Podcasts about Christmas

Hour 3 begins with a confusing MLB umpire call where Isaac and Suke have no idea what's happening. Later, the guys discuss what's next for J.J. McCarthy as he got benched in Minnesota. Isaac and Suke discuss the NFL schedule on Thanksgiving and Christmas and wonder what the ultimate matchup would be.

"You didn't wanna say, 'Let's transition?'" The Browns QB battle is legitimately hilarious, and it has led Todd Monken to deliver some amazing quotes. Then, Greg and Jeremy were not in for yesterday's conversation about Enes Kanter Freedom, Royce White, Sophie Cunningham, trans athletes, and the WNBA, and they have thoughts. Plus, the Miami Heat are back in action on Christmas, and it has the entire crew fired up about the December 25 sports schedule. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bobby starts by talking to Taryn in North Carolina who has a great story about her brother becoming a millionaire that all started with learning a musical instrument. Amy shared what they finally were able to do for her son’s birthday. Eddie and his family already set their holiday plans and he’s excited! We can’t believe it’s already time to start thinking about what we’re doing for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Raymundo broke a record and brags about it! Bobby talks about being worried about an interview yesterday and it ended up being awesome.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All Home Care Matters and our host, Lance A. Slatton were honored to welcome Jacqueline Larsen as guest to the show.   About Jacqueline Larsen, 2025 Dole Caregiver Fellow, North Carolina:   Jacqueline Larsen cares for her husband, Jeffery (Jeff) Larsen, a retired Air Force pararescueman (PJ) who served for 18 years and deployed 20 times. From a young age, Jeff knew he wanted to become a PJ and serve his country. After graduating high school in 2010, he enlisted in the Air Force, completed the rigorous training, and earned his place in the elite unit. Over the years, he sustained multiple injuries, including traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), carpal tunnel in both hands, shoulder pain, and herniated discs, which ultimately led to his medical retirement.   Jacqueline met Jeff in early 2020 through a dating app—just as she was about to give up on dating to focus on fixing up her newly purchased farm. Jeff had only recently joined the app as a New Year's resolution, and the two instantly connected. Their relationship quickly deepened, and by July 2020, they had eloped, with plans to celebrate with friends and family later that summer. However, on the eve of their planned celebration, tragedy struck when he fell when trying to move bales of hay on his own, leaving him quadriplegic. At the time, Jacqueline was eight weeks pregnant with their second child and navigating the overwhelming reality of Jeff's hospitalization during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.   Jeff spent months in hospitals and rehabilitation centers, including the Shepherd Center in Atlanta and the VA in Augusta, before finally returning home just before Christmas. Since then, Jacqueline has dedicated herself to his care, balancing physical and occupational therapy sessions, pain management treatments, and adaptive rehabilitation activities that help Jeff regain independence. He is working toward riding a hand bike, using adaptive equipment for long-range shooting, and assisting with farm chores from his wheelchair.   Their family, which includes their two sons, 11-year-old Lucas and 4-year-old Jackson, have adapted to a new normal—one filled with resilience, adjustments, and an emphasis on kindness and understanding. They have learned that while their family is not able to do all the things other families can do, they now create quality time where they can celebrate with new traditions. The boys have learned to be kind, courteous, and helpful to all people.   Living in rural North Carolina, just outside Fort Bragg, Jacqueline faced challenges securing reliable respite care due to the limitations of the VA Caregiver Support Program and Tricare's lack of in-network providers in their county. Her experience has fueled her advocacy for systemic change to better support veteran caregivers, particularly those who have had to leave successful careers due to their caregiving responsibilities.   She is passionate about raising awareness of the financial strain that unpaid caregiving places on families, including the burden of student loans for caregivers who can no longer pursue their careers.   Currently, Jacqueline is working to turn their hobby farm into a sustainable business that will provide employment opportunities for both her and Jeff.   About the Dole Caregiver Fellowship:   The Elizabeth Dole Foundation Dole Caregiver Fellows Program is a selective leadership and advocacy fellowship for individuals who provide care and support to wounded, ill, or injured service members and veterans of all generations. Participants—spouses, parents, adult children, friends, or other loved ones—are chosen from across the United States to represent caregivers across their communities and nationally.   During a two-year term, Fellows receive training, build networks, and work with policymakers, organizations, and the public to raise awareness of the value of caregivers and the challenges they face. They advocate for improved support and resources and advise the Foundation on programs and policy priorities affecting military and veteran families. In addition, by sharing their stories and experiences, they help other caregivers recognize themselves as caregivers, connect to resources, and feel welcomed in a community where every caregiving journey is valued.

Eric Metaxas talks to John Zmirak. White Guilt, Mass Immigration, Crisis in Europe, Zero Immigration for 40 Years, Oxford Union Debate on Islam, Iran, Midterms.   The Eric Metaxas Show For this interview visit-    https://podcastaddict.com/the-eric-metaxas-show/episode/229957210   For the entire Eric Metaxas podcast visit-    https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/the-eric-metaxas-show/6590964  Aug 07 2026   Today On The Eric Metaxas Show, John Zmirak joins Eric to discuss mass immigration, Islam, Western self-rejection, the viral Oxford Union debate, the coming midterm elections, and why he believes America should consider a decades-long pause on immigration.   ORDER NOW:Revolution: The Birth of the Greatest Nation in the History of the World

From 08/11 Hour 2: It's officially crunch time for Drab's massive bet if the Washington Wizards will play on Christmas this year!

“Posted and Toasted” digs through the WFAN archives as Shaun Morash challenges Tiki Barber to identify the authors behind a collection of old social media posts. The trip down memory lane brings up Evan Roberts' love of NBA basketball on Christmas, Boomer Esiason's extremely American Labor Day message and an old WFAN guest lineup featuring Tiki himself.

It's Tuesday's with Tony Allen presented by Mainland Pool Service. TA joins the show on Zoom to talk about the NBA releasing it's opening night and Christmas schedule, Isaiah Stewart's comments about Memphis, Ty Jerome's summer pickup videos, and a few of the Grizzlies players getting engaged (6:19). Memphis Basketball released their non-conference schedule and Chris applaud's Penny Hardaway for it. He says they didn't have to play as many of these games as they are playing (1:10:00).Host: Chris VernonContributors: Devin Walker, Jon RoserTechnical Director: Jaylon Wallace Associate Producer: Jena Broyles 

We have a fun episode of The Dunker Spot coming your way! First, the opening week and Christmas Day slates have been released! Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones analyze each of the matchups, then talk through potential snubs from the primetime matchups. On the WNBA side, the guys salute the recent winning of the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx and rising-up-the-rank Washington Mystics! From there, they check in on a crowded race in the 4-through-8 seeds, with a bit of a check-in on the Dallas Wings as teams have worked to adjust to them. If you ever have NBA or WNBA questions, email us at dunkerspot@yahoo.com 1:10 -- Opening Day 10:20 -- ESPN Wednesday double-header 16:20 -- ESPN Thursday double-header 24:20 -- Amazon Prime double-header 34:50 -- Christmas Day slate 50:06 -- Minnesota Lynx 01:05:13 -- Washington Mystics 01:19:05 -- Identity Check for 4-8 01:23:20 -- How concerned should we be about the Wings? Subscribe to the The Dunker Spot on your favorite podcast app:

In hour one, reaction to the Miami Heat getting an Xmas day game. Bobby Portis tells Norman Powell to keep his name outta his mouth! Ira Winderman joins the show to discuss the Norman Powell split, the Heat's schedule and expectations for Giannis.

Thank you Giannis for making the Miami Heat relevant again. Ira Winderman joins the show to discuss the Norman Powell split, the Heat's schedule and expectations for Giannis. Reviewing the Miami Dolphins first official depth chart of the preseason. Twan Russell predicts the Miami Hurricanes will win the National Title this year. Solving two major world issues during Talk About It Tuesday.

Joey announces NBA Opening Night and Christmas slate. We react to Emmett Johnson get drilled by a former Hawkeye at Chiefs training camp.

Anthony and Andy wrap up their Kessler conversation, then dive into the couple of games that were announced earlier Tuesday. Lakers-Warriors is pretty uninspired. Lakers-Sixers was also pretty predictable but significantly more fun to think about.

2 Light day of practice ahead of joint practice with Miami 25 What are you hoping to learn from joint practice and preseason game 1? 45 Weird play from Blue Jays-Red Sox last night 3 Joe Thiesmann 25 NBA drops Xmas schedule, Xmas loaded with NFL and NBA 45 Double Play 4 Beltway Blitz 4:05 – Charlie Slowes / Nats 4:10 – Frank Schwab / NFL 4:15 – Nick Ackridge / Commanders 25 Brandon Coleman, Commanders LT 45 Vikings name Kyler Murray the starter 5 Sonny Styles, Commanders LB 25 Crazy Commanders Hypothetical 45 Man kicked out of movie theater for selling food out of crockpot 6 A man brought a crockpot to the movies

The WNBA now finds itself facing a question it never imagined would become a league-wide issue as officials reportedly review the definition of a woman following several former NBA players expressing interest in entering the league. We also discuss the fallout from the Sophie Cunningham controversy, DiJonai Carrington's comments, and the broader conversation surrounding fairness in women's sports. Plus, Mitch McConnell's decision to work remotely, Haynes King's outstanding Hall of Fame Game debut, Carson Beck's strong first NFL showing, the NFL's massive TV ratings, Buffalo's new stadium problems, Illinois' giant new video board, Northwestern's $35 million NIL commitment, the latest developments surrounding the Protect College Sports Act, and why its conference realignment provisions could dramatically reshape college football. Live Show Tuesday and Thursday, 3pm est.SOCIALS: https://linktr.ee/drewberquistWEBSITE: https://AirItOutBro.com #DrewBerquist #Balls&Banter #BallsShow Notes/Links: Senator Mitch McConnell will now work from homehttps://x.com/LeadingReport/status/2085757773116056011?s=20 6-foot-10 former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom officially declares himself eligible for the 2027 WNBA Drafthttps://x.com/Polymarket/status/2085791911306989806?s=20Expect to see virtually every player in the G League to move to the WNBAhttps://x.com/MAGASamAdams/status/2085893908496855238?s=20WNBA Commissioner announces the league is meeting to review what a woman is, after multiple former NBA stars announced plans to join the leaguehttps://x.com/Polymarket/status/2086152088250130942?s=20NBA opening night of the schedule is set https://x.com/YahooSports/status/2087152706829889662?s=20The NBA will feature 5 Christmas day games this year https://x.com/NBAPR/status/2087144387411108151?s=20Auburn basketball star Tahaad Pettiford on NIL misconceptionshttps://x.com/scotthughescbb/status/2086943786110705896?s=46The NFL Hall of Fame Game had 7 million viewershttps://x.com/FOS/status/2086902506567667870?s=20Haynes King goes off in HOF Gamehttps://x.com/PFF_College/status/2085563605848825897?s=20Carson Beck made quite the impression in his NFL preseason debut https://x.com/NFLonFOX/status/2085553252628931023?s=20Buffalo Bills new stadium has some serious visbility issues https://x.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/2086493894682829234?s=20Bills also went with dinky video boards inside the stadiumhttps://x.com/YahooSports/status/2086446580337394014?s=20 Buffalo Bills say they will attempt to address issues with obstructed views https://x.com/YahooSports/status/2086964351286587743?s=20 Illinois now has the largest video board in college footballhttps://x.com/CFB_Overtime/status/2086496654291579340?s=20 Northwestern to receive $35 million in NIL money from wealthy donorhttps://x.com/PeteThamel/status/2087176854054605061?s=20 Protect College Sports Act has provision in it allowing P4 schools to move conferenceshttps://x.com/RossDellenger/status/2085723913955274831?s=20https://x.com/RossDellenger/status/2085723911019217280?s=20

During this reflection, I talk about setting goals for the upcoming school year and having the intention and daily discipline to create the story you want to tell at Christmas. Enjoy!

What a special month this has been thus far! Last week, you got to meet my oldest son, Luke. This week, I'm sitting down with my middle son, Brady Durkin, and I can't wait for you to hear this conversation. Brady is entering his senior year at High Point University (NC), pursuing his passion for media production, film, and storytelling. But this episode goes way beyond cameras, movies, and books. It's about purpose. It's about discipline. It's about creating something that matters. I's about learning to stay present while chasing big dreams. As Melanie and I prepare to become empty nesters, these conversations with my kids have become even more meaningful, and I pray they encourage you as much as they've inspired me. In true IMPACT SHOW podcast fashion, we flip the script halfway through the episode, and Brady turns the microphone around to interview me with some deep, thought-provoking questions. Let's just say...he definitely didn't go easy on his dad! In this episode, you'll hear: Why Brady believes stories have the power to change lives How and why he's pursuing a career in film production and creative storytelling The incredible experience of working behind the scenes on the upcoming Christmas film All That Glitters at Christmas Lessons learned from director Paul Joyner about servant leadership and caring for people The story behind Brady's first novel, Lesser, and what inspired him to write over 70,000 words while balancing college life Why consistency—not perfection—is the key to accomplishing big dreams The importance of staying present instead of constantly worrying about the future How discipline is built one day, one decision, and one small win at a time Brady's vision for graduate school, filmmaking, and creating stories that leave a lasting impact Our favorite family memories—from Disneyland to Europe—and why those moments matter more than ever Brady's honest questions for me about regrets, work-life balance, coaching, leadership, and dreaming big My advice for young leaders about networking, taking action, and putting your work out into the world before it's "perfect" Why your purpose is discovered by doing—not waiting One of the things I admire most about Brady is that he's never been afraid to walk his own path. He's a deep thinker, an incredible storyteller, and someone who genuinely wants to use his gifts to make people better. Whether it's through film, writing, or simply serving the people around him, I believe God has incredible things in store for him. As you listen today, I hope you're reminded that your dreams do matter—but so does today's work. Stay faithful to the process. Stay present. Keep showing up. And don't be afraid to create the thing that's been stirring in your heart. You never know how God will use it. If this episode encouraged you, would you please do me a favor? Share it with a friend or family member, post it on social media, and be sure to leave a five-star review. Your support helps us continue reaching more people with messages that inspire, encourage, and create impact. Please tag Brady & I at: IG: @ToddDurkin @BradyDurkinCreates Note: Don't miss next week's episode as we wrap up our special family series with my daughter, McKenna! ************ Would you like to become a Motivational Speaker (local or national)? FREE WEBINAR on Thursday August 13th. SEE BELOW… Please join me for an exclusive, LIVE on ZOOM webinar that I will be personally leading on Thursday August 13th at 11 am PST/2 pm EST. If you're ready to... Gain clarity on your message and purpose. Become a more confident and compelling communicator. Learn how to build a speaking business and personal brand. Master the strategies that create unforgettable presentations. Use your voice to inspire, serve, and change lives... ...then I invite you to join me for a FREE "Become a Motivational Speaker" Webinar on Thursday, August 13th at 11 am PST/2 pm EST. SIGN-UP TODAY!! (If you are not on LIVE, I will still give you access to the recording but you MUST sign- up…)

Long-Game Parenting with Elizabeth Pehrson (Episode 295)   Exodus 23:20 NLT “See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you.”   *Transcription Below*   Elizabeth Pehrson is a speaker, podcaster and founder of The Exchange. She's a yellow sanguine, who is full of energy and lives life wide-open! She loves Jesus and meaningful connections. Elizabeth is married to David and mother of EIGHT children, who range from high school to graduated from college.   Follow her online:  Instagram: @long_game_parenting or @octomama or @theexchangeus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.m.pehrson   Thank you to our sponsor: Sam Leman Eureka   Questions and Topics We Cover: What is our role, as parents, in making an effort to help our children have a positive relationship with their siblings? What are ways we can positively shape our children to have strong and healthy relationships with friends?  How can we help our children uncover, articulate, and pursue their purpose in life?    Other Savvy Sauce Episodes Mentioned: 74 Effective Parenting for Toddlers Through College with Wife, Mother to 8, and The Exchange Founder, Elizabeth Pehrson Part 1  75 Responding to God's Stirring with Elizabeth Pehrson, Founder of The Exchange, Part Two God-honoring Relationship Between a Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law with Author of The Mother-in-Law Dance, Annie Chapman   Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook or Instagram or Our Website   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*   Music: (0:00 – 0:10)   Laura Dugger: (0:11 - 1:54) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here. The principles of honesty and integrity that Sam Leman founded his business on continue today, over 55 years later, at Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka.   Owned and operated by the Bertschi family, Sam Leman and Eureka appreciates the support they've received from their customers all over central Illinois and beyond. Visit them today at lemangm.com. My returning guest for today is the very energetic, married mother of eight, and founder of The Exchange, Elizabeth Pearson.   I highly recommend that, first of all, you find the link in the show notes to start with our first two episodes together that we did a while back. They focus primarily on raising younger children, but today we're going to focus on parenting teens and beyond in hopes of launching faithful and healthy adults someday. So, with that goal in mind, we're going to begin by discussing relationship-building strategies to foster a life of rightly ordered affections, where we're all loving God and loving others as ourselves.   Then we're going to move into some more actionable ways to ensure our family delights in the abundant life in Christ. Here's our chat.   Welcome back to The Savvy Sauce, Elizabeth.   Elizabeth Pehrson: (1:55 - 1:57) Well, thank you so much for having me. What a joy.   Laura Dugger: (1:58 - 2:23) Well, I'm just going to start with something that's a little tricky because we obviously cannot control the outcome, but we can be faithful to our calling as parents. So, Elizabeth, do you have any practical tips for helping our children rightly order their affections so that they'll hopefully grow up to love God?   Elizabeth Pehrson: (2:23 - 4:52) Yes. I appreciate you asking with the disclaimers because I do think that that's an important thing because, first of all, I just want to say that I hope that every single woman listening can understand, believe, and trust that God loves our children way more than we do. And as much as we want to control the outcome or guarantee the outcome with our children, we can't.   All we can do is just be faithful to the children that God's entrusted to us. And when it comes to ordering our children's affections, I would basically just say it can't be forced. It can't be image-driven.   And I say that because, unfortunately, I see that a lot in Christian homes today, a lot. And I think one of the most helpful shifts for me in realizing that I cannot control anything when it comes to my children is that I can shape the environment where their loves are formed. That's one thing that is in my control.   That is something that I can do. And a few practical ways that you can do this, and first I'm going to say this a lot, the most important things that we can offer our children are caught, they're not taught. And we have to model it more than we preach it because our children are incredible observers.   And they notice what we prioritize. They notice what interrupts us. They notice what doesn't interrupt us.   And if God's something we only talk about on Sundays, then they feel that. But if they see us turning to Him when we're anxious, when we're grateful, when we're confused, they start to associate God with real life, not just rules. And second, I would just say, I think it's super important to help our kids understand what's worthy of love, right?   I mean, I think we should talk openly with our kids about sports, friends, achievements, you know, how those can be gifts, but they are terrible gods. And also, that they're very, very, very short-sighted. It's not typically, I would say, not typically the so-called bad things that are stealing our affections.   It's usually the good things that are just not often the best things. And so that I would say, like when I watch my children, oftentimes it would be them loving a good thing too much, you know. Most importantly, I would just say that if our kids or your kids or the listeners' kids grow up knowing the heart of God rather than the rules of God, I think their affections will know where to turn.   Laura Dugger: (4:53 - 5:04) Oh, that's so well said. And do you have any ideas for characteristics that will help foster a healthy parent-child relationship?   Elizabeth Pehrson: (5:05 - 8:07) Oh, goodness. I would say, you know, so many things. I think children thrive when they feel safe, when the home feels predictable, when it feels secure, and especially when we listen more than we lecture.   You know, when we can do that, they will feel understood and they won't feel constantly corrected. You know, I grew up in a home that I'm very grateful for, but in my home, love often felt transactional. If I did this, then that.   But, you know, we all know that love isn't something that is earned. You know, it's freely given. And so, our love and affection should never be tied to performance or behavior.   But again, unfortunately, what I see on a regular daily basis is that moms are more codependent on their children than ever before. And because of that, they see their children's behavior as a reflection of themselves. And so that love can become a little bit transactional.   But I would say, practically speaking, I think there's lots of things that encourage a healthy parent-child relationship. And, you know, we could go through a whole list of these things. But the first thing I would say is not being their friend yet.   Down the road, but not yet. You know, we'll have time for that later. But if we treat them as peers right now while they're in the home, authority isn't a value at all that is taught to be respected.   It isn't. And, you know, another thing would be just basic consistent boundaries because structure is actually what creates freedom, right? Open communication, you know, where hard conversations can be had.   And I'm going to tell you, this is something that we were not the best at, but we found ourselves consistently apologizing for, you know, avoiding that hard conversation and then having come back to it. That was a big one. You know, repair after conflict.   That's huge because it is so important for our kids to see us model, you know, owning our mistakes, apologizing for it, you know, when we mess up because that teaches the kids that our relationships can bend without breaking. And the last thing I thought of when I thought about this question was respect for autonomy. And I say that because healthy relationships are ones where we allow our kids to grow and evolve.   But a lot of times we want to keep them stuck in whatever that age, whatever that stage is. And children need to be allowed age-appropriate independence. They need to be allowed age-appropriate freedom, you know, constantly just letting that rope out little by little by little and, you know, knowing that parents eventually will just get to the place where they can guide mentor without instructing, you know, our, our goal for them is their own autonomy and their own independence.   Laura Dugger: (8:09 - 8:28) That's so good. It makes me even think recently I was reading something about leave and cleave and leaving is breaking all dependencies. And I thought that's kind of the kindness of the Lord that we do that a little by little.   Every year, probably of parenting.   Elizabeth Pehrson: (8:29 - 9:51) Oh, it's, it's the truth. And it's interesting that you say that because one, we have an 18-year-old boy that's graduating. And my husband and I were just talking, we think it's the goodness of the Lord because what we've noticed, not disrespect, but just this pulling away as he's, you know, nearing graduation, really wanting more independence, not necessarily telling us where he's going to be just, you know, he's not going to be able to go to college.   And then we're like, “Oh, I went to so-and-so's house.” And after the fact, and in, in a way when our first son started doing that, I was like, “You know what? He's not, he still lives in this, you know, in this home under this roof.”   But it's like my husband said, “You know, it's almost like God's goodness that allows him to pull away a little bit, a little bit, a little bit. So that when he does leave in August, end of July, It makes it a little bit easier. You know?”   And then that leave and cleave thing, you said, “I have a son that lives in Houston and he's the lead part just fine, independent, separate, but now he's cleaving to someone else as he's met a girl and that part has been hard for me.” It's like, whoa, like that's a whole, that's like next level, you know, where they no longer, you're no longer the one they call for advice. You're no longer the woman in their life, so to speak.   And so, it's been a lot of growing pains, but it's all, again, it's exactly what God designed when we raise our kids.   Laura Dugger:: (9:51 - 10:28) But you're right, it's both and it's beautiful, but it's hard and very difficult to go through. It makes me think one of my top 10 of all-time favorite episodes was with Annie Chapman and she wrote the mother-in-law dance. And so, I'll link to that episode as well in the show notes, but I think it was very helpful for even preparing now what that's going to look like someday.   Yep. But as we come back to focusing on today, Elizabeth, what is our role as parents in making an effort to help our children have a positive relationship with their siblings?   Elizabeth Pehrson: (10:29 - 14:01) Oh, goodness. Having eight children, you know, they have a lot of siblings and ever since our kids were little, David and I just have prayed over and over and over again, one, that they would know, love, and serve God, two, that they would stay close to each other, and then three, that they would seek joy in everything they do. And so, because one of our prayers is that they would stay close to each other, we did everything we could to shape environments that fostered connection with their siblings, with each other.   And that could look like we moved their rooms a lot of times, like who they shared with at different seasons of their life. We mixed them up with different brothers or different sisters, outings or trips where we would take just a couple of them, not all of them, but we mixed that up. You know, we never, ever, ever put up with disrespect or mistreatment of each other.   That one is a huge one, or their belongings for that matter. But that's so important not to allow your children to offer disrespect or display disrespect to their siblings. A lot of people think, oh, it's just their kid, you know, their siblings, they feel most comfortable with him.   That's totally normal, but it really does start at home. Another thing I think of is that we talked as a whole, our family as a team, as a unit. You know, we were a family unit.   It's not like one pitted against the other. We were on the same team. And although if my children were here, I am certain that one or more of them would say that they felt compared to at times, but we really did our best not to compare our children because comparison breeds rivalry faster than anything.   It really, really does. And we also tried to think about each individual child, you know, like, hey, this is your unique gift. This is your strength.   This is an asset, you know, an asset to the team, not just to you individually, but as a family as a whole. And the last thing I would say is everyone laughs because we had family A and then we had family B. And that's the first four kids and the second four kids.   And we taught them to serve each other. You know, the older kids were paired with the younger child, a younger sibling, and they had to help them. Sometimes it wasn't even help serving them, but it was doing a chore together.   We'll get to this later, I think. But chores are huge in our home. And when they turn nine, they have to mow the yard.   And we had we lived on three and a half acres. And so, we had a riding lawnmower. And when my nine-year-old son, my third son turned nine, he wasn't quite heavy enough to keep the mower going, you know, because you have to be heavy enough.   Otherwise, it shuts it off. And when he would lean to put his foot on the gas, it would shut it off. So, my three-year-old boy, his chore was to sit behind him and just hold on, you know, for the hour and a half it took him to mow the yard.   And, you know, we paired them together a lot. But at the end of the day, we can require respect, but we just can't force friendship. I have two daughters that are only 15 months apart.   When they were little, they were attached at the hip. I mean, where one went, the other one went. But now that they're older and they're both in college at the same college, their personalities are very different.   Their interests are very different. And they aren't as close as they once were, but they love each other. They respect each other.   And, you know, we just have to be OK with that, you know.   Laura Dugger: (14:02 - 14:40) That makes sense because there's different seasons to everything. I think you can see that with siblings who pair up with each other. And I'm sure that changes throughout their whole life.   Yeah, I want to go back. There's a few things that I want to follow up on. One of them was codependency with mothers and their children.   And the other one is already escaping me now. So, I'll try and recall that one. But can you share a little bit more of either why you think it is that way more today or what that might look like if we're codependent with our children and maybe unaware of that?   Elizabeth Pehrson: (14:41 - 16:35) All I can say is that I meet with women on a regular basis and 9.9 times out of ten there, they see their children as a reflection of themselves. So, when they make wise choices, they tend to tend to get puffed up. When they don't, they kind of bow back in shame or regret.   Or I can't believe this. But the truth of the matter is they are independent, you know, separate from you. And most moms don't know where they end and where the child begins.   We're entering graduation season. And I cannot tell you the number of moms that are like, “Oh, oh, this is so hard, this graduation thing.” And I'm like, but you're not graduating.   Like, you know, the kids have the responsibility of all the different things they have to do. But you don't. They've already you know, you've already graduated.   Let them enjoy this separate from you. But they can't do it. They're a part of every single aspect of their daughter or their son's life.   And when that happens, you know, every home run is so important. Every grade they make is so important. And I am all about long, long term, you know, long term parenting.   And it is not that it has nothing to do with a long-term person of character that they will become. So, if moms can see where they are separate, it is so beneficial for the child as well as the mom. You know, I met with a mom the other day and she's like, well, I'm not codependent, but my daughter is.   And I said, “Well, tell me more about this.” And she said, “Well, she calls me. She's in college and she calls me 10 times a day.”   And I said, “OK, well, let me ask you, how many times do you answer?” And she's kind of looked at me and she goes, “Well, she might need something.” And I said, “She can call back.”   She can text 911. But when you're so readily available to your child, it just fosters that dependency, you know, of your child on you. And it's so unhealthy.   Laura Dugger: (16:36 - 16:51) And I did hear a mom tell me one time when we, I think, had very little children. She said, “You want to ultimately work that dependency off of you and onto the Lord where they are first going to him, which is a lifelong job.”   Elizabeth Pehrson: (16:51 - 18:23) It is a lifelong job. There's a funeral service. It's going to sound morbid, but I watched it because it was so impactful to me.   I didn't even know this lady, but I watched it four times, this service that was online out of Florida. And the daughters were speaking and they said, “The best thing that they did, the very best thing that she did for them was to teach them their complete dependence on the Lord.” And she said, “She had cancer and she knew she was passing away.”   And she said, “Girls, don't be sad for me. I am going to be with my heavenly father rejoicing, singing his praises.” And she said, “If I have taught you to rely solely on me, then I've done a really bad job.”   I want your sole dependence to be on your heavenly father. But unfortunately, what I see again is just meeting with these women. We teach them that our presence is what keeps them safe or are, you know, being close proximity, especially with the cell phone.   You know, there's a lot of researchers that call it the longest umbilical cord because it keeps us in contact with him 24 seven. It's so sad. I mean, I interviewed some teachers at a middle school because they don't no longer allow cell phones.   You have to put it in the basket. Now there are some schools that are making you just not even bring it in. But I'm not even exaggerating when I tell you.   They would tell me that the children have two cell phones. The parents would give them two; one so they could put it in the basket and two so that the parents could be able to reach them at a moment's notice. Wow.   It's a real thing. I'm not making this up.   Laura Dugger: (18:24 - 18:26) That is crazy.   Elizabeth Pehrson: (18:26 - 18:59) Just to think in not that many years, how different that is from, you know, I ask moms all the time, would you have loved it if your mom had a low jack on you, like tracking your every move? I mean, because what happens is when you do that in middle school, high school, then they go off to college. I meet with moms every single day.   They're like, oh, my goodness, I'm so tired. I didn't go to bed till three o'clock last night. And I'm like, why?   Well, because I have like 360 on my child in college and she didn't get home till three, so I couldn't go to sleep. That's a normal everyday thing.   Laura Dugger: (19:01 - 19:38) Wow. And OK, for those situations, what would you recommend instead of that? And I guess if I could throw this in, I just was at a reunion with some graduate school friends, and we are all therapists or that's what we studied.   And we were just sharing how truly we've seen this play out. What we learned back in grad school was that if there's anxiety about something, avoidance never works. You have to even if it's micro dosing, you have to go through it rather than around it or avoid it.   Elizabeth Pehrson: (19:38 - 20:32) Oh, yes. And I mean, I'm sure you've read the book, The Most Anxious Generation of All Time. I mean, that's where we are.   And it stems, in my opinion, my humble opinion from the parents who are so anxious because they are codependent, because they are over involved in their children's life. And, you know, quite honestly, it's like the moms are so involved in their children's lives that when the last child leaves, you see the highest divorce rate is after the last emancipation of the last child. Once that child leaves, it's like, I have no life.   I have no identity. I have no purpose. And I certainly don't have relationship with my husband because my focus has been with my children.   And so, the moms that are anxious, the moms that are just so overbearing, over controlling are the ones that, in my opinion, are fostering those types of relationships with their children, the anxious ones. They can't do anything without their parents.   Laura Dugger: (20:33 - 22:06) And now a brief message from our sponsor, Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka has been owned and operated by the Bertschi family for over 25 years. A lot has changed in the car business since Sam and Stephen's grandfather, Sam Leman, opened his first Chevrolet dealership over 55 years ago. If you visit their dealership today, though, you'll find that not everything has changed.   They still operate their dealership like their grandfather did with honesty and integrity. Sam and Stephen understand that you have many different choices in where you buy or service your vehicle. This is why they do everything they can to make the car buying process as easy and hassle free as possible.   They are thankful for the many lasting friendships that began with a simple Welcome to Sam Leman's. Their customers keep coming back because they experience something different. 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But I would say whatever that is, that has a hold on you, that you're still holding on to your 18, 19, 20, 21, 26-year-old child, whatever it is, they're adults. I mean, legally, they are adults at 18.   But yet whatever that is, that's holding you, keeping you attached to them, whether it's causing you to lose sleep, whether it's causing anxiety. You absolutely have to make that separation in that area. And so, you know, for the one that's got the Life360, 24 seven. Hey, give it to your husband.   You take it off your phone and they will be able to know how to figure out where your child is, should there be a need, you know, but you're hyper fixating on it, take that away. If it is a cell phone and you're calling your child every single day about everything, all that's doing is teaching your child that they can't do it on their own without you. And they have Google, you know, they have the Internet.   I didn't have that when I went away and I didn't have a cell phone, but I figured it out. So, it's like whatever it is that has a hold on you. I would encourage the mom just to make that separation in that one area and then start there.   Laura Dugger: (23:30 - 23:34) Love it. And I did think of the other thing that I wanted to circle back with.   Elizabeth Pehrson: (23:35 - 23:35) What is this?   Laura Dugger: (23:35 - 23:49) So, you had mentioned, yes, you taught your children respect one another in the home, but also respecting their belongings or property. Can you just share a little bit more of how you did that in your philosophy of why that was important?   Elizabeth Pehrson: (23:50 - 25:40) Oh, absolutely. I would tell you that David, my husband, and I firmly believe that respect for siblings, for coaches, for teachers, for peers, for their parents is hands down the foundation of every other principle that you can instill in your children, because if you respect them, you know, I mean, there are certain cultures and generations that respect their elderly. We're not a culture that does that.   And it's like if you respect them, you hold the door for them. You'll get up and give them your seat. You would never, you know, misuse their things, their belongings.   So, with the second that we saw any amount of disrespect, whether it was to us, like, say, if one of my children said something to me that was disrespectful, whether it was a tone, it might not have been the words. It could be a tone. It could be the volume of his voice, whatever it might be.   My husband would step in and say, “Hey, son. That's my wife. I don't allow anyone to speak like that to her.”   And then therefore, there would be like a consequence for it. And so, I mean, it might be that or at the risk of being too TMI or too vulgar. I had one son that had the urge to go to the bathroom, pee wherever he wanted to.   And one time he peed on his sister's blanket, her blankie, because he was mad at her. Let me tell you something. He will never forget it.   I don't remember what the punishment was at the time, but he got one. He never went to the bathroom anywhere again other than the toilet. You know, it's like, no, no, no, you cannot do that.   I mean, it's the foundation of the golden rule. You know, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But children think they can get away with it.   And then parents justify it by saying, “Oh, but they're only three. Oh, but they're only six. Oh, they didn't really mean it.”   Well, you know what? That's where you've set the foundation right there. Three, five, six, whatever the age, so that when they grow up, they will respect their coaches, their employers, their teachers.   Laura Dugger: (25:40 - 25:55) You know, so good. OK, so another relational question, then what are ways that we can help or support positively shaping our children to have strong and healthy relationships with their friends?   Elizabeth Pehrson: (25:56 - 29:02) Yeah, I think that is such an important question. It was the very first verse we had our children memorize when they were itty bitty, you know, he who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm because research shows that we are the sum of the five people that we hang out with the most. So, who those five are in their circle, it is so important.   You know, it in our opinion, it is essential to model for our children what healthy friendships look like, because, again, they learn that by watching us. It goes back to what's caught, you know, not the top principle. And I think it's essential to have them around other children their own age as often as possible, because I think we can use friendship with their peers, not their parents, not their grandparents, but with peers.   Then we can use those examples and those situations to teach them to include others, to take turns, to read body language, to notice when something's wrong with one of your friends, right? To apologize. Ask for forgiveness too, hey, this one's doing something completely different than I would do, but let's celebrate that.   And a big one is navigating disappointment and hurt. You know, I mean, that's going to inevitably happen with our children and their friendships. So those roles are so important because we can use those experiences to help train and equip them.   You know, for us, our goal was never, ever, ever about popularity. Matter of fact, I don't even like the word. I don't like the you know what it stands for.   But for us, it was really just to focus on their character and the heart issues. So, because of that, we would ask them, you know, not who are you friends with and who do you know, but things like who did you include at lunch today? Did you notice anyone sitting alone?   Did you say anything to them? What kind friend or what kind of thing did you do for a friend today? And, you know, as far as like how we model that for our children and try to encourage that with them, it's going to cause a sacrifice on our end, right?   I mean, when we're allowing and I mean, we might have to take time driving them to, you know, a good friend's house that lives far away or it might be hosting events. It might be goodness. I mean, every mom knows that we've had to wait on our children and wait and wait and wait and whatever that looks like.   But, you know, just modeling that for our children and setting that environment and that groundwork so that they can have these friendships. It's going to be a sacrifice for every single mom. We can and we'll have to sacrifice our comfort.   We'll have to sacrifice our convenience. Right. A louder house, extra groceries, wet towels, muddy shoes like the list could go on and on and on.   But, you know, I know that there have been times when I would hope I would host things in my home, but I would rather be resting, you know, but I can't because I have a house full of 30 kids or staying home because there needs to be a parent there when I'd rather be out on a date with my husband. You know, there's lots of sacrifices that we're going to have to make. But I just think it's super, super important. That we do.   Laura Dugger: (29:03 - 29:25) Well, and I love hearing that side of it. I'm assuming you're such a both and person, too. What did you make sure that you didn't sacrifice?   Because I never hear you saying I only sacrificed for my kids so it could be better for them. But you were healthy all throughout raising them. So, does that make sense?   How did you balance your own?   Elizabeth Pehrson: (29:25 - 30:36) No, and I appreciate you saying that, but I'm certain that there were times when I was tired, when I was selfish and that I didn't do the wise thing. But I will say that that it is so important not to sacrifice yourself because, you know, you can hear it in the analogies of, you know, you can't you can't give what you don't have. You got to fill yourself up first.   And it's all true. You know, the oxygen mask on the airplane before you give it to your children, it's so important. But I equally think it's important for your children to see.   I'm not going to be at home at dinner tonight because you know what? I'm with my besties. I'm with my girlfriends tonight.   That is important to me. Loving one another and being with one another is spoken of more in scripture than parenting, more than marriage. I mean, it is spoken of over and over and over again.   So, I want them to see that, “Hey, tonight I'm going to sacrifice time at home and I'm going to go out, be with my girlfriends”. So, there's definitely some things you have to sacrifice. But I don't want a woman to be so depleted because she's constantly giving, giving, giving, giving, giving that again, when she when their children graduate and leave home, they don't even know who they are.   They've lost sight of who God created them to be.   Laura Dugger: (30:36 - 30:39) I appreciate your balance in that.   Elizabeth Pehrson: (30:39 - 30:41) It's always and in both.   Laura Dugger: (30:41 - 30:43) Yes, it really is.   Elizabeth Pehrson: (30:43 - 30:43) It is.   Laura Dugger: (30:44 - 30:53) How do you think we can help our kids uncover and articulate and pursue their purpose in life?   Elizabeth Pehrson: (30:54 - 32:55) Purpose is huge for me. I'm sure you know that. It's the name of my podcast.   It's why I started the exchange. But I have to tell you, I meet with women every single day, grown women, 40s, 50s, 60s, even 70s that still do not know their purpose. They don't know who they are.   So realistically, for our children, I don't want to have anyone, you know, mom beat themselves up because it does take time to help them understand, you know, who they are, why God put them here, what their purpose is. And I will say some of my kids will grasp it before others. You know, I have a son that just graduated UGA, and he still is contemplating, you know, what does God have for my life?   But as far as purpose goes, whether it's your young children, whether it's your high school children trying to figure out, do I go to college? Do I not go to college? You know, what do I major in?   All of those things. But for anyone, I want to say that it's important that they know their purpose is not what they do. But the why behind what they do.   And if someone is unsure of what that is or, you know, why they do something, I would encourage them to ask questions. That's my biggest thing. When I meet with women, when I talk with them, just ask questions, ask questions.   I mean, we don't have the answers, but to ask questions. And so, I'll ask my children, you know, when they're contemplating some of these things, “Hey, what makes you come alive? What lights you up?”   You know, who do you love to serve? What could you do for hours, hours, and hours and lose track of time? For an older woman, I would say, what did you love to do as a child?   You know, maybe what do other people say to you? Man, you make that look effortless. You are so good at fill in the blank.   What keeps you up at night? What breaks your heart? I think the answer to all of those questions lead us ultimately to what God uniquely put in our hearts to do and how he created us.   You know, when he created each one of us, he gave us something that he wants us to offer to the world. And whatever that is, I would say will lead you to your purpose.   Laura Dugger: (32:56 - 33:00) And do you have yours articulated that you want to share with us?   Elizabeth Pehrson: (33:00 - 34:41) Oh, it took me a long time to go, God, who did you create me to be? And asking some of those questions, it's so interesting. So, you know, I speak, I speak, you know, at the exchange and in the last 10 years, I've started speaking more at churches and other places, and it's my absolute favorite thing to do.   It lights me up. I find great joy in it. It comes natural to me.   And one day when I was asking this woman, I'm like, let me ask you, what did you love to do as a child? Like, what could you just do for hours and hours? And she's like, well, I don't know.   Can you give me some examples? And she said, what did you love to do? And it was like this light bulb went off.   And my mom was very, very, very girly. And I had three older brothers. I was not.   And my mom wanted me to be very girly. So, she would give me for every birthday, Christmas, Easter, Flag Day. It didn't matter what the holiday.   I got a Madame Alexander doll. It's this doll that has it's like on a stand and it just sits there like you don't play with it. You don't you just look at it.   I don't know the purpose of these dolls. I don't know why anyone would want one. But when I tell you I had 100 of them, I literally had 100 of them.   And so, when I was thinking back to what did I love to do as a child instinctively, no one told me to do it. I would get home after school, and I would pull out all of these dolls and I would put them on my bed and I would line them up and I would talk to them. I would tell them all about my day, what I learned, what someone taught me, the injustices of being the only girl in the family, what I'm going to do when I'm older.   And I literally that's what I did for hours. And it was like this light bulb went off. It's like God put that in me.   I was encouraging my dolls. I was talking to them. I was, you know, hopefully motivating them, inspiring them.   Obviously, they couldn't move. But that's what I do now. And encouraging women is my purpose.   Laura Dugger: (34:42 - 35:27) I love that story so much. That's amazing. Do you love The Savvy Sauce?   Do you gain anything when you listen? Did you know that the two ways we earn money to keep this podcast live is through generous contributions from listeners and from our paying sponsors? That means we can promote your business and you're still supporting The Savvy Sauce.   It's a win-win. Please email us today at info@theSavvySauce.com to inquire about pricing for sponsoring each episode. Thank you for your consideration.   Elizabeth, do you have any tips for how we can influence our children to become lifelong learners?   Elizabeth Pehrson: (35:28 - 39:29) Yes, I think it's super important to encourage that in your children. But I also don't think there's a formula for it because some children are naturally more curious. Some are naturally more inquisitive.   I do think it's super important to recognize that, you know, what it is that they want to learn. They want to study because it's going to be different for your children. So, you might not think that they're a learner or someone that's curious, but they're just not curious about what you're curious about.   Right. My oldest son reads a biography of presidents and historical figures all the time. He tries to get through one a week.   I couldn't think of more boring reading, but he loves, loves it. He just takes it all in. He knows all the facts and stats on presidents.   But what's funny is when he was two years old, he could name all of the presidents in order at two years old. I couldn't even do it. I had to hold up the placemat to make sure, you know, that he was right.   I have another son that studies history, loves it, just absolutely loves it. And I have a daughter who probably the one that's most like me. But I will tell you that she will be a lifelong learner of people the rest of her life.   That is her passion. She's curious. She's inquisitive.   She's always asking questions of people. And as long as we know that ultimately, it's just going to be up to them. Some are going to be great learners.   Naturally, others won't be. But I would say if you wanted me to point to something again, it just comes back to modeling it, you know, for our children, because children copy what we love, not what we lecture. They copy what we love, not what we lecture every single time.   And I remember when one time when my kids were little, they wanted me to plant a garden. And I don't know what the opposite of a green thumb is, but that's what I have. I'm like the opposite of that.   And I had no idea. Like, you dig up the grass, you till the soil. Like, when do you plant?   How do you even grow a vegetable? I had no idea. But I said, “You know what? I don't know how to do this, but let's figure it out together.”   We'll figure it out together. And, you know, I suggest that moms would say things to their kids like, I just listened to this podcast, and it really challenged my thinking.   I had never thought of it this way before. Or I don't know anything about that topic you want to talk about, but let's find out, let's dive in and look, go to the library or, you know, whatever it might be. And lastly, I would just say that it really comes down to praising effort, not performance, because if you're saying you're so smart, you know so much about that or you're so wise in that area.   It really is. It doesn't do them anything other than teach them a performance based. Right.   So, it's like I want to say the things the things to them. Like, I am so proud of you when you didn't know what you were doing. You stuck with it.   You figured it out because I think that is a growth mindset instead of like instead of driving in performance anxiety. Like, I don't know how to do this. I didn't figure it out.   I can't. You know, we really want them like, hey, I don't know what it is, but I'll figure it out. You know, and I just think when learning really becomes about grades, achievement, success, whatever it is, curiosity dies, does.   So, it's like at the dinner table. I remember David and I would ask questions of the kids, and we would ask them things like, what did you fail at today? Like, what did you mess up today?   Like, what surprised you today that you didn't know yesterday? And then David and I would share as well. Like, let me tell you what I learned.   Let me tell you where I messed up at work. And it's just important to normalize not having all the answers. You know, one of our big parenting mantras is don't bail, let them fail.   And I think it is so important because we don't want to rescue our children. You know, we want them to not know how to do something so that they can figure it out and then just learn as they go. You know, because that's really where confidence grows.   It grows through problem solving and learning things the hard way.   Laura Dugger: (39:30 - 40:01) Wow, there's so much there. I love I'll kind of summarize a few things. So being curious ourselves, modeling it, having our own interests and sharing those ideas, but I hear this theme of questions, asking our kids questions.   I think that develops critical thinking. But then you helped identify with them what their interests were. And I think that will naturally lead to being a lifelong learner if we find what we're interested in.   You said all of your kids might be different once they found that. They'll probably be lifelong learners in those areas.   Elizabeth Pehrson: (40:01 - 40:32) For sure. And I guess what I meant by some or more so than others like my first born, he is a five on the Enneagram. And so, his he wants to know how everything works and studies it and researches it for hours before he makes a decision where I have some other children that are like, you know, instead of ready, set, go, it's more like go, set, ready, you know, and I'll figure it out later.   I don't care. But he's just naturally more inquisitive to want to know how things work. What makes things tick?   Why does the world work the way it works? You know, that kind of thing.   Laura Dugger: (40:33 - 40:44) Well, I don't know if this goes together or if you would share something different. But do you think there are any ways that we can help our children recognize and utilize their spiritual gifts?   Elizabeth Pehrson: (40:46 - 44:02) Yeah, when I think about spiritual gifts, I kind of think it goes back to the purpose question that we talked about earlier. You know, again, I know a lot of adults that don't know their spiritual gifts yet. They're still questioning.   They're still I'm not really sure is it this or this or I don't know where to lean in. And it's hard for parents to help their children find their spiritual gifts when they don't know theirs, you know, or they don't know how God wired them or what he placed deep inside of them. But one thing that I would offer when you're trying to help your children with that is just as parents just notice things about your children, but notice them out loud.   What God's already doing in your children, notice them out loud, speak them out loud, like pay attention. Which child comforts the crying sibling who organizes the game so that everybody feels included? Who asks deep questions about faith or which child senses when someone, you know, is left out?   You know, those are all clues as to how God wired them and what's deep inside of them. And, you know, you can say things as simple as you know, you know, I noticed you have a gift for encouragement. You really are so good at that.   Or, hey, you know what? You notice what other people miss. That's amazing.   How do you do that? God is always giving you courage. You know, I have a son named Josh, and he's got this big Joshua one nine frame in his, you know, Bible verse in his room.   It's like God has given you a spirit of fear and but of courage and of sound mind, you know, and it's like we try to speak that courage into him or, you know, I have one son that always keeps us organized and on track. And we used to call him the traffic cop because he was always like this. But then I was like, no, that doesn't really speak life into him.   It's more of a judge. So, we were like, you know what? You are so organized.   You keep us on track. And I think when kids hear out loud like their strengths name, they begin to see them as gifts rather than just like, oh, that's just how I am. That's a person that, you know, personality court.   And as you're trying to speak those things out loud and let them see and notice things about themselves that maybe they didn't see. You can also give them opportunities to practice things like, hey, at the dinner table, you're going to pray out loud tonight for the family, for our meal, or, hey, I'd like you to help lead with our family dinner devotions or hey, you know what? I'm going to go serve this weekend at this project.   And I really want you to come alongside me and go with me. Maybe, hey, you know what? I noticed this younger sibling really needs encouragement today.   Could you just go and speak some encouragement to her? You know, handwritten notes. That's a big one in our family.   You know, literally handwritten notes, not just by a card and signing it. Love, Josh, you know, but to write out. And I think that's something that we can instill in our kids because that's a lost art.   But, you know, most importantly, more than any of that, I would say to remind your kids this gift, this spiritual gift that God has given you isn't for you. It's for someone else. Right.   A person of purpose, a hero, whatever you want to call it, is a person who takes who they are with what they have for the benefit of someone else. That's it. It's just like who they are with what they have for the benefit of someone else.   And when you do that, there's always a gift that you can offer somebody else.   Laura Dugger: (44:04 - 44:15) Well, in another biblical topic, we know that it's a biblical command to be hospitable. So, were there any specific ways that you trained your children in hospitality?   Elizabeth Pehrson: (44:16 - 46:33) Yeah. Hospitality was my mom's ultimate gift. It was probably the thing that she modeled the best for my brothers and for me.   We hosted foreign exchange students for months at a time. Every single Sunday. People don't believe me when I tell them this, but it's true.   Every single Sunday, we would invite a family home from church to have lunch with us that we did not know. It was never somebody that we knew. And so, on Saturday, we would prepare the house.   We would prepare the yard. We would cook the food as a family. Everybody had a role in it.   And then my dad would literally find a family that we did not know. And he would invite them home. And my parents always had their home open for Bible studies, for parties, for small groups, whatever, and whomever needed a space.   They made our home available. And I've just tried to do that for my children in my own ways because it looks very differently than, you know, the way my mom did it. But I basically think hospitality is simply just making room.   That's it. It's just making room, whether it's making room at your table, whether it's making room in your home. You know, a lot of moms are perfectionists, and they associate perfection with it.   My home's not clean enough. My home's not pretty enough. It's not perfect enough.   And so, then they don't want to do it. But I can just tell you honestly, with eight children, perfect wasn't an option, you know, anyway, but we did. We had an open-door policy for dinner.   We even had a sign on our garage door. It said dinner's at 6:30. All are welcome.   And so, anybody could come and show up to dinner any night of the week at 6:30. And all of our children, when we invited people over, everybody had to participate, not just those that were excited about it, but like the whole family, you know, whether it was setting the table, greeting the guests at the door, making eye contact and then asking them questions, clearing plates. I mean, just whatever it is.   We wanted every single person to be a part of it. And really, we just tried to say, hey, you know, this is going to cost you something, because sometimes generosity does. You might have to squeeze in at the dinner table and sit like this because we're all squeezed in and that's OK.   Or you might have three air mattresses on your floor tonight and you have to share your room. And I know you don't want to, but that's OK. I mean, it's like generosity is going to cost you something.   And we wanted our kids to know that.   Laura Dugger: (46:34 - 46:47) Oh, such great examples. And do you have any other additional tips for ways that all of our family can actually delight in the abundant life that Christ has, that he's offered each one of us?   Elizabeth Pehrson: (46:49 - 48:59) Yeah, I mean, again, I certainly do not have all the answers, and we could have made service projects and serving others more of a priority in our home, for sure. But I just I think that the abundant life in Jesus it is about serving others. It is about offering others what he's given you.   And, you know, we don't serve to earn love like we serve because we're already loved. I mean, that's really the bottom line. And that changes everything.   And so, I would just encourage families to start serving together, not as a punishment, you know, not as a obligation, but just as a way of life. It's what we do. It's who we are.   And so, because of that, the abundant life for us offering it to others looked like making meals, making cupcakes, making a cake and delivering it to people. We had elderly neighbors all in our street and we mowed their yards. We picked up pinecones.   We went to the grocery store and picked up their medicine for them. You know, we made, again, handwritten notes and cards, just very small, easy, tangible, ordinary things that we could do to love on others. And I would say, let them see your joy in what you're doing, because they children do not like drudgery.   They're just going to resist it. Right. It's like but if they see you delighting and feeling full, full after serving and then giving, they appreciate you know, they appreciate that they see the joy.   And so, it's just it's important. I just think all the way around just there's Andy Stanley always says, you know, following God's principles will make your life better and it will make your life make you better at life. And so, when we follow these principles, when we serve, when we celebrate the kids serving other people with a joyful heart, you know, we celebrate their impact, not their performance, not how grand it was, not how big it was.   But hey, you made someone feel loved today. That's a really big deal. That's a really big thing.   You're eight years old. Not everybody can do that. And I am so grateful that you love Jesus so much that you would be willing to do that.   So, I just think the abundant life comes from following God's principles. You know, it's not having more. It's just loving more.   Laura Dugger: (49:00 - 49:14) Oh, love it. You have so much wisdom to share. So, before we press pause on this conversation, because we get to continue again next week, will you just let us know where we can go in the meantime to learn more from you?   Elizabeth Pehrson: (49:15 - 49:38) Oh, sure. If someone would like to follow me, it's on Instagram. I have my own personal one.   It's called @octomama. My kids made that long time ago. I also have the @theexchangeus.   That is that's my Instagram handle there. And then a long game parenting, writing a parenting book. And so, I do have a handle for that where I post things.   But it's called @long_game_parenting. So, yeah, wonderful.   Laura Dugger: (49:38 - 49:56) We'll link to all of that in the show notes for today's episode. And Elizabeth, this is your third time on The Savvy Sauce. So, you already know we're called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge.   And so is my final question for you today. What is your Savvy Sauce?   Elizabeth Pehrson: (49:56 - 50:36) I would say in light of our conversation today and in light of what I talked about and shared, it's so simple. It's just 12 words. I say it all the time.   Think what you want your kids to be and then be it. Think what you want your kids to be and then be it. And I don't mean this in terms of your career or your profession, you know, but I mean in terms of modeling for our children what we want to impress upon their heart, things of character, because the truth is, it goes back to that.   We can only take our children as far as we've gone ourselves, or we can only help our children as far as we've done the work ourselves emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically. So, think what you want your kids to be and then be it.   Laura Dugger: (50:37 - 50:46) What a beautiful way to close out our time together today. As always, Elizabeth, you are just effervescent and time flies by when we're having conversations together.   Elizabeth Pehrson: (50:47 - 50:49) I talk fast, so thanks for saying that.   Laura Dugger: (50:50 - 50:52) Well, thank you for being my guest.   Elizabeth Pehrson: (50:52 - 50:55) Absolutely. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks, Laura.   Laura Dugger: (50:56 - 54:10) One more thing before you go.   Have you heard the term gospel before? It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you.   But it starts with the bad news. Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there's absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own.   So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved. We need a savior. But God loved us so much.   He made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him. That is good news.   Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin. This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus. We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what he has done for us.   Romans 10:9 says, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. So, would you pray with me now? Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place.   I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you. Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life? We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity.   In Jesus name we pray. Amen. If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me, so me for him.   You get the opportunity to live your life for him. And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason. We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned.   So, you ready to get started? First, tell someone. Say it out loud.   Get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes & Noble and let me choose my own Bible. I selected the Quest NIV Bible and I love it.   You can start by reading the book of John. Also, get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ. I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you.   We want to celebrate with you too, so feel free to leave a comment for us here if you did make a decision to follow Christ. We also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process. And finally, be encouraged.   Luke 15:10 says, in the same way I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. The heavens are praising with you for your decision today. And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with.   You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

From the north side of Amarillo to leading the largest security company in the world, Elton Bradley has built an extraordinary career without ever losing sight of where he came from. As General Manager of one of the world's biggest security companies, Elton has found remarkable professional success. But ask people in Amarillo who he is, and many will point to something else entirely: the Northside Toy Drive. What began as a small effort to help 25 families at Christmas has grown into one of Amarillo's most impactful nonprofits. Today, the organization serves thousands of families year-round, providing everything from Christmas gifts to scholarships, utility assistance, and hope when it's needed most. In this episode, Elton shares the story behind his career, why giving back has always mattered, and how a handful of people with a simple idea built a movement that's changing lives across Amarillo. Along the way, he proves that leadership doesn't have to be complicated—you just have to care enough to get the work done. Funny, humble, and deeply passionate about his community, Elton Bradley is the kind of person who makes Amarillo a better place.

What's up, dudes? Kevin Williams from ‘Tis the Soundtrack joins me to talk about Rainbow “Snowman!” Yes, the former Deep Purple guitarist took Howard Blake's song from the 1982 classic and reworked it as an atmospheric synth and electric guitar anthem!Rainbow was formed in 1975 by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore after he began to tire of Deep Purple and the band's changing musical direction. Deep Purple had already replaced Ian Gillan and Roger Glover with David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, but Blackmore remained unhappy with where the music was headed. What began as Blackmore recording a single with members of the band Elf ultimately grew into a full album and the creation of Rainbow. The band quickly became known for its larger-than-life live shows, whose centerpiece was a massive computer-controlled rainbow containing some 3,000 lightbulbs and stretching 40 feet across the stage. Rainbow also became notorious for its revolving door of musicians, with original vocalist Ronnie James Dio departing in 1978 over disagreements about the band's increasingly commercial musical direction. After further lineup changes, Joe Lynn Turner eventually took over as lead singer, ushering in Rainbow's more radio-friendly early-'80s era. That lineup would lead to Bent Out of Shape, released September 9, 1983, which featured the song in question as the album's ninth track.Rainbow's instrumental “Snowman,” featured on their 1983 album Bent Out of Shape, is based on “Walking in the Air,” the haunting theme written by composer Howard Blake for the beloved 1982 animated film The Snowman, itself adapted from Raymond Briggs' 1978 children's book. Blake had actually composed the melody around 1970 before later adapting it for the television special, where it became the musical centerpiece of the story. The Snowman—which went on to become a seasonal television favorite in Britain and Finland—follows the fleeting adventure of a young boy and the snowman he brings to life. During their magical flight to the North Pole, “Walking in the Air” accompanies the pair as they soar through the night before attending a gathering of snowmen and meeting Santa Claus and his reindeer. In the original film, the song was performed by St. Paul's Cathedral choirboy Peter Auty, whose recording was later reissued in 1985 and 1987. Ritchie Blackmore was captivated by the composition's haunting, melodic beauty and, having long enjoyed adapting classical and traditional melodies into rock instrumentals, transformed Blake's delicate vocal theme into “Snowman.” Rainbow's version builds atmospheric tension around the familiar melody before giving Blackmore the opportunity to let loose with a soaring, emotional electric-guitar lead—turning one of animation's most delicate Christmas themes into a distinctly Rainbow instrumental.Synth flute? Check. Fuzzy guitar? Got it. Brad Fiedel The Terminator-style synth percussion? Definitely! So grab your guitar, stand behind that keyboard, and rock out to Rainbow “Snowman!”‘Tis the SoundtrackYouTube: @TisTheSoundtrackIG:  @tisthesoundtrackGive us a buzz! Send a text, dudes!Check us out on Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram,  Totally Rad Christmas Mall & Arcade, Teepublic.com, or TotallyRadChristmas.com!  Later, dudes!

Whaaaaat? Do our ears deceive us? Another Path of Exile 1 league before Christmas? Before PoE 2 even? Questions, questions! Decisions, decisions! And in the meantime, chests! Lots and lots of chests! Love ya! (Thanks for listening to episode 356!)Forever Exiled Info:www.foreverexiled.comPatreonTwitter @ForeverExiled82Path of Exile WebsiteWrecker of Days Builds ListDiscord...FE Merch StoreFE Nexus Store

Send us Fan MailToday's show takes us across the pond to England and the Caribbean to Turks and Caicos with a man with over half a century of experience in law enforcement, retired Detective Superintendent Bob LessemunA little about my guest. Robert C. ‘Bob' Lessemun, a man who left school at sixteen and walked straight into a police career that would span more than half a century. From uniform sergeant to detective sergeant on the Regional Crime Squad, then inspector, chief inspector, and ultimately Detective Superintendent. He built a reputation for tackling some of Britain's toughest cases-murders, international fraud, major drug operations-while pioneering interview and interrogation training that would influence detectives across the UK. This is the story of how a grammar-school boy from England became one of the country's most experienced investigators, leading him to Turks and Caicos to investigate international drug and money-laundering cases.  I loved chatting with Bob, and I think you will love this episode. Part Two will go live next Sunday, where we'll dive into more of his international experiences and author journey. Please enjoy my chat with Bob Lessemun! In today's episode, we discuss:·      Being chased by the police as a young lad to becoming a police officer.·      His grandfather being a constable and the influence that had on him as a young man.·      The realities of being a constable in 1968 England.·      The lack of equipment and training; it took two years for him to get a set of handcuffs. ·      Being in a fight of his life on Christmas and the unlikely backup that helped. ·      Being outnumbered all the time and learning the gift of gab. ·      Writing the interrogation / interview manual for the English police.·      What is Scotland Yard and his training there?·      Hostage negotiating and other specialties he possesses? ·      Negotiating with an armed man holding a police sergeant hostage.All of this and more on today's episode of the Cops and Writers podcast.Visit Bob's Amazon Author Page. Head on over to my website! What's the craziest thing you saw when you were a cop?My first week on the job, a guy running at me with a butcher knife. He'd just killed his brother over the last hot dog.That's chapter 1. There are 33 more.Police Stories: The Rookie Years just launched - available on Amazon. Search 'Police Stories Patrick O'Donnell' or click thSupport the show

Listen without ads and buy DOPEYCON TICKETS ONLY ON SALE ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast This week on Dopey! On a sprawling new episode of Dopey, Dave celebrates recovery, remembers members of the Dopey Nation who have died, and welcomes Good Baklava founder Roy Donk for an unbelievably chaotic conversation about drugs, Phish, entrepreneurship and sobriety. The episode begins with Australian Dope Maddie B celebrating one year without alcohol after years of severe alcoholism, seizures, psychosis and repeated attempts to stop. Her message about continuing to try leads into a remembrance of Annie Ellie on the anniversary of her death. Dave plays Annie's old recording about discovering Dopey while she was still using and how Dave, Chris and the Dopey Nation helped make recovery feel possible. Dave also explains Dopey Day, the annual social-media tribute honoring Chris, Todd, Annie, Brian and the other dopes the community has lost. Taylor checks in with a darkly funny voicemail about why Dopey's willingness to laugh at addiction, death and other painful subjects still matters. Dave then reads responses to the Christmas episode with Chris O'Connor's former partner Annie, including messages about grief, relapse, lost loved ones and the idea that grief never disappears—we gradually build a larger life around it. Minnesota Matt contributes the episode's first major drug story: after spending days smoking crack alone, he wakes up naked, bloodied and bruised beside a broken guitar and realizes he overdosed while playing along with the Allman Brothers. A tape recorder captured the collapse, but after listening to the evidence, he loads another crack pipe and continues smoking. California Miles then sends an update about the end of his 38-year marriage and his attempt to replace self-pity with acceptance and the Serenity Prayer. The featured guest is Roy Donk, founder of Good Baklava and the Knicks fan who became a viral presence outside Madison Square Garden. Roy recounts growing up Orthodox Jewish in New Jersey, smoking K2, stealing cologne, dropping out of high school, working bizarre Hasidic jobs and eventually discovering Phish and psychedelics. His story escalates through cocaine dealing, life in a San Diego drug house, a dog accidentally eating acid, selling drugs on Phish tour and getting arrested at Mohegan Sun after doing ketamine at the slot machines while dressed in a Phish robe. Court-ordered rehab initially fails to convince Roy that he is an addict, and he quickly returns to nitrous, cocaine, ketamine and touring. During the pandemic, he moves to Mexico and maintains a remote marketing career while using heavily. A Tulum work trip becomes a massive binge, culminating in Roy accidentally uploading uncensored photographs of the debauchery to his employer's shared drive. After losing the job, Roy walks into an English-speaking AA meeting in Mexico and begins working with a sponsor. He eventually admits that he cannot control his drug use, returns to Phish tour sober and discovers that recovery doesn't require surrendering the music or community he loves. When he needs a legal way to make money on tour, he buys three containers of grocery-store baklava and sells them at a show. That spontaneous hustle eventually becomes Good Baklava, importing unbaked baklava from Turkey and building a growing business from New Jersey. All that and more, more, more, more on a sweet phishy new dopey episode of that good old dopey show.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Festive Friday returns with a holiday comedy about unexpected plans! ABOUT MERRY LITTLE BABY When Shanice's baby pact she made with her best friend fails, she decides to go on an app to find a sperm donor to be her baby daddy this holiday season which also happens to be her 35th birthday. AIR DATE & NETWORK FOR MERRY LITTLE BABY November 4, 2025 | Streaming CAST & CREW OF MERRY LITTLE BABY Director: Denise Mone't Writer: Denise Mone't Cast: Denise Mone't as Shanice Deangelo Howard Jr. as Ashton Brandy Specks BRAN'S MOVIE SYNOPSIS Shanice is at her little sister's gender reveal / baby shower combo party and Shanice is not happy. Why? Because her little sister is married and pregnant before she is! Shanice is turning 35 this Christmas. She always pictured herself being married with 2 kids at this point. She tells her best friend that she's about to go meet up with Ashton to discuss the baby pact they made. After her dad passed away, Shanice has really felt the pressure to have a baby before her mom dies. Ashton is her best chance. But bad news - Ashton has a girlfriend. The pact ain't pacting. She goes to leave but her car got towed. She goes on this radio show because she's a famous film producer who has movies on Tubi. But the interview takes a turn when Shanice opens up about her desire to be a mom. The interviewer mentions a sperm donor and Shanice doesn't hate the idea but only if she can know the guy first. So she joins this app and begins meeting men to try to find the right guy. So many bad interviews later and she ends up baking with Ashton. But Ashton has to cut it short because he needs to go ask his girlfriend's parents for their blessing. It does not go well. Shanice goes out to the club with her friends and gets drunkkkkkk. Naturally, Ashton shows up to take her home. Drunk and falling asleep, Shanice says she loves him and then falls asleep. After a crazy couple of days, she finally gets together with Ashton and she finds out that Ashton broke up with his girlfriend. They kiss! Cut to a year later and she's pregnant! Watch the show on Youtube - www.deckthehallmark.com/youtubeInterested in advertising on the show? Email bran@deckthehallmark.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Happy Regular Guy Friday! We fooled them again and somehow made it through another week. This week we talk about the back-to-school season, why childhood excitement doesn't seem to come as easily anymore, and whether having everything all the time has quietly stolen some of the joy of looking forward to something. We talk about why anticipation may be one of life's greatest gifts—and why sometimes the best memories weren't about what we got, but what we couldn't wait for. We also talk about Child World, KB Toys, Christmas traditions, RGF Observations from Pompeii, why archaeologists intentionally leave discoveries for future generations, and whether maybe we should leave a little something for ourselves to look forward to as well. We talk about the difference between friends who cheer you on and friends who keep score, why giving people room to grow is one of the greatest gifts you can give them, and how constantly waiting for "someday" can quietly steal the life you're living today. We talk about The Bad News Bears, backyard drama, fake work questions, Victim Con needing a rebrand, bar stool observations, and why sometimes the healthiest thing you can do is stop counting the days until retirement and start finding a little more peace in the one you're already living. Happy Friday. We'll Talk Shawtly! Join us at our Canyon Ranch 2026 Retreat: https://www.canyonranch.com/lenox/retreats/heal-retreat-maria-menounos HEAL SQUAD SOCIALS IG: https://www.instagram.com/healsquad/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@healsquadxmaria HEAL SQUAD RESOURCES: Heal Squad Website:https://www.healsquad.com/ Heal Squad x Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HealSquad/membership Maria Menounos Website: https://www.mariamenounos.com My Curated Macy's Page: Shop My Macy's Storefront EMR-Tek Red Light: https://emr-tek.com/discount/Maria30 for 30% off Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/host ABOUT MARIA MENOUNOS: Emmy Award-winning journalist, TV personality, actress, 2x NYT best-selling author, former pro-wrestler and brain tumor survivor, Maria Menounos' passion is to see others heal and to get better in all areas of life. ABOUT HEAL SQUAD x MARIA MENOUNOS: A daily digital talk-show that brings you the world's leading healers, experts, and celebrities to share groundbreaking secrets and tips to getting better in all areas of life. DISCLAIMER: This Podcast and all related content (published or distributed by or on behalf of Maria Menounos or http://Mariamenounos.com and http://healsquad.com) is for informational purposes only and may include information that is general in nature and that is not specific to you. Any information or opinions provided by guest experts or hosts featured within website or on Company's Podcast are their own; not those of Maria Menounos or the Company. Accordingly, Maria Menounos and the Company cannot be responsible for any results or consequences or actions you may take based on such information or opinions. This podcast is presented for exploratory purposes only. Published content is not intended to be used for preventing, diagnosing, or treating a specific illness. If you have, or suspect you may have, a health-care emergency, please contact a qualified health care professional for treatment.

"We're gonna do everything we can to make you happy." With the 2026-2027 NFL season upon us, Jeff Hafley, the new head coach of the Miami Dolphins, knows the expectations are high for him to lead a franchise that hasn't won a playoff game in a quarter of a century. Coach Hafley traces his rise from being a kid fixated on football (he asked for a mini whiteboard for Christmas!) to his college coaching career beginning by sleeping under his desk in the stadium at the University of Pittsburgh and surviving on peanut butter to becoming an NFL head coach. Coach Hafley makes it clear to Dan Le Batard and the many broken Dolphins' fans like him: he was made for the job and is someone who promises to outwork everyone and has the history of missed weddings, strained relationships, and years of choosing the job over everything else to prove it. He also explains why he walked away from being head coach at Boston College to return to the NFL (“I didn't like who I was becoming") and why he chose Miami over other teams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"We're gonna do everything we can to make you happy." With the 2026-2027 NFL season upon us, Jeff Hafley, the new head coach of the Miami Dolphins, knows the expectations are high for him to lead a franchise that hasn't won a playoff game in a quarter of a century. Coach Hafley traces his rise from being a kid fixated on football (he asked for a mini whiteboard for Christmas!) to his college coaching career beginning by sleeping under his desk in the stadium at the University of Pittsburgh and surviving on peanut butter to becoming an NFL head coach. Coach Hafley makes it clear to Dan Le Batard and the many broken Dolphins' fans like him: he was made for the job and is someone who promises to outwork everyone and has the history of missed weddings, strained relationships, and years of choosing the job over everything else to prove it. He also explains why he walked away from being head coach at Boston College to return to the NFL (“I didn't like who I was becoming") and why he chose Miami over other teams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was December 28, 2022, a few days after Christmas, and Erbena Costa was beginning to get seriously worried about her daughter, 22-year-old Anna Laura Costa Porsborg. Before Christmas she had gone on leave and headed out on a vacation in Los Angeles with her boyfriend, 36-year-old Luis Gomes Akay. What started out in sunny Hollywood would end with a body in a suitcase. If you have a case you’d like me and my team to look into, you can reach us through the Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145. IG: @hellandgonepodSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Caller Questions & Discussion: Dr. Alice discusses how Christians can respond with grace and compassion toward those who experience same-sex attraction. If you have a family member who struggles with same-sex attraction, offer a listening ear and create space for honest, faith-filled conversations. How do I get over my ex-husband? We divorced in 2020, and he now has a live-in girlfriend, but I don't know how to move on. We have a son together, and my son doesn't talk to me. I've recently seen a major personality change in my daughter, who's in college and almost 19. We found marijuana in her car. She moved out, and I'm afraid her personality change is related to her mental health. I have ADHD and am trying to navigate leading my family of 8 kids. When I try to express my emotions, it’s taken as a complaint. How do I cope and find love for my wife and family? My 40-year-old stepdaughter has a drinking problem and constantly intrudes into our family. The only time my children get to come over is for Christmas. Now my stepdaughter wants to come for Christmas too. When I said no, it became a mess.

Just days before Christmas in 2022, Natalie McNally was found murdered in her home in Lurgan, Northern Ireland. Fifteen weeks pregnant with her first child, her death devastated her family and stunned investigators. At first, Natalie's boyfriend, Stephen McCullagh, appeared to have an unbreakable alibi. While the murder was believed to have taken place, he seemed to be livestreaming a video game to thousands of viewers online. But as detectives dug deeper, digital forensic evidence revealed that the livestream had been carefully staged. In this episode of True Crime Recaps, we break down the investigation, the digital evidence that unraveled the deception, and how a meticulously planned alibi ultimately collapsed in court. Follow True Crime Recaps for new episodes covering the world's most compelling true crime cases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happened to summer!?

The best holiday ministry moments don't happen in December—they begin with intentional planning long before the season arrives.In this episode of Kids Ministry Calling, we're continuing our Summer Dreamin' series by looking ahead to the holidays and exploring how churches can create meaningful experiences that go beyond events and help families grow in their faith together.This conversation is packed with practical ideas for planning Christmas, Easter, and more with purpose. You'll hear creative ways to engage families, equip parents, and create opportunities for discipleship that extend beyond your church walls. From prayer resources and family worship to community outreach and memorable events, you'll walk away with fresh inspiration for your ministry calendar.Most importantly, this episode is a reminder that holiday ministry isn't just about filling the schedule—it's about creating moments that point kids and families to Jesus.Choose one upcoming holiday and ask this question: "How can we help families continue this experience after they leave our church?" Then create one simple resource, conversation starter, or prayer guide that encourages discipleship at home.Because when we plan holidays with intentionality, we're not just creating great events—we're creating opportunities for kids and families to experience the hope of the gospel together.SHOW LINKS: Check out Lifeway Kids CurriculumConnect with Lifeway Kids Leave us a voice message here with any questions or feedback!Join us at ETCH 2026

This week Snooki is down and out, recovering from her recent hysterectomy, so she and Joey did what any bestie would do, record ahead of time, with their most toxic episode yet. They would never leave us hanging, even with major surgery on the line. The duo is over summer, ready to hang Christmas lights and are packing their bags for a ghouls weekend to Salem. Spoilers ahead! Snooki and Joey breakdown Netflix’s hit documentary ‘A Toxic Love Story,’ with their background in true crime, they saw the truth through all the twists and turns. Our besties know a toxic man when they see one. The duo address a tough conversation, the Lindsay Clancy case, a tragedy that has many divided. Snooki and Joey are heartbroken over the loss of these three children and call out the healthcare system that failed this family, reminding us that mental health needs to be taken seriously. Snooki and Joey get honest about growing up and growing older. The elderly joys of getting to bed earlier and taking naps, while having to turn down the music in order to think, and the excitement we get when finding cheaper groceries. Then Joey gets candid about making friends as an adult. Dating apps are turning to friendship finds and we’re here for the connection. Speaking of toxic men, our Crusaders called in with some of their nastiest stories and their exes who never deserved them. Oh mawmas, we’ve got your back, unlike your man. #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kim G steps Behind The Rope.  Kim Granatell that is! Kim here to mention it all.  Kim chats about her time on RHONJ for two classic original seasons and what she has been up to since we last saw her on our RHONJ screens.  Kim reveals never before heard tea on her past and present relationships with Teresa and The Gorga's Melissa and Joe.  Kim talks square tit$, table flips, fall out with Danielle Staub, one epic country club chase which resulted in physical contact and an RHONJ cast member lifetime ban, no love loss with Caroline Manzo, Jacqueline, Dina and the truth behind Monica Chacon showing up at The Gorga's Xmas and why we are still talking about the party, Monica and sprinkle cookies today a decade later.  Of course, Kim shares all her thoughts on recent days RHONJ - Margaret, Dolores, Cabral, Fuda, Jen Aydin and Jackie Goldschneider. Finally, Kim G clarifies her past statements that she knows, 100%, unequivocally without waiver who called the FBI on Teresa and Joe Giudice and discuss, if she knows so much, just who did make that call. @granatellk @behindvelvetrope @davidyontef BONUS & AD FREE EPISODES Available at - www.patreon.com/behindthevelvetrope  BROUGHT TO YOU BY: INDEED - indeed.com/PODCAST (Seventy Five Dollar $75 Sponsored Job Credit To Get Your Job The Premium Status It Deserves)  KLARNA - klarna.com (Or Download The Klarna App For The Smarter Money Partner)  QUINCE - quince.com/velvetrope (Get Free Shipping and 365 Day Returns to As You Indulge In Affordable Luxury)  MOOD - www.mood.com/velvet (20% Off With Code Velvet on Federally Legal THC Shipped Right To Your Door)  LOLA BLANKETS - lolablankets.com (Use Code VELVET To Get 40% Off The Most Comfortable Blankets Ever!)  WAYFAIR - wayfair.com (Join Wayfair Rewards Today To Get 5% Back On Every Purchase & Start Saving On Your Next Home Upgrade) TASKRABBIT - taskrabbit.com (Or On The Taskrabbit App Use Code Velvet For $15 Off Your First Tasker) ADVERTISING INQUIRIES - Please contact David@advertising-execs.com MERCH Available at - https://www.teepublic.com/stores/behind-the-velvet-rope?ref_id=13198  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Globalization Will Be DEAD in 3 Years. Peter Zeihan. DEI: Death, Erasure, & Insanity. J.J. Carrell. Globalization Will Be DEAD in 3 Years. Peter Zeihan DEI: Death, Erasure, & Insanity. J.J. Carrell.   Globalization Will Be DEAD in 3 Years. Peter Zeihan Peter Zeihan predicts that the global trading system we've relied on for decades is coming to an end. He discusses why China faces unprecedented challenges, why supply chains are dangerously fragile, and why Australia may actually emerge stronger. https://youtu.be/4aOnMVrhTO0?si=CBykfGob9dPl_Ga1 John Anderson Media 808K subscribers 316,472 views Jul 27, 2026 Sign up to John's newsletter here: https://johnanderson.net.au/contact/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Conversations feature John Anderson, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, interviewing the world's foremost thought leaders about today's pressing social, cultural and political issues. John believes proper, robust dialogue is necessary if we are to maintain our social strength and cohesion. As he puts it; "You cannot get good public policy out of a bad public debate." If you value this discussion and want to see more like it, make sure you subscribe to the channel here:    / @johnandersonmedia   And stay right up to date with all the conversations by subscribing to the newsletter here: https://johnanderson.net.au/contact/ Follow John on X:   / johnandersonac   Follow John on Facebook:   / johnandersonac   Follow John on Instagram:   / johnandersonac   Subscribe to John's Substack: https://www.ourcivilisationalmoment.com/ Support the channel: https://johnanderson.net.au/support/ Website: https://johnanderson.net.au/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Qh2fEs... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to Peter's YouTube:    / @zeihanongeopolitics   Follow Peter on X: www.twitter.com/PeterZeihan Follow Peter on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/peterzeihan Follow Peter on Instagram: instagram.com/zeihanongeopolitics   DEI: Death, Erasure, & Insanity. J.J. Carrell. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was marketed as fairness and progress, but in reality it stands for Death, Erasure, and Insanity. It has brought lowered standards and real harm in aviation, medicine, and policing; erased merit and competence in favor of identity quotas; and unleashed ideological madness that punishes excellence while dividing society. What started as virtue signaling has become a destructive force undermining institutions and truth itself. https://youtu.be/N3XekwAl0nQ?si=YhW2Nf-XA0OXMP0U J.J. Carrell 10.9K subscribers 861 views Aug 3, 2026 --------------------------------------------------------------------  Check out our ACU Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/ACUPodcast   HELP ACU SPREAD THE WORD!  Please go to Apple Podcasts and give ACU a 5 star rating. Our Leftist enemies love to hammer us with poor ratings.  Don't let the Leftist win. Do it now! Thanks. Also Rate us on any platform you follow us on. It helps a lot. Forward this show to friends. 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For more information regarding the event on August 14, 2026, go to OasisWired.orgLearn more about the podcast hereLearn more about Give Him Fifteen hereSupport the show

How can content marketing in a tight niche build the audience that launches your book? And how do you decide whether to hand your self-published bestseller to a traditional publisher. Suzanne Smith shares what she learned in four years of going from blog to book deal. In the intro, how to stand out as a writer in the age of AI [Nathan Barry Show; Interview with Nathan Barry]; thoughts on asset maintenance; Goodreads giveaway on Bones of the Deep (Aug 5-20, 2026) This episode is sponsored by Publisher Rocket, which will help you get your book in front of more Amazon readers so you can spend less time marketing and more time writing. I use Publisher Rocket for researching book titles, categories, and keywords — for new books and for updating my backlist. Check it out at www.PublisherRocket.com This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Suzanne Smith is the founder of The Independent Landlord, and the bestselling author of The Good Landlord Handbook. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes How a free blog in a tight niche built the audience for the book Rewriting the book from scratch when the law changed Why speed made self-publishing the only option Building a paid membership after one audience member asked for it Negotiating a Penguin Random House deal with no agent Using AI as a business sidekick, with a control room and an engine room You can find Suzanne at TheIndependentLandlord.com. Transcript of the interview with Suzanne Smith Jo: Suzanne Smith is the founder of The Independent Landlord, and the bestselling author of The Good Landlord Handbook. So welcome to the show, Suzanne. Suzanne: Thank you. Jo: Oh, there's so much to talk about today. But first up— Tell us a bit more about you and your background, and how you got into property and writing after a legal career. Suzanne: Well, I've always loved reading books. In fact, I recently did a French literature degree as a mature student. Being an author was never in the game plan at all. It's not something that I even thought about. I was brought up in New Zealand, so shout out to all the Kiwis and those across the pond in Australia. The thing about it is, Jo, you've lived there yourself. Kiwis are independent, self-reliant and have this great sense of fair play. So that was a very formative experience for me. We moved back to England when I was 16, and I have become thoroughly anglicised since then, but a Kiwi at heart. I always wanted to become a lawyer. New Zealand in some ways on television is quite American, and there was this American programme called The Paper Chase. It was about all of these students at Harvard studying law, and the professor said, “You come here with a skull full of mush and you leave thinking like a lawyer.” I thought, “Oh, I like the sound of that.” I didn't really know what a lawyer was, but everyone seemed to be very happy that I wanted to become one, and then that was it. Jo: So you went into law, and then how did you get into property? Suzanne: So I worked for 25 years as a solicitor. That's like an attorney if you're American. Started off in a law firm, and then I went into pharmaceuticals and I worked for big companies like what is now GSK, GlaxoSmithKline, and small companies as well. When I started out, it was before the internet, before Google. When you're in house, you're very much a generalist. You do a bit of everything. So you help companies grow their business. You're not business prevention, but you're still bound by the code of conduct for solicitors. You've got this role of keeping the company on the right side of the law. Then I had twins, who were born about five years after I became a lawyer, and I decided to work part-time for a while and did an MBA when they were little, part-time through the Open University. I know Jonathan is doing one at the moment. Jo: Yes. He's finished, so that's exciting. Suzanne: That was transformational for me, because I had probably been thinking a bit too much as a lawyer, and it helped me to broaden my view of the world and understand all sorts of things. Sso I continued going up the greasy pole, and then for my last job, in 2015, I joined a biotech company in Cambridge, England, as general counsel and company secretary. It was a long way from home, about two, three hours' drive from home. So I decided to buy a flat, an apartment, and to stay there in the week. I thought to myself, “Well, when I leave this company, I can let it out as a buy-to-let,” but actually as a landlord. So I stayed there for five years, and then when I left, I let out the property. The reason why I decided to leave law after 25 years, I had what I call a sliding doors moment, like in the film. I was 50. I was on holiday with my husband, and we'd probably had one too many rum cocktails. And he said to me, “Well, what do you want to be doing with your life? What would you do if you could do anything?” I was thinking, “Well, I've done law. I want to do something else now.” I didn't really know what that was, and I'd always been thinking about studying French properly, and that's when I left. So I decided, 18 months later, I left to do a French degree at King's College London, full-time. I was the only old person there with lots of 18-year-olds. When I did that, I was able to cash in my share options because I was a good leaver. I retired, and so I started buying properties to let out and became a landlord, without really thinking too much about it, and I used letting agents. They were fine to begin with, but I didn't really have a game plan or anything like that. What I realised is that when I tried to research things online, I couldn't really find anything that was terribly helpful. It was either quite general or it was very legal. So after a while… I became a landlord in 2019. I had the idea, why don't I set up a blog? And this is August 2022, so just four years ago. My husband came up with the idea of the name, The Independent Landlord, because it's that Kiwi spirit, being very independent. I thought, “Right, I'm not going to charge anyone for it. It's a hobby. It's not a business. I'm going to pay it forward and help, use my legal training, practical legal approach, and practical common sense, by doing this blog.” Almost exactly four years ago, I sent my first newsletter to 13 people. Jo: Woo-hoo. Suzanne: And I sent one last week to over 18,000. So it's been quite a journey. Jo: Wow, this is so great. I love this. There's so much in there. The turning 50 and then doing a degree. My master's in death is a little different to your French literature, but I like it. So I love this, and buying properties, starting it on the side, not a business at first, and growing the audience, and obviously you've put so much work in. Then you decide to write a book. So talk about that, because an online blog, although I'm sure your articles and everything were super useful, it's very different to write a blog than a book. So talk about your challenges in writing. Why did you decide to do a book in the first place? Suzanne: Again, I was an accidental landlord, is what they call it when you let a property when you didn't intend to buy it as a buy-to-let, which I did with my Cambridge flat. And I became, in many respects, an accidental author. So I was having a conversation with my husband again and I was saying I'd done this lead magnet to get people to sign up to my newsletter, and a big new law was going through Parliament at the time, called the Renters Reform Bill, that was going to completely transform the way landlords operate. I was saying to my husband, “Oh, I need to update my lead magnet, a little ebook, to explain the new law.” He looked at me and said, “Well, why don't you do a proper book? Write a book.” This was on the 29th of September, 2023. The reason why I mention that is that I thought, “Wow, what a great idea,” and my head was bursting. I went onto Google, and guess what I downloaded on the 1st of October? Jo: My blueprint? Suzanne: Exactly. I found you immediately, the Author Blueprint, and I downloaded it. I checked: on the 1st of October, 2023. Then I listened to almost… well, I think I went back several years on your podcast, just trying to understand. I'm like that. When I try and do something, I just try and learn everything that there is to know about it. So I started writing the book, and I guess the first challenge was I write quickly, and I'm used to writing for people who aren't lawyers, being in-house. So I thought I needed to have a structure. The structure was easy in many respects because, a bit of business at the end, and then you can go through a tenancy. I thought it was important to have a narrative thread all the way through it, just to bring it together. This is the literature degree coming in here. I thought that the mission for everything I do, the reason why I started doing this, is to help landlords, but also to help the experience of renting that people have in England. It's very specific for English law. And to help improve the private rented sector. So that's why I originally set up my blog for free, and I wanted, when people went onto Google, they could find something sensible and very detailed from me. My blog posts were… Well, I've now got over 400,000 words on my blog, so it's a substantial piece of work that is out there free of charge. So what I decided to do was to bring this narrative thread, I call it the good landlord ethos, to the book. Then I wrote very quickly, and I had a pretty good draft by April 2024, because we were all thinking that the law was going to change very soon. But then there was an election, and in the end the government changed and the legislation changed completely, so I had to rewrite the book and start again. So I think that my biggest challenge was that my subject matter, the new law, changed. Because I wanted to publish this book that explained to people practically what they have to do, and make it really straightforward, keeping out of politics, because it is a very politically charged area. I wanted to write it so it's a manual, somebody could literally follow it. So I used an editor, and I did write the book twice. I had a beta reader who is another lawyer, and a landlord as well. Then I got to the get-the-damn-thing-done stage. The really tedious bit of all the typos at the end. Jo: Yes, the finishing energy to get it out there. So at that point, obviously you'd found my blueprint, so you were learning about the indie way of doing things. Did you always decide to self-publish? How did you think about publishing? What were your challenges in publishing? Suzanne: It never occurred to me not to self-publish, because the new law came into effect on the 1st of May, 2026. The law and the details that I needed for the book were finalised in January, and I published on Amazon on the 5th of March, so I had to go so quickly. Even though I'd got a lot of it written, the last bit came in January, and so I needed speed. I knew that for landlords to be able to have something that they can use straightaway to help get them ready for it, and then use as a manual afterwards, I had to be first. Jo: Sorry, just on the year. Was it '24? You said '26. You meant May— Suzanne: 2024? No, no, because I actually published it this year. What happened in 2024, I had the first draft ready, but then I had to do another draft because the law changed when the Labour government came in. Jo: Right. Suzanne: The Renters Reform Bill turned into the Renters' Rights Bill. So I had to rewrite the book. So I finished however many drafts at the end of January 2026. Then it went to an editor, et cetera, et cetera, and I managed to get the book ready for a proof, to get the proof printed, towards the end of February. So it was really quick to go from the law being sufficiently finalised for me to write a book in January, and then having it ready in just over a month. There is no way that I could have done that if I'd gone to a traditional publisher. It didn't even occur to me to go, because I didn't want to be going touting around my book and, “Please publish me,” et cetera. It's just not me. I'm the independent landlord, and that moved very easily to being the independent publisher. So I learnt how to do all the publishing. And a huge thanks: I joined your Patreon and I was a very good student. I went through everything systematically and followed your playbook, and used Vellum and BookFunnel and all the other tools. So I decided to go on Amazon as well as have my own Shopify store, which just about killed me. Jo: I was going to say, you are an excellent student. You really like learning, but you also put this into practice, which is why I also wanted to talk to you. You haven't just talked about all this. You've literally done everything. Suzanne: Sometimes it was like my head was going to burst. Luckily, Claude upped his game earlier this year when we got the Opus 4.5. I didn't use AI really until this year. I decided I need to do exercise all the time, and have that as a have-to-do, because my head was spinning all the time with all these different things. So I would go to the gym, go to a spin class, and then I would walk out with my phone on, with the Claude app, and dictate a stream of consciousness into it. “Oh, I need to do this, or what about that? Oh, I just remembered about this. Oh, I've had this idea, blah.” And then said, “Make sense of it for me, Claude.” So it was very much as a thinking partner, because when you're writing your first book, it's bad enough, but when you're learning how to publish… Even, like, when I got the first proof of the book back from BookVault, I realised that all the footnotes—I have 114 footnotes in my book, and that, again, is the recent degree there—and the formatting had gone skew-whiff. Apparently it was an issue with Vellum, and they were really lovely and they sorted it straight out for me. So it shows: always get a proof of the book. They were able to sort that out very quickly, and BookVault were very quick in getting me another proof, because you can shortcut it and just pay to get a very quick delivery. Amazon, on the other hand, was really slow. It took a week. So I actually published earlier on my Shopify store for my members, of my membership, and I gave them a discount. Then I finally got it onto Amazon on the 5th of March. There are all these different skills you're having to learn. The Shopify store I found very hard, and there was all the tax, because I'm VAT registered. So I think I'm still recovering. Jo: You're still recovering. I wouldn't normally recommend a Shopify store for someone with their first book, doing first of everything. But, as you say, you're someone who learns a lot, puts it into practice, and— I think you were pretty determined to do that because you had a community as well, right? Suzanne: Exactly, yes. The big subscriber list. I think that's why the book did so well. So in the first week, because I met you at the Indie Author Lab put on by— Jo: Yes, London Book Fair, yes. Suzanne: Yes, the Alliance of Independent Authors. I met you there, and it was just my first week, and I had 1,000 sales in the first week. That was because of my audience. I'd been going on about the fact that I'm writing this book for two and a half years, because that's how long it took me to do. So I had a wait list for it, and I had a thing on my website, a landing page on my website, saying how good the book was and why it's the best thing for the Renters' Rights Act. Then I went onto Google, and I think I sent you a screenshot of this at the time. I put into Google, “What's the best book for the Renters' Rights Act for landlords in England?” And it came up with me as a featured snippet, and I hadn't even published it at that time. It was just about there. So the blog really helped, because I'd become an authority on the Renters' Rights Act. Even though I'm not a practising solicitor any more, I spent all my time reading the damn thing, and it is a very complicated bit of legislation. Funnily enough, I have ruffled a lot of feathers. People have even said about me behind my back, “What does she know? She's only got four properties.” But I just took no notice. I thought, “I'm going to try and use my legal brain and my understanding of what it's like being a landlord, there with the rubber gloves cleaning an oven when people have moved out, and try and write something that's not trying to sell anything else, and to help people.” And then it got picked up. Jo: Yes. Wait, let's just slow down. Slow down, because we will get onto that in a minute. But let's just come back to that launch. So as we talked about, you've had a blog for five years— Suzanne: It was three and a half by then. Jo: Three and a half years you've been blogging, but hundreds of thousands of words of useful information. So you've essentially done content marketing. You've attracted people. You had a lead magnet. You got them on your email list. You told them that you were writing a book. You got a sort of pre-sales list up. So that's an email list. You've got a blog. Did you do anything else in terms of marketing? Suzanne: I had YouTube, a big YouTube channel. I'd only set it up at the end of 2024, and I'd had half a million views. And again, just very straightforward advice, and without all the scaremongering and politics. I deliberately keep out of it all. A lot of people joined my newsletter as a result of that. Also a year ago, exactly today, I was running a Facebook group, which was a lot of hard work. There were a few thousand people in it, but there are often a lot of people going in there trying to sell things: insurance, eviction specialists and things. And there was also a lot of people just being unpleasant to other people. I was getting fed up with it. It was taking me a lot of time, and I was doing a lot of speaking events and trying to explain what this new law was doing, and wearing myself out. I'm an extrovert, but even I find speaking events absolutely exhausting, because it's like everything gets sucked out of you. It's strange. Then somebody came up to me in July last year and said, “Suzanne, can you set up a membership?” I said, “Well, landlords aren't going to pay for that.” And they said, “Yes, they will. You build it and they will come.” I asked ChatGPT and thought about it. I asked ChatGPT, who I was dating at the time, now exclusively with Claude, but I know Claude has other people in his life. But I'm very much set with Claude Fable at the moment. So I asked ChatGPT, how can I go about setting up a membership? And I mentioned your one and said, “Should I do it on Patreon?” And then he came back with: go for Circle. So I set up a membership on Circle, exactly a year ago. In fact, it's the anniversary of my first member yesterday. hTe rules I had were, no selling. So I don't sell, no affiliate links, no one else can sell anything, and we have to be supportive. No negativity, no politics. So what it's become, it's like the senior common room of the private rented sector, with landlords, lawyers, letting agents. There's a fantastic forum in there. It's not me doing it, it's peer-to-peer. I have twice-monthly live streams where people can ask me questions. I wonder where I got that from. No, I very much modelled it on your Patreon, but on a different platform. I have courses in there as well. So that has really grown. I launched it in July, and by September, October, I'd gone past the VAT threshold, which has complicated everything, but it means my business now is this membership. I really enjoy doing it, and there hasn't been all the negativity that you have in a Facebook group. So I had them as… talk about your thousand fans. There are about 1,500 in the membership, and their support really helped the launch of my book, as well as the wider people who get my free newsletter. Jo: Yes. Suzanne: So it's all different types of content marketing. Jo: Y, but I do love this. And of course, if people are wondering, I joined Patreon back in 2014, I think it might have even been before that, and there weren't too many places back then to run communities. It wasn't even really a community at the time, it was a sort of, almost a “give me a bit of support for the podcast.” So things have changed a lot in terms of communities, and obviously you went with Circle, which is great. Patreon is slightly different now, and some people are using Substack for something similar. So that's just on the platform, but on the business: early on in our conversation you said, “I wasn't going to have a business. It wasn't a business. It was just putting stuff out there, helping other people,” and then your audience asked for this membership. And so now it is a business, right? Suzanne: Yes, it is. Jo: And you've got a book and all of this. So are you happy with the change to a business? Because obviously you have to treat it quite differently. Suzanne: Yes, I am, because I think to begin with, I was just doing it one or two days a week. I was actually studying a master's in French literature part-time, and I then found that I was enjoying the blog more than the master's, so I dumped the master's after the first year. But after getting 88% for one of my dissertations, which interestingly was on the translation of a Simone de Beauvoir book into English, and the publisher who's got that now is Random House, but that's another thing. Anyway, so I decided to give up my master's and double down and work full-time on the blog. People were paying to help me with all the big fees and things, the big tech stack, Buy Me a Coffee. I was doing a little bit of consulting and things. I was working six, seven days a week. I was treating it like a business in terms of quality and my effort, but it wasn't a business in terms of revenue. Then it just all came together, and this person said, “Set up a membership,” and I thought, “That's what I'm going to do. I'm now going to put it on a business setting.” I've got an MBA, I know how to do it, and people thought I planned it, but I didn't. It just happened. So now I do very much treat it as a business, but I still don't advertise. I don't allow people to advertise with me, because I want to be independent. If I recommend something, I want people to believe it's me recommending it, not just because someone's paying me, which can be a big issue in the landlord area. Jo: Oh, in any industry. I get pitched every day with loads of random things that people are like, “Oh, a dollar a click or whatever, if you send this to your list.” And it's like, seriously? Just stop it already. I did just want to add there: somebody asked you, they said, “You should have a community,” and that sparked that idea. I just wanted to acknowledge that my Patreon came from Jim Kukral. Some of you will remember, who've been around a long time. Jim Kukral came on my blog around sort of 2013. Amanda Palmer had just put out a book called The Art of Asking, and I was doing a lot of unpaid work on the podcast at the time, and I was either going to give it up or I had to fund it somehow. Jim said, “You should do a Patreon.” And I was like, “Oh, no, I hate asking for money.” So at the time I just felt, oh, weird. Then I was like, “No, I do all this work,” as you were saying. Now the Patreon has changed so much in terms of what it is, but it is the backbone of my business, too. So I love that you listened to one of your fans who said what they wanted, and I love that I've listened as well. Sometimes we just have to listen to those urges, don't we, to take things on? Suzanne: Yes, absolutely. In some ways I didn't really back myself before. I thought, “No one's going to pay for this.” Then the more you give, the more they want. Jo: Yes. Suzanne: What I've been really working on now is having boundaries, because there were two big kind of mottos that I picked up when I was working in pharmaceuticals. One was from a head of the business. He was Canadian, and he was always saying, “You've got to skate to where the puck is heading.” Jo: That's Wayne Gretzky, is it? Suzanne: Exactly. Yes. He would always say it, and so that's what I've done with my blog and my book. When I write things, I don't pay for any tools. I don't do keyword searches and all that. I just think, I do one blog post per topic, and I'm going to guess what people are going to be searching for soon, and I build up all this content around it. That's why most of my blog pages are top five. I've had no advertising. I haven't asked for any backlinks. I don't do it. People backlink to it because it's useful. So that was the first thing, is skate to where the puck is heading, and that was my approach with the book. I knew people would need this book from around May, and they'll need it forever, because it is so complicated and regulated, the rules for being a landlord in England. So that was the first one. The second thing was: when you take something on, you've got to let something go. One in, one out. I found that I was taking on so many different things, and I've just been cutting back, because I can't be doing all the speaking, I can't be answering people's emails. So I now don't do emails. If people want my advice on something, they ask me in the hub, at the twice-monthly live streams. Sometimes I answer in the forums, but I don't have time. When there are 2.4 million landlords in the UK, and even with our 18,000 on my newsletter, I could spend, and I did, I used to spend all my time replying to emails. So anyway, there are the things. Oh, and there was a third one, which is: attract, don't chase. One of my friends gave me that advice and that's exactly what my approach has been. I just don't chase for anything. I just put the stuff there and then build it and they will come. Jo: Yes, and I think another thing is the power of the niche. It's so clear that what you write about, the people you are aiming at, you have an extremely tight target market. That is both a strength and obviously a weakness, because they're the only people. But as you say, there's more than enough of those people for a community, for the book you have. From my own perspective, that's the same for me, the power of the niche. That's how I have a successful podcast, for example, because of that reason. I think you're like a poster child of what a non-fiction author should do. What I like is that you didn't go, “Oh, where's a niche where I could make money?” and then jump in. You've gone about this in a kind of slightly accidental way, but now you're leaning in and this uses all your skills. So this really is a great example of the power of the niche and then making the most of it. But let's move on to what then happened, and— What happened with the book deal? Suzanne: Wow. So you and I met each other on whatever day that was in March at the Indie Author Lab, and the following day I got an email, via my website on a contact form, from Penguin Random House saying, “We love the book. We love the mission, its values,” all this kind of thing. And I was thinking, “Oh, it's another one of those. Must be an—” Jo: AI spam bot, right? Suzanne: Yes, and I remember I sent you a screenshot of it, and then I checked her out on LinkedIn and thought, “Okay, there is somebody with that name there.” You're always saying, and Orna Ross and everyone are always saying, “Watch out for scams.” And in fact, Penguin Random House even this weekend on Instagram put out something saying, “There are lots of people impersonating us.” So I didn't take it too seriously, and it was something like, “Oh, would you be interested in us publishing your book?” And I thought, and I laughed. It was like, no, this is too good to be true. So I replied and said… Oh, I said, “Well, thank you so much. The Renters' Rights Act…” And so this is like the second week in March. “The Renters' Rights Act comes into effect on the 1st of May. If you want to publish it, you're going to need to get your skates on.” I literally did say that. Then she arranged a meeting with me the next day, on the Friday. I still was very dubious about it, and I had a think about it. What helped me, and I have the little booklet here: at the Author Lab, we did some work at the beginning, and Orna said, “Put your phones away.” And it was like, “What? Put my phone away?” Then we had to do this definition of success, and our passion, and our mission, and our purpose. I wrote down things like, I want to help landlords, and in so doing, help improve the private rented sector. I get pleasure from helping people. I want to improve standards and use my legal and practical skills, et cetera. So I thought, “Okay, what is my purpose of doing this book?” It isn't really to make money, because going with Penguin, you wouldn't do that for financial reasons, because you'd make very little money. So I thought, what is my why? My why is I want as many people to read this book as possible. And I've managed to sell a few thousand copies, but there are 2.4 million landlords, and they all need to understand this book, and the only way that I can get it out there, apart from doing ads, is to get it out in bookstores. So I thought about it, and then said, “Yes, I will do it, because I want to get the book out there.” So it's distribution. It's going to be published on the 6th of August, which is really quick, bearing in mind they contacted me in the middle of March. It's exactly the same book, it's just got different copyright wording and different blurb, different paper. Same cover, because I managed to find a fantastic cover person to do it. So they've kept everything the same. So we negotiated that book. I have no agent. They came to me. It's the attract, don't chase. I just put my lawyer hat on, and because one licence is very much like another one… I did turn down their first offer. Jo: Well done. Good negotiation. Suzanne: My daughter said to me, who's an adult daughter, she said, “But it's Penguin.” And I said, “Well, no, but it doesn't work for me.” So I had a call with them, and then they came up with something that worked for me a bit more. I did have to concede on a few things, like I can't sell it in my Shopify store. But in some ways, that was a blessing in disguise, because it means I don't get any more “Where's my book?” emails. Jo: Yes, exactly. Pros and cons of everything, basically. Suzanne: I have very clear rights to get it back. If I want it back, I can get it back and I don't have to give a reason. They're lovely. They have been really very wonderful. When I went up there a month or so ago, they gave me this book bag, and it's got on it, “I'm published by Penguin,” and I burst into tears. Jo: Aw. That's nice. Suzanne: I don't know, it just seemed like such a big deal. Because up until then I was just being all very lawyerly and task-orientated. Then I thought, “Oh my goodness,” and then it dawned on me. So I'm now in this interim period where I've taken it off Amazon and off my Shopify store, and I feel very maternalistic towards the book because, you know, it took me two and a half years, which is longer than a pregnancy. Obviously it's not a child, but it's like my book child. I've sent it off with a backpack and a drink and some snacks, and I hope that they look after him, my book. The day I took it off Amazon it was still number one. And a big shout-out to Publisher Rocket, by the way. Jo: Yes. Very, very useful for niche publishing. Suzanne: Very. It helped me choose the right niche categories. So it was number one on at least one category, often six, all the way through. I thought, “Well, it's over to them now.” They're very lovely people. They've given me some marketing assets, as they call it, some swanky graphics and things to use. We'll have to see what we do in terms of marketing. I don't mind doing marketing. I'm on LinkedIn quite a bit, and my whole blog is marketing. What I've been doing is updating my blog to include one of these graphics and to mention the book, and I got Claude to help me draft the code so it looked right. So I've been going through all of my blog posts and sending people to Amazon rather than to my Shopify store. It is mixed feelings, because I care about my book. I put a lot of effort, a lot of love, a lot of tears. No, not tears, but I put a lot of effort into it, and it's out of my control now. Jo: Yes, you said it's over to them, but obviously you will still be creating content around this topic, so you'll probably still be the biggest driver of book sales. Suzanne: Yes. Jo: Are they also suggesting, for example, a podcast tour, like pitching for podcasts? Are they going to assign you some PR? Because, also if people don't know, as we are recording this, we have a new prime minister who wants to do various things. You said no politics, but this is obviously a political thing. So you have the potential to go on a lot of different podcasts, media, talking about this, becoming almost a talking head in this kind of area. So are you angling for all that, and is that in your contract, or is it literally just going to be whatever you want to do? Suzanne: That's not in the contract. What's in the contract is very minimal. I think I've already done what I'm supposed to do. They are pitching for me to go on podcasts and things. I'll tell you a really funny coincidence. So we now have a new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, and when he was Mayor of Greater Manchester, he set up something called the Good Landlord Charter. I actually talk about it in the book, and I quote him in my book saying that good landlords mean people trying to do the right thing, or something like that. And I coincidentally came up with the same name, The Good Landlord Handbook. I'd already had the book title for a long time. So this idea of good and landlord coming together, the adjective good as opposed to criminal or rogue, and the cover being green. I'm wanting to change the narrative so it's the norm to have a good landlord, and to help people become good landlords. Or if they're good landlords, help them to understand the new rules, because the new rules are very complicated. So what I don't get involved in is this right or wrong. Is it right that landlords can't do this or have to do this? Because as an in-house lawyer, it doesn't really matter what I think about the law. GDPR, goodness me. Jo: Oh, dear. Let's not start on GDPR. Suzanne: No, exactly. Because we've just got to suck it up. I liken it to the grief cycle, that people have been going through so much change and you have the anger, the depression— Jo: Denial. Suzanne: Bargaining, the denial, and then you get to acceptance. For some people, the acceptance means they want to stop doing it. If you want to accept it and stay, you need to understand the rules. So I've deliberately just kept very practical and have kept out of all the politics of it. I have, funnily enough, become involved because I'm now seen as an expert on the Renters' Rights Act. I've worked behind the scenes with the government to help, and give comment on government guidance for landlords. I was even invited to a reception to mark the passing of the Renters' Rights Act at Downing Street with the previous prime minister, all whilst staying apolitical. I won't let anyone make me be a mouthpiece for their political view. It's more, we just have to do this if we want to continue doing it. I've been very clear on that. Jo: It's interesting you mention the grief cycle there, and you've also mentioned Claude and ChatGPT. I wonder if you might also just comment on use of AI for authors and for marketing and all this. Also with legal stuff, because for me now, if I'm looking at a particular legal thing, I tend to ask Claude. I'm like, “Can you just explain this?” or upload a contract or whatever. Although it is not legal advice, it can be quite useful. So give us your thoughts on using AI as a sidekick in your author business and also for wider life. Suzanne: I now struggle to think what life would be like without Claude. I don't use Claude to write, at all, because I have a very particular voice and a turn of phrase, and if ever Claude writes something for me, it doesn't sound like me. It flattens me, and it makes me sound a bit American. So I don't do that. I've used it in the back end of the business. For instance, my blog was down, and there was something called a recursive bot, which I don't even know what it was, and Claude helped me fix it for free. I went through, I did screenshots. When I did an ElevenLabs audiobook and did it all myself, I was literally, for every screenshot, showing it to Claude. Claude said, “Do this, press this, press that.” So I have all these different projects set up. One is the control room, where it's for my strategic thinking. If I have an idea, I want to think about something, I put it in there. I have the engine room, which is for everything techy. Like when I had the recursive bot, or if I'm wanting to have some code on the website to make it look a particular way. Then I have other things for different subjects, and I put all the resources in there, and I use it a lot as a thinking partner. I've noticed that Fable doesn't hallucinate as much, but the Opus used to. There's something called rental discrimination, and it was proofreading and said, “No, it's not rental discrimination, it's rental income discrimination,” and that was just a load of rubbish. So I would never let it go and change things without me looking at it. I went on one of your webinars a month or so ago about MCPs and all the connectors, which is fantastic. It can go into my community and pull out all the questions for one of my live streams and put it into a document in order, by theme, for instance. It can look at my MailerLite, because that's where my newsletter is with, and analyse the different open rates and click rates and things. It's so good for analysing everything, all the book sales. It helped me with my negotiation with Penguin, and it is pretty good on law. It has sometimes hallucinated things, but not so much now. I think with anything, you've always got to go back to the primary source, and this is what we learn in academia: you have to check the primary source yourself. I have a bit of a magpie brain. I'm very much a discovery writer, like you, and things occur to me as I'm doing it. I think that Claude, at the moment, is incredible. I've been quite open about it on social media that I have Claude as a business partner. I'm a solopreneur, or whatever the word is. I have quite a big business now, and lots of different things, and it's just me doing it, because I can ask Claude how to do this, and how to do that. Claude can go and check my emails and tell me, is there somebody I've not replied to, which helps a lot. Jo: Yes. I think it's empowering as a solopreneur as such. You talk there about the fixing the tech stuff. I have my web host come to me and say, “Look, you're getting so much traffic and bot stuff, and we need to put this thing in, and it's going to be $120 extra a month.” I was like, “Can you just give me an hour? I'll get back to you.” And then I just had Claude code up, and I was like, “Analyse this and tell me what we can do.” It was like, “No, you just need to flip this switch and do that.” And I'm like, “Okay, fair enough.” Then the guy said, “Oh, no, okay, actually you don't need it.” Just stuff like that. As a solopreneur, you're either going to pay somebody technically quite a lot of money, or you can get Claude or ChatGPT. We should say, the ChatGPT Sol is very good, like the Claude Fable, for example. So, yes, using it as a sidekick. I love your control room and your engine room projects as well. That's a great way of doing it. Suzanne: I wouldn't be without it now, and I would have published the book a lot later without Claude, because Claude was helping me with the Shopify store and all the many steps of things. It saved me real time. It is just fantastic. I think, like now when I'm updating my blog, I have a connection between Claude and my blog. Claude can go in, I can give it my Google Search Console results for the page: what should I change, are the headings right? All this kind of thing. And it will give me a view on every single page, which is incredible. Jo: And YouTube, and just everything. Just super useful for that business sidekick. That's what I want authors to think. I feel like authors get so obsessed with the creative side with AI, whereas actually, people like you and me, we're using it as that engine room for the solo business, which is what I love. So we're out of time. I did want to ask one more thing, which is, one of the biggest issues with a specific book like yours is when they change the law again. So do you have a plan in place for if, say, a new government changes the law again? Will you just be updating the book over time? Suzanne: I think that there'll need to be a new edition of the book in three years' time, and I've spoken to Penguin about it. Not all of this new law has been implemented, and there's going to be case law and things. So I expect that I will update the book every few years. I have some other ideas for books as well, but for the moment, I'm just taking a bit of a break. You always say we've got to refill our creative well. I really feel like that at the moment. Recently I've just got myself a personal mobile phone so that I can turn off my work one when I'm on holiday and actually take time off. Because for all the time that I was doing the book, basically from Christmas until May, I didn't have one day off. That is not good. So I'm just trying to be a bit more balanced. I had an idea to write another book for summer, but I've just decided not to, and I'm going to leave it until I feel the urge again. Jo: Oh, well done. Suzanne: Which will come. Jo: Yes, well done. Suzanne: I think there's nothing wrong with that. We just need to think what's right for us. I'm 58. So I want to be able to have time to enjoy things and not be working all the time. Jo: No, that's great. It's a sustainable business. So where can people find you and the book and your community online? Suzanne: The easiest way to find me is theindependentlandlord.com. Or if you put Suzanne Smith and landlord into Google, you'll find me as well, and there's a link on there to the book, The Good Landlord Handbook. In the community, there's a link to that on my website as well. Jo: Brilliant. Well, thanks so much for your time, Suzanne. That was great. Suzanne: Thank you.The post From Blog To Community To Book: A Non-Fiction Author's Journey With Suzanne Smith first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Welcome back, Roadies, to another episode of The Bourbon Road! Tonight hosts Jim Shannon and Todd are joined by a very special returning guest — Scott Page of My Bourbon Journey — for a deep dive into the world of cigar blend whiskeys. Scott brings nearly a decade of YouTube whiskey content and a genuine passion for the cigar and whiskey pairing lifestyle, making him the perfect companion for tonight's theme. The guys explore what "cigar blend" actually means in the modern whiskey landscape, from price-friendly everyday pours to high-proof cask-strength Canadian whiskeys, all while trading notes on what sticks, wrappers, and ring gauges might best complement each glass. On the Tasting Mat: - Wheel Horse Cigar Blend: A five-year Green River-sourced bourbon at 101 proof built on a mash bill of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% barley, finished for six to eight months in Port, Cognac, Sherry, and Armagnac casks. MSRP $45. The nose opens with dark jammy fruit, rich nuttiness, and a hint of Pedro Ximénez-style dried cherry sweetness. The palate matches the nose closely with a velvety texture, rye spice, and a satisfying oak backbone — all at a remarkably approachable price point. *(00:04:55)* - Barrel Cigar Blend: A blend of 7.5- to 18-year bourbons sourced from Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, bottled at 111.2 proof and finished in Madeira, Rum, Armagnac, and Hungarian Oak casks. MSRP $85. The nose carries an intriguing minerality with pencil shavings and a bright citrus-and-dark-fruit combination. On the palate it is notably velvety and sticky with a Dr Pepper-like interplay of baking spice, cola, and dark fruit, closing on a long vanilla custard finish. *(00:16:39)* - Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend Batch 79: A blend of 11- to 18-year MGP Indiana bourbon finished in Armagnac, Sherry, and Cognac casks, bottled at 127 proof. Blended by master blender Nancy Fraley and dubbed "The Sweet One 2" in her signature poetic tasting notes. MSRP approximately $199. The nose is immediately rich with earthy Armagnac character, baking spice, and Christmas cookie sweetness. The palate delivers a seamless rush of fruit, oak, spice, orange icing, and nutmeg on a long, layered finish that rewards slow sipping. *(00:34:07)* - Copper & Cask Small Batch Series No. 15 Cigar Blend: A 21-year blended Canadian whiskey originally distilled and matured in Alberta, composed of 17 barrels and finished for approximately six months in Armagnac and Tawny Port casks before being bottled at cask strength — a towering 157.8 proof. MSRP approximately $80. The nose requires careful approach given the proof, but reveals cotton candy, strawberry, and a distinctive funky earthiness. The palate opens with spicy apple juice character, tropical fruit, ripe cheese-rind funkiness, and hints of cocoa powder and raisin on the extraordinarily long finish. *(00:43:43)* Whether you are a seasoned cigar lounge regular or simply curious about how wine and brandy finishes intersect with good bourbon, tonight's lineup offers something for every palate and wallet. Scott Page is a thoughtful and entertaining guest whose perspective on pairing tobacco and whiskey adds real depth to the conversation. Be sure to seek out his channel, My Bourbon Journey, on YouTube and Instagram, and tune in every Tuesday evening at 8 PM Eastern for his live streams. As always, thanks for riding with us — we will see you down the Bourbon Road.

Curious? Take The Free Money Stress Quiz!Ready? Buy Our Simplified Budget System Now!Budget besties, Coach Michelle is back—and she brought some seriously encouraging wins from Office Hours!In this episode, we're talking about what happens when you stop letting extra money “just disappear” and start giving every dollar a purpose. From preparing for a military move to paying off debt, filling savings buckets, and handling a flat tire without panic, these stories show how small, intentional steps can completely change the way money feels.One military family used automation, refunds, and careful planning to prepare for a move from Hawaii to Pennsylvania. Instead of relying on a credit card while waiting for reimbursements, they already had money set aside for hotels, meals, and other moving expenses.We also celebrate a budget bestie who used her tax refund to pay off a car, fund several savings buckets, and eliminate a credit card. Rather than putting the money into one general account and slowly watching it disappear, she divided it among specific goals—including Christmas and vehicle maintenance.And when another community member got a flat tire, her vehicle maintenance bucket did exactly what it was created to do. She walked into the tire shop, paid for the repair, and moved on without rearranging her entire monthly budget.That is the power of giving your money a job.Let's Take Our Relationship To The Next Level:1️⃣ Facebook Group ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/facebook2️⃣ Be on the Podcast ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/livecall3️⃣ Private 1-on-1 Coaching. ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/coachingThis podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not personal financial, legal, or tax advice.This description may contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a commission at no cost to you if you click & purchase.Click here to view our privacy policy.

“Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds.” - Proverbs 27:23 Most of us no longer measure our wealth in flocks and herds, but the wisdom of Proverbs 27:23 remains just as relevant today: faithful stewardship requires attention. When we do not know what we have, where it is going, or what it is accomplishing, we cannot manage it wisely. That is where a budget can help. A budget is simply a plan for managing what God has entrusted to us. It is not intended to be a burden, a source of shame, or a rigid set of restrictions. It is a practical tool that helps us practice faithfulness. Begin With the Heart Biblical budgeting starts with the recognition that everything belongs to God. Our income, possessions, savings, spending, and giving have all been entrusted to our care. That means budgeting begins with a spiritual question before it becomes a financial exercise: Lord, how would You have me manage what You have provided? That question changes the purpose of a budget. We are not merely trying to make the numbers balance. We are asking whether our financial decisions reflect what we truly value. A budget can reveal where our money is drifting. Are our resources being absorbed by impulse, comfort, comparison, and accumulation? Or are they being directed toward generosity, provision, responsibility, and contentment? The goal is not simply greater financial control. It is greater faithfulness. Make Generosity Intentional Scripture never treats generosity as an afterthought. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” A budget allows us to give intentionally rather than reactively. Instead of waiting to see whether anything remains at the end of the month, we can prayerfully decide in advance how we want to support our church, ministries, neighbors, and others in need. Generosity should not be driven by guilt or compulsion. It should flow from gratitude for God's provision and a desire to participate in His work. Know Your True Income For those who receive a predictable paycheck, identifying monthly income may be relatively simple. A spending plan can be built around regular take-home pay. Variable income requires a little more care. Business owners, commission-based workers, freelancers, seasonal employees, and hourly workers may see their income fluctuate from month to month. In that situation, it is usually wise to build a budget around a conservative baseline. Review the previous six to 12 months and identify the lower-income periods. Then build your essential expenses around a realistic minimum—not your best month. When income is higher, decide beforehand how those additional dollars will be used. They might help you: Build savings Pay down debt Prepare for upcoming expenses Increase your generosity Without a plan, additional income can easily disappear into increased spending. With a plan, it can strengthen your financial foundation and expand your ability to serve others. Give Every Dollar a Job Giving every dollar a job does not mean spending every dollar. Saving is a job. Giving is a job. Paying bills is a job. Preparing for future expenses is a job. Your budget might include money for: Housing and utilities Food and transportation Debt repayment Emergency savings Retirement Insurance premiums Medical needs Car and home repairs School expenses Holidays and gifts The purpose is not unnecessary restriction. It is intentional direction. When every dollar has a purpose, your money is less likely to be consumed by whatever feels most urgent in the moment. Prepare for Irregular Expenses Many budgets fail because they account only for monthly bills. But real life includes expenses that do not arrive every month. Car maintenance, home repairs, annual subscriptions, insurance premiums, travel, gifts, school costs, medical expenses, and Christmas can all place pressure on a spending plan. These expenses are not true emergencies when we know they are coming. A wise budget sets aside smaller amounts throughout the year. Saving a little each month can turn a large, disruptive expense into a manageable one. Planning ahead does not mean we can predict everything. It simply means we prepare for what we reasonably can and trust God with what we cannot foresee. Build Financial Margin Margin is the space between what comes in and what goes out. Without margin, even a relatively small disruption can create stress or lead to additional debt. With margin, we are better prepared to respond wisely when needs and opportunities arise. Margin also makes generosity possible. Ephesians 4:28 instructs believers to work honestly so that they “may have something to share with anyone in need.” Budgeting helps create that kind of readiness. The goal is not to accumulate excess merely for our own comfort. It is to manage resources in a way that allows us to provide responsibly, respond compassionately, and give freely. Review and Adjust Regularly A budget is not a document you create once and then ignore. It should be reviewed and adjusted as circumstances change. Some months will require different priorities. Certain categories may prove unrealistic. Income may rise or fall. Unexpected needs may emerge. The goal is not perfection. The goal is faithfulness. For married couples, regular budget conversations can also create greater unity. Rather than allowing money to become a source of confusion or conflict, spouses can pray together, clarify their priorities, and make decisions as a team. A regular review gives you an opportunity to ask: How has God provided? Are we living within our means? Do our spending decisions reflect our values? Are we preparing wisely for the future? Is there room to grow in generosity? How Budgeting Shapes Us Budgeting is about far more than numbers. It can become part of our spiritual formation. It teaches us to recognize God's provision. It trains us to say no to one thing for the sake of a greater yes. It helps us practice contentment in a culture of comparison. It creates a framework for generosity before money is absorbed by lesser priorities. A budget cannot guarantee that life will go according to plan. But it can help us respond to God's provision with wisdom, gratitude, and purpose. Take the Next Step With the FaithFi App The FaithFi App is a Christian money-management tool designed to help you integrate biblical wisdom with practical financial decisions. More than a budgeting app, it helps you consider both the numbers and the heart behind them so you can steward God's resources with greater clarity and intentionality. Join more than 80,000 believers pursuing faithful stewardship and begin your 30-day free trial at FaithFi.com/App. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions: I need 12 more Social Security credits and recently took a job as a household manager. Should I be classified as a household employee or an independent contractor, and how would the IRS view that arrangement? I have a federal student loan with significant accrued interest. Do I need to pay off that interest before my payments begin reducing the principal? I've also been advised to refinance through a private lender. Should I keep the loan federal or convert it to a personal loan? I'm considering selling a mortgage-free multi-unit property worth about $700,000 to $800,000 and using the proceeds to buy two rental homes for around $250,000 each. What tax, financing, or ownership issues should I consider before making that move? My husband and I are debt-free, live within our means, and expect to receive an inheritance. We want to plan wisely for retirement, investing, Social Security, Medicare, our family, and generosity, but we struggle with analysis paralysis. How can we find a trusted advisor who shares our faith and can help us build a comprehensive plan? Resources Mentioned: Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner) FaithFi Field Guide: How Much Money is Enough?  Our Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful Stewardship by Rob West Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich Fool Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA) FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every weekday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Enjoy this rerun of a classic show from the past episodes of My Favorite Husband.Liz spends all the money that was supposed to be saved for Christmas.Originally aired on November 11, 1949. This is episode 62 of My Favorite Husband.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/classic-comedy-of-old-time-radio--5818299/support.Please email questions and comments to host@classiccomedyotr.com.Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/classiccomedyotr. Please share this podcast with your friends and family.You can also subscribe to our podcast on Spreaker.com, Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and Google podcasts.This show is supported by Spreaker Prime.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/classic-comedy-of-old-time-radio--5818299/support.

Listener questions? Yes please! In our summer series, Raising Them Well, we wrap up this series with an encore episode about kids, kids fighting, kids being jealous of their siblings, all things rivalry!Show Notes: https://bit.ly/4ejEwJwTakeaways:Sibling relationships are foundational to family dynamics.Fairness in parenting can shape sibling relationships positively.Teaching conflict resolution is crucial for healthy sibling interactions.Adult sibling relationships can be complicated and require clear communication.Repairing relationships after conflict is essential for long-term harmony.Modeling healthy relationships helps children navigate their own.Acknowledging unfair situations can reduce resentment among siblings.Parents should avoid favoritism to maintain sibling bonds.Encouraging independence in sibling relationships fosters stronger connections.Seeking professional help can provide tools for managing difficult sibling dynamics.Sound Bites:"That's so weird. Other moms I know don't do things like that.""I would love to talk about this whole topic of sibling rivalry.""Siblings are all over the Bible, and I don't think it's any mistake.""I want to encourage you to think about the wrapped Christmas batteries.""There is conflict that is appropriate.""Repairing relationships is essential for long-term harmony.""Be clear, put it in writing.""We want things to be as fair as possible."Chapters:00:00 - The Foundation of Sibling Relationships07:07 - Fairness in Parenting11:30 - Conflict Resolution and Communication19:34 - Navigating Adult Sibling Relationships30:00 - The Importance of Repairing RelationshipsKeywords: sibling relationships, parenting, conflict resolution, family dynamics, fairness, communication, adult siblings, family therapy, sibling rivalry, childhood development

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Welcome to the Christmas series! In this episode, we meet Joseph, the strong, silently noble, carpenter from Nazareth. His character is put to the test, when his betrothed has some unexpected news to share. Sign up for special devotionals at StoriesoftheMessiah.com. As we dive deeply into iconic Bible heroes' enthralling narratives, we find more than just stories of faith and miracles. We discover a recurrent theme, a spiritual undertone that connects each tale to the grandeur of the Gospel. They're not just standalone legends; they're threads in a divine tapestry, weaving a story that foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate hero, the promised Messiah who brings light to the darkest corners of history. For more Bible stories download the Pray.com app.  To learn more about Rabbi Schneider visit https://discoveringthejewishjesus.com/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Zmirak, Eric Metaxas. The Infamous White House Ballroom Joke, George Washington's Tusks, Ken Paxton, James Robison, Jonie Lamb. Watch this video at- https://rumble.com/v7a5m04-john-zmirak.html The Eric Metaxas Radio Show 42.9K followers Entertainment Today I talk with John Zmirak about the media meltdown over my White House ballroom joke and why that reaction reveals a deeper contempt for Christians and Trump supporters. We also discuss President Trump's endorsement of Ken Paxton over John Cornyn, remember the lives and legacies of James Robison and Joni Lamb, reflect on grief, heaven, and Christian hope, and end with a very serious discussion of George Washington's alleged tusks. To read articles from John Zmirak visit- https://chroniclesmagazine.org/author/johnzmirak/   Endorsed Charities -------------------------------------------------------- Pre-Born! Saving babies and Souls. https://preborn.org/ OUR MISSION To glorify Jesus Christ by leading and equipping pregnancy clinics to save more babies and souls. WHAT WE DO Pre-Born! partners with life-affirming pregnancy clinics all across the nation. We are designed to strategically impact the abortion industry through the following initiatives:… -------------------------------------------------------- Help CSI Stamp Out Slavery In Sudan Join us in our effort to free over 350 slaves. Listeners to the Eric Metaxas Show will remember our annual effort to free Christians who have been enslaved for simply acknowledging Jesus Christ as their Savior. As we celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas, join us in giving new life to brothers and sisters in Sudan who have enslaved as a result of their faith. https://csi-usa.org/metaxas   https://csi-usa.org/slavery/   Typical Aid for the Enslaved A ration of sorghum, a local nutrient-rich staple food A dairy goat A “Sack of Hope,” a survival kit containing essential items such as tarp for shelter, a cooking pan, a water canister, a mosquito net, a blanket, a handheld sickle, and fishing hooks. Release celebrations include prayer and gathering for a meal, and medical care for those in need. The CSI team provides comfort, encouragement, and a shoulder to lean on while they tell their stories and begin their new lives. Thank you for your compassion  Giving the Gift of Freedom and Hope to the Enslaved South Sudanese -------------------------------------------------------- Food For the Poor https://foodforthepoor.org/ Help us serve the poorest of the poor Food For The Poor began in 1982 in Jamaica. Today, our interdenominational Christian ministry serves the poor in primarily 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Thanks to our faithful donors, we are able to provide food, housing, healthcare, education, fresh water, emergency relief, micro-enterprise solutions and much more. We are proud to have fed millions of people and provided more than 15.7 billion dollars in aid. Our faith inspires us to be an organization built on compassion, and motivated by love. Our mission is to bring relief to the poorest of the poor in the countries where we serve. We strive to reflect God's unconditional love. It's a sacrificial love that embraces all people regardless of race or religion. We believe that we can show His love by serving the “least of these” on this earth as Christ challenged us to do in Matthew 25. We pray that by God's grace, and with your support, we can continue to bring relief to the suffering and hope to the hopeless.   Report on Food For the Poor by Charity Navigator https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/592174510   -------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer from ACU. We try to bring to our students and alumni the World's best Conservative thinkers. All views expressed belong solely to the author and not necessarily to ACU. In all issues and relations, we hope to follow the admonitions of Jesus Christ. While striving to expose, warn and contend with evil, we extend the love of God to all of his children. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a cold December morning in 1929, the Lawson family gathered on their farm outside Germanton, North Carolina, surrounded by the familiar rhythms of rural life. Christmas had arrived with the promise of family, faith, and a brief respite from the hardships of farm work. Only weeks earlier, Charlie Lawson had done something few families in the area could afford—he purchased new clothes, bought Christmas gifts, and arranged for a professional family portrait. It was a picture that captured an ordinary American family at what appeared to be the happiest moment of their lives. Within hours on Christmas Day, however, that photograph would become one of the most haunting images in American history, and the quiet Lawson farm would become the center of a mystery that has endured for nearly a century.*correction: James is identified as being 16 years old, when he was really only 4. Apologies for the error.SOURCES: 1) Website of author, Trudy J. Smith2) "The Meaning of Our Tears" by Trudy J. Smith 3) "White Christmas, Bloody Christmas" by Trudy J. Smith and M. Bruce Jones

Today Rachel, Megan and Jazzman are here to talk about the 4 Hallmark Christmas in July movies and preview what's coming in August Follow Jazzman https://x.com/Shreem16 Pick up Paris is Always a Good Idea on amazon https://amzn.to/4vLFDsd (ad) Here is all of our Christmas podcasts https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXv4sBF3mPUDo41tHqhkjHCvedmZwLzHx For all our interviews https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXv4sBF3mPUA_0JZ2r5fxhTRE_-RChCj5 https://twitter.com/HallmarkiesPod on twitter @HallmarkiesPodcast on Instagram HallmarkiesPodcast.com Check out lots of Hearties inspired merch https://www.teepublic.com/stores/hallmarkies?utm_campaign=Hallmarkies&utm_medium=8581&utm_source=affiliate Please support the podcast on patreon at https://www.patreon.com/hallmarkies1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the Christmas series! Mary continues to help Elizabeth and Zachariah. There, she witnesses the birth of God's last living prophet - John.  Sign up for special devotionals at StoriesoftheMessiah.com. As we dive deeply into iconic Bible heroes' enthralling narratives, we find more than just stories of faith and miracles. We discover a recurrent theme, a spiritual undertone that connects each tale to the grandeur of the Gospel. They're not just standalone legends; they're threads in a divine tapestry, weaving a story that foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate hero, the promised Messiah who brings light to the darkest corners of history. For more Bible stories download the Pray.com app.  To learn more about Rabbi Schneider visit https://discoveringthejewishjesus.com/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Micky Papa discusses growing up in Canada, scheming to help his family, drinking when he was a teenager, jumping through the hoops to get sponsored, how Sluggo helped his family during the Christmas holiday, getting a commercial gig & paid his family's rent, getting on Blind Skateboards, getting into SLS from the Tampa Pro contest, how quad tendinitis almost took him out, Yuto staying at his house early on in his career and much more! Micky Papa Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micky_papaBecome a Channel Member & Receive Perks: https://www.youtube.com/TheNineClub/joinNew Merch: https://thenineclub.com Sponsored By: AG1: Get a FREE Welcome Kit worth $76 when you subscribe, including 5 AG1Travel Packs, a shaker, canister, scoop & bottle of AG Vitamin D3+K2. https://drinkag1.com/nineclub LMNT: Grab a free Sample Pack with 8 flavors when you buy any drink mix or Sparkling. https://drinklmnt.com/nineclub Woodward: Purchase Adult Summer Camp with the code THENINECLUB and receive a $50 discount off of Adult Camp. https://www.woodwardpa.com/weekend-open-ride-sessions/adult-camps Monster Energy: Monster Energy's got the punch you need to stay focused and fired up. https://www.monsterenergy.com Yeti: Built for the wild, Yeti keeps you ready for any adventure. https://www.yeti.com Richardson: Custom headwear for teams, brands, and businesses crafted with quality in every stitch. https://richardsonsports.com Etnies: Get 15% off your purchase using our code NINECLUB or use our custom link. https://etnies.com/NINECLUB éS Footwear: Get 15% off your purchase using our code NINECLUB or use our custom link. https://esskateboarding.com/NINECLUB Emerica: Get 15% off your purchase using our code NINECLUB or use our custom link. https://emerica.com/NINECLUB Find The Nine Club: Website: https://thenineclub.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenineclub X: https://www.twitter.com/thenineclub Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenineclub Discord: https://discord.gg/thenineclub Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/nineclub Nine Club Clips: https://www.youtube.com/nineclubclips More Nine Club: https://www.youtube.com/morenineclub I'm Glad I'm Not Me: https://www.youtube.com/chrisroberts Chris Roberts: https://linktr.ee/Chrisroberts Timestamps (00:00:00) Micky Papa (00:03:21) Learning fakie tricks (00:05:34) Quad tendinitis almost took him out (00:18:16) Practicing for PSL (Close Friends List) (00:22:10) Getting into skateboarding (00:24:23) Jumping through the hoops to get sponsored (00:31:12) Online money making schemes (00:41:08) RDS pass (00:44:07) Tough up bringing, Drinking as a teenager (00:55:32) Scheming to help his family (00:59:59) Got a commercial gig for $3,500 & paid his family's rent (01:15:01) Coming to the States (01:19:48) Damn am & getting on Blind Skateboards (01:25:11) Reverse engineering a goal (01:30:01) Getting into SLS from the Tampa Pro contest (01:33:36) Flew down from Canada to skate a gap in malibu (01:38:09) He's a free agent (01:41:31) Ted talk (01:47:41) Yuto stayed at his house early on Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To her New Jersey community, Marylue Wigglesworth was seemingly a quiet, devoted wife living a seemingly ordinary suburban life. On a December night in 2022, a heated violent argument spiraled out of control, leaving her husband, David, dead from a single gunshot wound as he lay naked in their bed. Beneath the facade of their marriage lay a toxic dynamic of domestic turmoil, raising the haunting question of whether she was a calculated killer or a victim pushed past her limit. Get the full story on this episode of Female Criminals with Elizabeth Millner, presented by Law&Crime. Taking care of your health just got easier – start here with Zocdoc: https://zocdoc.com/FEMALECRIME #sponsored Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices