Podcasts about Kleenex

Dear star friends, Episode 216 of StarSound Speaks is here! Part 2 of my chat with mystic astrologer and yogic devotee Erin Reese goes into even deeper territory. Where was my Kleenex?? Whew! Yes, this is an outstanding Sag Season. Blessed to have Erin as tour guide. Enjoy! THE ADVENTURES OF BINDI GIRL: DIVING DEEP INTO THE HEART OF INDIA https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Bindi-Girl-Diving-Heart-ebook/dp/B004SBP6X8 BINDI GIRL 2: SURRENDERING TO THE SOUL OF INDIA (out in Jan!)

Jodi and Chris of Love and the Outcome have been through the hardest season of their lives.  First, their record label was sold. Then COVID shut the word down and like other musicians, Jodi and her husband Chris had no way to do shows and provide income for their family. Then their house flooded and was basically destroyed. They were displaced for over a year and a half. Then their trailer was stolen containing all their music gear and some things they managed to save from the flood.  All gone. It was literally, one crisis after another, and no way they could fix it themselves. But God.  Join me for this amazing story and conversation with the irrepressible Jodi King and hear how God showed up in the everyday miracles of people being good humans. Jodi says it's seasons like this, that you really learn WHO God is. There is so much wisdom to glean in this conversation you may want to take notes and have the Kleenex nearby.  

« L'accident tu ne le choisis pas, » affirme Gary Anssens à propos du moment décisif qui a rebattu les cartes et aussi donné un coup d'accélérateur à sa vie. En place pour découvrir un autodidacte qui évoque ses failles avec transparence. Gary raconte avec générosité comment les épreuves ont fait de lui un entrepreneur pas comme les autres. La preuve en chiffres : 2,5 millions de colis et 171 millions d'euros de chiffre d'affaires en 2021 3000 nouveaux produits par mois L'entrée au capital par Décathlon en 2019 On y parle bien sûr de cyclisme, de l'entraînement à la revente de vélos d'occasion, mais pas trop, n'ayez pas peur ! On a surtout décomposé le e-commerce et tous les enjeux auxquels Alltricks fait face. Bourrée d'anecdotes, la conversation touche plusieurs points saillants du secteur : Comment faire émerger un site e-commerce sans trafic ? Que penser de la tendance des marketplace ? Comment acheter du stock quand on n'a pas un rond ? Comment repenser l'exécution logistique et l'enjeu du dernier kilomètre de la livraison ? Que peuvent faire les acteurs du e-commerce face à l'enjeu de développement durable ? Comment grandir sans devenir Décathlon ? Enfin, Gary se livre avec vulnérabilité et parle sans détour des émotions : Dans le e-commerce qui n'en a pas assez Dans la vie qui en déborde Et de comment se servir de la colère pour générer de l'énergie constructive Sortez les Kleenex pour cette conversation qui ne manquera pas de vous chambouler ! Et s'il vous manquait la motivation pour vous mettre au vélo, la voici - utilisez le code DOIT pour découvrir la gamme Alltricks avec 5% de réduction sur l'ensemble du site ! TIMELINE : 00:06:48 - Présentation 00:29:39 - L'évolution du e-commerce 01:11:10 - La croissance de Alltricks 01:39:00 - L'entrée au capital de Décathlon 02:28:39 - Son équilibre : famille et sport On a cité avec Gary plusieurs anciens épisodes de GDIY : #COVID-19 9 - Olivier Goy - October #194 Philippe Corrot #200 Tristan Vyskoc #239 Axel Allétru #280 Loïc Le Meur #284 Pierre Edouard Stérin Gary vous recommande de lire : The Infinite Game, Simon Sinek Avec Gary, on a parlé de : La belle vie - Paul Lê Tony Hsieh Bienvenue chez les fous, Thierry Pick Et s'il vous manquait la motivation pour vous mettre au vélo, la voici - utilisez le code DOIT pour découvrir la gamme Alltricks ! La musique du générique vous plaît ? C'est à Morgan Prudhomme que je la dois ! Contactez-le sur : https://studio-module.com. Vous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ? Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire. Un big up aux soignants et on embrasse Marie que Gary n'oubliera jamais ! Vous pouvez envoyer un message Gary sur Linkedin et par mail sur gary@alltricks.com.

This week we pounce on Black Panther Wakanda Forever (spoiler alert!), then shift to the fantastic Supa Modo, a movie that we hope you will immediately seek out and watch.  Be warned – bring a whole case of Kleenex for these two.  #blackpanther #wakandaforever #blackpantherwakandaforever #letitiawright #supamodo #marvel #namor #mbaku #shuri #styciewaweru #okoye #winstonduke

901. WWII spawned a bunch of new words, including "boffin" and "bonkers." We'll look into the history of these fun words and more in honor of Veterans Day. Plus, we'll talk about why an Australian called her desk being on fire, "a bit of an issue."| Transcript:  https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/wwii-words-a-bit-of-an-issue-kleenex/transcript| The segment on "a bit" is written by Isabelle Burke, Research Fellow in Linguistics, the Faculty of Arts, Monash University. It originally appeared on Monash Lens and appears here through a Creative Commons license.| My first WWII word round-up.| Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates.| Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.| Peeve Wars card game. | Grammar Girl books. | HOST: Mignon Fogarty| VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) or https://sayhi.chat/grammargirl| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.Audio engineer: Nathan SemesEditor: Adam CecilAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly HutchingsIntern: Kamryn Lacy| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.| Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Twitter. Facebook. Instagram. LinkedIn.

This week, Melanie visits the child casino, Brianne alienates everyone she loves over Skee-Ball, oysters definitely oyster, Melanie brings up Tendongate, Brianne recommends Kleenex and lotion if your bracket is going poorly, a building is(n't) in very good shape, Barry is silly, we piss Disney off again, underwear are not priority in a crisis, Brianne has a bougie butt, and a firefighter is very shy.Content warnings: structural collapse with many fatalities, 15 year old in peril who survives, fire, deaths of pets (non-graphic), extended missing person searches.Links:https://www.townofsurfsidefl.gov/docs/default-source/default-document-library/town-clerk-documents/champlain-towers-south-public-records/8777-collins-ave---structural-field-survey-report.pdf?sfvrsn=882a1194_2https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=20974547-condo-board-lhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfside_condominium_collapsehttps://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/25/us/miami-building-collapse-surfside.htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo6wZqOaKaE Barry What do you take? https://www.thetowntalk.com/story/news/investigations/2021/09/22/surfside-collapse-pet-owners-angry-officials-over-rescue-efforts/5816522001/?fbclid=IwAR3cEKCpmWyrS58udTPwvwAc_RWLfTzcQpWon30sTGFp0umChx8Arhqlenkhttps://people.com/human-interest/crews-searched-collapsed-florida-condo-for-missing-pets-before-demolition/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/condo-collapse-cat-survivor-binx-reunited-family/https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-miami-area-condo-collapse/2021/06/29/1010976101/timeline-what-we-know-so-far-about-what-led-up-to-the-surfside-condo-collapsehttps://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/surfside-condo-collapse-jonah-handler-survivor-lawsuit-1372434/https://www.local10.com/news/local/2022/06/24/surfside-building-collapse-my-escape-was-like-mission-impossible/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ9Jt1zPDMA&t=15shttps://www.newsweek.com/collapsed-miami-condo-units-surfside-still-listed-sale-champlain-towers-south-1650265https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-miami-area-condo-collapse/2021/06/26/1010542570/florida-condo-structural-damage-engineers-report-surfside-miamihttps://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/26/us/miami-building-collapse-investigation.htmlhttps://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-miami-area-condo-collapse/2021/06/27/1010710735/surfside-official-told-residents-their-building-was-safe-despite-engineers-warnihttps://www.wpbf.com/article/surfside-building-collapse-condo-payments-millions-repairs/36861980#https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2021/06/26/condo-collapse-victim-stacie-fang/5353661001/https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/miami-florida-building-collapse-06-26-21-intl/h_3219fee2dc1f535221d08b06cae7b3b6https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article253088463.htmlhttps://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2022/06/23/surfside-florida-condo-collapse-what-we-know-one-year/7627176001/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/25/us/miami-building-collapse-surfside.html

Jay, Allyson and Chelsea are shooting their Emagine trailer in a few days. Why is Allyson showing Chelsea what's in her Kleenex? A man was reunited with his service dog in Feeling Good in the D.

How important is it for Christians go to church? And not just any church…but a healthy church. In this episode we're presenting the challenge that we need our local body of believers around us, because we ALL live under grace.As we continue our discussion about healing from Church Hurt & Spiritual Abuse, listen as we tell more of our story, of how God showed up BIG time for us, and used some crazy methods that would assist us with our own healing process.Warning: you may want to bring some Kleenex along for this one. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchositypodTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchositypodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/churchositypodTikTok: churchositypodcast

You'll never believe what we dug up for this week's JCW Show "Throwback" episode. The one and only Axl Rose stopped in to do a touching and soulful rendition of one of our favorite Lynyrd Skynyrd classics! You'd better have a box of Kleenex handy for this one, gang. This is some touching stuff. Thanks for listening, do be kind and please Comment, Like, and most of all, Subscribe! And join us this Saturday, for a brand new episode of The John Clay Wolfe Show. Don't say we didn't warn ya.

Branding is a form of self-discovery. Your brand is how the world perceives you, but more importantly, how potential voice seekers will perceive you. Anne & Lau want you to put your best foot forward, and that starts with using your name and likeness to let the world know who you really are. Type casting, client feedback, and peer advice can all be tools to build your understanding of how others perceive your brand. But it doesn't stop there! Look inside yourself to learn your core beliefs. What is it that makes you tick? Externalizing this will strengthen your brand and make it authentic, like you. Sounds challenging? Listen up Bosses, Anne & Lau are here to help… Transcript >> It's time to take your business to the next level, the BOSS level! These are the premiere Business Owner Strategies and Successes being utilized by the industry's top talent today. Rock your business like a BOSS, a VO BOSS! Now let's welcome your host, Anne Ganguzza. Anne: Hey everyone. Welcome to the VO BOSS podcast. I'm your host Anne Ganguzza. Welcome to our business superpower series with the one and only Lau Lapides. Hey Lau. Lau: Hey Anne. Anne: How's it going today? Lau: Oh, it's beyond awesome. I'm always thrilled to be on with you. I mean it's, it's -- Anne: Beyond awesome, I love it. Lau: -- can't wait to see what's gonna happen. Anne: I love it. Well, then I've got a question for you. Okay? Lau: Okay. All right. Anne: So this is a question I get asked a lot. So if you had to give three words to describe me, what would those three words be? Either my voice or something that would help to brand me. What would those three words be? Lau: Now, are you talking about let's qualify that, is that within the profession or is that just in general as a person from the short time that we've known each other? Anne: Well, you know what, since it's such a personal brand, like we are personal brands, I think it could be a mix of both if it needs to be. Because I think people wanna connect to the human side of Anne as well as the business side of Anne. Lau: Okay. And by no means is it just these three words, 'cause we could probably come up with you 50 words for you, but we, we only have so much time. So we'll say three for now. Anne: And hopefully they're good words. Lau: Oh. Of course. Okay. So the first one that comes to my mind that I can't dismiss is feisty. Anne: Oh, feisty! Lau: Feisty. Anne: I like feisty. Lau: Feisty always goes with like fun in my mind too, but feisty -- Anne: That's a good word. Thank you. Lau: The second one would be, I wanna say intelligent. I feel it's a little bit bland of a word. I was almost gonna say sophisticated. Anne: Oh, so feisty, intelligent or sophisticated. I'll take those. Lau: Seasoned. Anne: Ooh, seasoned. Lau: Seasoned. Anne: That's awesome. Wow. Lau: And those are three that come to my mind. If you gimme another five minutes, I'll come up with more. But. Anne: I love that. Wow. Lau: And to be perfectly transparent with our listeners, even though I feel like I've known you forever, we really have only been working together like a week. And we only met, when did we meet, a month or two ago? Right? But see, already I got so much perception of your vibe and the way you work and how you're thinking about things. And it's, it's a lot in a very short amount of time. Anne: I love that. So if I have three words for you, and this is funny, cause look, I have not thought about this, BOSSes. I sprung this on Lau like just as you heard it. So she was kind of not anticipating either. So I'm going to say brilliant. That's one for you. And I mean brilliant in not just a sense of like intelligence, but I mean like brilliant, like sparkly. Lau: Oh. Anne: Like in a sparkly way. Lau: Like how you would say about a diamond or something. Anne: Right? Yeah. Yeah. Like brilliant. Lau: Oh thank you. That's really sweet. Anne: And honestly this is something maybe you're not gonna put it on your, your webpage, but we could think of a different word for it. I mean, I think you could, but beautiful really is another, and I don't mean beautiful like visually I do mean visually, but I really mean beautiful spirit. Like a beautiful spirit. Lau: Thank you. Thank you. Anne: Yeah, absolutely. Lau: That means so much more to me. . Anne: So a beautiful spirit and gosh, you know, you said feisty and I love that word. That's a great word, but I -- Lau: Isn't that a great word? Anne: -- also feel like, like a version of feisty, a version of feisty because gosh, I'm thinking of the word, something that would resonate with -- like, no one's gonna pull the wool over your eyes. Lau: Ooh. Anne: Like you're not gonna stand for any kind of nonsense. You are forthright. Lau: Oh, I like that. Thank you. Anne: So those, brilliant, beautiful and forthright. So those would be my three words. And so BOSSes, we get these questions -- Lau and I get these questions all the time, right? What is my brand? How would you describe my voice? And I think it would be a great time to talk about branding, because branding is so difficult to do on your own because -- this is why I asked Lau, what do you think? So I was able to get an assessment from eyes that were not my own or ears that were not my own. And I think it really helps to have someone brand you, but also to have you be a part of that decision in terms of what type of a brand do you wanna be? How do you wanna be perceived out in the business world for your voiceover business? So I know that for my students, there are two different forms of branding. One is a visual branding, which could be your website, right, and how you wanna represent visually. But also vocally. I make it a point to tell students, as we go through our sessions together, I will be vocally branding them. And that really means to assess their tone, their style, and where I feel they fit within the industry in terms of what brands do you think you would represent well, and what styles and what industries your voice would resonate in. Lau: Hmm. I think that's brilliant. I mean, that's so important and that's the very thing that everyone needs, everyone's looking for. Everyone needs it. Sometimes I would imagine it doesn't always like match or it's not always on the level of what someone is self-perceiving, and that's why it's so imperative that you have great coach, great people surrounding you to sort of keep you in line and keep you realizing what is realistic in your perception of whatever your branding is. So I think that that's fantastic that you do that. It's so important, and to do it upfront versus a lot later on, so hearts are not broken you know what I mean? Anne: Well, I think that branding is a process and I think that you can also evolve your brand. You don't have to be one specific brand or three specific adjectives. As a matter of fact, like Lau, you said before, there could be multiple words that describe you. And it's not something that -- you know, it took me a minute to kind of formulate my three words for you, 'cause I was making a decision. There's so many words that came to mind, but as making a decision, how do I best feel that your brand is assessed? And so I think it's important for BOSSes to know out there that branding is not something you can do just over a night or maybe by asking a few questions. I think it's something that happens over time, and it's something that can actually really evolve along with you. I know that my brand, especially my business brand, when I first got out there, I was Anne Speak. And you know, that was like, Anne Speak. What, you know, what is that? What is Anne Speak? And Anne Speak was a very different logo and a very different look on my website. And I've evolved into something that I feel is more authentically me over the years in terms of who I am. And I, I love that you said intelligent because that was one thing that I really wanted for people to perceive about me. It could just be that a female that worked in engineering, that is one of those things that I always wanted people to see me as intelligent and not necessarily, oh, there's a female. I want just here's somebody who knows what they're doing. And some people think that that's why I wear glasses, but honestly I just need them to see . Um, but glasses have always been a big part of my brand. Lau: The truth comes out. Anne: Yeah. Lau: Anne: Well, what about you Lau? 'Cause you've been in the business for some time. And how has your brand evolved over the years? Lau: Well, you know, it's funny. When I started this business, Lau Lapides Company, the studio, I ended up keeping the name throughout. I've never really changed the name itself. I think when I first started though, I always had the mindset of an agent in my head, though it was funny. I wasn't really starting an agency per se. I was starting a studio. Right? So I had this idea of actors work, voice actors work. And so that was one of the running titles in my mind of naming a business, 'cause I wanted talent to work, and I wanted to help them get to work. That was one of -- so that was one of the original working title ideas I had. But then it went to Lau Lapides Company fairly fast and then I stuck with it. Here's the interesting thing I found, Anne, is that despite me or despite what I was thinking, it had a very large appeal. It had a large presence. That's what I'm looking for, a large presence to people on the outside that were saying, wow, you have a big company. And so I would start listening, I think in branding, how do I learn who I am? I have to listen to my audience. And so I spent a lot of time listening to how I was perceived by the audience. And I was astounded at how I was being perceived. And one was this big, large presence. And I think because the name was Lau Lapides Company, it sounded big. It had a largess. So people would come and say, wow, you have an enterprise. Wow you have this, Wow, you have that. And I was very small at the start, as most businesses are. Anne: Sure. Well, one person sometimes. And I love that you talked about your personal name because again, I'm always of the thought that we are our own personal brand. We're selling a product that is very personal to us. It's our voice. Right? It's our essence. And so I always think, well, what better name for your product or your company than your name? And it's funny because people might say, well, I have a long name that's difficult to spell or I have Anne with an E that people always forget. But honestly I'm always like, well look when I need a tissue, I ask for a Kleenex, right? So when I need a voiceover, I should ask for a Lau Lapides or an Anne Ganguzza. Lau: That's right. Anne: And so I've come from the place of abundance as you like to say. And I manifested, right? I am just putting it out there. I'm Anne Ganguzza and lo and behold, at some point people are gonna be asking for an Anne Ganguzza and it, and it will work. And so that was part of my branding, my personal branding for my name was my name. And so my legal company name is Anne Ganguzza Voice Productions. And so it's interesting 'cause you're Lau Lapides Company and I'm Anne Ganguzza Voice Productions. Lau: That's right, that's right. Anne: So I settled on that after many years of trying to figure out what should I name my company? What domain should I buy? Because I thought Anne Speaks was so cute, but we know that nobody really knows what an Anne Speak is. Um, it's not really searchable, but Anne Ganguzza is, right? Lau: Right. Anne: So I love that. And I think you wanted to see what people thought of you, right? Lau: I did. Anne: And that was the basis for the beginning of a brand. So I think any of you BOSSes that are out there and you're starting the branding journey, I think it first has to start with you and the basis of who you are as a person. because it is such a personal brand. Now maybe you're not gonna put those words out beautiful, but maybe beautiful voiceover, who knows. I mean -- Lau: Who knows? Anne: -- whatever comes to you that you wanna be perceived as. Lau: The funny part about it was, Anne, to me it was clunky. It wasn't a smooth transition or polished thing because my name was hard to say it's hard to pronounce. It's hard to spell. I got a lot of people who legitimately thought I was an Asian man. Like literally they had no idea I was a Caucasian white woman, and everyone mispronounced my name, everyone. Anne: Yeah. Yeah. Lau: And so a few of the folks that are close to me said, are you sure you wanna keep the name? Because no one's gonna get it right. and they're gonna mispronounce it. And I said, absolutely. Anne: Yes. Oh my God. Lau: That's what makes it memorable. Anne: I am so in agreement with you, so in agreement with you about that, and that's like, well, don't you think people are gonna spell your name wrong? Well, yeah. I mean, but no. People will learn it and Ganguzza, which to a lot of people think is really a difficult name to spell -- it's not, spelled the way it sounds -- Lau: It's different. Anne: But a lot of people were like, yeah. And so why would you do that? I'm like, hey, no, keep it. It's kind of one of the reasons why I kept my unique New Jersey phone number for my cell phone, because people would know if it was coming from that area code, it was Anne Ganguzza. Lau: So that's right. and as they stumble over the name and still stumble over the name and mispronounce it, it never bothers me. I love it because I know as they learn how to pronounce it or catch something, they're thinking about -- Anne: They're gonna remember it. Lau: Yes. Mm-hmm, they're thinking about, they're gonna remember -- Anne: They're thinking about you. Lau: Yeah. So I think that's a hook for a lot of folks to think about it. It doesn't have to be easy and it doesn't have to be common. It could be something a little bit unique that people remember that they have a tough time with too. Anne: Right. Now, and so let's talk a little bit about visual branding. So for visual branding, I'm assuming like visual branding would be your logo, your website. And so things that represent your store front, that would be the visual branding. It can also be the visual branding of your person. If you're a person that goes to conferences or you're a person that goes out and speaks, go to the chamber of commerce and you're representing your business. So visually branding, so it's a little bit different than vocally branding. So what are some steps that you take, Lau, to visually help brand yourself or others? Like what steps can the BOSSes take to start with the visual branding? Lau: Gosh, that's a great question, Anne, and it's like asking someone to think like a graphic designer. Anne: Yeah. Lau: Or a web designer, right, or do something that I personally am not. I am not a visual designer. I'm not a graphic designer. And yet when I was starting out with a website, I had to kind of become that in the sense of the designer would need to know, what was I going for? What was the visual I was seeing. So I had to -- Anne: Colors. I think starting with them -- Lau: -- work with them. Colors. Anne: Colors. Lau: Colors, colors. Anne: I think colors are a good start. Right? Lau: Huge. So what I did was, and I remember doing this years ago before I actually started the studio, I started asking some of my students at that time, I would say, what color do you think of when you think of me? Anne: Yeah. Absolutely. Lau: And I remember, I remember some of their responses that it was so memorable to me. One of the women that I worked with was amazing. And she said, oh, red. Anne: Yeah. Lau: It just like came right out. Just like that. I said, you don't have to think about that for a second. She said, no, no, you're blunt. You're vibrant, you're specific you're out there and unapologetic, and you're red. . Anne: Yep. I agree with that. I totally -- Lau: 'Cause I love all colors, Anne. I don't have a favorite color. Like any color you give me, I would like. Anne: Oh really? Lau: Yeah. Anne: So my favorite color is blue, right? Yes. Believe it or not, blue -- and blue is actually my brand. If you go to annganguzza.com, blue is -- but I also love red. Okay? Lau: I can see that. Yes. Anne: And so red -- yes -- red is part of my VO BOSS brand. So I got to have the best of both worlds and my favorite colors. And it's not necessarily a vibrant, bright red, but it is more of a deeper red. That is one of my very favorite colors. And so I got to have both for both of my brands. And so I think it starts, colorwise also, I think it can really describe you in a lot of ways, colors. You know, Blue's very professional calming, but for me, blue is also the color of my eyes. And it was always been my favorite color. I mean, when I was a kid blue everything, and I had blue stripes painted in my room on my walls because I love the color blue. And so that's really an integral part of who I am. And I think starting with those colors and it was something within that color palette can be a great visual representation. And I'll tell you what I do with a lot of my students, if I were helping them brand themselves is we, we actually create a, a private Pinterest board, and I have them just like a vision board, right, I have them pin everything that they love on one of a board that they call Sarah's branding board. Right? And they pin their favorite colors. And then maybe they'll go to like Behr paints and get a color palette, right? Pick their favorite colors, pick their favorite fonts, pick their favorite things, and flowers and whatever that might be and put that on a board. And what's really cool is that -- I'm not saying you have to design the website, but you give that to the person who's doing your website design. And that is a great representation of who you visually are as a brand. Lau: Oh, I love that. That's fab. Anne: Yeah. Yeah. Lau: That's fab. And you know, the other thing that comes to my mind is shape. So when I think about shape, right? I think about the first thing that comes to my mind was the documentary on coffee, the great coffee kings entrepreneurs around the world. And Starbucks had done years and years of studies about their furniture. Like what shape should their furniture be in their stores? And they went from square to rectangle to oval, to round, whatever. Bottom line they landed on more -- at that time, it may have changed -- more round than square and the reasoning being, they want the community to be connected in the circular sense than in a square sense with sharp corners and sharp edges. That's, I mean, they were really going to town with the details. Anne: That's, that's really interesting. Lau: And I learned a lot from that and I thought, gee, what shape am I? What shape am I? And my logo was very square. It was actually very rectangular. And I analyzed why I did that. At the time I was coming out of an executive speech firm that was pretty square. I mean, they were pretty corporate in the sense. Anne: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Lau: I thought it was, was the right thing, the right thing to have a logo that had subliminally, I thought that had sharp, sharp, structured edges to it. Anne: That makes sense. Lau: I since created a new logo, and it's always in a, a work in progress, like everything we're always work in progress, and I didn't even think about this. I just did it, Anne. It became circular. It became circular. I like the image, but I also love the sense of just roundness and the world and the -- Anne: Softening. Lau: -- connections. Softening. Anne: Yeah. Yeah. Lau: Yeah. So I think shape plays a big part in your branding. Anne: That is so interesting. And I, I interesting that 'cause shape can define your website. You can have a curved logo or even curved edges on your website or represented in circles for me. I'm very clean. I'm gonna say clean lines, clean circles. And I'm gonna say -- that's so funny because your furniture decor can say a lot about your taste as well, right? I used it for many, many years. It was more of like a, a Tuscan Italian dark wood. And then literally just moved to this new house, which became the interpretive farmhouse. Right? And now I became all clean lines, and my backyard landscaping, believe it or not is not circular. And it's funny because I would go to my neighbors' yards as they were getting them landscaped. And I'd be like, I love the circular curved paths, but in retrospect, my backyard is very square and asymmetrical, rectangular and asymmetrical. And there's something to that as well. So I think that BOSSes think about those things in terms of visual branding, put them on a Pinterest board that you can either give to your website designer or use it yourself in terms of colors and shapes really say a lot. And fonts, I love clean fonts. I don't like fonts with curly anything. I don't like fonts that are Times New Roman like that kind of like that. I like fonts that are plain like Arial, you know, that kind of a Sans Serif, those types of things. So clean and readable and clear. And I feel that that also describes my voice, believe it or not clear and professional. And so those are my font choices. Then comes the part of the visual branding is also how you write about yourself, how you describe yourself. Do you write in the first person, do you write in the third person? You know, how is it that you're describing yourself on your webpage for your bio or for your business? But that really is a visual branding thing. And I think it can absolutely help if you start doing that and work with someone to help you to develop your visual brand. It's sometimes really difficult and know that it can evolve. I mean, absolutely. My colors when I first started were dark green. So who knew, right? I evolved my brand into blue and deep red. And now maybe it'll turn into something else. But brands do evolve. They do refresh. And I literally just had a refresh of the VO BOSS website. And so, so the colors that I had before were more brighter red and more of a royal blue. Now I've got maybe just a deep red and black. So the look is different. The website design, the logo is clearer and so things can evolve. And I think it's good for you to refresh your brand once in a while. Lau: Absolutely. Anne: Now let's talk about vocal branding. So it's something that I say that I do. And I, there's not a lot of people who they're like, oh, I love that you vocally brand me. What do you do? But I think a lot of people are vocally branded, right? When we try to describe what are the traits of my voice that you hear? I think that's definitely one, but also I think not just what are the traits of my voice, whether it's friendly, warm, whatever could be -- Lau: The qualities. Anne: The qualities of voice. But I think it's also more of a style as well. What do you think, Lau? Lau: Oh, oh my goodness. Absolutely. I feel like your personality, your persona, your inners, so to speak, do come out in the sound of your voice. Like when we're working with a client to find their voice, it's not just for voiceover delivery. It's for authentication of your identity, of your strength, of your inner soul, if you will. It goes that deep. So I think a branding is an offshoot of that. It doesn't have to expose everything about you personally, but there is that element there of how do you come across? How are you perceived on a daily basis outside of copy, outside of a booth, outside of work? And melting that into your professional life so it's not a totally separate thing. It's really a hybrid of your persona, your personality, the personification of personalization with your professional chosen life and choices that you've made. It's kind of a combination of those two. I don't believe it's one or the other. So I think your vocal branding is really every possible range of motion movement that your voice is capable of doing and really landing on what do I do most? What do I do best? What do I like doing? Anne: Right, and a lot of that has to do with like, you know, when I talk about vocal branding, you're right, it doesn't stop at the actual technicality of a vocal. It really, it becomes what styles, what do you love? What are you passionate about? Because again, that personality, that authenticity, that you, that unique you is a part of your vocal. So it's so interesting when people try to just categorize it as just being friendly, warm, compassionate, gravelly. It's so much more than that, your vocal branding. And again -- Lau: It is. Anne: -- that's something that I think with a lot of times, if a demo producer they're creating a demo for you, they'll ask you what brands do you align with? What things are you passionate about? Because it really makes sense that if you're talking about things that you're passionate about, it comes through in your voice and that becomes a style. I know that there are people, let's say if there's a male that comes to me, that has a very deep gravelly voice, what sorts of things do you think of when you think of a deep gravelly voice? I don't know, Ford trucks or , you know, maybe at Cracker Barrel, I don't know. Or, or it could be John Deere construction equipment, that sort of thing. So what sort of things with a higher pitched, young youthful voice? Well, believe it or not, a lot of times I think of finance. There's a lot of finance lately that is using young millennial youthful voices, because that's the audience they're trying to attract, not just the young voice for that, but just, it could be college spots or anything that that style or that age would be passionate about or thinking about. And a lot of the style and the content that we are shooting for is where they want to advertise to. Are they advertising to a younger audience? Are they advertising to a more mature audience? And so wherever your voice follows suit the best, I think helps to vocally brand your voice as well. You know, even though I have a younger sounding voice, I certainly cannot sound millennial. It's just not necessarily in my authenticity, right, to sound millennial. Even if I try to mimic a millennial, I think ingrained in my voice is too many years of, I don't know, just too many years. Right? So I could try to sound millennial, but will I feel authentic doing it? So for vocal branding, I'm always very much about the authentic part of you. Now, if you get into character, that's something different, right? That's a different voice. And again, that's also a different passion. I know so many people vocally that can bring out so much more personality behind a character than they can with their own voice. It's hard for them to assess their own voice and to be authentic with their own voice or realistic, I should say, because I truly believe there's a lot of people that are exceptional character actors, that they're really good at -- and I don't maybe hiding behind the voice is not a good word for it, but I wanna say they're very good at putting on another character. And sometimes when you say, well, let me just hear you because you are good enough. Your voice is good enough. That's a little more difficult for them. Lau: Oh, no question about it. And I think a lot of folks get really disappointed and let down when they are prototyped quickly or when they are thought of as, oh, you're the grandmother. Oh, you're the -- Anne: You're the mother type. Lau: -- middle-aged mother. Oh, you are the, this you're the that. Well, that's what our industry does. I mean, our industry has to do that for time sake, for expediency, for ease, you know. I can do Shakespeare. I can do a lot of things, but what do I do most of, what do I do best? What do I do easiest? What's the easiest thing for me to deliver? That's important for you to really identify that and recognize that and understand that you get -- it's not the only thing you'll get. You may get something outside of that, for sure. But if you can make the job of the producer, casting a lot easier, then you wanna do that. And you wanna listen to your audience, how they're seeing you or in this case, how they're hearing you. How do they hear you? I remember too, I got a number of times through the years, even when I was much younger, Anne, even when I was in my 20's, I was starting to get audiences say to me, oh yeah, you're like the nanny. You're like the Jewish, you know, mom, you're the Jewish mom, aren't you? And I was offended. Here I was a conservatory actress. I wasn't married. I had no children. I, I was like, all right, I guess so. I thought it was almost like a slight to me. It was almost like a backwards insult of saying, is that all you hear me as? Is that really what is all has come down to? Well, since then, I've learned that that level of familiarity, that level of maternal, maternalistic quality, that level of ethnic appeal is very gratifying for a lot of people, very gratifying, and very gratifying for me too, as an actor. And so I adopted that. I love that. I, I embrace that. But then I know I could do something totally different at another time. It doesn't really limit me, not really. It just expands the level of work that I can get, because that's what I get known for. See? Anne: Yeah. Yeah. I'm so glad that you said that. And I think that there are people who hear your vocal brand as a type. I mean, I just had a student who had a really deep gravelly voice and I said, oh, we're gonna do a Kubota spot, 'cause I had -- construction equipment. He goes that's so funny because I work in it and I have no idea about construction equipment. I said, yeah. But it's something that it's associated with that type of work, and you sound great at it. And as long as you're okay with it, you know, and you can be authentic about it, and it doesn't mean you have to go out and run a piece of equipment to be authentic about it. You just have to be authentic about the message and what you're saying. And so, yeah. I'm so glad that you said that because there are perceived, you know, you sound like this type. And for me I've like, okay, you've got the professional educator because you've got that clear articulate voice. Well, I can't help -- I -- it's a clear articulate voice. And I would love to have that raspy kind of a demure kind of other voice, but it doesn't physically happen for me. So I said, okay, I'm going to accept that. And you know, if I get hired for that, of course, that's fantastic, right? But it doesn't stop me from learning other genres. It doesn't stop me from trying to vocally place my voice and do different things to increase my acting ability and my vocal ability. So it's just something, if you embrace it and then just move forward, continuing to broaden and expand your styles. I think that's, that's a wonderful thing. Lau: Yeah, it reminds me of when someone says, oh my God, you, you look like my best friend. You look like my aunt, you look like this one I know. That used to annoy me. That used to say, oh, it's like, I'm not my own identity. I'm not my own person. I look like someone everyone knows. And then I realized that's a really great thing because they already feel close to me. They feel familiar to me. They feel like they know me. Anne: What a great way to analyze that because that's the same thing with your voice. Right? So somebody is kind of saying, oh you are that voice. Well then that's great. Because they're familiar with it. They feel comfortable with it. That's a wonderful way to look at it. Lau: That's exactly it, exactly it. So don't look at is anything is limiting you. Look at it as expansion, your brand, your vocal, your visual, your inner, your outer. I think the sky is the limit, but do understand how in audience, there's like a truism, a community truism that you get in a film when you're watching a great film or when you're listening to great music. There's a community understanding of familiarity or greatness or fitting in a particular role. And it's important to just pay attention to that. So you're red, you're red. Anne: Yeah, there you go. And I can also be blue. So there you go. Lau: And you can be blue. Anne: So branding, guys, it's not something you can do overnight. Remember, it definitely helps when you have someone else, a trusted coach, a trusted circle of friends and community that can help you to understand how you are perceived. And also I think it takes a lot on your part to project what it is that you want to be perceived in an authentic manner, of course. That's gonna be your start to branding. Just know that it doesn't typically happen overnight and that you can evolve and change with it. And I think that's a wonderful thing. Lau: And it can be a load of fun. And you can learn an awful lot through the years of shifting your brand, and changing your brand, and what your perceived brand is, and really kind of just opening up and accepting the flow of what the audience and the universe is giving to you. Anne: Yeah. I would never disagree to being able to discover more about myself and learn more about myself in order to help put out a brand. So it's all good. It's all good, BOSSes. Well, thank you, Lau. What a great conversation. Lau: My pleasure, as always. Anne: Always a pleasure to have you. I'm going to give a big shout out to ipDTL, our sponsor. You too can connect and network like BOSSes. Find out more at ipdtl.com. Also for your voices out there, 100voiceswhocare.org. You can use your voice to make a difference. Find out more at 100voiceswhocare.org. BOSSes, it's been amazing, and Lau, it's been amazing having you again. And we will all see you next week. Lau: See you next week. Anne: Bye. >> Join us next week for another edition of VO BOSS with your host Anne Ganguzza. And take your business to the next level. Sign up for our mailing list at voBOSS.com and receive exclusive content, industry revolutionizing tips and strategies, and new ways to rock your business like a BOSS. Redistribution with permission. Coast to coast connectivity via ipDTL.

It's the Season 3 Finale Creek Talkers!! When did we get here????This week we have a wedding, a road trip, the ICONIC "Dawson Crying" meme, AND the teen couple of the hour FINALLY set sail together! Alone. Did I mention that they're teenagers? Be sure to have your Kleenex ready because this week we're recapping Season 3, Episode 23, "True Love."Dawson (James Van Der Beek) and Joey (Katie Holmes) are helping Mitch (John Wesley Shipp) and Gale (Mary Margaret Humes) prepare for their wedding. When Dawson notices that Joey is mentally checked out, he realizes that maybe it's time to unlock the shackles and release her from his Spielbergian bedroom.Jen (Michelle Williams), Jack (Kerr Smith) & Andie (Meredith Monroe) all take a road trip, spear headed by Grams (Mary Beth Piel) to tell the "loves of their lives" exactly how they feel. Well, except for Andie. She's just there for the ride. Pacey (Joshua Jackson) is leaving for 3 months on his boat.  He has one last confrontation with Dawson and gets a big surprise before he leaves the dock. Will it be Joey???  DUH!We also discuss how fast time is flying by, how Jayme shares a birthday with this episode and how JVDB must've felt while reading these last few scripts. Hmmm...So, make sure you pack your life vest, and some extra underwear because this week, we're leaving Capeside for 3 months to breakdown the Season 3 Finale, "True Love!"**RATE & REVIEW US on Apple Podcasts & Spotify!**VISIT OUR LinkTree:https://linktr.ee/CreekTalkPodcast**FOLLOW US on INSTAGRAM @CreekTalkPodcast**FOLLOW US on TWITTER @CreekTalkPod**FOLLOW Jayme's Bookstagram @JayLynn_Booklover**JOIN OUR NEW FACEBOOK GROUP!~Click our LinkTree to Join! ~**WE WANNA HEAR FROM YOU!!~Send us your Feedback or a funny story to:CreekTalkPodcast@gmail.com and we'll read it on an upcoming episode!**Original Theme Song Written & Performed by Justin Michael**Original Lyrics Written by Stephen Gavis & Jayme Whitehead

"Chaos in CH - A Collection of Underground Swiss Punk 1979-1984" es una recopilación de oscuros singles de los primeros años del punk suizo. Acompañados por Enano Ramone y Pascal Collet, responsables del disco, recordamos algunos de los nombres más emblemáticos del punk en el país helvético. Playlist; NASAL BOYS “Hot Love” T.N.T. “131” (Chaos in CH Suiza Punk 1979-1984) BELLEVUE “Deathwalk” (Chaos in CH Suiza Punk 1979-1984) KLEENEX “Ain´t you” BASTARDS “Schizo terrorist” CRASH COURSE “Partisan” (Chaos in CH Suiza Punk 1979-1984) KIE 13 “S´Gegeteil” (Chaos in CH Suiza Punk 1979-1984) TECHNYCOLOR “Le Dogue” JACK and THE RIPPERS “No Desire” VÖRWARTS “Fall It Down” (Chaos in CH Suiza Punk 1979-1984) DIETER MEITER “Cry for fame” GLUEMANS “Mental” SIDA “Fredy” (Chaos in CH Suiza Punk 1979-1984) REBELS “Sweet Society”Escuchar audio

Adam takes a trip to the Utah Tourism conference and speaks with Nathan Rafferty, CEO of Ski Utah, on today's mini-episode. Hear about projections for ski resort success this year and the value of consistent branding. "For me, The Greatest Snow On Earth ™ is like Kleenex and facial tissue, you know? It's synonymous, and as long as I'm at Ski Utah, we will never move away from [this campaign]." - Nathan Rafferty Ski Utah Destination Marketing Podcast Relic Agency The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic's services,  please email adam@relicagency.com or visit https://www.relicagency.com/ To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit https://thedmpn.com/. If you are interested in joining the network, please email adam@relicagency.com.

The bar is full of tension this week.  Maggie is back from Canada, but has to meet the OTHER woman in Cliff's life, Ma Clavin. Rebecca and Sam are struggling to not only conceive a baby, but with their doubts regarding if they will be good parents. And the tension on the set of Woody's attempt to send a video back home results in tears. So grab some Kleenex, a little WIld Turkey and enjoy "Ma's Little Maggie" and "Unplanned Parenthood"! (S10E5 starts 12:10 / S10E6 starts 35:20)

Welcome home to the Byron and Pace show!As always, featuring ‘Fact or Cap' with:- Hawkeye battles Viagra on long haul flight- Right handers can sense lies better than Lefties- They fit Ferrari through a tennis racket?- Kleenex makes you sneeze?- KitKat makes sushi?Followed by your new favourite segment 'Am I The Asshole' with:- Identital twins struggle with Only Fans- Catfishing your friend on dating apps- Lying to your model girlfriend about a gluten free pizzaPlus a few cheeky 'Would You Rather' questions for all of you outstanding listeners!ALL THAT AND MORE!Thanks for playing along at home and much love,B&P xSubmit your stories here: https://linkin.bio/byronandpaceListen to us here:SpotifyAppleFollow us here:InstagramTikTokSubscribe to the YouTube channel! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you're not sure how to spell a word or need instructions on baking a cake, what's the first thing that you do? In all likelihood, Google it. Google is so widely used around the world, that it's an official word and commonplace in our language. It's the Kleenex of search engines.  Google isn't just for finding a solution to a problem or answering a question, though. Many businesses and marketers are missing an opportunity to use Google as their digital business card, as it's often the first place people visit — even before their website. One person who understands how Google processes information is Jason Barnard ‘The Brand SERP Guy', author and digital marketing consultant, specializing in Brand SERPs and knowledge panels. On this episode of the podcast he shares his knowledge and insights in part 1 of a special two-part episode. Paul and Jason discuss how Google works, where the knowledge panel is and why it's important, and how a little “spring cleaning” can help you dominate the search engine results page. Tune in to learn how you build your credibility online and utilize Google for your business! Topics discussed in this episode: How does Google work? Google ads Jason on Brand SERPs The importance of Google's knowledge panel Websites Google uses for information How real estate investors can get into Google's knowledge panel What if you have a really common name or business name? Google Business Profile Jason shares his favorite brand and why Jason's favorite business podcasts and book Short description of Jason's book, The Fundamentals of Brand SERPs for Business Jason shares his current favorite tool and how it works What's the best place for your entity page? 3 steps to start your “spring cleaning” Two of Jason's favorite quotes Google Jason or go to https://kalicube.com/about/newsletter/ to sign up for his newsletter! For more information on managing your online presence, check out his book, The Fundamentals of Brand SERPs for Business.   Connect with Paul Copcutt: Website http://www.paulcopcutt.com LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulcopcutt/ Email paul@paulcopcutt.com  

"And so I just kind of started thinking, this is how we would live our lives if Bryan was here, and how can I make that happen even though he's not here but still honor him and the way he wanted to raise our babies also. So I started planning this trip. I needed something to look forward to and plan and take my mind off the right now. I needed something further in the future." I need to give yall a trigger warning. This episode is very powerful but it is about a story that is incredibly tragic and we will discuss death, suicide, and a lot of hard things. But it will also inspire you to face like with a new level of gusto and freedom. I have done dozens of these interviews and we often talk about hard things, but this one destroyed me.  I think, honestly, it is because I could relate so much to Ashley and her husband, I could project my own life story on hers and so it really hit home for me. So, having that said, keep some Kleenex's close by, because this one is really intense, but I promise, it's worth listening to, and pushing through. If you can make it to the 26 minute mark, you'll be ok. Ashley's story will rip your heart out and then inspire you to face the hardest things in your life with a new level of perspective and confidenceFor Ashley, the hardest day of her life ended up opening some really surprising doors for her family and now allows her to encourage, inspire, and walk with others through the challenges that life throws at them through speaking, writing, and new adventures. None of us want to be handed the cards that Ashley has been handed, none of us wants to face unthinkable tragedy, but we all do have a choice at how we react to the hard things that will inevitably come. Will we let them destroy us, or will we use them to propel us to a beautiful but unknown future of growth and discovery. LINKS:websiteBuy her new book: The Ocean is CallingSOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/ashleybuggexohttps://www.instagram.com/ashley.bugge/

NRJ Ciné News - "Les Enfants des Autres": sortez les kleenex pour ce film super touchant avec Virginie Efira - Samedi 24 Septembre

How's it growing folks?! On this episode of Here Weed Go!, host Eddie Celaya is in New York City and he's talking about just how wide-spread this marijuana movement is in the land of the free. To help give some context to just how far the country has come in the last 10-15 years when it comes to pot, today's guest is Ricardo Baca. As the original marijuana editor for the Denver Post, Baca covered the first-of-its-kind adult-use recreational roll-out in Colorado. More recently, as the founder and CEO of Denver-based, cannabis-focused PR/ad firm Grasslands, Baca has helped companies, brands and individuals within the industry tell their stories to a larger, more mainstream audience. The discussion touches on how much public perception on cannabis has changed, what new emerging cannabis-friendly state investors and tourists should look out for next, and just how close the industry is to producing it's first huge (think Coca-Cola or Kleenex) mainstream brand. MORE INFO Grasslands website: https://mygrasslands.com/who-we-are/ More Here Weed Go! content: TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com Here Weed Go! social media: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why does your phone keep turning off by itself? And why is it so slow? Are there any ways to speed your smartphone up? Well, smartphones get sick just like people do. Really. Only, your phone won't ask you for a Kleenex and some hot tea. But it will act sluggish, refuse to go to work, and even shut down unexpectedly on you! So, let's diagnose what the ailment could be and what you can do to cure it! Of course, the simplest and most harmless reason is that the developers released new software in test mode, and the shutdown problem applies to many people, not just you. They will probably release a bug fix update soon, so don't panic. But your phone may randomly shut itself off automatically because of an internal program or operating system failure. Or it there might be some hardware issues. Let's figure out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this session of Derapy, have your Kleenex ready. Outro song: https://youtu.be/Gb76TgCUqAY

On this week's episode of Way Too Honest, the pod talks about the two different types of people you can be when vacationing, before getting into what might be the ultimate vacation itself: working from home. Kristen is having serious FOMO watching TikTok's of the lives of people who get to work from home, but is it not all it's cracked up to be? Kristen and Tara also discuss which reality stars and bloggers became career casualties of the pandemic, and which ones created an amazing redemption arc for themselves. If you remember that one month when all your favorite influencers were being randomly sponsored by Kleenex...you're not alone!

When I started this podcast, it was a way for me to just get to chat about books, especially 5-star books) with anyone who would listen. I pictured occasional interviews with authors or reader chats (still don't have any of those... sigh), but I wanted a place to just gush about all the bookness. Well, interviews have taken over quite a bit, but I keep pushing back a bit because I still want to talk about the books I loved and why I loved them. I've had some great 5-star reads this year--more than any other year, I think. And so I decided to start a "series" of episodes where I revisit some of the books from author interviews and give my double coppers on them.  The first four--total 5-star books, but I doubt they always will be. Maybe so, though. Christian fiction gets better every year. EEEP!  Just the way it should be. Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you. A Look Back at Four 5-Star Reads from This Year's Interviews I just want to point out that these are not the ONLY reads from this year's interviews. There have been more before and after these, but I realized too late that I chose the first four that I'd read that followed my "Favorites of 2022 so far" episode. The interview JUST before that is another one I need to do. So take these out of order just because they're great books and you need to know more about them! First up: Janyre Tromp  (Episode 129) Shadows in the Mind's Eye Post WWII, a soldier returns home to find the corrupt town that he left is even more corrupt than before. Add to that PTSD the twists and turns, the making me doubt... it's a wonderful debut novel (one of TWO on this list, btw!) One thing I didn't mention in the interview was the brilliant DEEP POV of the characters. It was definitely an un-putdownable book. I cheated on "how I usually read books" and um... yeah. Read a few more a time or two. If you'd like to read my review, you can find it HERE on Goodreads. After that, I did a "How I choose five-star books" bit so you'd understand how I pick a 5-star read." Next: Danielle Grandinetti (Episode 131) As Silent as the Night While Episode 131 focused on A Strike to the Heart, which I haven't read yet, Danielle Grandinetti also discussed her Christmas novella As Silent as the Night. Mob-controlled Chicago in the 1930s is a dangerous place for many reasons, and for Lucia--terrifying ones. This is Christmas fiction "with a bite." Suspense, crime, romance... it's got it all and in a novella that doesn't feel rushed (although I did not want it to end.  Nope. Nope. My Goodreads review. Then came Liz Tolsma (Episode 142) A Promise Engraved I've loved all (I think) the Doors to the Past split-time novels that I've read, and this was definitely my favorite. The Alamo isn't always my favorite story, but Liz Tolsma really did a phenomenal job writing both time periods. Her contemporary story focuses on border patrol and the terrible position the workers are put in as well as how hard it is for all persons involved. But the historical part... it completely overtook things.  One thing I thought was great was that both stories were complete in themselves but all the richer by adding the element that tied them together. You can read my Goodreads review HERE. Sara Brunsvold (Episode 145) The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip So far, I think this is my #1 book of the year--the second 5-star DEBUT novel so far. I'm so impressed by the depth and richness of this story. Mrs. Kip was an amazing woman, and her life inspires readers in amazing ways. I'm not a crier. Rarely cry, actually. But I actually teared up a few times in this book, which I think is pretty impressive. In the words of Kathleen Kelly's mother (from You've Got Mail), "Read it with a box of Kleenex." To read my Goodreads review HERE. I suggested that for more information about Mrs. Kip and the other books I've mentioned, you visit  Avid Readers of Christian Fiction on Facebook. My Goodreads review list! Stay tuned for Tuesday's interview with Amanda Wen! Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at: Apple  Castbox  Google Play Libsyn  RSS Spotify Stitcher Amazon and more!

Bonjouuur. This week, for lucky episode number 7, we get into the latest watch news – which are the exciting new releases coming out of Geneva Watch Days. Stealing this show is Bulgari, with two striking iterations of their architectural Octo Finissimo: the YELLOW GOLD brown dial version (for the US market only, mind you) and the mirror-finish "Sejima Edition." Also, we gush over a couple Serpentis, notably the Serpenti Seduttori Tourbillon. And don't forget the Sailor Moon Baby-G. We also talk at LENGTH about rose gold, a topic Malaika wrote about with passion in the latest HODINKEE Mag. For Watch Spotting, we discuss Serena Williams's triumphant singles victory at the US Open, in which she's wearing a Royal Oak Offshore (a favorite of hers, she is an Audemars Piguet Ambassador after all). We also gloss over Jacquemus's glam wedding and the vintage Hermès x JLC watch worn by one of his fabulous guests. Then we get into a topic very near and dear to Malaika's heart: Princess Diana. We discuss the latest HBO doc "The Princess", Lady Di's emotionally-charged watch collection, the Revenge Dress and the deeply powerful hold she still has on the people of Great Britain. Have you box of Kleenex handy. That's all for this week. Ciao for now

Kleenex, computer updates and bobby pins make up Crazy Lines.

Local Veterans donated to help flood victims in Kentucky; Reinhardt's dining hall got a facelift; And Cherokee girls will now have the opportunity to play football.  #CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews           -          -          -          -          -          -          The Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast is local news for Woodstock, Canton, and all of Cherokee County. Register Here for your essential digital news.             This podcast was produced and published for the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger and TribuneLedgerNews.com by BG Ad Group     For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/    https://cuofga.org/   https://www.drakerealty.com/   https://www.esogrepair.com/    Welcome to the Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast Today is Tuesday August 30th and happy 50th birthday to Cameron Diaz   I'm Dan Ratcliffe and here are your top stories presented by Credit Union of Georgia. A Group of Local Veterans donated supplies to help flood victims in Kentucky Reinhardt's Dining Hall gets a new look. And local girls will now get a chance to be apart of the Cherokee County football tradition   We'll have all this and more on the Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast.   Commercial STORY 1:  Vets   #Veterans groups in Cherokee County recently delivered supplies to an American Legion post in #Jenkins, #Kentucky for flood victims in the area. American Legion Post 45 in Canton, Cherokee County Homeless Veterans program, Unit 45 of the Post 45 Auxiliary and American Legion Post 316 in Woodstock recently put together a two U-Haul truck caravan of needed supplies to take to Kentucky as part of a humanitarian relief effort. American Legion members raised just over $260 at the Ninth District quarterly meeting for trucks and gas to transport materials to Kentucky. On August 18th, members of the Cherokee County Homeless Veterans program and Unit 45 of the Auxiliary secured a 26 foot and 20 foot #U-Haul truck from a local dealer and started filling vehicles with case items such as paper towels, rags, food, clothing, personal hygiene, #Kleenex tissues, homeless backpacks, small appliances, and disposable hand wipes. The 20 foot truck was loaded back in Canton and was comprised of many products donated to the homeless veteran thrift store, as well as 40 backpacks for homeless veterans put together by Kimberly Clarke employees during a volunteer day event. After a long 6 hour truck drive the team headed by Post 316 Commander Julian Windham, Post 45 Finance Officer John Bruss and Navy Veteran Ray Ross, the truck and supplies landed in Jenkins and Post 66 where the needed supplies were unloaded and placed in the Jenkins Post                 STORY 2: Dining Hall   The W. Frank and Evelyn J. Gordy Center on the #Reinhardt University campus received some upgrades while students were on summer break. Beautiful new landscaping surrounds the building in front and on the sides of Gordy. Simms Garden has a new water feature and additional seating for outside dining. Inside, changes are subtle. New canvases hang on the walls featuring Reinhardt students. Another canvas recognizes #Metz Culinary Management staff at the dining hall. The walls have been painted in Reinhardt colors. New white subway tiles line the walls behind serving stations, and new tile covers the outside of the pizza oven. Most noticeably, the #Reinhardt #Eagle watches over the salad bar.         Story 3: Flag Football   #Cherokee County Recreation and Parks is offering an inaugural girls flag football program that gives young women a chance to explore a growing sport. The program accepts young female athletes grades fourth through eighth. Athletes should register for their appropriate Cherokee County School District high school district. Registration is open through Sept. 5 and costs $115. The season starts September 28th through November 19th according to the Parks and Recreation Facebook page. According to Cherokee County, the parks department did a trial run of girls flag football in a pilot program last year. In May 2021, Cherokee Recreation and Parks received $2,000 from the Atlanta Falcons for the program. Over the last few years, women's flag football has been growing at an exponential rate at the high school and collegiate level in Georgia and across the country, according to the parks department.             STORY 4: Intersection The intersection of #Wiley Bridge Road and #Cox Road will be closed to through traffic, beginning yesterday and going through September 30th for construction work on a roundabout there, the Cherokee County Roadway Capital Program announced. The intersection will only be open to local residences, emergency vehicles, and school bus circulation. All other traffic will be required to use the detour. West Wiley Bridge Road will be closed to all traffic from Cox Road to Willow Tree Drive during this period. A posted detour will be provided for the duration of the construction. The detour route utilizes #West Wiley Bridge Road, King Road and Highway 92. Motorists are asked to obey the detour for their safety as well as for the safety of all contractors' personnel.       Commercial Commercial Commercial               STORY 5 :Reinhardt     #Reinhardt's football team kicked its season off on the road Thursday night, beating #Faulkner 34-27 behind a big first half in Montgomery, Alabama. The #Eagles put up 27 points across the first two quarters before relying on their defense for much of the final stretch. Devyn Collins started the season strong, carrying the ball 23 times for 93 yards and three touchdowns, while new starting quarterback Hunter Arters made plays in the passing game, finishing 10-of-19 for 169 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. It was a milestone for Coach James Miller, who earned his 50th win to begin his sixth season as coach. Overall, he is 50-11 at the Eagles' helm. Reinhardt will return to action Sept. 3 by hosting #Bethel, which accounted for one of the Eagles' two regular-season losses last year following a highly contested 34-33 game. The Wildcats were No. 24 in the #NAIA preseason poll.       STORY 6 :Etowah   The turnaround started in the third quarter. #Etowah trailed 10-0 heading into the break and struggled to move the ball like it had against Lassiter in Week 1. Then, on the opening kickoff of the second half, quarterback Xavier Mahoney broke through the pile and raced up the opposing sideline for an 88-yard return touchdown, cutting the Cherokee lead to just three points. #Etowah rallied back and took #Cherokee to double overtime, where it turned the Warriors away on a potential game-winning 2-point conversion attempt. The #Eagles escaped with a 31-30 victory. Friday night marks the first time Etowah has defeated Cherokee on its home field since 2014.                 Commercial Commercial Thanks again for listening to today's Cherokee Tribune Ledger podcast. Did you know over 50% of Americans listen to podcasts weekly? Make sure you join us for our next episode and be sure to share this podcast on social media with your friends and family. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home Briefing and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.        See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The surprising history of how kale became so popular so quickly back in 2014, and how both Pizza Hut and Chick-fil-A were partially responsible––but not because they actually included kale on their menus. It's a tale of lawsuits, publicity campaigns, bloated markets, and one very big kalespiracy.Sponsors:BetterHelp, Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/COOLSTUFFKolide, Got Slack? Got Macs? Get Kolide: Device security that fixes challenging problems by messaging your users on Slack. Try Kolide Today! https://l.kolide.co/3aVdR90 Links:Big Kale (weakankleblake, TikTok)Pizza Hut Used to Be One of the Largest Kale Purchasers in the US (TODAY)The Strange Mystery Of Who Made Kale Famous ... And Why (mindbodygreen)Fri. 07/08 - The Breakfast Episode (Cool Stuff Ride Home)Kotex, Kleenex, Huggies: Kimberly-Clark and the Consumer Revolution in American Business by Bob Batchelor and Thomas Heinrich The Great Kalespiracy (The Hustle)Who Owns Kale? (National Geographic)2017 Census of Agriculture (USDA)Kale (Produce Market Guide)The Kale Craze Might Be Ending (The Atlantic)Jackson Bird on TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kleenex. Scotch Tape. Liquid Paper. Xerox. There are many products where the marketing folks did such a great job that the brand names they built came to represent the entire category. A consumer can ask for the product by the brand name and end up buying a version made by a different company. From brand glory to generic. Jon and Kurt dig into this topic and surprise each other with cool examples. You will be shocked to learn some products you use everyday were once trademarked as brands.

This episode Murph is joined by Coach Lee Hopkins a transman who speaks about his journey in life as an entrepreneur, making connections while sharing when its time to love yourself before anything else! Tune In! Is It ok to have more than one barber? Did Murph bring out the Kleenex? Follow Coach Lee: Instagram: @PatternsofPossibility www.pattersofpossibility.com Follow Murph: Twitter: @ItsDMurph Instagram: @ItsDMurph Follow Flagrant 2: Instagram: @Flagrant2pod_ www.dmurphspeaks.com

Preacher William, Valerie, & the seeds of discord. (Part 11)- A Spring Break 13-part Novel.Christina's late night visit.By FinalStand. The player above contains the intro section. Listen to the complete episode by clicking here, at Steamy Stories. Anyway, we were uncoiling from the sofa and Rio was giving me this mysterious look when there was a knock at the door.“Dude, it is 11 o'clock,” Rio muttered. “Only bad news arrives this late.”“I'll go check it out,” I shrugged. There wasn't much else I could do. I opened the door and there stood Christina, looking pretty depressed.“Do you want to come in?” I asked.“I know you have company,” she replied. “Can we talk outside?” It wasn't too chilly but I wasn't wearing too much either.“Of course,” I walked onto the porch, leaving the door mostly closed behind me. “What's wrong?”“I've worked things out with Faith and the other girls,” Christina paced nervously. “We are all going to keep quiet about what you learned and see how we can turn this to our advantage.” I didn't say anything because she hadn't come to tell me the news of what had been the obvious move on her part so I was left wondering what was going on, then I saw it.I opened my arms to the side, palms forward, and waited. She saw the move and looked me over with obvious reluctance for what would come next. Finally, she stepped up to me and rested her forehead on my shoulder and let me encase her in my arms. It sucks to be alone, but it truly sucks being alone and being the one in charge even more.“God, Zane, I fucked up. I could have ruined Heaven's life,” she sighed. “The others trusted me and I let them down.”“You are not doing Heaven any favors by being paralyzed with doubt,” I told her. “You had no idea who you were up against and even if you had, you would still have weighed what was best for Heaven against the risks and pretty much acted in the same manner.”“You don't understand Heaven,” Christina said. “You don't understand her home life.”“Her home life is not my concern, Christina,” I pointed out. “The Heaven here and now is my concern, though, and it is the concern of several more friends she's made since coming to this school, friends she wouldn't have if she stayed in a hole.”“What if I fuck up again?” she worried. “So many girls are depending on me to keep the Chancellor at bay.”“I fuck up all the time and I'm still here,” I countered. “I know what you mean, though. Sometimes when these girls look at me like they expect me to have all the answers and I've got nothing, I want to run and hide.”“We don't have that luxury. We chose to stand up and now we must carry on in our struggle. I don't know about you, but I wasn't raised to quit,” I related to her.“I made a mistake, Zane. I don't make mistakes,” she declared.“I'm confused; have we lost?” I questioned her.“No,” she grumbled, “and that is not what I meant. I brought Faith in, I misread her, and we all suffered because of it. I was deceived.”“Well, someone should remind Christina Buchanan from time to time that she's human, and a pretty smart woman at that,” I replied. “You don't have to win every battle, only the last one.”“That is what my grandfather said,” she mumbled into my shoulder.“He sounds like a clever guy,” I said softly. “He should go far someday.” Since he was one of the richest men in America, I was probably right.“You can be a real jerk at times,” she muttered, but I noted she wasn't moving.“I have to agree with you,” I said, as I got up on my tiptoes and kissed her on the top of the head. I leaned back and tilted her head to me with a finger under her chin. “Christina Buchanan, would you marry me?” No one said anything for a minute.“Can I think about it?” she finally whispered.“Of course,” I assured her. “How could I be in love with you if I couldn't wait for you?”“How can you love me when you don't even know me?” she asked.“That's why it is love and not like,” I answered. “There are times you really piss me off but there is never a moment I don't want to be with you.”“You don't like me?” Christina studied me.“Right now I like you just fine, but you can be a real pain at times. See, I know what's right and you refuse to know your place,” I responded.“And what place is that?” she smiled.“Above me, smiling down,” I leaned in for a kiss.“No,” she shook her head.“No?” I pleaded.“We have a long way to go before I let you treat me like another one of your girls,” Christina informed me.“Okay,” I agreed.“No hard sell in my emotionally vulnerable state?” she mused.“You are safe with me, Christina,” I assured her.“That's good to know, Zane. Now go inside before Rio blows a gasket,” she smiled, slipped out of my arms, and walked toward her car. I still soaked up the marvel of her receding silhouette.Rio was leaning against the wall just inside the hallway when I got back in.“I don't get the two of you,” she grinned.“I love her,” was my only response.“That's good, because she's fucking nuts about you,” Rio laughed. I couldn't decide whether she was kidding or not.Later, we lay together in bed, Rio partially over me where she alternated between listening to my heartbeat and kissing my shoulder. She also had a hand between her legs and was doing some serious vaginal stimulation.“Zane.”“Yes?” I replied.“I had an abortion,” she confided in me.“Oh, okay,” was all I could manage to come back with.“‘Oh.' Is that it?” she sounded a bit hurt.“I figure there is more to the story than you had an abortion. So are you going to tell me what it is?” I inquired. She mulled that over for a few seconds.“I did some really stupid shit, like getting shit-faced drunk at some parties with people I barely knew, and pretty much got used like a whore. I didn't really care, and eventually I got knocked up,” she told me.“My parents, the big Pro-Lifers that they were, smuggled me out of state to a private clinic and aborted the kid. They never asked my opinion on the matter but I imagine that having a pregnant daughter who couldn't even name the father wasn't on their agenda,” she recited bitterly. I wrapped an arm around her, rolled over on her, and kissed her gently on the lips.“I don't know what to say,” I began. “I can't imagine what it was like to go through that.”“Huh,” Rio snorted. “My parents slapped me with anti-depressants and an implant, my ‘friends' told me it was for the best, not being teen Mom material and all, and I treated myself like a whore.”“Hell, I sucked and fucked the entire lawn crew once; I fucked my little brother's friends; and I became known as the girl who would ride bareback at my school. It is a miracle I didn't contract herpes or AIDS,” she recited sadly. “I think I hated just about everybody.”“You know that none of that matters to me; right?” I asked. “You are still that woman I woke up next to on day one.”“To the bitter end,” she recited.“To the bitter end,” I affirmed, my promise to stand by her no matter what.“Why couldn't you be in love with me?” she sighed.“You are asking an eighteen-year-old how this love thing works?” I teased her. “I've been lucky enough to meet five women in the past two weeks I'd like to spend forever with, and I love the one I'm least likely to end up with. I'm clueless.”“Me, Iona, Barbie Lynn, Christina and Heaven?” Rio guessed. I nodded, which made her snicker. “You really want to spend forever with Heaven? You are a glutton for punishment.”“Heaven can be really nice,” I defended my girlfriend.“She's got a permanent case of PMS. Hell knows what would happen if she actually had PMS,” Rio teased me back.“So you don't want to spend any more time with her?” I inquired.“Fuck that,” Rio giggled, “I like them brave, bold, and saucy in the saddle. I'd love breaking her down, or having her break me trying.”“Fine,” I announced after a moment's contemplation.“Fine?” she asked.“I'm not going to break my word to Jill but I can't wait to fuck you until we get back to campus, so how would you like to screw on Pastor Bill's desk before Sunday school?” I suggested.“I'd love to leave a little something extra on that gold-plated conman's desk,” Rio purred.“Now, Zane, do you think you could bend the rules ever so slightly and finger-fuck me? I'm ever so horny,” Rio pleaded. I figured it couldn't hurt too much; right? I rubbed and rubbed one hand down to her crotch where Rio had already pulled her soaked panties down to mid-thigh. With my other hand, I pushed up her top, exposing her ripe nipples, chain and all.I plucked a nipple into my mouth, letting my tongue play along the stud before sucking in more of the breast, increasing the pressure on the nipple itself. Rio was well worked up already and now began to writhe beneath me. My free hand passed below her carefully groomed chevron-shaped pubic mound and along her clit.Her folds welcomed me like molten gold, so hot yet silky smooth to the touch. As she started to moan, Rio stuck the meat of her palm into her mouth and bit down in order to keep quiet. I spent a minute playing with her two studs in her labia before working two fingers deep inside her, twisting them, and seeking out her G-spot.“Gak!” Rio convulsed as I stroked it. Oh, yeah, I thought, as I began to seriously work it over. Rio's fluids were sloshing around my fingers, her other hand began pressing my whole mouth over her breast, and she kept bucking up against me. I now began to alternate between rhythmically tapping her special place and brutally finger fucking her, driving two fingers in and slapping her clit with my palm.“Uh, uh, uh, ugh, ugh, um,” Rio began panting, then her body arched and she screamed into her clenched fist. “Oh, fuck, that's good,” she finally managed to get out. Before I could respond, she grabbed my head and drew me up for a fierce kiss. She tore at my lips and tried to steal my breath away.“Tell me you want me,” she pleaded with a desperate hunger tinged with fear.“I want you, Rio, always,” I responded with my own heat and need. Slowly the passion ebbed from Rio's eyes and a playful demeanor replaced it.“You are such a dumb blonde, Glenda,” she sighed happily. Glenda had been the name that had allowed me admission to school in the first place, Glenn Zane Braxton, Glenda.I answered by pulling my fingers out of her cunt, taking a lick, then pushing them through her lips. Rio daintily sucked on them, pulling them in and cleaning them off before biting down like the little bitch she is and making tears come to my eyes.“What the fuck!” I hissed.“That's for not giving me your dick, Asshole,” she snickered. When I looked ready to explode, she pouted her lips, rolled onto her stomach and stuck her bare ass up in the air for a spanking. I grunted and rolled over onto my side, away from her.“Good night, you witch,” I sulked.There was some rustling behind me a minute later, then Rio snaked an arm around me and pressed her body to my back.“I'm sorry,” she whispered. “I act crazy at times.” I rolled over to face her.“I know what I'm getting into, Rio,” I comforted her. “That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt at times.” I displayed my wounded fingers. She kissed my fingers, I kissed her lips, and we both finally went to sleep.Preacher William, Valerie, and the seeds of discord.*You can live without freedom the same way you can live without light, happiness, or music*Jill didn't know what to make of our prompt appearance Sunday morning for breakfast already dressed for church. I'd convinced Rio to not try a hard sell with my aunt, instead playing it calm, cool, and collected. The real reason we wanted to get to church early was because I'd come up with the idea of screwing Rio on Pastor Bill's massive mahogany desk before class and she'd become infatuated with the scheme.GAINING DEFINITIONWe had to remember our Bibles before eagerly heading out the door. Mine went back to my missionary days while Rio's was brand new, a gift from Jill. She'd lost her old one on the trip from Arizona to Virginia, or so she'd told Jill. In reality, she had torn hers apart page by page and stuffed it down the airplane toilet during the flight, her way of spreading the gospel.Once at the church, we split up, Rio and I getting together a few minutes later. I was unsure about the security cameras in the hallway but Rio shrugged it off. She followed the wires to the closet the system was kept in, picked the lock, and deleted the last two hours of footage before deactivating the whole system.I was clever enough to wipe off all our fingerprints before we made for the pastor's office. This time, Rio's improvised, lock picks weren't necessary as the secretary kept the door unlocked. We slipped past her station to the larger office beyond and I chased Rio around to the 'big chair'.“So, Bad Boy, are you going to make me a Bad Girl?” Rio taunted me.I stepped up between her thighs and got ready to feast on her succulent cunt lips when she held me up.“I don't think we have time for that,” Rio grinned. She slipped out of her panties, which I quickly pocketed (having learned from the first Barbie Lynn incident), and hopped up on the desk facing me.I unbuckled my belt, fixed the button, and unzipped my pants. My penis came smoothly out of my boxers and I lined up with Rio's slit. Her juices were already flowing by the time my cockhead graced her full lips.“Oh, that's what I've been looking for,” Rio moaned, as I pushed forward inch after glorious inch inside her.She wrapped her arms around my neck and came close to doing the same with her legs around my waist by the time I was fully into her. I got a few half-thrusts into Rio, our faces only inches apart, when I began to push her back down on the desk.“No, I want to look into your eyes,” she told me. I nodded and started driving my cock in a strong steady rhythm.“Rio,” I said softly.“Yes,” she breathed heavily.“I like saying your name,” I explained. “I like the sound of it and the way it makes me feel.”“I, ” I was sure she was fighting for a snarky reply but then she smiled and said, “Okay.”“Oh. God, Oh, Fuck,” Rio gasped, as we began, getting her close to climax. I stopped when I first heard the voices. “What?” Rio panted. I pulled her off the desk and looked for a place to hide. There were three other doors out of the room. I took the closest, yanked up my pants, and dragged Rio to it.It turned out to be a large closet with vestments, coats, and a few changes of clothing inside. Before I could finish shutting the door, Rio put her hand in the way. Before I could inquire why, the main office door opened and in came Pastor Bill and Lance Wellington. They were yammering on about something or other; I really wasn't paying attention.All that changed after Pastor Bill took his seat behind the desk and swiveled it to the side. Lance came around the desk and knelt before our spiritual leader. His body blocked my visual but I heard a zipper being undone and some clothes being pushed aside. What Lance proceeded to do was clear enough, though.Rio was between me and the door; she looked over her shoulder and grinned evilly. Before long, she had my cock in her hand and was maneuvering it back to her pussy from behind. I moved my hips down, she arched up, and I slipped back into the hole I'd been in not a minute before. I stayed still while Rio began to ride my cock up and down.There we were, two very different couples separated by less than a dozen feet, both fucking in different ways. Lance was giving Pastor Bill oral attention in a manner that dictated long familiarity to not only cock-sucking, but blowing Pastor Bill in particular. Rio had one hand placed against the door sill in order to stop us from spilling out of the closet while the other was tucked against her stomach.The four of us were pushing toward climax but Pastor Bill was the first one to the trigger. I was still feeling the oily smoothness of my cock inside Rio's vagina while rubbing both breasts through her shirt and bra when Lance began chocking and sputtering. The bastard hadn't even warned Lance that he was cumming.Good ole Pastor Bill reached across the desk to grab two Kleenex. As he did so, his other hand came down to rest on a slick spot Rio and I had left on his desk. He looked at his hand with disgust and wiped it off his hand before handing a tissue to Lance.“Get going to class,” Pastor Bill told his cock-sucking companion.“Of course, Pastor William,” Lance responded as he cleaned his face. As he headed to the door, he turned to the preacher.“Do I have to do another marriage counseling session with Felicity? She is so damn annoying,” he whined.“Lance, you are going to have to keep up appearances and that means spending the occasional night with her,” Pastor Bill lectured him. “As distasteful as she is, she is the socially acceptable choice for your spouse if you plan to have a political career.”“I wish this whole marriage thing was over with already,” Lance sighed. “Then I could stick her in the house and get her out of my life.”“Remember, a woman is a duty, but you know how to get your pleasure. Take your pill when you have to lay with her, and if nothing else, use her back door,” he chuckled.“I suppose so,” Lance conceded, “but I'll have to shut her up. She blathers on and on incessantly and her voice is so grating.”“Well,” Pastor Bill laughed, “you can always use her mouth too.” Lance snorted and left the room; Bill followed a minute later.For our part, the whole exchange between Pastor Bill and Lance got Rio hotter and hotter. She was rocketing back against me until I was afraid the slapping of our flesh would alert our host to our presence.Once he was gone, Rio went off.“Fuck me, damn it,” Rio exulted. “I'm going to rape their asses.” I wasn't sure how that would work. It wasn't like Rio's or my word would go all that far. I decided to spin her back around and kick her leg up over my arm so I could fuck her while gazing into her eyes.The first thing I noticed was the sheer joy etched all over her face. The second thing I noted was her phone in hand, set on record. There was going to be some severe damage over this and I had to do damage control, but first I had to screw Rio to orgasm.“Ah, ah, ah,” Rio moaned. “You are churning me up inside, you fucking brute. This is so fucking good.”“And the video?” I inquired.“Fucking brilliant,” she panted, “My best idea yet.” I drilled Rio several more strong strokes and she gripped me tightly and sexually exploded on me. She kept squeezing my cock with her vaginal muscles as I came in her as she was still cresting her wave.“Oh, Zane,” she wept tears of joy on my shoulder, “You make all this other shit bearable.”“No problem, bro,” I sighed happily, “but we need to talk about the video.”“Yeah,” she snorted, “you have a plan. I'm going to bypass me having a temper-tantrum and get straight to you making me happy with how clever you are.”“We find more ways to bring Felicity over to our side, then hit her with this when she's wavering,” I detailed. “We still need credibility and that's going to take Barbie Lynn on our side. Once we get Felicity, we can get Mrs. Wellington too. That gives us access to everyone in the church.”I set Rio onto her feet and handed her panties too her. Rio shimmied into them and grinned.“Now I'm all sloshy inside. Is that thing a damn fire hydrant?”“You weren't complaining a minute ago,” I countered.“I'm not complaining, but all those bitches in class are going to know I've been fucked,” she snickered.“Who are you going to blame?” I wondered.“Pastor William, our glorious shepherd; I can describe just what his cock looks like now,” she grinned manically.“I think we are back to that whole 'credibility' issue,” I reminded her.“You aren't going to let me have any fun,” Rio pouted.“Well, work on this; I'm pretty sure Lance isn't the only guy here that the pastor is using. Lance was a tool, nothing more,” I told her. “It could be fun to find out who his other toys are.”“I hate you for having a better idea than me,” Rio giggled, “but I love your deviant mind more.”“I love you too, Baby,” I said as I brushed her cheek. “Let's get to class before they get to ridicule us for arriving late.” Rio grabbed my hand and sprinted with me out of the office. We were late to class but only just. This time I'd studied so Mr. Coleman wasn't able to humiliate me, though some wise-ass taunted me about being on a women's committee.“Yes, I do,” I confirmed, “and what committee are you on?”“Athletics committee,” he sneered. I gave him a shit-eating grin right back that gave him pause.“So I hang out with a bunch of MILF's, which is a pretty red-blooded American male thing to do, while you hang out with a bunch of guys, which is pretty homo-erotic,” I chuckled.There was a deafening silence in the room. We had broken up for church service and a few guys were almost out the door. The target of my aggression was first stunned, then angry.“Mr. Braxton, that is quite enough out of you,” Mr. Coleman snapped.“I'm sorry about that, Mr. Coleman. I thought he was ribbing me about my committee so I teased him back about his; I wasn't serious,” I lied.Andy, the guy who'd given me a hard time, elected that moment to get in my face.“That wasn't funny, Braxton,” he snapped. Mr. Coleman remained conspicuously silent.“Gosh, Andy,” I quipped, “I don't know where to begin. How about, we are in a House of God and shouldn't be raising a fist against one another.”“If that doesn't work, do understand that you get the first punch, then I break you like a twig,” I continued with eagerness written all over my face. “You are an elementary school teacher and I have years of martial arts experience.” Andy suddenly paled.“Mr. Braxton,” Coleman growled again. “How dare you threaten somebody?”“Um, Mr. Coleman, Andy got in my face, so what exactly are you getting on my case about? Wouldn't the situation be better served if you stopped him in the first place?” I said.“Andy should be able to take a joke better,” another guy in my class, Christopher Gilbert, joined in. “Besides, Zane's right; the wives on the committee are attractive and their husbands are lucky men.”That seemed to end the matter because Chris Gilbert was the son of somebody and carried weight in this crowd. We continued to depart but I felt obliged to stop Chris.“Thanks, but I'm not sure why you just backed me up there,” I questioned.“Maybe you're not such a bad guy,” he grinned.I had to think that over. I barely knew Christopher Gilbert. He was 23, son of a big real estate guy, he was a property manager, whatever that was.“I have to appreciate the timing of your epiphany,” I joked.“It came to me late Thursday night when I had a security issue at one of my properties,” he grinned. Oh, crap. His daddy must own the mall where I had that little altercation.“Sorry if I cost you a good night's sleep,” was all I could say.“Let me say that, 'damn, you're fast,' and it would have been mean of me to let Andy get his ass handed to him in front of all his friends,” Chris related. “He's really not a bad guy either.”“I'll keep that in mind,” I nodded.We were making our way to the church hall when Rio, Iona, and Barbie Lynn intercepted us.“Hey, Ms. Masters,” Chris said to Barbie Lynn. He looked at the other two girls.“Christopher Gilbert, this is Rio Talon and Iona Becket, two of my classmates and closest friends,” I introduced my buddies.“So, Chris, how do you know Barbie-licious?” Rio smirked.“Huh?” Chris said.“Rio has an intense sense of humor, Chris,” I intervened. “Pay her no mind.” Before Rio cold make things worse, I placed an arm behind her and pinched her butt. “Behave,” I warned her.“Okay, Zane,” Chris chuckled. “Good luck with that one. To answer your question: I know Ms. Masters from a few years back at a youth retreat. We were both counselors. Take care now.” He turned and walked off to his section of the tabernacle while the girls and I went off to ours.“So, Barbie, were you hot for Chris back at camp?” Rio persisted.“Chris? Nah, he had a girlfriend back then; they both went to the University of Virginia. I think they broke up right before they graduated but I'm not sure,” Barbie Lynn informed us. “Besides, I had a fiancé too.”“Had? Have you tossed him over for Zane?” Rio teased. I sighed and Barbie Lynn blushed.“Nah, Shugah, I tossed him over for you,” Barbie Lynn whispered into Rio's ear.“Just for that tantalizing tease, no Honey Glaze for those hot crossed buns of yours,” Rio bantered right back.“Am I the only one who remembers we are in a church?” lectured Iona.“No, you are not,” Christina surprised us. “Now stop trying to make a scene and sit down with the rest of us.” We dutifully obeyed because three of us respected Christina and I had one of Rio's arms twisted behind her back.At the end of service there was no problem getting the gang to go down to the space between the pews and the podium where the important people gathered. I caught Pastor William shooting me a hooded look but I blew him off. I was here for someone else, as was Barbie Lynn and Rio. Iona was tagging along to make sure we kept out of too much trouble.“Hey, Sahara,” I greeted the pastor's wife, who hovered near but wasn't part of the action.“Why, hello, Zane,” she smiled. “Did you enjoy the service?”“I'm still a little fuzzy on the message of seeking wisdom in God's word instead of Man's technology,” I grinned. “After all, I have an app that gives me helpful Bible verses on demand.”“I think you missed the point, Zane,” she shook her head with mirth. “We need to trust the Word of God over the simple technological solutions that fail to take in the moral implications of the results.”“Wow, when you say it that way, it makes sense,” I applauded. Sahara blushed and gave me another smile.Rio and Barbie Lynn had closed in on Felicity, allowing Iona and I to come up behind Mrs. Wellington. I put my hand on the small of her back and positioned myself at her side.“Hello, Mrs. Wellington,” I greeted her. I knew her first look at me would define a lot about how she felt about last night.“Zane,” she beamed at me. “How are you doing today?”“Better now,” I grinned. “I just wanted to say that I'm downloading those files we discussed when I get to campus this afternoon.”“Oh,” Mrs. Bainbridge sneered, “is Mr. Braxton working on a special project already?”“Zane,” Rochelle Wellington smiled to her rival sweetly, “send Kendra a copy of the notes you showed me. Kendra, Zane has a talent for 3-D imagery that the committee will find quite useful. I thought you might find it nice to have our newest member showing some interest.”“Oh, it is his interest that I'm worried about,” Kendra commented, with a pretty obvious look toward Sahara.Before I could respond to that jab, I felt a hand on my shoulder trying to pull me around.“Pastor William wants a word with you,” Lance informed me.“Okay,” I shrugged, then turned back to Kendra. “Mrs. Bainbridge, I admit that it is my fault that I find Mrs. Penny to be kinder, more compassionate, and more spiritually understanding than you. She is a gentle soul who better relates to what a young man needs.”“Pastor William wants to see you now,” Lance insisted.“That's nice, Lance. I'm talking to your mother,” I said dismissively. “Rochelle, thank you for agreeing to mentor me; I appreciate you helping me understand this Church and this community by taking some of your valuable time to listen to my ideas.”“Ladies, have a nice Sunday. Okay, Lance, let's go see what Pastor Bill wants now,” I told him.“His name is Pastor William,” Lance corrected me somewhat angrily.“No, his name is William Penny and he happens to be a pastor,” I jibed. Lance's response was stymied by our arrival at Pastor Bill's circle of cronies.“Ah, Glenn,” Bill greeted me. “I would like to invite you to dine with my wife and I tomorrow night.” I was smart enough to know that wasn't really an invitation, but still,“I'd like to but this week is our first round of testing for the semester so I'm not sure I can break free,” I answered.“You find time enough for other things, like jail,” he lectured me in a personally degrading matter.“Pastor William, as you will learn about me, people who cross me or threaten the ones I hold dear, I beat bloody and leave broken on the ground,” I smiled evilly right back. The confusion that threat caused was evident because I hadn't been quiet.“Jesus loves the Peacemaker,” Pastor Bill bantered back.“Winners write the history books,” I countered.“That is not very Christian of you,” Mr. Wellington, the Mayor, pointed out.“Jesus Christ ended up nailed to a cross; Emperor Constantine, who converted the whole Roman Empire to Christ's worship, got to build his own city,” I responded.“I won't be as famous but I'll do more and get to bury my enemies before I die,” I added.“Are you sure you were a missionary in Thailand?” another church elder asked.“Oh, I was a missionary all right, but not a very good one. I left the hard work to my Uncle Tim and Aunt Jill,” I informed them.“Did they convert many heathen souls to the World of our Lord?” a third man inquired.“It is not that simple. They taught people to read English and got them in the practice of reading the Bible,” I explained. “They have over a thousand years of culture to work against and many of the tenants of Buddhism are close to our own Christian virtues so it is hard work.”“So that would be a 'No',” Pastor Bill gloated.“Really?” I grinned. “When Uncle Tim went missing, 200 of his flock risked floodwaters in an eventually futile effort to save him. How many of us would risk drowning to save you, Pastor William? I would say that when lives were on the line, his flock did their Christian duty.”I noticed Jill standing on the edge of the group listening, her eyes close to tears. Hey, I hated Tim, but I wasn't going to let these spineless bastards degrade the man in front of his widow, no matter how I felt.“I'm sure we would all rise to the challenge,” Mr. Wellington pontificated.“Then you are as good a man as Uncle Tim,” I trapped him with his own words.“Your Uncle Tim gave everything, including his life,” Pastor Bill said with a smug, superior smile. “His willingness to give should be an example for all.”“I'm already giving. The Festivities Committee's budget seems a bit anemic so I'm going to be funding some of their efforts,” I enlightened him.“That is not how tithes are normally handled,” Pastor Bill corrected me.“I'm not a normal guy,” I grinned. “Pastor, I'll look over my schedule and call your house to let you know if I can swing dinner tomorrow. It has been a wonderful chat but I have to be going now.”I turned and left them there, confident I hadn't made any friends among Bill's inner circle. The price of their friendship was way more than I was willing to pay and it wasn't just monetary. My girls swarmed around me, even Jill.“Thank you, Zane,” Jill said softly. “Tim would have been proud.”“Jill, I said that for you, not him. You stood by him and that shouldn't be trampled on by people who don't know any better,” I comforted her.“I was getting ready to cry out 'Blood and Souls for my Lord Arioch,” Rio grinned.“Why did you antagonize them?” Iona wondered.“They are used to bullying people and getting their way. I let them know I was more than willing to fight,” I told Iona.“He also wanted the women to see what he was doing,” Barbie Lynn said. “I saw a few females, Felicity included, who thought a great deal of how Zane handled the situation.”“Girls love watching men fight over them,” Rio laughed as we exited into the parking lot.“Is everyone coming to our place for lunch?” Jill asked. I took a quick look around the girls who nodded their approval.“Sure thing, Jill; we will be at home in an hour,” I answered.Getting back to campus and into casual clothes wasn't a problem, nor was lunch with Jill. We sat around and shot the shit for an hour afterwards but school work demanded that we head back to school to do some actual classwork. I went by Raven's to pick her up because she'd left me a text (by way of Iona) that she'd made some progress over the weekend.“We really should study in the library,” Raven told me as we headed to my room.“The last time I checked, the library didn't have a snack bar,” I told her. Raven was less than convinced and a bit nervous until we opened the door to the bottom of the steps leading to the Solarium where I lived and the voices of multiple girls welcomed us.“You have company?” she questioned me.“All freshmen are welcome in my room, Raven. You'll see,” I informed her.“Is there going to be anyplace for us to study, ” Raven began to confound me, then we came to the point where you could see past the side of the stairs into the Solarium.“Oh, God,” she muttered at the scope of the room, “you, you have pool tables!” she ended up in a near squeal. “I love pool!” She took a few steps forward into the room before looking back at me. “What is all this? Where did this all come from?”“I was given the entire Solarium as my room, sort of, and I decided to convert most of it to a common area for the freshman class,” I said.“How long has this been going on?” she wondered.“We did it yesterday,” Iona said from the closest sofa. She put down her laptop and walked over to us. “Zane paid for the stuff and we students put it in. Let me show you around.”“You do that, Iona,” I told her, as I gave my diminutive friend a hug, “I'll be in my room.”Iona led Raven deeper into the complex of entertainment while I headed to my room, which seemed to be the quietest place to study today.ValerieI passed around the Chinese silk screens that shielded my private area from the rest of the Solarium and saw my new monster-sized bed. I also saw the tall, honey-blonde Amazon reclining on it, looking my way.“Come here, my Love-Monkey,” she said in a deep, husky voice. I'm sure my mouth gaped open.“Ah, I don't believe we've been introduced,” I managed to finally say. She smiled and patted the bed beside her.“You are seriously hot and I'm positive I'd remember you if we'd met, but I don't and I do need to study so I'm going to ask you to please leave,” I groaned. “Trust me, I really don't want to be asking you that either.”I heard laughter from the far side of the bed and Rio slowly raised her body into sight.“Bro, the look on your face is priceless,” she chuckled.“So this is really your room?” the other girl inquired.“I told you it was,” Rio grinned.“Yes, it is,” I responded as well. “In fact, this entire floor is mine, mainly because the Administration has nowhere else to stick me.”“Rio, what's going on here?” I turned to my other friend.“Honest, Boss,” she beamed, “I found her when I got home. She's my new dorm mate, your replacement.”“You were her first roommate?” the newcomer asked.“For all of one night,” I confessed. “Then everyone realized she had boobies, and I didn't, and I developed this current life of seclusion.”“This is your version of seclusion?” she questioned.“What can I say?” I sighed. “I'm a man of creature comforts. That still doesn't explain you on my bed. Rio?”“She is Valerie Palmer, a new addition to the school,” Rio started, “but that's not the cool part. She's a member of the Stormriders motorcycle gang.” Seeing my lack of name recognition, Rio added, “They are a big deal in the West, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona, of course.”“Nice to meet you, Valerie.” I knelt on the bed and extended my hand. “I'm Glenn Zane Braxton, but everyone calls me Zane. Welcome to FFU, and what brought you to us?”“Dad is a born-again Christian and he wanted me to come here, so here I am,” she shrugged. Now, to me that made no sense, as she should have been eighteen, thus her own person, but who was I to press into her personal matters.“Damn it, Zane, I keep forgetting you were living in a cave for the past two years,” Rio shook her head. “Her grandfather is Daniel 'Damien' Palmer.” Again, I didn't know who that person was.“My grandfather is doing three life sentences,” Valerie said with a degree of weariness.“Fine. I should take it the Stormriders are not a motorcycle club, then,” I grinned at her.Valerie's eyes and mine locked for several seconds.“Are you arrogant, stupid, or really unconcerned?” Valerie asked me.“A little of all three,” Rio chimed in.“You should never ask a man if he's arrogant because if he is, he won't know it,” I responded.“I'm smart enough to get into this university, but them I'm dumb enough to be the only guy at this university,” I continued. “I can honestly tell you I really don't care who you were before you came here. It is none of my damn business. If you want to be friends, I'm game.” Valerie nodded. “Oh, and Rio is a nutjob, but if you hurt her, I'll make you suffer, I swear it.”“Is that supposed to scare me, rich boy?” Valerie said, becoming very serious and sitting up, “because I'm not impressed.”“I didn't say it to impress you, Valerie,” I met her gaze, “I believe in fair warning. I don't care if you are damaged goods or you are one stone-cold, bad-ass bitch; you mess with Rio and I'll take her pain out of your hide.”“Rio, I thought you told me this guy was cool,” Valerie said to Rio while still looking at me.“Best guy in the whole God-damn world,” Rio beamed.“Zane, have you ever stabbed somebody?” Valerie quizzed me.“On purpose or by accident?” I asked.“How do you stab someone by accident?” Valerie wondered.“You toss their ass into a stand of bamboo so hard the stalks break and they get impaled,” I answered. “I take it you've done it on purpose.” She shrugged.“Do you fight much?” she changed tact.“More than I should,” I replied, “but I butt in where I don't belong too much.”“Me too,” Valerie nodded, “on the 'I fight more than I should' thing.”“Well, I would rather talk shit upfront than spill blood later,” I pointed out.“Like warning me about Rio,” she nodded.“Please believe me, she's a nut and will get on your nerves, so please don't toss her out a window or down the stairs because I'm actually attached to her,” I grinned. Rio flopped on the bed.“I should be mouthing empty denials but Zane's pretty much right,” Rio snickered, “and if he hadn't fucked me silly on the preacher's desk this morning, I'd be in his face about this bullshit.”“You had sex on your preacher's desk?” Valerie smiled.“Zane, what are these girls, what the hell?” Raven went off. “What kind of bedroom is this?”“Raven, you know Rio and this is her new roommate Valerie. Valerie, this is Raven,” I groaned.“Hey, Raven,” Valerie greeted her. “So do you normally walk into Zane's bedroom too?”“No,” Raven blushed. “He invited me over to do some work on our English project.” Iona stepped in behind Raven and waved to Rio.“Iona, Valerie; Valerie, Iona,” I sighed.“Wait!” Valerie raised her hand and looked back to me. “Are you gay? Because I see a lot of girls strolling into your room and none of them have been identified as your girlfriend yet.”“Technically, that would be Heaven,” Iona volunteered. “She's a senior.”“Can we get back to everyone being in Zane's room?” Raven grumbled. “And what is he doing with a bed as big as my entire room back home?” Valerie appraised the room.“Got it,” she laughed. “You are sleeping with her (Iona) and her (Rio), but not you (Raven).”“Of course I'm not sleeping with him,” Raven shot back. “I took a Purity Pledge, as should all of you.”“I'm not a virgin,” Valerie responded.“Me, either,” Rio waved.“I am,” Iona raised her hand.“That's nice,” I directed. “Rio, Valerie, and Iona, please leave. I've invited Raven to my room so we can do actual classwork because I occasionally like to pretend I'm in college for an education.”“On it, Zane,” Rio snickered. “Come on, Valerie, let's go check out the hot tub. I wanted to show you to Zane so he could put you on his 'To Do' list.” Iona shook her head and left.“I've got a boyfriend,” Valerie clarified.“Thank God,” I muttered, which drew looks from all three women. After Rio and Val left, Raven kept staring at me.“I, does this happen to you often?” she finally asked.“Yes, but I've learned to adjust,” I pointed out.We sat down on the bed, Raven pulled out four library books on the period we were looking into, and we began going through them and taking notes.“Is Heaven really your girlfriend?” Raven asked after a while.“Yes, but it is more complicated than that. I love another girl but I don't know if she loves me, and I spend time with a dozen other girls here, plus I have friends at a Sorority House off campus,” I explained.“And you sleep with Rio, who isn't a virgin, and Iona, who is,” she stated, and I confirmed with a nod.“I was wrong. If you can keep all that straight in your head, you have a good grasp of details. We are going to do fine on this term paper.”“Thank you, Raven,” I smiled at her, and for a change, she smiled back.GUST FRONTI would have liked to spend the night with Iona and Barbie Lynn but Iona informed me that Coach Dana Gorman had tested her security code earlier in the day and I figured something was up; nothing good for me and my friends. Sure enough, at 12:10 in the morning, my little buzzer by the bed that informed me that a key code was being entered woke me up.I silenced the alarm (no sense in letting them know that I had it) and waited in bed. Shortly thereafter, the Coach and two female security guards came strolling in.“Alone?” Dana quipped.“You asking me out?” I grinned.“Get up; we need to check the bed, if that is what you call this thing,” she motioned to my sleeping platform. I dutifully got out of bed.“What are you doing?” she snapped when she realized I was naked.“Getting out of bed like you asked me to. I sleep in the nude, or didn't you already know that?” I yawned.“Put some clothes on,” she ordered. I picked up my robe and put it on while they stripped back my sheets and looked for bodily fluids under the dark light. I had been at my Aunt's the past two nights, so yes, my bed was still fresh. Unsatisfied, Dana and her two buddies began roughly going over my place.When they finally discovered nothing (my hiding places were specifically designed), the two officers turned and left.“I'll be keeping an eye on you, Zane. You can expect this to be a regular occurrence,” she promised. I simply stared. We remained looking at one another for a minute because she knew I was up to something.“That's right, step out of line and make my job easier,” she noted. Again I kept my silence. It would have been easy to take this personally but I'd told her this was War and I took that seriously. I doubted I was the sole beneficiary of their attention so I had to get ready to respond to their next move.“Nothing to say?” she asked. I kept staring. “Say something, damn it,” she growled.“Good night, Coach,” I obliged. She shook her head, turned, and walked away. When I saw the door close behind her I went back to my room and took out my phone. I made three calls to the concerned parties and a final call to Iona, to have her wipe my call log. I can't say I slept well that night.Showering in the morning was troublesome enough on normal days but this morning, Rio decided to invite Valerie to join us. I did my best to pretend to ignore her, which wasn't easy. Valerie was around six feet with milky skin where the sun didn't reach and tanned where it did. Her hair was golden-blonde and she was trimmed, not shaved. Her eyes were grey with a hint of blue around the edges; he breasts were a solid C without a hint of sag. There sure were a lot of blondes going to this school.I could see the mental calculations going through her head as she walked in and the other girls eyed her. In the hierarchy of this place, I didn't hold a place; proximity to me showed a girl's status among the crowd. Opal was top dog, but Rio and Iona were marked by their close relationship with me as well.Valerie clearly thought about walking away from it all to spare herself the drama and the grief. She countered that with the knowledge that she had to fit in somewhere in this school, and as non-traditional as she was, her best bet was with us. She answered that internal struggle by taking the shower one down from me, next to Opal.Opal expressed her dominance to Valerie by corralling me into a body massage and a show of mutual affection. I thought Valerie was unimpressed with those actions but as we got into it, I sensed she was intrigued by the notion of having sex without actually having sex, and the sexual arousal that came with it.As I settled in front of the sink to brush my hair, shave, and brush my teeth, Valerie took the sink beside me.“You don't seem to mind all these naked bodies around you,” she noted.“Why should I? I enjoy them and they enjoy me. I like making them happy, and my presence certainly makes their lives more difficult so I'm glad to help,” I explained.“So, do things ever go to the next level?” Valerie asked.“Not here, and not with most of these women; they are virgins and happy about that fact. They want to be virgins on their wedding nights and I respect that,” I answered.“Rio makes you out to be some sort of sex-crazed stud monster,” Val informed me.“Rio's not a virgin and her only plans for marriage involve her being a black widow to her old, rich husbands,” I grinned.“Is she, bi-sexual?” Valerie whispered.“Yes, I can verify that she is,” I replied quietly. “Has she hit on you yet? Wait, silly question, have you thrown her out of your bed yet?”“This morning I found her sucking on my nipple through my nightshirt,” she smirked.“Rio needs constant reminding of where the boundaries are,” I informed Val.“You two talking about me?” Rio came bouncing up. “Is there a three-way in our future? Who gets tied up?” Valerie groaned in response.“Rio, there is such a thing as personal space and acceptable roommate behavior,” I told Rio. “Things like spontaneously feeling her up while she sleeps are BAD!”“God, damn it!” Rio squalled, “But did you see the size of those bad boys? They are huge and puffy and I swear, they were calling out to me across the room.”“In my long and illustrious career with the female nipple, they have never talked to me. If you don't behave, I'm going to have to tie you up at the next orgy and make you watch,” I warned. I couldn't threaten to take away something she had, like her piercings; that would make her dig in her heels. Instead, I went after the things she was looking forward to.“Don't forget to secure her hands over her head so she can't diddle herself,” Valerie got into the sport of things.“Good point,” I agreed.“Major buzz-kill, you two. Valerie, you are trying to make your first day here no fun at all,” Rio teased.“Which reminds me; Valerie, has Rio warned you about Handmaiden's Duty?” I inquired. Rio looked offended that I would say such a thing while Val looked confused.“It is a tradition here that requires all freshmen to perform a task of a non-damaging nature for any and all upperclassmen. They cannot grab you in class or a dorm room, but anywhere else is fair game,” I informed her.“My first task was to be a bench for someone to sit on,” Rio grinned.“Mine was to kiss a girl,” I nodded.“Kiss her? Cordelia damn near passed out, you kissed her so long and deep,” Rio teased me.“The first one was very nice and chaste,” Iona stepped up and added. “It was the second one that curled her toes and started the stampeded on Zane.”“What do I do if a girl asks me to kiss her?” Valerie worried.“Tell her you are waiting for your herpes to clear up,” Rio volunteered.“It isn't likely to happen,” Iona came across with sounder advice. “Homosexuality is frowned on at this campus.”“I'd tell you to kiss them and enjoy the moment, but I'm a guy,” I shrugged.“I'm still not sure what is normal for this place,” Valerie related.“Rio and Zane are aberrations,” Iona offered. “Most of the girls here are fundamentalist Christian virgins who are looking to get married once they graduate this place.”“What is your story?” Val asked Iona.“I was pretty much the girl I just described until I met these two,” she smiled. “Now I feel that I have, options.”“Options like prison time,” Rio laughed, “or becoming a sex toy at an S&M club.”“I was thinking more like taking a summer and roaming the country,” Iona glared Rio.“Maybe I could teach you to ride a motorcycle and you can come with me,” Valerie offered.“That would be wonderful!” Iona brightened up. “When could we start?”“This afternoon, if you like,” Val responded. “My ride is in the parking lot.”“You have a motorcycle, here?” Rio exclaimed.“Rio, it is hard to be in a motorcycle gang without a chopper,” Valerie pointed out.“On that note, I have to go,” I sighed. New girls were starting to migrate in, meaning I had to retreat to my room. “Take care, everyone.”The crapstormThe crapstorm fell on us as we left the dorm. All kinds of upperclassmen snatched up freshmen as they appeared and shadowed Pro-Christina students they couldn't grab. Rio and I were able to shove off of Valerie before she was identified as being with one of us, so she made it to the Dining Hall unmolested.I didn't have to do anything too heinous, carry three backpacks while reciting the Gospel of Luke from memory (ugh). They made Rio sing 'Onward Christian Soldier' because it was the only religious song she'd admit to knowing. She did a horrific hack-job of it too. They had Iona going through the descendants of Noah; she knocked them back flawlessly, Brainiac.It got better at the Dining Hall door where Rhaine oversaw the removal of every electronic device from the incoming students, no phones, tablets or laptops, nothing capable of rapid communication. Then came the assigned seating designed to break us all up. Surprisingly, Valerie looped back around and joined us in the line.She leaned into me.“What the fuck is going on?” she whispered.“There is a war going on between the Pro-Christina faction Rio, Iona and I belong to, and the Pro-Rhaine faction, which is supported by the Administration. I didn't want to get you involved,” I explained as I saw Mrs. Marlowe closing in.“Mr. Braxton, be quiet,” she snapped.“Of course, Ms. Marlowe,” I nodded to her; she glared back. We had assigned seating for breakfast, isolating us. Conversations were kept to a minimum by roving teachers and the mood was getting grim, made worse by a slow drizzle that began to fall outside. Still, things weren't hopeless.As I was putting my food tray away, Paige of the Science Club slipped past me.“Copper Seven,” she whispered.Cordelia, head of the Science Club, was definitely the smartest person on campus. She'd created a list of contingency plans for us to use if things went bad. We should have been getting them on our phones but the Chancellor had stymied us there.Instead, things were circulating by word of mouth. In this case, Copper Seven, things were simple. Copper meant theft and Seven was the code for communications. We were stealing the facility's phones, crashing their computers, and doing whatever mischief we could to make communications difficult, if not impossible.I had the pleasure of passing the word on to Rio, who gave me a look that would have made any brigand with a handful of gold proud. I didn't know the specifics of Rio's criminal history but I knew she definitely had one, and I'd have been stunned if pickpocket and shoplifting weren't part of her repertoire. I'd warned Coach Gorman about making shit like this fascist suppression policy up.I barely recalled what I was forced to perform on the way to Assembly because what happened there was so memorable. We got the standard lecture, then the Chancellor laid into Christina for all the disruptions the student body was going through, Christina and a few other malcontents. What made it memorable was, at the end of Dr. Bass's speech, a freshman I barely knew, Millicent Pierce, stood up and raised her fist in defiance.“That's bullshit!” she cried out.“Sit down and be quiet, child!” the Chancellor commanded. “Coach Gorman,” she then directed our head of security toward the young girl. Millicent wasn't done yet.“You are lying to us!” she screamed out again.As Gorman and a second teacher made their way to our young rebel, Rio stood up with a raised fist.“Shame!” Rio called out. A dozen of us followed suit. Teachers flooded off the stage but Cappadocia figured out that if you joined up with other girls and linked arms, they couldn't drag you out.Girls were screaming at girls, shoving began, and soon blows were being exchanged and Assembly degenerated to a nasty furball. We were threatened with demerits, detention, and finally expulsion, but nothing seemed to curtail the conflict. I saw Ms. Goodswell leave the melee and go to the base of the podium and begin to plead with Bass about something.I could see that Goodswell was trying to get the Chancellor to let Christina come onto the stage and quiet her followers but our Glorious Leader wouldn't budge. Christina could see the gestures and I knew she was about to end things anyway. There was something I had to do before things fell apart.I leapt up and began using the backs and arm rests to jump across the crowd. I made it to Millicent right ahead of Gorman. Millicent seemed stunned to see me hovering over her but it was too noisy to communicate. I pulled her up and retreated back the way I'd come, keeping her out of Gorman's clutches for the moment.“Thanks,” she grinned at me.“Who is your Spiritual Advisor?” I responded. “We need to get you to her so you don't face the Chancellor alone.”“Ms. Trenton,” Millicent responded.Ms. Trenton wasn't one of the 'good guys' but she wasn't on our enemies list either. I located Trenton and angled us toward her.“This is crazy,” Millicent gasped. After all, if we tumbled, we might very well break our necks. Ms. Trenton didn't look happy to see either one of us but she immediately clued into why I was dropping her student off on her. She grabbed Millicent by the arm and led her away. This was a good thing because our rebellion was about spent for the moment.A minute later we had quieted down. Dr. Bass threatened us with a whole new series of punishments before exiling us off to our first classes. I had the joy of getting hate blasted my way by both the Chancellor and Coach Gorman. I didn't have long to dwell on it because the moment we stepped out, a new group of upperclassmen descended on us freshmen.“Walk the other way or I'll feed you your lungs,” growled Rio as she stepped in front of a group of us and stared down a slightly larger group of students. At times like this, I really wish Rio knew how to fight. On the other hand, she plays 'crazy' real well and it takes a certain desire to experience pain to conf

WHAT DO KLEENEX AND LINKTIVITIES HAVE IN COMMON?Kleenex and LINKtivities don't have an obvious connection, so let me explain.You see - when you have a runny nose or need to sneeze you have no doubt what you need, right?You need a Kleenex.When you need to wipe away a few tears…You grab a Kleenex.Kleenex has become so synonymous with the word “tissue” that no one looks at you funny when you ask for a Kleenex (a totally made up word) - they know exactly what you mean.Kleenex is a household name and boxes of Kleenex can be found in homes all over the world.You know what else is a made up word?  LINKtivity.You know what else can be found in classrooms all over the world?  LINKtivities.And we are on a mission to make LINKtivity a classroom name.  A name that is synonymous with engaging and interactive 21st century instruction.That might feel like a bold statement, but that's how passionate and motivated we are to make an impact with LINKtivities in classrooms all over the world.We believe in them.  Teachers believe in them.  And students are impacted by them.FOR COMPLETE SHOW NOTES VISIT:  classroomnook.com/podcast/133LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODESign up HERE for details about the Back to School with LINKtivity® Event.Follow LINKtivity® Learning on Instagram Join our email family to be sure not to miss out on how to make an impact with LINKtivities this school year.

If you frequent CORVETTE TODAY, you know I always say that, "Every Corvette owner has a story".My guest on this show has 60 years worth of Corvette stories! John Elegant (the main man on MidEngineCorvetteForum.com) shares some of his best memories and Corvette stories with us, from the effect of seeing his first Corvette had on him, his first Corvette purchase, to Harlan Charles and Tadge Juechter stories!Have a Kleenex handy too-his last story will bring tears to your eyes!See what I mean when I say, "Every Corvette owner has a story" on this episode of CORVETTE TODAY!

OverviewMeet Sterrin. This fundraising expert spent three decades in campaigns and major gifts conducting more than three-dozen capital campaigns with combined goals in excess of $5.5 billion. Bottom line - she knows her stuff

Well here come the tears. Join Victoria, Kiara, and Katalyn with special guests Jen and Gabbie as they discuss the books that made them cry - both happy tears and sad with a splash of ugly crying. Surprise, surprise Katalyn seems to have either a dead heart or no tear ducts. There is spoiler talk for several books including most of Sarah J. Maas's works, so fair warning. There is a range of emotions here so be ready to cry with us. Please be sure to check for any trigger warnings you may have with the recommendations made. Join us every Tasty Tuesday and Thirsty Thursday for a new episode and be sure to follow us on our socialsTiktok: thethirstycollectiveInstagram: the.thirstycollectiveTwitter: TheThirstyCollective (thirsty_co) Or join the conversation in our discord!

As the "Real Women of Vacation Rentals," Alex Husner and Annie Holcombe host authentic conversations on their weekly podcast. Alex and Annie have made their careers in the vacation rental business and are on a mission to capture the story, idea, strategy or decision that led to their guests' big A-HA moments. Susan, Alex, and Annie talk about the Kleenex of vacation rentals, TJMaxx on the red carpet, and birthday extortion.

Telepathy & Pheromones: part 1A new boytoy on campus.By Dash91830 - Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.Murphy groaned as he reached over with his hand to switch the alarm clock off. He liked going to school but hated waking up so early for that. It is really necessary though. There is simply no other choice for him. The new school is a bit far from his house and he has to leave early if he wants to get there in time. He quickly got into the shower stall and showered as quickly as he could.  The boy also looked for something to wear to school while he does so. Despite being able to afford it, he isn't picky about what he wears. He's slender, handsome, and introverted. He's a late bloomer and still growing, despite turning 18 just two weeks ago. The fall semester at Edison High started last week.Once done, he quickly put his clothes on. Then he checked to see if he's packed everything properly. Satisfied that he has, he went into the dining room where his parents waited for him. His dad sat at the table while his mom is in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. Like usual, Murphy's father is reading the morning newspaper. Murphy believes he's got his nerdy side from his dad but the truth is he would have ended up as a dork on his own, anyway. His dad also being one is merely a coincidence and not a cause or anything like that.“Hey, honey,” his mom says to him, over the counter which divides the two rooms.  She appears with a plate of waffles & sat down at the table. “How's school lately? Did you make any new friends in this new town?” He sighed to himself. Not this conversation again! “I know that transferring schools in your senior year can be very rough but you can still try to find someone to hang out with. No need to be alone all the time, you know? Just think about it.” It is one of the very rare occasions when Murphy thinks that his mom is boring. Extremely rare. Most of the time she is charismatic and interesting to talk to, especially when she brags about how she seduced his dad.“Mom, thank you for worrying about me, but I'm fine. You have nothing to worry about,” Murphy told her. “I can be on my own. I don't need lots of friends or anything like that.” He then starts to eat the waffles.His father then says “I think your mom is right on this though,” making his eyes go wide in surprise. Murphy can't believe his dad would say that he needs to get out more. The middle aged man is as much of an introvert as he is. “I missed a lot of chances to make friends when I was your age. Don't make the same mistakes as I did. It would be good for you to have some friends you can still hang out with after it is all over.”Murphy sighs. “Thanks, but it won't be as enjoyable for me, because I like it better when I'm alone,” he informed both of them. “I don't need a lot of other people in my life. I like to read & study; and I enjoy movies & music. That's all. Having some friends is only going to be a waste of my time. A girlfriend is a completely different subject though. That I won't mind having one, but it might be a long time before I can get any.” And then he went back to eating the waffles again, but quickly now, wanting to get away from this conversation & get to school ahead of time.“Every introvert says that before they meet someone,” his mother said. “Take your dad, for example. He was a total geek just like you. I mean, he still is a geek, but you get my point.” His father flushes slightly and Murphy snickered. “I dropped several hints but he didn't think that a cheerleader like me could want him, and failed to pick up on my subtle hints. That's why I ended up slipping a sedative into his orange juice & deflowered him. It was the perfect first date,” she said to her son with a smile, recalling that wonderful, distant memory.Sometimes Murphy would let himself wonder if his mom is a little insane or something to brag about raping his dad, but he never asked her that. “That does sound very romantic,” the sardonic boy said with a roll of his eyes. “But I'm not going to drug anyone like you drugged dad though. Guys get convicted of felonies for that stuff. Plus, the idea of it just doesn't appeal to me.” He then quickly ate the rest of his waffles and waited for his mom and dad to do the same, so that he could wash the dishes before his mom drove him to school. She always dropped him off at school on her way to work.“Just remember what I said. Try not to be alone all of the time,” she said to him as he left the car and walked up to the school building. Murphy has told her countless times that he would try his best, and always did.Does she worry that I'll ‘Columbine' my new school, he wondered?It just never worked. A few girls at the old school thought he was cute but didn't want to have any meaningful, long term relationship with him. Two goth girls thought he was just a loser & they wanted to fuck him once and then him throw away, like a used Kleenex. That's actually what the second one said to him. Murphy wanted to save himself for someone who saw him as more than that. Murphy is very selective about all his relationships, but those relationships have much deeper meaning to him than other teenagers can appreciate.He got to the library and sat down at a table by himself. There, he pulled an old novel out from his backpack and then started to read. It is a very interesting one, one that he's reread several times already. Murphy just can't stop coming back to it. He perused through the pages and hummed to himself, feeling content with the peace and quiet of the library. He'd only been here a week but it is already his favorite place in the school and the second place doesn't even come close in his mind. Not by a long shot. There is nowhere else he would rather spend time before morning classes start.Suddenly, someone else sat down on the chair opposite him. “Hey, cutie,” the person said, making him look up in surprise. No girl has ever called him a cutie before. Even the very few ones who wanted to just hook up made it clear that he is below them. He is even more surprised to see how beautiful the girl who just called him cute, is. She is a very pretty black haired girl named Rachel. Rachel is on the track and field team, and the school's second fastest female sprinter, with a personal record of 13.94 seconds for the 100m sprint. She's tall, athletically lean, and looks more like a college girl than a high school senior.“Uh, Hi!” he stammers out, still feeling shaken by the beautiful girl who is now coyly batting her eyelashes at him. He couldn't believe this. Murphy has been objectified before a few times but this is the first time someone has ever looked at him this way. “Your name is Rachel, right?” She nodded. “I'm Murphy. I just moved to this town over summer break, so I haven't gotten to talk with a lot of people yet. Would you mind showing me around?” Murphy curses his talkative, trembling voice for making him sound like an idiot in front of the raven-haired beauty.Rachel giggled. “You don't need to try to flirt with me. I'll do all the flirting” she told him boldly, and he flushed. “I'll also treat you to dinner tonight, so just call your parents and tell them that you have a date with one of the hottest girls in school.” Murphy was shocked by how bold she was, but also can't help feeling a little turned on. He has always secretly desired a dominant girl to tell him what to do. The way she just told him he is going on a date with her instead of asking, is just so hot.He quickly yanked his phone out of his pocket and called his mom to tell her a girl just asked him out. Murphy only had to wait a few seconds before she excitedly told him to say ‘yes!” The boy then switched his phone off and shyly told Rachel “Sure! I'll go on the date with you.” He then glanced aside and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to hide his blushing face from her. His cheeks burnt up, as red as a tomato now. He really can't hide it when he is feeling shy or embarrassed, and he knows it.“Baby, I wasn't asking,” Rachel said. “My best friend's father is a mob boss. I'd have gotten her to help me force you to go out with me, if you said no.” She then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before leaving the table. Murphy just sat there, stunned at what just happened to him. This is crazy. He has never experienced anything like this at his old school. A part of him was slightly alarmed at how casually she said she could force him to be with her, but then he dismisses it, thinking she was joking.During the homeroom class, he tried to focus on reading but couldn't stop his mind from drifting to Rachel and her smile. Her eyes mesmerized him and seemed to captivate his soul. Murphy realized with a start that he has never been affected in this way by any girl before. It's why he is still a virgin. That, and the fact that no other girl had ever expressed genuine interest in him. They all either saw him as a geek, the sort of guy you're just friends with, or a guy to have a one night stand with. No one ever asked, or rather, told him to go on a date with her.At the end of the last class, Rachel walked him to the parking lot, where her Porsche is parked. He gasped, making her smirk as she opened the passenger-side door for him. Then she got behind the steering wheel and told him to buckle up, before driving off to a little restaurant not too far away. All the way there she charmed Murphy with various anecdotes and continued to win him over with her magnetic smile. He was dazzled by her soothing, honey-like voice and found himself unable to look away. It also helps her that she is wearing a tight T-shirt that shows off her toned arms. But there was something else. Something; bewitching?“I lift weights a lot,” she said to him and flexed her arm, showing off her firm muscles. He blushed, even more smitten now when she gave him a very roguish smirk. She knew exactly how to charm him and switched her cool charisma up to the maximum. It is the first date that Murphy has ever been on in his entire life and he found that it was far less scary than he thought it would be. All he had to do is stay calm, listen to her talk and tell her about himself. “What do you like doing in your spare time?” Rachel asks him, interested.“I like reading, some movies. I particularly like science-fiction novels a lot,” he told her, hoping she wouldn't think he's a dork. He was relieved when she just smiled. “I also go for hikes too, when I have time and want some fresh air, but I'm not particularly ‘outdoorsy'. But now I think I'll start going to your track practice and to watch you race. I've been told you are the best sprinter here. Really can't wait to see how fast you can go.” At this she started chuckling and he frowned with fear he'd said something wrong. “What is it? Did I say something wrong?” Murphy asked her.“Nothing,” she assured him. “It's just that there is another girl who is even faster than I am. She's the one I told you about, whose dad is a mafia boss. I'll have to introduce you to her later.” This semester we're just informally practicing. Real varsity competition starts after the holidays.Rachel woke up feeling extremely happy, Monday morning. It had been a few days since she and the new boy went out together. He's very cute and she feels that he might really be the one for her, even though they've only been on two dates, the first one being their dinner, last Friday, at the rustic restaurant. The second being a trip to the cinema on Saturday. Now she was thinking about where to go with him next. There were so many ideas going through her head and she tried to come up with the best one. She wants to get into his pants as quickly as possible, so somewhere very romantic where she can woo him and seduce Murphy right out of his clothes.She was far more sexually experienced than her best friend Sofia, who is still technically a virgin. Technically, since even though she never had a cock in her pussy, Sofia has given blowjobs to all five of her ex boyfriends. Her ex boyfriends were all assholes she only dated to increase her popularity, as she told Rachel several times. Rachel always told Sofia that she didn't need to rely on them for status, because Sofia is already very popular on her own as captain of the track team and a very beautiful redhead. Both of the girls were much more experienced than Murphy though, because he never even got as far as holding hands before he met Rachel. The girls had studied various arts of seduction since junior high, and mastered many of them.Eating breakfast alone on the back patio, a crazy old idea suddenly occurred to Rachel. She found an empty water bottle and then reached under her skirt and took her panties off. Then she took off the cap &set it on the lawn, with her shaved pussy just above it. Rachel then started urinating into the water bottle. She pissed inside it, and then screwed the lid back on it tightly. Her face had a devilish grin on it as she thought of what she just did and is now about to do. If the old book of charms was true, it would be perfect. Her innocent new boyfriend would never suspect a damn thing. Just thinking of it made her cackle.Then she went to her bathroom and quickly took a shower. Her parents have already left for work so she jogged the 6 blocks to school like she and Sofia usually do. Sofia and Rachel have been best friends since the age of eight. They have always been as thick as thieves & nearly inseparable. Sofia's dad is a ruthless mobster and the only person he cares about, other than his wife and 2 children, is Rachel, since she is his oldest child's best friend.When Sofia arrived at school, Murphy was already there, getting a book from his locker. Seeing his girlfriend, Murphy gave her a brilliant smile with slightly tinged cheeks. “Hey, baby,” he said to her. and puckered his lips, and Rachel leans in to peck him gently. He beamed and she was lost in his cuteness. The boy is so damn adorable and she can't help it. She has never seen a boy this cute before. It's not really his face but also the way he acts, his expressions and body language. Such innocence on a guy is rare.“I got you something,” she said to him as she handed him the water bottle. “It's a special tea. I made it myself.” The second part is true, at least. She could feel her panties getting damp as she anticipated about what she was going to see in just a few seconds, now. “Why don't you drink it now and tell me what you think of it, honey?” Her eyes looked so innocent that no one would suspect anything, even if they were told what she is capable of. She has gotten away with a lot of pranks in the past due to her innocent looks.“Sure, baby!” Murphy replied and then removed the cap. It smelled a bit putrid since it is literally fresh piss, but he didn't know that. He drank it and was surprised by how salty it is, but since he is no expert on tea, he assumed that there is a blend of tea which is this salty. It did taste pretty good to him though. He smiled at her brightly. “I love it,” he says to her. Rachel smiled, inwardly giggling at how fun it is, duping her adorable boyfriend into swallowing her pheromone-rich piss. “This is really delicious. What blend is it, Rachel?”Rachel could barely keep a straight face when she says “That's an old secret, honey. I don't want you getting it from anyone but me.” He raised his eyebrows at this but didn't say anything else as the two headed off to their homeroom classes. He did feel that it tastes weird but it's still delicious to Murphy. He took a couple more sips and Rachel had to try to contain her giggles. She couldn't believe he is so easy to fool. Oh this is going to be a very fun day, for her at least. “I'll make you more whenever you want, baby.”“Thanks, Rachel,” he said sweetly, and the two of them part for separate homerooms. Rachel grinned to herself and walked towards her own homeroom, where she spent the next 20 minutes grinning like a mad cat. This is easily the best day of her life, so far. It is even better than the time she got gang-banged for the first time on the day after her 18th birthday, and that was really awesome, with getting a cum-shower at the very end. It was just perfect.In her first period after homeroom, she saw Sofia walking in. The redhead is a little bit taller, but has a more perfect ass than Rachel and any other girl in the school. Her thighs are also very powerful. Sofia is the fastest girl on the track and field team, holding the school record of 12.61 seconds. She is also very talented at sucking cocks. All her ex boyfriends were very satisfied, but she wasn't, not because they were lacking in the sex department but since they were all jerks, whose only use was to make her look good when out with them.“Hey! What's up?” Sofia asked her best friend and gives her a hug. Sofia is not only a great athlete but she possesses the rare power of telepathy as well. Since junior high, she has been able to read other people's thoughts and, with practice, influence their feelings. But the girl doesn't like to use these powers very much, since they make her feel like she is violating other people's privacy. No one knows about her abilities, since she fears being thought of as a freak. The girl wanted a life as normal as possible, which is already hard enough with her dad and brother being gangsters. No need to draw more attention with her psychic abilities.“Well,” Rachel coyly said; “I met this really cute guy a few days ago,” Rachel began. Sofia smiled and prompted her to go on. “He's really adorable! I'm not going to introduce him to you though since I'm afraid you might want to suck his dick. You enjoy seducing guys by sucking cocks, don't you?” Sofia just smirked at her friend shamelessly. Rachel knew about all five guys she dated. Sofia also gave blowjobs to several college boys during last summer, and Rachel knew that, too. The ginger loved nothing more than feeling an expanding cock, then ejaculate in her mouth and down her throat. It empowered her because it makes a guy want nothing more than more and more of her. She has yet to try real sex though, and her cunt is still untouched. By keeping her cunt out of their reach, She makes them want her even more.Sofia normally doesn't like using her telepathy powers but right now she is very curious, probing into her friend's mind. The gangster's daughter nearly gasped when she conjurred the shy boy with a coquettish grin on his innocent face. ‘He really is adorable,' she thought to herself. Then Sofia went in deeper and was shocked to see Rachel pissing inside a water bottle, and giving that bottle to the same boy. “So what's his name?” she asked, not wanting to seem suspicious. She might have never told Rachel about the powers she was gifted with, but Rachel isn't dumb. She might figure it out one day.“All right, fine. I'll tell you,” Rachel said after Sofia subtly influenced her mood. “But only because you are my closest friend. You better not start getting any ideas about sucking this guy's cock.” She paused, waiting for Sofia to nod and give the requested promise. “His name is Murphy. He just transferred.” Then Rachel asked; “What about your week, Sofia? Sucked any new cock this week? I know how much you enjoy drinking warm semen.” Sofia snickered, not at all offended by this. It is the truth, after all.“Not this week, no. I just spent most of it babysitting my little brother, Shane.” Sofia is fiercely protective of the boy. He is one of the very few people she deeply cares about, along with her parents and Rachel. “He wanted to stay up and watch Star Wars all night last night, but I told him ‘no', and he was a bit upset about it.”“Your parents are away awfully often, lately,” Rachel observed. Sofia sighed, and said nothing. “You don't have to tell me anything,” Rachel said. “Just tell me everything is alright.” Both of them know that they can't discuss Sofia's dad very much since his life is constantly shrouded in secrecy. It is just a part of being a mob boss, after all. Sofia's dad is nice enough to both of them but they are still under strict orders not to talk too much about what he does and where he is when he goes on his trips around the country. He also doesn't tell them much to begin with, to make sure they don't know anything dangerous. This is for their own safety, as well as his.“They are okay, I think,” Sofia said to her friend and the two then focus on the class as their teacher starts teaching. During the entire lesson, Rachel couldn't stop thinking about her cute boyfriend. Sofia mentally blocked the thoughts from her mind as she does not have to know the sort of perverted ideas that goes on inside Rachel's head. Sofia finds herself feeling sorry for Murphy. Sure, Sofia is perverted herself, but she never even thought about raping anyone. She never had to, since all she ever wanted to do was suck dick and none of her ex boyfriends and hook ups had a problem with that. When a beautiful ginger with a lushious body like Sofia's is eager to orally service a cock, persuasion is rarely needed.Rachel plotting about how she can get Murphy to be helplessly hers and the way she can possess him. First the piss will activate her pheromones throughout his body, to direct his teenage virility to desire her scent, more. She can't wait to complete the next phase, of marking her territory by submerging his pheromone-saturated cock in her dripping pussy, then watch as her pheromones, which he ingested in her special ‘tea', react with her pussy juices, to permanently set her pussy odor in his innocent cock until he is nothing but her sex slave. Yes, she likes him a lot and that is why she wants to pussy-whip him, so that he wouldn't be desirable to any other woman. She wants him to be able to think of nothing but her pussy. Her bald pussy has taken so many cocks inside it since her June 1st birthday party, but it is still rather tight enough for a completely virgin cock. The boy has never even gotten a handjob before, except for the ones he surely gives himself.She can't wait for school to be over so she could stalk the nerdy boy home and maybe break into his place. Then she can rape him until he is totally broken.Murphy took a short walk to the ice cream shop is just eating ice cream in a nearby park not far from the campus. It is after the end of school day and he's admiring the beautiful estates just across the busy parkway. he has about forty five minutes left before his mother arrives to pick him up. His weekly after school science fiction club has just been cancelled. As he ate the ice cream, he smiled to himself. Not just because the ice cream is tasty, but also because he has been constantly happy since when he first talked to Rachel three days ago. She is his first girlfriend and he likes her a lot. A cat walks by and stops to hiss at him, then mark the next park bench with her piss. Murphy assumes the cat is jealous of his ice cream.Suddenly, Murphy sees a little kid run into the parkway, with a loud shriek that is coming from a mansion doorway, more than a hundred meters away. Without thinking of his own safety, Murphy quickly tossed his ice cream aside and rushed after the much younger boy. He managed to grab him and drag him back to safety just in time as a large truck passed around the curve at a high speed.“Are you okay?” he asked the kid and quickly looked all over the boy, just to check for any cuts & bruises that might or might not be there. It was very fast.The boy started crying and Murphy patted his back awkwardly. Then a redhead he is sure he's seen before rushed over to them. “Oh my god, are you okay, Shane?” Then she turned to face Murphy and for just the briefest of moments, her face shows a trace of surprise. “You're new, right? I think I've seen you around school before.” He noded.“Thank you so much. This is my little brother and you just saved him.” Sofia then hugged him tightly and Murphy awkwardly blushed, before extracting himself from her strong arms.Sofia quickly surmised him as the nerd that is dating her best friend, but she didn't say anything. She's too busy staring at him, mesmerized by how cute he is. And he's so brave too, from how he ran into the busy parkway to save her little brother. She adjusted her black leather jacket as he dismissed the rescue; “It's okay. Anyone else would have done the same thing in my place.” Murphy looked at the crying little boy and asked for his name. Once he got it, he said “I will be right back. You and your sister wait here for me, okay” He jogged to the corner and made for the ice cream shop where he saw assorted candy sticks at the register.The redhead mafia princess found herself staring at his ass. He is a slow runner and only intercepted Shane before she did because he was so much closer to him. Of course, she was incredibly grateful and felt something more than that too. Her heart was wildly thumping in her chest as she thought of how Rachel is so lucky to have this nice and adorable guy. He's not self-absorbed, like most of the guys Sofia knows. She should have met him first, but Rachel did, and now she is felt jealous of her best friend. I have a much bigger ass than Rachel's, Sofia thinks to herself bitterly.Murphy returned, smiling as he handed a candy stick to the still crying boy. “Here, kiddo. You can have it if you stop crying, okay?” That got him to stop crying immediately, as he peeled back the cellophane wrapper. Murphy smiled lightly and he tousled the kid's hair as he watched him unwrap and start eating the candy. “It's okay. You weren't hit. Just be way more careful next time and don't run into the road again, all right?” Shane just nodded, munching on candy. He reminded Murphy of the little cousin he has and feels very protective of.“Why don't you thank him, honey?” Sofia asks her little brother, who only mumbles a small ‘thank you' to Murphy. The tall shapely redhead turns to Murphy and said; “Sorry about this. He can be shy around strangers but I'm sure that he's really grateful for you saving him. What is your name again?” she asked. Truthfully, Sofia already knows it from when she probed into Rachel's mind earlier in the day, but she wants to let it unfold naturally, and stalling so that she has time to think about what to do.“I'm Murphy,” he quickly said and offered a handshake. She accepted it gracefully and found herself lusting for him when he glanced aside bashfully at her admiring gaze. He is even more adorable than when she saw him in Rachel's head. Sofia is getting so horny already and really wants him. Sofia processes attraction to a guy with her obsession to suck his cock. But she has never wanted to suck anyone's cock this much. In fact, she even wants to go the full distance with him and finally lose her virginity. He is the sort of guy she wants to do it with. Kind, very sweet and gentle. The boy of her dreams. His act of risking his life for a random kid, awakens her desire to fully give her ‘flower' to him. It's all so primal that modern thinking is unaware of it.“Well, I better get going now.” Murphy said, breaking her trance.“Wait!” Sofia says, steps forward to stop him from leaving. “Let me thank you for saving him.”He was about to just wave it aside when she grabbed his sleeve and desperately offered; “I can give you a thank you blowjob. I am very good at sucking dicks, you know. All of my ex boyfriends were very happy when dating me.”Murphy stared at Sofia in absolute shock, not sure if he heard that correctly or not.“You won't believe how good I am at blowjobs.” She proudly assured him. “Not unless you let me give you one, today.”Murphy backed away instinctively, his hands now subconsciously covering his crotch protectively.But seeing a need to now rescue her from the pain of rejection, he took her hand gently off his sleeve and said softly; “You are really beautiful and I am very touched by your offer, but I am already dating someone.”Sofia had to pretend to be surprised, not wanting to reveal anything. “I'm sorry but I've to go now.” Murphy then heads to the campus, wanting to say goodbye to Rachel at the running track, before his mom arrives to take him home. The boy knows Rachel would be there right now since she takes track and field very seriously and he said he'd show up at practice.To be continued.By Dash91830 for Literotica

¿Por qué los hombres nos negamos a ir a terapia? ¿La terapia es para locos? Tomar terapia es lo mejor que nos ha pasado. Vayan a terapia ya sea por depresión, ansiedad, estrés, tristeza, etc. Vayan, no se arrepentirán.Agarra tu caja de Kleenex porque en este episodio de SE DICE Y NO PASA NADA vamos a quitarnos estigmas y a sincerarnos como nunca.

Guest, Molly Myers, joins the girls to share her heartbreakingly beautiful motherhood journey. Multiple losses, complicated pregnancies, and a trip to Lourdes. Grab your Kleenex box for this one! Instagram: @sacrificeofpraisepodcastEmail: sacrificeofpraisepodcast@gmail.com 

In today's episode, we continue our chat with high school juniors, Anika & Amrita about what it's been like attending high school during the pandemic, social media, pressures of being a teen and their podcast, “No Therapist, No Problem”. Sometimes, it's difficult to sit down with a complete stranger and tell them what exactly is on your mind. So, Anika Manelkar and Amrita Sundaram have got your back! As high schoolers, they host the podcast “No Therapist, No Problem!”, which was started in December 2020. They hope to bring a sense of community and provide a safe space for people struggling with mental health, talking through topics such as mental hygiene or even depression so that you don't have to spill your guts on that couch with a box of Kleenex in a room that probably smells like money and adults. Listen as they bring in their own experiences in mental health and how they've grown as teenagers. NO THERAPIST, NO PROBLEM: LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/notherapistnoproblem Instagram: @notherapistnoproblem TikTok: @notherapistnoproblem The YANApodcast: Instagram: @the_yanapodcast Website: www.theyanapodcast.com New episodes every Tuesday! NAMI PHILLY: Instagram: @NAMIPhiladelphia or @namiphillyyouth Website: www.namiphilly.org NAMI Philadelphia Warmline: 844.PHL.HOPE CRISIS RESOURCES: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 Crisis Text Line: Text “NAMI” to 741-741 Philadelphia Suicide and Crisis Intervention Hotline (215) 686-4420 National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) Help Line (CALL OR TEXT): (800) 931-2237 SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration): (800) 662-HELP (4357) to get connected to help for substance use disorders. The Trevor Project (Suicide/Crisis Support for LGBTQ+ Youth): (866) 488-7386, Text “Start” to 678-678 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/yanapodcast/support

Paul Harvey - Kleenex

In today's episode, we chat with high school juniors, Anika & Amrita about what it's been like attending high school during the pandemic, social media, pressures of being a teen and their podcast, "No Therapist, No Problem". Sometimes, it's difficult to sit down with a complete stranger and tell them what exactly is on your mind. So, Anika Manelkar and Amrita Sundaram have got your back! As high schoolers, they host the podcast "No Therapist, No Problem!", which was started in December 2020. They hope to bring a sense of community and provide a safe space for people struggling with mental health, talking through topics such as mental hygiene or even depression so that you don't have to spill your guts on that couch with a box of Kleenex in a room that probably smells like money and adults. Listen as they bring in their own experiences in mental health and how they've grown as teenagers. NO THERAPIST, NO PROBLEM: LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/notherapistnoproblem Instagram: @notherapistnoproblem TikTok: @notherapistnoproblem The YANApodcast: Instagram: @the_yanapodcast Website: www.theyanapodcast.com New episodes every Tuesday! NAMI PHILLY: Instagram: @NAMIPhiladelphia or @namiphillyyouth Website: www.namiphilly.org NAMI Philadelphia Warmline: 844.PHL.HOPE CRISIS RESOURCES: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800) 273-TALK (8255) Crisis Text Line: Text “NAMI” to 741-741 Philadelphia Suicide and Crisis Intervention Hotline (215) 686-4420 National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) Help Line (CALL OR TEXT): (800) 931-2237 SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration): (800) 662-HELP (4357) to get connected to help for substance use disorders. The Trevor Project (Suicide/Crisis Support for LGBTQ+ Youth): (866) 488-7386, Text “Start” to 678-678 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/yanapodcast/support

What do Google, P2Ps, and Instagram all have in common? They are search engines! This week, Anne & Erikka talk tech. More specifically, SEO and how you can use keywords to improve your searchability & business. Our websites and online profiles are our digital storefronts. The words we put on them are the secret to getting found by clients, so specificity and consistency are essential. Listen up Bosses, we've got tips & tricks just for you! Transcript >> It's time to take your business to the next level, the BOSS level! These are the premiere Business Owner Strategies and Successes being utilized by the industry's top talent today. Rock your business like a BOSS, a VO BOSS! Now let's welcome your host, Anne Ganguzza. Anne: Hey everyone. Welcome to the VO BOSS podcast. I'm your host Anne Ganguzza, and I am here back with special guest co-host Erikka J. Hey Erikka. Erikka: Hey Anne, how are you today? Anne: I'm doing good. What's going on with you? Erikka: Oh, nothing, man. Just happy to be back and happy to have -- actually, I just had a job that walked in on my website, and I was so excited because I love getting those. Anne: Ah, oh my God. I love that. You said that because walking in on your website, that's the best kind of job to get because you don't have to do all the work of auditioning. They've already come to your website. They've heard your demos. And they've liked what they've heard, and then they contact you and say how much? Erikka: Yeah. They just walk in and wanna hand you money for you doing the talking. So I love that. Anne: I love that. That is such an efficient way to work. Not that -- look, I'm not gonna blast anybody who auditions. I mean, I audition. I audition for my agents every day and thankfully I'm busy because I do a lot of things in my business that I don't really have a ton of time to audition outside of, for my agents. And so when it comes in on my website or however they find me online, I absolutely love the inquiry because they don't necessarily need an audition. They're just saying here's my job. How much will it cost? Erikka: Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean, you know, talking about balance, yeah sure, we do auditions every day. Anne: Yeah. Erikka: And that's a great way to land work. And a lot of the work that we get from our agents where we have to audition are those big, you know, really great jobs, but having a balanced approach to your business and having a diverse set of leads that come in, having that walk-in money where you don't really have to do that audition work. And it's just like, hey, we want you to do this job. We saw your website and love your work. And when can we schedule a session and how much? Like, that's great. It's a good balance. Anne: Love it, love it. And so I think so important to talk about is SEO, because that plays a large part in how people find you online, a large part in how people find me and my website, and then pretty much say, hey, I like your voice. How much will it cost? So let's talk a little bit about SEO, search engine optimization. I know a lot of people like get discombobulated when we start talking about technological things like that and SEO. And disclaimer here, I am not an SEO expert, but I have definitely employed certain things on my website that have allowed me to be found easier. And it has really contributed greatly to those people that walk in and ask for work from me, which I think is amazing. Erikka, what about your experiences? Erikka: Absolutely. I mean, if you think about it, when it gets a little intimidating, you just think about SEO, as Anne said, stands for search engine optimization. What is Google? A search engine. What are all these social media sites essentially? A search engine. Even the P2Ps, a search engine, they're looking for things. So all you're doing is optimizing your website so that you are found more easily on that search engine when they're searching for things that are relevant to your website. Anne: Yes, absolutely. Or your online presence. I know. I -- Erikka: Yeah, absolutely. Anne: -- I bring it back to the website because I think the website is the core of who our businesses are. And the core website will allow anyone to come find me, listen to my demos and then pay me money. So it's like a full cycle. That's my online storefront. And so let's talk about how we can optimize our online presence for good SEO, Erikka. Erikka: Yeah. Yeah. Anne: What's the first thing? Erikka: I think for me, I saw the jump when I went into -- 'cause currently my site is based on SquareSpace. I'm in the process of moving over to WordPress. But there is, if you dig into those sites, there are sections that are specifically for SEO. And if you go in there and you start putting in, I use keywords that I know when someone who is looking for me or my type of sound or what I bring to the table as a voice talent, I'm putting those keywords in my SEO box so that when they're searching for Black female voice talent, or authoritative, or sounds like Viola Davis or whatever, I'm coming up in those options. So I think that's number one is making sure that you have the right copy on your website and the right terms that are specifically driving SEO on your website listed there. Anne: Let's talk a little bit more about keywords because I think keywords are what, you know, people are like, well, what keywords should I use? And I think keywords are very specific to everybody, every person. And I think everybody wants to be found for the keyword voiceover. Erikka: Yeah. Anne: You know? Erikka: Everybody, Anne: Everybody. And here's the deal. The sites that have a lot of people that have voiceover in their profile, that word, are going to be the ones that get found first because there's many occurrences. So keywords are, basically in Google, if you rank highly for a particular keyword, you will show up on the first page, which is desirable to show up on the first page. 'Cause many people, when they search myself included, I don't always go to the second or third pages. However, I will say, Erikka, I don't know if you've noticed recently, there's been an awful lot of ads on the first page of Google lately. Erikka: There have. Anne: A lot. Erikka: Definitely. And not just Google, but like, you know, I went to like search for a restaurant on like Yelp or something, and it was like, it wasn't necessarily the best, but it was ranked first because it was sponsored, and you have to look for that word, and it's like, oh wait. . So yeah, lots of ads. Anne: And so I think that by the way, Erikka, this is probably another podcast episode, but thinking about marketing and ads, adding ads into your daily practice could be something that would be worthwhile. And again, that's another investment, but I say that just because I'm noticing the increase on the first page of Google of ads showing up. And so you wanna make sure that the keyword that people search for will show up your entry on the first page, if possible, because not many people click to the second or third pages. However, I will say because of the amount of ads I have been going to the second page more often now. Erikka: Yeah. I've seen that. Anne: But what makes a good keyword? So of course you can put voiceover in your body of text that you put on your website or on your profile. But I also think you definitely need to target it more specifically to what you want to be found for. So for example, if somebody typed in voiceover coach or commercial voiceover coach, and I'd have to keep checking right now, but I have certain words that I wanna be found for. But if somebody types in commercial VO coach, that's a different set of words than commercial voiceover coach. So keep that in mind because people say, well, I didn't find you when I searched for you under commercial VO coach. And I'm like, well, that doesn't necessarily mean that you won't find me under commercial voiceover coach. So I think a lot of times in order to get yourself found on that first page, try to think specifically and narrow down that focus on your target. So for example, if I say "commercial voiceover Orange County," I will show up on the first page exactly. Or "narration voiceover coach Orange County," that kind of thing. And if I don't, by the time this airs , I will, I will be working to make sure that that happens because I have a certain set of words that I wanna be found for. Now, it would be great if I could be found for voiceover coach, that in general, but there's a lot of voiceover coaches out there that use that as well as their a search term. So it really behooves you to think about what it is that you wanna be found for. Erikka: Absolutely being specific is so key 'cause like you said, everyone is gonna have voiceover and not just that, but the first page, if you just have voiceover or even VO or just those sort of generic terms, you're gonna get eaten up by the sites that are corporations that have thousands of dollars into voiceover, some of the P2Ps. Anne: Exactly. Erikka: You know what I mean? So you're gonna get pushed down and, and maybe not even be in the first three pages. You'll get found for what you wanna get found for, for what really your niche is because we all have different areas of expertise. Anne: Exactly. Erikka: Not just in genre, but in like how our voice sounds like, how do you describe your voice?What adjectives do you use? What celebrity references would you compare your voice to? Anne: I think celebrity references are great too. Erikka: Oh yeah. Yeah. Anne: So many people forget about that, their soundalike, and that really helps. And I think you should absolutely put that on your website. Because that will help target the search even more. Yeah. Erikka: Alt text in photos is another good thing to have just to get your site higher ranked in general. The better that Google likes your website, doing things like to make it clean and having the hierarchy right so you get site mapped, and that's where like if you search for a website and you'll see where it says, like if you search for Erikka J, you'll see like about and voiceover and music, like you'll see the different subpages on the Google initial search, that means you've been site mapped. So Google kind of ranks you higher just for that reason alone. So a lot of different things to consider. Anne: Well, I think that that's wonderful. I think, so number one is knowing that. The way search engine optimization works is, or the way search engines work is they pretty much keyword or they index your website with all the words on it. And so when somebody says to you, oh, I think that your website is too busy or it's too wordy. I always say, mm, think again. Erikka: Yeah. Yeah. Anne: I mean, if you ever look at my website, I've got words everywhere. And so the reason for that is for SEO purposes. I want to be able to be found. And so these people they're like, I really want clean voiceover webpages that, you know, you can get to the demos right away, which I agree with, but I'll tell you what. Clean doesn't necessarily mean that you're not being verbose about who you are and what kind of a business you are. Because when I search for, let's say, I wanna find a particular product, like I'm trying to find green chickpeas. I just say that -- Erikka: That's pretty particular. Anne: It's particular, and it's very difficult to find green chickpeas, but when I type that in the websites that come back, I wanna be able to click on them and immediately purchase. And so when somebody types in those keywords for you, commercial voiceover or explainer narrator, whatever that is, you wanna show up on that first page. And then when they click on you, you want that page to be accessible and easy to buy. Erikka: Yes. Yes. Anne: Easy to buy and look professional. So I think in terms of the SEO, the search engine optimization being optimized for your site, I think it helps to have more words that accurately describe who your business is and what words you wanna be found as. So you must include those. And you mentioned the alt text, which is great. And somebody who doesn't necessarily design websites may not know what that is. But that is text that you put around an image in the code of the HTML of the website, which you can do if you understand a little bit about WordPress or whatever your website has been developed in. My websites are all in Wix now. I was using WordPress and then my websites became very complex in terms of eCommerce happening. I have a CRM embedded. I have email that I'm sending from these websites. So Wix kind of worked out for me for that because it had all of those embedded into the website, those capabilities. And with that, any web provider, if it's Wix, if it's WordPress, you know, hosted on a GoDaddy website, whatever it is, they're going to have some sort of provision for SEO where you can insert keywords. That is very, very helpful, not only having the words on your website, and I think also dividing your website into different sections. So like I have a commercial voiceover landing page. I have a corporate narration landing page. I have an explainer landing page, a telephony landing page. And so that just makes it even easier to find, because again, I can put more of those words on my website by having specific landing pages Erikka: And it's more targeted. So I mean, you know, obviously we're talking about having the right copy and having, you know, these SEO terms. You don't wanna word vomit, right, and just have like all the words that you think are gonna get you found. It still has to be cohesive and make sense. And it has to be true. Nothing's worse -- I don't know about you guys, but if I'm searching for like great Mexican food near me and I get something that's totally unrelated, that's annoying, and it pisses your buyer off. So make sure it's still relevant. So definitely getting those pages that are relevant to the topic can target who you're trying to talk to with that demographic. And I believe it may have changed 'cause I know Google was more so understood words and they're starting to have more like a computer vision where they can understand images more. But I think having at least 500 words was the cutoff last I heard from someone that worked at Google per page to get it kind of recognized and rank. Anne: Yeah. I think they're starting to recognize words within photos as well. Erikka: They are. Yep. Yep. Anne: I absolutely think that having, first of all, more words and targeted words that make sense -- by the way, you'll get penalized, if you just do what they call keyword stuffing. So you can't just throw in the words. And as a matter of fact, if you throw in more words like voiceover talent or voiceover or VO and you put too many of them in your pages and they don't make sense, you'll get penalized and you certainly don't want that to happen. And by the way, I always tell people that SEO is one of those things. Now we talk about Google, right, because that's my search engine. I don't really go to any other search engine. Do you, Erikka? Erikka: I don't. Anne: Yeah. So in reality there are other search engines, but I really don't use any. It's always Google, and nobody knows really Google's algorithm unless you work for Google. And that is a proprietary thing. And I remember SEO people would study that and there are different versions of the Google algorithm that come out and they name them. And so every time Google would come out with a new algorithm, they'd say, well -- and I think one of 'em was called like the penguin. I can't remember, but everybody would come out and say, okay, since Google's new algorithm, here's what you need to do to get good SEO. And so I'm just gonna say, if you don't work for Google, you don't know you don't. You just don't. So if you have somebody that comes to you and says, I can make you show up on the front page, I want you to probably just run far away. Because I just have never really believed people 'cause that used to be a real business. People would just be, they were SEO people and we can get you on the front page and you pay us all this money. And in reality they would keyword stuff. And that was back in the day. And I still have people who email me and spam me about SEO and getting myself on the front page. So beware -- Erikka: Me too. Anne: -- that, unless they work for Google, they don't really know. And I'm all about, and I think Erikka, you too, I'm all about organic SEO, and organic is absolutely let's write the verbiage. Let's use the words on our website and in our profiles that accurately describes who we are, what we do and what we would like to be found for and not keyword stuff. And that's worked wonders for me in the past years because as I mentioned before, I have a lot of different divisions of my business that I work at. And I don't have time to audition all the time. So for me getting work that finds me or getting clients that find me first, then they have the opportunity to listen to the demos on my site. And if my demos are targeted to the specific genre, and they nail the sound that the client is looking for, boom, I've just taken care of half of the work in terms of getting that lead and then solidifying it so that I can get paid. Erikka: Yeah, absolutely. You don't want someone to find you and then they find that you weren't the right match. You don't want to attract the wrong client and ends up wasting your time. So the more targeted and sort of more strategic that you are with those keywords to make the right match happen automated, take that manual workout for yourself, it's a win for both sides. So absolutely. Anne: I like how you said you don't wanna attract the wrong client. Erikka: Yeah. Anne: And interestingly enough, I always hear about people talking about being low balled in a lot of the Facebook groups and they'll be like, oh, you know, they only offered me this or this is what they're offering. And I'm like, interestingly enough, I never quite meet clients like that. And I'm going to very humbly attribute it to a great web designer, my great web designer who shall remain nameless because they can't take on anymore clients and a great writer for the verbiage of which I worked many, many years myself on on trying to hone that and really working with someone to figure out who am I? Who do I want to be? How do I wanna be found online? And really working, not just a day on that. It has evolved over years of writing, rewriting and a lot of work. And it has been, I think one of the most successful things that I've ever done for my business that has garnered me, I'm gonna say, three quarters of my income was a great website with great verbiage that says exactly who I am, targets who I want to find me, and just gets me work without me having to go and cold call people or email people or whatever it is, just being found. And it's not just the website, but it's a website in combination with social media profiles. And also not just the words on the website, but I know we're specifically talking SEO, but the words in combination with the actual website that looks professional enough so that people, when they see it, they trust it, and they're willing to click and buy so to speak. Erikka: Yeah. One of the best compliments I got was somebody told me, oh, your website looks expensive. And I was like -- Anne: Yeah, right? Erikka: -- perfect! because I want clients that, that know they're not going to get a $50 voiceover from me. Anne: And that's it. And then I guess that was the long story of me getting back to your point about you don't wanna attract the wrong client. If somebody comes to me, they're not gonna offer me $.08 a word. You know what I mean? For e-learning. I'm not even attracting that type of client. I'm attracting the type of client that is going to be willing to pay. And funny enough, I was like, and now of course I'm gonna have another one of those moments, but I said something to my husband, I said yesterday, I don't even care what it costs, but I am hunting for this product because I want it to be the right product. And I want it to be quality product, and I'm willing to pay for it. And that I think is something so important for us as business owners and entrepreneurs that we understand that. I shop online all the time. I love online shopping. I think it's the best thing since sliced bread personally. Erikka: Absolutely. Yeah. And I mean, think about how it is when, when you guys are shopping, when -- there are times when you're more budget driven, when you're like, all right, what can I get what I need for the lowest price? And there are times like you just said, Anne, you know, when you're like, look, I don't care what it costs, but I need a certain level of quality. Anne: Yeah. I need this. I'm just gonna particular brand or yep. Erikka: Yep. And that's what you want your brand, your website, your digital storefront to say about you. Anne: Yep. You wanna be the Kleenex. Erikka: Yes. There you go. The Puffs Plus with lotion Anne: I need the Anne Ganguzza of voiceover. And also I wanna just mention that everybody should always have their name associated with their business, AnneGanguzza.com. And I tell people, I want you to be the Kleenex of voiceover. I need that Anne Ganguzza. Oh, I'm sorry. I need an Anne Ganguzza, you know, that kind of thing. I need an Erikka J . Really, that is important. And there's so many people that come up with these clever little names for their URLs and I'm like, well, that's great, but also have your name. Right? Erikka: Well, use them and, and I guess this is sort of a little, it's still kind of related to SEO in a way, but you can do that and use redirects. That's one thing I do a lot because people frequently forget that I have two K's in my name or where they wanna put two RS or whatever. So I have had other things like EJ Voiceover that are easier to find, but it still redirects you to ErikkaJ.com. Anne: Absolutely. Erikka: So you can still do those little clever names that get people's attention and have it tell them what your name is when they get there. Anne: Unless you have somebody else out there with another name that might be, I don't know, somebody undesirable that you may not wanna be found for. Then I say, add the word, voice or voiceover afterwards, you know, Anne Ganguzza Voiceover. Everybody's like, well, Anne Ganguzza, isn't that difficult to spell? I'm like, well, I'm a Kleenex. So -- Erikka: Teach them. Anne: And like, Erikka J, I will tell you, Erikka, I learned right away because you're somebody I wanted to know. I knew I wanted to be in contact. I immediately remembered the two Ks and not two RS. Erikka: Aww. Thank you. Anne: But it's true. Right? So I just now know -- Erikka: It's true. Anne: And I think that any client, right, that wants you, they learn it and that's it. And you stay in their brains and that is what makes you unique. And I love your last name. It's so like Ganguzza... Anne: Thank you. It is a cool name. Isn't it? It's one of the reasons why I took it Erikka: Right, right, right, right, right. You're like, honey, this is a business decision. Anne: Well, it kind of was. My name before was Lucy, and that was also a cool name. So I just thought Anne Ganguzza was a cool sounding name, but Anne Lucy was always also really a cool name 'cause people sometimes would call me Lucy instead of Anne. But when I first started, I picked a URL and I said, Annespeaks.com. And I thought it was so clever. And the funny thing is, is that nobody searched for Anne -- like, what is an Anne speaks? Is that like a noun? What is that? I mean, you would like it to be, but in the beginning it did not serve me well, even though I thought I was so clever. Erikka: That's memorable, you know? Yeah. But like Anne Ganguzza, how can you forget that? Anne: That's right. And if you want Anne Ganguzza, you'll know how to spell that name. Erikka: That's right. That's right. Anne: That's the point. You'll find it. That's the point. So don't worry BOSSes out there. If you have a name that's difficult to spell, I always say, get that name and then get redirects. Like things that are easier, like your first name voiceover.com or whatever. But that again is part of the SEO as well. Not just the words that you have on your website, but also in your URL. Erikka: Yes. Anne: So if they are words that people typically search for that you wanna be found, you can also include those in your URL. And it's not expensive these days -- Erikka: Not at all, not at all. Anne: -- to get additional URLs, to buy additional domain names. And then let's see, I have about 11 websites, Erikka. How many do you have? Erikka: Oh man. Err... More than 10. Anne: There you go. There you go. So the thing is, is I think for people who have been in the business and have a little bit of at least knowledge about SEO and understand the, the advantages and the benefits, you can create what you mentioned before, those redirects, that go to your website. So I also happen to have the eLearningvoice.com, medical-narration.com, phone-voice.com and all of these other genre based website domains. And they have, again, more words on the page that discuss who I am. Right? What my business does, my voiceover for explainers or voiceovers for telephony, voiceovers for -- and that also contributes to my overall SEO in the world of online searching. And so I pay for those websites. I pay for the maintenance of those websites. And so it is an investment, guys. But I, I think if anybody has a problem finding me online, they maybe don't know how to type it properly because -- Erikka: Well, I mean, that's what it's all about is being easy to be found. So what can you do to make it easy for people to find you? Because the internet is vast . I mean, it is so big So what are you gonna do to help people filter through the noise to find you? Anne: Google yourself. Erikka: Oh my goodness, yes. In an incognito window, which means that it's not looking at your cookies or anything like that or any, it's not seeing it through the lens of anything else you've searched. If you use Chrome or whatever browser, but you should see like in, I know in Chrome, in the upper right corner, there's like three dots. And if you click that, it'll say new incognito window and it'll be like dark. That means that you're in like, almost like a brand new browser and -- Anne: it's a dark window. Erikka: -- if you Google -- it's the dark web. Anne: You Google yourself in the dark window, on the dark web. Erikka: Google yourself. And then you will see how you are coming up from the dark web. No. Anne: But that's so important. Erikka: Seriously. Yeah. It's is. It is. Anne: That is so important. Erikka: You'll be shocked. Anne: And I say, Google yourself regularly, because you don't wanna be found for things that maybe you don't wanna be found for. Erikka: Right. Or old things, you know, like -- Anne: Exactly. I love that. You said old things because that's so important that we make sure that you clean up, make sure you clean up online. If you can. It's really difficult sometimes to completely clean up things that have been said. And that again, could be another podcast episode. If you've said things online, your social posts show up online as well. Erikka: Yes, they do. Anne: They do.   Erikka: I've definitely seen Twitter posts come up in a Google search for me. And I was like, oh, okay. Anne: So if you searched your name, right, Anne Ganguzza, I think the first thing, if it's properly done, that should come up is your website. Erikka: Should be, yes. Anne: Right? Erikka: Absolutely. Anne: And if you have multiple pages on your website, which I think is a good thing, and Erikka, I believe that you agreed with me, you'll see like you're about section, you'll see whatever that might be about, demos, those types of things, whatever sections, they should also show up. And then I think the next thing might be either YouTube or LinkedIn or whatever your social media social profiles are. I think YouTube possibly is the next one that come up. Erikka: It depends on the one you're most active in, honestly. Anne: Yeah. Erikka: If you're not super active on YouTube, like me, like I haven't posted anything with there in a while, bad Erikka but yeah. Anne: Yeah. So the next thing for me is YouTube. 'Cause I've been doing a little blurb on YouTube trying to yeah -- and again, that's another thing that I've been doing to try to increase my SEO is I've been putting out weekly videos. And so not only for VO BOSS, do I put out weekly videos, but for Anne Ganguzza I do. So for each brand I'm putting out well VO Peeps, I mean I'm only one person, but as most people know, I have a team of people that help me. I have been putting my own videos out on Anne Ganguzza to try to increase the Anne Ganguzza brand and VO BOSS, we do all of our episodes weekly. We put that on YouTube as well, just to contribute to the SEO. And as a matter of fact, we also transcribe our episodes as well to help any possible type of SEO. So if you were to search or if you listen to any of the episodes on, let's say Apple Podcasts or Spotify, you'll see that the transcripts are there as well. Erikka: Yeah. And I think, I think LinkedIn is another one that comes up heavy for me because it is one of the largest -- Anne: Yes, me too. Erikka: -- social media platforms in the world. And a lot of people sleep on LinkedIn. I know in our community we talk about it more, but seriously it's like, 'cause you know, it's like it's Facebook in a suit. You know, people say that, but -- Anne: It is Facebook in a suit. Erikka: But just about everybody's there. So -- Anne: Everybody's on it. Yes, absolutely. And you're right. And now there's the feed. And so I'm posting daily to that, and I'm trying to post content that matters. So another thing that can help you with SEO is to publish content and update it regularly or new content. And so I also blog on a weekly basis, and one of my blogs every week is my video that I've put on YouTube, which I've then transcribed, which then becomes a blog of mine. And then I also write a blog every other week. So that again are words that come back to my website so that again, people can find me easily. Erikka: Yeah. Another thing I did fairly recently, which I probably need to do some maintenance work on, but I'd created a business on Google business. Anne: Oh yes. Good idea. Erikka: Which is easy to do. And then that way you could actually get people to write reviews for you too. So yeah. You can come up there and show up as a business. So. Anne: That's the other thing, when you do a Google search on yourself, that should show up. That and Yelp always showed up pretty high up. But I think lately they've not been coming up as high up in the search. Erikka: I haven't seen Yelp as high lately, but -- Anne: Yeah. You know, well, there's so many issues with Yelp, I think with people sabotaging other businesses by writing bad reviews and that sort of thing, which was a real thing. Erikka: Yeah. I mean, SEO's kind of like credit scores, right? Like you said, the algorithm changes all the time. You get the most information that you can to try to optimize, but you're not gonna master it because it's proprietary to those companies, and they put a lot of money into keeping them very secret and specialized. Just do the best you can. Anne: So consider, you know, I'm thinking for the future, it's gonna be something I've been looking at too. I mean, if you're not advertising already, think about that. Because it's becoming more and more prevalent out there, but for sure, understand who you are, define who you are as a business, figure out what keywords you want to be found for, make sure that they appear in your websites, make sure they appear in your social media profiles and try to just Google yourself every week or so. And longevity by the way, has something to do with it. So make sure that you are Googling yourself every week, every other week, and you too can win at the SEO game, and it's not that complicated. Erikka: It's not. And bringing it back to our balance theme, you know, it's like we do things actively to get these leads and to get these jobs every day, like auditions or you know, some people on P2Ps or doing your direct marketing. SEO is something that you can do passively so that work just walks in the door. Anne: There you go. I love it. Wow. I could talk another half an hour on this at least. Erikka: I could. I think we both talk a lot, Anne because we get paid for it. Anne: Ah, there we go. Yeah. Well BOSSes, you can use your voice to make an immediate difference and give back to the communities that give to you. Visit 100voiceswhocare.org to find out more. You can absolutely make a difference for a small, quarterly contribution. And a great big shout-out to our sponsor. ipDTL. You too can network and communicate like BOSSes like Erikka J and I, and find out more at ipdtl.com. You guys, have an amazing, and we'll see you next week. Bye! Erikka: Bye! >> Join us next week for another edition of VO BOSS with your host Anne Ganguzza. And take your business to the next level. Sign up for our mailing list at voboss.com and receive exclusive content, industry revolutionizing tips and strategies, and new ways to rock your business like a BOSS. Redistribution with permission. Coast to coast connectivity via ipDTL.

The average family spends hundreds, and some thousands, per year on toiletries and personal care items.  These are often the items that are part of a trip to Target, the grocery store, or a quick Amazon purchase; you likely don't realize how much you're spending as it adds up quickly.  Many products fit into the categories we're talking about:Personal maintenance items such as shampoo, deodorant, and facial products.  Make-up, nail care, and bath/spa products.   Medicine, vitamins, and supplements.Cleaning supplies for your home.Personal care staples like toilet paper, hand soap, dishwasher soap, etc.  We talk through ideas and tips for how to save money on toiletries and personal care items:Be a personal care minimalist.  Consider what you really need. Focus on being intentional and values-based in your purchase decisions.  Focus on quality over quantity.  Also, consider when quality matters versus does not.  Use up what you already have, even if it's not your favorite product. For example, use up old toothpaste, shampoo, etc., before you restock on things.  Don't allow yourself to stock back up or buy some new product you've wanted until you use up what you already have.  Use less of the product each time you use it.  For example, you don't need as much toothpaste or toilet paper as most people use.  Ensure you use up all of the product before recycling the packaging.  Cut things open if you have to. Consider what stores you're buying things from. Walgreens is expensive for some items but also has a great store brand. Sams Club and Costco can sometimes be a good price.  Do you really need it?  Consider getting to the root cause of why you need some products. For example, something like Kleenex is costly; consider using toilet paper instead.Buy generic and store brand items.  The ingredients are often identical.  Re-fill items with generic items.  If you like a nice or special-looking soap container in your bathroom, consider keeping and reusing that container and refilling it with Aldi's antibacterial hand soap; it's 25% the cost of some other brands. Seek out tried and true classics vs. fancy marketing machines.  For example, CeraVe lotion is highly recommended by all dermatologists, is a quality product, and has a fair, reasonable price. I could instead find many overpriced and overly marketed lotions when CeraVa is arguably a better product.  Minimize your makeup and consider if/when you really need to wear makeup. Make your own!  Mike makes his soap.  Maggie makes her household cleaning products. Don't get pulled into multi-level marketing MLM product schemes.  These products are often much higher priced, and the quality is often not better.     Use coupons and look for things on sale.  The Flipp app helps find sales and deals on specific products.  Take care of yourself naturally, and you need less of all of these products. For example, if you're exercising, eating healthy, getting enough sleep, meditating, and so many other things, you'll need less medicine and “personal care” items.Top 3 takeaways:Be more thoughtful about your decisions for your wallet and the environment.  You probably only need a quarter of what you usually buy out of habit.Test and learn. Stop using some things for a short time, use less, or switch products. You might learn a lot.Show References:Johnny Harris Shampoo Videofriends on FIRE episode #017 - Crazy frugal stuff we dofriends on FIRE episode #111 - Gift economies and buy nothing groupsFiends on FIRE episode #128 - Creative ways to save on medical expensesFlipp app - Flyers, shopping lists, weekly ads---Follow friends on FIRETwitterInstagramFacebookLinkedInLeave us a voicemail or text us: 404-981-3370eMail us at:  friendsonfiremm@gmail.comVisit our website: www.friendsonfire.org---Other LinksMaggie's Blog: Mostly Minimal LifeMike's Book: Your New Relationship with Money

We're joined by Nick Squillari, founder of cycling shoe brand Velokicks and curator of the Instagram account of the same name showcasing custom painted shoes. He's also a podiatrist, so we bring Warren's deepest fantasies to life by talking extensively about feet and how to make a comfortable, stylish shoe for cycling.  6:35 - Ukraine x Alpha Velo Vyshyvanka Jersey11:26 - Panache Police: Does anyone actually like riding gravel?25:00 - Velokicks / Nick Squillari Intro (And the Canal story)28:16 - Getting into cycling through rehab29:48 - Being a fitter at Baum Cycles, his podiatry background, creating an Instagram page for the latest in cycling shoes34:40 - What makes a good cycling shoe? According to a podiatrist.37:47 - Do cyclists expect shoes to be painful?40:55 - Should you suffer for fashion? At what point do you have the fit dialed do you move to design?43:14 - Making a decision to price Velokicks more accessibly46:01 - Is Boa the “Kleenex” of shoe dial producers?47:55 - Why are certain shoe brands so expensive?49:59 - Nick's PSA about keeping your shoes clean52:32 - The benefits of being an Australian brand53:10 - Building awareness of the Velokicks shoe brand54:35 - Alex loves Warren's wide toe box58:44 - Rapid Fire1:07:45 - Into The CanalCheck out Velokicks at velokicks.ccThe gravel event Warren kept talking about: www.reggieramble.com/Cycling Fashion Week is presented by Le Club.Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/cyclingfashionweekContact us: cyclingfashionweek@gmail.comHit subscribe, leave a comment and a review, it helps us share the best in cycling fashion with the world. 

The Kickstarter name is synonymous with crowdfunding. It's like the Kleenex of the crowdfunding industry. But, strangely enough, Kickstarter didn't invent crowdfunding. The technique dates back centuries. Heck, Kickstarter wasn't even the first crowdfunding website. So how did it become the world's de facto crowdfunding platform?In this episode of Web Masters, we find out by speaking with one of Kickstarter's co-founders, Charles Adler. He shares the story of building the platform and how he and his co-founders turned a goal of helping artists fund their work into a global brand that's become synonymous with launching innovative new projects.For a complete transcript of the episode, click here.

This show will be forever known as the one in which Scott Warras bids farewell to Matt Pauley in the final crosstalk between the two, highlighted by a special farewell medley.Make sure you have the Kleenex nearby for this one!Listen to the full show (beyond Matt's appearance) at: https://wtmj.com/homepage-showcase/2022/07/07/07-07-22-wtmj-nights-w-scott-warras/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Presented by 3CHi. Gaelic Football, Curse of the Colonel, Rocky Colavito, Pottsville Maroons, Curse of Ramsey, Atuk, Judy Garland, Kleenex