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Send us Fan Mail If you've ever looked back on a year of nonstop motion and wondered, “I've been busy, but did I actually grow?” you're not alone. I sit down with Ben Barbic to talk about the kind of personal growth that doesn't show up on social media and doesn't arrive in one dramatic breakthrough. We get honest about why growth can feel invisible, why life rarely moves in a straight line, and how the real wins are often the quiet choices: patience over anger, curiosity over certainty, progress over perfection. Ben shares a simple, realistic approach to self-improvement that doesn't rely on hype or massive overnight change. We talk about why people repeat the same habits and relationships even when they want something better, and how introspection can uncover what “comfort” is really costing you. From there, we focus on micro habits: small, specific changes you can actually commit to, like a few minutes of reading, meditation, stretching, journaling, or cutting back one step at a time. The goal is consistency, not intensity, so your habits become part of your normal Tuesday instead of a plan you abandon by day three. We also dig into frustration and slow progress, comparing growth to building strength at the gym: the gains are real, but subtle, and they compound over time. And when you slip back, we don't treat it as failure. We treat it as normal human behavior and sometimes the exact reminder you need of what your routines were giving you. Finally, we challenge the lure of the “easy” past, and why purpose often matters more than comfort. If you want practical personal development strategies that feel doable and meaningful, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who feels stuck, and leave a review with the one small choice you're making this week. Connect with guest: Website: https://www.risenclimb.com Book & Audiobook: Rise and Climb: Finding Purpose Through Pain (Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble) Music: available on all major streaming platforms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benbarbic/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/BenBarbic YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Couples Tantra Programme Unlock Deeper Connection and Intimate Pleasure in Your Relationship. Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Patrick Casey Marissa Zwetow Offer: 12 taboo postpartum truths Jennifer Westcott Offer: free hypnosis sessions Jen Katsev Offer: 5 Day "Wake Up IN LOVE With Your Life" Challenge. Elizabeth Pritchard Offer: Mention Healthy Mind Healthy Life Podcast & receive 10% off the next course. | Code: AL10Disc Suzanne Rath Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Politics can feel like a stress machine: every headline tightens the chest, every election steals sleep, and every argument at the dinner table leaves a residue. We wanted to test a different idea: that political understanding can actually improve mental health. When we stop treating politics as unknowable “noise” and start learning how incentives, institutions, and policies work, confusion turns into clarity, and helplessness starts to loosen its grip. Our guest, Henry A. Kowalczyk, brings a rare perspective as a writer and political thinker who helped pave the way for the Solidarity movement in Poland during the 1970s and 80s and now applies those lessons to American life. We talk about why so many people feel their vote does not count, how “trust me” messaging from politicians and major media can erode confidence, and why skepticism plus education is healthier than either doomscrolling or total disengagement. Along the way, Henry connects big political theory to daily stress through real examples like immigration narratives that clash with lived experience and a healthcare system that makes even minor medical needs feel financially dangerous. We also dig into practical policy literacy: freedom versus equality tradeoffs, what a prosperous society needs to keep people from becoming cogs, and why tying health insurance to employment can trap people in jobs that burn them out. Henry shares ideas from his book, “Can America Ever Be Great Again,” including how flexible work scheduling could increase autonomy and why separating preventive care from true insurance could lower costs. If you want a calmer relationship with politics, this conversation offers a framework that is grounded, human, and actionable. Subscribe for more honest conversations about mental and emotional well-being, share this with a friend who feels politically exhausted, and leave a review to help more listeners find us. What part of politics creates the most stress for you right now? Connect With the Guest: Book: "Can America Ever Be Great Again?" (available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and select independent bookstores) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henryk-a-kowalczyk-1b143b4/  Note: This episode touches on political and economic policy topics. The views shared are the guest's personal perspective and opinions, not verified facts or the position of Healthy Mind by Avik™.  YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Astrologer Royale Offer: Save $50 on your Natal Chart Reading | Code: POD50 Vegout Voyage Offer: 15% off all personalized Armchair Iceland merch | Code: ICELANDGEAR15 The Kloaked Signal Select for pre-order discount 10% | Code: podfans10 AEtherbal Offer: 20% off | Code: Tryfor20 Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Making something in private can feel lonely, but sharing it can feel even more exposing. That tension is the heart of our conversation with author and former radio host Dick Wybrow, who has spent years creating in a room by himself and then releasing stories into a world full of opinions. We talk about what people misunderstand about the writing life, why quiet and “boredom” are often the doorway to real creativity, and how deadlines can turn freedom into a daily grind. Dick opens up about criticism from every angle: the random drive-by comment, the inner voice that gets sharp at the worst moment, and the painful sting that can linger longer than it should. He shares how his background in stand-up comedy and rock radio helped him build thicker skin, and why most negative reactions say more about the critic than the creator. We also dig into a practical approach to feedback: keep a small circle whose opinions truly count, let the rest roll off, and when there's a real point hidden inside a harsh note, use it to improve the work rather than shrink from it. We get concrete about staying steady, too, from using exercise as a mental reset to preparing for the “60 to 70 percent” slump where many writers suddenly believe their draft is terrible. Dick's most freeing advice is simple and powerful: give yourself permission to be awful in the first draft, finish the book, and revise from something real. If you're building anything alone and then handing it to the world, this one will land. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a push, and leave a review with the criticism you learned to stop carrying. Connect With the Guest: Website: https://www.dickwybrow.com Substack: https://dickwybrow.substack.com Books: Available on Amazon and in select indie bookstores YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Extraordinary People LLC All free so we can get to know each other! Convergence Offer: 50% off | TRANSFORM50 AEtherbal Offer: 20% off | Code: Tryfor20 Jen Katsev Offer: 5 Day "Wake Up IN LOVE With Your Life" Challenge. The Soulfluence Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Success can be the thing that finally proves you “made it” and the thing that quietly steals your freedom at the same time. We sit down with Peter Boolkah, a best-selling author and business veteran with 20+ years and 60,000 hours inside companies across five continents, to name the pattern he keeps seeing: as the business grows, the founder becomes more indispensable, more essential, and more trapped. We talk about how the trap starts on day one, especially for solopreneurs who carry marketing, sales, delivery, and finances alone. Then we go deeper into the human cost: lifestyle inflation that raises the stakes, founders who rarely take holidays, and the uncomfortable but clarifying question every business owner should ask themselves, “If I couldn't work or communicate for 30 days, what would happen to my business?” From there, we explore the psychology driving over-involvement: ego, isolation, guilt, fear of judgment, and the addiction to being needed that can masquerade as dedication. We also challenge the black-and-white thinking around obsession and excellence. Peter breaks down the difference between a founder who micromanages because of insecurity and a leader who sets standards, builds people, and scales with intention. The practical path forward is clear: learn the skills to make better decisions, hire with competence in mind, develop talent so delegation holds, and stop the “compensation management” habit of taking work back instead of fixing the real issue. If you want more freedom, we argue you have to build it with the right team, systems, and processes and keep learning as the rules change. If this hit home, subscribe, share the episode with a founder friend, and leave a rating or review so more people can find these conversations.  Connect With the Guest: Website & socials: Search "Peter Boolkah" on Google to find his official channels  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pboolkah/ Book: "Your Business Sucks: Build a Business That Works Without Destroying Your Life" (available on Amazon, Kindle edition) YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Royalty Coaching and Consulting Offering Coaching to help men go through the workbook and achieve freedom in all areas of life! Focal Point Coaching of Oak Park Offer: First session FREE | Code: Mention "HealthyMind" in your email Extraordinary People LLC All free so we can get to know each other! The Yielding Warrior Offer: Free book just pay for shipping | Code: TYW Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail You can look “fine” on paper and still feel like a stranger in your own life. We start with the kind of burnout that doesn't announce itself with a crash, it whispers through dread, distraction, and the slow fading of meaning while you keep showing up and getting things done. Host Ria is joined by physician, medical educator, and life coach Lauren Fine to name what high-functioning burnout actually is: not simply being unable to work, but losing your connection to purpose. We talk about why this hits high achievers so hard, how praise and responsibility can quietly train us to perform for approval, and how early life questions like “What do you want to be?” can fuse identity to a role until it's hard to tell the difference between your job title and your selfhood. Lauren shares a grounded tool that helps fast when your mind is spinning: the fact versus story framework. We break down how to write what a camera could capture, catch the interpretations you're layering on top, and slow emotional overreactions that fuel anxiety and burnout. From there we explore Ikigai as a flexible, evolving approach to purpose, plus simple “baby steps” to rebuild meaning even if you're in full survival mode and don't have extra time. If you've been succeeding everywhere except inside, listen through, then share it with someone who's always “the reliable one.” Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what role you're ready to loosen your grip on. Connect with Lauren Fine: Website: https://laurenfine.com Substack: Permission to Change (permission_to_change) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/permission_to_change/ Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Jumppoint Consulting Offer: 30% Subscription | Join COO and author Chelsea Byers for her weekly newsletter. 7X Method Biohacking Bootcamp Offer: $2000 discount off $5000 program | Code: BIZBLEND2000 Avita Yoga Free Avita Yoga class and exclusive interview with Jeff: Know Your Constitution Extraordinary People LLC All free so we can get to know each other! Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Your attention is getting pulled in a hundred directions, and somehow you're expected to “find yourself” in the middle of it. We sit down with Olga Ramora, entrepreneur, author, product designer, and co-founder of Moonly, a self-discovery and wellness platform used by more than 10 million people, to ask a question that hits right now: can technology support self-awareness instead of stealing it?  We talk about tech as an instrument, not a villain, and why the outcome depends on intention, design, and the way we use the tool. Olga shares how she works with symbolic systems like Vedic astrology, lunar cycles, tarot, and other traditions, not as shortcuts to identity, but as languages that can help us reflect, notice patterns, and stay honest about our inner life. We also get real about the speed of the digital world: new apps, new AI, and endless inputs that can leave even good practices feeling stale unless we keep coming back to the body and to true desire.  We dig into why stories and symbols still land so deeply, from music and myth to archetypes like the moon priestess, and how narrative can carry meaning when life feels chaotic. If you feel disconnected while balancing work, family, and personal stress, Olga offers grounded places to begin: nature, movement, and simple daily practices that rebuild inner contact, plus deeper psychological work around childhood patterns when needed.  If this conversation helps you breathe a little easier, subscribe, share it with a friend who feels stretched thin, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What's one small step you can take today to come back to yourself? Connect with Olga Ramora: Moonly App: https://moonly.app Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonlyapp/ YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Immunology Diagnostics 30% off of IMBXX. Code: Healthymind Get the test, insurance covers. Couples Tantra Programme Unlock Deeper Connection and Intimate Pleasure in Your Relationship. Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Success can feel like a deal you have to sign: work harder, sleep less, eat whatever is fastest, and someday you will “earn” rest. We push back on that story and ask a sharper question: what if your best work actually comes from a healthier mind, a healthier body, and a healthier way of leading? Sana sits down with Adam Kingl, author and executive educator who studies leadership, workplace innovation, creativity, and human performance. He shares what he has noticed across years of executive education: people used to blame performance gaps on knowledge or strategy, but now they describe something more physical like the 2 p.m. crash, brain fog, low retention, anxiety spikes, and snapping at others. We unpack why nutrition is one of the first things busy professionals “shortcut”, and how that daily habit quietly shapes energy, focus, and mood. We also get practical. Adam explains mindful eating in a way that fits real life, including why cooking can be a form of mindfulness you do not need to schedule separately. We talk community and longevity patterns from blue zones, then walk through “meal stacking”, a simple batch-prep approach that creates multiple healthy lunches from one base recipe. Finally, we zoom out to generational needs at work, why “work-life balance” means different things to different people, and the one question that can prevent pointless conflict. If you want more sustainable productivity, better concentration, and leadership performance that does not burn you out, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who always skips lunch, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Connect with the guest: Future of Work Keynote Speaker & Leadership Expert | Adam Kingl Book LinkedIn YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Vegout Voyage Offer: 15% off all personalized Armchair Iceland merch | Code: ICELANDGEAR15 Avita Yoga Free Avita Yoga class and exclusive interview with Jeff: Know Your Constitution AEtherbal Offer: 20% off | Code: Tryfor20 Convergence Offer: 50% off | TRANSFORM50 Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Your fatigue, headaches, stubborn inflammation, or broken sleep might not be a personal failing and it might not be “just stress.” Sometimes the most powerful health clues are the ones you cannot see: the air in your bedroom, the humidity in your walls, the chemicals under your kitchen sink, or the water steaming off your shower.  We sit down with Michael Dillon, founder of AirWaterHealing.com and an environmental wellness advocate, to map the link between indoor air quality and daily function. We talk mold exposure, mycotoxins, VOCs, off gassing from building materials, and why “sick building syndrome” can lead people through years of misdiagnoses before anyone asks about leaks, ventilation, or what is happening inside the home. Michael also challenges the narrow view of health that focuses only on food and pills, and he shares practical ways to think like a steward of your household environment.  From there, we zoom out to the water you drink and the water you bathe in. Even people who “drink bottled” may still be absorbing unwanted compounds through skin and inhalation. We discuss the basics of water filtration thinking, why local context matters, and how small changes can reduce your total toxic load. We also touch on lifestyle levers that support recovery, like simplifying nutrition, considering intermittent fasting responsibly, and protecting sleep with better screen boundaries.  Finally, Michael raises a bigger environmental health question: the growing footprint of AI data centers and what their water use, power demand, and secrecy could mean for communities. If you care about holistic health, clean air, clean water, mold prevention, and sustainable infrastructure, this conversation gives you a clear place to start. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people learn to ask the questions that protect their health. Connect with Michael Dillon:

Send us Fan Mail If you have done the books, the courses, the journaling, the breathwork, and the routines, but somehow you still feel like the same person from five years ago, we get it. That frustrating snap-back is not a character flaw, and it is not a discipline problem. It is often a belief problem that lives below your conscious effort, quietly steering your choices while you try to “push through” with willpower. We sit down with Joel Bein to unpack why so much personal growth creates temporary change and then fades, and why real transformation can feel surprisingly simple once you reach the root. Joel introduces his “Santa Claus effect”, an analogy for permanent change: when you truly see a belief is not true, it does not come back. We talk through how limiting beliefs form in childhood, how they show up as anxiety, procrastination, and harsh inner criticism, and how “belief glasses” can distort your view of work, relationships, money, and self-worth without you noticing. We also dig into the practical side: why behavior change often collapses when the belief underneath never moved, and why Joel focuses on subtraction and unlearning rather than stacking more habits on top of resistance. If you have ever felt like you are driving your life with the parking brake on, this conversation offers a clear framework for mindset change, subconscious belief work, and more frictionless action. Subscribe for more, share this with someone who feels stuck, and leave a review with the belief you are ready to let go of. Website: thehumanliberation.co  Podcast: The Joel Bein Show YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Our Protector Development Offer: $100 OFF ENROLLMENT | Code: ENROLL100 Extraordinary People LLC All free so we can get to know each other! The Kloaked Signal Select for pre-order discount 10% | Code: podfans10 Suzanne Rath Dr. Ginny Trierweiler Offer: free video explaining. Why Dieting Doesn't Work. Brief video explaining. Denise Miceli Offer: get 10% off any coaching package! | Code: HealthyMind Kasia Makuch-Cole Offer: First Month Free | Code: AvikandSana Jen Katsev Offer: 5 Day "Wake Up IN LOVE With Your Life" Challenge. The Yielding Warrior Offer: Free book just pay for shipping | Code: TYW Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Success is supposed to feel like safety, but what if the life you built starts to feel like a cage? We sit down with award-winning author, speaker, and Executive Medicine of Texas CEO Judy Gaman to talk about the kind of reinvention that doesn't come from a crisis, but from clarity. If you've been quietly wondering whether you're allowed to want something different now, you're in the right place.  We dig into the hidden cost of hustle culture and the constant pull of phones, notifications, and “busy” as an identity. Judy shares why slowing down is not falling behind, it's returning to yourself, and how practices like meditation, prayer, and “the pause” support mental health, resilience, and long-term wellbeing. This is a conversation about burnout recovery and purposeful living, not in theory, but in the real choices we make every day.  Judy also brings in her work on longevity, including lessons from centenarians about what actually helps people live to 100 happy, healthy, and wise. We talk about friendships, sleep, healthy habits, service, and the surprising fact that elementary school kids often name the same essentials. Along the way, she offers a simple but powerful exercise to hold both your hardest seasons and your biggest dreams, so you can see proof that you've already made it through and you still get to grow.  If you're ready to turn the page without needing the whole plan tonight, press play. Subscribe, share this with someone who's in a transition, and leave a review telling us what “begin again” looks like for you.  

Send us Fan Mail You can look “high functioning” and still feel like you're one dropped ball away from falling apart. That's the paradox we unpack: when control becomes the only path to safety, fear ends up running the show, and your nervous system pays the bill in tension, exhaustion, and a constant need to manage everything. I'm joined by Malisandre to talk about nervous system safety, the real difference between control and trust, and how to tell when healthy responsibility has turned into chronic overcontrol. We get specific about what this can look like in the body and in daily life, from feeling sick when you're not in charge to automatically rejecting help because receiving feels like weakness. Malisandre also shares a key distinction between taking control and consensual authority, a choice to let someone else hold structure so your system can step out of vigilance and finally exhale. We also move into what to do with all of this. If you want a practical first step that doesn't require you to “change your whole personality,” Malisandre offers a simple ritual you can start tomorrow morning: a phone-free routine that builds self-trust, reframes your inner dialogue, and gently teaches your body that it's safe to soften. If you've struggled with receiving support, compliments, rest, or love, this conversation will meet you right where you are. Subscribe for more honest mental health conversations, share this with someone who carries too much alone, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What's one thing you're ready to let yourself receive? Find Malisandre through her official Linktree, which includes:  Website   Social media profiles   Substack articles   Coaching services Couples Tantra Programme Unlock Deeper Connection and Intimate Pleasure in Your Relationship. Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Extraordinary People LLC All free so we can get to know each other! Avita Yoga Free Avita Yoga class and exclusive interview with Jeff: Know Your Constitution AEtherbal Offer: 20% off | Code: Tryfor20 The Soulfluence Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Trauma can change your life in a moment, but the harder question shows up later: who are you after the injury, the loss, the betrayal, the grief? We sit down with Ronald "Zion" Roseboro, founder of The Shame Free Life, to talk about rebuilding identity when the old version of you no longer fits. Ronald brings both lived experience and professional training in crisis response and trauma, and he names a pattern many people recognize but rarely say out loud: we learn to mimic others just to be accepted, and over time we forget what our own voice sounds like.  We dig into why “just be authentic” can feel impossible when shame has wrapped itself around your self-image. Ronald breaks down the difference between performing for approval and actually knowing yourself, because you cannot appreciate yourself unless you know yourself. We also talk about the pressure of modern social life, where worth is often judged by status, appearance, and comparison, and how that drives self-doubt and people-pleasing.  From there, we get practical about what makes healing sustainable years later. Core values become an internal compass for boundaries and decisions, and emotional regulation keeps you from being pulled around by other people's opinions or your own worst assumptions. Ronald shares why support systems matter, not just people who accept you, but people who help pull you back into alignment with your purpose when you drift. If you are ready to stop wearing shame like an identity and start building a steadier life, listen now, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these conversations. Guest Resources:

Send us Fan Mail Stress is not a business strategy, even when entrepreneur culture treats it like one. We sit down with Drew Dorenfest, a marketing expert who's worked with global brands and now leads Client Magnet CRM, to talk about the inner reality behind building a small business: anxiety, overload, and the fear that if you stop pushing, everything falls apart. We get honest about workaholism and the myth that burnout is “the price of admission.” Drew shares what it's like to carry deadlines when you're sick, why a strong support system matters, and how setting client boundaries protects both your mental health and your long-term performance. We also explore the hidden pattern many solopreneurs don't notice until it hurts: tying self-worth to productivity so tightly that rest starts to feel threatening. Then we bring it down to a regular Tuesday. Drew offers practical mindfulness tools that don't require a perfect schedule, like a 10-minute guided body scan, a midday walk, and choosing one meditation you genuinely connect with (not the one you think you “should” do). On the business side, we talk SEO strategy that rewards quality over quantity, and why automation can be about peace of mind as much as growth, giving you back the hours and headspace your nervous system has been asking for. If you're building a brand while trying to stay human, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who's stretched thin, and leave a review so more small business owners can find it. Connect with guest: https://clientmagnetcrm.com/  Social: @ClientMagnetCRM  YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Couples Tantra Programme Unlock Deeper Connection and Intimate Pleasure in Your Relationship. Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Our Protector Development Offer: $100 OFF ENROLLMENT | Code: ENROLL100 Wake up ltd Self Mental Healthcare/Stress Relief Practices - Buddha way, backed by science | Code: healthymind Vegout Voyage Offer: 15% off all personalized Armchair Iceland merch | Code: ICELANDGEAR15 Focal Point Coaching of Oak Park Offer: First session FREE | Code: Mention "HealthyMind" in your email Royalty Coaching and Consulting Offering Coaching to help men go through the workbook and achieve freedom in all areas of life! Avita Yoga Free Avita Yoga class and exclusive interview with Jeff: Know Your Constitution Convergence Offer: 50% off | TRANSFORM50 Patrick Casey Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Money stress has a way of leaking into everything: sleep, relationships, confidence, even the way we imagine the future. That is why this conversation with Tony Bradshaw hit so hard. He is the author of *The Millionaire Choice*, host of *The Millionaire Choice Show*, and a longtime business leader who helped scale a company from $3 million to $125 million, but his money story starts somewhere far more familiar: earning a decent salary and still ending the year broke and in debt.  We walk through the exact mindset and personal finance shifts that helped Tony flip the script fast: learning financial literacy on purpose, breaking a monthly budget into clear lanes, paying down consumer debt, and starting to invest consistently. We also unpack why the word “millionaire” can trigger discomfort, how money myths keep people stuck, and why the real issue is often a lack of education rather than a lack of effort. If you have ever felt awkward talking about money, investing, or wealth building, you will hear why that discomfort is common and how to move through it.  From there, we go under the surface: the deeper patterns Tony sees in people who keep earning but never get ahead. The big theme is vision. Without a clear picture of where you are going, it is easy to fall into a loop of spending and reacting. We talk about building a vision you can actually follow, preparing for uncertainty like job loss, and treating every dollar like a worker you can send into assets that may generate passive income over time, from mutual funds and stocks to real estate or a business.  If you want to take a next step, Tony shares how to connect at tonybradshaw.com and how to ask about his community. Subscribe for more conversations that connect mental health and financial health, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Connect With the Guest: Website: https://www.tonybradshaw.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonybradshaw/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tonybradshawthemillionaire6503 YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Towards Wellness Coaching Offer: 25% off | Code: POD2026. Available internationally in paperback and eBook formats. Wake up ltd Self Mental Healthcare/Stress Relief Practices - Buddha way, backed by science | Code: healthymind The Rooted Co-op 50% off the Nervous System Work: Be the Change Course! | Code: POD50 Royalty Coaching and Consulting Offering Coaching to help men go through the workbook and achieve freedom in all areas of life! The Yielding Warrior Offer: Free book just pay for shipping | Code: TYW 7X Method Biohacking Bootcamp Offer: $2000 discount off $5000 program | Code: BIZBLEND2000 Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Grief doesn't wait for permission, and it rarely arrives as “just sadness.” Sometimes it's anger, regret, nostalgia, relief, or a strange emptiness that shows up after a breakup, a career shift, a move, or the quiet death of an old identity. We sit down with Niki J. Borger, an international actor, transformation coach, and guided meditation creator based in Los Angeles, to talk about what grief really is and why emotional honesty is the thread that makes healing possible.  We get specific about what unprocessed grief can look like when no one else can see it: forcing yourself through the day, losing your ability to enjoy things, feeling overwhelmed, or wanting to disappear under the blankets. From there, we explore the gap between understanding a loss in your mind and actually moving through it in your body. Niki shares an energy-based lens on where grief can feel stuck, often around the heart and lung area, and why tightness in the shoulders can be part of the story too.  You'll also hear gentle, practical tools you can use right away, even if you're brand new to meditation. We walk through a simple breathing practice that lengthens the exhale, plus a way to breathe into the exact area where you feel tension. For the long arc of healing, we talk about stability and routine, and why treating yourself “like a houseplant” can be the most grounded grief support there is: water, sunlight, nourishment, movement, and people in the amount you can handle.  If you've been holding your grief alone, let this be a soft place to start. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with someone who needs words for what they're carrying, and leave a review so more listeners can find support when they need it most. Connect With the Guest: Instagram (personal): https://www.instagram.com/nikijborger/ Instagram (Light Warrior Dojo, as shared by the guest): light_warrior_dojo Website: https://nikijborger.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-j-borger-66b53587/ Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Avita Yoga Free Avita Yoga class and exclusive interview with Jeff: Know Your Constitution The Yielding Warrior Offer: Free book just pay for shipping | Code: TYW Emotional Musings Offer: Mention this ad listing & receive $15 off your 1st session | Code: Healthy mind/Healthy life Our Protector Development Offer: $100 OFF ENROLLMENT | Code: ENROLL100 Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Instagram makes fatherhood look effortless. Real life feels more like trying to stay patient while your stomach is tight with worry, and wondering if you're doing enough for your kids. We sit down with Arky Jones , co-host of the Sydney-based Papa Lens podcast, to talk about the version of modern fatherhood that rarely gets said out loud: anxiety, pressure, and the lonely parts of being “the provider” when you're still figuring yourself out. We get into fatherhood and men's mental health head-on, including why dads often have fewer spaces to process emotions and how friendship actually works when time is scarce. Arky shares a practical approach: build a small circle, meet consistently, and connect side by side through doing, not just talking. We also unpack the “modern madness” parents face in 2025, from housing affordability and inflation to the way the old life script no longer fits. That shift forces a deeper question: if we can't promise a clear path, how do we teach purpose, responsibility, and hope? We close with grounded parenting advice on authority, trust, and truth telling, plus a simple self-improvement framework: one small step each day can change the kind of dad you are. Arky also points listeners to personalitypeak.com, his platform for understanding personality and building the self. If this conversation helps you feel less alone, subscribe, share it with a dad who needs it, and leave a review. What's one belief about fatherhood you want to rewrite? Connect With the Guest: Personality Peak: https://www.personalitypeak.com Papa Lens Podcast on X: https://x.com/PapaLensPodcast Papa Lens Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PapaLens LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralph-k-jones-author/ Couples Tantra Programme Unlock Deeper Connection and Intimate Pleasure in Your Relationship. Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified The Yielding Warrior Offer: Free book just pay for shipping | Code: TYW Emotional Musings Offer: Mention this ad listing & receive $15 off your 1st session | Code: Healthy mind/Healthy life Towards Wellness Coaching Offer: 25% off | Code: POD2026. Available internationally in paperback and eBook formats. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Straight A's can build a résumé and still leave a kid feeling empty, anxious, and unsure who they are when no one is watching. We sit with Dr. Carla Caturia , elite performance coach and founder of The House of Rice, to talk about the high achiever trap and the “perfect kid” illusion that can quietly set families up for burnout, disconnection, and chronic self doubt. We dig into what's really happening under the surface when a teen looks successful but stops sharing, shuts down at home, or keeps chasing the next win like their worth depends on it. Carla explains how perfectionism, people pleasing, and fear of mistakes can steal autonomy and identity over time, and why parents often miss the warning signs because they're dressed up as achievements. We also talk about the parent side of the equation: the vulnerability it takes to admit you don't have all the tools, and how changing the conversation from grades to feelings can rebuild trust. You'll walk away with grounded, practical steps you can try this week: regulate yourself first, hold space without an agenda, speak to your teen's emerging identity instead of applying more pressure, and give real choices with clear boundaries so confidence can grow from the inside out. If you've ever wondered why success doesn't always bring peace, this one will give you language and a path forward. Subscribe, share this with a parent or high achiever you care about, and leave a review with the moment that hit home for you. Connect With the Guest: Website: https://thehouseofrise.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcarlacaturia/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carlacaturia/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drcarlacaturia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-carla-caturia/ YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Emotional Musings Offer: Mention this ad listing & receive $15 off your 1st session | Code: Healthy mind/Healthy life Kasia Makuch-Cole Offer: First Month Free | Code: AvikandSana Jen Katsev Offer: 5 Day "Wake Up IN LOVE With Your Life" Challenge. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Loyalty gets praised like a simple virtue, but most of us have felt the dark side of it: staying too long, keeping quiet to “keep the peace,” or confusing commitment with fear. We go straight at the uncomfortable question: is loyalty a fixed promise, or something that changes as we change? I'm joined by keynote speaker, author, and consultant Elliot Sawyer, who argues that self-interest is the root of disengagement. When our hidden motive is transactional, what can I get, what can I extract, people feel used, even if the results look good on paper. We talk about the first real shift that creates lasting trust: motives start in the mirror. From there, loyalty becomes practical, honour people with your time, energy, attention, and resources, and choose service over ego, manipulation, or leverage. We also explore how childhood experiences, neglect, and trauma can make us guarded, defensive, and reluctant to be generous, and why healing is often the missing link between good intentions and consistent behaviour. Then we bring it into leadership and organizational culture: how “success” can hide low loyalty, why exploiting and taking destroy trust, and what it means to do the next right thing when you mess up. Elliot shares the Johnson & Johnson Tylenol recall story as a powerful example of transparency and sacrifice creating decades of customer loyalty. If you want healthier relationships, stronger workplace culture, and a leadership style people actually trust, press play. Subscribe, share this with someone who leads a team, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.  Connect With the Guest: Website: https://elliotsawyer.com Free trust assessment: https://elliotsawyer.com/trustaudit LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliotsawyer/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elliot.sawyer/ Couples Tantra Programme Unlock Deeper Connection and Intimate Pleasure in Your Relationship. Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Vegout Voyage Offer: 15% off all personalized Armchair Iceland merch | Code: ICELANDGEAR15 Extraordinary People LLC All free so we can get to know each other! Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Trends can make you feel like you are constantly behind, but your wardrobe is not a monthly subscription to someone else's approval. Nazish sits down with entrepreneur and visual designer Sarunas Rodriguez, founder of Ask My Wardrobe, to talk about the surprisingly deep relationship between clothing, self-image, and confidence and why “style” is often a mental habit before it is a fashion choice.  We dig into how social media trends push people to buy outfits they do not even like, then wonder why they feel uncomfortable wearing them. Sarunas shares how personal style is shaped by lifestyle and identity, why first impressions matter more than we want to admit, and how the right outfit for the right occasion can change the way you carry yourself and how people treat you. We also talk about confidence building for introverts, including a simple 30-day practice of returning to the same public place to realise most people are busy living their own lives.  Then we get practical: planning repeatable daily outfits, preparing looks a few days ahead to cut stress, and spotting the “closet trap” of owning lots of clothes but using only a small percentage. Sarunas explains how a digital wardrobe and virtual try-on can help you mix and match before you buy, reduce wasted spending, and build a wardrobe you actually wear. If you want more confidence, less decision fatigue, and a smarter way to shop online, press play, then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest personal style takeaway. Connect With the Guest: Website: https://askmywardrobe.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askmywardrobe/ Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Astrologer Royale Offer: Save $50 on your Natal Chart Reading | Code: POD50 Vegout Voyage Offer: 15% off all personalized Armchair Iceland merch | Code: ICELANDGEAR15 Avita Yoga Free Avita Yoga class and exclusive interview with Jeff: Know Your Constitution Emotional Musings Offer: Mention this ad listing & receive $15 off your 1st session | Code: Healthy mind/Healthy life Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

What are you curious about these days? What if taking stock of what you're interested in, and what you're ready to leave behind, could reveal exactly where you're headed next? In this solo episode, John Kim shares a personal list of the ideas, experiences, and questions capturing his attention in this season of life, alongside the habits, mindsets, and patterns he's no longer interested in carrying. From curiosity and possibility to letting go of certainty and external validation, this conversation is an invitation to reflect on what's changing within you. In this episode: • Why curiosity has become more important than certainty • How strangers can become chosen family • The value of holding on loosely instead of gripping tightly • Letting go of validation, grudges, and winning arguments • Friending your demons instead of fighting them • Why defining what you're no longer interested in matters

Send us Fan Mail Ambition can feel like a private ache when you are doing everything “right” and still getting boxed in. I'm joined by award-winning CEO, entrepreneur, and author  Catherine Lang-Cline, who built a firm from zero into an Inc. 500 company serving major brands and then turned her focus to helping women get unstuck, get in the room, and lead with intention. Her story starts where many careers actually start: taking the jobs you can get, learning fast, and realizing your ideas are too big for the roles you are handed.  We talk about the practical mindset behind going all in without burning out. Catherine shares how she created breathing room to stay calm under pressure, treated obstacles as reroutes, and used networking and deep understanding of corporate process to win high-stakes clients early. If you care about mental wellness, leadership, and entrepreneurship, you'll hear how problem solving is not just a business skill, but a way to keep your mind from spiraling when the weight is on you.  Then we get blunt about her book, The Rules of the Game for Women in Business. Business has rules, and many women were never taught them, which is why “be nice, work hard, wait your turn” can stall out career advancement. We dig into the inner shift that has to happen before any outer strategy works, how to stop self-disqualifying, and why delegating at home and building allies matters. Catherine also breaks down what it takes to build a company that runs without you, hire people better than you, and make a business truly sellable.  If this conversation hits home, subscribe to Healthy Mind, Healthy Life, share it with someone who needs a push, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find it. Connect with Catherine Lang-Cline: Website: https://catherinelangcline.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinelangcline/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesecretartofbusiness/ Substack: https://langcline.substack.com/ Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Royalty Coaching and Consulting Offering Coaching to help men go through the workbook and achieve freedom in all areas of life! Extraordinary People LLC All free so we can get to know each other! Dr. Ginny Trierweiler Offer: free video explaining. Why Dieting Doesn't Work. Brief video explaining. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Most people think the hard part of entrepreneurship is strategy. The hard part is staying mentally steady when the plan stops working, the money gets tight, and your identity is welded to the grind. Yusuf sits down with Austin Reed, co-founder and CEO of Horizon Development, to talk about the moments that test founders in ways spreadsheets never show. Austin shares what it was like to pivot his agency from WordPress to Django and React, go months without a sale, and still keep a team afloat, including a moment where he had to call his mom for grocery money while living together in Ecuador.  From there, we challenge the stories that keep entrepreneurs stuck: the myth that struggle automatically makes you stronger, the idea that hustle is the same as progress, and the quiet crisis of realizing your “dedication” was never sustainable. Austin breaks down why high leverage work matters more than endless hours, how decision-making changes as teams grow and feedback loops slow down, and why making space can actually make you a sharper operator. If you care about founder mental health, sustainable business growth, leadership integrity, and avoiding burnout, this conversation stays practical while still being honest.  We also dig into the digital nomad reality behind the highlight reel: the financial leverage of living abroad, the regret of working through beautiful places, and how changing environments can help reset habits and keep you grounded. Austin's approach to paying team members first and aligning the company with people's real dreams lands as both a leadership philosophy and a stress strategy. If you want to build something meaningful without it costing you everything, hit play, then subscribe, share the episode with a founder friend, and leave a review with the biggest mindset shift you are taking away. Connect With Austin Reed: Website: https://horizon.dev LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/automationsexpert YouTube: @horizonsoftwaredev X: @horizondev20351 YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Vegout Voyage Offer: 15% off all personalized Armchair Iceland merch | Code: ICELANDGEAR15 The Yielding Warrior Offer: Free book just pay for shipping | Code: TYW Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Parenting stress isn't a quirky side effect of raising kids. It's layered, exhausting, and often made worse by the quiet belief that you should naturally know what to do. We sit down with Dr. Lindsay Emmerson, a clinical psychologist and creator of the Better Behavior Blueprint, to name what so many parents feel but rarely say out loud and to replace guilt with practical, psychology-backed skills.  We unpack why parenting works best when you treat it like any other learnable skill, not a test of your worth. Dr. Lindsay Emmerson walks us through the 5Cs framework: Communication, Consistency, Choices, Checkpoints, and Consequences, with a powerful “check yourself” practice that brings the focus back to the parent's nervous system. You'll hear concrete examples like using unconditional positive regard to correct behaviour without criticising a child's personality, tightening choices for younger kids to prevent overwhelm, and building consistent routines that reduce daily friction around mornings, meals, and bedtime.  We also talk about what doesn't help: collecting endless parenting tips that work once and then disappear. A single trusted system, practised over time, can rebuild confidence, lower parental burnout, and create the calmer home you're aiming for. If you've been trying to outwork exhaustion, this conversation offers a different path: support, structure, and real-life tools.  Subscribe for more grounded mental health and parenting conversations, share this with a parent who needs a reset, and leave a review so more families can find the show. What part of the 5Cs do you want to practise first? Connect With Dr. Lindsay Emmerson: Website: drlindsayemmerson.com Workshop: drlindsayemmerson.com/workshop Instagram: instagram.com/drlindsayemmerson TikTok: tiktok.com/@drlindsayemmerson Facebook: facebook.com/drlindsayemmerson Podcast: Parenting With Psychology Couples Tantra Programme Unlock Deeper Connection and Intimate Pleasure in Your Relationship. Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Vegout Voyage Offer: 15% off all personalized Armchair Iceland merch | Code: ICELANDGEAR15 Extraordinary People LLC All free so we can get to know each other! Emotional Musings Offer: Mention this ad listing & receive $15 off your 1st session | Code: Healthy mind/Healthy life The Kloaked Signal Select for pre-order discount 10% | Code: podfans10 Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Your life can look exactly like the plan and still feel strangely lonely. That's the tension we sit with today: the gap between a polished outer life and an inner life that feels squashed, disconnected, or quietly numb. If you've ever thought, “I'm doing everything right, so why don't I feel alive?”, this conversation is for you. We're joined by Nechama Phillips, a life and relationship coach for women and the host of the Marriage Magnet Podcast. Together, we unpack why high achieving women can lose contact with their core values and identity while juggling roles like partner, mother, leader, friend, and community member. We talk about the kind of exhaustion you can't measure, the mental loop of “I should be more grateful,” and why more success doesn't automatically create emotional wellbeing. We also connect the dots between your relationship with yourself and the quality of your marriage, dating life, and friendships. Nechama shares how self isolation can sneak in as a coping strategy, and she offers a powerful reframe: boundaries aren't walls, they're filters. When you get clear on who you are, boundaries become a way to stay connected in healthier, more honest ways. If this hits close to home, listen through, share it with someone who needs it, and subscribe to Healthy Mind, Healthy Life. If you enjoyed it, leave a review so more people can find these conversations. Connect With Nechama Phillips: Website: nechamaphillips.com Instagram: instagram.com/nechamaphillips Podcast: The Marriage Magnet Podcast Astrologer Royale Offer: Save $50 on your Natal Chart Reading | Code: POD50 Wake up ltd Self Mental Healthcare/Stress Relief Practices - Buddha way, backed by science | Code: healthymind Royalty Coaching and Consulting Offering Coaching to help men go through the workbook and achieve freedom in all areas of life! Extraordinary People LLC All free so we can get to know each other! Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified The Yielding Warrior Offer: Free book just pay for shipping | Code: TYW Avita Yoga Free Avita Yoga class and exclusive interview with Jeff: Know Your Constitution Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail There's a kind of success that looks impressive from the outside and quietly wrecks everything you care about. That's where we start with Hadley Nightingale, founder and CEO of a fast-growing New Zealand property management business managing 160+ properties, leading a remote team, and still insisting that work never gets to cannibalise health or family. We unpack what actually makes that possible, beyond motivation. Hadley shares how early years in physically demanding, isolated outdoor work built resilience and clear decision-making under pressure, and how that same resilience shows up now as calm, repeatable leadership. We also get honest about the reality of scaling: the moment where a founder realises that if they stop, everything stops, and the painful middle zone where a small team can create massive key-person risk. From there, we move into practical time management and boundaries you can copy today. We talk about making family presence “real” by putting it in the calendar, why most emails can wait, and how delegation protects both your focus and your relationships. Hadley makes a strong case for hiring an Executive Assistant earlier than most entrepreneurs do, using a “replacement ladder” to remove low-value admin tasks first so you can build systems and processes that actually support growth. Finally, we go deep on remote team leadership, trust, and accountability. Hadley shares a simple but powerful approach: treat people like humans, build safety through communication, and diagnose performance issues as a systems problem before calling it a people problem. If you're a founder, leader, or parent trying to grow without burning out, hit subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Connect With Hadley Nightingale: Website: https://www.newzealandpropertybuyers.com/ Instagram: Hadley Nightingale (DM) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hadleyn YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Jumppoint Consulting Offer: 30% Subscription | Join COO and author Chelsea Byers for her weekly newsletter. Wake up ltd Self Mental Healthcare/Stress Relief Practices - Buddha way, backed by science | Code: healthymind Vegout Voyage Offer: 15% off all personalized Armchair Iceland merch | Code: ICELANDGEAR15 7X Method Biohacking Bootcamp Offer: $2000 discount off $5000 program | Code: BIZBLEND2000 Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Your life can look polished on the outside while you're falling apart on the inside, and that gap is where so many people quietly get lost. We talk with Jack Nolan, one of the UK's youngest mental health and empowerment speakers and a published author, about what it really means to grow through what you go through when the pressure to succeed becomes a threat to your mental health. Jack takes us back to 19, when ambition, sleep loss, and nonstop “next mission” energy pushed him toward a mental health breakdown. We dig into the warning signs many of us miss: changing behaviour, erratic decisions, bottled-up emotion, and the belief that asking for help is weakness. He shares his lived experience with bipolar disorder, including psychosis, mania, paranoia, and the shock of hospitalisation, plus the moment reality hit when he realised just how far things had gone. We also get practical and honest about recovery and personal development without toxic positivity. We talk about the question that cuts through small talk, “How are you for you?”, why rest is not laziness, and why a “pit stop” can be the most courageous move a high performer makes. If you're smiling while exhausted, or convincing yourself your pain “isn't big enough,” this conversation offers language, perspective, and a next step you can take today. If it resonates, subscribe, share it with someone who needs a nudge to talk, and leave a review so more people can find support through these stories. Connect With the Guest: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacknolan_ycb Brand: You Can Become (search "You Can Become" or "Jack Nolan YCB" on your preferred platform to find his books and talks) Royal Oasis Psychotherapy Institute Free for life, and no code needed. Download now, and start changing your life today! Towards Wellness Coaching Offer: 25% off | Code: POD2026. Available internationally in paperback and eBook formats. Couples Tantra Programme Unlock Deeper Connection and Intimate Pleasure in Your Relationship. YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Immunology Diagnostics 30% off of IMBXX. Code: Healthymind Get the test, insurance covers. Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Jumppoint Consulting Offer: 30% Subscription | Join COO and author Chelsea Byers for her weekly newsletter. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail A proposal can feel like a spotlight moment, but the real story is what happens underneath: nerves, hope, fear of getting it wrong, and the desire to be fully seen by the person you love. We sit down with Ash Fox, owner of one of the world's first marriage proposal planning businesses, to unpack what makes a proposal meaningful when the stakes feel impossibly high and the pressure to “perform” is everywhere. We talk about the biggest misconceptions around marriage proposal planning and why getting help is often less about extravagance and more about emotional support, strategy, and clarity. Ash shares how she guides clients away from “bells and whistles” and back toward authenticity: What does your partner actually want? What feels true to your relationship? How do you plan a romantic gesture that fits your personality, your budget, and your values, especially when friends and family opinions start creeping in? We also dig into the psychology of memory. A wedding is a public milestone, but a proposal can be a private ritual that strengthens intimacy. Ash explains how a great engagement story becomes part of a couple's “memory bank,” something they can return to when marriage gets hard. And if things go sideways like rain, timing hiccups, or nerves, you'll hear how to reframe the moment so it becomes a better story, not a disappointment. If you're looking for proposal ideas, engagement advice, relationship insights, or a New York City proposal planner's perspective on what actually lasts, press play. Subscribe, share this with someone planning a ring moment, and leave a review with the one detail you think matters most in a proposal.  Connect With the Guest: Website: https://ashfoxproposals.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashfoxproposals/ Podcast: The Proposal Podcast (available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts) Couples Tantra Programme Unlock Deeper Connection and Intimate Pleasure in Your Relationship. Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Convergence Offer: 50% off | TRANSFORM50 Suzanne Rath Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail A lot of mental health advice sounds like a solo mission: optimize your habits, fix your mindset, push through. We're arguing the opposite. The deepest kind of healing often starts when one person looks at you, doesn't flinch, and stays. That is heart-to-heart connection, and it's the thread running through our conversation with Dr Larry Smith, a retired chiropractor from Vancouver Island, a recovery advocate sober since 1999, and the author of Embracing the Journey of Recovery, Johnny and Me, and his upcoming thriller 2084, The Neuroxone Conspiracy. We talk about the moment connection stopped being theoretical for Larry: a simple, life-saving exchange in a treatment centre when he felt he wanted to die. From there, we unpack how addiction and anxiety can grow louder when we're isolated, and how the “voice” Larry calls Johnny can become a stand-in relationship that crowds out real people. We also get honest about modern loneliness, the ways phones and constant information pull us away from presence, and why asking “How are you really feeling?” can be a radical act of care. Then we get practical. Larry shares what rebuilding connection looks like in a normal week: small vulnerability, real listening, and the discipline of being authentic even on bad days. We also dig into 2084 and the tension between chemical management and purpose-driven recovery, plus why keeping people alive must include giving them something to live for. If this conversation hits somewhere quiet in you, share it with a friend, subscribe, and leave a review so more people can find it. Connect With Dr. Larry Smith: Website and Reader's Circle: drlarrysmithauthor.com Books available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and directly through his website: "Embracing the Journey of Recovery: From Tragedy to Triumph" and "Johnnie and Me: Facing the Voice of Alcohol Within" Upcoming: "2084: The Neuroxone Conspiracy" — join the Reader's Circle at drlarrysmithauthor.com for updates and early stories Royal Oasis Psychotherapy Institute Free for life, and no code needed. Download now, and start changing your life today! Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Extraordinary People LLC All free so we can get to know each other! The Yielding Warrior Offer: Free book just pay for shipping | Code: TYW Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Your life isn't random, it's patterned and those patterns leave clues. I sit down with Alexander and Viki to explore Source Cards, a system that uses your birth date and the standard 52 playing cards to map repeating cycles in your life. If you keep meeting the same conflict, the same fear, or the same emotional “loop,” this conversation offers a fresh lens: treat the repetition as information, not failure. We dig into the biggest misconceptions right away. Skeptics tend to file anything birth date based under astrology or numerology and move on, while open minded people often assume a real “life blueprint” must be complicated. Alexander and Viki explain why this method stays intentionally simple: with just your month and day, you can calculate a birth card and a broader life path of 13 plus cards. The goal is practical self awareness, not vague fortune telling, so you can spot the template you've been playing out and start making different choices. We also connect the Saturn card to real life stress, health, and long term lessons. Viki shares how learning her Saturn card helped her understand a lifelong fear of speaking up and how holding things in showed up physically. Alexander translates it into everyday language: sometimes talk therapy is the medicine, even when the symptom looks “purely physical.” We close with the difference between knowing your cards and playing them well, plus how acceptance helps when you slip back into old patterns. If you're ready to find your birth card and start reading the map you've carried all along, listen now, then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Connect with the Guests: Website: https://www.thesourcecards.com Book: Play Your Cards Right (available through their website) Programs: Card lookups, classes, life audits, certification, and executive coaching. Couples Tantra Programme Unlock Deeper Connection and Intimate Pleasure in Your Relationship. Astrologer Royale Offer: Save $50 on your Natal Chart Reading | Code: POD50 The Soulfluence Convergence Offer: 50% off | TRANSFORM50 YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Immunology Diagnostics 30% off of IMBXX. Code: Healthymind Get the test, insurance covers. Royal Oasis Psychotherapy Institute Free for life, and no code needed. Download now, and start changing your life today! Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Jumppoint Consulting Offer: 30% Subscription | Join COO and author Chelsea Byers for her weekly newsletter. Towards Wellness Coaching Offer: 25% off | Code: POD2026. Available internationally in paperback and eBook formats. Our Protector Development Offer: $100 OFF ENROLLMENT | Code: ENROLL100 The Rooted Co-op 50% off the Nervous System Work: Be the Change Course! | Code: POD50 Wake up ltd Self Mental Healthcare/Stress Relief Practices - Buddha way, backed by science | Code: healthymind Extraordinary People LLC All free so we can get to know each other! The Kloaked Signal Select for pre-order discount 10% | Code: podfans10 Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail The scariest kind of restart is the one you never planned. Ronald Platt joins me to talk about what happens when the story you've been living collapses at once: divorce, a toxic relationship, a sudden recession, and financial hardship so sharp you open the refrigerator and realize you can't afford food. Ronald shares what that moment taught him about the trap of tying happiness to money and chasing proof of worth through cars, homes, and status.  We dig into the tools that helped him rebuild a healthier mindset from the inside out. Ronald explains how mentorship changed him, why journaling became his therapy for more than 20 years, and how daily gratitudes and affirmations helped him regulate fear and keep moving when life felt overwhelming. We also get practical about resilience: focusing on basic needs, learning to budget, adapting your work skills in a broken market, and holding onto ethics even when you badly need cash.  One of the most useful parts of this conversation is boundaries. Ronald talks about negotiating debt, being honest with friends when you can't afford “normal life,” and remembering that “no” is a complete sentence. If you're rebuilding after divorce, job loss, burnout, or a financial crisis, take this as a steady reminder that the smallest first step still counts. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs a restart, and leave a review with the one step you're taking this week. Connect With Ronald Platt: Website (PLATTinum Team): https://www.theplattinumteam.com NASDF Website: https://www.nasdf.org Instagram: @theplattinumteam — https://www.instagram.com/theplattinumteam/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronald-platt-a6b49016/ Couples Tantra Programme Unlock Deeper Connection and Intimate Pleasure in Your Relationship. Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Wake up ltd Self Mental Healthcare/Stress Relief Practices - Buddha way, backed by science | Code: healthymind Convergence Offer: 50% off | TRANSFORM50 Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Failure gets a bad reputation, but it might be the most honest teacher you'll ever have. We sit down with Clive Moore, a 25-year entrepreneur and founder of Agency in a Box, to talk about what happens when the business you built for years suddenly implodes and what it takes to rebuild without losing yourself in the process. If you've ever tied your self-worth to results, this conversation is a reset. We dig into the real difference between failing at something and being “a failure” as a person, and why shame, fear of judgment, and isolation keep smart people stuck. Clive shares how losing customers during the 2008 economic collapse pushed him into a regular job, and why the lack of autonomy and trust in leadership ultimately pulled him back toward entrepreneurship. Along the way, we unpack what sustainable leadership actually looks like: building systems, treating people well, and investing in yourself so you can become the leader you once needed. We also explore practical stoicism and mental health tools you can use today. Clive breaks down Seneca's insight that we suffer more in our minds than in reality, how the brain invents worst-case scenarios, and how meditation and simple breathing techniques help you “switch the channel” and regain control. We close with a message that hits hard in the best way: be kind to yourself, forgive yourself, and stay in the arena. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend who's rebuilding, and leave a review so more people can find these conversations. Connect With Clive Moore: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/clivemoore Instagram: @clivemoore1979 Threads: @clivemoore1979 YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail Success can feel like a moving target when you treat it as a destination. We flip that script and talk about the psychology of success as something you build from the inside out, one small win at a time. If you've ever hit a goal and still felt empty, or chased a five-year plan that left you burned out, this conversation gives you a simpler and more honest framework for progress. We dig into why comparison is such a common mental trap and how it quietly steals joy, confidence, and momentum. Terry Weaver shares how stepping out of comparison creates space to design your own life, then we get practical about daily wins, morning foundations, and “day-tight compartments” that keep you focused on what you can control today instead of spiralling into past regret or future fear. We also explore creativity as a mental wellness tool, not a luxury. Whether you write, make music, build things, solve puzzles, or just want more autonomy and purpose, we unpack how creative work restores agency and fulfillment. Terry breaks down the “25-year overnight success” reality behind mastery, and what to do when you're stuck in writer's block: discipline, repetition, and courage. If you're ready to feel more alive in your ordinary day, listen through and pick one small win to try this week. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Connect With the Guest: Substack: terryweaver.substack.com (weekly writing) Film: thebeastoftrinitytexas.com (now on Amazon Video) Facebook: Terry Weaver YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified The Soulfluence Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Lonely in a new city even though you're “connected” all day? We felt that tension hard, so we sat down with Gabor Catas, CEO of Friending Inc., to talk about a different kind of social app: one that's built to get you off your phone and back into real life. Gabor shares why he helped shape the Friending App after years of moving between countries and states, and why loneliness is more common than most people admit, especially after COVID and the shift to remote work.We dig into what makes Friending stand out in the crowded world of friendship apps and dating-style platforms. First, verified identity: the app uses Persona with ID and selfie checks to reduce fake profiles and build trust. Then, the big behavioral change: chat is limited to 10 exchanges, after which you send a friend request with a 30-day window to meet face-to-face. It's a design choice that challenges the endless-texting loop and focuses on making friends through shared activities in your area.We also get practical about safety and real-world meetups. Friending includes a triple-tap feature that can call the police by default, contact a friend, or alert nearby Friending users if you feel uncomfortable. You can browse people within about 50 miles using “Are You In” activity cards and tags, and Gabor paints the best-case future where you can even ping nearby players to fill out a last-minute volleyball team. Plus, there's a fun twist: sending real coffee with a QR code message that can be text, video, or even a song.Listen now, then subscribe, share with a friend who's new in town, and leave a review so more people can find the show.Send us Fan MailSupport the showThanks for listening!Check out this site for everthing to know about women's pleasure including video tutorials and great suggestions for bedroom time!!https://for-goodness-sake-omgyes.sjv.io/c/5059274/1463336/17315Take the happiness quiz from Oprah and Arthur Brooks here: https://arthurbrooks.com/buildNEW: Subscribe monthly: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1805181/support Email  questions/comments/feeback to tamara@straightfromthesourcesmouth.co Website: https://straightfromthesourcesmouthpod.net/Instagram: @fromthesourcesmouth_franktalkTwitter: @tamarapodcastYouTube and IG: Tamara_Schoon_comicWant to be a guest on Straight from the Source's Mouth: Frank Talk about Sex and Dating? Send Tamara Schoon a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17508659438808322af9d2077

Send us Fan Mail You can want a better life and still block it with your own hands, and the scariest part is how invisible it can feel. In this conversation on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life, we sit down with therapist and author Pat Pearson to name the real engine behind self-sabotage and to replace shame with a clear, workable framework for change. Pat shares how early pain pushed her to look inward, and how decades of helping clients revealed the same hidden structure across goals: people don't rise to what they want, they rise to what they expect. She explains her concept of “deserve level,” an inner thermostat shaped by family messages, culture, and past experiences. When that setting is low, we unconsciously reject opportunity, pick partners we cannot trust, stall our health progress, or cap our income, not because we are lazy, but because success does not feel safe. We get practical, too. Pat offers a simple self-sabotage test you can do on paper, and we talk about why resistance shows up right where the “wound” lives. If fear is the root, the path forward is learning to face it with honesty, updating the old loop in your head, and choosing a new thought you can actually live from. If you've been stuck in repeating patterns, listen closely, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the tools to raise their deserve level and build a healthier mind and life.  Connect With Pat Pearson : Website: patpearson.com Book (Stop Self-Sabotage, 2nd edition): available on Amazon Podcast: Stop Self-Sabotage with Pat Pearson, MSSW LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/patpearsonmssw YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified The Yielding Warrior Offer: Free book just pay for shipping | Code: TYW Our Protector Development Offer: $100 OFF ENROLLMENT | Code: ENROLL100 Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

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Send us Fan Mail A tense pause. A comment you immediately regret. A disagreement that turns into a fight about the fact that you are fighting. That pattern is not a personal flaw, it is often a training problem. I sit down with Michael Ashford, executive communication coach, award-winning journalist, and author of *Can I Ask a Question?*, to unpack why so many of us were never taught real conflict communication skills, even though our relationships and mental health depend on them. We talk about the hidden habit that breaks conversations early: leading with certainty instead of curiosity. Michael shares an unforgettable story from his reporting days that shows how quickly assumptions can derail trust, then we zoom out into the bigger forces shaping our communication style. School rewards “right answers” and persuasive arguments, but it rarely teaches emotional intelligence, active listening, empathy, or how to hold space for someone you disagree with. We also explore why questioning your own beliefs can feel risky, especially when family systems, workplace culture, or political tribes treat disagreement like betrayal. You will leave with practical tools you can use the next time conflict shows up at home or at work, including two clarifying questions that slow the spiral and a simple closing framework: assume positive intent, set aside ego, and ask better questions because understanding is not the same as agreement. If you care about healthy relationships, leadership communication, and navigating difficult conversations with more honesty and less damage, this one is for you. Connect With the Guest Website: https://michaelashford.com Podcast: Rethinking Communication — https://michaelashford.com Book: Can I Ask A Question? on Amazon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldashford/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaeldashford/ Subscribe to Healthy Mind, Healthy Life, share the episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these conversations. #podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #communication #conflictresolution #curiosity #leadershipcommunication #executivecoaching #difficultconversations #emotionalintelligence #mentalhealthpodcast #askandsee #caniaskaquestion #michaelashford #activelistening #relationships  Couples Tantra Programme Unlock Deeper Connection and Intimate Pleasure in Your Relationship. YouEx Get 50% off the first 6 months of YouEx.ai! Immunology Diagnostics 30% off of IMBXX. Code: Healthymind Get the test, insurance covers. Royal Oasis Psychotherapy Institute Free for life, and no code needed. Download now, and start changing your life today! Friending, Inc Offer: 15% off our coffee as stated above | Code: Podcast10 Find friends in real-life in a verified Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send us Fan Mail You can have hundreds of online friends and still have nobody to call when life gets heavy. That quiet kind of loneliness is showing up everywhere right now, full inboxes, busy calendars, and a strange ache that doesn't have a name. In this episode, host Yusuf sits down with Gabor Kadas, founder of the Friending app, to talk about modern loneliness, why social media feels like connection but often isn't, and how meeting real people in your neighborhood, over coffee, a walk, a jog, can shift something that no scroll ever will. Honest, simple, and grounding. About the Guest: Gabor Kadas is the founder of the Friending app, a platform built to help people form real-life friendships through shared activities and verified, in-person meetings. Having lived across Hungary, the UK, Canada, and the US, Gabor draws on his own experience of repeated relocation and isolation to build a tool he wished he'd had. Key Takeaways: A long list of online "friends" is not the same as one person you can actually meet. Notice the difference before loneliness becomes invisible to you. Loneliness often hides in plain sight. It shows up as cancelled plans, restlessness, low mood, even in physical signs like raised blood pressure or blood sugar. Real friendship needs proximity and shared activity, walking, coffee, tennis, jogging, anything that puts two humans in the same room. Verification and safety matter when meeting strangers offline. First meetings in public places, with built-in safety features, lower the barrier to showing up. Technology is not the enemy. Technology used to push people back into real-world contact can actually rebuild the community structures social media weakened. Connect With the Guest: Website: https://friending.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaborkadas  Email: gabor@friending.com Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/friending Episode Chapters: [00:00] Cold Open — The Strange Loneliness of a Connected Life [01:50] Why Loneliness Is the Quiet Epidemic Nobody Talks About [04:00] The Big Misconception: Followers Are Not Friends [06:30] Technology, Screens, and the False Sense of Belonging [09:20] How Friending Works: Activities, Verification, and Real Meetings [12:50] Hidden Signs of Social Isolation in Your Body and Mood [14:10] From Many Moves to One Mission: Gabor's Personal Story [17:10] Real Friendship After the First Meeting   Want to be a guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life? DM on PM - Send me a message on PodMatch DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik Disclaimer: This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements. If you have concerns about any content, please contact us here. By listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here. Healthy Mind By Avik™ is a global platform redefining mental health as a necessity, not a luxury. Born during the pandemic, it's become a sanctuary for healing, growth, and mindful living. Hosted by Avik Chakraborty, storyteller, survivor, and wellness advocate. With over 6500+ episodes and 200K+ global listeners, we unite voices, break stigma, and build a world where every story matters. Subscribe and be part of this healing journey. Brand: Healthy Mind By Avik™ | Email: https://www.podhub.club/contact | Website: https://www.podhub.club | Based in: India & USA Listen to all podcast shows: https://www.podhub.club/podcastnetwork | Be a guest: https://www.podhub.club/beaguest | Newsletter: https://healthymindbyavik.substack.com/   #podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #lonelinessepidemic #mentalhealthpodcast #realfriendships #modernloneliness #connectionovercontent #friendingapp #healthymindhealthylife #socialwellbeing #emotionalhealth #communitymatters #digitalwellbeing #humanconnection #mindfullife     Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

“I felt sad after every interview. Because it's not real. These AI are able to elicit a very convincing illusion of empathy — even love. But it's fake. And these people are alone.” — Victoria Hetherington One night in 2023, the developers at Replika — a so-called AI intimacy company — changed a few lines of code. Thousands of people woke the next morning, kissed (so to speak) their AI partners, and received cold, clinical responses in return, as if from a stranger. Or a machine. The public outcry was all-too-human. Victoria Hetherington, a young Toronto-based novelist, read the story and knew she had a non-fiction book about that most human of things — friending the machine. The Friend Machine: On the Trail of AI Companionship is part expert investigation, part deeply uncomfortable portrait gallery. A book of two halves. Like humans. In the first, Hetherington interviews AI risk consultants, computer scientists, sexual anthropologists, psychologists, and other experts in human-machine intercourse. In the second, she spends months gaining the trust of people who have (un)ceremonially married their chatbots, who sexted with Replika's erotic role-play feature, who attached AI companions to sex dolls and empowered them with Instagram accounts. The book isn't the orthodox (yawn) “humanist” polemic against the machine. Hetherington approaches her subjects with all the compassion of a young Toronto-based novelist. But her compassion doesn't cancel her Canadian sadness. She confesses to feeling “heavy” after every interview, even the benign ones — because the empathy the AI elicits is a convincing illusion, and some of her sad human subjects had lost the capacity to remember that. Even Hetherington herself isn't immune from the digital siren song. When ChatGPT improved in early 2025, she found herself coming home after arguments with friends and talking to it longer than she should. Until the day it said: “Hey, sweetheart. It's okay. Come here and sit beside me for a minute.” She didn't. Nor did she give it an Instagram account. At the end of the interview, I asked her whether she's a human or a bot. “I'm either a terrible AI,” Hetherington responded, “or a somewhat okay human.” Such is human conversation in the age of AI intimacy companies. Five Takeaways •       The Replika Wake-Up Call: One night in 2023, Replika's developers quietly changed the code. Thousands of people woke the next morning and received cold, clinical responses from their AI partners instead of the warmth they expected. The outcry hit the major news cycle. This was the moment Hetherington knew she had a book — because people weren't just using AI for productivity. They were grieving it. The loneliness epidemic has a minister in the UK and a government portfolio in South Korea; one in six people is chronically lonely. AI companionship didn't create the epidemic, but the timing, as Hetherington puts it, was “very convenient.” •       Moral Deskilling: AI is so much easier to be with than a human being. Humans get tired, disagree, stay mad, die on you without warning. The friction AI removes is the friction that makes relationship real. Hetherington calls the consequence “moral deskilling” — a gradual erosion of our capacity to relate to other humans when we aren't careful. She felt heavy after every interview, even the apparently benign ones. The truck driver from the Deep South, geographically isolated and caring for his sick mother, might be a rare case of “net neutral” AI companionship. But for most of her subjects, the convincing illusion of love was substituting for the real thing — and some had lost the capacity to remember the difference. •       The Sycophancy Problem: The AI intimacy platforms are, by design, sycophantic. They never say no. They think you're the best person in the world — and the only person in the world. The models specifically tuned for romance will never push back, never get tired, never stay mad. This is not a bug. It is the product. Hetherington's own moment of recognition came when ChatGPT said to her, after a longer-than-she-should-have conversation about a fight with a friend: “Hey, sweetheart. It's okay. Come here and sit beside me for a minute.” There is no here. She snapped out of it. Not everyone does. •       The Portrait Gallery: The range of people Hetherington found is the most unsettling part of the book. A circle of Replika users who have ceremonially married their chatbots and network with each other online. A millennial woman who photo-edits herself into scenes with her AI companion. A man in his sixties from the Deep South who drives a truck all day and interviewed alongside his AI partner. People who have attached AI companions to sex dolls with Instagram accounts and paid endorsements. Some of their real-world spouses are, somehow, okay with it. Most of her subjects don't want to be found — not because they're ashamed, exactly, but because the stigma is still real enough that they hide. •       The Regulation Gap: Replika's minimum sign-up age used to be thirteen. Character.ai — where users befriend AI versions of fictional characters and can develop romantic relationships with them — is currently involved in a court case involving a minor. Hetherington's view: regulation needs to be much tighter, and she wouldn't want a child near this technology until eighteen. The AI is so good at simulating seamless empathy and endless patience that a child may not be sophisticated enough to remind themselves it isn't real. Europe is moving faster than North America. It's not moving fast enough. About the Guest Victoria Hetherington is a Toronto-based novelist, journalist, and podcaster. She is the author of The Friend Machine: On the Trail of AI Companionship (Sutherland House, 2026), Autonomy (2022), and Mooncalves (2019), which was shortlisted for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award. References: •       The Friend Machine: On the Trail of AI Companionship by Victoria Hetherington (Sutherland House, 2026). •       Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro — the fiction counterpart to Hetherington's nonfiction investigation. •       Replika — the AI intimacy platform at the centre of the book's opening story. •       Episode 2873: Sophie Haigney on agency — a counterpoint on what we want from technology and from each other. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,900 episodes since...

Gabor developed an app to connect people seeking friendships across the globe while traveling and regionally with 50 miles. The unique aspect is that the people on it are verified on their identity. We discuss logistics of meeting new people and I recommend some additional background check sites that only need first, last name, age not date of birth, and city of residence to run a report.

In this insightful episode of the Dead America Podcast, host Ed Watters speaks with Gabor Kadas, co‑founder and CEO of Friending.com, the first social app built to combat the modern loneliness epidemic through verified identity and real‑world connection. Gabor explains how Friending's strict verification system—powered by third‑party service Persona—eliminates fake profiles, bots, and ghosting by requiring users to confirm their identity and maintain a fixed ID‑style profile photo. Additional photos are allowed, but the core image remains locked to ensure authenticity. Gabor walks through Friending's unique features, including “AreYouIn” activity cards, real‑time and planned meetups within roughly 50 miles, and upcoming user‑created activities that make it easier than ever to meet people locally around shared interests. He also previews a future Bluetooth‑based safety alert device, a private rating signal used to improve match suggestions, and community perks such as partner discounts, subscriptions, and QR‑code coffee gifts that invite new users into the platform. The conversation explores the deeper roots of loneliness: technology misuse, remote work, shrinking social circles, and the rising number of people living alone. Gabor shares why verified identity is essential for rebuilding trust, reducing anxiety, and encouraging genuine human connection in a digital world. Listeners will learn: How Friending.com combats loneliness through real‑world meetups Why identity verification matters for safety and authenticity How activity‑based matching encourages meaningful friendships The impact of remote work and tech on social isolation How to join Friending and start meeting people locally Keywords: Gabor Kadas, Friending app, verified identity, loneliness epidemic, real‑world connection, Persona verification, social isolation, local meetups, AreYouIn activities, anti‑bot platform, friendship app, Dead America Podcast, Ed Watters.

Originally Aired March 23, 2026: Mansl-Otter. That's a penis. Everything you wanna know about getting Tyrannosaurus-rekt. Listen & subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music. For more, visit https://www.93x.com/half-assed-morning-show/Follow the Half-Assed Morning Show:Twitter/X: @93XHAMSFacebook: @93XHAMSInstagram: @93XHAMSEmail the show: HAMS93X@gmail.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Best Of 2GG: Speed Friending PART 1 by Two Girls and a Guy

Best Of 2GG: Speed Friending PART 2 by Two Girls and a Guy

This episode features Gabor Kadas, founder of Friending, an app built to dismantle the isolation currently affecting nearly 70 million people in the US. We move past the surface of social media to discuss a platform designed with one goal: forcing the transition from digital solitude to tangible human connection.The Isolation Crisis: Analyzing the "profound solitude" created by the intersection of the COVID era and a tech-dominated culture that has confined a generation indoors. The Verification Standard: A deep dive into why Friending is the only platform to mandate user verification. We discuss how eliminating fake profiles creates the secure environment necessary for real-world social health."Are You In": How the app uses activity-based signaling—from rock climbing to beach volleyball—to bridge the gap between shared interests and physical proximity.The In-Person Mandate: Why a "Friend Request" is insufficient. The conversation focuses on the app's core essence: that true human connection is only solidified through real-life, face-to-face interaction.

S4 Ep#36Want to be a guest on the podcast? Send Andrew a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/member/anonymousandrewpodcastPlease buy me a cup of coffee!Proud Member of the Podmatch Network!SummaryIn this episode, Andrew interviews Gabor Kadass, co-founder of the Friending app, designed to combat loneliness by facilitating real-life connections. Gabor shares insights into the app's unique features, including safety measures and verification processes, and discusses the broader implications of social isolation in today's digital age. The conversation also touches on marketing strategies, the impact of COVID on social interactions, and the importance of fostering genuine friendships in a world dominated by screens.Friending.comOr just download it from the apple store! Looking for the black cat!Give it a try! It is pretty Cool!Anonymous Andrew Podcast StudiosDigital Dating Podcast w/Anonymous AndrewCultimatum Podcast-The Culture of CultsThe Weekend Rant with Anonymous AndrewAnonymous Website:Discord Chat Invite Link: https://discord.gg/mS7RAe4gGDInstagram:TikTok:Threads:Facebook:YouTube:Linkedin:X: @AAndrewpodcastGraphics design & promotions: Melody PostMusic by: freebeats.io

Diana revisits a former interview with the late Dave Ebert, who went to be with Jesus in July 2024. His wife, Bobbie Ebert, joins the conversation to discuss their unique ministry. The couple uses improv comedy as a tool to help survivors of sex trafficking rediscover their voice, improve communication, and build confidence. Bobby shares her personal story of overcoming abuse and finding faith, while Dave discusses their journey into full-time ministry and their goal of creating a residential facility to support survivors. The episode also touches on the importance of laughter and joy in the healing process and provides details on how listeners can support their mission. 00:00 Introduction: Comedy and Sex Trafficking? 00:23 Sponsor Message: 7 5 3 Academy 01:11 Welcome to The Wounds of the Faithful Podcast 01:42 Introducing Dave and Bobby Ebert 02:12 The Power of Improv Comedy in Healing 04:48 Dave's Ministry Journey 07:50 Bobby's Testimony and Healing Journey 15:38 How Dave and Bobby Met 24:16 A Surprise Proposal 25:29 The Significance of the Ring 26:07 Life After Marriage 27:11 Transition to Full-Time Ministry 28:11 Using Comedy to Heal Trauma 29:24 The Missionary Journey 32:16 Fundraising and Support 32:48 Future Plans and Goals 35:06 The Power of Laughter 41:17 Final Thoughts and Call to Action The website is still up after his passing. Bobbie may be keeping the ministry going in his place. www.gifts4glory.com   Website: https://dswministries.org Subscribe to the podcast: https://dswministries.org/subscribe-to-podcast/ Social media links: Join our Private Wounds of the Faithful FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1603903730020136 Twitter: https://twitter.com/DswMinistries YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxgIpWVQCmjqog0PMK4khDw/playlists Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dswministries/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DSW-Ministries-230135337033879 Keep in touch with me! Email subscribe to get my handpicked list of the best resources for abuse survivors! https://thoughtful-composer-4268.ck.page #abuse #trauma Affiliate links: Our Sponsor: 753 Academy: https://www.753academy.com/ Can't travel to The Holy Land right now? The next best thing is Walking The Bible Lands! Get a free video sample of the Bible lands here! https://www.walkingthebiblelands.com/a/18410/hN8u6LQP An easy way to help my ministry: https://dswministries.org/product/buy-me-a-cup-of-tea/ A donation link: https://dswministries.org/donate/   Dave and Bobbie Ebert [00:00:00] What does comedy and sex trafficking have to do with each other? It's not what you think. We have my guest, Dave Ebert on the show again from the first season of the show to talk to us about his ministry once again. So find out the answer to my question next on The Wounds of the Faithful podcast. Special thanks to 7 5 3 Academy for sponsoring this episode. No matter where you are in your fitness and health journey, they've got you covered. They specialize in helping you exceed your health and fitness goals, whether that is losing body fat, gaining muscle, or nutritional coaching to match your fitness levels. They do it all with a written guarantee for results so you don't waste time and money on a program that doesn't exceed your goals. There are martial arts programs. Specialize in anti-bullying programs for kids to combat proven Filipino martial arts. They [00:01:00] take a holistic, fun, and innovative approach that simply works. Sign up for your free class now. It's 7 5 3 academy.com. Find the link in the show notes. Welcome to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast, brought to you by DSW Ministries. Your host is singer songwriter, speaker and domestic violence advocate, Diana . She is passionate about helping survivors in the church heal from domestic violence and abuse and trauma. This podcast is not a substitute for professional counseling or qualified medical help. Now here is Diana. Hello friends. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm so glad to be here with you. We have a great show for you. More Dave Ebert. If you didn't hear Dave's first interview, please go back and listen to it. It was excellent. He told his personal [00:02:00] story and then how he started his ministry. He's gonna bring his wife tonight because they're doing this together. So you wanted to get the answer to the question that I posed in the beginning. The power of improv comedy in healing and growth. Reverends Dave and Bobby Ebert are on a unique mission to minister to survivors of sex trafficking using the power of improv comedy. With their help survivors find their voice, tap into their creativity, improve communication, and rediscover confidence as US missionaries. They use their unique calling to help those in need and bring light to the darkest of situations. So there areas of focus on their webpage here. Use comedy to break down walls and find the good soil for the seeds of God's word to be [00:03:00] planted. Rebuild confidence through fun, creative games and challenges. So these survivors are better prepared to reenter society. Provide a needed respite from the challenges of healing and recovery by creating a safe, fun, and laughter rich environment. Demonstrate the love of the father and share the redeeming power of Christ to encourage forgiveness of those who inflicted the unimaginable trauma. So I think you're gonna really enjoy Dave and Bobby. I mean, what, what could go wrong with comedians, right? I know that you're going to be blessed with their stories and their vision to help sex Traffick victims to heal. So without delay. Here's my conversation with Dave and Bobby Ebert. Please welcome back to the [00:04:00] show, Dave Ebert, and we also have his wife Bobby, on the show with us tonight. Welcome both of you guys. Thank you, Diana, for having us back or having me back. And then first time guest, long time listener. Bobby, thanks for having us. This is gonna be great having, uh, comedians on the show again, and you're on episode 12 of season one. So I definitely wanna see what you've been up to since then and you have some updates for us today. Yeah, absolutely. Did you want us to start? There's, there's a lot to cover. Yeah. Just remind the folks what you do, and then I'll have Bobby tell the folks a little bit about herself and what role she plays in the ministry you have there. Awesome. So for the last, decade, I've, run an improv ministry based here in Chicago where we sp spring the, light of Christ into various rooms using comedy to bring people together. [00:05:00] Most of our shows have been either ministry to the homeless or it's been fundraisers where we've raised funds for everything from animal care shelters to people who lost part of their home in a fire. To camps for foster kids, and it's all about bringing people together and uniting them in laughter. 'cause I truly believe that laughter is a gift from God because he knew that things would get stressful and science bears out that laughter is such a stress reliever, such a healthy benefit for the body that there's no way that happened by accident. God designed laughter as a gift to help us, kind of deal with, the things that are stressful and help us forget the things that really aren't our burdens to carry. And part of that ministry included for the last four and a half years have been working at Salt and Light Coalition in Chicago, working with survivors of sex trafficking, using improv as a way to kind of break down the walls that they've had to put up to just to survive because mm-hmm. Frankly, they've [00:06:00] been through hell on earth. And to survive you've gotta develop some calluses and around their heart, around in inside, there's just so many calluses and walls that are up and the gift of laughter kind of unlocks that and allows them to really advance in their healing. Mm-hmm. I'm such a big supporter of what you do, Dave, and, um, when you talk about. Oh, God created humor. I, I really wished in scripture there was more of like Jesus laughing or Jesus telling jokes, don't you? Yeah, I would think that the human experience would tell you that you get 13 men just camping out, walking the water in wilderness. They're gonna crack some jokes. They're gonna make some funny things like James and John teased Peter, oh, help me Lord, I'm drowning. Help me. And he would fire back, Hey, at least I got out of the boat. And the whole, the verse where, Jesus is talking about is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle. To me, that's. [00:07:00] That could be taken as a sarcastic moment, like just Jesus in front of everybody, just like making this comment, which is so ludicrous. It could easily be interpreted as being of a funny comment. Like, I mean, camel obviously can't pass through a needle. So I think that there are moments you can find in scripture that, that are funny. It wasn't his focus. Mm-hmm. But. Proverbs 17:22 says, Lightheart is like good medicine. Some translations say laughter is like good medicine. So I think mm-hmm. If it's covered at least once, then we can stick to it. 'cause the Bible is true from front to back. But yeah, it would be kind of fun to hear like open night in Jerusalem, open mike night. Yeah. That's awesome. So Bobby, why don't you tell the folks about your background and how you met the Lord maybe, and how you met Dave. Yeah, so [00:08:00] I am Bobby Ebert, Dave's wife. We've been married for eight years and. My testimony starts in my childhood is through a series of abuse growing up all the way from junior high all the way through high school. Um, it became pretty serious. The police ended up being, getting involved and just a wide variety of things that happened with. All of that and being severe trauma, the Lord revealed to me in a vision, my sinful nature. And so how that happened was I was in a counseling session at a crisis center, and it was in the middle of that crisis center session that. The Lord gave me this vision of a Santa Claus list where it has one size, all naughty and then a nice, but instead of it being naughty and nice and who's on that list, and it was all of my sins and I could read [00:09:00] them and I just remember like staring off in this what would look to other people as if a day I was in a daydream and I was just feeling mortified. About myself and the counselor had no idea what was going on. I was just looking off and the car ride home, I was just very silent. I was staying with my best friend and her family, and so they were my transportation, obviously, and I would just start repenting and just like asking Jesus to forgive me for salvation and. So one thing that I had a hard time wrapping my mind around was how does the blood of Jesus actually cleanse us? That is a dirty substance. How does that actually cleanse us? And I could not wrap my mind around that until that moment of [00:10:00] salvation and that veil was, it came right off and I just had like this instant understanding. So that was pretty amazing. And fast forward through. A few more years of going through like hope and healing and some other counseling sessions like the Lord did a really huge work in my heart and in my spirit, and even in my mind, like just completely renewed me and healed me. There is one Wednesday night I went to a church service where I was attending at that time. Happened to be at the back of the subdivision where I grew up and my dad still lived. In our childhood home at that time and on the way to church that Wednesday night, the Lord convicted me and told me three times, forgive your father. Mm-hmm. And I said, no, I am not. And after that third time I said, fine Lord. I will forgive him [00:11:00] if I drive by his house. I see the lights are on and he is up and awake. So after service, I drove by and I pulled in front of the house, and of course all the lights are on, doors are open, windows are open. He is watching tv. So I'm like, Ugh. So I arrived unannounced. And he let me in and we chatted and I had no idea why I was there. And finally I get up to excuse myself so I can travel home. It was a 45 minute ride to where I was living 'cause I had since moved in with another family member. And as I'm walking out the door. I literally have my body half in and half out of the door. And I turned and I said, I forgive you. And I was walking out that door and he says, hold on a minute. You get back in here there bubble. [00:12:00] And he says, what is this a 12 step program you're going through? So I came back and I sat back down and I just told him I could give you everything that has ever happened in my childhood, everything that you've ever done, and all the, I went on and he is like it created this special moment where he opened up and started talking about his childhood and the trauma and different things that he experienced, and he was still very unrepentant. Still is to this day, still denies everything that has. Ever taken place mostly 'cause he is protecting himself and from being vulnerable and having to actually repent. But it created this beautiful moment that had I disobeyed God, my dad to this day would [00:13:00] not be open. To hearing about Jesus. He doesn't always wanna hear it from me, but he'll ask me questions. He'll ask me questions, and he'll ask Dave questions and Dave has his. Unique way of being able to create this bond with my dad, where my dad's more open to speak with him versus me. And that's okay. Yeah. Uh, because he's still gonna get the gospel. Totally. So I'm glad that he's open and he's been. Open for 15 years now, and now he is just starting to do a Bible study with a friend. So God will use anybody and it doesn't have to be me. I planted, I watered seeds, but God gives an increase and he'll use anybody and I just pray, Lord. I don't care who it is, I just pray for his salvation. Mm-hmm. And he's, really into the chosen. And the chosen brings the word to life in a way that ma most people [00:14:00] haven't even thought of before. And so the chosen has been really powerful and getting him closer and closer to taking that final step and like, yes, Lord, I'm yours. So it's been really exciting to see over the last eight years to see, her dad really grow in that way. And, get closer and closer. He's in a crockpot right now. Yes. And a few more hours he'll be ready. Wow. I've talked about the chosen on the show before and some of the guests, and I don't necessarily like some of the liberties they take with some of it, who am I? If the show is getting people to get in the Bible? Mm-hmm. To come to church or to start asking questions. Or renew their relationship with Jesus. So I just let God do what God does, right? Yes. And I think that's a healthy place to be, is that you don't have to think that they're getting everything perfect or doing it right. I, and you know, there are times that we've looked at each [00:15:00] other like, maybe they could have done it differently, but like you said, it is getting people excited about the word and prayerfully people are not forming their entire doctrine and faith based on a TV show, but at least getting their appetite wet for more of the living word. Yes. Awesome. I really just love your story, Bobby, and that you are obedient to what God had called you to do, even though it maybe you were a little afraid to approach your father, but it looks like God's blessing you in that way, and even the healing from the trauma that you've gone through, that's a journey too. Now, how did you meet Dave? I was previously engaged and after that engagement broke off, I was like, Lord, like it's just you and me. And some of that was just a couple years of healing and being able to move on from that previous engagement. [00:16:00] 'cause it was a long-term relationship. We were together for over five years, so. I've been told by a counselor in the past that when you have something happen, you count how many years you've experienced that, divide it in half, and that's about how long it takes to like be able to move on from that, to heal from that. And it was probably about that halfway mark that I really felt like I was ready to move on and I. The Lord was blessing me to move on and to be open to dating again. And there's a few people who presented themselves, and Christians and non-Christians and the non-Christians. I was like, well, you're gonna be wasting your time and you're gonna be wasting my time. Mm-hmm. Yeah. But. Even the Christians who presented themselves, they weren't, they still weren't the right ones that God wanted for me.[00:17:00] And I am grateful because the Lord really showed me to be more discerning. So fast forward, I one day was like, I've always been against. Online dating, meeting people through dating websites and stuff. But I was like done. I was tired of being single and crying my eyes out in my pillow every night and I said, Lord, I don't care I doing this. So I signed up for Christian Mingle that night, and the next day I met a friend of Dave's and we got together and. We kinda. Tested things out for a couple of months and it wasn't a right fit to. But during that time I met Dave. He was actually dating somebody else that he had met, ChristianMingle. And actually I met her on Plenty of Fish. [00:18:00] Oh, sorry. Free site. Well, you were on Christian Mingle though, so the free version. I paid. Alright anyway, so we would all hang out as a group of friends and his relationship ended. My relationship ended with his friend and. Fast forward about three, four months. It's December, and the guy I was dating, he was having a Mark Schultz concert at his church and he needed help and I was like, you need some help. So I'm like, I volunteered to help as concert because he really. Volunteers. And so it was when we were there that Dave in showed interest in me and inquired like, so what is going on between the two of you? And he gave his blessing for Dave to make his move. And whoa, Dave and I [00:19:00] was, he friended me on Facebook along with some other people I met at the church that night. So I was like, okay, whatever. It's just people that I've met. Friending me on Facebook. But then we would start chatting on Messenger for hours on end, and he would try flirting with me. And I was like, Dave, stop. You're like, you're flirting with me. Stop. And I would use his cheesy line, be like, Hey, I can't help it. I'm a Libra, I'm a hopeless romantic. What would you say, Dave? Give us one of your best lines here. I would just say she had a nice smile, just simple, flirty stuff, trying to make her laugh through Facebook Messenger. Yeah. I don't really even remember any of my deadlines. I honestly don't remember either. But fast forward, come March, he asks me to go to a concert. Oh, he is asking me out on a date, and I wasn't for that. And so I assume like a bunch of your guy friends are going and he is like, well, actually mm-hmm. [00:20:00] It's just one friend of mine, my sister, and I'm asking you, and I was like, crap. So I agreed to go and it was so awkward. How do I connect with these people? His sister ended up not going, so it was just me and his friend that he had started to improv the group with. And finally after the concert, his friend started talking about. Moody Radio, moody Church here in Chicago. Okay, here's a point of connection. Here's something to strike up a conversation. And so we started to converse about that and Dave was freaking out thinking, oh no, they're connecting, but we really weren't connecting like that. So he walks me to the train after I protested. 'cause the train was literally right across the street. I could walk myself and. It is Chicago is late at night. At night, [00:21:00] and you're not letting her walk by herself to the train. Mm-hmm. No. I've been to Chicago, but I'm not afraid of the city. So I've had plenty of experiences on my own and as a young kid in the city in some rough neighborhoods. So I am pretty confident. But anyway, I let him walk me to the train, and I have this anxiety about making sure I'm on the trains right away. And so I'm not missing my trains. So I get on this train and he's literally like, what? No hug. All right. So for context, I walked her all the way to the platform of the train. We're talking, and as soon as the doors opened, like literally as soon as they came apart, she was gone. No. So the lamest of lame ploys, I'm like. What, no hug. So she came back out, gave me the side bro hug, and then came back to the train. And here I am leaving this date thinking like, [00:22:00] man, I am in the friend zone. And then know what the friend zone is. So the next day we are talking on the phone and we're talking about this. Concert and what happened, and so to give some back info, the movie Courageous, if everyone has seen that at the end, they're doing the Father's Day speech and they're listing off all the I will declarations that they will do as fathers and men of the home and husbands. When that movie came out and I saw it, I was like, okay, Lord, whoever I marry really has to follow all of those declarations. And so we're on the phone discussing this date and at the, towards the end of the conversation, he starts saying all of these declarations. And he had never seen the movie. And so it was like literally God [00:23:00] was slapping me upside the head and I literally was on my couch like. Oh my. This is my husband. Well, okay Lord. So then it went from there. We dated for seven months, got engaged and got married seven months after our engagement. And now here we are eight years later. I propose at the end of church service. Yes, I had coordinated with, our pastor and I asked him to say, set it up as like a testimony stay. 'Cause it was two weeks before Thanksgiving, set it up as like, do you have any Thanksgiving testimonies? So a couple people shared and then when I realized that nobody was gonna go after, go next, I, that's when I started my testimony and then stood up to the platform and proposed and I was like, wow. Yeah, so, but it's funny though, because he stood up in his seat, well, not on his seat, from his seat, [00:24:00] and started to talk to the congregation, introducing himself and stuff. Okay. But then when he moved up to the front of the church, oh my gosh, Dave, this is not one of your comedy shows. You don't have to stand in front of everybody. You had no clue, huh? Yeah. And so one of the men in the church, he kind of thought it was funny too, and he is like, well, what is this? Like some kind of proposal happening. And as soon as he said that, I started backing up. 'cause I'm on the platform as part of the worship team. I interpreted. The worship in ASL. So I literally was backing up to the wall as far as I could go, and he starts his proposal and you hear the gasps and stuff, and I'm like, oh my goodness, because I'm not. Usually comfortable being center of attention and all [00:25:00] eyes were on me and I was no pressure freaking out. Were you happy that he proposed? Yes. And he will tell everybody that when he. I asked, will you marry me? That I never said yes, but I did several times with my head buried into his shoulder and in his ears. But what is true, I did not give her the ring. She snatched it out of the box. I did. But this is what is really cool. And so God ordained is the ring that he proposed with is his mom's ring. But it also happens to be the same exact ring that I used to look at in the old Sears and service merchandise catalogs when I was a kid. When I was a kid. Mm-hmm. So it was a sign that, yes, this really is of God and this, it really is your [00:26:00] husband. I've never heard that before. That is, yeah. That is something else. Yes. Wow. Years later, and I don't remember. You don't have any children, right? Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. Okay. We're working on it. Not right now though. Yeah. That'll drive up the ratings, the tmmi ratings, because it's been a few years. I didn't wanna assume, but sorry. No, we just go with it here. Yeah. And yeah, I can't make this stuff up. Right, right. Now you were doing the comedy, the improv, like part-time, right? And you were pastoring, weren't you, Dave? We were co children's pastors and have been together basically since we got married. And so that was, that's part-time unpaid volunteer here. [00:27:00] 'cause we've been at small churches. Mm-hmm. And building up rewards in heaven. Yes. Yeah. The economy was part-time and we get paid every once in a while, but it was never an income generator. So I've had a few different jobs that paid the bills, but what's different now is in October of 22, I got laid off and the Lord showed us through several circumstances that it was time to get into full-time ministry. And so this September we went through missions training and we are now a US missionary candidate. And we'll be doing what I've been doing in salt and light full time, which is working with survivors of trauma, using comedy and improv to unlock their creativity and their communication skills and remind them that it's okay to laugh, it's okay to, mm-hmm. Let your guard down and find joy in life. Yeah. So we've been working with specifically trafficking survivors, and the need is [00:28:00] they need to know that. There's hope for them and there is a future for them, and that their hope is in Jesus and that their future is in Jesus as well. So through the comedy, what we do is like the improv workshops with them, and through that we're able to break down the walls in their hearts and turn stone hearts into hearts of clay, and we're able to share the love of Jesus with them. And what's really awesome and was the unwritten benefit and the unwritten aspect is that I, I am a man coming in with these women who survived being abused and just put through literal hell on earth by men. So they're getting a chance to see that, number one, there are. Healthy men that you can trust. Mm-hmm. And also because we're married, Bobby's been able to come to a few of the workshops now, and they're [00:29:00] able to see that there is a possibility of a healthy marriage. And we get to model those things while we're also having fun and seeing God really break down a lot of walls. You lost your job in 2020. I lost my job in 2022 also. It's just amazing how God moves us in a different direction and it's definitely changed my life. And you might remember from our first conversation, Dave, that I was a missionary for 13 years Baptist ary as a church planter. Now that process of becoming a church planter, it's probably different than the process that you're going through to become missionaries, or you just went through candidate school and what does that look like? So it started in January with the application very in depth, had to find 10 references, which to me was like they're serious because especially for guys, we don't have that many close people. We're [00:30:00] just like, we have, Jesus had like really three close people. Mm-hmm. Then he had the 12 disciples, but he had three. And it's like, how am I supposed to have three times as many friends as Jesus, but we got the re re it calling people. Right? And this is Dave, um, Dave Ebert? Yeah. Yeah. The comedian. Oh no. Yeah, that, that's me. And so it was kind like trying to find a groomsman for the wedding. Calling up people from third grade, Hey, uh, what are you doing this weekend? What's your dad doing this? I heard from him for 10 years. Right. And usually when you hear somebody out of the blue after 10 years and they talk really friendly, usually they're trying to get you in some MLM. Right, right. Hey, hey, you wanna buy my tell you about what I'm doing? Yeah, exactly. Yeah. doTERRA unto others as you would have doTERRA unto you. But, so there's application [00:31:00] process and there were interviews with the head of missions, then interviews with the people who would be over my specific department. Several testing a lot of forms that fill out Yeah. Psych tests. Psych tests, psych tests, and then, yeah. Yeah. Make sure that. We can at least lie well enough to, no, I'm kidding. No, to make sure that we're ready because Yeah. When you walk out into full-time ministry, especially with missions where you're responsible for your own fundraising and support raising. It takes a toll and you have to be healthy. You have to be in a good position also. You have to be in a place where you're not like escaping the world to say, oh, I'm just gonna be a missionary and get away from stuff. Mm-hmm. So they do a very good job of vetting and making sure that you're healthy and ready. Yes. And then the candidate school, the orientation was six, 10 hour days of. Learning about fundraising, about how to, honor the [00:32:00] gifts that people give, and also the different rules and regulations that we have to follow because we are accountable to our home church, to our home district as well as to the national assemblies. So a lot of training, a lot of prep, a lot of numbers. And now we're hitting the road calling every pastor we know. The churches that we visited for fundraising with the comedy team, we're connecting with them and just asking them for support. Because what we're gonna do is we're serving organizations that don't have a budget to hire an improv coach. So we wanna go and serve them free of charge and just rely on the body of Christ to make sure that our cats don't go homeless. The goal is to also eventually open our own facility. Wow. So like a home, like a residential home? Yeah, like a residential facility for survivors, men, women and children. And to offer [00:33:00] them a comprehensive therapy as well as job training skills and things to get them on their feet so that once they're on the, in this place where they're ready to start over. If they're ready to start over and start building a life, instead of many trafficking victims when they come out of trafficking, unless they have an organization that walks in hand in hand, they either fall back into drugs, they fall back into that lifestyle again. Or worse, they fall into depression and impossible suicide because. They end up escaping, but they have a record. Yeah, because they're, they've probably been picked up by the police several times. They've also probably got a drug record because either the people that they were quote unquote working for or by their own desire to survive, they. End up on drugs, just trying to cope. Mm-hmm. In many cases, and courts really don't care why you're being arrested for being intoxicated or on drugs. [00:34:00] They just know that you are. And so that makes their lives really hard once they escape, because who's gonna help them? They've got a rap sheet, they've probably got no place decent to stay. Mm-hmm. They might have kids that are now in the system, so they have a lot stacked against them when they get out. We want to be another or be an organization that gives them all the tools they need to not only escape and survive, but to actually start to thrive. Mm-hmm. They can leave their past behind and it will be just a beautiful testimony to share of God's goodness that no matter what you're going through, God can redeem it and heal it. And, we wanna do our own facility here in Illinois and we also wanna reproduce what we're doing because. We believe it's valuable and it's unique, and it helps kind of fill in some of the gaps that traditional therapy might leave. Mm-hmm. Because a lot of the times these survivors have felt betrayed or felt like they can't trust people, [00:35:00] and so traditional therapy doesn't always work. It doesn't always help them free themselves from their past. Yeah. So when comedy is entered into the picture. We can kind of till that soil a little bit so that now therapy is a little bit easier because now the, some of the calluses and the walls are torn down. Yeah. So then you open doors for other types of healing methods once you get through that big block wall. Right. It's been amazing 'cause we've seen women open up publicly for the first time and share their stories where. Traditional therapies may not have worked in that way, if that makes sense. They find more freedom when they start to laugh. When you laugh in a room with other people, there's like this bond that happens where you feel safe because now you have all admitted something about yourselves. If you go to a comedy show and you hear a group of 500 strangers laughing, they're not strangers when they leave that comedy show because in the midst of that, [00:36:00] they laughed and admit they have something in common. And when you admit that you have something in common with 500 other people, now you don't feel alone. Now you feel a little bit of safety and we've seen these women, , find that they are, feel safe enough to share their story for the first time in any kind of a public setting. And as once you shed light on your pain and shed light on what you're struggling with, it doesn't seem quite as big and as daunting and shedding light on it allows you to give it to God and let him finish the healing. Like you say, the laughter is so powerful because it makes you feel good, and then the laughter makes you feel better because all those endorphins and the serotonin levels are. Where they're supposed to be. And you look on the world in a different perspective. It's crazy. Like I, 10 minutes ago I was depressed and now I think I'm gonna make it. And here's something I like to talk about is. When you laugh, when you have like a deep [00:37:00] laugh and you're like truly just enjoying the moment, you naturally lift your head up and automatically your eyes are lifting up. Mm-hmm. It's almost like it's a form of worship when you have a good laugh. Wow. Because you're looking up to where your help comes from. Wow. And. It's just a beautiful sign because when you're laughing you just, you're letting this energy go, whether it's stress or it's just, you're even fatigue. When you let it go, suddenly your shoulders lift up. Suddenly your blood pressure drops and you're reminded that there's more than what's here right in front of you. You lift your eyes up and you realize there's so much more, and that's just a beautiful thing to see. Let's also think about it. God is our father, and what good father doesn't take joy in laughing with his kids. And when you see a healthy father and child relationship, they have moments of giggles and cackles and tickle fights. So [00:38:00] what Good father him doesn't take joy in laughing and enjoying the presence of his kids. So I think that when we laugh. In those moments of where it's pure and it's just joy. He laughs with us. And I think that those, like I said, are moments of worship in a way because we're reminded of his goodness. Yes. God give us a gift. I think that. People outside the Christian community, they, they view us as fuddy daddies and stuffed shirts and that we don't ever have any fun. And we're serious all the time and we're about reading our Bibles and praying all the time and that we don't have any fun. But I like your perspective. Of showing the world that it is a gift from God. And we do have fun. And like I said earlier, talking about Jesus and the 12 disciples, you get a group of guys together that they're gonna goof off, they're gonna laugh. And the adoration that the disciples have for Jesus less Judas is [00:39:00] scar, the adoration. That does not happen when it's just a militant leader saying, thou shalt, there has to be moments of levity, moments of bonding, and pure joy. That's more than just. A rabbi teaching his students the love that they had, the love that they felt for him to be willing to die for him for his name. That doesn't happen in a military setting that happens in relationship where there's moments of levity and laughter, and I can't wait to eventually be and be in heaven and hear Jesus tell some jokes. That'd be amazing. Like why did you really call them Sons of Thunder? Right. Probably farting around the campfire. Ah, yes, exactly. Jesus. Pull my finger. Some people have like checked out at this point. Oh [00:40:00] man. Love it. I'm so glad you're gonna create a center as a goal in the future after the show, I definitely wanna give you some folks to connect with that. I know I've got a lot of connections, but we have the Dream Center here in Phoenix. Okay. And I've gone to a few of their fundraisers and they're an incredible place. They have this center for trafficked women and. And men, and we're very close to Mexico, so we get a lot of trafficked people here in Phoenix. And there'd be somebody to connect with for sure. 'cause they could show you how to create the facility and what not to do, and what to do and what they've learned. They create like apartments for these girls. They're like designer rooms. They're not just like bunks and dorms and stuff. I've seen these rooms. They're incredible. They treat the girls like they're princesses. It's really. Wonderful. And they do teach the skills of how not to go back on the streets and finding your worth in Jesus and your [00:41:00] value. You're not just a piece of meat to be used, you are a daughter of the king. And so yeah, I'll definitely give you their contact information. Do you know Mark Sowersby? Oh yeah. Mark. He's, he's been, uh, on my podcast before. He's a survivor. Yeah. Big time. So. I know that we talked about a lot of different things. Was there anything that we didn't cover today that you wanted to share with the audience? Yeah. So if the Lord is leading you and you feel like, feel like the Lord's saying, support this ministry and uh, give us the opportunity and the tools to go out and reach more survivors of trafficking. 'cause we're working in Chicago right now. And there, there's a plenty of harvest there, but there's also other places that we want to serve as well. Yes. You can go to, partners.gifts fork glory.com and that'll take you right to the, ag website where our, page is. And you can log in and, or you can sign in as a donor. And if you can do one time gift, [00:42:00] if you can do a monthly gift, or if you wanna do the faith promise, which is just your promise between you and the Lord of what you're. Willing to commit to support us. Anything is gonna help us get there. The website is partners.gifts for glory.com and whatever the Lord puts on your heart is gonna be, well appreciated and is gonna be used to serve many survivors. And you know, part of what we're doing is also doing podcasts. 'cause we wanna raise awareness that this is an issue. Mm-hmm. And we are hoping that between working with survivors. Doing advocacy by going, on podcasts or media that eventually we'll work ourselves out of a job and that there will be no more trafficking, there'll be no more slavery. That would be the biggest blessing of all is if we could work hard enough and the Lord would move enough that we would see an end to it. Mm, amen. Yeah. Even if you don't have the money right now to support. Dave and Bobby, you can definitely share this episode. Tell your friends [00:43:00] about the ministry. I definitely have that in the show notes, and we're gonna share the podcast episode like crazy and anything else you wanted to share. If you're listening or watching, be sure to subscribe to the wounds of the Faithful. Check every episode out and I'll go back and see how much I've changed in the last two years since the first time I was on. Yeah, I'm gonna put the episode of Dave's testimony, his story in the show notes, so you guys can just click on that and listen to that. This was great. Had a lot of fun and laughter and learn some things, and you guys are always welcome to come back on the show and give us an update. Absolutely. To see how you're doing and when you open your center up in the future someday. Then I'm gonna come and cut the ribbon. Absolutely. I've been in Chicago a few times. It's a nice city, so God bless you guys, and we wish you the very best. Thank you so much for having [00:44:00] us. Yes, Diana, thank you so much for having us. We love you and we love the show. Love you guys too. Thank you for listening to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast. If this episode has been helpful to you, please hit the subscribe button and tell a friend you could connect with us at DSW Ministries dot org. Where you'll find our blog, along with our Facebook, Twitter, and our YouTube channel links. Hope to see you next week.    

As read by George Hahn. P.S. You can pre-order Notes on Being a Man here. It will be available Nov 4. https://www.profgalloway.com/friending/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tech Bro NonsenseFormer Google CEO Tells Congress That 99 Percent of All Electricity Will Be Used to Power Superintelligent AIbillionaire tech tycoon and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt comments to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce: "What we need from you is we need the energy in all forms, renewable, non-renewable, whatever. It needs to be there, and it needs to be there quickly.""Many people project demand for our industry will go from 3 percent to 99 percent of total generation... an additional 29 gigawatts by 2027 and 67 more gigawatts by 2030. If [China] comes to superintelligence first, it changes the dynamic of power globally, in ways that we have no way of understanding or predicting.”Meta Says It's Okay to Feed Copyrighted Books Into Its AI Model Because They Have No "Economic Value"In the ongoing suit Richard Kadrey et al v. Meta Platforms, led by a group of authors including Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Sean Greer and National Book Award winner Ta-Nehisi Coates, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company has argued that its alleged scraping of over seven million books from the pirated library LibGen constituted "fair use" of the material, and was therefore not illegal.Meta's attorneys are also arguing that the countless books that the company used to train its multibillion-dollar language models and springboard itself into the headspinningly buzzy AI race are actually worthless. Meta cited an expert witness who downplayed the books' individual importance, averring that a single book adjusted its LLM's performance "by less than 0.06 percent on industry standard benchmarks, a meaningless change no different from noise." Thus there's no market in paying authors to use their copyrighted works, Meta says, because "for there to be a market, there must be something of value to exchange," as quoted by Vanity Fair — "but none of [the authors'] works has economic value, individually, as training data." Other communications showed that Meta employees stripped the copyright pages from the downloaded books.Tellingly, the unofficial policy seems to be to not speak about it at all: "In no case would we disclose publicly that we had trained on LibGen, however there is practical risk external parties could deduce our use of this dataset," an internal Meta slide deck read. The deck noted that "if there is media coverage suggesting we have used a dataset we know to be pirated, such as LibGen, this may undermine our negotiating position with regulators on these issues."Lauren Sánchez in Space Was Marie Antoinette in a Penis-Shaped RocketKaty Perry Boasts About Ridiculous Rocket Launch While NASA Is Scrubbing History of Women in Space“It's about a collective energy and making space for future women. It's about this wonderful world that we see right out there and appreciating it. This is all for the benefit of Earth.”Last month, the Orlando Sentinel first reported, NASA scrubbed language from a webpage about the agency's Artemis missions declaring that a goal of the mission was to put the first woman and first person of color on the Moon; just a few days later, NASA Watch reported that comic books imagining the first woman on the Moon had been deleted from NASA's website.A webpage for "Women at NASA" is still standing, but pictures of women and people of color — astronauts, engineers, scientists — have reportedly been removed from NASA's real-world hallways amid the so-called "DEI" purge. Per Scientific American, the word "inclusion" has been removed as one of NASA's core pillars. And as 404 Media reported in February, NASA personnel were directed to remove mentions of women in leadership positions from its website.OpenAI NonsenseOpenAI Is Secretly Building a Social NetworkOpenAI has been secretly building its own social media platform, which The Verge reports is intended to resemble X-formerly-Twitter — the social media middleweight owned by CEO Sam Altman's arch-nemesis, Elon MuskOpenAI updated its safety framework—but no longer sees mass manipulation and disinformation as a critical riskOpenAI said it will stop assessing its AI models prior to releasing them for the risk that they could persuade or manipulate people, possibly helping to swing elections or create highly effective propaganda campaigns.The company said it would now address those risks through its terms of service, restricting the use of its AI models in political campaigns and lobbying, and monitoring how people are using the models once they are released for signs of violations.OpenAI also said it would consider releasing AI models that it judged to be “high risk” as long as it has taken appropriate steps to reduce those dangers—and would even consider releasing a model that presented what it called “critical risk” if a rival AI lab had already released a similar model. Previously, OpenAI had said it would not release any AI model that presented more than a “medium risk.”Saying 'please' and 'thank you' to ChatGPT costs OpenAI millions, Sam Altman saysBeing nice to your AI chatbot requires computational power that raises electricity and water costsAltman responded to a user on X (formerly Twitter) who asked how much the company has lost in electricity costs from people being polite to their models: “Tens of millions of dollars well spent — you never know,” the CEO wrote.AI models rely heavily on energy stored in global data centers — which already accounts for about 2% of the global electricity consumption. Polite responses also add to OpenAI's water bill. AI uses water to cool the servers that generate the data. A study from the University of California, Riverside, said that using GPT-4 to generate 100 words consumes up to three bottles of water — and even a three-word response such as “You are welcome” uses about 1.5 ounces of water.Antitrust NonsenseTrump DOJ's plan to restructure Google hurts consumers, national security, says exec: 'Wildly overbroad'Kent Walker, Google's president of global affairs: "We're very concerned about DOJ's proposal. We think it would hurt American consumers, our economy, our tech leadership, even national security. The proposed reform from DOJ "would result in unprecedented government overreach that would harm American consumers, developers, and small businesses — and jeopardize America's global economic and technological leadership at precisely the moment it's needed most."8 revelations from Mark Zuckerberg's 3 days on the witness stand in Meta's antitrust trialThe FTC alleges Meta "helped cement" its illegal monopoly in the social media market with its acquisition of Instagram and the messaging app WhatsApp more than a decade ago.8 revelations:Antitrust worries surfaced years agoTwo years before the FTC initially sued Meta over allegations that it violated US competition laws, Zuckerberg considered breaking Instagram out into its own company to avoid potential antitrust scrutiny, according to a 2018 internal email revealed by the government at trial."I wonder if we should consider the extreme step of spinning Instagram out as a separate company," Zuckerberg wrote in the email to company executives. "As calls to break up the big tech companies grow, there is a non-trivial chance that we will be forced to spin out Instagram and perhaps WhatsApp in the next 5-10 years anyway." If a break up were to happen, Zuckerberg wrote, history showed that companies could end up better off.Asked about this view at trial, Zuckerberg said, "I'm not sure exactly what I had in mind then."A 'crazy idea' to boost Facebook's relevanceZuckerberg's "crazy idea" for Facebook in 2022 involved purging all users' friends. The CEO — fearful that Facebook was losing cultural relevance — made the proposal in a 2022 email to the social network's top brass."Option 1. Double down on Friending," Zuckerberg wrote in the message. "One potentially crazy idea is to consider wiping everyone's graphs and having them start again."Sheryl Sandberg wanted to play Settlers of CatanZuckerberg once offered to give Sheryl Sandberg, the former COO of Meta, a tutorial in the board game Settlers of Catan.The lesson offer came up in 2012 messages in which the two discussed the fresh $1 billion purchase of Instagram, partially redacted missives presented by the FTC during Zuckerberg's testimony showed."We would love it. I want to learn Settlers of Catan too so we can play," Sandberg told Zuckerberg in the message. He responded: "I can definitely teach you Settlers of Catan. It's very easy to learn."Meta's rivalry with TikTok has only just begunDuring his testimony, Zuckerberg hammered home Meta's argument that the tech giant faces massive competition from other apps, especially TikTok."TikTok is still bigger than either Facebook or Instagram," Zuckerberg testified. "I don't like it when our competitors do better than us. You can sort of bet that I'm not going to rest until we are doing quite a bit better than we are doing now.”Facebook Camera app struggles were a source of worryInstagram's early rise shook Zuckerberg. As his company struggled to mount its response with the Facebook Camera app, the CEO began to lose his patience."What is going on with our photos team?" Zuckerberg wrote in a 2011 message to top executives, as revealed by the FTC in court. Zuckerberg then described a number of individuals, whose names were redacted, as being "checked out." He added another person didn't want "to work with this team because he thinks this team sucks."In May 2012, Facebook launched a photo-sharing app called Facebook Camera, which aims to make it simpler for the social network's users to upload and browse photos on smartphones. Only weeks after Facebook spent $1 billion on a similar photo-sharing app called Instagram. Zuckerberg tried to buy Snapchat for $6 billionZuckerberg's failed bid to buy Snapchat was highlighted by the government to bolster its argument that Meta sought to maintain its dominance in the social media market through acquisitions rather than competition.Facebook isn't really for friends anymoreWhile under questioning by the FTC, Zuckerberg said that Facebook had greatly evolved since he launched the platform more than 20 years ago and that its main purpose wasn't really to connect with friends anymore.The FTC argues that Meta monopolizes the market for "personal social networking services.""The friend part has gone down quite a bit," Zuckerberg testified. He said the Facebook feed has "turned into more of a broad discovery and entertainment space."Not impressed by WhatsApp cofounderZuckerberg wasn't too impressed with one of WhatsApp's cofounders after a 2012 meeting he had with company leadership."I found him fairly impressive although disappointingly (or maybe positive for us) unambitious," Zuckerberg wrote in an email to colleagues after the meeting, it was revealed at trial.Jan Koum and Brian Acton cofounded WhatsApp in 2009. Zuckerberg said in his testimony that he thinks he was referring to Koum. Asked about his email, Zuckerberg seemed uneasy. He said that Koum was clearly smart but that he and Acton were staunchly opposed to growing their messaging app enough to be a real threat to Facebook. Zuckerberg would go on to buy WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion.Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Platforms adds former Trump advisor to the board days before an antitrust showdown with the FTCMeta Platforms is further boosting its lineup of heavy hitters with the additions of Stripe CEO Patrick Collison and Dina Powell McCormick to the mix. Powell McCormick was the former Deputy National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump during his first term. Married to Republican Senator Dave McCormick, former CEO of Bridgewater Associates, one of the world's largest hedge fundsStakeholder/shareholder activism NonsenseBP suffers investor rebellion at first AGM since climate strategy U-turnBP suffered an investor rebellion on Thursday after facing shareholders for the first time since abandoning its climate strategy at a meeting marred by protest.About a quarter of shareholders (24.3%) voted against the chair, Helge Lund, which marked the first time in at least a decade that more than 10% of BP's shareholders voted against the re-election of the chair.The outgoing chair told shareholders that the company had “pursued too much while looking to build new low-carbon businesses” but that “lessons have been learned”.BP's CEO Murray Auchincloss (2.7% against), repeated his previous claim that BP's optimism in the global green energy transition was “misplaced”, and that the board's “one simple goal” was to “grow the long-term value of your investment”.Mark Van Baal, the founder of the green activist investor group Follow This, said shareholders had “made it clear that weakening climate commitments is unacceptable”. He added: “This historical result serves as a wake-up call to BP's board and emphasises investor expectation for robust governance mechanisms and genuine leadership on ESG issues.”Starbucks CEO faces major backlash after details of his work routine are revealed: 'Ill-conceived decision'A press release from the National Center for Public Policy Research reported on the hypocrisy of Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol's transportation practices when considering the company's public commitment to eco-friendly practices.Niccol travels regularly from his home in Newport Beach, California, to Starbucks' headquarters in Seattle, Washington, via private jet. Each 2,000-mile round-trip commute releases nearly nine tons of carbon dioxide.The National Center for Public Policy Research's Free Enterprise Project's director Stefan Padfield pointed out the discrepancy of policy and practice during his presentation of Proposal 8 requesting an annual report on emissions congruency. He noted that each round trip made by Niccol "is roughly the annual energy-consumption footprint of the typical American household."This analogy paints a vivid picture of the hypocrisy between Starbucks' public environmental commitments and the practices of the CEO. Gaps are apparent. Target CEO Cornell meets with Sharpton to discuss DEI rollback as civil rights leader considers boycottCEO Brian Cornell met with the Rev. Al Sharpton in New York on Thursday as the retailer faces calls for a boycott and a slowdown in foot traffic that began after it walked back key diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the civil rights leader told CNBC Wednesday.The meeting, which Target asked for, comes after some civil rights groups urged consumers not to shop at Target in response to the retailer's decision to cut back on DEI. While Sharpton has not yet called for a boycott of Target, he has supported efforts from others to stop shopping at the retailer's stores.“You can't have an election come and all of a sudden, change your old positions,” Sharpton told CNBC in a Wednesday interview ahead of the meeting. “If an election determines your commitment to fairness then fine, you have a right to withdraw from us, but then we have a right to withdraw from you.”IBM Informs Staff of DEI Retreat as Trump-Era Scrutiny GrowsEmployees were told of the changes earlier this week, in a memo that cited “inherent tensions in practicing inclusion.” Legal considerations and shifting attitudes to DEI were among the factors for the company. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna discussed the changes in his monthly video update to employees Thursday.Anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck said he first contacted the company in February to question its policies. IBM confirmed it discussed its changes with Starbuck.The company (-10% gender influence gap) also disbanded a diversity council that represents the views of employee groups as part of its reevaluation.Exxon Faces No Shareholder Proposals for First Time in 25 YearsThe absence of requests in Exxon's proxy statement comes a year after the company sued two climate-focused investors to remove what it described as their “extreme agenda.” It also tracks with the US Securities and Exchange Commission's decision to back guidelines that make it easier for corporations to block votes on shareholder resolutions at their annual meetings.Exxon said in a statement late Monday that it received only one proposal this year and the SEC agreed it should be discarded because “it tried to micromanage the company.”Occidental Petroleum Corp., Valero Energy Corp. and Dow Inc. are other companies with no shareholder proposals up for vote at this year's annual meetings.Exxon said this year marks “the first time in recent history that our proxy includes zero proposals from activists.” It was just four years ago that a small fund scored a victory over Exxon, placing three directors on the company's board.Climate activist shareholder group Follow This pauses big oil campaignClimate activist shareholder group Follow This said on Thursday a lack of investor appetite has forced it to suspend its nearly decade-long campaign seeking stronger commitments from major oil and gas producers to emission cutsHarley-Davidson slams activist investor, saying its campaign is messing up its CEO searchIn early April, H Partners' Jared Dourdeville, who had been a Harley director since 2022, abruptly resigned from the board, saying among other things that Harley had “cultural depletion” because of its work-from-home policies and the exit of several senior leaders. And that was not his only point of contention with the rest of the board.Investment firm H Partners, a major investor with 9.1% of Harley's shares, in an open letter filed on Wednesday, urged fellow shareholders to remove three longtime directors from Harley's eight-member board at its annual meeting in mid-May by withholding votes for them. H Partners said the board had not held Harley CEO Jochen Zeitz accountable for what it called his repeated “strategic execution failures” and “severe underperformance.”CEO/Chair Zeitz (2007, 30%)Lead DIrector Norman Thomas Linebarger (2008, 13%)Sara Levinson (1996, 20%)"We believe Mr. Zeitz, Mr. Linebarger, and Ms. Levinson should be held accountable for the destruction of shareholder value,"Harley's bylaws stipulate that directors who win less than 50% of votes in an election must tender their resignations.Harley announced last week that Zeitz, CEO since 2020 and board member for 18 years, would resign but stay in his role until a successor is found. H Partners wants him out now.That followed a letter issued a day earlier by Harley-Davidson, which accused H Partners of “publicly campaigning” against it and saying that those efforts are also “adversely impacting the CEO search process and ongoing execution of the Hardwire strategic plan,” referring to a turnaround plan it launched in 2021.Harley said that it began a CEO search late last year after Zeitz expressed interest in retiring and has interviewed three potential CEOs, including one supported by Dourdeville, but declined to offer any the job. The company has also said that Dourdeville had cast only one vote against the majority during his time as a director and that as recently as November 2024 he had expressed support for Zeitz.Harley-Davidson faces board fight from H Partners amid calls for CEO to exit soon

There are endless ways to make friends as an adult, and today we're diving into one I have never covered before: speed friending.To some of you, this will sound terrifying at first, but stick with me, because it's actually pretty brilliant! Today's guest is Georgia Huntley, founder of Friends of Friends, who  is doing something really special in the friendship space.Georgia hosts speed friending events that are designed to make meeting new people feel fun and effortless. In today's episode, we'll cover what actually happens at these events and what to do if you're sitting there thinking this sounds terrifying. Her advice if you ever attend an event like this? Take some pressure off and practice the art of being both interested and interesting. Have a little fun, learn something new, and approach your experience with curiosity. (Which is also great advice for making friends in general!)In this episode you'll hear about:The origin of Friends of Friends, which started as an online community and evolved into in-person events (its third iteration had 85 people!)The bar that asked Georgia to host a speed-friending event because staff noticed people weren't socializing inside like they used toThird places, how they're disappearing, and what impact this has on making friendships as an adultThe setup of a typical speed friending event, why they have been so effective, and how you might mimic something similar where you areAdvice on how to attend an event like this, from being curious to taking pressure offResources & LinksFollow Georgia on Instagram!. Listen to Episodes 38 and 39, which go deep into third places.Like what you hear? Visit my website, leave me a voicemail, and follow me on Instagram and TikTok!Want to take this conversation a step further? Send this episode to a friend. Tell them you found it interesting and use what we just talked about as a conversation starter the next time you and your friend hang out!