Podcasts about Hilton

Join Lynne Hilton Wilson for an inspiring journey through the Old Testament, centered on Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah. For many, approaching the Old Testament can bring mixed emotions—eagerness, uncertainty, even apprehension. As one of the oldest collections of sacred writings in the world, its ancient cultures and stories can feel distant or unfamiliar. Yet within these pages are deeply recognizable human experiences and powerful gospel truths. In this video, Lynne Hilton Wilson helps viewers see how the lives of men and women from the Old Testament point us to Christ. Though their circumstances were different from ours, they knew family joy and conflict, faith and doubt, success and failure. Most importantly, they exercised faith, repented, made covenants, and held fast to the promise of a Savior. As we learn how God moved in their lives, we begin to see how He moves in ours. This episode invites you to rediscover the Old Testament not as a distant or intimidating book, but as a living witness of Jesus Christ, echoing the psalmist's testimony: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

In this episode, we talk about how Rove matches your Mesa, we talk about whether or not you should buy IHG Diamond status, and we announce this year's picks for Bonvoyed of the Year.Giant Mailbag(01:09) - Changing names on reservations/workarounds for using the Fine Hotels and Resorts the Hotel Collection benefitMattress Running the Numbers(03:59) - IHG Lock in 2026 Diamond status by buying points (targeted)Read more about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/ihg-offering-opportunity-to-buy-back-or-increase-status-for-2026/Bonvoyed(12:52) - Chase re-edits The Edit by Chase Travel℠: 1.65x boostsAwards, Points, and More(16:12) - Rove: Match Your Mesa (up to 5,000 free miles)Main Event: The 2025 Bonvoyed Awards(18:36) - What are the Bonvoyed Awards?(20:03) - 2024 winner(21:11) - 2025 Honorable mentions(21:55) - 2025 Contestants(40:05) - Nick's Pick: Southwest(44:36) - Greg's Pick: Sapphire Reserve® RefreshQuestion of the Week(50:02) - Any last-minute ideas for using Hilton resort credits?Mentioned in this episode:Check out this month's sponsor and support our showJoin the loyalty program for renters at joinbilt.com/mileshttps://joinbilt.com/miles

What happens when curiosity, resilience, and storytelling collide over a lifetime of building something meaningful? In this episode, I welcome Nick Francis, founder and CEO of Casual Films, for a thoughtful conversation about leadership, presence, and what it takes to keep going when the work gets heavy. Nick's journey began with a stint at BBC News and a bold 9,000-mile rally from London to Mongolia in a Mini Cooper, a spirit of adventure that still fuels how he approaches business and life today. We talk about how that early experience shaped Casual into a global branded storytelling company with studios across five continents, and what it really means to lead a creative organization at scale. Nick shares insights from growing the company internationally, expanding into Southeast Asia, and staying grounded while producing hundreds of projects each year. Along the way, we explore why emotionally resonant storytelling matters, how trust and preparation beat panic, and why presence with family, health, and purpose keeps leaders steady in uncertain times. This conversation is about building an Unstoppable life by focusing on what matters most, using creativity to connect people, and choosing clarity and resilience in a world full of noise. Highlights: 00:01:30 – Learn how early challenges shape resilience and long-term drive. 00:06:20 – Discover why focusing on your role creates calm under pressure. 00:10:50 – Learn how to protect attention in a nonstop world. 00:18:25 – Understand what global growth teaches about leadership. 00:26:00 – Learn why leading with trust changes relationships. 00:45:55 – Discover how movement and presence restore clarity. About the Guest: Nick Francis is the founder and CEO of Casual, a global production group that blends human storytelling, business know-how, and creativity turbo-charged by AI. Named the UK's number one brand video production company for five years, Casual delivers nearly 1,000 projects annually for world-class brands like Adobe, Amazon, BMW, Hilton, HSBC, and P&G. The adventurous spirit behind its first production – a 9,000-mile journey from London to Mongolia in an old Mini – continues to drive Casual's growth across offices in London, New York, LA, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong and Greater China. Nick previously worked for BBC News and is widely recognised for his expertise in video storytelling, brand building, and corporate communications. He is the founding director of the Casual Films Academy, a charity helping young filmmakers develop skills by producing films for charitable organisations. He is also the author of ‘The New Fire: Harness the Power of Video for Your Business' and a passionate advocate for emotionally resonant, behaviorally grounded storytelling. Nick lives in San Francisco, California, with his family. Ways to connect with Nick**:** Website: https://www.casualfilms.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@casual_global  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casualglobal/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CasualFilms/  Nick's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickfrancisfilm/  Casual's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/casual-films-international/  Beyond Casual - LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=6924458968031395840 About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Michael Hingson  01:21 Well, hello everyone. I am your host, Mike hingson, that's kind of funny. We'll talk about that in a second, but this is unstoppable mindset. And our guest today is Nick Francis, and what we're going to talk about is the fact that people used to always ask me, well, they would call me Mr. Kingston, and it took me, as I just told Nick a master's degree in physics in 10 years to realize that if I said Mike hingson, that's why they said Mr. Kingston. So was either say Mike hingson or Michael hingson. Well, Michael hingson is a lot easier to say than Mike hingson, but I don't really care Mike or Michael, as long as it's not late for dinner. Whatever works. Yeah. Well, Nick, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're Nick Francis  02:04 here. Thanks, Mike. It's great to be here. Michael Hingson  02:08 So Nick is a marketing kind of guy. He's got a company called casual that we'll hear about. Originally from England, I believe, and now lives in San Francisco. We were talking about the weather in San Francisco, as opposed to down here in Victorville. A little bit earlier. We're going to have a heat wave today and and he doesn't have that up there, but you know, well, things, things change over time. But anyway, we're glad you're here. And thanks, Mike. Really looking forward to it. Tell us about the early Nick growing up and all that sort of stuff, just to get us started. Nick Francis  02:43 That's a good question. I grew up in London, in in Richmond, which is southwest London. It's a at the time, it wasn't anything like as kind of, it's become quite kind of shishi, I think back in the day, because it's on the west of London. The pollution from the city used to flow east and so, like all the kind of well to do people, in fact, there used to be a, there used to be a palace in Richmond. It's where Queen Elizabeth died, the first Queen Elizabeth, that is. And, yeah, you know, I grew up it was, you know, there's a lot of rugby played around there. I played rugby for my local rugby club from a very young age, and we went sailing on the south coast. It was, it was great, really. And then, you know, unfortunately, when I was 10 years old, my my dad died. He had had a very powerful job at the BBC, and then he ran the British Council, which is the overseas wing of the Arts Council, so promoting, I guess, British soft power around the world, going and opening art galleries and going to ballet in Moscow and all sorts. So he had an incredible life and worked incredibly hard. And you know, that has brought me all sorts of privileges, I think, when I was a kid. But, you know, unfortunately, age 10 that all ended. And you know, losing a parent at that age is such a sort of fundamental, kind of shaking of your foundations. You know, you when you're a kid, you feel like a, you're going to live forever, and B, the things that are happening around you are going to last forever. And so, you know, you know, my mom was amazing, of course, and, you know, and in time, I got a new stepdad, and all the rest of it. But you know, that kind of shaped a lot of my a lot of my youth, really. And, yeah, I mean, Grief is a funny thing, and it's funny the way it manifests itself as you grow. But yeah. So I grew up there. I went to school in the Midlands, near where my stepdad lived, and then University of Newcastle, which is up in the north of England, where it rains a lot. It's where it's where Newcastle Football Club is based. And you know is that is absolutely at the center of the city. So. So the city really comes alive there. And it was during that time that I discovered photography, and I wanted to be a war photographer, because I believe that was where life was lived at the kind of the real cutting edge. You know, you see the you see humanity in its in its most visceral and vivid color in terrible situations. And I kind of that seemed like an interesting thing to go to go and do. Michael Hingson  05:27 Well, what? So what did you major in in college in Newcastle? So I did Nick Francis  05:31 history and politics, and then I went did a course in television journalism, and ended up working at BBC News as a initially running on the floor. So I used to deliver the papers that you know, when you see people shuffling or not, they do it anymore, actually, because everything, everything's digital now digital, yeah, but when they were worried about the the auto cues going down, they we always had to make sure that they had the up to date script. And so I would be printing in, obviously, the, you know, because it's a three hour news show, the scripts constantly evolving, and so, you know, I was making sure they had the most up to date version in their hands. And it's, I don't know if you have spent any time around live TV Mike, but it's an incredibly humbling experience, like the power of it. You know, there's sort of two or 3 million people watching these two people who are sitting five feet in front of me, and the, you know, the sort of slightly kind of, there was an element of me that just wanted to jump in front of them and kind of go, ah. And, you know, never, ever work in live TV, ever again. But you know, anyway, I did that and ended up working as a producer, writing and developing, developing packets that would go out on the show, producing interviews and things. And, you know, I absolutely loved it. It was, it was a great time. But then I left to go and set up my company. Michael Hingson  06:56 I am amazed, even today, with with watching people on the news, and I've and I've been in a number of studios during live broadcasts and so on. But I'm amazed at how well, mostly, at least, I've been fortunate. Mostly, the people are able to read because they do have to read everything. It isn't like you're doing a lot of bad living in a studio. Obviously, if you are out with a story, out in the field, if you will, there, there may be more where you don't have a printed script to go by, but I'm amazed at the people in the studio, how much they are able to do by by reading it all completely. Nick Francis  07:37 It's, I mean, the whole experience is kind of, it's awe inspiring, really. And you know, when you first go into a Live, a live broadcast studio, and you see the complexity, and you know, they've got feeds coming in from all over the world, and you know, there's upwards of 100 people all working together to make it happen. And I remember talking to one of the directors at the time, and I was like, How on earth does this work? And he said, You know, it's simple. You everyone has a very specific job, and you know that as long as you do your bit of the job when it comes in front of you, then the show will go out. He said, where it falls over is when people start worrying about whether other people are going to are going to deliver on time or, you know, and so if you start worrying about what other people are doing, rather than just focusing on the thing you have to do, that's where it potentially falls over, Michael Hingson  08:29 which is a great object lesson anyway, to worry about and control and don't worry about the rest Nick Francis  08:36 for sure. Yeah, yeah, for sure. You know, it's almost a lesson for life. I mean, sorry, it is a lesson for life, and Michael Hingson  08:43 it's something that I talk a lot about in dealing with the World Trade Center and so on, and because it was a message I received, but I've been really preaching that for a long time. Don't worry about what you can't control, because all you're going to do is create fear and drive yourself Nick Francis  08:58 crazy, completely, completely. You know. You know what is it? Give me the, give me this. Give me the strength to change the things I can. Give me the give me the ability to let the things that I can't change slide but and the wisdom to know the difference. I'm absolutely mangling that, that saying, but, yeah, it's, it's true, you know. And I think, you know, it's so easy for us to in this kind of modern world where everything's so media, and we're constantly served up things that, you know, shock us, sadness, enrage us, you know, just to be able to step back and say, actually, you know what? These are things I can't really change. I'd have to just let them wash over me. Yeah, and just focus on the things that you really can change. Michael Hingson  09:46 It's okay to be aware of things, but you've got to separate the things you can control from the things that you can and we, unfortunately aren't taught that. Our parents don't teach us that because they were never taught it, and it's something. That, just as you say, slides by, and it's so unfortunate, because it helps to create such a level of fear about so many things in our in our psyche and in our world that we really shouldn't have to do Nick Francis  10:13 completely well. I think, you know, obviously, but you know, we've, we've spent hundreds, if not millions of years evolving to become humans, and then, you know, actually being aware of things beyond our own village has only been an evolution of the last, you know what, five, 600 years, yeah. And so we are just absolutely, fundamentally not able to cope with a world of such incredible stimulus that we live in now. Michael Hingson  10:43 Yeah, and it's only getting worse with all the social media, with all the different things that are happening and of course, and we're only working to develop more and more things to inundate us with more and more kinds of inputs. It's really unfortunate we just don't learn to separate ourselves very easily from all of that. Nick Francis  11:04 Yeah, well, you know, it's so interesting when you look at the development of VR headsets, and, you know, are we going to have, like, lenses in our eyes that kind of enable us to see computer screens while we're just walking down the road, you know? And you look at that and you think, well, actually, just a cell phone. I mean, cell phones are going to be gone fairly soon. I would imagine, you know, as a format, it's not something that's going to abide but the idea that we're going to create technology that's going to be more, that's going to take us away from being in the moment more rather than less, is kind of terrifying. Because, I would say already, even with, you know, the most basic technology that we have now, which is, you know, mind bending, compared to where we were even 20 years ago, you know, to think that we're only going to become more immersive is, you know, we really, really as a species, have to work out how we are going to be far better at stepping away from this stuff. And I, you know, I do, I wonder, with AI and technology whether there is, you know, there's a real backlash coming of people who do want to just unplug, yeah, Michael Hingson  12:13 well, it'll be interesting to see, and I hope that people will learn to do it. I know when I started hearing about AI, and one of the first things I heard was how kids would use it to write their papers, and it was a horrible thing, and they were trying to figure out ways so that teachers could tell us something was written by AI, as opposed to a student. And I almost immediately developed this opinion, no, let AI write the papers for students, but when the students turn in their paper, then take a day to in your class where you have every student come up and defend their paper, see who really knows it, you know. And what a great teaching opportunity and teaching moment to to get students also to learn to do public speaking and other things a little bit more than they do, but we haven't. That hasn't caught on, but I continue to preach it. Nick Francis  13:08 I think that's really smart, you know, as like aI exists, and I think to to pretend somehow that, you know, we can work without it is, you know, it's, it's, it's, yeah, I mean, it's like, well, saying, you know, we're just going to go back to Word processors or typewriters, which, you know, in which it weirdly, in their own time, people looked at and said, this is, you know, these, these are going to completely rot our minds. In fact, yeah, I think Plato said that was very against writing, because he believed it would mean no one could remember anything after that, you know. So it's, you know, it's just, it's an endless, endless evolution. But I think, you know, we have to work out how we incorporate into it, into our education system, for sure. Michael Hingson  13:57 Well, I remember being in in college and studying physics and so on. And one of the things that we were constantly told is, on tests, you can't bring calculators in, can't use calculators in class. Well, why not? Well, because you could cheat with that. Well, the reality is that the smart physicists realized that it's all about really learning the concepts more than the numbers. And yeah, that's great to to know how to do the math. But the the real issue is, do you know the physics, not just the math completely? Nick Francis  14:34 Yeah. And then how you know? How are the challenges that are being set such that you know, they really test your ability to use the calculator effectively, right? So how you know? How are you lifting the bar? And in a way, I think that's kind of what we have to do, what we have to do now, Michael Hingson  14:50 agreed, agreed. So you were in the news business and so on, and then, as you said, you left to start your own company. Why did you decide to do that? Nick Francis  14:59 Well, a friend of. Ryan and I from University had always talked about doing this rally from London to Mongolia. So, and you do it in an old car that you sort of look at, and you go, well, that's a bit rubbish. It has to have under a one liter engine. So it's tiny, it's cheap. The idea is it breaks down you have an adventure. And it was something we kind of talked about in passing and decided that would be a good thing to do. And then over time, you know, we started sending off. We you know, we applied, and then we started sending off for visas and things. And then before we knew it, we were like, gosh, so it looks like we're actually going to do this thing. But by then, you know, my job at the BBC was really taking off. And so I said, you know, let's do this, but let's make a documentary of it. So long story short, we ended up making a series of diary films for Expedia, which we uploaded onto their website. It was, you know, we were kind of pitching this around about 2005 we kind of did it in 2006 so it was kind of, you know, nobody had really heard of YouTube. The idea of making videos to go online was kind of unheard of because, you know, broadband was just kind of getting sorry. It wasn't unheard of, but it was, it was very, it was a very nascent industry. And so, yeah, we went and drove 9000 miles over five weeks. We spent a week sitting in various different repair yards and kind of break his yards in everywhere from Turkey to Siberia. And when we came back, it became clear that the internet was opening up as this incredible medium for video, and video is such a powerful way to share emotion with a dispersed audience. You know, not that I would have necessarily talked about it in that in those terms back then, but it really seemed like, you know, every every web page, every piece of corporate content, could have a video aspect to it. And so we came back and had a few fits and starts and did some, I mean, we, you know, we made a series of hotel videos where we were paid 50 quid a day to go and film hotels. And it was hot and it was hard work. And anyway, it was rough. But over time, you know, we started to win some more lucrative work. And, you know, really, the company grew from there. We won some awards, which helped us to kind of make a bit of a name for ourselves. And this was, there's been a real explosion in technology, kind of shortly after when we did this. So digital SLRs, so, you know, old kind of SLR cameras, you know, turned into digital cameras, which could then start to shoot video. And so it, there was a real explosion in high quality video produced by very small teams of people using the latest technology creatively. And that just felt like a good kind of kick off point for our business. But we just kind of because we got in in kind of 2006 we just sort of beat a wave that kind of started with digital SLRs, and then was kind of absolutely exploded when video cell phones came on the market, video smartphones. And yeah, you know, because we had these awards and we had some kind of fairly blue chip clients from a relatively early, early stage, we were able to grow the company. We then expanded to the US in kind of 2011 20 between 2011 2014 and then we were working with a lot of the big tech companies in California, so it felt like we should maybe kind of really invest in that. And so I moved out here with some of our team in 2018 at the beginning of 2018 and I've been here ever since, wow. Michael Hingson  18:44 So what is it? What was it like starting a business here, or bringing the business here, as opposed to what it was in England? Nick Francis  18:53 It's really interesting, because the creatively the UK is so strong, you know, like so many, you know, from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin to the Rolling Stones to, you know, and then on through, like all the kind of, you know, film and TV, you know, Brits are very good at kind of Creating, like, high level creative, but not necessarily always the best at kind of monetizing it, you know. I mean, some of those obviously have been fantastic successes, right? And so I think in the UK, we we take a lot longer over getting, getting to, like, the perfect creative output, whereas the US is far more focused on, you know, okay, we need this to to perform a task, and frankly, if we get it 80% done, then we're good, right? And so I think a lot of creative businesses in the UK look at the US and they go, gosh. Firstly, the streets are paved with gold. Like the commercial opportunity seems incredible, but actually creating. Tracking it is incredibly difficult, and I think it's because we sort of see the outputs in the wrong way. I think they're just the energy and the dynamism of the US economy is just, it's kind of awe inspiring. But you know, so many businesses try to expand here and kind of fall over themselves. And I think the number one thing is just, you have to have a founder who's willing to move to the US. Because I think Churchill said that we're two two countries divided by the same language. And I never fully understood what that meant until I moved here. I think what it what he really means by that is that we're so culturally different in the US versus the UK. And I think lots of Brits look at America and think, Well, you know, it's just the same. It's just a bit kind of bigger and a bit Brasher, you know, and it and actually, I think if people in the US spoke a completely different language, we would approach it as a different culture, which would then help us to understand it better. Yeah. So, yeah. I mean, it's been, it's been the most fabulous adventure to move here and to, you know, it's, it's hard sometimes, and California is a long way from home, but the energy and the optimism and the entrepreneurialism of it, coupled with just the natural beauty is just staggering. So we've made some of our closest friends in California, it's been absolutely fantastic. And across the US, it's been a fantastic adventure for us and our family. Michael Hingson  21:30 Yeah, I've had the opportunity to travel all over the US, and I hear negative comments about one place or another, like West Virginia, people eat nothing but fried food and all that. But the reality is, if you really take an overall look at it, the country has so much to offer, and I have yet to find a place that I didn't enjoy going to, and people I never enjoyed meeting, I really enjoy all of that, and it's great to meet people, and it's great to experience so much of this country. And I've taken that same posture to other places. I finally got to visit England last October, for the first time. You mentioned rugby earlier, the first time I was exposed to rugby was when I traveled to New Zealand in 2003 and found it pretty fascinating. And then also, I was listening to some rugby, rugby, rugby broadcast, and I tuned across the radio and suddenly found a cricket game that was a little bit slow for me. Yeah, cricket to be it's slow. Nick Francis  22:41 Yeah, fair enough. It's funny. Actually, we know what you're saying about travel. Like one of the amazing things about our Well, I kind of learned two sort of quite fundamentally philosophical things, I think, you know, or things about the about humans and the human condition. Firstly, like, you know, traveling across, you know, we left from London. We, like, drove down. We went through Belgium and France and Poland and Slovenia, Slovakia, Slovenia, like, all the way down Bulgaria, across Turkey into Georgia and Azerbaijan and across the Caspian Sea, and through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, into Russia, and then down into Mongolia. When we finished, we were due north of Jakarta, right? So we drove, we drove a third of the way around the world. And the two things that taught me were, firstly that human people are good. You know, everywhere we went, people would invite us in to have meals, or they'd like fix our car for not unit for free. I mean, people were so kind everywhere we went. Yeah. And the other thing was, just, when we get on a plane and you fly from here to or you fly from London, say to we, frankly, you fly from London to Turkey, it feels unbelievably different. You know, you fly from London to China, and it's, you know, complete different culture. But what our journey towards us, because we drove, was that, you know, while we might not like to admit it, we're actually quite, you know, Brits are quite similar to the French, and the French actually are quite similar to the Belgians, and Belgians quite similar to the Germans. And, you know, and all the way through, actually, like we just saw a sort of slowly changing gradient of all the different cultures. And it really, you know, we are just one people, you know. So as much as we might feel that, you know, we're all we're all different, actually, when you see it, when you when you do a drive like that, you really, you really get to see how slowly the cultures shift and change. Another thing that's quite funny, actually, was just like, everywhere we went, we would be like, you know, we're driving to Turkey. They'd be like, Oh, God, you just drove through Bulgaria, you know, how is like, everything on your car not been stolen, you know, they're so dodgy that you Bulgarians are so dodgy. And then, you know, we'd get drive through the country, and they'd be like, you know, oh, you're going into Georgia, you know, gosh, what you go. Make, make sure everything's tied down on your car. They're so dodgy. And then you get into Georgia, and they're like, Oh my God, you've just very driven through Turkey this, like, everyone sort of had these, like, weird, yeah, kind of perceptions of their neighbors. And it was all nonsense, yeah, you know. Michael Hingson  25:15 And the reality is that, as you pointed out, people are good, you know, I think, I think politicians are the ones who so often mess it up for everyone, just because they've got agendas. And unfortunately, they teach everyone else to be suspicious of of each other, because, oh, this person clearly has a hidden agenda when it normally isn't necessarily true at all. Nick Francis  25:42 No, no, no, certainly not in my experience, anyway, not in my experience. But, you know, well, oh, go ahead. No, no. It's just, you know, it's, it is. It's, it is weird the way that happens, you know, well, they say, you know, if, if politicians fought wars rather than, rather than our young men and women, then there'd be a lot less of them. Yeah, so Well, Michael Hingson  26:06 there would be, well as I tell people, you know, I I've learned a lot from working with eight guy dogs and my wife's service dog, who we had for, oh, gosh, 14 years almost, and one of the things that I tell people is I absolutely do believe what people say, that dogs love unconditionally, unless they're just totally traumatized by something, but they don't trust unconditionally. The difference between dogs and people is that dogs are more open to trust because we've taught ourselves and have been taught by others, that everyone has their own hidden agenda. So we don't trust. We're not open to trust, which is so unfortunate because it affects the psyche of so many people in such a negative way. We get too suspicious of people, so it's a lot harder to earn trust. Nick Francis  27:02 Yeah, I mean, I've, I don't know, you know, like I've been, I've been very fortunate in my life, and I kind of always try to be, you know, open and trusting. And frankly, you know, I think if you're open and trusting with people, in my experience, you kind of, it comes back to you, you know, and maybe kind of looking for the best in everyone. You know, there are times where that's not ideal, but you know, I think you know, in the overwhelming majority of cases, you know, actually, you know, you treat people right? And you know what goes what goes around, comes around, absolutely. Michael Hingson  27:35 And I think that's so very true. There are some people who just are going to be different than that, but I think for the most part, if you show that you're open to trust people will want to trust you, as long as you're also willing to trust Nick Francis  27:51 them completely. Yeah, completely. Michael Hingson  27:54 So I think that that's the big thing we have to deal with. And I don't know, I hope that we, we will learn it. But I think that politicians are really the most guilty about teaching us. Why not to trust but that too, hopefully, will be something we deal with. Nick Francis  28:12 I think, you know, I think we have to, you know, it's, it's one of the tragedies of our age, I think, is that the, you know, we spent the 20th century, thinking that sex was the kind of ultimate sales tool. And then it took algorithms to for us to realize that actually anger and resentment are the most powerful sales tools, which is, you know, it's a it's something which, in time, we will work out, right? And I think the problem is that, at the minute, these tech businesses are in such insane ascendancy, and they're so wealthy that it's very hard to regulate them. And I think in time, what will happen is, you know, they'll start to lose some of that luster and some of that insane scale and that power, and then, you know, then regulation will come in. But you know whether or not, we'll see maybe, hopefully our civilization will still be around to see that. Michael Hingson  29:04 No, there is that, or maybe the Vulcans will show up and show us a better way. But you know, Nick Francis  29:11 oh, you know, I'm, I'm kind of endlessly optimistic. I think, you know, we are. We're building towards a very positive future. I think so. Yeah, it's just, you know, get always bumps along the way, yeah. Michael Hingson  29:24 So you named your company casual. Why did you do that? Or how did that come about? Nick Francis  29:30 It's a slightly weird name for something, you know, we work with, kind of, you know, global blue chip businesses. And, you know, casual is kind of the last thing that you would want to associate with, a, with a, with any kind of services business that works in that sphere. I think, you know, we, the completely honest answer is that the journalism course I did was television, current affairs journalism, so it's called TV cadge, and so we, when we made a film for a local charity as part of that course. Course, we were asked to name our company, and we just said, well, cash, cash casual, casual films. So we called it casual films. And then when my friend and I set the company up, kind of formally, to do the Mongol Rally, we, you know, we had this name, you know, the company, the film that we'd made for the charity, had gone down really well. It had been played at BAFTA in London. And so we thought, well, you know, we should just, you know, hang on to that name. And it didn't, you know, at the time, it didn't really seem too much of an issue. It was only funny. It was coming to the US, where I think people are a bit more literal, and they were a bit like, well, casual. Like, why casual, you know. And I remember being on a shoot once. And, you know, obviously, kind of some filmmakers can be a little casual themselves, not necessarily in the work, but in the way they present themselves, right? And I remember sitting down, we were interviewing this CEO, and he said, who, you know, who are you? Oh, we're casual films. He's like, Oh, is that why that guy's got ripped jeans? Is it? And I just thought, Damn, you know, we really left ourselves open to that. There was also, there was a time one of our early competitors was called Agile films. And so, you know, I remember talking to one of our clients who said, you know, it's casual, you know, when I have to put together a little document to say, you know, which, which supplier we should choose, and when I lay it on my boss's desk, and one says casual films, and one says agile films, it's like those guys are landing the first punch. But anyway, we, you know, we, what we say now is like, you know, we take a complex process and make it casual. You know, filmmaking, particularly for like, large, complex organizations where you've got lots of different stakeholders, can be very complicated. And so, yeah, we sort of say, you know, we'll take a lot of that stress off, off our clients. So that's kind of the rationale, you know, that we've arrived with, arrived at having spoken to lots of our clients about the role that we play for them. So, you know, there's a kind of positive spin on it, I guess, but I don't know. I don't know whether I'd necessarily call it casual again. I don't know if I'm supposed to say that or not, but, oh, Michael Hingson  32:00 it's unique, you know? So, yeah, I think there's a lot of merit to it. It's a unique name, and it interests people. I know, for me, one of the things that I do is I have a way of doing this. I put all of my business cards in Braille, so the printed business cards have Braille on them, right? Same thing. It's unique completely. Nick Francis  32:22 And you listen, you know what look your name is an empty box that you fill with your identity. They say, right? And casual is actually, it's something we've grown into. And you know it's we've been going for nearly 20 years. In fact, funny enough for the end of this year is the 20th anniversary of that first film we made for the for the charity. And then next summer will be our 20th anniversary, which is, you know, it's, it's both been incredibly short and incredibly long, you know, I think, like any kind of experience in life, and it's been some of the hardest kind of times of my entire life, and some of the best as well. So, you know, it's, it is what it is, but you know, casual is who we are, right? I would never check, you know? I'd never change it. Michael Hingson  33:09 Now, no, of course not, yeah. So is the actual name casual films, or just casual? Nick Francis  33:13 So it was casual films, but then everyone calls us casual anyway, and I think, like as an organization, we probably need to be a bit more agnostic about the outcome. Michael Hingson  33:22 Well, the reason I asked, in part was, is there really any filming going on anymore? Nick Francis  33:28 Well, that's a very that's a very good question. But have we actually ever made a celluloid film? And I think the answer is probably no. We used to, back in the day, we used to make, like, super eight films, which were films, I think, you know, video, you know, ultimately, if you're going to be really pedantic about it, it's like, well, video is a digital, digital delivery. And so basically, every film we make is, is a video. But there is a certain cachet to the you know, because our films are loved and crafted, you know, for good or ill, you know, I think to call them, you know, they are films because, because of the, you know, the care that's put into them. But it's not, it's, it's not celluloid. No, that's okay, yeah, well, Michael Hingson  34:16 and I know that, like with vinyl records, there is a lot of work being done to preserve and capture what's on cellular film. And so there's a lot of work that I'm sure that's being done to digitize a lot of the old films. And when you do that, then you can also go back and remaster and hopefully in a positive way, and I'm not sure if that always happens, but in a positive way, enhance them Nick Francis  34:44 completely, completely and, you know, it's, you know, it's interesting talking about, like, you know, people wanting to step back. You know, obviously vinyl is having an absolute as having a moment right now. In fact, I just, I just bought a new stylist for my for my record. Play yesterday. It sounded incredible as a joy. This gave me the sound quality of this new style. It's fantastic. You know, beyond that, you know, running a company, you know, we're in nine offices all over the world. We produce nearly 1000 projects a year. So, you know, it's a company. It's an incredibly complicated company. It's a very fun and exciting company. I love the fact that we make these beautifully creative films. But, you know, it's a bit, I wouldn't say it's like, I don't know, you don't get many MBAs coming out of business school saying, hey, I want to set up a video production company. But, you know, it's been, it's been wonderful, but it's also been stressful. And so, you know, I've, I've always been interested in pottery and ceramics and making stuff with my hands. When I was a kid, I used to make jewelry, and I used to go and sell it in nightclubs, which is kind of weird, but, you know, it paid for my beers. And then whatever works, I say kid. I was 18. I was, I was of age, but of age in the UK anyway. But now, you know, over the last few 18 months or so, I've started make, doing my own ceramics. So, you know, I make vases and and pictures and kind of all sorts of stuff out of clay. And it's just, it's just to be to unplug and just to go and, you know, make things with mud with your hands. It's just the most unbelievably kind of grounding experience. Michael Hingson  36:26 Yeah, I hear you, yeah. One of the things that I like to do is, and I don't get to do it as much as I would like, but I am involved with organizations like the radio enthusiasts of Puget Sound, which, every year, does recreations of old radio shows. And so we get the scripts we we we have several blind people who are involved in we actually go off and recreate some of the old shows, which is really a lot of fun, Nick Francis  36:54 I bet, yeah, yeah, sort of you know that connection to the past is, is, yeah, it's great radio. Radio is amazing. Michael Hingson  37:03 Anyway, what we have to do is to train some of the people who have not had exposure to old radio. We need to train them as to how to really use their voices to convey like the people who performed in radio, whatever they're doing, because too many people don't really necessarily know how to do that well. And it is, it is something that we're going to work on trying to find ways to get people really trained. And one of the ways, of course, is you got to listen to the old show. So one of the things we're getting more and more people to do when we do recreations is to go back and listen to the original show. Well, they say, Well, but, but that's just the way they did it. That's not necessarily the way it should be done. And the response is, no, that's not really true. The way they did it sounded natural, and the way you are doing it doesn't and there's reality that you need to really learn how to to use your voice to convey well, and the only way to do it is to listen to the experts who did it. Nick Francis  38:06 Yeah, well, it's, you know, it's amazing. The, you know, when the BBC was founded, all the news readers and anyone who appeared on on the radio to to present or perform, had to wear like black tie, like a tuxedo, because it was, you know, they're broadcasting to the nation, so they had to, you know, they had to be dressed appropriately, right, which is kind of amazing. And, you know, it's interesting how you know, when you, when you change your dress, when you change the way you're sitting, it does completely change the way that you project yourself, yeah, Michael Hingson  38:43 it makes sense, yeah, well, and I always enjoyed some of the old BBC radio shows, like the Goon Show, and completely some of those are so much fun. Nick Francis  38:54 Oh, great, yeah, I don't think they were wearing tuxedo. It's tuxedos. They would Michael Hingson  38:59 have been embarrassed. Yeah, right, right. Can you imagine Peter Sellers in a in a tux? It just isn't going to happen. Nick Francis  39:06 No, right, right. But yeah, no, it's so powerful. You know, they say radio is better than TV because the pictures are better. Michael Hingson  39:15 I agree. Yeah, sure, yeah. Well, you know, I I don't think this is quite the way he said it, but Fred Allen, the old radio comedian, once said they call television the new medium, because that's as good as it's ever going Nick Francis  39:28 to get. Yeah, right, right, yeah. Michael Hingson  39:32 I think there's truth to it. Whether that's exactly the way he said it or not, there's truth to that, yeah, but there's also a lot of good stuff on TV, so it's okay. Nick Francis  39:41 Well, it's so interesting. Because, you know, when you look at the it's never been more easy to create your own content, yeah, and so, you know, and like, in a way, TV, you know, he's not wrong in that, because it suddenly opened up this, this huge medium for people just to just create. Right? And, you know, and I think, like so many people, create without thinking, and, you know, and certainly in our kind of, in the in the world that we're living in now with AI production, making production so much more accessible, actually taking the time as a human being just to really think about, you know, who are the audience, what are the things that are going to what are going to kind of resonate with them? You know? Actually, I think one of the risks with AI, and not just AI, but just like production being so accessible, is that you can kind of shoot first and kind of think about it afterwards, and, you know, and that's never good. That's always going to be medium. It's medium at best, frankly. Yeah, so yeah, to create really great stuff takes time, you know, yeah, to think about it. Yeah, for sure, yeah. Michael Hingson  40:50 Well, you know, our podcast is called unstoppable mindset. What do you think that unstoppable mindset really means to you as a practical thing and not just a buzzword. Because so many people talk about the kinds of buzzwords I hear all the time are amazing. That's unstoppable, but it's really a lot more than a buzzword. It goes back to what you think, I think. But what do you think? Nick Francis  41:15 I think it's something that is is buried deep inside you. You know, I'd say the simple answer is, is just resilience. You know, it's, it's been rough. I write anyone running a small business or a medium sized business at the minute, you know, there's been some tough times over the last, kind of 1824, months or so. And, you know, I was talking to a friend of mine who she sold out of her business. And she's like, you know, how are things? I was like, you know, it's, it's, it's tough, you know, we're getting through it, you know, we're changing a lot of things, you know, we're like, we're definitely making the business better, but it's hard. And she's like, Listen, you know, when three years before I sold my company, I was at rock bottom. It was, I genuinely thought it was so stressful. I was crushed by it, but I just kept going. And she's just like, just keep going. And the only difference between success and failure is that resilience and just getting up every day and you just keep, keep throwing stuff at the wall, keep trying new things, keep working and trying to be better. I think, you know, it's funny when you look at entrepreneurs, I'm a member of a mentoring group, and I hope I'm not talking out of school here, but you know, there's 15 entrepreneurs, you know, varying sizes of business, doing all sorts, you know, across all sorts of different industries. And if you sat on the wall, if you were fly on the wall, and you sit and look at these people on a kind of week, month to month basis, and they all present on how their businesses are going. You go, this is this being an entrepreneur does not look like a uniformly fun thing, you know, the sort of the stress and just, you know, people crying and stuff, and you're like, gosh, you know, it's so it's, it's, it's hard, and yet, you know, it's people just keep coming back to it. And yet, I think it's because of that struggle that you have to kind of have something in built in you, that you're sort of, you're there to prove something. And I, you know, I've thought a lot about this, and I wonder whether, kind of, the death of my father at such a young age kind of gave me this incredible fire to seek His affirmation, you know. And unfortunately, obviously, the tragedy of that is like, you know, the one person who would never give me affirmation is my dad. And yet, you know, I get up every day, you know, to have early morning calls with the UK or with Singapore or wherever. And you know, you just just keep on, keeping on. And I think that's probably what and knowing I will never quit, you know, like, even from the earliest days of casual, when we were just, like a couple of people, and we were just, you know, kids doing our very best, I always knew the company was going to be a success act. Like, just a core belief that I was like, this is going to work. This is going to be a success. I didn't necessarily know what that success would look like. I just but I did know that, like, whatever it took, we would map, we'd map our way towards that figure it out. We'd figure it out. And I think, you know, there's probably something unstoppable. I don't know, I don't want to sound immodest, but I think there's probably something in that that you're just like, I am just gonna keep keep on, keeping on. Michael Hingson  44:22 Do you think that resilience and unstoppability are things that can be taught, or is it just something that's built into you, and either you have it or you don't? Nick Francis  44:31 I think it's something that probably, it's definitely something that can be learned, for sure, you know. And there are obviously ways that it can there's obviously ways it can be taught. You know, I was, I spent some time in the reserve, like the Army Reserve in the UK, and I just, you know, a lot of that is about teaching you just how much further you can go. I think what it taught me was it was so. So hard. I mean, honestly, some of the stuff we did in our training was, like, you know, it's just raining and raining and raining and, like, because all your kits soaking wet is weighs twice what it did before, and you just, you know, sleeping maybe, you know, an hour or two a night, and, you know, and there wasn't even anyone shooting at us, right? So, you know, like the worst bit wasn't even happening. But like, and like, in a sense, I think, you know, that's what they're trying to do, that, you know, they say, you know, train hard and fight easy. But I remember sort of sitting there, and I was just exhausted, and I just genuinely, I was just thought, you know, what if they tell me to go now, I just, I can't. I literally, I can't, I can't do it. Can't do it. And then they're like, right, lads, put your packs on. Let's go and just put your pack on. Off you go, you know, like, this sort of, the idea of not, like, I was never going to quit, just never, never, ever, you know, and like I'd physically, if I physically, like, literally, my physical being couldn't stand up, you know, I then that was be, that would be, you know, if I was kind of, like literally incapacitated. And I think what that taught me actually, was that, you know, you have what you believe you can do, like you have your sort of, you have your sort of physical envelope, but like that is only a third or a quarter of what you can actually achieve, right, you know. And I think what that, what the that kind of training is about, and you know, you can do it in marathon training. You can do it in all sorts of different, you know, even, frankly, meditate. You know, you train your mind to meditate for, you know, an hour, 90 minutes plus. You know, you're still doing the same. You know, there's a, there's an elasticity within your brain where you can teach yourself that your envelope is so much larger. Yeah. So, yeah, you know, like, is casual going to be a success? Like, I'm good, you know, I'm literally, I won't I won't stop until it is Michael Hingson  46:52 right, and then why stop? Exactly, exactly you continue to progress and move forward. Well, you know, when everything feels uncertain, whether it's the markets or whatever, what do you do or what's your process for finding clarity? Nick Francis  47:10 I think a lot of it is in having structured time away. I say structured. You build it into your calendar, but like, but it's unstructured. So, you know, I take a lot of solace in being physically fit. You know, I think if you're, if you feel physically fit, then you feel mentally far more able to deal with things. I certainly when I'm if I'm unfit and if I've been working too much and I haven't been finding the time to exercise. You know, I feel like the problems we have to face just loom so much larger. So, you know, I, I'll book out. I, you know, I work with a fan. I'm lucky enough to have a fantastic assistant who, you know, we book in my my exercise for each week, and it's almost the first thing that goes in the calendar. I do that because I can't be the business my my I can't be the leader my business requires. And it finally happened. It was a few years ago I kind of, like, the whole thing just got really big on me, and it just, you know, and I'm kind of, like, being crushed by it. And I just thought, you know what? Like, I can't, I can't fit other people's face mask, without my face mask being fit, fitted first. Like, in order to be the business my business, I keep saying that to be the lead in my business requires I have to be physically fit. So I have to look after myself first. And so consequently, like, you know, your exercise shouldn't be something just get squeezed in when you find when you have time, because, you know, if you've got family and you know, other things happening, like, you know, just will be squeezed out. So anyway, that goes in. First, I'll go for a bike ride on a Friday afternoon, you know, I'll often listen to a business book and just kind of process things. And it's amazing how often, you know, I'll just go for a run and, like, these things that have been kind of nagging away in the back of my mind, just suddenly I find clarity in them. So I try to exercise, like, five times a week. I mean, that's obviously more than most people can can manage, but you know that that really helps. And then kind of things, like the ceramics is very useful. And then, you know, I'm lucky. I think it's also just so important just to appreciate the things that you already have. You know, I think one of the most important lessons I learned last year was this idea that, you know, here is the only there. You know, everyone's working towards this kind of, like, big, you know, it's like, oh, you know, when I get to there, then everything's going to be okay, you know. And actually, you know, if you think about like, you know, and what did you want to achieve when you left college? Like, what was the salary band that you want? That you wanted to achieve? Right? A lot of people, you know, by the time you hit 4050, you've blown way through that, right? And yet you're still chasing the receding Summit, yeah, you know. And so actually, like, wherever we're trying to head to, we're already there, because once you get there, there's going to be another there that you're trying to. Head to right? So, so, you know, it's just taking a moment to be like, you know, God, I'm so lucky to have what I have. And, you know, I'm living in, we're living in the good old days, like right now, right? Michael Hingson  50:11 And the reality is that we're doing the same things and having the same discussions, to a large degree, that people did 50, 100 200 years ago. As you pointed out earlier, the fact is that we're, we're just having the same discussions about whether this works, or whether that works, or anything else. But it's all the same, Nick Francis  50:33 right, you know. And you kind of think, oh, you know, if I just, just, like, you know, if we just open up these new offices, or if we can just, you know, I think, like, look, if I, if I'd looked at casual when we started it as it is now, I would have just been like, absolute. My mind would have exploded, right? You know, if you look at what we've achieved, and yet, I kind of, you know, it's quite hard sometimes to look at it and just be like, Oh yeah, but we're only just starting. Like, there's so much more to go. I can see so much further work, that we need so many more things, that we need to do, so many more things that we could do. And actually, you know, they say, you know, I'm lucky enough to have two healthy, wonderful little girls. And you know, I think a lot of bread winners Look at, look at love being provision, and the idea that, you know, you have to be there to provide for them. And actually, the the truest form of love is presence, right? And just being there for them, and like, you know, not being distracted and kind of putting putting things aside, you know, not jumping on your emails or your Slack messages or whatever first thing in the morning, you know. And I, you know, I'm not. I'm guilty, like, I'm not, you know, I'm not one of these people who have this kind of crazy kind of morning routine where, like, you know, I'm incredibly disciplined about that because, you know, and I should be more. But like, you know, this stuff, one of the, one of the things about having a 24 hour business with people working all over the world is there's always things that I need to respond to. There's always kind of interesting things happening. And so just like making sure that I catch myself every so often to be like, I'm just going to be here now and I'm going to be with them, and I'm going to listen to what they're saying, and I'm going to respond appropriately, and, you know, I'm going to play a game with them, or whatever. That's true love. You know? Michael Hingson  52:14 Well, there's a lot of merit to the whole concept of unplugging and taking time and living in the moment. One of the things that we talked about in my book live like a guide dog, that we published last year, and it's all about lessons I've learned about leadership and teamwork and preparedness from eight guide dogs and my wife's service dog. One of the things that I learned along the way is the whole concept of living in the moment when I was in the World Trade Center with my fifth guide dog, Roselle. We got home, and I was going to take her outside to go visit the bathroom, but as soon as I took the harness off, she shot off, grabbed her favorite tug bone and started playing tug of war with my retired guide dog. Asked the veterinarians about him the next day, the people at Guide Dogs for the Blind, and they said, Well, did anything threaten her? And I said, No. And they said, there's your answer. The reality is, dogs live in the moment when it was over. It was over. And yeah, right lesson to learn. Nick Francis  53:15 I mean, amazing, absolutely amazing. You must have taken a lot of strength from that. Michael Hingson  53:20 Oh, I think it was, it was great. It, you know, I can look back at my life and look at so many things that have happened, things that I did. I never thought that I would become a public speaker, but I learned in so many ways the art of speaking and being relaxed at speaking in a in a public setting, that when suddenly I was confronted with the opportunity to do it, it just seemed like the natural thing to do. Nick Francis  53:46 Yeah, it's funny, because I think isn't public speaking the number one fear. It is. It's the most fit. It's the most feared thing for the most people. Michael Hingson  53:57 And the reality is going back to something that we talked about before. The reality is, audiences want you to succeed, unless you're a jerk and you project that, audiences want to hear what you have to say. They want you to be successful. There's really nothing to be afraid of but, but you're right. It is the number one fear, and I've never understood that. I mean, I guess I can intellectually understand it, but internally, I don't. The first time I was asked to speak after the World Trade Center attacks, a pastor called me up and he said, we're going to we're going to have a service outside for all the people who we lost in New Jersey and and that we would like you to come and speak. Take a few minutes. And I said, Sure. And then I asked him, How many people many people were going to be at the service? He said, 6000 that was, that was my first speech. Nick Francis  54:49 Yeah, wow. But it didn't bother me, you know, no, I bet Michael Hingson  54:54 you do the best you can, and you try to improve, and so on. But, but it is true that so many people. Are public speaking, and there's no reason to what Nick Francis  55:03 did that whole experience teach you? Michael Hingson  55:06 Well, one of the things that taught me was, don't worry about the things that you can't control. It also taught me that, in reality, any of us can be confronted with unexpected things at any time, and the question is, how well do we prepare to deal with it? So for me, for example, and it took me years after September 11 to recognize this, but one of the things that that happened when the building was hit, and Neither I, nor anyone on my side of the building really knew what happened. People say all the time, well, you didn't know because you couldn't see it. Well, excuse me, it hit 18 floors above us on the other side of the building. And the last time I checked X ray vision was fictitious, so nobody knew. But did the building shake? Oh, it tipped. Because tall buildings like that are flexible. And if you go to any tall building, in reality, they're made to buffet in wind storms and so on, and in fact, they're made to possibly be struck by an airplane, although no one ever expected that somebody would deliberately take a fully loaded jet aircraft and crash it into a tower, because it wasn't the plane hitting the tower as such that destroyed both of them. It was the exploding jet fuel that destroyed so much more infrastructure caused the buildings to collapse. But in reality, for me, I had done a lot of preparation ahead of time, not even thinking that there would be an emergency, but thinking about I need to really know all I can about the building, because I've got to be the leader of my office, and I should know all of that. I should know what to do in an emergency. I should know how to take people to lunch and where to go and all that. And by learning all of that, as I learned many and discovered many years later, it created a mindset that kicked in when the World Trade Center was struck, and in fact, we didn't know until after both towers had collapsed, and I called my wife. We I talked with her just before we evacuated, and the media hadn't even gotten the story yet, but I never got a chance to talk with her until after both buildings had collapsed, and then I was able to get through and she's the first one that told us how the two buildings had been hit by hijacked aircraft. But the mindset had kicked in that said, You know what to do, do it and that. And again, I didn't really think about that until much later, but that's something that is a lesson we all could learn. We shouldn't rely on just watching signs to know what to do, no to go in an emergency. We should really know it, because the knowledge, rather than just having information, the true intellectual knowledge that we internalize, makes such a big difference. Nick Francis  57:46 Do you think it was the fact that you were blind that made you so much more keen to know the way out that kind of that really helped you to understand that at the time? Michael Hingson  57:56 Well, what I think is being blind and growing up in an environment where so many things could be unexpected, for me, it was important to know so, for example, when I would go somewhere to meet a customer, I would spend time, ahead of time, learning how to get around, learning how to get to where they were and and learning what what the process was, because we didn't have Google Maps and we didn't have all the intellectual and and technological things that we have today. Well intellectual we did with the technology we didn't have. So today it's easier, but still, I want to know what to do. I want to really have the answers, and then I can can more easily and more effectively deal with what I need to deal with and react. So I'm sure that blindness played a part in all of that, because if I hadn't learned how to do the things that I did and know the things that I knew, then it would have been a totally different ball game, and so sure, I'm sure, I'm certain that blindness had something to do with it, but I also know that, that the fact is, what I learned is the same kinds of things that everyone should learn, and we shouldn't rely on just the signs, because what if the building were full of smoke, then what would you do? Right? And I've had examples of that since I was at a safety council meeting once where there was somebody from an electric company in Missouri who said, you know, we've wondered for years, what do we do if there's a fire in the generator room, in the basement, In the generator room, how do people get out? And he and I actually worked on it, and they developed a way where people could have a path that they could follow with their feet to get them out. But the but the reality is that what people first need to learn is eyesight is not the only game in town. Yeah, right. Mean, it's so important to really learn that, but people, people don't, and we take too many things for granted, which is, which is really so unfortunate, because we really should do a li

Flying taxis move closer to U.S. airspace, Hilton rethinks brand building in an AI-driven marketing world, and micro events emerge as a defining trend for 2026. In the final Skift Daily Briefing of 2025, Sarah Dandashy looks ahead at the forces reshaping travel and hospitality — from electric air mobility gaining regulatory momentum, to why brand loyalty still matters as AI optimizes acquisition, to how smaller, more intentional events are redefining the meetings industry. This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To learn more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising.amazon.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Articles Referenced: ⁠⁠Trump Administration Looks to Ramp Up Flying Taxis Building Brands vs. AI's Cheap Wins: How Hilton's CMO Strikes the Balance Why Micro Events Are a 2026 Megatrend Honorable Mention: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AskAConcierge on IG⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Skift LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ WhatsApp: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://facebook.com/skiftnews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Threads: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/skift⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SkiftNews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and never miss an update from the travel industry.

Episode 159 has Christmas written all over it. Veronica and Laurie chat rituals, folklore, food and book stocking fillers with six Australian authors whose work is set in the festive season: Madeleine D'Este, Sandy Barker, Lisa Heidke, Kevin Klehr, BG Hilton & Kay Kerr. Plus we share seasons greetings from 30 Australian Book Lovers authors - a little about their books and a little festive cheer.Seasons Greetings from James Ynson, Nicole Kelly & Lisa Kenway - 0:57Intro - 2:18Seasons Greetings from Faye Hall, DT Bella, Max Jeffries - 5:11Chat with Madeleine D'Este author of A Very Evangeline Christmas & Black Soil, White Bread - 7:27Seasons Greetings from Leisa Fail, Verity Croker, Simon Higgins - 17:44Chat with Sandy Barker author of The Christmas Swap & The Christmas Trip - 19:06Seasons Greetings from Susan Rogers & John Roosen, Damien Linnane, Gabiann Marin - 28:34Chat with Lisa Heidke author of Christmas Actually - 30:26Seasons Greetings from Vanessa Bedford, Scott Leckie, Rowena Mabbott -39:37Chat with Kevin Klehr author of Midnight Angel & Grayson's Magical Mishaps - 41:18Seasons Greetings from Maria P Frino, Sandy Barker, George Ivanoff - 49:50Chat with BG Hilton author of The Grimsdale Claimant - 51:14Seasons Greetings from Tina Strachan, Heather Ewings, Michele Layet - 1:01:39Seasons Greetings from Susannah Hardy, Holly Cardamone, Andrea Putting - 1:06:40Chat with Kay Kerr author of Might Cry Later - 1:08:16Seasons Greetings from Donna Cameron, Monika Schott, Madeleine D'Este - 1:14:36More chat with Kay Kerr 1:16:23Seasons Greetings from Amra Pajalic, David Cairns & SF Sowter - 1:28:05Post chat - 1:30:12Support the showThanks for listening.Visit australianbooklovers.com to learn more.

Jolenta does a deep dive on The Recluse archetype and her evil twin, The Warlock. Turns out Kathy Hilton from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has a lot of reclusive tendencies, but watch yourself because you don't want her warlock side to rear its ugly head. Hot Mess-terpiece Insta SOURCES: Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece, by Stephen Fry Greek Mythology: Gods and Heroes Brought to Life, By Robert Garland The Greek Myths, by Robert Graves Dictionary of Classical Mythology, by Pierre Grimal Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, by Edith Hamilton 45 Master Characters, by Victoria Lynn Schmidt Bravo Shows and After Shows - Peacock Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Cody sits down with special guest Walter Peseski (LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walter-peseski/), Senior Vice President of Asset Management at Garfield Public/Private—one of the most respected firms in the development and public/private partnership space.With more than 30 million square feet developed, over $11 billion in financing structured, and $2 billion in successful public/private projects, Garfield brings unmatched expertise to how hospitality assets are managed, financed, and optimized.Walter, a 20-year hospitality veteran with leadership experience at Disney, Hilton, and Wyndham, offers a rare and insightful look into how hotels truly operate behind the scenes—and what owners don't know they should be asking.

A deputada Erika Hilton (PSOL-SP) acionou a Embaixada do Vaticano para anular medidas de Dom Odillo envolvendo o padre Júlio Lancellotti. Madeleine Lacsko, Duda Teixeira e Bárbara Barbosa comentam:Papo Antagonista é o programa que explica e debate os principais acontecimentos do   dia com análises críticas e aprofundadas sobre a política brasileira e seus bastidores.     Apresentado por Madeleine Lacsko, o programa traz contexto e opinião sobre os temas mais quentes da atualidade.     Com foco em jornalismo, eleições e debate, é um espaço essencial para quem busca informação de qualidade.     Ao vivo de segunda a sexta-feira às 18h.    Apoie o jornalismo Vigilante: 10% de desconto para audiência do Papo Antagonista  https://bit.ly/papoantagonista  Siga O Antagonista no X:  https://x.com/o_antagonista   Acompanhe O Antagonista no canal do WhatsApp. Boletins diários, conteúdos exclusivos em vídeo e muito mais.  https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va2SurQHLHQbI5yJN344  Leia mais em www.oantagonista.com.br | www.crusoe.com.br 

Confira no Morning Show desta quarta-feira (17): O Senado Federal vive um dia de tensão com a análise do PL da Dosimetria na CCJ. Enquanto Rodrigo Pacheco sinaliza apoio à redução de penas para os condenados do 8 de Janeiro, o governo Lula articula um veto e a esquerda tenta travar a votação. Seria essa medida um passo para a segurança jurídica ou um erro estratégico? Confira o debate completo com a bancada do Morning Show. Reportagem: Rany Veloso. A nova pesquisa Genial/Quaest mostrou o senador Flávio Bolsonaro na liderança entre os nomes da direita para a disputa presidencial em 2026. O Morning Show debate se o filho 01 é o herdeiro natural do bolsonarismo ou se a rejeição ao sobrenome pode travar os planos da família. Com a direita fragmentada entre Tarcísio, Zema e Caiado, Flávio surge como a peça que faltava no tabuleiro? Após temporais deixarem milhares de imóveis sem luz e causarem mortes em São Paulo, o governo estadual e a prefeitura pedem o rompimento do contrato com a Enel. A bancada do Morning Show debate a ineficiência da concessionária, a falta de investimentos e o jogo de empurra político entre as esferas de governo. Quem paga a conta do apagão? A deputada federal Érika Hilton acionou a Embaixada do Vaticano após a decisão do Arcebispo Dom Odilo Scherer em suspender as transmissões das missas do Padre Júlio Lancellotti. A medida gerou forte reação na bancada do Morning Show, que discute se a parlamentar está ferindo a liberdade religiosa e o Estado Laico para viralizar nas redes sociais. Confira o debate completo sobre a polêmica que envolve fé, política e direito canônico. O vereador Ricardo Zampieri, de Ponta Grossa (PR), propõe converter multas de trânsito em doações de sangue ou de medula óssea. A medida, limitada a duas vezes por ano, busca incentivar o bem e salvar vidas ao invés de apenas arrecadar dinheiro. A bancada do Morning Show debate a viabilidade jurídica da proposta e se o Estado estaria "sugando" até o sangue da população. Seria essa uma saída criativa ou um erro estratégico? O presidente dos EUA, Donald Trump, anunciou um bloqueio total aos navios petroleiros da Venezuela, afirmando que o país está "completamente cercado". A medida elevou a tensão internacional, provocando reações da Rússia e do regime de Nicolás Maduro, que denunciou a ação à ONU. O Morning Show debate se a estratégia econômica pode levar a uma intervenção militar e como isso impacta a segurança e o preço do petróleo no mundo. Essas e outras notícias você confere no Morning Show.

In 2016, 77-year-old pensioner Brian Hilton was found on the floor of his Ōpōtiki home — brutally beaten, barely conscious, and covered in blood. He died five days later. Police launched a major homicide investigation, first zeroing in on one local man before turning their attention to another: Harry Matchitt. A beer bottle found in Hilton’s lounge carried Matchitt’s DNA, and after a series of police interviews, the lifelong Mongrel Mob member made a hazy admission — saying he was “pissed” and may have “pushed and kicked” the elderly man. In 2021, a jury found him guilty of manslaughter. But two years later, the Court of Appeal ruled his conviction unsafe. The judges found his statements to police likely inadmissible, meaning a miscarriage of justice had occurred. The conviction was quashed — and Matchitt walked free. In this episode of A Moment in Crime, senior journalists Anna Leask and Jared Savage revisit the violent death of Brian Hilton, the conviction that fell apart, and what became of Matchitt after the case collapsed. Savage also reflects on two decades covering crime and justice, and his work investigating New Zealand’s gang world. A Moment In Crime is written and hosted by Leask — who specialises in crime and justice reporting. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 20 years. This episode was produced by Leask and NZME audio engineer Alastair Boyes. If you have a crime or case you would like to hear more about, email anna.leask@nzme.co.nz Since 2019, A Moment in Crime has produced over 55 episodes and has been downloaded over 1 million times, with listeners in over 170 countries. It was nominated for Best True Crime Podcast at the 2024 Radio and Podcast Awards. READ MORE: Harry Matchitt’s conviction for manslaughter of Brian Hilton in Ōpōtiki cold case quashed, case thrown out after ‘false confession’ to police Justice after 21 years in jail: Teina Pora 'set up for new life' after Privy Council quashes convictions for Susan Burdett murder Rex Haig dies before second bid for compensation made Real Life: Jared Savage on how gangs, crime and drug activity in NZ are evolvingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We often assume that if a strategy is smart enough, it will succeed. But experience tells us otherwise.In this episode of Ingenious Thinkers, Hilton Barbour joins the conversation to explore why strategy so often breaks down after it leaves the planning phase. This episode takes a wider view of strategy as something shaped by people, culture, and context rather than documents and declarations.Rather than offering quick fixes or surface-level advice, this conversation encourages listeners to rethink how organizations approach foresight, decision-making, and long-term alignment. It speaks to the realities of uncertainty and the limits of control in complex environments.Whether you lead teams, advise organizations, or simply think deeply about how ideas turn into action, this episode offers a thoughtful pause and a new lens on what it means to plan for the future.

Scott Kerr is joined by Dino Michael, senior vice president & global category head for Hilton's luxury brands, overseeing the strategic growth and positioning of storied brands like Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, and LXR. Dino discusses the biggest shifts in luxury hospitality in the last two decades, how Hilton's luxury brands continually proves its value proposition in the fiercely competitive luxury hotel landscape, and why travelers are pivoting from escapism to emotional alignment. He also talks about the vision and strategy behind Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts' major revitalization spearheaded by its crown jewel Waldorf Astoria New York, and why the recently acquired NoMad Hotels was a strategic investment for Hilton's luxury portfolio. Plus: Why 'sleep is the new status symbol'Featuring: Dino Michael, Senior Vice President & Global Category Head, Luxury Brands at Hilton (hilton.com)Host: Scott Kerr, Founder & President of Silvertone ConsultingAbout The Luxury Item podcast: It's a podcast on the business of luxury and the people and companies that are shaping the future of the luxury industry. Stay Connected: scott@silvertoneconsulting.comListen and subscribe to The Luxury Item wherever you get your podcasts. Tell a friend or a colleague!

In this episode, host Lynne Hilton Wilson uncovers little-known details of the Nativity story by bringing together the unique accounts found in the books of Luke and Matthew. Dive deeper into Luke's intimate portrait of Mary—her lineage, her spiritual preparation, the symbolism of her “highly favored” calling, and the cultural realities she faced as a young mother in ancient Judea. Then explore Matthew's distinctive focus on Joseph—his royal Davidic heritage, his revelatory dreams, his quiet strength, and the legal and spiritual responsibilities he carried in protecting the Holy Family. Lynne illuminates how these two perspectives weave together a richer, more complete tapestry of the birth of Christ. This episode goes beyond the familiar Christmas narrative to highlight historical context, overlooked verses, and surprising insights that reveal the faith, courage, and divine guidance surrounding Jesus's arrival into the world. Perfect for viewers looking to deepen their understanding of the Nativity and appreciate the beauty in both Mary's and Joseph's stories.

Send us a textIn this episode, Carla Johnson joins host Jason Mudd to discuss how brands can use curiosity to drive innovation and ideation.Tune in to learn more!Meet Our Guest:Our episode guest is Carla Johnson, keynote speaker and Innovative Architect at Think Labs. She's the author of “RE:Think Innovation” and has helped companies like Amazon, Dell, Intel, and Hilton embrace change and generate stronger ideas.Five things you'll learn from this episode: How breakthrough ideas form and why you must push past the obviousHow to turn “no” into momentum and a steady flow of stronger ideasWhy curiosity mattersHow the “What I Like” and “What I Wish” method improves ideasHow fresh perspectives transform PR and communication Quotables“We all like interesting things. We like stories that are clever, that are memorable, and the more memorable you make that story, the easier it is for somebody to share.” — @Carla Johnson“The beautiful thing about that whole process of coming up with the ideas, sharing the ideas and socializing them, talking about what they could look like, doesn't mean that you'll need that idea right now. But every corporate communicator, PR person, media relations person has needed an amazing idea at a drop of a hat.” — @Carla Johnson“People come to our profession for answers on how to solve something, or ‘How do I tell the story?' Or ‘How do I fix this situation?' But oftentimes, this diabolical need to answer the question really limits the creativity and innovative thinking that we're able to put into it.” — @Carla Johnson“When we hear about creativity and innovation, the term we always hear is about connecting the dots. And what we don't think about is in order to have dots to connect, we have to collect those dots.” — @Carla Johnson“If we have unlimited resources, we better be creative and responsible with those resources.” — @Jason MuddIf you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share it with a colleague or friend. You may also support us through Buy Me a Coffee or by leaving us a quick podcast review.More About Carla JohnsonCarla Johnson helps organizations break out of conventional ways of thinking. She helps teams think bolder so they can create massive momentum and deliver a bigger impact much faster. She's the author of 10 books, including the bestseller “RE:Think Innovation.” She's worked with companies like Amazon, Dell, Intel, and Hilton on embracing change and welcoming new ideas. All of this has helped them transform their businesses, get people excited about the work they do every day, and deliver a level of results they never imagined possible. Guest's contact info and resources:@carlajohnson.co on InstagramCarla Johnson on FacebookCarla Johnson on LinkedInSupport the show On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America's Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands. On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

Nearly a quarter century after the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Utah's venues are more active than ever and getting kids into sport year-round. At the center of that legacy is Colin Hilton, President and CEO of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation.In this episode of Last Chair by Ski Utah, Colin shares how Utah planned for Olympic legacy long before 2002, why its venues are now four times busier than during the Games, and how that vision is shaping the road to the 2034 Winter Games. Recorded at the High West Whiskey Library.Listen now. Subscribe for more stories from the people shaping Utah's ski and sport culture.

The End of Separation | Robbie Hilton | Calvary Church

Gayle Wilkinson, general manager of The Printing House in Nashville, talks with Olivia Fleming of Insider Travel Report about the hotel's location near Broadway and its design inspired by Nashville's printing history. She also details the property's service-focused team and amenities including lounges, terraces, pet-friendly access, and a writer's room tied to Music City culture. For more information, visit https://printinghousenashville.com and www.hilton.com.   All our Insider Travel Report video interviews are archived and available on our Youtube channel  (youtube.com/insidertravelreport), and as podcasts with the same title on: Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Listen Notes, Podchaser, TuneIn + Alexa, Podbean,  iHeartRadio,  Google, Amazon Music/Audible, Deezer, Podcast Addict, and iTunes Apple Podcasts, which supports Overcast, Pocket Cast, Castro and Castbox. 

Nearly a quarter century after the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Utah's venues are more active than ever and getting kids into sport year-round. At the center of that legacy is Colin Hilton, President and CEO of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation.In this episode of Last Chair by Ski Utah, Colin shares how Utah planned for Olympic legacy long before 2002, why its venues are now four times busier than during the Games, and how that vision is shaping the road to the 2034 Winter Games. Recorded at the High West Whiskey Library.Listen now. Subscribe for more stories from the people shaping Utah's ski and sport culture.

Hilton shared that true shalom (peace) is found in the presence of God, emphasizing that it is more than just the absence of conflict, but rather the active experience of His presence.

RHOBH is back in our lives and, only two episodes in, the drama is red hot both on and off screen. Kyle is happy Garcelle is gone, Rachel Zoe feels like she has been there forever, Kathy has fired shots and Dorit is not speaking to Kyle or Erika. Thank you cast trip. Teresa says she is moving to Miami to star on RHOM. Wendy Osefo's PR stunts continue. Heather McDonald updates are shared. RHORI gets ready to drop in a mere few weeks. Podcast feuds heat up. Dinner parties from hell take center stage. Bravolebs continue to block and oh so very much more. @behindvelvetrope @davidyontef Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 150 of the Award Travel 101 Podcast focuses heavily on year-end strategy, with Mike Zaccheo and moderator Cameron Laufer walking through news, bonuses, trip updates, and the annual housekeeping travelers should tackle before December 31. They open by highlighting a community post about someone just 500 MQDs short of Delta Diamond and discuss creative last-minute options—same-day turn flights, buying MQDs, or leveraging Delta credit card boosts. News items include Royal Air Maroc's new status match (valid through 2026), a significant Turkish Miles&Smiles partner award devaluation, and Capital One's upcoming transfer-ratio cut to Emirates. Mike and Cameron also share their own card bonus pursuits and recent travel planning, including Mike's NYC trip and Cameron's Singapore Airlines business-class redemption and new Hyatt Globalist status.The main segment dives into year-end planning across credits, spending, and elite status. Mike reviews the long list of expiring statement credits—hotel credits from Amex, Chase, and Citi; airline incidental credits; and category-specific perks like Amex Dell/Saks/Resy and Hilton's monthly credits. Cameron covers annual spending thresholds, including Hilton free night certificate triggers, Hyatt spend-based nights, Amex Platinum's 75K spend for guest lounge access. They also outline status deadlines, reminding listeners that most airline and hotel elite metrics close December 31.Rounding out the episode, the hosts discuss point pooling and transfer limits—noting strict annual caps for Citi ThankYou, Marriott, and Hilton—plus considerations around buying points and credit-card strategy like triple-dipping and 5/24 checks. The “Tip of the Week” advises booking Alaska Airlines partner awards (such as those operated by AA) under “other person” so you can later manage the reservation directly through American Airlines.Episode Links:Royal Air Maroc Status MatchTurkish DevaluationCapital One to Emirates DevaluationYear End Statement CreditsYear End Hotel Status StrategyWhere to Find Us The Award Travel 101 Facebook Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Buy your Award Travel 101 Merch here Reserve tickets to our Spring 2026 Meetup in Phoenix now. award.travel/phx2026 Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions! Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card! Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.

This week, Zampino and Hilton are flying solo! We check out trailers for “All You Need is Kill,” and “Project Hail Mary.” Then, it's the joy of fishing and golf video games, Millie Bonnie Bongiovi's fun name change, and letting kids watch PG-13 movies in the 80s. PLUS - Zamp and Hilton share shocking news about the future of OLA!

Hilton accelerates its global luxury expansion, Boom Supersonic leverages AI demand to fuel its aviation timeline, and Expedia steps deeper into the experiences market with its acquisition of Tiqets. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down how Hilton is positioning itself for the next wave of high-end travel, why Boom's new turbine business could speed up the return of supersonic flight, and what Expedia's latest deal means for the future of tours, attractions, and full-trip retail. This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To learn more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising.amazon.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Articles Referenced: Hilton Execs Bet on Luxury as Wealthy Travelers Fuel Global Boom Boom CEO: Powering AI Data Centers Will Speed Path to Supersonic Flights Expedia Agrees to Buy Experiences Platform Tiqets to Bolster Its B2B Offering Honorable Mention: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AskAConcierge on IG⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Skift LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ WhatsApp: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://facebook.com/skiftnews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Threads: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/skift⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SkiftNews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and never miss an update from the travel industry.

I had the incredible opportunity to bring together some of the brightest minds in the creator economy for an evening of candid conversation about where this industry is headed. From ad tech innovations to creator authenticity, we covered the full spectrum of what it takes to turn creator content into scalable, revenue-generating partnerships. Conor McKenna from Luma and Zoe Soon from the IAB kicked things off with a macro view of the space, discussing how fragmented media is creating massive opportunities for technology to step in. We explored why brands are shifting budgets at unprecedented rates, with Unilever committing 50% of marketing spend to creator-related initiatives.The evening featured deep dives into brand integration strategies with Ali Parish from Blue Hour Studios and Jeremy Stewart from VuePlanner, followed by an eye-opening discussion with Arthur Leopolod from Agentio about how AI and automation are revolutionizing creator advertising. Perhaps most compelling was hearing directly from Sydney Jo, the creator behind the viral Group Chat series, and her manager Haley Friedman from Made By All about the reality of building a creator business. From navigating brand negotiations to maintaining creative authenticity, this conversation revealed both the opportunities and challenges facing the next generation of digital storytellers._______________________________________________Key Highlights

Mark Hix's Part 1 is basically a greatest hits album of British restaurant stories, told by the bloke who lived them. From boozy late nights at the Groucho with Richard Corrigan, to being Tonksed at 3 a.m, the episode opens in full chaos mode. From there, you get deep into the London years. Hix walks us through the Ivy, the Caprice, Scott's and J Sheekey, the creation of dishes like the crispy duck and watercress salad that started life as pork, and a black ink risotto that made Jonathan Meades sit up and take notice. He tells the story of Challenge Hix in the Tram Shed kitchen library, where head chefs cooked against him under a 30 minute clock, and the rules were simple: no more than three main ingredients on the plate and a menu line that actually tells you how a dish is cooked. His disgust at the modern “ingredient, comma, ingredient, comma, ingredient” menu gets a full, glorious rant.The episode is packed with the kind of stuff chefs whisper about. Mark remembers the days when critics like A. A. Gill, Faye Maschler and Jonathan Meades could make or break a restaurant, from rave reviews to absolute shockers. He talks about Gill slagging off the Tram Shed, texting him mid review over oyster details, and the surreal moment he opened a Sunday paper to see his cookbook recipes lined up against Gordon Ramsay's pub dishes in a double page spread. There are tales of the Rivington Grill as a near empty bar that had to “rent a crowd” of Shoreditch artists, his art-for-food deals, and the moment he texted Damien Hirst for a sculpture and ended up with a giant cow and chicken in formaldehyde at the heart of Tram Shed.Underneath the mischief there is a harder story too. Hix talks about growing up in Bridport, watching his grandfather run the local pub and paint business, getting steered into catering college by a family friend, and grinding through the Hilton staff canteen, the Grosvenor House and the Dorchester before landing at the Caprice. He also begins to lift the lid on the brutal side of restaurant ownership, from insane London rents to the moment his business partners put his restaurants into administration two days before lockdown, leaving him to stand in Tram Shed and tell 130 staff they no longer had jobs. It is funny, furious, nostalgic and very human. Part 1 feels like sitting at the bar with Mark Hix while he finally tells you how it all really happened.-------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, host Lynne Hilton Wilson uncovers little-known details of the Nativity story by bringing together the unique accounts found in the books of Luke and Matthew. Dive deeper into Luke's intimate portrait of Mary—her lineage, her spiritual preparation, the symbolism of her “highly favored” calling, and the cultural realities she faced as a young mother in ancient Judea. Then explore Matthew's distinctive focus on Joseph—his royal Davidic heritage, his revelatory dreams, his quiet strength, and the legal and spiritual responsibilities he carried in protecting the Holy Family. Lynne illuminates how these two perspectives weave together a richer, more complete tapestry of the birth of Christ. This episode goes beyond the familiar Christmas narrative to highlight historical context, overlooked verses, and surprising insights that reveal the faith, courage, and divine guidance surrounding Jesus's arrival into the world. Perfect for viewers looking to deepen their understanding of the Nativity and appreciate the beauty in both Mary's and Joseph's stories.

Join Living the Dream Outdoors Podcast host Bill Cooper and Huzzah Hilton guests Dr. Rodney Harrison, Spencer Hutson and Rev. Tommy Miller. Campfires, deer hunting stories, camp cooked meals and love for hunting are the topics discussed from the front porch of the Huzzah Hilton, which sits on the banks of beautiful Huzzah Creek. It's all surrounded by thousands of acres of Mark Twain National Forest deep in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. You'll wish you were there.

I heard from so many of you after my first conversation with today's guest that I asked him to come back and take our conversation to the next level.   Who is this mystery guest? Well, today, on Notable Leaders' Radio, I speak with Chad Lefevre, Founder and Ceo of The Most Important Conversations. He highlights how embracing your unique wiring as a creator can transform uncertainty into opportunity and inspire you to step into your own leadership and impact. In today's episode, we discuss: Discover Your Early Sparks. Ever wonder why some kids just don't stop asking "why?" Chad did that to the point of driving his mom nuts. So it was no surprise that, in Catholic school, the traditions and rituals drew him toward life's deeper mysteries. That kid-like curiosity? It's your clue to passions waiting to light up your path, no matter your age now.​   Own Your Unique Wiring. Notice where you think differently, ask endless questions, or spot connections others miss. Chad calls this your natural wiring, not a glitch, and says leaning into it turns "annoying" traits into your secret edge for fresh ideas. We've all got that inner wiring; the question is, are you plugging it in?   Master the Pause in Chaos. That urge to react when life hits hard? Chad's emotional sobriety trick, feel it, breathe, saved him from recycling stress loops. In our wild world of AI shake-ups and uncertainty, this space between trigger and response is your superpower for calm, smart moves.   Step Up in the Storm. With jobs shifting and change everywhere, do your best not to freeze like you are watching a car wreck. Chad challenges us: who will you become amid it all, a fighter, fleer, or creator, grabbing the opportunity? Link arms in community, trust your gut, and turn disruption into your breakthrough story.   RESOURCES: Complementary Resources: …https://www.inc.com/tracy-leigh-hazzard/building-fans-by-connecting-brands-to-brains.html  Guest Bio: Chad Lefevre is an international Design Thinker, business philosopher and strategist, author, speaker and psychonaught with twenty years of senior business experience, successfully designing business strategy, and leading cultural transformation and leadership development initiatives from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies.  Chad's work centers around Liberation, creativity, and being-centered human potential. He focuses on designing and delivering on what is possible when human beings are liberated, in alignment, empowered, and supported to overcome limiting perceptions and beliefs, to increase performance and deliver desired outcomes for themselves and the companies they work for.  Chad is Founder and CEO of The Most Important Conversations (TMIC) a ground-breaking weekly online transformation community, which some have referred to as "AA for healthy normals". Previously, he was Founder of NeuroBe Inc., a research and consulting firm focused on delivering profound performance inside of corporations by working with leaders in the areas of being, perception, and cognitive mastery. He was also co-Founder of Ncite Neuromedia, a neuroscience-based video game development company specializing in leadership development through what he referred to as "transformational gaming".  Chad has has architected transformative business strategies and solutions effecting the areas of business operations, leadership development, cultural transformation and team building, branding, PR and marketing communications (for which he was featured in INC.). His work has included serving such companies/brands as: Coca-Cola, TELUS, Sony Music Latin, Music World, SimWin (AI sports leagues), United Way, Shell, Hoffman, the Canfield Group, Bell, Richard Blanco: Poet Laureate to the Obama Administration; co-producing SANG (which featured leading thinkers including Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield, Peter Guber, Tony Hsieh, and Peter Diamandis, among hundreds of others); co-producing the Sundance Thought Leader Summit, participating in Larry King's Breakfast Club, among others. Chad is an avid student and researcher in the areas of neuropsychology, perception, and choice making. Other areas of research and expertise supporting his work include game theory, complexity theory, change management, and Systems Thinking.  Website/Social Links …  https://chadlefevre.com The Most Important Conversations @ https://tmicglobal.com https://tmicglobal.com  https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadlefevre /   Belinda's Bio: Belinda is a sought-after Leadership Advisor, Coach, Consultant and Keynote speaker and a leading authority in guiding global executives, professionals and small business owners to become today's highly respected leaders. As the Founder of BelindaPruyne.com, Belinda works with such organizations as IBM, Booz Allen Hamilton, BBDO, The BAM Connection, Hilton, Leidos, Yale School of Medicine, Landis, and the Discovery Channel. Most recently, she redesigned two global internal advertising agencies for Cella, a leader in creative staffing and consulting. She is a founding C-suite and executive management coach for Chief, the fastest-growing executive women's network. Since 2020, Belinda has delivered more than 72 interviews with top-level executives and business leaders who share their inner journey to success; letting you know the truth of what it took to achieve their success in her Notable Leaders Radio podcast. She gained a wealth of expertise in the client services industry as Executive Vice President, Global Director of Creative Management at Grey Advertising, managing 500 people around the globe. With over 20+ years of leadership development experience, she brings industry-wide recognition to the executives and companies she works with. Whether a startup, turnaround, acquisition, or global corporation, executives and companies continue to turn to Pruyne for strategic and impactful solutions in a rapidly shifting economy and marketplace. Website: Belindapruyne.com Email Address: hello@belindapruyne.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/belindapruyne  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NotableLeadersNetwork.BelindaPruyne/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/belindapruyne?lang=en  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belindapruyne/

Why Flexible Points Need to Be Your Strategy for 2026 (Real Trip Breakdown + How I Picked the Best Luxury Hotel Using Chase, Amex, Hyatt, Hilton & Marriott)If you want 2026 to be the year you finally take that luxury vacation without draining your bank account, this is the episode you need in your life. Today, I'm breaking down why flexible points are the MOST important strategy for travel in 2026 — especially if you want free flights, luxury hotel stays, and maximum redemption value.And to show you exactly why flexible points matter so much, I'm walking you through a real trip I just planned where I compared multiple luxury hotel options using points from different banks (Chase, Amex). Because here's the truth:

Major Donald Spencer joins Brian to preview the 2nd day of this year's Holiday Store from the Glastonbury Homewood Suites by Hilton.

In this episode of Come Follow Church History, host Lynne Hilton Wilson welcomes special guest BYU Professor Jenet Erickson for a deep and inspiring discussion on The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Together, they explore the historical roots, doctrinal foundations, and continuing relevance of this landmark declaration from the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Dr. Wilson and Professor Erickson unpack the Proclamation's teachings on marriage, family roles, identity, and divine potential—values that stand as both a beacon and a counter-current in today's rapidly shifting cultural landscape. With warmth, scholarship, and faith, they examine why these traditional principles remain central to Latter-day Saint belief, how they connect to broader themes in Church history, and why they continue to offer clarity and hope in a world of competing philosophies. Whether you're studying the Proclamation for the first time or seeking deeper understanding, this conversation will enrich your appreciation of the eternal truths at its heart. Join us for an uplifting, thoughtful, and timely exploration of one of the Church's most influential modern documents. Visit us online: https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books

When God Makes a Promise | Robbie Hilton | Calvary Church

Tasheena Womack teaches us how to break free from perfectionism, reframe failure and build the kind of mindset that makes you unstoppable. Tasheena founded Simply Tasheena in 2011 as a lifestyle blog that has since partnered with major brands including Disney, Goya®, Hilton, Mazda, and Kodak. With a Master's degree in Organizational Management and Leadership, she has built multiple successful ventures and spoken at over 100 organizations throughout the tri-state area. Tasheena specializes in helping entrepreneurs develop the mindset strategies needed to transform creative passions into sustainable businesses. She strives to empower others with practical tools for entrepreneurial success and personal growth. Tasheena talks about shifting out of fear, treating mistakes as data, creating an evidence file, and taking bold action without waiting for things to be perfect. If you have felt stuck, hesitant or discouraged lately, this episode will clear that fog fast. It is the kind of mindset reset that changes how you move. Key points discussed include: Action beats perfection and waiting for ideal conditions stalls your entire business. Failure is just information and every misstep teaches you the next right move. An evidence file keeps you grounded on the days you doubt your own progress. Simple steps create momentum so do one thing and let the next unfold. Comparison becomes strategy when you use it for learning instead of judgment. Your voice builds your community so show your face, speak on camera and share your real life. Opportunities expand when you negotiate and brands often mirror your confidence. The best is always ahead and your job is simply to keep showing up. Connect with Tasheena Womack Website | Instagram

Chris Nassetta has served as President and CEO of Hilton since 2007, leading the organization through some extraordinary challenges. Chris’s focus on a sustainable growth model and a brand-led, network-driven strategy has enabled Hilton to cultivate 25 brands and serve more than 250 million travelers annually. In today’s episode, Chris discusses this journey with Eric Kutcher, our North America Chair and Senior Partner, and shares what he’s learned about leadership along the way. Looking ahead, he explains why AI is the greatest gift for Hilton to deliver what customers want, whenever and wherever they want it. Related Insights CEO For All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest The Strategic CEO newsletterSupport the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Meet special guest Emma, who's here to share the highlights, unique elements, and planning challenges from their beautiful wedding celebration at Hilton Lake Las Vegas. In this special episode, you'll hear lots more from Emma on: The pros of having NO wedding party Celebrating over a 3-day weekend in their hometown The endless benefits of a very chill wedding day / intentionally left lots of open time & space to relax Their "First Look" - and favorite part of the day! "Last Dance" w/ just the two of us after the room has been cleared Mini after-party at hotel lobby bar, Keeping it early & chill - wrapped everything up by 9:30 pm The challenges of setting a wedding budget and knowing where the starting point is Trying on 50+ dresses before finding "The One" And so much more! For a complete written recap and to see their absolutely gorgeous wedding photos, here's a complete article that features Emma and Drew's incredible wedding celebration. And to wrap up this week, I would LOVE to hear from you!  Whether it's about a planning challenge or question you're facing, a post-wedding day recap that you'd like to share, or simply requests for upcoming show topics, you can send in a voicemail to the show by visiting weddingplanningpodcast.co/contact In your message, please be sure to leave your name and email address so we can reach you for follow up.  I would love to share more stories like Emma's, but I need your participation, so please make it a priority to be in touch!

Thinking about becoming a singing teacher but not sure what's holding you back? In this episode, Alexa and Line break down the most common barriers aspiring singing teachers face. Learn how to get started with what you already know, build confidence step by step, choose the right training, and grow your teaching practice with clarity and purpose. If you're ready to take the next step in your singing teaching journey, this conversation will help you move forward with confidence.  WHAT'S IN THIS PODCAST? 0:31 How did Line become a singing teacher?  4:22 I don't know enough & imposter syndrome 11:26 There's too much choice 18:26 I don't have the piano skills 23:37 I don't have confidence in my own voice  28:25 I'm just not qualified  31:26 What about money?  36:51 My schedule is already busy  40:59 I don't know how to start a business  46:10 What if I hurt a student's voice?   About the presenter HERE RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS   Line Hilton  Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.237 Beyond the Vocal Tract: How the Brain Shapes What We Hear with Ian Howell Hearing Singing - A Guide to Functional Listening and Voice Perception  Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.111 Essential Piano Skills for Singers and Voice Teachers with Brenda Earle Stokes  Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.158 How Music Theory and Keyboard Skills Can Transform Your Singing Teaching with Amy Walton  Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.88 Pros and Cons of Singing Teacher Qualifications with Line Hilton Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.229 Ways to Make More Money as a Singing Teacher with Zoe Stibi Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.227 Following Your Bliss: How to Align your Life and Business with Gemma Sugrue  Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.220 Time Management: Making Time When There Isn't Any with Line Hilton & Alexa Terry Chris Johnson 

Most people know the names Marriott, Hilton, Wilson — but countless African American hoteliers helped build the foundation of American hospitality, and their stories rarely get told. I sat down with Calvin Stovall, author of Hidden Hospitality, to explore the remarkable journey behind his new book and the extraordinary hoteliers he uncovered along the way. Calvin spent decades researching these stories — from the late 1700s through the civil rights era — and the result is a stunning coffee table book filled with resilience, innovation, and legacy. On #NoVacancyNews, Calvin talks about the emotional moment he held the finished book for the first time, how the idea originated back in grad school, and why these stories matter for the next generation of leaders in our industry. A big thanks to Actabl — Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com. Key Insights:

In this thought-provoking episode, host Lynne Hilton Wilson sits down with historian Janiece Johnson for a candid and insightful exploration of Race and the Priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Together, they trace the historical context leading up to the 1978 revelation—Official Declaration 2—that extended priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy members worldwide. Lynne and Janiece discuss the complex historical factors, the lived experiences of Black Latter-day Saints, and the spiritual significance of the revelation. They highlight how Church leaders sought divine guidance and how this landmark moment continues to shape the global Church today. Whether you're a student of Church history or simply seeking deeper understanding, this episode offers a compassionate, clear, and faithful look at one of the most pivotal chapters in modern Latter-day Saint history.

The Cure for Jealousy | Robbie Hilton | Calvary Church

Join us this week as we continue the powerful conversation Pastor Melodye began on the God of Justice! This week, we are diving into our next steps with the message: Instrument of Justice. We are shifting the focus from who God is to who we are called to be, tackling the core questions of purpose and partnership: What does God want me to do with my life? and How do we partner with God in our everyday lives? Come learn how to become His active instrument for justice in the world.Notes & Scriptures for this message are available in the Notes section of the Giving Light App.Visit our website at www.givinglight.org.Download the Giving Light App available for free on iOS and Android.

In today's podcast episode, we'll talk about the many things we got wrong last week (oops!), how Etihad is sinking to a new low, and we'll reminisce about our extreme stacking adventures. Giant Mailbag(01:06) - Things we got wrong last week in episode 333 "Elite Benefit Battle: Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG"(02:47) - Read about how to earn up to 250K Alaska miles per year hereCard News(07:47) - E*Trade account now qualifies for American Express Platinum Card® Exclusively for Morgan Stanley (Read more about this here)(11:36) - A trick for finding Chase pre-approved offersBonvoyed(14:53) - Etihad's disloyalty program makes their awful cancellation policy even worseAwards, Points, and More(19:49) - Nick's Aeroplan cancellation storyMain Event: Super Stacking Stories(23:10) - Revisit episode 231 "The Art of Extreme Stackery" here(24:29) - Shopping portalsLearn more about shopping portal signup bonuses here.(25:37) - Greg's story: The original Million Mile Madness(38:55) - Nick's storyQuestion of the Week(52:37) - Nick has Mosaic 1 status from completing the JetBlue 25 for 25 challenge. When he reached status, he was able to pick a Choice benefit. Should he take the points or shoot for the higher level of status?Subscribe and FollowVisit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don't forget to like and follow us on social media.Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie YoderMentioned in this episode:Check out this month's sponsor and support our showJoin the loyalty program for renters at joinbilt.com/mileshttps://joinbilt.com/miles

Watch Us On YouTube! Thanks to Thrifty Traveler for sponsoring this episode! Visit ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium and use code M2G50 for 50% off a new Thrifty Traveler subscription! Thrifty Traveler is also offering 50% off for existing customers who want to add-on their hotel subscription service. Hilton just adjusted its loyalty program, lowering requirements for Gold & Diamond and added a brand-new top tier: Diamond Reserve. Is it worth $18K in spend and 80 nights a year? Richard walks through a last-minute work trip to Dublin, booking United Polaris on the ultra-short Newark–Dublin hop, plus a quirky Hyatt Centric Liberties "prepaid" card glitch that almost canceled his stay. Then Ed tags in Kyle Potter from Thrifty Traveler to break down their Black Friday sale, what they're seeing in the award space, and whether Delta's huge SkyMiles sale to Europe is a canary in the coal mine for 2026 award pricing. Get hydrated like Ed in Vegas with Nuun Use my Bilt Rewards link to sign-up and support the show! If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! If you're looking for a way to support the show, we'd love to have you join us in our Travel Slack Community.  Join me and other travel experts for informative conversations about the travel world, the best ways to use your miles and points, Zoom happy hours and exciting giveaways. Monthly access Annual access Personal consultation plus annual access We have witty, funny, sarcastic discussions about travel, for members only. My fellow travel experts are available to answer your questions and we host video chats multiple times per month. Follow Us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milestogopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@milestogopodcast Ed Pizza: https://www.instagram.com/pizzainmotion/ Richard Kerr: https://www.instagram.com/kerrpoints/    

On this Walker Webcast, Willy sat down with Chris Nassetta, President & CEO of Hilton, to discuss his experience running one of the world's most iconic hospitality companies. They explored Chris' entry into the hospitality business, how to lead through complexity, strategies for building resilience, the tough decision to relocate the Hilton headquarters, the integration of AI in the industry, why Airbnb is helping rather than harming the business, Hilton's distinct branding model, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Come Follow Church History, host Lynne Hilton Wilson is joined by BYU professor and historian Janiece Johnson for a captivating deep dive into one of the most pivotal—and often misunderstood—moments in Latter-day Saint history: the 1844 succession crisis. In the immediate aftermath of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints faced an uncertain and deeply emotional crossroads. Without its founding prophet, who would lead the Saints? Lynne and Janiece unpack the confusion, tension, and spiritual searching that followed, exploring the claims of various contenders—including Sidney Rigdon, who argued for guardianship of the Church—as well as other voices who stepped forward during this turbulent period. Together they trace how fear, grief, and competing visions for the future created a moment of genuine crisis for the Saints. With expert insight, Janiece Johnson provides rich historical context, helping viewers understand the different claims to take leadership of the Church—and how the eventual path forward reshaped the trajectory of the Restoration. If you're interested in Latter-day Saint history, the legacy of Joseph Smith, or the development of Church leadership, this episode offers a thoughtful and faith-focused look at a defining moment in 1844. Tune in for a conversation filled with depth, clarity, and remarkable historical detail.

BravoCon may be over but we are still recovering and the gossip keeps flowing. More podcast feuds have erupted.  Sai and Madison LeCroy smack each other down in a feud we did not know how much we needed - for many reasons. RHUGT Road Trip is coming with some fan fav OGs and all. Andy Cohen is still mad at Jeff Lewis. Kelly Dodd's exorcism is revisited. Nasty texts from Housewives and strange behavior from one irrelevant RHOM are exposed. Kathy Hilton and Sutton Stracke's houses are broken into as a result of the 3 day extravaganza and oh so very much more with very special guest, Vanessa Reiser, or as you like to call her, Luis Ruelas' ex. What a way to bury the lead.  To purchase Vanessa's book, “Narcissistic Abuse: A Therapist's Guide to Identifying, Escaping, and Healing from Toxic and Manipulative People” Head to Amazon or visit the link in Vanessa's Bio at @vanessareiserlcsw. @behindvelvetrope @davidyontef Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BravoCon may have come and gone but there is still oh so very much to talk about from this past weekend. Sutton is happy Garcelle is gone. Ashley Darby started a rumor about Kyle and Erika. Kathy Hilton broke down exactly what Kyle is looking for and needs in a life partner and it seems there may have been some Morgan Wade shade. Wendy refuses to accept Ashley's apology. Kyle Cooke tries to clarify the status of his marriage to Amanda. Adriana and Gizelle try to squash their beef and oh, so very much more.  @behindvelvetrope @davidyontef BONUS & AD FREE EPISODES Available at - www.patreon.com/behindthevelvetrope  BROUGHT TO YOU BY: THEREALREAL - therealreal.com/velvetrope (Get $25 Off At the Best Place To Shop Authenticated Luxury Bags, Clothing, Watches & more) HOMESERVE - homeserve.com (Home Owners Insurance That Start At Just $4.99 a Month) RO - ro.co/velvet (For Prescription Compounded GLP-1s and Your Free Insurance Check) INDEED - indeed.com/velvet (Seventy Five Dollar $75 Sponsored Job Credit To Get Your Jobs More Visibility) RAKUTEN - rakuten.co.uk (Go To Rakuten.co.uk, Download The App Or Install The Browser Extension To Earn Cash Back While You Shop At All Your Favorite Stores) PROGRESSIVE - www.progressive.com (Visit Progressive.com To See If You Could Save On Car Insurance) MOOD - www.mood.com/velvet (20% Off With Code Velvet on Federally Legal THC Shipped Right To Your Door) ADVERTISING INQUIRIES - Please contact David@advertising-execs.com MERCH Available at - https://www.teepublic.com/stores/behind-the-velvet-rope?ref_id=13198 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jared is coming to you from Durham, NC for another gloriously petty Ticked Off Tuesday, and he's got thoughts about “former bank” hotels, mysterious staff-only Wi-Fi, rogue outlets, and the front desk guy who hit him with the dreaded “you look familiar.” Between burps, coffees, and Bonvoy vs. Hilton debates, he breaks down life on the road and why all he wants is a cute, functional room where he doesn't have to move furniture just to charge his laptop. Then it's on to listener complaints: a cursed U-Haul mirror box order that vanishes into the ether, a nightmare flight seated next to the world's greasiest seatmate, and someone finally saying what we're all thinking about pumpkin spice lattes (liquid fall-flavored disappointment). Along the way, Jared dishes on his upcoming tour stops in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Royal Oak, Columbus, Orlando, San Diego for New Year's, and Philly, and why you need a night of laughs away from your family this holiday season. Hit play, submit your own grievances, and remember, if you're annoyed, you're in the right place.Support the show and get $10 off your 1 st month of Nutrafol. Head to https://www.nutrafol.com and use code FEATHER Support the show and get 10% off your Hero Bread order with code JTRAIN at https://www.hero.co

Mary Cosby may be winning BravoCon but TLC says her Church is a cult and they are coming for her. Jeff Lewis urges Andy Cohen to put Jennifer Aydin - remember her? - outta her misery. The RHOA panel has gone completely off the rails - thank you Drew Sidora. The RHOM panel has gone completely off the rails - thank you Adriana de Moura, Haitian Mortician and all. Kathy Hilton does not give one F. Last, but not least, Dorit is in love, love.    @behindvelvetrope @davidyontef BROUGHT TO YOU BY: THEREALREAL - therealreal.com/velvetrope (Get $25 Off At the Best Place To Shop Authenticated Luxury Bags, Clothing, Watches & more) HOMESERVE - homeserve.com (Home Owners Insurance That Start At Just $4.99 a Month) RO - ro.co/velvet (For Prescription Compounded GLP-1s and Your Free Insurance Check) INDEED - indeed.com/velvet (Seventy Five Dollar $75 Sponsored Job Credit To Get Your Jobs More Visibility) RAKUTEN - rakuten.co.uk (Go To Rakuten.co.uk, Download The App Or Install The Browser Extension To Earn Cash Back While You Shop At All Your Favorite Stores) PROGRESSIVE - www.progressive.com (Visit Progressive.com To See If You Could Save On Car Insurance) MOOD - www.mood.com/velvet (20% Off With Code Velvet on Federally Legal THC Shipped Right To Your Door) ADVERTISING INQUIRIES - Please contact David@advertising-execs.com MERCH Available at - https://www.teepublic.com/stores/behind-the-velvet-rope?ref_id=13198 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Op hopes you're comfy. Because this is a long, wild ride. Gary Michael Hilton, or as he likes to call himself, "The Beast of Blood Mountain," is captured in pristine police CCTV quality, explaining all of his heinous acts during a marathon interrogation that lasted over 4 hours! Watch the entire thing here. Hugs? ❤️The Op is giving away 30 days of FREE, unlimited Patreon.Just email him for the link: ⁠info@1159media.com⁠