Podcasts about Grew

1 Timothy 4:8 NIV “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”   *Transcription Below*   Brian Smith, author of The Christian Athlete: Glorifying God in Sports, is a staff member with Athletes in Action and a cross-country coach at Lowell High School. A former collegiate runner at Wake Forest University, he earned a BA in Communications and Journalism before completing his MA in Theology and Sports Studies at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary. Brian lives in Lowell, MI with his wife and three children. You can find him on Twitter @BrianSmithAIA.   Ed Uszynski is an author, speaker, and sports minister with over three decades' experience discipling college and professional athletes. With a heart for reconciliation and justice, he also works as a racial literacy consultant and marriage conference speaker, blending Biblical wisdom with practical living in the midst of complex cultural realities. He has two theological degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and a PhD in American Culture Studies from Bowling Green State University. He and his wife Amy have four children and live in Xenia, Ohio.   The Christian Athlete Website   Thank You to Our Sponsor:  Sam Leman Eureka   Questions and Topics We Cover: What is one of kids' greatest game day complaints?  Is it true that young athletic success is a predictor of adult athletic success? What are a few tips for instilling a heart of gratitude in our young athlete, rather than entitlement?   Related Savvy Sauce Episode: 230 Intentional Parenting in All The Stages with Dr. Rob Rienow   Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook or Instagram or Our Website   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*   Music: (0:00 – 0:11)   Laura Dugger: (0:12 - 1:51) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.   The principles of honesty and integrity that Sam Leman founded his business on continue today, over 55 years later, at Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka.   Owned and operated by the Bertschi family, Sam Leman and Eureka appreciates the support they've received from their customers all over Central Illinois and beyond. Visit them today at lemangm.com.   Brian Smith and Ed Uszynski are my guests for today.   They are co-authors of this recent amazing book entitled, A Way Game, A Christian Parents Guide to Navigating Youth Sports. And from the very beginning, I was captivated, even with one of the endorsements from Matt Martens, who's the president and CEO of Awana, and he summed it up this way, A Way Game provides a much needed perspective shift on one of the most sacred idols in our culture, youth sports. So, Brian and Ed are all for youth sports, and yet you're going to hear there's a different way to approach it than what we've been trained in culture.   And they're going to share some wonderful and very practical insights. I can't wait to share this with you. Here's our chat. Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Ed and Brian.   Ed Uszynski & Brian Smith: (1:51 - 1:54) Thanks for having us, Laura. Yeah, good to be here, Laura.   Laura Dugger: (1:54 - 2:04) So, excited about this chat. And will the two of you just start us off by sharing your family's stage of life and your involvement in sports?   Brian Smith: (2:05 - 3:29) Yeah, there could be a lot on the back end of that question. I'll start with sports, then get into family. I've been involved in sports my entire life, played every sport imaginable growing up, got cut from just about every single sport my freshman year of high school, ended up running track and cross country because it was the only sports that you could not get cut from at my high school.   And I ended up being pretty good at it by the time I was a senior, won some state championships, ended up getting a scholarship to run at Wake Forest University. So, I did that for four years right out of college. I coached a little bit collegiately.   Soon after that, I joined staff with a sports ministry called Athletes in Action that Ed and I have a combined 50 years with Athletes in Action. And really, that's been my life ever since. I've been ministering to college and pro athletes, discipling them, helping them figure out what does that actually look like to integrate faith in sport.   Even today, I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I coach high school cross country while I'm still on staff with Athletes in Action. I have a middle school Bible study that I run on Wednesday mornings.   Been married to my wife, who I actually met in high school. She was a distance runner too, and she ran at Wisconsin. So, we've been married for 20 years.   We have three kids, a high schooler, a middle schooler, and an elementary schooler who are all involved in sport at some level, some way, shape, or form.   Laura Dugger: (3:30 - 3:34) Wow, that's incredible. Thank you, Brian. And Ed, what about you?   Ed Uszynski: (3:34 - 5:04) Well, my story is very parallel to Brian's, just different sports and some different numbers. Just tack on 15 years. Yeah, I was a basketball player.   Grew up on the west side of Cleveland with a high school football coach. My dad was, but I was a basketball player. I played at high levels all the way through my 20s, got to play overseas.   I mean, this was a long time ago, but I got everything I could out of that sport. And as soon as I graduated from college, though, I started to work with that Athletes in Action ministry that Brian mentioned. So, I've been working with college and professional athletes for 34 years now.   And same, coached at different levels, have four kids. Amy and I have been married for 26 years. We have four kids, three are in college, and one's in ninth grade, who has a game this afternoon, actually.   So, we've just been going to games and have been involved in going to sports stuff for the last 20 years with our kids. And really what happened with Brian, and I is that we looked up a decade ago and realized this youth sports thing was a fast train that was moving in directions that we weren't used to ourselves, even though we've been around sports our whole life. It's like, there's something different happening now.   And then thinking about it as Christians, like, how do we do this well as Christ followers? We don't want to separate from it. We don't want to just go for the ride. How do we do this as Christian people? And that's what got us talking about it and eventually led to this book.   Laura Dugger: (5:05 - 5:23) Well, the book was easy to read and incredible. And I'd like to start there where you begin, even where you go back before going forward. So, when you're looking back, what are the factors at play that changed youth sports over time?   Ed Uszynski: (5:26 - 6:17) Well, I'll say this and then Brian, maybe you jump in and throw a couple of them out there. I mean, youth sports is a $40 billion industry today, which is wild to think about. It's four times how much money gets spent on the NFL, which is just staggering.   I can't even hardly believe that that's true, but it is. And it's really just in the last 20 years that that's happened. I mean, 50 years ago, you couldn't have had the youth sport industrial complex, as we refer to it.   You couldn't have had it. There were a bunch of things that had to happen culturally, as is true with any new movement or any paradigm shift that happens in culture. You've got to have certain things be true all at the same time that make it possible.   So, Brian, what were a couple of those? Again, I'll throw it over to you. There's six of them that we talk about in the book. And I think it's really fascinating because I'm a history guy.   Brian Smith: (6:18 - 8:40) Yeah. And we can obviously double click on any of these, Laura, that you want to, but we talk about how the college admissions process became an avenue where youth sports parents saw, man, if we can get our kids involved in some extracurriculars and kind of tag on high level athlete to their resume, it actually helps with the college admissions process. And so even the idea of college scholarships became an opportunity for youth sports parents to get their kids involved.   And then, yeah, maybe sports can actually get them into college. We talk about the economic shifts that happen, the rise of safetyism and helicopter parenting. ESPN was a massive one in 1979.   This thing called ESPN starts, and we get 24-7 coverage of sports, which they started exploring even early on. What does it look like to give coverage to something like Little League World Series and saw that it didn't really matter how young the sport was, it's going to draw a national audience. And so, we've almost been discipled by ESPN really over the last 50 years with this consistent coverage.   We talk about the rise of the sports complex. This one to me is like the most fascinating out of all of them. In 1997, Disney decided to try to get more people to come to their parks.   They built a sports complex, just a massive sports complex. The idea was, are the older kids getting sick of the Buzz Lightyear ride and the Disney princesses? So, let's build a sports complex and maybe it'll be something else that will draw this older crowd too.   And what happened was, I mean, a lot of people started coming to it, but kind of the stake in the ground game changer was when 9-11 hit. In the months and years after that, they saw a lot less people go to their parks, but population actually doubled going to the sports complex, which is wild to think that people were afraid to go to theme parks for a vacation, but they were willing to travel across state lines to play sports at the Disney complex. So other cities and municipalities took notice of that.   Today, there's over 30,000 sports complexes like Disney's, which again, this is all adding to the system of the youth sports industrial complex. Did I miss any, Ed?   Ed Uszynski: (8:41 - 10:47) Well, no, and that's good. And the reason why we even put all that on the table, again, everybody kind of intuitively knows if you're involved, you know, something's not right. But I think it's important to say this is not normal what's happening.   It's a new normal that's been manufactured by a bunch of cultural trends, by a bunch of entrepreneurs that are doing what entrepreneurs do, and they're taking advantage of the moment, and they are generating lots of money around it. So, it should be encouraging. If it's not normal, that means actually there's a counter way of going about this.   There really can be reformation. But when all this money gets involved, the two biggest consequences that come out of that is our kids start getting treated like commodities, which they are, and we could talk the whole time even just about what that means. But maybe even more importantly, or what comes out of that is that beyond their physical development, most coaches and clubs are not paying any attention to their emotional development, their psychological development, their spiritual development, all the different aspects of what it means to be human that, frankly, used to be paid quite a bit more attention to in youth leagues when I was growing up.   I'm 58 now, so I was playing in the 70s and the 80s. And it used to be expected, at least at some level, even among non-Christian people, that you would take those aspects of a kid's life seriously. And now those just aren't prioritized.   And so, what do we do about that? Again, that's kind of our whole point is, well, as Christian people, we're really supposed to be our kid's first discipler anyways. And part of that role and part of taking on that identity is that we would be asking, what is God trying to do in the wholeness of their life, the entirety of their life, even in the context of sports?   So again, I don't want to get ahead of myself here, but that's why we're trying to poke into that to say, oh, we could actually make change. We may not change the whole system. In fact, we won't. Most of us won't be expected to do that, but we can make significant change in our corner of the bleachers and what happens with our kids.   Laura Dugger: (10:48 - 11:05) That's good. And just like you said, to double-click on a few places, first of all, real quick, the 30,000 number, I remember that shocking me in the book, but I'm forgetting now, is that worldwide, the amount of sports complexes or is that just in America?   Brian Smith: (11:05 - 11:06) That's domestically in the US.   Laura Dugger: (11:07 - 11:52) Yeah. That is staggering. And then one other piece, all of this history was new to me as you brought it all together, but it was also fascinated.   This is from page 32. I'll just read your quote. The American youth sports ball began rolling when a British movement fusing spiritual development with physical activity made its way across the Atlantic Ocean at the turn of the last century.   And Ed, that's kind of what you were touching on, that they were mixing, I'm sure, spiritual, psychological discipleship, physical. Can you elaborate more on what was happening and where it originated? Because we've come very far from our origins.   Ed Uszynski: (11:53 - 13:18) Yeah. And there's been a bunch of really great books written about this topic called muscular Christianity. This idea, like you just said, Laura, of wedding physical activity through sports with our spiritual development and expecting and anticipating that somebody that was taking care of their body and that was engaging in sport activity, that was the closest thing to godliness.   That opened up the door for you to also be developing spiritually. And there was an expectation that both of those are going on at the same time. A bunch of criticism about that movement, but it was taken seriously.   The YMCA is actually a huge byproduct of the muscular Christianity movement. The Young Men's Christian Association created space for sports and for athletic activity to take place under the banner of you're also going to grow spiritually as you're doing this. So again, that was a hundred years ago.   And that's not really what AAU stands for today. The different clubs and leagues that we get involved in just don't talk that way anymore. Of course, culture just in general has shifted away from sort of a Judeo-Christian ethic guiding a North Star for us.   Even if we're not Christian people, that used to be more of a North Star. That's gone now. And so, it really is not expected in sports anymore.   Brian Smith: (13:18 - 13:55) And what we're saying is we cannot expect organizations to own that process for our kids. We can't outsource the discipleship of our kids to the youth sports industrial complex or the YMCA or the AAU. It really does start with us as Christian parents to be the primary discipler of our kids.   And there is a way to take what's happening on the field or the court or the pool and turn it into really amazing discipleship opportunities. But it means, and Ed is starting to tease this out, it means we need to change our perspective as parents when we sit in the bleachers or on the sidelines of what we're looking for and even the conversations we have with our kids on the back end.   Laura Dugger: (13:57 - 15:29) And now a brief message from our sponsor.   Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka has been owned and operated by the Bertschi family for over 25 years. A lot has changed in the car business since Sam and Stephen's grandfather, Sam Leman, opened his first Chevrolet dealership over 55 years ago.   If you visit their dealership today though, you'll find that not everything has changed. They still operate their dealership like their grandfather did, with honesty and integrity. Sam and Stephen understand that you have many different choices in where you buy or service your vehicle.   This is why they do everything they can to make the car buying process as easy and hassle-free as possible. They are thankful for the many lasting friendships that began with a simple welcome to Sam Leman's. Their customers keep coming back because they experience something different.   I've known Sam and Stephen and their wives my entire life and I can vouch for their character and integrity, which makes it easy to highly recommend you check them out today. Your car buying process doesn't have to be something you dread, so come see for yourself at Sam Leman Chevrolet in Eureka. Sam and Stephen would love to see you and they appreciate your business.   Learn more at their website, LemanEureka.com or visit them on Facebook by searching for Sam Leman Eureka. You can also call them on 309-467-2351. Thanks for your sponsorship.   Laura Dugger: (15:30 - 15:31) And I want to continue getting into more of those practicals. Do you want to give us just a taste or an example or story of what that might look like?   Brian Smith: (15:32 - 16:54) We keep saying, we keep talking about the importance of the car ride home that it's tempting for us and not us broadly in the U.S., tempting for us, Ed and I, as people who have done this for 50 plus years and who should know better, it's tempting for us as discipled by an ESPN over analyzing everything culture and want to talk about sports to get in the car ride home with our kids and all we want to talk about is how game went, what they did right, what they did wrong, what they could fix next time.   Maybe instead of passing to Tim, they should take the shot next time because they're wide open. They just hit three in a row. So, and what our kids need from us in those moments is less coaching, less criticizing, less critiquing, and they just need us to connect with them.   The stats on kids quitting youth sports is crazy right now. Its 70 percent are quitting before the age of 13, in large part because it's not fun, and a lot of kids are attaching this idea of it not being fun to the car ride home with their parents who, let's say this too, most of us are well-intentioned parents. We're not trying to screw our kids up.   We want what's best for our kids, but the data and the research and the lived experience continues to tell us what our kids need from us is just to take a deep breath, connect with them, less coaching. Ed keeps saying less coaching, more slurpees.   Laura Dugger: (16:55 - 17:07) I like that. And that ties in. Is it called the peak-end principle that you discovered why kids are resisting that critique on the way home?   Brian Smith: (17:07 - 18:17) Yeah, absolutely. The peak-end rule in psychology is known as this: we, just as humans in general, not just kids, we largely remember things in our lives based on the peak moment of that event, but also how the event ends. And so, the peak moment in sport can be anything from something that goes really well, like they scored a goal or made a basket or something that did not go well, just like a massive event that took place that they're going to remember.   But then it's also married to how that event ends. So, if you think for kids, how does every youth sport experience end? It ends with the car ride home.   So, if they're experiencing the car ride home as I did not live up to mom and dad's standards, or there's fear getting into the car because they don't know what their parents are going to say, how are they remembering the totality of their youth sport experience? It is, I didn't, I didn't measure up. I wasn't enough.   It felt like sports was a place that I needed to perform for my parents or my coach. And I always feel a little bit short. We want to help parents see like there's a different path forward that can be more joyful for you, but hopefully more joyful for your kid as well.   Ed Uszynski: (18:17 - 21:37) Well, and, and I'll just, let me keep going with that, Brian. I thought you really articulated all that so well. I can just imagine a parent maybe thinking, was there never a time to correct?   Is there never a time to give input? And we would say, well, of course there, there is, they need far less of it from us than we think they need when it comes to their sport. And again, we can talk about that.   They need far less of that from us. They need us to be their parents, not to be their coaches. Even if we are their coach, they need us to be more their parents.   But there is a time to do it. We're just saying the car ride home is the worst time to do it. And that's usually the time that most of us, you know, we've got two hours of stuff to download with them.   And that's just, it's not a good time. But the other thing that Brian and I keep talking about is how about, what if we had some different metrics that we were even trying to measure? So, most of the time our metrics have to do with their performance.   Like what, what are we grading them on? Again, depending on what the sport is, there's these different things that we're looking for to say, how you did today is based on whether you did this or you didn't do that and whatnot. And we're saying as parents, and again, starting with us, we needed some other metrics that were actually more concerned about what was going on in their soul.   So again, I'm sure we'll talk more about this, but the virtues, how did love show up in the way they competed today? Where that usually is tied to them noticing somebody else. Do I, am I even asking them any questions about that?   Are they experiencing peace in the midst of all this chaos and anxiety that shows up at every game? How do we teach them to experience peace? How do they become other-centered instead of just self-centered all the time in a culture, a sport culture that's teaching them to always be the center of attention and try to be?   So, we just have needed to exchange some of what we had on that performance list, like tamper that down a little bit and maybe expand the list of categories that we're looking for that actually will matter when they're 25. And we keep saying this, our goal is that they'd come home for Thanksgiving when they're 25. And so, we need to stay relationally connected to them and how we act on the car ride home day after day after day after day, year after year is doing something to our relationship.   But we also are recognizing that it's really not going to matter whether Trey finishes with his left hand at the game today when he's 25, it's not going to matter. It's not going to matter probably a year from now, but how he goes through the handshake line after the game and the way he addresses other people, and whether or not he's learning to submit to authority, whether or not he's learning to embrace other people's humanity. Yes, even in the context of sports, that's really going to matter when he's 25.   It's going to matter when he's married. Those are the things that will matter. And we say that as people who are older and have been involved in ministry and have worked with college athletes and see what happens in their lives even after they're finished, and they have no idea who they are anymore.   And this thing that's dominated their life has not actually prepared them well to do life. And that's a problem that we say, let's start changing that when they're six and not hope they're figuring it out when they're 22.   Laura Dugger: (21:38 - 22:11) I love that because that's such a theme throughout those virtues that you talked about, but discipleship and sports are a tool or a way that we can disciple our kids. I also love that you give various questions throughout the book and even quick phrases. So to close that conversation on the car ride home, if we say, okay, that's what I've been coaching the whole way home, what is a question we could ask our child afterwards and a statement we could say and leave it at that and do it a better way?   Brian Smith: (22:12 - 23:56) The question I have consistently asked my kids after learning that I've been doing this the wrong way for a long time, I tweet my question to they get in the car and I say, is there anything that happened today from the game that you want to talk about? And it's frustrating to me because 99% of the time they say, no, can we listen to the radio? And we listen to the radio, or they play a on my phone, but I'm respecting their desire that they're done with what just happened and they're ready to move on to the next thing, even though I really want to talk about what just happened.   And then the statement that I want to make sure that I'm consistently saying that they're hearing is I love you and I'm proud of you. So, game didn't go well. Yeah, you did play well today.   That's okay. Hey, I love you and I'm proud of you. Game went well today.   Awesome. Great job. Hey, I love you and I'm proud of you.   So I want that to be the consistent theme that they're hearing for me, which is hopefully going to help them better understand the gospel later in life, that as they get older and older, hopefully they'll begin to realize it seemed like the way that my mom and dad interacted with me when I was performing in sport, but their love was not attached to my performance. That seems really similar to what I'm learning more and more that Jesus does for me, that I'm trying to do all these things that are good. But from what I'm understanding about the gospel, it seems like Jesus loves me in spite of what I do.   He loves me just because He's connected to me, that God loves me because I'm a son or daughter, not because I'm performing as a son or a daughter. So, in a very real way, I really am hoping that I'm giving a good teaser for my kids now for when they fully experience the gospel as they go through the life.   Ed Uszynski: (23:56 - 24:47) Another really good connecting question. I love how you said all that, Brian, is if they don't want to talk about the game, is it okay, did you have fun today? And they can only go in one of two directions.   No. Well, tell me about that. Why not?   And it opens up the door to talk about, well, because I didn't get to play or because something bad happened. And again, tell me more about that. Tell me more about that.   Or they say, yes, great. What happened that was fun? And it creates a very different conversation in the car.   And it opens up, again, relational possibilities that go way beyond, why do you keep passing it when you should be shooting it? Wow. And just all the different ways that that comes out of us, depending on sport, depending on their age.   But those are great questions. Go ahead, Brian.   Brian Smith: (24:47 - 25:41) I just asked my son this morning. He's a freshman. His wrestling season is almost done.   And I just asked, like, what has been most fun for you in wrestling this year? And his first thing was, I feel like I'm learning a lot. And that's really fun for me, which he's on a really good team.   He's had a lot of success. He's made a lot of good friends. But even that gave me a window into his characters.   My son enjoys and I knew this is true about him. But my son enjoys learning, which means he enjoys the process of getting better and better and better, which can happen in school, it can happen doing stuff in the yard, it can it can also happen in sport. But for me to remember moving forward, yeah, he he's probably going to have a different metric for what's fun in sport than I often do for him.   Yeah, like I wanted to learn. I want him to win though, too. He's happy with learning right now.   So, I need to be happy with that for him.   Ed Uszynski: (25:41 - 26:34) If I can say this, too, again, I don't want to be vulnerable on your behalf. But then knowing this, he's lost a lot this year to really good kids. Yeah.   And so much of the learning has been in the context of losing. So, you as a dad, actually, you could be crushing him because of those losses and what he needs to do to fix that and what he needs to do so that that doesn't happen again. And it's like he's already committed to learning.   How do you just how do you celebrate the loss? Like he took the risk to try something new in this movie. He tried to survive an extra period.   That's a process when and it's we just need to get better at that. Like you genuinely can celebrate that. That's not just a that's not like a participation trophy.   It's acknowledging now, do you're taking you're taking the right steps that are actually making you a winner, even if you don't have more points at the end of the game right now.   Laura Dugger: (26:34 - 26:54) Yeah. Yeah. And that long term win that you're talking about, even with character and you've talked about fun and asking them about fun.   Is it true that that's the main reason kids are dropping out of sports at such a rapid rate before age 13 is that it's just not fun anymore?   Ed Uszynski: (26:55 - 28:58) Yeah. Yeah. And why is it not fun?   And again, this is where Brian and I are always getting in each other's business. And we know that this conversation gets in all of our business as adults. But why is it not fun?   It's not fun because of the coaches and it's not fun because of the parents. We are creating stress. We are creating again collectively because we're all in different places on the on the spectrum on this in terms of what we're actually doing when we show up at games.   But if you even just go to any soccer game and you be quiet and just listen to what's happening and everybody's shouting and screaming things and there's contradictory messages being sent and there's angst at every turn and there's an incredible celebration because this eight year old was able to get the ball to go across the line for another goal. And what that's doing inside the kids is it is creating a not fun atmosphere. Let's just say it like that.   That's a not fun atmosphere when you're eight, when you're 10, when you're trying to figure out how to make your body work. You're trying to learn the game that you're unfamiliar with and you're trying to do what this coach is telling you to do. And you're also trying to do what all the parents are telling you what to do.   And if it's a team sport, you're trying to interact and play with other kids who are all in that same state of disarray, which is very stressful and frustrating. And we're just adding to it. So instead of removing it, instead of playing a role that says, we're going to keep diffusing that stress.   And again, I'll speak for myself. Too often, I have been the one that's actually adding to it. And so, kids are just like, why would I do this?   Why would I want to get in that car again with you? It's not fun. This is a game.   And so, there's a million other things that I can do with my time where I don't have everybody yelling at me and I don't have to listen to you correct me for two hours.   Laura Dugger: (29:00 - 29:21) Well, and one other thing that surprised me, maybe why kids are dropping out, you share on page 47, a quote that research reveals a strange correlation. The more we spend, the less our kids actually enjoy their sport. So, did you have any more insight into that?   Brian Smith: (29:21 - 30:50) Yeah, this was a real study that was done at Utah State. Researchers found that the more money parents are spending, again, let's say well-intentioned parents, the more we're spending in sports, the less our kids are enjoying. And the more they have dug into it, they're finding, and intuitively it makes sense.   If you buy your kid a $600 baseball bat, what's the expectation that they're supposed to do with this really expensive bat? When they swing, they better hit the ball, and they better get on base. If we're going to buy you this expensive of a bat, you can't just have process goals with it.   You better swing and hit it. And that's causing stress for kids. If you travel across state lines and you go to Disney to play at their sports complex, you're not there for vacation.   You're there to perform. So even if parents are saying we're trying to have fun, kids know when you're traveling and you're getting all this good equipment and you're on the elite team and you're receiving the best of the best stuff, they know it comes with some sort of an expectation. College athletes can barely handle that type of pressure and expectations, but we've placed this professional on youth sports from fifth five-year-olds to 15-year-olds, and it's just crushing them.   It's crushing them. Again, college athletes and professional athletes can barely handle it. They need mental health coaches for sports, but we're expecting that our five-year-olds can handle it, and they can't.   Ed Uszynski: (30:51 - 31:19) And they may not even be able to articulate it. So that's the other thing. They may not be able to identify what's actually going on inside and put it into words.   So again, that's why we're trying to sound the alarm for ourselves and for others who are listening, because we can do it different. Again, just to even keep spinning it back in an encouraging direction, we can do this different. We can change this this week in our corner of the bleachers.   We can start over again.   Laura Dugger: (31:21 - 31:48) Absolutely and make a difference. And before we talk about even more of the pros with sports, I think it's also necessary to reflect and maybe even grieve a few things. So, what would you say are some things families are missing out on when they choose youth sports to overfill their calendar, that that's all that they make time for?   What do you think they're missing out on?   Brian Smith: (31:51 - 33:16) Yeah, I think a couple that come to mind are family dinners are a big one. That's big for us in the Smith house, is just having the ability after a long day to sit at the dinner table together, to eat food together, and to process the day and be with one another. But when my kids' practice goes late, it means we're either eating almost towards bedtime or we're eating in different shifts.   And so that's something that we grieve. I think for me, when my schedule is full, I'm tempted to adopt the mindset that what's happening on the wrestling mat or on the track matters more than it actually does. And it robs me of the ability to just take a deep breath and smile and enjoy watching my kids play sports.   That without an intervention or a pregame devotional in the car for myself, I risk sitting in the stands or being on the sidelines, being stressed out and putting pressure on myself and pressure on my kids and gossiping about why the coach didn't put this kid into the people next to me, instead of just enjoying the gift that is sports and watching my kid try and succeed and try and fail. That is a gift available to me as a dad to watch my kid do that. But the busyness often robs me of that perspective.   Ed Uszynski: (33:17 - 36:06) Well, and the busyness robs, again, if you're married, that busyness eventually wears away at your relationship. And it's not just sports. I mean, busyness, we can fill our schedule, overfill our schedules with any number of things.   We can overfill our schedules with church stuff to a point where it becomes detrimental to our relationship. If we don't set boundaries so that we're making sure we're doing what we need to do to be face-to-face and to be going to areas beneath the surface with each other in our relationship and being able to do that with our kids as well, eventually there's negative consequences to that. It may not happen right away, but I've definitely experienced that.   We've experienced that in our home where it's easy to maybe chase one kid around for a while, but what happens when you add three into the mix and you haven't really done a time budget or paid attention to the fact that when we sign up for all these things, you get a month into it and you realize, oh, we have to be in different places at the same time. So, we're not even watching stuff together anymore. We're just running.   I can endure anything for a season, but what youth sports wants now in every sport from the youngest ages is that it becomes a year-round commitment. So, you're not even signing up to play a season anymore. You're signing up for a year in most cases because after the games, then they're going to have training.   They're going to have this other thing going on. And so again, can we say, well, we'll play the actual season, but then we're not going to do the additional training over these next three months. Again, we want to give parents' permission that you can say no to that.   Well, we paid for it. Well, it's okay. If you want your kid to be on that team and you like this club or whatever, then you pay the money and you just say, we're going to sit those three months out and we're going to use those three months actually to have people over our house for dinner.   Again, whatever's on the list, Laura, that you said about being more holistic and not letting sport operate like an idol in our life where it's taken on, it's washed out everything else in our life. We can get back in control of that by just saying no a little bit. You can go to church on Sunday.   Even if there's tournament games going on on Sunday, you can go to the coach early and say, hey, we just, in our family, we just don't want to be available before 12. Are you okay with that? And most of the time coaches will be.   The kid might have to sit extra maybe for not being, whatever. Okay. That's not going to be the end of the world that they had to sit out an extra game or had to sit out a half because they weren't available on Sunday morning.   It might actually make a huge difference that they weren't at church for two and a half years in the most formative time of their life.   Laura Dugger: (36:07 - 37:36) And a lot of times the way of wisdom includes reflection, getting alone with the Lord and asking, have we overstuffed our schedule this conversation today? Let's talk specifically with youth sports. Is that trumping everything else?   Because what if we're putting it in a place it was never intended to be as an idol where we sacrifice hospitality or discipleship or community or even just a more biblical way of life? I think we have to bring wisdom into the conversation for what you've mentioned. Whether it's worth it, if they're even enjoying it, how much we're spending on it, and do we have the budget to allocate our finances that way and evaluating the time just to see and make sure that it's rightly ordered.   Did you know you could receive a free email with monthly encouragement, practical tips, and plenty of questions to ask to take your conversation a level deeper, whether that's in parenting or on date nights? Make sure you access all of this at thesavvysauce.com by clicking the button that says join our email list so that you can follow the prompts and begin receiving these emails at the beginning of each month. Enjoy!   But if we flip that to if youth sports are rightly ordered, then what are some things that we can celebrate or reasons that you would want families to give this a try?   Brian Smith: (37:37 - 40:09) The massive positive that we keep coming back to is we have a front row seat to see our kids go through every possible emotion in sport, the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. And then if we have the right perspective, we are armed with awesome opportunities and awesome information that we're seeing. We get to see what our kids are really good at.   We get to see their character gaps. And then we get to be the ones who, again, who are their primary response, primary disciplers. It really goes back to like, are we trusting youth sports for too little in our kids' lives?   Like many of us are trusting that our investment is going to get them a spot on a team, or maybe they get an opportunity in high school, maybe in college. And what we're saying is, yeah, that maybe. And that's not a bad end goal.   But if that's everything that you're investing into youth sports, it's not enough. Like what you have available to you every single day is to ask your kid if they showed somebody else's dignity on the field. You don't know if your kid's going to hit a home run today.   That may not be available to them their entire life. What's available to them every single day is to ask a question to their teammate, to see somebody and show dignity to them. And that's really, it's like, it's almost the opportunity of a lifetime for us as parents who, when our kids get home from school, we really don't know what happened most of the day.   We asked them how it went and we get the one-word answer. In sports, we don't have to guess. We get to see everything that happens.   And again, if we are actually trusting youth sports for discipleship investment, that's a good ROI. That's a good return on our investment. But we need a consistent intervention almost daily to say, no, this is why they're in sports.   Yes, I want to see them get better. I want to see them have fun, but Holy Spirit, would you help me see things today that I normally don't see? Holy Spirit, would you put them in circumstances and relationships today and in the season that's going to help them look more and more like Jesus by the time the season's done?   Holy Spirit, would you convict me in the moment when I am being a little too mouthy and saying things that I shouldn't? Would you help me to repent? And God, in those moments where I'm actually doing wrong on behalf of my kid, would you help me to humble myself and apologize to them?   And God, would you repair our relationship that way? So again, all of these options are available just because our kid's shooting a ball or they're on the field with somebody else tackling other people. We're trusting youth sports for too little.   Ed Uszynski: (40:10 - 41:10) That's all big boy and big girl stuff. It just is. I don't normally naturally do any of that.   I have to be coached into that. I have to be discipled myself. I have to work through my own issues, my own baggage, my own fears about the future, my own idolatrous holding onto this imagined future that I have for my kid, irrespective of what God may or may not want.   I've got my own resentment. I've got my own regrets from the past. I wish things had gone differently for me, so I'm going to make sure they go different for you when it comes to sports.   And it's hard to look in the mirror and admit that I have anger issues. I mean, youth sports create a great opportunity for me to get up all my pent-up frustration from the day. We've given ourselves permission to do that, in most cases, to just yell and yell at refs and gripe about coaches and yell at kids.   Brian Smith: (41:10 - 41:31) Because that's what we do at the TV, right? When our favorite team is playing, we've conditioned ourselves to say, awful call, that was terrible. Then we get on social media and we complain about it.   We are discipling ourselves to this is how it's normative to respond within the context of sports. Then we carry all that baggage to our six-year-old soccer game.   Laura Dugger: (41:33 - 42:02) Well, I love how you keep pointing it back toward character and discipleship. You clearly state throughout the book, sports don't develop character, people do. But could you maybe elaborate on that a little bit more and share more now that we've listed pros and cons, you still list a completely different way that we can meaningfully participate while also pushing back?   Brian Smith: (42:04 - 43:49) I'll start with the first part, and then you can answer the second. We use the handshake line as a great example of why character needs to be taught to our kids. If you just watch a normal handshake line left without coaching, the kids are going through it, especially the ones who lose with their head down, they have limp hands, there's no eye contact, and they're mumbling good game, good game.   Sometimes they don't even say it, they'll say GG stands for good game. They don't just learn character by going through the handshake line. If anything, that's going through it like that without any sort of intervention or coaching, that's malforming their character.   That's teaching them when things don't go well, that it's okay for them not to be a big boy or a big girl and look somebody in the eye and congratulate them. What needs to happen? An adult needs to step in and say, hey, as we go through the handshake line, whether you win or lose, here's how we do it with class.   We shake somebody's hand, we look them in the eye, and we say good game. Even if in those moments we don't actually mean it, we still show them dignity and honor. And then when we're done going through the handshake line, guess what we're going to do?   We're going to run down the refs who are trying to get in their car and get out of here, and we're going to give them a high five and say, thank you so much for reffing today. That stuff needs to be taught. Our kids don't just come out of the womb knowing how to do that.   We have to teach them how to do it. Sometimes good coaches will do that, but the more and more we get sucked up into the sports industrial complex, we're getting well-intentioned coaches, but we're getting coaches who care more about the big W, the win, than the character formation stuff that happens.   Ed Uszynski: (43:49 - 45:27) They need to keep hearing it over and over again. I have a ninth grade Bible study in my house the other day with athletes and a whole bunch of my son's basketball team. Exactly what Brian just said, I actually was like, wow, I've got them here.   There was a big blow up at a game the other day, and we wound up talking about it. I said, I'm going to take this opportunity actually to say what Brian just said. When you go through a handshake line, this is how you go through it.   I watched what happened in the game a couple days later. Basically, they did the exact opposite of what I told them to do, and they lost. It was just what Brian said.   They went through limp handed. They didn't look anybody in the face, and they weren't even saying anything. I just chuckled to myself, and you know how this is as a parent.   They may or may not do it. Of course, those aren't my kids. I have more stewardship over my child, who actually, he is doing what I've asked him to do because I've re-emphasized it across time now.   It's not a failure because they didn't do what I said. Again, the pouty side of me wants to be like, forget it. I'm just not even going to try anymore.   It's like, no, they're kids. That was the first time they've heard that. They're going to do what their patterns have, the muscle memory that's been created by their patterns, just like we do as adults.   The next time I have a chance to bring that up again, I'm not going to shame them. I'm just going to go over it again with them. Here's how we do it.   It's super hard to do this, guys, when you just want to be violent with people or you want to cry. You got to pull yourself together. That's what big men do.   That's what big women do in life. They pull themselves together in those moments and do the right thing.   Brian Smith: (45:28 - 46:01) You don't know whether the fifth time you say it is going to stick or the 50th time. Your responsibility as the Christ-following parent is to do it the sixth time and the seventh time and the seventh time and trust that God is going to take those moments and do what he does. We're ultimately not responsible for our kids' behavior.   We're responsible for pointing them in the right direction, and then hopefully, yeah, the Holy Spirit steps in and transforms and changes and convicts in those moments, but it might take some time.   Ed Uszynski: (46:02 - 47:47) Tom Bilyeu So that's how you push back, Laura. You were asking that. How do we push back without being just completely involved in it or going for the same ride that everybody else is going for?   There's just little moments like that scattered throughout. Literally, every day that my kids are involved in youth sports, the car ride over, what happens on the way home, how we talk about it, what happens during the game and what we wind up talking about out of that, the side conversations that happen that just get brought up apart from games of how we interact with people and so-and-so looks like they're struggling. What do you know about that?   That's how we push back, that in our corner of the bleachers, oh, how we interact with other parents. We haven't even talked about that yet, that I can take an interest in more than just my own kid in the bleachers and spend way more energy actually in cheering for other kids and just trying to give them confidence and spend way less time trying to direct that at my own child who knows that I'm there. In fact, my side kid has said he doesn't want to hear my voice during the game.   It distracts him. He's like, I'd much rather that you cheer for other people. It's like, okay.   Having questions ready for other parents during timeouts and as you sit there for hours together, what do you talk about? Well, I could be the one that actually initiates substantive conversations over time with them and asks them about what's going on in different parts of their life. And in having done that, people want to talk.   They want a safe place actually to share what's going on in their So let me be the sports minister. Let me take on that identity and actually care about other people.   Laura Dugger: (47:49 - 49:47) I love that. Even that practical idea of just coming to each game, maybe with a different question, ready to open up those conversations. And I'll share a quick story as well.   Our two oldest daughters recently just gave cheerleading a try at a local Christian school that allows homeschool kids to participate. And this is an overt way that somebody chooses the different way. So, it's the coach of the basketball team.   His name is Cole. And at the end of every game, we saw him consistently throughout this season when it was a home game, whether their team won or lost, he would ask them, okay, shut off the scoreboard. It's all blank.   He gathers both teams. As soon as the game is over teams, cheerleaders, the stands stay filled with all the parents. And he says, this is not our identity.   The world and Satan, our enemy, who's very real. He wants us to put our identity here, but it's not here. You made us better tonight by the way that you played and you were able to shine Jesus.   And we're going to go a step further and we're going to do what we call attaways. So, he's like, all right, boys, you open it up. And his team is trained.   They say to the other team, Hey, number 23, what's your name? I loved how you pushed me so much harder tonight and says, my name's Ben. And so, their Attaway is, Hey, Ben.   And everybody goes, Hey, Ben. Yeah, Ben. Yeah, Ben Attaway.   And everybody just erupts in clapping. And the other team is always blown away and they are just grinning, whether they just lost. So, the boys go through that for a while and then they open it up to the other team and they start sharing Attaways.   And then they open it up to the crowd and the parents are able to say, I see the way you modeled Jesus by being selfless with the ball or whatever it is. So, Cole said that his college coach did that many years ago and he's passed that on. And I love that's one way to redeem the game.   Ed Uszynski: (49:47 - 51:39) Wow. Beautiful. Beautiful.   Yeah. That's amazing. And, you know, I, so Brian and I talk about this too.   And I coached at a Christian school. So, we, we think that it's really important if you're going to play sports and you're going to be a Christian coach that you actually take the game seriously. And that we actually are here to compete and we are here to try to win.   There's nothing wrong with that. And we're going to pursue excellence when we show up with our bodies, and we train for this sport and we're going to try to win. Cause I think sometimes we end up kind of going all or nothing, especially within our Christian circles.   We're uncomfortable with that. And it's like, yes, do that. And on the backside of that to do what that coach did is amazing.   It's that, that is, that is exactly what we're saying. We're also going to try to form our souls in the midst of this. We're going to try to win on the scoreboard.   Okay. The game's over, we lost, we won, whatever. There's more going on here than just that. And can we access that together? And again, that's so rare. Probably everybody listening has never even heard of anything like what you just said.   It would be amazing if a bunch of people did, but that's what we're saying. Let's do more of that. Let's find ways to have more of those conversations in our sphere of influence.   Maybe we're not the coach, but we can do that in our car. We can do that when we're at dinners with the other, with other players and other team, you know, we, we can do that. We can take that kind of initiative.   If we have those categories in our mind, instead of just being frustrated that my kid didn't get to play as much tonight. And I'm that bugs me. It's like, okay, it can bug you.   And now I gotta, I gotta be a big boy and get more out of this than just being frustrated that he or she didn't get to play as much. It's hard.   Laura Dugger: (51:40 - 52:11) Absolutely. Well, and like you guys are doing having Bible studies outside of the, the team that you can instill values in that way and share scripture that they're memorizing to go out there with excellence for the Lord. So, I love all of that.   And I've got just a few quick questions, just kind of for perspective. I want to draw out something from the book. Is it true that young athletic success predicts adult athletic success?   Brian Smith: (52:13 - 53:51) It is not true. This is, this is not a hot take. This is researched back more and more research they're doing on this.   And they're finding that there's not a direct correlation between a young elite athlete and them continuing that up into the right trajectory and being an elite athlete later in life in large part, because when puberty hits, like everything is a game changer. So, this is, I found this fascinating and this is probably going to be new to you too. This just came out today.   At the time we're doing this podcast, the winter Olympics is going on in Norway. It's just like, they're killing it. Nor Norway's youth sports system.   This is wild. They give participation trophies for all the kids. They don't keep score until 13 years old.   They don't do any national travel competitions, no posting youth sports results online. So, there's no online presence of youth sport results. And their country motto is joy of sport for all.   And they're, they're killing it right now in the Olympics. So, like, that's not to say, like you got to follow their model and then you're going to win all these gold medals, but it is, there is something to just let the kids have fun. And the longer they play sport, because it's fun, the better opportunity you're actually going to have to see them blossom and develop some of these God-given gifts that they might have.   Don't expect it to come out before they're 13. Even if it does, there's no guarantee that it's going to continue on until they're 23. Just let them have fun.   Ed Uszynski: (53:52 - 55:55) Brian, we, Brian and I got to speak at a church the other day about this topic. And there was a couple that came up afterwards and they asked the question of what, so when do you think we should let our kids play organized sports or structured sports? And so again, Brian and I are careful.   Like I, there's no, there's no one size fits all answer to that. We would suggest as late as possible, wait as long as possible. Because once you start doing structured sport where there's a coach and you have to be at practices and the games are structured and there's reps, it just cuts away all the possibility they have to just play and just to go up to the YMCA and just play for three hours at whatever it is that they like to do.   And they said, well, it's encouraging to hear that they said, because we, we actually are way more into just developing their bodies physically. And so, we do dance with them, and we do rock climbing and they were kind of outdoorsy people, and they just started listing off all these things they do because we want them to become strong in their bodies, and learn to love activity like that. And I just thought, again, that's, that probably would cause a lot of people to freak out to hear that, that they have eight, nine-year-olds that aren't on teams yet.   They're just, they're training their bodies to appreciate physicality and to become coordinated and to, you know, to get better at movement. And it's like, what sport is that not going to be super helpful in five years from now, even when they're 12, 13 years old. And now they really do want to play one sport, and they do want to be on a team.   They're going to be way ahead of the kids actually that just sat on benches or stood in the outfield, you know, day after day after day at practices. Again, that's maybe hard to hear, but maybe there's some adjustments that need to be made again; to give ourselves permission to say, we don't have to get on that train right now. You don't have to, your kid's not going to be behind.   They actually could be ahead. If you do the kinds of things we just talked about.   Laura Dugger: (55:56 - 56:11) I love that. And even that example with what it looks like played out with Norway and also, do you have any other quick tips just for instilling and cultivating a heart of gratitude and youth sports rather than entitlement?   Brian Smith: (56:13 - 57:33) I'm a high school cross country and track coach, and I have kids on my team who want to get faster at running, but instead of running, they want to lift weights and they want to do plier metrics. So, there's, yes, there's a spot for that. But the way you get better at running is to run.   You got to run more miles and more miles. And I think gratitude is similar. That gratitude, part of it is a, it's a feeling, but it's also a muscle that we can flex even if we don't feel it.   And so, I would encourage parents who are trying to instill gratitude into their kids to give them practical things like, hey, after practice, just go shake your coach's hand or give them a fist bump and tell them, thanks for practice today, coach. That that's a disciplined way to practice gratitude that will hopefully build the muscle where they're, they're using it later in life. After a game, I taught my kids this when they were young and they still do it today.   Go shake a ref's hand. I mentioned this earlier, just a really, really practical way to show thankfulness and gratitude to somebody who really doesn't get a whole lot of gratitude pointed at them during a game or after a game. If anything, they have people chasing them through the parking lot for other reasons.   I want my kids to be chasing them down to give them a fist bump or a high five. And so, gratitude is something that we can just practice practically. And hopefully the discipline practice will lead to a delight and actually doing it.   Ed Uszynski: (57:34 - 59:39) And how do we cultivate an inner posture? Cause I tend to be a cup half empty type person. I'm a, I'm a whiner by nature and a continuous improvement.   There's always something wrong. And I'm, it's easy for me to find those things just as a person. I'm not even saying that as a dad or a coach or anything.   And it's been super helpful to me in the last decade, even to just like, I can choose to shift that. There, there is, there's a list of things that are broke, but there is always a list of things that are good. There's always something good here to be found.   And even as I've tried to like, again, tip the scales more in that direction, I can keep pushing that out of my kids. So, so this, you know, my ninth-grade son tends to just like, he doesn't like a whole bunch of what's going on in basketball right now. So, I keep asking him if he's having fun.   He says, no, like, why not? Or like, who did, why did you not have fun today? So, it's just the same thing every day.   I'm like, okay, who did you enjoy even being with today? Nobody. And I'm like, dude, I don't believe that actually.   I just, I don't believe that. There was somebody that you had some moment with today that you enjoyed, or you wouldn't want to keep going back up there because, and he does. So, give me a name.   Okay. Lenny. What happened with Lenny that was fun? And I make him name it. Like I'm, I'm, I'm trying to coach him through it. And sure enough, he does have some sentences of what was fun today.   And it's like, good, let's, let's at least hold onto that in the midst of all the other stuff that's not right. Let's choose to see the thing that was good and that you enjoyed and that we could be thankful for. Not everybody got to have that today.   Again, I have to have my, I have to be the parent. I have to be the discipler. I have to be in, you know, in charge of my own soul that wants to be negative all the time and say, nope, we're going to, we're going to choose gratitude today because the Bible tells us to do that.   There's something about that posture that opens the door for the gospel to be expressed through us. So, let's practice.   Laura Dugger: (59:40 - 59:50) Well said, and there's so much we could continue learning from both of you. Where can we go after this chat to learn more from each one of you?   Brian Smith: (59:52 - 1:00:14) Yeah, we do a lot of our writing online at thechristianathlete.com. And so, if you go there, you can see articles that are specifically written for parents, for coaches, for athletes, all around this idea of what does it look like to integrate faith and sport together? So, the

During our continued news hour on NightSide, we discussed a new report from Congress that has raised the alarm about children with mental health conditions being held in juvenile detention, rather than getting treatment…8:05PM: A new report from Congress has raised the alarm about children with mental health conditions being held in juvenile detention, rather than getting treatment…A discussion about the lack of mental health services for children.Guest: Tim Murphy, PhD - licensed psychologist8:15PM: Discovering King Tut’s Tomb, a comprehensive show about the monumental discovery of the celebrated Egyptian Boy King, opens on February 28 at the Saunders Castle at Park Plaza.Guest: Mark Lach - expert spokesperson for the exhibition of Discovering King Tut’s Tomb 8:30PM: Addressing the virulent anti-Semitism that has bizarrely found a home at Harvard and MIT…Guest: David Nabhan (pronounced how it sounds Nab – Han) - science columnist for the Times of Israel 8:45PM: Shooting Up: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Addiction. The child of missionary parents thrusted into Madrid, Spain’s San Blas neighborhood tells the story of a unique childhood among heroin addicts during the AIDS epidemic. A haunting exploration of belief, belonging, and the profound costs—and rewards—of sacrifice.Guest: Jonathan Tepper – Author of this book. Grew up in Madrid in the 1980s, and his parents started a drug rehab among heroin addicts. – He is currently the chief investment officer at Prevatt CapitalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rob Fraser is the founder and CEO of Outway Socks. Follow him on X at https://x.com/robbfraser and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbfraser. Visit Outway Socks at https://outway.com/.Read Rob's "What 10 Years of Building Taught Me That Nobody Else Would" Article: https://rbfwriting.substack.com/p/what-10-years-of-building-taughtFOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/andrewjfaris⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Work with Andrew: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠INTELLIGEMSIntelligems brings A/B testing to business decisions beyond copy and design. Test your pricing, shipping charges, free shipping thresholds, offers, SaaS tools, and more by clicking here: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/42DcmFl⁠⁠. Get 20% off the first 3 months with code FARIS20.MORE STAFFINGRecruit, onboard, and train incredible virtual professionals in the Philippines with my friends at More Staffing by visiting ⁠https://morestaffing.co/af⁠.

What if you could build a thriving dental organization and still be present for the moments that matter most? In this episode, Dr. Whitney Weiner shares her journey from starting with zero patients to buying seven offices and consolidating them into three. She talks about the early grind, cash being tight, remodeling operatories on weekends, and carrying the weight of growth on her shoulders. She opens up about her worst financial quarter ever and the realization that being the super producer was actually slowing her company down. The shift came when she learned to let go, hire people wiser than her, and step into architecting the business instead of doing everything herself. Today, she blocks time on her calendar to help her son with algebra, builds her schedule around family, and chooses what she says yes and no to. Listen in to hear Whitney's story about growth, failure, freedom, and building a practice that works around her life. Ready to join DEO members who have already solved the challenges you are facing today? ✨ Schedule your free Growth Accelerator Call and take the first step toward becoming a DEO member

In this episode, Nick Loper of The Side Hustle Show shares how he grew his podcast from zero to over 35 million downloads and 100,000 monthly listeners. He breaks down his listener pyramid strategy, how to turn strangers into superfans, and the tactics that helped him build a $10K-$20K/month sponsorship business. Nick also dives into lead magnets, podcast SEO, paid promotion, and the email flywheel that skyrocketed his growth. You'll walk away with a full playbook for growing an audience, building an email list, and landing high-paying podcast sponsors. Sponsor: Quiet LightGet a free, confidential valuation at https://quietlight.com/! Links & ResourcesVisit the Side Hustle Nation: https://www.sidehustlenation.com/ Tune in to the Side Hustle Show - https://www.sidehustlenation.com/side-hustle-show/ Learn How to Monetize a Podcast - https://www.sidehustlenation.com/monetize-a-podcast/ Podcast Marketing Tips - https://www.sidehustlenation.com/podcast-marketing/ Answer this quiz to create your personalized playlist - http://hustle.show Enroll in the Podcast Growth Playbook - https://www.startmysidehustle.com/p/the-podcast-playbook/ Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter  Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links?  Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper  Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative 

Accurate Closers supports title and escrow companies nationwide with qualified notary signing agents, mobile notary services, and Remote Online Notarization (RON), delivering reliable and secure signing solutions for both residential and commercial transactions.In addition to operating the signing service, I personally conduct closings, bringing extensive industry experience and holding a New Jersey Title License, along with a deep understanding of the closing process and client expectations.Accurate Closers provides professional apostille services for individuals and corporations requiring authentication of documents for international use.Whether supporting a title company or assisting with international document needs, Accurate Closers is committed to delivering reliable, efficient, and professional service.Constance SantoVisit Constance Santo's Website: accuratenotaryacademy.com

What if losing everything was actually the beginning of your greatest chapter? In this episode, Jeff Martinovich shares an extraordinary story of building and losing a billion-dollar wealth management firm and then fighting his way back from federal prison. Jeff is the founder and former CEO of MICG Investment Management, which grew to over $1 billion in assets and 100 associates in Newport News, Virginia. After the 2008 financial crisis triggered regulatory scrutiny, Jeff refused three federal plea offers, went to trial against the U.S. government, and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. But that wasn't the end. Representing himself with a number-two pencil and a manual typewriter from the prison law library, Jeff filed over 500 motions, had trial court decisions reversed five times, and got two federal judges removed, walking free nearly seven years early. Today he advises 19 companies, speaks to CEO groups worldwide, and is the author of When Not If: A CEO's Guide to Overcoming Adversity, published by Forbes Books in January 2024. Jeff lives in Norfolk, Virginia with his wife Ashley and their young children. The relationship that transformed Jeff's life: his wife Ashley. She had worked in his mortgage company years before his conviction, and about a year and a half into his prison sentence, she sent him a love letter out of the blue, saying she had always loved him and would stand by him until they won. She then drove seven hours each way to visit him once a month for seven years in what Jeff describes as a horrific prison visiting room. On the day he was released, she was waiting at the front gates to bring him home. They are now married with a young daughter, Carly, a miracle Jeff says he never deserved and considers his greatest motivation.   [00:03:40] Kurt and Kristen LudHart: The Introduction That Started It All Kevin credits Kurt and Kristen LudHart for connecting him with Jeff Jeff agrees on the power of trust-based introductions cutting through surface-level noise Demonstrates how the right relationships open doors quickly and authentically [00:04:43] What Jeff Does Today: Rebuilding After Ruin Now works with a portfolio of 19 companies, helping CEOs and management teams grow Has a team of experienced advisors; also runs a law firm and investment funds Focused on helping owners create secure jobs, community impact, and charity support Describes the last five years as a full business resurrection [00:08:02] The Backstory: Air Force Academy to Billion-Dollar Firm Attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, served at Langley Air Force Base during the First Gulf War Got his MBA at night while at Langley, then entered finance as a rookie cold-calling stockbroker Built MICG Investment Management in Newport News, VA to over $1 billion in assets and 100 associates Grew to include three hedge funds, a mortgage company, insurance company, and real estate firm [00:08:48] The 2008 Crisis and the Government Comes Knocking The 2008 financial crisis triggered regulatory crackdowns on approximately 2,000 second-tier firms MICG was too large to avoid the radar and too small to write a $200 million check to make regulators move on Jeff was offered three federal plea deals and refused all three Sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after a five-week trial [00:11:20] The Prison Law Library and 500 Motions Sent to a violent prison in New Jersey, not the minimum-security facility typical for white-collar cases Began helping other inmates with their cases, filing over 300 motions for others Through this service, taught himself federal criminal law entirely by doing Filed over 500 motions in his own case using a number-two pencil and a manual typewriter [00:12:50] The Three Pillars That Got Him Through Physical: committed to 1% improvement every day, weights and running the track, not just for protection but for endorphins and the energy to stay proactive Intellectual: read 26 classics from the prison library and discovered a love of literature he never would have found otherwise Spiritual: read the Bible front to back multiple times; got into yoga and meditation to channel his anger into something productive Key mindset: treat adversity like a marathon, not a sprint, because it will take way longer than you think [00:18:26] The Academy Roommate: From Prison to $8 Million Exit Air Force Academy roommate flew out on Jeff's second day home from prison Had several struggling companies and needed someone he could trust completely Jeff and a team of Academy basketball and rugby teammates merged four losing companies Sold to California private equity two years later for $8 million Jeff's deep pride: these men had visited him in prison when he had nothing, and this was his way of giving back [00:20:32] Ashley's Love Letter: The Relationship That Changed Everything About a year and a half into his sentence, Jeff received a love letter from Ashley, a former employee She wrote that she had always loved him and would stand by him no matter what Drove seven hours each way to visit him once a month for seven years Was waiting at the front gates the day he was released and brought him home [00:24:20] The 12-Man Room: Jumping on Tony's Back Describes a late-night prison confrontation: a large inmate named Tony began brutally beating a smaller Guatemalan man over commissary pricing Jeff had spent months helping Tony with legal paperwork to get him transferred to a minimum-security camp In the middle of the night, Jeff ran across the room and jumped on Tony's back, screaming that he was about to ruin his transfer Tony came to his senses, went back to bed, everyone survived [00:27:11] The Book and the Mission: When Not If Forbes Books published When Not If: A CEO's Guide to Overcoming Adversity in January 2024 Amazon #1 bestseller; available on Amazon and at jeffmartinovich.com Two halves: 20 lessons on how to prepare before a black swan event, and 20 lessons on what to do differently once it arrives Jeff's goal: help business leaders avoid the mistakes he made on the way up and survive the ones they can't prevent [00:30:06] Final Message: You Can Get Through Anything Life doesn't throw curve balls, it throws bazookas, and Jeff lost everything down to zero Message to anyone going through something terrible: you can get through anything, you just have to get through it Believes God gives incredible rewards on the other side of the tunnel for those who endure Humbled by how many people share their own terrible stories after his speeches, proving everyone carries something [00:32:57] Own Your Story: Turning Disadvantages Into Advantages 99% of people run and hide after catastrophic public failures; Jeff chose the opposite At the start of every meeting, he tells his story directly before anyone can Google it This transparency consistently attracts trust, admiration, and deeper connection Malcolm Gladwell's principle in action: turn disadvantages into advantages   KEY QUOTES "Don't run away. Own your story. Be as transparent and strong as you can. And when you own your story, it becomes the thing that attracts incredible people to you." - Jeff Martinovich "I literally lost a billion-dollar firm and everything down to 0.00. But what I want to give other people is hope and inspiration. You can go through anything as long as you get through it. You just gotta get through it." - Jeff Martinovich "The more people I help, the more the universe takes care of us. I learned that even in prison. The day I got home, I just started helping as many people as possible, mostly at 5 AM for free, and it has just exploded into all these blessings." - Jeff Martinovich CONNECT WITH JEFF MARTINOVICH

Do you ever catch yourself wanting to delete, shrink, or simplify something in your business that's actually working? Patterns in business can be sneaky like that!After my biggest year ever, adding 100K+ in revenue and watching my clients hit milestones like 30K months and full practices, I found myself wanting to disable pages on my website, strip things back, and get rid of what felt like "too much." It turns out, I was mislabeling complexity as messiness. That same impulse I have in my home to declutter everything? It had crept right into how I was running my business.In today's episode, I'm getting real about how I caught myself mid-sabotage and what I'm doing differently now. I'm also inviting you to look at your own stress responses because the thing you do when your business feels overwhelming might not be solving a real problem. It might just be giving your nervous system a quick hit of relief.If you're in a season of growth and things feel heavier than you expected, this episode is for you.Topics covered on Patterns In Business:Self-sabotaging patterns in business that were quietly working against meThe difference between fruitful complexity and actual disorganization in a growing therapy practiceYour nervous system can trick you into shrinking what you've built instead of learning to hold moreThe patterns in business you default to under stress often mirror what you do in your personal lifeThe important question I now ask myself before making any impulsive changesResources from this episode:Liberated Business: www.thebadtherapist.coach/liberatedbusinessWhat Your Therapist Thinks: https://www.youtube.com/@WhatYourTherapistThinksConnect with Felicia:Get my freebie & join the email list: The Magic SheetsInstagram: @the_bad_therapistWebsite: www.thebadtherapist.coachQuote:“ There are all sorts of ways that we can sabotage our success and our growth because we're uncomfortable with the success and the growth that we are experiencing.” - Felicia

Join Our Medical Device Sales Program: https://click.newtomedicaldevicesales.com/yt-440If you're new to my channel, my name is Jacob McLaughlin. I'm the founder of New to Medical Device Sales, an exclusive training program designed to help people break into the competitive field of medical device sales. Our average person lands a six-figure role in just 9.5 weeks, earning $113,760 annually. With thousands of success stories from candidates with all kinds of backgrounds, our program equips you with the tools to succeed in this industry.4 years ago I moved out to Arizona not knowing anyone and had $1200 to my name.I came to this exact spot to journal and share how excited I was to be starting my journey in life.Last night I took time to reflect over the past 4 years. It's truly amazing how you can change your life in such a small amount of time.My take aways:1. Go after your dream because even if it doesn't workout like you thought it would, it will bring your right where you're suppose to be.2. Believe in yourself. Nobody is going to believe in you as much as you will, know that good things will happen.3. Change is inevitable. Change is going to happen so you can either accept it and keep moving forward or not.Please bet on yourself and go after your dreams because your life can be better than you ever thought it could be if you do

Linktree: ⁠https://linktr.ee/Analytic⁠Join The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: ⁠https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0K⁠The latest Notorious Mass Effect segment from Analytic Dreamz dives deep into the 2025 video game industry landscape, drawing from Matthew Ball's State of Video Gaming 2026 report. Global content sales reached a record $195.6 billion, up 5.3% year-over-year, marking three straight years of growth and surpassing the 2021 peak despite ongoing structural challenges.This episode breaks down the paradox: record revenue contrasts with a 55% collapse in private funding, ongoing layoffs totaling ~44,000 jobs from 2022-2025 (9,200 in 2025 alone, down 40% from 2024), and a surge in outsourcing now at 35.5% of content investment. Console spending hit $41.6 billion, driven by subscriptions like PlayStation Plus, Xbox Game Pass, and Nintendo Switch Online offsetting declining direct sales, while PC grew strongly to $40.7 billion.Key drivers include China capturing 38% of global spending growth and Roblox alone accounting for 67% of net industry expansion, with peaks of 47.3 million concurrent users. Mobile shows warning signs of flat growth reliant on price hikes rather than new players.Analytic Dreamz explores projected 2026 opportunities in non-core markets, advertising, direct-to-consumer models, external development, and platforms like Roblox. The takeaway: the industry isn't monolithic—growth is uneven, concentrated, and service-driven across segmented ecosystems.Tune in for this essential analysis on the state of gaming today and tomorrow. Hosted by Analytic Dreamz on Notorious Mass Effect.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/exclusive-contentPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this powerful and inspiring episode, we sit down with Casper & Cheryl Stockham, renowned marriage and relationship experts, as they share their incredible journey from survival to calling.In this live interview, Casper and Cheryl open up about:How they met and their early marriage journeyThe challenges they faced and how they overcame them togetherHow God transformed their personal experiences into a global callingThe lessons that shaped them into marriage and relationship expertsPractical wisdom for couples navigating love, purpose, and commitmentThis episode is more than a conversation—it's a testimony of purpose, growth, resilience, and divine alignment in marriage. Whether you are single, married, engaged, or serving in ministry, this discussion will inspire you to see your relationship as part of God's greater plan.

How does a 103-year-old packaging distributor double its revenue to $1 billion in just four years? In this episode of Driven by DCKAP, Rob Onorato, CEO of Shorr Packaging, reveals the strategic decisions and leadership philosophy that transformed the company from a $450 million regional player into a billion-dollar national distributor. Rob shares the secret behind his first-year strategy with the company: asking questions and listening to customers, reps, and employees. After taking on the role of CEO, he navigated a cyber attack within days, followed by a multi-million dollar failed experiment—proving why "think big, start small, move fast" isn't just a mantra, but a proven framework for scaling distribution businesses.Rob shares unique insights on building high-performance teams by recruiting top distribution talent from outside the packaging industry, creating an ESOP culture that drives employee ownership and accountability, and why their "feet on the street" approach prioritizes customer relationships over transactional sales. Tune in to a conversation that offers practical lessons on scaling businesses, building high-performance teams, navigating crises, and turning expensive mistakes into sustainable growth strategies.

A story about betting on what's coming—not what's workingThis episode is for SaaS founders questioning whether their current traction is real momentum—or just comfortable motion.Traction can be the most dangerous thing in a startup.Andrei Pitis, CEO of Genezio, built a serverless developer platform with real users and real momentum. Then he killed it. Andrei Pitis built Vector Watch, a smartwatch with 30-day battery life, and sold it to Fitbit. With Genezio, he did something harder—killed a working product because he spotted a shift most founders missed.And this inspired me to invite Andrei to my podcast. We explore why reading the future matters more than optimizing the present—and how that belief shaped a company pivot that produced 5-10x growth in months. Andrei shares candid insights about saying no to big customer money, choosing conversations over search terms, and why the best products are sculptures, not feature lists.We also zoom in on two of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies: – Acknowledge you cannot please everyone – Master the art of curiosityAndrei's journey proves that remarkable companies don't optimize what exists—they spot what's coming and build for it before the market catches up.Here's one of Andrei's quotes that captures his philosophy on building products:"A good product is not about the features that you put in. It's more about the things that you take out. Like a block of stone—you make a sculpture. You take out a lot of the stone, and you are left with something that appeals to certain kinds of people."By listening to this episode, you'll learn:Why walking away from traction can be the boldest growth decision a founder makesWhat separates reading trends from following them in fast-moving marketsWhy saying no to big customer money protects long-term product valueHow building for global from day one shapes competitive advantageFor more information about the guest from this week: Guest: Andrei Pitis, CEO & Founder at Genezio Website: genezio.com

168 - The 5A Content System: How This Martial Arts School Owner Grew 127K Instagram FollowersAlan La from Invincible HQ™, grew to 127K Instagram followers using his 5A Content System,without fancy equipment or viral stunts. In this episode, he breaks down how martial arts school owners can escape the "instructor trap" and create content that actually converts.IN THIS EPISODE:Why the martial arts industry is falling behind in marketingWhy "fly on the wall" content beats produced videosThe $20 tool that makes the biggest differenceHow to turn existing classes into weeks of contentThe 5A Content System (Authority, Access, Applause, Ascension, Action)Making martial arts less intimidating through behind-the-scenes contentAnd more*Bring 50 Enrollments Into Your Martial Arts School Every 90 Days Need help growing your martial arts school? Watch Training + Take The AssessmentTRANSCRIPTIONALAN: So I literally started on the streets and, you know, really just trying to find enough students to keep the dream alive. And I'll be honest, like back then, I didn't have a massive marketing budget. I didn't have money, pretty much, but I was fortunate enough to be starting my school right when social media was beginning. And I took that as an option. I saw social media was this thing where it gave me the ultimate kind of equaliser with other massive schools that have been established for like decades.GEORGE: Hey, it's George. Welcome to another Martial Arts Media™ Business Podcast. Today I'm joined with Alan La from Invincible HQ. How are you doing, Alan?ALAN: I'm good. Thank you, George. Just want to say again, thank you for having me on and look forward to see how I can help school owners and coaches.GEORGE: Amazing. So a little bit of context that led to this interview. So I met Alan at one of our Partners Intensive events in Sydney, and we just had a brief little chat, spoke marketing, spoke ads. It was in between sessions. And then I had a look at Alan's socials and I was watching some of his Instagram stuff that he was doing. Firstly, if you want to be inspired as a martial artist, Alan's skill and kicks are just bar none.But then together with that, just watching how he packaged everything and then just seeing the amount of mass following that Alan has, I think it was 127,000 followers on Instagram. So to learn here from Alan as what he does as a martial artist, but also from the publishing standpoint and growing a mass audience, which are three skills that you very rarely see together in the martial arts space. So thanks so much for jumping on, Alan.ALAN: Thank you. Thank you for having me. I'm grateful to be here.GEORGE: Awesome. So let's just, I always like to just start from the beginning. What's a bit of your background? What got you started in martial arts? And we can go from there.ALAN: Okay. Well, first of all, I'm Alan La and I'm the founder of Invincible Worldwide. And most people see me as the guy...

You've heard the polished version of my podcast journey. But today I pulled back the curtain and shared the part I've never really told, what it actually looked like to start from zero, what shifted everything, and how strategy (not talent) is what turns a podcast into a true growth engine. If podcasting has been sitting on your heart, this episode will give you clarity on what really makes it work. xoxo, Chelsi Jo . . . . . Snag your seat to the Profitable Podcast Bootcamp  https://chelsijo.co/VIPbootcamp Use code CHELSIJO at checkout to unlock FREE VIP access

Ben Zino started filming wildlife in his backyard at 15 years old — no car, no fancy gear, just a passion for conservation. Nearly a decade later, his channel The Wild Report has grown to 80,000 subscribers and 300 videos, all while working a full-time job. Whether you're a wildlife creator or not, Ben's approach to storytelling, packaging, and staying passionate will resonate with any creator building on the side. About Ben: Ben Zino is a conservation biologist and environmental educator with a passion for getting people excited about the amazing wildlife that we share this planet with! His content brand, The Wild Report, focuses on inspiring viewers to get outside and engage with local green spaces and conservation efforts. Connect With Ben: YouTube Channel What We Offer Creators Join Creator Communities. A place to gather with other creators every single day. This provides access to Our Private Discord Server, Monthly Mastermind Group, and MORE!  Hire Dusty To Be Your YouTube Coach YouTube Channel Reviews (Audit): Get a 7-10 minute personalized video review of your YouTube channel with honest, actionable feedback for just $50. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: Each week I document what I'm doing in my business and creative journey, share new things I've discovered, mistakes I've made, and much more! All Tools Mentioned On The Show: The Ultimate Entrepreneurs Resource. This is the spreadsheet where I keep all of the tools mentioned by all the guests on the podcast. Follow The Show: Facebook /// X /// YouTube /// Instagram Timestamps: 0:00 — The unpredictability of filming wildlife 0:30 — Intro: Meet Ben Zino from The Wild Report 2:00 — How The Wild Report started at age 15 4:00 — How the channel has evolved over a decade 6:30 — Planning trips & being sought out by researchers 8:00 — How YouTube has changed in the wildlife space 11:00 — On-location filming tips: always get more B-roll 13:00 — Time management as a part-time creator 15:30 — Improving storytelling: the thesis statement method 17:30 — Example: copperhead snake thesis statement 18:30 — Evolving on-camera presence: teacher vs. fact presenter 20:00 — Ben's minimal filming kit & tools 22:00 — Authenticity & transparency on YouTube in 2026 22:45 — Monetization: seasonal income & creative freedom 25:30 — What Ben wishes he learned sooner 27:00 — The importance of packaging & ethical thumbnails 29:30 — Final advice: keep your content ecosystem vibrant    

Anthony Barresi built a 7-figure pasta straw brand by launching fast, creating viral content and building relationships to drive sales.For more on Pasta Life and show notes click here Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

Want to know exactly how I grew my Instagram to 200K+ followers without guessing what to post every day? In this episode, I'm breaking down the exact system behind that growth: the Core 5 Framework. This is the simple, repeatable content strategy I've used for years on my own account and with clients to build audiences, create engagement, and turn Instagram into a real sales machine. If you've ever felt overwhelmed trying to figure out what to post, chasing trends, or posting randomly and hoping something works, this episode is for you. I'll walk you through the CORE 5 types of posts every business needs: You'll learn how these five categories work together like a social media sales cycle, how often to post, and how to create a weekly plan you can follow without burning yourself out. This isn't about trends or viral hacks. It's about a proven framework that actually works long-term. Plus, I'll share how you can take this strategy even further inside Social Media Sales School, where I teach the full step-by-step system, caption formulas, content calendars, and tools to make Instagram feel easy instead of overwhelming. And don't forget — the Dare to Post Challenge is happening now. Post once a day for 30 days, grow your account, and earn a share of the $100K prize pool. I'm doing it too, and I want you in it with me. If you're ready to stop overthinking Instagram and start posting with confidence, press play. Thank you to my sponsors: • Go Daddy: ⁠https://www.godaddy.com/airo⁠ • Collective, use code CHC and get 50% off : www.collective.com/chc • Brevo, use code CREATOR50 and get a 50% off discount: www.brevo.com/creator Get inside Social Media Sales School: If you're getting views but not sales, you don't need more content.You need a simple system that connects content → conversations → customers. Inside, I'll show you exactly what to post each week, what to say in Stories, and how to convert followers into buyers without feeling salesy. My clients are reaching millions of people. They're growing their pages by the thousands: SIGN UP HERE

Summary of How to scale a world class culture in your franchise: Want to know how to franchise a business and maintain world-class culture across thousands of locations? Discover the exact franchise growth strategies that took Anytime Fitness from a single 24-hour gym concept to the #1 fitness franchise in the world—with over 4,000 employees sporting brand tattoos (and they're not even corporate employees). In this episode of the Customer Service Revolution podcast, John DiJulius interviews Dave Mortensen, co-founder of Purpose Brands—the largest portfolio of fitness, nutrition, and wellness franchise brands generating $3.7 billion in combined revenue across 7,000 locations in 50 countries. If you're a franchisor struggling with culture consistency, a business owner wondering if franchising is right for you, or a multi-unit franchise operator looking to scale, this conversation reveals the counterintuitive secrets behind building a franchise system so powerful that franchisees' employees willingly get brand tattoos. What You'll Learn: The "Fanchise" model: How to turn franchisees into fans who are emotionally invested in your brand's mission (not just the ROI)—the framework from Dave's new bestselling book Fanchise Your Franchise The 5-location rule: Why you should NEVER start franchising until you've proven the concept across multiple company-owned locations (Dave and Chuck owned/flipped 5 gyms before franchising) The franchise validation process: How rigorous franchisee selection prevents 99% of future culture problems—"We want franchisees who want to change lives, not just make money" Scalable culture systems: The exact playbooks, standards, and training that allow 7,000 locations to deliver consistent experiences without Dave being present The PLEASE standards: How borrowing customer experience frameworks from consultants like John DiJulius transformed their service culture into an actionable system The tattoo test: When 4,000+ people tattoo your brand on their bodies by choice, you've transcended transactional franchising—here's how to create that level of loyalty Dave Mortensen's Franchise Journey: Phase 1: The Consultant Era (Early Career) Started in fitness at 21, dropped out of college, worked his way up Met business partner Chuck Runyon on similar trajectory Started consulting firm helping gym owners with operations, sales, and member experience Traveled across US, Canada, Australia, Mexico working with big box and boutique gyms Key insight: "People were passionate about fitness but didn't know how to run the business—Chuck and I could drive results AND write it down" Phase 2: The Operator Era (1995-2002) Bought first gym in 1995—the same gym where Dave worked front desk for $4/hour Grew it from 400 to 4,000 members, then sold it Started buying, remodeling, and flipping gyms successfully Owned 5 locations simultaneously at peak Key insight: "We said we need to start SHOWING people we know how to do it, not just telling them" Phase 3: The Franchise Era (2002-Present) Opened first Anytime Fitness in 2002 with revolutionary 24/7 model Kept consulting firm and big box gym for 3 years, then sold everything to focus on Anytime Sold franchise #1 to a member who believed in the concept Today: Co-founder of Purpose Brands with 9 franchise brands across 50 countries Key insight: "We didn't just franchise a business model—we franchised a mission to change lives" The Purpose Brands Portfolio: 9 Franchise Brands Under One Umbrella: Anytime Fitness (World's #1 fitness franchise) Orangetheory Fitness The Bar Method Waxing the City Base Camp Fitness SUMHIIT Fitness Stronger U Nutrition Healthy Contributions Provision Security Total System Stats: $3.7 billion combined revenue 7,000+ locations 50 countries 6 million members served 4,000+ brand tattoos (just Anytime Fitness) The Franchise Culture Paradox Explained: The Problem Most Franchisors Face: "I opened my salon 33 years ago and we were great at customer service because 50% of our staff was me and my wife. Then we grew to multiple locations and the experience tanked because we weren't everywhere." - John DiJulius How Purpose Brands Solved It: Dave reveals the systems that allow franchisees' employees (not even corporate employees) to line up around the building to get brand tattoos at annual conferences—in the US, New Zealand, Australia, and beyond. Critical Franchising Insights: "You don't franchise a business—you franchise a mission" The difference between transactional franchising (buy a territory, make money) and transformational franchising (join a movement, change lives) "Find the 36-inch travel between talent and passion" Dave's framework for helping franchisees discover if they're in the right business—it's never 100% talent or 100% passion, but finding the balance point "We want franchisees who want to change lives, not just make money" The franchisee selection criteria that predicts long-term success better than net worth "Relationships create who we are—you are one of 50-100 that shaped our business" Why Dave credits consultants, mentors, and partners for Purpose Brands' success (including John DiJulius for helping create the PLEASE service standards) "Create availability for people to find you—it makes it easier to make an impact" Leadership philosophy on accessibility that translates to franchise support systems When to Franchise Your Business (Dave's Criteria): ✓ Proven unit economics across multiple locations (not just one lucky store) ✓ Replicable systems that someone else can execute without you ✓ Mission-driven model that attracts passionate operators, not just investors ✓ Scalable training that maintains culture as you grow ✓ Clear standards documented in playbooks (the "write it down" principle) Franchise Growth Strategies That Work: 1. The Consulting-to-Ownership Bridge Dave and Chuck consulted for years before owning, which taught them what works across different markets and models 2. The Flip-and-Learn Model Buying, improving, and selling gyms taught them rapid value creation and what levers drive results 3. The Mission-First Sale First franchise sold to a member who believed in the concept—not a business investor looking for ROI 4. The Playbook Obsession "Write it down"—documenting every procedure so franchisees can execute at scale 5. The Partner Selection Dave: passionate about fitness + talent in business Chuck: passionate about business + talent in operations Perfect complement creates unstoppable partnership For Corporate/Non-Franchise Businesses: Question to Dave: "Does someone have to be in the franchise world to engage you? Could KeyBank or another corporate entity learn from you?" Dave's Answer: "Absolutely. Anyone that wants to develop a culture that is scalable—that they can scale within their system—is something we can be a part of." Translation: The principles that allow 7,000 franchise locations to maintain culture work just as well for corporate multi-location businesses, distributed teams, or any organization struggling with consistency at scale. New Book: Fanchise Your Franchise Third book from Dave Mortensen and Chuck Runyon Core Concept: Transform franchisees from transactional business owners into passionate fans who champion your mission Who Should Read It: Franchisors with 10-100 locations struggling to maintain culture Business owners considering franchising but unsure if they're ready Multi-unit operators wanting to improve franchisee engagement Corporate leaders looking to scale culture across distributed locations Anyone building a business that needs to maintain standards without being everywhere Where to Get It: 4PGuys.com (the "4P Guys"—Dave and Chuck's consulting/speaking platform) Perfect For: Franchisors wanting to scale culture beyond 100 locations Business owners evaluating if franchising is the right growth strategy Multi-unit franchise operators looking to improve unit consistency Fitness/wellness entrepreneurs specifically in gym, boutique fitness, nutrition spaces Corporate leaders of multi-location businesses struggling with "employee roulette" CEOs who want to understand why some franchise systems thrive while others implode Key Quotes from Dave Mortensen: Franchising vs Corporate Growth: "We didn't just franchise a business model—we franchised a mission to change lives. That's why their employees get tattoos, not ours." Franchisee Selection: "We want franchisees who want to change lives, not just make money. If you're only in it for ROI, you won't survive the hard times." Talent vs Passion: "You'll never be 100% talented at what you're most passionate about, and vice versa. But when you find the 36-inch travel between the two, you just found your career." Scalable Leadership: "Chuck and I were absolutely different. Chuck was passionate about the business. I was passionate about fitness. That's what made us unstoppable together." Helping Others: "If I can help people find what I've been lucky to have—an incredible business partner, a thriving business, a great family—that's my passion now." Resources Mentioned: Book: Fanchise Your Franchise by Dave Mortensen & Chuck Runyon Website: 4PGuys.com (consulting, speaking, franchise advisory) Purpose Brands Portfolio: 9 franchise brands across fitness, nutrition, wellness, security Previous Books: (Two prior books from Dave & Chuck on franchising/business building) Tactical Takeaways: For Businesses Considering Franchising: Don't franchise until you've proven the model across 3-5 locations minimum Document every system in written playbooks before selling franchise #1 Select franchisees based on mission alignment, not just capital For Existing Franchisors: Audit: Are you franchising a mission or just a business model? Ask: Would franchisees' employees tattoo your brand? If not, why not? Implement: Customer service standards as action words (like Purpose Brands' PLEASE framework) For Corporate Multi-Location Leaders: Steal the franchise playbook approach even if you're not franchising Create "write it down" culture so anyone can execute without you present Hire the Dave/Chuck complement—balance technical passion with business acumen Why This Matters: Most franchisors struggle to maintain culture past 50 locations. Purpose Brands maintains it across 7,000 locations in 50 countries—and has franchisees' employees tattooing the brand voluntarily. The difference? They don't franchise businesses. They franchise missions. They don't sell territories. They recruit believers. They don't manage franchisees. They empower fans. This interview reveals the exact systems, mindsets, and frameworks that create "Fanchises" instead of franchises. Ready to franchise your business the right way—or scale your existing franchise culture? This episode is your playbook. Links: Fanchise Your Franchise, The Book:  fanchiseyourfranchise.com Contact Dave at 4PGuys.com Purpose Brands:  https://www.purposebrands.com/ The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ Company Service Aptitude Test:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/c-sat-forms/individual-c-sat/ Schedule a Complimentary Call with one of our advisors:  tdg.click/claudia Ask John!  Submit your questions for John, to be aired on future episode:  tdg.click/ask Customer Experience Executive Academy: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/project/cx-executive-academy/ Experience Revolution Membership:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Books:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/shop/ Contacts:  Lindsey@thedijuliusgroup.com , Claudia@thedijuliusgroup.com Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Purpose Brands and Dave Mortensen 04:11 The Journey of Anytime Fitness 09:35 Building a Franchise System 14:14 Defining Culture and Values 18:46 Connecting Head and Heart in Leadership 21:26 The Entrepreneur vs. Franchisee Mindset 25:42 Benefits of the Franchise Model 26:03 Building a Consistent Franchise System 26:57 The Evolution of Franchise Partnerships 27:31 Defining a Franchise: Passion and Purpose 29:27 The Importance of Emotional Investment in Business 30:44 Identifying the Right People for Your Business 31:28 Key Traits for Successful Team Members 34:06 The Three Golden Rules of Partnership 37:44 Leading Through Crisis: Lessons Learned 46:14 Finding Passion vs. Skill in Business 50:23 Helping Others Create Their Franchise Success Subscribe We talk about topics like this each week; be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode.

Chaz has founded 3 companies. The first sold for over $40M. The second sold to GoPuff for even more. Now, he's on his third act with Model ML, having just raised $75M Series A

Greetings, and welcome back to the podcast.This episode we are joined by Mr. Toby Rice - CEO of EQT - a NYSE listed energy company with a market cap of ~$35 billion. Toby Rice was named President and Chief Executive Officer in July 2019, when he was also elected to EQT's Board of Directors. Since May 2018, Toby has served as a Partner at Rice Investment Group, a multi-strategy fund investing in all verticals of the oil and gas sector.From October 2013 until its acquisition by EQT in November 2017, Toby was President, Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Rice Energy. Previously, he served in a number of positions with Rice Energy, its affiliates and predecessor entities beginning in February 2007, including President and Chief Executive Officer of a predecessor entity from February 2008 through September 2013. Among other things we learned about How EQT Grew To 1 Million BOE/D. Enjoy.Thank you to our sponsors.Without their support this episode would not be possible:Connate Water SolutionsATB Capital MarketsAmbyintJSGBidell Gas CompressionAstro Oilfield Rentals Support the show

Check out the panel discussion from this year's Super Saturday Man Breakfast, hosted by UNPACKIN' it, that took place in Charlotte the day before the Super Bowl. This year's panel included former NFL players Brentson Buckner and Dwan Edwards. They talk about faith, football, and life with Bryce Johnson. It's an authentic, encouraging, and inspiring conversation.Topics Include:Keep Pounding and Buckner's battle with cancer.How God has worked in Dwan's life in the midst of a divorce.God's plan for Brentson Buckner to play in the NFL and become a coach.What it was like to lose a Super Bowl.How sports prepare us for life.Brentson Buckner Bio. Grew up in Columbus, Georgia, played college football at Clemson, and was a first-team All-ACC selection. He is in the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame. He was drafted in the second round of the 1994 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played in Super Bowl XXX (30) against the Cowboys. Throughout his 12-year NFL career, he also played for the Bengals and 49ers and was with the Panthers from 2001-2005, including being a member of the 2003 Panthers team that played in Super Bowl XXXVIII (38). After his playing career, he coached high school football and was a radio personality on WFNZ. For over a decade, he was a defensive line coach in the NFL with stops in Arizona, Tampa Bay, Oakland, and Jacksonville. He has four children and has been married to Denise for 31 years.Dwan Edwards Bio: He grew up in Columbus, Montana, and in high school played football, basketball, and track and field, and was the senior class president. He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers, and He graduated in 2003 with a degree in business administration. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2004 NFL draft.During his 12-year career, he also played for the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills. He was a member of the 2015 Carolina Panthers team that played in Super Bowl 50. That was also his final game. Since retiring, he's been a full-time dad with five kids and has also coached Weddington High School football.Click here to support UNPACKIN' it.https://www.unpackinit.com/donateOur Social Media:Instagram: / unpackinit Facebook: / unpackinit X/Twitter: / unpackinit Tiktok: / unpackinit Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Think ownership requires slow growth? Think again. Independent pharmacy owner Kyle Beyer joins us to discuss how he went from chain pharmacist to multi-location owner of North Shore Pharmacy in only five years. He talks about the opportunities and obstacles of ownership: from buying during COVID, building a compounding hub, scaling through partner networks, and navigating the changing landscape of PBMs. If you're wondering what it really takes to grow in today's industry, Kyle's is the success story you need to hear. 00:00 – Welcome & Guest Introduction 01:30 – The North Shore Expansion Story (3 Locations & Growing) 07:54 – Buying a Pharmacy Right Before COVID Hit 11:14 – Building a Compounding Hub & New Revenue Streams 13:19 – Partner Network Success & the Rise of the “Sticky Patient” 17:26 – Supplements, DME & Front-End Profit Strategies 23:29 – Scaling With Technology: Processes, Staff & Pioneer Features 33:15 – Medicare True-Ups & What Pharmacy Owners Should Watch  Hosted By: Johnathon Duhon | VP of PMS Sales, RedSail Technologies Guest: Kyle Beyer | Owner, North Shore Pharmacy  Looking for more information about independent pharmacy? Visit https://www.redsailtechnologies.com 

What's the NBA Central Division look like after trade season. The Cleveland Cavaliers grew a beard and now they look like grown men. Tap-in with the fellas and let's talk about this & more on the NBA Weekly / TRC podcast on your audio platforms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Honda's car business suffered a loss as EV impairments mount. And SMIC earnings topped expectations on strong chip demand, but the company gave a cautious outlook. Julie Chang hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

micro1 is one of the fastest growing startups in the AI training data / human intelligence space. We talked about what it's like hiring hundreds of doctors and lawyers in a week, how they're collecting real world data for robotics, and what it was like losing their biggest customer.

300 million downloads. That's how far The $100 MBA Show has come, but it didn't start that way. How does a podcast go from struggling to find listeners to crossing hundreds of millions of downloads? And what can you take from that journey to grow your own show or passion project?In today's episode, Omar shares the behind the scenes story of building The $100 MBA Show. You will hear about the early missteps, the pivotal shift that changed everything, and the principles that keep listeners coming back. Instead of hype, this story is packed with lessons you can use to grow your own podcast or business idea.Press play at the top and learn from the podcast that did it. Discover what it really takes to grow your show and your audience to hundreds of millions of downloads.MBA2740 How I Started And Grew This Podcast To Over 300,000,000 DownloadsRecommended episode to explore:MBA2726 Q&A Wednesday: How Do I Increase My Email Open Rates?Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://lm.fm/GgRPPHiSUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, Charles Yoo-Naut joins the show to unpack Rain's explosive growth and what's next for crypto payments. We deep dive into the Rain origin story, their recent $250M fundraise, partnering with Visa, who wins the crypto card race, how Rain grew to a $2B company, and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Charles: https://x.com/cnaut Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Coinbase crypto-backed loans, powered by Morpho, enable you to take out loans at competitive rates using crypto as collateral. Rates are typically 4% to 8%. Borrow up to $5M using BTC as collateral and up to $1M using ETH as collateral. Manage crypto-backed loans directly in the Coinbase app with ease. Learn more here: https://www.coinbase.com/onchain/borrow/get-started?utm_campaign=0126_defi-borrow_blockworks_empire&marketId=0x9103c3b4e834476c9a62ea009ba2c884ee42e94e6e314a26f04d312434191836&utm_source=empire -- "Mantle Global Hackathon 2025 is live! Running from Oct 22 to Dec 31, Mantle invites builders to design the future of Real-World Assets (RWAs) on its modular L2 stack. Key Highlights: - $150,000 Prize Pool + Grants & Incubation opportunities - Access to Bybit's 7M+ verified users - Judges from Bybit Ventures, Spartan, Animoca Brands - 6 Tracks: RWA/RealFi, DeFi, AI, ZK, Infra, GameFi Join the Hackathon: https://www.hackquest.io/vi/hackathons/Mantle-Global-Hackathon-2025" -- This Empire episode is brought to you by VanEck. Learn more about the VanEck Onchain Economy ETF (NODE): http://vaneck.com/EmpireNODE An investment in the Fund involves a substantial risk and is not suitable for all investors. It is possible to lose your entire principal investment. The Fund may invest nearly all of its net assets in either Digital Transformation Companies and/or Digital Asset Instruments. The Fund does not invest in digital assets or commodities directly. Digital asset instruments may be subject to risks associated with investing in digital asset exchange-traded products (“ETPs”), which include the historical extreme volatility of the digital asset and cryptocurrency market, as well as less regulation and thus fewer investor protections, as these ETPs are not investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”) or commodity pools for the purposes of the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”). Investing involves substantial risk and high volatility, including possible loss of principal. Visit vaneck.com to read and consider the prospectus, containing the investment objective, risks, and fees of the fund, carefully before investing. © Van Eck Securities Corporation, Distributor, a wholly owned subsidiary of Van Eck Associates Corporation. -- Uniswap's Trading API offers plug-and-play access to deep onchain and off-chain liquidity, delivering enterprise-grade crypto trading without the complexity - from one of the most trusted teams in DeFi. Click to get started with seamless, scalable access to Uniswap's powerful onchain trading infrastructure. https://hub.uniswap.org/?utm_source=blockworks&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ww_web_bw_awa_trading-api_20251117_podcast_clicks -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:52) The Rain Origin Story (15:23) Partnering With Visa (30:05) The Opportunity In Emerging Markets (36:48) Ads (Coinbase, Mantle, VanEck, Uniswap) (40:16) The Crypto Card Race, Agentic Payments & Onchain Credit (48:00) What Chains Does Rain Work With? (53:28) Rain's Journey To Raising $250m (01:03:00) How Rain Grew To A $2B Company -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

The latest episode of the Nomad Futurist Podcast, recorded live at the DCF Trends Summit, features Robert (Bob) Cassiliano, Chairman and CEO of 7x24 Exchange, in conversation with co-hosts Nabeel Mahmood and Phillip Koblence. Drawing on more than three decades in mission-critical infrastructure, Bob reflects on where the industry began and what it must confront next. From the earliest days of digital infrastructure, a divide existed between technology and facilities teams. Bob shares how 7x24 Exchange was founded to close that gap, bringing both sides together around a shared focus on resilience, reliability, and uptime: “The whole purpose was to bring both groups together so they would understand each other's challenges. Because in the end, it's all about business objectives.” As the industry evolved from mainframes to today's high-density environments, expectations around uptime, power, and complexity skyrocketed. While the tools and scale have changed dramatically, Bob notes that many of the core challenges remain; only intensified by the pace of growth: “The challenges that existed in 1990 are still here; they've just grown faster and become more complex.” AI now sits at the center of this transformation. Bob discusses how it's driving unprecedented power densities and forcing a reexamination of energy sourcing, cooling strategies, and site selection, while also raising broader concerns about speed, responsibility, and oversight: “If you build this so quickly without guardrails, you're not just going to accelerate good things, you're going to accelerate bad things.” Workforce development naturally becomes a central thread in the conversation, as Bob reflects on how early outreach efforts focused on universities ultimately revealed a more fundamental challenge: many people simply weren't aware that data center careers even exist. That insight reshaped 7x24 Exchange's approach, prompting a strategic shift further upstream to engage students and families before career paths begin to take shape: “We were hitting universities, but we really had to get to elementary students and their parents because they didn't know these careers were even an option.” Bob brings clarity and context to the challenges shaping digital infrastructure today. Connect with him on LinkedIn to follow his ongoing insights and industry leadership.

[Luke 2:39-40] Jesus grew and become strong, increasing in wisdom, and the favor of God was upon Him. This descrption is typical of young men throughout scripture who served God faithfully with the favor of God upon them, including Joseph, David, Josiah, Daniel, Timothy, and Samuel.

Tommy talks with Mike Detillier about the Super Bowl match-up and about Drew Brees making the Hall of Fame in his first year eligible.

Eric Yuan saw frustrated customers and wanted to make the product he worked on better – but couldn't convince his bosses. So he struck out on his own and founded a competitor: Zoom. Yuan talks with host Jeff Berman about building Zoom into a massive player, how it handled 30x growth when the Covid pandemic hit, how he led the company through a painful round of layoffs, and more.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does it take to build a million-subscriber YouTube channel, launch a best-selling book, and then walk away from it all for over a year? Noah Kagan, founder of AppSumo, joins Nathan to candidly discuss his journey from full-throttle content creation to a deliberate pause. Noah shares the unexpected internal and external pressures that came with his meteoric rise on YouTube, the strategic decisions that led to viral success, and why, despite achieving his goals, he ultimately stepped back. This conversation offers a rare glimpse into the mindset of a creator who prioritized personal fulfillment over endless growth, and how that decision reshaped his approach to content, business, and life.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction02:26 The decision to go all-in on YouTube05:15 Noah's internal motivations for content creation07:38 Building the YouTube "dream team"10:14 The early content strategy and challenges13:17 The pivotal "Knocking on Doors" video16:45 The cost of rapid growth and Noah's burnout19:10 The successful content pillars uncovered22:18 The meticulous planning behind viral videos25:34 Seeking timeless wisdom: interviewing the wealthy28:22 Noah's biggest regret with the channel30:58 Finding repeatable content formats33:55 Identifying your unique content edge37:25 The appeal of raw, unpolished content40:31 The impact of fatherhood on content creation43:10 Noah's vision for future content creation45:47 The value of a public presence for business48:29 The challenge of building internal influencers51:04 Brainstorming content ideas for Kit54:20 The power of high-caliber speakers57:38 Content that ties directly to your business1:00:27 Noah's current content philosophy1:02:40 On Twitter: counterintuitive long storiesIf you enjoyed this episode, please like and subscribe, share it with your friends, and leave a review. I read every single one.Learn more about the podcast: https://nathanbarry.com/showFollow Nathan:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathanbarryLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanbarryX: https://twitter.com/nathanbarryYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenathanbarryshowWebsite: https://nathanbarry.comKit: https://kit.comFollow Noah:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noahkaganX: https://twitter.com/noahkaganInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/noahkaganWebsite: https://noahkagan.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AppSumoAppSumo: https://appsumo.comFeatured in this episode:Kit: https://www.kit.comAppSumo: https://appsumo.comClickables: https://www.clickableshq.comMillion Dollar Weekend: https://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Weekend-Money-Freedom/dp/0593796593Highlights:02:15 – Questioning the "Why" of Content Creation08:29 – The Shift from Public Validation to Inner Contentment12:29 – The Audience Cares About Entertainment, Not You17:08 – The Challenge of Following a Viral Hit23:25 – Repeating What Works: The Kinko's Founder Interview36:00 – The Value of Raw, Unpolished Content53:08 – Using Conferences for High-Value Content

What if the very thing you've been hiding—your pain, your story, your “not enough”—is actually the talent God wants to multiply?In this deeply personal and unscripted episode of the Good News Mental Health Podcast, Dr. Uejin Kim—child & adolescent psychiatrist—reflects on the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25) through a mental-health and trauma-informed lens. She explores how fear, comparison, and unchallenged assumptions can quietly keep us stuck—spiritually, emotionally, and relationally.This episode speaks directly to those who:Grew up needing to figure everything out aloneFeel behind, overlooked, or “less than” in faith, marriage, or callingCarry trauma, burnout, or disappointment and wonder if it still has valueFeel trapped in comparison or toxic faith narrativesYou'll hear why God doesn't ask us to outperform others—only to be faithful with what we've been given—and how healing often begins when we stop burying our gifts and start asking better questions.Helpful Links:✨ Ready to get started on your personal growth & healing journey? Heal your inner child & reconnect with yourself here:https://www.uejinkim.com/bestill

Maria Lucey launched her YouTube channel with zero experience—and just months later, it helped her walk away from her full-time job. In this episode, Maria shares the exact strategies she used to turn YouTube into a powerful growth engine for her blog, email list, and income. From driving traffic with just one video, to landing brand deals, building authority with Google, and busting every excuse you've heard about why you “can't” do YouTube—this episode is packed with tactical takeaways and serious inspiration.If you've been sitting on starting a channel, this is your sign to hit record.********************************DISCLAIMER: This audio and description may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of our recommended products, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps support our show and allows us to continue to provide you with valuable content. Thank you for your support!********************************LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEvidIQTubeBuddyMaria Lucey DietitianglingFinal Cut ProiMovieYoutubeFULL SHOW NOTEShttps://thesmartinfluencer.com/e257-the-youtube-strategy-that-grew-her-blog-her-email-list-and-her-bank-account/CONNECT WITH MARIA LUCEYWebsite Facebook Instagram YouTube TikTok Linked InCONNECT WITH CORINNE & CHRISTINAGet notified when new episodes drop Check out our YouTube channelJoin the convo on FacebookConnect on InstagramCOMMENTS, QUESTIONS, RECIPE IDEASEmail us at hello@thesmartinfluencer.comSupport the show

How do you turn a tour guide side hustle into a $600K local business in under three years? Paul Whitten shares the real strategies behind growing a simple weekend hustle into a high-margin tour company, by starting with just $3,600 and scaling through smart pricing, partnerships, and consistent customer demand. In this episode, you'll learn: How Paul attracted his first customers with no marketing budget Why Google reviews and platforms like TripAdvisor became growth engines The upselling approach that increased revenue without sounding salesy How private and corporate events boosted profits Ways to turn one service into multiple revenue streams If you're building a side hustle, or thinking about starting one, this episode shows what's possible when you dream big, have a vision, and are willing to put in the work. Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it! Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things. For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/182 Connect with Paul: Nashville Adventures website Connect with Joan: Instagram Facebook About Joan Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!      

In this episode, Steve talks about the 3 ways he grew his business with AI and how both Steve and Dave currently integrate AI in their e-commerce businesses to improve their Shopify stores. They talk about how AI can enhance on-site search, improve product recommendations, identify B2B customers, and maybe even improve customer support.  Steve Chou from My Wife Quit Her Job is back on the podcast!  He's on the podcast to talk about how he incorporates AI into his e-commerce business, how he created custom plugins specifically, and the projects he's working on to increase revenue in his business.  If you're looking into ways you can diversify outside of Amazon, this episode is for you. Sign up for Seller's Summit and catch Mike and Dave in person! You'll be part of an intimate Mastermind session, attending interesting talks with practical strategies and you get to catch up with Mike and Dave in person.   Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to AI in E-commerce 02:59 - Understanding Traffic Sources and Sales 06:11 - Enhancing On-Site Search with AI 08:54 - Leveraging AI for Product Recommendations 11:53 - Identifying B2B Customers with AI 14:48 - The Future of Customer Support with AI 18:07 - AI's Impact on Amazon and E-commerce 21:08 - Conclusion and Seller Summit Details As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review over on iTunes if you enjoy content like this. Happy selling and we'll talk to you soon!

Max went from a YC rejection to building a $1.8B company in less than two years. His company, Legora, is the fastest YC-backed company to become a unicorn in history. His path to insane growth was not standard: after raising a massive Series A, Max told his board he was pausing all new sales for six months to rebuild the product infrastructure.In this episode, Max breaks down the "burn the boats" mentality that drove their growth, the specific demo tactics that convert 55% of prospects, and how to build an engineering culture that ships fast enough to beat incumbents like Thomson Reuters.Why You Should ListenWhy he shut down sales for 6 months immediately after raising $35M.How a single live demo stunt at a conference generated 150 qualified leads.The aggressive pitch strategy that turned a YC rejection into an acceptance.How to close a $10M round with Benchmark after a single meeting.Why you should encourage your enterprise clients to run bake-offs.Keywordsstartup podcast, startup podcast for founders, product market fit, AI legal tech, Y Combinator, hypergrowth, enterprise sales, Benchmark Capital, fundraising strategy, rapid scaling00:00:00 Intro00:06:51 Getting Rejected by Y Combinator00:15:37 Living on 50k Euros with Design Partners00:30:19 The Live Demo That Booked 150 Meetings00:34:06 Raising $10M from Benchmark in 30 Minutes00:35:13 Shutting Down Sales After Raising Series A00:46:36 How to Win 85 Percent of Competitive Deals00:50:05 The Moment of True Product Market FitSend me a message to let me know what you think!

Kenny Albert, Rangers radio voice and one of sports broadcasting's most versatile talents, joins Neil Smith and Vic Morren for an in-depth career discussion. From 2025 National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame induction to his autobiography "A Mic for All Seasons" now available on audiobook, hear about calling the 1994 Stanley Cup Final on NHL Radio when Rangers-Canucks matched his two favorite teams, Barry Trotz fake arrest prank in Baltimore Skipjacks days, growing up with legendary father Marv Albert, and preparation differences between 20-30 hour NFL weeks versus NHL games. Plus comprehensive Rangers analysis on inconsistency and JT Miller trade impact, Washington and Winnipeg surprising success, Detroit and Ottawa turnarounds, Islanders injury plague with three waiver pickups, Devils inconsistency despite upgrades, why all three New York teams making playoffs raises excitement, radio versus TV call differences working with Dave Maloney and Eddie Olczyk, Twin Rinks Port Washington skating instructor origin story where Neil first saw Kenny's name, and humbleness making journey to top more fun than being there. Broadcasting legend shares 40 years of career insights.IN THIS EPISODE:[00:00] - Welcome: A Man for All Seasons with Kenny Albert joining NHL Wraparound[01:00] - Great privilege: reminiscing with good friend Kenny Albert[02:00] - 2025 National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame induction: great names inducted past years[03:00] - Hall of Fame located Commack Long Island: big honor to be included[04:00] - Madison Square Garden press room: sitting with mom and dad after Rangers games[05:00] - Neil scouting for Islanders: innocent days for all of us[06:00] - NHL this season: things didn't see coming or surprised you[07:00] - Two biggest surprises: Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets[08:00] - Washington last year playoffs: tired, old, slow against Rangers[09:00] - Retooled: Pierre-Luc Dubois, Logan Thompson, key players during off-season[10:00] - Alex Ovechkin amazing season: Spencer Carbery a lot of credit[11:00] - Winnipeg: Scott Arniel great guy, assistant coach with Rangers[12:00] - Head coaching opportunity Columbus: long time assistant, takes over where he played[13:00] - East Coast doesn't pay attention: tremendous goaltending Hellebuyck, terrific players[14:00] - Flip side disappointments: Detroit, Ottawa, Buffalo on the rise[15:00] - Todd McLellan coming in: terrific record since took over[16:00] - Ottawa finally next level: challenging for playoff spot, still time left[17:00] - Montreal rough start then great stretch: right in mix as well[18:00] - Pittsburgh impressive without Crosby and Malkin: leading up to break[19:00] - Not many teams really out of it: three-point games, 25-26 games remaining[20:00] - Players get to refresh: 100 players Four Nations, others recharge[21:00] - Doing color with Kenny at Joe Louis Arena: Detroit on Versus/OLN[22:00] - Over-preparer: tend to do even more than probably need[23:00] - Learning tricks of trade: what to do and what not to do through years[24:00] - Keep all game sheets: file cabinet to my left, could pull it out[25:00] - 1994 Stanley Cup Final: NHL Radio, looked through sheets recently[26:00] - Grew up Vancouver Canucks fan but also Rangers fan[27:00] - Working Washington doing Capitals home games cable 1992-95[28:00] - Also WTOP radio station: Rangers-Devils conference final happening[29:00] - Howie Rose and Mike Keenan: 1993 Final NHL Radio, Los Angeles-Montreal[30:00] - 1994: Howie supposed to do NHL Radio final, unavailable if Rangers got there[31:00] - Got call day of Game 3 Rangers-Devils series: would you be interested?[32:00] - 26 years old: of course I'd be interested, Rangers and Canucks my two teams[33:00] -

In this episode of the Nonprofit MBA Podcast, host Stephen Halasnik speaks with Luke Mickelson, founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, about how a small garage-based Christmas project grew into a nearly $30 million nonprofit operating across the U.S. and beyond. Mickelson shares the key inflection points behind that growth, including realizing the scale of child bedlessness, transitioning to a formal nonprofit, leveraging a major media moment from Returning the Favor with Mike Rowe, and—most importantly—building the right governance structure, systems, and processes to sustain rapid expansion. The conversation explores why treating a nonprofit like a real business matters, how a "franchise-like" chapter model with a single EIN enabled scalable growth while preventing mission creep, and how COVID ultimately helped the organization slow down and professionalize operations. Mickelson also discusses the critical distinction between visionary founders and operational leaders, the necessity of investing in talent, and why long-term nonprofit success depends on strong leadership, clear roles, and disciplined execution of best practices.  

You don't need luck to double your consulting business. It's possible for you, and even to double your revenue without working more.In this episode, I share the behind-the-scenes of how one consultant went from plateauing at $258K to generating $514K, without working more hours.This isn't a theory or case study. It's a real-life client example.You'll hear the five business shifts that made this growth possible and how each one can apply to your business right now, regardless of whether you're at $150K or already at a million.The key theme?Growth didn't come from overworking. It came from commitment, capacity, discipline, and a willingness to challenge how he saw himself as a business owner.If you've been hovering at the same revenue for months or years, this episode gives you a path to break through your plateau.What you will learn in this episode:[06:40] The mindset shift that unlocks consistent revenue growth (and why many consultants unknowingly stall out right before the breakthrough)[08:55] How to value your capacity and stop undervaluing your time, even if you don't bill hourly[12:15] The internal identity shift from executor to advisor and how it changes everything about your business model[17:50] Why quarterly targets helped normalize higher revenue (and how to stop operating from a corporate salary mindset)[21:30] How to refine your demand engine without piling on more tactics so you're not relying on hope or luck to fill your pipelineTune into Episode 255 to see what doubling the revenue of your independent consulting business can actually look like and how these same principles can apply at any revenue level.Mentioned ResourcesCompanion Resource: Download the Double Your Consulting Business Workbook, https://www.melisaliberman.com/double   Full Show Notes: https://shownotes.melisaliberman.com/episode-255Melisa's Books, Planners & Journals: https://linktr.ee/melisalibermanMentioned in this Episode:Join the Lead Gen Sprint Waitlist - www.ConsultantSprint.comEpisode 060 – The 3 Sales Mindset Shifts for Independent Consultants, https://shownotes.melisaliberman.com/?s=60 ️Episode 061 – What's Standing In the Way of You Making More Money With Less Worry In Your Consulting Business, https://shownotes.melisaliberman.com/episode-61/#more-1297  Episode 200 - What's Possible for your Consulting Business, https://shownotes.melisaliberman.com/episode-200/#more-2584 Want help achieving your consulting business goals? Melisa can help. Click here for more on coaching tailored to you as an independent consulting business owner.

Episode 274Menace is back, and we're going full wrestling nostalgia while keeping one eye on modern WWE.In this episode we talk about growing up watching WWE pay-per-views on grainy TVs, adjusting antennas, and hoping the cable didn't cut out during the main event. From those memories to WWE Unreal Season 2 on Netflix, we connect the past to the present and talk about what keeps us hooked.We break down this weekend's Royal Rumble, share our predictions, and discuss who we think could win — plus possible surprise appearances that could shake everything up.This episode is for anyone who:Grew up watching wrestling with friends or familyStill remembers scrambled PPV channels and VHS tapesLoves Royal Rumble season and fantasy bookingEnjoys mixing nostalgia with today's WWE conversationOld-school memories, modern wrestling, and the moments that turned us into lifelong fans.

Clear aligner orthodontics is evolving rapidly, and Angel Aligner is making waves in the North American market. On this episode of the Golden Age of Orthodontics podcast, hosts Dr. Leon Klempner and Amy Epstein welcome Jason Tabb, VP and GM of Angel Aligner North America, to discuss digital orthodontics, aligner treatment capabilities, and competitive market differentiation. Jason shares insights on Angel Aligner's innovative approach to complex cases, including mandibular advancement, unique aligner buttons, and digital workflow improvements. The conversation also addresses intellectual property concerns and how orthodontic practices can leverage aligner technology to enhance efficiency and patient outcomes.What you will Learn in this Episode:How Angel Aligner has rapidly scaled in the North American market through orthodontic innovation and responsive case setup designThe latest aligner technology advancements, including integrated aligner buttons, Angel Hook, and dual-material aligner systems for complex casesStrategies for orthodontic practices to improve efficiency with digital workflow solutions and treatment planning toolsHow to evaluate aligner treatment options based on clinical performance, turnaround times, and market differentiationSubscribe to the Golden Age of Orthodontics and our sister podcast, Practice Talk, hosted by Lacey Ellis, wherever you listen to stay updated on orthodontic innovation and real-world practice strategies. Visit People in Practice for more insights and to connect with our team for practice growth solutions.TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Amy shares the upcoming guest schedule and invites listeners to the Practice Talk podcast04:11 Jason Tabb discusses Angel Aligner's entry strategy and why orthodontists responded to their market differentiation08:53 Latest aligner technology innovations, including aligner buttons, Angel Button, Angel Hook, and mandibular advancement systems13:56 Addressing intellectual property concerns and Angel Aligner's commitment to fair competition15:44 Future of digital orthodontics and how aligner treatment improves practice efficiencyKEY TAKEAWAYS: Angel Aligner differentiates through ease of doing business, consistent case setup quality, and specialized solutions for complex cases, including mandibular advancement, premolar extraction, and molar distalizationThe aligner button and Angel Hook innovations are integrated directly into aligners, reducing emergency visits and enabling treatment planning for challenging Class II and Class III cases with aligner therapyDigital orthodontics investments typically show ROI within 12-18 months as orthodontic practices gain workflow efficiency, treat larger patient loads, and meet growing patient demand for clear aligner orthodonticsABOUT THE GUEST:Angel Aligner - Website

This week on A Novel Console, Chris unearths a long forgotten recording from the unedited episodes folder and presents to you the amazing boys from Lorey Time! Zak and Danny come on to talk about the formative games they played growing up! Lorey Time: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zsTa5uiDZNRdm5pU3cxKU?si=PZlZ4o2MTkeKY7J71xOFpQSell us your games: consolesnstuff.comYou can contact us at:anovelconsole@gmail.comFacebook.com/anovelconsoleTwitter.com/anovelconsoleInstagram: @anovelconsolePatreon.com/anovelconsoleOther Streaming Platforms:anovelconsole.carrd.coGet more shows like this at Superpodnetwork.comSupport the show

What if hearing God speak to you in the last row of a church saved you from losing everything? In this episode, James Brown shares how he helps professional service business owners scale their businesses without sacrificing their lives through Business Accelerator Institute and Perseverance Squared. After launching his first business in 1994 and rapidly expanding to $8M in annual revenue, James transitioned to coaching in 2014 and has now guided over 450 business owners to significant growth. He launched Small Law Firm University, growing it to $3 million in revenue within a year, and developed a CMO program generating an additional $2 million annually. James holds a Business degree from Lindenwood University (1989) and JD from St. Louis University (1993). In 2009, he was selected as one of America's Top 20 Premier Experts and featured in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek. James believes all businesses have the same seven working parts, and the only difference is what they sell. James reveals three relationships that transformed him: his wife Sherry, whom he's known since age three when they met in her mom's beauty salon, who believed in him when everyone else said he couldn't achieve his dreams and stood by him through 41 years including his darkest moments; his mentor Darrell Castle, a Memphis-based lawyer who taught him to reject the "cookie cutter" approach and build a business on his own terms, showing him that all businesses share seven working parts regardless of what they sell; and God, whom he encountered in March 2015 after hitting rock bottom (drinking excessively, making terrible choices, nearly losing everything) when a random stranger invited him to church where he heard God speak to him in the last row as the only white person in an all-Black congregation, completely transforming his perspective and leading him to sell his law firm to help other business owners build lives of purpose.   [00:04:20] What James Does at Business Accelerator Institute Helps owners of professional service businesses scale predictably and profitably Focuses on building businesses that serve owners, not the other way around Has helped over 450 business owners achieve this transformation [00:05:20] The Defining Moment with His Wife Second year in business, struggling financially, client asked for refund Wife said: "At the end of the day, you do what's right and everything else will follow" That statement still resonates 30 years later and drives his mission to help more people [00:07:20] How Clients Find Him Primarily word of mouth and brand touches through Interview Valet (on 40 podcasts this year) Results speak for themselves without traditional marketing Recent client: 69-year-old Alabama lawyer practicing 50 years, never broke $500K, just hit $1M this year [00:11:00] The Unorthodox Path to Success Known wife Sherry since age three, met in her mom's beauty salon Parents married at 16, kicked James out at 19 when he announced marriage Told his whole childhood he was "too heavy" to do things, couldn't play sports Made varsity football first year as junior, played four years (nobody in family graduated college) [00:12:40] Working His Way Through Law School Got job at General Motors assembly line, 6 AM to 2:30 PM, went to school 4 PM to 11 PM for 10 years Right before graduating law school, GM announced plant closure Sent out 300 resumes, got zero responses with three kids (ages 5, 2, and 1) Forced to start business by necessity, not by choice [00:14:00] Meeting Mentor Darrell Castle Lawyers conditioned that marketing is "beneath them" Darrell taught him to look at business differently, be different Showed him all businesses have same seven working parts (only difference is what they sell) Set up business around not working past 4:30 PM from day one [00:15:40] Building the $8M Law Practice First rule: Business open till 7 PM and Saturdays, but James wasn't there Hired people and built systems so business ran without him Grew to $8 million annually with offices in four different states [00:16:40] The Dark Years: Getting Too Big for His Britches Started making bad choices despite success (never drank until his 40s) First drink was Irish car bomb followed by 10 kamikaze shots Started spending money on wrong things, went to strip clubs, cheated on wife Wife and him separated, she went on cruise with daughter [00:18:20] The Divine Encounter That Changed Everything March 2015: Drunk at wine bar, random stranger invited him to church next morning Went to that church by himself Sunday morning, sat in last row Only white person in all-Black church, heard God speak to him Never saw that stranger again (believes he was an angel) [00:19:40] The Wake-Up Call Wife told him: "God gives you hints, and if you don't listen, at some point He's going to slap you across the face" Nearly lost everything (wife, business, all going downhill) That March 2015 moment was most influential person: God Decided to sell law firm and start helping other business owners [00:20:20] The Leap of Faith Worked for another company making $330,000 a year coaching business owners 2018: At conference in Jacksonville, told them he was leaving, called wife from airport Goal: Get nine private clients in 60 days to replace income (took nine days) First year did just under $1 million in business [00:22:40] The Catalyst Moments After coaching calls, often sits there thinking "who was that guy?" Works with business owners from $250K to $100M annually Stopped questioning who he is to coach $100M business owners Been blessed with certain gifts and has faith they will continue [00:24:00] The Lesson of Not Labeling Setbacks Example: Payroll in two days is $15K, only $1K in operating account Freaking out keeps you from being creative and finding solutions Takes everything as exactly as it's meant to be and learns from it [00:27:40] The Live Event Revelation $10M, $50M, $100M business owners at tables with under-$500K owners Big business owners worried they wouldn't learn from "smaller" ones $50M and $100M owners took just as many notes (smaller businesses still nimble and innovative) Realized everyone can gain something from each other regardless of revenue size [00:30:00] When Is Enough, Enough? Just turned 60, my wife asked "when is enough, enough?" The Mastermind member asked: "What's your goal?" Answer: "To help people" "How many people on the planet? Are you ever gonna run out of people to help?" Never gonna run out (also volunteers through Red Cross deploying to disasters) [00:32:00] Building Business Accelerator Institute Can only work with so many people one-on-one before hitting bandwidth Goal: Give business owners Harvard-level business degree without Harvard-level dollars Over 55 four-week courses addressing all seven parts of business $249/month, includes two-hour open office hours every Wednesday [00:35:00] Final Wisdom: You're the Average of the Five Don't pay attention to what other people say, surround yourself with people who inspire you "You're the average of the five people you hang out with the most—and it's true" Example: Son played goalie since age 5, adapted performance to level of teammates around him Hang around like-minded individuals who inspire you to go where you want to go   KEY QUOTES "At the end of the day, you do what's right and everything else will follow." - Sherry Brown "All businesses have the same seven working parts. Literally the only thing that's different is what we sell. The concept of running a very successful business and scaling it is simple. I'm very intentional with that word. I'm never gonna say it's easy, but the concept is simple." - James Brown CONNECT WITH JAMES BROWN 

In this episode of the Influence Global Podcast, Gordon Glenister is joined by Charlie Hills, one of LinkedIn's fastest-growing content creators. Charlie shares his journey from the intensity of a traditional nine-to-five role to taking the leap into full-time content creation, explaining the discipline, consistency and personal risk involved in making that transition. The conversation explores how Charlie built an audience of over 180,000 followers by focusing on authenticity, clear points of view and content that genuinely resonates, rather than chasing trends. He also discusses the growing role of AI in content creation and why human personality, quirks and lived experience will become even more valuable as synthetic content increases. Listeners will gain practical insights into personal branding, creator sustainability and why showing up as a real human is now a competitive advantage in the attention economy.  Follow Charlie on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-hills Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott explains how Rob and Michele Reiner became trapped in a cycle of crisis and normalization with their son Nick that lasted 30 years and ended in tragedy.Sources say the family had "grown used to" Nick's alarming behavior. At Conan O'Brien's party the night before the murders, other guests considered calling 911—but the Reiners just apologized and left. They paid for 18-plus rehab stays. Michele reportedly said "we've tried everything." And Nick lived in their guest house until the night he allegedly killed them.Shavaun breaks down the psychology of families who normalize behavior that would alarm strangers, how mentally ill individuals learn to manipulate the people who love them, and why unlimited resources couldn't save the Reiners. We also examine what happens to surviving family members after a parricide and why Nick's siblings reportedly oppose the death penalty.#NickReiner #RobReiner #TrueCrimeToday #FamilyDynamics #MentalHealth #Psychology #ShavaunScott #Enabling #ReinerCaseJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

The Afro is one of the most iconic hairstyles of the last century. And one of its main ingredients was a hair product – Afro Sheen. But Afro Sheen did so much more than make Black afros shine. It was the money behind the television show Soul Train, it helped fuel the civil rights movement – all because of an entrepreneur named George Johnson. For decades, Joan and George Johnson owned and ran Johnson Products Company, a Black hair care company out of Chicago. Their intimate understanding of what Black people wanted and needed – for their hair and for their lives –  helped grow the Black middle class and became an engine for Black culture and power. They helped turn the Black haircare industry into what is now a multi-billion-dollar industry. But although they helped create this industry, they no longer have a part in it. Today on the show – the story of the rise and fall of Johnson Products. We're gonna tell you this story in three hairstyles. The conk, the afro… and the jheri curl. Related episodes:This Ad's For You'Soul Train' and the business of Black joyFashion Fair's makeoverPre-order the Planet Money book and get a free gift. / Subscribe to Planet Money+Listen free: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.This episode of Planet Money was hosted by Sonari Glinton and Erika Beras. It was produced by James Sneed, edited by Marianne McCune, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Jimmy Keeley. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy