Podcasts about Hispanic

Dave Rubin of "The Rubin Report" talks to Rep. Chip Roy about why Texans will ultimately reject Jasmine Crockett's senate run; the challenges Republicans face heading into a new Congress; why Republicans need a clear legislative strategy focused on affordability, healthcare, and housing costs; why securing the southern border is essential to national sovereignty and housing supply; shifting Hispanic voter trends in Texas and his concerns about immigration policy; why Republicans need to go on offense; and much more.

Quaranteam - Dave In Dallas: Part 6 Planning a Future. Based on a post by RonanJWilkerson, in 12 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. October 17, 2020. All of Dave's partners were at the park, setting up the folding table and portable gazebo. None of his partners were wilting flowers, so he couldn't exactly muscle his way in to doing the set up. But, they had taken off with the intent that three would return to clean the dishes while the rest hung out in the park for Shawna to get off in barely an hour. Roscoe and Esme, of course, were among those getting to run around in the grass and fresh air. So, Dave was at the sink, scrubbing dishes with some of his favorite songs playing out of his Echo Show in the kitchen. The volume was cranked, and so was Dave's voice as he sang along, rather skillfully, but a bit out of practice. Currently, he was belting through a Kenny Loggins song. One that got him energized and moving. Isabella's eyes, Oh, shine your light and make your momma smile "Who, yeah, shake it baby!" Dave spun around, caught in the act. Doing dishes, and singing. And dancing. Sort of. Mel and Becca stood at the entrance to the kitchen, clapping and whistling. Lupie was beside them, with a smile and a raised eyebrow. "I claim dibs on naming my first daughter Isabella!" Rebecca called out. Melanie pursed her lips and looked defeated. "I'd fight you for that privilege, but with a daughter named Esmeralda, that'd be too close. Besides," Lupie added with a wry smile, "some would say it's the same name, so I guess I got there first." Then, she playfully stuck out her tongue. Now, Lupie is often fun loving, but this was a level of silly unheard of for her. Everyone was too busy laughing with her to show much in the way of shock though. Dave moved in to hug her and delivered a soft kiss. Lupie hummed into the kiss and smiled before pulling back with a playful scowl. "Don't think I forgot you were doing basic chores, David." "They needed doing, and I didn't have much on my plate at the moment, corazon ." Lupie just narrowed her eyes at Dave's reply, but the smile below gave away her jest. For added measure, Dave slapped her ass and then squeezed. That and Lupie's 'Eep!' got Mel and Becca laughing again. Then they took up position behind Dave's shoulders, so he was surrounded by his partners. Their hands slid along his sides in ways that were chaste, for now, but hinted at an interest in something more. "No, horny girls, remember this is Shawna's celebration. Picnic party in the park, the gift from Becca and Reena, and then she gets Dave all to herself until after breakfast." The younger women groaned, but acquiesced. "Shawna's heading straight there from work, and she texted me a few minutes ago she was on her way out the door. We need to wrap up here in short order and get to the park." Lupie sent Dave to wash up and change for the party while the ladies finished the remaining dishes and picked up the last needed items for the party. They got to the park about ten minutes before Shawna, or just enough time for Roscoe to finish saying hello to each of them. The other ladies greeted Shawna warmly, then she advanced on Dave, who had been waiting his turn. "Congratulations, babe. I'm proud of you and happy for you." Shawna wrapped him in a tight hug and a long, lingering kiss that was smoky rather than fiery. "I've been looking forward to that all day." Dave smiled and dropped a quick peck on her lips. "So, just the two of us until tomorrow morning huh?" Shawna grinned. "Umm-hmm. Very accommodating crew you've drawn to you, darling." "And pretty good cooks too. You should get something to eat. I made that cucumber tomato salad you like." "Ooo, with the fresh veggies you just harvested?" Dave nodded. Shawna skipped happily to the table, Dave beside her, holding her hand. Dave ate a double helping of everything. Each dish was tasty, and he was hungry. He sidled up to Shawna. "So how's Skippy the Wonder Boy doing?" Shawna's department now consisted of her, a young and fresh out of college guy with his master's in meteorology, and a young lady that was on her internship last spring when lockdowns hit. Each had different levels of skills, and each had shortages that Shawna, as the boss, had to train them up from. At least 'Skippy' had finished all the classes. He seemed like a pleasant guy on air. Unfortunately, he looked perpetually 14, wearing one of daddy's suits. The scruffy attempt at a beard was not helping. Shawna's scowled. Hard. "Mitchell is coming along just fine. Especially for a young man thrust into a position with far more responsibility than he should have to carry this soon out of school." "I'm sorry, hun. He always comes off as very pleasant, but he also looks way too young." "He is too young. He's handling his professional duties quite well, though. It's his personal life I worry about occasionally." "How so?" "Well, his first partner was a former Cowboys cheerleader, and looks it. She's been off the squad for two years, so she didn't get snapped up by some rich guy wanting a trophy." Shawna paused to a rough exhale. "But yeah, this earnest, and rather naïve, nerd boy has the devastatingly hot, bubbly woman three years older than him dumped in his lap. His first day back after she'd joined him, I thought the top of his head was going to fall off, he was smiling so big." Dave snorted at the image. He could understand the boy's predicament. That made him think. "That was just the start. His second partner was his sister's best friend; she was homecoming queen and prom queen. The sad side is, his sister didn't make it." Shawna's voice caught. "So sometimes he's having sex with this beauty that he never thought would come near him, and sometimes they're crying together over his dead sister and her dead friend." "Damn this fucking virus," Dave said huskily. He blew out a breath. "He really is one of us isn't he?" Shawna nodded. "How many partners does he have?" "Mindy, his fourth partner joined him last week. He's probably getting a fifth soon." She thought for a moment. "Guess that means you'll be getting another lady soon as well." Dave shrugged. "Yeah, maybe. I'm at seven now, so maybe that's it. That would be fine by me. Any one of you alone are incredible." He paused for the appreciative kiss. "I was thinking, if both families are plused up enough to be safe, then maybe we should invite him and his partners over. For games, or just talk and some background music." Shawna brightened. "Now that's the man I fell for." She kissed him firmly on the cheek. "I don't know if he has any friends or family left, and his girls are nice ladies, but not nerds. Well, Ginger, his third partner is an anime fan, but I think that's the extent of her nerd creds. Mindy's an athlete. Now, all of them love him to death, and they may share some of his other interests, but not the nerdy stuff." Dave frowned. "Sounds like Oracle isn't working out for him." "Oh, no. He has interests that aren't strictly speaking nerdy. And I know there's some sharing going on there. Kelly, the former cheerleader, shares his love of gardening." "And that's something Liv and I can share with the both of them." "Yup." "Okay, let's talk it over with the others and plan something." Dave looked chagrined. "So, uh, what's his real name?" Shawna gave him a pursed-lip grin with narrow eyes. "Mitch. Mitchell Westfield" "I'll work on that." Shawna gave him some side-eye, but with a grin, as they walked back to the others. Becca and Reena were waving them over excitedly and everyone had gathered around the box with the cake Lupie'd made. Shawna opened the package Reena held up for her. In the small box was a black t-shirt with the station logo over the heart on the front and "Weather Boss" across the back. The girls had carefully made sure it was just the right fit, not too snug or too loose for Shawna to wear to work. She laughed and hugged each teen. "You two are pretty awesome you know?" Both young ladies beamed. Shawna draped the t-shirt over her shoulder as Lupie opened the box to reveal the cake. It was three layers, with milk chocolate icing. On the top was the station logo, with the words 'Chief Meteorologist'. Around the sides, as one walked around, there was a sun breaking through clouds, a cloud with rain falling from it, and the third tableau depicted a tornado, with a bit of dust obscuring the bottom. "Oh, it's perfect Lupie! Thank you so much!" The ladies embraced before Lupie set about slicing the well-crafted dessert. Naturally, Shawna got the first slice. Between the layers was a thin puree of strawberries; Shawna's favorite. That was good for a small happy dance, which in turn, made Lupie happy. With everyone chatting happily, Dave slipped away from the others. He just had a small side trip he needed to make. About fifteen minutes later, Shawna came around the bend in the sidewalk as it exited the trees near the base of the bridge. She moved, unhurried, to Dave's side as he stood at the peak of the bridge, looking down at the stream passing below. In flood stage, it took a wider path, and might legitimately be called a river. Most of the time, it remained within the narrow channel with broad margins that were pleasant to walk along if you wore the right footwear. "You know, we all saw you leave. We just thought you needed some space. Or some time." She looked into his face, seeing the evidence of tears, but not a full-on bawling episode. "This is Eddie's bridge isn't it?" Eyes watering again, Dave didn't trust himself to speak and merely nodded. Shawna stepped closer and hugged him. They stood like that for a few minutes before she slowly released him. "Thanks. I needed that. I just; I'm such a damn wimp. I know I need to be stronger for all of you, but I; I can't move past this." "You keep focusing on the times you fall down. I see the man that gets back up, shoulders the burden, and keeps going." "I don't want to though, I only do it because I have to." "That's what makes you the man I've fallen in love with. No one wants to take the burden, and some people refuse to do it. You do it, knowing how much pain you'll go through again." "This world sucks ya know." "It always has, we just papered over it and let ourselves forget. Now is one of the times the ugliness rips through the paper walls and makes us look it in the face." Shawna paused to stroke the side of Dave's face soothingly. "Do you remember the Kurlan Naiskos, in TNG?" "Yeah." "One of your voices is an ox. Carry any burden, push through any problem, get the job done no matter the cost to yourself. A low-key hero. Maybe not the only hero within you. All I'm saying is, I am very glad to have you in my life, and to be a part of your life." They stood there at the railing, looking at the water for a minute or so. Then Shawna spoke again. "Honestly David, we're talking about your son's death here. I'd be worried if you weren't having bouts of sorrow. Hell, that would scare the shit out of me. I'd much rather come home to find you curled into a fetal position bawling your eyes out, than you just blithely going about your life as if nothing happened." Dave looked up at her and smiled weakly. "Okay. Sorry, I just feel like such a pussy when I get like this." "Don't make me tell Becca on you," Shawna said with a grin. With a sly smile, Dave rejoined, "So, how may I convince you to keep my dirty secret?" "Hmm, kitty's hungry, Davey." Shawna said in a low tone. Then she nibbled her finger and switched to a higher pitched schoolgirl pleading tone. "Kitty needs cream. Please Davey, pump your cream into my hungry, wet kitty." "Kitty hell, I'm looking at a strong, capable panther that could eat me alive and make me smile the whole time." Shawna grinned, excited. The skirt she wore that day was long and loose, without being flowy. Dave knelt briefly to reach his hands up and pull off her thong panties. He stuffed them in his pocket as she gathered the lower part of her skirt in her hands and leaned back against the railing. Fortunately, Dave was wearing jeans instead of cargo shorts today. Cargos would have dropped to his ankles the moment he unbuckled, leaving his bare ass out for anyone to walk by and see. Though no one seemed to be on the trail today. Instead, he unbuckled and unzipped, lowering his jeans and boxers just enough to bring his already half-erect cock out. When he stepped closer to Shawna, she wrapped her left leg around his waist and draped the skirt to cover the both of them. A few minutes of hungry kisses and energetic groping had Dave at full mast. He slipped himself inside Shawna's drenched pussy while she groaned. They fucked hard. Shawna focused mostly on staying upright and close, but put some effort into fucking back at him. Dave drove himself into her, his hunger matching hers, one hand behind her torso, the other fondling her tit through her shirt and bra roughly, the way she liked when they were going fast. His thumb and forefinger grasped at her nipple, and Shawna hit her first orgasm. She shook in Dave's arms, her rippling inner muscles running riot on his intruding organ. As she calmed, he approached his peak. She could see it in his eyes and urged him onward with soft, lusty whispers. As Dave erupted, she clutched him tight, her body overcome with spasms as the serum renewed her attachment to him, giving her pleasure when he attained climax. When her shuddering subsided, she kissed him warmly. Dave slipped himself out of her and quickly fixed his boxers and jeans. He handed her panties back, so she had something to stem the fluids flowing out of her. There were knowing smiles when they rejoined the others, but no commentary. In the mid-evening, with dusk sufficiently fallen outside, Dave and Shawna lay cozily tangled in the bath. With darkness outside and only the smallest, dimmest light on the vanity, the lighting gave a warm, inviting ambience. Peach bubble bath scented the air more than the water. It was just a little late in the year for a fresh peach; Dave checked that early in his planning. Shawna took another deep breath, a big, lazy grin on her face. "My favorite scent ever." "So can I call you my Georgia peach, even if you're not from Georgia?" "Well, I sort of am. My mother's from Georgia. Mom and Dad met at UGA. He was majoring in Civil Engineering and she was majoring in Music Education. When they graduated, they moved to St Louis to start their new life together. Dad grew up in Creve Coeur, a town near St Louis." "That's a sweet story." "Umm hmm. I'm hoping to have the same happily ever after here. They're both alive and quarantining hard. Hopefully, the vaccine will get there soon. I haven't said anything to them directly, but they are being careful." Dave gave a slight extra squeeze to the hug. They sat there in silence again for a while. Then Dave's hands slipped downward a bit, cupping her tits lightly as he hummed '; really love your peaches wanna shake your tree ;” Shawna recognized the tune and chuckled. It was a long, slow, comfortable night, with more cuddling and light touching than sex. Ditto for the wake up. Chapter 8; Planning a Future. October 19, 2020. Shawna's early shift meant she was home for dinner with enough time to change and sit with the family talking while Lupie and Reena prepared the meal. "Mom was a pretty good painter. She actually sold a few at small auctions. The one she was proudest of, she gave to Dave though. He's a fan of seascapes, so she made this beautiful painting with a cliff in the upper left and a roiling, storm-tossed ocean filling most the canvas. Lots of white caps and ocean spray, dark stormy waters, the whole works. You could almost feel like you were on the deck of a ship struggling to stay afloat in the storm." Liv looked wistful as she spoke of her mom's talents. "Oh! I've seen that one!" Jan exclaimed. The others looked between Livy, Dave, and Jan. With a neutral face that they had become accustomed to at certain times Dave said, "I put it away in a closet to keep it safe. I; went through a dark time there for a while. I didn't want to damage it." "And I found it when I was looking for the book boxes you mentioned. I'm sorry I brought it up, Dave." Olivia nodded her agreement with Jan. "Don't be ladies. Janelle's gift is a bright point. Honestly, I'm at a place now that I would feel safe bringing it back out. And the photos." A small relief settle over the gathering. There were a few spots that obviously held a picture or painting for some years, but had been bare when the ladies arrived. The general state of the world, and the events of Olivia and Melanie's arrival made each reluctant to broach the subject. "It would be good to see pictures of Eddie, Janelle, and; Carter?" Shawna said softly. "I don't think I ever saw Livy's parents, but I met Eddie a few times." Becca chimed in. "He was a nice guy. Kinda handsome too. But, I know where he got that from." She blew an air kiss to Dave. The others grinned or chuckled, with a few nods. "Well, she made the painting in Eddie's senior year, and he was between girlfriends when Mom finished. She had me bring it over on a weekend she knew Eddie was staying with Dave. Dave hadn't moved to this house yet." Dave chuckled, in memory, as he realized where Olivia was going with this story. "Keep in mind, Eddie is almost three years older than me. At the time, I was a few months past fifteen, and Eddie was shy of his eighteenth birthday by a few months. Mom drives me, but hangs back a bit, having me talk to Dave and Eddie. I get to Dave's front door, all flustered, 'cuz here's my crush, that I fantasize about spending my life with," Olivia is beaming a big smile at this point, with Dave replying with a shame-faced smile, "being all happy for this gift I'm giving him and showing me all this affection, but like I'm a well-loved daughter, not a woman he'd go out with. And all these little-girl-in-love feelings are just going haywire." The older ladies all showed some level of sympathy for Olivia. For her part, Becca slipped off her spot, nestled in beside Dave and said, "I don't know what you're talking about." The play-act was good for a chuckle. "That's when Eddie pipes up and offers to take me out that evening. He looked uncertain, but somewhat interested. We were friends, but there'd been no romance, no attraction. I was torn, because Eddie is a; " Olivia swallowed "--was a great guy, but he wasn't the guy I was after. I agreed, though. A week later he admitted that Dave put him up to it, and Mom was almost certainly involved. The three of them made multiple attempts at throwing us together. Hell, Eddie was the only boy Daddy didn't try to scare off." "Wait, so you dated Eddie?" "Not really. It was just two friends hanging out. It happened a few times as Mom, Dad, and Dave kept trying to get us together, but it never stuck. We both thought the other was an incredible person," she paused for a second again, "but there was no; no spark of desire. I mean, yeah, he thought I was pretty, I thought he was handsome, but it just wasn't there." "OK, 'cuz that would have been really weird. Especially if you two had; " "Nope." Olivia said it awfully quick, with a bit of extra color rising in her face. That caused everyone else to lean in. "Girl," was all Shawna said. Olivia rolled her eyes and exhaled hard. "They were trying so hard, and we really liked each other, and we thought maybe if we just tried; but we couldn't kiss without giggling. Like we couldn't bring our lips together we'd bust out laughing first. On the cheek was fine, but lips touching was just too goofy." Olivia stared off into space for a moment. "Okay, there was one time we tried to go all the way. I was over eighteen by then. We each undressed ourselves, but by the time we were both naked, we both had the nervous giggles. On paper, we should have been a great match, but something big was missing." "Oh, I've felt it," Becca said, waving her hand in the air, "I know what the big missing thing was." The whole house cracked up laughing. "Hey, we are talking about my friend here. And he's Dave son, so he was no slouch there. It just wasn't hard. That was a little demoralizing. I'm standing there, naked, tits out, not trying to hide anything, and I was already keeping it trimmed, so it's all out there where he can see it, and he's limp. Full length, but limp. That was a blow to my ego." "Coulda been worse. If you had slept with Eddie ;” A collective shiver ran through the room. "Yeah, yeah that would be weird. I may or may not have gone out the next weekend and found a guy to assuage my hurt ego, though." A few sympathy nods occurred in response. "About two months later, I found another boyfriend, but by then, I knew in my heart I was just biding time 'til I was old enough to pursue Dave. I was over eighteen, of course, but I knew I needed to be a bit older to really get his attention. That relationship eventually petered out, and every guy since has been a month or two fling about twice a year so I don't go crazy." "And now you have your dream guy." Jan supplied. Just then, Reena came out to the arch separating the dining room and living room. "We're starting to bring dishes out to the table. You can start taking seats." Looking at Becca, she added, somewhat resignedly, "Did you tell him yet?" Becca squealed. "I almost forgot! Thank you for reminding me! We were watching MTV earlier, and they're going through a leadership change. Like all the bigwigs got fired, and now they have a new CEO." Dave looked askance. "I haven't been interested in MTV for a few decades, back before they should have stopped using the 'M' if they were being honest." "That's just it though! The new guy has announced they will refocus on music." "But I liked The Real World!" Kareena grumped. Becca stuck her tongue out at Reena, before turning back to Dave. "And you'll never guess who the new head of MTV is!" "I don't follow music industry executives, so no, I really have no idea, who it could be." "But you know this guy," she said with a wide grin. "He's a little white, a little nerdy. He likes polka; " "No. Way." Dave said with a grin on his face. "Weird Al?" Shawna started chuckling. "Seriously?" "Yep! Weird Al Yankovich is the new head of MTV! They're having a grand re-opening Wednesday, noon, Pacific Time. They said there will be themed hours, so certain times will be 80's music, or 90's, or girl-pop, or hard rock, etc." "Wonder if they'll borrow VH1 'Pop-up Video' with the little factoids. That could be a good hour-block too." That's when Lupie appeared to summon them all to the table for dinner. Firmly this time. As dinner wound down, Lupie turned to Becca. "Have you asked him yet?" The little blonde shrunk into herself. "No," she said softly. "Ask me what?" Dave inquired. Reena looked at Becca like she was waiting for her to take the lead, but wouldn't for much longer. Rebecca swallowed hard, inhaled like she was steeling herself, and looked at Dave. "We didn't get a prom. Reena pointed that out last week. And, back then, it wasn't an issue for me. I mean, even without; everything that's going on. But now, it'd be kinda cool. So, um, the others are putting a prom on for us; me and Reena, I mean; so, uh, Dave, would you take me to prom?" Dave was surprised, and a little stunned. "I, uh," he sputtered, until Lupie, Jan, and Shawna fixed him with very determined looks. "Of course. Yes, Rebecca Sampson, I will escort you to prom." The cheers around the table settled after a moment, and attention turned to Reena. She beamed. "Dave, would you take me to prom also?" With a big grin, Dave replied, "Well, I dunno, I already have one prom date ;” his tone was playfully enough to keep most of the panic flutters out of Reena's stomach. "I would happily share a prom date with Reena." Becca interjected. "Then yes, Kareena Agrawal, I will escort you to prom along with Becca." Another round of cheers as both girls laughed. "So, you get a second prom Dave, this time with two hot dates!" Jan teased. Dave looked at her side eyed. "First actually. I wasn't in any kind of social demand in high school." "Wait, you didn't go to prom?" half the ladies exclaimed. Dave scoffed. "It was a social thing. I was a nerd. Okay, I'm still a nerd, don't give me that look. Anyway, I didn't belong at social events. Dances, football games, I didn't go and nobody missed me." "I'm a nerd, and I went to prom, David." Shawna replied. "You're a pretty girl. Boys like to go to dances with pretty girls. Girl nerds still get asked out, especially when they're attractive." No one wanted to ruin the mood by pursuing that line of discussion further, but they all noted an undertone in Dave's comments. October 21, 2020. Dave planted soft kisses on Lupie's shoulder as he drove himself in and out of her hot, wet tunnel. He held her hip with one hand and traced lazy patterns on her abdomen with the other. Lupie's hands rested on the wall as she bent over, pushing her ass out so Dave could pump himself into her sex. They were ten minutes into what was supposed to be a quickie, but both enjoyed the union so much they were subtly stretching out the encounter. Of course, the fact that Esme's room was right next to Dave's office added some need for quiet. And quiet fucks were generally slower. Still, they couldn't take forever. With this many people in the house, no matter how quiet they were, if they kept going, someone would walk in on them. Dave slipped his hand from Lupie's belly up to her tit. He took a firm, possessive grip and rubbed her nipple with his palm and massaging the bulk of her tit with his fingers. Lupie's right hand left the wall and flew to her mouth. Her shoulder braced against the wall, Lupie's eyes rolled back as her torso convulsed. Her low moan of ecstasy was largely stifled by her hand. The undulation of her inner muscles set Dave off, and he fired several ropes of hot cum into her waiting passage. Both stood there for a minute, steadying themselves and luxuriating in the primal satisfaction of the completed act. As Dave softened and slipped out of her, Lupie reached to the side table and grabbed some tissues to catch any leakage. She turned, resting her back against the wall and staring into her lover's eyes. "You know David, tomorrow is the day. Hopefully." Dave looked at her quizzically. "I ovulate tomorrow. I've been tracking it. This time could be the one that gets me pregnant." Dave leaned into Lupie and took her in his arms. A shudder passed through him as he realized he might soon be a father again. A dark, demented voice rose up to remind him just how well that worked out the last time. "Still," Lupie purred with a grin, "I wouldn't mind a second dose tomorrow, just to increase our chances." Dave kissed her slowly on the lips, with no tongue. "Purely for reproductive purposes of course." He added a wink. Lupie hugged him tightly after barking out a short laugh. Then they dressed and she headed back downstairs. Dave opened the new microfridge and pulled out a bottle of water and a pouch of tuna in sunflower oil. Livy and Mel picked up the fridge last week, during the grocery run. The same trip they'd gotten the palmprint secured gunsafe for Livy's headboard. Mel and Reena put it in place while Dave and Liv installed the safe. He guzzled about half the water bottle before setting it down. Then he took his time with the tuna and the other half the bottle. Time enough to mull over his problem. His game might be dead in the water, for good this time. As with so many others, he hadn't heard back from the artists that made the images for him in too damn long. The background artist, Harrison Black, had been incommunicado for months. That may not be an insurmountable problem. There was only one background missing from the scenes he had planned out. Those scenes might be movable to one of the existing settings. Or maybe he could find an artist to make that last image and match Harri's style; but that would be a dicey prospect. As long as he didn't add any new locations, he was good there. But; his character artist was also not responding. His last email two months ago mentioned he was sick. He had finished all of the characters through the last update, but the game had three more characters to complete the cast, and one played a pivotal role in the last two scenes of the pending update. He needed to find a new artist. And negotiate a new contract. For a game whose market may have shrunk drastically. Who the hell would pay money for a game about a guy surviving an apocalypse and fucking hot babes when they're in the middle of an actual apocalypse and every surviving guy had several women addicted to his cum? It was still worth a shot though. After mulling over the wording, Dave opened Discord and navigated to UnVale, the site he'd used before. He found an appropriate thread and started typing. budget: $800 plus 10% of revenue work: headshot and 3d poly-rigged female character, character description (rough physical and detailed personality) provided in further communications. three characters needed. possibly three artists, one per character. Upfront and percentage applied per character. timeline: 6-8weeks Commercial use, erotic game respond by DM please With that done, Dave left the server. There were other things to do. He logged into the email server for Eastfield and checked for messages. His dean emailed with a list of classes for spring semester. Technically, she was offering the list for his approval. Yeah right. She's the dean. Yeah, He'd made full professor rank five years ago, but getting in a pissing match with the dean over class assignments was never a good idea. And she'd never given him reason to anyway. The 'check these to make sure they are right' note always elicited that rebel reaction in him. Interesting. Math department must be shorthanded. Dave had one section of college algebra in addition to two sections of physics. One of those was calc-based, the other algebra & trig based. And then a section of gen ed physical science. That had been awhile, but something he'd done before. He emailed back the list looked fine, but he'd need a copy of the texts for the math and physical science classes, and quickly, so he could start planning. Hard copies if possible. At least a looseleaf version. He tagged in a suggestion they offer an astronomy class or earth science or oceans class. Something more focused that could get the kids attention. Student interest tends to improve student scores, after all. He pointed out with a little review time, he could teach the astronomy or earth science class. If they went with an oceans class, he'd need one of the biology folks to cover the portions of the class on sea life. Ugh. College algebra had some interesting and useful tools but teaching it to a class of mostly 'why do I have to take this'? whiners could make for a demoralizing semester. Well, maybe that would be the plus side of an apocalypse. The survivors might be all that much more desirous to grow and achieve. Okay, plan with positive thoughts. Expect hungry, eager young minds. Or even hungry, eager older minds. And a little bit scared. Some more than others. Lastly, he suggested that whichever of the three they offered should have a field trip component. Now more than ever, it was important to break students out of their doldrums and really see the stuff they talked about in class. "Dave! Dave! Dave!" Becca burst through his office door. "It's on! It's coming on next! Come down!" She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and raced back out. Dave was chuckling by the time she turned around, and rising as she passed the doorframe. He joined her in the living room in short order, without running. Lupie, Liv and Mel were waiting as well. Jan and Esme came out of the library just as Dave hit the bottom of the stairs. "All of you are music video fans?" Dave asked. "Or Weird Al?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "I'm a you fan, David," Lupie replied, "and a Becca fan. You two are so excited by this, I had to be here to watch." "You exposed me to Weird Al when I was young and impressionable. My interest in him is all your fault." Olivia observed with a smirk. "Hey, I'm just band wagoning here," Melanie chortled. Then Jan chimed in. "This is a cultural event. It would be educational for Esme," she said with a sly grin. The commercial cut away and an aural cascade of celebration sounds issued from the TV. "Hello, all you beautiful people, I'm Martha Quinn, your Video Jockey for this inaugural segment of the renewed Music Television channel. Yes, we are concentrating on music again, and, in honor of the impending Halloween holiday, we have an oldie but a goldie; Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'." The screen cut to the iconic video by the king of pop. The full version. When it ended, Quinn was back. "I get chills from that every time." Martha shook her head, smiling. "Now, with the Thanksgiving holiday not far away, our new CEO has whipped up something to make the meal; just a little extra special." Guitar chords from Eric Clapton's 'Cocaine' start playing. When you eat leftovers, And you're feeling averse, ptomaine Half the room cracked up laughing. Dave didn't hear most the rest of the lyrics, but hell, his family was laughing. And surely the song would play again. It was good to laugh. By the time they settled down, the video was over and Martha Quinn's face stared back at them. "I hope you all enjoined that as much as I did. I'll be back to host 'The '80's Hump Day Show' this evening, but until then my younger colleagues will host shows featuring current, or at least more recent, styles. Our new formatting is geared to exemplify and introduce the unique and wonderful flavors of different eras and genres. We here at MTV would like to foster greater understanding and appreciation between peoples of different generations, so please, at some point during the week, take the time to sit in with us as we cover an era or style you are unfamiliar with and get to know some of the things that make other people in your life tick." Dave couldn't shake the sense that Quinn knew about the Quaranteam serum and was trying to foster connections between partners of well separated age groups, without talking about the serum in even the slightest. Then again, the sentiment had its own value, without the serum issues. October 22, 2020. The doorbell was still an unusual sound to hear these days, even though the house no longer felt like his own pyramid. It definitely wasn't quiet at the moment. House Belsus was in the midst of a round robin Mario Cart championship. Although, this one was a warmup. Shawna wasn't here, so they'd have another contest when the whole house was present. At the moment, Mel and Olivia were frustrated with each other and Esme's otherworldly ability both in the game and playing the two off each other. As the two of them attacked the other, Esme got ahead of them both. Becca was laughing, and well ahead of all three, sailing free and clear of any competitor or trap. Until Esme got a blue shell. Just as it detonated, the doorbell sounded. "I got it!" Reena shouted, leaping to her feet and rushing for the door. Dave rose to follow, but was tackled by Becca, Liv, and Mel. Lupie began to object, since Esme was in the room, but the girls were mostly just hugging, with some kissing. Lips only, no tongue. "Hey, come on! I need to go answer the door," he protested. "Nope," Becca retorted. "Reena hasn't gotten to welcome a new lady to the house yet. And you need to make a proper first impression when she walks in; smothered in adoring women!" Dave rolled his eyes but stopped trying to wiggle free. Lupie and Jan chuckled off to the side. "I heard that from outside." said a voice carrying a tinkle of amusement. All three young ladies scrambled up so Dave could stand and face their newest sister. She stepped forward, offering her hand. "Hi, I'm Vanessa Worton. You must be Dave. You have quite the entourage here." Dave reached his hand out to accept her greeting. Champagne blonde hair; with dark roots; fell from a middle part down the sides of her face to drape a few inches down her shoulders. Round, olive green eyes stared back at Dave from a face balanced between oval and rectangular. The wide smile, with plenty of teeth showing, appeared a mix of forced and natural while her cheeks gathered into pleasant apples above and beside her mouth. Vanessa wore a tight-knit thin teal sweater under a medium beige cardigan. Light tan slacks and slip-on comfortable walking shoes in dappled white and dark grey finished her business casual look. At 5'5" she wasn't exactly short for a woman, but neither was she tall by any stretch. She appeared to be a well-kept late thirties. The skin of her face was supple, but showed signs of experience in life; not all of it positive. Vanessa chuckled. "Well, it's always ego boosting for a man to be speechless upon seeing me. Especially one surrounded by such lovely ladies already." Dave collected himself. "Would you like a seat?" When he saw her noticing the paused game, he added, "We were having a playoff. Although this is really just practice, since Shawna's at work. She'll be home in another hour and a half. That's her usual time, though depending on her shift some days could be earlier or later." "So all of you are into video games?" Vanessa said as she stepped around her large pink rolling suitcase to find a seat. "No, some of us are into video games, and some of us join in for family unity." Lupie rejoined. "I can appreciate that." Vanessa smiled back. "Family sticks together." Her smile looked slightly artificial for a moment. "I like that you all refer to each other as family, rather than a team. It sounds; cozier, comforting. And the whole dogpile thing? Very Norman Rockwell. If Rockwell painted polygamous families," she added with a wide grin. "You must be Lupie," she said approaching the Latina. "I think your letter was the most convincing, and intimidating. I almost passed over Dave so I wasn't getting in the way of, or being overshadowed by, two long term loves." Everyone but Jan, Lupie, and Becca bore puzzled looks. That's when Jan cleared her throat and spoke up. "I was contacted the end of last week to type up a short mention of my time here, my thoughts, and such. I sent that in Sunday night." "I got mine in yesterday." Lupie said. "Me too," said Becca. "It was interesting getting three uniquely different people saying slightly different things that all painted the same picture." Vanessa walked back to Dave. "You're an interesting guy David Belsus." Dave looked slightly uncomfortable by instinct, but quickly applied some of the confidence he'd been gaining or faking. "You seem to have me at a disadvantage, Ms. Worton." "Vanessa. Or preferably, Nessa. Given how; close we are going to be." She flashed him a playfully wicked smile. Dave was getting enough practice now to see beneath the surface. Under the playfully strong woman exterior was a deep current of uncertainty, even nervousness. "I have professional reasons to be here as well. I'm a realtor, so I'm involved in the re-housing project going on. If I hadn't matched to you, I would have been by to visit sometime next week, but as it is, I'd like to start that conversation now, lay out the parameters for all of you and after I wake up from imprinting we can talk about what you; well, what we want," she ended with a grin. "Sounds good," Dave replied. "Re-housing, huh? Are we really supposed to wind up with many more ladies in the house?" "I don't know any more than you've been told, really, but I've seen some families much bigger. Most seem to be heading that direction though. The metroplex - all of North Texas - got hit hard, David." She paused. "Harder than some other areas because of all the deniers. I don't know the numbers, since I'm not involved in that work, but we have a lot fewer men here. We also had a higher loss of women, but not nearly to the same degree as the increased loss of men. Only a few of the women are interested in re-locating, so families here will likely be bigger than families in California or New England; on average anyway." "That's how it's been before all this though too." "Well, yeah," she said with a chuckle. Then she cleared her throat and seemed to settle into a 'professional' facial set. "To ease the logistical load for utilities and other services, the government is encouraging folks to gather into consolidated neighborhoods or downtown living areas. They mostly want people to live in multi-use towers. Basically, skyscrapers with stores and service shops on the bottom floor or two, and residential spaces above. Each family would have one entire floor. A large family might get two floors." "I would rather not live in a high-rise." Dave kept his tone neutral and even, in a way that suggested much more passion behind the sentiment than that actually expressed. "Well that brings us to the communities being formed. Some are on cul-de-sacs with enlarged houses. And the cul-de-sacs are clustered. There are some that have semi-circle roads with houses on the outer edge and a park or shops in the middle. The smaller ones of those are also clustered." "Of course, the Las Colinas and South Lake folks already have their gated communities. They may bring a few others in to occupy a house that was already empty, or vacated by a; casualty, but mostly, they are 'keeping to their own'. I wouldn't expect you; us; to get in there." "Not sure I'd want to." That earned a few nods. "There are a variety of sizes in the midrange communities. Those also vary by amenities in the house. Some houses in the same community have different amenities, inside or outside. In fact some of the nicer communities in the midrange are; choosy, so, again, they could be hard to get into." Dave, Lupie and Liv just shrugged. "Now, generally speaking, the communities will be mixed so there is, as best as possible, a cross section of races, political views, and interests in each community. The intent is to hopefully negate the polarization we've all seen increasing over the past twenty years." All of the older members of the family nodded. Everyone old enough to watch the news knew exactly what she was talking about. "But, there will be some; themed communities. In the Mesquite area, there will be a community of multiple cul-de-sacs near a stables." "And a country bar?" asked Reena, teasingly. "Please," Dave rejoined, "Mesquite is for ropers. They wear bright colored boots and never rode a horse. They drive lift kit pickups without a single scratch in the bed. A whole community of truck balls, rattails and mullets." He paused for a second. "Actually, that's not a bad idea. I could do with never seeing another mullet or rattail." "Or a lift kit." "Or truck balls." "I'll scratch Mesquite off the list of possible destinations for this team. Um, family," Vanessa corrected. "What about Park Cities area?" Dave looked at her balefully. He started ticking off on his fingers, "I make less than six figures, I do not own a tux; and only one suit; and I have no idea what to do with my pinkie finger when drinking tea or coffee." All of the ladies giggled. "Worse," he made quote fingers in the air, "Lupie is Hispanic, Jan is Korean, and Shawna, who's at work at the moment, is black. Not exactly a picture of Park Cities demographics." Vanessa looked like she was about to object, but held off. He wasn't wrong. Changing the topic, she said, "So, all we really need right now is to think about what spaces you will want, and what spaces you will need. Do you need an office? Do any of the women need one as well? Can those be combined?" "That could wind up as an excuse to visit with you more often during the day," Mel asserted. Reena and Becca giggled. Esme hadn't left the room, so she slightly veiled her meaning. "I will need a separate office. Sometimes I just need to focus. Besides, having my own office hasn't stopped y'all from making 'visits' during the day." Lupie blushed at the implication. She wasn't the only one though, just the most recent. "But Dave, I might need some math help," Becca pleaded. Vanessa looked slightly amused while the others laughed. The tale had been shared around. "I should never have told you that story," Dave said with narrow eyes and pursed lips. Though there was a twinkle in his eye and his lips curled up at the corners. "So, something for you ladies to share with me later, I take it?" Dave threw his hands in the air theatrically. "I'm surrounded." "Well, Dave, that's how; " Liv cut herself off as she remembered Esme was still in the room. Esme rolled her eyes. "Do I need to leave?" "No, you do not." Dave replied. "We will watch ourselves. This conversation is one you should have some input on. You might not get what you ask for, but at least I'd like to hear your preferences as much as anyone else's." Vanessa nodded, looking at Lupie. "Yup, just like you said." Lupie blushed. At Dave's reaction, Nessa looked to him and added, "All good things, all good things." "Olaf!" Esme cried. "You should be Olaf for Halloween. That's next week right?! We're doing something for it, right Da- uh, Dave?" Dave did not miss what Esme almost said. If she finished the original word, he might have lost it altogether. As it was, he managed to maintain his composure. He wasn't the only one. Lupie looked ready to bust with joy. Nessa bore a knowing grin that matched the others around the room. The shaky breath he took to steady himself was all they needed to confirm the impact the verbal slip had on him. In their eyes, he could see that for some, it was the reaction they needed him to have. Well, one more proof they all matched well. His natural reactions were what they wanted. Sometimes, anyway. "I think I just ovulated." Livy muttered. "What was that?" Dave asked. "Nothing darling, nothing at all," the busty brunette replied with a mild blush. The cackling of half the room did not help deter attention. "Maybe we should just get back to the discussion topic," Dave said with a wry grin. "Esme, any thoughts?" "Adults are crazy." Vanessa and a few others laughed. Dave just stared at Esme, a slight grin on his face and one raised eyebrow. Esme giggled. "Okay, I'd like a big backyard, a pool and an indoor play space that can also be an art room." Then, with an impish smile she added, "And a pony." "Ponies do not come with a house." Dave observed wryly. "The pool idea is a good one. If there's no community pool close by, that is. I mean, having one in the backyard would be great, but so long as it's easy to get to, a shared pool will do nicely. Is that doable, Nessa?" "Absolutely. Most of the communities either have a pool space already built, or have one planned. Some of the houses have backyard pools." She cleared her throat. "Though, none of the houses have enough yard space for a horse." She winked at Esme. "But two communities are reasonably close to riding stables with lots of pastureland." Dave chuckled and shook his head. "And let's list the art, craft and play space as a want, not a need, but a really want. An indoor space like that could be very handy when the weather sucks. It could also work as a classroom. After all, you can do a lot of science with craft supplies." Esme groaned and slapped her forehead. " That's my signal to leave. Besides, I still have a geography assignment to work on. Let me know when you're ready to finish the game." She slipped out to the library. Vanessa looked at Lupie. "She's adorable." "Thank you. She's also a handful." "I can see that." Vanessa replied. "Doesn't stop me from wanting one. Not right away, I mean, but, sometime in this coming year, I want to start trying." She turned to Dave as she said this. "Is that a problem?" "No. Not at all. We haven't talked about timing or anything, but I'd like to have kids with each of you. At least, I think you all want kids. If I'm wrong, let me know." All the ladies nodded, some adding a few words to express their interest. "Timing is the issue, though. We don't want the whole house pregnant at once. And some have college to complete and careers to establish." "Anyone trying now? If it's not too personal." Lupie raised her hand. "You're family now, or soon will be. It's not too personal. We hadn't said anything yet, but we are trying." The others squealed happily and rushed to hug her. "I think the conversation just came to an end," Dave observed. "That's ok, the main need for tonight was to get you all thinking about what you want. By early next week we should get together and nail down a specific list of needs and wants." She shifted in her seat. "Speaking of which, I'd like to wait until after dinner, maybe an hour after. I'd prefer to have dinner first and give it time to settle." "That's perfectly understandable. We can talk again just before. I'll; " "I am sure of my decision. But that's ok, feel free to ask again later for your peace of mind." At Dave's puzzled look, she explained, "Lupie and Jan mentioned you would be concerned about my comfort level with this decision." Her eyes twinkled. "Your ladies know you, David. I'm looking forward to being here." Dinner was a simple, quick affair of burgers, mac n' cheese from scratch and steamed green beans. Lupie and Mel offered to make something a bit more exciting, but Vanessa insisted quicker was preferred. They smiled and got busy in the kitchen. Nessa recognized Shawna as soon as she entered the living room. She didn't fawn over the local celebrity, exactly, but it took her a minute to adjust. After dinner was a slow time of conversations in pairs and triples. Nessa spent a lot of time listening but shared a few things about herself with the family. Eventually, she gave Dave a look that he was becoming accustomed to. He rose, approached her, and offered his hand. She took his hand and rose to stand beside him. The two ascended the stairs together. Everyone watched but said nothing. There were a few grins exchanged. When they entered the bedroom and shut the door, Vanessa turned to him, pulling herself close and burying her face in his chest. Then she looked up, meeting his questioning eyes. "I want this David. I want to be a part of the family you have here. I want to be with you. I talked with the others downstairs. I know you like to take your time. This isn't your first imprinting though, so you know I won't; get there except at the priming and imprinting; surges. I'll enjoy the efforts, but don't spend too much time on it, it will just be frustrating for me. So, show me your kind, attentive side, but don't overexert yourself on it, ok? Save it for one of the others this evening." Dave stroked her back gently and kissed her forehead. Nessa raised up on her toes and kissed him full on the lips. She hummed when he responded. They took their time, reveling in the closeness. She could feel in his body the desire to give her an emotional bond before the physical one, but the serum did not permit that. Still, that he wanted to do that for her bode well for a future together. The kiss grew more intense. Hands roamed from the 'safe' areas towards the more stimulating parts of the partner's body. Dave and Nessa's breathing increased in unison. That was the best part. That the person getting you all excited was just as excited as you. The hunger in their eyes rebounded, building in power like a laser. The frantic energy powered their hands as they tore at each other's clothes. They were stripped bare in short order, at nearly the same moment. Dave put an arm around her back and began kissing her again, turning himself one quarter away and walking toward the bed. As they arrived, she crawled quickly up the bed, turning on to her back and laying her head on a pillow as she reached the headboard. Dave gazed at her as he drew himself up on the bed with Nessa. Her body was smooth and lovely, well maintained, but not young anymore. Quite alluring. Neither washboard abs nor a paunch. Smooth, medium sized tits with a natural sag, medium brown areolas a bit larger than a half-dollar coin, and nipples slightly smaller than a pencil eraser that were fully erect. Below, her bush was neatly trimmed away from her vulva, which was clearly engorged with arousal as her inner petals flowered themselves outward, her outer lips parted slightly, just barely exposing the tip of her clitoris. Her face had dropped any sense of demur acceptance. She needed him. It was time, she was his and he was hers, for this moment. Dave crawled between her legs and positioned himself over her. He lowered himself enough to make contact over much of their bodies, without resting his weight fully on her. His erection sandwiched between them. He lay soft, gentle, languorous kisses on her forehead, cheeks and lips. She hummed her approval. As his kisses proceeded down her neck to her clavicle, her breathing picked up again. Her pelvis rubbed against him, seeking what only he could give her, seeking the fullness she needed to feel. Dave kept kissing and progressing down to her tits, kissing the yielding flesh there as she began to whimper. The yearning radiated from her in palpable waves. Dave repositioned his face to Nessa's, with his hips arched over her core. She steadied her tumultuous hunger, recognizing his preparation. Dave moved slowly until the tip of his organ rested against her wet, open entrance. He thrust forward, smoothly, firmly, penetrating her depths with half of his length over the course of several seconds. Vanessa responded with a cross between a groan and a cry, clutching him tightly with her hands on his shoulder blades. He pulled back out, eliciting a brief whimper until he thrust full length into her, which earned him a moan of pleasure. Her enthusiasm brought Dave quickly to the point of leaking precum, which had the expected effect the moment the fluid made contact with her velvety interior. Dave held her through her serum induced ecstasy. As she settled, she wrapped her arms around his back and looked into his eyes. He kissed her again as he began thrusting once more. Then he lowered his lips to her ear. "You're mine now Nessa. No other man may touch you." She gasped, excited. "Mine to take care of." He felt her shuddered beneath him. "Mine to enjoy." He felt her inner muscles flex and grasp his thrusting cock. "All mine. Your heart." "Yes." "Your mind." "Yes." "Your body." "Yes." "and your will." He thrust deep, holding himself there and working his hips to strike all of her inner surfaces. "Yes! Please David, please more!" Dave began thrusting with more vigor, pounding her sex with his own. Pummeling her interior as she writhed in her enjoyment of his actions. Her hips rolled and bucked. Her hands clutched and groped on his back; and her eyes. Her eyes implored him to take her like a beast. His breathing ragged, he savaged her lower body, stoking his own fires as surely as hers. So lost he was in the primal act, he never noticed his own building arousal until he'd fired off a few spurts into her, arresting her cries of pleasure and replacing them with a primal scream and orgasmic spasms which ended with her flopping to the bed in a naked heap. "Imprinting; imprinting; imprinting ;” October 23, 2020. With the exception of Shawna, who was gone for work, the entire house devoted all of Friday to prom preparation. Lupie went to the store and picked up a few items she'd held off getting until day-of. On her return, she immediately lay into her prep work, getting the cold appetizers ready. Melanie came in to help in the early afternoon, once she had finished curating the song lists. She was the designated DJ for the evening. Becca and Reena both spent time with her a few days prior, nailing down what they wanted to listen to during dinner and dance to after. Liv and Janice were the decorating committee. They left the living room re-arrangement for last, starting that after Dave and the girls went to upstairs to dress. During the day, they set up the unused bedroom as a hotel room. It was close enough to the upstairs bathroom not to break the illusion. And it was well away from Esme's room. Esme was instructed to use the master bathroom from bedtime until after breakfast. By early afternoon, Becca and Reena retreated to the master bathroom to do their hair and nails. Reena did Becca's nails, and then her own. Once that cycle was done, she did Becca's hair and guided Becca through the steps for doing Reena's. Each girl did her own makeup, though Reena added a few touches to Becca's. Vanessa awoke by lunch time. She was tickled when Dave asked her to help out. He wanted a bit more dance practice. Dave was not a dancer. Mel and Olivia gave him some practice, about an hour or so each, on separate days earlier in the week. Those sessions went about how'd you'd expect. Started off with some innocuous club dancing, progressed into something steamy, and wound up in the horizontal mambo. On the plus side, each coed got her dose before prom night. By mutual acclamation, prom night was exclusively for Reena and Becca, and Dave reserved himself during the day as well. With Vanessa, he practiced a few more sedate dance styles, and a couple of the club moves, without the steamy stuff. She was still a bit sore from the vigor of last night. Although, she said so with a smile. Shawna took an early shift that day and arrived home shortly after Dave and Vanessa wrapped up their dance practice. Shawna first changed into an orange halter dress before taking possession of Dave, hauling him off to their tv room where his clothes were laid out. Nessa went downstairs to help Liv and Janice move the living room furniture to the borders of the room, leaving a respectable dance space in the middle. Once Dave and Shawna were both convinced his suit was laying perfectly, with no lint, and all the colors just right, they descended to the living room to wait with the others. Dave initially proposed he come to the master bedroom door and escort each girl downstairs, but they decided they would rather make their entrance on the stairwell, letting everyone, including Dave, see them as they came down. They drew straws to decide order, only to find out that Reena was drawing to go last and Becca was drawing to go first. A bit more communication would have saved them the whole drawing process and the debate on whether to draw straws or flip a coin, or rock-paper-scissors. The other ladies were dressed nice, but not prom nice. Lupie was looking lovely in her dark blue sundress with 2" (~5cm) diameter white polka dots. Mel & Liv wore 'club wear'. For Mel that meant 'liquid look' black pants and a tight white crop top showing a modest amount of midriff. For Liv it was tight jeans and a frilly blue blouse showing modest cleavage. Janice wore a red cocktail dress with her left shoulder exposed, a skirt that hugged her hips gently and fell past her knees. Nessa borro

Program notes:0:40 Saturated fat and CVD1:40 When it was reduced in diet only helped in those with high risk2:40 Obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome also important3:30 Diagnostic follow up after lung CT4:30 Less intensive than recommended in non-Hispanic blacks5:31 Herpes antiviral and Alzheimer's6:30 Followed for five years7:30 80-90% of population exposed8:30 Change screening criteria for lung ca9:33 Population based study10:30 Calculating pack years11:20 Rolling out through national organizations12:17 End

Kathleen's published picture book about a young Hispanic boy who gets a part as the innkeeper in the school nativity, but on opening night he becomes so swept up in this long ago world that when Mary and Joseph ask him, "Do you have any room at your inn? he comes up with his own answer that causes chaos on the stage.  An enchanting Christmas tale filled with beauty, faith, and the innocence of childhood.  (duration 12 minutes)   Our Journey with Story teeshirts are now available for purchase from our website .https://journeywithstory.printify.me   To download this month's free coloring sheet,  simply subscribe to my Patreon here, it's free! By subscribing, you not only support our mission to ignite imagination through enchanting fairy tales but also receive exclusive benefits like monthly free coloring sheets corresponding to our podcast episodes, and more! Your support means the world to us and enables us to continue creating captivating content for children everywhere. Thank you for joining us on this adventure!   If you are enjoying this podcast you can rate and write a review here   Be sure and check out some terrific resources for raising kids who LOVE to read by  signing up for my newsletter at www.journeywithstory.com If your little listener wants to ask us a question or send us a drawing inspired by one of our episodes, send it to us at instagram@journeywithstory.  Or you can contact us at www.journeywithstory.com.  We love to hear from our listeners. If you enjoy our podcast, you can rate, review, and subscribe at here Did you know Kathleen is also a children's picture book author, you can find out more about her books at www.kathleenpelley.com    

As 2026 approaches, host David From continues a year-end series with leaders across the Stand Together community—looking back at key wins from the past year and what's ahead. In this episode, Sandra Benitez, Executive Director of The LIBRE Initiative, explains how LIBRE empowers Hispanic Americans through limited-government principles, grassroots leadership, and policy advocacy in 13 states and in Washington, D.C. Sandra shares how LIBRE helped mobilize Hispanic communities around major federal tax policy—through education, local events, and direct engagement with lawmakers—and why the economy remains the top issue for Hispanic voters. Looking ahead to 2026, Sandra outlines LIBRE's plans to help celebrate America's 250th anniversary, expand civics education, and reconnect more Hispanics to the nation's founding principles. Plus, LIBRE prepares to mark its own milestone—15 years of grassroots impact in Hispanic communities nationwide.

Al Green outlines his progressive vision as misogyny blocks women's leadership and Hispanic voters upend GOP strongholds, signaling a democratic reckoning heading into 2026.Subscribe to our Newsletter:https://politicsdoneright.com/newsletterPurchase our Books: As I See It: https://amzn.to/3XpvW5o How To Make AmericaUtopia: https://amzn.to/3VKVFnG It's Worth It: https://amzn.to/3VFByXP Lose Weight And BeFit Now: https://amzn.to/3xiQK3K Tribulations of anAfro-Latino Caribbean man: https://amzn.to/4c09rbE

(00:00:00) This episode brings together two moments of community significance across Pennsylvania. First, we look at history in the making in Lancaster, where Jaime Arroyo has been elected the city’s first Latino mayor, winning 85% of the vote ahead of his January 5, 2026 inauguration. We discuss what this milestone means in a city where more than 40% of residents identify as Hispanic, and Arroyo’s vision for affordable housing, small business growth, and a more responsive local government. (00:22:34) Then, we shift to the season of Christmas, one of the busiest times of the year for church choir directors. We check in with two Harrisburg church musicians about how they prepare for the holidays, how they choose from a wide range of carols and hymns, what changes from year to year, and which songs remain their personal holiday favorites. Together, these stories highlight leadership, tradition, and the ways communities come together, through both civic change and music.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode we're joined by Ben Chase. Ben is a two-time guest. We talked to him in 2021 when he was a reporter for the Huron Daily Plainsman in Huron, South Dakota (population ~14,000, one-third of which is Hispanic or Asian). Now he's the paper's managing editor, a role he's held for roughly a year … and it's been quite a year as he'll share.The paper was shut down (briefly), sold, and brought back, but with some changes, including fewer print editions and a directive to be more local.Ben talked about running a small-town newspaper, the types of things the paper covers, how he writes his weekly op-ed piece, and how his stress relief is … more journalism (of a different type).Ben's salute: South Dakota SearchlightExample of Ben's Op-Eds – "It's Not The Same."https://www.plainsman.com/stories/its-not-the-same,163806Background on the sale of the newspaper https://www.plainsman.com/stories/plainsman-three-other-south-dakota-papers-purchased-by-champion-media,148535https://www.midstory.org/can-local-news-survive-south-dakota-says-yes/You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here,Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.orgThank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.comVisit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com)Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.socialSubscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

Send us a textICE has been rounding people up without due process. Immigrants, typically of Hispanic descent, both legal and illegal, have been accused of the most heinous crimes. And yet, research shows they are one of the groups with the lowest violent crimes.So what's really going on? We're also told they don't pay their taxes. And yet, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policies states that illegal immigrants paid almost 100 billion dollars last year.Your beliefs might get challenged during this episode. A quote from my book The Reluctant Human, "Truth exists. Lies need to be created."Today I speak with Political Commentator Jose Nino.Now let's dive in.  Support the show

What if we told you that a record-setting tax refund is coming your way… and that it could trigger the biggest economic boom in over 40 years? In this game-changing episode, Hard Asset Management CEO Christian Briggs joins the show to break down the “One Big Beautiful Bill” signed into law under President Trump—an economic juggernaut poised to reshape the American wallet, workforce, and wealth over the next 24 months.From expanded standard deductions to massive tax breaks on tips, small business grants for the Hispanic community, and a multi-trillion-dollar GDP explosion, Christian reveals how this bill is designed to inject $4–5 trillion of stimulus into the U.S. economy by 2026. It's not just refunds—it's rocket fuel for Main Street, Wall Street, and your retirement portfolio. And with Wall Street already betting big, the stock market could see a sustained bull run fueled by tax-free cash flowing into investment apps like Robinhood.But that's just the beginning.Briggs explains how this bill also supports AI-driven growth, investing in automation and infrastructure that will reshape American labor markets—not destroy jobs, but transition them into higher-skilled, higher-paid sectors. Think electricians making $300K a year, or trade school graduates commanding six figures as they help build the backbone of America's AI data centers. Forget job loss—this is a skilled labor revolution.Yet, there's a warning embedded in all this optimism: the war over economic control isn't over. The bill's impact could be diluted if Congress reintroduces digital control mechanisms like central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) or fails to rein in inflationary threats. Briggs makes clear: President Trump's policies have stabilized oil, cooled inflation, and positioned the U.S. for real growth—but the fight isn't over.If you care about your paycheck, your future, or your financial freedom, this episode is a must-listen. Learn how energy policy, AI, job migration, tax reform, and sound money principles are coming together to create what could be the strongest economic cycle in modern U.S. history—and how to position yourself before the next wave hits.

Mental health is an important part of our overall health, but many people confront barriers that keep them from accessing the mental health care they need. A program in Boston aims to  address mental health disparities by disrupting traditional health care models. The Boston Emergency Services Team, or BEST, is led by Dr. David Henderson, chief of psychiatry at Boston Medical Center.  BEST brings together mental health providers, community resources, law enforcement, and the judicial system to deliver care to people in need of mental health services. Henderson says bringing mental health providers alongside police responding to calls for service for mental health needs has helped reduce the number of people with mental illness ending up in jails and prisons. “The criminal justice system has, by default, become one of the largest mental health systems … around the country as well,” Henderson says. “People with mental illness are in jails and prisons, at a percentage that they really should not be.” In a conversation that first published in 2024, Henderson speaks with Movement Is Life's Hadiya Green about what it takes to ensure people in need of mental health services get the help they need, why it's important to train providers to recognize unconscious biases, and what it means to provide trauma-informed and culturally sensitive care.

Welcome to Let 's Speak Spanish Podcast! Our host, Juanjo (IG: www.instagram.com/juanjo_oj) presents a new podcast about Hispanic culture. In this new and exciting series "Cultura conJuanjo", we will guide you through different aspects of our culture according to our teaching method - 24 Level System to Spanish Fluency®. We will talk about typical food, History and Art. Are you unsure of your Spanish level? No problem, take our FREE level test here: letsspeakspanish.com/spanish-level-test/ If you're interested in taking your Spanish to the next level we have created a totally unique COMBI Course! The course includes interactive exercises, a community forum, and teacher support. You can combine it with private lessons and practice your speaking skills. Find more info here: letsspeakspanish.com/online/combi-course/ Now you know quite a bit! Ahora disfruta de Cultura con Juanjo y ¡hasta la próxima! SpanishPodcastSpanishPodcast24LevelSystemToSpanishFluencyFreeSpanishNativeSpanishSpeakersSpanishClassSpanishCourseSpanishLearningSpanishLanguageHablemosEspañolFreeSpanishCourseSpanishForBeginnersLanguajeLearningLearnSpanish

Rep. Maria Salazar comes on to talk about immigration and how it affects the Hispanic community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(ORIGINAL AIRDATE: December 4, 2020) Eso es! Will and Lucas, by the whim of the Patreon poll, look back at another attempt by PBS to appeal to the Hispanic market, with a show about twin siblings and a healthy amount of Spanglish. Along the way, the guys discuss their childhood bedtimes, Chuck E. Cheese, lucha libre, and a surprising Arthur-related connection!

Chuck Rocha is BACK from the Indian Ocean to break down the SHOCKING Miami mayoral election that has Democrats buzzing and Republicans worried.Esteemed political analyst Fernand Amandi joins Chuck to explain how Democrat Eileen Higgins crushed her Republican opponent by 19 points in a city that's 65%+ Hispanic and where Trump JUST won by 13 points two months ago. This wasn't some MAGA extremist losing—it was a respected Cuban-American Republican with Trump's full endorsement.

Tune in here to this Wednesday's edition of the Brett Winterble Show! Brett kicks off the program by talking about faith in uncertain times and his alarm over rising global chaos and political radicalism. He opens with a message of belief and resilience, saying he’s confident things ultimately turn out right if people hold onto faith, while warning that powerful narratives and extremists are competing for public attention. Brett then pivots to what he sees as a troubling political moment, focusing on the election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s next mayor and arguing that Mamdani is deeply unfit to lead during a period marked by terrorism and antisemitism worldwide. We’re joined by Sandy Moyer from the Republican National Hispanic Assembly of North Carolina to talk about Hispanic outreach and bridging conservative values with political engagement. Sandy explains RNHA-NC’s mission to connect with Hispanic communities across the state and challenge what she calls a long-standing messaging disconnect. She shares her personal story as a second-generation American, emphasizing gratitude for opportunity, legal immigration, and the responsibilities that come with citizenship. Sandy notes that many Hispanic voters hold deeply conservative views centered on faith, family, free markets, and public safety, but are often overlooked or mischaracterized in political conversations. Listen here for all of this and more on The Brett Winterble Show! For more from Brett Winterble check out his YouTube channel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Working in the back-of-house at many restaurants in Minnesota, you'll find a Hispanic or Latino employee. Government labor data shows that the most common occupations for Hispanic or Latino Minnesotans are chefs and cooks. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement have detained hundreds of people in the Twin Cities this month, including many from Latin American countries. ICE agents are now in their third week of an operation in the metro area and their increased activity has put the restaurant industry on edge. For perspective, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Gustavo Romero, co-owner and chef of the restaurant Oro by Nixta in Minneapolis.

Tune in here to this Wednesday's edition of the Brett Winterble Show! We’re joined by Sandy Moyer from the Republican National Hispanic Assembly of North Carolina to talk about Hispanic outreach and bridging conservative values with political engagement. Sandy explains RNHA-NC’s mission to connect with Hispanic communities across the state and challenge what she calls a long-standing messaging disconnect. She shares her personal story as a second-generation American, emphasizing gratitude for opportunity, legal immigration, and the responsibilities that come with citizenship. Sandy notes that many Hispanic voters hold deeply conservative views centered on faith, family, free markets, and public safety, but are often overlooked or mischaracterized in political conversations. She describes mixed reactions to her outreach, from strong support to accusations of cultural betrayal, and says those concerns often fade once values-based discussions begin. The conversation also touches on free speech, religious liberty, and immigration policy, with Sandy arguing Republicans better align with lived experiences from socialist and authoritarian countries. Listen here for all of this and more on The Brett Winterble Show! For more from Brett Winterble check out his YouTube channel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Too busy to read the Lens? Listen to our weekly summary here! In this week's episode we discuss…Black, Asian, and Hispanic patients were more likely to have delays in initiation of treatment of nAMD.Patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists had a 51.7% reduced risk of developing non-infectious uveitis.Implanting multifocal intraocular lenses in children showed improved visual acuity and stereopsis compared to a standard intraocular lens.

U.S. unemployment rate rises, a warning sign for economy; NYS group helps Hispanic, Latina maternal mental health; KY board greenlights more than $2 million for ag diversification; OH residents raise concerns about injection wells near Marietta aquifers.

At least 15 people are dead after a violent attack in Sydney on Sunday. Two alleged gunmen opened fire during a Hanukkah celebration. Australia's prime minister responds.Authorities give an update on the Saturday afternoon shooting at Brown University. Police say a person of interest has been taken into custody.A former Hispanic outreach director for the Trump campaign gives his take on why the Miami mayoral seat flipped to the Democratic party for the first time in nearly 30 years. Should Republicans be worried about the upcoming midterms?An immigration expert discusses the Trump administration's ending of a program that reunited immigrant families in the United States.Do the rewards of boxing justify the dangers of concussion and blunt-force trauma? A USA Boxing team physician and a former professional boxer offer their insights into the pros and cons of the sport.And, a new exhibition in Bologna, Italy, details the life and career of Michelangelo. It offers a closer look at lesser-known sculptures, drawings, and original letters from the Renaissance master.

Peso Pluma BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.Peso Pluma, the corridos tumbados king from Jalisco, just rocked two sold-out nights at Inglewoods YouTube Theater on Wednesday and Thursday, drawing massive crowds of fans decked out in killer fits from East LA to Long Beach. LAist captured the frenzy, with superfans like 27-year-old Magdalena Lopez from East LA gushing over how hes putting regional Mexican music on the mainstream map, even winning over her tias and tios, while 21-year-old Jacob Melendez celebrated his birthday there, crediting Peso for pulling him into corridos from Bad Bunny and rap. Older devotees like 53-year-old Guadalupe Pineda from Ontario called it a fresh take on Los Tigres del Norte classics, bonding her with her son, and Sinaloa native Paola Benitez, 26, hailed its rise against reggaeton giants as huge for the Mexican community. Compton couple Raul Barajas and Nayra Martinez, big since day one, beamed with pride over his global Hispanic family rep, as droves waved flags and snapped merch pics, proving his U.S. crossover is no fluke after Genesis hit number three on Billboard 200.But drama hit hard: IMDb reports he abruptly canceled three Latin American gigs in Peru, Paraguay, and Chile set for next week, leaving promoters scrambling with no official reason spilled yet. Adding to the chaos, an older IMDb note recalls his foot surgery post-Governors Ball break earlier this year, where he posted on Instagram that it went great and hed hit stages soon, though thats not fresh. Nicki Nicole fueled breakup buzz on December 11 when AOL spotted him holding hands with another woman, but its all hints and no confirmation from the pair. No big social media pops or business drops in the last few days, though his LA triumph cements his stadium-slaying status with long-term bio gold. Fans are buzzing: is tour trouble tied to health or romance? Stay tuned, Pluma nation.Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOtaThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, December 17, 2025, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes Jenny Mendez and Betsabeé Romero. JENNY MENDEZ, Cultural Arts Director Mattie Rhodes Arts Center and Gallery was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. Growing up in a neighborhood filled with family and friends on Kansas City's West Side. As a young girl Jenny enjoyed hearing stories from her grandmother, these stories were such an inspiration to Jenny in her love of her culture and heritage. Jenny attended the Kansas City Art Institute majoring in painting, she also studied both printmaking and photography. She was involved in community mural projects as a high school student and into college. She has always given back to her community. She has been employed with the Mattie Rhodes Center for the past twenty- five years and is responsible for all arts programming for the agency as the Cultural Arts Director. Through her work she is able to educate the community on the Latino culture through art. Being able to inspire children through art is what she is most passionate about – giving children and young artists a place to learn, create, express themselves, imagine, and grow in the arts. She has served and participated on many boards and committees through the years advocating for the arts and community. Her most valued appointment was to the board of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC). Most recently in March of 2020 as part of Women's History Month she was awarded the Nuestra Latina Award for the Arts by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Her work in the community is valued and shows her commitment to being a voice for the Latinx artists, students and individuals. Showing her expertise in the creative process and authenticity to arts and culture through her work and partnerships with the Kansas City Museum and the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. She is very committed to continue to be a voice for the Latinx and arts communities at large. Mattie Rhodes Art and Cultural Center is located at 1701 Jarboe, KCMO www.mattierhodes.org BETSABEÉ ROMERO- Knitting Ties, Project Description: The installation features the creation of two sculptural soccer goals with nets crafted from metal lattices. These lattices will showcase characters that represent both soccer and the pre-Hispanic ball game, creating a bridge between contemporary sports and ancient cultural traditions. The metallic lattices will be interwoven with threads of various fibers, with the characters cut along the length and width of each goal's net. All elements will be handcrafted by migrants and local artisans, emphasizing community collaboration and cultural exchange. Elements of the Sculptural Objective: Metallic Lattices-metal cutouts are interconnected in a lattice configuration, forming modular structures that provide a sculptural foundation for artistic interventions. Community Networks-Fabrics crafted by volunteers and artisans interweave with lattices, forming distinctive patterns that narrate the stories of their communities. Athletic Emblems-Symbolic figures associated with soccer are integrated into the sculptural design, linking artistic expression with the passion for football. Betsabeé Romero; Education: Bachelor's Degree in Communication with a specialization in Participatory Communication, Universidad Iberoamericana (1984) Master's Degree in Visual Arts, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (1986) Diploma from l'École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (1989) Art History Studies at l'École du Louvre (1988-1989) Doctoral studies in Art History, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, no degree completed (1990-1993) Exhibitions: Romero has held over 100 solo exhibitions across five continents, with notable shows at the British Museum (2015), Grand Palais (2019), Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (2022), York Avenue in Washington (2018), Place Vieille Bourse in Lille, France (2019), Nevada Museum of Art (2014), Neuberger Museum (2011), Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (2012), Canberra University Museum (2002), La Recoleta, Buenos Aires (2019), Mexico Pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020 (2021), and Place du Louvre (2021). In 2024, her exhibition "Huellas para Recordar" featured five monumental sculptures on Park Avenue (81st, 82nd, and 83rd Streets) by invitation of NYC Parks & Recreation. Also in 2024, "The Endless Spiral" was featured at the Venice Biennale Official Collateral Event at Galeria Belacqua LaMassa, St. Mark's Square, by invitation of MOLAA. In Mexico, highlights include the Mega Ofrenda at Mexico City's Zócalo (2016), Museo Frida Kahlo (2019, 2013), Museo Anahuacalli (2015), Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso (2014), Museo Amparo, Puebla (2008), MARCO, Monterrey (2009), and Museo Carrillo Gil (1999). Collections: Her work is part of major collections including the British Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Houston, Phoenix Art Museum, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, Daros Collection (Switzerland), Nelson-Atkins Museum, Nevada Museum of Art, World Bank Collection, LACMA California, FEMSA, Irish Museum of Modern Art, El Museo del Barrio, Museo de Arte Moderno de México, MUAC, and Michigan State University. Biennials: Monterrey Biennial, Tamayo Biennial, inSite (Tijuana-San Diego), La Courneuve Biennial, Puerto Rico Graphics Triennial, Polygráfica Philadelphia, Ljubljana Graphics Biennial, Havana Biennial, Porto Alegre Biennial, Cairo Biennial, Sur Buenos Aires Biennial, Bogotá, and United Arab Emirates. Official selection for collateral projects at the 2024 Venice Biennale with the solo exhibition "Endless Spiral" with MOLAA Museum at the Bellaacqua La Massa Foundation in St. Mark's Square. Awards: Prix Oric'Art, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, 1988 Grand Acquisition Prize in Installation, Second Monterrey Biennial, Museo de Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, 1994 First Prize, Cairo Biennial, 2006 Millésimé Prize in Visual Arts, 2018 Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, France, 2020 First Prize in Pavilion Design

When we talk about Hispanic music in America, we're talking about a story that's been here all along. In the 1950s and '60s, this music lived mostly inside the community. Mexican rancheras and mariachi carried stories of home and heartbreak. Cuban rhythms like mambo and cha-cha-chá filled dance halls. Spanish-language radio became a cultural lifeline. By the 1970s, identity moved front and center. The Chicano movement gave music a political voice. Santana blended Latin rhythms with rock, and salsa exploded in New York. This music wasn't asking for permission anymore — it was claiming space. In the 1980s and '90s, doors opened wider. Artists like Gloria Estefan, Selena, Ricky Martin, and Shakira brought bilingual and Spanish-language music into the American mainstream. In the 2000s, regional sounds took hold — reggaeton, banda, norteño — telling stories about immigration, work, and daily life. Today, Hispanic music isn't crossing over. It is the mainstream. Artists like Bad Bunny and Karol G don't translate themselves — they invite the world in. So when we listen to Hispanic music in America, we're listening to history, resilience, and culture — shaping the sound of America itself.

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. We're talking with Sarah Hooley, Executive Pastor at City Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Founded in 2016 by Lead Pastor Chris Freeman, City Church is a young, rapidly growing, intentionally multi-ethnic, multi-economic, and multi-generational church. Since moving from a setup/teardown environment into their renovated 60,000-square-foot facility, the church has experienced explosive growth—reaching 2,500–2,600 weekly attendees, baptizing nearly 500 people this year, and engaging a high percentage of unchurched and new-to-faith individuals. Is your church reaching people far from Jesus but struggling to disciple them well? Are you navigating the complexities that come with rapid growth? Tune in as Sarah shares how City Church reaches, welcomes, disciples, and mobilizes people who often arrive with little to no church background. Reaching the unchurched at scale. // From the beginning, City Church planted itself intentionally in one of Fort Wayne's most racially diverse neighborhoods. Many guests arrive with no church vocabulary. Many don't know the difference between the Old and New Testament or famous biblical characters. Teaching, therefore, is designed with zero assumptions, helping newcomers feel included while still deeply challenging long-time believers. Worship reflects the church's diversity, blending musical styles in a way that unites cultures rather than centering one preference. Many first-time attendees hear about the church through friends who aren't yet believers themselves—evidence that transformation is visibly taking root. Welcoming culture built by transformed people. // One of the most powerful forces shaping City Church is its culture of warmth and belonging. Their Connections Director, Victoria, came to Christ through City Church herself—giving her deep empathy for the unchurched experience and a passion for noticing people. Her team is trained not just to greet but to see people, engage them meaningfully, and make church feel safe and familiar. Serve teams are intentionally open to nonbelievers as a front door for community and spiritual curiosity—allowing people to “belong before they believe.” This relational warmth is often the defining difference-maker for guests who have never experienced church before. Discipleship for people with no foundation. // Rapid growth and a high percentage of new believers revealed a critical discipleship gap. In response, Pastor Chris launched Act Like Men, a 15-week, high-accountability discipleship course for young men covering identity, integrity, purity, humility, servanthood, and spiritual discipline. Women quickly asked for something similar, prompting the launch of Be Bold Women, a complementary course that includes teaching, mentoring, small groups, a women's conference, and topics like emotional health, community, and living as a godly woman. A volunteer-driven church with a tiny staff. // One of the most stunning aspects of City Church is how much ministry happens through volunteers rather than staff. With only seven full-time staff and roughly 2,600 attendees, their ratio is radically outside national norms. Staff serve as equippers, not doers. High-level volunteer leaders oversee major portions of ministry: shadowing, training, leading teams, scheduling people, and pastoring others. Leadership development is an essential form of discipleship, not an operational necessity. Leading from abundance, not scarcity. // Sarah encourages leaders to adopt a “loaves and fishes” mindset – the question is not what the church lacks but what God can do with what it has. Simplicity, clarity, and focus keep the team aligned. Staff calibrate constantly, coaching one another to resist the pull toward doing everything themselves. Sarah also stresses the importance of relational support systems for leaders—cohorts, mentors, and peers who remind pastors that faithfulness, not outcomes, is the goal. To learn more about City Church, visit forthecity.com, or follow them on social media at @citychurchfw. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Risepointe Do you feel like your church’s or school's facility could be preventing growth? Are you frustrated or possibly overwhelmed at the thought of a complicated or costly building project? Are the limitations of your building becoming obstacles in the path of expanding your ministry? Have you ever felt that you could reach more people if only the facility was better suited to the community’s needs? Well, the team over at Risepointe can help! As former ministry staff and church leaders, they understand how to prioritize and help lead you to a place where the building is a ministry multiplier. Your mission should not be held back by your building. Their team of architects, interior designers and project managers have the professional experience to incorporate creative design solutions to help move YOUR mission forward. Check them out at risepointe.com/unseminary and while you’re there, schedule a FREE call to explore possibilities for your needs, vision and future…Risepointe believes that God still uses spaces…and they're here to help. Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. So glad that you’ve decided to tune in today. This is going to be a jam-packed episode. You’re going to want to buckle up. We’re talking about a lot of stuff today that applies to your church that I know will be super helpful. I’m excited to be talking to Sarah Hooley. She is the executive pastor at a church called City Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is a church you should be tracking with. If you’re not, they were founded in 2016 by lead pastor Chris Freeman. It’s a diverse church in a city that is for the city with multi-ethnic, multi-economic, multi-generational community. It’s really, God’s doing some incredible things here, and you’re going to want to track along with that. And we’ve got Sarah on the show to help us. Sarah, welcome to the show. Sarah Hooley — Thank you so much for having me. It is a privilege to be joining you today. Rich Birch — Oh, this is going to be wonderful. I’m really looking forward to learning from you. Why don’t you tell us a little bit of the City Church story, kind of set up. Tell us a little bit about it. What’s going on Give us a sense of what’s happening at City Church. Sarah Hooley — Yeah, so we are a nine-year-old church plant. We were a set-up, teardown church for the last eight or so years ah seven and a half. We’ve move we bought a grocery store in 2020. Rich Birch — Good year. Sarah Hooley — Great time to buy a building, and and it was being used as a warehouse. And so we bought it and then the pandemic happened and we’re like, well, we still have a warehouse occupying the space. Maybe at some point it’ll become a church. We don’t know. And then it was just about a couple years ago that we then started a capital campaign and went to develop the the space. It’s 60,000 square feet. We developed about 40,000 square feet of it for our church. Rich Birch — Wow. Sarah Hooley — I’m thinking, man, that’s going to, we’ll be set for a good long time. And we are out of space already. Rich Birch — Yes. Sarah Hooley — And so and we moved from two services to three. And now we’re just, excuse me, trying to figure out what do we do? um God has just been moving in incredible ways. Like we have from the from the start been very intentional about wanting to be a multi-ethnic, multi-economic, multi-generational church. And where we planted has been very intentional. Sarah Hooley — So even where we were for set up and tear down, and we were right in the heart of the city where it was the most ethnically diverse within Fort Wayne. So Fort Wayne is roughly about 66% white in the city as a whole, but in our neighborhood specifically, it’s more 40% African-American, 20% white, 20-ish percent Hispanic. And so it is a much more racially diverse area. Rich Birch — So good. Sarah Hooley — And that is has been very intentional from the beginning. And so our location now, is it’s just been beautiful to see how God has really drawn people from every background. And, you know anyone who’s been a part of a multi-ethnic church knows that that that’s a messy process. It’s It is incredible to see, though, the the beauty and of what God can do when we are are not just attending a church together, but really in community with one another, and with people who come from radically different backgrounds um and and how that can really bring about a lot of healing in our stories and in our in our relationships. Rich Birch — So good. Sarah Hooley — And so um we have grown since moving into the building, we were about 800 people um when we were set-up/teardown. And then once we moved into the building, it has just been um exponential growth. So we we have grown very quickly and just tried to keep up with all of it. Sarah Hooley — One of the things that I’ve i’ve just loved about City Church is it’s very intentional about um reaching those who don’t know Jesus. And so the that really comes from our our lead pastor, from Pastor Chris Freeman, his heart for the lost. So a lot of our growth has not been transfer growth. It’s not just people moving from church to church, but really those who’ve never set foot in a church, those who are, or who ah are really far from Jesus. It’s been a long time. Sarah Hooley — And the greatest evidence of that, that we’ve seen is we are on track to have 500 baptisms this year. Rich Birch — Wow. Oh my goodness. Sarah Hooley — That has just blown our minds. Rich Birch — That’s incredible. Sarah Hooley — Like we, We had to move up ah the frequency of our baptisms to every six weeks because we just could not keep up with all of the people who wanted to get baptized. Rich Birch — We’re not baptizing enough. That’s amazing. Wow. That’s incredible. Sarah Hooley — But we we’re about 430 right now, and I have over 70 people registered for this next upcoming one in December. Sarah Hooley — So it has just it has been a wild ride… Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s great. Sarah Hooley — …of um seeing God move in such phenomenal ways, and and just try to be faithful along the way. How do we steward these people well? Rich Birch — So good. Sarah Hooley — How do we continue to point them to Jesus? How do we encourage them to grow in their faith and to take those next steps of what it looks like to follow him? So it’s… Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. There’s a ton we could we could unpack there, and maybe we’ll have you on in the future to talk. I um, you know, we’ve said it in the past on the podcast, every zip code in the country is more diverse today than it was 10 years ago, and 10 years from now, it will be more diverse, and our churches need to continue to progress towards reflecting the kingdom of God and being, as you’re saying, multi-ethnic. Rich Birch — And so there’s a ton we could we could learn from you on that. Maybe we’ll have you back in the future to talk about that. Cause I, that is definitely a thing I think we all can, can learn from, but I’d love to kind of key in on what you were talking there about. Hey, your church has a heart for, which I think lots of churches do have a heart for reaching people, who don’t know Jesus, but it’s like actually happening at your church, ah which is incredible. Rich Birch — So what were some early signs, you know, that you realize, or what are some of the signs that you realize, oh, this is actually happening. Like we’re actually reaching people. Baptism is one of them. Can you think of any other signs that were like, oh, we we’re reaching people who, who this is a brand new thing for them? Sarah Hooley — Yeah. So I mean, baptism was definitely a big sign of like, wow, these are, these are people who are, are new to following Jesus and taking that, that first step. And in our conversations with people who are preparing to be baptized, um, that, that was a part. It’s so funny, just, just this last week, uh, somebody posted on their Facebook page, uh, City Church choir is better than the club for real. Rich Birch — I love it. Love it. That’s great. Sarah Hooley — And they didn’t, like we don’t have, we didn’t have a choir. It’s our worship team, but like they don’t even know the words for what that worship team is. Rich Birch — Yes. Yes. Yeah. They don’t know the words yet. Sarah Hooley — And, and the comments after that, like it, it truly was showing that we, we are drawing and attracting people who, who like, they’ve they’ve never really considered going to church. And then in our conversations with people, as they’ve realized, like, man, I do want this. I want to follow this Jesus. Like, this makes sense. This is incredible. But you just can’t assume anything. Rich Birch — No. Sarah Hooley — Like, they there’s no foundational understanding of what that looks like. There’s no, and and I think even just, there’s no understanding of even like what some sins are. Like, there’s just not like, oh, I didn’t even, not even realizing that like, that’s not a good idea to continue. So we’ve had, we have people who are like, yes, I want to follow Jesus. And then they’re still sleeping with their girlfriend. They’re still, you know, like it’s and it’s like… Rich Birch — Yes. Yeah. 100%. Sarah Hooley — …oh, I didn’t, I didn’t even know… Rich Birch — The thing. Sarah Hooley — …that that was something that you shouldn’t do. Rich Birch — Yes. Sarah Hooley — And so really being able to, to come alongside and say, okay, man, we have to go back to the basics. We can’t assume anything. It’s gonna… Rich Birch — That’s good. Sarah Hooley — And it really has set the tone, even in just the way that Chris preaches and and all of our our pastors preach that we don’t make assumptions when we’re talking about scripture. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. Sarah Hooley — So allowing um there not to be any barriers or or anything that would create a place where people would feel like, man, like everybody else knows what he’s talking about, but I don’t. And so like just the way that you set things up and explain things and introduce people. So you don’t don’t just assume that everybody knows who Joseph is from the Old Testament. Rich Birch — 100%. Right. Sarah Hooley — Like you have to be like, Hey, this is this guy. And so I think that that has led us to like, Chris does such a great job on Sunday mornings, but man, there’s, there’s so much more that we need to do as far as for people to truly learn what it means to follow Jesus when they don’t have much of a background. Like it’s going to take some more intentional discipleship that, um that we do. So that that has been really a process of of recognition that we even people who are coming on a Sunday… Rich Birch — Right. Sarah Hooley — …they’re excited about Jesus, there’s still some gaps there. Rich Birch — Sure. I’d love to talk. We’re going to get into the discipleship question, but I just want to pause just before we get there. And so um what do you think God’s using to help your church engaged? You know, in different circles of the Christian world, it’s called different things. Unchurched people, seekers, people who follow Jesus, people new to the faith, you know. So the teaching, I agree. That’s like a best practice around, um ah you know, taking time to explain. It takes three sentences to explain instead of just saying, well, you all know Joseph. Sarah Hooley — Yeah. Rich Birch — He’s an example, which is just lazy preaching. You should take a few sentences, explain it. But what else is God using you think to, ah you know, to help your church reach so many unchurched people? Sarah Hooley — Yeah, you know, so we we really have, the the teaching is significant. Rich Birch — Yep. Sarah Hooley — And that’s one of the things that I have just been blown away. So I grew up as a pastor’s kid, went to Bible college, went to seminary, like… Rich Birch — Yep. Sarah Hooley — …biblical, like good, solid biblical teaching is such a huge priority for me. Rich Birch — Yep. Sarah Hooley — And the thing that I think has been unique is that Chris has a way of communicating with those who have never been in church and and helping them to to see a clear picture of who Jesus is and challenging the deep disciples. Those who’ve been following Jesus their whole life. And yet, man… Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s so good. Sarah Hooley — …the way that he brings light to scripture and, and even just like points out some, like, this is what it means to live this out. Rich Birch — That’s good. Sarah Hooley — That has made such a big difference. And then, so we really have had this, this drawing of, of those who have been followers… Rich Birch — So good. Sarah Hooley — …who then can invest in those who are new believers. But also we have, and it and it is beautiful, like a really dynamic worship time that is incredible. And one of the things that’s unique about it is it’s because we’re multi-ethnic, you can’t just go in one kind of genre of music, like it really is a blend. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. Sarah Hooley — And so there’s something about it that um it it’s not all of anyone’s preferences, but you’re like, oh man, like I love this part of it. And then, well, this part’s new and different, but okay, I can I can get on board with it. And so I think those that combination, um but there’s there’s another factor and that’s, that really is in the culture that’s been set in how we are a welcoming church. Sarah Hooley — And so our connections director is somebody who came to faith in our church. So she she started following Jesus, like she had no church background whatsoever, started following Jesus, um started really growing in her discipleship. Her name is Victoria. And it it has been such a beautiful thing to see how she has has such a heart for Jesus and heart for others. And so she’s continued to invest in her team… Rich Birch — It’s great. Sarah Hooley — …in like, how do we make people feel welcome from the beginning? How do we not just say hello and let them walk by, but like really see people? Sarah Hooley — And she has really invested in her connection team on like, how is that an opportunity for discipleship? And so one of the things is you can you can join our greet team. You can join our parking lot team. You can join our coffee team and not be a believer. But the heart behind it is like, is you’re still investigating who Jesus is. Like we hope that you’re rubbing shoulders with someone who is following after him. Rich Birch — Yeah, make some friends, right? Yeah, absolutely. Sarah Hooley — And you have those conversations and that relationship has grown um through that. And you’re you get a picture of of who Jesus is. Rich Birch — So good. Sarah Hooley — And so um like there there it’s just this multifaceted thing that has happened um that really is like when you come, you’re like man, I want to be a part of this. And so we have like, that’s the crazy thing. We have people who are not followers of Jesus inviting their friends, Rich Birch — Yeah, 100%. That’s great. Sarah Hooley — …like new church is better than the club for real. Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that’s great. Sarah Hooley — Like they’re inviting their friends to come and… Rich Birch — So good. Sarah Hooley — …and be a part of this because there’s just something happening here. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. Okay, let’s talk about the discipleship issue. So ah you didn’t say this, I said it, but one of the problems with the church in general is a lot of our discipleship systems assume a fairly high level of actually understanding of scripture. And our church shares a similar heartbeat. We’ll normally see, one of the things a new year guest come through in our church. We don’t ask them a lot, but one of the questions we do ask is for them to describe their kind of faith background before they came. And we’re consistently above 50%. It’s usually 60, 75% of people would describe themselves as something that we would label as unchurched. Rich Birch — And so I understand the discipleship problem. In lots of churches it just you just assume people know stuff and they grow closer to Jesus, but that’s not the case. So how are you helping move people towards being fully discipled followers of Jesus? What does that look like for City Church? Sarah Hooley — Yeah, so we we do, we have loved using Alpha for for those who really still are in that questioning phase and like they’re not even sure. And like they may not, they might may not feel comfortable coming to City Church, but they would come to somebody’s house and walk through Alpha. So that’s been really great for those who are kind of trying to still discover who Jesus is. Sarah Hooley — But for specific discipleship, because we were realizing, man, there’s just some some gaps here, Chris decided to launch a 15-week discipleship course for young men specifically. Rich Birch — Love it. Sarah Hooley — And we really saw, like we are we are a pretty young church. I mean, always have been, but that there was some some pretty serious gaps in and not only like, what does it mean to follow Jesus, but even what does it mean like what does it mean to be a godly man? And so wanting to have, to bring alongside some intentional mentors and people who can invest in these young men. Sarah Hooley — So um he invited people, but it was a very high accountability, high expectation sort of class. They meet at 6 a.m. on Thursday mornings. Rich Birch — Yeah. Wow. Sarah Hooley — That is not something everybody wants to sign up for. It was… Rich Birch — Yeah, no, not every guy wants to do that. I can say that. Sarah Hooley — No, it is it is a huge sacrifice. Rich Birch — Yep. Sarah Hooley — And he said, this is going to require a lot of you. Rich Birch — Right. Sarah Hooley — And they actually have a crazy. Like if you are, if anyone is late, any single person is late, even five seconds, the whole group does pushups together… Rich Birch — Oh, no. Yeah. Okay, that’s cool. Sarah Hooley — …and not in a shaming way, but in a like, Hey, we’re inviting you to something great. Rich Birch — Right. Sarah Hooley — And part of, part of following Jesus is is it’s going to need incorporate discipline in your life. And so we have, we are called to have discipline. And so we’re going to really keep you accountable to this. Sarah Hooley — And so he does um he he talks through, like what does it mean to be a godly man? Talks about identity, talks about discipline, talks about integrity, purity, humility, servanthood. So he’ll do a ah teaching, and then they break off into groups with two leaders. So each group usually has about six six guys who are participants and two leaders who are older men in the church who have um that Chris has identified and recruited. And then they have a small group time. Sarah Hooley — So It has been so incredible to see how God is working, not only through his teaching, but really through that accountability… Rich Birch — That’s good. Sarah Hooley — …and like digging into what does this look like in our lives? And, and then those leaders are, are following up with them and encouraging them throughout the week. They, they do, they, they challenge, they come up with their own challenges. And as like, okay, we’re going to memorize this passage of scripture. And then they, then they like, all right, how did you, did you memorize this? Most of these guys have never memorized scripture in their lives. Rich Birch — Right. Right. Sarah Hooley — And so, even though some of those practices have been really incredible. And he he calls the class Act Like Men. And it really is so, and he makes it very clear, this is not about talking about what what is the difference between a man and a woman. This is talking about what’s the man and a boy. Sarah Hooley — Like we are calling you to be godly men and intentionally calling you up to to live out as godly men, not selfish boys. And so that, that has been beautiful. There was about, um, I think he had about 60 participants the first time he he ran it… Rich Birch — Wow. Sarah Hooley — …with 25 leaders. And then this next, um, this heat currently they’re they’re walking through it right now and there’s 100 guys and 30 leaders. Rich Birch — Wow. Sarah Hooley — It also requires, and they have to pay $100 and that goes right back into them. Like it’s for some resources that they are given. But again, it gives that like, hey, this is a high threshold. This isn’t just a casual thing. Rich Birch — Right. Sarah Hooley — They also cannot miss more than three sessions. If they do, they are asked to step away and if they can join again in a future time. Rich Birch — Take it again or whatever. Yeah. Sarah Hooley — So super high high high… Rich Birch — And is it the idea that it’s going to rotate like kind of a couple seasons a year or something like that? How what what’s the thinking on that? Sarah Hooley — Yeah. Rich Birch — Like how often are you going to run it or what’s that? What’s that look like? Sarah Hooley — Yeah. So, so what we’ve done so far is, um, the men’s course is in the fall. And then, um, after last, last fall, the first time that, that Chris did it, there was such an out, like lot of the wives and the girlfriends and the people who were just connected with these guys, they were like, man, this has been so incredible. Like, what do you have for women? Like, when are we going to have our, our course? Sarah Hooley — And so that really sparked. And I was like, I’m too busy to do this right now, but like, I can’t not do it. So, um my kids, pastor, and I developed Be Bold Women’s, which was a complimentary course for women. And so the men is in the fall and the women starts in January. And we go through the spring and do kind of a similar, we follow a lot of the same topics, although we did choose some different ones, a couple of specific one… Rich Birch — Sure. Sarah Hooley — …that we felt really convicted that, like we do one of our lessons is on emotions and like, what is a healthy, godly way to approach and process, and how are emotions a part of our life? We also talk about community. So there’s just a couple of different topics that we walk through with the women. Sarah Hooley — We also incorporated women’s conference as a part of it that we then opened up to the rest of the church. So everyone in the church could come to the conference. We had our own people speaking at it, our own worship team leading worship. And we had about 300 women at this conference. Rich Birch — Wow. That’s great. Sarah Hooley — And it was just, it was a great start, like jumpstart to our time together in the course, but then also with our larger community. Rich Birch — There’s a lot there I’d love to ask questions about. So my impression of City Church just looking in, don’t know your church well, but follow online. And, you know, I don’t get the vibe from you guys that there’s like, I don’t know, like an overly machismo kind of like, you know, ah like in a negative way. Like, you know, you know you know what I mean? There’s some churches out there. You’re like, okay, they’re like a little too much into the man/woman thing. Sarah Hooley — Uh-huh. Rich Birch — And, and I don’t know how to say that nicely and not like step on people’s toes. I don’t get that vibe from you guys, but this, but you’ve, you’ve obviously taken, taken a gendered approach. Can you unpack that a little bit? Help me understand how is that it’s obviously been super helpful. So, but just kind of talk through that issue. Help me understand that. What’s that look like for you guys? Sarah Hooley — Yeah, we really saw their there just was a need to have those intentional conversations um really of older men investing in younger men, and older women investing in younger women. Rich Birch — Oh, that’s good. Yeah, that’s good. Sarah Hooley — And so um there are things that, there are conversations that you can have when it’s just men, that you add one woman into that mix and it’s gonna change some of those conversations. Rich Birch — Sure. Sarah Hooley — And some of the things that, especially when it comes to kind of the harder accountability parts of of those conversations, it’s going it’s just gonna look differently. If if somebody’s trying to impress somebody else, like that’s going to be an issue. Sarah Hooley — But I think, I think really, even though we’re not a overly like machismo, there’s, that’s still a part of our culture. Rich Birch — Sure. Sarah Hooley — And so I think Chris really wanted to be sure that he, he tackled that kind of toxic masculinity approach. Rich Birch — Yep. Sarah Hooley — And, and like, that is not biblical masculinity. Rich Birch — No. Sarah Hooley — Like this, this idea of, you know, I’m the man. And we’re, but like, that’s not what, and and so really continuing to call them back to that, that being a true man is not the world’s version of, of power and money and having the beautiful wife or girlfriend. It really is about following Jesus’ example. He is the greatest example of what a godly man looks like. Rich Birch — Yeah. Sarah Hooley — So what does that look like? Rich Birch — Yeah. What’s that look like? Sarah Hooley — So that means humility and servanthood and sacrifice and laying down your life for others. And so how do we live that out? Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s good. Sarah Hooley — And then for our women, it it it has been so powerful to be able to have those those deep conversations and um and challenging them to live this out. Sarah Hooley — And you know when you have people who are coming from, like they they don’t have um maybe those older women or men in their lives who have been investing in them and showing them what it looks like to follow Jesus or to live this out. It’s still brand new. And so there’s still, there’s some some space to have those questions be brought. Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s good. Sarah Hooley — And um like, why shouldn’t I return to this abusive boyfriend? Rich Birch — Right. Yep. Sarah Hooley — Why shouldn’t I like, so like being able to deal with some of those really hard conversations in a really healthy way that that comes back to scripture and comes back to like, this is what God wants for you. Rich Birch — Yeah. Sarah Hooley — And um and it’s and it’s hard, like following Jesus is hard. Like there is nothing easy about that… Rich Birch — Yes, yes. Yeah. Sarah Hooley — But it’s so worth it. Rich Birch — Yeah. Sarah Hooley — And I think that being able to put that in front of people. But you know, those are two courses that we have. We have lots of small groups and mid-sized groups and groups that are that are mixed gender. And like there’s some beautiful things from that, too. These two courses specifically are just a little bit unique in in their approach. Rich Birch — That’s good. So as you’ve kind of watched this roll through as an XP, you know, go people go through these experiences, what what kind of changes have you seen in the broader church culture? Like, has there, you know, what have you seen that like, oh, hey, there’s something happening here that that seems to be having a positive impact or negative, I’m assuming there’s positive, that’s been kind of impacting the church culture. Talk to me about that. Sarah Hooley — Yeah, I I you really start to see um just that that growth, the idea that this is, you know, that that view of discipleship that’s a long obedience in the same direction. That is what we are are experiencing. You know, with so many people who are new believers, there are some great breakthrough moments and that is worth celebrating, but it is a long process. And so um I think really being able to come alongside and and watch watch those who are like, they were, they’re excited about Jesus. They’re pumped. They’re going lift their hands and worship. They’re going to be like, join the team. But to go beyond that to, okay, what does this actually look like in my life? And to see them begin to make changes in how they actually live that out. um That they’re not just, okay, this is my Sunday thing. And then I go and I do my weekly thing, um but truly changing. And that like that’s profound. It’s profound to see God work in such powerful ways. Sarah Hooley — And again, it’s not it’s never overnight, like there’s overnight breakthroughs, but it’s always a process. And I think that that like watching the the development of these courses is like there’s gonna be things you’re confronting in week one. And then you might still be confronting in week 10. You might still be confronting in week 15. But there’s there’s growth. And there’s um it doesn’t mean that they’ve been able to overcome everything, but you you can see that that change in them. And that draws people. Sarah Hooley — And so I think that we we’ve been able so to so clearly see even just the growth in the number of guys who who joined the course the first time and then the growth in the second second time through that people are hearing about it and being like, I want to be a part of this. Sarah Hooley — Like I saw what it did in my friend’s life. And like, that’s like, I know it’s 6am, but it’s worth it. I’m going to make the sacrifice. I’m going to be a part of it. And so I think that that that kind of invitation to discipleship where you see what the effect it’s having. And then that brings others in. And they’re like, I want what he has. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s great. Sarah Hooley — Like, I, I’ve, I know who Jesus is, but I, Idon’t want it just to be a yeah, I know who Jesus is. I want to actually know Jesus. Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s fantastic. Friends that are listening in. I one of the one of the changes I for sure have seen in people who are arriving at our churches is, this is a problem when you’ve been at this long enough, like decades ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago, people did kind of just stumble into church. Like that actually did happen, but that’s not happening today. Rich Birch — People, when they arrive, they’re they’re arriving with real questions and are looking for, they’re not looking for us, they’re not looking for our ideas, they want Jesus and they wanna know what that looks like. So I love this this idea of calling people to something That is a little more, you know, that’s, it’s not just the like, well, we’re going to to make it super easy. That’s not what it’s about. Sarah Hooley — Yeah. Right. Yeah. Rich Birch — I think makes a lot of sense. Well, I want to pivot to it just a totally different conversation. As we were getting ready for this, one of the things that caught my attention, and you’re a humble leader, Jesus has formed your life. So like you didn’t lead off with like your attendance numbers and all that. You talked about growth, but you didn’t really go there. What what are you averaging right now? Attendance wise, where are you at? Sarah Hooley — Yeah, we’re about 2,500 to 2,600 right now. Rich Birch — Okay. And how many full-time staff do you have as as a team? Sarah Hooley — Oh, we have seven full-time staff. Now, we do have some part-time roles that are high level… Rich Birch — Sure. Sarah Hooley — …but we are a skeleton staff. Rich Birch — Yes. Okay. So to put that in context, like, I, this is why want to hear more about this. How, how are you doing that? So to put make some context that people are listening in, um there’s a kind of a well kind of oiled benchmark out there that says churches should really shoot for 1 to 75 attendees and staff. And, you know, ah really great churches are maybe one to a hundred. Like that would be amazing if you could get that. I think the math on you guys is one to like 350 or something like that. Sarah Hooley — Yep. Rich Birch — Even if it’s like, okay, those those other equivalents, even if they end up being say you have another three full-time people in all those part-time. So you’re 10 full-time equivalents. That’s still like one to 250. So like, this is a significant lesson, friends. We need to learn from. Rich Birch — So it’s like, I really just want to say, talk. Like what systems and philosophies make that happen? Sarah Hooley — Yeah. Rich Birch — How do you, you know, how are you able to make that happen? Talk us through that. Sarah Hooley — Yeah. Well, we are trying to hire. So there are some roles that we definitely know that we need. Rich Birch — Yes. You got a long ways to go though. Even if you doubled your staff, you still would be like one to 125, which is still very high. You know, that’s great. Sarah Hooley — Yeah. And this has been one of the unique things about being a multi-ethnic church and a multi-ethnic church that’s reaching new believers. The the the financial support, it takes longer. Like financial discipleship, it’s a process. And and in a um you know within our community, there’s a significant like where we our church specifically is, there’s a significant number of people who are below the poverty line. And so that just means that where our budget is not going to be as large. Sarah Hooley — But so like we have always, and I think part of it is going from that church plant model to even having an established church. Like we’ve always had to be scrappy. Like you always have had to, like I started as a volunteer and I wanted to do a women’s conference. And then someone came and said, I heard that you’re leading the women’s ministry. And I was like, what? Like I didn’t, I just wanted to lead this women’s conference. Sarah Hooley — But just the the way that, um you know, we have continued to to philosophically want to equip the body to be the ministers. That it’s not just, oh, we can just hire somebody to do that. But for every staff person being so intentional about choosing staff members who can be equippers, who are not looking to just do ministry, but who are looking to equip others to do the ministry. And so those who can develop and be leaders of leaders. And that that really has been a part of our heart um in the beginning out of necessity. But also as we’ve continued to grow, um we’ve found there’s just been incredible fruit, because it calls the whole church body into being a part of what’s going on. Sarah Hooley — And so there is nothing more powerful and significant than saying like, yeah, I am I am a significant like participant, I am leading within this church in in a significant way that creates such buy-in. And so like that has really made a difference in in, I think, our church culture and and in just people so staying with us and saying like, man, there’s there’s there’s something happening here. I wanna be a part of it. And um being identified in like, given the opportunity to lead in those ways. And so um we are very, we are slow to hire because we’re kind of a unique, um we have a unique church culture and unique church body… Rich Birch — For sure. Sarah Hooley — …and we want our staff to reflect our church body and to to have buy-in. So I would, so the majority of our staff really are people who have come from the church body itself. So we we only have had very few outside hires um because we know that they understand who we are, they they understand kind of what we’ve been called to do. Sarah Hooley — And so that has been the most, like we have one full-time kids pastor… Rich Birch — Wow. Sarah Hooley — …for 400 children. And she has an associate who’s also very high level and she’s incredible too. Um, but they have done such an incredible job of identifying, okay, within our kids ministry, within our volunteers, who are those people who, who can lead others and who have a heart for developing others. Sarah Hooley — And so, um, so they’ve broken down the different areas and they have leads over each of those individual areas where they’re doing some of the scheduling. So like identifying those administrative skills, like people who have people skills as well as administrative skills. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. Sarah Hooley — But so the role of our of our kids pastor is to you know set the vision and invest in our leaders. And then they are then the ones who are are working through some of those logistics of what it looks like when it comes to staffing or when it comes to volunteers um and being fully like, oh, it’s a whole lot of children. We have a lot of kids. Rich Birch — Yes, that’s amazing. I’d I’d love to double click on some of that there. So this idea of leaders of leaders does not surprise me that, um you know, I it’s like one of these when I heard this, I’m like, I don’t even know anything about this. But I know that you the only way you get to that kind of ratio is you’ve empowered volunteers to actually lead things. Rich Birch — There’s a humbling thing you could do. Church leaders that are listening in do it. Do a giant org chart. Spend two hours and do a giant org chart on a whiteboard. Like literally draw out who is who leads who all the way down to every role in the church and then circle the people that are staff. And oftentimes what you find is there are no leaders of leaders that are volunteers. And they’re just that that’s a that’s a key distinction. How do we get and and how do we keep our staff being Ephesians 4 leaders, people who equip the saints to do the work? Sarah Hooley — Yes. Rich Birch — So give me some of the telltale signs that you that you see in volunteers that, hey, this person is could lead at a high level. And what does the equipping look like? How are you helping them step into that? Sarah Hooley — Yeah, we really do view leadership as discipleship. And so, um, so even for our volunteers, we want to identify people, for them to step into a leadership role like that, that relationship with Jesus, that that’s strong connection to to him is is key. Sarah Hooley — So like that is first and for foremost across across all of our leadership teams. So even though I mentioned earlier that we have some of our serve teams that you can join the team and not be a believer, but for the people who are leading those people, we want them to be following Jesus. Sarah Hooley — And then just looking for those who also love people and have that heart for like, I want to have the conversations that, you know, something is is going on in someone’s life and they’re having a hard time, I’m going to follow up with them during the week. And so um so that love for Jesus, that love for people in some of these roles, it it is some administrative ability. Like, can you handle scheduling people? Like there’s there’s just like, are you able to complete some of those things, some of the doing aspects of ministry? Sarah Hooley — But even within our within our high level leader volunteer leaders, like they’re actually then finding other volunteers who are are doing some of those roles as well. So I think that that has been a process. So it’s looking at who who do we have in front of us? Like who are the people who are like bought in? They see the mission. They’re they’re passionate about what we’re doing. They care about what we’re doing. um And then inviting them into that next step of leadership. Sarah Hooley — A lot of times it’s we kind of give them a chance to kind of test it out first before just throwing them to the wolves so that they can kind of see like like shadowing somebody who already is currently doing something like that to get their feet wet, to kind of understand the the scope of the role. We don’t ever want to ask somebody to to step into a role that they aren’t, that they’re like, I don’t have the capacity for this. And so, but there’s there’s lots of development still along the way of like conversations of like, of of our actual staff members, checking in with them and helping them to like navigate problems and helping them to to think through like how to process, um you know, that they even are invited to bring feedback of like, hey, here are some things that we’re seeing, like what’s a way that we can then approach that together? So like really they they have a great voice into into how things are being run. Rich Birch — That’s good. One of the tensions that happens in a lot of churches is staff, our staff start to think like the kind of important people are people who have full-time staff that report to them. There’s like this insidious pull towards, I’m going to build my little kingdom. And like this is really common, like lots of churches struggle with that. It can be difficult. Rich Birch — How are you developing your, particularly the the culture with your staff team to ensure that they stay focused on leading volunteers rather than, you know, just hiring people? Like, let’s just hire somebody. How do we, how do how are you what are you doing there? Beyond the like, well, we can’t afford it. There’s got to be something else you’re doing to try to help them, you know, develop that. Sarah Hooley — Yeah, feeling missed out on the budget is really helpful. Rich Birch — Well, because, well, and yeah, but the but my pushback would be friendly pushback as as one leader to another is like that resource things are going to get sorted out. And it’s going to come to a time where you have resources to be able to do that. And it could be very tempting to say, let’s just go quadruple the size of our staff. So how are you ensuring that the culture isn’t going to do that? Sarah Hooley — Yeah. And so much of that is through through our coaching, through the way that we talk about this. This is something like we have these calibrating conversations all the time of of this is who we are and this is what we’re about. And this is what it looks like to lead here. That we um and and that And to be totally candid, like that has been a challenge where we had a staff person and as we grew, um could not make that transition of from doing to leading others and and delegating. Sarah Hooley — And so like that that is a challenge of, and and just thinking like, oh man, all we need to do is just add more staff and then I would be okay. And instead of really recognizing like, no, our our heart behind this is inviting the church to be the church. That that, Letting them know that that priesthood of all believers, like we are all called um to do ministry. Sarah Hooley — Ministry is not just for those who have a degree or those who have a title. Like we are called into ministry. And so keeping that before our our leaders and our staff so that they are keeping it before the the people that they’re calling into these volunteer leader roles. Sarah Hooley — And I will say like those who are the volunteers, like they, they’re excited. They’re excited about like, man, like you just invited me into this position. Like you’ve asked, you’ve seen, you saw something in me and asked me to, um to lead in this way and to serve in this way. And it’s, it’s a privilege to do that. But it is also like continuing to put that before us. Like we we are investing in our people. Sarah Hooley — Now, some of our future staff members might come from those who are volunteer leaders. And like and like that’s a beautiful thing because we’re like, man, I already know, I can see how you would operate in this role and how you would fit on our team and how you would keep how you you do get the culture and what what we’re trying to do. And I think that that’s that’s really a beautiful thing. Sarah Hooley — But it is it is a lot of conversation, a lot of coaching, and just a reminder of like, and I think part of it too is is realizing like, we can’t do everything. And so being very intentional to not be overly programmed. To be very clear about, we’re going do these things, like these very simple. Rich Birch — Right. Sarah Hooley — And so that’s where it’s like, it seems so simple. It seems so basic, but we’re going do these simple, basic things and do them faithfully. And um and then, yeah, see what God does. Rich Birch — Trust God for the results. Yeah, that’s fantastic. Yeah. And listen, you know it makes sense that you’ll end up hiring some people because it’s like that’s a little bit of a crazy ah you know ratio. And you know I think that’ll be that’ll be a challenge ahead to keep that focused as you add those people. And it’s not unreasonable to say to your team like, oh, yeah, like we probably should add a few people. Rich Birch — But to still champion at the end of the day, I think that’s like there’s a key piece there that you mentioned. It’s like this idea of championing the people who have been able to make that transition. And I’ve like, I got us like hey, ah it’s about developing leaders and I want to make that happen. And I know that might be messy and there’s other problems with that, but that’s you know that’s good. Rich Birch — It’s been a fantastic conversation. For people who are listening in today who might feel that kind of like, oh my goodness, we’re under-resourced, we’re you know are outnumbered, we don’t have enough people. Help us think through, kind of talk to us a little bit from an even mindset or how we lead point of view to kind of lead from abundance rather than from scarcity. Because a part of what I don’t hear you saying is like, oh, woe is me. Rich Birch — Like you’re like, no, this is just what God’s called us to in this season. We’re going to make it happen. And God’s doing a great thing. So try to encourage us, yeah help us think that through. Sarah Hooley — Yeah. Well, I would, I mean, I would first of all say you’re not alone. So if you feel, if you do feel overwhelmed and outnumbered and under-resourced, like you’re not alone. And so I think that that is is helpful to be like, man, I’m not. And I think that’s where like even having podcasts like this, where you’re able to hear from others, we’re like, oh, man, OK, we’re in this together. We are all doing the mission that God has called us to. And there are challenges that come with that. And and that can be really discouraging and hard. And yet, like, I think when we can have that kind of. loaves and fishes mindset of like the disciples, they could not feed those people. Like they could not fit fill all the needs that were before them. But Jesus could. Sarah Hooley — And so if we can be faithful to say, okay, God, what do we have? What do we have? Like, what do we have in front of us? And how do we use that for your glory? And what what does that look like? What what are the things that we need to like have that laser focus on um so that we can then continue to see what you are going to do with with what we bring. Sarah Hooley — And and I think that there is that reliance on God to um to say like, you’re the one who does the work. Like this is not, and I think that helps us to like, it takes away that that pride and also that just overwhelming feeling feeling of sometimes failure when it’s, it’s not, when we realize that it’s not all on me… Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s good. Sarah Hooley — …like this is not like my responsibility is to be faithful and continuing to be faithful, to follow what God has called me to do. And that means, I mean, that means working hard. That means best practices. That means learning from others, but I am not responsible for the the end result. So how do I just be intentional and faithful with what God has given me? Sarah Hooley — And, and, and I think too, I think it’s really important to, to find others who are also in the journey with you. Rich Birch — That’s good. Sarah Hooley — That you can, that not that you just get together and complain, but that you can really come alongside each other and encourage one another. And that, That has been one of the most significant things that I have found in in stepping into this role. I got connected with a women executive pastor cohort of women all over the country who are leading in this in similar roles. Sarah Hooley — And being able to just ask questions of other church leaders, being able to say, will you pray for me? Like, I’m going through something really difficult right now. Will pray for me? That has encouraged me personally to be able to keep pressing on when it does feel overwhelming or it does feel like, man, the the task is too great for me. To be reminded and to have other pastors in like my corner and in my ear saying, remember who God is and remember what he’s called you to. Rich Birch — That’s good. Sarah Hooley — And so I think that that is just, it’s, if we can keep that in view and that in, in that mindset in view, that that God is so much greater than the most difficult person at your church who is louder than all of the others. And, um and God is greater than the the greatest problems that you are facing and the, the difficulties that you’re walking through. And, and so like, I think just looking for those, those things. Rich Birch — So good. Sarah, this has been such a helpful conversation. I really appreciate you being here today and investing in us. And it’s fantastic, super encouraging and lots of good nuggets in there. I got pages of notes here. If people want to track with you or with the church, where do we want to send them online? Sarah Hooley — Yeah. We I mean we’re on um Instagram and Facebook. We’re forthecity.com is our church website. We are not on TikTok yet. We’re not that cool. I don’t know. Someday we’ll we’ll get there. Rich Birch — Nice. That’s fun. Sarah Hooley — But yeah, that’s that’s the primary way. Rich Birch — That’s great. Thanks so much. Thanks for being here today. Sarah Hooley — Thank you so much.

   “It's not enough to build a system and then exit stage left when you realize it's broken. The ‘I'm sorry' is not the work — it's only the acknowledgment that work needs to be done. After the apology, you must actually do the repair. And what I see from her is the language of accountability without the actions that would demonstrate it. That's insufficient for real change.” Danielle (01:03):Well, I mean, what's not going on? Just, I don't know. I think the government feels more and more extreme. So that's one thing I feel people are like, why is your practice so busy? I'm like, have you seen the government? It's traumatizing all my clients. Hey Jeremy. Hey Jenny.Jenny (01:33):I'm in Charlottesville, Virginia. So close to Rebecca. We're going to soon.Rebecca (01:48):Yeah, she is. Yeah, she is. And before you pull up in my driveway, I need you to doorbell dish everybody with the Trump flag and then you can come. I'm so readyThat's a good question. That's a good question. I think that, I don't know that I know anybody that's ready to just say out loud. I am not a Trump supporter anymore, but I do know there's a lot of dissonance with individual policies or practices that impact somebody specifically. There's a lot of conversation about either he doesn't know what he's doing or somebody in his cabinet is incompetent in their job and their incompetency is making other people's lives harder and more difficult. Yeah, I think there's a lot of that.(03:08):Would she had my attention for about two minutes in the space where she was saying, okay, I need to rethink some of this. But then as soon as she says she was quitting Congress, I have a problem with that because you are part of the reason why we have the infrastructure that we have. You help build it and it isn't enough to me for you to build it and then say there's something wrong with it and then exit the building. You're not equally responsible for dismantling what you helped to put in place. So after that I was like, yeah, I don't know that there's any authenticity to your current set of objections,I'm not a fan of particularly when you are a person that in your public platform built something that is problematic and then you figure out that it's problematic and then you just leave. That's not sufficient for me, for you to just put on Twitter or Facebook. Oh yeah, sorry. That was a mistake. And then exit stage leftJenny (04:25):And I watched just a portion of an interview she was on recently and she was essentially called in to accountability and you are part of creating this. And she immediately lashed out at the interviewer and was like, you do this too. You're accusing me. And just went straight into defensive white lady mode and I'm just like, oh, you haven't actually learned anything from this. You're just trying to optically still look pure. That's what it seems like to me that she's wanting to do without actually admitting she has been. And she is complicit in the system that she was a really powerful force in building.Rebecca (05:12):Yeah, it reminds me of, remember that story, excuse me, a few years ago about that black guy that was birdwatching in Central Park and this white woman called the cops on him. And I watched a political analyst do some analysis of that whole engagement. And one of the things that he said, and I hate, I don't know the person name, whoever you are, if you said this and you hear this, I'm giving you credit for having said it, but one of the things that he was talking about is nobody wants you to actually give away your privilege. You actually couldn't if you tried. What I want you to do is learn how to leverage the privilege that you have for something that is good. And I think that example of that bird watching thing was like you could see, if you see the clip, you can see this woman, think about the fact that she has power in this moment and think about what she's going to do with that power.(06:20):And so she picks up her phone and calls the cops, and she's standing in front of this black guy lying, saying like, I'm in fear for my life. And as if they're doing anything except standing several feet apart, he is not yelling at you. He hasn't taken a step towards you, he doesn't have a weapon, any of that. And so you can see her figure out what her privilege looks like and feels like and sounds like in that moment. And you can see her use it to her own advantage. And so I've never forgotten that analysis of we're not trying to take that from you. We couldn't if we tried, we're not asking you to surrender it because you, if you tried, if you are in a place of privilege in a system, you can't actually give it up because you're not the person that granted it to yourself. The system gave it to you. We just want you to learn how to leverage it. So I would love to see Marjorie Taylor Greene actually leverage the platform that she has to do something good with it. And just exiting stays left is not helpful.Danielle (07:33):And to that point, even at that though, I've been struck by even she seems to have more, there's on the continuum of moral awareness, she seems to have inch her way in one direction, but I'm always flabbergasted by people close to me that can't even get there. They can't even move a millimeter. To me, it's wild.Well, I think about it. If I become aware of a certain part of my ignorance and I realize that in my ignorance I've been harming someone or something, I believe we all function on some kind of continuum. It's not that I don't think we all wake up and know right and wrong all the time. I think there's a lot of nuance to the wrongs we do to people, honestly. And some things feel really obvious to me, and I've observed that they don't feel obvious to other people. And if you're in any kind of human relationship, sometimes what you feel is someone feels as obvious to them, you're stepping all over them.(08:59):And I'm not talking about just hurting someone's feelings. I'm talking about, yeah, maybe you hurt their feelings, but maybe you violated them in that ignorance or I am talking about violations. So it seems to me that when Marjorie Taylor Green got on CN and said, I've been a part of this system kind of like Rebecca you're talking about. And I realized that ignoring chomp hyping up this rhetoric, it gets people out there that I can't see highly activated. And there's a group of those people that want to go to concrete action and inflict physical pain based on what's being said on another human being. And we see that, right? So whatever you got Charlie Kirk's murderer, you got assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King all throughout history we've seen these, the rhetoric and the violence turns into these physical actions. And so it seems to me like she had some awareness of what her contributing to that, along with the good old orange guy was doing contributes to violence. It seems to me like she inched in that direction.Rebecca (10:27):Yeah, like I said, I think you're right in that inching, she had my attention. And so then I'm waiting for her to actually do something substantive more than just the acknowledgement that I have been in error. And and I think part of that is that I think we have a way of thinking that the acknowledgement or the, I'm sorry, is the work, and it is not the, I'm sorry, is the acknowledgement that work needs to be done. So after you say, I'm sorry, now let's go do the work.Danielle (11:10):I mean our own therapeutic thing that we all went through that we have in common didn't have a concept for repair. So people are coming to therapy looking for a way to understand. And what I like to say is there's a theory of something, but there's no practical application of it that makes your theory useless in some sense to me or your theology, even if your ology has a theology of X, Y, Z, but you can't actually apply that. What is the use of it?Jenny (11:43):And I think that's best case scenario, and I think I'm a more cynical person than you are Danielle, but I see what's happening with Taylor Green and I'm like, this actually feels like when a very toxic, dangerous man goes to therapy and learns the therapy language and then is like it's my boundaries that you can't wear that dress. And it's like, no, no, that's not what we're doing. It's just it's my boundary that when there isn't that actual sense of, okay, I'm going to be a part of the work, to me it actually somehow feels potentially more dangerous because it's like I'm using the language and the optics of what will keep me innocent right now without actually putting any skin in the game.(12:51):Yeah, I would say it's an enactment of white womanhood. I would say it's intentional, but probably not fully conscious that it is her body moving in the way that she's been racially and gendered(13:07):Tradition to move. That goes in some ways maybe I can see that I've enacted harm, but I'm actually going to replicate the same thing in stepping into now a new position of performing white womanhood and saying the right things and doing the right things. But then the second an interviewee calls me out into accountability, I'm going to go into potentially white psychosis moment because I don't actually know how to metabolize the ways in which I am still complicit in the system. And to me, I think that's the impossibility of how do we work through the ways that these systems live in our bodies that isn't clean. It isn't pure, but I think the simplicity of I was blind now I see. I am very skeptical of,Rebecca (14:03):Yeah, I think it's interesting the notion that, and I'm going to misquote you so then you fix it. But something of like, I don't actually know how to metabolize these things and work them through. I only know this kind of performative space where I say what I'm expected to say.Jenny (14:33):Yeah, I think I see it as a both, and I don't totally disagree with the fact of there's not something you can do to get rid of your privilege. And I do think that we have examples of, oh goodness, I wish I could remember her name. Viola Davis. No, she was a white woman who drove, I was just at the African-American History Museum yesterday and was reminded of her face, but it's like Viola ela, I want to say she's a white woman from Detroit who drove down to the south during the bus boycotts to carpool black folks, and she was shot in the head and killed in her car because she stepped out of the bounds of performing white womanhood. And I do think that white bodies know at a certain level we can maintain our privilege and there is a real threat and a real cost to actually doing what needs to be done to not that we totally can abdicate our privilege. I think it is there, and I do think there are ways of stepping out of the bondage of our racial and gendered positions that then come with a very real threat.Rebecca (16:03):Yes. But I think I would say that this person that you're referring to, and again, I feel some kind of way about the fact that we can't name her name accurately. And there's probably something to that, right? She's not the only one. She's not the first one. She's not the last one who stepped outside of the bounds of what was expected of her on behalf of the Civil Rights Movement, on behalf of justice. And those are stories that we don't know and faces and names we cannot, that don't roll off the tip of our tongue like a Rosa Parks or a Medgar Evers or a Merley Evers or whoever. So that being said, I would say that her driving down to the South, that she had a car that she could drive, that she had the resources to do that is a leveraging of some of her privilege in a very real way, a very substantive way. And so I do think that I hear what you're saying that she gave up something of her privilege to do that, and she did so with a threat that for her was realizing a very violent way. And I would also say she leveraged what privilege she had in a way that for her felt like I want to offer something of the privilege that I have and the power that I have on behalf of someone who doesn't have it.(17:44):It kind of reminds me this question of is the apology enough or is the acknowledgement enough? It reminds me of what we did in the eighties and nineties around the racial reconciliation movement and the Promise Keepers thing and all those big conferences where the notion that the work of reconciliation was to stand on the stage and say, I realize I'm white and you're black, and I'm sorry. And we really thought that that was the work and that was sufficient to clear everything that needed to be cleared, and that was enough to allow people to move forward in proximity and connection to each other. And I think some of what we're living through 40, 45 years later is because that was not enough.(18:53):It barely scratched the surface to the extent that you can say that Donald Trump is not the problem. He is a symptom of the problem. To the extent that you could say that his success is about him stoking the fires that lie just beneath the surface in the realization that what happened with reconciliation in the nineties was not actually repair, it was not actually reconciliation. It was, I think what you're saying, Jenny, the sort of performative space where I'm speaking the language of repair and reconciliation, but I haven't actually done the work or paid the cost that is there in order to be reconciled.Danielle (19:40):That's in my line though. That's the continuum of moral awareness. You arrive to a spot, you address it to a certain point. And in that realm of awareness, what we've been told we can manage to think about, which is also goes back to Jenny's point of what the system has said. It's almost like under our system we have to push the system. It's so slow. And as we push the system out and we gain more awareness, then I think we realize we're not okay. I mean, clearly Latinos are not okay. They're a freaking mess. I think Mother Fers, half of us voted for Trump. The men, the women are pissed. You have some people that are like, you have to stay quiet right now, go hide. Other people are like, you got to be in the streets. It's a clear mess. But I don't necessarily think that's bad because we need to have, as a large group of people, a push of our own moral awareness.(20:52):What did we do that hurt ourselves? What were we willing to put up with to recolonize ourselves to agree to it, to agree to the fact that you could recolonize yourself. So I mean, just as a people group, if you can lump us all in together, and then the fact that he's going after countries of origin, destabilizing Honduras telling Mexico to release water, there is no water to release into Texas and California. There isn't the water to do it, but he can rant and rave or flying drones over Venezuela or shooting down all these ships. How far have we allowed ourselves in the system you're describing Rebecca, to actually say our moral awareness was actually very low. I would say that for my people group, very, very low, at least my experience in the states,Rebecca (21:53):I think, and this is a working theory of mine, I think like what you're talking about, Danielle, specifically in Latino cultures, my question has been when I look at that, what I see as someone who's not part of Latino culture is that the invitation from whiteness to Latino cultures is to be complicit in their own erasure in order to have access to America. So you have to voluntarily drop your language, drop your accent, change your name, whatever that long list is. And I think when whiteness shows up in a culture in that way where the request or the demand is that you join in your own eraser, I think it leads to a certain kind of moral ignorance, if you will.(23:10):And I say that as somebody coming from a black American experience where I think the demand from whiteness was actually different. We weren't actually asked to participate in our own eraser. We were simply told that there's no version of your existence where you will have access to what whiteness offers to the extent that a drop is a drop is a drop. And by that I mean you could be one 16th black and be enslaved in the United States, whereas, so I think I have lots of questions and curiosities around that, about how whiteness shows up in a particular culture, what does it demand or require, and then what's the trajectory that it puts that culture on? And I'm not suggesting that we don't have ways of self-sabotage in black America. Of course we do. I just think our ways of self-sabotage are nuanced or different from what you're talking about because the way that whiteness has showed up in our culture has required something different of us. And so our sabotage shows up in a different way.(24:40):To me. I don't know. I still don't know what to do with the 20% of black men that voted for Trump. I haven't figured that one out yet. Perhaps I don't have enough moral awareness about that space. But when I look at what happened in Latino culture, at least my theory as someone from the outside looking in is like there's always been this demand or this temptation that you buy the narrative that if you assimilate, then you can have access to power. And so I get it. It's not that far of a leap from that to course I'll vote for you because if I vote for you, then you'll take care of us. You'll be good and kind and generous to me and mine. I get that that's not the deal that was made with black Americans. And so we do something different. Yeah, I don't know. So I'm open to thoughts, rebuttals, rebukes,Jenny (25:54):My mind is going to someone I quote often, Rosa Luxembourg, who was a democratic socialist revolutionary who was assassinated over a hundred years ago, and she wrote a book called Reform or Revolution arguing that the more capitalism is a system built on collapse because every time the system collapse, those who are at the top get to sweep the monopoly board and collect more houses, more land, more people. And so her argument was actually against things like unions and reforms to capitalism because it would only prolong the collapse, which would make the collapse that much more devastating. And her argument was, we actually have to have a revolution because that's the only way we're going to be able to redo this system. And I think that for the folks that I knew that voted for Trump, in my opinion, against their own wellness and what it would bring, it was the sense of, well, hopefully he'll help the economy.(27:09):And it was this idea that he was just running on and telling people he was going to fix the economy. And that's a very real thing for a lot of people that are really struggling. And I think it's easier for us to imagine this paternalistic force that's going to come in and make capitalism better. And yet I think capitalism will only continue to get worse on purpose. If we look at literally yesterday we were at the Department of Environmental Protections and we saw that there was black bags over it and the building was empty. And the things that are happening to our country that the richest of the ridge don't care that people's water and food and land is going to be poisoned in exponential rates because they will not be affected. And until we can get, I think the mass amount of people that are disproportionately impacted to recognize this system will never work for us, I don't know. I don't know what it will take. I know we've used this word coalition. What will it take for us to have a coalition strong enough to actually bring about the type of revolution that would be necessary? IRebecca (28:33):Think it's in part in something that you said, Jenny, the premise that if this doesn't affect me, then I don't have any skin in this game and I don't really care. I think that is what will have to change. I think we have to come to a sense of if it is not well with the person sitting next to me, then it isn't well with me because as long as we have this mindset that if it doesn't directly affect me that it doesn't matter, then I think we're always sort of crabs in a barrel. And so maybe that's idealistic. Maybe that sounds a little pollyannaish, but I do think we have to come to this sense of, and this maybe goes along with what Danielle was saying about the continuum of moral awareness. Can I do the work of becoming aware of people whose existence and life is different than mine? And can that awareness come from this place of compassion and care for things that are harmful and hurtful and difficult and painful for them, even if it's not that way? For me, I think if we can get there with this sense of we rise and fall together, then maybe we have a shot at doing something better.(30:14):I think I just heard on the news the other day that I think it used to be a policy that on MLK Day, certain federal parks and things were free admission, and I think the president signed an executive order that's no longer true, but you could go free if you go on Trump's birthday. The invitation and the demand that is there to care only about yourself and be utterly dismissive of anyone and everyone else is sickening.Jenny (30:51):And it's one of the things that just makes me go insane around Christian nationalism and the rhetoric that people are living biblically just because they don't want gay marriage. But then we'll say literally, I'm just voting for my bank account, or I'm voting so that my taxes don't go to feed people. And I had someone say that to me and they're like, do you really want to vote for your taxes to feed people? I said, absolutely. I would much rather my tax money go to feed people than to go to bombs for other countries. I would do that any day. And as a Christian, should you not vote for the least of these, should you not vote for the people that are going to be most affected? And that dissonance that's there is so crazy making to me because it's really the antithesis of, I think the message of Jesus that's like whatever you do to the least of these, you are doing to me. And instead it's somehow flipped where it's like, I just need to get mine. And that's biblical,Rebecca (31:58):Which I think I agree wholeheartedly as somebody who identifies as a Christian who seeks to live my life as someone that follows the tenets of scripture. I think part of that problem is the introduction of this idea that there are hierarchies to sin or hierarchies to sort of biblical priorities. And so this notion that somehow the question of abortion or gay rights, transgendered rights is somehow more offensive to scripture than not taking care of the least of these, the notion that there's such a thing as a hierarchy there that would give me permission to value one over the other in a way that is completely dismissive of everything except the one or two things that I have deemed the most important is deeply problematic to me.Danielle (33:12):I think just coming back to this concept of I do think there was a sense among the larger community, especially among Latino men, Hispanic men, that range of people that there's high percentage join the military, high percentage have tried to engage in law enforcement and a sense of, well, that made me belong or that gave my family an inn. Or for instance, my grandfather served in World War II and the Korean War and the other side of my family, the German side, were conscientious objectors. They didn't want to fight the Nazis, but then this side worked so hard to assimilate lost language, didn't teach my mom's generation the language. And then we're reintroducing all of that in our generation. And what I noticed is there was a lot of buy-in of we got it, we made it, we made it. And so I think when homeboy was like, Hey, I'm going to do this. They're like, not to me,To me, not to me. It's not going to happen to me. I want my taxes lowered. And the thing is, it is happening to us now. It was always going to, and I think those of us that spoke out or there was a loss of the memory of the old school guys that were advocating for justice. There was a loss there, but I think it's come back with fury and a lot of communities and they're like, oh, crap, this is true. We're not in, you see the videos, people are screaming, I'm an American citizen. They're like, we don't care. Let me just break your arm. Let me run over your legs. Let me take, you're a US service member with a naval id. That's not real. Just pure absurdity is insane. And I think he said he was going to do it, he's doing it. And then a lot of people in our community were speaking out and saying, this is going to happen. And people were like, no, no, no, no, no. Well, guess what?Rebecca (35:37):Right? Which goes back to Martin Luther King's words about injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. The notion that if you're willing to take rights and opportunities and privileges from one, you are willing to take them from all. And so again, back to what Jenny said earlier, this notion that we rise our fall together, and as long as we have this mindset that I can get mine, and it doesn't matter if you don't get yours, there will always be a vulnerability there. And what you're saying is interesting to me, Danielle, talking about the military service in Latino communities or other whatever it is that we believed was the ticket in. And I don't think it's an accident or a coincidence that just around the time that black women are named the most educated and the fastest rising group for graduate and doctoral degrees, you see the dismantling of affirmative action by the Supreme Court.(36:49):You see now, the latest thing is that the Department of Education has come out and declassified a list of degrees as professional degrees. And overwhelmingly the degrees that are named on that list that are no longer considered professional are ones that are inhabited primarily by women and people of color. And I don't think that that is a coincidence, nor do I think it's a coincidence that in the mass firings of the federal government, 300,000 black women lost their jobs. And a lot of that is because in the nineties when we were graduated from college and getting our degrees, corporate America was not a welcome place for people of color, for black people, for black women. So we went into the government sector because that was the place where there was a bit more of a playing field that would allow you to succeed. And I don't think it is a coincidence that the dismantling intentionally of the on-ramps that we thought were there, that would give us a sense of belonging. Like you're in now, right? You have arrived, so to speak. And I am only naming the ones that I see from my vantage point. I hear you naming some things that you see from your vantage point, right? I'm sure, Jenny, you have thoughts about how those things have impacted white women.Jenny (38:20):Yeah, yeah. And I'm thinking about, we also went yesterday to the Native American Museum and I learned, I did not realize this, that there was something called, I want to say, the Pocahontas exception. And if a native person claimed up to one 14th of Pocahontas, DNA, they were then deemed white. What? And it just flabbergasted to me, and it was so evident just this, I was thinking about that when you were talking, Danielle, just like this moving target and this false promise of if you just do enough, if you just, you'll get two. But it's always a lie. It's always been a lie from literally the very first settlers in Jamestown. It has been a lie,Rebecca (39:27):Which is why it's sort of narcissistic and its sort of energy and movement, right? Because narcissism always moves the goalpost. It always changes the roles of the game to advantage the narcissist. And whiteness is good for that. This is where the goalpost is. You step up and meet it, and whiteness moves the goalpost.Danielle (40:00):I think it's funny that Texas redistricted based on how Latinos thought pre pre-migration crackdown, and they did it in Miami and Miami, Miami's democratic mayor won in a landslide just flipped. And I think they're like, oh, shit, what are we going to do? I think it's also interesting. I didn't realize that Steven Miller, who's the architect of this crap, did you know his wife is brownHell. That's creepy shit,Rebecca (40:41):Right? I mean headset. No, no. Vance is married to a brown woman. I'm sure in Trump's mind. Melania is from some Norwegian country, but she's an immigrant. She's not a US citizen. And the Supreme Court just granted cert on the birthright citizenship case, which means we're in trouble.(41:12):Well, I'm worried about everybody because once you start messing with that definition of citizenship, they can massage it any kind of way they want to. And so I don't think anybody's safe. I really don't. I think the low hanging fruit to speak, and I apologize for that language, is going to be people who are deemed undocumented, but they're not going to stop there. They're coming for everybody and anybody they can find any reason whatsoever to decide that you're not, if being born on US soil is not sufficient, then the sky's the limit. And just like they did at the turn of the century when they decided who was white and who wasn't and therefore who could vote and who could own property or who couldn't, we're going to watch the total and reimagining of who has access to power.Danielle (42:14):I just am worried because when you go back and you read stories about the Nazis or you read about genocide and other places in the world, you get inklings or World War I or even more ancient wars, you see these leads up in these telltale signs or you see a lead up to a complete ethnic cleansing, which is what it feels like we're gearing up for.I mean, and now with the requirement to come into the United States, even as a tourist, when you enter the border, you have to give access to five years of your social media history. I don't know. I think some people think, oh, you're futurizing too much. You're catastrophizing too much. But I'm like, wait a minute. That's why we studied history, so we didn't do this again. Right?Jenny (43:13):Yeah. I saw this really moving interview with this man who was 74 years old protesting outside of an nice facility, and they were talking to him and one of the things he said was like, Trump knows immigrants are not an issue. He's not concerned about that at all. He is using this most vulnerable population to desensitize us to masked men, stealing people off the streets.Rebecca (43:46):I agree. I agree. Yeah, a hundred percent. And I think it's desensitizing us. And I don't actually think that that is Trump. I don't know that he is cunning enough to get that whoever's masterminding, project 2025 and all that, you can ask the question in some ways, was Hitler actually antisemitic or did he just utilize the language of antisemitism to mask what he was really doing? And I don't mean that to sort of sound flippant or deny what happened in the Holocaust. I'm suggesting that same thing. In some ways it's like because America is vulnerable to racialized language and because racialized rhetoric moves masses of people, there's a sense in which, let me use that. So you won't be paying attention to the fact that I just stole billions of dollars out of the US economy so that you won't notice the massive redistribution of wealth and the shutting off of avenues to upward social mobility.(45:12):And the masses will follow you because they think it's about race, when in actuality it's not. Because if they're successful in undoing birthright citizenship, you can come after anybody you want because all of our citizenship is based on the fact that we were born on US soil. I don't care what color you are, I do not care what lineage you have. Every person in this country or every person that claims to be a US citizen, it's largely based on the fact that you were born on US soil. And it's easy to say, oh, we're only talking about the immigrants. But so far since he took office, we've worked our way through various Latin cultures, Somali people, he's gone after Asian people. I mean, so if you go after birthright citizenship and you tell everyone, we're only talking about people from brown countries, no, he's not, and it isn't going to matter. They will find some arbitrary line to decide you have power to vote to own property. And they will decide, and this is not new in US history. They took whole businesses, land property, they've seized property and wealth from so many different cultures in US history during Japanese internment during the Tulsa massacre. And those are only the couple that I could name. I'm sure Jenny and Danielle, you guys could name several, right? So it's coming and it's coming for everybody.Jenny (47:17):So what are you guys doing to, I know that you're both doing a lot to resist, and we talk a lot about that. What are you doing to care for yourself in the resistance knowing that things will get worse and this is going to be a long battle? What does helping take care of yourself look like in that for you?Danielle (47:55):I dunno, I thought about this a lot actually, because I got a notification from my health insurance that they're no longer covering thyroid medication that I take. So I have to go back to my doctor and find an alternative brand, hopefully one they would cover or provide more blood work to prove that that thyroid medication is necessary. And if you know anything about thyroids, it doesn't get better. You just take that medicine to balance yourself. So for me, my commitment and part of me would just want to let that go whenever it runs out at the end of December. But for me, one way I'm trying to take care of myself is one, stocking up on it, and two, I've made an appointment to go see my doctor. So I think just trying to do regular things because I could feel myself say, you know what?(48:53):Just screw it. I could live with this. I know I can't. I know I can technically maybe live, but it will cause a lot of trouble for me. So I think there's going to be probably not just for me, but for a lot of people, like invitations as care changes, like actual healthcare or whatever. And sometimes those decisions financially will dictate what we can do for ourselves, but I think as much as I can, I want to pursue staying healthy. And it's not just that just eating and exercising. So that's one way I'm thinking about it.Rebecca (49:37):I think I'm still in the phase of really curating my access to information and data. There's so much that happens every day and I cannot take it all in. And so I still largely don't watch the news. I may scan a headline once every couple days just to kind of get the general gist of what is happening because I can't, I just cannot take all of that in. Yeah, it will be way too overwhelming, I think. So that still has been a place of that feels like care. And I also think trying to move a little bit more, get a little bit of, and I actually wrote a blog post this month about chocolate because when I grew up in California seas, chocolate was a whole thing, and you cannot get it on the east coast. And so I actually ordered myself a box of seas chocolate, and I'm waiting for it to arrive at my house costs way too much money. But for me, that piece of chocolate represents something that makes me smile about my childhood. And plus, who doesn't think chocolate is care? And if you live a life where chocolate does not care, I humbly implore you to change your definition of care. But yeah, so I mean it is something small, but these days, small things that feel like there's something to smile about or actually big things.Jenny (51:30):I have been trying to allow myself to take dance classes. It's my therapy and it just helps me. A lot of the things that we're talking about, I don't have words for, I can only express through movement now. And so being able to be in a space where my body is held and I don't have to think about how to move my body and I can just have someone be like, put your hand here. That has been really supportive for me. And just feeling my body move with other bodies has been really supportive for me.Rebecca (52:17):Yeah. The other thing I would just add is that we started this conversation talking about Marjorie Taylor Green and the ways in which I feel like her response is insufficient, but there is a part of me that feels like it is a response, it however small it is, an acknowledgement that something isn't right. And I do think you're starting to see a little bit of that seep through. And I saw an interview recently where someone suggested it's going to take more than just Trump out of office to actually repair what has been broken over the last several years. I think that's true. So I want to say that putting a little bit of weight in the cracks in the surface feels a little bit like care to me, but it still feels risky. I don't know. I'm hopeful that something good will come of the cracks that are starting to surface the people that are starting to say, actually, this isn't what I meant when I voted. This isn't what I wanted when I voted. That cities like Miami are electing democratic mayors for the first time in 30 years, but I feel that it's a little bit risky. I am a little nervous about how far it will go and what will that mean. But I think that I can feel the beginnings of a seedling of hope that maybe this won't be as bad as maybe we'll stop it before we go off the edge of a cliff. We'll see.Kitsap County & Washington State Crisis and Mental Health ResourcesIf you or someone else is in immediate danger, please call 911.This resource list provides crisis and mental health contacts for Kitsap County and across Washington State.Kitsap County / Local ResourcesResourceContact InfoWhat They OfferSalish Regional Crisis Line / Kitsap Mental Health 24/7 Crisis Call LinePhone: 1‑888‑910‑0416Website: https://www.kitsapmentalhealth.org/crisis-24-7-services/24/7 emotional support for suicide or mental health crises; mobile crisis outreach; connection to services.KMHS Youth Mobile Crisis Outreach TeamEmergencies via Salish Crisis Line: 1‑888‑910‑0416Website: https://sync.salishbehavioralhealth.org/youth-mobile-crisis-outreach-team/Crisis outreach for minors and youth experiencing behavioral health emergencies.Kitsap Mental Health Services (KMHS)Main: 360‑373‑5031; Toll‑free: 888‑816‑0488; TDD: 360‑478‑2715Website: https://www.kitsapmentalhealth.org/crisis-24-7-services/Outpatient, inpatient, crisis triage, substance use treatment, stabilization, behavioral health services.Kitsap County Suicide Prevention / “Need Help Now”Call the Salish Regional Crisis Line at 1‑888‑910‑0416Website: https://www.kitsap.gov/hs/Pages/Suicide-Prevention-Website.aspx24/7/365 emotional support; connects people to resources; suicide prevention assistance.Crisis Clinic of the PeninsulasPhone: 360‑479‑3033 or 1‑800‑843‑4793Website: https://www.bainbridgewa.gov/607/Mental-Health-ResourcesLocal crisis intervention services, referrals, and emotional support.NAMI Kitsap CountyWebsite: https://namikitsap.org/Peer support groups, education, and resources for individuals and families affected by mental illness.Statewide & National Crisis ResourcesResourceContact InfoWhat They Offer988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (WA‑988)Call or text 988; Website: https://wa988.org/Free, 24/7 support for suicidal thoughts, emotional distress, relationship problems, and substance concerns.Washington Recovery Help Line1‑866‑789‑1511Website: https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/injury-and-violence-prevention/suicide-prevention/hotline-text-and-chat-resourcesHelp for mental health, substance use, and problem gambling; 24/7 statewide support.WA Warm Line877‑500‑9276Website: https://www.crisisconnections.org/wa-warm-line/Peer-support line for emotional or mental health distress; support outside of crisis moments.Native & Strong Crisis LifelineDial 988 then press 4Website: https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/injury-and-violence-prevention/suicide-prevention/hotline-text-and-chat-resourcesCulturally relevant crisis counseling by Indigenous counselors.Additional Helpful Tools & Tips• Behavioral Health Services Access: Request assessments and access to outpatient, residential, or inpatient care through the Salish Behavioral Health Organization. Website: https://www.kitsap.gov/hs/Pages/SBHO-Get-Behaviroal-Health-Services.aspx• Deaf / Hard of Hearing: Use your preferred relay service (for example dial 711 then the appropriate number) to access crisis services.• Warning Signs & Risk Factors: If someone is talking about harming themselves, giving away possessions, expressing hopelessness, or showing extreme behavior changes, contact crisis resources immediately.Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.Rebecca A. Wheeler Walston, J.D., Master of Arts in CounselingEmail: asolidfoundationcoaching@gmail.comPhone:  +1.5104686137Website: Rebuildingmyfoundation.comI have been doing story work for nearly a decade. I earned a Master of Arts in Counseling from Reformed Theological Seminary and trained in story work at The Allender Center at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. I have served as a story facilitator and trainer at both The Allender Center and the Art of Living Counseling Center. I currently see clients for one-on-one story coaching and work as a speaker and facilitator with Hope & Anchor, an initiative of The Impact Movement, Inc., bringing the power of story work to college students.By all accounts, I should not be the person that I am today. I should not have survived the difficulties and the struggles that I have faced. At best, I should be beaten down by life‘s struggles, perhaps bitter. I should have given in and given up long ago. But I was invited to do the good work of (re)building a solid foundation. More than once in my life, I have witnessed God send someone my way at just the right moment to help me understand my own story, and to find the strength to step away from the seemingly inevitable ending of living life in defeat. More than once I have been invited and challenged to find the resilience that lies within me to overcome the difficult moment. To trust in the goodness and the power of a kind gesture. What follows is a snapshot of a pivotal invitation to trust the kindness of another in my own story. May it invite you to receive to the pivotal invitation of kindness in your own story. Listen with me…  Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.

Tara breaks down the latest political drama in Miami

It's YOUR time to #EdUpIn this episode, part of our Academic Integrity Series, sponsored by ⁠Integrity4EducationYOUR guest is W. Ila Peterson, Professor of Mathematics & Director of Faculty Development, Arizona Western CollegeYOUR cohost is Thomas Fetsch, CEO, Integrity4EducationYOUR host is ⁠Elvin Freytes⁠How is Arizona Western College serving approximately 8,000 students across Yuma & La Paz County with online education while maintaining academic integrity, & why does Ila believe AI breaks down language barriers for their Hispanic serving institution?What creative faculty responses is Ila seeing like podcast style presentations instead of essays, 30 to 45 minute "technology snack" PD sessions on tools like Notebook LM, & why does she believe faculty ingenuity is key to adapting to AI?How does Arizona Western's current policy leave AI decisions to individual faculty with required syllabus statements, what institutional AI governance principles are being drafted for the next year, & why does Ila believe this is the 1st moment we're truly training students for jobs that don't yet exist?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠The EdUp Experience⁠We make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠⁠​subscribe today​⁠⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!

When it comes to addressing health disparities, it's critically important that healthcare providers and researchers take a proactive approach to building trust with the communities we aim to serve. As founding director of the Center for Reducing Health Disparities at UC Davis, Dr. Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola has decades of experience with this approach. “It is possible to overcome the barriers of access to care if we can change our paradigm,” he says. “ In this episode of the Health Disparities podcast, Dr. Aguilar speaks with Movement Is Life's Dr. Zachary Lum about his work, which focuses on health disparities, mental health in underserved populations, community-engaged research and Latino health.  Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts

Westfair Business Journal's Inaugural Hispanic Innovators Awards highlights the extraordinary impact Latino-owned businesses have on the strength and direction of the U.S. economy. These visionary entrepreneurs are responsible for creating two-thirds of all new jobs nationwide and contribute nearly half of all private-sector output, fueling growth, opportunity, and community advancement. Held on Thursday, December 4th, 2025, at the CV Rich Mansion in White Plains, the event was more than an awards ceremony—it was a dynamic celebration of the Hispanic business community, recognizing innovators whose dedication, creativity, and leadership are shaping industries and expanding economic progress. Westchester Talk Radio was there to capture the energy and stories of the evening, as leaders and entrepreneurs came together to share ideas, build relationships, and elevate the momentum of Hispanic innovation. Bob Marrone sat down with Sabrina Santiago, Owner of Casa Cherrywood Carvings, who shared insights into how her handcrafted artistry blends cultural heritage with modern design. 

Westfair Business Journal's Inaugural Hispanic Innovators Awards highlights the extraordinary impact Latino-owned businesses have on the strength and direction of the U.S. economy. These visionary entrepreneurs are responsible for creating two-thirds of all new jobs nationwide and contribute nearly half of all private-sector output, fueling growth, opportunity, and community advancement. Held on Thursday, December 4th, 2025, at the CV Rich Mansion in White Plains, the event was more than an awards ceremony—it was a dynamic celebration of the Hispanic business community, recognizing innovators whose dedication, creativity, and leadership are shaping industries and expanding economic progress. Westchester Talk Radio was there to capture the energy and stories of the evening, as leaders and entrepreneurs came together to share ideas, build relationships, and elevate the momentum of Hispanic innovation. Bob Marrone spoke with Felix Tapia, Director of Marketing for Robison, who spoke about the company's commitment to serving the region with dependable energy solutions and exceptional customer care.

Westfair Business Journal's Inaugural Hispanic Innovators Awards highlights the extraordinary impact Latino-owned businesses have on the strength and direction of the U.S. economy. These visionary entrepreneurs are responsible for creating two-thirds of all new jobs nationwide and contribute nearly half of all private-sector output, fueling growth, opportunity, and community advancement. Held on Thursday, December 4th, 2025, at the CV Rich Mansion in White Plains, the event was more than an awards ceremony—it was a dynamic celebration of the Hispanic business community, recognizing innovators whose dedication, creativity, and leadership are shaping industries and expanding economic progress. Westchester Talk Radio was there to capture the energy and stories of the evening, as leaders and entrepreneurs came together to share ideas, build relationships, and elevate the momentum of Hispanic innovation. Bob Marrone spoke with Leidy Nunez, CFO of DR Bank, who discussed leadership in the financial sector and the value of representation in executive roles.

Westfair Business Journal's Inaugural Hispanic Innovators Awards highlights the extraordinary impact Latino-owned businesses have on the strength and direction of the U.S. economy. These visionary entrepreneurs are responsible for creating two-thirds of all new jobs nationwide and contribute nearly half of all private-sector output, fueling growth, opportunity, and community advancement. Held on Thursday, December 4th, 2025, at the CV Rich Mansion in White Plains, the event was more than an awards ceremony—it was a dynamic celebration of the Hispanic business community, recognizing innovators whose dedication, creativity, and leadership are shaping industries and expanding economic progress. Westchester Talk Radio was there to capture the energy and stories of the evening, as leaders and entrepreneurs came together to share ideas, build relationships, and elevate the momentum of Hispanic innovation.Bob Marrone spoke with Maria Harrison, Client Service Manager at Moneco Advisors. Maria spoke about empowering individuals and families with the tools to make informed decisions, build stability, and navigate their financial futures with confidence.

Westfair Business Journal's Inaugural Hispanic Innovators Awards highlights the extraordinary impact Latino-owned businesses have on the strength and direction of the U.S. economy. These visionary entrepreneurs are responsible for creating two-thirds of all new jobs nationwide and contribute nearly half of all private-sector output, fueling growth, opportunity, and community advancement. Held on Thursday, December 4th, 2025, at the CV Rich Mansion in White Plains, the event was more than an awards ceremony—it was a dynamic celebration of the Hispanic business community, recognizing innovators whose dedication, creativity, and leadership are shaping industries and expanding economic progress. Westchester Talk Radio was there to capture the energy and stories of the evening, as leaders and entrepreneurs came together to share ideas, build relationships, and elevate the momentum of Hispanic innovation. Bob Marrone spoke with Guest Speaker Ramon Peralta, Founder and Creative Director of Peralta Design, who shared how his firm helps companies define their identity, expand their reach, and compete in a modern digital landscape. 

Westfair Business Journal's Inaugural Hispanic Innovators Awards highlights the extraordinary impact Latino-owned businesses have on the strength and direction of the U.S. economy. These visionary entrepreneurs are responsible for creating two-thirds of all new jobs nationwide and contribute nearly half of all private-sector output, fueling growth, opportunity, and community advancement. Held on Thursday, December 4th, 2025, at the CV Rich Mansion in White Plains, the event was more than an awards ceremony—it was a dynamic celebration of the Hispanic business community, recognizing innovators whose dedication, creativity, and leadership are shaping industries and expanding economic progress. Westchester Talk Radio was there to capture the energy and stories of the evening, as leaders and entrepreneurs came together to share ideas, build relationships, and elevate the momentum of Hispanic innovation.Bob Marrone spoke with Ron Abad, CEO of Community Housing Innovations, who highlighted the organization's mission to create sustainable housing opportunities and strengthen communities through accessible support services. 

In this episode, Bill reconnects with Larry Sabato, Founder and Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. to discuss the 2026 midterm elections. Sabato shares his insights on why he believes Democrats have the edge going into the midterms, citing dissatisfaction with the current Republican control of the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court. They delve into the implications of redistricting and special elections, recent shifts in voter behavior among Hispanic and Asian communities, and the influence of former President Donald Trump on upcoming elections. The conversation also covers competitive Senate races, the potential impact of candidates like Susan Collins, and the possible future role of J.D. Vance in the 2028 presidential race. The discussion highlights the importance of politics in shaping the future of the nation and reflects on past progress while expressing optimism for the future. Today Bill highlights the work of Jose Andres and The World Central Kitchen. On the front lines of war and natural disasters. Consider adding it to your charitable giving in this Holiday (and Tax planning) season. More information at WCK.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Heisman finalists! Jim Plunkett is Hispanic? Monster Inc broadcast! SMUT! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The battle over AI heats up as President Trump attempts to hamstring states with an Executive Order. Plus, mass deportations are starting to lose the Hispanic vote.

2 - Brian Kilmeade warns the Trump administration that they may lose Hispanic voters if these ICE raids continue. But didn't Trump run on a deportation platform? 210 - Senator Dave McCormick joins the program this afternoon. Why visit Philadelphia schools today? Why did Dave author an op-ed in The Inquirer about the issue of school choice? Why is school choice the right path forward? What would be Josh Shapiro's objection to Dave's plan? What is Dave McCormick looking at with healthcare before the year is out? 230 - New RFK Jr. appointee, Dr. Robert Malone joins us today after the CDC changed the vaccine schedule for infants, as they will not get the Hepatitis B vaccine at too young an age. Why make this move right now? Why and when did the Hep B vaccine become mandatory? Why should this be something to talk with your doctor about? Why is this a win for bodily autonomy? Where do we stand with the autism and vaccine links? 250 - The Lightning Round!

12 - Just another midterm Monday. What are the positives and negatives that the Trump administration and the Republicans have heading into a new year? 1215 - Side - something that fell off/faded from relevance 1220 - Do we want to stop drug flow or not? So, do we want to kill the drug runners that bring them into the country? Remember Tang? 1235 - HHS has removed Dr. Rachel Levine's plaque for not upholding “health” in her role as head of HHS under Biden. Wow, Scott Bessent is looking like a politician! Is assimilating to a country the same level as Nazi forced compliance? 1240 - Your calls. 1250 - Quick transition. 1 - Why is affordability the message of both sides of the political spectrum? Why did young women support Mamdani so much in the NYC mayor election? Erika Kirk has a theory, but is she a hypocrite? 110 - Your calls. 120 - Who are the most favorable/unfavorable politicians today? Some interesting numbers. Your calls. 135 - Are the “Broligarchs” taking over? Who will be the 2028 GOP Presidential nominee? Your calls. 2 - Brian Kilmeade warns the Trump administration that they may lose Hispanic voters if these ICE raids continue. But didn't Trump run on a deportation platform? 210 - Senator Dave McCormick joins the program this afternoon. Why visit Philadelphia schools today? Why did Dave author an op-ed in The Inquirer about the issue of school choice? Why is school choice the right path forward? What would be Josh Shapiro's objection to Dave's plan? What is Dave McCormick looking at with healthcare before the year is out? 230 - New RFK Jr. appointee, Dr. Robert Malone joins us today after the CDC changed the vaccine schedule for infants, as they will not get the Hepatitis B vaccine at too young an age. Why make this move right now? Why and when did the Hep B vaccine become mandatory? Why should this be something to talk with your doctor about? Why is this a win for bodily autonomy? Where do we stand with the autism and vaccine links? 250 - The Lightning Round!

Amber Cabrera. Senior Assistant to the City Manager for City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Maylee De Jesús, City Clerk for the City of Boynton Beach, Florida joined to podcast to discuss increasing representation in local government. They shared recent efforts they have worked on for Latinos in Florida Local Government, advice for the next generation, and how to get involved with the Local Government Hispanic Network. This episode was recorded at the 2025 ICMA Annual Conference in Tampa, FL. Host: Meredith Reynolds

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: What is Governor Abbott trying to hide, if anything, related to his last moment veto of the state ban on get-high hemp THC? The Feds have now closed the very loopholes that allowed a new multi-billion get-high drug industry that was never intended to be part of hemp production but Abbott, at the last moment vetoed Texas' bill doing the same. Abbott clearly doesn't want to make it easy to know who he was protecting as he's put a cost estimate of $25,000 on providing a simple list of all of those who petitioned his office for the veto.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.YCT endorses Don Huffines for Texas Comptroller in the GOP primary.Issa to stick with California district changing under Prop 50, rejects Texas run.Smith County Democrats withdraw from Tyler Christmas Parade in solidarity with illegal aliens. Showing that even in Texas the Democrat grassroots are more concerned with harboring illegal aliens than with the safety of citizens – that includes millions of “Hispanic” citizens.San Marcos becomes latest Central Texas city to cut ties with Flock camera. Way to go!Mentioned but not covered: Former Maduro Spy Chief's Letter To Trump Seeks To Expose Narco-Terrorist War Against U.S. Quite interesting.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates. www.PrattonTexas.com

Local business leaders and elected officials are already pushing back against a potential payroll tax in Washington. The ‘South Hill Rapist’ Kevin Coe has died of natural causes and the only tragedy is that he died outside of prison. An elderly grandmother in Seattle has spoken out about the altercation she had with a robber who bit her finger off. // A former MSNBC host went on a nasty tirade against Hispanic ICE agents. // Seattle has the biggest decline in rent for office space because there are so many vacancies.

Brim and Mr. Greer are back at it again. Apart from all the usual shenanigans, the gang chats about everything pop culture with all the trimmings including the passing of the original Spiderman from the Electric Company, and Guy Fieri's major leg injury filming for Food Network. The crew also chats about angry people complaining about the Hispanic artists performing at the Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Labubu Pop Mart float, and Tom's excitement over Busta Rhymes singing 'Break Yo' Neck' on the TMNT float. The cast talks about Ghostbusters, the spin-off Ghostbusters, Stranger Things Season 5 (with no spoilers) and the Labubu movie that is currently in pre-production. They talk about the Alabama grandma who was arrested at a protest while wearing a pen!s costume, The Mandalorian & Grogu film coming in May 2026, and the fact that they are unfortunately pulling back from the Space Western that made it special . The crew also discusses Brim's appearance at the Oddities Flea Market in NYC and the shock that 2025 is quickly coming to an end. The crew chats about entertainment news, opinions and other cool stuff and things. Enjoy.Wherever you listen to podcasts & www.thegrindhouseradio.comhttps://linktr.ee/thegrindhouseradio

Fewer than 20% of women take part in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs, which is one of the most proven ways to recover and prevent another heart event Women who complete cardiac rehab lower their risk of hospitalization by up to 42% and reduce their risk of death from heart disease by as much as 58%, gaining both longer life and better quality of life Referral bias is a major reason for low participation — women are referred for cardiac rehab less often than men, and rates are even lower among Black, Hispanic, and Asian women, where participation averages just 10% to 12% Automatic referrals, flexible scheduling, home-based or hybrid options, and women-only programs are powerful, research-backed strategies that dramatically increase enrollment and completion rates Cardiac rehab isn't just exercise — it's a personalized recovery plan that rebuilds heart strength, lowers stress, and restores confidence, giving women a structured way to take back control of their health and their future

It has been weeks since U.S. Customs and Border Protection descended on Charlotte. Homeland Security says agents detained about 400 people, but there has been very little transparency surrounding those taken into custody. We look at the impact of this operation on the Hispanic community and what the future may hold.

Did you know, in 2023, more than 39,000 people were diagnosed with HIV in the United States and six territories, with Hispanic and Black individuals each accounting for more than a third (Source. CDC) In this episode of LOVERS, Shan sits down with Jonathan Van Ness for a conversation about receiving an HIV diagnosis, the years he kept it private, and the moment he decided he wanted the story to come from him. Jonathan shares what it felt like to catch himself holding back during interviews, how choosing to speak changed his relationship with his own truth, and the sense of relief that followed once he stopped protecting something that shaped so much of his life. They also talk about the realities of HIV today, why knowing your status matters, and how tools like PrEP fit into the larger picture of staying informed and reducing stigma. Follow Jonathan Van Ness Website → https://jonathanvanness.com/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jvn YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/jvn JVN Hair → https://jvnhair.com/ Podcast → https://jonathanvanness.com/podcasts/ Books → https://jonathanvanness.com/books/ Want more Lover? Shan's AI trained to give you her advice → http://loversbyshan.com Receive the weekly Love Letter → http://loversbyshan.com/newsletter Join the Lovers Community → https://www.loversbyshan.com/community Explore quizzes and worksheets → http://loversbyshan.com/quizzes

In this powerful episode of Gangland Wire, retired Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins sits down with Tegan Broadwater, a former Fort Worth Police officer, musician, and undercover operative whose story reads like a movie script. Broadwater takes listeners on a riveting journey from his early years as a professional musician to his dramatic turn infiltrating one of America's most dangerous street gangs—the Crips. Drawing from his book Life in the Fishbowl, he details how music, culture, and human connection became unexpected tools for survival and success inside the underworld. Listeners will hear: How Tegan Broadwater transitioned from touring musician to undercover police officer, bringing creativity and adaptability to the streets. The story of his two-year infiltration into the Crips—posing as a South Texas drug dealer with the help of a trusted informant. His insights into gang hierarchy, loyalty, and manipulation, and how understanding culture was key to earning trust. The moral challenges of living undercover—forming friendships with men he would eventually arrest. The emotional impact of a major gang raid that ended with over 50 arrests, and how it changed his outlook on justice and humanity. His decision to donate proceeds from his book to the children of incarcerated parents aims to break the cycle of violence. He continues to share lessons on leadership, empathy, and cultural understanding through his private security firm and new podcast projects.   Broadwater's story isn't just about crime and undercover operations—it's about identity, compassion, and the human cost of violence. This episode offers a rare look at what it means to live behind a mask while still holding onto one's purpose.

Ep 297: Reconsidered: 39 - Judge Esther Salas (Original Airdate: 02/23/21 ) Women & Crime: Reconsidered is where we revisit our episode catalog and bring new insights, behind the scenes or updates. This woman made history as the America's first Hispanic woman to be appointed as a federal judge, unfortunately many people only became aware of her after tragedy struck her family on the evening of July 19, 2020 when a gunman opened fire. What happened that fateful night and how did this tragedy ignite change? Sources for Today's Episode: • Women's Health • US Today • The New York Times • Washington Post • NPR • NBC News • NJ Monthly • New Jersey Globe • CNN • Newsweek • United States District Courts, District of New Jersey • GMA Credits: • Written and Hosted by Amy Shlosberg and Meghan Sacks • Produced by James Varga • Music by Dessert Media Help is Available: If you or someone you know is in a crisis situation, or a victim of domestic, or other violence, there are many organizations that can offer support or help you in your specific situation. For direct links to these organizations please visit https://womenandcrimepodcast.com/resources/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices