Podcasts about inaction

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Best podcasts about inaction

Latest podcast episodes about inaction

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast
Scaling a Million-Dollar Childcare Center with Dani Lynnes

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2026 37:02


In this episode, multi-business owner and mom of three Dani Lynnes joins the show to discuss her journey growing a seven-figure childcare center in North Dakota, alongside managing an Airbnb, a farm, a tote rental company, and a family sports schedule. Dani opens up about the pivotal moment that forced her to shift from a hands-on director to a systems-oriented COO, leading to the creation of "the dashboard"—a Trello-based organization system that helps busy moms and entrepreneurs streamline their lives, reduce decision fatigue, and reclaim their freedom. She also shares her raw perspective on navigating the comparison traps of social media, leaning into faith after the sudden loss of her father, and learning to prioritize health, sleep, and alignment over superficial markers of success. About Dani Lynnes Dani Lynnes is a business owner, systems strategist, and creator of The Dashboard—a simple operating system that helps established entrepreneurs organize their priorities, reduce overwhelm, and make confident decisions. As the owner of multiple businesses, including a successful childcare center, real estate ventures, and other entrepreneurial endeavors, Dani understands what it takes to balance growth, leadership, and family without sacrificing what matters most. Known for her practical, no-fluff approach, Dani teaches business owners how to create systems that bring clarity, increase productivity, and free up mental space so they can focus on the work that truly moves the needle. Her mission is simple: help entrepreneurs stop managing chaos and start leading with intention. Connect with Dani on LinkedIn Follow Dani on Instagram Check out Dani's freebie 30 Minute Weekly Reset   If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating  and leave us a comment on iTunes   CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA! Instagram LinkedIn Christinalecuyer.com Book a Free Clarity Call Book Christina For Your Next Workshop

BLACK ENTREPRENEUR BLUEPRINT
Black Entrepreneur Blueprint 636 - Jay Jones – Whatever You're Not Changing, You're Choosing

BLACK ENTREPRENEUR BLUEPRINT

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2026 25:42


Most entrepreneurs don't realize this truth: Inaction is still a decision. If your revenue hasn't changed, you chose that income level. If your schedule is chaotic, you chose not to create systems. If your business feels stuck, you chose comfort over change. On this episode of Black Entrepreneur Blueprint, Jay Jones breaks down one of the most uncomfortable—but liberating—truths of entrepreneurship: whatever you're not changing, you're choosing. This isn't about blame. It's about power. Because once you recognize that stagnation is a decision, you can finally make a different one. If you've been "waiting for the right time," feeling busy but not progressing, or wondering why results haven't caught up to your effort—this episode is your wake-up call. GET YOUR FREE ENTREPRENEUR RESOURCES: https://blackentrepreneurblueprint.com/  

inaction black entrepreneurs jay jones black entrepreneur blueprint
Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast
What High Achievers Get Wrong About Success with John Ryan

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2026 49:10


What happens when a high achiever learns that success isn't just about pushing harder—it's about thinking differently? In this episode, Christina sits down with renowned executive coach John Ryan to unpack the mindset, tools, and experiences that have shaped his coaching career. They dive into the power of NLP, the hidden challenges that often come with high achievement, and why genuine human connection may be more important than ever in an increasingly tech-driven world. This is a conversation about success, self-awareness, and what it really takes to perform at your highest level, without losing yourself in the process. About John Ryan John Ryan, MBA, MSW, PHD is a leading expert in leadership, communication, and change. He is a Certified Master Trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and the Founder of NLP Unlimited™. John has 30 years of experience in the training and development industry, logging over 2,000 days of training and countless hours of coaching, empowering his students and clients to expand their impact, influence, and income.  Connect with John on LinkedIn Follow John's Youtube channel   If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating  and leave us a comment on iTunes   CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA! Instagram LinkedIn Christinalecuyer.com Book a Free Clarity Call Book Christina For Your Next Workshop

Revue de presse internationale
À la Une: notre planète dans le rouge

Revue de presse internationale

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2026 3:41


« La terre brûle de mille feux », soupire Libération à Paris. « Du rouge partout. En ouvrant la carte interactive du système Firms de la Nasa, qui détecte par satellite les incendies actifs à partir des anomalies thermiques qu'ils génèrent, le constat est accablant, pointe le journal. En France, mais aussi au Canada, aux États-Unis, en Croatie, en Allemagne et même dans les forêts tropicales d'Indonésie, l'agence spatiale américaine donne à voir un monde en proie aux flammes. Depuis plusieurs semaines, les vagues de chaleur répétées et les épisodes de sécheresse extrême qui sévissent un peu partout sur la planète s'accompagnent, parfois, de feux ravageurs ». Et Libération de faire les comptes… 95 000 hectares brûlés en France, 82 000 hectares en Italie, 284 000 en Espagne… Et le reste de l'Europe n'est pas épargné : Grèce, Croatie, Serbie, Portugal, Royaume-Uni, et Belgique… « Depuis vendredi, la Belgique lutte contre un brasier dans la réserve naturelle des Hautes Fagnes, à la frontière avec l'Allemagne, qui a déjà parcouru 3000 hectares – l'un des pires incendies de l'histoire du pays ». « Le climat change plus vite que notre organisation collective… » Le Soir à Bruxelles dresse un triste constat : « un espace naturel en feu, un paysage de désolation, des habitants évacués, des pompiers épuisés et obligés de s'organiser tant bien que mal, parfois avec l'aide bienveillante d'agriculteurs… Ces images, que l'on avait associées à la Gironde fin juillet, on les a désormais vues chez nous, s'exclame le quotidien belge, dans des proportions heureusement sans commune mesure. Le temps de quelques jours, les Fagnes sont devenues "notre Gironde". Cet incendie historique à l'échelle de la Belgique au sortir d'une troisième vague de chaleur, actée elle-même quasiment dans l'indifférence générale à la veille du 15 août, doit nous interpeller. Une évidence s'impose, relève Le Soir : le climat change plus vite que notre organisation collective. Et lorsque nos services de secours sont déjà sous tension au point de devoir recourir à des moyens de l'armée et étrangers, il est trop tard pour se rappeler qu'avoir des capacités de réaction suffisantes ne se décrète pas, mais se développe de manière proactive. Gouverner, c'est anticiper loin des sirènes, pas seulement lorsqu'elles retentissent ». Inaction gouvernementale… La Repubblica à Rome hausse le ton : « que faisons-nous pour le climat ? Rien. (…) La sous-estimation flagrante de la crise climatique par une grande partie de la classe dirigeante et par le grand public est manifeste. En effet, les experts alertent depuis longtemps sur le risque d'un été exceptionnellement chaud (…). Mais, préoccupés par d'autres crises et d'autres priorités (réelles ou supposées), nous avons préféré hausser les épaules, nous contentant de maudire la chaleur étouffante. (…) Ce qui est le plus désolant, fulmine encore le quotidien italien, plus encore que la gravité de la crise, c'est notre incapacité à sortir de notre torpeur ». « Ne pas se préparer aux sécheresses nous coûtera cher », renchérit le Times à Londres. « La Grande-Bretagne est confrontée à un immense défi environnemental et économique, conséquence de températures record et d'une sécheresse prolongée » constate le quotidien britannique qui pointe tout particulièrement le manque d'eau dans le pays. « La plupart des feux de forêt ont été maîtrisés, mais la Grande-Bretagne risque des pertes considérables, relève le Times, si des mesures visant à prévenir de futures pénuries d'eau ne sont pas mises en œuvre immédiatement ». Enfin, le Süddeutsche Zeitung à Munich dénonce également l'inaction gouvernementale… « Au lieu d'élaborer une stratégie, le gouvernement allemand cède au fatalisme. (…) On ne peut pas influencer la météo ? Si, ​​on le peut, s'exclame le journal. (…) Les vagues de chaleur plus fréquentes et intenses, ainsi que les sécheresses plus longues, sont une conséquence directe des fortes émissions de gaz à effet de serre et du retard pris dans la protection du climat – en Allemagne notamment, retard imputable à nos dirigeants ».

Les matins
"We resist" : le projet de lycéens français et tchèques engagés contre l'inaction climatique

Les matins

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2026 4:11


durée : 00:04:11 - Les Matins de France Culture - Coup de projecteur sur un projet Erasmus mené par des élèves français et tchèques pour sensibiliser à l'urgence écologique. Ils se sont initiés au documentaire, ont enregistré des chansons engagées et mené une enquête à la façon de chercheurs en sciences sociales, accompagnés par des professionnels. - équipe : La Rédaction de France Culture, Caroline Bennetot, Éric Chaverou Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France

Le Reportage de la rédaction
"We resist" : le projet de lycéens français et tchèques engagés contre l'inaction climatique

Le Reportage de la rédaction

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2026 4:11


durée : 00:04:11 - Le Reportage de la rédaction - Coup de projecteur sur un projet Erasmus mené par des élèves français et tchèques pour sensibiliser à l'urgence écologique. Ils se sont initiés au documentaire, ont enregistré des chansons engagées et mené une enquête à la façon de chercheurs en sciences sociales, accompagnés par des professionnels. - équipe : La Rédaction de France Culture, Caroline Bennetot, Éric Chaverou Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast
Why High-Revenue CEOs Buy Back Their Time (And How You Can Too)

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2026 39:16


What really changes when you go from $1 million to $100 million? Surprisingly, not much. In this episode, Christina explores why bigger businesses don't necessarily mean fewer problems, more freedom, or greater peace. From payroll and hiring to leadership loneliness and personal pressure, CEOs face many of the same challenges, just at a larger scale. The real difference? Knowing how to make clear, decisive decisions under pressure and keep moving forward. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating  and leave us a comment on iTunes   CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA! Instagram LinkedIn Christinalecuyer.com Book a Free Clarity Call Book Christina For Your Next Workshop

From the Heart of Spurgeon
The Maintenance of Good Works (s2042)

From the Heart of Spurgeon

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2026 34:25


This is Spurgeon at his most heartfelt, delighting in grace and urging to holiness. Taking quite a substantial text, and holding fast to its substance and arrangement, he brings us face to face first of all with what we are by nature, what we once were in the evils of our minds, our pursuits, and our hearts. Here he urges us to tears of repentance as he ploughs up our souls. Then he considers what the Lord has done for us, ranging over the wonderful declarations of grace contained in the text, and stirring us up to grateful joy, considering not least the merciful works of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit toward us. Then he brings us to the practical punch, that we should be careful to maintain good works. Here he robustly dismisses any suggestion that this is mere legalistic preaching, making clear that to the unbeliever he calls not to good works, but to Christ only. The exhortation to live as a cheerful servant goes not to the slave but to the son, to those who have been redeemed by grace. Inaction here, careless or passive living, brings dishonour to the Lord who has saved us, and so we must embrace this “faithful saying,” and show by our good fruit the sweetness of our new root. Read the sermon here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/the-maintenance-of-good-works Check out the new From the Heart of Spurgeon Book! British: https://amzn.to/48rV1OR American: https://amzn.to/48oHjft Connect with the Reading Spurgeon Community on Twitter! https://twitter.com/ReadingSpurgeon Sign up to get the weekly readings emailed to you: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon. Check out other Media Gratiae podcasts at www.mediagratiae.org Download the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

C. H. Spurgeon on SermonAudio
The Maintenance of Good Works (sermon 2042)

C. H. Spurgeon on SermonAudio

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2026 34:28


This is Spurgeon at his most heartfelt, delighting in grace and urging to holiness. Taking quite a substantial text, and holding fast to its substance and arrangement, he brings us face to face first of all with what we are by nature, what we once were in the evils of our minds, our pursuits, and our hearts. Here he urges us to tears of repentance as he ploughs up our souls. Then he considers what the Lord has done for us, ranging over the wonderful declarations of grace contained in the text, and stirring us up to grateful joy, considering not least the merciful works of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit toward us. Then he brings us to the practical punch, that we should be careful to maintain good works. Here he robustly dismisses any suggestion that this is mere legalistic preaching, making clear that to the unbeliever he calls not to good works, but to Christ only. The exhortation to live as a cheerful servant goes not to the slave but to the son, to those who have been redeemed by grace. Inaction here, careless or passive living, brings dishonour to the Lord who has saved us, and so we must embrace this "faithful saying," and show by our good fruit the sweetness of our new root.

Maidenbower Baptist Church
The Maintenance of Good Works (sermon 2042)

Maidenbower Baptist Church

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2026 34:28


This is Spurgeon at his most heartfelt, delighting in grace and urging to holiness. Taking quite a substantial text, and holding fast to its substance and arrangement, he brings us face to face first of all with what we are by nature, what we once were in the evils of our minds, our pursuits, and our hearts. Here he urges us to tears of repentance as he ploughs up our souls. Then he considers what the Lord has done for us, ranging over the wonderful declarations of grace contained in the text, and stirring us up to grateful joy, considering not least the merciful works of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit toward us. Then he brings us to the practical punch, that we should be careful to maintain good works. Here he robustly dismisses any suggestion that this is mere legalistic preaching, making clear that to the unbeliever he calls not to good works, but to Christ only. The exhortation to live as a cheerful servant goes not to the slave but to the son, to those who have been redeemed by grace. Inaction here, careless or passive living, brings dishonour to the Lord who has saved us, and so we must embrace this "faithful saying," and show by our good fruit the sweetness of our new root.

Fasting on SermonAudio
The Maintenance of Good Works (sermon 2042)

Fasting on SermonAudio

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2026 34:28


This is Spurgeon at his most heartfelt, delighting in grace and urging to holiness. Taking quite a substantial text, and holding fast to its substance and arrangement, he brings us face to face first of all with what we are by nature, what we once were in the evils of our minds, our pursuits, and our hearts. Here he urges us to tears of repentance as he ploughs up our souls. Then he considers what the Lord has done for us, ranging over the wonderful declarations of grace contained in the text, and stirring us up to grateful joy, considering not least the merciful works of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit toward us. Then he brings us to the practical punch, that we should be careful to maintain good works. Here he robustly dismisses any suggestion that this is mere legalistic preaching, making clear that to the unbeliever he calls not to good works, but to Christ only. The exhortation to live as a cheerful servant goes not to the slave but to the son, to those who have been redeemed by grace. Inaction here, careless or passive living, brings dishonour to the Lord who has saved us, and so we must embrace this "faithful saying," and show by our good fruit the sweetness of our new root.

C. H. Spurgeon on SermonAudio
The Maintenance of Good Works (sermon 2042)

C. H. Spurgeon on SermonAudio

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2026 34:28


This is Spurgeon at his most heartfelt, delighting in grace and urging to holiness. Taking quite a substantial text, and holding fast to its substance and arrangement, he brings us face to face first of all with what we are by nature, what we once were in the evils of our minds, our pursuits, and our hearts. Here he urges us to tears of repentance as he ploughs up our souls. Then he considers what the Lord has done for us, ranging over the wonderful declarations of grace contained in the text, and stirring us up to grateful joy, considering not least the merciful works of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit toward us. Then he brings us to the practical punch, that we should be careful to maintain good works. Here he robustly dismisses any suggestion that this is mere legalistic preaching, making clear that to the unbeliever he calls not to good works, but to Christ only. The exhortation to live as a cheerful servant goes not to the slave but to the son, to those who have been redeemed by grace. Inaction here, careless or passive living, brings dishonour to the Lord who has saved us, and so we must embrace this "faithful saying," and show by our good fruit the sweetness of our new root.

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast
The Business of Going Viral with Tania Tare

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2026 65:00


What does it take to turn a passion into a global brand? In this episode, Christina sits down with professional golfer, world-renowned trick shot artist, and entrepreneur Tania Tare to unpack her incredible journey from the golf course to social media stardom. Tania shares how viral content opened unexpected doors, the challenges she faced building a business and navigating international opportunities, and how she's now helping creators and brands collaborate in smarter ways. Whether you're an entrepreneur, content creator, or simply looking for inspiration to think bigger, this conversation is packed with insights on creativity, resilience, and building a career on your own terms. About Tania Tare Tania Tare is a professional golfer and one of the world's most recognizable golf trick shot artists. Originally from New Zealand, she gained international attention for her creative cup trick videos, which quickly went viral across Instagram and other social media platforms. Today, Tania combines her passion for golf with entertaining, innovative content that has captivated millions of viewers and inspired golfers around the world. Connect with Tania on LinkedIn Follow Tania on Instagram   If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating  and leave us a comment on iTunes   CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA! Instagram LinkedIn Christinalecuyer.com Book a Free Clarity Call Book Christina For Your Next Workshop

1% Better Podcast
The Real Cost of Waiting: Why Procrastination Is the Most Expensive Decision You Will Ever Make

1% Better Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2026 17:22


•         Why procrastination around health is different from any other kind of delay •         The compounding cost of inaction on metabolism, hormones, and energy over time •         How to recognize the stories you tell yourself that make waiting feel reasonable •         The one shift that moves women from thinking about starting to actually starting KEY IDENTITY THEMES •         Self-leadership over self-abandonment •         Inaction as a choice, not a default •         The cost of staying comfortable •         Urgency without shame Message Jason on Facebook Follow Jason Cook in InstagramFollow Jason Cook on FBEmail Jason Cook here jason@lwcvip.comClient Results click hereJoin the Life Warrior Metabolism CommunitySupplements

“What It’s Really Like to be an Entrepreneur”
The Top 3 Tax Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make

“What It’s Really Like to be an Entrepreneur”

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2026 21:12


Catrina M. Craft, a top-tier tax strategist, shares essential insights on avoiding common tax mistakes, structuring your business effectively, and the importance of proactive planning to protect your assets and maximize wealth.“Inaction is really dangerous because what happens is it just builds up, it compounds.”Chapters00:00 Risks of Asset Seizure and Frozen Accounts01:09 Introduction of Katrina Kraft and Episode Overview02:21 Misconception: Tax Professionals Save You Money03:44 The Role of a Tax Strategist in Planning05:07 Importance of Business Structure and Goals07:20 Holistic Approach to Business Formation and Strategy09:57 Common Frustrations of Entrepreneurs11:16 The Limitations of AI and the Importance of Human Expertise13:21 Using AI Tools Responsibly in Tax Planning15:45 The Dangers of Paralyzing Fear and Not Filing17:08 Consequences of Not Filing Taxes and Asset Seizure18:36 How to Connect with Katrina for Tax Strategies“If you need help, pay for that because it's cheaper to pay for help than to pay the IRS those penalties and interests.”Additional Key Takeaways*Differences between bookkeepers, CPAs, and tax strategists*Avoiding Tax Seizures: Protect Your Assets Now*The importance of proactive tax planning*Risks of not filing taxes and how to avoid penaltiesEPISODE #1/10: Unlocking Tax Strategies for Entrepreneurs: January 26, 2026: https://thatentrepreneurshow.buzzsprout.com/737252/episodes/18570362-unlocking-tax-strategies-for-entrepreneursEPISODE #2/10: Unlocking Home Office Deductions February 9, 2026: https://thatentrepreneurshow.buzzsprout.com/737252/episodes/18646020-unlocking-home-office-deductionsEPISODE #3/10: Hidden Tax Strategies Revealed: March 9, 2026: https://thatentrepreneurshow.buzzsprout.com/737252/episodes/18814431-hidden-tax-strategies-revealedEPISODE #4/10: Strategic Family Travel & Tax Benefits: June 10, 2026: https://thatentrepreneurshow.buzzsprout.com/737252/episodes/18814431-hidden-tax-strategies-revealedSend us Fan MailSupport the showRemember to subscribe for the next episode. Show Sponsor: ComingAlive PodcastProduction.com (Download your Podcast Launch Checklist for only $1 here)Music Credits: Copyright Free Music from Adventure by MusicbyAden.

Disruptive CEO Nation
Ep 340 Fear as a Compass for Growth with Joze Piranian, International Keynote Speaker, Author, and Stand-up Comedian; Toronto, ON, Canada

Disruptive CEO Nation

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2026 23:23


Fear isn't something to eliminate, it's a compass pointing to the next chapter of growth.In this episode, I spoke with Joze Piranian about his remarkable journey from living with a severe stutter to becoming a keynote speaker, comedian, and author. We explored his book Stop Holding Back: An Honest Guide to Turning Fear into Action, including the concept of the “inner stutter,” micro moments of bravery, and strategies for reframing fear in both personal and professional settings. Joze shared how repeatedly exposing himself to fear through speaking exercises, stand-up comedy, and even musical performance, and how it helped him build confidence, embrace vulnerability, and connect authentically with audiences. We also discussed actionable leadership lessons for navigating fear, practicing accountability, and fostering courage in teams, as well as how humor and performance can be powerful tools for personal growth. This conversation is packed with insights for anyone looking to move past self-doubt and take decisive action in life and business.Here are the highlights:● Overcoming the inner stutter. Inaction in the face of fear can be identified and addressed by recognizing self-limiting beliefs and creating repeated opportunities to confront discomfort.● Micro moments of bravery. Small, deliberate actions—like speaking up in social situations or taking on challenging tasks—build confidence incrementally and reshape one's relationship with fear.● Fear and action can coexist. Action does not require the absence of fear; performing while afraid strengthens resilience, decision-making, and personal growth.● Using humor and performance to grow. Incorporating elements like comedy, speaking exercises, or musical performance can help individuals embrace vulnerability, build confidence, and connect authentically with others.● Leadership lessons for navigating fear. Leaders can model courage, practice accountability, and foster a culture where confronting fear and taking action is normalized and encouraged.About the guest: Joze Piranian is a lifelong stutterer turned International Keynote Speaker, Author and Stand-up Comedian. Born and raised in Lebanon, Joze avoided speaking for over 25 years due to the fear of being judged for his stutter. Everything changed when he chose to confront that fear and transform it into his greatest strength. Today, Joze has delivered five TEDx talks and spoken for organizations including Google, Meta, Netflix, TikTok, and BlackRock. His journey is featured in the award-nominated documentary Words Left Unspoken and in his HarperCollins book Stop Holding Back: An Honest Guide to Turning Fear into Action, inspiring audiences worldwide to turn fear into action, through micro-moments of bravery Connect with Joze:Website: ⁠www.jozepiranian.com⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jozepiranian/⁠ Connect with Allison:Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web. LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/⁠ Website: ⁠https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/⁠ #CEO #leadership #startup #founder #business #businesspodcast

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast
The Framework That Will Help You Stop Overthinking with Guffy Wright

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2026 34:10


What if the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your decisions? In this episode, Christina sits down with Guffy Wright to unpack the powerful principles behind his upcoming book, Attach High. Together, they explore how your values shape every decision you make, why vulnerability is a leadership superpower, and how seeking validation from the right places can transform your personal and professional life. If you're ready to make more intentional decisions, lead with greater clarity, and create lasting impact, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom you won't want to miss. About Guffy Wright Guffy Wright is the National Sales Leader and a member of the Board of Directors at The Mahoney Group, one of the largest insurance brokerages in the country. After dropping out of college at 22, he joined the company and has spent the past 19 years building an exceptional leadership career. Today, Guffy is passionate about helping others make better decisions, lead with purpose, and achieve lasting success in both business and life. Learn more about Guffy's book Attach High on his website Connect with Guffy on LinkedIn   If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating  and leave us a comment on iTunes   CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA! Instagram LinkedIn Christinalecuyer.com Book a Free Clarity Call Book Christina For Your Next Workshop

Mike Gallagher Podcast
Hypocrisy and Inaction Threaten America

Mike Gallagher Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2026 47:02 Transcription Available


Mike takes aim at what he sees as political hypocrisy and a lack of urgency in Washington, questioning why key legislation continues to stall despite growing concerns over election integrity and border security. As the conversation unfolds, he revisits past statements from prominent political leaders, reflects on how today’s immigration debate has evolved, and argues that leadership requires action—not delay—while challenging listeners to consider what’s at stake for America’s future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steinmetz and Guru
The Warriors summer of inaction!

Steinmetz and Guru

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2026 24:24


This summer seemed like the Warriors didn't make the right moves, Anthony Slater said Warriors haven't been in the mix, what the Warriors could have done and more!

RNZ: Checkpoint
New Zealand at risk of missing all its climate targets

RNZ: Checkpoint

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2026 3:11


Inaction on greenhouse gases isn't just harming the climate - it's now costing households money. That's the finding of the Climate Change Commission, which said today that New Zealand is at risk of missing all its climate targets. It says the longer the country delays action, the more disorderly and costly the transition will eventually be. Climate change correspondent Kate Newton reports.

Dakota Political Junkies
Analysis: Inaction in June and election night insults may have eroded Doeden's support among Republican voters

Dakota Political Junkies

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2026 22:51


SDPB's Dakota Political Junkies discuss key successes and missteps in gubernatorial runoff campaigns.

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast
The Real Reason I'm Successful (It's Not What You Think)

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2026 40:10


In this fun, fast-paced solo episode, Christina takes the hot seat for a candid rapid-fire Q&A filled with unexpected questions, personal reflections, and powerful lessons. She shares what success truly means to her, the value of investing in yourself, key business and financial insights, and a simple 4-step framework to help leaders reduce unnecessary meetings and reclaim valuable time. From trusting intuition over perfection, choosing experiences over things, and building a life aligned with her values, this episode is packed with honest stories, mindset shifts, and reminders that you have the power to create the life you want. Tune in for an inspiring mix of business wisdom, personal growth, and plenty of laughs.   If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating  and leave us a comment on iTunes   CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA! Instagram LinkedIn Christinalecuyer.com Book a Free Clarity Call Book Christina For Your Next Workshop

Woodside Bible Church Detroit
Don't Sit Idly By

Woodside Bible Church Detroit

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2026 38:55


Our lives can be full of motion that make it feel as if we are doing things.  Things that exhaust us but never lead us toward God's will for our lives.  IN this message pastor Fikre Prince shares from the book of Judges an account of when passivity and indiference cost Israel dearly, and a personal story that could have ended the same way if not for the hand of God.Text: Judges 4Sermon Summary:Big Idea: Passivity holds us back from fulfilling God's purposes.Key Question: How can we move from hesitation to faithful action?1.   Notice the Cost of Inaction (vv. 1-3)2.   Answer the Call of God (vv. 4-16)3.   Celebrate the Victory of God (vv. 4:17-5:31)

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast
The Leap of Faith That Built a Business with the Founder of Smile Paint®

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2026 46:55


What happens when a mom sees a problem no one else is solving? She creates the solution. In this episode, Stacey shares how she went from speech pathologist and mom of four to the founder of Smile Paint®, a revolutionary toothpaste designed to make brushing easier, more fun, and more accessible for kids with sensory needs. She opens up about taking a leap of faith, overcoming obstacles, and why having a purpose bigger than yourself can carry you through the toughest moments of entrepreneurship. Whether you're a parent, business owner, or dreamer with a big idea, this conversation will leave you inspired to keep going. About Stacey Thomas Stacey Thomas is a speech-language pathologist, special needs advocate, and mom of four who founded Smile Paint®, a play-based toothpaste designed to make brushing fun and accessible for children, especially those with sensory sensitivities. Inspired by her firsthand experience helping families navigate daily toothbrushing challenges, Stacey created Smile Paint® to turn oral care into a positive, engaging experience that helps kids build healthy habits through play. Learn more about Smile Paint website Connect with Stacey on LinkedIn   If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating  and leave us a comment on iTunes   CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA! Instagram LinkedIn Christinalecuyer.com Book a Free Clarity Call Book Christina For Your Next Workshop

RIMScast
Taking on Global Leadership in Insurance with Sierra Signorelli, Spencer Funding Their Future Honoree

RIMScast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2026 40:40


Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Spencer Funding Their Future Honoree, Sierra Signorelli, about her background in environmental science, what drew her into insurance, and what convinced her that this profession was where she wanted to build a career. They discuss her career path from environmental consulting to environmental insurance underwriting to leading a global team and to currently serving as CEO of U.S. and Commercial Insurance at Zurich, and the pivotal moments that changed the trajectory of her career. They discuss her passion for helping women make their way in the industry, and her activities to bring new talent into insurance careers. Justin and Sierra discuss the Spencer Educational Foundation and how Zurich's interest in nurturing new talent aligns with Spencer's work.   Listen for Sierra's passion about the dynamic state of the insurance industry and how it can bring new risk solutions to companies.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:16] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is Sierra Signorelli, CEO of U.S. and Commercial Insurance at Zurich and one of this year's Spencer Funding Their Future Gala Honorees. But first… [:42] RIMS-CRMP Workshop. We are delighted to announce that on August 27th and 28th, RIMS President Manny Padilla will be leading the two-day in-person workshop at St. John's University at 101 Astor Place in New York City. A link to the registration is in this episode's show notes. [1:02] RIMS-CRMP Virtual Workshops. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA will be held virtually on July 21st and 22nd. Registration links are in this episode's notes. [1:14] We have a summertime webinar. On July 16th, Zurich will present "Too Hot to Ignore: Heat-Related Injuries and Workers' Compensation." Register at RIMS.org/webinars and via the link in this episode's show notes. [1:29] Also on the webinars page, you will see a two-part series hosted by the RIMS Membership Department. The "Classroom to Career" webinar series highlights how RIMS equips students with the knowledge, skills, and connections needed to thrive in risk management careers. [1:44] Participants will gain insights into industry trends, career pathways, and practical tools that help them confidently step into the evolving world of risk management after graduation. These sessions will be hosted on September 1st and 9th. [1:58] These sessions are member exclusives and are complimentary for RIMS members, of course. So, if you are interested in becoming a member, this would be the time. Visit RIMS.org/membership. [2:07] The RIMS ERM Conference 2026 will be held on November 19th and 20th in Columbus, Ohio. Registration will open in July. Be on the lookout for the call for nominations for the RIMS ERM Global Award of Distinction. Visit RIMS.org/ERM2026 in July for that announcement. [2:29] RIMS is back on YouTube. Our handle is @RIMSOfficialChannel. We've got plenty of videos there, including RIMScast, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. Subscribe to the channel today! [2:48] On with the Show! Our guest today is one of the modern trailblazers of risk and insurance. She is Sierra Signorelli, the CEO of U.S. and Commercial Insurance at Zurich. She is also one of this year's Spencer Educational Foundation's Funding Their Future honorees. [3:08] Sierra will receive her honor at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on September 17th at the Spencer Funding Their Future Gala. [3:16] Sierra is here today to discuss her career development, her career journey, how it evolved into a global leadership role, and some words of wisdom for the next generation of risk and insurance talent. She has a lot of great insight and takeaways for us all. Let's get to it! [3:37] Interview! Sierra Signorelli, Welcome to RIMScast! [3:47] Justin and Sierra discuss longtime mutual friend Marya Propis. Sierra says their paths crossed early in their careers at AIG. They got to know each other through the Women's Executive Leadership Initiative Program. [4:09] Sierra says quite a few exceptional women in important roles in our industry came out of that program cohort. It's fantastic to come back together with Marya for this event. [4:37] Sierra studied environmental science. She tries to live and work with a sense of purpose. In university, she wanted to make the world a better place with environmental science. [4:58] Sierra says there are areas of overlap between insurance and environmental science. Her initial work out of school was about understanding changing weather patterns, flooding, epidemiology, chemistry, liability, and toxic tort. She leans on what she studied. [5:33] Sierra says that in school, they studied Earth Systems Science. Much of the modeling they did in school is the same modeling that Cat modelers do at Zurich. [6:04] Sierra first worked at an environmental engineering consulting firm. A colleague left to join a new company. He called her to come and interview. It hadn't been on her mind, but on his recommendation, she interviewed. Meeting the people, Sierra was intrigued. [7:08] Sierra says once she joined, she never looked back. She joined as an underwriter doing environmental insurance, so it tied to her background. It felt like it was her own little business. It was her responsibility to build a portfolio of business and build relationships with brokers. [7:37] Sierra says it was fascinating. The industry gives lots of training, both industry-led and within companies. The opportunity to learn was fun. Sierra felt it was a great place to start to build a career. [8:20] Sierra has had a few meaningful career pivots. As an underwriter, transitioning to her first manager role was a big step. It taught her that you have to have sponsorship or support within an organization to get the next roles. [8:47] Sierra says it was a big step from being an individual contributor to leading a much larger team. Having somebody willing to put that on her was really important. She will be forever grateful for that first step. [9:12] Sierra says the next meaningful step was from running a business in a region to being a CUO for one of the businesses globally. The organization restructured and put Sierra across lines of business she had no expertise in. That was a huge shift for her. [9:40] Sierra was no longer the deep expert, but she had to lead a team of experts and be credible with those individuals. Most of them had 30 or 40 years of experience. Sierra was in her early 40s. It was a fantastic opportunity that somebody was brave enough to give her. [10:09] Shortly after, Sierra moved from New York to Asia. It was quite a difference. She took that step because she was in a global role. She says, even though she traveled a lot and she's curious about people and cultures, it's not until you sit somewhere that you really experience it. [10:39] Moving overseas and being on the receiving end of New York gave Sierra an appreciation for sitting in the market. At that company, all brilliant things came from New York, and the rest of them had to figure out how they added value. The time difference was a challenge. [11:24] Sierra says the time difference has a huge impact on your life. The company wanted to become more global and had placed executives all over the world in different hubs. When you have 3,000 people in one area, everything is time-zone-centric to them. [12:01] As a global leader, in another time zone, you have to be comfortable not participating in everything and having people who represent you on your behalf, knowing when you really need to engage. You need to know to move the time if you won't be coherent at 3:00 a.m. [12:24] Sierra went back and forth once a month from Asia to New York to do Business Unit Reviews. It takes a lot out of you. The world has changed, and she does many more video meetings. Global travel has an impact on quality of life. [13:00] During those years, Sierra was raising children. They started pre-school and kindergarten in Asia. Sierra says she couldn't possibly do it unless her husband was on board; he had a career that was more flexible, and he was willing to step up. That's a family discussion to have. [14:03] A Quick Break! There are so many other wonderful RIMS events coming up in 2026. The Annual Florida RIMS Educational Conference will be held from July 28th through August 1st at the lovely Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida. A link to the event is in this episode's show notes. [14:22] Register now for the Second Annual RIMS Texas Regional Conference, which will be held from August 10th through the 12th at the Grand Hyatt on the San Antonio River Walk. Visit RIMS.org/Events for registration information. [14:36] The hotel cutoff date was July 10th. Reservations may still be made after the hotel cutoff date, subject to availability; however, the negotiated group rate is no longer guaranteed, so reserve now. [14:48] The 11th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will return to the Old Post Office on Thursday, September 24th, 2026. Visit ChicagolandRiskForum.org for more information. [15:00] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is live, and registration is open. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [15:16] Save the dates: October 18th through the 21st. We will be in Quebec City to celebrate the 50th Live RIMS Canada Conference. Booth sales are open, and sponsorship opportunities are still available. Advance registration is open now. [15:33] Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca for more information. Also, remember to check out RIMS.org/Canada for our spinoff show, RIMScast Canada, hosted by National Conference Committee Chair, Aaron Lukoni. [15:47] The RIMS ERM Conference 2026 will be held on November 19th and 20th in Columbus, Ohio. Registration opens in July. [15:58] Be on the lookout for an announcement about submissions for the RIMS Global ERM Award of Distinction. Visit RIMS.org/ERM2026.  [16:08] Folks, we're already looking toward RISKWORLD 2027, which will be held over four days in New Orleans, Louisiana, from April 18th through the 21st. RIMS members can exclusively register by September 4th for the best rate. [16:22] Get first access to the hotel block. Hotel reservations open on October 28th, ahead of public registration. Sitting this out is the real risk! The link to registration is in this episode's show notes. [16:35] Let's Return to Our Interview with Spencer Educational Foundation's Funding Their Future Gala Honoree Sierra Signorelli! [17:01] Sierra says when she was in Asia, she had a global role. It highlighted how you speak, how you engage, and how you listen in different cultures is hugely important. You can't assume. It's always good to listen and then ask, and then replay back. [17:23] Sierra learned some painful lessons just thinking that silence and people nodding along means that they agree. She says she often talks about the importance of listening to colleagues, customers, and broker partners. [17:45] It's important not to make quick assumptions but to listen first and ask questions so that you have a good understanding of the colleagues you are working with and their needs. [18:00] Justin says a keynote at RISKWORLD 2019 said that when she spoke in Asian nations and asked a question of the audience, she learned that she had to wait and make eye contact with the audience to know if it was alright to move on to the next point or get them to speak up. [18:30] This speaker had learned that there is somewhat of a cultural reluctance in Asia to say what's on your mind. Sierra says that may be true, but you often don't get questions, so you have to think about what questions people might have and make sure that you raise them. [18:53] Sierra shares an example. They were rolling out global pricing tools. The U.S. would raise their hand that they don't like this or that. The same with the UK. Maybe Germany doesn't adopt it. Asia was seamless. They just rolled it out. No questions. Then a broker revealed a big issue. [19:31] Sierra realized she had to go back and talk with her team, so they could march forward. Having that understanding and making sure you're engaging appropriately with the culture is critical to having a successful business and being successful with the teams locally. [20:03] Justin asks that as Sierra ascended to that leadership role, did she find that she was one of the few women in executive leadership roles along the way? [20:23] Sierra says that early in her career, she was quite fortunate that there were quite a number of women leaders. In the group she worked with when she was in New York, there were several women running businesses. She worked for a woman. [20:43] Many of the women had families. Sierra had just started to have a family. Seeing them able to run these businesses, have a family, and not seem like all the wheels were coming off, seeming very normal and successful in her view, kept Sierra going. [21:01] Sierra says having role models and seeing other women do it is absolutely critical. It feels like you can do it when you see somebody else doing it. Having other people to talk to about how you navigate it is very important. [21:17] Sierra says, That being said, you have these groups, but overall, she finds that she's often the only woman in the room in meetings, and more broadly, in Asia. If she looks at the executive committee at Zurich, there are 12 executives, six male and six female. [21:42] Sierra says there are bright spots. We're making progress, but in some of the mid-level management roles, you don't see the same split. You see women falling off at a certain level. [22:19] Sierra says we have a Women's Innovation Network that she sponsors for her group. She has always tried to be a great support to women in our industry. She has given support to women along the way and helped them navigate to get to where they are. [23:00] Sierra says if you want to be authentic, you have to make difficult decisions. It goes hand in hand. If you just take every easy decision, it would be very difficult to be authentic. She would encourage you not to shy away from challenging decisions and not to put them off. [23:26] That's easier said than done. When Sierra looks at her to-do list in the morning, if there's something on that list she really doesn't want to do, she does it first. Otherwise, it just falls further down the list, and then goes to the list for tomorrow. [23:47] Those difficult conversations are never as bad as you work them up in your head to be. Just do it and get past it. If you make that a habit, then you tend not to shy away from having the right discussions. It's never as difficult as you can make it out to be in your head. [24:09] Sierra says one of her colleagues at Zurich in the U.S. often says, "Be kind, not nice." Being nice does not serve anyone well. If you don't give people feedback, or don't give them the full story because you want to be nice, it doesn't make sense. [24:32] If you're going to give feedback or make a change, be kind. That purpose helps people move forward and take action. Inaction is the bigger risk than taking action, jumping in, and adapting anywhere you need to adapt, as you go. [25:02] Justin cites a friend of Sierra's, and recent RIMScast guest, Johnell Holly, who said he chooses the hard challenges first and tries to knock them off the list. [25:24] Justin restates Sierra: your authentic self is shown when you make those difficult decisions. That's a great takeaway for the RIMScast audience. Sierra adds that it's important to take positions so that people understand what you stand for as a leader or an individual. [25:53] Sierra says in an organization, people are always going to decide what you stand for. If you don't make it clear, it creates a vacuum, and they'll make assumptions. Sometimes people are tentative or worried about taking a stand. [26:06] Sierra says it's far less risky to take that stand and make it clear what you stand for, because people are going to make an assumption anyway, and they're more likely to get it wrong if you leave it to them to sort out. [26:31] Sierra says she spends a lot of time meeting with customers and brokers. She gets energy from it. It grounds her in reality, which is important if the company wants to add value. They need to understand how things are landing, and what problems they are solving for. [26:53] One of the things that keeps Sierra in this industry, and what she loves about what they do, is that they have the opportunity to help solve some of the world's most complex challenges. [27:06] To do that, they have to get out and talk to people who are facing the challenges, and understand what it means for their business. [27:14] Sierra says, it's also important to spend time with your people. Sierra is in the Chicago office, and when she walks around the floor, she can meet the teams. She loves when they come up and tell her about a big win or something they're building on in the market. [27:39] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Funding Their Future Gala 2026 will be held on September 17th in New York City at the Waldorf Astoria. This year, Spencer will honor Sierra Signorelli of Zurich and our recent guest, Marya Propis of RT Specialty. [28:01] A link to the Gala is in this episode's show notes. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. [28:14] We have reached the deadline for the Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus submissions. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [28:22] General Grants are open, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [28:33] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [28:42] Let's Conclude Our Interview with Spencer Educational Foundation's Funding Their Future Gala Honoree Sierra Signorelli! [28:57] Justin congratulates Sierra once again on being honored at the Spencer Educational Foundation's Funding Their Future Gala, which will be on September 17th at the world-famous Waldorf Astoria. [29:07] Sierra says she is looking forward to the event. She has been very fortunate to have amazing people who have helped, either giving her great advice through her career, or who have sponsored her, supported her, or advocated for her as she took the next steps in her career. [29:43] Sierra says, it's great to be recognized. As she is recognized, it should be recognition for all of those people who were bold enough to support her, especially early in her career. [30:02] Sierra says Zurich has a long history of engaging with the Spencer Educational Foundation. Zurich's beliefs align with what Spencer is trying to achieve. Zurich believes in bringing a diverse group of people into our industry, and more young people into our industry. [30:23] Sierra says we need to continue to bring new people in. As we look at some of the changes we have as an industry, becoming more digital, leaning more on insights, and reshaping how we show up as an industry, it's a great time for young people to join our industry. [30:47] Sierra says she thinks the industry is undersold. It's a fantastic industry to build a career. She says most people who come into the industry don't leave. It's just convincing them from the beginning.   [31:02] Sierra says, from a Zurich perspective, we have a really robust apprenticeship program that we sponsor to bring youth into and help them gain experience: both on-the-job experience and instructional experience through a two-year program. [31:26] Sierra says that for Zurich, supporting programs such as the Spencer Educational Foundation is a natural fit in continuing to help bring talent into our industry. [31:38] The other 2026 Honoree, Marya Propis, was recently on the show and was one of the first 50 RIMScast guests. Sierra says she and Marya worked together years ago. They also were part of a fantastic sponsored women's program, the Women's Executive Leadership Initiative. [32:14] Sierra says several women who are in key roles in our industry came through that program. It's fantastic to see the success of some of those women, including Marya, and to be honored together in 2026. [32:44] Sierra says it should be a good evening and really nice to reconnect with Marya after having been overseas for quite some time. [33:00] Sierra is also a board member of the St. John's University School of Risk Management and is deeply involved in developing future talent. [33:16] Sierra says it's a really exciting time for our industry. The world of risk is very dynamic now. [33:31] Our capabilities to harness insights and data to streamline what we do to be more efficient to work with, all coming together at the same time, is a huge opportunity to raise the bar to add greater value to companies as they think about how they manage this risk landscape. [34:00] For Sierra, it's an exciting time to bring new perspectives in and entice young people to look at a career in insurance. Sierra repeats that most people who come into our industry don't leave. People leave companies, but they tend to take other insurance roles. [34:30] Sierra says, we just need to get more people interested in what we do and to bring new perspectives and new skillsets into what we do. I know that people will stay once they're here. [35:00] Speaking of knowledge transfer, Sierra says that there are lots of people with many years of experience who want to invest the time with younger people to pass that knowledge on. They don't want it to be lost. [35:19] For people who are curious and want to come in and build a career, it's an amazing opportunity to be able to work with some of the people who have this experience, as well as working with new technologies and capabilities. [35:35] The Waldorf Astoria in New York City has been newly renovated. When people gather at the Waldorf for the Spencer Gala on September 17th to celebrate leaders like Sierra and Marya, they're also investing in the future of the profession. [36:06] Sierra says, first and foremost, she feels fortunate that she's had great support from individuals and also from working for a great company that allows her to do what she does at such a large scale. [36:44] Sierra says the people who sit on the team at Zurich are the shining stars who give us the brand that we have and the capabilities that we have. She would hope that she leaves a legacy that shows that she's helped to improve and raise the bar for what we do as an industry. [37:19] Sierra says that's what she's most passionate about. She thinks that as an industry we can do more. [37:26] We're on the cusp of something great with all of these different dynamics, whether they're the factors of risk that are becoming far greater, or the capabilities we can bring to the table to help the world and companies solve problems. [37:45] Sierra says, if I leave a legacy that I helped some of the building blocks to get us there, I would feel quite good about that, in addition to helping to build talent in our industry, which is something that I'm particularly passionate about. [38:03] Justin says it is a well-deserved honor, and I'm so happy for you. I'm very happy for Marya, as well. You both bring so much to risk management and insurance that it's only fitting that you are honored in the same year. You're both doing great work. [38:21] You're very inspiring for our listeners and, of course, anyone who is involved with Spencer, whether they are staff or beneficiaries of the foundation. You are a shining example of what we hope this profession can continue to be like. [38:40] I want to thank you so much for your time, and I look forward to seeing you in New York City on September 17th, when you accept your award. [38:53] Special thanks again to Sierra Signorelli of Zurich for joining us here on RIMScast. We congratulate her on being named an honoree at this year's Spencer Funding Their Future Gala, which will be held on September 17th in Manhattan at the fabulous Waldorf Astoria. [39:14] Visit SpencerEd.org for more information and be sure to check out recent RIMScast episodes with another honoree from this year, Marya Propis, and Spencer Board Chair, Johnell Holly. Links are in this episode's show notes. [39:30] Plug Time! Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [39:47] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [40:04] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [40:17] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [40:30] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continued support!   Links: Spencer Educational Foundation's 2026 Funding Their Future Gala | Sept. 17, 2026 RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2026 | Aug. 10‒12 in San Antonio | Register Now! RISKWORLD 2027 Registration | RIMS members can lock in 2026 rates now through Sept. 4 2026 Florida RIMS Educational Conference | July 28‒Aug. 1 | Register Now ChicagoLand Risk Forum | Sept. 24, 2026 RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today. RIMS Canada Conference — Oct. 18‒21, 2026 | Quebec City | www.rimscanadaconference.ca | Advance Registration Open | Sponsorship Opportunities Available RIMS ERM Conference 2026 | November 19‒20 in Columbus, Ohio | Registration Opens in July! | www.rims.org/ERM2026 Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants | Open Calls and Timelines. RIMS Now RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan! RIMS, the Foundation for Risk Management The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS-CRMP Stories RIMScast Canada — Episodes Now Live RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMScast on YouTube! RIMS Risk Management Magazine | Contribute | Q2 2026 Issue Now Available Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA — Virtual — July 21‒22, 2026 RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Workshop — Live In NY — Aug 27‒28! Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops   Upcoming RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars "Too Hot To Ignore: Heat-Related Injuries and Workers' Compensation" | July 16 | Presented by Zurich "RIMS Student Series: Classroom to Career Part 1" | Sept 1 "RIMS Student Series: Classroom to Career Part 2" | Sept 9   Related RIMScast Episodes: Spencer Honoree "Marya Propis: From Industry Leader to Talent Champion" "Choosing the Challenge with Johnell Holly, Spencer Educational Foundation Board Chair" "Risk Management Momentum with Tim Ryan" (2025 Spencer Honoree) "The Strengths of DE&I Initiatives with Lilian Vanvieldt-Gray of Alliant Insurance Services" (2024 Spencer Honoree)   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: "48 Hours From a Storm: What to Do Before A Hurricane Strikes" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company (New!) "AI-Scale, Risk Ready: Engineering Controls for the New Data Center Boom" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Facing Into Risk: Navigating the New Risk Landscape" (New!) | Sponsored by AXA XL "Secondary Perils, Major Risks: The New Face of Weather-Related Challenges" | Sponsored by AXA XL "The ART of Risk: Rethinking Risk Through Insight, Design, and Innovation" | Sponsored by Alliant "Mastering ERM: Leveraging Internal and External Risk Factors" | Sponsored by Diligent "Cyberrisk: Preparing Beyond 2025" | Sponsored by Alliant "The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience" | Sponsored by AXA XL "Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company "Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs" | Sponsored by Zurich "Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding" | Sponsored by Zurich "What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping" | Sponsored by Medcor "How Insurance Builds Resilience Against an Active Assailant Attack" | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog "Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips" | Sponsored by Alliant   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Sierra Signorelli, CEO of U.S. and Commercial Insurance at Zurich Spencer Educational Foundation's Funding Their Future 2026 Honoree   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast
The Real Story Behind Building a Business and a Marriage

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2026 49:51


What happens when you mix marriage, entrepreneurship, and a whole lot of humor? Christina Lecuyer and her husband, Nathan, are pulling back the curtain on what life really looks like behind the scenes. In this fun, unfiltered conversation, they share the highs, the challenges, and the lessons they've learned from building a life and business together. From navigating work and family to keeping laughter at the center of it all, you'll walk away with practical takeaways, fresh perspective, and maybe even a few relationship goals. Whether you're building a business, raising a family, or simply trying to find more balance, this episode is packed with honest stories, relatable moments, and plenty of laughs you won't want to miss. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating  and leave us a comment on iTunes   CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA! Instagram LinkedIn Christinalecuyer.com Book a Free Clarity Call Book Christina For Your Next Workshop

Overcome Pornography for Good
285. The Cost of Inaction

Overcome Pornography for Good

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2026 25:47


What's the real cost of not taking action on the things that matter most to you? In this episode, I explore how putting off change, whether with pornography, health, or personal goals, creates compounding effects over time. Inaction doesn't just keep you where you are. It often makes challenges worse and limits the life you could be living. I explain why waiting for the “right time” or relying on willpower alone keeps you stuck. Using examples from life, health, and pornography, I highlight how small, consistent actions compound over time. I also explain why approaching change like a scientist, observing without judgment, helps you take the first step without shame or fear. You'll learn why the cost of inaction grows over time, how tiny, consistent actions create meaningful change, and how committing to support and guidance accelerates progress. I also share the 12-week live program that guides you step by step through these principles so you can continue building momentum and experience what's possible. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://centerforovercoming.com/post/cost-of-inaction Sign up for the Befriend Your Sexuality program here: https://centerforovercoming.com/workwithme

Cybercrimeology
Snapshots of Society: Studying Cybercrime Every Here

Cybercrimeology

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2026 29:47


Notes: Irnasya Hadi explains how growing up with the internet, and being frustrated by the limited connection between critical criminology and cybercrime, drew her toward the study of cyber insecurity. The conversation turns to Indonesia and the difficulty of producing nationally representative cybercrime research in a country with a very large population, uneven internet access and uneven documentation. She discusses why cybercrime theories, surveys and assumptions from places such as Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia cannot simply be imported into Indonesian or Asian contexts. The episode examines the stereotype that cybercrime is produced in Asia and victimizes people elsewhere. Hadi pushes back against this framing by noting that many of the victims of cybercrime in Asia are themselves Asian. She reflects on the imbalance between Global North and Global South knowledge production, especially when Global South researchers often have to know Northern theory while Northern researchers may know far less about Southern contexts. The conversation introduces the Snapshot of Society method, which begins with people and organizations already working on a topic, then moves to affected members of the public, then to a broader survey stage. Civil society organizations can provide an insider perspective on issues such as government data breaches, while affected members of the public can reveal where expert assumptions do or do not match lived experience. A central finding from Hadi's work is that people may not be indifferent to government data breaches. Instead, they may care deeply but feel too fatigued, resigned or worn down to respond. The discussion explores generational differences in how Indonesians understand government data breaches. Younger people may be more aware of cascading risks such as spam calls, identity theft and data being sold online, while older generations may interpret exposure to online risk differently. She discusses the role of insider knowledge in qualitative research, including how local jokes, shared experience and awareness of government priorities can shape what a researcher hears and how they interpret it. The episode closes with the broader promise of the Snapshot of Society approach: locally grounded studies from different places could be added together to build a richer global picture of cybercrime that does not simply mean the United States and the United Kingdom. About our guest: Irnasya Hadi https://www.linkedin.com/in/irnasya-shafira-hadi-9524b0145/ https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=dnc6cUcAAAAJ https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8929-329X   Papers or resources mentioned in this episode: Hadi, I. S., Chang, L. Y. C., & Davies, S. G. (2026). The Snapshot of Society: Challenges of Studying Cyber Insecurity in the Global South? Asian Journal of Criminology, 21, Article 25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11417-026-09494-4 Hadi, I. S. (2025). Inaction as Nonformal Reaction: Rethinking Crime Perception in the Era of Data Breaches. Jurnal Kriminologi Indonesia, 1(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.7454/kriminologi.v1.i1.1000   Other: “The data analysis process uses Atlas.ti software, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, printouts, and highlighters.” (Hadi et al., 2026, p. 14).  

The Kevin Sheehan Show
Brandon Aiyuk's inaction makes him look unserious about wanting to be released

The Kevin Sheehan Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2026 18:46


6.30.26, Kevin Sheehan gives further analysis on Brandon Aiyuk's recent social media posts and talks about if he's going to take the necessary steps to force his release from the 49ers.

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast
The Most Valuable Connection You'll Ever Make Isn't Online

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2026 23:30


What happens when social media disappears? In this episode, Christina shares why genuine human connection will always matter more than any platform. From the power of face-to-face conversations to building meaningful relationships that last beyond the algorithm, she offers practical networking tips and a refreshing reminder that your greatest opportunities often come from the connections you make in real life. If you've been relying on social media to grow your business or community, this conversation will inspire you to build a network that can't go offline. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating  and leave us a comment on iTunes   CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA! Instagram LinkedIn Christinalecuyer.com Book a Free Clarity Call Book Christina For Your Next Workshop

Wade Borth - Sage Wealth Strategy
Inaction Has a Price: The Sequence and Habits Separating Wealth Builders from Everyone Else

Wade Borth - Sage Wealth Strategy

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2026 21:13


Summary Wade Borth takes listeners inside a recent Tough Money live event, using real data to show what financial life actually looks like for a top 10% household earning $150,000 per year. The numbers may surprise you, starting with the size of the average family's liquidity bucket. The episode builds to a direct challenge: if you are already aware of the problem, if you have been educated on solutions, what is holding you back from taking action? Wade argues that inaction is not neutral. It carries a real cost, one that your family, your business, and your legacy will ultimately pay. Key Takeaways Habits inherited from parents define a financial ceiling most people never examine, let alone break through. Most top 10% earners carry far less liquid capital than their income suggests, and that gap creates real exposure. Wealth at every level demands different habits. Clinging to what worked before is what prevents progress to what comes next. The proper sequence of financial decisions matters as much as the decisions themselves. Out-of-sequence choices create setbacks that compound. Inaction has a measurable cost, one your family, your business, and your legacy will ultimately pay. Links and Resources Sage Wealth Strategy: sagewealthstrategy.com Factum Financial: factumfinancial.com Factum Financial YouTube Page (Tough Money live event, 45 min): Factum Financial on YouTube Contact Wade: wade@sagewealthstrategy.com wade@factumfinancial.com Keywords financial inaction, cost of not taking action, wealth building habits, liquidity strategy, infinite banking concept, whole life insurance, family legacy planning, be your own banker, generational wealth, cash value life insurance, proper financial sequence, financial fear, family banking, business succession planning, Nelson Nash, financial independence, Sage Wealth Strategy, IBC practitioner, liquidity bucket, Wade Borth podcast Episode Highlights [00:01:22 - 00:02:05]  Wade explains how habits inherited from parents define the financial ceiling most people never break through. [00:02:05 - 00:03:21]  The awareness-education-action pyramid, and why action is the hardest step for even the most educated listeners. [00:03:21 - 00:05:16]  Wade walks through what a typical top 10% household looks like financially, and why the liquidity number is smaller than people expect. [00:07:27 - 00:09:27]  The climbing rope analogy: every level of wealth requires letting go of the habits that carried you to the last level. [00:09:27 - 00:12:07]  The financial junk drawer. Too many choices with no clear sequence creates paralysis, not progress. [00:12:07 - 00:14:46]  If you're aware, if you're educated, and you still don't act, what are the real consequences to your family and business? [00:16:30 - 00:19:02]  Solving the problem costs pennies. Not solving it costs dollars. Wade shows why the math always favors taking action.  

The Gateway
Monday, June 29, 2026 -- Missouri Inaction on Data Centers

The Gateway

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2026 10:11


Of the 100 bills that Missouri lawmakers passed this year, none dealt with data centers. But that wasn't due to a lack of effort from some lawmakers. And with the topic only gaining momentum statewide, the issue is likely to reappear next session.

Coach John Daly - Coach to Expect Success - Podcasts
Fear Inaction - Motivation Monday Game Plan - #1915

Coach John Daly - Coach to Expect Success - Podcasts

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2026 9:44


“Send Coach John a message”I found a great post from Coach AJ  / Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) “The real fear shouldn't be action - it should be inaction.” There is a very deep post here that I will post on my social media channels for you to take a longer look at these thoughts on this very important life topic.  It ties into Friday's show dealing with regret and discipline.  The intro quote from Coach John Wooden is a key part of this. “You're going to fail on occasions. But the greatest failure of all is failure to act when action is needed… You have to act knowing that at times you will fail… that's the greatest - absolutely the greatest - fault of all is failure to act when action is needed.”  Powerful thoughts that go with this from Coach AJ. Again, for me this is a huge reminder as I stated when I reposted this:  “One of the biggest (and truest) reminders that I know I needed to re-connect with!  The “key” for me is to have this truth be a part of my everyday life. I have plenty of examples from my past where I didn't try & plenty where I did. Always learning & growing! Thanks Coach AJ!”  I hope you can make a big connection with this episode as well.  Thanks for listening.  Please take a few moments to subscribe & share this with someone, also leave a 5 Star rating on Apple Podcasts and ITunes or other services where you find this show.  Find me on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/coachtoexpectsuccess/   on Twitter / “X”:  @coachtosuccess   and on Instagram at:  @coachjohndaly  - My YouTube Channel is at: Coach John Daly.   Email me at: CoachJohnDalyPodcast@gmail.com     You can also head on over to https://www.coachtoexpectsuccess.com/ and get in touch with me there on my homepage along with checking out my Top Book list too.  Other things there on my site are being worked on too.  Please let me know that you are reaching out to me from my podcast.  ** I would appreciate anyone to try clicking on the top of the show notes where it says "Send us a text" to leave a few thoughts / comments / questions.  It's a new feature that I'd like to see how it works. **

Les Grandes Gueules
Charles Consigny : "Je comprends qu'on le fasse. Les Français ont le sentiment que c'est l'inaction et la nullité de la classe politique qui conduit à ces drames" - 29/06

Les Grandes Gueules

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2026 2:06


Aujourd'hui, Emmanuel de Villiers, entrepreneur, Charles Consigny, avocat, et Joëlle Dago-Serry, coach de vie, débattent de l'actualité autour d'Alain Marschall et Olivier Truchot.

John Solomon Reports
Congressman Keith Self on the Save America Act and the Challenge of Senate Inaction

John Solomon Reports

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2026 51:39


In this episode of John Solomon Reports, host John Solomon uncovers a bombshell hearing on Capitol Hill, where Postmaster General David Steiner made a pivotal announcement regarding mail-in ballots. Steiner confirmed that the Postal Service would not deliver ballots from states that refuse to comply with President Trump's executive order mandating the vetting of state voter rolls by the Justice Department. This declaration sets a significant precedent in the ongoing debate over election integrity and is expected to lead to legal battles ahead.Joining Solomon is Congressman Keith Self from Texas, a staunch advocate for the Save America Act. Self shares his insights on the importance of this legislation and suggests that Congress should be compelled to vote on it daily, a strategy that could alter the legislative landscape.The episode also delves into a new scandal reminiscent of the Fast and Furious operation, this time involving fentanyl. A decorated DEA agent has come forward with allegations that over one million deadly fentanyl pills were allowed to flood the streets of New Mexico due to negligence from federal agencies. Solomon speaks with Tristan Leavitt, the agent's lawyer from the Empower Over Oversight Whistleblower Center, to discuss the implications of these allegations and the potential consequences of federal inaction on public health.Finally, Solomon addresses critical federal election rulings pending before the Supreme Court, with insights from Hans von Spakovsky, a leading campaign finance expert. They explore the significance of a key case in Mississippi and its potential to shape the future of elections in the United States.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Diabetes Core Update
Special Edition: The Diabetes, Obesity, and CardioMetabolic CARE Symposium—The Cost of Obesity and Its Treatment

Diabetes Core Update

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2026 29:56


In this special episode of The Points of CARE, recorded live during the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) 2026 Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, hosts Richard Beaser, MD and Jane Reusch, MD highlight a new symposium on the clinical, social, and economic costs of treating—or not treating—individuals with obesity. This panel discussion is moderated by Louis J. Aronne, MD, Sanford I. Weill Professor of Metabolic Research at Weill-Cornell Medical College in New York, former president of the Obesity Society, and chair emeritus of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. Presenters: Timothy Dall, MS Managing Director for Life Sciences Consulting at GlobalData Melanie R. Jay, MD, Professor of Medicine and Population Health at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine Catherine Ferguson, MA, Vice President of Federal Advocacy for the ADA Featured Articles: The Cost of Inaction in Treating Obesity in the U.S. doi.org/10.2337/doci25-0011 Benefits and Costs of Treating Obesity Among Adults in Commercial Insurance Plans doi.org/10.2337/doci25-0006 Estimating the Health, Economic, and Social Benefits of Obesity Treatment Using Microsimulation Modeling doi.org/10.2337/doci25-0004 For more on the Cost of Obesity collection, visit diabetesjournals.org/collection/26413/Cost-of-Obesity To learn more about Diabetes, Obesity, and CardioMetabolic CARE please visit diabetesjournals.org/docm-care. Thank you for listening, and don't forget to subscribe.

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast
Why Playing It Safe Is Keeping You Stuck

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2026 29:20


What if the key to creating more success isn't cutting back, but expanding what you believe is possible? In this episode, Christina dives into the powerful mindset shift from scarcity to abundance and why it has the potential to change everything. She unpacks the ways women are often conditioned to focus on saving, shrinking, and playing it safe, and challenges listeners to think differently: What if investing in yourself is actually the fastest path to growth? Through personal stories and practical insights, Christina explores how focusing on creating value instead of eliminating expenses can open doors to greater opportunities, confidence, and fulfillment. If you've ever found yourself holding back out of fear, questioning whether you're worthy of investing in your dreams, or feeling stuck in a cycle of scarcity, this conversation will inspire you to think bigger and step into a more abundant way of living. This episode is your reminder that abundance isn't just about money. It's about believing there is more available to you and having the courage to go after it. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating  and leave us a comment on iTunes   CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA! Instagram LinkedIn Christinalecuyer.com Book a Free Clarity Call Book Christina For Your Next Workshop

A Celtic State of Mind
Celtic Transfer Inaction: 57 days until Champions League Qualifier // ACSOM // A Celtic State of Mind

A Celtic State of Mind

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2026 66:48


► Help us to release the George Connelly documentary: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/george-connelly-celtic-film

La chronique de Benaouda Abdeddaïm
Le monde qui bouge - L'Interview : Rapport sur le coût de l'inaction climatique - 22/06

La chronique de Benaouda Abdeddaïm

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2026 7:09


Ce lundi 22 juin, Antoine Denoix, PDG d'AXA Climate, était l'invité dans Le monde qui bouge - L'Interview, de l'émission Good Morning Business, présentée par Laure Closier. Ils ont abordé le nouveau rapport qui révèle le coût exorbitant de l'inaction face à l'urgence climatique, ainsi que la rentabilité financière des mesures d'adaptation. Retrouvez l'émission du lundi au vendredi et réécoutez la en podcast.

Reformed Brotherhood | Sound Doctrine, Systematic Theology, and Brotherly Love
Parable of the Talents: False Theology Produces Fatal Inaction

Reformed Brotherhood | Sound Doctrine, Systematic Theology, and Brotherly Love

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2026 64:01


In episode 497 of The Reformed Brotherhood, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb bring the Parable of the Talents to a close with one of the most theologically rich discussions in recent memory. Beginning in Matthew 25:24, they zero in on the one-talent servant — not merely as a cautionary tale about productivity, but as a profound case study in distorted theology. The servant's fatal error wasn't laziness alone; it was a fundamentally false picture of his master. That mischaracterization produced a craven, fearful inaction that the hosts argue maps directly onto the eschatological stakes of the parable. Drawing on Calvin, William Ames, and Reformed confessional commitments, Tony and Jesse make the case that right theology is never merely academic — it shapes the whole of life, and ultimately determines one's eschatological destiny. Key Takeaways The one-talent servant's core failure is theological, not behavioral — he constructs a false image of his master as harsh and exploitative, and that distorted theology governs everything that follows. False theology produces fatal inaction — the servant's fear is not godly fear but a craven dread rooted entirely in his mischaracterization of the master's character. The knowledge of God and the knowledge of self are inseparable — following Calvin's Institutes, the hosts argue that a right understanding of God as gracious and generous will produce active, trusting faithfulness, while a distorted view produces fearful, minimal compliance. The parable is fundamentally eschatological, not merely practical — interpreting the talents primarily as spiritual gifts or ministry opportunities misses the point; the parable is about who belongs to the master's kingdom and who does not. Character precedes action — the faithful servants do not become faithful by producing returns; they produce returns because they are faithful. The wicked servant buries his talent because he is wicked, not the other way around. William Ames understood the servant's sin as a violation of the ninth commandment — by burying his talent, the servant effectively bears false witness against God's own estimation of the gift, rejecting both the gift and the Giver. The "outer darkness" language is not out of place — it is the natural eschatological conclusion for someone who never genuinely knew or trusted the master, making the parable a picture of what it means to be outside the grace and presence of God entirely. Key Concepts False Theology as the Root of Inaction The most striking feature of the one-talent servant's account is not what he did — or failed to do — but what he believed. He tells his master, "I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed." Tony and Jesse point out that nothing in the parable supports this characterization. A master who entrusts his servants with what amounts to decades of wages — hundreds of years' worth of labor between three servants — is not a hard, exploitative figure. He is astonishingly generous and trusting. The servant has constructed a theological fiction, and that fiction becomes the prison of his own inaction. This is not a peripheral observation; it is the interpretive key to the entire parable. What we believe about God determines everything about how we live before Him. The Knowledge of God Shapes the Whole of Life Calvin famously opens the Institutes with the observation that the knowledge of God and the knowledge of self are so bound together that it is nearly impossible to determine which is logically prior. Jesse draws on this insight to show that the one-talent servant's self-understanding — timid, fearful, paralyzed — flows directly from his distorted image of God. A person who genuinely knows God as gracious, generous, and long-suffering will be motivated to active, trusting faithfulness. A person who privately believes God to be harsh and demanding will retreat into fearful, minimalist compliance. This is not merely a first-century observation. It is a diagnostic tool for self-examination: the shape of our obedience reveals the shape of our theology. Reformed orthodoxy has always insisted that right doctrine is not academic — it is the engine of the Christian life. Character Precedes Action — The Anti-Works-Righteousness Reading One of the most important guardrails Tony and Jesse set up in this episode is against a subtle works-righteousness reading of the parable. It is tempting to hear the parable and conclude: do productive things for the kingdom, and you will be welcomed as a good and faithful servant. But the hosts argue that this inverts the logic of the text entirely. The faithful servants are not commended because they generated a return; they generated a return because they are faithful servants. The wicked servant buries his talent because he is wicked — his character drives his conduct, not the reverse. Justification and sanctification alike are received by faith in Christ alone, and no reading of this parable should suggest that our eschatological standing is secured by our productivity. The sheep act like sheep because they are sheep. That punchline, Tony notes, will carry them straight into the sheep and the goats passage next week. Memorable Quotes "Who is it that's not going to be saved in the last day? It's the people who don't recognize the master. The people who think that the master is a hard man who reaps where he has not sown and gathers where he has not scattered. Well, if we think that's who God is, we have a lot of trouble coming our way." — Tony Arsenal "A person who genuinely knows the living God as gracious, generous, long-suffering, with that kind of hesed kind of love — that person will be motivated to active, trusting faithfulness. A person who privately believes God to be harsh and demanding is always going to retreat in this fearful, minimal kind of compliance." — Jesse Schwamb "The sheep act like sheep because they're sheep. They don't become sheep because they do sheep things. They do sheep things because they're sheep." — Tony Arsenal Full Transcript Welcome to episode four hundred and ninety seven of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse  And I'm Tony, and this is the podcast with ears to hear Hey, brother  [00:00:42] Jesse Schwamb: Hey, brother. We're back at it again. We're hanging out in Matthew's gospel, the 25th chapter, and it's time to, I think, close out the Parable of the Talents, where we've got two servants that double their master's money, and one who buries his in the ground like a Calvinist who's confused predestination with doing nothing. And of course, all of this irony is the faithful servants, they can't even take credit. The master supplied the capital, the ability, and apparently even the bull market. It's grace all the way down. But meanwhile, the one talent guy returns exactly what he was given and he gets absolutely wrecked, and we're gonna dig into that. Gonna dig into- ... that later.  [00:01:26] Affirm or Deny Segment [00:01:26] Jesse Schwamb: But before we do, it's what everybody's waiting for. It's that time in the podcast where we affirm with something that we really like or we recommend or we think is undervalued, or we deny against something that's exactly the opposite. Not worth it, no good, get it out of here. So Tony, are you affirming with or denying against?  [00:01:43] Tony Arsenal: I'm denying against something related to the World Cup. Um-  [00:01:47] Jesse Schwamb: Okay ...  [00:01:48] Tony Arsenal: I am not a purist, so please don't hear me as, like, elitist soccer dude who is resistant to any sort of changes, but, um, I didn't actually even know this was happening. Are you following the World Cup at all, Jesse? [00:02:01] Jesse Schwamb: I'm trying to. I'm not against it, I'm just finding myself- Yeah ... stuck in  [00:02:05] Tony Arsenal: trying to like- There, there's a lot going on.  [00:02:06] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah ... yeah, coordinate everything.  [00:02:07] Tony Arsenal: Um, one of the things that they... And they're at weird times this year too- Yes ... at least so far they are.  [00:02:11] Jesse Schwamb: Exactly.  [00:02:11] Hydration Breaks Rant [00:02:11] Tony Arsenal: Um, one of the things this year that I noticed that I didn't know was happening, and I hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, is, uh, I, I guess I understand why they're doing it, but they've instituted what they're calling mandatory hydration breaks-  [00:02:25] Jesse Schwamb: Oh,  [00:02:26] Tony Arsenal: I've read about this uh, into the games. Yeah. And essentially what this has done is it's turned a game that used to be, uh, and has always been two 45-minute halves-  [00:02:38] Jesse Schwamb: Mm-hmm ...  [00:02:38] Tony Arsenal: um, uh, with overage time, right? So, like, the, the ref will sometimes just, like, add a couple minutes. Usually it's, you know, three to five, maybe 10 minutes at the most to the end of the, the half. They've turned that from, uh, two 45-minute halves into now four, what is that? Like, 23-minute quarters, 22 and a half- Right ... minute quarters. Um, and they're not always quarters. They're not always evenly split. They sometimes do the hydration break early or later. Um, this is awful. It's just awful, right? One of the, one of the, um, maybe this is me being a little bit of a soccer purist. One of the things about soccer that makes it a challenging sport is the endurance of it.  [00:03:21] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:03:22] Tony Arsenal: Right? And contrary to what I think most people think when they watch soccer, um, it's one of the few games, few professional games that doesn't have a ton of breaks- Right? There's not a lot of times where, where match play actually stops for any real amount of time. Um, and that's what stoppage time is. It's not intended to be something like football, where there often is time on the clock where the clock is still moving, but the game is not, like, actively progressing forward, right? Right. You have to do something special to stop the clock. In soccer, uh, at least historically, 45 minutes of play is 45 minutes of play. It's, it's 45 minutes of actual actionable play. And now, um, you know, they stop the game. The clock doesn't continue, but now the game stre- like, the, the game itself stretches longer 'cause they've introduced these additional breaks. So I'm denying, uh... This just sounds like s- I'm such a ghoul here. I'm denying mandatory hydration breaks, not because I want soccer players to get sunstroke. Uh, they get plenty of water. There's plenty of times they get to stop and get water. It's- And this is... We didn't have mandatory hydration breaks when the World Cup was in Qatar. Right. Right? And everybody, for the most part, was fine. Like, the players were all fine. There were no casualties on the field. I don't even recall, like, major medical problems on the field. We're in LA now. Yeah, it's warm, summer, but come on, guys. Like, let's, let's, let's be real. This is not, uh, this is not rec league. This is not, you know, U15 league play with, with kids. These are adult men who condition for a living. Like, this is their job, is to be conditioned and for their bodies to be in peak performance. So it's just... It just interrupts the game. I don't know. I'm, I'm being a little crotchety here, but I feel like I have a right to be 'cause this is my show, and I can do what I want to. That's absolutely true. So I'm denying hydration breaks, mandatory hydrat- hydration breaks, which change the game. And a commentator actually commented about that on, on the match the other day. Um, it changes the dynamic of the game. It changes the strategy of the game. Um, it changes the whole feel of the game, right from the strategy of how long you have to be able to go, right? This will change how- how footballers have to condition themselves, 'cause they're no longer having to condition themselves for two 45-minute halves. They're having to condition themselves for four 22-and-a-half minute quarters, um, which is not the same game as, as that. So anyway, we'll- it's yet to see, be seen if that has any real impact on the outcome of any games or anything like that. But it was annoying to me, so I'm denying mandatory hydration breaks. [00:05:59] Jesse Schwamb: That's great. We haven't had a good denial in a little while on this podcast. I think that's fantastic. I mean, not the break, but the denial itself. Plus, and I don't wanna be... You'll have to tell me if I'm speaking conspiratorial here, because most of my apparent World Cup and general sports news still comes from The Wall Street Journal, so that might be a weird place to get it. But- ... the, I became aware of this through an article that was lamenting the exact same thing. Yeah. It was just basically all the arguments that you said. Like, it's weird, and the game wasn't designed this way, and it's definitely like an interruption. It's definitely like an insertion.  [00:06:32] Ads and Soccer Purism [00:06:32] Jesse Schwamb: And then, of course, was all the stuff about, isn't this really about just allowing commercial break time, and it's more about that, and we're just conveniently saying that we need the hydration breaks. And what else would they, we have them do if we needed to force them to take a break but say, "You know what? Why don't you guys take a knee and get some water- Yeah ... while we show you some ads?" So I imagine that doesn't sit well with people either.  [00:06:52] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. I mean, I'm sure that that's the case. Again, I, I haven't even been able to watch a full, full World Cup match, so I don't, I don't know... I don't even know how long the hydration breaks are, to be honest with you. But yes, it's an interruption in play where they can cut to commercial. And whether that was why they put this in place or not, or whether they're just utilizing it, it's obnoxious. Like, part of the fun of watching soccer is that there is no commercial break for the first 45 minutes. Right. Um, that's just part of- Which is unusual in sports ... part of the joy of the game, is that it's a continual game with no real breaks. Um, even when, like, a player is injured because, you know, there's an injury on the field or something like that, um, even when that happens, they don't cut to commercial because there was no planned commercial. They don't have anything there. Right. So, um, it's changed, like, the way... Y- you know, even, even things like this is gonna change how uniforms are thought out, because sponsorship money through uniforms used to be the m- one of the main commercial-driving, like, sponsorships for, um, for the game. So I'm just annoyed by it. [00:07:53] More Rule Changes [00:07:53] Tony Arsenal: There's an- a couple other things that I'm annoyed by this year. They have this... It's kinda like that automatic up call checker thing we talked about. Right. They have this, like, um- They call it mistaken identity, uh, recheck. Basically where if a player is fouled or appears to be fouled, they can, someone can flag it and it will recheck it and, like, digitally the system tells them whether there was a foul or not. And like I said before when we were talking about this a little bit before, um, there is a real element in the game, or there has been a real element to the game historically, where the ump is almost like, or the ref is almost like a third player, and you have to be wise and play the ref. Um, you have to, you know, there's, there's an element of a little bit of, uh, espionage and subtle- Right you know, subterfuge here going on in the game that I think people outside the game who are just watching, they look and they think like, "Oh, yeah, that guy flopped." But there's a whole, like, art and there's a whole form to that, and there's real cost if you do it poorly. Um, and so, like, we've already had one instance where a yellow card was called on a player. Uh, the other player simulated the foul. Um, and so they reversed it and gave the other guy a yellow card, but they did that after the game. Um, which, which is a whole other thing. Like, you play a whole game, um I could talk about this all night. Like when you get, when you get a red card- ... you're, you're out for an entire game, not just- Right the rest of this game. You're out for an entire game. Your position is out for an entire game, so that might mean you start the next match down a player. Well, what does that mean if you are given a red card sort of posthumously after the match, right? Right. Like, you- it's changed the whole calculation because for the whole game, that player, uh, was playing as though he didn't have a yellow card. And that, maybe that's good, maybe that's bad, but he was playing the game as though he didn't have a yellow card, and then all of a sudden now he does. Um, he doesn't go... I don't think he goes into the next match starting with a yellow card. Um, a- and so I'm kind of like, "Well, what's the, what's the point?" But, um, you know, some of that plays into, like, if there's ties and ties, match, match point ties, then they start looking at who has penalties and stuff. But either way, it's annoying that they, they're introducing this. Like, we didn't need to have... Yes, there's probably a place for reviewing a, a bad ref's calls. Right. They've also added, like, automatic on offsides. There was a whole strategy and a whole part of the game of forcing a person offsides, of drawing a person offsides, being offsides without looking like you're offsides. Some people may look at that and go, "Well, that's cheating," but no, it's actually just part of the game. Right. Like, playing the ref and understanding that is part of the game. And now it's still part of the game, but it's part of the game in a different way, and that's... Maybe I am just being a purist, but I just, I don't like it. I don't like it. Give me back my beautiful game the way it's always been and get off my lawn, get off the turf, get off my pitch, whatever. Um, I'm denying the fact that the World Cup is not as it's always been. But also, like, we don't need this stuff. Like, the World Cup has been fine for how many years?  [00:11:03] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:11:03] Tony Arsenal: We don't need water breaks like this- W- i- you know, if it was like last World Cup, five players died from dehydration in the middle of the... Like, okay, like yeah, let's do some water breaks. But like, nobody died. Nobody even had major medical emergencies. I think a couple people had to come out of the game a little early 'cause they weren't well-hydrated. But like- Right ... run to the side, get a water bottle. Like, you can do that in the middle of a game. There's nothing- Yeah ... against the rules to stand by the sideline, drink when someone's doing a substitution or even in the middle of the game. I've seen that happen, where someone will sprint over to the sideline, they'll take a drink of water, and then they'll throw the cup back over. So anywho, we should move on. This could be my entire, my entire rant of, for a whole episode- Good ... against the weird changes in, in World Cup soccer, so.  [00:11:48] Jesse Schwamb: Listen, I love it.  [00:11:49] Peacock Spanish Hack [00:11:49] Jesse Schwamb: My favorite hack, uh, for World Cup soccer so far this year, and this was given to me by a colleague, uh, and a brother, I think this is fantastic, is right now because my wife is convalescing, we have all the subscriptions temporarily to allow, like, the full healing process to take place. Watch whatever you want, wherever you want. Except for the World Cup, because the, uh... I- it was just, like, where you could actually get it in English was, like, crazy expensive, at least for me. So here's the thing, though. Somebody reminded me uh, that we have Peacock and that because of Telemundo, could just watch and stream the entire World Cup in Spanish. So guess what, loved ones? We're learning a lot more Spanish- I love it ... and we're watching the World Cup with the announcers on. I'm not turning off that, 'cause that's the best part. And, you know, I'm getting, like, 25% of what's being said, but it is awesome. And there's- Yeah ... a lot more energy and excitement. So if for some reason you have Peacock and you're saying, "Oh, I'm missing the World Cup," technically you don't have to. It's all there for you. That's amazing. Just you gotta embrace Spanish.  [00:12:46] Tony Arsenal: That's amazing. And yes, actually, it probably is more entertaining.  [00:12:49] Jesse Schwamb: It is.  [00:12:50] Tony Arsenal: Um, and you don't, you don't need to... You really don't need to understand what the commentator is- No I mean, like 90% of the time the commentator's like, "Oh, he's having a good year," and, uh- ... yeah, like, "Oh, yeah, yeah, he's looking real great. Do you see how his, uh, laces are laced up?" Like, they're just trying to fill time.  [00:13:05] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:13:05] Tony Arsenal: So it doesn't really matter what they're saying. And when it does matter what they're saying, you'll get it just from the-  [00:13:11] Jesse Schwamb: Yes [00:13:11] Tony Arsenal: just from what the announcer's voices are doing. So I'll have to check that out. Yeah, the, the matches are at weird times, at least so far. I think, I think that once we get out of group play, m- a lot of the matches shift to the East Coast, so there'll be, uh, a little bit more normal times.  [00:13:25] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:13:25] Tony Arsenal: But, like, the first, the first, uh, US match was at 9:00 Eastern Time, and then, like, the last one's at 10:00 Eastern Time. Yeah.  [00:13:32] Jesse Schwamb: So  [00:13:33] Tony Arsenal: late. Yeah, super late, and it's a, it's a three-hour match by the time you, you get done with halftime and everything. So yeah, it'll, it'll... It's, it's frustrating. Although historically, um, every time the men, the men's team has won their first match, they've gotten out of group play, and every time they've lost their fir- first match, they have not gotten out of group play. And we, we really, really won our first match. Yes. Yeah. So I think, I think we'll get out of group play. I think probably, depending on how the, the cards roll, um, we'll probably, we'll probably get through our first elimination round, maybe our second, but we're not gonna go much further than that. Um, even, even that would be a, a pretty good victory, so- Anyway, football is life, right? Danny Ross. Um, do, did you watch Ted last night? Yes,  [00:14:24] Jesse Schwamb: I have seen it. Yes.  [00:14:25] Tony Arsenal: That was good. Football is life. Um, that's me this time of year. Like, I wore a soccer jersey to work on Friday, and nobody could tell me I couldn't do that, and I didn't care. So- I  [00:14:33] Jesse Schwamb: love it ...  [00:14:34] Tony Arsenal: uh, nobody even tried. Everybody, everybody's fine. Everybody loves soccer- How dare they ... and loves the World Cup, so. Yeah. That's the truth. Anywho, save me from this. I, I literally could talk about soccer all night. This is the one sport that I get like this. And the... Not even the one sport. The one sporting event that I get like this about is the World Cup. I love it. So you've gotta, you gotta stop me or I'm not gonna, not gonna stop. Let  [00:14:54] Jesse Schwamb: it out.  [00:14:54] Hydration Tabs Recommendation [00:14:54] Jesse Schwamb: Well, I would say, like, we could play that game with our affirmations and denials where it's, like, six degrees of separation, but we only need one. And this is gonna sound like it was planned, but it wasn't. Your denial, of course, as you've just well articulated, was about hydration breaks. Turns out my affirmation is actually about hydration. So-  [00:15:11] Tony Arsenal: Jesse's affirming hydration breaks. We're about  [00:15:13] Jesse Schwamb: to fight. Yeah. No, I'm, I'm definitely not a- affirming hydration breaks, but this might be the kind of hydration they're having. I don't know, but it's the one I'm gonna recommend. So where I live, it is the summertime, and where I live, we get both the heat and the humidity, and that's the oppressive part, isn't it? It's where it feels like the inside of a dog's mouth. And so I actually just came back from a run, and my go-to hydration break for myself is, uh, Nuun, N-U-U-N. And here's the reason why, is I've had Gatorade, I've had all the... I've had Liquid IV, I've had all that stuff. Most of the time it's r- too sweet. Nuun is just these effervescent dissolvable tablets that you drop into water, and it creates this low sugar electrolyte drink. It has all, like, the normal stuff. It has sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chloride, all that good stuff, but there's just one gram of sugar. And it's this convenient little tab. Like, you can just get this whole little roll of tabs. You can carry them with you if you're going hiking or you're camping or you're out and gonna do a run. You just drop them into a bottle of water or whatever size water you want. I usually go 32 ounces is the way I like it. They have all, all kinds of flavors. It's just the right thing. Like, it's... It is like the refreshing thing of water, but when you're like, "You know what? I wanna taste something that's not water." So Nuun is, like, the right thing. I may have referred to it before, so I'm sorry if I did. But I'm referring with you can order it on, like, Amazon or any kind of, I don't know, general kind of camping or sports-oriented store is probably gonna be there. But it's... For me, it's the right thing because I don't know about you, but I find most sports drinks, like, in general too sweet. Like, you, you start... You have one, and then if I get through it, I'm kind of like, "Ugh, now I feel like my mouth is, like, really just coated in sugar, and that's not what I wanted." Yeah. So this feels like you're, you're getting a little less sweetness, but you don't feel guilty afterwards like you've just consumed a bunch of sugar. I will admit, I drink one I guess it's like 12 ounce Gatorade every week, just one. And this is because there's a delightful and loving, like, 72-year-old woman in our congregation who brings, I believe it's her own, she invests this every week. She brings for the team that is doing the worship through music Gatorade, uh, because she thinks we need to be replenished. So really, we have a hydration break- ... right before the service. But she, it's so beautiful and so delightful, I will never refuse it, and I am also on often parched at the time. So-  [00:17:31] Tony Arsenal: Yeah ...  [00:17:31] Jesse Schwamb: it does work out, so.  [00:17:31] Tony Arsenal: Jesse's worship team goes real hard. They need to hydrate in the middle. They do a mandatory hydration break in the middle of the- It's, yeah middle of the service.  [00:17:39] Jesse Schwamb: It's mandatory. Yes. We are strict.  [00:17:41] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And it's an, it's a good time for announcements and commercial breaks. Um, yeah. I, I think, uh, and you're... I don't know if you're gonna believe me when I say this. With all of the Nuun that passes its way around the family home when we're all here- Yeah at summertime, I've never had-  [00:17:57] Jesse Schwamb: Oh, really? ...  [00:17:57] Tony Arsenal: Nuun. Yeah. We never tried it. I think our go-to for, for sort of powdered energy drink or powdered, uh, sports drink is little Propel packets.  [00:18:05] Jesse Schwamb: Um- Oh,  [00:18:05] Tony Arsenal: that's not bad either. Propel's not bad. I like Propel. It's very sweet, but it, it doesn't- Yeah ... um, Propel- doesn't add sugar. I think that they've, they've got their formula where it's a sugar-free formula. Um, but it is very sweet. So sometimes I'll only do, like, a half a packet of Propel- Yeah ... which I know kind of, they, they argue that or they, like, advertise as, like, "It's the perfect balance of electro-" I don't know if it's the perfect balance of electrolytes, but- Um, but some is better than none probably. Yeah. And, uh, Propel is not better than Nuun apparently, so.  [00:18:36] Jesse Schwamb: I, I, I think Nuun is, like, top shelf electrolyte. And you can get it, like I said, in lots of flavors. One of the fun things is you can get it caffeinated or uncaffeinated. I mean, most, most of it is uncaffeinated. But if you're like you wanted to have some, they have a what they call Kona Cola, and it is cola-flavored and has caffeine. It's amazing, because it's, like, just slightly effervescent, a little bit bubbly. Not too much. It's still, like, refreshing, but if you like the cola flavor, which as you know is its own distinct combination of elements and spices, then it's right on. So- Yeah ... it's really nice. So there you go. Yeah. Nuun- I- And if you're gonna take a hydration break because you're being forced to while you're playing soccer, I highly suggest you choose Nuun. That's the way to go.  [00:19:22] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know what they're drinking. I think most of the time they're just drinking water.  [00:19:26] Jesse Schwamb: Probably.  [00:19:26] Tony Arsenal: So I, I don't... I mean, I, I think you're supposed to drink something with some electrolytes, so maybe they have some electrolyte-  [00:19:32] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah ...  [00:19:32] Tony Arsenal: water in it. I don't know.  [00:19:33] Jesse Schwamb: I don't know. Probably.  [00:19:34] Join the Telegram Group [00:19:34] Jesse Schwamb: Here's the thing. If you wanna tell us what you like to drink or when you are, let's say, serving the Lord's people by participating in worship through music and you're forced to take a hydration break, as I am at times, then you need to go to t.mereformedbrotherhood. Put that into your browser right now. Take a hydration break and put t.mereformedbrotherhood into your browser and that will send you to a link for Telegram, which is just a little chat app in which we have a small corner of the world. It's brothers and sisters listening to the podcast, interacting, and it's about time, actually, we probably had some kinda taste test stuff-  [00:20:11] Tony Arsenal: Yeah with,  [00:20:12] Jesse Schwamb: like, these kinda hydration drinks. There's so many of them now. Some of them are, like, purposely salty. Some of them are really sweet. Some have all these crazy and wild flavors. Some of them have all kinds of caffeine. So let us know what you like, but best way to do that- Please ... is join the Telegram group. [00:20:26] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And please do not, uh, do not make your church stop their service for a hydration break. Please don't do that. The only hydration break I wanna hear you talking about in your church service is a baptism. So please-  [00:20:38] Jesse Schwamb: I knew that's  [00:20:38] Tony Arsenal: where you were going ... do not interrupt the Lord's day for a hydration break. Just if you need water, just, like, step out of the room, take a drink of water, come back. Or if you're in a church that lets you have water in the sanctuary, like most do, just take a drink. That's true. You don't have to- Yeah ... stand up. You don't need to have- That's good ... anyone interpret. Just take a quick drink and then be quiet. Just  [00:20:54] Jesse Schwamb: go to the sidelines, maybe sub out- Mm-hmm ... with somebody else who can play bass, and take a quick drink.  [00:21:00] Tony Arsenal: Exactly. Come back. Yeah. Or just dump the, dump the Propel powder straight in your mouth.  [00:21:05] Jesse Schwamb: I thought you were gonna say like have somebody come up, preferably like an elder, and just hose you down with a thing of Gatorade while you're, while you're  playing  [00:21:10] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, exactly. Just go up to the baptismal font, take a scoop of water, dump the Propel directly in the baptis- no, I'm just kidding. I shouldn't joke about that stuff. Yeah.  [00:21:19] Back to Matthew 25 [00:21:19] Tony Arsenal: Anyway, Jesse, I'm excited because although we are probably gonna round out this parable, we're not done with these parables because- Oh, yeah, that's  [00:21:28] Jesse Schwamb: right [00:21:28] Tony Arsenal: although we're gonna finish this parable this week, we'll probably finish it and get started talking about, uh, the next, the little chunk of text, which is not a parable, but we can't really, uh, divorce it from these parables 'cause they're all telling, they're all making the same or a very similar point about what the kingdom of heaven will be like in relation to the end times- Mm-hmm in relation to the eschatological, um, outcome of all things. Uh, and, and Christ in his teaching, um, he kind of rounds out this teaching and finalizes what these parables mean by talking to us about the sheep and the goats. Um, which again, is not really formed like a parable, but, uh, but it has very similar structures. It has some similar elements to it. Um, but it, it's so integral to what these, all what this sort of like, uh, anthology of eschatological parables mean in all the discourse. We really have to cover that to, to cover the others fully. But tonight we're gonna finish our discussion about the parable of the talents, which I'm excited about because I think we're gonna, we're gonna round out on some stuff that, um, I, I hope you've heard, uh, is probably not as, um, prominent as it should be. Uh, and this, we talked about last time that this parable has been, uh, not necessarily applied properly in many popular- Right ... teachings. Uh, and so I'm, I'm sure you've heard not so great interpretations. Hopefully we're gonna give you an interpretation that's a little bit more accurate and faithful to what the Bible teaches. [00:23:00] Reading the Parable Text [00:23:00] Jesse Schwamb: And so we're gonna pick it up in verse 24 of Matthew 25, because you'll probably recall, and if you haven't it's because you need to go back and listen, that we talked about the first two of these servants and the return that they were able to garner on the investment which the Lord gave them when He went away. And then there's the third dude. So we're gonna pick it up there and go all the way to the end of this, which allow us to close it out. So beginning verse 24, "And the one also had received the one talent came up and said, 'Master, I knew you'd be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, have what is yours.' But the master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave. You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed; therefore you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have at least received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has 10 talents. For to everyone who has more, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who does not have, even what he does not have,' excuse me, 'what he does have shall be taken away. And throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"  [00:24:18] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah.  [00:24:19] Textual Notes and Transition [00:24:19] Tony Arsenal: There, there's some, um, some textual things about this that I think, uh, we sh- should at least acknowledge. I don't know that we're gonna dig too deep into them. Um, it is very possible to, um, to read verse 30 Almost as an interpretive statement in itself rather than part of the, um, part of the parable itself. And, and so let me, let me see if I can, can parse that out. So if we read it as though it's part of the parable, then it is the s- the, the master in the parable who is saying, "And cast the worthless servant into the darkness; in the place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." I think that's the most natural reading, so I'll, I'll put my cards on the table that I think that we should read this as part of the parable itself. It's also possible linguistically and grammatically to sort of read this as an explanation, where Christ is now taking this principle of what has happened with the worthless servant, right? That even what he has will be taken away. And then, and then to sort of read this as a commentary that sort of, uh, like we saw before, um, kind of bridges this section with the next. So instead of reading, "And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness," uh, as though it were part of the parable, that it was this master within the parable saying this, we can read this as Christ saying that this is what will happen to those who are worthless servants. And then that follows up with, in verse 31, kind of h- connecting to when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all nations. Right. Th- this next sort of, like, more explicit, non-parabolical, um, uh, eschatological teaching. I think that former one is more natural, but just because it's, it's present in a lot of the commentaries that this is there, I wanted to at least call that out. I don't know that it makes a ton of difference in terms of how we understand the parable, but I do think, you know, part of what it means for us to wrestle through this is not just to take a particular position on the text, but to discuss, like, some of these ambiguities that are present. Um, and, and sometimes, um Sometimes I think we need to be cautious and really think through, because, uh, let me, let me rephrase it this way. None of the teaching in the Bible is sort of uninterpreted, untranslated, raw teaching of Christ. All of this is coming to us from the apostles retelling it, and yes, inspired by the Holy Spirit, so all of it's God's Word. But it's not as though, um, it's not as though Christ was first speaking in Greek. That's the big thing. But there are some places in the New Testament, in the Gospels, where it's not always clear whether a passage is Christ speaking or the, uh, the Gospel writer interpreting what Christ is speaking. This is one of those places where there's a little bit of a question mark about that. Um, again, I think the most natural reading is to read this as part of the statement of the master within the parable, but I did wanna just comment on that before we moved on much further.  [00:27:31] Buried Talent Scandal [00:27:31] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's helpful because I think we've gotta understand that end in light of how it's evolving. And we, we're starting with that stark contrast between the first two, which receive this great reward, which receive accolades and praise, and then you have this one talent servant's response is all about hiddenness. He just digs a hole, puts it in the ground, and hides it away. Which by the way, of course, we talked about this in the other parables, like in the ancient world, burying valuables was recognized as a form of safekeeping. I mean, I think even Josephus mentions that. We talk about the pearl of great price. There was something to be known for, well, I have this valuable thing. The best place for me to, the best place for me to put it so that it isn't compromised is in the ground, in a secret place. And there's like a surface level, I guess, reasonableness to that act. But what's interesting and where it comes in with that heat that you're kinda talking about, that ends up being in the end this grand statement of the eschatological, eschatological reality, is that the parable here with this one talent servant treats all that action as like complete catastrophic failure. And I, I think as much as I can understand it, it's because the master did not give him this talent to protect it from loss. He gave it to him for, to use it for gain And so the servant has mistaken the nature of that commission entirely. He substituted like the security-seeking for risk-taking faithfulness. And so I think that informs some of then what happens in these latter verses here, like when we get all the way down to 30. Because I think when we read that, we see the, like the redistribution as scandalous. But the scandal really is in this lack of actions. Like gifts exercised grow, but gifts buried, they just atrophy. So the one t- talent servant's talent is taken because he's, he's already been treated as n- as it was, was nothing. He's functionally like forfeited it by burying it. And so the transfer of the 10-talent servant is the formal confirmation of what his own choices had, had already produced. I think there is something there about like the eschatological reality, reality that will unfold in the judgment, which of course leads to, into the end of this chapter  [00:29:36] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, I think you're right on that.  [00:29:39] Misreading The Master [00:29:39] Tony Arsenal: Um, what we see the problem with the one talent servant is not, um, not that he's not productive.  [00:29:49] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:29:49] Tony Arsenal: I mean, I think that's, that's actually the symptom of the illness, not the illness itself. What we see with the, the one talent servant is that he misunderstands his task, as you're pointing out, but more foundationally, he misunderstands his master, right? And that, that's really the, the main point of the parable when we kinda get... You know, Christ, um, when He's telling a parable, He explains the parable. Sometimes He doesn't explain the parable at all. He just sorta drops the parable and then moves on. Other times He will give the interpretation itself, like directly. We saw that in the parable of the, uh, of the soils or the parable of the sower. Um, and, and other times the kind of like the main explanation of the parable is, is actually embedded in the parable. And I think for this parable, the main explanation is when the, the one talent servant, uh, comes forward and he, when he's explaining why he did what he did-  [00:30:47] Jesse Schwamb: Right [00:30:48] Tony Arsenal: he says, "Well, I knew you were a," uh, let me just find it for sure here. He says, um, "I knew that you were a..." I just lost it. My brain is totally lost here. You ever have that happen where you're trying to find a word- Yes ... on a text and you just can't? He says, "Master," in verse 24, he says, "Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. So I was afraid. I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours." There's a number of statements in here that just don't make any sense. Like, they're just... Like you said, a lot of these parables have kind of like a chump figure, where, like, he's sort of like the designated idiot of the parable. [00:31:31] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:31:32] Tony Arsenal: In this instance, there's so much wrong that it's almost hard to find something right. And, you know, he starts out, he says, "I knew you were a hard man." There's nothing in the parable, there's nothing that suggests that this is a hard man. There's nothing to suggest that. He, as we said last week, he trusts these servants with an almost unimaginable amount of wealth, right? He just leaves hundreds of years worth of wealth in the, in the, like... And it's not even like he's going off to war and he may never be coming back. He's just going on a journey.  [00:32:05] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:32:05] Tony Arsenal: He's just traveling for a little while, and he's like, "I'm gonna leave 100 years worth of labor with this guy and 40 years worth of labor with this guy and 20 years worth of labor with this guy." He, what, what, in what world is that a hard man who just blesses and trusts his servants with that amount of unimaginable wealth? But then he says, "I knew that you, uh, reaped where you did not sow and gathered where you scattered no seed." First of all, um, what kind of person accumulates this kind of wealth without reaping, uh, without the, like, a- apart from the principle of reaping and sowing and gathering and, and scattering? Like, he obviously is a very successful businessman. Um, the, the fact that this, uh, servant is couching this in agricultural terms, I think it's reasonable to think that this is a very successful landowner who has made good use of his land, has turned a profit Obviously he's reaping where he sows and he's gathering where he scattered or he wouldn't have this kind of money to throw around to leave with his servants in the first place. But the servant doesn't recognize that the fact that he was given one talent is in fact the master reaping or sowing and scattering the seed of these talents. So he's saying like, "Well, you reap where you have not sown," but the fact is like he was sown a full talent worth of resources and he, the, the master expected to reap what he had sown when he gets back. So this servant He's worthless and he's lazy, but he's also just kind of dumb in that he just doesn't- Right ... recognize the reality of what's going on. He has an incorrect understanding of who the master is. He thinks he's a hard man, when actually he's an incredibly trusting and generous master, right? The, the ESV masks this as servants. We're not talking about hired hands here. We're talking about slaves. Right. We're talking about h- probably about household slaves. This is doulos. These are the slaves that work in the fields, um, as opposed to, like, diakonos, which are the slaves that work in the house, right? These are, these are field servants. These are laborers that are indentured or are, are in servitude, and he gives them enough wages, enough labor, enough money, they could just take off and leave with it. They could buy their own freedom with this. Right. He trusts them with that. That's not a description of a hard man, a hard, lazy man who sows w- reaps where he doesn't sow and gathers where he doesn't scatter. So the primary issue here with this servant is not that he's lazy, although he is lazy. It's not that he's wicked. He is wicked. It's that he doesn't recognize who the master is. He doesn't understand who the master is and what is expected of him as a servant of that master, which I think, I think, as I've thought about this over the last week or so, I think that actually says everything about the eschatological import of this, right? Yes. Who is it that's not going to be saved in the last day?  [00:34:56] Jesse Schwamb: That's right.  [00:34:57] Tony Arsenal: It's the people who don't recognize the master. Right on. The people who think that the master is a hard man who reaps where he has not sown and gathers where he has not scattered. Well, if we think that's who God is, we have a lot of trouble coming our way. [00:35:10] Fearful False Theology [00:35:10] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that is the heart, right, of this dude's sin. It's a false theology of God that produces then this fearful inaction. Because, like you said, it's not just that he's been lazy. He has constructed this weird, distorted picture of his master, and then he allows that distortion to govern his behavior. So this, quote-unquote, "fear" is not like the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom, but it's this kind of craven dread that's rooted in a mischaracterization of the master's entire character. And one of the things that I think, among many, that's really great about the Reformed theological tradition is that it's always assisted, and I th- hopefully we along with it in our conversations, that, like, the right theology is not merely academic. It does shape the whole life, which is why, like, Calvin famously opens his institutes with this observation that the knowledge of God and the knowledge of self are bound together. So- Yeah ... a person who genuinely knows the living God as gracious, generous, long-suffering, with that kind of hesed kind of love, who is good- W- that person will be motivated to active, trusting faithfulness. A person who privately believes God to be harsh and demanding is always, I think, going to retreat in this fearful, minimal kind of minimum champion-type compliance. It's the same thing, I think I always think about this for some reason, and mention it a lot probably, but it's the same thing with Joseph's brothers finding all their money back in the sacks-  [00:36:31] Tony Arsenal: Yeah ...  [00:36:32] Jesse Schwamb: with their food. It's, like, in that instant moment, all they have is fear and dread. And it- for this guy, that's exactly what he has. But it doesn't start, like you're saying, merely because he realizes that he should have done more, or he's comparing his return with that of everybody else, or even that he's going back and taking a look at his own actions and finding them to be full of want or lack. In fact, he does a really good job, at least in his own mind, theologically justifying his behavior. So here, what he, the real crime, the real shame, the real sin is that somehow he views the master as harsh and demanding and exploitative. That's wild. But of course, that was the root of everything else, which I think does give us pause to reflect on our own lives, like I said, as we come to understanding how this parable reads us. [00:37:20] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:37:21] Red Letters And Commentary [00:37:21] Tony Arsenal: And, um- Part of the reason why I think it's important to understand what I was talking about earlier with, you know, the, the Gospels are an interesting sort of like composite document in that, yes, they contain the true sayings of Jesus, the true, true, um, words of Christ. But this is also, a- and I promise that this will loop back around, this is, um, this is important for us. The red letters are no more God's word than the black letters, right? Mm-hmm. And what I mean by that is, like, the, the so-called words of Christ in scripture are not more inspired or more profitable than the words that are the commentary of the apostles. And I only say so-called, and I'll explain why I say that. As I said, like, Matthew is translating, uh, he- first of all, he's recalling what Christ has said. He's, he's probably not, um, sitting there with a, with a quill and a, you know, a piece of paper or a piece of parchment- Right ... transcribing what's, what Christ is saying as he goes. Right? He's, he was there. Matthew was there. He's recalling what Christ has said under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He's making editorial decisions about what Christ taught in terms of like, what of Christ's teaching do I capture? What do I summarize? And I think there's ... It's important because every word is inspired, but also it's understandable. And what I mean here, and what, the reason I'm kind of belaboring that is I think there's an interesting thing that happens in verse 29. It says, "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance. And from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken." So this, this concept actually that, um, that verse 30 might be, uh, might actually be Matthew's commentary or even Christ's explanation of the parable, I think that actually, that actually expands to verse 29 in some of the commentators. So if we read it this way, and I think this, this may be valuable for us to at least ponder. If we read it this way, verse 27 is still the master in the parable space. It says, "Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has 10 talents." There's a way of understanding this text, uh, and it's grammatically acceptable. I think theologically it doesn't change a lot, but it's worth us at least considering this. There's a way of reading this text where that's the end of the parable, and then Christ is explaining the parable, or Ma- or even maybe Matthew is commenting on the parable. It says, "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance. But to the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." Now, I think that, um, as I said, the most natural way to read this is that the parable proper ends with verse 30, that all of this is part of the parable, all of this is the master in the parable speaking. But I do think verses 29 and 30 take on a more explanatory, um, uh, explanatory role, and this is the main reason why. The, the one parable, one talent servant in the parable, he's not properly described as the one who has not, right? He had one talent. He was given one talent. Right. It's not as though he had zero talents. The one who has not, even what he has will be taken away, and the one who has, more will be given.  [00:41:01] Has And Has Not [00:41:01] Tony Arsenal: This is actually, I think, where we can go really sideways on this parable. I hear this parable often interpreted as sort of this understanding that, like, God has blessed His people with certain gifts, and we have to use our gifts in the kingdom to be productive, and people who use their gifts in productive fashion will be given more responsibility and more opportunities. People who don't use their gifts, whatever opportunities they have will be taken away from them. Now, I, I would argue that's probably true on a practical level, um, and that's just actually just true in general, right? Right. A person who has responsibility, th- think of, like, your working environment. M- you know, all, most of our listeners are not working in regular pastoral ministry. This is one of those areas where I think, actually, the corporate world is more representative of how things are. Um, in the corporate world, if you are given responsibility and you excel and use that responsibility well and you are a productive servant of your company that you work for, you're going to be given more responsibility, whether that's in the form of a promotion, which is the ideal circumstances, or whether that's just your responsibilities as assigned, a job description expanding without pay. Either way, if you do a good job, if you, if you take the sphere of influence, the sphere of responsibility that you're given and you do a good job and you shepherd that well and you steward that well, that sphere of influence, that sphere of responsibility will expand. Um- If you squander it and you sit in your office watching TikTok videos or listening to music and you don't use that, uh, responsibility well, that sphere of influence will shrink, and ultimately it will shrink until you no longer have a job, right? It works a little differently, I think, in, like, traditional pastoral roles, and I think there are some in our audience that, them, are in those roles that this may not fit. That's a good general principle. I don't think that's what this is teaching. Like, I don't think this, this parable is about, like, productive ministry opportunities. Right. And if it was, we wouldn't be talking about people who have none, have not, right? We would be talking about people who have less. We'd be talking about people who are given less responsibility. The person who has no responsibility is who's in view here. And that's why- Mm ... I think it actually, this is shifting, this ex- explanation, whether it's, uh, sort of like an explanation, an explanatory punchline to the parable that's part of the parable itself, or whether it's Jesus or Matthew commenting on the meaning of the parable. The difference between those two things is important for us to think about. It's not so important in terms of what the actual meaning is. Because the difference here is that what we've now done is we've shifted from the context of a financial grounded analogy in the parable to now a broader discussion about the fact that there are those who have, and there are those who have not. And the people who have will be given more, and the people who have not will be taken away from. And if we were talking strictly financially, then now we're, like, in, like, Occupy Wall Street, 1% kind of era. We're talking about salvation. We're talking about, um, we're talking about the fact that God gives salvation to some, and He does not give salvation to others. He gives grace to some, and He does not give grace to others. And to those who have grace, more grace will be given. To those who have not grace, more will be taken away. And the outcome of that- Is that the worthless servant who is the one who has not, the worthless servant will be cast into the outer darkness, right? This is a, an explanation of what it means to be a worthless servant who ultimately ends their time. Ends is not the right word. Who ultimately has the outcome of s- of outer darkness for all eternity. If this parable is just about how we use our giftings and our skills and our money for the kingdom, and we're expected to be productive and to, like, increase the kingdom through our tithing and through our, like our service, then this comment about, like, the outer darkness is really out of place. Unless, unless we earn our salvation by that. Which of course we know we don't.  [00:45:22] Jesse Schwamb: Right. Right.  [00:45:24] Wicked And Slothful Heart [00:45:24] Jesse Schwamb: Here's how I think everything you said is true, and the scripture actually bears this out because it was exactly where you're going with that, which is we're talking more about the identity. Like, what, what makes this servant or slave worthless? That's the critical question. And then if we understand that, it'll help inform how we then interpret this idea of sheeps and goats, which we'll get to in a whole other episode. But if you look at verses 26 and 27, where the master then responds to this slave calls him wicked and slothful, slothful, right? So that his, his basically lack of usefulness comes embedded or underneath those two terms. So one, obviously the wickedness here is moral. It's a failure to fulfill a covenantal obligation to the master, which we've been talking about. So again, it's not just about laziness. Like there's, there's so much more there. It's as if that's the entry point for the master to bring condemnation on him in two forms. One is that wickedness. The second is this idea of like slothfulness, which is dispen- I was gonna say dispensational, but what I meant to say is dispositional. So it's like, uh, like a subtle inertia of the will, and together they're describing a person, and I think this is a critical point. This is a person whose heart has never been genuinely aligned with the master's purposes. Now, when we understand it that way, I think, then everything that follows makes a lot more sense because it's not just about bad timing in the market. It's not just about being fearful that you're gonna lose money and you're risk-averse, so therefore you hid, hid everything. It's really this idea that this, this s- slave, this one talent slave, he was not on board, not vibing with, not aligned with, however you wanna say it, with the master's purposes from the very beginning. And there is maybe we might say like a minimum of faithfulness, even interest on the deposit that God requires. But the question of course is never am I doing what the five talent servant does, but it's always am I using what I have been given? And in this way, like are we finding ourselves aligned, that our hearts are leaning into, that we find ourselves tilting towards what God has for us, both understanding who He is and who we are in light of who He is. What I find interesting is I found some really unique commentary from the great puritan William Ames in his book Conscience, with the Power and Cases Thereof. That's a title that only a puritan could- ... forward, um, where he actually treats this failure. So getting again to the sense of like why is it so grievous? Like in other words, why does the action of this servant, which we've already kind of touched on, lead into basically a character attack on the servant, and why is the connection between those two things legitimate? What he basically says is that he treats the failure to use one's gifts as God has given as a violation of the ninth commandment, which is bearing false witness against God's own estimation of those gifts. So this slothful servant, by burying his talent, effectively says, "This is not worth using." That is like the thing that God has given me, who God is Himself, I reject fully and outright. So why would that person then not be cast into outer darkness in kind of keeping with both like the, the breadth and scope of this parable, but also essentially what it's teaching about who this last, you know, servant is? [00:48:33] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, and you know, as you say that, I think too, um- There's an element of this that is Because it ties to this servant's misunderstanding of the master, and then, a- and I think you're, you're bringing Calvin in here and, and sort of the idea that our knowledge of God and our kn- knowledge of self are so, like, intertwined that it- Right ... it's almost difficult to understand which comes first. Yes. Yes. Calvin concludes that the knowledge of God is logically prior, but he, he also acknowledges that, like, it's really tough to sort of like figure out which one is more logically prior. This servant starts from the understanding that the master is a wicked master, that he is an immoral, lazy master. I- and it's, it's ironic. It does- the text doesn't say this, but I think it's a reasonable extrapolation. Um, the, the wicked, slothful servant projects his own wickedness and his own slothfulness onto the master, right? He, he projects that the master is a wicked man, is a hard man, and also that he's lazy. He, he does- he reaps where he doesn't sow, he gathers where he doesn't scatter. And the action of the, of the, the character of the servant is not derived from his inaction. Right. It's his inaction that- Yes ... causes the, or it's his, his character- Character ... that drives his lack of action, right?  [00:50:12] Sheep Goats Identity [00:50:12] Tony Arsenal: The good and faithful servants, they're not, and this is where we're gonna come when we come next week. Like, this is where we're gonna go when we get to next week's. Just as maybe, like, I, I want you to listen next week, but you probably don't need to, 'cause I'm gonna give you the whole punchline here.  [00:50:27] Jesse Schwamb: Wow.  [00:50:27] Tony Arsenal: The sheep act like sheep because they're sheep.  [00:50:29] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:50:30] Tony Arsenal: They don't become sheep because they do sheep things. They do sheep things because they're sheep, and the goats do goat things because they're goats.  [00:50:37] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:50:37] Tony Arsenal: The wicked, lazy servant does wicked, lazy servant things because he's a wicked lady- lazy servant, right? He buries the talent in the ground because he's a wicked, lazy servant. The good, faithful servants j- just do what good, faithful servants do. They, they make a return on the master's talents because that's what they do, right? And I think where we have to be really careful and where, uh, the other pitfall that this parable can bring us to, and I kinda referenced it a little bit earlier, is there can be sort of this subtle works righteousness that creeps in, that we can believe if we're really good and productive for the kingdom, then that's what will earn us the good and faithful servant commendation when we, we cross into glory. The reality is there are those who cross into glory and hear good and faithful servant, right? There are those who will hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master." And there are those who will not. They will have what little they have taken away from them, and they will be cast into the outer darkness where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth, right? That's not a statement on what we've earned. It's a statement on who we are.  [00:51:48] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:51:49] Tony Arsenal: So you can either be the faithful servant who trusts the character of the Lord, who doesn't think Him to be a hard man, who reaps where He doesn't sow and gathers where He doesn't scatter. You can trust the master, and in the act of trusting the master and knowing His character, you just do what good, faithful servants do. You work hard, you follow the servant, the master's lead, and you produce a return on what is there. Right? In, a- and we didn't talk about this too much. In effect, these servants are reflecting the nature of the master.  [00:52:23] Jesse Schwamb: That's right.  [00:52:23] Tony Arsenal: Because you don't get to the point where you can leave 100 years worth of wealth to one servant, and 40 years worth of wealth to another servant, and 20 years worth of wealth to another servant if you have not yourself been a productive, faithful person who knows how to reap and sow appropriately, right? [00:52:42] Gospel Joy Or Darkness [00:52:42] Tony Arsenal: That is the key to this parable,

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast
How to Grow Your Business While Doing Good with Anand Verma

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2026 53:08


What if your business could reduce costs, improve efficiency, and make a positive impact on the world at the same time? In this conversation, entrepreneur and sustainability advocate Anand Verma shares his journey from India to the UK, building businesses at the intersection of technology, AI, and environmental responsibility. Along the way, he reveals why sustainability isn't just good for the planet—it's a smart business strategy. You'll learn how clear communication, intentional leadership, and a growth mindset can help entrepreneurs navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and create lasting success. Whether you're a small business owner, aspiring entrepreneur, or simply curious about the future of business, this episode will challenge the way you think about profitability, innovation, and impact. About Anand Verma In 2019, Anand made a commitment to fighting climate change issues and applying the power of design, data and AI to take actions. Anand is the Founder and CEO of ExpectAI and is committed to helping companies decarbonise, profitably with the power of big data and AI. Learn more about ExpectAI website Connect with Anand on LinkedIn   If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating  and leave us a comment on iTunes   CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA! Instagram LinkedIn Christinalecuyer.com Book a Free Clarity Call Book Christina For Your Next Workshop

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast
Why Authentic Leadership Starts with Vulnerability with Tyler Dickerhoof

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2026 41:38


What does it take to move from chasing success to finding true significance? In this powerful conversation, Tyler Dickerhoof opens up about his unexpected journey from dairy farming to becoming a leadership coach, sharing the lessons that transformed both his career and personal life. Together, we explore the impact of vulnerability, the power of authentic connection, and why overcoming insecurity is often the key to becoming the leader you're meant to be. Whether you're building a business, leading a team, or navigating your own personal growth journey, this episode offers practical wisdom and honest insights that will challenge the way you think about success, fulfillment, and what it really means to make an impact. About Tyler Dickerhoof Tyler Dickerhoof is a leadership coach, speaker, and personal development advocate dedicated to helping others lead with authenticity and self-awareness. After years of believing his worth was tied to achievement and having all the answers, Tyler embarked on a transformative personal growth journey that reshaped his relationships, purpose, and approach to leadership. Today, he empowers individuals and teams with the tools, mindset, and community needed to overcome insecurities, build meaningful connections, and create lasting impact in both life and business. Learn more about Tyler by visiting his website Follow Tyler's journey on Instagram Connect with Tyler on LinkedIn   If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating  and leave us a comment on iTunes   CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA! Instagram LinkedIn Christinalecuyer.com Book a Free Clarity Call Book Christina For Your Next Workshop

KPFA - Flashpoints
The 4th Annual 3-Day Walk for Immigrant Rights

KPFA - Flashpoints

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2026 59:57


Today on the show: With Miguel Gavilan Molina, standing by at the culmination of the 4th Annual 3-Day Walk for Immigrant Rights! Gavilan and the Flashonda crew are standing by with Renee Saucedo: Also the Launch of a Solidarity Fasting to Denounce the Inaction of the Assistant US Attorney for the Deaths and Conditions at California Immigration Detention Centers, and the Retaliation Against the Hunger Strikers at Adelanto jail. An award winning front-line investigative news magazine, that focuses on human, civil and workers right, issues of war and peace, Global Warming, racism and poverty, and other issues. Hosted by Dennis J. Bernstein. The post The 4th Annual 3-Day Walk for Immigrant Rights appeared first on KPFA.

Les Grandes Gueules
L'inaction du jour - Olivier Truchot : "C'est aux procureurs de démontrer qu'ils sont au service des Français. Ce sont des hauts fonctionnaires payés avec nos impôts. Ils ont des comptes à rendre" - 08/06

Les Grandes Gueules

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2026 0:48


Aujourd'hui, Charles Consigny, avocat, Barbara Lefebvre, prof d'histoire-géo, et Bruno Poncet, cheminot, débattent de l'actualité autour d'Alain Marschall et Olivier Truchot.

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast
How to Sell Without Persuasion with James Newell

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2026 46:47


What makes someone buy—and what makes them tune out? In this episode, Christina Lecuyer sits down with James Newell, founder of Clear Sales Message, to unpack the communication strategies that help businesses stand out, connect with the right audience, and drive more sales. James shares powerful insights into buyer psychology, why most entrepreneurs struggle to clearly communicate their value, and the simple shifts that can transform your messaging. Beyond business, James opens up about overcoming personal challenges, learning to ask for help, and redefining success through happiness and fulfillment. Whether you're an entrepreneur looking to attract more clients or someone navigating your own growth journey, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom and perspective-shifting takeaways. About James Newell James Newell is the creator of Clear Sales Message™ and Practical Sales Training™. He helps businesses explain what they do more clearly so buyers understand faster, trust quicker and convert more often. His work focuses on sales messaging, buyer psychology, commercial communication and conversion improvement. James is also the host of The Daily Sales Message podcast, with more than 1,000 episodes covering sales, communication, trust, differentiation and buyer psychology. Connect with James on LinkedIn   If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating  and leave us a comment on iTunes   CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA! Instagram LinkedIn Christinalecuyer.com Book a Free Clarity Call Book Christina For Your Next Workshop

The Construction Leading Edge Podcast
How to Sell on Value Instead of Price | Ep. 445

The Construction Leading Edge Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2026 31:40


If your prospects are ghosting you, dragging their feet, or making the final decision based on whoever has the lowest number, the problem probably isn't your price. It's that you're selling the plunger. In this episode, Todd Dawalt breaks down why most contractors spend too much time talking about their company and not enough time talking about what the client actually wants. He shares a four-step sales framework for getting prospects to make faster decisions, stop hiding their budget, and see you as the obvious choice. Todd walks through how to uncover the desired end result, identify the risks and obstacles standing in the way, position yourself as the path of least resistance, and introduce the investment only after the value is fully established. If you've been winging the sales process and wondering why deals keep stalling out, this episode gives you a repeatable framework you can put to work right away.

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast
Behind the Scenes of My Next Chapter

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2026 38:03


Christina Lecuyer is back with a candid, behind-the-scenes episode filled with personal updates, business reflections, and the mindset shifts that have shaped her journey. From retiring her longtime text community to stepping into a new era of rebranding, Christina opens up about the hard decisions, lessons learned, and why living with intention matters more than ever. This episode is a powerful reminder that success isn't just about growth, it's about alignment, clarity, and staying true to your values even when it's uncomfortable. If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or ready for a fresh start in business or life, Christina's honest perspective will leave you inspired to refocus on what truly matters and take action with confidence. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating  and leave us a comment on iTunes   CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA! Instagram LinkedIn Christinalecuyer.com Book a Free Clarity Call Book Christina For Your Next Workshop

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast
From Viral Idea to Thriving Brand with Elena DiStefano

Decide It's Your Turn™: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2026 32:11


From viral moments to manufacturing hurdles, Elena DiStefano takes us behind the scenes of building Cozy Clip from the ground up. In this episode, she shares how a simple idea turned into a thriving brand through organic social media growth, persistence, and learning every step of entrepreneurship along the way. Tune in to hear the realities of launching a product, navigating challenges, and creating a business without relying on paid ads. About Elena DiStefano Cozy Clip, founder. Elena DiStefano is the inventor of the original flexible claw clip. After identifying the problem of uncomfortable and even dangerous claw clips in 2022, Elena set out to create a soft, unbreakable one called the Cozy Clip. Today, she's achieved hundreds of millions of views, sold out launches, and is now sold online at Free People Movement.  Check out Cozy Clip's Website Connect with Elena on LinkedIn   If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating  and leave us a comment on iTunes   CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA! Instagram LinkedIn Christinalecuyer.com Book a Free Clarity Call Book Christina For Your Next Workshop

The Unstoppable Entrepreneur Show
1136. New Leads vs. Old Leads, Breaking Up Your Miracle Hour, and Why Imperfect Action Beats Perfect Inaction Every Time

The Unstoppable Entrepreneur Show

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2026 10:09


This is the week. The Miracle Hour Live Experience is here, and before we go live on Wednesday, Kelly is answering the questions that have been flooding in from the thousands of people who have already started going through the Miracle Hour audiobook. In this episode, Kelly tackles the most common sticking points head on: should you be focused on new leads or old ones, can you break the Miracle Hour up throughout the day, and how do you stay consistent when life is busy and the schedule is full. Kelly also breaks down why preparation is just as important as execution, why most business owners spend 45 minutes reorganizing and only 10 minutes actually reaching out, and why by 9am every single day her team already has dollars in the door. If you have the book, the audiobook, or even just a growing curiosity about the Miracle Hour, this episode is your on-ramp to the live experience happening this week. Timestamps: 00:30: What is happening this week: the Miracle Hour Live Experience, how to register, and the three attendance options 02:30: Should I focus on new leads or old ones first? 04:00: The five types of sales the Miracle Hour generates every week, and why four of the five are already sitting in your existing ecosystem 06:00: Can I break the Miracle Hour up into smaller blocks throughout the day? 07:00: Why imperfect action and consistency will always beat a perfectly executed hour that never happens 08:30: How do I stay consistent when my schedule is busy? 10:00: The real reason most people's outreach isn't working Resources: Register for the Miracle Hour Live Experience: free virtual, VIP with recordings and bonus Q&A, or in-person: https://www.themiraclehourbook.com/april-29th-live-experience  Pre-order the Miracle Hour book and get instant access to the audiobook when you email your reciept to miraclehourbook@kellyroachinternational.com: https://a.co/d/02xYaMbq 

The Dan Bongino Show
This Is What Inaction Looks Like (Ep. 2496)

The Dan Bongino Show

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2026 72:02


In this episode, a very powerful message is put out by Eric Weinstein on the next generation of warfare—I'll explain what it all means. Also, Tax Day brings all the stupid Dems out of the woodworks to lie about taxes. Find the video podcast of The Dan Bongino Show exclusively on Rumble at https://Rumble.com/bongino ICE Has Detained 6,200+ Kids in Trump's Second Term, Up 10x Since Biden Left Office https://www.themarshallproject.org/2026/04/06/ice-kids-detention-over-6200-trump Fill 'er Up: Record Armada Of Tankers Bound For US Gulf To Load Oil https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/fill-er-record-armada-tankers-bound-us-gulf-load-oil Gabbard refers impeachment whistleblower to DOJ for criminal investigation https://justthenews.com/government/security/gabbard-refers-impeachment-whistleblower-doj-criminal-investigation Sponsors: Patriot Mobile - patriotmobile.com/dan call 972-PATRIOT Blackout Coffee - blackoutcoffee.com/bongino code: Bongino My Patriot Supply - preparewithdan.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices