Podcasts about i michael

Ever feel like you had to start over from zero? I sit down with writer and teacher Peter William Murphy, an Irish expat who rebuilt after a family business collapse, a serious injury, and a move to Reunion Island that reset his path. I wanted to understand what it really takes to choose growth when life gets loud, and Peter shows us how clear decisions, steady practice, and honest support can open new doors. We talk about the power of owning your choices, moving through anxiety, and asking for help before pride gets in the way. Peter explains how he built Peak English to help students raise their IELTS scores and change their futures. We get into how online teaching actually works when you design it with care, why in-person connection still matters, and how writing became a tool for clarity, confidence, and service. What I love most in this conversation is Peter's calm style of resilience. It is not flashy. It is daily. If you are starting over, switching careers, or simply trying to make your next decision with intention, you will hear practical steps you can use right away. I think you will walk away encouraged, with a clearer view of what steady progress looks like and how to keep going when the ground shifts under your feet.   Highlights:   00:10 – Meet the guest and set the theme of choosing growth over comfort. 01:12 – Hear how a family hospitality legacy shaped early values and work ethic. 02:25 – Learn how the 2008 crash ended the bar and pushed a search for a new path. 07:37 – See why a one-way ticket to Reunion Island became a turning point. 10:11 – Follow the move into teaching without a degree and the first classroom wins. 14:20 – Pick up online teaching tactics like gamification and lesson design. 15:56 – Understand imposter syndrome and the pivot into writing and Peak English. 21:16 – Get a clear take on when online learning works and when it does not. 28:38 – Compare virtual vs. in-person speaking for connection and impact. 32:41 – Learn Peak English's mission to make IELTS success more accessible. 46:32 – Try a simple decision tool: write pros and cons and choose with intent. 54:55 – Hear the advice to younger self: talk to someone sooner and keep going   About the Guest:   Peter William Murphy is an Irish writer, educator, and host whose path has been anything but conventional. Raised in a small family-run hotel on Ireland's west coast, Peter immigrated to America following the hotel's closure, attending school there before returning home to rediscover his Irish roots—and a deep love for sport. But beneath the rugby and soccer fields, a creative instinct stirred.   When the 2008 crash brought down his family's business for a second time, Peter booked a one-way ticket to an island off the coast of Madagascar with just €20 and no job prospects. After a brief period of sleeping rough, he was helped by strangers who offered support without judgment—a lesson in quiet empathy that never left him.   Peter made his name on Medium, where he was curated 39 times for his memoir-style essays on travel and the lessons learned along the way, before pivoting to sharp, comedic takes on current affairs. Notable among his growing body of work are original characters like Jack Hennessy, a wry Irish journalist with a nose for trouble, and the Rick and Morty-inspired duo, Peta and Freeman—two chaotic, absurdist voices that serve as both satire and self-reflection. He now splits his creative focus between personal essays, humor writing, and his new livestream comedy podcast, The Peter and Philip Show, which he co-hosts with author Philip Ogley and which is gaining a mini-cult following on Substack. Peter is currently working on a book loosely inspired by his global misadventures, missteps, and the redemptive power of human connection.   Some of Peter's creative and personal heroes include Hunter S. Thompson, Ernest Hemingway, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, as well as his mother, father, and brother—who continue to inspire his voice, values, and pursuit of honest storytelling.   Peter is currently developing the Peta and Freeman series into a comic and is halfway through writing his first novel, The Red Beach in Paradise, which tells the story of his time on Réunion Island through the fictional lens of Jack Hennessy. While Peter still teaches full-time with his own private students, he is also working on opening an online school to help students prepare for exams and gain university admission across Europe. Every cent he earns from his writing goes directly toward making that school a reality.   Ways to connect with Peter:   My GoFundMe to fund the school: Link here Peak English Instagram account: Link here Peak English TikTok: Link here My substack that contains writing and podcasts: Link here My Medium Account: Link here     About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:20 Hi, everyone. Welcome wherever you happen to be to unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. And today, I think we're mostly going to get to do the unexpected, which is anything that doesn't have to do with inclusion or diversity. Peter Murphy, or Peter William Murphy, as he refers to himself in all the emails that he sends to me, is a writer. He has been a teacher, has an interesting story, I think, all the way around, and I'm not going to tell it, because it's more fun to listen to him tell it, and we'll see what we can learn from it and how we progress. So anyway, Peter, I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad you're here.   Peter William Murphy ** 02:00 Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it.   Michael Hingson ** 02:03 And although Peter is Irish, he's in Turkey today, or he's he's over there, so he does move around, as you're going to learn in the course of this next hour or so. So why don't we start, why don't you tell us, kind of about the early Peter, growing up and so on.   Peter William Murphy ** 02:19 Um, well, I'm from truly, county Terry in Ireland, beautiful small town in the west coast, the Southwest we I come from a family of Hoteliers and publicans. My great grand Well, yeah, my great grandfather had the Meadowlands hotel in Chile, and then passed to my grandfather. But then after that, my father decided to open up his own bar. And that's kind of where after growing up, you know, around the hotel and, you know, seeing all the customers talking to people, very social kind of atmosphere, but unfortunately, it closed down. We had to move to America, back to Ireland. I attended Glendale Abbey school in County Limerick and yeah, I had a great upbringing, great family, but unfortunately, I never really liked school, if I'm be honest with you, which is a strange thing for a teacher today, I did not do well in school. I did just okay. But after the economic crash in 2008 Unfortunately, our family business closed down, so I had to try and find my own path. It was a little bit different than Ireland and I took off, got myself a teaching cert, and went to Reunion Island. And from there, my story kind of took off, and it's kind of where I learned a lot of my lessons. And after that, I just kept on going and didn't stop.   Michael Hingson ** 03:59 So why did the family business closed down the first time.   Peter William Murphy ** 04:04 The first time was because my grandfather basically needed a retirement, and he sold the hotel. And then my father then decided to open up his own bar, and just rising then 10 years later, that closed down during in 2011 I think there is a big economic crash in Ireland, rents went up. People weren't eating or socializing like they were, and through no fault of RL, it was just time to close the doors, which was a pity, because name of the bar was wooly Darcy's. It was a fantastic bar, very social, no televisions, very traditional, and yeah, so we all kind of had to go off and find other ways. And, you know, figure out who we are without, say, bars or. Hells or general hospitality and so kind of, yeah, right.   Michael Hingson ** 05:06 Well, so what? What was the reason for commuting or immigrating all the way to America after that?   Peter William Murphy ** 05:14 Well, we immigrated to America after   Michael Hingson ** 05:17 the hotel, yeah, after the hotel closed, right?   Peter William Murphy ** 05:21 Yeah, that was in 1998 and we were there for maybe two years, I believe, I'm not sure, and went to school there. My father worked in summers pubs, which is owned by my uncle in Boston, and then he made enough money to come back to Ireland in 2000 and open up his own bar. But yeah, it's just,   Michael Hingson ** 05:49 why America? Why America? When the hotel closed, half   Peter William Murphy ** 05:53 our family live over there, so my mom's side of the family live in America. Yeah, okay,   Michael Hingson ** 05:59 well, that makes it a little bit more logical that you would you would consider doing that.   Peter William Murphy ** 06:05 Oh, I loved it, Michael. I After, after two weeks, I was no longer Irish. I was playing baseball, eating pizza. I good American accent. I loved America, I   Michael Hingson ** 06:17 must say now, so are you in the Boston area?   Peter William Murphy ** 06:21 Yeah, we lived in West Roxbury, okay, just outside the city.   Michael Hingson ** 06:26 I lived in Winthrop Massachusetts, which is by East Boston, for three years. Very nice. So I never really got a Boston accent, but I do know how to say things like, pack your kind of have a yacht, you know? I can, I can still do it. Great accent, actually, but that's lovely. But I enjoyed being in Boston and just being around all the history. It's pretty, pretty amazing. But then you move back to Ireland, so that worked out, and he started a bar, and then you did that. So when, when that closed, and then you left again? Why did you leave again?   Peter William Murphy ** 07:06 Uh, basically, um, it feels difficult, kind of speaking about publicly, but I, I was kind of Joe there's, and I say that because there are people out there with bigger problems than me like I was a rugby player and the son of a publican. So for my formative years, my identity, for me at least, was kind of set. I was either going to be a rugby player or I was going to work in a bar or go into hotel management or something like that, but I had a pretty horrific leg injury during rugby training, and I suffered a few blows to the head, and then the bar closed down, so it was like one year you kind of had it all figured out. And then going into university as a young man, I had nothing. I could barely really walk I my family identity was gone. We're in the midst of a economic crash, a depression, and then I kind of developed my own sort of depression, but I, at the time, I didn't know it was depression. It's only Lacher that, when I spoke about it to professional that I kind of, we kind of spoke through and just said, Yeah, that's what it was. So I kind of, I wouldn't say, lied to my parents, but I told my mom, who's listening? Hi, Mom, I love you that I got a job in France, and I'd gotten an English certificate, and I didn't want to do University. I wanted to take a year out because I just couldn't handle it. Um, so, you know, I thought solving my problems would, you know, going away would solve my problems. So I there was no job in France. In fact, I wasn't going to France. I booked a one way ticket to Reunion Island, which is an island often called to the Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.   Michael Hingson ** 09:22 So why there? Why there? Because my friend   Peter William Murphy ** 09:26 was there, and he was there getting University credits for his degree. And, you know, back then, I wasn't a very good listener. I was a bit silly. I'm sure he told me all the details, but I just, I just heard son see maybe a job, and it's not and it's not Ireland, you know, it's not gray, it's not depressed. People aren't on social welfare. Let's, let's go. So I booked a one way ticket with what remained in my savings. And blew over there. And Michael, I'm going to be honest with you, when I landed at the airport in fentanyl, and I was hit with the hot Island air, and I could see it the volcano and, you know, the blue ocean surrounding me, I immediately regretted my decision. I want to go home, but I couldn't, because I had no money to buy a return ticket. So then the kind of Island Adventure kind of started, and yeah, I was stuck there for two years trying to get home.   Michael Hingson ** 10:34 Did you ever kind of make peace with all that and decide that maybe it wasn't such a bad place?   Peter William Murphy ** 10:40 Yeah, I, I, I kind of, because I'm a storyteller. I love writing, so I'm good at, kind of, you know, I wouldn't say I think all writers are good at, you know, giving dramatic effect. You know, maybe there, there's instead of one shark, there's five sharks. Instead of a storm, it's a cyclone. But when I would tell people about it, I would say it was difficult, but looking back at it now, it was probably the best thing I ever did, just taking that leap and going for it.   Michael Hingson ** 11:19 Did you ever finish in going to university? Or did you ever   Peter William Murphy ** 11:23 No, I just kept going. Kept going, kept going. I I got a job teaching English at a course. A lady by the name of Daniela from Angola gave me my first ever job, and you know, we hit it off. And this is back in 2011 or 12. I After about six or seven months working with her, so all the kids love me, the students love me. I learned a lot about her kind of holistic approach to education and teaching, and we were speaking in her kitchen one day, and she says, okay, when all this is over, what are you going to do? And I said, Well, I'm going to try and open up my own school. And she seemed surprised, but yeah, over 1310, or 11 years later, I'm not sure that's exactly what I'm trying to do now, is open up my own school.   Michael Hingson ** 12:21 Tell   Peter William Murphy ** 12:22 me about the school. Well, my wife, well, I'll go back a little bit. When I finally built up enough money to fly home, I got a job working with a man from America, actually teaching students in Cork. And I said I wasn't ready to go back to university just yet. I'd been in university for three years before I left, and it just something wasn't clicking with me. I'm an intelligent enough person, but in university just something, it just wasn't clicking. So I've decided to, you know, go to Turkey, simply because it was, you know, the closest. It wasn't like France, which is familiar, and it wasn't like, you know, far away, like China or somewhere like that. So I went there and got a job. But within six months, I think I landed a very, very good job at the top private school there, and they knew that I didn't have a degree. They just knew that I had selfless certificates and TEFL and other English certificates. But they have about 60 campuses in Turkey, and they gave me, and one of them is a university in Istanbul. So I was given a lot of education. By then, I was kind of a teacher for 15th. I observed, if I was doing a lesson, I'd be observed lots of seminars, getting more certificates, learning more and more. And you know that as time went on, I just kind of became Mr. Murphy, you know what I mean? I became a teacher, kind of, I proved myself, and just my students started getting good results. The parents were very fond of me. My colleagues were fond of me, my boss, my principal was fond of me. So I went from kind of not really having any identity, not knowing what I was doing, to kind of having it. So I stayed working in this big school for eight years, and to get back to kind of your question on the degree and the school i i was chosen by them to give a talk in Istanbul to all my peers on online methodology and how I help kids. Do you know? With gamifications, using the right websites for them, things like this, I slowly became very adept at, and they asked me to do it the second year. And then I got offered by Pierce in Turkey, which is an educational publishing company, and to do seminars on their behalf. And then this is, it was the first time since I left Ireland. This was in 2002 or three where I began to have imposter syndrome, where I was like, Okay, I know I'm good, but am I better than the people who I'm, who I'm speaking to, you know, and I raised this with the person who gave me the opportunity, and he said, Everyone feels, feels this way, you know. But I couldn't shake it, so I decided to in 2023 to step back from teaching, and I told my principal that I'm going to take some time away from it, and I became a writer on medium, and my writing on medium then took off. I started making a lot of money, and I found myself in this little hole where everything I was I was trying, was working for me, but it still didn't feel like something that I could 100% stick with well, which is why I started writing the book, and then it's why my wife and I decided to open up our own course, which will be a methodology, kind of created by the two of us, a curriculum, curriculum created by the two of us, which will have third party eyes who will sign off on it, and it's called Peak English, and we'll take it from there. So that's kind of my long answer to your very simple question.   Michael Hingson ** 17:05 Sorry, Kay, that's fine. Going back to when you went to Reunion Island. Do you think there was something deeper than just escaping from Ireland and the life you had, or you think it was just that simple?   Peter William Murphy ** 17:24 Um, yeah, it's strange, because I have a great relationship. My brother, my father and my mother were all very close. But I, I think, I think I became afraid of life, you know, because, you know, my father's my hero, of course, and he's a well respected man in the community. He He was awarded, I can't remember the name of the award, but basically, best host of the Year, Best host in Ireland last year by the hospitality board in the country. And when I saw what the economic crash did to him, it didn't break him, but when I saw that what it did to him, I was like, my god, if life can do that to my dad, take away his bar, you know, make him sad, or whatever it's like, what's it going to do to someone like me, you know, so I became very afraid of life, and I suppose I just wanted to go somewhere that felt other worldly, and that just felt so different, you know, that just so different, Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 18:38 well, and, and now you say that you really feel that it was the best decision that you could make.   Peter William Murphy ** 18:48 Yeah, I wouldn't change it for the world. I mean, I've got some great stories. Yeah, halfway through a book about it now. So hopefully in the next year, that book will hopefully get published, and if not, I'll put it out there myself.   Michael Hingson ** 19:06 So when the pandemic hit, how did that affect or deal with your teaching and so on? Because you were teaching all that time since you you stepped back from that in 2023 so you must have had to deal with a lot of stuff with the pandemic, I would think,   Peter William Murphy ** 19:25 yeah, I know a lot of people suffered during the pandemic, but if I'm going to speak, it was difficult for everyone, but if I'm going to just for me in my apartment in Turkey, it was a good pandemic for me, you know, I took the opportunity to learn the guitar, get better at my job, did a lot of study, got more certificates, and also. Uh, I was familiar with Zoom before the big zoom thing happened. So I kind of knew before our first online lesson. You know, I spent about maybe three weeks because we went into lockdown in Turkey, I think March 2020, I believe we were a bit Lacher than most, but we, we stopped school in February, I think, and there was about a two or three week time where they were trying to figure it out. And, you know, you you know, everyone's going to go. If America and England are go and China are locked down. We're going to be locked down too. So I started doing tutorials on Zoom Near Pod, other online teaching websites, and started learning about them. So when the first lesson started on Zoom, I was really good at it, and all the students loved it. I wasn't the only teacher who did that. Lots of my colleagues I did that. But, you know, the pandemic was definitely a time where a lot of us who were lucky enough not to get ill were able to, you know, put more strings to our boat, right?   Michael Hingson ** 21:24 What do you think about all the discussions and all the arguments and all the conversations that go on now about online teaching as opposed to doing it live, and where, where all of it fits in. Can people really do it, you know, kind of what are your thoughts   Peter William Murphy ** 21:47 for children? I do not recommend this as the primary source of their education. I believe that socializing is very important for them, even having a teacher. You know, one of the biggest things you can do as a teacher with your classroom management is where you stand in the classroom. You know, being able to observe the students, then knowing that you're there as a present all the materials that you would have in the classroom. These are all things that actually, they need something small, but they do help kids that kind of five minute break every 14 minutes where they can run outside, keep a ball around and talk to each other. That's really important, yeah. But if you're talking about maybe between the 18 and up age group, I think it depends on the person. I've had students who who are prepared for IELTS, and they have needed a top score, and only have three months, and we've been face to face, working, helping them with their writing, doing everything, and it just doesn't work. There's something about the school environment where it just doesn't rub off on them. But then the minute you get them online and you start introducing games, you gamify it, just do lots of different things with them, for some reason they feel more comfortable. It could be an anxiety thing could be where they just feel more relaxed. At home, everyone's different, but for children, from my experience, definitely face to face learning is the best. Zoom is okay in an emergency. I do not recommend hybrid learning whatsoever.   Michael Hingson ** 23:40 Yeah, it's a it's a challenge. I know, for me personally, I can do online and, or and, or I can do things in person, in terms of learning and so on. I'm used to doing a lot of things outside of the typical corporate or office environment. So I can do that, but I also value and appreciate the social interaction when you go into an office and you have an opportunity to to meet with people. The only thing I would would say is way too often, unfortunately, people socialize so much that they forget in a work environment, you're really there to work and really need to figure out how to focus more on getting the job done. But I think there are a lot of aspects to that as well, because it isn't necessarily that people are lazy, but by the same token, if they don't really recognize what the job is about and what they're doing and that they have to put the appropriate time into it, or figure out a way to put in the appropriate time, then that's, you know, an issue too.   Peter William Murphy ** 24:58 Yeah, I would, you percent people. Be With You.   Michael Hingson ** 25:01 I think that, yeah, it's interesting. I've had a few people on the podcast here where we've talked about time management. We've talked about how people work in Europe, as opposed to in the United States, and some of the statistics that show that, in reality, if people put in longer days, but don't spend as many days at work, like if you put in 410, hour days, as opposed to five, eight hour days or something like that, you tend to get more work done, which I think is very interesting.   Peter William Murphy ** 25:36 Yeah, I've noticed that too, since I started working at home more and more. That I had a discussion with my wife the other day, and I said, you know, I think I need to rent an office, you know, because whilst I do like having, you know, low overheads and not paying rent. There is something about getting up in the morning, putting on a nice shirt, black coffee, and walk to the office. And you know, have your work day. One thing that I'm noticing is working online, with writing and helping students, is I'll wake up at 5am and I'll shower and I'll I'll work from 6am until midnight, and I am looking at my looking at myself in the mirror the next day and saying, Joe, this is unsustainable, like we It's you can say to yourself, oh, sure, just, you know, make your own routine. But it's very hard to stick to a routine if you are, you know, writing articles, if you have meetings at various times throughout the day, if you're dealing with multiple time zones. So there's, there is something attractive of going back and renting an office, you know, having a base where work is work and home is home. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 27:10 and I, and I appreciate that. I, I personally am able to work at home and separate that out. But I do know what you're what you're saying. And not everyone can do that. I've just done that a lot in my life because I've worked for companies where I worked remotely anyway, so I'm used to that, but I also appreciate your discipline. I'm sorry   Peter William Murphy ** 27:35 you've got discipline. It's something I need to work   Michael Hingson ** 27:38 on. Well, I guess that's probably it, yeah, I guess that's that's probably it. And I have enough other things during the day that demand time. So for example, at five o'clock, that's the time to feed the guide dog, and he wants to eat. And if I don't do that, I'm going to hear about it. So what's your dog's name? His name is Alamo. Like the Alamo? Yeah. So, you know, the issue is that I do have some things to help keep me honest, but, yeah, I can be fairly well disciplined with it, and I can make that work, and I understand that a lot of people can't. The other thing for me being a public speaker is I'm not as great a fan of speaking virtually, speaking online, as I am speaking in person. And the reason is, and it took me a while to kind of figure out why I didn't really like it as much as as probably some people that I don't have nearly the same kind of connection with the audience to whom I'm speaking if I'm doing it online, and I don't get to hear their reactions to things that I say. And for me, having that audio interaction, those auditory signals are part of what tells me if I'm doing a good job or not. On the other hand, I've done this long enough that I can pretty well tell what's probably going to work and what's not. So I'm perfectly happy to do virtual presentations, but if I have a choice, I like to do it in person, right?   Peter William Murphy ** 29:09 Yeah, I agree with you there. There is something very cool about being up on stage, yeah, and talking to a lot of people, but my favorite part has to be afterwards, when you're having the teas and the coffees and you're talking to everybody in the lobby. I really do love that part.   Michael Hingson ** 29:29 Oh, yeah. Well, and I try to integrate some of that even into the talks that I give, so that I have audiences participating. And sometimes the participation may be that I ask them something to answer, and sometimes it's how I tell a story to draw them in. And I've had any number of people tell me we were just following you down the stairs in the World Trade Center as you were telling the story. You were just so. Vivid with what you were saying. We were right there with you. And that's the thing that I think is a lot harder to do in a virtual environment than it is in a in an environment where you're actually speaking to people.   Peter William Murphy ** 30:13 Yeah, that's I told you when we had a chat before I came on, that it's really great honor to speak to you. And you know, I really do love your story and the way that you tell it, and of course, about your guide dog that led you out. It's really like an amazing story   Michael Hingson ** 30:36 well, and you know, it's it, it's a team effort. Both of us had jobs to do, and it was a matter of me being the team leader and keeping the team on course and doing the things that we needed to do. But it did work out well, and I'm glad about that. So it's that's important, but tell me more about the school that you're trying to start as you're working toward it, what will it be? Well, we   Peter William Murphy ** 31:07 are deadline to open it up was in three weeks ago, we found three buildings. I can't go into the detail, but it's, let's just say that, you know, someone said one price in the advertisements, and then when we got face to face, there was a new price. There was a lot of that kind of carry on. So my wife and I had a discussion, and we said, let's put peak English online first and get a base in because we do plan to either maybe perhaps move to Ireland in the future. So it is going to have to be a business that can, you know, move anywhere. We are going to have to have a online base. We've started working with the school in Brazil, and we've got some clients in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. So it's a nice space to get online at the moment, as we head into September, when all the kids are back to school, and then we will start small. We on sub stack. I started a small GoFundMe to help me reach my goal before the deadline, and people were very, very supportive. They gained a lot of traction. And then I spoke with my subscribers, and I said I gave them the plan because I like to tell them to know what's going to happen if they're paid subscribers, because everything I make from my writing goes directly back into education. So everything I make from medium top back, everything it goes towards building the school. And we are now going to go into September on a good footing, but we're going to have to downsize our expectations and perhaps buy some or smaller but our methodology and our mission will remain the same, to make education affordable, to help students pass their IELTS exams, to give them an opportunity to go work in Canada, America, the UK, Ireland.   Michael Hingson ** 33:15 So yes, that's peak English. Well, there you go. Which is, which is pretty cool. Well, what does your wife work? Or does she just help you with the school? Or what does she do?   Peter William Murphy ** 33:26 My wife? What does she do? My wife is an artist. She's a gamer, she's a teacher and she's a website designer. She's everything. She's the Peter whisperer. She's definitely good at when I'm in a whirlwind writing or, you know, I'll do too many things at once. She's, she's like a tablet for ADHD. I think she just, she's good at, kind of directing me calm down. So she she knows everything. Michael, she's a teacher, English language teacher. Graduated from Palm college, university, and she worked in an ink, in a in a college, and she's just about to embark on her Master's. So one of us will get that degree.   Michael Hingson ** 34:18 Yeah, one way or another, you'll have one in the family. Yeah,   Peter William Murphy ** 34:22 exactly. Well, she has one, but she'll get a master's. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 34:26 you'll have a master's in the family. Do you have any children? No, no, no, we're children. No children yet? Well, that's another thing to look forward to in in the future, which is, which is,   Peter William Murphy ** 34:38 where we don't know what to do. We love turkey, but also we want them to have a, you know, a Turkish. We want them to, you know, have an appreciation for Turkey and for Ireland. So we're trying to figure out where would be the best place to to raise kids in the in. You know, current global environment. And you know, despite all the trouble that Ireland has in 2008 every time I go home, it's still solid ground. And you know, it's the older I get, the more I'm kind of, I think we will end up there eventually, but we'll see. Yeah, well,   Michael Hingson ** 35:28 it'll all work out in time. I suspect you strike me as individuals. Yeah, you strike me as a person that will, will make things work out. And you're, you're willing to step back and and do it in a methodical and in very positive way, which is, which is pretty cool. Well, tell me about some of your writing. What kind of what have you written?   Peter William Murphy ** 35:54 Well, I told you about the book. I'm halfway through. It's the working title is becoming useful. Then on medium, I started writing about mental health, and I got imposter syndrome again. Of course, there's nothing wrong with writing anecdotally about your experience, but sometimes on the internet, it's probably better not to talk about kind of medical kind of things, you know what I mean. So I said, well, what could I pivot to? And I started writing travel memoirs about my time on the island, and I ended up getting curated about 40 times by medium selected for curation is basically where they choose the staff choose your story, and they give it a boost into the algorithm, and basically it just gets sent all over the internet. So that happened 40 times. Then I wrote for your tango, which is a New York based website. And then after a year and a half on medium, I pivoted to sub stack, where I continued to do my writing. And about three months ago, sub stack began doing live streams, kind of like on YouTube or Instagram, they have these live streams on sub stack. So I didn't feel comfortable talking about my teaching on sub stack, because I felt like my my writing persona, not that it's controversial, had its own space in my life, so I kept it separate from my teaching, and I spoke with a friend, and we saw everyone on Sub stack was doing these live one hour streams. So we thought we would do a comedy show. So we started doing these 1015, minute comedy shows live on substack, and they became very popular. And a lot of you know big authors like Walter Reed, Robin wilding, who would be very popular on that website came on as guest, and it's kind of this new outlet where everything leads back to teaching, where I'm learning about video editing now and how to reach an audience, and then straight away, with peak English, I said, Okay, so that's that. Now I know more about how the internet works, so now open up a Tiktok and an Instagram and, you know, focus that into peak English. So our Instagram account now is growing. It's got close to 1000 followers, and our Tiktok is just open. So, yeah, going to use what I learned from sub stack to reach more students give more tips on how to pass exams on other social platforms.   Michael Hingson ** 39:12 Okay, and you've, you've created some fictional characters along the way, haven't you?   Peter William Murphy ** 39:20 Yeah, I have Peter and Freeman, who have a small little cult following on on substack, kind of based on a relationship I have with a friend of mine and my brother and I. My brother has done the Olympics. He's done the not as an athlete, but he's worked for Warner Brothers and other companies, doing the filming of it, and we're both very much in the film. We're working on a script, and we're trying to develop something at the moment together. Of course, our day jobs are our main focus, but it's very nice to have a similar interest with your brother, that you can just work. Worked on together, you know,   Michael Hingson ** 40:01 yeah, well, you know, back in the days of old radio, there was a ven Troy lacherist, Edgar Bergen, who had his creature, Charlie McCarthy. And it was interesting that a lot of times Charlie spoke for Edgar. Edgar would, would would communicate through Charlie, as opposed to just communicating himself, and it was a way that he felt comfortable doing, which was interesting.   Peter William Murphy ** 40:32 Yeah, that's interesting with Murphy's Law, which is my medium pending, after about a year and a half, I, you know, I said I can't keep writing about the island or this or that, or memoirs. I have to try grow as a writer. So I started trying different styles. I started writing a satire. I started writing a political satire or just pure comedy pieces. And lo and behold, I was okay at it, and they gained traction, and they were funny. And this is strange, so then Murphy's law went to kind of satire. And then I started writing about politics, say what's happening in the USA, the friction over there, some other world events. And I enjoyed it. The editors liked it, and it was published in some very good publications. And it was great. I found many voices, you know, but as time went on, and I love medium, and I love substack, it's, it's my passion, and it has helped me grow, not just as a writer, but as I mentioned earlier, helped me hone all the skills I use that become, you know, big enough on it into how I can create this business that my wife and I try to open up, and it has really helped. But you are always chasing the algorithm, you know, and I would rather have a product out there that helps people, you know, pass their exams, give them guidance with these as, you know, do volunteer work, things like that, that will actually help people. And people will remember it as peak English, as a brand that will help them, because Murphy's Law and the exile files online, I love them, and they are my babies, but they are very much passion projects that, like Reunion Island, have helped me figure out what I want to do. You know?   Michael Hingson ** 42:58 Yeah, well now you talk about Murphy's Law. And of course, we all know Murphy's Law is, if anything can go wrong at will. But there was a book written years ago that was called Murphy's Law and other reasons why things go wrong. And the first, I think I've heard of that, and the first thing in the book after Murphy's Law was o'toole's commentary on Murphy's Law, which was, Murphy was an optimist. I always thought was cute. I like that. Murphy was an optimist.   Peter William Murphy ** 43:30 Well, it's, you know, I think in life, like you said yourself, when, when that terrible day happens in the World Trade Center, it was like you could either lose your mind or you stay calm, you know. And no, I think, I think everybody, kind of you know, can learn from that, from learn from your book, that you just have to keep going moving forward. People react differently to different you know, setbacks like I mentioned, with the leg break and the bar closing another young man, it might, it might not have affected them at all. They would have said, It's okay. I just kept going. But it just so happened that it affected me that way. And you my brother, for example, he stuck it out. He stayed in Ireland, and he he did it so it's it really does depend on the person and how they how one can deal with what life throws at you. Some people think it was like it was the best thing I ever did, but looking back on it, like I wouldn't change it, but looking back on it, I would have liked to have done it, maybe in a calmer way.   Michael Hingson ** 44:56 The other the other side of that though, is that. So there are a lot of things that happen around us, and we don't have any control over the fact that they happen as such, but we absolutely have control over how we deal with what happened, and I think that's what so many people miss and don't, don't deal with and the reality is that we can always make choices based on what goes on around us, and we can do that and and that can be a positive thing, or it can be a negative thing, and that's a choice that we have To make.   Peter William Murphy ** 45:37 Yeah, you're dead, right? Yeah, I, when I first came to Turkey, I was only supposed to be here for three months, you know, but there was something intoxicating about the country. There just the smell, the food people and I about six months into my stay here, back in 2013, or 14, like I did, have that decision where I had to kind of look at myself saying, Am I staying here because I'm running away, or am I staying here because I feel this is where I can achieve what I want to achieve. And I stayed because I felt this was like the environment where I could kind of deal with myself and kind of deal with life, and, you know, just be who I wanted to be, not that I couldn't do that in Ireland, but just the 24 year old version of myself. That's what like he was thinking, you know? And I got to respect that,   Michael Hingson ** 46:46 sure. And the other part about it, though, is that you you at least ask yourself the question, and you really took the responsibility to try to make a decision and come up with an answer, which is what a lot of people avoid doing.   Peter William Murphy ** 47:01 I wrote out the pros and cons on a piece of paper. I still have that piece of paper under your bed, and went up to the top of the mountain. There's, there's a huge mountain next to the city here. I'd go up there every day, but I just sat down and I just stared at the piece of paper. And there was just something where I said, you know, I have to try and become something here, you know, because if I can become something, even if it's something small, like something, you know, as humble, as just being a language teacher or helping one person or two people, it doesn't matter if I can do that here, then it would have been worth it. Yeah, of course. If time goes on, you learn more, you become stronger, you become more educated, you become trained. And then if you just keep going, no matter how you know down the dumps you were in the past, if you just keep going, one day, you will wake up and you will know exactly who you are and what you're supposed to do, and that's kind of what Turkey and Reunion Island gave to me.   Michael Hingson ** 48:10 Do you think that as you were growing up and so on, that the system failed you?   Peter William Murphy ** 48:18 I do remember one time. And I have to preface this for saying that I hold nothing against this person, but I remember I went to the psychologist or counselor in, I won't name the university, and the university I went to and and I didn't know them at all, and I sat down and I told them I was struggling with mental health. And, you know, there was, I'm not saying anything now like but there was a lot of young men taking their own lives in Ireland around this time, a lot and women, and I wasn't like that at all, but I was feeling down, and I wanted to see what the university could do for me. And I remember just being turned away saying, Come back next Tuesday, you know, at 405 and I did find it very hard to kind of like communicate and get help in university through Washington, like I didn't need directions on how to get to the Lacher hall or anything like that. I knew all that, but there was something else going on that I needed help with, and there, it wasn't there at all. Since then, of course, in the last 1516, years, Ireland is, you know, I suggest mental health capital of the world. But when, when I was there, maybe, maybe I just caught them on a bad day.   Michael Hingson ** 49:58 Yeah, hard to say. But the. Other part about it is look at what you've done since then, and look how you talk about it today, which really illustrates a lot of resilience on your part. And I'm sure that that's something that had to develop over time, but you still did it, and you became a more resilient individual because of all of that.   Peter William Murphy ** 50:22 Yeah, I'd say I've got that for my mom and dad. They're very resilient. But also that resilience has changed from, you know, booking a one way ticket to reunion and, you know, just doing all that crazy stuff, then go ahead and stand ball bus rides around Turkey, not knowing where I'm going, not having money, not enough for rent, all this kind of stuff. But it's changed because I remember I got a job partnering with a recruitment company that's based in Amsterdam, and I remember just willy nilly booking the flight over to Amsterdam, and just kind of, I just gotten married, and I Michael. I was not resilient at all. I did not want to go, I did not want to travel, I wanted to be at home with my wife, you know what I mean? And so I definitely got softer in other ways. So your resilience does change. It becomes more kind of a mental toughness than, say, that kind of young book physical resilience that you had when you were younger. It completely switches.   Michael Hingson ** 51:32 Yeah, well, and I think resilience is, is really, to a large degree about the whole concept of, well, mental toughness, or maybe the ability to look at what you're doing and going through and being able to make a decision about how to proceed, I think that's really kind of more of it than anything else, right, right? And so resilience, I think, as oftentimes, it's a term that's overused, but the reality is, I think what resilience really is is your ability to keep things whoever you are, keep things in perspective, and be able to step back and ask the tough questions of yourself and listen to your inner self and get the answers that you need. Yes.   Peter William Murphy ** 52:25 If that makes sense. It does. It makes perfect sense. Just gotta keep going. Yeah, yeah, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 52:35 You do have to keep going, and it's kind of important to do that, but you've had a lot of different things that you've done. You know, you've been, you're an author, by the way. Do you still make drinks anywhere?   Peter William Murphy ** 52:51 No, I just at home, right away home. Good for you. Yeah? Yeah, we it's a drinking God. Drinking is such a funny one. It's something that just, I don't know, dissolved from my life. When I aged 30, I didn't become a teetotaler or anything like that. Like I'll still have red wine and I'll be here with friends, but I rarely touch the stuff. And I think it's mostly due to the fact that I start work so early in the morning, you know, and I just cannot wake up with any sort of grogginess. I leave black coffee, you know, look at the news for 20 minutes, pet my cat, take a shower and then start, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 53:42 Well, my wife and I used to have a drink on Friday night. I mean, we're capable. We were capable of going to restaurants and parties and occasionally have something. But I know since she passed in 2022 we were married 40 years. I part of honoring her is that I have a drink on Friday night. One drink. I don't because I've never nice. I've never really felt that I need to have alcohol or anything like that. I've never been a great fan of the taste, but I have a drink to honor her on Friday night. So that's kind of fun.   Peter William Murphy ** 54:21 Yeah, that's very nice. I mean, we it's my wife's birthday in two days, actually, so I'm very lucky. She's very she's like me in a way. I want to take her to a nice, fancy restaurant, or to do this and do that, but she just wants a chicken burger. And hello, yeah, so we just go out to our favorite restaurant. And you know, they're good burgers. They're pretty gourmet, but yeah, she's pretty down to earth with me. And yeah, we have a lot of fun together. And yeah. But I'm currently planning her birthday presents as as I'm speaking to you.   Michael Hingson ** 55:07 If you could go back and talk to a younger Peter, what would you what would you tell them? What would you want them to learn?   Peter William Murphy ** 55:15 Oh, I would tell him to go straight to a to talk to somebody, yeah, just to go straight to talk to somebody, that's the biggest thing. I had an interview where I was the host yesterday with a man who does Astro photography, and one of his, you know, other projects he does. He's a recovering alcoholic. Where he's he really talks about, you know, men talking to other men too, like, if your friend call, pick up, always speak. Tell people what's going on. Of course, don't nag people and to tell them every problem you have, but if you're down into dumps, you should talk to somebody. So anybody who's like young, you know, late, late teens coming up, should definitely talk to someone straight away, because I think a few simple sentences from a professional could have saved me a lot of let's call them headaches in the future, all   Michael Hingson ** 56:28 too often we the way we're taught. We just don't get encouraged to do that, do we?   Peter William Murphy ** 56:34 No, no. People listen. People are good. People will do what they can. But I think sometimes, I think the way it's framed maybe scares men. I think we're a lot better now, but maybe 1015, years ago, and even before that, trying to get a kid to, you know, talk to professional, nobody wants to be different in that way. You know, back then anyway and but it's so healthy. It's so good to have someone who can regurgitate back what you've just told them, but in a clear, calm fashion that you know makes sense. It does the world of good. It's, it's, it's better than medicine   Michael Hingson ** 57:27 for most. Puts a lot of things in perspective, doesn't it? It does, yeah, which, which makes a lot of sense. Well, yeah, I think this has been great. I've very much enjoyed having the opportunity to talk with you and and and hear a lot of great life lessons. I hope everyone who is out there listening to us appreciates all the things that you had to say as well. If anybody wants to reach out to you, how do they do that?   Peter William Murphy ** 57:57 Well, we're on Instagram as peak English. We're also on Tiktok as peak English,   Michael Hingson ** 58:04 peak as in P, E, A, K, that's right   Peter William Murphy ** 58:07 behind me here. So if anybody can see it's there's the spelling on my wallpaper.   Michael Hingson ** 58:14 And, yeah, a lot of people probably aren't watching videos, so that's why I asked you to spell   Peter William Murphy ** 58:19 it. Yeah? Well, actually, I'm blocking it, so I moved out of the way. There   Michael Hingson ** 58:23 you go. Well, I won't see it,   Peter William Murphy ** 58:27 yeah, so I Yeah. So that's the best way to get in contact with me. You can Google me. Peter William Murphy, medium writer, I pretty much on the top of the lid, if you're interested in writing, also the exile files. And we're also on YouTube with the exile files, so there's lots of stuff going on. This is an English speaking audience, so I'm assuming nobody's going to want lessons from me. So if you're interested in my writing, check out medium and sub stack. And if you know anybody of friends who needs English, tell them about peak English, and I will help you.   Michael Hingson ** 59:11 There you go. Well, I don't know, there may be people who aren't the greatest English speakers listening who, who might reach out. Well, I hope that they do, and I hope they appreciate all that you've offered today. I really appreciate you coming on and spending an hour with us. I hope that all it's an honor. Oh, it's been fun. And I would say to all of you out there, I'd love to hear what your thoughts are. Feel free to email me at Michael H i@accessibe.com that's m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I, at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, love to hear from you. I'd love to hear your thoughts wherever you're listening. I hope that you'll give us a five star rating. We really appreciate your ratings and your reviews and Peter for you and for all of you, if you know anyone who ought to be a. Guest on the podcast. We're always looking for people to come on and tell their stories, so don't hesitate to provide introductions. We love it. We really appreciate you all doing that. And again, Peter, I just want to thank you for for coming on. This has been a lot of fun today.   1:00:14 Thank you so much. It's pleasure to speak with you.   **Michael Hingson ** 1:00:23 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Episode 107: This is the first in a series of conversations with Shane Meyer-Holt about the possibilities and challenges in building non-coercive communities and collectives. In particular, we're interested in what church looks like for those of us who feel done with high-control/high-demand forms of religion, who are unable to go back to certainty, who have no desire for the "carrot & stick" based motivations for community life, and who want  something much more inclusive. This is not a "fix-it" series for the church. We get that many in the wider church are actually pretty happy with the way things are and we are not trying to convince them to listen to us. Nor are we building the next idealised model for how we think church should be. This is a series for the people who want something different... and we are going to try and tackle the variety of cross pressures that occur in modern western neoliberal culture when we hope to build non-coercive communities of care and meaning.  In this episode Shane and I talk about the church communities we help to lead. Shane co-leads a church in the inner north of Melbourne, Aus (Fitzroy North Community Church) and I (Michael) lead a church in Auckland, NZ (Edge Kingsland). We talk about why we're still doing this kind of thing... and start to discuss the hopeful things and the profound challenges that arise when trying to build non-coercive community where people are able to be honest, to care about each other and to belong in meaningful ways.

Scott and Michael are joined by their special guest, David Ornelas, to discuss their favorite educational animation: “Schoolhouse Rock!,” public service announcements that were part of popular shows, like “G.I. Joe” and “The Magic School Bus.” There's also a discussion around animation they've been catching up on, like Filmation's 70s show, “Mission: Magic!,” and the hit Netflix movie, “KPop Demon Hunters.” Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BH6dKaVMe/?mibextid=LQQJ4d Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X/Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X/Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher                      

With the all-new animated feature, “Smurfs” in theaters this summer, Scott and Michael take the opportunity to look back at Hanna-Barbera's popular Saturday morning incarnation from the ‘80s, “The Smurfs.” They also discuss the history of The Smurfs, as well as animation they've been catching up on, such as “Laff-A-Lympics” and Disney/Pixar's “Elio.” Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BH6dKaVMe/?mibextid=LQQJ4d Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X/Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X/Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher      

Scott & Michael take a trip around the world to explore some of their favorite international animation. They discuss “The Adventures of the Little Koala,” “My Neighbor Totoro,” “The Mysterious Cities of Gold,” and “The Wrong Trousers.” They also talk about animation they've been catching up on, including Hanna-Barbera's “Sealab 2020” and the new season of “Phineas and Ferb!” Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BH6dKaVMe/?mibextid=LQQJ4d Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X/Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X/Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher                  

Scott & Michael take a trip back to the ‘80s to celebrate DiC Animation, looking at some of the studio's shows, such as “Inspector Gadget,” “The Littles,” “Heathcliff and the Catilac Cats” and “Kidd Video.” They also discuss animated shows and movies they've been watching lately, such as classic Hanna-Barbera episodes and “The Simpsons,” as well as films like “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” and the Oscar winner “Flow.” Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BH6dKaVMe/?mibextid=LQQJ4d Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X/Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X/Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher                

Scott & Michael look back at “The Saturday Superstar Movie,” which aired on ABC in the 1970s and showcased made-for-TV animated movies. They discuss two of them: “Popeye Meets the Man Who Hated Laughter” and “The Banana Splits in Hocus Pocus Park,” and also talk about what animated shows and movies they've been watching, including the new “House of Hanna-Barbera” and the Disney+ documentary, "Not Just a Goof.” Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BH6dKaVMe/?mibextid=LQQJ4d Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X/Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X/Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher              

On this episode, Scott and Michael are once again joined by guest Andy DiGenova for another look back at Peanuts TV specials beyond the more well-known realm of the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree and The Easter Beagle. Here, they discuss “He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown,” “There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown,” and “You're the Greatest, Charlie Brown!” Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BH6dKaVMe/?mibextid=LQQJ4d Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X/Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X/Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher            

On this episode, Scott and Michael look back at some of 2024's big stories in animation, such as “Inside Out 2,” the launch of MeTV Toons, and the latest books about animation. They also discuss animated shows they've been binging, lost media, and some personal stories connected to animation! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BH6dKaVMe/?mibextid=LQQJ4d Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X/Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X/Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher      

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of “The Year Without a Santa Claus,” Scott and Michael are joined by guest Andy DiGenova to discuss the 1974 stop-motion animated special from The Rankin/Bass Studio and the infamous 2006 live-action remake! Join in all the Holiday fun! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on X/Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X/Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X/Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher        

  In honor of the 35th anniversary of “Garfield's Thanksgiving,” Scott & Michael are joined by guest Andy DiGenova to watch the classic holiday special and provide audio commentary as they do! Pull up a chair to the table and join in the holiday fun! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on X/Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X/Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X/Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher      

In honor of Halloween, Scott and Michael return to discuss more of their picks for some of the scariest moments in animation. “Animal Farm,” “The Care Bears Movie,” and “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” are among the films discussed, along with the lost media mystery of the animated short “The Clockman.” Join them as they celebrate more terrifying Toons! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on X/Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X/Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X/Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher          

Scott and Michael welcome their guests, composers Jina An and Shirley Song, to discuss scoring the music for hit Netflix animated series, “Exploding Kittens.” Join them for a fun discussion about comedy, animation, music genres, and the creative process behind them all! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on X/Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X/Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X/Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher    

Join Scott and Michael for their annual tradition of returning to Saturday morning TV of yesterday. First, they discuss two forgotten animated cereal mascots – Tusk the Elephant and King Vitamin. From there, they look back at two Saturday morning preview specials – ABC's “Funshine Saturday Sneak Peek” from 1974 and NBC's “Who Shrunk Saturday Morning” from 1989. Join them for this Super Saturday celebration! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on X/Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X/Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X/Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher

Scott and Michael welcome their guest, animation and music historian Greg Ehrbar, author of the book, “Hanna-Barbera: The Recorded History, From Modern Stone Age to Meddling Kids,” which celebrates the songs, music, and records of the Hanna-Barbera Studio. Join in for this discussion of iconic toons and their memorable tunes! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on X/Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X/Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X/Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher          

In a crossover episode that began on “Holy Batcast - The All-Batman Podcast,” with a conversation about Ruby-Spears' 1988 series “Superman,” Scott and Michael welcome “Holy Batcast” host Andy DiGenova as their guest to discuss Filmation's 1966 TV show, “The New Adventures of Superman.” Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on X/Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X/Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X/Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher  

Inspired by listener requests, Scott and Michael explore The Animated World of Strawberry Shortcake. Not only do they look back at three Strawberry Shortcake television specials, but special guest Michelle Lyons joins them to discuss memories and the popularity of the character of Strawberry Shortcake. Join them for a “berry” good episode. Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on X/Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X/Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X/Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher

In honor of “The Garfield Movie” debuting in theaters, Scott and Michael take a look back at the classic Saturday morning series “Garfield & Friends” and Garfield's more obscure moments in animation. Grab some lasagna and join in all the Monday-hating fun! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X/Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X/Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher  

On this episode of “From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast,” Scott and Michael celebrate the 45th anniversary of “The New Fred and Barney Show!” Not only do they discuss this 1979 series that was a reboot of “The Flintstones,” but they also provide an audio commentary of one of the show's episodes, “CB Buddies.” Join them for a Yabba-Dabba-Doo time! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter/X: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter/X: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher  

Turn the TV dial back to the '70s and '80s as Scott and Michael take a trip back in time to discuss animated episodes of The ABC Afterschool Special, The ABC Weekend Special, and CBS Storybreak, as well as some animated Public Service Announcements. Tune in for all the flashback fun! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on X: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on X: @scotthopkins76 Michael on X: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher

In this episode, Scott and Michael return to discuss a variety of animated topics, such as some of 2023's biggest animated films, a look ahead at animated features that are celebrating anniversaries in 2024, and “animation that never was” (unproduced animated projects). Join in for some very animated conversation Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher      

Scott and Michael celebrate the 180th anniversary of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol,” with their guest, Andy DiGenova. On this episode, they discuss offbeat animated versions of “A Christmas Carol” as they look back at the Rankin/Bass special, “The Stingiest Man in Town,” “Bah Humduck!: A Looney Tunes Christmas,” and an episode of Disney's 2017 “DuckTales,” entitled “Last Christmas!” Join them for this very spirited show! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher          

In honor of the 50th anniversary of “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” Scott & Michael watch the classic holiday special and provide audio commentary as they do! Grab some pretzel rods, jellybeans, toast, and popcorn as you watch along with them, or just listen to the commentary for an animated Thanksgiving feast of fun! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher      

For their Halloween episode, Scott and Michael rank their top three scariest moments in animation. They discuss scenes from the animated feature, “Dot and the Kangaroo,” episodes of “The Smurfs,” and “He-Man,” as well as the Disney classics “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” plus more! Join them as they celebrate some terrifying Toons! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher    

Scott and Michael return to their annual tradition of celebrating Saturday morning cartoons. First, they look back at the history of two iconic animated cereal mascots: Sonny the Cuckoo Bird and Tony the Tiger. Then, they revisit two Saturday Morning Preview Specials: NBC's “Saturday Morning Preview Review” from 1974 and 1984's “Saturday's The Place” from CBS. Join in the Saturday superstar celebration! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher    

On this episode, Scott and Michael welcome their special guest, writer, director, artist, and animator, Caroline Foley, who has worked on such shows as “BoJack Horseman” and “Ricky and Morty,” and is also co-creator of the series “Toasty Tales.” Join in as Caroline discusses her work, shares her career journey, and talks all things animation! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher          

In this episode, Scott and Michael discuss a variety of animated topics, such as animated TV shows that they're binging, animation that's become “lost media,” books about animation, animated features celebrating anniversaries, and more! Join in for some very animated conversation! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher        

Summer is upon us and this summer, we are entering the season of celebrating Billy Joel's An Innocent Man. In celebration of the album's 40th anniversary, I (Michael) wanted to kick things off with this playlist episode.   I'm celebrating that songs that inspired An Innocent Man. Some are obvious and some are more subtle but these next songs are classics in American popular music and It was a blast stringing them all together in the same sequence of the album.  The playlist:    1. Wilson Pickett - "Stagger Lee" ("Easy Money") 2. The Drifters - "Under The Boardwalk" ("An Innocent Man") 3. The Tymes - "So In Love" ("The Longest Time") 4a. Beethoven - "Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 - Pathetique ("This Night") 4b. Little Anthony and the Imperials "Tears On My Pillow" ("This Night") 5. The Supremes - "You Can't Hurry Love" ("Tell Her About It") 6. The Four Seasons - "Big Girls Don't Cry" ("Uptown Girl") 7. Sam Cooke - "(What A) Wonderful World" ("Careless Talk") 8. Little Richard - "Lucille" ("Christie Lee") 9. Jackie DeShannon - "What The World Needs Now Is Love" ("Leave A Tender Moment Alone") 10. Betty Wright - "Clean Up Woman" ("Keeping The Faith")     ------   Email us: glasshousespodcast@gmail.com   Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media: Website: http://www.glasshousespod.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glasshousespodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasshousespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/glasshousespod  Discord: https://discord.gg/6G6cMRFu7T   Support the podcast: Paypal: https://paypal.me/glasshousespod Venmo: @MGrosvenor   Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing  

On this episode, Scott and Michael welcome their special guest Bambi Moé, who has an extensive career in the music industry, including 20 years with Disney, where she served as the Vice President of Music for Walt Disney Television Animation. Bambi worked on such shows as “The Little Mermaid,” and “Hercules” animated TV series, the direct-to-video sequels “Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas,” and “The Lion King 2,” and the feature films, “A Goofy Movie" and “The Tigger Movie.” During her career, she had the opportunity to work with many legendary singers, actors, and comedians, and she has chronicled her experiences and career in a new book entitled “Part of the Magic: A Collection of Disney-Inspired Brushes with Greatness.” Join in as Bambi shares her fascinating stories about memorable animation and entertainment icons! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher      

On this episode, Scott and Michael return to “Animated Oddities,” focusing on offbeat and overlooked animation.  In this episode, they discuss the UPA 1953 short subject, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the 1979 TV series, “Dr. Snuggles,” Hanna-Barbera's 1965 show, “Sinbad, Jr. and his Magic Belt,” and Disney's 1959 stop-motion cartoon, “Noah's Ark.” Join in for some forgotten fun! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher    

On this episode, Scott and Michael celebrate the Ruby-Spears animation studio, which produced a number of animated TV shows in the 70s and 80s, including “Fangface,” “Plastic Man,” “Rubik the Amazing Cube,” “The Puppy's Further Adventures,” “Goldie Gold and Action Jack,” “Thundarr the Barbarian,” and more. Join in for some nostalgic Saturday morning memories! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher    

On this episode, Scott and Michael are joined by guest Andy DiGenova, to go beyond The Great Pumpkin, Christmas, and The Easter Beagle, as they explore some of the lesser-known Peanuts TV Specials.  They discuss “It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown!,” “Charlie Brown's All-Stars,” “She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown,” and more! Good Grief, join in for all the fun! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher  

To celebrate the show's first anniversary, Scott and Michael open their e-mail inbox to discuss requests about different animation topics from listeners. The requests include animation featured on “Sesame Street” and “The Electric Company,” non-holiday TV shows and specials from the Rankin/Bass Studio, and stop-motion animation. Join in for this eclectic episode of animation favorites! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher        

Episode 75: In the first episode of 2023, I (Michael) spend some time reflecting on the stories of the past year but in particular on the most recently published article by journalist David Farrier about church harm and toxicity in more NZ megachurches - a story that prominently features the church in which I spent around 13 years of my life - both as a participant, and also on staff for around 8 years. In this episode I unpack as honestly as I can the feelings that come up in this whole conversation, about what it feels like to speak publicly about a community that I once helped to build, about the long-term relational impact, and about why I think we need to hold people and communities/systems to account - especially when they are closer to us. All of this feeds into some reflections on why it continues to be so muddled and conflicted for so many people, why it's so hard for members to leave and/or move on, and why it's the inability to hear, empathise, listen and learn that become the most problematic features of these organisations. Get in touch via email: feedback@intheshift.com Support via Patreon: www.patreon.com/intheshift  

On this episode, Scott and Michael shine a spotlight on Fred Wolf Films, the animation studio that's given us such feature films as “The Point,” such TV specials as “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” and such hit series as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!” Join in for a look back at some of the many projects from Fred Wolf Films! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher

Scott and Michael are joined by guest Jarrad Butz, to countdown their top three animated TV Christmas specials. In the episode, they discuss “Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” ”Frosty The Snowman,” and other classics, as well as forgotten and offbeat Christmas specials. Join in for all the festive fun! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on   Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher

In this episode, Scott and Michael celebrate Thanksgiving the only way they know how: with some random, old-school animation. They watch Hanna-Barbera's 1972 TV special, “The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't,” and provide audio commentary as they do! Watch along, or just listen to the commentary and join in the retro Thanksgiving feast of fun! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher  

On this episode of “From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast,” Scott and Michael look back at some of this year's popular animated films: “The Bad Guys,” “Chip N Dale: Rescue Rangers,” “Lightyear,” and “DC League of Super Pets.” Join them as they share their thoughts and reviews of each film! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher      

Hey, gang! I'm so sorry we had to miss a week! I (Michael) was feeling so terrible. Thank you so much for sticking with us and coming back! We have a long one for you this week as we catch up on things. We talk about Michael going to New Orleans and having a run-in with a rather rude gentleman, Natalie going to a concert, Taylor Swift's new album and the discussion around it, we play a new game with OkCupid questions, we nickname dogs, and Michael breaks up with Natalie! Thank you, for real, for still listening. We love ya! Follow us and talk to us! Instagram/Twitter: @myexandipod myexandipod.com | myexandipod@gmail.com

On the latest episode of “From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast,” Scott and Michael are joined by special guest, Andy DiGenova, for “Animated Oddities 2: Halloween Edition!” They look back at three forgotten, animated Halloween specials: 1972's “Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters,” the “Halloween Howlers” episode of the “Punky Brewster” animated series from 1985, and 1991's “Claymation Comedy of Horrors.” Join in, as they celebrate spooky season with some lost animated Halloween treats! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher  

From Pencils to Pixels #8 – Cereal Mascots! Scott and Michael look at the history and stories behind six animated characters created for breakfast cereal commercials, including Sugar Bear and Cap'n Crunch, as well as other random, forgotten Cereal Mascots. So, grab your spoon, bowl, and just add milk to join us for all of the sugar-coated fun! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher          

Pete Neubig is a realtor who focuses on investment properties. Pete has been investing in real estate since 2001. He has owned and managed a 39, 52, and 100-unit apartment complex. He currently owns single-family homes and a 52-unit apartment complex. Pete created a property management company based on the motto "By investors for investors". His property management company has clients from Houston and all over the world. His technology-based systems allow owners to see everything that is happening at their property without having to be involved. Tune in for today's episode where Pete talks us through some of the mistakes that he made as an investor and how he's doing things differently today. Episode Link: https://www.vpmsolutions.com/ --- Transcript Before we jump into the episode, here's a quick disclaimer about our content. The Remote Real Estate Investor podcast is for informational purposes only, and is not intended as investment advice. The views, opinions and strategies of both the hosts and the guests are their own and should not be considered as guidance from Roofstock. Make sure to always run your own numbers, make your own independent decisions and seek investment advice from licensed professionals.   Michael: What's going on everyone? Welcome to another episode of the Remote Real Estate Investor. I'm Michael Albaum and today with me, I have Pete Neubig who is a real estate investor and CEO of VPM solutions and Pete is going to be talking to us today about some of the mistakes that he made as an investor and how he's doing things a little bit differently today than maybe your typical investor. So let's get into it.   Pete, what's going on, man? Thanks so much for hanging out with me today. Appreciate you coming on.   Pete: Michael, thanks so much for having me, I'm really looking forward to it.   Michael: No, me too and so before we hit record here, you were telling us about the three different lives that you've lived. So you are a super interesting guy. Needless to say. So for anyone who hasn't heard of Pete Neubig before, give them the quick and dirty rundown of who you are, where you come from, and what you're doing in real estate today.   Pete: Sure. Well, real quick. Let's see, I'm from New York City originally, I moved to Texas in Houston back in 1995. So I have a gun. So I guess I'm a Texan now.   Michael: Give me one when you move to the state, like I think…   Pete: They give you a cowboy hat, a gun in some boots, you know. So I started buying real estate in 2001 when I bought my first property, actually, I bought a duplex and a single and a a 100 unit apartment complex like same day, like I closed on the same day, I ended up owning bunch of property that I ended up starting a property management firm and I got so busy doing that, that I stopped buying real estate for a while just to build the investment, the property management business, I ended up selling the property management business and now I started a an online platform. It's a virtual property management solutions or VPM solutions where we connect the real estate industry with virtual talent around the globe, so…   Michael: That's so cool. Pete just taking a total step back to say you're from New York now living in Texas, do you remember like I don't know in the late 90s, early 2000s there was that pace salsa commercial where like all the cowboys were sitting around like, where's that guy from New York City, New York City? When you say that, that's like the first thing that I thought of like, oh, hey, salsa commercial.   Pete: And I still can't say y'all correctly I get I get I get yelled at all the time and I'm down here saying y'all, so…   Michael: Y'all with the New York accent, I love it, I love it. Well, you did you I mean, this is a really cool trajectory that that you've ended up on and I would love to focus on kind of the first stage of your investing career where you own a bunch of rentals and again, we were chatting before we hit the record button, and you were saying that you had sold a bunch of them off, and then actually paid off some of the remaining ones. So walk us through, you know, like, why because I think I think a lot of people would be like, oh, that's stupid, like, what is Pete doing? You gotta have leverage. That's how you juicy return. So, you know, walk us through how you built up the portfolio and then why you decided to sell them but then keep some free and clear.   Pete: Sure thing. So I started buying on my own first right so I own like 12 I think it was like duplexes. I was for some reason I was love duplexes. I think most people would say, well, it's the cash flow, right? Duplexes, have a great cash flow and I was always looking at just cash flow and I think if I go back in my, in my investor life, I can tell you, Michael, I've lost so many millions of dollars by not buying houses with very low cash flow, because I forgot about this thing called appreciation, right? I wasn't buying cash flow, right and my goal at the time, I was a young man, I was early 30s, like 30-31 when I started buying, my goal was to get enough cash flow so I can just leave my corporate job. That's kind of what the way I was thinking. So I buy a bunch of properties and then I get I get talked into being a passive investor for 100 unit apartment complex and I told if I buy one apartment complex, I can retire right? So I'm like, oh, great, you know, monopoly, I'll buy a bunch of houses, sell them and all that good stuff. Well, it just never materialized. I was buying lower income homes and if anybody knows the lower income homes a cash flow is really just on the sheet of paper. It's not it's not true returns unfortunately, because there's little things like you know, the evictions or you know, not getting all the rent and in the make readies are not a couple 100 bucks or a couple of $1,000 because people in low income they take what's called parting gifts. You know, they take your AC, your doors…   Michael: Your goodie bags, you know…   Pete: Yeah, good. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So, so I ended up connecting with a business partner named Steve Rosenberg, who he's kind of a a national speaker now but Steve and I ended up finding his guy who is offloading a lot of his portfolio. So we thought this is great and we ended up buying like 30 houses and we were both enamored with buying property. But we didn't had no idea what to do once we bought them. Like we were terrible and how to manage them. So what happened was…   Michael: Pete was this was this local in New York or local in Texas, there was this remote?   Pete: Yeah, great question. So I was, I was, I had lived in Texas at the time, we're buying everything in Houston. I there was no such thing as Roofstock that we knew have to go buy stuff in other areas and back in the early 2000s, the average price of a single family home in Houston was like around 130. I was buying it for 35,000. Like, lower low income houses. Yeah.   Michael: But not have roofs, like, what's the deal?   Pete: Man, they were just in low income and today, those houses are now worth about 150, right, 20 years later, and I was buying them at 35 and they were worth 50 to 55,000. So I was buying them below. But I just found an investor who wanted to offload stuff but he was offloading me all his problems, right and if you don't have good management, behind you, if you have a good management company, by the way, it's really difficult to manage these low income stuff. It just is because they don't pay online, they don't abide by the lease, they have dogs, when they say they're not going to have dogs, all that all this stuff that you have to deal with. It's just difficult and so Steve and I, we ended up buying 31 homes. So now I have 31 homes, and we advertise bad credit, okay, no credit, okay, like you have you have a pulse and $1 will, we're gonna let you in the house and of course, that comes back to bite you to the point where not only are we not making the cash flow that was projected, but we're losing money at the end of the year, now I have to come in and pay for my taxes and my insurance and so now I'm working even harder at my nine to five than I did and I'm working hard to manage these properties.   But all of a sudden, this this like, dream that you have is becoming a nightmare and so, you know, caution, number of cautionary tale number one for your listeners is buy absorb, right, and then buy some more like don't just keep buying if you can't manage the assets, or number two is go find a professional management company that will take your properties. My problem was I had my problems was so low, I couldn't get a professional management company to take my properties. The manager companies know how hard they are and I'm like, Well, I'm gonna give you 25 They're like, Yeah, great. Keep it like, we want to charge you more. So I ended up creating the management company with Steve so we can manage our own properties and so there's been two there's two things, the two big instances that happen in my investing life that has propelled me to pay off properties, right. So let's get to your question. The first thing was I bought all those properties, and I wasn't making cashflow, right, but I had to pay the note every month, right and at the end of the year, now I'm getting in tax and insurance. And so there was no cashflow there and there's no appreciation I just told you it took him 25 years to get that double or triple of appreciation. So I own these properties for 10-12 years for 35,000 and they were worth like 45,000 right 50,000 I told you I got equity, but that nothing ever increased. So when that when the banks are coming and asking for their money, and I gotta go work a double because I need more money, or I gotta go sell off stock because I got to. So that that was something that kind of made me realize maybe I want to be the bank myself, or maybe I don't want to owe the bank so much money. So that was the first thing. The second thing was, I ended up buying that 100 unit apartment complex that I told you about and that 100 unit apartment complex. I am still today friends with the lead investor, he's a good guy, we just had a bad plan. We lost the apartment complex. Now I was a passive investor and now here's cautionary tale number two for your investor listeners. If you're going to be a passive investor, make sure that you either A have an attorney you trust or be read the documents yourself. So I was a passive investor, but I was legally on the hook for with my credit. So I personally signed the note. Yeah, I see you I see you if you for those of you not look, for those of you listening and not watching the video, Michael's jaw just dropped, right and so and then what happened was because the plan was bad, we couldn't we couldn't make a payment and so the bank led us to believe that we can restructure our debt. Well, they ended up having somebody that would buy the debt would buy the property from under us. So they foreclosed on us and sold the property for more than what we owed, which in normal cases, you think that's fine. I owed 1.1 million they sold for 1.5 million. I should be off the hook. Well, there was a little checkbox that said no, if they foreclose on me regardless how much they sell, they can sue me for that amount. So I got personally sued for one point $2 million.   Oh my god all because now I will tell you this, I paid a mentor and I paid an attorney. Before I got into that deal thinking I covered myself, I got a guy who's done a bunch of apartment complexes, I have an attorney, they just missed that. They just missed it, the mentor wanted to deal to get done because he was the broker on a deal. So it really was it wasn't aligned. You know, are you know, of course, at the time, I was like, get the deal done. But he needed to protect me from myself at that time and so when you owe, so long story short, I ended up selling. I had a six unit apartment complex that I sold, made 30 grand, and I actually was able to, to pay $30,000 to make the lawsuit go away. So the bank knew that what they were coming after me, they knew that they didn't really have a good case because they made their money. So they just wanted their attorney fees paid for but that put the fear of God in me to be quite honest and so I vowed that I don't want to ever be over leveraged, right and so of course, Kiyosaki talks about other people's money and every you know, rich, Guru, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, guy, every guru out there will tell you, if you can borrow 110% borrow 110%. Well, back in the early 2000s, you were able to borrow 110% I don't know if you remember and so I did that, right now. I was fortunate that I was able to overcome when the properties weren't making any money because I had a job. But if you are again, a cautionary tale number three, if you are a full time real estate investor, you cannot survive when you when your cashflow negative, it's very, very difficult, and you have to sell off assets. But if the assets are worth less than what you owe, that's a challenge. So when I got into property management, I realized pretty quickly that people will manage Class B homeless people will buy and rent Class B homes, I always had this mindset that people will only manage or rent Class C or D homes. I'm like, no one's gonna pay $800 in rent or $1,200 in rent, and go buy a property, a nice property and have $1,200 on my mortgage, right? Like it was a mindset thing and so another tale is if you're an investor, don't you don't try to buy anything that you would live in you. Other people will live in stuff that you like, why would they rent stuff when I when you can buy something? So when I found that aha moment, I pivoted and I hired a property manager. Finally I was trying to property manage and I was terrible at it. Like, I'm like, I had to hire a property manager. First day she comes in, she goes, okay, we're gonna fire half your clients, this tree store, we had 67 doors, 30 of them were mine. She's like, we're gonna fire half your clients, because those houses are in are in a low income area. They're not worth managing. We're gonna pivot, we're gonna get these Class B homes. Oh, and by the way, you need to sell off your homes. We're not managing your homes either. So you know what I said, You know what, I've been trying to make this work for so many years and are every year I'm coming at the end of the year, I gotta pay money. Now I quit my job to start my property management firm, which by the way, I was making $105,000 a year now making $12,000 a year am I okay? These properties, they can't be an albatross around my neck. So I sold a bunch of homes. So I had, I think 31 of them and 25 are in kind of the lower income area and I couldn't get rid of some of them. So I owner financed them and that was when I had an aha moment. So I was able to wrap the note, I had a very good, I had a local bank and I had a very good relationship with a local bank, and they allow me to wrap the note, right. So basically what that means is I've sold the property to you Michael, right. But I still own the property, you pay me 10% 20% down, you're gonna pay me a mortgage, and then I'm gonna pay the bank, the mortgage, and I get the spread. Yeah, the first time ever that those properties made me money.   Michael: Wow, okay. Were you able to sell them for much more than you paid for him? I know, you said there wasn't much appreciation.   Pete: No appreciation. But remember, I did have equity. So I sold them for like 50,050 to 55,000. I bought it for 35,000. So I was able to make money that way but if you think about it, I lost so much by owning and by doing the rehabs that I kind of broke even. Okay, it's great. Like, I'm able to be on podcast now. Tell that story, I guess. You know, it's the school of hard knocks, right? That's it. So college is way more expensive than that, by the way that just took me a lot of time. I ended up breaking even and making a little bit of money on it. But what happened was so when I when I started my property management firm, I don't know if you've ever started a business from scratch, Michael, but it is not easy, right? I didn't I didn't build it. I didn't buy somebody else's business, right. I built it from scratch and, you know, it's at 90 hour weeks. It's every day, you know, and so I got away from the investing thing. So I sold off my assets at a 52 unit that I sold office well took a bath in there, investors lost money.   So I don't like multifamily. I can just tell you that much. I know you do. I've listened to some of your stuff. But we could debate that on another pod. A lot of fun things off. So when I, when my property management firm seven years later started becoming like I was working now five hours a week, 10 hours a week, I started getting back into buying investment properties. So I was able to find and a bought a couple of properties for about $120,000. It's called Baytown. So it's a little bit it's like a Class B, B minus area, blue collar, I like it gray area of town in Houston to buy in, because there's a lot of renter's there, but I started buying them and I started buying cash. So of course, you have to have the cash, right. So I had some cash I was able to buy in cash and so all my other properties that I did keep, I kept paying those down, and I have those in cash. So today, instead of 31 non producing properties, I have eight properties, one of them is paid for, and I own the note. So I sold it, I did an owner financing sell and I make more money on that property now than I ever did when I rented it out. I have three others that are paid for three or four, four others that are paid for and then I have four others that have a note on them. With the four that I bought the last four, I bought a boat with a note, it was one of those commercial loans. Package note, I had to put 30% down I did, I bought them in January of 2020. So right before the pandemic, there I bought it for 535 from a California investor he was done. We I gotta because I own the management company. So before I went on the market, I made him an offer and so I got him for 535 they appraised at 640 and I put 30% down and they kept they cashflow beautifully and I have I have a small note and now if I want them to sell one of the houses, I can take it out of notes, sell it pay the note down. So now I own eight or nine properties total and they're worth you know, close to, I want to say like one like one, let's call it 1.2 million, I only want 300,000 or 350 on the whole thing, right and my cashflow is about 12,000 a month, uh, me a little bit less, a little bit less, a little bit less, maybe like 10, five around there and so, so I'm a big fan of owning the property outright. So I have both houses that aren't paid for right, so. So it's just hear me out on this, I am now in my 50s. So in my 30s I was a big fan of taking out mortgages, as much as you can bind as much as you can, because you got this thing called time on your side, you can make mistakes, right? At 50 you have less time, right? I've 20 years less, so I can't really make the same mistakes. So I believe even though I make less cash on cash, right? Less overall, I have this thing where I can sleep better at night, right? The house is paid for like, for example, I own  a house, I just had to put in a brand new AC and heater, right cost me like I think like six grand. That's cash flow for a year in most in most instances, right and you can't afford it because you don't have the money. Well, when the house is rented for 2500 a month. That's only two to three months. It's not terrible. It doesn't it doesn't knock you out of the game. You're not always stressed for cash. In my in my in my bank account for my business, my housing business. I got like 30 to 35 to $45,000 sitting there all the time, right. So if anything ever happens, I'm okay and so that in now because they're paid for I have more cash flow. I don't have to pay all the notes all the time. So, so again, as you get older, you're like, okay, well, how can I have like, How can I afford to live day to day? Well, if I have $12,000  a month coming in, and I only have $22,000 going out for principal and interest. Well, now I'm at 10 grand and now you figure another 3000 a month in taxes and insurance. So now I'm at seven grand. Well, that's, you know, that's almost 80,000 a year in Texas. It's not terrible and of course if maintenance happens, which always does you never get that full 70% right you never get that full deal. So because of my past issues with banks, by the way the bank on the 100 unit apartment complex really, they really screwed us they let us believe one thing and kind of did the end around and so because of that, I'm really you know, just I was scared is not the right word, but very unjust and very hesitant, hesitant to do it now. That doesn't mean that I won't take on a note, especially if I can't afford to buy something in cash, but I'm gonna He's going to put 2030 40% down, whatever, whatever the bank wants, and then a little bit more and then I'm like, I'm at the back into my life, right? So I am looking to, to pay these things off. So I have 20, year amortizations. If I could, if I could pay them off in 15 years. Okay, I'm 60-65 and now I have no notes, and I have all these houses paid for and at the end of the day, you want to live on cash flow, right? You don't want to live on like hoping that your properties increase in value, and then you can take the money out. If they're if they're paid for in 10 years, I can go take you know, 80-70, 80% of the value of the house, which are increasing now. tax free. So I have so I do have ability to, to go take the money out. Should I should I choose to do that?   Michael: Yeah, man, this is wild, man. This is this is such a cool story and of course, I'm so sorry to hear that you had to deal with all that nonsense, Bs. But it sounds like it helped lead you to the decision and kind of path where you are today. So would you say that you're thankful for those experiences as crummy as they were?   Pete: Yeah, look, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger and I am truly I think I'm a better business partner today than I then I was back then I'm a better investor today for sure and so overall, I feel like I'm, I'm better, I'm a better as a person, because you won't like, like I said, if it doesn't kill you, the one thing that you as an investor, as a real estate investor, you have to make sure that you don't make the mistake that could put you out of business, right. So in my when I had the 100 unit apartment complex, I use my 401k. No my IRA money, so I went and did a self-directed IRA and that's how I invested my money, lost it all, by the way, okay. Again, at 31, I lost 120 grand, which is a lot of money for me back then. A lot of money for anybody right now. Okay but it didn't put me out of business.   Once I once I was able to clear my name with the bank, my credit was cleared, everything was clear. Like it was never it's not on my it's not on my credit history at all, because they know that they messed up and I was part of our deal. So that allowed me to get back in the game and by I had another pair of business partners, that they ended up taking bad advice, they ended up using credit cards, taking money out of their credit cards, cash advances, to put money down to buy this apartment complex, because some guru told them that he did it, just because he did it and it's possible doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. Well, they had declared bankruptcy. So they were they were out of the game. They you have a bankruptcy, you're not going to be buying investment properties. Why don't you know, you're not going to buy your personal home, let alone investment properties. So as a real estate investor, for the for if you're listening to this, you know, it's great to take on some risk. I mean, obviously, we all take on some risk, right? We know there's no guarantee price is gonna go up. There's no guarantee that people are going to pay their rent. There's no guarantee but don't take on a risk that will put you out of business.   Michael: Yeah, I love that and I think that makes a ton of sense. Pete, you said something kind of at the beginning of your story that I want to come back to and that's you were buying these low income properties, and you bought them and you scrimped and you saved and you and you put these deals together, and they really hadn't appreciated very much and you sold them because your property manager, right, yeah, that after that, they appreciate it. So like, talk to us about how people should be thinking about if they're in a similar situation, they bought a property. They did all this work to get the deal done. they scrimped and they save and they just haven't seen very much appreciation. Maybe they're in a similar situation where it's not cash flowing, or it's just covering its expenses. It's just not what they thought it was going to be. When should someone cut their losses and run and maybe go try something else or how do they know maybe they should keep hanging on because we're right around the corner from that appreciation jump?   Pete: Yeah, that that is if I had a crystal ball, I could I could answer that. I can just, I can just tell you from my perspective, I did everything I could to make those properties work. I mean, I would put it you know, like when we did a rehab, we made the house even nicer than it was right? We got rents up, but for whatever reason, and we just can never get them to cash when we were losing money. After about five years, I think you got to if you do not have the cash flow, where you can lose money every year on your properties, and it hurts you. You know, I think you got to cut the cord after a couple of years of trying everything. You have to try everything though. I'll tell you my grandfather before he passed away, he was in his 80s and he when he passed away, he was worth I think 30 million. So this is a guy who knows a thing or two. But he told me one of the last conversation I had with him he said, Pete, never sell your property. When grandpa died here. We had a lot of property it was he was a mess. The guy didn't put any money into it. Son of a gun when we had to deal with it, but it was luckily all those properties appraise or appraised value over time, time heals all wounds if you can afford it and knowing like, hey, like, I can tell you this when I bought the properties in my early 30s, I needed the cash flow as a means to I try to exit out of the of my, you know, my w two life, right?   Luckily, my w two allow me to handle those properties, right, allow me to handle the losses. When I got into starting my own business, I knew the upside of starting my own business was great but starting my own business meant I had to take a huge step back in how much money that I can afford, that I was going to be able to extract out at a business. I wasn't venture backed, none of that stuff, right. I mean, I literally just hung a shingle and I started working. Well, I couldn't afford to lose the money on those properties anymore. So that was, that was a big reason on why I decided to sell. Now I will tell you, I sold all those properties in 2015. I bought them in like 2008 2005 I bought most of them and I saw them 10 years later. So it wasn't for lack of trying Michael like I tried right? Even after 2015 they didn't jump up until recently, like this pandemic has me all jacked up, I have no idea what's up what's down, like, I thought the price would come down. So I sold my last property in that area of town for 120. I bought that piece of property for 50 in 20 in 2005, so here we are. So it kind of matches up right 2005. Here we are 15 years later and that thing actually, you know, more than doubled. Now that property I owner financed, I sold it at 120. It was probably worth 100. Alright, so probably doubled in value over those 15 years. I always pay, I always sell it for a little bit higher because I'm holding a note. I want to build in that appreciation. You want to go through the numbers on it real quick?   Michael: Yeah, let's do it again. All right.   Pete: So when I when I own the home, and I rented it out, I was renting for 1000 bucks a month.   Michael: Okay, you bought it for 50 renting for 1000. So crushing the 2% rule. Everyone on paper is like, oh, you're killing it.   Pete: Right? Exactly. On paper, right. So 1000 bucks a month. So now you like Pete, you're making $1,000 a month. But am I Michael? I'm not making $1,000 a month, right? What do we have? We have taxes 300 bucks a month now making 700 a month? What do we have? We have insurance 120 a month. Okay, so now I'm down to 580. My management fee was 80 bucks, I'm down to 500 bucks a month and that's before you get into maintenance and turn, right. So on my best month I make 500 bucks a month.   Michael: Oh no.   Pete: You wanna go through the numbers?   Michael: Yeah, let's do it, man.   Pete: Or go through the numbers. Okay, so I'm renting that property for $1,000 a month, right? I bought it for 50 rent it for $1,000 a month, right? So am I making $1,000? a month? No way? No, right because the taxes were 300 a month. So now I'm making 700. Right, my insurance is 120 a month. So now making 580 and my manager fees are 80 bucks a month. So I'm making 500 bucks a month and asked me for any kind of maintenance happens or turn. So the best I can do is 500 a month, right? So now I sold the property I sold for 120 got 10% down. So the notes 113. I sold on a 20 year amortization 7%, I found a company that will actually serve as the note for 30 bucks a month that I pushed on to the buyer. So right now it's cost me nothing. The principal and interest on that house is 7-78 and it's like I think it's like $67 is principal and $7 is interest and that's what I make on that house every month, right? If taxes go up, does it affect does it affect me and my cash flow? No insurance goes up doesn't affect my cash flow. Refrigerator breaks doesn't affect my cash flow   Michael: Vacancy could be vacant doesn't affect your cash flow.   Pete: Doesn't affect my cash flow. Now I ended up selling this one to an owner occupied. So I didn't sell to an investor on this one. So the owner occupied and he pays and all I gotta worry about is if he doesn't make his payment, I can foreclose on him. I don't know what the laws are in California in Texas, it's about 21 days. Before we before we can start the process and start the process.   Michael: Okay, okay. Okay.   Pete: So 21 back in the day used to be 21 days, you get them out now it's like…   Michael: That's what I was going to ask. Yeah. Okay. So just real quick on owner financing, because I think this is something that a lot of our listeners who own property should hopefully their ears are perking up. How do you underwrite a buyer, someone who's going to be, you know, seller financing from you as the lender as the owner.   Pete: So, I don't really care about credit at that point because if they had good credit, they're not coming they're not buying.   Michael: They go then to a bank…   Pete: Right, exactly. So what I'm looking for and what I'm always looking for is why is it credit bad, right? So are they not paying their rent or are they not paying the you know, the electric bill or whatever, whatever, you know, car or bill or whatever it is, right? So I want to know what kind of why they're why they have such bad debt. I don't care why they have such bad credit, I don't care that bad credit and then I'm looking at cash, how much money they make. So what happens is a lot of these guys, so guy that that bought my property, he's in like the construction business, right? So he has his own little deal, he can't show he shows no income, but he showed me his bank statements and he showed me his deposits for the last couple of years and so I just look at how much cash do you have, can you afford it right and then, as a property manager, I always go to two and a half to three times. So if I can get two and a half to three times of cash for what it's going to cost them all in, then I feel I feel at that point, it's not that big a deal. Also, he's paid me 10% down. So I have some cash there. So if he did move out, or couldn't afford any more, I got a little bit of cash, I could make the place a little bit nicer. Okay but the mentality of somebody who buys your property, even if it's owner finance verse, somebody who rents your property, let me just tell you what happens, right? When somebody used to rent that property, what they used to do there give me a long list of stuff that didn't work in the house, that they wanted me to fix it, right, even though the lease says, as is all that good stuff, right? When somebody buys a house, they're getting a long list, and they're improving the house. When somebody rents your house, they're paying the car to pay the electric, they're paying their damn Hulu bill before they pay you because they know that they can they know the eviction process all the way through and how long it take them right? When they own the house were they paying first and for paying…   Michael: The mortgage first. Every time they pay the mortgage, first…   Pete: Hulu gets put on the back burner, the car payment gets put on the back burner. So the mentality is completely different. I've only I've only you know, I think he's been over there a little over a year, never had one issue with payment. Knock on wood.   Michael: That's great and is the term is the note do you get it full term to 20 years or is it a couple of shorter year term with a 20 year AM?   Pete: I will have to double check but I'm pretty sure it's just a 20 year amortization and he just pays me to 20 years and then that's it. So what a lot of people say to me is well, Pete, you're missing out on the appreciation, right? Like, if you sold the house or 100, or the house is worth 120,000 or 200, right? So if you think about this, Michael, most people don't pay extra. Most people don't pay the house off early or if they do right grade, they pay the house off early. They make my money. But he's paying $60 In principal and $680 in interest, right? If you if you pay that house off in 20 years, he's gonna pay that he's gonna pay about 240,000 hours on that house. I think I got my appreciation.   Michael: Just fine. Yeah. Oh, man. I love it, I love it. That is so cool Pete. That is such a great story.   Pete: I built into cushion of 20,000 so that he can't refinance right away. Right, because the house is only worth 100. So by no one's gonna give him $110,000 or whatever it takes to refinance the house. So by increasing it a little bit, you save yourself at least those first you know, five years or so.   Michael: Super, super smart. Super smart.   Pete: Yeah, that's a good one.   Michael: That's a that's a really that's really good, man. Pete, we could chat for hours, man. What's the best way if people want to learn more about you reach out to you for, nobody gets to cover your VPM solutions today, but learn more about your words, where is the best place to do so?   Pete: Yeah, you know, best thing is they can actually I'm on all the socials I guess. But it's Pete Neubig NEU big and you can email me at: pete@vpmsolutions.com or you can just go to our website to https://www.vpmsolutions.com/ and check us out.   Michael: Right on man. Well, thanks again for coming on and sharing some wisdom, really appreciate you.   Pete: Thanks, Michael. Very good talking to you.   Michael: All right, when that was our episode, a big thank you to Pete for coming on super interesting way of thinking and doing things just a little bit differently than maybe we hear about what we need to be doing as investors. So as always, if you've liked the episode, we'd love to hear from you ratings and feedback are always appreciated, and we look forward to seeing you the next one. Happy investing…

Scott and Michael go back in time to celebrate what was once a Fall TV tradition, The Saturday Morning Preview Special! Saturday morning shows were once so popular that the networks would dedicate prime time specials to preview the new fall lineup. This episode looks back at ABC's “Saturday Morning Sneak Peek” from 1973 and NBC's “Alvin Goes Back to School” from 1986! Join them for all the preview possibilities! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher  

In this episode, Scott and Michael travel back to The Disney Studio in the 1980s, specifically, 1985.  They look back at the tumultuous production of the studio's animated feature “The Black Cauldron” and when Disney branched out into television animation with the hit series “The Adventures of the Gummi Bears.”  Join them for all the totally rad, retro, 80s Disney fun! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher    

Summer Christian camps sure are special. We all have at least one that we like to attend, and there are many stories surrounding the camp. In this episode, I am joined by Hobe Watkins & Luke Gasque from the camp I have gone to for almost 25 years. They have been there for many of those years and have some stories. Also, a couple of things to notice: I (Michael) say the word "Bro" an excessive amount of time. Idk why. But it has happened ever since I got to camp... Forgive me. We are eating Sour Patch Strawberry Kids (Not a sponsor), which is the bag that you hear rustling. We recorded this in a camp mess hall, and the quality is not spectacular, but the stories are excellent. Hillbrook/TCC website: https://www.teenagechristiancamp.org/index.php Luke Gasque "Survivor" Link to episode 1. https://youtu.be/IKddF6tIPGA SAN Show notes: Visit our website: www.scatteredabroad.org, and remember to subscribe to our email list.  "Like" and "share" our Facebook page: https:// www.facebook.com/sapodcastnetwork  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ the_scattered_abroad_network/  Subscribe to our YouTube channel: The Scattered Abroad Network  Contact us through email at: thescatteredabroadnetwork@gmail.com. If you would like to consider supporting us in any way, please reach out to us through this email. 

Summer Christian camps sure are special. We all have at least one that we like to attend, and there are many stories surrounding the camp. In this episode, I am joined by Hobe Watkins & Luke Gasque from the camp I have gone to for almost 25 years. They have been there for many of those years and have some stories. Also, a couple of things to notice: I (Michael) say the word "Bro" an excessive amount of time. Idk why. But it has happened ever since I got to camp... Forgive me. We are eating Sour Patch Strawberry Kids (Not a sponsor), which is the bag that you hear rustling. We recorded this in a camp mess hall, and the quality is not spectacular, but the stories are excellent. Hillbrook/TCC website: https://www.teenagechristiancamp.org/index.php Luke Gasque "Survivor" Link to episode 1. https://youtu.be/IKddF6tIPGA SAN Show notes: Visit our website: www.scatteredabroad.org, and remember to subscribe to our email list.  "Like" and "share" our Facebook page: https:// www.facebook.com/sapodcastnetwork  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ the_scattered_abroad_network/  Subscribe to our YouTube channel: The Scattered Abroad Network  Contact us through email at: thescatteredabroadnetwork@gmail.com. If you would like to consider supporting us in any way, please reach out to us through this email. 

In this episode, Scott and Michael are joined by guest Andy DiGenova to discuss “The Peanuts Travel Films.” They take a look back at the animated features 1977's “Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown,” where Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, and the gang go to summer camp, and 1980's “Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!),” where the whole Peanuts crew heads off to England and France.  Pack your security blanket and join us for all the memorable movie vacation fun! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher

Filmation was one of the preeminent television animation studios for several decades, and, in this episode, Scott and Michael shine a spotlight on some of Filmation's most popular shows of the 1970s.  Get ready to look back at “The Groovie Goolies,” “Star Trek: The Animated Series,” and many other weird, wild and wonderful Filmation favorites! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's website: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher

In their third episode, hosts Scott and Michael discuss “Animated Oddities,” which will be an ongoing theme on the show, focusing on offbeat and forgotten animation.  In this episode, they look back at the 1986 TV series “Lazer Tag Academy” and 1977's feature, “Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure!” Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's web site: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher  

In their second episode, hosts Scott and Michael countdown their top five animated television shows of all time!  It's a retro trip back in time, filled with plenty of Saturday morning memories! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's web site: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher  

In their first official episode, hosts Scott and Michael countdown their top five animated feature films of all time!  From blockbusters to the bizarre, their answers may just surprise you! Find more From Pencils to Pixels: The Animation Celebration Podcast at: www.rf4rm.com Follow the show on Twitter: @pencil2pixel Follow the hosts on social media: Scott on Twitter: @scotthopkins76 Michael on Twitter: @mlyonsfl I Michael's web site: www.wordsfromlyons.com Rate, review, & subscribe to From Pencils to Pixels on Apple podcasts I Google Play I Stitcher

In Part 2 of our Halloween Special for 2021 Steve and I (Michael) talk in depth about the 2018 Halloween film and it's sequel Halloween Kills that just came out earlier this month on the 15th. We talk about the characters, the kills and the most impactful scenes as well as the 2 films ranking in the Halloween franchise. Then we rate the 2 films based on a top score of 5 skulls on the horror meter.

Join us for the rest of our first movie review. Apparently, I (Michael) like to be thorough.

Come join the nerd crew on a review of the entire season of Loki. WE talk about likes, dislikes, spec and things we wish Disney would have done. Don't worry I (Michael) was not as thorough this time.

Hello Everyone, We are so excited to be sharing our experiences and insights on how to navigate through your goalie careers. In this episode, Kendra and I (Michael) introduce ourselves and share why we became goalies. If you have any topics you would like to hear about you can reach out on Instagram or Facebook @onestopgoaltending or email us at thegoaliecorner@gmail.com We will be releasing new episodes every Sunday. If there are any topics you would like to hear about, please reach out on Facebook or Instagram @onestopgoaltending or email us at thegoaliecorner@gmail.com. For more goalie related training: Mental Training Program: OSGmental@gmail.com YouTube: One Stop Goaltending Instagram: Onestopgoaltending Facebooks: Onestopgoaltending Tik Tok: OSGoalie

In this episode, Yuriko (3rd-year student) and I (Michael the teacher) talk about the start of rainy season (Tsuyu). Yuriko then leads a discussion with Taiga (2nd-year student) and Koshiro (1st-year student) about the recent start of the Coronavirus vaccinations at our university and in Japan. About "Tsuyu" - rainy season: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2277.html intro. music: https://www.bensound.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/michael-blodgett5/message

With the 2021 school year starting, we have opened up the class to new members. Yuriko (3rd year medical student) and I (Michael the teacher) interview four of those new members in this episode: Yuka, Suguru, Misaki, and Koshiro. Enjoy! About "Kakizome" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakizome --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/michael-blodgett5/message

Yoga Teachers don't drink, swear, eat meat, or make mistakes. Ha! That was hard enough to type let alone accept as truth. These are just a few of the unrealistic expectations that are put on Yoga Teachers. It's true that as Yoga Teachers, we have a responsibility to help heal the world and inspire health and wellness through the practice, but not in such a way that doesn't align with your wants, needs, or desires. There's also the idea that once you become a Yoga Teacher you 'should' automatically know how to fix people's injuries or limitations. That's a hard one to get over for a lot of new teachers, and I'm happy to say that I (Michael) break that one down to the point where you can sleep better at night knowing what your TRUE responsibilities are as a Yoga Teacher. - - - In this episode, Paul and Michael discuss the unrealistic expectations that the general population puts on Yoga Teachers. To be a certain way. To eat a certain way. To have a certain "energy" about them. While some of these traits may be true for some, they are not absolutes. This episode is all about deconstructing and debunking the many unrealistic expectations and turning them into after-thoughts. - - - If you liked this episode (or any others), and you haven't given us some love, then here's what you can do: If you listen on Spotify, give us a follow and like! If you listen on Apple Podcasts, give us a subscribe, rating, and review! If you just listen to us, and you have a comment or question, send one of us DM. We'll make sure to cover the topic! - - - This Podcast is co-hosted by one of the most respected yoga teachers from the world-renowned Yoga Barn in Bali, Indonesia, Paul Teodo and, internationally recognized Physiotherapist and rehabilitation specialist, Michael Henri. Connect with us: Michael Henri's Instagram Paul Teodo's Instagram Byron's de Marsé's Instagram - - - Want to train with us and level up your practice and teaching style? Check out our Online Mentorship program - where we focus on getting you ready to stand out from the crowd and be the most professional Yoga Teacher you can be! Going Pro: Yoga Teacher Mentorship Program

In this episode Steve and I (Michael) talk about the common perception of comic books being only for kids - to the point where it's considered immature for adults to read them. We break it down to where this viewpoint started and explore whether or not this perception is still valid today.

After a break, we are back! Yuriko (Nara Medical University student) and I (Michael the English Instructor) are excited to start the 2nd season of Medical Student Life in JAPAN. In this episode we catch up after our break, talk about our plans for the 2nd season, and even brainstorm some interesting topics to discuss going forward. We appreciate all of you listeners! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/michael-blodgett5/message

This is our Season 1 finale episode! Yuriko (medical student) and I (Michael the teacher) talk about New Year's traditions in Japan, details about how Yuriko spent her New Year's Day, Karuta (Japanese card game), new year resolutions, and the Coming-of-Age holiday in Japan. We will take a short break (a month or so) to recharge, and then will be back with Season 2. Thanks for listening and sharing! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/michael-blodgett5/message

We're back with another episode, y'all! This week we talk about Shania Twain's enigmatic hit, "That Don't Impress Me Much," Tinder bios, ice cream shops, Spy Kids 3D, Instagram poets, and more! As always, thank you so much for listening. I (Michael) love doing this podcast so much, and I genuinely hope you all like it. We appreciate your support so much!

We made it to 10 episodes! Thanks to all our listeners! In this special holiday episode, Yuriko and I (Michael) discuss Christmas and Oshogatsu (New Year's Day) in Japan. We hope you enjoy it! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/michael-blodgett5/message

In our 9th episode, I (Michael) continue my interview with 3rd year medical student Itsuki. We talk about several topics including: research clerkships, continued research in the lab., club activities such as ESS (English Speaking Society), and his plans for the upcoming winter holiday season. Enjoy! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/michael-blodgett5/message

In our 8th episode, I (Michael) welcome a special guest to the podcast. The guest is 3rd year medical student Itsuki. He is an incredible young man who not only studies hard, but also tells great stories. We talk about several topics including: 3rd year studies, research in the laboratory, human dissection, and parasitic worms in the BRAIN! This is part 1 of a two-part interview. Enjoy! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/michael-blodgett5/message

In our 5th episode, I (Michael the English instructor) interview Yuriko (Nara Medical University student) about the purpose and benefits of joining club activities at medical college. Yuriko shares all kinds of fun and interesting information. Thanks for listening! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/michael-blodgett5/message

In our 4th episode, I (Michael the English instructor) interview Yuriko ( Nara Medical University student) about the start to her medical college life. We talk about the entrance ceremony (unique to Japan?), 1st year classes, clubs, and welcome parties. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/michael-blodgett5/message

In our 3rd episode, I (Michael the English instructor) interview Yuriko ( Nara Medical University student) about the path to medical college. She gives insightful answers into cram schools, the Center Test (imagine the Japanese version of the SAT), entrance exams, and getting accepted to medical school. Enjoy! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/michael-blodgett5/message

Glorification: what is it and why does it matter for me today? Listen as Michael explains! *Note. In this episode I (Michael) say evolutionary theists hold that sin and death were natural in the world before the primal sin. This is not what I meant, and misrepresents them. They maintain death was in the world before the first sin.* --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/accessibletheology/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/accessibletheology/support

I (Michael) and so excited about all of you getting to hear this episode because I had an absolute blast recording it and talking with my good friend Hanz Freller about his life and experiences. We chat about therapy and some of the negative stigma's surrounding it as well as his book he wrote about his life.  Trigger Warnings: Suicide, sexual abuse of a youth and depression. If you want to see the video that sparked Hanz to write a book and speak out about mental health and getting help, just click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmfAhBY_BwY&pbjreload=101 And if you'd like to support Hanz and buy his book: http://bit.ly/WalkingOnGlassPrint If you have topic ideas, or you want to comment on the show anonymously, or you even want to be on the show as a guest to tell your story and talk about issues that mean something to you; send me an email at podcast@hashtagicare.com And remember, we love you. Take care, #icare. Apple PodcastsSpotifyStitcherGoogle Podcasts Join the movement! Facebook GroupFacebook PageInstagramTwitter

Authenticity. Empowerment. Determined. As I was finishing the production of this episode I asked Dr. Mel to give me three words that describe her and how she operates in life. Listen in as I (Michael) interview Dr. Mel to learn more about what's important to her and how she is working to create change in our culture. Dr. Mel talks about her favorite book, her ideal day, makes some quick decisions, and ends with wisdom we can all utilize to improve the health of ourselves, our families, and our communities. You can reach Dr. Mel through her website, inspirelifechirocenter.com, on Facebook and Instagram (@drmelkrug), or by calling the office at 651-756-1218. "We stand for your health being inspired by CHOICE, rather than being inhibited by chance." -Keep Inspiring!

I(Michael) start off this episode by trying out my new favourite coffee gadget, then we're onto the New Yorker puzzles and t-shirt printing, both great ways to entertain yourself in lockdown. Davina tries to convince me change my mind about Gazpacho (aka cold soup!), i revisit my review of the Last Dance and one of our listeners asks us to take a look at a new Britney Spears documentary. Remember to make sure you're listening on the Entale app to get access to all the links to products and behind the scenes pictures. And if you'd like to donate to the Radio Academy's emergency fund you can do so via this link - https://bit.ly/support-podcasts

This week, I (Michael) have been watching a slightly dodgy documentary about Tony Blair. Davina's found a weird and wonderful online choir, as well as a fantastic chap to follow on Twitter. Then we discuss the benefits of nootropics, and my recommendation is a subscription to The Washington Post.

Our first podcast recorded apart! Up today...I (Michael) wax lyrical about the Greggs frozen goods i'm enjoying in lockdown and a brilliant book about nature and nurture called Blueprint. Davina talks about the benefits of headspace the meditation app and turmeric shots and we both discuss The Morning Show and The Matrix.

This is the first episode we have recorded on our own albeit before the full lockdown was implemented! To set the scene...we're at Davina's house with her dog Beau and the beloved Aga! We've got lots of entertainment recommendations for you to keep you amused including This Time with Alan Partridge and Trainspotting the movie. Davina reviews her favourite perfume Molecule 1 and I (Michael) review a new hairstyler from Revamp. We chat about our new favourite instagram account @shuvitcancer and show you how to make the perfect poached egg. Send us in your perfect eggs to makingthecutpodcast@gmail.com

Throughout the weekend of the Cruciform Conference, I (Michael) enjoyed fresh cups of coffee from Better Life Coffee Co and mild chatting with Joe Heatwole, founder, and owner. As the conference was finishing, Joe was given a chance to tell “his story” before the final sermon. What I heard was a story I want everyone […] The post Ep. 030 | Better Life Coffee Co — TAU Roundtable appeared first on Things Above Us.

Throughout the weekend of the Cruciform Conference, I (Michael) enjoyed fresh cups of coffee from Better Life Coffee Co and mild chatting with Joe Heatwole, founder, and owner. As the conference was finishing, Joe was given a chance to tell “his story” before the final sermon. What I heard was a story I want everyone […] The post Ep. 030 | Better Life Coffee Co — TAU Roundtable appeared first on Things Above Us.

To give Dominic and Nhi a much needed break, I (Michael) recorded a podcast with our friend Steve Schwartz from the College Admissions Toolbox. Check his work out at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/college-admissions-toolbox-podcast-college-applications/id1016715810?mt=2. Because Steve is an alumnus of Columbia College, we compare and contrast our experiences at Columbia. A lot has changed, but a lot hasn't too. We find out how Columbia has shaped Steve and his career post-college and spill some tea about the Columbia-Barnard relationship. Check out the show notes for links to more helpful information - http://bit.ly/aupod44 Follow us on social media - Twitter - twitter.com/aupodfm Facebook - facebook.com/admissions.uncovered Instagram - instagram.com/admissions.uncovered Subscribe to the podcast - iTunes/Apple devices - bit.ly/aupodapple Android devices - bit.ly/aupoddroid --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/admissionsuncovered/message

This is a one-man-show so I (Michael) represent the writing, editing, producing, engineering, instrument playing, and, male vocals for the band, "GROUNDGOD."  https://www.reverbnation.com/groundgod Dominique Demetrice Griffin, known as D'Meetri, is a Vocalist, Songwriter & Producer from St. Paul Minnesota. https://www.reverbnation.com/dmeetri Bad Weather States is the brainchild of 5 noble gentlemen from the Lakelands of South Carolina. https://www.reverbnation.com/badweatherstates8 Doug Gardner had no idea he was going to be an Americana artist when he bagan his journey. Check out his interview. https://www.reverbnation.com/douggardner Paul Pedana is an Italian musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer born in Umbertide, in the vicinities of Perugia, Italy. https://www.reverbnation.com/paulpedana

Thank you for listening.  First off, we apologize for the audio quality.  It will be corrected on episode 3.   In our relationship, I (Michael) am the spender and Kelsa is the saver.  I was never good with money, keeping my checkbook balanced or really saving.  Kelsa has a finance degree, MBA and has 13 years of financial experience including Financial Advisor, corporate accountant and her current business: financial coach.  It's a match made in heaven... or is it?  Da...Da...Daahhhh   Are you a saver or a spender?  What about your significant other?  How do your different (or similar) money habits effect your relationship?  Most couples have one saver and one spender.  They speak very different languages and have different principles when it comes to money.  Money issues are the number one reason for divorce in America and maybe that is because savers and spenders need to learn how to communicate about money as well as understand what their partner needs and wants.     It has take Kelsa and I almost 15 years to really figure out how we each deal with money and how to empathize with each other.  I still will go buy something not budgeted (although usually under $25 compared to hundreds of dollars a long time ago) and Kelsa is able to spend money on something she considers a "want" rather than a "need" where she used to think things were good enough and not necessary to spend any more money.     Take the time to think about your relationship and your significant other.  Are you the saver or the spender?  What about your significant other?  How do they see the finances and do they know how you see finances?  What would it take to compromise?     Comment below Email us: michael@fiscalfitnessphx.com Connect on Twitter: @IamFiscallFit Call: (480) 788-4588 Comment on our Facebook page You can find out more about Fiscal Fitness Phoenix financial coaching here You can find out more about Financial Coach Academy here

Certain sins are unforgivable. Poor interface, an over-abundance of tooltips, and apparently ship designers. Let's get one thing straight: I - Michael, who writes these notes every week - like ship designers. I liked Gratuitous Space Battles, I like them GalCiv, I like them any way I can get them. So while I've never been on the show to defend my case on this particular topic, I'm writing the notes. Do I get to editorialize? Sure I do. Who's going to stop me? Troy? Ship designers are always a delight. If you don't like them, then this week you can listen to Rob, T.J. Hafer, and Rowan Kaiser go through their lists of strategy game pet peeves.

This week, I (Michael) present my favorite music from 2015: songs from my favorite albums (see below), singles, and EPs including tunes from Maribou State, Bruce Trail, Thundercat, Wild Ones and Voices from the Lake. There was a ton of great music released this year and I am especially proud of the mixes we added […]