Podcasts about Loyalty

In this episode of Rethink Retail, host Sharon Yourell sits down with Dr. Michael Schulte from Diebold Nixdorf and Reghu Kutikat from Lulu Group to explore how strategic partnerships and advanced retail tech are transforming in-store experiences. From smart checkouts to data-driven loyalty, discover how retailers are using personalization, automation, and AI to future-proof their businesses and deepen customer engagement.

At Cannes Lions 2025, Time for a Reset went bigger,  recording a two-part podcast special in partnership with Nectar360.Now, in Part Two, we're turning the mic over to five retail leaders shaping the future of media, shopper experiences, and brand collaboration.Mario Mijares – VP, Insights, Loyalty, Marketing and Monetization Platforms, 7-ElevenBen Richardson - Agency Sales Executive, Albertsons Media CollectiveCatalina Salazar – Global Senior Director of Retail Media, WoltMaurits Priem – VP Monetization Europe & Indonesia, Ahold DelhaizeAlice Anson – Director - Digital Media, Nectar360Together, they explore the evolving role of retail media — and why it's no longer just a performance play. We dig into:The biggest opportunities to create brand value and elevate the shopper experienceHow retail media is moving up the funnel to become a more strategic part of the marketing mixWhat brands still get wrong, and how retailers can help bridge the knowledge gapThe importance of seamless, omnichannel experiencesAnd what successful brand–retail partnerships really look like in 2025 and beyondIt's a conversation full of honest insight, fresh perspectives, and actionable advice for brands looking to unlock the full potential of retail media.We also asked our guests what's caught their attention on La Croisette this year — from standout creative to the emerging trends shaping the future of marketing.

Finding the Biblical Ruth and Boaz In Today's Culture of Confusion   What does an ancient love story have to say about modern chaos? Host Curtis Chang and Good Faith contributor Andy Crouch dive into the Book of Ruth to uncover radical lessons on redemption, loyalty, and faithfulness that challenge today's culture of individualism and spiritual mobility. From Naomi's grief to Ruth's fierce commitment and Boaz's redemptive actions, Andy and Curtis explore how acts of devotion can disrupt systems of power and reshape community. Discover how an old story can offer fresh vision for navigating displacement, hospitality, and purpose in our fractured world.   Donate to Redeeming Babel   Resources mentioned in this episode: Book of Ruth (ESV) Rachael Starke's Boys will be Boaz (TGC article) Judges 19-20 (ESV) - the Levite's concubine N.T. Wright explains Scripture as narrative (video)  Understanding the Hebrew word hesed Understanding gleaning in the story of Ruth The role of and the ultimate kinsman-redeemer   More From Andy Crouch: Interact with Andy's website Check out Andy's work at Praxis Read Andy's book: The Life We're Looking For Read Andy's book: The Tech-Wise Family   Follow Us: Good Faith on Instagram Good Faith on X (formerly Twitter) Good Faith on Facebook   Sign up: Redeeming Babel Newsletter

Loyalty, Betrayal, and Beef: The Jim Jones, Cam'ron, and 50 Cent Saga ResurfacesThis episode of Music IV Breakfast, J. Manning dives into the tumultuous history between Jim Jones, Cam'ron, and 50 Cent, exploring themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the persistent nature of beef in hip hop. Revisiting events from the mid-2000s, J. Manning highlights the breakdown of Dipset, Jim Jones' notable performance incidents, and the recent rekindling of old hostilities. With insights into the relational dynamics among the artists and the ongoing public discourse, viewers get an in depth look at how past conflicts continue to affect these hip hop icons today.00:00 Rewinding the Beef: 50 Cent vs. Cam'ron00:05 Loyalty and Betrayal in Hip Hop00:26 The Mid-2000s Diss Tracks Era00:57 Jim Jones Joins 50 Cent on Stage01:39 Dipset's Internal Struggles01:52 Old Wounds Reopened: Cam'ron and 50 Cent's Friendship02:26 Jim Jones Responds to the Drama02:59 Cam'ron and Mase Fire Back03:52 Jim Jones' Final Word and Album Preview#jimjones #camron #dipset #50cent #rap #hiphop #trending #youtube #music Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS

In this episode of Music IV Breakfast, hosts Octavia March and Relle Roulette dive into the drama surrounding 50 Cent, Big Meech, Lil Meech, and Rick Ross. Join us for an in-depth analysis of loyalty, power, and betrayal in the world of hip-hop, with a special focus on Lil Meech's controversial ties to Rick Ross and the impact of Tammy Cowan on the BMF story. We break down the power dynamics and provide valuable insights into one of the most heated beefs in the industry, using the 48 Laws of Power to unpack these legendary conflicts. Whether you're a hip-hop fan or a small YouTuber looking to dive deeper into the culture, this episode offers a unique perspective on power, loyalty, and the future of these iconic figures. Don't miss out on the discussion, and subscribe for more hip-hop commentary! #50Cent #BigMeech #LilMeech #RickRoss #BMF #hiphopdrama #48LawsofPower #hiphopblog #hiphopdiscussion #MusicIVBreakfast00:00 Introduction and Opening Remarks00:02 50 Cent's Loyalty and the 48 Laws of Power01:05 Lil Meech and the Rick Ross Connection01:36 Big Meech's Legal Troubles and Tammy Cowan's Role03:01 50 Cent's Reaction and Fallout05:39 Lil Meech's Acting Journey and 50 Cent's Support06:35 Discussion on Loyalty and Betrayal11:39 Final Thoughts and Viewer Engagement12:29 Closing Remarks and Sign-Off#music #50cent #bmf  #hiphop #youtube #fyp #trendingCopyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS

As global tensions escalate and the possibility of another world war looms, many believers are asking: What does it mean to follow Jesus when the state demands your allegiance—even at the cost of conscience? In this prophetic episode of The Mark Casto Program, Mark unpacks the deeply biblical, counter-cultural calling of conscientious objection—the refusal to participate in war and violence based on loyalty to the teachings of Christ. From the Sermon on the Mount to the witness of the early church…From the words of Jesus to the compromise of Constantine…From parenting in the age of empire to prophetic resistance in an age of fear… This episode is a call to raise a generation who chooses the Lamb over the sword, peace over power, and the Kingdom over nationalism.

White Castle VP Jamie Richardson and Marigold Head of Loyalty CoE Roger Williams joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein for a wide-ranging chat about how one of the country's most-iconic restaurant chains is connecting and speaking to customers in ways it never has before. The brand's Craver Nation Rewards program adopts a “Quests” approach to redemption and has ignited engagement across the system. We'll also explore the overall state of loyalty, the pitfalls some brands run into, and what you need to know to launch a winning program that takes your restaurant business to the next level. This episode was sponsored by our partners at Marigold.

This episode is available in audio format on our Let's Talk Loyalty podcast and in video format on www.Loyalty.TV.In this episode, Bill Hanifin, Managing Editor, The Wise Marketer, speaks with Mitch Walden, Sr. Director Digital Marketing & Loyalty, Scooter's Coffee. Scooter's Coffee was founded in Nebraska over 25 years ago and now operates over 800 locations in 29 states in the US.Mitch is responsible for driving success for digital, loyalty, customer activation and owned social media strategies for Scooter's coffee. His insights in this conversation will shed light on how this major coffee brand is creating growth and profitability through application of a coordinated digital strategy and a focus on customer loyalty.Episode is sponsored by Comarch. Show notes:1) Mitch Walden2)Scooter's Coffee3) Bill Hanifin4) The Wise Marketer5) The Energy Bus (Book)

A loyal foreman spent years helping his boss grow a welding business, only to be betrayed when he needed support the most. After suffering a devastating injury, he was left without wages, sick pay, or the massive travel reimbursements he was owed. But when his so-called friend vanished with the money, this welder turned whistleblower and unleashed every government agency on his former boss. What followed was a financial and legal collapse so brutal, it destroyed a man's dreams and left him trapped in the ruins.Get your Custom Hand Turned Pen by Rob at https://CanadianRob.comSubmit your own stories to KarmaStoriesPod@gmail.com.Karma Stories is available on all major Podcasting Platforms and on YouTube under the @KarmaStoriesPodcast handle. We cover stories from popular Reddit Subreddits like Entitled Parents, Tales From Tech Support, Pro Revenge and Malicious Compliance. You can find new uploads here every single day of the week!Rob's 3D Printing Site: https://Dangly3D.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/karma-stories--5098578/support.

Send us a textIn the competitive world of convenience stores, where speed and service reign supreme, customer loyalty programs are becoming a pivotal factor in brand success. Weigel's, a family-owned convenience store chain based in East Tennessee, is setting a high standard with its innovative loyalty program, My Weigel's Rewards. With 85 locations and a commitment to quality products, exceptional service, and community engagement, Weigel's continues to expand, creating lasting connections with its customers. At the heart of this success is Jessica Starnes, the Director of Loyalty at Weigel's, who has been with the company for over 16 years, driving the evolution of its loyalty program.

In this episode of the Host Planet Podcast – sponsored by Hostfully – we're joined by Johanne Hedges, Co-Founder of LiBi, to explore how short-term rental hosts and property managers can build stronger guest loyalty – and boost revenue in the process. Johanne shares insights on how to elevate the guest experience through simple, hotel-inspired touches.From the power of a good mattress to the psychology behind premium add-ons, Johanne reveals how LiBi is helping operators across all budgets create memorable stays while monetising smartly. Whether you're new to the industry or scaling fast, this episode is packed with practical advice you can implement right away.Key takeaways:* Why many hosts overlook the importance of understanding their true guest experience.* Simple ways to upsell and increase your revenue – from high-earning items to everyday essentials.* How LiBi's plug-and-play platform helps you stand out while staying within budget.There are shout-outs for yhangry and James Varley during the episode, plus a sponsor mention for Hostfully.0:07 Where are hosts falling short when it comes to building loyalty?1:17 How important is it for owners to understand the guest experience they are offering?1:59 What can we learn from hotels?3:41 Get a good mattress! 4:18 What can operators do to stand out?5:24 Upselling traction7:37 Shout about your USPs8:50 LiBi11:16 LiBi can suit any budget12:53 Working with LiBi and the most popular products14:44 The high-earning commission items15:34 The best ways of upselling18:08 LiBi integrations18:59 LiBi website:19:46 Favourite brand: yhangry20:25 Individual shout-out: James Varley21:06 Go back to basicsLooking for a great PMS or digital guidebook? You need Hostfully! Check out these special offers:Property Management Software: Get $500 off onboarding by using the code PLANET500.Digital Guidebooks: Get 30% off for life by using the code HOSTPLANETGB.Click here to sign up for Hostfully: https://get.hostfully.com/46p7pafubra1Keen to book a Hostfully demo? Click here to connect with Frank Bosi: https://cal.mixmax.com/frankbosi/demo?re=IiY1x2YuQXZuFGbwR3cvhGQzVWbhpmI&rn=ISelxmchZFIzVWbhpkI&messageId=UjWJnyJQ1a9zxhP2CEmail Frank: frank@hostfully.comHost Planet: https://www.hostplanet.club/James Varley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdsvarley/Guest: Johanne Hedges: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanne-hedges-cofounder-libi/Company: LiBi: https://www.libiloves.com/Episode to check next: The Smart Way to Price Your Vacation Rental: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsHYwAUreLs&t=3sHost Planet Podcast is presented by James Varley, a holiday let investor and property manager who is also the Founder of Host Planet. Before founding Host Planet, James spent 20 years in the media, including a decade leading corporate communications for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.Contact the show: info@hostplanet.club#HostPlanet #HostPlanetPodcast #HostPlanetBitesize #ShortTermRentals #VacationRentals #HolidayLets #Airbnb #BookDirect #PropertyManagement #PropertyInvestment #BookingCom #Vrbo #LiBi #JohanneHedges

Ever notice how that familiar routine you once loved suddenly feels like a prison? That's exactly what hit me this week as I found myself sweating in my garage, recording this episode while contemplating one of life's hardest truths: I've outgrown my comfort zone.After 13 years of entertaining crowds at Bentley Saloon's bike week—hosting pinup contests, DJing events, and building my brand—I faced an uncomfortable realization. What once felt like my safety net had transformed into a source of restlessness and anxiety. Despite the amazing memories, loyal customers, and friendships formed (including meeting my daughter's godparents!), something had shifted. That nagging feeling of boredom wasn't just fatigue; it was my inner voice screaming that it's time for change.The signs were everywhere. Declining attendance at motorcycle events mirrored my declining enthusiasm. I was stepping over dollars to pick up dimes, clinging to guaranteed income while missing bigger opportunities. My loyalty to familiar routines had become chains rather than support. This episode breaks down the telltale signs you've outgrown your comfort zone: boredom with once-loved activities, stagnation in skill development, fear of trying new things, and that strange anxiety that creeps in during familiar situations.Making this decision wasn't easy. Leaving behind guaranteed events means stepping into uncertainty. But growth demands discomfort. As I shared the vendor confrontation that ended with my now-infamous line "You want to help me? Get the f*ck out of my tent," I realized something profound—I'm ready for new challenges, new stages, and new opportunities to serve my business and family better.What security blankets are you clutching that might actually be holding you back? Remember, feeling restless about once-beloved activities isn't failure—it's evolution. Your potential exceeds your current circumstances, but only if you're brave enough to step into the unknown. Subscribe to the Share the Struggle podcast and join me as we navigate this journey of growth, authenticity, and self-discovery together.If you found value in today's show please return the favor and leave a positive review and share it with someone important to you! https://www.sharethestrugglepodcast.com/reviews/new/Find all you need to know about the show https://www.sharethestrugglepodcast.com/Official Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077724159859Join the 2% of Americans that Buy American and support American Together we can bring back American Manufacturing https://www.loudproudamerican.shop/Loud Proud American Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoudproudamericanLoud Proud American Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loud_proud_american/Loud Proud American TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@loud_proud_americanLoud Proud American YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmYQtOt6KVURuySWYQ2GWtwThank you for Supporting My American Dream!

In today's episode, I sit down with my incredible friend Adriana Martinez—an entrepreneur and a wife who has built and run successful businesses. What makes Adriana's story so powerful is not just her business acumen, but the deep, personal transformation she's gone through in her journey as a leader. She's someone who leads with both heart and mind, and in this episode, we dive deep into the real struggles, the lessons learned, and the challenges of leadership that don't often get talked about.About Adriana Adriana is the owner of Revel Workshop, a luxury salon focused on elevating stylists careers through top tier education and mentorship. As a personal and professional budgeting coach, she helps individuals and small business owners take control of their finances and build sustainable success. Passionate about connecting people and fostering growth, Adriana thrives on empowering others to achieve financial freedom and business excellence.The Constant Battle of LeadershipAdriana and I discussed how, in her journey as a business owner, she's learned the hard way that success is not just about achieving a goal—it's about navigating relationships. She runs two salons now, but no longer takes clients herself. Instead, she depends on the team she's built. And as any entrepreneur knows, that reliance on others can be terrifying.Adriana explained that her success is directly tied to the success of those around her. If an employee leaves, it sends a ripple effect through her business, and it's hard not to take it personally. She wants the best for her team, but at the same time, she can't help but feel disappointed and question her role as a leader when someone walks away.The Struggle with Loyalty and AbandonmentOne of the most real and raw moments came when Adriana admitted her fear of abandonment—something that I think many business owners can relate to. She's fiercely loyal, and she wants to offer the same loyalty in return. But when someone leaves, it can feel like a personal betrayal.This led us into a powerful conversation about capacity—both the capacity of those who work with you and the capacity of yourself as a leader. I asked her the tough question: Do you really expect everyone to match your capacity?Her answer was insightful: Not necessarily, but it's hard to see them leave because it feels like failure.I reminded her that no one else will ever be able to match her level of commitment and capacity, especially if they are not in the same business-owner role. And the difference between what she expects and what others can deliver is where the disappointment lies.The Hard Truth of Leadership: Not Everyone StaysAdriana shared that she knows logically that employees leave because it's time for them to grow, and that they are not abandoning her. But the emotional side of her—fueled by that deep sense of loyalty—makes it feel like a personal loss.We both agreed that this is an inherent part of business ownership. You pour so much into people, and when they leave, it can feel like everything you've built is crumbling. But the reality is, it's just part of the process. People come, people go. As leaders, we must embrace this as part of the natural flow of growth.The Importance of Words of AffirmationOne of the key moments in our conversation was when Adriana admitted something that she had long avoided—she is, in fact, a words of affirmation person. As much as she resisted it, I could tell that hearing those words of appreciation made a difference for her. She shared how she does everything for people, often with no expectation of recognition, but deep down, she craves acknowledgment.I pointed out that we often mistake confirmation for affirmation. Confirmation simply states that something is true—like a ticket for a flight. It's factual, impersonal. Affirmation, on the other hand, acknowledges the goodness of what we do and who we are. It's not about fluff—it's about recognizing effort, commitment, and value. Adriana hadn't fully embraced that she needs affirmation too, but the more we unpacked this, the clearer it became.Creating a Safe Space for VulnerabilityOne of the things I admire most about Adriana is her ability to create safety for others. She may not always want or seek affirmation, but she unknowingly creates a space where her team and clients feel safe to share, grow, and even leave when the time is right. That safety comes from trust, and I encouraged her to allow herself to experience the same kind of trust in return.Leaders often think they have to protect themselves from getting hurt, but what if we created spaces where we could allow ourselves to be seen and affirmed too?Letting Go of ControlAdriana also shared her internal battle with letting go of control. For a long time, she thought that to keep things running smoothly, she needed to handle it all herself. She resisted relying on others. But through the years, she's realized that leadership doesn't mean doing everything yourself. It means trusting others, and embracing the idea that not everyone will stay forever, and that's okay.I encouraged her to celebrate the contributions of her team, and to reframe the way she looks at people leaving. Rather than feeling abandoned, what if she saw it as the natural progression of their growth? They are moving on to the next phase of their life, and her role was to help them get there.The Takeaway: Safe Spaces and GrowthThe most powerful lesson in this episode? We need to start seeing ourselves for who we are and what we're doing. We need to recognize that, as leaders, we are not just responsible for the success of our business—we're also responsible for creating environments that allow people to thrive, grow, and sometimes move on.Adriana's story is a testament to the power of vulnerability, clarity, and affirmation. As leaders, we must be open to receiving those things just as much as we offer them.Resources MentionedJoin my free leadership workshop: https://rockygarza.com/confidence Follow Adriana on Instagram: @adrianaymartinezAdriana's website: https://revelworkshop.com Key Timestamps00:00 Introduction to Unfinished Leadership00:39 Adriana Martinez's Journey and Challenges01:27 The Struggles of Relying on Others02:47 Balancing Personal and Professional Relationships04:34 The Emotional Impact of Employee Turnover09:02 Seeking Affirmation and Appreciation17:24 Creating a Safe and Loyal Work Environment19:01 Navigating Business Challenges20:25 Reframing Employee Departures21:26 Creating a Supportive Culture22:36 Balancing Vulnerability and Strength24:38 The Importance of Affirmation25:36 Building Trust and Safety27:14 Embracing Words of Affirmation34:36 Final Reflections and EncouragementTo join Rocky for his next free virtual event, go to https://rockygarza.com/beyondsuccessSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/trgs/donations

Send us a textWhat does true loyalty look like in today's world? Whether it's sticking with your heartbreaking hometown sports teams or staying at the same company for over three decades, John Middleton embodies a steadfast commitment that feels increasingly rare in our current culture.In this engaging conversation with host Mike Bono, John shares the emotional rollercoaster of being a Cleveland sports fan—from the gut-wrenching "Drive" and "Fumble" eras through the Baker Mayfield years to the current Deshaun Watson debacle. "You have to be loyal," John insists. "I cannot go away from my hometown." This devotion extends beyond sports into his professional life, where he's built a 33-year career at Component Repair Technologies, rising from factory worker to visual dimensional inspector for jet engine parts.The discussion takes a fascinating turn when Mike opens up about his 13-year journey as the self-described "angry white comic" navigating today's comedy landscape. Both men reflect on how growing up in close-knit families (Italian for Mike, Scottish for John) fostered the resilience needed to thrive in a world increasingly sensitive to humor. "I think if people just laughed more, we would be a much happier society," John observes.Their conversation weaves through shared passions—from golf's unique appeal as an individual sport to the powerful pull of ancestral homelands. John's trips to Scotland have connected him with family and history, while Mike speaks of his future plans to visit Italy: "It's not if we go, it's when we go."The episode concludes with John's simple yet profound advice: approach life positively and learn from every experience. As Mike notes, "Failure doesn't mean you lost, it just means you learned something." In a world fixated on constant change, there's something refreshing about celebrating the quiet dignity found in loyalty, perseverance, and maintaining a sense of humor through life's inevitable challenges.Subscribe for exclusive content: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1530455/support Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREETactical BrotherhoodThe Tactical Brotherhood is a movement to support America.Dubby EnergyFROM GAMERS TO GYM JUNKIES TO ENTREPRENEURS, OUR PRODUCT IS FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO BE BETTER.ShankitgolfOur goal here at Shankitgolf is for everyone to have a great time on and off the golf courseBuddy's Beard CareBuddy's Beard Care provides premium men's grooming products at an affordable price.Sweet Hands SportsElevate your game with Sweet Hands Sports! Our sports gloves are designed for champions,Deemed FitBe a part of our movement to instill confidence motivation and a willingness to keep pushing forwardDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showFollow us on all social mediaX: @mikebonocomedyInstagram: @mikebonocomedy@tiktok: @mikebono_comedianFacebook: @mikebonocomedy

This week's episode has me written all over it. From dumpster diving for my phone, to doing social media for Thomas Rhett, to hosting my first OTBS event: Wake Up to Wellness. I truly live so many lives. I chat about how these pinch me moments came to be, the left field comments I've been getting as of late and what real friendship looks like - like going barefoot in bars and casinos because someone's shoe broke (Brooke, your people RIDE for you).  Oh, and a few other funny things that you'll just have to hear about. I DON'T CARE. It's chaotic, it's funny, it's very me. HAPPY LISTENING HEHEHSocialsOTBS Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠@onthebrightsidepodd⁠⁠⁠⁠OTBS TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@onthebrightsidepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠Caroline's Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@carolinesusko⁠⁠⁠⁠Caroline's Tiktok: ⁠⁠@carolinesusko⁠⁠Music: Sundown Drive by Ghostrifter http://bit.ly/ghostrifter-ytCreative Commons — Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported — CC BY-ND 3.0Free Download: https://hypeddit.com/track/o4ir62

Today the fellas questions Chuy's loyalty to the show when talking about his Watch party. Then Matt tries to trip up Chuy and Bob with a grammar contest.Support the show: https://www.klbjfm.com/mattandbobfm/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friendship is not just about having people to hang out with, it's about building a circle that supports, challenges, and uplifts you. It's about choosing quality over quantity, setting boundaries to protect your energy, and being willing to have the tough conversations that lead to growth. Whether you're nurturing lifelong friendships or seeking to form new ones, remember that the most important qualities are honesty, loyalty, and kindness.As you reflect on your own friendships, ask yourself: Are you building a circle, or are you trapped in a cage? The answer could change the course of your life.Available on all Streaming Platforms || Be A Guest Link: https://linktr.ee/issakickbackpodFollow Us! Facebook: https://facebook.com/issakickback.podInstagram: https://instagram.com/issakickback.podAffiliate Programs:Get cash back on gas and other errands! Use promo code CJSHB to get an extra 15$/gal bonus first time purchase: https://upside.app.link/CJSHBStart your own Print on Demand Shop, https://www.printful.com/a/GoodVibes_MIOur setup:Zoom Podtrak P4: https://amzn.to/41CmayOZoom ZDM-1 Dynamic Podcasting Microphone: https://amzn.to/3ZSuXeJCredits: Intro/Outro Music Produced by King Lavaughn Want to donate? https://paypal.me/GoodVibesMi---------Contact us via E-mail: IssaKickback@goodvibesmi.com

On this episode of Bitter Jury, we sit down with Cliff Hogg, the Big Brother 21 fan favorite known for his strategic insight, steady demeanor, and memorable “CliffNotes” confessionals. A petroleum engineer from Texas and lifelong superfan of the show, Cliff reflects on the highs and lows of his time in the house — from surviving the banishment on Day 1 and returning through Camp Comeback, to navigating complex alliances and making difficult late-game decisions. Cliff offers a thoughtful look at how he approached loyalty, betrayal, and the pressures of national scrutiny. We also explore his life outside the game: the challenges of transitioning back to reality, what the Big Brother experience taught him, and how he balances family, work, and a growing fanbase. This conversation goes beyond gameplay and touches on personal growth, integrity, and the lasting impact of reality television.

Send us a textMost fitness studio owners face a costly problem they don't see coming until it's too late: a disconnect between their personal values and studio culture. This fundamental misalignment leads to frustration, team turnover costing upwards of $39,000 annually, and member attrition that hampers growth. In this foundational episode, Zach Coleman shares his journey from overlooking culture to making it central to his business strategy. He reveals how his initial focus on delegation without clear values created a revolving door of team members and the resentment he felt toward employees whose behaviors didn't match his expectations. This turning point led him to intentionally build core values from his personal beliefs and invest in team development—transformations that shifted his entire business trajectory.For new studio owners, Zach offers practical guidance on identifying personal values and translating them into business principles. For established studios managing multiple locations, he provides a systematic approach to observing team behaviors and extracting values already embedded in your organization. The episode outlines a powerful framework for aligning hiring practices and marketing strategies with these core values, creating consistency across every touchpoint of your studio experience.Most valuably, Zach demonstrates how values serve as both a retention tool and marketing advantage. By clearly defining what behaviors align with your studio's identity, you naturally attract team members and clients who resonate with your approach. This fundamental alignment eliminates the friction that drives costly turnover and creates the authentic community connection that fuels sustainable growth.Ready to transform your studio culture? Subscribe to Fit to Grit for more insights on building a fitness business that reflects your values and attracts your ideal community.Support the showSubscribe to our Newsletter: https://creatitive.com/fit-to-grit-cast/

The Cult of the Omnipotent State (01:00:44 – 01:24:01)A 1999 article is used to explore how political movements adopt cult-like behavior, with criticism directed at both leftist ideologies and MAGA. The discussion links bureaucracies, education, taxation, and political idolatry to a broader pattern of state worship. MAGA as a Political Cult and the Attack on Thomas Massie (01:14:43 – 01:26:02)The MAGA movement is described as exhibiting extreme cult dynamics, exemplified by attacks on Thomas Massie for dissenting from Trump-era spending and war policy. Loyalty to political figures is shown to override constitutional principles.Ruby Ridge, Waco, and Christian Complicity (01:21:16 – 01:22:17)Historic government actions at Ruby Ridge and Waco are used to illustrate how public indifference—particularly among Christians—enabled state violence. The moral danger of ignoring civil liberty violations is emphasized.Government Worship vs. Christian Liberty (01:13:13 – 01:14:26)Taxation is contrasted with biblical charity, arguing that compulsory redistribution has supplanted voluntary giving. The segment questions how civic compliance is treated as virtuous despite funding immoral policies.Commentary on False Religious Leaders in Politics (01:09:28 – 01:10:04)Political figures who invoke divine authority or use moral language to justify policy are criticized. Spiritual and moral issues are argued to require non-political solutions, and the dangers of state-sanctioned morality are highlighted.Criticism of Euphemistic Framing of Military Strikes (01:50:49 – 01:54:56)Explores how political leaders use euphemisms like “war on Iran's nuclear program” to rebrand acts of war, while celebrating precision bombing and avoiding acknowledgment of civilian deaths.Congressional Criticism of Unauthorized War Powers (02:00:03 – 02:04:42)Multiple Democrats and Thomas Massie condemn Trump's strikes on Iran as unconstitutional and dangerous, with calls to pass a War Powers Resolution and prevent further escalation.Accusations of Republican Compliance for Profit (02:06:58 – 02:08:00)Critiques Republican lawmakers for falling in line with war decisions due to fear of Trump and financial incentives tied to the military-industrial complex.Historical Context for Anti-American Sentiment in Iran (02:10:44 – 02:14:15)Describes Operation Ajax, regime change, and decades of U.S. policy as root causes of Iranian hostility, arguing that longstanding grievances—not irrational hatred—explain tensions.Trump Calls for Regime Change While Denying It (02:23:36 – 02:24:27)Trump mocks the phrase “regime change” while suggesting Iran should be bombed into becoming “great again,” contradicting claims by his administration that the strike wasn't about regime change.Trump and MAGA Attack Massey Over Israel Dissent (02:55:17 – 03:01:27) Discussion of Trump's effort to politically destroy Rep. Thomas Massey for opposing military support for Israel, with accusations of MAGA cultism and blind allegiance to foreign policy agendas.Ted Cruz Reveals U.S. Involvement in Israeli Strikes (03:01:30 – 03:06:12) Ted Cruz appears to accidentally confirm U.S. support for Israeli attacks on Iran during a tense interview, triggering debate over foreign entanglements and false theological justifications.Critique of Misapplied Scripture in U.S.-Israel Policy (03:12:01 – 03:13:34)Pushes back against common Christian Zionist theology, arguing that blessings promised to Abraham do not apply to modern states, and questions what benefits the U.S. has received for supporting Israel.Charlie Kirk Criticized for Exploiting Christian Sentiment (03:20:56 – 03:21:32)Charlie Kirk is accused of manipulating Christian audiences with shallow biblical appeals to justify support for Israeli militarism and territorial expansion.Grace Schara Case: Legal System Shields Hospital Misconduct (03:34:05 – 03:47:00)Grace's family expresses heartbreak after losing their medical wrongful death suit, highlighting how tort caps, insurance favoritism, and anti-companionship statutes insulate hospitals from accountability.End-of-Life Meds and Systemic Abuse in U.S. Hospitals (03:47:01 – 03:58:35)Family testimony and commentary allege Grace was euthanized under COVID-era protocols, implicating morphine use, undisclosed sedatives, and hospital incentives for causing avoidable deaths. Follow the show on Kick and watch live every weekday 9:00am EST – 12:00pm EST https://kick.com/davidknightshow Money should have intrinsic value AND transactional privacy: Go to https://davidknight.gold/ for great deals on physical gold/silver For 10% off Gerald Celente's prescient Trends Journal, go to https://trendsjournal.com/ and enter the code KNIGHT Find out more about the show and where you can watch it at TheDavidKnightShow.comIf you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here: SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-showOr you can send a donation throughMail: David Knight POB 994 Kodak, TN 37764Zelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-david-knight-show--2653468/support.

The Cult of the Omnipotent State (01:00:44 – 01:24:01)A 1999 article is used to explore how political movements adopt cult-like behavior, with criticism directed at both leftist ideologies and MAGA. The discussion links bureaucracies, education, taxation, and political idolatry to a broader pattern of state worship. MAGA as a Political Cult and the Attack on Thomas Massie (01:14:43 – 01:26:02)The MAGA movement is described as exhibiting extreme cult dynamics, exemplified by attacks on Thomas Massie for dissenting from Trump-era spending and war policy. Loyalty to political figures is shown to override constitutional principles.Ruby Ridge, Waco, and Christian Complicity (01:21:16 – 01:22:17)Historic government actions at Ruby Ridge and Waco are used to illustrate how public indifference—particularly among Christians—enabled state violence. The moral danger of ignoring civil liberty violations is emphasized.Government Worship vs. Christian Liberty (01:13:13 – 01:14:26)Taxation is contrasted with biblical charity, arguing that compulsory redistribution has supplanted voluntary giving. The segment questions how civic compliance is treated as virtuous despite funding immoral policies.Commentary on False Religious Leaders in Politics (01:09:28 – 01:10:04)Political figures who invoke divine authority or use moral language to justify policy are criticized. Spiritual and moral issues are argued to require non-political solutions, and the dangers of state-sanctioned morality are highlighted.Criticism of Euphemistic Framing of Military Strikes (01:50:49 – 01:54:56)Explores how political leaders use euphemisms like “war on Iran's nuclear program” to rebrand acts of war, while celebrating precision bombing and avoiding acknowledgment of civilian deaths.Congressional Criticism of Unauthorized War Powers (02:00:03 – 02:04:42)Multiple Democrats and Thomas Massie condemn Trump's strikes on Iran as unconstitutional and dangerous, with calls to pass a War Powers Resolution and prevent further escalation.Accusations of Republican Compliance for Profit (02:06:58 – 02:08:00)Critiques Republican lawmakers for falling in line with war decisions due to fear of Trump and financial incentives tied to the military-industrial complex.Historical Context for Anti-American Sentiment in Iran (02:10:44 – 02:14:15)Describes Operation Ajax, regime change, and decades of U.S. policy as root causes of Iranian hostility, arguing that longstanding grievances—not irrational hatred—explain tensions.Trump Calls for Regime Change While Denying It (02:23:36 – 02:24:27)Trump mocks the phrase “regime change” while suggesting Iran should be bombed into becoming “great again,” contradicting claims by his administration that the strike wasn't about regime change.Trump and MAGA Attack Massey Over Israel Dissent (02:55:17 – 03:01:27) Discussion of Trump's effort to politically destroy Rep. Thomas Massey for opposing military support for Israel, with accusations of MAGA cultism and blind allegiance to foreign policy agendas.Ted Cruz Reveals U.S. Involvement in Israeli Strikes (03:01:30 – 03:06:12) Ted Cruz appears to accidentally confirm U.S. support for Israeli attacks on Iran during a tense interview, triggering debate over foreign entanglements and false theological justifications.Critique of Misapplied Scripture in U.S.-Israel Policy (03:12:01 – 03:13:34)Pushes back against common Christian Zionist theology, arguing that blessings promised to Abraham do not apply to modern states, and questions what benefits the U.S. has received for supporting Israel.Charlie Kirk Criticized for Exploiting Christian Sentiment (03:20:56 – 03:21:32)Charlie Kirk is accused of manipulating Christian audiences with shallow biblical appeals to justify support for Israeli militarism and territorial expansion.Grace Schara Case: Legal System Shields Hospital Misconduct (03:34:05 – 03:47:00)Grace's family expresses heartbreak after losing their medical wrongful death suit, highlighting how tort caps, insurance favoritism, and anti-companionship statutes insulate hospitals from accountability.End-of-Life Meds and Systemic Abuse in U.S. Hospitals (03:47:01 – 03:58:35)Family testimony and commentary allege Grace was euthanized under COVID-era protocols, implicating morphine use, undisclosed sedatives, and hospital incentives for causing avoidable deaths. Follow the show on Kick and watch live every weekday 9:00am EST – 12:00pm EST https://kick.com/davidknightshow Money should have intrinsic value AND transactional privacy: Go to https://davidknight.gold/ for great deals on physical gold/silver For 10% off Gerald Celente's prescient Trends Journal, go to https://trendsjournal.com/ and enter the code KNIGHT Find out more about the show and where you can watch it at TheDavidKnightShow.comIf you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here: SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-showOr you can send a donation throughMail: David Knight POB 994 Kodak, TN 37764Zelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-david-knight-show--5282736/support.

Welcome to Corruption, Loyalty, and Justice, the podcast about The Shield. In this episode, we discuss episode twelve of season three: Riceburner.Twitter: @RatchetBookClub, @ThatCoolBlkNerd, @Scarfinger, @SpadesTableBecome a Patron at http://www.Patreon.com/singlesimulcastDonate to the show at http://www.buymeacoffee.com/sscast

Welcome to Corruption, Loyalty, and Justice, the podcast about The Shield. In this episode, we discuss episode twelve of season three: Riceburner.Twitter: @RatchetBookClub, @ThatCoolBlkNerd, @Scarfinger, @SpadesTableBecome a Patron at http://www.Patreon.com/singlesimulcastDonate to the show at http://www.buymeacoffee.com/sscast

The Dead City Season 2 finale hits hard—with betrayals, brutal choices, and heartbreaking goodbyes. Sam joins me as we break down Maggie's emotional face-off with the Dama, Hershel's shocking decision, and Negan's return to brutal form in that jaw-dropping “Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe” moment. We also talk about Ginny's devastating fate, the tangled loyalties between characters, and what it all means moving forward for Maggie, Negan, and Perlie. Plus, we share a thoughtful listener voicemail that really moved us.  Plus, we have TV and movie recommendations! Gilded Age, We Were Liars, Echo Valley, and more! 00:00 Introduction and Listener Shoutout 02:11 Question of the Day and Spoiler Alert 02:59 Finale Breakdown: Maggie vs. The Dama 09:14 Negan's Red Wedding & "Eeny, Meeny” Moment 18:26 Maggie Stabs Negan: A Turning Point 27:29 Maggie's Difficult Decision: Letting Herschel Go 29:55 Maggie's Struggles and Dama's Manipulation 30:36 Character Dynamics and Future Speculations 31:36 Benjamin's Mysterious Role 33:01 Maggie's Decision and Herschel's Reaction 33:56 The Croat's Potential Return 35:05 Voiceover Reflection-Negan, Maggie & Perlie  37:04 Rapid Fire Questions 39:18 Season Anticipations and Takeaways 45:18 Question of the Day: Support in Hard Times 51:33 TV and Movie Recommendations   Website: www.screensinfocus.com Email: screensinfocus@gmail.com  X https://x.com/screensinfocus Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/screensinfocuspodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/screensinfocus  Feedback and TV/Movie Recommendations:  Google voice (669) 223-8542‬  Free background music from JewelBeat.com: www.jewelbeat.com  

We're back. Sorry, it took a while! But we are back with a bang.We talk to Amy Harman, Head of Customer Marketing at Hotel Chocolat. We cover the idiosyncrasies of retail marketing, the value of Loyalty programs, the pitfalls of discounting and also mental health in the workplace. Audio-Visual assets:Imagery: Photo by Matthew Brodeur on UnsplashMusic: Hot Thang by Daniel Fridell. CLICK HEREMusic: Shangri-La by Basixx CLICK HERE

Send us a textWhat happens when a successful gym reaches a breaking point? In this revealing conversation, former CrossFit gym owner Tyler Sullivan shares his 13-year entrepreneurial journey from startup struggles through exponential growth to a successful business exit.Tyler takes us back to 2013 when his Milwaukee-based gym was thriving financially but operationally overwhelming. Facing burnout and considering closure, he instead made a pivotal decision to hire his first employee—someone who could handle everything he didn't want to do but needed to be done. This single choice transformed his business and personal life, creating space for strategic thinking and family time.The conversation explores how systematizing a fitness business creates freedom rather than constraint. With his brother's help, Tyler implemented principles from the book "Traction," developing operational structures that allowed the gym to scale. We hear candidly about the marketing challenges faced by most studio owners, with Tyler revealing how establishing solid sales processes before scaling advertising prevented wasted spending and staff frustration.Most powerfully, Tyler discusses his decision to sell the business in 2023. After rebuilding post-pandemic, he confronted the reality that his passion had diminished: "I started to not like things more than I liked things, and it's not fair to the customer or employees to continue if I'm not going to enjoy it." His successful exit to his head coach demonstrates how building strong systems creates both business value and personal freedom.Are you trapped in the daily operations of your studio? Or considering whether to expand or exit? Tyler's journey offers invaluable insights for fitness entrepreneurs at every stage. Connect with him on Instagram @BCF_Tyler or email tyler@badgercrossfit.com for more wisdom from someone who's navigated the full entrepreneurial cycle.Support the showSubscribe to our Newsletter: https://creatitive.com/fit-to-grit-cast/

For those who haven't heard the announcement I posted, songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the second part of a two-episode look at the song “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” by Fairport Convention, and the intertwining careers of Joe Boyd, Sandy Denny, and Richard Thompson. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a forty-one-minute bonus episode available, on Judy Collins’ version of this song. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by editing, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Erratum For about an hour this was uploaded with the wrong Elton John clip in place of “Saturday Sun”. This has now been fixed. Resources Because of the increasing problems with Mixcloud’s restrictions, I have decided to start sharing streaming playlists of the songs used in episodes instead of Mixcloud ones. This Tunemymusic link will let you listen to the playlist I created on your streaming platform of choice — however please note that not all the songs excerpted are currently available on streaming. The songs missing from the Tidal version are “Shanten Bells” by the Ian Campbell Folk Group, “Tom’s Gone to Hilo” by A.L. Lloyd, two by Paul McNeill and Linda Peters, three by Elton John & Linda Peters, “What Will I Do With Tomorrow” by Sandy Denny and “You Never Know” by Charlie Drake, but the other fifty-nine are there. Other songs may be missing from other services. The main books I used on Fairport Convention as a whole were Patrick Humphries' Meet On The Ledge, Clinton Heylin's What We Did Instead of Holidays, and Kevan Furbank's Fairport Convention on Track. Rob Young's Electric Eden is the most important book on the British folk-rock movement. Information on Richard Thompson comes from Patrick Humphries' Richard Thompson: Strange Affair and Thompson's own autobiography Beeswing.  Information on Sandy Denny comes from Clinton Heylin's No More Sad Refrains and Mick Houghton's I've Always Kept a Unicorn. I also used Joe Boyd's autobiography White Bicycles and Chris Blackwell's The Islander.  And this three-CD set is the best introduction to Fairport's music currently in print. Transcript Before we begin, this episode contains reference to alcohol and cocaine abuse and medical neglect leading to death. It also starts with some discussion of the fatal car accident that ended last episode. There’s also some mention of child neglect and spousal violence. If that’s likely to upset you, you might want to skip this episode or read the transcript. One of the inspirations for this podcast when I started it back in 2018 was a project by Richard Thompson, which appears (like many things in Thompson’s life) to have started out of sheer bloody-mindedness. In 1999 Playboy magazine asked various people to list their “songs of the Millennium”, and most of them, understanding the brief, chose a handful of songs from the latter half of the twentieth century. But Thompson determined that he was going to list his favourite songs *of the millennium*. He didn’t quite manage that, but he did cover seven hundred and forty years, and when Playboy chose not to publish it, he decided to turn it into a touring show, in which he covered all his favourite songs from “Sumer Is Icumen In” from 1260: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “Sumer is Icumen In”] Through numerous traditional folk songs, union songs like “Blackleg Miner”, pieces by early-modern composers, Victorian and Edwardian music hall songs, and songs by the Beatles, the Ink Spots, the Kinks, and the Who, all the way to “Oops! I Did It Again”: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “Oops! I Did it Again”] And to finish the show, and to show how all this music actually ties together, he would play what he described as a “medieval tune from Brittany”, “Marry, Ageyn Hic Hev Donne Yt”: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “Marry, Ageyn Hic Hev Donne Yt”] We have said many times in this podcast that there is no first anything, but there’s a reason that Liege and Lief, Fairport Convention’s third album of 1969, and the album other than Unhalfbricking on which their reputation largely rests, was advertised with the slogan “The first (literally) British folk rock album ever”. Folk-rock, as the term had come to be known, and as it is still usually used today, had very little to do with traditional folk music. Rather, the records of bands like The Byrds or Simon and Garfunkel were essentially taking the sounds of British beat groups of the early sixties, particularly the Searchers, and applying those sounds to material by contemporary singer-songwriters. People like Paul Simon and Bob Dylan had come up through folk clubs, and their songs were called folk music because of that, but they weren’t what folk music had meant up to that point — songs that had been collected after being handed down through the folk process, changed by each individual singer, with no single identifiable author. They were authored songs by very idiosyncratic writers. But over their last few albums, Fairport Convention had done one or two tracks per album that weren’t like that, that were instead recordings of traditional folk songs, but arranged with rock instrumentation. They were not necessarily the first band to try traditional folk music with electric instruments — around the same time that Fairport started experimenting with the idea, so did an Irish band named Sweeney’s Men, who brought in a young electric guitarist named Henry McCullough briefly. But they do seem to have been the first to have fully embraced the idea. They had done so to an extent with “A Sailor’s Life” on Unhalfbricking, but now they were going to go much further: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Matty Groves” (from about 4:30)] There had been some doubt as to whether Fairport Convention would even continue to exist — by the time Unhalfbricking, their second album of the year, was released, they had been through the terrible car accident that had killed Martin Lamble, the band’s drummer, and Jeannie Franklyn, Richard Thompson’s girlfriend. Most of the rest of the band had been seriously injured, and they had made a conscious decision not to discuss the future of the band until they were all out of hospital. Ashley Hutchings was hospitalised the longest, and Simon Nicol, Richard Thompson, and Sandy Denny, the other three surviving members of the band, flew over to LA with their producer and manager, Joe Boyd, to recuperate there and get to know the American music scene. When they came back, the group all met up in the flat belonging to Denny’s boyfriend Trevor Lucas, and decided that they were going to continue the band. They made a few decisions then — they needed a new drummer, and as well as a drummer they wanted to get in Dave Swarbrick. Swarbrick had played violin on several tracks on Unhalfbricking as a session player, and they had all been thrilled to work with him. Swarbrick was one of the most experienced musicians on the British folk circuit. He had started out in the fifties playing guitar with Beryl Marriott’s Ceilidh Band before switching to fiddle, and in 1963, long before Fairport had formed, he had already appeared on TV with the Ian Campbell Folk Group, led by Ian Campbell, the father of Ali and Robin Campbell, later of UB40: [Excerpt: The Ian Campbell Folk Group, “Shanten Bells (medley on Hullaballoo!)”] He’d sung with Ewan MacColl and A.L. Lloyd: [Excerpt: A.L. Lloyd, “Tom’s Gone to Hilo” ] And he’d formed his hugely successful duo with Martin Carthy, releasing records like “Byker Hill” which are often considered among the best British folk music of all time: [Excerpt: Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, “Byker Hill”] By the time Fairport had invited him to play on Unhalfbricking, Swarbrick had already performed on twenty albums as a core band member, plus dozens more EPs, singles, and odd tracks on compilations. They had no reason to think they could actually get him to join their band. But they had three advantages. The first was that Swarbrick was sick of the traditional folk scene at the time, saying later “I didn’t like seven-eighths of the people involved in it, and it was extremely opportune to leave. I was suddenly presented with the possibilities of exploring the dramatic content of the songs to the full.” The second was that he was hugely excited to be playing with Richard Thompson, who was one of the most innovative guitarists of his generation, and Martin Carthy remembers him raving about Thompson after their initial sessions. (Carthy himself was and is no slouch on the guitar of course, and there was even talk of getting him to join the band at this point, though they decided against it — much to the relief of rhythm guitarist Simon Nicol, who is a perfectly fine player himself but didn’t want to be outclassed by *two* of the best guitarists in Britain at the same time). And the third was that Joe Boyd told him that Fairport were doing so well — they had a single just about to hit the charts with “Si Tu Dois Partir” — that he would only have to play a dozen gigs with Fairport in order to retire. As it turned out, Swarbrick would play with the group for a decade, and would never retire — I saw him on his last tour in 2015, only eight months before he died. The drummer the group picked was also a far more experienced musician than any of the rest, though in a very different genre. Dave Mattacks had no knowledge at all of the kind of music they played, having previously been a player in dance bands. When asked by Hutchings if he wanted to join the band, Mattacks’ response was “I don’t know anything about the music. I don’t understand it… I can’t tell one tune from another, they all sound the same… but if you want me to join the group, fine, because I really like it. I’m enjoying myself musically.” Mattacks brought a new level of professionalism to the band, thanks to his different background. Nicol said of him later “He was dilligent, clean, used to taking three white shirts to a gig… The application he could bring to his playing was amazing. With us, you only played well when you were feeling well.” This distinction applied to his playing as well. Nicol would later describe the difference between Mattacks’ drumming and Lamble’s by saying “Martin’s strength was as an imaginative drummer. DM came in with a strongly developed sense of rhythm, through keeping a big band of drunken saxophone players in order. A great time-keeper.” With this new line-up and a new sense of purpose, the group did as many of their contemporaries were doing and “got their heads together in the country”. Joe Boyd rented the group a mansion, Farley House, in Farley Chamberlayne, Hampshire, and they stayed there together for three months. At the start, the group seem to have thought that they were going to make another record like Unhalfbricking, with some originals, some songs by American songwriters, and a few traditional songs. Even after their stay in Farley Chamberlayne, in fact, they recorded a few of the American songs they’d rehearsed at the start of the process, Richard Farina’s “Quiet Joys of Brotherhood” and Bob Dylan and Roger McGuinn’s “Ballad of Easy Rider”: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Ballad of Easy Rider”] Indeed, the whole idea of “getting our heads together in the country” (as the cliche quickly became in the late sixties as half of the bands in Britain went through much the same kind of process as Fairport were doing — but usually for reasons more to do with drug burnout or trend following than recovering from serious life-changing trauma) seems to have been inspired by Bob Dylan and the Band getting together in Big Pink. But very quickly they decided to follow the lead of Ashley Hutchings, who had had something of a Damascene conversion to the cause of traditional English folk music. They were listening mostly to Music From Big Pink by the Band, and to the first album by Sweeney’s Men: [Excerpt: Sweeney’s Men, “The Handsome Cabin Boy”] And they decided that they were going to make something that was as English as those records were North American and Irish (though in the event there were also a few Scottish songs included on the record). Hutchings in particular was becoming something of a scholar of traditional music, regularly visiting Cecil Sharp House and having long conversations with A.L. Lloyd, discovering versions of different traditional songs he’d never encountered before. This was both amusing and bemusing Sandy Denny, who had joined a rock group in part to get away from traditional music; but she was comfortable singing the material, and knew a lot of it and could make a lot of suggestions herself. Swarbrick obviously knew the repertoire intimately, and Nicol was amenable, while Mattacks was utterly clueless about the folk tradition at this point but knew this was the music he wanted to make. Thompson knew very little about traditional music, and of all the band members except Denny he was the one who has shown the least interest in the genre in his subsequent career — but as we heard at the beginning, showing the least interest in the genre is a relative thing, and while Thompson was not hugely familiar with the genre, he *was* able to work with it, and was also more than capable of writing songs that fit in with the genre. Of the eleven songs on the album, which was titled Liege and Lief (which means, roughly, Lord and Loyalty), there were no cover versions of singer-songwriters. Eight were traditional songs, and three were originals, all written in the style of traditional songs. The album opened with “Come All Ye”, an introduction written by Denny and Hutchings (the only time the two would ever write together): [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Come All Ye”] The other two originals were songs where Thompson had written new lyrics to traditional melodies. On “Crazy Man Michael”, Swarbrick had said to Thompson that the tune to which he had set his new words was weaker than the lyrics, to which Thompson had replied that if Swarbrick felt that way he should feel free to write a new melody. He did, and it became the first of the small number of Thompson/Swarbrick collaborations: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Crazy Man Michael”] Thompson and Swarbrick would become a brief songwriting team, but as much as anything else it was down to proximity — the two respected each other as musicians, but never got on very well. In 1981 Swarbrick would say “Richard and I never got on in the early days of FC… we thought we did, but we never did. We composed some bloody good songs together, but it was purely on a basis of “you write that and I’ll write this, and we’ll put it together.” But we never sat down and had real good chats.” The third original on the album, and by far the most affecting, is another song where Thompson put lyrics to a traditional tune. In this case he thought he was putting the lyrics to the tune of “Willie O'Winsbury”, but he was basing it on a recording by Sweeney’s Men. The problem was that Sweeney’s Men had accidentally sung the lyrics of “Willie O'Winsbury'” to the tune of a totally different song, “Fause Foodrage”: [Excerpt: Sweeney’s Men, “Willie O’Winsbury”] Thompson took that melody, and set to it lyrics about loss and separation. Thompson has never been one to discuss the meanings of his lyrics in any great detail, and in the case of this one has said “I really don't know what it means. This song came out of a dream, and I pretty much wrote it as I dreamt it (it was the sixties), and didn't spend very long analyzing it. So interpret as you wish – or replace with your own lines.” But in the context of the traffic accident that had killed his tailor girlfriend and a bandmate, and injured most of his other bandmates, the lyrics about lonely travellers, the winding road, bruised and beaten sons, saying goodbye, and never cutting cloth, seem fairly self-explanatory: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Farewell, Farewell”] The rest of the album, though, was taken up by traditional tunes. There was a long medley of four different fiddle reels; a version of “Reynardine” (a song about a seductive man — or is he a fox? Or perhaps both — which had been recorded by Swarbrick and Carthy on their most recent album); a 19th century song about a deserter saved from the firing squad by Prince Albert; and a long take on “Tam Lin”, one of the most famous pieces in the Scottish folk music canon, a song that has been adapted in different ways by everyone from the experimental noise band Current 93 to the dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah to the comics writer Grant Morrison: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Tam Lin”] And “Matty Groves”, a song about a man killing his cheating wife and her lover, which actually has a surprisingly similar story to that of “1921” from another great concept album from that year, the Who’s Tommy. “Matty Groves” became an excuse for long solos and shows of instrumental virtuosity: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Matty Groves”] The album was recorded in September 1969, after their return from their break in the country and a triumphal performance at the Royal Festival Hall, headlining over fellow Witchseason artists John and Beverly Martyn and Nick Drake. It became a classic of the traditional folk genre — arguably *the* classic of the traditional folk genre. In 2007 BBC Radio 2’s Folk Music Awards gave it an award for most influential folk album of all time, and while such things are hard to measure, I doubt there’s anyone with even the most cursory knowledge of British folk and folk-rock music who would not at least consider that a reasonable claim. But once again, by the time the album came out in November, the band had changed lineups yet again. There was a fundamental split in the band – on one side were Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson, whose stance was, roughly, that Liege and Lief was a great experiment and a fun thing to do once, but really the band had two first-rate songwriters in themselves, and that they should be concentrating on their own new material, not doing these old songs, good as they were. They wanted to take the form of the traditional songs and use that form for new material — they wanted to make British folk-rock, but with the emphasis on the rock side of things. Hutchings, on the other hand, was equally sure that he wanted to make traditional music and go further down the rabbit hole of antiquity. With the zeal of the convert he had gone in a couple of years from being the leader of a band who were labelled “the British Jefferson Airplane” to becoming a serious scholar of traditional folk music. Denny was tired of touring, as well — she wanted to spend more time at home with Trevor Lucas, who was sleeping with other women when she was away and making her insecure. When the time came for the group to go on a tour of Denmark, Denny decided she couldn’t make it, and Hutchings was jubilant — he decided he was going to get A.L. Lloyd into the band in her place and become a *real* folk group. Then Denny reconsidered, and Hutchings was crushed. He realised that while he had always been the leader, he wasn’t going to be able to lead the band any further in the traditionalist direction, and quit the group — but not before he was delegated by the other band members to fire Denny. Until the publication of Richard Thompson’s autobiography in 2022, every book on the group or its members said that Denny quit the band again, which was presumably a polite fiction that the band agreed, but according to Thompson “Before we flew home, we decided to fire Sandy. I don't remember who asked her to leave – it was probably Ashley, who usually did the dirty work. She was reportedly shocked that we would take that step. She may have been fragile beneath the confident facade, but she still knew her worth.” Thompson goes on to explain that the reasons for kicking her out were that “I suppose we felt that in her mind she had already left” and that “We were probably suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, though there wasn't a name for it back then.” They had considered inviting Trevor Lucas to join the band to make Denny more comfortable, but came to the (probably correct) conclusion that while he was someone they got on well with personally, he would be another big ego in a band that already had several, and that being around Denny and Lucas’ volatile relationship would, in Thompson’s phrasing, “have not always given one a feeling of peace and stability.” Hutchings originally decided he was going to join Sweeney’s Men, but that group were falling apart, and their first rehearsal with Hutchings would also be their last as a group, with only Hutchings and guitarist and mandolin player Terry Woods left in the band. They added Woods’ wife Gay, and another couple, Tim Hart and Maddy Prior, and formed a group called Steeleye Span, a name given them by Martin Carthy. That group, like Fairport, went to “get their heads together in the country” for three months and recorded an album of electric versions of traditional songs, Hark the Village Wait, on which Mattacks and another drummer, Gerry Conway, guested as Steeleye Span didn’t at the time have their own drummer: [Excerpt: Steeleye Span, “Blackleg Miner”] Steeleye Span would go on to have a moderately successful chart career in the seventies, but by that time most of the original lineup, including Hutchings, had left — Hutchings stayed with them for a few albums, then went on to form the first of a series of bands, all called the Albion Band or variations on that name, which continue to this day. And this is something that needs to be pointed out at this point — it is impossible to follow every single individual in this narrative as they move between bands. There is enough material in the history of the British folk-rock scene that someone could do a 500 Songs-style podcast just on that, and every time someone left Fairport, or Steeleye Span, or the Albion Band, or Matthews’ Southern Comfort, or any of the other bands we have mentioned or will mention, they would go off and form another band which would then fission, and some of its members would often join one of those other bands. There was a point in the mid-1970s where the Albion Band had two original members of Fairport Convention while Fairport Convention had none. So just in order to keep the narrative anything like wieldy, I’m going to keep the narrative concentrated on the two figures from Fairport — Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson — whose work outside the group has had the most influence on the wider world of rock music more broadly, and only deal with the other members when, as they often did, their careers intersected with those two. That doesn’t mean the other members are not themselves hugely important musicians, just that their importance has been primarily to the folk side of the folk-rock genre, and so somewhat outside the scope of this podcast. While Hutchings decided to form a band that would allow him to go deeper and deeper into traditional folk music, Sandy Denny’s next venture was rather different. For a long time she had been writing far more songs than she had ever played for her bandmates, like “Nothing More”, a song that many have suggested is about Thompson: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “Nothing More”] When Joe Boyd heard that Denny was leaving Fairport Convention, he was at first elated. Fairport’s records were being distributed by A&M in the US at that point, but Island Records was in the process of opening up a new US subsidiary which would then release all future Fairport product — *but*, as far as A&M were concerned, Sandy Denny *was* Fairport Convention. They were only interested in her. Boyd, on the other hand, loved Denny’s work intensely, but from his point of view *Richard Thompson* was Fairport Convention. If he could get Denny signed directly to A&M as a solo artist before Island started its US operations, Witchseason could get a huge advance on her first solo record, while Fairport could continue making records for Island — he’d have two lucrative acts, on different labels. Boyd went over and spoke to A&M and got an agreement in principle that they would give Denny a forty-thousand-dollar advance on her first solo album — twice what they were paying for Fairport albums. The problem was that Denny didn’t want to be a solo act. She wanted to be the lead singer of a band. She gave many reasons for this — the one she gave to many journalists was that she had seen a Judy Collins show and been impressed, but noticed that Collins’ band were definitely a “backing group”, and as she put it “But that's all they were – a backing group. I suddenly thought, If you're playing together on a stage you might as well be TOGETHER.” Most other people in her life, though, say that the main reason for her wanting to be in a band was her desire to be with her boyfriend, Trevor Lucas. Partly this was due to a genuine desire to spend more time with someone with whom she was very much in love, partly it was a fear that he would cheat on her if she was away from him for long periods of time, and part of it seems to have been Lucas’ dislike of being *too* overshadowed by his talented girlfriend — he didn’t mind acknowledging that she was a major talent, but he wanted to be thought of as at least a minor one. So instead of going solo, Denny formed Fotheringay, named after the song she had written for Fairport. This new band consisted at first of Denny on vocals and occasional piano, Lucas on vocals and rhythm guitar, and Lucas’ old Eclection bandmate Gerry Conway on drums. For a lead guitarist, they asked Richard Thompson who the best guitarist in Britain was, and he told them Albert Lee. Lee in turn brought in bass player Pat Donaldson, but this lineup of the band barely survived a fortnight. Lee *was* arguably the best guitarist in Britain, certainly a reasonable candidate if you could ever have a singular best (as indeed was Thompson himself), but he was the best *country* guitarist in Britain, and his style simply didn’t fit with Fotheringay’s folk-influenced songs. He was replaced by American guitarist Jerry Donahue, who was not anything like as proficient as Lee, but who was still very good, and fit the band’s style much better. The new group rehearsed together for a few weeks, did a quick tour, and then went into the recording studio to record their debut, self-titled, album. Joe Boyd produced the album, but admitted himself that he only paid attention to those songs he considered worthwhile — the album contained one song by Lucas, “The Ballad of Ned Kelly”, and two cover versions of American singer-songwriter material with Lucas singing lead. But everyone knew that the songs that actually *mattered* were Sandy Denny’s, and Boyd was far more interested in them, particularly the songs “The Sea” and “The Pond and the Stream”: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “The Pond and the Stream”] Fotheringay almost immediately hit financial problems, though. While other Witchseason acts were used to touring on the cheap, all packed together in the back of a Transit van with inexpensive equipment, Trevor Lucas had ambitions of being a rock star and wanted to put together a touring production to match, with expensive transport and equipment, including a speaker system that got nicknamed “Stonehenge” — but at the same time, Denny was unhappy being on the road, and didn’t play many gigs. As well as the band itself, the Fotheringay album also featured backing vocals from a couple of other people, including Denny’s friend Linda Peters. Peters was another singer from the folk clubs, and a good one, though less well-known than Denny — at this point she had only released a couple of singles, and those singles seemed to have been as much as anything else released as a novelty. The first of those, a version of Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” had been released as by “Paul McNeill and Linda Peters”: [Excerpt: Paul McNeill and Linda Peters, “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”] But their second single, a version of John D. Loudermilk’s “You’re Taking My Bag”, was released on the tiny Page One label, owned by Larry Page, and was released under the name “Paul and Linda”, clearly with the intent of confusing particularly gullible members of the record-buying public into thinking this was the McCartneys: [Excerpt: Paul and Linda, “You’re Taking My Bag”] Peters was though more financially successful than almost anyone else in this story, as she was making a great deal of money as a session singer. She actually did another session involving most of Fotheringay around this time. Witchseason had a number of excellent songwriters on its roster, and had had some success getting covers by people like Judy Collins, but Joe Boyd thought that they might possibly do better at getting cover versions if they were performed in less idiosyncratic arrangements. Donahue, Donaldson, and Conway went into the studio to record backing tracks, and vocals were added by Peters and another session singer, who according to some sources also provided piano. They cut songs by Mike Heron of the Incredible String Band: [Excerpt: Linda Peters, “You Get Brighter”] Ed Carter, formerly of The New Nadir but by this time firmly ensconced in the Beach Boys’ touring band where he would remain for the next quarter-century: [Excerpt: Linda Peters, “I Don’t Mind”] John and Beverly Martyn, and Nick Drake: [Excerpt: Elton John, “Saturday Sun”] There are different lineups of musicians credited for those sessions in different sources, but I tend to believe that it’s mostly Fotheringay for the simple reason that Donahue says it was him, Donaldson and Conway who talked Lucas and Denny into the mistake that destroyed Fotheringay because of these sessions. Fotheringay were in financial trouble already, spending far more money than they were bringing in, but their album made the top twenty and they were getting respect both from critics and from the public — in September, Sandy Denny was voted best British female singer by the readers of Melody Maker in their annual poll, which led to shocked headlines in the tabloids about how this “unknown” could have beaten such big names as Dusty Springfield and Cilla Black. Only a couple of weeks after that, they were due to headline at the Albert Hall. It should have been a triumph. But Donahue, Donaldson, and Conway had asked that singing pianist to be their support act. As Donahue said later “That was a terrible miscast. It was our fault. He asked if [he] could do it. Actually Pat, Gerry and I had to talk Sandy and Trevor into [it]… We'd done these demos and the way he was playing – he was a wonderful piano player – he was sensitive enough. We knew very little about his stage-show. We thought he'd be a really good opener for us.” Unfortunately, Elton John was rather *too* good. As Donahue continued “we had no idea what he had in mind, that he was going to do the most incredible rock & roll show ever. He pretty much blew us off the stage before we even got on the stage.” To make matters worse, Fotheringay’s set, which was mostly comprised of new material, was underrehearsed and sloppy, and from that point on no matter what they did people were counting the hours until the band split up. They struggled along for a while though, and started working on a second record, with Boyd again producing, though as Boyd later said “I probably shouldn't have been producing the record. My lack of respect for the group was clear, and couldn't have helped the atmosphere. We'd put out a record that had sold disappointingly, A&M was unhappy. Sandy's tracks on the first record are among the best things she ever did – the rest of it, who cares? And the artwork, Trevor's sister, was terrible. It would have been one thing if I'd been unhappy with it and it sold, and the group was working all the time, making money, but that wasn't the case … I knew what Sandy was capable of, and it was very upsetting to me.” The record would not be released for thirty-eight years: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “Wild Mountain Thyme”] Witchseason was going badly into debt. Given all the fissioning of bands that we’ve already been talking about, Boyd had been stretched thin — he produced sixteen albums in 1970, and almost all of them lost money for the company. And he was getting more and more disillusioned with the people he was producing. He loved Beverly Martyn’s work, but had little time for her abusive husband John, who was dominating her recording and life more and more and would soon become a solo artist while making her stay at home (and stealing her ideas without giving her songwriting credit). The Incredible String Band were great, but they had recently converted to Scientology, which Boyd found annoying, and while he was working with all sorts of exciting artists like Vashti Bunyan and Nico, he was finding himself less and less important to the artists he mentored. Fairport Convention were a good example of this. After Denny and Hutchings had left the group, they’d decided to carry on as an electric folk group, performing an equal mix of originals by the Swarbrick and Thompson songwriting team and arrangements of traditional songs. The group were now far enough away from the “British Jefferson Airplane” label that they decided they didn’t need a female vocalist — and more realistically, while they’d been able to replace Judy Dyble, nobody was going to replace Sandy Denny. Though it’s rather surprising when one considers Thompson’s subsequent career that nobody seems to have thought of bringing in Denny’s friend Linda Peters, who was dating Joe Boyd at the time (as Denny had been before she met Lucas) as Denny’s replacement. Instead, they decided that Swarbrick and Thompson were going to share the vocals between them. They did, though, need a bass player to replace Hutchings. Swarbrick wanted to bring in Dave Pegg, with whom he had played in the Ian Campbell Folk Group, but the other band members initially thought the idea was a bad one. At the time, while they respected Swarbrick as a musician, they didn’t think he fully understood rock and roll yet, and they thought the idea of getting in a folkie who had played double bass rather than an electric rock bassist ridiculous. But they auditioned him to mollify Swarbrick, and found that he was exactly what they needed. As Joe Boyd later said “All those bass lines were great, Ashley invented them all, but he never could play them that well. He thought of them, but he was technically not a terrific bass player. He was a very inventive, melodic, bass player, but not a very powerful one technically. But having had the part explained to him once, Pegg was playing it better than Ashley had ever played it… In some rock bands, I think, ultimately, the bands that sound great, you can generally trace it to the bass player… it was at that point they became a great band, when they had Pegg.” The new lineup of Fairport decided to move in together, and found a former pub called the Angel, into which all the band members moved, along with their partners and children (Thompson was the only one who was single at this point) and their roadies. The group lived together quite happily, and one gets the impression that this was the period when they were most comfortable with each other, even though by this point they were a disparate group with disparate tastes, in music as in everything else. Several people have said that the only music all the band members could agree they liked at this point was the first two albums by The Band. With the departure of Hutchings from the band, Swarbrick and Thompson, as the strongest personalities and soloists, became in effect the joint leaders of the group, and they became collaborators as songwriters, trying to write new songs that were inspired by traditional music. Thompson described the process as “let’s take one line of this reel and slow it down and move it up a minor third and see what that does to it; let’s take one line of this ballad and make a whole song out of it. Chopping up the tradition to find new things to do… like a collage.” Generally speaking, Swarbrick and Thompson would sit by the fire and Swarbrick would play a melody he’d been working on, the two would work on it for a while, and Thompson would then go away and write the lyrics. This is how the two came up with songs like the nine-minute “Sloth”, a highlight of the next album, Full House, and one that would remain in Fairport’s live set for much of their career: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Sloth”] “Sloth” was titled that way because Thompson and Swarbrick were working on two tunes, a slow one and a fast one, and they jokingly named them “Sloth” and “Fasth”, but the latter got renamed to “Walk Awhile”, while “Sloth” kept its working title. But by this point, Boyd and Thompson were having a lot of conflict in the studio. Boyd was never the most technical of producers — he was one of those producers whose job is to gently guide the artists in the studio and create a space for the music to flourish, rather than the Joe Meek type with an intimate technical knowledge of the studio — and as the artists he was working with gained confidence in their own work they felt they had less and less need of him. During the making of the Full House album, Thompson and Boyd, according to Boyd, clashed on everything — every time Boyd thought Thompson had done a good solo, Thompson would say to erase it and let him have another go, while every time Boyd thought Thompson could do better, Thompson would say that was the take to keep. One of their biggest clashes was over Thompson’s song “Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman”, which was originally intended for release on the album, and is included in current reissues of it: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman”] Thompson had written that song inspired by what he thought was the unjust treatment of Alex Bramham, the driver in Fairport’s fatal car crash, by the courts — Bramham had been given a prison sentence of a few months for dangerous driving, while the group members thought he had not been at fault. Boyd thought it was one of the best things recorded for the album, but Thompson wasn’t happy with his vocal — there was one note at the top of the melody that he couldn’t quite hit — and insisted it be kept off the record, even though that meant it would be a shorter album than normal. He did this at such a late stage that early copies of the album actually had the title printed on the sleeve, but then blacked out. He now says in his autobiography “I could have persevered, double-tracked the voice, warmed up for longer – anything. It was a good track, and the record was lacking without it. When the album was re-released, the track was restored with a more confident vocal, and it has stayed there ever since.” During the sessions for Full House the group also recorded one non-album single, Thompson and Swarbrick’s “Now Be Thankful”: [Excerpt, Fairport Convention, “Now Be Thankful”] The B-side to that was a medley of two traditional tunes plus a Swarbrick original, but was given the deliberately ridiculous title “Sir B. McKenzie’s Daughter’s Lament For The 77th Mounted Lancers Retreat From The Straits Of Loch Knombe, In The Year Of Our Lord 1727, On The Occasion Of The Announcement Of Her Marriage To The Laird Of Kinleakie”: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Sir B. McKenzie’s Daughter’s Lament For The 77th Mounted Lancers Retreat From The Straits Of Loch Knombe, In The Year Of Our Lord 1727, On The Occasion Of The Announcement Of Her Marriage To The Laird Of Kinleakie”] The B. McKenzie in the title was a reference to the comic-strip character Barry McKenzie, a stereotype drunk Australian created for Private Eye magazine by the comedian Barry Humphries (later to become better known for his Dame Edna Everage character) but the title was chosen for one reason only — to get into the Guinness Book of Records for the song with the longest title. Which they did, though they were later displaced by the industrial band Test Dept, and their song “Long Live British Democracy Which Flourishes and Is Constantly Perfected Under the Immaculate Guidance of the Great, Honourable, Generous and Correct Margaret Hilda Thatcher. She Is the Blue Sky in the Hearts of All Nations. Our People Pay Homage and Bow in Deep Respect and Gratitude to Her. The Milk of Human Kindness”. Full House got excellent reviews in the music press, with Rolling Stone saying “The music shows that England has finally gotten her own equivalent to The Band… By calling Fairport an English equivalent of the Band, I meant that they have soaked up enough of the tradition of their countryfolk that it begins to show all over, while they maintain their roots in rock.” Off the back of this, the group went on their first US tour, culminating in a series of shows at the Troubadour in LA, on the same bill as Rick Nelson, which were recorded and later released as a live album: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Sloth (live)”] The Troubadour was one of the hippest venues at the time, and over their residency there the group got seen by many celebrities, some of whom joined them on stage. The first was Linda Ronstadt, who initially demurred, saying she didn’t know any of their songs. On being told they knew all of hers, she joined in with a rendition of “Silver Threads and Golden Needles”. Thompson was later asked to join Ronstadt’s backing band, who would go on to become the Eagles, but he said later of this offer “I would have hated it. I’d have hated being on the road with four or five miserable Americans — they always seem miserable. And if you see them now, they still look miserable on stage — like they don’t want to be there and they don’t like each other.” The group were also joined on stage at the Troubadour on one memorable night by some former bandmates of Pegg’s. Before joining the Ian Campbell Folk Group, Pegg had played around the Birmingham beat scene, and had been in bands with John Bonham and Robert Plant, who turned up to the Troubadour with their Led Zeppelin bandmate Jimmy Page (reports differ on whether the fourth member of Zeppelin, John Paul Jones, also came along). They all got up on stage together and jammed on songs like “Hey Joe”, “Louie Louie”, and various old Elvis tunes. The show was recorded, and the tapes are apparently still in the possession of Joe Boyd, who has said he refuses to release them in case he is murdered by the ghost of Peter Grant. According to Thompson, that night ended in a three-way drinking contest between Pegg, Bonham, and Janis Joplin, and it’s testament to how strong the drinking culture is around Fairport and the British folk scene in general that Pegg outdrank both of them. According to Thompson, Bonham was found naked by a swimming pool two days later, having missed two gigs. For all their hard rock image, Led Zeppelin were admirers of a lot of the British folk and folk-rock scene, and a few months later Sandy Denny would become the only outside vocalist ever to appear on a Led Zeppelin record when she duetted with Plant on “The Battle of Evermore” on the group’s fourth album: [Excerpt: Led Zeppelin, “The Battle of Evermore”] Denny would never actually get paid for her appearance on one of the best-selling albums of all time. That was, incidentally, not the only session that Denny was involved in around this time — she also sang on the soundtrack to a soft porn film titled Swedish Fly Girls, whose soundtrack was produced by Manfred Mann: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “What Will I Do With Tomorrow?”] Shortly after Fairport’s trip to America, Joe Boyd decided he was giving up on Witchseason. The company was now losing money, and he was finding himself having to produce work for more and more acts as the various bands fissioned. The only ones he really cared about were Richard Thompson, who he was finding it more and more difficult to work with, Nick Drake, who wanted to do his next album with just an acoustic guitar anyway, Sandy Denny, who he felt was wasting her talents in Fotheringay, and Mike Heron of the Incredible String Band, who was more distant since his conversion to Scientology. Boyd did make some attempts to keep the company going. On a trip to Sweden, he negotiated an agreement with the manager and publisher of a Swedish band whose songs he’d found intriguing, the Hep Stars. Boyd was going to publish their songs in the UK, and in return that publisher, Stig Anderson, would get the rights to Witchseason’s catalogue in Scandinavia — a straight swap, with no money changing hands. But before Boyd could get round to signing the paperwork, he got a better offer from Mo Ostin of Warners — Ostin wanted Boyd to come over to LA and head up Warners’ new film music department. Boyd sold Witchseason to Island Records and moved to LA with his fiancee Linda Peters, spending the next few years working on music for films like Deliverance and A Clockwork Orange, as well as making his own documentary about Jimi Hendrix, and thus missed out on getting the UK publishing rights for ABBA, and all the income that would have brought him, for no money. And it was that decision that led to the breakup of Fotheringay. Just before Christmas 1970, Fotheringay were having a difficult session, recording the track “John the Gun”: [Excerpt: Fotheringay, “John the Gun”] Boyd got frustrated and kicked everyone out of the session, and went for a meal and several drinks with Denny. He kept insisting that she should dump the band and just go solo, and then something happened that the two of them would always describe differently. She asked him if he would continue to produce her records if she went solo, and he said he would. According to Boyd’s recollection of the events, he meant that he would fly back from California at some point to produce her records. According to Denny, he told her that if she went solo he would stay in Britain and not take the job in LA. This miscommunication was only discovered after Denny told the rest of Fotheringay after the Christmas break that she was splitting the band. Jerry Donahue has described that as the worst moment of his life, and Denny felt very guilty about breaking up a band with some of her closest friends in — and then when Boyd went over to the US anyway she felt a profound betrayal. Two days before Fotheringay’s final concert, in January 1971, Sandy Denny signed a solo deal with Island records, but her first solo album would not end up produced by Joe Boyd. Instead, The North Star Grassman and the Ravens was co-produced by Denny, John Wood — the engineer who had worked with Boyd on pretty much everything he’d produced, and Richard Thompson, who had just quit Fairport Convention, though he continued living with them at the Angel, at least until a truck crashed into the building in February 1971, destroying its entire front wall and forcing them to relocate. The songs chosen for The North Star Grassman and the Ravens reflected the kind of choices Denny would make on her future albums, and her eclectic taste in music. There was, of course, the obligatory Dylan cover, and the traditional folk ballad “Blackwaterside”, but there was also a cover version of Brenda Lee’s “Let’s Jump the Broomstick”: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Let’s Jump the Broomstick”] Most of the album, though, was made up of originals about various people in Denny’s life, like “Next Time Around”, about her ex-boyfriend Jackson C Frank: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Next Time Around”] The album made the top forty in the UK — Denny’s only solo album to do so — and led to her once again winning the “best female singer” award in Melody Maker’s readers’ poll that year — the male singer award was won by Rod Stewart. Both Stewart and Denny appeared the next year on the London Symphony Orchestra’s all-star version of The Who’s Tommy, which had originally been intended as a vehicle for Stewart before Roger Daltrey got involved. Stewart’s role was reduced to a single song, “Pinball Wizard”, while Denny sang on “It’s a Boy”: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “It’s a Boy”] While Fotheringay had split up, all the band members play on The North Star Grassman and the Ravens. Guitarists Donahue and Lucas only play on a couple of the tracks, with Richard Thompson playing most of the guitar on the record. But Fotheringay’s rhythm section of Pat Donaldson and Gerry Conway play on almost every track. Another musician on the album, Ian Whiteman, would possibly have a profound effect on the future direction of Richard Thompson’s career and life. Whiteman was the former keyboard player for the mod band The Action, having joined them just before they became the blues-rock band Mighty Baby. But Mighty Baby had split up when all of the band except the lead singer had converted to Islam. Richard Thompson was on his own spiritual journey at this point, and became a Sufi – the same branch of Islam as Whiteman – soon after the session, though Thompson has said that his conversion was independent of Whiteman’s. The two did become very close and work together a lot in the mid-seventies though. Thompson had supposedly left Fairport because he was writing material that wasn’t suited to the band, but he spent more than a year after quitting the group working on sessions rather than doing anything with his own material, and these sessions tended to involve the same core group of musicians. One of the more unusual was a folk-rock supergroup called The Bunch, put together by Trevor Lucas. Richard Branson had recently bought a recording studio, and wanted a band to test it out before opening it up for commercial customers, so with this free studio time Lucas decided to record a set of fifties rock and roll covers. He gathered together Thompson, Denny, Whiteman, Ashley Hutchings, Dave Mattacks, Pat Donaldson, Gerry Conway, pianist Tony Cox, the horn section that would later form the core of the Average White Band, and Linda Peters, who had now split up with Joe Boyd and returned to the UK, and who had started dating Thompson. They recorded an album of covers of songs by Jerry Lee Lewis, the Everly Brothers, Johnny Otis and others: [Excerpt: The Bunch, “Willie and the Hand Jive”] The early seventies was a hugely productive time for this group of musicians, as they all continued playing on each other’s projects. One notable album was No Roses by Shirley Collins, which featured Thompson, Mattacks, Whiteman, Simon Nicol, Lal and Mike Waterson, and Ashley Hutchings, who was at that point married to Collins, as well as some more unusual musicians like the free jazz saxophonist Lol Coxhill: [Excerpt: Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band, “Claudy Banks”] Collins was at the time the most respected female singer in British traditional music, and already had a substantial career including a series of important records made with her sister Dolly, work with guitarists like Davey Graham, and time spent in the 1950s collecting folk songs in the Southern US with her then partner Alan Lomax – according to Collins she did much of the actual work, but Lomax only mentioned her in a single sentence in his book on this work. Some of the same group of musicians went on to work on an album of traditional Morris dancing tunes, titled Morris On, credited to “Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, John Kirkpatrick and Barry Dransfield”, with Collins singing lead on two tracks: [Excerpt: Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, John Kirkpatrick and Barry Dransfield with Shirley Collins, “The Willow Tree”] Thompson thought that that album was the best of the various side projects he was involved in at the time, comparing it favourably to Rock On, which he thought was rather slight, saying later “Conceptually, Fairport, Ashley and myself and Sandy were developing a more fragile style of music that nobody else was particularly interested in, a British Folk Rock idea that had a logical development to it, although we all presented it our own way. Morris On was rather more true to what we were doing. Rock On was rather a retro step. I'm not sure it was lasting enough as a record but Sandy did sing really well on the Buddy Holly songs.” Hutchings used the musicians on No Roses and Morris On as the basis for his band the Albion Band, which continues to this day. Simon Nicol and Dave Mattacks both quit Fairport to join the Albion Band, though Mattacks soon returned. Nicol would not return to Fairport for several years, though, and for a long period in the mid-seventies Fairport Convention had no original members. Unfortunately, while Collins was involved in the Albion Band early on, she and Hutchings ended up divorcing, and the stress from the divorce led to Collins developing spasmodic dysphonia, a stress-related illness which makes it impossible for the sufferer to sing. She did eventually regain her vocal ability, but between 1978 and 2016 she was unable to perform at all, and lost decades of her career. Richard Thompson occasionally performed with the Albion Band early on, but he was getting stretched a little thin with all these sessions. Linda Peters said later of him “When I came back from America, he was working in Sandy’s band, and doing sessions by the score. Always with Pat Donaldson and Dave Mattacks. Richard would turn up with his guitar, one day he went along to do a session with one of those folkie lady singers — and there were Pat and DM. They all cracked. Richard smashed his amp and said “Right! No more sessions!” In 1972 he got round to releasing his first solo album, Henry the Human Fly, which featured guest appearances by Linda Peters and Sandy Denny among others: [Excerpt: Richard Thompson, “The Angels Took My Racehorse Away”] Unfortunately, while that album has later become regarded as one of the classics of its genre, at the time it was absolutely slated by the music press. The review in Melody Maker, for example, read in part “Some of Richard Thompson’s ideas sound great – which is really the saving grace of this album, because most of the music doesn’t. The tragedy is that Thompson’s “British rock music” is such an unconvincing concoction… Even the songs that do integrate rock and traditional styles of electric guitar rhythms and accordion and fiddle decoration – and also include explicit, meaningful lyrics are marred by bottle-up vocals, uninspiring guitar phrases and a general lack of conviction in performance.” Henry the Human Fly was released in the US by Warners, who had a reciprocal licensing deal with Island (and for whom Joe Boyd was working at the time, which may have had something to do with that) but according to Thompson it became the lowest-selling record that Warners ever put out (though I’ve also seen that claim made about Van Dyke Parks’ Song Cycle, another album that has later been rediscovered). Thompson was hugely depressed by this reaction, and blamed his own singing. Happily, though, by this point he and Linda had become a couple — they would marry in 1972 — and they started playing folk clubs as a duo, or sometimes in a trio with Simon Nicol. Thompson was also playing with Sandy Denny’s backing band at this point, and played on every track on her second solo album, Sandy. This album was meant to be her big commercial breakthrough, with a glamorous cover photo by David Bailey, and with a more American sound, including steel guitar by Sneaky Pete Kleinow of the Flying Burrito Brothers (whose overdubs were supervised in LA by Joe Boyd): [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Tomorrow is a Long Time”] The album was given a big marketing push by Island, and “Listen, Listen” was made single of the week on the Radio 1 Breakfast show: [Excerpt: Sandy Denny, “Listen, Listen”] But it did even worse than the previous album, sending her into something of a depression. Linda Thompson (as the former Linda Peters now was) said of this period “After the Sandy album, it got her down that her popularity didn't suddenly increase in leaps and bounds, and that was the start of her really fretting about the way her career was going. Things only escalated after that. People like me or Martin Carthy or Norma Waterson would think, ‘What are you on about? This is folk music.'” After Sandy’s release, Denny realised she could no longer afford to tour with a band, and so went back to performing just acoustically or on piano. The only new music to be released by either of these ex-members of Fairport Convention in 1973 was, oddly, on an album by the band they were no longer members of. After Thompson had left Fairport, the group had managed to release two whole albums with the same lineup — Swarbrick, Nicol, Pegg, and Mattacks. But then Nicol and Mattacks had both quit the band to join the Albion Band with their former bandmate Ashley Hutchings, leading to a situation where the Albion Band had two original members of Fairport plus their longtime drummer while Fairport Convention itself had no original members and was down to just Swarbrick and Pegg. Needing to fulfil their contracts, they then recruited three former members of Fotheringay — Lucas on vocals and rhythm guitar, Donahue on lead guitar, and Conway on drums. Conway was only a session player at the time, and Mattacks soon returned to the band, but Lucas and Donahue became full-time members. This new lineup of Fairport Convention released two albums in 1973, widely regarded as the group’s most inconsistent records, and on the title track of the first, “Rosie”, Richard Thompson guested on guitar, with Sandy Denny and Linda Thompson on backing vocals: [Excerpt: Fairport Convention, “Rosie”] Neither Sandy Denny nor Richard Thompson released a record themselves in 1973, but in neither case was this through the artists’ choice. The record industry was changing in the early 1970s, as we’ll see in later episodes, and was less inclined to throw good money after bad in the pursuit of art. Island Records prided itself on being a home for great artists, but it was still a business, and needed to make money. We’ll talk about the OPEC oil crisis and its effect on the music industry much more when the podcast gets to 1973, but in brief, the production of oil by the US peaked in 1970 and started to decrease, leading to them importing more and more oil from the Middle East. As a result of this, oil prices rose slowly between 1971 and 1973, then very quickly towards the end of 1973 as a result of the Arab-Israeli conflict that year. As vinyl is made of oil, suddenly producing records became much more expensive, and in this period a lot of labels decided not to release already-completed albums, until what they hoped would be a brief period of shortages passed. Both Denny and Thompson recorded albums at this point that got put to one side by Island. In the case of Thompson, it was the first album by Richard and Linda as a duo, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight: [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight”] Today, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, and as one of the two masterpieces that bookended Richard and Linda’s career as a duo and their marriage. But when they recorded the album, full of Richard’s dark songs, it was the opposite of commercial. Even a song that’s more or less a boy-girl song, like “Has He Got a Friend for Me?” has lyrics like “He wouldn’t notice me passing by/I could be in the gutter, or dangling down from a tree” [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “Has He got a Friend For Me?”] While something like “The Calvary Cross” is oblique and haunted, and seems to cast a pall over the entire album: [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “The Calvary Cross”] The album itself had been cheap to make — it had been recorded in only a week, with Thompson bringing in musicians he knew well and had worked with a lot previously to cut the tracks as-live in only a handful of takes — but Island didn’t think it was worth releasing. The record stayed on the shelf for nearly a year after recording, until Island got a new head of A&R, Richard Williams. Williams said of the album’s release “Muff Winwood had been doing A&R, but he was more interested in production… I had a conversation with Muff as soon as I got there, and he said there are a few hangovers, some outstanding problems. And one of them was Richard Thompson. He said there’s this album we gave him the money to make — which was I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight — and nobody’s very interested in it. Henry the Human Fly had been a bit of a commercial disappointment, and although Island was altruistic and independent and known for only recording good stuff, success was important… Either a record had to do well or somebody had to believe in it a lot. And it seemed as if neither of those things were true at that point of Richard.” Williams, though, was hugely impressed when he listened to the album. He compared Richard Thompson’s guitar playing to John Coltrane’s sax, and called Thompson “the folk poet of the rainy streets”, but also said “Linda brightened it, made it more commercial. and I thought that “Bright Lights” itself seemed a really commercial song.” The rest of the management at Island got caught up in Williams’ enthusiasm, and even decided to release the title track as a single: [Excerpt: Richard and Linda Thompson, “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight”] Neither single nor album charted — indeed it would not be until 1991 that Richard Thompson would make a record that made the top forty in the UK — but the album got enough critical respect that Richard and Linda released two albums the year after. The first of these, Hokey Pokey, is a much more upbeat record than their previous one — Richard Thompson has called it “quite a music-hall influenced record” and cited the influence of George Formby and Harry Lauder. For once, the claim of music hall influence is audible in the music. Usually when a British musician is claimed to have a music ha

Hey, Neighbor! Don't mind The Podcast Ninja, with one foot out the door. He would much rather be watching the Pacers Game 7 than sitting at the table. (And, truly, he has done a LOT of communicating this week, so he has earned it.) Shout out to the China Compass podcast on the Fight Laugh Feast Network! Luke and Missionary Ben recorded their Final Game predictions and have plans to recap the whole series soon. Next: Women in basketball. Is it a good thing to "have each other's back" by beating the crap out of your opponents? Nobody condones violence... but they totally do! Finally: Are women actually more LOYAL to their tribe than men? Luke isn't convinced. But C.S. Lewis once wrote about the "intense family patriotism" of the wife/mother... Contact The Comedian, John Branyan, by emailing nextdoor@johnbranyan.com

In this must-listen episode, Dr. Tunisha Singleton—media psychologist, fan engagement strategist, and cultural storyteller—joins Lisa G. on the WholeCEO Podcast to deliver a powerful truth: loyalty isn't built through content… it's built through connection.

Hey, Neighbor! Don't mind The Podcast Ninja, with one foot out the door. He would much rather be watching the Pacers Game 7 than sitting at the table. (And, truly, he has done a LOT of communicating this week, so he has earned it.) Shout out to the China Compass podcast on the Fight Laugh Feast Network! Luke and Missionary Ben recorded their Final Game predictions and have plans to recap the whole series soon. Next: Women in basketball. Is it a good thing to "have each other's back" by beating the crap out of your opponents? Nobody condones violence... but they totally do! Finally: Are women actually more LOYAL to their tribe than men? Luke isn't convinced. But C.S. Lewis once wrote about the "intense family patriotism" of the wife/mother... Contact The Comedian, John Branyan, by emailing nextdoor@johnbranyan.com

What if a simple in-store service could protect shoes, promote sustainability, and keep customers coming back? In this episode of the Shoe-In Show, Oliver Hede, Vice President of Sales at Imbox, reveals how their eco-friendly shoe protection technology is revolutionizing the retail experience. From boosting customer loyalty to empowering store associates, this in-store innovation is creating real value for brands and consumers alike. Tune in as we unpack how Imbox is extending product life, driving repeat traffic, and redefining what great service looks like in the modern footwear store. With special guest: Oliver Hede, Vice President of Sales, Imbox Protection Hosted by: Andy Polk, FDRA

This week, Jack and Nikki tell you how to test your significant other's loyalty, discuss the concept of "shopping shame" and introduce you to the boy who finally proved reincarnation. This show is historic!

Hey, Neighbor! Don't mind The Podcast Ninja, with one foot out the door. He would much rather be watching the Pacers Game 7 than sitting at the table. (And, truly, he has done a LOT of communicating this week, so he has earned it.) Shout out to the China Compass podcast on the Fight Laugh Feast Network! Luke and Missionary Ben recorded their Final Game predictions and have plans to recap the whole series soon. Next: Women in basketball. Is it a good thing to "have each other's back" by beating the crap out of your opponents? Nobody condones violence... but they totally do! Finally: Are women actually more LOYAL to their tribe than men? Luke isn't convinced. But C.S. Lewis once wrote about the "intense family patriotism" of the wife/mother... Contact The Comedian, John Branyan, by emailing nextdoor@johnbranyan.com

John Maytham is joined by amaBhungane investigative journalist Azzarrah Karrim to unpack the growing controversy around South Africa’s new national lottery operator, Sizekhaya Holdings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Follow us on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/inside-commerceSummary:In this ecommerce podcast, James & Paul drill into how to build out a loyalty strategy, with examples of brands executing this well. This episode is useful if you have a loyalty program and want to improve it, or are in the process of building out a loyalty strategy.The main focus is on positioning loyalty strategy correctly, because loyalty is about more than a program. A loyalty strategy is focuses on customer engagement & customer experience, because loyalty is earned through consistently great customer experience. This podcast will help you understand the fundamental mechanics of building customer loyalty, exploring levers to encourage customers to feel more positive about your brand and giving them a reason to shop directly with you. Loyalty starts when people first visit and come get used to your brand, not just when they're buying or in a repeat purchase cycle. Tune in to understand the evolution of loyalty strategies, the importance of customer experience, leveraging customer insights and data, and the necessity of financial modeling to justify investments in loyalty programs. You'll get practical examples to help you enhance your loyalty offering and better understand customer value.Key takeaways:Loyalty is earned through great customer experience.A loyalty strategy is more than just a program.Understanding customer engagement mechanics is crucial.Loyalty should be viewed as a broader customer strategy.Rewarding positive customer behaviour is essential.Customer insights are vital for effective loyalty programs.Setting clear goals is necessary for loyalty success.Measuring success should include customer experience metrics.Incentivising data collection enhances customer understanding.Financial modelling is critical for justifying loyalty investments.

Ah… my dear, you've returned.Good.Because tonight, we dive into a most delicious emotion—hate.Some say love makes the world go ‘round.But hate?Hate digs the graves.I have four stories for you tonight. Each one festering with resentment, rotted by revenge, and humming with the energy of something much worse than anger.

Pastor Andria taught that loyalty is revealed in moments of disruption, when things are uncertain or painful. Using Ruth's story, she showed how real loyalty is a choice—not based on feelings, but on commitment and endurance. When we stay loyal through hard times, like Ruth did with Naomi, God uses that faithfulness to align us with His purpose and build a lasting legacy.

Loyalty That Lasts dives into the power of friendship through the lens of Mark 2:1–12, where a group of faithful friends tear through barriers to bring someone they love to Jesus. This message explores four iconic biblical friendships that show us what it means to encourage, confront, carry, and grow together. Whether you're longing for deep connection or being challenged to become a better friend yourself, this sermon reminds us that loyalty isn't just about who's been there the longest—it's about who helps you get closer to Jesus.

Brendan Paul, a former Syracuse University basketball player turned personal assistant to Sean “Diddy” Combs, has emerged as a central figure in the federal RICO case against the music mogul. Initially arrested in March 2024 at Miami's Opa-Locka Executive Airport for possession of cocaine and marijuana edibles, Paul entered a pre-trial diversion program that allowed him to avoid formal prosecution. However, his arrest marked the beginning of a deeper legal entanglement. Named in civil lawsuits as Combs's alleged “drug mule,” Paul was accused of facilitating the logistics for drug-fueled, multi-day sex parties—known as “freak-offs”—at the heart of the trafficking and conspiracy allegations. Facing potential felony charges and even a federal RICO conspiracy indictment, Paul ultimately chose to cooperate with authorities. Granted immunity in exchange for truthful testimony, he is now positioned to provide jurors with an insider's perspective on how the alleged criminal enterprise functioned behind the scenes.Paul's testimony is expected to be devastating to the defense, serving as the linchpin that connects months of emotionally charged witness accounts to a coherent and systematic criminal operation. Unlike accusers with civil suits or public vendettas, Paul is viewed as a neutral actor—once fiercely loyal to Combs, now legally compelled to tell the truth under penalty of perjury. Prosecutors are strategically presenting him at the end of their case to leave a lasting impact on the jury, believing he will offer not just anecdotes but detailed infrastructure: how drugs were acquired, how events were planned, and who gave the orders. In doing so, Paul is expected to validate prior testimony, reinforce the prosecution's narrative of a tightly orchestrated enterprise, and drive home the gravity of the charges. His transformation from silent facilitator to key witness could prove to be the exclamation point that seals Combs's legal fate.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

Listen To Full Sermon: "Sunday of the Paralytic Man | 2025" @ St. Mary & St. Rueis Coptic Orthodox Church - Memphis, TN ~ March 30, 2025 | Paremhotep 21, 1741https://on.soundcloud.com/vUSIqXdn2YL6l5YCLR

Brendan Paul, a former Syracuse University basketball player turned personal assistant to Sean “Diddy” Combs, has emerged as a central figure in the federal RICO case against the music mogul. Initially arrested in March 2024 at Miami's Opa-Locka Executive Airport for possession of cocaine and marijuana edibles, Paul entered a pre-trial diversion program that allowed him to avoid formal prosecution. However, his arrest marked the beginning of a deeper legal entanglement. Named in civil lawsuits as Combs's alleged “drug mule,” Paul was accused of facilitating the logistics for drug-fueled, multi-day sex parties—known as “freak-offs”—at the heart of the trafficking and conspiracy allegations. Facing potential felony charges and even a federal RICO conspiracy indictment, Paul ultimately chose to cooperate with authorities. Granted immunity in exchange for truthful testimony, he is now positioned to provide jurors with an insider's perspective on how the alleged criminal enterprise functioned behind the scenes.Paul's testimony is expected to be devastating to the defense, serving as the linchpin that connects months of emotionally charged witness accounts to a coherent and systematic criminal operation. Unlike accusers with civil suits or public vendettas, Paul is viewed as a neutral actor—once fiercely loyal to Combs, now legally compelled to tell the truth under penalty of perjury. Prosecutors are strategically presenting him at the end of their case to leave a lasting impact on the jury, believing he will offer not just anecdotes but detailed infrastructure: how drugs were acquired, how events were planned, and who gave the orders. In doing so, Paul is expected to validate prior testimony, reinforce the prosecution's narrative of a tightly orchestrated enterprise, and drive home the gravity of the charges. His transformation from silent facilitator to key witness could prove to be the exclamation point that seals Combs's legal fate.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

This episode lays a foundation for why parents should be interested in teaching what it is that enables children to keep promises, face and overcome hardship, and retain their loyalty to friends, family, and God. Fidelity is an old word with a new blessing for those who have this kind of faith. Visit FirstAnswers.com to find answers for 21st-century parents and more about the podcast.

EPISODE 186C:This is the third installment in our three-part series on intelligent shopping agents - an extended conversation with Shawn Conahan, Chief Revenue Officer at Wildfire Systems. In the first episode, Shawn laid out what ISAs are, and in the second episode we talked about how ISAs will affect payments, consumers and merchants. At the end of that episode, Dan had just asked Shawn how they would affect loyalty programs - and since Wildfire Systems is a key player in the loyalty market, Shawn's answer won't disappoint you - he's thought about this a lot, and his answer is thoroughly researched. Let's pick up the conversation where we left off. Shawn - what does this all mean for loyalty programs?

- World War III and Political Leadership (0:11) - Molecular Self-Assembly Experiment and Satellite Imagery (2:35) - Recent Events in Iran and Predictions (7:18) - Censorship and Social Media Control (13:07) - Financial Reset and War Scenario (48:22) - Trump's Loyalty to Zionism and War Consequences (1:03:13) - Gold and Silver as Safe Havens (1:21:38) - Trump's Immigration Policy Flip-Flops (1:23:03) - The Role of Russia and Iran's Resistance (1:26:37) - The Importance of Peace and Rejecting Violence (1:26:59) - The Role of Censorship in War Propaganda (1:27:13) - Impact of Unpredictable Economic Policies on Businesses (1:27:32) - Challenges in Agriculture and Manufacturing (1:30:51) - Preparation for Potential World War III (1:33:23) - Introduction of Crazy Beaver Shovels (1:36:28) - Durability and Versatility of Crazy Beaver Shovels (1:41:25) - Marketing and Distribution of Crazy Beaver Shovels (1:58:23) - Impact of Current Events on Law Enforcement (2:01:20) - Origin and Naming of Crazy Beaver Shovels (2:06:19) - Manufacturing and Sourcing of Crazy Beaver Shovels (2:08:22) - Promotion of Health R For more updates, visit: http://www.brighteon.com/channel/hrreport NaturalNews videos would not be possible without you, as always we remain passionately dedicated to our mission of educating people all over the world on the subject of natural healing remedies and personal liberty (food freedom, medical freedom, the freedom of speech, etc.). Together, we're helping create a better world, with more honest food labeling, reduced chemical contamination, the avoidance of toxic heavy metals and vastly increased scientific transparency. ▶️ Every dollar you spend at the Health Ranger Store goes toward helping us achieve important science and content goals for humanity: https://www.healthrangerstore.com/ ▶️ Sign Up For Our Newsletter: https://www.naturalnews.com/Readerregistration.html ▶️ Brighteon: https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport ▶️ Join Our Social Network: https://brighteon.social/@HealthRanger ▶️ Check In Stock Products at: https://PrepWithMike.com

In this dynamic Part 2 episode, entrepreneur and growth strategist Swish Goswami returns to The Dwayne Kerrigan Podcast to explore the cutting edge of AI, data ethics, and leading with intention in an unpredictable world.From the growing tension between privacy and innovation to the responsibility of the next generation of creators, Swish unpacks what it takes to thrive in a digital-first era. He also shares actionable strategies for collecting first-party data, using no-code tools to transform customer engagement, and building authentic, future-ready relationships.It's a sharp, forward-looking conversation at the intersection of modern marketing, entrepreneurial resilience, and tech-powered growth.https://www.swishgoswami.com/Timestamp Guide:[00:00–03:00] The AI surveillance debate: Is our phone listening—and what happens next?[03:00–07:00] How platforms track behavior, listen for cues, and sell targeted access[07:00–10:00] Why North America lags in privacy laws & what GDPR gets right[10:00–14:00] Marketing in the age of AI: personalization, data, and trust[14:00–19:00] Loyalty programs, event-driven marketing & digital rewards for restaurants[19:00–22:00] Replit & no-code AI platforms: Building smarter, faster, and cheaper[22:00–26:00] Gamifying customer experiences and building public-facing leaderboards[26:00–30:00] AI optimism vs. AI caution: The parental dilemma in a post-ChatGPT world[30:00–35:00] The responsibility of Gen Z and what it really means to take initiative[35:00–38:00] Entrepreneurial mindset tips for teens and why network is everything[38:00–42:00] First-principle thinking, Sunday planning rituals & high-performance habits[42:00–47:00] What stops most people? Risk, fear, failure—and how to reframe them[47:00–50:00] Constant motion: why failing fast and often is a sign you're doing it rightNotable Quotes:“AI is going to replace repetitive roles—but your ability to think critically, build relationships, and act fast? That's the real differentiator.” – Swish Goswami“Marketing isn't about shouting louder. It's about building a feedback loop between trust, value, and relevance.” – Swish GoswamiFeatured Resources & Tools:Replit – No-code AI platform for loyalty cards, gamification, and business apps: https://replit.comTypeform (AI Survey Builder) – https://www.typeform.comGoogle Veo 3 (Video Gen) – AI video generation tool for onboarding & content11 Labs (AI Voice Cloning) – Hyper-realistic audio generation: https://elevenlabs.ioGleam.io (Giveaway Engine) – Smart sweepstakes & lead generation platform: https://gleam.ioGDPR Overview – The global gold standard in data protection: https://gdpr.euKey Takeaways:Businesses should start collecting first-party data now—email, SMS, and engagement tracking are the foundation of future-proof marketing.Use no-code...

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

What if the shifts you're feeling right now aren't just personal—but part of a much larger energetic change? In this episode, Nicole explores the upcoming 2027 transition from the Cross of Planning to the Cross of the Sleeping Phoenix, offering a grounded yet expansive look at how this global shift is already showing up in our lives. You'll hear about the move from tribal, loyalty-based structures to a new era rooted in individuality, emotional depth, and personal sovereignty. Nicole breaks down what this change means on both a collective and personal level—touching on current events, the role of fear and conditioning, and the importance of learning to trust yourself in an increasingly noisy world. Rather than presenting this as prophecy or prediction, she frames it as energetic weather we're all navigating—something we can either unconsciously react to or consciously respond to.  Whether you're familiar with Human Design or just curious about what's behind the pressure to evolve right now, this conversation offers insight and perspective that will stay with you long after it ends. Listen now!   Learn more about your Human Design and get your full chart for free at https://www.nicolelaino.com/chart DM @nicolelainoofficial "PHOENIX" to be added to the 2027 Age of the Phoenix Workshop Be sure to visit nicolelaino.com/podcastlinks for all of the current links to events, freebies, and more! If you enjoyed this week's episode, I'd so appreciate you doing a few things for me:  Please subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen! Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts.  Tag me @nicolelainoofficial on your IG stories with a story of you listening to the podcast and I'll make sure to share your post!  Interested in learning more about working with me? Click here to learn more about how we can work together. 

In today's episode we give you guys an update on our workout challenge, and the surprising member who Is CRUSHING it. Trespassers of different kinds on our track, and then we call up big wrench to prank him. We chat about mikes bachelor party and testing the loyalty between friends.  LAST FEW DAYS OF THE GIVEAWAY!! Shop www.cboystv.com NOW to get entered To watch the podcast on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/LifeWideOpenYT⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you're listening or by using this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/LifeWideOpenWithCboysTV⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you like the show, telling a friend about it would be amazing! You can text, email, Tweet, or send this link to a friend: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/LifeWideOpenWithCboysTV⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can also check out our main YouTube channel CboysTV: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/CboysTV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How Samsung Turns Customer Service Calls into Opportunities for Customer Delight  Shep interviews Mark Williams, Head of Customer Care at Samsung Electronics America. He discusses enhancing customer service through smart technology, providing fast and simple support, and utilizing AI tools to create loyal customers and continually improve their experience.   This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How can a brand turn customer service interactions into opportunities for brand loyalty?  What are the benefits of proactive customer service?  How does smart technology enhance the overall customer experience?  What role does customer feedback play in improving the overall service experience?  How can artificial intelligence enhance the role of customer service agents?  Top Takeaways:    Every customer interaction is an opportunity to turn someone into a loyal fan, even a promoter of your brand.  Customer service shouldn't just be about fixing problems. It should also be about preventing them. Customer care doesn't always have to be reactive. By using technology to anticipate problems, brands can identify and resolve issues even before customers becomes aware of them. For example, Samsung's smart appliances can alert you to issues like a fridge getting too warm and even schedule a repair before your food goes bad.  Loyalty can be built through customer service, even when it comes after a problem or a negative experience. When customers have a great experience getting help, and their problems are solved quickly, they are more likely to buy again and recommend the brand to friends and family.   Mark also shares his three core principles: Speed, Simplicity, and Service.  Speed: Reduce the time it takes to fix a customer's issue. The sooner you solve the problem, the happier and more loyal your customers become. (In the U.S. Samsung's repair network now covers 99% of the U.S. for consumer electronics, and 81% of Americans are within just a 30-minute drive of same-day mobile service.)  Simplicity: Remove confusing policies, eliminate unnecessary steps, and actively listen to employees and customers for ideas on how to simplify processes.   Service: When you design experiences that put customers first, understand their needs, and effectively solve their issues, you will attract lifelong customers who will continue to buy from you because they know they can trust you, even when something goes wrong.  Create easy ways for employees to share their thoughts and observations on what could be done better. Frontline workers know firsthand which policies and processes work and which ones frustrate customers.   AI works best as a tool that helps people, not as a replacement for them. It empowers staff to focus on understanding customers and resolving their issues, while AI provides instant and relevant information that accelerates the process and enhances accuracy.  Customer service is an income-generating department. Reliable products are important, but it's the extra mile in service that makes people choose to do business with a brand again and again.   Plus, Mark shares why more than half of Samsung's customer care team in the U.S. has been with the company for over 10 years. Tune in!  Quote:   "Get to customers quicker and solve their problems before they even know they have a problem."    About:    Mark Williams is the Head of Customer Care at Samsung Electronics America. His work centers on proactive solutions that help customer service teams address issues quickly and efficiently.    Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices