Podcasts about Hallmark

In this spill over episode, we write our own Hallmark movie before we get to celebrating our Goal Getters. Then we chat about the 2023 Will Run For Virtually Live Race. We cannot thank this community enough for coming out for the 3rd year and being a part of this race Tom thought up all those years ago! We love you all and can't wait for another year celebrating with you all! Chapters 0:00 - 7:00 Opening 7:00 - 33:00 Goal Getters 33:00 - 52:44 Virtually Live Recap . Come laugh with us as we share our running experiences and talk about everything from our favorite beer runs to our chafing nightmares. Tell us what YOU run for... Email us or leave a voice memo at WillRunForPodcast@gmail.com Find us on Facebook and Instagram @WillRunForPodcast Tag your pictures and stories @WillRunForPodcast and help grow our community.

Fear motivates us. It can motivate us to stand still. It can motivate us to retreat to what was once comfortable. It can even motivate us to keep moving forward in the midst of uncertainty, which is scary. Living out your purpose requires grit, resilience, and the ability to keep stepping forward when it scares you. We know, it sounds really easy to say but how do you do it? On today's episode, Austin has a great discussion with pastor, leader, and speaker, Preston Smith about what it takes to keep going when it scares you. Preston shares a wealth of practical advice from his own experiences that will help anyone live out their purpose with boldness and intentionality. About Preston It all started for me in the small town where I was born and have lived most of my life, Albert Lea Minnesota. With a town no bigger than 17,000, it felt like I grew up in a Hallmark movie. I knew people on every corner, drama wasn't far away and there were many happy endings. I married my high school sweetheart. I even worked a majority of my professional career at the church I grew up in. We bought a house and started growing our family within miles of where we grew up and the people that raised us. What a blessing it has been being so close to family.  ​ I'm passionate about people. I love people and I love seeing people win. I've found from my experiences, work, and adventures that I want to use the power that words have in a way to encourage, bring life, better those listening, all to advance the Kingdom in the name of Jesus. ​ My wife Sydney and I have one biological son Briggs. We also have been fostering for awhile and have had 6 children in and out of our home. We currently have one foster son. We are also in the process of adopting from Liberia and are patiently awaiting to be united with this child in the near future. The Smiths desire to do as we've been called: we will be present, love unrelenting, dream big by doing all things for, with, and because of God. We believe that the best is yet to come, yet we desire to do all that we can with the time we have and with the people we love the most. We want our legacy to outlive us, one that points to Jesus first, our care for others next, and the passions for life itself in our humble pursuit of the Lord. ​ We've stepped out in faith to be a blessing to you. Let us know how we can best serve you and partner to bring about transformation, development, and Kingdom impact. Connect with Preston Website: www.wordsbypreston.com

The next sequel we are covering is "Oblivion 2: Backlash" which is cowboys vs aliens with a legendary cast. For it chatted with Director Sam Irvin. Sam talked about growing up with access to the movie theater his father owned, interviewing legends for his fanzine he did as a kid, working with Elvira, his friendship with Vincent Price, his new book "I Was a Teenage Monster Hunter" (link below to buy), his new movie Love in Zion National on Hallmark which premiers May 20th, 2023 at 8 PM EST, and lots more. Great chat. Watch the unedited interview at sequelsonly.com/SamIrvin Buy Sam's Book here https://www.amazon.com/TEENAGE-MONSTER-VINCENT-CHRISTOPHER-CUSHING/dp/B0BMSZLFTL Become a fan on Facebook or should I say "Sammitch" here https://www.facebook.com/sirvinprod Buy Larry Hankin's book which I helped him with at https://www.amazon.com/That-Guy-Cautionary-Larry-Hankin/dp/B0BW32R6FN/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1678339317&refinements=p_27%3ALarry+Hankin&s=books&sr=1-1 Next is our review of "Oblivion 2: Backlash " which is a lot of fun. Follow us on all social media @sequelsonly and our website is sequelsonly.com Review, rate, and share us with your friends, enemies, neighbors, exes, and even that annoying supermarket clerk!

Otis is sick with kennel cough, aw poor babe. Jessie hates going to the doctor but she powered through it! Do you have health insurance? This conversation leads us into a Hallmark about surgery: Doctors With Borders, we love getting to escape reality with you. Have you joined the Facebook group?

In this BONUS episode, Patrick and Kathleen Butler Duplessis (@kathleensingssuff) interview the delightful multi-talented actress/dancer Olivia Buckle (@oliviadeanne). We talk about Olivia's Lifetime movie, Her Fiance's Double Life. We also discuss women lifting up other women, fight choreography, and The Shoebox Project. (https://www.instagram.com/shoeboxproject_losangeles/) ⁠Lifetime Uncorked⁠ and ⁠Deck the Hallmark⁠ collide on this monthly podcast covering your favorite TV movies! Brandon (Bran) Gray & Daniel (Dan) Thompson join Lifetime Expert ⁠Patrick Serrano⁠ to break Lifetime's 2023 movie lineup. Follow us on social media for more content @LifetimeUncorked & @HallmarkPodcast Donate to Patrick's Cable Fund: ⁠https://ko-fi.com/patrickserrano⁠ Read Patrick's Recaps/Reviews: ⁠https://lifetimeuncorked.com/⁠ Listen to Patrick's latest single: ⁠https://patrickserrano.hearnow.com⁠ Check out other Bramble Jam Podcasts: ⁠https://bramblejampodcast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYuQwUKBmS2MouRnVhRLyig⁠ Watch Patrick's Lifetime Movie: ⁠Old Flames Never Die, starring⁠ ⁠PATRICK SERRANO⁠! Business Inquiries | podcast@lifetimeuncorked.comFollow the Podcast @LifetimeUncorked & @⁠hallmarkpodcast⁠Follow the Host @PatrickMiguel Support Lifetime Uncorked with a monthly donation:  ⁠https://ko-fi.com/patrickserrano --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lifetime-uncorked/message

This week we are talking about the movie I chose for my hall pass, The Fast and The Furious Tokyo Drift. I chose this because it will have its 9th sequel and we never covered one. This sequel gave us so much to discuss like Han died? Also, if they try and tell you this movie was later in the series, please look at the flip phones in the final race. We also covered Sean's dad a pimp, Sean learning Japanese in a week, Hans' unlimited bankroll, and so much more. Watch the unedited review at sequelsonly.com/TokyoDrift Next week we are talking with Director Sam Irvin who has credits that include Oblivion, Elvira's Haunted Hills, and many Hallmark movies. His latest, "Love in Zion National Park" Premieres Saturday, May 20th at 8 PM EST. Sam sort of grew up in the movie business and fell in love with horror. We talked about this new book, "I Was a Teenage Monster Hunter!: How I Met Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, & More". Great chat. Buy his book ---> https://www.amazon.com/Was-Teenage-Monster-Hunter-Christopher/dp/B0BQ1CG9MV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1VC7XI0EEZ42C&keywords=sam+irvin&qid=1683774965&sprefix=sam+irvin%2Caps%2C455&sr=8-1 Buy Larry Hankin's book that Doug helped him put together at https://www.amazon.com/That-Guy-Cautionary-Larry-Hankin/dp/B0BW32R6FN/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1678339317&refinements=p_27%3ALarry+Hankin&s=books&sr=1-1 Follow us on all social media @sequelsonly and our website is sequelsonly.com Review, rate, and share us with your friends, enemies, neighbors, exes, and even that annoying supermarket clerk!

Welcome to a special Mother's Day episode, where six guest poets and storytellers break down suffocating ideas of what a mother must be, to make space for the primal torrent of the earthy, crazy, profoundly deepening realites. And this isn't just about biological mothers, though god bless 'em, we need 'em.Our guests share traditional stories, heartfelt poems, and personal experiences that delve into the twists and burns of motherhood. Through their stories, we'll discover that motherhood is not just about the Hallmark card version of it. It's a messy, complicated journey that often defies our expectations and challenges us in ways we never imagined.We'll hear from mothers who have experienced loss, sacrifice, and moments of pure exhaustion. We'll also hear from those who have found unexpected beauty and fulfillment in the chaos of motherhood.Our guests will challenge limited conceptions about motherhood and reveal something more primal and deeply resonant within all of us. So join us as we celebrate motherhood in all its complexity, and honor the women who have loved and nurtured us throughout our lives. Happy Mother's Day!Transcript:Mother's Day May 2023 assembled[00:00:00] TheoWelcome to the story paths podcast. I'm theatre Lowery, and this is our mother's day special. My birthday was recently. And on that day I reached out. Uh, some online and in person. Communities and asked if anyone would like to share some stories, some reflections, some poems. About mother's day. And I'm glad to say they sent me an intriguing variety of offerings. From a story, reframing a childhood. To a poem about motherhood from the trenches. To reflections on breaking societal molds of motherhood. To a deepening [00:01:00] into the fierce beauty. Of mother earth. We begin with a story from storyteller, Carrie taught. And this one is broadly about childhood. The realm of mothers. About relationship. With elders about carrying guilt and the stories that we tell ourselves. And as you listen, whether you're old or young or male or female, you might imagine that you were the boy. And this story. And that this is part of your childhood. Once upon a time there was a boy and he lived on a [00:02:00] small farm in the distant remote countryside at least 10 miles away from the closest village, and his family ran the farm small vegetable farm that also had 12 apricot trees and chickens, and two cows and six sheep. And the boy named Jimmy. Worked very hard on the farm along with his family, and together they produced enough food to survive on as well as to sell at market for a moderate modest income.Well, one day Jimmy was not doing his chores. But instead was playing by the old well, and he had been told many, many, many times by his mother to stay away from the old. Well, but there he was nonetheless, because there was something magnetic about that deep, dark void in the earth. And, and he just couldn't stay away.And he loved the way, when he reached his arm down, the air felt different because it was cold and still. [00:03:00] And when he leaned over and smelled, it smelled damp and earthy. There used to be wood on top of the well for obvious safety precautions, but at a particularly bad time of storms, the family used the wood to board up the windows and nobody had got around to replacing it.Well, I know that you can see where this story is going. Jimmy did fall down the well, and he lodged his foot between rocks at the bottom and he couldn't move. He tried to free his foot. He thought, well, maybe he could scramble up, but the walls were far too tall and too steep for that. Anyway, Jimmy was terrified.And he knew that nobody was gonna find him until at least dinner. Everybody was off doing their chores, either working in the house or working in the fields or working when in the orchard or attending to the animals. Everybody was doing what they were supposed to be doing and nobody would notice that he [00:04:00] was gone.The dinner bell was hours away. And in that time, Jimmy, Thought. Terrible, terrible thoughts. He wondered what would happen if nobody ever found him and he starved to death. What, what if they had to cut off his leg to get him out? What if, what if his family was so angry with him for the trouble they caused that they sent him away to live somewhere else?Oh, why? Why wasn't Jimmy? Doing what he was supposed to be doing. Why did he not listen to his mother? Why was he playing near the, well? Why wasn't he doing his chores like he was supposed to? Why couldn't he have just been a good boy? Why? Well, sure enough, when the dinner bell rang and Jimmy didn't appear for dinner, the family sprung into action.You see, there are a lot of accidents that can happen on a small farm at the edge of the wilderness, and they didn't wait to see if Jimmy was just [00:05:00] dillydallying. They jumped up and they spread out and they searched and it didn't take long for them to discover Jimmy at the bottom of the well. But the problem was really about how to get him out.You see, Jimmy's foot was still stuck. He couldn't free himself. And the entrance to the well, the opening of the well was too narrow for anybody else to fit down, to come down and help. And they were afraid that if they tried to dig a wider opening, that the rocks and debris in the mud would fall on top of Jimmy.And they finally decided the only thing they could do. Was to dig a parallel shaft beside the well and then dig across to free. Jimmy. Well, they sent the kids out to the neighboring farms to rally for help, and soon they had gathered a work crew. And they worked around the clock in shifts digging and digging and digging.And it took five days and five [00:06:00] nights before they were able to free Jimmy from the well. And in that time, not one moment was Jimmy left alone. There was always somebody sitting at the mouth of the well with him talking down to him in. Calming, soothing, reassuring voices. They sang to him. They told him stories.They read aloud. They even brought Jimmy's little baby sister to come and coup and babble and giggle down the well. They sent down as much love and comfort as they could. They sent him his favorite food. They sent down blankets. They hauled up his toilet waste. They tried to fill Jimmy up with as much love and comfort and reassurance as they could, and after five days when they freed Jimmy, there was a huge celebration and everybody came.It was a giant potluck and, and there was so much celebrating. Jimmy was the hero. [00:07:00] He was celebrated and Jimmy went to bed and cried himself to sleep.Not one person said a thing to Jimmy about the terrible inconvenience of missing five days of work on the farm. Not one person said anything about the apricots dropping off the trees and rotting on the ground or, or about the. Cut worms that were devastating, the cabbage patch. Nobody said anything about why Jimmy was playing at the well in the first place.Nobody scolded him. Nobody said, why weren't you checking the fences like you were supposed to? Nobody said any of that. Nobody teased him. Nobody made fun of having to haul up his toilet waste, none of that. But Jimmy was ashamed and embarrassed, and he made a promise to himself that night. Jimmy promised himself that he would never again cause so [00:08:00] much anguish to somebody else.Never again would he require so much labor. Never again would he be a burden. Never again would he be so helpless.I, and although Jimmy was forever grateful, He carried a small cold stone in his heart for the rest of his life where he kept his fear and his sadness, and his shame, and his loneliness. Jimmy grew up to be a kind and generous and serious. And successful man. He was philanthropic, but he always kept himself a little apart from the world.He was always a little bit alone and a little bit sad if only he had spoken those feelings aloud. If only he [00:09:00] had heard how others told this story. You see, for some people this was a story of purpose about how setting a worthy goal and working hard to achieve it against the odds is an incredible feeling.For some, it was a story of the value of community, about the importance of working together for the common good. For some people, this helped them set their priorities straight. It reminded them that the love and the support and the wellbeing of another. Is so much more important than anything else on their to-do list.Others were reminded to go home and do a safety check on their own property. I mean, who knows how many accidents this prevented for? One young couple who were just starting out, this was a story of love and commitment of family, and it became the cornerstone of the life that they built together. Even, [00:10:00] even.Jimmy's little sister who had no memory of the event, internalized the importance and the significance of her voice, how important it was for her presence and her voice to be heard. Not one person carry the story of bitterness or resentment or the disappointment that Jimmy imagined. So I ask you, are you carrying an old story?That keeps you apart from life, that keeps you somehow small. Have you made a vow or a promise that no longer serves you? You see how we tell our story impacts how we experience the world. We get to choose how we tell our story. Choose well, my friend, choose well. [00:11:00] We get to choose how we tell our story. What a powerful lesson. There's a saying, I like. It's never too late to have a good childhood. To look back and reframe. Stories in which we cast ourselves as a fill-in or others as a felon. And to look at them from different perspectives. That's one of the beauties of storytelling. Is it allows you to move around 360 degrees. More. Our degrees around particular events in the past or particular understandings. And see them from different points of view. Like a council. Uh, people coming together and sharing their few point. I know when I heard this story from Carrie, I thought of some events from the childhood or younger years of other people that I know who are dear to [00:12:00] me. And considered, oh, it could be seen in a different perspective. Or maybe there's someone, you know, who seeing events in their own life or they're casting themselves as the fill-in or the victim. But the, you don't see them that way. The UCM is bigger than that. Stronger than that. TheoNext, we have a poem from storyteller and poet, Amy Walsh. And here she digs down. Into what motherhood should be. Could be. Is. And deep reflections. But what it means to be. Uh, human poised within older and newer generations of humans. Tending new generations. Children. What to pass on. What to stop. When to forgive oneself. [00:13:00] What is it to be a mother? Amy WalshHi, Theo. I wanted to share my poem with you. It was inspired by a group that I'm part of called Mother Circle that's facilitated by Kimberly Anne Johnson. I am Amy, daughter of Marsha, granddaughter of Rita, and Arlene, great-granddaughter of Anne, Minnie, Marie and Marie, mother of Rita and Irene. I carry the blood of the victim, the perpetrator, and the rescuer in my veins. And I know that I pass these to my daughters via both nurturance and bone. I know that I want to do things differently and sometimes I can't, and sometimes I can.[00:14:00] I know there are gifts I want to hand down, and sometimes I can't, and sometimes I can. My oldest daughter is a wise little mystic, a sensitive soul. She told me when she was four. All we needed to do to deserve God's love was be born. She reads body language like I read every flyer at the dorm elevator bulletin board, effortlessly, unintentionally, perhaps uncontrollably absorbing every emotional nuance I never saw or long ago tuned out. Until Covid made my rage unavoidable I would've told you with a straight face that I didn't often feel angry. Or afraid or ashamed or even sad because what did that get you except sent to your room? So I prided myself on being the easy kid and got it together [00:15:00] and expected my sense to five year old to get it together too. Now she attaches so much to being the best kid in her class to being all business in first grade.It makes me want to cry. Because maybe she was wired like that, but maybe this is her version of easy. Maybe I have already taught her that her emotions are too much, that it is more important to be good, that's safe, that there are conditions on her worth.How do I unwind that and repair that? Can I open my heart to feel the joy and grief, passion and rage, hope and fear? Belonging and shame. Can my daughters and I teach each other, can we take that freight ancestral tapestry and weave it a new, my mother was the [00:16:00] daughter of a man who lost his mother in a car accident at the age of six.I am not sure there are words for how disorienting that was. He never moved beyond that emotionally in the 83 years that followed his outbursts. Never more regulated than a six year old boys, but much more terrifying to a small child in the container of a grown man.My mother was two when she and her brother threw eggs at the hem house wall. She remembers the fun and the delight of bright yellow streaking down the wall. She doesn't remember what happens next, except that it was the last time she did something fun without fully examining the consequences. A good girl through and through to this day, my mother recoils that conflict when my daughter's fight [00:17:00] over a plastic hat.She pounces with immediate distraction to escape their anger and provide them an escape route too. I say that as if I am better, as if it doesn't take two days of inner pep talks and a well-rehearsed script to confront someone about a small frustration at work as if I weren't afraid to be unreasonable, as if it didn't feel mean to say no.As I sift through the debris of easy and excavate my too muchness, I can see that I never felt afraid of my mother. I can see the additional room she created for me to maneuver in the world, room she never had. I can see the stories of abusive fathers and women who did what they had to to survive. I can see the stories of grieving fathers.And women who died in childbirth. [00:18:00] I can see the son of an alcoholic whose heart broke too early. I can see the hunger and the fear that led to that alcoholism or led to insatiable taking, that was the direct cause of the hunger and desperation of others. I can see the church and the wild woman of the woods.I can see the stone workers and the story keepers. I can see the conquest and the concord. I can see the ancient grandmothers place their flower crown on my head. There is pride and shame and magic in your life. Victims. Perpetrators, rescuers, all of them, shaking your windows and rattling your bones, demanding you look at the sacrifices and the atrocities [00:19:00] carried out in your name, demanding you reckon with a question? Why are you still here?YolandaI'm Yolanda I'm an Ubuntu poet and I love the idea that stories, stories,I'm Yolanda I'm an Ubuntu poet and I love the idea that stories, stories, That's the voice of Yolanda. Who will share with us some bombastic reflections on motherhood. On primal forces, breaking societal molds. And finding one's fault. All the more visible with the attempt to parent. Uh, young being into this world. And with the mother's connection with ancestral lines of mothers flowing into her. And all their [00:20:00] connection. With mother earth. what really struck me was, firstly I was. Grateful to have this invitation from a man. It really landed just that simple awareness that, um, a man was wanting on his own birthday to celebrate motherhood. I come from an African culture that's a dual heritage. So it's the north and east of Africa. It's a two season landscape, it's multiple languages before you enter into school. And you come into a culture that is in Europe. So I'm very much a sort of diaspora lens. Using the English language, my, my second language to communicate on a topic that. I believe motherhood just strips you off language and gets you back into that animal primal state, you know, where between, you know, [00:21:00] milking with, you know, with holding your child's head in one hand and kind of sensing the, on a pheromone level, you can smell the presence of your man wanting to creep back towards you.And, you know, how does that mind deal with all that at once? It's, it's just, it's an adventure, you know. And you learn to relax into it I couldn't even speak the word adventure without acknowledging that I wanted to pause Advent. So I don't know how folks reflect on motherhood.It's got such an urban myth around it. It's got so many different silent codes within it. But motherhood for me has just been. Tooth pulling messy adventure, and that we need to somehow be nourished by it and also shed some of those stories that we have somehow nurtured. There's the stories that we see from our families. There's those things that [00:22:00] exist in society that say the dos and don't. A mother. I'll have, you know, Theodore, if I've understood the silent codes has put aside her.Her sexy has put aside, her woman has put aside her. You know, lover has put aside all of that and has raised to the pedestal a dream. A dream filled with urban myth rather than the sacred, simple, scared story. You are on an adventure and you aren't being asked to go beyond some of those limitations that you might have. And through a conditioned mindset and, and religion, all those kind of things. You call it culture. On a good day, you call it maddening on a bad day.And then motherhood just kind of keeps pushing, but both further down that river so that you recognize that uh, you just don't have the language. And that's when I became quite. [00:23:00] Familiar with my animist heritage and I, I brought that to myself in the most compassionate way cuz I recognized that in all ways I had given up and that I was not being asked to give up on myself, but I was being asked to explore this on a completely sacred level.So motherhood for me became a path where I recognized that I had walked with shame, and that I was gradually being invited through the motherhood experience of seeing the holy in the shame, seeing the beautiful in the shame, seeing the, I'm part of a wider story in the shame, and so shame like all entities that have a spaciousness to them. My first glance on this relationship was I'll never be good enough. I failed him from the get-go. [00:24:00] Um, and then the storyline became what makes you think there is any extra that needs to be done? Maybe he needs my kind of crazy, maybe he needs my kind of flaws. And I have found that the mother tongue is the one that is so foundational in the discourse between Great Mother and remembering our matriarchs from the original story, those who have now been transformed and present to us as two-legged people, but they are present to us through the other members of our family, through the tree family, the stone people, the elements. The oral tradition gives you that tonality. The oral tradition says you are to lean to your child. Like the grandmother always reminds the mother. When I lost my firstborn child, I still use language like lost. [00:25:00] It's my grandmother who said you had already called and named her Maisha.Maisha in my mother tongue means life.And I go back to the simplicity of the term storyline. It brought me my grandmother in a form I hadn't known. She said, we go at a particular time to go and meet our coffee plants. We have coffee plantations by the but of the kja. It's, it's a sea, a wave of.Of coffee plants, it's coffee medicine. And then we have those who walk, who go into the climb. So they listen and they do that story and they hear the story and they bring it back down to us. And we know how to do our coffee medicine to care. There is nothing within the storyline.Says, strip the coffee plants away so that we can see the [00:26:00] magnificence of our grandmother better exposed. That's a colonized mind. You don't throw the baby with the bathwater. That's motherhood. Your son's a jerk is the sentence that comes to the surface.You know, he's come back at two o'clock in the morning, you're gonna hear him making love all night. Why? Why? Why? Then you remember, you don't strip the coffee medicine. That's his story. That's when you're like, I remember when I used to do that.What is this biggest hunger and yearning that mothers are called to remember? All religions in their sacred and in their pure, how the discourse, it says enter into direct relationship. It's not just us crazy mystic or part Catholic, shamanic and, you know, possessed. It's there. It's in the fabric [00:27:00] of the cloth. If you become overly confused, Motherhood is the most devouring, insane thing. Can you imagine it's made that way? You know, we, we bring them through a portal and they do their part.So it's an adventure. And when I think of motherhood, I wanted to recognize the matriarchs that have sat with their patriarchs, and they've done it in a combined and relaxed and loving way in the deep confusion that exists at the moment.And in the original old stories. As I love to say, the grandmother's spirit had already seen fit to, to have in that in between space medicine, deep deep medicine, and as it happens, science now knows that if you are sipping on coffee, you are more likely to get [00:28:00] to deal with those high altitudes with a better experience.But you know, did my original, original, original grandmother know this? But she's quite cheeky, so she's saying yes, but you know, we come from a cheeky line, so I'll just ignore that. Shall we say that bit? I don't think she did. Really. I think what happens is a, a deep obedience, you know, you, you learn to communicate and into real relationship and you, you hear your bodies.Yes. And you, you can, you can recognize your bodies. For me, motherhood is a messy adventure. And the more you can vent the better. We are not invited to do this alone. Recognizing that we can look at the signs and lean on others and take a leap of faith and remember that as much as we believe it's our own [00:29:00] adventure, our children are our deepest teacher and it's with loving embrace of other mothers, other grandmothers, other sisters, those who have birthed that experience, or those who are there to support you even if they haven't lived the so-called birth experience. And then with that, we can simply say, we are a family and our men are so much a part of this. Our other family members are so much a part of this. And I'm grateful. Uh, next we have a poem. Of belonging. And earthiness. By the poet and artist, Jesse White. How could we have forgotten the blessing to be born of a love as ancient as eternity, perpetually shape shifting, [00:30:00] spirit breathing you into me and back again until I no longer know where my skin ends and yours begins. Tate our bones back to the land. Remembering her embrace of gravity. May we begin the mourning, bowing to the beauty that births us.Mother of mystery and magic, father of fire and feather. How could we have forgotten we belong along?Lastly, we close with a story. By storyteller, Diana spirit hark. A story about the interrelationships between life and death which we've. The creatures. In this world together, including ourselves. The story of the wisdom. [00:31:00] Of our great mother. Wisdom, which is sometimes hard. For us. To accept. I am an artisan of a ceremonial art I've been a storyteller and a dream weaver. For my whole life. I've always known about dreams since I was a little girl, and when I found the medicine teachings of the four directions, I became totally immersed in that and found, felt like I finally found a philosophy and a way of life that matched who I was, who I am.And so I am a grandmother and a great-grandmother, still raising children, still [00:32:00] interpreting dreams, still making art, and still loving mother nature. My friend Theo asked me to share a story about mothers or grandmothers, cuz I'm a grandmother and I have. A favorite story about a mother that we often don't think of as our, our mother. When I was a little girl, I was put outside and the door locked. So I, I made friends with, with nature, with the trees and the grass and the birds and, and the bugs and everything.That was on my, you know, in my yard when I was little. And at one point I actually said to myself that I think that [00:33:00] I was given to the wrong family and that my real mother is Mother Nature. Cuz in those days, long time ago, they didn't talk about Earth Mother much. Mostly talked about. Be good to Mother Nature.And so that's, so I decided that Mother Nature was my true mother, and this song is called Earth Mother, and it is a story about. There, there's a lot of talk right now about how we're spoiling the earth and howthis shouldn't happen and that shouldn't happen. But nature has a verypretty powerful awareness [00:34:00] of what her children need.Earth. Mother woke with the dawn and Fanny sacred smoke to all the four directions. She began to walk thelan singing her morning song.Beautiful home, beautiful homeland. Welcome the fire, the east and sun. Welcome the south. The swimmers and the waters welcome the west, the earth and the plants. Welcome the north. The wind and the animals. Welcome to the stars. Welcome to the moon. Good morning, my beautiful life. Good morning. My [00:35:00] beautiful life.And as she walked,she came to. A beautiful place where she bent down and she saw the The Beatles, and she gave them beautiful little iridescent green jackets and she hung green acorns in the trees and bending low. She the seed of summer in a little flower. So that when it opened in summer, it would remember. Then she turned her gaze to the sage covered desert.She loved the desert. She blew a warm [00:36:00] wind across the Bless the desert and a hawk caught it on his wings as he blew, and then she walked on. As she walked, she came to the river and there was men. Man had his neck and he was catching frogsfor his breakfastfor his mother. You are kind. You sent frog to me. To hunt and catch for my breakfast. I am very grateful they filled my belly.Oh, but why, why do you send mosquitoes to torment me in my bed at night? They bite me and make me leave my bed.[00:37:00] Mosquitoes Earth. Mother, very, very bad, bad, bad frogs, on the other hand, sweet, good, and so delicious,Earth's mother. If there were no more mosquitoes, the world would be perfect.Earth's mother's side and walked. She walked across the Savannah in Africa wearing a robe, fringed with falling rain. She filled the water holes, sharpened the thorn bushes, guided sunbird to a blooming flower with nectar, she climbed a peak. And flung her spear of lightning across the sky. It felt the sting of storm and the fury of the [00:38:00] lightningin the North Earth. Mother powdered the trees with snow and like diamond dust. It was in the air later on in the afternoon, earth Mother. Heard frogs calling.She saw a frog sitting on the rock and catching an insect in with this tongue and eating at whole. Thank you Earth Mother Mosquitoes and her sisters fill my belly. But why have you said man to eat me? Man is very, very bad, bad, bad, sweet, delicious mosquitoes On the other hand, they make me happy. If there were no more men in [00:39:00] this world, it would be perfect Birth mother smiled and walked on in the evening.She died deep into the water and swam with the whales. Iridescent blue light coming out of her fingertips. Crescent Moon rose, she cradled an otter in a bed of seaweed. It was nighttime. Now, she walked across the meadow.She heard a tiny little voice,earth mother. I am so grateful to you for sending man. He's so tasty and delicious when I bite him in his pet. But why Earth Mother do you send those useless [00:40:00] rocks? They have eaten my sisters. And tomorrow, Shirley, they will eat me. This one would be perfect. Ifthere were no more props, earth mother smiled inside and she climbed the hill to her cloud tv. She spread fireflies amongst the trees and they sparkled like diamonds. She spread a spider, we lace on the grass,and she said goodnight. Goodnight to the Beatles and the hawks and the sunbirds. Goodnight to the whales and the frogs, and the otters and the mosquitoes, and fireflies. [00:41:00] Her children everywhere. Then she went to sleep and the world in its own way was perfect. Goodnight. Goodnight, my beautiful hope.Goodnight to the south, the swimmers and the whales. Goodnight to the west, the earth and the plants. Goodnight to the north, the wind and the animals. Goodnight to the starts. Goodnight to the moon. Goodnight, beautiful light. Goodnight, beautiful world. Goodnight. Beautiful land.The end.So it's a great story about all of life and it really does answer the why [00:42:00] life is the way it is yet gently, mm-hmm. With grace and beauty. Thank you for listening. If you'd like to support this podcast, you can become a paid subscriber on sub stack. And this month paid subscribers are receiving the full. Reflections from Yolanda. Edited down quite a bit for this episode. And I also invite you to share it with others who you think would like it. Until next time. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storypaths.substack.com/subscribe

It's not kindness, communication, or respect... although those are pretty good hallmarks of a relationship too! Claire reveals what she thinks makes Larry and her work so well together, which doesn't involve just the two of them... Curious? Then check out this freeing and fun episode, where Claire definitely has a laugh at her own expense, as well as Larry's.Referenced episodes My Heartbreak Story.Inward and Onwardwww.theurbanandthemystic.com 20% off with code : HeartbreakCoach20www.winnowskincare.com 20% off with code : HeartbreakCoach20

Joe is joined by good friends Sophie Day and Andy Helmcamp to discuss the 2023 Hallmark movie Hearts In the Game. Step up to the plate for fun!

And, as with almost every season, Cindy had to join us and add her ICONIC input! Tune in as we get the most surprising setting from a Hallmark movie and discuss the merits of creating your own unique career paths.

Life With The Girlfriends with Christine Marie and Julie Peters Topic: A little departure from our regular show. This week we are interviewing director David Winning at DavingWinning.com about his 25 Hallmark movies and the Houston Film Festival at Worldfest.org How does one man direct the tv series Friday the 13th and VanHelsing to Christmas and Mysteries for Hallmark? Enjoy!

Disclosure: We are part of the Amazon Affiliate/LTK Creator programs. We will receive a small commission at no cost if you purchase a book. This post may contain links to purchase books & you can read our affiliate disclosure here. Can love get a second chance? Join us as romance writer Jennifer Vido, shares her journey from cozy mystery series to crafting sweet love stories reminiscent of Hallmark movies. Listen in as we explore her latest book, "Serendipity by the Sea," and the emotional journey it takes readers on, following the characters on their quest for a second chance at love.Discover Jennifer's writing process and the books and genres that have influenced her work. As a fan of thrillers, mysteries, and romance, she shares some recent favorites, including the jaw-dropping thriller, "The House Guest" by Hank Phillippi Ryan. We also discuss our love for audiobooks and how they make everyday tasks more enjoyable. Don't miss this delightful discussion about writing, reading, and all things romance! Happy reading!SHOWNOTES AND BOOK LINKShttp://WhattoReadNextBlog.comCheck out our YouTube Channel;https://www.whattoreadnextblog.com/youtubeMusic from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/hartzmann/sunnyLicense code: 0RDRBKGH6NGQCAXR

In today's brand new episode, Megan and Wendy share everything they are watching, reading, and reading in this month's Pop Culture Club May 2023. Plus, don't miss the Instagram fire Megan ignited about butter and a confession from Wendy. Megan and Wendy share all the things they are watching, reading and listening to in this month's Pop Culture Episode. Sign Up for Patreon Want brand new episodes all summer long? Sign up for Patreon for just $5/month where you'll get exclusive podcast episodes including Pop Culture Club and Friday Five. Plus access to the archive! * I WANT MEGAN AND WENDY ON PATREON* Mentioned in this Episode Megan is Watching: Check out our Girls Gone Hallmark summer schedule. Fans of the podcast have requested their favorite Hallmark movies and they delivered! Feeling like a Hallmark movie, definitely catch something from this list. The Diplomat (Netflix) The Newsroom (from 2012, Aaron Sorkin) Survivor (CBS, Paramount+) Ted Lasso (AppleTV) Wendy is Watching: Vanderpump Rules Watch with Brittany and Jax (Peacock) The Diplomat Emily in Paris (Netflix) George Michael Freedom Uncut documentary Shining Vale (Courtney Cox, Greg Kinnear, co-created by Sharon Horgan on STARZ) Ted Lasso The Fabelmans (Steven Spielberg) Are You There God, It's Me Margaret? Megan is Reading: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna Georgie All Along by Kate Clayborn Hate You Later by Ciara Blume Wendy Wants to Read: Icebreaker by Hannah Grace Moments Like This by Anna Gomez and Kristoffer Polaha The Life Council by Laura Tremaine Megan is Listening to: The Royals of Malibu (scripted podcast) On Fire with Jeff Probst Wendy is Listening to: Jeff Lewis Live on SiriusXM Scheanagains with Scheana Shay Give Them Lala On Fire with Jeff Probst Megan and Wendy Approved! Megan is loving the KIND Minis Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt bars ($8.99/Target) Wendy is a big fan of The Weekender Bag from Béis ($108/Nordstrom)

Rhonney Greene is an accomplished costume designer with credits in both Tv and film including "The Adjustment Bureau", "For Colored Girls", "The Avengers" "Harlem ", and "Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse". Rhonney has brought his expertise to the Hallmark Universe as costume designer for all five Mahogany films. Listen as he talks about his journey into the costuming world and his vision and inspiration behind his wardrobe choices for each Mahogany film. To purchase "Chasing Wind": https://amzn.to/3IGUI6g For other Hallmark movie reviews, be sure to check out the Dear Hallmark YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe7R8-e6d13cee5QMo_Oltw Dear Hallmark's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearhallmark/ Dear Hallmark's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dearhallmarkpodcast  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dearhallmark/message

Stephanie and Kerrie are back from their break in April to bring you the May line up! Hallmark - all movies on Saturdays at 8 PM: May 6th - When Love Springs - Rhiannon Fish and James O'HalloranDream Moms - Tamera Mowry-Housley and Chelsea HobbsLove in Zion National: A National Park Romance - Cindy Busby and David Gridley Hallmark Movies & Mysteries - all movies on Fridays at 9 PM The Jane Mysteries: Inheritance Lost - Jodie Sweetin and Stephen Huszar Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery - Alison Sweeney, Cameron Mathison, and Barbara Niven

Many people say, “I want to meet God. I want to have an encounter.” But the way Job gets to an encounter with God is through absolutely horrible suffering. Job is a book for adults. It's not easy. It's certainly not sugarcoated. When God shows up, it's not a Hallmark-card, folded-hands, rays-of-light-coming-through-the-stained-glass-window kind of religion. Oh no, not at all. Let's look at the story of Job, and then let's look at what it teaches about what it means to know God. It shows us 1) the philosophical lesson, 2) the foundational lessons, and 3) the practical lesson. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on September 15, 1996. Series: Daring to Draw Near. Scripture: Job 42:1-10. Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.

The Beach House gave us all the cozy small town vibes we love! This movie was a mix of Nicholas Sparks and Hallmark and we loved it. If you want a classic "girl returns home after years in the big city to finally deal with her past" vibes, this is it! Tune in next week as we review "The Blessing Bracelet". You can watch these, and more, on frndlytv.com!

In this episode, Host Bri Logue interviews Tracy McCubbin of dClutterfly, Tracy is a decluttering expert and author, who shares tips on how to declutter your home and why it's important to do so. She emphasizes the need to start small and create a why or a goal for decluttering, which helps to stay motivated. She also warns against excessive shopping and encourages people to be mindful of their consumption, while understanding their emotional attachment to their stuff. Tracy provides solutions to help people break free from their shopping habits and discusses the importance of core values in making purchasing decisions. Overall, this episode offers insights into the emotional and psychological aspects of decluttering and consumption! About Tracy:Tracy McCubbin is the author of Making Space, Clutter Free: The Last Book On Decluttering You'll Ever Need (June 4th, 2019). She has always referred to herself as "Obsessive Compulsive Delightful," but who knew she could turn that trait into a booming business? While working for a major television director in Los Angeles, Tracy discovered she had the ability to see through any mess and clearly envision a clutter-free space. Coupled with keen time-management and organizational skills, Tracy soon found more and more people were asking her for help. Before she knew it, dClutterfly was born.Ten years and thousands of clients later, dClutterfly is Los Angeles' premier organizing and decluttering company. Tracy is a regularly featured expert on Hallmark's Home & Family, has a column on MindBodyGreen, and has regular declutter segments on Fox 5 and ABC Eyewitness News, KTLA Morning Show, KCAL9, and Good Day Sacramento. She and her company have also been featured in Real Simple, Women's Day and ShopSmart.When not decluttering, she is the proud Co-Executive Director of OneKid OneWorld, a non-profit building strong educational foundations for children in impoverished communities throughout Kenya and Central America.She lives in Los Angeles and knows where her keys are.Connect with Tracy:https://www.dclutterfly.com/https://www.amazon.com/https://www.facebook.com/thisistracymccubbinConnect with Bri:Website: www.brilogue.comIG: @bri.logueFB: @bri.logueWant to be on the podcast?Send me an email at: Bri@ivory.media

We all know Hallmark movies are a staple of the holiday season. But new movies air on the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries all year long! Do you watch them?   I do, and so does my best friend and best friend of the show, Anna Rendell. But this year, Anna hasn't had a chance to watch any of the new, non-holiday Hallmark movies yet, so this week I'm telling her—and you—which ones to watch next time they air, plus one to avoid and one coming soon to look forward to.   Now listen, Anna and I hadn't talked in person in several weeks, so we did use up a lot of our podcasting time talking off-microphone. I have no excuse and yes, that does mean this episode is full-on rapid-fire. I think you're gonna love it anyway!   And of course, short episode or not, this is still The Couch, where side notes and rabbit trails are always welcome. So we manage to talk work-from-home wardrobes and a reboot that's actually good. Are you ready? Let's get started!   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Curious Caterer: Grilling Season (next airing May 7, 10am CST) The Cases of Mystery Lane (next airing May 21, 8pm CST) Sweeter than Chocolate (next airing May 6, 10am CST) Made for Each Other (keep an eye out for the next airing) The Wedding Cottage (next airing May 9, 7pm CST) Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (premiering May 19, 8pm CST)   NOT-SO-GUILTY PLEASURES: No bra during the day at home (#workfromhome perks!) Party Down, season 3 (a reboot, on Starz)   DON'T FORGET: Join The Couch on Facebook! It's so much fun! Find Anna at @annaerendell on Instagram or at annarendell.com. And you can find me on Instagram at @marycarver or at marycarver.com.   Welcome to The Couch!   This post may include affiliate links. This means that if you click and purchase, I might receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Les, Kurt, and Jason are cleansing their palates after last week's movie, and what better way to do it than with a movie all about flavorful food. But first, Kurt tells the guys about the tickle documentary that mesmerized him (do NOT tickle Jason) and that Les is going to watch now that he's all caught up on the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel! Then we learn that Blac Chyna and Tokyo Toni are talking again! Is it real, or is it for the cameras? Maybe Jerry Springer / Ricki Lake / Morton Downey Jr. and more are to blame for it (and for the downfall of TV and maybe the MAGA movement…). Then it's time for Hallmark's A Pinch of Portugal! The movie has a gorgeous setting and even more gorgeous men so hot that they literally set off Les' smoke alarm! The movie also features a Silver Fox Fred Flintstone, a Broken Down Tim Burton, and trash can ice cream. The movie is so good, you'll be tickled!   Facebook : alifetimeofhallmark Instagram : lifetimeofhallmarkpodcast Theme song generously donated by purple-planet.com

In this episode: the aftermath of the Mystry 101 cancellation, Hallmark's June schedule, and "A Pinch of Portugal". Hallmark June schedule: https://www.etonline.com/hallmark-sets-june-weddings-lacey-chabert-and-aurora-teagarden-films-for-june-see-schedule Dream Mom's trailer: https://youtu.be/lRnnN1VfGPQ To purchase "Chasing Wind": https://amzn.to/3IGUI6g For other Hallmark movie reviews, be sure to check out the Dear Hallmark YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe7R8-e6d13cee5QMo_Oltw Dear Hallmark's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearhallmark/ Dear Hallmark's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dearhallmarkpodcast  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dearhallmark/message

This week I'm talking with Rehya Stevens. Rehya is a very successful indie pop artist who also makes a great living in the sync world. She's had placements on Lifetime, Peacock, Disney +, ABC, Hallmark and more, plus, multiple commercial ads. We are discussing filling a hole needed in the sync industry with Christmas music, how to reach out to outlets who review music and how to take the next best step when things don't work out the way you hope. Sponsors: Edenbrooke Productions - We offer consulting services and are offering listeners a 1-hour introductory special. To request more info on consulting services, email Marty at contact@johnmartinkeith.com.  In this episode we discuss: *Making Christmas music for sync. *Learn what you need to learn, then throw it away. *Find a way to marry your artist self with your crafting self. *Keep making music you believe in. *Being a priority on someones list. *How to be your own PR agent as an artist. *Bloom where you are planted. *https://www.submithub.com/ *How to reach out to outlets who review music. *What's the next best step when things don't work out? *Be genuine and do your research in sync. *Not hearing anything, doesn't mean something's not happening. *Show appreciation for your team. *Don't abandon your authenticity. *https://rehyastevens.com/ BIO: Rehya Stevens is not only a gifted and highly praised singer-songwriter, she's also an insightful observer when it comes to a vast spectrum of human emotions. Granted, it's a rare artist who can fully plough through the tangled web of feelings and experiences encountered during the often confounding journey that encompasses life's entirety, but Rehya has been given the gift of not only perception, but also sensitivity, and with that - the ability to make music that is readily relatable to everyone fortunate enough to find it.  Rehya is especially adept at writing music that enhances the joys of the holiday season - and in so doing, rekindles the sentiment and kinship that's so integral to that precious time of year. It's especially important now, given the distancing, distrust and trepidation that have become so commonplace of late. Thankfully, Rehya's music provides a formidable space to reinforce the bonds of brotherhood and fellowship that are so essential, not only at Christmas, but every day of the year.

Welcome to May friends! And MAY I offer you this wonderful new On the Next Episode where Joe brings you info on our next full episode where he'll be discussing the new Hallmark movie Hearts in the Game with returning guests Sophie Day and Andy Helmkamp.

Another season is in the books! Let's relive the laughs and talk about the best and worst of this season, memorable quotes and six degrees of Angela Lansbury. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefletcherfiles/subscribe Two extra episodes a month with pop culture themes. Judging posts on Reddit and Fish Bowl. https://www.patreon.com/Thefletcherfiles Three to four extra episodes a month related to cozy mysteries and Hallmark themes with movie and book reviews. #murdershewrote #jessicafletcher #msw #thefletcherfilespod, #mirrormirroronthewall, #JBFletcher #review #angelalansbury #recap #classictv

Our fave Michael Haggerty is back in action and taking Jessica along for the ride. Even when Jessica is unknowingly thrown into a spy mission, she easily adjusts and adapts with style, grace and quick thinking. Let's try to catch some of the sights in Athens while we watch a double cross, a kidnapping and a murder all in 48 hours. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefletcherfiles/subscribe Two extra episodes a month with pop culture themes premiering in April 2023. https://www.patreon.com/Thefletcherfiles Three to four extra episodes a month related to cozy mysteries and Hallmark themes with movie and book reviews. #murdershewrote #jessicafletcher #msw #thefletcherfilespod, #appointmentinathens, #JBFletcher #review #angelalansbury #recap #classictv #lencariou #junechadwick #thomchristopher #steveinwood #ianogilvy #richardtodd #petervannorden #sybillines #johnmcafferty

Watch Ride on Hallmark Channel every Sunday at 8 pm CT! Be sure to subscribe to this channel if you love Hallmark! :)Follow Hallmark Happenings Podcast:https://www.hallmarkhappenings.com https://www.facebook.com/Hallmark-Happenings-Podcast-103337901944315/https://twitter.com/PodcastHallmarkhttps://www.instagram.com/hallmarkhappeningspodcast/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP69oqs58BfIzXNysgfAcVw#tylerjacobmoore #ride #ridehallmark #tieraskovbye  #hallmarkchannel

This is our monthly book club episode, where we discuss "Giants in the Earth" by O.E. Rölvaag. This novel was originally written in Norwegian, and translated to English in the 1920s. This is a story of Norwegian immigrants, crossing the prairie, and finding a new life in a new country. This is not the "Hallmark version" of the immigrants. Reading this book, you can see the midwest culture develop before your eyes, in a historical context. This book also talks about the immigrants struggle without a church, a minister, and how they wrestle through their theology as laypeople. Should they just baptize their children, or marry a couple without a pastor to do it? What happens to their baptism or "christening" if they change their name to an American name? The story focuses on a husband and wife: Per Hansa and Berit. Per Hansa is an eternal optimist. He believes all he sees is his kingdom, and opportunity is around every corner. He goes around the law, forces his own desired destiny, and does what he wants.  Berit is homesick for the old country, terrified of the frontier, and worries for their souls with everything changing as the liturgy changes.  They establish a new community of other Norwegian immigrants, and they all build sod houses, living surrounded by the ground. They are the giants in the earth. This is a masterful piece of literature, with the earth or nature taking on a character of its own, as the immigrents struggle to survive, and hold their relationships together. Giants in the Earth Support the work of 1517

In celebration of Israel's 75th birthday, guest host Dov Wilker, AJC's Atlanta director, sits down with retired Major League Baseball catcher Ryan Lavarnway, who played for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic and the Olympics. Lavarnway reflected on the Jewish pride he felt representing Israel on the international stage, how he has dealt with the antisemitism in his career, and the importance of building connections between the Jewish state and the Diaspora. *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC.  __ Episode Lineup:  (0:40) Ryan Lavarnway ___ Show Notes: Watch: Catch the full video conversation with Ryan Lavarnway, recorded live on Yom Ha'atzmaut as part of AJC's Advocacy Anywhere  Test your knowledge: Quiz: How much do you really know about Israel? When was Israel founded? Who was the first Israeli to win a Nobel Prize? Which country was the first to recognize the State of Israel? Start the quiz! Listen: Israel at 75: 7 Things You Should Know About Israel: Listen to these seven episodes of AJC's People of the Pod featuring leading Israeli and American scholars, experts, and influencers that will help you learn more about the complexities, triumphs, and challenges facing Israel today. Julianna Margulies on Holocaust Education and Fighting Antisemitism: Emmy Award-winning actress Julianna Margulies recently partnered with the New York's Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, to help create the Holocaust Educator School Partnership. To date, the partnership has trained two university fellows to teach the history of the Holocaust to 1,700 middle and high school students in New York City Public Schools. In a poignant interview, Margulies shares her motivations for expanding the program, personal experiences of how antisemitism has affected her family, and reflections on her first visit to Israel and Yad Vashem. Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, tag us on social media with #PeopleofthePod, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review, to help more listeners find us. __ Transcript of Interview with Ryan Lavarnway: Manya Brachear Pashman: Sometimes it just makes more sense for my AJC colleagues to guest host. When it comes to sports, I always try to hand the mic to AJC Atlanta Director Dov Wilker. This week, in honor of Israel's 75th birthday, Dov sat down for a live conversation in front of a virtual audience with Major League Baseball Catcher Ryan Lavarnway, who played for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic and the Olympics. Ryan talked to Dov about the pride he felt representing Israel on the international stage and the importance of building connections between the Jewish state and the Diaspora. I might not know a lot about baseball, but as someone about to visit Israel for the first time, Ryan's recollections and reflections brought tears to my eyes. Here's an instant replay.  Dov Wilker: Let's get it started in the beginning, Ryan, how did you get into baseball? And does your Judaism intertwine with that, or is that a separate story? Ryan Lavarnway: So, I started playing baseball when I was five years old. And my dad always played baseball, he was always doing pickup games on the weekends playing high-pitch softball, but the story of why I got started was my kindergarten teacher told my parents that I was not good at sharing, and that I should get involved in a team sport. So they signed me up about as early as I could sign up, when I was five years old. And I took to it really quick and the rest is history. Dov Wilker: You know, that's good advice for my seven year old who is also not very good at sharing. So I appreciate that.  And what about the role of Judaism in your life? Was Judaism something that was important to you from an early age? Or has that sort of become more important to you as you got older? Ryan Lavarnway: No, it really wasn't. My mom is Jewish, and she always loved Christmas. They had a white Christmas tree in her house with blue ornaments. And my dad would describe himself as a disenchanted Catholic. So growing up, we celebrated holidays from all religions. But there was no religion involved. We celebrated just to have a nice meal together, to have a reason to give presents and celebrate or light the candles. We went through the motions. Sometimes I joke that we celebrated Hallmark holidays.  And it wasn't until really until high school that I started to grow into my own as an adult and start to search for more. And in high school, I ended up going to temple for the first time with a high school teammate's mother who had MS and couldn't drive herself. So we kind of needed each other because I needed someone to go with, and she needed someone to drive her. And that was really my first experience. As an adult, when I started searching for more meaning behind –Why do we celebrate these holidays? And what do they mean? And where's the community that I want to be a part of? Dov Wilker: What state did you go to high school in? Ryan Lavarnway: I grew up in California, LA County, in the valley. My wife likes to make fun of me every time I talk about home, she references that SNL skit The Californians– she's like, Oh, you, you were on the one oh one and the four oh five.  So I grew up in Southern California. A lot of Jewish players on my youth league teams, on my little league teams, you know, Bar Mitzvah season for me, you know, when you're 13, 15, in that season of your life, I had a ton of friends that were Jewish, we had a great community here. But my family, again, we were more of the Hallmark holidays. Dov Wilker: So when you were in high school, when sort of you started getting more into your Judaism, but also, you know, as you were playing, did you ever experience antisemitism on the field when you were younger, or even when you were older? Ryan Lavarnway: When I was younger, not so much. And I think the reason that I was able to kind of dodge those bullets was because my dad was Catholic, and my mom was Jewish. So as we studied the Holocaust in school, I felt, you know, and to me, I'm almost embarrassed looking back, but this is my truth.  I would step away and I would say, Well, I'm half Catholic, so the people that were hurt and the people that were, killed in and, and antisemitism is against, that wasn't me. But then I could also step on the other side and be like, Well, I wasn't the evil villain, either. It wasn't my people that were causing all this pain. And that helps me avoid feeling, and feeling hurt by the antisemitism as a kid. But what that also did was, it kept me from feeling the benefits of the community.  And it wasn't until later, and we can get into this, when I played for Team Israel and I fully embraced being Jewish–and publicly–that I started facing antisemitism for the first time and really internalizing it and feeling it personally. But then that was also the first time, with that came, the feeling, the sense of community and feeling like I'm your brother, and you're my brother, you're my sister, and like we're all in this together. So I feel like they go hand in hand. Dov Wilker: So let's dive into that, the Team Israel stuff a little bit. Your first experience with the team came about in 2017, 2016.  Ryan Lavarnway: 16, yeah. Dov Wilker: 16. So how did that all start? I mean, you're a Major League Baseball player, you're a world series champion, and you get a phone call from some guy who was like, hey, like, we've got this team we want to create it? Or, was it, the World Baseball Classic is gonna be a big thing and you want to find a way to be a part of it and you're a great catcher, but you might not be picked for team USA. How does this all work? Ryan Lavarnway: So, yeah, I got a phone call from some guy that I'd never heard of. Peter Kurtz. I don't know if it initially came through my agent or how he first got ahold of me. But I got a call in 2012. And I had just made it into the big leagues as a rookie the year before. I had like half a year of service time, still trying to prove myself and establish myself as a major leaguer. And he said, Hey, we have this Team Israel. And we play baseball, surprise, you never heard of us. Which I think was everyone's reaction. But you qualify for the team, because your mom's Jewish. So what do you think?  And I was like, Well, what's the WBC because 10 years ago, it wasn't very popular yet, it's still growing. He's like, Well, we have to qualify to get into the tournament, because we only have one field in our whole country. And we're ranked 64th in the world. But we think we can do it. What do you think? The qualifier's in September, can you be there?  And I was like, Well, it sounds like an amazing opportunity. Let's do it. But if I get called up again, this year, I'll be in the big leagues, so I can't be there. So September 2012, came in when I was in the big leagues. I wasn't able to go, but I had the seed planted in my mind of this, this is a possibility. This is a thing. So four years later, they just missed qualifying in 2012, they had a lead in the last inning.  And my now best friend from this team, Josh Zeid, ended up blowing the lead.  Flash forward four years later, 2016, I get another call, Hey, we're going to try to qualify again. We just missed it last time, we think we're really going to make it this time. Can you be there? And this time, my answer was, well, I'm probably going to be in the big leagues. But if for whatever reason I'm not, heck yeah, let's do it. And then the skies parted. It was the first year in six years, I wasn't in the big leagues in September. And I was available. And I went and played. And what I remember, showing up, when I first got there was Josh Zeid spoke very passionately to the group about how blowing that lead four years earlier, is still eating him up inside. And it was the lowest of lows for his career and everything he had done pitching in the big leagues. That was the moment he wanted to change. And his impassioned speech really spoke to the rest of us about oh, man, this is maybe more important than we thought. Dov Wilker: So I want to jump back to something that you said, which I find very profound. This random person calls you and says, Hey, your mother's Jewish, you qualified to be on the team. How do you respond to that? Right? You started off by saying that you got more into your Judaism when you were in high school and but, how do you feel, what is that? And by the way, have you ever been to Israel before? Was there any sort of connection to Israel, as all of this is sort of taking place? Ryan Lavarnway: I had not ever been to Israel. When he first called me in 2012, my wife and I were engaged to be married. By the time 2016 came around, we had been married. My wife was raised Jewish, she had a bat mitzvah, she had been on Birthright. We had a Jewish wedding. I was more involved in the Jewish community locally in Denver, and had really embraced, on a personal level, that I'm a Jewish man, and I want to raise a Jewish family. I want to be involved in the Jewish community in Denver. I still had yet to say that publicly.  Because playing for the Boston Red Sox, our media training, at least 10 years ago, this was before athletes branding themselves and having their own brand was really acceptable. Especially in baseball, baseball is one of the last sports to embrace that.  So the Boston Red Sox media training involved: if anything is even potentially controversial—just keep it to yourself. The Red Sox is the brand, don't tarnish it. And Boston itself as a city is a little closed minded, I would say. I think people that know Boston could agree with this, that they're not the most forward thinking city.  Dov Wilker: No offense to anyone in Boston that's listening. Ryan Lavarnway: No, I love the city of Boston. Trust me, I love Boston. It's one of my favorite places. I still feel at home there. I've got my Red Sox World Series ring on the table right here.  But like, I know, some of my black teammates didn't feel comfortable, and black visiting players don't feel super comfortable there. So it's just it's just the way Boston is a little bit. So I just kept to myself.  When I announced I was going to play for Team Israel, was the first time that I really feel that it was public. And I feel maybe in a way that's the first time I dove all the way into the deep end of embracing it. Because you have to say to the world, right? If you are privately Jewish, in a sense, you could say that maybe it's–you're hiding it a little bit. Or it's just you're just not announcing it. So I finally announced it to the world. I finally experienced antisemitism for the first time in a way that I really internalized and personalized and I was really embraced by the Jewish community and it was really wonderful in that way. Dov Wilker: Two things --one is, AJC has a campaign that we created called Jewish and Proud. And it's something that we've been sort of pursuing as a result of the rise of antisemitism in our society. So I couldn't agree with you more. I think that that's so important. It's why, in fact, one of the reasons that I wear my kippa— one of the reasons is that I've got a hair problem in the back. But the second reason is that I feel it's an important identifier, because I'm very proud to be Jewish. And I want people to be able to know that. But I'm one of the things you just said was that, it's when you started to experience antisemitism, really publicly. So could you share a little bit about that? What was that like, or what type of experiences you might have had? Ryan Lavarnway: Yeah, so there was a couple of experiences that were more subtle. And it was more of people questioning, like, Oh, I didn't realize you were Jewish, or like, I didn't know that about you. And I felt like, I felt like they felt permission to express their questioning, or they felt like they had the right to have an opinion. Which ultimately, what's the difference? I'm the same exact person you've known for years. And now you think you have a different opinion about me.  And just the fact that they even made a face or had a slight different tone when they talked to me. It made me feel like well, why? Why did something change? Why did anything have to change?  There were more obvious experiences. Baseball is a very Christian sport, at least on the professional level. I think that we have 12 Jewish major leaguers this year, and that's a record. Out of 780  players in the major leagues, 12 are Jewish, so it's very much a minority. So every Sunday, a chaplain comes in and holds baseball chapel, in the dugout or in the clubhouse, for both teams, and they do it in English and in Spanish. So it's a really established institution within baseball. And it's great for those players. But it's not my thing. And I kind of established, ‘that's not my thing,' was my go to response when I was invited, because they tried to include everybody. And one time I remember I was in Gwinnett, Georgia, the AAA team for the Braves. Dov Wilker: Yeah. So it's up the street from where I live right now. Ryan Lavarnway: Yeah. And I was invited to baseball chapel. And I said, Well, it's not my thing. And the chaplain really pushed back,  like, why wouldn't you go? And I was like, Well, I'm Jewish. So you know, I don't need to go to baseball chapel. We have our own thing on the weekend. And, he said, Well, I've dealt with heathens like you before. And I don't remember what happened with the rest of the conversation.  But it left me feeling really awful, that he would call me that. And I honestly didn't even know what heathen meant. So I went and I looked it up in the dictionary on my phone. And I think technically, by the definition, heathen just means non-believer. But the way he said it made me feel like he was talking down to me, like I was less than and, for a supposed man of God, I didn't think that was very ethical, or I didn't really like the way he handled it.  So small experiences like that. And then there was one other time I was in AAA, I don't remember what team I was with. But one of my teammates in the outfield was expressing some other backwards opinions about some other groups that he thought maybe I might relate to—which I didn't. And he also went on to add –also, if we're going to be friends, I'm gonna have to tell you, you're wrong at some point. Because you don't believe in Jesus Christ. And I was like, okay, guy, well, then we're just not going to be friends after this.  So there have been experiences, some of them have been more subtle, some of them have been more obvious. In my experiences, I feel like antisemitism falls into two major categories. It's either ignorance, or it comes from hate. And I approach them in two separate ways. I think if it stems from ignorance, I try to educate them. It shouldn't have to be my job and anybody that is a Jewish person, it shouldn't have to be your job either. But if we don't do it, who will? And I think it goes the same way with anybody that is the receptor of any sort of ignorant hate, you know, whether it's black people, or gay people, anybody that experiences that, it shouldn't have to be your job to educate people. But again, if you don't, who will? So when someone makes a joke that might be hurtful or someone comes from a place of not understanding why it might be hurtful, I try to educate them, like this is where the history of that joke or the history of that ignorance comes from.  And then in general people, they don't want to be ignorant and they don't want to be hurtful. So most of the time they back off. The other time is when it comes from hate. And I don't know if you can necessarily change people's hearts. I take one of my cues from Hank Greenberg, who was one of the more famous baseball players in history. He was a big, strong, intimidating person, he would stand up to it. And he took the approach, at least from the stories that I've heard, of, you deal with a bully, you stand up to them, and you maybe intimidate them back, and then they'll back down. And I think that's one way or the other way is, if it stems from a place of hate so much that you're in danger, then that's when you kind of try to avoid it, or you reach out to authorities in some regard.  Dov Wilker: Ryan, I appreciate you sharing that. Unfortunately, for me, it's not surprising to hear what you shared. And I'm sure for many in our audience, they wouldn't have expected it. And yet, it also might not be a surprise. It's also one of the reasons AJC created a tool. It's an online glossary called Translate Hate, for those experiences to be able to explain to people what the root of the antisemitism that they might be sharing comes from. I absolutely agree with you about the two types of antisemitism that you've experienced. I'm curious if you ever, did you ever talk to the other 11 Jewish players in the majors about their experiences? Or that you sort of just assume that they had similar ones? And did you ever experience it from the fans? Ryan Lavarnway: No, in general, a lot of most of the fans have been really supportive, or don't bring it up at all. So fan wise, it's been really, really positive. And as far as talking to other players about it, when we're with Team Israel is when I interact with the other Jewish players the most. And we're really just enjoying the experience and really positive. So any experience I speak of is really personal. And you'd have to kind of talk to them about theirs. Dov Wilker: Yeah, no, I appreciate that. So let's talk a little bit more about what it was like to represent Team Israel. What was it like? I mean, here you are, you've sort of done very cool things in the majors, you got to be a part of this team, this unique gathering of the diaspora Jews essentially to represent the Jewish homeland. Here we are again, on Yom Ha'atzmaut, Independence Day, talking about that. Was the team received well by the other countries in the World Baseball Classic? These are other ballplayers that, you know or were you sort of shunned aside a little bit? Ryan Lavarnway: So the first thing is, when I first started to play for Team Israel, I can be totally honest about this. I signed up because it was a great baseball opportunity. Playing in the World Baseball Classic was, I had never played international baseball before. So it seemed like a cool thing to do. And it would add to my baseball resume. Representing a people, a culture, and a country, it didn't even enter my mind. I didn't know what it would mean to me. So I signed up for a baseball opportunity. We played in Brooklyn in a qualifier.  And it started to hit me when I stepped on the field with Israel across my chest. And we stepped onto the line for the national anthems before the game. And we took off our hats and we put on kippas. And it was the first time that a sports team had ever done that, or at least a baseball team had ever done that. It was really interesting. And I looked into the stands and there was–Brooklyn's a home game for for Israel, right, there was a bunch of Jews in Brooklyn, and there was a few yeshiva schools with kids with the tallit and the kippa. And it hit me that these kids have never had a team like this, where they can relate to every player on the field.  And everything that I know about representation and how the more things you can relate to in leaders, or the more things you can relate to in role models, the more meaningful and impactful it will be for you as a young person. It really hit me that I wanted to be the person for them. I wanted to be their role model. And then it hit me again when we got to Israel, because after we qualified for the tournament, they brought us to Israel and filmed a documentary about it. They did a great job. I don't get five cents if you download it on Amazon but check it out because they did a great job.  Going to Israel really, really it hit home for me. We got to Israel and we had a practice on the only field in the country. And I have this sense of meaning that's growing and my heart is expanding another size like the Grinch on Christmas, when his heart grows two sizes. And after our practice, we have a press conference with the Israeli media. And they let us have it. They were initially not excited to have us represent them. They pushed back really hard. Who are you to represent us? We don't even play baseball, you guys are outsiders. Who do you think you are? And we were all like, Oh, my God, like, we thought we would be at this press conference, and it was going to be a love fest where they were so happy that we made it into the tournament. And that was very much not the case.  So that gave us pause a little bit. But we also appreciated that they didn't just accept us because we were winners. They wanted us to prove it, like prove that you mean it and prove that you're gonna represent us well. So we went to Seoul, South Korea was the first round. And we started to win. And we counted out before we started, I don't know if you remember the article that ESPN posted. They called us the Jamaican bobsled team of baseball, has-beens, wannabes, never-weres, that perfectly fulfill the role of “team that has no business being there, and somehow found a way to win minus, they haven't won yet.” That was what the article said.  And that was maybe the best thing that ever happened to us because we got a very, very solid collective chip on our shoulders. And we had a lot of players that felt like maybe they had been overlooked in their careers or hadn't got the opportunity or hadn't performed to their potential. So we had a lot of players that already had a chip on their shoulder. And now as a group, we had one. So we went out there, and we started to win. And we beat Korea, and we beat Taiwan, and we beat the Netherlands. And everybody's now freaking out. We're a Cinderella story. And the other teams were great. The other teams, you know, you qualified for Israel, whatever.  We move on to Tokyo. And as we advance to the second round, now the Israeli media is like, we're so happy you're representing us. Thank you for being respectful and giving positive energy on the worldwide stage and for playing so great. And now we have this positive thing. So the Israel media finally embraced us, as we continued to send the message that we want it to grow the game within Israel, not just win, and not just say, wham bam, Thank you, ma'am, we're out of here. But we all had the intention to be around for a while.  And then we beat Cuba. And the Cuban media was pissed. And I think they were probably embarrassed that they lost. And that was the first time that another country's media had been like, well, you guys are all American. You guys are America. American's B-team. And that was the first time we really got pushed back. But realistically, nobody on Team Israel would have made America's B-team or America's C-team or America's D-team or E-team or F-team. Like us we were a collection of has-beens, never-weres and wannabes that qualified for Israel. And then most of that team from 2017 signed up for the Olympics and we established Israeli citizenship and went back to Israel a second time.  And every time that we've been to Israel, we make the commitment to grow the game we go, and we host clinics for the youth. Most of the prize money for the team has gone to building new fields or funding international tournament travel for the youth. And participation in baseball in Israel has doubled since the first time I wore an Israeli uniform. Dov Wilker: There's so much that was said. I'm so grateful that you shared all of that. Ryan Lavarnway: I have no idea if I answered your question.  Dov Wilker: I'm not even sure what my question was anymore. So it's the perfect answer. By being members of the Israeli team at the Olympics, did the Israeli Olympic Committee do anything to share about the massacre of the 72 Olympics? Was that at all a part of sort of, in general, was there sort of learning, teaching, touring that that Israel did, that the the institutions there to help you all sort of have a better understanding if you'd never been there before, sort of different challenges and things like that on the global scale?  Ryan Lavarnway: Yeah, there absolutely was. So we all had to go to Israel a second time to establish our citizenship, which I think was the right thing to do. You know, you can't just mail us a passport overnight, right? So we went to Israel again, we went to all the fields, we coached kids. We went to Independence Hall, we did all the things.  What we also did was we had to go to their athletic Institute to be put through a battery of testing. They wanted to make sure we were healthy, and that we weren't going to die on the field. And I don't know if you remember the old Gatorade commercials, where they had a tube hooked up to your mouth and the EKG machine, all the wires coming off and you're running on a treadmill. We did that.  And we're running on this treadmill. We're dripping sweat, we're panting. Our hearts are beating and we're all like, do you understand baseball? Like, we don't have to do this. But they put us through all the crazy testing. It was really awesome. And while we were at the Institute, we got to meet some of the Judo athletes, some of the windsurfer athletes and we went straight from there to the Israel Olympic Experience, which is like a museum for Olympics in Israel. It's not a very big museum. Dov Wilker: They've got some gold medals... Ryan Lavarnway: I believe, and don't quote me, because I'm not sure on the facts. But I believe they had 13 medals, before Tokyo and four gold, I want to say. Judo and windsurfing I believe, I might be wrong.  But going through that Olympic experience, it really gave us context for understanding the history of Israeli athletics. And the tragedy that happened in the 70s.  Dov Wilker: I'm glad to hear that. I'm curious: in Israel, what was it like for you the first time, the second time? Did your opinions change when you became an Israeli citizen? I'm not going to ask for your political analysis of the current situation there, I don't think that'd be fair. How has that experience changed for you and your family? You're married. Did anybody join you in Israel? Ryan Lavarnway: So the first time I went, my parents were nervous. Because if you watch the American news cycle, you would think that Israel feels like a dangerous place. And they were like, Are you sure you want to go, especially right now. So I went into it a little nervous. not knowing what to expect, and you land on the ground. And I was like, I've never felt more safe in my life. This place is beautiful. It's amazing. We spent, the first time I went, we spent four days in Tel Aviv first, beautiful city, right on the water, we stayed in this beautiful beachfront hotel. And then we went to Jerusalem, and going to Jerusalem. And this is going to be a pained metaphor, so please forgive me. But in the same way, the first time that I stepped into the old Yankee Stadium, or Wrigley or Fenway Park, you can just tell it's different.  You can just smell the significance in the air, you just know, like, I am among history, so many important things have happened here. And I get to experience this in the modern world. And it just feels, like your heart beats different, the air smells different. So going to Jerusalem was that for me, and especially getting to the Western Wall, I swear to God, I felt God for the first time. And it was just this transformational experience. I think I cried. I think they caught it on video for the documentary, which is cool for me to live through and get to see again, because that was a really, really meaningful moment in my life. But going there, for the first time, yeah, my wife came with me. This was before we had our daughter, years before we had our daughter. But it was really, really meaningful and transformational for me to go for the first time.  When I went back the second time, I got to experience it all again. You know, you don't have that transformational experience, because you've already changed as a person, and you're changed forever. So it was really cool to go back again. And then they handed me my passport. And I have this goatee so I kind of felt like Jason Bourne, where I have two passports now, like, which I am going to use. Except they both have the same name. It's very, very, very cool. Dov Wilker: So I'm gonna go for some rapid fire questions… Ryan Lavarnway: Oh wait, I have one more. I think it's a good answer. And I don't like to express my political opinions. But what I'd like to tell people is, if you either voted– in America, if you're an American citizen, you either voted for our current president, or you voted for the last president, you didn't vote for both. And either currently or four years ago, you were unhappy with the decisions that the government was making. I don't think that made you feel less proud to be an American.  And I would encourage you to use the same opinion, when you think of Israel. Whether you agree with what the current current government is doing or not, does not have to color your opinion of whether you agree with the concept of Israel. When I think of Israel, I believe in what Israel is about, and it being a safe haven for the Jewish people worldwide, whether I agree with what the current government is doing or not. And I think it's very easy to judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions. And that goes the same with a country that you personally identify with also, so I just wanted to throw that in there. Dov Wilker: I so appreciate you saying that. I was speaking to a group of high school students recently. And I shared with them that, you know, we're talking about the current situation, and I said, you know, Israel welcomed in Ukrainians as citizens, not as refugees. If you read Israel's Declaration of Independence, it refers to the survivors of the Holocaust and those who were expelled from other lands. And so the in-gathering of the safe haven for the Jewish people is so important for us to be able to continue to remember the role that Israel plays in our lives. We're, you know, we're fortunate to live in the United States today. But we see that people need Israel more and more depending on where they live, not everybody is as fortunate and there are many people who have moved to Israel because of the antisemitism that they themselves might have experienced here. So I think it's a really powerful statement for you to make and something that I hope, I'm guessing that if you shared it here, you share it with all of your audiences, but if not, I hope that that's something you continue to share with your audiences.  All right, well, it's no easy transition to my rapid fire, so I'm just gonna do it. Ryan Lavarnway: Just rip off the bandaid. Dov Wilker: There you go. Favorite Israeli snack? Ryan Lavarnway: Shawarma. Dov Wilker: Oh. Snack? You have a very different appetite than I do, my friend. Ryan Lavarnway: I have a very big appetite.  Dov Wilker: Favorite city in Israel? Ryan Lavarnway: Jerusalem.  Dov Wilker: Favorite baseball memory. Ryan Lavarnway: Two answers: World Series win, or my debut with Cincinnati.  Dov Wilker: Okay. Most challenging part of being a catcher. Ryan Lavarnway: Hitting in the ninth inning. Dov Wilker: You know, you talked about the small numbers, the mighty numbers of Jews in Major League Baseball today. Is there an association between the Jewish ballplayers in the major leagues and other professional sports? Is there any reason, maybe it's based on a city that you live in? Or it's sort of an overall, I know like, there's the Jewish Coaches Association, something like that? Is there anything like the Jewish professional ballplayers association, that gets you together, perhaps to be able to encourage others like you to play for the Israeli teams in other sports that they're professionals in. Ryan Lavarnway: Not that I've experienced yet, but that might be a cool idea to start. I'd be up for it. If you want to talk off of this broadcast. Dov Wilker: It's my new side project at work. Ted, thank you for the approval.  And I guess my final question for you, Ryan, is, we're here today, Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's 75th birthday. What type of closing message do you have about the importance of Israel, you already talked about the safe haven for the Jewish people, but sort of the future of American Jewry. Any parting words of wisdom that you'd like to share? Ryan Lavarnway: My biggest thing is, participate, and be proud. And you need to be public, because the only way that we can get the benefit of the community and strengthen numbers is if we support each other, and we're aware of who each other are. I've received so much benefit in my life from embracing the community and stepping out into the public. And it's really changed my life. And it's changed how I view myself as a man. And it's changed the direction that I want to raise my family. And it's been such a positive change. And I've had such a positive embrace from the community. And I want others to experience that. And I never would have experienced it if I didn't go out of my way to participate in Team Israel. So I encourage anybody watching, go out, get involved, anything in your community, a team you can get involved in. It's been so positive for me, and I hope it can be so positive for you as well. Dov Wilker: Well, Ryan, on behalf of American Jewish Committee, thank you very much for joining us for this wonderful conversation.  

This week the gang tackles a myriad Carroll of topics. Randy hates tweets, community group chats and the latest android update. Sherri gets decorating tips from a helpful patron. Dennis considers a new career as a Hallmark movie writer. Bonus: a deep dive into the great clock tower caper of 2023.

BACK THIS MONTH BY POPULAR DEMAND! We are recapping/reviewing another Lifetime Movie for April. We talk about Lifetime's Her Fiance's Double Life (also known as Falling for a Killer) stars Olivia Buckle, Jonathan Stoddard, Aubrey Reynolds, With a special director cameo by Lifetime KWEEN Lindsay Hartley! Will we "Pour it up" or "Put a Cork in it"??? Lifetime Uncorked and Deck the Hallmark collide on this monthly podcast covering your favorite TV movies! Brandon (Bran) Gray & Daniel (Dan) Thompson join Lifetime Expert Patrick Serrano to break Lifetime's TV Movie lineup for 2023. Follow us on social media for more content @LifetimeUncorked & @HallmarkPodcast Donate to Patrick's Cable Fund: https://ko-fi.com/patrickserrano Read Patrick's Recaps/Reviews: https://lifetimeuncorked.com/ Listen to Patrick's latest single: https://patrickserrano.hearnow.com Check out other Bramble Jam Podcasts: https://bramblejampodcast.com/ Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYuQwUKBmS2MouRnVhRLyig Watch Patrick's Lifetime Movie: Old Flames Never Die, starring PATRICK SERRANO! Business Inquiries | podcast@lifetimeuncorked.comFollow the Podcast @LifetimeUncorked & @hallmarkpodcastFollow the Host @PatrickMiguel Support Lifetime Uncorked with a monthly donation:  https://ko-fi.com/patrickserrano --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lifetime-uncorked/message

"If Gordon Ramsey and Guy Fiery had a baby, then Chef Dean from this movie would be it. He's cocky, self-centered, and a hot head. The only thing missing is he doesn't yell." A Pinch of Portugal is a Hallmark movie set in......wait for it.......PORTUGAL! Didn't see that coming, did ya? Emily and Sophia dive right into this culinary experience to tell you what they love and hate about it. Unsurprisingly, they veer off for a bit to discuss situationships and the friend zone! This is a plot line of the movie, but they get personal with their own stories and experiences with situationships. It's a great discussion and one you will want to listen to. The girls give their thoughts on the movie as a whole, what could have made it better, and their ratings on it. Should you watch this new Hallmark movie? Give this episode a listen to find out!

It's podcast crossover time as KB and Aya from Hallmarked! join Liz and Tom to chat about all the red flags you can find in a Hallmark Christmas movie. Spoiler alert: it's alllll red flags, baby!About Hallmarked!"Join two Aussie girls, who hate to admit they love Hallmark movies, as they endeavor to put together a list of the best films before Christmas… and maybe even one day write their own! New episodes out fortnightly."Instagram: @hallmarkedpodTikTok: @hallmarkedpodYouTube: @hallmarkedpodEmail: hallmarkedpod@gmail.comhttps://podfollow.com/1671399924 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Kevin Most of Northwestern Medicine drops by The Steve Cochran Show for his weekly roundup of medical news to help you live a happier, healthier life. This week, he talks about FDA finally approving the second omicron booster for people over the age of 65, early signs of Parkinson's, and Narcan vending machines becoming more common. Narcan vending machines – becoming more common 2,000 overdose deaths in Cook County in 2022,  to put this in perspective there were 3,700 overdose deaths in Illinois,  in all of 2021 Historically Narcan was used in Emergency Rooms for potential overdoses, in 2010 this drug was given to police officers to use as first responders Narcan is a nasal spray that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and save lives Narcan was made available without a prescription in 2021, you could buy from the pharmacist Narcan recently was approved for OTC status, meaning you would no longer need to talk to a pharmacist to purchase. Chicago recently placed a Narcan vending Machine on CTA Red Line Stop at 95th street This is not novel as Narcan is available in vending machines across the country including Las Vegas, New York, Detroit, West Virginia and many other sites Many college campuses have Narcan Vending machines on campus. The vast majority are free vend machines, requiring no money Included with the prescription is information on quitting and support groups The second Omicron Booster has finally been approved We discussed in the past how the UK and Canada had approved a second shot of the Omicron booster. This was based on the premise that the immunity wanes after 4-6 months since the last booster. Many received their first booster in the late fall and have been waiting for this recommendation FDA announced last Monday that a  bivalent Omicron booster 2nd shot is now approved  for those over the age of 65 and at least 4 months after your first booster It is also approved for immunocompromised 2 months after their initial bivalent booster FDA shows the immunity does wane, as shown by many studies,  but this booster restores it The bivalent more accurate vaccine has now replaced the original vaccine For those who are completely unvaccinated a single shot of the Bivalent vaccine is now recommended, rater than the multiple doses of the original vaccine FDA will meet again in June to decide on next vaccine recommendations April is Parkinson's Awareness Month- New test for early diagnosis from Michael J Fox Foundation “Make the most of the advantage you get from being underestimated”   This comment is from Michael J Fox, when asked about  “his celebrity charity” Celebrities with Parkinson's Muhammad Ali Alan Alda Neil Diamond George Bush Rev Jesse Jackson Every 6 minutes a new patient will be diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, 8.5 million people have Parkinson's First identified by Dr James Parkinson's in 1817- for years you were diagnosed by physical exam and then rated 1-5 We now have MRI tests that can support the diagnosis, but again the diagnosis is made after symptoms have started Parkinson's is a neuro degenerative disease that impacts a specific part of the brain Symptoms develop slowly over years and diagnosis is not made often until much later in the illness Common symptoms include tremor, slow movement, stiff limbs, gait and balance problems Unfortunately individuals with Parkinson's may also have depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and blood pressure issues We still do not know the cause, although there appears to be a genetic portion as well as some environmental causes We currently have no cure, but we have treatments including exercise, medications, brain stimulators Dopamine based drugs are the first line as individuals with PD have low levels of Dopamine, meds either increase dopamine or make it more efficient Unfortunately by the time individuals have motor symptoms, it is late in the disease and 60-80% of the specific neurons have been damaged. Big push now is to find a test that can identify this disease earlier, find it years before any symptoms and perhaps we can slow it. Last week, research out of the Michael J Fox Foundation have identified a protein in spinal fluid of people with PD as well as those with a high risk of developing PD This study showed the “Parkinson's Protein” ( alpha Syn -SAA)  this is the first time they have identified this in a live PD patient. This abnormal protein was present in 93% of those tested who had PD, for reference point very few tests for neurologic illness are over 90% Also important was the False Positive rate was under 5%, meaning an individual who had a positive result in fact does not have the illness This test will identify patients well before they have any symptoms Knowing this is present, may lead to earlier diagnosis, it may also increase targeted treatment options, including more effective drugs Next steps are to see if this can lead to a less invasive way to test like a blood test or nasal swab As has been said before, you can build a high speed train but without tracks for it, you only have a high speed train, where is this headed next? The tracks are being laid Early signs of Parkinson's Tremor in finger, thumb or hand. This is often a tremor while at rest Small Handwriting, are the letters smaller, are the words crowded together Loss of smell Trouble sleeping- do you thrash around in bed Trouble walking- have you noticed your arms don't swing like they used to Stiffness or pain in the shoulder, hips Soft low voice, have people told you there has been a change in your voice Have you been told you have a serious or depressed look on your face even when not in a bad mood Dizziness or fainting- low blood pressure can be linked to Parkinson's Do your feet feel stuck to the floor, does the stiffness not resolve after moving. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Erin Cahill stops by the home of Dear Hallmark to talk about her latest Hallmark movie, "Hearts in the Game" where she plays alongside Marco Grazzini. What's your favorite Erin Cahill movie? To purchase "Chasing Wind": https://amzn.to/3IGUI6g For other Hallmark movie reviews, be sure to check out the Dear Hallmark YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe7R8-e6d13cee5QMo_Oltw Dear Hallmark's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearhallmark/ Dear Hallmark's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dearhallmarkpodcast  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dearhallmark/message

Episode #243 // Whatever you try to achieve as a leader relies, at least to some extent, on your credibility. If you have strong personal credibility, it makes everything you do inordinately easier. Credibility galvanizes your team… it instills confidence in the people above you… and it ultimately becomes an integral part of your leadership brand. Without it, every yard you manage to move forward feels hard. There's no shortage of smart executives in the world, but there are very few great leaders. Credibility is the hallmark of all great leaders. Without exception, great leaders have high personal credibility…It's the type of credibility that's founded in their competence, their values, their leadership approach and, ultimately, their results. And everyone around them notices—you can feel the difference!In this episode, I expose the key differences between those who are just smart executives, and those who are great leaders. And, with this as the foundation, I reveal some of the critical elements required to successfully build and maintain your personal leadership credibility.————————NEW QUIZ: I've created a brand new 3-question quiz that'll give you a free personalized podcast playlist tailored to where you are right now in your leadership career!Click here to take the 30-second quiz now to get your on-the-go playlist————————You can connect with me at:Website: https://www.yourceomentor.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentorLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourceomentorYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@YourCEOMentor ————————Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Don't you love how you realize you have a shared interest with someone, and once you start talking to them, you realize you have even more in common than you thought?That's one of my intentions when I have guests on the show - I want all of us to see that there is more that connects us than divides us, and that was my experience with Eric Rutin.Eric and I connected over a shared love of Hallmark, and as we chatted during this episode, our conversation was a little all over the place, which is my favorite type of conversation to have!Yes, we talk about Hallmark. But we also talk about life, technology, family, and...if you know Eric, this won't come as a surprise to you...we also talk about a little mystery.I had such a great time chatting with him. And I know you'll have a great time listening. (If you don't....well, keep that to yourself, OK?) ;)If you want to keep tabs on what Eric has going on, you can follow him on Instagram @hallmarkmoviereview or subscribe to his channel of the same name on YouTube. To keep up to date on Eric, Sydney and the Hallmark Mystery Universe, follow them on Instagram @hallmarkmysteriesandmore, and subscribe/follow their podcast (of the same name) on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Did you love this episode? If so, I want to know! Send me a DM @itsactuallykristi on Instagram, or send me an email at Kristi@awakentheextraordinary.com. You can also throw Eric some love (because the world needs more of it, right?) on Instagram @hallmarkmoviereviewer OR @hallmarkmysteriesandmore.If you reallllly loved the episode, please "Like It" or "Heart It" or whatever it is you need to do to show the podcast some love on whatever platform you're listening on. And if you leave a review, please let me know so I can personally thank you! (And I actually will!)Oh - and one last thing! You can share whatever episode you're enjoying in your Stories too! If you do, be sure to tag @itsactuallykristi and I'll re-share!OK....I think that's it! Thank you SO much for listening - I really DO appreciate it and I appreciate YOU!

Hear why strategy without accountability doesn't work! I met Aviva Ajmera when she invited me to speak to her groups of CEOs in Kansas City. We hit it right off and had an exceptional time learning about each other and the type of work we love to do to help companies grow. Working with teams, CIOs, CEOs and C-suite level executives, Aviva knows how to bring out the best in them, their collective wisdom and perspective. She loves to build strategic plans but she also knows that unless you create action plans to go with those strategies, they don't go anywhere, no matter how great they are. They have to be a product of the organization. Our conversation is full of ideas about how you can build a great strategic plan for your organization, and actually convert it into a business plan that works. Listen and learn! Watch and listen to our conversation here Three themes we discuss that are very relevant to our listeners Engage the entire organization in the planning process. They have great ideas. Don't shut them out. And the plan will be much easier to implement if your teammates are all involved in building it. Execution must be part of the discussion. As Blue Ocean Strategists, we know how challenging it is to move an organization forward. Don't make it more difficult. Think carefully about the plan and its implementation at the same time. Put a planning process in place so you can see progress, celebrate small wins and redirect if necessary. No battleship is ever turned with just an oar. Connect with Aviva on LinkedIn, her website SoLVE, or via email: viva.ajmera2@gmail.com. Want a strategic plan that will actually stick? Try these suggestions for ideas: Blog: Everything Is Changing. Is This A Great Time For A Blue Ocean Strategy? Blog: Will You Adapt Or Die? How Cultural Anthropology Can Transform Your Business Strategy Podcast: Mari Ryan—Time For A Big Strategy For Your Company's Well-Being Additional resources for you My two award-winning books: Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Businessand On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights Our website: Simon Associates Management Consultants   Read the transcript of our podcast here Andi Simon: Welcome to On the Brink With Andi Simon. I'm Andi Simon, your host and your guide. You know, we've done almost 400 On the Brink podcasts, and divide that by 52 weeks, that's a whole lot of years sharing with you ways that you can get off the brink, and soar. My hope, my purpose, my joy is helping you see, feel and think in new ways so that you can have that aha moment when all of a sudden your brain goes, Oh, that's what I can do. So I find people who can help you do just that. And I'm looking at a beautiful woman today who I met in all kinds of ways. Let me introduce her first, and then I'll tell you a little bit about how we got connected and what she's going to talk about today. Aviva Ajemra is a beautiful woman from Kansas City and she helps companies do all kinds of wonderful things to help them grow. She's going to tell you more about her own journey. But I met her because she invited me out to speak to a group of hers at a CSuite Solutions event, really a marvelous organization, and I spoke to three of them about culture change. I had a great time in Kansas City. And so my reciprocity was to share your thoughts with my audience. And she's laughing. But I do think that we're purpose-driven in the sense of wanting to share what we know with others. And it's more about helping them than it is about profits with them. It's great fun! But all of us are looking for ways to be of help. And that gives us a great kindness. Aviva thank you for being here with me today. Aviva Ajmera: Thank you for inviting me, Andi. It was such a joy to meet you in person in January. And I felt like we had an immediate connection. So it's really fun to do this at this point in time. Andi Simon: Well, thank you for sending me all those great pictures. I truly didn't realize that's what I look like. But that looks pretty cool. Tell the listeners about your own journey. Who is Aviva? And how did you arrive at where you are now? So then we can set the stage for the wisdom that you want to share. Aviva Ajmera: Absolutely, happy to. I can honestly say my journey was very unplanned. I wonder, is it serendipity? I believe in serendipity. Is it destiny? I believe in karma and destiny. But I also believe in a plan. I am a very planned person. I think it was really the combination of all three that got me to where I am today. When I think about how I started as a painfully shy first generation Indian girl to immigrant parents growing up in upstate New York. I went to college in Texas. That was a big leap, a big step forward. I ended up living in Minneapolis, joining a consulting firm, moving to Kansas City, which was never on my radar growing up in New York. Back in 1995, I joined Hallmark Cards, and then I left corporate without a job to go to when I was there 15 years. But I just felt like that's what was right for me. I ended up joining an international consulting firm. I was a partner there for seven years. And I was traveling all the time, and my little girl was growing up. And that's how I decided to start SoLVE, my strategic consulting firm here in Kansas City. And then this year, I started my new firm, the one that you came to speak to, called C-Suite Success. So I never would have thought growing up the way I did, super shy, really kind of sheltered, that I would now be the CEO of two companies in the belly button of America. Andi Simon: Well, you know, I'm a big believer in serendipity. And I do think there's a path. I just don't know what the next step on that path is. And we are all talking about what's next because we've reached that phase where we're pretty successful. And we sort of know who we are. And the journey has so many interesting uncertainties to it and is full of challenges. But you're an important part because you've been inside a company helping it grow. You've been a consultant helping companies grow. You now have your own business, helping them grow. And watching you lead these groups that I spoke to, they have a magic relationship with you. They listen, and they're learning at the same time. So share with us some of the wisdom of what you learned as you went through this, and some of the things that you're doing now to help companies see, feel and think in new ways, because you have that magic. Aviva Ajmera: Oh, well, thank you so much. That means a lot coming from you because I know you work with hundreds and hundreds of companies. Well, really candidly growing up, my mom and dad were amazing parents but as immigrants, they didn't grow up in the US. So I didn't have the benefit of a lot of role models as I was growing up or approaching college, thinking about career, grad school, etc. And what I found is that I was really blessed. I had so many mentors, before the word mentor even was like a word that got used in corporate America all the time. And I feel like they always saw something in me that I did not yet see in myself. And I'm so grateful for that. So as I work with teams, CIOs, CEOs, C-suite level people, and then usually their next one or two levels down in my consulting practice, my goal is always to bring out the best in them, to bring out that collective wisdom and that collective perspective. Because I work with them, I'm building strategic plans. And I know that strategic plans don't work when only the leader has created the plan, or heaven forbid, the consultant has created the plan. It has to be a product of the organization. And as I do that, and I spend time with clients, trying to figure out how to bring out the best in them, what I realized is a bit of a shift that's happened in corporate America in the last, I would say, easily 10 years, but maybe even it goes back further. I was lucky in that when I started out at Accenture, they had and still do, a really robust training and development plan. Most companies don't have that anymore. And they don't have it because they can't afford it. And it's definitely been a common line item to cut out over the last four to five years. And so what we've done with C-Suite Success is bring together all of these eager, high potential people wanting to grow, wanting to invest in themselves and create cohorts. So we have a CEO cohort, we have a C-suite cohort, and then we've got that next level, all of which want to continuously learn, continuously improve, and they need a safe place to come and talk, to come and recharge, and to be able to learn together and talk about applications for each of their companies. The folks in our groups cross any industry. You can imagine: profit, nonprofit, family owned, public, everything, because what we find is that issues are the same. And the ways that people want to grow and develop professionally, it doesn't matter what kind of company you're in, it's all pretty common. And so that's what I would call the magic of how our groups work together. Andi Simon: You know, magic is interesting, because the trust factor is high. And when they come in there, they almost have to shed their fear of failure, or not looking professional, or being the CEO or the C-suite leader that is expected among their peers. I mean, I've done Vistage now for years. I think I've done 500 Vistage talks and I'm always fascinated by the CEO. For those of you who don't know what Vistage is, it's an organization that brings in speakers, like myself, to introduce ideas to their members. And, it becomes an interesting way of getting a feel for what's happening. When I went to Aviva's group, a wonderful group, different people and they were all coming in, shedding their concerns about who they were and what they did. And they came in sort of open-minded to see what somebody else could share with them and help them grow. And growing is very hard when you hit a certain point. So as you're working with them, and even problem solving, is there some approach that I heard you say? Are there certain approaches you take, for example, to build a strategy with a client that helps them see it themselves? Aviva Ajmera: Yes, it's multi-step. And it happens over time, because it is at the core, what you said, it's a relationship. So with consulting engagements, the very first thing I do is send a survey out. It's all open-ended questions. And then we talk on the phone, then I interview them. And we usually spend an hour on the phone. So I work very hard to create a unique one-on-one relationship with every single member of the strategic planning team. And oftentimes, some other key stakeholders; sometimes it's board members, sometimes it's other people that aren't on the team, but they are big influencers in the organization. And we talk a lot about trust. And it's actually one of the principles when I kick off an engagement in my consulting firm. We talk about how we're going to work together and we talk about how when we are together, it is a safe place. There's no judgment, and we're going to have trust. Now that doesn't mean you have to agree. It just means you have to be comfortable. enough and feel safe enough that whatever's on your mind, regardless of what your level is in the organization, we want you to contribute because we think your opinions are important, which is why we've asked you to be on a team. With C-Suite Success, it's a little different because we've got folks from different companies. With our CEO group, they all represent individual companies. But we have an interesting secondary dynamic in our C-suite group. And in our key leader group, which is, sometimes we have two folks from the same company in our group. And candidly, I was really curious to see how that would go. Would they feel like they couldn't open up because of somebody else in the company that's listening. And in fact, what I found was the exact opposite. They felt a sense of partnership and a camaraderie because they had somebody that was hearing them express a challenge or an issue that they had, and the other person genuinely wanted to help them. We had one meeting where someone was sharing that she felt very frustrated, because she felt her role could have a wider dimension than the leadership was allowing her to have. And the other person from the company in that group said, it makes me really sad that you feel like that and I want to figure out what I can do to help you not feel like that. And, I mean, I was just watching it happen. And I was like, Oh, I love this so much. Andi Simon: But to your point, people within a company play their roles, but don't have time to be honest with each other. Or, she wasn't even looking for help, she was just articulating her feelings. And being who she was, she was ready to see it through a fresh lens, which was beautiful. But it's interesting to watch people because people are so challenging. I mean, they're trying to do a good job, and they don't know: I can't do more, I can't hang in there, and then I get shut down. When you're working on the strategy stuff, you said something important, that is, you help turn it into an execution. We do a lot of Blue Ocean Strategy work. And the hardest part is to turn a great idea into an innovation. You know, we often said our tagline is From observation to innovation because it's hard to see it. And then once you see it, what are you going to do with it? What kind of tools can our listeners learn from you about turning those ideas, a strategy, into an implementation that actually works? Any thoughts? Aviva Ajmera: So many thoughts. And you are speaking my love language when you talk about strategy and implementation. So you know, anytime I talk to a group, and frankly, when they're interviewing me, and I am also interviewing them to make sure it's a good fit, I ask them about previous strategic plans. What did they like? What did they not like? What worked, what didn't work? A common theme of what didn't work is, We built this plan, then nothing happened. If I have a client that experiences that with me facilitating the work, that means I have failed. That is absolutely not what I want to do. So when I work with a client, I make it very clear, we'll build you a strategic plan, but the more important work is actually the implementation plan. And the key aspect to the implementation plan is accountability. So for every single initiative, you might have 30 initiatives under a particular strategy. You have a timeline around it, you have metrics around it, and you have a person that is in charge of making sure it gets done. And then follow up. I tell them, even when we create the plan, it's based on what we know. We create three year strategic plans, but we're doing it in the current-state timeline where you are going to live the plan. So I teach them, it's a living, breathing document, really like our journey in life is, right? Things are going to change but we are building the best plan we can with what we know today. But I teach them how to think about how you adjust. And I really encourage them to do monthly check-ins, and my most successful clients do that. They check in every single month. That way things don't slip. If people are struggling, they can share it. They can talk about what adjustments do we need to make, and then we continue to move forward toward their big three year plan goals. Andi Simon: It's always been interesting to me how even when I was an executive in banks, I was an executive in three banks, and we would build the strategy. And yet the idea that this was business every day was sort of an anathema to the folks who somehow knew they had to create this thing. And it was done. And then we could go back to doing our job. And the two were so disconnected that I watched and I wondered, what is this that we're trying to do, this thing called strategy? And then the other part that was disconnected was the goal of all of this, so we had a strategy to get someplace. The daily business was different from what was in the strategy. And some goals that we were trying to get to, that was sort of elusive at the end. How interesting, how business was run. And now that's unacceptable. You can't do that. Let's start backwards. Where do you go? I had one healthcare client with a 44-page plan, can you believe that? Aviva Ajmera: Oh, that just sounds painful to me. That's never going to happen. And then my 15 years at Hallmark Cards, and I am grateful for my career there. I grew and just bloomed while I was at Hallmark. But I remember every single year, we had a different senior manager in charge of leading strategic planning. Well, guess what that means: every single year, the format of strategic planning is different. And I remember when I was young, like late 20s, coming out of grad school, the concept of a strategic plan. I'm so excited about it, right? Like I learned how to do that when I was in grad school. When I came to the company, when you're 27 years old, and you're an individual contributor, you're not involved in the strategic plan at all. You are given these big corporate goals, and you sit there, I did anyways, and I would say, where am I going to fit in? The strategies are way bigger than my sphere of influence. The goals are numbers I don't control. I don't have visibility so I get maybe a twice a year update, maybe an annual update. And so the way I do plans is just really different. And I tell the organization as we're building it, and then I tell them as we're recapping it: everyone in the organization should be able to see their role in the plan. And if they don't, that means we didn't build the plan properly. So it is a little bit of a pressure test even as we're building the implementation plan. That doesn't mean every single person has something they're accountable for, but that they should at least be on a team that is accountable for a particular initiative. Andi Simon: One thing that we've begun over the years to realize is that you also have to tell people what they're going to stop or not do. Those are often fascinating to me, because they'll say, Of course, we can stop that. And then you go observe, being the anthropologist I am, I don't even ask them, I go watch, and I watch the thing they're going to stop is the thing they do every day. Habits are so powerful that they know how to do it so well, even if it has no value anymore. And I had one client and I said to him, You know your clients don't need this. "That's what we do," he said. I said, "But they told me what you're doing. So how do we change this so it fits where you're going, as opposed to where you have been hard to let go?" Have you found the same? Aviva Ajmera: Absolutely, absolutely. It's exactly what you're saying. It's habit. And it's comfort. That doesn't mean that it's right, it doesn't mean that it was wrong to do it when you started doing it. But just as all things evolve, it might not be the right fit for where the company is now, for where their clients or their customers are today. So how do you break that habit? You make a list. You make a list of what's new in the plan. Whate are you going to start doing? What are you going to stop doing, and you syndicate it. You syndicate it with the board. You syndicate it with the senior leadership, and you syndicate it all the way through the company. Now we know behaviors take time to change so we have to hold each other accountable. And there are fun little things you can do, you know, awards of the month, that focus on the change that you're trying to create, or other types of recognition that keep it alive, in the energy, in the culture of the company, to make sure that you're reinforcing. Not only are we articulating what we want to change, but we are reinforcing it by recognizing the new changes and the behaviors, and then soon they become a part.  Andi Simon: But to emphasize this with our audience, the brain remembers what you celebrate. And so if you really want that person to stop, we're not even going to stop smoking, or just try doing procedures that are already automated that they're doing with paper again. But anything that you really want to demonstrate, you record. Recognize the effort that went into changing, it's celebrated. Because the brains of the people you're working with will remember what you praised. And if you don't, it won't think it's important. And those are not incidentals, it's not sort of an afterthought. Or even a thank you note, a little act of gratitude, can have a huge opportunity cost for you. As somebody will say, Oh, this matters, I didn't know. And the other part is, I love teaming people up. Because if you can team them up, there's another person who's watching. And then if they trust each other, then they can talk to each other. Like those two people in your C-suite program. It's interesting, we do things for others and with others, but on our own, we go back to what we've always done. And we're not happy to be asked to change it. Change is painful. It's really hard. Aviva Ajmera: Yeah, it's so true. I mean, you taught us the idea of a funeral. And I'll tell you, all three groups were like, We love that idea. One of the things I do with the groups is, every month, I ask them to tell us about what you've implemented from the last speaker that you heard. And then I also do it quarterly as a way to try to reinforce reminders to take this great learning that you got from spending a day with me and a speaker, and make sure that you're actually implementing and embedding it in the organization. Another simple technique for a company, a lot of times, I will ask them to send me a year's worth of agendas, send me your agenda. I want to see what you talk about. Is your agenda just an update, or are you literally having a discussion? And if you've got new behavior that you're trying to instill, where are you giving it some time. It could be a stand-up meeting, it could be a formal meeting, it could be a newsletter, it could be anything, but where are you recognizing and calling out these new behaviors that we're wanting to encourage in an organization. Andi Simon: The hardest part is to make them feel competent, to take the ideas back and implement them. You know, it's not like learning golf in an hour or two or three with a club in a book and hitting the ball. Although I've done that, and it's not easy to do. But you have the humility that comes with it, the vulnerability of saying to their colleagues, you know, this is something that I heard and I really think we should try. Let's, you know, we don't have to fail or not, let's not fear failure, let's try. And I share that with our listeners, because you need a language and a conversation for implementing the new, when your folks are going to immediately walk away and resist you, pretending you didn't say the words you just did. And they don't even know that their brains are fighting it. Aviva Ajmera: Absolutely, absolutely. Another technique I've learned over the years is something I'll call converge and diverge. So the converging is listening to what the change needs to be. The diverging is breaking into small groups and brainstorming, coming up with ideas. And then you come together again, and you share those ideas. So it gives everything a little extra juice, a little extra validation. And many times when we do that, in our groups, one group will say, Ooh, I really like that. Can I borrow that? I'm going to have that list too. And it's really fun seeing when energy builds because they're learning from one another. Andi Simon: It's interesting, I have two, three leadership academies: one four years, one three years, one five years, and the interaction is less about me than it's about them and what they can learn from each other. To your point: only about having time to think out loud, and to be able to share ideas that are sitting there and bubbling up but don't have a place to come through. And always there are great ideas coming often down in the trenches, because they're closest to the work being done. But even all the way across the whole thing, it's fun to watch people ideate all of a sudden. They go, Ah, you know, I can do that. And all of a sudden it becomes part of their story, not someone else's. I love it. So my question for you, my podcast has been ranked among the top 10 futurists podcasts, but I didn't know I was a futurist. So I asked my listeners, my viewers, pardon my interviewees to share with our viewers. What do you see coming? Anything in particular, as you're working with both your customers, your clients, your members of your group? Are there key themes that you hear particularly as we're coming out of the pandemic? What's coming? Aviva Ajmera: A few common themes. The first one that came to mind was health. So self-health, mental health, it could be relationship health. I think for me, I know the pandemic, because it was so abrupt and everything kind of stopped. I mean, my clients put work on hold for nine months until we realized this wasn't going away. We needed to adapt and figure out how to do our work in a virtual way. They work with me, not their businesses, but I think it gave us all that time that we have to live our life in a way that naturally feels good to us, whether that's how you start your day, what you eat, exercise, who you talk to, all of that. And then as we now create this new normal and kind of reenter, nothing is 100% like it was prior to March of 2020. It's all an adapted version of it. And I think most of us are still figuring it out. Because those norms are gone. So we're creating new norms. So an openness for employers to understand that their employees are seeking that, and there's no right answer. I really feel like the right answer is just talking to your employees. The other one that I see across all industries, and even with my angel investing, really is the idea of partnership. So you might call it networks. You might call it mentors. You might call it really just business model partnerships. More and more, I see companies recognizing for them to reach their fullest potential, having strategic partnerships is how they really will soar. Because it's really hard. Just like any one person cannot be an expert in every single thing called life, any one company cannot necessarily be the expert at every single thing they need for their company to live its fullest potential. And that's where I see a lot of partnerships coming into play. Andi Simon: I think of the well-being and of all kinds of healthcare, behavioral health, mental health, family health, I mean, the health. You know, the tragedy of the pandemic, truly was a tragedy, but it's opened us up to every day is a gift. How will we live it? And then how do we find the benefits of our days? But the other part is this partnership concept. Uber has shown us you don't need to own everything. And I do think that once you take a look at what Airbnb or Uber or others have done, you realize that the market has lots of ways of solving a problem. And I had one client and I said, you know there are lots of ways of solving your situation. You don't have to have it all. And who could you connect people with? Because they're asking you for things and you say we don't do that. Well, you don't need to do that. But that's a recurring theme. I get it. But you know, in the past, I said yes, but that kind of strategy works, then maybe today's strategy isn't about we don't do it. But how can we help you to different conversations? Aviva Ajmera: Right, exactly. How can we facilitate it? So I think of two words that come to mind. One is insights. So what are those customers or those client insights? What need is needing to be met? And then the other word is ecosystem. And I feel as though that word has really evolved and grown over the last, I'll say, five to seven years in a way. I've never seen it happen before. And I see it in my clients. But I also see it in my startup companies that my angel invests in: the idea of ecosystems, supporting one another is so incredibly powerful. You kind of conquer, you help each other conquer those learning curves faster because I've already figured that out, or I've already looked into that and let me share it with you. So back to that partnership word versus holding everything close to the vest and it's like, No, I paid my dues. I figured it out. You could figure it out on your own. I see that going away. Now I will say, I live in the Midwest, and I know that the coasts and the cultures are a little bit different. But I see it on the coasts as well. I really see it all over the world as I have friends and family that live all over the world. So I think there's a synergy that comes from ecosystems and partnerships where it clearly can be a win-win for the people working together. Andi Simon: Well, in some ways, it is a reflection of us coming to terms with, I don't need to do it all, and we can help each other. And we both can prosper much more easily then being proprietary, even intellectual property. People say, can I access your stuff? I give it to you, you know, enjoy it, use it, let me know how I can help. And it becomes a very different dialogue, and I'm going to protect it and hold it, and you got to pay for it, or you've got to do something with it. It's a time when I think the multiplier is really more interesting than the protector of the isolated. Because, you know, I met one person and the work I was doing, he had 98% of the market share for his particular product. And I said, So what does that do for you if you own the market? It's a market growing as a market shrinking, what else can you do for them? And the reason I love thinking out loud, like you and I are doing, is, what else can we do? Where are their unmet needs? And how can we be a value beyond simply the thing that we do? It's no longer a product to sell as the service or solution. So I love to solve. It really captures what we're trying to do with solving each other's problems together. Well, we can talk, you and I for much longer, but I think it's time that we summarize for our listeners, one, two or three things that you don't want them to forget. I made a bunch of notes myself, what are some of your takeaways? Aviva Ajmera: You know, I think I mentioned to you, my daughter is 21. And she's graduating college this year. I'll be 55 this year. It's interesting that I am almost 55 talking to my 21 year old daughter. What I wish someone had said to me at that age causes you to reflect on your life. Like, where would you have taken bigger chances? When I think about three lasting thoughts, the first one is about network. And network sometimes is a scary word. Use whatever word you want. It could be ecosystem, it could be other people, you know, whatever. But it's about not only building your own, but also realizing your friends' network can be your network, your family's network can be your network. And as you think about your mentors, I would say have lots of them. You're going to have mentors at different stages of your life for different reasons in your life, just like all of your friends, just think big. Think wide. The other thing is, I told you, I love plans. So yes, have a plan. But be willing to change that plan. Because you have no idea how once you start living the plan, how your thoughts and ideologies might change a little bit, how your experiences will influence what you value, and what is most important. And part of that is being a continuous learner. It does not matter how old you are. We just learned how to play pickleball. I'm learning things in pickleball that I can apply to my business life. Well, it's a really wonderful thing. And then the last thing is really what you asked me about as far as big changes that I'm seeing. It's about taking care of yourself, because for those of us, which is most of us that are high achievement oriented, right, very goal oriented, you will acquire those titles and that monetary status, you'll acquire it, just assume that but none of it matters if you don't have your health. If you don't have healthy relationships, people in your life that you can enjoy that success with and know that your definition for success might change when it comes to material acquisitions, but taking care of yourself is always the same. Do I feel good every day? Am I happy every day? Am I healthy enough to go enjoy what it is? I've said in my life, I want to go try that or I want to go visit there, or whatever the adventure is for you. Andi Simon: You know, Aviva, I am going to a pickleball benefit, not too many weekends from now, and I said, How do you play pickleball? I'm trying to make my golf game at least competent. And I have to learn another game? And maybe because that's where all the action is. Even our golf clubs would open up pickleball courts because that's where all the people are. And they were at a membership meeting and I said pickleball and they looked at me, I said, that's where all the growth is. And it's fast and it's easy, and it's fun. And people come because they enjoy it. And so let's enjoy ourselves. So it's an interesting time. Thank you so much for the conversation. It's been wonderful today. Thank you. Aviva Ajmera: Thank you, Andi. I always enjoy talking with you and I am very grateful for the opportunity to be on your podcast. Andi Simon: Well I just love sharing wonderful people like yourself. It's so much fun to talk about what I love to talk about, which is strategy and how to grow people and their companies so they can live happily ever after. It's not a fairy tale. And one thing I want to make sure you understand is, hope is not a strategy. So I have a hunch Aviva would agree with me. Every time they tell me the inbox, or word of mouth, I just want to say, you hope somebody finds you and somebody will do business with you. But that's not a good strategy. So, for all of my listeners, thank you for coming. It's always fun. I love sharing and this is a great opportunity for me to share with you a little of our thoughts, lots of good people who want to help you see, feel and think in new ways. Don't forget my books are available on Amazon. My new book comes out in September of 2023. It's called Women Meaning Business, and in it are 101 women trailblazers with great wisdom to share with you. I can't wait to show it to you. It's almost coming. But right now, I want you to remember that I love your emails, send them to info@Andisimon.com. That comes right to me and Simonassociates.net is on a new website and it's all so much fun. Thanks Aviva. I'm going to say goodbye. Take care. Bye bye now. Bye bye.

On the podcast today, we welcome back Jonathan Clements, who was among our first guests when we launched this podcast back in 2019. Jonathan is the founder and editor of HumbleDollar, and he is also the editor of a new book called My Money Journey, which is a compilation of essays from 30 individuals about how they found financial freedom. Jonathan also sits on the advisory board of Creative Planning, one of the country's largest independent financial advisors and is the author of nine personal finance books. Earlier in his career, Jonathan spent almost 20 years at The Wall Street Journal, where he was the newspaper's personal finance columnist and six years at Citigroup, where he was director of financial education for the bank's U.S. Wealth Management arm.BackgroundBioHumbleDollarMy Money Journey, edited by Jonathan ClementsCurrent Conditions“What I Don't Own,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, March 4, 2023.“Happy Talk,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Nov. 19, 2022.“Behaving Badly,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Sept. 18, 2021.“Nine Roads to Ruin,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, March 6, 2021.“New Rules for Success,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Nov. 26, 2022.“Pay It Down,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Aug. 17, 2019.Indexing, Retirement, and Real Estate“Four Questions,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Feb. 22, 2020.“Jonathan's Portfolio,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com.“Mix and Match,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Dec. 4, 2021.“Risking My Life,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Aug. 8, 2020.“Jonathan's Retirement,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com.“How to Overhaul Your Retirement Portfolio in Just 7 Days,” by Jonathan Clements, money.com, Jan. 3, 2019.“The Long Game,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Feb. 4, 2023.“Jonathan's Homes,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com.Theory and Thrift“Helpful in Theory,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Feb. 11, 2023.“Don't Overdo It,” by Jonathan Clements, humbledollar.com, Jan. 23, 2021.Other“Jonathan Clements: ‘It's in Wall Street's Interest to Make Everyday Investors Think That They Are Stupid,'” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, July 31, 2019.“Credit Scores and Committed Relationships,” by Jane Dokko, Geng Li, and Jessica Hayes, federalreserve.gov, August 2015.Morningstar Investment Conference 2023If you're looking for even more investing insights, data, and analysis, join us at this year's Morningstar Investment Conference, April 25 through 27 in Chicago. We have a great agenda this year, featuring top financial minds from market gurus like Liz Ann Sonders to great investors like Steve Romick to retirement planning experts like Mary Beth Franklin and Dr. Laura Carstensen. There's something for everyone looking to tackle the challenges and opportunities for investors in the current market. We're in-person only this year. So, check out the link in our show notes to register. We're looking forward to seeing you in Chicago.

Jordan Ninkovich is a production designer who has worked on various projects, including Hallmark movies and the true crime Lifetime movie "Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini." In his work on Hallmark movies, Ninkovich has brought to life the romantic and magical settings. From quaint small towns to opulent mansions, his designs have helped audiences become fully immersed in the stories being told. In "Hoax," Ninkovich utilized his expertise to create a raw and realistic depiction of the events surrounding the controversial disappearance of Sherri Papini. His design helped to convey the emotional resonance of the story and with his talent and experience, Jordan Ninkovich is sure to continue impressing audiences with his work for years to come. Are you a fan of TV and film production? Do you love learning about the behind-the-scenes work that goes into creating your favorite shows and movies? Then you need to check out the Decorating Pages podcast! As an Emmy-winning set decorator, host Kim Wannop brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to each episode, featuring interviews with some of the top names in the industry. From production designers to set decorators to prop masters, each guest offers a unique perspective on the art and craft of visual storytelling. Whether you're a film buff, a design enthusiast, or just love hearing fascinating behind-the-scenes stories, the Decorating Pages podcast is a must-listen. So why wait? Subscribe now and get ready to take a deep dive into the world of TV and film production! #DecoratingPagesPodcast #TVProduction #FilmProduction #BehindTheScenes #VisualStorytelling #SetDecorator #ProductionDesigner #PropMaster #DesignEnthusiast #FilmBuff #PodcastLove #SubscribeNow Subscribe to Decorating Pages Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio,iHeartRadio Follow at: @decoratingpages on Twitter decoratingpages on IG Decorating Pages Podcast on YouTube @decoratingpagespodcast on TicTok Contact Kim Wannop at kimwannop@decoratingpagespodcast.com www.decoratingpagespodcast.com

When you begin to think and play bigger, it can transform not only your own life, but the lives of those around you — your family, your team, your community, and even beyond. As the founder of the transformative global nonprofit Women Empowering Nations (WEN), Carlisha Bradley is playing bigger and making a difference on a global stage. She's served as a trusted advisor to aid organizations, non­profits, schools, leaders, foreign governments, and diplomats around the world, and has learned how to effect powerful change for the women and girls that she serves. In this conversation, we talk about the incredible impact of Carlisha's international work, her inspiring background in public education, and why I would love for her to run for office someday!Listen now to discover: How struggling with her identity suppressed Carlisha's voice — and the influential events that helped her find her identity and purposeHow to advocate effectively so that you can achieve your desired results  How to best support WEN as they empower girls around the world  Guest bio: Carlisha Williams Bradley is an acclaimed nonprofit leader, education advocate, and social enterprise consultant. Carlisha lends her spirit, expertise, and voice as an advocate for women and girls worldwide as the founder of Women Empowering Nations, a nonprofit devoted to the educational and leadership development of girls. With her consultancy, Amplify for Women, she calls other destiny-driven women to follow in her footsteps and be the change. She is the bestselling author of Choosing Faith Over Fear: 14 Days of Life-Changing Lessons.Timestamps:01:39  Intro04:28  Meet Carlisha Bradley07:50  Hallmark movies & twin motherhood15:11  Journey of self-discovery19:08  Igniting her passion22:28  Surprising stories25:10  How to support WEN26:28  Why Carlisha does this work29:22  Working for the Board of Education 36:06  Emotion, passion & presence39:50  Politicians & regaining our progress44:43  What's nextLinks:Carlisha Bradleyhttps://carlisha.com http://wenations.org https://www.amplifyforwomen.com Discover your tactical leadership toolkit: https://www.exceptionalleaderslab.com Interested in working with me or having me speak at your event? Find more information at https://tracyspears.com Want tools and insights that will help you play bigger in your life, at work, and in your community? Visit my resource library: https://tracyspears.com/blog —Connect with me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracylspears Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TracySpearsSpeaker Twitter: @tracylspears Instagram: @tracylspears If you love the podcast, please consider leaving a rating and review — this will help others discover how to play a bigger game and step into their fullest potential.

Chris tells us about his TSA troubles, and how he prevailed in moments of chaos during the reunion party he hosted last week. Jessie has been doing well and kicks us off into another character building Hallmark: Claudia and Cliffy VanHuffington are back and in action people! Join ‘Stuck In The Middle' on Facebook to join the community? https://www.facebook.com/groups/722387715256890/

Pamala Oslie joins Jane to discuss Quantum Physics and Parallel Universes. She has appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX, The Dr. Oz Show, The View, The Ricki Lake Show, Coast to Coast with George Noory, Hallmark's Home and Family, Better TV, Gaia with Lisa Garr, and she's been a regular on The Next Room podcast. Pam has written four successful and popular books, Life Colors, Love Colors, Infinite You and Make Your Dreams Come True, and has a very extensive clientele, including many celebrities. Pam has spoken at the TEDx Talks 2012, the International Forum on New Science, Fortune 500 companies, and many seminars for professionals in the psychology, education, health fields and more. She was awarded the Holistic Transformational Leader of the Year Award by the Global Association of Holistic Psychotherapy and Coaching. Pam is the Founder of www.AuraColors.com a site designed to help you create success, joy and fulfillment in EVERY area of your life.  https://auracolors.com/ Connect with the host of The Next Room Jane Asher Find Jane's book The Next Room and other books from MindBodySpirit.fm podcast hosts in the online store Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe discusses the 2019 Hallmark movie True Love Blooms with the amazingly talented artist Christopher Michon. You can find Christopher's work at: failedimagineer.com https://www.instagram.com/failedimagineer/

Hey! I heard that song in a movie! Join Jovial Jay and Shua as they play the epic game 5 Songs, where you match the tune with a film. Play along and trigger your implicit memory on the season finale of Enjoy Stuff!   Season 2 of Enjoy Stuff is coming to a close. We celebrate by revisiting music and movies. See if any of these ditties make you think of some classic movies as we once again play 5 Songs.   News RIP to legendary Mad Magazine artist Al Jaffee The Russo brothers continue to develop their Battle of the Planets project. We sure hope this sees the light of day sometime In Denver, Regal is closing an iconic movie theater and Shua is sad Hallmark is releasing a Sega Dreamcast ornament to grace your pop culture Christmas tree Get ready to Phillipa out as Michelle Yeoh returns to her dastardly Star Trek: Discovery character in a ‘movie event' Krispy Kreme is teaming up with Chips Ahoy cookies to increase body mass across the country   Check out our TeePublic store for some enjoyable swag and all the latest fashion trends What we're Enjoying Jay had a blast with the Washington DC metro Area Star Wars Collecting Club at a screening of the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi. Jedi is always a great film to revisit and it fills you with all the feels of being a kid again. Shua is enjoying an Apple+ musical and comedy series called Schmigadoon, starring Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong. It's a funny tribute to musicals of old. Season 2 is streaming weekly now.     Sci-Fi Saturdays/MCU Location Scout Jay has updated MCU Location Scout with new locations from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. It's a great rabbit hole to explore. And also, don't forget to read his articles called Sci-Fi Saturdays on Retrozap.com     Enjoy Music!    We celebrate the season finale of Enjoy Stuff by revisiting one of our favorite games, 5 Songs. Jay and Shua play each other 5 different songs that make them think of movies from the past. Play along and try to guess what movie the musical clip comes from.    Wanna listen to all our “5 Songs” picks? Click here for a YouTube playlist   Did you remember the movie? What songs make you think of movies? First person that emails me with the subject line, “You remind me of a song” will get a special mention on the show.  Let us know. Come talk to us in the Discord channel or send us an email to EnjoyStuff@RetroZap.com

Jessica, your grace is unmatched as you handle the mentally unwell Eudora, a poisoned Seth and an unsolved murder. Let's pay our gambling debts and watch Jessica solve a murder, attempted murder and a conspiracy. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefletcherfiles/subscribe Two extra episodes a month with pop culture themes premiering in April 2023. https://www.patreon.com/Thefletcherfiles Three to four extra episodes a month related to cozy mysteries and Hallmark themes with movie and book reviews.

Today I talked to Matt Johnson about his book (co-authored with Tessa Misiaszek) Branding That Means Business: How to Build Enduring Bonds Between Brands, Consumers & Markets (PublicAffairs, 2022) Too often companies look down the road, trying to future-proof their business when it fact they should be clueing-in on the fundamentals of human nature to stay aligned with the eternal verities of their consumers. So argues Matt Johnson, pointing out for instance our desire to belong (leveraged by Airbnb) or longing for happiness (leveraged by Disney, among others). This episode covers a lot of ground. It races from companies trying to authentically co-create their brands with their community of consumers, to whether there is such a thing as a down-to-earth luxury brand (there is, e.g. Supreme), to how Hallmark got caught up in today's polarized politics. Perhaps my favorite question to ask: is there a brand out there trying to associate itself with an emotion like anger, fear or disgust? (You'll have to listen to this episode to learn Matt's surprising answer!) Matt Johnson is a speaker, researcher and writer specializing in the application of psychology and neuroscience to marketing. He holds a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from Princeton University. Besides running the neuromarketing firm Pop Neuro, Matt contributes to Psychology Today, Forbes, and the BBC and teaches at both Hult International School of Business and Harvard University's Division of Continuing Education. Dan Hill, PhD, is the author of ten books and leads Sensory Logic, Inc. (https://www.sensorylogic.com). His latest two books are Blah Blah Blah: A Snarky Guide to Office Lingo and Emotionomics 2.0: The Emotional Dynamics Underlying Key Business Goals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network