Podcasts about Excel

Ever wondered how Cannon would fare, having to actually watch multiple little ones and 2 dogs on top of it? Not well. They are pet-sitting 2 puppies and we proceed to watch the kids stuff these poor dogs with lots of cheese, more cheese, and then, cheesy eggs. Poor things. In a follow up to last week's Dig, we explore the IBLP version of finishing school, EXCEL. They have to train all these little ladies on how to grow up and be manipulated and coerced by their authorities. We look at how it evolved, what they were teaching, and get an outsiders view of these girls through a newspaper journalist embedded with them. Joy Branch is the girl you never want to meet. If you would like to support the work that we do, head on over to www.buymeacoffee.com/diggingupthedug where you can buy us a coffee, if you would just like to support us in a one-off fashion. Or you can support us monthly by becoming a member and then you will get access to our ad-free episodes and bonus content like Pickle episodes, Mildred Mondays, recipes, blog posts and more. We have a lot of fun over there with our community of Pickle People. We have Merp, I mean Merch! over at https://www.digging-up-the-duggars.dashery.comTake a peek at our episode visuals and Mildred related contact at instagram.com/digginguptheduggarspodAnd of course we have a P.O. Box 5973, Glendale, AZ 85312

This week, Mary Beard dons her VR set to experience a Roman cataclysm; and Mary Hitchman on the history of humanity's fascination with the moon.'The Last Days of Pompeii: The immersive exhibition', Immerse LDN, Excel, London, until March 15'The Medieval Moon', by Ayoush LazikaniProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you want to be successful, you need to make sure you are taking advantage of every minute of your day.  Some people make their success seem so simple.  Most successful entrepreneurs follow a routine that they know they can stick to on a consistent basis to get the results they ultimately want to achieve in life and in their business.  In today's podcast episode, I am covering some of the highly effective business routines that will keep you on task and ensure you are able to spend your days being as efficient as possible while enjoying your ultimate work-life balance.  Everybody views success differently, and this is true as far as your schedule goes as well.  Your schedule and routines will vary from other business owners, and that is alright.  Not only am I going to touch on morning and evening routines, but you will gain insight into how you can focus your time to manage your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly business routines as well.  Routines are important to put in place, and it doesn't matter whether you are starting a business or side hustle, you're a self-employed individual, a solopreneur, entrepreneur, mompreneur, freelancer, small business owner, a remote, virtual, online, or in-house bookkeeper or accountant, a virtual assistant or VA, or other professional; it is never too late to start or improve your business routines.  These routines will work for you whether you are using a computerized software system like QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, or FreshBooks for your business finances or if you are doing your bookkeeping manually with an Excel spreadsheet or even a Google Document.  Listen in and make sure you are aware of these highly effective routines successful entrepreneurs use to reach their success…    Join us in a community built specifically for accountants and high-stress professionals.  You'll receive support, accountability, and a community that understands what you're going through. We focus on stress reduction, increasing productivity, time management, goal achievement, health, happiness, and desired lifestyle:  https://www.financialadventure.com/community Schedule your Complimentary Stress Audit And Clarity Session, where we'll work together to create a clear and focused plan and overcome the obstacles that stand in your way so that you can move forward and immediately start enjoying your life with less stress, increased productivity, and more time to spend doing what you love with the people you care about: https://www.financialadventure.com/work-with-me Accountants, CPAs, Bookkeepers, Tax Preparers & Financial Professionals, sign up here to get updates on upcoming opportunities & grab the Audit Of Your Well-Being & Balance Guide here: https://www.financialadventure.com/accountant Ready to set up your business?  I have a program to help you get your business set up so that you can start making money.  Sign up for this program here: https://www.financialadventure.com/start Are you ready to try coaching?  Schedule an Introductory Coaching Session today.  You'll have the opportunity to see how you like coaching with an Introductory Coaching Session: https://www.financialadventure.com/intro Join us in the Mastering Your Small Business Finances PROFIT LAB if you are ready to take control of your business finances and create the profitable business you are striving for.  Are you ready to generate revenues and increase the profit in your business: https://www.financialadventure.com/profit If You Are Ready To Choose, Start Or Grow Your Side Hustle, Get Your Free Checklist And Assessment Here: https://www.financialadventure.com/sidehustle Grab Your FREE guide:  5 Essential Strategies For Stress-Free Bookkeeping: https://www.financialadventure.com/5essentials Your FREE Online Virtual Bookkeeping Business Starter Guide & Success Path Is Waiting For You: https://www.financialadventure.com/starterguide Join Our Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenbusinessownersultimatediybookkeepingboutique The Strategic Bookkeeping Academy, including Bookkeeping Basics, is open for registration!  You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.financialadventure.com/sba Looking for a payroll solution for your business?  You can get an exclusive 15% discount on your payroll services when you sign up here: https://www.financialadventure.com/adp QuickBooks Online - Save 30% Your First 6 Months: https://www.financialadventure.com/quickbooks Sign up for a virtual coffee chat to see if starting a Bookkeeping Business is right for you: https://www.financialadventure.com/discovery Show Notes:  https://www.financialadventure.com This podcast is sponsored by Financial Adventure, LLC ~ visit https://www.financialadventure.com for additional information and free resources.

In this episode of Future Finance, Paul Barnhurst and Glenn Hopper explore how AI tools like Claude, Copilot, and Excel agents are transforming financial workflows in 2026. As the finance industry continues to evolve, AI is playing an increasingly crucial role in automating routine tasks, improving accuracy, and boosting efficiency.Paul and Glenn discuss their firsthand experiences with AI-driven tools, from tracking expenses and managing journal entries to building financial models. They also dive into the ways small and medium businesses are utilizing AI-powered Excel agents to streamline their financial processes without the need for expensive, traditional planning tools.In this episode, you will discover:The impact of AI agents in finance and how they simplify workflows.Personal experiences with Claude and Copilot in real-world finance tasks.How to integrate AI into your finance team's daily tasks.The benefits and challenges of AI-powered automation in finance.Paul and Glenn emphasize the importance of embracing AI in finance, highlighting how tools like Claude, Copilot, and Excel agents are transforming everyday workflows. They encourage finance professionals to experiment with AI, even if it means starting small.Follow Glenn:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbhopperiiiFollow Paul:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefpandaguyFollow QFlow.AI:Website - https://bit.ly/4i1EkjgFuture Finance is sponsored by QFlow.ai, the strategic finance platform solving the toughest part of planning and analysis: B2B revenue. Align sales, marketing, and finance, speed up decision-making, and lock in accountability with QFlow.ai. Stay tuned for a deeper understanding of how AI is shaping the future of finance and what it means for businesses and individuals alike.In Today's Episode:[00:00] – AI's Role in Finance[03:47] – AI Agents in Excel[06:12] – Claude vs. Copilot[09:27] – Automating Expenses & Journal Entries[15:56] – AI for Financial Models[21:21] – Future of AI in Small Business Finance[26:26] – Workflow Automation in Finance[35:28] – AI & Human Collaboration[39:31] – Experimenting with AI in Finance[41:45] – Data Quality & Governance[43:07] – Key Takeaway

Finance teams in the energy, utilities, and renewable energy sectors face unique challenges, complex ownership structures, multi-entity consolidation, regulatory reporting, and constant market volatility. In this episode of CPM Customer Success, we discuss how CFOs, Controllers, and FP&A leaders are modernizing close, consolidation, and planning with a unified CPM platform. We share two customer examples to bring this to life: A fast-growing renewable energy developer that outgrew Excel as its portfolio of solar projects expanded. One of the world's largest battery recycling enterprises with a fragmented financial process.  If you're a leader in the energy or utilities space looking to deliver faster insights, improve confidence in the numbers, and support the transition to a more dynamic energy future, this episode is for you!      

¿Sabías que tu equipo de ventas podría ser hasta un 40% más productivo solo por usar correctamente un CRM? En este episodio de Con Licencia Para Vender, Jorge Zamora te revela los 3 errores más comunes que impiden que tus vendedores utilicen el CRM… y, sobre todo, cómo solucionarlos. Olvídate de obligar a tu equipo a rellenar datos por cumplir. Aquí vas a descubrir cómo mostrar el verdadero impacto del CRM en la venta, cómo reducir tareas manuales (¡menos tiempo perdido en Excel y más en cerrar negocios!) y la importancia de crear un roadmap claro que motive a los vendedores a adoptarlo de forma natural. Además, Jorge Zamora comparte casos reales y recomendaciones prácticas para que por fin dejes de adivinar el seguimiento y empieces a tener control total sobre tus procesos de ventas. Este episodio es imprescindible si eres gerente comercial, director de ventas o lideras un equipo que necesita más visibilidad, productividad y resultados tangibles. Aprovecha estos consejos para transformar tu gestión comercial y hacer que el CRM trabaje para ti, no al revés. Aprende cómo mejorar la productividad de tu equipo de ventas B2B, implementar CRM con éxito, liderar procesos de adopción tecnológica y evitar los errores más comunes en la gestión de oportunidades. Ideal para líderes y gerentes comerciales que buscan acelerar ventas y maximizar el uso de herramientas digitales como el CRM en sus organizaciones. ¿Te sirvió este episodio para identificar por qué tu CRM no se usa como debería? Compártelo con tu equipo y síguenos para recibir más estrategias de ventas de alto impacto en cada episodio. Agenda conmigo una llamada sin costo y te ayudaré a mejorar tus ventas Clientify - Reuniones https://linktr.ee/jorgeandreszamora

Ep. 399 We are now transitioning from vibe coding to vibe working? Kieran dives into the historic evolution of AI from a tool you chat with to a team you manage, and why this changes the future of work. Learn more on the rise of agentic AI teams that autonomously handle projects, how Claude and similar models are embedding themselves directly into essential tools like Excel and PowerPoint, and why mastering outcome-based thinking (rather than task-based delegation) will separate those who thrive in the "vibe working" era from those left behind. Mentions Anthropic https://www.anthropic.com/ Claude https://claude.ai/ Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt We're creating our next round of content and want to ensure it tackles the challenges you're facing at work or in your business. To understand your biggest challenges we've put together a survey and we'd love to hear from you! https://bit.ly/matg-research Resource [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip We're on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg  Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matgpod  Join our community https://landing.connect.com/matg Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain! Don't forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934   If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://link.chtbl.com/h9_sjBKH and share your favorite episodes with friends. We really appreciate your support. Host Links: Kipp Bodnar, https://twitter.com/kippbodnar   Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat  ‘Marketing Against The Grain' is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.

What if you could cut your deal analysis time by 80%? Joel Bechtel was drowning in broker documents. T12s in one format. Rent rolls in another. OMs that looked completely different from the last five he’d reviewed. After spending hours copying and pasting data into Excel spreadsheets only to discover a deal wouldn’t work, he decided to build AI deal analysis software to solve the problem. Chris Lopez sits down with Joel, a software entrepreneur who spent 18 years building tech companies before pivoting to focus on his real estate portfolio. Joel currently owns 20 doors and recently analyzed 90 multifamily properties across Columbus, Nashville, and Raleigh markets. His AI deal analysis software extracts data from broker documents and runs underwriting in minutes instead of hours. The numbers are striking. What used to take 1-2 hours per deal now takes 10-15 minutes. That’s the kind of efficiency that lets you actually find deals worth pursuing instead of burning out on spreadsheet work. In This Episode We Cover: The Gmail hack Joel uses to automatically filter broker leads into a dedicated inbox for AI processing Why most investors waste hours on deals that will never work and how to filter faster How AI deal analysis software extracts data from T12s, rent rolls, and OMs automatically Current vs pro forma analysis and which variables actually matter when tweaking numbers The St. Louis deal that looked perfect on paper until due diligence revealed a critical problem How to sanity check AI results without adding hours back to your workflow Market metrics that matter including flood zones, fair market rents, and census data Why zero closings from 10 LOIs is actually normal in today’s market Joel also shares advice for investors who want to bridge into entrepreneurship, including why community and masterminds matter more than going it alone. Plus, why jumping from your W2 too quickly can actually hurt both your investing and your ability to get loans. Whether you’re looking to build your own AI deal analysis software or just want a smarter system for filtering multifamily opportunities, this episode breaks down the exact process. Watch the YouTube Video https://youtu.be/yKFUQ2hUJaM Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome & Episode Introduction 01:54– From 18 years in software to real estate investing 05:15 – Broker document chaos that sparked Deal Flow Pro 07:05 – How AI extracts data from T12s, rent rolls, and OMs 09:16 – Safeguarding against AI Hallucinations 12:36 – From 90 deals to 10 LOIs 15:11 – Fact checking market metrics: flood zones, rents, census data 17:13 – St. Louis due diligence story 22:02– Time savings: 2 hours down to 10 minutes 25:53– Merging investor and entrepreneur paths 33:00 – Deal Machine integration + where to find Deal Flow Pro Links in Podcast Deal Flow Pro – AI deal analysis software for multifamily investors Website: dealflowpro.io Promo Code: “Chris Lopez” for 14-day trial (no credit card required) Deal Machine – Off-market lead generation tool Crexi – Commercial real estate listing platform LoopNet – Commercial real estate marketplace

AI in commercial real estate is usually framed around predictions and pricing.   In brief: Underwriting delays come from manual data extraction, not Excel. Institutional CRE teams automate the data layer, not the model. Parsing rent rolls and T12s is now a scale problem, not a staffing one. AI underwriting is being adopted first by lenders and servicers. Speed and consistency are emerging as underwriting risk controls. This Demo Day conversation with Parag Goswami, CEO of Clik.ai, focuses on something more fundamental: how underwriting actually gets done.   The core insight is simple.   The bottleneck in CRE underwriting is not Excel.   It is the manual, error-prone work of pulling data out of PDFs and forcing it into models. Clik.ai does not replace spreadsheets.   It automates everything before the spreadsheet matters by automating the tedious data input to your Excel model and automating it.   That is why its earliest adopters are institutional lenders, servicers, credit teams, and acquisitions pros.   Add to this automated Trepp comparable data and you have a high-value, early underwriting model to screen deals using your own Excel model.   Bottom line Clik.ai eliminates friction in the earliest stage of deal evaluation by automating the grunt work of data inputting giving you faster underwriting and a significant competitive edge.   ***   At GowerCrowd, we are aggressively researching AI tools you can actually use and that bring real, immediate value to your business. Contact us to learn more.   Subscribe to my newsletter and get access to this transformational intel before anyone else:  https://gowercrowd.com/subscribe Email: adam@gowercrowd.com Call: 213-761-1000

Agents will soon retrieve data from MCP servers and offer formatting options you can interact with. The Copilot "preview pane" opens Word, Excel, and PowerPoint alongside your M365 Chat results. Viva Engage introduces a way to hide your colleagues messages from your feed. What else landed this week? 0:00 Welcome 1:55 Open Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Files in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat - MC1225199 4:03 Microsoft Teams: Teams Live Events is retiring - MC1226495 8:17 Enhancing Model Context Protocol (MCP) based agents with rich interactive UI widgets support - MC1227627 14:00 Viva Engage: New option to hide a user's messages - MC1226225 21:11 Drawn electronic signatures with eSignature for Microsoft 365 - MC1225195 24:09 Change meeting organizer via PowerShell cmdlet in Exchange Online - MC1227623

How to tap the full power of your voice.Being present in communication isn't just mental. It's about the physical energy you bring into a space — particularly, says Patsy Rodenburg, the presence of your voice.“The physical presence of the human being is the most important thing we have,” says Rodenburg. As a world-renowned expert in voice, speech, and presentation, she has helped everyone from stage actors to prime ministers hone their speaking and awaken the power and presence of their voice. “The vast majority of people are born with amazing voices, and somewhere along the line, they lose them. My job is to return people to their full power in their body, in their breath, in their voice, in their ability to speak in an exciting way.”In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Rodenburg joins host Matt Abrahams to discuss embodied communication. From breathing techniques and managing tension to intentionally inhabiting space, Rodenburg's insights reveal how to communicate with greater power, presence, and the potency of your voice.To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium.Episode Reference Links:Patsy RodenburgPatsy's Books: Presence / Power PresentationEp.137 When Words Aren't Enough: How to Excel at Nonverbal Communication Connect:Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart PremiumEmail Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.ioEpisode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart WebsiteNewsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.ioThink Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTubeMatt Abrahams >>> LinkedInChapters:(00:00) - Introduction (02:56) - Foundational Voice Principles (05:58) - Activating Breath Through The Body (08:19) - Why Most Voices Just Need Use (11:49) - Defining Presence (16:02) - Using Space To Communicate (19:24) - The Final Three Questions (23:50) - Conclusion ********Thank you to our sponsors.  These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost.This episode is sponsored by Strawberry.me. Get 50% off your first coaching session today at Strawberry.me/tftsJoin our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be. 

Tariq Choudry of Amazon Web Services talks about why AI pilots still fail, cyber risk, decisions over dashboards, & why AI will replace heroics, not humans.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [04.13] An introduction to Tariq, his background, and role at AWS. "I spend my time thinking about how we move from software that explains problems to software that actually solves them at scale." [06.18] Why AI will replace heroics, not humans. "Supply chains are held together by caffeine, guilt, that one person that hasn't had a vacation since 2019. There are a lot of late nights and Slack war rooms, and there are groups of people that have the entire network in their hands. That's extremely fragile – and not scalable." [10.10] Why so many AI pilots still fail, what's going wrong with both technology and people, and the big problem with incentive and blame culture. "Pilots don't fail because the underlying model is bad. They fail because the organizations are very good at protecting how decisions are currently made. Companies are saying they want AI – but only if nothing important changes." "If all you're doing is trying to determine what failed, why, and who's to blame, you've missed the point." [15.30] How businesses can incorporate new capabilities and integrate them into their existing systems and workflows, and use agentic AI to surface the need for critical decisions earlier when there's more time and optionality. "Time is the one commodity you can't earn back… Use the agent to surface those weak signals earlier – that's when you still have options." [21.17] From dashboards and Excel to tribal knowledge in our workflows, how AI is exposing organizational debt, and what that means for teams. "You spend your time fighting the fires, and less time designing the new systems to prevent them." [26.49] What does all of this means for planners? "The best planners won't get replaced – they should be promoted!" [30.43] Why cyber risk is now a supply chain problem, and how AI can helps teams navigate it. "Your weakest supplier is your weakest point in your firewall." [33.39] Why people want AI but don't trust it, and why trust is built from predictability. "When humans make mistakes, over time we call that judgement. It comes from experience – that's a judgement call. But when AI makes that mistake, it's scandalous." "Trust isn't perfection, it's predictability." [38.37] Tariq's advice for how businesses can build trust in AI, prove predictability, and scale with confidence.   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   Head over to Amazon Web Service's website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with AWS and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or X (Twitter), or you can connect with Tariq on LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more from Amazon Web Services, check out 489: Time To Swap Your Axe For A Chainsaw: The Power of Agentic AI or 519: Overcoming The Perfect Storm: Moving Beyond Basic Automation To Realize AI's Full Potential. Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Episode: 00305 Released on February 9, 2026 Description: Many crime analysts are uncertain which AI tools are appropriate, useful, or even relevant to their role. In the fifth installment of Catching Up with Dawn, Dawn Reeby breaks down where artificial intelligence actually fits in crime analysis by focusing on practical tools analysts can use today. The conversation walks through specific examples involving ChatGPT, NotebookLM, and other AI-assisted platforms for tasks like creating cheat sheets, drafting policies, organizing meeting notes, developing roll-call videos, and communicating outcomes to leadership. Dawn also reminds listeners that Excel was once viewed with skepticism and is now standard in analytical work, reinforcing that AI is not a replacement for analysts but another evolution in the toolkit. Throughout the discussion, the emphasis remains on analyst judgment, review, and ethics, showing how AI supports stronger, more efficient analysis rather than replacing it.

Maxima is building AI agents that automate enterprise accounting while maintaining the auditability and control standards finance teams require. In a recent episode of BUILDERS, we sat down with Yogi Goel, CEO and Co-Founder of Maxima, to explore his eight-year journey at Rubrik from Series C through IPO, and how those lessons shaped his approach to solving the 70-80% of finance time currently wasted on manual work. Topics Discussed: Why Rubrik's approach—entering stagnant markets with first-principles thinking—became Maxima's blueprint Securing $3K-$5K POC commitments from Figma mockups before writing code Why Scale AI and Rippling rejected a point solution and demanded 3-4 modules from day one The compound startup model: building multiple products simultaneously to meet buyer expectations How 17% of CFOs are adopting AI tools today (vs 51% in software development) Why finance teams view AI agents as "digital college freshmen" who need proof of work Hiring from YouTube Studios, Apple, and Robinhood instead of legacy finance software companies How NetSuite World conference booth sizes revealed the data integration infrastructure gap The $3K-$5K validation threshold that proved finance pain was urgent enough to pay pre-product GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Demand generation unlocks engineering potential: Yogi learned from his Rubrik mentors: "focus on demand and if you have great engineers then they will solve the problems." Maxima built products in 2-3 months they didn't initially know were technically feasible—because customer demand pulled the engineering team forward. For founders with strong technical teams, customer demand should drive the roadmap, not engineering's comfort zone. Trust your engineers to solve hard problems when customers are waiting. $3K-$5K is the pre-product validation threshold: Before writing any code, Yogi secured POC commitments at this price point based solely on Figma mockups. This isn't about revenue—it's about proving urgency. Verbal interest means nothing. Small pilot commitments mean "we'll try it someday." But $3K-$5K pre-product means "this problem is urgent enough to pay before seeing a working solution." Use this threshold to separate real pain from polite interest. Sophisticated buyers will reject your narrow MVP: Scale AI and Rippling told Maxima explicitly: "If you will only build this one thing, we will not buy. You have to commit to building three, four modules." Conventional wisdom says start narrow, but enterprise buyers with complex workflows won't adopt point solutions that create new integration headaches. When sophisticated buyers articulate their real buying criteria, ignore the startup playbook. Yogi built a "compound startup" with 4-5 modules from day one because that's what the market demanded. Target acute pain over easy access: Early-stage companies (10-30 people) were easier to reach but finance wasn't urgent enough. At that scale, it's "build product, ship product"—finance operations aren't broken enough to warrant urgent attention. Companies at 500-1,000+ employees have finance teams drowning in manual work that prevents strategic contribution. Target where pain justifies urgent action and budget exists, not where calendar access is easiest. Hire intensity and first-principles thinking over domain knowledge: Maxima deliberately hired zero engineers from legacy finance software companies. Their frontend engineer came from YouTube Studios. Others came from Apple, Robinhood, Netflix—none with financial product experience. Yogi's three hiring criteria: "incredible intensity, huge confidence in themselves, and fast thinking mode." Domain expertise creates pattern-matching to old solutions. First-principles thinking creates breakthrough products. One team member didn't finish high school but is "one of the best out there." Make AI explainable or finance teams won't adopt: Finance teams adopted faster than expected because Maxima showed every calculation step. "If they can prove by looking at the Math, you know, 18 plus 88 plus 36 is X. And I can see the step of the work, they are willing to give it to them." This isn't about fancy UX—it's about auditor-grade proof of work. Finance professionals won't trust black box outputs. Build transparency into the product architecture, not as an afterthought. This explainability became Maxima's competitive moat. Conference booth sizes reveal infrastructure gaps: At NetSuite World, the largest booths weren't ERP vendors or payment processors—they were data integration companies. This single observation validated that enterprises are desperately solving data fragmentation problems. Companies manually download from Stripe, Snowflake, Salesforce weekly to build Excel pivots. Maxima invested in upstream integrations as core infrastructure from day one. Use industry conferences to validate where companies are spending money on workarounds—that's where infrastructure gaps exist. // Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co // Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM

Sheila Tabanli shares ways to overcome the curse of expertise and other ways to be inclusive in our teaching on episode 608 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast Quotes from the episode “I suggest, sign up to a course that you have no idea, and then we’ll talk later. In other words, feel what it means to be a novice.” – Sheila Tabanli “An expert in a field doesn’t necessarily mean they will be able to effectively teach that content.” – Sheila Tabanli “There are differences between how experts and novices look at this content.” – Sheila Tabanli “We can still slow down. We can still show how an expert solves a math problem without sacrificing from the rigor or the content.” – Sheila Tabanli Quotes from the episode Resources Guidebook for Reducing the Novice-to-Expert Perception Gap in Mathematics to Increase STEM Diversity, by Sheila Tabanli Minding the Perception Gap in College Math Classrooms and Beyond, by Sheila Tabanli for Inside Higher Ed Last-Day Activities Ideas from Sheila Tabanli, Featured In The Chronicle of Higher Education Teaching Newsletter Fostering Active Learning and Metacognitive Skills in a Cognitive-Science Based Math Course, by Sheila Tabanli for the International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning, by Pooja Agarwal and Patrice Bain A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science, by Linda Oakley Learning How to Learn: Powerful Mental Tools to Help You Master Tough Subjects, Dr. Terrence Sejnowski and Dr. Barbara Oakley Episode 106: Undercover Professor with Mike Cross College Matters Podcast

Construir software do zero nem sempre é inovação. Muitas vezes, é só mais caro, mais lento e mais arriscado. Quando vale a pena comprar, integrar ou adaptar uma solução pronta? Quando faz sentido desenvolver internamente? E como grandes empresas equilibram autonomia, segurança, inovação e governança sem travar a organização? No episódio do Hipsters.Talks, PAULO SILVEIRA, CVO do Grupo Alura, conversa com JOÃO COSTA, gerente de Inovação Aberta da Petrobras, sobre decisões reais de tecnologia em escala: make or buy, inovação aberta vs fechada, citizen developers, Shadow IT, IA corporativa e como fazer a adoção de novas tecnologias acontecer de verdade — não só no PowerPoint. Uma conversa prática sobre como inovação acontece fora do hype, dentro de uma das maiores empresas do Brasil, onde planilhas, software pronto, IA generativa e desenvolvimento interno convivem todos os dias. Sinta-se à vontade para compartilhar suas perguntas e comentários. Vamos adorar conversar com você!

Manuela Barcenas breaks down how marketing work has flipped from “writer + editor” to “manager of agents.” She shares two concrete workflows: (1) using Claude Projects to reposition and modernize 100 legacy blog posts in a week (including updated product messaging, AI-forward advice, and internal links), and (2) using Fellow's “Ask Fellow” to mine anonymized customer-call transcripts for original quotes and pain points—then turning those insights into publish-ready integration/use-case articles in hours, not weeks. The throughline: output is easy now; taste, judgment, and review are the differentiators.Timestamps0:00–0:00 - Intro1:18–2:54 Early Fellow days: one blog/week, months-long ebooks, craftsmanship vs scale3:06–3:26 Scale expectations now: Amazon's ebook upload limit anecdote (3/day)3:40–4:30 Fellow previously managing an “army of writers” → now mostly AI/agents4:36–5:00 “Taste” as the differentiator: what good content is + standing out5:53–7:12 The 100-post update explained: not link swaps—full repositioning + modernized advice7:25–9:36 Switching from ChatGPT to Claude; LinkedIn poll results + “context retention” theme9:48–10:21 Claude Projects setup: separate projects to maintain context and instructions14:43–15:29 Prompt versioning: internal links, new features, and repeated refinement cycles18:55–19:20 Demo: paste URL → Claude fetches page → follows checklist automatically19:26–20:24 Manuela's QA: she reads/edits everything; “taste” = final layer (like editing writers)21:38–23:17 Claude Skills discussion: turning repeated workflows into reusable MD “skills” (personal vs company-wide)25:42–26:26 SEO myth: focus isn't “AI penalty,” it's originality and substance (quotes, stats, real insight)26:38–28:39 Original content engine: Ask Fellow pulls anonymized customer-call insights by feature/integration28:39–31:21 Building documents from transcripts (pain points, best practices, FAQs, quotes) → export to Doc/PDF31:21–33:29 Feed exported insights into Claude Project to draft a tight article rich with customer quotes33:29–36:06 Why it works: management loop (outcomes → constraints → review → feedback) at faster cadence36:18–37:30 What's next: Claude Code / Claude “co-work”; projects as “mini employees”37:02–38:06 Personal brand workflow: Claude analyzes best LinkedIn posts → style guide + voice-based drafting (Whisper Flow)38:28–39:12 Wrap: AI speed is real; staying current requires constant learningTools & technologies mentioned (with brief descriptions)Claude (Anthropic) — LLM used for higher-quality long-context writing, structured rewrites, and content systems.Claude Projects — Workspace feature to keep persistent instructions/context per workflow (e.g., content optimization agent).Claude Skills — Reusable capabilities packaged as uploaded markdown files (personal or org-wide) to standardize output.Claude Code / Claude “co-work” — Anthropic workflows/webinars referenced for deeper automation beyond writing (emerging).ChatGPT — Baseline comparison model; Manuela notes switching due to Claude's perceived context + output quality.Excel + Claude — Mentioned via finance demo: using Claude in Excel to build financial models.Fellow.ai — AI meeting assistant used for transcripts, summaries, action items, and cross-tool integrations.Ask Fellow — Fellow feature that queries meeting knowledge (calls/transcripts) to generate anonymized insight docs.Anonymization (in Fellow) — Removes identifying customer details while preserving job titles/quotes for safe content use.Integrations (examples named) — Slack, Asana, HubSpot, Salesforce, Linear, Jira, Confluence (tools Fellow connects with).Whisper Flow — Voice-to-text capture tool used to speak ideas, then convert into styled writing (e.g., LinkedIn drafts).Subscribe at⁠ thisnewway.com⁠ to get the step-by-step playbooks, tools, and workflows.

Ian and Kat are back and talking things they think they are better at than they actually are...both skiing and the Microsoft Office Suite. From concatenating cells in Excel to creating works of art in PowerPoint, we delve into the products that every single person in the corporate world uses every day and where are our gaps are. Ian gives tricks to help fake it until you make it in Excel, Kat may be the world's foremost Word user (at least in her own mind), and they both then brag about flex their PowerPoint and OneNote skills. We then talk about how AI is being integrated into everyday tools, AND even talk about how Microsoft Teams runs on Cisco's collaboration endpoints (have to keep the bosses happy with the product pitch)! Also, you should just use Webex. It's the best. And secure. If you want to learn more about Webex, check it out here: www.webex.com

Debate da Super Manhã: Com a expansão dos pagamentos eletrônicos, especialmente no Brasil com o sistema PIX, a segurança nas transações digitais tornou-se essencial. As atuais facilidades na forma como as pessoas e empresas transferem dinheiro e realizam pagamentos atraem a atenção de cibercriminosos. No debate desta quinta-feira (5), a comunicadora Natalia Ribeiro conversa com os nossos convidados para falar sobre as tecnologias de proteção para quem faz uso da internet para pagamentos, as ameaças digitais e dicas para evitar golpes e fraudes na internet. Participam o mestre em Ciência da Computação, especialista em Cyber Segurança, fundador do Centro de Excelência em Inteligência Cibernética e professor de Segurança da Informação da UFPE, Henrique Vila Nova; o doutor em Administração, especialista em Gestão e Segurança da TI e professor do curso de Ciências da Computação da UNINASSAU Graças, Humberto Caetano; e a advogada especialista em Proteção de Dados do Escobar Advocacia, Maria Wanick Sarinho.

Could AI wipe out half of entry-level accounting roles? Blake and David recount a brazen “courier scam” on David's porch to unpack how deepfakes and spoofed calls fuel today's fraud (“less than 10% can tell AI video from real”). You'll learn practical controls—family code words, approval workflows—plus hands-on AI updates: Claude's Excel plugin and desktop agent, Gusto payroll in ChatGPT, and a prompt that forces AI to ask clarifying questions and wait for “go.”SponsorsUNC - http://accountingpodcast.promo/uncEarmarkCPE - http://accountingpodcast.promo/earmarkOnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpayChapters(02:02) - Personal Fraud Story: A Cautionary Tale (03:35) - Elder Fraud and AI-Driven Scams (06:53) - AI's Impact on Fraud and Security (11:39) - AI Tools for Accountants (19:40) - Earmark: CPE for Listening to Podcasts (22:01) - AI's Threat to Entry-Level Jobs (27:11) - AI Agents in Payroll and HR (35:20) - The Future of AI in Blue Collar Jobs (38:18) - AI's Role in Government Efficiency (39:52) - Simplifying the Tax Code with AI (41:42) - Payroll Innovations and AI (49:18) - Intuit's Career Pipeline Program (51:24) - Xero's New Features and AI Integration (58:48) - Conclusion and Upcoming Topics  Show NotesAI fakery turbo-charging fraud, cyber attacks https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/ai-fakery-turbo-charging-fraud-cyber-attacksThe Turing Reel https://runwayml.com/research/theturingreelThe Adolescence of Technology https://www.darioamodei.com/essay/the-adolescence-of-technologyLong-term Fears Build As 60% of U.S. Workers Say AI Will Cut More Jobs Than It Adds In 2026 https://allwork.space/2026/01/long-term-fears-build-as-60-of-u-s-workers-say-ai-will-cut-more-jobs-than-it-adds-in-2026/ADP® Accelerates AI Leadership with Launch of New AI Agents Designed to Solve Workforce Challenges https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/adp-accelerates-ai-leadership-with-launch-of-new-ai-agents-designed-to-solve-workforce-challenges-302672772.htmlExclusive: Gusto launching payroll inside ChatGPT https://www.thisweekinfintech.com/exclusive-gusto-launching-payroll-inside-chatgpt/Trump DOT Plans to Use Google Gemini AI to Write Regulations https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-artificial-intelligence-google-gemini-transportation-regulationsIntuit Launches New Career Pipeline Program to Empower the Next Generation of Accountants in the AI Era https://investors.intuit.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1296/intuit-launches-new-career-pipeline-program-to-empower-the-next-generation-of-accountants-in-the-ai-eraNeed CPE?Get CPE for listening to podcasts with Earmark: https://earmarkcpe.comSubscribe to the Earmark Podcast: https://podcast.earmarkcpe.comGet in TouchThanks for listening and the great reviews! We appreciate you! Follow and tweet @BlakeTOliver and @DavidLeary. Find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you like what you hear, please do us a favor and write a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser. Call us and leave a voicemail; maybe we'll play it on the show. DIAL (202) 695-1040.SponsorshipsAre you interested in sponsoring The Accounting Podcast? For details, read the prospectus.Need Accounting Conference Info? Check out our new website - accountingconferences.comLimited edition shirts, stickers, and other necessitiesTeePublic Store: http://cloudacctpod.link/merchSubscribeApple Podcasts: http://cloudacctpod.link/ApplePodcastsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAccountingPodcastSpotify: http://cloudacctpod.link/SpotifyPodchaser: http://cloudacctpod.link/podchaserStitcher: http://cloudacctpod.link/StitcherOvercast: http://cloudacctpod.link/OvercastWant to get the word out about your newsletter, webinar, party, Facebook group, podcast, e-book, job posting, or that fancy Excel macro you just created? Let the listeners of The Accounting Podcast know by running a classified ad. Go here to create your classified ad: https://cloudacctpod.link/RunClassifiedAdTranscriptsThe full transcript for this episode is available by clicking on the Transcript tab at the top of this page

If you have a business or do bookkeeping for business owners, you know now is the time you need to wrap up your year-end financial statements.  If you've heard the phrase closing the books, this is exactly what it means.  You simply make sure you have all your money coming in and money going out of your business recorded and reconciled so that your financial statements reflect accurate data.  You will use this data to prepare your tax return, so it is extremely important that you do this correctly.  In today's podcast episode, you'll learn the top tasks you need to do to close out your books whether you are using a computerized software system like QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, or FreshBooks for your business finances, or if you are doing your bookkeeping manually with an Excel spreadsheet or even a Google Document.  Many of the processes are the same regardless of which system you use to do your bookkeeping.  Having your financial statements and your bookkeeping ready so that you can have your tax return prepared on time with little to no stress is the ultimate goal here.  Whether you are starting a business or side hustle, you're a self-employed individual, a solopreneur, entrepreneur, mompreneur, freelancer, small business owner, a remote, virtual, online, or in-house bookkeeper or accountant, a virtual assistant or VA, or other professional; I want you to make sure you are prepared to file your taxes on time feeling confident that you have accurate data.  If you've ever wondered what you need to do to finalize your end-of-the-year bookkeeping and financial statements, listen in as I walk you through the steps you need to take today...  Join us in a community built specifically for accountants and high-stress professionals.  You'll receive support, accountability, and a community that understands what you're going through. We focus on stress reduction, increasing productivity, time management, goal achievement, health, happiness, and desired lifestyle:  https://www.financialadventure.com/community Schedule your Complimentary Stress Audit And Clarity Session, where we'll work together to create a clear and focused plan and overcome the obstacles that stand in your way so that you can move forward and immediately start enjoying your life with less stress, increased productivity, and more time to spend doing what you love with the people you care about: https://www.financialadventure.com/work-with-me Accountants, CPAs, Bookkeepers, Tax Preparers & Financial Professionals, sign up here to get updates on upcoming opportunities & grab the Audit Of Your Well-Being & Balance Guide here: https://www.financialadventure.com/accountant Ready to set up your business?  I have a program to help you get your business set up so that you can start making money.  Sign up for this program here: https://www.financialadventure.com/start Are you ready to try coaching?  Schedule an Introductory Coaching Session today.  You'll have the opportunity to see how you like coaching with an Introductory Coaching Session: https://www.financialadventure.com/intro Join us in the Mastering Your Small Business Finances PROFIT LAB if you are ready to take control of your business finances and create the profitable business you are striving for.  Are you ready to generate revenues and increase the profit in your business: https://www.financialadventure.com/profit If You Are Ready To Choose, Start Or Grow Your Side Hustle, Get Your Free Checklist And Assessment Here: https://www.financialadventure.com/sidehustle Grab Your FREE guide:  5 Essential Strategies For Stress-Free Bookkeeping: https://www.financialadventure.com/5essentials Your FREE Online Virtual Bookkeeping Business Starter Guide & Success Path Is Waiting For You: https://www.financialadventure.com/starterguide Join Our Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenbusinessownersultimatediybookkeepingboutique The Strategic Bookkeeping Academy, including Bookkeeping Basics, is open for registration!  You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.financialadventure.com/sba Looking for a payroll solution for your business?  You can get an exclusive 15% discount on your payroll services when you sign up here: https://www.financialadventure.com/adp QuickBooks Online - Save 30% Your First 6 Months: https://www.financialadventure.com/quickbooks Sign up for a virtual coffee chat to see if starting a Bookkeeping Business is right for you: https://www.financialadventure.com/discovery Show Notes:  https://www.financialadventure.com This podcast is sponsored by Financial Adventure, LLC ~ visit https://www.financialadventure.com for additional information and free resources.

Deus promove aqueles que vivem com um espírito de excelência. Aprenda mais maneiras de ser excelente em casa, no trabalho e onde quer que vá.

Avsnittet med stort D! D som i D - A - M - P! Michaela Hamilton bjuder på livet, döden och berättar om att somna på Perfect Day-toan + botemedel mot panikångest = CIGG. Tjejerna jämför generande kroppsbehåring och pratar om Michaelas hemliga liv: i Berlin, som nattklubbsdrottning och manusförfattare. Dessutom kommer hon på att Frändfors är en Excel-finans-tjej med pennkjol och skjorta.Det här är ett gammalt avsnitt från Podme. För att få tillgång till Podmes alla premiumpoddar samt fler avsnitt från den här podden, helt utan reklam, prova Podme Premium kostnadsfritt.

Imagine turning AI into your most reliable team member—one that drafts standards-aligned problems, writes crystal-clear directions, spots bottlenecks, and even helps convert Google Sheets activities to Excel for schools with strict tech rules. That's where we go today as we unpack five practical strategies TPT sellers can use to work faster, improve quality, and scale without burning out.We start with the foundation: precise prompting and curated chats that “remember” your expectations. You'll hear how we prime AI with state standards, difficulty bands, and real examples to generate unique math problems, short stories, and function tables that actually fit the classroom. Then we show how dedicated chats for specific tasks—elementary computation, upper-grade functions, ELAR passages, and social analytics—cut rework and create consistent outputs. You'll also learn the simple trick for producing two sets of directions: short, student-friendly steps and detailed teacher guidance that reduces support questions and builds trust with buyers.From there, we dig into efficiency. We map common SOPs for covers, previews, and listings, and ask AI to flag time-wasters, suggest automation, and design batch workflows. We outline how to build self-checking digital activities in Google Sheets or Excel and translate formulas between platforms so your resources work across different district ecosystems. We also add a powerful bonus: using AI to analyze TPT product insights and social metrics, propose weekly priorities, and justify recommendations so you can refine decisions with confidence. Along the way, we share real wins—learning Facebook ads with AI coaching, shipping more resources by pairing AI generation with human QA, and saving serious money by outsourcing only what humans must do.Ready to turn curiosity into capability? Press play, steal the steps, and try one experiment this week. If these strategies help, subscribe, leave a quick review, and share this episode with a fellow TPT seller who's ready to work smarter.Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZTuS8GcGFuACheck Out My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/laurenfulton My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurentschappler/ My Other YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LaurenATsch Free Rebranded Teacher Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/749538092194115  Support the show

A teenage promise forged in a camp chapel changed the course of Jeff Crandall's life. From growing up with MLB legend Del Crandall as dad to drumming in one of the first Christian punk bands, Jeff's story bends through unexpected turns toward a clear calling: serve people, build teams, and give small churches the tools they rarely receive.If you care about worship that includes the whole room, about healthy teams in small churches, and about reaching people who feel forgotten, this conversation delivers both hope and handles you can use this Sunday. Subscribe, share with a leader who needs encouragement, and leave a review with one practical change you're trying this week.Arizona School of Worshiphttps://arizonaschoolofworship.com/Send us a textWe want to help you find your next steps in ministry.Connect here with EXCEL. Ministry Partner: Christian Community Credit Union

In this episode, David Pivnick, Partner at McGuireWoods LLP, joins Scott Becker to share practical insights on what separates top performers from the rest, from consistency and responsiveness to ownership and self reflection.

TEXT US YOUR THOUGHTS!Good2Game Radio fires up the crystal ball and absolutely abuses it in the third annual 2026 Games Draft, where confidence is high, logic is optional, and release dates are treated like urban legends. The crew drafts five “can't-miss” games while arguing over whether GTA 6 is real or just a shared hallucination. There's smack talk, Twitch delays, Excel spreadsheets doing God's work, and the ever-terrifying threat of the “turkey award” for the lowest Metacritic score. Former champs, newcomers, chat lurkers, and chaos agents all take swings—some safe, some spicy, some straight-up unhinged. Will Resident Evil dominate? Is Wolverine a heartbreaker? Can GTA 6 destroy another season before it even launches? Only time—and Metacritic—will tell. Until then, alliances are broken, lists are locked, and everyone swears this year they've got it figured out. Support the show https://discord.gg/3yfGt9gahB

In this episode, David Pivnick, Partner at McGuireWoods LLP, joins Scott Becker to share practical insights on what separates top performers from the rest, from consistency and responsiveness to ownership and self reflection.

Most "core modernization" programs fail for one boring reason: fragmentation. Not the tech. The contract sequencing, the handoffs, the Excel that becomes the unofficial system of record-and the silent operational risk that follows. If you're still running underwriting, claims, billing, and reinsurance as separate truths, you're not modernizing. You're just integrating failure modes. Rob Lewis, CEO of INTX Insurance Software, has built and operated carriers and a reinsurer across Africa, Europe, and now the U.S .- and he's watched the same breakdown repeat: end-to-end change gets blocked by sunk contracts, so teams stitch together workarounds and call it progress. His most telling data point: a material share of underwriters still rely on Excel as the "core," even inside serious organizations. Join live if you want to pressure-test your own replacement path-what to replace first, what not to touch, and where "phase it in" quietly guarantees permanent manual work. #InsurTech #InsuranceOperations 

不知道是从什么时候开始，看演唱会逐渐成为了许多人的Lifestyle。本期节目，新嘉宾Stone白做客波波小电台，和小叶、640一起，回顾了2025年的演唱会观看经历。Stone白一年看接近50场演唱会是如何做到的？/小叶爱上的到底是年轻的还是年老的谭咏麟？/640看哪一场演唱会没有哭泣？还有更多音乐节演唱会实用小攻略，通通会在本期节目中与大家分享～刘若英说的：“看演唱会让人长寿。”反正我们是相信的，祝福也送给每一位享受过演唱会时光的你！附：Stone白2025年演唱会观看Excel表附：小叶卧室门上贴着的谭咏麟

From the "Seduction Phase" of agentic AI to the terrifying prospect of human cognitive atrophy. We debate the rise of Claude Bot and local LLMs, breakdown Dario Amadei's warning of a "country of geniuses," and ask if we are becoming nothing more than "Meat AI." Plus, how to position your portfolio when capital eats labor.Welcome to the Alfalfa Podcast

This was a fun mid-week crossword, built with HI (Human Intelligence), with just a skosh of (non-AI) assistance from Excel. (See the xwordinfo.com entry for the gory details). The theme was, well, punny, and the surrounding clues intriguing. We liked 1D, It goes down in flames, ASH; a reference to a lady desperately in need of Aveda, 5D, Monster whose gaze remained lethal after her death, MEDUSA; and our favorite artist, 47D, Painter Matisse, HENRI. Mais oui!Show note imagery: Your typical Wisconsin ICEHUTWe love feedback! Send us a text...Contact Info:We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com.Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!

In this episode I sit down with the evil genius, who built an entire custom app using AI. And we're giving you the prompt FOR FREE! You take our prompt, implement it in your context, and you have a fun, custom sniper game for your next summer camp, winter retrat or d-now! [FREE] AI SNIPER APP BUILDER https://www.patreon.com/posts/free-ai-sniper-147099707?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link SHOW NOTES Shownotes & Transcripts https://www.hybridministry.xyz/186 ❄️ WINTER SOCIAL MEDIA PACK https://www.patreon.com/posts/winter-seasonal-144943791?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link HYBRID HERO MEMBERS GET IT FREE! https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry

A winter sporting trailblazer! Alisa is an Olympic gold medallist and current Chef de Mission for Australia’s Winter Olympic team, leading the next generation on the world’s biggest stage. Her full story shows why she is one of the toughest, most resilient guests we have ever featured on the Howie Games. But first, we have some fun as we discover a self-confessed science nerd who loves history, and can knock out a mean Excel spreadsheet — or serve ice cream with equal confidence. Plus, her love for Collingwood. Alisa is Chef de Mission of Australia’s Winter Olympic team, which takes on the world from Feburary 6 to Feburary 22. It is a once-in-a-generation mix of experience and youth, with five recent Olympic medallists, exciting teenage talent, and 26 World Cup medals this season showing we belong on the world stage. As Chef de Mission, Alisa Camplin will be building camaraderie and focusing on helping every athlete — from medal contenders to first-timers — deliver their best performance. Come on you Aussies!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Understanding your numbers and keeping up to date on your finances is key to the success of your business.  When you actively keep a pulse on your business finances, you will certainly make better business decisions.  If you are thinking that you are just not a numbers person, you're not good when it comes to numbers or math, or you are afraid to make a mistake, I want to help you overcome these fears.  I get it, and I know how numbers or finances are not everybody's strength or zone of genius.  I will admit, however, that I love working with numbers, and I've never been afraid of them, but I have other areas in my business that I don't have those same strong strengths in, and I struggle in these areas much like I am sure you struggle with your finances, so I totally understand where you are coming from.  In today's podcast episode, I am going to help you overcome your fear of numbers and how you can let them help you succeed in your business. If you are using a computerized software system like QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, or FreshBooks for your business finances, or if you are doing your bookkeeping manually with an Excel spreadsheet or even a Google Document, you can use your numbers to help you understand your business finances.  I'll have solutions for what you can do if you think numbers and finances are boring or time-consuming as well.  It's okay to have these thoughts or fears, but you and I both know that when you own your own business, there are things you need to do for your business to make an impact not only on your bottom line or your income, but for your business to succeed in other areas as well.  It's time for you to break these fears or habits that may be holding you back and start this new year off in the right direction.  Whether you are starting a business or side hustle, you're a self-employed individual, a solopreneur, entrepreneur, mompreneur, freelancer, small business owner, a remote, virtual, online, or in-house bookkeeper or accountant, a virtual assistant or VA, or other professional; you can overcome these obstacles so that you can enjoy, yes, I said enjoy, your business and your business finances.  If you are looking back at the last year and are thinking about how far behind your bookkeeping or finances are, and just how much work you need to do to catch up on your bookkeeping to get ready for the upcoming tax deadline, listen in I promise I have some solutions for you…   Join us in a community built specifically for accountants and high-stress professionals.  You'll receive support, accountability, and a community that understands what you're going through. We focus on stress reduction, increasing productivity, time management, goal achievement, health, happiness, and desired lifestyle:  https://www.financialadventure.com/community Schedule your Complimentary Stress Audit And Clarity Session, where we'll work together to create a clear and focused plan and overcome the obstacles that stand in your way so that you can move forward and immediately start enjoying your life with less stress, increased productivity, and more time to spend doing what you love with the people you care about: https://www.financialadventure.com/work-with-me Accountants, CPAs, Bookkeepers, Tax Preparers & Financial Professionals, sign up here to get updates on upcoming opportunities & grab the Audit Of Your Well-Being & Balance Guide here: https://www.financialadventure.com/accountant Ready to set up your business?  I have a program to help you get your business set up so that you can start making money.  Sign up for this program here: https://www.financialadventure.com/start Are you ready to try coaching?  Schedule an Introductory Coaching Session today.  You'll have the opportunity to see how you like coaching with an Introductory Coaching Session: https://www.financialadventure.com/intro Join us in the Mastering Your Small Business Finances PROFIT LAB if you are ready to take control of your business finances and create the profitable business you are striving for.  Are you ready to generate revenues and increase the profit in your business: https://www.financialadventure.com/profit If You Are Ready To Choose, Start Or Grow Your Side Hustle, Get Your Free Checklist And Assessment Here: https://www.financialadventure.com/sidehustle Grab Your FREE guide:  5 Essential Strategies For Stress-Free Bookkeeping: https://www.financialadventure.com/5essentials Your FREE Online Virtual Bookkeeping Business Starter Guide & Success Path Is Waiting For You: https://www.financialadventure.com/starterguide Join Our Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenbusinessownersultimatediybookkeepingboutique The Strategic Bookkeeping Academy, including Bookkeeping Basics, is open for registration!  You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.financialadventure.com/sba Looking for a payroll solution for your business?  You can get an exclusive 15% discount on your payroll services when you sign up here: https://www.financialadventure.com/adp QuickBooks Online - Save 30% Your First 6 Months: https://www.financialadventure.com/quickbooks Sign up for a virtual coffee chat to see if starting a Bookkeeping Business is right for you: https://www.financialadventure.com/discovery Show Notes:  https://www.financialadventure.com This podcast is sponsored by Financial Adventure, LLC ~ visit https://www.financialadventure.com for additional information and free resources.

¿Y si el dinero fuera el espejo más incómodo que tienes… no por lo que refleja en tu cuenta, sino por lo que revela de lo que crees que mereces? En este episodio de Más Cabrona que Bonita hablamos del dinero como lo que realmente es: una historia hecha de decisiones, miedos y deseos. Porque cada peso que mueves es una microdecisión emocional, y no hay Excel que esconda desde dónde estás decidiendo. Exploramos por qué tu cerebro se pone cavernícola cuando abres la app del banco (culpa, miedo, euforia… bienvenida a ser humana) y cómo lo que manda no son los números: es la emoción detrás del número. Y te dejo preguntas-espejo para curiosearte sin juicio: ¿Esto que estoy comprando lo hago por deseo… ¿o por comparación? ¿Esto que estoy postergando es prudencia… ¿o es miedo? ¿Esto que cobro refleja lo que vale mi trabajo… ¿o lo que creo que merezco? Hablamos también de la vergüenza: esa emoción silenciosa que te hace tomar decisiones financieras más pequeñas de lo que realmente puedes. Porque ahí está la paradoja: el dinero puede darte libertad… pero solo si primero entiendes de qué querías liberarte. Y muchas veces, no buscamos dinero: buscamos permiso. Permiso para descansar, decidir, no explicar… y tener elección. Y esa, para mí, es la nueva definición del lujo.

In this message, we explore the biblical meaning and purpose of the anointing—not as a special experience for a few, but as a reality for every believer who is born of God. Scripture reveals that Jesus is the Messiah, the Anointed One, and that His anointing doesn't stop with Him—it flows into His body, the Church.Using the life of Moses and other biblical examples, this teaching shows how the anointing turns ordinary moments into holy ground, equips believers for impossible assignments, and sustains us through adversity. The anointing does not remove challenges, but it empowers us to overcome them. From Pharaoh to the Red Sea, from resistance to victory, God proves again and again that what He calls, He also equips.This message emphasizes that in the New Covenant, the anointing no longer comes upon select individuals for temporary tasks—it lives within every believer through Christ. No matter the opposition, pressure, or season, the anointing of God enables us to stand firm, move forward, and walk in victory.If you've ever wondered how to face adversity with confidence, live with spiritual authority, and rely on God's power instead of your own strength, this message is a reminder that you are anointed, called, and built to overcome.___Are you new to Westside and want more information or you made a decision today to follow Jesus? Fill out a connect card so our team can help resource you in your walk with God.wcspokane.com/connectHow can we pray for you? wcspokane.com/prayerOnline Giving:wcspokane.com/give Support the show

Home inspection is one of the most popular second careers and side businesses for first responders, and for good reason. In this episode of The Ride Along Home Inspection Podcast, we talk with a working firefighter and home inspector about why firefighters, EMTs, and other first responders often excel as home inspectors. We break down how skills from emergency response—risk assessment, situational awareness, building knowledge, and communication under pressure—translate directly into better home inspections. We also discuss how inspection experience can make first responders safer and more effective in their primary careers. Whether you're a firefighter, EMT, or police officer exploring home inspection as a second career, or a homebuyer curious why inspectors with first-responder backgrounds bring extra value, this episode explains the crossover skills, challenges, and real-world benefits from both sides of the job. Chapters:  00:00 Home Inspection Basics: What Inspectors Look for and Why It Matters 05:33 Firefighters as Home Inspectors: Why First Responders Excel in Inspections 11:13 Home Inspection Safety: Identifying Fire, Electrical, and Life-Safety Risks 16:45 How Home Inspectors Explain Safety Hazards to Homebuyers 22:25 Real Fire Hazards Found During Home Inspections (Real-World Examples) 27:50 Home Inspection Takeaways for Buyers, Inspectors, and First Responders The Links: Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://pages.theridealong.show/newsletter  Leave us a VOICEMAIL here: http://theridealong.show  Key Points: - Why home inspection works as a second career - Skills firefighters bring to inspections - Inspection training vs fire training - Advice for first responders getting started - How Ryan Miller integrates his firefighting experience into home inspections - Effective communication is key in delivering inspection findings - Home inspectors should educate clients about real hazards - Fire safety knowledge enhances home inspection practices - Understanding structural integrity is crucial for both firefighters and inspectors - Home inspections can reveal hidden dangers in properties - The importance of addressing common fire hazards like dryer vents - Inspectors should balance honesty with sensitivity to clients' concerns. - Real estate agents and buyers must understand the implications of inspection reports - The role of the home inspector is to inform, not to kill deals.    

In this episode, Chris shares his real investment banking recruiting journey—from a non-target school, with no finance background, to finally landing an offer after multiple Superday rejections. We cover: What it's like recruiting without knowing the “finance language” Dealing with imposter syndrome in IB recruiting Aggressive networking and using platforms like Wall Street Oasis Why most Superdays end in rejection What actually made the difference in getting the offer This is a must-watch for students trying to break into investment banking, finance, or Wall Street from a non-traditional background.

Microsoft is expanding further on what the free Copilot Chat will cover in Outlook mailboxes. But it will complicate how to describe the difference between free, unlicensed Copilot and licensed M365 Copilot. We also discuss adding watermarks to GenAI created and altered content. Also how the new Agent Mode works in PowerPoint to make changes to your presentations. 0:00 Welcome 2:24 New features coming to Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat for Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint - MC1187671 6:29 Microsoft Purview: Data Loss Prevention - DLP support for Fabric warehouses - MC1219530 9:27 Agent Mode in Microsoft Copilot for PowerPoint for the web - MC1219792 17:01 Brand impersonation protection for Teams Calling - MC1219793 21:49 New policy to add watermarks to content generated or altered by using AI in Microsoft 365 - MC1221451

What does it really mean to excel as a follower of Christ? In the final message of the Windows series, we explore how God calls every believer to live with purpose, discipline, and excellence—not for personal success, but for His glory.Drawing from 2 Peter 1 and other key Scriptures, this sermon challenges us to examine our priorities, measure our spiritual growth, and align our lives around what truly matters. You'll hear why understanding your God-given function is essential, how excellence requires focus and trust, and why living well, loving well, and serving well are not optional for the Christian life.This message encourages believers to slow down, trust God more deeply, and stop spreading themselves too thin so they can fully live out the purpose God created them for.New Vision Church – Fayetteville, GeorgiaA community to belong, be loved, and believe.

What if you could eliminate hours of busywork, replace third-party tools, and unlock operational efficiency all with tools you already have?In this episode of the Multifamily Collective, Mike Brewer welcomes Jonathan Buckelew, co-founder of the CRE AI Studio, to share real stories, live demos, and practical tools that are reshaping how multifamily operators work.We discuss tactical ways to use AI in Excel, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot to streamline leasing, budgeting, asset management, and more.Jonathan walks us through:- How he saved $5K per property by using AI to generate exterior design mockups.- What 200+ PropTech vendor calls taught him about the difference between promise and performance.- Why your AI output is only as good as your input strategy and how to personalize models like ChatGPT or Claude for your business.- How to build automations and custom dashboards without knowing how to code.- The key reason AI won't replace humans but will replace those who don't use it.This conversation is for the curious operator, the skeptical owner, and anyone serious about staying relevant in an AI-powered industry.Hit that subscribe button to keep your edge sharp. The future isn't waiting—and neither should you.Blog: https://www.multifamilycollective.comSupport comes from: https://www.365connect.com/?utm_campaign=mmnHosted by: https://www.multifamilymedianetwork.com

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for yourweekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.I mentioned previously that I would be addressing two issues, as I do at the beginning of each year. The first is my goals for 2026. We accomplished that last week. The second issue was to share those contests that I have participated in over the years. I have found them to be excellent opportunities to improve your skills, garner you some new band slots and potentially some ATNOS. The dates that I am referring to include the State QSO Parties, international DX contests, and regional DX contests. I have worked many normally difficult entities during contests and found it very easy (sometimes) to get them in the log. I have about 90 dates that I would suggest that you keep in mind. However, you don't need to write them down. I have created two items to make it easy for you. There is a list of dates andcontests in both .pdf and Excel format. Both files can be found at www.aj8b.com/files. Let me know if you have any questions. If you are somewhat skilled with Excel, you can create a CSV file from the Excel workbook and import it in to your personal calendar.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, justdrop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comKP5/NP3VI, Desecheo Island, makes history  - At its four-day mark, KP5/NP3VI has made over 10,000 QSOs on all continents. Their goal is to make over 100,000 QSOsduring their 30 days on the air. J5 - Guinea-Bissau - Bavarian Contest Club members will be operating J51A from Guinea-Bissau in February/March 2026. The location is on the island's northern shore with an unobstructed view over water, using generator power 24/7 due to lack of public electricity. Their  main goal is to provide contacts from Guinea-Bissau, which is ranked as number  85 worldwide, and number 53 in Asia. QSL cards and LoTW confirmations will be managed through Club Log OQRS, and donations are welcome via Club Log.H4 - Solomon Islands - DL2GAC, Bernhard now in the Solomon Islands as H44MS until mid-May.  He departed India last Wednesday, arriving in the Solomons' capital on Friday.  He is renewing his H44MS license, which was scheduled to expire in early February.  He will move to his "usual QTH" there tomorrow or Wednesday.  He has taken with him a Hexbeam that covers 20-6, to replace his old tri-bander that covered 20-10.  He says the weather is poor, lots of rain, no sunshine.  He plans to mostly be on 40M this time, with a dipole 20M high in a palm tree near the ocean. V6 - Federated States of Micronesia - Yesterday afterarriving on Chuuk (OC-011), JA1XGI (Haru) reports his amplifier was likely damaged during airport transport. Nevertheless, he has been active as V6CU25, operating FT8 and CW on 160, 40, 30, 20, and 15 meters. S21WD – Bangladesh 2026: Project Update - The NextGeneration DX Club is pleased to announce a major milestone for its upcoming Bangladesh DXpedition: the callsign S21WD has been officially issued for the project. The DXpedition will be active for 12 days and operate on 160 through 10 meters, including 5 MHz (60 m), using CW, SSB, RTTY, and FT8. In addition, activity via the QO-100 satellite is planned using CW, SSB, and FT4. I mentioned that the KP5 DXpedition to Desecheo was racking up record numbers and they were working all continents. If you would like to learn more about this DXpedition, check out the DX Mentor podcast and YouTube channel. AJ8B and W8GEX had a great discussion with team leader, Otis, NP4G, about all aspects of the DesecheoDXpedition. Give it a listen and let me know what you think!  Until next week, this is Bill, AJ8B saying 73 and thanks to my XYL Karen for her love and support. IHope to hear you in the pileups! Have a great DX week! 

Carla McCall shares insights on the challenges faced by the accounting profession, including workload, work-life balance, and the AICPA's role. She addresses misconceptions about the responsibilities of the AICPA, discusses her firm's approach to managing work hours and culture transformation, and highlights the need for creative solutions to attract new talent. The discussion also explores the systemic issue of overwork in large accounting firms and the potential measures that could alleviate these pressures.Meet Our Guest, Carla McCallhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/carlamccallaaf/Need CPE?Get CPE for listening to podcasts with Earmark: https://earmarkcpe.comSubscribe to the Earmark Podcast: https://podcast.earmarkcpe.comGet in TouchThanks for listening and the great reviews! We appreciate you! Follow and tweet @BlakeTOliver and @DavidLeary. Find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you like what you hear, please do us a favor and write a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser. Call us and leave a voicemail; maybe we'll play it on the show. DIAL (202) 695-1040.SponsorshipsAre you interested in sponsoring The Accounting Podcast? For details, read the prospectus.Need Accounting Conference Info? Check out our new website - accountingconferences.comLimited edition shirts, stickers, and other necessitiesTeePublic Store: http://cloudacctpod.link/merchSubscribeApple Podcasts: http://cloudacctpod.link/ApplePodcastsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAccountingPodcastSpotify: http://cloudacctpod.link/SpotifyPodchaser: http://cloudacctpod.link/podchaserStitcher: http://cloudacctpod.link/StitcherOvercast: http://cloudacctpod.link/OvercastClassifiedsWant to get the word out about your newsletter, webinar, party, Facebook group, podcast, e-book, job posting, or that fancy Excel macro you just created? Let the listeners of The Accounting Podcast know by running a classified ad. Go here to create your classified ad: https://cloudacctpod.link/RunClassifiedAdTranscriptsThe full transcript for this episode is available by clicking on the Transcript tab at the top of this page

You built an agency you’re proud of. So why does your website still feature that glowing tribute to someone you wouldn’t recommend today, or explain services you stopped offering three years ago? In this episode, Chip and Gini tackle the unsexy but critical task of auditing your agency’s website content. They share practical approaches for identifying what needs updating, what deserves deletion, and how to prioritize your efforts when you’re staring down hundreds (or thousands) of outdated pages. The conversation covers everything from quick wins—like updating your homepage and key pages—to strategic decisions about high-traffic content that no longer serves your business. Gini shares her process for using tools like Screaming Frog to audit content systematically, while Chip emphasizes the importance of focusing on human users rather than chasing every algorithm change. They also dive into the balance between refreshing old content and creating new material, with specific guidance on when each approach makes sense. The episode wraps with a reminder that consistency matters more than perfection—especially when AI is increasingly using your bio and content to determine whether to recommend you. If your website is starting to feel like a liability rather than an asset, this episode offers a manageable roadmap to get it back on track without turning it into a year-long project. Key takeaways Chip Griffin: “First and foremost, focus on the end user’s experience. And only after that, think about, okay, are there tweaks or additions I could make in order to help the search engines or the AI spiders or that kind of thing?” Gini Dietrich: “I would rather have accurate numbers so I know exactly what my pipeline looks like, my lead generation looks like, what my lead nurturing looks like, and be able to work it backwards.” Chip Griffin: “If you’re getting a lot of traffic to a page that either is not as relevant as it should be or not as accurate as it should be given the way the world has changed, you know, those are ones that you want to address.” Gini Dietrich: “AI notices inconsistencies. So if you are inconsistent across different websites, social media, all the places that you are online, you are not going to show up in AI answers no matter how good your content is.” Turn ideas into action Audit your homepage today. Open your website and read your homepage copy with fresh eyes—does it accurately reflect who you serve, what you do, and where your agency stands today? If not, block two hours this week to rewrite it. This is your most important page and the fastest way to stop misrepresenting your business. Check Google Analytics for your top 20 pages. Identify which pages drive the most traffic, then ask yourself if each one still serves your business or if you’re just attracting irrelevant visitors. Kill off pages that generate traffic but don’t support your current positioning—inflated vanity metrics aren’t worth the confusion. Ensure bio consistency across platforms. Compare your bio on your website, LinkedIn, and other platforms where you appear. Make them consistent (accounting for character limits) so AI can confidently present you as an option when people search for expertise in your area. Related Real talk about agency websites How to think about your agency's website View Transcript The following is a computer-generated transcript. Please listen to the audio to confirm accuracy. Chip Griffin: Hello and welcome to the Agency Leadership Podcast. I’m Chip Griffin. Gini Dietrich: And I’m Gini Dietrich. Chip Griffin: And Gini, I’m old. Gini Dietrich: Yes, you are. Chip Griffin: But you know what else is old? Gini Dietrich: What else? Chip Griffin: Some of the content on my website. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, sure. Mine too. Yeah. Chip Griffin: It’s, it’s one of the perils of having been around for a while. Gini Dietrich: Yes, indeed. Chip Griffin: Both as a human, as a business. And so we have a lot of content out there on the website that maybe isn’t as current as we’d like it to be. Some of it I haven’t looked at in many years, so I don’t even know if it’s up to date or not. Gini Dietrich: Sure. Chip Griffin: I’m sure that many of our listeners have content on their website or maybe entire websites that are old and out of date. Gini Dietrich: Yes. Chip Griffin: So my question to you is, how should we be thinking about this kind of, how do we deal with this problem? Or we, we can’t just spend, I mean, I, I don’t know about you, but my website’s got over a thousand different pieces of content on it. Oh yeah. Now I think most of our listeners probably don’t have websites with quite that much content on it, but some do, and even if you’ve only got a couple hundred, you know, that’s still a substantial body of content that you need to audit in some fashion. So what, what do you do about that? Gini Dietrich: You know, it’s funny, this conversation is happening right now because about a week ago, right after the holidays, I got an email from a friend that said, Hey, uh, I don’t know if you know this or not, but you have a blog post from, from 13 years ago, literally 13 years ago, praising Elon Musk. And I was like, well, let’s delete that! But like, I don’t know how she found that. She must have been searching on the site for something and found it. Right. So I think it’s important to do an audit and I did delete it. I moved it to the trash. But, I think it is important to do an audit. We have a client that said to us, we don’t think we need new content. We have plenty. And we went in and we’re like, okay, great. Let’s do an audit and see. And we audited it and they do have plenty of content, but the most recent is two and a half years old. So one of the things that we’re working on with them right now, well, twofold. One is going through the audit that we did to see what needs to stay with an update, a refresh, and what should be deleted. There are lots of, there’s lot, there’s lots of content on their site. And actually this will appeal to many of you listeners too. There’s content on their website that has some great SEO value. You know, showing up first in Google results and things like that. So you don’t wanna get rid of that content, but it probably needs a good update. It probably needs to be refreshed. It probably needs new quotes, new experts, new expertise, new statistics, whatever it happens to be. So that’s what I would do. It’s pretty easy. We use, Screaming Frog to do the audit, so it’ll, it will look at your entire website and then give you an Excel list of all of your links, and then you can go and you can tell it I want dates and topic and all that kind of stuff. And you can go through that fairly easily to say, this is old, we don’t need that. Move that to a different tab. This is good stuff. We don’t wanna lose it. And then I would compare that to what you’re keep, I would compare what you’re keeping to do a Google search. Are you show, are those links showing up in Google? And I would also ask AI. Are you showing, is AI showing that content in its answers. So you probably, I would venture to guess, like you and me, we, it would be a really big undertaking ’cause we have years and years of content. But for most agency owners, I would guess it’s probably a, I dunno… And you can use AI to help you, but it’s probably a two or three hour thing that you can split up over several weeks, right? To get it done. But 100% you should be, you should have an up update up to date website overall, and you should be updating content so that it’s refreshed, not necessarily the URL, but updating the content inside the article or the blog post or the page or whatever it happens to be. Chip Griffin: Yeah. And I, I think the advice to sort of just kind of, you know, go through a list of it is a really good starting point. Whether you use some third party tool, or frankly, if your website isn’t too huge, if you just go into WordPress and start scrolling back through the pages and posts. Mm-hmm. And just looking at the headlines, it at least, you know, things that are obviously in need of help will jump out at you. Yeah. Or you know, that you praise somebody that doesn’t make sense or whatever. And, and we have to keep in mind that, that sometimes that old content might be a year old, it might be 10 years old, right? It might still need some sort of an updating. The other thing that’s, that’s often helpful is just to go into, you know, something simple like your Google Analytics and just look at, you know, the top 20, 30, 40 pages in terms of traffic and just ask, are all of these pages the way I still want to present myself in whatever the current year is that you’re listening to us? Because, you know, that can be a really helpful way of prioritizing what you wanna address, what you wanna update. And particularly if you’re getting a lot of traffic to a page that either is not as relevant as it should be or not as accurate as it should be given the, the way the world has changed. You know, those are ones that you want to address. I, to me, one of the interesting cases is, you know what, and I’ve seen this a lot, and I, some of the organizations I’ve worked with have had this issue where you’ve got a page that gets a ton of traffic, but it’s frankly totally irrelevant to what they do today. Right. It’s still, it’s still an accurate bit of content, which is why it keeps getting traffic, you know, because it’s answering whatever question the searcher may have had, but it doesn’t really benefit the organization other than it does produce a fair amount of inbound traffic. So, to me, those are interesting cases. Trying to figure out what you do with those. And, if you talk to different SEO experts, you sometimes hear different bits of advice on this, right? Because some are like, well, you know, you, you’re still getting people clicking over to your site, and that’s a good signal for the search engines, so that’s good. The problem is if the signal is that you’re relevant for something that you really aren’t relevant for. Right. So, doesn’t really help you. My general inclination is if it’s completely irrelevant to what you do today, I would kill it off and sacrifice the traffic. But that’s, that’s my perspective on that. No, I totally agree with that. Either way you should make a conscious decision about it. Gini Dietrich: I totally agree with that because I think you’re right. If it’s not some, if it’s irrelevant, if you’re bringing irrelevant traffic to your website, your numbers are inflated. So I would rather have accurate numbers so I know exactly what my pipeline looks like, my lead generation looks like, what my lead nurturing looks like, and be able to work it backwards. Right. So I completely agree with you and like I said, I killed that article from 13 years ago. Because that’s not how I feel about that man anymore. So, yeah. At all. Chip Griffin: Yeah. Well, for, for many years on my personal blog, the highest trafficked post was one, was sort of a throwaway post I did on a camera backpack, that I got like 20 years ago. And it just, it scored, it turned out it was a popular model of the backpack, and so it got a ton of traffic from people who were considering buying it. Obviously that didn’t help me at all. Gini Dietrich: Not at all. Right. Chip Griffin: Because that, I mean, you know, I didn’t pitch camera backpacks or anything like that, you know, I didn’t sell ’em, I didn’t even have an affiliate link in or anything like that. So what, you know, what was the value of it? Pretty much nothing. You know, it felt nice to see all the spikes in traffic that it generated. Sure. Of course. But yeah. But it wasn’t particularly useful, so, and those are the kinds of things that, that many of us may, you know, maybe we just had a comment on our blog about some story of the day. And it just took off and for whatever reason still sticks around. But it’s not really what our agency is about, so doesn’t really help. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. I would really look at, I mean, some of your ideas, especially if you don’t have a ton of content like we do going, just going through WordPress and looking to see. I would start with the content on your website specifically, what’s on your homepage? Does it represent who you are and what you stand for today? Does it accurately reflect where you are today? I would venture to guess the answer for most of us is no. I would start there at least with the homepage and your top three or four pages, so probably your services page, probably your about us page. Maybe a resources page, depending on, again, look at your Google Analytics. Then once you’ve done that, then I would definitely go through WordPress and go through any content that you have, podcasts, recordings, videos, blog posts, whatever it happens to be. Go through all of those and then divide and conquer and say, yeah, we’re gonna have to update these. It may take me all year, but I’m gonna do one a week and I’m gonna update one a week. And it suddenly, you’re taking small bites of the elephant and you can get it done by year’s end. Chip Griffin: I love your advice to look at the homepage and other key pages before worrying about, you know, old blog posts and that kind of thing, because many, many agencies neglect their websites. Until they decide all of a sudden, this is how I’m gonna get new business. And so then they over invest in time and money Yes. In their websites. Yes. So it, it, it does seem to be a story of extremes most of the time, but, but looking at that homepage of your website and making sure that it accurately reflects the business that you are: who you serve, what you do, and that it is very crystal clear about those things on your homepage. Very first step. Do not pass go. Do not do anything else. Just get that done first. Then I would say, look at the about page and make sure that it accurately reflects who you and your team are. Make sure that the right people are there. Make sure that your bio is accurate and up to date. Make sure that your photo is up to date and have a photo, by the way, because people like to deal with other people. Yep. And as someone who does professional headshots for people on the side, I gotta tell you, you gotta have something that’s within the last five years at least. I mean, if I put up a photo on the website of me with hair, that’s just, that’s not, that doesn’t make any sense. And yet I see plenty of people, Gini Dietrich: no, Chip Griffin: who have photos on their websites. And then I meet them and I’m like, this is not even in the ballpark. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, you’re right. The other thing I will say to that, and this is incredibly important, is that AI notices inconsistencies. So if you are inconsistent across different, the websites, social media, all the places that you are online, you are not going to show up in AI answers no matter how good your content is. So when you’re doing that audit, I would also audit your bio. Your bio that’s on the website compared to what it’s on LinkedIn compared to what it is on all the other social media platforms. If you have YouTube or a podcast platform, compare it to there. If you have a newsletter, compare it to there. Like ensure that it is the exact same bio, not, not, little changes based on the platform. I mean, you’ll have to make it smaller for Twitter than you would for LinkedIn, right? But it has to be consistent because if it’s not, AI gets confused and doesn’t know what to do, and so it just doesn’t present you as an option. So as you’re doing that audit, I would ensure that the bio, your own bio and then the bios of your key leadership or key team members are consistent across every platform on the internet, because that’s incredibly important with AI today. Chip Griffin: Yes. At the same time, what I would say to you is AI and SEO are very important. More important are the humans who actually visit your website. Gini Dietrich: Yes. Chip Griffin: And so there’s lots of advice out there, including what we’re talking about here that will help you from an AI and SEO standpoint. However, it should never, ever, ever be at the expense of the actual user’s experience. Gini Dietrich: No, never. Right. Chip Griffin: And increasingly, I’m seeing websites that are being tailored for how they think that AI will be reading and indexing their sites. And so, for example, they shift almost entirely to a Q&A format because AI, generally speaking, loves the Q&A format in order to stock the answers that it gives to people. However, that’s not always the best user experience. Sometimes you need to present things in more of a compelling story like way. And trust me, the AI will figure it out. It may not be as great at it today. It may prefer the Q, but it’s going to improve over time. And it’s the same thing as for years, people would chase the latest algorithm change at Google. And that’s fantastic until they change it in three months or six months. Right. And so what are you gonna do? Just keep updating your website? Well, if you’re an SEO agency, you love that, right? Because. You know, you can just tell the clients, well, you know the latest version, now you gotta do this. So you remember all that work we did in January? It’s June now. I’ll do it again. We’re gonna redo all of that for you, right? I mean, it’s a great full employment act for SEO experts. However, it is not generally a good user experience, nor frankly, a particularly good use of resources. So first and foremost, focus on the end user’s experience. And only after that, think about, okay. Are there tweaks or additions I could make in order to help the search engines or the AI spiders or that kind of thing? Gini Dietrich: Yeah, I think the point you make about how Google updated updates it algorithm like real often and that you are trying to keep up is, is ludicrous, but it’s something that we’ve always been aware of and I think the strategy has not changed. If you always write, produce, not just write, but create content that’s compelling to a human. The algorithms and the AI are going to love it so that doesn’t matter. Are there things you can do to help it and AI find you? Sure you can do Q&A’s, you can do the, but that we do that stuff and this is gonna get techy, but we do that stuff on no follow sites, so it doesn’t show up in Google. It doesn’t show up in our navigation. It’s only there for the AI bots, right? So there are things that you could do for sure. But if you always put the human beings first, it’s going to work no matter what happens with AI, and no matter what happens with the algorithms. Google came out, gosh, several years ago now, and said, if you’re focused on expertise, experience, authority, and trust, those are the, those are how we’re using, that’s how we’re floating stuff to the top. So I think that’s really good advice because that is always going to A, make your content different, and B, make it valuable to humans. So if you’re always demonstrating your expertise that nobody else has and your experience that nobody else has, that will build authority and trust in both places. Chip Griffin: Well, I mean, the irony is that all of the experts will help you to chase the algorithms and the technology, but the reality is that all of the search engines and all of the AI engines, they’re all chasing the user. All they’re trying to do is try to deliver what a real person wants. Gini Dietrich: Yep. Chip Griffin: And so it’s ironic that, that we set them aside, the humans aside to chase the technology when the technology is chasing the people. So it’s kind of a weird circle and I’ve consistently maintained for 20 plus years. If you focus on the user, you’ll get to the right place. You may not be there today. And, and it, it’s gonna ebb and flow over time as algorithms and technology changes. But chase the user because that’s how you sell your business. That’s how you find new clients and that’s how you keep people happy. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, absolutely. I think that’s, yes. Focus on the humans first. That’s always been the advice. That strategy has not changed. The tools change, the tactics change, the execution changes, but the strategy remains the same. Chip Griffin: So let’s say, you know, you’re, you’ve gone through this audit on your website. You’ve chucked out the things like the praise of Elon Musk that you don’t want on there anymore. You’ve gotten rid of the content that’s no longer relevant to the business that you are today. So now you’re left with some things that you could update, you know, maybe you could strengthen them. They’re not obviously wrong. They’re still pretty good. How do you decide where you want to invest your energy as far as which of these do you update? Which of those do you flesh out and make bigger deals? Because I think that’s where the real challenge comes in. You know, do you, are you better off updating old content or are you better off creating new content? Gini Dietrich: I think it depends, which is the tagline to this podcast, of course, but, it depends on a few things. One, if you, if there’s older content that you can refresh and update with minimal resources, like it’s just a five or 10 minute, gosh, this needs to change, this needs to change, and then I republish it and it’s showing up in Google results. I think it’s probably worth doing it. Obviously if it doesn’t support or reflect where you are right now, I would not worry about it. But if there are things where you have some SEO value or AI is using it to bring real humans to your website based on the questions they’re ans they’re asking and it’s accurate, then I would take a few minutes to update it. And like I said, maybe you, you create a list of things that you need to do and you just check one off a week. Right? And then I would focus my efforts on new stuff. So where are we now? What are we thinking? How are we? How have we evolved? What kinds of things are we offering to the industry? That kind of stuff. So I would first focus on the stuff that you can repurpose because it’s easier and it’s a smaller lift, and you still have the value of SEO from that perspective, and then focus on the new. But like I said, if your website in general, your homepage, your about us page are not updated, I would start there. Chip Griffin: And I think it’s important that you, as you’re looking at the old content, that you’re thinking about refreshing that, that you don’t look at it through the lens of I could make this perfect if I spent some more time on it. It really, you have to see that there’s some, that the outcome for the user, again, going back to the person on the other end, is meaningfully different because of the additional work that you’ve put in. I mean, if it’s just simply that it’s phrased better, it’s organized, neater. It’s, you know, a little bit clearer that that’s probably not enough for me. Right. But if you’re able to, you know, things have changed between then and now as far as either what’s going on in the world, what’s out there, what your knowledge is, and you can, you can make it 50% better. Okay. Now you’re talking about something that, that may be worth the investment of time and energy, but if it’s, you know, if you’re just, you know, kind of polishing. That generally isn’t gonna pay off. Gini Dietrich: Totally agree with it. Yep. Totally agree. Yeah. If it’s new, like if it’s your thinking has evolved and it supports that and you just need to polish that piece or you know, like… We are constantly evolving the PESO model. And so I’m always looking at that content to say, oh gosh, that doesn’t represent where it is anymore. Right? Do I wanna put a date on this or a year in the content so that anybody who visits it understands that this is three years old. Do I wanna delete it? Like, so I, you know, I’m constantly. Our marketing team and I are constantly looking at those kinds of things, so I totally agree. If it’s just a polish, I wouldn’t spend the time. But if it’s evolved thinking, if it’s new services, if it’s new products, if it’s new IP, if it’s, you know, those kinds of things, then I would definitely include it. Chip Griffin: Absolutely. Well, hopefully we’ve given people some good ideas so that they can take a fresh look at their website as we start the year. And figure out, you know, what they might wanna tweak, improve, get rid of, hide from, any of those things. And it, it doesn’t have to be a giant project as you suggested. No. It can be the kind of thing where you chip away at one piece of content a week or something like that and you’ll see a meaningful difference over the course of time. Gini Dietrich: Absolutely. Yep. Get it done. Get that homepage updated. Chip Griffin: So with that, we will draw this episode of the Agency Leadership Podcast to a close. I’m Chip Griffin. Gini Dietrich: I’m Gini Dietrich, Chip Griffin: and it does depend.

Playing #poker well can be viewed as making the highest-EV decision at every opportunity. In some situations, such as facing an all-in, calculating EV is relatively trivial. But what about more complex situations, particularly on early streets, where the EV formula is hard to apply? Enter EV modeling; an approach that estimates the EV of different actions by modeling multiple branches of the game tree. In this episode of the Red Chip Poker podcast, coach w34z3l presents several practical EV modeling methods so you can optimize your poker decisions.   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction to EV Modeling 0:23 What is EV Modeling? 3:15 Tools for EV Modeling 3:33 CardRunners EV (CREV) 6:02 Limitations of CREV 8:29 Excel and Spreadsheets 10:52 Solvers and EV Modeling 13:01 Why Solvers Don't Work for Exploitative EV 13:38 Node-Locking Misconception 17:07 The Ideal EV Modeling Tool 20:10 Practical EV Modeling Examples 24:56 Managing Model Complexity 25:30 Conclusion and Next Steps   **RELATED LINKS** - Join Red Chip PRO Now: https://redchippoker.com/pro-membership - The Exploitative Edge (Book): https://redchippoker.com/the-exploitative-edge - Poker Mastery 101 (Course): https://youtu.be/B8qidwy2UeU?si=A7G1_d1SYo2Ewrew - Poker Strategy Math Every Pro Knows: https://youtu.be/QqXzTxxMzjU?si=yA1-iTJ1ISz42gDT   **JOIN US ON DISCORD** Join our free poker Discord today: https://redchippoker.com/discord

281. Excel in Social Skills and Etiquette and Teach Your Children To Do The Same with Monica Irvine   Proverbs 20:11 NIV “Even small children are known by their actions, so is their conduct really pure and upright?”   Ephesians 4:32a AMP “Be kind and helpful to one another,”   *Transcription Below*   Monica Irvine, President and creator of The Etiquette Factory, LLC, is a master motivator and dedicated instructor who loves to help children and adults see the benefits and rewards of having proper etiquette, mastering professionalism and excelling in social skills. As a Certified Etiquette Instructor and working in the hospitality industry for 24 years, Mrs. Irvine specializes in etiquette and professional instruction to help ensure the success of each individual both personally and professionally.   Mrs. Irvine is the published author of three books on Etiquette and one book on Scheduling including: Etiquette for Beginners, Etiquette Intermediate, Etiquette Masters and A Schedule Makes for a Happy Family, in addition to authoring several monthly columns in national publications such as Everything Knoxville, The Homeschool Handbook and the Homeschool Magazine.   Mrs. Irvine is a national speaker, speaking to thousands of parents, educators and children every year.   Residing in Knoxville, TN with her husband, Mrs. Irvine spends her free time playing tennis, running and enjoying her family of three boys and a granddaughter.   You may contact Mrs. Irvine at monica@TheEtiquetteFactory.com  or via her website at www.TheEtiquetteFactory.com. Rise Up Parenting FUNdamentals 4 Kids Life Skills Essentials   Thank You to Our Sponsor: Sam Leman Eureka   Questions and Topics We Cover: What are some red flags we can identify in our lives if we are too busy and what wisdom do you recommend instead of our overstuffed schedules? As parents, why must we proactively teach these qualities to our children, rather than just instruct them in a moment of correction? Will you share stories of ways the Holy Spirit has nudged you to use etiquette and it resulted in something miraculous?    Other Savvy Sauce Episode Mentioned: Unexpected Grief and What Helped Me Through It Can Help You Too with Singer and Blogger, Brittany Price Brooker   Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook or Instagram or Our Website   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV)   Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*   Music: (0:00 – 0:10)   Laura Dugger: (0:11 - 2:19) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.   The principles of honesty and integrity that Sam Leman founded his business on continue today, over 55 years later, at Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka. Owned and operated by the Burchie family, Sam Leman in Eureka appreciates the support they've received from their customers all over central Illinois and beyond. Visit them today at LemanGM.com.   My guest for today is the charming Monica Irvine. She is president and creator of The Etiquette Factory. She's a master motivator and dedicated instructor who just loves helping children and adults to see the benefits and rewards of having proper etiquette. She also loves to help people master professionalism and excel in social skills.   So, she's going to give us insight into all of these ideas and share stories today for ways that we can actually seek the Lord and love others well and value people through the proper use of etiquette.   Here's our chat. Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Monica.   Monica Irvine: (2:19 - 2:20) Thank you. Thanks for having me, Laura.   Laura Dugger: (2:20 - 5:41) Well, I'm so excited to get a chat with you today, but let's just begin here. I'm so fascinated because you were born and raised in the South. Is that right?   Monica Irvine: Well, yes, Tennessee. Absolutely consider myself Southern.   Laura Dugger: I love it. And I grew up in the Midwest and got to live in the South for a few years. And I was very struck by the difference in manners. And I'm just curious if manners and etiquette were intentionally taught to you, both in your family and then just kind of in your Southern culture around you.   Monica Irvine: (2:20 - 5:32) Well, yes. So, when I think about being raised in the South, I think and maybe my mom and my grandmas were a little different. But what I would describe my upbringing is very particular, meaning everything was made special.   And my parents and my grandparents took a lot of pride in making things beautiful and lovely. And so, of course, my mom cooked every night. But like at my home growing up and we did not have a lot of money, just know that my parents struggled.   But my mother would never put a ketchup bottle on the table or a mayonnaise jar. Everything had to be put in little bowls with little spoons. And it's funny because my friends that I have today, I get given little spoons for birthdays and occasions because my friends all know how much I love little dainty things.   But, you know, and some people, you know, might think that's a little ridiculous. But I'll tell you something. I don't know that we need to eat that way every night, seven nights a week.   But it made dinner time feel special. And even the way my mother and my grandmothers kept their house, everything had its place. It was not messy.   We had clean homes. And I think it also just helped me be proud of my home. I mean, once again, we did not have a lot of money, but my friends thought my home was so nice.   Well, the reason it was so nice is because my mother kept such care of it. And so, I was raised with a lot of cousins and live close to both of my grandparents. And so even the outside of their homes, both sets of grandparents, everything was beautiful.   And so there was a lot of pride in who we are, how we presented ourselves. But you're going to laugh at this. So, my mom, my dad tells me this story that right after my mom and dad got married, my dad came home from work one day and my mom was ironing.   You know, she'd spend a whole day ironing every week or half a day. And my mom was ironing my dad's underwear. And my mom's name is Janice.   And he was like, “Janice, honey, what are you doing?” And “I know just ironing, Bob.” And he's like, “Babe, you don't need to iron my underwear.”   But, you know, the thing is, that to my mother and my grandmothers being a good wife and being a good mother meant making sure everyone in the family looked nice, that their clothes were clean, that the home was clean, that there was good food on the table. And that was part of their identity, of this is what it means to be a good wife and mother. And I love that about my upbringing.   Laura Dugger: (5:33 - 5:41) And do you have any reasons why you think that's changed a little bit over the years?   Monica Irvine: (5:42 - 8:34) Yeah, I think we've gotten lazy. Well, no, I just I think there you know, there's balance, right? There's when I look back, I can't really remember my mom playing with me.   But now, listen, I don't feel like I missed out, but I do recognize it. But I guess even as a little girl, sure, I would have loved my mom to play with me. But that's just not in my mind what moms did.   Moms cleaned house and made everything and cooked your meal. And so, I do. I'm grateful that as a society, we have adjusted somewhat.   Sometimes I believe too much but have adjusted in going. What's the most important things? And because I'm a big believer in playing with our children and our grandchildren and creating memories.   But now my family, my parents and we worked a lot together. Like if we were if the yard needed raking, it wasn't kids go rake the yard. Mom, dad, kids were in the yard raking.   If a car needed to be washed, it wasn't go wash the car. We were all out there washing the car. So, I think that's why I don't feel like I missed out because my family did so many things together.   Whereas today we're so separated. No parents give their children and babies phones and iPads so they'll just be quiet so they can get their important work done. Like grocery shopping or cooking.   And I just think that instead of teaching our children how to self-soothe and self-entertain and how to creatively play even by yourself, sometimes we just always believe there has to be a babysitter to distract our children from wanting mom and dad. It's just I you know, this could be a whole other talk, Laura, but I just you know, I see it. It breaks my heart sometimes on the lack of how often families work together, play together and do things together.   But now, you know, dad's watching his game in this room. Mom is in another room, maybe on her computer doing social media. The kids are in their rooms on their games.   And I see a lack of family unity. So once again, even though maybe my mom and dad didn't play with us and I'm glad we've shifted with that thought process. Still, we were a united family.   Laura Dugger: (8:35 - 8:56) I love that. And the Lord has clearly given you a passion for that instilling that in others. And He invited you into a journey that eventually led to The Etiquette Factory, which is the work that you get to do today.   So, can you share the impetus for that and what that journey looked like for you?   Monica Irvine: (8:56 - 13:54) I will. I love my company. I feel like it's just yet another beautiful adventure the Lord has allowed me to be on in my life.   And so, I feel like I'm just outside looking in at this beautiful little business that has allowed me to minister to children and adults in need. So, years ago, I was homeschooling our kids. I was homeschooling our youngest son at the time, and we were studying the life of President George Washington.   And I just kind of stumbled upon this list. It was called George Washington's Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior. It is a beautiful list of 110 chivalry skills.   And apparently, President Washington was encouraged to focus on some chivalry as was part of a formal education in those days. He found a French book that had these list of chivalry kind of considerations, and he copied them. He hand copied them, of course.   And we have that list of 110 chivalry skills in President Washington's handwriting. But as I started reading over this list, the Lord penetrated my heart. I just I was like, these are so beautiful.   I mean, some of them were kind of funny. Some of them were. It's not polite to remove lice from your companion in public, which I think is good to know.   But most of the beautiful chivalry skills were very applicable to today. And I was like I want my son to memorize these skills. So, we started memorizing one Washington skill a week.   And because they were written in that old English, you know, sometimes we were like, what does this mean? And it just I just decided for my son's sake, who was nine at the time, I wanted to just kind of make my own version. But what was so a light bulb moment for me is as we started making manners part of our daily discussion in school, I noticed a change in my child's behavior and my son would be like, “Mom, let's do another one. What's the next one? Let's do one more.”   And I found that so fascinating because, as you know, most of us parents, when we teach manners, we're teaching it in the moment, usually correcting bad behavior. It's not that that's our goal. It's just that that's when we think about it.   Our child says, or does something that's not the most polite, and all of a sudden we're going, “Oh, honey, no, honey, you can't say that. That's not polite.” And then we make the correction and then we teach the skill.   And what I learned and realized is that so often that's when I was teaching my children manners in the moment of correcting. And what I've learned about that is when we're being corrected, whether you're three years old or 30 years old, we harden our heart typically because it's self-preservation. You know, we stiffen up when someone's like, “Monica, you really shouldn't have.” I'm like, whoa.   And it's just because of our own pride. We don't like being called out and neither do our children, even when we're doing it gently and politely. It's still a correction.   And so, what I found is when our heart is hardened, as the scripture says, it's not the best time to absorb information. It's the opposite of being humble. To be humble means to be teachable.   To be hardened means to not be teachable. So, when we have a hardened heart, it's hard for us to absorb things of the spirit, which all truth comes from God. So, anything that is lovely of good rapport is of God.   So, when we're teaching our children to be kind and to have kind considerations for others, those are God's truths and God's truths cannot seep into the soul of our heart unless our heart is soft. And so that is what happened is I was like, today we're going to learn how to use our napkin properly. Or today we're going to learn how to apologize.   But how do you make it sound sincere and how do you be sincere when you don't really feel it? And so, as we started just working on one skill at a time, the conversations were typically beautiful. Parts were changed and behavior ended up changing.   And so really, that's what then later became The Etiquette Factory.   Laura Dugger: (13:55 - 14:20) I love that because I think it gives our children confidence because then they're equipped and prepared and understand what's expected of them in different situations or what can bless others in the way they act. But then I'm curious, you gave a few examples of those. Can you think of any of George Washington's chivalry lines that would still apply today?   Monica Irvine: (14:21 - 19:07) Yes, well, so I'm not quoting, I'm summarizing. So, for instance, one is it is not polite to hum or sing in the presence of others that would cause distraction. And so basically it's not polite to draw attention to ourselves but also draw attention or interrupt other people's day life when we haven't been invited to do so.   So let me give you this definition we use for etiquette. So, at The Etiquette Factory, etiquette is helping those around us to feel valued and to feel comfortable. Well, if I'm sitting there humming along, but the person beside me really doesn't want to hear my humming, then I might be causing that person to feel uncomfortable.   Same thing, you know, whenever I start off teaching a class, because usually when everyone thinks of manners, they think of table manners. Of course, there's so much more. But I use this example.   I say, well, if I were to come to your home and sit down and I started eating like a pig in the presence of your family, I mean, I'm chewing with my mouth open. I'm making a smacking my lips. I'm taking too big of bites and food is falling in my lap or I'm making a mess on the table.   Or I eat so fast that I am finished eating, getting up to leave. And you're just on your third bite of food. Well, any of those behaviors, I would be sending a message.   And that message is, look, I'm here for one person and that person is myself. I came to fill up my belly because I'm hungry. And beyond that, I really don't care.   I don't care if I'm making you uncomfortable. I don't care if I'm grossing you out. I don't care if you actually wanted to talk to me because I just came here to eat and I'm out of here.   You see, we don't realize it, but a lack of chivalry is called selfishness. A lack of chivalry is inward focused. When we focus outwardly on what message am I sending to those around me?   Am I sending a message of love and care and value? That is etiquette. I get emailed all the time and message like, “OK, Monica, I've got this shower I'm putting on.   And my daughter is not going to invite her work friends to the wedding. But is it OK if we invite all of them to a wedding shower?” And they'll go, so what's the etiquette rule?   Well, there is no etiquette rule about that, except etiquette is about helping those around us to feel valued. And so that's how I answer every question. I'm like, well, let me ask you if you were invited to a wedding shower, where you're asking her friends to shower your daughter with gifts and love to celebrate her wedding.   But yet those friends were not valued enough to invite to the wedding. How do you think it would make them feel? And so that's what the answer is with etiquette.   Now, there's exceptions. In fact, that case, that's a real email I got. And she ended up having the shower because her daughter went and told her co-worker who offered to give her a wedding shower.   “You know what? I thought that is so thoughtful. I'm so grateful that you were willing to do that. But we're having a very small, intimate wedding, you know, for financial reasons and intimacy reasons. And so, I just don't feel comfortable inviting people to bring gifts for me and knowing that we're just we're not going to be able to invite everyone to the wedding.”   And that co-worker said, “We don't care. We knew you were having a small wedding. We want to celebrate you.”   And so, you know, you can there be exceptions, but a lady and a gentleman always try to be very aware of those unspoken messages. And that guides our conversation, our answers, our actions. And that's what we teach children and adults to do at The Etiquette Factory.   Laura Dugger: (19:07 - 21:17) And now a brief message from our sponsor.   Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka has been owned and operated by the Burchie family for over 25 years. 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Your car buying process doesn't have to be something you dread, so come see for yourself at Sam Leman Chevrolet in Eureka. Sam and Stephen would love to see you, and they appreciate your business.   Learn more at their website, LemanEureka.com, or visit them on Facebook  by searching for Sam Leman Eureka. You can also call them at 309-467-2351. Thanks for your sponsorship.   I loved, this was a few months back, but we came to a homeschool convention, and I loved your talk on purposeful parenting. One thing that you said, just I think backing it up and looking at our family in general, you said, “If we're too busy to do the most important things, we're too busy. Stop allowing the adversary to tempt us to remain too busy.”   So, Monica, what wisdom can you share for maybe red flags that can help us identify when we're too busy to focus on the most important things, and what do you recommend instead of overstuffing our schedules and our lives?   Monica Irvine: (21:18 - 26:23) You know, that's a great question. Those are good questions that every family should ask themselves. You know, I think that if we are to strive to focus on the most important things, step number one is, has mom and dad identified the most important things?   Because if you don't know what your goal is, then you're not going to as easily recognize when something is interfering with your goal. So, for instance, maybe mom and dad sits down and says, “Well, our number one goal is to make sure that our children know Jesus Christ. And so, what do we need to do to make sure that we're doing our best to help our children know who He is?”   Well, and so a family might decide, well, we want to have daily scripture study and daily family and individual prayer. We want to make it a priority to be at church so that we can worship on the Sabbath, but also so that we can meet together with other like-minded Christians and minister to one another as we're taught by the Savior. That's important for us to do.   And perhaps we want to learn to do as the Savior does. And that's why we're going to learn of His attributes and try to follow in His footsteps and be a family of service. So, let's just say those are our four of the most important things.   If that's our goal, then hopefully mom and dad could recognize when we're starting to stumble off the path that leads to our goal. For instance, I can't tell you how many parents have come up to me after they hear me speak on this topic and say, “Monica, I wish I had heard you say this 10 years ago. But we got sucked up into the what the world has to offer, and we started allowing our children to play competitive sports on Sunday. And so, we stopped going to church years ago because there was always a championship game on Sunday morning and always another tournament. And we wanted our children to have, you know, college opportunities.”   And there's nothing wrong with college opportunities unless that college opportunity interferes with our most important goal. And so that's why first mom and dad have to decide what is the most important, because then it's easier to recognize when we are being tempted by the adversary to focus on what the world is trying to offer us.   And the world offers us shiny things that tempt our human nature to want to be popular and loved by all and wealthy. And so, we just have to always go back to our goals. You know, I've got families that say, “I wish we had eaten dinner together more often. But we allowed our children to be so scheduled that there was not one night or there was only one night a week that we actually sat down at the table together.”   You know, parents. You will regret that. And you can't take back these precious, very short years that you have your children under your roof in your home.   And you will be someone like me one day where all of my kids are graduating and grandchildren and all you live for is your children to come visit and your children to come have dinner. And so, when you allow the world to creep in and be more important than spending time with your family, time with the Lord, time on good and lovely things, you will regret it. And I just think that probably every year come January, mom and dad should sit down and go, let's look at last year.   What were we missing from our family schedule? What do we need to reevaluate whether that is the most important thing? And so that's something I think all of us have to do on a regular basis.   Laura Dugger: (26:24 - 27:20) I think you're hitting on something profound there, that reflection with the Lord or with our spouse. I think we have no excuse because if there is no spouse in the picture, we always have the Lord. But to be intentional, to take that time, maybe on a Sabbath and go through a few questions and reflect back.   I think that could save us from a lot of regret. So, I really appreciate that response. And going back to etiquette, then you've taught us that it is a learned behavior.   This isn't something that our children will just naturally pick up. It's best to do in times where their hearts are soft, so proactive if possible. But I'd love to know in your own life, when were times that the Holy Spirit nudged you to use etiquette and it resulted in something miraculous?   Monica Irvine: (27:21 - 32:56) Oh, goodness. Okay, well, to me, I think miraculous is seeing the Lord's divine hand in our life. I see the miracle of the Lord every day in my life.   But probably most often is when I kneel down at the end of a day, I repent daily because I need to daily. And it's always a little nervous because I pray and I ask the Lord, as sometimes I know what I need to repent of. I know that I recognized I stumbled that day on something, but sometimes I just I pray and I say, “Lord, you know, just help.”   If something needs to be brought to my mind that I need to repent of and that I need to do better, would you bring it to my mind at this time? And it wasn't that long ago that the Lord brought to my mind something that I had gotten in the habit of doing that I didn't feel like it was wrong, but it was wrong. And so, etiquette, one of the etiquette skills I teach everyone is that it's not polite for us to gossip.   A lady and a gentleman always draw attention to the lovely and wonderful things that other people do. Now, if there's a safety issue, that's different, but I'm just talking about we don't share negative things about other people. And so, it's something I teach every year, all year long.   But I feel like I've done so much better than I did twenty-five years ago when the Lord really chastised me one time for gossiping. But in the last couple of months, I had gotten in the habit of sharing with my husband. So sometimes, you know, when you share with your spouse that you kind of feel like that's a safe place that the same rules don't apply because you and your spouse kind of talk about everything.   And so, I was in the habit of sharing with my spouse something that I was worried about that another person in our family did. But I was constantly going, “Oh, I don't like that. They do this and I don't like that. They do this and I'm worried about it.” And I actually was worried about it. But I just was constantly kind of highlighting these things that I didn't like that someone in our family did.   Well, one night I was praying and asked the Lord to bring to my mind and the Lord brought that to my mind. And it was kind of like he said, “Monica, don't you remember that? If you're worried about someone. Instead of sharing those negative things, even with Charles, my husband, what would be more effective is if you prayed and asked me to bless that person, to help that person, you know, in the ways that they need help and ask me to help, you know, of ways that you could be a better example to that person. But you don't need to constantly draw attention because it's starting to make you be negative towards this person.”   And I just like right when the Lord said that to me, I was embarrassed. I was like, “Monica, that. Yeah. Like, how do you not know that? That you should know better than that.”   Well, so immediately I repented and I apologized to the Lord and I and I started doing what he asked me to do. And within just a couple of days, like I started just noticing all of the wonderful, lovely things that this person is and does. And so, just to me, that is miraculous and it happens all the time.   And if I'm humble enough to repent and to listen to the Lord, because the Lord wants to help us and he wants us to strive to be like him. But we've got to ask where we need to be corrected. And so, I teach etiquette, I teach we don't gossip.   And then lo and behold, I had kind of gotten myself in another trap again. You know, and I just I think it's a miracle what happens when we listen to the Lord. He immediately turns our mind to good, lovely, beautiful things and allows us to be a vessel of light instead of vessel of darkness.   And we can be that vessel of darkness just right inside our own marriage, even though we think that's kind of a safe place to maybe be a little looser with our tongue. So, there's one example.   Laura Dugger: (32:57 - 33:26) I love that. And I remember you also explaining whenever you get a thought in your head that you don't want to do, it's likely 100 percent from God. So, can you share a couple specific stories of times that that was the Holy Spirit telling you something that you didn't maybe want to do, but you obeyed?   I'm remembering something about a grocery store and another time separately about a phone call. Yeah.   Monica Irvine: (33:26 - 40:29) OK, well, I'll tell about the phone call just because it's less sad. So, yeah, one time there was this lady and she was just kind of investigating our church and starting to come to our church and kind of fill it out. So, I had just met her and I found out that her what led her to come looking for God is her husband was an addict and she was just at her wits end and their marriage and family was falling apart.   And so, she came looking for the for help for the Lord. And so, I learned a little bit about her story. I ended up taking her to one of those celebrate recovery places at another church because I knew they had a wonderful program.   And so, I had interacted with her a couple of times. I probably had only known her about a month when one night I was running late to take my kids to youth on Wednesday night and I was cooking some spaghetti and I was just, you know, cooking that spaghetti at the stove. And all of a sudden I had a thought come into my mind, “Call her.”   And, you know, I was like, oh, yeah, I do need to call her. I need to call and check on her. I will, you know, after church tonight.   And so, I, you know, kept cooking that spaghetti. And the second time the Spirit, because that's who it was talking to me, because that's who tells us to do good things. Not us, but God.   The Spirit said, “Monica, call her.” But I was running late and I was trying to get my kids fed and I was like, I will call her as soon as I get the kids fed, you know, drop them off at church and then I'll call her, you know, and so I really meant to call her. But I.   Finally, a third time, and it seems to always take me three times before I realize, OK, he means now. And so, a third time it was like “Monica call.” And so, it was so strong.   And I, I know it's the Lord, but I, I just turned the stove off. I went into my bedroom, got my phone out, dialed her number. And as it was ringing, she picked up the phone and all I heard was just some quiet sobbing.   And she couldn't speak. And I, you know, I said her name. I said, “Hey, so and so it's Monica. I just. I see that you're upset. I just wanted to call and check on you. In fact, the Lord insisted that I call and check on you.”   And then her, you know, her crying just continued. It wasn't until, you know, she had calmed down and she just said, you know, “Monica, I had been praying and just asking the Lord to just show me that, you know, show me that you care that this is happening to me.” Something like that.   And, you know, I, I, in that moment, my stomach kind of did that little knot because I knew how close I had come to just not calling. And sure, I could have called her an hour later. It would have been at least an hour later and maybe, you know, it would have mattered.   But the Lord knew that it mattered right in that moment. She needed an answer. She needed to know that the Lord was listening.   And I've learned that in my life, that whenever we get a thought that comes into our mind and that thought is to do something good, like calling someone, you all is a good thing. Visiting someone, writing a letter to someone. Those are good things.   And all good comes from the Lord. And sometimes I wonder, does the Lord trust me? Does he know I'll respond when the stakes are high?   You know, sometimes I think as we continue to learn how to hear the spirit, we have to practice. Oh, that was the spirit. And probably if you're like me, I've learned a lot about the spirit by not listening.   And then later going, “Oh, yeah, Lord, I did miss that. You tried. You tried to warn me, or you tried to get me to do that. And I dismissed it.”   But so, you all I just think it takes practice and I'm still practicing. But I do believe that especially when it's something that we don't really want to do or we think we don't have time. And I just realize I felt the Lord going, “Monica, do you not think I know you're cooking spaghetti? Do you not think I know you're running late? But right now, there's something more important I need you to do than to get your kids to church on time.”   And so, I think at some point we have to decide, do we trust Him or don't we? And if we trust Him, we have to trust Him completely. And that means when we receive a prompting that we will act quickly because the Lord knows what we're doing.   And He knows that we don't have the best relationship with that person. Yet you're feeling like you should call. He already knows that.   And it doesn't mean that everything's always going to turn out the way we think it will. Sometimes I think the Lord just wants us to know ourselves that we'll do what He asked us to do, regardless of how it will turn out. And sometimes I feel like the Lord has told me to do something and I did it and it didn't go well.   And I'm like, “Lord, like, why? Why?” And I know all of us, you all sit there and go, wait, was that my thought or was it God's thought?   And you know what I have learned is that just stop worrying about it. Just act in faith. And the Lord always backs up His people.   The Lord doesn't, as you and I are praying and striving to understand the Lord's will. And let's say we get an idea and so we act on it because we feel like it was a prompting and then it does not go well. I believe the Lord loves so much that you were trying to listen and be obedient and the blessings will come.   Sometimes we just don't know the timing or how, but we've just got to trust.   Laura Dugger: (40:29 - 43:59) I love that. And we never know what's happening on the other side of our obedience. And I'll link back to Brittany Price Brooker's episode because she was one who had lost her husband and was crying out to the Lord.   I think she was bathing her young children, and they didn't have food in the house and maybe they were sick. And the only thing that sounded good to their child was apples, but it was late at night. She couldn't go get them herself.   And she was just praying like, “Lord, do You see me? Do You know my needs? I need You to meet my needs.”   And right then the doorbell rings and somebody showed up and she said, “The Lord told me to buy you these apples and bring them to you.” And I think that highlights something else. You articulated it well when you say whenever you get that thought in your head that you something that you don't want to do, it's likely 100% from God.   I would say a lot of times too, it's also awkward or inconvenient. We don't know why. And then I think back to the Bible, Abraham was put in a very awkward situation with his son and Noah, that was very awkward to be building the boat when there wasn't rain.   But look at the blessing that comes on the other side of obedience. So, appreciate those stories are really helpful.   By now, I hope you've checked out our updated website, thesavvysauce.com, so that you can have access to all the additional freebies we are offering, including all of our previous articles and all of our previous episodes, which now include transcriptions. You will be equipped to have your own practical chats for intentional living when you read all the recommended questions in the articles or gain insight from expert guests and past episodes as you read through the transcriptions. Because many people have shared with us that they want to take notes on previous episodes, or maybe their spouse prefers to read our conversations rather than listen to them or watch them now that we're offering video rather than just audio. So, we heard all of that and we now have provided transcripts for all our episodes.   Just visit thesavvysauce.com. All of this is conveniently located under the tab show notes on our website. Happy reading.   So, at that same conference, when I heard you speak, you shared something that really stuck with me. This one was about our daughters. So, I want to talk about daughters first and then we'll move to sons.   But you mentioned there was this one study where over 3,000 men were surveyed. And they were asked, what's the number one quality that you desire in your wife? Either current wife or someday in the future when you're married.   And do you remember the response? Yeah, it was kindness. Kindness.   That she is kind. And so, I wondered, was there another side for the boys then too? What do you think women would say for their future or their current spouse?   What attribute do you think they would identify?   Monica Irvine: (44:00 - 47:35) It didn't have that for the other side, but a word that we don't use as much anymore. And I try to use it a lot is, I think most women, even if it wouldn't come to their mind immediately, once they heard it, they'd be like, oh, wait, no, yeah, that. And that is honorable.   They would want their husbands to be honorable. And to be honorable means that we do honorable things. And honorable things always 100 percent of the time require some level of sacrifice.   That's what makes them honorable when we sacrifice and give up our time, ourself in order to better someone else to help our country, our family, others. And so, I think today what we all want is for our spouses, husbands and wives to be kind and to live honorable lives. Those lives, it doesn't mean a perfect life, but to be honorable means we strive to have integrity.   We strive to be godly. We strive to do what we say we're going to do. We strive to live up to our divine nature as God called mothers and fathers and husbands.   And so, I would think to me that is the most important, because if you live an honorable life, then you honor God. You honor your marriage covenant. You honor your children by treating them and speaking to them with honor.   You honor your job. You make sure that you have integrity at work and that you're dependable. And the same goes for us women.   You know, but I think I think we all struggle with selfishness. I mean, that is ultimately what we struggle with every day is what do I want? What do I need?   What's important to me versus trying to live a selfless life for our spouse, for our family? Anyway, it would be interesting to do that survey, but I think what's so kind of funny about the kindness is that whenever I read that survey results that I had read years ago, when I say that to a crowd of women. And men, but when I say that to the crowd, you can always see I just see this rippling of women making this kind of gesture.   Or because they know that they could be more kind, because usually we can be kind to everyone in the world. But in the walls of our home, we struggle more with just kindness.   Laura Dugger: (47:37 - 48:00) And so if we go further upstream than before we're married, if that's what God has for us, what are practical ways that we can teach and instill kindness in our children and honorable character? Or any other practical tips for conduct?   Monica Irvine: (48:00 - 53:03) Yeah, well, I love when I do a workshop at a convention on a family of service, because honestly, when we have our children in our home, it's practice ground. We have once again a few years to help them learn to love the Lord and to love others. You know, the two great commandments, love me and love others.   Well, to me, the best way to teach our children to love God and love others is to get our children out and serving others. Because, as you know, typically, like, for instance, when someone calls us and says, “Oh, hey, Monica, hey, would you mind, you know, the Smith family, they just had their new baby. Do you think you could cook dinner for them one night next week?”   If you're like me, I'm going to say yes. And then I'm going to hang up. And then I'm going to have that anxiety because already my week is so full and I was already stressed out about how I was going to get all the things done I needed to get done.   And now I've just added another thing. And I'm not saying there are not times that we don't need to say no, because we absolutely have to say no sometimes. But my point is, I cook the dinner and I go drop it off.   And as I'm pulling, as we are pulling away from that home, how do we feel? Do we feel better or do we feel worse? Do we feel happy or do we feel sad?   Honestly, almost 100 percent of the time, y'all, we're going to feel happier. We're going to feel grateful. We're going to be grateful that we had the opportunity to cook that dinner for that sweet family.   We're going to be reminded of how sweet the Lord is to give us opportunities to be His hands and His feet and His mouth here on the earth. And so, we want our children to learn to love. To love others, but it takes practice.   It's not until you serve again and again and again that you start to realize that the secret to being happy, the secret to having peace in your life and love abounding in your home is when we lose ourselves in the service of others. It's the secret to fixing siblings arguing with each other. It's the secret to helping husbands and wives draw closer together and have more love for one another.   It's the secret to less contention overall, to more peace, to more joy and happiness is to lose ourselves in the service of others. And so, to me, if you want to raise if we want to raise honorable, kind, generous, compassionate, empathetic human beings, they've got to lose themselves. To find themselves and define God.   And so, yeah, I think that's the secret. And of course, Jesus Christ tried to teach us that over and over and over again. He tried to teach His disciples over and over again that if you love me.   Then love my sheep, feed my sheep, teach my sheep. And what's interesting is that you all. The more we do that, the more we serve and love others.   Do you know what I believe? I believe it's kind of like the Grinch. Remember when the Grinch's heart grew?   That's real. That's really what happens. The God expands our ability to love others.   And in doing that, it actually expands our deep love of God. I think it's so fascinating that that's the fruit of service is a deeper and abiding love of Jesus Christ. It seems like it would be the opposite, right?   Well, I've got to love Jesus more in order to have a greater desire to serve. But it's the opposite. He wants you to go serve when you don't really feel like it.   And he wants you to go serve when it's not convenient. And your kids are crying and no one wants to go rake her yard. And then the fruit of acting in faith and trusting God is the love.   Laura Dugger: (53:05 - 53:34) That's what I would do. That's so good. Such a good medicine or anecdote to selfishness and issues we're having in the home with our children and for ourselves.   Well, Monica, you have shared so much goodness with us throughout this conversation. Can you explain how you can help partner with us as parents to help us teach our children etiquette at neutral times? Like you said, when their hearts are softer?   Monica Irvine: (53:35 - 56:52) Yes. Yeah. So, we've got some awesome resources, parents.   And number one is we do have a parenting course called Rise Up Parenting. And it's just this beautiful 52-week course that you get lifetime access to in case it takes you three years to get through your 52 weeks. But it is a course for mom and dad, or mom, or dad by themselves.   But it's just a beautiful way to help parents focus on one parenting skill a week. I've learned that when we have purposeful parenting, when we focus on one improvement at a time because we can get so overwhelmed, like we want we want to teach our kids to be selfless and that be ambitious and to serve and share. And I mean, it's just, it's endless.   But the Lord is a house of order. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a house of order. And so as long as we're going in the right direction, y'all, we are successful.   And so, this parenting course teaches a biblical principle and then a parenting principle that are related and allows you to just make little increment steps of improvement. Because when mom and dad improve, it blesses your children. So that's the first resource.   And then the other two most popular resources is we just have two programs. We have a program called FUNdamentals4Kids that targets children preschool through about third grade. And it's so fun.   It's just these wonderful, fun board games, flashcards, songs, stories, crafts, where we try to encourage you to twice a week set aside 15 minutes of your school day for an official manners activity and watch what happens. So, we've organized it for you. And for the little kids, we found out that if they can play with it, sing about it, make some food with it, that it helps them to go, “Mom, let's do a manners lesson.”   And then they don't even know that they're being taught these beautiful, wonderful skills. So that is so wonderful. And then for kids about fourth grade through 12th grade, we have a course called Life Skills for You.   And it's just so fun and it's so effective. Basically, it's 142 little three-minute lessons. We once again just try to get you to commit to twice a week sitting down with your family, watching a three-minute lesson where I'm teaching the etiquette skill.   Plus, we show teenagers doing the skill the wrong way and the right way. So, it's kind of funny, but it just creates some really great conversation with the family. And so those are our top three selling product lines.   And you can find all of that on our website, theetiquettefactory.com.   Laura Dugger: (56:53 - 57:15) Thank you for sharing. We will certainly link to all of that in the show notes for today's episode. And Monica, you may be familiar that we are called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge.   And so, this is my final question for you today. What is your savvy sauce? Yeah.   Oh, that's a hard one.   Monica Irvine: (57:15 - 59:06) I thought about this and I'm like, it's so hard. You all. Honestly, my savvy sauce is Jesus Christ.   It just is. I know sometimes we want the answer to be something else, but in all practical terms, it's Jesus. Meaning I start my morning out every day with Jesus.   I end every night with Jesus. I pray throughout the day and ask Him to help me make a decision. And I thank Him for all the beautiful things that happened to me throughout the day.   And I just He is this person, this real person that is at my side every day, all day, I hope. And that's how I do anything. That's why I am the mother that I am.   Not that I'm the best mother, but because of Him, I can mother and because of Him, I can be a good wife. And because of Him, I can be a good friend and I can minister to others through The Etiquette Factory. It's just it is Him.   And, you know, sometimes people will ask me, “Monica, I I want to have the knowledge you have or I want to be able to whatever parent the way it sounds like you parent.” And I'm like, you guys know, it's just it's called Jesus Christ. And Jesus will tell us all things that we should do.   And so my sauce is having a relationship with Jesus Christ. It truly is well said.   Laura Dugger: (59:06 - 59:24) And, Monica, you are such a gifted communicator and your heart of compassion is evident in your outward behavior. It's been such a joy to get to spend an hour with you today. So, I just want to say thank you for being my guest.   Monica Irvine: (59:24 - 59:43) Oh, thank you, Laura. And it's been such a joy. You're so kind.   And I appreciate the beautiful ministry that you're doing here on The Savvy Sauce. What a blessing for families to be able to just hear these resources that you've created. So, thank you.   Laura Dugger: (59:44 - 1:03:26) Thank you for being a part of it.   One more thing before you go, have you heard the term gospel before? It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you, but it starts with the bad news.   Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there's absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death, and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.   We need a savior, but God loved us so much. He made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him.   That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life. We could never live and died in our place for our sin.   This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus. We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished. If we choose to receive what he has done for us, Romans 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”   So, you pray with me now. Heavenly father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you.   Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life? We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus name we pray.   Amen. If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me. So, me for him, you get the opportunity to live your life for him.   And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason. We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you're ready to get started.   First, tell someone, say it out loud, get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes and Noble and let me choose my own Bible. I selected the Quest NIV Bible and I love it.   You can start by reading the book of John. Also get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ. I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you.   We want to celebrate with you too. So, feel free to leave a comment for us here. If you did make a decision to follow Christ, we also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process.   And finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, “in the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.   And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.