Podcasts about Human Element

On Jesse's 13th AMA episode, he steps back from tactics and returns to first principles, answering listener questions that cut to the core of what financial planning actually is—and what it is not. He begins by dismantling the common assumption that a portfolio and a financial plan are interchangeable, explaining why investing is only one component of a much broader process that aligns cash flow, risk, taxes, goals, and life transitions across decades. From there, Jesse walks listeners through his end-to-end financial planning framework, starting with values and goal clarification, moving through balance sheets, cash flow, taxes, insurance, and estate planning, and ending with implementation and ongoing iteration as life evolves. Using the example of young adults in their 20s, he highlights where early financial energy is best spent: awareness of spending, intentional goal-setting, early investing for learning and compounding, and developing human capital through career growth. The episode closes with a thoughtful response to a fellow planner's question about client inertia, blending behavioral finance and lived experience to explain why busy, successful people often delay planning—and how patience, education, structure, and progress over perfection can create momentum without coercion. Throughout, Jesse reinforces a central theme: real financial planning is not about perfect portfolios, but about creating clarity, flexibility, and forward motion in an uncertain and deeply human life. Key Takeaways: • A portfolio and a financial plan are not the same thing. Investing is only one component of comprehensive financial planning. • Your financial plan must align money with goals, values, and life realities. • Financial plans must evolve as careers, families, and health change. • Career growth can compound more powerfully than portfolio tweaks. • Client inertia is usually about time, emotion, or uncertainty—not laziness. • The ultimate goal of planning is clarity, flexibility, and peace of mind. Progress does not have to be linear or immediate to be meaningful. Key Timestamps: (01:34) – Investing vs. Financial Planning (10:27) – Building a Financial Plan from Scratch (16:33) – Analyzing Your Financial Snapshot (20:00) – Identifying Financial Risks and Making Changes (22:28) – Key Financial Advice for Young Adults (27:09) – Overcoming Client Hesitation in Financial Planning (33:31) – The Human Element in Financial Planning Key Topics Discussed: The Best Interest, Jesse Cramer, Wealth Management Rochester NY, Financial Planning for Families, Fiduciary Financial Advisor, Comprehensive Financial Planning, Retirement Planning Advice, Tax-Efficient Investing, Risk Management for Investors, Generational Wealth Transfer Planning, Financial Strategies for High Earners, Personal Finance for Entrepreneurs, Behavioral Finance Insights, Asset Allocation Strategies, Advanced Estate Planning Techniques More of The Best Interest:Check out the Best Interest Blog at https://bestinterest.blog/ Contact me at jesse@bestinterest.blog Consider working with me at https://bestinterest.blog/work/ The Best Interest Podcast is a personal podcast meant for education and entertainment. It should not be taken as financial advice, and is not prescriptive of your financial situation.  

Show NotesAt NAMM 2026, Sean Martin sits down with Chuck Tennin, the President and CEO of Big Fish Music and Big Fish Music Publishing Group, for a candid conversation about the role of AI in the music industry and why the human element remains irreplaceable. Known as "The Big Fish" and "The Alligator," Chuck has spent more than five decades working as an engineer, record producer, music publisher, and consultant, and he pulls no punches when it comes to the limits of technology in creative work.Chuck draws a sharp line between AI as a tool and AI as a replacement for human creativity. He points to organizations like ASCAP, BMI, and the Recording Academy as allies in the fight to protect the creative process, arguing that AI cannot replicate the feel, the instinct, and the emotional investment that go into producing a record. For Chuck, the difference between producing music and producing a record is everything: a record has to connect with an audience on a level that no algorithm can manufacture.The conversation takes listeners through Chuck's journey from two-track analog recording to the digital era of Pro Tools, exploring how each technological leap brought efficiency but never fully captured the warmth and authenticity of tape. He reflects on the critical distinction between an MP3 and a WAV file, between convenience and quality, and between what sounds good enough and what sounds like a record.Chuck also shares hard-earned wisdom about the business side of music: the perseverance required, the reality that 90% of aspiring artists fail, and the belief in oneself that separates survivors from those who walk away. Drawing on stories from legendary artists he has worked with over the decades, he reminds listeners that every big name started in the same place and climbed out of the same struggle.This is a conversation about what technology can assist with and what it can never touch: the soul of music and the humans who create it.HostSean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine, Studio C60, and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast & Music Evolves Podcast | Website: https://www.seanmartin.com/GuestChuck Tennin, President and CEO of Big Fish Music and Big Fish Music Publishing Group | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-tennin-3468b6105/ResourcesThe NAMM Show 2026 is taking place from January 20-24, 2026 | Anaheim Convention Center, Southern California — Follow our coverage: https://www.itspmagazine.com/the-namm-show-2026-namm-music-conference-music-technology-event-coverage-anaheim-californiaMusic Evolves: Sonic Frontiers Newsletter | https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7290890771828719616/Keywordschuck tennin, big fish music, sean martin, AI in music, analog vs digital recording, record producer, music publishing, Pro Tools, ASCAP, BMI, Recording Academy, NAMM 2026, music industry, human creativity, songwriting, music, creativity, art, artist, musician, music evolves, music podcast, music and technology podcastMore From Sean MartinMore from Music Evolves: https://www.seanmartin.com/music-evolves-podcastMusic Evolves on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnYu0psdcllTRJ5du7hFDXjiugu-uNPtWMusic Evolves: Sonic Frontiers Newsletter | https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7290890771828719616/On Location with Sean and Marco: https://www.itspmagazine.com/on-locationITSPmagazine YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@itspmagazineBe sure to share and subscribe! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1 hour and 49 minutes The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com. Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Venue by 4M where record this, and Introducing this season: Radecki Oral Surgery, and Long Road Distillers. 1. Men's Basketball vs Michigan State Starts at 0:51 Where's Tre Holloman at?? Michigan's first victory at Breslin since 2018. They managed to blow all of their 16 point halftime lead but only briefly. This year didn't have the same "helplessness" vibe of previous years. The grifting from Jeremy Fears was incredible. Michigan State's offense ended up being generating bogus calls and then hitting free throws. Their roster doesn't have the best athletes in the world but they have guys that have stuck around for a while. Trey McKenney is becoming a much bigger piece of this team, if Michigan goes on a tournament run it could be because he steps up as a major contributor. Is he the 6th man? They're running a lot of offense through Mara, maybe that should be going through Morez Johnson instead. Michigan is back to #1 in Kenpom and is projected to win the Big Ten outright but the end of the schedule is very tough.  2. Men's Basketball vs Nebraska Starts at 29:17 The vibes here were considerably worse! Nebraska was getting an alarming amount of open looks. Michigan wins by shooting what felt like 70% from two. Some of Cadeau's turnovers were just inexplicable. We can't pronounce Berke's name so he's just Berke Boyband. The studies say that every conspiracy theory you have about officiating is true. Pass blocking is not actually allowed in basketball. Nebraska is legit, this was a tough game that Cadeau almost gave away. Shout out to Fred Hoiberg for coming in with a great gameplan for confusing Michigan. The overturn on the challenge made no sense, how was that possibly clear? Should Michigan be going inside more when the threes aren't dropping? Michigan was missing open threes. They beat a top 10 Kenpom team while shooting 23% from three, that's impressive no matter what. Was LJ Cason unplayable?  3. Hot Takes and Hockey vs Ohio State Starts at 52:18 Takes hotter than Yaxel Lendeborg at the free throw line. Michigan gets five of six points over Ohio State in a frustrating manner. Stephen Peck played a great game on Saturday until the last five minutes. They're missing points here and there against teams that they're better than. Wisconsin somehow went from #1 to might miss the tournament. Michigan State is only one point behind in the Big Ten rankings.  4. Gimmicky Top Five Sports Villains Starts at 1:14:40 We're born haters so it's time for a gimmicky top five sports villains. There are a surprising number of ways to define "villain" in this context. There's a lot of NHL discourse because you used to just get paid to hurt people. Which Big Ten commissioners make the list (spoiler: all of them). Not posting spoilers here but yes there is a certain Wisconsin basketball player. Who's on your list?   MUSIC: "Moody"—Royel Otis "Silver Joy"—Damien Jurado "Sweet and Dandy"—Toots and the Maytals “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra   

Today is a major milestone—Episode 600. My journey behind the mic began in 2012, and since then, this conversation has evolved from simple marketing tactics into the deeper pillars of leadership, communication, and storytelling. To celebrate, I'm flipping the script. I've invited my longtime friend and fellow 2012 podcasting pioneer, Mike Gerholdt, to take over the host's chair. We're going behind the scenes on everything I've learned over 600 episodes—from the origin story and terrestrial radio to the move to full video—to talk about what it really takes to build a podcast brand that lasts. What You'll Learn in This Episode - Why curiosity is the most important trait for a long-running podcast host - How to pivot your content from marketing tactics to leadership and storytelling - The evolution of media from terrestrial radio to short-form and full-length video - Why every modern brand needs an evangelist to foster two-way conversations - Strategic lessons learned from 13 years and 600 episodes in the podcasting trenches Episode Chapters (00:00) Flipping the Script for Episode 600 (01:29) Introducing Guest Host Mike Gerholdt (02:54) Why Every Brand Needs an Evangelist (05:55) The 2013 Podcasting Pioneers (08:27) The Evolution from The Work Talk Show to On Brand (09:38) Pioneering the Remote Work Conversation (12:45) Standing Out in a Saturated Market (15:33) From Radio Production to Personal Voice (17:21) Why Audio Conveys More Than Text (20:15) Curiosity: The Trait That Drives 600 Episodes (23:46) The Reality of Guest Pitches and PR Intermediaries (27:10) Avoiding the "Game of Dodgeball" with Multiple Guests (30:22) Why Real Conversations Don't Need Prep Calls (33:40) The Leap to Full Video and Short-Form Content (38:15) The "Human Element" in Modern Communication (42:30) Closing Thoughts on the Future of On Brand About Mike Gerholdt Mike Gerholt is the Senior Director of Salesforce Admin Evangelism at Salesforce. He leads a group of world-class Admin Evangelists who are helping Salesforce Admins realize their dreams by being technology leaders and advancing their careers. He's also the host of the Salesforce Admins podcast and someone I've been in the podcasting trenches with since day one. What Brand Has Made Mike Smile Recently? Mike highlighted HelloFresh as the brand that made him smile recently. He noted that the meal delivery service stood out during the pandemic and continues to impress him with small touches of appreciation, clear care in delivery, and a non-intrusive approach that never feels like a "used car salesman" pitch. He described the experience as receiving a "little smile in every box." Resources & Links Check out the Salesforce Admins Podcast. Connect with Mike Gerholdt on LinkedIn and (for fun) Instagram Listen & Support the Show Watch or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon/Audible, TuneIn, and iHeart. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others find the show. Share this episode — email a friend or colleague this episode. Sign up for my free Story Strategies newsletter for branding and storytelling tips. On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network. Until next week, I'll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today is a major milestone—Episode 600. My journey behind the mic began in 2012, and since then, this conversation has evolved from simple marketing tactics into the deeper pillars of leadership, communication, and storytelling. To celebrate, I'm flipping the script. I've invited my longtime friend and fellow 2012 podcasting pioneer, Mike Gerholdt, to take over the host's chair. We're going behind the scenes on everything I've learned over 600 episodes—from the origin story and terrestrial radio to the move to full video—to talk about what it really takes to build a podcast brand that lasts. What You'll Learn in This Episode - Why curiosity is the most important trait for a long-running podcast host - How to pivot your content from marketing tactics to leadership and storytelling - The evolution of media from terrestrial radio to short-form and full-length video - Why every modern brand needs an evangelist to foster two-way conversations - Strategic lessons learned from 13 years and 600 episodes in the podcasting trenches Episode Chapters (00:00) Flipping the Script for Episode 600 (01:29) Introducing Guest Host Mike Gerholdt (02:54) Why Every Brand Needs an Evangelist (05:55) The 2013 Podcasting Pioneers (08:27) The Evolution from The Work Talk Show to On Brand (09:38) Pioneering the Remote Work Conversation (12:45) Standing Out in a Saturated Market (15:33) From Radio Production to Personal Voice (17:21) Why Audio Conveys More Than Text (20:15) Curiosity: The Trait That Drives 600 Episodes (23:46) The Reality of Guest Pitches and PR Intermediaries (27:10) Avoiding the "Game of Dodgeball" with Multiple Guests (30:22) Why Real Conversations Don't Need Prep Calls (33:40) The Leap to Full Video and Short-Form Content (38:15) The "Human Element" in Modern Communication (42:30) Closing Thoughts on the Future of On Brand About Mike Gerholdt Mike Gerholt is the Senior Director of Salesforce Admin Evangelism at Salesforce. He leads a group of world-class Admin Evangelists who are helping Salesforce Admins realize their dreams by being technology leaders and advancing their careers. He's also the host of the Salesforce Admins podcast and someone I've been in the podcasting trenches with since day one. What Brand Has Made Mike Smile Recently? Mike highlighted HelloFresh as the brand that made him smile recently. He noted that the meal delivery service stood out during the pandemic and continues to impress him with small touches of appreciation, clear care in delivery, and a non-intrusive approach that never feels like a "used car salesman" pitch. He described the experience as receiving a "little smile in every box." Resources & Links Check out the Salesforce Admins Podcast. Connect with Mike Gerholdt on LinkedIn and (for fun) Instagram Listen & Support the Show Watch or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon/Audible, TuneIn, and iHeart. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others find the show. Share this episode — email a friend or colleague this episode. Sign up for my free Story Strategies newsletter for branding and storytelling tips. On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network. Until next week, I'll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back at it again with the second episode of The Safe Word, where real conversations driven by you—the listeners—are unpacked by seasoned miners with decades of experience. This raw, unscripted discussion tackles some of the most debated—and often misunderstood—topics in mining safety, cutting through policy talk to focus on what actually matters at the face. The conversation begins with safety glasses, examining when they are truly necessary, where the line exists between compliance and over-policing, and how to balance company policy, MSHA standards, and real-world hazard awareness without losing credibility with the workforce. We then shift into a deeper discussion on whether all accidents are preventable, exploring the realities of the human element, external factors, and the role of safety professionals in influencing behavior without becoming "the safety cop." Finally, the episode takes a hard look at complacency—how routine, fatigue, confidence, and attitude can quietly erode situational awareness, and why addressing complacency requires awareness and leadership, not just additional rules.   Chapters:  01:31 Safety Glasses Debate 18:03 Philosophical Safety Questions 22:48 Understanding Risk Assessments 23:58 The Importance of JSAs 26:55 Learning from Experience 30:44 Complacency vs. Confidence 32:50 The Human Element in Safety 40:57 Attitude and Work Ethic

This is Built From Within. In this episode of Events Demystified Podcast, Anca Platon Trifan recounts her recent experience at the Rainfocus conference in Salt Lake City. // Please Follow & Subscribe for more episodes exploring performance, leadership, resilience, AI, and the inner work behind sustainable success.Initially recounting a panic moment of losing her DJI video recorder at the Hyatt Regency, she delves into the deeper insights she gained from the event. Highlights include discussions on AI integration in the event industry, the evolving nature of AI from exploration to operational necessity, and the duality of advanced technology and basic human kindness. Trifan emphasizes the importance of fitness and mental health for event professionals, and discusses her upcoming talks and workshops, particularly focusing on the lessons she's learned from her experiences. Tune into this brand new conversation on the Events Demystified Podcast!00:00 The Stomach-Dropping Moment01:09 The Missing Gear Panic03:13 Introduction to the Episode04:22 Event Industry Insights from Rainfocus06:21 The Human Element in Events09:37 AI and Event Technology Evolution18:48 The Importance of Physical Fitness27:29 Upcoming Events and Final Thoughts

How to Use AI for B2B Storytelling Without Losing Your Brand So many B2B companies and marketing teams waste budget on generic content that fails to resonate or support core business goals. In an era where AI-generated is everywhere, smaller B2B brands often struggle to maintain a unique identity while competing against larger firms with massive content engines. The key to staying relevant lies in a B2B brand’s ability to be authentic, human-centric, and strategically consistent despite the pressure to automate everything. So how can B2B brands effectively integrate AI into their marketing workflows without losing their unique voice and brand integrity? That's why we're talking to Nick Usborne (Founder, Story Aligned), who shared his expertise on leveraging AI through the lens of strategic storytelling. During our conversation, Nick discussed the critical distinction between simple narrative and a brand’s unique story, highlighting a significant gap where only 7% of top AI prompt libraries actually focus on storytelling. He shared actionable advice on building a “story vault,” training staff to avoid “brand drift,” and enforcing consistent AI usage to maintain the trust of the audience. Nick also underscored the importance of keeping human elements at the forefront of content creation to prevent AI from feeling overly mechanical, and advocated for a balanced approach that ensures scalable growth without sacrificing a brand's authenticity. https://youtu.be/dtgvg2-XXoU Topics discussed in episode: [02:53] The “Why” Behind AI Adoption: Why companies must embrace AI not just for efficiency, but to avoid being left behind by competitors who are already scaling their reach.  [04:10] The “Moat” of Storytelling: Why narrative and voice can be easily copied by AI, but your brand's unique “lived story” is the only defensible moat you have.  [11:27] Pitfalls of Inconsistent AI Use: The dangers of “shadow AI” use by employees (e.g., Using personal accounts vs. company custom GPTs) and how it leads to brand drift.  [16:46] The Human Element vs. AI: Nick explains why AI can describe the beach but can't “feel the sand between its toes,” and why human “messiness” is key to connection.  [24:26] Building a Story Vault: Nick provides a practical framework for formalizing your brand's folklore—from founder stories to customer service wins—so they can be systematically used in AI content.  [28:17] Actionable Steps for Marketers: Three immediate steps to take: build your story vault, interview key stakeholders (founders, early employees), and analyze customer service transcripts for sentiment.  [30:11] The Problem with “Killer Prompt” Libraries: Why copying “top 20 prompt” lists is a strategic mistake that leads to generic, non-differentiated content. Companies and links mentioned: Nick Usborne on LinkedIn  Story Aligned  Transcript Nick Usborne, Christian Klepp Nick Usborne  00:00 AI can do a wonderful job in many ways, but it’s never walked down the beach and felt the sand between its toes. It’s read about it. It’s never eaten ice cream. It’s read about that, but it’s never felt it. So that’s what I mean by lived experience. I think that content and stories that truly resonate with people you use those kind of touch points the the deeply human side of being alive. And like, say, I think AI can get close when you prompt it really well, but also, there’s a messiness that makes us recognize one another, the little mistakes we make. That’s what makes us human. We are messy. AI, it’s not very good at being messy. You can ask it to be messy, and it’ll try to figure that out, but it’s really not the same. And like I say, I think people are very sensitive to this kind of nuance. Christian Klepp  00:51 When brands rely on the same AI tools and prompts, they start to sound like everyone else. That loss of voice can hurt trust and lead to something called Brand drift. So how can B2B Marketing teams scale content with AI while staying true to their story? Welcome to this episode of the B2B Marketers in the Mission podcast, and I’m your host, Christian Klepp, today, I’ll be talking to Nick Usborne, who will be answering this question. He’s the Founder of Story Aligned, a training program for Marketing teams that want to scale content using AI while protecting the integrity of their brand story and voice. Tune in to find out more about what this B2B Marketers Mission is. Mr. Nick Usborne, welcome to the show, sir.  Nick Usborne  01:32 Thank you very much. Thank you Christian. Thank you for having me.  Christian Klepp  01:35 Pleasure to have you on the show. Nick, you know we had such a fantastic pre interview call. It was a bit of a you did drop a few hints and clues about what was to come, and I’m really looking forward to this conversation. I’m going to keep the audience in suspense a little while longer as I move us into the first question. So off we go.  Nick Usborne  01:55 Okay. Christian Klepp  01:56 All right, so, Nick, you’re on a mission to equip Marketing teams to scale AI powered content while staying aligned with their organization, story and voice. So for this conversation, let’s focus on the topic of how to use AI for B2B content without losing trust. And it is at the time of the recording, the end of 2025 and of course, we’re going to talk about AI, but we’re going to zoom in on something specific as it pertains to B2B content and a little bit of branding in there as well. But I wanted to kick off this conversation with two questions, and I’m happy to repeat them. So the first question is, why do you believe it’s so important for brands and their Marketing teams to embrace AI so that they can scale? And the second question is, why does this approach require the right prompts and guardrails? I think that’s one thing that you mentioned in our previous conversation, the whole the whole piece about prompts and guardrails. Nick Usborne  02:53 Well, the first question, why do companies need to embrace AI? And the ridiculous answer to that. It’s not a good answer, but it’s true is that because everyone else is, because your competitors are, and they will create content at scale while you are not, and they will achieve reach that you can’t achieve without AI. And in fact, if they do it well, their content, their new content, will be very good, content deeply researched beyond perhaps what you can do. So it’s like everything within AI right now, like, like, Why? Why do all the companies like open AI and Google and Meta, why they all racing? Because if they don’t, someone else will get there first. And it’s, I’m not saying it’s a great reason, but I think it is the fundamental reason for companies to embrace AI, is that you will be left behind if you don’t. This is a transformational moment, and as much as we’d like to have choice, I think in this matter, we don’t have a lot of choice. So that’s my answer to that question. Repeat the second question for me. Christian Klepp  04:00 Absolutely, absolutely so based on, based on that, like, why does this approach require the right prompts and guardrails? Nick Usborne  04:10 As part of my business, I’m constantly researching this, and in particular, I’m researching the prompts people do so when say, could be writers coders, but in our world. Let’s say writers, principally, or marketers, are using AI. They’re using prompts, and they’re generally prompting about two things. One is narrative, like, what should we say? Or, you know, please write us a blog post about x. So that’s the that’s the topic, that’s the narrative. And then they’ll put in something say, oh, please do it in a voice that is authoritative and yet accessible. All right, so now that’s a voice. What they haven’t mentioned is what I think is the foundational layer, which is, which is story. And that’s important, because story is the only thing that is uniquely yours, if you have an narrative, if you, if you have voice, if you talk about something in a particular way, I can copy that with AI. I can copy it at scale. I can, I can look at the transcripts of Christian podcasts, and I can say, oh, I want to do one in exactly. Tell her the same topic. I can, you know, so when you focus on narrative, on what you write about in voice. I can copy it. There’s no moat. The only moat you have is with story, because every company’s story is unique. We can look at origin stories, foundation stories, we can look at customer stories through case studies, things like that. Those are always unique. No one else has Apple’s origin story. No one else has virgin Atlantic’s Founder’s story, etc. But we did some research recently. Actually, we did some research months ago, and I reconfirmed it earlier this week. I ran it. I ran it all again to look at the data. If you look at the top 20 prompt libraries that you know the big, trustworthy companies and organizations that put out prompt libraries for companies. If you look at the top 20 libraries and the 1000s and 1000s of prompts within there, 76% of those prompts are about the narrative. What to say? 17 are about voice. How do you sound? Only 7% relate to story. So this, to my mind, is where we have a problem. We have a disconnect. Everyone is going crazy, prompting for narrative and story, both of which have 0, zero mode, anyone can copy them at scale. And only 7% this very small percentage, are actually focusing on the one thing that is uniquely theirs and cannot be copied or challenged. So that when you say, when you, when you say I’m on a mission, that’s the mission for me to say, Hey guys, wake up. You’re You’re prompting the wrong things in the wrong way. Let’s like, go back and look at story Christian Klepp  07:12 Absolutely, absolutely. It almost sounds like an oxymoron to us to a certain degree, because you’re saying scaling B2B content using AI without losing trust. Because, you know, the narrative that I keep seeing on social media, particularly LinkedIn, is that if people are using AI, there is a bit of a trust factor there. But I think it’s to your point and correct me if I’m wrong, it’s being able to embrace AI and you leveraging it the right way, so it’s not, it’s not, it’s not to replace, it’s not to replace the writers, right, or to replace the Marketers, I hope not. Nick Usborne  07:50 It may replace some. But, yeah, yeah. I mean, I mean, you’re right, and the keyword you mentioned there is trust. I think, I think trust is going to be the most valuable commodity that a company can have in the months and years to come, because people don’t actually don’t if we’re talking about brand. So we’re trying to protect brand with story, right? And brand is something that a lot of companies have spent millions of dollars building and protecting over years or decades and well, one of the things let me come back to trust in a moment. But if I’m looking at brand, and I’m looking at all the stuff goes out there, it either builds brand or it burns brand. And if you burn brand, you lose trust. So if you’re going out with a whole bunch of content that sounds like everyone else is that it’s kind of meh. It’s ordinary. It’s in the middle, which is what AI is really good at. Without the right prompting, it will give you kind of in the middle, mediocre output. So you got to be much better at prompting than just like a, I don’t know, being careless about it, or taking a shortcut, shortcuts, or being lazy about it, because then you get brand drift, and all of a sudden the brand doesn’t sound quite right. And when that happens, you lose trust. And when you lose trust, you lose revenue. I mean, you really do. And people are getting very sensitive to brand of brand trust we saw recently. Was it tracker barrel tried to just change its logo. People freaked out. People freaked out.  Christian Klepp  09:27 It was an awful rebrand, but, yes.  Nick Usborne  09:30 Yeah, but it wasn’t. These weren’t. These weren’t. Saying is, I don’t think the design is up to snuff. It’s like, don’t mess with my tracker barrel. We actually feel very strongly about the brands. Talk to people who are absolute fans of Apple. Doesn’t matter that it costs twice as much, perhaps as not quite as good. It’s Apple. It’s my brand. Don’t mess with my brand. So we’re very sensitive to our loyalty to brands. And in fact, in some sense, it’s brand define us like a football team, a baseball team, in part, we can be defined by the brands that we support, local, Pepsi. You know, it’s like everywhere. So when a company uses AI carelessly at scale and all of a sudden that blog post, it kind of sounds like them, but something’s a tiny bit off. And then that LinkedIn update. Again, yeah, it’s them, but again, it’s, did I say is that the same as they were six months ago? You get the you get these little these little things that sound off, and now you get brand drift. And now you get people feeling uneasy, and the public are sometimes we think we can just make the public believe whatever we want them to believe, or companies to believe whatever we want them to believe, but actually, individuals, in their home lives and in their business lives are very, very sensitive to brand and they’re very, very sensitive to voice and what they hear, and if it’s off, they really don’t like it, and that does translate into loss of trust, and that does directly translate into loss of revenue.  Christian Klepp  11:07 Absolutely. I’m going to move us on to the next set of questions, particularly that one pertaining to key pitfalls that Marketers need to avoid when they’re trying to scale their B2B content using AI without losing trust. So what are some of these key pitfalls they should avoid, and what should they be doing instead? Nick Usborne  11:27 What I’m hearing from inside a number of companies is that there is an inconsistency in how people are using AI and even when systems are in place, that not everyone follows the system. So it’s early days. It is. These are messy times for, you know, working with AI within companies. So I think it’s really important that companies do have some frameworks in place, that people within the organization are using the same tools in the same way, and that they are encouraged to be consistent in what they do. So I’ve heard stories of where companies are set up, you know, they’re using Copilot, or whatever they use, and then some of the manager will walk by someone’s desk, and they’re actually, actually, they’re using Claude on their phone. That person like phone, and it’s like, well, yeah, but no, this is now, you know, you have no control. You also have to get people to do what they ask. I was talking to a Founder the other day. She has a PR (Public Relations) company, plenty of clients, and she’s smart. She’s created custom GPTs for each client. So each custom GPT is trained on with with a kind of database of information on that client and the content, so that you know when you when you ask it to do something else, it’s already has the context and the voice instructions and everything, and you can and it’s great, you get this consistency. But she says, what’s happening is some of her employees come in in the morning, they start work on client X, and they’re using that custom GPT. Then they move on to client Y, but they keep using the original custom GPT and not switching out. So the management has put in the structure in place to be consistent and to output the best, you know, the best content, but the employees are not always playing game, you know, going along with that. So so I do think we’re in a messy period now where companies are not entirely sure how to apply this, how to structure it, what kind of frameworks and guidance to put in place. What guardrails to put in place? Like? Again, I’ve heard horror stories of people grabbing content that should not be shared and putting it into a large language model and then turning that into customer facing or public facing content.  Christian Klepp  13:57 Oh, plagiarism.  Nick Usborne  14:04 So yeah, it is messy. So what I would say is, before you even try to make the best of the use of AI that you do, need to put systems and frameworks in place and educate your staff. So if you want your staff to use AI effectively give them access to training. Don’t just throw them at a tool and say, go for it, because they won’t know what to do with it, or they’ll be able to create stuff, but they won’t be able to create good stuff. So invest in the systems, invest in the frameworks and instructions, and invest in training for the people who are going to be using the tools.  Christian Klepp  14:46 Definitely some relevant points. I wanted to go back to something you said, though, because I think it’s really important. It’s certainly one thing to have the prompts and the guardrails in place and some kind of like, framework and structures. But to your earlier point, how do you enforce that? And I think you gave a really good example about like, if you have a custom GPT, and then they resort to like, using. Um Claude on their personal accounts, and then it’s a little bit like the wild west out there, isn’t it? Nick Usborne  15:06 It is, it is, and it’s and it’s, how do you enforce it? Well, that’s going to be a company by company decision. Like, like the Founder with the PR of the PR company, when she was telling me about how her employees just weren’t doing what they were asked. I was like, part of you is thinking about, why haven’t you kind of cracked down on this? But again, it depends on the company and what options you have when it comes to enforcing stuff like this. But I do think you need to, because then if we circle right back, if you have people who are untrained, and that’s the company’s responsibility to train their employees. If you have people who are untrained and they’re using these tools inconsistently, that is when you far more likely then to see errors for, you know, unforced errors like publishing stuff that you shouldn’t but you’re also going to see more brand drift, because you’re going to get this inconsistency between output and that is a disaster. Like I say, companies have sometimes spent, in a decade, several years in establishing and building a trustworthy brand. And people are very unforgiving. You can, you can lose all that goodwill very, very quickly. So, yeah, training frameworks make sure people are, you know, working within those boundaries, but as a company, it’s your responsibility to help make that happen. Christian Klepp  16:29 Yeah, yeah. Oh, absolutely, absolutely. You kind of brought this up already, but you mentioned that AI can help to scale content, but it can’t replicate your lived story, so please explain what you meant by that, and provide an example. If you can, Nick Usborne  16:46 AI can do a wonderful job in many ways, but you know, it’s never walked down the beach and felt the sand between its toes. It’s read about it. It’s never eaten ice cream. It’s read about that, but it’s never felt it. So that’s what I mean by lived experience. So I think that content and stories that truly resonate with people, you use those kind of touch points, the deeply human side of being alive and like say, I think AI can get close when you prompt it really well, but also there’s a messiness that makes us recognize one another, the little mistakes we make, that’s what makes us human. We are messy, and it’s not very good at being messy. You can ask it to be messy, and it’ll try to figure that out, but it’s really not the same. And like I say, I think people are very sensitive to this kind of nuance and the lived story. It’s the it’s the weird stuff. I think that resonates. So I’ve spent quite a bit of my career doing copywriting for companies, and for a long period, I was doing some freelance, a lot of freelance copywriting. So this is just a little side note, a little side story for you. I used to live on a hobby farm. We had some sheep and pigs and chickens and all that good stuff, the good life. And also had freelance customers. And I went in, and I was and I went, you know, you go out, you feed the animals, you come in, I sit down to work, and my client said, this is just on the phone. This is even before the internet. Client said, Hey, you’re late. I was just out farming the pig and feeding the pigs. And the guy says, what? And this, I hadn’t realized. I never told him that I lived on a farm. He thought somewhere. So anyway, we talked a little bit about the pigs, then we get to work. So the project we’re working on worked out really well, and it won an award. So we fly off to your hometown, Toronto, for the awards ceremony, direct marketing awards ceremony, and he stands up and he says, Thank you very much. Blah, blah, blah. And special thanks to Nick Usborne, the pig farming copywriter. And I’m like, I’m like, in the audience, and I’m thinking, oh, please no. This guy is like, rebranding me constantly in front of all my peers, all my potential clients for next year. Big drama turns out so, so that that’s messy, all right? AI wouldn’t do that, you wouldn’t imagine that it wouldn’t do that. That’s a deeply human moment of my humiliation and him laughing, and everyone slapping me on the back and laughing and asking about my pigs. Turns out, over the next 12 months, I got a few phone calls out of the blue. And I say, Hello, Nick Usborne. I said, Oh, is that Nick Usborne? The cover of James Barber. And I say, why? Yes. And so I actually got work out of that, because it was such a distinct difference from every other copywriter out there. I was the only copywriter who had pigs. So that was just a fun story, but it also speaks to the difference between humans and AI, and it’s a live that’s a lived experience, and it’s a lived anecdote, and I tell the story, and it’s a true story that is really important, I think so, even when we use AI, even when we use it at its best, and it can be really good when you use it well, I think everyone should keep leave space for the human in the loop, as they say, keep that human element in there, big for those stories. So I so I encourage companies to create what I call like a story vault. So there’s the obvious stories, like the Founder story, the origin story, the six original success story, also put in the little quirky stories, like that one I just described, and and make that part of your process. And also go, you know, if you’re creating something with AI and it’s a big project, take the time to go and interview someone, talk to someone, get a human story, put it in just because you’re using AI, doesn’t mean to say that everything you create has to be 100% AI, you can, you can? I do this all the time. I look for it a draft with AI, then I’d go back in and I’ll rewrite the beginning with an anecdote, like the small s story, not a big dramatic story, just a little story. And what it does then is that then connects it with us, because as people, we recognize stories. Story is profound to all of us. I think in every country in the world, parents read their children bedtime stories. It’s something we share in common. It’s how we communicate, and it’s how we recognize our humanity in a sense of like, if you tell me a story, you connect with me, and vice versa. So that’s why I think stories are so important in this world of AI, because if you just go AI, it can get a little cold, and sometimes, as a reader, you don’t quite understand what’s happening and why, but you kind of feel it. There’s an absence. There’s something missing, and that what’s what you feeling is missing is that human touch, that human element, Christian Klepp  21:59 Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, there’s like, there’s like, telltale signs, right? Like em dash being one of them,  Nick Usborne  22:06 em dash Christian Klepp  22:07 Yes, or Yeah. Or it tends to, like, regurgitate the same type of war. It’s like, I find it loves using the word landscape or navigate, you know, things of that nature, right?  Nick Usborne  22:20 Yeah.  Christian Klepp  22:21 Or uses these funny like, you know, the colon or for, for, for titles of episodes, for examples. Nick Usborne  22:30 In titles, even when I give it clear instructions, do not use them. So sometimes, when I create content like that is, I’ll create it in with one model like say, GPT5, and I’ll take it over to flawed, and I’ll say, hey, please edit and clean this up for me, and remove any, you know, repetition or whatever. And sometimes it comes back say, hey, looks pretty clean, pretty good. Other times it’ll change stuff. And then, of course, always I will, you know, I will review. And that’s the other thing that the companies need to think about. Is that, at the moment, content generation at scale within companies, it is a bit like a conveyor belt in a factory of all these boxes flying off the end into the FedEx back of the FedEx van, and without, without any kind of quality control, which, which is actually what you do have with income within you know, if you’re manufacturing, and you do have quality control, and you pick out every 20th item or whatever to make sure that it’s good, a lot of that isn’t happening, that isn’t happening with a lot of people using AI is people don’t even see it. It’s fully automated, like, like a week’s worth of social media is automated, or a month’s work worth, and no one, no human, has read it or reviewed it. It’s just flying out automatically. And that is where at some point you’re inevitably going to have a problem. And it may not be a big problem, it may be lots and lots of small problems, lots of lots of things sounding not quite right, and then all of a sudden, when you’ve got enough little things not sounding right, then you start getting a medium sized problem. Christian Klepp  24:06 Yeah, yeah. No, exactly, exactly. Okay. Now, you talked about it a little bit in the beginning, but talk to us about some of these, these frameworks and these processes that B2B companies can use to help them, you know, organize themselves and reap those benefits of AI without losing trust. Like, what are some of these processes and frameworks? Nick Usborne  24:26 I do some training, and I have done a few rubrics where people can kind of use those to formalize the process. But I think if we talk about story, and I think I already mentioned the idea of each company having a story vault, so be formal and deliberate about it. Everyone can chat about their company’s stories, but if I say to you, hey, is there a folder? Can I can I get a Google folder and find a compilation of all of these stories? And have you graded those stories in terms of how strong and relevant? And they are, and how engaging they might be, or how evocative they might be, and the answer is almost always no, the story is around. But there’s no story vault, and there’s no rubric in place to grade those stories and decide which might be the most appropriate points at which to share those stories. So it’s that, it’s that formalizing the process, and I don’t like being 100% rules based, but I think in the AI world right now, where we are in that kind of messy middle period, I think it’s really important to have some systems in place so that we do have a consistent output, so that when you so that your brand doesn’t suffer from brand drift, and that you don’t make some significant missteps along the way. So somebody within the organization needs to be responsible for this. Maybe it’s the Chief AI Officer, if you have one, or otherwise, somebody in Marketing. So yeah, help people with training, but also help them by giving them some framework, some rubrics and some just a system like, you know, hey, picked up a story from customer service, put it in the story vault, categorize it. Customer service in the story vault says someone else can come back and find it. So it’s not just word of mouth. It’s not accidental. There’s a place where people can go to and then you’re going to do the same with narrative, the things we say. And you have another vault, as it were, and another rubric to to assess voice, how we say it. So it’s just this formalization of the process, and also trying to make sure that people use these systems as you put them in place. So somebody’s got to be walking along behind, behind and sort of, and again, it’s like, I guess, like early days of anything. Not every, not everyone will love the process. Not everyone loves using AI. But it’ll come. It’ll come. People will get in their heart better, not only using AI, but doing it well and following these processes. Christian Klepp  27:02 Okay, fantastic, fantastic. Let me just quickly recap, because I was writing this down. So obviously, having a story vault, grading them if you can, if possible, having systems and frameworks in place, training the team and getting them to familiarize themselves with the systems having a vault for narrative and voice, I think was the other piece. And finally, using, using the systems, once you have them, not letting them collect dust, as it were, right? Nick Usborne  27:32 Like and it is, I get it right now. I get it. It’s hard for a lot of companies, because I think using AI has been very kind of mixed. Some companies have dived straight in. Others are resistant, particularly companies that have compliance issues, financial, medical stuff like that. They’re being very careful, very cautious, and for very good reason. So the rate of adoption is very uneven at the moment, Christian Klepp  28:01 Absolutely, absolutely, all right. Nick you’ve given us plenty here, right? But if we’re going to talk about actionable tips, like something that somebody who’s listening to this conversation that they can take action on right after listening to this interview, what are like some of the top three things you would advise them to do? Nick Usborne  28:17 Well, I guess first is just we’ve talked quite a bit about the story, the story of collecting stories. Just do that because, like I say, I think story is your is your superpower, because it is the only place where you have a moat you don’t in what you say and how you say it. Anyone can copy you, and I can automate copying you through AI as well, but I cannot steal your story, because it’s just not true if, if it’s not my story. So I’d always start there and again, start, start that. Build the vault, select the story and formalize that process. Interview the Founders, if you can, interview early employees, even if they’re retired, interview the first three clients, if you can access them, interview customer service. So often overlooked, customer service in one way or another, so long as that’s not all automated, if there’s still humans in that loop, then have conversations with them. And you can, you can, you can, get transcripts, customer service transcripts, and feed them into AI and say, hey, please analyze and summarize this. What are, what are the most powerful messages we can get from our customer service? Sort of stream of content? Do? Do a sentiment analysis? What are people upset about? What are people happy about? So, yeah, story, I think, is like, I say, it will be your motive, it will be your savior. So first start to formalize that process of getting story and then making sure that it finds a place, somewhere in your automation of, you know, AI generated content, Christian Klepp  29:58 Fantastic, fantastic stuff. Okay, soapbox time. What is the status quo in your area of expertise that you passionately disagree with, and why? Nick Usborne  30:11 I guess again, I’m just going to overlapping. I don’t know what a status quo, but the thing that I passionately disagree with is is every time you see most or a social media title that says top 20 killer, unbeatable prompts.  Christian Klepp  30:31 Oh, yeah. Nick Usborne  30:32 No, no, no, absolutely, just, just no for two reasons. One is that they’re going to be generic. They’re not going to apply to your company in particular, they’ll be generic, and just because they work for someone else does not mean they’re going to work for you. And like I say, we did, I’ve done research on those prompt libraries, and only 7% of them even touch on story. So if I’m writing stories, the most important thing almost all of those prompt libraries are missing out on that. They’re just focusing on narrative and voice and ignoring stories. So not good and and, yeah, so, so that is, I don’t know whether the status quo, but it’s something I keep seeing, and it irritates me when I get it. I understand why they’re doing it, but not helpful for your company. Christian Klepp  31:18 Yeah, you and me both. I mean, those are the those are the pulse they attempt to ignore immediately. I mean, I just skim through it and see the prompts, and I’m like, Nah, but I think it’s human nature too, isn’t it? Like everybody wants to chase the next hack. They want to find that the you know, the shortcut, like the quickest route to get something done. And I get that, but it sometimes does more harm than good. Nick Usborne  31:43 Easy button, but also to be fair and to be a little bit more generous. This is early days, and so people are looking for help. And if it says top 20, this is, oh my goodness, thank you. I’ll take that now. Over time, that’ll change, and people will become a little more sophisticated, I think, but like us, like you. You know, I get it. I understand why those those posts and titles are attractive, and that’s why people create them. But we can do better. We can do better Christian Klepp  32:12 Absolutely, absolutely we can, and we will, hopefully, all right, here comes the bonus question. I’ve been thinking about this one, but Nick Usborne  32:23 I feel strangely nervous. I feel nervous, but it’s a bonus question. Christian Klepp  32:30 Just breathe. Just breathe. I mean, clearly from this conversation, you know, writing is in your blood, right? It’s something that you are passionate about, but it’s also something you’ve done professionally for a long time, I suppose. The bonus question is, if you had an opportunity to meet your favorite writer or author, living or dead, who would it be, and what would you talk about?  Nick Usborne  32:55 One of the people, I really admire, and I’ve already spoken to him, is David Abbott. So David Abbott is a copywriter from from England, and he had an agency called Abbot Mead Vickers, and he was an amazing writer. So I’ve already met him. Who I haven’t met I would like to re write to meet is Susie Henry. She was the copywriter behind a series of advertisements in the UK for an insurance company, and she is just a delightful writer, so I told you, well, no, I hadn’t told you. Maybe I will tell you I’m like, when I started out copywriting, it was at the tail end of the Mad Men period, and creatives were the Kings and Queens, and copywriting was such a craft, it was something to be absolutely proud of, like we’d go through so many drafts, and it was, I was, you know, I was, I was a craftsman, learning from other craftsmen. And David, ever I met, he was in a fantastic writer, just written Susie Henry so good, very, very conversational writer, which was very unusual for that time. So I’d like to meet and talk with her, and I still can’t remember the fiction writer. He’s science fiction writer. I completely lost blank on his name, and I’ve actually met him once briefly, but I’d like to get back to him and chat, but I can’t, because he’s he’s since passed. Christian Klepp  34:19 Oh, I see, I see, I see. All right, well, that’s quite the list of people, but, um, but yeah. No, fantastic. No. Nick, thank you so much for coming on the show and for sharing your experience and expertise with the listeners. And please quick introduction to yourself and how people can get in touch with you. Nick Usborne  34:37 All right. Hi. My name is Nick Usborne, so my business build Story Aligned. So storyaligned.com and what we do there is pretty much, what I’ve talked about today is we train teams within companies to look at story, narrative and voice with a lot of emphasis on story, because that’s where the note is, so if you get a Story Aligned, you’ll find we have a white paper you can download. We have a blog that you can read, the description of the training. So yeah, if this interests you, if you find this an interesting topic, there’s plenty to do when you get there. So Story Aligned, A, L, I, G, N, E, D, yeah. Story Aligned. Christian Klepp  35:21 Fantastic, fantastic. And we’ll be sure to pop that into the show notes so that it’ll be easy for everyone to access. But once again, Nick, thank you.  Nick Usborne  35:28 Sorry, one last thing, if you want to please opening myself up, if you want to just talk to me directly, you can write to me at nick@storyaligned.com. Christian Klepp  35:38 Perfect, perfect. Nick, once again, thanks so much for your time. Take care, stay safe and talk to you soon. Nick Usborne  35:44 Thank you. Thank you for inviting me. It’s been a pleasure. Christian Klepp  35:47 Thank you. Bye for now. You.

Three Point Stance - Ted Johnson not losing sleep over Belichick snub // Does the HOF voting system need overhaul? // The human element of HOF voting //

Joyce Jackowski's Journey to a New Knee Recovering with Agility: Joyce Jackowski's Journey to a New Knee In the latest episode of The Bee's Knees Podcast, host Mary Elliott sits down with Joyce Jackowski, a Florida resident and competitive dog agility enthusiast who recently reached the four-week milestone following a total knee replacement on her right knee. For Joyce, the surgery wasn’t just about ending pain; it was about reclaiming a lifestyle defined by movement. After temporary injections failed to provide lasting relief, Joyce realized that to continue running with her dogs, she needed a permanent solution. Her story is a testament to the power of preparation, discipline, and finding the right technology to aid in recovery Choosing a recovery path was a deeply personal decision for Joyce, influenced heavily by her husband's difficult experience with a traditional recovery that required a painful “manipulation under anesthesia”. Determined to avoid a similar fate, Joyce followed the advice of a friend—another dog agility competitor—and looked into the X10 machine. Despite her surgeon's initial skepticism, Joyce was drawn to the results she saw online and decided to take charge of her own rehabilitation by bringing the X10 into her home. “My goal was to get back to being able to do all of my dog sports… I have been past the curve for all my measurements this whole time.” – Joyce X10 Therapy The first two weeks of recovery were a significant mental and physical struggle, marked by intense post-surgical pain. Joyce found herself questioning the decision to have surgery as her daily schedule became entirely consumed by a rigorous cycle of X10 sessions and physical therapy exercises. However, her discipline paid off quickly. Her home physical therapist noted that she was “way above the curve,” reaching normal range-of-motion measurements much faster than average. Today, Joyce's flexion is at 122 degrees, firmly within the normal range of 120 to 125 degrees. “The X10 machine really helped, but the component that makes this program above the top was having the coach support.” – Joyce Overcoming Challenges | The Human Element of Recovery Beyond the technology of the X10, Joyce credits her success to the human element of her recovery: Coach Kim. Having a dedicated coach to provide emotional support, technical advice, and even simple lifestyle tips—like listening to music during sessions or taking a drive to escape the “cabin fever” of recovery—made all the difference. This support system helped Joyce navigate the “down times” and corrected her when she was over-extending herself, such as the time she mistakenly tried to walk down the street the very night she returned from the hospital “Do your exercises. Do them even if you don’t feel like it… Give yourself a break, but do not take a cheat and do not do it at all.” – Joyce Now four weeks out, Joyce is walking without a cane inside her home and looks forward to returning to the dog sports she loves. Her advice to others facing a similar journey is simple: stay disciplined with your exercises. While it is okay to give yourself a mental break on tough days, she emphasizes that you must never “cheat” on the work required to heal. By combining the right tools with a relentless drive, Joyce has turned a daunting surgery into a successful first step back toward her passions.

In today's episode, we speak with Gerard Wood, founder of Turbo Leadership Coaching and Wood & Media, and someone well known across the mining and industrial sectors for his practical, no-nonsense approach to leadership, culture, and performance. Gerard has spent decades working alongside leaders, frontline teams, and tradespeople, helping businesses close the gap between strategy and execution. Many of you will know him as the author of 'Simplifying Mining Maintenance', a book that challenged how our industry thinks about reliability, accountability, and systems. Our conversation centres on Gerard's new book, 'Only Tradies Improve Reliability', due to be released in late-February which takes those ideas further, focusing on leadership, culture, and the often-overlooked role of tradies in building high-performing organisations. We'll be unpacking why this book needed to be written, what prompted Gerard to write it now, and how leaders can extract real, practical value from it in their own businesses. We'll also explore why Gerard cares so deeply about tradies, how leaders can recognise when cultural change is required, and how this book builds on the foundations laid in Simplifying Mining Maintenance. If you're a leader looking to improve performance, engagement, and culture, particularly in operational environments, this is a conversation you'll want to stay tuned for. KEY TAKEAWAYS While technical reliability tools (like RCM or RCA) are essential, they are ineffective without a positive trades culture. True reliability is built on the floor, not just in an office. Reliability issues often stem from "normalised" defects. Tradies and leaders may stop noticing problems because they have become part of the daily environment, requiring a shift in standards to correct. High turnover is a primary indicator of a poor culture. A healthy environment is one where leaders genuinely care for their teams and employees feel valued enough to speak openly about problems. BEST MOMENTS "If you can't talk about the problems openly and honestly, you have no ability to improve." "Reliability of equipment... is all centred around getting the culture around trades to be effective and doing good quality work." "Culture is not something that you just let happen. Because if you just let it happen, you may not get the one you want." GUEST RESOURCES https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerard-wood-146a3212/ https://gerardwood.com.au/ VALUABLE RESOURCES Mail:        ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ X:              ⁠https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson⁠  YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast⁠  Web:        ⁠http://www.mining-international.org⁠ CONTACT METHOD ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ Podcast Description Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people's experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.  This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

1 hour and 31 minutes The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com. Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Venue by 4M where record this, and Introducing this season: Radecki Oral Surgery, and Long Road Distillers. 1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac Starts at 0:51 Indiana Football won a natty. We say again: Indiana Football won. A natty. The Ohio State fans are crying Signs, it's great! Putting this in context because there hasn't been a more surprising national champion in any sport? Maybe Leicester but IU had the worst W% historically of any champion. Arc of college football is the big schools consolidate their chances of winning—last time a new school entered the ring it was Florida, which represented a demographic shift. What does this mean? Not a secret sauce but IU built similarly to 2023 Michigan: a base of players who played together a long time and some elite pieces added. They get better ROI by ignoring HS recruiting, put a lot of time and money into scouting. Similarity to Dusty May in that Cig knows what he needs and scouts the hell out of the rest of the sport. [The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]  2. Hot Takes and Men's Basketball vs Ohio State Starts at 27:20 Takes hotter than it's not outside. OSU game was annoyingly close. At one point Michigan was 2/16 from three and under 50% from the charity stripe. Biggest story of the game is the way Michigan held Bruce Thornton in check—the one hedge to center court that Mara got called for a foul was an awful call, but a proof of concept for how they defended OSU, which was to not give Thornton any space. Great Crisler crowd kept getting into highs and then a low-percentage event would derail, like their 17%-shooting big Christoph Tilly making a pair of threes (one a bank), 24%-shooting Amare Bynum making a deep contested jumper, and Mobley getting a bank three as shot clock is dying. Missed front ends made FT shooting feel extra annoying, somehow righted in the 2nd half. Big part of that was 21 good minutes from Trey McKenney. Liked Cason and McKenney more than Cadeau in this one: OSU has a 7'0" center and a 7'2" center but both of them are glued to the floor, which favors YOLO players. Annoying turnovers trying to figure out their zone. 3. Men's Basketball vs Indiana and a Nebraska Preview Starts at 54:03 Less annoying game, as Indiana was without Tayton Conerway for all but two minutes, and nobody else has the ability to get to the rim. IU couldn't even get the ball inside the three-point line. They finished 11/34 (32%) from three and that was because they made twice as many as they should have. IU only got five ORebs as they abandoned the glass to stop Michigan's transition game but terrible Nick Dorn shots that went off the back iron were their best way of getting the ball in the paint. Final score doesn't reflect the game because once Michigan got up 20-5 they put it in cruise control—this time it wasn't LJ Cason on the one drive for a layup. Will Tschetter's defense on Tucker DeVries was also a major factor. Nebrasketball is truly good. Very well-coached team, has a good system that turns everybody into Nebraska: 11th in taking threes, 6th in opponent 3PA/FGA. Have to slow down the game to protect stretch C Rienk Mask, who's the key to that offense. Might be without small four Braden Frager and been without SG Connor Essegian most of the year so there's a 23% shooting big in Berke "the Turk" Buyuktuncel that you can hide Mara on. The problem with that is it takes Mara out of the paint so you can't get away with playing as aggressively on the perimeter. Think we saw the prototype for how they want to play against Nebraska in that Oregon game. Might be able to do what Illinois did, was to take shots but then crash the glass because they don't have a lot of size. 4. Women's Basketball wsg Ira Weintraub Starts at 1:15:12 Time to get to know the best women's team in school history. Three losses were all similar: got way behind in the 1st quarter, fought their way back, came up short. Defense is fantastic, play the full court and cause a lot of turnovers which creates offensive opportunities. Get bogged down a bit in the half court and struggle to make their FTs. WBB officiating is beyond atrocious. Washington loss was a schedule thing after 2OT late game vs Oregon, but UConn and Vandy losses showed they can play with the elites and just need one more big basket from the super sophs. Hockeybear is blogging the team and making Team Sheets (key). It's not so easy is it? Super sophs: Holloway runs the offense and sets the defensive tone, Olson is a bucket, Swordsy is hero, and then they're getting a year from a growing Delfosse and UCLA transfer Dudley. Mostly a seven-woman rotation with Sofilkanich giving them some size inside, BQD a nightmare of a defensive pest, and then growth from Crockett who gives them some more size when they need it. Can they compete with the ELITE-elites? Nobody's unbeatable this year; Michigan is a solid two-seed, feel like floor is Sweet 16, has the make of a team that ends up losing a Final Four game en route to a big run next year.   MUSIC: "Getting Killed"—Geese "Forever Never Ends"—Jeff Tweedy "Downhill"—The Delivery Boys feat. Goldwood, Max Gertler & LOSTBOYBK “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

203. The Human Element in Leadership (with Helen Honisett)   In this episode of the Visibility Factor podcast, host Sue Barber speaks with Helen Honisett, CEO of Defy Expectations, about her unique approach to leadership. They discuss the importance of clarity in leadership, the impact of generational differences, and the concept of 'love leadership' which emphasizes human connection and care. Helen shares insights on the use of diagnostic tools for leadership development and the role of AI in enhancing leadership effectiveness. The conversation highlights the need for strategic thinking in leadership and the importance of understanding one's value in the evolving workplace. Takeaways Helen emphasizes the importance of clarity in leadership. Great leadership impacts personal wellbeing and professional development. Generational differences can enhance workplace dynamics. Love leadership focuses on human connection and care. Diagnostic tools can identify leadership strengths and weaknesses. AI should enhance human leadership, not replace it. Strategic thinking is crucial for effective leadership. Organizations need to invest wisely in leadership development. Cultural ROI is as important as financial ROI in leadership. Understanding one's value is key in the age of AI.   The book that Helen recommends is Letting Go by David R. Hawkins   Helen's website: https://www.defyexpectations.co.uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hhonisett/   Link to Order Your Journey to Visibility Workbook   Thank you for listening to The Visibility Factor Podcast!    Check out my website to order my book and view the  videos/resources for The Visibility Factor book and Your Journey to Visibility Workbook. As always, I encourage you to reach out! You can email me at hello@susanmbarber.com. You can also find me on social media everywhere –Facebook, LinkedIn, and of course on The Visibility Factor Podcast! I look forward to connecting with you!       If you liked The Visibility Factor Podcast, I would be so grateful if you could subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts! It helps the podcast get in front of more people who can learn how to be visible too!       

In this episode of the Service Business Mastery Podcast, host Tersh Blissett sits down with Ari Meisel, Founder of Less Doing and creator of the Optimize, Automate, Outsource framework. Ari is a globally recognized expert in business automation, productivity systems, and operational efficiency, with deep hands-on experience in the construction and skilled trades. Ari shares how extreme burnout and a Crohn's disease diagnosis forced him to redesign how he worked, leading to a system that allowed him to reclaim time, reduce stress, and build a business that runs without constant owner involvement. This conversation dives deep into automation for service businesses, decision-making systems, and what it really means to become a replaceable founder. In this episode, you'll learn: How to identify automation opportunities in your service business Why automating decisions is more powerful than automating tasks The "Replaceable Founder" mindset every business owner needs How automation reduces stress and increases scalability Real-world systems for reclaiming time without sacrificing growth If you're an HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or home service business owner feeling stuck in daily operations, this episode breaks down practical automation strategies, how to identify repetitive work, and how small system changes compound into massive time freedom. Timestamps ⏰ [00:00] "Ari's Impact on Email Automation" [06:15] "Masonry, Hardship, and Health Struggles" [07:25] "Optimize, Automate, Outsource Strategies" [12:32] Building Sustainable Generational Businesses [15:45] "Optimize, Automate, Outsource Effectively" [19:43] "Prioritizing Revenue in Business" [22:24] "Automation Enhances the Human Element" [25:52] "Asynchronous Communication Explained" [29:20] "Benefits of Solo Voice Recording" [30:46] "Creativity Comes with Movement" [36:38] Flexible Work Beyond Boundaries [39:12] iPhone Screenshot Automation Exploration [41:32] "Apps I've Used for Years" [46:54] Building Apps and Voice AI [47:38] "Switching to MEM AI Tools" [52:05] "Retirement via Automation Skills" [54:53] "Connect with Ari for Insights" Follow the Host and Guest: Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Ari Meisel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/productivity-coach-entrepreneur/   Connect with us on: • LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/service-business-mastery • TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@servicebusinessmastery • Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/servicebusinessmasterypodcast • Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/servicebusinessmasterypodcast This episode is kindly sponsored by: UpFrog CallRail CompanyCam Visit CompanyCam and use code SBM for a free 2-week trial, 1:1 training and account setup, and 50% off your first two months! MarketStorm priceguide Learn how to automate tasks, save time, and increase your profit. No coding required!

2 hour and 10 minutes The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com. Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Venue by 4M where record this, and Introducing this season: Radecki Oral Surgery, and Long Road Distillers. 1. Transfer Portal - Offense Starts at :51 The portal is closed! The only windows remaining are for a coaching change and for Indiana/Miami after the national championship game. Transfers, NIL, and contracts have been weird this cycle. Will Diego Pavia be in college until he's 45?? Thank you Davis Warren for beating Ohio State in the Funniest Game Ever. Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi is your backup QB out of Colorado State where he threw for over 7,000 yards. That's a "we don't practice f*cked" pick-up. Jadyn Davis's recruiting profile was a huge miss. Georgia Tech is a cool place for Justice Haynes, we're still not sure if Kuzdzal is returning. Taylor Tatum comes in from Oklahoma after a case of fumble-itus and several other ailments. Now he might actually have a good running backs coach. They retained Andrew Marsh - massive. The wide receiver room looks great, the only thing missing is a dedicated slot receiver but Michigan hasn't really utilized the role in a while anyways. Marlin Klein declared for the NFL draft but is he going to get drafted? The remaining tight ends and fullbacks should be good and viable options, they didn't get anyone out of the portal. JJ Buchanon doesn't count since he's being listed as a wide receiver. The offensive line is mostly retained which has star power potential. Overall the offensive line held serve besides losing Haywood, overall an A-grade. Would you give the offensive portal recruiting/retention an A all across the board? Could this become a... top ten offense?  2. Transfer Portal - Defense Starts at 41:41 Defensively is more of a mixed bag. Defensive end lost a lot of guys to graduation but only Devon Baxter to the portal. John Henry Daley is questionable based on his health, but if he's healthy you get Derrick Moore (but who actually plays more). Defensive tackle doesn't lose anyone noteworthy to the portal. You get back Trey Pierce and Enow Etta. Jonah Leaea was like a young Mo Hurst, he needs another 20 pounds. Defensive tackle has depth, just not star power, this wasn't a spectacular portal season for them either. This gets a solid B. Linebacker is the trouble spot. They lose Ernest Hausmann to eligibility/spirit quest, Cole Sullivan to Oklahoma, and Jimmy Rolder to the draft. The guys they bring in are uhhhhhh. Aisea Moa knows Jay Hill's system so he could possibly play but doesn't seem like he'll be all-Big Ten. This is a D, it's close to an F. At cornerback, you get Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry, and Snowden. Jayden Sanders to Notre Dame stings. Let's.... talk about the allegations of sabotage and blackmail? Cornerbacks situation gets a... C+. Safety loses Brandyn Hillam and Elijah Dotson. Is Bryce Underwood the only guy to come from Belleville and last for over a year? Is Rod Moore going to play? Who knows. Chris Bracy comes in from Memphis, who comes in with a historic tale of a fabled fumble. Safety starters could be Bracy and Rod Moore, Mason Curtis to linebacker. You have six safeties? How many are going to play in a Cover-1? Defense overall gets a C, they probably didn't get better or worse. How much of the Wink disdain will have been warranted? If Daley doesn't get healthy who is going to be the star on this defense? Maybe they'll be like the offense last year - lots of potential but not quite there yet.  3. Hot Takes and Basketball vs Washington and Oregon Starts at 1:23:58 Takes hotter than Utah's athletic director on Twitter. Michigan basketball sweeps their west coast tour, they don't dominate but give a solid beating in both games to not-great teams. Michigan and Oregon were close to identical at the rim. You're starting to see the cracks in the armor of this team. Sean Stewart is an elite flopper. What did Dusty possibly say to warrant a technical? Elliot Cadeau was pretty efficient but gets too close to the face of guys on the perimeter and then gets beaten. He tries things that are just a little too ambitious too often, these things usually don't work. Indiana doesn't match up with Michigan at all, Trey Burke to get honored at the Ohio State game. It's about to get real for Nebraska.  4. Hockey vs Minnesota Starts at 1:54:54 Michigan gets an almost-sweep of Minnesota getting 5 of 6 points. It's hard to believe this is what Minnesota's hockey team looks like, they've fallen a long way. Minnesota didn't go into the portal or the CHL and just doesn't have the same talent as they used to. Even the announcers were saying "oh, don't do that!" Seven saves in one minute is pretty incredible. Michigan State is still the one team that can match up with Michigan. Michigan is probably in the best spot since the 2022 team when they were number 1. Is there anything Warde Manuel has done that makes you think Michigan hockey will be on a local television station? Four Big Ten teams are in the top 10 of NPI.  MUSIC: "Secret Loving"— Dry Cleaning "Dancing In The Club"— This Is Lorelei & MJ Lederman "Random Rules"— Silver Jew “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra   

In this episode of "The Free Lawyer" podcast, host Gary interviews M&A advisor David Shavzin about how lawyers can prepare their firms for sale or transition. David explains the importance of reducing owner dependency, improving productivity, and building sustainable marketing systems to increase a law firm's value. They discuss strategies for gradual exits, the emotional challenges of leaving a practice, and the need for early planning. David also highlights the value of revenue diversification and assembling a trusted advisory team. The episode offers practical advice for lawyers seeking freedom while preserving their professional legacy.David is an M&A Advisor and Exit Strategist who truly understands what business owners go through when they start thinking about their exit strategy and the real value of what they have built.What makes David stand out is his rare combination of deep M&A transaction experience, strategic planning expertise, and business valuation knowledge. He founded The Value Track to help owners understand and grow their company's value — whether they are planning to exit in two years or ten.He does not just focus on the sale - he helps owners look 3–5 years ahead and build value systematically. It is a practical, forward-looking perspective that most business owners will benefit from, whether or not they are actively thinking about an exit.David's Background and Human Element in Exits (00:01:07) Learning the Importance of Personal Conversations (00:02:27) What Makes a Law Firm Sellable? (00:04:50) Myths vs. Reality of Selling a Law Firm (00:08:12) Optimizing Value and Owner Irrelevance (00:09:40)Productivity, Process, and Marketing Systems (00:12:31)Building a Marketing Machine (00:13:35) The Buyer's Perspective and Value Multipliers (00:15:05) Team Quality and Internal Dynamics (00:17:31) TPersonal Goodwill vs. Enterprise Goodwill (00:20:08) Deal Structures for Gradual Transition (00:22:12) When to Start Exit Planning (00:23:53) Cost of Waiting Too Long (00:25:18) Navigating Post-Sale Identity Crisis (00:26:11) Strategic Exit Planning for Freedom (00:28:12) Most Overlooked Value Creation Strategy (00:29:37) First Steps for Lawyers Considering Exit (00:31:58) Take The Free Lawyer Assessment (10 minutes, completely free):https://www.garymiles.net/the-free-lawyer-assessmentWhat you'll get immediately:✓ Your Professional Freedom Score (out of 300 points)✓ Breakdown across Internal Authority, Sustainable Excellence, and Authentic Practice✓ Personalized action plan in your inbox✓ Specific steps you can take this weekWould you like to learn what it looks like to become a truly Free Lawyer? You can schedule a complimentary call here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-callWould you like to learn more about Breaking Free or order your copy? https://www.garymiles.net/break-free

1 hour and 48 minutes The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com. Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Venue by 4M where record this, and Introducing this season: Radecki Oral Surgery, and Long Road Distillers. 1. Transfer Portal - Offense Starts at :51 Never doubt the law of conservation of vibes. The Penn State basketball game saved the offensive line. This was recorded on Sunday at noon so by the time you listen to this, things have probably already changed (hello, Jaime Ffrench). It would be nice to get a backup QB in the portal (hello Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi). Justice Haynes has hit the portal, might be going to Georgia Tech, and Oklahoma RB Taylor Tatum is in. So far he's struggled with fumbles and a hamstring injury but Oklahoma's RB coach is one of the worst in P4. He might be a Moneyball situation. Kuzdzal might be coming back? Jaime F-f-f-french is in and if JJ Buchanan joins then we have an actual wide receiver room. Still need a tight end? Offensive line got their guys back, we're un-mad now. Need some depth at center, though.  [The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]  2. Transfer Portal - Defense Starts at 27:11 Not as sunny as the offense right now but it can change at any time. How we feel so far depends on the status of John Henry Daley's Achilles, he could be a Derrick Moore comparison if healthy. Defensive end looks pretty set. Defensive tackle... they get Pierce back. They do get Jonah Lea'ea from Utah who was a bit undersized and needed another year to develop. Enow Etta's return has turned from optimism to pessimism. Hopefully Alister Vallejo is ready as a freshman. At linebacker Rasheem Biles is off the board, they are hosting Cade Uluave from Cal, an all-ACC linebacker. Jimmy Rolder has declared for the draft and is #692 on the NFL Mock Draft database. The secondary isn't entirely in the portal but it's alarming, safety is now a concern. Surely we'll find out more about safety this week because you can't go into a season with three safeties. Per Trevor McCue, Jay Hill doesn't rotate the secondary at all! Kerry Coombs got his guys for special teams, they've got a kicker from Pitt, Trey Butkowski. This offense could be really good and not need to rely on a kicker who can hit field goals from the 37. Overall, get in a safety or two and ideally a good defensive tackle and this team is really close to being very competitive. When's the last time the offense was better than the defense, 2011?  3. Hot Takes and Basketball vs Penn State and Wisconsin Starts at 1:05:25 Takes hotter than Wisconsin three point shooting. Basketball is no longer invincible. This must feel the same as when Matt Painter had to play Mo Wagner. Michigan got out-rebounded pretty badly which feels like a major failing given the line-up. They need to play a little dirtier in the paint. Michigan and Wisconsin were shooting back-to-back threes until Michigan fell off. The offensive goal-tending ruling was the rule. Wisconsin doesn't send many guys to the offensive board, they tend to get back and trying to get transition baskets isn't worth it. A key for Michigan going forward is how stretch is everyone's five? Wisconsin shot 12 points higher than their expected for the number of threes they shot.  4. Hockey vs Notre Dame Starts at 1:28:57 Michigan escapes a bad Notre Dame team but loses goalie Jack Ivankovic for "some period of time" (possibly the season). The hit was unfortunate but probably not malicious. There are strong words said about these officials. Naurato has said in his press conferences that "I can't say what I want to say." Big Ten hockey is one of the best leagues in the world and the Big Ten treats it like the 4th most important sport. Freshman goalie Stephen Peck is now your starter. The defense needs to step way up to support their new goalie. If the season ended today they'd still be the number one seed in the tournament, though. Part of that is because of Ivankovic.  MUSIC: "One Tiny Flower"— Jeff Tweedy "Don't Do Me Like That"— J. Mascis "Falling Behind"— Laufey “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra   

Today we are joined by Mitchell Osmond. Mitchell is a leadership consultant, executive coach, and host of the Dad Nation Podcast, ranked in the top 5% globally with over 33,000 listeners. With 15+ years in senior leadership, Mitchell helps high-performing men find success where it matters most: at home, in their health, and in their happiness, all while strengthening their careers. [Jan 12, 2026]   00:00 - Intro 00:29 - Intro Links -          Social-Engineer.com - http://www.social-engineer.com/ -          Offensive Security Vishing Services - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/vishing/ -          Offensive Security SMiShing Services - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/smishing/ -          Offensive Security Phishing Services - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/smishing/ -          Call Back Phishing - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/call-back-phishing/ -          Adversarial Simulation Services - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/adversarial-simulation/ -          Social Engineering Risk Assessments - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/social-engineering-risk-assessment/ -          Social-Engineer channel on SLACK - https://social-engineering-hq.slack.com/ssb -          CLUTCH - https://www.clutchmerch.com/ -          innocentlivesfoundation.org - http://www.innocentlivesfoundation.org/                                 02:06 - Mitchell Osmond Intro 02:45 - The Turning Point 08:01 - The Attraction Triangle 15:48 - Driving Essence 22:49 - Ask, Don't Tell 25:04 - Mirroring/Summarizing 27:21 - The Need to Be Real 29:00 - Find Mitchell Osmond Online                       -          Website: https://www.dadnationco.com/ -          Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dadnationco/ 29:26 - The Spark Starter Kit -          Website: https://www.dadnationco.com/spark-starter-kit 31:36 - Book Recommendations -          The Meaning of Marriage - Timothy Keller 32:43 - Mentors 35:57 - Guest Wrap Up & Outro                                 -          www.social-engineer.com -          www.innocentlivesfoundation.org

SummaryIn this episode of the Tabletop SportCast, host James Cast interviews Mark Unger and Ron Juckett about their experiences in the sports gaming community and the exciting documentary project they are working on. They discuss the art of sports broadcasting, the importance of storytelling, and the human interest elements that make sports gaming a unique hobby. The conversation also touches on the role of technology, nostalgia, and community connection in enhancing the sports gaming experience. Have a story to tell? Email Marc Unger at thespianseries@gmail.comKeywordssports gaming, broadcasting, documentary, tabletop sports, community, storytelling, technology, human interest, nostalgia, sports historyTakeawaysThe importance of storytelling in sports documentaries.Ron Juckett's unique broadcasting experience despite physical limitations.Mark Unger's passion for sports gaming and its history.The role of technology in enhancing sports gaming experiences.Community connection is vital in the sports gaming hobby.The documentary aims to highlight human interest stories in sports gaming.Nostalgia plays a significant role in attracting new players to the hobby.The documentary will focus on high production values to engage a wider audience.Exploring the mental health aspects of sports gaming enthusiasts.The documentary seeks to bridge the gap between hobbyists and mainstream sports.TitlesCapturing the Essence of Sports GamingBehind the Scenes of Sports BroadcastingSound bites"This is the Tabletop Sportcast.""Ron Juckett's unique broadcasting experience.""The importance of storytelling in documentaries."Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Guests03:32 Ron Juckett's Journey in Sports Gaming06:18 Mark Unger's Background and Passion for Sports09:23 The Concept of the Documentary12:18 Ron Juckett's Broadcasting Aspirations15:37 The Human Element in Sports Gaming18:34 Accessibility in Sports Gaming21:32 The Role of Technology in Sports Gaming24:30 Production Values and Storytelling in Documentaries33:41 Crafting a Compelling Documentary35:46 Exploring Personal Stories and Mental Health39:27 The Global Community of Gamers43:12 Nostalgia and Its Role in Gaming48:16 Understanding the Mechanics of Gaming50:04 The Power of Documentaries to Inspire54:50 Funding and Community Involvement01:01:51 The Broader Impact of the Hobby01:05:15 Future Projects and Engagements01:16:11 NEWCHAPTER

SUMMARYMany speakers, coaches, and consultants say they hate sales. In reality, what they hate is manipulative, impersonal, high-pressure selling that feels out of alignment with who they are.In this episode of Present Influence, sales expert Katie Nelson dismantles the myth that selling high-ticket offers has to feel sleazy. We explore why sales is fundamentally human, not transactional, and why relationship, curiosity, and courage matter far more than funnels, scripts, or AI shortcuts.We cover how speakers and coaches can sell premium services ethically, why relying solely on referrals is risky, how fear and rejection really work in sales, and why the founder must stay involved in selling longer than they think. Katie also challenges the overuse of “sales mindset” rhetoric and explains why action, not affirmation, is what actually builds confidence and cash flow.If you sell your expertise, your voice, or your presence and want a sales process that feels honest, effective, and sustainable, this episode will change how you think about selling.Find Katie on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesalescatalyst/ or go to SalesUprising.comHere's the link for Katie's video series Feed The Fire: https://youtu.be/WfYrsNgSRoA?si=PaL5n0tRByqnJiOYTakeawaysSales is not a personality flaw; it's a human process.Embracing sales leads to quicker business success.Referrals should be seen as gifts, not strategies.Sales is about people before it's about systems.Mindset is important, but action is crucial in sales.You can't outsource your courage as a business owner.Sales is a service in both directions.Understanding your target audience is key to sales success.Fear and rejection are part of the sales journey; learn to overcome them.Building relationships is essential for effective sales. CHAPTERS00:00 The Human Element in Sales06:57 Reframing Sales: From Fear to Service10:47 Sales as a Reflection of Humanity17:27 Building Resilience in Sales21:20 The Evolution of Sales Models26:48 Simplifying Sales Funnels for Success32:25 Sales Strategies for Speakers35:17 The Power of Referrals in Business40:04 Mindset vs. Action in Sales43:54 Embracing Sales as a Business Owner44:45 The Importance of Referrals and Stability in SalesVisit presentinfluence.com/quiz to take the Speaker Radiance Quiz and discover your Charisma Quotient.For speaking enquiries or to connect with me, you can email john@presentinfluence.com or find me on LinkedInYou can find all our clips, episodes and more on the Present Influence YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PresentInfluenceThanks for listening, and please give the show a 5* review if you enjoyed it.

In this episode of The Product Experience, Mariah (Executive Director of Product at The Atlantic) discusses the often-vague transition from being a great Product Manager to becoming an effective manager of people. Drawing on her background as a journalist, Mariah explores how empathy and storytelling translate into product leadership. She deep-dives into using the Reforge PM Competency Model to remove subjectivity from performance reviews, fostering growth through "Development Conversations," and integrating AI into the PM workflow without losing the human touch.Chapters[0:00] The Pitfalls of People Management[1:15] Mariah's Origin Story: From Journalism to Product[3:24] Product Goals at The Atlantic[4:14] Transferable Skills from Journalism[6:08] The Evolution of the News Product Industry[8:40] Why Product Leaders Struggle with Management[13:12] The Reforge Competency Framework[15:13] Running 6-Week Development Conversations[21:20] Linking Development to Pay and Promotions[22:58] Managing the Human Element of Performance[26:12] Addressing Burnout and Imposter Syndrome[28:58] Upskilling Teams in the Era of AI[31:40] AI Disruption in the News Industry[33:01] Closing and ResourcesKey Takeaways— Journalism as a Product Foundation: Skills like active listening, asking the "question behind the question," and storytelling are directly transferable to discovery and stakeholder management.— The "Liking" Trap: Effective management isn't about being liked; it is about challenging your team. Radical transparency often leads to more long-term gratitude than avoiding uncomfortable conversations.— Structured Development: Using a competency framework turns vague performance evaluations into objective, actionable growth plans.— The 6-Week Pulse: Dedicated "Development Conversations" every six weeks help track progress and adjust goals in real-time, far beyond the utility of an annual review.— Protecting Focus: "Focus Fridays" (no-meeting days) are essential for PMs to escape the "weeds" and execute high-value work.Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

In this episode of "Your Leadership Legacy," host Tina Paulus Krauss welcomes co-host, Melissa Marks, and guest expert William Reid. Together, they explore how leadership can bridge the gap between technical innovation and human-centered design. The discussion highlights the importance of emotional intelligence, integrating AI with empathy, and empowering people at all levels. William shares insights on aligning technology with real human needs, while Tina and Melissa emphasize adaptive leadership and collaboration. The episode offers practical advice for leaders seeking to create organizations that are agile, effective, and truly focused on both people and progress. Time Stamps: Podcast Introduction (00:00:02) Tina introduces the podcast, welcomes co-host Melissa, and sets the stage for the episode. Melissa's Background & Partnership (00:00:27) Melissa shares her engineering background and how she partnered with Tina on leadership workshops. Team Excellence & Leadership Tools (00:01:01) Discussion about the impact of providing leaders with tools and resources for team transformation. Introducing William Reid (00:01:30) William Reid is introduced as the guest expert in technology and facilitation. William's Bio & Approach (00:01:38) Tina reads William's bio, highlighting his focus on connecting technical solutions with human needs. William's Career Journey (00:02:35) William shares his transition from technical roles to facilitation and human-centered work. Bridging Technical and Human Worlds (00:04:01) Discussion on the importance of connecting technical solutions to real human problems. Challenges in Tech Adoption (00:04:19) William explains the disconnect between technical innovation and user experience in daily life. Blending Technical and Adaptive Leadership (00:05:28) Melissa and William discuss the need to blend technical expertise with adaptive, human-focused leadership. Complexity in User Experience (00:06:15) William describes the challenges of designing technology that truly meets user needs. Leadership's Role in Bridging Gaps (00:09:04) Tina and William discuss leadership's responsibility in uniting diverse goals for better solutions. Leadership Perspective on Mission & Profit (00:10:03) William explains how leadership must balance mission statements with profitability and customer experience. Emotional Intelligence in Leadership (00:13:20) Melissa and Tina highlight the importance of emotional intelligence in modern organizations. AI Integration and the Human Element (00:13:56) Melissa discusses the impact of AI on organizations and the enduring importance of human involvement. The Curse of Knowledge & Customer Experience (00:15:38) William warns about experts overlooking user struggles and the need for empathy in design. Cost-Cutting vs. Customer Value (00:18:45) William critiques short-sighted cost-cutting and advocates for using AI to enhance, not replace, human roles. Leadership Gaps and Organizational Change (00:19:38) Discussion on the need for leadership to adapt structures and processes for evolving customer journeys. Solving New Problems with New Solutions (00:21:10) Tina and William emphasize the need for innovative solutions rather than relying on outdated methods. Advice for Executive Leaders (00:22:52) William offers practical steps for leaders to move organizations toward human-centered, effective solutions. Process Maturity and Problem Solving (00:23:47) William stresses the importance of mature processes and listening to real customer problems. AI, Process, and Continuous Feedback (00:26:41) Melissa and William discuss leveraging AI while maintaining strong processes and regular feedback loops. Future of Leadership & Empowerment (00:28:16) William describes the future of leadership as empowering people at all levels and removing bottlenecks. Organizational Bottlenecks & Ego (00:29:48) William explains how ego and centralized authority slow organizations and hinder innovation. Human Touch in a Tech-Driven World (00:31:43) William advocates for maintaining human interaction even as technology advances. Closing Thoughts & Where to Find William (00:33:31) Tina thanks William, who shares where listeners can find more about his work and upcoming projects. Final Reflections on Leadership (00:34:17) Melissa and Tina reflect on individual leadership, the evolving workplace, and the importance of customer focus. About the Guest William Reed is an optimist about our ability to put the right approach and solutions in front of the right problems.   Every complaint, setback, problem, or challenge is a signal to us of the need for change to the status quo.   I explore ways to help others to think differently about how they approach what they do. I work with organizations to get the right solutions into the hands of those who need them, navigating the arduous design/build process through market noise into successful usage of the solution.   Website https://www.williamreed.info/   Social Media https://www.linkedin.com/in/cciewill/   Additional Link https://www.youtube.com/@thesmartitpodcast   Main Topics or Questions The imperative to inspire the next generation of leaders. -What does the future of leadership look like -Approaches to sharing the decision-making responsibilities -Reshaping the meaning of work     About the Host Hosted by Tina Paulus-Krause, leadership coach, speaker, author, and creator of the RESET framework, this podcast is a space for leaders, professionals, and purpose-driven humans who know there is more available to them. Tina blends emotional intelligence, embodiment, lived experience, and practical self leadership tools to support meaningful transformation from the inside out. This podcast explores self-leadership, emotional intelligence, healing, difficult conversations, change, boundaries, generational healing and legacy so you can lead yourself with clarity, regulate your energy, strengthen relationships, and create results that are sustainable, aligned, and deeply human. If you are navigating burnout, transition, growth, or a desire to lead differently, you are in the right place.     Work With Me Ready to go deeper and apply what you are learning?

2 hours and 5 minutes The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com. Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Venue by 4M where record this, and Introducing this season: Radecki Oral Surgery, and Long Road Distillers. 1. Men's Basketball vs USC Starts at :51 Basketball gets to go first because they've earned it. They're the number one team on Kenpom by a full five points and the second highest rated Kenpom team of all time. Michigan shot 20% from three and still beat a top 25 USC team by 30 points. This was the Morez Johnson game. Michigan has three of the top five players in the Big Ten. What does a Michigan loss look like? Dusty May has done a great job working on Roddy Gayle, auto-benching with this team is fine. The cutoff for Kenpom to think you're a rotational player is 10% of team minutes, Grady and Goodman are both above this metric. The things that Michigan are good at are things that are very repeatable. There are different levels of Kenpom Time every time Michigan plays. It's weird to say this but it's good that Michigan gets Nebraska at home, they're spicy.  2. Football vs Texas Starts at 24:34 The Citrus Bowl came and went. We were hoping we could learn things about this offensive line going into the off-season then a lot of them went and hit the portal. Kuzdzal played an encouraging game but there were still a few moments of "I wish Jordan Marshall had hit that hole." Bryce Underwood did get some explosive runs, this will be nice for a new coaching staff that likes to run the quarterback. He was put in a lot of positions to fail towards the end of the game. Kerry Coombs did some things with special teams! Wow Michigan drew holds finally. We are done with the Wink Martindale era. Michigan had zero pass rush.  3. Hot Takes and Coaching Staff Starts at 40:11 Takes hotter than the basketball team, this will be the intro until any reason otherwise.  Offensive Coordinator - Jason Beck Came in from Utah, was at New Mexico before that. Has had some very successful offenses. Was a spread-heavy coach at New Mexico and became Whittingham-ized at Utah. Seems like a seamless fit, he should know what to do with Bryce Underwood. Running Backs Coach - Tony Alford It's working, good work keeping him around. Wide Receivers Coach(es) - Micah Simon and Marques Hagans Micah Simon doesn't have a lot of experience, he followed Beck. How much coaching does it take to get someone to catch the ball?  Tight Ends Coach - Freddie Whittingham He's developed some studs. Kyle Whittingham's brother, does not feel like a nepotism hire. Offensive Line Coach - Jim Harding Has two first round tackles this year. Probably could not have gotten a better o-line coach. Michigan has players trickling into the portal but you've got The Guy coaching next year's group. A lot of offensive linemen got recruited by Sherrone so it's not a shocker that some players are looking elsewhere.  Defensive Coordinator - Jay Hill Turned Weber State into a powerhouse. He has coordinator and head coaching experience, seems good. He has coached college his whole career rather than coordinate NFL defenses. Defensive Ends - Lewis Powell Specializes in Polynesians. Has a spectacular track record of developing defensive ends. Brian pledges to figure out how to pronounce all the Polynesian names.  Defensive Tackles - Lou Esposito Continued from last year. You can get more assistant coaches now so it makes sense to split DEs and DTs.  Linebackers Coach - Alex Whittingham Kyle's son, spent eight years with the Chiefs. Apparently Andy Reid played with Kyle Whittingham. This one is a bit more of a nepo hire but he has moved up the ranks.  Defensive Backs Coach - Jernaro Gilford BYU fans are upset that he's leaving which is a good sign. There aren't a lot of cornerbacks in the portal, hopefully he can find some guys.  Special Teams - Kerry Coombs Gets to keep the job he got right before Sherrone was fired. His previous Special Teams have been in the 30ish rank. He's not a slam dunk but should be solid.  4. Transfer Portal Starts at 1:42:43 It's Portal Takes season, we have not yet gotten to Portal Gives season. Guys who are in the portal are not necessarily gone. Jadyn Davis, Davis Warren, Ben Roebuck, Connor Jones, Devon Baxter, Semaj Morgan, Jaden Mangham, and Jasper Parker are guys who will probably get better opportunities elsewhere. Elijah Dotson, Brady Prieskorn, and Kaden Strayhorn are guys you'd like to keep around. Zeke Berry, Jake Guarnera, Andrew Sprague, Cole Sullivan, and Enow Etta are the "ouch" group. Some guys have left the door open. Would really really like to get Guarnera back, Sprague sounds like he's going to Texas. Most folks who are going to enter the portal have but we're not out of it yet. Keep an eye on Utah defensive end John Henry Daley, cornerback Smith Snowden, and safety Tao Johnson. Cole Sullivan would be a great fit in this defense, would love to keep him. They need guys (plural) on the defensive line, especially at defensive tackle. Even if you keep Andrew Marsh you would like to get a wide receiver or two. Might want to look into a punter or a kicker, maybe with a new staff we can finally move on from the 2015 Michigan State game.  MUSIC: "Nothing I Need"— Lord Huron "A Couple Minutes"— Olivia Dean "Cotton Mouth"— fanclubwallet “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra   

Are you ready to dive deep into personalizing the sales process in a world saturated with AI? Nikki Rausch, CEO of Sales Maven, author, and podcast host, joins the conversation to explain why people still buy from people and how a "high-tech" world demands an even more "high-touch" approach. Discover her game-changing techniques for fostering authentic connections, including her specific, powerful questions to ask in a sales conversation, the strategic power of replacing "if" with "when" in your language, and why she believes the most important word for a salesperson's presence right now is "generous."Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://pennyzenker360.com/positive-productivity-podcast/

A dive into the captivating world of space exploration and the challenges faced by those who venture into the unknown. Leland Melvin shares his unique perspective on leadership in hostile environments, shedding light on the life-or-death decision-making processes astronauts encounter in space. Stephen Petranek, Lucianne Walkowitz, and Dr. Michio Kaku discuss the complex relationship between government funding and private enterprise in the space industry.As we peel back the layers of romanticism surrounding space travel, Leland Melvin gives us a glimpse into the everyday realities of life on the space station, highlighting the mundane tasks and the profound collaboration among diverse individuals. #mars

The discussion centers on the complexity of modern marketing and the need to simplify it. Scott emphasizes the importance of human connection and storytelling over technical jargon. They argue that overcomplicating marketing with tech stacks and AI-generated content can dilute the human element, leading to inefficiency and reduced trust. Molly agrees, highlighting the need for a well-defined marketing message and strategic tech use. They stress the importance of maintaining a personal touch and being nimble, especially for smaller companies. The conversation concludes with a call to focus on human-centric marketing to build trust and achieve success. Action Items [ ] Use an AI/program to summarize this Ask Molly conversation and produce a concise summary of key points[ ] Publish another Ask Molly episode shortly and notify listeners when it is available[ ] Launch and publish the new podcast series 'Business Beatitudes' and promote it to listeners Outline Simplifying Marketing Complexity Scott introduces the podcast, emphasizing the goal of simplifying marketing to help companies succeed.Scott expresses frustration with the complexity of marketing conversations, likening it to needing a decoder ring.The discussion highlights the overwhelming amount of information and the tendency to ignore it due to inundation.Scott stresses the importance of connecting with individuals through the principles of know, like, and trust. The Role of Human Element in Marketing Scott argues that marketing should be simplified to focus on personal connections and human elements.The conversation touches on the importance of storytelling and creating a personal brand for companies.Scott believes that the market depends on companies to succeed and that simplifying marketing can lead to tremendous success.The discussion emphasizes the need for companies to be human and relatable in their marketing efforts. Challenges of Modern Marketing Technologies Scott and Molly discuss the complexity of the marketing tech stack and its impact on progress.Molly explains how the focus on technology can lead to neglecting the core marketing message and customer engagement.The conversation highlights the inefficiency of spending too much time on technology integration without making progress in marketing.Molly suggests that companies should focus on specific and strategic technology purchases and address needs as they arise. Balancing Technology and Human Touch Scott and Molly discuss the importance of maintaining a balance between technology and human interaction in marketing.Molly emphasizes the need for a well-defined marketing message and foundation to avoid chaos and inefficiency.The conversation touches on the challenges of working with large companies and their slower decision-making processes.Scott and Molly agree that smaller companies have an advantage in being nimble and quick to implement changes. Impact of AI on Marketing Scott and Molly discuss the role of AI in marketing and its potential to remove the human element.Molly shares an example of how AI can quickly generate marketing content but lacks the personal touch.The conversation highlights the importance of editing and personalizing AI-generated content to maintain authenticity.Scott expresses concern that over-reliance on AI could lead to a lack of trust and engagement from customers. The Importance of Human Connection in Marketing Scott and Molly agree that the human element is crucial in marketing and should not be replaced by technology.The...

Weather Geeks TeamWhat began as Fourth of July thunderstorms in Kerr County, Texas rapidly evolved into a catastrophic flash flood that overwhelmed campgrounds, highways, and homes. Today on Weather Geeks, we're dedicating our episode to understanding the flood disaster in Texas' Hill Country, how it happened so fast, and how we can better prepare for the next time the sky opens up. We'll unpack the meteorological setup as well as the human and infrastructural challenges in warning, evacuation, and rescue. This isn't just a weather story—it's a community story, and a wake-up call for every corner of the country vulnerable to sudden flooding.Chapters00:00 Understanding the Texas Hill Country Flood Disaster01:39 Meteorological Insights and Communication Challenges05:00 Analyzing the Meteorological Setup09:32 The Role of Terrain and Hydrology18:12 The Impact of Communication on Preparedness25:02 Cloud Seeding Myths and Misunderstandings27:22 Lessons Learned for Future Flood Events27:50 The Deadly Overnight Flooding Event29:02 The Importance of a Nightly Weather Check29:30 Enhancing Flood Warnings and Public Response31:18 The Role of Forecasting in Emergency Management33:44 Public Perception and Weather Warnings35:41 Psychology of Weather Response37:31 The Need for Effective Warning Systems39:54 Advocating for Weather Radios41:22 The Impact of Climate Change on Flooding43:49 Understanding Extreme Weather Events45:57 The Role of Sea Surface Temperatures51:30 The Human Element in Weather EventsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

2 hours and 45 minutes The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com. Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Venue by 4M where record this, and Introducing this season: Radecki Oral Surgery, and Long Road Distillers. 1. Kyle Whittingham Reaction Starts at :51 Brian can't make fun of the name "Kyle" anymore. Woah, Alex Drain is here! Did Kyle Whittingham get pushed out of Utah? He's 66 but could probably beat up several members of the current team, he doesn't feel too old. This might be the best guy to hit the ground running with Bryce Underwood. He's had a 20+ year stretch of success and it's mostly over-performing expectations statistically. Are there concerns about the way this would translate to Michigan? Utah folks are asking if we're prepared for limited media availability, a coach who can sound like a jerk, and a 300 lbs fullback. Yes, yes we are. Kyle Whittingham's risk for scandal seems extremely low. How many coaches in the Big Ten would you pick over him? His dad's nickname was "Mad Dog". A brief history of his success over his coaching career, which included two PAC-12 Championships. Kyle lets his QB run the ball, Bryce's output this season would've been the worst for Utah going back at least a decade. Harbaugh had a great hit rate on sleeper recruits, Whittingham should as well. He has some very Harbaugh-adjacent quotes as well. What's your letter grade for the hire? [The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]  2. Assistants Starts at 42:48 The new staff is coming together pretty quickly. Jason Beck is lining up to be the offensive coordinator, coming in from Utah. Alex details his history as a coach which was mostly as an offensive coordinator and QB coach. He likes hybrid players and will love the tight end room. Jay Hill is lined up from BYU as defensive coordinator, BYU fans are not thrilled that he's leaving. He took a 100ish ranked defense and turned it into a top 25 defense. He also made Weber State a powerhouse while he was there. He'll play more man-defense than we're used to which might not be what we want against Ohio State. Jay Hill could also be a head coach in waiting down the road. It feels like the defense is going to be coached again. Jason Beck could be a QB coach but there are rumors that Koy Detmer Jr could come in as an analyst/QB coach. All signs point to Tony Alford being retained. Ron Bellamy will probably stick around, they still need a Michigan guy and he might be the most "Michigan Guy" on staff. Freddie Whittingham could likely come in at tight ends coach, he is not a nepotism hire. He could also be a recruiting coordinator guy if you want to keep Grant Newsome around. Jim Harding could be the offensive line coach coming out of Utah. Lewis Powell might be coming in as defensive ends coach out of Utah. Lou Esposito might stay at Michigan. Linebackers coach is the one area where we haven't heard anything. Whittingham has mentioned going after a coach that is still in the playoffs. Jernaro Gilford might follow Jay Hill as the defensive backs coach. LaMar Morgan is a good recruiter so maybe you keep him. What about Special Teams coach? Time to move on from Kerry Coombs already? How would you grade these potential hires?  3. Hot Takes and The Search, Revisited Starts at 1:38:48 Takes hotter than the Utah message boards. It was a wild ride getting from DeBoer, Fisch, or Dillingham to here. A lot of information was coming from agents getting names out there. A lot of people said "Biff Poggi could get the job" and it was never going to happen. Did Michigan really never go and try to offer Dillingham a job? It feels like his people really hyped him up. We might be having a very different conversation if that Oklahoma receiver would've just caught that ball. Everyone penciled in Dillingham after the Oklahoma Alabama game and then he signs an extension. Whittingham was unemployed, he probably didn't have agents hyping him up. Brian still likes Jeff Brohm. Interestingly Penn State never went after Whittingham but once the Michigan job opened up he said he was "in the transfer portal." Why was Biff Poggi on that podcast? He was shooting his shot for a job but it was never going to happen. How well did the "insiders" do and how clued in will they be on the new staff.  4. Michigan Football vs Texas Starts at 2:18:38 Oh yeah Michigan has a bowl game. The only opt-outs are El-Hadi, Derrick Moore, and Barham (and Ernest Hausmann). Maybe it's a good sign that a lot of players still want to play in this? Six of 11 defensive starters are sitting out for Texas, most of their offense is playing. Michigan's best hope is to watch Arch Manning turf five-yard outs. I guess we'll see Wink walk off the field as a Michigan coach for the last time. This feels like a zombie team right now. Does Michigan have a way to stop Ryan Wingo? The Ohio State game feels like four years ago. Are you excited for this game? A lot of big-name guys have at least remained in the recruiting class. The hope of the Sherrone era was "hopefully he just gets better at coaching" and it's a relief to just move on. What was the most enjoyable game of the Sherrone era? Not the highlight, but the most fun beginning-to-end? A lot of things about the last two to three years make a lot more sense now. A lot of paranoia and worry feels lifted, there are adults in charge.  MUSIC: "Medium Machine"—Sports Team "Inept Apollo"—Nation of Language "Where'd You Go"—Horsegirl “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra   

Welcome to episode #1016 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a moment when artificial intelligence is reshaping not just how markets operate but how people think, feel, decide and connect, understanding the human consequences of that shift has become essential. Mark Schaefer is a keynote speaker, educator, strategist, and a voice in modern marketing, with more than three decades of experience spanning global sales, public relations and brand strategy. He is a faculty member at Rutgers University. Mark's latest book, How AI Changes Your Customers - The Marketing Guide To Humanity's Next Chapter, extends his body of work by examining how AI is quietly rewiring consumer psychology, trust, agency, empathy, and belonging (be sure to check out his other books). Rather than focusing on algorithms or tools, Mark explores how customers are becoming more machine-assisted, less patient, more dependent on automation, and increasingly hungry for meaning and connection in a world optimized for efficiency. He argues that curiosity, art, and human connection are strategic advantages rather than soft ideals. Grounded in research, lived experience, and cultural observation, his work challenges marketers and leaders to rethink relevance, rethink loyalty, and rethink what it means to serve customers whose decisions are increasingly shaped by machines. At its core, Mark's perspective reframes AI not as a threat to humanity, but as a force that exposes what only humans can still do well…if they choose to lean into it. Enjoy the conversation… Running time: 1:06:07. Hello from beautiful Montreal. Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts. Listen and subscribe over at Spotify. Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel. Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn. Check out ThinkersOne. Here is my conversation with Mark Schaefer. Book Mark for your next meeting on ThinkersOne. How AI Changes Your Customers - The Marketing Guide To Humanity's Next Chapter. Check out his other books. Read Mark's Blog. Follow Mark on LinkedIn. Chapters: (00:00) - Introduction to Mark Schaefer and AI's Impact. (03:00) - The Dual Nature of AI: Exciting and Terrifying. (06:09) - Cultural Shifts and AI's Influence on Humanity. (08:53) - Curiosity and Learning in the Age of AI. (12:08) - The Role of AI in Content Creation. (14:57) - Art, Tools, and the Essence of Creativity. (17:54) - The Illusion of Intimacy in AI. (21:05) - Navigating the Attention vs. Intimacy Economy. (23:54) - The Future of AI and Human Connection. (37:13) - Cultural Perspectives on AI and Work. (39:06) - AI Sovereignty and Global Implications. (41:23) - The Human Element in AI and Marketing. (43:42) - The Challenge of Authenticity in AI Content. (45:52) - Navigating Trust in a Digital Age. (49:20) - Generational Differences in Trust and Truth. (53:02) - The Role of Curiosity in the Age of AI. (56:46) - The Future of Trust and AI in Business. (01:01:40) - The Impact of AI on Human Connection. (01:03:59) - Embracing AI for Positive Change.

Cybersecurity Today brings you a special year-end episode, featuring noteworthy guests Tammy Harper from Flare, Laura Payne from White Tuque, David Shipley from Beauceron Security, and John Pinard, co-host of Project Synapse. This episode delves into the pivotal cybersecurity stories of 2025, including a detailed discussion on MFA phishing attacks, the effectiveness of cybersecurity training, and the troubling trends in ransomware payments. Also covered are the evolving roles of AI in both defending and perpetrating cyber crimes. The guests share their insights, hopes, and concerns for the industry's future, emphasizing the importance of awareness, empathy, and community. Tune in as they reflect on the past year's challenges and successes, and look forward to more resilient and innovative cybersecurity practices in 2026. 00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message 00:20 Meet the Panelists 01:30 Reflecting on the Year: Achievements and Goals 02:08 Naughty and Nice: Cybersecurity Challenges 03:44 The Rise of Fake Torrents and Piracy 07:07 Ransomware and Data Extortion Trends 18:00 The Importance of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) 26:15 The Persistent Threat of Email Phishing 27:24 AI Vulnerabilities and Security Concerns 28:18 The Role of AI in Social Engineering 29:07 The Impact of AI on Cybersecurity 31:15 The Future of AI and Security Measures 34:40 The Human Element in Cybersecurity 39:49 Hopes and Predictions for the Future 45:33 Final Thoughts and Reflections

Kyle “caboose” Waters of Cyber Unicorns enlightens this extended episode! Having a combined passion for people and security, Kyle demonstrates how to effectively educate the masses. Steering away from typical training and using unique approaches, this talk explores how to break through the barriers that create vulnerabilities. Like, subscribe, and share with your network to stay informed about the latest in cybersecurity! We want to hear from you! Reach out at unsecurity@frsecure.com and follow us for more: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frsecure/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frsecureofficial/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frsecure/ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/frsecure.bsky.social About FRSecure: https://frsecure.com/ FRSecure is a mission-driven information security consultancy headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. Our team of experts is constantly developing solutions and training to assist clients in improving the measurable fundamentals of their information security programs. These fundamentals are lacking in our industry, and while progress is being made, we can't do it alone. Whether you're wondering where to start or looking for a team of experts to collaborate with you, we are ready to serve.

In this episode of "The Free Lawyer" podcast, host Gary interviews Valentina Flores, CEO of Red Sentry. Valentina shares her journey from law enforcement to leading a proactive cybersecurity company, emphasizing the importance of ethical hacking and prevention for law firms. She offers practical tips—like enabling multi-factor authentication, limiting data access, and preparing response plans—to help lawyers protect sensitive information. Valentina also discusses the collaborative nature of cybersecurity, the human element in defense, and aligning security practices with core values, making cybersecurity accessible and actionable for legal professionals.Valentina Flores is the CEO and Co-Founder of Red Sentry, a proactive cybersecurity company that breaks into your network, so hackers never get the chance. Before protecting companies, she served as a detective on joint federal task forces, tracking cybercriminals through digital back-alleys. Now a public speaker on hacker psychology, a two-time award-winning cybersecurity leader, and a fierce advocate for women in tech, Valentina is redefining what leadership looks like in the industry, championing smarter and more accessible security for all.Transition from Detective to Cybersecurity (00:01:33) What is Penetration Testing? (00:02:56) Success Rate and Client Vulnerabilities (00:03:35)Understanding Hacker Psychology (00:05:30) Why Law Firms Are Targets (00:06:38) Triggers for Law Firms to Seek Help (00:07:46) Compliance vs. Proactive Security (00:09:09) Human Element in Cybersecurity (00:10:16) Making Clients Comfortable with Ethical Hacking (00:11:55) Emerging Threats and the Future of Cybersecurity (00:13:25) Cybersecurity for Small and Medium Businesses (00:14:43) Diversity in Tech and Cognitive Diversity (00:16:37) Awards and People-First Leadership (00:17:27) Leadership in Cybersecurity vs. Traditional Business (00:18:20) Role of Coaching and Mentorship (00:19:28) Annual Testing and Follow-Up (00:20:21) Prioritizing Cybersecurity in Law Firms (00:21:13) Collaboration vs. Competition in Cybersecurity (00:22:17) Top Three Cybersecurity Actions for Lawyers (00:23:29) First Steps for the Unprepared (00:25:39) What is Penetration Testing? (Clarification) (00:26:39) Freedom and Work-Life Balance (00:27:06) Aligning Practice with Values (00:27:51) You can find The Free Lawyer Assessment here- https://www.garymiles.net/the-free-lawyer-assessmentWould you like to learn what it looks like to become a truly Free Lawyer? You can schedule a complimentary call here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-callWould you like to learn more about Breaking Free or order your copy? https://www.garymiles.net/break-free

Before the citations. Before the regulations. Before the arguments—there's people. In the first-ever Safe Word segment of Mining Minds, Grover sits down with longtime mentor, former MSHA inspector, and no-nonsense safety professional Jim Hoover to have the conversations most safety meetings never do. This episode strips away the myths, the fear, and the finger-pointing around mining safety and replaces them with something better: honesty, experience, and critical thinking. They break down what MSHA actually does (and doesn't do), why citations aren't cash grabs, and how perception, personality, and human judgment shape every inspection. From the difference between being compliant and being truly safe, to why asking why matters more than memorizing the 30 CFR, this episode is about understanding safety—not weaponizing it. You'll hear real stories from the pit and the inspector's side, hard lessons learned early in a career, and why building relationships—rather than hiding when inspectors show up—can make operations safer for everyone. Brass in—join the conversation and be a part of The Safe Word.   Chapters: 01:50 Why This Safety Conversation Started 02:41 Opinion, Experience, and Inviting Disagreement 07:52 Mining Safety Myths: Do Inspectors Get Paid for Citations? 10:55 The Human Element of Inspections 13:26 Understanding the 30 CFR and Asking "Why" 17:48 Real-World Example 22:34 Regional Differences and Interpretation of Standards 29:05 Inspectors as a Resource, Not the Enemy 35:32 Recognizing Good Work and Building Safety Culture

In this episode of the AIGA Design Podcast, Lee-Sean Huang and Giulia Donatello engage in an inspiring conversation with Devika Menon, a service design and delivery lead at the City of Philadelphia. They explore Devika's diverse career journey, from her early days in animation film design to her current role in civic design. The discussion highlights the importance of human-centered design, the challenges of working within government systems, and the significance of participatory service design. Devika shares insights on navigating uncertainty, the impact of cultural experiences on design thinking, and the value of collaboration in creating sustainable change.Episode Recommendations:Book: Good Services: Decoding the Mystery of What Makes a Good ServiceBook: Braiding Sweetgrass

1 hour and 54 minutes The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com. Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Venue by 4M where record this, and Introducing this season: Radecki Oral Surgery, and Long Road Distillers. 1. What Happened Starts at :51 Sometimes in December we don't have enough content for a podcast... this week there is enough for a podcast. Michigan football has been thrown into chaos following the Sherrone Moore firing. This is the third out of five Warde Manuel hires in the three most important sports to have left in disgrace (also Jim Harbaugh depending on who you ask). There have been too many red flags on too many hires. There is no oversight within the athletic department and then you have to do an investigation instead of preventing one. The only reason the WiFi is better at Michigan Stadium is because of the Zach Bryan concert, not because they cared about the fan experience. Fans are just a piggy bank. Michigan is way too much in the news right now. If "a lot of people knew about this" then why didn't someone say something sooner? Warde lost credibility after his handling of Mel Pearson and he doesn't get credit for Brandon Naurato. Grandmas in Peoria know too much about the Michigan athletic department.  2. Coaching Search Bits Starts at 27:41 Michigan needs a new head football coach. How good do we feel going into it? Probably about a B-. There's not an obvious slam dunk candidate. The three big names are Kalen DeBoer, Kenny Dillingham, and Jedd Fisch. If Alabama wins their first playoff game then DeBoer is almost entirely off the table, if they lose to Oklahoma then there's enough smoke to believe he might think about it. Would DeBoer really leave Alabama though? It's not a place that coaches leave and he's a long shot even if they lose to Oklahoma. Kenny Dillingham played for Arizona State and has a lot of family and connections in Phoenix, he might just be a long shot to convince to move from home. Kenny Dillingham is young, he watches Stranger Things and doesn't understand all the references. What about Jeff Brohm? Jedd Fisch is good at roster construction and handling QBs, something that would be nice for Michigan right now. Jake Butt had a strong endorsement for Jedd. Some coaches wouldn't have former players stomping for them. Jason Eck is a fun name but he's never proven himself at a major program. Based on everything so far, it feels like it's probably Jedd Fisch (PENDING A BACKGROUND CHECK). Which assistant coaches/coordinators would you keep?  3. Hot Takes, Men's Basketball vs Maryland Starts at 54:31 Takes hotter than... actually we need takes about half of where they could go. We need to dial it back this week. Thankfully we can now turn our attention to basketball! Michigan 101, Maryland 83, a strange game. David Coit was hitting threes from every heavenly covered shot. When Michigan was down by 9 Kenpom still had them 76% to win. Maryland went 14-27 from three and Michigan still covered the Kenpom spread. This game was the script for Michigan to lose a game and won by 18. Brian reads Yaxel's boxscore poetically because it deserves it. Solomon Washington got ejected for two technicals. Michigan navigated foul trouble and you probably didn't even notice. Michigan is actually top 50 in three point shooting.  4. Men's Basketball vs Villanova Starts at 1:38:12 They went up by 30 at halftime and only won by 30?? What are we even doing here. You look at some of these top 50, top 25 teams on the schedule, could they beat Michigan in Ann Arbor? No way. Being #1 in two point defense with this schedule is insane. Michigan is identifying their weaknesses and working on them, that's terrifying for opposing teams. What is this team's weakness now? Hey, shout out to undefeated Nebrasketball!  MUSIC: "PH Suite"—Curtis Dro and Lamar Woods "Man I Need"—Olivia Dean "I Got Flavor"—LaRussell and Lil John “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra   

Welcome back to the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast.Today's episode dives into the nuances of enterprise software and how to build a scaled specialist alternative asset manager.We sat down in Vista's NYC office with David Breach, Vista's President and Chief Operating Officer.David sits on Vista's Executive Committee, the firm's governing and decision-making body for matters affecting its overall management and strategic direction as well as the firm's Private Equity Management and Vista's Private Equity Funds' Investment Committees. David is also the Co-CEO of VistaOne, Vista's evergreen private equity vehicle, and serves on the Investment Committee and Board of Directors. He also sits on the boards of Vista portfolio companies Jamf, Solera, and Stats Perform.David, who has been instrumental in helping the firm chart its growth path to over $100B in AUM, joined Vista in 2014 after as a career as a Partner at law firm Kirkland & Ellis, where his practice focused on the representation of private equity funds in all aspects of their business. David was a member of K&E's 15-person global executive management committee and a founding partner of its San Francisco office.David and I had a fascinating and thought-provoking conversation about private markets and Vista's evolution as a firm: How and why Vista has become a “scaled specialist.”The journey from $13B in AUM to $100B.The opportunity in enterprise software investing and how enterprise software is an expanding market opportunity.The reason why Vista decided to build out a dedicated wealth solutions business.How firms can differentiate in the wealth channel.How firms can be measured and thoughtful with how they build evergreen solutions.The opportunity for large companies to adopt GenAI for cost-savings and revenue generation.The skills that might be valuable in the age of AI.Thanks David for coming on the show to share your wisdom and expertise in private markets.Show Notes00:00 Introduction to our Sponsor, Ultimus01:59 Welcome to the Alt Goes Mainstream Podcast02:07 Introducing David Breach03:30 David Breach's Career Journey05:22 Transition to Vista Equity Partners06:03 Joining Vista and Initial Impressions06:30 Vista's Vision and Growth09:03 Operational Excellence at Vista10:35 Investment Strategy and Alignment13:27 Scaling Vista's Operations16:44 Building Vista's Wealth Business17:04 Vista's Core Values and DNA19:29 Strategic Decisions in Wealth Management20:19 Educating on the Wealth Space20:46 Modeling and Investment Decisions21:42 Hiring and Team Building22:07 Balancing Opportunity and Capacity22:29 Evaluating Firm's Commitment23:47 Institutional Investors' Concerns24:48 Addressing Investor Concerns25:22 Industry Trends in Private Markets26:16 The Growth of Private Software Companies28:46 The Resilience of Software Businesses29:36 Diversification in Software Investments30:33 The Role of Generative AI in Software32:54 Operational Improvements with GenAI33:32 Product Enhancements with GenAI33:49 Agentification of Software34:51 Financial Impact of AI on Software Companies36:41 GenAI in Middle Market Companies37:25 Vista's Edge in GenAI38:27 CEO Perspectives on GenAI39:04 Encouraging AI Adoption in Companies42:37 The Human Element in the Age of AI43:26 Preparing Teams for AI Integration45:37 Advising Wealth Managers on GenAI48:26 Vista's Vision for the Future49:49 Building a Software Investing Factory50:42 Excitement for the FutureEditing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.A word from AGM podcast sponsor, Ultimus Fund SolutionsThis episode of Alt Goes Mainstream is brought to you by Ultimus Fund Solutions, a leading full-service fund administrator for asset managers in private and public markets. As private markets continue to move into the mainstream, the industry requires infrastructure solutions that help funds and investors keep pace. In an increasingly sophisticated financial marketplace, investment managers must navigate a growing array of challenges: elaborate fund structures, specialized strategies, evolving compliance requirements, a growing need for sophisticated reporting, and intensifying demands for transparency.To assist with these challenging opportunities, more and more fund sponsors and asset managers are turning to Ultimus, a leading service provider that blends high tech and high touch in unique and customized fund administration and middle office solutions for a diverse and growing universe of over 450 clients and 1,800 funds, representing $500 billion assets under administration, all handled by a team of over 1,000 professionals. Ultimus offers a wide range of capabilities across registered funds, private funds and public plans, as well as outsourced middle office services. Delivering operational excellence, Ultimus helps firms manage the ever-changing regulatory environment while meeting the needs of their institutional and retail investors. Ultimus provides comprehensive operational support and fund governance services to help managers successfully launch retail alternative products.Visit www.ultimusfundsolutions.com to learn more about Ultimus' technology enhanced services and solutions or contact Ultimus Executive Vice President of Business Development Gary Harris on email at gharris@ultimusfundsolutions.com.We thank Ultimus for their support of alts going mainstream.

1 hour and 42 minutes The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com. Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Venue by 4M where record this, and Introducing this season: Radecki Oral Surgery, and Long Road Distillers. 1. Michigan Hockey vs Michigan State Starts at :51 A very silly debate not worth publishing preceded the actual intro of this podcast. A split against Michigan State is a very fair result, the whole series was intense. The first period of the Saturday game was an onslaught that Michigan relatively survived, Jack Ivankovic has been solid. How many first and second rounders were in this game? The answer is in the double digits. Is the Big Ten the best hockey league in the world outside of the NHL? Most of the time this team looks dominant but looking back on that Wisconsin series and the first period against MSU on Saturday shows some concerning trends where Michigan can't get out of their own zone. Minnesota is surprisingly not what they've been in the last few years.  2. Men's Basketball vs Rutgers Starts at 26:05 Michigan is putting up demolitions not even predicted by Kenpom. If Michigan puts up a reasonable number of 3s there's just no way to beat them. What did Rutgers even do... get to 41% from 2? Well Michigan shot 72% from 2. They've played the 8th hardest schedule in the country, what even is there to say? Morez Johnson is shooting 3s now. Michigan had more offensive rebounds than misses from 2. Cadeau had an alarming turnover rate earlier in the season and most of those have gone away. Is Yaxel the alpha guy for scoring? Do you need one when you win games by 40? Roddy Gayle is rounding into the guy we originally thought he would be. The floor on this team is so high, if they shot 15% from 3 they'd probably still win by 10. The only teams that look mildly threatening on the schedule are Michigan State and Purdue. USC is also spicier than we thought. Michigan is now favored in every single game on the schedule.  3. Hot Takes, Football Offensive Recruiting Class Starts at 54:31 Takes hotter than Curt Cignetti walking off the field after beating Ohio State 13-10 to win the Big Ten Championship and reacting in NO WAY WHATSOEVER. Savion Hiter is the number one running back in the country and he has the tape to back it up. Brady Smigiel and Tommy Carr come in at QB, they won't see the field for a while but then you could have a redshirt sophomore starting after Bryce leaves. It's nice to see Michigan recruit like they have 105 guys in a class. Michigan loses a wide receiver but picks up Travis Johnson, also Brady Marchese and Jaylen Pile. Would've been nice to get a slot guy but nice to get a few receivers. They're all early enrolees. Matt Ludwig comes in at tight end and is the number one player in Montana, close enough to Idaho. Michigan should get tight ends from American Samoa and Alaska. Mason Bonner comes in from Colorado, keep an eye on him down the road. Malakai Lee is the headlining offensive lineman out of Hawaii, Bear McWhorter is an all-name nominee. Marky Walbridge is a quintessential under-scouted player.  4. Football Defensive Recruiting Class Starts at 1:20:32 Carter Meadows is the #6 overall player in the class, he could be the first overall player in the draft if he projects how he's supposed to. Taco Charlton comparison? Tariq Boney is the other edge, described as a violent high motor style. Titan Davis is Chris Wormley shaped but could move to defensive tackle, McHale Blade might be the most underrated guy in this class. Alister Vallejo, the Mason Graham comparison! He's a lot of peoples' favorite player in this class (a class with two five stars). Could he help next year? Many linebackers, mostly flyers and not an instant-impact class. Do not trust AI in your recruiting history research. The defensive back class is a little light, all four stars though. Jordan Deck is a Makari Paige kind of guy. They get a kicker who kicks and a longsnapper who long snaps, yay. Kerry Coombs comes in as special team coordinator.  MUSIC: "Train Love"—Yor Old Droog "MAGIC"—Vince Staples and Mustard "I Need a Lover"—John Couger “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra   

Today we are joined by Toby Wright. Toby is an online coach and personal trainer with a passion for mental health. Toby believes true wellness begins from the inside out. Blending evidence-based training with a focus on mental health and mindset. [Dec 8, 2025]   00:00 - Intro 00:26 – Dr. Abbie Maroño Intro 00:51 - Intro Links -          Social-Engineer.com - http://www.social-engineer.com/ -          Offensive Security Vishing Services - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/vishing/ -          Offensive Security SMiShing Services - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/smishing/ -          Offensive Security Phishing Services - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/smishing/ -          Call Back Phishing - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/call-back-phishing/ -          Adversarial Simulation Services - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/adversarial-simulation/ -          Social Engineering Risk Assessments - https://www.social-engineer.com/offensive-security/social-engineering-risk-assessment/ -          Social-Engineer channel on SLACK - https://social-engineering-hq.slack.com/ssb -          CLUTCH - http://www.pro-rock.com/ -          innocentlivesfoundation.org - http://www.innocentlivesfoundation.org/                                 02:17 - Toby Wright Intro 03:09 - Having a Purpose 04:02 - The Accountability Factor 05:36 - Mindset 07:02 - Finding What Works For You 08:37 - The Happiness Scale 12:40 - When to Push Through 15:53 - Finding Balance 17:39 - Masterclass Ad -          https://www.masterclass.com/socialengineer 19:12 - Focus on the 95% 21:33 - Know What You're Taking 23:34 - Cover Your Bases First 25:27 - You Just Gotta Go 29:54 - Find Toby Wright Online                                                -          Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tobyywright/ 31:08 - Mentors 32:24 - Book Recommendations -          SAS: Who Dares Wins - Ant Middleton 34:15 - Guest Wrap Up & Outro -          www.social-engineer.com -          www.innocentlivesfoundation.org

Summary In this episode of the AI for Sales podcast, host Chad Burmeister speaks with Piyanka Jain, CEO of Ask Enola, about the transformative impact of AI on customer experience and decision-making. They discuss the importance of clarity in AI interactions, the misconceptions surrounding AI, and the necessity of maintaining a human touch in an increasingly automated world. Piyanka emphasizes the ethical considerations of AI and the need for conscious capitalism, while also highlighting emerging technologies and the skills salespeople need to thrive in this new landscape. Takeaways AI is changing how customers interact with technology. Clarity in desired outcomes is crucial for effective AI use. AI can drastically reduce the time needed for data analysis. AI enhances human roles rather than replacing them. Misconceptions about AI can lead to fear and misunderstanding. Human oversight is essential in AI applications. Ethics in AI development is critical for responsible growth. Salespeople need to focus on clarity and critical thinking. Finding personal downtime is essential for mental health. AI should complement human interaction, not replace it. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to AI in Sales 02:58 Transforming Customer Experience with AI 05:58 The Importance of Clarity in AI Interactions 08:49 AI's Impact on Decision-Making 11:40 Misconceptions and Realities of AI 14:40 The Human Element in AI Automation 17:17 Ethics and Responsibilities in AI Development 20:11 Emerging Technologies and Future Trends 23:09 Balancing AI and Human Touch 25:47 Final Thoughts on AI and Humanity The AI for Sales Podcast is brought to you by BDR.ai, Nooks.ai, and ZoomInfo—the go-to-market intelligence platform that accelerates revenue growth. Skip the forms and website hunting—Chad will connect you directly with the right person at any of these companies.

In this episode of Whistle Talk, Michael D'Ambrosio and Daniel Chamberlain discuss various themes surrounding football officiating, including recent incidents in Texas high school football, the impact of referee behavior on the sport, and the broader implications for officiating standards. They reflect on personal experiences, the importance of maintaining professionalism, and the challenges faced by officials in high-pressure situations. The conversation emphasizes the need for accountability and improvement within the officiating community while recognizing the human element involved in sports.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Whistle Talk05:20 Thanksgiving Reflections and Personal Stories06:31 The State of College Football Coaching Changes08:29 High School Football in Texas: A Unique Culture10:18 Incidents on the Field: The Importance of Officiating19:01 Analyzing a Controversial Play: Referee Decisions23:48 The Aftermath of Ejections and Game Control26:06 The Incident Unfolds28:03 Referee Conduct and Professionalism29:48 The Role of Coaches and Officials31:36 The Impact of Emotions in Sports34:23 Investigating the Incident36:01 Comparative Incidents in Texas Football41:18 Consequences and Accountability45:04 The Human Element in OfficiatingVideos provided by Ben Coker on X and Texoma Broadcasting

In this episode of Productivity Smarts, host Gerald J. Leonard interviews David Suk Brown, co-author of 'Identical Opposites: Find Your Voice and Speak.' They discuss practical strategies for boosting workplace productivity, overcoming the fear of speaking up, and leveraging the power of authenticity and alliances. David shares insights from his research and professional experience, emphasizing the importance of consistent communication and understanding behavioral models to enhance team dynamics. They also explore the impacts of AI on the workforce and how to maintain relevance amid rapid technological advancements.    Tune in as they discuss the challenges and opportunities in today's workplace, the significance of the speak framework, and how these concepts can transform not just productivity but also happiness and fulfillment in your life.   What We Discuss [00:00] Introducing David Suk Brown and His New Book [06:16] Finding Your Voice in the Workplace [14:53] The SPEAK Framework for Effective Communication [20:37] The Human Element vs. AI [21:13] Leveraging Networks and Skills [24:09] The Importance of Authenticity and Empathy [25:23] Navigating Vulnerability and Consistency [32:25] Adapting Voice and Culture Strategies [36:27] Connecting with the SPEAK Framework Authors [37:55] Podcast Conclusion and Call to Action Notable Quotes  [7:00] "Sometimes people can get lost in their position or lost in their responsibilities and not find their individual gifts and talents, and it just made sense for us to make that connection." - David Brown, Sr. [7:46] "95% of employees struggle just to be able to speak and share their voice and opinions." - David Brown, Sr. [9:57] "Get people to understand that there are values that could come from every member of the team, but you let them shine. You let them speak first. You let them flush out their ideas and thoughts, and then you act in a position where you're curious and you're asking more questions, 'cause you want them to bring everything out that they're thinking." - David Brown, Sr. [20:38] "AI, even as much as we're seeing technology advance and progress, it cannot replace certain aspects of the human element." - David Brown, Sr. [24:11] " It's not just about how many degrees you have, your depth of experience. It's about bringing who you are, your whole authentic self to that role, to that environment. That's gonna be the defining factor." - David Brown, Sr. Our Guest David Suk Brown is a seasoned strategic communication and presentation coach who empowers executives, thought leaders, and business owners to enhance their impact through public speaking and executive coaching. As President of DSB Leadership Group, author, and university communications instructor, he has delivered over 2,500 inspiring messages that equip audiences with tools for lasting success. A Lead Minister and identical twin, David brings unique insight into communication, leadership, and collaboration as co-host of the Twins Talk it Up and Twins Talk Tech Leadership podcasts. Resources and Links David Suk Brown Website - https://www.dsbleadershipgroup.com/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsbrownsr/ Book: Identically Opposite: Find Your Voice and SPEAK - https://www.amazon.com/Identically-Opposite-Find-Voice-SPEAK/dp/B0FSKWKDZQ Productivity Smarts Podcast Website - productivitysmartspodcast.com Gerald J. Leonard Website - geraldjleonard.com Turnberry Premiere website - turnberrypremiere.com Scheduler - vcita.com/v/geraldjleonard Kiva is a loan, not a donation, allowing you to cycle your money and create a personal impact worldwide. https://www.kiva.org/lender/topmindshelpingtopminds  

1 hour and 43 minutes The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com. Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Venue by 4M where record this, and Introducing this season: Radecki Oral Surgery, and Long Road Distillers. 1. Offense vs Ohio State Starts at :51 Good thing this is pivoting to being a snacks podcast. Combos are way up there as far as gas station snacks go. Every time Ohio State got into a 3rd down situation they would just drop back and throw it to an open receiver. When Michigan was in this situation, Ohio State would just man up and Bryce had nowhere to throw. Those substitutions that happened all season continued in this game. Is trophy done going brrr? You cannot have this many holes in your team and expect to compete with Ohio State. The offensive line didn't look as dominated as it seemed, if Jordan Marshall and Justice Haynes played the whole game they'd probably break some more big runs. It didn't seem like Chip Lindsey brought much into this game that was built off of what they had been doing all season. Maybe Bryce froze up (pun not intended) a bit. He only had five throws at halftime? Guarnera actually looked really good, Frazier and Sprague held their ground. The reasons this offense didn't shine this season weren't because of the offensive line. Who's even going to sit out on offense in the bowl game?  2. Defense vs Ohio State Starts at 29:05 Giving up 27 points to Ohio State seems not that bad but we're still done with Wink. Ohio State's 3rd down conversions were the easiest possible. Neither Barham nor Derrick Moore got anywhere near Sayin all game. The 5-2 came back... It's year two, the defense shouldn't be this simplified. Yes, simplify it early on but it cannot be simplified against Ohio State. He learned nothing from the USC game, Wink needs to get fired and if he isn't then that's on Sherrone. There was a 20 play 81 yard field goal drive that took 12 minutes off the clock. That goal line stand was nice, though. Ohio State was at their own 10 but the backups were in?? Also it's a Fox broadcast, there's plenty of time to rest your starters during tv timeouts! There's a lot of work that needs to be done on the defensive line going into next year. The waves of elite defensive tackles has run its course.  3. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special Teams Starts at 53:38 Takes hotter than... idk. I'm out of ideas just like Michigan's coaches. The first sign that it was over was when Ohio State declined a holding call and then held Michigan on 3rd and 5. Zvada made field goals and a mob didn't have to come after Brian (they would've been right to do so). Hollenbeck had an 11 yard punt. Keeping Andrew Marsh just to fair catch punts is a valuable skill, don't make him a kick returner though. Kicking field goals early on 4th down felt like the right thing at the time, it could've been a stupid blizzard game later. You'd trust Zvada to make these field goals more than you'd trust the offense to get six yards in the redzone. Apparently an Ohio State player had head butted a Michigan player and Barham was demonstrating - but also don't do that. Jeremiah Smith almost had the funniest application of the worst rule in football. There were a lot of Ohio State fans at this game, how does that keep happening? Were there Ohio State fans near you and if so what was the experience near them like?  4. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac Starts at 1:25:11 Oregon 26, Washington 14 Washington's hyped offense just never came true in any of their big games this year. Oregon locks up a playoff bid, they'll probably get the G5 bid or the ACC champions. Penn State 40, Rutgers 36 Congrats to Penn State on getting bowl eligibility. This was a shootout. Tamper with the Rutgers receivers.  Minnesota 17, Wisconsin 7 Wisconsin is not good.  Michigan State 38, Maryland 28 Jonathan Smith was fired after this recording. There might've been 10,000 fans at this game but the weather kept a lot of people home.  Illinois 20, Northwestern 13 Snow game!  Iowa 40, Nebraska 16 Just a first half blowout without much effort in the 2nd half. A very disappointing ending to Nebraska's season. Nebraska is 2-10 the last three years in November. USC 29, UCLA 10 UCLA lead at halftime and then USC ran away with it in the 2nd half.  Indiana 56, Purdue 3 A year after Indiana gave Purdue their worst loss in the rivalry they give Purdue their first home loss in the rivalry. MUSIC: "Colors Change"—Tanks and Bangas "Too Good Too Bad"—Jason Scott and the High Heat "My Girlfriend Doesn't Worry"—Jeffrey Lewis and the Voltage “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra   

The Sponsors We want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let's not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklar Brothers, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Radecki Oral Surgery, Long Road Distillers, and SignalWire where we are recording this. Featured Musician: Sunday the Band THE VIDEO: [After THE JUMP: The show notes.]  --------------------- 1. Ohio State Preview: Offense starts at the top Forecast is wind and snow, the real blizzard arriving after the game. Other than one guard they all range from solid to stars. They're back to what they were in 2021-'22, with a future 1st round QB in Julian Sayin who reads leverage on Ryan Day's standard multi-level drag routes and throws to the guys getting open. Those guys: Jeremiah Smith, the future #1 overall pick, and Carnell Tate, who will be a 1st rounder this year. Both have been banged up, but we think they're both going to play and more or less be themselves, with an excuse banked if they lose. Where they've advanced is they use a lot more two-TE sets, particularly Max Klare, a true blocky+catchy hybrid who may necessitate a hybrid response. They use the TEs in clever RPOs to create space for Sayin's throws, and are good enough in the run game with Bo Jackson to punish you for overplaying pass. 2. Ohio State Preview: Defense starts at 16:59 Be afraid. Illinois gained 295 yards on 4.2 YPP and Washington gained 234 yards on 4.4 YPP. Alex Drain does not like Matt Patricia, but he's slimmed down himself and his playbook and has Ohio State playing at an elite level. That's Caleb Downs, the guy Corum juked for a touchdown in the Rose Bowl, and now the best player in football, who's allowed to rove around and make plays while they man you with everybody else. It's also the play of their linebackers; Sonny Styles was the guy Corum juked on the 6-5 touchdown, but was always supremely talented and is at the peak of his game. Arvelle Reese was another big recruit; he came on last year and is in the conversation to go 1st overall as a grow-a-Parsons. He can be a safety, a DE, a linebacker, or anything. They can get away with all of that man and blitzing LBs because Igninosu, Matthews, and Styles are excellent athletes in coverage, and the Big Ten doesn't like to flag their grabbiness. The next generation of DBs is coming up—you remember trying to recruit Aaron Scott and Bryce West, plus #8 overall Devin Sanchez. They replaced four superstars on the DL with a superstar, a star, and two Just-Guys. Kayden McDonald is the lone member who wasn't a top-50 recruit but he's the star, and is probably a step too far Crippen and Guarnera. Caden Curry made the leap; he's Jack Sawyer 2.0, a strong pass-rusher and a force against the run. Kenyatta Jackson is equally strong against the run but is a block-and-done rusher. Tywone Malone has been there for ages. 3 and 4. Hoops in Vegas After-Action Report starts at 31:49 and 44:49 Beat Auburn by 30 and SDSU and Zaga by 40. Teams came into this thinking they could blitz Michigan's ball screens, Michigan came in having practiced their response to it. Zaga thruck? Look who took their shots—those aren't their shooters. The defense has been incredible; Morez allows you to be switchable when Mara is off the court and when he's on there's nowhere to go with the ball. Zaga had to take a bunch of push shots from 12 feet that are good shots for them, but that's not going to sustain an offense. Cason is coming around, though the offense is still much smoother with Cadeau. Turnovers are going to be the thing for this team again; when they get anything like even shot volume they're murder because their threes are open and they have all of these guys who score at the rim. Yaxel is becoming the Weapon that he was thought to be in the portal, but is extra dangerous because he doesn't have to be. Big-big actions are going to have to level up now that teams are sitting on them. This is where you bring in Tschetter, because a team that prepared for Johnson is out of sorts. Featured Artist: Sunday the Band If it wasn't for Brad Dumont I might still be in the Rose Bowl parking lot. Brad recognized us, let us in his car, and took us to Randy Sklar's place in time to catch Washington vs. Texas. He also put on the music of his then-14-year-old son Nate. Part of this had to be the fact Michigan had just won 26-20 in overtime in Nick Saban's last game. Also these kids rocked. It's relatable catchy stuff with a funky rhythm that's way more advanced than anyone ought to be at that age. Apparently in the two years since these high schoolers have picked up a following in the Pasadena music scene, but were getting in at the bottom floor; these are the two songs they've recorded so far. Trouble in Paradise was the one we were bouncing around to like middle-aged Mikey Sainristils. Rewind hits right now. Also give it up for a four-piece band when all the stuff that gets pushed these days are from solo artists and collabs. You can make fun of me now then turn this on for the ride home after we win. Songs: Rewind Trouble in Paradise Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken down, the opener and outro: “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

In this episode of Data Driven, hosts Frank La Vigne, Candace Gillhoolley, and BAILeY sit down with Mike Armistead, CEO of Pulse Security AI—a cybersecurity veteran who's been fortifying digital defenses since before AI made headlines and hackers had professional profiles. Together, they dig into the dual-edged sword that is artificial intelligence in cybersecurity, exploring how AI serves as both a powerful tool against cyber threats and a potential weapon in the wrong hands.Mike Armistead shares stories from the front lines, including his experience during the "code red" era at Google when ChatGPT shook up the tech world, and offers real-world advice on why LLMs (large language models) aren't the magic fix for every problem—and why they desperately need guardrails. You'll hear why your next big data breach could be hiding in a cleverly crafted AI prompt, why humans still matter when it comes to judgment calls, and why good old-fashioned security hygiene is as critical as ever.Whether you're a developer, data scientist, or just password-paranoid, this episode will make you rethink how you approach security in the age of AI. Tune in for expert insights, hard-earned lessons, and a few laughs as the Data Driven crew uncovers where technology, risk, and "common sense" collide.Time Stamps00:00 AI-Assisted Cybersecurity for SOCs04:26 "AI Rush and LLM Insights"09:12 AI-Powered Cybersecurity Strategy Insights10:01 "Cybersecurity, ChatGPT, and Impressions"13:17 AI Tools: Power and Risks18:06 "Teaching Critical Thinking in AI Era"20:59 "Guardrails and Next-Gen AI Systems"24:22 Human Judgment vs AI Limitations27:37 "Pressure Testing for Accuracy"30:09 Future Tech Advancements and Challenges34:58 "Risk Awareness Beyond Compliance"37:38 "Cybersecurity Risks and AI Defense"41:54 Cybersecurity Risks and Preparedness43:04 "Situational Security in Practice"46:05 "Cybersecurity's Evolving Threat Landscape"51:52 "Builders vs. Destroyers Mindset"55:05 Modern Password Practices56:39 "Pulse Security AI & Community"

1 hour and 45 minutes The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com. Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Venue by 4M where record this, and Introducing this season: Radecki Oral Surgery, and Long Road Distillers. 1. Offense vs Maryland Starts at :51 It doesn't feel good to just beat up on Maryland the week before The Game. Dave explains a soft and gooey snack for all of you to enjoy. Bryce was okay! He's worked on a nice seam route with an arc to Marlin Klein that he didn't have before the bye. And a dig route! There was one bad pass which was a tough throw to make anyways. Can he go and win The Game? Probably if the defense can do enough. This was never going to be a challenge for the offensive line but they exceeded expectations anyways. The Ohio State game might be a bridge too far, though. Kuzdzal is a step down from Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall but he's got some juice. They succeeded on wedge! Andrew Marsh almost completed the Odell Beckham?? He's a star going forward. Marlin Klein hurdled a fool, Goodwin had a few catches. It was nice of Maryland to just run into themselves and let Michigan do what they wanted.  2. Defense vs Maryland Starts at 34:09 There was an opening drive touchdown with various guys being offsides again, but then there wasn't much until the backups came in. Pleeeease do not be rotating the back-seven against Ohio State all game. Derrick Moore has 11 sacks, imagine if he played more! Ernest Hausmann did not travel, Cole Sullivan was back (and possibly a little rusty). This performance didn't build confidence in holding Ohio State to 10 points again, a lot of Maryland receivers were running open. Brandyn Hillman had another good game, maybe that mini-suspension was the best thing for his career. He was even directing players into position. Some of Maryland's drops count as triple drops. There's just not much interior rush from this defensive line, maybe play Barham at linebacker against OSU so you can blitz him. Does Wink actually call plays without knowing or caring which personnel are out there? This year you don't have the two best defensive tackles in America and you can't bait Ryan Day into running into a six man box.  3. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special Teams Starts at 56:08 Takes hotter than yours truly after he got through the hot takes intro and had to re-do them because the Sklars dropped out of the call. Brian broke Zvada. Chase Taylor gets +4 on the onside kick recovery, that did not feel good. There was no punting from Michigan so we don't have to complain about punting. Marsh had some nice punt returns?? End of first half time management was less than ideal, Goodwin lined up in the wrong spot and they should've called timeout. Stop jumping offside! The late hit by Brandt was a weak call, so was the one on Bryce Underwood. Every replay angle was field-level and somehow they're contradictory?  4. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac Starts at 1:19:43 Oregon 42, USC 27 A close-ish looking boxscore but Oregon scored 28 first half points. Oregon has figured out some things after the Indiana game, they're in the 99th percentile in opportunity run rate. They're starting to look like the championship team they were hoping to be.  Iowa 20, Michigan State 17 Iowa pulls out a classic game that they don't deserve to win. MSU QB Alessio Milivojevic punted three times. Michigan State's 8 game losing streak is tied for the 2nd longest, the program record is 10. Tickets for MSU vs Maryland at Ford Field after the game are free!  Northwestern 38, Minnesota 35 An offensive explosion game! Northwestern wins at Wrigley for the first time in 8 attempts.  Wisconsin 27, Illinois 10 Neither team gets to 300 yards of offense. This was the first time all season that Wisconsin scored in the first and second quarter.  Penn State 37, Nebraska 10 The Grunk throws 12 times for 181 yards, that'll do it. Nebraska goes 1 of 6 on 4th down. Who is Penn State's number 1 coaching candidate?  Washington 48, UCLA 14 The Huskies continue to play without some of their stars but still blew out UCLA Ohio State 42, Rutgers 9 Ugh MUSIC: "Feel It Again"—Winyah "Drugs"—Philharmonik Live from NPR Tiny Desk "DBZ"—Your Old Droog and Method Man “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra   

The Sponsors We want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let's not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklar Brothers, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Radecki Oral Surgery, Long Road Distillers, and SignalWire where we are recording this. Featured Musician: The Band Feel THE VIDEO: [After THE JUMP: Things discussable.]  --------------------- Not necessarily in this order. 1. Maryland Preview: Offense starts at around noon They have a kid quarterback too, but Malik Washington doesn't have an offensive line or a running game to help him. He does have a redzone threat in Shaleak Knotts and a couple of other productive receivers. That offensive line is the problem—their left tackle is from Central Connecticut State and he's not even their worst OL. Their TE room is banged up and bad at blocking. The RB and TE are good receivers but don't contribute much to the run game either, and somebody on this team has to protect the QB. 2. Maryland Preview: Defense starts at around 12:20 PM They're very young—younger than we are. Remember when Jalen Huskey picked off JJ McCarthy in the endzone? Hint: it was the game JJ threw interceptions in 2023 and made us feel bad briefly. They're opportunistic in the secondary, and won some games early in the season because they pick the ball off. They also have some transfers who make the passing game tough sledding: an Ohio vagabond who gets the backfield, a true freshman pass rusher that M had its eye on. Safeties are the returning starters and the best part of the defense, but have to hang back and clean up after the kids. Prescription: pound 'em. 3. Hoops: TCU and MTSU After-Action Report starts around 12:40 PM This team can be maddening. They have eight to nine starters who will take over a game or throw it away on any given possession. Aday Mara can be inconsistent even when his height isn't, and that's why they're 6th in Kenpom. Team fixed its rebounding issues and sprung some major turnover issues that allowed MTSU back into a game they were out of, before they were out of it again. The Blue Raiders settled for a lot of jumpers—contested threes or pullup other twos, while M is scoring 1.4 PPP at the rim. That formula is going to work against a lot of teams, but San Diego State and Auburn are going to be real threats. 4. Northwestern After Review starts at around 1:00 PM Andrew Marsh, come on down. Already on star watch and boy do we like that. Bryce was pretty good except when he threw a REALLY BAD freshman interception and an only kinda bad OC interception because they went to the well one too many times against Robert Fitzgerald, who balled out. Run game: Jordan Marshall is special but Bryson Kuzdzal is playable. Offensive line continues to do well against this level of competition; got 70% of their available yards against a very good defense. Defensively Seth thinks he's figured out (finally) why Michigan's rotations are what they are, in part because Michigan finally figured out their rotations. They also tried a new 3-3-5 defensive strategy that uses Barham as a linebacker and Hausmann as a hybrid, but it suffered the same fate as a lot of Wink ideas when he springs something new. Fine games from Brandyn Hillman and Mason Curtis; not as mad at Bowles as I thought we'd be. Cam Brandt: that's still weird, at least in pass rush, but he did some things in the run game to justify himself again. Featured Artist: The Band Feel You know here at MGoBlog we're fans of the un-Googleable. The Band Feel, which will be at The Pig in a few weeks, looks, acts, and sounds like a lost act from the early 1970s. But man does it ever work now, and it's not like the psychedelic ideas stopped coming when all the Zeppelin knockoffs drank themselves into glam. The Band Feel picks up where Beck, Sabbath, Deep Purple, etc. left off, but they also work in all the threads that have been developed since. The hit is "Shoal Creek" which sounds like a long lost Led Zeppelin song, but I stumbled on "Fly Birdy, Fly" which weaves in some of the bluegrassy ideas that became country back into rock. Goodbye Virginia is off their 2024 EP but the others are from their newest album Into the Sun. Songs: Icarus Fly Birdy, Fly Goodbye Virginia Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken down, the opener and outro: “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

2 hours and 34 minutes The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com. Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Venue by 4M where record this, and Introducing this season: Radecki Oral Surgery, and Long Road Distillers. 1. Offense vs Northwestern Starts at :51 This doesn't even qualify as a top five weird Northwestern game (we list our top five). This week's snack of the week is organic pumpkin seeds. On one level, this kinda looked like Michigan's best game of the year on offense and defense. Michigan comes out slinging it and Bryce's confidence seemed like it was at another level, but he made young mistakes. What happened on Bryce's sacks? Playing Northwestern always kinda feels like they have your signs. Michigan was able to counter some of Northwestern's defensive counters. Most of the mistakes are coming from freshmen which is just something that happens. Missed cuts on zone is whatever but missed cuts on power isn't good. Bryson Kuzdzal came in and did just fine. Bryce's scrambles were pretty good and mostly improvisation, his interceptions were freshman stuff. Safeties were baiting him, can he anticipate that in the future? The first interception was not understanding how to read the coverage, the second one was just needing to throw the ball better. Andrew Marsh made the Michigan catch of the year, you have a dedicated receiver going into next year. You could have 12 of 14 boxes in a great position next year. Andrew Marsh is the best freshman receiver since... Manningham? How much does this performance mean against Ohio State? The reverse fumble is on Chip Lindsey.  [The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]  2. Defense vs Northwestern Starts at 44:15 Northwestern came into this game with a pretty good ground game and they got stuffed. This was a good game to run the 5-2 in, Northwestern is on the opposite end of the spectrum from USC. Northwestern's gamesmanship cost them two false starts, Michigan tipped what they were running multiple times. The defensive backs got beat a few times but sometimes a receiver just makes a nice play over you. You probably don't want to put Zeke Berry on Jeremiah Smith, Jyaire Hill is getting his star back. Brandyn Hillman tackled with his arms! He's grown as a much more mature player over the season. They're defending screens now! TJ Metcalf body-slammed a guy.   3. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special Teams Starts at 1:08:55 Takes hotter than suburban Chicago in mid-November. There seems to be differing views on how much people liked this venue for a football game. The camera shots were weird. Seth and Dave think the inside of the stadium is magical, Brian not so much. It might've actually been 90% Michigan fans. They did the best they could with clock management at the end of the first half. What about timeouts at the end of the second half? Zvada kicked the ball into the street outside of the stadium. Brian takes responsibility for the missed field goals by changing the preview. Semaj got replaced, he's a better player than he's performed but he may be overdue for a mental health break. 4th down decisions. NFL calculator says there's a complete coin flip in decision making. It shouldn't be a holding call if you're getting your ass kicked. Semaj was on the ground with the ball but they didn't overturn the fumble? There's no transparency between officiating and the fans, other conferences and sports are getting better at it. 4. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac Starts at 1:59:37 USC 26, Iowa 21 Iowa jumped out to a nice lead but scored zero points in the second half. The Hawkeyes lost three offensive linemen. The universe is paying them back for all the 10 win seasons they had no business having. USC is now a legitimate playoff contender.  Indiana 31, Wisconsin 7 This was a sludge fart for Indiana in the first half but put it away in the second. Wisconsin is one of the worst Big Ten offenses ever contemplated. Most of Wisconsin's offense was off of a couple weird plays.  Penn State 28, Michigan State 10 A rock fight between two of the worst teams in the league. Michigan State had 15 wins over the last three years... well at least they did. Penn State won the very ugly trophy which might actually be the best trophy and they looked like they really wanted it. Illinois 24, Maryland 6 Maryland is not even trying to run the ball anymore. Illinois ground them to a pulp. Don't throw at Maryland, just run them over.  Washington 49, Purdue 13 Washington doubles Purdue in yardage and most of that was likely garbage time for Purdue.  Oregon 42, Minnesota 13  This feels like danger zone for PJ Fleck. They could lose to Wisconsin?? Ohio State 48, UCLA 10 UCLA is without Nico in this game, their backup has never thrown a college pass. UCLA is moving out of the Rose Bowl??  MUSIC: "Slow Burn"—The Rose City Band "Swans"—Maston "Optimism"—Jana Horn “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra  

wsg Rodger Sherman, founder of Sports!, formerly of The Ringer, coiner of "Fetty Wapping," college football hero. The Sponsors We want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let's not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklar Brothers, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Radecki Oral Surgery, Long Road Distillers, and SignalWire where we are recording this. Featured Musician: Terry Klein THE VIDEO: [After THE JUMP: Things discussable.]  --------------------- Not necessarily in this order. 1. Northwestern Preview starts at the top They're fine. Their offense plods but for one good receiver or when their QB throws an INT, which he's got accuracy problems that were visible when he was a Rhett Ashlee QB at SMU. Their defense is decent, rotates, plays sound football of a Lloyd variety. Alex likes edge Aidan Hubbard more than Michael Kilbane (whom PFF prefers). Their DTs are a little undersized so they jump behind the line of scrimmage, which Nebraska was able to exploit down the stretch. 2. Northwestern Preview cont. wsg Rodger Sherman starts at 13:56 What's it like being a Northwestern fan these days? It's spending $800 million on an unnecessary stadium instead of players, because you can't put your name on players. 3. Wake Forest After-Action Report, and a short TCU Preview starts at 27:45 How many ways can we say Mara is a star? Defensive ceiling is ridiculous. Three-big lineup needs a name. We also talk about Matt D's findings regarding the defensive play of Michigan's guards, which was not at all what we expected. 4. Purdue Upon Further Review starts at 44:58 Young offensive line plus Zack Marshall and Jalen Hoffman continue to be good blockers—might meet their match vs Ohio State. Jordan Marshall is a beast. Bryce's second half wasn't great either—he was not feeling comfortable in the pocket, missed some RPO reads he made earlier. Need a bye to get right. Defensively, I wasn't mad about Wink. Don't say on the internet that I was mad. Defensively the kids were not alright and the defensive rotations were still weird, but more explainable given the injury circumstances. Long drives were explainable until Purdue figured out they were just running nail (where you insert a blitzing LB as a 5th lineman and play 5-1). Interested in Lugard Edokpayi. Featured Artist: Terry Klein I usually don't go for country music, but I do when it's made by Terry Klein (LSA 1995), a folk country artist from Austin who's been touring festivals the most hallowed singer-songwriter venues across the country for decades, and reading a lot of MGoBlog between stops. His last album Leave the Light On won a bunch of acclaim, making American Songwriter's list of the best records released in 2023. His fifth album, Hill Country Folk Music, just came out. Songs: I Used To Be Cool The Dirty Third The Job Interview Song     Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken down, the opener and outro: “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

2 hours and 26 minutes The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com. Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, Venue by 4M where record this, and Introducing this season: Radecki Oral Surgery, and Long Road Distillers. 1. Men's Basketball vs Oakland Starts at :53 Everyone said "nice" at the halftime of this game. At first it didn't seem like the results meant much because Oakland looked really bad, but then they went and had a close game against Purdue. How much can you gather about Michigan fromhere? Trey McKenney was 6-8 from three and looked the part. He also had four assists and no turnovers, there were some Darius Morris qualities about him. Do they go with the very big rotation with Yaxel out? Will Tschetter seems to get more minutes when Yaxel is out, would like to see him step up as a four year player. Wake Forest was a bubble team last year and look like one this year, that game will tell us more about Michigan.  2. Previewing Men's Basketball in the Big Ten Starts at 21:31 In reverse Kenpom order Penn State They're bad. Rutgers How is this team even going to score a basket? They have seven teams scheduled in the 200s.  Minnesota Niko Medved's first year at Minnesota, but the roster does not look good. They'll compete with Rutgers and Penn State for the bottom spot. Oregon 35th in the preseason but have fallen considerably after a one point win over Hawaii and a four point win over Rice. They have a transfer from Elon, the Oregon NIL budget must be focusing on football.  Maryland The only Big Ten team with a loss. They shot terribly against Georgetown and were only in it because they scored 30 points off of free throws.  Northwestern They bring back Nick Martinelli, the guy who makes the worst shots you've ever seen (complimentary). They've blown out Mercyhurst and Boston, which would be impressive if it was hockey. Their center looks like Elvis. Washington Very young team starting two freshmen and two sophomores.  Nebrasketball Sam Hoiberg is still playing a majority of minutes, but at least the mustache is gone. They bring in the Icelandic Unicorn.  Iowa Ben McCollum's first year. Tavion Banks looked great at Drake last year but will probably hit a wall against the Big Ten.  Ohio State They beat IU Indianapolis 118-102, eek. They've retained a few players which is a big thing in college basketball now.  Michigan State More continuity and the best win in the Big Ten so far (69-66 over Arkansas). They're very experienced. They were awful at three point shooting a year ago and so far they're at 20% this year. This doesn't seem like a team that's going to win the league by three games but they didn't look like that last year.  Indiana Year one for Darian DeVries. They bring in a lot of new players and we don't know what to expect. This team is loaded with seniors. They're going to do what they do and then go away.  UCLA Mick Cronin is awesome, actually. How can a team starting Xavier Booker at center be? They have shooting but defense and rebounding are big questions. What if Mick Cronin yells at them more? USC Hey it's Terrance Williams. USC is surprisingly putting together a basketball program. Wisconsin They're 18th in Kenpom and looking at the roster doesn't make sense. There's no bench, either.  Purdue They bring back Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn. Fletcher Loyer is also back. Their 10 point win over Oakland was awkward. Jack Benter is an interesting freshman at guard. You can't second guess Matt Painter but they're missing their classic giant center that they build around.  Illinois This team is huge. They absolutely blew out Jackson State and Florida Gulf Coast. Pronounce Ivisic, or Petrovic, or Stojakovic, or Jakstsys.    3. Hot Takes and Hockey Updates Starts at 1:15:30 Takes hotter than the opposite of Kinnick Stadium, that looked miserable. Michigan split with Wisconsin over the weekend in a return to reality series. But it felt like worse than a split for what got exposed. Michigan couldn't get out of their zone but most teams on the schedule won't be able to replicate what Wisconsin did. Goalie Jack Ivankovic also just had a bad weekend which happens. Friday was such a fun game that was getting ruined by piped in music. They're being told to turn it down. Wisconsin seemed to really get under Michigan's skin and the frustration came out. The Big Ten is one of the best hockey leagues in the world and the league barely broadcasts games.    4. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac Starts at 1:45:28 Indiana 27, Penn State 24  Absolutely bonkers ending. The final two catches were amazing. This game raised questions about Indiana's ability to block next-level guys. Mendoza was pressured on 50% of dropbacks. Penn State did start the season with a group of players you would've thought would do that, though. All Penn State quarterbacks are now "The Grunk". Indiana was 2-25 against Penn State coming into this game and this was their first ever win in Happy Valley, the feels are still amazing for Hoosiers fans.  Oregon 18, Iowa 16 Oregon went into Kinnick during a rain storm and got almost the full Iowa experience (except that the safety happened to Iowa). The only stat that matters is that Oregon survived a November night(ish) game in Kinnick, survive and advance in that scenario.  Wisconsin 13, Washington 10 Played in similar conditions as Oregon vs Iowa, except this game sucked! Wisconsin's lead passer was the punter. This was a Big Ten West game and someone had to lose. If this wasn't in a sleet storm then Demond Williams probably gets more than 134 passing yards.  Nebraska 28, UCLA 21 Nebraska QB TJ Lateef goes 13/15 for 205 yards and 3 touchdowns. Dylan Raiola who? This was a very Big Ten game with limited possessions because both teams ran the ball a lot. Nebraska goes through so many running backs but might've finally found a guy. Rutgers 35, Maryland 20 Rutgers' running back Antwan Raymond rushed for 240 yards but Rutgers got outrushed. Maryland had six explosive plays and had a -0.4 EPA outside of those. Rutgers rescued their bowl hopes. USC 38, Northwestern 17 The boxscore is a blowout. USC had a fake punt pass that wasn't even legal. Why did they pull that out against Northwestern? It was close at the time. Ohio State 34, Purdue 10 merp MUSIC: "Feel For Love"—Michigan Rattlers "What's It All Mean"—Philharmonik "Sin Triangle"—Sidney Gish “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra   

- Agricultural Robots and AI Initiatives (0:00) - Food Inflation and AI Music Generation (7:36) - SNAP Program and Food Stamp Crisis (19:55) - Windows 11 and Privacy Concerns (46:50) - Salmonella Outbreak and Supplement Safety (58:29) - Washington State Supreme Court Verdict Against Monsanto (1:10:59) - Drones and Surveillance in US Cities (1:13:58) - Special Reports and Final Thoughts (1:18:00) - Western Currency Debt Collapse and Economic Concerns (1:23:13) - Global Nuclear War and Geopolitical Tensions (1:24:41) - Navigating Social Media and Focusing on Important Issues (1:26:47) - Preparing for AI-Driven Job Displacement and Economic Shifts (1:29:22) - Leveraging AI for Career Development and Business Innovation (1:34:32) - Human Element in Services and Opportunities for Job Transition (1:36:56) - Using AI to Enhance Business and Personal Life (1:42:03) - Conclusion and Call to Action (1:43:20) For more updates, visit: http://www.brighteon.com/channel/hrreport  NaturalNews videos would not be possible without you, as always we remain passionately dedicated to our mission of educating people all over the world on the subject of natural healing remedies and personal liberty (food freedom, medical freedom, the freedom of speech, etc.). Together, we're helping create a better world, with more honest food labeling, reduced chemical contamination, the avoidance of toxic heavy metals and vastly increased scientific transparency. ▶️ Every dollar you spend at the Health Ranger Store goes toward helping us achieve important science and content goals for humanity: https://www.healthrangerstore.com/ ▶️ Sign Up For Our Newsletter: https://www.naturalnews.com/Readerregistration.html ▶️ Brighteon: https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport ▶️ Join Our Social Network: https://brighteon.social/@HealthRanger ▶️ Check In Stock Products at: https://PrepWithMike.com