Podcasts about Half Dome

Granite dome in Yosemite National Park, California

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Best podcasts about Half Dome

Latest podcast episodes about Half Dome

Faith and Economics
Selling Federal Land with Dr. Alexis Tokarev | #370

Faith and Economics

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2025 39:36


Should the U.S. Government sell off some federal land?  The mere suggestion of such a proposal will draw accusations that you are trying to pave over the Grand Canyon and grind Half Dome down to sell for gravel.  However, what if we could sell unused, barren federal land in order to pay down some of our debt, or balance our budget?Dr. Alex Tokarev joins the Gwartney Institute for an interesting discussion about a proposal that he's defended in print:  let's sell off some federal land!

Dental A Team w/ Kiera Dent and Dr. Mark Costes
The Oft-Forgot KPIs of Service

Dental A Team w/ Kiera Dent and Dr. Mark Costes

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2025 41:50


Happy Thanksgiving! Kiera gives ideas of service opportunities, from a personal to a practice-wide scale.  Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and happy, happy Thanksgiving. I am so honored to share today with you. You guys, I love Thanksgiving. It used to not be one of my favorite holidays, but gosh, you know, the secret to living is giving and to have a day dedicated to gratitude, a day dedicated to love, a day dedicated to families and friends and to just come together and to remember how good our lives truly are.   I think is beyond special. And I just want to say, for me, it would feel crazy for me not to jump on here and to say thank you to all of you. You guys are my favorite humans. You're the people that I love, that I get to talk to so many times a week, that I get to hang out with, that I get to see your stories, that I get to know personally and professionally, that I get to see your wins. I get to see you tag us on social media. I get to see the emails that come in. I get to see your reviews that you leave. I get to see you positively impacting the world of dentistry. And just to truly know,   that you guys are doing so good out there. And I just want to say thank you. Thank you for being here. You guys, this podcast was a hope, a wish, a dream when I was hiking up, I'm not joking, Half Dome in Yosemite. And I thought there is nothing out there that's serving dentists and teens. And it's a niche and it's a space. And I'm going to come in and I'm going to positively impact. And I'm going to get both sides of the coin to come together to really, truly influence and impact dentistry in the greatest way possible. And that is such a huge testament to all of you for being here.   for being a part of the Dental A Team family. So I just wanna say thank you for being here. And to this, I just wanna say like, if you've been an OG, thank you for being here from the beginning. And if you're a newbie, welcome. I hope that you feel loved. I hope you feel appreciated. I hope you just feel great. And I hope you remember how amazing life truly is. So I want you guys to just know that watching this podcast evolve, to seeing millions of downloads, to seeing us in so many countries, my like...   It's mind boggling to me. It's crazy because when I built this, didn't know how many people would listen and to see the fans, to see the love, to see the raving fans, to see the clients come through, to laugh with you, to celebrate with you, to cry with you. I just want to say like, gosh, like this is a journey. It's a joy and it's an honor and it's a privilege because I know your time is your greatest asset. And so I just want to say thank you. And today with it being Thanksgiving, you know, I really just want you to know   that I believe that the secret to living is giving. And we have a portion of our company called Live To Give. And I've talked about it on a few other podcasts. I've talked about how like, you know, it was back in 2019, I went to a Tony Robbins event. And a lot of you know how much I love Tony Robbins. That was because I caught one of my lightning moments in life where I was in a space so focused on myself and it was random because I was building a company called Live To Give.   and that was where we were non-believable and we were like getting donations to help these nuns who didn't even have a house. Like it was crazy and we raised so much money so quickly and I've done it a few other times. Like another one idea was the Vibe prison ventures where inmates were actually like I went I actually went to the prison and it was crazy and I was scared out of my mind ⁓ but I saw these inmates take their skills that got them into prison which were not the best.   and turn them into good and they pitched us their business ideas and to be able to sit there with them. That was another business that I got that was part of the Live To Give to be a part of that and to give back. And I found that so many of the times in my life that are my happiest moments are those where we like went above and beyond. And a few years ago, I talked about like probably my favorite Live To Give moment that we've ever had was when we were able to, one of my friends in Arizona, her son was struggling with stomach cancer and   I really wanted to do a make a wish and make a wish is like really, really hard to get in touch with. And I had committed that year. I was going to do a make a wish. I didn't know what it was going to look like. I didn't know how we were going to do it. I told my team, this is what we wanted to do. And we found this boy and his goal, his dream was to go to Italy. And I was like, this is it. Like guys, this is it. We have a team member who's a stomach cancer ⁓ survivor as well. And I was like, this is it. This is our live to give. And our whole team was able to participate in it. We're able to give this, this   child who's 12 years old, him and his family, a complete all expense paid trip to Italy when he got done with cancer and to give him the hope and the wish. And you guys like that moment in my life, I think about the ones that really impact us the most, the ones that changes, the ones that are like those lightning bolt moments. And I, the bulk of them are ones that we've been able to give to serve, to love. ⁓ We were able to last year as a team go and like help so many kids at the children's hospital.   our team has done angel tree where we go and like shop for these families. And Shelbi and I, I remember we went shopping for a family of nine and that was the exact of my family. I think back to when I was at, ⁓ United Way and I was able to bring holiday magic to hundreds of families from the donations of others. And I remember there was a time where I just was feeling grumpy about life. I realized like, I haven't checked my, giving like vitals.   in me in a while. I think about businesses and I think about all of you and we are constantly looking at our KPIs of our business. We're looking at the KPIs that drive us to success, but I'm like, what are the KPIs of our life that drive us to success? And maybe those are some of the pieces that are there. And I've just realized that giving and serving and loving should be an area that maybe we want to check those vitals, especially today.   of where is my giving my love, my service, KPI? Is it high? Is it low? Is it on track? Is it off track? And I will say that if it's off track, today's a great day to get it on track. And maybe a couple of ways for us to give back is just to love a little bit more, to text someone today that you might love. A few years ago, my brother-in-law and I have a kind of a unique relationship. When I met...   He was a business owner and I always thought he was so grumpy. I didn't really like him that much. was like, Jason, your brother is so just rude. I did not care for him. And as I become a business owner further into my career, I understand this brother-in-law so much. And he's kind of like, I don't know, I would say like a little crusty on the edges. He's not soft, I'll put it that way. And I was actually really, really scared to text him.   But just cared about him so much and I appreciated so much of what he's done and he's been a mentor to me. And I just said, take a risk, a gamble. I remember I was sitting on the beach in Maui and I texted him and I just said, hey, I just want you to know how much I appreciate you. I value you. And how much of a mentor you've been to me and you've given me hope when I didn't know that there was hope. And I'm just so grateful for you. And he wrote back, he's like, Kiera, I don't usually cry. And that text meant so much to me. And I just think that's our giving.   KPI. So what little love bombs could you send out? What service could you and your team do together? Our team, every year in December, we do a Live to Give. Could you guys adopt that in your company and together collectively as a podcast family? Think of all the lives that we could give back to. I think about my husband was talking about another brother that he has and this brother literally is in such a hard place in his life right now and   does not have a lot of money, has a lot of family dynamics, I won't get into it. And when I say like, pretty much homeless, that's literally what's going on with him. And I only highlight that because his situation is so hard. we were, Jason was talking about struggling with something and he was like, ⁓ I could help you with that. And Jason and I talked about it and we thought about who are the people that give to those that are struggling? A of times it's those that are like, not hardly better off than they are. And I think like,   Could today or this next month, could we maybe boost that live to give side of us where we look for people in need, we look for opportunities that can be in our patient base, that can be in our team base, it can be in our community, it can be in our families. Can I give out little love bombs? It might be cold in your area. A few years ago, we did a coat drive and this came from one of my friends in Utah who...   would ask all his friends to donate coats that they're no longer wearing and would drive around and hand out coats to people on the side of the road that could really use it. I'm not here to say you've got to go do that, but I just think like, what a blessing to those people. What a space for us to be able to share and to love and to give back. Like you guys, are so insanely blessed. I promise every single person listening to this podcast today, we all collectively could say that we have been unruly blessed.   in our lives. And so where is that? Could I text a team member and tell them like, Hey, you're doing such a great job. I'm not joking. I have a little list over here to write thank you cards to my team members sporadically and unexpectedly for great things that they do. Could I text my spouse if it's been a while and tell them how much I love them? Could I maybe call my parents? I think about like, if you have your parents alive right now, I hope that you just love them.   I hope that you call them, I hope that you tell them, I hope you forgive them. Even offering forgiveness to somebody that maybe doesn't deserve it, it's not a gift to them, it's a gift to you. ⁓ Patching up and cleaning up when it maybe doesn't seem like it's necessary. ⁓ All these are little gifts of gratitude, of giving, of serving, of loving people. And what's crazy is the more you give that, the more you feel alive, the more your bucket's filled like,   Every year we go and do something and I leave those events just on like cloud nine. We have a team member who last year she was so inspired by it. She like found a girl in Africa and basically like adopted her and has been like helping her get through college and like she sends her letters and her dad did it and they were just so inspired that they've like changed these lives of people. And like, but that team member changed as well. And so I just think today,   Let's look at our KPI of our giving metric and how can we add maybe a little bit more service and give back? Because I promise you guys, the secret to living is giving. That's why I have Dental A Team's Live to Give. And if you know somebody that could benefit from Dental A Teams Live to Give, it's completely like on us. It's not even that I might make it the 1031 or excuse me, our nonprofit in the future. Like that just is a great idea on the podcast that came to me.   because I want to build a nonprofit. But if you know a family that's deserving, you know of somebody that could have a make a wish experience, you know someone in your community, I would love to partner up with you. I'd love to help make magic happen. I'd love to use the podcast. I'd love to connect with a lot of you. But like, there are so many people, including ourselves, including our team, that a little more love, a little more kindness, a little more gratitude could go a long ways.   And I just want to encourage you today as you're in this space for you to think of how can you do just a little bit more? How can you make a little bit more impact and change in people's lives? How can you just truly like not be as lonely as an owner and to give heartfelt thanks and gratitude to any person around you.   And I was like, team members to your doctors, to your owners, it is lonely at the top. It is hard. And to give a genuine heartfelt thank you of gratitude, could truly go so far. And so I think just go out of your way, text your team members, tell them how much you love them, tell them how much you appreciate them, how much you value them. Team members, tell your doctor, tell your family. Like these things don't have to be monetary. It's us just loving of being kind and to give.   to just give back a little bit more. And then I'd also encourage you to also give a little gratitude to yourself for the things that you've overcome, for the things that you've been able to do, for the challenges, for the person you've been able to become. Think back to who you were when you started your business, to who you are today and give grace and gratitude. Because the reality is like, I think about this, like if you were...   to look back and to be able to talk to your younger self, what would you say to that person? You'd probably be like so freaking proud of that person. Like you're gonna do it. I'm so proud of you and I'm so grateful for you. And then I think like, let's go even further. What if you only had one week left to live? What would you be doing right now with your life? I promise you, you'd be living on your highest cloud nine. You'd be telling everybody thank you. You'd be telling everybody you love them. You'd be giving hugs.   ⁓ one of my friends from high school just posted recently that his mom passed away unexpectedly. And he wrote, he said, hug your parents, hug your family, tell them that you love them, love your cousins, love your aunts, all of your uncles, like tidy up because your life can change so quickly. And what I hope for all of you is that your life does not change so quickly, but it does change so quickly, not in a negative way of losing somebody and wishing we could love on them more.   but that your life could change so quickly that you start to live your day every single day of having gratitude and love and telling your family and calling them and sharing with your team and not holding back. It's like, I'm hoping that you just feel this like confetti explosion of love being able to be finally released and unshackled from you to give it to yourself, to give it to your team, to give it to your family, to give it to those around you. I hope you know that I love you.   and that I care about you. And I think that you're doing way better than you ever imagined you could be. That I'm so proud that you're living the dreams that you once thought were impossible and you made them into the possible. That you push yourself, that you evolve, that you want to be this good human, that you're positively impacting your community and your team. You're doing so much good. And I just hope that you feel the love. I hope that you feel strengthened and I hope that you just know that I adore you. And with that, I would also be   completely ridiculous because I cannot let today pass without doing one of my favorite traditions. And that is publicly thanking my entire team, the team that stands behind Dental A Team that makes Dental A Team incredible. And this year our team has drastically and radically grown. And I'm so proud of the company that we've built. I'm proud of the team that we built. I'm proud of the deliveries that we're able to give, the consulting, the changing of lives.   Um, one of our consultants said at best, said, I love what we get to do because every single day we get to change someone's life. And that's the magic of Dental A Team That's the people we have. So I'll go kind of an order of where it's at. Um, and I'll just kind of go by like people, uh, I'll put them in like no exact order because that feels really weird to me. And so just going to like, go through the list of all of our team. So kicking it off is the one and only Spiffy Tiffy. I am so grateful for Tiff.   You guys, she jumped into this company from day one, pretty much. I asked her to put an ice cream cone on her head and that girl has never looked back. Not an ice cream cone with ice cream in it, but just the cone. We get asked that question a lot. And Tiff is just my ride or die. She's someone that I adore. She's someone who pushes me. She's a safe space for me to ⁓ be messy, to be vulnerable. She pushes me to be my best self. She encourages me.   She'll co-present with me. If you guys, mastermind this year with Tiff was pure and utter euphoria. And if you were not a part of it, I hope you choose to come and join us because this was something that Tiff pushed me on. was part of Tiff's vision. We talked about it multiple years sitting in a hotel room. We were on a trip and she said, you know, Kiera, I really have this idea of doing these events. And here they are. Tiff has been my ride or die. And she's someone that has really this year grown in her leadership and is running this incredible consulting team.   And I'm just so thankful for Tiff being someone that I love and adore. Someone who makes me laugh so hard. Someone who I've watched just really show up for herself and to challenge herself to grow, to not put blame, to look at herself as a leader and to rise and to go to the next level and to drive a consulting team far better than I ever could have imagined. And you guys, if you know her, you love her, Spiffy Tiffy, she's on the podcast.   She does the podcast, she writes newsletters, she does consulting, she drives her consulting team and she makes all of us laugh and she's literally the walking like Dental A Team mascot for our company. And I just hope that Tiff knows publicly and privately how grateful I am that she took a chance, that she's been my ride or die, that she's something that I just freaking love and adore so much and I'm so grateful for Spiffy Tiffy. Coming up next, No BS Britt. You guys, if you've heard her, you love her. ⁓ Brittany Stone is just this magical human who   is a yin to my yang. I have so much respect for Britt and the way that she leads. Britt is like our HR guru. She's the one who creates policies. She helps hire. ⁓ Britt is someone that I see. She hates this nickname. So don't call her it. Gritty Britty. And the reason I like Britt has so much grit. She is someone that will just keep showing up day in day out. She's very stable for me. She's very consistent.   When you think about a boat rocking in the ocean and they have stabilizers, that's Britt for our company. She is just this amazing stabilizer who I am so grateful for. And not only that, she consults incredibly well. Teams love her. Our team loves her. She gets the MVP word often. And Britt is someone that I am grateful who has pushed me as a leader, who's pushed our team, who stabilized, but also has shown me like how strong somebody with humility is.   And also someone who has a quieter personality can be an incredibly, incredibly talented leader. I'm just so grateful for her. I'm also grateful for you guys know her, you love her. Shelbi Poppins, Shelbi has been my personal and executive assistant for several years. She's customer success. Literally this girl is like the grease between all the wheels. You guys probably all know her. She helps with the podcast. She helps with the company. She puts on events.   Shelbi Poppins is practically perfect in every single way. And our whole team would agree to that. So I'm not showing favoritism. She just genuinely is someone that we all love. And I am so thankful for Shelbi being my right hand. I know Shelbi would take a bullet for me. And you guys, if you don't have someone like that, gosh, it's an honor to have someone that just like, you know, will jump in front of a train to make sure you're taken care of. Wow. Greatest gift you can give. And those of you that are the personal assistants, the executive assistants behind the scenes, just know that you're, ⁓   The person that you're helping values you more than I think words could ever put into play. Shelbi just is magic. She is ease. She knows how to have everything done. And I'm so thankful for this girl taking a risk, you guys. We shared a wall, like she's my next door neighbor and I knocked on her door, offered her a job, had her send the job, convinced her to come back. Like Shelbi is someone that I am so thankful and I will say great talent is often sitting next door to you.   So don't be afraid to like knock on the door and like mad kudos and appreciation to Shelbi for just showing up constantly every single day. Shelbi is in my opinion, our definition of passion for excellence and results focused. That girl does not miss a beat and she's constantly showing up. She's constantly figuring things out. She makes sure that the boats run on time, that everything is done perfect and that the experience for all of you is absolutely magic. And I just, our company truly is so blessed to have Shelbi Poppins on our team.   Coming up next is a new player on our team, Jenna. Jenna is our COO, and I will say she has been one of the greatest additions to our company. And I think kudos to our leadership team who saw the need for us to bring on this COO to take us to the next level, to drive us in ways that we didn't know. And I will say that Jenna has come in with this like ray of sunshine when I think a lot of us were covered in clouds. And Jenna has this amazing ability to cut through the noise to see what really needs to happen.   She's a freaking wizard with numbers. You guys, I love numbers and Jenna loves numbers too. Like she is just magical. And I will say for owner doctors out there that are struggling needing that implementer integrator, Jenna has taught me that the right person seated next to you really can drive a company and you it's okay. You can hire a fractional. You can hire somebody that you don't know. ⁓ But bringing someone in with insane experience who has passion and love, Jenna is one of the most driven. ⁓   giving people you guys like I hope there's an opportunity for a lot more of you to get to know Jenna because her stories and her passion inspire me to want to be a better person professionally and personally she's one of the most giving like the story she has of the impact and the companies this woman is a miracle girl for companies and she does it because she believes in their passion their cause and I will say her clarity her accountability her continuity her   ways that she is constantly doing the right thing day in and day out and just showing up for our team, showing up for me, but driving us. Like when I talk about someone who holds a team accountable, that is Jenna. And I have seen her just rise and drive our company in ways that I never imagined. And I am beyond grateful until like I got the freaking jackpot bringing Jenna to our company. And I know our whole team feels that way. She's been an amazing addition and someone we could not live without. So, so grateful for Jenna. Next up, you guys know, ⁓   Our consulting team, Dana. Dana has been with us so long. Dainey, ⁓ her and I, Dana is just someone who is, if you haven't gotten the opportunity to work with Dana, you're missing out. Dana is grit, tenacity, and that girl, there is no challenge, no problem bigger than her. Like she will, she just takes it. She's like a beast when it comes to life problems that are thrown at her. And she does it with fun and grit and grace. And Dana is someone that I can count on to be consistent.   to be thorough, to show up day in and day out. That girl does not miss for me. And I'm so grateful for her. And I have also watched Dana have insane passion for excellence and drive to become the next version of herself. Like before my eyes, have watched Dana be, Dana, when I hired her to Dana, like 4.0, this girl has just grown through the ranks and she takes it on and she takes every challenge and she takes the feedback and she...   just grows and to see the results she drives for her clients. You guys, this woman blows me away constantly, but she does it in a way of ease, Grace. She's got all the kids, she's got the soccer practice or the baseball practice. Like she's always busy and yet she's able to maintain and serve clients galore. Help Our Team Makes Me Laugh All The Time has the funniest stories. And I'm just so grateful for Daney taking a chance on Dental A Team for being an incredible hygienist who brings value, who speaks for us, who presents for us.   Dana is just like Dynamite Dana. That might have to be her new nickname because she's so, and maybe it's not Dynamite, but Dynamic Dana. Like she is truly someone that I am honestly in awe and impressed by her so much and so grateful to learn from her, to watch her, to grow with her because Dana is someone who is so special and someone I'm so thankful for in my life and in our company. Our company is beyond lucky and blessed to have Dana. ⁓   and she just shows up constantly. She's taught me more about life and gratitude for life than I think any other person I've ever met in my entire life. And I'm just grateful for that. We also have Kristy. is such a, her name is Kristy Treasure and she is a treasure on our team. Kristy came onto our team as this dynamic consultant who just, I call her like our truffle hunting. Like she looks for profitability in every practice she goes to and she drives offices to success.   She rivals me on my numbers, which is so fun. And what I love about Kristy is she has this calm, tenacious personality that just goes after it, figures it out. And I know that I can count on Kristy to deliver insane results every single time. And she never, ever, ever misses. This is a woman who has so much knowledge of dentistry, but she has so much passion for your success. She is obsessed with driving offices to their ultimate dreams, their ultimate goals.   She just has like mad following of people that love her, adore her, honor her, and I'm one of them. Kristy is such a beautiful blessing. We were looking for our next consultant. We were wanting somebody and Kristy just, I feel like popped out of the air like Glenda in her little bubble and showed up in the most perfect way, in the most perfect space. She is someone who sees people. She's someone who loves people and she's someone who's got a heart of gold. And I just truly am so lucky and so blessed to have Kristy on our team.   Dental A Team would not be the same without her. And following Kristy is Trish. Trish is such a, my gosh, we call her Tada, which stands for Trish Ackerman, Dental A Team ambassador. Like Trish is such, I mean, she's rivaling Tiffany on how much she loves Dental A team. And Trish just comes in with this, like she is a walking magnetic dynamic human.   You can like, she is so fun and she's so hilarious and teams love her. And she comes in this way where she gets you to like navigate to your goals and results, but you were laughing and joking and having the most hilarious time. Trish knows everybody. Everybody who knows Trish loves Trish. And Trish is just this beautiful, incredible woman who does consulting in such a fun, positive and impactful way. I learned so much from her. Trish has the best one-liners that we all snag from her. She's constantly making us laugh.   But what I love about Trish is her positivity in her outlook where every day is a golden ray of sunshine for Trish. She shows up every day with positivity. She shows up of how every day is the best day. She's the one who said like, are so blessed to consult because we get to change lives, we get to create magic and we get to truly inspire and bless people. And honestly, I don't know what I did for all these years without Trish in my life because Trish is just magic. Trish is fire and spice and fun and beauty and just...   Reminds me that life is so freaking fun and I need to laugh and have so much more fun and I'm so grateful for her I'm grateful for her knowledge. This girl has gosh Like coached teams of 150 people and so I learned from her and I'm inspired by her and you guys Offices who are working with any of our consultants are just beyond blessed Following Trish's Monica Monica is so special. She just has this whimsical fairy ease about her   that just is so poised, collected, brilliant, that is so magical for me to watch her consult, to have me watch her like with her email recaps. I see beautiful emails come from this woman. Like this woman can write. ask her, like Britt is so brilliant. We ask her all the time like, hey Monica, we need help writing this. And Monica comes with it. Like a lot of the things about our company have been written by Monica. She just got this like ease and grace and loves her.   creativity space and I'm just so grateful to have that ⁓ I think flow example in our company of someone who just can navigate the storms of life, who can go with the flow, who has poise and polish and professionalism and just like truly makes people sparkle in jazz. She's a very fun dynamic human that I'm so grateful is on our team. I'm so happy she's joined our team. And like I said, our consulting team is top notch. I do not hire.   anybody on our team unless they come with massive experience, massive years of experience, coming with consulting experience. Like these women truly know how to drive practices to their greatest fulfillment and profitability and do it in ease and fun. And we were just so lucky. Like our consulting team is absolutely incredible. So moving on from our consulting team, ⁓ we have just this amazing marketing team and Eve, she's like my little pixel fairy over there. We call her her pixel best.   If you have ever attended an event, if you have ever gotten anything from Dental A Team a newsletter, a flyer, anything, it is Eve's magic. And Eve just makes my life so easy. She told me, she Kara marketers are so easy to find. And I said, actually they're not because to find a marketer, Eve is not just a marketer. She's freaking funny. Like honestly, this girl makes me laugh so hard. She is so brilliant. She's stunning. She makes gorgeous design for me all the time. And she's just as magical human that I   I don't know what my life was like without Eve. Eve is someone that has just elevated our company. She's constantly here for brilliant designs. But something that I have loved that I've watched Eve just explore this year is this like new found, like vibrancy blossoming coming out of her where she is taking ownership. She's watching these metrics. She's seeing different things. And Eve can pretty much consult people now. Like this girl does not just build me a slide deck.   a typical marketer would. She thinks through how to make the experience for all of you the absolute best it can be, how to make the experience the best for me. And then she's the funniest person in our chats. So if you ever get a chance to meet Eve, you heard her on the podcast, Eve is this dynamic human that all of us, and she's freaking funny. Eve is like the comedy central of our company who makes all of us giggle. Her and Trish, we just, mean, Tiff is in that rally with them, but Eve is someone who is just.   beyond magical and someone that I'm so grateful came into our life personally and professionally. Her stories, her example, her like zuberance for life just inspires me. And I'm so grateful for her and grateful for her on our team. Following her is Jacintha. Jacintha has been with us and she's just really helped grow our team and evolve our team. And she helps make sure the podcast is taken care of and trains people and does social media. And she's really great at just making sure a lot of the pieces get done in our company.   ⁓ Her just joyous laughter and vivaciousness of life is so infectious and I'm so grateful to learn from her. She's one of the people that has just taken live to give and giving a next level that I think is just beyond magical and something that I've learned so much from her. She just lives life at a high level and she enjoys life and she lives life fully and that's something I'm so thankful for her for. Following her.   ⁓ Joash Joash is new to our team. And I think all of us would be lost without Joash. Joash is behind the scenes, but if you guys are in our company and you're part of our analytics or different platforms, Joash is your guy. Joash makes so many things. He's like our second Shelbi in the company. He builds spreadsheets. He's a data analyst. He figures out different things. He builds beautiful pieces for us. He just is constantly looking for ways to serve.   But Joash reminds me of the beauty of life. Joash is just such a special human He really is taking things to the absolute next level and I'm so grateful for him I love seeing his little messages come in He is someone who reminds me to be so grateful every single day for living this life every day in his slack messages He's like, thank you team. It was a beautiful day. Have a wonderful day tomorrow. We're so lucky to be alive build the best quotes for our company Joash ish is just this like   dynamic, special human that I feel we are so blessed to have helping fill in so many different gaps in our company. And we're so grateful for Joash. ⁓ Robi Robi's on our team and he's in the marketing department. And I love that Robi is just here to help to support, help our marketing team just flourish and thrive. And I love that he thinks of different ideas. He's a great designer. He's a great creator. And I'm so grateful to have Robi take on tasks, fill in the gaps wherever we need him to be. And he's just fun. He's got a lot of   He's got a lot of just energy and drive and like reminds me of how good life is. And I'm so thankful that Robi also is on our team. Following Robi is Paul. Paul is our new CRO. Again, I title, didn't even know existed nor did I know I needed. And what I love about Paul is Paul has been able to come into our company similar to Jenna and just brings this element of poise, of guidance, of knowledge.   I love meeting really smart people and Paul is so smart. He sometimes intimidates me in the best way possible. I love someone who can rival me, someone who can challenge me, somebody who inspires me. And I'm so excited for Paul to come in with so many years of knowledge and so much experience and to see our marketing and our customer success department and bring them together to just make it better for our entire team and for all of you coming to our company. And I'm just so grateful for Paul for taking a chance on us. I think...   I think when I look at consulting, often think like, gosh, those clients, like I feel so bad. I want to take care of them. I just want to help them out. And I think Paul felt that way about Dental A Team. Like, okay, Dental A Team needs some help and I can see how I can really drive. And I'm just so grateful for him coming in, jumping in the passion for excellence that he has, the drive, the tenacity. I'm so truly grateful for him.   The Dental A Team (33:32) And we have our incredible consultant Pam. Pam is just a joy. She is someone who just loves deep. She is so freaking brilliant at all things dental. She comes with this incredible experience of DSOs and of running huge teams and of consulting to tons of offices. And she just is a joy. She's someone who is thorough and on top of her A game. And I am just truly so grateful for her on our team, on our consultant team, being able to just deliver incredible value to our clients.   and also bringing insane value to our company as well. And then we also have Tyler. Tyler is on our customer success team and Tyler just brings this extensive background of dentistry with him. He is someone who really just jumps in, who has a very soft demeanor, but is a go-getter, has grit, has determination, who loves our clients. Our clients feel so safe and seen and heard by him. And for him to be one of the first impressions of Dental A Team, I think is just such a compliment to him.   to his skillset, to who he is as a person, and we are so lucky to have him on our team as well.   The Dental A Team (34:38) And I think like, as I look at my whole team, as I look at all these people that yes, I just said them in front of you. I told you.   and I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about Alex and Sissy who are podcast gurus behind the scenes that have been doing this with me for years. Alex writes the most beautiful show notes of any person that I've ever met. That woman is so magical with words. She's a published author this year. Just so freaking proud of her and so grateful to know her and to have her put together the podcast for you guys every single day, every single week. Sissy for editing it up for us, for making the commercials, for making sure that all the pieces are always put together for you guys.   Like these people just love, they're so incredible. They're just magical. I'm so, so grateful that we get to have all of these people to serve you, to love you. I'd be remiss if I didn't say thanks to Jason. Jason is my ride or die, my love. He's such an amazing human. He just loves me so purely guys. Like to have someone in your corner that loves you and loves you fully and completely.   and just wants the best for you. He's my biggest cheerleader. He's the one who brings me food when I'm on meetings all day. He's the one who's like pumping me up behind the scenes. He's the one who makes every single one of my dreams not seem crazy, audacious and just loves me for them and encourages me to pursue them. Constantly boosts me up, tells me to join you guys, tells me to take the risk, tells me that people need to hear these messages. And I'm so thankful for him. You guys, I'm so grateful. As I say this and like, I'm not gonna lie to you, all of you,   should go tell your team how much you love them because me just doing this podcast helps me see how lucky I am to be surrounded by brilliant people. You guys had so many be like, I look at last year to this year. My team has almost doubled in size. If you've listened to this for the years, you've heard me just go through this every single year. And I will continue to do this forever because my team deserves public recognition and private recognition. These men and women are here as amazing people that make me better.   that push me, that challenge me, that make me laugh. And this is a team of virtual people. So I want you just to love on your teams, to love on yourselves, and to really, truly, truly know that like, we are so blessed to live this world, to be able to be a part of this. I'm so thankful for my team. And if you didn't know, that's just our team. That's all of us. And I'm so grateful for them because I really would encourage each of you to do what I just did to your team.   in some way. And as you guys wrap today, I just hope that you have the most magical day, that you have a ton of fun doing whatever it is, and that you really do check your vital of how is my giving KPI? Am I giving? Am I feeling fulfilled? And if not, I would encourage you guys to choose one thing, one area of your life to make it just a little bit more bright, a little bit more giving, because honestly, the secret to living is giving.   And I hope that you know that I adore you, that I cherish you, that I'm so excited for you and me to be hanging out on the podcast. And I want you to know how much I value you, how much I appreciate you. And I hope you know that and I hope you feel loved. I hope that you feel appreciated. I hope that you remember that you are so blessed to be doing what you're doing, to be living the life that you're living, no matter how great or hard it is today, you are so blessed to be able to do this.   One day you dreamed about this life and now it's yours. And I'm so, so, so grateful to have you guys here. I'm so grateful for all the blessings that we get to be. I'm so excited for this next year around us. I'm so excited to work with you. I'm so excited to see you in person. I'm so, so, so excited for this beautiful life. And I'm honored and blessed to be able to serve you, to love you, to encourage you, to inspire you, and to be in this journey and this part of your life with you.   And if I can serve you in any way, reach out, Hello@TheDentalATeam.com Go have a magical Thanksgiving. Love people, give them hugs. Remember, we get one life to live and I hope that you make it the most magical you possibly can. And with that, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.  

ExplicitNovels
Andy's Brave New World: Part 1

ExplicitNovels

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2025


Andy’s Brave New World: Part 1 Ranger Andy survives, the apocalypse in Yosemite. Based on a post by the hospital. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Day 1, Yosemite National Park The park was busy with spring visitors when the first reports came in. Tourists coughing in the visitor center, a family requesting medical assistance at Upper Pines campground. Andy helped coordinate with the park's small medical team, radioing updates to other rangers. Standard protocol for illness in the park, nothing too concerning yet. That evening, things took a turn, with the news reporting an alarming spread of similar outbreaks across California, and the world. Possibly a new avian flu, they said. Day 2 Everything accelerated. Half the ranger staff called in sick. The small park clinic was overwhelmed. Andy helped organize an evacuation point at the visitor center, trying to get sick tourists to hospitals in Fresno or Modesto. His training kicked in, calm, professional, reassuring visitors even as his colleague Declan started coughing blood next to him. The ill began dying in droves. The park superintendent ordered all non-essential personnel to evacuate. Andy stayed, helping the remaining medical staff set up an impromptu care center in the lodge. By the evening, Andy felt a fever rise and was soon sweating through his clothes and coughing up a lung. He weakly barricaded himself in his cabin and prepared to die like the others. Day 3 The next morning, Andy woke to fine himself still alive, surprised to feel slightly better than the night before. He pulled himself out of his cabin and began his duties. The radio channels went quiet one by one. No response from Fresno hospitals. The lodge had become a morgue. He spent the morning doing rounds, checking campsites, finding mostly bodies or critically ill visitors who died within hours. By evening, he was the only ranger still moving around. He did his best to care for the sick and dying. Andy wasn't entirely sure if this was all just an awful dream. Day 4, Morning The cough remained in his chest that morning, but Andy forced himself to continue his rounds. The ranger truck's tires crunched over broken glass in the parking lot as he checked North Pines Campground. Most sites were abandoned, their occupants having fled days ago. Others contained what he couldn't let himself think about yet. His fevered brain kept switching between ranger protocol and survival instinct. Check each site. Document. Radio in-- no, the radio was silent now. Just static and occasional distant screams that were becoming less frequent. That's when he saw it, an expensive ultralight tent in millennial pink and gray, surrounded by matching gear that looked straight out of an R E I catalog. Too pristine, barely used. A small solar charger lay futilely pointed at the clouded sky. "Hello?" His voice was rough from coughing. "Ranger service. Anyone alive in there?" "Define 'alive,'" came a strained but steady voice, followed by a cough. Andy approached cautiously, unsnapping his holster out of habit though he knew he wouldn't need it. Inside, a young woman sat cross-legged in the tent entrance, her expensive Lululemon sports bra and high-waisted hiking shorts soaked through with fever sweat. Despite everything, the death, the horror, his own fever, Andy couldn't help noticing how the wet fabric clung to her curves. Her figure was exactly the type that dominated outdoor Instagram, slim waist, toned stomach, curved hips, the sports bra struggling to contain what was clearly meant to be shown off just enough to stay within platform guidelines. He tried to push the thoughts away and focus, but his eyes kept betraying him. She looked up at him with clear eyes, fever-bright but alert. Mixed Asian-white features that hit that perfect social media sweet spot, even through the fever, high cheekbones, full lips, almond-shaped hazel eyes. Her carefully highlighted hair was plastered to her neck, mascara smudged but intact, like she'd been maintaining her appearance out of sheer habit until the fever hit. A few light freckles stood out against her flushed skin. "I'm guessing the 'shelter in place' order isn't working out great for everyone else either?" "I'm Ranger Rhee. Andy," he said, noting how her hands trembled slightly as she reached for her water bottle. "You're sick, but; not like the others." "Sarah Chen-Mitchell," she managed between sips. "And yeah, I noticed. Been listening to people cough and die all night while I just sat here with what feels like a really bad flu. Not exactly the wilderness experience I was going for." Her attempt at humor was undercut by the raw edge in her voice. Andy saw her Instagram-ready camp setup, the coordinated cookware still in its packaging, the expensive camera carefully wrapped in a rain cover, the rose gold water bottle. "We need to get you somewhere safer. Can you walk?" "Yeah, just;" She stood unsteadily, unconsciously adjusting her sports bra, a reflexive gesture that seemed absurd given the circumstances. "My car's blocked in. I tried to leave but;" She gestured at the chaos of abandoned vehicles hemming in her pristine Subaru, many with now-deceased occupants. "Look, I've got medicine and supplies back at my ranger unit," Andy said. "Pack whatever clothes and valuables you need. Leave the camping gear, we can always come back for it if;" he trailed off, not sure how to end that sentence. "Right," Sarah said, still shivering slightly in her wet athletic wear. "I should probably change too." "Do you need help?" Andy asked, then immediately regretted how that might sound. "I mean, with packing. You seem pretty weak." "No, I've got it," Sarah said quickly, pulling herself more upright. "Just; give me a few minutes?" Despite everything, there was still a hint of self-consciousness in her voice. Andy nodded and stepped away from the tent. "Take your time. We're not exactly on a schedule anymore." He heard the tent zip closed, followed by the sounds of her moving around inside. The rustle of fabric as she changed. Multiple bags being opened and closed, more than strictly necessary for just grabbing essentials, he thought. A few quiet muttered comments to herself about what to take. The distinct sound of what had to be a hairbrush being used. Even now, even here, some habits die hard. Or maybe it was just her way of holding onto normalcy for a few more minutes. Andy stood guard, trying not to listen too closely to her movements, scanning the eerily quiet campground. A crow called somewhere nearby. The mountain air was cool and clean, carrying no hint of the devastation it had helped deliver. "Ready," Sarah called softly. The tent zipper opened and she emerged with a large designer backpack, now dressed in a black Alo Yoga tube top that showcased her toned shoulders and pushed up her cleavage, paired with high-waisted leggings that clung to every curve. Her face was scrubbed clean of makeup, but her dark hair was neatly brushed, falling in waves around her shoulders. The fever flush in her cheeks only enhanced her natural beauty, that calculated mix of exotic and approachable that had probably earned her thousands of followers. She caught Andy's gaze traveling over her body and gave a small, knowing shrug, arching her back slightly. "I know, I know. Not exactly survival wear. But it's what I brought for my Instagram hiking content, so;" She did a little pose, definitely more displaying than mocking now, the movement emphasizing her curves. Andy found himself watching much longer than he should, and her slight smile suggested that was exactly the response she'd wanted. "We can probably find you something more practical at the gear store," he managed, forcing his eyes back to her face. "Heavy duty pants, boots, proper rain gear." "Perfect," she smiled, her voice dropping slightly despite her obvious exhaustion. "Though I did bring some actually useful stuff." She knelt by her bag, the movement making Andy struggle to keep his eyes up. "Latest gen military water filter, my dad's company makes them for the marines. Handles way more volume than those little Life Straws. Satellite uplink that'll work even if the normal networks are down. And this;" She pulled out a sleek black device. "GoPro 12 with infrared. Not even on the market yet, I was supposed to demo it next month." Clean water for a larger group. Communications. Night operations. He tried not to sound too eager. "That; could all come in really handy." As they walked to his truck, both carefully kept their eyes forward, ignoring the abandoned cars and what lay inside them. Andy carried her bag despite her token protest, noticing how she stayed close to his side. "So," Sarah said once they were in the truck, adjusting the AC vent toward her flushed face. "How long have you been a ranger here?" The question seemed deliberately normal, almost absurdly so given the circumstances. "Three years here. Before that, two years at Joshua Tree." "Oh, I was just at Joshua Tree! That Hidden Valley trail at sunset, it was so beautiful." She spoke wistfully, her enthusiasm fading as the weight of everything they had experienced in the past three days settled back. Andy gestured at her bag. "Tell me about that gear, you said there was a satellite uplink?" "Right." Sarah dug through her bag, pulling out sleek boxes with military-style lettering. She started reading, her voice growing more confident as she went. "Okay, so this is a 'Starlink Tactical Ground Array', it's got four encrypted receiver units that can talk to each other from anywhere on Earth. Says here it can maintain 4G speeds even without ground infrastructure." She looked up. "Guess Dad's company wasn't just being paranoid with all this survivalist tech." "Wait, you mean that little thing has internet access? I don't see a satellite dish anywhere." "Yeah I think so. I think the array can mimic the behavior of a dish without actually needing one." "That's huge. We really need more information about what's going on." Andy said, feeling hopeful about something for the first time in days. She nodded and moved on to the water system. "This one's cool, processes up to 25 gallons per hour, removes everything down to 0.0001 microns. Works on chemical and biological agents too. If we can get some acid and lye we can keep reusing it forever." "And the camera?" Andy asked. "Let's see; Military-grade infrared imaging, 4K resolution in complete darkness, range up to;" she squinted at the manual. "Thermal detection at 200 meters." "Could probably rig that into a decent night sight," Andy mused, then caught himself. Sarah glanced at his holstered pistol, then out at the empty park road. After a long pause, she cleared her throat and went back to the manual, her voice quieter. "It's got some kind of A I field-of-view system too;" Day 4, Evening After getting Sarah settled at his unit, Andy continued searching for survivors and checking on the dying. Near the clinic, he found Miguel Martinez slumped against a supply cabinet, still in his blood-stained uniform but maintaining his ramrod-straight Marine posture even now. The room around him showed signs of his final efforts, organized medical supplies, careful notes on symptoms, a log of those he'd tried to help. He looked up weakly from his notebook when Andy arrived. "Rhee." Miguel's voice was barely a whisper. "You made it. Figured you might. Always had the look." "Miguel," Andy started, but the older ranger cut him off with a weak wave. "Save it. Listen. Daniela's following protocol at home. She got sick two days ago. But she's stronger. Already sounding better on the radio this morning. She must be immune, like you, alaba al Señor". Immune. Were they immune? The idea hit Andy like a truck. Andy knew Daniela, had helped train her on basic ranger procedures, watched her grow up these past three years. Though only fourteen, her prepper father had subject her to a rigorous marine-style training regimen that made her an extremely competent survivalist. She'd always seemed almost comically over-prepared, showing up to basic first aid training with a full combat medical kit. If there was anyone left to laugh, they wouldn't be now. "Her isolation ends tomorrow morning," Miguel continued. "She knows what to do, but;" Another coughing fit wracked him, blood spattering his arm. "She'll need;" He grabbed Andy's wrist with surprising strength. "You take care of her. After. Promise me." "If it comes to that. I swear." Andy attempted a smile. "Although, she might be the one taking care of me in the end." Miguel chuckled softly. Andy tried to help Miguel up, but the older ranger shook his head. "Too late for me. Already tried everything here. Nothing helps. Just;" He pulled himself straighter. "Just let me finish my notes. Document everything. Might help someone." Andy nodded, throat tight. He gripped Miguel's hand one more time, and they looked each other in the eyes. He gave Miguel a solemn nod, and headed to the Martinez cabin. Through a small clear section in the sealed window, he could see Daniela's silhouette moving around inside, her survival supplies arranged with precision. Just like her father had taught her. "Daniela?" he called softly. She approached the window, and even through the plastic he could see the fever flush in her cheeks. But her voice was strong, clear. "Ranger Rhee. Status report: began showing symptoms approximately 36 hours ago. Fever peaked at 101.2 last night. Currently maintaining isolation." A pause. "Dad mentioned you were coming." "Seems you're also OK, like me. I found another survivor too." Daniela nodded, processing. "Isolation ends at 0600 tomorrow. That's when Dad's supposed to come get me, " Her voice caught. "Is; is dad;? I haven't asked, but; he sounds really weak right now." "We'll see. He's not looking great to be honest, Daniela. I'm sorry." The poor girl tried to maintain composure but Andy could see her eyes well up. She turned away briefly, then turned back. When she spoke again, her voice was wavered slightly. "I'll maintain quarantine until morning." "Are you sure you don't want to go see him? You seem OK, I don't think it would hurt." She shook her head "No. I'll talk to him on the radio. Protocol is protocol." "OK. I'll come get you at six." Andy headed back to his cabin, to Sarah, the weight of Miguel's last watch at the clinic and his daughter's words falling on his shoulders. Tomorrow morning would come too soon, and not soon enough. Day 4, Late Night The commissary had been eerily quiet, its automatic doors frozen half-open. Andy had gathered what he could, protein bars, dried fruit, bottles of water. The walk back to his cabin felt longer than usual, each shadow holding the potential for another body, another victim. He saw the Starlink array before he reached his door, a sleek black apparatus that looked more like a piece of modern art than military hardware. Sarah had positioned the nodes in a complex nested arrangement. Andy was mildly impressed, it looked precisely done. The cabin door creaked slightly as he pushed it open. "Sarah, I got some-" He stopped short. She was curled up in his bed, wrapped in her sleeping bag despite the warmth of the evening. Her face was peaceful in sleep, the fever flush finally fading from her cheeks. Her dark hair spilled across his pillow, and he noticed she'd changed into a pale pink Alo Yoga tank top that looked brand-new. The transformation from her carefully curated daytime appearance was striking. She looked younger, more vulnerable. Andy set the supplies down as quietly as he could and backed out of the cabin. She needed the rest more than she needed food right now. Outside, his phone buzzed, the first notification he'd received in days. The Starlink array hummed softly, its status light steady green. He pulled out his phone with slightly trembling hands and watched as notifications began flooding in. Email. Twitter. News alerts. The world outside the park still existed apparently, somehow. He sat heavily in one of the wooden chairs on his small porch, opened his laptop, and began downloading the prepper manuals Miguel had mentioned so many times, "Emergency Protocols for Systemic Collapse", "Catastrophic Event Recovery, Reference Encyclopedia" and "Technology Bootstrapping, How to Restart Industrial Society". The download started immediately, the normalcy of a digital download almost shocking after days of internet silence. Then he opened Twitter, and his breath caught in his throat. The feed was sparse but active. Scattered voices calling out from around the world, trying to find others. A woman in Seattle reporting that her entire family had survived. A doctor in Mumbai documenting recovery rates. A thread from the CDC, last updated two days ago, describing it as an avian flu with aerosol human-human and human-bird transmission, confirming what Miguel had alluded to, some people got deathly ill, a tiny fraction just got sick and recovered, and there seemed to be no pattern to it. Someone, a software engineer in Morocco, according to the about page, had anticipated the grid's imminent collapse and created a simplified Twitter clone called Beacon. It apparently ran on a solar-powered home server farm with redundant battery backups, designed specifically to operate via Starlink. The site was bare-bones but functional: just a global chronological feed, basic search, hashtags, geotags, and posts limited to 280 characters. One tweet from a virologist caught his eye: "Preliminary data suggests  roughly a point 8% survival rate globally. Fascinating gender disparity, female survivors outnumbering male 7 to 1. Genetic factor? Hormonal? Need more data." Andy scrolled through location tags, trying to piece together the scale of it. The posts from major cities painted a chaotic picture, hundreds of survivors in New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, but all isolated, scattered across vast urban landscapes. No real organization yet, just desperate attempts to connect. "Anyone alive near Brooklyn Heights?" "S O S from Miracle Mile L A, have supplies, need medical." "Twenty survivors at Pudong Hospital Shanghai, seeking others." The shock was still fresh, the posts raw with grief and disbelief. Nobody was talking about rebuilding yet. They were still counting their losses. The manuals finished downloading, and Andy forced himself to close Twitter. He needed to focus on what he could control, keeping Sarah and Daniela alive, gathering supplies, and getting out of Yosemite to a more major population center. The wider world would still be there tomorrow, whatever was left of it. He looked up at Half Dome, now silvered by moonlight. The ancient granite face was unchanged, indifferent to the apocalypse that had just played out beneath it. Somewhere in the darkness, coyotes began to howl, a sound that had always made the park feel wild and untamed. Now it felt like a reminder: nature was already moving on, reclaiming what had briefly been borrowed. Andy opened the survival manual's PDF, finding the section on "Social Collapse and Communication Strategies." The manual laid out different strategies based on mortality rates, 30%, 50%, 70%, 90%, 99%. With a grimace, he scrolled to the 99% section. "In the immediate aftermath of a >99% mortality event, social structures will be broadly erased and surviving population density will be too low for the immediate formation of antagonistic groups. Unlike smaller-scale disasters where existing social structures remain partially intact, catastrophic collapse temporarily eliminates the organizational capacity for coordinated action, hostile or otherwise. Survivors in the first weeks will be focused on immediate personal survival. During this brief window, other survivors can generally be trusted to be cooperative and helpful, as the shared experience of massive loss promotes prosocial behavior." The manual continued, further down: "Warning: This cooperative phase is temporary. As basic survival needs are met, humans will inevitably begin forming new social groups, 'tribes,' and power structures to replace those lost. Competition for resources will resume once excess pre-collapse supplies have been exhausted. Early contact and alliance formation during the cooperative phase is essential for long-term survival." Upon reading this, Andy elected to make the following post on twitter: "Ranger Andy Rhee, Yosemite National Park. Three possibly immune, North Pines/Ranger housing. Food plentiful, limited medical. Starlink operational. Main roads clear, helicopter landing sites available. Will monitor channel here & @Beacon." He followed it up with a post linking the survival manuals. He then switched to Beacon, created an account, and made the same posts. A slight rustling from inside the cabin drew his attention back to their immediate situation. He quietly stepped inside, retrieving the digital thermometer from his first aid kit. Sarah stirred slightly as he approached but didn't wake when he gently pressed the thermometer to her temple. 99 point 1, much better than this morning. He checked his own temperature next: 98 point 9. Their mild cases seemed to be resolving as quickly as they'd come on. He set his phone alarm for 5:30AM, enough time to get to Daniela's cabin by six as promised. The couch wasn't particularly comfortable, but he'd slept in far worse places. As he settled in with a spare blanket, his ranger training kicked in, categorizing the night sounds filtering through the cabin walls. Crickets. An owl. The distant yip of coyotes. Normal sounds. Safe sounds. The last thing he saw before drifting off was the green status light of the Starlink array through the window, blinking steadily like a new kind of star. The group assesses their situation, plans to leave Yosemite. Day 5, Pre-Dawn The alarm's buzz jolted Andy awake, but another sensation immediately registered, the rich aroma of fresh coffee. Sarah was curled up in his reading chair, scrolling through her phone, but as soon as she heard him stir, she immediately switched it off and turned her full attention to him. She'd changed into a new Alo Yoga set, a lavender sports bra under a white cropped tank, paired with high-waisted leggings in a matching shade. Her hair was pulled back in a messy-but-somehow-perfect bun, showing off her neck and shoulders. The fever flush was completely gone, replaced by her natural warm complexion. "Morning," she said warmly, uncurling from the chair with a practiced, fluid grace. "Made coffee. The fancy pour-over kind I found in your kitchen. Hope that's okay." Her hazel eyes met his, lingering just a moment too long as she took in his rumpled ranger uniform. "Sorry about commandeering your bed. I just meant to take a quick nap." She gave him an apologetic smile. Andy accepted the steaming mug she offered, trying not to notice how the morning light played across her toned body. "No problem. I'm used to sleeping rough. Comes with the job." Sarah tucked her legs under her on the couch next to him. The expensive fabric of her leggings caught the light as she moved, and she settled slightly closer than necessary, her knee just barely brushing his thigh. "I need to head out in about thirty minutes," Andy said, checking his phone. "There's another survivor at the park. A ranger's daughter. Her quarantine period ends at six." Sarah's eyes lit up. "Wait, really? Someone else made it?" She sat straight. "Yes. Daniela. She's fourteen, Miguel's daughter, one of our senior rangers. He;" Andy paused, remembering Miguel's final words. "He's not gonna make it." He took a deep breath. "Miguel was a big prepper. He made sure Daniela would be ready for anything. Kid's probably better prepared for this than me, honestly. He was ex-Marine, trained her in everything, survival skills, firearms, emergency medicine. I've seen her take apart and reassemble a rifle blindfolded." Sarah's eyebrows rose. "Fourteen? God." Her expression softened. "Must have been intense, growing up like that. Learning survival stuff instead of just; being a kid." "Miguel was," Andy searched for the right words. "He was paranoid I guess. We used to joke about his 'disaster preparedness' lectures." He snorted gently, irony in his voice. "And her mom?" "Passed away years ago, while Daniela was a child. Aneurysm." Andy took another sip of coffee. "Miguel basically raised her alone." Sarah held her coffee mug, pulling her legs toward her and wrapping her arms around them. "Damn, she's been through a lot already, huh? I hope she's alright." She glanced down at her designer workout wear and gave a small, self-aware smile. "Well, we should probably get ready to meet our teenage survival expert. Think she'll judge my completely impractical apocalypse wardrobe?" Andy couldn't help but smile. "Probably." He paused, then added, "Have you found Beacon yet? The Twitter alternative?" "Yeah, I was just reading through it earlier," Sarah leaned forward, coffee forgotten. "There's a virologist who's been collecting data. Says survival seems almost completely random, except for this weird seven-to-one female-to-male ratio and a slight correlation with genetic relatedness,, like if your sister survived, you had maybe a tiny bit higher chance. But besides that;" She shook her head. "No pattern. Not health status, not location or exposure level, or ethnicity, not even age. Just random genetic lottery. Either your b-cells already make the right antibodies, or they don't. I'd guess there's actually some correlation with age like there is with any disease, old immune people might still die from the mild flu symptoms we had. But; well," she sighed. "I doubt enough people are surviving in the first place right now to get that kind of data." Andy raised an eyebrow. She caught his look and shrugged, waving her hand casually. "I'm a biology major. Molecular cell biology. We learned some of this stuff last year." She continued, "Anyway, other than that it was mostly random people and groups asking for help, or offering help. It seems like all our old governments, systems, whatever, they're all gone." "Yeah. It's a whole new world out there." Andy said. "Have you thought about posting anything?" "I wasn't sure if it would be safe," Sarah admitted. "Announcing our location." "Actually," Andy said, "I already made a post last night. I was able to download survival manuals last night and they had an interesting take on it, right after something this catastrophic, people are still in shock, focused on basic survival. They don't have the resources or organization yet to be really dangerous. It's actually the best time to make contact, before people start forming new power structures and competing for resources and territory." "I see," Sarah said, working through the implications. "So what did you post?" "Just the basics. That there were survivors at Yosemite, that we have Starlink, medical supplies. That the roads are clear if anyone needs to reach us. Links to the same survival manuals." He took another sip of coffee. "Figured we should make connections while people are still helping each other." Sarah's lips curved slightly into a soft grin. "So, if you'd found me a few weeks from now, you wouldn't have been so friendly?" "Hey, don't ask me," Andy raised his hands in mock defense. "The manual knows best. Apparently I'm destined to become dangerous and territorial any day now." "Guess I met you at just the right time then," she said softly, her eyes meeting his for a moment before looking away. A quiet moment passed between them, the morning sun slowly brightening the cabin. "Where are you studying?" Andy asked, then caught himself. "Or; were you studying?" Sarah's face flickered with something complicated. "Was. Am? I;" She took a breath. "Biology at UCLA. Second year." Her voice grew quiet. "I kept searching Beacon for anyone from campus, but; nothing yet." Day 5, Morning Daniela was already sitting outside on a bench by the cabin when they arrived, military-surplus backpack at her feet, a shotgun slung over her shoulder, dressed in practical outdoor wear that made Sarah look especially out of place. She stood as they approached. Her dark hair was pulled back in a tight, no-nonsense braid, and she sat with straight-backed posture, almost too straight, like she was holding herself together through sheer will. "Ranger Rhee," she said crisply, standing as they approached. She let her eyes drift to Sarah, taking in the expensive athleisure wear and aggressively feminine curves with a quick, assessing glance that held equal parts teenage girl's envy and survival expert's dismissal. "Daniela, this is Sarah," Andy said. "She's another survivor, immune like us." Daniela gave a short nod, then launched into what felt like a rehearsed speech. "Status report: fever peaked at 101.2 three days ago, now normal temperature for 48 hours. No remaining symptoms." She gestured to her pack, her words coming slightly too fast. "I've assembled primary survival gear, in case we need to leave in a hurry. Secondary cache inside includes a hand-crank radio set, four topographical maps of Yosemite and surrounding regions, California road atlas with marked backup routes, water filtration system, three weeks of MRE, six hundred feet of para-cord in various thickness, four heavy-duty tarps." She took a quick breath, her rehearsed rhythm barely faltering. "We also have a weapons cache. One Remington 700 bolt-action with scope and 1000 rounds, one Mossberg 500 shotgun with 1000 shells, four Glock 19s with 1000 rounds of 9mm, two semi-automatic AR-15s with 5000 total rounds. RPG-7 with eight rockets. Two cases each of fragmentation grenades and flashbangs. Ten pounds of C4 with detonators. A dozen anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines." Andy's eyes widened at the arsenal, and Sarah let out a quiet "wow." Daniela continued at top speed without acknowledging their reactions. "Two sets of Level IV body armor with trauma plates. Four tactical vests. Medical supplies organized by emergency type. Dad's old paper survival guides and field manuals. Solar oven. Basic vegetable seed packets. Shortwave radio. Antibiotics." She paused. "And a sewing machine. Manual one. For repairs." That last item seemed to crack her professional veneer slightly. She looked at Andy, her carefully maintained composure slipping. "Have you; have you seen my dad since;? He; he hasn't been responding." Andy's expression told her everything before he could speak. "Not since the clinic," he said softly. Daniela's chin trembled once, but she snapped back into her military bearing so quickly it was painful to watch, like a child playing soldier to keep the monsters away. Her voice was smaller but desperately steady when she spoke again. "What's our next move, sir?" Andy stroked his chin, considering his words carefully. "I've only got the broad strokes of a plan right now. We've got internet at my cabin, Sarah brought a military-grade Starlink array." He gave Daniela a quick overview of what they'd learned: the devastating global death toll, the seemingly random pattern of who lived and died. He mentioned the scattered posts they'd seen on Beacon, survivors in major cities trying to connect, the complete collapse of traditional infrastructure. "Here's what I'm thinking," he continued, in an attempted measured tone. "We can't stay in Yosemite. Winter's going to be tough up here, isolated, we could probably survive if we stay indoors and eat canned food or whatever we can hunt the whole time but what would that get us? We wouldn't be any closer to setting up a long term settlement, even with your father's preparations;" He paused, careful with his words. "We need to find more people. We need to probably get to a major population center. More people means more survivors means more knowledge, more resources, better chances of rebuilding something sustainable." Daniela nodded, her expression suggesting she'd already run similar calculations. "I'd say we take a day or two here first," Andy added. "Sweep the park a few more times for survivors. Gather whatever useful supplies we can find from the stores, visitor centers, other ranger stations." "Ok, that makes sense. Where's my dad?" Daniela said quietly. Andy didn't hesitate. "He's at the clinic. East wing, near the supply cabinets. Do you want us to come with you?" She shook her head. "I'll go by myself." She was already turning to leave. Andy watched her go, knowing that splitting up wasn't ideal but reasoning that the park was likely empty now except for them, and with her confident shotgun slung over her shoulder, she could probably take care of herself. "Meet us back at my cabin later," he called after her. "And keep an eye out for any large trucks or gas canisters while you're out. We'll be checking the valley store," he added. "See what we can salvage." Sarah spoke up. "I'm really glad to meet you, Daniela. It's; it's good to have another girl alive." She gave a small self-deprecating smile. "I'm obviously not as prepared as you, but; I'll do my best to not be a burden." Daniela merely nodded, wearing a worried, distant expression, and headed off toward the clinic, her stride purposeful but tense. Day 5, Morning The morning air was crisp as they headed toward the valley store, Half Dome looming above them in the clear sky. Sarah walked close to Andy's side, her earlier morning quietness replaced by an almost nervous energy. "She's so; composed," Sarah said, shaking her head in wonder. "I mean, she's cataloging military-grade weapons like she's reading a shopping list." She adjusted her designer backpack, suddenly self-conscious. "Did you see how she looked at me? I swear I could hear her mentally calculating how quickly I'd die in the wilderness." The path narrowed between some fallen trees and Sarah stepped ahead, her juicy curves swaying hypnotically as she walked. Andy gave in and let himself watch, taking in how her expensive leggings showcased her plump rear and hips rolling side to side with each step. Her ass was built for likes more than functionality but no less captivating for it. "You know, she's not actually hating on you," he said, forcing his attention back to their conversation. "She just processes everything as tactical information, it's how Miguel trained her. Analyzing strengths, weaknesses, capabilities." Sarah tucked a strand of highlighted hair behind her ear. "An RPG though? Like, an actual bazooka? Does he expect to fight a freaking tank?" "Maybe. I wouldn't put it past him." Andy replied with a shrug. "But explosives actually have a lot of use besides tanks you know. If you need to blow up a wall or car someone is hiding behind for example. In war, you're often running out of RPGs before you run out of bullets." Sarah paused, considering. "Where does a park ranger even get that kind of stuff anyway?" "Miguel had connections from his Marine days. Never talked about them much." "God, poor kid." Sarah's voice softened. "All that training, and she still lost him anyway." She was quiet for a moment, then added, "At least she knows what to do now. I'm totally useless here." Andy glanced at her. "Hey, you brought the Starlink. And the filtration system. That's not nothing." "Yeah, but I wasn't even planning to use them." She gave a small, self-deprecating laugh. "I didn't even know how they worked until yesterday. I was just supposed to make them look good in pictures." They rounded a bend in the path, the store's entrance coming into view. Sarah slowed slightly, her voice more thoughtful. "You know when Daniela was listing all that gear, there was something about the sewing machine. Do you think it was her mom's?" Andy nodded. "It was just;" She trailed off, searching for words. "Like for a second the whole soldier act dropped, and she was just a kid who lost her parents." Andy nodded, remembering the slight tremor in Daniela's voice at that moment. They reached the store's entrance, its glass doors standing partially open. Sarah instinctively moved closer to Andy's side as they faced the quiet and empty building. The morning light streamed through the store's high windows and skylights, illuminating neat aisles of outdoor gear and camping supplies. Everything was still in its place, the pandemic had moved too quickly for panic buying or looting. The store felt frozen in time, like its staff had simply stepped out for lunch and never returned. "Boots and outdoor gear are in the back left," Andy said, gesturing. "Look for something waterproof, with good ankle support. And grab some proper hiking pants, the kind with zip-off legs and plenty of pockets. I'm going to check our food supplies in the storage room." Sarah nodded, already moving toward the clothing section. "I'll try to channel my inner Daniela. No more Instagram fashion choices." Andy headed to the back of the store, past rows of camping equipment and climbing gear. The storage room door was locked, but a few solid swings with the fire axe he'd retrieved from its wall mount made short work of the deadbolt. Inside, he swept his gaze across rows of shelves stacked with boxes and crates. His shoulders relaxed as he took inventory, hundreds of cans of chili, soup, and vegetables. Sealed packages of dried fruits and trail mix. Energy bars by the case. Enough preserved food to feed a small group for months, maybe longer if they rationed carefully. Way more than they could possibly take with them. Returning to the main area, Andy methodically selected gear from the high-end section, a rugged Carhartt jacket, some water-resistant hiking pants, and a pair of well-reviewed Merrell boots to supplement his ranger gear. He grabbed a Leatherman Wave+ multi-tool, a pair of Vortex binoculars, and several high-end headlamps and lanterns with spare batteries. Making his way to the women's section, he found Sarah studying her reflection in a full-length mirror. She'd changed into a pair of olive-green tactical pants that, despite their utilitarian design, hugged her curves perfectly where they cinched at her waist. A cropped camo compression top showed off her toned midriff while providing actual support and protection. Black Salomon hiking boots replaced her pristine Nikes, and an Arc'teryx jacket in sleek black completed the ensemble. She'd managed to find gear that was both practical and flattering, the pants especially seemed designed to enhance rather than hide her natural assets. She turned slightly, checking the fit from different angles. "What do you think?" she asked, adjusting the jacket. "The pants are actually really comfortable. And this top breathes really well." She moved through a few stretches, testing the range of motion, the gear moving naturally with her body, causing her ample bust to jiggle pleasantly. Andy tried not to stare. "Those boots are perfect," Andy said, nodding approvingly. "Salomon makes some of the best. They'll last for years if you take care of them." Sarah bent down to grab another small pile of clothes from the floor. "I grabbed some things for Daniela too." "Good idea. How do you know what size she is?" Andy asked, eyeing the stack of clothing. Sarah laughed, a glint in her eyes. "Trust me, I can tell. It's a girl thing." She folded the clothes with efficiency, tucking them into a rugged canvas duffel bag and her new backpack. "Plus, everything I picked has adjustable waists and drawstrings. She'll be able to make it work." Day 5, Evening The crackling of the campfire filled the silence between them as they sat in front of Andy's cabin, the flames casting flickering shadows across their faces. Steam rose from their bowls of rehydrated beef stew. Daniela sat cross-legged on a log, her new pants and boots looking almost too perfect, still creased from their packaging. Her dark hair was pulled back in a fresh braid, but a few strands had escaped during the day's labor, clinging to her neck. Her spoon moved mechanically from bowl to mouth, her expression distant and detached. The blisters on her hands from digging the grave were hidden beneath fingerless gloves. Sarah sat on a camp chair, somehow making even that look graceful. She'd changed into black leggings and an oversized ranger station sweatshirt she'd found, her hair pulled up in a messy bun. Her eyes kept flicking to Daniela. Each time she caught herself watching too long, she'd look away quickly, taking small, careful bites of her stew. Andy was hunched over his phone, the light illuminating his face as he scrolled through Beacon posts. The Starlink array hummed softly behind them, its status lights reflecting off the cabin windows. "More reports coming in from the Bay Area," he said finally, breaking the silence. "Sounds like they're organizing some kind of central meeting point in San Francisco. Using the Presidio as a base camp." Sarah nodded, seizing the conversation attempt. "Makes sense. I've been there before. It's really pretty." Daniela continued eating mechanically, showing no response. The fire popped loudly, sending up a shower of sparks. Daniela's hand dropped down to her holster before she realized what she was doing, then went back to her food. Her face remained carefully blank, but her knuckles whitened around her spoon. Sarah's eyes met Andy's over the fire. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again, turning her attention back to her own bowl. Andy set his phone down, choosing his words carefully. "We should probably talk about where we're heading. We've got some options to consider." Sarah chimed in again. "Yeah, like you said, the Bay Area seems to be organizing faster than anywhere else," she offered. "And my parents live in Palo Alto." She let the thought hang unfinished. "L A is an option, too;" Andy said, for now trying to brush past thoughts of Sarah's lost loved ones, and by extension his own as well. "More spread out, might be easier to find supplies. And Sarah you know the area pretty well I assume?" She nodded. He continued, thoughtful. "The Central Valley has farming potential, but no real organization showing up yet. Portland and Seattle are possibilities, but that's a long trek north. If we want to go south, Vegas and Phoenix also exist." The logo of Fallout New Vegas appeared in his mind's eye. "South is out," Daniela spoke suddenly, her voice flat. "Can't farm without major irrigation infrastructure. Nobody's maintaining those systems anymore." It was the most she'd said since returning from the clinic. Andy nodded. "True. We could probably gather enough fuel to make it across the country if we wanted to risk it, but;" "That's a lot of unknown territory to cover," Sarah finished. She pulled out her phone, scrolling through Beacon posts. "Though from what I'm seeing, the East Coast isn't doing any better than we are. Maybe worse, winter is coming." "The cold and snow would be a major disadvantage," Daniela said, her voice taking on the precise tone she used when reciting her father's lessons. "Increased resource consumption, limited farming windows, higher risk of mechanical failures in vehicles and equipment." She set her empty bowl aside. "California's the logical choice. Better climate, more stable growing seasons." "Agreed," Andy said. Daniela seemed to find stability in talking about this. "So that brings us back to L A versus the Bay." "The Bay Area is the only logical choice between the two." Daniela began ticking points off on her fingers, echoing discussions that had happened many times before. "The peninsula provides natural defensive positions. Multiple deep-water harbors for future maritime operations. Significantly more unpaved space for urban agriculture compared to the L A concrete sprawl." She continued briskly. "Plus, direct river access to the Central Valley farming regions around Stockton, where there's plenty of water for farming. From L A, you'd have to cross the Transverse Ranges to get to Bakersfield- that's a major liability for supply lines." Her voice took on an edge of disdain. "And farming that far south in the Valley isn't going to be viable anymore anyway, they're almost as reliant on irrigation as Phoenix or Las Vegas." She shook her head decisively. "The L A positioning is completely unsustainable. Anyone there should be evacuating to the Bay immediately." Andy nodded slowly, impressed but not surprised by the depth of analysis. He'd seen this level of preparation in everything Miguel and Daniela did. He glanced at Sarah, eyebrows raised in silent question. Sarah gave one of her small, self-deprecating smiles. "Don't look at me for expertise. The most strategic thinking I've ever done is planning photoshoots." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "But Daniela's logic makes perfect sense. I mean, it's clearly been; thoroughly thought through." "The Bay it is then," Andy said, straightening up. "We should take two days to prepare; we can stock up on food, supplies, and then pick cars. There are plenty of abandoned vehicles in the valley, we'll need time to find the right ones and load them properly. It's not a long drive, but we should be thorough." He looked between them both. "We leave in three days." To be continued. Based on a post by the hospital, for Literotica.

The RunOut Podcast
The Runout #158: Laura Pineau and Kate Kellegan Go Big on Triple Crown

The RunOut Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2025 87:31


On June 8 Kate Kellegan and Laura Pineau (aka Mademoiselle Fissure) became the first women to complete the Yosemite Triple Crown. That means the climbed El Capitan, Half Dome and Mt. Watkins in a day. Their time was 23 hours, 36 minutes, and 40 seconds. In this conversation, Kate and Laura share the tactics they used to achieve their big link-up, including tapping into the stoke and  support of the community.   But first, Kalous lays down on the therapy couch while Dr. Bisharat tries to diagnose why redpointing projects isn't bringing him the kind of joy you might otherwise expect. Last, the Pink Rope Club from Atlanta performs their anthem. Show Notes Triple Crown News on UK Climbing: https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2025/06/kate_kelleghan_and_laura_pineau_on_completing_the_yosemite_triple_crown-73998 Follow Kate Kellegan: https://www.instagram.com/katekelleghan/ Follow Laura Pineau: https://www.instagram.com/laurapineau/ Become a RunOut Rope Gun! Support our podcast and increase your RunOut runtime. Bonus episodes, AMA, and more will be available to our Rope Guns. Thank you for your support! http://patreon.com/runoutpodcast Contact us Send ideas, voicemail, feedback and more. andrew@runoutpodcast.com // chris@runoutpodcast.com

Exploring the National Parks
128: Yosemite Trip Report

Exploring the National Parks

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2025 38:37


Yosemite National Park never fails to surprise! This summer, we came for waterfalls and ended up with falling trees, surprise bear encounters, and a lot of laughs along the way. From Yosemite Valley to the High Sierra, every turn revealed the beauty of Yosemite and the persistence of life thriving in every corner of the park. In this episode, we cover: The highs and lows of our 2025 trip to Yosemite National Park! Timing your visit and the best time to explore Yosemite Iconic sights like Half Dome, Bridalveil Fall, and El Capitan Six lessons we learned from unexpected events, including weather and wildlife encounters Your task for today: Head over to the @DirtinMyShoes Facebook or Instagram pages and share your Yosemite plans for 2026! Are you chasing waterfalls, hiking near Half Dome, or exploring the High Sierra? Tell us your dream spots and what you're most excited to see. Planning your own Yosemite adventure? Dirt In My Shoes Yosemite Itineraries: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/yosemite-itinerary/ Master Reservation List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/list/ National Park Checklist: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/national-parks-checklist/  Trip Packing List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/pack/ Don't miss the full show notes packed with all the links we mentioned so you can plan your adventures like a pro: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/yosemite-trip-report/

Einschlafen Podcast
EP 583 ~ Yosemite und Goethe

Einschlafen Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2025 68:07 Transcription Available


Sonntag und Montag im Yosemite, mit einem äußerst guten Ende für Alles: Reflexion gefunden, Half Dome mit der wunderbaren North Dome Wanderung ersetzt, alles gut!

Phantoms & Monsters Radio
NATIONAL PARKS ‘DARK SECRETS' | Encounters That Rangers & Staff Rarely Discuss!

Phantoms & Monsters Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2025 50:20


A park ranger wakes up in Brujas Canyon after sharing the same dream as his roommate, both of whom are chased by a black bull that local lore says is a witch. Another ranger's friend steps from her tent along a desert river and meets a “woman” whose attack ends with cougar tracks and a warning whispered by tradition: some predators wear borrowed skins. Far away beneath redwoods, a hiker meets a toddler who speaks an unfamiliar word, then loses eleven minutes he can't account for, along with any trace of the boy or the man he thought was his father. What threads tie a witch-bull, skinwalkers, and missing time together in America's most protected wildlands?Night in the Smokies turns the forest mute, no wind, no insects, until a crouched, black form with burning red eyes appears on a boulder, and a heat-shimmer “something” paces hikers down the trail. In Yellowstone, a woman in 19th-century dress walks a snowed-in road at midnight, dry hair, no face. Near Gatlinburg, a man watches as a human-sized shadow collapses into a coyote shape and hops onto a log. These aren't stray campfire tales; they're consistent motifs: red-eyed sentinels, liminal crossings (bridges, bends, boulder gates), and entities that compress distance and time.Go west, and the pattern persists. A Half Dome hiker stares up at a white, pant-leg shape tucked in a cliff alcove, immobile in high wind, echoing California's “Nightcrawler” archetype. On Mount Lassen, a volcanic slope answers a teenager's call with a throat-deep roar a ranger will later name flatly: “Bigfoot.” At Crater Lake, pale eyes and a gray, low-slung humanoid glide from the dark; at Cuyahoga, a winged figure with ten-foot spread and red eyes drops from a tree as a missing camper crawls from the brush. Why the red eyes? Why the silence before the approach? Why so often at water, switchbacks, bridges, and towers?Keep reading as we map these accounts against known hot-zones, Brujas Canyon to Arches, Muir Woods to Yosemite, the Smokies to Yellowstone, Crater Lake to Cuyahoga, and test them against three working models: (1) shapeshifter lore tracking real predatory intelligences along waterways, (2) guardian/sentinel phenomena clustering at geologic and energetic thresholds, and (3) “glimmer” entities whose interference fields produce memory gaps and light suppression. The witnesses didn't just see things; they crossed into places where the land itself seemed to watch back at them.

Phantoms & Monsters Radio
NATIONAL PARKS ‘DARK SECRETS' | Encounters That Rangers & Staff Rarely Discuss!

Phantoms & Monsters Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2025 50:20


A park ranger wakes up in Brujas Canyon after sharing the same dream as his roommate, both of whom are chased by a black bull that local lore says is a witch. Another ranger's friend steps from her tent along a desert river and meets a “woman” whose attack ends with cougar tracks and a warning whispered by tradition: some predators wear borrowed skins. Far away beneath redwoods, a hiker meets a toddler who speaks an unfamiliar word, then loses eleven minutes he can't account for, along with any trace of the boy or the man he thought was his father. What threads tie a witch-bull, skinwalkers, and missing time together in America's most protected wildlands?Night in the Smokies turns the forest mute, no wind, no insects, until a crouched, black form with burning red eyes appears on a boulder, and a heat-shimmer “something” paces hikers down the trail. In Yellowstone, a woman in 19th-century dress walks a snowed-in road at midnight, dry hair, no face. Near Gatlinburg, a man watches as a human-sized shadow collapses into a coyote shape and hops onto a log. These aren't stray campfire tales; they're consistent motifs: red-eyed sentinels, liminal crossings (bridges, bends, boulder gates), and entities that compress distance and time.Go west, and the pattern persists. A Half Dome hiker stares up at a white, pant-leg shape tucked in a cliff alcove, immobile in high wind, echoing California's “Nightcrawler” archetype. On Mount Lassen, a volcanic slope answers a teenager's call with a throat-deep roar a ranger will later name flatly: “Bigfoot.” At Crater Lake, pale eyes and a gray, low-slung humanoid glide from the dark; at Cuyahoga, a winged figure with ten-foot spread and red eyes drops from a tree as a missing camper crawls from the brush. Why the red eyes? Why the silence before the approach? Why so often at water, switchbacks, bridges, and towers?Keep reading as we map these accounts against known hot-zones, Brujas Canyon to Arches, Muir Woods to Yosemite, the Smokies to Yellowstone, Crater Lake to Cuyahoga, and test them against three working models: (1) shapeshifter lore tracking real predatory intelligences along waterways, (2) guardian/sentinel phenomena clustering at geologic and energetic thresholds, and (3) “glimmer” entities whose interference fields produce memory gaps and light suppression. The witnesses didn't just see things; they crossed into places where the land itself seemed to watch back at them.

The Latino Vote
Finding Common Ground - Charlie Kirk, Political Violence, and America's Divide.

The Latino Vote

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2025 45:51


Chuck Rocha is back with stories of climbing Yosemite's Half Dome and fishing in Belize, but the tone quickly shifts as he and Mike Madrid confront the shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk. Together, they reflect on America's rising political violence, and how social media and polarization are fueling America's darkest impulses. From Civil War analogies to personal stories of friendship across partisan lines, this episode asks: Can we still find what binds us together as a nation?-Recorded September 11, 2025.-Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more episodes of The Latino Vote Podcast!Watch our episodes on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@thelatinovotepodcastFollow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/TheLatino_VoteVisit our website for the latest Latino Vote news and subscribe to our newsletter: latinos.voteIf you want more of our discussions and behind the scenes please join our Patreon (www.patreon.com/thelatinovote) for exclusive content and opportunities!

The Climbing Majority
102 | Surviving the Goliath Traverse w/ Michael Vaill & Tanner Wanish

The Climbing Majority

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2025 149:17 Transcription Available


Today we once again have the honor of sitting down with The Quad Fathers—Michael Vaill and Tanner Wanish. The last time I spoke with them, they had just wrapped up their legendary Yosemite Quad. But little did we know, on the descent from Half Dome they were already scheming their next big objective: The Goliath Traverse. To give you a sense of scale, let's break this thing down. The Goliath Traverse is a south-to-north, ridge link-up of two of the biggest traverses in the Sierra Nevada.The first is The Full Monty—a notoriously difficult 16-mile traverse of technical rock and mountaineering terrain. It involves 5.10 climbing, horrendous rock quality, immense exposure, and extreme endurance. It extends the already burly Full Palisade Traverse and by itself is a career-defining objective.The second half is The Full Evolution Crest, running from Bishop Pass to Piute Pass it involves miles of alpine rock, climbing up to 5.10, countless peaks over 13,000 feet, endless elevation gain and loss, and complex route-finding. First completed over eight days in 2008 by Scott McCook and Kyle Sox.Now imagine linking both of those together; that's The Goliath Traverse. At 32 miles of climbing, more than 60 summits, nearly 50,000 feet of vertical gain, it is considered the longest technical ridge traverse in the Western Hemisphere. It was first completed in 2021 by Vitaliy Musiyenko in a solo, unsupported, alpine-style push over just eight days—no caches, no partners, no support. Just Vitaliy, his mind, and the mountains.In today's conversation, we begin with a harrowing story from Tanner and Michael's preparation trip to the Alps—a reminder of just how dangerous and unpredictable the mountains can be. When I say these two are lucky to be alive, it's no exaggeration. At moments, it felt like I was talking to ghosts of fallen mountain athletes.We then dive into their successful second ascent of The Goliath, and how the experience has reshaped the way they're setting goals in the mountains—at least for now.After his first ascent in 2021, Vitaliy reflected, “It didn't feel like I had conquered Goliath…I had merely survived him.” As you'll hear, Tanner and Michael would come to understand just how accurate that statement really was.Watch The Climbing Majority on Youtube---Thanks to our sponsor!LIVSN DesignsCheckout their Ecotrek Overalls HEREUse Code "TCM15" At Checkout for 15% OFF Your Order---Get Access to Exclusive Episodes, Unlock Ad-Free Podcast, & MORE!---ResourcesTanner's IGMichael's IGVitaly's FA Goliath Write Up---We were recently rated #3 Top Climbing Podcast! Check it Out!

Huberman Lab
How to Set & Achieve Massive Goals | Alex Honnold

Huberman Lab

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2025 109:27


My guest is Alex Honnold, a professional rock climber considered by many to be one of the greatest athletes of all time for his historic free solo (no ropes or man-made holds) ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite. We discuss how to envision massive goals in any part of life and the process of breaking down those goals into actionable daily steps. Alex shares how embracing your uniqueness and mortality is the most powerful way to envision and live a fuller, more intentional life. We also discuss strength and endurance training, assessing risk and how Alex prepares mentally and physically for extreme challenges. We also discuss how to balance goal-seeking with family and work. Regardless of your goals, profession or age, this conversation will very likely reshape how you think about and approach your life, goals and potential. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Joovv: https://joovv.com/huberman BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/huberman Maui Nui: https://mauinuivenison.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00) Alex Honnold (02:17) Intrinsic & Extrinsic Motivation, Setting Big Goals (05:00) Preparing for Free Solo of El Capitan, Route Memorization & Conditions (10:09) Sponsors: Joovv & BetterHelp (12:35) Overthinking, Kinesthetic Flow; Climbing & Surprise (16:24) Aging & Climbing; Olympics & Broadening Climbing Culture; Parkour (23:04) Grip Strength, Aging, Climbing Technique, Yosemite National Park, Half Dome (29:00) Free Soloing & Rope Climbing, Safety & Risk; Aging & Death; Mentors (38:32) Sponsors: AG1 & Maui Nui (41:29) Climbing Lifestyle, Training, Career; Recovery (47:44) Technology, Smartphones & Distraction from Goals, Focus (51:09) Pursuing Ambitious Goals, Tool: Small Daily Challenges (55:56) Fear, Brain Scan & Public Speaking; Evaluating Risk (59:40) Doing What You Love, Life Crisis, Tool: Contemplating Death (1:03:49) Childhood, Passion & Choosing Career Path; University (1:11:46) Sponsor: Function (1:13:34) Outdoor Exploration, Yosemite, National Parks, Rucking, Trail Running (1:18:18) Girl Climber Film, Effort & Dedication (1:23:29) Strength Training, Pull-Ups, Muscle-Ups, Tool: Increase Sets & Reduce Soreness (1:31:59) Endurance & Strength Training Schedule; Posture; Running (1:38:52) Body Balance, Leanness; Muscle Cramps; Multi-Day Climbs (1:42:31) Awe in Nature, Spiritual Experiences; How Geckos Climb; Cliff-Dwelling Wildlife (1:46:46) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow & Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I Like Beer The Podcast
Drive-by Fruiting

I Like Beer The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2025 45:24


Listener Rod made a porch beer drop delivered all the way from Fresno. The entire ILB Team reunites to enjoy Tioga Sequoia's Half Dome fruit beers. In preparation for Oktoberfest, Doc and Talent head over to Blue Fire Brewing to brew a Bamburg specialty beer. The Doctor's in the house, so that means Beer or Not a Beer!? and Craic! 

The Latino Vote
Do Latino Trump Voters Regret Their Decision? Unpacking the Summer 2025 Latino PulseCheck

The Latino Vote

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2025 47:43


Chuck Rocha and Mike Madrid dig into fresh polling from EquisLab — the “Memo: Summer 2025 Latino PulseCheck” — and lay out why a sizable slice of 2024 Latino Trump voters are disappointed or regretful, especially on the economy, mass deportations, rising costs, and cuts to social programs. From concerns about ICE's use of 'indefinite detention' to fears of Medicaid/SNAP cuts in the GOP's “big, beautiful bill,” Chuck and Mike map out the political danger — and the opportunity — of refocusing on affordability, blue-collar messaging, and localized persuasion. They also walk through the looming California redistricting fight, upcoming off-cycle races in Virginia and New Jersey, and why both parties risk losing Latino trust. Plus—Chuck shares his plans to tackle Yosemite's Half Dome, while Mike preps for the political battles back in Sacramento.-Recorded August 20, 2025.-Check out Equis Research 'Memo: Summer 2025 Latino PulseCheck': https://www.weareequis.us/research/memo-july-2025-latino-pulsecheckDon't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more episodes of The Latino Vote Podcast!Watch our episodes on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@thelatinovotepodcastFollow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/TheLatino_VoteVisit our website for the latest Latino Vote news and subscribe to our newsletter: latinos.voteIf you want more of our discussions and behind the scenes please join our Patreon (www.patreon.com/thelatinovote) for exclusive content and opportunities!

Cleaning Up. Leadership in an age of climate change.
Cleaning Up Redux: From Free Solo to Free Solar — Alex Honnold

Cleaning Up. Leadership in an age of climate change.

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2025 62:25


This episode was originally broadcast in April 2022Alex Honnold is one of the world's best rock climbers, famous for his free solo ascents of big walls, including his 2017 first free solo of El Capitan in Yosemite.Alex began studies in engineering at the University of California-Berkeley but dropped out to pursue his passion for climbing, living out of his van. He first attracted attention within the climbing community in 2008 when he became the first climber to free solo Half Dome in Yosemite. In 2012 he established the speed record for the Yosemite Triple Crown, climbing three big walls in under 19 hours. With Hans Florine, Alex climbed the popular Nose of El Capitan, a nearly 3,000-foot granite wall, in a record time of two hours 23 minutes and 51 seconds – a feat National Geographic described as perhaps " the greatest feat of pure rock climbing in the history of the sport."Alex has been profiled by 60 minutes and the New York Times, appeared on the cover of National Geographic and starred in numerous adventure films. In 2015, together with professional climbing writer David Roberts, he authored Alone on the Wall, the story of seven of his greatest climbing feats up to that year.In 2012 Alex founded the Honnold Foundation to provide solar power to some of the disadvantaged communities he was coming across in his climbing career. In 2021 the Foundation supported 44 communities across 17 countries with its brand of community-centered innovation catalysed by solar energy.Links and more:Watch the video of this episode: https://youtu.be/MwmQf0mhHkEHonnold Foundation: https://www.honnoldfoundation.org/Free Solo Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urRVZ4SW7WUFree Solo website: https://films.nationalgeographic.com/free-soloThe Ascent of Alex Honnold – CBS special report with Lara Logan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR1jwwagtaQEduro Corner: The most exposed move of Alex's Free Solo climb of El Capitan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blfR33DUqsgProject Bo: https://www.projectbo.org/Project Bo, lessons learned: https://www.liebreich.com/project-bo-saving-lives-in-sierra-leone-with-solar-batteries-and-twitter/

Where Next? Travel with Kristen and Carol
Yosemite National Park, California - Discover the Magic with Kristen

Where Next? Travel with Kristen and Carol

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2025 30:34 Transcription Available


Send us a textYosemite National Park captivates millions of visitors annually with its towering granite monoliths and thundering waterfalls, but few experience it with the intimate knowledge of someone who returns multiple times each year. In this special episode, Carol interviews Kristen about her profound connection to this natural wonder in California's Sierra Nevada mountains.Kristen shares her annual January ritual of hiking to Upper Yosemite Falls, revealing how winter transforms the park into a surreal landscape where waterfall spray freezes mid-air, creating magnificent snow cones at the base. She guides listeners through accommodation options ranging from the historic luxury of The Ahwahnee Hotel ($600/night) to free backcountry camping, with plenty of moderate choices between.The conversation unveils a little-known opportunity for budget travelers: volunteering with the Sierra Club at the Heritage Center provides a free week-long stay with just four hours of light work daily as a docent. With two consecutive days off mid-week, volunteers can explore extensively while contributing to the park's educational mission.For first-time visitors, Kristen recommends easily accessible experiences like the five-minute walk to Bridalveil Falls, the reflective beauty of Mirror Lake, or the drive to Glacier Point for panoramic valley views without strenuous hiking. More adventurous listeners will appreciate her insights on backpacking routes from Tuolumne Meadows in the north to Chilnualna Falls in the south, plus practical advice on navigating the permit system for coveted Half Dome hikes.Throughout the episode, Kristen's passion for Yosemite shines through as she describes nighttime views of climbers' headlamps dancing like fireflies on El Capitan's face and the perpetual white noise of waterfalls creating what she calls a "surreal" and "magical" atmosphere. Whether you're planning your first visit or your fifth, this episode offers both practical guidance and the inspiration to experience Yosemite's magnificence in every season.Support the showPlease download, like, subscribe, share a review, and follow us on your favorite podcasts app and connect with us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wherenextpodcast/View all listening options: https://wherenextpodcast.buzzsprout.com/HostsCarol Springer: https://www.instagram.com/carol.work.lifeKristen: https://www.instagram.com/team_wake/ If you can, please support the show or you can buy us a coffee.

10PlusBrand
My adventure of 3 days of wilderness backpacking in Yosemite _Joanne Z. Tan_Season 2, Episode 58

10PlusBrand

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2025 12:57


I was surprised to learn that one of the most memorable was the random encounters with other backpackers in the wilderness, after trying to get away from people and the civilization.  There will be photos in my blog post (link below.) Read it as a 5-min blog Watch it as a 12-min video Read about Joanne's prior adventures at Yosemite and Half-Dome   ©Joanne Z. Tan  all rights reserved. Please don't forget to like it, comment, or better, SHARE IT WITH OTHERS!  - To stay in the loop, subscribe to our Newsletter (About 10 Plus Brand: In addition to the “whole 10 yards” of brand building, digital marketing, and content creation for business and personal brands. To contact us: 1-888-288-4533.) - Visit our Websites: https://10plusbrand.com/ https://10plusprofile.com/ Phone: 888-288-4533 - Find us online by clicking or follow these hashtags: #10PlusBrand #10PlusPodcast #JoanneZTan #10PlusInterviews  #BrandDNA #BeYourOwnBrand #StandForSomething #SuperBowlTVCommercials #PoemsbyJoanneTan #GenuineVideo #AIXD #AI Experience Design #theSecondRenaissance #2ndRenaissance

Dental A Team w/ Kiera Dent and Dr. Mark Costes
Keep Those Supply Costs Down With This Piece of Advice

Dental A Team w/ Kiera Dent and Dr. Mark Costes

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2025 35:34


Kiera is joined by Ted Osterer of Synergy Dental Partners to talk about the money field of dentistry in this moment of 2025, including tariffs, negotiating and raising fees, finding supplies, and more. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:01) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera. And today I am jazzed. I have a super fun guest on the podcast today. We're going to talk about the tariff sheriff, how that's impacting dentistry, the rise of dental supply costs, and honestly what to do because I'm so annoyed by all these pieces. What's the economic outlook? How do dentists freaking survive? Like, gosh, it just seems like a funny world out there. But we have Ted Osterer. He is with Synergy. I love this buying group. I think they're   Absolutely incredible. We're gonna shed some light for you guys. So Ted, welcome to the show today. How are you?   Ted Osterer (00:32) I am doing very, very well. Thank you so, so much for having me. Congratulations on your thousandth episode recently. I'm happy to be a part of this and any value I could bring to your listeners, hey, we're all better for it.   Kiera Dent (00:39) Thank you.   Well, thanks, Ted. And yes, ⁓ I'm still in utter awe that we hit a thousand episodes. Like when I started this, it was just a whim, a pipe dream. Jason and I were hiking. It's not a joke. I literally was hiking half-dome. Mind you, Jason had said, hey, let's go down to Yosemite. I'd love a nice relaxing weekend down there. And I had learned that you could go get, like, this is prior. You can't do this anymore. That you could get these like day passes, like these day camping passes. And if you just went and sat at this little lodge for a few hours.   So I was like, Jay, yeah, of course we'll go down there for this very calm, welcoming, welcome, like very easy, relaxing weekend. Little did he know I had full plans to try and get half dome tickets and like hike half dome. I even brought the gloves, like I was ready to go. And sure enough, I got the lottery, got the tickets. Jason was like, what the heck? We're going to freaking hike half dome. Like, Kiera, we haven't even prepped for this. We haven't done any of this. We don't even have a hotel. We got a hotel an hour away. We had to drive an hour outside of town. It was the nastiest hotel. They were like,   I'm not even joking. There was like hair and like this little pill on the pillow that were not ours. Jason's like had the worst sleep of his night and I'm like listen there's no hotels around me of 70. Like we're filing so we had a place. We went back super early the next morning to hike Half Dome and lo and behold on our hike I said Jay I think we need to build a podcast. This is where it all started. It was like one of those things that I never imagined a thousand episodes would hit and here we are.   Ted, you're hanging out with me a thousand in. And I think it's just fun because of all the value, all the stories, all the people. And like you and I were talking about pre-show, the podcast is really just a place where I get to selfishly hang out and just have a good conversation with people that I like. I get to meet new people in the industry. And as a byproduct of my nerdiness and excitement of meeting people, all of our listeners get benefited by this. So Ted, I'm so happy you're a part of this. Thank you for that. ⁓   Outside of Yosemite, let's talk about the rising cost of dental supplies, the tariffs, how this is going to impact. Because I know people are really nervous about it. I see in lots of dental groups out there, and you guys are really great. That's why I had you come on, because I think you're a huge solution to these problems. So take it away, Ted also, so the listener know how on earth did you even get into dentistry? Let's talk about that first, and then let's talk about what this even looks like for dental practices long-term.   Ted Osterer (03:00) How did I get into dentistry? ⁓ It was fate, it was just destiny. Growing up, I had 13 teeth pulled. I had braces for five years and it was like, well, I'm here for life, I guess. And this is just how we can all grow as a unit. ⁓ I've been in dentistry for about 15 years now. I started out as a dental supply rep. I was going door to door for over five years and...   funny enough that, you know, this isn't the, I grew up in the New York area. This is the major metropolitan New York area. And I had a really good buddy and he was like, I think you'd be a really good fit actually managing anal practices. And I can actually introduce you to someone. And it was like a small like eight practice group. I can introduce you to somebody, the practice on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Go see if you'd be a good fit. And I'm just kind of like, sure, guess. know, it's like always like have a conversation.   And I had a conversation and sure enough, I got along really well with a particular office manager ⁓ from this group and I went to go work for this office manager. ⁓ Within three months, I had my own practice. I was a practice manager. You know, it's so funny going from a supply rep to an office manager, right? I learned the first and I'm not saying this is everybody, but I learned the first day of being in a dental office that I knew nothing.   Kiera Dent (03:59) Yeah.   Ted Osterer (04:29) about what happens in a dental office, right? Like I'm like, could, God, it's gonna be a piece of cake. I've been in dentistry for five years. And so I could tell you how strong and impressive material was. That does not help with insurance codes or posture downgrade or presenting treatment or creating a schedule or reading a schedule, anything like that. So, much respect to everyone that manages offices that's listening right now that my goodness, you're fighting the good fight. Keep up the good work. ⁓   Kiera Dent (04:40) does not.   Agreed.   Ted Osterer (04:57) I did that for some time. I was recruited to work for care credit. I oversaw New England for a few years where then they moved me to South Florida. And then a few months after that, I was recruited by Synergy. I've been here since 2021. And this is really, really cool. You know, I came to Synergy because the message was, do you want to make an impact in the dental world? You know, like you love what you do, but do you really want to make an impact? Do you want to help independent dentistry? And I was like,   man, what a line, right? Like I was suckered in and I really wanted to make a difference. And sure enough, almost four years later, we're still here at, you know, we're the largest dental buying club in the country. We are the fastest growing dental buying club in the country. And we're just trying to preserve independent dentistry by giving them the same supply and overhead cost at a 20 plus practice DSO would get. that, know, we were founded by dentists. It was as black and white as, Hey,   If enough of us order from the same places, they'll give us a discount. And now we have people in charge of negotiating pricing. You know, we have a dedicated team to each member to make sure that they're getting the values worth here at Synergy and they're not ordering more than they have to. And you you asked about tariffs, the rising overhead costs, all of that really, really fun stuff, right? Let's dive into that, right? You know, the perceived economic uncertainty of everything. Are prices going to go up? Yes, of course.   Does that mean you need to buy everything right now at the same time to save money in like six months? No, you probably shouldn't do that either. You know, the waiting game generally always pays off, be it in dentistry or outside of dentistry when it comes to money, you know, you're better off just kind of, you know, hold the chips, hold down the fort, you know, you're, it's not, you do not sound the alarms, of course, right? You know, the price of your crowns is not going to go up 10,000 % like.   Kiera Dent (06:21) Yeah.   Ted Osterer (06:50) Calm down, chill out, right? It's what we've monitored. Have tariffs affected some prices? Yes. ⁓ Many have already gone down. Many have plateaued with that price increase and we kind of have a safe, what, just gauge on what those actually are, right? The percentages have been minimal. It's a few dollars here and there.   Kiera Dent (06:52) Yes, I agree.   Ted Osterer (07:17) Again, the industry is not belly up. really should not be your ⁓ primary concern. Providing optimal quality ⁓ of treatment should be your number one concern still to this day. I don't think it's going to make a difference whether you're getting a new sensor or not. If your sensor goes, you're OK.   Kiera Dent (07:36) It's It's really true. Well, Ted, I love that. And I love your story. And I love that you have the real life experience in dental practices, because that's something that we pride ourselves on at Dental A Team. It's like, we've been there, done that, and done it successfully. And you're right. Being in a practice is no small task. It's no small feat. And ⁓ I think the supply costs, I do agree with you. think certain people were getting a little bit, maybe extra on this, of how concerned we are of cost. And I don't think it's a wrong thing.   to look at, to project down and to forecast forward to make sure that you keep in line with your overhead. Like people who are looking at this, I'm high-fiving you because you actually are looking at your numbers and you understand the cost of your supplies. But at the same time, I remember I was at a, I have a friend who's very wealthy. We're talking like this person brings in 28, 30 million annually a year. And like, I just giggle because it is a great friend.   Ted Osterer (08:25) Sounds like a great friend. There you go. All right.   Kiera Dent (08:29) I thought he said he was a   cosmetic dentist when I met him and he's surely not a cosmetic dentist. He's a cosmetic chemist. So skincare, things like that. And I remember we were talking and he was like, yeah, I just got so freaked out about the stocks. I pulled everything out of the stock market. This was two years ago. And I'm like, bro, like the amount of gains because you got so scared is incredible. And I had another friend, we were sitting at a wealth conference and we had like Ray Dalio there and Paul Tudor Jones and gosh.   Marks, Howard Marks, like so many of the big players in wealth and they weren't talking. And this guy named Harry Dent came in and Harry Dent has been known for being right and wrong on predictions of the market. And I remember like, I'm not kidding you. We talked in this conference of do not make rash decisions. Like we're here to gather all the information, synthesize it out and then make best decisions. And I kid you not, we are two days into this five day conference and I met this guy and he's like, Harry Dent just freaked me out. I went and sold all my...   like sold everything like that night pulled everything out of the stock market. I was like, dude, you're the reason people talk about what not to do because you should never be this radical. And so I feel like while those are extremes, I feel like dentistry can kind of be that way with the supply. Like we feel it's the stock market plummeting on us within our supply chain because we've got tariffs on there. When the reality is let's remember dentistry by default, a lot of our products already have very high margins on them. Like I'm not going to say it to the world in case there are people who are not dentists listening.   but you can just think about fluoride for one second. So fluoride has insane margins on it, which are very profitable for you. The bulk of dentistry is very profitable. So these small rises, agreed, let's take a look at that. But like you said, Ted, it's not the end of the world. So I am curious though, from my like nerdy side, what things have gone up the most? What are you guys seeing across the board that the tariffs or the uncertainties, like the economy's gone up you guys. Bread, I'm shocked.   or gasoline, you want to talk about gas prices? Like I don't know, in Florida it's way cheap. Here I'm in Reno in California. I kid you not in Truckee it was $7 a gallon and I like wanted to throw up the gases that much money, but I'm like if gas for a gallon is $7, bread prices, I mean you're paying five bucks, six bucks a loaf for bread, like supplies are going to be higher. It's not something that I'm like, oh my gosh, my cotton rolls went up. Well yeah, of course they went up. does like everything in the world has gone up.   Home prices have gone up, but I am curious, what have you guys seen that the tariffs hit the most? Like what are some of those supplies? But we're ashricking this. Everyone listening, you have to promise you will not be either of my two friends who go radical. So when Ted tells you which one's worth a little bit higher, do not go out and give me like your prepping situation where you go buy all this because you're freaking out about it. Like steady the course, stay consistent, and just like watch the scene because most things will level out just like in stocks, just like in investments. But if we're radical and being wild on it, that's where you get.   Like it just does not benefit. So I think Ted, everyone has promised. I made them just promise like everybody. Yes, you promise. Don't be radical. Ted, what are some of the ones that are seeing the highest hits? Like what, what products, what things are you guys seeing?   Ted Osterer (11:33) Since you all promised ⁓ not to be radical, I will go ahead and share. Yeah, unbreakable. We know that's unbreakable.   Kiera Dent (11:36) You promised.   It's unbreakable.   You did that, you like kissed the thumb, something like that. And then you like do a dance. All of them have done that, right? Nobody better lie. Don't be radical. Okay. They're good.   Ted Osterer (11:52) Excellent.   So for those listening at home, I did a very, very impressive interpretive dance, but for those watching, you saw it, it's all good. ⁓ So with a lot of the terrorists I've seen, and look, it's so volatile, you know, and for those, again, listening, I'm doing that thing with your finger, you go up and down a lot about how much it goes up and down. You know, look, I mean, you saw a lot of the anesthetics made in Canada go up a significant percent.   You saw a lot of lab cases sent from overseas or, you know, it's funny enough, for those that don't know what the gray market is in terms of the supplies in the industry, Products are made overseas, totally fine, right? There's nothing wrong with products that are made overseas. However, sometimes they're made in factories that are only authorized in certain countries, even though it could be big name, know, supply partners, major manufacturers.   I won't name drop, you know what I mean? I'm not trying to, you can Google it, you have access to the internet, congrats. When it comes to, these products that are made overseas are only regulated to be in select countries, they still have to be refrigerated certain ways, they still could have, they could have been made a long time ago, they're set to expire. They are mailed here and then they are sold to the United States, they're unregulated. You'll see their costs are...   Insanely low to the point where it's too good to be true spoiler a lot a spoiler it is too good to be true right in the event that someone You know your malpractice insurance Is kicked in you use great, you know gray market products. You might be losing a case and that's not the smoke you want However, in the event of these tariffs funny enough what went up these gray market products, right? ⁓ They went up to the point where   Kiera Dent (13:25) Yeah.   Interesting.   Ted Osterer (13:46) They're the same pricing, if not more than what your rep is offering you now. know, and look, you don't want to be caught with something like that. And it goes to show you that you, again, you're worried about optimal care. You should be worried about what you're putting in your patient's mouth as well. And depending on where you order it from, right? Like picture yourself, you're a patient in a chair, okay? And an assistant walks in to set,   you know, to set the room, to put the supplies that you're going to use on that tray and she opens an eBay box. Imagine what the patient must be feeling knowing that or an Amazon box. It's like, wait a minute, if your patient's aware at all, you probably don't want that. And now that price is the same price that a major dealer is going to offer you or a rep can offer you. That's the worst case scenario. I believe that that's what I've seen went up the most. And there were some labs from overseas.   Kiera Dent (14:23) Yeah, no. No. No.   I'm just.   Ted Osterer (14:44) ⁓ where the tariff was taking effect, a lot of the tariffs they were getting, were passing directly onto the consumer. I've seen that stop also. I'm not gonna say it's not gonna happen again, but it's not like you can order in bulk all these cases, you know? So, you know, again, when it comes to your labs, if you're satisfied with your lab, play the waiting game. You should be fine.   Kiera Dent (14:53) Mm-hmm.   It's true.   Yeah, that's actually really helpful to know Ted, because I was really curious and I think it's one of those things of, I don't know, I'm the clinician inside of me. I originally dental assistant, office manager, treatment coordinator. We have a lot of hygienists on our team. ⁓ I think all of us in consulting, well, yes, we watch the numbers exponentially, which is why I brought Ted on. I wanted synergy to be here. I think it's a great solution for your numbers. The biggest thing I will also say is like,   Please don't be so obsessive with the numbers that you cut your amazing dentistry and you are actually not doing the best dentistry for patients. I believe that when we do good by our patients, when we take care of them, when we use great products, I'm not saying you have to be I have a car. I'm not saying you have to be like high, high end. You can if you choose, but just making sure that we're doing right by our patients. Like I said, dentistry is a very profitable industry.   as is, like we have done a really good job of keeping the practices profitable in spite of insurances and all of that. But I really just want to make sure people, when we're looking at this, let's not penny pinch and nickel, like watching all of our nickels when we're actually doing a disservice to our patients. So agreed, like that gray market, things like that. Yes, I like to be a good shopper. I love to get a good deal, but making sure that it's a good deal that's also taking care of your patients would be my like word to the wise.   Again, I believe that when we are good and we're honest to our patients, people feel that there's good karma, there's good energy, it's all the way around. So Ted, how does synergy work? Like how do you get around this? Because things are going up. Being a business owner, mean, our margins are, they've been high, so maybe they're a little less high. I will also say, like doctors, I hope you've increased your fees too. You should do that. like, it's not just supplies that get to go up.   Dentistry also gets to go up and it should be going up. And if you haven't raised your fees, I'll just asterisk that right now. Like that is very common. It's very normal. It should be done every single year. I think that's a way to offset some of these costs for you too. It's ethical and honest, but Ted kind of walk us through like independent dentists, which are most of the practices listening. We do have some DSOs on there. I think sometimes you can feel like, I don't know. It's like the little brother who's watching the big brother drive the car and it's like, why can't I get these deals? Like I know I'm just one practice, but.   Sometimes you feel neglected. sometimes feel like distributors and manufacturers don't give you as good of a deal. Like, let's be real. The DSOs do get better deals than you do. I I've heard, I go talk to a lot of people and they're like, well, yeah, if you've got 20, 30, 50 practices, we're going to give you like pennies on the dollar compared to my solo practice that's going to be paying more for it due to the bulk distribution. So how can we have that of like, how can Independence Dennis win? Not have these costs hit them and to still play in the big leagues, even though they don't want to necessarily practice that way today.   Ted Osterer (17:53) Yeah, awesome question, right? You hit on the head. What did DSO's do? They strong arm these dealers, manufacturers, distributors, and they say, look, I have 30 offices. We all want to order from you. We'll commit to this amount of spend. We'll commit to this amount of product. Give me the absolute best deal that you will, or I'm going to the other distributor that's on the next page of this advertisement that I am looking at, right? So they're just negotiating fees all day.   That's what the ESOs are doing. They have people in place to negotiate these rates all day. That's what Synergy Dental Partners has, Independent Dentistry, ⁓ I mean, look, it's alive and well. We see it every day, you know, just because there's not major conferences that you're demanded to go to like the ESOs and things like that doesn't mean they're not alive and well and band together and know what's actually going on in dentistry, right? So Independent Dentists will subscribe to Synergy.   to have access to the same pricing that those 20 plus, 30 plus practice DSOs would get, right? We negotiate with these supply partners all day long on the supplies that you're already using, right? I mean, that's what we do. We bully our vendors. We come to an agreement with specific supply partners to be in our network and have very attractive offerings that they will only offer to Synergy members, right? We're partnered with major distributors. We negotiate with...   them all day, we're partnered with different implant organizations, with different rotary organizations, with different services. Depending on what you're looking for, we're going to offer you something that you would not be able to get on your own, right? Do you have to order in bulk with a synergy member? No, that's the point of us because we have enough dentists all ordering from the same place that the bulk is taken care of. Order as you go, right? So Darby is our anchor supplier, shines the largest distributor in the country.   Patterson's the second largest distributor in the country. Darby's the third largest distributor in the country. When you place an order with them, everything comes in one to two days. As a synergy member, any order over $249, there's no shipping charges. And let's think about that in itself. Do you have to order in bulk now? No, do you have to hit a crazy minimum? No, you can order four times a month and not pay shipping. Everything's gonna come in one to two days. Now regarding all these manufacturer deals,   Kiera Dent (20:01) awesome.   Ted Osterer (20:15) Oh, I like to buy four to get one free. like to buy three to get one free. You hear the word free. Awesome. Great. Now we do have a lot of offerings just like that care, right? However, we've negotiated the net costs of those buy four, get one threes, get one free, buy three, get one free for just one. So you can order one. You don't need to spend $700 on your favorite composite to get one free. And now shade C3 is going to sit on your shelf for the next three years and it expires. You're going to throw it away anyway. So you wasted all that money.   Kiera Dent (20:23) Right.   Mm-hmm.   Ha!   Ted Osterer (20:43) The point of us is inventory control. It's cash flow management. I mean, if cash is what you're worried about, well guess what? mean, order as you go, you're probably not gonna pay shipping anyway. You have the supply you need. My goodness, Kara, have you ever had to clean out a supply closet? Is it not the worst day of the month? You know, when people order the wrong things, yeah, maybe you'll return it, or what are you gonna do? You're gonna check it off that checklist and then put it where you think it goes. Now it's gonna sit there forever. Yikes, right?   Kiera Dent (21:02) Yep.   Yep.   Ted Osterer (21:13) You know,   with Darby, things are easy to return. You order as you go, it's not gonna get lost in some shuffle if you order as you go, right? We are partnered getting discounts with Strom and NeoDent for implants and BioHorizons and Zest for the locator attachment through overdenture materials, Comet and Brassler for rotary. ⁓ We just rolled out our partnership with Bisco. We're partnered with UltraDent, Crestor, LB, Phillips. I'm going to put your listeners to sleep as I shamelessly plug these.   Incredible companies offering the incredible deals are giving our members but the whole point of us is Carrie said you love to shop Bad news pal. I'm taking that phone away from you. We've done that shopping for you We know where your pricing should be is every price the lowest price on the market. I can't confidently say yes It's not true. I can confidently say that a lot of them are the best price in the market But every price is going to be competitive and if you're taking four or five hours to place an order with six tabs open   texting four different reps. That's four patients that you could have seen in that time. not only, let's say you order from all those places. Now you got five different shipping charges. And now you don't know when any of these orders are gonna come. It could take weeks. Something could be on back orders. Something could be expired. But hey, you saved a dollar on gloves. Congratulations, you know?   Kiera Dent (22:16) you   I love it. And I think that this, is why I like Synergy. I feel like it's, you get the Costco discounts without the bulk requirements. And that's something that I really enjoyed about it because something we teach with our clients is do not be stocking up. I remember I worked at Midwestern University's dental college for a few years. And I remember I went through their supplies and because there was so much   Ted Osterer (22:44) Yep.   Kiera Dent (22:58) We, like, I remember throwing away boxes and boxes and boxes of expired supplies, things that we couldn't use anymore. And it was disgusting. And I was shocked and I was like, that's it. We have to get this to where we can see everything. And so we're really big in consulting of like tip out bids, having clear things, having it where your order is not like tucked in boxes and nooks and crannies. ⁓ And the way you're able to do that is by buying as you need it, rather than buying. Like I remember buying when I was an assistant ordering.   Ted Osterer (23:07) What a waste.   Kiera Dent (23:25) I think like 10 boxes of gloves. Like we had them stacked everywhere. It was just like an absurd amount because we were like, well, we got the deal. We need to have this versus like, no, like what are we using? That also keeps our costs down. We're not having these high end fluxes and low drops in our supplies. We're able to have that more consistent, have more consistent overhead. And like you said, sometimes Costco is not the cheapest. Sometimes I can get it cheaper at other places, but the reality is the time we're saving and also the more dentists buying within Synergy.   more we're able to get the bulk discount. So it's like, it's the biggest DSO you can be a part of without being a part of a DSO, like air quotes around it, because you're not a part of a DSO, but it's the collective community group that's driving down the pieces for it. And Ted, correct me if I'm wrong, I feel like when I've talked to Synergy in the past, you don't have to give up your reps, because I know people get really weird about like, but like we've been best friends with so and so, and it's like, you can still order from the companies you want. Is that correct? Or do you need to like order through Benco? I thought it was like something with that, but help us understand like,   Do I have to give up my rep? Do I have to only order through your guys' people? How does this work for me to transition over? Because I do know dentists are very loyal and I think that's an amazing attribute. I would say like stay loyal. Also make sure that your overhead's making sense as you're going and buying supplies.   Ted Osterer (24:36) If you're a member of Center Gentle Partners, feel free to order from whoever you'd like. There's no minimums or anything like that. Now, are you better off buying from the suppliers in our network if you're trying to save money and time? Yes, like you just said. So Darby's our anchor supplier. They're the only distributor that we work with. If you're best friends with the Banco rep and you're looking to save money,   and you give us a shot and like I said the sole point is to save money we can very much help you and there's plenty to go around that if you need to order from Banco who you mentioned earlier or any other distributor have at it but I mean if we can cut your supply cost by 25-30 % you keep your reps for service you keep your reps for whatever you choose to keep them for yes by all means we are not offended there's no exclusive like that.   Now relationships are important. know, like you said that regarding manufacturers, if you have a rep already with Darby, you don't have to change who you're already ordering from as long as they're network. We don't force you to do anything differently. But hear me out. You brought up Costco. Now, you know, you went to Costco, you you only have how many free hours in a week? You know, either you can get that at Costco or you could spend the gas money and the time.   Kiera Dent (25:44) Yeah.   Mm-hmm.   Ted Osterer (26:01) to hit up Walmart and Publix and somewhere else on the way home and now you're too tired to go do whatever it is that you wanted to do that night. But hey, you saved like 26 bucks, have at it, well done. How valuable is your time to you? Yeah.   Kiera Dent (26:05) Yeah.   Well done.   Yeah. And if your gas is $7 a gallon, you did not actually make any money. thinking about that, but like for dentists, I think there's a good book, Dan Martell, I raved about him quite a few times to buy back your time. And I think this is a zone where we can have, where you can actually save time. You can save money and you can actually, even your assistant. So doctors, you might not be ordering, but your assistant's ordering. Think of like, if I didn't have to give up five hours or four hours of my assistant's time, which is what I used to have to block off.   Ted Osterer (26:22) You   Kiera Dent (26:43) and you can see more patients with that assistant rather than them ordering that right there is a cost saving. So I did some quick math because I heard what you said. If we are able to save you usually 25 % on your supply costs. So I just thought, okay, let's say there's a million dollar practice. This million dollar, that's about 83,000. We'll just do 84,000 rough math. A month is what this practice would be producing. We like as a consulting company for your supply costs to be about 5 % of that. So I was like, okay.   That'd be like 4,200 bucks that month that could go towards supplies. If you guys save 25%, that's a thousand dollar savings, over a thousand dollar savings on that 4,200 a month. I was thinking about that, like a thousand dollars a month. This is on a million dollar practice. I didn't go for a sky high one. If you're bigger than that, obviously it's way more than that. But I just thought Ted, like, if you could save a thousand dollars a month, cause I know you guys have this, like you guys have sexy stats on how much you're able to save practices. I understand you might have to have two, three conversations with your reps.   of like, guys, for us, we care about you, we love you. The reality is, I'm willing to have that conversation if I'm gonna get thousand bucks a month. Because that's now $12,000 for the year. And I think about, well right there, if you're looking at other things, virtual assistants can cost you $12,000 for a year. They can do all your billing, they can do outsource pieces for you, you could hire a personal assistant for you for $12,000. Even that extra $1,000 a month, I'm thinking, could you bring on different team members for that?   What does that look like? I understand like a full assistance not going to cost you 12 grand, but I'm like virtual assistance are outsourced billing, different things that you could use those funds for that right there to me. I'd be willing to have some conversations and just look at. So that's where I want to, I'm really big on numbers because I'm like, cool, 25%. But I'm like, when it breaks down to like thousands a month that I could then reinvest and use in better areas, just like I'm like, you guys, you can keep spending money on Indeed. Go for it. And I'm not here to say indeed is not great.   but you could also switch to AvaHR, which used to be VivaHR. It's literally 149 bucks a month for unlimited posting of ads. I took my cost of posting ads. I'm doing the same thing. I'm literally posting ads on the exact same platforms. I used to spend $15,000 a year on that, and now I pay about $1,200 a year. Right there, I'm like, that's a switch I'm willing to make. Yes, bummer, I don't get to like post directly to Indeed anymore. Same thing, I don't maybe get to like buy directly from my rep.   you still can keep the relationship. Like if you need to buy equipment or different things like that, like you can still keep the relationship. But I think, and they will try to sweet talk you, but I've seen it with the buying groups, the savings that you get, I just say have the conversation. A thousand bucks a month, go on, get a massage, do something fun. Like, I don't know, take your kids on vacation for 12 grand, whatever it is, but that's just literally buying the same materials through a different platform and getting...   money kickback. don't know. To me, Ted, it's always been a no-brainer, which is why I bring you guys on the podcast. So that's my spiel. But Ted, anything you have to take, wrap this up because I think with the tariffs, with the rising costs, realizing it's not that big of a deal, buy as you go. You can use these buying groups. You can be like a DSO, but you can buy what you need, not having to get all these deals. You're able to cut your costs. You said about 25 % on supplies and just go look at what you spent on supplies last three months. Think if you got 25 % of that back.   I think I'd be willing to have a conversation. But Ted, you tell me what you think. Those are my thoughts on this.   Ted Osterer (30:06) I said, I was going to say like the exact same thing, unfortunately, but I, you know, I'll take that one. I'll take that one second further to really, really simplify it. Right. And just summarize everything you just said. You know, we're partnered with over 50 supply partners, including eight different labs. Right. So as a consulting agency, right. Like we see labs as high as 10, 15%, you know, it should be what six to 8%.   Yeah, so I mean, let's say you're a million dollar practice. That's the practice Kiera just said. If I save you just 1 % of your overhead, that is a $10,000 that Kiera's talking about. And it is so easy to save that as a member of Synergy. And my goodness, thank you so much for having me on. It really means a lot. And thank you for acknowledging.   Kiera Dent (30:59) Yeah,   of course. I think it's a matter where Ted, I, when I get really passionate about things, like I love Swell. They do their Google reviews so well, you're able to save costs on your marketing, but get like really incredible patients. When I see a zone where I'm like, supplies are supplies are supplies. I understand you love your rep, but I'm like, supplies are. If I can get the exact same anesthetic, like I need my Lido, it's certified and I can buy it from Benco or I can buy it from Shine, but I can get it for...   X versus Y and I'm going to save substantially to me that's a way doctors it. I think that this is just being a higher level CEO that realizes just like DSO CEOs do as much as I love the product from X. I'm going to buy it from here because I'm literally able like it's the exact same thing. just get it on sale. So why would I not do that? And as a female like that's girl math for you Ted. Like if I can get it on sale, I'm going to buy it because I can use it to go get what I want over here. I just think like   These are the zones, dentists, that the elites do. These are the zones that the multi-million dollar practices are doing. So learn from their strategies. Again, it's gonna be one, two, three, maybe a little bit uncomfortable conversations. You don't need to burn the relationship. But I would say if I was you sitting there looking at my overhead, looking for ways to do cash flow, I would radically consider something that's not going to impact your patient care, that's going to make your practice much easier and also give you more time back in your life. So that's why I you guys on. Again, I don't work for Synergy. We don't have an affiliate relationship with them.   I love them, I adore them. I truly think you guys are just doing a great thing in the business. We are working on a partnership with them in the future for all of our clients. It's something that's really been big on my mind because I feel like, hey, why not? All of our clients that are with us, let's get them the best deals. But this is why I wanted you guys on the podcast. So Ted, how can people connect with you? How can they try you guys out? Again, you don't have to burn your rep. can just go even test it out. ⁓ But how can they try you guys out just to see what this looks like for their practice?   Ted Osterer (32:53) Go to the TheSynergyDentalPartners.com know, leave your information with us. Please, please, please tell us that the A team sent you, you know, of course extra promotional offers if the A team, I mean, A plus team in my book, of course. ⁓ Yes, yes, A plus plus. And please let them know that you were sent by them so we can make the offering even more attractive for you. And you know, when you join Synergy, you don't even have to have that typical conversation. You can just hide in the bathroom.   Kiera Dent (33:05) Thank you. Thank you. I agree.   Ted Osterer (33:23) and we're all good. It's okay.   Kiera Dent (33:25) Yeah,   it truly is. Don't make this wild, you guys. ⁓ Ted, I appreciate it. Thank you so much for coming and talking about what the reality is and what things have gone up in pricing and how you guys have been able to watch it go up and down. You're seeing so many more supplies than just the solo practitioners seeing. so you're able to see, kind of like stock markets, we're able to see at a bird's eye view of what's really going in the landscape of it. And I want to just remind people, you guys, the future is bright. No matter what's going on, the future is bright. There's always solutions.   Ted Osterer (33:29) Thank you.   Kiera Dent (33:53) And I think right now is where we get a bit more scrappy, a bit more innovative, and truly you shouldn't be seeing much of a hit. Like shoot, if you're seeing a hit, just switch over to Synergy and you won't even see that hit. So try it out. ⁓ Ted, thank you for being on the podcast with me and thank you for everybody. I really think this is an awesome way for you guys to truly take care of your practice, take care of your patients, and make life easier, which is what we're all about. So Ted, thanks for joining me today. I super appreciate you.   Ted Osterer (34:03) Yeah.   ⁓ I'm happy to be here. Thanks again.   Kiera Dent (34:19) And for all of you listening, thanks for listening and we'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

The Beached White Male Podcast with Ken Kemp
S6E33 The Mist Trail: Digital Detox and Yosemite's Rewards

The Beached White Male Podcast with Ken Kemp

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2025 17:06


Send us a textToday, I share my most recent Substack, #48:The Mist Trail: Digital Detox and Yosemite's RewardIt's a story I will long remember. Maybe it will bring back some memories and some inspiration to you, too.CLICK HERE to read along and enjoy some of the photos.Enjoy!Support the showBecome a Patron - Click on the link to learn how you can become a Patron of the show. Thank you! Ken's Substack Page The Podcast Official Site: TheBeachedWhiteMale.com

Travel Is Back: Travel Ideas, Tips and Trips
174. Yosemite National Park - Cathedral of Stone and Water

Travel Is Back: Travel Ideas, Tips and Trips

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2025 11:26


Johnny Mac in the granite cathedral of Yosemite Valley, where waterfalls tumble from impossible heights and monolithic cliffs challenge both climbers and photographers to capture their true scale. Explore the most accessible routes to Yosemite Falls and Half Dome, discover the giant sequoias of Mariposa Grove, and learn how to experience Glacier Point's breathtaking panoramas. From the challenging Mist Trail to peaceful walks among the world's largest trees, Johnny shares how to balance Yosemite's incredible popularity with moments of genuine wilderness solitude. Understand the park's role as the birthplace of rock climbing, learn Ansel Adams' photography secrets, and discover how seasonal changes transform familiar landmarks into completely different experiences. Whether you're seeking adventure or inspiration, Yosemite's combination of granite grandeur and thundering waterfalls creates memories that last a lifetime. For a commercial free experience please visit www.caloroga.com/plus

Globetrotters Podcast
#102 Stop Waiting: Start Living Your Bucket List Life - With Alexandra Lauren

Globetrotters Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2025 30:55


Alexandra Lauren, better known as The Bucket List Mermaid, has been to over 45 countries, lives full-time in an RV, and isn't waiting for “someday” to live the life she wants. In this episode, she shares what pushed her to leave behind a traditional path—including medical school—to start checking things off her bucket list now. From free diving in a mermaid tail to solo hiking Half Dome, Alexandra talks about the highs, the hard parts, and how she stays inspired to keep going. If you've ever felt stuck or like you were waiting for the perfect time to start living fully, this one's for you.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/globetrotters-podcast--5023679/support.

University of California Audio Podcasts (Audio)
A Life Lesson in Climbing with Manley Feinberg

University of California Audio Podcasts (Audio)

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2025 39:34


“When anchors fail, people die.” This line has many meanings for author, motivational speaker and expert mountain climber Manley Feinberg. In this Osher Author Talk interview, Feinberg describes a harrowing climb of Yosemite's El Capitan in 2022, where he and his son saved the life of their companion while suspended on the face of the mountain. He incorporates his experience climbing mountains into his books and presentations to help people reach their fullest potential while supporting those around them. The interview is hosted by Henry DeVries as part of UC San Diego's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40432]

Humanities (Audio)
A Life Lesson in Climbing with Manley Feinberg

Humanities (Audio)

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2025 39:34


“When anchors fail, people die.” This line has many meanings for author, motivational speaker and expert mountain climber Manley Feinberg. In this Osher Author Talk interview, Feinberg describes a harrowing climb of Yosemite's El Capitan in 2022, where he and his son saved the life of their companion while suspended on the face of the mountain. He incorporates his experience climbing mountains into his books and presentations to help people reach their fullest potential while supporting those around them. The interview is hosted by Henry DeVries as part of UC San Diego's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40432]

Education Issues (Video)
A Life Lesson in Climbing with Manley Feinberg

Education Issues (Video)

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2025 39:34


“When anchors fail, people die.” This line has many meanings for author, motivational speaker and expert mountain climber Manley Feinberg. In this Osher Author Talk interview, Feinberg describes a harrowing climb of Yosemite's El Capitan in 2022, where he and his son saved the life of their companion while suspended on the face of the mountain. He incorporates his experience climbing mountains into his books and presentations to help people reach their fullest potential while supporting those around them. The interview is hosted by Henry DeVries as part of UC San Diego's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40432]

UC San Diego (Audio)
A Life Lesson in Climbing with Manley Feinberg

UC San Diego (Audio)

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2025 39:34


“When anchors fail, people die.” This line has many meanings for author, motivational speaker and expert mountain climber Manley Feinberg. In this Osher Author Talk interview, Feinberg describes a harrowing climb of Yosemite's El Capitan in 2022, where he and his son saved the life of their companion while suspended on the face of the mountain. He incorporates his experience climbing mountains into his books and presentations to help people reach their fullest potential while supporting those around them. The interview is hosted by Henry DeVries as part of UC San Diego's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 40432]

Wandering But Not Lost Podcast | Real Estate Coaching & Wandering Zen
Nature's Reset: Why Getting Outside Changes Everything

Wandering But Not Lost Podcast | Real Estate Coaching & Wandering Zen

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2025 27:33


In this episode of Wandering But Not Lost, Matt and Jan explore the powerful connection between nature and mental clarity. From childhood road trips to lifelong National Park adventures, they share personal stories that reveal how being in nature isn't just refreshing—it's transformational. You'll learn the science behind why a simple walk outside can reduce stress, boost your mood, and bring you back to center. Whether you're hiking Half Dome or sitting in your backyard, this episode will inspire you to find your own nature reset. Find our show notes at https://www.wbnlcoaching.com/podcast

Written in Stone: Climbing’s Most Important Ascents
John Bachar Chooses Peter Croft For a New Game

Written in Stone: Climbing’s Most Important Ascents

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2025 47:34


It was 1986, over halfway through a decade that had brought turbulent change to climbing, and it was clear to John Bachar that even in Yosemite - hallowed ground as far as he was concerned - ethics were shifting. Sure, people still traveled here to do the big walls and to climb some of the classics, but the world knew that Yosemite and the once mighty best climbers in the world who called Camp 4 home, were now WAY behind. But John Bachar had an idea of how he could get this train back on track. It wasn't the first time he'd had to do this, and he knew exactly who he'd ask for help. This is the story of the John and the Bachar-Yerian, Peter Croft and the University Wall, and the first one day link-up ascent of El Cap and Half Dome. Check out our website for related episodes, resources and more! Join the Secret Stoners Club for FREE and get bonus episodes. Enter to win a Ladies Weekend Out Scholarship from Rab! ---------------------------------- Season Two is generously supported by Rab.  This episode is supported by Tension Climbing. Use code WRITTEN15 at checkout. This episode is supported by our research partner, NOLS: The National Outdoor Leadership School. Written in Stone is co-created with Power Company Climbing.  

Wild Ideas Worth Living Presented by REI
Rowing Solo From Hawaii to Australia with Tez Steinberg

Wild Ideas Worth Living Presented by REI

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2025 29:32


In 2020, Tez Steinberg rowed roughly 2,700 miles from California to Hawaii. He spent 71 days on the water, facing bad weather and extreme isolation. Surprisingly, when he landed on Oahu, he decided he wanted to do it again. This time, he would row from Hawaii to Australia, more than twice as far as his first expedition. Connect with Tez: Website Instagram United World Challenge website & InstagramSubmit your Half Dome story!! Thank you to our sponsors: Capital One and the REI Co-op® Mastercard® Honey Stinger 

Hikes and Mics Podcast
S09 - Episode #06 - Betsy

Hikes and Mics Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2025 32:40


Send us a textIn this episode of Hikes & Mics, we're joined by Betsy, a travel nurse and avid explorer whose journey has taken her from the beaches of Florida to the rugged peaks of California and beyond. Betsy shares how she found solace in the outdoors during the challenges of the pandemic and how hiking became her form of therapy.We dive into some of her bucket-list adventures, including climbing Half Dome in Yosemite, hiking The Wave in Arizona, and spotting wildlife in Grand Teton National Park. She also gives us a glimpse into van life, her love for winter hiking, and her goal to explore more international trails in 2025 and also getting into backpacking.If you love inspiring travel stories, national park adventures, and hearing about life on the road, this episode is for you!Episode Links:Betsy on Instagram Protect Our National Park Service Staff Support those impacted by the Los Angeles Wildfires. AllTrails+I'm excited to share that I'm now a Trailheads Ambassador for AllTrails+! If you love exploring the outdoors, AllTrails+ is your ultimate adventure companion. Get offline maps, real-time wrong-turn alerts, and trail previews to help you hike smarter and safer. Plus, with 3D maps and deeper trail insights, planning your next trek has never been easier. Try AllTrails+ free for 7 days, and when you sign up using my referral link, you'll get 30% off your AllTrails+ membership! Sign up here: AllTrails+ (promo is only redeemable via web and not the app) Ursa Minor Outfitters - Inspired by the outdoors, Created by local artists Go check them at www.ursaminoroutfitters.com and don't forget to enter the promo code HikesMics10 at checkout to receive 10% off your order.

KNOWN
I Like Giving! - Part 2

KNOWN

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2025 26:38


Episode SummaryIn Part 2 of I Like Giving!, Brad Formsma returns to discuss the heart of generosity—why it matters, how it transforms lives, and how we can pass it on to the next generation. Brad shares stories about his WOW Factor Podcast, lessons from Admiral Vern Clark, and the Generous Kids Book Club. Plus, Dick shares a moving story about unexpected kindness right in his own driveway.Key topics: The power of giving, leadership wisdom, building a culture of generosity, and practical ways to live a generous life every day.

Just Trek Podcast
#75 | Trail Blazing Through The Driest Place On Earth & The Grand Canyon, Swimming w/ Whale Sharks, Summiting Half Dome, Exploring The Philippines, Costa Rica, France, and Chile w/ Victor Martinez

Just Trek Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2024 125:18


For episode 75, I recorded an adventure banger of a show with fan favorite, Victor Martinez, at Kenneth Hahn State Park in Los Angeles. Victor is a SoCal based trekker, trail runner, backpacker, solo world traveler, Highlander Adventure ambassador, Merrell ambassador, community leader, and is the founder of the LA Trail Killers. Victor was also our EP 37 and EP 55 guest on the show! I caught up with Victor and we chatted about all his unforgettable adventures from trail running Rim to Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon, summiting Half Dome in Yosemite on his birthday, the LA Trail Killers Philippines group trip, Highlander Adventure Costa Rica & France, and running 350 miles through the Atacama Desert in Chile for the notorious race entitled "The Speed Project." This episode is part of the Trek Talks series where I record on trail conversations with fellow outdoor enthusiasts. It is more raw and candid perspective of our guest's outdoor adventures as these conversations are more unscripted and in the moment. You can even hear the sounds of nature in the background as we are recording out on the trails. **VIDEO VERSION ONLY AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY APP + YOUTUBE CHANNEL , all other streaming platforms are audio versions** Follow Victor Martinez on https://www.instagram.com/vic_of_earth/ Follow LA Trail Killers on https://www.instagram.com/latrailkillers Follow Just Trek on https://www.instagram.com/just.trek/ Support Just Trek on Patreon ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/justtrek⁠⁠ Shop Just Trek merch on ⁠⁠https://www.justtrek.net/shop⁠⁠ Listen to more podcast episodes on ⁠⁠https://www.justtrek.net⁠⁠ Want to send me a message? Email me at ⁠⁠justtrekofficial@gmail.com⁠⁠ or DM on Instagram @just.trek

The Pellicle Podcast
Ep64 — IPA Still Rules, OK!

The Pellicle Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2024 44:40


IPAs. We love to hate them. We love to love them. It's fair to say that the darling of modern beer has, over the past 10 or 20 years, been discussed to death. But we felt there was life in the old dog yet. That's why at FyneFest earlier this year we hosted a panel discussion to talk about the present and future of the IPA with two breweries who are pushing the envelope as far as this category is concerned.Matt Dutton is the head brewer at Manchester's Track Brewing, one of the innovators at the forefront when it comes to utilising the latest hop technology. Coming from a background as an award-winning homebrewer, Matt has led the brewing team at Track for the past eight years, and is in charge of ensuring every pint of Sonoma, Half Dome, or whatever weekly special happens to be pouring at their taproom tastes as good as it possibly can.We know Track means business too, as we brewed one of our fifth anniversary beers with them, a resolutely modern IPA that we called Optimism Forever. This provided a perfect stepping off point for us to chat about how modern brewing techniques and technology are ensuring there's still plenty of ground to cover when it comes to experimentation and flavour within the IPA category.Our second panelist is Vik Stronge, who long time Pellicle Podcast listeners might remember from previous episodes where she appeared as strategy manager of Huddersfield's Magic Rock Brewery. Since then Vik has moved on from Magic Rock, teaming up with her husband and experienced brewer to form their own brewery: Lost Cause. With both Vik and Colin's extremely high brewing pedigree you'd expect greatness out of the gate from these two, and that's exactly what we've been served so far. During this panel Vik discusses the use of new hop varieties and how they are helping Lost Cause to define itself as a brewery. We taste its IPA, Love You, Bye, which is hopped with a recently developed proprietary hop variety from Indie Hops in Oregon, USA, that tastes like cloudy lemonade on a hot summer's day. It's vibrant, electric and proof positive that there's plenty of exciting hop flavours still out there for us drinkers to experience and enjoy. All of which is discussed in this podcast episode.We're able to produce The Pellicle Podcast directly thanks to our Patreon subscribers, and our sponsors Loughran Brewers Select. If you're enjoying this podcast, or the weekly articles we publish, please consider taking out a monthly subscription for less than the price of a pint a month.

The Climbing Majority
78 | Hey, It's Buttress! w/ Tanner Wanish

The Climbing Majority

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2024 127:09 Transcription Available


I first reached out to Tanner back in March, right after he and his climbing partner, Michael Vaill, had completed the Red Rock Triple in an impressive 12 hours and 35 minutes. I was stoked to share their story, but little did I know it would take six months to get the chance to sit down with them. Looking back, I couldn't be happier it turned out that way. Just days after our initial interviews, Tanner and Michael made waves by setting the speed record for the Yosemite Triple Crown. And as if that wasn't enough, last week they pushed the boundaries even further, making history with the most ambitious link-up Yosemite has ever seen—the Yosemite Quad. Last week, these two crushers linked Mount Watkins, El Cap, the South Face of Washington Column, and Half Dome in a mind-blowing 21 hours and 50 minutes.So, this week, I'm thrilled to introduce The Climbing Majority's own 'Triple Crown'. Over the next three days I will be posting three separate full length episodes.' Today, we sit down with Tanner Wanish. Tomorrow, you'll hear from his climbing partner, Michael Vaill. And on the final day, we'll sit down with both of them for an insider's look at their recent, groundbreaking feat in Yosemite. Get psyched for an epic week of stories, insights, a deep look into the lives of these two athletes. Today, we dive into the journey of Tanner Wanish. Tanner's story begins with a military background, though not in the way you might expect. After years of service, he found himself in what he describes as the darkest days of his life, having realized that the trajectory he was on in the military was no longer the path he wanted. Sensing Tanner's struggles from overseas, his brother—a prominent developer on the Front Range—sent him a hard drive packed with climbing films. And so began Tanner's passion for climbing, igniting a pursuit that would lead him, four and a half years later, to literally etch his name into the walls of Yosemite.Our conversation with Tanner reveals a climber who has woven the sport into every aspect of his life. He's taken climbing beyond just an outlet for adventure and fulfillment—it's become his way to live, grow, and connect deeply with others. Tanner also embraces what he calls 'manufactured adversity,' seeing the immense value of challenge and struggle for personal growth. For him, climbing is the ultimate vehicle for this kind of development.Tanner's journey is a powerful reminder that climbing is more than a sport. It's a medium for growth, connection, and self-discovery. His story shows us the value of resilience, adventure, and the balance between passion and purpose. Buckle up for an inspiring conversation with Tanner Wanish.----Don't forget to check out our full video episodes on Youtube!The TCM movement is growing but we need your help to spread the word! Please share this podcast with your friends and family. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to support the show. If you enjoyed the show we'd appreciate it if you could rate and review us on your favorite podcatcher.We are always looking for new guests. If you or someone you know would be a great fit for the show please don't hesitate to reach out. You can reach us on IG or email us directly @ theclimbingmajoritypodcast@gmail.com---ResourcesTanner's IGAthlete Write UpCrux Non-Profit

Let's Get Civical
Yosemite National Park - Careful on the Rocks!

Let's Get Civical

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2024 37:27


In this week's episode, Lizzie and Arden take a look at the great wonder, Yosemite National Park, one of America's most iconic natural treasures! Join them as they explore the park's breathtaking landscapes, from the towering granite cliffs of El Capitan and Half Dome to the stunning waterfalls of Yosemite Valley! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @letsgetcivical, @lizzie_the_rock_stewart, and @ardenjulianna. Or visit us at letsgetcivical.com for all the exciting updates! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Managing Marketing
Kristy Camarillo, Rebecca Den Braber, Renee Murray And Ellie Discuss Diversity, Ethics and Inclusion

Managing Marketing

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2024 63:34


Kristy Camarillo is the GM of The Royals Sydney; Rebecca Den Braber is the GM of Hatched; and Renee Murray is Head of People and Culture at Half Dome.  In this episode, Ellie Angell and the group talk about a wide range of DE&I topics, challenges and opportunities; the changes happening in our industry and how effective we are at creating truly inclusive workplaces; our hopes for the future, and our lived experiences.  Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/managing-marketing/id1018735190  Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/75mJ4Gt6MWzFWvmd3A64XW?si=a3b63c66ab6e4934  Listen on Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjE2MTQ0MjA2NC9zb3VuZHMucnNz  Listen on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/managing-marketing  Listen on Podbean: https://managingmarketing.podbean.com/  For more episodes of TrinityP3's Managing Marketing podcast, visit https://www.trinityp3.com/managing-marketing-podcasts/  Recorded live on Zoom H4n and edited, mixed and managed by JML Audio with thanks to Jared Lattouf.

Beliefcast
Dave Phillippy

Beliefcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2024 52:12


Dave Phillippy is a dynamic leader known for his unwavering positivity and strategic problem-solving skills. Despite facing the challenges of Parkinson's disease, his journey has been marked by resilience and a steadfast commitment to overcoming adversity. From battling depression to navigating career setbacks and now facing physical challenges, Dave continues to be defined by his strong faith, positive outlook, and unwavering determination. He began his career at Hershey Foods Corporation, where he emerged as a significant operations leader over 17 years, and then transitioned into entrepreneurship with a startup in Utah. His experience ranges from leading a consulting company and serving in various ministry leadership roles to holding executive positions with several organizations.   Dave has been married to his wife, Joy, for 33 years and is blessed with two grown children, Zachary (28) and Allison (26). His love for adventure has taken him to 49 states, where he has summited Half Dome in Yosemite four times, hiked to Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska, and even flown a glider plane. Currently, Dave serves as CEO and part-owner of Micro+, a company dedicated to creating highly effective nano-nutritional supplements for health and wellness.   As a proud new sponsor of Beliefcast, Micro+ joins Todd in his mission to help people live healthier lives. For more information, visit www.microplushealth.com. You will be touched by Dave's resilience and his desire to make a difference.   … #ResilienceInAction #OvercomingAdversity #LeadershipJourney #FaithAndDetermination #NeverGiveUp #PositiveMindset #HealthAndWellness #InspiringStories #ParkinsonsWarrior #EntrepreneurLife #MakeADifference #BeliefcastSponsor #MicroPlusHealth #HealthyLiving #EmbraceChallenges   …. Connect with Dave here: Web:  https://www.microplushealth.com/ IG:  @microplushealth FB:  https://www.facebook.com/people/MicroPlus/61562302631502/   ….. Special thanks to our Sponsors: Craig Swapp & Associates @craigswappandassociates Wasatch Recovery @wasatchrecovery Gabb @gabbwireless Minky Couture @minkycouture Micro+ @microplushealth Thread Wallets @thread_wallets Morii Nutrition @moriinutrition Music by Paul Cardall @paulcardall

FriDudes - Getting Real.  Pursuing Truth.
Sequoias to Sierras...Oh My

FriDudes - Getting Real. Pursuing Truth.

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2024 26:22


Reflections and some Deep Takes from some of the most beautiful places on this earth.For pics and vids, go to...https://www.fridudes.com/post/sequoias-to-sierras-oh-my

The John Freakin’ Muir Pod
All the Things - Alice Ford

The John Freakin’ Muir Pod

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2024 80:50


Stuntwoman, TV host, and conservationist Alice Ford takes a brief break from all the things to sit down with Doc and talk some outdoor adventure. Settle in and buckle up as Alice, as is her way, covers a lot of ground, including discussions of her college athletic career (three Division I sports!), getting off the hamster wheel, challenging yourself, the series of events that led to Alice's Adventures on Earth, backpacking with no tent or sleeping bag, the East Coast Trail, Adventure Racing, and one of the world's most dangerous hikes to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite. Epic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Conscious Cowboys
196. When Hiking Half Dome Becomes A Greater Challenge Than Anticipated

The Conscious Cowboys

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2024 56:08


In this episode, we break down our recent trip to Yosemite and the many challenges that presented themselves while hiking Half Dome, both physically and mentally. We share our most intimate of thoughts regarding pushing ourselves to the limit while simultaneously expressing gratitude for hardships and of course, gushing about the magic that is Yosemite National Park. Thank you for listening, Cowboys! xxLet's Connect Follow us on Instagram: @theconsciouscowboys Learn more at theconsciouscowboys.com Watch our full episodes and more on Youtube: The Conscious Cowboys _____We're two best friends who are building a brand with the mission of amplifying what it means to be well. We strive to be as authentic as possible so that our conversations facilitate true connection while building upon a community that values a more conscious way of life. We're known as “The Cowboys” by those we love, so it's only fitting that our brand reflects exactly who we are. We release an episode every Wednesday, so tune in, and enjoy this wild ride.

Trail Runner Nation
EP 690:Trail Classics: 50 North American Trails You Must Try

Trail Runner Nation

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2024 65:15


Ricky Gates discusses his latest project, The Field Guide to Classic Trails in North America Inspired by the book '50 Classic Climbs of North America,' Ricky set out to create a similar guide for trail runners. The guide aims to highlight 50 must-do trails in North America that can be completed in under 24 hours. The criteria for selecting these trails include their feasibility, historical significance, and the ability to recommend them to others. Ricky and his collaborators have already published several trails on the Janji website, including the Cactus to Clouds Trail, the Lost Coast Trail, and the double crossing of the Grand Canyon. Gates discusses the inspiration behind the book and the process of selecting the 50 classic trails featured in it. He emphasizes the diversity of the trails, including point-to-point, loop, and out-and-back options, making them accessible to solo runners. The book aims to provide information and inspiration for both new and seasoned runners, with a focus on responsible trail running. Gates also discusses the importance of technology and advancements in gear in making wilderness exploration more accessible. The conversation concludes with a discussion about the website collaboration and the future publication of the book. About Rickey: • Outside Online  named Rickey one of “The Fittest Real Men in America.”  • He was named USA Track and Field Mountain Runner of the Year in 2007 • is a renowned ultra-runner and adventurer.  • He has twice won the grueling Mount Washington Road Race and  • set the fastest known time (FKT) for running Yosemite's Half Dome.  • His adventures have taken him from the South Pole to Moab, New Zealand, France, Mexico, and back to his home base near Aspen, Colorado, before settling in San Francisco.  We mentioned the book Cross Country: Fifteen Years and 90,000 Miles on the Roads and Interstates of America with Lewis and Clark Find out more about this episode's sponsors: Janji Arc'teryx  Ketone IQ AND!!!!!  Check out the new free app we developed, Trail Triage

Hikes and Mics Podcast
S07 - Episode 05 - MG

Hikes and Mics Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2024 52:20


Send us a Text Message.We have a really special episode today, recorded just outside of Mt. Rainier National Park in the beautiful town of Ashford, Washington. My amazing friend from O‘ahu, MG Greenway, makes their first trip out to the PNW. In this episode MG shares some of the great island hikes we've conquered together, including those with our amazing French Interns. We also learn about MGs earlier hiking adventures, including hiking Half Dome in Yosemite, and MG shares about visiting two roaring waterfalls in and around Mt. Rainier NP.Episode Links:Kalaupapa National Historical Park Follow us on Instagram, @HikesandmicsThis episode's music was created by Ketsa, follow him on Instagram @Ketsamusic Episode Sponsor(s):Ursa Minor Outfitters - Inspired by the outdoors, Created by local artistsGo check them at www.ursaminoroutfitters.com and don't forget to enter the promo code HikesMics10 at checkout to receive 10% off your order.FlipSockz will keep Mother Nature out of your boots with their innovative nylon sleeve.To get your first pair visit www.FlipSockz.com and enter the promo code HikesMics10 at checkout to receive 10% off your order.

Sounds Like A Search And Rescue Podcast
Episode 162 - Jason Quinn from the The Real ResQ Podcast - Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer

Sounds Like A Search And Rescue Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2024 126:38


https://slasrpodcast.com/      SLASRPodcast@gmail.com   This week we are joined by Jason Quinn. Jason is a former US Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer, Officially Rescue Swimmer #500 and currently works in civilian search and rescue and is the host of The Real ResQ Podcast - a podcast that is a compilation of personal stories from people who have put their lives on the line and made some incredible rescues. The stories told on The Real ReqQ Podcast remind us that “those in distress are praying for a miracle. They are going to get the people who join Jason on his podcast. Plus black bears are getting comfortable in the Pemi, A Mass Exodus, New Technology for search and rescue, nature is being very aggressive this week, a history segment on Jigger Johnson, the iconic and often drunk woodsman legend of the Northeast, a fatality on Half dome, recent hikes, blueberry picking advice,  Notable hikes, and dad jokes,   This weeks Higher Summit Forecast Order Form for SLASR Podcast Patches   About Jason The Real ResQ Podcast HeliCast Podcasts Alaska: Dangerous Territory (see 1:12:35 for Jason's Segment)  Distinguished Flying Cross   Topics Loon Echo Land Trust Race Series  Black Bear at Lincoln Woods  Massachusetts people love NH Geolocator for Helicopter SAR Nature Gone Wild Jigger Johnson Grizzly attack Pemi Float Uncontacted Tribes Half Dome Search for Massachusetts cold case victim in Barrington, NH Stomp picks up a hitchhiker Recent hikes on Pleasant Mountain   Welcome Jason Quinn!    Show Notes Apple Podcast link for 5 star reviews SLASR Merchandise SLASR LinkTree LELT Race Series Bald Pate 10k Pleasant Mountain Race Overly Friendly Black Bears in the Pemi A quarter of Mass residents plan to move  New Device allows mobile geolocation of cell phones via Helicopter Major eruption at Yellowstone Hydrothermal, not volcanic, but can get much worse Whale capsizes boat off Portsmouth  Bear waves to driver who let him pass One injured runner made the F&G reports Videos from Aravaipa Some History on Jigger Johnson More History on Johnson 72 year old fights off grizzly Uncontacted tribes still exist… A death on Half Dome cables Search in Barrington, NH related to an old case in Massachusetts   Sponsors, Friends  and Partners 24th Annual Seek the Peak Fieldstone Kombucha CS Instant Coffee 2024 Longest Day - 48 Peaks Mount Washington Higher Summits Forecast Hiking Buddies  Vaucluse - Sweat less. Explore more. – Vaucluse Gear White Mountains Endurance Coaching

Doc Thompson's Daily MoJo
Ep 073024: New Sniper Video Released

Doc Thompson's Daily MoJo

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2024 120:05


July 30, 2024The Daily Mojo is 2 hours of news, commentary, comedy, and auditory deliciousness.www.TheDailyMojo.com"New Sniper Video Released"Is Kamala a good boss? Some would suggest that she isn't. Women's volleyball at the Olympics requires special uniforms...or not. Half Dome in Yosemite is NOT Disneyland! So, about Doug Emhoff... New video from Butler PA sheds some interesting light on the events of July 13.Phil Bell's Morning Update: What about these attacks on our culture and faith? HEREDan Andros - host of The Quickstart Podcast from CBN News - had the day off.Our affiliate partners:We've partnered with The Wellness Company – a based, dedicated group of medical pros – including Dr. Peter McCullough – to bring you a single trustworthy source for your health.www.GetWellMojo.comPromo Code: Mojo50Dave and his crew were roasting historically great coffee before some of these newcomers even thought about creating a coffee brand. He's still the best, in our eyes! www.AmericanPrideRoasters.comNothing says “I appreciate you” like an engraved gift or award. Ron and Misty (mostly Misty) have the perfect solution for you if you need a gift idea for family or your employees!www.MoJoLaserPros.comWe love to support Mike Lindell and his company. He's a real patriot and an American success story!https://www.mypillow.com/radiospecials Promo code: Mojo50Be ready for anything from a hurricane to man-created stupidity (toilet paper shortage, anyone?). The tools and food storage you need to weather the storm.www.PrepareWithMojo50.com Stay ConnectedWATCH The Daily Mojo LIVE 7-9a CT: www.TheDailyMojo.com (RECOMMEDED)Rumble: HEREFacebook: HEREMojo 5-0 TV: HEREFreedomsquare: HEREOr just LISTEN:www.Mojo50.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-daily-mojo-with-brad-staggs--3085897/support.

The Conscious Cowboys
192. THE COWBOYS ARE BACK

The Conscious Cowboys

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2024 42:41


Hey, Cowboys! We're back from our two-week break due to traveling abroad, and we could not be happier to be back on our mics. We have a lot to catch up on due to not recording for the last couple of weeks, so buckle up. We start by extracting the many lessons learned when you spend the last 10 days in a house with your entire family abroad, as well as our upcoming trip to Yosemite to hike Half Dome. We also reminisce about disordered eating, food fears & enjoying food just for the hell of it, not bringing work home with you, the importance of having hard conversations, supportive relationships, the power of the full moon, and we finish off with our constant debate regarding starting a Feet Finder. Thank you for listening friends, we're glad you're here. Talk soon!

Mother Nature Will Kill You
Episode 86 - Zero Days Since Last Accident

Mother Nature Will Kill You

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2024 105:01


Haley and Jillian dive right into a national park summer vacation with Yosemite and the horrors of the half dome hike. Then Jillian talks about Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep for conservation corner. Sources: Yosemite National Park, The National Park Foundation Yosemite National Park, Yosemite Mariposa County John Muir, National Park Service Ansel Adams, National Park Service Half Dome Day Hike, National Park Service Deaths in Yosemite National Park, Roberts & Spiegel Injury Lawyers Half Dome hiker tried to grab Arizona woman as she tumbled to her death, Mike Moffitt, SF Gate How I Almost Died Climbing Yosemite's Half Dome, Swati Vijaykumar, India Currents A perilous summit in Yosemite has caused at least 300 accident in the past 15 years. Here's why people keep sleeping and falling, Aria Bendix, Business Insider Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Facts, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation Episode 172 - Bighorn Sheep: Nature's Hard Hats, Life, Death, and Taxonomy

Sounds Like A Search And Rescue Podcast
Episode 159 - Heather Harland-Wingate - AMC Huts and Volunteer Trails, Hot Weather,  Lightning Advice - Search and Rescue News

Sounds Like A Search And Rescue Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2024 136:21


  https://slasrpodcast.com/      SLASRPodcast@gmail.com    This week, we are joined by Heather Harland-Wingate. Heather is an experienced hiker and white mountains volunteer. She has previously worked as part of the AMC Hut croo and now works as a volunteer to help get the huts ready for their season and she is a trail maintainer for the WestSide Trail on Mount Washington. Heather will share some stories and her advice about volunteering in the White Mountains. Plus - 4th of July recap - lot of rescues and craziness to cover including a mother and daughter trapped in a porta potty, a nude sunbather at Canobie Lake Park in Salem, a young hiker completes the 4000 footer list, Seek the Peak is coming up next week, Monster Trucks, Half Dome, Stomp has tips for avoiding heat stroke and lightning strikes.   This weeks Higher Summit Forecast   Topics Welcome Back From Break Rest in Peace - Brig. General John Pogorek 4th of July recap People acting crazy over the holidays - Porta Potty Flipped over and Naked drunk guy at Canobie Canobie Lake Park Seek that Peak - SLASR will be at the event Jigger Johnson is this weekend 4 year old Lydia Pearson completed the 4000 Footer list - Congrats  Dog Stories  Eastern Mountain Sports - Bankruptcy  Rhino poaching Sunday Sunday Sunday! Monster trucks Half Dome Climbing  Search and Rescue - Repeat rescue  Dad Jokes, Beer Talk, Recent Hikes in Puerto Rico, and Black Mountain Notable Hikes  Stomp Safety Segment - Hot Weather and Lightning  Guest of the Week - Welcome Heather Harland-Wingate - AMC Huts and Croo Life  Recent Search and Rescue News    Show Notes Apple Podcast link for 5 star reviews SLASR Merchandise SLASR LinkTree RIP Brig. General John Pogorek of the NH Air National Guard Porta potty tipper Naked Guy at Canobie Jigger Johnson 100 Another youngin crushes peaks Feel good story Feel bad story EMS files for bankruptcy Extreme poaching prevention Monster Trucks come to Lancaster Climbing Half-Dome off-season Reel Brook rescue Same person, different rescue Rescue Webster-Jackson Lost hiker Mt. Monadnock Injured hiker, Mt. Israel Overdue hiker in Piermont Lost hiker assisted off Mt. Major Multiple events over the 4th Lost hiker, Mt. Monadnock Dartmouth student found Sponsors, Friends  and Partners 24th Annual Seek the Peak Welcome Back to Fieldstone Kumbucha CS Instant Coffee 2024 Longest Day - 48 Peaks Mount Washington Higher Summits Forecast Hiking Buddies  Vaucluse - Sweat less. Explore more. – Vaucluse Gear White Mountains Endurance Coaching

818 Angelz
Ep 30 - Becca Would Never Do This For Me

818 Angelz

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2024 46:22


We're back after a month-long hiatus with a special catch-up episode! Three of the angels share their travel tales from Hawaii, NYC, and Italy, and we delve into important cultural moments. Join us as we recount the unexpected struggles of hiking Half Dome, prison flushes, and ranchgate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The John Freakin’ Muir Pod
CureSearch and the Ultimate Hike - Lauren Rump and Kris Townsend

The John Freakin’ Muir Pod

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2024 74:02


Lauren "Magic Eight Ball" Rump and Kris "Buttercup" Townsend sit down with Doc to talk about CureSearch and its fundraiser, Ultimate Hike, which raises money for pediatric cancer research. Settle in and buckle up as Eight Ball and Buttercup range far and wide in this episode, including discussions of bathtub spaghetti, Half Dome lies, squirting in the right spot, rival hiking clubs, cheating on the hiking poll, motorcycle hitches, the Baton Memorial Death March, and emotional, goose bump moments while raising money to change lives. Unforgettable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ultimate Coach Podcast
The Vibrancy of Being - Martha Jeffers

The Ultimate Coach Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2024 31:35 Transcription Available


In this episode of The Ultimate Coach Podcast, host Ipek Williamson welcomes Martha Jeffers as her guest while Martha shares insights from her profound journey, which includes obtaining a Master's in Spiritual Psychology and her life-altering experience walking the Camino de Santiago. She reflects on her shift from corporate life to embracing a coaching role in her 70s, underlining the message that it's never too late to pursue one's dreams and embrace personal transformation.Martha also discusses the impact of her background and experiences on her approach to coaching, emphasizing compassion and understanding derived from her own life challenges. She delves into how those challenges enable her to connect deeply with her clients, helping them overcome their own obstacles and find fulfillment. Martha's story is a testament to the power of lifelong learning and the possibilities that unfold when one is open to change, regardless of age.About the Guest: Martha Jeffers is a dynamic individual with a 30-year background as a Human Resources executive and a Master's in Spiritual Psychology, blending professional expertise with personal growth to guide others toward a soul-centered life. Originally from Colombia, Martha embraces her rich Spanish heritage and multicultural experiences, infusing her work with a deep appreciation for tradition and diversity.As a grief facilitator, Martha uses her own experiences of aiding her parents through their final transitions to offer solace and support to those dealing with loss, guiding them toward healing and acceptance. Her passion for retreat work is evident as she creates transformative spaces for women to unwind and reconnect with their inner selves, combining adventure with coaching for holistic growth. Known for her deep, heart-centered listening, Martha is described as a “grounding loving force” and a “grandmother spirit” coach, empowering clients to navigate life's challenges with resilience.Martha's adventurous spirit has led her to complete the Camino de Santiago, climb Yosemite's Half Dome, and ascend over 1,000 feet in Peru's Sacred Valley via the Via Ferrata. Her love for exploration extends to her roles as a loving wife, devoted mother, and cherished grandmother, enriching her family's lives and those of her clients. To learn more about Martha, follow her on Facebook or Instagram @marthamotherearth or visit her website at www.marthajeffers.com About the Host:A beacon of change and a catalyst for transformation, Ipek Williamson is a multifaceted professional who seamlessly integrates two decades of corporate expertise with a diverse skill set as a coach, mentor, speaker, author, meditation advocate, and teacher.With a passion for guiding individuals through the complexities of modern life, Ipek specializes in helping overwhelmed individuals harness a profound sense of peace and harmony. Her coaching methodology draws inspiration from Core Values, Mental Fitness, and Mind Mastery, allowing her clients to unearth their latent potential. She adeptly navigates them through the turbulent waters of change, enabling them to embrace transformations with unwavering confidence and boundless joy, all on their own terms.https://ipekwilliamsoncoaching.comThe Ultimate Coach Resourceshttps://theultimatecoachbook.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theultimatecoachInstagram:

National Park After Dark
211: A Lightning Strike Rescue. Yosemite National Park.

National Park After Dark

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2024 81:59


On July 27, 1985 a group of 5 people climbed Half Dome, one of the most prominent and known rock-faces inside the park. A summer storm formed over the summit, but despite the dangers, they continued on. By the end of the day, 2 people were dead and three were critically injured after being struck by lightning, sparking an intense nighttime helicopter rescue. We love our National Parks and we know you do too but when you're out there, remember to enjoy the view but watch your back. Please take a moment to rate and subscribe from wherever you're listening to NPAD! Become part of our Outsider family on Patreon  or Apple Subscriptions to gain access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, and more. Follow our socials Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. To share a Trail Tale, suggest a story, access merch, and browse our book recommendations - head over to our website. Thank you so much to our partners, check them out! Reel: Use our link or code NPAD to sign up for a subscription to automatically get 30% off of your first order and free shipping. Hatch: Use our link to get $20 off and free shipping. Lume Deodorant: Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @lumedeodorant and get $5 off off your Starter Pack (that's over 40% off) with promo code NPAD at LumeDeodorant.com! #lumepod Resources: Book: Shattered Air by Bob Madgic https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/lightning/index.html https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-07-29-me-5124-story.html https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/07/28/A-lightning-bolt-killed-two-rock-climbers-at-the/1260491371200/ https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/halfdome.htm

the Sharp End Podcast
Ep 97 - Accident In Yosemite - Grant And David

the Sharp End Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2024 48:44


On Fourth of July weekend, two climbing partners, Grant and David, set out to climb a 2,200 foot climb on the Northwest face of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park in California. The conditions were perfect to climb this beautiful and exposed twenty-three pitch climb. Things started out perfectly, but not everything turned out as they had planned. Tune into this episode to hear more. This podcast is produced by Ashley Saupe. This podcast is sponsored by Rocky Talkie and then American Alpine Institute and supported by the American Alpine Club. → 10% off Rocky Talkie radios at RockyTalkie.com/SharpEnd → Up to 30% off Hydration & Energy Bundle. Includes each of each best-selling flavors of Hydration & Energy at protekt.com/sharpend → 10% off Swoop garments with code SHARPEND → 20% off First Aid contents at MyMedic.com with code SHARPEND20 → 10% off any wilderness medicine course with Desert Mountain Medicine using code SHARPEND Instagram: the_sharp_end_podcast YouTube: @thesharpendpodcast Become a Patreon: patreon.com/thesharpendpodcast Visit my website: www.thesharpendpodcast.com