Podcasts about keepin it real

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam realizes that he really had no choice over what he gave up for Lent - it was given to him and he's not happy about it.  ----- Our new puppy continues to rule the house and my life. She was trained by the breeder to urinate on a pee pad which is exactly what it sounds like – an absorbent mat for dogs to urinate on indoors. At our house, that means the carpet. She'll trot off the hardwood floors, pass the open back door to find the Persian rug and squat and look at me with an expression of "look how good I am!" Meanwhile the whole yard in available to her. Making this a bit more challenging is, as I write this, my wife is in Raleigh with her parents, and my twins are in the throes of their senior year of high school which means friends are greater than puppies. That leaves me. I find myself explaining to the puppy why a yard is better than a rug to leave her mark. Her expression is, well, skeptical. As I write this it is my deceased mother's birthday, giving me a solemn feeling and I learned today that I had volunteered to spend the night with my father after his knee surgery helping him dress and get to the bathroom and all that. All this leads me to this – apparently, I gave up happiness for Lent. I don't remember choosing this. I think it was put upon me by the Almighty. And it has started out strong, I must say. I can only hope it's easier from here on out. I mentioned my Lenten happiness sacrifice to a friend and he paused and said, "Yeah, but Cam, is that truly a sacrifice for you? I mean, is that really much of a change?" which stung a bit and made me unhappy. However, considering that I've committed to unhappiness for lent, I thanked him. In order to maintain my commitment, I plan to do the following until Easter: First, I will read the headlines and scroll through social media within five minutes of opening my eyes each morning. This will set the unhappiness expectations for the rest of the day. If something that I've seen or read gives me lift, I'll immediately add flavored creamer to my coffee which will return me to my targeted Lenten disposition. Next, I'll list all my unachievable goals and list everything I've ever wanted to own and don't own. I'll read the lists aloud each day. Third, I'll live in the past and recall my regrets and worry about the future and the bad things that will certainly befall me. That's a good one. Happiness evaporates when you do that. Works every time. Fourth, I'll become an Auburn fan. Fifth, I'll beg my sons to get a haircut. If I run out of ideas and find myself slipping into happiness, there are a few of you I know I can call to get me right. You seem to have mastered unhappiness. Not only are your cups half empty, your cups are full of holes. Normally I avoid you but until Easter, I'll need your help. I'm Cam Marston and I'm just trying to keep it real.

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam wonders what the life span of a titanium knee is and whether his father might need one or two more with the way he's going.  ----- My eighty-nine-year-old father is scheduled to get a knee replacement next week. Let me say that again - he's eighty-nine and getting a new knee and is eager to return to his very active life when the pain subsides. He's done this once before and wants the same results. People stop me nearly every day to ask about my father. They comment on how healthy he is and how he never slows down. This is true, though I can attest to him slowing a little over the past several years. He is eighty-nine, after all. Over Christmas holidays my brothers and I were with him at his property in Clarke County. We were all sawing on an oak tree that we were sectioning for firewood. We've done this nearly every Christmastime for about forty years now – felling the tree, cutting it into pieces and then splitting those pieces and stacking them in a rack near the camp. It will become the wood we'll burn next Christmas, letting it age about a year before burning, and we cut a lot of it every year. Dad has always led the way on the firewood. He finds the tree and leads the way on the cutting. His use of a chainsaw on a tree is the equivalent of Michaelangelo's use of a chisel on a block of marble – his dissection of the tree is a work of art. This past year, though, with four saws all buzzing at the same time, I heard one stop, saw dad put his saw down and step back and rest. "I'm going to let you all have at it," he said over the noise of the saws. Good, I thought. My brothers and I are beyond capable. But it may have been the first time I ever saw him step back. A story lives in the lore of that cabin in the woods. It comes from when I was a pre-teen and I had a friend there with me. Dad started cutting trees for firewood. Our job was to drag branches, do our best to split the logs, and put the split pieces in the trailer then unload and stack the wood in the rack. It was hard work and we were tired. We had gone through three trees and Dad stopped. My friend's face showed relief – finally, he was saying. Enough. We had some water. Maybe a sandwich. Then Dad cranked his saw up again and said, "One more" and marched off towards another oak tree. My friend's face fell and we all heard him say over of the noise of the saw, "Another tree??" That line lives on today when we're cutting wood. Another tree? Yep. Another tree. I don't know of any other eighty-nine-year-olds getting knee replacements. It's remarkable. He's always been able to outwork me. And in a few weeks, he'll be back to blaming his partners for losing at pickleball. He'll be sharpening his chain saw. And he'll be eyeing another tree. I'm Cam Marston, just trying to keep it real. 

Business Mentorship; “The Beauty Standard Revolution”  Keepin' It Real with KC Sullivan   Season 7 Episode #263   "KC Sullivan is the founder of Curating Confidence,   a transformational image consultant, helping individuals rewrite their image confidence through fashion and neuro-emotional insight. With 20 years of experience in the fashion industry and a background in nonprofit and rehabilitation services, she empowers people to embrace their authentic identities, embody confidence, and feel unapologetically themselves."   KC is going to share her story on entrepreneurship and give us a look behind the scenes as a small business owner.  Our guest joins us from Atlanta, Georgia A few of the highlights:  1.  Clothes tied to emotion 2. How you feel is how you show up 3. Clothes and your productivity Read KC Sullivan's story in our guest blog and connect here. KC,  thank you for joining us and sharing the mic, we wish you continued success.  Don't miss an episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real or if your on the move our podcast is found on iTunes, Spotify, IHeart Radio and Amazon Music. We look forward to connecting with you next time for another edition of Keepin' It Real. “Funding for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs” "Together, We Are Making A Difference; One Story At A Time" 

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam Marston admits that from time to time when he's on his knees at church on Sunday he asks himself what in the world he's doing. Has he, maybe, lost his mind. ----- The Mayan god of rain was called Cha ac. When drought hit the jungles of Central America fifteen hundred years ago, Cha ac was called upon to send rain. So, the Mayans, led by their shaman, offered a child – children, actually. The archeologists who studied Bartlett Cave in Belize say they found the bones of eighteen children in one area alone, and there were many areas. None of the children were over four years old. The Mayans would not kill the child. They'd leave the child to die in the cave believing that the child's crying and tears would evoke pity from Cha ac and he'd send rain. The child, in exchange for their sacrifice, would ascend straight to the afterlife. It's ghastly for us to think about today. Have you ever been deep in a cave and turned off the flashlight? It's a pitch-black darkness that, unless you've done it, is impossible to imagine. The sound of every drop of water is magnified, and your brain begins playing tricks, imagining the dripping sounds are voices. And that was my experience in only five minutes of that darkness. Imagine that for days as the child slowly starved to death. Again, it's ghastly. The Mayans were utterly convinced their faith was right and correct and holy. That their communing with their gods and their interpretation of their god's messages told them what their gods wanted and instructed them how to live in a holy way. They fought other tribes for their gods. They forced their captives to convert and worship Cha ac as well as the many other Mayan gods. And they did this for centuries. This was a religion with a theology and a practice and a hierarchy of men who claimed to know. How different are we today? What's changed? I listened this morning as the bishop of my church talked with certainty and confidence about our church, its lineage, and its strengths. He spoke with certainty about what God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit undoubtedly want from each of us. How the practice of our faith is a pathway to both the heaven of an afterlife and a heaven on here on earth right now. He's a member of a very long tradition of shamans, medicine men, priests, rabbis, saints and others that commune with the invisible, telling us, with confidence, that he knows what god wants from and for us. That his reading of the sacred texts, his communing with his god, and his reading of the patterns of the earth say, with certainty, that he's right. That he's on to something. That he knows. The shamans told the Mayans that Cha ac demanded the sacrifice of a child. How could a god ask for such a thing, we wonder? That's insane. Well, my god walked on water and came back from the dead. And each Sunday we drop to our knees we partake in a ritual where he asks us to eat his flesh and drink his blood. And I do. Is this, too, not insane? So, I ask again, are we really all that different? I'm Cam Marston, just trying to Keep it Real. 

Business Mentorship; “From Fear to Fearless: How Adventure Fueled My Business” Keepin' It Real with Jennie Milton Season 7 Episode #262 Jennie Milton is the founder of “Adrenajen.” She is a world champion snowkiter, author, keynote speaker, and coach who helps women over 40 find courage, overcome fear, and build bold confidence. Jennie uses the tagline: FEAR is something we all face but Courage? Courage is a choice.”   Jennie is going to share her story on entrepreneurship and give us a look behind the scenes as a small business owner.  Our guest joins us from Bozeman, Montana    “Jennie “AdrenaJen” Milton is a world champion snowkiter, keynote speaker, and coach who helps women over 40 find courage, overcome fear, and build bold confidence. Drawing on her journey from fearful to fearless, she shares powerful stories and mindset tools to help others rise. Jennie is the author of Gale and the Red Kite of Courage and creator of the Fear Formula.”  A few of the highlights:  1. Passion became a business 2. Taking opportunities and moving forward 3.  Athletic skills from the sport to the boardroom Read Jennie Milton's story in our guest blog and connect here. Jennie,  thank you for joining us and sharing the mic, we wish you continued success.  Don't miss an episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real or if your on the move our podcast is found on iTunes, Spotify, IHeart Radio and Amazon Music. We look forward to connecting with you next time for another edition of Keepin' It Real. “Funding for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs” "Together, We Are Making A Difference; One Story At A Time" 

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam is coming to the end of a month of no alcohol - Dry January. February begins soon, though. And Cam's wondering whether he'll continue on or not.  ----- My dry January has just a couple days left. This is the third consecutive year I've participated in Dry January and I've remembered again how much I like it. Thirty nights of good sleep. I feel like I've lost ten or twelve pounds. My head is clear each day. The benefits are amazing. And, just like the last two years, I wonder why I don't do this more regularly. When my wife moved to Mobile with me, she noted how the parties down here start around Halloween and go straight through Mardi Gras. There is no let up. Nearly every weekend is a reason to gather, to have a party of some sort, and accompany the party with a drink or two. It reaches a crescendo around Christmas and another crescendo at Mardi Gras. I've found that Dry January serves as a nice break in the party pace after Christmas and before it picks up again for Mardi Gras. And after a go-go holiday season, I find it nice to prove to myself that I'm in control of myself. I like a bold glass of red wine and a tasty IPA and putting them both aside for thirty-one days is, I feel, a fruitful and worthwhile discipline. Oddly, when I tell some people that I'm participating in Dry January, I get dismissive comments. "Loser," they say. Or they tell me I'm weak which is exactly what I'm trying to prove to myself that I'm not. They're kidding, but only kind of kidding. If I were to tell my friends that I'm not going to yell at my wife for thirty-one days, they'd applaud me and offer support. If I told them I was going to stop beating my dog for thirty-one days, they'd say, "Good. That dog doesn't deserve that." If I shared that I would no longer berate and belittle my children for thirty-one days, they'd offer me firm, unwavering support. So, declaring that I'm dropping behaviors that destroys families and shorten life-spans, gets me firm support. Except when it comes to alcohol. When I tell people I'm dropping alcohol for thirty-one days, which certainly can destroy families and shorten life spans, I'm called a loser. That makes no sense but that does reflect…something. I'm not sure what, though. It's clear to me that the habit of having a beer or glass of wine in the evening is the part I like the most. It's that ritual that I crave. And Sunday afternoons about 5pm is when I crave that ritual the most. Stella Artois non-alcohol beer is my go-to in those moments. It's not the same as a high gravity IPA, which I love – especially Braided River Brewery's Hoppy By Nature, that stuff is nectar - but it does scratch the itch, especially when I know that all this will be over at the end of the month. Which it will be. Or may not be. Again, the benefits of drying out for a month are great but I also like a little tipple at the end of a long day.  I don't know. I'll have a tough decision to make this coming Monday, when dry January ends. I'm Cam Marston and I'm just trying to Keep It Real.

Business Mentorship; “Lead with Impact and Live with Intention” Keepin' It Real with Sinja Hallam.  Season 7 Episode #261 Sinja Hallam is the founder of The Power to Transform. She is a Forbes, ICF-certified Leadership & Executive Coach, Keynote Speaker and Published Author. She helps leaders rise with clarity, confidence, calm and heart. Her clients include Fortune 100's, CEOs, senior and emerging leaders. Sinja is going to share her story on entrepreneurship and give us a look behind the scenes as a small business owner.   Our guest joins us from Adelaide, Australia.    “Sinja Hallam is an ICF-certified Leadership & Executive Coach, Keynote Speaker and Published Author. She helps leaders rise with clarity, confidence, calm and heart. Her clients include Fortune 100's, CEOs, senior and emerging leaders. She specialises in high-achieving women navigating life and careers in male-dominant environments. She draws on her own resilience and experience to empower others to lead authentically, create real impact and leave a legacy they are proud of. She is also a Women Changing the World Global award winner and an APAC Region Coach of the Year award winner." 
 A few of the highlights:  
 1. Why wait to be “picked”  2. Expand your sphere of influence 
 3. Step into your power with style  Read Sinja Hallam's story in our guest blog and connect here. Sinja,  thank you for joining us and sharing the mic, we wish you continued success.  Don't miss an episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real or if your on the move our podcast is found on iTunes, Spotify, IHeart Radio and Amazon Music. We look forward to connecting with you next time for another edition of Keepin' It Real. “Funding for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs” "Together, We Are Making A Difference; One Story At A Time" 

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam's family got a new puppy. It's been nearly ten years since they got their last dog and much of his memory of having a puppy is gone. The memories are coming back fast.  ----- We got a puppy. Her name is Rosie. She's a doodle of some sort. And while I say "we" got a puppy, truth be told, my wife got herself a puppy and the family will share it with her. My wife stalked Rosie down when the litter was one week old. It was in Hudson, Indiana and she found it through an online search using something called puppyfinder.com. Rosie came from a litter that had its own web page. Long gone are the days of classified ads in the newspaper announcing free puppies to anyone who can come get them. Rosie has a microchip. She has papers, or something like that. And I don't have the courage to ask my wife how much she cost. My wife drove twenty hours round trip with a night in a hotel to get her. And Rosie is the boss of our house right now. I'm unsure if she is our pet or if we are her pet. If a pet is defined as an animal that brings joy and entertainment, then we are most definitely her pet. Any whine from the dog gets someone's full attention. Whenever she goes for a toy, someone is there to help her play with it. And she has wipers. She uses the bathroom with reckless abandon, and someone is there to wipe it up and wipe her up. No sultan or pharaoh ever had it so good. She sleeps sporadically. We take turns getting up with her throughout the night, me standing outside in the cold in the dark in my underwear saying things in a high-pitched dog voice that I hope will goad her in to going to the bathroom. "Be a good girl. Be a good girl, Rosie. You know you need to go. Go ahead. Be a good girl. Squat, please. Squat. Please." Then I bring her back to her crate and get back into my warm bed, hoping she won't whine. Long ago, when our kids wouldn't go to sleep, we'd feed them Benadryl. However, get caught drugging a dog so that it will sleep will call out the pet gestapo. People will tolerate some sort of non-traditional methods of raising your children. But get caught doing something considered unusual to a dog and whew! People will take your pet from you then burn your house down. Puppies are, though, perhaps the cutest animals on the planet. But they require vigilance. And surveillance. My wife has paid and subscribed to an app on how to raise puppies and train dogs. It says we aren't to tell the puppy No until they're older. I didn't ask my wife if there were fine print telling us to throw our common sense out the window. But we have, in favor of an app. Thankfully the app has not prohibited me from hollering WHAT ARE YOU CHEWING NOW. Or DON'T BITE THAT DON'T BITE THAT DON'T BITE THAT. Or WAIT WAIT LET ME GET YOU OUTSIDE. Or saying to my wife, "I think it's your turn to wipe it up." I'm Cam Marston, just trying to keep it real.

Business Mentorship; “Bridging Cultures, Building Trust,Inspiring Growth" Keepin' It Real with Dr. Joy Wiggins Season 7 Episode #260 Dr Joy Wiggins is the founder of  her own firm as an author, TED x speaker and trainer taking her experience and working with women to create inclusion and cultural agility. She specializes in organizational development, cross-cultural communication, and workplace transformation.. Joy is going to share her story on entrepreneurship and give us a look behind the scenes as a small business owner.  Our guest joins us from Lisbon, Portugal.  “Dr. Joy Wiggins is an author, TEDx speaker, and former professor who helps women and organizations thrive through cultural agility and workplace transformation. As founder of Joy Wiggins, PhD Consulting, she delivers keynote speeches, facilitates leadership workshops, and provides strategic consulting to create inclusive organizational cultures. She is the co-author of From Sabotage to Support: A New Vision for Feminist Solidarity in the Workplace.”  A few of the highlights:  1.Poppy report 2.Mirrors and windows 3.Grace to pivot Read Dr. Joy Wiggin's story in our guest blog and connect here. Joy,  thank you for joining us and sharing the mic, we wish you continued success.    Don't miss an episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real or if your on the move our podcast is found on iTunes, Spotify, IHeart Radio and Amazon Music.   We look forward to connecting with you next time for another edition of Keepin' It Real. “Funding for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs” "Together, We Are Making A Difference; One Story At A Time" 

Business Mentorship; “Discover Your Untapped Potential” Keepin' It Real with Cindy Stradling   Season 7 Episode #259 Cindy Stradling is the founder of Cindy Stradling, the Power of Positive Change as a sales coach, trainer, author and speaker. Cindy brings a breadth of experience that clients say provides a level of understanding for what it takes to create breakthrough sales results. Cindy  is going to share her story on entrepreneurship and give us a look behind the scenes as a small business owner.  Our guest joins us from Toronto Ontario. “Cindy Stradling's  career  includes 25+ years in sales, coaching, and training, where I've helped individuals move past fear and resistance to make confident, empowered decisions. I'm known for being a warm, clear communicator and a trusted guide—someone who listens deeply and responds with care. Whether it's answering questions after a presentation or ensuring a smooth participant experience, I bring a calm, professional, and people-centered approach to every interaction. I love helping clients develop a new perspective on selling, along with great tools to be more effective in sales.”    A few of the highlights:   1. Everyone is in sales 2. Trust is the number one driver 3. Get comfortable with the ask Read Cindy Stradling's story in our guest blog and connect here. Cindy,  thank you for joining us and sharing the mic, we wish you continued success.    Don't miss an episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real or if your on the move our podcast is found on iTunes, Spotify, IHeart Radio and Amazon Music.   We look forward to connecting with you next time for another edition of Keepin' It Real. “Funding for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs” "Together, We Are Making A Difference; One Story At A Time" 

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam and his wife went to Belize in December and visited some of the ruins that Belize is famous for. On his trip he stood atop one of the Mayan temples and realized that though it was a long time ago, maybe things haven't changed that much.  ----- Just prior to the full brunt of the holidays my wife and I took a quick trip to Belize. I wanted to warm up for a few days – I'm perpetually cold – and see what is known as the broadleaf jungle. We headed inland, into the mountains towards our small hotel. As the altitude got higher, we entered something called the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest. The hills, the red color of the dirt, and pine trees as far as I could see reminded me a lot of Clark County, Alabama. Fortunately, the lodge sat low along a creek and just like in Clark County, the hardwoods were plentiful along the creek side. Towering and massive trees of species I'd never seen. It was beautiful. One day we drove aways and spent a long while at the Mayan ruins of Caracol. You've seen them in pictures. Massive stone pyramids made about 1400 years ago in the heyday of the Mayan civilization, reclaimed by jungle when the Mayans abandoned their civilizations and rediscovered about ninety years ago by a logger looking for Mahogony trees. It occurred to me as my wife and I stood atop the tallest pyramid looking out for hundreds of miles over the jungle canopy, that men sure like to make other men carry rocks up hills. Rocks, by their very nature, typically want to be at the bottoms of hills or they make up the very hills themselves. Why is it that men, to boast of their power and influence, force others to put rocks on top of each other until they've created something massive? Why rocks? Why up? Why fight against nature and gravity? "Hey," someone said. "See that big rock there? Go put it up there," he said, pointing to a higher point. "Naw," the other person said. "It's down there for a reason. Rocks go downhill. That's the way it works. That's what makes them heavy – they like being down at the bottom of hills. Maybe we can put some dried leaves up there. That would look nice." "No," he said in reply, "It'll be rocks up there. You were captured in the last war between our tribes so please get started." So, we got pyramids. Every continent in the world except Antarctica and Australia have stone pyramids, built my men to boast to their citizens and enemies about their power and influence. Seems to be a thing. And they didn't share blueprints, they each did it on their own. Rocks stacked high. And the Mayans would build over the previous king's temple and make theirs higher. Temples stacked on temples. Rocks stacked on rocks. All carried up. Higher and higher. Men. Trying to boast. It has, however, occurred to me that on my back patio is a brick fireplace with a block of granite high up in the center of the chimney that the brick mason put there at my request. The rock was hauled to Mobile all the way from North Carolina. And, I really like to show it off. I'm 1400 years distant from the Mayans but maybe I'm not all that different. I kinda get it. I'm Cam Marston just trying to keep it real.

Business Mentorship; “From Invisible to Invincible” Keepin' It Real with Deena Kordt   Season 7 Episode #258 Deena Kordt is the founder of her own firm as an author, publisher, speaker and advocate for women.  Her podcast “Shift Happens” shares stories of resilience with discussions on how to navigate life's changes with more ease and less drama. Deena is going to share her story on entrepreneurship and give us a look behind the scenes as a small business owner.  Our guest joins us from Red Deer, Alberta “Deena Kordt is a Podcaster, Publisher, Advocate and Author, it's not just about sharing stories but transforming lives. She thrives on connecting curious caring humans with those in need, instilling hope and fostering genuine heart-centered communities. Her multimedia platforms offer many opportunities for people navigating the challenges of life changes, including divorce and abuse, to find the support they need to be informed, empowered and encouraged.I'm curious to know what your story is!”  A few of the highlights:  1. Manifesting your dreams 2. Compassionate Curiosity  3. Serendipity and new opportunities Read Deena Kordt's story in our guest blog and connect here. Deena,  thank you for joining us and sharing the mic, we wish you continued success.    Don't miss an episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real or if your on the move our podcast is found on iTunes, Spotify, IHeart Radio and Amazon Music.   We look forward to connecting with you next time for another edition of Keepin' It Real. “Funding for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs” "Together, We Are Making A Difference; One Story At A Time" 

Host: Charles iamBranded MadisonGuest: Nyce Da Future (2013)Season: 15 Episode: 17http://www.nexxlegacy.comhttp://www.nexxlegacy.com/partners#Nexxlegacy #Radio #Podcast

Business Mentorship; “Shifting Perspectives on Disability” Keepin' It Real with Becky Jackson Curran   Season 6 Episode #257 Becky Jackson Curran is a disability inclusion advocate, speaker, and media consultant. She has  delivered 600+ talks on 3 continents, including two TEDx shifting perspective on disability.   Let's hear how Becky invites everyone to join the journey toward acceptance and belonging through our own identity. Our guest joins us from Boston, Massachusetts. “Becky Jackson Curran, a disability inclusion advocate, speaker, and media consultant. Born with achondroplasia, I've dedicated my career to advancing authentic disability representation in media and society. I've worked at CAA, CBS, and SAG-AFTRA, founded DisABILITY In Media, and delivered 600+ talks worldwide, including two TEDx Talks. My mission is to create inclusive spaces where everyone is seen, heard, and valued.” A few of the tips Becky shared: 1. We shift our perspective through lived experience 2. Be visible 3. Turn challenges into opportunities  Read Becky Jackson Curran's story in our guest blog and connect here. Becky,  thank you for joining us and sharing the mic, we wish you peace and prosperity in the coming year.   Don't miss an episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real or if your on the move our podcast is found on iTunes, Spotify, IHeart Radio and Amazon Music.   We look forward to connecting with you next time for another edition of Keepin' It Real. “Funding for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs” "Together, We Are Making A Difference; One Story At A Time" 

Business Mentorship; “A Franchise Story” Keepin' It Real with Kara Kennish Season 6 Episode #256   Welcome to a special edition of of Business Mentorship; Keepin' It Real where we introduce you to the person behind the logo featuring corporate leaders who have shared their story in this years digital magazine “Celebrating Great Ideas.”                              Our guest joins us  from Hamilton , Ontario  Kara Kennish is a third-generation franchisee. Tim Hortons is a beloved coffee brand originating in Canada known for its premium coffee, fresh donuts and rich heritage. Kara and her team proudly uphold its traditions while focusing on relationships within the community.  She fosters an empowered environment for her team, while building connections that have lasting impact.   Kara joins us today to share her experience not only as a franchisee, but business leader. She's going to discuss a few ideas on how we too may impact our communities through local partnerships, fundraising efforts, and grassroots initiatives.   A few of the tips Kara shared: 
 1. Align the brand with your values 2. A passion for the work
 3. Building Your Legacy  Read Kara's story in our digital magazine. Kara, thank you for joining us and sharing the mic, we look forward to keeping in touch. Don't miss an episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real or if your on the move our podcast is found on iTunes, Spotify, IHeart Radio and Amazon Music. We look forward to connecting with you next time for another edition of Keepin' It Real. “Funding for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs” "Together, We Are Making A Difference; One Story At A Time" 

Business Mentorship; “Let's Get Real Programs” Keepin' It Real with Dr. Teri Rouse   Season 6 Episode #255   Dr Teri Rouse is an international best-selling author, educator, early and behaviour interventionist, speaker and creator of the Let's Get Real Programs.   Let's find out how Dr Teri Rouse kicks chaos to the curb to improve communication, calmly resolve conflicts, and create peace in your home! Our guest joins us from Dresher, Pennsylvania.   “Dr. Teri Rouse is an international speaker, best-selling author, early & behavior interventionist, and autism specialist. Creator of the Let's Get REAL programs and Snuggle Bunny Story Time, she equips parents, educators, and children with tools to communicate better, resolve conflict, and restore peace. Known for blending humor, heart, and proven strategies, she brings lived experience and expertise to every stage and page. A few of the tips Dr. Teri shared: 1. Create a space for dialogue 2. From page to stage 3. Everyone loves a story Read Dr. Teri's story in our guest blog and connect here. Teri, thank you for joining us and sharing the mic, we look forward to keeping in touch. Don't miss an episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real or if your on the move our podcast is found on iTunes, Spotify, IHeart Radio and Amazon Music. We look forward to connecting with you next time for another edition of Keepin' It Real. “Funding for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs” "Together, We Are Making A Difference; One Story At A Time" 

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam discussion rebellion in children and how it's recently hit his home. ----- All children rebel against their family and their parents. I certainly did. I see photos of myself as a teen with hair touching my collar and remember my father telling me over and over again to get it cut. I didn't and maybe I didn't because it bothered him so much. I knew my kids would rebel, too. It was inevitable. And much of it's been the same over time – hair styles, vocabulary, music, and clothing. These are the signs of rebellion. They have been for a long long while. My hope was that my kids wouldn't show up at home with some tattoo they got out of rebellion that, once they were older, they'd regret. Wait till you're older, I'd say, when you're more aware of consequences and can make these decisions smartly. My daughters wanted multiple ear piercings. No, I'd say. Adding extra holes to your body are decisions to made in later days. Not now, as a teen, when impulsiveness runs dangerously high. If that's what you want to do some day, great. But not now. Wait. Please. We've always been Alabama football fans in my house. My mother went to school there. She loved it. She told stories about her sorority days and the night she stood up Joe Namath because she saw him from behind as she was coming down the stairs of her sorority house and his hair touched his collar. She went back to her room and called downstairs sick. My father went to dental school at the University of Alabama School of Dentistry which was in Birmingham and eventually became UAB. As kids, we considered it Alabama though not in Tuscaloosa. So our mom and dad went to Alabama in our eyes. I was a fan as a kid and it passed to my kids. My favorite oldest son goes to school there and my favorite youngest son will begin there in the fall. They wore Alabama jerseys as children watching the football games in the den in the fall. Auburn has been the butt of jokes for a long time around my house only because it's our rival and that's the way you talk about rivals. I can remember saying that my kids are welcome to go to Auburn but once they do, they can never come home again. It sometimes got a laugh. Well, last night, my favorite youngest daughter announced she has committed to attend Auburn University in the fall. And I was elated. I truly was. She's found a place that she likes and, based on her friends there, a place that likes her. She's smart and they like smart people at Auburn. She's creative and ambitious, and they like those people at Auburn, too. Gone is my bravado about never sending a child to that cow college on the plains and her never being allowed to come home again. She's breaking a mold, breaking a tradition, carving her own path. And if this is her rebellion against her family, I'm grateful for it. It's not bad, not bad at all. In fact, I'm quite proud of her. I'm Cam Marston and I'm just trying to Keep It Real.

Business Mentorship; “Building Emotionally Intelligent Leaders” Keepin' It Real with Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller   Season 6 Episode #254   Dr Melissa Robinson-Winemiller is an author, TEDx international speaker and coach flipping the script on what leadership really means.  The power of empathy; small shifts big impact.   Let's find out how Dr Melissa is using empathy to create an understanding for effective communication which helps unlock better productivity, higher levels of innovation and bigger profits. Our guest joins us from Stillwater, Oklahoma   "Dr. Melissa is flipping the script on what leadership really means. With over 20 years of cross-industry experience, she helps leaders build emotionally intelligent cultures that don't just feel good, they get results. A TEDx speaker, EQ coach, and soon-to-be author of The Empathic Leader (out July 15), she brings lived experience, research, and real-world tools to the table. Her mission? To move empathy from the sidelines to center stage (where it belongs) and help leaders lead like humans.” A few of the tips Dr. Melissa shared: 1. Self empathy 2. Role models 3. Wave of connection  Read Dr. Melissa's story in our guest blog and connect here. Interested in the TEDX: https://youtu.be/IaoXSEWeILo?si=NW_BowdHl-Skx9NM Melissa, thank you for joining us and sharing the mic.  We look forward to keeping in touch and love your saying: "Money is currency, currency is energy, and for energy to have power, it has to flow."   Don't miss an episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real or if your on the move our podcast is found on iTunes, Spotify, IHeart Radio and Amazon Music. We look forward to connecting with you next time for another edition of Keepin' It Real. “Funding for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs” "Together, We Are Making A Difference; One Story At A Time" 

Business Mentorship; “Founder, Grow Zone Layer” Keepin' It Real with Vicki Tyler.   Season 6 Episode #253 Vicki Tyler  is a speaker, facilitator and coach, who teaches a unique .045% Fearless Mindset — blending corporate leadership, near-death perspective, and behavioural science — as a catalyst for rapid life and career transformation. The Growzone Layer is a concept that represents that thin slice in our minds where “event meets opportunity” and meaningful growth occurs Let's find out why Vicki is working with individuals who are “standing on the edge, you're exactly where leadership begins”. 
Our guest joins us from Auckland, New Zealand.   “Vicki Tyler is a Kiwi/US dual citizen, former President of Flight Centre USA, and survivor of two near-death experiences that shaped my belief in fearless leadership. Today, I help ambitious women lead themselves with clarity, courage, and conviction.Through my .045% Mindset and leadership programs, I show women how to overcome fear, grow their impact, and create a life and career they're proud of — without waiting for permission or a wake-up call.”
 A few of the things Vicki shared: 
 1. You need a game plan  2. Pay it forward philosophy
 3. Be curious    Read Vicki's story in our guest blog and connect here.. Vicki, thank you for joining us and sharing the mic.  We look forward to keeping in touch.    Don't miss an episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real or if your on the move our podcast is found on iTunes, Spotify, IHeart Radio and Amazon Music. We look forward to connecting with you next time for another edition of Keepin' It Real. “Funding for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs” "Together, We Are Making A Difference; One Story At A Time" 

On this Week's Keepin It Real, Cam is tired of people not from Alabama degrading and belittling our state. But in this certain case, Cam says, we might deserve it.  ----- Go find a podcast called The Alabama Murders. It's a seven-episode series by author Malcolm Gladwell done under his Revisionist History podcast. I love Revisionist History – it's been one of my favorite podcasts for a long time but, well, The Alabama Murders is yet another example of someone who is not from here looking at Alabama with shame and disgust. Our state has been the target of this for a long long time. Gladwell goes out of his way a few times in the podcast to say something along the lines of "what you think people would do in this case is this. However, this is Alabama." It's a clear shot at our state. A slap. Degrading and belittling. However, I want you to find The Alabama Murders podcast because, candidly, we deserve it this time. Two men were executed for killing a woman who they did not kill. The jury of their peers wanted them jailed for the harm they did but the judge, who also knew they didn't kill her, changed their sentence to the death penalty in a move called judicial override. If Gladwell's telling of the story is true, after every state in the union had eliminated judicial override, Alabama kept it for a long while. After every state in the union reverted every guilty party's judgment to what was given to them by the jury of their peers, Alabama refused to change any sentences, grandfathering in the judicial override sentencing which led to the execution of the two men who did not kill their victim. Her husband did. Go find The Alabama Murders and hear the story for yourself. The most gruesome part of the story is not the murder of the lady, but our state's repeated failed attempts to execute the prisoners. It was, unquestionably, cruel and unusual punishment performed by men who then took to the media to boast about creating new precedents that states across the nation should adopt. Granted, the podcast included some dramatization. Long silences to let words linger, music that drove home the cruelty inflicted in each execution and attempted execution. And silences where we can only assume the person being interviewed was quietly crying. But folks, there is no question there should be egg all over our face based on what happened. I'm as sick as the next person of Alabama being looked down upon. And as much as I admire and like Gladwell, I've read all his books, I wish he'd sniff around his own backyard to find stories of justice gone wrong. Leave us alone. There are many many good people here but Gladwell seems to want us to think otherwise. However, you do need to hear this podcast. You need to hear all that happened and who facilitated it and who knew about the cruelty in the executions and did nothing and who knew about the true murderer and sentenced these men to death instead. Find The Alabama Murders in your podcasts. It'll make you flinch. It'll make you want to turn away. Don't. Listen to it. And help me hold our state and our elected officials to a higher standard. I'm Cam Marston just trying to Keep it Real.

Business Mentorship; “Motivational Keynote Speaker” Keepin' It Real with Vynny Hick   Season 6 Episode #252 Vynny Hick is on stage as a motivational bi-lingual speaker sharing life's experience as a retired Ontario Provincial Police Officer, reinventing himself while sharing life's stories. Let's find out why Vynny has decided to share not only the vulnerabilities but resilience in life, taking those lessons to the stage, inspiring organizations to rethink their approach to leadership, recruitment, and resilience. Our guest joins us from Orillia, Ontario “Vynny Hick is a retired police officer who served 30 years with the Ontario provincial Police. My journey went from leaving home at 15, being homeless for a while, loosing a child, to becoming a flight paramedic and a decorated police officer. I have worked undercover, on ERT (Emergency Response Team), as a K9 handler, and as a senior recruiter speaking on hundreds of stages across Canada; I now share keynote talk seasoned from my life experience.”     A few of the tips Vynny shared: 1. Resilience is built through time 2. Contagious Motivation 3. Take the wins with you every season   Read Vynny's story in our guest blog and connect here.. Vynny, thank you for joining us and sharing the mic.  We look forward to keeping in touch.    Don't miss an episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real or if your on the move our podcast is found on iTunes, Spotify, IHeart Radio and Amazon Music. We look forward to connecting with you next time for another edition of Keepin' It Real. “Funding for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs” "Together, We Are Making A Difference; One Story At A Time" 

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Special Edition of Business Mentorship Keepin' It Real  Finalist Panel Discussion - "Entrepreneurship In A Digital World"  Season 6 Episode #251 Welcome to a special edition of Keepin' It Real, panel discussions with entrepreneurs who have shared their stories in our guest blog and join us to discuss topics trending in business… Each of our guests is a finalist in the SYS Micro Marketing Grant and in the spirit of collaboration over competition they join us to discuss: 
  “Entrepreneurship in a Digital World ”     Each of our guests will share their expertise as business owners who are not only increasing their visibility but credibility as thought leaders and experts in their field.  To help us explore the topic, we have an international panel with representation from Australia, Canada and the United States  In no particular order, I'd  like take this opportunity to introduce you to our expert panel:  

 Kathy Baldwin, is the founder of Kathy Baldwin Wendy is the parent behind child author Gabriela Dias Jamie Perez is the founder of Beyond Words Productions Kelly Ryan is the founder Nurdy, Nutrition Juliana Leamen is the founder of Naturally Joyous  I'd like to thank each of you for joining me today and giving us a glimpse into some of the issues behind the scenes…. We appreciate your contributions as business owners and wish you continued success as you lead by example as both role models and mentors in your communities.  If you'd like to connect with one of our panel guests you'll find their story and contact information in the links above  
 Kathy, Wendy, Jamie, Kelly, Juliana, Gaby and I thank you for joining us and we look forward to meeting you next time with another special edition of Keepin' It Real  Don't miss an episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real or if your on the move our podcast is found on iTunes, Spotify, IHeart Radio and Amazon Music. “Funding for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs” "Together, We Are Making A Difference; One Story At A Time" 

Are traditions the same thing as routines, they're just done less frequently? And if the tradition is both loved and hated, what does that mean? On today's Keepin It Real, Cam shares that he both loves and hates them.  ----- I have a routine that I practice nearly every day. I both look forward to it and hate it. I wake up shortly after 5am. I have clothes laid out on a chair next to the bed and I dress and go into the kitchen and start the coffee. I fold laundry while it brews. I then pour myself a cup and sit in my morning chair and write in my journal for about thirty minutes. I then review my calendar for the day, make a to-do list, boil an egg for breakfast, shower, dress, and head into the office. It's the same thing every weekday. I love my routine. It's helpful. It grounds me. It's something I can control. It's a predictable thing in this unpredictable world. It's reliable and I like that. At the very same time, I also hate my routine. It drains the life from me. It's oppressive. It holds me back. It severely restricts me. It's tyranny. How can something that I love so much, that I count on to be there every day, also crush my soul? It makes no sense, but that's what it does. This, of course, leads me to the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays. Routines and traditions are not the same thing, but they can have the same impact. For years my extended family has gathered at my father's cabin in the woods of Clark County on Thanksgiving Day. I can't be there on Thanksgiving Day without thinking of my mother. She's been gone for three years or so and yet the place still reflects my mother's presence. And Thanksgiving Day was the pinnacle of her presence each year there. She'd set the table in a way I can still remember. She'd send her grandkids into the woods to find leaves that had changed colors for the fall – they're not easy to find in south Alabama. The leaves would be arranged in small vases down the center of the table. There were short wax candle figurines of pilgrims and turkeys that magically appeared on the table each year. They were on that table when I was a child; my kids, decades later, knew to expect them and asked about them. We eat. Comments are made that if you want any food, don't get behind my sister-in-law in the line to fix your plate. The same thing every year. The same comments. The same wonderful food. It's a tradition. It's an annual routine. It's wonderful to fall back on – we know exactly what's coming. It's also specifically prescribed behaviors which we all agree to participate in, which, to me, can feel stifling. However, I happily do it because not having it – this tradition, this annual routine – not having it available to me – would be worse. The meal would feel empty and awful. I cherish it. Just like tomorrow, I'll get up again just after 5AM, get dressed, start the coffee maker, fold clothes while the coffee brews, and so on. It's boring and predictable. But I need it. I cherish it. Not having it available to me would be worse.   I'm Cam Marston, just trying to Keep It Real.

Business Mentorship; “Hawaiian Kahuna” Keepin' It Real with James Kawainui   Season 6 Episode #250   James Kawainui is a Hawaiian healer going back 20 generations in Hawaii.  He uses ancient wisdom to connect with business executives, practitioners, and individuals to build confidence, clear boundaries and improve communication skills.    Let's find out how James was able to shift his focus from corporate boardroom to finding his ancestral roots and sharing ancient wisdom mentoring for modern living.   Our guest joins us from Sedona, Arizona.   “James Keali‘pii‘lani Kawainui is a Native Hawaiian Healer and Spiritual Counselor with family roots going back over 20 generations in Hawaii. Healing literally runs in my blood. Sharing that ancient wisdom with all my clients is my purpose and passion. I help people release trauma and pain—body, mind, and spirit by sharing simple tools to support their healing so they can find balance and overcome the stresses of modern life.”    A few of the tips James shared: 1. Stories are the wisdom that we share 2. As humans, we are all looking for the same things 3. The power of words   Read James's story in our guest blog and connect here.. James, thank you for joining us and sharing the mic.  We look forward to keeping in touch.    Don't miss an episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real or if your on the move our podcast is found on iTunes, Spotify, IHeart Radio and Amazon Music. We look forward to connecting with you next time for another edition of Keepin' It Real. “Funding for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs” "Together, We Are Making A Difference; One Story At A Time" 

On this week's Keepin It Real, it's Friday and Cam's brain has had enough. He once wanted to keep going. Now, he's just hoping to make it to today.  ----- I can remember complaining that there simply weren't enough days in the week to get all the stuff I needed get done done. I wished that each day was longer and the work week had more days to it. I wanted a twelve-hour workday and a ten-day work week and a three-day break at the end. That would be preferred, I thought. That way I could get everything done and take a break when it was over. Wow, have times changed. Or maybe I've changed. Maybe it's age or wisdom, but I don't feel the same way about work anymore. I usually charge out of bed on Monday morning with a to-do list that I made Sunday evening. I hit the list hard Monday and Tuesday, adding things to it along the way. By Wednesday I can feel my energy beginning to fade. I'm watching dumb TV at night rather than reading. Thursday morning, I try to get a few simple things done because I know that lunch on Thursday about the last time, I'll be productive that week. Friday, I make a show of it. I leave the easy items on my to-do list for Friday so I can feel like I've done something as I check them off and by lunch on Friday I'm cooked. My brain is fried. I'm tired. Nothing more will get done until my list making begins again on Sunday. At my gym, one of the trainers asked if I wanted to join her workout at 5:30pm on Fridays. It caught me off guard. I laughed a little and told her that by 5:30pm on Friday I'm useless and beginning a workout at that time on a Friday was out of my world of possibilities. I'm more likely to be having a beer with friends or in a ball on the couch, beaten to death by the work week. An organized workout is nowhere near being on my radar. The trainer is young. She looked confused. I didn't even try to explain. I'm beginning to appreciate dentists hours more and more. My dentist begins reminding me of an upcoming appointment about six weeks out with a barrage of texts and an automated voice mail, nearly threatening me to not miss my appointment. The dentist also attaches emotions to their message, as if missing or having to reschedule will hurt their feelings. I feel ashamed and like I've let them down if I have to reschedule. When I arrive, I see they pack their patients into the workweek so that they can take half a day off on Wednesday and a whole day off on Friday. His office is a spinning carousel of open mouths and teeth and the dentist is on the move from patient to patient. But call him after noon on Wednesday or on Friday and you'll get the answering machine. He's gone. So is his team. But my phone is still buzzing with automated messages telling me about my upcoming appointment and how they'll be heartbroken and maybe even cry a little if I can't make it. However, by the time Friday rolls around, I think my dentist and I are living the same dream. He's locked his office door, and I'm shutting down my brain. He's earned his day off, and I've earned the right to stare at nothing for a while. Maybe that's how grown-ups measure success — not by how much we get done, but by how guilt-free we can be when we finally stop trying. I'm Cam Marston and I'm just trying to keep it real.

Business Mentorship  “Virtual Producer” Keepin' It Real with Salma Burney  Season 6 Episode #249 Welcome to this special edition of Keepin' It Real, as part of our series, we invite entrepreneurs and enterprise leaders who have shared their stories in our guest blog to join us to discuss topics trending in business.   Today's topic: Creating Successful Online Events Our guest, Salma Burney is the founder of Girl Friday who is a virtual assistant and the producer for our own Online Global Awards and Networking Event. As there are a number of business owners hosting events for the first time,  Salma joins us today to share a few tips when planning and coordinating a successful virtual stage Our guest joins us from Cardwell, New Brunswick    “Salma Burney is a versatile virtual assistant, producer, and entrepreneur. She founded Virtual Girl Friday in 2004 to offer administrative support to professionals. Her clients span various industries, including accounting, business development, writing, safety consulting, valuation, and nutraceuticals.  In 2021, she and her husband, Mike, created and built Off Grid Adventure, a back-to-nature campground with off-grid horse boarding facilities.”  A few of the tips Salma shared: 1. Schedule a dry run of your event  2. Remember to share your script  3. Follow up with each participant for feedback    Read Salma's story in our guest blog and connect here..   We thank all of our guests for participating in the series and look forward to connecting with you next time for another edition of Keepin' It Real Don't miss an episode and subscribe to our YouTube channel Business Mentorship; Keepin It Real or if your on the move our podcast is found on iTunes, Spotify, IHeart Radio and Amazon Music. We look forward to connecting with you next time for another edition of Keepin' It Real. “Funding for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs” "Together, We Are Making A Difference; One Story At A Time" 

On this week's Keepin It Real, another chapter closes in Cam's life. And he wonders what comes next.  ------ John Cougar Mellencamp has a song called Ain't Even Done with the Night. It's one of my favorites. That song became a regular part of my days four or five years ago. I'd pick my daughter up from her volleyball practice and as we made the turn from the gym onto the larger road, I'd ask Siri to play it. My daughter would protest and moan. "Not again, Dad" she'd say. I'd sing it loudly. It became our song in a weird way. She didn't like it, didn't want to hear it again and again, but eventually began singing it with me. To this day I can't hear that song without thinking about picking up my daughter from her volleyball practice. This week she played her last volleyball match. She's a high school senior, and I watched her walk off the court Wednesday in Birmingham for the last time. She gathered with her team and her coach to talk about the match, and then she lingered out there a while. I stood by, eager to smile and congratulate her on her volleyball career that included many more wins than losses. When she finally left the court and walked to me, I took a big breath, looked into her red eyes full of tears, and could only hug her and kiss her sweaty head. My words were lost. I muttered quietly how proud I was of her, tears in my eyes, voice choaking.   Last night my son, her twin, played his final high school football game. Like my daughter, his football community has been a big part of his life since he was in middle school. I located him after game, kissed his sweaty head, and told him, like my daughter, how proud he made me to see him out there year after year as a teammate, a contributor on the field, and a leader of the underclassmen. So, after four kids and hundreds of games and matches, countless hours in stands and on sidelines, it's all over. As I think back on it now, I regret ever complaining about having to pick up my daughters and her friends from another volleyball practice and taking each of them home. I regret wishing I'd get a Friday night in the fall where I wasn't committed to being in the football stands. I wonder how I'll feel when the absence of commitments to my children and their activities makes me wonder who I am now.  These tethers that I once begrudged actually offered me meaning, purpose, and an identity. I've heard it referred to as the thunderclap of silence. What will fill that void? And who will I become? My children may be my role models in this regard. Their eyes are already on what's next. One is talking about college roommates already. The other is getting college applications out and acceptance letters in. Their time being on the courts and on the field will quickly fade to memories and stories; parts of their former identity. And for me, it's with great sadness, difficulty, and a lump in my throat, that I reluctantly turn the page.   I'm Cam Marston just trying to Keep It Real.

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam Marston continues to be interested in the research he's doing on retirement trends. He's discovered something called a Men's Shed which is different from a Man Cave where men can go and stand next to each other.  ----- My work continues to lead me into retirement research. Specifically, how to make retirement fruitful and productive. One of the leading causes of an unhappy retirements is too few friends or no friends at all. Referred to as social isolation, the US Surgeon General said that social isolation is as unhealthy as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. I find it interesting that being alone is as unhealthy as repeatedly inhaling smoke into your lungs. They seem dramatically different to me. Oddly, there are times I need social isolation to stay healthy or at least to stay sane. I guess too much isolation is the issue. This research on retirement led me to something call Men's Sheds. Not Man Caves, which are for a man and maybe his buddies to drink and watch sports in spaces painted in testosterone. This is a Men's Shed. I first heard about them in Australia and now they've grown to Canada. They're destinations for retired men to gather and do something together – more than watch sports and drink. They're places that retired men gather to work on things with their hands. It seems a lot of them involve wood working and fixing things made from wood. One retired person has the tools and knows how to use them and opens up his shed for everyone to come and mess around with the woodworking or hang out while other people are messing around. Men around the community join them and they gather in the Men Shed regularly to build and fix things. It gives them purpose and camaraderie, which, if I read all this correctly, men seem be on the search for more so than women. It doesn't say why. Furthermore, and this interested me, is that men develop friendships shoulder to shoulder. They watch things together next to one another or do things together next to one another, and friendships develop. And I think about the number of fathers I've come to know over the years as we stand together facing the ball field or the volleyball court watching our kids play. We had great friendships, and I only got to know them and come to like them when we stood side by side. I think that's kinda interesting. Last thing and I'll get off this topic - is the many fewer places for men to gather. Having a ‘men only' space is taboo today. In fact, many things ‘men only' is taboo today. I mentioned to a friend in Oregon that I'm a member of a male-only Mardi Gras organization. He wondered what kind of misogynistic world I live in down here in south Alabama. He wondered how civilization has passed us by. How could I possibly be a member of such a thing? I let it go. But later in the same conversation he quietly admitted he had no real friends where he lives. He has to travel to see his friends. I felt for him. So I sent him a picture of me and my buddy standing side by side on a Mardi Gras float wearing big grins and throwing beads with the note: “Sure looks like hell, doesn't it?” I'm Cam Marston, Just trying to Keep it Real.

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam Marston and his buddies are beginning to discuss retirement. Cam's learning, though, that maybe working so hard to get to retirement may not be worth all the effort.  ----- The subject of retirement has come with my crowd lately. A few years ago, we maybe whispered about retirement, but now it's a full-on conversation – when are you going to retire, we're asking each other. How will you know it's time? The answer from nearly everyone is “as soon as possible” and “I'm ready right now.” Last week I had breakfast with a lady in healthcare who leads education for medical doctors for a very progressive organization out west. We talked shop for a bit. She had lots of ambitions plans for her organization. She sounded like someone fully engaged and stimulated by their work. My guess is she's about my age and I asked if she ever thought about retirement. In a rush she said “Oh goodness yes. I can't wait.” “When do you want to retire?” I asked. “As soon as I can,” she said. “But it sounds like you enjoy your work.” I was confused. “I do,” she said, “but I'm ready to not have to do it anymore.” She enjoyed it but doesn't want to have to do it. Similarly, I've heard more references to burnout recently than I've ever heard. A friend in Mississippi said his wife could tell he was burned so badly that she needed him to either take a year off or buy a new boat. Now that's a supportive spouse! He was lucky to have her and he knew it. I'm hearing burnout references in my calls and with other friends and colleagues, too. Seems like Covid ramped up burnout – before then I seldom heard it. Since then, I hear it more, especially recently. Social Scientist and author Arthur Brooks defined burnout as a “vortex of exhaustion, cynicism, and self-criticism.” Wow. But, yep! They all feed each other. The things that used to make you happy about your work now make you unhappy. And, for what it's worth, I read a study that Gen X'ers were experiencing burnout at higher rates than not only any generation today, but any generation every surveyed. I guess that's something to brag about – my generation has broken the unhappiness bell curve. Burned out and aching for retirement. No employer wants that guy on their team. Then I read that over forty percent of retirees have an unsatisfactory retirement. Retirement's not all it's cracked up to be, they say. Without work, they have no friends and no purpose. The “retirement red zone” is an expression financial professionals use to refer to the five years before and after retirement when you're supposed to get your financial world in order. Turns out this red zone also refers to getting your non-financial retirement world in order, too – making friends outside of work, developing curiosity to drive your hobbies, especially hobbies that include meeting new people. Learning to structure your day when no one else is telling you how to do it. And then, of course, healthy activity. No retirement is enjoyable if you let your health go. It all makes me wonder, as I feverishly work towards my own retirement, if the emotional and psychological price I'm paying to get there will be worth it? I'm Cam Marston, just trying to keep it real.

Host: Charles iamBranded MadisonGuest: Rick Ross (2011)Season: 14 Episode: 25http://www.nexxlegacy.comhttp://www.nexxlegacy.com/partners#Nexxlegacy #Radio #Podcast

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam's on his way home from a conference. He began making notes a few days ago about what his years and years of attending conferences has taught him. A bingo card might be fun, he says.  ----- I speak at few dozen conferences each year. My audiences are the same – thinning brown haired, slightly overweight, middle aged white guys dominate each room. These are my people. I've learned how they like my content delivered and I do it for them each time. If I do it well, it may get me invited back. After twenty plus years, I've seen hundreds of events, and  I've identified some meeting and convention themes that have become entirely predictable and that resonate with my people. First – Classic rock music. It will be played as people file in on day one, during every break, and after the final keynote. It will be vanilla classic rock. Nothing too loud, nothing too rebellious. You will certainly hear “Right Now” by Van Halen at least once and see the thinning haired men mouthing “Right Now” along with Sammy Hagar, thinking they're invisible. Maybe a flash of air guitar on their thigh. You'll also hear “Can't Stop the Feeling,” “Uptown Funk,” and “Happy.” “I Got A Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas will close out day one. Count on it. Second – At least one keynoter will deliver a lesson reminding us that children are born full of curiosity only to have adults and formal schooling beat it out of them. “Why do we do this to children?” they'll always ask. “Why can't we grow kid's curiosity instead of take it away?” My people will nod. This content shows up at least once in every conference, guaranteed. Third – Multiple speakers will give examples of how Apple Computer does things differently. Of how Apple sees the world differently. On how Apple's competitors didn't see the iPhone coming but the evidence was everywhere. Lots and lots of references to Apple and Apple products. The speaker will extrapolate some sort of grand lesson from Apple. Count on it. Fourth – 80% of presentations will use the word “disruption.” It's become the meeting and convention word of the century. Someone will tell of Blockbuster being disrupted by Netflix with PowerPoint slides showing the Blockbuster logo. Of Kodak being disrupted by digital cameras, with a slide showing Kodak film next to an iPhone. Count on this, too. Last – there will at least one mention of Warren Buffett and his investing philosophy and how his philosophy applies to much more than investing.  None of my people would dare contradict a Buffett pearl of wisdom. Speakers know quoting Buffett will get lots of thinning brown-haired heads nodding. It's unimpeachable content. I've daydreamed of making a Meeting and Convention Bingo cards with squares filled with song titles, predictable Apple stories, predictable disruption stories, and the center square being “How is everyone today? I didn't hear you! HOW IS EVERYONE TODAY?” I'd pass them out at one of my conferences. They'd get some laughs. And I'd never ever ever ever be invited back. I'm Cam Marston, just trying to keep it real.

In today's Keepin It Real, Cam Marston laments the significant changes happening to the things that he once believed were fixed in place. Attitudes and beliefs once firmly held are vanishing. Even predictable things like football rankings have been deeply shaken.  ----- To say that our world is undergoing a remarkable paradigm shift today is a ridiculous understatement. Each morning I look over the headlines prepared to be blown away by how formerly predictable things are now upside down or simply gone. On the political front, an economist at a meeting a few years back told us it was coming. Political parties flip flop on key issues, he said, suddenly deciding that their power would be enhanced if they adopted the other party's position. He drew a four quadrant chart, showing how the parties were moving to replace each other on key positions. The Economist Magazine years ago wrote that the Republican's belief in balanced budgets and free trade would help the world by creating tighter alliances and enhanced dependance between countries to provide goods and services. Today, the Republicans are the party of the tariff and are working to eliminate treaties and alliances. The Democrats are now the ones trying to protect alliances and reduce tariffs. A complete flip flop. How does one abandon deeply held economic principles so quickly? It used to be that the Republicans were the party that championed character and integrity and honesty and truthfulness. They told Nixon they would no longer support him and encouraged him to resign when they learned he had willfully broken the law. They thrashed Bill Clinton when they learned of his affairs, saying he was morally unfit for the Presidency. Today? It's hard to imagine a leader with more dubious character and lack of ethics. His transgression list is a mile long. And today's Republicans? Not a word from them about it. They're good with it. The party of character and integrity is gone. How does one so quickly abandon character and integrity? We all once believed that playing time on the college football field was earned through quietly paying your dues and waiting your turn. We believed that the players on the field had earned their way onto the field and along the way they had developed a loyalty and appreciation for their school. We cheered for them because they had worked hard and waited in line and would love their alma mater just like so many of us do. Today? That's gone. Each game is the mercenaries versus the hessians. I wonder if they even know what team's jersey they wear and if they've ever been in a classroom at their school. I watch the games but I get sick when the announcer says a player is on his third school in three years. I watch but I don't like it like I used to. The final paradigm shift is that the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide lost their season opener and is ranked 21st in the second week of the season. Free trade gone. The republican's loss of ethics. No longer paying your dues to get playing time on the field. None of that compares the paradigm shift of the Tide being ranked 21st in week two. That's the one that gets me. That's the one that tells me things have gone squirrely. I bury my head in my hands and worry about what's next. It can't be worse than this. I'm Cam Marston and I'm just trying to Keep It Real.

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam discusses his largely sedentary life and the fulfillment he gets on the rare occasions he can see the results of his work.  ----- Most weeks, my work mainly involves pushing electrons around. I sit at a computer and do stuff. Recently it's been requests for short training videos for clients to use with their teams. I write scripts, edit scripts and record videos. Other weeks I prepare presentations. Lots of PowerPoint editing, lots of rehearsing content. Lots of time online. Lots of buying tickets. It's all sedentary stuff. Me plus a keyboard plus a computer plus a screen, pushing electrons. Last Saturday, though, was different. I was in Clark County at my father's property near Grove Hill. I climbed on a tractor shortly after 7:30am. It's a small John Deere with a scoop on the front and a mower on the back. I didn't climb off until well after 2pm. For about seven hours I mowed and pushed downed trees out of roads and fields. I was bitten by every biting insect in North America. My arms and neck got burned. My work pants smelled of diesel fuel. I added a couple more tears to my already torn work TShirt. My socks balled up inside my boots, sweaty, and my back hurt from lifting 50 lb bags of wheat. When I washed my hands, the white sink turned brown with dirt and dust that had stuck to my sweaty arms. A mystery bruise was beginning to ache and turn purple on my shoulder. I sat down in my father's small camp, told him I'm just going to close my eyes for a second, and fell solidly asleep. And I was deeply deeply happy. Pushing electrons is what I've chosen to do for a living. At the end of every day, I typically leave my office with my checklist complete. I make a large one on Monday, add a little bit to it each day, cross some stuff off, and by Friday have largely worked through it. But I do not get the satisfaction of seeing the fruits of my work. At the end of the bricklayer's workday, he can step back and see the progress he's made. He started there in the morning and is now finishing here. His progress is easy to see. Pushing electrons doesn't offer the same satisfaction. But that was not the case last Saturday. Fields and roads were mown. Trees were pushed away. Progress was obvious. And it felt good. And tiring. The soreness was welcome. And the nap on the couch was earned. Fall means it's time to cut firewood. It's the wood we'll use next fall, giving it a year to season and dry on the rack. I love cutting firewood. The feel of the chainsaw, going from tree to log to cut wood pieces to split pieces and the stack slowly growing in front of me. My hands rough and my back aching. Later, a cold beer and college football. And the sleep that night is an earned slumber. I live a largely sedentary life. I go to work and sit. Then on to a meeting and sit. Then on to the next place and sit. A day seeing the progress of my work is needed every now and then. Strangely, the bruises and the soreness and the exhaustion make me feel alive. I'm Cam Marston, just trying to keep it real.  

On this week's Keepin It Real, there are some arrogant folks showing up in Cam's life these days. They don't' commiserate with Cam's struggles. Instead, they gloat... ----- This is a commentary about a specific kind of quiet arrogance. It's in the background. But you know it when you hear it. These people are “just reporting the truth,” as they may say. It's not truth. It's haughty arrogance. And I'll tell you where I've run up against it recently. The first is citrus arrogance. I planted a satsuma tree in my yard many years ago and it has never produced one satsuma. I talk it. I water it. I play it Gloria Estafan. It's leafy and broad and growing, but no fruit. When I ask gardeners, their arrogance explodes. “Oh man!” they say. “My satsuma tree is overcome with satsumas. I bag them and give them to family. Then I bag more and give them to neighbors. Then I bag more and leave them on my curb hoping someone will take them away. I can't get close to the tree there are so many on the ground. You can probably see them from outer space. I have vitamin C poisoning. Even my dog is eating them” and on and on. “You know,” I say, “You don't have to boast so much about your dang tree.” “Hey! I'm just reporting the truth.” “Yes. A little too loudly” is my reply. My neighbor says his Satsumas taste like Starburst Fruit Chew candy and he gets tired of eating them. Ugh. Next are hummingbird people. “Do you have any hummingbirds yet,” they ask. “Yes,” I'll reply. “The first one arrived a week or so ago. It's a little female.” “Wow,” they shoot back. “I think I have fifty. Maybe a hundred. I feel like I'm in some sort of war zone with so many hummingbirds flying by my face and the sounds of their wings. You've heard what one bird's wings sounds like? Imagine a hundred buzzing all over the place. It's a roar. I added a few more feeders to allow them to spread out but they brought in more hummingbirds. I think I have two hundred now. Maybe a thousand. I can't hardly go outside anymore. Aren't they magical?” Yes. Like you disappearing right now would be magical. “Hey! I'm just reporting the truth,” they say. Blech. Finally, orchid people. I have a knotty cypress stump full of holes and I want help turning it into an orchid planter. But having an orchid person in Alabama, Georgia, or Florida call me back with some advice is darn near impossible. “Ha!” I can hear them saying, “If he doesn't know how to do that, he won't learn it from me! Our orchid club is closed.” They can cite every orchid's family, genus, and species articulated perfectly in Latin and they flash a look of contempt when you can't do the same. It's a club and they're quick to point out that you're not in it. And they won't tell you how to get in and they won't return your calls even if you leave several messages at the so called “Master Gardener Hotline.” Which is a crock. They'll deny it of course. “We're not arrogant,” they'll say. “We're not hoarding information. We're not trying to keep you out.” Ha. I'm just reporting the truth. I'm Cam Marston and I'm just trying to Keep It Real.  

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam and his family grieve the loss of their family pet. It was sudden. Their dog, Lucy, was with them for nine and a half years and they buried her late at night in the back yard.   ----- The saying is that our dogs will greet us when we get to heaven. I sure hope so. We lost Lucy, our family pet of nine and a half years last night in what was one of the most tragic and heartbreaking nights I've ever been a part of. What was diagnosed as kennel cough turned into something different. At 9:30 I was preparing for bed. At 11:30 I was shoveling dirt on top of Lucy's grave along with my wife and children. We had been at the emergency animal hospital in hopes that they could do something. The dog died in my wife's arms on the way as I was furiously driving through red lights with the hazard lights flashing and sobs from my wife and daughters crying out. I'll never forget it. Lucy was a good dog. She was my wife's dog. We've wondered repeatedly what we missed seeing, what we did wrong, my wife especially. Lots of tears late last night. Lots of tears this morning. Losing the dog was hard. Watching my wife lose the dog is what's hurting so bad. What is it about the magic of a dog that captures us so? Why do we connect to them so well? So deeply? People have grieved over the loss of pets for centuries. The Egyptians mummified their dogs so they would join them in the afterlife. Odysseus's dog, Argos, recognizes him after twenty years and Odysseus struggles to hold back tears and that story was written in the 8th century BCE. Dogs make meaningful eye contact. They show emotions. Their personalities become parts of our households. We talk to them. We complain to them. We sing to them. They never complain. They never walk away. They live fully in each moment, and their main aim in life is to please you and me, all for a simple scratch or a belly rub. All they want are these short moments of interaction. I didn't realize how much I liked Lucy. She and I had a simple ritual each morning when she'd come to my morning reading chair and place her chin on my knee and ask for attention. I made a fuss of putting my book and coffee down and scratching her, telling her she was selfish and greedy, but I loved it that she wanted my attention; that my attention meant so much to her. I didn't realize how much I liked her and that I'd be missing her so much right now. I can see the fresh dirt along the fence in the back yard from the grave we dug last night. There were lots of tears as each of us took turns tossing dirt into the grave. In time the leaves and pine straw will cover the dirt and Lucy will fade in our memories like the other dogs we've had. But this one is hurting right now. And the only joy I can find in any of it is the image of Lucy waiting in heaven for my wife. Tail wagging. Head up. Front feet tapping in anticipation. You were a good dog, Lucy. You'll be missed. I'm Cam Marston and I'm just trying to Keep It Real.

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam Marston got some blowback from a social media post this week. He asks us, "How do you deal with haters?" ----- One year ago, I set a goal to paddle board across Mobile Bay. I completed that goal in May. The second part of the goal was to write about the challenge and be paid to have it printed. That was completed last week when the story was carried in Mobile Bay Magazine. I will get a small payment in a week or so. A year's planning, researching, note-taking, exercising, preparing and lots of paddling later, the goal was entirely met. Pretty cool. Yesterday, Mobile Bay magazine made posts about my paddle with links taking readers to the story and I received a good bit of social media attention as a result.  The vast majority of the social media comments were very positive and congratulatory. Today's commentary is about the ones that weren't. No sooner had the magazine posted the story than a handful of people jumped in to denigrate my effort. Some said that my paddle across the Bay wasn't that hard and that they could do it. Essentially, my effort wasn't worthy of the attention I was receiving. Others said they know people who swim across the bay and that my paddle, again, wasn't much of an accomplishment. And let me say again, the vast majority of comments were very positive, but what makes people want to attack other's accomplishments? What triggers haters? There's a type of person that simply can't let others be acknowledged without debasing their achievements. Unfortunately, they're everywhere. They lurk in shadows waiting to leap out and knock down someone's efforts. Is it possible to scroll through social media and NOT attack other's success? Certainly. But some can't. Or won't. What is it about these people? Remarkably, I sat this morning after reading some of these comments and began questioning if my paddle board crossing was truly that hard? Maybe they were right? Did I overblow the effort seeking some sort of vainglory? It didn't take long for me to answer No. All aspects of this goal were a difficult challenge and when I finished crossing the Bay the pain and exhaustion I felt were very real. A superhero athlete could have done it easily. Me? It was a true struggle. Discouragement is a powerful drug. It's meant to stoke the ego of the pusher. And the ego, unchecked, always compares, elevates and separates. It says I've judged you, I'm different and I'm better. It's the motive of the hater. I knew none of the people who tried to devalue my effort. I think none of them knew me. Anonymity is key to haters. If there is a message here, it's one you and I have already heard before - it's to keep achieving. Keep making things happen. Set goals, do bold and audacious things. Let the haters try to knock you down but don't flinch. Don't even turn your head. Accept helpful criticism but ignore the rest. Because when they're judging, evaluating and separating they're dying inside due to their personal weakness. We'll never be rid of them, but we can devalue them.  And maybe, in time, like gnats and mosquitos, they'll go away. I'm Cam Marston and I'm just trying to keep it real.

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam and a client discuss employee retention issues and he shares and idea that may get you through any business turmoil that may lie ahead.  ----- On a call with an upcoming client this week I was discussing one of their challenges. They're having a hard time recruiting and retaining young talent. “But here's something we did recently,” my client said, “that may have some sort of impact. We added a snack pantry to the office kitchen and it's been a huge hit.” "Tell me more," I said. “Well,” she said. “Our young employees know they should have health insurance, and they do, and they know they should have a 401k, which they do. But neither of those items are very important to young people who seldom need those things right now. They're like a boxes that needs to be checked – and they are - but they aren't very fun. So, we decided to add something that our young employees could use right now. We added a snack panty and included a new refrigerator.” She said, “I fill the pantry each week with new and different snacks. Some healthy and some not healthy. They love it and have told me so.” Other than people happily snacking in the kitchen, I asked, has there been any other benefit? I mean a snack pantry and a new refrigerator is a high price to pay just to get happy snackers. “We invested in a fancy coffee maker,” she said. “It grinds the beans for each cup and it can make hot chocolate. It takes a moment or two to make each cup. In the kitchen we added an island. And while people are waiting for their coffee, they stand around the island and talk.” I reminded her that during the pandemic, a big complaint from corporate types was that creativity in the workplace was taking a hit due to a lack of spontaneous interactions. There are no spontaneous interactions over Zoom or on a Teams call. Bumping into someone and catching up often stimulates new ideas and there are buckets of business school case studies about this. The Pixar movie Toy Story, in fact, was supposed to be as good as it was due to Pixar people and Apple people chatting in common areas when they were making the movie and shared office space. They'd bump into each other and talk about the plot. “That's happening,” she said. “Around the island, they catch up with each other and discuss their work and projects. It's become an unexpected benefit of the snack kitchen. We'd be foolish to shoo them away or hurry them back to their desks.” Back in the day the tech companies offered pinball machines and foosball tables in break rooms? Remember this? I thought that was crazy. Could it be, though, that this iPhone in my hand was conceived by two workers standing next to each other at a foosball table discussing an idea that eventually led to this phone? And could it be that the next major business breakthrough comes from a pack of string cheese you put in the office fridge and then sent a Teams message that read “Free string cheese in the fridge. Please help yourself.” Worried about tariffs? Worried about a recession? Consider the potential of string cheese. It's an idea so powerful you'd think it originated in Washington DC. I'm Cam Marston and I'm just trying to Keep It Real.

On today's Keepin It Real, Cam wishes us a happy Independence Day and reminds us that on July 4th, 1776, nearly thirty percent of the population didn't want it. ----- Happy Fourth of July. Our nation's independence. It's a big deal. I don't think we feel it today like generations did in the past. The significance of it is likely lost on many of us. Those that fought in wars have a different type of appreciation for the Fourth of July but there are so many fewer of them today than there were. In 1980, about twenty percent of our population had served in the military. Today that number is closer to six percent. And less than three percent of our adult population has ever seen combat, this all from ChatGPT, by the way. So the veterans that have a special connection to July Fourth are such a small, small group. To most of us, today is a day where we sleep in a bit, get outside a bit, and hope to end the night with all ten fingers intact after shooting fireworks. We'll certainly see those stories on social media tomorrow– please don't let it be you. And in our remarkably divided country, both sides will make passionate speeches about liberty and freedom. Both sides will make claims that they're defending the country evil, which is the other party. Both sides will get cheers for their stances and jeer at the other party for theirs. Both sides convinced the other side is the root of nearly every problem from dud firecrackers to eczema to their bike's flat tire. “What do I do about this?”, I asked a friend last week. “What is my responsibility to this turmoil? To this hate?” She lives and works in New York City and had her non-profit's funding eliminated. Her answer was simple. Go talk to people, she said. Simply try to be a nice person. Try to understand. Maybe we will see the humanity in the other person and, we hope, they'll see it in us. Another I spoke to this week said he believes in pendulum swings and right now the pendulum has swung far in one direction. And just like a pendulum, the momentum can only last so long before it stops and reverses course. We celebrate July 4th for the bold decisions that led to the world we live in today. But in 1776 as much as thirty percent of the population opposed independence. And as much as forty percent didn't care one way or the other. Again, all of this courtesy of my new best friend ChatGPT. So, in 1776, a minority of our nation, about forty five percent, made cataclysmic decisions that we live with today. There must have been very heated discussions. Massive assumptions about those they disagreed with. However, to be able to discuss the direction our country is going in, to have a role in it, however small, I think we can agree, is a privilege. So today, for me, I'm going to focus on my good fortune to live in a place where I have some small input into our nation's direction. Though I feel like honesty, civility, and character are out of fashion right now, I believe the pendulum will eventually swing back. And, perhaps, I can speed up it's return by having some sincere conversations with people I disagree with. Consider joining me, please. Let's do this together. I'm Cam Marston and I'm just tyring to Keep it Real.

Host: Charles iamBranded MadisonGuest: Tha Realest (2012)Season: 13 Episode: 13http://www.nexxlegacy.comhttp://www.nexxlegacy.com/partners#Nexxlegacy #Radio #Podcast

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam Marston seems to think writers are a good bit like Labrador retrievers - they can't not chase the stick. And writer can't not tell a story. ----- I stepped into the Mobile Literary Festival back in April not knowing what to expect. What I found surprised me and, ultimately, inspired me. Here's what happened. But first - I used to own labrador retrievers. I learned they could never not chase the stick. Or the socks. Or the pinecone. Whenever I tossed something, they had to go after it. They couldn't control themselves. It was who they were. It was in their bones. What I found at the Mobile Literary Festival was kind of the same – these people could not NOT tell a story. They had to write the stories that they witnessed or that were forming in their heads. They had to write. Few of the people made any real money from their writing. Maybe enough for a meal once a month or a load of groceries. Most of them did it for the joy of the hobby and the joy of commiserating with their fellow writers about the challenges of writing and telling their stories. I loved these people. I got the same feeling sitting with these writers as I do when I stand at the finish line of a long road race and watch people who have no God-given running talent push themselves over the finish line. They do it out of desire, deep perseverance, and guts. They just want to do it. And I loved ‘em. They inspired me. To celebrate these writers, I pitched an idea to Alabama Public Radio. “Let's create a space,” I said, “where Alabama based writers can have their voices heard. And I want to feature the ones that aren't famous. The ones who, like a labrador retriever, can't not tell their stories.” They agreed to give it a try. So on Wednesday, July 9th at 7:30pm, we're launching this thing. It will be a thirty-minute segment of one writer reading his or her work. Maybe it's original for the broadcast, maybe it's a chapter of a book they've written or are working on. Who knows. It'll be writers reading their own stuff. John Nielsen. Remember his name. He'll be one of the first ones. His story is called Angels of Fire in the Kudzu Realm. It's awesome. Jodie Cain Smith will read from her newest book. She uses her theater training to really really read her story well. Rob Herndon has been working on a book for years and will read Chapter Two. You're going to love his characters. And Lynn Oldshue has been telling people's stories for years. She met a bunch of folks who were roaming around the docks getting a peek at the US United States which is tied up here in Mobile. She tells their stories. And the writers inspired me so much that I give fiction a shot for the first time since my creative writing class back in college. I loved it but it was harder than I remember. But I loved it. Put it on your calendar – July 9th at 7:30pm. We're calling it the Alabama Writer's Wednesday Night Showcase. It's new. It's different. And I don't think there's anything like it anywhere out there. This will be fun. I'm Cam Marston and I'm just trying to Keep it Real.

On this week's Keepin It Real, is Cam talking to his plants? Talking to himself. Both? And what's the message? ----- I use this commentary quite a bit as therapy. If I'm trying to work something out, I've learned that writing about it then speaking it helps in some way or another. One of the most recent themes that regular listeners may recognize is this transition into whatever the next chapter of my life will be. Every morning, the mirror reflects the changes taking place on the outside and I wonder when the change will impact the inner parts of me. My mother used to get up in the mornings, get her coffee, and in her robe go out onto her back patio and check on her plants. I remember her bending over them and touching some of them and then talking to them a bit. Maybe she'd clip a flower whose bloom had faded and offer some encouragement to the plant to send her another flower. I thought it was ridiculous up until a few weeks ago when I realized I was now doing it, too. A coffee, a step onto the patio, a visit to my orchids that, people tell me, should be inside but sure appear happier outside. My one-year-old potted lemon tree that is putting on so much growth but, as yet, no lemons. I give it a short motivational speech – you can do it lemon tree. I see your potential. You have what it takes. You're a good-looking tree and I can tell your lemons will be great. Focus. Stay the course. I'll take care of you. Then on to the staghorn fern that hangs at the corner of the patio that's doing so well. I gently touch the fronds and compliment the fern on such strong and green shoots. My last visit every morning is to my oncidium orchid, better known as a dancing lady orchid. That orchid and I have been together a long time. It grows well. It appears happy. I changed its soil earlier in the spring and put it back in the same pot and gave it a good bit of orchid food. It quickly put on big new leaves and it continues to show, from all I can see on the outside, that it's happy. But it hasn't bloomed in a long while. I check every day for a tiny bloom spike to show me that it's truly happy and wants to express its joy, but nothing. And I say to it, “You have everything I know how to give you for you to thrive. But it's like you're waiting for something more, some big out side force to identify that there's something inside of you that you need to take that next big leap forward to express your joy. You're waiting for something to excite you and tease you into blooming again, for you to give the world what you know is in there, aching to come out and share. But you're not sure what's in there and how to get it out. When you were younger and smaller, getting you to bloom wasn't hard. Today, though, I can see that inside you, something missing.” And I take my coffee back inside, and sit quietly for a while, realizing what I've just said. I'm Cam Marston and I'm just trying to Keep It Real.

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam Marston stands at the register at a coffee shop and what comes out of his mouth is a complete surprise to him. ----- Last week I bought a coffee and a T-Shirt at a coffee shop. And at that awkward moment when the person at the register spins the pad around for me to sign and enter a tip amount, I asked the guy “How much should I tip you for this?” I've never asked that question before. The moment I thought about asking it was after I had said it. Tipping has gotten out of hand. A few weeks back at a hotel in Colorado, every transaction at the hotel automatically included a 25% tip and then space on the bill to add more. At the hotel coffee shop, I'd buy a coffee, they'd hand me an empty cup and point me to the coffee pots across the way, and then ask for a tip. Then ask me to “round up” for some sort of something, adding more money to the transaction. You and I are paying a lot more for what we used to get and then doing the work ourselves. More and more people want you and me to add money to our transactions for doing their job. I know I sound old and curmudgeonly but, dang it, it's getting out of hand. That's why this transaction at the coffee shop stood out. “How much should I tip you for this?” I asked. The guy said, “Nothing. I've done my job. I poured you a coffee and rung you up in the register. You don't even want a bag for your T Shirt. There is no tip necessary.” I wept. I tell people that if I order food or drink standing up I don't tip. You shouldn't tip for service if you're standing. That's what I say. That's my rule. However, follow me around you'd see that I seldom obey my own rule. That awkward moment when the person at the register is waiting for you to add your tip so they can complete the transaction. They're watching and I give in nearly every time. I'm weak. Similarly, my wife and I recently changed homeowners insurance. I then got an email to download their contractor's app and a page of instructions about how to use their app to take photos and videos of my house so they can confirm the insurance quote. In addition to downloading the app, it would require complex passwords, two-step authentications, and, likely headaches and time on the phone with their service team. Though branding it as a simple tool that wouldn't take much time, they were asking me to do their job. I simply replied to the email that I'm not going to do it. That's their job, that's what I'm paying them for. I could sense the eye-rolls on the other side and they said they'd send out a representative to collect the information. A small win. If you agree with me, if you're frustrated about paying more and more for what you're getting and doing their job along the way, let me hear from you. Send me a donation and I'll continue to beat this drum on our behalf. And don't forget to round up. I'm Cam Marston and I'm just trying to Keep it Real.

On this week's Keepin It Real, lots of people celebrated last week. Cam was one of them. It was a case of determination unwavering belief that was finally rewarded. ----- So, after six years, Blaine finally got the call. I remember during the pandemic my wife and I rode our children's bikes down the center of the street late one evening to our friend's house for a cocktail. It was strange to have no traffic at that hour. At their house we sat outside and chatted for a while. Blaine was home and he and his sister stood in the back yard playing an improvised game hitting ping pong balls with a dowel across the yard. They'd toss it and smack it. I marveled at how hard it must be to hit such a tiny ball with a tinier bat but they both did, repeatedly. Having fun with each other while they were sent home from school, waiting for the pandemic to ease so they could return to their worlds. I hoped they wouldn't ask me to take a swing. I would never have made contact. Blaine was a solid player in high school. Then an even better player in college. Then he stood out in single a, then double a, and now in triple a. At each level, he figured out how to succeed, winning awards along the way. And whenever he was at home visiting his parents and friends, he was a nice guy. We like him. Everyone does. That was clear at his wedding. He has a deep support system. And Blaine finally got the call. Along the way, Blaine had developed an army of supporters. Coaches, teachers, parents, pastors, friends, neighbors, church congregations. We'd each invested a small piece of our hearts along the way, and each of us harbored a silent hope that that this young man's determination would pay off. He never wavered. We saw something enviable in him. It wasn't only his remarkable baseball talent. It was his belief in himself. Thursday, a cancelled flight stranded my wife and me in Colorado. We tried to make the best of it. Today is a great day, my wife said, because the experts say that just saying that can change your attitude. So, we sat with a drink, determined that it was a great day. I heard her gasp as she looked into her phone. Blaine's mom and dad had checked out of their beach hotel in Florida after just a few hours and were driving home to catch a flight. Blaine was playing that night in Arlington and then on Tuesday in Boston. They would be there. No questions, because Blaine finally got the call. My wife and Blaine's mom spoke. Her eyes got wet. Blaine's mom and dad were busting it down I-10, vacation abandoned. After hundreds and hundreds of games and countless more practices and dues paying, Blaine finally got the call. He had never wavered. He was headed to the majors. My wife and I toasted Blaine and his family, now both of our eyes wet, on this great day. Because Blaine finally got the call. And in a way, we all did. Good luck, Blaine. Win or lose, we got your back. All of us. Count on it. I'm Cam Marston and I'm just trying to keep it real.    

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam wonders if we have what it takes any more. If the thumbs up button is as far as we'll go or as much as we'll do. ----- David Brooks wrote a column in the New York Times last week calling for a, quote “comprehensive national civic uprising.” There are well over four thousand comments with most being something along the lines of “Yes. It's about time. Someone should do something.” Brooks' says the Trump administration has gone too far, that we are indeed in a constitutional crisis, and it's time to act. But, I wonder, do we have what it takes to act? Or have we gotten used to saying “yeah, that's a problem but it's someone else's problem, not mine” and maybe hit the thumbs up button. I'm going to change the subject. I've had some tense conversations with my Christian friends when I tell them that it's much easier to worship than to be a practitioner of their faith. Worshipping Jesus is easy. We go to church. We pray before meals. We ask for blessings in his name. Maybe wear a crucifix. That's worshipping. It's public. Visible. And, frankly, easy compared to what he actually asked us to do. “Don't bother with worshiping me,” he essentially said. “Follow me.” Do what I do. Behave the way I behave. Luke, Chapter Six, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do what I tell you?” There many similar versus throughout the New Testament.  But do any of us have what it takes to do what he told us? Few. Very few. Because that's hard and, today, puts us at odds with what's happening in our nation. “I'm good with the Lord. I went to Church on Easter.” Well how about that guy who was sent mistakenly to prison in El Salvador?  We say, “Yea. That's awful. He shouldn't have been caught up in whatever he was caught up with. I'll pray for him.” And that's it. But if we were truly practitioners, not simply worshippers, what would we do to help he imprisoned, he poor, the neglected?  We'd do something active with our feet, not simply bring our hands together and mention the poor guy over grace before dinner. Does this nation today, supposedly packed with Christians, have what it takes to act Christ-like anymore? Or are we all so fat and content that we let abuses fly and we'll simply click the thumbs-up and offer our BS thoughts and prayers? I'm disgusted by what's happening out there. I'm disgusted by the way so many of the Universities and law firms, supposedly bastions established to spread open thinking and to uphold democracy, are rolling over like puppies on the teat. There are protesters, but I'm disgusted by how many of us – me included – are watching and not practicing our faith. We were once a proud nation who pitied the banana republics run by bullies with no character and integrity. We would act to protect the weak, the poor, the vulnerable. Whether you agreed with or not, we knew this country would act. Now, we don't even act on it inside our own borders. We are a nation supposedly full of Christians who, despite what our Christ asked of us, feel contented to only worship and not practice our faith. Prove me wrong. Please! I'm Cam Marston and I'm just trying to Keep It Real.

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam Marston shares what exhausts him and how a good conversation is hard to find. ----- It was 1,000 one-minute conversations. A collection of people who all were within a degree, maybe a half a degree, of separation. Hardly a meaningful chat and as the event wore on, the meaningfulness of the chats dwindled further. For so little conversation, it was exhausting. I think maybe that conversations that skim along the veneer of content are more taxing than digging into content. I don't know. But when I left, I was completely spent. I'm like so many other people claiming that technology has impacted today's youth's ability to communicate. I bemoan their addicted behaviors when it comes to their phones. Technology has impacted their ability to talk, I say, or to hold a conversation, or to make eye contact. Today's technology has made them only interested in what everyone else is doing or saying, unable to engage with what's happening right here, right now, right in front of them. However, my own behavior at this event wasn't much different than the complaints I make about them. I can imagine how I looked, flitting from person to person, hardly engaging anyone, only looking for what's next and who else was there. The event was spectacular. I was the problem. Not long ago I read about a couple who were invited to a dinner party. They normally decline these invitations because they abhor small talk; it wears them out. The host, however, insisted and the couple begrudgingly showed up, fake smiles pasted on their faces. Once the final guests arrived and all were seated for dinner, the host asked a bombshell question: “How do each of you deal with your marital conflicts?” After a moment of stunned silence, the couples began sharing their stories and their tactics and their lessons learned. There was no small talk to be had. It was an immediate deep dive into meaningful content. The reluctant couple had said to each other they'd stay until it was acceptable to leave. They had their departure excuse rehearsed. However, they ended up staying until well after midnight and left energized by the conversations, not depleted. I had lunch with a guy a while back. I had shared a book I enjoyed with him weeks before. When he and I sat down, I asked him what he felt his purpose in life were, which was a major element of the book. When his tone changed and he began subtly mocking me thinking I didn't notice, I realized I had rushed things. It was too soon for that question. Was it too soon in our lunch? Too soon in our friendship? I don't know. We both hurried the lunch to a close and he's avoided me ever since. I was searching for meaningful content and assumed he'd join me. He was having none of it and none of me. It's too bad, too. He's an interesting guy. Like most people my age, I'm old enough now that I know a good number of people. I wanted that at one point and, well, here I am. However, at my age, I'm old enough now to realize that I want to know, truly know, many, many fewer. I'm Cam Marston and I'm just trying to Keep It Real.

The guys talk about Travis Hunter's hot take about Ohtani, LeBron reaches 50,000 career points, and the path to finding one's self. Pull up a chair and join the conversation!

On today's Keepin It Real, Cam reports back about his most memorable event on his recent trip to Brazil. He traveled a long way to come back with this... ------ Cachaca is a Brazilian alcohol that was first made by the slaves the Portuguese brought to Brazil. It's sugar cane based. Very sweet. And like gumbo, red beans and rice, jazz music, and the Mississippi delta blues among other things, it was what the poor people created due to a lack of resources and that the wealthy people eventually wanted. Crazy how that works so predictably. It's like clockwork.  Anyway, my wife and I were enjoying our first cocktail made of cachaca by the pool last week in a small coastal community north of Sao Paulo called Paraty. However, we struggled to enjoy the drink. And I'm certain you can relate to what happened. It's become a meme - There was someone in an environment too small for their voice, talking too loudly. It was loud people having private conversations on the phone in small spaces. Loud Zoom calls in coffee shops. You've witnessed this. In our case it was a British couple lying in lounge chairs by the pool on speakerphone with their daughter talking about finding her an apartment in London. The father, to be heard, raised his voice to nearly a yell so the phone would hear him from three feet away. Well, my wife and I heard him, neighbors living next to the hotel heard him, the birds in the trees on the coast heard him, the shop owner across town, people in the next city over and the Uruguayans 1000 miles to the south also heard him. We didn't want to, but we learned a lot about this family and their dysfunctional and helpless daughter. Our relaxing drink tasted like cachaca, lime, and disgust. Around the pool were two other couples. We met and stood talking in the pool. They were really nice. One couple had been traveling since January 1st. They were recently retired and described retirement as having three distinct phases – Go Time, Slow Time, and then, No Time. Go Time is travel. Slow Time too old to travel and now you sit around the house. No Time is travel back and forth to your final doctor appointments. They retired early to have a longer Go Time and were doing it up right. They were telling us about how they planned their extensive trips then, and I promise I'm not making this up, the British man got into the pool and began swimming laps right through middle of us three couples and another guy who had joined us. We stood there in water up to our waists in disbelief. He kicked right through us, splashing us, no more than a foot or two away as he came by. I'd never seen anything like it. Was it aggressive? Or was it just plain clueless? Anyway, the three different couples plus the one guy decided not to move. And he kept swimming. We'd pause our chat as he swam through. It's sad that after traveling about 18 hours to get to a place way off my radar and another 18 hours to get back home, the only story I have from my trip is about a British man in our pool. Which makes me want to drink lots of cachaca. I'm Cam Marston and I'm just trying to Keep It Real.        

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam reacts to a text from a friend about the hopelessness she feels today as a result of the new presidential administration. There are two sides to this, Cam says. And the healing must begin within. But it won't be easy. ----- There are those of you listening right now filled with anxiety and rage. You can't believe our nation is full of people who care so little for truth, honesty, and compassion. You can't believe that you know people, lots of people, who are willing to abandon truth, honesty, and compassion to win. This is not how you were taught to live as a child. These are not the lessons of Aesop's fables. There is nothing in the New Testament that says this is Ok. However, there are others of you out there equally mystified. “How can you not want this?” you're asking. How can you not see that our future, both each of us individually and as a nation, will be better? We're returning to dominance. We're getting rid of the cheaters and the thieves who have slipped in and are stealing opportunity from you and me. We're making them pay. We're righting wrongs. This is what this nation is about. This is who we are. We've strayed and we're now, finally, returning to who we should be. How can you not see this? No argument from either of you will win. No data will convince either of you of anything. No clever wording. No quoting the constitution. No biblical chapter or verse. Deadlocked. Both sides deadlocked. Anxiety and rage. Both sides. Dr Carl Rogers was an American Psychologist who, in 1982, was listed as the most influential psychotherapist in history. Of his many accomplishments, there is one practice of his that I'm using – well, that I'm trying to use – in my interactions with others. It's called Unconditional Positive Regard. It's a framework for listening and helping even with those whose opinions are diametrically opposite our own. It's a learned discipline and it's not easy. Unconditional Positive Regard assumes that this person in front of each of us has worth, this person in front of us can grow, they can change, they're eager to learn, they're curious, they are a person of value. Unconditional Positive Regard. You can see how this powerful outlook can benefit a therapist in their interactions with patients. You can see how someone hoping to pull the best out of another person, who still has hope for the other person, could and perhaps SHOULD engage them with a mindset of unconditional positive regard. It's hard, though. It's very hard. Especially when what some of you have seen of others brings this quote to mind: “When you worship power, compassion and mercy will look like sins.” To many of you that's what it looks like out there today. It's obvious to say, but compassion is not a sin. Mercy is not a sin. None of us should ever hold back on either. And perhaps for all of you listening right now filled with anxiety and rage, holding each other in unconditional positive regard might be step one in healing…ourselves. I'm Cam Marston, just trying to keep it real.

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