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Today we have a big book study of the Preface and Forwards of the book. This group has covered the big book multiple times so we have six different people presenting on the same topic over three separate meetings. I popped a quick click track between the meetings. Recording provided by, The Big Book Awakening, a Womens Big Book Study for all who identify as Women and/or LBTQ+. They meet in person every Saturday in St. Paul Minnesota at 8:30am. If you would like to join them please visit https://westendaa.org Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3000+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com
Not gonna lie - it's been a rough week. The Trump administration has used Charlie Kirk's murder to crack down on dissent, shocking even their allies with their willingness to threaten critics and trample First Amendment values. But these authoritarians will fail. Bridget is joined by L. Joy Williams, president of the New York NAACP and host Sunday Civics on Sirius XM and wherever you get your podcasts, to recap the latest developments in our slide towards autocracy. Jimmy Kimmel was fired to protect a multi-billion dollar merger of two of the country's biggest broadcast networks: https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/nexstar-jimmy-kimmel-suspension-fcc-pressure-1236523812/ Read Karen Attiah's Substack post about her firing from the Washington Post for repeating Charlie Kirk's own words: https://karenattiah.substack.com/p/the-washington-post-fired-me-but Listen to guest co-host L. Joy Williams' podcast Sunday Civics: https://www.sundaycivics.org/ Read the DOJ report about domestic terrorism that the Trump Administration tried to hide. It's surprisingly readable, and unequivocal about the most common perpetrators of domestic terrorism – the far right: https://terrorismresearch.uark.edu/new-nij-article-highlights-decades-worth-of-research-findings-from-the-trc/?ref=404media.co Michigan lawmakers continue Republicans' assault on speech and war against trans people: https://www.them.us/story/michigan-total-porn-ban-trans-josh-schriver Some good news! Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have teamed up to co-sponsor a bill that would restore funding for suicide prevention among LBTQ+ youth: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2025/09/18/baldwin-introduces-bill-to-restore-988-crisis-line-for-lgbtq-youth/86201082007/ If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at hello@tangoti.com Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! || instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc || youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This is a book study on the topic We Agnostics presented by four folks from the Big Book Awakening Womens Book Study group. This was two separate book study meetings both on the same topic so you get multiple perspectives. Its fairly obvious when it switches from one meeting to the next. Zoom One quick fyi, it did have an audio dropout of around 5 seconds on one of the meetings, so I removed the dead air and added a click track so you know what is what. This recording was provided by, The Big Book Awakening, a Womens Big Book Study for all who identify as Women and/or LBTQ+. They meet in person every Saturday in St. Paul Minnesota at 8:30am. If you would like to join them please visit https://westendaa.org Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 2900+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com
Lil nas X wanders LA naked and on drugs, Sydney Sweeney takes zero sh*t from anyone (so far), people pretend to care about the cracker barrel logo all of a sudden, LBTQ nonsense and more! Direct all hate mail to voicesofmiserypodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @voicesofmisery mewe: @voicesofmisery Parler: voices of misery Gmail: voicesofmiserypodcast@gmail.com Instagram: voicesofmiserypodcast Discord server: voices of misery podcast https://tinyurl.com/VoMPodcastTees
Need to know the best Bible translation if you care about LBTQ inclusion, liberation vibes, basic Greek fidelity, and low-cringe? We present our Bible Translation Tier List!We're vibe-ranking them based variously on:Do they translate faithfully about LGBTQ kin being included in God?Was any of it actively translated to justify domination, authoritarianism, or sexism?Is it lovely?What's the cringe level?How faithful is it to the Greek?...Read LIT online: https://www.litbible.net/More about the Liberation & Inclusion Translation: https://www.litbible.net/translation-commitmentsSupport LIT & FIT: https://donorbox.org/found-in-translation-1...Opportunity Walks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
446 Who am I? Medical Help that Saves Children's Lives Featuring Dr. Rachel Sewall: “I want to shout from the mountain tops!” Today we hear from Rachel Sewall, M.D., a Stanford pediatric endocrinologist who provides medically necessary care for transgender and gender diverse young people. She says that her work is highly emotional, with extreme highs and lows. People view this population with great fear and considerable ignorance as well. Valid medical information is powerful and important. Seeing how people view these young people is constantly on my mind. She says: When I was a medical student, I didn't have clear goals for what type of medical practice I would pursue. However, during my work in the emergency room, I realized, as did my colleagues, that I got very excited when working with children, so I decided to focus on pediatrics. I knew I'd be an advocate for LGBTQ+ young people. A colleague implied that they are rare, but I realized that wasn't true. In fact, surveys tend to underestimate the percent of trans individuals and LGBTQ+, do to underreporting due to feelings of shame and fear, but the surveys still suggest a trans population around 2% and an LBTQ+ population around 15%. So, together, we are likely looking at roughly 20% of the population fall into one or both of these two categories. As a first-year medical student, I did research on hormones. These are chemical messengers telling our bodies to do things. Figuring out the actions of hormones is like a complicated puzzle (Rachel explain a little, pleaee. I also went to a camp for kids with Type I diabetes. It was a perfect marriage for me! (Rachel fill in why please). My work with children and teens is a combination of medical and emotional support. More than anything else, these kids want to be listed to and respected. And the highs and lows I experience, as I mentioned earlier, can be extreme. Many begin sobbing when I talk to them, because they're so grateful that someone is listening! Reviewing basic definitions, your gender is usually assigned at birth, due to your sexual organs. They say, “Hurray! It's a boy!” Or “Hurray! It's a girl!” But as your identity and sense of our gender evolves, and it may not be the same as the gender assigned to you at birth. Gender identity begins to form around 18 months to 3 years old, but can emerge at any time later as well. Most of us “know” our gender identity by the time we are 5 or 6, but it can also emerge during puberty as well, or even later. They may suddenly say, “this is not whom I am.” And some, of course, say “I am neither male nor femail.” That's where the terms cis and trans come from. Cis means that your assignment at birth and your gender identity—your sense of who you really are—can be the same. If so, you are a cis male or a cis female. But if they are not the same, you are a trans. For example, a trans male was born with female genitalia but a male identity evolved. And a trans female was born with male genitalia but a female identity evolve. Many trans individuals experience great distress when taking showers, since they may feel repulsed when they see that they have the “wrong” genitals. Gender identity has overwhelming power. Some have told me, “I just want to tear my skin off!” Sexual preference and gender identity are not the same or linked in any particular way. Sexual preference simply refers to who you love, sexually and emotionally, and want to partner with. Rachel continued, Hormonal interventions can be life-saving. If you are a trans male, having periods can be profoundly disturbing, often to the point of triggering suicidal urges. Helping these kinds and their periods via hormonal interventions can bring enormous relief. They often say, “Dr. Rachel, you saved my life!” I almost always work with the family, and my goal is for the family to learn to function as a team, all working together to provide love and support for their child, so they can say, “this is my child and I love and accept them unconditionally!” I emphasize that there is no right or wrong on their gender journey. Metabolic and surgical interventions both have their place in treatment. The time to go public with who you really are is an important social and cultural decision, and this also varies tremendously. But regardless of age, gender-affirming medical care can always make a tremendous difference in your life! Rhonda and I are deeply grateful to Rachel for giving us this wonderfully patient and clear education in a field that was not even covered, to the best of my knowledge, when I was a medical student at Stanford. We hope your voice today, Rachel, will be heard by many, and will hep to bring greater peace, acceptance, love and understanding to our many podcast fans. Thanks! Rachel, Rhonda, and David
Join us as we listen to Mayrena Guerrero speak about her success and vision for her company and the future of outpatient mental health. How as a BIPOC/LGBTQ/Immigrant she has a unique perspective on how to navigate issues for shared identities and how we need to do better to meet people where they are at. How Colorful Resilience can improve this model in community mental health and how they are changing the way that clients are served. As the 27th largest LBTQ owned business in the state, she is owning her space on the stage and looking for ways to increase the capacity for others. As a 3-year-old company who employs 15 currently, Mayrena is looking for growth opportunities and sees this as a values conversation through partnerships like the one they have with the Smith School for Social Work. Visit www.colorfulresilience.com for more information. Thank you Mayrena for all that you are doing.
Join us as we listen to Mayrena Guerrero speak about her success and vision for her company and the future of outpatient mental health. How as a BIPOC/LGBTQ/Immigrant she has a unique perspective on how to navigate issues for shared identities and how we need to do better to meet people where they are at. How Colorful Resilience can improve this model in community mental health and how they are changing the way that clients are served. As the 27th largest LBTQ owned business in the state, she is owning her space on the stage and looking for ways to increase the capacity for others. As a 3-year-old company who employs 15 currently, Mayrena is looking for growth opportunities and sees this as a values conversation through partnerships like the one they have with the Smith School for Social Work. Visit www.colorfulresilience.com for more information. Thank you Mayrena for all that you are doing.
Join us as we listen to Mayrena Guerrero speak about her success and vision for her company and the future of outpatient mental health. How as a BIPOC/LGBTQ/Immigrant she has a unique perspective on how to navigate issues for shared identities and how we need to do better to meet people where they are at. How Colorful Resilience can improve this model in community mental health and how they are changing the way that clients are served. As the 27th largest LBTQ owned business in the state, she is owning her space on the stage and looking for ways to increase the capacity for others. As a 3-year-old company who employs 15 currently, Mayrena is looking for growth opportunities and sees this as a values conversation through partnerships like the one they have with the Smith School for Social Work. Visit www.colorfulresilience.com for more information. Thank you Mayrena for all that you are doing.
Join us as we listen to Mayrena Guerrero speak about her success and vision for her company and the future of outpatient mental health. How as a BIPOC/LGBTQ/Immigrant she has a unique perspective on how to navigate issues for shared identities and how we need to do better to meet people where they are at. How Colorful Resilience can improve this model in community mental health and how they are changing the way that clients are served. As the 27th largest LBTQ owned business in the state, she is owning her space on the stage and looking for ways to increase the capacity for others. As a 3-year-old company who employs 15 currently, Mayrena is looking for growth opportunities and sees this as a values conversation through partnerships like the one they have with the Smith School for Social Work. Visit www.colorfulresilience.com for more information. Thank you Mayrena for all that you are doing.
Kate and Callie are the presenters of this page by page study of Chapter 2 - There is a Solution. Zoom. This recording was provided by, The Big Book Awakening, a Womens Big Book Study for all who identify as Women and/or LBTQ+. They meet in person every Saturday in St. Paul Minnesota at 8:30am. If you would like to join them please visit https://westendaa.org Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Event List: https://scast.us/event Roundup, retreat, convention or workshop coming up? List the event on the Sober Cast website. Visit the link above and look for "Submit Your Event" in the blue box. Sober Cast has 2700+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com
On today's episode I have actress, and filmmaker, Vera Drew! Vera's new the film "The People's Joker" is quickly becoming a hit after her recent win at The Gotham Awards. This film is unlike anything I have seen and is so incredibly unique as Vera tells her story of coming out as a trans woman through the lens of the Joker. I talked with Vera about how she got her start in the industry, how the concept of the film came about, the catharsis of telling her story on her own terms, advice for those in the LBTQ community, or anybody struggling to tell their story, the films amazing guests stars, and so much more. A huge thanks to Vera Drew for taking the time to join me on the show today. I had such a great time talking with her and learning her story. Make sure to follow her on all of the links at www.onthemicpodcast.com and please go check out the film on Mubi or buy it now on Amazon! Thanks, Vera! Enjoy the episode!
Hostem je známý moderátor, redaktor a novinář, pan Jiří Václavek, který pracuje již 25 let v České televizi. Aktuálně ho můžete vidět v televizi jakožto moderátora zpravodajství Studio ČT24 a pořadu 90' ČT24. V tomto rozhovoru diskutujeme jeho práci v ČT, osobní život jakožto aktivního katolíka a člena LBTQ+ komunity, a dále i obraz církve v mediálním prostoru. Pan Václavek si prošel procesem coming outu a je jedním z mála veřejně známých věřících, kteří jsou ochotni diskutovat svoji víru a život v církvi.
Beth D and Katy L share on the topic of Dr. Bobs Nightmare out of the big book, this was recorded in January of 2019. This recording was provided by, The Big Book Awakening, a Womens Big Book Study for all who identify as Women and/or LBTQ+. They meet in person every Saturday in St. Paul Minnesota at 8:30am. If you would like to join them please visit https://scast.us/weaa I just added 4 new events to the event list. The 47th Annual Cornhusker Roundup being held in Omaha Nebraska in mid August. Details: https://scast.us/chusk The Redwood Coast Roundup being held in early August in Fortuna Calif. Details: https://scast.us/red The 18th Annual Mountain AA Conference held in Big Bear Lake California in the middle of August. Details: https://scast.us/mount The Sever cAAmpvention held in Gloucestershire in the United Kingdom at the beginning of September (this one looks like a lot of fun). Details: https://scast.us/scv If you have any AA or Al-Anon event coming up let me know I am happy to help get the word out. https://scast.us/event Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Roundup, retreat, convention or workshop coming up? List the event on the Sober Cast website. Visit the link above and look for "Submit Your Event" in the blue box. Sober Cast has 2600+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com
This week on a special edition of the Stoop Storytelling Series, five stories that uplift LBTQ+ voices and spotlight the ongoing struggle for equality. The next live Stoop show is Thursday, June 27th at the Creative Alliance. The theme is “B-More Proud: Queer Tales of Charm City.” Storytellers: Jabari Lyles Eric Thomas Rohaizad Suaidi Katy Caldwell Eric Anderson Music: I Thought You Were Cool by HolinzaCC0 Something Elated by Broke for Free Bird by James Pants Naked Lunch by Jahzzar Prime by DJ Williams Part VI by Jahzzar Love Love Love by HolinzaCC0 The Stoop Storytelling Podcast is hosted by Laura Wexler and Jessica Henkin, produced by Maureen Harvie, and distributed by Your Public Studios.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Pres. Biden tried to expand some transgender rights through Title IX... the Utah Legislature just told schools to ignore those changes. The bill, which passed in 1972, is meant to ensure no person be denied any education program based on gender. House Speaker Mike Shultz told Tim and Amanda this morning on Utah's morning news this change doesn't work with recent Utah laws that passed. KSL 5 TV's Lindsay Aerts joins Dave and Debbie to give us the latest after Utah's special legislative session yesterday. KSL Legal Analyst Greg Skordas also join the conversation to give listeners historical and legal context of Title IX.
The Granite School District's plan to ban cell phone use in schools Dating at Her Age, a new KSL Podcast We feel 10 years older than our actual age Buyers are gaining power in the housing market What's at stake as Trump and Biden prepare for first presidential debate? The trend of sleep divorce Fighting summer boredom with Cool Stuff in Utah!
Do YOU Own a LBTQ+ Small Business? We Want To Help... to honor Pride Month, all next week we will be highlighting local small businesses under LGBTQ+ ownership. email us at morningshow@mix1041.com
Do YOU Own a LBTQ+ Small Business? We Want To Help... to honor Pride Month, all next week we will be highlighting local small businesses under LGBTQ+ ownership. email us at morningshow@mix1041.com
April is Earth Month, which is a time to reflect on the one planet we have and for a lot of us that brings up climate change, and how it's affecting our communities. James Comiskey is an activist with Extinction Rebellion, a global environmental movement that aims to use nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action on climate change. He's also a co-leader of Boston's Rainbow Rebellion, which is an offshoot of the group focused on the intersection of climate and LGBTQ issues. Comiskey joins The Common to discuss how climate change disproportionately affects the LGBTQ community, and the queer legacy of social activism. Greater Boston's daily podcast where news and culture meet.
Hour two we have our weekly visit with Tim Sullivan. Bobby V talks some UofL, KP, NIL and more with Sully. Back end of the hour we have some fun with the text line being nice. Talk some James Spader and David Padgett. Bob has a theory of his everyman-ness. Nick educates us on LBTQ slang. Bob makes peace with Brian Wilson.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Patrick talks about the importance, and biblical truth, of praying through the intersession of the Saints in heaven, helps discern how to pick a confirmation sponsor and delves into the book of Enoch which is not included in the Catholic Canon. Rod - Is it okay for a living person to talk to a dead saint, to ask them to intercede for us? Is there any scripture that says that this is okay? Lia - My son has his confirmation coming up. Who can he pick as his sponsor? Break 1 (18:36) Patrick shares what to do if someone mocks Mary in your presence and gives his take on the Paul - Advice for marriage, his wife is getting influenced by LBTQ group and other bad friends, probably going for a 50-year-old crisis, she had an affair and he has forgiven her. Isabella - Book of Enoch: why does the Ethiopian Orthodox Church have the book of Enoch and other different books? Break 2 (37:08) Barbara - I am a linguist: How do vowels work in Hebrew and when did they get introduced in the Hebrew writing? Mary - Our daughter, a strong Catholic, participated in a ritual dance invoking aid of spirits after the birth of someone; it included n the burning of part of the umbilical cord. What should I say?
Twitter is good for something. Joanna Johnson appeared on my radar this year. When the rest of social media was name-calling (Dean raises hand), doxxing, and calling each other pedos and groomers, Joanna, a teacher with 20 years under her belt, decided to educate. She's become a viral sensation by offering facts on everything from the curriculum your kids actually learn, to what the Save Our Children movement REALLY wants to how to the gaslighting of Israel/Gaza keyboard warriors. Joanna gives 3-minute masterclasses on fats instead of fiction, and she's cool AF about it all. Her podcast is incredible. Her common sense is undeniable, and your education is her privilege. We talked: - Teaching in the smartphone age and how to protect your kids (you can't) - What are child rights versus parental rights? - Kids selling out their parents - Religion's role in academics Part two of our podcast was on Joana's Unlearn16: Shool's in session: Listen here.
Sheriff reminds drivers to remain cautious, Illini football plays Kansas, Illini football breaks attendance record, and LBTQ organization faces threats.Hosted by Kaitlyn DevittStories by Kaitlyn Devitt, Elissa Eaton, Laszlo Richard Toth, and Ashley GilbertMusic by Boxout
With unprecedented numbers of anti-trans and anti-LBTQ+ bills being presented in state legislatures across the country, Tiffany Woods says it is critical that we stand up and fight for trans, nonbinary, and LGBTQ+ people now more than ever. In 2023, more than 500 anti-trans bills have been introduced in 36 states across the country, rolling back decades of progress on trans rights fueled by transphobia, deliberate misinformation, discrimination, and misplaced fear under the false guise of “protecting children, girls and women.” These bills by GOP lawmakers across the country have been focused on prohibiting trans health care for youth, and at least 10 states have already passed such bans. Proposed bills range from gender-affirming care bans, bans on transgender youth participating in sports, bills that bar trans people from using bathrooms that correspond to their gender, and LGBTQ school censorship on what schools can say about LGBTQ people, to drag bans and bans on name and pronoun changes on government-issued documents. Trans youth, who have been the primary focus of anti-trans legislation this year, are experiencing a mental health crisis: A 2022 survey by the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention group focused on LGBTQ youth, found that 86 percent of trans or nonbinary youth reported negative effects on their mental health stemming from the political debate around trans issues, and nearly half had seriously considered suicide in the past year. We will highlight the worst of these legislative attacks and the collective efforts to fight back from communities impacted and the states protecting trans and LGBTQ rights. About the Speaker Tiffany Woods is a nationally awarded LGBTQ+ leader and chair emeritus of the California Democratic Party LGBTQ Caucus, the first trans woman elected a caucus co-chair, and a member the Democratic National Committee's Transgender Advisory Committee. In 2020, she was honored by the California Legislature's LGBTQ Caucus as a 2020 Pride Honoree. She has 21 years experience in public health with expertise in HIIV prevention and trans health and is currently serving as the first state transgender health manager at the Office of AIDS, Prevention Branch, California Department of Public Health, where her primary responsibility is the development and coordination of departmental and statewide programs and trainings focused on gender and trans health education, with a focus on statewide coordination of HIV prevention services related to the health and well-being of transgender individuals in California. This program contains explicit content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Broadcasting from the Free State of Florida. Joe Biden wants to roll back short-term health insurance plans because they are too "skimpy" and you aren't smart enough to figure out they don't cover all the "essential benefits" that Obamacare mandates. On a related note, they also allow people a cheaper alternative to Obamacare compliant plans and may help people who are looking for limited coverage for "catastrophic" needs. Why have these plans when you can be forced to buy the more expensive ones, enquiring Insurance Company minds want to know. They have found cocaine in the White House but it's looking less and less likely that they will tie it to anyone, and definitely not known cocaine aficionado Hunter Biden. It'll probably be solved the same way they solved the Supreme Court leaker case. Josh Hawley and a member of the Hoover's Boys upper echelon get into it over the unwarranted queries on 278,000 Americans. Surprise, surprise nobody got fired. The administrative state is the major impediment to freedom in America today. Interestingly enough the Judicial Branch seems to be the only part of the govt standing up for freedom nowadays. Law students at Boston University are being offered counseling due to the recent Supreme Court rulings. Maybe after counseling they can go on a woke hiking trail. Woke hiking groups in Oregon have created separate trails for people who are "plus-size & fat, Black, Idigenous, People of Color, queer, trans and non-binary, disabled, neurodivergent, and beyond" so that they can be safe from prejudice. The Philadelphia shooter who dressed posed in a bra and women's clothes on Facebook is NOT part of the LBTQ+ community according to the (left-wing) media but rather a Trump-supporting gun nut. https://doctortommy.com/podcast
Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Kelly Molson, Founder of Rubber Cheese.Download the Rubber Cheese 2022 Visitor Attraction Website Report - the first digital benchmark statistics for the attractions sector.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcast.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcastCompetition ends July 31st 2023. The winner will be contacted via Twitter. Show references: https://www.alnwickgarden.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianjmcallister/https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2023-05-24/worlds-biggest-play-park-set-to-open Ian McAllister is the Strategic Head of Marketing and Communications at The Alnwick Garden and Lilidorei. His route into attraction marketing wasn't an obvious one – from not joining the RAF (based mainly on eyesight and petulance) he dabbled in recruitment ( based mainly on proximity to his flat) then television (based mainly on flatmate work envy). He manages a team of marketers who deliver all marketing, PR and communications to these two attractions based in Northumberland. Transcriptions: Kelly Molson: Welcome to Skip The Queue, a podcast for people working in or working with visitor attractions. I'm your host, Kelly Molson. Each episode, I speak with industry experts from the attractions world. In today's episode I speak with Ian McAllister, Strategic Head of Marketing and Communications at The Alnwick Garden.Ian shares with us the magical story behind Lilidorei, logistics of creating a play structure over 26 meters tall, snot ice cream, free Fridays and the impact this will have on the local area and children. If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue. Kelly Molson: Ian, I'm so excited to have you on the podcast today. Thank you for coming to join me. Ian McAllister: No problem. Kelly Molson: Let's start with some icebreakers, shall we? Ian and I, we had a little pre podcast chat a few weeks ago and we established that we're both from sunny old Essex. This could end up quite messy, really, couldn't it? Because I tend to whenever I'm speaking to my Essex kinfolk, my accent goes, very Essex. This might get messy. Ian McAllister: The good thing is, living up here, people don't know my real accent, but once they hear that, I'm sure that it'll come out. Kelly Molson: They will after this, Ian. Right, okay, icebreakers. I want to know, topical, what's the worst Essex nightclub that you've ever been in? Ian McAllister: Tots, Southend. But it was so bad that I used to go every Friday. It was bad for the sticky floors and for the people that were there and for the music they played and everything about it was terrible. But every Friday I would still go up there. I don't know why.Kelly Molson: So bad. It's so good. I can remember driving there from my part of Essex and going out Tots. Someone broke my big toe into Tots. Literally, like, stamped on my big toe and broke it. Ian McAllister: Do you remember? There was a place called Ritzes, which I think was in Romford, and went there one night, and this was back in the day, where people thought if you were wearing trainers, you were going to cause trouble, so you weren't allowed to wear trainers. And a mate of mine, Paul Mayo. I had two good friends in Essex, Paul Mayo and Ross Gherkin, so they were the three of us. But Paul Mayo went up to the club and they wouldn't let me say trainers. So he left the queue and went around the corner, took his shoes off and took his black socks off, put his trainers back on and his black socks over his trainers, and they just let him straight in. Kelly Molson: Wow. Ian McAllister: Yeah. Which made Moonwalking brilliant, because he had a really good sock that he could moonwalk across the dance floor. Kelly Molson: That is ridiculous. That's ridiculous. So sorry, we just need to go back to your friend's names as well. Mayo and Gherkin. Are you joking? Ian McAllister: Mayo and Gherkin? No. So, I mean, I was always Mac. So I was always Ian Mac. Then there was Mayo and Gherkin. So they were the three of us that used to kick around together in Essex. Kelly Molson: That is chaos already. Ian McAllister: There you go. Opening question. Kelly Molson: This is an ethics thing as well, right? Everybody has nicknames, don't they? You know the Gavin and Stacy thing, where you got Smithy and what? Chinese Allen. That's the thing. That is so Essex, it's ridiculous. Ian McAllister: My nickname for ages was I wasn't a good looking chap growing up. And I had a brace, a demi wave, and I had these big reactor like glasses and I don't know if you've ever seen the National Lampoons European vacation, but the sun was called Rusty Grizzwald. So my friend Gary decided that I was just called Rusty, so he still calls me it to this day. So I'm still just Rusty. Kelly Molson: Oh, God, that's so weird, because my next question was going to be, if you ever been told you look like someone famous, who was it? Ian McAllister: Yeah, but that's not a positive thing. Kelly Molson: No. I wasn't expecting Rusty from National Lampoons to come up. Ian McAllister: I mean, lots of people to try and compare themselves to you, like some Brad Pitt and George Clooney, whereas I'm going for 15 year old Rusty Grizzled. Kelly Molson: Humble. I think that's quite humble, isn't it? Right, final one. I feel like the ice is well and truly broken, melted. What is your best scar story? Ian McAllister: My best scar story is a very recent one. Last year on New Year's Day, I took the kids for a lovely walk to our local woods with the dog. And me being me, I challenged them both to climb a tree. And it was a tree that was like one of these trees that's too good not to climb, do you know what I mean? It was really big branches and big trunk. So I've got twins, 14 year old twins, a boy and a girl. So my daughter was like a whippet and she went up the tree and then my son, with a bit of encouragement, went up the tree and he got his foot wedged in, like the V of the branch, about seven and a half, eight foot up, so he couldn't get out. Ian McAllister: So I climbed up behind him and I held onto a branch either side of him. I said, "Right, all you got to do is just wiggle your foot a little bit". So he obviously didn't hear a word I said. He yanked his foot out, so we both fell out the tree. So I grabbed onto him and he landed on me. And as he landed, I heard ankle snap. So I'm at the top of a woods, probably a mile into the woods. So the kids that week before have been at Scouts and they learned about what three words. So we had to phone an ambulance and they did the what three words and this, that and the other. Ian McAllister: So the ambulance had to then he couldn't drive, so you had to push the stretcher for a mile, pretty much up an incline to get to me. Had to take a breather because it was so far up, put me on the stretcher, but then the ambulance had to drop, so it's just me and the kids that live here with the dog. So the ambulance then had to drop the dog and my kids at my house before they took me to hospital. So turned out I completely broken my ankle, so I had to go for an operation. And I had a metal plate pulse, ligament and wiring all around my ankle. Ian McAllister: So I've got a treat of a scar on my ankle that they also cut through two nerves, so I also can't feel from a nerve down from the little toe, from a knee down to the little toe at the minute. Kelly Molson: I feel like we're going to have to put a warning on this podcast episode, if anyone's like a slightly queasy disposition. Wow. I was not expecting that. Ian McAllister: Yeah, it's a lovely story, isn't it? I think I've learned the lesson. I made a blue plaque on photoshop about Ian fell here and I went back to the tree afterwards and pinned it on the tree. Kelly Molson: It's a special moment. Ian McAllister: That tree will always be in my memory. Kelly Molson: But well done, your children, on learning the skills to get you out of a very tricky situation. Ian McAllister: Yeah, it was great, but they loved it because they got riding an ambulance, so their Snapchat stories were filled up that day with pictures of them and the dog in an ambulance on a muddy New Year's Day. Kelly Molson: Great story. Thank you for sharing. I feel like we've started the podcast on high. Ian McAllister: We can't really go any lower than this, can we? Kelly Molson: Not really, no. Your unpopular opinion, Ian. I dread to think what this might be. Ian McAllister: Had a few and I was trying to think which one would upset the least people. So I had a few. I was trying to think which one upset the least people. So this one's cake. And I hate cake. And I've always hated cake, really dislike cake. And I think people say to me, "what is it you don't like about cake?". And I think I've narrowed it down to the taste, the texture, the smell and the look. Because just everything about a cake, I don't like. So when it comes to birthdays, the kids obviously get me a birthday cake because they can eat it themselves, but I just don't like cake. I've got a bit of a funny not so much now, but I had a funny food thing. I'm sorry in advance. I didn't eat yellow food for about six months. Ian McAllister: It was anything yellow, even to the point where if I got a packet of M&Ms, I wouldn't eat the yellow ones. Kelly Molson: Can I just ask what age you were? Was this 30? Ian McAllister: Probably worse than that? It's about 35. Like my late 30s. Genuinely, genuinely developed an aversion to yellow food. So my friend Steven, who's head of HR at work, he went through a phase of thinking to try and reeducate me. So every Friday he'd go through Steven's adventures in food. It was all the food that I probably should have eaten by the time I was, like, 40 years and hadn't. So things like sushi or porridge. Every Friday he'd bring in something and it would be a chart, like a reward chart. And he'd put a little sticker on if I liked it or didn't like it. Just because people don't know I'm a 47 year old man with two children. Kelly Molson: Oh, God. And have you eaten a banana since? That's what I need to know. Ian McAllister: Yeah, since I started re eating yellow food, I'm all over it. I like a banana, like a bit of pineapple. Cheese is great. We just have the argument because people would say to me, and this was my bugbear, and they get really irritated with this. It's a what about chips? Chips aren't yellow. They're like a beige. So chips were allowed. Kelly Molson: Okay. And pasta as well. They're all in the beige category rather than yellow. Okay. Ian McAllister: Yeah. So can you imagine presenting me with a yellow cake? Yellow cake? That'd be my idea of h***. Kelly Molson: That's your worst nightmare, isn't it? Jaffa Cake. How do you sit about that? Is that a cake or a biscuit? Ian McAllister: But food of choice would always be a chocolate hobnob. No question. Kelly Molson: Great biscuit. Yeah. In the fridge. Ian McAllister: Great biscuit. Crunch. Good for the dunk. Always in the fridge, yeah. Chocolate. What do you think about this chocolate? Does it live in your cupboard or in your fridge? Kelly Molson: Fridge. I like a crunch. I like it to go crunch and then I like that it then melts in your mouth. It's like two different sensations in one. People will argue about this. This is not an unpopular popular opinion, by the way, but people will not be happy about this at all. Ian McAllister: No, but I mean, the people that aren't happy with it are wrong. Kelly Molson: They are. Agreed. Oh, my goodness, what a start for this podcast. Okay, how did an Essex boy end up in Northumberland? Tell me a little bit about your background, because you're not from attractions background at all, are you? You come from a completely different sector. Ian McAllister: Yeah, when I got married, which since divorced, but when I got married, my best man suggested it was witness protection. That's what kind of brought me 350 miles north. But the fact was I was working, I'm from Essex, as we've previously mentioned, and I then went to university in Surrey. I went to Kingston and I was working just locally, really, just in pubs and clubs. And I went downstairs to my flat and it was a redeployment, so I thought, it's time to get a proper job. And it was literally under my flat and I ended up working there, mainly because it was under my flat and it took about 10 seconds to commute to it. So I spent a bit of time in recruitment and at the time I was living with two flatmates weirdly, both called Marcus. Ian McAllister: So Marcus One and Marcus Two both worked in TV. One worked, I think Channel Five and One was a BBC or ITV. And I kept telling how good their jobs were and how great their life was, and I thought, "Well, you know what, can't beat them, got to join them". So I did actually beat them. So I wrote to MTV with a really cocky letter saying how much it be their big mistake if they didn't recruit me and this and the other. So I went in for my interview and the guy said, I've got you in because you're either really good or really cocky. And I don't know which one it is. So eventually they gave me a job. So I worked in media in London and I think I was there for two years. Ian McAllister: I just got sick of the rat race and it was just the commute to London. It was an hour each way and I was fed up of it, and I was fed up with the people and I was fed up of the busyness. And I met my then wife, who is from up here, but she had a flat in Edinburgh. I just thought, "You know what, I've got no real commitments down here". I don't have any kids or pets or any of that sort of stuff. So I just chose to order and we moved to Edinburgh and I kind of flipped around in recruitment and odds and ends, moved to the north and set up a property company. So were renting properties to students. Ian McAllister: Then I went to work for a marketing company and then I ended up working where I do now, The Alnwick Garden part time doing marketing and then just kind of worked my way up from there. I couldn't remember what the question was. Was it your background? Kelly Molson: Yeah, you answered it well. Yeah. Well done. Ian McAllister: Thanks. Definitely didn't come from tourism, but I kind of came from marketing kind of sales. And I think I've always been one of these people that might be clear by now that could just talk. Kelly Molson: That's coming across. Definitely getting that on this episode. But I like that you sound like someone who makes their own opportunities in life, which I like. You just go out and get what you want and what's going to fit for you. Tell us a little bit about Alnwick Garden because we're going to talk a little bit about something attached to Alnwick Garden. But Alnwick Gardens itself is quite spectacular. Think it dates back is it 1996? It dates back to is that when. Ian McAllister: It was originally about 1890s. We can date it back to. So it was the original garden kitchen garden for the Alnwick Castle. So it was throughout the two World Wars, it was what fed all the local farmers and the local community and this, that and the other. So come the 90s is when the Duchess of Northumberland, who lives in the castle, was married to the Duke. That's when she took it on as a bit of a project. And she got in some designers from, I think Belgium called Vertz Design. So it's a Vertz design garden and she took it over as a garden and she always wanted it to be she always said it was going to be a stage for people to do whatever they want in, so we can put on events. Ian McAllister: We've had random things, like we've had mixed martial arts in the garden and then we've had Peppa Pig characters coming in. So it's a real variety of things that we do in the garden. But, yeah, so it's been open for 20 odd years now. We're a charity, so we're just about celebrating the 20th year of becoming a charity. So, yeah, the Alnwick Garden itself is a garden, as you'd expect. It's got world's largest Taihaku cherry orchard outside of Japan, got Poison Garden, it's got the world's largest treehouse, which is a restaurant. It's got all these kind of unusual things that you wouldn't necessarily put in, like an RHS garden or a queue garden type place. And it's a great big open space that we market, people come and we do weird events in. Kelly Molson: So it's quite special in its own right, isn't it? But then, about twelve years ago, Jane Percy, the Duchess of Northumberland, she had another idea, didn't she? And that's what we're going to talk about today. Do you all get a little bit worried when she says, "I've got this idea?". Because this one's been a pretty mental one, hasn't it? Spectacularly mental one. Ian McAllister: Yeah. It's kind of that first glimmer of, "Oh, God, what's it going to be now with the backup of the thing is that when she has an idea, she sees it through". And I say this, I know a lot of people chuck this phrase around loosely, and I don't mean it this at all. She's a visionary, because she has these completely off the wall ideas, but has then got the determination and the team behind her to actually see them through. So the new project being the biggie, which has been years in the making and years in the planning, and I'm sure do you want to introduce it or do you want me to say what it is? Kelly Molson: Well, what do you do it. The world's biggest children's play park. Ian McAllister: Yeah. So it's called Lilidorei, which every single thing in it is from her head. And she's got this really creative outlook on life, and she's then pulls in the right people to kind of bring them to life. So she imagined this place where kids could just be away from technology, where they could play and actually play like we used to when were little. And we'd go out making dens and kind of making up our own stories. And it's called Lilidorei,. So the concept of the place is that it's a Lilidorei, village and there's nine clans that live in this village and all of the clans worship Christmas. So you've got good clans and you've got bad clans. Ian McAllister: And it's weird talking about this in a normal way now, and I've seen construction staff talk about this, and it feels weird to be saying things like the elves and the fairies and the pixies. But it got to the point when were building where you'd see the big construction workers and the joiners fags in their mouth, talking about pixies houses and fairies and elves. But the concept is that some of the clans are really good, like the fairies and the pixies, and then some are a bit more troublesome, like the goblins and the hobgoblins and the trolls. But at Christmas time, they all come together to worship Christmas. So whilst it's Christmas themed, it's not Christmas all year, apart from the gift shop, which is fully Christmas at every time. Ian McAllister: They can buy a ball tomorrow if you want, but we've also got the world's largest play structure. So the place structure was built by a company called MONSTROM, who are based in Denmark. And it's one of these things that's got to be seen to believed, which makes marketing it quite tricky because you can't really feel it until you stood underneath it. But local landmark, the angel of the north, is always a good point of reference. So our play structure is 6 meters taller than the angel of the north. And there's a slide from the top, so it's a 26 meters high structure and there's a slide that comes from 20 meters up. Ian McAllister: But to get to this slide, you go around this really convoluted system of walkways and corridors and climbing up uncomfortable spaces and squeezing through things and climbing up nets, and that's just part of it. The rest of it is all these clan houses. So it's a really fascinating place. Kelly Molson: It's amazing, isn't it, that all of this came out of her head? So I watched the ITV, did a publication on your launch, which was it was only a couple of weeks ago, wasn't it, that it opened? The presenter of the snippet, he went up the slide and came down it and he was talking it through and he was saying, 26 meters. And I was like, "Yeah, that's quite high, isn't it?". But you can't really grasp when someone says that. To me, I couldn't really kind of grasp what the height of 26 meters actually looked like. So when you said that comparison that you've just given about the angel of the north, that's really big. Ian McAllister: But there's no point. It's all enclosed. So, like, you've got open netting and this and other but there's nowhere that kids can actually fall off, if you like. So I think kids, it tests their bravery. It's handy for us from an insurance point of view, health and safety, certainly, but kids like, test themselves. So you'll see them start the session and they'll just be on the little swings at the bottom or on the little spinny mushrooms, and then by the end of the session, you see them at the top running around like it's no one's business, just testing bravery. I think that's the big thing. Kelly Molson: Yeah. And I love the idea that it opens your imagination. You can be any part of that story. You've got that underlying story of the clans and that they worship Christmas, but then you make your own part of that story to go with it, and based on where you interact and where you go and where you climb or what houses you go into and all of those kind of things. It is pure magic, isn't it? Ian McAllister: It is. And we've got a team of people that work. They're called secret keepers. So they're sitting in their outfits and costumes, but they're really extravagantly dressed with feathers in their hats and all sorts. Their job is almost to facilitate the play. So it was almost a marketer's dream when I started off because we couldn't really talk about what it was because people didn't understand until it was built, couldn't see it. So I came up with a concept, which is the most lazy marketing you'll ever think of and the whole tagline which is carried through is, what's your story? So really what we're doing is we're encouraging people to make their own narrative and to make their own story, which saves me the job for a start, but also we don't want to dictate that. Ian McAllister: Well, that clan looks like this because you can't see the clans, you can see the houses and you can imagine how they are, but you can't actually see anything. So when you get there, it's all brought together by this immersive sound we've got. It's like a million quids worth of sound system for each clan. House has got its own immersive sound system that kind of gives you implications or ideas as to what that clan might be up to or what's happening inside the house. So you can look into their house window and you can see how it's all set up. So it kind of starts to build this picture and then the secret keepers are there to encourage that with the kids and, "What do you think they look like? And could you hear that sort of noise?". Ian McAllister: And it gives this underlying narrative for every kid that comes, is obviously going to leave with a different picture of what a particular clan or a particular circumstance is like. Kelly Molson: That's amazing. So you don't have the characters. They never see what the goblins look like, for instance. They have to make all of that upload in their own minds. Ian McAllister: Yeah, I mean, we've got this sort of narrative in the background. We've got an idea of what Duchess has imagined the Clans to look like or the Clans to do, or the Clans to kind of be like. But we never tell the kids this. It's all about provoking thought and provoking story. There was books that I used to read when I was a kid, and they would choose your own adventure books, and it was kind of you make your own adventure. So every even if one kid came to Lilidorei, five times, they might have a completely different experience each time just because of their imagination and the sort of stuff that the secret keepers have fed them, if you like. Kelly Molson: I love that. While we're talking about secret keepers, you've got ahead of Play, haven't you, Nathan? I don't know any other organisations or attractions that have got ahead of Play. How did that kind of come about? Ian McAllister: So to give me his full name, it's Nathan Bonk.Kelly Molson: Excellent name. Ian McAllister: Nathan Bonk, he's come over from America specifically to organise the play and the secret keepers and this. So that's his kind of creation, if you like, in conjunction with the Duchess. So he was meeting with the duchess virtually daily to make sure he's on the right lines, and she was happy with what he was doing, but to kind of put an extra element of weirdness into the story, which in case we haven't had enough weirdness in the podcast already in the Garden going back two or three years, I'm friends with a guy called Stewart who's the reigning Mr. Gay World, and he's only reigning because they disbanded the competition after he finished it. So he kept title. He's kept that. So he got in touch to say that he wanted somewhere to host Mr. Gay England, which is like a pride initiative. Ian McAllister: And it's not just a catwalk, it's education and it's exams, and then the winner of it ends up representing the gay community to go to Parliament and lobby Parliament and speak in schools and this and the other. So I said, well, the best place, really, if you think of the most sort of unusual place that you could think of in a really rural town where there aren't many people of any persuasion, would be Alnwick. So we put it in the middle of the garden. The cat walks right down the middle of the garden, and we've rebranded that entire day, which we're doing again this year, Gay Day. So what we do is we have Gay Day, and it's everything. We've got market traders, LBTQ+ friendly market traders and face painters, and we do trails and all sorts of things. Ian McAllister: So anyway, last year we had Mr. Gay Europe and Nathan's friends with Stewart. So Nathan came over to help with the competition. Mr. Norway had COVID, so couldn't turn up. So there were one person short. So Nathan ended up weirdly representing America in the Mr. Gay Europe competition. Kelly Molson: Wow. Ian McAllister: If you get to know Nathan, as you'd understand, he's always got an outfit of two just stashed away just in case. So he came out with like, the short camouflage shorts and the face paint and waving the USA flag. Anyway, after Gay Day, he went home and he'd fallen in love with Alnwick. And it was just it wasn't New York. He lived like a six minute walk to Central Park. So it's totally different. But he fell in love with the place. And he sent me an email, a bit of a video explaining why love Alnwick and if there's any opportunities that came up, and this, that, and the other. And the only thing that popped in them ahead as soon as I saw his video was the head of play, and I just knew that he would be the person for this role. Kelly Molson: But was it a role that you were looking for or did you create. Ian McAllister: It for the role we discussed? We always discussed that we needed someone. It was going to be it's almost like a head of operations for Lillidorei, but that sounds far too boring. So we always knew there was going to be a role for somebody. I don't think we quite realised to the extent of how influential this role would be in creating the entire story and the entire visit. So Nathan, with his ideas, he's opened theme parks before. He's been in stunt performances in various theme parks. He opened, like, the Harry Potter experiences in Orlando. So he's done all this stuff already. But I remember he Zoom called me one morning. He said, you're never going to believe it. I've got an interview with the Duchess at lunchtime. Brilliant. So I gave him a few bit of background and what were working towards. Ian McAllister: About 2 hours later, he zoomed me back. He said, you're never going to believe it. I've got the job. They sort me out a house. I'm flying over next week, and I've got a tea at the castle with the Duchess. It's like every American film you've seen where they tried to represent England in a completely fictional way. He was living it. Kelly Molson: What a life. Wow. Ian McAllister: And that was it. And he's been here since. And he loves it. He's absolutely settled. He's incredible. He's got this team of amazing people who do things like juggling with Diablos and teaching kids that go on balance boards and hula hoops. Their job is to interact with everybody that comes in and just create the atmosphere. Kelly Molson: And that's what makes the place so special, isn't it? It's that interaction from the people and the encouragement of the ideas that the children have to explore them that makes it a magical place. Ian McAllister: It is. It's incredible to sit as a construction site. All of a sudden. And now to see 600, 700 kids running around each session screaming and laughing and coming out with ruddy faces and wet trousers, it's everything we wanted it to be come to life, a Kelly Molson: It sounds magic. And I've seen those faces, I've seen the kids faces on the ITV clip, which we'll put in the show notes, actually, so you can have a look at it if you haven't had a chance to go up there yet. I want to talk a little bit about, because you've said a few times now, Alnwick want to talk a little bit about, because you've said a few times now, Alnwick, it's relatively rural, a small community, there's not a huge amount going on there other than this spectacular Alnwick Garden and Lilidorei that's just launched. You offer Free Fridays. And I saw the Duchess talk about this. It's for local children, school children, to come for free on a Friday so they can experience what's happening there. What impact do you think that Lilidorei is going to have on the local community and the children there? Ian McAllister: I think so. Two elements to that, really, then, the creation of the attraction itself. We've always estimated roughly, or looking quite accurately, based on recent figures, that it's going to bring an extra 200,000 people a year into the area. And that's going to benefit, obviously, it's going to benefit us, it's going to benefit the Alnwick Garden Trust, it's going to benefit the Alnwick Castle, which is another attraction up the road. All the local restaurants, pubs, hotels, everyone's going to benefit because what we're hoping to do is turn AlnwickAll the local restaurants, pubs, hotels, everyone's going to benefit because what we're hoping to do is turn Alnwick into a multi day destination, so people won't just come for one of the things and go back to Newcastle, back to Edinburgh. They'll do it as a day trip. So we're hoping that it will really kind of drive the local economy. Ian McAllister: So in terms of local economic benefit, I think that's kind of nailed, really. The figures are already quite obvious. In terms of the Free Fridays, then you don't have to go that far out of Alnwick, particularly if you went to South Northumberland and there's quite a lot of people that are in all sorts of various situations. There's schools in different areas, there's kids that just would not be able to afford to come otherwise because it's comparable to other attractions. But it's still not a cheap day out, it's not three quid to go to the local soft play. So there's a lot of kids that the Duchess particularly just didn't think it was fair, wouldn't be able to experience it, hence Free Fridays. Ian McAllister: So the idea of Free Friday is that every school child in Northumberland, and then eventually, when we've kind of been running for a bit, we'll widen it to Tyne and Wear into Newcastle. But at the minute, every child in Northumberland should be able to experience Lillidorei without having to pay. So we've opened up this application process where local schools can apply to come to one of the sessions and that's for any Friday throughout the year. So already the mini uptake has been phenomenal and there's schools that you see that you think, you know, I know exactly what area that school is in and without making too many judgments, you know, that they just would not be able to afford to come, so we're giving them the opportunity to come. Ian McAllister: So that's part one of Free Fridays, which is well underway at the minute, and I think we're almost booked up for the rest of the next twelve months with Fridays. Kelly Molson: That's amazing. Ian McAllister: But the next part is that the Duchess is to now do other initiatives to try and put money into a ring fenced account. So then eventually when that account builds up, we'll also be able to start to subsidise travel. So if you've got a school that's an hour's journey away, hopefully this pot of money, they can apply to it to pay for their hiring of a school coach or a minibus or whatever it's going to be to actually bring the kids up. So it's an entirely free day and there's different things like she's doing private tours, we're doing packages where you can have a nice meal at the treehouse and then come into Lilidorei afterwards. So like I say, that's all going to be ring fence specifically for transport from Free Fridays. Kelly Molson: That's incredible. What an opportunity. And like you say, for the kids that just would not have that opportunity to be able to go and experience it. It's just such a wonderful thing to be able to do. Ian McAllister: It is, it's incredible. And I think a lot of the feedback we saw before we opened, because again, as I say, it was quite hard to explain the concept of it and what you actually got for your 15 quid entry fee. So a lot of people say you've outpriced us and we can't afford it and this, that and the other. And that's why it was really good to then say, "Look, if you want to bring your kids, just tell your kids to speak to their teacher and get the teacher to speak to us and we can facilitate them for free". So it's making a difference already. It's incredible. Kelly Molson: Yeah. And I guess then it's about selling what that 15 pounds gets you the benefits of that 15 pounds. Yes, it's a relatively higher price point, but you start to break it down about the experience that they get there and the magic that can actually happen that they can't get anywhere else, and then it starts to become slightly more appealing purchase. You can stay there for quite a long time, right? You've got that dwell time as well. So when you work it out, cost per hour, it actually seemed quite reasonable. Ian McAllister: And I think having two kids myself, I think what am I going to compare this to? So you can't compare it to going to local council run park because it's nowhere near the same, it's not just a climbing frame. And then I think, "Well, what else would I do for the kids for that time period on a Saturday if we're bored?" Probably get the cinema. So the cinema is going to be 1520 quid to get in. And then, sweetness, you got 2 hours of sitting in silence watching a film and then you come out, go home and that's done. Ian McAllister: So to compare it to that, to Lilidorei, you've got a three hour session where you can come in, whole family can interact and it's running free and it's fresh air, I mean, it's not fumbling, it's always fresh air and by fresh I mean probably freezing most of the time. But you've got this it's a completely different experience and I think where people were just looking at it as it's a climbing frame, well, I could just go up the park. So it's trying to explain to people that it is different and yeah, it doesn't work out a really cheap day if you've got two parents and three kids, for example. But what we have done, we've introduced, and we're going to look at this after some holidays, we introduced the founder Lilidorei membership. Ian McAllister: My idea with this is always it's got to be for the child focused. So it's the child that has the membership. So little Johnny could have a membership for him and an adult, or him and two adults, and that means they could bring in mum and dad or they could bring in Nanny Granddad or they could bring in whoever they want. But it's always for me been the child that dictates this whole thing. So we always say that well behaved adults can come in with a responsible child. So we've kind of flipped the narrative a little bit there. And in terms of the membership itself, I used to read the Beano when I was a kid and the only thing I ever wanted grown up was Dennis the Menace fan club membership. Ian McAllister: And with that it cut a wallet, a membership card and a badge. And so for me, Lilidorei membership, you get a wallet, a card and a badge. So all these founder lidorians walk around proudly displaying their badge because there was a limited number of to be the very first people to be these members. But it's empowering the kids. The adults are allowed to come if the kid says they can come. I almost wanted to wake up on a Saturday morning and the child go, "Right, mom, you've been good, you can come with me. Dad, you got to wash the car and do the dishes". Kelly Molson: I love that. I love that giving them the choice of who they take and to take Granny as well. Yeah, it's a really good point about the memberships, isn't it? Because it is generally tied to the adult and the children that they have. But I love that you've empowered the kids to make that choice. Yeah. So you've got to be the kid. The parents have to be good all week. Ian McAllister: Exactly. That's to end the story points.Kelly Molson: Yeah. Well, we're going back to your food eating and your little sticker chart, aren't we? That's what you need. There you go. Sell that in the shop for the adults to buy their sticker reward chart, whether they get to come back or not on the next visit. Ian McAllister: That's a great idea, talking to the shop, actually, just briefly, because you may. Kelly Molson: Segue listen, I'm on fire today, Ian. Segue into the shop. Ian McAllister: My good friend Matthew Henderson, who anyone who listens to podcast will have heard him before. He has been incredible. He's been absolutely amazing. It was him that put you and I in touch in the first place. We bought him in to get the shop ready. And to say it's shop ready is the biggest understatement of the century, because I've never seen anything like it. The people that work in retail, a retail manager, Tracy, to coin a phrase, and not sound corny, it's like all the Christmases have come at once, because she's always wanted this shop that she's proud of, that she's selling things that she believes in. It's all been sourced specifically for her. And Matt has done just what a job. It's incredible. Kelly Molson: He is such a great guy, Matt. So Matthew came on our podcast. It was only a few episodes away, actually, ago, actually, and Matt used to work at Beamish and now he's out on his own. He's a consultant now and helps lots of attractions work out their special offering, the uniqueness when it comes to products. And I have seen a photograph of the shop and, oh, my God, it looks like an attraction in itself. It looks like something you'd pay to go visit in itself, like a Santa's Grotte or say. It's just incredible. Ian McAllister: It's phenomenal. And he was also fundamental in helping us with all the food and stuff that we're doing across site, but mainly in there. You know about the ice creams? Kelly Molson: I know about the ice cream. Tell us. Ian McAllister: So there's three flavours. I mean, you've got a vanilla, but then you've got the other obvious choices. You've got Troll Snot ice cream and you've got fairy dust ice cream. So fairy dust is like a raspberry ripple with popping candy. And Troll Snot is pure bright green, but it's sour apple, which sounds vile, but it's actually really nice. But I've got pictures of him with a hair net at the ice cream facility, which I keep telling him should be his next Tinder profile. He's got so involved in it, he's been instrumental in the whole thing. I don't think we'd be anywhere near where we are now without Matthew. Kelly Molson: Oh, wow. Well, that is a massive compliment to Matthew in itself, isn't it? No, he's a great guy. And I think it's something that sometimes gets a bit overlooked when it comes to shop. And you often go to places and you see the same things. Exit through the gift shop, you see the same things, and it genuinely just feels like, and I can only say this from the photos, but it just feels like you're stepping into such a magical world as an extension of the magical world that you've just come out of. Ian McAllister: It really is. It's surreal because on Press Day, we had a launch day a couple of weeks ago, it was so hot. It was a beautiful day. I clearly have the sunglasses on all day, caught a nice tan. Apart from the work stuff, it was a really nice day. But then you do, you exit into the shop and it's like you've already sudden fast forwarded six months and you're in the middle of Christmas. There's Christmas trees and candy canes and balls, not to mention the ridiculous amount of old fashioned sweet jars with trolls fingers and different fudges. And it is surreal because then you've had this 20 minutes Christmas experience in the shop and then you're back into 24 degree heat again. It's bizarre. Kelly Molson: You opened on was it the 25th of May? Is that your opening day? Ian McAllister: Yeah. So a couple of days before half term, were supposed to have a lot more testing than we had, but because of construction issues, we ended up with two testing days. We were supposed to have at least a month or two months testing, but we had to literally do it all in two days. So we opened a VIP date and then we opened for the public on the Thursday. We would never have predicted this, the Thursday Friday, and then the full half term, every single slot was sold out to the point where after a couple of days, we made a judgment call to up capacity and then we upped it again. And it's been full, absolutely full. Kelly Molson: And have you kept that capacity as well? Ian McAllister: Because I think we didn't want the risk of opening, saying, right, we're going to get 800 kids in per session, and then all of a sudden there's 800 people trying to go down a slide. So we didn't want to ruin the visitors experience with queues and with too many people and crowds and this and the other. So we opened with 300 capacity, which was, I mean, once 300 people are on the play structure, you kind of see it. It's like you can't hear them, you can't see them, they've just vanished like ants. So we upped it to five and we're looking at up in it again to, I think, 750. We're going to maybe try and push it up to for some holidays. Kelly Molson: Gosh, that's incredible. So safe to say that it's been a successful launch, then. Ian McAllister: You know what, we couldn't have asked for more. We've had the weather, we've had the publicity. Everything has been going so well. It's been a really positive experience. It was touch and go for a bit where we're all sort of walking around a few days before launch. S***, there's a bump there. There's a thing here. And the construction team, I've never seen anyone react like it like the lighting team would pretty much work until 04:00 in the morning. So they'd work all day. But then they'd want to test their lights so they'd have to wait until it got dark. But then they'd work all night till 04:00 the next morning, go home for a few hours kip and then come back again. Ian McAllister: And we've got a big thank you party tonight at Lilidorei to thank all of the staff, volunteers and construction team for everything they've done to a few hundred people coming tonight. And it's been overwhelming how everybody's got involved, even contractors that might be there for a week doing something. It's been almost like a pride project for them. Kelly Molson: It's amazing. Well, but that shines through in what you've created, right? Everybody that's touched it has taken some kind of ownership of it. What a lovely thing to do. Just throw the party as well to say thank you. It's June now. The story behind Lilidorei obviously involves Christmas. I'm really intrigued as to what you might have planned for Christmas. Are you allowed to talk about any of that yet or is it embargoed? Ian McAllister: I can talk about it a little bit because I've seen it. So we had a sneak peek. So for the last two years, we've been followed around by MGM who have been filming the documentary for Channel Four. So Channel Four documentary goes out, I think, August. So there's a six part Saturday night documentary going out all about the Duchess. It's called The Duchess, but it's all about her leading up to this project. So their last filming day was VIP press day. Kelly Molson: Wow. Ian McAllister: About three days before that, we had a preview one night at 10:00. We would like to go onto site to get a preview of Christmas. I don't even think I can come up with the words. And I'm quite good with words. I can't even put together a sentence that explains quite how magical it is. It's just the lights, the sounds, the atmosphere. And this was a summer's night at 10:00, so I can't even think what it would be like when it is actually Christmas. And we've got three Santa's grottos. To talk, you kind of back a little bit. Ian McAllister: You've probably seen the picture of the big Lilidorei entrance gate. So when you get to the gate, you've got sounds. You've got a troll talking to a pixie and who wants pixie, wants to let us in and the troll won't let her. So you stand there and you can hear this immersive sound and they won't open the gate. So what you have to do is kind of find a way around and go through a hidden tunnel. At Christmas, those gates will open and it's like, all of a sudden, Christmas is there. So you come in, every Christmas tree is going to be lit, and bear in mind, we've got 1400 Christmas trees. Every Christmas trees got fairy lights in. The atmosphere was just phenomenal. It sounds like a cop out, but it's got to be seen to believed. Kelly Molson: Well, I look forward to that, because that sounds right up my street. Ian McAllister: You know, you're welcome. You're more than welcome. I'll even treat you to some troll snot ice cream. Kelly Molson: How could I possibly say no to that? Ian McAllister: It's the Essex charm, isn't it? Kelly Molson: Just wins me over every time Ian, thank you for coming on. So we always ask our guests to recommend a book at the end of a podcast. What have you got for us today? Ian McAllister: And it was post, COVID I read it and someone had recommended it. So I went and bought a copy and it's got to the point now where I've probably funded about 90% of the book sales because I'll keep buying copies and saying to someone, you love this, I've given them a copy and it's The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Have you read it? Kelly Molson: Yeah. Great book. Ian McAllister: For me, I think I am where I am now and my career path, my life path, everything was based on decisions and sometimes it's easy to sit and think, that's a bad decision. If I hadn't made that decision, I'd be much happier now. And The Midnight Library, for anyone who hasn't read it, is all about going back and retrospectively looking at your decisions that you've made in life and you get a glimpse of where that decision took you. And I think for me, what it did was instead of me constantly going back, not depressed or anything, but you kind of sit and dwell sometimes instead of thinking well. Ian McAllister: So, for example, I nearly joined the RAF when I was 17 and I wanted to be military police, but because I've got terrible eyesight, they said, well, we can't give you a gun because you probably shoot the wrong person. So they offered me dentistry. So, looking at the time, I was typical Essex. Toys were out, the pram, I'm not doing this, I don't want to do it. So I went to uni and did all that stuff. But I often think back, I think, you know what? If I'd have gone in the RFN and had paid to train me as a dentist and I've done the service, I could have come out and sat me in dental practice and this, that and the other.Ian McAllister: And I often think, would I be happier had I done that and done that as a career path and been a professional, if you like, because I still don't consider myself a professional. But then this book almost made me reframe that a little bit and think, you know what, I might not have done that. I might have hated it or something else would have changed and I wouldn't have had my beautiful children, I'm a stupid dog, or wouldn't have any of that sort of stuff now if I'd have taken that career path. So in a nutshell, for me, The Midnight Library is a really good read. It's quite an easy read, I found, because I was really invested in it, but it made me reframe a little bit. Kelly Molson: Yeah, it's a great book. I've read it a couple of times now and similar to you, it's made me look back at not so much choices but events that have happened to us. Me and my partner, we've had a load of people this is quite public knowledge, we've had a load of trouble having children and we lost quite a few along the way and multiple rounds of IVF and all of that malarkey. And I think that book made me reflect on some of those things that had happened because you start to question, am I a bad person here? Or like, why are these things happening to us? We're good people, what's wrong? Kelly Molson: But some of those things that have happened regardless, despite them being really difficult and quite awful, they've led you to other things that are magic and they've given you gifts of something really tragic happened. Has been able to give us the gift of being able to talk about it openly, which has then gone on and helped other people be able to talk about it or share how they are or just given someone found them, someone that they can talk to. And I think you have to just kind of look back at those things and I don't know, it's a long winded way of saying I completely agree with you and it's a really good book. If you're feeling a bit reflective about your life, it's definitely one to go and have a read of. So yeah, good read. Ian McAllister: I think it may me kind of start to think about the ways I've handled things and how I sort of shape things moving forward so that my best friend died when were at college and my nephew died when he was eight. And all these things in your life that at the time are the worst thing that could ever possibly happen and you could either go one way or the other and it almost explained or kind of put into context a little bit. I think that these things happen not necessarily for a reason, but the way that you cope with it and deal with it and move on after it. That's almost like the learning that you take from it. But this is a different podcast altogether. This is like a griefcast, so we'll do another one. Kelly Molson: This has ended on a complete opposite spectrum than it started, Ian. Anyway, listeners, if you want to win a copy of that book, I'd highly recommend you go and do this. So go over to this podcast announcement and retweet it with the words I want Ian's book. And you will be put into the draw to win a copy of The Midnight Garden. Kelly Molson: Midnight Garden? Midnight Library. Midnight Garden is a whole different book, kids book Midnight Library.Kelly Molson: Ian, thanks for coming on today. It's been brilliant to chat to you. We will put all of the information about Lilidorei and Alnwick Gardens into the show notes so you can have a little look for yourself. But those tickets for Christmas are going to sell out quickly, people, so get yourself on the mailing list. That's all I'm going to say. Ian McAllister: Thank you, Kelly. It's been so nice to talk to you. Living this far north, it's nice to establish my roots with an Essex person again. Kelly Molson: Well, always welcome. Six months check in, right?Ian McAllister: Thanks, Kelly. Kelly Molson: Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review. It really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast.
If you have any questions or dilemmas please send to Help@lukeandPete.com or message us on any of the socials and we will help you out Luke and Pete style
Kate D and Callie H are the leaders of this book study on Chapter 7. This recording was provided by, The Big Book Awakening, a Womens Big Book Study for all who identify as Women and/or LBTQ+. They meet in person every Saturday in St. Paul Minnesota at 8:30am. If you would like to join them please visit https://westendaa.org Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate AA Event: Friends in Recovery Roundup Rally held in Durban South Africa on April 28-29 Details: This event is live and on Zoom. Our group started on Zoom during Covid and this will be our 1st in person event. So we are very excited. https://scast.us/fir AA Event List: https://scast.us/events If you have an AA roundup, retreat, convention or workshop coming up, we would be happy to give you a shout out here on the podcast and list the event on the Sober Cast website. Visit the link above and look for "Submit Your Event" in the blue box. Sober Cast has 2100+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com
Kylar Broadus is a true warrior for equality, civil rights, the LBTQ community in general but especially Transgender individuals from communities of color. This attorney, long-time activist, public speaker, author and professor is a groundbreaking trailblazer who forged the way for many of today's leaders. Not content to sit on his laurels, Kylar continues his advocacy in New York, Washington DC and across the nation. He was awarded the Trans Trailblazer Award by the LGBT Bar Association of Los Angeles. He was awarded the 2018 Gentleman of Excellence Award. Mastercard in 2018 featured Broadus for Pride Month. He was recognized by the Prosecuting Attorney's Office of King's County in Brooklyn, New York in 2018 for his contributions to the legal field.In 2017 Liberty Mutual honored him at the GLAAD Awards for his 30 years contribution to the movement. The Advocate recognized Broadus as one of “25 Legal Advocates Fighting for Trans Rights.” He was named to the Out 100 by Out Magazine in 2013. Broadus was the first out transgender American to testify before the United States Senate in favor of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act in 2012. Broadus was given the Pioneer Award at the Trans faith of Color Conference by the Freedom Center of Social Justice. In 2011, he was awarded the Sue J. Hyde Activism Award for Longevity in the Movement at Task Force National Conference on LGBT Equality: Conference Creating Change. He has been featured in Esquire, BlackEnterprise.Com and Diversity, Inc. and numerous other publications. He is founder and director of the Trans People of Color Coalition the only national organization dedication to the civil rights of transgender people of color
Trending with Timmerie - Catholic Principals applied to today's experiences.
Fr. Nathan Cromly joins Trending with Timmerie discussing joy, the gaudete candle on the advent wreath, and preparing for Christ's coming at Christmas (2:53). They take a deep dive into the sacrament of confession as preparation for Christmas (20:32). Harry and Meghan documentary – why are people upset? (36:53) Don't buy the polls claiming everyone is pro-LBTQ. It's not true (41:42). Resources mentioned : https://saintjohnleadershipinstitute.org/ https://www.eagleeyeministries.org/
You've waited, you've wanted, it's here. Welcome to the 3rd Series Queeries - featuring the incredible masterpieces of HalloweenTown - Volumes 1-3! We don't count the 4th movie because it's a mess....Here's our feedback of the first 3 movies. Don't be shook... Paramount+Start your 7 Day FREE trail of Paramount+ on us! Hundreds of Shows, Movies and Exclusive Content, available anywhere! Click here to get watchingINSTACARTGrocery shop without leaving your couch! Get FREE SHIPPING on your first Instacart order of $35 or more! Never go to the grocery store again! Click here to shopSupport the showEnjoyed this episode? Don't forget to share with your pals and follow us on Instagram @TwoBlandGays
Glenn Block is a seasoned leader with 25 years+ experience in software engineering and product management. He is currently working on a stealth startup and also advising organizations on product strategy. Throughout his career, he worked at a number of hi-tech companies including Microsoft, Docusign, Auth0, and Splunk. Glenn has been a big advocate for the open source and developer community and was a maintainer for several successful open source projects. In recent years, Glenn has been very passionate about moving the ball forward for creating a more inclusive and safe environment in tech. He invests a large amount of his energy in mentoring, advising, and sponsorship especially for black women, women of color, and the LBTQ community. He has also worked in multiple organizations to change culture and policies, and has been active with multiple non-profit organizations in this space such as TechBridge Girls and Tech2Empower. Most recently, Glenn became a volunteer fellowship coding instructor at Code Nation. Glenn is a lifelong learner and recently went back to school receiving his executive MBA at Seattle University. He is also an avid rock climber and amateur astronomer. He lives with his wife and life partner in his new home in San Francisco. You can follow Glenn on Social Media https://twitter.com/gblock https://medium.com/@gblock PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST - Spotify: http://isaacl.dev/podcast-spotify - Apple Podcasts: http://isaacl.dev/podcast-apple - Google Podcasts: http://isaacl.dev/podcast-google - RSS: http://isaacl.dev/podcast-rss You can check out more episodes of Coffee and Open Source on https://www.coffeeandopensource.com/ Coffee and Open Source is hosted by Isaac Levin (https://twitter.com/isaacrlevin) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coffeandopensource/support
A rapper pees off a balcony on people daily, a school bus driver attacked by angry parent, LBTQ movie flops and the director blames homophobia, a jilted ex holds major grudge, voice mail trouble and more! Check out our amazing sponsors! binoid.com use our code 'NERD' to save 10% on Nerds favorite thc edibles and other goodies! built.com use code 'VOMSHOW' to save 10% on all orders on the most delicious, keto approved protein bars! Connecticut Cannabis Company - qoverqfarms.us Use code 'VOM25' To save 25% off all orders! Twitter/Mewe/Parler/Gettr/Rumble: @voicesofmisery Gmail: voicesofmiserypodcast@gmail.com Instagram: voices_of_misery Discord server: voices of misery podcast https://tinyurl.com/VoMPodcastTees
#EnvisionRISE Podcast | Travis Shumake, NHRA Driver, joins us to share his journey into drag racing as NHRA's first LBTQ+ out driver. With a family history in racing, Travis shares how following his childhood dream is shifting perspectives on stereotypes inside and outside of motorsports with fans and sponsoring organizations to improve representation. Watch this episode on YouTube.Follow Travis and his team:Instagram travieshuTwitter @schumaketravis FacebookTravisshumake.com Visit Envision RISE to learn how our evolutionary platform helps companies create a powerful integration and understanding of the relationship between the organization and the workforce. Envision RISE empowers your people to drive change and innovation through the methods of Organizational Change Management (OCM), Human Resource Management (HRM), and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I).
In today's episode Piper takes time to respond to a recent email from a teacher suggesting that the concern about what is being taught in school is not real, that they aren't teaching LBTQ+ to students. It doesn't take two minutes to show her how wrong she is and how prevalent it really is. Ready to join The Rebellion? Become a patreon member and enjoy some great extras while supporting our efforts to speak the Truth into our culture. Learn more at patreon.com/dreverettpiper. Find more resources and info at dreverettpiper.com
Today we have a book study on the topic We Agnostics presented by four folks from the Big Book Awakening Womens Book Study group. This was two separate book study meetings both on the same topic so you get multiple perspectives. Its fairly obvious when it switches from one meeting to the next. Zoom One quick fyi, it did have an audio dropout of around 5 seconds on one of the meetings, so I removed the dead air and added a click track so you know what is what. This recording was provided by, The Big Book Awakening, a Womens Big Book Study for all who identify as Women and/or LBTQ+. They meet in person every Saturday in St. Paul Minnesota at 8:30am. If you would like to join them please visit https://westendaa.org Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate We have added a page of meetings that have moved online https://sobercast.com/online-meetings Sober Cast has 1900+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search.
Today we have a big book study of the Preface and Forwards of the book. This group has covered the big book multiple times so we have six different people presenting on the same topic over three separate meetings. I popped a quick click track between the meetings. Recording provided by, The Big Book Awakening, a Womens Big Book Study for all who identify as Women and/or LBTQ+. They meet in person every Saturday in St. Paul Minnesota at 8:30am. If you would like to join them please visit https://westendaa.org Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate We have added a page of meetings that have moved online https://sobercast.com/online-meetings Sober Cast has 1900+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search.
In this week's headlines: • The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and there are serious concerns for the LGBTQ community • Kentucky's 2022 Teacher of the Year, a gay man, has resigned his position due to increasing hostility to the LGBTQ community • Spain has introduced new pro-LBTQ legislation • Turkey police violently attacked Istanbul's Pride event while Poland teamed up with Ukrainian LGBTQ refugees for Pride • Marriage equality comes to Switzerland • And we catch up with Oscar the 'gay' dog All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report
Kate and Callie are the presenters of this page by page study of Chapter 2 - There is a Solution. Zoom. This recording was provided by, The Big Book Awakening, a Womens Big Book Study for all who identify as Women and/or LBTQ+. They meet in person every Saturday in St. Paul Minnesota at 8:30am. If you would like to join them please visit https://westendaa.org Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate We have added a page of meetings that have moved online https://sobercast.com/online-meetings Sober Cast has 1900+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search.
Kasey Coleman joined us to discuss Pride month and LGBTQ
A while back I was contacted by a Womens big book study group that records their meetings and they asked if I was interested in using them on the podcast, my answer was a very definite yes. This is the first one of those recordings (there will be more) and its on the chapter, To Wives. This is a part of the book that doesnt get a lot of love for various reasons, I was really happy to see this was one of the topics covered by this group and thought it a great first podcast, it is presented by Kate and Kate. There is a slight buzz in this recording that I could not remove, its not really prominent however it is noticeable but not so annoying that it precluded using it. About this meeting: The Big Book Awakening is a Womens Big Book Study for all who identify as Women and/or LBTQ+. They meet in person every Saturday in St. Paul Minnesota at 8:30am. If you would like to join them please visit https://westendaa.org (Thanks again for providing these) Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate We have added a page of meetings that have moved online https://sobercast.com/online-meetings Sober Cast has 1900+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search.
LGBTQ+ Empowerment Coach, Kari Dewitt joins me today bringing her love, encouragement, wisdom and beautiful truths to add to the Rainbow. Her wise words, encouraging spirit and open heart will have you looking in the mirror with a renewed sense of self, and more importantly finding your magic again! "It takes courage to be yourself in a world where you are constantly told that who you are isn't enough. Being yourself is the biggest gift you can offer yourself and others. Be brave enough to show the world who you are without an apology."-Ash AlvesShow mentions:Kari Dewitt-LGBTQ+Empowerment CoachWebsite: Home | Karing Transformational CoachingInstagram: Kari | LGBTQ+ Mindset Coach (@karidewitt_) • Instagram photos and videosTikTok: Kari
Target is thinking ahead for this year's Pride Month, as it's known - the time of the year since 1999 in which we celebrate LGBTQ+ persons in the U.S., as well as their loudest and proudest allies in our midst. What is Target doing, you might ask? Why, they're marketing a new line of clothing featuring androgenizing pieces like chest binders and packing underwear. The latter of these innovations is, I presume from the name, intended so young men who want to wear women's swimsuit styles can do so without us noticing, ahem, certain biological anomalies not corresponding to their gender preference. And the former of these is obviously for women who likewise either want to pass for males, or else leave us all guessing. As an aside where Target is concerned, I would point out that I personally am feeling triggered by the fact that they still have among eight categories on their website one for 'Women,' as well as another for 'Beauty,' despite the fact that there is a great deal of debate about what constitutes either of these two things. But I'll just assume they must have biologists on staff who, unlike President Biden's most recent appointment to the Supreme Court, are able to define what in fact a woman is. But on a more serious note, now is as good a time as any for us to talk seriously about mammaries, and to ask what it can possibly mean when we read in Deuteronomy 22:5 that, "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God." At a minimum, I gather from this that Target does not employ so many theologians as they do biologists. But perhaps that is for the best. We would not want to study uncritically any books on either theology or biology which this upper middle-class box store could be expected to carry. Really, though, what else could God have meant about what "pertaineth unto a woman" or man where clothing is concerned except that they belong in separate departments due to anticipated dimensional differences in certain general regions of the bodies of those who will wear them? Makeup is a lie, as often to accentuate certain feminine qualities which are considered attractive as to mask other undesirable features like zits. But now we have moved on to wardrobe also. So both the crotches of men and the chests of women need a little help where our ambitions tend toward blurring the lines. On this latter point, can I point out that while Biblical modesty really is more about not attracting undue attention to ourselves and not enticing others to lustful thoughts, not first and foremost about how much skin is covered and precisely where on the body, there must be a line past which such endeavors become unreasonable. God was not so terribly and sternly specific as the most conservative among us typically are. Cultural context and setting are important considerations here, as must be personal conscience and individual discretion. But I surely do hope the baggy-denim-skirts-down-to-their-ankles crowd is free of internal conflict as to what to make of these chest binders for our females. But now that we've accepted draconian requirements for face-coverings in public for two years, the addition of Target's new options for LBTQ+ fashion almost make me wonder. Do we have some newfangled variety of Muslim cleric doing the social engineering in this country now? And what's next, rainbow burqas and hijabs for anyone who wants to go out in public? Perhaps the feminine men will want padding on their hips to make them seem a little wider. Or maybe the masculine women will want padding on their waists to make their hips seem narrower. Call me old-fashioned, but I think I'll stick to Proverbs 5:18-19, thank you very much. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/garrett-ashley-mullet/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/garrett-ashley-mullet/support
We're more than two years into this COVID-19 pandemic, and minority communities, including the LGBTQ+ community, have been disproportionately affected. For some gay men, the fear and response to this pandemic have been reminiscent of the early days of the AIDS crisis.And let's not forget that decades of HIV research conducted by the LGBTQ community and its allies paved the way for the COVID vaccine.Additional Resources:A Timeline of HIV and AIDSGlobal HIV & AIDS Statistics — Fact SheetGeorge H. W. Bush's Presidency Erased People with AIDS. So Did the Tributes to HimHow HIV Research Paved the Way for the Covid mRNA VaccinesLGBTQ People Face Higher Unemployment Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, Survey FindsThe Lives and Livelihoods of Many in the LGBTQ Community are at Risk Amidst COVID-19 Crisis
Welcome back! Today we are joined by Dr. Kate Balestrieri, Psychologist and Sex Therapist and founder & CEO of Modern Intimacy, a Mental Health Practice offering sex therapy and other therapy techniques for individuals and couples with specialization in relationships, trauma, PTSD, sex addiction, alternative lifestyles, mood disorders, LBTQ+ affirmative therapy, infidelity, and more. Dr. Kate is a Certified Sex Therapist, Certified Sex Addiction Therapist, and Licensed Psychologist, with a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology. She is also trained in the NeuroAffective Touch Model and is completing Levell III training as a PACT Couples' Therapist. What we talk about: the mind-body connection as it relates to sex the sex narrative we all grew up with Kate's experience in a sex-negative household where fantasies come from couples with varying sex drives exploring your sexual identity why your sexuality doesn't define you sexual trauma slut-shaming how our sex lives and our feelings about sex influence the other areas of our lives talking to a new (or long term) partner about sex sex addiction Kate's favorite ways to feel embodied & more! You can find Dr. Kate on Instagram and TikTok at @drkatebalestrieri and @modernintimacy and head to modernintimacy.com for more information on how to work with Dr. Kate and her team. She also houses a ton of great free resources on her blog. The books she recommended: Open Deeply by Kate Loree Down Girl by Kate Manne What we tried this week: Mia: Acupuncture & Cupping at Ora Carleigh: Athletic Greens As always, find us on Instagram @mostlybalancedpodcast and on our website. Thanks for joining us and please leave a rating or review if you enjoyed the episode! + Shop our Favs: Sakara Life - use code XOBALANCED for 20% off meal programs and clean boutique items Nuzest Protein Powder - Code MOSTLYBALANCED
In this podcast episode Chella Man shares with us about his transition journey and process into becoming the person he Identified into. Chella then discusses with us about his advocacy work for the LBTQ and disability communities and its impact on his life. Chella also shares with us about the behind the scenes story of the superhero story, Titans and what it's like to be an actor in that show.
Annemarie Shrouder is passionate about creating healthy workplace communities where people feel seen, heard and valued - and can thrive. To advocate for change, Annemarie facilitates engaging, dynamic and interactive presentations with the goal to help audiences think differently about diversity, to understand the importance of inclusion, and inspire the creation of healthy workplace communities. Her signature methodology is called the ‘ABCs of Inclusion' and works on two premises - that inclusion is an outcome and that leadership has to "get it" and build their capacity first, in order for change to be effective. She believes strategy drives change and helps solidify commitment to diversity and inclusion and one of her strategic writings includes her best-selling book, Being Brown in a Black and White World. So dive in, get your ‘Aha moment' for the day, and let's learn about embracing all parts of you: BOTH what you see AND who you are! [00:01 - 7:59] Opening Segment I introduce Annemarie Shrouder Bio Annemarie shares a bit about her background and revelations How she started her career as an elementary school teacher Active member of the LBTQ+ community A glaring need for people to see themselves in other things Working with organizations to help them realize how they view the world ‘Aha moment' - when people understand we are in the same situation We all have different experiences What needs to be changed in our perspective It's ok to see color, gender and identity Look at the way kids can see glaring differences We seem to learn to ascribe value to people [08:00 - 25:37] Embracing All Parts of You: What You See vs Who You Are Annemarie reveals how every part of who you are is important A poem from Annemarie's book “... as if these can't coexist: being and loving.” “How can you love ME, if you don't see my brown skin?” You don't need to fear devaluing someone based on noticing race Race isn't real, but the impact of racism is Annemarie talks about her lived experience search for belonging Race was constructed based on someone's decision The impact of that teaching is that we now separate ourselves It's just DNA “... Connects me with everyone in a DNA dance.” I am not more or less based on race, “I am just me” Annemarie talks about her poetry and writing process A path to greater self-acceptance and understanding Words are the quickest way to someone's heart Bring out the best in humanity and amplify our future on the The Goodness Exchange More information on how you can join in below [25:38 - 41:42] Living in the ‘Both, And' Space Annemarie shares how we don't have to divide into them and us Feeling like you have to choose between races When we polarize we begin to create barriers “I am BOTH black, I am white, AND I am me” There is room and space for us to learn, listen and share with each other How do we get to the point of living in ‘both, and'? Is it true? - challenging your assumptions How do I know it's true? What if it's not true? - accept that there are thing you don't know Pause, get out of the autopilot, and ask these questions I give my own practical tips of pausing before responding How this revelation can impact inclusion and belonging in the workplace Our stories affect who we include in the workplace It takes pausing and asking questions to our assumptions Are you seeing the person in front of you? This can apply to age and sexual orientation just as much of race A look at the viewpoint of Neurodiversity We miss out when we don't accept something because they don't come out a certain way [41:43 - 50:30] Perception's Struggle with Self-Identification Annemarie answers a few interesting questions related to diversity and racism Why is Barack Obama identified as the ‘first black president?' Perception vs. self-identification The One Drop rule - how history affects us today How does the One Drop rule play into US law and how does that affect us? When things are physically written down, they can't be ignored It's an opportunity to research and see the effects for yourself Do you see any possibility of us realizing race as a construct? Look for the ‘oneness' - what connects us? We all need the same things [50:31 - 58:22] Closing Segment Working at the pace of guidance If you go to fast then you may miss beautiful things Going to slow won't change anything Make room for guidance and, “be willing to take the pause” Listen or consider, and maybe course correct The only thing you can change is yourself “What is in this for me?” What we do next Practice awareness - practice the pause Be curious about the stories of others Research the implications of history Come to interactions with openness and humility How to connect with Annemarie Links below Final announcements Tweetable Quotes: “For me it's all about building community, building connection, building awareness so we can create greater sense of belonging and stronger communities.” - Annemarie Shrouder “Yes there are differences AND when we can live in that space, when we can be in that space of ‘BOTH, AND'… that's when I think we're going to be able to heal the divisions because we'll move forward in a different way together.” - Annemarie Shrouder “If you go too fast you miss stuff, and if you go too slow nothing changes. We need to work at the pace of guidance.” - Annemarie Shrouder Resources Mentioned: Links: The Power of the Pause MEA Online - Chip Conley Podcast: When Experience Meets Wisdom Seeing Without Eyes and Repurpose the Brain Good Thing, Bad Thing, Who Knows? Books: Being Brown in a Black and White World - Annemarie Shrouder One Drop Connect with Annemarie on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. To affect change in diversity and inclusion from the inside out visit https://annemarieshrouder.com/ and join in on the conversation. *On December 1st, your home for hope and personal path to more joy and less fear, will open with the launch of The Goodness Exchange! No one with good intentions and good ideas needs to feel alone ever again. The Goodness Exchange will be bringing out our BEST impulses as individuals and amplifying our collective genius! Conspiracy of Goodness Links: The Goodness Exchange https://www.amazingworld.media/goodness-exchange Conspiracy of Goodness Network https://conspiracyofgoodnessnetwork.com/ Conspiracy of Goodness on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/goodnessnetwork/ Dr. Lynda's Book: https://www.dr-lynda.com/book/happiness Ever Widening Circles https://everwideningcircles.com/ EWC APP: https://everwideningcircles.com/good-news-app-ever-widening-circles-app/ Affiliate Partners http://everwideningcircles.com/partners Donate! https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=I-nvmUrlbDfU67bRoWWdOhFxiAM_W81jtIFBGCYzfCL6fG8oSUOg9ONIL9WR8LDjLEeYj0&country.x=US&locale.x=US EWC Ed: https://ed.everwideningcircles.com/
Tune in this week with Tina & Jo to listen to how Taylor Smith advocates for mental health and the mindset needed to come back from her ACL tear as a pro athlete. 3:53- Decision to commit to UCLA 8:30- Drafting experience coming out of college 16:20- Coming back from ACL tear 35:00- Taylor Smith using her platform to advocate for the LBTQ+ community and POC
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