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Find the video podcast of The Dan Bongino Show exclusively on Rumble at ⁠https://Rumble.com/bongino⁠ In this episode, I cover CNN's insane gaslighting campaign, developments in the battle for the SAVE Act, and the health "hack" that changed my life. WOAH: The Obama Foundation Is Even More Corrupt Than You Predicted ⁠https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/03/11/the-obama-foundation-is-even-more-corrupt-than-you-thought-n4950512⁠ Chuck Schumer's LIES about SAVE America Act Get Worse — Only He Could Make This Up ⁠https://www.theblaze.com/news/allows-ice-to-kick-tens-of-billions-off-voter-rolls-schumers-save-act-claims-keep-getting-worse⁠ Newest Fraud SCANDAL Is Heating Up — and It's Found in Gavin Newsom's California ⁠https://nypost.com/2026/03/10/us-news/ground-zero-for-hospice-fraud-the-la-boulevard-exposed-by-new-investigation/⁠ Sponsors: Dose - ⁠https://dosedaily.co/bongino⁠ Patriot Mobile - ⁠https://patriotmobile.com/dan⁠ Birch Gold - Text Bongino to 989898 Helix Sleep - ⁠https://helixsleep.com/dan⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode covers the latest in cybersecurity, AI vulnerabilities, government system security, and the importance of human validation in AI-driven security tools. Ryan, Shannon, and Chris discuss recent breaches, AI safety, and strategic government initiatives. Article: OpenAI Codex Security Scanned 1.2 Million Commits and Found 10,561 High-Severity Issues https://thehackernews.com/2026/03/openai-codex-security-scanned-12.html FBI investigating ‘suspicious' cyber activity on system holding sensitive surveillance information https://federalnewsnetwork.com/cybersecurity/2026/03/fbi-investigating-suspicious-cyber-activity-on-system-holding-sensitive-surveillance-information/ President Trump's CYBER STRATEGY for America https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/president-trumps-cyber-strategy-for-america.pdf Buy the guide: https://www.theothersideofthefirewall.com/ Please LISTEN

In this conversation, Kiara Loucks shares her profound experiences during a health crisis that taught her the significance of community and support. She reflects on a moment of vulnerability when she had to rely on her husband for help and the intimate experience they shared before her surgery. Kiara emphasizes the importance of allowing others to be there for us in times of need and how such situations can strengthen relationships and foster personal growth. Outdoor retreats: heroutdorjourney.com Kiara on Instagram @kiara.loucks Takeaways Other people need to be in our lives sometimes. Facing health crises can reveal the strength of our relationships. Intimacy can be found in shared vulnerable moments. It’s okay to lean on others during tough times. Support from loved ones can be a source of strength. Crisis situations can deepen our connections with others. Prayer and faith can provide comfort in uncertainty. Allowing help can be a sign of strength, not weakness. People often want to step up and help when we need it. Vulnerability can lead to personal growth and understanding. Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. Watch on YouTube Show Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of Carol Nourish Grow, and today I’m joined by Kiara Lux. Kiara and I met this year when I competed in the fit model competition in Kentucky and she had the same coach that I did and ended up doing the same show. And I just immediately loved this woman. So what I learned. about her journey and her health stuff I had to have her on. anyway, Kiara, welcome. If you could ⁓ just tell everyone a little bit about who you are and then we’ll get into some of your health journey. Because I think it’s really interesting and I think there’s a lot of things there that will help a lot of people. Kiara Loucks (00:35)Absolutely. First off, thank you so much for having me. I’m so honored to be here. My take on our meeting is very similar. I just fell in love with you from the second you texted me asking if I wanted sourdough. We had never met. You brought me sourdough. I was like, I don’t know her, but I love her. So yeah, I’ve had quite a wild journey. Health and fitness have been at the center of my journey. Cheryl McColgan (00:43)you Kiara Loucks (00:57)Really since I was young, I’ve been an athlete my whole life in different sports that have taken me all over the world and brought wonderful people like yourself into my life. Outside of professional athletics, I work in tech on my, like my nine to five, I work on Wall Street in paid media. And then I actually am now running an organization on the other side of that. with all of the spare time called her outdoor journey, which is really focused on bridging the gap for women and families in the back country. So whether it’s survival, holistic wellness, it’s really this concept of community and education to get women and families outside, which is now actually evolving into co-ed opportunities. So in a very, very high level nutshell, that is me. My fitness journey was, I’m sure we’ll dive into it, but. I don’t think you knew this, but I’m actually over 100 pounds down from my heaviest, so that was 11 years ago. Just, think, like most people, kind of gave up and had always wanted to compete, but it was a pipe dream that never had any real legs to it until it did. So really excited to dive in with you, and I’m just excited to be able to chat with you. You’re one of my favorite people. Cheryl McColgan (02:04)I know it’s been I wanted to catch up for so long. And we just like you’ve been traveling so much and doing really exciting work with the project that you mentioned, and we’ll get into that. But before we go into all that, and we go into the weight loss thing, because that is definitely a subject that people are on this podcast are interested in. But I have to have you tell people, you to kind of just glossed over that whole professional athlete thing, tell people what you what your sport is, because I think it’s so wild. Kiara Loucks (02:07)I know. Yeah, so I’m kind of in this purgatory season right now, so not actually professionally competing in anything, but I’ve been a professional rower. I’ve been a professional bobsledder for the US and Canada. I’ve been a bodybuilder, Olympic weightlifter. We’ve been all over the map. Yeah, and I’m kind of getting back into the endurance side of things right now. I’m not done with bodybuilding or Cheryl McColgan (02:43)That’s the one. Kiara Loucks (02:54)Bodybuilding isn’t done with me yet, but we’re on a little hiatus. As you know, it kind of takes over your whole life. And I’ve lived a season for the last decade where sports is my whole life. So I’m kind of just turning my brain on for a little bit and creating and doing other things. Cheryl McColgan (03:08)Yeah, and I think that’s, it’s an interesting mindset being an athlete for most of your whole life. So you said though, at some point you kind of gave up, can you share a little bit more about that? Was there an injury? Was there something that happened in your life where things just shifted for you? And how did that go? And then how did you get back to where you are now? Kiara Loucks (03:19)Thank you. Yeah, great question. You seem like the type that’s okay to go kind of deep and heavy off the rip because that’s just life. So I had actually signed a scholarship agreement with UC Santa Barbara to play softball ⁓ once I graduated high school. And my senior year in high school, I both broke my back quite literally to vertebrae on my back in a terrible sledding accident. And then I also endured a sexual assault. So I was raped my senior year in high school. And those two, I think combined, just put me in a place I didn’t know how to cope. And so I learned growing up that food is comfort. And when we hurt, we self-soothe. And I didn’t have the tools in my toolkit to do that in a healthy way. So I started partying a lot, started eating a lot. And honestly, by the grace of God, I walked onto campus to try to rush for a sorority. I missed. I missed rush, but I had walked by the rowing recruiter tent. And some young gal shouted at me. She was like, Hey, you have really big legs. Would you want to row? And I was like, simultaneously so offended and so flattered. I was like, let’s try it. And that opened this new avenue we’ve been on for the last decade. But prior to that, I just like, like I said, I had given up and food was really my reprieve. from life. Cheryl McColgan (04:47)And I think a lot of people will be able to relate to that. And I’m so sorry that you had to go through that experience. Although often some of the great tragedies in our life really end up shaping who we are. And I think that that is definitely one of the reasons that’s contributed to you, you know, being so successful and being able to overcome all that. So, but anyway, definitely a heavy subject and thank you for being willing to share that with people. So after all that happened, you wrote in college and then let’s fast forward to like just Kiara Loucks (04:59)Delicious. Agreed. Mm-hmm. Cheryl McColgan (05:16)before we met because you had some pretty crazy health things and things happening in your life right before you decided to compete. So I’d love it if you’d kind of share that journey. Kiara Loucks (05:27)Yeah, so like I alluded to bodybuilding was a dream of mine for the last 12 years like I saw someone do it and thought it was the coolest thing and Never thought it was a realistic opportunity for me and then fast-forward lots of things changed and Decided actually a year ago that I was gonna get into bodybuilding and got into it locally it went swimmingly like I just Found a lot of success very quickly But in an extremely unhealthy way working with a coach which bodybuilding is wrought with coaches who went pro and then think that they have the license to dictate someone else’s health. So went down that rabbit hole came out of we did four shows back to back to back to back. We blitzed last fall and did really well coming into the offseason after my last show in November of last year. Cheryl McColgan (06:12)a lot. Kiara Loucks (06:20)I was following my reverse diet to a T and was putting on weight extremely rapidly and Not only was it a mental Battle it was also physically feeling out of control of my body and on top of that I started bleeding Like non-stop started presenting pregnancy symptoms had no idea what was happening in my body had just kind of taken on its own life And so it was controlling all that I could At first they thought I had cervical cancer and so we went kind of through some rounds of testing for that and then coming back in January This was like a three-month saga coming back in January found out I was pregnant and Then they thought I was having a miscarriage because I was bleeding the entire time. So I was extremely anemic I was just exhausted. I couldn’t really do much and I Would not give up training like that was the only thing I really had was just training and trying to be present for the holidays and so After they thought I had a miscarriage, my HCG levels, which are the hormones present when you are pregnant, were actually going back up. And so it was end of January, or this year, that they found out I had an egg-topic pregnancy growing in my left ovary. And we were early enough that they had attempted to treat it with chemotherapy. So methotrexate is a chemotherapy procedure that they typically will try. before they go to surgery as an intervention in order to try to get the cells to kind of reabsorb into the body. It stops everything from turning over, which my goober brain decided to still train, still try to move through all of it, even if that was just walking on the treadmill for most days. So was extremely humbling. But through that, I had one round of chemo, which was just hell for lack of a better term. and then it ended up rupturing anyway. So by rupture, I mean I was internally bleeding, had come up with a fever in the midst of all of the chemo symptoms. So for those out there who are not privy to what that looks like, your body feels like it’s on fire. I couldn’t smile, I couldn’t chew, I couldn’t laugh, I couldn’t cry. Everything from my head to my neck to my back would just seize. And so in the midst of that, I popped a fever. We went in and as we were walking into the ER, I was rupturing. And so they opened the OR middle of the night and had a surgical intervention for that. And then me being me, I needed something on the calendar. Maybe not the best way to cope, we’re learning, but I’ve always been someone that when I have something to shoot for, the in-between between here and there doesn’t really matter. We have a goal, we’re working towards something, we’re progressing, we’re… Controlling our environment for lack of better term as well. So put a show on the calendar and decided to find a new coach because like I mentioned, my previous coach was not health conscious at all. And so I found Adam who’s just a godsend and was able to actually reverse some of my endometriosis symptoms, certain things through protocol with supplementation and food. It was a miracle and we started prep while I still had chemo in my system. We were like hitting the ground running, let’s go. And that was beginning of February, March timeframe. And then we walked into the show that you and I met at, which was in Louisville. went well, not as well as I’d hoped, but it’s okay. It was still a blast and I met you. And then we did two shows right after that in Las Vegas and then in Chattanooga, Tennessee. So. Cheryl McColgan (09:57)and she’s leaving out that she won one of those shows, which I was not surprised because seeing you in person and now knowing everything that you went through leading up to that, mean, the amount of muscle that you have. Kiara Loucks (09:59)We did bring home Miss Nevada this year. I was very excited about that. Cheryl McColgan (10:17)is a testament to, I think something that people kind of lose sight of sometimes is that your muscle is a metabolic sink for a lot of things that it helps control your blood sugar. helps. It helps you survive times like what you went through. And I’m convinced that’s one reason my dad did so well with his cancer treatments over the years is because he was always really muscular. He was like Jack Lillane, basically my dad, he was like into that way before anyone else. So he’s never like huge, but he always was very concerned. He always lifted. And so I would say, you know, do you feel like both your mentality as someone that was into fitness helped you as well as the fact that you were already in such good shape to start with? Because I think you just, the outcomes are so much better if you have some muscle. Kiara Loucks (10:59)Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah, I think twofold. The physical side of it, there’s research to support that muscle mass is an indicator of longevity and it’s also the best way to push off atrophy in the body as we age. So knowing that no matter what sport you’re doing, having lean muscle mass is going to always be a benefit. That’s kind of the first part and it allows your body to bounce back really quickly. Like you’re a lot more resistant to… whatever life throws at you, whether it’s disease or acute injury. And so that’s kind of the first side. And then the second side is the mental side. So when I, know, as someone who’s been an athlete my whole life was told I can’t do anything, let alone like I can’t even walk on a treadmill. Mentally, I just crumbled. But then you realize and you’ll get this too, no matter what sport you do, or just lifting in general for people that just go to the gym to stay healthy. It’s not easy and it hurts. Like you are training your body to deal with things that hurt knowing full well that you’re going to be better for it. And I think that was the privilege walking into my health situation last year was that mentality that I’m going to make it through this. It sucks and it really hurts. It’s not going to last forever. I guarantee it. And I’m going to be better on the other side of it, whether that’s mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or all of the above. We’re going to be OK. Cheryl McColgan (12:26)And how so how did you get from the point? Where I mean, to me, like putting something like that on the books is just. unbelievable. And then to see the shape that you showed up in, I mean, it was just unbelievable. So can you talk about your mental state during that time a little bit? Because I think there’s, you know, whether people are an athlete or not, I think there’s always something to be learned with mindset. And I think the more that you can share about maybe that part of that and how you, you know, seemingly made it through to the other side. I mean, nobody’s saying everything’s perfect all the time, but you still move through Kiara Loucks (12:39)Thank you. Thank you. Cheryl McColgan (13:04)life, you created these amazing goals, you are still working all this time. Talk a little bit about your mindset and how you, how do you overcome that hurdle like once you were on the chemo and doing all this really crazy health stuff. Kiara Loucks (13:17)That is such a good question. Yeah, I think when life really kicks her teeth in, it’s usually there to teach us something. And I hate to be the person that’s like, it always happens for a reason, because it doesn’t always. But being able to take a really poopy situation and make meaning of it and find that meaning while you’re walking through it is really the best way to endure it. So for me, I’ve always been an incredibly independent woman. I don’t need anyone. I don’t need help. and I never ask for help. And so my husband had just gotten out of the army. So we’re actually one year free as of two days ago on Veterans Day. And when he came back, we actually had a really hard time because I had kind of established this life where he was more of an accessory than a need. And I didn’t have an issue with that. In fact, when he got home, I reminded him that I didn’t need him. I want him. And know, like all of these pieces that I think the intention was pure, but this chapter, the health chapter we’re talking about really taught me that other people need to be needed in our lives sometimes. And allowing space for that, I didn’t have an option. So there was literally a week where my husband had to help me go to the bathroom. And I still remember when we were in the OR. We didn’t know we were going to go into surgery when we went into the ER and they basically threw a pack of ammonia wipes at us as they’re opening the OR because it was like you can die relatively quickly from internal bleeding. And so they threw this bag of ammonia wipes at us and it was such an intimate moment where they were like, all right, wipe yourself down like we’re going to go open the OR. We’ll be back. And my husband and I both took a wipe and we just started cleaning things off. like prepping for surgery. And I’m standing there like, I know you’re not a believer, but I’m just gonna pray over us and the situation and where we’re going. And that whole evolution taught me it’s okay to need other people. And people in our lives are often eager for those situations where they can step up for us when we’re the ones typically stepping up for everyone else. So mentally, it allowed a lot of intimate. relationships to just flourish in my life, both my husband, my family, who all stepped in for me. And through that, it was like this mental battle to be okay not being okay on a daily basis. And then as we put the show on the calendar, things are kind of turning around, things are getting better. Then it became this super cool ethos of Everyone’s gonna hear the high school musical theme. We’re all in it together. Like it was cool that we were all in the trenches together like great We all watched movies together. Everyone helped me. It was fantastic But now we’re on the come-up together and realizing how rich that come-up was with everyone in tow And so my husband was there in Louisville. He was there in Chattanooga for Nationals Like he’s texting me constantly when I’m at shows and he’s not there Cheryl McColgan (15:58)you Kiara Loucks (16:22)It brought us so much closer together and it made me realize that win, lose or draw, I’m a better person for being in this with the people that I love building something that’s inspirational for other people. Like the number of messages I had of people who, from people who had watched the whole health journey into the prep, into the shows, into doing very well in the shows, who reached out and said like, holy shit, I’m going to get off the couch and I’m going to do this because if you can do this, like I can do that. And so it’s realizing mentally, we don’t live for ourselves. Like the fullest life we can possibly aim to live is that for others. And bodybuilding is an incredibly selfish sport, but this whole evolution turned it around into this is for my family, this is with my family, this is for other people. And I will be extremely transparent about all of the highs and the lows and everything in between. So I don’t know if that answered your question, but yeah, it was a really cool turning point for me that has. completely transcended bodybuilding into my career, into my hobbies, into my passion projects on the side. So it’s been really cool. Cheryl McColgan (17:28)Yeah, and it’s been it’s been so fun to watch as people on the outside, like you said, you had so many people rooting for you and just following along with your journey. And, you know, I guess part of our time together was like we were at the show doing this and we were in separate divisions. And so we kind of had to stick to, I guess, you know, I don’t want to say surface level conversations, but we didn’t get a chance to really dive deep into some of this stuff. So it wasn’t until later afterwards where I was watching, you know, some of your Instagram stories and Kiara Loucks (17:42)Yes. Mm-hmm. Okay. Cheryl McColgan (17:58)of the comments that people were making about your health journey and all this stuff that I really was able to see, you know, just how much you would come through. so hearing this today kind of like puts all the pieces together and just makes the whole thing even just more amazing. And I think it’s really exciting now what you’re kind of turning that into because I have a feeling that all of this And you know, just recovering after a show people that haven’t done it. It’s, know, bodybuilding is not a healthy thing. Let’s be real lifting weights is healthy, but bodybuilding is a very extreme sport. You’re getting to an extreme level of leanness, which especially for women is really hard, like on your hormones on your body, everything. And, you know, I’ve certainly experienced that. I don’t know, aftermath, for lack of a better word. ⁓ Kiara Loucks (18:27)No. Mm-hmm. Yep. Yep. Cheryl McColgan (18:49)And it’s just a very interesting mental challenge afterwards as well as physical. And ⁓ so it wasn’t surprising to me that I saw after your show, you kind of turned to ⁓ this retreat that you ended up going on. so now I would love it if you’d share about that. Like what made you become aware of that? And is my sense right that you kind of just needed some like recharge alone time? I’d to hear just all about that, how that happened. Kiara Loucks (18:54)⁓ Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, I love this. It’s like the most exciting thing in my life right now. So 100 % you’re correct. Once the show season was over, I just realized how much of my time had been spent in the gym, working, and then being a wife, being in the family. Like it’s just every day just trying to go. And one of my favorite things is spending time outside. Like I firmly believe that it is the closest place to the divine. It makes me happy. It gives me clarity. Like it is my favorite place to be. I live in Colorado. So I realized like a year went by that I hadn’t gone just to play outside with my dog. Like, okay, like I just need to get outside more. And I was feeling this void, which did you feel after the show too? It’s like this depression a little bit. Cheryl McColgan (19:45)Love it. a little bit. It’s kind of a, you know, I wish I would have done a better job documenting some of that stuff I kept meaning to, because it is just kind of a wild thing. But it never I guess, for part of it for me is because Kiara Loucks (20:11)Mm-hmm. Cheryl McColgan (20:16)I always knew that I would, you know, I’m still working, going to the gym five days a week and still just really trying to build my lean muscle for the purposes we were talking about, just making sure that I stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible and that I can lift myself off the toilet when I’m 80 years old and things like that, you know, if I’m lucky enough to make it to that age. ⁓ Kiara Loucks (20:30)Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yep. Exactly. Cheryl McColgan (20:39)So I guess in the back of my mind, it was like, well, this was an interesting process and stuff, but I was anxious to kind of get back to quote unquote normal life. Like what you’re talking about, like more time to spend time outdoors and more time to enjoy food and drinks with friends and not have to be so focused on every single bite you’re putting in your mouth. I don’t know, somehow I kind of, feel like I distracted myself from a little bit of that, but I… Kiara Loucks (20:48)normal yeah Exactly. Cheryl McColgan (21:06)I’ve read a lot of and heard a lot of other people’s stories that talk about that because this almost like well you you had these goals, the goal you got there basically. And then what you kind of go off the cliff, right? Yeah, I don’t know. I avoided that a little bit. I don’t know that sure how Kiara Loucks (21:15)Yeah, exactly. Yeah, so perfect. You know, I’m thrilled for you. did not. I just, I don’t know. Like I think if I had a body that could sustain it, which I don’t think anybody’s meant for it, I would compete all year long every year. Like I just love it so much. But when we finished nationals in Chattanooga, I just knew my body was asking for a break. Like there were just several signs that I needed to pump the, pump the breaks and chill. And so coming out of that, I realized I needed to be outside more and I just felt this void like. this one thing I’d been working for and felt meaning in, all these people invested in my story, it just was suddenly gone. And so I’m like, okay, I just need to go outside. And I had a dear girlfriend of mine actually come out and we went up to a cabin in the mountains and we were chatting and it like, I just don’t know what I’m chasing after. Like I always have something I’m chasing after and I feel like I’m missing it. And she was like, well, Kiara, you’ve been chasing outside. Like since you finished competing, all you’ve done is chase the mountains. And I’m like, well, no, no, no, like that’s just a medium. That’s a catalyst for me to find clarity. That’s not what I’m chasing. Yeah, that’s ridiculous. And sure enough, it is what I was chasing. And for the last several years, I’ve had on my vision board wanting to start a business to allow space and build a community for women to get out into the back country together. Because like all of the same things that you and I probably took away from bodybuilding, the confidence, the discipline, the community aspect, if you’re fortunate to have that, like Those are all things that I’ve found historically in the outdoors, but I think the value of the outdoors far outlasts and has much deeper lengths to it than bodybuilding. And so it’s been on my vision board for years to start a business that I can just take women outdoors and on these retreats and do cool things. And it was just another pipe dream, right? But God bless vision boards and always coming back to like ourselves and where we find meaning and purpose. And so just by happenstance, this opportunity dropped into my lap in August. So my last show of the year was middle of June, went outside a bunch, kind of just got my head screwed on a little bit for the rest of June and July. And then this opportunity dropped in my lap to go to Montana with a group called Her Outdoor Journey in August. And it was gonna be their summit, which means they were doing everything from Butchery to survival to fieldcraft to foraging to defensive shooting to Glassing which is basically understanding how to scope the side of a hill and look for animals They were doing all of this in one event. I was like alright cool I will help you guys out in trade just to go check this out because it seems kind of rad and I on a whim didn’t know anyone got in the car drove up to Montana like 12 hours And I show up and this week completely changed my life. mean, I’ve never been around a group of 20 plus women and there’s no drama, no clicks, people wanting to help, people wanting to serve, everyone having a blast. Like, and not only that, it was the skill sets that we were handed, like the education and the content. was like, I need more of this and I need to share this with as many people as I can. Like, how can I get more in the weeds on this? So I sat down with Courtney Pridi, who is the founder of her outdoor journey. And we just kind of started dreaming up how we could work together and she needed me. I needed her. Like it was this extremely serendipitous, miraculous meeting of two people who desperately needed each other. And her and I since then have walked hand in hand, just blowing the lid off of this thing. So we have like over 15 events next year, all across the continental US, Alaska and Hawaii. We’re also looking at Canada. But our mission really is to teach and empower women and get them outside. And it’s like this beautiful thing that happens when you’re learning and you’re vulnerable, when you’re outside, like all of these perfect elements that bring out the most beautiful side of people. And that’s the part that I love is nurturing these women, these people, these families, seeing how we can impact as many women and families as we can. So. Yeah, long story short, it has been the coolest thing I have found and I also fell in love with butchery out of that. So have kind of been on this whirlwind of working with feedlots and local ranchers and processing plants, understanding truly what is it that we’re eating. So going back to health and wellness, we just talked about bodybuilding is not a healthy sport. And so when you’re given a certain set macros for the day, you’ll eat trash as long as it fills those macros and you’re enjoying it. When Cheryl McColgan (26:02)Thank Kiara Loucks (26:04)Much like you, I got into this because I fell in love with taking care of myself. And so I had completely gone off path. And when I found this, it was like, ⁓ I can literally make an entire meal for me and my family off of literally just what exists out here in the back country. Understanding the seasonings, the foods that we are given naturally growing in the mountains or wherever. What Google reactions. ⁓ she is. But yeah, ⁓ so it’s just Cheryl McColgan (26:31)you Kiara Loucks (26:33)this really cool journey that’s now evolved into the butchery side of things and long tail like I would love one day to open my own high end butcher shop and do high end steak dinners for people that they get to pick right out of the case supporting local agriculture, which is a dying breed in our country right now. So bringing awareness to those things, bringing people along for the ride. I have no idea what we’re going to do with all of this, but I’m just so happy. Like I’m just right where I feel like I need to be. Cheryl McColgan (27:02)Yeah, watching some of your stories when you were on that retreat, I felt the same way. I was just so happy for you because I could just tell you were enjoying it so much and you’re in your element. And it did not surprise me afterwards that you’re like, I’m going to be a butcher. I mean, you’re crazy. I’ll get on to something. I’m just like, Oh, well, this is now this is my thing, you know, which is amazing. So so people are hearing this and they’re like, Okay, that sounds really cool. I would love to, you know, spend some time with other women out Kiara Loucks (27:10)Hmm. No! Yeah, exactly. Okay. Cheryl McColgan (27:31)doors, do all the things. And also though, I can see how maybe some people like there probably will be some people to be like, okay, I like a lot of that, but I’m not into the hunting or I like a lot of that, but I don’t know that I want to chop up a deer and skin a deer on this retreat. Tell us how that works. Kiara Loucks (27:40)What? yeah, very fair. Not expected, not expected at all. So we actually offer a whole host of opportunities for people to get on trips with us. One of the events I’m looking forward to the most is actually an adventure retreat up in Alaska. So we are literally gonna go jet ski in the glacier, ride horses, ATV, spa day. Like it is an adventure retreat. There is no hunting, there are no guns. There’s no butchery. There’s no nothing that should really kind of raise flags for some people. Knowing that, everyone has different thresholds. So if you come on any of our trips and you’re like, this part is not for me. So for example, the event that I was just talking about back in August, the defensive shooting, we had women that didn’t feel comfortable being on a range with other women who had never shot a gun. Great. They went out and had their own like they went for a hike. They read their books. They went and hung out. There’s so much freedom and liberty to do whatever you’re comfortable with. Our mission is to serve you and make sure you’re walking away with what you intended to get out of an event. So whether that’s rest and recovery, a little adventure, learning skills or trades, we do it all. And there’s never any judgment when you decide something isn’t for you. Cheryl McColgan (29:01)can you share the website and where they can find out information about the trips and do you know off the top of your head like when the next one is? Because this episode will come out fairly soon here. Kiara Loucks (29:09)Yes, absolutely. Yeah, so our next one coming up is actually our first winter retreat in Yellowstone. So you can find out more at heroutdorjourney.com or on Instagram at heroutdorjourney. And we’re actually just launching all of our events for next year. So take a look. We actually have everything from, like I said, the adventure retreats to archery, long range shooting, you name it. We got it. And we also have payment plans. So knowing that some of these are maybe a little bit more expensive, we do have payment plans and we also have gift cards. So knowing the holidays are coming up, if you want to gift some special lady in your life the time of her life and change her world forever, we are your people. So give us a shout. Cheryl McColgan (29:52)Awesome. And on top of that, where can people connect with you personally and kind of follow along with your journey? ⁓ You post somewhat frequently Instagram, but I don’t know if you have any other socials that you want to share. Kiara Loucks (30:03)Yeah, yeah, no, Instagram is the best. As I’m kind of defining this new chapter of my life, I’ve tried to be a little more conscientious about what I’m posting and how I’m presenting to the world. So we’re gonna get back in the saddle here pretty soon with more consistent posts and all sorts of exciting stuff going on in the world. But yeah, follow along at at Chiara.Lowx. Yeah, at Chiara.Lowx. My brain is halfway here. Yeah, there you go. Cheryl McColgan (30:25)One, I’ll have it in the show notes as well if for some reason you can’t find her. Well, Kiara, it’s been so wonderful catching up with you again today and ⁓ sharing more of your journey that I was not aware of. And I’m really excited for everything that’s going to happen next. And I will be following along to see what amazing things you do from here. Kiara Loucks (30:43)thank you. And thank you again for having me on. You’re just one of my favorite people, even though we haven’t spent a ton of time together, obviously. But sourdough, you won my heart forever. So thank you. Cheryl McColgan (30:53)It’s my love language. All right, take care and we’ll see you again next time. Kiara Loucks (30:55)I’m here for it. Sounds good. Thank you.

To out-sip their competition, Sword-billed Hummingbirds have a distinct adaptation: these birds' beaks are longer than their bodies. Found in temperate forests from Venezuela to Bolivia, these hummingbirds rely entirely on tube-like flowers that other species could never reach. While most birds can use their tongues to clean their feathers, the Sword-billed Hummingbird's long beak gets in the way – so they use their legs to scratch themselves instead. This episode is brought to you by Wild Delight Bird Food, which aims to support wild bird populations with clean, nutritious ingredients in every blend. Available at Chewy.com.   More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks.  BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We are spectacularly good at having ideas and remarkably reluctant to do anything with them. It turns out that the distance between "I've got it!" and "here it is" is not a step but a rather long, occasionally bewildering journey. Not unlike flying a plane. It involves a terrifying amount of fuel, significant faith in invisible forces, and a desperate hope that everything holds together on landing. History's great innovators weren't just bold thinkers; they were stubborn completers. Edison filed hundreds of patents before the lightbulb. Jeff Bezos accidentally invented cloud computing whilst trying to sell books. Remember: Ideas evolve mid-flight — your job is to keep steering Feedback isn't optional; even Van Gogh had his brother Consistency across many ideas beats obsessing over one perfect one Fasten your seatbelt — your ideas deserve an actual destination. SPONSORS

Is having sex in a hostel dorm acceptable? Alun was awoken by two people enjoying themselves in full view, something he didn't sign up for. Tune in to hear the full story, as we share our thoughts on what the best course of action is, whether you get lucky or if you're subjected to a live show without warning. We've all been there... haven't we?Support the show and access the Lost & Found section, as we dive deeper into having sex in hostels.Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tripologypodcastSubmit your travel stories: https://www.tripologypodcast.com/talesofatripNeed travel insurance? We recommend SafetyWing! Click here to get started: ⁠⁠⁠https://safetywing.com/?referenceID=26035801&utm_source=26035801&utm_medium=AmbassadorRequire an onward flight? Please use this fantastic flight rental service: ⁠⁠⁠https://onwardticket.com/tripologypodcast⁠⁠⁠Discord: https://discord.gg/7nDfhejnInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tripologypodcast/Website: https://www.tripologypodcast.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tripologypodcastX: https://x.com/tripologypod

Found our leader but what/who killed his guards and damaged him?

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything…Philippians 4:4–8 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything.“The PRESENCE of anxiety is unavoidable, but the PRISON of anxiety is optional.”—Max LucadoPEACE is found between the pillars of trusting God's GOODNESS and God's CONTROL.Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! LORD (Kiros): owner, master, or—the ONE who's in CONTROL.Anxiety INCREASES as our need to be in control INCREASES.  Anxiety DECREASES as our need for control DECREASES.Control is a GOD category, not a HUMAN one.Philippians 4:4-5 Rejoice in the Lord always. I'll say it again: Rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.Romans 8:28  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”Anxiety isn't a WALL. Your anxiety could be a DOOR that opens to invite you into a place you've never been with God.What you're anxious about the MOST is likely the area where you trust God the LEAST.PEACE is FOUND between the pillars of trusting God's goodness and God's control.Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You.

Film critic and Events Chair of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Ryan Swen joins us to discuss his Hong Sang-soo Deep Cut Pick, Hill of Freedom. Swen has had a huge hand in shaping our Hong series through his ongoing criticism project, Hong Sang-soo Notarized. We all take a look at the non-chronological narrative of Hong's meditation on misogyny, Japan and Korea, and the unsurprising consequences of drinking too much.Drop your letters at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com Timestamps:00:00:00 Intro00:01:40 Ryan Swen introduction00:04:29 Hong Sang Soo Notarized Project00:12:21 Hill of Freedom introduction and general reactions00:21:29 Lost (and Found) in translation00:27:21 Japan and Korea00:32:53 Narrative structure00:39:41 Mori and Misogyny 00:45:47 Hongisms00:52:57 The ending01:00:40 Actors01:03:11 Outro

Introducing you to the amazing Yes Boone!A very talented producer from Sydney his EP Best I've Found is out now wherever you listen to your music...if you love you electronic beats, loud, you'll love this EP, we guarantee it...next stop worldwide domination - enjoy the chat! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Treasure Hunt in the Rijksmuseum: Discovering Art and Friendship Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2026-03-07-08-38-19-nl Story Transcript:Nl: De zon scheen helder over Amsterdam op deze mooie lentedag.En: The sun shone brightly over Amsterdam on this beautiful spring day.Nl: Het Rijksmuseum, een baken van cultuur en geschiedenis, stond trots in de Grachtengordel.En: The Rijksmuseum, a beacon of culture and history, stood proudly in the Grachtengordel.Nl: Binnen de imposante muren van het gebouw, baaddend in licht dat door de hoge ramen viel, begonnen Kees en Sanne aan hun avontuur.En: Within the imposing walls of the building, bathed in light streaming through the high windows, Kees and Sanne began their adventure.Nl: Kees, een enthousiaste student kunstgeschiedenis, stond met een lijst in zijn handen.En: Kees, an enthusiastic art history student, stood with a list in his hands.Nl: "Dit wordt geweldig, Sanne!En: "This is going to be great, Sanne!Nl: Als we winnen, maak ik echt indruk op mijn professor," zei hij met glinsterende ogen.En: If we win, I'll really impress my professor," he said with sparkling eyes.Nl: Sanne grinnikte en gaf hem een speelse duw.En: Sanne chuckled and gave him a playful shove.Nl: "Rustig maar, Kees.En: "Take it easy, Kees.Nl: We zijn hier ook om plezier te hebben, toch?"En: We're here to have fun too, right?"Nl: De eerste aanwijzing leidde hen naar de Eregalerij, waar het beroemde schilderij "Nachtwacht" hing.En: The first clue led them to the Eregalerij, where the famous painting "Nachtwacht" hung.Nl: Sanne bekeek het schilderij met nieuwsgierige ogen.En: Sanne examined the painting with curious eyes.Nl: "Wauw, dit is echt indrukwekkend!"En: "Wow, this is really impressive!"Nl: Kees glimlachte.En: Kees smiled.Nl: "Ja, Rembrandt was een meester."En: "Yes, Rembrandt was a master."Nl: Ze losten de eerste aanwijzing snel op en markeerden het als gevonden.En: They quickly solved the first clue and marked it as found.Nl: Naarmate de dag vorderde, merkte Kees dat Sanne steeds meer wilde genieten van de kunst en de sfeer.En: As the day progressed, Kees noticed that Sanne increasingly wanted to enjoy the art and the atmosphere.Nl: Maar de tijd tikte door, en de druk om te winnen groeide voor Kees.En: But time was ticking, and the pressure to win grew for Kees.Nl: "Sanne, focus!"En: "Sanne, focus!"Nl: zei hij scherper dan bedoeld.En: he said more sharply than intended.Nl: Sanne zuchtte.En: Sanne sighed.Nl: "Kees, het is ook belangrijk om te genieten van wat we zien."En: "Kees, it's also important to enjoy what we see."Nl: Terwijl ze door de schilderachtige gangen van het museum liepen, besefte Kees dat hij te veel bezig was met winnen en minder met het prachtige gezelschap en de kunst om hem heen.En: As they walked through the picturesque halls of the museum, Kees realized he was too focused on winning and less on the beautiful company and art around him.Nl: Bij de laatste aanwijzing stonden zij en een ander team zij aan zij.En: At the final clue, they stood shoulder to shoulder with another team.Nl: Ze waren gelijk.En: They were tied.Nl: De laatste aanwijzing leidde hen naar een minder bekende zaal.En: The last clue led them to a lesser-known room.Nl: Kees keek naar Sanne.En: Kees looked at Sanne.Nl: "Laten we dit samen doen."En: "Let's do this together."Nl: Sanne knikte vastberaden.En: Sanne nodded decisively.Nl: "Oké, laten we dit winnen en er ook van genieten."En: "Okay, let's win this and enjoy it too."Nl: Met hun krachten gebundeld, werkten Kees en Sanne snel de aanwijzingen af.En: With their strengths combined, Kees and Sanne quickly worked through the clues.Nl: Sanne's speurneus en Kees' kunstkennis waren de perfecte combinatie.En: Sanne's sleuthing skill and Kees's art knowledge were the perfect combination.Nl: Binnen enkele momenten vonden ze het laatste schilderij.En: In moments, they found the last painting.Nl: Net op tijd riepen ze: "GEVONDEN!"En: Just in time, they shouted, "FOUND!"Nl: Het personeel van het museum kwam hen feliciteren met hun overwinning.En: The museum staff came to congratulate them on their victory.Nl: Kees keek naar Sanne, een brede glimlach op zijn gezicht.En: Kees looked at Sanne, a broad smile on his face.Nl: "Dank je, Sanne.En: "Thank you, Sanne.Nl: Zonder jou had ik dit niet kunnen doen en zo niet van de ervaring kunnen genieten."En: Without you, I couldn't have done this and wouldn't have enjoyed the experience."Nl: Sanne grijnsde.En: Sanne grinned.Nl: "Ik wist wel dat je het leuk zou vinden als je een beetje ontspande."En: "I knew you'd enjoy it if you relaxed a bit."Nl: Die dag in het Rijksmuseum leerde Kees dat het niet alleen om winnen draaide, maar ook om het plezier in de reis en het waardevolle gezelschap.En: That day in the Rijksmuseum, Kees learned that it wasn't just about winning, but also about enjoying the journey and the valuable company.Nl: Terwijl ze het museum verlieten, bedankte hij Sanne nog eenmaal.En: As they left the museum, he thanked Sanne once more.Nl: Samen vertrokken ze, handen vol nieuwe herinneringen en de belofte om deze dag nooit te vergeten.En: Together they departed, hands full of new memories and the promise never to forget this day. Vocabulary Words:shone: scheenbeacon: bakenimposing: imposantestreaming: baaddendenthusiastic: enthousiastesparkling: glinsterendechuckled: grinnikteplayful: speelseEregalerij: Eregalerijexamined: bekeekcurious: nieuwsgierigeimpressive: indrukwekkendmaster: meesterprogressed: vorderdeticking: tiktepressure: drukpicturesque: schilderachtigerealized: beseftecompany: gezelschapshoulder: schoudertied: gelijklesser-known: minder bekendedecisively: vastberadensleuthing: speurneuscombined: gebundeldcongratulate: feliciterenvictory: overwinningbroad: bredegrinned: grijnsdedeparted: vertrokken

Most people think their relationship problems are about the other person. They're not — they're about an 18-month-old version of you who learned the only way to survive. In this episode, psychotherapist Jessica Baum breaks down why your nervous system is still running a programme it wrote in infancy. Attachment styles — secure, anxious, avoidant, disorganised — aren't personality quirks. They're adaptive strategies your brain built when connection was a matter of survival. The anxious person who chases, the avoidant who disappears, the couple stuck in a loop they can't explain — it all traces back to the same source: early experiences that taught your body what to expect from closeness. Understanding that isn't just interesting. It's the beginning of actually changing it. Your attachment style isn't fixed — it shifts depending on who you're with Co-regulation isn't neediness — it's how the nervous system was designed to heal The goal isn't independence. It's interdependence — being whole and connected If your relationships keep following the same painful script, this episode is where you start rewriting it. SPONSORS

Found in Luggage Stupid ArgumentsWar of the Roses LauRen and the Magic Show Messing With Mom Can't Beat LauRen Speeding Songs LauRen and Dallas take solo vacations How many swipes does it take to match on the dating apps?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Found in the Gospel of Matthew (chapters 5, 6, and 7), the Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings spoken by Jesus of Nazareth that emphasizes his moral teachings and has been one of the most widely quoted sections of the Gospels. E186. Michael Knowles books available at https://amzn.to/41BOIa6 PragerU podcast available at https://amzn.to/3MRvsz0 PragerU books at https://amzn.to/3APDaWN Sermon on the Mount books at https://amzn.to/4iTHCoc ENJOY Ad-Free content, Bonus episodes, and Extra materials when joining our growing community on https://patreon.com/markvinet SUPPORT this channel by purchasing any product on Amazon using this FREE entry LINK https://amzn.to/3POlrUD (Amazon gives us credit at NO extra charge to you). Mark Vinet's TIMELINE video channel: https://youtube.com/c/TIMELINE_MarkVinet Mark's History of North America podcast: www.parthenonpodcast.com/history-of-north-america Website: https://markvinet.com/podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.vinet.9 Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistoricalJesu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denarynovels Mark's books: https://amzn.to/3k8qrGM Audio credits: The Book Club with Michael Knowles (Episode 16jan2024: Sermon on the Mount with Pastor Rob McCoy) PragerU. Audio excerpts reproduced under the Fair Use (Fair Dealings) Legal Doctrine for purposes such as criticism, comment, teaching, education, scholarship, research and news reporting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Send Coach John a message”Found this powerful and truthful post from Reads with Ravi (@readswithravi) “Always carry a book with you.”  It reminds me to keep doing what I'm doing. In fact, I need to do more of this! I tend to keep looking for things that inspire and motivate me. I keep learning things wherever I can pick them up. This post brings up some fabulous reminders for me (and hopefully you too) to keep a book, a journal, a notebook, etc., with me at all times. Life does involve a lot of waiting. Here are the thoughts I had when I shared the post:   “Love this reminder …. This line especially: “So long as you live, keep learning how to live.” WOW!!  Drop the mic moment!!”  Keep learning my friends and then keep APPLYING what you learn. Keep growing with it. Let it add up to some of the best compound interest ever!!  Not only to benefit ourselves, but also let it help us share it with others so it benefits them too!  This is truly a commodity of success! Thanks for listening.  Please take a few moments to subscribe & share this with someone, also leave a 5 Star rating on Apple Podcasts and ITunes or other services where you find this show.  Find me on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/coachtoexpectsuccess/   on Twitter / “X”:  @coachtosuccess   and on Instagram at:  @coachjohndaly  - My YouTube Channel is at: Coach John Daly.   Email me at: CoachJohnDalyPodcast@gmail.com     You can also head on over to https://www.coachtoexpectsuccess.com/ and get in touch with me there on my homepage along with checking out my Top Book list too.  Other things there on my site are being worked on too.  Please let me know that you are reaching out to me from my podcast.  ** I would appreciate anyone to try clicking on the top of the show notes where it says "Send us a text" to leave a few thoughts / comments / questions.  It's a new feature that I'd like to see how it works. **

We kicked off our continuing news hour by asking the question, is it rude to skip the tip screen at a coffee counter? 8:05PM: Is It Really Rude to Skip the Tip Screen at a Coffee Counter?Guest: Charlotte Hilton Anderson – Journalist & Writer for Reader’s Digest8:15PM: Lost & Found in Boston. Ten Weird But Totally True Boston Stories of real life items or artifacts in Boston you might not know…Guest: Heather Hopp Bruce – Boston Globe Director of Visual Strategy for Globe Opinion 8:30PM: Stair Climbing for Healthy Lungs: American Lung Association’s Fight For Air Climb returns to One Boston Place on March 28 to raise awareness about lung disease & raise funds for research & treatment.Guest: Ashley Carrier - Executive Director, American Lung Association8:45PM: What is college really for, anyway? Massachusetts prompts heated debate over three-year degrees.Guest: Hilary Burns – Boston Globe Higher Education ReporterSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If your core feels tight all the time… that's not strength. If you're constantly sucking in your stomach, clenching your abs, gripping your glutes, or holding your pelvic floor “just in case” — this episode is for you. So many women have been taught that strength means tension. Brace harder. Squeeze more. Engage constantly. Never relax. But what if that gripping is actually the reason you still feel weak… leak when you run… or experience pelvic pain? In this episode, we're breaking down the difference between true core strength and chronic tension — and why tight does not equal strong. In This Episode, We Cover: Why women often confuse tension with strength The cultural conditioning behind “suck it in” fitness cues How over-bracing impacts the diaphragm and pelvic floor The connection between gripping, leaking, and prolapse symptoms Why a tight pelvic floor can still be dysfunctional What real, functional strength actually feels like How breath and pressure management build resilient core stability Simple ways to stop over-gripping and start building true strength The Truth About Pelvic Floor & Core Strength Your pelvic floor is not meant to be clenched all day. It should contract and relax. Lift and descend. Respond and adapt. When your body only knows how to grip, it loses its ability to coordinate under real-life load — like running, lifting, jumping, or even laughing. True strength is: Breathable Responsive Adaptive Coordinated Not rigid. Not braced at 100%. Not constantly “on.” If You've Experienced… Leaking during workouts Pelvic pressure or heaviness Pain with intimacy Constipation Low back tension A core that feels tight but unstable …this episode will help you understand what may actually be happening. Why This Matters You can't build power on top of dysfunction. Before adding more crunches, heavier weights, or more kegels — your body needs coordination. That's exactly what we focus on inside RESTORE, my 12-week pelvic floor and core rebuilding program inside the Pelvic Floor, Core & More app. We start with breath. Rebuild pressure management. Restore true core control. Then layer strength safely and progressively. Because strong women don't need to grip harder. They need to move smarter. If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend who thinks tight = strong

Eating out in Bellingham and Whatcom County is getting pricey — so AJ and Chris are bringing the fun home. This month, your pacific northwest podcasting aficionados make the case for analog: gather some people you know (or some friendly strangers), throw some chicken nuggets in the oven, and play a game. No screens. No $120 dinner tabs. Just meeples, dice, and a little friendly competition or co-op'ing.AJ and Chris share their favorite game stores across the region, swap game recommendations for every type of player — cooperative, competitive, family-friendly, and card-shark — and close with Quality Assurance picks including a shout-out to a pair of local Bellingham authors and a generative music app that just might help you survive eight hours of studying if you are studying for finals.♟️Where to Find Your Games* Meeple's Manor (Lynden) — Your local game shop up north* Cosmic Games (Bellingham) — Great local Pokémon league and loads of games of all kinds (and the materials around them) * AEGIS Games (Downtown Bellingham, Railroad Ave) — A substantial wall of board games, card games, tabletop, and expansions; near the fabulous Café Adagio* Bakerview Games (Anacortes) — The Ollivander's Wands of board game shops. If you have a game in mind, stump the band — they just might have it upstairs.

Join us as Pastor Emily continues our series "Lost & Found."

Most anger isn't about the thing. It's about what the thing means: “Someone just messed with my control.” When your expectations get violated... plans change,d a process breaks, a person does something “unreasonable”. Your nervous system reads it like a little mugging. And then you get reactance: that hot impulse to push back, prove a point, slam the door, unsubscribe from the whole situation. What we look at today is simple, but not easy: trade courtroom mode (“who's wrong?”) for lab mode (“what's true?”): Label the “freedom threat” out loud before you react Swap blame for one clean question: “What assumption just broke?” Redesign the trigger: reduce surprise, increase choice, add clarity Press play and turn your next spike of anger into an experiment that sets you free. SPONSORS

Msgr. Jason Gray joins Patrick to discuss Lessons from Bishop Fulton Sheen Msgr. Gray’s background (4:40) who was Bishop Fulton Sheen and what is his legacy? (9:34) Nick - Part of Militia of Immaculata. Headquarters was in Peoria until it moved. Tomb of Bp Sheen is there and adoration chapel. He had a saying...those who leave do it for what they think it is. He taught me how to love and learn the faith and serve the Lord. It's so intertwined. Stall in beatification. We know when that happens...it's good because Satan wants to mess things up. What were some challenges of the beatification of Fulton Sheen? (16:27) Ken - I was raised in a Catholic/Protestant home. Father was protestant and would listen to Bp Fulton Sheen with mom. He was impressed by Sheen and would laugh at some comments. When I started listening to RR, I can hear my father's laughter. (21:02) Break 1 How do you get canonized? (25:35) Art - When I was a boy in the 60's, my parents used to watch his program. I remember it was always brighter (we only had black and white). Always wondered why that was. I realized it was the holy spirit. Found that fascinating. Very blessed man. Regina - Received a minor miracle for surgery. Had bad cataracts. Didn't have health insurance at the time. I remember watching his program. Talked about angels. At the hospital, the surgeon was kind enough to get me an angel grant to pay for the surgery. (35:03) Break 2 (37:50) Dorothy - I missed him in the 50's. anecdote to share...his style. I worked in Catholic Charities. I didn't know the society of the propagation of the faith was a competitor of ours. Went to a performance and he was there. He had such a fun style. He asked me what I do...told him I was a secretary with CC...flung the cape over his shoulder almost in dismay. Had such a twinkle and fun personality. (40:41) Janine - My father was protestant, mom was catholic. Mom loved to watch him. Dad would watch with her. Made one wall black flocked wallpaper. We lived in uptown Chicago. To this day, I believe it had such an influence on dad because he did finally receive communion. I think it was Bp Sheen. Mary - I think Americans need to make a pilgrimage to some places. Champion to Peoria to Bp Sheen, and then to Quincy to Fr. Tolton. Resources: Fulton J. Sheen Foundation: https://www.celebratesheen.com/ Treasure in Clay https://ignatius.com/treasure-in-clay-tclayp/ The Priest Is Not His Own https://ignatius.com/the-priest-is-not-his-own-pnhop/

What does courage look like under fire? In captivity? In command? In service? This edition of Long Blue Leadership was recorded on location at the U.S. Air Force Academy's 33rd National Character and Leadership Symposium. We've explored these questions with our guests and captured the conversations for you. Ted Robertson, Multimedia and Podcast Specialist for the Air Force Academy Association and Foundation, hosts this special episode featuring voices shaped by combat, crises and lifelong service. Their message to cadets is clear: Leadership is earned through character, and character is forged in hard moments. - Seg. 1: Lt. Col. Mark George and C1C Jaime Snyder, officer and NCLS cadet director, respectively, set the stage for this year's NCLS and for the podcast. - Seg. 2: Senior Master Sgt. (Ret.) Israel "DT" Del Toro on courage in times of crisis. - Seg. 3: Task Force Hope developer and facilitator Maj. Tara Holmes on preparing future leaders to handle crisis before it happens. - Seg. 4: Former POW Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Edward Mechenbier '64, on leading in circumstances out of your control. - Seg. 5: Annapolis grad and Vietnam-era aviator, Capt. (Ret.) J. Charles Plumb on how character breeds courage. All of our guest's lives and careers reflect the reality of this year's theme through combat, crisis and service.     CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LINE PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Ted Robertson | Producer and Editor:  Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org   Ryan Hall | Director:  Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org  Bryan Grossman | Copy Editor:  Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org Wyatt Hornsby | Executive Producer:  Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org      ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS     FULL TRANSCRIPT OUR SPEAKERS:  - Host, Ted Robertson, Multimedia and Podcast Specialist, United States Air Force Academy Association and Foundation  - Seg. 1: C1C Jaime Snyder, NCLS Cadet Director; Lt. Col. Mark George, NCLS Officer  - Seg. 2: Senior Master Sargent Israel Del Toro  - Seg. 3: Maj. Tara Holmes, Task Force Hope  - Seg. 4: Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Edward Mechenbier '64  - Seg. 5: Capt. (Ret.) J. Charles Plumb   Ted Robertson 0:00 Welcome to Long Blue Line Podcast Network coverage of the 33rd annual National Character and Leadership Symposium. I'm Ted Robertson, multimedia and podcast specialist for the Air Force Academy Association & Foundation, coming to you from Polaris Hall located here at the United States Air Force Academy. This year's symposium centers on the theme Courage to Lead in the Profession of Arms: Combat and Crisis-tested Character, where attendees and cadets will explore how courage in all its forms shapes leaders when uncertainty, fear and consequence are real. Our coverage will start with the Center for Character and Leadership Development's Lt. Col. Mark George and NCLS director, Cadet 1st Class Jaime Snyder. They'll set the stage not only for NCLS, but for today's coverage. Then we'll talk with four key leaders speaking at the symposium, including Senior Master Sgt. (Ret.) Israel Del Torro on keeping courageous during times of crisis. We'll also talk with Task Force Hope developer and facilitator, Maj. Tara Holmes, on preparing leaders to handle crisis before it happens. Then, former POW, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Edward Mechenbier, USAFA Class of '64, on leading in circumstances out of your control. And finally, Annapolis grad and Vietnam-era aviator, Capt. (Ret.) J. Charles Plumb, on how character breeds courage. All of our guests' lives and careers reflect the reality of this year's theme through combat, crisis and service. So I want to bring in our first two guests to help, as I said, frame the discussion today. We're going to dig in to learn what this is all about and sort of the “why” behind it. Cadet Jaime Snyder, 2026 NCLS director. Cadet Snyder, you've helped lead the organizing of the National Character and Leadership Symposium — 33rd year for this, as you know, and part of that work, you've trained cadets and permanent party. I'm going to ask you to explain permanent party, all of which helps strengthen your own public speaking and leadership communication skills. You want to kind of expound on that a bit? C1C Jaime Snyder 2:20 Yes, sir. So a part of my role being in NCLS is to, one, provide the guidance, the support and resources on the cadet side to succeed. But what really makes NCLS special is that we integrate permanent party with cadets. So oftentimes me, in supporting and training permanent party, is giving them cadet perspective, because while they're over here and the Center for Character and Leadership Development, we're over there in the Cadet Wing, and I can be the mediator between both parties. Ted Robertson 2:46 Let's talk a little bit about permanent party. What does that term mean? Who does that describe? C1C Jaime Snyder 2:52 Oh yes. Permanent party describes the civilian and military faculty that works in the Center for Character and Leadership Development that assists with the execution of NCLS — the National Character and Leadership Symposium. Ted Robertson 3:05 How big is the team behind this event every year? C1C Jaime Snyder 3:08 It's kind of complex where we'll get search cadets. We'll get a large number of volunteers, approximately around 300 from the Cadet Wing. Internal staff consists of 50 cadets who work it throughout the entire year, and around 50 staff members who are permanent party who work in the Center for Character and Leadership Development. Ted Robertson 3:29 I want to bring in next Lt. Col. Mark George, who is the experiential and training division chief and NCLS program director, the very fortunate man that gets to work for some incredibly talented cadets. Col. Mark George 3:43 That is absolutely true. Thanks to for having us on. Cadet Snyder has done an outstanding job leading this team. I came into this a little bit late. You know, we've had some reorganization here at the Academy, and after some shuffling, I got the honor and the privilege to take over NCLS while the planning was well underway. So my job was to just make sure this train kept rolling, that people had the resources that they needed, the top cover they needed. And as Jamie said, he was training me as a permanent party member to make sure that I had the cadet perspective. And then, you know, we were moving this ball forward as we got to this event. Ted Robertson 4:23 So coming up in the podcast we'll get to the sort of “why” and what's at the core of NCLS. Colonel, let's start with you. What is National Character and Leadership Symposium designed to do for cadets?   Col. Mark George 4:38 Sure. The National Character and Leadership Symposium — NCLS — is designed to bring exemplars that embody the core values and the traits that we want cadets to have when they become leaders on Day 1 and inspire them to a lifetime of service.   Ted Robertson 4:57 Cadet Snyder?   C1C Jaime Snyder 4:59 We definitely see at USAFA, there is a clear correlation with NCLS and character development. One thing we want cadets to get out of NCLS is to further develop leaders of character who are going to join the fight in the Air Force and Space Force, and that's why I see the epitome of NCLS as it's an opportunity to hear people's perspectives as well as learn from it and apply it to their daily lives. Ted Robertson 5:24 Gentlemen, this year's theme focuses on the courage to lead in the profession of arms. Cadet Snyder, we'll start with you. How did that theme come together, and why is it especially relevant for cadets right now? C1C Jaime Snyder 5:40 With our current structure at USAFA, we've had some implement of change. We recognize that the future war conflict is more prevalent than ever, and that it's important for the cadets to understand that we're changing the way we approach training, as well as what we're learning in curriculum. So this NCLS was an incredible opportunity to discuss courage when leading in the profession of arms, but furthermore, courage and crises-tested character. Which is what we're trying to further push along with what we do in training as well as what we teach in leadership. Ted Robertson 6:15 You make good decisions when your character is strong. You make those decisions with integrity when your character is intact and it's strong. Would you agree with that, Colonel? Col. Mark George 6:25 Absolutely. And I think Cadet Snyder hit the nail on the head that we really want the cadets to understand that the environments that they're stepping into are going to require that courage to do hard things. In my day, like we didn't necessarily think about the fight in that way. You know, we were kind of stovepiped in. And these cadets, whatever environment they may be stepping into, the next conflict is going to require a lot, a high demand of them, and their character is their foundation for that. Ted Robertson 6:59 One of the things you can say about this event is that it brings together voices from combat, crisis, athletics, academia and industry. How intentional is that mix, Cadet Snyder, and what do cadets gain from hearing such different perspectives on leadership and character? C1C Jaime Snyder 7:18 I think by hearing different perspectives, you get to see how universal courage is. When we say courage, it's not just one thing, it's also moral, social, spiritual. And by looking at different versions of courage, you can understand that there's different ways to actually apply courage. Understanding that courage is not the absence of fear, also knowing that courage is not simply being a confident individual. That it's more complex than you may define courage, and so you can then apply it that way — by looking at different perspectives. Ted Robertson 7:53 Colonel, I'll address this one to you as well. Col. Mark George 7:56 Sure. Courage — we're talking about courage here, and there's a heavy focus on the combat side with this year's speakers. The thing that sticks out to me is that courage always involves a decision to do the hard thing. And that's what all of our speakers brought this year. They're showing how in different environments, whether it's in a prison cell in Hanoi or up on the Space Station or — there's a hard decision and the right thing is sometimes pretty obvious, but it doesn't mean it's easy. It does not mean it's easy to do. And so courage always involves a decision to do the right thing. Ted Robertson 8:39 Cadet Snyder? C1C Jaime Snyder 8:40 What he said I find to be very true — understanding that courage is not simply doing something physical, but also in a leadership role, especially — we're talking to cadets who are going to soon be commissioned officers. It's important to know that you need to make the right decision on and off the battlefield. Ted Robertson 8:58 So from your perspective as a cadet — and this one is just for you, Cadet Snyder — what does it mean to help shape an event like NCLS while you're still developing as a leader yourself? C1C Jaime Snyder 9:10 What I've seen through NCLS is taking the time to relax. Don't focus on the future and focus where you're at right now, and that's character development. So don't let the pursuit of tomorrow diminish the joy today. We all have this aspiration to graduate, throw our hats in the air, Thunderbirds fly over. But right now it's important to focus on character development as that's going to be important as future officers. Ted Robertson 9:35 That makes 1,000% very clear sense. But I do want to ask you, less than 100 days from the day you toss your hat — you're giving me a big smile right now — talk about how that feels right now for you. C1C Jaime Snyder 9:47 It's incredible, and a part of it is less daunting, because I can say this institution has really prepared me to commission, and so it's more liberating than daunting for me. Ted Robertson 9:58 Col. George, I'm going to direct this one straight to you, and this is an ask of you from the leadership perspective: How do we events Like NCLS fit into the broader effort to intentionally develop leaders of character here at the Academy. Col. Mark George 10:14 So I get the honor of leading the experiential and training division in the Center for Character and Leadership Development. So we're all about creating experiences and those opportunities for cadets to have different types of environments where they'll learn about character. And right now, NCLS is an opportunity to listen to where people's character was tested, how they overcame it. And then we also have different events that we try to put the cadets in where we'll actually test their character. And that could be on the challenge tower, it could be through our character labs where we're having discussions. NCLS is a huge part of that, because the planning cycle is so long. Ted Robertson 10:59 Cadet Snyder? C1C Jaime Snyder 11:00 Yes, sir. One thing I wanted to add on to that is with NCLS, one thing that makes this event the most unique experience that I've had is the fact that we get to engage in meaningful dialog. This isn't a brief. This is an experience for everyone who attends. I've had the opportunity to talk to Col. George's son, who aspires to possibly come to the Air Force Academy. So I don't want to say this is just for cadets, but it's also a promotion tool. And understand that what we do at NCLS is very important. And anyone who wants to attend can come and see what we're doing and how important it is.   Col. Mark George 11:33 I want to thank you for that, by the way. He looks up to you, and that meant a lot.   Ted Robertson 11:37 That's pretty visionary stuff. That's touching the next generation. That's fantastic. All right, this is for you both. When cadets look back on NCLS years from now, what do you hope they're going to remember feeling or being challenged to do differently?   C1C Jaime Snyder 11:56 There is a very strong human component to NCLS, and with that, there's a human experience. Understanding that we're getting speakers and we'll see their bios that they're incredible. They have incredible stories of making the right decision when tensions were high, and getting to hear their stories and understand that they ultimately were no different than we are. Some of them were Air Force Academy graduates. Some graduated from the Naval Academy, West Point, other colleges, but they were young, 20-year-old people like we were as cadets. And so getting to understand where they're coming from, human experience is vital to NCLS, and how do we grow and understand where they're coming from? Ted Robertson 12:38 Col. George? Col. Mark George 12:39 Yeah, I think what I would want the cadets to remember is how these speakers made them feel. You're right, you won't remember every nugget of wisdom that was said. I just had the opportunity to talk with Gen. Scott Miller, and he was an incredible leader. And I feel like everything he was saying was gold. I wish I'd been able to write it down. But he really makes you feel like you understand just how important your role is going to be as a young leader. And when you come away as second lieutenants from this place, you've had incredible opportunities and now you're stepping out in the real world. I would think I want the cadets to remember that like, “Hey, what I do matters, and how I lead is very important to getting this mission done.”   Ted Robertson 13:24 Lt. Col. Mark George and C1C Jaime Snyder, officer and cadet in charge of the 33rd NCLS. Congratulations on the event. Well done, and thank you for spending time here with us on the podcast today. Hearing from both the cadet perspective and the senior leadership behind NCLS makes one thing very clear: This symposium is intentionally designed not just to inspire but to prepare future leaders for moments when character will be tested. And that brings me to my first featured guest, a man whose life story embodies what combat and crisis-tested character truly means. Israel “DT” Del Toro, welcome to the podcast. It's an honor to be with you here at the National Character and Leadership Symposium. Senior Master Sgt. (Ret.) Israel Del Toro 14:18 Thank you, Ted. Thanks for having me. Good to see you again.   Ted Robertson 14:21 Yes, it's not the first time we've gotten to spend some time together. Senior Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro 14:24 It's always great to talk to people, try and spread the word of the whole spark and the promise of my dad. Ted Robertson 14:30 The spark and the promises are the two things that really stood out to me about that interview — your heart and your soul man, from a very, very early age. Senior Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro 14:39 You know, losing my dad at 12, and then a year and a half later, losing my mom to a drunk driver, and being the oldest, you know, having to now kind of step up to be, like, the parent figure to my younger siblings. It was challenging.   Ted Robertson 14:55 Out of all of that, you wound up as a retired — you are currently a retired senior master sergeant. You took responsibility for your siblings, as you say, after you were orphaned as a teenager, and ultimately in the service combat-wounded airmen, and you survived catastrophic injuries against incredible odds, and that did not keep you down. One of the things that you did was you became an Invictus Games gold medalist. You're now a national speaker, and you talk a lot about resilience and purpose.   Senior Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro 15:27 Yes, sir. Yeah, Invictus, I won gold in shot put. It was pretty awesome. You know, everyone was just going nuts. Ted Robertson 15:37 You kind of make me feel like that was a soul-feeding, motivating time for you.   Senior Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro 15:42 It was. At that time, I was probably one of the senior guys, kind of. Obviously, I was one of the senior guys, wounded guys on the team, and so a lot of people looked up to me. And sometimes I wish — people would say, “Man, it's great. You're such trailblazer.” You're sometimes like, “Man, I just want to be one of the guys. I just, I just want to be No. 10.” You know, everything's all done, and no one's focusing everything on me. But it's a burden that I'm willing to carry on to try and continue to help people.   Ted Robertson 16:19 I want to linger here in your background a bit, because it's more than just impressive. I think impressive is pretty trite to describe what your background is. Let's start with before the Air Force and before combat, and just how your life demanded responsibility at such a young age. And what I want to ask is, how did stepping up for your family shape the leader that you became? Senior Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro 16:40 Well, I contribute that totally to my dad. I truly do. My dad was there. My dad, you know, I went everywhere with my dad. My dad — you know, he came from Mexico to this country, and he gave up a lot. You know, my family in Mexico is very wealthy, their ranchers and all that. He came here with nothing. And he always used to tell me, he's like, “Don't ever be envious of someone that's successful. Learn from them. Ask them questions.” He also used to tell me, “If you don't succeed, it's no one else's fault by yourself. Don't blame where you came from, where you grew up from, the situation. It is only your fault.” So my dad always had told me these little lessons and obviously the last lesson he gave me the night before he passed: Always take care of your family. And that just stayed with me, that kind of continued to shape me all throughout my life, all through my journey, at a young age to teenager to young adult to the military and to now, to this day, that really guided me to who I am. Now, it's like, I always hear people say, “Oh, man, I don't know if I can do it.” I was like, “Yeah, you can. You Just never know. You weren't ever put in that situation” I always believe — you always hear the fight or flight. “What are you gonna do?” I just fight, and I continue to fight. I just don't see the flight in me. And, you know, being the promise of take care of your family. Yes, I tell people, that originated with my family — my brothers and sisters. But throughout time it has evolved to now anyone I see that's having a hard time that needs maybe to hear a story or read a book or hear a journey to help them find that spark, because I see them now as my family. I see that as my family, as my mission now.   Ted Robertson 18:50 Let's stay with spark for a minute. It's just one of my favorite things that you've ever talked about. You're down, you've been badly burned, you're worried about whether you're going to survive, and a medic is helping you out, and he does something for you. He says something to you.   Senior Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro 19:07 Yeah, you know, the medic — I always like to say, you know, yes, I'm Air Force. Those guys were Army, and we bust each other's chops. But, we're all brothers and sisters, and we're down range, you know? We take care of each other, we tell stories, we talk about our family. So these guys knew what had happened in my past with my family. So when I'm, you know, laying there, after I coordinate getting air, and I started the adrenaline going down, I started getting scared. I was having a hard time breathing, and I just wanted to lay down and sleep. The medic came and reminded me, “DT, remember what you promised your son, that you'll never let him grow without his dad. Fight for your son. You got to fight for your son.” And he's just making me yell it. You use anything you can to keep your guy motivated, to help that spark go, keep going. And that's what he did. He found that spark to keep me going, to keep me fighting until that medevac came and to get me on that helicopter, to the FOB, to the hospital, and then to eventually San Antonio. Ted Robertson 20:24 After that injury, that's when the fight shifted. You had to get off the battlefield. You had to get that out of your head. You had to start battling for your recovery. So what did courage look like when progress seemed like it was slow and at one point nothing was guaranteed? Israel Del Toro 20:46 Yeah, it, you know, when he had a shift from now being on the battlefield to now a different kind of battle and your recovery, your way of life — it's difficult because you have people telling you this is what your life's going to be. You know, being told that you're never going to walk again. You got to be in a hospital for another year and a half, respirator for the rest of your life and your military career is pretty much over. You know, I like to say there's two choices again: Who you're going to be? Are you going to take the easy path, which is, I'm going to sit in a chair, accept what they say, hate life, you know, curse the world. Are you going to take the hard path where I want to fight? I'm going to show you I can do this. I'm going to prove that I still have value, and I want to come out of this ahead and show not only my son but the rest of the world. You stay positive, you find that spark, you will come out ahead. Ted Robertson 21:48 All right, last question on your background, because we're going to roll all this into why you're here and what messages you want to share with the cadets and the attendees that are here. You did something I don't think most human beings would even think about after that ordeal that you had been through all those years, everything. You reenlisted, and it wasn't just a medical milestone. It wasn't because you could, it was a conscious decision. So what internal commitment had to come first for you to make that decision. Israel Del Toro 22:22 You know, I guess it was, for me it was I loved my job. I knew I could teach, I could be prepare these next guys to [be] the next generation operators. Ted Robertson 22:38 You've never stopped being committed. You've never stopped. So it brings you to NCLS. This is the 33rd year for NCLS, and when you speak to cadets here, what message do you want them to take away with them? Senior Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro 22:53 I guess my message more is about that when you're in the military, no matter whatever happens to you, you still have a role to play. Even when I got hurt, did I miss being with my teammates? Yes, but now refocusing, OK, I'm here in this hospital, and I see all these wounded guys here as I guess I'm wounded also, but in my head is like I was still NCO in the Air Force. I still have a job to do. Yes, I'm hurt, I'm wounded, but the job of a leader is, no matter where you're at, is you try and take care of your troops. You try and make things better for them, even if you never see any of the benefits — that is your role. And so that's kind of what I want to leave with these guys that, you know, you're going to always have  challenges throughout your career, but you've always got to remember it's not about you, it's about the guys under you to take care of you. You know, I had a group of cadets yesterday and they were just asking me about leadership. So you know what? The best way to be a great leader is to earn the respect of yourtroops. If you demand it, you're not a leader, but when you earned the respect and they'll die for you, that is the greatest feeling. You know, I gave an example of one of the best moments I had after my injury, is after I got hurt, they sent my replacement, and he comes in and obviously introduce him to the scout team, to the Army company, individuals in leadership, and then the SF team, and all these guys I'm supporting. And the guy comes in like, “Hey, I'm here to replace DT.” And all of them, “You can't replace DT.” And I told that was the best moment that that's the best moment of respect, because I had Army guys saying, “He's our guy.” And that's the thing I told them, it's like, when you get to that moment when your guys say, “Nah, he's our guy,” I was like, “He can't replace him.” That is where you've truly earned the respect of your troops.   Ted Robertson 25:21 Israel, the only word that I can pull out of myself right now for your journey to describe it as “remarkable,” and you continue to give of yourself, and that's a wonderful thing. Your opportunity for a couple of final thoughts here, before we close out.   Senior Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro 25:38 Final thoughts, man, putting me on the spot, aren't you. I guess my final thoughts would be, you can't do it on your own. I'm not here right now, because I did it my own. I did it. I'm never gonna say that I did. I had friends, I had family, I had my wife that were by my side all throughout my journey to medical individuals. And I had those dark times, and I'm going down that spot, that rabbit hole, they were there to pull me out of it. So I think it's like, you know, don't try and do it on your own. We all need help. You know, the goal is, don't be prideful. There's a reason pride is one of the seven deadly sins. But, you know, ask for help, ask for advice. It's not going to hurt you. If anything, it will make you stronger and better. That's parting thoughts for the individuals listening to this. Ted Robertson 26:53 Perfect. Israel “DT” Del Toro, what a privilege to sit with you again. Want to say thank you from all of us for your service and continuing to lead by the example, which is a very rich and broad and deep example. Your story reminds us, and should remind us, that courage doesn't end with just survival. It always continues in service to others. Israel, thank you for being here.   Senior Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro 27:18 Thanks, Ted. I appreciate it. Thanks for having me again.   Ted Robertson 27:21 Israel's story reminds us that crisis and moral injury don't always arrive on a schedule, and that leaders are often expected to navigate those moments without ever having been taught how. That's where our next conversation takes us: into the intentional work of preparing leaders before crisis arrives. Maj. Tara Holmes, welcome to the podcast. It's great to have you with us as part of the National Character and Leadership Symposium.   Maj. Tara Holmes  27:46 Thanks for having me; glad to be here.   Ted Robertson 27:48 You are currently deputy chief of staff here at Headquarters USAFA. You are formerly chief of cadet development for CCLD, the Center for Character and Leadership development. By way of background, you flew.   Maj. Tara Holmes  28:01 So I am a B-52 electronic warfare officer by trade, and then moved over into white jets. So instructed in the in the T-1 and I've kind of been in education and training for, I'd say, since about 2017.   Ted Robertson  28:19 You also hold a Doctorate in Business and Management, and you are an AETC master instructor. I will let you explain AETC.   Maj. Tara Holmes  28:27 Air Education Training Command, that's one of the that's our majcom that's responsible for education and training, and they have a pathway to become a master instructor. So I finished the qualifications for that while I was in white jets and working over at Squadron Officer School.   Ted Robertson  28:46 So let's talk about your work with Task Force Hope. We'll talk about what Task Force Hope is, but you are and have been a developer and facilitator of Task Force Hope, which is a crisis and moral injury leadership workshop.   Maj. Tara Holmes  29:01 Task Force Hope is about providing immediately useful tools to our workshop participants to prepare them to lead through crisis, whether that is no-kidding combat related, or whether that's crisis on the home front, going through stuff in life that's really hard. We work through a series of key concepts and exercises, through storytelling and participant engagement that hopefully provides our participants some self-awareness and some tools to recover as it deals with their relationships.   Ted Robertson  29:39 We talked about this. There's a lot of nuance in what you're teaching these people. There's discernment in it. Who should you talk to, who you should trust with information that you want to share? Because ultimately, some of this becomes a pressure release valve, right?   Maj. Tara Holmes  29:52 Yeah, so one of the key concepts that we talk about is worthiness, right? I think often people feel pressure to not share what they're going through because they don't think their problems are worthy of attention, whether theirs or someone else's. That's one thing that we spend a lot of time on. And like you said, you know, who to who to share with, and at what level, some people are more free with sharing than others, and that's OK. So we work through some frameworks that help illustrate how people can kind of work through those levels, or gain some self-awareness and some clarity around where they fall. Something that is a, you know, deep seated secret for you, maybe something that somebody else is willing to openly share, they just don't see it as that big of a deal. So it's definitely about self-awareness and learning some tools to help relieve some of the pressure and drain on our batteries, as it were, that comes from holding these things in.   Ted Robertson  30:52 People who are attending the workshop are going to learn some things that they may not realize are draining their batteries. You're teaching them to discern what those are, and to be careful to try to avoid those. It sounds like an example to me of things that we don't realize we do, that drains us, right, instead of energizes us.   Maj. Tara Holmes  31:10 So we use the kind of metaphor of a smartphone, right? So there are things that drain us, that are big, that we're taking a lot of energy to conceal the hard things that we're dealing with in our life. But then there's, like, the pesky background apps, there's the things that are always running in the background of our lives that drain our energy without us really even noticing it. You know, so for me as an officer, but also as a mom and a spouse, some of the things that are always draining my batteries are my to-do list, the laundry app, maybe social media apps. Sometimes I've probably spend way too much time reading the news these days. That's kind of always on for me. We have these big things that are draining our batteries, but then we have these like small things that are constantly going on, right? So Task Force Hope is about recognizing what those things are for us and then making a commitment to ourselves to make this space and time to recover.   Ted Robertson  32:09 So that brings us to a really unique place. You kind of function at the intersection of character, leadership and development pretty much every day. So how do you define character when you're responsible for shaping it across an entire Cadet Wing.   Maj. Tara Holmes  32:24 To me, character is the essence of who they are. It is how you show up day after day. It's the habits that you have. That's why, when you do something out of character, people are able to say that. You know, we talk about building character strengths as building blocks towards certain virtues. And virtues is really excellence of character. So it's easy to talk about how to be an excellent athlete, or how to be an excellent academic, right? And that's one of our core values, is being excellent. Well, how do you have excellent character? It's really about leveraging your character strengths in a way that can lead you to be more virtuous, and that's the goal.   Ted Robertson  33:05 You've served, both operationally and as an instructor. Tell me how those things shape the way you think about preparing leaders not just to perform but to endure.   Maj. Tara Holmes  33:19 What comes to mind is the importance of training and building those habits. We're, you know, in the previous question, we talked about it in terms of character. You know, you can, you can use any kind of training. It's about building readiness, right? And being able to build those habits so that when you are faced with a challenge, you have a way to work through the challenge, right? That really came out for me, both operationally and as an instructor. So operationally, you rely on your training to get your job done, and then as an instructor, you're helping others build those habits so that one day when your students are faced with challenges, they can rely on their training as well.   Ted Robertson  34:01 We've talked a bit about your experiences and how they shape the way you think about preparing leaders, not just to perform but to endure. And now let's bring it right down to the direct connection between Task Force Hope and why you are here talking about this program to attendees at NCLS. When we talk about Task Force Hope, it's a program that is really designed to prepare leaders to navigate crisis and recover from both emotional and moral injury. What can you tell me about a gap that a workshop like this fills, that traditional leadership education sometimes or often misses?   Maj. Tara Holmes  34:38 Task Force Hope is preventative in nature. It's training to prevent people from letting their burdens get the best of them so that they can show up. They have the tools to show up fully charged when stuff hits the van. And not only that they do that for themselves, but then they can help their teammates or their subordinates also get there. It's self-awareness, because we all perform self-care differently, and what you need to recharge your batteries is different from the way that I would do it. So it's being intentional and having some tools to be able to identify what works for you and then how to make space in your life, and building that commitment to yourself, to make that space so that the next time that you face a crisis, you're not facing it at 10%, you're full up, you're ready to go. So it's that sustained self-care, if that's what you want to call it. And it's important to say that you know, in a 75-minute session, we're really doing our best to provide exposure to key concepts and these tools. What we hope is that people walk out with the start of something. It's not it's not the end of their work to be done.   Ted Robertson  35:54 How often do you hear the question, “Why didn't I hear this earlier in my career?”   Maj. Tara Holmes  36:00 Every workshop. Last year, after the workshop, we had a 1970-something graduate say that exact thing. For me personally, I had four people say something, you know, “Hey, I was a cadet here in '90-something, '80-something, 2000-something. And, you know, I really wish that I would have had this earlier.” So that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to bring it as early as we can.   Ted Robertson  36:26 OK, so our last question of our visit, if cadets take just one lesson from Task Force Hope and NCLs this year, what is your hope for that lesson to be?   Maj. Tara Holmes  36:39 My hope is that they're worth it. No problem is too big or too small to be dealt with, and like we talked about earlier, I think often people keep things to themselves because they feel like they shouldn't bother others, or there's their supervisors or their teammates with what's going on in their lives. And that's a drain. Like, that's a drain on the system. It eats up your energy, right? But our cadets are worth it. Whatever they're dealing with, big or small, is worthy of being addressed. I hope that's the takeaway, and that we all deal with things, right? We don't always know what other people are dealing with.   Ted Robertson  37:22 Maj. Holmes. Thank you for the work you're doing to prepare future leaders, not just to lead in moments of clarity, but to stand firm in moments of crisis. We appreciate you being here.   Maj. Tara Holmes  37:32 Thanks, Ted.   Ted Robertson  37:33 That focus on preservation, resilience and moral courage brings us to our next conversation, one shaped by combat, captivity and a life of service under the most demanding conditions. Coming up next, my conversation with Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Edward Mechenbier. Gen. Mechenbier, welcome to the podcast. It is a huge honor having you here, sir.   Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier 37:56 I hope you feel that way in a half hour so well,   Ted Robertson  37:59 Well, the conversation does promise to be interesting, because your life is… interesting. That was a pregnant pause, sir.   Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier 38:07 Yeah, I've enjoyed it. It's different.   Ted Robertson  38:11 Just to sort of frame things, you retired as a major general, and what year was that, sir,   Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier 38:15 2004   Ted Robertson  38:16 And you were USAFA Class of '64. You're a Vietnam-era pilot, having flown F-4s, you were shot down on your 113th combat mission, but that was you also your 80th over North Vietnam. OK, prisoner of war. Then for almost those entire six years following that, being shot down. You come with 3,600 flying hours across lots of different aircraft.   Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier  38:42 I was privileged fly either for primary capability or for familiarization with 43 different airplanes.   Ted Robertson  38:49 And now you describe yourself as a lifelong advocate for veterans and public service.   Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier  38:56 Well, yeah, I mean, I go to a couple prisons in Ohio, and “work with” is probably overstating my role. Veterans who are incarcerated for long periods of time. But my role is just to go there, spend some time, shoot the breeze with them, no agenda, no desired learning objective and let them know that somebody outside knows that they're there.   Ted Robertson  39:19 What I want to do is spend some time in your background. All right, I want to start with combat and captivity and how that tests leadership in its most extreme forms. And this is in course in keeping with the theme of NCLS here, what did character mean to you when circumstances were entirely beyond your control?   Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier  39:38 The Vietnamese kept us in small groups of one and two or three guys. I mean, we never really until near the end and later on when we got a little organization. But it got very down, very personal, when at one time, I was in a cell with four guys, three Class of 1964 Air Force Academy graduates and one poor Oklahoma State University graduate, and amongst the four of us, we had a senior ranking officer. And of course, you got the same rank, you go alphabetical. And so we made Ron Bliss the senior ranking officer in our room. We had a communication system. We had guidelines that, you know, which were basically consistent with the code of conduct. You know, name, rank, serial number, date of birth, don't answer further questions. Keep faith with your fellow positions. That was the key. Keep faith. Never do anything that you'd be embarrassed to tell somebody you did.   Ted Robertson  40:34 What you're explaining is how different leadership looks, and even how you describe it, how different it is from command. So now it comes down to trust and accountability and courage, and how do those show up in those conditions?   Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier  40:51 It was really a matter of, we always knew we were still in the fight. That was one thing that was with us, and so you just kind of conducted yourself with, OK, I'm not going to let myself be used. Now, we also knew that the more you resisted pushed back, the less likely they were to make you go meet an antiwar delegation or write a confession or do something else like that. So they tend to pick on, if you will, the low-hanging fruit or the easier guy to get to. So we always wanted to set the bar just a little bit out of their reach.   Ted Robertson  41:25 All right, having gone through all of that, it really can change people quite profoundly. So when you look back at it, what leadership lessons stayed with you long after you got out of captivity?   Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier  41:39 In the movie Return of Honor. Capt. Mike McGrath, Navy guy, describes the guys in their ability to resist torture and do things. And that's what you learn. Everybody's got a breaking point. If mine's here and somebody else's is there, that doesn't make me better or worse than them. So you learn to appreciate the talents and the weaknesses. If you know the foibles, the cracks in everybody around you and not to exploit them, but to understand them, and then to be the kind of leader that that they need.   Ted Robertson  42:12 Sir, one of the recurring themes when you're discussing leadership with leaders right is knowing something about each of your people so that you can relate to them in a way that that works for them and motivates them.   Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier  42:23 Yeah. Mark Welch, who's also a graduate and he is a chief of staff of the Air Force, always had a saying: “If you don't know what's going on, it's because you didn't ask.”   Ted Robertson  42:32 Now we're going to roll all that into your long journey between captivity and your visit here to NCLS this year. When you're speaking to the cadets at this year's event, what's your main hope? What do you hope they understand about courage before they even ever face combat?   Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier  42:54 Well, courage is a reaction to a clear and present threat. Nobody knows how they're gonna — know he's gonna say, OK, I'm gonna go to Vietnam and I want to get shot down, and when the Vietnamese capture me, I'm going to give them a middle finger and I'm going to be the meanest bad ass and hardest-to-break prisoner. Yeah, it's how you respond to the to the immediate perception of bodily harm or being used or something else like that. So courage is, yeah, it just happens. It's not something that you can put in a package and say, “OK, I've got courage.” It's how you respond to the situation, because you might respond quite differently than what you think.   Ted Robertson  43:35 And I have to say, you presented your story and you delivered your message in kind of a unique way. You drew from some contemporary references, specifically three clips from a movie that you like, that I was curious. How did you sum up your entire life in three movie clips from Madagascar? How did you do that?   Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier  43:57 Well, the three movie clips — when I watched the movie, I was looking at it, I have got two favorite movies. Madagascar is one, and the other is a Kelsey Grammer movie, Down Periscope. I mean, I think that is a perfect study in in leadership. But in the movie Madagascar, the premise was penguins can't fly, but yet it opens up with them applying resource, innovation imagination, and they eventually get this airplane to fly. OK, great. Success. Well, like everything else in life, things go wrong, and you got to have, No. 1, a backup plan, an exit ramp or a control mechanism for the disaster that's pending. So that's the second movie clip we saw. And then the third one was towards the end of the movie, when the crash landing has happened and the skipper asks for an accounting, and he's told that all passengers are accounted for, except two. And he says, that's the number I can live with. And the message there is, you go through life — you're going to have successes, but you're going to have failures, and failure has a cost, and it's not always pleasant, but that's OK, because that's life.   Ted Robertson  45:15 How do you explain how leaders can prepare themselves morally and mentally for moments they can't predict or control.   Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier  45:25 Watch movies like Madagascar and Down Periscope. You know, there's a breadth of unintentional, if you will, guidance on how to be a leader, if you know where to look or if you're looking for it. I mean, that's part of the whole progress program at the Academy. Nobody's going to say, OK, here's a scenario, lead these resources to a proper conclusion. It's kind of like, OK, here's the situation. What do we do? What can we do? What can't we do? It's like, in my presentation, I talk about being able to run across a pasture in nine seconds, in 10 seconds, but if the bull can do it, you're in trouble. So you got to realign your thinking, you got to realign your goals and you got to realign the application of resources. So that's the leadership part, right there. It's a realization of what you can and what you can't do. It's a realization of what you, your people, your resources, can and can't do. It's a realization of what the technology you have at your disposal to do your mission can and can't do. So it's all about workarounds and being flexible. And then the other thing is, we live in a world that just seems to be everything's got a prescription and a protocol on exactly how to do everything. Doesn't work that way. You got to be able to go left and right. You got to be able to be a little imaginative.   Ted Robertson  46:42 What parting thought did you leave the cadets with?   Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier  46:45 That failure is part of life. It's not death. And I'm part of an organization called American 300 — we go around and talk to young enlisted people and all the services to get them to understand that failure is a learning opportunity. It's not a dagger in the heart, and don't be afraid or ashamed to try, because if you don't, you'll never know what your true potential is. So with the cadets, we close with that last part from the movie Madagascar that basically said, OK, success comes with a price. Be aware and accept it.   Ted Robertson  47:23 All right, we've got to close it out here, but recap, if you would one more time that message that you want cadets to leave here with from having heard you speak.   Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier  47:32 You are now a living, breathing, viable, productive part of our United States Air Force. You bring talents that are unique. Apply them, but understand that they're all very transitory, and you have part of a larger community. If you stick with a community rather than the “I did,” “I want,” I have,” you'll go a long way.   Ted Robertson  47:54 All right, and stepping outside of that very briefly for your final thoughts, what would you like to leave listeners with today.   Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier  48:01 Be proud of the young men and women who are in our military now, not just those at the Air Force Academy. You know, our whole military structure has changed over the years. You know, it's a dynamic world. You got to be flexible and embrace change. We're so reluctant to change. Change is fine, except when you try to change me, is the old saying, but we all have to change. We have to be part of the world in which we live.     Ted Robertson  48:26 Gen. Mechenbier, I want to thank you from all of us for being here sharing those leadership lessons of yours and a lifetime of service that will continue to shape others — future leaders — for a very, very long time to come. We appreciate you very much.   Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier  48:43 Thank you much.   Ted Robertson  48:44 Our final conversation brings us to leadership at the strategic level, where decisions affect institutions, alliances and the nation itself. Capt. Charles Plumb, welcome to the podcast today, sir.   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  48:56 Thanks, Ted. Appreciate being here.   Ted Robertson  48:59 It is a privilege to have you. You retired as a Navy captain in 1991 and you have not slowed down, not one inch since. We're going to talk a little bit about the work that you're doing in some very interesting spaces. And what informs all of that. Naval Academy, Class of '64.   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  49:15 Yep, the Great Class of '64.     Ted Robertson  49:17 The great —that's how you express class pride?   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  49:20 Everybody knows the Great Class of '64.   Ted Robertson  49:23 So you are an Annapolis man.   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  49:25 I am, in fact.   Ted Robertson  49:26 No doubt. And a pilot. You flew F-4 Phantoms, and you are a Vietnam-era pilot. You spent most of your time over North Vietnam. Sometimes you got sent to South Vietnam, depending on what was going on. But you said that you have flown 74 combat missions.   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  49:45 Actually 74 and a half, Ted. I have one more takeoff and I have landings.   Ted Robertson  49:50 We should remember that, because it's a very important part of your life we haven't talked about yet. Since you got out of captivity, and then you retired a few years later, you became a published author and a speaker, and as such, you have been to every state, several countries, 5,000 presentations you've delivered in the leadership and character development space. Is there any reason you should not be here at NCLS?   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  50:24 Well, I appreciate that. You know, this is a great symposium, and I'm really proud to contribute to it.   Ted Robertson  50:32 Captain, you are a former POW.   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  50:36 Yes, I was shot down on my 75th mission and captured, tortured and spent the next 2,103 days in communist prison camps.   Ted Robertson  50:49 You said you got moved around a lot.   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  50:52 We did. I was in six different camps, and some of those camps more than once. We never really understood why. We kind of suspected that they wanted to try to deny any fraternization with their guards, and they wanted to keep us on our toes, because they recognized that being military guys, we were going to have leadership, and we were going to have organization and community and we were going to organize, to fight them, and they didn't want that. So they moved us around and kind of shuffled us up, which didn't work. We always had a military organization in every camp that I ever went to.   Ted Robertson  51:31 You found ways to support each other. You found ways to have a leadership structure, even in captivity.   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  51:39 We were all fighter pilots or air crews and most of us were we, you know, we had 10 Air Force Academy grads from '64 in five Naval Academy grads from '64 and so we had in a lot of other academy grads. I don't remember how many, but probably 70 total academy grads. And so, you know, we were, we were dedicated. We were lifers. We were, you know, we were very focused guys, which helped out a lot that we knew a lot about military leadership.   Ted Robertson  52:11 You grew up in the Midwest, and you married a Midwestern girl.   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  52:15 I did, my high school sweetheart the day after I graduated from Annapolis, we got married in the chapel, and my buddies were holding up their swords as we came out of the chapel. So it was a beautiful day.   Ted Robertson  52:27 Let's go back to how you found your way to the Naval Academy.   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  52:32 I was a farm kid from Kansas. Never seen the ocean, never been out of the four states of Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri. Never been in an airplane, and I needed an education. Found that the Naval Academy offered me an education.   Ted Robertson  52:50 Outside of Air Force Academy circles, you probably already know that we think of, you know, salty sea dog sailors when we think of people going in the Navy, but you chose aviation.   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  53:02 I did. As a kid, I would see these Piper Cubs fly over and I was fascinated by flight, and wondered if I'd ever be able to ride in an airplane. That was my thought when I was a kid. I didn't have any hopes of ever being a pilot, you know, let alone a fighter pilot. That was, I was out of the realm. Nobody, as I grew up, ever told me that I could do that, or I should do that, or, you know, it would be a hope of mine to ever pilot an airplane. But I went to the Naval Academy and found out that was one of the options, and I took advantage of that option.   Ted Robertson  53:43 Yeah, and it led you, of course, to over North Vietnam, and the rest is that part of your history   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  53:51 Launched on the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk on my wife's birthday, the 5th of November, wave goodbye to her, and promised her I'd be back in eight months. I didn't make it.   Ted Robertson  54:04 Hard. Very hard story to hear. Let's talk about all of that informing your presentation now, again, 5,000 of these delivered in the leadership and character development space, but you talk a lot about, in your presentation — and you keynoted here at NCLS — the mental game side of this, the integrity, the choices that you have to make, and character that sort of frames all of that.   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  54:38 My message to the cadets, and really to most of my audiences, is around challenge and adversity. And I tell the cadets that they work awfully hard trying to get a degree. They study, they go to computers, they read books all to get a degree. And what I point out to them is that more important than the degree that they will get from the Air Force Academy is a character that they build while they are here. That the integrity first, you know, is part of their motto. And if, in fact, they can learn and live that integrity, if they can learn and live the commitment that they have, if they can learn in and live these kind of ethereal things, the things that you can't measure, things you can't define, the things that, you know, that crop up in your in your mind, in the back of your mind, are more important than the lessons they learn from a computer. And so that's kind of my message.   Ted Robertson  55:49 You know, we're in a leadership laboratory here. The art and the science is character development. And you're talking about a kind of character that leads people to make good decisions and make those decisions with integrity in mind. How did that play into your captivity and getting you through that?   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  56:09 You know, of course, I studied leadership at the Naval Academy, and I think that my period of experience more than teaching me anything, it validated what I had learned. And the whole idea — and I love the fact that this is called, you know, the Character and Leadership Symposium, because lots of times you see leadership without character, that's a negative kind of leadership. And if a leader does not have character, he doesn't last very long, and he's not very effective. And so if you can keep your character up front, the leadership can follow easily. And that's pretty much what we had in the prison camps. Several of the qualities of leadership that I promote are the things that almost came natural in a prison camp. First of all, we had to find a focus, a reason. We had to find, you know — and that was developed by our leadership in the prison camp. Return with honor — that was our motto, return with honor. And we all rallied around that.   Ted Robertson  57:22 So all of that said, you're standing here in front of a really big group of people as a keynote speaker, lot of cadets, mostly cadets, yeah.   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  57:31 Now there were cadets. I'm speaking on a panel with Ed Mechenbier, my good buddy, and we're on a panel with mostly cadets. The first presentation, the keynote was by invitation only. So there were a number of civilians in the audience, number of cadets. There were Naval Academy midshipmen in my audience today. And we had ROTC people, and, you know, from all over the country. So it was quite a wide audience.   Ted Robertson  58:04 Quite a wide audience. And so if we were just focusing on what you leave with cadets, what do you want them to take away from their experience today?   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  58:15 I hope they understand my message, that more important than the degree that they graduate with, is the character that they graduate with, and the importance of the integrity that that they learned here, because that was vital in the prison camp, is integrity. We had to have each other's back, and when we when we finally were released, we refused to be released until all the sick, injured and enlisted men had gone home, and it was a question of integrity, is a question that this is the right thing to do. It's not the easy thing to do. Largely, the integrity thing to do is not the easiest thing to do, and that's what I wanted to leave with the cadets. In addition, I want them to know that regardless of what situation they're in, they still have a choice, and their choice is the way they respond to the surrounding adversity situation that they're in.   Ted Robertson  59:21 An Annapolis grad of '64, Midwest kid from Kansas who makes it into the cockpit, and like you said, 74 and a half flights, then some time in captivity, then to a published author with thousands of presentations all over the country, and some in in other countries. What final thoughts would you like to leave today, sir?   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  59:47 Well, you know, I think I've already told you, you know, you're a great interviewer, Ted, and I appreciate your questions. I think, finally, this whole idea of self-determination and I think that we all, and not just the cadets, but graduates and families and business people, families. You know that we all have choices, and sometimes when we deny the choice and give up that ability to make our life better for ourselves. And you know, we do it sometimes even when we're not even thinking about it. It's just automatic to blame somebody else for the problem, and in doing so, we give away that choice.   Ted Robertson  1:00:34 Don't give away the choice. Yeah, build that character and stick by your integrity all the time. Capt. J. Charles Plumb, what a privilege it is to meet you, sir. Glad that you're here at NCLs and keynoting like you are, and I do hope that our paths cross again.   Capt. J. Charles Plumb  1:00:52 Ted, thank you very much. I appreciate your willingness to tell my story. Thanks for that.   Ted Robertson  1:00:57 You're welcome, sir. Thank you. Ted Robertson Close As we've heard throughout these conversations, courage isn't a single moment. It's a lifelong practice, from cadets just beginning their journey to leaders shaped by combat and crisis to senior commanders responsible for forces and futures. Character is tested when certainty disappears and it's revealed by how we choose to lead. That's the challenge of the National Character and Leadership Symposium, and it's a challenge that extends far beyond these walls. I'm Ted Robertson, thank you for joining me for our Long Blue Line Podcast Network coverage of the 33rd National Character and Leadership Symposium. This podcast was recorded on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026.         The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation      

I was able to take a few songwriting course (including one one-on-one!) with Lamont Dozier in college. There's a reason why HDH is up there for greatest musical partnerships of all time. Hard work, clear roles, and a team that stuck together. They knew how to write for their artists, and knew how to rip through the speakers and command attention.Stop in the name of love!For 30% off your first year with DistroKid to share your music with the world click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DistroKid.com/vip/lovemusicmore⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

No clothes? No worries! This week gets hot & steamy, as Alun spends 24 hours in a traditional South Korean Jimjilbang: South Korea's cheapest accommodation. Jimjilbangs are traditional bathhouses, with saunas, steam rooms, and communal rest areas, allowing people to stay for hours or even overnight. Tune in to hear what Alun made of Adam's favourite East Asian past time.Continuing the (lack of) clothing theme, Alun discusses his new shoes. If you've considered going 'barefoot' before, perhaps listen to this episode first. We wouldn't want you to put a foot wrong and make the 20,000 mistakes Alun did!Support the show and access the Lost & Found section, as Adam finally gets a chance to talk about wine. While visiting Hobbiton, enjoying a Behind the Scenes tour, he was left with a bitter taste in his mouth and learned very quickly that some things are better left unsaid.Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tripologypodcastSubmit your travel stories: https://www.tripologypodcast.com/talesofatripNeed travel insurance? We recommend SafetyWing! Click here to get started: ⁠⁠⁠https://safetywing.com/?referenceID=26035801&utm_source=26035801&utm_medium=AmbassadorRequire an onward flight? Please use this fantastic flight rental service: ⁠⁠⁠https://onwardticket.com/tripologypodcast⁠⁠⁠Discord: https://discord.gg/hdRMu8deInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tripologypodcast/Website: https://www.tripologypodcast.comX: https://x.com/tripologypodThank you, as always, for your continued support. It means the world.

Fifty thousand tips. A million-dollar reward. A suspect's face broadcast nationwide. And four weeks later—nothing. No identification. No arrest. No Nancy. You've been asking questions about the Nancy Guthrie case, and honestly, they're the same questions we've been asking ourselves. So let's get into it.Is Nancy Guthrie still alive? What does a month of silence with no ransom demand tell us? The DNA on those gloves didn't hit in CODIS—what's the next step? Genetic genealogy? How long does that take? How does law enforcement even process fifty thousand tips? Is it possible the real lead is buried somewhere in that pile and nobody's gotten to it yet?Nancy's pacemaker has a Bluetooth signal detectable from over two hundred yards. Helicopters searched for it. Found nothing. What does that mean? And the footage—it shows this man's face clearly. How is it possible that not a single person on earth recognizes him?The mixed DNA inside the residence raises questions about multiple contributors or contamination. The ransom notes were dismissed as fakes sent by opportunists. The neighborhood has cameras everywhere, yet no vehicle was captured. Could he have moved her on foot? Is there a property nearby he had access to?At what point does a case like this go cold? What resources get pulled? What can the family even do at this point? And the speculation online about connections to other cases—other missing elderly women, other home invasions in Arizona—has anyone looked at whether this could be part of a pattern?Your questions. Our thoughts. No guests, no filter.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#NancyGuthrie #GuthrieQA #QuestionsAnswered #TucsonMissing #HiddenKillers #MissingPerson #GuthrieCase #TrueCrime #ListenerQuestions #FindNancyGuthrie

Author and Instagrammer @librarybrookes Brooke Fast joins BOOKSTORM Podcast to discuss To Cage a Wild Bird!  We talk all about real life and love in this dystopian romantasy! Found family, high risk for revenge ... or love ... and the importance of community for survival. These themes resonate in today's world as much as in this fictional one! Join us!You can find more of your favorite bestselling authors at BOOKSTORM Podcast! We're also on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube!

Sermon recording from Sunday, March 1st, 2026.A study of Mark 9:1-29.Thesis: Remember the mountain top to help you through the valley. 

Welcome to Vineyard Altoona! We're a community of real people pursuing a real God. Our mission is simple: Lost people found. Found people formed. Formed people sent. On this channel, you'll find biblically grounded, relevant messages that speak to real life, worship that helps you encounter God, and resources to help you grow in your faith. Whether you're exploring faith for the first time or looking for a deeper connection with Jesus, we're here to journey with you. Subscribe now and join us as we follow Jesus, experience His presence, and live out His mission in the world!

Found a website you've never heard of and not sure you should click? I'll show you three fast clues -- domain dates, server location, and site history -- that can help you judge whether a site feels trustworthy or sketchy before you commit.

On this episode of the MeidasTouch Podcast, we break down the accelerating fallout from the Epstein Files, including the stunning resignation of the World Economic Forum's CEO and new revelations about the DOJ burying deeply troubling allegations involving Donald Trump and a minor. We also cover the chaotic closed-door Clinton deposition that was briefly derailed after Republicans leaked images to a MAGA propagandist while continuing to block public transparency. Meanwhile, JD Vance's latest attempt to sell Trump's economy goes off the rails, Trump's wellness influencer–turned–Surgeon General nominee faces a brutal hearing that raises serious concerns, and Netflix pulls out of its bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery amid Paramount's hostile takeover bid. Plus, key updates from Ukraine and more from Ben, Brett, and Jordy. Subscribe to Meidas+ at https://meidasplus.com Get Meidas Merch: https://store.meidastouch.com Deals from our sponsors!  Found: Open a Found account for FREE at https://found.com. Found is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC. HexClad: Find your forever cookware @hexclad and get 10% off at https://hexclad.com/MEIDAS! #hexcladpartner iRestore: Reverse hair loss with @iRestorelaser and get exclusive savings on the iRestore Elite, use code TRUTH at https://irestore.com/TRUTH! #irestorepod American Giant: Visit https://american-giant.com and get 20% off your first order with promo code MEIDAS Ultra Pouches: Don't sleep on @ultrapouches. New customers get 15% Off with code MEIDAS at https://takeultra.com! #UltraPouches #ad Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast Cult Conversations: The Influence Continuum with Dr. Steve Hassan: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you've been following this series on pain with intimacy, you now understand: ✔️ What might be causing your pain ✔️ How mental load and nervous system stress impact arousal ✔️ Why pushing through makes things worse ✔️ Practical rehab strategies to reduce tension Now let's talk about something we don't normalize enough: Supportive tools. Because using tools does not mean you're broken. It means you're intentional. In this final episode of the series, we're discussing the different tools and toys that can reduce pain, improve blood flow, calm guarding, and help you rebuild positive experiences in your body — safely and confidently. In This Episode, We Cover: Why tools can help retrain pain pathways The connection between blood flow, arousal, and pelvic floor relaxation How graded exposure reduces guarding Why friction (not failure) is often the problem The role of pleasure in nervous system regulation If pain continues, worsens, or feels deeply triggering, it's time to see a pelvic floor PT. The Bigger Reframe Tools are not a crutch. They are bridges. Bridges between pain and safety. Between guarding and openness. Between survival and pleasure. Pleasure is not indulgent. It is nervous system medicine. Want Structured Guidance? Inside the Pelvic Floor, Core & More App, there is a FREE Masterclass: From Pain to Pleasure that you can access inside the app here: https://pelvic-floor-core-more.passion.io/  Or if you want more guidance join my 12 wk RESTORE program, where we combine: Breathwork Nervous system regulation Mobility and downtraining Core and pelvic floor coordination Progressive strengthening So you're not guessing which tools to use — or when. (More on what this is and how to join below) And if your pain is complex, trauma-related, or persistent, 1:1 pelvic floor PT may be your best next step. You don't have to navigate this alone. This wraps our Pain with Intimacy series — but healing doesn't end here. Your body is not broken. It is layered. And layered healing is possible. ~ XO Dr. Des

Fr. Joseph Johnson joins Patrick for the third of a special Lenten Series on the 7 Last Words of Jesus – today’s topic: Mary’s Role at the Cross (3:26) What is the context in these words of Jesus from the Cross? What Who does John represent in this scene? (13:25) What is Mary’s role in the Passion of our Lord? (18:08) Break 1 What are practical ways in which we can share in the passion of Christ? (25:39) Jim - My mother is starting to fail. My wife asked who should we pray for as a caregiver. We stopped thinking about the saints and then turned to Jesus on the cross. Jesus found a caregiver for his own mother. Found great consolation. Kurt - Redemptive suffering and joining to Christ on the cross. Very rarely do I hear anyone talking about that. We not only have that opportunity, but for the redemption of the world. We are commanded to that in John 15 and John 13. I give you a new commandment... There's no greater good than to offer suffering for them. (34:06) Break 2 How does the prophecy of Simeon play a role in Mary’s heart at the Cross? (38:37) what can we expect from the love of Mary and how it helps us in our lives? (41:21) Sharon - When my son died. I identified with Mary for release. My son was 50 and died of a rare cancer. The loss was something I knew she understood. Gave me a great deal of help during that time. Michelle - Abortion and aborted children. Great sorrow. I delivered that child into Mary's hands.

Found a vape, cartridge, or hidden stash—are you about to say something that shuts your kid down for years? When you discover vaping, your fear often comes out as anger—especially if you're doing this alone as a single parent. This episode shows how to have the conversation in a way that reduces ongoing use and keeps communication open, so you don't end up with a teen who just hides it better.Learn why your first reaction matters more than the punishment you choose in the momentUse a research-backed way to talk that keeps things firm, warm, and effectiveWalk away with a clear conversation framework to uncover what vaping is doing for your teen—and respond in a way that actually changes behavior Press play to get a calm, step-by-step script for what to say next so you can protect your child's safety without blowing up trust.⭐Got screen time problems at home, get the Tech Reset Agreement here

Two words in a Los Angeles courtroom today. Not guilty. Entered by Nick Reiner's public defender as he sat slumped behind glass, charged with stabbing both of his parents to death.Rob Reiner. Michele Singer Reiner. Found in their bedroom with multiple stab wounds on the first night of Hanukkah. Their 32-year-old son arrested the same day, now facing two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances.Today's plea triggered the expected outrage. But here's what most people don't understand: that plea wasn't a defense. It was a door. The real strategy hasn't been revealed yet.California's system requires defendants pursuing insanity defenses to enter dual pleas, triggering bifurcated trials where guilt and sanity are determined separately. Today was procedural. The psychiatric evaluations are ongoing. The defense is still deciding which path to take.Three options remain open. Full insanity under M'Naghten—proving Nick didn't know what he was doing or that it was wrong. Diminished actuality—using his documented schizoaffective disorder to challenge the premeditation required for first-degree murder. Or incompetence to stand trial—arguing he can't participate in his own defense right now.Legal experts are skeptical about full insanity. Nick was at a Christmas party hours before the killings, arguing with his father in front of witnesses. If you can argue, you're not legally insane.The more likely play? Reduced charges. Second-degree murder. Manslaughter. A different name for what happened, and different consequences.April 29th. Preliminary hearing. The real fight begins.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #NotGuiltyPlea #TrueCrime #InsanityDefense #MurderTrial #HiddenKillers #Parricide #CriminalJustice

Found in a random zoom folder, sometime 2025. Check out my substack: HERE https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing.

In this episode of Language on the Move Podcast, Tazin Abdullah talks to Dr. Laura Rademaker (Australian National University), the author of Found in Translation: Many Meanings on a North Australian Mission. The conversation explores the distinctive historical context of Australia's Northern Territory as a location for Christian missionary activity. Tazin and Laura talk about the multiple tensions and elements involved in language interactions between monolingual English-speaking missionaries and multilingual Indigenous communities, against the background of settler colonialism. Found in Translation: Many Meanings on a North Australian Mission was published by University of Hawai'i Press in 2018. About the book Found in Translation is a rich account of language and shifting cross-cultural relations on a Christian mission in northern Australia during the mid-twentieth century. It explores how translation shaped interactions between missionaries and the Anindilyakwa-speaking people of the Groote Eylandt archipelago and how each group used language to influence, evade, or engage with the other in a series of selective “mistranslations.” In particular, this work traces the Angurugu mission from its establishment by the Church Missionary Society in 1943, through Australia's era of assimilation policy in the 1950s and 1960s, to the introduction of a self-determination policy and bilingual education in 1973. While translation has typically been an instrument of colonization, this book shows that the ambiguities it creates have given Indigenous people opportunities to reinterpret colonization's position in their lives. Laura Rademaker combines oral history interviews with careful archival research and innovative interdisciplinary findings to present a fresh, cross-cultural perspective on Angurugu mission life. Exploring spoken language and sound, the translation of Christian scripture and songs, the imposition of English literacy, and Aboriginal singing traditions, she reveals the complexities of the encounters between the missionaries and Aboriginal people in a subtle and sophisticated analysis. Rademaker uses language as a lens, delving into issues of identity and the competition to name, own, and control. In its efforts to shape the Anindilyakwa people's beliefs, the Church Missionary Society utilized language both by teaching English and by translating Biblical texts into the native tongue. Yet missionaries relied heavily on Anindilyakwa interpreters, whose varied translation styles and choices resulted in an unforeseen Indigenous impact on how the mission's messages were received. From Groote Eylandt and the peculiarities of the Australian settler-colonial context, Found in Translation broadens its scope to cast light on themes common throughout Pacific mission history such as assimilation policies, cultural exchanges, and the phenomenon of colonization itself. This book will appeal to Indigenous studies scholars across the Pacific as well as scholars of Australian history, religion, linguistics, anthropology, and missiology. For additional resources, show notes, and transcripts, go here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In this episode of Language on the Move Podcast, Tazin Abdullah talks to Dr. Laura Rademaker (Australian National University), the author of Found in Translation: Many Meanings on a North Australian Mission. The conversation explores the distinctive historical context of Australia's Northern Territory as a location for Christian missionary activity. Tazin and Laura talk about the multiple tensions and elements involved in language interactions between monolingual English-speaking missionaries and multilingual Indigenous communities, against the background of settler colonialism. Found in Translation: Many Meanings on a North Australian Mission was published by University of Hawai'i Press in 2018. About the book Found in Translation is a rich account of language and shifting cross-cultural relations on a Christian mission in northern Australia during the mid-twentieth century. It explores how translation shaped interactions between missionaries and the Anindilyakwa-speaking people of the Groote Eylandt archipelago and how each group used language to influence, evade, or engage with the other in a series of selective “mistranslations.” In particular, this work traces the Angurugu mission from its establishment by the Church Missionary Society in 1943, through Australia's era of assimilation policy in the 1950s and 1960s, to the introduction of a self-determination policy and bilingual education in 1973. While translation has typically been an instrument of colonization, this book shows that the ambiguities it creates have given Indigenous people opportunities to reinterpret colonization's position in their lives. Laura Rademaker combines oral history interviews with careful archival research and innovative interdisciplinary findings to present a fresh, cross-cultural perspective on Angurugu mission life. Exploring spoken language and sound, the translation of Christian scripture and songs, the imposition of English literacy, and Aboriginal singing traditions, she reveals the complexities of the encounters between the missionaries and Aboriginal people in a subtle and sophisticated analysis. Rademaker uses language as a lens, delving into issues of identity and the competition to name, own, and control. In its efforts to shape the Anindilyakwa people's beliefs, the Church Missionary Society utilized language both by teaching English and by translating Biblical texts into the native tongue. Yet missionaries relied heavily on Anindilyakwa interpreters, whose varied translation styles and choices resulted in an unforeseen Indigenous impact on how the mission's messages were received. From Groote Eylandt and the peculiarities of the Australian settler-colonial context, Found in Translation broadens its scope to cast light on themes common throughout Pacific mission history such as assimilation policies, cultural exchanges, and the phenomenon of colonization itself. This book will appeal to Indigenous studies scholars across the Pacific as well as scholars of Australian history, religion, linguistics, anthropology, and missiology. For additional resources, show notes, and transcripts, go here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/native-american-studies

Dr. Ross Greene's work has profoundly shaped how so many of us think about kids' behavior and what they actually need from the adults in their lives, so I'm thrilled to welcome him back to the show to talk about his brand new book, The Kids Who Aren't Okay: The Urgent Case for Reimagining Support, Belonging, and Hope in Schools. Together, we explore the urgent need to reimagine how we support children in schools, especially as mental health concerns continue to rise. We dig into the importance of recognizing developmental variability, why meeting kids where they are is non-negotiable, and how current behavior-focused systems miss the real problems underneath. Ross also highlights the role parents and caregivers can play in advocating for meaningful change. About Dr. Ross Greene  Ross W. Greene, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and the originator of the innovative, evidence-based approach called Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS), as described in his influential books The Explosive Child, Lost at School, Lost & Found, and Raising Human Beings. He also developed and executive produced the award-winning documentary film The Kids We Lose, released in 2018. Dr. Greene was on the faculty at Harvard Medical School for over 20 years, and is now founding director of the non-profit Lives in the Balance. He is also currently adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Tech and adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia. Dr. Greene has worked with several thousand kids with concerning behaviors and their caregivers, and he and his colleagues have overseen implementation and evaluation of the CPS model in countless schools, inpatient psychiatric units, and residential and juvenile detention facilities, with dramatic effect: significant reductions in recidivism, discipline referrals, detentions, suspensions, and use of restraint and seclusion. Dr.Greene lectures throughout the world and lives in Freeport, Maine. Things you'll learn from this episode  How kids today are facing unprecedented challenges that require new ways of thinking and responding Why developmental variability matters and why every child needs support tailored to their unique profile How schools can create more supportive ecosystems by using proactive rather than reactive approaches Why behavior is often a late signal of unmet expectations, not the problem itself How managing expectations and understanding root causes can reduce concerning behaviors Why parents' advocacy and the Collaborative & Proactive Solutions model can transform how children are supported in education Resources mentioned The Kids Who Aren't Okay: The Urgent Case for Reimagining Support, Belonging, and Hope in Schools by Dr. Ross Greene Never Too Early: CPS with Young Kids (documentary) The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children by Dr. Ross Greene Lives in the Balance (Dr. Greene's website) The B Team (Facebook group) Lost at School: Why Our Kids With Behavioral Challenges are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them by Dr. Ross Greene Raising Human Beings: Creating a Collaborative Partnership with Your Child by Dr. Ross Greene Lost and Found: Helping Behaviorally Challenge Students (and While You're At It, All the Others by Dr. Ross Greene The Kids We Lose (documentary) How to Parent Angry and Explosive Children, with Dr. Ross Greene (Tilt Parenting podcast) Ken Wilbur Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's episode, I'm joined by Meghan Swidler for a deep dive into why so many people struggle with digestive issues — and what it actually means to detox properly. We break down the root causes of bloating, constipation, and brain fog, how an overburdened liver and stagnant detox pathways impact your entire body, and why true cleansing starts with opening the colon before supporting the liver and lymphatic system. Meghan shares practical tools you can implement right away — from hydration, fiber, and mineral support to movement, cleansing foods, and the role of colonics — along with guidance on parasite cleanses, mold exposure, and the gut-brain connection. If you're looking to fix your digestion, reset after the holidays, or support your body's natural detox systems, this episode is packed with actionable insights. Enjoy!To connect with Siff on Instagram, click HERE.To connect with Siff on Tiktok, click HERE.To learn more about Arrae, click HERE. To check out Siff's LTK, click HERE.To check out Siff's Amazon StoreFront, click HERE. To connect with Meghan on Instagram, click HERE.To explore Meghan's cleanses, click HERE.This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.Save 15% off my favorite Red Light Face Mask from BON CHARGE by using code DREAMBIGGER at www.boncharge.comGet $25 off your first purchase when you go to TheRealReal.com/dreambiggerAnd here's the good news – Branch Basics is now available everywhere you shop: Target, Target.com, Amazon, and of course, BranchBasics.com. Tossing the toxins has never been more convenient! And for anyone grabbing the Premium Starter Kit, you can still get 15% off at BranchBasics.com with our code DREAMBIGGER. Just use code DREAMBIGGER for 15% off the Premium Starter Kit at BranchBasics.com. After your purchase, when they ask where you heard about them, please make sure to mention our show!Shopify.com/dreambiggerTake back control of your business today. Open a Found account for FREE at Found.com. That's Found.com . Found is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC. Join the hundreds of thousands who've streamlined their finances with Found.Use code DREAMBIGGER15 for $15 off first purchase at thirdlove.comGet started with the Experian App now!Produced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Lauren turns the mic on co-host Marnie Lemonik to unpack her journey from corporate professional to Career Coach.Marnie shares the behind-the-scenes story of how she “shot her shot” with Career Contessa years before officially joining the team, what pushed her to start coaching and how she financially (and mentally) prepared to bet on herself. If you've ever considered starting your own thing, whether as a side hustle or full-time job, this is for you.You'll Learn:The timing and circumstances that led Marnie to transition from corporate to coaching What it actually looks like to build a side business before leaving your full-time jobThe importance of financial preparation and rejecting the “struggle to hustle” mindsetThe entrepreneurial skill of “figuring it out” (and why self-trust is everything)Show NotesWeekly Newsletter Sign-Up: http://bit.ly/37hqtQW Follow Career Contessa: http://bit.ly/2TMH2QP Marnie's Podcast (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/7KaVZm8QWlC8RWwiajYcs9?si=a2a5187a63674a76 Marnie's Podcast (Apple): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-marnie/id1875804683 Marnie's Career Contessa Articles: https://www.careercontessa.com/meet-the-team/Marnie-Lemonik/87101/ Follow Marnie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marnielemonik/ Follow Lauren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenmcgoodwin/ Resources Marnie's Resume Template: https://www.marnielemonik.com/resources/p/template-marnies-resume-with-written-examples 10% Discount Code: CCPOD The Job Search Dashboard: https://careercontessa.teachable.com/p/the-job-search-dashboard-notion-template?affcode=70732_cx6_j5wnCareerFitter Online Assessment:https://www.careerfitter.com/free_test/careerbuilder?afid=2218Career Contessa ResourcesBook 1:1 career coaching session: https://www.careercontessa.com/hire-a-mentor/ Take an online course: https://www.careercontessa.com/education/ Get your personalized salary report: https://www.careercontessa.com/the-salary-project/ Browse open jobs: https://www.careercontessa.com/jobs/SponsorsSign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/careercontessa. Take back control of your business today. Open a Found account for FREE at Found.com dot com. Found is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC. Share a little extra love this February in comfort that truly feels special. Head to cozyearth.com and use my code CONTESSA for up to 20% off.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Thomas sits down with speaker and renowned author of “Wild,” Cheryl Strayed, for a conversation on the profound healing power of writing and creating, the catharsis of truth-telling, and the importance of physical embodiment in trauma recovery.Cheryl shares how grief and trauma left her feeling isolated, and describes her difficult but meaningful journey to healing through community connection. By writing about her life and daring to share her deepest wounds, she found that she was not alone in her struggles, and in fact, none of us ever truly are. She and Thomas discuss how authentic connection can inspire collective compassion and healing, and how art and storytelling have the ability to transform culture by illuminating universal truths.✨ Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube:

Hey Girl, How many times have you ignored your body because you felt guilty? Guilty for not working out. Guilty for wanting alone time. Guilty for not being in the mood. Guilty for resting. Guilty for saying no. Guilty for going to girls' night. Guilty for spending money on yourself. In this episode, we're unpacking something that quietly sabotages women's health more than almost anything else: guilt. Because guilt doesn't just live in your mind. It lives in your nervous system. It lives in your breath. It lives in your pelvic floor. And every time you override your truth to keep the peace, avoid discomfort, or prove your worth — your body absorbs it. In This Episode, We Explore: Why guilt is often conditioning — not intuition How guilt shows up in movement, intimacy, rest, and relationships The connection between guilt, stress, and pelvic floor tension Why pushing through pain (in workouts or intercourse) creates more dysfunction How guilt keeps women stuck in all-or-nothing cycles The physiological impact of chronic guilt on cortisol, breath, and muscle tone The difference between guilt and integrity Practical ways to stop betraying your body in small, daily moments Every time you override your truth, your body adapts to that pattern. And over time, that pattern becomes pain. Or leaking. Or pressure. Or disconnection. Small moments of honesty create safety in your body. And safety is where healing begins. How This Connects to RESTORE Inside RESTORE, we don't just strengthen your core and pelvic floor. We: Retrain your breath Regulate your nervous system Address tension patterns Teach you how to move without overriding your body Help you rebuild strength from safety — not guilt Because true strength is not forcing your body to comply. It's learning how to listen to it. If you're ready to stop betraying your body and start healing from integrity, you can learn more about RESTORE inside the Pelvic Floor, Core & More App. And if you need deeper, individualized support, 1:1 coaching or pelvic floor PT may be your next step. Guilt is loud. Truth is quiet. Healing happens when you learn to hear the quiet voice. ~ XO Dr. Des

Turns out you don't learn faster when you're stressed, you learn faster when you're happy! So let's talk about treating your brain like a friend, not a factory worker. Muscles respond to stress with pretty linear upgrades; brains don't. Brains upgrade through meaning, novelty, and attention—especially when something feels like play. That's why memory champions don't “grind” digits: they build absurd stories and mental rooms and suddenly their recall looks like magic. Same with skills. Stress is useful—but mostly as a signal: “avoid that.” If you want real output, your job is to become a better teacher to yourself: make the hard thing interesting enough that you'll come back tomorrow. Turn one task into a game (score it, time it, level it up). Find the “fun entry point” and start there, not with drills. Reduce stress friction: smaller reps, better cues, better environment. Listen in—and pick one thing to make genuinely enjoyable today. SPONSORS

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!Two first-gen doctors answer your real questions: How to open a business bank account, and whether starting Medical school at 40 is still possible. This week's Q&A covers two questions that represent completely different stages of the first-gen doctor journey: a neurology resident finishing training and building her business, and a 40-year-old premed, wondering if the dream of becoming a doctor is still possible.THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS:QUESTION 1 — From Mouna (Neurology Resident):"I just created my LLC to do locum work, and I'm looking into opening a business bank account. Do you recommend a traditional bank versus newer online banks? Some of the online options have built-in bookkeeping tools — do you have experience or a preference?"QUESTION 2 — From YouTube Comments:"I am 40, coming from a career as a psychotherapist, married with children, with a mortgage, and $135K in student loan debt. I'm considering general surgery, psychiatry, neurology, internal medicine, and family medicine. I'm taking one class at a time and targeting 2030 for application. Any advice?"SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION FOR NEXT WEEK:We do Q&A episodes every week and we read every question submitted. Here is how to reach us:

Danny Goldberg shares insider stories from his 50-year career as Led Zeppelin's publicist and Nirvana's manager, revealing Kurt Cobain's creative genius and the first-hand dynamics behind rock's biggest bands. Order Danny's book "Bumping Into Geniuses" here Topics Include: Danny discusses the 2026 reissue of "Bumping into Genius" Admits his turntables are mostly for show, prefers streaming now Kept about 100 vinyls including The Fugs on ESP Records Answered a Billboard ad not knowing music business existed Found his calling through enthusiasm and sensitivity to artists Became Led Zeppelin's US publicist in 1973 for Houses of the Holy The biggest band in the world had never gotten positive press Peter Grant described them as "just mild barbarians" Bonzo would arrive early to tune drums for each room's acoustics Jimmy Page avoided TV—felt it couldn't deliver Zeppelin's true sound Physical Graffiti era: Danny became Swan Song Records vice president His blues tribute pitch rejected—later repurposed for Foghat Robert Plant was eloquent and handled most press duties willingly Jimmy's Crowley interest rarely came up in day-to-day interactions Met Ringo, never John or George—All Things Must Pass is essential Nirvana's 92 Australian tour produced the Rolling Stone cover shoot Kurt's "Corporate magazines still suck" shirt was pure tightrope genius He storyboarded every Nirvana video shot by shot himself Appeared on Headbangers Ball in a dress to subvert metal culture Nevermind hit five radio formats simultaneously—unprecedented crossover success Kurt agreed to edit In Utero packaging for Walmart-only kids Fame invaded his privacy—tabloid coverage of Courtney infuriated him Depression and heroin predated fame—confirmed by Chris Novoselic Danny dismisses conspiracy theories—Seattle PD had no coverup motive Sub Pop planned "Cash Cow"—Kurt licensed it back as Incesticide Incesticide liner notes rank among Kurt's most remarkable creative statements Danny calls In Utero Kurt's best songwriting, his personal favorite Bonnie Raitt's Nick of Time gave Danny credibility to expand management John Silva brought Redd Kross, leading to Sonic Youth, then Nirvana Born Innocent documentary on Redd Kross earns Danny's recommendation High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

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 . 01. Yuvée - Devine [Moments] 02. Somelee - Radius [UV] 03. Frederik Wiesener - Cosmic Ranger (Thom Rich Remix) [Aftertech] 04. Roger Martinez - Imashaghen [Higher States] 05. Mike Isai - Alya [Onedotsixtwo] 06. Sintra, Luch, Landon Ryle - Brighter Days (Monkey Safari Remix) [Purified] 07. Budakid - Silent Summer [Lost & Found] 08. Pysh - Visions (Eelke Kleijn Remix) [Einmusika] 09. DHAF - Last Journey (Dulus Remix) [Sirin] 10. Dulus, Tiffy Vera - What's Her Name [RTA] 11. Golan Zocher - Intervals [Sprout] 12. Eelke Kleijn - The Calling [DAYS like NIGHTS] This show is syndicated & distributed exclusively by Syndicast. If you are a radio station interested in airing the show or would like to distribute your podcast / radio show please register here: https://syndicast.co.uk/distribution/registration

In this episode, we talk about scams, a missing person and a fraud conviction.https://fortune.com/2026/02/14/romance-scam-victims-billions-lost/This podcast was made possible by www.labrottiecreations.com Check out their merchandise and specifically their fun pop pet art custom pieces made from photos of your very own pets. Use the promo code CRIMEXS for 20% off a fun, brightly colored, happy piece of art of your own pet at their site.Music in this episode was licensed for True Crime XS. Our theme song is No Scars from slip.fmYou can reach us at our website truecrimexs.com and you can leave us a voice message at 252-365-5593. Find us most anywhere with @truecrimexsThanks for listening. Please like and subscribe if you want to hear more and you can come over to patreon.com/truecrimexs and check out what we've got going on there if you'd like to donate to fund future True Crime XS road trip investigations and FOIA requests. We also have some merchandise up at Teepublic http://tee.pub/lic/mZUXW1MOYxMSources:www.namus.govwww.thecharleyproject.comwww.newspapers.comFindlaw.comVarious News Sources Mentioned by NameAd Information:New Era Caps: https://zen.ai/dWeCYLHxxANOaZ6NcKocEwLiquid IV: Link: https://zen.ai/45lYmDnWl1Z3cR66LBX5mAZencastr: Link: https://zen.ai/SFkD99OGWGNz_plc2c_Yaw

Robin Dreeke joins Hidden Killers Live to decode what Kouri Richins' behavior after Eric's death reveals through his FBI deception-detection lens—the 911 call, the book tour, and the letter allegedly scripting witness testimony from jail.Fourteen months between Eric's death and Kouri's arrest. During that window, she maintained public innocence through media interviews, investigator conversations, and a children's book promotional tour featuring Eric as an angel watching over their sons. Robin's "Tempo Tells" framework is built to read exactly this: the verbal and nonverbal deviations that reveal performance under stress.The 911 call is where analysis begins. "He's not breathing, he's cold, he doesn't have a pulse." Robin explains the tempo patterns, detail calibration, and authenticity markers investigators are trained to identify. Emergency calls are high-pressure environments where control is hardest to maintain.The children's book raises different questions. Are You With Me? launched in March 2023 with television appearances—one year after Eric's death, two months before Kouri's arrest. What does choosing public grief performance at that scale reveal about confidence in deception? And what compounding risks does extended exposure create?Then came the "Walk the Dog" letter. Found in Kouri's jail cell, prosecutors allege it outlines specific false testimony for her mother and brother. Robin breaks down what continued manipulation from behind bars reveals about someone's relationship with truth—and how juries typically respond to that kind of evidence.Live conversation. Real-time analysis. Trial begins February 23rd.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#KouriRichins #EricRichins #RobinDreeke #HiddenKillersLive #DeceptionAnalysis #911Call #BookTour #JailLetter #FBI #TrueCrimeLive

On this episode of the MeidasTouch Podcast, we break down the global shockwaves from the Epstein Files fallout as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, is released from law enforcement custody following his arrest, while here in the United States the Trump regime continues operating like a protection racket for those tied to Epstein. We dive into Trump's surreal “Board of Peace” event, his latest attack on public health that's now angering even members of the MAHA movement, and an FBI that seems more focused on podcasting than policing. Ben, Brett, and Jordy also unpack the Les Wexner deposition, Trump's escalating moves that signal preparations for conflict with Iran, and more. Subscribe to Meidas+ at https://meidasplus.com Get Meidas Merch: https://store.meidastouch.com Deals from our sponsors!  Found: Open a Found account for FREE at https://found.com. Found is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC. SimpliSafe: Protect your home today and enjoy 50% off a new SimpliSafe system with professional monitoring at https://simplisafe.com/meidas Sundays for Dogs: Get 50% off your first order at https://sundaysfordogs.com/MEIDAS50 or use code MEIDAS50 at checkout Rocket Money: Join at https://RocketMoney.com/meidastouch Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast Cult Conversations: The Influence Continuum with Dr. Steve Hassan: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Found in much of Central America, White-throated Magpie-Jay flocks are family groups led by a dominant female. They include a mate and several female offspring that bring food to the primary female and her young. It's an example of cooperative breeding, when birds other than the parents help out to raise young.Support comes from Wild Delight Bird Food, offering a variety of blends designed to mimic the natural resources wild birds crave, available at Chewy.com.¡Escuche este episodio en BirdNote en Español!More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks. BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.