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The callers are fired up tonight as the Packernet faithful weigh in on the Jonathan Gannon hire—and not everyone's drinking the Kool-Aid. Mike aka Packer Super Fan voices what many are thinking: the process stunk, and he's not coming around just because everyone else is. Meanwhile, the Brandon McManus discourse has reached a boiling point, and Dakota brings receipts on why the Haversick hot streak created unrealistic expectations. On the draft front, Kyle from Madison flips the script on not having a first-round pick, arguing it forces us to appreciate the depth of talent where the Packers actually excel. Beer Cheese Benny puts Grayson Halton and Logan Fano on the radar as intriguing Day 2 targets. Plus, Aaron from Ontario breaks down why Gannon's quarters-heavy scheme could be the perfect fit for our safety duo of Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams, and Drew from Green Bay makes the case for tight end as a sneaky draft need. Omar drops his offseason movie picks, and we even get a call from the next generation of Packer fans. Subscribe, leave a review, and call in tomorrow: 608-501-0718 This episode is brought to you by PrizePicks! Use code PACKDADDY to get started with America's #1 fantasy sports app. https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/PACKDADDY To advertise on this podcast please email: ad-sales@libsyn.com Or go to: https://advertising.libsyn.com/packernetpodcast Help keep the show growing and check out everything I'm building across the Packers and NFL world: Support: Patreon: www.patreon.com/pack_daddy Venmo: @Packernetpodcast CashApp: $packpod Projects: Grade NFL Players ➜ fanfocus-teamgrades.lovable.app Packers Hub ➜ packersgames.com Create NFL Draft Big Boards ➜ nfldraftgrades.com Watch Draft Prospects ➜ draftflix.com Screen Record ➜ pause-play-capture.lovable.app Global Economics Hub ➜ global-economic-insight-hub.lovable.app

The callers are fired up tonight as the Packernet faithful weigh in on the Jonathan Gannon hire—and not everyone's drinking the Kool-Aid. Mike aka Packer Super Fan voices what many are thinking: the process stunk, and he's not coming around just because everyone else is. Meanwhile, the Brandon McManus discourse has reached a boiling point, and Dakota brings receipts on why the Haversick hot streak created unrealistic expectations. On the draft front, Kyle from Madison flips the script on not having a first-round pick, arguing it forces us to appreciate the depth of talent where the Packers actually excel. Beer Cheese Benny puts Grayson Halton and Logan Fano on the radar as intriguing Day 2 targets. Plus, Aaron from Ontario breaks down why Gannon's quarters-heavy scheme could be the perfect fit for our safety duo of Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams, and Drew from Green Bay makes the case for tight end as a sneaky draft need. Omar drops his offseason movie picks, and we even get a call from the next generation of Packer fans. Subscribe, leave a review, and call in tomorrow: 608-501-0718 This episode is brought to you by PrizePicks! Use code PACKDADDY to get started with America's #1 fantasy sports app. https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/PACKDADDY To advertise on this podcast please email: ad-sales@libsyn.com Or go to: https://advertising.libsyn.com/packernetpodcast Help keep the show growing and check out everything I'm building across the Packers and NFL world: Support: Patreon: www.patreon.com/pack_daddy Venmo: @Packernetpodcast CashApp: $packpod Projects: Grade NFL Players ➜ fanfocus-teamgrades.lovable.app Packers Hub ➜ packersgames.com Create NFL Draft Big Boards ➜ nfldraftgrades.com Watch Draft Prospects ➜ draftflix.com Screen Record ➜ pause-play-capture.lovable.app Global Economics Hub ➜ global-economic-insight-hub.lovable.app

Go to www.LearningLeader.com for full show notes This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire one person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world has the hustle and grit to deliver. My Guest: Dan Coyle is a New York Times bestselling author who's spent the last two decades studying what makes great teams great. He wrote The Talent Code, The Culture Code, and now Flourish—books that have shaped how millions of people think about skill development, team culture, and meaningful connection. He works with the Cleveland Guardians as a special advisor on culture and performance. We recorded this one together in Cleveland. Notes: Find your yellow doors. Most of us go through life looking for green doors (clearly open paths) and red doors (obviously closed paths). But yellow doors are different. They're out of the corner of your eye, things that make you uncomfortable or feel brand new. That's where life actually happens. We think life is a straight line from A to B to C, but it's not. Life isn't a game... It's complex, living, shifting. Yellow doors are opportunities to create meaningful connections and explore new paths. "Life deepens when we become aware of the yellow doors, the ones we glimpse out of the corner of our eye." The craft journey always involves getting simpler. Simple is not easy. The great ones have their craft to where there's a simplicity to it. In this world of clutter and noise, it's easy to want to compete with energy and speed, but the stuff that really resonates is quieter and simpler. Be a beginner again in something. With climbing, Dan's at the very bottom of the craft mountain. With writing, he's somewhere in the middle. It's fun to have a couple of zones in your life where you're a beginner. It's liberating, but it also develops empathy. Some stuff looks very simple, but isn't. Every good story has three elements. There's some desire (I want to get somewhere), there's some obstacle (this thing standing in my way), and there's some transformation on that journey. Teaching teaches you. Coaching Zoe's writing team helped Dan, and then Zoe ended up coaching Dan. It was never "let me transmit all my wisdom to my daughter." It was a rich two-way dialogue that helped both of them. Suffering together is powerful. Doing hard things together with other people, untangling things together (literally and figuratively), and being vulnerable together. That's culture code stuff. Whether it's skiing with your kids, seeing them fall and get back up, or being trapped underground like the Chilean miners. Behind every individual success is a community. Dan dedicates all his books to his wife, Jenny (except one). Growing up, he had this idea of individual success, individual greatness. But when you scratch one of those individual stories, what's revealed is a community of people. Jenny is the ecosystem that lets Dan do what he does. Going from writing project to writing project, hoping stuff works out, exploring... it's not efficient. It's not getting on the train to work and coming home at five o'clock. It's "I think I need to go to Russia" or "I need to dig into this." She's been more than a partner, an incredible teammate.  Great organizations aren't machines; they're rivers. The old model of leadership is the pilot of the boat, the person flipping levers who has all the answers. That's how most of us grew up thinking about leaders. But Indiana football, the SEALs, Pixar... when you get close to these organizations, they're not functioning like machines. Machines are controlled from the outside and produce predictable results. These organizations are more like energy channels that are exploring. They're like rivers. How do you make a river flow? Give it a horizon to flow toward (where are we going?), set up river banks (where we're not gonna go), but inside that space create energy and agency. Questions do that. Leaders who are good at lobbing questions in and then closing their mouth... that's the most powerful skill. Great teams have peer leaders who sacrifice. Since Indiana football's fresh in our minds... Peer leaders who sacrifice for the team are really big. Fernando Mendoza got smoked, battered, hammered, and he kept going without complaint. In his interview afterward, he talks about his teammates. That's the DNA of great teams. Adversity reveals everything. The litmus test: in moments of terrible adversity, what's the instinct? Are we turning toward each other or away from each other? You could see it in that game. The contrast between the two teams. When things went bad, they responded very differently. The coach isn't as important as you think. Coaches can create the conditions for the team to emerge, but great teams sometimes pit themselves against the coach. The US Olympic hockey team of 1980 would be an example. They came together against Herb Brooks. So coaching sets the tone, but it's not as big a part of DNA as people think. Curiosity keeps great teams from drinking their own Kool-Aid. The teams that consistently succeed don't get gassed up on their own stuff. They don't believe in their success. They're not buying into "now I'm at the top of the mountain, everything's fine." They get curious about that next mountain, curious about each other, curious about the situation. They're willing to let go of stuff that didn't work. Honor the departed. When someone gets traded in pro sports, it's like death. Their locker's empty like a gravestone. What the coach at OKC does: on the day after somebody gets traded, he spends a minute of practice expressing his appreciation for that person who's gone. How simple and human is that? How powerful? What makes people flourish is community. It's not a bunch of individuals that are individually together. Can they connect? Can they love their neighbor and support their neighbor? That's magical when it happens. The Chilean miners created civilization through rituals. 33 men, 2,000 feet underground, trapped for 69 days. The first couple hours went as bad as it could. People eating all the food, scrambling, yelling. Then they circled up and paused. The boss took off his helmet and said, "There are no bosses and no employees. We're all one here." Their attention shifted from terror and survival to the larger connection they had with each other. They self-organized. Built sleeping areas, rationed food, created games with limited light. Each meal they'd share a flake of tuna at the same time. When they got contact with the surface, they sang the Chilean national anthem together. They created a little model civilization that functioned incredibly well. Stopping and looking creates community. What let the miners flourish wasn't information or analysis. It was letting go. Having this moment of meaning, creating presence. All the groups Dan visited had this ability in all the busyness to stop and ask: What are we really about? What matters here? What is our community? Why are we here? What is bigger than us that we're connected to? They grounded themselves in those moments over and over. Getting smart only gets you so far. There's a myth in our culture that individuals can flourish. You see someone successful and think "that individual's flourishing." But underneath them, invisibly, they're part of a larger community. We only become our best through other people. We have a pronoun problem: I, me, when actually it's we and us. Self-improvement isn't as powerful as shared improvement. Ask energizing questions. "What's energizing you right now?" is a great question. "What do you want more of?" "What do you want to do differently?" (not "what are you doing poorly"). "Paint a picture five years from now, things go great, give me an average Tuesday." What you're trying to do is get people out of their narrow boredom, let go a little, surrender a little, open up and point out things in the corner of their eye. When things go rough, go help somebody. Craig Counsell on how to bounce back when you're having a bad day: "I try to go help somebody." That's it. Create presence conditions. The ski trips, the long drives, the shared meals, no phones. Schedule them. This is how connection happens, whether it's with your family or your people at work. Leaders who sustain excellence are intensely curious. Dan walked into the Guardians office expecting to pepper them with questions. The opposite happened. Jay, Chris, and Josh kept asking him question after question, wanting to learn. Leaders who sustain excellence have this desire to learn, improve, get better. Ask better questions. Actually listen. Ask follow-up questions. Curiosity is also the ultimate way to show love. Reflection Questions Dan says yellow doors are "out of the corner of your eye, things that make you uncomfortable or feel brand new." What's one yellow door you've been walking past lately? What's stopping you from opening it this week?The Chilean miners' boss took off his white helmet and said, "There are no bosses and no employees." Think about a moment of adversity your team is facing right now. Are you turning toward each other or away? What's one specific action you could take this week to help your team turn toward each other? Dan emphasizes we have a "pronoun problem" (I, me vs. we, us) and that "self-improvement isn't as powerful as shared improvement." Who are the 2-3 people you could invite into your growth journey right now? What would it look like to pursue excellence together instead of alone?

https://youtu.be/knpxJ7KATsU Joshua McMahon, President of McMahon Custom Homes and a business coach, is driven by a purpose he discovered the hard way: money wasn't his ‘Why.' His real ‘Why' is lifting others—helping people find clarity around their purpose, unlock their potential, and gain traction toward it. We explore Josh's journey from C-suite construction leadership and integrator roles to building his own company as an “evolved visionary.” Josh shares his Satisfaction Pyramid, explaining how customer experience is created upstream through brand awareness, team support, trade partner support, and training, which together produce the outcome every builder (and business) is chasing: customer satisfaction. Along the way, he breaks down why the construction industry struggles with talent, how coaching becomes a competitive advantage, and why McMahon Custom Homes wins through transparency, collaboration, and guiding clients to align budget with what truly matters. — Take 5 Steps to Satisfy Customers with Josh McMahon Good day, dear listeners. Steve Preda here, the Founder of the Summit OS group and the host of Management Blueprint. And my guest today is Joshua McMahon, the president of McMahon Custom Homes and a business coach. Although I don’t know how much time you have for that these days, josh. Welcome to the show.  Yeah, thanks for having me, Steve. We go a long way back, so it’s an honor to be a business owner and now be on your show.  Well, yeah, you are a business owner. In your previous, recent life, you was an integrator, a COO of a business. So you’ve been running construction businesses and have been C-level in other construction businesses, where we also collaborated. So we have been tracking each other’s journey, for sure. So, Josh, let’s start with my favorite question. What is your personal ‘Why’, and how are you manifesting it in your business?  Yeah. I think this is always a great question. And the real truth of this question, Steve, is that I didn’t know what it was for so long. I thought my personal ‘Why’ was just to make more money. And every time I made more money, I was just more miserable. I was never happy. So my ‘Why’ was never money. I really think my ‘Why’ is all about lifting others. And what I mean by that is I have this ability to extract other people's 'Why' and their purpose from them, help them better see that, get clarity around it and then help them get traction to go attack that 'Why'.Share on X And that’s really my ‘Why’, is to help other, lift other people to really achieve their greatness. So I get a lot of energy and joy from boosting others, and watching that untapped potential really take off.  That is fabulous. And I can see that, as a business coach, that's really very appealing to people when you can do that. How does it manifest in your construction business? You have these Custom Homes construction business, how does that help you there?  And this is where it was really born. So in the C-suite and as I grew in my business, the one part that you have to do is you have to know how to recruit. At least, I had to know how to recruit. And in order to recruit, you have to find the right talent at the right price. And what I was really looking for was that potential. I was looking for the right attitude—the right hunger. I was looking for those right pieces that I could make you a construction individual. I could make you a great construction manager, but I couldn’t fix those other things. And so when I could tap into that and take and help somebody see the vision of what I could do and what our company could help you do in your career, that’s where I was able to really take and 10X my recruiting ability, but also to really tap into that untapped talent that’s out there. Because, Steve, we have a hard time finding talent in the construction industry. Well, the talent’s out there. What’s making it hard is that we don’t recognize that talent, and we’re saying, you’ve got to be this perfect candidate. You've got to fit all these marks. You've got to check all the boxes.And I’m saying, no. I just need you to check a few boxes. I'm going to help you see how you can really fit into this organization and how we can help you thrive. So that's where my ability to see that in them, help them see that in themselves, and then help them tie it to our vision as a company. That's where it really gets a lot of fun.Share on X Yeah. It’s so interesting that it’s not just about doing the job, but it’s about being emotionally invested in doing the job. And how do you get your people emotionally invested? You have to find the motivation that they have inherently that you can tap into, and then you have to make your business attractive so that it inspires them, so that they feel excited to work with you there. That’s exactly what you’re trying to do. It’s like you’re not trying to fool anybody on anything, but to think people just get excited to come do work, or just do the job, or just collect the paycheck. If that’s your motivation, that’s the type of candidate you’re going to get. Then what type of culture do you have? So if you flip that and you say, “Hey, we want to help you  transform who you are, transform your career for the better, and it’s going to help us get to our vision. Well, Steve, that sounds like a win-win scenario to me. And that’s a really appealing piece. And that’s a thriving culture.  Yeah, culture eats strategy for breakfast, as Peter Drucker said. And especially in the age of AI, it's probably even more important, isn't it, that you have a great culture, because AI can copy everything, but it won't be able to copy your culture.  No, that's exactly right. I think AI is a great tool. It’s really going to help us magnify and improve our businesses. But if your culture is broken, AI is just going to magnify the brokenness of your culture, and then AI’s going to tell your people how to go find another job. That is probably true. I haven’t thought about that. So you developed this framework, we are a podcast of frameworks. I’m always looking for the framework and and you talked about this Satisfaction Pyramid framework. Yeah. Is this also something that helps create that culture? Tell me a little bit about this pyramid and how did you come up with it and what does it do?  Yeah, it’s an interesting thing, right? So you understand Maslow's hierarchy of needs. These are the things you need for survival and for happiness. And I've said, look, in home building, we've always talked about customer experience and customer satisfaction. We want people to be happy. And I'm saying, well, I don't know what that means. I don't know—if I hit my schedule, if I hit my budget, if I do everything on time, but they're still not happy—so what exactly am I missing? What's the missing link?  And kind of tying the hierarchy of needs to this triangle of customer satisfaction or happiness, I found that there are some really key fundamental pieces that we've got to lock into place to really get to the customer satisfaction and customer experience that we're seeking. For me, I think brand awareness is first. If your brand awareness is out there and it's really strong, people are going to gravitate towards it organically.Share on X That’s going to decrease your SEO spend, you decrease your marketing, decrease your turnover for people, because people want to be part of that. The interesting story on brands — and I don't know how true it is, I meant to look it up before this — but I saw something on social media about Tommy Hilfiger. And before he launched his clothing brand, he didn't have anything, but his brand was so far out in front of himself that people thought this was this great designer, and he hadn't designed anything. And it was all tied to that piece of brand. So if your brand is strong enough, you can do incredible things. So I think brand is super important.  Yeah. Let me just interject here. So probably 20 years ago, I was working with a company, and it was actually in the construction space. It was in the environmental construction space. And this company had an amazing brand. So the founder was a great thought leader, and he was blogging and talking in forums. And I really thought that this company's got to be a $50 million company. I mean, they're so powerful. And then they invited me to their board as a board member. I said, “Wow, this is such an honor.” This big company. And it turned out it was just a $5 million company. But the brand was so powerful that they looked much bigger.  Yeah. And that statement, that’s an appealing thing. So if you think of yourself as a high level achiever, an A-player, and you are gravitating to that brand, that’s what it’s going to do. You're going to bring in the right people, and then if you've got the right culture and the right other pieces, you're going to stick around with that company.Share on X So a $5 million company can look like a $50 million company and be really attractive to people that are interested in that type of world. Yeah. Super important. Love that story. The second thing for me is team support. This is where I really saw in my career as I grew. I can tell you, my first construction job at the construction management level, my VP of construction told me, and this is 20 plus years ago, I haven't forgotten it — he said, “My leadership style is to give you just enough rope to hang yourself.” And to this day, I have no idea what the heck that means. But what he did show me was he wasn’t going to support me. He wasn’t going to encourage me. He wasn’t going to help me grow. He was basically going to let me swim in the deep end. And if I made it, great. And if I didn’t, no problem — there's another guy behind me. And that’s the mentality of the construction industry. And what I said was, we do a great job of spending money for our sales team. Sales team needs training, we’ll spend the money on training. If the executives need training, we’ll spend the money on training.  But who’s training the middle managers? Who’s training the young men and women coming into the industry? Who’s training the people who don’t have the experience? There’s a big myth in that world. So I think from an internal standpoint — and mind you, coaching is a buzzword right now, just as leadership is — not everybody's a coach, and not everybody's a leader, and that's okay. But if you do have somebody who can coach on your team, and you can coach your team up internally, it’s a very big value add. And so for me, my coaching ability has been a real value add for people that I've recruited, for people I've had on my team, and people I've really invested in and helped grow.Share on X And quick story on coaching. I interviewed this young candidate, I mean, really good-looking kid. He had tons of talent, education, everything he needed, but no construction experience. Still, he had all the right soft skills. And it came down between our company and one of the big national builders. And typically, you’d go to the national builders, more money, more upside, more advantages. And he asked me, the last question he asked me, he said, “Why would I come work for you guys versus this other company?” I said, “Because they don't have me.” I said, I’m not saying this is an arrogant thing to say. I’m saying that I’m going to pour everything from me into you and help take you to where you want to go. You won’t get that anywhere else. Because when we’re done after three years, you can go anywhere you want. And that young man is currently making almost as much as I was making as a C-suite employee, and he’s out in the field running projects. And that’s only like a three or five year period. Like that’s incredible growth, but it’s because of the investment we made in him.  Yeah. There's this saying — I think it's Zig Ziglar — that people don't invest in their people, they don't coach their people, because they're afraid that they’re going to go away to the competition. And then Zig Ziglar asks, “Okay, but isn't there a greater risk that you don’t coach them and and they stay?”  Yes. This is always the thing. And I think a lot of people have a scarcity mindset where they’re so afraid of, if I pour into you, you’re going to go and you’re going to take it somewhere else. What I say is, I’m okay with that. Because when you go somewhere else, you're going to say, “Josh McMahon built me up. He gave me the foundation for my career. He put me in the position I’m in today. I have what I have because of my start. You should go there and get the training from him. There’s no sham e in that because, again, we go back to point number one: brand. That’s tight. That’s my brand out in front of our company that adds value to our company.  So I started my career at KPMG, and one of the ideas they had was this pyramid structure — up or out. But the idea was to take care of the people that even when they leave, they become ambassadors for you on the client side. And then they’re going to convince the client to hire KPMG to be their auditor. And I really like this.  It’s so special, right? Because what you, I mean, Steve, you think about this, we worked together two or three years ago. We still stayed in touch. Even though there’s no financial gain, we still help each other where we can because I want the best for you, as you want the best for me. And that’s what you’re really looking for.  Yeah, that’s true. And the thing about coaching is you have the double benefit, because the company benefits because it has motivated employees who are performing at the higher level than when they came in, and at a higher level than where you hired them, frankly. Correct.  And then they are building a career. So they are building a career equity for themselves. And actually that’s why you get a better ROI on these people, because they have more career equity, they have more skill level than what you have to pay them because you are growing them.  That’s exactly right. You’re building into those individuals that generational wealth that most of us are seeking, or think is out of reach. It's there. We just need somebody to believe in us, and that’s really that piece. The third thing for me, especially in construction, it’s the trade partners. And when I think about it, as a general contractor, look—I'm wearing a collared shirt. You're not going to see me on the job site swinging a hammer. I’m out there with the building plans. I’m verifying things. I'm scheduling. I'm doing more management-level work. That means my trade partners are carrying the lion’s share of the work that actually goes into place. And as a construction company, we don’t make money unless work goes in place.  So I have to do the same thing I'm doing with my internal staff with my trade partners. I have to build them up. I have to elevate them. I have to put them in a position to win.Share on X And this is very basic—schedule accurately. Treat them like people. Treat them with respect. When you go on the job, support them. Listen to their feedback. So if they’re sharing something that’s not working, listen to it with an open mind. And maybe we can do something different, or we can explain why we can't do something different, so they have a better understanding of the ‘Why’ behind what we’re doing. Yeah.  So the trade partners is my next big pillar.  And it’s harder to manage trade partners. I mean, I’m not in the construction, but it’s going to be harder because they are part-time with you. They have other commitments that they have to observe. They don’t wear your brand. They are being paid by someone else who may have a different corporate culture than your company has. And you have to bring them in part-time and make them as good as your standard.  Yes. The hard thing is you have to share with them your vision first. This is who we are. This is what we stand for. Share with them your core values. And then build them up and show them that they’re truly a partner in this. Most of us don’t treat them like partners. We treat them like subcontractors. We treat them like they're inferior individuals—less than me. And I think they can work for you part-time and do that. And you’re absolutely right. But if we treat them like people, we build them up, they’ll be there. Because I want to treat them in a way where, hey, you might be a great plumber, but you’re a terrible business person, and I can maybe help you better understand. I say this because I'm working with a young plumber who's bidding things, and he’s just all over the place. And I'm saying, “Hey, how did you come to this number?” “Well, I just know I need to make X dollars.” And I'm like, “Well, how do you know how much money you need to make? What's your break-even number? What's your overhead burden?” Starting to help him better understand how to break down the P&L, how to charge the right margin on the job so that you’re getting work as consistently as you want, but most importantly, so you can grow your business and continue to support my business as it grows too.Share on X Yeah, you want to create stability for them as well. And if you treat subcontractor well, then they’re going to prioritize you, won't they? So they have other customers that may not treat them as well. You’re going to get the most of the energy from them if you treat them well. And that’s also a huge benefit for your business. There’s nothing lost in that, right? Again, you’ve got brand ambassadors out there talking about, one, this guy builds a great house. He treats everybody great. You made the right choice buying with with McMahon Custom Homes. Because, Steve, if you’ve ever been on a job site, the trades will tell people what they feel, whether it’s good or bad. Yeah. So you are getting it no matter what.  Yeah. You go and you look at the construction site and ask around, and then you will get exactly the kind of general contractor you may be dealing with.  Yes. I mean, absolutely. We love to talk, and so you want people talking about good things and talking up your business and what’s happening in the field, and that’s extremely valuable. Okay, so step number one, brand awareness. We talked about that. Then supporting the team. Yes. So that they feel that they are growing and they are recognized as individuals, that you care about them. Yeah. Then the same goes with the trade partners. You support them even though they’re not your employees.  Yes.  What’s step four?  Yeah. Step four is training. Okay. And training, I think of training in terms of systems that you’re putting in place. Constant, never-ending improvement on those systems. Systems are not static, so training is a nonstop thing that we've got to continue investing in and keep helping to grow our team. So constant process improvement. Having KPIs in place, or metrics in place. And the reason for those metrics is simply where do we need to focus our attention? What levers do we need to pull? And then I go back to the training. So then we train up on metrics that maybe aren’t working the way that we want them to, or we’re not getting the result that we want to get out of them. That’s where the training really comes into place. And if we don't have that training in-house, what stuff outside of the company can we get them into? What type of training do they need to level them up? Because as I think about training, Steve, most of us think you’ve got to fit every box, you’ve got to be the perfect candidate. But you and I both know that I’m good at three out of the five things, and you’re good at two out of the five things. So we make a damn good team together. And that’s okay, and we need to better learn how to cross-train each other, level one another up, and then find those right tools.Share on X  Absolutely. Okay, so what’s the final piece of the flywheel?  Yeah. Well, I feel like if you're doing all these things, brand awareness, team support, trade partner support, and the right training, and you're doing this continuous basis, you're going to have customer satisfaction.Share on X That’s exactly what you want. You’re going to create that customer experience because look, at the end of the day, we’re only here because of the customer. If the customer’s not interested in buying my product, I don’t have a business. And so all of these pieces drive that customer experience. That’s what continues driving who I am. One thing I’m really focused on with customer satisfaction and experience is having good specifications written down. I think yes, we’re a custom home builder, but I have minimum standards that I want to achieve.  So I have the minimum standards. Now, if your budget says, “Hey, we can't quite reach that level,” well, we can certainly reduce our standard. And when I say reduce our standard, I don’t mean cut a corner. I mean change from, say, a Kohler faucet down to a Delta faucet. It’s still a great faucet. It’s still a great brand. Maybe just not the same brand that I would use at this level of home. Or we can go the complete opposite direction and elevate that standard. But just having that set in place, so that if I say, “Steve, this home's going to cost you $1.2 million,” and you're like, “Oh, great. Well, the other builder's $1.3 million, so you've got a better price,” okay, great. But what goes into the price? What are you getting for the price? So if I have those minimum standards baked in, I can tell you, This is what you're going to get for $1.2 million. Now we can go in and customize it and make it your home. Having clear expectations. How important are clear expectations even in our coaching business, right? And it’s not just clear expectations from me to you, it’s clear expectations from you to me. I need to understand what your expectations are. I need to know that I can achieve your expectations. And I think that if I believe I can’t, I need to be honest and say, look, I’m not the right builder for you. I’m not the right business for you. But here are..  Or maybe your expectations are not realistic. Sometimes, for the budget you have, you need to make some trade-offs. Maybe you can have this man cave, but you'll have to cut back on the kitchen, and you’ll have to discuss it with your wife. And that’s really key. So the thing that I love about being a custom builder is that my focus is on collaboration.Share on X If you say, “Hey Josh, the budget comes in at $1.2 million, but I really want to be at $1 million,” okay, great Steve. I’m here to collaborate with you and show you ways we can tweak things, pull this down, and future-proof your home. Because I want you to have the home that you want, and in two years you can probably afford that additional $200,000. I don't want to put you in a place where you can easily plug and play that versus oh, now I got to rip out all these walls. I got to redo this. It's not $200,000—it could be $300,000. So that’s where we can collaborate and really find the right pieces to put you in the best position.  That’s very interesting. This whole framework, the culture that you build here. Is this something that connects this whole framework, this idea that you have, how you’re projecting the culture out into the customer service? Is this why you started the McMahon Custom Homes?  It truly is. Well, two parts, Steve. One, I’m an entrepreneur at heart and I have fought this my entire life, and I’ve always thought there was something wrong with me. Why can’t I just get on board? Why can’t I just drink the Kool-Aid? Why can’t I just get in line? And two or three years I go into a company, I do great things, I start rebuilding things, and then I start to get that itch. And then I’m like, okay, I need to go somewhere else. And for a long time I thought it was, well, I’m just moving to a new company to make more money, which was true. I was making more money, but then I wasn’t happy. Again, it was never tied to the money, so it was really just that entrepreneur need. But the second piece was, I've noticed for ten years—a decade—that our industry is in need of a massive transformation. The antiquated way of doing business and how we do things. I think the builder suites and the stuff that we have at our disposal is really good, but it’s not what everybody’s looking for. But I couldn’t tell you, the owner, Hey, we’ve got to scrap this. We need to do this. Because ultimately, even as the integrator, my job is to bring your vision to life. And if this is part of your vision, then I need to bring this to life. And so I started to realize with my entrepreneur spirit and my own ideas, I needed to start developing my own home building business to start bringing some of that to life, to really satisfy who I am and do the things that I wanted.Share on X Yeah, this is so important because, as entrepreneurs, we have this frustration. We are somewhere and things are not going as well as you would like. And we don’t get to tell the boss how to do things because they have their own ideas and their own set ways, and then they just get irritated by all those ideas and they feel like we are just being disgruntled employees, and this frustration eats away at you. And at some point you say, okay, what the heck? I'm just going to rip the Band‑Aid off and try to figure it out, right? It’s very true. I mean, it’s funny now looking back on it because there were so many times where I just didn’t understand. I was like, “What the heck is the matter with me?” But you’re exactly right — you’re going to bang your head against the wall, and not everybody’s cut out to be an entrepreneur, right? I mean, it sounds really great being self-employed, doing your own thing, making your own hours. It sounds great.  But I tell you something, Josh, not everyone is cut out to be an employee either.  No doubt, Steve. So true.  So it’s the other side of the coin. I think many of us become entrepreneurs because we basically eliminate all the viable alternatives.  Yeah. Burn all the boats, right?  Yeah.  I think there’s so much value in this. The second time we really got introduced and got to work together, you introduced me to the book Second in Command by Cameron Herold. I’m a  Cameron Herold fan in the Second in Command book, and I read that book and I said, “Man, this is me. I can do this.” I love being more in the shadows, helping a visionary grow their business, and doing all that stuff. What happened was, I started to really enjoy being out there, networking, putting myself out, and getting in front of people.  And I was like, well, I’m a visionary. I can see what’s going on in the future. And I think I was more of a visionary than the person who said he was a visionary. So it was really like, then we’re clashing heads on which vision are we chasing. And I’m like, I got to get outta here because I’m steering you away from what you want to do, and that’s not fair to you.  I think there are two major types of visionaries. There are the born visionaries, and then there are the evolved visionaries. So you have the born visionary who is a visionary because they are just not able to execute, but they can come up with all the big ideas. And if they find people who can execute for them, they're in luck, and they might build a company. And then you have the evolved visionary who starts out doing the work, grinding, figuring things out, teaching themselves discipline and work ethic. And then they start to manage people because they’re doing it better, so they get more responsibility, and then they become an integrator or operator. And at some point, they want to come out of the cocoon and do it themselves. And maybe you’re that version of it, the evolved visionary.  You summed that up perfectly because that's exactly how this whole thing transpired.  Love it. So tell me about, what makes McMahon Custom Homes unique? Beyond the culture—is it the culture that makes you unique, or is there something else? From the eyes of the customer, what makes you unique?  I don’t know that it’s our culture that makes us unique. I think what really makes us unique is our process—how we do things. We start everything with an initial consultation, just myself meeting with the homebuyers. Typically, it's a virtual meeting where I want to learn more about your project. I’m interested in what you want to build, what your expectations are, what your non-negotiables are, and I just really explore everything under the sun about your project.  Then I'm going to ask the dreaded question: what's your ideal budget? Most—or a lot of—people say, “You know what, I don't want to give the budget. So I'll say, “Okay, what budget number scares you?” Because as a custom home builder, I’m going to help you design the home that you want for the price that you want. But I’m going to also share with you if it’s not possible. If you have a home design that's more than what your budget is, I'm going to share that with you in real time, as soon as I can. So I'm very transparent. And I learned this from working in my past, where we wouldn't share those numbers with clients. We had a client where we were a million dollars over their ideal budget. It was six to eight months of working with them and about $25,000 in actual costs. I don't need to tell you—the homeowner was not pleased, and the homeowner did not pay that bill.  So that was a major lost opportunity in the build, but also the opportunity cost and how much time we spent on it. I learned from that and said, “Hey, I don't want to do that. I don't need every buyer to be a yes. If I'm a good fit for you, and I'm a good builder for you, great—let's go.Share on X I want to build your house. I’m excited about building homes for people. But I don't need to build everybody's house, because for some people, it's just not the right fit. So for me, I'm your guide in this process. And that's what I really pride myself in. You want to build a home, I’m going to guide you through this process, help you with each step of the way. Help you with the county side, the field side. I’m here to guide you through that whole thing. We really work towards your budget, your ideal budget. We build it out. We’re very transparent. A lot of clarity on what we’re doing, where we can collaborate, where we can maybe say, Hey, instead of $80,000 tile package, we can get a $45,000 tile package. Because we’re really looking for what’s your vision for it.  Yeah.  What do you want to see? How do you want to feel? And we can help you pull that together.  Yeah, I think that’s very interesting, because I can see that there is value being created when you have an empathetic CEO who runs the business. You, in that case, who really gets to feel what the lifestyle of the individual is, what their vision is. You help them paint the picture so that you see it as well, and then you measure each element in proportion to their desires. Because maybe they want something like a really flashy countertop in the kitchen, but they really don’t care about what the deck is going to look like. Maybe it’s a stup*d example. And when someone buys, I don’t know, a standard home, then you are going to pay for stuff that you really don’t care about, and you are not going to get the stuff that uniquely is important to you. And with that approach that you’re doing, you are measuring everything to the right degree, and it’s going to be a perfectly balanced meal for the customer. That’s a great way of looking at it. That’s exactly right. And the deck versus man cave or versus this, that’s exactly the right way to look at it. A deck is a great add-on. It can be done anytime in the build. It can be done anytime. It's a minimal barrier to entry. Well, something on the inside of the house, the kitchen, the showstopper kitchen, that’s a different story, right? Because now you're impacting your life. You’re changing things. If we understand that the kitchen is a really prime target, then we want to make sure we commit enough money to that area. We want to make sure we commit enough design hours to that area. And maybe other areas are like, “Hey, minimum standard's great with us.” Perfect. Done.  Yeah. We only sleep in the bedroom, we don’t do anything else.  Exactly. Great point.  Which is a problem in itself. Anyhow, if someone would like to learn more and maybe learn your ideas—maybe they want to be coached by you, or they want to learn about McMahon Custom Homes, what it takes to align with your vision—and particularly if they're in Central Virginia where you work, where should they reach out and where can they find you? Yeah, so several different places. McMahonCustomHomesLLC.com is our website, so you can certainly find us there. We have an active Instagram account, McMahon Custom Homes. I have an active Facebook account, again, McMahon Custom Homes. I do have a LinkedIn account, McMahon Custom Homes, LLC. Also for myself, my wife and I host a bi-monthly podcast. We took a year hiatus, and we just started again in 2026. Our podcast is not on McMahon Custom Homes, but it's really about the construction industry, different things that you experience, and really just giving back and trying to help others learn from maybe stuff that we did or things that we’re experiencing. My wife is a designer. I'm the home builder, so you kind of get a good mixed bag. And that's Feed Me Your Construction Content, if you're ever interested in tuning into that.  Yeah. And if you would like to see what a collaboration between Josh and his wife looks like, then check out his website,  McMahon Custom Homes. You can check out his house, or their house, that they built together. And it’s a beautiful house.  Yeah. Thank you.  It's a good place to start. Josh, loved it. I loved your content. Really interesting how you created the Satisfaction Pyramid in construction. I think that parallel applies to other businesses as well. Obviously, the elements are slightly different, but brand awareness, supporting the team, supporting your partners, training your people, pouring into them, and then creating that customer satisfaction are important in any industry. So thank you. If you enjoyed listening to this show, make sure you follow us on LinkedIn and on YouTube. And stay tuned, because every week I bring an exciting entrepreneur or thought leader on this show. Thank you for coming, Josh, and thanks for listening. Important Links: Josh's LinkedIn McMahon Custom Homes website McMahon Custom Homes LinkedIn

Giannis' rumored trade request starts a frenzy with the Knicks as a lead candidate. Who'll they have to give up. Sean Payton's comments on Bo Nix's injury make us scratch our heads. The Knicks get a strong road win. And we even talk about the sad and shocking origin of the term, "Drinking the Kool Aid."

Ohhhhhh the boys have stories to tell! Jake and Timon spent a week in California, Brad shares an update on his house, Jake has stories from middle school, and the boys also discuss season 2 of Beast Games. Check out Cozy Earth and get 20% off site wide with this link: http://www.cozyearth.com/ghostrunners Check out Main Street Roasters and use code GRKC at check out for a 10% discount! https://mainstreetroasters.com Ghostrunners merch: https://bit.ly/399MXFu Become a Patron and get exclusive content from Jake & Brad: https://bit.ly/2XJ1h3y Follow us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/33WAq4P Leave us a voice memo and ask a question: https://anchor.fm/jake-triplett/message Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's it like to be you? This week, Tyler and Johnny are covering the Death Ship of Chebogue. Plus: alternate ways to take your daily Kool-Aid, Canada's Drag Race ends as another begins, and a seemingly-violent merfolk gets caught trespassing!Join the Secret Society That Doesn't Suck for exclusive weekly mini episodes, livestreams, and a whole lot more! patreon.com/thatsspookyCheck out our new and improved apparel store with tons of new designs! thatsspooky.com/storeCheck out our website for show notes, photos, and more at thatsspooky.comFollow us on Instagram for photos from today's episode and all the memes @thatsspookypodWe're on Twitter! Follow us at @thatsspookypodDon't forget to send your spooky stories to thatsspookypod@gmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On November 18, 1978, more than 900 people died in a remote settlement in Guyana in what has often been reduced to a single, misleading phrase: “they drank the Kool-Aid.”This episode tells the full story of Jonestown — not as a sudden act of mass suicide, but as the final collapse of a community held together by fear, isolation, and decades of coercive control.Content note: This episode includes discussion of mass death, coercion, and abuse. Archival audio from the Jonestown Death Tape is used sparingly and with context.Available wherever you stream podcasts!Be sure to Subscribe, Rate, & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Audible!Support the show by becoming a sponsor on our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.Patreon.com/NYMysteryMachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NYMM Merch! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.NYMysteryMachine.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Have a strange and/or paranormal story?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Share it here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Don't forget to follow us on all the socials:Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@NYMysteryMachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@NYMysteryMachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@nymysterymachine.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | X:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@NYMysteries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@NYMysteryMachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠--THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:PRINTFUL: Design your own merch, apparel, and accessories by heading to ⁠⁠www.printful.com/a/nymysterymachine⁠⁠AUDIBLE: Get a FREE 30 Day Trial by heading to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.AudibleTrial.com/NYMysteryMachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RIVERSIDE.FM: Looking to record podcast, but need software? Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://riverside.fm/?via=nymysterymachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to The Rose and Rockstar - with the Chief Troublemaker at Seventh Bear, Robert Rose, behind the bar serving one of his splendid cocktails, while our Rockstar CMO host Ian Truscott picks his brain on a marketing topic.  This week, we dive back into the obsession marketing commentators seem to have with declaring things as dead. Recently, it seems PR has been getting the “it's dead” treatment from the cool kids high on social media Kool-Aid, but in an age when networks, human-to-human marketing, and influence are so important, the chaps discuss why PR should be very much alive. They discuss: Modern PR requires building relationships with influencers, not just journalists. The skills needed for PR have evolved with the rise of social media. Integrating PR into overall marketing is crucial for success. If this resonates with you or if you have a suggestion for a topic in the bar, please get in touch with us - hello@rockstarcmo.com Enjoy! — The Links The people: Ian Truscott on LinkedIn Robert Rose on LinkedIn Mentioned this week This Old Marketing Podcast - The Death of Dead Marketing Robert's newsletter: Lens, his websites, robertrose.net and seventhbear.com Ian's firm - Velocity B Rockstar CMO: The Beat Newsletter that we send every Monday Rockstar CMO on the web, Twitter, and LinkedIn Previous episodes and all the show notes: Rockstar CMO FM. Track List: We'll be right back by Stienski & Mass Media on YouTube Piano Music is by Johnny Easton, shared under a Creative Commons license You can listen to this on all good podcast platforms, like Apple, Amazon and Spotify. This podcast is part of the Marketing Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fuck ICE Put a tariff on podcasting equipment Shout out to the Kool Aid House in your neighborhood Mike Tomlin is done done I personally will miss coaches who coach like that It's my favorite weekend for NFL Football all year Ben Johnson did it the hard way and we love to see him win Guest: Felder - It's Felder   Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode!     Follow us on Twitter: @Dpalm66 @UDPod @TheMTRNetwork Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account! Check out our Sponsors! TweakedAudio.com using the code ‘reviews' to get 33% off & free shipping. Shop at our Amazon Store to support the site  

A black bear breaking into the same candy store four times in Tennessee, the Stranger Things season finale and the impact it's had on the songs featured throughout the series, Kool-Aid, Chick-fil-A turning 80 years old, and claw machines making a comeback — plus more news. Plus, joining us in the studio today, Bryan Mayor Bobby Gutierrez visits with WTAW's Scott DeLucia to share updates on the fire department, city projects, the new park under construction, and more. 

What if the way you've learned to love is actually holding you back—and even harming the people you care about most?In this eye-opening episode of Thrive Loud, host Lou Diamond sits down with trauma therapist and founder of the Love Clarity Method, Sanya Bari, to dive deep into what love really is…and unpacks the hidden traps of guilt, emotional over-responsibility, and survival-based love that plague even the most successful high achievers. Prepare to challenge everything you thought you knew about loving others and yourself.Lou Diamond and Sanya Bari break down:Why “losing yourself” in love can backfire, and what loving from a place of inner stability actually looks likeThe dangers of transactional love and why putting yourself aside for others leads to resentment (even when it feels selfless)Real-life stories of how guilt and manipulation can sneak into parent-child relationships—and how to spot and heal these patternsWhat we can learn about pure connection and forgiveness from dogs—and how it differs from the messy, memory-filled world of human loveThe fundamental difference between doing loving things and loving from the right place within yourselfSanya Bari's personal methods for “drinking the Kool Aid” and keeping her own relationships healthy and clearPlus: Get a peek into Sanya Bari's favorite guilty pleasures, creative hobbies, and her dream destination on Fun Street.This episode is full of “aha” moments for anyone who's felt confused, overwhelmed, or just curious about how to make love—whether for people, pets, or purpose—transformative instead of toxic.Timestamped Overview:00:00 – Introduction and Lou welcomes Sanya Bari00:01 – Sanya shares her lifelong purpose and origin story00:03 – Early lessons about love (family, siblings, sacrifice)00:04 – Redefining love: Not losing yourself; finding stability within00:05 – The problems high achievers face with survival-based love00:07 – Connection vs. dependence; how disconnection leads to pressure00:09 – Who seeks out Sanya's therapies, and why00:10 – Symptoms of problematic love, especially related to guilt00:11 – Generational struggles: families, guilt, and unhealthy dynamics00:12 – Sanya reveals how she checks herself and confronts “guilting”00:13 – Can we learn true love from our pets? (And why memories matter)00:15 – How forgiveness moves us closer to unconditional love00:15 – The universal head-nodding moments from Sanya's audiences00:16 – Where to find Sanya Bari online and her podcast info00:17 – Fun Street: Sanya's favorite movies, music, foods, and hobbies00:19 – Dreaming of the Amalfi Coast—and why she'll make it happen00:20 – Wrap up, takeaways, and episode closeListen in and discover how to thrive with clarity, connection, and love—starting with yourself.

Cold weather love, Kool‑Aid nostalgia, a broken studio dinger, angry pirates, and a political mess in Minneapolis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The New CISO, host Steve Moore speaks with Alex Rice, Founder, CTO, and CISO at HackerOne, about challenging one of cybersecurity's most deeply held beliefs—that security should be the top priority. Drawing from his journey building security programs at Facebook and founding HackerOne, Alex introduces the "safety third" philosophy and explains why accepting that security is never first can actually make you more effective as a leader.Alex shares his unconventional path into cybersecurity, starting as a 14-year-old programmer in rural Florida and eventually leading product security at Facebook during its explosive growth. He reveals how Facebook ran 70+ penetration tests annually with top-tier vendors and still wasn't finding enough vulnerabilities—until they opened the doors to the hacker community and received over 300 valid findings in a single weekend. This experience became the foundation for HackerOne's bug bounty platform.The conversation tackles critical leadership challenges facing modern CISOs, including the toxic tendency toward victim blaming when breaches occur, why security teams struggle with customer-centric design, and how to avoid becoming the team everyone knows only for blocking work and sending phishing tests. Alex argues that security professionals must stop drinking their own Kool-Aid and recognize that usability and business outcomes will always take precedence over security controls.In the episode's second half, Alex addresses AI's role in security operations with refreshing pragmatism. Rather than chasing grandiose AI visions, he advocates for starting with narrow, well-defined tasks where agents can replace security toil—like automated CVSS scoring or vulnerability triage—building trust and expertise before tackling more ambitious projects. He warns against the current trend of AI tools that find more problems when security teams desperately need help fixing the mountain of issues they already know about.Alex also challenges CISOs to stop over-owning problems like asset inventory management that rightfully belong to other executives, emphasizing the importance of cross-functional collaboration over building security-owned solutions that ultimately fail. Throughout the discussion, he champions a philosophy of empathy, customer-centricity, and accepting hard truths about security's actual place in business priorities—a mindset shift that paradoxically makes security leaders far more effective.Key Topics Discussed:Why "safety third" should be every CISO's operating philosophyThe problem with victim blaming in cybersecurity incidentsBuilding customer-centric security programs that enable rather than blockLessons from scaling Facebook's security program with 70 pen tests per yearThe origin story of HackerOne and crowdsourced security testingHow to avoid becoming the security team everyone resentsPractical AI implementation: Starting with toil elimination, not transformationWhy CISOs over-own asset management and other problemsThe importance of process mapping before deploying AI agentsAligning security teams closely with AI and software...

The story of Jim Jones and Peoples Temple climaxes as the departure of Jonestown residents triggers a chain of events leading to tragedy and death.Preshow Ad Music:“Sequential Elements,” written by Sander Kalmeijer and performed by The Galaxy News.Theme Music:Questline, written by Cody Kurtz Martin, performed by Cody MartinTheme Soundbytes:“I am God and there is no other!!” (Jim Jones sermon) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RaQ9dyyhnc)“How Cult Leader Jim Jones Got People to Join His Temple” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6l1VFj-yBE)“Jim Jones - Jonestown Documentary” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO8aYSApnng&t=484s)“Jim Jones - Death tape 1978” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofbGZDbbUsE)Audio Clips:“Jim Jones - Jonestown Documentary” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO8aYSApnng&t=484s)“Jonestown doc” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqVbFc6Vq9U&t=960s)“Matthew McConaughey - Don't Drink The Kool Aid Life Is Not A Popularity Contest - Motivation” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rzoXRG8mwo)“Stop Drinking the Kool Aid, it's Bad For Your Brand || Truly Social with Tara” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= srK7PeL2eOk)“Where does the expression “Drinking the Kool-Aid” come from?” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozTA9nl1NVk)“Stop Drinking The Kool-aid, Folks” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFqEgCIKErU)“Origins of Drinking the Kool Aid” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhpIMBIMJ-M)“Classic Kool-Aid Man Commercial Compilation (OH YEAH!)” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fjEViOF4JE)“Reporter Injured at Jonestown remembers Massacre” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSxGEFOtWHw&pp=ygUNdGltIHJlaXRlcm1hbg==)“Jim Jones - Death Tape 1978” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofbGZDbbUsE&rco=1)Episode Music (License available upon request):“Reaching for the Sky,” “Fugue Frenzy,” and “Out of the Darkness,” written by Adrian Dominic Walther and performed by Moments“Desert Nights,” written by Matthew Wigton and performed by In This World“Tempest,” written by Matthew Wigton and performed by Falls“Path to Victory,” “Not as they Seem,” “Covenant,” “Rebellion,” and “Dark Places,” written by Matthew Wigton and performed by Wicked Cinema“Balafon Song,” written by Dustin Ransom and performed by Cast of Characters“Grim History,” written by Dustin Ransom and performed by Lost GhostsAdditional Source Material:“The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple,” by Jeff Guinn. (Buy Book)“Raven: The Untold Story of the...

What does 2026 hold for indie authors and the publishing industry? I give my thoughts on trends and predictions for the year ahead. In the intro, Quitting the right stuff; how to edit your author business in 2026; Is SubStack Good for Indie Authors?; Business for Authors webinars. If you'd like to join my community and support the show every month, you'll get access to my growing list of Patron videos and audio on all aspects of the author business — for the price of a black coffee (or two) a month. Join us at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn. Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F. Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. (1) More indie authors will sell direct through Shopify, Kickstarter, and local in-person events (2) AI-powered search will start to shift elements of book discoverability (3) The start of Agentic Commerce (4) AI-assisted audiobook narration will go mainstream (5) AI-assisted translation will start to take off beyond the early adopters (6) AI video becomes ubiquitous. ‘Live selling' becomes the next trend in social sales. (7) AI will create, run, and optimise ads without the need for human intervention (8) 1000 True Fans becomes more important than ever You can find all my books as J.F. Penn and Joanna Penn on your favourite online store in all the usual formats, or order from your local library or bookstore. You can also buy direct from me at CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com. I'm not really active on social media, but you can always see my photos at Instagram @jfpennauthor. 2026 Trends and Predictions for Indie Authors and Book Publishing (1) More indie authors will sell direct through Shopify, Kickstarter, and local in-person events — and more companies like BookVault will offer even more beautiful physical books and products to support this. This trend will not be a surprise to most of you! Selling direct has been a trend for the last few years, but in 2026, it will continue to grow as a way that independent authors become even more independent. The recent Written Word Media survey from Dec 2025 noted that 30% of authors surveyed are selling direct already and 30% say they plan to start in 2026. Among authors earning over $10,000 per month, roughly half sell direct. In my opinion, selling direct is an advanced author strategy, meaning that you have multiple books and you understand book marketing and have an email list already or some guaranteed way to reach readers. In fact, Kindlepreneur reports that 66% of authors selling direct have more than 5 books, and 46% have more than 10 books. Of course, you can start with the something small, like a table at a local event with a limited number of books for sale, but if you want to consistently sell direct for years to come, you need to consider all the business aspects. Selling direct is not a silver bullet. It's much harder work to sell direct than it is to just upload an ebook to Amazon, whether you choose a Kickstarter campaign, or Shopify/Payhip or other online stores, or regular in-person sales at events/conferences/fairs. You need a business mindset and business practices, for example, you need to pay upfront for setup as well as ongoing management, and bulk printing in some cases. You need to manage taxes and cashflow. You need to be a lot more proactive about marketing, as you won't sell anything if you don't bring readers to your books/products. But selling direct also brings advantages. It sets you apart from the bulk of digital only authors who still only upload ebooks to Amazon, or maybe add a print on demand book, and in an era of AI rapid creation, that number is growing all the time. If you sell direct, you get your customer data and you can reach those customers next time, through your email list. If you don't know who bought your books and don't have a guaranteed way to reach them, you will more easily be disrupted when things change — and they always change eventually. Kindlepreneur notes that “45% of the successful direct selling authors had over 1,000 subscribers on their email lists,” with “a clear, positive correlation between email list size and monthly direct sales income — with authors having an email list of over 15,000 subscribers earning 20X more than authors with email lists under 100 subscribers.” Selling direct means faster money, sometimes the same day or the same week in many cases, or a few weeks after a campaign finishes, as with Kickstarter. And remember, you don't have to sell all your formats directly. You can keep your ebooks in KU, do whatever you like with audiobooks, and just have premium print products direct, or start with a very basic Kickstarter campaign, or a table at a local fair. Lots more tips for Shopify and Kickstarter at https://www.thecreativepenn.com/selldirectresources/ I also recommend the Novel Marketing Podcast on The Shopify Trap: Why authors keep losing money as it is a great counterpoint to my positive endorsement of selling direct on Shopify! Among other things, Thomas notes that a fixed monthly fee for a store doesn't match how most authors make money from books which is more in spikes, the complexity and hassle eats time and can cost more money if you pay for help, and it can reduce sales on Amazon and weaken your ranking. Basically, if you haven't figured out marketing direct to your store, it can hurt you.All true for some authors, for some genres, and for some people's lifestyle. But for authors who don't want to be on the hamster wheel of the Amazon algorithm and who want more diversity and control in income, as well as the incredible creative benefits of what you can do selling direct, then I would say, consider your options in 2025, even if that is trying out a low-financial-goal Kickstarter campaign, or selling some print books at a local fair. Interestingly, traditional publishers are also experimenting with direct sales. Kate Elton, the new CEO of Harper Collins notes in The Bookseller's 2026 trend article, “we are seeing global success with responsive, reader-driven publishing, subscription boxes and TikTok Shop and – crucially – developing strategies that are founded on a comprehensive understanding of the reader.” She also notes, “AI enables us to dramatically change the way we interact with and grow audiences. The opportunities are genuinely exciting – finding new ways to help readers discover books they will love, innovating in the ways we market and reach audiences, building new channels and adapting to new methods of consuming content.” (2) AI-powered search will start to shift elements of book discoverability From LinkedIn's 2026 Big Ideas: “Generative engine optimization (GEO) is set to replace search engine optimization (SEO) as the way brands get discovered in the year ahead. As consumers turn to AI chatbots, agentic workflows and answer engines, appearing prominently in generative outputs will matter more than ranking in search engines.” Google has been rolling out AI Mode with its AI Overviews and is beginning to push it within Google.com itself in some countries, which means the start of a fundamental change in how people discover content online. I first posted about GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) in 2023, and it's going to change how readers find books. For years, we've talked about the long tail of search. Now, with AI-powered search, that tail is getting even longer and more nuanced. AI can understand complex, conversational queries that traditional search engines struggled with. Someone might ask, “What's a good thriller set in a small town with a female protagonist who's a journalist investigating a cold case?” and get highly specific recommendations. This means your book metadata, your website content, and your online presence need to be more detailed and conversational. AI search engines understand context in ways that go far beyond simple keywords. The authors who win in this new landscape will be those who create rich, authentic content about their books and themselves, not just promotional copy. As economist Tyler Cowen has said, “Consider the AIs as part of your audience. Because they are already reading your words and listening to your voice.” We're in the ‘organic' traffic phase right now, where these AI engines are surfacing content for ‘free,' but paid ads are inevitably on the way, and even rumoured to be coming this year to ChatGPT. By the end of 2026, I expect some authors and publishers to be paying for AI traffic, rather than blocking and protesting them. For now, I recommend checking that your author name/s and your books are surfaced when you search on ChatGPT.com as well as Google.com AI Mode (powered by Gemini). You want to make sure your work comes up in some way. I found that Joanna Penn and J.F. Penn searches brought up my Shopify stores, my website, podcast, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even my Patreon page, but did not bring up links to Amazon. If you only have an author presence on Amazon, does it appear in AI search at all? Do you need to improve anything about what the AI search brings up? Traditional publishers are also looking at this, with PublishersWeekly doing webinars on various aspects of AI in early 2026, including sessions on GEO and how book sales are changing, AI agents, and book marketing. In a 2026 predictions article on The Bookseller, the CEO of Bloomsbury Publishing noted, “The boundaries of artificial intelligence will become clearer, enabling publishers to harness its benefits while seeking to safeguard the intellectual property rights of authors, illustrators and publishers.” “AI will be deeply embedded in our workflows, automating tasks such as metadata tagging, freeing teams to focus on creativity and strategy. Challenges will persist. Generative AI threatens traditional web traffic and ad revenue models, making metadata optimisation and SEO critical for visibility as we adjust to this new reality online.” (3) The start of Agentic Commerce AI researches what you want to buy and may even buy on your behalf. Plus, I predict that Amazon does a commerce deal with OpenAI for shopping within ChatGPT by the end of 2026. In September 2025, ChatGPT launched Instant Checkout and the Agentic Commerce Protocol, which will enable bots to buy on websites in the background if authorised by the human with the credit card. VISA is getting on board with this, so is PayPal, with no doubt more payment options to come. In the USA, ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Free users can now buy directly from US Etsy sellers inside the chat interface, with over a million Shopify merchants coming soon. Shopify and OpenAI have also announced a partnership to bring commerce to ChatGPT. I am insanely excited about this as it could represent the first time we have been able to more easily find and surface books in a much more nuanced way than the 7 keywords and 3 categories we have relied on for so long! I've been using ChatGPT for at least the last year to find fiction and non-fiction books as I find the Amazon interface is ‘polluted' by ads. I've discovered fascinating books from authors I've never heard of, most in very long tail areas. For example, Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby, recommended by ChatGPT as I am interested in medical anatomy and anatomical Venuses, and The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson, recommended as I like art history and the supernatural. I don't think I would have found either of these within a nuanced discussion with ChatGPT. Even without these direct purchase integrations, ChatGPT now has Shopping Research, which I have found links directly to my Shopify store when I search for my books specifically. Walmart has partnered with OpenAI to create AI-first shopping experiences, and you have to wonder what Amazon might be doing? In Nov 2025, Amazon signed a “strategic partnership” with OpenAI, and even though it's focused on the technical side of AI, those two companies in a room together might also be working on other plans … I'm calling it for 2026. I think Amazon will sign a commerce agreement with OpenAI sometime before the end of the year. This will enable at least recommendation and shopping links into Amazon stores (presumably using an OpenAI affiliate link), or perhaps even Instant Checkout with ChatGPT for Amazon. It will also enable a new marketing angle, especially if paid ads arrive in ChatGPT, perhaps even integrating with Amazon Ads in some way as part of any possible agreement, since ads are such a good revenue stream for Amazon anyway. The line between discovery, engagement, and purchase is collapsing. Someone could be having a conversation with an AI about what to read next, and within that same conversation, purchase a bookwithout ever leaving the chat interface. This already happens within TikTok and social commerce clearly works for many authors. It's possible that the next development for book discoverability and sales might be within AI chats. This will likely stratify the already fragmented book eco-system even more. Some readers will continue to live only within the Amazon ecosystem and (maybe) use their Rufus chatbot to buy, and others will be much wider in their exploration of how to find and discover books (and other products and services). If you haven't tried it yet, try ChatGPT.com Shopping Research for a book. You can do this on the free tier. Use the drop down in the main chat box and select Shopping Research. It doesn't have to be for your book. It can be any book or product, for example, our microwave died just before Christmas so I used it to find a new one. But do a really nuanced search with multiple requirements. Go far beyond what you would search for on Amazon. In the results, notice that (at the time of writing) it does not generally link to Amazon, but to independent sites and stores. As above, I think this will change by the end of 2026, as some kind of commerce deal with Amazon seems inevitable. (4) AI-assisted audiobook narration will go mainstream I've been talking about AI narration of audiobooks since 2019, and over the years, I've tried various different options. In 2025, the technology reached a level of emotional nuance that made it much easier to create satisfying fiction audio as well as non-fiction. It also super-charges accessibility, making audio available in more languages and more accents than ever before. Of course, human narration remains the gold standard, but the cost makes it prohibitive for many authors, and indeed many small traditional publishers, for all books. If it costs $2000 – $10,000 to create an audiobook, you have to sell a lot to make a profit, and the dominance of subscription models have made it harder to recoup the costs. Famous narrators and voice artists who have an audience may still be worth investing in, as well as premium production, but require an even higher upfront cost and therefore higher sales and streams in return. AI voice/audio models are continuing to improve, and even as this goes out, there are rumours on TechCrunch that OpenAI's new device, designed by Jony Ive who designed the iPhone, will be audio first and OpenAI are improving their voice models even more in preparation for that launch. In 2026, I think AI-narrated audio will go mainstream with far-reaching adoption across publishing and the indie author world in many different languages and accents. This will mean a further stratification of audiobooks, with high quality, high production, high cost human narrated audio for a small percentage of books, and then mass market, affordable AI-narrated audio for the rest. AI-narrated audiobooks will make audio ubiquitous, and just as (almost) every print book has an ebook format, in 2026, they will also have an audio format. I straddle both these worlds, as I am still a human audiobook narrator for my own work. I human-narrated Successful Self-Publishing Fourth Edition (free audiobook) and The Buried and the Drowned, my short story collection. I also use AI narration for some books. ElevenLabs remains my preferred service and in 2025, I used my J.F. Penn voice clone for Death Valley and also Blood Vintage, while using a male voice for Catacomb. I clearly label my AI-narration in the sales description and also on the cover, which I think is important, although it is not always required by the various services. You can distribute ElevenLabs narrated audiobooks on Spotify, Kobo Writing Life, YouTube, ElevenReader, and of course your own store if you use Shopify with Bookfunnel. There are many other services springing up all the time, so make sure you check the rights you have over the finished audio, as well as where you can sell and distribute the final files. If they are just using ElevenLabs models in the back-end, then why not just do that directly? (Most services will be using someone's model in the back-end, since most companies do not train their own models.) Of course, you can use Amazon's own narration. While Amazon originally launched Audible audiobooks with Virtual Voice (AVV) in November 2023, it was rolled out to more authors and territories in 2025. If your book is eligible, the option to create an audiobook will appear on your KDP dashboard. With just a few clicks, you can create an audiobook from a range of voices and accents, and publish it on Amazon and Audible. However, the files are not yours. They are exclusive to Amazon and you cannot use them on other platforms or sell them direct yourself. But they are also free, so of course, many authors, especially those in KU, will use this option. I have done some for my mum's sweet romance books as Penny Appleton and I will likely use them for my books in translation when the option becomes available. Traditional publishers are experimenting with AI-assisted audiobook narration as well. MacMillan is selling digital audiobooks read by AI directly on their store. PublishersWeekly reports that PRH Audio “has experimented with artificial voice in specific instances, such as entrepreneur Ely Callaway's posthumous memoir The Unconquerable Game,” when an “authorized voice replica” was created for the audiobook. The article also notes that PRH Audio “embrace artificial intelligence across business operations—my entire department [PRH Audio] is using AI for business applications.” And while indie authors can't use AI voices on ACX right now, Audible have over 100 voices available to selected publishing partnerships, as reported by The Guardian with “two options for publishers wishing to make use of the technology: “Audible-managed” production, or “self-service” whereby publishers produce their own audiobooks with the help of Audible's AI technology.” In 2026, it's likely that more traditional publishers — as well as indie authors — will get their backlist into audio with AI narration. (5) AI-assisted translation will start to take off beyond the early adopters Over the years, I've done translation deals with traditional publishers in different languages (German, French, Spanish, Korean, Italian) for some fiction and non-fiction books. But of course, to get these kinds of deals, you have to be proactive about pitching, or work with an agent for foreign rights only, and those are few and far between! There are also lots of languages and territories worldwide, and most deals are for the bigger markets, leaving a LOT of blue water for books in translation, even if you have licensed some of the bigger markets. I did my first partially AI-translated books in 2019 when I used Deepl.com for the first draft and then worked with a German editor to do 3 non-fiction books in German. While the first draft was cheap, the editing was pretty expensive, so I stopped after only doing a couple. I have made the money back now, but it took years. In 2025, AI Translation began to take off with ScribeShadow, GlobeScribe.ai, and more recently, in November 2025, Kindle Translate boosting the number of translated books available. Kindle Translate is (currently) only available to US authors for English into Spanish and also German into English, but in 2026, this will likely roll out to more languages and more authors, making it easier than ever to produce translations for free. Of course, once again, the gold standard is human translation, or at least human-edited translations, but the cost is prohibitive even just for proof-reading, and if there is a cheap or even free option, like Kindle Translate, then of course, authors are going to try it. If the translation gets bad reviews, they can just un-publish. There are many anecdotal stories of indie success in 2025 with AI-translated genre fiction sales (in series) in under-served markets like Italian, French, and Spanish, as well as more mainstream adoption in German. I was around in the Kindle gold-rush days of 2009-2012 and the AI-translation energy right now feels like that. There are hardly any Kindle ebooks in many of these languages compared to how many there are in English, so inevitably, the rush is on to fill the void, especially in genres that are under-served by traditional publishers in those markets. Yes, some of these AI translated books will be ‘AI-slop,' but readers are not stupid. Those books will get bad reviews and thus will sink to the bottom of the store, never to be seen again. The AI translation models are also improving rapidly, and Amazon's Kindle Translate may improve faster than most, for books specifically, since they will be able to get feedback in terms of page reads. Amazon is also a major investor in Anthropic, which makes Claude.ai, widely considered the best quality for creative writing and translation, so it's likely that is used somewhere in the mix. Some traditional publishers are also experimenting with AI-assisted translation, with Harlequin France reportedly using AI translation and human proofreaders, as reported by the European Council of Literary Translators' Associations in December 2025. Academic publisher Taylor and Francis is also using AI for book translation, noting: “Following a program of rigorous testing, Taylor & Francis has announced plans to use AI translation tools to publish books that would otherwise be unavailable to English-language readers, bringing the latest knowledge to a vastly expanded readership.” “Until now, the time and resources required to translate books has meant that the majority remained accessible only to those who could read them in the original language. Books that were translated often only became available after a significant delay. Today, with the development of sophisticated AI translation tools, it has become possible to make these important texts available to a broad readership at speed, without compromising on accuracy.” (6) AI video becomes ubiquitous. ‘Live selling' becomes the next trend in social sales. In 2025, short form AI-generated video became very high quality. OpenAI released Sora 2, and YouTube announced new Shorts creation tools with Veo 3, which you can also use directly within Gemini. There are tons of different AI video apps now, including those within the social media sites themselves. There is more video than ever and it's much easier to create. I am not a fan of short form video! I don't make it and I don't consume it, but I do love making book trailers for my Kickstarter campaigns and for adding to my book pages and using on social media. I made a trailer for The Buried and the Drowned using Midjourney for images and then animation of those images, and Canva to put them together along with ElevenLabs to generate the music. But despite the AI tools getting so much easier to use, you still have to prompt them with exactly what you want. I can't just upload my book and say, “Make a book trailer,” or “Make a short film.” This may change with generative video ads, which are likely to become more common in 2026, as video turns specifically commercial. Video ads may even be generated specifically for the user, with an audience of one, maybe even holding your book in their hands (using something like Cameos on Sora), in the same way that some AI-powered clothing stores do virtual try-ons. This might also up-end the way we discover and buy things, as the AI for eCommerce and Amazon Sellers newsletter says about OpenAI's Sora app, “OpenAI isn't just trying to build a TikTok competitor. They're building a complete reimagining of how we discover and buy things …” “The combination of ChatGPT's research capabilities and Sora's potential for emotional manipulation—I mean, “engagement”—could create something we've never seen before: an AI ecosystem that might eventually guide you through every type of purchase, from the most considered to the most impulsive.” In 2026, there will be A LOT more AI-generated video, but that also leads to the human trend of more live video. While you can use an AI avatar that looks and sounds like you using tools like HeyGen or Synthesia, live video has all the imperfect human elements that make it stand-out, plus the scarcity element which leads to the purchase decision within a countdown period. Live video is nothing new in terms of brand building and content in general, but it seems that live events primarily for direct sales might be a thing in 2026. Kim Kardashian hosted Kimsmas Live in December 2025 with a 45 minute live shopping event with special guests, described as entertainment but designed to be a sales extravaganza. Indie authors are doing a similar thing on TikTok with their books, so this is a trend to watch in 2026, especially if you feel that live selling might fit with your personality and author business goals. It's certainly not for everyone, but I suspect it will suit a different kind of creator to those who prefer ‘no face' video, or no video at all! On other aspects of the human side of social media, Adam Mosseri the CEO of Instagram put a post on Threads called Authenticity after Abundance. He said, “Everything that made creators matter—the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldn't be faked—is now suddenly accessible to anyone with the right tools.” “Deepfakes are getting better and better. AI is generating photographs and videos indistinguishable from captured media. The feeds are starting to fill up with synthetic everything. And in that world, here's what I think happens.Creators matter more.” It's a long article so just to pick a few things from it: “We like to talk about “AI slop,” but there is a lot of amazing AI content … we are going to start to see more and more realistic AI content.” I've talked to my Patreon Community about this ‘tsunami of excellence' as these tools are just getting better and better and the word ‘slop' can also be applied to purely human output, too. If you think that AI content is ‘worse' than wholly human content, in 2026, you are wrong. It is now very very good, especially in the hands of people who can drive the AI tools. Back to Adam's post: “Authenticity is fast becoming a scarce resource, …The creators who succeed will be those who figure out how to maintain their authenticity [even when it can be simulated] …” “The bar is going to shift from “can you create?” to “can you make something that only you could create?” He talks about how the personal content on Instagram now is: “unpolished; it's blurry photos and shaky videos of people's daily experiences … flattering imagery is cheap to produce and boring to consume. People want content that feels real… Savvy creators are going to lean into explicitly unproduced and unflattering images of themselves. In a world where everything can be perfected, imperfection becomes a signal. Rawness isn't just aesthetic preference anymore—it's proof. It's defensive. A way of saying: this is real because it's imperfect.” While I partially love this, and I really hope it's true, as in I hope we don't need to look good for the camera anymore I would also challenge Adam on this, because pretty much every woman I know on social media has been sent sexual messages, and/or told they are ugly and/or fat when posting anything unflattering. I've certainly had both even for the same content, but I don't expect Adam has been the target for such posting! But I get his point. He goes on:“Labeling content as authentic or AI-generated is only part of the solution though. We, as an industry, are going to need to surface much more context about not only the media on our platforms, but the accounts that are sharing it in order for people to be able to make informed decisions about what to believe. Where is the account? When was it created? What else have they posted?” This is exactly what I've been saying for a while under my double down on being human focus. I use my Instagram @jfpennauthor as evidence of humanity, not as a sales channel. You can do both of course, but increasingly, you need to make sure your accounts at places have longevity and trust, even by the platforms themselves. Adam finishes: “In a world of infinite abundance and infinite doubt, the creators who can maintain trust and signal authenticity—by being real, transparent, and consistent—will stand out.” For other marketing trends for 2026, I recommend publicist Kathleen Schmidt's SubStack which is mostly focused on traditional publishing but still interesting for indies. In her 2026 article, she notes: “We have reached a social media saturation point where going viral can be meaningless and should not be the goal; authenticity and creativity should. She also says, “In-person events are important again,” and, “Social media marketing takes a nosedive… we have reached a saturation point … What publishers must figure out is how to make their social media campaigns stand out. If they remain somewhat uninspired, the money spent on social ads won't convert into book sales.” I think this is part of the rise of live selling as above, which can stand out above more ‘produced' videos. Kathleen also talks about AI usage. “AI can help lighten the burden of publicity and marketing.” “A lot of AI tools are coming to market to lessen the load: they can write pitches, create media lists for you, send pitches for you, and more. I know the industry is grappling with all things AI, but some of these tools are huge time savers and may help a book more than hurt it.” On that note … (7) AI will create, run, and optimise ads without the need for human intervention Many authors will be very happy about this as marketing is often the bane of our author business lives! As I noted in my 2026 goals, I would love to outsource more marketing tasks to AI. I want an “AI book marketing assistant” where I can upload a book and specify a budget and say, ‘Go market this,' then the AI will action the marketing, without me having to cobble together workflows between systems. Of course, it will present plans for me to approve but it will do the work itself on the various platforms and monitor and optimize things for me. I really hope 2026 is the year this becomes possible, because we are on the edge of it already in some areas. Amazon Ads launched a new agentic AI tool in September 2025 that creates professional-quality ads. I've also been working with Claude in Chrome browser to help me analyse my Amazon Ad data and suggest which keywords/products to turn off and what to put more budget into. I'll do a Patreon video on that soon. Meta announced it will enable AI ad creation by the end of 2026 for Facebook and Instagram. For authors who find ad creation overwhelming or time-consuming, this could be a game-changer. Of course, you will still need a budget! (8) 1000 True Fans becomes more important than ever Lots of authors and publishers are moaning about the difficulty of reaching readers in an era of ‘AI slop' but there is no shortage of excellent content created by humans, or humans using AI tools. As ever, our competition is less about other authors, or even authors using AI-assisted creation, we're competing against everything else that jostles for people's attention, and the volume of that is also growing exponentially. I've never been a fan of rapid release, and have said for years that you can't keep up with the pace of the machines. So play a different game. As Kevin Kelly wrote in 2008, If you have 1000 true fans, (also known as super fans), “you can make a living — if you are content to make a living but not a fortune.” [Kevin Kelly was on this show in 2023 talking about Excellent Advice for Living.] Many authors and the publishing industry are stuck in the old model of aiming to sell huge volumes of books at a low profit margin to a massive number of readers, many of them releasing ever faster to try and keep the algorithms moving. But the maths can work for the smaller audience of more invested readers and fans. If you only make $2 profit on an ebook, you need to sell 500 ebooks to make $1000, and then do it again next month. Or you can have a small community like my patreon.com/thecreativepenn where people pay $2 (or more) a month, so even a small revenue per person results in a better outcome over the year, as it is consistent monthly income with no advertising. But what if you could make $20 profit per book? That is entirely possible if you're producing high quality hardbacks on Kickstarter, or bundle deals of audiobooks, or whole series of ebooks. You would only need to sell to 50 people to make $1000. What about $100 profit per sale, which you can do with a small course or live event? You only need 10 people to make $1000, and this in-person focus also amplifies trust and fosters human connection. I've found the intimacy of my live Patreon Office Hours and also my webinars have been rewarding personally, but also financially, and are far more memorable — and potentially transformative — than a pre-recorded video or even another book. From the LinkedIn 2026 Big Ideas article: “In an AI-optimized world, intentional human connection will become the ultimate luxury.” The 1000 True Fans model is about serving a smaller, more personal audience with higher value products (and maybe services if that's your thing). As ever, its about niche and where you fit in the long long long long long tail. It's also about trust. Because there is definitely a shortage of that in so many areas, and as Adam Mosseri of Instagram has said, trust will be increasingly important. Trust takes time to build, but if you focus on serving your audience consistently, and delivering a high quality, and being authentic, this emerges as part of being human. In an echo of what happened when online commerce first took off, we are back to talking about trust. Back in 2010, I read Trust Agents: by Julien Smith and Chris Brogan, which clearly needs a comeback. There was a 10th anniversary edition published in 2020, so that's worth a read/listen. Chris Brogan was also on this show in 2017 when we talked about finding and serving your niche for the long term. That interview is still relevant, here's a quick excerpt, where I have (lightly edited) his response to my question on this topic back in 2017: Jo: The principle of know, like, and trust, why is that still important or perhaps even more important these days? Chris: There are a few things that at play there, Joanna. One is that the same tools that make it so easy for any of us to start and run a business also allow certain elements to decide whether or not they want to do something dubious. And with all new technologies that come, you know, there's nothing unique about these new technologies. In the 1800s, anyone could put anything in a bottle and sell it to you and say, this is gonna cure everything. Cancer — gone. And the bottle could have nothing in. You know, it could be Kool-Aid. And so, the idea of trying to understand what's behind the business though, one beautiful thing that's come is that we can see in much more dimensions who we're dealing with. We can understand better who's the face behind the brand. I really want people to try their best to be a lot clearer on what they stand for or what they say. And I don't really mean a tagline. I mean, humans don't really talk like that. They don't throw some sentence out as often as they can that you remember them for that phrase. But I would say that, we have so many media available to us — the plural of mediums — where we can be more of ourselves. And I think that there's a great opportunity to share the ‘you' behind the scenes, and some people get immediately terrified about this, ‘Ah, the last thing I want is for people to know more about me,' but I think we have such an opportunity. We have such an opportunity to voice our thoughts on something, to talk about the story that goes behind the product. We were all raised on overly produced material, but I think we don't want that anymore. We really want clarity, brevity, simplicity. We want the ability for what we feel is connection and then access. And so I think it's vital that we connect and show people our accessibility, not so that they can pester us with strange questions, but more so that you can say, this person stands with their product and their service and this person believes these things, and I feel something when I hear them and I wanna be part of that.” That's from Chris Brogan's interview here in 2017, and he is still blogging and speaking at writing at ChrisBrogan.com and I'm going to re-listen to the audiobook of Trust Agents again myself as I think it's more relevant than ever. The original quote comes from Bob Burg in his 1994 book, Endless Referrals, “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.” That still applies, and absolutely fits with the 1000 True Fans model of aiming to serve a smaller audience. As Kevin Kelly says in 1000 True Fans, “Instead of trying to reach the narrow and unlikely peaks of platinum bestseller hits, blockbusters, and celebrity status, you can aim for direct connection with a thousand true fans.” “On your way, no matter how many fans you actually succeed in gaining, you'll be surrounded not by faddish infatuation, but by genuine and true appreciation. It's a much saner destiny to hope for. And you are much more likely to actually arrive there.” In 2026, I hope that more authors (including me!) let go of ego goals and vanity metrics like ranking, gross sales (income before you take away costs), subscribers, followers, and likes, and consider important business numbers like profit (which is the money you have after costs like marketing are taken out), as well as number of true fans — and also lifestyle elements like number of weekends off, or days spent enjoying life and not just working! OK, that's my list of trends and predictions for 2026. Let me know what you think in the comments. Do you agree? Am I wrong? What have I missed? The post 2026 Trends And Predictions For Indie Authors And The Book Publishing Industry with Joanna Penn first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Happy New Year! We are SO back! We have thoughts and you have thoughts.

In this episode, the host interviews Brad Allen, an Amazon seller and entrepreneur, about his journey from eBay and retail arbitrage to building a successful Amazon FBA business. Brad shares how he sourced high-end European skincare products, overcame a major account suspension and $400,000 debt, and transitioned to private label. He highlights the importance of active business management, cash flow planning, and creativity. The episode concludes with actionable advice for Amazon sellers: stay hands-on, manage inventory and finances wisely, and innovate to stand out in the marketplace.Chapters:Introduction and Account Suspension (00:00:00)Brad is introduced; discusses his Amazon account suspension and overcoming $400K in debt.Early E-commerce Journey (00:00:33)Brad shares his start with eBay in childhood, selling household items, and his early exposure to e-commerce.Discovering Amazon FBA (00:01:11)Learns about Amazon FBA in 2012, transitions from eBay, and begins retail arbitrage with toys and other products.Corporate Career and Realization (00:02:19)Describes unfulfilling corporate jobs, getting fired, and joining a friend's epoxy flooring business in Ohio.Entrepreneurial Mindset Shift (00:03:34)Realizes he enjoys working for himself, which reignites his interest in e-commerce and Amazon.Deep Dive into Retail Arbitrage (00:04:36)Explores flipping products from eBay to Amazon, focusing on high-end skincare, and develops sourcing systems.European Skincare Arbitrage Strategy (00:06:45)Discovers sourcing high-end European skincare from overseas retailers, imports to the US, and sells on Amazon.Scaling and Living Abroad (00:08:54)Business grows; Brad moves to Buenos Aires and Africa, living a digital nomad lifestyle while running the business.Amazon Account Suspension Details (00:10:04)Explains the cause of his Amazon suspension—authenticity complaints and inability to provide manufacturer receipts.Lessons from Suspension and Financial Struggles (00:11:05)Discusses lessons learned: importance of active management, risk-taking, and not being complacent in business.Advice on Growth and Risk (00:11:48)Emphasizes reinvesting profits, financial planning, and the need for risk tolerance as an entrepreneur.Financial Intelligence and Risk Management (00:13:57)Stresses forecasting, living below means, and being prepared for the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.Three Actionable Takeaways (00:14:11)Host summarizes: 1) Active management and planning, 2) Cash flow and inventory management, 3) Creativity in the Amazon marketplace.Episode Wrap-up (00:16:43)Host thanks Brad, hints at a future episode, and closes the interview.Links and Mentions:Tools and Websites  EZSniperActionable Takeaways  Set an Annual Plan for Your Business: 00:14:11  Cash Flow Management: 00:15:04  Bring Creativity to the Amazon Marketplace: 00:16:15Transcript:Josh 00:00:00  Today I am super excited to introduce you to Brad Allen. I met him at Kevin King's, $1 Billion Seller summit, and he's going to have a lot of knowledge to share with us. I'm going to dive in like immediately to what was mentioned in your bio. You had your account suspended. You had you ran into 400 K of debt and loans, but you've kind of come out the other end and you're you're crushing it right now on Amazon. So tell me, Brad, what happened with the account suspension?Brad 00:00:33  So I, I was doing, retail arbitrage and I got, I got really into it. it it was actually kind of unique. It started off, where I was, I, I was really into eBay growing up, so I was always selling stuff, just like as a kid throughout the house, whether it was mine or not. I was grabbing, like, antiques from the basement and, like, selling stuff out of the garage. And I think that's where I got kind of, you know, introduced to e-commerce and kind of obsessed so that that kind of was always on the side.Brad 00:01:11  And I was doing that through grade school, high school, and then into college. And I learned about Amazon FBA and I think 2012. and as an eBay guy, it was like blew me away because I was, you know, the guy waiting in line at the, at the post office and having to deal with customers. So the fact that you could just send a bunch of items in and Amazon will ship it and take care of customer service was very appealing to me. So I started, I just started watching videos and the easiest way to start, which I don't know how many people really started out like this, but I'm sure some. But I was going into, you know, odd lots and Walmarts and just buying toys or whatever I could find. And essentially I was just kind of learning that process. so, you know, that was a good way to, like, get my feet wet into Amazon FBA. and then, you know, life kind of happened where that was put off to the side.Brad 00:02:19  I was in the corporate world for a while. not doing very well. I just, was not very passionate about what I was doing, and, I got a call from a buddy. I was living in South Florida. I'm from Ohio originally, and, I got fired from one job. You know, I was working for good companies. They were, like, fortune 500 companies. And I kind of noticed right away that the people that were successful were extremely passionate about the company, and they had just drank the Kool-Aid. And I just did. I just didn't care, really. I thought our products were overpriced, which is not the mentality that you want to have when you're trying to sell something. so I was just kind of, just doing enough not to get fired. And my friend, in Columbus had called me and said, hey, I just bought this epoxy coating company. So what we're doing is we're installing, like, showroom floors in garages. You know, the the garages in Columbus or the Midwest are all cracked and spoiled.Brad 00:03:34  so, you know, this was December and he was like, hey, I can't pay you that much, but, you know, this will be our company. and I'll share profits with you. So I wasn't really doing much. You know, in terms of growing personally or professionally, although I was in South Florida, which was pretty cool for for an Ohio guy. Sure. I took him up on it, and I remember it was December. I go from this cushy sales job in South Florida. Even though I didn't like it. And then all of a sudden, I am installing, garage floors in the suburbs of Columbus. In December, we're using, like, heaters to keep ourselves warm. And the funny thing was, I actually was enjoying it more, because it was ours. So that kind of, like, turned on the light that, you know, the way that I'm going to be successful is if I'm doing something for myself, like, or as a team. And that kind of drew me back to this e-commerce stuff.Brad 00:04:36  and like I was saying, I had learned about, the Amazon FBA and I had a this background in eBay. So I just kind of I remember in one of your podcasts, you were talking about how after work, you would go home and just watch videos. yeah. Because you, you know, you kind of saw that as a way out. But, you know, what you have to do is you have to put in the time. You know, even after a long day of work when most people are just watching TV or they want to decompress. I was just drawn to just scanning eBay, you know, looking at Amazon. And I was like, I was wondering if there was an opportunity for products that I could buy on eBay and flip on Amazon. And I kind of just somehow stumbled upon this, category of high end skincare. And I was noticing that there was these really, like, high end brands that were selling for, you know, almost nothing on eBay because, li...

This week on the show the gang discusses the return fad of the Kool-Aid Man challenge in which people plow through fences like the favorite soft drink mascot which leads to them discussing their favorite Kool-Aid flavors growing up and then to looking for Kool-Aid Man costumes to start wearing to DragonCon.  After that discussion they move on to what they drink as adults instead which is various mixers and spirits. Intro and Outro music written and performed by Andrés Rodríguez (Androzguitar) 

WBS: Murry Krsmas Ya Filthy Animals #341 -- The gang is at it again. Brimstone is joined by his wing-man Alex DaPonte, and Brim's wife Danielle as they chat about Pistachio's being green salty nuts, how women's farts smell worse than men's and Lil Jon's Christmas collab with the Kool-Aid man, as well as why it inspired Brim to create his holiday video. They discuss rat flushing in Seattle, dangerous toys from the 1970s, and Alex's root canal. They discuss the Pennywise and Mary Poppins theory, opening of gifts, Alex's awful week, and the case of the missing gift card. Brim explains what gets Within Brim's Skin.Grinch: https://www.instagram.com/p/DSiKY3-ETUO/?igsh=ZHplanI2OHBjdXlvFarts: https://www.instagram.com/p/DR5vZCkjcUY/?igsh=amI2bjJuMndqNW5wRats: https://www.instagram.com/p/DSlmw_jjuN8/?igsh=MXQzNmNvc3UzcjNhNA%3D%3D&img_index=2Lil Jon: https://www.instagram.com/p/DSERvubkeLY/?igsh=YTIxMHB4b2xqeGxoPennywise: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSRVBGDlNZe/?igsh=MTBlZGE2eDl6cGVobQ%3D%3D1970's: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSLwuIHAYLk/?igsh=dTE4NjM5NHltMWZkWrite to Will Brimstone Kucmierowski

On this episode of the Detroit Koolaid Cast we talk all things Detroit Lions. DRINK IT INNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!#DetroitKoolaidCast #Lions #Podcast #OnePride@DerekOkrie & @ChopsInTheD on TwitterPodcast Platforms:Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyBreakerCastboxGoogle Play MusicAnchorOvercastPocket CastsPodBeanRadioPublicStitcherDetroit Koolaid Cast Listener Line 989-272-3484. Please call or text and leave us a message!!Please SUBSCRIBE and leave us a review on iTunes.GO LIONS!!

Send us a textWhat does it take to turn a late-night hustle into a stadium-ready brand? We sit down with Steve Phillips, owner of Mr. Fries Man Las Vegas, to pull back the curtain on a journey powered by street marketing, credit smarts, and unapologetic belief. From LA catering to a Flamingo storefront to a coveted concession at Allegiant Stadium, Steve shows how grit and quality can beat perfect timing—and how one pitcher of Kool-Aid can win a room full of decision-makers.We get honest about the real math of stadium deals: why section placement is pure real estate, how event mix affects margin, and the inventory traps that can push a small operator into the red if crowds get shuffled to lower levels. Steve walks through his game-day prep, the 7:30 a.m. starts, and the variable staffing that keeps service tight when doors open. Then we tackle delivery. Fries don't travel well, so he enforces a three-mile radius to protect quality and reviews. Not all money is good money; sometimes the best marketing is saying no to orders that hurt the brand.The conversation widens to life insurance and family security. Steve lays out practical guidance on term coverage for young parents, when an IUL makes sense, and why he refuses to sell policies that clients can't sustain. We also explore Vegas nightlife from the inside—late headline sets, free-entry shifts, and how clubs lean on bar revenue. Through it all, Steve's theme is consistent: believe to a “delusional” degree, set clear boundaries when hiring friends, and stack small operational edges until they become momentum.We close with what's next: a sports bar concept that pairs fries, wings, and screens; and a nonprofit plan that connects at-risk teens to paid kitchen work and trade certifications in HVAC, plumbing, and electrical. It's business with a backbone—profitable, community-forward, and built to last. If this story moves you, follow, share with a friend who needs a push, and leave a review to help more builders find the show.

On this Friday Morning Koolaid Packet, the Detroit Koolaid Cast talk all things Detroit Lions. DRINK IT INNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!#DetroitKoolaidCast #Lions #Podcast #OnePride@DerekOkrie & @ChopsInTheD on TwitterPodcast Platforms:Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyBreakerCastboxGoogle Play MusicAnchorOvercastPocket CastsPodBeanRadioPublicStitcherDetroit Koolaid Cast Listener Line 989-272-3484. Please call or text and leave us a message!!Please SUBSCRIBE and leave us a review on iTunes.GO LIONS!!

Conflict is inevitable in long-term relationships. Damage doesn't have to be. In this episode, we explore what actually separates fights that bring couples closer from fights that quietly turn lovers into enemies. We talk about the moment arguments go sideways, why so many conflicts feel bigger than the issue at hand, and how couples can stay on the same team even when they fundamentally disagree. Our guest, Touré Neblett, draws on decades of navigating high-stakes, contentious conversations both publicly and privately to share what he's learned about emotional regulation, repair, and conflict inside a long-term marriage. This conversation focuses on how disagreement can exist without contempt, and how learning to fight differently can fundamentally change the trajectory of a relationship. Important context for listeners: We became aware of a workplace sexual harassment allegation involving our guest, Touré Neblett, from 2017, which he has publicly acknowledged and apologized for. Given the focus of this show, we felt it was important to acknowledge that context.   Follow Touré Website → https://toure.com Toure Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/toureshow/ Instagram YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo-SwvkGbQgDt3oXfASPPJQ youtube.com Podcast → Touré Show (Apple/Spotify) Books → Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness? What It Means to Be Black Now; I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon; Soul City; Never Drank the Kool-Aid; The Portable Promised Land; Nothing Compares 2 U (available on Amazon and major booksellers) Want more Lover? Shan's AI trained to give you her advice → http://loversbyshan.com Receive the weekly Love Letter → http://loversbyshan.com/newsletter Join the Lovers Community → https://www.loversbyshan.com/community Explore quizzes and worksheets → http://loversbyshan.com/quizzes

Join us for a special holiday episode! We have a taste test, more Tyra cringe, and a gift guide from Jamie! What do you think an old people flavor is?! Is Alyssa going to start smoking?!?!?! Tune in to find out!______________________________________________________________________________Santa Camel Cigarettes Adhttps://youtu.be/TCIHkZw-v1s?si=WjFNBjFAVu0hmvNW  Viceroy Cigarettes Christmas Commercialhttps://youtu.be/DK5TnUUSZ7Y?si=3Lw5mhsl8c365arB  Lucky Strike Christmas Commercial 1963https://youtu.be/DPqYFNCjCQw?si=OKb8KLB_hFT3IYSF  Camel - Give the Gift of Cigarettes this Christmashttps://youtu.be/GaORtO4rFoo?si=slgc4yl2OlMRqO8y  Philip Morris I love Lucy Collabhttps://youtu.be/c5zYqNBZzJg AI Santa by Tavus: Talk to Santa https://share.google/6He8reaXsZNOHMyIn Write us some of your cringe stories at nervouslaughterpodcast@gmail.comThe socials: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Want to ask a question, or share what you loved? Send us a text!Listen if you want to know:Why my most successful years (2020-2022) were when I led with fun, fulfillment, and impact over strategyHow I "drank the Kool-Aid" of complicated funnels and reverse engineering - and what happened to my revenueWhy focusing too much on strategy kills your creativity and self-beliefThe exact moment my coach called her out on learning the lesson she needed to teachWhy skills matter way more than strategy (and which skills actually move the needle)How to play your own game instead of following someone else's playbookWhat happens when you stop trying to prove yourself and start having funThe Mastermind and Private Coaching is closing this week. So if you want to be in for January, if you want me - my eyes, my sight on your business - helping you make it the most fun that it could possibly be in 2025 and beyond, you have a couple of days to get those applications in and then we're closed.And if you are not quite ready for the mastermind or private coaching - maybe you're not at that stage in your business or maybe you're not ready to make that level of investment yet, but you still want to be in this game doing it this way with me - come and join The Fulfillionaire Collective.It's a year long program where we are going to systematically work through upgrading seven different areas. Values. Vision. Impact. Thought leadership & sales. Money. Freedom. Wealth. By the end of this next year, your business will look and feel unrecognisable.Support the show

“If your car isn't running right, do you fix it—or climb on the hood and drop a deuce?” That's the wild analogy KT throws down as the crew dives deep into the Trevon Diggs saga. Is this a player problem, a front-office fiasco, or a little bit of both? Ben, Skin, KT, and Krystina unpack the tension between Diggs and the Cowboys, the organizational trust issues, and why some fans still sip the Jones family Kool-Aid.Plus, the gang pivots to the Dallas Mavericks' hot streak, Cooper Flagg's meteoric rise, and why Anthony Davis trade rumors have the NBA buzzing. Skin even drops a jaw-dropping nugget from Netflix's Starting Five series, with NBA stars calling out “the worst trade in the history of sports.”

The academy awarding the Nobel Prize in Economics is still drinking pro-growth Kool-Aid, while spiritual leader Acharya Prashant is serving up a healthier recipe - insightful truth about ecological overshoot. We examine both in this episode. Technology headlines much of the conversation. "Technology is not a way out of overshoot; it is a slower way in," according to Prashant.  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:  Nobel Prize press release: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2025/press-release/ How Technological Progress Leads to Economic Growth, An Interview With 2025 Nobel Prize Winner Joel Mokyr: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/joel-mokyr-tech-progress-economic-growth/ About The Sorcerer's Apprentice: https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/The_Sorcerer%27s_Apprentice The Sorcerer's Apprentice – Part 1: https://youtu.be/B4M-54cEduo?si=eiOZ_0vIc8sxMAtX The Sorcerer's Apprentice – Part 2: https://youtu.be/m-W8vUXRfxU?si=b8FnR0-zr8dk1wOm The Sorcerer's Apprentice – Part 3: https://youtu.be/GFiWEjCedzY?si=XouPPdP5FfS1OJ9p One Greed Six Earths: The Inner Emptiness Behind Global Consumption – by Acharya Prashant in the Sunday Guardian: https://sundayguardianlive.com/feature/one-greed-six-earths-the-inner-emptiness-behind-global-consumption-161464/ Acharya Prashant: https://acharyaprashant.org/ Give Us Feedback: Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/ On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth. Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy. Join the GrowthBusters online community https://growthbusters.groups.io/ GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/ Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/growthbusting/ Follow us on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/growthbusters.bsky.social Make a donation to support this non-profit project. https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/ Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/ Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:  

In this episode of the Real Estate Investing School Podcast, host Joe Jensen sits down with Ryan Cadwell—veteran investor, managing partner at Resolute RDM, and all-around real estate realist. With over $100M in transactions across development, flipping, brokerage, and asset management, Ryan brings 17 years of boots-on-the-ground experience and a refreshing "no-Kool-Aid" perspective. He shares how his career evolved from a dream of passive income to building a life he doesn't want to retire from. The two dive deep into how to design a business that aligns with your values, avoid ego-driven deals, and focus on investment value over market hype. Ryan also opens up about his journey from ministry to agnosticism, why real estate is never really passive, and how he's found purpose supporting transitional youth through his board work with 91 Place. This conversation covers everything from emotional decision-making and buyer psychology to using Google alerts to track job trends in your market. If you're tired of the guru fluff and want real talk about what it takes to build a sustainable, fulfilling investing career, this episode delivers in spades. Book a free real estate investing strategy call! No experience necessary. Check out the Real Estate Investing School Youtube Real Estate Investing School Instagram Brody's Instagram Joe's Instagram Resoluterdm.com

Pool Pros text questions hereThe conversation explores the complexities of insurance claims, particularly in unusual circumstances involving property damage due to weather events. The speaker shares a vivid account of a claim involving a fallen tree that caused significant damage to a pool area, illustrating the challenges faced by both homeowners and insurance adjusters in assessing and managing such incidents.TakeawaysThe role of insurance adjusters in property damage claims.Unusual incidents can complicate insurance claims.Weather events can lead to significant property damage.Visual descriptions help convey the extent of damage.Homeowners often hire multiple experts for claims.The impact of a fallen tree on property can be severe.Adjusters must navigate complex situations during assessments.Clear communication is key in insurance claims.Understanding the damage is crucial for claims processing.The emotional toll on homeowners during claims is significant.Sound bites"The whole thing was just mangled.""It looked like the Kool-Aid man had come through.""This is pretty, this is pretty f up."Chapters00:00 Weather Challenges and Pool Maintenance00:06 Building Relationships with Insurance Providers Support the showThank you so much for listening! You can find us on social media: Facebook Instagram Tik Tok Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com

Eagle River wants to move out...the problem is they're broke.

On this week's episode of Wine After Work, I'm joined by someone whose heart, experience, and leadership style will resonate with so many of you Kelly Price, founder of ThriveHR, and a woman who built an entire career around empowering people to thrive at work. Kelly's journey started in hospitality at Marriott International, where she learned how to create meaningful experiences and make people feel seen. She carried that passion into the world of HR becoming a recruiter, Benefits Manager, Director of HR, and eventually a VP of HR. Along the way, she reduced turnover, strengthened cultures, and reshaped how companies took care of their people. But her biggest transformation came when she stopped molding herself to whatever company she worked for and instead discovered what she valued, believed, and wanted. Kelly calls it "figuring out my own flavor of Kool-Aid" and it changed everything: the clients she takes, the way she leads, the work she does, and the results she gets for the people and companies she supports. In this conversation, we dive into: ✨ How Kelly learned to lead from her values — not from corporate expectations ✨ The turning point that pushed her to step out and build ThriveHR ✨ Why so many women lose their identity in the workplace (and how to reclaim it) ✨ What she wishes every employee and every leader understood about people ✨ How HR has changed — and what companies must do differently to retain talent today ✨ The power of building a business that reflects who you actually are ✨ Why authenticity is the real ROI in leadership Kelly's energy is contagious, and her insights are a gift for anyone navigating career growth, leadership, or entrepreneurship. Whether you're building a business or defining a new chapter in your career, this episode will remind you that you don't need to fit anyone else's mold you only need to find your own flavor. About Kelly Price: Kelly Price is the founder of ThriveHR and a dynamic leader whose career reflects her deep passion for helping others succeed. After earning her Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management from Kansas State University, she began her career at Marriott International, where her love for creating meaningful experiences was born. Kelly transitioned into Human Resources as a recruiter and quickly climbed the corporate ladder, serving as a Benefits Manager, Director of HR, and VP of HR. She has played a major role in reducing turnover, improving engagement, and reinventing people strategies across organizations. Today, as a small business owner, she uses her extensive HR background to help companies grow, engage, and retain their people with positivity, integrity, and heart. Connect with Kelly: ThriveHR Website: https://www.thrivehrkc.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellypricethrivehr/  

On this episode of the Detroit Koolaid Cast we talk all things Detroit Lions. DRINK IT INNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!#DetroitKoolaidCast #Lions #Podcast #OnePride@DerekOkrie & @ChopsInTheD on TwitterPodcast Platforms:Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyBreakerCastboxGoogle Play MusicAnchorOvercastPocket CastsPodBeanRadioPublicStitcherDetroit Koolaid Cast Listener Line 989-272-3484. Please call or text and leave us a message!!Please SUBSCRIBE and leave us a review on iTunes.GO LIONS!!

In this episode, our guest is Sarah Thomas, the top strategic account executive at Verkada. Sarah dives deep into the personal and professional principles that have driven her sales success, from embracing her natural strengths and "drinking the Kool Aid" for every company she's joined to cultivating a growth mindset and seeking help from those around her. She opens up about overcoming imposter syndrome, her journey from higher education to software sales, and how authenticity and vulnerability have been central to her approach. https://top1.fm/

I'm thrilled to share some incredible insights from my latest podcast episode with Tim Bello, Managing Partner of Merchant Investment Management. Tim's journey in the wealth and asset management industry is nothing short of inspiring, and I can't wait for you to dive into our conversation.Here are some key takeaways and intriguing points we covered:Key Lessons and Ideas:  • Early Career Insights: Tim started at Permal, a hedge fund of funds, where he learned that hard work and people always matter. Fun fact: he initially thought a hedge fund was a shrubbery company!  • Skybridge Capital Transformation: Tim played a pivotal role in transforming Skybridge into a democratized hedge fund of funds operation, emphasizing the importance of strategic acquisitions and partnerships.  • The Birth of Merchant: Inspired by Cheryl Penny's vision for independent wealth management, Tim co-founded Merchant to offer a unique minority, non-controlling capital partnership model. This approach aligns capital with culture and long-term enterprise value.  • Leadership Through Volatility: Tim shared valuable leadership lessons, emphasizing the power of fear, the importance of not getting drunk on your own Kool-Aid, and the need for leaders to let their teams breathe and operate independently.  • Capital Partnership Philosophy: Merchant focuses on alignment over control, offering equity capital partnerships, custom credit solutions, essential business services, and alternative investment solutions. This holistic approach ensures businesses can grow multigenerationally while maintaining their identity.  • People Over Capital: Tim stressed that in evaluating partnerships, people matter more than the capital itself. Understanding the management team, their commitment, and their culture is crucial for long-term success.  • Culture as a Non-Negotiable: Ignoring culture in partnerships can lead to misery. Tim highlighted the importance of understanding the energy and culture of potential partners to predict future success.  • Personal Definition of Success: For Tim, success is about family, health, and having a real purpose in life. Money is secondary to the love and engagement with his family.Curiosities and Fun Facts:  • Tim's journey from thinking hedge funds were shrubbery companies to leading a firm with over 120 partnerships across six countries.  • The importance of not rushing to judgment and avoiding emotional reactions in leadership.  • The role of capitalism and free enterprise in enabling opportunities and achievements.  • Tim's personal mantra: “Pay attention to the little things, for one day you'll realize they were the big things.”I hope these highlights spark your curiosity and entice you to listen to the full episode. Tim's insights are not only valuable for those in the wealth management industry but for anyone looking to build meaningful, long-lasting partnerships and lead with purpose.Tune in to the episode here: https://www.capitalistculture.com/ and let me know what you think!Stay curious and keep learning,Send us a textConnect with Kip on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kipknippel/Watch Bite-Sized Clips on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@capitalistculture/shorts

Welcome to the pod my new friend JEN SMITH! Jen is an author, podcaster, and mama of 3 girls :)Jen introduces her concept of the "Let Them" vs. "Love Them" theory, explaining how society often encourages a self-centered approach to life. "Are you really drinking that Kool-Aid?" she challenges her daughters and their friends, reminding them that love should be the guiding principle. This framework encourages individuals to focus on fostering connections rather than isolating themselves in their struggles.

Thanksgiving finds us recording live and unedited in Salinas. It was a low key holiday with lots of food and family, but no hysteria. It's Kelly's favorite holiday. We cooked, we laughed, we knit, we spun, and we were able to get a podcast recorded. We recorded in the dining room so there is some echo-y sound, along with dog and family background noise. Full notes with photos and links can be found in the podcast section of our shop website: TwoEwesFiberAdventures.com Join the community on Ravelry or become a patron and support the show on our Patreon Page. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Subscribe on Android. Marsha's Projects Socks: Finished! Used Red Heart Heart and Sole in colorway Black Jack.  Socks: Using The Humming Bird Moon Full Moon BFL Sock in the colorway Eye of Newt. Mountain High: Heidi Kirrmaier. Using my handspun Flowers From My Garden. I decided to put the body on waste yarn and knit the sleeves. Of course color pattern is different because sleeve circumference is smaller than body. Occasionally breaking yarn to manage color. Sheridan Flats Spinning: Purchased 24 oz of 80/15/6 wool/mohair/silk roving in the colorway Kaleidoscope. The owner said to spin at a worsted weight for best results. Mill is Olympic Yarn & Fiber located in Cosmopolis, WA. I've filled two bobbins to date.  Rag Rugs: Wound warp for four rag rugs and started warping loom. Warp is 4" and 6" stripes in royal blue, green, and orange. I've threaded the heddles and reed, and need to attach the warp to the front beam. Then I'll turn my attention to preparing fabric strips. Weaving Studio: It's a work in progress.  Garden Redesign: I've created a project page. Kelly's Projects Chenille Rugs Part 2 The pad is woven and I've started cutting the strips. They are pretty different from one end to the other. More different than the other two pads were. Next up is warping for another pad so I can get two rugs again.  Continuing my Sleeveless Vest by Lone Kjeldsen with handspun from Jazzman's " perfect fleece." I've done the horizontal stitch at the back yoke so not that much further on this week. Charity Hats 11 and 12: This isn't spirit yarn, it's the leftover handspun from the boxy sweater. Knitting it held double. 11 is done, working on 12. Both plain beanies.  Natural Dyeing Experiments I have three bobbins of CA Red fiber dyed with long steeped toyon.  Holiday Shopping List Opportunity: I got an email from Abundant Earth Fiber that they are having a holiday sale on their dye kits. These aren't natural dyes, they are acid dyes, but a fun way to get started if you don't have the separate dye equipment but want to dye with more than KoolAid. Maiwa has a similar kit for natural dyes that is also on sale this week. I've been having fun seeing what I can get from my local area, but this looks fun. Winter Weave-a-long Now through March 31 We are interested in hearing from anyone who has experienced the Newbury School of Weaving. Home-A-Long October 1st to December 31st Make a home decor item in your craft of choice…knitting, crocheting, weaving, or any way "you can think of to play with string." Salpal1 (Sarah) has added quite a few cute patterns in the bundle. Forest for the Trees (i-cord trees) Buntings/Garlands for every season Mini Sock Yarn Sweaters that would make cute tree ornaments Very cute Victorian Mouse. Also found a tutorial for making Faux popcorn garland on the Sweet Georgia yarn site. 

Most of us think we'd never fall for a cult. We imagine the followers of Jim Jones as naïve, brainwashed, or broken people who “drank the Kool-Aid.” But what if that's not the truth at all?In this eye-opening episode, host Gabe Howard speaks with the award-winning author of “Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown,” Candace Fleming, about the real story behind Jonestown, aka the Peoples Temple, and the mass suicide that shocked the world. Fleming reveals how ordinary, intelligent, and socially conscious people were slowly drawn into Jim Jones's orbit — not because they wanted to die, but because they wanted to belong, to matter, and to change the world. Listener takeaways: Discover nine warning signs of a destructive or cult-like group. Learn why intelligent, well-intentioned people joined Jim Jones' cult. Explore how to recognize and protect yourself from coercive influences. Listen in as they explore how groupthink, manipulation, and gradual isolation can transform a movement with noble intentions into something deeply destructive.  Together, they dismantle the myths surrounding cults and reveal the psychological, emotional, and social dynamics that allow them to take hold. Ultimately, their conversation challenges us to confront an unsettling question: Could it happen to any of us? “They had started people with Peoples Temple, some of them back in the ‘50s when it was still in Indianapolis and truly was an integrated church, unheard of in the '50s. They followed Jones to California and then on to Guyana. And all of that was because of their own community. So people came for many reasons, but none of them because they were, as we would like to say, cultists, brainwashed, crazy.” ~Candace Fleming Our host, Candace Fleming, is the prolific and versatile award-winning author of many books for children and young adults. School Library Journal praised her most recent title, Murder Among Friends, which received four starred reviews, as a "chilling page-turner." Her previous book The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh received six starred reviews, was a Kirkus, PW, Booklist, and SLJ Best Book of the Year, and was hailed by the Wall Street Journal as a “fascinating chronicle.” Candace's The Family Romanov also received six starred reviews, won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was recognized as a Sibert Nonfiction Honor Book. Her many acclaimed picture books include Giant Squid, a Sibert Honor Book. Visit her on the web at candacefleming.com. Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. Gabe is also the host of the "Inside Bipolar" podcast with Dr. Nicole Washington. Gabe makes his home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his supportive wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer dog that he never wanted, but now can't imagine life without. To book Gabe for your next event or learn more about him, please visit gabehoward.com. Please Share the Show with EVERYONE You Know! Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textDr. Johnny Wolfenstein, a brilliant but egotistical producer, brings a podcast back to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation. On Episode 694 of Trick or Treat Radio we have a Patreon Takeover featuring our good buddy Evil Corny! Corny selected the films Frankenstein (2025) and Opus for us to discuss! We also figure out what a good retelling of a classic tale needs to have, react to trailers for the films Good Luck Have Fun Don't Die, Dracula (2026), and we talk about our favorite Guillermo del Toro films! So grab a cup of communal Kool-Aid, stitch up a collection of body parts, and strap on for the world's most dangerous podcast!Stuff we talk about: Eli Roth, Ice Cream Man, Clint Howard, Inglorious Basterds, broflake, Evil Corny, From the Canopy Podcast, The Mad Ghoul, Alice Sweet Alice, Play Misty For Me, Assault on Precinct 13, Slumber Party Massacre, Creepshow, Alone in the Dark, The Faculty, Shadow of the Vampire, Seed of Chucky, Blood Paradise, Ronny Yu, Jennifer Tilly, John Ritter, Anne Hathaway, Ryan Gosling, The Crazies, Silent Hill, Pitch Black, Rhonda Shear, Wallace Shawn, Dial M for Murder, Damien: The Omen 2, Kim Hunter, The Kindred, Bad Ronald did a Basement Jack, Billy Jacoby, Frosted Flakes, Just One of the Guys, I Walked With A Zombie, Sam Rockwell, Gore Verbinski, Jojo Rabbit, Gentleman Broncos, The Bride, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jessie Buckley, Shape of Water, Francis Ford Coppola, Leonardo DiCaprio, Blacula, Idris Elba, William Marshall, Good Luck Have Fun Don't Die, Dracula, Luc Besson, Leon the Professional, Guillermo del Toro, Blade II, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone, Frankenstein, Hulk, Robert Eggers, Macho Man Randy Savage, Jeff Fahey, Body Parts, Mary Shelley, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Opus, Juliette Lewis, John Malkovich, Amber Midthunder, Mark Anthony Green, Rosario Dawson, Billie Holliday, Too Much Swash Not Enough Buckle, The Modern Brometheus, and Alabaster Peak.Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/trickortreatradioJoin our Discord Community: discord.trickortreatradio.comSend Email/Voicemail: mailto:podcast@trickortreatradio.comVisit our website: http://trickortreatradio.comStart your own podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=386Use our Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2CTdZzKFB Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/trickortreatradioTwitter: http://twitter.com/TrickTreatRadioFacebook: http://facebook.com/TrickOrTreatRadioYouTube: http://youtube.com/TrickOrTreatRadioInstagram: http://instagram.com/TrickorTreatRadioSupport the show

It's 11/11, make a wish Myrtle Beasts!! The two react to a paint reel and the viral "buttery flaky crust" video, and Charles sees the picture of Rhett & Link hugging nude for the first time. Plus, Charles tells a hilarious grade school detention story, and the two play another round of the Southern Slang Game. C'mon and have a good time with us! To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Jupiter turns retrograde and asks us to look within for guidance on home and family. At the Last Quarter Moon in Leo, enthusiasm is contagious. Mercury and Mars come together in Sagittarius, and conversation is strenuously opinionated. The Sun and Jupiter meet in a harmonious trine, shining a spotlight on the bounty we enjoy. And a listener question about what transiting planetary aspects mean for you if they aren't aspecting anything in your own birth chart. Plus: Drinking our own Kool-Aid, relative luxury, and adapting to the celestial weather! Read a full transcript of this episode. Have a question you'd like answered on the show? Email April or leave it here! Subscribe to April's mailing list and get a free lunar workbook at each New Moon! Love the show? Make a donation! Timestamps [1:29] Jupiter stations retrograde (Tues., Nov. 11, 8:41 am PST, through March 10, 2026) at 25º09' Cancer. Stay open-minded and open your mind and heart to those outside your own family. [3:57] Moon Report! At the Leo Last Quarter Moon (Tues., Nov. 11, 9:28 pm PST) at 20°04' Leo-Scorpio, enthusiasm can be contagious. Sabian symbols: 21 Leo, Chickens intoxicated, and 21 Scorpio, A soldier derelict in his duty. [7:12] Lunar Phase Family Cycle (LPFC). The New Moon of this LPFC was on August 16, 2023, at 23º17' Leo. The First Quarter Moon (first action point) was on May 15, 2024, at 25°08, the Full Moon (awareness point) on Feb. 12, 2025, at 24º06' Leo. [9:51] Void-of-Course (VOC) Moon periods. The Moon in Cancer sextiles Uranus in Taurus (Mon., Nov. 10, 9:22 am PST). It's VOC for 11 minutes, then enters Leo (9:33 am PST). Use this VOC Moon to make a habit of spicing up your workday routine. [11:19] The Moon in Leo squares Uranus in Taurus (Wed., Nov. 12, 3:29 pm PST). It's VOC for 23 minutes, then enters Virgo (3:52 pm PST). Practice patience and acceptance when other people's priorities differ from yours. [12:10] The Moon in Virgo trines Uranus in Taurus (Sat., Nov. 15, 1:08 am PST). It's VOC for 36 minutes, then enters Libra (1:44 am PST). Use practical and useful coping mechanisms, such as writing, to deal with stress or instability. [13:41] Mercury conjuncts Mars (Wed., Nov. 12, 3:15 pm PST) at 06°04' Sagittarius. Mars is the warrior planet, and Mercury and Mars are in Sagittarius, which symbolizes fighting for what we believe in. Your mind could be working overtime. Question and learn from your anger and impatience. [15:41] The Sun trines Jupiter (Sun., Nov. 16, 9:08 pm PST) at 25°06' Scorpio-Cancer. Confidence grows, doors open, and the world seems to be more receptive to what we have to say. Sabian symbols: 26 Scorpio (Sun), Indians making camp, 26 Cancer (Jupiter), Contentment and happiness in luxury, people reading on davenports. [18:24] Listener James asks about what transiting planets in aspect to each other mean for you if they aren't aspecting anything in your own birth chart. [22:52] To have a question answered on a future episode, leave a message of one minute or less at speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast or email april (at) bigskyastrology (dot) com; put “Podcast Question” in the subject line. Free ways to support the podcast: subscribe, like, review and share with a friend! [23:23] A tribute to this week's donors! If you would like to support the show and receive access to April's special donors-only videos, go to BigSkyAstropod.com and contribute $10 or more. You can make a one-time donation in any amount or become an ongoing monthly contributor.

Are we "homers?" Yes. Are we "Drinking the Kool-Aid?" Yes. Are our expectations on this squad "higher than Marty during the third encore of a Springsteen show?" Yes, and YES. But tune into this week's episode and we'll explain why! This team goes 11 deep! And that's just at the wing! We'll discuss starting line-up shenanigans, lock down defense, Warley's warpath and the inevitable metamorphosis of Davis Fogle into McLovin'. Delve into the depths of the TSU victory and explore the possibilities of a front line takeover against Oklahoma and Creighton, two teams with talented scorers but who lack reliable front court defenders. Then stick around for Crazy/Not Crazy, in which Adam fails to deliver the appropriate drops. It's everthing you could hope for in an episode of Free Ira Brown: THE Gonzaga Hoops Podcast. Support the show at patreon.com/freeirabrown!

Broadcasting from their new studio at the Hall of Fame Village, Dale and Brian share another axiom: Be the Place You'd Want to Be. They discuss how creating a workplace where people genuinely want to show up—not just punch the clock—leads to stronger teams, greater productivity, and deeper fulfillment.They explore how intentional environments—whether in the office or around the dinner table—reflect servant leadership, attract the right people, and ultimately create spaces where others can thrive.With stories that range from corporate life to “Kool-Aid house” parenting, the brothers weave humor, honesty, and heart into a conversation that reminds us: if you want to see change in your culture, it starts by being the kind of place—or person—you'd want to be around.Episode Highlights: Would YOU want to work for your company?Creating a place you'd want to be.Productivity increases when you want to be where you are.The value of time.Being a servant leader.Links Mentioned in Episode/Find More on ForeverLawn:www.foreverlawn.comImpact Without Limits Instagram: @impact_withoutlimitsForeverLawn's Instagram: @foreverlawnincGet Grass Without Limits HereVisit our show notes page HERESubscribe to Our Newsletter HEREDale's Instagram: @dalekarmieBrian's Instagram: @bkarmieThis show has been produced by Adkins Media Co.

  Happy Halloween, friends and ghouls. Recently, I was featured on an episode of Perplexity: A Mystery Podcast hosted by friend of the show Kaydra Brannan. We were also joined by friends Cassidy Liston from Drinking the Koolaid and Shelby Novak of Scare You To Sleep, and plenty of others. We'll be telling some very terrifying tales to celebrate the best holiday of the year.   I wanted to share this episode with you as a Halloween treat because it was a lot of fun and I know you're going to enjoy this one. Kaydra and Cassidy will also be joining us for the live stream episode of Let's Not Meet tomorrow evening, November 1st at 7PM Pacific over at twitch.tv/crypticcounty share even MORE creepy stories. This year's Halloween couldn't get any better. Enjoy this episode of Perplexity, and I'll see you tomorrow night! Don't Miss It! ____________________ To ring in 150 EPISODES, Kaydra invites some friends to the show to read some of their favorite spooky stories from the internet. Happy Halloween! This episode was produced and edited by Kaydra Brannan, the host of Perplexity: A Mystery Podcast. https://www.perplexitymysterypodcast.com/ Show Notes: Perplexity: A Mystery Podcast https://www.perplexitymysterypodcast.com/ Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/1dgll4w/my_wife_and_i_saw_our_5_year_old_daughter_but/ Believing the Bizarre https://believingthebizarre.com/ Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/s/pSiiHaLfSw Lets Get Haunted: letsgethaunted.com  Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/BackwoodsCreepy/comments/esx890/my_first_time_backpacking/  All video assets purchased/licensed from here: https://www.pexels.com  All sound effects purchased/licensed from here: https://artlist.io/sfx   Music: “Scary Forest Ambience” by DL Sounds, purchased here: https://www.editingsounds.com/royalty-free-music/scary-forest-ambience/ Drinking the Koolaid https://www.dtkpod.com/ Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/s/ecZb8zhu6R Live, Laugh, Larceny https://www.livelaughlarceny.com/ Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/creepyencounters/comments/lv0ifn/i_heard_a_creepy_voice_whisper_help_while_walking/  Music: Experia / Brain Hurts from the Memories / Courtesy of Epidemic Sound Serial Napper https://serialnapper.com/ Story: https://www.wattpad.com/594413960-short-horror-stories-look-at-me Scare You To Sleep https://www.scareyoutosleep.com/ Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/ke896c/i_died_last_night_but_im_still_here/ Lets Not Meet https://letsnotmeetpodcast.com/ Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/comments/16uxnlg/something_in_my_house_perfectly_mimicked_my_sons/ Truly Twisted, Twisted & Uncorked Podcast  https://open.spotify.com/show/6Pvr5mpNCgvToOehPV8xEE https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/truly-twisted-where-real-stories-take-a-twisted-turn/id1800597032?i=1000700047299 https://www.twistedanduncorked.com/ Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/s/8kh2WHUxet Scared All The Time Podcast https://scaredallthetimepodcast.com/ Story: http://web.archive.org/web/19981203004349/http:/www.ghosts.org/stories/tales/evil-kids.html

The Full Go returns as Jason welcomes ESPN's Vincent Goodwill to the podcast! The two chat about the recent gambling scandal in the NBA and whether change will come following its aftermath, before digging into some basketball talk. They discuss the rapid ascension of Victor Wembanyama, monitor some early-season eruptions, and contextualize the Bulls' hot start. The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit ⁠⁠www.rg-help.com⁠⁠ to learn more about the resources and helplines available. Voicemail line: 708-550-3781. Host: Jason Goff Guest: Vincent Goodwill Producer: Kyle Williams Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To ring in 150 EPISODES, Kaydra invites some friends to the show to read some of their favorite spooky stories from the internet. Happy Halloween!This episode was produced and edited by Kaydra Brannan, the host of Perplexity: A Mystery Podcast. https://www.perplexitymysterypodcast.com/Show Notes:Perplexity: A Mystery Podcast https://www.perplexitymysterypodcast.com/Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/1dgll4w/my_wife_and_i_saw_our_5_year_old_daughter_but/Believing the Bizarre https://believingthebizarre.com/Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/s/pSiiHaLfSwLets Get Haunted: letsgethaunted.comStory: https://www.reddit.com/r/BackwoodsCreepy/comments/esx890/my_first_time_backpacking/All video assets purchased/licensed from here: https://www.pexels.comAll sound effects purchased/licensed from here: https://artlist.io/sfx  Music: “Scary Forest Ambience” by DL Sounds, purchased here: https://www.editingsounds.com/royalty-free-music/scary-forest-ambience/Drinking the Koolaid https://www.dtkpod.com/Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/s/ecZb8zhu6RLive, Laugh, Larceny https://www.livelaughlarceny.com/Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/creepyencounters/comments/lv0ifn/i_heard_a_creepy_voice_whisper_help_while_walking/Music: Experia / Brain Hurts from the Memories / Courtesy of Epidemic SoundSerial Napper https://serialnapper.com/Story: https://www.wattpad.com/594413960-short-horror-stories-look-at-meScare You To Sleep https://www.scareyoutosleep.com/Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/ke896c/i_died_last_night_but_im_still_here/Lets Not Meet https://letsnotmeetpodcast.com/Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/comments/16uxnlg/something_in_my_house_perfectly_mimicked_my_sons/Truly Twisted, Twisted & Uncorked Podcast  https://open.spotify.com/show/6Pvr5mpNCgvToOehPV8xEEhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/truly-twisted-where-real-stories-take-a-twisted-turn/id1800597032?i=1000700047299https://www.twistedanduncorked.com/Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/s/8kh2WHUxetScared All The Time Podcast https://scaredallthetimepodcast.com/Story: http://web.archive.org/web/19981203004349/http:/www.ghosts.org/stories/tales/evil-kids.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

To ring in 150 EPISODES, Kaydra invites some friends to the show to read some of their favorite spooky stories from the internet. Happy Halloween! This episode was produced and edited by Kaydra Brannan, the host of Perplexity: A Mystery Podcast. https://www.perplexitymysterypodcast.com/ Show Notes: Perplexity: A Mystery Podcast https://www.perplexitymysterypodcast.com/ Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/1dgll4w/my_wife_and_i_saw_our_5_year_old_daughter_but/ Believing the Bizarre https://believingthebizarre.com/ Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/s/pSiiHaLfSw Lets Get Haunted: letsgethaunted.com  Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/BackwoodsCreepy/comments/esx890/my_first_time_backpacking/  All video assets purchased/licensed from here: https://www.pexels.com  All sound effects purchased/licensed from here: https://artlist.io/sfx   Music: “Scary Forest Ambience” by DL Sounds, purchased here: https://www.editingsounds.com/royalty-free-music/scary-forest-ambience/ Drinking the Koolaid https://www.dtkpod.com/ Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/s/ecZb8zhu6R Live, Laugh, Larceny https://www.livelaughlarceny.com/ Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/creepyencounters/comments/lv0ifn/i_heard_a_creepy_voice_whisper_help_while_walking/  Music: Experia / Brain Hurts from the Memories / Courtesy of Epidemic Sound Serial Napper https://serialnapper.com/ Story: https://www.wattpad.com/594413960-short-horror-stories-look-at-me Scare You To Sleep https://www.scareyoutosleep.com/ Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/ke896c/i_died_last_night_but_im_still_here/ Lets Not Meet https://letsnotmeetpodcast.com/ Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/comments/16uxnlg/something_in_my_house_perfectly_mimicked_my_sons/ Truly Twisted, Twisted & Uncorked Podcast  https://open.spotify.com/show/6Pvr5mpNCgvToOehPV8xEE https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/truly-twisted-where-real-stories-take-a-twisted-turn/id1800597032?i=1000700047299 https://www.twistedanduncorked.com/ Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/s/8kh2WHUxet Scared All The Time Podcast https://scaredallthetimepodcast.com/ Story: http://web.archive.org/web/19981203004349/http:/www.ghosts.org/stories/tales/evil-kids.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To ring in 150 EPISODES, Kaydra invites some friends to the show to read some of their favorite spooky stories from the internet. Happy Halloween!This episode was produced and edited by Kaydra Brannan, the host of Perplexity: A Mystery Podcast. https://www.perplexitymysterypodcast.com/Show Notes:Perplexity: A Mystery Podcast https://www.perplexitymysterypodcast.com/Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/1dgll4w/my_wife_and_i_saw_our_5_year_old_daughter_but/Believing the Bizarre https://believingthebizarre.com/Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/s/pSiiHaLfSwLets Get Haunted: letsgethaunted.comStory: https://www.reddit.com/r/BackwoodsCreepy/comments/esx890/my_first_time_backpacking/All video assets purchased/licensed from here: https://www.pexels.comAll sound effects purchased/licensed from here: https://artlist.io/sfx  Music: “Scary Forest Ambience” by DL Sounds, purchased here: https://www.editingsounds.com/royalty-free-music/scary-forest-ambience/Drinking the Koolaid https://www.dtkpod.com/Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/s/ecZb8zhu6RLive, Laugh, Larceny https://www.livelaughlarceny.com/Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/creepyencounters/comments/lv0ifn/i_heard_a_creepy_voice_whisper_help_while_walking/Music: Experia / Brain Hurts from the Memories / Courtesy of Epidemic SoundSerial Napper https://serialnapper.com/Story: https://www.wattpad.com/594413960-short-horror-stories-look-at-meScare You To Sleep https://www.scareyoutosleep.com/Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/ke896c/i_died_last_night_but_im_still_here/Lets Not Meet https://letsnotmeetpodcast.com/Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/comments/16uxnlg/something_in_my_house_perfectly_mimicked_my_sons/Truly Twisted, Twisted & Uncorked Podcast  https://open.spotify.com/show/6Pvr5mpNCgvToOehPV8xEEhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/truly-twisted-where-real-stories-take-a-twisted-turn/id1800597032?i=1000700047299https://www.twistedanduncorked.com/Story: https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/s/8kh2WHUxetScared All The Time Podcast https://scaredallthetimepodcast.com/Story: http://web.archive.org/web/19981203004349/http:/www.ghosts.org/stories/tales/evil-kids.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Dogg Zzone welcomes Dimitri Simakis from Everything Is Terrible for another Hot Dog origin story! Come learn how a pitcher of rapping sugar water led to the creation of the world's largest collection of Jerry Maguire VHS tapes! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert will go to jail if you don't buy his book. I know what you're thinking... This is NOT the time to be a wise guy. BUY HIS BOOK. https://linktr.ee/killyourimaginaryfriend

Shotgun Spratling and Chris Trevino return off the second bye week to form the Helium Boys Podcast in anticipation of No. 23 USC's big road game against Nebraska where a sold out crowd is expected for the "Blackout" game.  It's no surprise that both hosts spend their 'Two-Minute Drill' talking about the trip to Nebraska. Shotgun shares his vehicle drama on his last trip to the state while Chris opines on this being his No. 1 road trip of the 2025 season.  There is no Stock Up, Stock Down without a game this past weekend so the podcast jumps right into a quick preview for the Cornhuskers, looking at their run defense, quarterback Dylan Raiola and much more.  The Helium Boys wrap up with a limited number of questions as well as some Take It or Leave It, which includes freshman quarterback Husan Longstreet, USC's All-Big Ten future selections and new potential starters out of the bye. Shotgun takes on a whole slew of topics in the Overtime period from Kool-Aid, Rainforest Cafe and TV dinners.  This will be just the seventh time these two programs have met all-time with the Trojans undefeated at five wins and a tie. This will be the first meeting in Lincoln since 2007.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices