Podcasts about Mississippi

They wore caps and gowns to celebrate the future — but before the night was over, some would lie dead in pools of blood, their dreams buried with them.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/capsgownscasketsREAD or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4d8r6tb9FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: Graduation is a special time in just about everyone's life when they make their way from childhood, to adulthood. And while that step might be a bit scary for some, we all get past it – we have to. But what if there is something truly to be afraid of at your graduation? Like the possibility of being murdered? (Murdered During Graduation) *** Joseph McKinnon strangled his girlfriend Patricia Dent, then died while trying to bury her body in their garden. (Killed By Karma) *** When you die, do you know that you are dead? A new study says that maybe… yes. You might still be conscious enough to know you are dead even after your body ceases to live. But for how long? (When You Die, You Are Conscious Long Enough To Know It) *** The term Zodiac in true crime circles invokes images of serial murder, cryptograms and bragging letters in and around San Francisco. But the California Zodiac is not the only Zodiac out there. (A Tale of Two Zodiacs)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00.00.000 = Show Open00:01:54.162 = Murdered During Graduation00:13:33.644 = A Tale Of Two Zodiacs ***00:35:21.731 = When You Die You Are Conscious Long Enough To Know It ***00:44:27.121 = Killed By Karma00:48:08.338 = Show Close*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad breakLISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*SOURCES and RESOURCES:“A Tale of Two Zodiacs” by Paul Drexler for Crime Traveller: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/ycknuxfd“Killed By Karma” by Kaleena Fraga for All That's Interesting: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/pzrdsmsy“When You Die, You Are Conscious Long Enough To Know It” by Matthew Lavelle for Ranker's Graveyard Shift:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4kkcc9m7“Murdered During Graduation” by Mary Fetzer for ListVerse: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p92rn29(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Originally aired: May, 2022This episode of Weird Darkness, hosted by Darren Marlar, moves from a string of graduation celebrations that ended in murder to a comparison of the Korean and California Zodiac killers, a scientific claim that human consciousness lingers briefly after death, and the case of a South Carolina man who died burying the girlfriend he had just strangled.It opens with a survey of graduation celebrations turned deadly, beginning with the May 2020 party in southwest Indiana where 47-year-old William Baker carried a .30-06 rifle into a shed and shot 18-year-old South Dearborn High School graduate Paycin Kritlow in the back, claiming his daughter had been raped even though she and her friends denied any assault occurred, a killing that earned Baker a 55-year sentence in November 2021. The segment moves through Menhaz Zaman, a 24-year-old outside Toronto who murdered his father, mother, sister, and grandmother with a crowbar-like weapon and a knife the day before a York University graduation he had faked after failing out of Seneca College; the June 2020 shooting of 19-year-old Tyana Johnson in a Bronx park while her friend Ahamad Branch worked as the DJ; and the June 2017 ambush of Maryland teenagers Shadi Adi Najjar and Artem Ziberov, shot thirty times between them by a group who had searched online for a song called "I Kill for My Family" and killed over a stolen handful of marijuana. Other cases stretch across Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, and Louisiana, including 18-year-old Hailey Deickman, who died days before her high school graduation after Franklin Senfles sold her fentanyl she believed was oxycodone.From there, the show sets two very different Zodiac cases side by side. The first is the Korean "Zodiac Killer," the Hwaseong murders that began on September 15th, 1986 with the rape and strangling of 71-year-old Lee Wan-im and continued as women were strangled with their own clothing on dark rural roads, a case that drew a manhunt of more than 21,000 suspects and sent a disabled man named Yoon Sung-yeo to prison on a coerced confession, until DNA identified Lee Choon-jae in 2019, a man already jailed since 1995 who confessed to 14 murders and 30 rapes and had escaped suspicion because police wrongly believed the killer's blood was type B rather than his actual type O. Darren places that against the California Zodiac, who killed at least five people around San Francisco between 1968 and 1971, taunted newspapers with cryptograms and threats against schoolchildren, and drew suspicion onto former schoolteacher Arthur Leigh Allen without ever being caught. The segment weighs how each case reached the screen, contrasting Bong Joon-ho's 2003 film Memories of Murder, made while the Korean killer was still unknown, with David Fincher's 2007 Zodiac, built on Robert Graysmith's books, and argues that a competent investigation on either continent might have swapped the outcomes.Next, the episode turns to research suggesting that human consciousness may briefly outlast the body. Dr. Sam Parnia, director of critical care and resuscitation research at NYU Langone in New York City, describes cardiac-arrest patients who were revived and could recall specific conversations and the actions of the doctors and nurses working to save them, and his work points to conscious awareness continuing for as long as three minutes after the heart stops even though the brain's electrical activity typically flatlines within twenty to thirty seconds. The segment adds microbiologist Peter Noble of the University of Washington, whose studies on mice and zebrafish found certain genes increasing in activity in the hours after death, and it frames both findings as evidence that cells shut down gradually rather than switching instantly from living to dead.The episode closes with the death of Joseph McKinnon in Trenton, South Carolina, whom deputies first found lying unresponsive in his yard, dead of a heart attack he suffered while filling in a pit a neighbor believed was meant for a new water feature. When investigators could not locate McKinnon's girlfriend, 65-year-old Patricia Dent, and learned she had missed her shift at the Mount Vintage Golf Club, they dug into the pit and uncovered black garbage bags holding her bound, bruised, and strangled body. Edgefield County Sheriff Jody Rowland and Coroner David Burnett concluded that McKinnon had attacked and choked Dent inside their home, wrapped her, and collapsed from cardiac arrest as he covered her over, and her twin sister Pamela Briggs spoke of her grief while police noted the couple had no known history of domestic violence, meaning that had McKinnon lived, Dent might simply have vanished.

When a Russian-born American citizen named Ilya Beloozerov is gunned down by the FBI in 2024, the authorities refuse to say why they'd killed him. CNN's Isabelle Chapman embarks on a sprawling investigation that takes her from the Mississippi parking lot where he died to Washington, D.C. to unravel the mystery: Why did Ilya abruptly leave his family and his job and head for the border with laptops and cash? Why is there still no official explanation of his death? And maybe most importantly: Was Ilya a spy?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When a Russian-born American citizen named Ilya Beloozerov is gunned down by the FBI in 2024, the authorities refuse to say why they'd killed him. CNN's Isabelle Chapman embarks on a sprawling investigation that takes her from the Mississippi parking lot where he died to Washington, D.C. to unravel the mystery: Why did Ilya abruptly leave his family and his job and head for the border with laptops and cash? Why is there still no official explanation of his death? And maybe most importantly: Was Ilya a spy?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When a Russian-born American citizen named Ilya Beloozerov is gunned down by the FBI in 2024, the authorities refuse to say why they'd killed him. CNN's Isabelle Chapman embarks on a sprawling investigation that takes her from the Mississippi parking lot where he died to Washington, D.C. to unravel the mystery: Why did Ilya abruptly leave his family and his job and head for the border with laptops and cash? Why is there still no official explanation of his death? And maybe most importantly: Was Ilya a spy?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben Crump and Al Sharpton brought Mississippi Burning 2.0 to NABJ in Atlanta — stop four on a tour that already hit NAN, the NAACP, and the Urban League. Two exhibits: Nolan Wells drowned in Mississippi, and Mississippi has Trump politicians. Christine Wells-Wonsley headlines the production. Jason Whitlock breaks down how black media got cast as co-producers of a racial grift with no closed case and a phone still off a full forensic exam. ➢ Show Outline ➢ Follow Our GUESTS https://www.youtube.com/@TheShemekaMichelle  ➢ Subscribe to Jason's other channel https://www.youtube.com/JasonWhitlock?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.youtube.com/@JasonWhitlockHarmony?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.youtube.com/@JasonWhitlockBYOG?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.youtube.com/@JasonWhitlockClips?sub_confirmation=1 ➢ Connect with Jason on Social Media:  https://x.com/JasonWhitlock  https://www.instagram.com/realjasonwhitlock/ https://www.facebook.com/jasonwhitlock ➢ Send Jason an Email FearlessBlazeShow@gmail.com ➢ Support The Blaze Visit https://TheBlaze.com. Explore the all-new ad-free experience and see for yourself how we're standing up against suppression and prioritizing independent journalism. Support Conservative Voices! Subscribe to BlazeTV at https://www.fearlessmission.com and get $20 off your yearly subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Hanging in Jackson, but who's to blame? For more coverage on the issues that matter to you, download the WMAL app, visit WMAL.com or tune in live on WMAL-FM 105.9 from 9:00am-12:00pm Monday-Friday  To join the conversation, check us out on Twitter @WMAL and @ChrisPlanteShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Support the show on Patreon! - https://patreon.com/gogOther ways to support the show! - https://gog.show/donateJoin our Discord! - https://discord.gg/r4ZmSHBBuy some merch! - https://shop.gog.show/Welcome back from the vacation from hell, where apparently even California has its head in the sand(y beach). Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled his vision for an AI-powered utopia that mostly boils down to "trust humanity to do the right thing," which is a bold statement from the guy whose $300 million yacht apparently couldn't hear a Coast Guard distress call from a stranded family. Elsewhere, an AI agent booked a gym class by exploiting a security hole and kicking someone else off the waitlist, because nothing says "personal assistant" like accidental cybercrime. The EU is now requiring labels on realistic AI generated content, China is breaking up people and their chatbot companions, and OpenAI reportedly has achieved the ultimate AI ethics breakthrough: having no dedicated ethicist.The surveillance dystopia is also picking up speed. Flock tried to turn hundreds of thousands of rideshare and delivery drivers into a roving army of license-plate snitches, while every Flock camera in one Minnesota city was promptly sawed down and stolen. Meta's smart glasses continue their transformation into the preferred accessory of creeps and pickup-artist assholes, prompting pubs and other venues to ban them outright. Researchers found those glasses being used to secretly record and harass women, proving once again that every shiny new piece of wearable technology eventually gets repurposed as a tool for human depravity. And because apparently your car dashboard wasn't already commercial enough, BMW is now putting Spider-Man ads on the screens you paid tens of thousands of dollars to own.Finally, Apple is facing a class-action lawsuit over an iCloud Private Relay flaw that can expose your supposedly private IP address, Anthropic is watermarking Claude-generated text, SpaceXAI is taking another year to remove a pile of unpermitted gas turbines, and somebody is apparently stealing millions of dollars in AI hardware straight off California highways. We also hit Media Candy with Strange New Worlds, Silo, Broadchurch, Ted Lasso, and The X-Files, sweat through yet another Apple Fitness disaster, celebrate the sweet relief of escaping Spark, and ask the eternal Gen-X question: how did all this technology supposedly make life easier when we're still just sitting here surrounded by 47 goddamn tabs?Sponsors:CleanMyMac - Get Tidy Today! Try 7 days free and use code OLDGEEKS for 20% off at clnmy.com/OLDGEEKSDeleteMe - Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use promo code GOG at checkout.HIMS - Visit Hims.com/gog to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/758Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/NzS9Wo7D0yASHOW NOTESMark Zuckerberg's Answer to Growing AI Safety Concerns Is to Just Trust People to Do the Right ThingMark Zuckerberg's mega-yacht didn't respond to call for help from small boat in AlaskaAn OpenClaw agent reportedly hacked a gym's booking system and kicked someone off a waiting listEU will mandate labels on authentic-looking AI content starting August 2Beijing is forcing a mass breakup with AI loversOpenAI's Only Ethicist Reportedly Left Last Month. She Wasn't ReplacedGoogle's classic Search button is gone in a new AI-first homepageSpaceX's Earnings Show Elon Wiped Out Two-Thirds Of Twitter's Ad BusinessSpaceXAI says it will take a year to fully remove unpermitted gas turbines from its Mississippi data centerFlock Reportedly Tried to Turn Uber Drivers Into Mobile SnitchesAll of Winona Police Department's Flock cameras cut down and stolen‘The Worst I've Ever Seen': Cargo Thefts Have Turned Violent in Pursuit of AI HardwareBMW is forcing a weird Spider-Man ad onto its dashboard displaysTesla Driver Tries the Old ‘I Wasn't Driving' Excuse to Get Out of Speeding TicketApple faces class action lawsuit for fraud over iCloud Private Relay flawIs AI Disclosure Day here?Trackalot 1.3 Released!Popular Bars and Restaurants Are Banning Smart GlassesResearchers Show How Meta's 'Pervert Glasses' Are Used to Harass WomenPervert At Large (2013 Remaster)Renting a car and the clerk was wearing meta glasses.Star Trek: Strange New WorldsSiloBroadchurch S3Ted Lasso S4Ride or DieSugarInstadocs: The Prediction GamesBeetlejuice Beetlejuice‘The X-Files: I Want to Believe – Vrach Frankenshteyn' Has a Perfectly Creepy TrailerNirvanna the Band the Show the MovieSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Is The Mic Still On, we’re talking Howard University’s enrollment problems, Trump’s new gas stations, cartel violence against influencers in Mexico, and the return of the March on Washington. We also get into two disturbing stories out of Mississippi and the latest development in the Nolan Wells case.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Throwbacks are where I re-release old episodes from the archives. So don't worry if you have heard it already, as 'New episodes' will continue to come out on Sundays. To get some of the old episodes heard.~~~Our guest tonight is Nancy in Mississippi, sharing her experiences of being a lifelong contactee, as she explores her complex relationship with higher dimensional beings, and her quest for personal growth and spiritual understanding throughout her life. More information on this episode on the podcast website:https://ufochroniclespodcast.com/ep-267-you-already-know/Want to share your encounter on the show?Email: UFOChronicles@gmail.comOr Fill out Guest Form:https://forms.gle/uGQ8PTVRkcjy4nxS7Podcast Merchandise:https://www.teepublic.com/user/ufo-chronicles-podcastHelp Support UFO CHRONICLES by becoming a Patron:https://patreon.com/UFOChroniclespodcastX: https://x.com/UFOchronpodcastThank you for listening!Like share and subscribe it really helps me when people share the show on social media, it means we can reach more people and more witnesses and without your amazing support, it wouldn't be possible.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ufo-chronicles-podcast--3395068/support.

Steve talks about the three chambers still Neeley Family Distillery has and why it's so important. The Bourbon Show music (Whiskey on the Mississippi) is by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com).   Important Links: ABV Network Shop: https://shop.abvnetwork.com/ YouTube: https://bit.ly/3kAJZQz Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theabvnetwork Check us out at: abvnetwork.com. Join the revolution by adding #ABVNetworkCrew to your profile on social media.

Send us Fan MailI have at times brought up adventures and screw-ups that have occurred during some of my overseas travels. The usual things all of us have experienced like delayed and canceled  flights and lost luggage. But I've never heard anyone have a series of travesties quite like Tina Weiss had on what should have been a dream trip of a lifetime to Italy that she had carefully planned. This was a trip that was badly needed to heal herself following a drawn-out ordeal with her dad's gravely declining health, COVID, and then a botched dental surgery that left her in severe pain and unable to speak properly for three years. The trip from hell started from the time she first arrived at the airport to depart and found out she couldn't leave. Then once in Italy, she got robbed not once, but twice, leaving her without money or her passport, and essentially stranded with very limited means to find her way out, much less get around or even feed herself. While trying to extricate herself from her predicament, it seemed like one catastrophe would pile on after another, often bringing back memories of past traumas in her life, including a sexual assault, and experiencing anti-semitism while growing up in Mississippi. Through each step of her surreal Italian ordeal, Tina learned profound lessons that she shares throughout her book, “Fear to Faith,” which is a riveting read not only because you want to keep turning the pages to see how she is going to escape her ongoing nightmare trip, but because of what knowledge she acquired about self-strength, problem-solving in the most challenging conditions, and human nature. Tina had already built several businesses and a great charity called the Hugs and Smiles Children's Foundation, but this trip turned her into a puddle of frustration and emotions. Yet I found out while reading her book and in talking with her that she has developed a fierce strength, resilience, and determination to be able to battle anything that life will dish out. So it's great that she is sharing these lessons in faith, survival, and self-discovery with others through her book and a workbook she has developed that will help anyone to keep moving forward.Tina Weisstinaweiss.comtina@tinaweiss.comFacebook and LinkedIn Tina WeissInstagram @tinaweiss_authorYouTube @tinaweiss2744Fear to Faith is available on AmazonBill Stahlsilly_billy@msn.comFacebook and LinkedIn Bill StahlInstagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahlYouTube We Are Superman PodcastSubscribe to our Substack for my archive of articles of coaching tips developed from my more than three decades of experience, wild and funny stories from my long coaching career, the wit and wisdom of David, and highlights of some of the best WASP episodes from the past that I feel are worthwhile giving another listen.Search either We Are Superman Podcast or @billstahl8Register for the American Heroes Run: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=133138

Are you as concerned as I am? On this week's episode of Black News, Kennelia discusses an update on the case in Mississippi; the recent and underreported acts of violence happening to Black people across the country; and what happens on social media when you don't know who TF you're talking to. Be sure to continue supporting Black News by liking & subscribing on all apps where podcasts can be heard.

Michael Pol & Gene Valentino reflect on nearly seven years of Friday morning conversations, political commentary, and the major events that shaped Mississippi and the nation.In this special farewell conversation, Michael shares his next chapter after being appointed Deputy Director for the state of Mississippi with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Gene and Michael look back at their years together discussing COVID-19, inflation, presidential administrations, international conflicts, energy prices, elections, government spending, and the future of America.They also discuss the importance of leadership, choosing the right people for government, and the impact of having experienced voices serving the public.After years in media, Michael is moving into a new role focused on public service—but the friendship and conversations continue.

Joel Skousen has spent nearly five decades helping people answer one question: where should you live when the systems around you start to fail? This talk has never been available publicly. Joel delivered it at Exit & Build 2, and we're releasing it now for the first time. In it he walks through the core of his life's work: Strategic relocation and how to evaluate where you live right now. Population density, prevailing winds, nuclear and military target proximity, water access, growing season, state law, and the neighbors you'd actually be depending on. Joel breaks down why he looks west of the Mississippi, which states he's changed his mind about, and the mistakes people make when they relocate for the wrong reasons. Home and retreat security. Joel is an architect who's designed high security residences across North America, Canada, and Latin America. He gets into secure room design, EMP-protected power, water and food storage, and what actually holds up versus what just feels safe. And the honest assessment of the threats. Grid failure, EMP, economic collapse, war, and the long-term consolidation of surveillance and control. Joel doesn't sugarcoat any of it, and he'll tell you why he refuses to. His view is that optimism is what keeps people from preparing. About Joel Skousen Former Navy and Marine Corps fighter pilot turned architect. He began writing The Secure Home in 1979, making him one of the genuine pioneers of the modern preparedness movement. He's the author of Strategic Relocation: North American Guide to Safe Places, still the definitive reference on threat-based relocation, and co-author of The High Security Shelter Book with his son, a structural engineer. He has published the World Affairs Brief every week for decades. Joel is speaking at Exit & Build 6 We just announced it. Joel is joining us in person at Exit & Build 6, November 5 through 8, 2026, at Sovereignty Ranch in Bandera, Texas. He's giving a full talk plus a hands-on workshop, going deeper than he could in the time he had here. Nuclear and fallout protection, secure water and food storage, EMP-protected long-term power, evading social unrest, and the secure room design he's spent a career refining. You'll be able to walk up and ask him about your own property, your own plan, your own situation. Exit & Build 6 is four days on a working regenerative ranch in the Texas Hill Country with speakers and builders across the counter-economy, decentralized tech, private realm structures, food and land, and lawful remedy. The whole event is built around implementation zones, where you don't just take notes. You leave with your crypto wallet funded, your privacy gaps closed, your land or community plan drawn up, and your private realm pathway mapped. Ticket prices go up August 31st. Get your ticket: https://exitandbuild.com  Brought to you by Live Free Academy. Stay free out there.

**Podcast Description – Episode 1,274** Clay Edwards and Creston Berch bring another unfiltered dose of reality radio in Episode 1274 of the Clay Edwards Show. Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner and gubernatorial candidate Andy Gipson joins the show for a hard-hitting conversation on his day-one commitment to ban Sharia law and its influence in Mississippi by executive order or special session. Gipson doesn't mince words about the threat he sees already present in the state, including a Muslim cultural center in Jackson, and draws clear distinctions between religious freedom and a competing legal system that he argues undermines the Constitution, women's rights, and American values. The discussion covers foreign financing, taxpayer dollars, enforcement of existing laws against mutilation, polygamy, and related practices, plus Gipson's broader vision for real economic development—including new sawmills and bringing jobs back to Mississippi. Clay also tears into the “entrepreneur” job-title crowd, lays out the personal lifestyle commitments required if you're truly anti-data center, and breaks down the latest Southern Poverty Law Center scandal involving former CFO Heidi Beirich—secret payments to white supremacist informants and a reported affair with a neo-Nazi leader. The show digs into the definition of culture rot, Jackson's current homicide pace tracking toward another high year, the $8 million bond in a child sexual battery case, free-speech standards in the live chat, and the ongoing media and activist rush to judgment in the Nolan Wells case. No sugar added. No positive-solutions theater. Just the issues most people still won't touch. Tune in for the full conversation.

Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner and gubernatorial candidate Andy Gipson joins the show for a hard-hitting conversation on his day-one commitment to ban Sharia law and its influence in Mississippi by executive order or special session. Gipson doesn't mince words about the threat he sees already present in the state, including a Muslim cultural center in Jackson, and draws clear distinctions between religious freedom and a competing legal system that he argues undermines the Constitution, women's rights, and American values. The discussion covers foreign financing, taxpayer dollars, enforcement of existing laws against mutilation, polygamy, and related practices, plus Gipson's broader vision for real economic development—including new sawmills and bringing jobs back to Mississippi.

In this episode of The Construction Corner podcast, Dillon shares a broad business update and discusses his decision to remove himself from social media in February. He explains how tuning out cultural noise has improved his focus and operational mindset by keeping his attention on factors he can control.Turning to VDS, he announces a new website, infrastructure upgrades, and team growth. He notes the importance of managing client pivots and project scope changes without taking them personally.Business development is accelerating, evidenced by signing more NDAs in two weeks than in the last six years. This growth is driven by large, confidential data center projects, where electrical engineering now commands 30–35% of total project value, reordering traditional construction dynamics.Finally, Dillon highlights VDS's geographic expansion across the Pacific Northwest and multiple states—including Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and California—alongside upcoming fall recruiting events at three to four universities.

Throwbacks are where I re-release old episodes from the archives. So don't worry if you have heard it already, as 'New episodes' will continue to come out on Sundays. To get some of the old episodes heard.~~~Our guest tonight is Nancy in Mississippi, sharing her experiences of being a lifelong contactee, as she explores her complex relationship with higher dimensional beings, and her quest for personal growth and spiritual understanding throughout her life. More information on this episode on the podcast website:https://ufochroniclespodcast.com/ep-267-you-already-know/Want to share your encounter on the show?Email: UFOChronicles@gmail.comOr Fill out Guest Form:https://forms.gle/uGQ8PTVRkcjy4nxS7Podcast Merchandise:https://www.teepublic.com/user/ufo-chronicles-podcastHelp Support UFO CHRONICLES by becoming a Patron:https://patreon.com/UFOChroniclespodcastX: https://x.com/UFOchronpodcastThank you for listening!Like share and subscribe it really helps me when people share the show on social media, it means we can reach more people and more witnesses and without your amazing support, it wouldn't be possible.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ufo-chronicles-podcast--3395068/support.

NHL Marcel is a rising artist from Cleveland, Mississippi, whose music is deeply connected to his upbringing, life experiences, and the people who inspired him along the way. His passion for music started early, with his Uncle Terrence playing an important role in motivating him to pursue his own path as an artist. Drawing inspiration from artists like Chief Keef, T.I., Yo Gotti, and the late Young Dolph, Marcel has developed a sound centered around authenticity and telling his story on his own terms. His latest single, “Shootas,” and EP, Welcome to East Gate, give listeners a closer look at where he comes from and the experiences that have shaped him. His journey has also led to opportunities like collaborating with Glasses Malone while continuing to make giving back to his community part of his bigger mission. In this interview, NHL Marcel breaks down the meaning behind his name, the story behind “Shootas,” his Mississippi roots, his biggest accomplishments so far, and what fans can expect from him throughout the rest of 2026.

Bobby Bones and Matt Cassel begin with a 'first' for Matt at the gas pump! Fmr NFL OL Chris Spencer drops by looking back to being in the same NFL Draft class with Matt. Chris recalls his days growing up in Mississippi and leading to his Draft day. What was the biggest adjustment for Chris while learning to play football at different levels? Chris remembers being on the sidelines for his first NFL game and the moment he knew he belonged. Matt asks about Chris' rookie experience and paying for the rookie meal. Chris looks back over the numerous injuries he suffered while playing. Matt and Bobby are excited for actual games coming this week! Lots to Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Cassel is part of the NFL Podcast Network See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Washington Wednesday on the rise of democratic socialist candidates, the South Carolina Senate runoff, and Massachusetts's new abortion law. Plus, World Tour on Greenland's growing strategic importance, a rural Mississippi chess program built by a secret donor, WORLD commentator Cal Thomas on America's stubborn dependence on Middle East oil, a giant bull's brief escape in Alabama, and the Wednesday morning news.Support The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donate.Additional support comes from Cedarville University. Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is committed to biblical faithfulness and academic excellence, preparing students to serve Christ with conviction in every profession. Every one of its 175+ undergraduate and graduate programs are grounded in a biblical worldview, equipping graduates with the knowledge, skill, and conviction to serve wherever God leads. New online undergraduate degrees through Cedarville Online offer flexible, affordable education rooted in biblical truth and designed for today's learners. Learn more at cedarville.edu, and explore online programs at cedarville.edu/online.From Unbound's Ascend program. Leadership training, like-minded peer community, and career prep for young adults 16 and older. Beunbound.us/world.And from Covenant College in Georgia. Looking for a Christ-centered education with a deep commitment to academic excellence? Located on top of Lookout Mountain, Georgia, Covenant College students thrive in a Christ-centered community and are equipped to pursue their callings through a vibrant liberal arts education. Applications for Fall 2027 are open, and students who visit are eligible to receive a grant of $2,000. More at Covenant.edu/world.

Patreon is no ads and discounts for DopeyCon: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Episode summary Dave opens the Wednesday Dose of Dopey by responding to a listener who noticed he seemed a little off. He talks honestly about the pressure of producing five shows a week, his obsessive pursuit of Jason Mewes, the strange sadness that follows surrender, and what's coming together for DopeyCon. Then JD shares a terrifying story from his twenties: three sleepless days inside a Mississippi trailer with an ounce of cocaine, crack, beer, no food and almost no water. After a massive shot leaves him conscious but completely unable to move, his friend helps bring him back—only for JD to immediately smoke the biggest crack hit of his life. Dave remembers Annie Ellie and Brian “Hot Wheels” Connolly through comments from the Dopey Nation before welcoming back Jed Payne of Church & Other Drugs and Rehab Bromance. Approaching one year sober after years of concealed relapse, Jed talks about going from addiction counselor to treatment patient, sharing a room with former clients, working at a coffee shop with teenagers, and accepting the humiliation required to rebuild his life. He explains how CBD and “microdosing” became the beginning of his return to getting high, why clinicians in recovery need somewhere safe to struggle, and how easily helping addicts can replace doing your own recovery work. Then things get properly Dopey: Jed recalls shooting cocaine while a police officer stood beside the car, injecting a bright-blue ecstasy pill in a gas-station bathroom, boofing two more pills before work, rolling with his hands submerged in marinara sauce, and eventually passing out on the prep table. Jed and Dave also discuss 7-OH, smoke-shop opioids, Sublocade, coming off Suboxone, emotional recovery after relapse, staying present, and the small daily actions he is using to become a man of his word again. All that and STILL MORE on the newest Wednesday Dose of Dopey! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The wake-up calls are rolling in from Kansas City to Mississippi, and then Gary With The Tea delivers the stories everybody's talking about. A certain NFL power couple is making headlines over — of all things — their furniture choices, and the crew has plenty to say about it. Then there's a new celebrity couple alert involving a Hollywood leading man and a British singer that has the internet buzzing after they were spotted together at a theme park. Plus, Gary shares a wild personal story about a woman who tried to run into his house that ends with her upside down in the bushes. The Good, the Bad, and the What the Hell Wednesday segment brings three stories you won't believe: a teenage hero who saved a stranger's life, a fast-food employee who made the dumbest alleged robbery attempt we've ever heard, and a high school football player who had a venomous surprise hiding in his helmet for nearly an hour. And Black Thought calls in with absolute chaos at his house — sheep, monkeys, eagles, and the ice cream man all at the same time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ole Miss Rebels land a game-changing commitment from in-state defensive tackle Antavion Allen, signaling their 2028 recruiting class could reshape the SEC landscape. Is Ole Miss finally breaking through South Mississippi's recruiting barriers, outmaneuvering rivals like LSU and Alabama for elite talent? The show examines defensive line coach Randall Joyner's recruiting success in the trenches, the impact of Hattiesburg High's rising talent pool, and how early commitments in the I-10 corridor might shift the region's power dynamics. The discussion also spotlights the Rebels' quarterback room overhaul—can Keegan Croucher, fresh from a powerhouse schedule at Baylor School, push for immediate playing time behind Deuce Knight? Plus, predictions and inside perspectives on SEC expansion swirl around the potential addition of teams like Clemson, North Carolina, and Kansas under the Protect College Sports Act. Don't miss this deep dive into recruiting strategy, roster building, and conference realignment shaping Ole Miss football's future. Support us by supporting our sponsors! Poncho Outdoors Go to https://ponchooutdoors.com/[LOCKEDON] and enter your email to get $10 off and free shipping on your first order. KALSHI For a limited time, download the Kalshi app and use code [LOCKEDON] to get up to $500 in bonus credits when you trade $25. The Game Don't miss this chance to celebrate 40 years of The Game with 40% off your entire order. Visit https://TheGameCaps.com and use promo code LOCKEDON at checkout. Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get one-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

**Clay Edwards Show – Episode 1,273 with Creston Burch** Clay opens by addressing a viral claim that his “brother” was involved in a Rankin County home invasion and standoff. He sets the record straight: he has no brother (half, step, or otherwise), calls out the usual online crew for running with the false story, and notes the irony of people eager to talk about someone else's family when their own records tell a different tale. The conversation shifts into a music-heavy stretch marking two milestones. Clay looks back 25 years to the Crazy 8 college nights and the old flyers that packed the place, then marks the 15th anniversary of Warrant frontman Jani Lane's death. He shares personal memories of seeing Warrant open for Motley Crue, the Blood, Sweat & Beers tour at the Coliseum, and promoting them years later. That sparks a rundown of hair-metal history—how labels manufactured some of the late-era bands, the rise of copycat acts, Autograph's unlikely shot opening for Van Halen after a jogging-buddy connection with David Lee Roth, Skid Row's success during the Nirvana wave, Tesla, and more. From there the show turns to the WNBA. Clay and Creston dig into the Sophie Cunningham incident, the Indiana Fever coach's postgame comments, and the broader pattern of on-court physicality and off-court rhetoric. Clay questions the high rate of openly lesbian and “stud” identities in women's basketball and softball compared with other sports, asks what is happening inside those locker rooms and programs, and ties it to larger cultural pressure around transgender athletes in women's sports and the refusal to define basic terms. The episode also covers the appointment of a Muslim municipal judge in Mississippi. Clay discusses the strong public reaction (including from people who usually stay quiet), questions how and why the selection happened, notes the limited power of a municipal bench, and points listeners toward a planned interview with the judge on another show for a closer look. Throughout, the tone stays unfiltered: accountability, cultural double standards, free speech, and skepticism of narratives that ignore root causes or basic reality. Classic Clay Edwards Show territory—music nostalgia mixed with sharp takes on sports, crime, identity politics, and local power.

Dr. Jill Ehrenreich-May is a Professor and Associate Chair for Graduate Studies in UM's Department of Psychology, and Director of the Child and Adolescent Mood and Anxiety Treatment (CAMAT) Program. She's best known as the primary developer of the Unified Protocols for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children and Adolescents (UP-C/UP-A), with 175+ publications and 10,000+ citations. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi (2002) and has served as incoming President-Elect of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.Support the show

Shamus Toomey, Editor in Chief and co-founder of Block Club Chicago, joins Bob Sirott to share the latest Chicago neighborhood stories. Shamus has details on: Uncle Remus Founder Celebrates 100th Birthday With West Side Giveaway, Foundation Launch: Gus Rickette Sr. was born in Mississippi in 1926. After moving to Chicago as a teenager, Rickette worked his […]

In July of 1972, in the river town of Louisiana, Missouri, two little boys were playing in their backyard at the foot of Marzolf Hill when their older sister heard them start screaming. Fifteen-year-old Doris Harrison went to the bathroom window and saw something standing by a tree, six or seven feet tall, covered in black hair, with no face she could make out and something dead tucked under its arm. The town laughed at those kids for about a day and a half.Then a Pentecostal congregation of roughly fifty people heard something come down off that hill, and nobody in Pike County thought it was funny for the rest of the month.This is stop number twenty-five on the Backwoods Cryptid Road Trip, the halfway point, and it's the story of Momo, the Missouri Monster.We walk through the whole flap as it actually happened, from the picnic encounter on Highway 79 in 1971 to the Harrison sighting on July 11, 1972, to Edgar Harrison hanging bait on a tree behind his own house and sitting out in the dark waiting for whatever took his children's afternoon away from them. We cover the sick dog, the smell that runs through every account like a thread, the church meeting on the night of July 14, and Police Chief Shelby Ward putting two dozen armed men across Marzolf Hill three times and finding nothing at all.We get into the plaster casts, the three-toed track that a zoo director in Oklahoma City looked at and called a hoax, and the out-of-state investigators who camped in a family's backyard and left with a theory about flying objects that did more damage to this case than any skeptic ever managed. And we talk about what happens to a town when the newspapers show up, name your monster for you, and turn one bad July into a festival.The second half of the episode leaves Momo behind and gets into Missouri Sasquatch country, because strip the nickname and the novelty record off the Harrison case and what's left is an ordinary Sasquatch report. Missouri has produced roughly 147 catalogued encounters and has never stopped generating them.We cover a farmer near Bowling Green who came around a creek bend on a four-wheeler and found something squatting in the water thirty feet in front of him, the ongoing reports out of Cuivre River State Park and Bowling Green Lake, the night four young men sat in a Jeep near Smithville Lake and listened to the woods go quieter than any of them had ever heard, and the men out of southeast Missouri who put their names to what they saw in the Mark Twain National Forest country.Then we turn it over to the mail. Jenny was seven years old and bringing laundry off the line when the sheet in front of her moved the wrong way. Ray watched something cross a river road in front of his headlights and drove eleven miles out of his way for a year afterward without telling his wife why. Marla found tracks along a fence line and watched her husband go get a shovel and bury them.Dean sat in a deer stand and listened to the silence travel toward him. Colleen's three children came across the yard at a dead run, and the middle one said the thing at the tree line had no face, which is exactly what a fifteen-year-old girl told a newspaper thirty years before.And Wes put a light on something standing chest deep in the Mississippi at forty feet, and it didn't run.The kids saw it first. Nobody ever believes the kids.Email BrianJoin Our FREE NewsletterGet Brian's Books Leave Us A VoicemailVisit Our WebsiteHave you experienced a Bigfoot sighting, Sasquatch encounter, Dogman experience, UFO sighting, or any unexplained cryptid or paranormal event deep in the woods? We want to hear your story.Email your encounter to brian@paranormalworldproductions.com for a chance to be featured on a future episode of Backwoods Bigfoot Stories.Backwoods Bigfoot Stories is a paranormal storytelling podcast featuring real Bigfoot encounters, Sasquatch sightings, Dogman reports, cryptid experiences, and true scary stories from the backwoods.Follow the show and turn on automatic downloads so you never miss a chilling encounter from the forest. Listen with the lights off… if you dare.

Send us Fan MailMr. Presley, I'd like to begin in Tupelo, move through Sun Records and the explosion of the 1950s, and then spend time with Vegas ., the   pills, the isolation, and the wreckage.Mr. Bartley, it seems that you really knew about my life.Mr. Bartley, I was born January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi, into poverty and instability. MY twin brother, Jesse Garon, was stillborn. That loss was not an abstract line on a genealogy chart. It marked MY parents, especially MY mother Gladys, and by all accounts left me with a lingering sense of being “the one who lived” and needing somehow to prove worthy of that accident.Mr. Presley, could you describe your life in Tupelo?Mr. Bartley, you might say that our world was modest houses, odd jobs, and the sounds of the rural South. Church was central. Hymns were sung full-throttle, white Southern gospel quartets layering harmony, preachers who treated volume as proof of conviction. Just outside that world, Black congregations where the same God was praised with even greater rhythmic fire; blues guitar lines drifting out of doorways; early country music and sentimental pop on the radio.Mr. Presley, then were you a music prodigy?No, Mr. Bartley, I can't really say that I was. I was shy, deeply bonded to my mother, uneasy about money and status, and often embarrassed. But I listened. I soaked up voices and styles. You might say that the vulnerability that later made me easy to manage also made me unusually open as a young artist: a receiver before I was ever a transmitter.That is an interesting way, Mr. Presley, of putting it.Mr. Bartley, in 1948 the family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, chasing work and stability. My family landed in public housing projects—tight spaces, thin walls, and a city thumping with music.What would you say was the effect, Mr. Presley, of Memphis upon you?AH, Mr. Bartley, Memphis put me closer to Beale Street: Black blues, rhythm & blues, club bands who could make small rooms lift off the floor. I could hear - and feel - that edge, the swing, the looseness.Memphis also gave me access to a mix of radio stations and record shops that didn't respect tidy genre borders. I could take in country ballads, white gospel, Black gospel, blues, sentimental pop—sometimes within a single afternoon.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Steve talks about the issues with the Bourbon Hall of Fame and discusses how it could be fixed. The Bourbon Show music (Whiskey on the Mississippi) is by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com).   Important Links: ABV Network Shop: https://shop.abvnetwork.com/ YouTube: https://bit.ly/3kAJZQz Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theabvnetwork Check us out at: abvnetwork.com. Join the revolution by adding #ABVNetworkCrew to your profile on social media.

Last week, Attorney General Lynn Fitch joined what's shaping up to be a crowded list of candidates running for governor in 2027. Mississippi Today reporters Michael Goldberg and Taylor Vance sit down with Mississippi Today Ideas editor Bobby Harrison to discuss the candidates who have entered the race and the policy ideas emerging in the race so far. 

On this week's episode, we review some recent headlines on youth justice, including Minnesota raising their floor and some questionable comments on the system by officials in Mississippi and New Mexico. Liz Ryan joined to talk about her new project aimed at helping journalists and newsrooms with reporting on a complicated system. Liz Ryan served as administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for President Joe Biden. Before that she founded the Campaign for Youth Justice and the Youth First Initiative.Reading RoomThe Youth Justice Style Guidehttps://youthjusticestyleguide.substack.com/p/welcome-to-the-youth-justice-styleSummer 2026 Teen Takeover Coverage & What Media Can Learnhttps://reportforyouthjustice.org/#blogEnding Punishing Surveillance: Youth Justice Reformers Lay Out Plan for Probation Reforms https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/ending-punishing-surveillance-youth-justice-reformers-lay-out-plan-for-probation-reforms/276321New Minnesota Law Bars Prosecution of Children 12 and Youngerhttps://imprintnews.org/top-stories/new-minnesota-law-bars-prosecution-of-children-12-and-younger/276312Raising the Floor on Prosecuting Youthhttps://imprintnews.org/podcast/raising-the-floor-prosecuting-youth-ricky-watsonMississippi Lawmakers Pass Youth Court Overhaul, Approve $29.5M in New Spendinghttps://www.wlbt.com/2026/07/17/mississippi-lawmakers-pass-youth-court-overhaul-approve-295m-new-spending/Hearing Held on Juvenile Justice, but Prosecutors not Invitedhttps://www.kob.com/new-mexico/hearing-held-on-juvenile-justice-but-prosecutors-not-invited/Scott Administration Proposes Indefinite Pause on Juvenile Justice Reformhttps://www.wcax.com/2026/08/04/scott-administration-proposes-indefinite-pause-juvenile-justice-reform/Snohomish County says State Legally Liable for Juvenile Detention Center Claimshttps://myedmondsnews.com/2026/07/snohomish-county-claims-state-legally-liable-for-juvenile-detention-center-abuse/Michigan Justices Find 50-Year Sentence for Juvenile Murderer ‘Unconstitutionally Excessive'https://www.mlive.com/news/2026/08/michigan-justices-find-50-year-sentence-for-juvenile-murderer-unconstitutionally-excessive.html

You can bet on anything in the United States, but at What Cost? Also, a Black Woman was found hanging from a tree in Mississippi. Hear more on these stores on today's podcast . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Devin Brown is a Minneapolis-based paddler and founder of Sovereign Waters, an emerging organisation focused on connection, access, and purpose through time spent on the water. In 2024, Devin set out on an ambitious source-to-sea journey along the Mississippi River, paddling 1,025 miles before high water forced an early end to the expedition. What remained was not failure, but a powerful experience of resilience, learning, and deep connection to the river and herself. Her journey into paddling began long before that expedition, rooted in childhood summer camps, early experiences on the water, and a growing understanding of how time in nature supports her mental health. Over the years, she developed her skills step by step, eventually building the confidence to attempt one of North America's great river journeys. In this episode, Devin shares the realities of endurance paddling, from long days in the rain and logistical challenges on the Mississippi to moments of fear, uncertainty, and unexpected support from "river angels" along the way. She also opens up about feeling like one of the only women on the water, and why creating more inclusive access to paddling has become central to her mission. We explore the founding of Sovereign Waters, her vision for helping more people connect with rivers in ways that feel safe and empowering, and why building community around water is essential for both wellbeing and environmental connection. Listen to this episode to hear what it really takes to learn endurance one stroke at a time, why connection to rivers can be life-changing, and how one woman is working to bring more people—especially women—into the world of paddling and wild water. ***  New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.  Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.  Your support makes a difference.  Thank you x *** Show notes Who is Devin Living in Minneapolis in Minnesota  Being a passionate paddler and loving spending time on the water Spending her early years going to summer camps  Learning that kayaking was essential for her mental health  Moving to the twin cities  Sending out on her long term goal of paddling the Mississippi River The freedom on being on the river and the river angels  Learning to paddle at a young age  Frost Valley YMCA Her love for nature and developing independence  Being a counsellor in training and becoming a trip leader  Making connections with local organisations Wanting to connect people to the Mississippi River Founding Sovereign Waters to get more people on the water in ways that feel comfortable for them  The war on water in Minnesota Needing people to fall in love with the natural world The story of getting to the start line of paddling the Mississippi River Thinking more and more about the Mississippi River Source to Sea and why it was going to be her one day Making a career change to a massage therapist Being supported by her community Not being able to afford to go paddling Getting back to the river during covid Mississippi River Paddle Share  Feeling like the only women paddler Building up her endurance with paddling  Working with a personal trainer The logistics of paddling the river Having 55 days for the paddle Feeling unsafe while on the river River angels Being on the water day after day and why it was incredible, but also frightening and traumatising  Planning to paddle again in 2028 - depending on the political climate The film - Mother River  Introducing paddling to her son The journey down the Mississippi River Spending the first 3 weeks paddling in the rain Knowing it was time to stop paddling  Following her gut instinct Not having classic adventure blues Plan for time after adventure to reflect How people can connect online  Final words of advice (apart from just do it!) Connect with other women who want to get dirty, grungy and empowered to do things outside  Building sisterhoods around nature  Get out there - make a plan and ask people to go with you Make your spirit happy    Social Media Website: sovereignwaters.org  Instagram: @afrodiskayak   

Cultural waves are constantly changing — now more rapidly than ever. The messages teenagers hear and absorb from every screen and relationship in their lives shapes them at a fundamental level. They learn what to laugh at, who and how to love, and what's worth weeping over and celebrating from messages both subtle and overt. Ministering in this context requires youth ministers and parents to carefully critique and connect these messages to their fulfillment in Jesus—in other words, we need to do cultural apologetics. In this workshop, we will explore the need for cultural apologetics and how it can be practiced in big and small ways in your ministry today. Skyler Reed Flowers (MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is the program director for The Carson Center for Theological Renewal and cohort director for all TGC cohorts. He serves as an elder at Grace Bible Church in Oxford, Mississippi and is working toward his Ph.D. in systematic theology at the University of Aberdeen. He served as an editor for The Gospel After Christendom. He is married to Brianna, and they have three kids. Cultural Narratives and Youth Ministry by Kendal Conner Three Truths for Parents and Children in a Changing Cultural Climate by Joey Turner Youth Pastor, Your Students Need Apologetics by Bradley Blaylock Acts 17:22-31 Follow @therootedministry on Instagram for more updates  Register for Rooted 2026 Conference in Nashville Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; Isaiah Marshall, Rooted's Director of Ministry Development; and Josh Hussung, M. Div. in Pastor Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

In this episode of JOY over Happiness, Dr. Jon Eckert talks with Dr. Matt Burchett, who leads philanthropy and social impact at Thrive Restaurant Group, about his work to invest in people and strengthen communities. Matt also reflects on his 15 years at Baylor leading student life and the relationships that have shaped his own journey.Matt talks about saying yes to friendships without knowing where they will lead, trusting that something good can come from the people God puts in our path. From a friendship that led Jon and Matt to Mississippi to the philosophy that “you bet on people, not on programs,” this conversation explores how relationships can shape who we become and can lead to meaningful work along the way.Mentioned:The Happiness Crisis by Jon EckertJust Mercy by Bryan StevensonTheo of Golden by Allen LeviComment Magazine: Public Theology for the Common GoodConnect with us:Center for School Leadership at Baylor UniversityLinkedInBaylor MA in School Leadership

Can Mainline Christianity find its future? In this episode, Loren Richmond Jr. talks with United Methodist scholar Lovett Weems to discuss his new book, An Aura of Hope: United Methodism's Next Chapter in the United States. While the conversation begins with the United Methodist Church's recent disaffiliation, it quickly broadens into a thoughtful exploration of the challenges facing Mainline Christianity as a whole—from shifting demographics and institutional decline to recovering a clear sense of mission. Weems argues that the greatest challenge before the church isn't simply theological disagreement, but a loss of focus. Drawing on John Wesley's theology and decades of church leadership experience, he encourages congregations to rediscover "the people God has given us" and to evaluate every ministry by asking a simple question: "So that...?" What fruit is this producing? How is it helping the church fulfill its mission? Whether you're Methodist or not, this conversation offers practical wisdom for pastors and church leaders wondering what faithful ministry looks like in a rapidly changing world. Together they explore: What the United Methodist disaffiliation teaches the wider church Why churches lose their sense of mission and identity John Wesley's vision for "the people God has given us" Lessons from the Sunday school movement Rural churches, urban growth, and changing demographics Why reaching younger and more diverse communities matters The difference between institutional success and biblical fruitfulness Dr. Lovett H. Weems, Jr., is distinguished professor of church leadership emeritus at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. He came to Wesley in 2003 as the founding director of the Wesley's Lewis Center for Church Leadership after eighteen years as president of Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City. Previously he was a pastor in Mississippi for many years. A native of Mississippi, Dr. Weems is a graduate of Millsaps College; Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University; and Wesley Theological Seminary. He holds honorary degrees from Baker University, Central Methodist University, and Millsaps College. His years in local church ministry in Mississippi were marked by both evangelism and social concerns. His work in Mississippi led distinguished Mississippi writer Willie Morris to describe him as “one of the persons who added much to the growing civility of Mississippi.”  He is the author of numerous books including his widely used church leadership text, Church Leadership: Vision, Team, Culture, and Integrity, described by Rosabeth Moss Kanter of Harvard Business School as “an invaluable guide to leadership in the church.” His most recent book is An Aura of Hope: United Methodism's Next Chapter in the United States.        Mentioned Resources:

WHAT IS SHARIA LAW & IS IT COMING TO MISSISSIPPI? (Ep #1,272) With Assma Ali being the first Muslim judge appointed to the bench in the history of Mississippi we're forced to ask the question, who is Assma Ali and will she attempt to usher in Sharia law? Let's discuss and see what exactly Sharia Law is.

Great leaders don't always have the answers. But they know how to build teams that do. SUMMARY In this episode of Long Blue Leadership, Mitch Torrel '14 discusses the power of mentorship, constructive feedback, humility and creating an environment where everyone can contribute. His leadership lessons are just as relevant in the boardroom as they are on the battlefield.   MITCH TORREL'S TOP 10 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS Lead Through Fear, Not Around It Even when you're anxious or scared, keep moving forward and executing the mission; courage is acting despite fear, not waiting for fear to disappear. Trust Your Preparation When you hit uncertainty, fall back on the work you've already put in — physical, mental, and technical — rather than spiraling about what's coming next. Focus on the Team to Get Out of Your Own Head Shifting your attention from your own anxiety to how you can support and elevate others makes hard environments more endurable and improves performance. Discover You Have “More in the Tank” Don't treat real missions or selections like workouts; push past your comfort ceiling and you'll find reserves of mental and physical capacity you didn't know you had. Break Big Fears into Small, Daily Gains You don't need to be the best today — just better than yesterday; attack weaknesses with small, consistent, incremental progress. Leverage Mentors and Learn Aggressively Assume you're not the first to face a challenge. Seek out people who've done it before and copy their mindset, preparation and frameworks to shorten your learning curve. Make Feedback Normal, Specific, and Frequent Build team habits where everyone gets clear strengths and weaknesses surfaced (even anonymously at first), then use trends in that feedback to drive personal change. Balance Urgency with Deliberate Planning In crises, don't rush in just because the situation is urgent. Pause to gather facts, build a simple plan and avoid making the emergency worse. Use Your Team's Brains — Don't Lead Alone As a leader, your job is to facilitate: Draw out the quiet voices, aggregate the best ideas, and delegate execution rather than trying to be the sole problem-solver. Set Clear Standards and Red Lines Early Explicitly communicate what you will and won't tolerate so you can enforce discipline fairly and consistently, protecting both people and mission over the long haul.   CHAPTERS 00:00:00 – Opening: Leading Through Fear 00:01:27 – Special Tactics Pipeline: Anxiety, Night Sweats and Uncertainty 00:03:50 – Trusting Preparation and Learning to Hate the Water Less 00:05:40 – Shared Hardship and Team Bonding in the Pipeline 00:07:27 – “More in the Tank”: Rucks, Mental Toughness and Selection 00:11:14 – Learning from Others, Mentorship and Owning Weakness 00:15:36 – Five Traits Torrel Looks for in Leaders 00:19:49 – Feedback Culture, Blind Spots and High-Performing Teams 00:25:34 – Thai Cave Rescue: First Mission and Leading Under Pressure 00:29:59 – New Leaders, Delegation and Facilitating the Team 00:36:34 – Failing, Standards and Command Red Lines 00:40:24 – Advice to Younger Self and Enjoying Each Season 00:43:25 – Transition to Business, Ongoing Service and Final Leadership Charge   ABOUT MITCH BIO Mitch Torrel, U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2014, is a former Division I hockey player, Air Force Special Tactics officer, entrepreneur and founder of Sentry Operations. After beginning his Air Force career in pilot training, Torrel found his calling in special operations, completing the demanding Special Tactics training pipeline and serving in operational and leadership roles. While stationed in Okinawa, Japan, Torrel served as operations officer for the U.S. team supporting the 2018 rescue of 12 young soccer players and their coach from a flooded cave complex in Thailand. The experience, his first operational mission, became one of several defining chapters in a career shaped by high-stakes decision-making, teamwork, resilience and leadership under pressure.   CONNECT WITH MITCH LINKEDIN  |  SENTRY OPERATIONS   CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LINE PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Ted Robertson | Producer and Editor:  ted.robertson@usafa.org Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org   < ----- > Ryan Hall | Director:  ryan.hall@usafa.org  Bryan Grossman | Copy Editor:  bryan.grossman@usafa.org Wyatt Hornsby | Executive Producer:  wyatt.hornsby@usafa.org     ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE AT USAFA.ORG/LONGBLUELEADERSHIP AND ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS     TRANSCRIPT OUR SPEAKERS:  Guest, Mitch Torrel '14 | Host, Lt. Col. (ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99 Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz 0:01 Sometimes leadership isn't about eliminating fear; it's about learning how to move forward, even if fear is sitting right next to you. I'm Naviere Walkowicz, Class of '99. Long Blue Leadership starts now. Today's guest is Mitch Teorrel, 2014 graduate of the Air Force Academy, former Division I hockey player, Air Force special tactics officer, also an entrepreneur near the founder of Century Operations. You know you've had a unique career. In fact, many probably know a lot of your work when it comes to an international rescue event, and we'll talk about that later on. But I think what's most exciting about this time with you, Mitch, is how you continue to lead, but you've done it through what some would call overcoming fear or maybe leading through fear. And so I think we're going to have a fantastic conversation today, and I welcome you to Long Blue Leadership. Mitch Torrel 0:53 Naviere, I appreciate you for having me out. Humbled to get the opportunity to kind of share some stories today, and so I'm looking forward to it. Thank you. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 1:01 Well, thanks for the time. We're going to jump right in with the time that you know when we had a chance to talk, Mitch. It was something that kind of surprised me, and I think others will really appreciate this. You know, when you're going through your Air Force special tactics training to kind of be in that role, you experience like night sweats and literally having to change your clothes at night. And I'm looking across to you. You're not sweating right now. You're looking pretty cool and calm. And so take me back to that experience, and let's just start there. Mitch Torrel 1:28 Yeah, pipeline is a pretty arduous process. It's two years; every day is a grind. It's difficult. You're not really sure what tomorrow holds, and they keep it that way, pretty close hold. You don't know what you got tomorrow. You just know it's going to be an early rise, and it's going to be really physically taxing. It's going to be mentally demanding, and you're not sure if. I think part of the anxiety is, do I mentally have what it takes to withstand and with withhold another day? Do I physically have what it takes to continue to drive on, and I think that unknown, the unknown on what's to come, am I going to be enough? The two years is a selection process, so you're getting assessed and selected every day, and it's a lot of anxiety to take on because you're not sure how you're going to perform. I think a lot of us have such internal pressures on ourselves to perform in and out every day that it makes it very difficult to get out of your mind and not worry about the anxiety of what's coming tomorrow. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 2:29 Well, it makes me think the closest thing that I can think of right at this moment is you know basic cadet training, which is six weeks, and you just talked about two years of uncertainty and not you know waking up early and not knowing what's next. You know, how did you kind of navigate through that? I think we all know how we navigated through BCT, but I think certainly this is much when it's something that's so enduring. I think that's a different situation. Mitch Torrel 2:51 I think a part of goes back to just trusting in your preparation. Did I do what it took to prepare? And if you did, if you didn't, there's not much you can change the night before, and so trusting in your abilities, your ability to adapt, your ability to withstand. I think I hated the water, and they always told you going through the pipeline. If you don't love the water, you're not going to make it through. And I'm a testament to I hated the water every day, dreaded it almost on a daily basis. But you know, learn to overcome and deal with that anxiety and just pressure that it brought. But every day is an opportunity to kind of build that wall up. Your ability to withstand, your ability to deal with anxiety, your ability to deal with the unknown, and I think the pipeline was a really good opportunity for me to kind of grow. I remember when we were in Mississippi, one of the earlier schools. It's three months. Every day was again very arduous. You didn't know it was coming. Are they going to put us in a pool tomorrow? Am I going to drown? You know, am I going to be able to make it through? Am I going to do a good job of leading the team? I think being able to focus on the team allowed me to not worry about myself and kind of focus on something else. And I think worrying about others allowed me to really make it through some of those arduous times, and that was very helpful to me. I remember I probably took a lot longer to grow to the point where you know you're not worried about tomorrow. I used to have to wake up at night, change my sheets, change what I was wearing, you know, and that happened every night because I would just wake up in a dead sweat and I was soaking wet, and eventually, you know, through exposure and through time, you learn to just exist and not worry about what's coming tomorrow. And it's a constant evolution. You know, that's not to say I don't get anxiety about things that are happening tomorrow today, but you start to learn to head off those thoughts early on and allow yourself to just take what comes tomorrow. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 4:57 So I'm thinking about you being in those moments, and when you said it was probably later on, I'm curious as how you know that every night you're changing your sheets, you're going through that. But I'm curious, were there others that were experiencing the same thing, or were others even helping you through navigating those thoughts that you had? Mitch Torrel 5:14 I think just being in a team environment makes things so much better. Sharing in in in the suffering, sharing in the stories, and getting to reflect on that. When I look back on the pipeline, what an amazing time and something that I think our entire team looks fondly about. We're very close still, and I think that shared hardship, that shared experience, is something that bonds you together for life. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 5:41 So that two-year journey, and obviously you graduated and became an Air Force Special Tactics Officer. You know what was, I guess, the moment that it clicked for you. You know, you said you got to that point. Do you remember that day? Do you remember what was different, or you just all of a sudden didn't sweat the same? Mitch Torrel 5:57 I think it probably lasted for me longer than a lot of people, and you know, it seems like I learned a lot of the lessons hard myself. You know, and but I think it's just something that gradually over time, you know, the way I remember it is one day it stopped, but I'm sure it was a little bit more gradual than that. Like I think over time you just learn to just, hey, tomorrow's going to be no different than it was today. Today was fine. We made it through. The team did great. You know, I performed up to my standard, or maybe if I didn't, tomorrow's another opportunity in which I can go back and get after it again. And there's plenty of times where I look back, and I think it's easy to learn and roll when you're being put in those situations each and every day. And so it was a very growth-oriented couple of years for me, and I really enjoyed it. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 6:52 I would have loved to have been working with you on the day after you didn't have to wake up and change the sheets. Whatever you had, you know, you know, you were more alert that day. You actually had better sleep. Mitch Torrel 7:01 Yeah, I think definitely had to drink a substantially less amount of water each night before going to bed. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 7:09 Oh goodness! Well, let's talk about — I think you know, there was something that you shared before about kind of uncovering in yourself that you had more in your tank than you thought, and I'm curious that that was during pipeline in those moments that were like you know forced experiences, or if you found that at other times when you kind of surprised yourself in learning that about. Mitch Torrel 7:28 I think the entire 10 years was a constant lesson of you've got more in the tank, both physically and mentally. I think when I first decided today, I was going through pilot training, and I just felt like it was more of a hobby than a job. And I got to meet guys in special operations, and was very impressed by the camaraderie, by the caliber of guys that were there. And to me, it was like a hockey team, and I missed that. I missed that group because you wanted to be a pilot first, correct? Is that what you're planning? Yeah, I think my family wanted me to be a pilot. I think they kind of pushed me that direction. I always enjoyed flight, you know. But for me, I just thought that some of my skills and abilities would better translate, and I would have a more fulfilling career, getting to be around you know that type of environment. And I think too, there's always you know, can I make it through the training? Do I have what it takes? You know, what will I learn about myself? And so that was a little bit of kind of just the unknown was alluring, you know. But I think there's just so much every day. Where I remember one of the first selection events, you do a long ruck event, and leading up to training, I was so focused on passing the initial fitness test to just start the assessment that I didn't rock, I didn't do underwater stuff. I was just focused on can I do push-ups? Can I do pull-ups? Can I do the 3-mile run? You know, and that took all my time and energy. And when I got to the ruck, it's unknown time, unknown distance, and they just tell you to go. And I remember I was like, all right, I'm going to treat this like a workout, and I'm going to run for a couple minutes, and then I'll walk for a few minutes, and I'll run for a couple minutes, and that'll help get me through. And I remember Master Sergeant came up to me, and he's like, “Why, why are you walking? And I remember being embarrassed at that moment, where it's do I not have it in the tank where I could have just been running this whole time? Do I want it enough where I can just dig a little bit deeper and showcase that? And I remember that fed me through the next two years, where it's like, do I have the mental hardness? Do I have the toughness? Have I prepared physically, you know, for these events? And so I think that was kind of a good wake-up call. Where it's not a workout, you know, what do you have left in the tank? And I think throughout two years there, went through another direction halfway through my career, and that was another opportunity to kind of dig in the dig in the tank a little bit. Did you approach that one differently? I did, and very proud of you know what I had learned throughout the years, what I was able to showcase. We did a much longer rec event, and I ran the whole thing, and was pretty proud of myself about that. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 10:22 What a fantastic example! Because I'm thinking about you know in in in our work and our profession, we do we think about how can I create something to be distinct, right? How can I do something for the long haul? But you're right. If we don't, if we aren't thinking about how can we perform at our best as part of that, you know, that that equation, then we might not even get to the long haul, right? And so I think that's really powerful that you kind of shared, you know, giving your all and realizing that there was more in there than you originally were trying to like, you know, save. Yeah. Wow, that's a really cool story. I bet there are many examples of that. It was quite. Oh my Did you see others? You know, as you had these moments where you kind of learned these things about yourself, and obviously, I think you know in hockey you probably saw this as well. But have you been able to pull others along with you in these experiences that you've had that you've seen? Maybe others are struggling the same way. Mitch Torrel 11:15 I think everybody struggles in different areas, especially in the pipeline. You're learning a lot of different skill sets. You're working on a lot of different things. Cardio is a part of it. Strength is a part of it. Determination. I mean, just — and there's so much. I think you pick up some really good traits from others. Hey, I really like what you're doing, or how you having such success, or how do you navigate this portion? I was always terrible in the water, bad swimmer, horrible underwater. I think when I went through initial selection, somebody pulled me out of the pool after we did underwaters, which is you go down, do a completely underwater, you know, swim underwater, swim underwater for the distance of the pool, and then come back up at a 45-degree angle. And I remember one of the cadre. He pulled me out of the pool, and he said, "You are terrible. Like I wanted to pass out watching you.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 10:22 And you're like, "Thank you for that feedback.   Mitch Torrel 12:08 And so it's getting with people who are really good at it and getting advice. I think something throughout my career that I've been very blessed to have is really good mentorship. And you're typically not the first one to go through a process, find a new job, you know, and having a good network of people who, hey, how did you prepare? What set you up for success, or especially in business now, it's a completely new world for me. And having mentors who are able to help think of it this way, or there's a better way to orient your situation, or prepare yourself, and that's really important to surround yourself with people who, you know, are able to elevate you, make you rethink kind of your approach to things, and then give you tips and advice.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 12:52 So I have to ask, do you like the water today? Mitch Torrel 12:54 I like being on the water, you know, on a boat, you know? Just hanging out. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 12:59 There's some material between you and the water, so that leads me to this question. I know that was a little comical, but I'm curious when someone, as that's you know a developing leader or wherever they're at in their leadership journey, if they really want to be part of something, but there is something that is fundamentally part of that that they just don't like or they're just not good at, what would be the advice you give them? Because you know some people might be like, I just hate that so much, I won't pursue the thing that I love because that component's in there. Mitch Torrel 13:28 I think there's kind of two factors in that. If you hate something so much that you know in your heart that it's not something that you can overcome or you want to deal with on a day-to-day basis, then then maybe that that's not worth you know getting through. But I would also argue that until you give yourself the opportunity to progress and grow and learn to get through whatever that difficulty or whatever that is that you don't like, you won't know. And I think there's a lot of ways to incrementally. You don't have to be the best swimmer today. You just have to be a little bit better than you were yesterday, and I think that was something that we and our team learned throughout the pipeline. Is hey, you don't have to be the best at everything today, but everything that you do today is just making you a little bit better for tomorrow. And so I think breaking down things into manageable and you know smaller bite-sized things that you can you can do. You know hey, when I first started swimming, I couldn't believe people swam multiple laps at a time. You know, and I was like, “All right, I'm going to swim two, you know, 50s at a time tomorrow, and then, you know, next week I'm going to build up to 100,” or, you know, and it doesn't have to all happen overnight. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 14:45 Right. For a moment, I thought two to 100 but you're talking 50s. Well, that's fantastic, and thank you for sharing that because I think what I also gleaned from that is there's some self-discovery that comes from, I really don't like something, a part of you starts to learn, “Really, did I really not like that?” Right? Maybe feared that because I'm not good at that. And so I think I really appreciated your thoughts of you haven't really given your chance to truly assess that. Mitch Torrel 15:10 And I think we build things up so much in our head. You know, I think dive school is one of those — “Oh, it's terrifying.” You know?   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 15:16 I mean, it probably is, I'm not gonna lie.   Mitch Torrel 15:19 And it really wasn't. I think we throughout training did a good job. And in preparation, again, you fall back on your preparation. Worked really hard to get there. Put in the extra And it just makes you know those hurdles that at once seem like mountains, you know, just small little hills that you have to go over. Yeah. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 15:38 Well, you mentioned some of those in your life that you realize when you're going through something, you're probably not the first person that's gone through it, and you have that network of mentors. What are some of the traits that— And I think you alluded to, there are five traits in a leader that you really kind of look to, you know, to see. What are those? Mitch Torrel 15:56 So drive, you know, and a lot of people that were surrounded with, especially at the academy, or in you know in the soft community, or in the military in general, have drive, and so that's not necessarily a unique characteristic, but it's something that you need in order to make you successful. Interpersonal effectiveness, and so how do I integrate with a team? How do I relate to others? And it can't be cookie cutter for everybody, and because team environments, people you know are different, and that's it's one of those soft and fuzzy skills that you need to work on and develop the way that you communicate, and so can I get my message across? Do people understand it? And that's both in writing, spoken. You know, be nonverbal, verbal, the way that you carry yourself, body language, super important. Problem solving. So that's something that the academy does a good job of exposing you to routinely. Can I solve this problem? How do I get my team to you know get after this complex problem? And so that's another one of those characteristics that we typically assess and select for. I think stress tolerance. You know, Pipeline does a really good job of building you up with that. The Academy, basic training, all of that is just another iteration at how am I handling things when I'm getting yelled at, when there's a timeline, when there's you know things at stake. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 17:19 So I'm curious, were those you've just over time recognized that when I see things or leaders succeeding really well or being able to accomplish things that maybe that others would think impossible, they carry those traits. Is that how you have kind of derived them down to five? Mitch Torrel 17:37 I think there's the foundation of it. Obviously, there's a lot of subfacets that go into each of those traits and characteristics and some leaders have you know all five of them in spades. Some of them are much more heavily reliant on some of their characteristics than others, but it's always a good thing to develop the traits that you're lacking. I think feedback is a really important trait and really important characteristic of well-functioning teams, and so how did I do this week? If I didn't do great, you know, like I don't need to be beaten down about it. But people typically want to be high performers, and everybody has blind spots, and so being able to call out those blind spots in a healthy and functional manner is super important because people want to be high performers. And I had the privilege of running and getting to work some of our selection events, and what we found was a really cool trend, which is we used to do weird feedback, and so guys would show up to selection, and right away the first day you'd have a bunch of tasks and events, and we'd bring everybody together and be like, all right, go down the row. Who is the two highest performing guys today? And that's really easy. People love to give praise, and then you go down the line, and you're like, all right, call out the two lowest performing guys and tell them why. And people go, I don't want to do that, and it's like, why? Like, do you not want them to get better? Do you not want them to have the opportunity? We're in Day 1 of day X, and it's not too early to turn their train around. What we saw is typically the guys who are the lowest performing early on are never the lowest performing at the end of the year, and they take that feedback, they internalize it, and they adopt and you know overturn that. And it's really fun to see that progression, but none of that happens if they don't get called out, if they don't get constructive feedback. “Hey, when we were working as a team, you were doing X and Y and Z by yourself, or you know, there's a million reasons why either an action is perceived as hey, you weren't for the team, or you didn't perform the standard.” I think people getting that feedback is what turns that train around. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 19:49 Right, it's almost probably like exactly what they needed. So I'm curious because feedback is challenging. It's hard to I think for some to give feedback. It's hard for some to receive feedback, I'm fascinated because when I think about the pace in which you have had to operate and do things, that you make time for feedback. I'm curious if you could talk about how you guys do that in a way that's received well. Mitch Torrel 20:13 I think it, again, it goes back to interpersonal effectiveness, and so you've got to know who do I have on my team? Are they somebody who's going to internalize this or not take it very well? There's a bunch of different ways in which you can get feedback and then provide it to somebody. Where we used to early on in the pipeline, as guys were learning to get feedback and you know not you know get too shaken up about it. Is we would have guys write, all right, hey, everybody on our team, we're going to do three things they do well, three things you wish they'd improve on, and then we strip out the names and we provide just a list of hey, here your three things that you're doing really well, and then here are your three weaknesses that you know everybody said we go around we talk about it, and that was a really good kind of introduction, where it's not tanked to anybody. Right. And then what's really nice is you start to see trends. So it's really easy for people to be like, “Oh, you know, Mitch doesn't like me,” or, “That's Mitch's opinion.” But when you start to see that correlation of, well, I got this five times. Is hey, my body language day to day is probably not where it needs to be, or I'm constantly putting others down, or I'm just you know not showing up on time, just small things, and I think drawing awareness to that and getting buy-in from guys to change it, and you see that transition all the time, where, all right, like, now I'm aware of it, I can fix it, I can identify it, and then you get the team to hold you accountable with it. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 21:44 Well, in the way that you just described that, I'm curious how often you think that it's, you know, relevant or should be practiced. Is it, like, in the moment? Is it something, like, that where it's weekly? But I think, what I think is really neat about that — it was never attacking, and it was never something they had to defend. It just seemed like it was just information. Like it's what you do really well. This is what you need to work on. And taking the attribution away from it, like who said it? I think just made it, you know. Mitch Torrel 22:09 And I think everybody got to understand that you're a student, you know, of life and a student of your job. You're a student of life. You're a student of you know whatever position you're in. And I had a mentor growing up and played professional sports, and there was a conversation where, hey, “How do how do you know when it's time to retire? How do you know when you're done?” And it's when I stop improving and I stop learning. And so having that mentality where, no matter how long you've been around, there's things to improve upon, there's things to learn, is really hard to have because people, you know, you get comfortable in a position. It's like I've seen it all, I've done it all, I've been there. But the people who are the best at their jobs, and especially in the military, the people who show up every day, work on their trade, work on their skills and seek to improve, and I've been blessed to be surrounded by just, I mean, some of the most decorated warriors that the Air Force has put out on the battlefield. And it was a humbling experience, but even more so humbling was the approach they took every day. As they came into work every day and got better at something. They didn't sit on their laurels and “Hey, I did this two years ago, and now I can kind of walk through the rest of my career.” It was— they came in every day to work, and it was impressive. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 23:30 Oh man! What is something that and normally asks at the end, but it just seems so fitting right now. Like, how are you getting better and learning every day? Mitch Torrel 23:38 I think every day is new problem sets, and I think it's you know trying to expand my education. I think there's a lot of new tools out there. There's a lot of new opportunities and think the world's constantly changing. And so, staying informed is one of the ways in which I'm trying to be a better leader. I think business is this completely new hurdle. I think being in the military, there's a very different type of leadership that you're able to bring. And two, I mean, everybody is there for the mission generally and believes in the task and purpose. And business now, you kind of need to appeal to people in a lot more of a well-rounded manner. And so, I think having conversations with mentors, you know, I'm maintaining that. I try and just meet as many people as I can and glean information from them, experiences from them, because I'd like to think I'm getting smarter as I get older. I'm trying to learn all the lessons myself. So… Col. Naviere Walkewicz 24:39 Well, I'm grateful for that because the reason why we're talking here is because you answered, you know, and we're willing to talk about it. So I think that's you know just proof right there of that stretching and outreach. So before we shift into, I'm curious on you know you talk about you asked your mentor when does he know it's time to retire. I would love Kind of the business world, but before that, I'd like to visit actually one of your experiences while you're in in service, and you know it's something there's you know there's a movie on it. We actually featured in our 2018 checkpoint, but you were instrumental in rescuing the boys' soccer team in Thailand when they had a huge monsoon. And I was wondering if you kind of take me not so much. Maybe you can share with others in case they aren't familiar with it. But I'm really curious about the leadership piece of that because it was a huge operation, and it was dealing with water. So let's talk about that. Mitch Torrel 25:34 Yeah, exactly — my nightmare. You know what? I just happened to be in the right time at the right place. There was a team of pararescue men and combat controllers stationed out in Okinawa, Japan. There was a group of soccer players who got stranded in a cave after the monsoons came early and had flooded out a section. The Thai leadership and parks team, and then eventually the Thai Navy tried to attempt a rescue, and they weren't able to action it. So they reached out to the U.S. Embassy and asked if we had anybody in in the region who could come help. And that just happened to be our team out in Okinawa. I think it was definitely a challenge. There wasn't a lot of information when we left out the door. It was either, you know, is 13 individuals stuck in a cave. We don't know what the hurdles are. We don't know what's been tried. We don't know anything. We don't even know if they're alive. Oh my goodness. And so, getting on the ground, there was a lot of information to take in. There's a lot of people who were trying to help, trying to facilitate a rescue, working, you know, their own agendas, and I think coordinating and making sense of all that chaos was kind of the first task. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 26:47 And so, what was your role? So, you know, obviously, like the call came in, and then you know, you were — that was, you know, your, you know, was assigned to that. What was your piece, and like, how did you navigate that chaos? Mitch Torrel 26:58 So I felt like I had the best job out of you know anybody there. I got to be the operations officer, and so I was kind of the troop commander for the team that we had out. And you know, meanwhile, my leadership had to you know liaise with the other leaders. I got to be kind of down and in focused. All right, what plans are we working? How are we coordinating and liaising with our Thai counterparts? And got to be a little bit more down and in. And so I really enjoyed that part, and that was kind of why I got into special operations in general as I wanted to be, you know, working with a team of really, really high-functioning individuals on very hard problems. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 27:38 Right, and this was one of the first kind of very hard problems that you were, you know, working on. Mitch Torrel 27:43 It was. So this was my first operational mission, you know, coming out of the pipeline. I got stationed in Okinawa, and this was kind of the first opportunity to showcase what I'd learned and employ. And it was kind of, you know, everybody's dream is to go through training and then get to action some of those skills and traits that they've developed. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 28:02 Well, I imagine it was quite busy, you know, around the clock because you know time wasn't on their side, and so you were really working against the clock. But I'm curious how you, you know, how do you navigate with urgency as a leader, but still safely? You know, like how do you manage that? Mitch Torrel 28:21 I think, sometimes you got to know when to kind of pull the reins, and it's very easy— it was a very urgent situation, right? There's 13 kids trapped. They don't have food or water. We don't know if they're alive. The cave is continually flooding more and more every hour. But you got to have a plan to go off of. You got to be able to not rush into an emergency and make things worse. And I think off the start, nobody was monitoring who came and went from the cave, and that generated issues. John and Rick, the U.K. and British divers, stumbled on you know two would-be rescuers who got subsequently stranded in another section of the cave, and they were able to get them out. And then, and so we realized that taking a step back, generating a plan. When we arrived, there was a key leaders contingent that went into the cave to kind of get information first and foremost. And then we spent the rest of the team, all right download the gear, stage everything, prep everything, go get some rest, and then we're going to generate and come up with a plan in the morning. But sometimes you got to realize that you can't move them out in overnight, and so you need to take time, you know, do a little five-minute huddle and make sure that you have a plan that's not going to get you further into trouble. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 29:38 Yes, well, it's such an important role, and I'm thinking about you know those moments where your like, “Get some rest,” as the leader in this, and you know, kind of organizing this. What are the thoughts going through some of your in your head? And I ask that because I'm thinking about leaders who are experiencing something difficult for the first time, and maybe there's some doubt, or you know, how do you how do you calm yourself through some of those questions? Mitch Torrel 30:00 I think, for new leaders, you don't have to have all the answers yourself, and that is first and foremost. I on team, and probably one of the most junior guys. Yes, I'm in charge as the officer, but the guys who are working with me have been in the Air Force, have done rescue missions, have been doing the job for 15, 18, you know, upwards of 20 years, and so I think understanding that no matter where you're at in a team, you you're a part of a team for a reason, and you should be able to leverage input, leverage ideas, and you shouldn't be beholden to coming up with everything on yourself. I think delegation is super important. I think getting input and opinions from others is extremely important because sometimes the quietest guy in the room is going to have the best idea, and you need to enable and empower them to speak up, put them on the spot. You know, “Hey, what do you think? What do you— How do you think we should approach this?” And then your job as a leader is to take all these good ideas, is to empower the team to do its best, and so your job isn't to carry the water, come up with a plan, and do everything on your own. Like, you were there as a facilitator, and I think that that is the biggest takeaway. I spend, especially young cadets, please, please, please leverage you know the experience that that you're going to go out and be on team with. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 31:22 I think that's fantastic advice. And as you look back on it today, I know we chatted a little bit earlier. I said, gosh, you know, it probably it's a while ago, but maybe it feels like yesterday, and you said no, it feels like forever ago. You know, have you seen yourself? You learn from that, but have you grown in the way that you continue to do things now because of that experience? Mitch Torrel 31:43 I think everything is additive. You know, I mean that was a huge learning experience. It was I learned a ton. I think there are several things that having a second shot at it that would have done substantially different. I think the outcome ended up in a very happy manner; I think it's very easy now that we've developed this framework. Here's how we tackle this problem, but that's been applicable in other means and other avenues as well. And so again, you know, as you build your toolbox of experience, as you build kind of these traits, and you get to refine that, it's something that you continually get to bring out in other manners. And so yeah, I grew a lot from the event, learned a lot, and have been able to apply it since. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 32:29 Well, as I've been sitting across from you, one of the things that I'm just feeling in spades is that as a leader, you are somebody that's really humble, and you know you approach it, like, through humility. And so I'm curious, you know, how you've seen that carry you, and what you might share with others when they're thinking about, you know, how do I, you know, as I'm leading, how do I lead? Like how do I lead with humility? Because it seems like it's working very well for you. Mitch Torrel 32:51 I think it was easy to be humble when you're surrounded by the caliber of individuals that I was blessed to be around mean, every team I was on, it was. I mean, they were phenomenal guys who have done phenomenal things in their career and were just so impressive. And so I was just always just thrilled to be a teammate of theirs. I think, really going back to you know, again, your job as a leader is to facilitate the team, is to you know drive you towards mission accomplishment. I think if you always put things back onto why we here, it's not for leadership's sake, leaders don't exist, you know, outside of facilitation, and you know it's not to downplay the job of the leader. It's not at all. It's a big responsibility. You have the authority. You have the — you know all of that, and so now it's your job to delegate that accordingly and efficiently. And I think it's going back to just understanding that again, we exist for the mission. We exist to enable that team to accomplish whatever its task or business you know directive is, and so I think having an understanding of that, and then it's just fun to see people progress, right? You know that the cave rescue was my first mission, but that didn't mean because I hadn't had real world experience that I didn't have things that I could bring to the table, and I think it's understanding that as well as humility is important. Like maybe you know not jumping across the table and you know declaring yourself the king of whatever's going on, but individuals have a lot that they bring to the table. You know, having an ability to you know see other things that aren't being looked at, bring other perspectives to the table, even just making sense of the chaos. You know, and that's not something that you need to be a leader or in a leadership position to do. And being forward leaning enough to anticipate hurdles, second, third order effects. What else needs to be accomplished or taken care of? I mean, there's a lot of ways in which you can provide value. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 34:56 Mitch, have you always kind of been this way? Have you always kind of operated in that space or is it something that you've kind of learned over time about yourself, or taken on from others you've seen? Mitch Torrel 35:06 I think it's something that's developed. You know, I don't think you know. I think there's a little bit of nurture and nature into it, where you know you're born a certain orientation where it's like, hey, you're comfortable being you know in charging groups, and some people aren't, and that's OK. But a lot of people develop into it, and I think I've just been blessed with a lot of opportunities to try things out, fail, come back to the drawing board, work on it, improve, and you know the pipeline was monumentally developmental for me. I'm sure there's a lot of teammates who you know listen to this and laugh pretty hard about you know some of the stupid things that I did going through the pipeline, but they're learning experiences, and we had a really good group, and we pushed each other so hard, and so I had an assistant troop commander who was going through with me, and we had really healthy camaraderie, but a really healthy. I mean, we were constantly competing, and it just drove me to be so much better. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 36:07 So, you know, we were talking about how you are continually working on being better, right? Being better than you were yesterday, so that it's always kind of an additive improvement. I'm curious on when you've seen yourself fail. You talked about you failed and you've gotten better. Can you share an example of when you have failed and that literally shaped something very quickly instead of being additive, but quickly that you changed in the way that you already did. Mitch Torrel 36:34 I think just failures and take care of people, I think is one of the biggest things to learn is, you know, going through the pipeline, it's easy to you know lose sight of the overall end state. And at the end of the day, it's your goal is to there be there to make people better incrementally every day. I think there's been a couple situations in which maybe I was a little ax on some enforcement of rules or standard that came back to kind of bite us a little bit, you know. And so, and this this will probably feel free to cut this, you know. But I think there was an opportunity guys going through a pipeline. They're really young. I grew up, you know, in northern Minnesota, and you know, people drink underage. I was hey I'm OK hearing about it or you know like I'm you know as a commander it's like if it happens it happens you know but I think what's hard is how do you enforce the rules if you're looking the other way if you're not enforcing that standard and so I think what's really hard is you can be there be one of the guys but you got to set your red lines you got to set hey here's what I will and will not tolerate and so I think I learned early in the pipeline that if I'm OK or if I let the standard slip on certain things, you know, like guys drink underage, like guys do you know stupid things, and then they get in trouble for it. How do I, as a commander, enforce it? And so it was one of those learning experiences where going through the pipeline, guy had you know you know got found drinking underage, and it's like, “Hey, it's on you as the, you know, officer to discipline them.” It's like, “Well, I'm also a part of the problem because I didn't set that standard. I, you know, allowed it.” And so I think that was one of those heavy learning experiences where, you know, you're — yes, you're the quarterback of the team, but you got to there has to be some delineation between you know between what you allow and what you can't. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 38:49 I'm really glad you shared that because I think that's real. I think that is something a challenge that you know, especially when I think about the Class of '26 that just graduated and they just finished their six days of leave, and they're soon to head onto their bases, right? You know, the world doesn't always turn out, and so how do they navigate some of those things that they're going to inevitably come across? So I think that's a real conversation, and I really appreciate you sharing that. Mitch Torrel 39:14 And I think what I started doing, you know, from then on is, is you as a commander, you as a officer, should have you know your command guidance. It should be your checklist. Hey, here's what I value. Here's what my red lines are, and you gotta set the standard immediately to just let people know, “Hey, like here's what I'm gonna be irritated about if you show up late to meetings.” If, you know, here's what you know I'm not gonna handle any moral, legal, or ethical issues. Like if it's not moral or legally or ethically a problem, like my job is to you know delegate that down to you and allow you guys to do it. And so setting that standard early as leaders is extremely important because then it allows you to enforce, uphold the standard, and be like, "Hey, we talked about this. This is the expectation. You understood the expectation, and now I can hold you accountable.” And it's not me coming after you because we sat down and had a conversation. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 40:13 That's right. That's excellent advice. So one of the things that we like to do is ask you if you were sitting across, not Navid now, if you're sitting across young Mitch. What was what piece of advice you'd share with him? Mitch Torrel 40:25 I think, enjoy the period in which you're in every stage. I feel like every four years, I look back on the previous four years and just think about what an amazing time period that was. And you know, getting to play hockey, going to the academy, the academy was amazing. You're hanging with your friends. You're in college, and you know, increasingly as you age, it's going to be increasing responsibility. There's going to be a lot more you know burden on your shoulders, but it's fun, you know. And progression is fun, moving on to the next stage. But I think enjoy where you're at in life a little bit more. It would kind of be my advice. And then, you know, I don't necessarily regret anything, but it's you know continually to just work hard, progress, and you know have those cups coffee, learn from other mentors, you know, expand your network, and just grow.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 41:20 What are you doing now that helps you enjoy life? Mitch Torrel 41:25 I think right now, so just moved, and you know, right now I'm trying to focus on a little bit more me, you know, be a little healthier with sleep, eating, you know, and just I think it's easy to kind of burn the candle at both ends, and now it's kind of taking a step back and understanding that you need to be rejuvenated, you need to you know unplug periodically to be able to bring your all to you know what you're working on, and sometimes things get monotonous, and sometimes you know you just need to take a step back and reinvigorate yourself. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 41:58 I love that. That's fantastic. So, today, in today's terms, what are you most proud about yourself when it comes to? And if I word this right, maybe I say, what are you most proud about in being a facilitator? I want to say being a leader, but I wonder if you're going to answer that. I'm really good at facilitating high-performing teams. I'm curious how it goes. Mitch Torrel 42:19 I think what I'm most proud about is just looking back at the people I've had the blessing of coming across and just seeing them grow in their life. You know, like I think we allow sometimes in in the military where everybody's going to leave the military at some point, and that's OK. You know, I've got friends who stayed in for 2030, years and done phenomenal things. I've got friends who've gotten out, and you know progressed in their professional careers, and to me, it's just fun to see where everybody ends up. Like I love seeing people have success, and especially people who, you know, I may or may not have helped at least a little bit. You know, or you know, at least been a bad example of what not to do. But I think, yeah, it's the relationships that I look back on, and I'm just very happy to have you know gotten to know the people that I've come across. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 43:13 Well, you yourself made that transition, I think, from you know active service and obviously an entrepreneur. You know, what's some advice you might give someone in in that kind of decision calculus of transitioning their career? Mitch Torrel 43:26 I think it just goes back to again, am I am I continually am I student of the game? Am I showing up every day invigorated to learn and be better at my job? And you know maybe if the answer is if not, you need to step away for a little bit, reinvigorate yourself, reprioritize your life. And sometimes it's just, hey, I've got some goals that I've set out to get after, and sometimes your path diverges, and that's OK. And I think in my case it was I had some things that I wanted to accomplish in life that the — it was just time for me to, you know, change my path, of course. And so it wasn't. I loved the military. I loved the team environment, the camaraderie, the units that I got to be part of were phenomenal, and I miss that every day. But sometimes you just got to, you know, understand where you're going and you know set out and accomplish those goals. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 44:20 Well, I think there's been a theme across many of the graduates I get to speak with, and service continues even out of uniform. So I think that that definitely speaks volumes. So Mitch, was there anything today that we didn't cover that you would love to share with our graduate community, even if it's just words of encouragement? Mitch Torrel 44:37 No, I think it's just you know continue to build your skill set, build your toolbox, understand that every day is an opportunity to learn to better communicate, to invest in yourself, to professionalize you know your approach to things and building discipline, building you know your approach to complex problems, and I think a lot of us just want to check the box and move on and get you know. But every day again is an opportunity to better yourself, and so I think that that's what I would impart on, you know, younger next generation who are going to solve tomorrow's hard problems, who are going to be in these complex positions that we can't even fathom. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 45:21 Well, there are so many amazing things that we covered today that I think many can take back and internalize and find the way that it connects to them. But something that really stood out to me, just first and foremost, with you mentioned that you're more authentic and you just live with your heart. And so I think that came out in spades. I loved learning that you know leadership to you started with really kind of looking inward and what you really wanted, right? You could have gone a path of a pilot, and you could have done well, but you recognize that there is something that you wanted to do that might be more fulfilling with your skill set and align better with you. I think that that is that awareness as a leader is really important. I also really appreciate how you continue on focus on better every day, and you don't have to be the best tomorrow. But you need to be better than you were, and you're competing against yourself every day while lifting others up. I think the other thing that I really just enjoyed about you is remembering that the leader, yes, does have responsibilities to make decisions and you know, you know, advocate and empower others, but you're a facilitator and making sure that you help others have their voices bring out the best so that you actually can bring out the mission to success. So it's been an incredible conversation. I've thoroughly enjoyed this. So I just truly appreciate you being on Long Blue Leadership. Mitch Torrel 46:33 No, thank you. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 46:35 Absolutely. And so, for any of you that are still watching and listening to this, be sure to share this with others because the leadership journey is one that it never ends. Right? We're always growing and evolving, and this conversation and all of our conversations on Long Blue Leadership with the lives of Air Force Academy graduates can just help you in your own personal journey. So, see you next time on Long Blue Leadership. I'm Naviere Walkowicz. Thank you. Mitch Torrel 46:56 Thank you.   KEYWORDS Leadership, fear, resilience, mental toughness, preparation, adaptation, team cohesion, shared hardship, humility, mentorship, feedback, continuous improvement, self-awareness, stress tolerance, problem solving, interpersonal effectiveness, communication, delegation, accountability, standards, courage, growth mindset, trust, mission focus, servant leadership.   The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation    

As part of our series on economic supports, Sally Laskey, NSVRC Evaluation Coordinator talks with two programs in Mississippi about the Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy Toolkit they have developed for workplaces.   Resources Shared in this Podcast: Sexual Harassment Prevention Workplace Toolkit https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12bejQ-vmNnQU1B0zYcBXSq0Gxbe2XIeN Related Resources: What does Economic Support have to do with Sexual Violence Prevention? https://www.nsvrc.org/resource/what-does-economic-support-have-to-do-with-sexual-violence-prevention/ Part 2 of series Helping Young Workers Thrive (NSVRC Podcast) https://www.nsvrc.org/resource/helping-young-workers-thrive/ Ending Workplace Sexual Harassment is Economic Justice (NSVRC Blog) https://www.nsvrc.org/blog_post/ending-workplace-sexual-harassment-economic-justice/ Ending Sexual Assault and Harassment in the Workplace (NSVRC online collection) https://www.nsvrc.org/ending-sexual-assault-and-harassment-workplace/ Workplaces Respond To Domestic & Sexual Violence National Resource Center https://workplacesrespond.org/  

Courtney Clenney's high-profile murder case has come to a surprising end. The former OnlyFans model pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 2022 stabbing death of her boyfriend, Christian “Toby” Obumseli, accepting a six-year prison sentence with credit for nearly four years already served.We break down the plea deal, why prosecutors agreed to reduce the charge from second-degree murder, what Clenney admitted in court, and how soon she could potentially be released.https://www.local10.com/news/local/2026/08/09/courtney-clenney-expected-to-accept-plea-deal-in-boyfriends-2022-killing/15-year-old Khloe McDonel vanished in Jackson, Mississippi, only to be found shot to death in a local park. We break down the troubling timeline, why it took 16 days to identify her, and the investigation into who targeted Khloe—and why.https://www.wlbt.com/2026/08/06/exclusive-jackson-family-seeks-answers-after-missing-teen-found-dead-local-park/Join our squad! Kristi and Katie share true crime stories and give you actionable things you can do to help, all with a wicked sense of humor.Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/q8d35JBvCFollow our True Crime Trials Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TrueCrimeSquadTrialsFollow our True Crime Shorts Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@truecrimesquadshorts-t6iWant to Support our work and get perks like extra content and The Watch Party?www.truecrimesquad.com*Social Media Links*Facebook: www.facebook.com/truecrimesquadFacebook Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/215774426330767Website: https://www.truecrimesquad.comTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@truecrimesquadBlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/truecrimesquad.bsky.social True Crime Squad on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/5gIPqBHJLftbXdRgs1Bqm1

It’s been exactly one week since 29-year-old mom of 4, Tasia Fortune, was found hanging from a tree in the back of an abandoned home in Jackson, Mississippi. The medical examiner’s office is conducting an autopsy, but as of this recording, police have not said whether they suspect foul play or suicide. Of note, a Jackson City Council member has asked the U.S. Attorney’s office for help investigating, as Fortune’s family is demanding answers and justice. Over the past decade in Mississippi, there have been 3 other tree hanging deaths of black men, all of them ruled suicides over the objections of their families.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dove hunting is the traditional kickoff for wingshooters everywhere. This year, I'm swinging west of the Mississippi to keep the dogs happy and the barrels hot.

It’s been exactly one week since 29-year-old mom of 4, Tasia Fortune, was found hanging from a tree in the back of an abandoned home in Jackson, Mississippi. The medical examiner’s office is conducting an autopsy, but as of this recording, police have not said whether they suspect foul play or suicide. Of note, a Jackson City Council member has asked the U.S. Attorney’s office for help investigating, as Fortune’s family is demanding answers and justice. Over the past decade in Mississippi, there have been 3 other tree hanging deaths of black men, all of them ruled suicides over the objections of their families.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been exactly one week since 29-year-old mom of 4, Tasia Fortune, was found hanging from a tree in the back of an abandoned home in Jackson, Mississippi. The medical examiner’s office is conducting an autopsy, but as of this recording, police have not said whether they suspect foul play or suicide. Of note, a Jackson City Council member has asked the U.S. Attorney’s office for help investigating, as Fortune’s family is demanding answers and justice. Over the past decade in Mississippi, there have been 3 other tree hanging deaths of black men, all of them ruled suicides over the objections of their families.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The crew discussed the ongoing investigation into the death of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune, a Black woman found hanging from a tree behind a vacant home in Jackson, Mississippi. Her family, community leaders, and civil rights advocates are demanding answers as authorities continue their investigation and await autopsy results. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

August 10, 2026: I look at Mark Zuckerberg's new Meta manifesto and why he's positioning open superintelligence as a direct challenge to OpenAI and Anthropic's more centralized approach. Then I get into Nissan using AI-powered cameras at its Canton, Mississippi factory to track how workers bend, twist, and move on the assembly line. Finally, I unpack WIRED's report on the rise of AI job interviews, where candidates record answers late at night and, in many cases, no human ever watches the interview.

This is a Grave Talks CLASSIC EPISODE!It started with a whisper. For most, that might've been the end of it. But for John Bullard, those whispers were an invitation—one that would lead him straight into the heart of the paranormal. As a curious child, John couldn't shake the feeling that someone—or something—was trying to get his attention. Years later, he realized the truth: the dead had been speaking to him all along.Armed with little more than a tape recorder and curiosity, John began capturing disembodied voices that defied logic and science. These weren't creaks or random noise—they were clear, intelligent responses from beyond the veil. What began as a fascination became a lifelong mission to bridge the gap between the living and the dead.That mission eventually brought him to The House In Between—a Mississippi home so active it's been called one of the most documented hauntings in America. There, John's recordings and experiences would provide some of the most compelling evidence yet that consciousness doesn't end with death.In this episode of The Grave Talks, John Bullard shares his evolution from a curious kid chasing whispers to a seasoned investigator documenting proof of the afterlife—one EVP at a time.#TheGraveTalks #ParanormalInvestigations #TheHouseInBetween #EVP #GhostVoices #RealGhostStories #ParanormalPodcast #LifeAfterDeath #HauntedHouse #GhostHuntersLove real ghost stories? Don't just listen—join us on YouTube and be part of the largest community of real paranormal encounters anywhere. Subscribe now and never miss a chilling new story:

This is a Grave Talks CLASSIC EPISODE! PART TWOIt started with a whisper. For most, that might've been the end of it. But for John Bullard, those whispers were an invitation—one that would lead him straight into the heart of the paranormal. As a curious child, John couldn't shake the feeling that someone—or something—was trying to get his attention. Years later, he realized the truth: the dead had been speaking to him all along.Armed with little more than a tape recorder and curiosity, John began capturing disembodied voices that defied logic and science. These weren't creaks or random noise—they were clear, intelligent responses from beyond the veil. What began as a fascination became a lifelong mission to bridge the gap between the living and the dead.That mission eventually brought him to The House In Between—a Mississippi home so active it's been called one of the most documented hauntings in America. There, John's recordings and experiences would provide some of the most compelling evidence yet that consciousness doesn't end with death.In this episode of The Grave Talks, John Bullard shares his evolution from a curious kid chasing whispers to a seasoned investigator documenting proof of the afterlife—one EVP at a time.#TheGraveTalks #ParanormalInvestigations #TheHouseInBetween #EVP #GhostVoices #RealGhostStories #ParanormalPodcast #LifeAfterDeath #HauntedHouse #GhostHuntersLove real ghost stories? Don't just listen—join us on YouTube and be part of the largest community of real paranormal encounters anywhere. Subscribe now and never miss a chilling new story: