Podcasts about furthest

St George Illawarra Dragons Captain Ben Hunt joins the Run Home with Joel and Fletch to talk country footy, The Dragons season so far and his plans for after football. 00:00 Telstra Country Series 00:30 Where he played junior footy? 00:45 Furthest he'd have to travel as a kid? 02:00 How old was he when he left Rockhampton? 02:45 Loves living in Sydney now? 03:15 What's it like living in Dingo? 04:00 Where do you plan on retiring? 04:30 Atmosphere vs the Bulldogs 05:20 Playing the Titans this week 05:50 Rumors he doesn't shout? 06:10 Is Blake Lawrie a tightarse? 06:40 How's Flanagan handled the loss? 07:10 Can the Dogs win the comp? 09:30 Is he going to return from Rep footy in the next two years? 10:15 Can he believe he played 20 State of Origin Games? 11:50 What's he watching on TV? 12:20 Used to watch Vikings 13:00 Watch a lot of the Olympics 13:30 How good was Raygun! NRL Telstra Footy Country Series: The Telstra Footy Country Series is a new initiative to celebrate and support Rugby League communities in regional Australia during the 2024 season. It kicked off this year and includes 10 themed NRL and NRLW games in total, across nine regional locations. In each location, the Footy Country Series will highlight and strengthen the deep bonds between the country rugby league and the elite game. The Telstra Footy Country Series stopped by Wollongong a few weeks ago for the NRLW Dragons v Titans game.  It will be traveling to Bundaberg and Townsville this week for the NRL and NRLW games. Listen to The Run Home with Joel and Fletch live every weekday: 3pm AEST on SEN 1170 AM Sydney & SEN 693 AM Brisbane Catch the boys in video, live from the studios by heading to the Run Home with Joel and Fletch Youtube page. Hit subscribe and never miss a thing!  https://youtube.com/@joelandfletchsen?si=LJAudaWNKvrhGCUF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Haugh and Dan Wiederer hear Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams explain what aspect of his game he believes needs the most work. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To end the volume, it's the first man on the moon! And a deep dive into his fears... Next week, more from 'The Almighty Dollar'. The week after that, a WHOLE NEW VOLUME! What could the topic be?

Two travellers on a deep space mission find a strange new species, one intractably illogical. The name of the species? HUMAN. Free sci-fi, ghost crime, and romance stories on the channel. Check them out!

A MOST mysterious man, she finds in the local ads. Now to find him. And find out his story. Free sci-fi, romance and ghost crime audiobooks on the channel; including others in this volume and more. Next week, in 'The Almighty Dollar in Space': To get the break of his life, all Reuben had to do was turn the death trap into a jackpot!

A crash on a planet in deep space, and, staring death in the face, a traveller learns a profound truth about their way of life. Next week, on 'The Almighty Dollar', it's the hunt for riches, also in deep space. (Space is big. Very, very big).

Lions head coach Dan Campbell has spoken highly of WR Jameson Williams, calling him a "man on a mission"

Hopefully this works.  Furthest ahead I've scheduled a release, so fingers crossed.  I believe in you Libsyn.  Gearing up for a big adventure.  The podcast received an email with an awesome suggestion regarding the recipes shared.  Thank you, and look for changes coming soon. Round out the ep with an Algo check, where I found some interesting spirit information. Enjoy.   @moreforlesspodcast moreforlesspodcast@gmail.com 

A science fiction author, starved of ideas, receives a mysterious brochure in the post... Free sci-fi, romance and ghost crime audiobooks on the channel. All comments appreciated.

The whole team of Questions for kindergarten hope you will enjoy listening to our podcasts.Here is how you can support us : https://www.patreon.com/user?u=79573705Contact us : 1879questions@gmail.comSee you soon !

Have you ever been in a long-distance relationship? Most begin when you've already been dating and one person moves away, but have you ever tried to make a long-distance relationship work from the jump?

Free sci-fi audiobook. Will the cultural difference between the Amish settlers and the African colonists be too great? And with the stakes of being millions of miles away on a distant planet with no hope of leaving? The final part to the tale. Next week, on 'The Almighty Dollar', insurance companies still have no scruples...in spaaace.

An Amish couple travel through deep space to find a new homestead...and come across other intrepid settlers... Free science fiction audiobook. Part Two next week. Find more sci-fi, romance and ghost crime on the channel. All comments appreciated.

Got an opinion? If you're listening on the iHeartRadio app, tap the red microphone icon to record & send us your thoughts. Don't have the app? Get it free here ---> https://news.iheart.com/apps/ Follow WGY on social media: instagram.com/wgyradio twitter.

Chuck Heinz and Jamie Lent talk about the NCAA Tournament bracket, the spelling bee, Red Raider baseball falling to Baylor 2 out of 3, what big 12 team could go the furthest and spring football for Texas Tech.

Will California finish the task it began by actually dispensing compensation?

Who in their right mind thinks that martials are broken? Please explain in the comments below how that is the FURTHEST thing from the truth! Before we take our leave, don't forget to subscribe to our channel, All Things DnD. Stay tuned for more amazing Dungeons & Dragons content every Friday!Support the show

Overnight News How far did you travel for the event - CALLS Joes Jokes - Tom and Rocco Lehmo Sport Posh and Becks Superbowl ad Quickie WINNER Rumour What are we watching Will Frogley See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karly drove 20 minutes towards Nashville while trying to get to ChattanoogaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A science experiment opens a portal to a far off world and there they find the Wanderer... 'The Furthest Reaches' is back on Sci-fi Monday. Next week, on 'Retief: Intergalactic Diplomat', they're teenage and they're turtles...

Our Guests For this episode, we have Nick Brooke and Simon Bray as our guests to talk about Simon's book Furthest, Crown Jewel of Lunar Tarsh, and about what goes on in Lunar Tarsh in...

It is the moment we have all been waiting for... your heroes have had their new drivers fitted for the 2024 season and it's time for a classic case of WHO CAN HIT THEIR NEW DRIVER THE FURTHEST. It's play ground stuff. But it is GOOD playground stuff. We think this might be one of the best episodes ever. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

(S1E3) **CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE** It is an operation at the edge of human endeavour, of salvage, study, and demolition. But for one of the explorers, it is a mission of self discovery, to confront the ghosts of the past that have brought her here. Ghosts that maybe... dwell even closer than she thought. THE FURTHEST STAR Written by Graham David Richards Cast: MORESSITY WARD – Sarah Golding HEM BREWSTER – Deanne Law SCOTT WILKINS– Roland Deeba ERIKA SANDERSON – Tara Hobb KIRSTY WOOLVEN – Jake Reese MORRIS DEE – Nathan Brody. Papa. Scanning Computer. Incidental music especially composed and performed by Tapdancer. The song, “Straight to the moon” is by RedLight District and Juliette Angeli and is used by kind permission. https://redlightdistrict.bandcamp.com/fbclid=IwAR1x3CaQdIlcLwodIr0U_TTu0eJmMRBiYgiiR0VTaauAkTbt4rcU9po_Vy0 With thanks to Matthew Exel, Patricia Dawn Richards, Julia Eve, Fiona Thraille, and Andrew Clark. Contains strong language. Running time 32mins approx Things in Dark Corners is produced and published by Audible Visions, with Channel House Entertainment. Copyright 2023

Public Service Announcement!I'm now collaborating with Mongabay on their weekly Newscast podcast, bringing you conservation news from all around the world. To celebrate—and to encourage you all to subscribe!—I'm sharing my inaugural episode as cohost with you today.On this episode, I interview Brandon Wu of ActionAid USA about the Loss and Damages negotiations that took place ahead of COP28—and how the USA used its political weight to bully developing nations into accepting a deal unrecognisable from the premise of L&D. Loss and Damages is, in effect, climate reparations—a fund paid into by developed nations, who are historically responsible for the emissions causing global warming, which developing nations can then use to respond to the chaos caused by climate change: floods, storms, crop failures, displaced populations. However, it was the vulnerable nations who were forced to concede at the negotiating table, walking away with a deal which serves the interests of the world's most powerful.Brandon gives an excellent overview and analysis of the situation, revealing how the USA used its muscle to twist the arms of developing nations at the final hour. I then discuss these details with my wonderful cohost, Mike DiGirolamo.Mike and I have collaborated over the years on a couple of projects and I was truly delighted when he suggested we join forces on this project! Please join us as we uncover the most important stories in conservation and environmental journalism from around the world.Subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast:* Apple * Spotify* Mongabay website* Download the free app on Apple or Android to access all episodes Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

Alex just wrapped up his road trip to Nashville, TN - marking the furthest trip ever in his Model 3 in terms of time and distance driven in a day. Brandan shares some EV news. Use Alex's referral code to save on a new Tesla: https://www.tesla.com/referral/alex23895 Get access to the Post Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/livingelectric   Living Electric Merch is here! https://sibs-shop.com/collections/living-electric-podcast Want to hear something on a future episode? Shoot us a message on social media! Twitter: https://twitter.com/LivingElectric_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LivingElectricPodcast/  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/living-electric/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/living-electric/support

I talk a lot about surrendering our fitness journey, our workouts, our nutrition, discipline, habits, heart set & mindset & ever our bodies over to the Lord, butttt I think sometimes people can take that as "okay soooooo I need to give that all to God and He'll just take care of the rest, if I take action and continue to put in the effort, eh, that means I'm not truly surrendering" & this is the FURTHEST from the truth. So, today I dive deeper into this topic of surrendering your journey & what that looks like! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kelsey-combs/message

Today's guest is Alex Jarbo.   Alex Jarbo is the founder and CEO of Sargon Investments. He is a regular contributor to some of the top real estate investing podcasts in the world. He is also the host of the YouTube channel Alex Builds where he teaches how to properly build and manage short term rentals.   Show summary:  In this episode, Alex Jarbo, founder of Open Atlas Investments, shares his journey from the Marine Corps to building a $40 million real estate portfolio in vacation rentals. He discusses the importance of treating vacation rentals as a business, being present on multiple platforms, and building an email list of guests. Jarbo also talks about the changing preferences of short-term rental consumers, the influx of people into the vacation rental market during the COVID-19 pandemic, and his expansion plans. He credits his success to understanding the principles of scaling from multifamily real estate and applying them to vacation rentals.   -------------------------------------------------------------- Intro [00:00:00]   Starting in Real Estate [00:00:55]   Scaling the Vacation Rental Portfolio [00:03:06]   Investing in Bigger Short-Term Rental Deals [00:05:00]   Treating Vacation Rentals as a Business [00:10:10]   The Flood of New Market Entrants [00:11:00]   The Benefits and Challenges of Syndicating Short Term Rental Opportunities [00:13:20]   The shift in management [00:20:25]   Passion for negotiating deals [00:21:39]   Time to fire myself [00:23:08] -------------------------------------------------------------- Connect with Alex: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-jarbo-28a940139/ Web: https://openatlas.investments/   Connect with Sam: I love helping others place money outside of traditional investments that both diversify a strategy and provide solid predictable returns.     Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HowtoscaleCRE/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samwilsonhowtoscalecre/ Email me → sam@brickeninvestmentgroup.com   SUBSCRIBE and LEAVE A RATING. Listen to How To Scale Commercial Real Estate Investing with Sam Wilson Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-scale-commercial-real-estate/id1539979234 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4m0NWYzSvznEIjRBFtCgEL?si=e10d8e039b99475f -------------------------------------------------------------- Want to read the full show notes of the episode? Check it out below: Alex Jarbo (00:00:00) - I think gone are the days of just taking any type of random property and just throwing it on one site like Airbnb and just being done with it. Like I said, you need to treat it like a business. You need to be on multiple platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com. You need to be building your own email list of guests.   Intro (00:00:15) - Welcome to the how to Scale Commercial real Estate show. Whether you are an active or passive investor, we'll teach you how to scale your real estate investing business into something big.   Sam Wilson (00:00:28) - Alex Jarboe is the founder of Open Atlas Investments. Alex is at the forefront of revolutionizing the vacation rental and hospitality industry with his focus on custom, unique micro resort developments. Alex, welcome to the show.   Alex Jarbo (00:00:42) - Oh, thanks for having me on, man. Absolutely.   Sam Wilson (00:00:44) - The pleasure's mine. Alex. There are three questions I ask every guest who comes on the show in 90s or less. Can you tell me where did you start? Where are you now? And how did you get there?   Alex Jarbo (00:00:52) - Uh, started out of the Marine Corps.   Alex Jarbo (00:00:55) - Directly. Moved here to Asheville, North Carolina and got my real estate license. Started looking for a property. Realized really quickly I couldn't purchase anything that was in my price range. So my very first real estate investment was a ground up development, 800 square foot A-frame that we own to this day, and that over the last seven years snowballed into close to a $40 million real estate portfolio. Either were acquiring, purchasing or managing over $40 million in vacation rentals just in this market alone.   Sam Wilson (00:01:24) - Wow. Yeah, in Asheville is a great a great market for that. I I'm guilty of actually looking. Was it Airbnb this morning? Maybe I was looking at short term rentals in Asheville. So maybe maybe I need to come to you first here when this calls over and see what you got. But no, seriously, that's that's impressive. What year did you get out of the Marine Corps and start investing in real estate?   Alex Jarbo (00:01:46) - Yeah, 2017 is when I moved here. Yeah. So relatively I mean, I've been in it for roughly six years now, six, seven years.   Alex Jarbo (00:01:54) - But I started reading up on real estate books like my last year in the Marine Corps. And just I originally turned to flipping. And then there was a, I joined like a flipping mentorship. And the gentleman that was a part of that flipping mentorship he had, like just briefly, I'd mentioned that back in 2016, like all of his like, long term wealth was tied into short term rentals. And that really, like perked my ears, got on a one on one call with him. He sort of taught me how to, like, invest like in a market, like how to choose a good vacation rental market. There was like 3 to 5 markets that we had decided on. And my fiance at the time, wife now was like, yeah, Asheville looks really cool. I'm like, screw it, let's go. Like, I was open to really moving anywhere. I'm originally from Detroit, Michigan, but we've been here ever since 2017.   Sam Wilson (00:02:40) - Yeah, and you picked one of the prettiest parts of the country, in my opinion, to live in.   Sam Wilson (00:02:44) - I've got obvious envy for where it is that you call home. But that's. Let's get back on track, though. I mean, that's that's impressive. 2017 till now, a $40 million portfolio, but not just a $40 million portfolio. I think it's one thing to say, oh, hey, we got a $40 million portfolio in multifamily. Again, not to be discounted by any stretch, but you can do that with one deal.   Alex Jarbo (00:03:05) - One deal.   Sam Wilson (00:03:06) - That's really tough to do. I would imagine in the short term, rental space would have been some of the keys that have really helped you scale that.   Alex Jarbo (00:03:15) - One of the biggest things is just understanding that and this, this most of the stuff I know about the larger vacation rental deals or just vacation rentals in general, talking to, talking to investors, everything I learned from multifamily books, it's like the like the way we the way we pitch our deals with preferred returns and equity splits between general partners and limited partners. All that stuff was taught through mentors or multifamily mentors or multifamily books.   Alex Jarbo (00:03:40) - So I realized really quickly the same thing with multifamily. Going from single family long term rentals to owning multifamily, is that scaling, doing larger deals, like I call them, micro resorts, anywhere between 7 to 20 units, 40 units. It's not. It's to go from one unit to ten. Unit is not ten times as hard. So I learned that really quickly with the development piece that in terms of my time, me looking at a property that we can build two cabins on, or me looking at a property that we can build 20 properties on, it was the same use of my time. Obviously it was more for my engineer and my GC, but for me to look at like just driving out to parcels, it was the same time. It was just the number was obviously way bigger. So that's where that came from. Was like I looked at my goals and I wanted to see where I wanted to get to, and I didn't want to just focus on Wednesday and Tuesday cabins here and there.   Alex Jarbo (00:04:36) - Granted, those still make I mean, all those properties that we've developed in the last six years have cash flow very well. But doing these larger deals, I mean, the numbers are just crazy compared to what what I was doing say, like just four years ago alone.   Sam Wilson (00:04:51) - Give me give me a case study on that. Like what? What sort of. What is a bigger deal in the short term rental space, and how do you identify that?   Alex Jarbo (00:05:00) - So the when the we developed six cabins which that doesn't sound like that much, but like we developed a six cabin one and then we purchased a seven cabin or it was a historic house with six cabins on it. The one that we're purchasing right now is a $20 million development, and that one is only 20 units. But these properties cash flow like crazy, like just the seven units alone have done close to seven figures in in revenue just in this year alone. So when I when I say like bigger deals, I would say anything over like 6 to 8 units to start that are in the same area.   Alex Jarbo (00:05:35) - So like you're purchasing and I've said this before, there's a lot of mom and pop owners on of bed and breakfast and some of these like larger cabin communities that like, existed prior to when Airbnb and Vrbo were a thing. And now those mom and pop owners are of retirement age, and they're looking to sell off some of these properties. And what I've realized, I've looked at a lot of these. I purchased a couple of them in just the last year and a half. A lot of these are undervalued, like significantly. And so that's what I would say to your original question is the like I would say anything over like 4 or 5 units that are in the same area would be a little bit of a bigger deal compared to just purchasing 1 or 2.   Sam Wilson (00:06:15) - Yeah. No. Absolutely, absolutely. And that's and there's scale is relative to what it is that you are working on. How do you. So please don't mind the cash flow. Yeah, absolutely. I mean that's insane cash flow.   Sam Wilson (00:06:29) - Insane cash flow. What do you feel like? I mean, you made you made a point there where you said that, you know, a lot of these these these styles of. Short term rentals have been around for a long time. This is not anything new, but absolutely, I would argue and maybe you can confirm or tell me, put more clarification on this, because I'm not in the short term rental space, but that investor preference has changed in what those short term rentals look like. Amenities mean all of those things kind of kind of give us some broader overview on that and how you guys are setting these things up for today's consumer.   Alex Jarbo (00:07:04) - So for the on the consumer part it's like market then property. So market investing in properties that tend to be a little bit less or investing in markets that tend to be a little bit less seasonal. So Asheville mountain markets that aren't necessarily ski resorts like cities, those tend to do really well because they're less seasonal. Nothing gets more picturesque than a cabin or a property on the side of a cliff in the winter, right in the mountains.   Alex Jarbo (00:07:30) - Right? So so that's market when it comes to properties. We're investing in unique properties or developing or purchasing unique properties where the property itself is an experience outside of the city that the guest is visiting. That's really important. And you're right about the guest expectation changing. It has definitely gone full circle, and we can talk about that in a second. About back in the day, you had to pick up a phone to book a vacation rental, and now it's like it's sort of hospitality. And vacation rentals are sort of moving towards like direct booking sites, which is almost practically full circle, where I look at Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, they're always going to be a part of my business, but I look at them as marketing arms to my business. It's where the eyeballs are at, but the eventual goal is to be able to take the guests off of those platforms after they stay with you. That's the key there, after they stay with you, not when they're trying to stay and put them into your own ecosystem through a direct booking site.   Alex Jarbo (00:08:23) - And that way you're treating all of this like a business, and not just when someone asked me like, it tears me apart when I go, hey, what do you do? Or how many properties do you have? And they're like, I'm an Airbnb. So you're like, no, you're not in Airbnbs, you're in vacation rentals. And if you want to take it a step further, you're in hospitality, right? So when when it comes to like guest like the guest expectation back in the day when you had to pick up that phone, you had to. A lot of times you have to bring in your own silverware, your own linens, like stuff like that is completely changed. And then just there's a higher level of expectation now, especially with the flooding of vacation rentals that has happened in the last like 4 or 5 years into the markets. I think people are looking for those more unique stays, those more, I call them Instagrammable properties where people would be proud to put them on the like on their social media, where your guest practically turns into your own little influencer because they're putting it on their social media and showing their their people.   Alex Jarbo (00:09:16) - And then that redirects you to your website or your Instagram account or whatever social media account you want to use, right?   Sam Wilson (00:09:22) - No, I love that, I love that, yeah. And I've heard that from other people who've come on the show saying, hey, look, you know, one of the strategies, obviously, is to get them off of the Airbnbs and back to your direct booking sites. I think that's really cool. Let's talk a little bit. You hit on flooding the vacay or you said flooding the vacation rental markets. What? I mean, we've seen that. And, you know, I actually saw something and I don't I don't look on social media actually very often maybe like once every 2 or 3 months. And I just happened to see a guy in the short term rental space buying a short term rental. He gave a quick, you know, paragraph about why the previous owner really stunk at being a vacation rental owner. So yeah, we see this flooding of them. But then what are people doing wrong and how does that present opportunity for people like yourself?   Alex Jarbo (00:10:06) - Yeah, it's exactly what I said about the like I'm an Airbnb.   Alex Jarbo (00:10:10) - So it's like I think gone are the days of like just taking any type of random property and just throwing it on one site like Airbnb and just being done with it. Like I said, you need to treat it like a business. You need to be on multiple platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com. You need to be building your own email list of guests. And one of the easiest ways to do that. And I've plugged this company ever since I've started like interviewing with about properties is a company called Staffie, and it's a Staffie sells these little discs that plug into the back of your router very cheap to purchase these. And then the subscription is incredibly cheap, but it creates a landing page for your internet. So like imagine when you go into Starbucks, you go into the airport, you have to put your email address in to get access to the internet. It's the same thing, except you have your own branding for your company. That way when a guest stays with us, we then capture their email, and then we do seasonal emails to them to get them to book.   Alex Jarbo (00:11:00) - Hey, you can save way more money where you don't have to pay these crazy service fees anymore, and you can book directly through us that way. Like I said, you're creating this, this massive wheel, this massive circle. And that's that's one thing that people, I think weren't ready for when they just saw someone on social media, or maybe they saw their friends doing real in vacation rentals, like really well in vacation rentals. And also during Covid 2020, 2021, tail end of 2022, vacation rentals saw record numbers because people were stuck here. Like people were like you could only travel domestically. So obviously occupancies were up that 95, 98, close to 100% people were charging up the craziness. I mean, I was I was part of it like my my occupancies were through the roof, but I was in vacation rentals prior to that knowing that that was not normal. So I think a lot of people that flooded the market the last like three years were just people who got into it during Covid, where interest rates were low.   Alex Jarbo (00:11:51) - If they purchased, interest rates were low. So it was really relatively easier to get a property. All of these vacation rental lenders sort of came out of nowhere as well in the last like three years, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but. That compares with like just everyone just putting their numbers out there and be like, this is how much I make. It was like, okay, cool, I can just get a property, throw it on Airbnb and be good to go. So I think that's where the flooding of the market came, was just people thinking that you could just be on one platform and be good to go.   Sam Wilson (00:12:20) - Right. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. Love. And so everything you guys are doing there is in the broader Asheville area. Yeah, it's.   Alex Jarbo (00:12:28) - In Buncombe County. Yeah. After this larger deal that we're working on, I do. There are 2 or 3 other markets that I've identified in the country that I want to get into, because it's it's good and bad to have a massive concentration of like your properties in one area.   Alex Jarbo (00:12:45) - I just want to diversify into different markets after that. It's just fun to do it. I mean, these are these are cool vacation markets that are like some of the top markets in the country. So it's just it's cool to like come into a market and develop something unique that actually complements the city that you're getting into. I've always been a huge fan of that. Just whole strategy in general.   Sam Wilson (00:13:04) - Absolutely. Well, let's talk about this. I mean, you said you were taking you're taking the things you learned in the multifamily space and applying it to the short term rental space. And it sounded like you're syndicating short term rental opportunities. Talk to us about that.   Alex Jarbo (00:13:20) - Yeah, I mean, that that came from I mean, phenomenal mentors like Paul Moore from Wellings Capital is the first person that comes to mind. Just learning. The Vinnie Smiley was another one that like I've been on his podcast, I read his book. That's sort of what got me into multifamily or just understanding the the metrics around multifamily to apply for short term rentals.   Alex Jarbo (00:13:41) - But yeah, I originally got into that world just to learn and understand that, like just talking to my different mentors that like, I mean, even I mean, I don't know how it is now because I haven't really kept up with it. But during like the Covid era, even before then, like cap rates were severely compressed during during that time. So it was a pretty easy conversation to to have with a multifamily investor be like, hey, this is the preferred return. This is the general partner, limited partner split. This is the cash on cash. This is the equity multiple. It's like we practically just took the metrics that multifamily investors were used to, like, used to seeing and dealing with like in terms of a syndication and just apply that to these larger vacation rental deals.   Sam Wilson (00:14:24) - Did you do are you doing those as a one off syndication or did you launch a five?   Alex Jarbo (00:14:29) - Now it's a one off. I quickly learned it should have been a fund just just based off of the timeline that we had to close on this first deal.   Alex Jarbo (00:14:36) - So my next one will definitely be a fun. But yeah, this first one was just a single asset syndication. But yeah, that's a it's funny because I was just thinking about that this morning. I was like, I should have done a fund instead of a syndication.   Sam Wilson (00:14:48) - Yeah, well tell tell us why, I guess. Can you give us give our listeners some color on as to why you say that?   Alex Jarbo (00:14:53) - It's like. Getting the deal, finding the money compared to having the money, and then finding the deal or starting to work on the deal. Just the timeline type thing. It's like, okay, I have technically I have this closing date that I have to meet, and this is when the money has to be raised and anything and everything can happen with dealing with investors and getting. There's a big difference between a soft commitment and actually getting that money wired. So that's the biggest thing, is just the pressure of I would rather have dug that well before I needed it is what I've always told myself of, like having that money there waiting so I can then deploy it into a deal compared to the other way around.   Sam Wilson (00:15:31) - Right. And that's a challenge. It certainly is a challenge. And I think one of the. Things that you have in your favor. Having a fund is that you already know what types of assets you're buying. You've already got a proven track record. This is what we're buying. Here's the type of assets you can give a long history of the things that you're buying. A lot of times I as a personally as a passive investor, I'm not a big fan of funds because especially if it's a blind, entirely blind fund where you're like, all right, so you say you're going to buy that, but I'm not quite sure. You're like, hey, no, like, here's the 8500 previous I'm making number up. But properties we've bought that, this is what's going in it.   Alex Jarbo (00:16:08) - So yeah, that's a good point. I mean the I have so there's a fund that we've teamed up with and I'm completely open to doing that with this deal. But there was a there was a fund that we teamed up with where.   Alex Jarbo (00:16:21) - Like some of the some of the assets in that fund where like the investors were like, okay, I would rather just I wish it was a single asset syndication where I can just invest in this one property. So it's a double edged sword. It is honestly.   Sam Wilson (00:16:32) - Yeah, it is. And I will say that openly because we have a fund open right now that raising capital in a fund is twice as hard as raising for a single asset. So cut. Like you said, it cuts both ways. And I've heard that from a lot of sponsors. Like it's harder it's harder in a fund than it is in a single asset deal. But yet the ability, like you said, to continue to acquire, to continue to raise money constantly as opposed to going, all right, well, now it's go time. Now we raise a bunch of money. Okay, we closed and then you start the whole process over again. It's it cuts both ways. So making that decision obviously on a case by case basis.   Sam Wilson (00:17:04) - But I just loved hearing hearing your insights on that okay. So we talked a little bit. Focus on bigger deals syndicating these deals. Um Alex one of the things that we talked about before this or before this show started recording was that you have coached over 5000 people in the short term rental game. What has that process been like? Talk to us about that, because I'm sure I'm sure you've got a lot of insights from working with so many different coaching clients.   Alex Jarbo (00:17:34) - Yeah, that came from I had purchased a course through Brian Page of B&B formula when it was just it was like a, I think 1 or $2000 course. When I first started, I knew I wanted to get into vacation rentals. That's why I moved here. But it was cool. He was like one of the first people to create a course. And then I had actually pitched him on one of my deals where I was like, hey, like, I would love for you to invest. And then that that had spiraled, gone into like, he had a podcast at that time, too.   Alex Jarbo (00:18:00) - And I was like, I would love to hop on the podcast and pitch the deal. And he's like, I actually don't do the podcast anymore. But I'm looking for coaches and we only have like two of them right now. And that course had morphed into a coaching program. And I've been with B&B formula, teaching an hour or two a week for the last year and a half, and then it's morphed into over 6000 students at this point. And we do group coaching one on one, all that fun stuff. But yeah, it's just it's been really cool to see students go from like zero, like learn this in the Marine Corps. Like just to just general leadership is it's really cool seeing like some of your mentees sort of surpass you and seeing some of these students build these massive vacation rental companies, management companies and a massive portfolio as well. I mean, one of our students has over like 350 listings. So it's been it's really cool to be a part of a community like that, too, because you're sort of you have your finger on the pulse when it comes to like changing the things in the economy.   Alex Jarbo (00:18:55) - So like, you'll see, like students be like it's way harder to find a deal in X, x, X, or like every 2 or 3 months. There's always like a new topic that students are constantly asking about. So the biggest thing I've seen is like the rental arbitrage deals. It's, in my opinion, still the easiest way to get into real estate investing in general when it comes to vacation rentals. But there you have to be a little bit more strategic when it comes to choosing a market compared to just like I said, going into any market, getting any type of property and just throwing it on Airbnb. So that's just what I've learned from coaching so many students. Is that the biggest thing I've learned about coaching students is that. You're a lot of times you're going to be your biggest enemy where it's like students get in their own way. It's a mindset thing outside of you. We can give you all the tools in the world, give you the best coaches in this industry. But if your mindset is not there, or like you have a negative mindset that is going to severely impact the way you talk to owners or just talking to like negotiating your deals and whatnot and managing your properties.   Sam Wilson (00:19:54) - Absolutely. Absolutely. That's that's really great. That's awesome man I can't believe that. 5000 plus 6000. Would you say coaching students at this point?   Alex Jarbo (00:20:01) - 6000 students.   Sam Wilson (00:20:02) - Yeah, that's wild man. And I think that's an added benefit maybe I probably would never have thought about was just the fact that you get that consistent feedback from the people you're talking to of what's going on in the market. It's kind of your.   Alex Jarbo (00:20:15) - Yeah, I've gotten things like, hey, have you used this service or this new service or tool for your company? I'm like, no, but it sounds really interesting. Let me check it out. And then I end up putting it in my company.   Sam Wilson (00:20:25) - Right. That's cool. Let's talk about your company for just a quick second here. How do you balance being an operator? And I'm not I'm maybe use the wrong word here, but an operator and then also a capital allocator because obviously more than capital allocator. But you're raising capital and you're operating your deals. How do you balance that.   Alex Jarbo (00:20:42) - Yeah. So the, the, the biggest shift the last six months is finding we interviewed all the top managers in this area. And we're still I'm still in the management portion of it, but I'm not in the day to day. So I found a manager had him run projections for us that were without giving him obviously our numbers. And I found a manager that projected our number like did significantly more than us, and that was because they had access to specific channels that we didn't, just because of how big they are. So I've recently delegated a big portion of like my cleaning, my maintenance, my event planning, because we have a wedding venue in this market as well that's attached to one of our vacation rental properties. All of the operations piece has been delegated to a local manager. My goal is in my management side of my company is just strategy and social media, because a lot of our properties, with them being unique, social media is a big portion of that. And then when it comes to capital raising, I love putting together these deals like that.   Alex Jarbo (00:21:39) - That is where I realized my passion is is like negotiating, not necessarily negotiating this deal in particular, we were almost practically exclusively working with the sellers because they were representing themselves. But negotiating the deals and just understanding the different pieces and just fitting them together, that's really what I really specialize in. And the types of properties we're showing investors. I mean, they do sell themselves like they truly do sell themselves. We're running a big like Facebook and LinkedIn marketing towards like raising these capital. And the leads are just flowing in every single day is just how picturesque these properties are. So in terms of selling them on, on social media or just showing, like we shot a massive investor video that took us four days to shoot, that's easy to do. And then as long as you back it up with the numbers, you're good to go. So that's what I truly enjoy. So that's how I balance it. Finding a manager. Or you can hire someone in house if you wanted to do it that way to take take all the stuff that you don't want to do, like almost an operations manager and just focusing on the, the the stuff that you enjoy doing and time blocking, just dedicating three hours a day to 1 or 2 items snowballs into a ridiculous result over the course of 3 to 6 months or a year or whatever.   Sam Wilson (00:22:52) - I love it, man. That's awesome. Yeah, in the consistently improving what your strategy is, I think it's one of the things you say, okay, I've done it this way for a long time, but let's look at another way. Yeah.   Alex Jarbo (00:23:03) - Time to time to fire myself like the, the what I came to.   Sam Wilson (00:23:08) - Absolutely, man. That's that's that's it. There was, there was somebody inside of our company there today. What she say to me, she goes, you need to stop doing that. Like now I'm like, thank you. Yeah, yeah, that's my love language. She's like, just get out of the way. Like.   Sam Wilson (00:23:22) - Seriously I'm trying.   Alex Jarbo (00:23:23) - Yeah. Like I'm like trying to focus on, like how to, like, split all my time up. And I'm like, I think I just need to remove myself. Like, yeah.   Sam Wilson (00:23:30) - It's fast as you can, man. Alex, I got one more thing here that for those of you that don't know that, listen to this show.   Sam Wilson (00:23:37) - I always ask our guests on the onboarding side of things, you know, what's a unique something unique about you or a strange hobby or something that you might find interesting or I might find interesting? And Alex shared with me that he is a Guinness Book World record holder. Alex, here at the end of the show, just break it down for us man. What world record do you hold?   Alex Jarbo (00:24:02) - Furthest distance to roll a coin. It's one of the most random things if you don't know anything about me. Yeah.   Sam Wilson (00:24:08) - Furthest distance to roll.   Sam Wilson (00:24:11) - How far was it?   Alex Jarbo (00:24:12) - I forgot, man. It was like, I don't know, like I don't I had a friend that would like, was like manager of like a Gold's Gym. And this Gold's Gym had a massive long stretch of concrete like up front when you first walk into the gym, I think it was like it wasn't that far. It was like 60, 70m. It was honestly harder to find that than it was to like actually do the record.   Alex Jarbo (00:24:32) - But yeah, I did it back in 2019 when I was bored out of my mind for 2018. And. I submitted everything to Guinness and they sent me a certificate like six months later. It's pretty funny.   Sam Wilson (00:24:46) - That's hysterical. Furthest distance to roll a coin. All right, well, on that note, Alex, that's awesome, man. You never know what you're going to get out of Alex Jarboe, a short term rental expert. Thank you for taking the time to come on the show today and share with us all of your insights here. You've got some really cool stuff going on there in the Asheville market, and look forward to hearing what you do in those other couple of markets that you've identified to move into next. If our listeners want to get in touch with you, learn more about you and or your current opportunity. Raising capital for what is the best way to do that?   Alex Jarbo (00:25:19) - LinkedIn is really easy. That's a lot of stuff. Lives on. LinkedIn is just Alex Jarboe. We actually also built a website specifically just for this deal.   Alex Jarbo (00:25:27) - So that's Open Atlas Dot investments, investments with an S. I'm sure it's going to be linked somewhere in the show notes. But the deal is also on my LinkedIn, which is probably the easiest way to get to it. And then you guys can check out all the videos that we shot for it. Pitch deck there. You guys can sign up to to just schedule a call with us, and then we can go from there.   Sam Wilson (00:25:46) - Rock and roll Alex. Open Atlas Dot investments. We'll make sure of course as Alex said to include that there in the show notes. Thank you for coming on the show today. I certainly appreciate your time. This was great.   Alex Jarbo (00:25:55) - Appreciate you man. It was fun. Hey, thanks for.   Sam Wilson (00:25:57) - Listening to the How to Scale Commercial Real Estate podcast. If you can do me a favor and subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, whatever platform it is you use to listen. If you can do that for us, that would be a fantastic help to the show.   Sam Wilson (00:26:13) - It helps us both attract new listeners as well as rank higher on those directories. So appreciate you listening. Thanks so much and hope to catch you on the next episode.

Today on the podcast, Sarah joins us from Minnesota. Sarah got COVID-19 very early on in her first pregnancy during the height of the pandemic. The protocol at her practice was to recommend a precautionary 39-week induction. Sarah trusted her doctor and consented to the induction along with other interventions that were suggested. Her birth ended in a Cesarean under general anesthesia. During recovery, Sarah's knees would buckle to the point where she needed assistance walking and fell until the problem slowly resolved. When she achieved her VBAC, Sarah was able to immediately walk unassisted. She wasn't groggy from just having had anesthesia. Her throat didn't hurt. She got the immediate skin-to-skin she missed the first time.Sarah is such an amazing example of how powerful a VBAC birth can be, especially with the right prep and the right team. We just love how hands-off and supportive her doctor was. Sarah went into her birth mentally and physically strong. She labored hard, stayed calm, and pushed her baby boy out in 20 minutes!Additional LinksNeeded WebsiteHow to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for ParentsFull Transcript under Episode DetailsMeagan: Welcome to The VBAC Link. We have a story for you today coming from Minnesota. We have our friend, Sarah. And Sarah, tell me. Did you have your babies both in Minnesota or have you moved since then? Sarah: Yes, both in Minnesota. Meagan: Both in Minnesota. All right, so Minnesota parents, listen up. This is a wonderful episode in your area. Review of the WeekAs always, we have a Review of the week but first I want to talk a little bit about COVID-19. Sarah and I were just talking about how we have seen so many COVID-19 stories coming through. They had their C-section through COVID-19 or even had their VBAC during COVID-19 and then now they have gone on to VBAC. There is definitely a trend of situations that we are seeing so I'm just so curious today. Go comment on today's episode and let us know if you have any relation, but a lot of providers are wanting to induce if you have the virus, COVID-19. Sarah, that was kind of the case with you, right? They wanted to induce because you had COVID-19. Sarah: Yes. That was kind of the standard of care at that point. Meagan: Yes, which is kind of interesting to think about the new standard of care. I really am curious to see one day what the Cesarean rates did during COVID-19. You know, there is some evidence here and there on it, but I'm really curious to see what the Cesarean rate did because we do have a lot of people saying that they were induced because they had COVID and then they ended in a Cesarean. So we're going to talk a little bit. She's going to share her birth and her induction story that then led to her VBAC. But of course, we have that review. It is by Raving Abbeh and the title is “Confidence.” It says, “I found this podcast at 34 weeks pregnant and it helped me gain the confidence to fight for my chance and get a VBAC. I hope to submit a success story in a few weeks.” And guess what? This was also during 2020, so Raving Abbeh, if you haven't submitted your story, we would love you to and as always, you guys, we're always accepting stories. We definitely record in chunks, so know that if it takes time, that doesn't mean you haven't been chosen or you will never be chosen, but if you want to submit your story, go to thevbaclink.com/share. Sarah's StoriesMeagan: Okay, Sarah. Welcome to the show. Sarah: I'm so excited. Meagan: I'm so excited. I'm so, so excited. Well, tell us more about this 39-week induction and why they were saying it was the new norm. It was the protocol, right? Sarah: Yes. So at this time, I was working full-time in the hospital where I gave birth as a radiographer– an X-ray tech. I was kind of in the world a little bit. It was definitely not a fun time to work in the hospital. I actually tested positive when I was 8 weeks pregnant, so very newly pregnant. I was seeing family med for my provider and what they were doing at that time, they said, “Okay. This is what's going to be different. You're going to meet with a high-risk OB who specialized in COVID.” I would have growth ultrasounds every 4 weeks and then also, they were recommending this induction at 39 weeks. When I asked about that, what she said was that they had seen issues with the placenta. That was the reason that they had. I actually looked back on it now and I think in the study, they really only had 16 pregnant people so that was what they were basing this all off on. Meagan: Which is really nothing to start making a protocol so wide-ranged. Sarah: Right. Right. And actually, right now, my sister-in-law had COVID and she's pregnant. She had COVID at the same time I did at 8 weeks, but now it's 2023 and her doctor is not doing the growth ultrasounds. They're not recommending induction. There actually is nothing different with her current, right-now pregnancy which I find interesting. Meagan: Interesting, right? Right? Sarah: But again, it can range. Meagan: In 2020, it's interesting because they were like, “Oh, we're going to have you with this provider who specializes in COVID pregnancies,” but how does someone specialize that fast? Sarah: Right. The person that was the specialized person was the highest-up person in the department of OB. Meagan: Okay, so definitely a specialized OB. Okay. Sarah: Right. I actually only ended up meeting up with her one time because if there was anything abnormal, that's when I would go to her but my pregnancy was completely normal. I had no issues related to COVID or related to anything else which was obviously a blessing, but kind of also a bummer because now, I'm going to have this completely unnecessary induction at 39 weeks.Meagan: Yeah. Sarah: She did mention at the time that if I wanted to go past 39 weeks, I could definitely make that choice but she would do NSTs. Now after learning so much and being where I am now, I would have been like, “Okay. Let's go longer and do NSTs,” but at the time as a first-time parent, I was like, “That sounds kind of weird. Let's just do what you think.” Meagan: It sounds intense with all of these extra visits. It's a lot. It sounds like a lot. Sarah: Yeah. Otherwise, about that pregnancy, being a first-time parent and having this medical background, it's no surprise probably that my attitudes towards the doctors were that I completely trusted their knowledge with the COVID stuff because it was so new. Meagan: Oh yeah, and scary. Sarah: Yeah, definitely, but I was completely unaware that there was such a wide range of ways to treat pregnancies and so many different attitudes on how to birth babies. I was just clueless to the whole thing about the cascade of interventions and why do inductions have an increased risk of C-section? I was completely clueless to it. I am just used to with a doctor, you have a certain condition and there are ways to treat it. It was very narrow. But with birth, there are midwives. There are doulas. There are so many different ways to treat someone's birth and pregnancy that was just over my head. When people would ask me, “Oh, why are you having an induction?” and tell me that maybe I shouldn't do that, I was like, “Oh, well why wouldn't I when they say that is the best thing to do for this COVID situation?” For me, it was like, “Well, they know better than me.” Meagan: Right, yeah. Sarah: I think you say all the time that you don't know what you don't know. Meagan: You don't know what you don't know and you can't judge yourself for not knowing what you don't know. Sarah: Yes. I definitely had to work through forgiving myself for sure. Meagan: Yeah. You have to take the information. I think I talked about this too. My husband had said this. We took the information we were given and made the best choice that we felt we had with the information provided. Sarah:  Yes. Meagan: Right? And that's what you did. Sarah: Right. Honestly, it's funny now. Even just preparing for birth in general, take away the COVID part, it's kind of funny how I did basically nothing to prepare for birth. I just focused on my registry and other things like that after the baby got there. It was kind of because I had this, “Oh if I go with the flow, I'll have the best outcome. I don't want to put too many expectations on myself. I don't want to pressure myself. I'm just going to go with the flow. I don't know how my body is going to handle it,” which does have a place. There is a goodness to that, but I think I was a little too extreme where I was like, “My mom had C-sections. I know if that happens, it happens.” It was just very, “Whatever happens, happens.” Now, I look back and I'm like, “Well, now all I did was have no tools in my toolbox to deal with pain, labor, or resources to help make those hard decisions that I was going to have to make.” I had nothing in the background to help me with that. Meagan: No tools in your toolbox. Sarah: Exactly. That's why it was very different for my second birth but at that time, I was like, “Okay, whatever happens, happens. I don't know what's going to happen to me or how my body is going to take it, so we'll just see what happens.” I was scheduled at 39 weeks on a Monday and actually, that Friday before, they called me and said, “Hey, do you want to come in early? We have a lot of people scheduled on Monday.” I was like, “Oh, I'm excited to meet my baby. I'll go in even earlier,” which is like, oh. Okay. That weekend, we were actually moving into our new house an hour away. Meagan: Oh my gosh. Sarah: We actually spent one night at our new house and the next day we drove back to Rochester to have our baby but we were so excited. Meagan: Yeah. Absolutely. Sarah: I wasn't even thinking about anything else. We were scheduled for a 7:00 PM Saturday appointment then. When I got there, I was completely 0% dilated. Closed. 0, 0, 0, -3 station. Furthest from ready. Meagan: Not ready to have a baby, yeah. Sarah: No. So they started me with Cytotec overnight and in the morning, they placed the Cook catheter then they started Pitocin right after. I faintly remember watching Beauty and the Beast bouncing on a ball, but that was the extent of any movement in my labor. Like I said, I didn't prepare for anything. I just was like, “Oh, bounce on a ball. Everyone says that's good.” I didn't do much. But what did start happening was the baby was having decels, not liking the Pitocin, so I had to get moved from side to side. I was lying on the bed– not the best position to have the baby not be so high up. Meagan: Right. Sarah: But then by 10:00 AM, they took out the Cook catheter. I was 4 centimeters dilated. Things were moving along. But then at 11:00, they had to turn down the Pitocin because again, the baby was still not tolerating it very well. Then I felt a big pop in my belly and I was like, “Oh, is this what it feels like when your water breaks?” I was excited. I'm like, “Oh, that sounded like a balloon popping.” So they came in and they were like, “No, we don't see anything. Your water didn't break.” I was like, “Oh, okay sure.” Meagan: I felt something. Sarah: So then a half hour later, they came back in because they had to actually turn off the Pitocin because the baby still wasn't happy. They checked me and they're like, “Oh, there's all your water,” and it gushed out on them. So I was like, “Okay, well at least I know that I can trust my intuition even though you didn't quite believe me.” Meagan: Yes. Sarah: But I'm not crazy. It did break. The contractions were getting really intense at this point. I tried laughing gas. It didn't really work. At that point, I decided, “Okay. I'm ready for an epidural. I feel like I've gotten as far as I can with what I prepared,” which was nothing. I actually found out this after the fact, but at this point, they actually gave me medicine to stop my contractions. Meagan: Like terbutaline or something?Sarah: Yes, exactly. They gave me that at this point. I actually have no recollection of this, but I was able to look at my records after the fact and I was like, “Oh, I never knew they even gave me that.” Apparently, they gave me that to stop things or slow them down or whatever. I was about 5 centimeters dilated at this point and they placed the epidural. Everything went smoothly with that and then an hour later, they were like, “Oh, we're going to start the Pitocin again.” I was like, “Okay.” I was 5 centimeters at that point and then 40 minutes later, they checked me and I was 9 centimeters. Meagan: Whoa, so your body went into total relaxation mode and dilated. Sarah: Yes. Yes. I was like, “Cool. That was fast.” They had just sent away the doctor. They had to call her back. Shortly after that, I was at 10 centimeters, ready to go. This is when they had me start pushing. One important part that I know now is that I don't remember ever feeling pressure or the urge to push or anything like that. They were just like, “Okay. It's time to push.” I'm like, “Okay.”I did end up pushing for about 3 hours. They did let me try a few different positions. They tried to turn down my epidural to help too, but she never really progressed past that zero station. So nothing was happening. I was mostly on my back for all of it.I remember them saying that they would let me push for the most at 4 hours, but at the 3-hour mark, I was exhausted. I felt like we had made no progress. I was just like, “Nothing's going to change in another hour at this point for me. I don't know what I'm doing. You try to tell me how to push. I still don't know.” Meagan: Yeah. You're just like, “I'm tired.” Sarah: Exactly. The contractions were beginning to be really painful. Again, I didn't really have a way to cope with them. The pushing wasn't working so I consented to the C-section. I just remember feeling so defeated and just crying, being wheeled into the OR. My doctor stayed right by my head and talked to me until my husband was supposed to come in because I kept saying, “Hey, I feel these contractions. They are strong.” They were trying to give me all of the medicine to numb me enough. They were doing the prick test to make sure that I couldn't feel it and I just remember it was really hard because my nose was plugged up from crying. I felt like I couldn't breathe anyway. I wasn't sure about the pokes. I was like, “They are sharp to me. I feel them. They don't feel like pressure. They feel sharp.” They were like, “Okay. Well, we're going to have to put you under.” They put the mask on me. I breathed in and went to sleep. Meagan: And you were gone. Sarah: Yep. Then I was gone. Meagan: Your husband probably never came in then? Sarah: So he did get to go into the OR. She was born. They let him go in so he was all gowned up. He was in the OR. He kind of tells it like, “Yeah, it was so weird. I looked over and there you were on the table.” He wasn't so close to me. Meagan: Sleeping. Sarah: But yeah. I was sleeping. He did get to do skin-to-skin. They let him do that in the OR which was really nice. They got a bunch of pictures of her getting weighed and him cutting the cord in there so it was nice to have some of those pictures that I can look back on. Meagan: Right. Sarah: That's something. Meagan: Right, yeah. It helps you relate, too, when you're not awake. Sarah: Exactly. It was definitely a weird experience. But when I did come to, apparently, I had been awake longer but you know how that works. When you're waking up from anesthesia, it's kind of weird. But apparently, when I woke up, they told me that I was just like, “Where's the baby? Where's the baby? Where's the baby?” They rushed me back. I don't remember any of that, but what I do remember is when I woke up, my throat was so sore and hurt so bad. But she was on me and she latched immediately and started feeding so that was really special. Meagan: Yes. Sarah: Just how she was able to eat right away and I didn't have any problems with that which was really nice. I know that can happen sometimes. That's basically that birth. Meagan: An unexpected ending and a less-ideal situation, but then to come out and have things work out really nicely was probably really healing and comforting. Sarah: Yes. Right away, I was definitely happy. She was healthy. I was okay. She was eating. But I remember just recovering from a C-section, you're in a fog. I remember my legs being in those machines to keep the blood flowing, having a catheter, having my sore throat, and whispering to talk. That kind of thing was definitely not a fun recovery in that aspect right immediately after. Meagan: Yeah. Sarah: I actually had a really weird thing. I had problems with my knees. Meagan: Oh. Sarah: I have never heard anyone else talk about this. Meagan: Interesting, like wobbly and strong? Sarah: So what happened was once they took out the catheter and then they give you the, “Okay, it's time to try to go to the bathroom for the first time.” When I tried to stand up, my knees would just buckle. The first day, I had to have two people assist me to the bathroom. The second day, it was also a two-assist. Slowly, they started to not always buckle. I was in the hospital, I think, for four days. Four or five days. Eventually, they wouldn't buckle but when I got home, they would buckle when I went upstairs. I did fall twice but slowly, they did get better. It was fine. It was just if I unexpectedly took a step. My cat scared me and I stepped and then I would fall because my knee wasn't expecting it. Meagan: I just looked it up because I am legitimately curious. It says, “Acute lower limb compartment syndrome after a Cesarean.” Sarah: Oh. Hmm. Meagan: Interesting. So it can happen. Sarah: Interesting. I was just kind of assuming it was a mix of me being numbed from the waist down for hours and then my legs being up in the air for hours and then being in the C-section, and then also laying down. Do you know what I mean? Something with that, but no doctor or anything ever said anything to me about it. They were just like, “Oh, okay. That's weird.” Meagan: Yeah. Really, really interesting. It says that it's rare. Sarah: Oh. Meagan: It's pretty rare, so you get to be in one of those rare groups. Thank you for sharing. Sarah: Yeah, so otherwise, I hadn't really fully processed the birth but every time I would tell my birth story, I would choke up or cry and that's when I realized, “Oh, maybe I didn't really like that very much” because at first, you're just happy the baby is okay and you're okay. I actually remember right afterward, I was like, “Oh, okay for any other baby, I'll just schedule a C-section. This time it will be planned and I'm going to be awake for it.” I honestly wasn't even thinking about VBAC right away. I was just like, “Oh, the future will be easier. It will be fine.” But when my daughter was around 6 months old, I started to listen to The Birth Hour and I found myself searching C-section stories, looking for things like mine which led me to hearing VBAC stories, searching those out, and then finally finding The VBAC Link. That was the big game changer. I am so appreciative of you guys having this podcast and keeping it going on and all that. Meagan: Absolutely. Sarah: Such an inspiration. I learned so much even from both podcasts about interventions, doulas, birth teams, and most importantly, trusting in a woman's body. It kind of leads me to this big thing. It's like, why do we have to go through some sort of trauma to become an advocate for women and educate ourselves? Meagan: Right? Sarah: I feel like that's such a theme. Meagan: It's so true though. It's so true. Why do we have to go through a really crappy experience? It doesn't always have to be crappy. I'm not saying C-sections are crappy, but a big experience to have passion and to feel that motivation behind that.Sarah: Exactly. Yep. Sometimes, it's so hard because it's like when you talk to someone who hasn't been affected by this kind of situation where it doesn't go their way in the hospital, it sounds like a conspiracy theory. “You can't trust the doctors.” That's not what we're saying. It's so much more than that. Meagan: It is. It really is. It's not even just in birth. Truly, right? My husband does not do what he does, I think, mainly just because he didn't want to do it one day. It was like, “Hey, this really unfortunate situation happened to someone I love and I want to be available in a different manner to help them or help anybody else.” So he took on his profession. It's like IBCLCs– I'm sure a lot of them have had unfortunate or poor nursing experiences and are like, “We want to help other people have better experiences.”Sarah: Yes, because it's the information that, “Oh, wow.” It makes complete sense that, “Oh, things might go a little bit better if you let your body naturally do it.” Oh, well yeah. That makes sense. It makes sense that, “Oh, if I have someone who's trained in positioning, maybe if I move my body in this way, then I can get my baby in a better position to come out better. Oh, that makes sense. Why didn't I know that? Why didn't my doctor say, ‘Hey, there are some positions that can help.'” It's confusing to me. It's like, well that makes sense. Meagan: Yeah. Sarah: Yeah. So obviously, I just dove right into all of the VBAC stuff and learning all about that and listening to different stories. I was super excited for my next pregnancy because I had made the decision, “Yes. I'm going to go for a VBAC and I'm super excited about it.” I was ready to do all of the things to make it more successful. We got pregnant when my daughter was around 15 months old. We wanted a two-year age gap and they're both two years apart in April so that worked out for us. Meagan: Perfectly, yeah. Sarah: So the things I did to make it more successful– they are all things that people on this podcast talk about. For physical things, it was workouts that focused on birth prep. I didn't do anything crazy like walking for miles and miles every day. I just did the minimal which was doing some exercises every day for hips opening, cat/cow, and all of that stuff. I did the Miles Circuit later on in pregnancy every day. I ate my dates every day. I drank my tea.Then I think the biggest thing, too, is mentally preparing. For mentally preparing, I got my doula. I really love that the doula does the meetings before the birth. I didn't even know that when I had heard people talk about doulas but meeting before and talking about what birth plan I wanted, what things– Meagan: Your desires. Sarah: Exactly and what things could happen. I'm like, “This would be so helpful for a first-time parent to know all of this stuff.” I wish I had gotten her with my first. Also, just talking about coping mechanisms, what are some positions that we are going to do, talk about scenarios. It was great. Then I also, for mentally preparing, I looked up a bunch of different coping mechanisms. I actually did Hypnobabies. I wasn't consistent with the meditation, but it was very helpful to practice the breathing and visualization. Meagan: I did too. I did it as well. Sarah: I was really bad at the meditations so that didn't stick with me, but it was really, really great to practice the breathing and all of that. And honestly, just listening to birth stories is mentally preparing because I would really only focus on positive stories toward the end of my pregnancy. I was like, “Okay, now we are in the home stretch. We are just going to stick to all of the positive ones.” The big thing, too, was finding my provider. I joined The VBAC Cesarean Support Group on Facebook way earlier and everyone had all of the recommendations of who to go to. My provider is actually family med, but he is more like a midwife. Actually, my doula said that he's actually more crunchy than a midwife as a family med. For all of the births that she attended, she said, “He is more hands-off than a midwife.” I'm like, “Wow.” Meagan: Wow, that's cool. Sarah: And what's great is that he attends all of his births so there is no rotating call schedule. Meagan: Which is huge. Sarah: There's no, “Who's going to be there?” He's very trusting of women's bodies. I did my due diligence and I asked him, “How often have you personally seen a uterine rupture? How often do you use the vacuum? How often have you done episiotomies?” You know, so just asking him all of the things. He had really great responses and I felt really solid with him. Meagan: Which is really important, right? To have those conversations also. We know that when they come in and they say, “Hey, do you have any questions?” It's really okay to ask questions. Sarah: Yes. That's the big thing. So because he's not an OB, I had to go do a consult with the OB that he works with in the hospital. The OB who works in the hospital definitely wasn't making me fearful, but there's a certain form you have to fill out that says, “Hey, obviously if you're successful with your TOLAC, that's going to be the safest option for you. But if you're not successful, that's the least safe.” It's easy to plant doubt, but after I saw him again, I asked my provider, “How often do you see it?” It was such a small amount and since he's one of the VBAC go-tos, I felt very confident with him. It was really nice to have that fear taken away in that way. Meagan: Yeah. Yeah. Sarah: And then this is kind of interesting. Just for fun, I did message my old provider at my previous hospital just to see what she would say about my chances for VBAC. I actually messaged her before I was pregnant. I said, “Hey, I am kind of processing and struggling from my C-section. What do you think about my chance for VBAC?” It was just on a message. What she said was, “You did everything you could at that time to have her vaginally, but she just didn't fit your pelvis for whatever reason. We think of fitting as a lock and key situation. Both pieces have to work together to open, so there's no way to know if a future baby would ever fit your pelvis better than she did.” Then she kind of went on. I thought, “Nope.” I'm like, “Nope. I'm not taking that in.” Meagan: Yes. Sarah: It was interesting. Meagan: Thank you so much, but no thanks. Sarah: Exactly.Sarah: Exactly. I'm like, “I don't think she didn't fit my pelvis. That's not a thing.” Meagan: But you know, it's an easy thing for people to say or diagnose. It's like, “Oh, well your baby was perfect. You were perfect, but the two together didn't really match that time.” Sarah: Right. Meagan: That doesn't necessarily mean that's true. We just don't know. Sarah: Again, we can't go back in time and have me try something different. Meagan: Yes, yes. Sarah: But I think it's interesting that she said that. Meagan: It is. Sarah: Again, I talked to my doctor. He's like, “Oh yeah. Great. Let's do it.” Meagan: Yeah. Sarah: He said, “You've got this.” So you know. Otherwise, I'm preparing. This is the funny thing too, again. At first, I didn't have any intention of trying to go unmedicated. At first. I was like, “I definitely want to VBAC,” but I wasn't trying to do that. I was just focused on the VBAC part. But once you hear enough birth stories, you know that if I do all of this preparation and I go as long as I can without this intervention, I'm going to have the best possible chance of a healthy vaginal birth. If it still ends in a C-section, it's because that was what had to happen not because I didn't know any better. Meagan: Right. Sarah: So that's when I was like, “Yes, okay. It makes sense for me to try. I should just try to go unmedicated. I should just do it. Whatever happens, happens.” I still am keeping my go-with-the-flow but with a lot of preparation. It was kind of funny because when I would tell people that, “I'm trying to go unmedicated,” people will say the craziest things to you. Meagan: Right? “I could never.” Sarah: Yes, or “I know someone who did and it was the worst thing they ever chose to do. They said, ‘Never do that.'” It's like, I know and I've heard many, many stories of people doing it and are very happy with the outcome. So definitely right before, I was 37 weeks. I was like, “I'm going to read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth.” Everybody talks about it, but I just wanted to hone in and focus on those unmedicated birth stories and just say, “How did you guys do this? How was it successful?” That was really helpful. I really liked that book. That was really good. Meagan: Yeah. I really like it too. Sarah: Yeah. Otherwise in this pregnancy though, I physically felt really good. I got Braxton Hicks contractions which I didn't have in my first pregnancy. That was definitely new. Meagan: Yes. Probably exciting. Sarah: It was exciting. I was like, “Okay, yeah. Every birth is different.” That was one of the Hypnobabies thing that stuck with me. Each baby is different. Your birth is going to be different. Don't let that fear creep in on you. But at 33 weeks, I found out the baby was breech so that was scary. Meagan: Yeah. It throws you for a loop, right? Sarah: Yes. When I found out that he was breech, I immediately messaged my doula. She gave me Spinning Babies exercises to do every day. I was making sure I was sitting forward and all of that stuff. Then I went to see a chiropractor first and then she also gave me this massage therapist who was trained in breech balancing massage. I went to both of those and the baby was flipped at my next appointment at 35 weeks. Meagan: Yay. Sarah: So I was very happy. The coolest thing with the massage therapist—in our state, I'm pretty sure she is maybe the only one who does this breech balancing massage. She told me because I actually went to do a follow-up appointment. Even though he was already head down, I was like, “Let's just go again to make sure.” She said that she was treating six other breech moms at that time and they had all flipped when I came back from my second appointment. Meagan: Oh my gosh. Sarah: Yeah. I'm always in the groups. I'm like, “If anyone is breech, try this specific breech balancing massage. Yeah.” It's really interesting just listening to her talk about it because she is so knowledgeable about, “Hey, your baby is breech for a reason. You have these muscles that get tightened. Your pelvis is this bowl and if things are in the wrong position, the baby wants to be head down. If I can release all of these muscles and make more space in there, even if the massage might not on its own make your baby flip, but giving your baby that space, then your ECV is more successful if you do that. Meagan: Right. Sarah: I was very happy because I had done all of this work and hyped myself up. I wouldn't want to have to schedule a C-section for this reason after all of that but if it happened, it happened. Meagan: Yeah. Sarah: So everything was going good then until my 39-week appointment. I had a high blood pressure reading so I was like, “Oh great.” But my doctor was not worried. He had me do an NST, labs, and monitor at home. I came back in a few days and everything was good. That was nice. Actually, the day that I went back for my follow-up for my high blood pressure was the day that I got my birth records. They had my birth records there for me. I had gone this whole time. I was almost 40 weeks and I was like, “I still really want to see.” Meagan: You had requested them? Sarah: Yeah, and it just took a really long time to get them. When I had that appointment, I was able to get my birth records earlier than I thought. I didn't think I was even going to get them by the time I had the baby. I was able to read through them and kind of work through it. My doula was like, “Oh, do you want to call and talk about it?” I was like, “Yes.” It was kind of like a fear release for me because that night I went into labor. Meagan: Yeah. Did you find anything in there that you didn't know before? Sarah: I mean, that one thing was that terbutaline. I didn't know that. And then I was just curious about some of the dilation. Also, I saw on my records too that the surgeon who did my C-section put, “This patient is a candidate for a TOLAC.” Meagan: Oh yeah. Sarah: It was nice just to have that and to see that the surgeon who did my C-section would put that on my note like, “Yeah. They are a candidate.”Meagan: Yeah, it's helpful. Sarah: Just working through it too was nice to see it in a timeline. So that night was the night I went into labor. At 2:00 AM, I woke up with my contractions. Right away, they were 3-7 minutes apart. I had the same situation three weeks before where I woke up and had contractions that were 3-7 minutes apart, but they fizzled out and didn't come back. I only had that situation one time earlier. So I was like, “Oh, this could be another practice. This could be the real thing.” But they were stronger than the last time. That's the biggest thing too. Even though they were so close together, I was handling them so well that I was like, “I think I'll just wait this out,” which is interesting because if you're a first-time mom, you're like, “Hey, this is 4-1-1. I'm having them.” Meagan: You have to go! Sarah: And they're long. A lot of them were long like at least a minute, but they just weren't strong so I was like, “Okay, well I'll wait.” Then my husband woke up at 4:00 AM. I was like, “Hey, I'm having these contractions.” His response was, “I'd better hurry up and go work. I've got some work to get done.” He's like, “Oh no. I gotta go.” So then he went away to go work on stuff. Then by 6:00 AM, I was like, “Okay.” I had a couple really strong ones so I was like, “Oh.” Then I was also getting back labor so I was like, “All right. Time to text the doula.” I was like, “Hey, this is what's going on.” She was like, “Well, your back pain might be because of the baby's position, so try to do the Miles Circuit. Eat a good breakfast. Hydrate. I'm preparing you for possibly a long day.” I said, “Okay, sounds good.” I had my bagel with cream cheese. I got my Body Armor drinks out, but when I tried to do the Miles Circuit, it was so intense. I could not. The minute I laid down and I had a contraction in the Miles Circuit position, the laying down one, it was like, “Whoa, no.” Meagan: Not gonna happen. Sarah: I'm like, “I think this is time for me to start going into some prep mode here.” So I dimmed the lights in my room. I had my ball but I actually didn't like bouncing on it so I never bounced on it. Meagan: Was it uncomfortable? Sarah: Yeah. For me, that seated position was uncomfortable. For me, I was in a forward-leaning position. I'd lean against the wall and sway or I'd have my husband come. I'd hug him and sway. I'm like, “This is working out okay.” The back labor was a different aspect that was like, “There's got to be something I can do for this back labor.” I messaged her and she's like, “Okay, well obviously have him try to do hip squeezes,” but he wasn't really getting the job done with the hip squeezes. She recommended the shower to also help us see if it's going to calm down or if it will keep going. I got in the shower and it was magic. The heat on the back was perfect. My favorite thing ever, but the hot water ran out after 15 minutes and I was so sad. Meagan: Oh shoot. Sarah: So the hot water ran out and I was like, “Oh man.” I got out of the shower and I was like, “Now we might just have to go to the hospital right now because I need hot water. I want to get in that tub.” That was my dream was getting in the tub. Meagan: Right. Sarah: So my doula checked in with me at this point and asked about the shower. I was like, “Yeah.” I think I was kind of in denial because I was like, “Oh, it's medium intense,” but they were still happening. She was like, “Okay, well maybe you should start heading in as long as they are staying 3-4 minutes consistently for an hour. Go ahead and start heading in.” At this point, she also tells me that she is actually in another birth. Then she joined me with the backup doula so she was at another birth. I was like, “Oh bummer.” But my backup doula ended up being amazing as well. But you know, when you're preparing with someone— Meagan: Can I just say right there that is a real thing? It's usually if you have to have a backup doula, it usually works out so well. Right? Sarah: Yeah, it was so good. Meagan: But like you were saying as I was cutting you off, as you were preparing with someone else, it's hard. Sarah: Yeah, it's kind of a bummer because you know this person so well and you had worked with them, but it worked out perfectly fine too. I really like my backup doula. She's great as well. She told me, again because I was like, “Hey, what can I do for now? We're going to head in probably soon but what else can I do for this back pain?” She was like, “Do you have a heating pack?” I'm like, “Ooh, yes.” I was putting a hot pack on my back which again, wasn't hot enough for me. Meagan: You needed a hot tub. Sarah: It did something. At this point, my daughter had actually woken up because we were still at home. It was about 8:00 and she was so sweet. Every time I'd have a contraction, I'd go into my room. I'd have my calming music on and my swaying but then I would leave and I'd come back out with her. She was just so sad. She wasn't crying, but she had these big tears welling up in her eyes. I would hold her and she would pat my back. She was like, “It's okay.” It's like she knew that something was going on. I was like, “I'm okay. It's okay.” She was just kind of like, “What is going on?” I wasn't making loud, loud noises but I would be doing horse lips through them or moaning. Meagan: Coping. Sarah: Yeah, nothing too crazy, but for her, she could tell that something was going on. Luckily, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law came over shortly after that around 8:30ish. My sister-in-law took my daughter and was like, “Let's go play,” so she was good. She was good. My mother-in-law saved me because she said, “Oh, I will boil hot water.” So she got a big pot and boiled hot water. She put cloths in them and put those on my back. That was amazing. Meagan: I bet that felt really good. Sarah: Right. So at this point, my husband probably should have been getting the cars ready for us to go to the hospital, but instead, he was cleaning the house frantically. Meagan: That was probably his way of coping. “Oh my gosh, this is happening. I'm going to go work and then I'm going to go clean the house.” Sarah: Yes. Yes, so we're like, “Okay, it's time. We've got to get going.” I'm like, “Yeah. I've got to get going.” So finally, we get in the car. My back is soaking wet from these hot towels but they are saving me. Luckily, the drive was only 10 minutes. I had my hot towel in there. It wasn't the most comfortable, but we got there. They checked us in and they moved us to triage. At this point, again, the sitting position was not my position for labor. It was, “Nope, not happening.” I was always kneeling, facing the back of the bed. The back of the bed was up. I held onto it. Then when I was in triage, though, I didn't have my coping mechanisms. I didn't have my hot towels. My next plan that I had was the comb technique. I had packed a couple of combs. I was telling my husband, “All right. Your hip squeezes—” he was trying to find the combs and of course, he couldn't find the combs that I brought. But he did remember that he brought his own comb. Meagan: Hey! Sarah: So I was able to take his comb which I can say RIP to his comb. I used it. There were little comb tings, whatever they are called, the teeth of the comb were everywhere at the end of my birth but it definitely worked. So then every time I would have a contraction, I was pushing on the comb and breathing as they were checking me into triage. But they were able to kind of get the band on me. They gave me an ultrasound to make sure the baby was head down while I was in triage. Then they checked me. The nurse checked me and when she was down there, she was like, “Oh, it's really hard to tell how dilated you are because you have a bulging bag of waters and I really can't tell what you're doing.” She was like, “I think you're almost complete.” I'm like, “Okay.” Meagan: Whoa. Sarah: I'm like, “Okay.” This whole time, she'd been trying to call someone on her radio, but they were really busy. At that point, she was like, “Okay, let's get this room.” She was like, “I'll just wheel you on this bed unless you want to walk.” I'm like, “Actually, I want to walk.” I was actually thinking, “You know what? I think I want the bed that is in the room. The triage beds aren't probably as comfortable.” That's where my mind was so I was like, “Let me just walk.” Meagan: No. Sarah: So they get me in the room and again, my doula is on her way but she's not there yet. It's about, I think, 10:00. My doctor comes in. They put the little IV on my arm in case I need any medicine. All I'm doing right now- Meagan: Hep lock. Sarah: Yes, exactly. All I'm saying is that I just wanted to get in the tub. This is me the whole time in triage. Meagan: I just want the water. Sarah: I want to get in the tub. I want to get in the tub. The comb is helping, but I want to get in the tub. So he comes in. I'm like, “Hey, can I get in the tub?” He's like, “Well, you can but I should probably check you first if you want me to. If you're really close like the nurse thinks, then you'll have to push soon possibly.” I'm like, “Yes. Check me because then, if I'm not, I can get in the tub.” That was in the back of my mind. He checked me. He's down there for a while and I'm finally like, “Okay, you've got to get out.” He's like, “I understand why they are having a hard time. Yes. You have a big, bulging bag of waters. I can tell why she had a hard time and I think you're maybe 7 or 8 centimeters but I can't tell. As soon as the water breaks, you're going to be fast.” I was like, “Sounds like I can get in the tub.” He was like, “Yes, you can.” Meagan: You're like, “Perfect.” Sarah: Perfect. This is when my doula came around this time. She helped get the tub in motion because they were like, “Well, it's going to take a while. We've got to get you on these mobile monitors.” She went in and she got the water going and I was able to get in the tub. The only problem is that once I got in the tub, I was like, “Oh, I think I have to poop,” which is the magic— Meagan: Means you're going to have a baby! Sarah: She was like, “Well if you want, you can sit on the toilet and see if you actually do poop.” I was like, “Sounds like a plan.” I sat on the toilet facing the back of the toilet. I had my hands on my comb. My comb was with me everywhere. That's when I had the scary, scary transition contraction. I was so happy I had her there because she was saying all of the right things and at this point, I can't remember any of them except for her saying to me, “This is the hardest part, but it's also the shortest. You are in transition.” When I heard her, I was like, “Okay, that makes sense.” I was a little shaky. You just feel so out of control. I was like, “Whoa. I don't know about this. I'm not sure about this.” Meagan: You start questioning. It's weird. Sarah: It is really, yeah. But she was saying all of the things I needed to hear, so I was good. So then I was like, “Okay, no poop is coming. Let's get back in the tub.” So I got back in the tub, and then I had probably one contraction and then a lab person came to the door and was like, “I've got to take your blood.” We're like, “Uh, okay. Let's just wait until she's in between contractions.” I'm like, “That's a good idea.” So she comes in. She turns on the light. I'm like, “This is throwing off my vibe.” She sits down next to me and she scans my band and then they were like, “Okay, let's wait for the next one.” The next contraction came and it was the, “My body is pushing! I'm pushing. Help!” I had that fetal ejection reflex, but my water was still intact so it was more of the water ejection reflex. Meagan: It was pushing that, yeah. Exactly. Sarah: My body did the thing where it pushed on its own. I've always heard about this when I've listened to the podcasts that this happens. I was always like, “Oh, I want that. That sounds nice. Do it for me,” but I did not like it. Nope. Especially because I was in the tub, maybe that's why, but I just felt so out of control. I was like, “Whoa. I'm not controlling this pushing,” but I was also very excited because I knew that meant it was time. The lab person promptly left the bathroom and they never got my blood. I don't know why they needed it, but they never got it. Meagan: I know. It's so weird, “We need your blood right now.” It's like, “Really? Why?” Sarah: Yeah. Especially when, “Oh, I'm in transition about to have a baby.” I think you're okay. Meagan: Seriously. Sarah: I had that. So that happened and then my doula was like, “Well, do you think you want to get in the bed?” I'm like, “Yes. If a baby is coming, I need to be on the bed.” So again, my favorite position—even my tub position was my hands and knees. I was draping my hand on the back of the bed kind of in that—I wasn't really hands and knees because I started that way and then I ended up hugging a pillow and kind of squatting back. Meagan: Yeah, okay. Sarah: Yeah. I started pushing. Again, my waters hadn't broken yet which was obviously, this is a big thing with my provider. He is hands-off. Any other provider would have said, “Do you want me to break your water?” Meagan: Absolutely. Sarah: That would have been a thing. It was kind of interesting that “Nope. I'm just doing it all on my own what my body wants to do.” I was pushing for about 10 minutes and then my waters exploded. They all knew it was coming, so no one got drenched, but it was so loud. Meagan: Everyone was probably a little sensitive in that area. They were probably like, “I'll walk over here.” Sarah: Yes. They expected it. My doctor was like, “I might get drenched, but I'm ready for it.” But he didn't. Meagan: That's okay. Sarah: It was so loud. I was shocked. It was like a gunshot. It felt like it was just like BAM when I pushed it out. So that was great. Then about 5 minutes after that, he was born. I pushed the waters out and then pushed him out. His head was right there and they were like, “Oh, you can reach down and feel the head.” I'm like, “I can't.” I had to reach down. I'm like, “My arms are too short.” So then I pushed him out. It was about two pushes I think.Yes, as soon as that water was done, yeah. He was two pushes after that. It was about 20 minutes of pushing total. Meagan: Whoa. That's like nothing. Sarah: Yeah, then I got to flip around. They put him on me and they didn't cut the cord until it was done pulsing. They did delayed cord clamping. They did the golden hour. He was just on my chest the whole time. I birthed my placenta which was fine. I did have a small tear which was just something I was scared about with an unmedicated birth. I'm like, “Oh, that will be not pleasant. I hope I don't but again, no idea. I probably will. Most people do.” It was a very small, I guess, second-degree tear but he numbed it. It just felt like a bunch of little bee stings. He numbed it and stitched it. It was fine. Baby was on my chest for that whole hour. What was crazy to me—I also consented to having the Pitocin drip afterward to get the— Meagan: The uterus to contract down, mhmm. Sarah: Yes, yes. I had that. Once that was done, I was able to just stand up and go to the bathroom. Meagan: Amazing, right? Sarah: I could just get up to go to the bathroom. I felt good. I felt fine. This was about 10:50 in the morning, so yeah. I was at the hospital for an hour and a half before he was born. Later that night around 5:00, we had family come over to see the baby that night. I felt as great as could be with still normal postpartum stuff. Meagan: Right. You did just push a baby out. But you weren't knocked out and coming too and all of those other things. Sarah: Yes. So yeah. That's about it for that.Meagan: Aw, yes. Well, congratulations. I'm sure that was a very different experience. I mean, I'm sure both babies were, right? We all cherish our babies' births but to be more present in your baby's birth, I'm sure definitely left an impact. Sarah: Yeah. Even my husband told me that for this time, he actually teared up and felt like it was just such a more of an emotional experience even for him which is completely understandable. It was actually really scary for him with the C-section he told me. They tell you, “Hey, we're going to go put your wife out. We're going to come back and get you and then you're going to come and be part of it.” He's sitting there waiting, waiting, waiting. They just kind of say, “Hey, you can't go in anymore. We knocked her out. You have to wait here. It's going to be a while.” Then he's just like, “Oh, is she going to be okay?” It was a little scary for him too, that first one. This was a lot, obviously, more emotional and just a really cool experience for both of us. Meagan: Yeah. I'm sure it was very healing for both of you like you said. That couldn't have been easy for him walking in and seeing you in that manner. I mean, the fact that he even brought it up. “It was weird when I walked in and you were laying there but then I'm over here doing skin-to-skin with this baby.” Sarah: Yep. Meagan: I'm sure it was so healing for both of you. Huge congrats. Sarah: Yeah, thank you. Oh, and one thing to mention with the doctor is that because I gave him all of my birth plan too, at no point in this hospital situation was I ever offered anything. They knew what my preferences were. They never said anything about any interventions at all. They never said, “Do you want us to break this water?” Everyone was on board. It was great. Meagan: Yeah. You really didn't feel like you had to fight along the way. Sarah: Yeah. It was all supportive which is what I wanted. Meagan: Yeah, and what you deserved. Sarah: Yeah. It was really great to have that. Honestly, the thing I also really liked about pushing in that position where you are facing the back of the bed was that I didn't see all of the people staring at me. It was nice because—and not that it would have mattered—but I'm kind of socially anxious in that situation so it was nice to just be focused on my husband's hand holding me. I've got my comb. I'm breathing. I'm totally in it. I'm not looking around. With the C-section, that labor was like everyone was staring at you. You're pushing and trying and nothing is happening. It was so nice to just be here in my world. I never even saw anyone. Meagan: Yeah. Sometimes you see people's faces and they are not wanting to communicate with their mouths so they communicate with their faces. So when you are just staring at all of these people surrounding you, you find yourself, “What are they saying?” Sarah: Yeah, exactly. Meagan: You start questioning it. It pulls you out of that space. It sounds like you were really able to stay in that space because maybe you didn't see any of that. Sarah: Yes, exactly. When I was pushing, it was really hard. I'm not saying it was easy. “Oh, unmedicated in 20 minutes.” No. It was hard work. There were times when some doubts would creep in and I was like, “What if he's in the canal too long? Will he be okay?” It would be easy for those doubts to creep in, but my doctor and my doula were all saying the things that I needed to hear. “You're doing it. Your body knows what to do. Keep pushing this way. Push like you're going to poop.” They were saying all of the things to keep me focused. It would be so easy if you're not ready to give birth to a baby, that feeling would be very scary. You would feel very out of control. I could see how easy it would be for that to be very, very scary. Having the people there that knew what to say to me was very helpful. Meagan: Yeah. Absolutely. The team is really that powerful though. It really, really is. Sarah: Mhmm. Meagan: So get a team. If you're looking for a doula, we've got doulas on our website that are VBAC-trained and certified. Get a good provider who is supportive and loving and willing to just like Dr. Ryan, just yeah. “Let's do this. Let's do it.” Super supportive from the get-go. “Yeah, we have to have this consult, but I'm not not supporting you by sending you to this consult.” Sarah: Exactly. Yep. He's like, “This person knows that I do a lot of VBACs. They've been through this before.” Meagan: Yes. Yes. Sarah: Yeah. Meagan: Well, huge, huge congrats.ClosingWould you like to be a guest on the podcast? Tell us about your experience at thevbaclink.com/share. For more information on all things VBAC including online and in-person VBAC classes, The VBAC Link blog, and Meagan's bio, head over to thevbaclink.com. Congratulations on starting your journey of learning and discovery with The VBAC Link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vbac-link/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

"Hello, my name is Avery Fisher. I am the GM, Producer, Editor, and Sound Designer for Beyond the Furthest Stars. This show is a Sci-Fi Actual Play podcast using the Stars Without Number System. Our show follows a crew of found family as they navigate the wild Moirae Galaxy. Along the way, they meet strange creatures, mysterious organizations, and even some people from our own Milky Way Galaxy. The episode you're about to hear is Episode 28: Grief, Hope, Sorrow, and Anger. In this episode, our party has brought Rho, a woman from the Milky Way Galaxy, to the Institute for Psionic Research, in order to aid her after her mind was closed off due to a medical condition related to her psionic abilities. Our party's psionic, Marty, uses an experimental procedure called Mind Melding to go into the mind of Rho and help her overcome whatever it is that has sealed her mind shut. Meanwhile, the rest of the party gets up to some shenanigans including bullying the lead researcher at the institute, stealing someone's bobblehead, and generally causing some good old chaos. The party is also reunited with Bruce, their friend who had to go off on a solo mission for a bit in order to settle an old debt. We hope you enjoy it and thank you so much for listening!" cw: action related violence (explosions, shooting, fighting) Cussing Abandonment Isolation Suicide (a sentient robot blows themselves up, not exactly suicide, but we want to be sensitive) Transcript can be found at: https://1uppodcasts.com/btfs-transcripts/2023/8/15/episode-28-grief-hope-sorrow-and-anger https://www.1upPodcasts.com/

Using ALMA, astronomers have detected the magnetic field of a galaxy so far away that its light has taken more than 11 billion years to reach us. Never before had we detected a galaxy's magnetic field this far away. This video summarises the discovery.

Using ALMA, astronomers have detected the magnetic field of a galaxy so far away that its light has taken more than 11 billion years to reach us. Never before had we detected a galaxy's magnetic field this far away. This video summarises the discovery.

The phones blew up when we asked "What is the furthest you've traveled for sex?". Producer, Joe Stamboni, kicked it off with admitting to an 11hr drive to Poundtown. He was quickly beat out by one caller who crossed oceans and continents to travel to China for some extra-curricular bedroom activities!

ArchCity Defenders and Action St. Louis present the premiere collaborative podcast, “Under The Arch.” Hosts Blake Strode, Executive Director of ArchCity Defenders, and Kayla Reed, Executive Director of Action St. Louis, explore the issues facing our community and the people working to transform them. In this episode, our hosts speak with Kristian Blackmon, coalition coordinator for Homes for All St. Louis, about the movement's efforts to achieve housing justice and her personal experience with organizing efforts, including teachers' unions, Occupy Wall Street, and most recently, Right to Counsel. Join the conversation around this week's episode using #UnderTheArch and send us your feedback at underthearchpod@gmail.com. This week's Music Minute features the song "Shoveling Rocks" by the band Furthest. Stream more of their music on Bandcamp. Know a local artist who'd like to feature their song in our Music Minute segment? Email us with the subject “Music Minute.” 

The bleeeeep count on this weeks episode is an an all time high! We begin with Hank on his "how to be a better human being" soap box before he and Kevin launch into a discussion about the harshest environments human beings call home and the world's most remote bars. Enjoy! 

The show OPEN... travel... T&B's weekend... bleach... and the Former Secret Agent wins!

The last time all three major pro Pittsburgh teams missed the playoffs was 2006, but it was right after the Steelers won the Super Bowl, so it really should feel like 2003. The Steelers and Penguins have missed the playoffs and the Pirates have lost 100 games in back-to-back seasons.  Calls.  Calls. 

* Email from Matthew: Fourth edition political situation in Haven? * Email from Nick: Stephen King recommendation. * Story about using Giftbringer. * Note: The Velocity spell is not in a first edition book. It was created by Morgan Weeks. * Trollmoots of the Delaris Mountains * Quiet, serene, isolated. * Location of the monastery where Elianar Messias allegedly found the Books of Harrow. * Also the area where the Fellowship of Night (Episode 109) are based. * Rockhorn moot: Mainly in the eastern Delaris peaks. * Strong association with obsidimen, strong feelings about the Triumph and Ayodhya. * Parallel to the Stoneclaws in their cultural cross-pollination. * Potential conflict with the Fellowship of Night due to their experimentation on a dead Liferock. * Moot most directly related to the Triumph and Ayodhya plot thread in the post-Prelude to War era. * Notable members of the Rockhorn moot and Greenstone Liferock * Skyseeker moot: Furthest west, closest to Vivane * Broadly neutral relationship with the Therans * Relationship with Messias and the Books of Harrow monastery * Cursed to “always seek what they cannot find.” * Internal debate about their relationship with Thera. * Working with the Fellowship of Night to try and break the curse. * Notable members of the Skyseeker moot and Fellowship of Night. * The Harrow monastery as a notable legendary site that would draw characters to the area. * Ideas about the post-Second War situation for the Delaris moots. * Continued praise for the variety and diversity that break up the highland troll monoculture.   Find and Follow: Email: edsgpodcast@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeoifzUuBjez9V6wnvzom3g Twitter: @EDSGPodcast Josh on Twitter: @LoreMerchant Get product information, developer blogs, and more at www.fasagames.com FASA Games on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fasagamesinc FASA Games Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/uuVwS9u Earthdawn West Marches: https://discord.gg/hhHDtXW

Line of Duty star Daniel Mays and Broadway's Marisha Wallace join us to discuss their five-star show Guys & Dolls, at the Bridge Theatre. We review Further Than the Furthest Thing, starring Jenna Russell, at the Young Vic, and Marjorie Prime, starring Anne Reid, at the Menier Chocolate Factory.Plus Nancy Durrant and Nick Clark react to playwright David Hare's comments about musicals ‘strangling' the West End. And we chat about some very noisy audience members…In this episode:Part one:Nick Clark and Nancy Durrant react to playwright David Hare's comments...Part two:We review Further Than the Furthest Thing, plus noisy audience members (2 minutes 58)Part three: We're joined by Daniel Mays and Marisha Wallace for Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre (10 minutes 34)-What Guys & Dolls is about-Who is Miss Adelaide in Guys & Dolls and how does Marisha Wallace bring her to life-Who Daniel Mays plays in Guys & Dolls, and how he approached the character-Daniel Mays and Marisha Wallace talk about their favourite songs from the show and why-Turning Miss Adelaide into “Beyonce” and “Megan Thee Stallion”-Daniel Mays on Sit Down You're Rockin' The Boat and Arlene Phillips's choreography-Marisha Wallace tears up as she reveals how black audiences are reacting to her leading role-The importance of audience interaction and what it means to them-The musicals they'd love to do next. Will we see Daniel Mays in Jesus Christ Superstar?Part four: Our Chief Theatre Critic Nick Curtis reviews Marjorie Prime, starring Anne Reid (22 minutes 36) For the latest news and reviews head to www.standard.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the very place it began, so began the end. The Nightmare Krew met the tyrant-dragon Garr-Gal-Onn in the asteroid fields above Doom-A. In a hitherto-unforeseen surge of magic, strength, and willpower, the two clashed, rattling the comets in their dance. Eventually, outclassed and overwhelmed, the Ruby Dragon fell, but not without exacting its brutal toll. Now a ship of hostages awaits, along with, blotting the sun's rays, the vestige of an apocalypse ending its feast...and awakening its new hunger. Find your way to the scrying pool known as Bards of New York. Catch us live on Mondays 6:00pm EST at https://www.twitch.tv/bardsofnewyork​​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bardsofnewyork Discord: https://discord.gg/4zVZ6BdbSA Tiktok: https://tinyurl.com/mrcbx5yj Podcast: https://linktr.ee/bardsofnewyork​​ Cast: Woody Minshew as Dungeon Master Kyle Knight as Ash of a Funeral Pyre Drew Nauden as Ryujin Valtimeri Hannah Minshew as Lilith La Fleur  Will Champion as Kallias Myr Dan Krackhardt as Leonidas Goldspear II Jonathan Champion as Thinker If you liked our show, leave us a comment/like.  Review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and spread the word! Thank you! Tell a friend Spread some joy We love you Thank you to the talented artists who graciously let us use their music. For more info on their work, head to our about page and go to the "Magic Items" section on Twitch.

2.9.23 Hour 11:00- We open up the show discussing the NBA trade deadline and Kevin Durant being traded to the Phoenix Suns. Then, we get on to discuss the latest news on Dan Snyder. 19:55- Looking at the Chiefs and Eagles build, how far off are the Commanders from being a great team & organization? What are we furthest off from? 32:25- John Wall has been traded back to the Houston Rockets, so we discuss that here. 

After taking the gospel to Samaria, God sends Philip to a desert road to speak to one man. The identity of this man shows us something about God's heart for his mission and for the nations.

After taking the gospel to Samaria, God sends Philip to a desert road to speak to one man. The identity of this man shows us something about God's heart for his mission and for the nations.

Hour 2- The New York Knicks loss to the Lakers reminds us just how far the Knicks are from competing for a championship.

Movies go hand in hand with entertainment and events.  But what is it really like behind the scenes at movie openings and film sets?  Our guest this week will give you a once in a lifetime insight into all of it!This Weeks guest: Steve GuttenbergIn 1976, Steve Guttenberg was on a plane to Hollywood. His mother and father gave him $300 for a two week trip to try his hand at film acting. He was 17 years old . He had done childrens theatre, an off broadway play and studied at various schools. He landed and immediately started trying to sneak into studios. He found his way into Paramount Studios, commandeered an office in the Lucille Ball Makeup Building, strung a phone from the water stage , and started making phone calls to casting directors, agents and producers. He landed a Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial and was off to the races. He earned a place in an agency and then Steve was cast in the acclaimed television movie ‘Something for Joey', the cult classic ‘The Chicken Chronicles', and the Universal film ‘Rollercoaster'.After a year in Hollywood, he decided the culture was not for him, went to Albany State University at the request of his father Stanley, and proceeded to have an experience as a college student. Hollywood called three months into his semester with an offer to co-star with Gregory Peck in ‘The Boys from Brazil.' Steve flew to Portugal and didn't look back.  He was cast in some of the most popular films the the industry  released.  Diner, Police Academy, Cocoon, Three Men and a Baby, Short Circuit and The Bedroom Window to name a few.   His films have grossed over a billion dollars. Steve went on to act on Broadway in  Prelude to a Kiss, in Woody Harrelson's Furthest from the Sun, John Turturro's Relatively Speaking and The Boys Next Door in London's West End.   Steve starred in The Day After, Billy Liar, Veronica Mars, Ballers , the sci fi hit Lavalantula, and most recently How to Murder Your Husband with Cybill Shepherd. Steve is known as a generous and thoughtful person, creating The Guttenberg House in Los Angeles for emancipated foster children. He is married , devoted to his family and divides his home between Scottsdsle AZ and Pacific Palisades California. It's a long way from Massapequa, New York, and Steve doesn't forget where he comes from. He appreciates his life and the career in show For a hands-free experience, ask Alexa to play the latest podcast episode of Behind The Veil with Keith Willard. The BEHIND THE VEIL Show is the winner of the 2021 and 2022 Telly Awards for best online unscripted series, and the NACE One Award for Innovator of The Year.Would you be interested in sponsoring future episodes of Behind The Veil? Email the host at info@keithwillardevents.comSupport the showBehind The Veil Crew:Host: Keith Willard www.keithwillardevents.com www.instagram.com/keithwillard Co- Host: Marci Guttenberg www.anaffairtorememberbymarci.com www.instagram.com/anaffairtorememberbymarci

On Today's Episode, we're back with our weekly picks! Manny and Ryan discuss their favorite books This weeks reads are Hulk #11 Nightwing #100 What's the Furthest Place From Here #10 Trojan #1 Maniac of New York #1 TMNT #136 Comic Lounge links https://www.twitter.com/thecomiclounge https://www.instagram.com/thecomiclounge https://www.facebook.com/thecomiclounge https://www.thecomiclounge.com   Manny's Links Twitter: https://twitter.com/MannyG1138 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_idbuythatforadollar_/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manny.gomez.184 https://monkeysfightingrobots.co/author/mgomez

On this Bob & Tom Extra: We have Stupid World Records, a peashooter, and a farewell tour! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hour 3: Mike and Bulldog discus their food adventures and how far they are willing to drive.

Sal, Dave, and Martin kick off the show by getting right into a recap of the Monday night matchup between the Bears and Patriots. The guys discuss the current QB situation in New England and what it will look like going forward. Next, they look at more NFL headlines, including Matt Ryan getting benched, Mike Evans allegedly signing an autograph for a referee, and which below .500 team will make the playoffs. Next, they break down Dave's comments on the Minus 3 podcast about how far he could throw a ball. Eddie defends himself and this leads to the question, who at the Extra Points Network could throw a ball the farthest? Finally, they wrap it up with some college football talk and their plays of the day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kyle Schwarber talks with the media after hitting the furthest home run ever at Petco Park (488 feet!) in Game 1 of the NLCS. He boasted it was the hardest he's ever hit a baseball. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices