Podcasts about External

The Human Equation with Joe Pangaro – America's adversaries understand this. Nations like China, Russia, and Iran have long believed that Western decadence and internal division will eventually weaken the United States beyond repair. They see a culture obsessed with outrage, fragmented by identity politics, and increasingly unwilling to defend the values that once made it strong. They see...

If you've ever wondered how to run effective meetings when everyone in the room seems to work differently, this episode is for you. Some people get energy from a meeting the moment it starts. Ideas come out as they talk, and the room moves with them. Others need quiet beforehand just to get their thinking straight, and being put on the spot leaves them scrambling to catch up. In the last episode of The Leaders Kitbag, I talked about internal versus external processing (thinking), and why quiet people in meetings are often contributing more than it looks like on the surface. This episode builds on that. Because once you understand the difference, you can actually use it, not just to manage yourself better, but to run effective meetings that work for everyone in the room. External processors think out loud. Internal processors think first, then speak. Neither is better, but each one struggles in a different type of meeting, and I share a story from early in my consultancy career about working alongside someone who processes information in the opposite way to me, and what that taught me about running effective meetings that give people the room they need to think. In this episode, you will learn how to run effective meetings, including: The difference between internal and external processors, and why neither approach is better Why meetings sprung on people with no agenda or pre-read undermine meeting effectiveness for internal processors What internal processors can do to give themselves thinking time before a meeting starts Why external processors are genuinely useful for generating ideas, and what they're doing for everyone else while they talk A practical way to think about who needs the pre-read and who needs the room, so you can run more effective meetings whatever the mix of personalities Ben's Key Takeaway At its heart, this episode is about how to run effective meetings when the people in the room process information differently. We tend to run meetings as if everyone thinks the same way, but they don't. External processors think by talking, and having them in the room early is genuinely useful, they generate energy and momentum, and while they're talking, they're buying thinking time for everyone else too. Internal processors need the opposite. They think first, then speak, and a meeting with no agenda and no warning puts them on the back foot before it's even started. Giving them the outcome, the agenda, and anything to read in advance means they walk in having already done some of the thinking, and it makes a real difference to meeting effectiveness. If you're running a meeting, think about who needs the pre-read and who needs the room. And if you're in one, stop trying to think and speak like the person next to you. Play to how you actually process information, not how everyone else seems to. That's really what learning how to run effective meetings comes down to. Want to learn more about how to be a leader? Learning how to run effective meetings is exactly the kind of practical skill we work on inside my 'Leader in Me' programme. The dates for the 2027 cohort are now open, starting in January. There are just 22 places, and the last two cohorts sold out within four weeks. If you're ready to: Build confidence and capability as a leader Break free from firefighting and become more proactive Learn how to inspire your team and deliver results… Find out more and secure your place on the programme here.

reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Psychic Being — Soul: Its Nature, Mission and Evolution, Section 6 More Lights on the Psychic Being, pg. 176This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2026/09/14/the-soul-and-its-relation-to-the-external-being/Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are allavailable on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net  The US editions and links to e-book editions of SriAurobindo's writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com#Sri Aurobindo #The Mother #yoga #integral yoga #spirituality #soul #psychic being

reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Psychic Being — Soul: Its Nature, Mission and Evolution, Section 6 More Lights on the Psychic Being, pp. 175-176This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2026/09/13/the-higher-reason-helps-manage-the-vital-and-physical-nature-thus-maintaining-its-important-role-until-the-psychic-being-can-take-total-charge-of-the-external-being/Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are allavailable on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net  The US editions and links to e-book editions of SriAurobindo's writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com#Sri Aurobindo #The Mother #yoga #integral yoga #soul #spirituality #psychic being #Reason

Book Alan's Business Breakthrough Session. Your first 30-minute coaching call is FREE. Learn how to prioritize success and let your quality of life become the byproduct. - https://calendly.com/alanlazaros/30-minute-breakthrough-sessionFitness is forever, it's a lifestyle. Get jacked and join the Next Level Fitness Accountability Group. This group is invite-only. Reach out to Kevin or Alan on Instagram:Kevin: https://www.instagram.com/neverquitkid/Alan: https://www.instagram.com/alazaros88/_______________________In today's episode of Next Level University, hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros examine the connection between belief and behavior. What you believe about yourself, other people, and what is possible affects what you notice, what you attempt, and how you respond when results fall short. Kevin and Alan discuss why accuracy matters more than blind optimism, how external messages can influence performance, and why your current beliefs should be tested through real action.They also break down the difference between using evidence wisely and allowing statistics, doubt, or comforting stories to limit your potential. This episode offers a direct look at self-awareness, personal responsibility, and the practical feedback loop that helps you build stronger beliefs through consistent behavior._______________________NLU is more than a podcast. From the Next Level Dreamliner to Group Coaching, we provide tools and communities to help you grow with more clarity, consistency, and accountability.Visit our website and socials through the links below.

2 Corinthians 10:1-5 The post External Polemics – The Problem with Islam's Origins appeared first on Calvary Chapel Chino Hills.

Jay explores how living in a world of likes, ratings, and constant feedback can make us lose touch with our own judgment. He shares five shifts for relying less on outside approval and building more trust in yourself: from learning to read yourself instead of the room and separating belonging from approval, to questioning what you really want and building self-trust through the small promises you keep to yourself. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty Mazda crafts cars for people who do more than simply move. Visit Mazdausa.com to learn more. Consumer reports does not endorse products or services. Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the Personal Price Plan⁠. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. JAY'S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe here: https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast What We Discuss: 0:00 Introduction 00:24 What's Really Behind the Need for Validation 03:20 Five Shifts From External to Internal Validation 03:38 Reading The Room Vs. Reading Yourself 06:09 Evolution, Tribe Instincts, And Borrowed Opinions 08:18 Why is Rejection So Painful? 12:16 Escaping The Box 15:32 Auditing Your Desires And Expectations 18:06 Building Self-Trust Vs. Chasing Confidence 25:15 Stop Watching Your Life From the Outside Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Phil Bodine explains the 3 rates of return he believes you should consider when evaluating whole life insurance. Want to See If Whole Life Insurance Can Improve Your Financial Plan? Schedule Your Discovery Call Here: https://bttr.ly/bw-yt-aa-clarity Phil and Caleb Guilliams break down the internal, external, and eternal rates of return, how whole life can be used alongside other investments, and why looking only at the policy's internal performance can miss the bigger picture. They also discuss Phil's criticisms of Infinite Banking, policy loans, and some of the math commonly used to explain the strategy.Watch the Interview on Youtube for Visuals - https://youtu.be/0Zf4KJcXEb0Want to See If Whole Life Insurance Can Improve Your Financial Plan? Click Here: https://betterwealth.com/go/yt/0Zf4KJcXEb0 Want Us To Review Your Permanent Life Insurance Policy? Click Here: https://betterwealth.com/review/yt/0Zf4KJcXEb0 Want to Read Phil's Book? Click Here: https://wealthinoverdrive.com/book/ Chapters: Intro (0:00) Phil Bodine's Background & Epiphany (1:38 - 5:22) The Roles of Life Insurance: Grow, Protect, & Preserve (5:23 - 10:29) Addressing Common Objections To Permanent Life Insurance (10:30 - 16:38) Comparing Life Insurance to Other Investments (16:39 - 23:12) The Issues with Infinite Banking (23:13 - 27:25) Real World Examples of Borrowing Against Policies (27:26 - 32:45) The 3 Rates of Return of Whole Life Insurance: Internal, External, and Eternal (32:46 - 38:01) Learn More About BetterWealth: https://betterwealth.com DISCLAIMER: https://bttr.ly/aapolicy *This video is for entertainment purposes only and is not financial or legal advice. Financial Advice Disclaimer: All content on this channel is for education, discussion, and illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as professional financial advice or recommendation. Should you need such advice, consult a licensed financial or tax advisor. No guarantee is given regarding the accuracy of the information on this channel. Neither host nor guests can be held responsible for any direct or incidental loss incurred by applying any of the information offered.

Why do we bother doing what we do? What tone do you hear in that question? To bother: taking the trouble or effort to do something.To be bothered: to be affected by something and/or to care about it. I hadn’t really thought much about this phrase until it came up in a conversation related to stuckness a few days ago. And now I can’t stop thinking about it. https://youtu.be/SSCHoKd3tCc Someone shared that, despite having written a huge number of words, they felt self-doubt, uncertainty, and boredom were why they hadn’t yet managed to complete a draft of the novel they’d been working on for the past couple of years. Exploring the map, watching the videos, and using the reflection guide helped them realise there might be more to it than an internal issue. In reality, the publishing industry is going through a period of deep uncertainty, and it’s harder than ever to get into. That adds a very real obstacle to the stuckness. Stuckness Doesn’t Occur in a Vacuum Feeling stuck is often a dance between internal and external factors. And it always happens within a broader context. Unstable material conditions, unhelpful environments, and systemic inequalities make stuckness more than a mindset or attitude issue. I’ve known people struggling to stay afloat amid overwhelming busyness, grief, and health challenges, who believe they have the wrong attitude because they wish they could feel better and move forward. As if you haven’t got enough to deal with, there’s the added pressure of personal responsibility to respond positively to things beyond your control. A Mindset Fallacy The focus on mindset and positive thinking as a solution to stuckness can implicitly misdiagnose its source as lying squarely within the individual. It places us in charge of our own reality, a common position we’ve noticed throughout the history of the self-help movement. At its most extreme, this becomes the belief that we can literally manifest material wealth, health, and prosperity through the power of positive thinking. At one level, this way of thinking seems harmless enough. But when we peel back the layers, it reveals some more insidious assumptions. Not least, it assumes that if everything boils down to individual responsibility for the quality of our own life through positive thinking, then we are personally to blame for our suffering. This can be a really lonely place to be. We feel stuck because of the projected images we see from others who tell stories of self-made success. These tell us what we SHOULD want and aspire to. Then, when we struggle to get there, we beat ourselves up for not having what those successful people seem to have. A lot of smoke and mirrors surround those stories. When you believe that you’re the only one finding it hard, but that the result is necessary for your value as a human, you are more likely to act from desperation rather than curiosity. And the cycle continues. Why Bother? Good question. Glad you asked. These pressures subtly influence our response to the question. So do the ways we’re encouraged to measure value. I remember reading a blog post many years ago about the difference in quality between the amateur and the professional. It referenced Steven Pressfield’s archetypes of The Professional and The Amateur in The War of Art, his book about what he coined as The Resistance, the enemy force that derails a creative pursuit. I haven’t read it for about 15 years, but I remember it containing some helpful ideas and some that made less sense to me. In it he writes: “The word amateur comes from the Latin root meaning “to love.” The conventional interpretation is that the amateur pursues his calling out of love, while the pro does it for money. Not the way I see it. In my view, the amateur does not love the game enough. If he did, he would not pursue it as a sideline, distinct from his “real” vocation. The professional loves it so much he dedicates his life to it. He commits full-time.” I’ll save my greater exceptions for another day, perhaps. But at a basic level, and in response to “why bother?”, we can see the pressure potentially undermining Pressfield’s message. Although he presents the distinction as archetypes of attitude, it’s hard to escape the implication that the creative pursuit must provide a person’s main income (or full-time occupation) if the person truly loves it. Why DO I bother? When the thing becomes a means to an end, the end can begin to determine whether the thing itself feels worth doing. This can leave us feeling stuck. Confused about why we bother. I know people who have become derailed after being encouraged to take something they had great passion, love, and drive for and turn it into a source of income. They used to bother because they cared. It was a catalyst for creativity and imagination, providing a way to express themselves freely. They were curious, explored, and grew, pouring resources into their passion regardless of profitability. And they gave their time to it without a second thought. But when they went professional, things changed. Concerns about marketing, efficiency, avoiding waste, and so on meant their relationship with what they used to do out of habit and ease became something only worth doing if it yielded a profitable outcome. This isn’t to say it’s a bad idea to make something your profession. Rather, I think it’s a bad idea to assume that a professional is simply a more serious amateur. It’s a radically different position. In many cases, the amateur can maintain their connection, love, and raw, organic passion for what they do because professionalism brings separate pressures, not necessarily linked to quality and care for the work. The Overjustification Effect I know amateurs who love their work so much that they free it from market pressure and find other ways to fund a life they can dedicate what they love doing around the edges. And some are more skilled, passionate, and dedicated than their professional counterparts in the same field. It’s ironic that for all his talk of Resistance, Pressfield may have inadvertently introduced and exacerbated a source of it by drawing this distinction. This may also be linked to something psychologists call the overjustification effect. An external incentive, like money, praise, or professional status, can change our relationship with an activity we already do for love. External rewards can make us less interested in doing something for its own sake. Why bother? It’s only worth it if I see results. And when it feels like the odds are stacked against you, why bother? It would be easier to find another way to make a living. Bothering can become futile when the outcome we’ve attached to the endeavour becomes harder to achieve. And this can happen when we become less intrinsically connected to it. The Pressure To Stay Positive If things feel like a struggle, maybe business is slow, and external events are making it worse, we might hear someone say, “Why bother?” and try to help them stay positive. “Come on, you’ve got to have a positive mental attitude. You’ve got this. Don’t give up. Believe in yourself. You’ll get through it.” Maybe there’s a time and place for that. But sometimes there are immovable objects in the way, and the question “why bother?” asks something else of us. It’s also apparent that when we’re already struggling, another person’s extraordinary success story can leave us feeling more alone. We Need More Failure Stories While inspiring or motivational stories are meant to give us hope, hearing from people who tried just as hard and didn’t get the same result can be more grounding and encouraging. I love a good failure story. Yeah, I know I’m a bit odd. But survivorship bias gives us a rather skewed impression of the link between working hard and succeeding. But when we come together around these shared struggles, we can find a motivating energy far more powerful than hearing that it IS possible to win the lottery because, look, someone won it. They won millions of pounds. Why? Because millions of people didn’t win. The story of the collective experience is less romantic, but it’s much warmer. It’s the reminder that we’re not alone. This is just hard. Success isn’t guaranteed by hard work alone. No matter what we do, factors beyond our control limit our chances of succeeding. Well, that’s depressing…why bother then? I’m glad you asked… We can dig back into that question with a fresh perspective and a personal connection. We can rediscover why we want to do what I want to do. What sparks our care, passion, and creative drive. Knowing and accepting that sometimes things don’t work out. The book doesn’t get finished, let alone published. But it is worth it anyway. Why? Because there is something about the endeavour that brings you to life. That’s the bit that matters. And everything else is gravy. And there is something beautifully rebellious and defiant about being alongside others in this spirit. Rejecting the assumption that we are in it alone. And finding solace in our shared experiences of things not necessarily going to plan, yet being bothered enough to continue anyway. Growing In Circles That’s really what I’m hoping we get to experience in Pick The Lock: Growing In Circles. If you’d like to explore your own relationship with something you’re currently feeling frustrated or stuck around, you can find out more about the group and join us here.

In this completely raw, unscripted, and single-take solo episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on a massive internal battle I've been fighting over the last six months: the paralyzing trap of external noise, over-strategizing, and quietly losing your true voice in the social media scroll.After 2.5 years of hosting this show and building a career on storytelling—from construction site cabins to high-production film sets—I recently realized I had fallen into a dangerous vortex. I was buying the courses, reading the books, obsessing over "traditional business formulas," and trying to force my creative brain into boxes where it just didn't fit. In the pursuit of perfection, I forgot who I was, how I wanted to show up, and why I started this journey in the first place.In this episode, I share the exact steps I took to break out of creative paralysis:

Clark County auditor candidate Eileen Quiring O'Brien says her first act in office would be ordering a full, independent third-party audit of the Auditor's Office, covering finances, election systems, voter rolls, and public records. The office has operated under Greg Kimsey for 28 years. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/auditor-candidate-pledges-day-1-external-audit-of-county-financials-and-elections/ #ClarkCounty #ClarkCountyAuditor #ElectionIntegrity #Transparency #Accountability #WashingtonState #LocalGovernment #IndependentAudit #Politics #ClarkCountyToday

S6:E78 AI doesn't arrive inside a business as a neutral cure for everything that isn't working. It encounters the decision structures, silos, leadership behaviors, customer experience and culture that are already there and then it can make them move considerably faster. That's the tension at the center of this episode of Small Business Stories with Tullio Siragusa, founder of Inventrica Advisory. Tullio works at the intersection of artificial intelligence, leadership and organizational transformation. His argument is refreshingly human: don't automate away the very qualities that made people value your business in the first place. If customers don't trust the experience you give them, more automation won't manufacture trust. If employees don't have sufficient autonomy to make decisions, adding faster technology won't necessarily produce better decisions. And if what your business promises externally doesn't match what people experience internally, AI can amplify that contradiction at scale. That's where this conversation intersects directly with Dr. LL's work on misinterpretation risk and Decision Integrity: the signals a business sends aren't created by marketing alone. They're created by how the business actually behaves.

Episode 16: When Attachment Gets Activated Self-Regulation, Co-Regulation, External Regulation & the Ways We Seek Safety What happens to us when a relationship suddenly feels uncertain, disconnected, or unsafe? Some of us move closer. We want to talk, understand, repair, reconnect, and receive reassurance. Others move away. We need silence, distance, independence, or space before we can feel settled again. And some of us move back and forth between the two. In Episode 16 of What We Were Never Taught, Dr. Daniel van Ingen explores what happens when our attachment system becomes activated and how our attachment tendencies influence the ways we try to regulate ourselves. Rather than treating attachment styles as fixed categories, this episode looks at anxious, dismissive-avoidant, fearful-avoidant, and secure patterns as tendencies that can emerge differently depending on the person, relationship, circumstances, and level of emotional activation. The episode also explores an important distinction between self-regulation, co-regulation, and external regulation. Healthy relationships allow us to receive comfort, reassurance, and connection from another person without making that person entirely responsible for our emotional stability. At the same time, someone who seeks distance when overwhelmed may not care or love any less than someone who seeks closeness. Distance and proximity can both become strategies the nervous system uses in an attempt to regain safety. When one person regulates through closeness and another regulates through distance, relationships can easily fall into a painful pursuit-withdrawal cycle. The more one person reaches, the more the other retreats; the more the other retreats, the more urgently the first person reaches. Understanding these patterns gives us a different question to ask. Instead of simply wondering, What is my attachment style?, we can begin asking: What does my nervous system ask me to do when my attachment system becomes activated? Because secure attachment doesn't mean never becoming activated. It means developing greater freedom in what we do once we are.

S6:E78 AI doesn't arrive inside a business as a neutral cure for everything that isn't working. It encounters the decision structures, silos, leadership behaviors, customer experience and culture that are already there and then it can make them move considerably faster. That's the tension at the center of this episode of Small Business Stories with Tullio Siragusa, founder of Inventrica Advisory. Tullio works at the intersection of artificial intelligence, leadership and organizational transformation. His argument is refreshingly human: don't automate away the very qualities that made people value your business in the first place. If customers don't trust the experience you give them, more automation won't manufacture trust. If employees don't have sufficient autonomy to make decisions, adding faster technology won't necessarily produce better decisions. And if what your business promises externally doesn't match what people experience internally, AI can amplify that contradiction at scale. That's where this conversation intersects directly with Dr. LL's work on misinterpretation risk and Decision Integrity: the signals a business sends aren't created by marketing alone. They're created by how the business actually behaves.

Kyle takes Josh through the tenth episode of Babylon 5 Season 2 "GROPOS"If you want to hear Kyle's original episode on this episode of Babylon 5, you can find it ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here

reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Psychic Being — Soul: Its Nature, Mission and Evolution, Section 6 More Lights on the Psychic Being, pp. 167-168This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2026/09/04/vital-deformations-in-children-arise-when-the-external-nature-overshadows-the-psychic-being/Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are allavailable on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net  The US editions and links to e-book editions of SriAurobindo's writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com#Sri Aurobindo #The Mother #yoga #integral yoga #spirituality #soul #psychic being #children

No man has the right to kill unlawfully, and for believers, obedience starts in the heart.The sixth commandment is short, yet it undergirds the biblical ethic of the sanctity of life. God alone gives life and has the sovereign right to take it. No human being may unlawfully end the life of another made in His image.For society, this command functions as a curb that restrains evil. For the believer, Jesus presses the commandment deeper in the Sermon on the Mount: anger and contempt are the root of murder. External compliance is not enough. True obedience begins in the heart that has been transformed by the gospel and now loves what God loves and hates what God hates.Preached by Rodney Brown Jr. at Rhome Bible ChurchWebsite: https://www.rhomebible.org#Exodus #BibleTeaching #RhomeBibleChurch #Sermon #ChristianPodcast #BiblicalPreaching #GodsSovereignty #OldTestament #Faith #ImpartingTheWord #Reformed #ExpositionalPreaching #ExpositionalTeaching #TenCommandments #DoNotMurder #SixthCommandment #SanctityOfLife

Preparing His Bride September 5, 2026 Your salvation is not merely an escape from darkness; it is an invitation into an entirely new order of life. You have been rescued from the authority of darkness and brought into the kingdom of God's Son so that you may learn how to live before God as one who belongs to Him. This is the significance of the priesthood revealed in Christ. The Melchizedek priesthood is fundamentally a priesthood of righteousness and peace, and Jesus is its perfect expression. He did not simply teach righteousness; He mastered, embodied, and executed it. In the same way, you must understand that righteousness is not merely something credited to you that has no effect on how you live. You are meant to be taught righteousness, exercised in righteousness, and matured in righteousness until the nature and government of God can find expression through you. As you mature, your prayers must also expand beyond yourself. There is a level of prayer concerned with your own needs, but priesthood eventually brings you into the burdens of God. You begin to intercede for the saints, the church, communities, territories, peoples, and nations. Mature priesthood is territorial because God entrusts spiritual responsibility to those who have been prepared to carry it. Such responsibility cannot safely be placed upon spiritual children. Pride, ignorance, undisciplined appetites, lack of discernment, and weakness can destroy someone attempting to carry authority for which they have not been formed. This is one reason God trains you before entrusting greater responsibility to you. You must also become conscious of the times in which you live. External wars, shaking, uncertainty, and turmoil should cause you to examine the corresponding conflicts taking place within the human heart. The birth pangs associated with the appearing of Christ are not only events to observe externally; Christ desires to appear within a people. Something must be birthed inside the saints. The wilderness therefore becomes a place where the old is removed so that something new can emerge. You must develop an inward yearning for change—from mortality, corruption, carnality, and spiritual infancy into the mature expression of the life of Christ. This is why travailing prayer matters. There are purposes of God that are conceived spiritually but must still be brought forth through prayer, obedience, and perseverance. You are meant to carry something from God. Your spiritual life should not remain barren. There should be a burden upon you, an assignment forming within you, something of God that your life is meant to release into the earth. Some are called to carry families, some communities, some territories, some ministries, some peoples, and some nations before God. Spiritual pregnancy eventually demands labor. What God deposits within you must be prayed through, obeyed through, and brought to maturity until it is manifested. Prayer and fasting therefore become instruments of preparation rather than religious obligations. They weaken competing appetites, sharpen spiritual hunger, prepare the vessel, and position you to receive what God is making available. There are seasons in which heaven makes particular things available, just as rain is easier to obtain in the season of rain. When God opens a season, passivity can still cause you to miss what has been provided. Divine availability does not eliminate human responsibility. You must ask, seek, labor, position yourself, and respond. At the heart of this priestly life is your identity in Christ. The covenant established through His body and blood has brought you into a new genealogy. Your former identity no longer determines your spiritual destiny. You have been translated from darkness into light, joined to Christ, connected to the promises given to Abraham, and brought under the testimony of the blood of Jesus. Learn to live from that identity. Do not permit darkness, accusation, condemnation, inherited fear, negative pronouncements, or former limitations to define you contrary to what God has declared. You have not been called merely to attend gatherings where priests minister to you. You have been called to become part of the priesthood yourself—a living stone within a spiritual house, a holy vessel reserved for God, a bearer of His presence, a servant of His purposes, and a person through whom His righteousness can enter the earth. The destination is a mature people who know God for themselves, carry His burdens together, birth His purposes through prayer, exercise His righteousness in daily life, raise others into maturity, and collectively become the house in which God is pleased to dwell.

Where do I find peace? by Autumn Dickson Mortal life is not for the faint of heart. Though it can have breaks in the difficulty where the sun shines for a while, we often get thrown back into the waves so that we can achieve our purpose of growing. It's a necessary exercise. It was the purpose of mortal life. However, despite opposition being one of the main tools of the Plan of Salvation, it can be exhausting. Here is a verse in Psalms that helped me to reflect on this concept. Psalms 116:7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. In all the craziness that runs rampant in our world, the Lord can offer peace and rest. He doesn't offer it as the world gives it; He offers it differently. Doesn't that sound nice? I spent a lot of time growing up not understanding how to actually harvest the peace out of the gospel. I did the work, but I couldn't close the gap between following the commandments and actually receiving a calmness in my soul. I went to church and read scriptures and did programs and attended the temple, and I still had a significant amount of turmoil in my life. So what are some of our barriers to peace? I think there can be many barriers to peace including opposition, spiritual challenges, and challenges for our loved ones. However, I think the biggest barrier is a misunderstanding of where peace comes from. Let's talk about some of those misunderstandings first. The world teaches us that removing the opposition will help us find peace. I don't think that's 100% false. I definitely find peace when I take care of some of my issues. However, this is not a consistent enough resolution. Even when my life is relatively serene, I have a bad habit of finding problems. There was an experiment performed by John B. Calhoun in the late 1960's where he created a mouse utopia with plenty of space, food, and water. The temperature was always ideal. There were no predators. The mice flourished initially. As time moved on, despite ideal conditions and plentiful resources, the society of mice dissolved. Males started fighting aggressively with no true purpose. Females abandoned their young. Many mice withdrew socially and wouldn't participate. In a world filled to the brim with external peace, the mice created their own problems and sabotaged their own society. I can't help but notice parallels in our own world. There is such a thing as external peace, but it actually plays a relatively inconsequential role in our internal peace. The world would tell you to remove external pressures and responsibilities. This is relatively ineffective. But beyond what the world teaches, I think sometimes we, as Latter-day Saints, misunderstand where peace comes from even within the gospel. At least I misunderstood it. I thought that if I did what I was supposed to, the peace would just descend upon me. It would just start springing up as I made the correct decisions. I missed a critical step. Following the commandments → get to know Christ → peace in Christ Following the commandments does not automatically bring peace. It can remove some of the barriers to peace. It can prevent barriers from rising up. For example, following the Word of Wisdom helps prevent addictions which can upend your life. However, we have already discussed the fact that removing external barriers is insufficient. Peace is a byproduct of belief. I believe that Christ can fulfill His promises to me, and those promises are so incredible. I love them. When difficult things happen, I can hold to those promises. When life is easy, I still can find purpose rather than emptiness. True belief brings peace. Commandments can help us find belief. Perhaps that seems like a silly nuance, but it made a world of difference for me. I kept doing what I was supposed to do in the church, but I was still finding turmoil. True belief was missing. Interestingly enough, I believe in the church. I believed that God led it. I believed that Joseph Smith had restored it. I believed The Book of Mormon came from God. But it wasn't until I started actively believing that Christ had died for me, paid for my sins, and promised to personally take care of me that things clicked into place and I felt safe. I'm grateful that the commandments helped me find that belief that brought peace. Which brings us back to our verse. Let's put it into modern words this time. Psalms 116:7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. Rest. Because the Lord has blessed you. Because He will bless you. Sometimes He really does calm the sea and remove external barriers. Those are nice times. Those are times where we get to practice finding purpose to ground us. But other times, He can help us walk on water instead. In the New Testament, Peter walks on water and stays there as long as he keeps his eyes on Christ. It doesn't matter how tall the waves are. It doesn't matter how much the water rises. It doesn't matter when keeping your eye on Christ keeps you on top of all that water. In fact, the rising water just brings you higher. You're not swimming desperately or drowning. You're keeping your eyes on Christ, and He is enabling you to walk on top of it all. Your soul can rest because He is dealing with you bountifully. I testify that peace comes internally. External peace is nice sometimes, but inner peace is truly what matters. I testify that the most powerful kind of peace stems from keeping your eye on Christ. I testify that keeping the commandments brings peace because keeping commandments helps you keep your eye on Christ. I testify that peace is possible even in our world filled with turmoil. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Why should you clean out your bird house after the baby birds leave?

1. The old gaming console as a metaphor for personal-development beliefs The conversation opened by connecting an old gaming console from the 1980s with beliefs that continue to circulate in personal development 00:00. Old gaming consoles were described as antiques, while repeatedly recycled personal-development sayings were presented as “belief antiques” 00:30. The discussion distinguished between appreciating old ideas and adopting them automatically without examining their effects. A key question emerged: what happens when a belief is installed unconsciously, and what price is paid for keeping it? 2. The belief that people must become a better version of themselves The central belief examined was “becoming the better version of yourself” 01:03. The idea was described as potentially useful in certain situations or stages, but harmful when treated as a permanent life objective 01:17. Constantly aiming to become better was connected with stress, fear, depression, and the feeling of never being good enough 01:36. The phrase was linked to the New Age movement of the 1970s and 1980s 01:55. The discussion questioned whether a person can ever finish the process of becoming better, or ever turn the pursuit off 03:06. 3. Personal development as distraction rather than transformation Several points were raised about people who are already working, moving, and doing constantly 02:12. Activity was described as potentially distracting when it fails to produce genuine transformation 02:27. The concept of “threshold addicts” was introduced to describe people who repeatedly approach progress without moving through a meaningful threshold 02:41. Examples included reading personal-development books, scrolling through social media for motivational quotes, and collecting insights that reinforce the feeling of working on oneself 02:46. The discussion challenged the assumption that consuming more personal-development content necessarily creates change. 4. Questioning inherited beliefs A key theme that emerged was the need to think independently about traditional personal-development sayings 03:12. Respect for older ideas was separated from unquestioned acceptance of those ideas. The discussion proposed examining whether a belief is still true. Another proposed test was to ask what the belief does to a person, what gain it provides, and what price it creates 03:26. “Becoming the better version of yourself” was criticized for implying that the current version is incomplete or inadequate 03:42. 5. The marketing power of inadequacy The phrase “become the best version of yourself” was described as highly effective marketing language 04:18. The promise of becoming better was connected to the human desire for validation. Courses, mentoring, and personal-development programs can use that promise to suggest that enrollment will produce a superior or complete version of the individual 04:30. The discussion questioned whether paying for and completing a course actually makes a person the “better” or “best” version of the self 04:42. The belief that improvement is required was connected to the pain of feeling inadequate, which can make promises of transformation especially persuasive 08:20. 6. The alternative belief that people are already enough The discussion offered a different starting point: a person is already the best version of themselves and does not need to move somewhere else to become complete 05:00. Salvation, solutions, and transformation were framed as things not ultimately found in the outside world 05:20. Courses and mentoring were not rejected, but their value was tied to increasing internal awareness rather than producing a new identity 05:43. The alternative perspective emphasized being already free, good enough, perfect, and permitted to be oneself 09:26. Personal growth was reframed as becoming more conscious of existing internal patterns, rather than constructing a superior self. 7. Programming, beliefs, and learned strategies One concept discussed was the idea that people are naturally capable of standing out as unique, but often learn strategies for fitting in 05:58. These strategies can include unconscious programming, beliefs, rules, and “laws” adopted earlier in life 09:52. Beliefs that once helped a person were described as potentially becoming restrictive later. The discussion focused on identifying internal programming that affects language, actions, patterns, and results 07:17. Limiting beliefs were compared with self-created prisons that need to be recognized and gradually uncovered 13:12. 8. Awareness as the purpose of courses, mentoring, and challenging experiences The discussion explored how courses, mentoring, nature experiences, mountain climbing, and ice baths can function as “training wheels” for increasing consciousness and awareness 06:38. External experiences were presented as useful when they direct attention back toward internal reality. A mentoring conversation was described as an interaction in which contrasting perspectives help reveal patterns, beliefs, word choices, actions, and consequences 07:17. The purpose was framed as going inward and becoming more aware of the reality a person carries internally. This approach was contrasted with working toward a future version of the self that is supposedly better than the present version 07:48. 9. The emotional cost of believing the current self is not good enough The belief that improvement is always required was linked to stress, depression, fear of exposure, and imposter feelings 07:56. The phrase “I'm not good enough” was presented as a source of pain that can keep the improvement cycle moving 08:58. The promise of eventually becoming perfect was described as a “magic pill” for salvation and validation 08:25. Replacing the assumption of inadequacy with “I am the best version of myself” was presented as a way to remove pressure from the process 08:41. The problem was located in internal patterning rather than in an external condition that must first be fixed 10:21. 10. Joy, laughter, and play as essential parts of growth The conversation shifted from serious inner work to the importance of joy, laughter, and play 10:56. A memorable concept was introduced: “joy and laughter, it's the lubricant of life” 11:13. People engaged in personal development were described as often forgetting how to play. Questions about the last experience of genuine joy revealed periods of five, six, seven, or ten years without intentional play, with some memories reaching back only to childhood 11:37. The discussion presented play as a way to change a person's state of being and experience life differently 14:00. 11. The gaming-console analogy and progressing through life The gaming device was connected with play, entertainment, fun, and connection with others 11:44. The phrase “playing the game of life” was used to describe engaging with life through joy rather than constant seriousness. Playing was presented as necessary for reaching the next level 12:27. Games from the 1980s were used to illustrate difficulty, limited support systems, the lack of save points, and the need to start over after mistakes 12:41. Life was compared with those games because there are no simple cheat codes, even though smarter thinking and different actions can create shorter paths 13:01. 12. Difficulty, mistakes, and starting over The discussion emphasized that recognizing limiting beliefs may not be complex, but can still be hard to do 13:12. Frustration in old games, such as getting stuck or losing progress at the end of the day, was compared with setbacks in life 13:33. Mistakes were framed as part of the process rather than evidence that a person is fundamentally inadequate. The gaming analogy was extended to stage presence, relationships, and other areas where people can practice responding with more fun and less fear 15:37. Allowing mistakes was presented as an alternative to approaching every situation through fear of judgment or exposure 15:01. 13. Bringing play into performance and relationships The discussion explored approaching public speaking with the intention to have fun, laugh with people, and allow mistakes 15:01. Stage presence was presented as something that can be practiced through a different emotional and physical state. The same idea was applied to relationships, including relationships with a wife or husband 15:37. Serious and connecting conversations were recognized as important, while joy and laughter were presented as equally necessary. People who authentically experience and bring joy were described as creating a presence others want to be around 15:58. 14. Seriousness, forgotten joy, and self-reflection Clients were described as sometimes being excessively serious, which was framed not as proof of imperfection but as evidence that joy has been forgotten 16:29. A self-reflective question was raised: “Would I marry myself?” 16:29. The point was not to abandon serious conversations or responsibilities, but to restore fun and pleasure to everyday life. The conversation distinguished between intellectually agreeing that joy matters and actually doing something joyful 16:44. 15. Action, slowing down, and integration One practical sequence was outlined: choose something genuinely fun, do it, slow down, and allow the experience to sink in 17:06. This process was described as integration and transformation. The intended result was not becoming a superior version of the self, but “chipping away” at the prisons created through unconscious conditioning 17:25. The discussion encouraged using an external or internal gaming device to create more play and recognize existing perfection 17:44. 16. Sharing experiences to increase awareness The closing section invited listeners to share what happened after recognizing that they were already good enough and had created limiting prisons for themselves 18:18. The prompt also asked what intentional action brought more play into life and changed the person's state 18:41. Sharing was framed as a way to inspire others and increase collective awareness. The discussion returned to exploring old beliefs rather than automatically discarding them 19:34. A final invitation was offered to identify a better belief that could help the individual and other people 20:11. Let's connect online: 1. INSTAGRAM: https://snip.ly/2ognlc 2. LINKEDIN: https://snip.ly/u6w6dg 3. WEBSITE: https://snip.ly/ys5h59 Questions? Email us at: contact@danielkluken.com  

You know that feeling when you try so hard to seem normal that you become a weirdo? Self-improvement works the exact same way. The more you chase happiness, the further it runs. The more validation you seek, the emptier you feel. This episode breaks down 7 painful paradoxes when we take on personal growth — psychological traps where trying harder makes things worse. We dig into King George VI's stutter, Carl Jung's shadow work, and why Steve Jobs getting fired was the best thing that happened to him. You'll learn why over-planning destroys resilience, why self-help books can quietly wreck your confidence, and why real change happens slower, yet more easily, than you think. Takeaways: Stop directly chasing happiness. Let it arrive as a byproduct of living with purpose. Build self-worth internally. External validation is a leaky bucket you can never fill. Accept your flaws before fixing them. Rejection breeds resistance, not change. CTA: Press play and learn why the hardest part of growth is knowing when to stop trying so hard. SPONSORS ☺️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MOD.com⁠ Prescription Modafinil for energy and focus. Free consultation, free shipping and 10% off Promo code PSYCHOLOGY at ⁠MOD.com⁠

This episode we continue with the reign of Uno no Sarara, aka Jito Tenno, and look at records of the various foreigners and immigrants who came to the archipelago. This includes immigrants from the Korean peninsula as well as those foreigners with whom Yamato shared the Central Land of the Reed Plains--like the Hayato and the Emishi. We also take a look at the Yamato court's widening relationship with and use of Buddhism. Along the way we take a look at a few different incidents and reports, including omens, hunting and fishing restrictions, and a story of sweet wine that reportedly cured the worst of diseases. For more check out the podcast website: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-155 (blogpost goes live 1 Sep 2026) Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 155: Immigrants, Priests, and Sweet Wine The three priests and their companions could see the distinctive pagoda from a distance away.   It stood several stories tall, and the bells at the eave ends glinted in the morning light. To their right, a tall, conical peak stood out from the other mountains, much like a miniature Mt. Fuji.  From there, the mountains swept down to the flat plain, which then ended at the edge of the giant body of water known as Lake Biwa.  The pagoda rose up between the two, its uppermost spire jutting upwards towards the sky.  Around it, much of the flat area had been carved into rectangular rice paddies, with paths and thatched roof buildings around—most of them low to the ground, distinctive of the muro style still prominent amongst most of the common people.  As such, though it didn't come anywhere near the grandeur of the temples in the capital, even a provincial temple stood out with its tiled roof and the brightly colored, red, white, and green walls and windows.  As they approached, the group saw a crowd of people by the gates.  Many of them seemed ill and infirm.  They had come to be healed by the waters of the temple—the same healing waters that had brought these priests all the way from the capital to investigate. We are covering a bunch of different things from the reign of Uno no Sarara, from 686 to 697.  This episode we take a journey through a few different topics.  Mostly we are talking about foreigners—both those from overseas and the ones that Yamato shared the archipelago with—and with Buddhism and how the court used this continental religion that had already become a key organ of the Yamato State. To start with, let's talk about immigrants.  Immigration to the archipelago by this point isn't anything new—and I'm not just talking about the groups that came over and kickstarted the Yayoi culture and the eventual mounded tomb period that we know as the Kofun era.  There were numerous ethno-linguistic groups that fell under Yamato's hegemony, and evidence of active migration. Of the various groups on the archipelago, there appear to be several categories.  For instance, we have groups that are clearly external immigrants, from outside of the archipelago  and then we have those groups that appear to be considered indigenous, at least by Yamato's thinking.. Some of this can be seen in how they are treated, discussed, and even assimilated.  Those external, while often presented as being in a tribute status, are still treated differently from those on the archipelago, where the land borders of Yamato would abut against the territories of local ethnic groups.  This probably also had something to do with the claim that the Heavenly Grandchild and their descendants, the current Tennou, were presumably given sovereignty over the entire Land of the Central Reed Plains, aka the Japanese archipelago. External immigrants included people from Silla, and, even though the kingdoms themselves had fallen and been absorbed by Silla, Gogureyo and Baekje.  This last one might be a bit surprising if we think about it in modern terms where we tend to think in terms of citizenship and nationality first and foremost.  So we think of someone as being American, French, or Japanese based on the country they came from.  But that American might be Dine—aka Navaho—or they could identify as Cajun or their parents might have been immigrants from somewhere else and they are the first generation born in the US.  That doesn't mean they aren't American, but "American" is only part of their identity.  Likewise that Japanese person could be Ainu, Ryukyuan, or even one of the Bonin islanders.  That is to say they may be from an ethno-linguistic group other than the majority ethnic group in that nation. In the same vein, while it's true that Baekje had been conquered by Silla, that doesn't mean that the Baekje people were suddenly erased and that the people suddenly changed their lifestyles or language overnight.  And so, while they may have been subjects of the Silla kingdom, there were still Baekje people both in Silla and in the archipelago.  And as late as 690, decades after it was conquered, we see that Baekje immigrants were arriving in Japan. Similarly, we see Goguryeo immigrants who came over in 687, three years earlier, even though that kingdom no longer existed.  They were settled in Hitachi, where they were given lands, received an allowance of grain to help tide them over, and then allowed to grow their community and work, as long as they did so peacefully, under the care of the local Yamato officials. And it isn't difficult to see why people of Baekje and Goguryeo might come to the archipelago.  Their other options were to head to the Great Tang, which had been the other conquering force, or possibly to go find refuge with various Tungusic ethnic groups around the Amur river area, outside of Tang control. What actually strikes me as a bit more surprising, to be honest, is the immigration of people from Silla.  After all, Silla was ascendant, was it not?  They had just unified the peninsula and this seems like it would have been a great time to be team Silla, and yet we see people leaving to come to Yamato. For instance, in 687 we see 14 immigrants from Silla settled in Shimotsuke.  22 more were presented by the Dazai-Sochi and settled in the land of Musashi.  In 689 and then in 690 we see more Silla immigrants settled in both places.  We also had 50 people come over with Buddhist priests, though we don't know where they ended up settling.  So both Musashi and Shimotsuke were being settled with immigrants from Silla.  Musashi, if you didn't already know, is the name for the area that would largely become the Tokyo metropolis in modern times.  Shimotsuke was the land adjoining it to the northeast.  In all likelihood, all of these people were probably being located to areas near each other, even though they are mentioned as being in different provinces.  That may have been more of an administrative distinction.  That also seems to indicate that they were likely being relocated to border areas where there weren't already large populations, probably because that is where there was open land that wasn't already claimed.  We see something similar with the court sending the people from Goguryeo all the way to Hitachi. It does make me wonder what must have happened for someone to choose to come to the Japanese archipelago from Silla to be sent all the way to the far end of Yamato to work the land.  In previous centuries I would have assumed that these were captives brought back from raids against the mainland, but by all accounts—and the fact that we continue to have relatively cordial diplomatic relations between Yamato and Silla—it appears that Yamato wasn't sending raids and that these individuals were likely coming willingly.  Perhaps they were getting crowded out somewhere in Silla, and had heard of new opportunities.  Or perhaps they had done something to make them persona-non-grata, as they say, back in their home country.   Whatever the reason, there were a number of people coming over, who would have also brought their cultural and technological knowledge along with them.  And many of them were being settled in the far eastern end of Honshu—though that may be something for another time. The indigenous category includes not only the Wa people of Yamato, but also the Hayato and the Emishi.  Of these we don't have a lot of information about who they were or what languages they spoke. For the Hayato we only have a few possible words of their language, and various other things that we know from Yamato's court records.  We know that the Yamato officials needed interpreters to speak with the Hayato.  There are those that theorize that the Hayato language had evolved from one of the languages spoken during the Jomon era—which doesn't give us much to go on other than the idea that it may not have been a Japonic language.  Attempts have been made to connect the Hayato with the unique burial features and other material artifacts of southern Kyushu, and then to the previous ethnic group, known as the Kumaso—or possibly the Kuma and So—but so far there are theories but no hard and fast connections. For example, we know that the Hayato were said to be from Ata and Ohosumi, according to the records of the court, but they also only show up in the late 7th century.  Prior to that we have stories of the Kumaso, and even people called Tsuchigumo.  Were those previous names for the ancestors of the Hayato?  Or were the Hayato encountered later, as Yamato's borders expanded, having perhaps encompassed the lands of the Kumaso and now running into the Hayato?  The fact that they show up so late in the narrative is particularly interesting, as they really only get mentioned in the reign of Ohoama and then Uno no Sarara—though they would be particularly active in the years to come, when the Nihon Shoki was being compiled.  For example, we know that the Hayato were brought into the court system, and also that they resisted, with numerous rebellions in the 8th century, though at this early point, things seemed to be going well. So Hayato were coming to the court, likely seeing some benefit in their association with Yamato.  They are shown coming in fairly significant numbers as well. Meanwhile, we have the ongoing assimilation of the Emishi.  Unlike the Hayato, the Emishi have shown up in the narrative since the legendary period.  We've talked about them quite a bit in various episodes.  Even within the Emishi, the Emishi of Koshi are differentiated from the Emishi further north in Tohoku.  Linguistically, a lot of place names in Tohoku and eastern Honshu have been compared to the Ainu language, with suspicions that a related language was in use in eastern and northeastern Japan for some time.  Tohoku is also the area that most resisted Yayoi culture, based on archaeological finds.  We know that wet rice paddy agriculture also made early in-roads into Tohoku, but then retreated much farther south, perhaps because it wasn't as suitable for the colder climate at that time.  Northern material culture continued to exhibit signs of evolution from the previous Jomon era, with Hokkaido continuing a tradition that we know as the Epi-Jomon, which we first talked about back in episode 50, and several times since then as well..  There were some mounded tombs—even some keyhole shaped tombs around Sendai and Osaki, in modern Miyagi prefecture—but nothing comparable to the large numbers of tombs found in areas further to the south. The Yamato people had had regular encounters with people called "Emishi" since at least the time of Kashikiya Hime, aka Suiko Tenno.  During the time that Takara Hime was on the throne a second time, there were massive military operations, first against the Emishi, and then supporting them against the Mishihase people in what appears to have been Hokkaido.  The Emishi were further brought under the Yamato court and into the court rank system, and we see rank handed out to various members of the group.  Then, in the reign of Uno no Sarara, we start to see further cultural assimilation in the form of the spread of Buddhism. In 689, we are told of Shiriko, an "Emishi of Kikafu, in Ukitamu district, in Michinoku".   This possibly refers to Okitama no Kori, a district in modern Yamagata Prefecture.  Shiriko had two sons, Maro and Kanawori, who requested permission to shave their hair and become Buddhist priests.  Perhaps related to this, about twenty days before, about 231 Emishi men and women had attended a banquet under the tsuki tree by Asukadera, where they were given gifts and rank.  Did that inspire them to want to learn more about this "Buddhism" thing? Either way, Uno no Sarara agreed.  In the edict she commented that Maro and his brother were both refined and modest, despite their youth, and that they were eating vegetarian dishes and keeping the Buddhist precepts.  So presumably this wasn't a last minute decision on their part, though we should probably take the wording in the edict with at least a grain of salt, given their purpose. Only six days later we see that the court is presenting a load of gifts to an Emishi monk named Doushin.  Doushin is said to have been a Koshi Emishi, rather than the Kitafu Emishi of Michinoku.  The court granted him a Buddhist statue, a purification flag, a wine cup, a begging bowl, five-colored silk cloth, thirteen pounds of flossed silk, 10 bolts of regular cloth, ten hoes, and a saddle. Six months later there is another priest:  Jitoku, an Emishi of Michinoku, who is granted a gold-copper image of Yakushi Buddha and a gold-copper image of Kanzeon—or Kannon—Boddhisatva, as well as a bell, a begging bowl, a precious curtain, an incense burner, and a banner. What this looks like, to me, is the court promoting Buddhism among the Emishi.  This feels similar to the way that priests also spread the worship of Mt. Miwa or other kami.  While Buddhism was technically universal, the Court had ensured that they had a hand on the center of Buddhist teaching, at least early on.  Indeed, at the same time that Uno no Sarara was building up the Jingikan and bolstering the worship of Amaterasu at Ise Grand Shrine, she and the court were also leveraging Buddhism and Buddhist concepts in a variety of ways.  She put it in an edict to the ministers in 691.  She noted that they had erected Buddhist Halls and Sutra repositories, and they practiced the six monthly fasts.  The sovereigns would occasionally send Ohotoneri to inquire after the welfare of priests.  As such, they should continue to uphold the Buddhsit Faith with zealous hearts. Upholding the faith wasn't just about words.  There were actual financial contributions.  Besides the national temples, there were gifts made, such as those to the Emishi priests, mentioned earlier.  In 692, Kwansei was presented silk and cloth and commended for making white lead, which was a popular ingredient for cosmetics.  Later that year, Yamada no Mikata was granted rank, and the fact that he had gone to Silla to study as a priest is mentioned in conjunction with that, though apparently he either didn't take orders or had gone back to being a lay person.   And in 693 they gave the priest, Hokyo, 3 chou worth or rice-land.  And in 696 there were 30 houses granted as a sustenance-fief to Bendou, a priest of Daikandaiji. And that tells us the kinds of resources the State was putting towards it, but what were they using Buddhism for?  What purpose did it serve the State, or was it purely altruistic?  A big part of it, as we have discussed in the past, was through the concept of karma and merit.  The court seems to have been making a variety of decisions that look to be efforts to increase the State's merit.  This is a continuation of things we saw in Ohoama's reign, along with some new moves.  For instance, we have previously mentioned in passing how the court was giving alms to the elderly and infirm, at least in the capital, and we see a lot more amnesties—though often qualified amnesties, with various crimes excluded. Then there were things like the edict of 689, in which Hunting and Fishing were prohibited in the Sea of Muko in the province of Settsu for a distance of 1000 paces, and for 20,000 shiro on the plain of Nagino in the district of Ate in the province of Kii, and for 20,000 shiro on the plains of Mino in the district and province of Iga.  The edict also attached keepers to these places in the same way as the Sea of Takashi in the district of Ohotori in the province of Kawachi.  Right off the bat we know a few things.  First off, this is the first time we've seen an edict like this, and yet the Chronicles say that this is similar to the way that "Keepers" were attached to the Sea of Takashi in Ohotori district.  The term used for "Keepers" appears to be "shugo", which would later be used for military governors in the Kamakura period, which would eventually become the shugo daimyo and then the Sengoku daimyo—our namesake.  But in this case it appears that "shugo" is just a literal translation of a "protector".  In front of that is the word "oku", meaning to keep or preserve.  Hence Aston's translation of these people as "keepers".  What is not clear to me is whether this is a reference to something that happened earlier, and just didn't get recorded, or if the Chroniclers are talking about a later practice which the audience for the Nihon Shoki would have been familiar with.  The Takashi sea would refer to the Seto Inland Sea just off the coast of Takashi, which was in Kawachi, south of modern Osaka.    The other places we see named are the Sea of Muko, in Settsu, which would have been north and west from modern Osaka, as well as Nagino in Kii and Mino in Iga. Nagino's location is not quite certain.  Ate is likely Arida, and Nagino may be what was eventually Nago, now thought to be near or including the Hirogawa region of Wakayama.  Later there were be prohibitions on fishining in the areas of Yuasa, Hiro, and Hirogawa, so perhaps there was also a prohibition on hunting on the plains.  This is all on the west side of the Kii peninsula, south of modern Osaka, so still facing the Seto Inland Sea. Iga, however, was on the other side of the peninsula.  Given that it was in Iga district of the land of Iga, this prohibition would definitely be about hunting, and not fishing.  It is also interesting to take a look at the measurements involved.  The one clear prohibition on fishing, in the Sea of Muko, is measured in paces while the other two are mentioned as being on the "plains"—though technically it should probably be "Nagi Plain" and "Mi Plain"—and they are measured differently, in something called "shiro".  By the way, I tried to find how big a "shiro" was and I couldn't quite do it. I wonder if the difference there, though, is area versus length:  For the sea of Muko it probably meant the waters directly out from the shore of Muko, and so I imagine that the paces were measure out from a certain point, walking along the shoreline, and then you couldn't go out into the sea in those areas to fish.  For the plains you could have more definitive markers indicating a particular area that was under the prohibition. For another clue to protected areas and distances, we see later that "long-life places" were established throughout the various provinces, each one being 1000 paces.  Aston notes that "long life places" indicated areas where animals couldn't be harmed, and given that they talk about it in terms of "paces" I would assume that means these were probably more prohibitions on fishing. That language also suggests to me that there was some kind of Buddhist reasoning behind it—mercy for the creatures of the land.  It isn't clear how long these prohibitions remained in effect, either.  This may also explain an order just a few days later that a white swallow that was caught in Mike, in the land of Sanuki, should be set free.  Unusually white or albino animals were often caught and presented to the throne as auspicious omens, not always in a live state.  However, Buddhism often teaches that there is merit in releasing animals, and so this feels like it was a way of demonstrating mercy and building merit, while also acknowledging the auspicious omen that accompanied its appearance. Also in this edict is who it is directed to:  Tanaka no Ason no Norimaro, who is named as the "soryo" of Iyo.  We've mentioned this before, in passing; this was a position similar to the Dazai no Sochi.  Effectively, the government official in charge of Iyo was in charge of the entire island of Shikoku.  Unlike the Dazai no Sochi, this position does not seem to have remained for long; instead, Shikoku was divided up into separate provinces and then each province had its own governor. By the way, we've talked about Norimaro before, as well.  He was previously in charge of the mission to Silla, when they went to announce Ohoama's demise, but then ran into a bunch of diplomatic etiquette issues such that they weren't able to deliver the news—or perhaps more appropriately they decided they couldn't deliver the news.  So from representing the court on missions, Norimaro went on to become the government official in Iyo overseeing all of Shikoku.  A couple of years later he would show up again, this time sending gold and silver that had apparently been found at Mt. Mima in Uwa district—modern Uwajima.  Unfortunately, after that he disappears from the narrative, and the position seems to end with him. Speaking of animals—the presentation of auspicious plants animals continued, and was often wrapped up with amnesties and similar such things.  The year 692 seems to have been of particular significance.  There we see the Governor of Sagami presenting a pair of fledgling red crows that had been caught in Miura.  Later we see that the governor, the vice governor, and the individual who had caught the crows—Kashima no Omi no Kusu—were gifted with rank and presents, while Miura district had its taxes and forced labor remitted for a period of three years. Later that same year, the Governor of Ise presented auspicious stalks of rice while the Governor of Echizen, that is to say the western part of Koshi closest to the capital, presented a white moth.  The stalks of rice don't seem to have warranted much, but the white moth, which presumably was not just a moth that is naturally white, was apparently considered something noteworthy.  We are told that it was caught on the shore at Uragami, in the district of Tsuruga.  As such, the Fief of the Kebi no Kami—the kami of Kebi, or at least his shrine—was increased by 20 houses.  Unfortunately, we have a lacuna or gap in the text so we don't get everything else.  This is a good reminder that sometimes we don't have anything because it wasn't written down, and sometimes because accidents happen.  Either something doesn't get transcribed properly or something gets damaged early on and there aren't enough copies for it to propagate from another source. Our next omens come in 694—the same year that the Fujiwara Palace was occupied.  We are told that a white copper-pheasant was presented by Sarara in Kawachi.  So the Governor and Vice-Governor of the district received promotions, as did the many who had caught it, Osakabe no Miyatsuko no Karakuni.  Four months later, a white bat was found by a man in Araki, in Hida province.  His name was Ohokunibe no Otohi, and he didn't receive a promotion in court rank, but he did get material presents in terms of silk cloth and floss, and, perhaps more importantly, he was exempted from all forced labor for the rest of his life.  Not a bad deal, if you ask me. Now omens were good and all, but omens were hardly active expressions by the government.  When things were happening—like damaging rains—or perhaps not happening—like droughts—people wanted the government to do something.  I know it may be hard for people to believe in this day and age, but many people believed that the government was responsible for all sorts of things that it had little control over.  In this case, that was the weather, and the state could at least prepare by collecting taxes in rice and then providing relief via those same resources.  But that still only did so much.  So when months went by with no rain falling, the state would turn towards ritual.  In some cases that ritual was directed at the kami and the new Jingikan, but in other cases, it fell on Buddhist priests. So, for example, in 688 we are told that there was a drought and the court initiated prayers for rain.  Those prayers were carried out by the priest Douzou.  Douzou was of Baekje extraction, but that didn't concern the court—they just wanted to know that he was effective.  Sure enough, after praying for rain, the clouds opened up and before morning the rain had fallen.  We are told it fell "across the realm", which I'm pretty sure is hyperbole.  It probably fell all across the Nara plains and surrounding areas, which was enough for the court. In 691, they were struck with the opposite problem, which we know because the court issued an edict dated to the 19th day of the 6th month of that year.  Apparently rain had fallen for two straight months.  And while the fifth month rains—the Satsuki-ame—are well-known, this apparently had started back in the 4th month of that year, and now there was a worry that it would start to injure the crops, reducing the annual yield.  The conclusion appears to have been that the country did not have enough merit.  Therefore the ministers and officials were prohibited from the use of strong drink or meat—Aston translates it directly as "animal food".  They were also ordered to compose their hearts and repent of any sins they may have committed.  At the same time, the priests in the temples of the capital and Home provinces were told to recite sutras for five straight days.  We also know that a day later they announced an amnesty for various criminals, as well.  Another act of mercy and hopefully for making merit. And it seems to have worked.  Or one could just say that the natural monsoon rains finally stopped after a particularly heavy season.  Who's to say? In the 5th intercalary month of 692, the rains were again pretty bad.  This time it isn't that they were long, but that it was heavy rain—what Japanese meteorology reports would likely call "Oyu", or Great Rain—which brought with it floods. Unfortunately, while they could pray for rain to start or stop, floods are another matter.  By the time you know the flood has happened it is too late.  And so this is where the government's preparedness came into focus.  Commissioners were sent to visit the districts and provinces.  There they found people affected by the flooding and they were empowered to make loans to provide relief.  Furthermore, they allowed people to access resources that might otherwise have been restricted, allowing them to fish and cut wood in the hills, forests, ponds, and marshes, even if that was normally a prohibited activity, so that they could sustain themselves until they were able to get back on their feet.  At the same time, the Sutra of Golden Light, the Konkwoumyou Sutra, one of the sutras for protecting the state, was to be read aloud in the capital and the Home Provinces.  The Sutra of Golden Light is the one which not only talks about the Shitennou, the four heavenly kings, but also emphasizes that if rulers support and honor the recitation of the sutra, then their kingdoms would be prosperous and peaceful, so what better time to read it than during or just after a disaster? There were other recitations and congregations that were not quite so obviously connected.  In 690, there were discourses in the inner precinct of the palace during the "Vassa", known in Japanese as "Ango" or "Dwelling in Peace".  This comes from the tradition in Buddhism where it is said that the Buddha and his disciples, though normally traveling around the countryside, would come together during the rainy season.  During this time they would talk and share.  It is still practiced in many Theravada schools, where monks will gather in temples during the rainy season.  Of course, as we've discussed, the 5th month was right in the middle of Japan's rainy season, so it seems like they may have been attempting to emulate that tradition. Three years later, we are told that they held a great-congregation of monks on that same date—the 15th day of the 5th month.  This is not referred to as an Ango, however, possibly noting a change in the way they were organizing or conducting it—or possibly just because it was referred to differently in the record the Chroniclers used.  That said, a great-congregation was simply a Buddhist gathering, where various priests would provide sermons or sutra readings, and not necessarily tied to a particular time.  Another one was called in the 9th month of 693 on behalf of the late sovereign, Ohoama and all prisoners were released, which was no doubt merit seen as accruing to the late sovereign. A month after that, the Benevolent King Sutra, or Ninnou-kyou, was expounded in the provinces for four days.  This is another one of the sutras considered important for the well-being of the state. In 694 we have 100 copies of the Konkwoumyou sutra—the Sutra of Golden Light—being sent out to the provinces, with the intent that they should be read together, at a certain time, when the moon of the first month was in the first quarter.  Any fees or resources needed by the temples to carry this out were to be defrayed from the public revenues of the provinces.  As Aston points out, "revenues" in this case would not necessarily be cash money.  Not that they didn't have coins—they had the Fuhonsen coins from Ohoama's time; see Episode 146 for more information.  We are even told that in 694 the court appointed three officials—Ohoyake no Maro, Utena no Yashima, and Kibumi no Honjitsu—to be governors for the mint, although Aston notes a Shoku Nihongi account from 708 that claimed that was the "first time" the title was given out.  Either way, even though they were minting coins, these wouldn't have been in common circulation.  The government may have used them to pay for things, but taxes coming in, especially in the provinces would have been in-kind taxes, meaning that the revenue to the temples were likely paid in rice, cloth, or similar. We similarly see another edict to read the Golden Light sutra on the first day of the twelfth month of 696.  This time it wasn't just a one time reading, though: they were setting a precedent.  The edict was to expound the Sutra of Golden Light and then, every year hence, they would schedule ten people of pure life who should be inducted as monks on the eve of the New Year.  I have to wonder about how they had people take orders—and whether it was a lifelong commitment or, as in some cultures, today, a temporary position.  After all, Ohoama took orders but didn't exactly remain "retired" for all that long. The same thing had happened back in 694, when one hundred and four people were made to enter religion for the sake of Royal Princess Asuka.  So how long did they remain Buddhist priests? There is a reference, in 693, of a priest being stripped of his monkhood.  It was done by royal order for a Goguryeo priest Fukuka, and it isn't made clear why.  Was it something that the priest wanted?  Maybe they wanted to stop being a monk for some reason?  Or was it done as a punishment?  There was apparently a great-congregation only about two weeks prior.  Maybe there was some drama?  We'll probably never know. In 697, there was an uptick in merit-making.  In the third month, a great-congregation was being held in the Eastern Palace.  The Eastern Palace was the home of the Crown Prince, so this may have something to do with the planned succession, but then in the 6th month we see a bunch of things happening.  There was a royal order for sutras to be read in temples in the Home Provinces, and then, nine days later, an order that people of 5th rank and lower were to go spend time cleaning out the temples in the capital.  On the 26th, 11 days after that, we get a record the seems to bring this into focus, as the Ministers and public functionaries started making votive images of the Buddha for the sake of Uno no Sarara's illness.  It seems that she was feeling unwell, which probably kicked off a lot of this activity, and may even be why she finally decided to abdicate.  There was one more seemingly related note.  On the 29th day of the 7th month the Ministers and public functionaries prepared a festival for the installation of Buddhist images in the temple of Yakushiji.  This was the temple Ohoama had originally commissioned for Uno no Sarara during his reign when she was sick back then.  She had recovered, then, and she would recover again—but her faith in the healing power of the Buddha may have been limited.  She would abdicate a few days later, leaving the throne to Prince Karu—the future Monmu Tennou. One last thing, somewhat tangential, it seems.  In the 11th month of 693, three priests, Houin, Zen'ou, and Shingi, set out, along with others, to the Yasu district in Afumi to taste the sweet wine of the local springs.  This is likely the area around the Yasu river, where it flows northwest from the mountains into Lake Biwa.  Today it is Yasu city on one side of the river and Moriyama city on the other. They apparently came back in the third month of the following year, as that is when we get a royal edict concerning said springs.  Based on that, we are told that the spring of quote-unquote "sweet wine" or "sweet sake" bubbled up at Mt. Tsuga in the Yasu district of Afumi.  Mt. Tsuga, or Tsugayama, may be related to "Moriyama", and Moriyama city is still known for the spring water that comes out of the nearby mountains. In the edict they mention that people who were afflicted with various disease would stay at Yasudera, where they presumably drank the water from the springs, and many of them found themselves healed.  For this miraculous occurrence, the temple itself was awarded four chou of rice-land, and an amount of cloth.  In addition, the district of Yasu was exempted from taxes and forced labor, as well as from any other kinds of corvees that might be levied, for at least one year.  Local authorities were promoted a grade in rank, and gifts were made out to those who were credited with first discovering the springs and their miraculous properties—Kadono no Hatsuki and the daughter of Kudara no Tsurara. A couple of extra notes, based on what we see here.  First off, it is unfortunately too often the case that we see women described like this—the daughter of so-and-so—without providing an actual name.  It is interesting that she is the daughter of someone with the name "Kudara", meaning "Baekje".  During the reign of Naka no Ohoe, aka Tenji Tennou, a number of Baekje people were settled in the areas around Lake Biwa and the Echi River, the next major river to the northeast. The temple mentioned, Yasudera, would have been the local temple, probably run by the local elites.  That likely means the Yasu no Atai family.  The temple itself is no more, and we aren't sure exactly where it was, but there is a strong case to be made that archaeological remains at Yoshimi-chou, in modern Moriyama city, might be that temple.  Still, there is no conclusive evidence. As for springs having healing properties—this is nothing new.  Minerals could have given the water a sweet taste, or perhaps there was something that clouded it, like nigori-zake—unfiltered rice wine.  Whether or not there were any natural healing properties I leave up to your own imagining.  Did people actually benefit from the waters?  Or maybe just because they believed?  Was the fact that a Buddhist temple was involved part of it, or is this just the same thing we see with people going to various springs and imparting to them some healing properties? Either way, it seems that at some point the spring no longer produced the "sweet wine" that had made it famous in its day, and people moved on to a different location. For now, I think we can stop here.  We have probably one more episode talking about specific items from this reign, but we are starting to get more and more sources, including the poetry of the Man'yoshu, which I hope to dig into here in a bit.  Plus a few other things in the works. Until then if you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Psychic Being — Soul: Its Nature, Mission and Evolution, Section 6 More Lights on the Psychic Being, pg. 165This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2026/08/30/the-external-being-the-chakras-and-the-psychic-beings-influence/Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are allavailable on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net  The US editions and links to e-book editions of SriAurobindo's writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com#Sri Aurobindo #The Mother #yoga #integral yoga #spirituality #soul #psychic being #chakras #Aristotle

Living Every Day With Eternal PurposeColossians 3:23–24 NET 23 Whatever you are doing, work at it with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not for people, 24 because you know that you will receive your inheritance from the Lord as the reward. Serve the Lord Christ. At the end of your life, what will matter most? It won't be how much money you made.It won't be how many followers you had. It won't be how popular you became.It won't be how many possessions you accumulated. Because one day, every one of us will stand before God. And in that moment, the question will not be "How successful were you?" The question will be, "Were you faithful with the life I gave you?"Join Life's Word Academy: https://tinyurl.com/lifeswordacademyAccept Jesus today. https://youtube.com/shorts/bIwAUlz7Kg4?si=BNOhv44iLWIR4eVJIf you would like to accept Jesus into your heart today, pray this simple prayer:****God, I have sinned against You. I believe that Jesus is Your Son, who died and rose for my sake. I ask you to forgive me for my sin. I place my trust in You for salvation. I receive you as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, I am forgiven! Amen!****Congratulations! You are now a child of the Most High. John 1:12 says, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."****If you just prayed this prayer to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, I welcome you to the family of God. Subscribe to my channel and type in the comments right now, “I just prayed that prayer.”****Click here for FREE eBook download: https://tinyurl.com/ISAIDTHEPRAYERShow your love and support the channel:*PayPal: PayPal.me/malachimitchellministry*Cash App: https://cash.app/$MalachiMitchNote Journals and Puzzles:https://tinyurl.com/WalkinFaithPublishingAuthored Books: https://tinyurl.com/PastorMalachiBooksHNO Crypto Coin Investing Opportunity: https://tinyurl.com/HNOCoin-ReferralFREE Ways to Support Me:

In this episode, Jason explains what he means by using email only for external communication. His goal is to reduce slow, batched communication and move teams toward faster, clearer channels whenever possible. Jason explains why internal teams should rely more on tools like Microsoft Teams, ClickUp, Asana, Monday.com, radios, and direct meetings instead of defaulting to email. He also clarifies that "external only" does not mean emailing everyone outside your immediate office, it means using email selectively when faster communication channels are not practical and documentation is genuinely needed. What you'll learn in this episode: Why email can create delays, batching, miscommunication, and unnecessary administrative work. What "external email only" actually means inside a Lean communication system. How internal teams can use faster communication channels instead of relying on inboxes. Why even external contacts should be moved to quicker communication methods when appropriate. Are you using email because it is truly the best communication method, or simply because it has become the default?   If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode.  And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two

On this episode of The Buzz, powered by Toyota Automated Logistics, hosts Scott Luton and Karin Bursa welcome Philip Vervloesem, Chief Commercial and Markets Officer at OMP, for a wide-ranging conversation on the forces reshaping global supply chains. From extreme weather and transportation disruptions to China's rapidly expanding automotive industry, the team explores today's biggest supply chain headlines before diving into AI, decision velocity, always-on planning, and the evolving role of supply chain professionals. Supply chain leaders have more data, technology, and intelligence at their fingertips than ever before, but the real competitive advantage comes from turning those insights into the right decisions faster. Scott, Karin, and Philip examine how organizations can use scenario planning, external market signals, AI agents, and connected decision-making to respond more effectively to disruption and uncertainty. They also explore why successful AI adoption isn't simply about automation or replacing people. Instead, the future belongs to organizations that combine intelligent technology with human judgment, collaboration, trust, and business context. Key Takeaways Resilience happens before disruption. Scenario planning and decision intelligence give organizations more options while there is still time to act. External signals matter. Weather, climate patterns, market conditions, and other syndicated data can help companies anticipate disruptions and continuously refine supply chain plans. Decision velocity is becoming a competitive advantage. Leading organizations aren't simply collecting more data—they're connecting data to decisions and executing those decisions across the enterprise faster. Agentic AI's greatest opportunity is augmentation. AI agents can identify issues, evaluate scenarios, coordinate information, and recommend actions, while people provide judgment, context, governance, and leadership. Always-on planning is changing traditional planning cycles. Planning isn't disappearing, but waiting for weekly or monthly cycles to respond to change increasingly will. The planner of the future needs strong human skills. Business knowledge, communication, influence, collaboration, storytelling, and the ability to navigate trade-offs will become even more valuable as technology advances. The future of supply chain planning isn't simply about moving faster—it's about making better decisions with greater confidence. As AI, intelligent planning platforms, and always-on capabilities continue to evolve, successful organizations will be those that connect technology with human expertise and turn complexity into action. Tune in to hear how leaders can prepare now for a more adaptive, resilient, and decision-driven supply chain. Additional Links & Resources: Toyota Automated Logistics: https://toyota-automated-logistics.com/ Enterprise Unleashed: The Biggest Lessons from 2026 So Far: https://streamyard.com/watch/CBk6F4Dgtwk3 The Peak Readiness Index Report 2026: https://bit.ly/Peak-Readiness-Report Low Rhine levels disrupting German industry: https://reut.rs/45BdaL8 Corporate concern over El Nino hits multi-year high: https://reut.rs/4xPGVnI There Aren't Enough Ships to Handle China's Booming Car Exports: https://on.wsj.com/4bXfZd8 OMP: https://omp.com/ Connect with Philip on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipvervloesem/ Upcoming Live Programming: https://supplychainnow.com/upcoming-live-programming/ Supply Chain Now Resource Hub: https://supplychainnow.com/resource-hub/ Learn more about our hosts: https://supplychainnow.com/about Learn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.com Watch and listen to more Supply Chain Now episodes here: https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-now Subscribe to Supply Chain Now on your favorite platform: https://supplychainnow.com/join Work with us! Download Supply Chain Now's NEW Media Kit: https://bit.ly/3XH6OVk WEBINAR- SAP AI Inside the Supply Chain: From Silo to Orchestration: https://bit.ly/4bvpz6K WEBINAR- Operational AI in the Supply Chain: How context empowers agents and humans to operate side by side: https://bit.ly/4x7Vd2Z WEBINAR- You Can't Manage What You Can't See: Using Visibility, KPIs, and AI to Optimize Logistics Operations: https://bit.ly/4ql6iem This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and Karin Bursa, and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. For additional information, please visit the dedicated episode page at: https://supplychainnow.com/buzz-decision-velocity-ai-agents-future-supply-chain-planning-1628 The content in this episode, including all audio, videos, visuals, and graphics, is the property of Supply Chain Now and is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized use, reproduction, distribution, modification, or re-uploading of this content in any form is strictly prohibited without explicit written permission from Supply Chain Now.For licensing inquiries or permissions, please contact us at production@supplychainnow.com© 2026 Supply Chain Now. All rights reserved. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

EP:206 Hey Thrive Community!

Every man is to pray or call upon God, according as he is able, with respect unto his own condition, relations, occasions, and duties. Certainly there is not a man in the world who hath not forfeited all his reason and understanding unto atheism, or utterly buried all their operations under the fury of brutish affections, but he is convinced that it is his duty to pray to the deity he owns, in words of his own, as well as he is able; for this, and none other, is the genuine and natural notion of prayer. This is implanted in the heart of mankind, which they need not be taught nor directed unto.

Every man is to pray or call upon God, according as he is able, with respect unto his own condition, relations, occasions, and duties. Certainly there is not a man in the world who hath not forfeited all his reason and understanding unto atheism, or utterly buried all their operations under the fury of brutish affections, but he is convinced that it is his duty to pray to the deity he owns, in words of his own, as well as he is able; for this, and none other, is the genuine and natural notion of prayer. This is implanted in the heart of mankind, which they need not be taught nor directed unto.

For Fanta Toure, community-led crisis response efforts like mutual aid are not an emergent movement as some in the international aid system see it, but rather a return "to the way things are supposed to be". Toure, along with Hajooj Kuka of Sudan's emergency response rooms (ERRs) and Bashair Ahmed of Shabaka, joined co-host Christina Bennett to discuss the diversity of grassroots aid efforts, and to challenge the formal humanitarian system to adopt a more humble and supportive position towards locally-led action "What the system can do is to move from leading by default to actually supporting by design," says Ahmed, who points out that diaspora remittances dwarf foreign investment and international aid combined.  Kuka, meanwhile, offers a picture of a lifesaving network of volunteers who lean on flexibility, solidarity, and even joy to keep each other alive.  "What the ERRs did is showing that if the system collapses, we'll be okay," says Kuka. "The system is not what's holding us together; it's our humanity." Guests Fanta Toure, CEO of Resilio Fund Hajooj Kuka, External communications officer for Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms Bashair Ahmed, Founder of Shabaka Key moments [06:35] – Inside Sudan's 800 decentralised mutual aid groups [11:45] – Diaspora remittances are bigger than foreign aid [16:57] – Community-led aid means going back to way things are supposed to be [20:25] – The 'permafrost' of the aid system [32:21] – Flexibility, joy, and dreaming: Lessons from feminist movements  [45:44] – When localisation gets co‑opted  [58:59] – 'Mutual aid is here to disturb the system' [01:14:50] – What if 20% of foreign aid was given directly to communities? [01:19:00] – 'Move from leading by default to supporting by design' Got a question or feedback? Email podcast@thenewhumanitarian.org or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.  This episode was made in collaboration with Start Network as part of a series that explores what really drives change in the humanitarian system, and what it tells us about future efforts to transform the system for the better. 

Discover your vibration and get a personalized meditation to help you let go of your core pattern and raise your vibration to a whole NEW level (It's FREE) ➡️: https://whatsmyvibration.com/ If setting boundaries makes you feel guilty, the real issue may go much deeper than learning how to say "no." Here's how to release the childhood pattern underneath it.

“Demand avoidance”, poor generalization, prompt-dependence, and social skills challenges seem like isolated issues. But often they're not. Many times they're tied to executive functioning challenges. That's why when I describe “executive dysfunction”, I cluster it into five broad areas:Attention, Learning Challenges, Behavioral Issues, Organization, and Social SkillsUsually, this is the point that the lightbulb goes on for a lot of clinicians and educators in the room as they realize executive functioning is the common sticking point behind many of their students' challenges.When I support clinicians in designing executive functioning intervention frameworks, I start with explaining the external signs. Things like:✅ Refusing to do even the simplest of tasks, and putting more effort into avoiding the work than it would take to actually do it✅Behaviors that seem disproportionate to the situation, melt downs over things that barely phase their peers✅ Always appearing to be several steps behind✅ Not “reading the room” during functional tasks, and requiring tons of prompts✅ Lack of awareness of how they're coming across to othersIn episode 266 of De Facto Leaders, I do a deep dive into these five external signs that tie back to executive functioning challenges. In this episode, I mention the Task Execution and Planning Protocol, which gives school clinicians an intervention strategy that takes students from “demand avoidance” and prompt dependence to independence during daily academic and functional tasks. You can learn more about the Task Execution and Planning Protocol here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/taskexecutionIn this episode, I mentioned School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers design scalable executive functioning interventions to ensure students get the scaffolding they need across the school day. You can learn more about the program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

New pod is out! The SaDBoys talk about recent outfits, from Spencer's rugged ivy look for Disneyland to a backyard wedding that asked guests to wear florals and vibrant colors in lieu of dark cocktail attire. This prompted a discussion centered around appreciating External Occasions, the rare times where an event specifically calls for a dress code or themed outfits. That could be a wedding— or attending the Magic Castle, Hollywood's famous invite-only club that requires a strict dress code (suits only, no separates) if you are to enjoy being entertained by the magicians contained within its walls. Of course, nothing beats a day where you get dressed for yourself, like wearing a white suit to treat yourself to a coffee. It's a fun episode that is guaranteed to get you thinking about how you dress for the Occasions in your life, whether they're internal or externally motivated! Ethan's Blog: https://alittlebitofrest.com/2026/08/24/playing-with-dress-codes-green-tailoring-and-external-occasions-revisited/ Support us on Patreon and join the Discord: https://www.patreon.com/styleanddirection/ Follow us on Instagram! www.instagram.com/styleanddirection/

In this episode of The First Day from The Fund Raising School, Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., is joined by Amanda Sattler, PhilD, consultant and researcher with Amanda Sattler Consulting, to examine fundraiser burnout and why solving it requires more than self-care. Drawing on more than 20 years of fundraising experience, including two significant periods of burnout in her own career, Sattler explains that fundraisers can be physically, mentally, emotionally, and relationally healthy and still struggle when their organizations fail to provide adequate resources, support, and shared leadership. Fundraisers have a responsibility to care for and advocate for themselves, but organizations and sector leaders must also recognize burnout as a systemic issue. Sattler describes several workplace conditions that can contribute to burnout, including excessive workload, lack of fairness, conflicting values, and weak relationships. Because the causes differ, the solutions must differ as well. Reducing workload may not solve a fairness problem, just as higher compensation may not address isolation. Effective responses require diagnosing the real issue and building stronger partnerships among fundraisers, CEOs, supervisors, boards, and colleagues. Bill and Amanda also discuss the challenge of “leading up” when fundraisers are not in the organization's ultimate decision-making role. Sattler encourages fundraisers to raise concerns before burnout reaches a crisis and to connect those conversations to organizational outcomes. Investments in staffing, technology, training, and other resources are not simply employee benefits. They directly affect fundraising capacity and, ultimately, mission delivery. The conversation then expands to the nonprofit sector's long-standing scarcity mindset and the “myth of overhead.” Using the job demands-resources model, Sattler explains that burnout becomes more likely when demands consistently exceed available resources. External pressures such as the COVID-19 pandemic or losses in government funding can intensify the problem, but often reveal organizational fragility that already existed because of chronic underinvestment in people, systems, fundraising capacity, and indirect costs. Sattler proposes a different approach: “human-centered stewardship,” where sustaining the people responsible for generating and deploying resources is treated as part of responsible nonprofit management. She also encourages fundraisers to build connections outside their organizations through professional associations, peer communities, training, and continuing education. Those relationships may not solve internal challenges, but they can provide critical support and perspective. The central takeaway is simple: caring for fundraisers is not separate from caring for the mission. Creating sustainable conditions for the people responsible for generating resources is essential to creating sustainable impact.

Send us Fan MailWhat happens when the things you thought would make you happy—a successful career, money, social approval, and external validation—no longer make you feel well?In this conversation, you'll learn about self-compassion, acceptance, and redefining what wellness truly means. You'll also get some tips on how to navigate career transitions, and the concept of “energy audit”. My guest, Matt Kovatchis, is a Chicago-based keynote speaker, certified coach, and author of the guided journal Enjoying Your Own Company. Matt is on a mission to help people stop beating themselves up and start showing up with more presence, resilience, self-compassion, and joy.After years of seeking validation outside of himself, Matt reached a turning point that led him to make some difficult but life-changing decisions - a journey that ultimately helped him move from fear and self-judgment toward self-acceptance, compassion, love, and purpose.If you've ever felt exhausted from constantly pushing, proving, achieving, or trying to fit, this conversation is for you.CONNECT TO MATT:  www.mattkovatchis.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-kovatchis-1b74b3aa/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mkovatchis23/If you enjoyed this episode, please FOLLOW, RATE, REVIEW & SHARE!! Rates and reviews help the message get to more people! Thanks!Good is What Makes You Feel Well is Mamma Terra's PodcastCONNECT WITH MAMMA TERRA HEALTH COACHING:Instagram: @mammaterrahcSchedule a FREE Discovery call Sign up for my free weekly newsletter: HEREBuy my book Living Your Best Life in CollegeTake the 2-minute Wellness QuizIntro Music "Levitar" credits to Ricardo Ulpiano, Thiago Peixoto, Marcelo Luciano Menino, and Anderson Rodrigo de Oliveira.Podcast art credits to Caroline Kohls Thanks for tuning in!

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be liked,appreciated, successful, or occasionally greeted with a heart instead of a thumbs up. The trouble starts when we need the outside world to continually feed us proof that we are enough. In this episode, Michelle explores what happens when our hunger for validation, recognition, stuff, status, money, or other people's approval becomes a substitute for actually knowing ourselves. It is an exhausting buffet because somehow we keep eating and never feel full. Thealternative is simpler, although not necessarily easier: know who you are, release some of the shoulds, choose quality over quantity, practice real humility, and get curious about what actually nourishes you. Because the less energy you spend managing what everyone else thinks about you, the more energy you have available to simply be you.Questions or comments? I'd love to hear from you! Michelle@GrowBy1.comEnjoying the podcast? Help us reach more people by liking,commenting, following, subscribing, or sharing the podcast with someone who might enjoy these conversations too.Reflection QuestionsWhere in your life are you currently looking to other peoplefor validation, recognition, approval, or reassurance?How much energy do you spend thinking about how other people see you, and what might become possible if you redirected some of that energy toward simply knowing yourself?What are you currently wanting that you believe will finallymake you feel satisfied, successful, worthy, or enough?When you consider your work, possessions, relationships, andcommitments, what genuinely nourishes you and what are you maintaining because you think you should?What could become simpler in your life if you trusted whoyou are and stopped needing the outside world to continually confirm it?

The strongest businesses aren't built by finding a better marketing tactic. They're built by becoming fit enough to thrive no matter how the marketplace changes. Dr. Stephen and Dr. Pete introduce a powerful fitness analogy that reveals why so many chiropractors have become overdependent on digital marketing while neglecting the foundational systems that create sustainable growth. By rethinking marketing through the lens of balance, resilience, and stewardship, they offer a practical framework for building a practice that's stronger, more adaptable, and far less vulnerable to changing algorithms or market conditions.  In This Episode You Will Discover: Why one overlooked weakness may be quietly limiting the growth of an otherwise successful practice.  A fitness analogy that completely changes how marketing should be evaluated.  The hidden cost of relying too heavily on one source of new patients.  A simple mindset shift that turns marketing from reactive to resilient.  How stronger marketing systems create greater stability, impact, and long-term growth. Episode Highlights 01:18 - A bigger mission sets up a conversation about finding the weak spots that may be limiting practice growth. 03:04 - Marketing gets reframed as an extension of mission, service, and the responsibility to reach more people. 04:19 - The changing digital marketing landscape reveals why relying too heavily on one source of new patients can leave a practice vulnerable. 05:51 - Internal, external, and digital marketing come together as three distinct areas that need strength to create a more resilient growth strategy. 06:41 - The fitness analogy makes it easier to identify which part of a practice's marketing may be getting overtrained while another is being neglected. 08:03 - A real-world lesson in physical fitness shows what can happen when the strength required to perform consistently begins to disappear. 11:21 - The 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 framework offers a practical benchmark for evaluating the balance between internal, external, and digital marketing. 15:03 - Business fitness requires ongoing investment, and one exercise challenges where marketing time, energy, focus, and money are currently going. 17:05 - The hidden cost of missed referrals and patient churn changes the conversation around investing more heavily in internal marketing. 19:30 - External marketing brings the focus back to building relationships in the community and making sure people know who the practice is, what it does, and why it does it. 21:20 - The “power of one” creates a manageable way to strengthen each area of marketing without overwhelming the team. 22:23 - Breaking an unhealthy dependence on digital marketing starts with recognizing what the practice can control and where it has the greatest influence. 25:05 - Nadine Brunet from Success Partner Platinum Systems joins Dr. Chris to discuss the launch of Platinum Cloud, an AI-powered chiropractic software platform built to simplify workflows, reduce administrative tasks, and improve efficiency for practices. They explore agentic AI, integrated tools, seamless onboarding, and how Platinum Systems is helping chiropractors future-proof their clinics with smarter technology.   Resources Mentioned To learn more about the REM CEO Program, please visit:  http://www.theremarkablepractice.com/rem-ceo For more information about Platinum please visit: https://www.platinumsystem.com/ Book a Strategy Session with Dr. Pete - https://go.oncehub.com/PodcastPC Prefer to watch? Catch the podcast on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRemarkablePractice1 To listen to more episodes, visit https://theremarkablepractice.com/podcast or follow on your favorite podcast app.

You're either in External or Embodied Self-Worth Energy. Which one are you a slut for? Let me start by saying this... The outcome I wanted never happened when I was proving.  When I NEEDED the achievement to make me feel good enough & worthy. Even when I decided 'it was all working out for me.' The underlying current of 'need' and self-worth attached to the external would override every single time. And when I was in this energy...my income was

Can international equities keep leading as the rally broadens? In this episode of Making Sense, Edwina Lowe from J.P. Morgan's Data Assets and Alpha Group sits down with Federico Manicardi, head of International Market Intelligence, and Jigar Vakharia from the Positioning Intelligence team to unpack the landscape. They look at what's driving Europe's strength, why APAC is moving from stabilization to accumulation and how investor positioning is evolving across regions. They also discuss the key themes in play — from AI and semiconductors to miners and banks — as well as what risks could disrupt the path ahead, including rates, geopolitics and the fragility of investor conviction.   This episode was recorded on August 13, 2026.  The podcast's views do not necessarily reflect those of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co or its affiliates (together “J.P. Morgan) and are not from J.P. Morgan's Research Department. They do not constitute recommendations or offers to buy or sell securities. Intended for institutional and professional investors, not retail use, it is for informational purposes only. Products and services mentioned may not suit all investors or be available in all jurisdictions. J.P. Morgan may make markets and trade in discussed securities and asset classes. Visit www.jpmorgan.com/disclosures/salesandtradingdisclaimer for more disclaimers and regulatory disclosures. External speakers' opinions are personal and not J.P. Morgan's views. © 2026 JPMorgan Chase & Company. All rights reserved.

Guilt can feel like proof that you care—but when it becomes your default way of relating to work, family, and yourself, it quietly turns care into obligation. AJ sits down with psychiatrist Jennifer Reid to explore why high achievers, caregivers, parents, and people pleasers often carry more responsibility than they can actually control. They unpack the difference between healthy guilt and chronic guilt, why disappointment does not mean a relationship is broken, and how perfectionism, social comparison, external validation, and rigid ideas about parenting or masculinity can keep people trapped in shame and self-criticism. You'll learn Jennifer's “guilt equation,” how to recognize unrealistic expectations, why self-compassion is not the same as lowering your standards, and how to make decisions based on values instead of guilt. This conversation offers a practical way to stop taking responsibility for everyone else's emotions and start creating healthier boundaries, relationships, and definitions of success. Episode Resources: Stop being over looked and unlock your X-Factor today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠unlockyourxfactor.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/763503/guilt-free-by-jennifer-reid-md/ https://www.jenniferreidmd.com/ Chapters 00:00 – When guilt starts running your life01:45 – Why guilt is not the same as caring04:20 – Healthy guilt vs. chronic guilt06:15 – Family obligation and the debt of gratitude08:00 – Boundaries, disappointment, and relationships09:55 – Why self-criticism fails as motivation11:30 – Signs guilt is controlling your decisions15:45 – External validation and achievement17:30 – Social comparison and the messy middle20:35 – Parenting guilt and impossible expectations25:15 – Masculinity, vulnerability, and emotional pressure30:55 – Why “balance” can become another source of guilt35:15 – The guilt equation explained38:50 – Self-compassion without lowering your standards40:20 – Finding the hidden expectations beneath guilt44:10 – How labels become limiting identities50:00 – The cost of hiding difficult emotions55:00 – What to do when guilty thoughts appear A Word From Our Sponsors Get $250 off select AirDoctor air purifiers by using promo code CHARM at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AirDoctorPro.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Shopify is where you go to start your business, and everything you need to sell is already there from day one. Start your free trial by going to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SHOPIFY.COM/charm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with top talent ready to help your business grow by going to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UPWORK.COM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This year, skip breaking a sweat AND breaking the bank. Get your summer savings and shop premium wireless plans at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mintmobile.com/charm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Keywords guilt, chronic guilt, self compassion, boundaries, people pleasing, perfectionism, emotional health, mental health, parenting guilt, caregiver guilt, self criticism, expectations, external validation, social comparison, masculinity, vulnerability, relationships, burnout, shame, emotional regulation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Episode 346, a betrayed partner wonders whether her husband can genuinely recover from pornography addiction when he admits that lying, hiding, gaslighting, and hurting her are wrong but still insists that pornography itself is not “bad.” While we believe there are very substantial reasons to view pornography as harmful, we also believe that turning recovery into a debate about morality can actually become a distraction. An addict can endlessly argue research, compare himself to others, minimize consequences, or find someone willing to validate his position. The more important distinction is between compliance and conversion. Compliance says, “I will stop because my wife, therapist, church, or circumstances require me to.” Conversion says, “I am beginning to understand that this behavior is fundamentally incompatible with the person I want to become.” External motivation may get someone through the recovery door, but lasting change requires the motivation to eventually become internal.The deeper examination involves asking what pornography has actually trained within the individual. Repeated pornography use can condition the mind toward objectification, scanning, comparing, novelty, entitlement, immediate gratification, fantasy, and consumption. Healthy relational sexuality, by contrast, requires presence, patience, mutuality, vulnerability, emotional connection, and the ability to tolerate another person's needs and boundaries. We discovered in our own recovery that pornography was often a counterfeit substitute for the real connection we desperately wanted but did not know how to create. And these patterns do not necessarily remain isolated to sexuality. A consumer mindset can spill into marriage, family, friendships, business, and everyday relationships, where people subtly become means to our own emotional or relational ends. The critical question therefore becomes: Does this behavior increase my capacity for authentic connection, or does it train me further into escape and disconnection?Finally, an addict who strongly insists that pornography is not wrong may need to ask whether that is truly his deepest conviction—or whether the argument is protecting something he still does not want to surrender. Pornography may have functioned for years as comfort, stimulation, emotional anesthesia, escape, control, or self-soothing, and giving it up can feel frightening. Underneath the intellectual debate may be a much more vulnerable truth: I still want this, or I don't know how to cope without it. That is where meaningful recovery can begin. The betrayed partner cannot argue or research her husband into transformation; she can establish boundaries, protect her own healing, and watch whether his recovery increasingly becomes authentic and internally motivated. Ultimately, true recovery occurs when the addict moves beyond “I won't use porn because it hurts my partner” toward “I don't want to live this way because it moves me away from honesty, connection, integrity, self-mastery, and the man I genuinely want to become.”For a full transcript of this podcast in article format, go to:   If He Doesn't Think Porn Is Bad, Can He Still Truly Recover?Learn more about Mark and Steve's revolutionary online porn/sexual addiction recovery and betrayal trauma healing program at—daretoconnectnow.comFind out more about Steve Moore at:  Ascension CounselingLearn more about Mark Kastleman at:  Reclaim Counseling Services

Interested in the full replay? Send us an email saying FULL REPLAY at contact@intelle.us FREE TRAINING Register for The Catapult Your Career Bootcamp (http://thecatapultbootcamp.com) WORK WITH US Join the Catapult Your Career Program (http://cycprogram.com) GET IN TOUCH Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stellaodogwu/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_intelle/ Email: contact@intelle.us Text: 949-519-4554

TABLE OF CONTENTS, THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 8-12-2026Michael Bernstam: Michael Bernstam discusses a critical shortage of refined products such as diesel and gasoline, noting that global supply has dropped by 8.3 million barrels per day. While crude oil is available, refining capacity in the US and Europe has declined for decades. Recent Ukrainian drone strikes have further crippled Russia's refining capabilities, forcing it to import fuel. These disruptions, along with Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, contribute to a daily deficit of 2 million barrels. Bernstam warns that consumers worldwide will face higher energy and food prices indefinitely as a result. (1)Michael Lucchese: Michael Lucchese explores the history and modern return of isolationism within American politics, particularly the Republican Party. He characterizes isolationism as a short-sighted avoidance of global affairs that often coincides with political extremism. Lucchese argues that the West is currently in a civilizational contest against an axis of revisionist powers including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. He critiques recent administrations for showing a lack of civilizational confidence, which he believes has encouraged adversaries to be more aggressive on the world stage. (2)Captain James Fanell: Captain James Fanell reports on China's escalating campaign to annex international waters east of Taiwan. For the first time, Chinese vessels are interrogating ships on the high seas, an outrageous violation of maritime norms. This aggression occurs as the US Navy is severely overstretched, with carrier deployments extending to nine months and the arsenal of democracy being depleted by conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Fanell urges the US and partner navies to conduct joint maneuvers with Taiwan to counter Beijing's comprehensive national power strategy. (3)Mark Clifford: Mark Clifford discusses the ongoing detention of British citizen and entrepreneur Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong. While China recently released a Protestant pastor, Xi Jinping reportedly remains determined that Lai, a fervent Catholic and advocate for Western values, will die in prison. Clifford suggests Xi's animosity is personal, rooted in a belief that the survival of the Communist Party is paramount and that any dissent is an existential threat. Despite the UK's new leadership focusing on domestic issues, Clifford hopes the government continues to pressure Beijing for the release of its citizen. (4)Charles Burton: Charles Burton provides insight into the annual Beidaihe retreat, where Chinese leaders meet secretly to decide the party's direction. This year's focus is on a failing domestic economy, including a collapsed housing market and crushing local government debt. Burton notes that Xi Jinping's limited international travel may indicate internal instability. Additionally, the discussion touches on escalating trade tensions between Canada and the US over potential tariffs and disagreements regarding the financing of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge. (5)Peter Huessy: Peter Huessy examines the fragile state of nuclear deterrence as Russia conducts drills for tactical nuclear weapons. He warns that the US is behind the eight ball regarding theater nuclear options, possessing only gravity bombs while Russia maintains thousands of short-range weapons. Huessy fears Putin may use these weapons for blackmail if he perceives a conventional loss in Ukraine. He advocates for the rapid modernization of the US nuclear triad, specifically calling for sea-launched cruise missiles to restore a credible deterrent against reckless adversaries. (6)Cliff May: Cliff May argues that Islamism is not being studied with the rigor that communism once received during the Cold War. He observes that many university Middle East studies departments, funded by foreign interests such as Qatar, have become Islamist adjacent. May highlights a recent Senate hearing on the Muslim Brotherhood where most senators failed to attend, fearing accusations of Islamophobia. This willful determination to ignore history allows the red-green alliance of far-left activists and Islamists to grow, posing a significant threat to democratic values. (7)Admiral Mark Montgomery: Admiral Mark Montgomery details the growing cyber and hybrid warfare cooperation within the axis of aggressors: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. This cooperation often involves criminal actors sharing attack techniques and technology to target critical infrastructure. Montgomery warns of new generation warfare, including terrorist acts, jamming, and disinformation. He specifically points to China's Volt Typhoon program, which has installed malware in US rail, water, and energy systems. Montgomery urges an all-hands-on-deck approach to secure essential systems, as attribution for these ghost-like attacks remains difficult. (8)Simon Constable: Simon Constable reports on rising commodity prices, with Brent crude reaching $89 per barrel and European gas prices surging 18 percent. He discusses the recent change in UK government, where new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to focus almost exclusively on domestic issues. Constable also touches on the results of a longevity quiz, noting that average life expectancy in the US has reached 79 years. Finally, the conversation addresses unusual political rhetoric in Britain regarding the monarchy and the impact of extreme weather and wildfires across Europe. (9)Bob Zimmerman: Bob Zimmerman discusses the progress of commercial space ventures, highlighting Rocket Lab's new contract for its reusable Neutron rocket. He explains how companies such as SpaceX are developing recoverable capsules for in-space manufacturing, including pharmaceuticals. Zimmerman also notes a recent Chinese rocket failure, which was transparently reported only because of local live-streamers. Additionally, India is attempting to transfer control of its spaceports to the private sector to foster competition. Despite opposition from fake environmental activist groups, Zimmerman remains optimistic about the future of private-sector space exploration. (10)One correction applied: the raw had "Vault Typhoon" — the PRC infrastructure intrusion campaign is Volt Typhoon. Also still open from the prior batch: Hu Chunhua and Mohammad Reza Tavakoli.Across both batches, four threads run through nearly every segment.The axis as a working system, not a slogan. Chinese and Russian materiel moving to Iran (Holt), Iranian resupply of the Houthis (Fitton-Brown), Hezbollah's Syrian pipeline (Daoud), and Montgomery's cyber cooperation among all four — the same four capitals appear in Lucchese's civilizational contest and Montgomery's shared attack techniques. The story is no longer four separate adversaries but one logistics and learning network.Pauses as rearmament. Haqqani, Daoud, and Fitton-Brown independently report Iran boasting that ceasefires are for restocking. Sayeh supplies the domestic mirror: executions spike precisely when negotiations are underway. Ben-Ur gives the Gaza version — Hamas distributing rifles while the disarmament deal is being signed. The diplomatic interval is the adversary's production cycle.American absence, and who fills it. Haqqani's "helpless giant," Fitton-Brown's elephant in the room, Fanell's nine-month carrier deployments and depleted arsenal, Huessy's theater nuclear gap, Bernstam's lost refining capacity. Chang and Holt argue the reticence is a gambit; the guests closer to the ground read it as depletion. Haqqani's line is the sharpest: China wins by saying nothing.Xi's brittleness. Collier's $7.7 trillion in hidden bad loans, Burton's Beidaihe meeting on a collapsed housing market and local debt, Xi's shrinking travel schedule, Holt's factional rival. Clifford's Jimmy Lai segment is the same material in personal form — the vindictiveness of a leader who treats any dissent as existential. External aggression from Fanell sits directly on top of internal weakness from Collier and Burton, which is the more interesting juxtaposition than either alone.Two smaller pairings worth an hour break: Bernstam and Constable both on energy and food prices as the civilian bill for all of the above, and Araújo/Peña Esclusa's hemispheric shift as the one segment where the trend runs the other way — Petro out, De la Espriella in, Lula isolated.If you want a running order argument: Collier and Burton to establish the weakness, Fanell and Holt for the aggression it produces, then the Iran arc from Haqqani through Sayeh, with Bernstam and Constable as the price tag.

Richard is the co-founder of ⁠1of10⁠, a research platform built by YouTube strategists, and his team has quietly been behind the scenes for some of the biggest channels on the platform—helping creators accumulate over 2 billion views through a repeatable, data-backed system. In this episode, Richard walks through his complete four-phase ideation system—audience identification, outlier research (using five distinct methods), idea remixing, and validation—and backs every step with real examples. We talk about what happens when the wrong audience floods your channel, why creators should double and triple down on formats that work, and how a single title change took one creator's video from 10,000 views to 150,000. He also shares data from 300,000+ YouTube outliers on the ideal title length (hint: shorter than you think) and where the sweet spots are for video duration across different niches. ⁠Save 20% on 1of10 using code JAY20⁠ ⁠Schedule a 1of10 Strategy Call⁠ ⁠Full transcript and show notes⁠ *** TIMESTAMPS (01:12) Where 80-85% of YouTube success comes from (01:50) Phase 1: Audience (03:19) When should you start a fresh channel instead of pivoting? (04:09) The danger of going viral with the wrong audience (05:40) Phase 2: Research (07:37) Format vs. Interest Topic (08:00) Method 1: Inside your own channel (10:52) Tripling and quadrupling down (12:33) Method 2: Inside your niche (13:45) Method 3: Adjacent niches (16:00) Method 4: Outside your niche (17:37) The "Japanese Rule" format (20:56) Method 5: External inspiration (22:07) Phase 3: Remixing (23:00) Escalation, inversion, and interest topic replacement (24:10) Viral vectors: concepts that work across all niches (25:28) Phase 4: Validation (27:00) Optimal video duration by niche (30:45) Why long videos are making a comeback (31:39) Total Addressable Viewership (34:36) Titles: Fear, Curiosity, and Desire as the three core drivers (37:17) Data: Title Length (37:51) Three methods for generating title angles (42:11) Thumbnails: Composition and Elements (45:11) It's never too late: title/thumbnail changes (46:10) Live demo: 1of10 thumbnail generator (48:10) The full 1of10 workflow *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → ⁠#282: David Altizer — How to Make Great Thumbnails (For Non-Designers)⁠ *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE ⁠Submit your question here⁠ *** WHEN YOU'RE READY

Simone Knego, a speaker, award-winning author, and TEDx speaker, shares her personal journey in overcoming self-doubt through experiences like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. In conversation with Coach Myrna, Simone explores the concept that confidence is a skill developed through changing self-perception rather than seeking external approval. She introduces her REAL method, focusing on self-respect and embracing failures, to help women cultivate unshakable confidence. Get insights into the impact of mindset, the importance of inner dialogue, and practical steps to transform how you see yourself.This episode brims with actionable insights on shifting one's mindset and recognizing the value of small, everyday achievements.Key themes include how Simone identifies the skill of confidence as something that is cultivated over time, comparable to building muscle. She reveals her personal and professional experience in overcoming self-doubt and how these lessons form the foundation of her coaching. Simone provides valuable insights into her "REAL" method, which outlines practical steps for achieving self-respect, embracing failures, and living without limits. Striking quotes such as, "Confidence is a skill… it doesn't happen overnight," offer listeners a fresh, liberating perspective on self-worth and the power of positive self-dialogue.Key Takeaways:Confidence must be consciously developed and is comparable to learning any new skill—constant, intentional practice is vital.External validation is not a substitute for internal acceptance; prioritizing self-respect is crucial for personal growth.Techniques like the "REAL" method offer structured ways to build self-esteem and set personal boundaries.Failures should be perceived as learning opportunities, not final judgments on your capabilities.Mindful awareness of one's inner dialogue can significantly impact mental well-being and confidence.Timestamp Summary0:02 Building Confidence by Changing Self-Perception5:16 Overcoming Self-Doubt and Embracing a Life Without Limits11:02 Building Confidence by Changing Self-Talk and Embracing Failures15:17 Elevate Your Summer Wardrobe With Quince's Timeless Essentials17:22 Building Unshakable Confidence Through Self-Respect and Resilience24:43 Mindset Hacks: Control, Alt, Delete for Positive Thinking28:30 Finding Fulfillment Through Everyday Acts of Kindness32:11 The Impact of Societal Pressures on Self-Image and Confidence34:24 Overcoming Self-Doubt and Embracing Personal Worth39:45 The Power of Positive Self-Talk and Affirmations42:40 Building Real Confidence Through Self-Compassion and ClarityResources:Website: Simone KnegoPodcast: Her Unshakable ConfidenceBooks:"The Extraordinary Unordinary You""Real Confidence" (RealConfidenceBook.com)Social Media:Instagram: @simoneknegoSponsors of this episodeQuinceQuince is not just apparel. Quince also offers elevated essentials for your home, from bedding and bath, to kitchen essentials and furniture.Make your summer wardrobe feel easier. Go to Quince.com/tym for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns Link to Transcript https://www.buzzsprout.com/1761155/19604797-reinvention-series-climbing-the-mountain-of-self-confidence-lessons-from-kilimanjaro/transcriptSee this video on The Transform Your Mind YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@MyhelpsUs/videosTo see a transcripts of this audio as well as links to all the advertisers on the show page https://myhelps.us/Follow Transform Your Mind on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/myrnamyoung/Follow Transform Your mind on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063738390977Please leave a rating and review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/transform-your-mind/id1144973094Feedspot Top 100 Mental Health Podcast For sponsored Brand interviews and sponsorship inquires please visit Partner With The Transform Your Mind Podcast | Myrna Young Life Coach

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Money Making Conversations Master Class with Rushion McDonald is America's premier entrepreneurship, business leadership, financial literacy, and wealth-building podcast featuring successful entrepreneurs, executives, founders, celebrities, and industry experts sharing actionable insights for professional and financial success. Business Podcast Entrepreneurship Small Business Business Growth Financial Literacy Wealth Building Black Entrepreneurs Minority Business Leadership Executive Leadership Business Funding Marketing Strategies Personal Development Startup Advice Sales Training CEO Interviews Founder Stories Professional Development Economic Empowerment Business Success Networking Brand Building Innovation How to start a business Small business funding Entrepreneur success stories Business leadership podcast Wealth building strategies Black entrepreneur podcast Minority business development Marketing for small businesses Business growth strategies Startup funding opportunities Executive leadership training Financial literacy education Success mindset podcast Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Jeremy Anderson.

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Money Making Conversations Master Class with Rushion McDonald is America's premier entrepreneurship, business leadership, financial literacy, and wealth-building podcast featuring successful entrepreneurs, executives, founders, celebrities, and industry experts sharing actionable insights for professional and financial success. Business Podcast Entrepreneurship Small Business Business Growth Financial Literacy Wealth Building Black Entrepreneurs Minority Business Leadership Executive Leadership Business Funding Marketing Strategies Personal Development Startup Advice Sales Training CEO Interviews Founder Stories Professional Development Economic Empowerment Business Success Networking Brand Building Innovation How to start a business Small business funding Entrepreneur success stories Business leadership podcast Wealth building strategies Black entrepreneur podcast Minority business development Marketing for small businesses Business growth strategies Startup funding opportunities Executive leadership training Financial literacy education Success mindset podcast Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Jeremy Anderson.