Podcasts about Labrador

Architectural Historian Roberto Prieto-Labrador joins Natalie Grueninger to explore the domestic world of the Tudor middling sort — tradespeople, merchants, and prosperous farmers. They trace architectural changes from medieval open-hall houses to floored, chimneyed homes during the Great Rebuilding, discuss materials, reuse and regional differences, and reveal household practices and apotropaic marks used to ward off harm. The episode also examines how wills and inventories inform building history, compares English and Spanish domestic layouts, and highlights the Weald and Downland Living Museum as a resource for experiencing historic buildings. Connect with Roberto on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberto-prieto-labrador-339169163/ Find out more about your host at https://www.nataliegrueninger.com Support Talking Tudors on Patreon

Send us a textFascinating new research reveals how catching a common cold may provide surprising protection against COVID-19, reducing infection risk by 50% and viral load by tenfold. We explore the science behind this finding and why children might experience milder COVID symptoms thanks to their frequent colds.• Recent study shows having a cold in the previous month led to 50% lower risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2• Participants with recent colds showed tenfold lower COVID-19 viral loads• Common colds trigger production of airway defense proteins that stay active and help fight other infections• Children have higher activation of these defense proteins and catch colds more frequently• "Cross protection" may explain why kids often had milder or asymptomatic COVID cases• This was an observational study before vaccines were availableWe also dive into canine obesity research, examining why 50% of US dogs are overweight and what pet parents can do about it:• Overweight dogs may live 2.5 years less than dogs at ideal weight• Retrievers and spaniels show 10% higher food motivation than average• Labrador retrievers have a genetic mutation (POMC gene) that prevents feeling full• Multi-dog households and urban environments increase food motivation• Body condition scoring (BCS) is an underutilized clinical tool for monitoring weight• Structured feeding times, measured portions, exercise, and food puzzles help manage weightOur all links to social media and more!Support the showFor Science, Empathy, and Cuteness!Being Kind is a Superpower.https://twitter.com/bunsenbernerbmd

Wakati mabilioni ya watu wakiendelea kuvuta hewa chafu inayosababisha zaidi ya vifo vya mapema milioni 4.5 kila mwaka, wataalamu wa hali ya hewa wa Umoja wa Mataifa leo Ijumaa (5 Septemba) wamebainisha madhara ya chembe ndogo ndogo za moshi kutoka katika moto wa nyika ambazo husafiri umbali mrefu duniani kote. Philip Mwihava na maelezo zaidi.(Taarifa ya Mwihava)“Ubora wa hewa hauheshimu mipaka,” anasema Lorenzo Labrador, Afisa wa Kisayansi wa Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la Hali ya Hewa Duniani (WMO). Anaendelea kueleza kwamba, “moshi na uchafuzi unaotokana na moto wa nyika katika msimu huu wa kihistoria katika Rasi ya Iberia tayari umepatikana Ulaya Magharibi, kwa hiyo athari zake hazibaki tu kwenye Rasi ya Iberia, bali zinaweza kusambaa kote barani Ulaya.”Akiwasilisha taarifa ya WMO kuhusu Hewa Safi na Tabianchi, ambayo inakusanya data kutoka vyanzo mbalimbali vya kimataifa, leo jijini Geneva, Uswisi Bwana Labrador ametangaza mwendelezo wa mwenendo wa kuzorota kwa ubora wa hewa duniani.Ameonyesha ramani ya dunia ya mwaka 2024 iliyoonesha alama za chembechembe ndogo zinazojulikana kama “PM 2.5” kutokana na moto wa nyika, zikionekana kwa alama nyekundu kwenye maeneo ya Chile, Brazil na Ecuador, pamoja na Canada, Afrika ya Kati na Siberia. Takwimu hizo zinathibitisha mwenendo wa kuendelea kwa kuzorota kwa ubora wa hewa duniani kama ilivyoonekana katika miaka iliyopita.Kwa upande wa habari njema, mwanasayansi huyo wa WMO amesisitiza kupungua kwa uzalishaji wa hewa chafuzi katika baadhi ya maeneo ya dunia.(Sauti ya Labrador) - sauti ya kiume“Tunaona mwenendo wa kuzorota kwa ubora wa hewa hasa kwa kuhusiana na PM 2.5, na pia tunaona kupungua kwa uzalishaji wa hewa chafuzi katika maeneo fulani ya dunia, hasa mashariki mwa China na Ulaya, mwaka baada ya mwaka.”Mfano mzuri uliotolewa katika taarifa ya leo mashariki mwa China, katika miji kama Shanghai, ambako kumepigwa hatua katika kuboresha ubora wa hewa kwa kufungua bustani zaidi na kupanda miti mingi. Na ingawa bado kuna msongamano mkubwa wa magari, mengi sasa ni ya umeme.Hata hivyo WMO inasema licha ya mafanikio hayo, miji michache tu duniani ina viwango vya ubora wa hewa chini ya vile vinavyopendekezwa na Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la Afya Duniani (WHO). Hii inamaanisha kuwa, licha ya maboresho ya karibuni, ubora wa hewa bado ni changamoto kubwa kwa afya ya umma.Umoja wa Mataifa unaongoza juhudi za kupambana na uchafuzi wa hewa majumbani ambao ni mojawapo ya vitisho vikubwa zaidi kwa afya ya umma duniani na hasa ni hatari kwa watoto.

Send Us A Question!Welcome to another episode of Questions With Crocker! In this episode, Dr. Crocker talks about their new mobile vet unit, a wild case where a labrador ate a tampon, and answering your questions!Episodes release bi-weekly on Thursdays at 9am EST and are available on all podcast platforms including a video version on YouTube!Have a question or inquiry for the podcast? Email questionswithcrocker@gmail.com, text us from the link above, or message on social media platforms.00:00 Intro03:22 Our new mobile unit06:25 Letting a team member go10:08 Eloise Case13:36 Labrador that ate a tampon18:15 Should you have a job while in vet school?22:07 Student Loan changes22:53 Recommendations for balancing your social life24:39 How do you streamline management duties and minimize time it takes to run the practice34:54 Outro

In Hamilton, Ont., Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland delivers opening remarks at the Made in Canada: Ferries and Rail Summit. The event brings together industry leaders, suppliers, and government officials to discuss how they can use domestic steel and aluminum to build transportation infrastructure. Also speaking are Tammy Oommen (head of strategic initiatives at ArcelorMittal Dofasco), John Zerucelli (secretary of state for labour), Prabmeet Sarkaria (Ontario's minister of transportation), and Elvis Loveless (Newfoundland and Labrador's minister of transportation and infrastructure).  Jamie Moses (Manitoba's minister of business, mining, trade and job creation) and Doug Ford (premier of Ontario) provide remarks by videoconference. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that Papua New Guinea has long led the charge for climate justice, as the UN Climate Conference approaches in Brazil, “the world must move faster to keep the 1.5 degrees limit alive” and also to produce a credible path to achieve the $1.3 trillion dollar objective decided in Baku during the last Climate Conference. During a press conference today (02 Sep) with Prime Minister James Marape, the Secretary-General said he was honoured to be the first UN Secretary-General to visit Papua New Guinea and to join in celebrating fifty years of the country's independence. For the past five decades, he said, Papua New Guineans have taken on a profound task: to weave their breathtaking diversity into one people, and one country that leaves no one behind, Guterres noted. He also reiterated his “strong appeal” for the reform of the international financial architecture that “must reflect the world of today with a much larger participation of developing countries in its institutions and their decision-making process.” “This is a basic condition for them to better serve countries like yours. This includes real action on debt relief; tripling the lending capacity of multilateral development banks; and the mobilization of private capital at scale to the service of developing countries,” Guterres added. Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will address a special session of the Parliament to mark the 50th anniversary of the country's independence.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/policy-and-rights--3339563/support.

Bob, our tank driver and telephone lineman, is back to tell us about being lineman in the 70s. Climbing utility poles before OSHA was a thing.  Listen to the Patron After Show https://www.patreon.com/posts/138069613  Here's a link to one of our After Shows: https://www.patreon.com/posts/free-after-show-122506027  Here's one of the many Labs pics I post for patrons: https://www.patreon.com/posts/step-away-and-be-122999799 Please considering supporting the GF world by becoming a supporter on Patreon. You get weekly Labrador and behind the scenes photos and vids, plus the Patron-only GardenFork Radio After Show. :) https://www.patreon.com/gardenfork Check out the new Cool Stuff emails: Cool Stuff #1 https://preview.mailerlite.com/n3c9y8y8a2 Cool Stuff #2 https://preview.mailerlite.com/h7o6t7l9a6 Sign Up For My Free Newsletters: https://www.gardenfork.tv/email/ Start your Amazon shopping using our affiliate link: https://geni.us/5UWTG    The Tools I Use: https://geni.us/bXV6a7  GardenFork receives compensation when you use our affiliate links. This is how we pay the bills ;) GF Sweaters and T Shirts https://teespring.com/stores/gardenfork-2 Email me: radio@gardenfork.tv Watch us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/gardenfork Music used on the podcast is licensed by AudioBlocks and Unique Tracks ©2025 GardenFork Media LLC All Rights Reserved GardenFork Radio is produced in Brooklyn, NY

A steely-eyed Ontario grocery shopper has been Identifying products that are labeled Canadian -- but are actually American. And she wants Ottawa to do more to deter so-called "maplewashing"."No class" action. Students at Dalhousie University in limbo as lockout continues. A lockout means classes are suspended. A professor tells us instructors and students are equally eager to get the semester started.Running on empty. The mayor of Conception Bay South in Newfoundland and Labrador says it came as a huge shock to hear his town had mere hours until it was completely out of water -- mere weeks after facing the threat of fire.A pigment of their imaginations. Researchers in Costa Rica could hardly believe the images of an entirely orange shark -- and are discussing it in some pretty colourful language.Beauty and the beasts. An Indigenous weaver in Alaska is making the ultra-popular Labubu a lot less monstrous -- by crafting custom regalia for them.And...I'd like to propose an avocado toast. And a British supermarket chain wants to help with that; it's deploying new high-tech scanners that will tell me whether an avocado is ripe enough to mash.As It Happens, the Wednesday Edition. Radio that tried to make guacamole with an unripe avocado, but it was too hard.

Canada Immigration Weekly PNP selection Summary for week ending 29 August 2025 Good day ladies and gentlemen, this is IRC news, and I am Joy Stephen, an authorized Canadian Immigration practitioner bringing out this weekly PNP selection summary. I am coming to you from the Polinsys studios in Cambridge, Ontario This week, the following Provinces picked Candidates for PNP nominations:  Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Prince Edward Island Province | Date | Total selection (Number) | PNP Video Link | Alberta | 19 August 2025 | Less than 10 | https://polinsys.co/aby | Newfoundland and Labrador | 29 August 2025 | 202 | https://polinsys.co/nly | Ontario | 28 August 2025 | 468 | https://polinsys.co/ony | Prince Edward Island | 21 August 2025 | 132 | https://polinsys.co/pey You can always access past weekly PNP selection news by visiting this link: https://myar.me/tag/pnpw.  Furthermore, if you are interested in gaining comprehensive insights into the Provincial Express Entry Federal pool Canadian Permanent Residence Program or other Canadian Federal or Provincial Immigration programs, or if you require guidance after your selection, we cordially invite you to connect with us through https://myar.me/c.  We highly recommend participating in our complimentary Zoom resource meetings, which take place every Thursday. We kindly request you to carefully review the available resources. Should any questions arise, our team of Canadian Authorized Representatives is readily available to address your concerns during the weekly AR's Q&A session held on Fridays. You can find the details for both of these meetings at https://myar.me/zoom.  Our dedicated team is committed to providing you with professional assistance throughout the immigration process. Additionally, IRCNews offers valuable insights on selecting a qualified representative to advocate on your behalf with the Canadian Federal or Provincial governments, which can be accessed at https://ircnews.ca/consultant. 

When the Anderson family brought home their Labrador, Scout, they never imagined dog training would transform more than his behavior, it would transform them as a family. In this episode of Dog Works Radio, we share how consistency, communication, and our Peak Performance Membership Program turned daily chaos into calm, lasting connection. If you've tried quick fixes without success, this story will show you why real dog training is about much more than “sit” and “stay.” Products I Use for Dog Works Radio My equipment:   • SHURE SM7B Mic • Rodecaster Pro II audio production studio • Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones • Elgato Wave Mic Arm Pro   Recommended resources:   • Captivate.fm podcast hosting, distribution, analytics, and monetization • Keap CRM • Riverside.FM • Hindenburg Pro recording and editing Note: these may contain affiliate links, so I get a small percentage of any product you buy when using my link. Dog Works Radio is a podcast education show brought to you by Dog Works Radio and is hosted by MicheleForto. If you enjoy the show, I'd love for you to leave a rating or review on your favorite podcast app! And please let your friends and other podcasters know they can listen for free on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Evacuees are arriving in Hay River, N.W.T. from multiple communities. Residents of Fort Providence are watching and waiting as a fast-moving wildfire bears down on their homes. The smoke is spreading to other parts of Canada.And: In Newfoundland and Labrador, kids and families are trying to navigate the first days of school under the shadow of one of the province's worst wildfire seasons — with classrooms destroyed and smoke in the air.Also: Drought in Canada could be leaving Monarch butterflies hungry. New research shows they can't get the nectar they need to fuel their migrations.Plus: China hosts a summit with an eye to reorient the global trade map, earthquake recovery in Afghanistan, the possibilities of “open skies” in Canada, and more.

In 20223 producer Heidi Atter took 3 recorders into the Labrador wilderness: one for her, and two for students of the Sheshatshiu Innu School - Flora Rich and Ray Sillett. Hear their adventures at an outdoor experience designed to connect kids with their culture in this documentary, In The Country.

Shirley Moorhouse was 65 when she decided to pursue a Master of Fine Arts. Though she's been creating art for more than three decades, now, at age 69, she's finally having her moment. This year, the Labrador-based Inuk artist is on the longlist for the prestigious Sobey Art Award, a major solo exhibit of her work is currently on display in St. John's, and one of her wall hangings will be shown at the National Gallery of Canada come October. Shirley speaks with guest host Gill Deacon about how her grandmother set her on course to become an observer and a creator when she was just a newborn, the technique behind her wall hangings, and how it feels to be in the prime of her creative life.

Winter inusulated overall deep dive with a tangent into jackets :)  Eric's instant print camera: https://geni.us/MEa6H Check out the new Cool Stuff emails: Cool Stuff #1 https://preview.mailerlite.com/n3c9y8y8a2 Cool Stuff #2 https://preview.mailerlite.com/h7o6t7l9a6 Sign Up For My Free Newsletters: https://www.gardenfork.tv/email/ Start your Amazon shopping using our affiliate link: https://geni.us/5UWTG  Please considering supporting the GF world by becoming a supporter on Patreon. You get weekly Labrador and behind the scenes photos and vids, plus the Patron-only GardenFork Radio After Show. :) https://www.patreon.com/gardenfork Here's a link to one of our After Shows: https://www.patreon.com/posts/free-after-show-122506027  Here's one of the many Labs pics I post for patrons: https://www.patreon.com/posts/step-away-and-be-122999799 The Tools I Use: https://geni.us/bXV6a7  GardenFork receives compensation when you use our affiliate links. This is how we pay the bills ;) GF Sweaters and T Shirts https://teespring.com/stores/gardenfork-2 Email me: radio@gardenfork.tv Watch us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/gardenfork Music used on the podcast is licensed by AudioBlocks and Unique Tracks ©2025 GardenFork Media LLC All Rights Reserved GardenFork Radio is produced in Brooklyn, NY

What if the secret to your pet's health isn't found in that bag of Kibble—but in your kitchen? We're tearing up the rulebook on pet nutrition with a game-changing approach that merges nature's wisdom with cutting-edge science. Meet Buddy the Labrador, who went from sluggish to sprinting after squirrels with just one whole-food tweak—and Max the German Shepherd, whose arthritis pain vanished with a strategic supplement.Special Guest: Larry Logsdon, Functional Foods Researcher and CEO of Tahiti Traders

Across Canada, 71 per cent of the country is abnormally dry or experiencing moderate to severe drought, according to the Canadian Drought Monitor. That includes places like Sunnyside, Newfoundland and Labrador, where the taps ran dry earlier this month. And in Nova Scotia, Farmer Amy Hill in Nova Scotia shares how the dry conditions are straining her farm. John Pomeroy, Director of the Global Water Futures program at the University of Saskatchewan, explains what's driving these conditions and what Canada must do to prepare for a hotter, drier future.

In this episode, we're joined by Shawn and Maile Smucker, the husband-and-wife team behind Nooks, a charming independent bookshop in Lancaster, PA. Maile is a writer, mother of six, and the day-to-day heart of the store, while Shawn is a seasoned author and ghostwriter with over 30 co-written books and five novels of his own. Together, they're not only raising a big, beautiful family (including their Labrador, Winnie), but also building a literary haven for their community. We talk about the realities of running a small business, the magic of storytelling, and their journey as co-hosts of their own podcast, So, We Bought a Bookshop.This conversation is full of warmth, creativity, and the kind of honesty that makes you want to follow your own crazy dream—bookshop or otherwise.

Gan Dunnington, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon at Adventist Health St. Helena, joins host Japhet De Oliveira to discuss following in his parents' footsteps by pursuing medicine, his pack of Labrador retrievers, and his love for the community he serves.

Send us a textFeatures music from artists from all over Newfoundland and Labrador, including The Flummies, Colleen Power, Shanneyganock, Larry Foley, Matthew and  Alan Byrne, Geraldine Hollett (“The Once”), Angie Coffee, The Harrington Brothers, Rex Goudie, The Celtic Connection, Kevin Evans, Jack Smith.https://www.facebook.com/ron.moores.18August 7, 2025: "Sounds Atlantic" is a highly regarded podcast specializing in roots and acoustic music from Atlantic Canada. It's praised for its focus on down-home music from the region. While it's not rated against all music podcasts, it receives positive feedback, particularly from artists and listeners interested in this specific genre and geographic area. Anita Best, a renowned Newfoundland singer, calls it "the best show for down-home music in all of Canada" according to the Apple Podcasts description of the podcast. The podcast is updated weekly and is available on Apple Podcasts. Note: In July2025, "Sounds Atlantic" was rated ... #10 Among the Top Best Canadian Music Podcasts...see:https://podcast.feedspot.com/canadian_music_podcasts/ And, #18 among both the “Top 70 Maritime Podcasts and Top 20 Acoustic Music Podcasts list”…where it currently rates #12 ...

On this episode of Ron's Amazing Stories, we take to the skies—and then make an emergency landing in the frozen wilderness! Our featured story comes from the Lux Radio Theater and is titled Island In The Sky. It stars Dick Powell as pilot John Dooley, who must lead his crew to survival after their plane is forced down in Labrador's icy barrens. Before it was a radio play, Island In The Sky was a 1953 film starring none other than John Wayne. And here's the real kicker—it's based on a true story from the pen (and cockpit) of Ernest K. Gann, who lived through similar events as a WWII pilot. This isn't just high drama—it's history in action. So, grab your headphones and maybe a warm blanket—because this tale is going to chill you to the bone. What you'll hear in this episode: A short background on the film, the radio play, and the true events that inspired it. Dick Powell stepping into the cockpit as John Dooley. A full broadcast of the Lux Radio Theater production Island In The Sky. Ron's commentary on survival, teamwork, and a few laughs along the way. Listening time: About 1 hour. Links & Extras: Learn more about on IMDb. Read about Ernest K. Gann's aviation adventures in his classic memoir . Ron's Amazing Stories Is Sponsored by: Audible - You can get a free audiobook and a 30 day free trial at . Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you're from. I will read it if I can. Links are below. Music Used In This Podcast: Most of the music you hear on Ron's Amazing Stories has been composed by Kevin MacLeod () and is Licensed under . Other pieces are in the public domain. You can find great free music at which is a site owned by Kevin. Program Info: Ron's Amazing Stories is published each Thursday. You can download it from , stream it on or on the mobile version of . Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on . Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this . Social Links: Contact Links:

Fluent Fiction - Norwegian: Sunny Connections: Building a New Life in Oslo's Vigeland Park Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/no/episode/2025-08-21-22-34-02-no Story Transcript:No: På en solfylt dag i slutten av sommeren, var Vigeland Park i Oslo fylt med liv.En: On a sunny day at the end of summer, Vigeland Park in Oslo was filled with life.No: Trærne strakte seg mot himmelen, mens solen kastet myke skygger over de berømte skulpturene.En: The trees stretched towards the sky, while the sun cast soft shadows over the famous sculptures.No: Sindre gikk sakte langs de buede stiene med Balder, den trofaste labradoren sin, som snuste nysgjerrig på hvert hjørne.En: Sindre walked slowly along the curved paths with Balder, his loyal Labrador, who sniffed curiously at every corner.No: Sindre hadde nylig flyttet til Oslo, og denne morgenen føltes stille og fredelig, akkurat som han foretrakk det.En: Sindre had recently moved to Oslo, and this morning felt quiet and peaceful, just the way he liked it.No: "Kom igjen, Balder," mumlet Sindre mens de ruslet videre.En: "Come on, Balder," mumbled Sindre as they strolled on.No: Det var Mikkel, hans svært entusiastiske nabo, som hadde fått ham til å utforske byens grøntområder.En: It was Mikkel, his extremely enthusiastic neighbor, who had encouraged him to explore the city's green spaces.No: "Du må ut og møte folk," hadde Mikkel sagt med et smil.En: "You need to get out and meet people," Mikkel had said with a smile.No: Selv om Sindre ofte satte pris på alenetid i naturen, visste han at han trengte å knytte noen bånd i sin nye tilværelse.En: Although Sindre often appreciated alone time in nature, he knew he needed to make some connections in his new life.No: Mens de gikk, møtte Balder plutselig en annen hund på stien.En: As they walked, Balder suddenly encountered another dog on the path.No: En energisk Border Collie pilte rundt, pelskragen dansende i vinden.En: An energetic Border Collie darted around, its fur collar dancing in the wind.No: "Luna, ro deg," kalte en kvinne med et vennlig smil, som løftet blikket fra hunden sin.En: "Luna, calm down," called a woman with a friendly smile, who looked up from her dog.No: Ane, viste det seg, var en travel veterinærstudent med et hjerte for dyr og liten tid til annet.En: Ane, it turned out, was a busy veterinary student with a heart for animals and little time for anything else.No: Men akkurat nå så Ane Luna og Balder leke, og hun smilte bredt.En: But right now, Ane watched Luna and Balder play, and she smiled broadly.No: Sindre, varsom etter tidligere skuffelser, ble fascinert av Ane og hennes genuine glede over de firbente vennene.En: Sindre, cautious after past disappointments, was fascinated by Ane and her genuine joy over the furry friends.No: "Det ser ut som de blir venner," sa Sindre forsiktig og betraktet hundene som lekte.En: "It looks like they're becoming friends," said Sindre cautiously, observing the dogs playing.No: Ane lo.En: Ane laughed.No: "Ja, det gjør de," svarte hun.En: "Yes, they are," she replied.No: "Kanskje vi skal ta en kopp kaffe mens de leker videre?En: "Maybe we should have a cup of coffee while they keep playing?"No: "Sindre, litt overrasket over seg selv, nikket.En: Sindre, a bit surprised by himself, nodded.No: De satte seg ved et nærliggende kafébord, med utsikt over parkens fargerike hager.En: They sat down at a nearby café table, with a view over the park's colorful gardens.No: Over kaffekopper, delte de historier og latter.En: Over cups of coffee, they shared stories and laughter.No: Sindre åpnet seg om sin flytting til Oslo og om lengselen etter å skape nye forbindelser.En: Sindre opened up about his move to Oslo and his longing to create new connections.No: Ane, på sin side, delte sine bekymringer om å balansere studier, arbeid, og sitt ønske om et sosialt liv.En: Ane, in turn, shared her concerns about balancing studies, work, and her desire for a social life.No: "Det høres ut som vi begge har utfordringer," sa Ane stille.En: "It sounds like we both have challenges," said Ane quietly.No: "Men kanskje vi kan hjelpe hverandre litt?En: "But maybe we can help each other a bit?"No: "Sindre, som kjente en varme han hadde savnet, smilte bredt.En: Sindre, feeling a warmth he had missed, smiled widely.No: "Jeg tror det kunne vært hyggelig.En: "I think that would be nice."No: " Solen begynte sakte å gå ned, og kastet et gyllent lys over parken.En: The sun began to slowly set, casting a golden light over the park.No: De avtalte å møtes igjen, klare for å støtte hverandre i det som ventet.En: They agreed to meet again, ready to support each other in what lay ahead.No: Med fornyet mot til å møte byens og livets mangfold, innså Sindre at han kanskje ikke trengte å gå veien alene.En: With renewed courage to face the city's and life's diversity, Sindre realized that he might not need to walk the path alone.No: Ane følte seg tryggere på at hun kunne finne balansen, med vissheten om at hun hadde funnet noen som forsto.En: Ane felt more reassured that she could find balance, knowing she had found someone who understood.No: Sammen, under den varme Oslo-solen, begynte de å bygge en ny forbindelse, en som kunne romme begge deres drømmer og utfordringer.En: Together, under the warm Oslo sun, they began to build a new connection, one that could accommodate both their dreams and challenges. Vocabulary Words:sunny: solfylttrees: trærnestretched: strakteshadows: skyggersculptures: skulpturenecurved: buedeloyal: trofastesniffed: snusteenthusiastic: entusiastiskeexplore: utforskequiet: stillepeaceful: fredeligencountered: møtteenergetic: energiskdarted: piltecollar: pelskragencalm: rogenuine: genuineobserving: betraktetsurprised: overrasketfurry: firbentestories: historierlaughed: loset: gå nedcasting: kastetgolden: gyllentaccommodate: rommechallenges: utfordringerdiversity: mangfoldreassured: tryggere

Canada Immigration Weekly PNP Selection Summary – Week Ending 15 August 2025Good day ladies and gentlemen, this is IRC News, and I am Joy Stephen, an authorized Canadian Immigration practitioner, bringing you this weekly PNP selection summary. I am coming to you from the Polinsys studios in Cambridge, Ontario.This week, the following provinces picked candidates for PNP nominations: Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador.PNP Selections:ProvinceDateTotal Selection (Number)PNP Video LinkAlberta | 7 August 2025 | 63 | https://polinsys.co/abyAlberta | 11 August 2025 | 39 | https://polinsys.co/abyAlberta | 12 August 2025 | 581 | https://polinsys.co/abyNewfoundland and Labrador | 13 August 2025 | 231 | https://polinsys.co/nly

This week, The Female Boss is back, we're joined by Tulisa! She's here to talk about her JUICY brand new book, which has been 12 years in the making. Tulisa opens up about the court case that almost destroyed her life, the headlines that damaged her career, and what she's really looking for in a future partner (Labrador energy or NOTHING!).Please vote for Not My Bagg to WIN bCreator Podcast Of The Year, it would mean the world! Voting closes end of August so don't miss out: https://www.bcreator.co.uk/awards/

Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights suspended, after thousands of flight attendants go on strike.Russian president Vladimir Putin says he respects American position on Ukraine, following summit with US president Donald Trump.More than a dozen wildfires burn out of control in hot, humid Spain.People forced to leave a community in Newfoundland and Labrador, are now back home after wildfire is partially contained.On Vancouver Island, the Mount Underwood Wildfire is still burning out of control.Ontario museum says it may have to sell off collections from basketball invention James Naismith, sculptor & surgeon R. Tait McKenzie.

Did you know that there is a whole industry around the concept of helping deserving people and organizations to receive recognition through winning awards? In this episode we meet and get to know one of the foremost experts in this industry, Donna O'Toole. Donna grew up in the South of England in a real castle. At the age of 16 her family conditions changed, and she had to go to a home with four other girls who also lost their family arrangements. Donna had to go to work although she had wanted to go to university. Eventually she did get to earn her degree.   Donna studied linguistics and found ways to use her growing knowledge of the field. Eventually she discovered the value of recognition and how helping people and companies gain recognition made them better for the experience. She began working to help people and companies earn awards. She will tell us about this fascinating subject and why earning awards is important. She gives us statistics about how after working to win awards and the subsequent recognition sales and overall exposure usually grows.     About the Guest:   Donna O'Toole is an award-winning entrepreneur, international awards judge, and bestselling author of WIN! – the ultimate guide to winning awards. She's also the founder of August Recognition, a global leader in awards strategy and part of the Dent Global group, helping purpose-driven entrepreneurs stand out, scale up, and make a meaningful impact.   Named one of the Top 25 Customer Experience Influencers in the world, Donna has transformed the visibility and credibility of hundreds of businesses - from start-ups to FTSE 100 giants - by helping them win the recognition they deserve. Her clients span global brands, high-growth entrepreneurs, and inspirational leaders across every industry.   Donna is renowned for her outstanding success rate in the most prestigious awards in the world, including The King's Awards for Enterprise. She's passionate about the true value of awards - not just the trophy, but the trust, authority, and growth they generate.   Now, Donna is taking her mission even further. Together with her business partner and Dent Global co-founder Daniel Priestley, she's launching a pioneering new AI venture that's transforming the awards industry - making it safer, simpler, and smarter than ever for people to find, enter, and achieve the awards and recognition that matters.   Ways to connect with Donna:   https://www.augustawards.com/ - to get a free copy of my book: Win! and to get a Free awards list LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnaotoole/ Instagram: @donnaot     About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:17 Well, hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. I am your host, Michael Hingson, and I think we'll have some fun today. We get to talk to Donna O'Toole, who is over in England, and she has a very interesting story to tell and a profession that she works at regarding awards. We'll get to all that in a bit. I don't want to give it all away, because it's more fun to listen to Donna tell it than it is to listen to me tell it. No one has ever said that I'm boring, but nevertheless, I always think that the people who come on the podcast are much more fun and interesting than I so I can't I can't argue with that, and of course, that's my job to make sure that happens. But anyway, here we are once again with unstoppable mindset. And Donna, I want to welcome you and thank you for being here.   Donna O'Toole ** 02:09 Thank you. It's great to be here with you. Michael, thank you.   Michael Hingson ** 02:13 And it's what about 930 in the evening? Or no, it's up 737   **Donna O'Toole ** 02:17 Well, it's   Michael Hingson ** 02:19 after dinner. Yeah. Well, thank you for being here. And we're, we're really glad to have the opportunity to do this. And so I'd like to start, it's so fun to always start this way. Tell us sort of about the early Donna growing up and all that. Ah, okay.   Donna O'Toole ** 02:35 Um, okay. So, well, I don't tell very many people this actually so secret. One for you, Michael, I actually grew up in a castle, which makes me sound like I lived in a fairy tale, but I didn't. It was definitely not a fairy tale, and I'm not a princess, so I'm sorry to disappoint anybody.   Michael Hingson ** 02:54 Well, what was it like growing up at a castle?   Donna O'Toole ** 02:59 It was, you know what? It's one of those things that when you're an adult, and you look back, you realize how amazing you were, it was, and how lucky you were. But when you're a child, it's just all, you know, isn't it? So, yeah, we were very lucky. I grew up in a town called Arundel, which is in the south of the UK. It's a very historic town, and the reason that I lived there was because my stepdad was the head groundsman at the castle, so he looked after all of the grounds for the Duke of Norfolk. And yeah, it was a it was a wonderful place to live. We used to be naughty and run around and go hiding in nooks and crannies that we shouldn't be. However, I was permanently petrified that there was ghosts and bats and all sorts of things like that.   Michael Hingson ** 03:48 So were there ghosts?   Donna O'Toole ** 03:49 Yes, definitely, certainly, they were making noises like ghosts, and we couldn't identify what they were. So, yeah, there's a few stories around that castle. Actually around I think there's a ghost of a lady in one in the library, and there is a ghost of a Labrador, actually, that people talk about seeing there as well. So I'm sure they were friendly.   Michael Hingson ** 04:14 Did you ever see any ghosts?   Donna O'Toole ** 04:16 I think I convinced myself that I did. On many occasion, my bedroom window looked out over Arundel Cathedral, which is was lit up at night, which looks very spooky. I used to be terrified to look out of the window at night, in case I saw something I didn't want to see.   Michael Hingson ** 04:36 So was the castle drafty and cold in the winter?   Donna O'Toole ** 04:40 Yes, definitely very stone and cold. And we had a ray burn. It's called, it's like an auger type thing where you just, you sort of heat up the kitchen by heating up this oven thing. Yeah, I remember putting wood in it. I remember that,   Michael Hingson ** 04:56 wow. Well, that was kind of fun. So how long did you. Live in the castle.   Donna O'Toole ** 05:00 So I lived in the castle until I was 16, and then her life took a bit of an unexpected turn at that point, and we had a difficult family breakdown that resulted in myself being actually taken into care for a while, so I didn't get to I did. I did finish school and finished my GCSEs exams as they were, but it did mean that I didn't get to continue on my education at that point, as I needed to earn some money and learn how to look after myself. So at 16, I was living in a home with four other girls who were in similar situations to me, which is girls who's through no fault of their own, their families couldn't look after them anymore. And we learned to, you know, live and survive and get through life together. And it was a great adventure. There was ups and downs, for sure, but actually at that point, I needed to get some work, and I also wanted to continue studying, so I ended up becoming an apprentice dental nurse, and that is where I started. And I never expected to go there. Wow.   Michael Hingson ** 06:24 I guess, I guess it is an adventure, though. Yeah,   Donna O'Toole ** 06:27 Life is an adventure, and you've got to be ready for whatever it throws at you. That's what I say. And   Michael Hingson ** 06:31 I think that's a good way to put it. I think that life's an adventure, and I think that we can choose how to look at life no matter what happens, and either we can think things are positive and grow with whatever occurs or not. Yeah, 100% 100% and   Donna O'Toole ** 06:46 actually, if it wasn't for that part of my life, I don't think I would be here today, doing what I'm doing now. So it's, it's incredible how you can't predict where life's going to take you, but you do go on a journey. So I actually became a dental nurse. And then I got bit bored of that, and my brain was always active, trying to think of something new to do. And I spotted a gap in the market for at the time dentists had there was just this legislation that changed that meant that dentists always had to have a nurse or a chaperone in the surgery with them, whereas before they hadn't had to have that. And so what was happening was you had all these small dental practices whereby the the dentist couldn't work if their nurse was on holiday or off sick or on maternity leave or something. So I spotted this gap in the market to be to start a dental nurse agency to fill those gaps, if you pardon the pun, and and to actually go all over Sussex and support the practices that needed help. So that was at the age of 19, I started my first business, and yeah, it was a great   Michael Hingson ** 08:00 success. I was just going to ask how successful it was.   Donna O'Toole ** 08:03 Yeah, it was great, and I really enjoyed it. And I got to know so many people. I trained nurses, which I really enjoyed as well. So I developed myself whilst I was developing them, which was great and and then after that, I I stopped that business and handed it over to some good friends who were brilliant nurses to have my children and to take a little break while I have my two daughters.   Michael Hingson ** 08:27 Now, did you ever get to university or college?   Donna O'Toole ** 08:31 Yeah, so then had my girls, and still I've got a very busy brain that needs a lot of occupying. So I thought, right, what can I do now? I've got two children under the age of four or five. I know I must need something else to do, so I decided to go back, finally, to university, and I studied linguistics, so English language linguistics at the University of Sussex in in the UK. And interestingly, it's incredible, because during that part of my life, I absolutely loved every part of it. I was really passionate about English, and as a child, I'd wanted to be an English teacher, but because my life had gone on a different path, it wasn't something that I'd been able to do. But actually, during that time, I studied large language models and computer mediated communication. And it just absolutely blows my mind that through making that decision and then further decisions later down the road, I'm actually now launching a company that is AI based that is containing large language models. So it's really, like, amazing how you can connect the dots in your in your journey.   Michael Hingson ** 09:45 And of course, you're calling it Donna GPT, right? I had to. I   Donna O'Toole ** 09:51 love it. I'm Michael. I am definitely calling it that now.   Michael Hingson ** 09:56 Well, that's, that is cool though.   Donna O'Toole ** 09:58 Yeah. So when I. Actually completed my degree. I came out of that and thought, right, well, I need to do some work now. And I started writing for businesses. I'm quite a business writer. I'm a real aura of people who can write fiction. I think that's incredible, yeah, but I'm definitely on the factual side. So I started business writing. Then I started, just by coincidence, started writing award entries for some businesses. I then started working with another awards agency, and I really saw, then the power of how awards and recognition helped people to reach their potential in business and in life, and so that then took me on my next journey.   Michael Hingson ** 10:47 Well, awards are, are interesting. And of course, we hear about awards for all sorts of things, but tell me more about the power of awards and where they where they can fit into society.   Donna O'Toole ** 11:00 Yeah. So, so we work from I work with business awards, so generally speaking, so even back then, it was sort of working with entrepreneurs, or entrepreneurial businesses, or even big brands, whereby they wanted to recognize their achievement and they wanted to raise their profile, so they needed to raise brand awareness, perhaps around what they do, their services, their products, and what's always quite I find quite interesting about awards is people who've never been involved in awards tend to come into them with quite skepticism, which is understandable. It's not a regulated industry, so you do have to be a bit skeptical and do due diligence around what awards you're entering. But they come into them with skepticism about themselves and actually whether they have what it takes to win. And very often, what I found was they did have what it takes to win, they just didn't have know how to communicate it in a way that others could understand that they had what it took to win. So my job, as I see it, is to really support them, to communicate their story, their data, their evidence, everything that they're doing, and turn that into a proposition that demonstrates why they would be exceptional at what they do, or their team is exceptional, their brand is exceptional, so that They can stand out in awards.   Michael Hingson ** 12:21 So it's almost like you're helping to train potential award recipients to respect what the awards are and what they do. Yeah,   Donna O'Toole ** 12:31 it is always understanding what they're looking for, what the criteria is, and how they can stand out against it. But also, you know, most people who are involved in a business, whether you're running a business or whether you're a part of a team or you're a manager, we don't have the time to stop and look back and think, wow, what have we done over the last year? What have we achieved? What you know, what's really standing out about us? We just don't give ourselves that time. So recognition and awards is a really good opportunity to stop and look back and celebrate together the development journey that you've been on in your business and and motivate your team and the people around you to do even more because you're recognizing it   Michael Hingson ** 13:13 well. So how did you actually get involved in doing awards in the first place? What that's a pretty unique sort of thing to take on.   Donna O'Toole ** 13:23 Yeah. So it was kind of a journey from starting out in business writing and then moving through into doing a few award entries, and then that became more and more, and then I worked for another organization. And then in 2016 I decided the time was right to launch my own company and to start supporting more people with awards. I was, had already been involved with the industry, so I was very well supported by some great awards in the industry. And so yeah, I I started my new business, and that was called August recognition. And because I'm a linguist, I like words that have extra meanings. And August actually means in its second sense of the word, when you're not using it as the month actually means respected and admired. So in my mind, I had started an agency that enabled people to be respected and admired for what they did, and help them raise their profile that way. So   Michael Hingson ** 14:24 you don't really hear a lot about the industry of helping people get awards, but I gather it's probably a fairly substantial industry around the world.   Donna O'Toole ** 14:35 Yeah, it's 10 billion pound industry in the awards industry in itself. It's 2 billion just in the UK. So yeah, it's a big, big industry. There's so many events connected to awards. There's so many different processes. So yeah, and there's, if you imagine, every different industry there is in the world there's awards for it. I dare you to find an industry where there's not an award. Yeah. Even,   Michael Hingson ** 15:02 I'm sorry, even, even AI. And that's pretty even AI, yeah, yeah. And so when AI starts generating its own awards, then we can probably worry a little bit,   Donna O'Toole ** 15:13 yeah, we're eating ourselves, yeah?   Michael Hingson ** 15:17 But still, it's, it's a fascinating, well, topic and industry to talk about, because I'm sure there's a lot to it. Of course, like with anything, there's also a lot of politics and all that sort of stuff, but, but it must be a fascinating industry to to be a part of and to see when you help somebody get an award. How does all that work? Yeah, so   Donna O'Toole ** 15:42 usually, well, we work with businesses from the smallest business in the world right through to the biggest business in the world, literally. And what I really love about the whole process is you, you as a small business, you can use the same strategies, you can enter the same awards as the biggest businesses can and you can win. So what I really love is that you you don't have to be a certain size, you don't have to be a certain type of business. You just need to be having an impact in some way on something, and then be able to tell It and Prove It, essentially.   Michael Hingson ** 16:19 So how do you as a person in the industry make your money or earn your money as part of all of this? So   Donna O'Toole ** 16:26 we work with clients who are looking for recognition. So for example, a brand may come to us and say, you know, over the last couple of years, we've done some great learning and development projects. We've trained our teams, we've digitized our processes, we've done all of these great things. We'd love to recognize the people that have worked so hard and really, you know, give them the recognition that they deserve. So we will then look at their project, look at their business. You know, what kind of impact has that had on it might be internally. It might be that it's had a great impact for their customers. It might be it's had a great impact for the impact. For the employees. And then we'll look at all of the data around that, and we will create, we will research which are going to be the best awards to recognize them, which criteria they match, which categories they match, and then essentially, we'll support them to execute all of the work that needs to go together to go into the awards process. Someone's once said to me, did you ever think you'd be running a business where you're basically writing exams every single day? Yeah, it's a bit like that. Fortunately, I don't do the writing anymore so, but yeah, I kind of love it.   Michael Hingson ** 17:36 Yeah. Well, it seems like it would be sort of your your writing exams every day, or you're involved in helping to prepare people for the exams.   Donna O'Toole ** 17:45 Yeah, it's very analytical from looking at what's been achieved, but then it's all about communication and how you're going to deliver that to the awards process. And it's all about finding the right awards that are going to give them the right recognition, that's going to really have a return on investment for the motivation of the team, for the brand awareness, whatever it is that their goals are, that they're hoping to get to.   Michael Hingson ** 18:06 Well, so awards in general, it seems to me, create a lot of recognition. And you say that recognition has the power to make people unstoppable? Tell me a little bit more about them. What that means to you? Yeah,   Donna O'Toole ** 18:24 absolutely. Um, something I call awards imposter syndrome, which is where, you know, often, and this typically is with entrepreneurs and smaller businesses. They they'll come to us and say, you know, I'd really love to get some recognition of my brand, but I really, I think we we're doing enough, or don't know if we're worth it or we could really stand out. And actually, you know, what we want to do is make them unstoppable. We we want them to see where all the power is in what they're doing and how they can make a difference in the world. So we will go and discover all of that about their business, and then help them to communicate it in a way that even now they can see what they're doing is brilliant. And then through that recognition, there's a lot of research to show the amount of motivation that awards bring to people, even more so than even a pay rise, you know. So through that recognition, it makes them feel more able. I always say to people you know, don't think about business awards right now. Think about the awards that you won when you were a child. Think about when you were at school and you entered awards in the swimming competitions or dancing competitions. Someone want someone told me today they won a competition for the best recorder player. I said I thought, I thought we had to ban recorders. But you know, when you got that recognition as a child, we didn't think, Oh, my goodness, I'm you know, do I really deserve it? I'm so shy. Let's not tell anyone about this recognition. We loved it, and it enabled us to go on and do more. So we want to do okay, we won that swimming competition. Let's do another swimming competition. Let's really learn our craft and do more and more of what we do better and better. Her and I liked people to try and think of that feeling that they had then and bring that into now with their business. You know, don't be humble about what you're doing, because the more that you can shout about your success, the more that you can help other people to achieve success through what you're doing, and the more you've got a platform to shine a spotlight on something that you believe in and that you want to make a difference in the world about. So, you know it, I call that, I say to people, you know, if you're feeling like a bit of an imposter about awards, one of the best things you can do is to create what we call a who wins when you win campaign. And what that is, is sort of putting a stake in the ground and making a pledge to say, when we win this award, we are going to go and do this great thing, and it might be we're going to go and do a team beach clean together. We're going to mentor some people. We're going to celebrate as a team and go out for the day, or we're going to plant some trees. You know, it could be anything that means something to you, but it's a really good opportunity to seal that recognition with something that reminds you that you are worth it and really helps you get over that imposter syndrome and celebrate your achievement.   Michael Hingson ** 21:14 I assume you also run into the other side of that, which are the people who just think by definition, because they are, whoever they are, they must deserve awards, whether, yeah, must be a lot of that. Yes. So   Donna O'Toole ** 21:27 a while back, because I'm a linguist, I interrogate language all the time. I can't help it. And I would look at, I judge a lot of award entries all from around the world. Judge the leading competitions in many countries. And I would look at these award entries, and I could tell what the person was thinking when they're writing the entry, as they're coming as you're reading it. And I developed these 10 personas of different types of people that enter awards. And so we've got everything from the imposter to the ostrich who wants to hide their head in the sand to the bridesmaid who's always the always, never quite makes it to the podium. And one of those actually is the peacock. And the peacock is the one who thinks they're going to win everything, and does come across like that, but isn't great about taking the feedback when they don't win.   Michael Hingson ** 22:20 Yeah, that's really the issue, isn't it? Right? It's they don't take the feedback, and they don't change what they do and why they do it and how they do it, to be a little bit more humble in what they're all about.   Donna O'Toole ** 22:33 Absolutely, absolutely. We've also got an awards persona called the politician, and that's somebody who doesn't answer any of the questions, and all their numbers don't add up.   Michael Hingson ** 22:46 Now, I wonder what my cat would think about awards. I wonder dogs are humble, but I don't know that cats are necessarily,   Donna O'Toole ** 22:56 yeah, they've definitely got a bit more persona going on, haven't they? I don't   Michael Hingson ** 23:01 know if they necessarily would be interested in awards, because they tend not to want to stand up in front of public and do stuff. That's   Donna O'Toole ** 23:07 true, that's true. Yeah, they're kind of yeah, they're their own creature, aren't they? They are, aren't they? I don't think they think they need awards, actually,   Michael Hingson ** 23:15 yeah, that's right. They don't think they need awards. They think that everybody should just recognize them for who they are,   Donna O'Toole ** 23:20 I might have to add a new persona to my league now.   Michael Hingson ** 23:26 Well, you know, there's, there's value in that, but, but still, so you've, you've helped a lot of people with awards. I wonder if you have a story that you could share where they've received recognition and it just completely changed their lives and what they did and what they do. Oh,   Donna O'Toole ** 23:49 so many, so many of those. Yeah. So, I mean, let's think of an example. So a few years ago, I was working, actually, it was interesting. I was I was introduced by on email, just to a gentleman called Andrew, who I was introduced by the Department of Trade and Industry here in the UK, who said he's got a great story. He's got a great business. He's growing fast. We think he should win some awards. We should talk to you. And so I was like, great. Let's get on a call, Andrew. And every time we booked a call, he didn't turn up to the call. And I thought, oh goodness, you know, it's like three attempts at this call and it's just not happening. And I just emailed him and said, look, it looks like you. Maybe you're not interested in winning awards, so, you know, catch up with me if you ever get the chance. And he emailed me back, actually, this is in the introduction of my books. And he emailed me back, and he said, Donna, I'm so so sorry. I'm going through a really difficult time at the moment. His wife had cancer. His son was being bullied at school, and he was really struggling, and he'd started a business that would have grown very quickly, whilst also as a side hustle, while. Also doing the job, and he was quite overwhelmed. And I said, he said, you know, and he actually said, so if I can't even turn up for a call, how could I possibly win an award? So I said, Oh, my goodness, okay, let me, let's get together, and I'll let you know whether you can win an award or not. But this is a big award we're talking about, because he'd actually been recommended to enter what was the Queen's Awards for Enterprise. It's now the king's Awards, which is the biggest and most prestigious business award in the UK, if not in the world. And I said, let's, you know, you've been recommended for this. Let's, let's at least explore it. So I went over to his house. We had a coffee, I went through everything of his business, and I said, You know what I do? Think you've got what it takes, but I don't think you're in the right mindset to be able to manage so let us help you. So he agreed, we worked on that project, and a year later, because that's how long it takes, I was absolutely delighted. He won the Queen's awards for innovation, and it was game changing for him. And what I really loved about it was, it's a couple of things. So one is because he's a techie person, and he had launched it was a software product that he'd developed. He'd put the logo for the award on his website, and he measured the impact that that was making on his website, which is really useful for me to know, because often people don't do that. And he got came back to me in a couple of months later, and he said, in three months, his sales have gone up by 30% because of the impact of winning this award. And you know, when you're running a business and you're trying to run a family and you've got other things going on that are really important, you need your sales to go up without you having to work harder, because it gives you the free time. It gives you the ability to employ people to support you. It gives you then the time back with your family when they need you most. So I was absolutely delighted for him that it had an impact on him and his business that would enable him to actually have the time that he needed with his family and help them and support them. So that was something that was game changing in my mind, for, you know, for a really personal reason. And I was delighted he was happy to share that in in my book. Yeah, so that that was a lovely one.   Michael Hingson ** 27:14 So what is kind of the common thread? Or, how do you what is it you see in someone that makes them award winning, that that genuinely makes them award winning, as opposed to the politicians and peacock   Donna O'Toole ** 27:28 Okay, so what it is is they need to be making an impact in some way. And I think people tend to be quite fixated on on measuring or looking at their customer service, but I'm looking at their customer impact. So what their customer impact is that's something customer service is transactional, right? Customer impact is transformational. So what is it that you're doing that is making a difference or making life easier in some way for your customers? Or it is could be internal as well. So it could be your employees, for example, but generally it's impact. Now, with Andrew's story, the software that he developed, it was the first software that had the biggest ability to, I mean, I'm not a techie, so I'm probably describing this in the wrong way, the ability to display charts and graphs with the biggest amount of numbers. So we think, Okay, well, why is that important? Well, these are the graphs and the charts that are going into ECG machines in hospitals. These are going into universities to do research. You know? These are going into all sorts of things, stocks and shares. They're going into Formula One racing cars. There's so many, there's so much impact coming out from having designed that software that it's having an impact on us as humanity, and that's the kind of golden thread that you want in your award, is, what is the impact that you're having, and where can you show and prove that it's making a difference to someone, somehow, somewhere?   Michael Hingson ** 28:56 And I assume there are, we've talked about it, but I assume that there are a lot of people who are award winners who never, just never thought they would be, even though they're, they're perfectly capable and, oh yeah, they're deserving, but they, they don't, they're not doing it to seek the award. They're doing it to do what they want to do.   Donna O'Toole ** 29:18 Yeah, and they need, they need the recognition to shine that you know, 90% of businesses are small businesses now, and it's a very noisy world out there when you're trying to sell your products and services, you need to be able to do something that helps you to cut through and to get into customers minds and build trust. 85 Nielsen did a study 85% of customers now want to see credible awards on your website, on your products, before they will have the trust layer there to buy from you. What's really interesting is, years ago, we had, you remember when reviews came out? So Amazon was one of the first organizations to do reviews. I actually studied. Reviews and the mechanisms and language structures in them. And we all trusted reviews at the beginning, because, oh, great, you know, someone's going to tell us what their experience was of this thing, and we love it. And then as time went on and as the decades have progressed, we then learned not trust reviews, because it was like, Oh, hang on, they might be fake reviews, or, you know, that could be a competitor, putting a bad review on a competitor. So there's lots of reasons then not to trust reviews. So then we go, oh, well, what do we trust? Then we can't just trust what the business is telling us. We need something that's external, that's third party, and that's going to enable us to trust that brand. And then what we saw then is the pandemic happened, and we all went to shopping online. We all went to living online, and we all saw businesses fall apart and lose money who we never expected to because they didn't have the digital transformation turn around quick enough, or for whatever reason, there was a lot of businesses that suffered in the pandemic, and a lot thrived, and since that then, it was almost like awards and reviews together became even more important to all of us, because we needed something to help us to trust the brands other than, you know, the strongest referral, which is a word of mouth referral. So if you haven't had a word of mouth referral and you've gone online and you found something through a search, how do you know whether you can trust putting your money into that business to buy its products or services? So this is really where we come back to recognition, to say, Well, no, this is a this brand gives excellent customer service, or this brand is a great place to work. It really looks after its employees. So there's a huge amount of reasons now why businesses do awards to demonstrate they are trustworthy in so many ways like nowadays. You know, we live in a world where employees want to work for organizations that will look after them and that will treat them well, so that employees looking for jobs will go out looking for the businesses that have got a great place to work accreditation or award because it makes them trust that they're going to be looked after. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 32:08 it's interesting. Nielsen did a study back in 2016 regarding brand brand loyalty and disabilities, and what they found was that people with disabilities are at least 35% more likely to stay with an organization and buy from an organization that has done things like really taken the Time to make their websites accessible and to make their their environment welcoming to people with disabilities, because it is so hard to oftentimes deal with companies they're they're companies that that I deal with their websites. They're just not accessible, and they don't want to change, and it's not magic to make them accessible, but they don't, and then there are other companies that do, and I agree with the Nielsen study. It makes perfect sense, because the reality is, you're going to steal with companies that that really take the time to show that they value you being there, yeah,   Donna O'Toole ** 33:17 well, it's interesting, actually, because I've been looking at this in the awards industry and accessibility, and it's something that I'm passionate about as well. And so we've just written a white paper, we've just done some research, commissioned some research, and we've just written a white paper on accessibility and awards, because we want people to be recognized, whatever, whoever, whatever they do, it shouldn't be saved for anyone who isn't, you know, doesn't have a disability or can't access their forms. You know, it should be open to absolutely everybody. So we've been looking into that now and seeing, you know, what is it that we can do to influence the industry to be more accessible and to really share recognition for all?   Michael Hingson ** 33:59 Yeah, well, and, and it's important, I think, to do that, because there have been enough statistics to show that roughly 25% of the population has some sort of a disability in the traditional sense of the word. Now, I have a different view than that. I believe that everyone on the planet has a disability, and for most people, their disability is you're light dependent. You don't do well in the dark, and if suddenly you're in a building and the power goes out or whatever, you scramble around trying to find a light source or a smartphone or a flashlight or whatever. But the reality is that all those light sources do is cover up your disability. On the other hand, I do recognize that there are people. We're in a minority by any standard, because we are, we are not the traditional, if you will, person. We do tend to be blind, or we tend to be deaf or hard of hearing, or we tend to be low vision, or we don't walk, and there are fewer of. Less than there are of the rest of you light dependent people, and so you don't recognize the disability that's there. But it's, it's important, I think, for people to recognize it. Because in reality, when people suddenly realize, Oh, I've got my own challenges, then you get to be more aware of and want to, at least a lot of times, think about ways to make the world a more inclusive place overall.   Donna O'Toole ** 35:27 I think that's such a great way of looking at it, and it really helps immediately. I couldn't see exactly what you you're saying is, yeah, 100% as soon as the lights go out, I'm completely incapable of knowing what to do next. So, yeah, you're absolutely right.   Michael Hingson ** 35:44 Yeah, it is. It is one of those things that we just don't deal with enough. But nevertheless, it's, it's there. So there, there are a lot of reasons to to deal with access, and that's why I work with a company called accessibe that has been they started smaller and narrower in scope, but they have become very robust in doing things to make the internet a more inclusive place. And so one of the things that they've learned is you can't do it all with AI, although AI can help. And so there are so many things to be done, but the reality is, there are a lot of different kinds of disabilities that really need the Internet to and website creators to pay attention to their needs, to make sure that they, in fact, do what's necessary to make the web accessible to those people. It's a challenge.   Donna O'Toole ** 36:40 It is, and we're going through that challenge at the moment, actually. So I'm just launching a new business, and it's called, it's an AI platform that's going to enable people to do exactly what we do as an agency, find, enter and win awards, but on a platform that is accessible to everybody. So it's aI enabled. But obviously, as you exactly say, that's not the end of the story. So there's a lot of work to do, and we're doing lots of research to find out what we need to do to make sure that that is accessible to everybody, because we want to enable more people to have a good chance of getting the recognition they deserve through a platform that enables them to do that, rather than perhaps miss out on really vital recognition that could help to promote what they do just because they can't access it.   Michael Hingson ** 37:31 Yeah, well, and it happens way too, way too often. Yeah. And it's not like it's magical to make the web more inclusive. It's just that a lot of people don't know how to do it. Although the information is readily available, they just don't consider it a priority.   Donna O'Toole ** 37:48 Yeah, absolutely. So yeah, we're really putting this front and center. My business partner is Daniel Priestley. He's just been on the driver CEO actually talking about the AI side of it. So together, we're really working at trying to join all the dots so that we get all the right technologies in there and ways of working. So I'll be getting you beta testing that. Michael,   Michael Hingson ** 38:14 absolutely. And if there's any way to help, I am very happy to help. Thank you. So Don't, don't hesitate to reach out. So we will. We've now said that publicly for the whole world, that's all right. So what do you say to the person who says winning an award is just not for   Donna O'Toole ** 38:33 me? I think often, you know, I was thinking about this earlier, actually, and I was thinking, you know, there's different things that we're all in favor of and all not in favor of most of the time, when I come across people who say a winning awards is not, for me, is they either haven't been involved in an awards process before, or they feel a bit shy of it and like a bit of an imposter. And, you know, it's a risk, isn't it? You're putting yourself up to be judged, ultimately. So it does take a bit of courage, and it takes a bit of reflection. So, you know, I say, Look at what impact you're having, you know, go away and see, have you got impact on your customers? Somehow, have you got impact on your community? Somehow? It doesn't all have to be about transactional business. It could be that actually you're doing something great for the environment or sustainability or for a community source or for charity, you know, so what are you doing that's making a difference, and it could recognition help you to do more of that? Could it give you the spotlight to enable you to do more of that purpose? Because if it could, then why not, you know, why not do it and get some recognition?   Michael Hingson ** 39:36 Yeah, well, and that makes sense. And but some people may still just continue to say, well, I don't really think I've done that much, and so it isn't for me.   Donna O'Toole ** 39:47 Yeah, absolutely. And you'll always have people who don't want to do everything at the end of the day, you know, it's probably, realistically, it's probably, you know, the top 10% of businesses that are looking to win awards because they're already in that zone or. Where they're, you know, they're growing, they're they're trying to transform. They're always jumping on the next best thing. So, you know, it's a good way to benchmark ourselves as well, and to say, you know, how can I progress this year? Well, what would it take for me to win this particular award? Let's say, let's have a look at what it would take, and let's see if we can get to the business, to that stage, because that way you can develop the business first, before you even think of entering the award, so that you have got the impact, and you have got, you know, all the right things to show that you're making a difference.   Michael Hingson ** 40:31 Yeah, and you brought up a point earlier, which I think is extremely interesting, the whole issue of awards and reviews, one of the things that I do when I'm looking at buying a product that I'm not overly familiar with is I love to look at the worst reviews for the product. Yeah, they're the most fun, because you find out really quickly. If you look at those reviews, you find out whether the person really knows what they're talking about or not and whether they really got good arguments. And I find that the people who give the bad reviews generally are, are not, are not necessarily, really giving you substantive information that you can use.   Donna O'Toole ** 41:15 Yeah, exactly. That's often the way I am. I actually studied reviews, and I looked at the different language structures and reviews of different retail stores, and how, how the the language that the people used in their reviews influenced the buyers. And it was really funny, because this is back in the days. This is just when I was at university. I was doing my dissertation, and it was what we were looking for. What I was looking for was what represent, what people felt represented good value for money. Because no matter how much money you've got, whether you've got a pound to spend or 1000 pounds to spend, you just want to get good value for money for what you're spending. So it doesn't really matter how pricey the product is. It matters your perception of good value for money, and that's essentially what tends to come across in a review, even if people don't say it is whether they think it's good value for money or not, whether it's the brand or the actual product. And it was really funny, because I did this whole study, and I came up with a structure that retailers should use to give to their reviewers to then put the review in in the most helpful way possible for the people then looking at the reviews who want to purchase the product, and I it was great, and I was really happy with it, and got first class and all of that. Anyway, a while later, I bought a coat from a store called Debenhams in the UK, which is now only online. But I bought this coat, I wrote a review and put it on their website. And it was quite the early days of reviews. Still, two days later, Debenhams called me, and I couldn't believe it, because when you had to leave your review, you had to leave your name and number, and it was like, I said, it's a very new thing then. And they actually telephoned me, and they said, Hello, we want to say thank you for your review that you left about this coat, and I still have the coat. And because, because of your review, we sold out the product. And so we want to say thank you. So we're sending you a voucher. And I got this voucher through the post. And I mean, you wouldn't get that, I don't think nowadays, no, but it really showed me the difference that a review could make on a product back then, you know, and how writing the right type of review, not just saying it's great, but why it's great, why I considered it good value for money about the material and the sizing and the shape and all of the quality and that kind of thing. It gave people reassurance to buy, and that's what we're looking for when we're looking at reviews. And that's where awards can come in and kind of secure that trust as well. I don't know about you, but I get down rabbit holes with reviews on things like trip,   Michael Hingson ** 43:52 oh yeah. Well, what I found is, if I look at the positive, the best reviews, I get more good technical information, and I got and I get more good product knowledge, but then I look at the bad reviews, and the reason I look at those is I want to see if they truly are giving me the same information the other way, and they don't. They're it's totally emotional, and a lot of times it is just not, in fact, what I or others find with the products, and that the bad reviews tend not to really give you nearly the information that the bad reviewers think they're giving you if you if you read them carefully. And I think that gets back to your whole issue of studying language, but still, they're not giving you the information that they really ought to be giving you. And, you know, I've had some where somebody gave a bad review to a product because the box arrived and it was open or wasn't sealed. Well, yeah, all right, so what   Donna O'Toole ** 44:55 exactly I know it's ridiculous. I mean, I think we're as consumers a bit more. Pragmatic about it nowadays, but as businesses, we need to be able to demonstrate to our customers in every way possible, you know. And that's why social media now and user generated content is so popular. Because we don't want to see what it looks like on a model anymore. We want to see what it looks like on a real life, personal we want to hear someone's like real life, day to day experience of something, as opposed to a polished article on it, right,   Michael Hingson ** 45:26 which, which is, is the way it ought to be. And again, that gets back to substance. And the the people who give really good reviews are generally the ones that are giving you substance. I've had some bad reviewers that had very good reasons for why they feel the way they do. And then you look at it and you go, Well, maybe it doesn't fit in their situation or, aha, they really know what they're talking about. I'm going to take that into consideration when I look at buying this product or not. But a lot of them   Donna O'Toole ** 45:57 don't. Absolutely, no, absolutely, yeah, I could do this for days.   Michael Hingson ** 46:04 Yeah. Well, it is. It is fascinating, but it's part of human nature   Donna O'Toole ** 46:09 psychology, isn't I tell you when else it comes up and it's quite interesting. So often we make companies may approach us and say, Leo, we want to win awards to be the best place to work. And we'll say, okay, great, you know, tell us about the workplace, and we'll go through all these different criteria with them, and they tell us all this great stuff. And then we go and do our own research as well, because we need to verify this, right? And we go on to glass door, and then we see some horrendous reviews from employees that have left. I think, okay, maybe this is, maybe this is not quite all the story we're getting here. Yeah. So, you know, the thing with awards is, if you are saying anything about your business, you're going to have to prove it. So reviews from your customers and reviews from your employees are super important for awards. Actually,   Michael Hingson ** 46:59 I find as a speaker that letters of recommendation are extremely important. In fact, I even put it in my contract that if someone likes the talk, then I expect to get a letter of recommendation. And for a good amount of people, they do that, although I've had some people who forget or just don't. But the letters are extremely valuable, especially when they go into detail about not just the talk, but like in my case, I view when I visit a customer, or when I view when I talk about going to speak somewhere, I believe that I'm a guest like anyone who goes, and it's not about me, it's about them. It's about the event. It's about the people who are putting it on. It's about the audience. And I always want to make sure that I do everything I can to be as not a problem as possible. And I know that there are some people that don't do that. I had a I had an event once where I went and spoke, and while there, I talked to the person who brought me in, and I said, What's the most difficult speaker you ever had? Had come here? And I was just curious. I was curious to see what he say without any hesitation. He said, We had a woman who came to speak, and we honored the contract, although still don't know why, but she insisted that in the green room, and so there had to be one, but in the green room there had to be a brand new, never used crystal champagne flute full of pink M M's. Now what does that have to do with being a speaker? Well, I know some people just like to take people through the wringer. They want to try to drive the point home that they're the bosses. Well, I think that, you know, I know what I can do. What I said to the guy, though afterward I said, Well, okay, I hear you. They actually did find peak Eminem. So was interesting. I said, Well, let me just tell you that if you bring cheese and crackers, I'll share them with you.   49:10 They brought you that we had fun, yes,   Michael Hingson ** 49:13 but, you know, but, but he, he understood that there were no demands. I wouldn't do that. I just think that that's not what I'm supposed to do as a speaker. My job is to in a well, inspire and motivate and and to educate. But it's not my job to be difficult. And I've gotten some wonderful letters that say how easy I made it to work with them, which is great. Yeah, fantastic. I'm sure you did. So it's, it's a lot of fun to to see some of those, and I've gotten some great stories over the years, which is really   Speaker 1 ** 49:46 a lot, and that's why they love to have you. Well, I hope so   Michael Hingson ** 49:53 we still do it, and it's a lot of fun to help and motivate and inspire. But yeah, I. I and by the way, I guess I'd never be interested in pink M M's anyway, so I wouldn't see the colors. So,   Donna O'Toole ** 50:08 yeah, glass of water is just about the thing on my list.   Michael Hingson ** 50:12 Yeah, well, you know, I'll take M M's if they show up. And I'm not going to demand them, that's okay. But you know, people are interesting. So once somebody's won an award, you've talked about this some, but when I once somebody has won an award, what's next?   Donna O'Toole ** 50:28 So next, it's all about, well, sharing it to demonstrate why people often forget to tell people why they've won an award. They just say that they've won an award. I think it's important to say, why? Like, what is it? What is it? What impact are you having? What's the difference that you're making out there in the world? Why have you won and share that on your profile? As I said, you know, people buy from people now as well. If you're winning an award as a leader or as a speaker or as an entrepreneur, you know people want to know about that because it helps to give credibility to what you do and trust like, just like those letters of referral that you're talking about. So, you know, get that on your LinkedIn profile, get it onto your podcast, you know, all of those different things, and take pride in your work and share that   Michael Hingson ** 51:14 I had a salesperson I hired is my favorite sales guy, and when I asked him, as I asked everybody who came to apply for jobs, what are you going to be selling for us? Tell me about that. He is the only person who ever said, The only thing I really have to sell is myself and my word. Your product is stuff, and it's all about trust and it's all about honoring my word. And he said, The only thing I asked from you is that you backed me up. And I said, well, as long as you do a good job, you know, but he understood it, and he's actually the only person that I ever hired that really articulated that, but that was always the answer I was looking for, because it really told me a lot about him. Just that simple answer told me more about him than anything else anyone, even he could say,   Donna O'Toole ** 52:06 yeah, absolutely. So it's so important, and you know, so I'm part of a key person of influence program that Daniel Priestley runs, and it's I do profile coaching for entrepreneurs to help them to become a key person of influence in their in their industry. And now that's not being an influencer. That's being someone who's known for being good at what they do and being a key person in that industry. And you know, work flows to you if people know what you do and know who to come to because you're the expert in that area, if you're a small business, you're an entrepreneur, you're struggling to get leads, then actually maybe you need to make yourself put bit more known. People tend to be bit shy and hide behind their brand. But you know, if you look at people like Richard Branson, you know, we when you trust an entrepreneur, then you will buy from the brand. And there's many more entrepreneurs I could mention, who when the trust is lost with them because of their behavior in some way, then their brand suffers. It's quite clear to see, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 53:09 do you find that most people who win an award do carry on and do positive things as a result, and that their brand and what they do improves, or is some people win and just falls by the wayside.   Donna O'Toole ** 53:27 Generally speaking, if you're the people that are going in for awards, the brands that are going forwards, they're progressive, so they usually progress with it. There's a piece of research that shows that businesses that have won awards are around 77% more valuable than businesses without awards even five years after winning. And that's because when you're going for an award in business, you've got to do a lot of develop. You know, there's got to be some good stuff happening in your business. And so naturally, the businesses that are doing those good things want to keep doing more of those good things internally, and so they tend to keep driving the business forward. And they have that motivation. They have motivated teams who are being recognized for the work that they're doing, and all of that naturally pushes them forward. So in five years time, they're still leagues ahead of their competitors that are not winning awards.   Michael Hingson ** 54:20 So always worth exploring winning awards. Oh, 100% Yeah. If   Donna O'Toole ** 54:27 I always say, I think, quote Nelson Mandela on this, you've got nothing to lose. You'll either win or you'll learn. If you don't win, then you should learn something about what you do need to do to win, and that will bring your business on.   Michael Hingson ** 54:39 Absolutely agree it's like, I also believe there's no such thing as failure. Failure is really it didn't go the way you planned. And so what do you learn in order to make that not happen again?   Donna O'Toole ** 54:51 Yeah, exactly, that exactly. So we need that kind of resilience in business today,   Michael Hingson ** 54:57 if people listening and watching this. Just take away one lesson and get one piece of advice out of this. What should it be?   Donna O'Toole ** 55:04 Understand your impact? I would say people don't often understand their impact. So ask your customers, ask your employees, what's improved since we've been working together? What? What if? What's improved for you since you've been using our product? And then calculate up what is that impact that you're having? You know, if 90% of your customers are saying that since using your product, I don't know, they're they're they're having a better their their accounts are better, or their skin is better. You whatever it is your product or your service is, then you've got impact that you're having. So start investigating what that impact is, and then that will help to steer you towards which kind of awards you could potentially be winning as well.   Michael Hingson ** 55:47 And of course, if you really think about your impact and whoever you are and whatever business you're doing, and you do monitor that, then that's one of the most important things that you can do about your business anyway, and people should be doing that.   Donna O'Toole ** 56:01 Yeah, exactly. But probably 90% of people that come to me aren't measuring their impact, and so it's a surprise, but I always say, Well, if you don't know what your impact is, how do you know that what your product or your services works? Just because people are buying it, you still need to know what your impact is. How do you measure impact? Oh, you can measure it in so many different ways, and you want in awards to be able to demonstrate it both quantitatively and qualitatively. So typically, in large corporate organizations, they will be measuring impact. So there's something called net promoter scores. So, you know, they'll be asking customers, would they recommend them? They'll ask them what they're enjoying about their products and things. So they tend to have some kind of measurement built into their process, in their customer departments, however, in smaller businesses, often they don't. So I say, you know, draw up a simple survey, ask your customers what's changed since you've been working with us. Let's say you're a service provider. So are you less stressed since you've been working with us? Do you have more revenue coming in since you've been working with us? What is it? And get them to answer a little survey. And then you could go all this collective impact that you can put together to look at the percentages and see what that's telling you. And if you don't want to know what the impact is in your business, then I question why you don't want to why   Michael Hingson ** 57:16 you're in the business in the first place, exactly. Well, tell us about your book. You've mentioned books several times, yeah.   Donna O'Toole ** 57:23 So I wrote a book called Win, of course, raise your profile and grow your business through winning awards. And really, it's a toolkit for for entrepreneurs. I was working with a lot of large businesses, and, you know, I was conscious that small businesses don't always have the resources to win awards or to be able to outsource. So I wrote a book that they could use to follow the toolkit, essentially, of winning awards. So that's developing their strategy, knowing understanding how awards work and which ones would suit their business, setting awards goals, understanding criteria. What does innovation really mean? What do they want to see? What kind of evidence do I need to provide? How do I know if it's the right race for me? All of those things. So it takes you end to end, through the awards journey internationally. You know, no matter where you are, you can follow the same process, and you could nowadays, it's really important to become the most award winning in your sector, so you can follow the process to get there. And that's a hugely valuable tagline.   Michael Hingson ** 58:26 And I appreciate that you sent us a picture of the book cover, and it is in the show notes. I hope people will go get   Donna O'Toole ** 58:31 it absolutely and it is on Audible as well, so that everyone can access it. So yeah, enjoy listening to my voice a lot more.   Michael Hingson ** 58:39 I was just going to ask if you read it. I did read it for you.   Donna O'Toole ** 58:44 Do you know what it was? I was so proud of that I was more proud of the audible recording than I was of writing at the book. But I don't know why. I think it's because I actually really enjoy listening to books on audio. So I'm quite passionate about listening. I like listening to the actual author's voice, though. So I found I was quite interesting, actually, when I found, when I recorded it, that was quite good at recording audio. The studio guy that I was working with was like, Oh, you're really good at this. We could just drop it words back in if there was a mistake.   Michael Hingson ** 59:14 There you are. See, it is so much better to edit today than it used to be, because now it is. It is all electronic, and I, I edit from time to time, just different things and all that I don't we work on not editing the podcast. That is, I don't want to cut out part of a conversation, because it is a conversation, but, but now you can do so many things, like, if there's a lot of noise, you can even filter that out without affecting the camera. It is so cool.   Donna O'Toole ** 59:43 Yeah, very, very clever. So, yeah, get it on Audible. There you   Michael Hingson ** 59:47 go. Well, great. Well, I hope people will Well, I want to thank you for being here. This has been a lot of fun, and you should get an award for doing it. That's all there is to it. But I really appreciate you being here. And. I appreciate all of you out there listening to us and watching us. Love to get your thoughts. How do people reach out to you? Donna, if they'd like to to talk with you,   Donna O'Toole ** 1:00:09 absolutely. So you can con

Nicole's electric car goes in the shop just before her vacation, and I share one of those Oh Wow moments of what a bunch of amazing people I have in my world. Big shout out to Elevet CBD chews. https://www.ellevetsciences.com/  Eric's instant print camera: https://geni.us/MEa6H Check out the new Cool Stuff emails: Cool Stuff #1 https://preview.mailerlite.com/n3c9y8y8a2 Cool Stuff #2 https://preview.mailerlite.com/h7o6t7l9a6 Sign Up For My Free Newsletters: https://www.gardenfork.tv/email/ Start your Amazon shopping using our affiliate link: https://geni.us/5UWTG  Please considering supporting the GF world by becoming a supporter on Patreon. You get weekly Labrador and behind the scenes photos and vids, plus the Patron-only GardenFork Radio After Show. :) https://www.patreon.com/gardenfork Here's a link to one of our After Shows: https://www.patreon.com/posts/free-after-show-122506027  Here's one of the many Labs pics I post for patrons: https://www.patreon.com/posts/step-away-and-be-122999799 The Tools I Use: https://geni.us/bXV6a7  GardenFork receives compensation when you use our affiliate links. This is how we pay the bills ;) GF Sweaters and T Shirts https://teespring.com/stores/gardenfork-2 Email me: radio@gardenfork.tv Watch us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/gardenfork Music used on the podcast is licensed by AudioBlocks and Unique Tracks ©2025 GardenFork Media LLC All Rights Reserved GardenFork Radio is produced in Brooklyn, NY

CUPE issues 72-hour strike notice on behalf of Air Canada flight attendents. Members of US National Guard deployed to Washington DC overnight. Mexico deports 26 high-ranking cartel figures to the United States. Head of Israeli military approves expanded Gaza operation, PM Benjamin Netanyahu insists Palestinians will be allowed to leave. New evacuation order in Newfoundland and Labrador as wildfire danger grows outside St. John's. Report warns cranberry production in Quebec has the potential to dry out some rivers.

Picking up a camera taught Eldred Allen to look at his home in Labrador differently, from its dramatic coastlines to the shimmering northern lights. The self-taught Inuk photographer shares some portraits of his home, with a warning that its beauty is under threat from climate change.

In this week's High Performance Human podcast, I'm joined once again by my “exotic-accented” co-host Beth to share the five habits that have made the biggest difference to my health, performance, and longevity over the past decade. From recovering after a serious bike crash to fostering a very enthusiastic guide dog puppy, Simon and Beth dive into how small, consistent changes can have a huge long-term impact. You'll hear: Why daily mobility work became non-negotiable after injury The link between sleep quality and mood, recovery, and long-term brain health How reducing alcohol and sugar/ultra-processed foods has transformed energy levels The importance of strength training for functional fitness and ageing well The “next habit” Simon is adding — and Beth's new challenges Expect practical tips, relatable stories, and a few laughs along the way (plus some background “input” from Olympia the Labrador).   Check out this photo of Olympia and me doing downward dog yoga pose   Join the BattleReadySociety - For those who want to be ready for anything — adventure, challenge, life. Get in early and be first in the fight. https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadyvanguard Listen to the podcast with Helen Gorman - Unlocking Swim Potential without Extra cost or Effort   Looking for more content from me? Check out my Instagram  and YouTube  channels Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth's weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM). Download Simon's Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle' Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle   Connect with Us: Website: www.simonward.co.uk Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com Sign up for Simon's weekly newsletter Sign up for Beth's weekly newsletter  

Canada's Minister for Emergency Management and Community Resilience responds to calls for a national forest fire secretariat -- and speaks to a wildfire season that's already the country's second-worst on record. A business owner in Paddy's Pond, Newfoundland and Labrador tells us -- folks there have had their fill of fire ... but community spirit has been a saving grace in the face of flames. In the wake of Donald Trump's takeover of D.C. law enforcement, Washington's unhoused residents are fearful about what the president's order that they "move out" will mean for them. Driving force. A cancer survivor in Ontario tells us what inspired her to celebrate her 63rd birthday by paying patients' parking fees ... and about the change she's hoping that gift will inspire. Digital age part one. A recent event saw dozens of newlyweds tie the knot at a ceremony for virtual pets known as Tamagotchis. And their human keepers are hoping the joining of hand...held devices will be record-setting. Digital age, part two. We'll hear from a diver whose recent encounter with an octopus ended in the picture-perfect selfie...taken by none other than the 8-limbed mollusc, it-self-ie. As It Happens, the Tuesday edition. Radio that imagines it was an armed struggle.

Send us a textAlysha Azzariti shares her journey of training Huck, her black Labrador retriever, into a skilled hunting companion, highlighting the incredible bond that forms between hunter and dog through this process.• Growing up with an outdoorsy father who sparked her interest in fishing and hunting• Finding a local breeder who became a mentor in training Huck for hunting• Building basic obedience as the foundation for all hunting skills• Using methods like food association to introduce gunfire without creating fear• Teaching memory skills by placing bumpers and having Huck retrieve them later• Training with live birds to build drive and confidence• Challenges of public land hunting, especially during pheasant season• The role of patience and consistency in developing a hunting dog• How genetics matter but aren't enough without proper training• Preparing for an upcoming Montana waterfowl hunting tripFollow Alicia and Huck's adventures on Instagram at LifeWithHuck where she regularly posts training updates and hunting experiences.Support the showHope you guy's enjoy! Hit the follow button, rate and give the show a comment!Ghillie Puck- https://www.ghilliepuck.com?sca_ref=6783182.IGksJNCNyo GP10 FOR 10% OFFGET YOUR HECS HUNTING GEAR :https://hecshunting.com/shop/?avad=385273_a39955e99&nb_platform=avantlink&nb_pid=323181&nb_wid=385273&nb_tt=cl&nb_aid=NAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bdhunting/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZtxCA-1Txv7nnuGKXcmXrA

Newfoundland and Labrador premier John Hogan warns residents prepare to evacuate as wildfire threatens Paradise and Conception Bay South. 300 people flee campground near Port Alberni, BC as out-of-control fire grows rapidly. US federal judge hears arguments about legality of US President Donald Trump deploying National Guard to Los Angeles in June. Trump says he is considering taking control of local police departments in Los Angeles, Baltimore and Chicago.United States and China extend tariff truce for 90 days, but Beijing slaps 75.8% "anti-dumping duty" on Canadian canola. 27 countries, including Gaza, issue joint statement urging Israel to open up humanitarian access to Gaza. How the murder of Colombian Presidential Candidate Miguel Uribe could give right-wing politicians a boost in the next election.

On today's show, Matt joins us fresh from U.S. Bank Stadium with a firsthand recap of the Minnesota Vikings' preseason opener against the Houston Texans. He breaks down key moments—from J.J. McCarthy's emotional return to in-game action, to Sam Howell's efficient performance, and the concerning punt-return injury to Rondale Moore. Meanwhile, Max reports live from the 44th Annual Minnesota Game Fair at Ramsey's Armstrong Ranch Kennels. He walks us through the show's family-focused lineup with shotgun shooting demos, duck and goose calling championships, dog obstacle courses, and seminars on everything from Labrador field training to elk-hunting tactics. It's the perfect combination of sports excitement and an outdoor tradition celebrating gear, wilderness, and community in the great Minnesota outdoors Send us a text

Parts of Newfoundland and Labrador are shrouded by thick smoke as four wildfires burn out of control. More than 13,000 people are on evacuation alert. The fires are also affecting venues for the Canada Games. While Canada has one of its worst fire seasons on record, some are asking: Why isn't there a national fire response plan?And: Is Canada moving quickly enough to build new homes?Also: A medical story you have to hear to believe. A surgery to restore sight to the blind using teeth. We'll tell you how it works and introduce you to one of the first people in Canada to benefit.Plus: China escalates canola dispute with Canada, extreme heat and wildfires in Europe, National Guard deployed in D.C., and more.

Wildfires are burning across Newfoundland and Labrador, prompting the provincial government to significantly increase fines and prison time for people who violate a fire ban. We speak to Scott Chandler, who lost his home in Conception Bay North, and ask Premier John Hogan about investigations into allegations of arson — and the latest on the firefighting effort. Plus, we hear from Janet Barlow of Hike Nova Scotia about the province's sweeping ban on activities in wooded areas and the impact on outdoor recreation.

A coach who worked with eight-year-old tennis hopeful Vicky Mboko tells us the now-eighteen year old's victory at the National Bank Open last night left her energized and inspired.As wildfires continue to burn in Newfoundland and Labrador, the president of the provincial fire services association weighs in on the push for a national forest fire coordination agency.Transgender people serving in the U.S. Armed Forces were already being forced out of service. Now, those in the Air Force who were relying on early retirement have been told they aren't eligible. The invasive Asian hornet is bad news for honeybees in Europe -- thanks to their tendency to consume them. But new research into the sounds their hives make -- is giving researchers hope.A new study of cockatoos finds they've got even more dance moves than we knew, but their taste in music is somewhat less impressive... given researchers found they were just as likely to bust a move to a finance podcast as they were to a dance anthem.A Chicago artist is causing a stir -- and attracting 100s of customers -- after offering what he calls “terrible portraits” ... including one of Rebecca.As It Happens, the Friday edition. Radio that kinda hopes he doesn't go back to the drawing board.

Rick and I talk about how AI summaries on search pages make most websites irrelevant. Moving the GardenFork domain to a new registrar, and Harbor Freight Tools... Big shout out to Elevet CBD chews. https://www.ellevetsciences.com/  Eric's instant print camera: https://geni.us/MEa6H Check out the new Cool Stuff emails: Cool Stuff #1 https://preview.mailerlite.com/n3c9y8y8a2 Cool Stuff #2 https://preview.mailerlite.com/h7o6t7l9a6 Sign Up For My Free Newsletters: https://www.gardenfork.tv/email/ Start your Amazon shopping using our affiliate link: https://geni.us/5UWTG  Please considering supporting the GF world by becoming a supporter on Patreon. You get weekly Labrador and behind the scenes photos and vids, plus the Patron-only GardenFork Radio After Show. :) https://www.patreon.com/gardenfork Here's a link to one of our After Shows: https://www.patreon.com/posts/free-after-show-122506027  Here's one of the many Labs pics I post for patrons: https://www.patreon.com/posts/step-away-and-be-122999799 The Tools I Use: https://geni.us/bXV6a7  GardenFork receives compensation when you use our affiliate links. This is how we pay the bills ;) GF Sweaters and T Shirts https://teespring.com/stores/gardenfork-2 Email me: radio@gardenfork.tv Watch us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/gardenfork Music used on the podcast is licensed by AudioBlocks and Unique Tracks ©2025 GardenFork Media LLC All Rights Reserved GardenFork Radio is produced in Brooklyn, NY

My guest this week is Scott Barmby [35:56], director of the Orvis Chesapeake Fly Fishing Schools, who educates us on threats to the Bay's population of striped bass, and also the many fly-fishing opportunities in the Bay. It's a vast ecosystem that I didn't know much about, so it was interesting to me and I am sure it will be to you. I think you'll learn some surprising things about this national treasure.   In the Fly Box this week, we have lots of comments and tips from listeners as well as questions, including: A listener reminds people of the importance of making your presence known on the river A listener gives some other tips for night fishing for trout and smallmouth bass. A listener reminds us that catch-and-release is a valuable tool in certain fisheries, for both management and economic reasons. Do you have any tips on keeping track of what leader you have on your line? Do you think trout that are close to a hiking path avoid that side of the river because they are constantly spooked? A listener wants to know which vintage Orvis reel he should put on a small stream rod. Can you give me some tips on keeping the deer hair on top of the hook shank when tying Sparkle Duns? After making a cast with tight line nymphing, how do I tell when my point fly is on the bottom? Is a 6-weight rod strong enough for Labrador brook trout? Do you know of any way to remove rust from a hook eye to prevent abrasion of the knot?

Jeff Stanfield and Andy Shaver are joined by Dusty Sinclair, the “Cake Taxidermist” and owner of Sugarbelle Sweets, whose hyper-realistic outdoor-themed cakes have taken the hunting world by storm.Dusty Sinclair shares the story behind her one-of-a-kind creation for the Delta Waterfowl convention—a lifelike Labrador retriever holding a mallard, surrounded by Boss Shot Shells and a lanyard of calls… all crafted entirely from cake and chocolate. She talks about going viral with her life-sized deer cake, her creative process in designing hyper-realistic edible art, the origin of her nickname “The Cake Taxidermist,” and the wildest project she's tackled so far. Plus, would she ever compete on Is It Cake?