Podcast appearances and mentions of George Bush

“Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Julia Carreon’s Fight Against Corporate Gaslighting” In this episode, Frazer Rice sits down with Julia Carreon to explore her recent high-profile litigation against a major financial institution and her powerful insights on women in leadership, corporate culture, and overcoming systemic barriers. YOUTUBE https://youtu.be/e05k7SVQ2xI We discuss: Julia's experience with workplace gaslighting and her litigation journey with Wells Fargo The importance of transparency, accountability, and protecting yourself in corporate environments How societal and corporate cultures disadvantage women, especially around motherhood and leadership The themes and motivations behind Julia's book, Walking on Broken Glass Practical strategies women can use to build political capital and safeguard their careers The significance of external networks and understanding your personal strengths The evolving landscape of equity, ownership, and governance in corporations How to proactively prepare for and respond to systemic workplace challenges SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/episode/5c546gs6Qctx4bGOvalgXj?si=1dDyJxnwSyu4tnhXxpzVxg Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction: Julia's litigation and book overview 02:03 – Gaslighting in corporate culture and early experiences 04:14 – Dealing with systemic backstage politics and fighting for justice 05:10 – Motivations for writing Walking on Broken Glass 08:08 – Diagnosing workplace culture and gender dynamics 09:33 – The weaponized HR department and accountability 11:38 – Protecting yourself: cultural awareness and bias 13:12 – Demographics, gender disparities, and moving forward 15:12 – Institutional misogyny and societal shifts 16:05 – Motherhood, work-life balance, and corporate support 18:28 – Questions of corporate culture change post-COVID 22:21 – The fear factor and change in workplace loyalty 27:12 – Tactical career strategies and building political capital 28:15 – Always Be Executing (ABE) and tracking success 30:53 – The ownership mentality and equity's role in career resilience 34:45 – Building internal and external networks for support 36:49 – Understanding personal aptitudes through testing and reflection 40:12 – Leveraging political capital and seizing opportunities 43:31 – How to follow Julia and stay updated on her journey Transcript Frazer Rice (00:01.004)Welcome aboard, Julia. Julia (00:03.32)Thanks for having me. Frazer Rice (00:04.652)Well, as I said in the opening, the concept of gaslighting in the boardroom is something that certainly isn’t new, but it doesn’t make it any more comfortable for the people who deal with it on a day-to-day basis or as part of their career. And you’re in the midst of litigation right now with a major financial services company. Maybe talk a little bit about what’s going on there. Julia (00:24.801)Yeah, so I am in a high profile lawsuit with my former employer. I would say this is not a path that anyone chooses on purpose. In my particular case, Frazer, I spent 20 years at Wells Fargo, 15 of which were pretty spectacular. I have come to realize almost maybe fairy tale like in terms of my experience. I want to talk about some of the things later on that made it a fairy tale. So yeah, I wouldn’t have chosen this. I did not see the culture at my former employer coming for me. I was blindsided by it and it got ugly quickly. One of the things that I think I am doing here. Or at least trying to do is not be shy about it. Not hide from it. Try to show women a different way for how to deal with these situations. Because I have very strong feelings about the fact. With the rollback of DEI and the current administration’s point of view on women, that we’re going backwards. If women don’t start fighting for ourselves in a more public way and without fear, then I don’t know where we’re going to be in the next five to 10 years. I am soldiering on and it’s not easy to your point. But it is what it is and it’s a fight that I believe is worthy. Frazer Rice (02:03.608)So it’s a daunting task taking on a big bank. Big financial services firm, whether it’s in this situation or frankly any. It’s just these well-resourced big behemoths. What has been the experience been like so far? As far as gathering information? Of getting the walls built that you need to in order to live your life while you go through this conflict with this bank? Julia (02:29.822)It’s hat that is the million dollar question. Right? I will say that in my case i got really fortunate and came across a quote. It’s going to sound really strange. But i came across a quote that said fear is fake and danger is real but fear is fake. I believe that the patriarchy wants women to be afraid. So it tells us these bad things are going to happen if you take on a big firm like this. It is grueling. The days are long sometimes. But once I internalize the reality that it is all fake in terms of all of the bad things that you think could happen really can’t happen. Worst case scenario, there’s nothing Like I’m not going to die. They’re not going to, you know, take away my family. Like all of these things, right? We tell ourselves that it could get really nasty. And in my case, I have to stay really grounded in the fact that what I’m doing is worthy. We tried my lawyer and I tried for 14 months to come to a different answer. And so in a way, not just telling myself fear is fake. But in another way, I kind of feel like it’s my destiny. Because, I just want to say this real quick, I had 20 years at a place that was not toxic. And so I know what good looks like, and this is not good. So in that way, I really feel like it’s my destiny. And so that’s what you do, and you have to have a good support network. I have a great husband, so that really helps. Frazer Rice (04:14.21)The, as I’ve told people, sometimes doing the right thing or going after something that upholds justice. It can be expensive and hard. I give you kudos for standing up. Not only for yourself, but others who are going through a difficult situation. Where you’ve had a significant wrong done to you. You’ve written a book about this experience as well. We can take some time to think, to talk about what the book tries to do. First of all, writing one in tandem with the process here, I think is a bit unusual. Some people do it after the fact. To go through a catharsis after going through a difficult process. Talk about first the why of the book.thhen we’ll talk a little bit about what you talk about in it. Julia (05:17.241)The book is called Walking on Broken Glass: Navigating the Aftermath of the Glass Ceiling.” It was co-written with a fabulous woman named Shannon Nutter. I hope people follow on LinkedIn. The book is not squarely about what happened to me the book came together. With Shannon and I meeting on LinkedIn. Then discovering that we had a lot of the same shared experiences as we are Gen X. in hindsight. Our generation has had the opportunity to have the most benefit of the Gloria Steinem Women’s Movement. Think about the fact that we got the advantage of the birth control and all of the DEI efforts that have been in the last 15, 20 years. And we really felt like there was still a long way to go. Then all of that is starting to go backwards. So last year when we met or the year before, we’re like, my God, the idea that we got the best of the best is shocking to us. And so what are we going to do about it? We really wanted the book to speak to women of all ages in their career. But it was written from a lens of two then 53 year old women who had seen a lot. We wanted to give the book as a love letter or a gift to our 35 year old self. To say, this is what we should have or wish we had known 20 years ago. Because we would have done things differently if we had really faced kind of what the challenges were that women are facing at work. In a real way right not in a way that sugarcoats it or pretends to throw it under the rug. And or always makes it the woman’s fault like the woman always has to be changing and evolving in order to adapt to the systems and i you know it’s exhausting right so the book was written for that reason and it does tap into a lot of the things that we both experienced. Julia (07:35.17)But it isn’t a kind of a personal journal of what happened to me with my former employer. Frazer Rice (07:39.82)Right, one of the things that I found useful about the book is you divided it into three sections. I think it brings us sort of clarity into what you’re trying to achieve here. The first one is just diagnosing the situation that you’re in. Maybe talk a little bit about that. Part one the understanding of your surroundings. What’s happening around you. The conditions that women are facing as they embark on these big situations in the workplace. Julia (08:08.982)Yeah. So the first part of the book does give a primer on kind of the history of feminism and how did we get here and what are some of the big open questions that are still left to answer. We also want to set the stage that makes it very clear that women are accountable for our actions in the workplace. Like this is not in any way a book that seeks to make someone who’s failing feel good about the fact that they’re failing, right? Shannon and I both reached really high levels of corporate success at major global firm. There is a lot of work to do. So we really try to dimension how, what are some effective ways for you to approach that work? What are some of the pitfalls and how are some of the ways that you can handle that? In a way that’s kind of clear-eyed, but never about putting the blame or the onus on the company. And if you don’t mind, I want to say something about that because it relates to my lawsuit. One of the things that I’ve heard criticisms about is that people on social media often I saw when I kind of scanned the landscape of it recently are, this woman is naive. She thinks. HR is her friend because one of the things that I have sued my former employer for is a weaponized HR department and I want to get very clear. mean, Frazer, you don’t manage hundreds of people in 13 states like I did for a very long time successfully innovating, having great client experience team scores and having great employee team scores, right? If you believe HR is your friend. So that’s not what i’m trying to say what i’m trying to say in my lawsuit is. HR shouldn’t be picking off people for political reasons either. We are saying all the way along there is shared accountability between the employer and the employee. That’s really important. I think that you know one of the backlash is going too far field here. Julia (10:27.401)We went so far politically correct on some things that some employees do show up to work and think that they just need things handed to them. And I do think that that was part of the backlash, right? So I just am always striving for balance. I think we should all be always striving for balance. Frazer Rice (10:45.13)One of the concepts too, I think in the book that I sort of grabbed onto and enjoyed was the idea of taking steps to protect yourself. You’re dealing with a lot of different asymmetries when you work for a big company. You’re dealing with information asymmetry, you’re dealing with political asymmetry, you’re dealing with resource asymmetry. Sometimes you’re even dealing with just… Accountability asymmetry in terms of, you some people get free passes at other times people are judged on things or unfairly judged on different criteria that just don’t make a lot of sense. If we step back for a second and for people who are trying to understand, I’ll put it in quotes, how the world works and how to how to be aware of one’s and to protect yourself, what would be the first couple of things that you would tell people to think about on that back? Julia (11:38.471)The number one thing is I would be very aware of the kind of culture that you’re operating in. And it’s very easy to take for granted what a culture really is, what your own personal bias and history is, and then how is it that you are fitting. into that culture with your own shared history. So I love to be candid, right? And provocative about my own situation. If I could do something different, I would be very aware of what my biases were going into Citi with 20 years of being at a place where It was a really fair game, but probably because I had a lot of political capital and I grew up there. So I understood it. But I went into that place thinking that I was a fancy managing director, that obviously I was hired to be a change maker. I can do a lot of great things. And I was, you know, doing my thing, not realizing that I was swimming in a different lake and that lake was filled. with a lot of different kinds of wildlife that I was unprepared for. So, I mean, that’s really important. Frazer Rice (13:12.398)As we talk a little bit about some sort of bullet questions as far as how your experience has gone, the demographics of the workplace are different and changing. On one hand, college graduates are now majority women or higher in just about every college situation. Yet institutions like the CFP, the women make up… Believe the number is somewhere in the 24 % range. So you have this weird dichotomy of more women entering the workplace, but not in the numbers necessarily that would indicate that they are in places to make as much change as they would like. They are still in the vast minority in terms of boards of directors and executive positions at almost every Fortune 500 company that I can think of. As we chart a path forward where, let’s call it merit. Julia (13:58.813)Mm-hmm. Frazer Rice (14:04.494)presides over sort of misogyny and I guess I would call it sort of political gamesmanship. How do you think about that in terms of advice for people entering the workforce? Julia (14:16.461)Yeah, look, so nobody gets to say that women aren’t in the pipeline, right? I mean, that just, doesn’t hold up, especially at the more junior levels, right, of entering the workforce after college. What starts to happen is that it starts to go downhill as you get higher and higher up into hierarchy. And I believe that there is a mismatch between women who want to work and do the right thing. And we’re going to talk about this. Then what does it mean to also then become a mother and give birth and have to manage all of that? And then coming up against institutional misogyny. Obviously my perspective in the last 18 months has changed about the degree to which institutional misogyny exists. Because I had a fairy tale experience before I was able to be willfully blind about the realities. so a really direct way of answering your question is that our book is seeking to hit women in the face with the realities of this because I don’t think we’re gonna change it overnight, right? And it is so entrenched, it’s getting worse and it will get worse. Before it gets better, but I do believe that it will get better eventually because the old system that’s, know, aging out, baby boomers are aging out. Like I think that there’s going to be cracks in that. And then there would be a tsunami of change. But right now the old guard is hanging on and, we are going backwards. And so we just have to be realistic about what it requires to go forward. And we talk about what that is. Frazer Rice (16:05.58)One of the things, right, and so let’s touch back on the motherhood issue, is, that is biology. And so women who go that route and have kids. Which is frankly one of the big precepts in society. Unfortunately. n some ways takes you out of the normal trajectory of a corporate path, just from a time perspective. Certainly, the balance of work that happens at the household level. Where that ends up alling usually, creates a stress that is not well understood or received at the corporate level. What are your thoughts on that front? As far as charting a path that recognizes that reality and at the same time doesn’t put upon going the other direction necessarily in terms of favoring one outcome or the other. Julia (17:02.019)I know a lot of women who did not have children because they felt like that it would, it would harm their career. And, um, certainly it’s a personal issue and there’s no judgment from me. I don’t think I would have had children if I hadn’t met my husband. He was willing to do 50 % of the workload and he has, and, always has probably does maybe more than 50. It is a very deeply personal issue. What I have strong feelings about the fact that companies who lean in to, don’t expect the woman to lean in, but the company leans in to supporting pregnant women, have higher loyalty scores. They have better team member satisfaction. They get a lot from those women that they have supported. This is a crazy story, Frazer. I was pregnant and or just coming back from maternity leave all three times I got major promotions at Wells. I mean, think about that. And I now, because I lived my life kind of in a vacuum for a long time, I didn’t realize that this wasn’t happening to other people, right? So look at me now. I am 25 years from when I got hired, still saying that Wells is a great company. because of my own personal experience. And they got a lot out of me, but I gave a lot back. So to me, supporting women who are pregnant doesn’t have to be a zero sum game. Yet somehow that is the narrative. And I would love to ask you why that is. Like, I mean, what has happened to corporate culture that this is such a pervasive issue when If you were to scan a lot of my Gen X friends, we did not have the same experience. Frazer Rice (19:04.147)I mean, from my perspective, I don’t know. I think that I blame some of this a little bit on the COVID blip in the sense that managers of all types just have no idea where to go as far as how to treat people fairly, either from a work from home experience or how that reconciles with… women in particular who are having careers and families in addition to what’s going on with other folks like the men in the world. My short answer is I don’t know. The longer answer is that I think between the shorter news cycle, social media, work from home, there are a lot of different change agents out there that have taken the focus off of. maybe the issues that worth talking about right now. And as a managerial class, especially as millennials are taking up the mantle on that front, they’re either forgetting about this particular issue and understanding the importance that it has, or they are just so overwhelmed by change at this point and self-preservation that it’s just an area where they’re triaging the different issues that they can deal with. Julia (20:22.492)Do you do you at all think that it is a problem of losing common sense and like letting rigid ideology take over from common sense. I certainly was benefited from working from home for most of my career, right? So it’s fascinating. Frazer Rice (20:46.061)Common sense isn’t common. And depending on the institution that you’re dealing with, work from home is either an excellent tool or a cover to hide under if you’re a mediocre performer. If you’re a manager out of sight, out of mind is a difficult place to be. I think that we’re I think everyone is reconciling to the relative absence of work and sort of acclimating to Zoom phone calls and things like that. And that gets you then away from taking care of the real issues, which is to make sure that the company’s doing right, the employees are doing right by the company, and at the same time that people are being treated fairly, because I think when people are so disparate, it just becomes a real management challenge. What we’re talking about as far as making sure that women are treated fairly in the workplace, Combine that with, I would say, message confusion that occurs in social media, where some loud voices may not be the right voices to be taking up this mantle, versus some of the quieter, stable people who are really the exemplars that we’d really like to point to. Sometimes that gets mixed. And I think the brew, if you stir it together, I think is created. Maybe if we think that there was progress since the 70s on through the 80s, 90s, 2000s for fairness and women progressing within the corporate ladder nicely, I think this the COVID blip has been a bit of a toe stub on that front. That’s an opinion, extremely uninformed, but more of an observation. Julia (22:35.713)No, no, but well, listen, I just I love it because I do want to unpack it just a little bit. It’s what’s fascinating to me is that I negotiated 15 years before covid to work remote and then my boss knowing that I had to be on the road three to four weeks a month regardless was like, I’d rather you be happy where you live because you’re to be on the road regardless. So I got to work from home and then during COVID when they tried to bring everybody back, they’re like, well, you can’t be the only exception. And I’m like, okay, I have been an exception for 15 years. So that’s where I go back to, know, where is this right balance? did, I mean, COVID is as good a reason as any that it’s things are upside down. I mean, really it’s a great theory. Frazer Rice (23:22.671)Well, it also bespeaks different corporations have different cultures and certainly some people are worried about other things than others. Muriel Siebert, who I think is an amazing example of someone who took a look at Wall Street and said, look, I refuse to be held back by anything here. She started her own company and to call it a company is to not give it the respect it’s due. She’s a major absolute force in Wall Street and one of the real legends. To me, entrepreneurism is one way through this. to create the company that you want to work in is, in some ways, to me, one of the solutions for people who are having difficulty in a corporate environment that they’re in right now. Whether they’re able to be the change agent within, which is often hard at a big, you know, bulky company that turns with the agility of a battleship as opposed to being nimble in doing things or going out and starting on their own, which involves its own risks. That to me is one of the solutions. But again, not without risk, not easy by any stretch. Where did that fit into your mindset as you were thinking about this? Julia (24:37.16)Well, so, so she is an icon, not just because of what she was able to accomplish, but she also did it, I think, without a college degree. And she did it. And this is important. She did it fearlessly. And what I would love to go back in time and have a conversation with her about where did she tap into that fearlessness? And you will start to see. Frazer Rice (24:48.665)Mm-hmm. Julia (25:06.77)On my own social media, am trying to tap into that whole mindset of women need to lose fear. I’ve already talked about it, but here’s what’s important to know, right? By 2030 in the US alone, women will control $34 trillion of investable assets. I believe that that is when you start seeing the game change. Look at how Mackenzie Scott is giving without glory. I posted that in a remark that’s gone semi-viral on LinkedIn. Like she is giving without glory. She wants to give, she wants to be anonymous almost about it, and she’s giving without handcuffs. And what is she giving to? She’s giving to communities, she’s giving to schools, she’s giving to healthcare. I mean, it gives me goosebumps every single time. And so I feel like women When we start to control more, we’ll start giving in, Alice Walton is the same way, giving in a different way to change society in a more meaningful way at scale. And Muriel was a pioneer in that regard. And she is someone I think we need the next generation to know about. because she was so fearless and it’s an inspiration. But you and i both know that all kinds of things that women have accomplished are never spoken about in the same way that they are about man and about men. I do think that that’s one of the great things about some of we can go into social media some of the social media change that we see happening with alpha female and all of these great accounts that are just starting to say, know what ladies, we don’t have to buy into the patriarchy. We can do it our own way. And so I think we will finally see change, but I wanna be very clear, Frazer, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Frazer Rice (27:12.195)Got it. So for people who are in a corporate structure, corporate environment, aren’t ready to make the leap to starting their own business, which is obviously a difficult decision, but when you’re in there, what are the things tactically that one can do to prepare, not only prepare themselves, but protect themselves against these forces that are out there? One of the thoughts I had is making sure that in the job description that you’re able to point to numerical or formulaic successes so that if a narrative is being built against you, you can point to dollars created or jobs saved or metrics that in the boardroom. Not only just qualitative successes, but also quantitative ones that makes it difficult for people to ignore you from a pure dollar perspective. Things like that, what pops up in your mind? That you would tell people to think about in terms of art directing their career. Julia (28:15.023)Yeah, well, the number one thing that I always say, and I’m kind of, it’s kind of a legend for it. So it’s ABE and it stands for Always Be Executing. And when I look back and see how successful I was in a corporate setting, of course, in my case, it was that I had a great boss and a great mentor and sponsor in him. But actually, I was always focused on executing and doing it in a way that is collaborative so that you don’t have the knives coming for you from every direction. think a lot of people who the more successful that you get in your career, you think, I’m fabulous because I’m fabulous. No. You need a mindset of I’m fabulous because I am creating a team around me, no matter who I am, even if I’m not the boss, to protect each other and help each other and lift each other up. if you are always executing and you hit on it, right, as a woman, you should always be keeping track of your metrics in a way that is tangible and defensible. But you also should never take for granted the fact that no matter how senior you are, you need to be getting something done. And I do think that it is a big mistake for people to get high on their own supply and forget that. And then, and then the sharks will come for you. So always do something. And this is just a final thing, cause I have lots of people that I mentor. They’re like, just name one thing. I’m going to give you one thing. Send meeting notes. If you go to a meeting, and everybody’s on a call, 15 people are on a call. If you’re the one who sends meeting notes and this is a hot button, right? For women, they’re like, well, I’m not the secretary. I don’t wanna take me. You know what? Put your ego, park it in a parking lot and send meeting notes. You would be shocked how much goodwill and how effective you’re perceived when those notes, like say a project is going downhill and somebody goes, but. Julia (30:30.157)Such and so committed to this and you’re like, those meeting notes were written by Julia Carrion. Nobody has to do that. But corporations get unwieldy. lot of churn happens. A lot of stuff doesn’t get done in a day. If you can demonstrate that you are someone who is acting in good faith and doing small things to keep the needle moving, somebody in senior management is going to notice that, I promise. Frazer Rice (30:53.763)The other thing I sort of, and this doesn’t just go for women, this is for people generally, is the ownership mentality and the move toward equity, and by equity I mean stock equity, where the mindset to me shifts when you move from sort of salary and bonus to equity in the firm. And that subtle shift suddenly puts you in a different position in terms of sitting at the same table as someone who is, let’s call it quote unquote, making the decisions. When you’re there and your ownership of the firm, however small it is, is rendered unimportant. First of all, that tells you to go. Second of all, I just feel like the people who exist on that plane bring up different things and then are thought of differently. Does that track with your experience? Julia (31:48.819)It does, but I think that this goes to kind of how is the corporate world changing and then how does that impact employees? So, and where I’m going with this is when I was at Wells, my compensation was a third, a third, a third. So it was a third cash, a third cash bonus and a third in stock. Do you want to know what’s going on? And I don’t know if you know what’s happened on Wall Street. Every single major bank is moving to you only get a quarter in equity and the rest of it is cash. So I think that the onus to here is on corporations to be thinking about how they’re treating employees. And to your point, what, what does that mean when you show up and how vested are you in the option? Just real quick, I want to give a shout out to Maureen Clough. I don’t know if you follow her, she just yesterday did an amazing six minute post on why companies are losing loyalty from employees. so like, again, this goes back to is everybody backsliding right now because these corporations have to realize that in order to keep good talent, you want them to have a stake in the game, but that’s winnowing, I think. Frazer Rice (33:11.819)I know. I agree. Frankly you know to me at the larger institutions that aren’t willing to sort of play ball as far as involving people in the ownership that’s a signal and when it’s a signal then you know if you’re good at your job and you bring things to bear you know there are other there are other places out there. I think those places that value you want you around and they want you to be able to participate and how the broader governance of the company works. It’s a lot like how Goldman Sachs was back when it was in the partnership days. Everyone who was a partner there understood how everything else was working and ultimately that meant that, I don’t know, I feel like Goldman still does well now, but it’s a different climate, different firm where you’re completely involved in everything else and therefore the information is out there and… it’s something that you’re not blindsided as much by what’s happening in other divisions within your firm. Julia (34:15.472)Yeah, totally agree. Frazer Rice (34:16.911)One other thought that as we were sort of squiring through this was the idea that it’s important to have information sources or networks both within your company that are outside of your reporting line, but also information networks and support outside your company. I call it sort of the kitchen cabinet of people who are similarly situated or in different spots so that you have context into which to sort of find out what your what you’re up against both inside the company and outside of it. Is that something that makes sense to you or is it something that was lacking in your current situation? How did you think about that? Julia (34:57.906)Hmm. I love that because in 2017, I took stock of the fact that I had become too comfortable in my lane and I was seeing that my influence at Wells was waning for whatever reason. And so I started blogging on LinkedIn in 2017. Because of a conversation with a Harvard sociologist that I write a lot about. Fscinating guy who predicted the current turmoil 10 years, almost 10 years ago. And so I started networking outside and I could not agree with you more that you need to be building your networks, not just inside. That goes without saying, right? Like I had a great career partly because I was a boss at gaining political capital at Wells all the time, right? Giving goodwill and getting it back but outside is critical. during our book, what we found out is, that women are more likely to put that aside. Because we feel like we’ve got too many other things going on, work, know, kids, all of the pressures, trying not to, you know, have a nervous breakdown on any given day, trying to stay fit, dealing with menopause. Which of course is a whole other thing that is a whole other bag of tricks. And so we don’t do it as much and it hurts us. So I absolutely think being deliberate about an external network is essential. When women ask me how to do that, I say to commit to a certain number of hours, half an hour to two hour, whatever you can give a week to doing it deliberately. I wish I had done that earlier in my career for sure. So it’s great advice. Frazer Rice (36:49.865)Along that line, I’m a big believer in being aware of your surroundings. In a sense aware of yourself and what your skills. Things that you’re annoyed are at are and what you’re good at and what you’re not good at. Did you take any tests or anything to understand what your aptitudes were or what you were interested in or more importantly not interested in or how you interact with other people personality wise and Is that something that resonates with you? sort of am a big sports fan. Dan Quinn, who’s the Washington commander coach. He got fired from the Falcons. He did a real deep soul searching and went in and got tested on a whole bunch of different things and where he came up short, where he was really good. And that allowed him to get hired again and to have at least some initial success with the team and hopefully going forward from my rooting perspective. But where does that fit into your analysis for people? Julia (37:50.351)Did somebody set that question up? That’s what I want to know. I am a huge believer in strength finders. Some people take discs, some do Myers-Briggs. The reason I asked if it was a setup is because strength finders saved my life. I was deemed top talent when I was like 34 years old at Wells and they gave me a career coach who by the way was Sarah Grady is her name. and she was Dick Kvasevich’s legend on Wall Street. She was his leadership coach and she gave me strength finders and I very quickly was very clear my top five strengths and then my bottom five strengths are not a surprise. Like I am zero. I’m like negative zero at woo. I was like, it won’t even shock you for a minute. Yes i do think that those kinds of valuations are critical and in fact i’m gonna talk to my twenty year old son about taking one i think you’ll end up taking disk but. One thousand percent if you if you do not know what you’re good at and why then try to find out because it can save your life i mean the awareness and the learnings that i got about myself. From taking one test have stayed with me for 25 years. And I’m gonna be really blunt here. I forgot those lessons when I stepped into a new culture and it was painful. So I think you have to also be disciplined about… Take it again, remind yourself, reread whatever book helps you stay grounded in who you are and how you’re showing up. And get some friends to give you feedback. Frazer Rice (39:44.111)Well, mean, people get better or change or worse at certain things. And so you’re not the same person you were 20 years ago. And, you know, it merits revisiting every once in a while. As we wind down here, unfortunately, we probably could go on for about three hours, which I wish we could do. But one of the things that I think is interesting, too, you talked about political capital and building it up, is that I think one piece of advice that I tend to give to people who are starting out and might be useful in the situation that we’re describing here is that when you have political capital, you’ve got to be willing to spend it occasionally. Careers, in my experience, take quantum leaps in that you’ll be going around for a while and then something good will happen and then you’ve got to kind of take advantage of the advantage while you have the advantage of having the advantage and moving up and then reestablishing the plane. And it’s a little bit like a ratchet where when the wrench turns, it doesn’t turn backward. You can kind of continue to elevate on that point. Is that something that you saw where, you know, as you were making the moves up the ladder that didn’t happen at the last situation that maybe might’ve been something that could’ve turned out differently? Julia (41:01.791)Yes, and I think that being more aware of my surroundings would have helped. I don’t think it would have changed the outcome in the other example. But the political capital that I was able to gain is that I got promoted every single time Wells did a major merger when people were panicking about their jobs. Frazer Rice (41:08.623)Mm-hmm. Julia (41:31.061)And one of the things that I did that you and I could probably discuss for two days is I gave up control of trying to manage the outcome. In other words, I went to senior management with two major mergers and I said, you know what? I don’t care what I do for the time that the companies are trying to come together. You give me something hard to do and ugly and I will get it done the right way. And then you decide whether I get rewarded or not. And when I crushed both of those tasks, I got major promotions. So I think it, I think a lot of people think, I’m going, I had a, had an employee who told me I should just get promoted because I’m sitting here and I’ve been sitting here for two years. mean, it really, life just really doesn’t work that way. In my experience, you got to work your ass off for it. And, and you have to put your ego aside and you have to hope that the universe is gonna pay you back. And I believe that because the universe always has. I believe that even now with my current situation, like everything that has brought me here has made me a spokesperson for like a better way because of what happened to me, right? I had 20 years of goodness and then I had something really hard happen. And I’m trying to make lemonade out of a very difficult situation because it is the only way, the only way out is through. So I just have to keep going through and I love the idea of yes, you’ve got to spend your political capital. can’t, know, George Bush said that you can’t just collect it. What are you collecting it for? If you’re not going to spend it. Frazer Rice (43:17.817)Exactly. Okay, we have to disembark here, unfortunately. How should people keep track of your situation? How do they find the book? And how do people get in touch? Julia (43:31.846)Yep. I have, um, I’m on LinkedIn. I have a website, juliacarrion.com. If you are looking for, I’m doing some consulting on a digital transformation always and org design or whatever. So you can find me there. And then, um, you know, today’s a big day. We are filing today or tomorrow, a response to my lawsuit. So it would probably make the news. Thank you to you for being a great ally to women and having me on. The book is walking on broken glass.com. It’s such a great name. So you can order the book on the website from any of your favorite book resellers. Frazer Rice (44:14.639)Super, well good luck with the legal proceedings. All of your information will have that in the show notes so people can find it easily. I think you’re coming off of a difficult situation. I think you’re gonna turn it into something far more transformative. Even you’re envisioning it right now. So I’m hoping for the best here. Resources & Links: Walking on Broken Glass: Navigating the Aftermath of the Glass Ceiling StrengthsFinder Assessment Julia Carrion on LinkedIn Julia Carrion's Website Connect with Julia: LinkedIn Website Stay tuned for updates on her legal case and ongoing advocacy efforts. Don't miss her insights into transforming adversity into empowerment and systemic change. https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Actually-Intelligent-Decision-Making-1-ebook/dp/B07FPQJJQT/ Keywords: Gaslighting, Corporate Culture, Women in Leadership, Workplace Equity, Julia Carreon, Wells Fargo, Citi, Legal Battle, Glass Ceiling, Political Capital, StrengthsFinder, Work-Life Balance, Systemic Change, Weaponized HR

Human intelligence is a complex, multi-faceted capability—reasoning, learning, problem-solving, and abstract thought—marked by profound self-awareness and adaptability. Orchestrated by the brain's frontoparietal network, it integrates perception, memory, and language to navigate real-world environments. And unlike artificial intelligence, it's distinguished by emotional intelligence, ethical judgment, and real-time, autonomous, general-purpose cognition.Few people personify these qualities more vividly than our guest, Don Weber—a global communication strategist, human intelligence (HUMINT) expert, and executive coach whose life tells a story of survival, reinvention, and mastery. For over 15 years, Don worked in international intelligence operations across 90+ countries, operating under multiple identities and navigating environments where one wrong move could have cost him his life. During his years as a U.S. government field operative under the George Bush administration, he gathered intelligence across South America, Africa, and Europe—working with organized crime figures, foreign agents, and volatile political networks. One of his covers placed him inside Antwerp's diamond trade circles and other uniquely challenging arenas, where he learned to build rapport across diverse groups others could not. After leaving intelligence work, he dedicated his life to helping others communicate authentically and lead with awareness.Over the past decade, he has become one of Europe's most respected executive communication coaches, training royalty, EU diplomats, ambassadors, senior politicians, and Fortune 500 executives across major European capitals. Trained in martial arts for real-life situations, Don learned techniques to disable or neutralize threats when necessary. He combines that practical training with lifelong meditation practice, blending the discipline of combat with the stillness of mindfulness to create a grounded, authentic approach to leadership and communication.CONTACT DETAILS: Business: Don Weber CoachingWebsite: https://drwebercoaching.thinkific.com/ https://drwebercoaching.com/ Social Media Address LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-weber YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/drwebercoaching Remember to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss "Information That You Can Use." Share Just Minding My Business with your family, friends, and colleagues. Engage with us by leaving a review or comment on my Google Business Page. https://g.page/r/CVKSq-IsFaY9EBM/review Your support keeps this podcast going and growing.Visit Just Minding My Business Media™ LLC at https://jmmbmediallc.com/ to learn how we can help you get more visibility on your products and services. 

Trump has signalled that the Middle East war could be 'over ​soon' and pledged to lift sanctions after talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin. Freddy Gray is joined by Jacob Heilbrunn and Robert Bryce to discuss why Trump was potentially unprepared for Iran's retaliation, what could come from the talks with Putin, and why Britain can only get their energy prices down by drilling. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you stop to think about how the unelected bureaucrats continue to enacts rules and regulations with accompanying fines. Who granted them the authority to do such a thing and why do we sit back and let it happen?

Francisco Pereira Coutinho, especialista em Direito Internacional, diz que o argumento de "ataque preventivo" não é válido e acusa Donald Trump de estar a agir como Bill Clinton e George Bush.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The right-wing knives are out for Candace Owens after she released a trailer for a new investigative series scrutinizing Erica Kirk and the leadership of Turning Point USA following Charlie Kirk's reported death. Multiple conservative influencers all used similar language—calling Owens "demonic" or "evil"—in a barrage of online criticism that appears to have been coordinated rather than organic.  Jimmy cites a leaked memo and social media analysis as possible evidence of synchronized messaging, though the authenticity of some of these sources remains disputed. The broader theme centers on online smear campaigns, influencer coordination, media narrative control, and internal conflict within right-wing political circles. Plus segments on Donald Trump's complete transformation into a full-on neocon like George Bush and Dick Cheney and newly surfaced questions about the Charlie Kirk assassination. Also featuring Stef Zamorano, Mike MacRae and Baron Coleman. Plus a phone call from Harrison Ford!

"DOME with bamfomania" is the greatest freestyle-rap/comedy podcast IN THE WORLD. If the beat drops while you're talking about it... You gotta rap about it. This week, we are joined by Dr. Wan, an artist from Grand Rapids, Michigan. We get into the winter Olympics, 70H, George Bush, phone bills, some stories from back in the day, and more! Also freestyles! If you would like to support the show, get access to episodes early, bonus episodes, and other content weekly, sign up at https://patreon.com/DOMEwithbamfomania Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morethanablackcat/ https://www.instagram.com/bamfomania/ https://www.instagram.com/bubbawhyy/ https://www.instagram.com/sultansatire/ Listen to "DOME with bamfomania" on all podcast platforms: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dome-with-bamfomania/id1601495349 https://open.spotify.com/show/2IMnymbj1RU5U0NVXYLH9T?si=3ffba705f3a24e8f https://soundcloud.com/bamfdome Listen to bamfomania music on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1w5Z3rwfh4BOU78BKZgFbk?si=rQB7uhH_SKmYrzYyI_Kvkg Listen to Sultan Satire music on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4fvxByDc6w4Q49dcl9AKYS?si=LWa1-oSnQYmVZB1_qTKzTg If you enjoy this content, please like, comment, subscribe, and share

Starts off with last weeks recaps of NXT, Smackdown, AEW Dynamite/Collision, TNA, this week's Raw-systemic injuries theories-racism limited narratives within the wrestling industry-Chris Jericho potential return-Kevin Nash botched apology-problematic cogs going the born again route-think tanks having a say in booking the discourse-Sean Strickland rants at Paramount press conference-promotion for Ronda/Gina-billionaires buying coverage-gimmicked discussion of Trump in WWE HOF-sports washing-WM discourse-rumors of Vince coming back-Janel Grant first appearance-mafia rules meant to be exploited-Vince defenders online-industry culture not changing-Footage of Vince's car accident-Britt Baker-which wrestler is allowed by online fandom to use internet references-Mariah May booking in NXT-ICE angles in wrestling-Gail Kim vs Meltzer-This weeks NXT recap & reaction to Zaria heel turn-Troll teasing more threats to instill paranoia-the overview of what teases of Iran will go-blue checkmarks on X are propped up on purpose-how they could book election discourse-other propagandists have exploited and profited off tragedy more so than Erika Kirk-SOTU discourse with unhinged speech and gimmicked interruptions-fake dems handing fake left moral victories-obvious content farming off Gavin Newsom-propagandists pretend to be rebellious but still dumb down their supposed opposition-political factions scoring points off tragedy online-Ukraine-fake left rehabbing George Bush-gimmicked Epstein discourse-rehabbing Candace Owens-anti Kamala sentiment gimmicked from ppl who probably voted for Trump or helped win-propagandists luring you into fundamentalism -Chuck Schumer incompetence angle-personalities from 10 years ago becoming more fundamentalist-alt media thinking they are underground compared to MSM-sophisticated rehabbing of Tucker-50 cent vs TI discourse

From a small-town kid in Greencastle, Pennsylvania… to Major League Baseball clubhouses with Ted Williams… to rodeo arenas across America with the Justin Sports Medicine team — Bill Zeigler has lived a life most of us only read about.In this episode of Beyond the Chutes, presented by ParaSight Systems, Bill shares how a handwritten letter and a little help from Nelly Fox led him to the Washington Senators and 22 years in Major League Baseball. He talks about working alongside larger-than-life figures like Ted Williams, Nolan Ryan, and George Bush — and then stepping into the rodeo world at a time when cowboys had little to no medical support on the road.You'll hear the story behind the early days of the Justin Sports Medicine program, the resistance they faced, and how the mindset of rodeo athletes changed as concussion protocols and injury care evolved. Bill reflects on legends like Keith Isley, Lecile Harris, Harry Vold, and Red Steagall — and why, after all these miles, what he misses most is the people.This is a conversation about toughness, timing, relationships, and recognizing when you're standing in a blessed moment.These stories matter.

¿Cómo es que algunas reputaciones sobreviven a lo imperdonable? Analizamos el grotesco caso de Jeffrey Epstein desde la óptica del marketing y la gestión de crisis. Desde los correos comprometedores de Bill Gates y la mención masiva de Donald Trump, hasta cómo marcas de la talla de Victoria's Secret y JP Morgan quedaron manchadas por su vínculo con la élite más oscura del poder.Descubre las estrategias que usan los poderosos para contener el daño y por qué el mundo corporativo nunca volverá a ser el mismo tras estas filtraciones.

Poland has been a US lackey for a long time. They were part of the collation of the willing for George Bush the lesser when he invaded Iraq. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ryandawson.org/subscribe

Why do so many occult rumors, elite retreats, and ritual symbolism point back to Colorado? From hidden compounds to eerie landmarks… what's really happening in the mountains?Watch Full Video Here: https://www.youtube.com/live/ANeSxb6xyBA?si=2qTev61uC0Ko7h0D

What really goes into a presidential visit? In this episode of Book Club, Michael sits down with Jean Becker and Tom Collamore to discuss their new book, "Don't Tell the President: The Best, Worst, and Mostly Untold Stories from Presidential Advance." From George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama, Becker and Collamore pull back the curtain on the high-stakes world of “advance” work — the behind-the-scenes operatives who plan every detail of a president's public appearances. The conversation features unforgettable stories, including the controversy over a papal backdrop, the infamous Dukakis tank photo, assassination attempts on President Ford, a royal riser mishap with Queen Elizabeth II, and even Smerconish's own unexpected detour into a Brussels brothel while advancing Vice President Bush. It's a candid, entertaining, and revealing look at the moments that shaped presidential history — and the unsung professionals who made (and sometimes nearly broke) them. Original air date 11 February 2026. The book was published on 3 February 2026. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Political Icon Roger Stone joins me on today's show to discuss all things happening in the political world. Roger's latest book Bushwhacked looks into the attempted Reagan assassination.The book examines a potential plot against Reagan by his own Vice President George Bush senior. Roger's first book examined the assassination of JFK and how Lyndon Johnson was on the brink of political collapse before coming into power after Kennedy's assassination. Then there is Butler, PA and President Trump, Thomas Matthew Crooks was spotted with a rangefinder on the event grounds for 90 minutes. How did the president's protection detail do such a poor job protecting the perimeter? Roger takes note of the extraordinary accomplishments of Trump 2.0 as well as the stand outs in President Trump's cabinet. Peter Navarro was publicly humiliated and arrested for refusing to testify and yet the Clintons refuse with no consequences? Will Pam Bondi and the Trump DOJ allow them to snub their nose at the House Oversight Committee? Featuring: Roger Stone Longtime Trump Political Advisor https://substack.com/@rogerstone Today's show is sponsored by: Vandy Crisps Vandy Crisps is stepping up the chip game with a chip made from just three ingredients: heirloom potatoes, sea salt, and 100 percent grass-fed beef tallow—no seed oils. That tallow's loaded with nutrients for your skin, brain, and hormones, and it makes these chips taste incredible. You'll feel satisfied, energized, no bloat or crash like with regular chips. Just goto ⁠vandycrisps.com/SEAN⁠ use code: SEAN and get 25% OFF your first order! Boll & Branch The key to wellness starts with a good night's sleep. Making your night's sleep better starts with quality sheets. Boll & Branch sheets start unbelievably soft and get softer over time. Boll & Branch sheets are made with the finest 100% organic cotton in a soft, breathable, durable weave. If you're looking for sheets that last, feel amazing, and help you sleep better, Boll & Branch is where it's at. Feel the difference an extraordinary night's sleep can make with Boll & Branch. Just head to https://www.bollandbranch.com/SPICER for 15% OFF and FREE SHIPPING. ------------------------------------------------------------- 1️⃣ Subscribe and ring the bell for new videos: https://youtube.com/seanmspicer?sub_confirmation=1 2️⃣ Become a part of The Sean Spicer Show community: https://www.seanspicer.com/ 3️⃣ Listen to the full audio show on all platforms: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sean-spicer-show/id1701280578 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/32od2cKHBAjhMBd9XntcUd iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-sean-spicer-show-120471641/ 4️⃣ Stay in touch with Sean on social media: Facebook: https://facebook.com/seanmspicer Twitter: https://twitter.com/seanspicer Instagram: https://instagram.com/seanmspicer/ 5️⃣ Follow The Sean Spicer Show on social media: Facebook: https://facebook.com/seanspicershow Twitter: https://twitter.com/seanspicershow Instagram: https://instagram.com/seanspicershow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Purpose, trust and laughter matter.  SUMMARY Dr. Heather Wilson '82, former secretary of the U.S. Air Force, and Gen. Dave Goldfein '83, former chief of staff of the Air Force, highlight the human side of leadership — honoring family, listening actively and using humility and humor to build strong teams. Their book, Get Back Up: Lessons in Servant Leadership, challenges leaders to serve first and lead with character.   SHARE THIS PODCAST LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK    TOP 10 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE Leadership Is a Gift and a Burden – Leaders are entrusted with the well-being and development of others, but that privilege entails tough, sometimes lonely, responsibilities. Servant Leadership – True leadership is about enabling and supporting those you lead, not seeking personal advancement or recognition. Influence and Teamwork – Lasting change comes from pairing authority with influence and working collaboratively; no leader succeeds alone. Embrace Failure and Own Mistakes – Effective leaders accept institutional and personal failures and use them as learning and teaching moments. Family Matters – Great leaders recognize the significance of family (their own and their team's) and demonstrate respect and flexibility for personal commitments. Be Data-Driven and Strategic – Borrow frameworks that suit the mission, be clear about goals, and regularly follow up to ensure progress. Listening Is Active – Truly listening, then responding openly and honestly—even when you can't “fix” everything—builds trust and respect. Humility and Curiosity – Never stop learning or questioning; continual self-improvement is a hallmark of strong leaders. Celebrate and Share Credit – Spread praise to those working behind the scenes; leadership is not about personal glory, but lifting others. Resilience and Leading by Example – “Getting back up” after setbacks inspires teams; how a leader recovers can motivate others to do the same.   CHAPTERS 0:00:00 - Introduction and Welcome 0:00:21 - Guest Backgrounds and Family Legacies 0:02:57 - Inspiration for Writing the Book 0:05:00 - Defining Servant Leadership 0:07:46 - Role Models and Personal Examples   CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LINE PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Ted Robertson | Producer and Editor:  Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org   Ryan Hall | Director:  Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org  Bryan Grossman | Copy Editor:  Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org Wyatt Hornsby | Executive Producer:  Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org      ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS     FULL TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS Host: Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99 Guests: Dr. Heather Wilson '82, former Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, and former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. (Ret.) Dave Goldfein '83  Naviere Walkewicz 0:09 Welcome to Focus on Leadership, our accelerated leadership series. I'm your host, Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99. I'm honored to welcome two exceptional leaders whose careers and friendship have helped shape the modern Air Force, while inspiring thousands to serve with purpose and courage. Our guests today are Dr. Heather Wilson, USAFA Class of '82, the 24th secretary of the Air Force, now president at the University of Texas El Paso. And Gen. Dave Goldfein, Class of '83, the 21st chief of staff of the Air Force. Both are United States Air Force Academy distinguished graduates. Together, they've written Get Back Up: Lessons in Servant Leadership, a powerful reflection on resilience, humility and the courage to lead to adversity. And our conversation today will dive deeply into the lessons they learned at the highest levels of command and in public service, and what it means to serve others first. Thank you for being here. Gen. Dave Goldfein 1:08 Thank you for having us. Naviere Walkewicz 1:09 Absolutely. This is truly an honor. And I mentioned that I read this incredible book, and I'm so excited for us to jump into it, but before we do, I think it's really important for people to know you more than the secretary and the chief. I mean chief, so Gen. Goldfein, you came from an Air Force family. Your dad was a colonel, and ma'am, your grandpa was a civil aviator, but you really didn't have any other military ties. Dr. Heather Wilson 1:29 Well, my grandfather was one of the first pilots in the RAF in World War I, then came to America, and in World War II, flew for his new country in the Civil Air Patrol. My dad enlisted by that a high school and was a crew chief between the end of the Second World War and the start of Korea, and then he went back home and became a commercial aviator and a mechanic. Naviere Walkewicz 1:52 I love that. So your lines run deep. So maybe you can share more and let our listeners get to know you more personally. What would you like to share in this introduction of Gen. Goldfein and Dr. Wilson? Gen. Dave Goldfein 2:02 Well, I'll just tell you that if you know much about Air Force culture you know we all get call signs, right. Nicknames, right? I got a new one the day I retired, and you get to use it. It's JD, which stands for “Just Dave.” Naviere Walkewicz 2:17 Just Dave! Yes, sir. JD. I will do my best for that to roll off my tongue. Yes, sir. Gen. Dave Goldfein 2:25 And I will just say congratulations to you for your two sons who are currently at the Academy. How cool is that? Naviere Walkewicz 2:31 Thank you. We come from a Long Blue Line family. My dad was a grad, my uncle, my brother and sister, my two boys. So if I get my third son, he'll be class of 2037, so, we'll see. We've got some time. Gen. Dave Goldfein 2:41 We have grandchildren. Matter of fact, our book is dedicated to grandchildren and they don't know it yet, but at least on my side, they're Class of 2040 and 2043 at the Air Force Academy. Naviere Walkewicz 2:52 OK, so my youngest will be cadre for them. Excellent. Excellent. Dr. Heather Wilson 2:57 And my oldest granddaughter is 4, so I think we'll wait a little bit and see what she wants to do. Naviere Walkewicz 3:04 Yes, ma'am. All right. Well, let's jump in. You just mentioned that you wrote the book primarily for your film book. Is that correct? Gen. Dave Goldfein 3:09 Yes. Naviere Walkewicz 3:10 How did you decide to do this now together? Because you both have incredible stories. Dr. Heather Wilson 3:14 Well, two years ago, we were actually up in Montana with Barbara and Craig Barrett, who —  Barbara succeeded me as secretary of the Air Force. And our families, all six of us are quite close, and we were up there, and Dave was telling stories, and I said, “You know, you need to write some of these down.” And we talked about it a little bit, and he had tried to work with another co-author at one time and it just didn't work out really well. And I said, “Well, what if we do it together, and we focus it on young airmen, on lessons learned in leadership. And the other truth is, we were so tired of reading leadership books by Navy SEALs, you know, and so can we do something together? It turned out to be actually more work than I thought it would be for either of us, but it was also more fun.   Naviere Walkewicz 3:59 How long did it take you from start to finish? Dr. Heather Wilson 4:02 Two years. Naviere Walkewicz 4:03 Two years? Excellent. And are you — where it's landed? Are you just so proud? Is it what you envisioned when you started? Gen. Dave Goldfein 4:10 You know, I am, but I will also say that it's just come out, so the initial response has been fantastic, but I'm really eager to see what the longer term response looks like, right? Did it resonate with our intended tenant audience? Right? Did the young captains that we had a chance to spend time with at SOS at Maxwell last week, right? They lined up forever to get a copy. But the real question is, did the stories resonate? Right? Do they actually give them some tools that they can use in their tool bag? Same thing with the cadets that we were privileged to spend time with the day. You know, they energized us. I mean, because we're looking at the we're looking at the future of the leadership of this country. And if, if these lessons in servant leadership can fill their tool bag a little bit, then we'll have hit the mark. Naviere Walkewicz 5:07 Yes, sir, yes. Ma'am. Well, let's jump right in then. And you talked about servant leadership. How would you describe it? Each of you, in your own words, Dr. Heather Wilson 5:15 To me, one of the things, important things about servant leadership is it's from the bottom. As a leader, your job is to enable the people who are doing the work. So in some ways, you know, people think that the pyramid goes like this, that it's the pyramid with the point at the top, and in servant leadership, it really is the other way around. And as a leader, one of the most important questions I ask my direct reports — I have for years — is: What do you need from me that you're not getting? And I can't print money in the basement, but what do you need from me that you're not getting? How, as a leader, can I better enable you to accomplish your piece of the mission. And I think a good servant leader is constantly thinking about, how do I — what can I do to make it easier for the people who are doing the job to get the mission done? Gen. Dave Goldfein 6:08 And I'd offer that the journey to becoming an inspirational servant leader is the journey of a lifetime. I'm not sure that any of us actually ever arrive. I'm not the leader that I want to be, but I'm working on it. And I think if we ever get to a point where we feel like we got it all figured out right, that we know exactly what this whole leadership gig is, that may be a good time to think about retiring, because what that translates to is perhaps at that point, we're not listening, we're not learning, we're not growing, we're not curious — all the things that are so important. The first chapter in the book is titled, Am I worthy? And it's a mirror-check question that we both came to both individually and together as secretary and chief. It's a mere check that you look at and say, “All right, on this lifelong journey to become an inspirational servant leader, am I worthy of the trust and confidence of the parents who have shared their sons and daughters with the United States Air Force and expecting us to lead with character and courage and confidence? Am I worthy of the gift that followers give to leaders? Am I earning that gift and re-earning it every single day by how I act, how I treat others?” You know, that's the essence of servant leadership that we try to bring forward in the book. Naviere Walkewicz 7:38 Right? Can you recall when you first saw someone exhibiting servant leadership in your life? Dr. Heather Wilson 7:46 Good question. It's a question of role models. Maj. William S. Reeder was my first air officer commanding here. And while I think I can probably think of some leaders in my community, you know, people who were school principals or those kind of things, I think Maj. Reeder terrified me because they didn't want to disappoint him. And he had — he was an Army officer who had been shot down as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He still had some lingering issues. Now, I think he had broken his leg or his back or something, and so you could tell that he still carried with him the impact of that, but he had very high expectations of us and we didn't want to disappoint him. And I think he was a pretty good role model. Gen. Dave Goldfein 8:47 You know, one of the things we say at the very end of the book is that we both married up. We both married incredible leaders, servant leaders in their own right. So in my case, I married my high school sweetheart, and we've now been together almost 43 years, coming up on 43. And when you talk about servant leadership, you know, very often we don't give military spouses enough credit for the enormous courage that they have when they deal with the separations, the long hours, very often not talked about enough, the loneliness that comes with being married to someone who's in the military. And so I just give a shout out to every military spouse that's out there and family to thank them for that very special kind of courage that equates to servant leadership on their part. Naviere Walkewicz 9:47 Excellent. Those are both really great examples, and I think, as our listeners are engaging with this, they're going to start to think about those people in their lives as well, through your descriptions. Early in the book, you make this statement: “Leadership is a gift and a burden.” Might you both expand on that?   Dr. Heather Wilson 10:03 So it's a gift in that it's a gift that's given to you by those whom you are privileged to lead, and it's not just an institution that, you know, it's not just the regents of the University of Texas who have said, “Yes, you're going to be the president of the University of Texas at El Paso.” It is those who follow me who have given me gift of their loyalty and their service and their time. It's a burden, because some days are hard days, and you have to make hard calls based on values to advance the mission and, as chief and service secretary, there are no easy decisions that come walking into that part of the Pentagon. The easy decisions are all made before it gets to the service secretary and chief and so. So there is that responsibility of trying to do well difficult things. And I think sometimes those are lonely decisions. Gen. Dave Goldfein 11:09 And I think as a leader of any organization, part of what can be the burden is if you care deeply about the institution, then you carry the burden of any failures of that institution, both individuals who fall short, or the institution itself. And we face some of those, and we talk about that in the book. One of our chapters is on Sutherland Springs and owning failure. There was no dodge in that. And there was, quite frankly, there was an opportunity for us to actually showcase and teach others how to take ownership when the institution falls short and fails, right? And you know, one of the interesting elements of the relationship between a secretary and a chief is that if you go back and look at the law and read the job description of the chief of staff of the Air Force, it basically says, “Run the air staff and do what the secretary tells you.” I'm not making that up. Because most of the decision authority of the institution resides in the civilian control, the military civilian secretary. So almost all authority and decision authority resides with the secretary. What the chief position brings is 30 years in the institution that very often can bring credibility and influence. And what we determined early in our tenure was that if we were going to move the ball, if we were going to actually move the service in a positive direction, neither of us could do it alone. We had to do it together. We had to use this combination of authority and influence to be able to move the institution forward. And so that was a — and we talked a lot about that, you know, in the book, and it sort of runs throughout our stories. You know, that that trust matters. Naviere Walkewicz 12:59 Absolutely. We're going to visit that towards the end of our conversation, because there's a particular time before you both — before you became the chief and before you became the service secretary, when you met up together. And I want to visit that a little bit. But before we do, Gen. Goldfein — JD — you shared a story in the book, and obviously we want everyone to read it, so I'm not going to go tell the whole story, but you know where you took off one more time than you landed, and you had to, you know, you were hit, you had to evade and then you had to be rescued. There was a particular statement you made to identify yourself. And many of our Long Blue Line members will know this: fast, neat, average, friendly, good, good. In that moment of watching the sun start to rise while you're waiting to be retrieved, how did that come to your mind? Of all the things you could be thinking of to identify yourself? Gen. Dave Goldfein 13:53 Well, you know, it's interesting. So, you know, for those who've never, you know, had gone through a high-speed ejection, people asked me, what was like? I said, “Well, I used to be 6-foot-3. This is all that's left, right?” And you know, my job once I was on the ground was, quite frankly, not to goof it up. To let the rescue team do what the rescue team needed to do, and to play my part, which was to put them at the least amount of risk and be able to get out before the sun came up. And at the very end of the rescue when the helicopters — where I was actually vectoring them towards my location. And I had a compass in my hand, and I had my eyes closed, and I was just listening to the chopper noise and then vectoring them based on noise. And then eventually we got them to come and land, you know, right in front of me. Well, they always teach you, and they taught me here at the Academy during SERE training, which I think has been retitled, but it was SERE when we went through it, survival training. Now, I believe they teach you, “Hey, listen, you need to be nonthreatening, because the rescue team needs to know that you're not — this is not an ambush, that you are actually who you say you are. Don't hold up a weapon, be submissive and authenticate yourself. Well, to authenticate myself required me to actually try my flashlight. And I could see the enemy just over the horizon. And as soon as the helicopter landed, the enemy knew exactly where we were, and they came and running, and they came shooting, and they were raking the tree line with bullets. And so, you know, what I needed to do was to figure out a way to do an authentication. And I just, what came to mind was that training all those years ago, right here at the Academy, and I just said, “I could use a fast, neat, average rescue,” and friendly, good, good was on the way. Naviere Walkewicz 15:53 Wow, I just got chill bumps. Dr. Wilson, have you ever had to use that same kind of term, or, you know, reaching out to a grad in your time frequently? Dr. Heather Wilson 16:04 Yes, ma'am. And, you know, even in the last week, funny — I had an issue that I had to, I won't go into the details, but where there was an issue that might affect the reputation, not only of the university, but of one of our major industry partners, and it wasn't caused by either of us, but there was kind of a, kind of a middle person that was known to us that may not have been entirely acting with integrity. And I just looked up the company. The CEO is an Academy grad. So I picked up the phone and I called the office and we had a conversation. And I said, “Hey, I'd like to have a conversation with you, grad to grad.” And I said, “There are some issues here that I don't need to go into the details, but where I think you and I need to be a little careful about our reputations and what matters is my relationship as the university with you and your company and what your company needs in terms of talent. But wanted to let you know something that happened and what we're doing about it, but I wanted to make sure that you and I are clear.” And it was foundation of values that we act with integrity and we don't tolerate people who won't. Naviere Walkewicz 17:30 Yes, ma'am, I love that. The Long Blue Line runs deep that way, and that's a great example. JD, you spoke about, in the book, after the rescue — by the way, the picture in there of that entire crew was amazing. I love that picture. But you talked about getting back up in the air as soon as possible, without any pomp and circumstance. “Just get me back in the air and into the action.” I'd like to visit two things. One, you debriefed with the — on the check ride, the debrief on the check ride and why that was important. And then also you spoke about the dilemma of being dad and squad comm. Can you talk about that as well? Gen. Dave Goldfein 18:06 Yeah, the check ride. So when I was in Desert Storm, an incredible squadron commander named Billy Diehl, and one of the things that he told us after he led all the missions in the first 30 days or so, he said, “Look, there will be a lot of medals, you know, from this war.” He goes, “But I'm going to do something for you that happened for me in Vietnam. I'm going to fly on your wing, and I'm going to give you a check ride, and you're going to have a documented check ride of a combat mission that you led in your flying record. I'm doing that for you.” OK, so fast forward 10 years, now I'm the squadron commander, and I basically followed his lead. Said, “Hey, I want…” So that night, when I was shot down, I was actually flying on the wing of one of my captains, “Jammer” Kavlick, giving him a check ride. And so, of course, the rescue turns out — I'm sitting here, so it turned out great. And so I called Jammer into a room, and I said, “Hey, man, we never did the check ride.” I said, “You know, you flew a formation right over the top of a surface enemy missile that took out your wingman. That's not a great start.” And he just sort of… “Yes, sir, I know.” I said, “And then you led an all-night rescue that returned him to his family. That's pretty good recovery.” And so it's been a joke between us ever since. But in his personal — his flying record, he has a form that says, “I'm exceptionally, exceptionally qualified.” So I got back and I thought about this when I was on the ground collecting rocks for my daughters, you know, as souvenirs from Serbia. I got back, and I looked at my wing commander, and I said, “Hey, sir, I know you probably had a chance to think about this, but I'm not your young captain that just got shot down. I'm the squadron commander, and I've got to get my squadron back on the horse, and the only way to do that is for me to get back in the air. So if it's OK with you, I'm gonna go home. I'm gonna get crew rest and I'm going to fly tonight.” And he looked at me, and he looked at my wife, Dawn, who was there, and he goes, “If it's OK with her, it's OK with me.” Great. Dawn, just a champion, she said, “I understand it. That's what you got to do.” Because we were flying combat missions with our families at home, which is, was not in the squadron commander handbook, right? Pretty unique. What I found, though, was that my oldest daughter was struggling a little bit with it, and so now you've got this, you know, OK, I owe it to my squad to get right back up in the air and lead that night. And I owe it to my daughter to make sure that she's OK. And so I chose to take one night, make sure that she and my youngest daughter, Diana, were both, you know, in a good place, that they knew that everything's going to be OK. And then I got back up the next night. And in some ways, I didn't talk about it with anybody in the media for a year, because my dad was a Vietnam vet, I'd met so many of his friends, and I'd met so many folks who had actually gotten shot down one and two and three times over Vietnam, in Laos, right? You know what they did after they got rescued? They got back up. They just went back up in the air, right? No fanfare, no book tours, no, you know, nothing, right? It was just get back to work. So for me, it was a way of very quietly honoring the Vietnam generation, to basically do what they did and get back in the air quietly. And so that was what it was all about. Naviere Walkewicz 21:25 Dr. Wilson, how about for you? Because I know — I remember reading in the book you had a — there was something you said where, if your children called, no matter what they could always get through. So how have you balanced family? Dr. Heather Wilson 21:36 Work and life. And so, when I was elected to the Congress, my son was 4 years old. My daughter was 18 months. First of all, I married well, just like Dave. But I also think my obligations to my family don't end at the front porch, and I want to make a better world for them. But I also knew that I was a better member of Congress because I had a family, and that in some ways, each gave richness and dimension to the other. We figured out how to make it work as a family. I mean, both my children have been to a White House Christmas ball and the State of the Union, but we always had a rule that you can call no matter what. And I remember there were some times that it confounded people and, like, there was one time when President Bush — W. Bush, 43 — was coming to New Mexico for the first time, and he was going to do some events in Albuquerque. And they called and they said, “Well, if the congresswoman wants to fly in with him from Texas, you know, she can get off the airplane in her district with the president. And the answer was, “That's the first day of school, and I always take my kids to school the first day, so I'll just meet him here.” And the staff was stunned by that, like, she turns down a ride on Air Force One to arrive in her district with the president of the United States to take her kids to school. Yes, George Bush understood it completely. And likewise, when the vice president came, and it was, you know, that the one thing leading up to another tough election — I never had an easy election — and the one thing I said to my staff all the way through October, leading — “There's one night I need off, and that's Halloween, because we're going trick or treating.” And wouldn't you know the vice president is flying into New Mexico on Halloween for some event in New Mexico, and we told them, “I will meet them at the stairs when they arrive in Albuquerque. I'll have my family with them, but I won't be going to the event because we're going trick or treating.” And in my house, I have this great picture of the vice president of the United States and his wife and my kids in costume meeting. So most senior people understood that my family was important to me and everybody's family, you know — most people work to put food on the table, and if, as a leader, you recognize that and you give them grace when they need it, you will also have wonderful people who will work for you sometimes when the pay is better somewhere else because you respect that their families matter to them and making room for that love is important. Naviere Walkewicz 24:36 May I ask a follow on to that? Because I think that what you said was really important. You had a leader that understood. What about some of our listeners that maybe have leaders that don't value the same things or family in the way that is important. How do they navigate that? Dr. Heather Wilson 24:52 Sometimes you look towards the next assignment, or you find a place where your values are the same. And if we have leaders out there who are not being cognizant of the importance of family — I mean, we may recruit airmen but we retain families, and if we are not paying attention to that, then we will lose exceptional people. So that means that sometimes, you know, I give a lot of flexibility to people who are very high performers and work with me. And I also know that if I call them at 10 o'clock at night, they're going to answer the phone, and that's OK. I understand what it's like to — I remember, you know, I was in New Mexico, I was a member of Congress, somebody was calling about an issue in the budget, and my daughter, who was probably 4 at the time, had an ear infection, and it was just miserable. And so I'm trying to get soup into her, and this guy is calling me, and she's got — and it was one of the few times I said — and it was the chairman of a committee — I said, “Can I just call you back? I've got a kid with an ear infection…” And he had five kids. He said, “Oh, absolutely, you call me back.” So you just be honest with people about the importance of family. Why are we in the service? We're here to protect our families and everybody else's family. And that's OK.   Naviere Walkewicz 26:23 Yes, thank you for sharing that. Anything to add to that, JD? No? OK. Well, Dr. Wilson, I'd like to go into the book where you talk about your chapter on collecting tools, which is a wonderful chapter, and you talk about Malcolm Baldridge. I had to look him up — I'll be honest — to understand, as a businessman, his career and his legacy. But maybe share in particular why he has helped you. Or maybe you've leveraged his process in the way that you kind of think through and systematically approach things. Dr. Heather Wilson 26:49 Yeah, there was a movement in the, it would have been in the early '90s, on the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Awards. It came out of the Department of Commerce, but then it spread to many of the states and it was one of the better models I thought for how to run organizations strategically. And I learned about it when I was a small businessperson in Albuquerque, New Mexico. And I thought it was interesting. But the thing that I liked about it was it scaled. It was a little bit like broccoli, you know, it looks the same at the little flora as it does at the whole head, right? And so it kind of became a model for how I could use those tools about being data driven, strategically focused, process oriented that I could use in reforming a large and not very well functioning child welfare department when I became a cabinet secretary for children, youth and families, which was not on my how-to-run-my-career card. That was not in the plan, but again, it was a set of tools that I'd learned in one place that I brought with me and thought might work in another. Naviere Walkewicz 28:02 Excellent. And do you follow a similar approach, JD, in how you approach a big problem? Gen. Dave Goldfein 28:07 I think we're all lifelong students of different models and different frameworks that work. And there's not a one-size-fits-all for every organization. And the best leaders, I think, are able to tailor their approach based on what the mission — who the people are, what they're trying to accomplish. I had a chance to be a an aide de camp to a three-star, Mike Ryan, early in my career, and he went on to be chief of staff of the Air Force. And one of the frameworks that he taught me was he said, “If you really want to get anything done,” he said, “you've got to do three things.” He said, “First of all, you got to put a single person in charge.” He said, “Committees and groups solve very little. Someone's got to drive to work feeling like they've got the authority, the responsibility, the resources and everything they need to accomplish what it is that you want to accomplish. So get a single person in charge. Most important decision you will make as a leader, put the right person in charge. Second, that person owes you a plan in English. Not 15 PowerPoint slides, right, but something that clearly articulates in one to two pages, max, exactly what we're trying to accomplish. And the third is, you've got to have a way to follow up.” He said, “Because life gets in the way of any perfect plan. And what will happen is,” he goes, “I will tell you how many times,” he said, “that I would circle back with my team, you know, a couple months later and say, ‘How's it going?' And they would all look at each other and say, “Well, I thought you were in charge,” right? And then after that, once they figure out who was in charge, they said, “Well, we were working this plan, but we got, you know, we had to go left versus right, because we had this crisis, this alligator started circling the canoe, and therefore we had to, you know, take care of that,” right? He says, “As a leader, those are the three elements of any success. Put someone in charge. Build a plan that's understandable and readable, and always follow up. And I've used that as a framework, you know, throughout different organizations, even all the way as chief to find — to make sure that we had the right things. Dr. Heather Wilson 30:21 Even this morning, somebody came by who reminded us of a story that probably should have been in the book, where we had — it was a cyber vulnerability that was related to a particular piece of software widely deployed, and the CIO was having trouble getting the MAJCOMMS to kind of take it seriously. And they were saying, “Well, you know, we think maybe in 30, 60, 90 days, six months, we'll have it all done,” or whatever. So I said, “OK, let all the four-stars know. I want to be updated every 36 hours on how many of them, they still have, still have not updated.” I mean, this is a major cyber vulnerability that we knew was — could be exploited and wasn't some little thing. It was amazing; it got done faster. Naviere Walkewicz 31:11 No 90 days later. Oh, my goodness. Well, that was excellent and actually, I saw that in action in the story, in the book, after the attack on the Pentagon, and when you stood up and took charge, kind of the relief efforts, because many people were coming in that wanted to help, and they just needed someone to lead how that could happen. So you were putting into practice. Yes, sir. I'd like to get into where you talk about living your purpose, and that's a chapter in there. But you know, Gen. Goldfein, we have to get into this. You left the Academy as a cadet, and I think that's something that not many people are familiar with. You ride across the country on a bike with a guitar on your back for part of the time — and you sent it to Dawn after a little while — Mini-Bear in your shirt, to find your purpose. Was there a moment during the six months that you that hit you like lightning and you knew that this was your purpose, or was it a gradual meeting of those different Americans you kind of came across? Gen. Dave Goldfein 32:04 Definitely gradual. You know, it was something that just built up over time. I used to joke — we both knew Chairman John McCain and always had great respect for him. And I remember one time in his office, I said, “Chairman, I got to share with you that I lived in constant fear during every hearing that you were going to hold up a piece of paper on camera and say, ‘General, I got your transcript from the Air Force Academy. You got to be kidding me, right?' And he laughed, and he said, Trust me, if you looked at my transcript in Annapolis,” he goes, “I'm the last guy that would have ever asked that question.” But you know, the we made a mutual decision here, sometimes just things all come together. I'd written a paper on finding my purpose about the same time that there was a professor from Annapolis that was visiting and talking about a sabbatical program that Annapolis had started. And so they started talking about it, and then this paper made it and I got called in. They said, “Hey, we're thinking about starting this program, you know, called Stop Out, designed to stop people from getting out. We read your paper. What would you do if you could take a year off?” And I said, “Wow, you know, if I could do it, I'll tell you. I would start by going to Philmont Scout Ranch, you know, and be a backcountry Ranger,” because my passion was for the outdoors, and do that. “And then I would go join my musical hero, Harry Chapin.” Oh, by the way, he came to the United States Air Force Academy in the early '60s. Right? Left here, built a band and wrote the hit song Taxi. “So I would go join him as a roadie and just sort of see whether music and the outdoors, which my passions are, what, you know, what it's all about for me.” Well, we lost contact with the Chapin connection. So I ended up on this bicycle riding around the country. And so many families took me in, and so many towns that I rode into, you know, I found that if I just went to the library and said, “Hey, tell me a little bit about the history of this town,” the librarian would call, like, the last, you know, three or four of the seniors the town, they'd all rush over to tell me the story of, you know, this particular little town, right? And then someone would also say, “Hey, where are you staying tonight?” “I'm staying in my tent.” They said, “Oh, come stay with me.” So gradually, over time, I got to know America, and came to the conclusion when I had to make the decision to come back or not, that this country is really worth defending, that these people are hard-working, you know, that want to make the world better for their kids and their grandkids, and they deserve a United States Air Force, the best air force on the planet, to defend them. So, you know, when I came back my last two years, and I always love sharing this with cadets, because some of them are fighting it, some of them have embraced it. And all I tell them is, “Hey, I've done both. And all I can tell you is, the sooner you embrace it and find your purpose, this place is a lot more fun.” Naviere Walkewicz 35:13 Truth in that, yes, yes, well. And, Dr. Wilson, how did you know you were living your purpose? Dr. Heather Wilson 35:19 Well, I've had a lot of different chapters to my life. Yes, and we can intellectualize it on why we, you know, why I made a certain decision at a certain time, but there were doors that opened that I never even knew were there. But at each time and at each junction, there was a moment where somehow I just knew. And at South Dakota Mines is a good example. You know, I lost a race to the United States Senate. I actually had some interns — I benefited from a lousy job market, and I had fantastic interns, and we were helping them through the loss. You know, they're young. They were passionate. They, as Churchill said, “The blessing and the curse of representative government is one in the same. The people get what they choose.” And so I was helping them through that, and one of them said, “Well, Dr. Wilson, you're really great with students. You should be a college president somewhere. Texas Tech needs a president. You should apply there,” because that's where this kid was going to school. And I said, “Well, but I don't think they're looking for me.” But it did cause me to start thinking about it and I had come close. I had been asked about a college presidency once before, and I started looking at it and talking to headhunters and so forth. And initially, South Dakota Mines didn't seem like a great fit, because I'm a Bachelor of Science degree here, but my Ph.D. is in a nonscientific discipline, and it's all engineers and scientists. But as I went through the process, it just felt more and more right. And on the day of the final interviews, that evening, it was snowing in South Dakota, there was a concert in the old gym. I mean, this is an engineering school, and they had a faculty member there who had been there for 40 years, who taught choral music, and the students stood up, and they started singing their warm up, which starts out with just one voice, and eventually gets to a 16-part harmony and it's in Latin, and it's music is a gift from God, and they go through it once, and then this 40th anniversary concert, about 50 people from the audience stand up and start singing. It's like a flash mob, almost These were all alumni who came back. Forty years of alumni to be there for that concert for him. And they all went up on stage and sang together in this just stunning, beautiful concert by a bunch of engineers. And I thought, “There's something special going on here that's worth being part of,” and there are times when you just know. And the same with becoming cabinet secretary for children, youth and families — that was not in the plan and there's just a moment where I knew that was what I should do now. How I should use my gifts now? And you hope that you're right in making those decisions.   Naviere Walkewicz 38:43 Well, probably aligning with JD's point in the book of following your gut. Some of that's probably attached to you finding your purpose. Excellent. I'd like to visit the time Dr. Wilson, when you were helping President Bush with the State of the Union address, and in particular, you had grueling days, a lot of hours prepping, and when it was time for it to be delivered, you weren't there. You went home to your apartment in the dark. You were listening on the radio, and there was a moment when the Congress applauded and you felt proud, but something that you said really stuck with me. And he said, I really enjoy being the low-key staff member who gets stuff done. Can you talk more about that? Because I think sometimes we don't, you know, the unsung heroes are sometimes the ones that are really getting so many things done, but nobody knows. Dr. Heather Wilson 39:31 So, I'm something of an introvert and I've acquired extrovert characteristics in order to survive professionally. But when it comes to where I get my batteries recharged, I'm quite an introvert, and I really loved — and the same in international negotiations, being often the liaison, the back channel, and I did that in the conventional forces in Europe negotiations for the American ambassador. And in some ways, I think it might have been — in the case of the conventional forces in Europe negotiations, I was on the American delegation here. I was in Vienna. I ended up there because, for a bunch of weird reasons, then they asked me if I would go there for three months TDY. It's like, “Oh, three months TDY in Vienna, Austria. Sign me up.” But I became a very junior member on the delegation, but I was the office of the secretary of defense's representative, and walked into this palace where they were negotiating between what was then the 16 NATO nations and the seven Warsaw Pact countries. And the American ambassador turned to me, and he said during this several times, “I want you to sit behind me and to my right, and several times I'm going to turn and talk to you, and I just want you to lean in and answer.” I mean, he wasn't asking anything substantive, and I just, “Yes, sir.” But what he was doing was credentialing me in front of the other countries around that table. Now, I was very young, there were only two women in the room. The other one was from Iceland, and what he was doing was putting me in a position to be able to negotiate the back channel with several of our allies and with — this was six months or so now, maybe a year before the fall of the Berlin Wall. So things were changing in Eastern Europe, and so I really have always enjoyed just that quietly getting things done, building consensus, finding the common ground, figuring out a problem. Actually have several coffee mugs that just say GSD, and the other side does say, Get Stuff Done. And I like that, and I like people who do that. And I think those quiet — we probably don't say thank you enough to the quiet, hardworking people that just figure out how to get stuff done. Naviere Walkewicz 41:59 Well, I like how he credentialed you and actually brought that kind of credibility in that way as a leader. JD, how have you done that as a leader? Champion, some of those quiet, behind the scenes, unsung heroes. Gen. Dave Goldfein 42:11 I'm not sure where the quote comes from, but it's something to the effect of, “It's amazing what you can get done if you don't care who gets the credit.” There's so much truth to that. You know, in the in the sharing of success, right? As servant leaders, one of the things that I think both of us spend a lot of time on is to make sure that credit is shared with all the folks who, behind the scenes, you know, are doing the hard, hard work to make things happen, and very often, you know, we're the recipients of the thank yous, right? And the gratefulness of an organization or for somebody who's benefited from our work, but when you're at the very senior leaders, you know what you do is you lay out the vision, you create the environment to achieve that vision. But the hard, hard work is done by so many others around you. Today, in the audience when we were there at Polaris Hall, was Col. Dave Herndon. So Col. Dave Herndon, when he was Maj. Dave Herndon, was my aide de camp, and I can tell you that there are so many successes that his fingers are on that he got zero credit for, because he was quietly behind the scenes, making things happen, and that's just the nature of servant leadership, is making sure that when things go well, you share it, and when things go badly, you own it. Naviere Walkewicz 43:47 And you do share a really remarkable story in there about accountability. And so we won't spend so much time talking about that, but I do want to go to the point where you talk about listening, and you say, listening is not passive; it's active and transformative. As servant leaders, have you ever uncovered challenges that your team has experienced that you didn't have the ability to fix and you know, what action did you take in those instances? Dr. Heather Wilson 44:09 You mean this morning? All the time. And sometimes — and then people will give you grace, if you're honest about that. You don't make wild promises about what you can do, but then you sit and listen and work through and see all right, what is within the realm of the possible here. What can we get done? Or who can we bring to the table to help with a set of problems? But, there's no… You don't get a — when I was president of South Dakota Mines, one of the people who worked with me, actually gave me, from the toy store, a magic wand. But it doesn't work. But I keep it in my office, in case, you know… So there's no magic wands, but being out there listening to understand, not just listening to refute, right? And then seeing whether there are things that can be done, even if there's some things you just don't have the answers for, right? Gen. Dave Goldfein 45:11 The other thing I would offer is that as senior leadership and as a senior leadership team, you rarely actually completely solve anything. What you do is improve things and move the ball. You take the hand you're dealt, right, and you find creative solutions. You create the environment, lay out the vision and then make sure you follow up, move the ball, and if you get at the end of your tenure, it's time for you to move on, and you've got the ball moved 20, 30, yards down the field. That's actually not bad, because most of the things we were taking on together, right, were big, hard challenges that we needed to move the ball on, right? I If you said, “Hey, did you completely revitalize the squadrons across the United States Air Force?” I will tell you, absolutely not. Did we get the ball about 20, 30 yards down the field? And I hope so. I think we did. Did we take the overhaul that we did of officer development to be able to ensure that we were producing the senior leaders that the nation needs, not just the United States Air Force needs? I will tell you that we didn't solve it completely, but we moved the ball down the field, and we did it in a way that was able to stick. You know, very often you plant seeds as a leader, and you never know whether those seeds are going to, you know, these seeds are ideas, right? And you never know whether the seeds are going to hit fertile soil or rocks. And I would often tell, you know, young leaders too. I said, you know, in your last few months that you're privileged to be in the position of leadership, you've got two bottles on your hip. You're walking around with — one of them's got fertilizer and one of them's got Roundup. And your job in that final few months is to take a look at the seeds that you planted and truly determine whether they hit fertile soil and they've grown roots, and if they've grown roots, you pull out the fertilizer, and the fertilizer you're putting on it is to make it part of the institution not associated with you, right? You want somebody some years from now say, “Hey, how do we ever do that whole squadron thing?” The right answer is, “I have no idea, but look at how much better we are.” That's the right answer, right? That's the fertilizer you put on it. But it's just equally important to take a look at the ideas that, just for whatever reason, sometimes beyond your control — they just didn't stick right. Get out the Roundup. Because what you don't want to do is to pass on to your successor something that didn't work for you, because it probably ain't going to work for her. Dr. Heather Wilson 47:46 That's right, which is one of the rules of leadership is take the garbage out with you when you go. Naviere Walkewicz 47:51 I like that. I like that a lot. Well, we are — just a little bit of time left. I want to end this kind of together on a story that you shared in the book about laughter being one of the tools you share. And after we share this together, I would like to ask you, I know we talked about mirror checks, but what are some things that you guys are doing every day to be better as well, to continue learning. But to get to the laughter piece, you mentioned that laughter is an underappreciated tool and for leaders, something that you both share. I want to talk about the time when you got together for dinner before you began working as chief and service secretary, and I think you may have sung an AF pro song. We're not going to ask you to sing that today, unless you'd like to JD? But let's talk about laughter.   Gen. Dave Goldfein 48:31 The dean would throw me out. Naviere Walkewicz 48:33 OK, OK, we won't have you sing that today. But how have you found laughter — when you talk about — when the questions and the problems come up to you?   Dr. Heather Wilson 48:40 So I'm going to start this because I think Dave Goldfein has mastered this leadership skill of how to use humor, and self-deprecating humor, better than almost any leader I've ever met. And it's disarming, which is a great technique, because he's actually wicked smart. But it's also people walk in the room knowing if you're going to a town hall meeting or you're going to be around the table, at least sometime in that meeting, we're going to laugh. And it creates a warmth and people drop their guard a little bit. You get to the business a little bit earlier. You get beyond the standard PowerPoint slides, and people just get down to work. And it just — people relax. And I think Dave is very, very good at it. Now, my husband would tell you that I was raised in the home for the humor impaired, and I have been in therapy with him for almost 35 years.   Naviere Walkewicz 49:37 So have you improved? Dr. Heather Wilson 49:39 He thinks I've made some progress.   Naviere Walkewicz 49:41 You've moved the ball.   Dr. Heather Wilson 49:44 Yes. Made some progress. I still don't — I used to start out with saying the punch line and then explain why it was funny. Naviere Walkewicz 49:52 I'm in your camp a little bit. I try. My husband says, “Leave the humor to me.” Dr. Heather Wilson 49:54 Yeah, exactly. You understand. Gen. Dave Goldfein 49:58 I used to joke that I am a member of the Class of 1981['82 and '83]. I am the John Belushi of the United States Air Force Academy, a patron saint of late bloomers. But you know, honestly, Heather doesn't give herself enough credit for building an environment where, you know, folks can actually do their very best work. That's one of the things that we do, right? Because we have — the tools that we have available to be able to get things done very often, are the people that are we're privileged to lead and making sure that they are part of an organization where they feel valued, where we're squinting with our ears. We're actually listening to them. Where they're making a contribution, right? Where they believe that what they're being able to do as part of the institution or the organization is so much more than they could ever do on their own. That's what leadership is all about. Dr. Heather Wilson 51:05 You know, we try to — I think both of us see the humor in everyday life, and when people know that I have a desk plate that I got in South Dakota, and it doesn't say “President.” It doesn't say “Dr. Wilson.” It says, “You're kidding me, right?” Because once a week, more frequently as secretary and chief, but certainly frequently as a college president, somebody is going to walk in and say, “Chief, there's something you need to know.” And if they know they're going to get blasted out of the water or yelled at, people are going to be less likely to come in and tell you, right, what you need to know. But if you're at least willing to laugh at the absurdity of the — somebody thought that was a good idea, you know. My gosh, let's call the lawyers or whatever. But you know, you've just got to laugh, and if you laugh, people will know that you just put things in perspective and then deal with the problem. Naviere Walkewicz  52:06 Well, it connects us as humans. Yeah. Well, during my conversation today with Dr. Heather Wilson and Gen. Dave Goldfein — JD — two lessons really stood out to me. Leadership is not about avoiding the fall, but about how high you bounce back and how your recovery can inspire those you lead. It's also about service, showing up, doing the hard work and putting others before yourself with humility, integrity and working together. Dr. Wilson, Gen. Goldfein, thank you for showing us how courage, compassion and connection — they're not soft skills. They're actually the edge of hard leadership. And when you do that and you lead with service, you get back up after every fall. You encourage others to follow and do the same. Thank you for joining us for this powerful conversation. You can find Get Back Up: Lessons in Servant Leadership, wherever books are sold. And learn more at getbackupeadership.com. If today's episode inspired you, please share it with someone who can really benefit in their own leadership journey. As always, keep learning. Keep getting back up. Keep trying. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99. This has been Focus On Leadership. Until next time. Producer This edition of Focus on Leadership, the accelerated leadership series, was recorded on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025.   KEYWORDS Leadership, servant leadership, resilience, humility, integrity, influence, teamwork, family, trust, listening, learning, purpose, growth, accountability, service, courage, compassion, balance, values, inspiration.     The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation  

Am 17.1.1991 beginnen die USA und Alliierte mit Luftangriffen auf den Irak, um das von Saddam Hussein annektierte Kuwait zu befreien. Die Weltöffentlichkeit ist erstmals live dabei. Von Wolfgang Meyer.

"Meet the first viral preacher, Billy Graham. You've never seen the evangelist like this before with a full biography documentary exploring the man known as America's Pastor, brought to life through archival footage, historical context, graphic design, and stunning 4K Ultra HD visuals.This full story follows Billy Graham's journey from humble beginnings to global evangelist, examining his faith, gospel message, and influence on American history. Discover his close relationships with U.S. presidents and world leaders including Winston Churchill, Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, George Bush, and Bill Clinton, and how his ministry shaped a nation.Presented by Christian YouTuber Joe Kirby from Off The Kirb Ministries.#billygraham #biography #Christianmotivation

Kathryn Pearson of the University of Minnesota explains the scandal that may have ended Gov. Tim Walz’s political career, and the expected decision by Sen. Amy Klobuchar that she would seek to succeed him this year. And Lou Cannon, the chief White House correspondent during the Ronald Reagan presidency and a superb Reagan biographer, died last month at the age of 92.  He was last on the Political Junkie back in 2015, talking about the 1980 Republican convention and how Reagan helped his cause by picking George Bush as his running mate — and not former President Gerald Ford, who was rumored to be angling for a spot on the GOP ticket. PLUS:  The Trump administration defends the murder of a woman in Minneapolis by an ICE agent.  And Greenland?  Seriously? Music in this Episode: When the Music’s Over by the Doors Amie by Pure Prairie League Like to Get to Know You by Spanky & Our Gang The post Episode #428: Walz Came Tumbling Down appeared first on Ken Rudin's Political Junkie.

Darrell Castle discusses the raid in Venezuela, the capture or arrest of Nichalas Maduro and his wife and whether it was beneficial to anyone. TRUMP'S VERSION OF THE MONROE DOCTRINE Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today's Castle Report. This is Friday the 9th day of January in the year of our Lord 2026. I will be discussing the raid in Venezuela and the capture or arrest as the DOJ calls it of Nichalas Maduro and his wife and their criminal prosecution by US Federal authorities in the federal district court of New York. Did it benefit anyone, was it right or wrong, was it legal or illegal. Yes, folks 2026 has barely started and it has already been quite a year. Was the capture of Maduro an indication by the administration that one year of his term is complete and now the gloves come off. I certainly think that was one of the many intentions of the raid, but not the most significant by any means. What then was the real intent or reason for the raid. The truthful answer to that question is, I don't know and neither does anyone else. We look at it and we see the results short term but what was in his mind only he knows for sure. Let's look first at the legality of the raid. In my opinion it was clearly legal if US law is the judge. The 1973 War Powers Resolution allows the president to deploy military forces; however, he chooses without prior approval of congress if he decides its in the national security interest of the United States. Its's more than a little hypocritical for any Democrat with a microphone to scream illegal because they could always repeal the War Powers Act but they don't/ Why not, because they use it too, and they want it available. When Hillary Clinton rejoiced at the death of Muammar Gaddafi who was killed in a US bombing attack while apparently asleep in his bed, was that illegal. What about when George Bush sent American forces into Iraq and eventually hanged Saddam Hussein, was that illegal. In fact, Trump should be thanked by Maduro and his supporters in congress because he could have sent a cruise missile through his window but instead he arrested him. The DOJ insists this was a law enforcement action whereby a wanted fugitive was arrested in a foreign country. So, the question is, what do you mean by illegal. Clearly it does not violate US law so perhaps you mean it violates your sense of consciousness or morality. Well, most of what the US government does violates my sense of morality but that is not the judge.  I guess the argument then is that it violates international law. My answer is that international law is a nebulous concept that doesn't even exist anymore. International law was invented at Nuremburg as a way to justify dealing with Nazi war criminals when there was little real evidence of the crimes with which they were charged. In other words, it began and ended at Nuremburg. OK then, did anything good come out of the raid. Yes, lots of things, starting with the way the raid was conducted. This was perhaps the greatest and most successful special forces raid in history. Conducted in a foreign capital with very few known casualties. As I said he could have just put a warhead on Maduro's forehead but he didn't so in that sense the rule of law is intact. To carry that thought forward, the President has this very elite force the best of the best and he is committed to using them to accomplish his foreign policy rather than mobilizing vast armies with coalition partners at a cost of hundreds of billions. Everyone around the world took notice and the countries you would expect voiced their disapproval, but at the same time they know he is not bluffing and when he warns that he will act it is prudent to pay attention. It was a demonstration of what the US military can do especially when you consider that Venezuela supposedly had the latest version of Russian and Chinese anti-air defense system. It was Trump's version of, we are still here and we are still the best so pay attention. The other benefit that it is hard to argue against is that Maduro is a very bad man and Venezuela will be better off without him. There was an election in 2024 which was won by Edmundo Gonzalez but Maduro used his military to hold on to the most addictive thing in the world, power. He was so bad as a leader that 20% of the Venezuelan population left the country. I personally know many Venezuelan people some of whom live here in America and some in Venezuela and they are happy he is gone. The pro Maduro crowds of young white liberals marching through the streets of New York are really anti-Trump not pro Maduro. I guess one can justify supporting a vicious dictator if it means hurting Trump. The crowds of Venezuelan people rejoicing in the streets of Caracas are far more important than those in New York. Sometimes I think the people in such demonstrations have lost touch with reality. Certainly, they have lost touch with the needs of ordinary people if they ever had touch with them. It reminds me of when Trump sent the National Guard into the most crime ridden cities to help slow violent crime. Washington DC was the first but my city of Memphis was also included. The people in New York marching against the deployment were probably the same as the pro Maduro crowd but in the streets it was different. I talked to many people in my law office who live out there with reality and that reality is constant fear of violent crime. People told me in no uncertain terms that they were glad to see the Guard on the streets and they felt safer walking or going shopping. The people of the cities worry about whether their kids will be killed in a drive by, and so they are glad for protection. So, Maduro was a very bad man who caused many to leave their country and many more were starving. Yes, he was a leader who lived in palatial luxury while his people starved. Venezuela has one of the largest deposits of petroleum in the world but the people have no gas. We learned after Maduro's capture that the infrastructure of pumping and getting oil to market was in such a poor state that it could take ten years to fully bring it up to speed. Venezuela has all this wealth under its soil and under its ocean but no one cared enough for the people to exploit it for their benefit. Will the American oil companies that are competing for Venezuelan oil use it for the people's benefit. Well, that is a good question but I believe that while trump is president they will. Right now, Venezuela is left in a highly volatile and uncertain phase of its history. Who will lead after Maduro. Delci Rodriguez, Maduro's vice president is in charge as I record this. She talked tough but only for a moment and then she saw the light and started saying something like I will be glad to cooperate with the Americans and I am just glad to be here. That is of course another point and that is that he did leave her in power and let natural progression take its course. Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado said that she would like to see Gomzalez given power because he won the election in 2024 but Trump seems committed to let the laws of succession take their course. So, the next several months are very uncertain and many questions remain. Will Roddriguez accommodate US pressure and demands, defy them, or perhaps some hard line socialist from Maduro's old party, The United Socialist Party of Venezuela, will try to seize power. One thing should be obvious though and that is that the US military will be used if it becomes necessary so the leaders of that country obviously know that. So, the President is reimposing the Monroe Doctrine to protect US interests in this hemisphere. When President Monroe announced his doctrine in 1823 or 24 it was to be a two-way street. To the European colonists he said stay out of our hemisphere and we will stay out of yours. Spain had colonies so it was primarily directed at them and it eventually took the Spanish-American War to get Spain out of the Caribbean. It would be hard to argue that the US has stayed out of European affairs since the US has fought two World Wars and currently has bases and troops all over Europe. In addition, the US has China surrounded by bases and carrier battle groups so two-way street, no not yet. Perhaps it indicates a return to the old Monroe doctrine whereby the US watches its own back yard and lets others do the same. I for one would be happy if that were the policy. In regard to that thought Trump has repeatedly referred to the Venezuelan oil deposits as “our oil. “Is he bringing a Machiavellian concept of might makes right to the table with that expression. No, he is referring to the contracts US companies had with the Venezuelan government before Hugo Chavez took power in 1998. One of Chavez's first acts was to nationalize the oil industry thus stealing all the oil, at least from an American point of view. So, Trump is referring back to the pre-Chavez days and saying by contract that oil is ours and you should thank me instead of criticizing me for enforcing contracts and the rule of law. None of that had anything to do with Nicholas Maduro of course since it happened long before he took power. Chavez named Maduro as his successor from his death bed in 2010. Venezuela is supposed to have free elections but if you know the history of that region you know that often free elections are in name only. You've probably noticed that I have spent very little time on the topic of drug interdiction. That's because the whole concept is ridiculous and had very little to do with US military action. Slowing the flow of narcotics into the US was at best a side benefit but it made for good theater. Interestingly, Bibi Netanyahu made his fifth visit to the Trump White House just before this happened. Bibi has been complaining for some time that Venezuela was allowing Iran to train its terrorists there and he wanted something done about it. So, was it an Israeli operation? I don't know since knowing is virtually impossible but I will wager it didn't hurt. Finally, folks, from all this talk you might get the impression that I am in favor of this attack but no I'm afraid not. America first to me means that we have enough problems at home to last all of our lifetimes and I think the American people are about sick of Foreign policy. Rather than empire building or the imperialism of Pax Americana our concerns are or should be here at home. I reject these grandiose schemes in favor of home and family the way it should be. Let us raise our children in peace and prosperity and keep the price of ground beef modest. At least that's the way I see it, Until next time folks, This is Darrell Castle, Thanks for listening.

With the Steelers hosting Houston this weekend for a Wild Card matchup, it's only fitting to go back in time and rebroadcast a Retro Show in which the Steelers were in a similar situation. The 1989 Steelers started out the season in a terrible way. They lost to the Browns and Bengals by a combined score of 92-10 to open the season. But Chuck Noll's team rebounded to finish at 9-7 and squeak into the playoffs only to have to face their arch-nemesis, Houston, in the Wild Card. Many thought the Steelers would easily go 0-3 against the Oilers for the year, but the Men of Steel had other plans. The Steelers visit to the Astrodome to closed-out the 1980s. December 31st of that year is the main topic that will be discussed on the a special rebroadcast of the Retro Show. Join SCN's veteran duo of Tony Defeo and Bryan Anthony Davis as they set adrift on memory bliss in the year that brought as a George Bush inauguration, Andrew “Dice” Clay, Field of Dreams and the Steelers near the doorstep of the Super Bowl. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Agradece a este podcast tantas horas de entretenimiento y disfruta de episodios exclusivos como éste. ¡Apóyale en iVoox! Tercera hora del nuevo año con temas que te van a remover por dentro. Arrancamos con la realidad brutal de ser autónomo en España, donde te cobran por trabajar. Después, el lado oscuro de los retiros espirituales: cómo las sectas modernas te pescan por Instagram prometiendo reconexión y acabas en manos de un psicópata con delirios chamánicos. Viajamos a 1944 para descubrir qué pasó realmente con los compañeros de vuelo de George Bush padre en la isla de Chichijima, una historia de canibalismo ritualizado que se mantuvo oculta 60 años. Analizamos cómo 2025 fue el año en que perdimos la capacidad de confiar en nuestros ojos, con la IA generando mentiras indistinguibles de la realidad. Y cerramos con el "chroming", la moda que está matando adolescentes: inhalar gas de mechero por TikTok. Porque una botellita de 2,50€ puede ser tu última diversión. Bienvenidos a tiempos extraños. Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

The Snobs discuss their brushes with famous celebrities Harrison Ford, George Bush, Rosie O'Donnell and Harvey Fierstein!! When, how? Let's find out.  Then they remember they are a board game podcast and discuss Treasure Island and Modern Art.  Also discussed, Long John Silver's food, people that preface their statements and the game Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes.  Also they introduce their friend John.  Enjoy!

Catastrophe has a way of shaping leaders. Winston Churchill during World War Two, George Bush during 9/11 and Scott Morrison during the Black Summer bushfires.It may define Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's leadership too, as he comes under pressure to respond to the antisemitism crisis and the Bondi Beach terror attack, in which 15 people were killed.Today, the chief political correspondent at The Conversation, Michelle Grattan on whether Anthony Albanese can rise to the challenge.Featured: Michelle Grattan, chief political correspondent at The Conversation and a professorial fellow at the University of Canberra

"Have you ever wondered why a penny saved is truly a penny earned—or how a cat could end up in a courtroom over a color TV?"

Dana In The Morning Highlights 12/8George Bush HS students visited the SUNNY studios and sangs some Christmas songsGoodwill Houston debuts new training on Electric Vehicles ---> goodwillhouston.orgSome of us need to buy ourselves a treat or 2 for doing so much during the holidays

December 7th, 1992 ... The East Room of the White House.... The President and White House staff gather for a Christmas Ceremony.... The mood is gloomy, sad, glum. A month earlier, President George Bush lost his reelection campaign. The president is introduced, the staff applauds — but then a surprise - and the mood changes entirely: "Not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent. At this juncture. That was the other one. Wouldn't be prudent at this juncture. That thing, doing that thing. Now, I always did this thing. I always said that the President goes, "It's bad, it's bad," but you only did it once. I did it for four years. He did it once. So. I don't know. do you want to come on up." That was comedian Dana Carvey. And, with his urging, President Bush did come on up.. Now, 33 years later, we're still talking about politicians and their relationships with comedians who make fun of them. In this week's episode of C-SPAN's "Extreme Mortman" — we remember when a comedian did an impression of a president — and the president did an impression of the comedian doing an impresion of the president. What did that sound like? How did Dana Carvey get to play the White House? And perhaps most important — What did President Bush think of Dana Carvey's impression? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What really happened on September 11th 2001? 9/11 continues to be one of the most discussed catastrophes in modern history, but what really happened that day in New York City? There is a lot of evidence to suggest that not all is what it seems. Nor Cut and dry. Could Direct Energy weapons have been used against the United States, in some type of False flag operation? Let's find out. #911 #Conspiracy #TotalDisclosure Episode 1 features— Norman aka 9/11 Revisionist is a South African truth seeker that started a deep dive into 9/11 during the CV-19 pandemic, by looking at all the narratives put out regarding 9/11 since the formation of the 9/11 “truth” movement in 2005, under the banner of the “Scholars for 9/11 truth”. What he discovered is that the 9/11 “truth” movement consists of COINTELPRO agents that seem to oversee most of the 9/11 “truth” organisations and in 2023 he started confronting the so called “truther talking heads” and found that all his suspicions are true and he's got the receipts to prove it.He then started writing about all of this on his Substack, which now boasts numerous interviews and over 170 articles discussing various anomalies with the WTC complex, information the establishment 9/11 truth movement ARE NOT discussing, and on his X profile, he is set on interacting with individuals to help them see how they've been bamboozled.9/11 was an attack on human consciousness, a trauma-based mind control event, where people outsourced their thinking to MSM and the government and those that questioned the narrative, were scooped up by the 9/11 truth movement, to help finance the ongoing 24-year distraction from the truth of what happened on September 11, 2001.NORMAN ON X (TWITTER)- https://x.com/911RevisionistLINK THREAD—https://allmylinks.com/total-disclosure Subscribe to the channel on YouTube—— www.youtube.com/@totaldisclosure Support TY and TDP Studios directly VIA PayPal (No FEES)— https://www.paypal.me/TDPstudios767?locale.x=en_US YOUTUBE MEMBER—-https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy2Cra7aLAAMVxkA9rSYCxg/join PATREON MEMBER—https://www.patreon.com/Total_Disclosure?fan_landing=true&view_as=public Follow On X—- Www.X.com/@DisclosurePodBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/total-disclosure-podcast--5975113/support.CONTACT TDP DIRECTLY For Collaboration, Use of Segments/clips, or any other media produced by “TDP” —TY.TotalDisclosure@gmail.comSpecial Thank you to all of our PODCAST/YouTube Channel Members for your continued support, and dedication to seeking the truth, together. We can't do this WITHOUT YOU!-COPYRIGHT-2020-Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, commenting, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. Total Disclosure Podcast Copyright 2020 and … segments, early access to interviews, and a yearly gift autographed by yours truly!thank you in advance now, Let's explore the unknown together! =============================================================================

We have much to be thankful for and an all-star panel for you as we head into Thanksgiving. CNN reported that President Trump's approval rating with the MAGA base is at 87%, higher than Barack Obama and George Bush at this point in their presidencies. The internet is running wild over the split in the MAGA base on the heels of Marjorie Taylor Greene's retirement. Is there a division on what people consider America First? Elon Musk's new feature on the X platform exposed how some of the influence is actually not based in America at all. As it turns out Democrats love the word 'insurrection' but are not so fond of 'sedition.' The "Don't Give Up The Ship" video is still receiving a lot of backlash as Democrats are trying to sow doubt in our Commander In Chief. Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer spoke about how not a single illegal order has been given and how dangerous this is for our military members. Alex Swoyer, Batya Ungar-Sargon and Chris Stigall are here to unpack it all. Featuring: Alex Swoyer Editor at Large | Washington Times https://x.com/ASwoyer Batya Ungar-Sargon Batya! | News Nation https://x.com/bungarsargon Chris Stigall Host | The Chris Stigall Show https://x.com/ChrisStigall FREE CONTENT: https://www.seanspicer.com/p/a-lot-to-be-thankful-for Today's show is sponsored by: Masa Chips You're probably watching the Sean Spicer Show right now and thinking “hmm, I wish I had something healthy and satisfying to snack on…” Well Masa Chips are exactly what you are looking for. Big corporations use cheap nasty seed oils that can cause inflammation and health issues. Masa cut out all the bad stuff and created a tortilla chip with just 3 ingredients: organic nixtamalized corn, sea salt, and 100 percent grass-fed beef tallow. Snacking on MASA chips feels different—you feel satisfied, light, and energetic, with no crash, bloat, or sluggishness. So head to https://MASAChips.com/SEAN to get 25% off your first order. Keksi Cookies Keksi is a gourmet cookie company known for making cookies so good, people actually talk about them. Keksi cookies are both grandma approved and social media worthy. These cookies are so good you will want to post about them and tell all your friends. These are the kind of cookies you'd expect at Grandma's house on Christmas morning. Perfect for sharing, gifting, or honestly… keeping for yourself. Keksi's Christmas Box is available now! It's packed with limited-edition holiday flavors and makes the perfect gift. But don't wait — these always sell out fast. Order your Christmas box today at ⁠https://www.keksi.com/⁠⁠ use code: SEAN15 at checkout for 15% OFF! Delta Rescue Delta Rescue is one the largest no-kill animal sanctuaries. Leo Grillo is on a mission to help all abandoned, malnourished, hurt or suffering animals. He relies solely on contributions from people like you and me. If you want to help Leo to continue his mission of running one of the best care-for-life animal sanctuaries in the country please visit Delta Rescue at: https://deltarescue.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------- 1️⃣ Subscribe and ring the bell for new videos: https://youtube.com/seanmspicer?sub_confirmation=1 2️⃣ Become a part of The Sean Spicer Show community: https://www.seanspicer.com/ 3️⃣ Listen to the full audio show on all platforms: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sean-spicer-show/id1701280578 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/32od2cKHBAjhMBd9XntcUd iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-sean-spicer-show-120471641/ 4️⃣ Stay in touch with Sean on social media: Facebook: https://facebook.com/seanmspicer Twitter: https://twitter.com/seanspicer Instagram: https://instagram.com/seanmspicer/ 5️⃣ Follow The Sean Spicer Show on social media: Facebook: https://facebook.com/seanspicershow Twitter: https://twitter.com/seanspicershow Instagram: https://instagram.com/seanspicershow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for November 21, 2025. 0:30 We break down the remarkable shift in tone from New York City’s mayor-elect, Zoran Mamdani—the same man who once railed against ICE as a “rogue” and “fascist” agency, vowed to resist deportations, and gave that fiery, chest-thumping election-night speech aimed squarely at Donald Trump. But when Mamdani stepped into the Oval Office, all that bravado evaporated. Instead of the angry revolutionary from election night, he appeared quiet, almost timid. 9:30 Plus, we cover the Top 3 Things You Need to Know. For the first time, members of the domestic terrorist organization ANTIFA have been convicted on terrorism charges. Congressman Eric Swalwell announced he's running for Governor of California. The Democratic National Committee took out $15 million in loans last month in a push to get more Democrats elected to office. 12:30 Get Performlyte from Victory Nutrition International for 20% off. Go to vni.life/agr and use the promo code AGR20. 13:30 We dive into the latest Capitol Hill spectacle featuring Representative Jasmine Crockett—who, according to the hosts, came out swinging but ended up hitting her own team in the face. Crockett boldly attempted to expose what she claimed was a Republican “double standard” on ties to Jeffrey Epstein, rattling off names from Mitt Romney to George Bush. There’s just one tiny problem: Crockett’s list wasn’t tied to that Jeffrey Epstein. Her staff had pulled donations from a completely different man with the same name—a New York physician, not the infamous convicted sex offender. 16:00 American Mamas—Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson—tackle a listener question that hits close to home: Can someone actually develop a sense of humor, or is it one of those things you’re either born with or you’re not? They talk about growing up in a home where wit, timing, and thick skin were the daily curriculum. The Mamas break down the difference between natural comedic instinct and the kind of humor that feels forced or lands sideways. Good comedy, they say, comes from intelligence, self-awareness, and a lot of practice. People who never learned how to kid around often end up sounding mean instead of funny, because they never figured out where the line is—or how not to cross it. For the Mamas, humor is a muscle: start young, poke fun, take a joke, laugh at yourself, and raise kids who can do the same. If you'd like to ask our American Mamas a question, go to our website, AmericanGroundRadio.com/mamas and click on the Ask the Mamas button. 22:30 We dive into the shocking story out of Chicago—a woman set on fire on a train by a man with 49 prior arrests. And while the city is reeling, Mayor Brandon Johnson insists it’s just an “isolated incident.” We break down why this is anything but isolated, how repeat offenders are cycling through the system again and again, and what happens when politicians downplay the very real danger everyday Americans face on buses, trains, and city streets. This is a conversation about public safety, accountability, and a justice system that’s failing the people it’s supposed to protect. 26:00 We Dig Deep into President Trump’s newly unveiled 28-point peace plan for Ukraine—a proposal that’s already sending shockwaves through Kyiv, Moscow, and across Europe. Zelensky is warning Ukrainians that they now face a “very difficult choice,” while Putin is calling the plan a “starting point.” We get into what the proposal actually calls for: territorial compromises, security guarantees, restrictions on NATO expansion, frozen Russian assets being used to rebuild Ukraine, and even a fast-tracked Ukrainian election. We dig into the tough reality on the ground, why the West’s patience is wearing thin, and whether this plan is realism, capitulation, or the only path to ending a grinding war that Ukraine is slowly losing. 32:00 Get Prodovite Plus from Victory Nutrition International for 20% off. Go to vni.life/agr and use the promo code AGR20. 32:30 We dive into a rare moment that has the accountability crowd perking up: the case of Pras Michel—the Grammy-winning member of the Fugees—who’s now staring down 14 years in federal prison for funneling foreign money into Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign. Yep, the same crowd that lectures America about “protecting democracy” was raking in tens of millions from overseas, and the media once called that campaign the “gold standard of ethics.” We break down what Pras did, why this scandal is bigger than the headlines admit, and how it exposes years of Democrat projection on election interference. If you’ve ever wondered whether anyone in Washington ever faces consequences, this is one story you’ll want to hear. 35:30 Plus, it's Fake News Friday! We're putting you to the test with our weekly game of headlines—are they real news, fake news, or really fake news? This week’s lineup has everything: Democrats refusing to denounce socialism, a member of Congress texting a convicted pedophile during a hearing, a child molester running for mayor, and even a federal judge blocking efforts to clean Washington, D.C. buildings. We’ve also got fake impeachments, fake hate crimes, and—believe it or not—raccoons that scientists say are actually getting cuter. Strap in, because we’re sorting the real news from the really fake news, and the results are… well, let’s just say the truth is stranger than fiction. Can you spot the fake news? Play along, keep score, and share your results with us on Facebook page: facebook.com/AmericanGroundRadio. 40:00 Let’s talk about the attempted assassination of President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, because the official line from the FBI is that Thomas Crooks was a lone gunman. Case closed, move along. But a lot of people aren’t buying that. While Washington is telling everyone, “Nothing to see here,” the public is looking at this thing thinking… "Whoa." Follow us: americangroundradio.com Facebook: facebook.com / AmericanGroundRadio Instagram: instagram.com/americangroundradioSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a new trend for GOP officials like JD Vance to blame the failures on the GOP of the past while artfully ignoring that they have the power to change things right now. In fact, Trump and his circle have been in power for five consecutive election cycles and own all of the down-ballot endorsements and policies. They keep dredging up Mike Pence, George Bush, and David French as bogeymen, but when you look carefully, they are ensuring that the same policies continue under our banner without receiving the blame. Through this thesis, I take you through the latest news on data centers, immigration, foreign policy, and the courts to show how the very people who fail us get to live another day by deflecting the blame onto those out of power.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democratic lawmakers released a video reminding members of the military that they are not supposed to obey illegal orders; President Trump calls the act seditious. Dana Carvey’s George Bush impressions. Listener call-in commentary on the Democrats’ video to military servicemen. “For Americans, Family Comes First—or Does It?” from The Wall Street Journal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textIn this episode we look back at three people it is almost hard to imagine not being around. Hulk Hogan, if you are kid in my age range, middle 50s, was as big a star as ever roamed the Earth. He was the catalyst for Professional Wrestling's leap into mainstream society taking it from a cable television novelty, to starring in, what is still today, the largest indoor sporting event in all of history with an attendance of 93,173 to see Hulk Hogan wrestle 7ft 4 inch, Andre the Giant. Huge is an understatement at what an event that was for anyone who was watching it. We honor Hulk Hogan here though, for one of the last things he did in his long and storied career. He spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2024 on behalf of President Donald Trump. At the time, many of the political analyst were saying he was the first Pro wrestler to be involved as an endorser in Presidential Politics. That was far from the truth. Ric Flair had been a big supporter of George H. W. Bush and in 1992 he traveled North and South Carolina with him. We have an episode dedicated to that in our back catalogue from our 1992 Changing of the Guard Series.  We look back at Hulk Hogan with a great deal of fondness, he was a huge part of my childhood. Hulk Hogan was 71 years old.Jim Lovell, helped guide the Apollo 13 Moon mission back to Earth after disaster struck it and an oxygen tank exploded mid mission. The fabulous movie "Apollo 13" starring Tom Hanks and Directed by Ron Howard tells the story, as does an episode in our back catalogue of material. Jim Lovell always came across as a super nice man, known as "smiling Jim" by his fellow astronauts in the 1960s. I was honored to tell his Apollo 13 story during our initial Richard Nixon series. Jim Lovell was also on the first trip to circumnavigate the moon, and was a a part of the crew that took the famous "Earthrise" photo. We have an episode in our series on Lyndon Johnson that covers that mission. Jim Lovell was 97 years old. This year also saw the passing of my Mother, Gloria Bulmer's favorite movie star, Robert Redford. He was "The Great Gatsby." I have seen the movie several times, it was my mother's favorite. Redford was famous for many other huge blockbuster movies too from "All the President's Men" to "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", to another of my mother's favorite movies, "The Sting" with Paul Newman and Robert Shaw. He was the quintessential movie star. He also has an episode in our back catalogue, when we profiled one of my all time favorite movies, "Casablanca", and along with it another of my favorites, that was one of the few of his movies that flopped, "Havana". I loved the movie and never understood why it did so poorly at the box office. Redford also founded the Sundance Movie Festival, which has helped show some of independent films best work. For that we owe him a great deal of gratitude. Robert Redford was 89 years old. We invite you to comb through our back catalogue for all four of these episodes. https://www.buzzsprout.com/1507867/episodes/9047347   Episode 42 Earthrise the story of 1968's Apollo 8https://www.buzzsprout.com/1507867/episodes/9474650  Episode 58 Richard Nixon the Man that Saved the Union : Apollo 13 Our Finest Hourhttps://www.buzzsprout.com/1507867/episodes/16716829  Episode 349 George H. W. Bush -  1992 the Changing of the Guard: On the Trail with Ric Flair and George Bush (and later Mike Huckabee)https://www.buzzsprout.com/1507867/episodes/16567204  "Casablanc Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Greg Belfrage talks about Trump and how he fits into the republican party and all the changes that have been made under his leadership. He also mentions Bush family and their return to the republican party and the changes they would like to make to the party. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Epstein Files release heads to President Trump's desk. Dana breaks down some of the ridiculous reaction to Saudi Crown Prince MBS at a White House State Dinner. Dana explains how it was a Trump masterclass in negotiations. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joins us to discuss BANNING the Muslim Brotherhood from buying or acquiring land in Texas, Sharia Law courts in Texas, eliminating property taxes and more. Joy Reid says if she saw a penis in the women's locker room she would freak out.Dem. Rep. Stacey Plaskett gets EXPOSED for live texting Jeffrey Epstein during a Congressional Hearing in 2019 for advice after he was already a convicted sex trafficker. Jasmine Crockett names the WRONG Jeffrey Epstein to try and expose Mitt Romney, Lee Zeldin and George Bush. Dana shares another reminder following pushback she received for criticizing Jamal Khashoggi. Six Democrats urge military members to 'refuse illegal orders' in a viral video. Rep. Chip Roy joins us to discuss freezing ALL Immigration into the U.S. with the PAUSE Act.Thank you for supporting our sponsors that make The Dana Show possible…PreBornhttps://Preborn.com/DANAThis holiday season, don't let another life be lost. Dial #250 and say “Baby,” or give securely online. Make your gift today.Cowboy Colostrumhttps://CowboyColostrum.com Get 25% off your order of Cowboy Colostrum with code DANA—don't forget to tell them we sent you!Stopboxhttps://StopboxUSA.comUpgrade your security this holiday season with 10% off, plus buy one, get one free with code DANA10Cove Purehttps://CovePure.com/Dana Cove Pure, a holiday gift that's both practical and healthy. Receive a $250 holiday discount—hurry now before the sale ends!Patriot Mobilehttps://PatriotMobile.com/Dana  OR CALL 972-PATRIOTWhat are you waiting for? Switch today. Use promo code DANA for a free month of service.Byrnahttps://Byrna.comSave 15% sitewide during Byrna's biggest Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale. Don't miss out!AmmoSquaredhttps://AmmoSquared.comDon't get caught without ammo, and be sure to tell them you heard about Ammo Squared on this show. KelTec Peacekeepershttps://KelTecWeapons.com/DanaThe KelTec Peacekeepers Program supports those who protect our communities.  Learn more about the program today. Relief Factorhttps://ReliefFactor.com OR CALL 1-800-4-RELIEFTurn the clock back on pain with Relief Factor. Get their 3-week Relief Factor Quick Start for only $19.95 today! HumanNhttps://HumanN.comStart supporting your cardiovascular health with SuperBeets, now available at your local Walmart.All Family Pharmacyhttps://AllFamilyPharmacy.com/Dana Don't wait until flu season knocks at your door. Use code DANA10 at checkout to save 10%. Noblehttps://NobleGoldInvestments.com/DanaOpen a new qualified IRA or cash account with Noble Gold and get a FREE 10-ounce Silver Flag Bar plus a Silver American Eagle Proof Coin.  

Jasmine Crockett names the WRONG Jeffrey Epstein to try and expose Mitt Romney, Lee Zeldin and George Bush in the Epstein Files. Meanwhile, six Democrats urge military members to 'refuse illegal orders' in a viral video.Thank you for supporting our sponsors that make The Dana Show possible…PreBornhttps://Preborn.com/DANAThis holiday season, don't let another life be lost. Dial #250 and say “Baby,” or give securely online. Make your gift today.Cowboy Colostrumhttps://CowboyColostrum.com Get 25% off your order of Cowboy Colostrum with code DANA—don't forget to tell them we sent you!Stopboxhttps://StopboxUSA.comUpgrade your security this holiday season with 10% off, plus buy one, get one free with code DANA10Cove Purehttps://CovePure.com/Dana Cove Pure, a holiday gift that's both practical and healthy. Receive a $250 holiday discount—hurry now before the sale ends!Patriot Mobilehttps://PatriotMobile.com/Dana  OR CALL 972-PATRIOTWhat are you waiting for? Switch today. Use promo code DANA for a free month of service.Byrnahttps://Byrna.comSave 15% sitewide during Byrna's biggest Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale. Don't miss out!AmmoSquaredhttps://AmmoSquared.comDon't get caught without ammo, and be sure to tell them you heard about Ammo Squared on this show. KelTec Peacekeepershttps://KelTecWeapons.com/DanaThe KelTec Peacekeepers Program supports those who protect our communities.  Learn more about the program today. Relief Factorhttps://ReliefFactor.com OR CALL 1-800-4-RELIEFTurn the clock back on pain with Relief Factor. Get their 3-week Relief Factor Quick Start for only $19.95 today! HumanNhttps://HumanN.comStart supporting your cardiovascular health with SuperBeets, now available at your local Walmart.All Family Pharmacyhttps://AllFamilyPharmacy.com/Dana Don't wait until flu season knocks at your door. Use code DANA10 at checkout to save 10%. Noblehttps://NobleGoldInvestments.com/DanaOpen a new qualified IRA or cash account with Noble Gold and get a FREE 10-ounce Silver Flag Bar plus a Silver American Eagle Proof Coin.  

This week tin foil hats are ON BABY. We discuss the wild conspiracy theory that Britney Spears was a government asset to create diversions away from Bush's presidential corruption and scandal (pretty convincing evidence if you ask us). Plus, Diddy got caught drinking booze in jail, the Prince Andrew situation is unraveling, and we learn way too much about the Golden State Killer's nether regions.

Nick spotlights five of the greatest impressionists in Saturday Night Live history — Dana Carvey, Chloe Fineman, Darrell Hammond, Bill Hader, and Melissa Villaseñor. Each performer brought a unique brilliance to the art of mimicry, shaping decades of the show's comedy legacy. From Carvey's classic takes on George Bush and Johnny Carson to Hammond's uncanny Bill Clinton and Hader's pitch-perfect Al Pacino, Nick revisits some of the most unforgettable impressions ever seen on the SNL stage. He also includes revealing interview clips of Fineman, Hammond, and Hader discussing their process and performing live examples of their uncanny vocal transformations. Finally, Villaseñor brings the episode home with two standout sketches showcasing her incredible range — nailing everyone from Kristen Wiig to Jennifer Lopez to a shockingly accurate Owen Wilson. A fun, fascinating look at the masters who turned imitation into high art on SNL. [Ep 148]

This week on the Super Fun Time Trivia Podcast, we discuss George Bush's Bush, how awesome warcrimes are, and make several puns about a zombie Robert Redford called Robert Deadford. Patreon: Super Fun Time Trivia Website: superfuntimetrivia.com Facebook: superfuntimetrivia Instagram: superfuntimetrivia Twitter: @sftimetrivia Email: superfuntimetrivia@gmail.com Intro Music By David Dino White. Welcome to Super Fun Time Trivia: The known universe's only live improv comedy trivia podcast.

The Bugle's turning 18, getting us all a little misty-eyed as we look back at how our baby's grown over the years. We're going back to January 2009 now for the inauguration of President Obama, from Bugle 60 - Goodbye George Bush and Hello Barack ObamaHear more of our shows, buy our book, and help keep us alive by supporting us here: thebuglepodcast.com/This episode was produced by Chris Skinner and Laura Turner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

YUCK! Kim Kardashian's brand SKIMS brought to life a new type of underwear no one ever asked for or needed. Plus Cheryl Hines gets dunked on by The View hosts, Mitch McConnell fell again, Walmart teams up with ChatGPT, and more! Want to stay up to date with the podcast? Give us a follow on our social media platforms, and check out the video version of this show on YouTube in the links below! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ittakesallkindspodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ITAKPodcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSQ1H-tYJrxroyz82ygvJoI9splHke-Ez 00:00 Intro 06:32 Carson went to a Sleep Token concert 17:23 Kim Kardashian's Bush th*ngs 32:00 Mitch McConnell fell again 34:57 Cheryl Hines gets dunked on 49:45 Walmart teams up with ChatGPT 01:07:30 Star Wars trivia 01:09:56 Carson Cinema Corner 01:14:44 Watcha Listening To? 01:21:48 Outro

George Bush Sr. had the most to gain from President Reagan's death. To hide or conceal his involvement in the assassination attempt George Bush would have to either suppress or lie about his close ties with the shooter and the second gunman hiding on the roof (or "Bushy Knoll"). The story of BUSH KILLING REAGAN is so depraved that it is no wonder the story has never been told before. FIND OUT - Why NBC reported a second gunman FIND OUT - Why Reagan was shot by order of his own Vice-President FIND OUT - Was George Bush Sr. Friends with Reagan's would-be assassin? FIND OUT - Why Hinckley's gun didn't match the bullet FIND OUT - Was Hinckley a victim of CIA mind control? FIND OUT - How Reagan's Presidency changed AFTER the shooting FIND OUT - How the Trilateral Commission finally infiltrated Reagan's Cabinet What else weren't we told in this sick and twisted tale of BUSH KILLING REAGAN? PLEASE NOTE This is NOT directly related to Bill O'Reilly's latest book Killing Reagan - this is the real story he isn't telling you ALSO NOTE If you have already bought "Bush Killing Reagan: A Violent Assault to Gain the Presidency" then YOU DON'T NEED to get this book since this is the same book repackaged since Amazon suppressed our other title stating it was too similar to Killing Reagan and "confused" some buyers., George Bush Sr. had the most to gain from President Reagan's death. To hide or conceal his involvement in the assassination attempt George Bush would have to either suppress or lie about his close ties with the shooter and the second gunman hiding on the roof (or "Bushy Knoll"). The story of BUSH KILLING REAGAN is so depraved that it is no wonder the story has never been told before. FIND OUT - Why NBC reported a second gunman! FIND OUT - Why Reagan was shot by order of his own Vice-President! FIND OUT - Was George Bush Sr. Friends with Reagan's would-be assassin? FIND OUT - Why Hinckley's gun didn't match the bullet! FIND OUT - Was Hinckley a victim of CIA mind control? FIND OUT - How Reagan's Presidency changed AFTER the shooting! FIND OUT - How the Trilateral Commission finally infiltrated Reagan's Cabinet! What else weren't we told in this sick and twisted tale of BUSH KILLING REAGAN? PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT directly related to Bill O'Reilly's latest book Killing Reagan - this is the real story he isn't telling you! ALSO NOTE: If you have already bought "Bush Killing Reagan: A Violent Assault to Gain the Presidency" then YOU DON'T NEED to get this book since this is the same book repackaged since Amazon suppressed our other title stating it was too similar to Killing Reagan and "confused" some buyers.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

Donald Trump has pulled off one of the greatest feats of his presidency by securing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas—just nine months into his return to the presidency. From Iran and Israel to Ethiopia and Egypt, Kosovo and Serbia, and Pakistan and India, Trump approaches foreign policy through direct negotiation, economic leverage, and personal diplomacy. Victor Davis Hanson explores why this model succeeded where others failed, and how it could soon shape Trump's approach to Ukraine on today's episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words." “Why is this happening now, though? It didn't happen under Biden, a settlement in the Middle East. It did not happen under Trump's first administration. It did not happen under Obama. It did not happen under George Bush. There were about 10 things that had to happen. All these intricate pieces in this puzzle, the pieces of the peace, all fell into success in a way that made it possible. What were they? “Donald Trump created personal relationships in the Arab community. He did not insult the Saudis, as Joe Biden had done during the 2020 campaigns. He did not alienate the Arab community. He did not alienate Benjamin Netanyahu. He gave them concessions. He praised them. He created personal relationships. He did trade deals. He used tariffs as carrot and a stick, pressures and leverages.”

John Graham shipped out on a freighter when he was 16, hitchhiked through the Algerian Revolution at 19 and was on the team that made the first ascent of Denali's North Wall at 20, a climb so dangerous it's never been repeated. He hitchhiked around the world at 22, working as a correspondent in every war he came across. A US Foreign Service Officer for 15 years, he was in the middle of the 1969 revolution in Libya and the war in Vietnam. To the young Graham, adventure was everything, and each brush with death only pushed him to up the ante—and to bury ever deeper the emotional life needed to make him whole.Then it began to change, prompted by agonizing reflections at the height of a battle in Vietnam. At the United Nations he risked his career, crossing his own government to support initiatives for peace and justice in Asia, Africa and Cuba. His secret efforts against the UN infuriated racists in the US Congress by engineering a UN plan that helped end apartheid in South Africa. Then came the all-or-nothing bet he was forced to make, fighting for his life in a lifeboat in the middle of a typhoon when his ship caught fire and sank in the Gulf of Alaska. As a global peace builder, post Foreign Service, he negotiated with the Khmer Rouge for a cease-fire in Cambodia and helped avert a major strike in Canada, save what's left of the Everglades and find long-term environmental solutions in the Pacific Northwest. For years he contributed to peace efforts in Israel/Palestine (efforts that got him put on George Bush's No Fly List as a threat to national security.) For the last 40 years he's been a leader of the Giraffe Heroes Project, a global movement inspiring people to stick their necks out to solve public problems and giving them tools to succeed (giraffe.org). His speeches, blogs, podcasts and interviews have a global audience. His books include Outdoor Leadership; Stick Your Neck Out–A Street-smart Guide to Creating Change in Your Community and Beyond; a memoir, QUEST: Risk, Adventure, and the Search for Meaning; and Denali Diary, a first-person account of one of the most daring first ascents in North American mountaineering. He has degrees from Harvard and Stanford, neither of which he will ever use.Contact John Graham:www.john graham.orgMy memoir, which is Quest – Risk, Adventure, and Search for Meaning.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnagraham1/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnAGraham344/Dr. Kimberley LinertSpeaker, Author, Broadcaster, Mentor, Trainer, Behavioral OptometristEvent Planners- I am available to speak at your event. Here is my media kit: https://brucemerrinscelebrityspeakers.com/portfolio/dr-kimberley-linert/To book Dr. Linert on your podcast, television show, conference, corporate training or as an expert guest please email her at incrediblelifepodcast@gmail.com or Contact Bruce Merrin at Bruce Merrin's Celebrity Speakers at merrinpr@gmail.com702.256.9199Host of the Podcast Series: Incredible Life Creator PodcastAvailable on...Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/incredible-life-creator-with-dr-kimberley-linert/id1472641267Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6DZE3EoHfhgcmSkxY1CvKf?si=ebe71549e7474663 and on 9 other podcast platformsAuthor of Book: "Visualizing Happiness in Every Area of Your Life"Get on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cmTOMwWebsite: https://linktr.ee/DrKimberleyLinertThe Great Discovery international eLearning platform:https://TheGreatDiscovery.com/kimberleyl

Send us a textKen welcomes Washington political commentator, speechwriter, and author Peter Wehner. Pete is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum. He is well known for his prolific contribution to the intersection of politics, public policy, and faith. Early on, he identified as a conservative, a Republican, and an Evangelical. From 2011, when Donald Trump campaigned to challenge the legitimacy of the Obama Presidency, suggesting that he was born in Kenya and not the U.S.A., Wehner has called out the danger of a Trump presidency. Pete has been a stalwart in opposing Donald Trump and in the process, he no longer identifies as a Republican or an Evangelical. He remains a traditional conservative. However, he has offered a powerful and sustained critique of evangelical support for Donald Trump and a Republican Party that has become subservient to the newly elected President. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson played a key role in that transition. Ken and Pete have a lively discussion over his early years as a new Christian, his college career, the influence of his scientist father, his move to Washington, Reagan's speech after the Challenger disaster, George Bush's 9/11 speech (Pete was in the White House that fateful day), and finally Donald Trump's complete take-over of the Republican Party and his return to the White House for a second term. SHOW NOTESSupport the showBecome a Patron - Click on the link to learn how you can become a Patron of the show. Thank you! Ken's Substack Page The Podcast Official Site: TheBeachedWhiteMale.com

Ed opperman interview Mark Shaw about the murder of Dorothy KilgallenWas What's My Line TV Star, media icon, and crack investigative reporter and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen murdered for writing a tell-all book about the JFK assassination? If so, is the main suspect in her death still at large?These questions and more are answered in former CNN, ESPN, and USA Today legal analyst Mark Shaw's 25th book, The Reporter Who Knew Too Much. Through discovery of never-before-seen videotaped eyewitness interviews with those closest to Kilgallen and secret government documents, Shaw unfolds a “whodunit” murder mystery featuring suspects including Frank Sinatra, J. Edgar Hoover, Mafia Don Carlos Marcello and a "Mystery Man" who may have silenced Kilgallen. All while by presenting through Kilgallen's eyes the most compelling evidence about the JFK assassinations since the House Select Committee on Assassination's investigation in the 1970s.Called by the New York Post, “the most powerful female voice in America,” and by acclaimed author Mark Lane the “the only serious journalist in America who was concerned with who killed John Kennedy and getting all of the facts about the assassination,” Kilgallen's official cause of death reported as an overdose of barbiturates combined with alcohol, has always been suspect since no investigation occurred despite the death scene having been staged. Shaw proves Kilgallen, a remarkable woman who broke the "glass ceiling" before the term became fashionable, was denied the justice she deserved, that is until now. More about the book may be learned at thereporterwhoknewtoomuch.com or thedorothykilgallenstory.org.Part Two Ed Opperman interviews Daniel Hopsicker, Author of Barry and The Boys, about Barry Seal the CIA cocaine smuggler durring Iran Contra and the subject of the Tom Cruise movie American MadeNOTE: Chapter 35 is intentionally missing from the printing of this publication. This was intentionally done by the publisher and is not a printing error.This is the story of Barry Seal, the biggest drug smuggler in American history, who died in a hail of bullets with George Bush's private phone number in his wallet...The Wall Street Journal called Barry Seal "the ghost haunting the Whitewater probe." He was far more than that.Based on a 3-year long investigation, Daniel Hopsicker discovered the secret history the American Press was afraid to tell Seal, the most successful drug smuggler in American history, was also and not coincidentally a lifelong CIA agent, one of the most famous who ever lived, active in everything from the Bay of Pigs to Watergate to the Kennedy Assassination. And all this before becoming famous for importing tons of cocaine through Mena, Arkansas in the Scandal that wont go away.The story of Barry Seal is the story of what happens when guys we pay to protect us CIA guys go into business with guys were paying them to protect us against.."Made" guys. Mobsters Organized Crime.Ripping the official story on the so-called "Clinton Scandals" to shreds, Barry and the Boys breaks the biggest scoop of all about the Arkansas Drug Connection: where the money went.And goesDid the big-time "players" in small backwards Arkansas Bill Clinton, Vince Foster, Jackson Stephens, Jim Blair, Don Tyson stand idly by while Barry Seal made billions of dollars importing cocaine through their state?Or were the "goings-on in Mena" of Barry and the boys just the continuation of business as usual?Americas Secret HistoryRevealed:Youll learn about the incredible involvement with Seals narcotics smuggling organization of top officials in both major American political parties Republican Attorney General Ed Meese Democratic National Chairman Charles Manatt Al Gores Campaign Chairman, Tony CoelhoYoull discover why a young Arkansas Attorney named Bill Clinton signed a "get-out-of-jail-free" personal recognizance bond for Barry Seal, after Seal had been jailed for drug smuggling in Menain the 70s.And youll learn of the suspicious and long-lasting link between smuggler Barry Seal and the Bush Family, Senior and Junior.Most importantly, youll discover why a photograph taken by a night club photographer in a Mexico City nightspot ten months before the Kennedy assassination holds the key to the shadowy organization responsible for the massive corruption in Bill Clinton's Arkansas twenty years laterCommenting on the CIAs affair with the Mafia, L.B.J.s press secretary, Bill Moyers said, "Once we decide that anything goes, anything can come home to haunt us."After youve read Barry and the boys youll understand what he meant.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

Shape Shifting Conspiracy “Theories”MK Ultra survivors who deprogram the program first can heal from within to know their own truth. We all need to know our own truth in order to discern truth in others. When we know our truth there is no need for validation outside of self and ultimately no need to shift other's perceptions by demanding they see it our way.In today's world of argumentative snap judgement, it would be wise to slow down to remember who we are and why we are here.  Are we here to parrot program we have been led to believe, or are we here to know and share truth that makes us free?By deprogramming the program first, I wrote out verbatim the voice of my programmers setting the stage for what I was to perceive. DARPA programming included creating a perception that I traveled back in time when in fact I was programmed for CIA black ops in Haiti. Haiti was so primitive in the 80's it looked like I had traveled back in time! Had I believed the program, I would have missed the reality of what actually transpired as detailed in TRANCE Formation of America.Likewise, George Bush's “You Are What You Read” program, which was also generated by DARPA, would have led me to believe and testify that Bush had shape shifted into a lizard. By deprogramming the program first, I heard the program verbatim setting up the holographic illusion of shape shifting into a lizard complete with the time lag while holograph equipment was placed.These days, I am confident the holographic illusion could be run much smoother than it did back then since holographs are now used commercially, even in restaurants. Back then it was newer technology, so I am happy to have deprogrammed the program first in order to get to the truth of what actually occurred rather than generate fear in others as intended.PerpeTraitors of the global slave society agenda some term New World Order are not like us and do not like us. Whether we call them aliens or demons, the point is the same: they are here within our realm to affect. Truth frees us from fear and shatters illusions much the way knowing a magic trick breaks the spell. Pull back the wizard's curtain to find it is just a person pulling levers to appear great and powerful in order to lord over those who believe the illusion.Consider that if Bush Sr. were actually capable of shape shifting here, why was he confined to a wheel chair in later years? And why did his shape shifting illusion only work at secret sites and not everywhere he went in public?There is always more to learn and know, so I choose not to limit possibility to only my life's experience. Besides, I know the CIA is trained that the best lies are rooted in truth. Yet the truth of my experience is a piece of the puzzle that helps bring the big picture into focus. It may help others to know truth so they, too, can reclaim their own individual piece of the puzzle to bring to the table rather than bringing the same piece of program to the table and trying to pound it into the big picture.National Security was invoked on my testimony because evidence proved it true. Clean members of law enforcement and intelligence were able to obtain validating evidence including video record of what transpired in the White House with Bush.Nevertheless, Wikipedia labels me a Conspiracy Theorist whereby redefining proven testimony of life experience as “theory”. Is Wikipedia suggesting our government invokes National Security on “theories”?Read the full article on Cathy's website HERE

Robert concludes the story of Lee Atwater by discussing his greatest success and then his sickness and fall from power and influence. We also talk about the Grammy nominated album he made with Isaac Hayes. Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io9KMSSEZ0Y https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/lee-atwater https://archive.is/STJGq https://www.newberryobserver.com/news/10323/notable-newberry-alumnus https://andrewjazprosehill.substack.com/p/the-death-bed-confession-of-a-boogie https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-secret-papers-of-lee-atwater-who-invented-the-scurrilous-tactics-that-trump-normalized?_sp=a8ee96fb-f790-4047-ae41-50c5940d1092.1729971751539 https://www.csmonitor.com/1989/0626/elee.html https://archive.is/yZ0Hf#selection-553.0-553.173 https://time.com/archive/6702136/saying-no-to-lee-atwater/ https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/b/brady-bad.html https://nul.org/news/ghost-lee-atwater-haunts-2022-midterm-elections https://www.npr.org/transcripts/94931206 https://milwaukeecourieronline.com/index.php/2021/08/13/the-spirit-of-lee-atwater-lingers-among-us-how-critical-race-theory-became-the-gops-new-southern-strategy/ https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/05/13/willie-horton-revisited https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/exclusive-lee-atwaters-infamous-1981-interview-southern-strategy/ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/atwater/etc/synopsis.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1991/04/19/weighing-lee-atwaters-regrets/c78da503-8dc9-4c58-a8d6-d5524ffdfa8e/ https://archive.is/7CjqQ https://brooklynrail.org/2012/02/express/letter-from-the-trail-atwaters-ghost/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lee Atwater graduates high school after a brief stint in an insane fraternity then becomes a college Republican leader and starts his career as a dirty tricks expert for political campaigns.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On September 2, 2005, on a telethon to raise money for victims of Hurrican Katrina, Kanye West went off script and said, "George Bush doesn't care about Black people." 20 years later, would those words have the same impact today?In this episode, Brittany, NPR music correspondent Rodney Carmichael, and Code Switch's Leah Donella revisit that moment and dissect why those words rippled through the nation. They investigate how race and politics intersected decades ago and how those words still cast a shadow over American politics now...from what celebrities are willing to say to power and why or why not.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Robert sits down with Garrison Davis to discuss the life and times of Lee Atwater, the arch inventor of Republican dirty tricks politics. (3 Part Series, releasing all this week) Sources: https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/lee-atwater https://archive.is/STJGq https://www.newberryobserver.com/news/10323/notable-newberry-alumnus https://andrewjazprosehill.substack.com/p/the-death-bed-confession-of-a-boogie https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-secret-papers-of-lee-atwater-who-invented-the-scurrilous-tactics-that-trump-normalized?_sp=a8ee96fb-f790-4047-ae41-50c5940d1092.1729971751539 https://www.csmonitor.com/1989/0626/elee.html https://archive.is/yZ0Hf#selection-553.0-553.173 https://time.com/archive/6702136/saying-no-to-lee-atwater/ https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/b/brady-bad.html https://nul.org/news/ghost-lee-atwater-haunts-2022-midterm-elections https://www.npr.org/transcripts/94931206 https://milwaukeecourieronline.com/index.php/2021/08/13/the-spirit-of-lee-atwater-lingers-among-us-how-critical-race-theory-became-the-gops-new-southern-strategy/ https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/05/13/willie-horton-revisited https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/exclusive-lee-atwaters-infamous-1981-interview-southern-strategy/ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/atwater/etc/synopsis.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1991/04/19/weighing-lee-atwaters-regrets/c78da503-8dc9-4c58-a8d6-d5524ffdfa8e/ https://archive.is/7CjqQ https://brooklynrail.org/2012/02/express/letter-from-the-trail-atwaters-ghost/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.