Podcasts about FFS

Tom Kobza from TKI CNC in Billings, Montana joins the show once again. We chat about using perspective mode on FFS to break down water effectively as well as seasonal patterns happening on Ft. Peck this time of year. Tom is an avid angler that enjoys a great fishing conversation as much as anybody and that's why I like having him on the podcast whenever possible. There's a lot of good ideas talked about in this podcast any walleye angler will enjoy.Devils Lake Tourism - www.devilslakend.comNorth Dakota Game and Fish - www.gf.nd.govInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/the_jmopodcast/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JMOFishingPodcastWebsite - https://jmopodcast.comTKI CNC - https://www.youtube.com/@tkicnc6255www.tkicnc.com

Welcome back to the Before the 1st Cast Podcast! Today, we're bringing you the ultimate bass fishing recap from an explosive Mother's Day weekend. We break down the Bassmaster Elite Series on Lake Murray, where Paul Marks pulled off an incredible victory, and dive into the Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on Douglas Lake, where giants were caught on offshore schools and the Nutt brothers dominated.Next, we look ahead to a massive weekend in professional bass fishing. The Bassmaster Elite Series heads to the legendary Santee Cooper for an old-school bar fight with no forward-facing sonar (FFS)! Plus, we preview the MLF Bass Pro Tour Heavy Hitters event at Orange Lake in Ocala, Florida—expect absolute swamp donkeys to hit the scales.Whether you are a boat fisherman, a kayak fisherman, a bank fisherman, or a tournament pro, stick around for our tackle tip. I'll be showing you exactly how to trigger violent strikes using a topwater popper!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bass-cast-radio--1838782/support.Become a Patreon memebet now for less then a pack of worms you can support Bass Cast Radio as well as get each epsiode a day early & commercial free. Just click the link below. PATREON 

A huge thank you from your host Andy, Ant and Dun for listening to the podcast this season. We're about to give your ears a break for a month or so, whilst we watch our teams disappoint us in the World Cup.So, for our last pod of the 25/26 season, we'll take a look at the on pitch stuff, and a very special season for us here at QPR NYC.- Who's leaving Loftus Road?- Attack of the stats!- Who were QPR's Ironmen- The goal scorers, the assist makers- We really DO need to talk about the goalkeeping situation- Too many home defeats- Schaffers vs Reverse Schaffers- Did QPR end up paying the penalty?- Who's on the naughty step?- Just how many early goals did we concede at the start of each half? (Spolier: Too many, way too many)- Revisiting the outlandish predictions. One of us nailed it!- Ad: Nard VPN- The QPR Awards- Who won player of the year, goal of the year, AI Transcript player of the year, and QPR Person of the year?- Did Teddy Tarbotton retain the Great Expectations award?- GTFI, FFS, WTF and MVT awards- Who are our Football Friends?- Ad: Cubefinder- The QPR NYC Awards- Self indulgent nonsense, but its our chance to look back on some incredibly special and meaningful moments!- Go Purple for Lily, Wrexham watch party feature heavily- As do our interviews with Charlie Austin, Clint Hill and Jimmy Dunne.Congratulations to all of our winners and we hope you enjoyed our irreverent take on the season and we'd like to thank you for your contributions to our campaigns this year.See you all next season! YOU R's!!!!!!!

The Golden Crew is BACK after a week off (sorry Tom, your mom's move was worth it) and we are loaded down with cruise news, speakpipe love, and one very questionable tattoo conversation.First up — Tom's mom has officially landed in Tulsa, which means Tom is now headed to Dallas because apparently you CAN have too much of a good thing. He's got 60 days, a two-bedroom apartment, and presumably no noisy ceiling fan to sit under (yet).Then we get into the heavy stuff. There's a real situation unfolding aboard the M/V Hondius near Cape Verde — three deaths, multiple severe illnesses, and a hantavirus outbreak that's sent even the responding doctor home sick. Trevor breaks down what we know so far (this is developing, so things may have changed by the time you hear this), and Tom reminds everyone that the Black Plague WAS, in fact, transmitted by mice. Educational AND terrifying. The Kennedy household hantavirus deterrent system (a cat) was also very vocal during this segment.In happier-ish news, Carnival's VIFP terms of service are changing September 1st, and Trevor has STRONG feelings about the folks out there opting out as a protest. Spoiler: opt in. Trust us. Don't slam the door on Papa Carnival just because you're mad. Also, MSC, if you're listening, we are absolutely available.Tom is officially considering a Margaritaville tattoo, and we need your help. Send your tattoo suggestions to our Facebook page — clean OR dirty, Madison doesn't care — and Madison (that's me, hi

I came up with at least one way to tell the difference between making a fair profit and profiteering. If someone makes more money when the patients or members they serve are worse off, yeah, call that profiteering. For a full transcript of this episode, click here. If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to subscribe to the free weekly newsletter to be a member of the Relentless Tribe. For more on what is fair profit versus what is profiteering, I would recommend you go back and listen to the episodes on mission and margin with Ben Schwartz, MD, MBA (EP481) and then with Mick Connors, MD (EP495). But it's probably not an accident that I have started an episode about Medicare Advantage in this fashion. To this end, I am very much looking forward to hearing what's up with Medicare Advantage from the one and only Betsy Seals, who is back for her third appearance on Relentless Health Value. And her advice in a nutshell is this: Don't profiteer. There are ample ways to make a fair profit. Just go back to basics and do it the right way. I wanna kind of tick through the list of things that I think about when I think about Medicare Advantage and just how it is relevant to absolutely everybody. The first thing I think about when I think about Medicare Advantage—and this is very obvious—is what Medicare Advantage plans do or don't do are our tax dollars at work or not at work, as the case may be. Along these same lines, the second thing: How does this impact our elders, our family, our friends, our grandparents? These are our senior citizens, getting the care or not getting the care that they may need. Those two are obvious. Now let's talk about a few less obvious things. Here's the third point that I think about as I listen to conversations about Medicare Advantage: cost shifting. Right? It is a well-known fact how big, vertically integrated carriers—and when I say big, vertically integrated carriers, I mean ones that have a Medicare Advantage line of business—when negotiating with big, consolidated health systems, the release valve of those negotiations is commercial rates. These are the rates that the self-insured employers are paying. So, the carrier says, "Look, gimme the best Medicare Advantage rates. I want the best Medicare Advantage rates because I, the carrier, am paying for those." Savings from those lower rates accrues to the Medicare Advantage plan and its shareholders or investors or executives, right? So, the carrier with the Medicare Advantage plan is like, "Look, go as low as we can go on the Medicare Advantage rates, but it's okay, health system, if you make up the difference with the ASO commercial book of business." Because right … ASO means administrative services only. It's not the carrier who's paying those commercial rates at the end of the day. So, the carrier uses its full book of business to negotiate lower rates for itself while, at the same time, cost shifting to commercial members. In fact, there was some research that was cited. It was episode 436 with Elizabeth Mitchell, and I quoted Luke Prettol. But there was research that puts this markup at 4.7% above what employers would otherwise pay if they had an ASO that did not have a Medicare Advantage Plan. So, yeah … number three big thing that I think about when listening to MA insights like the ones that Betsy drops today, I think about will this accelerate or ameliorate or really have anything to do with what is going on around those negotiating tables with ASOs and health systems? Because let's not forget, health systems account for about 50% of most self-insured employers' total health spend. The fourth thing that I think about: Will MA carriers underpay independent practices, especially primary care practices? Will it pay indies less? And then if it pays 'em a lot less, would ultimately manage to put them out of business, ultimately raising the total cost of care for everybody. But if we're thinking about this strictly from Medicare Advantage financial perspective, a really great move here, these are big, vertically integrated companies, don't forget. Many of them own provider organizations. This is why the FTC tends to frown on vertical integration. So, will these Medicare Advantage organizations who own provider organizations pay the provider organizations they own more? By the way, it's the same thing that's going on on the pharmacy side of the house when a PBM pays pharmacies that they own more. Here's a LinkedIn post by Stanley Warren about this topic. And there are a lot of obvious, maybe less obvious reasons for why paying providers the carrier itself owns more is a great short-term move. One of them is intracompany eliminations. Listen to the episode with Preston Alexander (EP482). But here's another reason: Rate increases paid by the government for Medicare Advantage plans are based on fee-for-service benchmarks. So, if fee-for-service rates go up, then the Medicare Advantage plans can negotiate more money for themselves. If the MA plans own the providers that are charging said FFS rates, then this is, I don't know, a great strategy, especially given the lobbying budget that some of these entities have. So, look … on today's show, I get the distinct opportunity to speak with Betsy Seals, my guest today, as I mentioned earlier; and we go through her advice for MA plans and what they need to get busy with and ensure, make a fair profit, go back to basics, and do it the right way. That's her bottom-line advice. Don't be putting your hands in the cookie jar. Sooner or later, you're gonna get caught. Focus on the members that you're really good at serving. And lastly, when it comes to STARS or other quality measures, lift them the right way—like, actually through better member health and actually better member experience, not some engineered mechanism by which one can check a box that honestly doesn't deserve to get checked. Because now we're back to the beginning and you're gonna get caught with your hand in the cookie jar, and it's profiteering. Let's just get real about that. If somebody's checking boxes that they don't deserve to check, member health is not improving. Betsy Seals, my guest today, as I have said at least three times, co-founded Rebellis Group, which is a Medicare Advantage consultancy. She became CEO of its parent company, Alerion Advisors. Now she is a board member, and also she works with start-ups in our industry. This podcast is sponsored by Aventria Health Group with an assist today from Payerset to help us with the financial support that we need to stay on the air. And with that, here is my conversation with Betsy Seals. Also mentioned in this episode are Alerion Advisors; Rebellis Group; Benjamin Schwartz, MD, MBA; Mick Connors, MD; Elizabeth Mitchell; Luke Prettol; Luke Trocchio; LoVasco; Stanley Warren; Preston Alexander; Aventria Health Group; Payerset; Eric Bricker, MD; Scott Conard, MD; Bob Herman; and Vivian Ho, PhD. For a list of healthcare industry acronyms and terms that may be unfamiliar to you, click here.   You can learn more by visiting the Rebellis Group blog and by connecting with Betsy on LinkedIn. You can also email her at bseals@rebellisgroup.com.     Betsy Seals is the co-founder of Rebellis Group, former CEO of Rebellis Group and Alerion Advisors, and a current board member of the Alerion Advisors family of companies. With over 25 years of experience across Medicare and Medicaid programs, Betsy is a nationally recognized leader known for her regulatory expertise, strategic vision, and ability to deliver measurable results. Betsy's work spans mergers and acquisitions, compliance, enterprise strategy, sales and marketing, supplemental benefits, and innovative benefit design that optimizes health plan performance and improves health outcomes. Betsy brings a strong blend of executive leadership, business acumen, and deep regulatory knowledge, with a focus on driving operational excellence and meaningful member impact.   00:00 Introduction to this episode. 00:43 Past episodes on profiteering: EP481 with Benjamin Schwartz, MD, MBA, and EP495 with Mick Connors, MD. 01:25 How Medicare Advantage is relevant to everyone. 06:15 A preview of today's conversation. 07:49 The "state of the state" of Medicare Advantage plans. 08:49 Video by Eric Bricker, MD, on the financial performance of the U.S. healthcare system. 09:32 Does Medicare Advantage's losses matter to the patients? 10:29 A recap of Betsy's insights so far. 11:19 The underlying strategic through line that needs to be considered. 13:04 The impact of Goodhart's Law. 14:12 What the players that are succeeding right now are doing. 14:22 The first pillar of a back-to-basics strategy: Don't get caught with your hand in the cookie jar. 16:07 EP463 with Betsy Seals. 16:50 Why short-term strategies don't work. 18:26 Stats report on prior authorizations serving the beneficiary. 19:32 EP482 with Preston Alexander. 19:38 Why prior authorization needs change. 21:28 The better strategy to use. 21:43 EP462 with Scott Conard, MD. 23:17 The second pillar of a back-to-basics strategy: Focus on the beneficiaries you actually serve well. 24:37 What it looks like to implement this focus on the beneficiaries you serve well. 25:29 How special needs plans play into this. 27:43 The third pillar of a back-to-basics strategy: Think about how STARS in clinical programs improve health. 30:04 The ethical component to implementing a Medicare Advantage program. 31:04 Betsy's advice for independent practices dealing with prior authorizations. 33:37 STAT article by Bob Herman about the effectiveness of Medicare Advantage lobbying on policy. 34:08 Betsy's final notes for all players impacted by what's currently happening.   @betsyseals discusses the impact of #medicareadvantage news on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #financialhealth #commercialpayermarketplace #digitalhealth #healthcareleadership #healthcaretransformation #healthcareinnovation   Recent past interviews: Click a guest's name for their latest RHV episode! Patrick Nelli; Lee Lewis; Stacey Richter with 15 experts (EP507); Jerry DiMaso; Dr Ahilan Sivaganesan; Ryan Jacobs; Stacey Richter (INBW46); Ryan Wells, Dr Leo Spector, and Adam Stavisky  

On this episode of Low Budget Live (Not So Live), Luke runs his mouth about the upcoming Pro Guide Batteries' Hope Classic, the awesome event that the BPT event on Beaver Lake turned into and the nostalgia that came with it, The "Birge Surge" still in full effect, and is joined by BPT Rookie, Dustin Smith, to talk going no FFS all the way to the top level of the sport, having no plan to qualify for BPT, being the oldest rookie, prioritizing family time over everything else, and not being scared of ghosts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's all over. The large opera singer has sung. Summer is here. It feels worse than a pulsating win, but win we did. So for the last time this season, Archie is joined by Chris, Mark and Tom to review a chaotic League One afternoon in an equally chaotic one parter.Anyone in the typical Argyle camp would have been their central element after a counter attack and an absolute worldie (hate that word) saw Argyle 2-0 down. The nerves in the stands, at home, watching on phones translated to the pitch with some world class balls over the stands and clunky moves had everyone worried. But it started to turn, slowly, and yet again a set play played its part in starting a turnaround and by half time its 2-2 and all to play for. With other results: it's as you were…To a seasoned fan, the second half felt less about the game on the field and more about results elsewhere. A Northampton sending off - FFS we hate playing 10 men - and a great goal to take the lead but all attention turns to Bolton and to Stevenage as time slowly started to slow down. 90th minute, it's happening. 97th, Stevenage have scored a ghost goal, Luton are winning and we are all back to earth with a bump. Ugh.In amongst that there is a debate about the future of Tom Cleverley, the mini renaissance of Xavier Amaechi, the part played by a resilient home crowd, the Teletext refresh of other results. But it just wasn't to be. Next stop an actual play off for the women's team. A huge thank you to everyone who has listened in a rollercoaster season. It really means the world, to all of us who host, join and edit the Pilgrims Podcast . Join us for some summer specials, August will come around before you know it, small matter of a World Cup to keep us warmed up. Derek wheeling and dealing. Lots to be excited about. Come On You Greens. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Monique Bowley, Stacey Hicks and Amelia Lester unpack the 'max 3-hour mum' theory. That’s how long Skims co-founder and Kardashian-adjacent CEO Emma Grede thinks women should spend with their kids each day on weekends. We discuss whetther the mother of four's ‘quality over quantity’ approach is genius - or missing the point. Also, is kids’ sport officially broken? From private strength sessions for 8-year-olds to parents getting red-carded on the sidelines, we ask when sport stopped being about 'having a go' and started being a ‘gateway to success’. Plus, what exactly is the 'Jessica' hack? We discuss the viral TikTok trick that could snap your child out of a spiral. And, in our modern screen age, is there any merit to the old-school rule that children should be ‘seen and not heard’? RECCOMMENDATIONS: Monz recommends: The Art Gallery (it’s free!), beach patrol (also free!) and the ultimate school holiday hack - a trip to Bunnings. Amelia recommends: The Brinkley Yearbooks Series by Sarah Sax Stacey recommends: Age of Attraction on Netflix and Harry Styles’ YouTube cover of ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’. Support independent women's media What To Listen To Next: Don't miss an episode of Parenting Out Loud Golden Retriever Dads & The ‘You Come Last’ Rule The Celebrity Who Loves Bad Kids & The Sibling Effect The Bad Habit That's Back & The Politics Of ‘Bagsing’ New Twin Dad Luca Enters The Chat & Divorce Just Got A Rebrand Empty Weekend Parenting & The Viral Rocking Chair Test Wait, Did We Just Witness The Ultimate Co-Parenting Sin? The Problem With Being The 'Easy Kid' FFS, Just Invite People Over To Your Messy House Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts What to read: 'I'm the breadwinner, and my husband stays home. Stop asking this one question.' 'I thought training for a marathon meant weeks of mum guilt. This one moment changed everything.' 'I thought I was raising my son right. Then he made one comment.' GET IN TOUCH: Share your feedback! Send us a voice message or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au Join our Facebook group Mamamia Family to talk about the show. Follow us on Instagram @mamamia_family CREDITS: Hosts: Stacey Hicks, Amelia Lester & Monique Bowley Group Executive Producer: Ruth Devine Content Manager: Talissa Bazaz Executive Producer: Sasha Tannock Audio Producer: Jacob Round Junior Content Producer: Tessa Kotowicz Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land on which we have recorded this podcast.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ciara Moloney and Conor Hogan host Friday Film Showcased (FFS), a podcast about films seasons they have programmed. From the archives, a bite-sized edition looking at Brian De Palma's American giallo Dressed to Kill. Or is it a giallo? Yes. Is it transphobic? Probably. Is it a great film? Definitely. What's Brian De Palma's deal? I guess we'll never know.Whether you're a FFS connoisseur revisiting the hits, or a new listener who finds our full episodes too daunting, this one's for you. Put on your best clothes… to kill?

Ciara Moloney and Conor Hogan host Friday Film Showcased (FFS), a podcast about films seasons they have programmed. From the archives, a bite-sized edition looking at Brian De Palma's American giallo Dressed to Kill. Or is it a giallo? Yes. Is it transphobic? Probably. Is it a great film? Definitely. What's Brian De Palma's deal? I guess we'll never know.Whether you're a FFS connoisseur revisiting the hits, or a new listener who finds our full episodes too daunting, this one's for you. Put on your best clothes… to kill?

We’re unpacking the 'parenting rule' that blew up the comments section this week: While the kids are awake, you come last. The Internet had thoughts and so do Monique Bowley, Clare Stephens and Amelia Lester. So, does putting yourself first actually make you a better parent? Plus, we look at the the Barbie Dream Fest — or as the internet is calling it, Fyre Festival for toddlers. Imagine paying $190 USD for an ‘immersive experience’ only to find a warehouse, a concrete floor and a cardboard box with a pink blanket. Also, Parks and Recreation actor Chris Pratt's wife Katherine Schwarzenegger has paid tribute to him on social media, calling him a 'Golden Retriever Husband', after he built their daughters a doll house. So why is the Internet still so annoyed with him over an Instagram caption from 2021 about opening a jar of pickles? And, we explore why a Sydney school’s experiment to ditch school uniforms was ulimately an epic fail. Our Recommendations:

Blog: show notes and links https://finnishfootballshow.com/2026/03/31/the-fans-preview-of-veikkausliiga-2026/ IN THIS EPISODE... The FFS 2026 Veikkausliiga preview, in which fans preview their Veikkausliiga team. Includes hopes & fears for this season, players in & out and dislike for new kits (and badges)!! In this episode, we hear from Johan Lindblom on IFK Mariehamn, Jussi on Inter Turku, Ally Manson on HJK Helsinki, Mark & Jules on SJK Seinäjoki and Seppo Kuusinen on FC Lahti. 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:21 Johan Lindblom previews IFK Mariehamn 00:11:43 Jussi previews Inter Turku 00:14:21 Ally Manson previews HJK 00:19:13 Mark & Jules preview SJK 00:26:56 Seppo previews FC Lahti ------------------------------------------------------------------ SUPPORT THE SHOW

Happy Trans Eve of Snack! Tuck chats with Mattie Lubchansky & Calvin Kasulke about how to know whether you're on a date, deal with ambivalence towards certain HRT effects, and cope with the fact that you didn't transition earlier. (Also: trebuchets, glory holes, and nonbinary Donald Duck.) Listen to the full episode on Patreon to hear us discuss whether you should tell your husband about your affair(!!), whether you should flee the country(!), and how to explain FFS to your cis wife. We also share our favorite memories from the Gender Ordeal tour, including the time we met a piss ghost(!!!).  Find Mattie on No Gods No Mayors and Temporal Culture War. Find Calvin around town idk. Submit advice questions or AMA prompts via our new form for a future episode like this one! Senior Producer: Ozzy Llinas Goodman Logo: Ira M. LeighMusic: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional Music: Blue Dot Sessions

Have you ever seen a video online that made you feel like you were failing at a job you didn't even apply for? Welcome to parenting in 2026. This week, Monique Bowley, Stacey Hicks and special guest, Clare Stephens, are diving into a viral trend romanticising the bond between young siblings—and it's left some only-child parents feeling a little judged. Plus, we discuss the basketball coach who went viral for screaming in a player's face. Was it ‘toxic’ or exactly the kind of high-stakes motivation our ‘gentle parenting’ era is missing? And, if your child throws a tantrum in the middle of a busy shopping centre or sticks their fingers in someone else's birthday cake, they may have a fan in award-winning actress Viola Davis. We explain why. Our Recommendations:

The run-in is hotting up and Man City have defeated Arsenal to win the first trophy of the season. We're now perched on the edge of our seats, desperate to see how this will affect the ongoing title race – *Premier League cuts to break*. FFS.We might all – well, maybe not Spellz – be yearning for some more Premier League action. But don't worry, because Marcus, Luke and Pete are here to review the current state of play heading into the season finale. Plus, we react to the news that Mo Salah, a true Premier League great, will leave Liverpool at the end of the season.Get your Ramble merch HERE.Find us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: show@footballramble.com.Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, the rise of the Gen Alpha CEO is officially in full swing as Victoria Beckham’s daughter, Harper Seven, launches a beauty brand at 13. Monz, Stacey and Amelia ask at what point we decided teenagers need a corner office and a dedicated PR team instead of just... a hobby. Plus, is ‘bagsing’ a spot in the playground slide queue ever acceptable, or have we officially lost our collective marbles? We unpack the world of park politics, optimisation and whether it’s just another form of snow-plough parenting. Also, is it time to start running your home like a large corporation? We’re diving into the ‘family AGM’ trend and why the shareholders in one host’s house are very unhappy. Our Recommendations:

Move over "conscious uncoupling". Divorce is getting a rebrand. This week, Monique Bowley, Stacey Hicks and Amelia Lester unpack Hollywood Actor Lake Bell’s unconventional approach to explaining her split to her kids. So, why is she banning the word ‘but,’ and is she onto something? Plus, Australian influencer Indy Clinton has gone viral for struggling with her sons kindergarten times tables, and honestly? Same. So, is homework still a thing in 2026 or is it time to let kids just be kids? And, a viral post by Jana Barrett has the internet talking about the invisible labor behind every successful man. He got the trophy, she got the school run. It has us asking, do we all deserve a medal for carrying the mental load? And our very own Jessie Stevens and Luca Lavigne are officially parents-of-three after twins Harry and Margot came into the world slightly earlier than planned. Luca checks in from the NICU "baby bubble" to tell us how they’re navigating life as a family of five. Our Recommendations:

Bhí cruinniú ag ionadaithe ón gCoiste TUT le Feidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte, faoin gcinneadh atá déanta ag FFS an t-Seirbhís Teiripe, Urlabhra agus Teanga a aistriú soir go dtí an Tulach.

Young Millennials and Gen Z are currently spiralling over the ultimate 'Why Now?' question: To procreate, or not to procreate? To help, they’ve resurrected an unlikely guru from the 1980s — Merle Bombardieri — whose decades-old 'Rocking Chair Test' is currently trending as the ultimate fix for biological-clock-induced brain rot. We unpack whether a 40-year-old therapy book can actually solve the most high-stakes dilemma of our lives. Plus, Amelia Lester, Monique Bowley, and Stacey Hicks are diving into the rise of the 'Empty Parenting Weekend'. And, from Matt Damon’s viral 'don’t blink' dad take, to the obsession with Paul Mescal’s mum, we’re asking: Why is Hollywood parenting suddenly so wholesome? Our Recommendations:

Parents of children who are 'short sleepers' — kids genetically programmed to survive on four hours of rest (and pure chaos) — we see you. We unpack the science on Parenting Out Loud this week of why some kids are simply 'built different'... and why the rest of us are drowning in caffeine. Plus, we need to talk about the fetishisation of the 'Involved Father'. From Chris Hemsworth’s commemorative tattoos to the rise of the ‘Swiftie Dad,’ why does society throw a parade when a man does the bare minimum, yet side-eye Bobby Cannavale for skipping the Golden Globes to go to a reptile expo? (Justice for Bobby, tbh). And, ex-One Directioner Zayn Malik is single-handedly causing Tooth Fairy inflation, but the real digital horror story is the school Facebook group. Is opting out of the 'digital footprint' a smart move, or does it just make you the ‘weird’ privacy parent who everyone is accidentally tagging anyway? Our Recommendations:

Season 3 baby! Back like we never left! ...unlike the last hiatus between Season 1 & 2... we actually came back in a (somewhat) timely manner! Get ready for all of your favorite ridiculousness with all of your favorite (?) 40-ish FFs. 

Dr. Mark Lawrence Zukowski, MD, FACS is a board-certified plastic surgeon with decades of experience in aesthetic, reconstructive, and craniofacial surgery. A former U.S. Navy Commander and Chief of Plastic Surgery at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, Dr. Zukowski has held academic appointments at Northwestern University and Eastern Virginia Medical School and has published and lectured extensively on facial anatomy, surgical technique, and aesthetic outcomes. Dr. Zukowski is widely recognized for his work in facial feminization surgery (FFS) and gender-affirming care, with a deep, anatomy-driven approach to helping transgender patients align their external appearance with their gender identity. His background in facial fat compartments, fascial planes, and craniofacial structure informs a highly individualized surgical philosophy focused on balance, harmony, and long-term results. In this two-part conversation, Dr. Zukowski discusses the evolution of facial feminization surgery, the surgical techniques involved, patient selection, outcomes, and the ethical, emotional, and medical considerations of gender-affirming care. This episode is brought to you by Olipop, a new healthy brand of soda. Go to https://drinkolipop.com/ and use code Marcela15 at checkout to get 15% off your first order. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Shopify can help you take your business to the next level. Click HERE to set up your Shopify shop today and watch your business soar! This episode is brought to you by BranditScan, the best defese you have against social media fraud. Click HERE to get started with BranditScan today and get your first month for free. There is no better service to protect your social media accounts and your name and likeness. . This episode is brought to you by Skillshare. Click HERE to start exploring all the courses Skillshare has to offer, from drawing and music, to graphic design and marketing, start expanding your knowledge today. This episode is brought to you by Fiverr. Click HERE to start hiring professionals to help you in various areas and take your business to the next level. This episode is brought to you by PodMatch. Click HERE to bring your podcasting journey to the next level by getting set up's Only Fans  VIP Membership HERE Free Membership HERE  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam Griffith joins the JMO Podcast for this episode. In this interview he breaks down multiple scenarios where he and his fishing partners found ways to be successful in catching fish that were spooking away from the anglers presence on the ice. With the advent of FFS we are learning just how in-tuned to their environment that fish really are resulting in fish spooking from our presence on the ice above them. What we do with this information as anglers will dictate our success over time. Summit Fishing Equipment - https://summitfishingequipment.com PROMO CODE: “summit10” for 10% offOnX Fish - https://www.onxmaps.com/fish/app PROMO CODE: “JMO” for 20% offSeal Craft - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61568404862784South Dakota Glacial Lakes - https://www.sdglaciallakes.comRisovi Taxidermy Studio - www.risovitaxidermystudio.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/the_jmopodcast/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JMOFishingPodcastWebsite - https://jmopodcast.com

Dr. Mark Lawrence Zukowski, MD, FACS is a board-certified plastic surgeon with decades of experience in aesthetic, reconstructive, and craniofacial surgery. A former U.S. Navy Commander and Chief of Plastic Surgery at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, Dr. Zukowski has held academic appointments at Northwestern University and Eastern Virginia Medical School and has published and lectured extensively on facial anatomy, surgical technique, and aesthetic outcomes. Dr. Zukowski is widely recognized for his work in facial feminization surgery (FFS) and gender-affirming care, with a deep, anatomy-driven approach to helping transgender patients align their external appearance with their gender identity. His background in facial fat compartments, fascial planes, and craniofacial structure informs a highly individualized surgical philosophy focused on balance, harmony, and long-term results. In this two-part conversation, Dr. Zukowski discusses the evolution of facial feminization surgery, the surgical techniques involved, patient selection, outcomes, and the ethical, emotional, and medical considerations of gender-affirming care. This episode is brought to you by Olipop, a new healthy brand of soda. Go to https://drinkolipop.com/ and use code Marcela15 at checkout to get 15% off your first order. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Shopify can help you take your business to the next level. Click HERE to set up your Shopify shop today and watch your business soar! This episode is brought to you by BranditScan, the best defese you have against social media fraud. Click HERE to get started with BranditScan today and get your first month for free. There is no better service to protect your social media accounts and your name and likeness. . This episode is brought to you by Skillshare. Click HERE to start exploring all the courses Skillshare has to offer, from drawing and music, to graphic design and marketing, start expanding your knowledge today. This episode is brought to you by Fiverr. Click HERE to start hiring professionals to help you in various areas and take your business to the next level. This episode is brought to you by PodMatch. Click HERE to bring your podcasting journey to the next level by getting set up's Only Fans  VIP Membership HERE Free Membership HERE  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"IT'S ALL OVER." Ffs. Grow up. Nobody said it would be easy. Emergency LNL! I'm joined by Wayne and James.

This week (***we wrongly say eppy 166, we DO mean 165, ooopsie) the huns love hedgehogs, Hannah's not socially well and did Big S date a bad boy? We discuss army lads, exes and there's every chance the world's ending. But what a lovely time we're having. It's best we turn to the tarot to find out if WW3 is coming. Spoiler - it is the King of Wands. Which predicts Big Masculine Energy. FFS.  Anyway, who cares! This week is... a Creep of the Week Special!!!! Where we hear a lovely selection of YOUR spookiest stories! COW COW COW COW! CA-COW! Story 1  Big S takes us to South London. A terrifying haunting on Anerley Hill... in Room 3B. Sent by Dio. Story 2  Hannah has a gorge story from Helena - some AUDIO EVIDENCE OF A GHOST in Devon! In Stoke Fleming...!!! Which is where we went and experienced a table tipping by itself.  Story 3  Suzie gots a tale from anonymous... This is a creepy but wholesome one from the West Coast of Scotland. Story 4 Hannah narrates a stun story about the Ancient Ram Inn in Gloucestershire. VIDEO EVIDENCE! Sent by a gorge Suzi. Finally, we end with telepathy which is getting us closer to being... Pros. Sort of.  ENJOY HUNS WE LOVE YAAAAA xoxoxo JOIN OUR PATREON! EXTRA bonus episodes AND a monthly ghost hunt for just £4.50!  Or £6 for AD-FREE EPS and weekly AGONY HUNS! We'll solve your problems huns!  Sign up here: www.patreon.com/GhostHuns Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can you build iconic characters that your readers want to keep coming back to? How can you be the kind of creator that readers trust, even without social media? With Claire Taylor In the intro, Dan Brown talks writing and publishing [Tetragrammaton]; Design Rules That Make or Break a Book [Self-Publishing Advice]; Amazon's DRM change [Kindlepreneur]; Show me the money [Rachael Herron]; AI bible translation [Wycliffe, Pope Leo tweet]. Plus, Business for Authors 24 Jan webinar, and Bones of the Deep. Today's show is sponsored by Bookfunnel, the essential tool for your author business. Whether it's delivering your reader magnet, sending out advanced copies of your book, handing out ebooks at a conference, or fulfilling your digital sales to readers, BookFunnel does it all. Check it out at bookfunnel.com/thecreativepenn This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Claire Taylor is a humour and mystery author, the owner of FFS Media, and a certified Enneagram coach. She teaches authors to write stronger stories and build sustainable careers at LiberatedWriter.com, and her book is Write Iconic Characters: Unlocking the Core Motivations that Fuel Unforgettable Stories. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights, and the full transcript is below. Show Notes Why Claire left social media and how she still markets her books and services What the Enneagram is and how core fears and desires shape character motivation Using Enneagram types (including Wednesday Addams as an example) to write iconic characters Creating rich conflict and relationships by pairing different Enneagram types on the page Coping with rapid change, AI, and fear in the author community in 2026 Building a trustworthy, human author brand through honesty, transparency, and vulnerability You can find Claire at LiberatedWriter.com, FFS.media, or on Substack as The Liberated Writer. Transcript of the interview with Claire Taylor Joanna: Claire Taylor is a humour and mystery author, the owner of FFS Media, and a certified Enneagram coach. She teaches authors to write stronger stories and build sustainable careers at LiberatedWriter.com, and her book is Write Iconic Characters: Unlocking the Core Motivations that Fuel Unforgettable Stories. So, welcome back to the show, Claire. Claire: Thank you so much for having me back. I'm excited to be here. Joanna: It's great to have you back on the show. It was March 2024 when you were last on, so almost two years now as this goes out. Give us a bit of an update. How has your writing craft and your author business changed in that time? Claire: One of the things I've been focusing on with my own fiction craft is deconstructing the rules of how a story “should” be. That's been a sort of hobby focus of mine. All the story structure books aren't law, right? That's why there are so many of them. They're all suggestions, frameworks. They're all trying to quantify humans' innate ability to understand a story. So I'm trying to remember more that I already know what a story is, deep down. My job as an author is to keep the reader's attention from start to finish and leave them feeling the way I hope they'll feel at the end. That's been my focus on the craft side. On the author business side, I've made some big shifts. I left social media earlier this year, and I've been looking more towards one-on-one coaching and networking. I did a craft-based Kickstarter, and I'd been focusing a lot on “career, career, career”—very business-minded—and now I'm creating more content again, especially around using the Enneagram for writing craft. So there's been a lot of transition since 2024 for me. Joanna: I think it's so important—and obviously we're going to get into your book in more detail—but I do think it's important for people to hear about our pivots and transitions. I haven't spoken to you for a while, but I actually started a master's degree a few months back. I'm doing a full-time master's alongside everything else I do. So I've kind of put down book writing for the moment, and I'm doing essay writing and academic writing instead. It's quite different, as you can imagine. It sounds like what you're doing is different too. One thing I know will have perked up people's ears is: “I left social media.” Tell us a bit more about that. Claire: This was a move that I could feel coming for a while. I didn't like what social media did to my attention. Even when I wasn't on it, there was almost a hangover from having been on it. My attention didn't feel as sharp and focused as it used to be, back before social media became what it is now. So I started asking myself some questions: What is lost if I leave? What is gained if I leave? And what is social media actually doing for me today? Because sometimes we hold on to what it used to do for us, and we keep trying to squeeze more and more of that out of it. But it has changed so much. There are almost no places with sufficient organic reach anymore. It's all pay-to-play, and the cost of pay-to-play keeps going up. I looked at the numbers for my business. My Kickstarter was a great place to analyse that because they track so many traffic sources so clearly. I could see exactly how much I was getting from social media when I advertised and promoted my projects there. Then I asked: can I let that go in order to get my attention back and make my life feel more settled? And I decided: yes, I can. That's worth more to me. Joanna: There are some things money can't buy. Sometimes it really isn't about the money. I like your question: what is lost and what is gained? You also said it's all pay-to-play and there's no organic reach. I do think there is some organic reach for some people who don't pay, but those people are very good at playing the game of whatever the platform wants. So, TikTok for example—you might not have to pay money yet, but you do have to play their game. You have to pay with your time instead of money. I agree with you. I don't think there's anywhere you can literally just post something and know it will reliably reach the people who follow you. Claire: Right. Exactly. TikTok currently, if you really play the game, will sometimes “pick” you, right? But that “pick me” energy is not really my jam. And we can see the trend—this “organic” thing doesn't last. It's organic for now. You can play the game for now, but TikTok would be crazy not to change things so they make more money. So eventually everything becomes pay-to-play. TikTok is fun, but for me it's addictive. I took it off my phone years ago because I would do the infinite scroll. There's so much candy there. Then I'd wake up the next morning and notice my mood just wasn't where I wanted it to be. My energy was low. I really saw a correlation between how much I scrolled and how flat I felt afterwards. So I realised: I'm not the person to pay-to-play or to play the game here. I'm not even convinced that the pay-to-play on certain social media networks is being tracked in a reliable, accountable way anymore. Who is holding them accountable for those numbers? You can sort of see correlation in your sales, but still, I just became more and more sceptical. In the end, it just wasn't for me. My life is so much better on a daily basis without it. That's definitely a decision I have not regretted for a second. Joanna: I'm sorry to keep on about this, but I think this is great because this is going out in January 2026, and there will be lots of people examining their relationship with social media. It's one of those things we all examine every year, pretty much. The other thing I'd add is that you are a very self-aware person. You spend a lot of time thinking about these things and noticing your own behaviour and energy. Stopping and thinking is such an important part of it. But let's tackle the big question: one of the reasons people don't want to come off social media is that they're afraid they don't know how else to market. How are you marketing if you're not using social media? Claire: I didn't leave social media overnight. Over time, I've been adjusting and transitioning, preparing my business and myself mentally and emotionally for probably about a year. I still market to my email list. That has always been important to my business. I've also started a Substack that fits how my brain works. Substack is interesting. Some people might consider it a form of social media—it has that new reading feed—but it feels much more like blogging to me. It's blogging where you can be discovered, which is lovely. I've been doing more long-form content there. You get access to all the emails of your subscribers, which is crucial to me. I don't want to build on something I can't take with me. So I've been doing more long-form content, and that seems to keep my core audience with me. I've got plenty of people subscribed; people continue to come back, work with me, and tell their friends. Word of mouth has always been the way my business markets best, because it's hard to describe the benefits of what I do in a quick, catchy way. It needs context. So I'm leaning even more on that. Then I'm also shifting my fiction book selling more local. Joanna: In person? Claire: Yes. In person and local. Networking and just telling more people that I'm an author. Connecting more deeply with my existing email lists and communities and selling that way. Joanna: I think at the end of the day it does come back to the email list. I think this is one of the benefits of selling direct to people through Shopify or Payhip or whatever, or locally, because you can build your email list. Every person you bring into your own ecosystem, you get their data and you can stay in touch. Whereas all the things we did for years to get people to go to Amazon, we didn't get their emails and details. It's so interesting where we are right now in the author business. Okay, we'll come back to some of these things, but let's get into the book and what you do. Obviously what underpins the book is the Enneagram. Just remind us what the Enneagram is, why you incorporate it into so much of your work, and why you find it resonates so much. Claire: The Enneagram is a framework that describes patterns of thoughts, feelings, and actions that tend to arise from nine different core motivations. Those core motivations are made up of a fear–desire pair. So, for instance, there's the fear of lacking worth and the desire to be worthy. That pair is the Type Three core motivation. If you're a Type Three, sometimes called “The Achiever,” that's your fundamental driver. What we fear and desire above all the other fears and desires determines where our attention goes. And attention is something authors benefit greatly from understanding. We have to keep people's attention, so we want to understand our own attention and how to cultivate it. The things our attention goes to build our understanding of ourselves and the world. Being intentional about that, and paying attention to what your characters pay attention to—and what your readers are paying attention to—is hugely beneficial. It can give you a real leg up. That's why I focus on the Enneagram. I find it very useful at that core level. You can build a lot of other things on top of it with your characters: their backstory, personal histories, little quirks—all of that can be built off the Enneagram foundation. Why I like the Enneagram more than other frameworks like MBTI or the Big Five is that it not only shows us how our fears are confining us—that's really what it's charting—but it also shows us a path towards liberation from those fears. That's where the Enneagram really shines: the growth path, the freedom from the confines of our own personality. It offers that to anyone who wants to study and discover it. A lot of the authors I work with say things like, “I'm just so sick of my own stuff.” And I get it. We all get sick of running into the same patterns over and over again. We can get sick of our personality! The Enneagram is a really good tool for figuring out what's going on and how to try something new, because often we can't even see that there are other options. We have this particular lens we're looking through. That's why I like to play with it, and why I find it so useful. Joanna: That's really interesting. It sounds like you have a lot of mature authors—and when I say “mature,” I mean authors with a lot of books under their belt, not necessarily age. There are different problems at different stages of the author career, and the problem you just described—“I'm getting sick of my stuff”—sounds like a mature author issue. What are some of the other issues you see in the community that are quite common amongst indie authors? Claire: One that comes up a lot, especially early on, is: “Am I doing this right?” That's a big question. People say, “I don't know if I'm doing this right. I'm going to mess it up. This person told me this was the way to do things, but I don't think I can do it this way. Am I doomed?” That's the fear. A lot of what I help people with is seeing that there isn't a single “right” way to do this. There's a way that's going to feel more aligned to you, and there are millions of ways to approach an author career because we're all constructing it as we go. You were there in the early days. We were all just making this up as we went along. Joanna: Exactly. There was a time when ebooks were PDFs, there wasn't even a Kindle, and there was no iPhone. We were literally just making it up. Claire: Right. Exactly. That spirit of “we're all making it up” is important. Some of us have come up with frameworks that work for us, and then we tell other people about them—“Here's a process; try this process”—but that doesn't mean it's the process. Understanding what motivates you—those core motivations—helps you see where you're going to bump into advice that's not right for you, and how to start making decisions that fit your attention, your life, your desires in this author role. Early on we do a lot of that work. Then there are the authors who started a while ago and have a bunch of books. They hit a point where they say, “I've changed so much since I started writing. I need to figure out how to adjust my career.” Joanna: Tell us more about that, because I think that's you and me. How do we deal with that? Claire: Well, crying helps. Joanna: That is true! There's always a bit of crying involved in reinvention. From my perspective, my brand has always been built around me. People are still here—I know some people listening who have been with the podcast since I started it in 2009—and I've always been me. Even though I've done loads of different things and changed along the way, at heart I'm still me. I'm really glad I built a personal brand around who I am, rather than around one genre or a single topic. How about you? How do you see it? Claire: I'm the same. I just can't stick with something that doesn't feel right for me anymore. I'll start to rebel against it. There's also that “good girl” part of me that wants to do things the way they're supposed to be done and keep everybody happy. I have to keep an eye on her, because she'll default to “this is the way it should be done,” and then I end up constricted. As we advance through our careers, positioning around what motivates us and what we love, and allowing ourselves to understand that it's okay to change—even though it's painful—is crucial. It's actually destructive not to change over time. We end up forfeiting so many things that make life worth living if we don't allow ourselves to grow and change. We end up in this tiny box. People sometimes say the Enneagram is very restrictive. “It's only nine types, you're putting me in a box.” It's like: no. These are the boxes we've put ourselves in. Then we use the Enneagram to figure out how to get out of the box. As we start to see the box we've put ourselves in with our personality—“that's me, that's not me”—we realise how much movement we actually have, how many options we have, while still being ourselves. Joanna: So many options. This kind of brings us into your book, because part of the personal brand thing is being real and having different facets. Your book is Write Iconic Characters, and presumably these are characters that people want to read more about. It uses the Enneagram to construct these better characters. So first up— What's your definition of an iconic character, as opposed to any old character? And how can we use the Enneagram to construct one? Claire: An iconic character, in my imagination, is one that really sticks with us after we've finished the story. They become a reference point. We'll say, “This person is kind of like that character,” or “This situation feels like that character would handle it this way.” It could be our friends, our enemies, someone we meet on the bus—whoever it is might remind us of this character. So they really get lodged in our psyche. An iconic character feels true to some fundamental part of the human condition, even if they're not strictly human. So, all the alien romance people listening, don't worry—you're still in! These characters take on a life of their own. With an iconic character, we may hear them talking to us after the book is done, because we've tapped into that essential part of them. They can become almost archetypal—something we go back to over and over again in our minds, both as writers and as readers. Joanna: How can we use the Enneagram to construct an iconic character? I'm asking this as a discovery writer who struggles to construct anything beforehand. It's more that I write stuff and then something emerges. But I have definitely not had a hit series with an iconic character, so I'm willing to give your approach a try. Claire: It works with whatever your process is. If you're a discovery writer, start with that spark of a character in your head. If there's a character who's just a glimmer—maybe you know a few things about them—just keep writing. At some point you'll probably recognise, “Okay, it's time to go deeper in understanding this character and create a cohesive thread to pull all of this together.” That's where the Enneagram becomes useful. You can put on your armchair psychologist hat and ask: which of the nine core fears seems like it might be driving the parts of their personality that are emerging? Thankfully, we intuitively recognise the nine types. When we start gathering bits for a new character, we tend to pull from essentially the same constellation of personality, even if we don't realise it. For instance, you might say, “This character is bold and adventurous,” and that's all you know. You're probably not going to also add, “and they're incredibly shy,” because “bold and adventurous” plus “incredibly shy” doesn't really fit our intuitive understanding of people. We know that instinctively. So, you've got “bold and adventurous.” You write that to a certain point, and then you get to a place where you think, “I don't really know them deeply.” That's when you can go back to the nine core fears and start ruling some out quite quickly. In the book, I have descriptions for each of them. You can read the character descriptions, read about the motivations, and start to say, “It's definitely not these five types. I can rule those out.” If they're bold and adventurous, maybe the core fear is being trapped in deprivation and pain, or being harmed and controlled. Those correspond to Type Seven (“The Enthusiast”) and Type Eight (“The Challenger”), respectively. So you might say, “Okay, maybe they're a Seven or an Eight.” From there, if you can pin down a type, you can read more about it and get ideas. You can understand the next big decision point. If they're a Type Seven, what's going to motivate them? They'll do whatever keeps them from being trapped in pain and deprivation, and they'll be seeking satisfaction or new experiences in some way, because that's the core desire that goes with that fear. So now, you're asking: “How do I get them to get on the spaceship and leave Earth?” Well, you could offer them some adventure, because they're bold and adventurous. I have a character who's a Seven, and she gets on a spaceship and takes off because her boyfriend just proposed—and the idea of being trapped in marriage feels like: “Nope. Whatever is on this spaceship, I'm out of here.” You can play with that once you identify a type. You can go as deep with that type as you want, or you can just work with the core fear and the basic desire. There's no “better or worse”—it's whatever you feel comfortable with and whatever you need for the story. Joanna: In the book, you go into all the Enneagram types in detail, but you also have a specific example: Wednesday Addams. She's one of my favourites. People listening have either seen the current series or they have something in mind from the old-school Addams Family. Can you talk about [Wednesday Addams] as an example? Claire: Doing those deep dives was some of the most fun research for this book. I told my husband, John, “Don't bother me. I need to sit and binge-watch Wednesday again—with my notebook this time.” Online, people were guessing: “Oh, she's maybe this type, maybe that type.” As soon as I started watching properly with the Enneagram in mind, I thought: “Oh, this is a Type Eight, this is the Challenger.” One of the first things we hear from her is that she considers emotions to be weakness. Immediately, you can cross out a bunch of types from that. When we're looking at weak/strong language—that lens of “strength” versus “weakness”—we tend to look towards Eights, because they often sort the world in those terms. They're concerned about being harmed or controlled, so they feel they need to be strong and powerful. That gave me a strong hint in that direction. If we look at the inciting incident—which is a great place to identify what really triggers a character, because it has to be powerful enough to launch the story—Wednesday finds her little brother Pugsley stuffed in a locker. She says, “Who did this?” because she believes she's the only one who gets to bully him. That's a very stereotypical Type Eight thing. The unhealthy Eight can dip into being a bit of a bully because they're focused on power and power dynamics. But the Eight also says, “These are my people. I protect them. If you're one of my people, you're under my protection.” So there's that protection/control paradox. Then she goes and—spoiler—throws a bag of piranhas into the pool to attack the boys who hurt him. That's like: okay, this is probably an Eight. Then she has control wrested from her when she's sent to the new school. That's a big trigger for an Eight: to not have autonomy, to not have control. She acts out pretty much immediately, tries to push people away, and establishes dominance. One of the first things she does is challenge the popular girl to a fencing match. That's very Eight behaviour: “I'm going to go in, figure out where I sit in this power structure, and try to get into a position of power straight away.” That's how the story starts, and in the book I go into a lot more analysis. At one point she's attacked by this mysterious thing and is narrowly saved from a monster. Her reaction afterwards is: “I would have rather saved myself.” That's another strong Eight moment. The Eight does not like to be saved by anyone else. It's: “No, I wanted to be strong enough to do that.” Her story arc is also very Eight-flavoured: she starts off walled-off, “I can do it myself,” which can sometimes look like the self-sufficiency of the Five, but for her it's about always being in a power position and in control of herself. She has to learn to rely more on other people if she wants to protect the people she cares about. Protecting the innocent and protecting “her people” is a big priority for the Eight. Joanna: Let's say we've identified our main character and protagonist. One of the important things in any book, especially in a series, is conflict—both internal and external. Can we use the Enneagram to work out what would be the best other character, or characters, to give us more conflict? Claire: The character dynamics are complex, and all types are going to have both commonalities and conflict between them. That works really well for fiction. But depending on how much conflict you need, there are certain type pairings that are especially good for it. If you have a protagonist who's an Eight, they're going to generate conflict everywhere because it doesn't really bother them. They're okay wading into conflict. If you ask an Eight, “Do you like conflict?” they'll often say, “Well, sometimes it's not great,” but to everyone else it looks like they come in like a wrecking ball. The Eight tends to go for what they want. They don't see the point in waiting. They think, “I want it, I'm going to go and get it.” That makes them feel strong and powerful. So it's easy to create external and internal conflict with an Eight and other types. But the nature of the conflict is going to be different depending on who you pair them with. Let's say you have this Eight and you pair them with a Type One, “The Reformer,” whose core fear is being bad or corrupt, and who wants to be good and have integrity. The Reformer wants morality. They can get a little preachy; they can become a bit of a zealot when they're more unhealthy. A One and an Eight will have a very particular kind of conflict because the One says, “Let's do what's right,” and the Eight says, “Let's do what gets me what I want and puts me in the power position.” They may absolutely get along if they're taking on injustice. Ones and Eights will team up if they both see the same thing as unjust. They'll both take it on together. But then they may reach a point in the story where the choice is between doing the thing that is “right”—maybe self-sacrificing or moral—versus doing the thing that will exact retribution or secure a power-up. That's where the conflict between a One and an Eight shows up. You can grab any two types and they'll have unique conflict. I'm actually working on a project on Kickstarter that's all about character dynamics and relationships—Write Iconic Relationships is the next project—and I go deeper into this there. Joanna: I was wondering about that, because I did a day-thing recently with colour palettes and interior design—which is not usually my thing—so I was really challenging myself. We did this colour wheel, and they were talking about how the opposite colour on the wheel is the one that goes with it in an interesting way. I thought— Maybe there's something in the Enneagram where it's like a wheel, and the type opposite is the one that clashes or fits in a certain way. Is that a thing? Claire: There is a lot of that kind of contrast. The Enneagram is usually depicted in a circle, one through nine, and there are strong contrasts between types that are right next to each other, as well as interesting lines that connect them. For example, we've been talking about the Eight, and right next to Eight is Nine, “The Peacemaker.” Eights and Nines can look like opposites in certain ways. The Nine is conflict-avoidant, and the Eight tends to think you get what you want by pushing into conflict if necessary. Then you've got Four, “The Individualist,” which is very emotional, artistic, heart-centred, and Five, “The Investigator,” which you're familiar with—very head-centred and analytical, thinking-based. The Four and the Five can clash a bit: the head and the heart. So, yes, there are interesting contrasts right next to each other on the wheel. Each type also has its own conflict style. We're going into the weeds a bit here, but it's fascinating to play with. There's one conflict style—the avoidant conflict style, sometimes called the “positive outlook” group—and it's actually hard to get those types into an enemies-to-lovers romance because they don't really want to be enemies. That's Types Two, Seven, and Nine. So depending on the trope you're writing, some type pairings are more frictional than others. There are all these different dynamics you can explore, and I can't wait to dig into them more for everyone in the relationships book. Joanna: The Enneagram is just one of many tools people can use to figure out themselves as well as their characters. Maybe that's something people want to look at this year. You've got this book, you've got other resources that go into it, and there's also a lot of information out there if people want to explore it more deeply. Let's pull back out to the bigger picture, because as this goes out in January 2026, I think there is a real fear of change in the community right now. Is that something you've seen? What are your thoughts for authors on how they can navigate the year ahead? Claire: Yes, there has been a lot of fear. The rate of change of things online has felt very rapid. The rate of change in the broader world—politically, socially—has also felt scary to a lot of people. It can be really helpful to look at your own personal life and anchor yourself in what hasn't changed and what feels universal. From there you can start to say, “Okay, I can do this. I'm safe enough to be creative. I can find creative ways to work within this new environment.” You can choose to engage with AI. You can choose to opt out. It's totally your choice, and there is no inherent virtue in either one. I think that's important to say. Sometimes people who are anti-AI—not just uninterested but actively antagonistic—go after people who like it. And sometimes people who like AI can be antagonistic towards people who don't want to use it. But actually, you get to choose what you're comfortable with. One of the things I see emerging for authors in 2026, regardless of what tools you're using or how you feel about them, is this question of trustworthiness. I think there's a big need for that. With the increased number of images and videos that are AI-generated—which a lot of people who've been on the internet for a while can still recognise as AI and say, “Yeah, that's AI”—but that may not be obvious for long. Right now some of us can tell, but a lot of people can't, and that's only going to get murkier. There's a rising mistrust of our own senses online lately. We're starting to wonder, “Can I believe what I'm seeing and hearing?” And I think that sense of mistrust will increase. As an author in that environment, it's really worth focusing on: how do I build trust with my readers? That doesn't mean you never use AI. It might simply mean you disclose, to whatever extent feels right for you, how you use it. There are things like authenticity, honesty, vulnerability, humility, integrity, transparency, reliability—all of those are ingredients in this recipe of trustworthiness that we need to look at for ourselves. If there's one piece of hard inner work authors can do for 2026, I think it's asking: “Where have I not been trustworthy to my readers?” Then taking that hard, sometimes painful look at what comes up, and asking how you can adjust. What do you need to change? What new practices do you need to create that will increase trustworthiness? I really think that's the thing that's starting to erode online. If you can work on it now, you can hold onto your readers through whatever comes next. Joanna: What's one concrete thing people could do in that direction [to increase trustworthiness]? Claire: I would say disclosing if you use AI is a really good start—or at least disclosing how you use it specifically. I know that can lead to drama when you do it because people have strong opinions, but trustworthiness comes at the cost of courage and honesty. Transparency is another ingredient we could all use more of. If transparency around AI is a hard “absolutely not” for you—if you're thinking, “Nope, Claire, you can get lost with that”—then authenticity is another route. Let your messy self be visible, because people still want some human in the mix. Being authentically messy and vulnerable with your audience helps. If you can't be reliable and put the book out on time, at least share what's going on in your life. Staying connected in that way builds trust. Readers will think, “Okay, I see why you didn't hit that deadline.” But if you're always promising books—“It's going to be out on this day,” and then, “Oh, I had to push it back,” and that happens again and again—that does erode the trustworthiness of your brand. So, looking at those things and asking, “How am I cultivating trust, and how am I breaking it?” is hard work. There are definitely ways I look at my own business and think, “That's not a very trustworthy thing I'm doing.” Then I need to sit down, get real with myself, and see how I can improve that. Joanna: Always improving is good. Coming back to the personal brand piece, and to being vulnerable and putting ourselves out there: you and I have both got used to that over years of doing it and practising. There are people listening who have never put their photo online, or their voice online, or done a video. They might not use their photo on the back of their book or on their website. They might use an avatar. They might use a pen name. They might be afraid of having anything about themselves online. That's where I think there is a concern, because as much as I love a lot of the AI stuff, I don't love the idea of everything being hidden behind anonymous pen names and faceless brands. As you said, being vulnerable in some way and being recognisably human really matters. I'd say: double down on being human. I think that's really important. Do you have any words of courage for people who feel, “I just can't. I don't want to put myself out there”? Claire: There are definitely legitimate reasons some people wouldn't want to be visible. There are safety reasons, cultural reasons, family reasons—all sorts of factors. There are also a lot of authors who simply haven't practised the muscle of vulnerability. You build that muscle a little bit at a time. It does open you up to criticism, and some people are just not at a phase of life where they can cope with that. That's okay. If fear is the main reason—if you're hiding because you're scared of being judged—I do encourage you to step out, gently. This may be my personal soapbox, but I don't think life is meant to be spent hiding. Things may happen. Not everyone will like you. That's part of being alive. When you invite in hiding, it doesn't just stay in one corner. That constricted feeling tends to spread into other areas of your life. A lot of the time, people I work with don't want to disclose their pen names because they're worried their parents won't approve, and then we have to unpack that. You don't have to do what your parents want you to do. You're an adult now, right? If the issue is, “They'll cut me out of the will,” we can talk about that too. That's a deeper, more practical conversation. But if it's just that they won't approve, you have more freedom than you think. You also don't have to plaster your picture everywhere. Even if you're not comfortable showing your face, you can still communicate who you are and what matters to you in other ways—through your stories, through your email list, through how you talk to readers. Let your authentic self be expressed in some way. It's scary, but the reward is freedom. Joanna: Absolutely. Lots to explore in 2026. Tell people where they can find you and your books and everything you do online. Claire: LiberatedWriter.com is where all of my stuff lives, except my fiction, which I don't think people here are necessarily as interested in. If you do want to find my fiction, FFS Media is where that lives. Then I'm on Substack as well. I write long pieces there. If you want to subscribe, it's The Liberated Writer on Substack. Joanna: Brilliant. Well, thanks so much for your time, Claire. That was great. Claire: Thanks so much for having me.The post Leaving Social Media, Writing Iconic Characters, and Building Trust With Claire Taylor first appeared on The Creative Penn.

India's Fund of Funds for Startups 1.0 is winding down this March—but it's falling short of its goals. Of the ₹10,000 crore mandate, only ₹6,500 crore has been disbursed, and just ₹3,200 crore has actually reached startups. Meanwhile, FFS 2.0 remains stuck in limbo with no guidelines released yet. Despite catalyzing India's startup boom—from 3,000 startups in 2016 to over 200,000 today—the program faces criticism over cheap terms for fund managers, delays, and transparency issues. As the government prepares FFS 2.0, fixing these operational inefficiencies will be crucial.Tune in.Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India's first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.

Welcome back instructor and friend of the show Drew Gill. We take a deep dive into FFS and even deeper into how effective a jerkbait can be in the cold. 

This summer we've curated your Help I Have A Teenager playlist with a healthy dose of culture-savvy conversation parents actually want - Parenting Out Loud. On Parenting Out Loud this episode: The rise of the stealth mum. From Margot Robbie's press tour to your work colleague who's never mentioned having kids, we're exploring why hiding motherhood has become the new cultural currency. Plus, praising your child is a fraught business. Do you compliment their efforts, their appearance, their creations? Perhaps millennial parents are overthinking things... again. We discuss. And, there's a tiny internet feud happening on Facebook that we need to talk about. Plus, our recommendations:

This summer we've curated your Help I Have A Teenager playlist with a healthy dose of culture-savvy conversation parents actually want - Parenting Out Loud. Welcome to Parenting Out Loud where you can be sure you're kicking off your weekend right. Monz, Amelia and Stacey are here to unpack the week once more — through the wild, wonderful lens of parenthood. On the show this week: KPop Demon Hunters is smashing records. Kids love it, parents ADORE it so, what’s behind all the hype? Tracking apps: a non-negotiable today, or are we just spying on the ones we love? The evidence that says having kids young is a good idea. We’re not completely sold, but we are talking about it. And Anne Hathaway: the quiet queen of gentle parenting who put the paps in their place. Settle in — it’s the group chat you won’t want to mute. Plus, it’s our recommendations:

This summer we've curated your Help I Have A Teenager playlist with a healthy dose of culture-savvy conversation parents actually want - Parenting Out Loud. Want more Parenting Out Loud? Click here. In this episode of Parenting Out Loud: We reflect on Father’s Day and the distinct shift in its marketing. Amelia unpacks what’s changed and why. Bluey: adorable? Absolutely. But is this the kids' TV show that's also making us feel… bad? Welcome to the Bluey Inadequacy Complex. Monz explains all. Plus, ❤️

It's one of our favorite episodes of the year where we recap a bad (or is it actually a genius?) holiday movie. This year's pick: Christmas at the Catnip Cafe. Olivia, a marketing exec (OF COURSE SHE IS) is left half a cat cafe in her aunt's will and who owns the other half? A hot vet who loves cats, obviously. Olivia hates cats! And has no time for romance or small towns! But does love to make vegetable tians! Oh my god, WHAT will happen?!  Have a very festive, safe holiday y'all. And men, ask how you can help, FFS. 

The podcast features a return visit from Erick Godsey, who has worked alongside Kyle for over six years in Fit For Service (FFS) and previously at Onnit, where their desks were next to each other. They share a deep bond over discussions on Jungian psychology, tarot readings, and personal growth. The conversation primarily centers around their recent shared experience participating in a vision quest guided by Ken Conte, recounting their transformative journeys and the lessons learned. Kyle and Erick discuss the physical and psychological challenges they faced, the spiritual teachings they encountered, and the profound impacts on their personal lives and relationships. They also touch upon the end of their time with FFS, the grief and growth that came with it, and their plans for future ventures like Full Temple Reset and the Kyle's new digital community. Throughout, the importance of facing adversity, alchemical transformation, and continuous self-improvement is emphasized.   FULL TEMPLE RESET registration is now open. Check it out here: https://kingsbu.com/fulltemplereset   Connect with Erick here: Instagram Lucid University   From Kyle: The Community is coming! Click here to learn more   Our Sponsors: Let's level up your nicotine routine with Lucy. Go to Lucy.co/KKP and use promo code (KKP) to get 20% off your first order. Lucy offers FREE SHIPPING and has a 30-day refund policy if you change your mind. To SUPERCHARGE YOUR STEM CELLS, go to qualialife.com/kyle15 for up to 50% off, and use code KYLE15 for an additional 15%. Go to tonum.com/KKP, use the code KKP, and get 10% off your first order of Nouro.   Connect with Kyle: I'm back on Instagram, come say hey @kylekingsbu Twitter: @kingsbu Our Farm Initiative: @gardenersofeden.earth Odysee: odysee.com/@KyleKingsburypod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Kyle-Kingsbury Kyle's Website: www.kingsbu.com - Gardeners of Eden site If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe & leave a 5-star review with your thoughts!  

FFS

FFS! RIGHT MUST UNITE TO BEAT STARMER  #Starmer #Farage #BenHabib #RupertLowe #TommyRobinson #ReformUK #JonGaunt #Live  Starmer is clinging on and is determined not to resign so the Right of politics need to stop their playground squabbling and unite to prevent and obstruct Starmer's determination to wreck the UK.  We can not wait another 4 years to remove this lousy Labour Government we need an united opposition.  Farage and Rupert Lowe need to "kiss and make up." Ben Habib's considerable intellect needs to be employed and of course Tommy Robinson has the ability to get people out on to the streets. All of these leaders claim they are Patriots so now they need to prove that with their actions by uniting and opposing all the social engineering that Starmer will want to implement: ID cards, illegal migrants, rejoining EU, and FREE SPEECH restrictions and much more. Starmer and Lord Hermer have already shown their intent with their attacks on Farage and his alleged comments as a 13 year old boy!  Farage today the rest of them tomorrow?  Join me and tell me what you think.  #Starmer #Farage #BenHabib #RupertLowe #TommyRobinson #ReformUK #JonGaunt #Live #KeirStarmer #LabourParty #ReformUK #UKPolitics #jongaunttv #JonGaunt #TalkRadio #FreeSpeech #CancelCulture #Brexit #UKPolitics #NoCensorship #CultureWar #PoliticalCommentary #AntiWoke  Starmer, Farage, Ben Habib, Rupert Lowe, Tommy Robinson Reform UK, Jon Gaunt, Live This is political blogging and hard-hitting social commentary from Triple Sony Gold Award-winning talk radio legend, Jon Gaunt — former host on BBC, Talk Radio, and Sky News. On Jon Gaunt TV, we cut through the noise and say what others won't. No political correctness. No censorship. Just real conversations that matter.

Happy Holidays to all you FFs! We're eternally grateful for each and every one of you. See you soon!

On this episode of Low Budget Live (Not So Live), Luke runs his mouth about Thanksgiving traditions, a heavy week, the MLF team series, the Jaden Parrish Bassmaster DQ, and is joined by The Dean Himself, Pete Gluszek, to talk seeing it all on the road, a very special trip to Alabama, being inspired by younger anglers, his passion behind The Bass University, FFS excitment and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The fee-for-service model isn't just failing your clients; it's actively burning out the very doctors they're supposed to trust. My guest this week, Dr. John Van Der Veer, isn't just a critic of this broken model; he's a refugee from it. After hitting his own breaking point as a primary care doc and Chief Medical Officer, he built the alternative: a Direct Primary Care (DPC) practice. In this episode, Dr. Van Der Veer gives you a doctor's firsthand account of why the FFS system is designed to fail. We get into the new framework that DPC provides, how it actually aligns incentives to save your clients money, and how he's scaling it through a massive partnership with Hy-Vee. This is the proof you need to finally lead your clients away from the problem and toward the solution.▶▶ Sign Up For Your Free Discovery Callhttps://calendly.com/aneary/strategy-sessionKEY MOMENTS(00:00:00) A Doctor's Take On How Fee-For-Service Is Failing Your Clients (00:09:05) The DPC Fix: Realigning Incentives with Patient Care (00:09:24) The Gateway to Smarter, Cheaper Advanced Care (00:11:29) More Time, Better Outcomes: The DPC Patient Experience (00:24:01) Scaling the Solution: The Hy-Vee Partnership (00:32:22) The Engagement Strategy: Getting People to Actually Use DPC CONNECT WITH ANDY NEARY

This week on Ike Live, we're coming to you LIVE from the bar! Ike and Becky are back from an unforgettable trip through Spain and Portugal, and they're sharing stories, fishing insights, and all the wild moments from the road. But that's just the beginning… We're also diving into two massive breaking updates in the tournament bass fishing world: Bassmaster's shocking new rule banning anglers from livestreaming their tournament days – what does this mean for anglers, sponsors, and fans? Major League Fishing's new forward-facing sonar rule at the BFL level – anglers are now limited to just 3 hours of using FFS and 360 sonar during tournament days. Is this the start of a sport-wide shift? Join Mike and Becky for real talk, strong opinions, and unfiltered takes on where the sport is headed. Grab a drink, settle in, and let's talk fishing.   #IkeLive #MikeIaconelli #BassFishingPodcast #MLF #Bassmaster #LivestreamBan #ForwardFacingSonar #BFL #FishingControversy #FishingNews #ProFishing #TournamentFishing #FFS #FishingRules #FishingCommunity

When I was a kid (many MANY years ago) I thought it was the coolest thing to look in other people's tackle boxes. If I'm being honest, I still do! What do they throw, colors, hooks, weird bait's I've never seen or heard of. It's just cool / intriguing / fun. So I grabbed a totally random box outta my boat and decided to open it up and talk about it. I also go on two old man rants about BASS and their new FFS stuff and the tragedy of Flint Davis. PLEASE GIVE US A 5 STAR POSITIVE REVIEW ON WHATEVER PLATFORM YOU'RE ON! TELL A FRIEND. SHARE THE WORD! Seriously though, it really helps us! POSITIVITY IS WORTH THE EFFORT! ALL FISHING IS FUN FISHING! ⁠https://www.tackleandtacos.com/⁠ ⁠https://www.grizzlycoolers.com-⁠ code WCB for 15% off ⁠https://hookandarrowsupply.com⁠ ⁠https://www.leupold.com/⁠ ⁠https://www.workingclassbowhunter.com/⁠ ⁠https://www.facebook.com/p/Moldys-Marine-100067184804787/⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, we welcome on Research Scientist Ryan Henry. We get to sit down with Ryan and chat about some of his recent research projects, including the impacts on new technology on our fisheries, preserving potential record breaking fish the RIGHT WAY, protecting bass populations from natural disasters, and more!   Brought to you by:  American Legacy Fishing & Outdoors www.americanlegacyfishing.com Use Code: TACKLETALK5 for 5% Off (including sale items!)

On this episode of Low Budget Live (Not So Live), Luke is joined by Drew Cook, Patrick Walters, and Trent Palmer from Generostee Creek Lodge during the 2025 NPFL Championship! The foursome talk about rocks that move, no info rules, what not to do after touching a pepper, the future of FFS and belonging to the most dominant generation in fishing! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, we discuss which is worse: losing a big fish right at the boat or getting skunked all day long. We also talk about Hobie being purchased by Bass Pro Shops, an underrated pond lure, whether or not to add technology to your kayak, backpack bags, tiny boats builds, the weirdest things we've ever hooked, and more!     LINK TO AMAZON MARCHWAY 20L DRYBAG: https://amzn.to/4pHH5Ko      Brought to you by:  American Legacy Fishing & Outdoors www.americanlegacyfishing.com Use Code: TACKLETALK5 for 5% Off (including sale items!)

On this episode of Low Budget Live (Not So Live), Luke runs his mouth about the Tennessee/Georgia game, the senseless Charlie Kirk tragedy , and breaks down ALL the new FFS rules across the pro fishing world in county school fashion! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textIn this episode, I sit down with Maryland fisheries biologist Ryan Gary to dive deep into one of the most debated topics in bass fishing: forward-facing sonar. Ryan compiled and analyzed data from the entire 2025 Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour season, comparing tournament outcomes, trends, and outliers between anglers who relied on sonar and those who didn't. We break down what the numbers reveal, discuss how technology is shaping the sport, and uncover insights every angler can learn from.If you've ever wondered just how much FFS is impacting bass fishing—or whether the controversy is backed by real data—this is an episode you won't want to miss.

On today's episode, we talk JIGS. We ask you which type of jig you would rather use for the rest of your life: a flipping jig, a swim jig, or a football jig, and then we discuss the results. We also talk about working jigs in current and working jigs from the bank. We also discuss the 'coin flips' heard 'round the world, a dirt cheap Amazon buy that we highly recommend, our favorite ways to cook fish, and more!   LINK TO THE AMAZON PRODUCT FROM THIS EPISODE: https://amzn.to/3V80pCI    Brought to you by:  American Legacy Fishing & Outdoors www.americanlegacyfishing.com Use Code: TACKLETALK5 for 5% Off (including sale items!)

In this episode, we're tackling the massive news shaking the bass fishing world: the new BASSMASTER rules on Forward-Facing Sonar (FFS). Join the discussion as we break down the controversial decision to split the 2026 Bassmaster Elite Series season, with some tournaments allowing FFS and others banning it completely. We'll reveal which tournaments are FFS-free, including Lake Champlain and Santee Cooper, and which ones will still allow it, like the St. Lawrence River and Lake Murray. This change has huge implications for professional anglers. We also cover the latest retirements from two icons of the sport, Skeet Reese and Bernie Schultz, and discuss their legendary careers. Plus, we dive deep into the angler cuts from both the Bassmaster Elites and the MLF Bass Pro Tour, listing the pros who didn't requalify and debating what's next for them in the world of tournament bass fishing. Whether you're for or against the FFS ban, this is a must-watch conversation for every bass fishing fan. We share our candid opinions and want to hear yours in the comments! #BassFishing #ForwardFacingSonar #Bassmaster #MLF #Fishing #TournamentFishing #BassmasterElites

Frank and Matt talk about the upcoming Bassmaster coinflip to determine FFS on the Elite Series in 2026.

Kyle Patrick joins BTL for a discussion of how the FFS debate is playing out at the professional level.