Podcasts about international year

You know about North Pole and the South Pole, where polar bears and penguins live. Have you heard of a third pole? West and south of the Tibetan Plateau, a mountainous area holds more glaciers than any place in the world outside the Arctic and Antarctic poles. This region has a special significance for fiber artists: it is the home and habitat of the goats that produce much of the world's cashmere. And as at the North and South Poles, climate change is threatening the animals and people who call this region home. To bring attention to the threat to glaciers in the region, engineer Sonam Wangchuk climbed into the Himalayas of in Ladakh, India, and carried back a 7 kilogram chunk of glacier. It began a journey across two continents, wrapped in 3 kilograms of cashmere, and finally arrived at the United Nations in New York. The UN has named 2025 the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation (https://www.un-glaciers.org/en), and Wangchuk's Travelling Glacier brought the threat of climate change to the world's door. The cashmere covering the sample not only insulated the ice, it also demonstrates what's at risk when glaciers melt. The animals and people living in these regions depend on glaciers for water; when the glaciers melt too abruptly, the overflow of water sweeps away whole villages and cities in devastating floods. Stories of people and animals on other continents can seem remote, abstract, and hopeless, but joining in the movement to preserve this important resource can be as near as your fingertips. Long Thread Media is joining with Wild Fibers to sponsor the Cashmere on Ice Contest (https://cashmere.longthreadmedia.com/), which invites fiber artists to make a project containing cashmere. Projects can be wearable or decorative; a special category highlights fiber grown in the Ladakh region from which Wangchuk sourced his Travelling Glacier. In this episode, celebrated storyteller and wild fiber expert Linda Cortright shares details about why she cares passionately about this crisis and what fiber artists can do to help the cause. Learn about the contest (https://cashmere.longthreadmedia.com/) and find an FAQ (https://spinoffmagazine.com/a-fiber-contest-with-global-impact) for more details. Discover the Wild Fibers (https://www.wildfibersmagazine.com/cashmereonice) resource page. Hear about the effects of glacial melt in another high-elevation fiber-producing region: the Andes. (https://spinoffmagazine.com/alpaca-for-life/)

In today's deep dive, we'll learn about a science-based escape room in Urbana that challenges participants to harness the power of curiosity and collaboration.

World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) launched the promotion of International Credit Union Day 2025 in April under the theme “Cooperation for a Prosperous World”. It ties into the United Nations declaring 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives under the theme "Cooperatives Build a Better World." WOCCU Director of Member Services Thom Belekevich joins the podcast to discuss the importance of that theme, which will be celebrated on Thursday, October 16. Marcey Ciaccio, Philanthropy Manager for Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions (WFCU), also joins us to explain the thought process behind this year's ICU Day 2025 posters, and to highlight how WFCU is offering an ICU Day commemorative pin for the second straight year, as well as paid media kit, which is new for 2025.International Credit Union Day 2025 is sponsored by Velera, one of the largest card issuers for credit unions in the United States. Brian Caldarelli, Velera's Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer - who also sits on the WFCU Board of Directors, also joins me to discuss the organization's passion for cooperation and collaboration as it relates to ICU Day.

In this special episode celebrating the United Nations' International Year of Quantum Science and Technology and World Quantum Day, we dive into the mysterious world of quantum entanglement—this time, at the scale of top quarks.  Join us as we speak with Giulia Negro (CMS Experiment, Purdue University) and Yoav Afik (ATLAS Experiment, University of Chicago), two physicists behind groundbreaking results from the Large Hadron Collider's biggest experiments.  From the birth of quantum mechanics 100 years ago to its latest tests in high-energy proton collisions, we explore how the weirdness of the quantum world continues to unfold—one quark pair at a time. Contributors: Host: Steven Goldfarb Editor & Producer: Chetna Krishna Executive Producer: Jacques Fichet Ron Suykerbuyk: Technical Lead Sound Engineering: Piotr Traczyk Music: The Canettes Blues Band

Tatiana Antonelli-Abella is joined by Wassim Said for a special episode of Forward Talks to mark the inaugural World Day for Glaciers and 2025 being the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation. Wassim is a Steering Committee member of the Emirates Polar Program in addition to being an Advisor with the UAE's Presidential Court. Wassim explains the critical role of glaciers as freshwater sources and in the context of climate change, and the work of the Emirates Polar Program.

CLIMATE ACTION SHOWProduced by Vivien Langford17th March 2025D O N ' T   B U R N   OUR   F U T U R E“The PM's Climate Speech we've been waiting for” from the SLF 2025 Join climate activists Violet CoCo, David Spratt and Mark Carter to view and reflect on the speech — that we all want to hear. They ask the government to safeguard the wellbeing of all Australians by responding at emergency speed to an honest, evidence-based, risk-averse assessment of our climate predicament. The panellists will discuss what that response could actually look like, why it is now necessary, and how it can provide climate-concerned Australians — those now despairing at current, demonstrably ineffective, national climate policy and actions — with a future they can demand.Remember with an election coming up:Pick your battles, Don't go alone, The Time is Now! Music by  James Brook featuring Violet Coco "Peoples' uprisinghttps://jamesbrook.bandcamp.com/album/yandoitViolet Coco https://greenagenda.org.au/author/violet-coco HEADLINES showing CLIMATE ACTION WORLDWIDE Our energy bills are torching the planetMarch 04, 2025 by Extinction RebellionActivists from Extinction Rebellion North and Axe Drax staged a banner-burning action on the day that tree-burning power station Drax announced earnings of over one billion pounds in 2024. The action called for an end to public money to burning trees for electricity. A spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion said: “Even the government's own advisors say we need to end burning trees in power stations by 2027. So the fact that the government has committed billions of pounds of public money so Drax can keep doing this until 2031 doesn't make sense. This decision needs to be urgently revisited.”  International Year  of Glacier Presrevationhttps://news.un.org/en/story/2025/01/1159236#:~:text=2025%20key%20initiatives,engaging%20youth%20and%20local%20communities.  Lakenheath UKhttps://extinctionrebellion.uk/2025/02/26/join-xruk-at-lakenheath-alliance-for-peace/Join XRUK at the camp organised by Lakenheath Alliance For Peace, culminating in a blockade of the largest US airbase in Europe:Where: Outside RAF Lakenheath, SuffolkWhen: 14–26 April 2025Militarism and climate change are catastrophically linked. Weapons-related activity causes significant emissions, and over half of the most climate-vulnerable nations are already in conflict.RAF Lakenheath is the largest US airbase in Europe and supports operations across the globe, hosting aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons with over 20 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb. The base is now getting ready to receive US nuclear weapons, putting the UK in the nuclear front line. CYCLONE AlfredDr Joelle Gergis connects the cyclone with the coal oil and gas which are warming the oceans to intensify storms. https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/radionational-breakfast/could-cyclones-become-a-new-norm-for-northern-nsw/105033536 https://www.echo.net.au/2025/03/leading-global-climate-scientist-based-in-northern-rivers-speaks-out-on-need-to-stop-burning-fossil-fuels/ 

Welcome to Series 2 of Mountain Voices, the podcast from the UIAA – International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation.The United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation. Starting from 2025, March 21 is recognised as the World Day for Glaciers.As part of its work in mountain protection and in the field of climate change, the UIAA has committed to playing an active role throughout activities in 2025 and beyond. This podcast episode forms part of that commitment. In this episode we hear from a number of glacier experts:Part 1 (01:15 - 26:24)Will Gadd, renowned Canadian mixed and ice climberMary Sanseverino, mountaineer, independent mountain studies researcher, Vice President of the UIAA Mountain Protection CommissionDiscussion on the importance of International Year of Glaciers' Preservation, the need to engage people with the subject on an emotional level, and a focus on repeat photography and the plight of glaciers in Canada, notably the Athabasca in the Canadian RockiesPart 2 (26:25 - 43:00)Filmmaker Craig Leeson discusses his film The Last Glaciers, the most comprehensive film ever produced about the relationship between climate change, mountain environments, and glaciers. Craig explores what he learned about glaciers during the near decade long process of making the film which captures the fragility of the natural world, the impact humans have on our life support systems, and the friendships, personal challenges, and tragedies experienced by the explorers.Discover more here:https://thelastglaciers.com/Part 3 (43:01 - 53:10)Tom Harris, an experienced mountain guide, charts the specific story of the Fox Glacier, located on the wild west coast of New Zealand, and the impact of climate change on guiding as a profession.--Mountain Voices is a podcast from the UIAA. Throughout each series, the UIAA explores different climbing and mountaineering topics. The series provide a platform for both experts from the UIAA and renowned figures from the mountain world to share their views and opinions. Each series is made of up of six episodes. Season 2 launched in March 2025.https://www.theuiaa.org/mountainvoices/Presented and produced by Tarquin CooperCo-produced by Peter BourneEdited by Tom Tushaw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quantum mechanics has transformed our understanding of reality, but how did we get here? In this episode, we celebrate the International Year of Quantum, marking 100 years since the birth of this groundbreaking field. From the fierce debates between Einstein and Bohr to the mind-bending implications of superposition and entanglement, we explore how quantum mechanics... The post #320 International Year of Quantum: 100 Years of Quantum Mechanics first appeared on Engineering Matters.

2025. március 04., csütörtök 9-10 óra Verseny az arany szobrokért - Az idei Oscar díjkiosztó értékelése Magyar idő szerint március 3-án, hétfő hajnalban rendezik meg az idei Oscar-gálát, mi pedig megint szurkolhatunk egy magyar jelöltnek: Jancsó Dávidot a legjobb vágás kategóriájában jelölték A brutalista című filmen végzett munkájáért. A brutalista az idei Oscar-díj egyik nagyágyúja a tíz jelölésével, de mi a helyzet a többi filmmel? Telex: Ezek az idei Oscar-jelöltek – mit érdemes róluk tudni? Dudás Viktor, filmszakértő EQUILOR TŐZSDENYITÁS: Czibere Ákos, elemző HEURÉKA ÉLMÉNY: A kvantumkommunikáció vajon mi? A kvantumkommunikáció számos érdekes megoldást kínál számunkra, mint a kvantum alapú kulcsszétosztás, kvantum alapú véletlenszámok, illetve a kvantuminternet. Tekintettel arra, hogy a február 3-i Millásreggeli adásban a kvantumszámítógépekről beszélgettünk, most a fókuszt a kvantumkommunikációra, ennek az üzleti jelentőségére, a Quantum Innovation Summit-on elhangzott víziókra és a magyar fejlesztésekre/lehetőségekre helyezzük. 2025. február 25-27. között rendezték meg meg Dubajban a Quantum Innovation Summit 2025 rendezvényt. Quantum Innovation Summit 2025 a kvantum nemzetközi éve, egészen pontosan a kvantumtudomány és kvantumtechnológia nemzetközi éve (International Year of Quantum Science and Technology), https://quantum2025.org/ Egyébként is évente egyre több kvantumos szakmai rendezvény volt, de 2025-ben még több/még hangsúlyosabb rendezvények vannak szerte a világon. Quantum Innovation Summit-et február 25-27. között szerveztek meg Dubajban. Immár második alkalommal volt ez a rendezvény Dubajban, de első alkalommal vettek részt rajta magyarok. Magyarországról hárman utaztak ki, az egyik magyar delegált egy hazai cégtől, a másik magyar delegált egy hazai kutatóintézettől, Bacsárdi László pedig a Műegyetem képviseletében. Bacsárdi László, a BME Hálózati Rendszerek és Szolgáltatások Tanszékének egyetemi docense

2025 has been designated the “International Year of Cooperatives” by the United Nations, recognizing the vital role that cooperatives play in building stronger economies and communities around the world. Here in Nebraska, cooperatives have long been a cornerstone of rural development, supporting local businesses, agriculture, and essential services. The Nebraska Cooperative Development Center has been at the forefront of fostering cooperative businesses across the state for more than two decades. On this episode, we're joined by Cindy Houlden, Cooperative Development Specialist with NCDC, to talk about the significance of the International Year of Cooperatives, how Nebraska's cooperative movement fits into this global recognition, and what opportunities exist for communities and businesses looking to explore cooperative models.Read more: https://cap.unl.edu/news/2025-year-cooperatives-building-better-nebraska-and-beyond-houlden-250218/

On 10 December 1992, Australia's Prime Minister, Paul Keating, addressed a crowd in a Sydney suburb called Redfern, to mark the UN's International Year of the World's Indigenous People. What started as a low-key affair, is remembered as one of the most powerful speeches in Australian history. It was the first time an Australian Prime Minister took moral responsibility for the horrors committed against Indigenous Australians. The speech received significant backlash, but it's often credited with paving the way for a later Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, to issue a formal apology to Indigenous Australians. In 2007, ABC radio listeners voted it the third most unforgettable speech in history behind Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' speech and Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Don Watson wrote the speech. He speaks to Ben Henderson.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they've had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America's occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Audio of Redfern speech: National Archives of Australia)(Photo: Prime Minister Paul Keating at Redfern. Credit: Pickett/The Sydney Morning Herald/Fairfax Media via Getty Images)

Quantum computing raises big questions—about security, power, and who benefits as the technology advances. To kick off 2025, the International Year of Quantum, I sat down with Joan Etude Arrow—Founder and CEO of the Quantum Ethics Project and a Womanium Quantum Solutions Launchpad Fellow—to talk about what's real, what's next, and why it matters. This is our chat with Joan Etude Arrow, here on Hacked.

This podcast features quantum physicist Mete Atatüre of the University of Cambridge

Henry's back for France Popular front updates to unveil his new journal, the New International! From there, we discuss Andy and Varn's essay The Undying Appeal of Brunch, and if it conflicts with the organizational method of Henry's Party, France Unbowed.For Part II of this episode and Discord access, support the show at: http://patreon.com/theantifada. We now have a free membership tier and 7-day trials! Follow New International on Twitter and BlueSky Follow Antifada on BlueSky New International editorial note: https://newintermag.com/our-goal/Long-read on France Unbowed: https://newintermag.com/communism-lives-in-the-france-unbowed/ Henry's write-up on France Unbowed's structure: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zs2eG-GfiFTkXuXxPxJaJb9JDaAa7S9TD0rLuLLC-XI/edit?usp=sharingKristin Ross on the Commune Form: https://illwill.com/a-common-horizon-for-situated-strugglesHenry's podcast episode on Citizen Marx: https://www.formspodcast.com/episode-xxiv-citizen-marxSong: X - Year One

Hosted by Mike Simmons. Astronomy for Equity will use the proven ability of astronomy to promote, support, and create STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education programs. Programs have been designed to encourage students and others in marginalized and isolated communities that lack representation and opportunities in STEM fields. Students interested in science are often discouraged by the lack of opportunities, role models, and support from teachers.   Mike Simmons is the founder of Astronomy for Equity ( https://bmsis.org/astro4equity/ ). Others on the team, including people around the world in astronomy and space exploration, authors and philosophers, designers and artists and more will be added as the website is developed.   Mike founded Astronomers Without Borders in 2006 to unite astronomy and space enthusiasts around the world through their common interests. During the UN-declared International Year of Astronomy 2009, Mike led the effort to organize the Cornerstone Project 100 Hours of Astronomy in more than 100 countries, with an estimated one million people looking through outreach telescopes in one night.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

Our guest for this episode is glaciologist Dr. Heïdi Sevestre. You might recognize that name if you tuned in to the National Geographic series 'Arctic Ascent' featuring climber Alex Honnold. Heïdi was the scientist on that expedition and worked with the team to conduct 18 difference experiments, many of which were featured in the show. And that appearance is key part of her approach to science. In addition to being fellow of The Explorers Club and worked at AMAP, the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, Heidi is a passionate science communicator. In addition to appearing on podcasts like this one, she has featured in documentaries for the BBC, CBC, ITV, France 2 and several other platforms. In this episode, we talk about what a glaciologist actually does other that expeditions with world-famous climbers, we explore the connection between melting glaciers and ice sheets and climate change and sea level rise and her Climate Sentinels project, which was an all-female, carbon neutral expedition to Svalbard to conduct crucial research. 2025 is the International Year for Glacier Preservation and I think you'll walk away from this episode with a better understanding of the importance of glaciers and ice in our ecosystems around the globe. Huge thanks to Heidi for joining us and make sure to check out the links in the show notes to follow her latest expeditions and communication efforts. Links Dr. Heïdi Sevestre Website Dr. Heïdi Sevestre Instagram Dr. Heïdi Sevestre YouTube Arctic Ascent on Disney+ Climate Sentinels

A recent article I read states that the United Nations General Assembly has designated 1999 as International Year of Older Persons. The theme will be "Towards a Society of All Ages." This theme was chosen to promote the philosophy that societies should be inclusive in nature, should embrace all population groups, and share their resources equally. October 1st, 1998 will be the day that the UN launches this year long celebration, which is also the International Day of Older Persons, having its beginning in 1990. The United States Planning Committee for this unique year recognizes aging as multi-dimensional and spanning every individual's lifelong development, the importance and contribution of Older Persons to intergenerational richness, the heterogeneity of the older population, and it's concern about the continuing poverty of many older persons and the necessity to provide adequate health care in the later years. The committee seeks to create opportunities for all of our citizens to understand, appreciate, and celebrate the contributions to nation, community, and family of older persons as citizens, caregivers, volunteers, and workers. The committee is working to focus attention on the challenge to our nation to ensure that the increases in life expectancy are matched by the increased opportunities for older persons to find fulfillment to these years. It also recognizes education as an enterprise that is lifelong and takes place in many different settings. It is the mission of this committee to encourage thoughtful planning of intergenerational projects, seminars, discussion groups and ethnic and cultural heritage programs in educational systems, corporations, religious organizations and the public and private sector. So dear readers of this warm thoughts column, be looking for special events in our community and be an active participant in this year honoring many of you.Grandma and Grandpa: "I like to walk with grandma and grandpa. Their steps are shorter like mine. They don't say, 'Now, hurry up!' They always take their time. I like to walk with grandma and grandpa. Their eyes see things mine do. Wee pebbles bright, a funny cloud, half hidden drops of dew. Most people have to hurry. They do not stop and see, I'm glad God made grandma and grandpa unrushed and young like me." Author unknown. Celebrate "Towards a Society of All Ages" all year. Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea by Dr Luetta G Werner Published in the Marion Record, October 1st, 1998Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past.Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table.I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast,Spotify,Stitcher, and Overcast. And don't forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I'd greatly appreciate it.Till next time,Trina

Episode Summary: In this episode, host Joni dives deep into the world of regenerative agriculture with guest Joanna Pataka, an expert in sustainable food systems. Together, they explore the incredible potential of millets, an ancient grain gaining attention as a climate-smart and nutritious staple crop. Joanna shares her journey from market research to working in non-profits and her discovery of millets while in India, which led to her advocacy for the crop through the Smart Food initiative.Joanna and Joni discuss how millets fit into the larger framework of regenerative agriculture, focusing on the “triple bottom line” that benefits farmers, the environment, and consumers. The episode touches on the challenges of promoting underutilized crops like millets, the importance of developing appealing food products, and the need for collaborative efforts in both marketing and research.Joanna shares insights on millet's nutritional advantages, particularly for managing diabetes, and the exciting developments happening globally to push millets into mainstream food systems. The conversation also highlights India's leadership in millet innovation and how new technologies, like AI, can accelerate agricultural research and adoption.Key Topics Discussed:Joanna's background in non-profits and her passion for regenerative agriculture.The importance of millets as a climate-smart, underutilized crop with huge potential.The triple bottom line: how millets benefit farmers, the environment, and consumers.The Smart Food initiative and how it's raising awareness for millets and other sustainable crops.The challenges of scaling millet production and promoting it in global food systems.The role of marketing, product development, and research in making millets more accessible.Insights on the nutritional benefits of millets, especially for managing diabetes.The global push for millet innovation, with India leading the way.The future of millet research, including its role in addressing food security and nutrition.Guest Information:Joanna Kane-Pataka is a global advocate for sustainable food systems and the driving force behind several initiatives aimed at promoting underutilized crops like millets. Connect with Joanna on LinkedIn to learn more about her work in nutrition, agriculture, and market development.LinkedIn: Joanna Kane- PatakaResources Mentioned:Smart Food initiativeIndia's International Year of Millets campaignResearch on millets and diabetesUSDA organic market development grantsUse of AI in agricultural innovationConnect with Us:Follow the Regenerative by Design Podcast on [insert social media links].Share this episode with others to spread the word about the importance of regenerative agriculture and the potential of millets in our food systems.Leave a review and let us know your thoughts!Call to Action: If you're passionate about sustainable agriculture, share this episode with your network! You can also learn more about Joanna Kane-Pataka's work and stay updated on her latest projects by connecting with her on LinkedIn.Thank you for tuning in! Please leave a review and stay connected for more inspiring conversations on regenerative agriculture and sustainable food systems.Regenerative by Design is hosted by Snacktivist. Snacktivist creates baking mixes and finished products that are allergy-friendly, soil, water, and carbon-focused, all while radically impacting human nutrition by transforming staple foods into more than just empty calories. Visit snacktivistfoods.com to learn more.Funding for the Regenerative By Design Podcast was made possible by a grant/cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service. The podcast's contents are solely the authors' responsibility and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA. 

We're gearing up to celebrate the United Nations' International Year of Cooperatives in 2025, so we've invited co-op cheerleader Adam Schwartz onto the podcast to help Utility Pioneers brainstorm how to tell our co-op stories in fresh, engaging ways.

Avivah Yamani continues her interview of Dr. Russo. He talks about the UNAWE program and issues in science communication in general. BTW, “Astro Wicara” is "Astro Talk" in Indonesian. Bio: Dr. Pedro M. Rodrigues Dos Santos Russo is assistant professor of astronomy & society at Leiden Observatory and the department of Science Communication & Society and coordinator of the Astronomy & Society group. Pedro is the president of the International Astronomical Union Commission on Communicating Astronomy with the Public. He was the global coordinator for the largest network ever in Astronomy, the International Year of Astronomy 2009.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

Avivah Yamani interviews Dr. Russo at the IAU General Assembly. He talks about how he got started in astronomy communication by working at a planetarium, and by working on the UNAWE program. Bio: Dr. Pedro M. Rodrigues Dos Santos Russo is assistant professor of astronomy & society at Leiden Observatory and the department of Science Communication & Society and coordinator of the Astronomy & Society group. Pedro is the president of the International Astronomical Union Commission on Communicating Astronomy with the Public. He was the global coordinator for the largest network ever in Astronomy, the International Year of Astronomy 2009.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

Foundations of Amateur Radio Australia has a long relationship with callsigns. Over time the regulator, today the ACMA, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, has seen fit to introduce different types of callsigns and restrictions associated with those callsigns. The change that made the most waves most recently was the introduction of the so-called F-call. It's a callsign that looks like mine, VK6FLAB. It has a VK prefix for Australia, the number 6 indicating my state, Western Australia, then the letter F, followed by a suffix of three letters. This type of callsign was introduced in 2005. To this day there are plenty of amateurs on-air who don't believe that this is a real callsign, to the point where some refuse to make contact, or worse, make inflammatory statements about getting a real callsign, and that's just the letters, let alone those who think that the callsign denotes a lack of skill or knowledge demanding that the amateur "upgrade" their license to a real one. At the time of introduction, the apparent intent was to indicate that the holder was licensed as a Foundation or beginner. In 2020 this was changed, and existing F-call holders were able to apply for a new callsign if they desired. Some did, many did not. Currently there are 1,385 F-calls active and there are 3,748 Foundation class callsigns in the registry. After this change, you might think that all callsigns in Australia are now either two or three letter suffixes, as-in VK6AA or VK6AAA. Actually, the F-call continues to exist and there are now also two by one calls, VK6A, intended for contesters. A popular idea is that the F-call is for Foundation license class amateurs only. There are currently 10 Standard and 16 Advanced license classed holders with an F-call. There are also two special event callsigns that sport an F-call. With the addition of contest callsigns, new prefixes, VJ and VL, were introduced which brought with it the notion that you could use those new prefixes for your callsign. Currently, only contest callsigns are allocated with VJ and VL prefixes. An often repeated idea is that we're running out of callsigns. Well, there are 1,434,160 possible callsigns if we count each prefix, each state, single, double, triple and F-calls across all prefixes. As it happens, there are at present 15,859 assigned and 53 pending callsigns. If not all, then surely, we're running out of real callsigns. Nope. If we look at the VK prefix alone, less than 10% of available callsigns have been allocated. Okay, we've run out of contest callsigns. Nope. There are 1,040 possible contest callsigns and only 188 allocated. Another popular notion is that we've run out of two-letter callsigns, that is, the suffix has only two letters. Again, no. There are 3,553 allocated out of 6,760, less than 53% has been assigned. Surely, some states appear to have run out of two-letter callsigns. Well, maybe. Theoretically each state has 676 two-letter callsigns but none have all of those allocated. For example, VK3, with 675 allocated two-letter suffixes, is missing VK3NG for no discernible reason. More on the missing ones shortly. It's impossible to use the current register to determine how many amateurs hold more than one two letter callsign. Another notion is that you can have a special event callsign as long as it starts with VI. As it happens there are currently special event callsigns registered with VI, VK and AX prefixes. Just over half of them have any online activity to promote the callsign for their event. You might think that a callsign can only be "Assigned" or "Available". According to the register a callsign can be "Pending", it can also be "Reserved", more on that in a moment, and it can not be in the list at all, "Missing" if you like. Take for example JNW, it's assigned in VK2, it's available in all other states, except VK3 where it simply doesn't exist. This oddity doesn't restrict itself to VK3. Take XCA, available in all states, except VK4. TLC doesn't exist in VK2. Many more examples to go round. And that's not looking at exclusions due to swear words and reserved words like PAN; but SOS is an assigned callsign. Combinations that you think might be unavailable, like QST, are fine, except in VK2 where it doesn't exist. It's thought that reservations are only for repeaters. Nope. Suffixes with GG followed by a letter are reserved for the Girl Guides, those that start with S followed by two letters are reserved for Scouts, those starting with WI are for the Wireless Institute of Australia and those with IY are for the International Year of something. Interestingly there is no reference to repeaters or beacons at all in the callsign register since they fall under the old license regime, rather than the new amateur class. And you thought that the system was getting simpler and cheaper to run. You might think that every state has the same number of callsigns. Ignoring F-calls, VK5 has the most callsigns available and VK3 the least. No doubt this is due to the callsigns that are "Missing" from the register. This likely leaves you with plenty more questions, but next time someone asserts something about callsigns, perhaps it's time to have a think before you spout. Note that this information is based on the ACMA callsign register as I found it on the 29th of June 2024. This started as an exploration of just how many different amateur calls were registered. At the time there were 3,748 Foundation class, 2,079 Standard class and 9,946 Advanced class callsigns assigned or pending. Without knowing how many callsigns each amateur has been assigned, it's impossible to know just how many amateurs those 15,773 callsigns represent. Perhaps it's time for the regulator to start publishing some data on our community, rather than relying on the likes of me to download 1,774 pages of data and two days analysing it. I can tell you that I have been assigned two callsigns, one for day-to-day use and one I use for digital modes and contests, given that WSPR doesn't play nice with VK6FLAB and I really have no desire to give up my call. Before I go, every VK callsign also has an AX equivalent on three days every year, 26 January, 25 April and 17 May and as I said, you can apply for a special event callsign with an AX prefix. I'm Onno VK6FLAB

The United Nations' designation of 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer gives the world a chance to highlight and celebrate the incredibly important role women play in ensuring global food security. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The New Quantum Era, Kevin and Sebastian are joined by a special guest, Paul Cadden-Zemansky, Associate Professor of Physics at Bard College and Director of the Physics Program. Paul is also on the Executive Committee for the International Year of Quantum at the American Physical Society and has been actively involved in the UN's recent declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. With the UN resolution now official, Paul joins us to discuss the significance and plans for this global celebration of quantum mechanics.Listeners can expect an insightful conversation covering the following key points:The Significance of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology: Paul explains the origins and importance of the UN's declaration, marking the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics and its impact over the past century.Global Collaboration and Outreach: Discussion on the international cooperation involved in getting the resolution passed, including the involvement of various scientific societies and countries, and the emphasis on public awareness and education.Challenges and Strategies for Quantum Communication: Paul shares his thoughts on the difficulties of communicating complex quantum concepts to the public and the strategies to make quantum mechanics more accessible and engaging.Future Plans and Initiatives: Insights into the plans for 2025, including potential events, educational resources, and how individuals and organizations can get involved in promoting quantum science.Innovations in Quantum Visualization: Paul's work with students on new methods for visualizing complex quantum systems, including the development of tools to help understand two-qubit states.Mentioned in this episode:UN Declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and TechnologyAmerican Physical Society (APS)Quantum 2025 Website: quantum2025.orgPaul's Research Paper on Quantum Visualization on ArxivPaul's web-based visualization toolJoin us as we delve into the exciting world of quantum mechanics and explore the plans for celebrating its centennial year!

Gustavo Rodriguez is all the episode title says. His family moved to La Puente California from Guatemala when he was just five years of age. As he tells me, his family wanted a better life especially for children. Gus says he had a normal childhood and eventually enrolled at the University of California at Riverside. He graduated with a business degree in 2019 and immediately went to work. Today he serves as a team leader and feels he is well suited for the job. While he is young and has lots of experience years ahead of him, our conversation shows that he has knowledge that does go beyond his years. He credits this to the fact that he spent and still spends much time observing people and activities around him. He believes this comes in large part from his parents influence. Gus and I talk a great deal about his leadership style and how he successfully serves as a team leader. He rightly points out that one of the most important aspects of what he does is to, as he puts it, “shut up and listen” to his team. He takes a personal and supporting interest in everyone on his team. He has been a leader of a team containing people younger than him up to people who he says could be his grandparents. Listening is one of the things that helps him relate to everyone. I think Gus Rodriguez has good advice and observations for us all. I hope you agree as you listen to our conversation. About the Guest: Gus grew up in La Puente CA after his family moved here from Guatemala. Gus enjoys spending time with his dog Shadow whenever he is not at the gym or enjoying a drink with friends. Gus graduated from UCR in 2019 where he was also the president for LBSA ( Latino Business Student Association) for 2 years. His 4 year career so far has been spent in the roles of Operation supervisor, Sort manager, Inventory control manager and 2 Operation manager roles. Throughout his career and life, Gus continues to apply the principles of taking care of his people and trying to make their lives better. In all his roles Gus has developed his team as he understands that it is not about him but rather it is all about the team. Gus contributes his success and his own development in each of his roles to the team that trusts him to lead them and get them where they need to be as well. A big difference in Gus as a leader than most leaders today is that he finds ways to ensure that his team doesn't feel like a number to him but rather a group of individuals making an impact bigger than themselves. The trust that he creates with his team starts with ensuring they are open about their mental health to him. Gus knows what it's like to not be ok mentally but still have to work and carry on with his life. Gus is an advocate for mental health as he knows everyone goes through battles they may not speak of. Throughout college and his career he puts himself out there to let others also find their voice and feel more comfortable with not being ok. His goal is to continue to provide that comfortable environment for those around him so that they can also feel supported and be ready to take on whatever else life has for them. Ways to connect with Gus: Grodr025@gmail.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/gustavo-e-rodriguez-96ab5010a/ About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:20 Welcome to unstoppable mindset. Thanks for being here and listening to us. Today we get to interview and chat with well I shouldn't say interview because I really feel these are conversations but we get to talk with Gustavo or Gus Rodriguez. And Gus has a has a really interesting this I think story to tell. He is not too far out of college. And I especially like the fact that he lives about 45 minutes to an hour south of me down the hill, as we say here in California and Riverside. And we'll we'll get into more of his story and all that sort of stuff later. But Gus, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad you're here.   Gus Rodriguez ** 02:05 Thank you so much for having me.   Michael Hingson ** 02:09 So here we are. November 1 is when we're recording this. Did you go out trick or treating last night Gus?   Gus Rodriguez ** 02:15 Actually not just stay Oh, Ma. That's not some candy. And then Scotch just enjoyed a drink. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 02:21 I stayed home too. I, we, there's a person who works with me, Josie and her family came over and trick or treated in our area, but one of the kids doesn't really like to go out. So he and I stayed and watched movies and a popcorn and candy and stuff like that. So we had a good time. Well, yeah, so anyway, I'm really glad you're here. So I know I'm looking at your bio. It said that you grew up in La Fuente. After coming here from Guatemala, when did you move here? How old were you when you moved from Guatemala? Oh, I   Gus Rodriguez ** 02:58 want to say I was about five years old when I say you have   Michael Hingson ** 03:01 a little bit of a memory of Guatemala. Yeah,   Gus Rodriguez ** 03:04 a little vague, but I gotta get him out.   Michael Hingson ** 03:06 So what what brought you to the US what brought the family here as opposed to staying down there?   Gus Rodriguez ** 03:13 Oh, just like many other parents, they just wanted a better education or thing for their kids. So you know, started off going to school. Last let elementary and middle school and then just kind of went from there.   Michael Hingson ** 03:25 Have you been back at all to visit Guatemala since moving up here?   Gus Rodriguez ** 03:30 No, not yet. I plan to one day. Take a little vacation over there. But for now, since you're in California.   Michael Hingson ** 03:37 Yeah. Well, you have some pretty good weather. You probably have warmer weather than we do up here in Victorville.   Gus Rodriguez ** 03:44 Right now it's about like the low 80s. I prefer it during the summer. So one thing I don't like about Riverside is the heat.   Michael Hingson ** 03:52 Well, we get that in the summer, too. We right now at 64 outside so yeah, definitely a little colder here. And then then down the hill, as they say, but we are on the high desert as it's called. So we are we're a little bit colder. Well, so tell me about growing up what it was like and that sort of stuff.   Gus Rodriguez ** 04:16 I mean, growing up just like many other other kids in there, your loved one thing you know, you're very heavy Latino culture. My parents did a good job of even though they didn't end up together, raising me my sister. So growing up was just kind of seen mature conversations early on and just kind of seeing where I fit in the world so to speak. I always tell people that. I believe I'm a I'm an old soul, my young body just because I've seen a lot of mature conversations and how to do a lot of mature things at early age. Usually because of finances or just seeing some similar things that my friends went through as well.   Michael Hingson ** 05:00 So it's a little bit tough from a financial standpoint. A lot of you're growing up. Uh huh. Yeah, just kind of what kind of conversations or what kind of things did you have to deal with?   Gus Rodriguez ** 05:13 Oh, go first back to my family and my parents at one point, you know, there are definitely issues such as like eviction possibilities and things like that. So kind of seeing that and, like, come upon it. But finally, on my first job, truly valuing the most simple dollar, the value of money, so to speak, understanding the work, it is so nice to get that. And that's kind of helped shaped a lot of even back in high school, my mindset of, you know, I don't want to go to college, where am I going to get this money from? So I definitely didn't sure I had good grades. I was involved heavily with extracurriculars, sports, anything I could do, organization on campus, that way I could stand out more, and then possibly get more scholarships, so I could go to college. And you know, thankfully, that's exactly how it worked out. Would you go to college? Oh, newly about three minutes more liberal now, at UC Riverside, UC   Michael Hingson ** 06:11 Riverside, my wife did her undergraduate work at UC Riverside a long time ago. So I'm sorry, I fell Highlander. Yeah. Yep. She was very involved back in the well, early 1970s and late 1960s in accessibility, and helped bring a lot of wheelchair access to the University of California at Riverside and had some, some challenges. And during the International Year of the disabled, she was involved from a local chapter standpoint. So she, she's very familiar with Riverside, I went to UC Irvine. So I was a little bit further down the road from you.   Gus Rodriguez ** 06:55 I guess. That's that.   Michael Hingson ** 06:59 Yeah. So when you went to UCR, what did you major in? Or what did you decide to major in?   Gus Rodriguez ** 07:06 Oh, so I was like, most people my age, I'm like, I don't know what I want to do exactly yet. But let's play it safe. I was like, I'm gonna go into business. I started his administration, just because businesses everywhere. So did that. And then the concentration was general management, just because I didn't want to limit myself to just marketing to just supply chain or finance, I wanted to be able to dip my feet to everything, so to speak.   Michael Hingson ** 07:35 So you just didn't want to be a specialist such pretty   Gus Rodriguez ** 07:38 much I like to be in a spot where I have options.   Michael Hingson ** 07:43 So how did that work out?   Gus Rodriguez ** 07:46 So far, so good, believe it or not, throughout the few jobs, I worked in college, and also, again, the classes I took, I began to realize more of what I wanted to do, so to speak, where, when a when environment I want to be in and a lot of that came from when it comes to customer service, you know, I my patient is good even it's like my direct team, but my patients only go so far. So I remember doing like for example, I've been working in supply chain or logistics after college, and all my teams really don't want to have to deal with for the most part. And when I say that, it's like I only got to worry about developing them, coaching them up making sure they're happy. I don't want to worry about anybody else. So those those jobs really my career and like I said those classes helped me realize that this is exactly more my cup of tea so to speak.   Michael Hingson ** 08:38 So you when did you graduate? I think what 2019 Was it? Yes, sir. Uh huh. So what did you do when you graduated? Thank   Gus Rodriguez ** 08:49 God I had a job lined up to be an operation supervisor for DHL supply chain pretty much like a week off after I graduated and then just straight into work.   Michael Hingson ** 08:59 So DHL the big shipping organization   Gus Rodriguez ** 09:04 Yes, it's one DHL supply chain is a third party they deal with a lot of customers. products so to speak. So a lot of people confuse DHL. DHL Express that's different   Michael Hingson ** 09:17 organization. Okay. Yeah,   Gus Rodriguez ** 09:19 they're not related. They're related to just different branches,   Michael Hingson ** 09:23 different Yeah, different branches, but it's all the same sort of large company. So what does it mean DHL supply chain and what you do and what you did.   Gus Rodriguez ** 09:32 So DHL, though, it was, I believe is an acronym for the founding brothers. I can't remember the names. I'm being honest. But I know it was. That's where the DHL came from. And then what I did as an operation supervisor was basically you have a team of between 20 Plus team members, getting them to help us get the work done, whether it's receiving, picking, putting away product or loading the product. in an efficient and safe manner. So we worked in a warehouse and we do that the customer Campbell's. So we had to deal with a lot of what Campbell Soup, any smaller companies that they bought like, V eight, Prego sauce and many more.   Michael Hingson ** 10:17 So as a as a supervisor in the process, so what did you do? And is it? Is it still what you do? What did what did you do? And do you do?   Gus Rodriguez ** 10:28 So my job is to make sure, well, the way I explained my job, because I didn't want to just follow like the standard stuff that I was who I should do, I like to go above and beyond. So my job was first and foremost, at the team was safe, whatever they did, because we worked with heavy, you know, 5000 pieces of equipment, making sure that they're happy. And if not happy, at least content, because as much as I want to make sure everyone's happy. I know, you can't make everybody happy. But they won't get along, they respect each other. I used to look at our performance metrics, whether it was individually by team member or as a team as a whole, and find ways to coach up team members, take away barriers, make sure they need the proper training, they got it, be able to explain the business, you know, top to bottom, so that we were possibly losing money. And at the same time, taking the feedback of team members like Hey, I think this process is better, and doing the deep dive to continuously improve processes.   Michael Hingson ** 11:26 So clearly, teamwork is a very important concept to you.   Gus Rodriguez ** 11:29 Yes, yeah, without teamwork, a lot of my success from Hobby Lobby here.   Michael Hingson ** 11:35 So what do you do specifically to create a team or build the team and keep the team kind of not only focused from a business standpoint, but also motivated to continue to do their work? Well, first   Gus Rodriguez ** 11:51 and foremost, at least with me, it starts with getting to know all my team members. Again, the operations manager was my first role right out of college. Since then I've done Inventory Control Manager, Operations Manager, multiple settings, store manager, area manager. And all those rules are fairly similar in the sense of again, making sure there's camaraderie. Big thing for me is as I get to know, team members, it's not just like a checkmark, like, okay, you know, I talk to you, that's it. It's like getting to know, little little things about themselves, whatever they feel comfortable sharing, what drives them, what motivates them, what they don't want to do long term short term, in the most simple thing of how to like to be recognized. And as team members prefer, like a public setting, private setting, just so that way, they're comfortable. And then as I follow up with many possible coaching conversations, or recognizing for achievements, you know, having those little plugins where I want every conversation to feel like they think their number, I want them to feel like they're valued their actual people. The other day, I know, they probably have 1000 plus things going on in life, things could be going wrong, and they still find a way to get together and come up with him. So   Michael Hingson ** 13:02 how do you get people to really value opening up and then coalescing, because teamwork is really hard? You know, one of the things that we talked about, at various times, and I talked about on the podcast is the whole concept of trust. And in our world today, we find so many people not overly open to trust, and they're not trusting, but the biggest thing is they're not open to trust. How do you deal with that and get people to to change? Because obviously, if you're going to have a good team, the members have to trust?   13:44 Oh, well, a lot of it comes from development conversations where even when I had a team of 150 plus team members, again, I took the time to know every single one. And with those conversations, moreover, again, like it could be a simple follow up, it's like very next morning, instead of you know, saying, hey, you know, can you help me do this? They'll say good morning. I was last night. I know, you said you went to do so and so. And then from there. Other follow up conversation that goes back to again, the development, they're doing all the hard work realistically, in the sense of all the heavy lifting. The least I could do is like, Okay, this guy wants to be a lead supervisor, he was an inventory. I find ways to help develop them, set them up. So that way, they see that I do care, because though at the end of the day, you're part of my team. I care about you, I care for you to an extent so that we understand that I'm here to help you. It's not just oh, you know, there's always more people. There's always going to be report to me or if you're part of my team, I want you to know that I haven't back and then that goes back down to, again, kind of how you mentioned. Sometimes people are less willing to be trust, trusted or don't want to share as much and I picked up on body language over the years. That's a big thing for me. You know, someone could tell me one thing but their body says another I'm just being straight up with them as respectful as I can, of course saying, hey, like, I know you're saying this, but I can tell like you're not comfortable. Tell me what, you can pull out this conversation later. Or at least try this out. What can we hear and if you really don't like it's not for you, we can stop, but at least try it out. And then just overtime to begin to see like, I'm actually there to help or like, interesting to me. The here's the positive outcome that came out of it. So that way, it's not just me saying things to tickle the ears. It's also like, you know, I'm following up, I'm being consistent. If you need something, hey, can you look into this for me? Sure. Because I have so many people asking that I write things down from them. And the other day, I looked at my sticky notes, am I right? Did I do this? Do that? Let me get back to so and so. So that way, they see that they're doing all this? All these things? For me? The least I could do is have this follow up and just be as consistent as I can. Yeah. How did you   Michael Hingson ** 15:51 learn all that? I mean, I would say you've not been in the workforce very long. And that's okay. But the bottom line is that you clearly have learned a lot as you have been in the workforce. And probably I would think some of that has come from earlier kinds of things as well. How did you how did you pick up all those concepts and start to put them to use? Oh, that's   Gus Rodriguez ** 16:15 a mixture of things. So even going back to, there was a summer I spent with my dad when I was much younger, and he was a supervisor. And I would just pick up on things that you that, you know, he would tell me like, you know, here's what made me successful, or even if he didn't say, I could visually see things again, like the follow ups, checking in with his people, even though it's like, Hey, can you get this done? You know, while on the way he will say hey, by the way, you know how the kids know things like that, that starts to pick up. And even when I used to be a picker, working as a, as a temporary team member in a warehouse when I was in college, talking to fellow team members, you know, what they liked or disliked about their supervisors managers even experienced it firsthand where I had a supervisor that didn't even say good morning, they like, remember my name is point say, Hey, can you do this? And lo things about where I would pick them up? Like, you know what, if I'm ever in that position, that's something I definitely want to do. Or in the most simple thing of when I was back in college, you know, BSA business organization, and I was the president, little things again, where I would assign my fellow board members tasks, but I would follow up, because I want them to feel supported, I wouldn't give someone a task, if I didn't feel confident that I could do it myself or find the resource to get it done. So little things like that over time, and then obviously been in the workforce situations are very similar, but that little details, that little detail that makes a different kind of key mental notes. So that way, it happens again, it's like a trigger and okay, and react to that, so to speak.   Michael Hingson ** 17:51 So when you've got a team member who's maybe not necessarily contributing, like they should, or maybe that you think should be contributing, and they're not, what do you do about that? Oh,   Gus Rodriguez ** 18:01 well, first and foremost, it starts with simple conversation of what's going on. But at the same time I, I bounced that conversation with, how can I help you, because I like to give the benefit of the doubt, nine times out of 10, where I believe people don't wake up and say, I'm gonna start today work, or I'm not gonna do anything in the benefit of a doubt, like they come in, Hey, I see that you're not being as productive. What barriers are you facing? What can I do to help? Is everything okay? And no, things like that. We're just gonna have that simple conversation. And sometimes they brush it off at first, like, oh, you know, fine, everything's good. Now, I'll pick it up. Later, I'll tell you what, follow up later, just to make sure that you do look at the follow up happens, they're either about the same performance or just a slightly better, again, just that follow up where I've had team members open up in the past that, hey, I got this actually going on in my life, you know, divorce issues, the kids, etc. And just taking the time to get on time, listen, because, as I mentioned before, so much goes on in everyone's lives that people often forget that, you know, other people are going through things too. And I think that's also what contributes to my success early on is recognizing that at the end of day, yes, there's a job to do. But I'm working with people. I'm leaving people hanging, understand that I need to have empathy and sympathy at the same time. So even if I don't have kids at the moment, but if someone tells me that they should have kids, or, again, the list goes on, if I haven't experienced that listing, then I'm saying, Hey, I haven't gone through that. I appreciate you open up and tell me about that. But I think these suits my hope, or I'll tell you what, I'm gonna follow up later. I want to make sure that I'm doing everything in my hands or my power to make sure you're heard that you're valued. And then again, those things usually help pick it up. Or sometimes they're not as receptive and they still you know, they're very closed off with those. I'm gonna start from my open door policy. But I still fall to the part of my job where I go to retraining work instructions, etc, making sure that do an observation so that way they know even if they don't want to open up or they don't want to see what's going on, I'm still there to follow through the process to ensure that at least everything by the standard is being done correctly.   Michael Hingson ** 20:18 Yeah. Well, and that's, that's kind of important. It's a matter of understanding all the way around. And as the leader, and I think there is a big difference between being a leader and being a boss. So that's why I put it that way. But as the leader, you are the person who is needing to coalesce the team? Well, how would you define the difference between say, a leader and a boss, a   Gus Rodriguez ** 20:45 boss takes credit points, the fingers just tells people what to do and gets mad when results are out there. A leader takes the time to develop this people, listen to his people, lead by example, get his hands dirty, making sure that everyone understands and respects and as well as just overall making sure that when the results are not their leaders, reflecting on what he could have done better to not just be with one person specifically MSW. Okay, what could I have done to help that scenario?   Michael Hingson ** 21:15 Yeah, one of the things that I've always felt when I've been tasked with leading teams is I say to my colleagues on the team, I'm not here to boss you around your knee, the assumption is, you know what you're doing. On the other hand, my job is to add value to what you do. So we need to figure out with each individual, how do I add value to you. And I think that's really important. Because if you're able to, to enhance and add value, you're gonna make everyone obviously more successful, which makes you successful as well. But it's about adding value. And I think that's really pretty important to really be able to make that happen. So, you, you, you learn to somewhat connect fairly early on in life, didn't you were doing that by being a good observer. And I think that's probably the best way to describe it, you observe, and all the things that you did, and you chose to put it into practice, didn't you? Which is always a really helpful thing. So what's the really hard part for you in terms of connecting with others?   Gus Rodriguez ** 22:33 I think the hard part is, again, as a leader, as a person, I believe people should know, their leadership style, and not just leadership style, but even just what they're like, you know, when I just like, What do I like in terms of my crowd of people. So I, for example, I tell people all the time, I'm an omni vert extrovert introvert, I love my longtime I, you know, my small crowd of friends that I like to spend time with, I really honestly like to spend time with people that I enjoy with, you know, I don't have time for wasting, wasting time, so to speak. So understanding that, and then, when I come across a brand new team member or situation where it's the most to me, like the total opposite of me, well, this person is the opposite of me, and drains my social battery very quickly. And the hard part is, you know, maybe it's a long day for everyone, maybe mentally, I'm just right there, like my borderline. So just trying to bring together you know, to have the interaction so that way, even when those long and tough days, I get being consistent as possible with having a simple interaction. What do you think about it might not be that simple. But again, my interactions taking place. And then, at the end of the day, all my team members can say, even if they don't like my leadership style, or they're like me, specifically, they respected because again, consistency was there. And they see that I was feeling terribly across the board, I tried to help every across the board. And the other thing, too, is not just with necessarily that personality, so to speak. But certain key factors, of course, like when I first started, it was a little harder to connect with the older crowd, so to speak, because I was fresh out of college. Some of my team members could have been my parents could have been my grandparents. And it comes down to finding that in that respect, without demanding it. So I think that's the issue that a lot of younger leaders or new leaders face is they demand respect, but they have shown little too early. So again, taking the time to find common common things to talk about. And even though there's nothing finding ways to still see what they like, and go on from there. Because I guarantee at least there's one thing that can always be discussed that you have that little small connection with that other team member and then you can you get to build that rapport with them. So eventually, they respect you, but it wasn't enforced. It was also very transparent across the board.   Michael Hingson ** 24:59 Yeah, bye bosses demand respect rather than commanding respect by what they do, which is I think, again, that's another maybe way to distinguish between the two do you have? You talked about two things I'm gonna ask you about both of those. You talked about it with some people, it's easy to train your social battery. And I can appreciate that. How do you deal with that? What do you do?   Gus Rodriguez ** 25:20 Oh, man, work setting, private setting, they're all very different. But we're talking about the work setting it when it comes down to before and after, as I call it, I had just talked with a fella, one of my friends the other day, too, when you're a leader of people, or even in my other roles, leader of leaders, you need time to walk away from the business not talking about like a whole day necessarily, but you know, like 510 15 minutes, whatever it may be to yourself, recharge, do something you enjoy, listen to a song, maybe lunch, maybe get a quick snack, just closed a laptop, step away, and being able to find that little piece in the middle of the day. So being able to do that before and after, especially most when you know, you go into one more that's going to drain you really quickly, being able to recharge because it's not fair, or the way I see it. It's not fair to both parties. It's not fair to myself, that I'm not taking care of myself. But it's also not fair to my other team members, my other people that report to me if I'm not in the best, or in one of the best conditions to take care of them, if that makes sense.   Michael Hingson ** 26:26 Yeah, well, and I think that does make a lot of sense. It's all about the fact that you have to be on your game. And no matter what others might say, it's your own internal pressure that requires you to be on your game as much as anything. So the very fact that you address that issue and recognize that issue is pretty important to be able to go into situations that can be very draining, you do prepare, and it's all about preparation, which makes a lot of sense. Yeah, and the other question that comes to mind is you mentioned that you've had situations where you as a young person, almost out of college, and were, were tasked with leading teams that had people who were significantly older, as you said, it could be your parents or your grandparents. Do you have a story of how you turned one of those around and made it work?   Gus Rodriguez ** 27:26 Oh, yes, I do, actually. So even going into like previous things we're discussing, a lot of it comes from, which I'm sure we're discussing today is the mental health, mental health portion. So one way that I was able to turn around was, again, very connectivity, and interacting with all my team members on a one on one basis, getting to know them. But this specific respect, I won't say the name, but I don't   Michael Hingson ** 27:46 know what I remember, I don't need that domain names.   Gus Rodriguez ** 27:51 Having conversation with him. And everyone was always telling me like prior to like, you know, he's always been a hot, he's always been kind of to himself. And I'm just like, to take that time to see why he's like that. So as I was conversations, besides the simple introduction, you know, Hello, my name is Simon. So I'd be your new supervisor, etc, etc. Just finding down and just being as blunt but as respectful as I, because I like it's like a bad way to get out of the way. And just straight up, say, Hey, man, I noticed that you literally, you're in unpleasant mode. And the reason why I'm following up is to make sure that you're okay. If you're comfortable sharing what's going on with you can be a big mental health advocate, it can be the most simple thing that maybe is recent, or some has been around for a while. Here, you're talking about it, you're not inclined to but just know you have the option in case someone has ever offered that to you. And you don't want talk to me, I can provide resources, I can point you in HR, that they can spread resources that maybe they connect to you as well, that will make you feel more comfortable. And it was like a little pause. And he he said some of the you're the first one to actually ask me anything around that realm. And who knows how long. So what what in my office at the time, and you know, told me, everything was going on with him. We spent I guess, almost 3540 minutes. And the whole time, I was actively listening, making mental notes. And to make sure that he was heard. And we were done. I thanked him and said I appreciate that you were comfortable and open up to explain everything going on with you and why you were in an unpleasant mood or why he was been that way. And he ticked him off spec me for you to actually listen. And I would always have my follow ups with him as well. Okay, you know, just one follow up. I was going with this. Some days are good. Some days not so good. But I'm teaching other people my my better workers. If I needed something, the most simple thing I could be like, Hey, can you get this done? When you're done? I'll follow up with us. We'll make sure that everything back home is still doing okay. You said yes sir. Whatever you need You know, as attention will take care of it. And Tuesday No, I don't talk to him anymore because I'm no longer at that facility. But I hope he's doing well. Tom about   Michael Hingson ** 30:08 communications, isn't it? Nine   Gus Rodriguez ** 30:11 times out said, yeah, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 30:13 people just don't work at communicating. And and it's scary in our world in general today, we, we have gotten to a point where it is so very hard to have any kind of conversations with people, people just don't want to converse. And I realized that there are subjects that can be sensitive, you know, like politics is a perfect example, that we have gotten to the point where no one can have discussions about it. My opinion is right, yours is wrong. And that's all there is to it. And we, we don't, we don't communicate, we have lost the art of conversation.   Gus Rodriguez ** 30:49 I agree. How do we fix that? Oh, man, I can't speak for everybody like, but for me, like me and my friends. Because I have some friends that have different, like, for example, political views, religious views. I don't like to put down anybody and say, like, You're wrong, I'm right. To me, it's just like, look, it's your opinion, it's valid, because it's yours. As long as it's not bring anybody down, by all means, you know, listen to it. I might, I won't debate unnecessarily, as long as you don't come from mine either. Or, like if you actually listen and understand why I have my point of view, and I will do my best to do for yours as well.   Michael Hingson ** 31:29 And that's really the issue, it shouldn't be debated should be discussed if you're going to do it. And that's that's the big problem that people think you have to debate and my ways the right way and your way isn't the right way. And we don't get anywhere when we do that. The reality is that when we really sit down and listen, and have meaningful discussions, we may or may not change someone else's opinion. But at least we hopefully communicate to the point where they at least have some respect for someone else's opinion other than their own. Which is, of course, the big problem. All too often, that just doesn't really go that way.   Gus Rodriguez ** 32:17 So, unfortunately, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 32:19 So you, you clearly look out for others, who are what helped you really get into that mindset. And I think that's a good way of expressing it. That it is a mindset that you look out for others and you help others.   Gus Rodriguez ** 32:31 Oh, first of all, most of my parents, like, I'll start with my dad, again, going back to spending that summer with him. Just you know, he took care of his people, they need something he was basically like, Okay, I'll get there as soon as I can. And he would. And then I would just again, observing how, how easily they followed him, because he was their boss. But because of those little things that I could tell his team, I was actually happy to be working for him. Another one is my mother. Growing up with a lot of things we went through, I could tell that some days, my mom would just appreciate somebody besides like a myself heard her out, things that she was going through. And that made me again, put myself in the shoes of, you know, my rabbits team and report to me, if their mothers fathers, whatever the case may be, again, they're going through real life situations. And again, just hearing our providing an ear and possible solutions would go such a long way. But then there was also this went back to when I was a banker as a temp. Finishing my last year of college before I became a supervisor, I started off again, brand new, didn't know anybody. No one really talked to me besides people that worked near me. Supervisor named a good morning just like get to work. But there was this one guy and to get under respect, I won't say his name. But he older gentleman, he was the only one that actually went out of his way to Good Morning. How are you doing? I see you're new here. Give me any help, please let me know. I'll be over here. And it wasn't just that one time again. He continued to follow up. He didn't have to do this. But the fact that you did, it made me feel really good that knowing that you know, somebody noticed, I'm not just getting like another number, just another nobody. And even the days that I missed because you know at classes or things wildlife. The next thing I did show up to work, he's a MC yesterday. Again, the fact that somebody notices, those are the things that really stuck with me and it made me realize like he's not even like the supervisor or the boss, but that's something that would want from my supervisor, boss. So those are things I started to pick up on and he's no longer with us at rest in peace. But the fact that he took the time is what I'm trying to say and that's something that whether it was supervisor me is a one of my many manager roles with game that it's my team members. It's the supervisor reportedly just taking the time to pull him to the side and say, Hey, work aside all all this BS that we can deal with to the side, what's going on? Anything? How's your mental health? And those are the things that just this little simple check in was, that went a long way not just myself, but went a long way for other people that came along for the ride.   Michael Hingson ** 35:25 So you did a lot of work in Business and Business Administration so on, do you think that college helped really prepare you for the kinds of things you're doing now, when you're talking about teamwork and all those sorts of things? And not the theory behind what you do? But real preparation and building teams? And, and the kinds of things that we've been talking about for gosh, now over a half hour? did? Did college help really prepare you for that? Or did that really come from other kinds of environmental issues?   Gus Rodriguez ** 35:58 It's a mixture, you know, I'm a big fan of the education system if Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. But at the same time, I think it comes down to obviously, whatever your your major your field is, like, for example, you've been in business is not just going to classes, because that's the textbook only teach you so much, right? The textbook might be outdated with math might be there, you're doing finance, that's pretty much gonna always be the same, right. But like, in my case, when I'm dealing with when I'm dealing, but I'm working with people, my people were really helped bring that together was join organizations in college where you have to work together, where you become like an officer, like, for example, again, Latino Business Student Association, there'll be a say, I started as a general member, my freshman year, and throughout the years made my way to be the president, being in that role was so crucial for my leadership development early on, because, again, I was able to apply, as you mentioned, observe and apply previous experiences that I already had, and seeing them how they play out with my peers, so to speak. So people move closer to my age, and then being able to get into the workforce and apply it but then adjust or tweak little portions because now it's no longer people. My age now, it's very different. It's more diverse. It's very different work that has to get done, so to speak. But still, again, the education system that your job when it came down to, since I was general management, I had my head and everything had given me insight to it. But then also getting involved with organizations on campus was the cherry on top, so to speak.   Michael Hingson ** 37:38 If you could change something in the whole education system, and when what you learned or what you did learn, what would you change? From a college standpoint, a curriculum standpoint,   Gus Rodriguez ** 37:50 oh, probably more like towards the first two years just because like, it wasn't really towards the last two years that I got to focus more on what I wanted to do. So like the first two years was kind of like when I had like, extra electives that I really like, Okay, I've got these classes that I enjoy taking, okay, now I got these other two, you know, what I want to take with like what's left? That's not already like taken up by the the higher up, juniors and seniors so to speak. So being able to just have a little more control in the sense of, this is truly what I want to do. Let me expand my horizons in this area, compared to now it's like, oh, well, I guess I'll take oceanography because I have this free elective that any credits, but it's like everything else I want to do is is taken up?   Michael Hingson ** 38:31 Well, how would you change the whole curriculum to make it more practical? Or would you   Gus Rodriguez ** 38:41 not the whole critical village has changed in the part, were truly just taking the classes that were going to benefit you the most, because again, you know, full respect to you to UCR, who respect to the professor, everything, oceanography, I went to that's like one example. I only took that because, again, I had an elective, I need the credits to graduate and also, everything else is taken up. But we're kind of forced to take that class. So now, if I could just change that and actually take a class that would have been more beneficial. Again, maybe like people organization skills, or you know, as it became a manager, and now looking back, like a lot more of the debit and credit, the finance portions, things like that, that would actually benefit more in the long term.   Michael Hingson ** 39:25 Do you plan on going back to school and doing any more studies going for more advanced degree?   Gus Rodriguez ** 39:31 Oh, the NBA is always in the back of my mind, but uh, it's expensive. So with all the companies I've worked for, they all do provide tuition reimbursement to an extent, but it's also trying to find the time right now. As mentioned earlier, on being on time, you know, it's not just the trade off of the money but also the trade off of on my days off, do I really want to be spending more time even though it's an investment in me that we want Spend time taken away from you enjoying the little thing is relaxing. So it's always like a back and forth where maybe maybe who knows? I'll go, I'll go back. But if not, you know, I'm not gonna I like to say my experience for itself speaks so far for getting to those higher positions that I can go for.   Michael Hingson ** 40:17 Do you do much reading about different subjects relating to what you do management theory team building and any of that sort of stuff? Do you? Do you still study that in some way? Yeah, I   Gus Rodriguez ** 40:31 read a couple books here and there. A lot of my previous jobs, and even though I'm one of them, I provide books on leadership, like, actually, I'm on this on my phone, but it's been balanced by a book right now, the question behind the question. So basically, you know, what, to really ask yourself, to eliminate victim thinking, complaining and procrastination. So little things like that, that I follow up with just so that way. It's not just for myself, but then how can I get that concept and possibly use it on a team member that might need it one day, one of my leads, one of my supervisors, etc.   Michael Hingson ** 41:05 You've talked about mental health in various ways, and during our time, and and when we talked before, what prompts your great interest in the whole idea of mental health? Oh,   Gus Rodriguez ** 41:17 I mean, like many other, I won't even say meters, this point, people. I've had my fair share of struggles with mental health, stepping back from college, and not necessarily from the stress college, but just life in general, you know, so, you know, things like that, that, you know, there was times when I wasn't in the best headspace didn't want to be closed off, just getting just a lot, a lot of like, 1000s of things going through my head. And just being able to, thankfully, now I'm in a much better, better headspace. But getting the help that I needed. And that goes into kind of what we've been talking about, as I get to know, my, my people, so to speak, letting them know that yes, you know, we got a job to do, we got things to take care of, it's a business, but I want to make sure I'm also taking care of you. If you're in a good mental health space right now. Great, fantastic. And I'm here to discuss it, you know, I know, maybe my had been a little different compared to the mental health issue they're going through, but at least I know what it's like to, to not be okay. And just remember, that's fine, too. But it's a matter of speaking, okay, in the hope, and ensuring that they always have an outlet for it. So   Michael Hingson ** 42:31 a lot of your mental health discussions are really arranged around stress.   Gus Rodriguez ** 42:39 I mean, stress of the things, it's, it's funny, it's like the things that I can't handle. And then once I do, it's a great, that's gone. But it's also like the things that are out of my control to where, like many people I'm sure, like, you know, involves us, we try to kind of like, forget about it, because like, look, it's out of my hands, how much I can do, it is what it is, but at the same time, it's always lingering there, you know. So being able to, again, you know, make sure I'm still okay, taking the time, I need to make sure I can take care of others as well. But being able to find ways to limit that, that stress that lingers in the back of somebody's mind.   Michael Hingson ** 43:13 So what would you advise to someone who's maybe going through some sort of stress or mental health issue? And and that's a such a general question, because there's so many different kinds of mental health issues. But what what kind of advice would you give to someone or maybe someone who's listening who may be having a hard time with something?   Gus Rodriguez ** 43:36 Easier said than done, but definitely figuring out two things. First one, maybe what, what triggers the most most of it, or what's the main thing that you're thinking of, and again, divide it to kind of what I said, which control you can control, and the other just gain an outlet. Again, if it's my team at some time, if you're comfortable, romantic at the time, you want to speak to me about it, I can have that conversation you about it, or the most simple thing is I can just shut up and listen, sometimes it's what's the one month just for someone to know what's going on, to let them know that, you know, the world might not come crashing down right away, but at least someone heard him out. And then the other thing is ultimately, when you gain that lesson mentioned, or to gain help is once you figured out what it is, again, whether it's a friend or family member, even just therapy, ensuring that someone is there for you. Because a lot of times I feel we have that mindset of it is what it is which you know, I'm guilty of it too. And we just kind of like let things ride out, things build up and eventually it comes out very nasty, or it continues to get built up and then you know, you're in a much worse state than you would have ever been able to just talk to somebody about it.   Michael Hingson ** 44:48 You know, you said something that really is so important. It more often than not makes perfect sense to as you put it shut up and listen. We spent so much time Talking, and not listening and observing. And I love the fact that you are very much an observer. And you're willing to listen, because a lot of times, really not a lot, you can say, it really is going to be best if somebody can just talk something through. I've talked to a lot of people who are coaches and talk to some people who are therapists. And of course, what, what, what most people would say is that it's all about self discovery, or it very well can be that you have to figure out what is really bothering you. And good listeners can ask questions. But we really have to figure out most things for ourselves. And all we can do is be guided down the right path. Yep.   Gus Rodriguez ** 45:48 I'm big believer that, again, I don't have all the answers. Even if I tell you, like, you know, let me get the right resources. But sometimes the most simple thing with working with others is just being an active listener, or just like being an active listener, but being able to understand that the situation that someone's providing, or speaking to you about is something that you've never gone through, or you know, God will never go through. But the fact that you can be sympathetic and empathetic, relate as much as possible, at the same time, be as quiet as possible, so that when they just have their moment to be as vulnerable as they can with you. It's such a such a huge thing that not many people I feel, see the value and until they've gone through it, or they see someone else go through it.   Michael Hingson ** 46:38 Have you ever had any examples where what you do as a team leader, and and an observer hasn't worked, and that something just didn't work out in terms of dealing with someone.   Gus Rodriguez ** 46:54 One of my roles, I would probably say there was like a, because what I observe is not just people's actions by body language, or what they do. But it's also like,   Gus Rodriguez ** 47:06 when they say certain things, I think about certain cues that the body does, again, kind of makes your body language too. But there was one time called a teammate with my office. It's okay to let out whatever was going on. They were just, for a moment just quiet, trying to try and get the words because sometimes, and I've gone through this where it's it's hard to put into words, right? And it's a little hard for me to listen or help if they themselves can explain it. So in that situation, that sounds like look, I understand. So I'm not forcing you, I'm not expecting you to be able to put in words, either. It's like that sometimes. And get just a moment of silence where, at least for myself, I don't judge, I don't question it. To me, it's like, you know, maybe this moment of silence, still them just trying to get everything together in there. And then ultimately, I cannot directly right away. But what I was able to do, I was like, Look, I kind of put you on the spot by asking that. So I apologize, that's only, but at the same time, I also don't want you to beat yourself up for not being able to explain how you feel because that's valid. Sometimes you can't, sometimes it's it's a mixture of so many things that we just don't do it justice, right. So I was able to at least partner them with HR and they get to go to therapy. And unfortunately, at least with me, they they stop working after like a month after just because they need to take care of themselves and do what they had to do. But at least for me, it was it was a winning loss. It was a it was one because I would love to keep them on to let them know that you're there. And I would have been nice or to feel that I could have done more. But it's also a loss because again, I didn't I can only do so much. And that goes back to being sympathetic, empathetic. Knowing where your where your life is. Also, don't worry, like, as much as I would love to, here's where I can't. So I haven't heard from them ever again. I hope they're doing well. That's what they do look back on and I'm just like, little guilty, but at the same time, it's like, again, it's only so much I could do you know, because I wish it was it would be more but sometimes it's just out of out of my expertise, so to speak.   Michael Hingson ** 49:15 Well, you know, and you can't teach people things and they really have to teach themselves all you can do is guide the way and there's only so much you can do. Yeah. So do you spend much time like at the end of the day or at the beginning of the day doing any kind of self analysis or introspection? What worked yesterday or earlier today? What didn't work? Even something that worked what could I do to improve it or what could I do to have addressed the situation differently? You know, may come pretty natural to you but do you do you do much self analysis?   Gus Rodriguez ** 49:53 Oh every day. I love my positions are the ones I worked in. ask the President now just because I know I tell people I know when I won, and I know when I lost, so to speak that day. And when I say that, it's like I can kind of like you mentioned, go back and say, Hey, this didn't work. What could I have done? What? At what point in the day should I have done this or being able to kind of, it's like a, like a, like a football game or basketball? Look at the highlights. Okay, this was good. This is good. Okay, who's where this went wrong? What could I have done there? So being able to replay that in my head, but also what I took the what's on his head in that short term memory, we're like, Okay, once you know, I figured it out. It's done. Days, done, stop linger on it. Because I can change anything we look at tomorrow. Remember what I'm gonna do, or what's gonna be done different. But in terms of the failure, so to speak, now, it's like, forget it, it's a new day, all you can do is get better, right? So, you know, the day I do that, in comparison to a previous state, what I went wrong, what went good. And even the days where everything, let's say, you know, market already went perfectly smooth, can ask more. I still think back and look back. Right? I did this for the team with the this facility, the operation looks good. What could I have done for myself, though? Because at the end of the day, I think that's the balance to where it's not just a servant leader, and I just take care of my team and the business, but it's also making sure that if I'm wanting to repeat that same performance, possibly, am I still in a position to take care of myself to take care of others and go from there? As   Michael Hingson ** 51:30 part of your leadership style? Do you regard yourself more of a servant than anything else? Many   Gus Rodriguez ** 51:38 times, yes. Because, as mentioned before, you know, a lot of the positions I've worked in, whether it's supervisor or manager, the people that report to me, bless their souls, you know, they they do all the heavy lifting, I'm just blessed to be in a position where they trust my thinking, they trust my direction, the big picture that I want to go towards, and they follow Me, and they see that I want to step and get my hands dirty, too. But ultimately, I'm there to put them in positions to also succeed. Because, you know, a lot of my success, probably 90% of my success, even though I can look back and say no, well, I did this way. So why did this to set people up? Yes. But if no one is there to help steer the ship with me or help help move the ship. It's just me by myself, and I'm gonna get you nowhere.   Michael Hingson ** 52:26 Yeah. Yeah, it's still all about the team. And should be about the team. Yeah. So if you could, is there anything that you would change about your journey, your personal journey and your journey as a leader as well?   Gus Rodriguez ** 52:47 Oh, looking back.   Michael Hingson ** 52:50 Yeah, retrospective, a little here. Yeah.   Gus Rodriguez ** 52:55 personal journey, probably, my, it's always weird to say this, because, you know, I'm only 26. I, my career's only been about like, four to five years already, but I'm probably like, in my much younger port, or my mature started my career is looking back in, again, as a man advocate for mental health. Now, being a bigger advocate back then for myself to feel would have spoken up sooner or didn't try and brush it off. So you know, I got this just, it's whenever it is, what it is the other day, but I would have done that sooner, I would have probably avoided a lot more mental health damage or stress to myself. And I would have put myself in position for even earlier success, or just earlier moments of peace, so to speak. But in terms of professional, I would probably keep everything the same, you know, I've learned a lot. failures, pains, losses, it's it's all part of growing, then one thing I probably will change is going back to, again that you know, blessed so that when I was an attempt picker, they looked after me and he checked on me. I wish I had more conversation with them. Because I feel like those are the kind of people that we need in this world. And I feel like as much as he was checking up on me, I could have done better to also you check up on him and make sure he was good. Yeah. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 54:19 you'll have I'm sure other opportunities with people to do that very same thing. And you know, more than you did before. Yeah. One of the biggest things that I talk about a lot on the podcast, and you've alluded to it, and I think it's extremely important is we really need to not worry about the things that we don't have control over because as you've pointed out, really stresses us out. And we really should focus on the things we can control because the rest will have to take care of itself and it will take care of itself. But we're not going to be able to do anything to address it directly. And   Gus Rodriguez ** 54:55 you know, that's something that even now I still it's an ongoing battle because there's you know, because it's always gonna be a thing. There's always things that come up where it's out of my hands. But it's like, oh, you know, you tend to just think so much about it. And I tell people that's like one of the main killers or joys, just worrying about things that are out of control, which can easier said than done. But taking the time to just find those little things in life. Get your mind off of that, so that we can just enjoy yourself. Yeah, there   Michael Hingson ** 55:24 are too many forces that try to make us think about all the things that we don't have control over. And it's a tough discipline to just focus on the things over which we really have control, and to not stress and bother so much about everything else. But it's a it's a tough lesson to learn, but one that hopefully more of us will catch on to as we go forward, what's the biggest thing you would take away from everything that you've done or has happened to you so far? Oh,   Gus Rodriguez ** 55:54 let me know. Thanks. Thankfully, I can say I'm applying it. But the biggest thing I could take away, not just for myself, but as I spoken to multiple student orgs and classes without going back being a guest speaker. And even just in telling my leads, and my supervisors that I'm trying to develop, the biggest thing I can always take away is, is a mixture of two things is one, take care of people, and they'll take care of you. I believe that all aspects of life, you know, your family, your friends, your team members, take care of them, make sure they're good, their mental health is good. You're developing them, you're helping them in any way, shape, or form to get better. So that way, they understand the impact that they're doing impact that you're doing in life, and even doing direct impact, because I believe that, you know, I might help this person, they eventually help somebody else the same way I help them. It's a domino effect. And then the other mixture is just the end of the day. You know, life is life, things are gonna happen. Just make sure you're taking care of not just your body physically, but mentally because I feel the mental points overlooked so many times. And that's usually what leads to our, our own demise. So to speak.   Michael Hingson ** 57:07 You Yeah, certainly good sage advice to, to give to other people take care of yourself and watch out for others. Yep. Well, this has been fun, enjoyable, and I really appreciate your time. Can people reach out to you and talk with you in any way? How would they do that?   Gus Rodriguez ** 57:29 Oh, yeah, by all means, I believe you have my LinkedIn, you also my email, I think you reach out either one.   Michael Hingson ** 57:36 Once you go ahead and say why don't you go ahead and say those if he wouldn't and spill, anything that's relevant to spell?   Gus Rodriguez ** 57:43 Well, the email is g r o d r 025@gmail.com. I'll say that one more time. Gmail is g r o d r 025@gmail.com. As far as the LinkedIn and so it's very long to say but just look up, Gustavoe. with a period, Rodriguez. And you should be able to find me the title of my position that was operations leader, that was a little easier. Sort of trying to find like operations manager, supervisor, etc.   Michael Hingson ** 58:14 And people can call you Gus. I would prefer it   Gus Rodriguez ** 58:17 just because it's so cliche becoming unstoppable. It's like it's talking to my dad. There   Michael Hingson ** 58:21 you go. And it gets you to the point quicker also. Well, I want to really thank you for being here. And I want to thank you for listening to us. Hopefully you found our conversation useful and relevant in some way. I'd love to hear from you and would really appreciate you emailing me You can reach me at Michaelhi , m i c h a e l h i at accessibe A c c e s s i b e.com. Or go to our podcast page www dot Michael hingson.com/podcast. And Michael Hingson  m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. So Michael hingson.com/podcast. And wherever you're listening, please give us a five star rating. We really value those ratings and your reviews. Hopefully, you really liked what you're hearing. And if you you do we want to know it. And if you have any thoughts, suggestions, or ideas of other people who want to come on unstoppable mindset as guests and guests the same for you love to hear any ideas. We are always looking for people to come on unstoppable mindset. So one last time though, Gus, I want to thank you for being here. And we really appreciate your time and value all the things that y

A photo of a whole lot of famous rockers in one place gets the guys researching a record label that redefined the way music was listened to and sold in 1970's America. Support the show on Patreon See the show on YouTube Visit the show on Instagram Visit the show on Facebook SHOW NOTES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-tel The photo: https://qr.ae/psvMqm https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-dire-straits-thin-lizzy-eric-clapton-led-zeppelin-bad-company-and-109755815.html https://www.discogs.com/release/12787001-Various-The-Summit https://www.loudersound.com/news/led-zeppelin-once-released-a-song-on-k-tel-the-result-was-one-of-the-great-all-star-photos https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Year_of_the_Child https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNESCO https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_the_Rights_of_the_Child https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concerts_for_the_People_of_Kampuchea https://americansongwriter.com/remember-when-the-concerts-for-the-people-of-kampuchea/ https://hercsktelalbums.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-summit-uk-january-1980.html https://mymusicthroughtheyears.wordpress.com/2022/01/08/the-rise-and-fall-of-k-tel-records/ https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/k-tel-as-seen-on-tv-compilation-album-history 1997 Billboard ads celebrating KTEL: https://books.google.com/books?id=qQ4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA47-IA3&lpg=PA47-IA3&dq=K-Tel&source=bl&ots=C4AWmvPyX7&sig=ACfU3U2g9VCfSsuB5DT3Z-h2QJLfq56mZw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjd_-eXsav5AhUTg4kEHXgrDpg4WhDoAXoECAIQAw#v=onepage&q=K-Tel&f=false https://www.tampabay.com/incoming/k-tels-shouting-infomercial-legend-dies-at-87/2275511/ Fun stuff about the history of Teflon:  https://misen.com/blogs/news/polytetrafluoroethylene https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/202104/history.cfm https://playback.fm/charts/top-100-songs/1938

A photo of a whole lot of famous rockers in one place gets the guys researching a record label that redefined the way music was listened to and sold in 1970’s America. SHOW NOTES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-tel The photo: https://qr.ae/psvMqm https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-dire-straits-thin-lizzy-eric-clapton-led-zeppelin-bad-company-and-109755815.html https://www.discogs.com/release/12787001-Various-The-Summit https://www.loudersound.com/news/led-zeppelin-once-released-a-song-on-k-tel-the-result-was-one-of-the-great-all-star-photos https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Year_of_the_Child https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNESCO https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_the_Rights_of_the_Child https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concerts_for_the_People_of_Kampuchea https://americansongwriter.com/remember-when-the-concerts-for-the-people-of-kampuchea/ https://hercsktelalbums.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-summit-uk-january-1980.html https://mymusicthroughtheyears.wordpress.com/2022/01/08/the-rise-and-fall-of-k-tel-records/ https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/k-tel-as-seen-on-tv-compilation-album-history 1997 Billboard ads celebrating KTEL: https://books.google.com/books?id=qQ4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA47-IA3&lpg=PA47-IA3&dq=K-Tel&source=bl&ots=C4AWmvPyX7&sig=ACfU3U2g9VCfSsuB5DT3Z-h2QJLfq56mZw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjd_-eXsav5AhUTg4kEHXgrDpg4WhDoAXoECAIQAw#v=onepage&q=K-Tel&f=false https://www.tampabay.com/incoming/k-tels-shouting-infomercial-legend-dies-at-87/2275511/ Fun stuff about the history of Teflon:  https://misen.com/blogs/news/polytetrafluoroethylene https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/202104/history.cfm https://playback.fm/charts/top-100-songs/1938 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Gr%C3%A9goire https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/philip-kives-founder-of-k-tel-and-pioneering-pitchman-went-from-coveralls-to-riches https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/311116495/ https://www.goldminemag.com/features/collecting-k-tel-records https://www.zeroto180.org/true-or-false-led-zep-on-k-tel/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1980/10/05/spinning-gold-from-golden-oldies/00e79094-1568-4135-b7f3-94209d7f8d1b/ The WaPo article from 1980: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1980/10/05/spinning-gold-from-golden-oldies/00e79094-1568-4135-b7f3-94209d7f8d1b/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_That%27s_What_I_Call_Music!

Now that 2008 has been declared the "International Year of Languages" by the UN, it's time to buckle down and study Mandarin for world peace. Start with this podcast and learn how to understand your teacher so you don't end up in the detention hall because you confused 'sit down and shut up' with 'stand up and sing a Chinese rendition of 'Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting.' Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0800

Now that 2008 has been declared the "International Year of Languages" by the UN, it's time to buckle down and study Mandarin for world peace. Start with this podcast and learn how to understand your teacher so you don't end up in the detention hall because you confused 'sit down and shut up' with 'stand up and sing a Chinese rendition of 'Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting.' Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0800

New year, new action. More than a thousand family physicians in Ontario are taking job action this week to protest what they call a broken health care system. The group's organizer and founder was here to tell us why, what they plan to do, and what it means to patients like you and me. If your new year resolution is to do more good in the world but not sure where to start, stay tuned for some inspiration from a seven-year-old. In just a month he turned a dollar and a challenge from his teacher into several thousand dollars donated to his local hospice. The United Nations has declared 2024 as the International Year of the Camelids. Why should you know that? Because we have plenty of llama and alpaca farms in Ontario, and they have lots to celebrate.

Earth systems scientist PhD University of Tasmania Doctor of Science University of London Worked at the University of Hong Kong for 35 years until retirement where he taught geoscience courses Deputy Chairman of the Climate Change Science Implementation Team of UNESCO's International Year of Planet Earth 2007-2009 Honorary Science Advisor, Association for Geoconservation, Hong Kong My initial interest in climate change was because of my search for explanations for Hong Kong's temperature, rainfall and sea-level record 00:00 Introduction and Background 00:13 Guest Introduction and Career Overview 01:34 Impact of Volcanic Eruptions on Climate 03:09 Exploring Specific Volcanic Eruptions and Their Effects 06:38 The Role of Submarine Volcanic Eruptions in Climate Change 09:23 The Impact of Volcanic Eruptions on Sea Levels 13:45 The Influence of Volcanic Eruptions on Ocean Heat Waves and Extreme Weather Events 16:09 Understanding the Classification of Volcanic Eruptions 20:47 The Role of Volcanic Eruptions in Sea Level Changes 38:09 Concluding Remarks and Future Research Directions Slides for this podcast: https://tomn.substack.com/p/volcanic-eruptions-and-climate-variability ========= AI summaries of all of my podcasts: https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries About Tom Nelson: https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL89cj_OtPeenLkWMmdwcT8Dt0DGMb8RGR Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomANelson Substack: https://tomn.substack.com/ About Tom: https://tomn.substack.com/about

In this episode: FAO Director-General at the COP28 climate conference; FAO and WHO mark the 60th year of the Codex Alimentarius; and we offer a preview of the upcoming International Year of Camelids. Producer: Lis Sanchez, Ruki Inoshita Presenter: Ruki Inoshita Sound: Eric Deleu Editorial supervision: Michelle Hoffman © FAO/Patrick Meinhardt

Today's guests, Dr. Ellen Prager and Dave Jones have found engaging, relevant, and understandable methods to bring the science of ocean, atmosphere, and climate issues to the so-called, ‘non-choir.' Presenting the information in such innovative and entertaining ways keeps them committed to finding new approaches to reach their target audience. This is crucial since climate change is a critical topic for everyone, not solely those interested in science.  Ellen and Dave have an extensive network within the broadcast meteorology community and work to bring them together with leading climate scientists through extreme weather, climate change, and community resilience summits. They believe broadcast meteorologists offer an especially effective way to reach people with scientific information about more than just weather, such as climate change. Additionally, they have written a book for Columbia University Press to engage the public and help combat misinformation about the ocean, marine life, weather, hurricanes, climate change, and more. Their thesis focuses on the frequently asked and sometimes oddball questions they and their colleagues receive, using easy-to-understand answers and some humor to make it more interesting. The title is tentatively ”Megalodons, Mermaids, and Climate Change: You've Got Questions, We've Got Answers. Ask Away!!!,” which is slated to come out in Fall 2024.  Ellen and Dave hope to complete a series of public-oriented events associated with the book and restart the summits (the last one was right before COVID) in the next year or two, especially as the impacts of climate change are expected to get more extreme in the future. Climate change doesn't cause hurricanes, wildfires, heat waves, or flooding, but it makes them more extreme with costly and, in some cases, tragic consequences.    About Ellen Prager, PhD Ellen Prager, PhD, is a marine scientist and author, widely recognized for her expertise and ability to make science entertaining and understandable for people of all ages. She currently works as a freelance writer, consultant, Chief Scientist for StormCenter Communications, and Science/Program Advisor to Celebrity Cruises in the Galapagos Islands. She was previously the Chief Scientist for the Aquarius Reef Base program in Key Largo, FL, which includes the world's only undersea research station, and at one time, was the Assistant Dean at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Dr. Prager has built a national reputation as a scientist and spokesperson for the earth and ocean sciences and is a sought-after speaker for public-oriented events. She has appeared on “The Today Show” and “NBC News”, “Good Morning America”, CNN, “Fox News”, “CBS Early Show”, The Weather Channel, shows for the Discovery Channel, and was a consultant for the Disney movie “Moana.”   Ellen focuses much of her time on bringing earth and ocean science to the public through writing, working with the media, creating innovative partnerships, and speaking events. Her recent publication “Dangerous Earth: What We Wish We Knew About Volcanoes, Hurricanes, Climate Change, Earthquakes and More” takes an engaging look at what scientists wish they knew about some of the planet's most powerful forces. Her latest novel for young readers, “Escape Greenland”, released in April 2021, combines fast-paced adventure, humor, and relatable characters with fun learning about climate change, science, and nature. It is the second book in a series entitled “The Wonder List Adventures” published by Tumblehome Learning. The first book, “Escape Galapagos,” released in 2019, received rave reviews from readers. The first book in her previous middle-grade series, “The Shark Whisperer”, has been called, ‘an underwater Harry Potter.' Her previous popular science book, “Sex, Drugs, and Sea Slime: The Oceans' Oddest Creatures and Why They Matter”, took an entertaining look at marine biodiversity, its relevance to the average person, and why ocean life and resources are now at risk. Ocean advocate Carl Safina says of the book, “A great book for beginners and even experts can learn from and enjoy—this is possibly the best general book ever written on creatures of the deep.”  It has also been called, “hilarious,” “tastefully salacious,” and “fascinating.” She has written articles for scientific journals, public-oriented magazines, and several other books including “Chasing Science at Sea: Racing Hurricanes, Stalking Sharks, and Living Undersea with Ocean Experts” and “The Oceans.” Ellen has also published a series of children's books with the National Geographic Society. The first, “SAND” received the 2000 Parents Choice Award, and was followed by “Volcano” and “Earthquakes.”    Ellen has participated in research expeditions to places such as the Galapagos Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and the deep waters of the Florida Reef tract. She obtained a bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University, a master's degree from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, and in 1992, a doctorate from Louisiana State University.    In 1992, as a faculty scientist at the Sea Education Association (SEA) in Woods Hole, MA, Ellen taught oceanography to undergraduates, teachers, and senior citizens in a unique educational program in which classroom learning is supplemented by extensive hands-on experience at sea aboard tall sailing ships.  She later became the resident director of the National Undersea Research Center in the Bahamas. In 1997, she joined the U.S. Geological Survey where she split her time between scientific research in marine geology, oceanography, and coral reefs and public education. During 1998, the International Year of the Ocean (YOTO), Ellen co-chaired the subcommittee on research, exploration, and education for the National Ocean Conference presided by the President and Vice President of the United States.  Ellen was a member and then Chairman of the Ocean Research and Resources Advisory Panel for the federal government and was hired by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy to help write their report to Congress and the President. She continues to focus her efforts on developing innovative and entertaining ways to share her passion for the oceans and the environment with others.  About Dave Jones Dave Jones is a 35-year veteran of the weather industry and worked at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.  He also served as an on-air meteorologist for nearly a decade in the 1990s at NBC4 WRC-TV, the NBC-owned and operated TV station in Washington, DC. Additionally, he appeared multiple times on NBC's “Today Show”, NBC Europe, and CNBC Asia. While working for NBC, Dave developed the FIRST television weather website in the nation in 1995, launching a new era in communicating NASA data to the public. The website, “WeatherNet4” positioned NBC4 in Washington, DC, and NBC across the nation as a broadcast leader and early innovator of internet technology.    For several decades, Dave was a co-organizer and host of an annual weather and climate summit to bring together leading scientists and broadcast meteorologists. The summit quickly became a favorite event for broadcast meteorologists at both the national and regional levels. It reached millions of households through related live productions and, later, via social media.    In 2001, Dave founded StormCenter Communications, Inc. Under the Federal Government's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, he and his team developed a unique technology known as GeoCollaborate. This groundbreaking technology allows the sharing of trusted data across any web mapping platform in real-time, enhancing situational awareness and decision-making across various sectors, agencies, and organizations.   GeoCollaborate is being adopted by US Federal Agencies, States, and private sector organizations facilitating more effective decision-making in markets such as military, intelligence, civil agencies, climate resilience planning, energy and transportation, food, agriculture, healthcare, cyber, and homeland security. Due to StormCenter's SBIR success, the company was honored as a Tibbitts Award Winner by the Small Business Administration for exceptional performance under the SBIR program.   Dave, a former president of the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP Federation), continues to co-chair the ESIP Disaster Lifecycle Cluster. He has recently played a crucial role in advancing Operational Readiness Levels (ORLs) for trusted data to inform decision processes. In 2006, Dave received the ‘Charles S. Falkenberg Award', an esteemed ESIP-AGU recognition given to an early to mid-career scientist who has contributed to the quality of life, economic opportunities, and planet stewardship through the utilization of Earth science information and to the public awareness of the importance of understanding our planet. Dave was also honored as ESIP's Partner of the Year for 2020. 

Hosted by Aviva Yamani, the Director of 365 Days of Astronomy. This is the story about the rabbit on the Moon from Vietnam as told and translated by Luong Ngoc Quynh for the Stars of Asia project in 2009 during the International Year of Astronomy.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

In this episode, I get to introduce you to Hawa Allarakhia. As you will learn, Hawa was born at only 25 weeks, more than three months premature. She lived in an incubator for the first four months of her life but survived and eventually thrived. She has some disabilities, but as you will see, Hawa decided not to let challenges stop her.   She attended college at various campuses of the University of South Florida and has obtained a Bachelor's and Master's degree. She is now working in a Ph.D. program and plans to have her degree in two or three semesters.   Hawa's parents always emphasized to her the need for a good education, something she very much takes to heart. She will tell us how she hopes to get involved in a higher education teaching role where she can help to teach students with disabilities that no matter what they can move forward and succeed. Talk about inspirational, that describes Hawa to a T.     About the Guest:   Hi, my name is Hawa Allarakhia. I am of Indian descent but was born and raised in the United States. I have traveled to every continent except Antarctica, and I don't plan to go there because I am a true Florida girl; I have lived in Manatee County my whole life. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in World Languages (Spanish) in the spring of 2016 from the University of South Florida- Saint Petersburg Campus. Yo soy una persona muy compasiva (I am a very compassionate person). In 2018, I graduated with a Master's in Education from the University of South Florida- Sarasota-Manatee Campus. I hope to work in a higher education setting to help instructors figure out the best way to teach students with disabilities in an online environment. Right now, I am pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Educational Program Development at the University of South Florida- Tampa Campus. I work part-time on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus as a graduate assistant in the Office of Research. As an academic consultant, I hope to use my personal experience to show students with disabilities that achieving success in university and obtaining employment is possible with hard work. Educational Philosophy I hope to teach students with disabilities online who wish to further their education. I will include elements that all learners find beneficial for optimum understanding of course objectives. To foster the development of cognitive thinking skills, I will help students learn how to make connections between course content and how to apply that content to real-life situations. My role as an instructor is to guide students through the course material and keep them focused on the course's objectives.     Ways to connect with Hawa:   Website: hawaallarakhia.weebly.com    Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hawa-allarakhia-4a798b231/     About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, and a gracious Good day to all of you. Once again, this is Mike Hingson, and your host. And this is unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Today we get to chat with Hawa Allarakhia. And Hawa. Hawa has a very interesting story. And I've got a really interesting question to ask right up front. I'm going to save it but I will tell you the question, how has a bachelor's and a master's degree and she is going after a doctorate? And how you're doing them all from the University of South Florida. But it's three different campuses. I'm curious about that. But you can answer that whenever you want to. But for right now, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad you're here.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 02:06 Well, thank you so much for having me. It's a great pleasure. And I'm really excited about our conversation today.   Michael Hingson ** 02:14 Well tell us a little bit about kind of you growing up the early Hawa and all that and let's go from there. So   Hawa Allarakhia ** 02:21 I'm growing up, I am a true Fleur radian. I was born in Tampa, Florida. And I've had the fortunate experience of living in the area in the Tampa Bay area my entire life. So that's where my heart lies. And that's what I call home. In the early years, at birth, I was actually born 45 weeks gestation, weighing one pound and 11 ounces. And at birth, I received the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. What that means is I have a hemiparesis on my left side, which means my the left side of my body is a lot weaker than the right and I can't really use my arm too much in terms of my mobility as a child, I crawled everywhere. But then as I grew older, those wear and tear on the bones and muscles of my lower body didn't allow me to do that anymore. So I started using a walker more regularly. And, you know, just grew to do more things independently as I got older. But you know, the early years were filled with a lot of ups and downs when it came to school. You know, trying to figure out how to navigate the world of accommodations and everything like that No, school was a lot different than it is today. So I find that to be a bit of a blessing that I don't have to deal with those red tape and everything like people do today. But school was always like my light in all the stuff that I had to deal with, whether it was doctor's appointment, or physical therapy or even occupational therapy after school. You know, my parents taught me that education is literally my key to life and becoming, you know, a good working member of society. So I've always thought learning was so important and no matter how hard it was, whether it was staying up half the night to prep for the LSAT or just writing a paper because it took me longer to do than everybody else. I always knew that the end journey, you know, would be worth it. And that's kind of what led me to, you know, just continually pursuing education. Up until today and probably into the future.   Michael Hingson ** 05:03 Wow. But you, you beat me I was born early. Also, I weighed two pounds 13 ounces and was born eight weeks premature. But since you were born so early, did you have any issues with eyesight at all and being given a pure oxygen environment, in an incubator, or any of those kinds of things until you were a little bit more substantial in life as it were? Yes.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 05:31 So being born so prematurely, my parents were told that, you know, there would be a lot of different issues that I would have to deal with whether that was like, physical movement or, but also vision. And, you know, what they told my parents was, she's either gonna leave here in the incubator at four months, or four pounds, whichever comes first. So it just happened to be a coincidence that four months post birth, I reached four pounds. So let us go home   Michael Hingson ** 06:14 that worked out well. Did you have any eyesight or vision issues? Or I should say, Do you have any today,   Hawa Allarakhia ** 06:21 I do. So I'm, in terms of my vision, my left visual field is a lot weaker than my right, I have trouble focusing on distant objects. And then also, you know, when I hit the teenage years, I tried to learn how to drive like everybody else. And I'm with my homie periapsis. On the left side, what tended to happen was, even if I was looking, let's say, an object or taking my car to the right, my vision and my, like, the tension in my left side, would help hold me and the vehicle to the left. And, you know, kind of came to the conclusion after that, it probably was a better idea to put the possibility of driving on hold for a while. So I'm really looking forward to the ramping up that comes with autonomous vehicles, cuz I'm hoping that that will give me a lot more independence.   Michael Hingson ** 07:33 You're not alone, I as well, I'm looking forward to that being perfected, and it and it will, it may take a little while yet, but we're gonna get good autonomous vehicle operations, is just that we are right now kind of in the nexus of all of it, and on the cusp of it, getting to the point where it will be pretty good, but it's going to happen. And we're seeing a lot of examples of it working. So I think the day is gonna come and that we'll all be able to take advantage of that. And frankly, I'm very happy about that. Because I think that given the way a lot of people drive today, we ought to take driving out of the hands of drivers. Anyway.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 08:13 I definitely agree with you. I just every time I get in the car, I say a little prayer that I get to the destination without any incident.   Michael Hingson ** 08:22 Yes, absolutely. So on the reason I asked about your eyesight, of course, is that being born premature, I also wasn't an incubator and did become blind because of that. What used to be called retro retro Fibro pleasure, which has now written up Theo prematurity. And I'm not sure that that's really a whole lot easier to spell, but they changed the words anyway. But so I've I've driven but under the direction of someone else. And I actually had an opportunity a few years ago to drive a Tesla. And the driver was was next to me, of course, but I actually drove a Tesla for about 15 miles down one of the busier roads going from Up Where We Live down toward San Bernardino, and Ontario. So we were driving down a hill, through a pass and so on, but it was a lot of fun. But I think that it will be good when we can really have autonomous vehicles that people can trust, and that are as safe as we really need them to be. And it'll happen.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 09:29 I'm definitely I'm like it. I'll definitely be one of the first people in mind to try that out for   Michael Hingson ** 09:37 sure. And by one it will be interesting to see well so you've come by your desires and interests in education very honestly, because your parents really taught you the value of doing that which is really pretty cool. So you started out by getting a bachelor was in in World Languages, specifically in Spanish, I believe   Hawa Allarakhia ** 10:03 I did. And, you know, part of the reason I did that was actually twofold. At the time, during my undergraduate years, I was actually originally an elementary education major. And I got to the first stage of where we are required to do a teaching classroom internship. And, you know, this is one of those situations where even all the requests for accommodations in the world and, you know, all the written proof in the world who doesn't, you know, put forth the results you would like. So, in that situation, what happened was, I was assigned a first grade classroom with a lot about 20, something six year olds, when I had made a written request, that based on my skills, and experience, I would be more suited to work with older children in either the fourth or fifth grade, and I was requesting this as a type of accommodation so that I could be successful in the internship. And unfortunately, those requests were denied. And without, you know, concrete reason, and I was assigned into this lower level classroom, and, you know, getting little kids to listen to you, whether you're in a wheelchair or not, is quite a task. And, you know, when I brought my concerns to the college, you know, they were just kind of like, there's nothing really we can do, you have to pass. And then when I brought up the possibility of transferring to another campus that is affiliated with the university, and that, where I could move home, to do the internship at my local school, that suggestion was denied based on the difficulty that the supervisor would have to come and observe me. And basically, I was left with one choice, redo the internship in their selected setting at the same level, or, you know, just leave the program. So fortunately, I had been minoring in Spanish at the time. And the difference between a minor and a major at that point was only a few more classes, I believe, to at least four. So I switched my major and graduated when I was supposed to, but, you know, that's just one of life's challenges. And even though I was disappointed, in the end of how the situation ended, it was probably, you know, a positive thing, because when I went into grad school, and, you know, entered my master's in education, I felt like it was, you know, a better fit for me and more of my pace for learning, because I always saw myself as to even when I thought it was gonna be in, you know, K through 12, I always pictured myself at some type of administrator, like a guidance counselor or something like that. So, you know, and I just, I think, in the end, you know, I'm sort of on the path that I'm meant to be on. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 13:37 so you, you got your degree in Spanish, but clearly, you still had an interest in education, because you went off then to what the Sarasota campus. If I'm, if I'm remembering, right, and you got your master's in education? I   Hawa Allarakhia ** 13:56 did. I did. And, you know, my reason for coming to the Sarasota campus was because it was closer to home and I would end the program was online, so I wasn't really required to live on campus or anything like that. And coming home to Sarasota into the Sarasota campus, kind of afforded me like an opportunity to start working in higher education, as I'm currently doing right now. And you know, it's, it's offered me a lot of different experiences. I've worked in the field of admissions, academic advising, diversity inclusion, and currently I work as a graduate assistant here on Sarasota campus in the Office of Research. Well, so   Michael Hingson ** 14:49 how do you think that the the sidelining, at least for a little while of what you had planned that is needing to graduated with a degree in Spanish as opposed to being an education. But and then going back to it, of course, but how do you think that, that them not accommodating your needs and so on, really has affected you and your outlook? Well,   Hawa Allarakhia ** 15:17 I really think it affected me in my look, because, you know, besides the fact that my written requests were denied, I couldn't, you know, I didn't really feel supported by the, what they call the cooperating teacher who I was, you know, and being administered under and, you know, I couldn't, I had this feeling at the end of it, that in my gut that, you know, maybe she'd never come across as, even though she'd been teaching for over 35 years, maybe she'd never come across anyone who had any type of disability, and she just didn't know, like, how to navigate that, and how you know, how to be supportive, and all that kind of stuff. But, and maybe slightly, you know, she had some discriminatory problems with it with me being there. But the problem was, I couldn't actually, you know, prove any of that, and, like, build myself a case to say, all these factors have contributed to the fact that I couldn't succeed in this environment. And, you know, I just, I learned, I had to swallow, you know, all the hurt and difficulty and just say, No, I'm still going to finish, it might not be what I started, but I'm still gonna finish. And I can go back to the thing that I care about most in a different way. And I just had to take time to mourn the loss of the path that I thought it was going to be on, so that I could find a new one. And, you know, I just think that, I hope that you know, now, and there have been other students who might have been in my position, and they've succeeded. So I know that, you know, things are changing. But again, you know, the best way to make change is change it from the inside. Have   Michael Hingson ** 17:16 you had any interaction with her since now going on and getting a master's degree and so on? Or have you been able to maybe have any kind of conversation about that with her?   Hawa Allarakhia ** 17:28 No, you know, that the unfortunate thing about it, I don't, I haven't had that opportunity to have any type of conversation with any of the parties involved. Because they, for the university asked me not to continue communication with the, with the, with the educator that I was entered, supervising, under. And also those individuals who were involved in this scenario, with the university are no longer here. So, you know, that just that hasn't afforded me the opportunity to kind of go back and talk to them and say, Well, okay, this is what you did, but look, where I've ended up anyway, you know, kind of situation, but you know, who knows what the future holds, they might, they might reconnect with me on some other opportunity. And some point or, or not, I'm just, I'm kind of at the point where, you know, that's a part of my story, and it made me a stronger person.   Michael Hingson ** 18:36 Well, and you don't want to take the approach of I told you, so. But rather, you want to progress yourself. And hopefully, the time will come that maybe you can be the teacher to help them better understand, unless they've gained along the way a better understanding, I hear what you're saying about the way it used to be. And now there's a lot more red tape and a lot of rules and so on. But at the same time, there's also in some ways, a lot more access than there used to be. I know my wife was in a wheelchair her whole life and you're using a wheelchair today.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 19:11 So I, I use two types of mobility equipment while I'm here on campus. I use a motorized scooter. And then I also have a manual chair that if I'm with somebody else, then they push that push. I use that when I go out with my parents or when we're traveling, because it's easier to lug that around than a bagel scooter on the plane.   Michael Hingson ** 19:41 Oh, yeah, definitely true. My wife's went to for her undergraduate work to the University of California at Riverside and was very actively involved back in that time when they had the International Year of the disabled and was very involved. advocating for access around the UC Riverside campus where there wasn't a lot of access upfront. And it was pre Americans with Disabilities Act as well. But but she was involved, I didn't have the same kinds of involvement. For me it was more access getting, or getting access to materials in Braille and so on. But she had very physical issues to deal with. And that is, she couldn't get into buildings and so on. And, but she worked through that, and she learned how to negotiate, and to educate, which is something that you're doing and you that you want to do. And that's, that's cool. And now we do have more laws on our side, if you will, than we used to, which does also help. It   Hawa Allarakhia ** 20:48 does. You know, I think, I think the most important lesson that I've learned so far in life is that, you know, there's always room for improvement. I mean, everything has a kid, everything could always be brighter and more improved and more accessible. And, you know, the most important thing is for the people who have the lived experiences to just keep keep sharing their, their stories and their opinions and their voices. Because, you know, no one can stop your voice if unless you let them so that, you know, that's something I always believe in and carry with me every day.   Michael Hingson ** 21:36 Yeah. And that is a wonderful attitude to have, and, and to carry with you. Well for you. So you knew I think instinctively that teaching first graders was probably going to be a challenge for you. My wife did some of that she was a teacher for 10 years. She liked third graders and fourth graders, she wasn't as excited about teaching much older kids because by that time, too many attitudes were developed. And it was harder to sometimes get the kids to do what she wanted. But she always loved teaching, like third graders, she thought that was really kind of, for her the best age to to teach. But for you. It sounds like you had to a degree, the same kind of attitude. But you ended up really advancing that further and going into higher education, who are what really sort of promoted that in your mind. And what caused you to really do that? Well,   Hawa Allarakhia ** 22:36 that's a really interesting story. Because like I mentioned earlier, I really, when I started my undergraduate journey, I really pictured myself in sort of a K through 12 administrative role probably to send a guidance counselor, or what they call the ESC specialist. And that's where I saw myself going. And then when I was in the College of Education at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg campus, I had this advisor, and she, her name was Dr. Ford. And she was like, unlike any advisor I had met before then she was still supportive. She never pressured me into taking more classes than I thought I could handle. She never like felt made me feel bad if I was having a tough semester. And it wasn't going as well as I had hoped. And she just really stood by me, even after this whole changing majors debacle. She just was like, a big, big support for me. And you know, that, after that whole debacle, I started to think, you know, wait, maybe this is maybe there's a different path for me, maybe I don't have to be in, you know, a K through 12 setting. And I started to think about, you know, the other people that support students in higher ed and you know, and so I was like, well, I could be her, you know, for other people, and I could share my challenges that I faced with other students who have difficulties and so, you know, that's when I started thinking, Okay, I will need to get a master's degree. And then I said, Okay, well, if I, and then, you know, later on, I said, Well, I know people who have done her job and they have a master's degree, but the other part of my you know, vision to getting a doctorate degree actually comes back to my dad, because he is a physician and as a child, I didn't realize the limitations of my disability and I always pictured myself Oh, I'm going to be Just like Daddy, I'm going to be a doctor. And you know, and then obviously, as I got older, I realized that, you know, that path was probably going to be more difficult than I would like. And I found this new path and you know, in in time, I will follow this path and but somewhat, even though in a different field, follow in my dad's footsteps, and because I have a doctorate of my own, you   Michael Hingson ** 25:29 will become a doctor. Which is fine. That's fair. And that is that is really cool. So then you'll have a family with at least two doctors in it. Yes. Which is always good. Now, I will ask the question I started out with earlier, you have now gone to three different University of South Florida campuses, how come switching from one campus to another? Well, what a spiteful question. I know.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 26:00 I mean, it's all about the journey. When I started college, I actually didn't start out at the University of Florida. My first college experience happened at a place called Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. And I spent two years there and due to medical reasons, I had to come home to Sarasota to recover, recover from a shoulder operation. And after that operation, the people of Florida Gulf Coast, another accessibility issue. The people of Florida Gulf Coast would not let me live in the undergraduate housing, underclassmen undergraduate housing, which had the accessible dorms and facilities, they wanted me to move into upper classmen housing, which was apartment style, and didn't really meet my needs. So instead of getting into this huge argument, and like, you know, fighting a fight, that would probably take more time to win and put education on hold, I kind of reevaluated my situation. And I thought back to all those college tours I'd taken. And I thought where was the other place I thought was really cool. And that's where I kind of thought about the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg campus because it was not as big as the Tampa campus, which serves almost over 70,000 students. And it kind of gave me the best of both worlds, I could get to know my professors, and I could have a comfortable experience living on campus. So that's where I finished my undergrad years. And then when it came time for my master's degree, I looked at staying in St. Pete, but they just didn't have a program that I felt would meet my needs. So when I found the program at the Sarasota campus, I was like, Okay, well, this will be flexible, and I get to go home for for, you know, for my Masters, and that had led me to getting all these on campus opportunities in my current position. And as far as the Tampa campus goes, you know, even though we're consolidated into a single institution, we are still kind of in that infancy, where Tampa is the only campus where they have doctoral programs. So that's kind of how I ended up on all three campuses. And without that experience to say that, you know, I'm, I'm going to be what they call a triple bull, which means you've got every degree level on campus, one of the campuses, um, that's what the people call it around here. So it's gonna be good when it happens. And I'm excited for that day. Whenever that is going to be I can't put a pin on it right now. But I know it's going to be in the near future for sure.   Michael Hingson ** 29:11 It's good to be a gypsy and be able to wander to different campuses. And in reality, of course, you do get different experiences, which is kind of fun. And I agree with you. I did my undergraduate work at the University of California at Irvine, and the year I became a freshman was the first year that campus had a graduating class. So I think there were like 2700 students on campus. It was a very large campus very open, not very many buildings, but buildings that were being constructed. Now the place is crazy. I was there a few years ago wouldn't even know how to get around the place. But there's a lot of value as you said in having an environment where you can really work with professors and meet professors and talk with them and how I have a lot more of a personal experience. And I really value that a lot, too. It's important to be able to have that. Well, so when you were in college, and you had, you had given me this question, what was the lesson that you learned in your first year of college, there was something that must have happened that really helped shape something.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 30:21 Well, that lets it like most people, I started my college career during a summer session. So when you go to when you go to these orientations, there are so many people, and you actually, you've scheduled a meeting with an advisor to, you know, select your courses for this semester, but it's so crunched for time that they kind of pressure you into making certain decisions that if you had a little more time to think about it, you probably wouldn't do that. So what happened was, you know, they said, let's start out with two classes since that summer session. And you know, you want to get those general education requirements out of the way. So I'd signed up for composition one, and I believe it was intermediate algebra class. But I hadn't really had a lot of experience with this condensed learning environment where, instead of having four months to create a complete curriculum, you only had six weeks. So that put a lot of pressure on me to perform, and which raise my anxiety. And that didn't help me in the algebra class. So the lesson I would take from that is, whatever you do, no matter what math class it is, don't take it during the summer, ever.   Michael Hingson ** 31:48 Yeah, it is, it is more of a challenge. And as you said, it is also an issue where you have less time to get things done. I never did take summer courses. But I was in college during Of course, the rest of the year. But I understand exactly what you're saying. So as you went through college going and getting your undergraduate degree and then getting your master's degree, what kind of lessons do you think you learned that will help you going forward? Well,   Hawa Allarakhia ** 32:27 I think the one you know, for both of them. And even right now, while I'm pursuing my doctorate, the one lesson that I've learned is, you know, I need everybody, whatever your circumstances, you need to like, give yourself a break every once in a while, because there's all these outside forces that are already putting pressure on you, whether that's, you know, how much you have to work, and go to school or family obligations, or whatever it may be. But yeah, sometimes, you just need to give yourself a break. If you're, you know, if you'd rather turn in a good assignment that you've done, when you were like, ready and fresh, and you know, have your thoughts as clear as they can be, then one that might not be as good because you did it when you were too tired. So, you know, for those people who think I have to graduate in this certain amount of time. And you know, there's all this pressure that comes from other places, just, you don't take a step back and give yourself a break. I know, you know, there'll be people, whether that's your counselor, or even your friends who say, Come on, let's get done quick, and you know, then you'll get out to the real world. But this is a golden opportunity to learn all sorts of skills, whether they're inside the classroom or outside, and you need to take the time and opportunity to do that because, you know, going learning having this time to gain knowledge is giving me you're never have it again, it's invaluable.   Michael Hingson ** 34:14 Do you do much in the way of extracurricular activities, or did you in your undergraduate and master's programs?   Hawa Allarakhia ** 34:24 So I'm in undergrad while I was. At Florida Gulf Coast, I did participate in what they call Greek life, I was a part of the surety that a family friend was a member of and suggested that I join the first year was really exciting and I made a lot of friends and you know, it was we had all these campus events and I got you know, more comfortable socializing with people and everything and because we were what they call the first inaugural chapter of this organization on the campus, you know, most of the stuff was on campus. So that was fine. And it was fun. And it got me to meet people and stuff. But then the next year, here's where, you know, accessibility and kind of, you know, that kind of thing came into play, we started doing stuff off campus. And that's where I got a little bit uncomfortable with that, because that meant I had to rely on someone to, you know, maybe take me to the event and bring me home. And then I knew there was gonna be drinking involved, or because it was at like a restaurant or bar or something. And I was, I was just not comfortable putting my safety in the hands of somebody else. You know, when I, when I knew we were gonna come home, we and all that, and, you know, I made a conscious decision that, well, because of, for my own good, I kind of need to step away from this situation. And, you know, even if it probably wasn't the best for my social life, I think at the end of the day, it was probably, you know, a good decision in other aspects of my life, because I focused on school and, you know, doing other things. So, you know, but I do, I do think that, you know, that socialization is really important. And, you know, from what I know, now, from an accessibility standpoint, if I were to go back, I would have tried to be more vocal about, you know, making sure that we had, we continue to have more events on campus instead of off campus, so that, you know, other people who couldn't just pick up and go could participate. So yeah, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 36:56 it becomes an issue. What did you do during your masters? years? Did you do anything in terms of other than studying? Or did you just focus on that to get through?   Hawa Allarakhia ** 37:08 Well, during my master's, because I felt like it was a little bit not easier, but there was not that, you know, you have to be in class in person from this time to this time, what I was able to do, and what I started doing during under during the master's program, and I continued to do to this day, is work on campus. So that's when I started working in admissions and advising. And, you know, and those are the experiences that brought me closer to the student and you know, and a different type of interaction, because you're interacting with people who are already attending the university, but you're also interacting with people who are thinking about attending the university, and you can share your experiences. And you can kind of be that those eyes and ears for the people who don't, you know, are thinking about where they want to take their education and career and life. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 38:15 you have talked a lot about the whole issue of persons with disabilities and so on. So I want to really focus on that a little bit. But first, you graduated, you got your master's degree, and then what did you do? Because that's now been five years. Yeah,   Hawa Allarakhia ** 38:35 so I graduated with my master's degree in May 2018. And after taking a short three month hiatus, I jumped right into pursuing my doctorate. So since the fall of 2018, I've been pursuing my doctorate right now, I just received permission from the dean to for them to assist me in distributing my instrument. So graduation survey, which is my instrument graduation is going to be shortly I can't put a date on it right now. But I'm hoping that it's gonna be, you know, within the next at least two or three semesters, I hope. So. After that, who knows where life takes me, I'm really into doing other things. I love traveling. So I'm hoping that once this school is kind of no longer a permanent part of my life, that you know, my family and I can do more traveling.   Michael Hingson ** 39:45 You've been all over I think you said every year, every continent except Antarctica. Yes.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 39:51 So that's, you know, that's one of the things we love to do as a family and my parents have been fortunate enough that they Have I let you know, the fact that we have to lug around all this mobility equipment stop us from seeing the world. So it's definitely one of the things that we do as a family for fun. And, you know, I'm definitely looking forward to doing more of that.   Michael Hingson ** 40:16 Of course, you've got, in some senses, the advantage of using a manual chair and somebody pushing you. But obviously, you've seen a lot of inaccessible places.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 40:26 Yeah, so um, I have and, you know, I've seen a lot of other interesting, I just came back from Norway a couple of weeks ago. And while I was there, I saw this individual, they had this, they turned their manual wheelchair into a motorized one, because he had this attachment, it kind of looks like a bicycle, like a bicycle handle that attach your, the front of your wheelchair, and it's a little it has a little motor inside. And then once you attach that to the wheelchair, and you use the controls, your, the wheelchair actually becomes motorized, like a little scooter.   Michael Hingson ** 41:14 Yeah, my wife had one of those for a while before she started full time using a power chair.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 41:22 Yeah, so I thought that was really interesting. And, you know, I'm definitely interested in exploring different, different things like that, as we, you know, travel more and all that kind of stuff. So, but it's always a good time to take a break kind of gives us opportunity to switch off and just spend time together as family,   Michael Hingson ** 41:47 which is also important to be able to do, your family has been very supportive.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 41:52 They have, I wouldn't be where I am without my parents or the rest of my extended family. They're always supporting me with whatever I want to do. You know, besides, well, you're in a doctorate program there. Once you finish the coursework, and you start doing your research. And your there is a lot of waiting, because you're waiting for feedback from a faculty member. And they might be working with like, at least 15 other students. So what I've been doing, since during those waiting periods are is writing lots of articles. And I'm trying to sort of build my, I'm trying to build my freelance portfolio. So I'm always looking for opportunities to write about diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and I'm even in the throes of outlining, ma'am, more based on essays that I'm writing right now, so those are the things I'm doing outside of like my current position at the University and school,   Michael Hingson ** 42:58 what do you do at the university? What's your job?   Hawa Allarakhia ** 43:00 So right now, I serve as the graduate assistant in the Office of Research, and I'm in charge of all our student programming. So I facilitate and plan and run our annual undergraduate and graduate research conference in the spring, I assist my boss in facilitating a workshop for graduate students about grant writing, and then in the summer, because she also does a workshop for faculty. I help her with that. So I do the some of the course design, I do the group some of the greeting, and I kind of just run and plan all the other events that we have going on in our office on campus.   Michael Hingson ** 43:55 It sounds like you have a pretty supportive environment right now, though.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 43:59 I do. I do. But I'm excited for what the future holds and who knows what other opportunities will come knocking?   Michael Hingson ** 44:08 Well, yeah, that's gonna be an adventure, isn't it? What do you in terms of your own thoughts, at least at this point, what do you want to do once you get your your doctorate? So in   Hawa Allarakhia ** 44:20 terms of what I really would, the path I'm seeing myself go on, is really heading back to the heading back to the classroom setting and hopefully, you know, teaching some courses that have to do with accessibility and education. And also, you know, there's also a lot of, you know, with all the legal stuff going on, there's also a lot of new contacts to that. So, you know, I'm hoping that in the in the next few searches section of my life, you know, I get to impart My wisdom and knowledge on other on fellow students. And in terms of accessibility and navigating college as a student, you know, I'm because I have a really unique opportunity here at the university, I'm gaining a doctorate in education, which focuses on program development, it means that the courses taught in the program are really kind of where they build their own, you build your own pack. So, you know, there's always new courses in development with the program. So I'm not really sure what type of courses I'm going to teach right now. But I know that the relationships I've built right now are gonna help me figure that out.   Michael Hingson ** 45:49 Well, you are, it sounds like you want to stay in higher education, though, as opposed to going back down and teaching younger teaching to younger students?   Hawa Allarakhia ** 45:58 I do, I do, because I've spent a lot of time here. And I think that the lessons that I've learned as a student, and in my work positions have just given me a really good per view of the struggles that people face and how they can overcome them, regardless of their disability or any challenge they have on their plate.   Michael Hingson ** 46:26 What do you see is maybe some some critical issues that need to be addressed or challenges that exists today, in the whole field of higher education? You   Hawa Allarakhia ** 46:37 know, I think our biggest challenge that we face right now is the stifling of diverse opinions and voices. Because especially here in this state, we are, we're if you don't, so here's what I don't understand about the context of how people view diversity. So if certain people view diversity as a positive thing that, you know, all, there are aspects of a person's personality and culture and everything that makes them them is so important to, to realize and recognize, while other people view highlighting those diverse aspects of a person as not positive, because it puts down what they consider the, you know, the status quo of how society should view people. So I think, you know, I think our major issue across higher ed, is to make sure that the, you know, all those diverse communities and even minority groups is to support their voice and make sure that, you know, they are they continue to be heard and grow and not to stifle that and kind of, you know, put them in a box and lock them away. We've already been through all that kind of stuff. And right now, I kind of feel like we're cycled, circling back to a time where I don't think anyone would be comfortable with where, you know, and back into the 50s, and the 60s, and all that kind of stuff. So I'm really doing my absolute best to raise voice when it comes to accessibility and all sorts of issues, because it is feeling kind of stifled at times.   Michael Hingson ** 48:35 We've been watching on the news, I know out here, we have certainly seen on the news about all the things going on in Florida and the governor talking about not funding diversity and so on, does that affect persons with disabilities as much as it appears to be affecting other groups as well?   Hawa Allarakhia ** 48:55 I think it does, because, you know, I think it does, because people, you know, people see that. So people see that, as you know, as a part of that. It's not officially a part of diversity, but it is in in a lot of contexts. And you know, I think where because it's not just it's not just stifling about diversity, but when it comes to accessibility, it's like, Well, it sounds services or, you know, some buildings are are already accessible, why do we have to make them better? So, that's where I think, you know, that's where I think this is, like less, that's where I think people are kind of taking advantage of the situation where they're saying that people it's already good enough, it doesn't need to be better. So and in some cases, you know, kind of take Your way those services and stuff like that. So I just think, you know, it is, it is a continuous battle that's happening here. And you know, there are people fighting for those rights every day. And you know, there are people who, but eventually, I hope that you know, the people who are in charge, you're gonna see that it's there. I think, honestly, they're only some of the people who are trying to stifle these voices, they're just doing it for their own benefit and out of fear. So that's where I think, you know, all this is coming from, from a place of fear.   Michael Hingson ** 50:41 I think there's a lot of truth to that, that it's fear, it's not having a good education about it. And I would hope that with voices like yours, there, there will, we will be able to start to see some change, because it is an is an issue. And you said something just now that was very interesting, I gather that accessibility is not considered part of diversity in Florida. So   Hawa Allarakhia ** 51:07 it's not that it's not considered but, um, you know, it's not, it's not it's all it's not an official part of the P i acronym. It's a it's an official part of the acronym, if you know what I mean.   Michael Hingson ** 51:24 Yeah, well, the acronym of diversity, equity and inclusion. I've talked to a number of people on this podcast and and when I asked them to define diversity, they do provide definitions, and very rarely do they include disabilities at all. And I point that out, and they say, oh, it's, well, it's an equity or, or something like that? I think   Hawa Allarakhia ** 51:48 they can. So I think a lot of people are of the opinion that it's, um, you know, it's kind of it's there without it having to be stated. But the thing is, I think that people who I think that's part of the problem, where because it's not officially embedded within that acronym, I think it kind of it kind of, it kind of acts as it acts almost invisibly, and it's only brought up when you say, but what about accessibility? And they're like, oh, yeah, okay. We know so well, now that you mentioned it. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Now that you mention it, yeah. But   Michael Hingson ** 52:35 they didn't think about it before, which is really part of the issue. And that's what makes it so frustrating. Do you think that that also plays into what you talked about before the whole fear concept? It   Hawa Allarakhia ** 52:47 does? It does. I do, I do think it plays into the fear concept. But here's the thing that I think also plays into the here concept, because I feel like it still in today's society, we are still, we're still, you know, tucking away, or we're still T people are still teaching their children that, you know, if they, they, they shouldn't, you know, pursue interactions with individuals with disabilities. And you know, that people with disabilities are should sort you know, could should sort of be in the shadows, I think that is something that still deeply ingrained within society, that the only thing that's going to change that is people just keep talking about it and raising awareness and that kind of thing. I don't, that's the only thing that's going to change that because I think, you know, ableism is still deeply deeply involved in the culture of society, across the world, and across the nation, I think it's still deeply embedded in society. And the only way it's going to change is that people just keep talking about it, and your podcasts are doing one of those things. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 54:15 thank you. I do believe that it's all about the conversation. And we we don't get included in the conversation very much, even though the whole category, if you will, of persons with disabilities, according to the CDC is somewhere close to 25% of our population. Now, it's a fractured community because there are so many different disabilities and there isn't necessarily a lot of have a point of view of commonality, which maybe needs to be a little bit more brought to the forefront. But still, the bottom line is that it's a very large minority, and we don't see people Dealing with it, we don't see people, including us in the conversation. And it becomes very unfortunate when that occurs.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 55:08 Yeah, I just think that, you know, include being included in the conversation is first step, and then, you know, bring, bring brought to the table to be part of the discussion and the building of solutions is really, and content is really the forefront of, you know, where people who were voices for accessibility and disability aren't need to put, continue to push and go. Because, you know, being having the opportunity to turn those voices into action is really the key to true change.   Michael Hingson ** 55:53 Yeah, absolutely. So, as we move toward wrapping this up, when I really appreciate all your time, but what kind of advice do you have for people, both people who have disabilities and people who, who don't happen to be themselves as having disabilities?   Hawa Allarakhia ** 56:14 Honestly, my number one piece of advice to anybody, whether you have a disability or not, is just just keep going. If you have a goal in mind, and, you know, you want to achieve it, keep going. All the people in the world can tell you, it's not possible, or you know, you can't do it, but you're the only person who can know what you can what you're capable of. So just don't sell yourself. Sure, you know, that's something that's something that I've struggled with, and I continue to strive to do. But at the same time, when if you're striving person, per opportunity, and you just keep hitting roadblocks, you know, try to find new parts and avenues. But, but at the same time, be willing to listen, and you know, sometimes you have to your circumstances are out of your control and sound. And it's important to realize that you can't, you can only do so much to change people's perception of you. And if they do, if they don't change that perception, that's not your fault. That's their fault.   Michael Hingson ** 57:42 There's only so much you can do. Yeah, and you're right, you don't necessarily have control over what happened to you or some of the circumstances that you face. But you always have control over how you deal with it.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 57:55 Exactly. Exactly. 100%. And   Michael Hingson ** 57:59 that's what's really important. Well, I want to thank you for being here with us today. If people want to reach out to you and maybe talk with you or learn more from you, how might they do that? So   Hawa Allarakhia ** 58:12 everyone, um, you can reach me on LinkedIn. And I'm, you know, I'm trying to build a base of communication. So I'm happy to chat with anybody about anything related to di accessibility. If you've got some opportunity, you think my fit my area, I'm happy to talk anytime. And you know, LinkedIn right now, I'm really heavy into LinkedIn. So that's my best form of communication.   Michael Hingson ** 58:44 How do people reach out to you on LinkedIn,   Hawa Allarakhia ** 58:47 so they can send me a private message, or they can also send me a connection request? And that usually, those are the two forms that I'm aware of people getting in touch via LinkedIn. So   Michael Hingson ** 59:03 what's your LinkedIn name? Or how do they reach you? They just spell it.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 59:08 Yeah, if they search for me, my first name is H A W A. And my last name is A L L A R A K H I A. Just   Michael Hingson ** 59:22 like it sounds Hawa Allarakhia. And so it is easy to find her. And it is, as I said, just like it sounds. Well, I hope people will reach out and we really wish you a lot of success. I would like it a great deal. If you would, please stay in touch. I would like to do that as well. We want to hear more about adventures that you have and as you progress, how things go and you're always welcome to come back here to unstoppable mindset and chat some more. So I hope we can do that. Absolutely.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 59:55 It was my pleasure. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I hope you have a good afternoon. and well   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:00 and I hope all of you out there listening will reach out to Hawa I would also appreciate if you'd reach out to me I'd love to hear from you. Love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to email me at Michaelhi m i c h a e l h i at accessiBe A C C E S S I B E.com. Or go to our podcast page, which is www dot Michaelhingson.com/podcast. That's Michael Hingson m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. Also, as I asked every week and will continue to do so please give us a five star rating for our episode and our discussion with Hawa today. I think it's been great. I learned a lot and I really appreciate and value the insights that she's given us. So please give us a five star rating. I'm sure that how I would appreciate it as well. And again, reach out to her. And again one last time Hawa really we very much really appreciate you being here with us today and hope that we get a chance to chat some more in the future. Absolutely.   Hawa Allarakhia ** 1:01:02 You have a good afternoon   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:10 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com. accessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Our guest is Gordon Bacon, the CEO Emeritus at Pulse Canada. With over 20 years of leadership in the agricultural sector, advocating for farmers and producers, Gordon has a wealth of wisdom and insights to share. We'll dive into his journey, advocacy for the agricultural sector, and the importance of pulse crops in the industry.  Stay tuned for valuable advice for aspiring leaders in agriculture and personal lessons learned from Gordon's time as CEO of Pulse Canada, shaping his approach to leadership and advocacy in the agricultural world. Take advantage of this enlightening conversation with a true industry expert.In the news: the carbon tax and the BOC's recent statements, CDC's decision on milk prices, and the age-old question, is food recession-proof? Plus, farewell to The founder of Smokes Poutine, Ryan Smokily, who left us this week.Reminder to join us at the Coffee Association of Canada's annual conference in Toronto on November 9th for a day of networking, trends, insights, and data. About GordonGordon Bacon was the founding CEO of Pulse Canada and served in this position from 1997 to 2021.  He was also CEO of the Canadian Special Crops Association, the Canadian trade association for companies involved in trading peas, lentils, beans and chickpeas.  He now works as a consultant on projects related to food and environmental sustainability.Gordon was an executive member of the Global Pulse Confederation and played a key role in having the United Nations declare 2016 as "International Year of Pulses".  Prior to his market development work in the wheat and pulse sectors, Gordon served as the Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture in Ottawa and has been a farm owner and operator in Saskatchewan.In 2012 Gordon was presented with the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal.  In 2021 The Canadian Western Agribition recognized him as one of the top 50 most influential people in Canadian agriculture.  In November of 2021 Gordon was inducted into the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame. About UsDr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph's Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre's Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa.About MichaelMichael is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc. and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada and the Bank of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, Today's Shopping Choice and Pandora Jewellery.   Michael has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions with C-level executives and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels. ReThink Retail has added Michael to their prestigious Top Global Retail Influencers list for 2023 for the third year in a row.Michael is also the president of Maven Media, producing a network of leading trade podcasts, including Remarkable Retail , with best-selling author Steve Dennis, now ranked one of the top retail podcasts in the world. Based in San Francisco, Global eCommerce Leaders podcast explores global cross-border issues and opportunities for eCommerce brands and retailers. Last but not least, Michael is the producer and host of the "Last Request Barbeque" channel on YouTube, where he cooks meals to die for - and collaborates with top brands as a food and product influencer across North America

There has been a spate of protests across Syria, with unrest spilling into areas which were previously strongholds of support for President Bashar al-Assad. Anger at poor living conditions has spiralled into calls for political change. Amira Fathalla is a Middle East specialist with BBC Monitoring and she tells us why this is so significant. A new image for millet in Nepal The United Nations is encouraging farmers around the world to plant more millet, and has declared 2023 the International Year of Millets. In Nepal, the crop fell out of favour with some people, being considered a food for the poor. BBC Nepali's Bishnu Pokarel tells us how a growing awareness of its health benefits is transforming its image. Boxing returns to Zanzibar after nearly 60 years Boxing fans in Zanzibar last week witnessed their first tournament on the island in almost six decades. A ban which had been imposed in 1964 was lifted in September last year by the president. BBC Africa's Alfred Lasteck attended the much anticipated tournament. The bloggers selling Russia's war Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia's pro-war influencers have gained millions of followers on social media. They frequently embed themselves with the Russian army and post footage from the front line, calling on young Russians to enlist. Grigor Atanesian has investigated their activities for the BBC Disinformation Unit. The catacombs of Lima Beneath the streets of the Peruvian capital Lima lies a network of tunnels and crypts, which served as a vast underground cemetery for hundreds of years. Many of these catacombs remain unexplored, but some are open to the public. One recent visitor was BBC Mundo's Guillermo Olmo. (Photo: People protesting in Syria's southern city of Sweida, September 2023. Credit: Sam Hariri/AFP via Getty Images)

We journey through time and across countries, tracing the story of a small but mighty grain: millets. These humble seeds are delicious, nutritious, drought-resistant, and healthy for us and the planet, but they have often been forgotten. 2023 is the International Year of Millets – a designation given by the United Nations. The UN's Food and Agricultural Organization is seizing that opportunity to promote what could be a powerful staple for people in an era of climate change. Join us as we explore millets' past heritage and future potential. An added bonus: a recipe from award-winner Chef Binta, a passionate advocate for millets. Interviewees: Vilas A Tonapi, director of the Indian Institute of Millets Research, Makiko Taguchi, Agricultural Officer at FAO, and Fatmata Binta, Chef and advocate for millets. Producer: Lis Sánchez Presenter: Njambi Gicharu Sound: Eric Deleu Production support: Ruki Inoshita, Denise Martínez, Aoife Riordan and Claudia Valdivieso. Editorial supervision: Michelle Hoffman

In this episode, we highlight FAO's drive in the use of technology and digitalization in the fight against child labor in agriculture, the importance of the ocean for a hunger-free world, and we celebrate the International Year of Millets 2023 with chefs from all around the world sharing recipes and stories of this nutrient-rich crop that is resilient to climate change. Producer: Lis Sánchez Presenter: Laura Quinones Sound: Eric Deleu        

Hosted by Avivah Yamani, our Director. Today I will share a story from Bali, Indonesia about Corona Borealis. The story is part of the Stars of Asia Project during the International Year of Astronomy in 2009 and compiled by Mitsuru Aoki from Japan.  Corona Borealis is a small constellation in the Northern Celestial Hemisphere. The constellation has only four stars brighter than magnitude 3 and form a semicircular arc . It was first cataloged by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Its Latin name for the constellation is “the northern crown” inspired by its shape, In classical mythology Corona Borealis generally represented the crown given by the god Dionysus to the Cretan princess Ariadne and set by her in the heavens.  Corona Borealis, the crown constellation, looks very different depending on where it is observed. When seen from Japan, it shines around the zenith in a “u” shape, when observed from Indonesia/Bali, the constellation appears in the North in a “n” shape, and for people in Bali, Indonesia, this constellation is known as a dented, upside-down cooking pot. It is said the Indonesian description originates from the actions of a careless and greedy couple…   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

As 2023 is the International Year of Millets, Emma the Space Gardener explores just exactly what millets are, whether we'll ever see them growing in space, and why the International Atomic Energy Authority and the FAO just sent millet seeds into space.   Support the show via Patreon and get early access to episodes, sneak peeks behind the scenes and exclusive bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/gardenersofthegalaxy.

Hosted by Avivah Yamani. This is a story from Mongolia about The Golden Picket Star and the Seven God Stars (Polaris and the Big Dipper, the Mongolian names are Altangadas and Doloon Burkhan). This story is part of the Stars of Asia Project during the International Year of Astronomy in 2009.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

The United Nations has declared 2023 the International Year of Millets. The highly resilient and cost-friendly grains could be the next crop for U.S. farmers in the midst of climate change.

The United Nations has declared 2023 the International Year of Millets — a type of small grain mostly grown in parts of Asia and Africa. The highly resilient and cost-friendly grains could make them the next crop for U.S. farmers in the midst of climate change.

Millets may be relatively little known in the Global North currently, but the small, nutrient dense and drought-resistant grains (well, technically seeds), could be poised to become the next quinoa with the power to turbo-charge sales of CPGs featuring them, thanks to the Food and Agriculture Organization and UN declaring 2023 the International Year of Millets.

Millets may be relatively little known in the Global North currently, but the small, nutrient dense and drought-resistant grains (well, technically seeds), could be poised to become the next quinoa with the power to turbo-charge sales of CPGs featuring them, thanks to the Food and Agriculture Organization and UN declaring 2023 the International Year of Millets.

Travelling the world participating in internships and workshops is the cornerstone of Sofia Villamarin's glass experience. Her unique personal works in stained glass utilize three-dimensionality, fragmented imagery and her stunning painting abilities to express stories and reflections of self as well as her unique perspective on life. Of Argentinian and Italian nationality, Villamarin was born in 1979 and lived in Argentina until she was 28 years old. In 2003, she graduated with a degree in Visual Communication Design, but the following year began her education in stained glass art. Awarded a scholarship to study glass painting, in 2008 Villamarin travelled to the studio of Italian artist Sante Pizzol in Milan, Italy. She also attended Vetroricerca Glas & Modern in Bolzano, Italy, garnering a more comprehensive education in glass.  Villamarin established and ran her own studio in Argentina from 2011 to 2015. The following year she went to work for The Cathedral Studios, the stained glass studio at Canterbury Cathedral, UK, followed by a stint at Barley Studio in York. Currently living in Munich, Germany, and working for Mayer'sche Hofkunstanstalt” GmbH, Villamarin focuses on portraiture painting on stained glass windows. With a unique and international perspective on stained glass, Villamarin has been recognized by The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning New York, in its publication of cutting-edge glass, New Glass Review 33. She is also the recipient of last year's Coburg Prize for Contemporary Glass for her work My Fragments, accompanied by an exhibition at Veste Coburg and at the European Museum of Modern Glass, Rödental, Germany. Focusing on new trends in glass art, the works of 90 international artists were on display at these venues in 2022. The highly topical objects and variety of production techniques made this show a fascinating event in the International Year of Glass.  A 2016 recipient of the Stevens Glass Artist of the Year award, Villamarin was honored, along with other students and emerging architectural glass artists, at a ceremony at Glaziers' Hall. From a record number of high-quality entries from the UK and other international entrants, Villamarin was presented with the opportunity to design a window commemorating the lost crew of the iconic Titanic for St Mary's Church, Southampton.  With uniquely personal works such as her painted self-portraits Time Without Time I and II; Resilience – made with glass, enamels and rope; or the many works that break free of the single flat plane of stained glass as seen in Free, Villamarin has left her mark on the world of modern stained glass. Having participated in the American Congress' Women in Glass conference, the artist lends her voice to the independent work she designs and fabricates as well as to the work she paints for Mayer'sche Hofkunstanstalt” GmbH.  

Today, Sue Becker continues our journey in exploring the goodness of whole grains, by introducing one of her favorite little grains – Millet. Contrary to popular belief, Millet is not just a birdseed. Millet is far too nutritious and delicious to just be given to the birds, and in this episode, Sue confirms this for us, as she also reveals that the Farmer's Almanac has officially declared 2023 to be the International Year of Millet. Links shared in this episode are: Going with the Grains - Millet: https://www.breadbeckers.com/blog/going-with-the-grains-millet/ Millet Mac-n-Cheese: https://www.breadbeckers.com/blog/millet-mac-and-cheese/ Ancient Grains for Modern Meals, by Maria Speck: https://www.breadbeckers.com/store/pc/Ancient-Grains-for-Modern-Meals-by-Maria-Speck-Hardcopy-44p3157.htm For more information, visit our website at breadbeckers.com. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to this podcast, if you haven't already. *DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this podcast or on our website should be construed as medical advice. Consult your health care provider for your individual nutritional and medical needs. The information presented is based on our research and is strictly that of the author and not necessarily those of any professional group or other individuals.

On this special episode today, I am being interviewed by Braden Ricketts to discuss the unexpected loss of my wife Karen. After a long battle with a sore on her back, Karen passed away on November 12, 2022. I wanted to put out an episode dedicated to her memory and all the adventures we had in life together.   As I navigate life without Karen by my side, I am grateful to get to look back on all the lessons we learned from each other and all the amazing accomplishments she had in her life. Karen truly embodied the Unstoppable Mindset, and I am going to continue moving forward with her in my thoughts.   Many of you came to know Karen through our book “Thunder Dog” and saw just how important she was to me. Karen wanted a small celebration of life, but for those of you who would like to pay your respects, I will be holding a zoom call on January 28th, 2023 at 11 am (PST).   I share with Braden how Karen and I first met and fell in love, how I am processing the grief of her loss and the fear that comes along with it, and my final words to Karen. I appreciate Braden being there to support me through this conversation.   Zoom link for Karen's service: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4158274084?pwd=SHFuSDFaamZtdjZVbEZBNEtjWUk3QT09       About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson  01:20 Well, hi there welcome once again to unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet and today we are absolutely dealing with unexpected. I'm your host, Mike Hingson. But I'm not doing the interview today. I get to be interviewed, and you'll find out why all that is in just a moment. Our guest interviewer is Braden Ricketts, who is part of the team that helps me in the back deal with podcast editing, and so on. He doesn't mostly do ours, but he's involved with what we do. And I even got him to commit once. And he still hasn't done it yet. But I got him to commit to letting me do a podcast interview with him. So we'll get to that. But today we have something special and a little bit more unexpected and unusual to talk about. So Braden, I'm going to turn this over to you. And thank you for being here. And welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Braden Ricketts  02:11 Michael, it's an absolute honor for me to be here for very many reasons today, especially your legend on the back end at amplify you. We talked about you all the time, you're such a force to be reckoned with. And I'm honored to be on your show with you today.   Michael Hingson  02:27 Well, it's an honor to have you here being a part of this too.   Braden Ricketts  02:31 Thank you. And speaking of honor, today, we're going to talk about a very special person whose life has come to an abrupt end. And we want to spend some time today to revisit your wife, Karen, and what she meant to you and your world and how you were processing her loss.   Michael Hingson  02:50 Well, thank you. Yeah, we lost her on November 12 of 2022. And in a way it was expected to some degree and wasn't really totally expected. She contracted a wound on her backside in July of 2022 that went all the way to the bone and she ended up being in the hospital for a month and came back very much weaker. She also had rheumatoid arthritis, which she's had for several years and she took medications for it. They were infused every month and the doctors, the physicians felt that she could not take the infusions while she had this wound, as I said that went to the bone because the infusions would further lower her immune system's ability to fight infection. And the wound that she had got infected to the bone. So they didn't want her to have any of the infusions, which caused her a lot of pain. And I think other things were going on with her in general. And so from the time she got home in late August until November, she just kept getting weaker, and she wasn't eating much. And we were all concerned and we were afraid of what was going on. And she was too. She wasn't a lot of pain, but then on November 12, that finally kind of all caught up to her and came to a head and at 1125 I remember the time well, in the morning. She she passed so it is what we have to deal with. And unfortunately, I was there with her her sister was there, our niece was there. And three other people were there. Her two caregivers Josie and Dolores were there in Jeanette, who is our housekeeper who comes in once a week. Karen and I between us don't vacuum as well as one would like. So we cheat we get somebody else to do it and Jeanette wanted to be there as well. So we all were there when we got to say goodbye to Karen which we're very grateful about and you know as I can only say the Spirit just moves faster than the body and that's what happened.   Braden Ricketts  04:58 Yeah, and not often do people have the opportunity to really say those goodbyes. So what a benefit to at least know and have the opportunity to bring people together around the unfortunate events? Well,   Michael Hingson  05:10 it was very fortunate to be able to do that. And I'm glad they were all there, they wanted to be there. And we, we had the opportunity. And for me, Karen still here. A lot of people say that about loved ones, and so on. But it's different, we would have been married 40 years on November 27. So we missed 40 years by 15 days. So as far as I'm concerned, Karen will always be here in one way or another. And I started a few times after she passed by ape saying, you know, well, we have to move on. And I realized wrong thing to say we don't move on, we move forward. But I don't want to move on, which I think almost implies, eventually just leaving her behind. And we're not going to do that we'll move forward. And she is where she is. But she will always be with me and will always be part of my memory and the memory of all of the people in our families. And you know, the other thing that that happened for me, the day after she passed, I put a note up on Facebook, just telling people about it, because I knew a lot of people who had known Karen or knew about her. And a number of people who read the Facebook post, had never met Karen, but they read our book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man and his guide dog and the triumph of trust, which was our New York Times bestseller book. And they wrote to me on Facebook, and they said, we never met Karen, but we've really got to know her in Thunder dog. And so one of the things that we're going to do is hold a zoom session on the 28th of January at 11am. Pacific time for anyone who wants to come and listen or participate. Our pastor from our church in San Marcos, California, where we lived in the early 90s is going to be there and David McKinney, my web guy who's also a pastor in San Francisco is going to be there. And anyone who wants to come is welcome to come and participate however they'd like. And the reason we're doing that, in part is that Karen did not want a large service. Her mother died in 2021, we had a good service of the large service, but it was just too sad for Karen. And so she said If anytime she passed, she didn't want a large surplus. So this past Saturday, we held a small family service for her just close members of the family and so on. And we did it at the church where her mom is buried. And we actually put Karen's ashes in with her mom. So the two of them are together because they were extremely close. And we would want to honor that. And so we did.   Braden Ricketts  07:45 I love that. I love the sentiment of moving forward not moving on. It's about developing a new relationship with that individual in a different form.   Michael Hingson  07:54 That's a good point. And you're absolutely right. That's exactly what it is.   Braden Ricketts  07:57 Yeah. Michael, I also didn't get to know Karen very well, would you like sharing a little bit about who she was in your words.   Michael Hingson  08:04 So Karen was born in 1949, and was a paraplegic from birth. So she always used a wheelchair. I think she actually got her first chair at the age of five that that she started to grow up in, but she was always in a chair. And her parents were very much the same as mine, in that they took the position that it didn't matter, that we were different. What mattered was what we learned to do, and what we decided to do with our own lives. And they gave her the opportunity and challenged her to take the opportunity to do whatever she wanted to do. So she went to regular school, there were physical challenges, because a lot of times there were steps and other things. And so she had helped with that. She took like I did, although I only had it for one year, but she was in a special PE class. And they didn't do anything in the special PE class. She played cards with another person who she developed a very close friendship with in high school. And Maria and Karen were friends for their well, for Marie's entire life she passed in I think it was early 2021 I think that Yeah, cuz COVID was was with us. So. And then, of course, Karen passed at the end of 2022. So they're probably up there laughing at us anyway, but playing cards, you got playing playing cards. Yeah, absolutely. But Karen went college at University of California, Riverside, and, again, found physical barriers to getting around and so she started to work, to get Riverside to deal with it and actually became part of the committee dealing with the International Year of the disabled that the United Nations in part sponsored but at Riverside and so on, she became very involved in that and brought about us significant amount of change. She was also very active in Campus Crusade for Christ and then the United Methodist Church. And we got married at the United Methodist Church, Irvine University Methodist Church in 1972. But she was very active in church. And when I met her in 1982, she had been a teacher for 10 years, and decided to move on to doing something else. She did have her master's degree in sociology and taught from that, and, again, helped to break down barriers, but she decided to do something else. And so along the way, she decided to do the work of being a travel agent, which was a part time thing and then became a full time thing for her. And so when I met her, she worked at a travel agency in San Juan Capistrano, California. And within that agency, she started her own small agency dealing with travel for persons with disabilities, the name of the agency was anyone can travel. And I met her through someone who knew her who was out surveying some possible places for a convention for the Society for the advancement travel of the handicapped sath. And so they introduced me to Karen and we kind of hit it off in January, although we didn't really have a whole lot to do with each other for a few months, because I was dating someone and she was dating someone, and neither of those relationships lasted overly long. And then in May of 1982, Karen, I knew was was agenting. And I was working for first well Computer Products, which was the company that Ray Kurzweil began to develop the reading machine for the blind. It was being purchased by Xerox. So I was based out here in California and needed to go see some customers in Hawaii, what a tough job to do. And I decided I take my parents because they had never been, and I called Karen to do the ticket booking. And she did. Then she brought the tickets down. And we chatted for a while. What I didn't know at the time was she was hoping that I'd asked her to go to lunch and being shy, I didn't. But we I walked her out to her car and helped her get in and and put the chair in. I just leaned over and give her a big kiss before she left. And then the neck was that Wednesday, I was going up to the airport to meet my parents. We were staying at a hotel overnight, leaving early the next day. She said I'm gonna come and get you what she did. And she came down got me, we went up and she met my parents. And the next day we went to Hawaii. And I started calling her twice a day from Hawaii, which is kind of where everything really clicked. And then I came back. And the day I came back from Hawaii, she was leaving for some training on some computer systems for TWA, which was around at that time in Kansas City. So we didn't get to see each other from the time I left for Hawaii until four days after she got back or rather until four days after I got back. And then she finally returned. And we just clicked. And so in mid July of 1982, I asked her to marry me. And we we chose a ring. And one of the neat stories I could tell about the ring is that when the jeweler called and said it was ready as we had it made, of course, I went up and got it and brought it down not without telling her. But I had called her boss lady named Joe. And I told Joe I was going to come and give Karen her ring. Joe will do anything for a party. So she immediately got champagne in the office didn't tell Karen but other people found out what was going on, which was great. So I show up around three in the afternoon. And it was a Friday, I think. And Karen was on the phone and I was sitting in front of her desk and just waiting. And finally she kept talking to this client. And I just finally said hey, give me your left hand a second I got up on a hold your hand and so she stuck her left hand out and I put a ring on it. I put a ring on her finger and immediately said, I have to hang up. My fiance just put my engagement ring on my finger. He proposed Oh, I have to go. And she did. And then the next few months went by and we got married. As I said on November 27 1982. She was a an always has been a fun person. And I think in a lot of ways very seriously. She was smarter than I was she she didn't know we show it but she had a great sense of humor and when something popped out That was funny. It really popped out. And she also was very perceptive. And so the two of us, I think really worked well together for 40 years.   Braden Ricketts  14:58 40 years. My goodness What were some of the lessons you learned from 40 years of marriage McCarran   Michael Hingson  15:04 that people can get along, we can fight we did have some sometimes they were pretty serious fights. I remember when I'm working for one company in the early 90s. In 1996, early in 1996, we had talked about relocating to Washington, DC area, the company wanted to open an office there. And so the President said, We want you to move there. And then one day, and we were both excited about that. And one day, he comes into the office, I changed my mind, I want you to open an office in New York, Karen absolutely didn't want to go to New York, she didn't want to do anything there, DC was a lot more fun, I think, and a lot more interesting to her. But it was either take that job or a sales territory in a place like New Mexico, because he said, I already have somebody who will take your place out here working at the company, we will need you back there. So we had to do it. Karen didn't want to do it. But I went back, we rented an apartment. And we had some pretty heavy conversations on the phone. But we worked through it. Because there wasn't another viable job. And one of the things that I and anyone who happens to be fortunate enough to have a job, who happens to also have be a person with a disability knows, the unemployment rate is really high. For us. It's between 60 and 70%, of all employable. My case, blind people are unemployed, because people think we can't work not that we really can't work. And so the result of that was that I didn't want to go into a job search. So we worked through it. And if you communicate, if you keep talking, if you work together and are willing to work together, you can get through stuff. And we did move to New Jersey, we both agreed we didn't want to stay there forever. We didn't know when we would move back to California. But Karen was a native, she would let me call myself a native because I was born in Chicago and moved to California when I was five. So I could never be a native. But she but she always wanted to get back to California. And she said I'll do it if we're going to come back someday. And I said, Hey, I am absolutely in, in sync with that. Then these two teams of terrorists, hijacked a couple of airplanes and flew them into the towers of the World Trade Center. And that led to all the circumstances that did get us the opportunity to move back to California, which we did. And when we moved to New Jersey, we built a home because we wanted it to be wheelchair accessible. And the other issue there was it had to be a two story home because the development where we found property to build I had only two story homes. So we put an elevator in that was a fun thing. This there were some challenges with the engineers in Westfield, New Jersey, where we lived that they tried to make it difficult for us to do it. But we got the elevator ran and we got them to sign off on it. When we move back to California, we found a place to live up near Guide Dogs for the Blind in guide dogs and center fell. We bought a home in Novato. There's no property to build a home, so we had to buy one and modify it. And we always said that if we could build a home, we wanted to do it. Because if you build a home from scratch, it's cheaper than if you buy a home and modify it because if you buy a home, you're gonna tear things out, put things in big changes and cost over $100,000 to do. But we did and loved the area up there. And then for a variety of things, we moved down here to Southern California in 2014, where again, we build a home. And we made it a home. The home was built in 2016. And we moved in on December 17th 2016. And we love it because first of all, it's a brand new home with all the latest codes, the heating and air conditioning bills are a lot less than they might otherwise be. We do have solar. And it was comfortable for Karen. And it was comfortable for me. So one of the things I plan on doing is staying right here. Why would I want to move it's too stressful to move and we've got a good interest rate. And I'm hoping people will continue to hire to hire me to speak. I also work for accessibe, which is a company that makes products that help make internet websites more accessible and inclusive for persons with disabilities. So that is actually how this podcast unstoppable mindset began because they wanted us to do a podcast podcast that would tell the world that we're we're all capable, we're all unstoppable. And so we inspire people. Sometimes we talk about accessibe and the products and the company and we just talked about disabilities, but mostly it's all about inspiration. So between accessibe and continuing to speak, I intend to keep busy and keep moving forward.   Braden Ricketts  19:58 Absolutely. And You should. But it sounds like you and Karen had a life full of adventure together and a wonderful time.   Michael Hingson  20:09 Well, I think so I've always regarded life as an adventure, I think probably as have been a little bit more of a risk taker than she wanted to be at times. But we we did travel to various places, we were on a number of cruises, which was fun. We went with Karen's parents to a couple of timeshares in Spain during the World Expo back in 1992. And had a wonderful time for a couple of weeks over there. And mostly, I think the the important thing, and it goes back to the question you asked before is, we made sure we always enjoyed each other's company. And I wouldn't change the last 40 years for anything. I hope along the way I learned stuff, and then that she learned things as well. And we continue to be very close, we communicated. And over the past few months of her life, I know there were times that she said she was scared about what was happening. And I and her caregivers, Josie and Dolores worked with her and Courtney before them worked with her. And we just tried to keep things as pleasant as we could and as peaceful as we could. So I think eventually, Karen knew that this was what she needed to do was to move on and she did well on to, to go do something else, then whatever it is she's doing, I'm hoping that she's enjoying it. And I get to join her sometime in the future or or see the results of what she does somehow.   Braden Ricketts  21:36 Yeah. Now, Michael, you've been processing this loss for, you know, in anticipation leading up to to the day, but also a few months since then. How have you been addressing the fear and loss? And what are your plans for moving forward?   Michael Hingson  21:55 Thanks for asking that, for a lot of reasons. Because one of the things that I realized, as the pandemic began is that I had talked a lot in the speeches that I've given about my experiences in the World Trade Center, and why wasn't afraid. But I've never taught people how to deal with that. I've never taught people how they can learn to control their own fears and use fear as a positive force to move forward. And so now I have to practice what I preach, right. And I've had to do that before. But now I have to do it again. And you're right, there is fear, there is the fact that I've had a little bit of time to adjust, or I had time before she passed. And I was doing a lot of the cooking and a lot of the other things around the house that she wasn't able to do, although I kept hoping she would get better and be able to take over those things. But I also realized that if the worst or what we didn't want to happen, actually did happen, I would have to continue to function and move forward. As a blind person who has been blind his entire life. I've learned that there are lots of ways of getting jobs accomplished, and I need to keep my wits about me. Even though I'm going to have some fear and some frustrations along the way, I need to keep thinking about how to deal with different tasks. Unfortunately, now we do have a lot more technology than we used to that helps. The process, for example, is a company that I helped bring the products to market from called IRA, a IRA, an IRA is a company that makes what's called a visual interpreter. What it essentially translates to is a product that includes an app that will go on a smartphone. And you can activate the app that calls an IRA agent. Now the agents are not just people who say I want a job and pay me for it, but they are people who have demonstrated the ability to describe to be accurate in their descriptions and to to understand what any of us who happen to be blind need when we ask a question like if I want a label read, I can tell them what I want. Or if I do it enough times, they people take notes in my profile so they know what to read and what I'm not interested in. Or if I'm traveling somewhere and need to get directions how to get from Virgil's barbecue, for example, in New York City, to the United Nations, what the easiest ways to do it are and literally what they do is they use the camera on the on the smartphone. Or they can even use GPS information that's transmitted by the phone through the app. And they can give me whatever information I need to have. They describe they don't editorialize, they don't tell me how to do things. They describe or give me the information I asked for. So when I was assembling something a few years ago, they read the instructions, they don't try to tell me things that you wouldn't want somebody to tell you. Now you got a blade screwdriver and a Phillips screwdriver, do you know the difference, and that's not the thing you want to tell me, if you want to describe it, you want to tell me the instructions say that you need to use the blade screwdriver to tighten the screws or you need to use this particular pipe, we're building a laundry cart and everything was color coded. So they tell me the specific information that I visually would not have access to? Well, as I said, we brought that to market. And I use Ira all the time now, whether it is to read labels, whether it's to get other information, sometimes off of a TV screen, whether it's to read material that my the computer won't scan, or read very well, or whatever it happens to be. They, they literally can provide any visual information I need that didn't exist seven years ago. But it exists today. And so that's something that certainly helps. And there are other kinds of technologies, there's much better optical character recognition than with the original Kurzweil Reading Machine. And so I given you a long explanation. But it's, it's to say, knowing all of that, and knowing how to use the tools that I have, and knowing that I can be creative when I need to and maybe use tools in a different way, then people are possibly not used to ultimately I can continue to move forward and do whatever it is that I want to do. Does that mean I Miss Karen less? No, it doesn't. But it does mean that I can continue to live, which she would want me to do. I can continue to go to the airport, get on airplanes, and go do speeches, which I do. And continue to talk about the lessons we should learn from September 11. And now start to talk about how you could learn to control your fear. And I can speak to that more poignantly now than ever, because it's something that I have to do every day, it was weird. Going to sleep the first night of the Karen wasn't here. Even when she went into the hospital, although I knew she would probably be coming back. And she did. But it was weird going to sleep and there was only me in the house. And then when she did pass, again, it was a strange feeling. And I'm not sure that I'm still used to it. But I'm comfortable enough to recognize that, again, what I need to do is to move forward and not be afraid, or use the fear that I do have to help me be motivated to move on and do whatever I need to do, including doing this interview.   Braden Ricketts  27:56 You know, you are absolutely embodying the unstoppable mindset that you have brought to the world through your podcast and your stories. Because this is something that happens to a lot of people. But it's also seen as you know, the reason people give up or the reason that people struggle with a loss. And what I'm hearing from you, Michael, is that you're taking this opportunity as a new adventure, you're going to try to do things in different ways or learn how to do things more on your own that you may not have done before. Right. And that can be scary for a lot of people. But in your explanation, I hear that there's a little bit of, you know, excitement for what you're going to learn and what you're going to develop what you're going to try and what's going to be new in your experiences going forward.   Michael Hingson  28:42 And it is scary. There's no doubt about it. And it's scary for me. But I'm not going to let the scariness blind me or paralyze me to being able to do whatever needs to be done. My job is to continue to do the things that I've chosen to do. And I think life is all about choices. And choosing not to let fear stop me is part of that process. So it is important to be able to, to work through whatever comes along. I expect even if I live another 100 years, it will be scary doing stuff that I used to do with Karen. And I'm perfectly okay with that. Since I also know I'll be able to do it and work through it. And your life is an adventure and I really look forward to seeing what we're going to see over the next 10 and 20 and 30 years, I think that a lot of things are going to happen. If we would allow ourselves to work together work as a community and stop just deciding that it's just us for ourselves and no one else and if we would just choose to work together and find ways to interact and help each other, that I think we're going to have a much more powerful world. But it's all about an adventure life has been an adventure, from the first time anybody had any conscious thought. And I think that is going to continue. And that's what makes life so much fun. No matter what happens and what gets thrown at us, God, I really do believe doesn't give us anything that we can handle. But having lost Karen, I can see where people can give up. And I can see where that's probably really easy to do. Fortunately, I've made the choice that I won't let that be the way I live my life. And I think that as emotional as it is to have lost Karen after 40 years together. Now, I know that she would want me to continue to treat everything we do as an adventurer, and find ways to do things. I want to take another cruise sometime. I'm not sure how that's going to work because it won't be with her. Physically speaking. I'm not sure that I'm one of those people that would just go on a cruise by myself. I know people who've done it. I don't know, I might, time will tell. That's a question yet to answer. But I'd like to take another cruise or two and do some other traveling outside of business. Excessive B is in Israel, I haven't been there yet. I'm looking forward to doing that and hope that we get to do that soon. And again, that will be an adventure in so many different ways. So it is all about adventure. It is all about working through things as we go. And it's also about recognizing that we're only stoppable if we allow ourselves to be or we are as unstoppable as we want to be.   Braden Ricketts  31:44 Absolutely. Did Karen have some inspiration in your unstoppable mindset? Is there a phrase that she like to use that you're hearing in the back of your mind as you continue on?   Michael Hingson  31:58 I think is absolutely that she and I worked out unstoppable mindset as a title together. And I wanted to try to come up with something a little bit different. And she may have actually been the first one to say why don't you use unstoppable it's I think it's starting to be overused. But it wasn't when we started this whole concept. Excessive he had done a commercial an advertisement last year about the product. And they had people in that a number of people who had happened to have disabilities. And they use the term. But I, I thought about unstoppable and I went to myself and Karen also said, It's really what this is all about. And so you should use it. So it is one of the things that I remember that we talked about one of my favorite times with Karen, in terms of something where she taught me something or else I said I think sometimes she's smarter than I, I was looking for a job in 1989. And I mentioned that I went to work for a company. That's the company that sent me eventually to New York, when I was applying for jobs. And we found this one in the newspaper. I said to Karen, do I say in my cover letter, I'm blind or not? And she said You're a dummy. Only wives can do that. And I said, Well, why do you say that? And she said, You've been a sales manager. Now for a long time, you've hired people and worked with a number of people. You took a Dale Carnegie sales course when you first started in sales, what's the most important thing that you tell every salesperson that you hire? And I wasn't really quite whether I was thinking of a number of things. And I finally said I'd skip up which one and she said, you've always told me that the most important thing you've ever told your people is turn perceived liabilities into assets. And that's absolutely true. What's blindness if not a perceived liability? It's not a liability. People think it is. But you know, something is too expensive. That's a perceived liability if you can make the case for why it is what it is. Well, she said that and I went off and I wrote a cover letter about my desire to work for this company. And the last two paragraphs of the cover letter kind of went something like this. The most important thing that you need to know about me when you're considering me for this job is that I happen to be blind. And I choose by the way, the words happened to be blind because it's just a characteristic like being left handed or male or female or anything else. I want to include politicians in that in that whole characteristic thing because they made that choice which lowers their level, but we won't go there. It's fun to pick on politicians. Anyway, the most important thing that you need to know is that I happen to be blind as a blind person. I've had to sell all of my life just to be able to survive and function. I've had to sell to convince somebody to let Have you buy a house, I've had to sell to convince somebody to let me rent an apartment or take my guide dog into stores. Because this was before the Americans with Disabilities Act, and there was real legislation about all that. I've had to sell to do most anything that I wanted to accomplish. So when you're considering me for this job, and you're looking at other people, think about do you want to hire somebody who just comes in to the office and works for eight or 10 hours a day and then goes home? Because the job is over? Or do you want to hire somebody who truly understands sales for the science and art that it is and sells 24 hours a day as a way of life? Earn, perceive liabilities into assets. And the result of that was? Yeah, and the result was it two weeks later, I got a call from the company and they said, We're having you come in simply because of that letter, and we want to meet you. And we want to talk to you about working for us while I went down and the rest kind of his history. But she was absolutely right. And I didn't catch it. I was too much in the habit of always worrying about do I say I'm blind or I'm not. And she, she was smart enough to recognize what really needed to be done, which is something that she did so often. And I will miss that. But I will also remember all the things that she did do. So hopefully I will work at being better.   Braden Ricketts  36:22 Yeah, that love and support, it just points out some of those pieces that we overlook. Can you tell me a little bit more about what her love and support meant for you?   Michael Hingson  36:32 Really, I can only say I meant everything. We really did not only depend on each other physically, because she could do things I couldn't like she could read and I did think she couldn't like push the wheelchair. So she reads I push. But just we learned each other totally. And we learned what we needed to do at any given time to support each other. There were very, very few times where both of us were down or very unhappy at the same time. I remember once when I got the job working for the company I just talked about. We were moving from Mission Viejo, California to current well to the area of Carlsbad, California, Vista, California, which is down near San Diego about 4550 miles south of where we lived in Mission Viejo. And we decided to find property and build a house. But we didn't want to continue to drive all the way down every morning for me to go to work and then Karen to come back up and go to work. So we decided that we would rent an apartment. And we found an apartment to rent it was actually in a new facility that was going up. And we put our home in Mission Viejo on the market. And the realtor that we first use was doing some pretty shifty sorts of things. And he was letting people come in on their own without being present in looking at the house and giving them keys and other things that we didn't like we caught them out at one day when we were about to move. And we went down to move into the apartment only to find out that they didn't have the certificate of occupancy yet. So we couldn't move in. That was probably one of our saddest days together. Because we were looking forward to being able to move down. And I don't I think we went I don't remember whether we went back home, or what we did, because we had packed most everything up. And physically, we couldn't just go sleep on the floor. But we worked through it. But it was a very sad time. And we've had a couple of those sad times. And of course, I mentioned earlier about me making the decision that we needed to move to New York and then having to work to bring Karen along. And that was was pretty sad. But again, she recognize the value of it. And when she made some decisions at times I recognize the value of it. A her love meant everything to me and I would do anything that she needed me to do. She has been a quilter since 1994. And over the last few years, she needed to replace some sewing machines and some new ones came on the market. And I said you need it. Go get it. She said well, we don't necessarily have a lot of money. I said, but do you need it? Is it going to make your job and your life easier? And she said, yeah, it will I thought about that a lot. They said there's no question, go do it. I wouldn't do anything like that for her. And I wouldn't hesitate at all because I would do whatever she needed. And I knew that she would do the same sort of thing for me. We knew each other that well that we had that deep level of trust that we needed to have. And we never were suspicious of each other. We didn't mislead each other. We didn't lie to each other, which was important.   Braden Ricketts  39:54 You know, I feel called to ask you to use those same words. is on yourself as you go forward. And remember that, you know, she would do anything for you and you should do everything for yourself that she would.   Michael Hingson  40:09 I agree. And I'm doing that at the same time well, so I, for several years went since we moved in, we we have a TV in our living room and we have a Sonos soundbar. And I've always wanted to get a subwoofer because I like bass, not loud, but I still like bass helping to fill the room. And I never wanted to spend the money to get it. And it was only after she passed that I had a bright idea. The credit card I use for business accumulates rewards. And so I called the company that deals with all that, and it turns out, they sold the Sonos subwoofer that I wanted to buy. So I got it for free. Now I have the subwoofer unfortunately carries out here to hear it. And, you know, she said, Do you really need it? And I said, Well, it would be nice. Do I need it? No. Now, my only justification is it didn't cost anything. So I did it. And she would have approved with that. But you're right, I need to do what I need to do to move forward as well. And I will always think, Karen, is this the right decision to make? And I think that's important to do. To really think about any decision that we make, especially major life decision, several people have asked me already Well, are you going to move? Are you going to stay where you are? And one person is even advised that we should sell the wheelchair accessible van that Karen drove? And the answer to moving is absolutely not. Why would I want to the house is probably bigger than I need? Well, it is bigger than I need because two of us lived in it. But at the same time, it's a very comfortable house, the interest rate is great. And I would never find another place that will be as comfortable as this. More important, I'll never find a place that I can move into that would be as comfortable and as inexpensive as this. And even as far as selling the van will explore it. But I'm not deeply in a hurry to sell it. Because if I do, I still want to have access to a vehicle I'll need to own something because as I need to move around, whether it's the people who worked for Karen, as they're her caregivers who now work for me in the business, or other people, I don't want them to have to use their car and they're more reluctant to use their car, if I have a vehicle available. And I learned that in college. So whether it's the van or something else, I want to have a vehicle around. But I don't need to make any urgent decisions. And I am a firm believer that things will happen as they should I believe that God has given us the ability to make choices. And it's given us the ability to hear what the right decision is we just need to learn to listen to that voice and make the right decisions. And then when we do that, things will work out fine.   Braden Ricketts  43:04 Those are beautiful words, they certainly seem to be having a role and an impact in the way you're handling the loss. It's It is remarkable. I know you've been processing for a while but you you seem to be really at ease. With with where things are at. Do you have advice that you would like to share with others on that, in that regard?   Michael Hingson  43:26 I think it's important that people really do think about how to prepare for unexpected life changes. And that's what we'll be talking about an A guy dice Guide to Being brave. One of the things that I learned in college was to step back and think about each day. At the end of the day, how did it go? What went well, what didn't go well? And even with what went well? Could it have gone better? Or the things that didn't go? Well? What do we do so that that won't happen? Again, it took me a long time to get out of the habit of saying I made a mistake, I screwed up and that's all there is to it to saying okay, that didn't work like it should I could even call it a mistake. But the ultimate question is, what do I learn to move on? And not do that same thing again? Or to move forward and not do that same thing again? Or how would I handle the situation the next time it comes up? And a lot of times that happens? Something will happen again, and the question is have I learned to the point where when it does, I went oh, I would go oh, wait a minute. I know what I did wrong on that or I know what I should have done better. And I can make that become part of my life which helps a lot to alleviate the fear. So that's one thing is to be introspective at the end of the day and then be mindful and allow yourself to recognize that there are things that maybe you didn't do as well as you should. I like the concept that failure isn't really failure, it's just a lesson that'll move you to more success and move you to do something better the next time, a mistake is only something that didn't work out quite as well as you want, and you can move forward from it. It's not a mistake, if you did what you felt was the right thing. And it turned out not to be the right thing. If you learn from it. It's absolutely a mistake if you just continue to do the same thing. And you don't learn from the things that that happen in your life. I love Einstein's definition of insanity, which is always do the same thing and expect something different to happen, that doesn't work that way. So we can learn how to change. For me, the first time I think I really use that well was I was the Program Director of our radio station, and K UCI in Irvine. And I heard a lot of DJs on the air. And a lot of them didn't sound as well as they could have I didn't think. And so I came up with this bright idea. I want you all to listen to yourselves, we're going to I want you to make a recording of the times that you talk on the air, and then take it listen to it. And then you can imagine that people just rebelled it that people say we're our own worst critics. And that's really the wrong thing to say we're not our own worst critics, we are our own best evaluators. Because we know all the things that go into a decision that we make. So for me, when I made that suggestion to people, and they resisted, we fixed it. I got our station engineer to put a recorder in a locked cabinet, which we haven't had in all the studios. And whenever the microphone was clicked to on, so they were going to people were going to talk, the recorder would start. And at the end of the week, because we did it once a week, we gave each person here's a term you haven't heard in a while a cassette, with their program on it. We said listen to it. You know what, the people who did it, and we kind of really made everyone do it. I didn't go so far as to embarrass someone in front of other people. But I pushed really hard and got people to listen to it. It was amazing how much better everyone was, by the end of the year, some of the people went on to professional radio. And everyone benefited a lot from it. And I learned that it's all about evaluating yourself. So even today, when I give a speech, I listen to it. When I do a podcast, I go back and listen to the podcast, every time I do an interview one because I want to refresh my mind before making the notes. But two, I want to hear how I sound. And I hope that every time I do that, I improve a little bit so that I sound a little bit better than I did the previous time. I think it's important that we allow ourselves to evaluate ourselves and to grow from that. So it's a lot of fun to do it. I've made some some serious mistakes. Over the years, I did a couple of flubs in radio, that I wouldn't say they were embarrassing, but I've listened to them actually a couple times since and I laugh at them. But I'll never make the same kind of error in judgment. Again, I was gonna say make the same mistake, I suppose you can say it was. But it's all about? Do we learn from life. And my belief is that we have to learn from life. And life may be a great adventure. But it's also a wonderful teacher, if we allow it to be. So for me, I think it's important that we all be very introspective at the end of every day, we need to think about what we did, how did that go? Especially when something happens that makes us afraid. We need to then go back and study. Why are we afraid? What is it that's really fearful? And how do we deal with that? Those are the kinds of things that along the way I learned that helped me not be afraid on September 11. And it really got to the point where I finally said to myself as we were going down the stairs because I was listening for every creaking grown in case the building decided to just suddenly fall. If it's going to fall, it's going to fall. There's nothing I can do about it. I can only do what I can do, and literally went down the stairs with that attitude. So again, I chose not to be afraid I chose to use my concerns to be more observant and to work to help other people and to be positive and upbeat all the way down the stairs. And I think we all can do that. We don't need to let fear blind us as I describe it. We can use it as a very powerful mode. Vader to help guide us and direct us into whatever it is that we need to do. I think that's kind of probably the most important lesson I can give to people.   Braden Ricketts  50:08 Yes, wow. And quite literally in your story, you took control of the one thing you could control, which was one step in front of the other, and got you all the way to safety.   Michael Hingson  50:18 Right. You know, the, the other part about that is you don't worry about the things that you can't control. That happens so much. I mean, we see so much on TV and so much other things in our lives that go on. There's so many things that people want us to worry about. But we have any control over all have it. No, we don't. And so the bottom line is, if we focus on all that stuff, we're going to be scattered. If we worry about what we can control and let the rest of it alone, then we'll be able to move forward in a much more positive way. And we'll be better for it. And so will everyone else. And if the time comes, you know, one of the my favorite examples is the whole political arena right now. Everyone's worried about what's going to happen in our US Congress, and what's going to happen with the country? And what's going to happen with one thing or another? And do we have any control over it? Well, we do when we have elections. And if we really look at all of our politicians, all of our leaders, those who truly are and those who think they are, we can analyze them and see what they're really doing. And not be afraid to make a decision that says I've always been of a particular party, but this guy who's running from my party, isn't going to really benefit us. And so I need to make a different choice and really take the position that our elections are the times that we really do have control. Once they occur, then we are well, we are we are bound by the decisions that are made until the next election. And so we can learn to just control the things that we have control over and then move forward. And anyone who says we don't have any control is just as misguided as the people who think they have to control everything and can't.   Braden Ricketts  52:13 Yeah, we certainly can't control when and how people come in and out of our lives. And I've really heard from you today about honoring and valuing the time you have with people and carrying that value, even in their loss.   Michael Hingson  52:28 I think it's important. And, you know, like I said, Karen will always be in my life. And I hope to get lots of opportunities to talk about her and, and I talked to her. And I will continue to do that. Because it's kind of also my way of thinking about it and figuring out how to solve problems. And I don't have any problem with doing that. As long as I recognize what it really is. I'm thinking and she may be talking back. And I will probably hear some of that as we go forward and probably have already. But it's all about thinking. And it's all about recognizing that we are capable of living meaningful, productive lives. And whether some of us have some sort of disability, whether there were things that go on that we don't have control over. If we don't, then no sense worrying about it, deal with the things that you can influence, and you'll be much stronger and much better for it. And love that you   Braden Ricketts  53:27 still talk to her. Michael, I would like to ask him intimate question. If you don't mind. You said you had the opportunity to say goodbye. I was surrounded by friends and family. If you're willing, did you have words you would share with us that you shared with her in your goodbye?   Michael Hingson  53:45 You know, I was with her for about an hour. And about an hour before she left. She was on life support. She was on medications and actually 1125. They well, before that happened. The doctor came in and was talking with us. And he said she's on full life support. She's not sustaining herself. And so I said if we discontinue the meds, what will happen? And he said she'll probably pass within an hour or two. And I said if we keep the meds going, what will happen? And he said probably a few days, but certainly no more than that. Well, Karen sister also was an intensive care unit nurse and had other positions at the Kaiser hospital system. She worked there basically almost 40 years. And as I said earlier, she was in the room. And so I said, What do you think Vicki? And she says, yeah, absolutely. And so I told the doctor, okay, let's go ahead and discontinue the meds because this isn't helping her or any of us. And before that, I had said, Karen, we're here. We're going to, we're going to support you and whatever you do. It sounds like it's time for you to go well The meds were still being administered, actually her brother called, because I had reached out to try to get him to let him know what was going on. And I think he put it very well. He said, I think she's probably already made the transition. And I said, I agree. But I still said, you know, we're here, you go ahead and go. And we, we bless you, we love you. And I am going to do everything I can to continue to honor you and love you in any way that I can. And I hope that you will always know that. And I think that when 1125 came, and they did discontinue the meds was probably about another 45 or 50 minutes before her last heartbeat took place. But she had left. So it was just the medications kind of going away over time. And then when she left, we all just said goodbye one last time, and there was nothing else that we could do. So we went out and we just talked in the hall a little bit. And then we all went our our separate ways.   Braden Ricketts  56:01 does sound like a beautiful end to a beautiful story together. And one that, as you said will continue.   Michael Hingson  56:08 It will, I believe it was was beautiful. I believe that we're still exploring very beautiful, experiencing very beautiful times with it. I just spent New Years the last three days because, well, not the last few days, but the beginning of the year. Friday the 30th Josie, who now works for me who worked with Karen, her caregiver was there for part of the day. But then Saturday, Sunday and Monday, it was just me my guide, dog Alamo and our cat stitch. And we just all work together in the house. And that that will continue to happen. So at least I have company and they have company and I think that everyone misses Karen. But we all have have recognized that it's now the three of us as a close knit family. And so stitch the cat walks on me at night when I'm in bed. Alamo thinks he's a lap dog and wants to sit in my lap all the time. But he's a great guide dog. And, you know, we are all together and do the things that we need to do as a as a family. And it doesn't matter whether it's a dog of a cat and a person. Or it's more than one person. We're still the family. And that's okay,   Braden Ricketts  57:23 Michael, I am I'm in awe of your big heart and your unstoppable mindset. I am very honored to have been here with you today to hear your stories and learn more about your journey with Karen. Thank you so much for having me and for sharing all of this with us. It's an honor. Thank   Michael Hingson  57:41 you i and thank you. And I really appreciate you being here and being able to talk with us about this. And if people are listening to this, we will put the Zoom link in the podcast notes so that if they want to come and if they knew Karen or just want to come and listen, they're welcome to do that as well. And so we'll we'll have that in there. And I hope that people will go by center dog because they'll learn a lot about Karen from from Thunder dog, it's available wherever books can be found. And that'll be another way that they can also help honor Karen. But I think that they'll they'll learn about a wonderful person, person who's contributed a lot, not necessarily in always the most visible ways on this earth but who in fact, contributed a lot and will continue to do that just by all the things she did in the memory she left us. So I really appreciate you being here, Braden to help with it. And I hope that people will listen to this. And of course, we always ask for a five star rating. And I hope that that will happen. And that the people will recognize that they can be unstoppable too, which is what we really need.   Braden Ricketts  58:57 Beautifully said. Well,   Michael Hingson  58:58 thank you again. And I really appreciate you asking some wonderful questions. And they helped me think and they helped me process which is also important. But most of all, they they give me the opportunity to talk about this. And that's the most important thing that I can do because that will help me live a better life. So thank you   Michael Hingson  59:25 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com. accessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for listening. 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Nature, frequency, vibrations, and sound…  These four things may be mistaken for some sort of “new age” list of buzzwords, but the truth is these four things are actually healing experiences humans have used since the dawn of time.  Some say they are even essential to grounding your life, increasing your well-being, and living an overall more fulfilled life. You may be thinking It sounds too simple to be true and so powerful…at one point in my life, I would have agreed with you.  Welcome back to another episode of Warriors Unmasked! Chuck here, and I invite you to hit play to meet Joshua Sam Miller! Joshua has profound knowledge and personal experiences with the healing powers of nature and sound that I think everyone should hear.  Joshua is a multidisciplinary artist, conservationist, creator of Embodied Sound, podcaster, surfer and scuba diver, and mental health advocate. During our conversation you'll hear Joshua take a deep dive into his journey from growing up in a middle-class American family, playing sports, and enjoying the arts to discovering our disconnected way of living in a modern culture be unfulfilling.  From there, turning his life around to one of focused connection and healing. The best part? He is teaching others along the way how to do the same using his gift of music to do so. This episode is bound to take you from wondering and observing to feeling full of hope, full of happiness and totally encouraged and 100% empowered to take your happiness into your own hands.   More Of What's Inside: Why we need to connect with people  What your purpose is and isn't  Joshua's journey to healing  The benefits of healing through nature  The benefits of healing through music  How traveling can help you gain perspectives  What grounding daily practice looks like  The lies society tells you about expectations  The importance of having self-awareness  And much more!   GUEST LINKS: Joshua Sam Miller - Mindful Sound Explorer Sounds of the Ocean LINKS: malarchuk.com/book  malarchuk.com  www.thecompassionateconnection.com www.warriorsunmasked.com  Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook Subscribe To Our YouTube My Community Contact   Episode Minute By Minute: 0:02 A look into today's episode   0:02 What to expect from today's episode  1:42 Thank you to today's sponsors  3:28 Why this conversation matters so much  4:24 Get to know Joshua Sam Miller 11:27 Connecting with nature to find healing  16:55 Why you need to do something you love  21:22 Joshua's time living abroad  31:48 One meditation app you can download today   35:06 Discover the wonders of the ocean and life underwater  39:20 Don't be so hard on yourself…or others.  47:08 How to help heal society    More About The Guest:  Joshua Sam Miller is a world recording artist, composer, and producer on a mission to connect people to the natural world through sound. Recently, he has advocated for the importance of ocean conservation through Sounds of the Ocean, which blends the arts and sciences to connect with marine life through sound. He is also the creator of Embodied Sounds, a mindful music label, podcast, and recording studio focusing on using sound as a healing, therapeutic modality. For over 10 years, Joshua worked in documentary film production in New York City as a cinematographer and editor of short and feature-length films. After following his intuition to leave home behind, he embarked on a global journey of spiritual awakening and self-discovery to realize that music was his deeper passion. Inspired by the lineages of Nada Yoga, Afro-Cuban rhythm, Indian Raga, Jewish & Sufi mysticism, and Jazz, Joshua committed himself to music as his primary mode of expression in late 2018. Following the discovery of surfing, and a growing awareness of the fragility of life underwater, Joshua felt inspired to devote his artistry to ocean conservation while living in Northern California and Sounds of the Ocean was born. In 2020, the project was accepted as part of the International Year of Sound, was featured by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association in Santa Cruz, CA, and debuted at Burning Man 2019. In 2021, he presented his work at the United Nations Climate Conference COP 26 and was featured on PBS Television, Agape Zoe Festival, World Oceans Day, and as an artist in residence at MONOM Sound Berlin. Joshua has offered over 100 workshops in sound as a therapeutic modality at iconic venues such as UCLA Arts & Healing Festival, San Francisco's Grace Cathedral, and Wisdom, LA. He facilitates wellness sessions for corporations both in-person and virtually via Zoom. He also hosts The Embodied Sounds Podcast, interviewing experts in the field of sound and wellness to discover how to improve our mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Joshua is driven by the passion to raise environmental awareness by curating immersive sound and visual experiences in support of ocean conservation work around the world.