around who will say that any change is an error to begin with. Then gradually usage grows and people forget that was ever a problem. They focus on new things that are taking place. This has routinely happened.It's only happened since the 18th century. Before that, change just took place...People did object to it. Some people tried to stop it, people like Dryden and Swift and, to begin with, Johnson, said, "We must stop language change. Look, the French have done this with their Academy. They've stopped..." Of course they hadn't. But they tried and thought they were doing so.Johnson himself recognizes this eventually and says, "Even the French haven't managed to stop language change. That's why we don't want an academy over here."Change takes place. It will always get reactions. It's a very natural process, very subtle process. Most of the semantic changes that affect vocabulary take place without anybody noticing them happening at all until they become established, they get a new the dictionary, a new sense comes along, and people say, "Oh yeah. Of course. We've been saying that for years. We just haven't noticed it happening."Ross: One more time, everyone, that was Professor David Crystal. If you'd like to know more about David's work, please visit his website at www.davidcrystal.com. I hope you enjoyed today's interview and we'll see you again next time. Goodbye.

Everything I've shared so far on this series is things you can implement into your life every single day to get your business to new levels of growth. I'll admit though, it's not always easy. What I'm covering today is all about doing the hard things, the things that make you feel like you're jumping off a cliff, and it's scary. Get full show notes and more information here: http://lindseymangocoaching.com/nlyb5

Everything I've ever wanted to know about Hell's Kitchen.

  #129: In the first six months of Diferente we’ve been blessed with amazing guests who have shared their thoughts on what success means to them. Because at Diferente, we believe that success is a personal word, to be defined by each individual only! There is never a wrong answer when it comes to answering this question…   What is your definition of Success?   If you haven’t taken time to reflect on this seven letter word, what better time than now?!   Every single conversation we’ve had on Diferente has left me with something to reflect on and expanded my curiosity even further. But since I don’t have time to share EVERYTHING I've learned with you, I decided to put together my personal list of ten takeaways that I hope also resonated with you!   Follow Diferente on Instagram,  Facebook, or find us online at diferentepodcast.com    EPISODE CREDITS Producer/Host - Maribel Quezada Smith Co-Producer - Doug Smith Editor - Ricardo Pujol Diferente Music by Keagan Stromberg   Additional music tracks in this episode: "On My Way" "Dreamer" "Fearless First" "Fireflies and Stardust" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Everybody who decides to open a home-based ECommerce business is going to come across a huge variety of scams. It's unavoidable; there are literally thousands of people out there who will lie to you and try to cheat you out of tens of thousands of dollars. Learn what happens, how to avoid it, and what the true cost is. Be sure to Subscribe to the Show! Find much more TRUTH about ECommerce on my site.   EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Everybody who decides to open a home-based ECommerce business is going to come across a huge variety of scams. It's unavoidable; there are literally thousands of people out there who will lie to you and try to cheat you out of tens of thousands of dollars. They know they're lying. They know they're cheating. They know they could be prosecuted and sued for what they do. But the money is so good (for THEM) that they just can't resist. You're listening to this podcast, which means you either have an interest in STARTING an EBiz, or you already HAVE an EBiz. If you're just starting out and you haven't spent any money yet, you're one of the VERY LUCKY FEW who just might make this happen without getting screwed to a wall financially. If you HAVE an existing EBiz, there's a 97% chance it isn't making you any real money, and an unbelieveable 90+% chance that you've been CHEATED out of at least $15,000 dollars. Possibly as much as $35,000 to $40,000 dollars. I've been running my EBiz Insider Workshops online for nine years now. I've done nearly 800 seven hour Workshops with people just like you. More than 90% of the people who attend those Workshops have been cheated out of tens of thousands of dollars by some group of EBiz scammers. Yes, I said GROUP. EBiz scammers run in packs, like rabid wolves. They hunt TOGETHER to take you down for every last dime they can, and leave you lying in a ditch when they're done. Does that sound alarmist? Does it sound like a conspiracy theory? If you're one of the VERY FEW who hasn't been nailed by this stuff YET, it may sound like that. But to the more than 90% of those who listen to this podcast who HAVE spent money with these dirtbags, you KNOW, don't you. It couldn't BE more real. And it couldn't be more disgusting and discouraging. The minute you sign up for a Free Trial Website, an EBiz App or a Tool, join a Free Webinar, sign up for a mailing list, go to a hotel seminar, take adive from a public "Experts" Forum, etc., etc., these people HAVE YOU HOOKED. More importantly, they have your email address and possibly even your phone number, if you gave it to them. If you didn't, they'll try to look it up online through various phone book and location services. How do they HOOK you? THEY MAKE PROMISES THEY CAN'T KEEP. Please understand this: NOBODY can PROMISE you success. NOBODY can GUARANTEE that you'll make money. Not in any kind of business, not EVER. But these people will do that all day long. They'll show you websites that they claim make millions of dollars. Those sites are fakes that they own. They'll show you bank statements that have thousands of dollars in deposits coming in every day. That's nothing but Photoshop and a printer. They'll give you testimonials from people who claim to make tons of money from their "systems". Those people work for them. They're not real EBiz owners. They will absolutely GUARANTEE your success. Then they'll HELP you (yes, actually get online with you and HELP you) apply up for forty of fifty thousand dollars' worth of credit cards that you then MAX OUT with THEM, and they'll tell you it's okay because they PROMISE you'll make all that money back within a few months and pay off those cards. But it won't happen. They'll tell you it's okay to take a SEVENTY THOUSAND DOLLAR MORTGAGE out on your HOUSE and spend it with them, because you'll make the money back in a few months. But it won't happen. I'm not just speaking in general terms here. Everything I've just said has ACTUALLY HAPPENED to people I've personally worked with in my Workshops, talked to over the phone or have met in person. ALL of it, with those actual numbers. Keep these following things in mind. Write them down. Stick them up with a fridge magnet. Ready? ANYBODY who tells you that Amazon, eBay, Affiliate Marketing, Template-based Websites, SEO Apps and Tools, Private Labeling, Importing from China, using AliExpress or Oberlo, outsourcing your marketing and graphics, OR that you'll make good money QUICKLY online in ANY way is absolutely flat-out lying to you. I WILL guarantee THAT. So like I said, better than 90% of the people reading this post have already been burned this way. If it's happened to YOU, I give you a TREMENDOUS amount of credit for even being here at all. Most people just curl up into a ball and sob for six weeks once they realize what happened, and then spend the next ten years trying to dig themselves out of all that debt working three jobs and selling half their posessions. If it has NOT happened to you yet, BE VERY AWARE that when you step into home-based ECommerce, you're stepping into a live minefield IN THE DARK wearing size 58 boots and pushing a thirty-foot-wide lawn roller right in front of you. If that sounds really scary, GOOD. It's meant to. The point of this discussion, though, is to talk about those who HAVE been scammed like that, and the effect that such a horrible experience has on you. It robs you of something far worse than money. Yes, even money in those huge amounts isn't as bad as the true cost of being a victim of these disgusting, worthless people. So does it rob you of that's even WORSE? Your self-confidence. Your self-esteem. Your trust in yourself and in your own decision-making ability. That's worse, because it goes much further than just the money. It affects your ENTIRE LIFE. Your personal relationships. Your family members. Your living situation. Your ability to support yourself and your family. Your ENTIRE FUTURE is forever changed by something like that. Most people who have been hit hard by these sickening scammers end up feeling deeply personally violated, and many end up suffering from years of depression and other psychological damage. The countless number of people I've had conversations with over the years who HAVE been victimized in this way tell me that they feel foolish, even stupid for allowing this to happen to them. If you're one of those people, you CAN'T put that on YOURSELF. You were LIED to. You were CHEATED. You were VICTIMIZED, plain and simple. The people who do this to you are very, very good at what they do. They know the psychology, they know the buzzwords, they play on your emotions and your desire to better your life, and they LIE. It's not the fault of the victim. It's the fault of the victimizer. I personally am a big believer in Karma. What goes around comes around. Karma can be a screaming banshee on a rocket sled when it needs to be, and I actually ALMOST pity those victimizers when it catches up to them. And it WILL. And I said I ALMOST pity them. Okay, if you can't tell by now, I get really fired up about this whole thing. It pisses me off. It disgusts me. It makes me wish I could sit those scammers down one at a time in a room with all the people they've hurt, and make them look those people in the eyes and REALLY SEE the monetary and phsychological ruin they create every single day. There are two reasons I feel that way. One is that I'm human just like everybody else. I've actually listened to those victims tell those stories, literally thousands of them, over the nearly 20 years that I've been trying to help people understand this business in different ways. It's taken it's toll on me, too. I've listened to people on the other end of the phone who are literally sobbing about all the money they've lost, about how horrible they feel, about how they don't know what they're going to do when their spouse or family finds out. That's no exaggeration, it's absolutely true. And it's heart-breaking to hear over and over and over again from so many people for so many years. The other reason is because this is MY CHOSEN INDUSTRY. I was here 25 years ago at the very beginning. I actually HAVE made millions in this business, because I don't just TALK about it, I DO all the things I talk about. And seeing these inexperienced talking-head slimebuckets who call themselves "ECommerce Marketers" but have never actually WORKED in this industry *EVER*, do so many bad things to so many good people is incredibly frustrating. It also ends up making me look guilty by association. It's harder for me to actually tell people the truth and help them because they've already been burned so badly and simply have no trust left to give. I've been called names and accused of lies I've never told just because I'm IN the industry, by people who don't know me at all and have never read or listed to anything I do! And you know what? I don't blame them. I don't get angry with those people. I understand how they feel, because I've talked to so many of them. Anyway, I'll end this rant with a really serious warning. BE VERY CAREFUL out there. I've told you what to look out for. It's no joke. If you've been victimized, it was NOT your fault. If you haven't, they're coming for you. Don't let them get you. If you'd like to hear the TRUTH about this business for once, check out my FREE EBiz Insider Video Series at ChrisMalta.com.  Thanks for listening, and I'll catch you later!

Unlike her siblings, Isabel Hundt (@IsabelKHundt) has always seen things differently, both in the figurative sense, and literally. Isabel has a rare quality called synesthesia. What this means for Isabel is sounds, number and emotions appear to have colors. If you are sad, and are feeling ‘blue’, she can actually see a blue aura around you. Isabel grew up in East Germany during the Cold War, the oldest of five children. As a twelve-year old, she had a vision of speaking on stage in front of thousands of people. However, she wasn’t speaking German -- in her vision she was speaking English. ​"Everything I've done after the age of 18 was always with the goal of coming to the U.S." - Isabel Hundt What We Discuss with Isabel Hundt: How Isabel became enraptured with the English language and the United States. Isabel's battle with depression as a student at the University of Stuttgart. Her experiences working as an au pair during her late teens and twenties. How she became a life coach, then a business coach, then a spiritual coach. What it means to be an empath and how to recognize the signs. Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally! (Download Episode Here) (Subscribe in iTunes Here) (Connect with CJ)   Please Scroll Down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! The Two Rule Foundation helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how. Looking to get more out of all your hard work? Enroll in ThriveMap University, an online video program for professionals. 100% of proceeds are donated to the Two Rule Foundation. More About This Show After switching universities and changing majors from studying economics to sociology & psychology, Isabel thought she knew exactly how life was supposed to look like. In her mid-twenties, and still without her degree, Isabel was determined to have a normal life. She condensed her studies from four years to three so she could get her career started and make her way back to America. Shortly after graduating, she discovered the whole time she was in school her boyfriend had been cheating on her the whole time they were together, and some of those women harass her and say terrible things. However she didn’t let that stop her. Instead, she dug her heels, asking herself “what is normal?”, and resolving that she would have her own path. Not long after, immigration laws changed in the U.S. and Isabel was once again able to return to work as an au pair. But her struggles didn’t stop there. By this time she was in her late twenties, and she’d be subjected to prejudice from her host families, be kicked out on the street with all her belongings, and forced to move across country to retain her visa. It was only then that a good friend would say something that would change her life forever. “Isabel, when you just look at people, people know that you know something about them that they don’t want you to know. They trust you easily, but they are afraid that you see the real them.” Low and behold, she’d make her way to Indianapolis, Indiana studying to get her master’s in counseling at IUPUI. While at IUPUI she would meet her future husband, get her master’s degree. Later, she would discover her calling as a life transformation coach and learn that she’s an empath. For nearly a decade now, Isabel has been living out her childhood dream, and has been speaking onstage (in English!) and helping highly-sensitive people navigate their inner worlds and become the best version of themselves. Isabel is the author The Power of Faith-Driven Success, creator of The Empath Warrior Program, has appeared on 70+ podcasts including Entrepreneur on Fire with John Lee Dumas, and is an accomplished motivational speaker. Catch her on social media and check out her Youtube channel. THANKS, Isabel Hundt! If you enjoyed this session with life transformation coach, speaker, & author Isabel Hundt let her know by clicking on the links below and sending her a quick shout out on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Click here to thank Isabel on Twitter! Connect with Isabel on Facebook! Follow Isabel on Instagram! Click here to let CJ know about your number one takeaway from this episode! And if you want us to answer your questions on one of our upcoming episodes, drop us a line at podcast@cjmcclanahan.com. Mentioned in This Episode: Find Out If You Have Synesthesia via Business Insider University of Stuttgart Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) ActionCOACH - business coaching ​The Differences Between Highly Sensitive People and Empaths via Psychology Today Four Signs You May Be an Empath-Warrior via HuffPost The Empath-Warrior Coaching Program taught by Isabel Hundt The Power of Faith-Driven Success book by Isabel Hundt The Empowered Warrior ebook by Isabel Hundt Isabel on Entrepreneur On Fire Episode 1823

I met JJ Virgin at a podcast event in San Diego this year. We talked about most diets work temporarily, but they are hard to sustain. The more I talked to her, the more I appreciated her NO BS approach, and how much science she had to back up her opinions. She was nice enough to send me some snakes and bars to test out. They are the perfect mix of "good but not too good." Some these bars I've tried in the past are awful, others are really yummy - and the minute you're done eating one you want another six. Everything I've tried from JJ's site has been good not so good that I want another. You Are Strong as Your Toughest Challenge I spoke about his last week and in trying to get on the virgin diet, it wasn't I was missing food, or having legit cravings, it was that I have myself trained like a dog to get a snack at 10:30 AM and 3:00 PM (with lunch in the middle). I have a reminder on my watch and all week, I would get up and snack (strawberries, maybe one of JJ's bars) but she really wants you go to four to six hours between meals (meaning, no snacks). So it wasn't until Friday that I made it from breakfast to Lunch. Then the next day, I took that vircory and made it the whole day without snacking. It's hard to battle your mind, and to battle old habits, but you can do this. Dave's New Spotify Playlist Game to Get Your Sweating at the Gym Anything you can do to keep exercise fun, to keep you pushing a little harder is good in my book (always consult your doctor). There is a difference between "being active" and getting 10,000 steps and going to the gym and pushing your body ever so slightly past its limits and working up a sweat.  One easy way to do this fast call HIIT training. HIIT is a training technique which involves intense bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by varying periods of low-intensity active rest, or complete rest. HIIT can be a great option for staying in shape when time is an issue, as you can get an amazing fat-burning workout in 20 minutes or less For me this means I fire up my Spotify playlist and when a new song came on a jogged for 30 seconds and then walked the rest of the song (for starters). Later in the week, feeling good I added a new twist. I would jog every time the chorus came on, and would keep jogging until the verse part of the song returned. This can be quite a workout if you have a song that keeps repeating the chorus at the end.   Who is JJ Virgin? She's a hall of fame nutritionist and celebrity trainer. Her website is www.jjvirgin.com You've seen her on Dr. OZ, Dr. Phil, Rachel Rae, The Doctors, the Today show and the list goes on. I first saw her on a TV show called Freaky Eaters and loved her style and passion for helping people. She is a four-time NY Times Bestselling author. She also hosts her own podcast (see Apple Podcasts). She's been doing this for over 30 years, and you'll hear in this podcast why I like her as we discuss Why Coke Zero isn't food How there is more to calories in vs calories out The food you eat can disrupt your body chemistry and that's we are often discussing gut health. How to look at studies to determine if they are valid Who she trusts when it comes to knowledge about health What is different between the Virgin Diet and the Sugar Impact Diet Her FREE 7 Day Stop, Swap, and Drop challenge JJ has a ton of great things on her website www.jjvirgin.com JJ's Books' The Virgin Diet: Drop 7 Foods, Lose 7 Pounds, Just 7 DaysThe Virgin Diet The Virgin Diet Cookbook: 150 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Lose Weight and Feel Better Fast JJ Virgin's Sugar Impact Diet: Drop 7 Hidden Sugars, Lose Up to 10 Pounds in Just 2 Weeks JJ Virgin's Sugar Impact Diet Cookbook: 150 Low-Sugar Recipes to Help You Lose Up to 10 Pounds in Just 2 Weeks Miracle Mindset: A Mother, Her Son, and Life’s Hardest Lessons  Check out the Movie from the book for free I've listened to or read all of the above and they are chock full of insights, strategies, inspirational stories, and this little thing I like to call the truth. Books I Haven't Bought Yet But Will ONE-POT MEALS: 44 Simple, Tasty Recipes That Take the Guesswork Out of Healthy Eating JJ Products I'm Currently Using JJ Virgin - Vanilla Plant-Based All-In-One Shake (Brand New Packaging), 30 Servings JJ Virgin - Chocolate Paleo-Inspired All-in-One Shake, 30 Servings JJ Virgin - All-In-One Protein Bar, Dark Chocolate Mocha (Box of 12) JJ Virgin - Chocolate Paleo-Inspired All-In-One Shakes, 15 Servings 555 G (1.22LBS) JJ Virgin - Dark Chocolate Coconut Fiber Bars (Box of 12) JJ Virgin - Sleep Candy, Chewable Sleep Aid with Melatonin, 5-HTP, B6, Inositol & L-Theanine, 60 Tablets JJ Virgin - Leaky Gut Support Powder, 225g JJ Virgin - Safety Net, Cravings & Carb Digestion Support, 60 Capsules (great to take after a "slip up") JJ Virgin - Metabolic Reset, Appetite & Fat Metabolism Support, 120 Capsules  (going to order this one) Become a Logical Weight Loss Supporter Visit www.logicalloss.com/support  

I've been asked many times over the years how bad my anxiety used to be. Yes, it was probably as bad as yours. In this episode of our Anxiety 101 series, I'll tell you all about it. Everything I've been through. The symptoms I've dealt with. The issues I've had to resolve. The good news is that if I can do it, you can do it! Questions? Comments? Lets hear them. My Links https://theanxioustruth.com/links Intro/Outro Music: "Afterglow" by The Ben Drake Collective. Used with permission. Find Ben Drake on Facebook or at bendrakemusic.com. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theanxioustruth/support

I had no idea what it was until I read this simple sentence. Once I did, years of confusion and chaos melted away. Everything I've done over the past five years ... being able to quit my soul-draining day job and launch my own successful business ... All of it happened because I followed this simple principle - without even realizing I was. EPISODE LINKS LinkedIn Riches Webinar: http://linkedinriches.com/webinar-coaching/

I'm so excited about this one guys! Ben inspires me. Everything I've seen him do makes me want to be a better, stronger artist. First off, he is so kind, happy and giving to everyone he crosses paths with. Secondly he is a STRONG artist. I've seen him work and he is one of the most talented people I've had the pleasure to work beside. I love him so much, he is one of my favorite people on the planet. In this episode we talk about moving to a big city, our mutual love of directing, and he introduced me to a song cycle called "The Human Equation" and I absolutely love it. Stay tuned for more episodes every week!

When Sharleen Joynt, a coloratura soprano from Canada, was selected to be a contestant on ABC's reality dating show “The Bachelor," she knew it had the potential to be more bizarre than many opera plots. One of the show’s pivotal scenes, after all, has her stepping out of a limousine, dressed to the nines, to meet someone who ostensibly could propose to her within a few weeks. But, as she discusses on this edition of Conducting Business, there was a “fear of missing out” when the opportunity arose. "You know it's once-in-a-lifetime even if it's not highbrow once-in-a-lifetime." Joynt was among 27 women selected to move into a mansion and gear up to attract Juan Pablo Galavis, the titular bachelor of the show. She stayed through seven episodes before deciding he wasn't for her and – uncharacteristically for a contestant – left of her own accord. Besides being surreal – with cameras trailing her at every waking moment – the experience pointed to larger questions of how pop culture visibility can impact a career that's usually considered highbrow. And it illustrates the difficulties a young singer faces in balancing an all-consuming profession with extracurricular interests and a personal life. Anne Midgette, classical music critic of the Washington Post, is among many observers who suggested that Joynt didn't fit the typical profile of the show's characters. “She seems to have made a splash on ‘The Bachelor’ by being kind of genuine and maintaining her dignity,” said Midgette, who recently wrote about Joynt. “She certainly didn’t hurt her career with the way she behaved on the show. She appears to have been completely dignified throughout.” "Taking a larger view of it, there are worse things in the world than getting a little mainstream exposure for the opera world,” Midgette added. But Midgette also thinks the singer may be viewed suspiciously by some casting directors and agents. Despite the fact that Joynt is currently an understudy at the Metropolitan Opera, and studied at the Mannes College of Music, Midgette notes that she was turned down for an audition at one “B-level American house” on the grounds that she was too “junior league.” Says Joynt, "I think that the opera world is very wary of me at the moment. It's not easy. Everything I've done so far in my life has been for [my opera career].” Joynt describes how she has sought to keep her opera career separate from the show, which was largely necessary during the filming itself. "When you're in 'The Bachelor' mansion, you're drinking a lot and staying up late a lot," she said. A few times she practiced in a bathroom with the door locked and the blinds shut. "Basically, I tried to keep it private, but it's really hard." The producers, however, wanted her to spotlight her singing. “I was like, 'I don't want to sing in interviews.' I was like, 'I'm not singing when I get out of the limo,'" said Joynt. (She did eventually sing a few bars in one scene, as Juan Pablo "wasn't taking no for an answer.") Would she do it again? "I would be lying if I said I didn't have moments where I said, 'maybe this was a huge mistake.' But it was a fun experience. I'm a 29-year-old girl. And honestly, the people I met were the best part – the girls in the house, the producers – many of whom I consider friends now. I only have good things to say about it overall." Listen to the full segment above and please share your reactions in the comments box below. (Photo: ABC)

I'm yours Lord Everything I've got Everything I am Everything I'm not. I'm yours Lord Try me now and see See if I can be Completely yours.