Podcasts about MacLeod

Send us a textGary brings you highlights from this year's MacLean MacLeod Memorial Piping Championships held recently at the University of Delaware, and run by the United States Piping Foundation.PlaylistNick Hudson with Invergordon's Welcome to HM Queen Elizabeth II, P/M Hector MacLean and Sandy CameronBruce Gandy with P/M Karen MacLean, Caledonian Society of London and John Garroway.Bruce Gandy with Lament for the ChildrenCameron MacDougall with the Clan MacColl, Cabar Feidh and Lt Col DJS MurrayLinksR G Hardie BagpipesSupport the show

Ross MacLeod joins The Mental Golf Show. Ross is a putting coach to players of all skill levels. Click here to find him on X. And click here to check out his Putting Coaching offerings. Timestamps & Topics: (00:00) Putting Under Pressure and Tendencies It Causes (06:06) Does mental game cause bad putting? Or does bad putting cause mental issues? (14:25) Can a bad golfer be as good of a putter as the best players in the world? (18:34) Basic and Custom Practice Plans - joshnicholsgolf.com/practice (20:41) Why do golfers focus on their swing when putting is a simpler fix? (24:46) Is putting the most important part of golf? (29:27) Why did Ross choose to teach JUST putting? (36:48) NEW Online Course: The Perfect Pre-shot Routine - joshnicholsgolf.com/course (38:32) What makes Phil Kenyon (Scottie Scheffler's putting coach) such a good putting coach? (42:03) Why is it important to measure putting stats? (45:34) What is a good putting pre-shot routine? (50:44) 10% off The Divot Board - divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow with code MENTALGOLF10 (52:48) Where should our “mind's eye” be while we're putting? (55:29) Putting Speed Control (1:03:57) Does the putter matter? (1:10:14) Are you born a good/bad putter? (1:12:14) Putting Yips (1:17:00) Ross MacLeod -----

Christian Lundin joins the podcast, to talk about The Crownwood Club in Sweden, his collaboration with Henrik Stenson and his work on the MacLeod course in Aberdeen.To view the full list, visit our website:www.top100golfcourses.comFollow us on socials:On Instagram: @officialtop100On Twitter: @top100golf

Quaranteam – Book 1: Part 16 The girls play a game with Andy on the day of the interview. Based on a post by CorruptingPower, in 25 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Chapter 30 It came as a complete surprise to Andy when he awoke to find that opening his eyes had no effect. More than a moment passed before he realized what had happened, and it was with a bit of confusion that he realized he had awoken blindfolded. He went to lift his right arm to remove the blindfold, and realized there was a warm body resting over it. He began to try and lift the left arm instead, and found the same there, another warm body keeping his arm in place. He tried to slip one of his arms back, and felt a soft hand squeeze on his, holding him in place. "Looks like someone's awake," Sarah whispered into his left ear, her teeth nibbling on the earlobe. "I wondered how long he was gonna sleep in," Ash whispered into his right ear, letting her tongue trail along the shell of it. "But now that he's awake, th' fun can begin." Andy gave a tug of one of his arms, only to realize he had restraints around his wrists, and that they were likely connected to the bedframe. For a moment, he felt nervous. Like most people, he didn't enjoy being held captive, but after a moment, the anxiousness passed. Ash and Sarah were here, so he couldn't be in all that much of trouble. Today was the day of the interview, and so he'd sort of suspected the girls would do something to keep his mind off of it until it was time to talk to the reporter. They'd been a little gossipy and whispery last night. He'd guessed they were up to something, and this was apparently it. A morning being blindfolded. "Relax, love," Ash said from his right side, her form clearly naked, as he could feel her stiff nipples pressed against his side. "There's nothing for you to fucking worry about, as long as you trust us," Sarah cooed at him. "And you do fucking trust your future wives, don't you, Andy?" "I do," he laughed, "but it doesn't feel like I have much of a choice at this point." "Oh Andrew," Emily said from somewhere down around his feet, "if you only knew what an interesting morning we have planned for you. It's going to be such a wonderful time, I can barely contain myself." It sounded like she was standing just past the edge of the bed, although Andy had never needed to consider just distances based purely on sound like he was using some sort of echo location before now. It was around this point that he realized he was spread eagle, and he went to try and pull his legs together only to realize there was someone sitting on each of them, keeping him from doing so. His ankles weren't bound, so if he really wanted to, he was fairly certain that he could've kicked them loose, but the girls were having fun, so he didn't see any reason to dissuade them of that. Right around then, he felt a mouth wrapping around the head of his cock, a tongue slowly lashing against the head of it, mostly pressing tiny kisses, but occasionally suckling on the very end of it, not pushing her head down onto the shaft itself. If anything, he felt a little like his cock was being toyed with. It was a strange sensation. "So in order to keep you from getting all nervous about the rest of the day," Emily said, "we're going to play ourselves a game this morning, you versus all of us." She giggled a little, a sound that never failed to delight him. "Perhaps it shan't be a fair fight, but let us say that you have a sporting chance, and leave it at that." "Dare I ask what the game is?" Sarah laughed into his ear, as if she'd been waiting for him to ask. "It's called 'Who's Sucking My Cock Now?'" "Why Sarah," Andy teased, "I'm almost entirely certain you don't have a cock." "Oh, I have this one right fucking here," she said, reaching down to tease a fingertip against a tiny section of his exposed shaft. "It's mine. Well, mine and all the other girls, but y'know, mostly mine. Anyway, you're the one playing the game, not me,” "How many guesses do I get?" he said, feeling the tongue starting to flick a little beneath the mushroom tip of it. "Only one," Emily said. "If you're correct, you get a point. If you're wrong, we get a point." "Keeping score, are we?" he chuckled. One thing he couldn't deny about the girls of his household,  they did love to get competitive with one another, and especially with him. "Honestly, Andrew," she replied, mocking annoyance in her voice, "if we didn't, what would be the point? Now pay attention. Here's your first contestant." The mouth that had been toying with the head of his cock suddenly slid all the way down to the base, trying to hold there for as long as possible before pulling back. He didn't hear a gasp of air, even as the lips closed around the midsection of his cock, tongue dragging in a clockwise spiral along the flesh before the lips slowly drew back, then dove deep again, holding down for another long moment then pulling back, and finally sliding off. "Now Andrew, are you ready to play 'Who Just Sucked That Cock?'" Emily giggled. "You girls can't even keep the name strai, Ow!" he said, as Sarah pinched his nipple in between her fingertips. "No making fun of us to get out of this one," Sarah said to him. "You told me you do that fucking trick, trying to joke around to buy yourself time, but I know, Mr. Rook! Oh I know all too well, and it's not gonna fucking work on us! Not this morning!" She giggled again, and several of the other girls giggled with her. "So who's your guess?" Emily asked once more. He considered for a moment, trying to figure if there were any clues. He did know that it wouldn't be Jade, since she'd certainly want them to have something more intimate for their first time, nor Whitney, as she was definitely still in the middle of the imprinting process, unless he'd overslept massively. Tala wouldn't have wanted to risk him accidentally going off, so that meant three people were out immediately. He decided to talk out loud through the rest and see if it made the girls give any more information away. It was a trick he sometimes used in poker. "So the enthusiasm makes me think it's one of the younger girls, trying to compensate for their lack of experience with gusto and gumption." He rolled it over in his head a moment. "I think I'm going to say,” "Now remember Andrew," Emily said, "for each one you get right, you will get a point, and for each one you get wrong, the girls get a point." "Is there a prize?" "Beyond pride?" she asked him. "Is pride enough?" he countered, tilting his head just a little, teasing her back. "Fine," she said, amusement apparent in her voice. "If you win, then you can see your surprise, but if you can't, then you have to remain blindfolded for all of it. It's being filmed so you can watch it later and see we weren't cheating." "This isn't my surprise?" "This is the start of it, but it has a grand finale. One that I am certain is going to shock you to your very core," Emily said, glee in her voice. "Now you need to guess. Stop stalling." "Alright, I'm going to say it was Taylor." "Will Cocksucker Number One please identify herself?" she said like a gameshow host. The giggle from down near his feet told him immediately he was wrong, but the voice only confirmed it. "Sorry Andy," Hannah said. "You were close, but not close enough." "Damn," he laughed. "I was right about the youthful exuberance, though." "Here's the next contestant," Emily said. He felt a soft and tender kiss to the head of his cock, the woman's tongue leisurely in its brush along the surface. As he felt fingertips grazing along his balls, in that instant he knew exactly who it was. The tongue continued its slow and languid bathing of his shaft, never once pushing her lips down and around the shaft, merely pressing against the sides of it, before the mouth and the hand pulled back, and his cock was left standing at attention, unattended once more. "So who was that?" Emily asked. He grinned, impish and playful. "You gave yourself away, Emily. There was no mistaking those finely manicured nails on my ballsack, so I know for certain that was you. Final answer." Emily giggled, sounding mildly cross with herself. "Damn me and my impeccably pedicured digits. One all. Next!" The third mouth wrapped around his cock and began to slowly push down, the tongue drawing downward before dragging back up again, painting vertical lines along the length of his shaft, while the lips moved almost in time with it. "Does the contest include staff or not?" he asked Emily. "Sares, you think that's a fair question?" "I think if he spots us a point, then we should tell him, otherwise let him wonder." "Andrew?" He considered for a half a second, although to be honest, he was also just enjoying the tender blowjob he was getting. He did, however, do the math, and reducing the possible options by over 20% seemed worth the price. "Alright, that's fair. It sizably narrows down the number of wrong answers I could make, so I'll spot you the point." "Two us, one you," Emily said. "And no, the staff is not involved in this morning's activity, although Nicolette is present and watching." "Good morning, Master!" Nicolette said cheerily. "Good morning Nicolette." The woman on his cock ignored the polite exchange and pushed her mouth down a bit lower, then slowly pursed her lips tightly against his shaft and drew them back until she slid off the tip of his cock with a wet pop. "So who do you think that was, Andrew?" "It's tricky," he said, trying to think back to all the sensations, comparing them against all his memories, but at the end of the day, he had a lot of partners, and he'd never been entirely concerned with being able to differentiate between their blowjobs before. "But the speed and deliberation makes me think it was Piper." From the foot of the bed came a confident laugh. "Toldja I could fool'em," Asha said, giving his calf a pat. "Quite different than our first go 'round, eh?" He and Asha had only had a trio of sexual encounters since her arrival, so he didn't feel too bad about not being able to identify her style. "I was gettin' out'a me own head for a bit." "Three to one," Emily chided. "You're not putting up a good showing, Andrew. How about this?" A new mouth moved to wrap around his cock, pushing slowly but surely all the way down his cock, before drawing back up to the tip, only to repeat the motion again, faster, then once more, far slower than the first two. Then she settled in for a regular pace, sliding his cock deep into her mouth before slipping back, until her lips were around just the head, and her tongue gave a curling flick against the slit at the tip. After five or six more long thrusts, the woman pulled her head from his cock and left it wet and exposed to the morning air again. If it wasn't for all the girls' bodies pressed against him, he might have been cold, but they were all sharing their warmth excellently. "So who was that?" Emily asked him. He smirked, nodding his head. "I've got your number. She was trying to fool me, but that was Lauren," he said, confidently. He could tell he was correct, as he heard a deep sigh from around the same place Emily was standing. "Strewth," Lauren grumbled. "What gave me away?" "Now why should I give away my trade secrets?" "Because if ya don't, I might just reach down and give ya a hard thump in yer todger!" she laughed brashly. "Fine fine, no tallywacking for me," he said. "You do this little flick with your tongue against the hole of my cock, and you couldn't help but do it here too. You're the only one in the house that does it. And we've had plenty of times together, Lauren. If I can't get you or Ash on the first go, I deserve to lose this game." "Well, at least I've got meself a signature move," Lauren cackled, tickling his foot for a second. His leg tried to tug inward, but whoever was sitting on his leg held him firmly in place. If the girls tried to make a serious go at tickling him, however, he was fairly certain his legs would've yanked themselves free, whether he wanted them to or not. "Three two our favor," Emily said. "But we need to shift this up a bit to make this a fair fight for us again. Ash, Sares, you two hop up, and Hannah and I will take your places." Andy could feel Sarah sliding off his left arm, only to be immediately replaced by Emily's slender form, as she turned his head so she could give him a quick kiss. Aisling turned his head back and then kissed him far more firmly before pulling away, sliding off only to be replaced by Hannah's curvy form. She seemed to assume that his head was in position for her to kiss him, so she did, even as he felt her massive tits pressing into his chest for a moment before she settled into the crook of his arm, nuzzling up against him. "There we go," Emily purred, wriggling to get her body comfortably snuggled in against his. "This is a much nicer place for me to be, and it opens the field back up a bit. You had such an advantage, knowing Sarah and Ash were comfied up to you the entire time, guaranteeing it couldn't possibly be them around your John Thomas." "You're the one who set up the rules to the game, Em, not me," he laughed. "Besides, if they'd stayed quiet, I wouldn't have even been sure it was them. I mean, I'm pretty good at recognizing whose body's pressed up against me, but I can't guarantee I would've gotten that right." "Oh damn," she grumbled, although she didn't sound genuinely cross over it. "Something I'll have to remember in case we do such a thing again." "Oh no," he chuckled. "I've told you girls what your tells are now, which means I wouldn't stand a fighting chance." "Perhaps, perhaps not," Emily said, kissing his ear. "So tell us, who's this sucking your cock?" The newest mouth pressed along the side of his cock and slid down the side of it, the very tip of the tongue flicking out to doodle little shapes in the skin while the lips did much of the work. The kisses continued down to his nutsack, hot breath blowing over tender skin just slightly wet by the woman's tongue. Then the kisses drew back upwards, pressing against the very tip, flicking the tip of her tongue against the opening of his cock, as if trying to steal Lauren's signature move. "Well, here's another one I think I get a little lucky on," he said. "She didn't slide her mouth on my cock, and only used the tip of her tongue, which means I'm fairly certain it's Sheridan, and she's trying to hide her tongue barbell." Sheridan was the only one of his partners with her tongue pierced, and the unwillingness to use more of the tongue felt like a definite attempt to conceal such a thing. "Ya got me," Sheridan grumbled down by his knees, then laughed and flicked the top of his cock with her tongue barbell, the cool metal thumping his skin a little bit. "Told you he'd know it was me right away," she said. "There's no way to hide the damn thing." "Why would you want to hide it?" he teased her, which seemed to make her laugh a little. "You see, Andrew?" Emily said to him, nibbling on his earlobe. "You're doing quite well at this. Three all, so it's time for the tie breaker." "You could've kept score like tennis, if it came to this." "That would make this deuce then, I suppose," she said. "So this is the deciding mouth. Let's see if you can tell who's sucking your cock now,” The woman in question slowly wrapped her mouth around his cock and held there for a moment, her tongue dragging around the ridge of the tip of his cock like a finger around a wine glass. After a few revolutions, she slowly pushed her mouth downwards onto his cock until the head of his cock was against her throat, staying there for a long moment before pulling back to half length, only to go deep again. "Well, the remaining options are Taylor, Ash, Sarah and Piper," he said with considerable effort, a low moan of pleasure chasing the words. Whoever it was had clearly paid attention to the things that made him shake and shiver, as he felt lips seal around the base of his cock, breath hot on his skin before her head drew back, slobbering saliva over his shaft. Ever since Emily'd been picked out by her nails, none of the girls had used their hands, afraid that he might glean some details from the touch. He almost wanted the blowjob to continue to completion, but he nodded when he felt the lips pop off his cock and leave it exposed for all the girls to look at. "So who was that?" Emily asked him. "And remember, this one is for the full Monty." "See, that was someone who knows me very well, someone who's spent more than a few weeks learning how to suck my cock in all the best ways, knows where all the soft spots are, and where to flick her tongue for maximum effect," Andy said. "So it's gotta be Ash." From his feet, Niko giggled. "I'll take that as a compliment then," she said to him. "Hey!" Andy said, actually annoyed for the briefest of moments. "Shouldn't you be at the base this morning? I distinctly recall you saying yesterday that you were going to go in for the morning and then come back to the house midday for the interview." "Katie Couric's people called this morning and said they didn't need any more base footage and were going to get a bit more of New Eden before heading over here. So, since they didn't need me to play tour guide, I just stayed in," she said, kissing one of his calves. "Good thing I did, too, otherwise we might've been in real trouble." "I almost feel like you cheated," he said, scolding with his tone. "You could've corrected me when I listed the remaining players." "Oh, but of course we could've, darling," Emily said, "but it's so much more fun this way anyway. Now let us hear you say it." "thegirlswin," he said as quietly as he could. "Ah ah ah," Emily tsked. "Let's not be a poor sport about it. A mite louder, if you please?" "Fine," he sighed, doing his impression of an angsty teenager. "The girls win. There? Are you happy now?" "Exceptionally," Emily said, loads of mirth in her voice. "It's best that we won anyway. It means all of this gets to remain a surprise, and who doesn't love surprises? Ash, hand the camera to Nicolette, would you? We're going to need all hands on deck for this next bit." "Got it, Emily," the Irish girl said. "Okay, let's let him have it!" At that moment, he suddenly felt the bodies move off of his legs, only to be replaced by hands and lips, tongues flicking along his calves and thighs, as well and on his chest. With so many sensations all hitting him at once, he couldn't tell who was doing what or where. It was overwhelming, so many different hands caressing his skin, each with their own thermal signature, some girls warmer or cooler, but because there were so many of them, other than knowing he had Emily on his left and Hannah on his right, he literally couldn't differentiate one girl from another. "Nicolette, be a dear and make sure the camera pans over each and every one of us, so that Andrew can see what's happening in great detail when he watches this back later, would you, dear?" "Absolutely madam," Nicolette purred. "I'll do my best to keep both hands on the camera and none on myself, although that may be tricky, considering just how fucking hot all this is." "Now now, Nicolette," Emily chided. "I'm counting on you for this, so I expect you not to let me down." "Yes madam. Sorry madam. I won't madam." "Good girl," she giggled. "How are you holding up, Andrew?" Clearly it was Emily's fingertip trailing along his neck and the underside of his chin, because her nails were still the most distinct from his family. "It's, it's, ah, it's actually pretty hard to focus on any one thing, Em," he said. With so many hands and mouths on him, everything was blurring together a little bit. Two or three different hands were stroking his cock, and he was fairly certain at least two of the girls were taking turns suckling on the tip of it, maybe more. He was also certain there were at least two different hands on his balls as well, one of them tickling a fingertip against his perineum. With Nicolette filming, that meant there were ten women crowded around him or pressed against him right now, each working to get some contact with his body. There were so many points of pressure, he couldn't even be sure that they hadn't roped Jenny and Katie in to join the fun. "That's the point, love," Emily said to him. "Well, part of the point, anyway." Andy felt someone stand up on the bed and then move a little, bodies having to shift to adapt a bit, as he could feel that body sliding down one knee on either side of his thighs, the two hands on his cock moving to get it aligned up before he felt a body slip down onto his cock, pushing right up into someone's cunt, but with the barrage of sensations, he wasn't at all sure who it was, her ass resting against his pelvis. If he had to guess, based on the feeling of her body temperature against his, he would suspect it was Asha or Sheridan, maybe Piper, his partners that he had the least experience with. He felt semi confident that he'd spent enough time with Ash, Lauren and Niko slumbering against him that he would recognize them when he felt their touch. Whoever it was, her body went through a hard shudder when she first slid onto his cock, her cunt butterfly clenching on his cock as she settled on his lap. He didn't think he could feel her hands on his ankles, so he wondered if the other girls were holding her up. The sound of her moaning was muffled by what sounded like someone kissing her, their mouths mashed together to keep the sound in check, and him in confusion. It was hard to hear clearly with Emily humming in one of his ears, and Hannah buzzing in the other, as if the girls were trying to make sure all his senses were constantly under assault. "This is very hot to watch," Hannah said, raking her fingernails through the hair on his chest. "Especially since I have to keep both hands on you and can't play with myself. It's killing me, not gonna lie. If only you could see what I see." "Shush, Hannah," Emily said. "He'll see in time. Just let him enjoy the sensations for now." She leaned across him and pulled the curvy Asian teen the other half of the distance, because Andy could practically feel them kissing right in front of him, before they tilted their kiss, leaning down to mesh his lips into the mix, all three of them tangling up tongues together before both girls pulled back once more, settling back in against his sides. The person on his lap started to bounce and buck in a deliberate pace, not too hurried, but still a hint of eagerness in the tempo. A few of the hands had slipped off his body, and he suspected they may have been on the hips of whoever was straddling him, helping push her down even harder as she thrust her body onto his cock. "God, this is so hard to keep a clear head," Andy mumbled. "I don't know how long I can hold out, so I hope one of you will remember to update the chart." Emily giggled into his ear. "I'll handle it when we're done, darling, never you fret." Since moving to New Eden, it had become abundantly clear to Andy that there was going to need to be some organization to his sex life, keeping tabs on when every girl had gotten their most recent fix filled, so they'd set up a chart with each girl's name and the day she'd most recently gotten some of his cum. The chart also included the next "must be taken care of by" date for each girl, so they didn't run into problems with scheduling where everyone was running hot in need. After the ride back from the poker game a few weeks ago, Dr. Charlotte Varma had filled Andy in with more information on what changes the process had done to his body. He expected the news story would talk more about it for the populace at large, but he'd already disseminated the information to his household. His body was burning energy at a higher rate now, which was why his appetite had increased, but he'd actually lost a little weight. His balls were capable of generating semen at a far higher rate than they had before. Where as this time last year he'd have been lucky to get a third load in a day, now his body could accommodate five or six, if needed. "No need to hold back, Andrew," Emily purred at him. "We want you to let off a couple of loads this morning, and it looks like she's doing an excellent job thrusting down onto your cock, while the rest of us kiss and caress your flesh. You should know by now that there's no sensation any of us love more than that feeling of you nutting up inside of us. So don't keep it in. Let it fly! You can't see it, but she wants to feel your cum inside of her so much it's eating her up inside." "C'mon big daddy," Hannah teased, "give it to that little slut good. Fill her up. Cream her tight little pie. God, I fucking wish it was me getting that hot load." "We all do," Emily cooed. "Let me kiss you while you're cumming, Andrew." She turned his head towards her as she pressed her lips against his, and her kiss was hungrier than normal, as if she was trying to make sure he was lost in the moment. "Do it do it do it fucking fill that cunt!" Hannah hissed at him as Andy felt each of his balls being grabbed by a different hand. At that point, the sensations were simply too much to be contained, and his heels dug down into the bed as his hips pushed up as much as he could, trying to pin his cock as deep as he could into whoever's cunt was clamping around his cock as he began to orgasm, seven or eight surges of hot jism blasting into the body atop of him that began to vibrate again before giving a very sudden shift, a couple of the girls around him quickly adjusting. "Oh my god, that was so fucking hot, daddy," Hannah said, her teeth pinching on his earlobe, her tongue glazing it with her saliva. "Fuck, you gotta watch that shit later, holy fucking shit, dude." As soon as he broke from the kiss with Emily, he drew in a deep breath. "Damn, that was intense," he said, as he felt the woman sliding off his lap. It almost felt like she was being lifted off more than actually climbing off herself, but with all the sea of hands and bodies, he knew he had to just be imagining things. "It's not over yet, Andrew," Em said to him. "I think one more load from you will take the edge off for the morning, so let's carry on, shall we?" "You really don't have to  " "Of course we don't, Andrew," she said, pressing a fingertip to his lips to silence him. "But we want to. We're enjoying this. It's fun for us. Aren't you having fun?" "You know Em," he panted, "they say when one of your senses is temporarily disabled, the others amplify to compensate, but I think all of you ladies are threatening to overload my goddamn sense of touch. Fuck, it's a lot of sensations all at once." The collection of women around him giggled, all the voices at various pitches and tones, before the assault of hands began anew. He felt someone step up and onto the bed, standing astraddle him before moving down onto her knees, this woman facing him as opposed to the last woman who'd been facing away from him. It was hard to keep everything straight with all the sensory assault, but that much at least he could differentiate. The legs pressed against the outside of his thighs were slender, more slim the woman before her, and if he had to guess, he would've said it was Asha or maybe Sheridan, since Emily was still pressed against his side. The woman sitting in his lap had his cock nestled against her snatch without pushing onto it, sliding back and forth against the shaft. He could feel a little tickle of hair against the head of his cock. That meant he was nearly certain it was Sheridan who sat atop him now. Asha was clean shaven, although she was considering growing a bit of hair out since finding out that Andy didn't mind. In fact, it seemed like almost all of the girls had arrived nearly bare of pubic hair (Ash and Sarah were notable exceptions, as both wanted to prove they were natural gingers), and each of them had told Andy that they thought all men preferred it that way. Andy's response had been that he didn't mind some hair, as long as it wasn't complete 1970s overgrowth bush. Since then many of the girls had grown landing strips, Vs or even started to get a little more ornate with it. Taylor had shaven a small blonde tuft above her cunt into a heart shape, which Lauren had both loved and never stopped teasing her over, saying over and over again that it was the girliest thing anyone in the house had ever done. Another girl moved up onto her knees to the left of him and moved in close, leaning in to kiss the girl atop of him, even as she lifted up, got his cock lined up, then pushed down on it hard, impaling herself firmly upon it. She moaned wantonly into the mouth of the girl she had locked lips with, who moaned back at her, the two pitches blended into one. As they did, all the other girls dragged their fingernails across his skin,  his chest, his stomach, his legs, even a few fingers at his balls beneath the body he suspected was Sheridan's,  as if to try and distract him even further. Whoever she was, his partner who'd screwed herself onto his cock, she had clenched down intently around his cock even as she settled, both of her hands on his chest, although just the fingertips only, the palms tented upwards. Andy expected her to sit there and settle, but whoever was atop his cock had other ideas in mind, rocking her hips back and upward, sliding partially off his cock only to thrust down and forward with a sharp snap once more. The tempo was a bit more rushed, wanton and insistent. One of her hands lifted from his chest and he was fairly certain she moved it down to rub on her own clit, even while she continued to snap down into him, making sure his cock was lodged deep inside of her cunt as much as she could. Her other hand was dragging short fingernails hard against the valley of his chest, raking through the dark curls there. "Fuck's sake, lookiter go," Sheridan said, her voice down near his ankles, which confused Andy a lot further. He'd been nearly certain it had been Sheridan atop of him, and now that he knew for a fact that it wasn't, he didn't have a clue who was posting on his cock, but whoever it was, they were drenching his shaft, and the rhythm they were setting wasn't giving him much a chance to resist the impending orgasm that was rapidly building up inside of his balls. He decided thinking about who it was wouldn't do him any good, so he resolved to just enjoy the experience, the feeling of the velvety cunt trying to milk the next load out of him, as she started jumping up and down even quicker atop of him, her ass smacking against the tops of his thighs. She was impaling his shaft hilt down to the base again and again, the speed practically a gallop. The number of hands on his body slowly decreased, and he thought they were all taking hold on the woman atop of him, pushing her down, forcing her to keep up her pace. He was trying to stop himself from going off too soon, but even with having just come a couple minutes earlier, the barrage of sensations was too much for him to resist for long. "Stop fighting it, darling," Emma whispered into his ear, her breath hot and fierce on his skin. "She wants this. She wants this so bad it's eating her up inside. You are the answer. You are her tonic. Let her have what she wants. Fill her belly with your gift." He was just about ready to pop when the girl riding atop of him said something, but it was too late for him to try and reel it back in. Past the point of no return, she said "I cannae take it any longer, a loue ye, do it ta me ya numpty, make me yer gare rul!" As his cock began to spew hot cum into the body atop of him, it dawned on him what was happening, and that it was already done. There was no turning back now, and more than anything, he had questions, loads and loads of questions. When the cum left his cock and filled the cunt wrapped around it, he felt her body violently tremble before falling deathly still, being held in place by the hands keeping her from toppling over. He was gasping and panting for breath as Emily rolled off his left arm, and the body atop of him was lowered forward, taking her place. Then Hannah rolled off his right arm, and another body, the first woman to have gotten his load today, was laid down in that spot, wedging him in once more. On both sides of him, he heard the same thing, only the voice on the left was saying it in a Scottish brogue. Two separate voices, each repeating that word, that oh so familiar singular word, repeated over and over and over again. "Imprinting," on his right. "Imprintin'," on his left. And, stuck there in the middle, Andy could think but one single thing. "Oh Fuck." Chapter 31 Before they even took the blindfold off, Andy knew exactly who was pressed against his left and right sides, even if he hadn't seen either of them in person in over a decade. Emily pulled the blindfold off him and he looked to his right, seeing Fiona's smiling face resting against his shoulder. She was older, certainly, but the years had been far kinder to her than they had any right to be, and if DC had put her through any sort of hell, she certainly didn't wear it on her face. Mostly, she looked just like she had on their final night together, right before he'd moved west to California, and while that warmed his heart, he also felt a bit nervous about it. He'd put on some weight over the years, and the skin around his eyes was definitely showing initial wrinkles. The years hadn't been nearly as kind to him as they had to her. Then it occurred to him that she'd had several minutes to watch him, blindfolded and splayed out, time in which she could have changed her mind, and didn't, so it meant that she knew what she wanted, and, for all his flaws and mistakes, he was it. So then he decided to look to his left, and the face there certainly had aged, but mostly because she'd barely been more than a girl last time he'd seen her, then eighteen and full of life, now thirty three and much more wizened. Moira. She bore a tiny nose stud now, a diamond he thought, which was new, but the explosion of her crimson curls was as gloriously unruly as ever. She had some tattoos now, although he couldn't see them too clearly this close up. Also, he could feel her small tits were capped with pierced nipples, and that was also definitely a change. So much had changed about Moira over a decade and a half, and yet, that mischievous little smile of hers was exactly as he'd remembered it. It wasn't the only thing, though. She was still slender and lithe, willowy in frame but also short in stature. Many differences and yet, somehow, still fundamentally the same Moira he'd met a decade and a half ago. But how the hell had she come to be here? His mind was filled with endless questions, and he found himself slightly annoyed that he wasn't going to get real answers until tomorrow. Click! went the sound of a cell phone camera as the tiny L E D flash bulb lit him up, and he looked to see Niko holding a phone there, taking a handful of pictures as Emily moved to remove the restraints from his left arm, Sarah getting his right, Lauren getting his left leg and Hannah getting his right leg, all four of them moving quickly to make sure he wasn't imprisoned any longer. "Remember what I said," Ash said, as she helped him slide out from between the two slumbering bodies. "Say thank you when you're given a gift." He grinned, rolling his eyes in amusement. "Yes, well, I'll have to wait until they're both conscious before I can tell them thank you, now won't I?" He slipped back onto the bed so he could pull the covers over the two of them, making sure they were settled well into the bed. He made sure to put not only the sheet on them but also the comforter, so that they would awake warm and toasty in the bed. Of course, he realized, considering how early it was the morning, the rest of them were likely to be back in this bed before either of them woke up from the imprinting process. After getting them tucked in, he slid back to sit on the edge of the bed, seeing the girls were standing around him, all eager for a story, to explain how they'd come to this. "I asked Fiona if she was sure you'd be okay with Moira, and asked Moira if she was sure she wanted this, and Moira told me she was very excited to see you again, so clearly you two have some kind of history," Niko said, stepping close to rub her hand along Andy's shoulder. "Fi said you'd be anxious for about five minutes and then exuberant after that." Andy chuckled. "I think the five minutes has passed, and now I'm mostly just full of questions about what happened between then and now. We don't have to worry about waking them, but maybe we should go sit in one of the living rooms so everyone has a place to sit." While Andy grabbed a pair of boxers and a t shirt, the girls all did the same, pillaging his t shirt collection so that each of them was wearing one of his shirts as well as panties or boxers. Once all of them had some clothing on, they moved out of the bedroom and down the hall to the second story living room, filled with couches and chairs. He hopped onto a couch, as Sarah and Aisling immediately closed in on either side of him, as the rest of the girls gathered around, finding seats where they could all watch Andy, eager for him to spill the details they'd been unable to get from Fiona or Moira. "So I'm guessing you got to spend the most time with them, Niko," he said with a sly smile. "What did they tell you at the base? How much do you already know?" "Almost nothing!" she huffed in mock indignation, although the smile on her face made it clear it was simply a ploy. "Fiona's a troublemaker, and I kinda love her already. She said you'd slept with Moira before, and you hadn't complained when it happened, so that you would be okay with it happening again on a more regular basis." "That's it?" "Well, I asked Moira to tell me something she knew about you sexually to prove that she'd really slept with you before," Niko giggled, "and she said you loved that she had a foul mouth, so I knew she really had." Andy's eyebrows hopped in amusement as he nodded. "Yes. Well. I suppose I have to tell the story now, don't I?" "I mean, you don't," Sarah said, leaning in firmly against his right side, "but I think if you don't, you should be worried about all of us fucking dogpiling on you and tickling you until you can't breathe, and we all know how much you hate being tickled, so,” "Absolutely!" Emily giggled, tenting her fingertips like she was getting ready to tickle him. "Tea! Spill it!" "I can't tell if this story's going to be better or worse than you expected, but okay, here goes," he said, feeling Ash's fingertips stroking along the back of his head, trying to keep him at ease. "So in the fall of 2005, during Fi and my's last year of college, her older brother, Julian, got married to a Scottish girl named Alana. Naturally, Fi and I were invited to the wedding,  we were pretty established into our coupledom back then,  so even though the wedding was in Scotland, I knew it was important enough for her that we went. The two of us took a week off of classes to fly out to Aberdeen, as the wedding was in a little villa called Newburgh, just to the north of it." "Scottish weather in the fall is no great picnic, especially that far north," Emily said. "I'm surprised they didn't wait until the spring or summer." "The plan had been to hold the wedding the following year, actually, but Alana's mother had been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, and they didn't think she had that long, so the timetable was pushed up. Thankfully, Newburgh isn't a particularly large village, so making the accommodations wasn't tricky. It just meant that we had to move the timetable of our trip up by a lot." "Always tricky," Piper said. "Any massive problems?" Hannah asked. "Well, we were a little worried that my passport wasn't going to arrive in time, but you girls know me, I prepare for everything a billion years in advance, so it showed up about two weeks before we were scheduled to leave. I'd never been out of the country before, whereas Fiona's passport had more stamps in it than library book." "They stamp library books?" Asha asked. Andy decided to let that slide. "I'd also never been someone's date to a wedding before either, so I didn't realize quite how much conversation there was going to be from her family about our future, whether we should get married, if either of us wanted children, the whole nine yards. And remember, we spent basically a full day just getting there, and another full day just getting back, so a lot of that conversation was had between the two of us before we'd gotten there. We were close and serious, but I hadn't realized that the possibility of marriage was on Fi's mind until we were on an airplane somewhere over the Atlantic and I didn't have anywhere to run." He chuckled a little, as the girls all shot him some degree of dirty looks. "I wasn't opposed to the idea, but I just didn't think she'd felt that attached to me, really. We'd already started having some of the conversations about how I wanted to go west and she wanted to go to DC, and I knew that was going to be a loggerhead we were going to come to at some point." "You're getting off topic, love," Emily chided. "You were getting to Moira." "Are you going to tell me how to tell a story, Em?" he countered, which made her snicker. "Anyway, marriage wasn't the only thing we talked about on the way up. We had a short taxi ride from Aberdeen to Newburgh where Fi thanked me for coming along, because she knew I'm not a big party person. I told her that of course I was going to come, since she was a bridesmaid and we'd been together as a couple for a few years at that point. Her whole family was going to be there, and it would've looked terrible if her boyfriend hadn't come along to her brother's wedding, no matter how he felt about it." "You've never seemed anti party at any of our parties," Ash said. "Well, no," he admitted, "but that's because I know everyone at our parties. I don't do quite as well in large social situations where there's a hundred people introducing themselves and you're expected to keep a dozen different conversations spinning in your head for hours on end. Those things I don't do as well with." "Just imagine how much fucking fun you're going to have meeting all our families and friends," Sarah teased. "Shit, our wedding's gonna be a small city." "Yes yes," Andy laughed, "we'll rent out the Fox Theatre in Oakland. It fits 2,800 people and if that isn't enough for you ladies, then the wedding's off." He tossed his hand into the air at the end for comic effect. All the girls giggled a little bit at that. "So how was Fiona's brother's wedding?" Sheridan asked. "Relatively small and intimate, to my shock. Fi's family isn't that big, and it seemed like Alana's wasn't either, although both sides had a smattering of friends who had flown or driven in. Alana's side was certainly more full, as Newburgh was her home town. Julian had gotten into international finance and was working out of London, helping manage some hedge fund, which is where he'd met Alana. So for all of her friends, it was just a couple of hours. For his family and most of his older friends, it was a transatlantic voyage. But we came anyway, and I think there were about fifty people at the wedding, so it wasn't as overwhelming as I expected, and Fiona looked amazing in the bridesmaid's dress." "Keep going," Piper prompted. "Well, Moira was one of the other bridesmaids, a childhood friend of Alana's, well, someone Alana had babysat growing up, actually. I was 23, Fiona was 22, Julian was 27, Alana was 25 and Moira was 18, but only just. Alana and Moira were still tight friends even all the years later, and so when she'd decided to get married, she'd asked her two sisters, Julian's sister, her best friend and Moira to be in her wedding party." "Here's where the plot thickens, I reckon," Lauren said. "Wait," Sarah said. "The threesome you were telling Jade about?" "Can I tell my story, or do you girls want to continue jumping to any conclusion you can get your hands on?" he said, trying to put as much 'disappointed parent' as he could into his tone, placing his hands on his hips in exasperation. "Sorry baby," Sarah replied, kissing his cheek. "Carry on." "Thank you," he sighed, although he wasn't genuinely annoyed. It was simply fun keeping the girls in the dark a little longer, since they'd enjoyed having him blindfolded so much. "So the wedding itself was nice, mostly a low key affair. One thing I'd told Fiona was that the heavy Scottish accents were crazy hard to understand, especially as we were all starting to have more than a few drinks at the reception. I dunno if any of you ladies have been drinking with Scots before,” Emily cleared her throat and he shot her a wink. "...but for those of you who haven't, heavens, you can't tell if you're way more drunk than you thought, or if their language has just devolved into raw sounds." "Usually a bit of both," Emily said as she nodded. "It's true,  I've grown up hearing Scottish voices now and again, and even I have trouble making out what they're saying after they've a few pints in them." "So, picture that, me at a wedding reception, a little tipsy, unable to hold a conversation with at least half of the people in the building, and Fi pulls me out onto the dance floor, where I am just drunk enough that I don't give a shit of how badly I'm dancing." "You aren't that awkward, love," Ash teased. "You're fibbing, love, but I'll let it slide. Anyway, Fi and I are out there dancing on the floor, and the DJ puts on a slower song, some Robbie Williams number I think, but basically all that sort of stuff blends together for me. And while we're there slow dancing, Fi whispers into my ear and asks me if I've ever considered a threesome." "I fucking knew it!" Sarah said, shoving her fist into the air, before realizing everyone was staring at her, and she giggled furiously, burying her face in Andy's neck for a second. "Sorry, sorry, carry on. Just super fucking proud of myself for figuring it out." "I told Fi that she was all the woman I needed, and the idea of sharing her with another man was enough to make me soft. She giggled, said she didn't want another man, and that she didn't want us to have Miss Forever, but that we were at a wedding, so there wasn't any shame in having fun with Miss Right Now." "That little minx," Niko mumbled. "She even had someone in mind, and pointed out Moira, who was dancing by herself in the center of the room, slow dancing alone like nobody was watching, having shrugged off a couple of Julian's friends from London. She didn't have the nose stud back then, but she certainly had the long curly dark red hair. It had been up for the ceremony, but as soon as she'd gotten to the reception, she'd let her hair down, both figuratively and literally." "You certainly do have a fucking type, Andy," Sarah teased, poking him in the ribs. Andy blushed a little bit, looking down at his lap for a moment before looking back up again. "Moira was actually my first redhead, and I didn't have another in my life until I met Ash. Most of the time, before and after Fi, I dated blondes, actually. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that Moira certainly went a long way into shaping my sexual tastes." "How so?" "She was so confident, so playful, so open and free. She loved to swear, and I know that Fi picked up on that, because she swore way more when we got back from Scotland than before we'd left. Moira was only 18 at the time but she felt like this dynamo of energy, and she wore her sexuality so blatantly on her sleeve. She seemed worldly, far more experienced than either Fi or I were, and while we were nervous when the whole thing started, to Moira, it seemed like just another in a long list of adventures, one that she was going to dive into without reservation. The Scottish accent was hot too, I'm not gonna lie, but you girls know how I have a love of accents." At that, Emily began to giggle frantically, a frenzied laugh that made all the other girls and even Andy as well turn to look at her, her face turning red, waving her arms in the air for everyone to fall silent for a moment, and eventually the laughing fit faded and she was finally able to speak. "I know that you said the family was full after this, Andrew, but Niko absolutely, positively, unequivocally has to remain vigilant for a Welsh girl to bring into the house, so you can complete the set." Andy cocked his head to one side, so she explained. "English," she said, pointing at herself. "Irish," she said, pointing at Aisling. "Scottish," she said, pointing back at the bedroom. "You can't leave the set unfinished like that. We've got to get you a taff to round out the set." "Taff?" Niko asked. "The river that runs through the Welsh capital of Cardiff is the river Taff, so a lot of people call the Welsh taffs or taffys," Emily said. "Anyway, you will make an exception if we find the right Welsh girl to complete the house. I've decided for you." "I don't get a say in the matter?" he asked, realizing it was futile trying to argue with her. "Oh, of course you do, Andrew, and your say is 'whatever you think is best, my darling Emily.'" He grinned, chastised. "Whatever you think is best, my darling Emily." "There's a good boy." "Did you keep in touch with Moira after your tryst?" "I didn't, and I thought Fi hadn't either. It was only one day, well, I guess it was technically two nights and one day. But it felt very much like a fling, a very intense series of sexual experiences that were wonderful, but definitely fleeting. I mean, I told Moira that if she ever wanted to come to the states, we'd be happy to show her around, and I gave her my email address, but I never heard from her after that. Shit, I don't even know her last name!" "It's MacLeod," Niko said. "What, like the Highlander?" Sarah asked. "It's one of the most common surnames in Scotland, Sares, so hush," Emily said to her. "I wonder if there's such a thing as too Scottish," Andy muttered to himself. "I went and got them from the base earlier this morning at their request," Niko said. "Myself, Ash and Emily chatted with them a little bit before we brought them into the bedroom. They're both genuinely very eager to join the family." "Moira was a little starstruck by me at first," Em confessed, "but I told her she was going to have to get over that and she agreed." "We didn't have a lot of time to talk to them this morning, but we did vet them a little bit," Aisling said to him. "Fiona seemed exactly like you described her as, and Moira seemed proper class." "You did agree to whatever Fiona's condition was, Andy," Niko said to him. "Moira was that condition. I'm sure she'll be happy to tell you why when they're both awake." "We wouldn't have let them in if we didn't think they wanted to be with you for any reasons other than the right ones, Andrew," Emily said. "And we vetted them as a team, so each of us could make certain there weren't any red flags lying about, and be certain that the others hadn't overlooked any possible deal breakers." "I'm surprised you didn't join them in grilling them over, Sarah," Andy said to her. She laughed a little and shrugged. "I'm klutzy and I'd have only screwed it up or said something awkward. Besides, I had to make sure you stayed pinn

Tom Bodrovics welcomes back gold market and finance expert Alasdair Macleod. Together they explore the escalating systemic risks in global gold and silver markets, driven by surging demand for physical delivery. Macleod highlighted the European Central Bank's (ECB) warning about skyrocketing counterparty risks in gold derivatives, emphasizing that COMEX delivery demands have reached unprecedented levels, with an annualized rate of 1,500 tons—far exceeding post-pandemic trends. This surge reflects a growing scramble for physical metal which is exacerbated by delays in delivery fulfillment. Bullion banks, fearing tariffs and supply shortages, inflated futures prices to create arbitrage opportunities, further straining markets. Macleod underscored a critical shift: central banks, once willing to lease gold to stabilize markets, now hesitate to renew leases, fearing irreversible loss of reserves. This trend, compounded by COMEX silver shortages, signals deepening liquidity crises. Demand is driven by sovereign wealth funds, Asian families, and Middle Eastern entities diversifying from the dollar amid geopolitical tensions and long-term currency devaluation fears. The discussion pivoted to the U.S. debt trap, with deficits exceeding 6% of GDP and tepid demand for long-term Treasuries. Macleod compared today's credit bubble and protectionist tariffs to the 1929 crash, warning of a potential debt deflation spiral. He noted China's strategic accumulation of gold and silver, possibly prepping the yuan for gold backing, while avoiding abrupt moves to destabilize Western economies. Amid these risks, Macleod stressed wealth preservation over accumulation, advocating physical gold as a hedge. He cautioned that markets underestimate the looming convergence of fiscal instability, currency crises, and geopolitical shifts, urging vigilance as structural economic fractures deepen. The episode closed with a stark reminder: today's calm belies a gathering storm, mirroring historical precedents where credit excesses and policy missteps fueled systemic collapse. Guest Links:Twitter: https://twitter.com/MacleodFinanceSubstack: https://substack.com/@macleodfinanceWebsite: https://goldmoney.comResearch: https://www.goldmoney.com/research/ Alasdair Macleod is Head of Research for GoldMoney. He is an educator and advocates for sound money thru demystifying finance and economics. His background includes being a stockbroker, banker, and economist. Alasdair started his career as a stockbroker in 1970 on the London Stock Exchange. Within nine years, he had risen to become senior partner of his firm. Subsequently, he held positions at the director level in investment management and worked as a mutual fund manager. Mr. Macleod also worked at a bank in Guernsey as an executive director. For most of his 40 years in the finance industry, he has been demystifying macro-economic events for his investing clients. The accumulation of this experience has convinced him that unsound monetary policies are the most destructive weapon governments use against the common man. Accordingly, his mission is to educate and inform the public in layman's terms what governments do with money and how to protect themselves from the consequences.

What does Jesus mean when He calls us to “be perfect” like our Heavenly Father? In this thought-provoking episode, Scott MacLeod unpacks this powerful command from Matthew 5:48—not as a call to flawlessness, but to wholeness, maturity, and love that reflects the character of God. Through biblical teaching and practical insight, Scott invites us into a deeper life of spiritual growth, integrity, and grace. This message will challenge and inspire you to live in alignment with the fullness of God's heart.

Tunes: Miller: Bundle and Go, The Highlandmen come over the Hill, The Plunder of the Lowlands now Grazes in the Glens, Glengary's Strathspey, MacLeod Fencibles Quick March, The Bonniest Wife this side of Lord Reay's Country, Gather and Go, Kiss and Come Again, The Piper he died cauld in a barn, As I was Kissd yestreen, MacLeod's March, Jeremy Kingsbury: When the King Enjoys His Own Again/The World Turned Upside Down, Simon Fraser: The Plunder of the Lowlands now Grazes in the Glens, Dàimh: Harris Dance (track). Andy M. Stewart: Dinny The Piper William Ross: MacLeod's March George S. MacLennan: The MacLeod's March Thank you to Keith Sanger for sending me the Manuscript to look over and play from. Big thank you to Dàimh! Check out their album here: https://daimh.bandcamp.com/album/the-hebridean-sessions Sources: 1838: Bundle and Go, The Highlandmen come over the Hill, The Plunder of the Lowlands now Grazes in the Glens, Glengary's Strathspey, MacLeod Fencibles Quick March, The Bonniest Wife this side of Lord Reay's Country, Gather and Go, Kiss and Come Again, The Piper he died cauld in a barn, As I was Kissd yestreen, MacLeod's March, From Robert Miller's 1838 “A Collection of National Music for the Great Highland Bagpipe set by Mr. Robert Miller, Musician for John C Cameron, Piper and Pipe Maker, Dundee 1838. Courtesy of Keith Sanger. +X+X+ 1816: The (Spraith) or Plunder of the Lowlands now Graze in the Glens from Simon P Fraser's The Airs And Melodies Peculiar To The Highlands Of Scotland And The Isles https://archive.org/details/airsmelodiespecu00fras/page/n43/mode/1up?view=theater +X+X+ Listen to A Great Highland Bagpipe setting of Plunder of the Lowlands (or Old Man's Calf) that avoids the Cs all together here on Kist of Riches: https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/25962?l=en +X+X+ For More info on Dinny The piper check out: https://mainlynorfolk.info/folk/songs/dinnythepiper.html check out the album here: https://store.compassrecords.com/products/dublin-lady?srsltid=AfmBOopPhYlYu_QUS2HZZN4jTJarIINW8t3Xn9VphHsuZ5ohO02gkefO +X+X+ 1869+: McLeod's March from William Ross's https://ceolsean.net/content/WRoss/WRoss_TOC.html +X+X+ 1929: The McLeod's March from George S McClennan's Highland Bagpipe Music https://ceolsean.net/content/mclennan/MacLennan_TOC.html +X+X+ FIN Here are some ways you can support the show: You can support the Podcast by joining the Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/wetootwaag You can also take a minute to leave a review of the podcast if you listen on Itunes! Tell your piping and history friends about the podcast! Checkout my Merch Store on Bagpipeswag: https://www.bagpipeswag.com/wetootwaag You can also support me by Buying my Albums on Bandcamp: https://jeremykingsbury.bandcamp.com/ You can now buy physical CDs of my albums using this Kunaki link: https://kunaki.com/msales.asp?PublisherId=166528&pp=1 You can just send me an email at wetootwaag@gmail.com letting me know what you thought of the episode! Listener mail keeps me going! Finally I have some other support options here: https://www.wetootwaag.com/support Thanks! Listen on Itunes/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wetootwaags-bagpipe-and-history-podcast/id129776677 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QxzqrSm0pu6v8y8pLsv5j?si=QLiG0L1pT1eu7B5_FDmgGA

This week, I'm joined once again by the brilliant Cat MacLeod a returning guest and friend of the podcast  for a raw and honest chat about what it takes to be a creative in 2025 ✨Since we last spoke, Cat's been selected for the inaugural Sean Connery Talent Lab with NFTS Scotland, where she's directing a short film (with a real budget this time), and she's launched _and friends  a brilliant new theatre initiative that champions fresh work and supports artists in meaningful, no-gatekeeper ways. She's also using her platform to advocate for real change in theatre and the wider creative industry.We chatted about:

Rev Callum Macleod preaches on James 1:5-8

Listen to this amazing message by Pastor Scott

Rev Calum Iain Macleod preaches on Numbers 10:29

Rev Calum I ain Macleod preaches on Numbers 10:29

Guest Preacher Rev Colin MacleodSeries: Guest Preacher Preacher: Rev. Colin F. MacleodLord's Day MorningDate: 8th June 2025Passages: Genesis 12:1-9Romans 4:1-12

Guest Preacher - Rev. Colin MacleodSeries: Guest Preacher Preacher: Rev. Colin F. MacleodDate: 8th June 2025Passage: John 12:1-50

In this heartfelt and hope-filled message, Daniel MacLeod explores the enduring nature of God's love—a love that doesn't just rescue us but sustains us through every season. Whether you're walking through joy, pain, waiting, or uncertainty, this episode reminds you that God's love is constant, unwavering, and strong enough to carry you. With biblical insight and personal encouragement, Daniel invites you to rest in the sustaining love that never lets go.

Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod joins the show to wrap up the PWHL season, where her team fell short against Minnesota in the Walter Cup Final, and to talk about the impending PWHL expansion draft

In this eye-opening episode, Scott MacLeod explores one of the most surprising truths of Scripture: God delights in using what the world calls foolish to accomplish His greatest purposes. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 1:27, Scott challenges cultural definitions of success, strength, and wisdom—reminding us that God's kingdom operates on a different standard. Whether you feel unqualified, overlooked, or underestimated, this message will encourage you to embrace your calling and trust the God who turns weakness into glory.

In this passionate and evangelistic message, Scott MacLeod unpacks the simple yet powerful call of the Gospel: Come see what Jesus has done—and go tell others. Drawing from the resurrection story and personal encounters with Christ, Scott challenges us to move beyond passive faith into bold witness. This episode is a stirring reminder that what starts with an invitation to experience Jesus should always lead to a mission to share Him. You've seen—now it's time to tell.

What do you do when God doesn't move the way you expected? In this deeply honest episode, Scott MacLeod explores Jesus' words in Matthew 11:6—“Blessed is the one who is not offended because of Me.” Through Scripture and real-life application, Scott reveals how offense can quietly derail our faith, while trust in God's greater plan brings blessing and peace. If you've ever struggled with unmet expectations, disappointment, or delayed answers, this message will help you release offense and rediscover unwavering faith.

In this deeply personal and encouraging episode, Scott MacLeod shares the story of Hagar from Genesis 16 and the powerful moment she calls God “El Roi”—the God who sees me. When we feel forgotten, overlooked, or unseen, this message reminds us that God not only notices us—He knows us intimately. Scott unpacks how encountering the One who truly sees us changes everything: our identity, our direction, and our hope. If you're in a hidden or hurting place, this episode is a reminder that you're never out of God's sight.

Episode 210 – Schools That Give an F: Clarity, Culture, and Contribution with Rob McLeodIn this episode, Darrin is joined by international educator and podcast host Rob McLeod to explore a critical leadership conversation: school alignment. Drawing from his own career across three countries and multiple school systems, Rob shares how he rediscovered his passion by finding alignment between his personal values and the work his school was doing.Together, they discuss:The three distinct types of schools: Expert, Coach, and CounselorHow to identify your school's default leadership styleWhy many schools unintentionally pull in different directionsHow leaders can use a values-based framework to bring their school into alignmentThe importance of understanding staff priorities: Responsibility, Achievement, or MeaningRob's upcoming book, Schools That Give an F, offers practical tools for school leaders to create environments where every educator contributes meaningfully.

A lot of technically skilled professionals hit a wall when the job becomes less about solving problems and more about leading people. It's not always about what you know, but how you show up. Communication, emotional awareness, and the ability to navigate team dynamics often feel like foreign territory after years of focusing on logic and precision. But without that shift, growth tends to stall—no matter how good you are at the work itself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XnazHK1dUc Leo MacLeod is a leadership coach who helps technical pros build emotional intelligence and lead with empathy. He's the author of Coaching and Mentoring for Dummies and From the Ground Up, drawing on decades of experience. Through his business, Training Coaching Pie, he designs practical, people-first training that actually sticks. Today, he speaks about the role of emotional clarity in leadership, setting real goals, and why listening well is more important than knowing all the answers. He believes that strong leadership starts with understanding yourself and genuinely connecting with others. Stay tuned! Resources: Leo MacLeod Website Connect with Leo MacLeod on LinkedIn

Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod speaks to the media ahead of Game 2 of the Walter Cup Final

Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod joins the show to talk about her team's OT win in Game 1 of the Walter Cup Final, and to look ahead to the rest of the PWHL Finals against Minnesota

What do you remember about your favorite brand? Chances are, it's a color, a logo, a look—that's visual marketing at work. In this episode of Rocky Mountain Marketing, I'm joined by Jim MacLeod, designer-turned-marketer and author of The Visual Marketer. We dive into the power of branding visuals, how to use them effectively even if you're not a designer, and what AI means for the future of brand identity.Key Takeaways:1. How design impacts brand trust and sales2. The difference between visual branding and brand strategy3. Why consistency is the most powerful brand asset4. How small businesses can compete visually with the big brands5. Ethical considerations in AI-generated visuals6. Tools that marketers can use (without going to design school)Timestamps00:00 Introduction to Visual Marketing01:12 Meet Jim MacLeod: Designer Turned Marketer02:11 The Journey from Design to Marketing05:00 The Science of Visuals in Branding07:04 Practical Tips for Creating Memorable Visuals11:56 AI's Impact on Design and Marketing14:58 Tools and Techniques for Non-Designers17:26 Ethical Considerations in AI and Design18:11 Future of Design in the Age of AI21:57 Conclusion and Key TakeawaysGrab Jim MacLeod's new book The Visual Marketer at visualmarketer.co and start creating design-led content that actually connects. Follow Jim on LinkedIn for more branding tips, or reach out to build a visual identity that sets you apart.Sign Up with Metricool today!https://metricool.com/katie?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=influencer&utm_campaign=20250520_katie-brinkley_rmm-jim-mcleod_en&utm_content=youtube&utm_term=q2Visit Jim MacLeod's social media pages:Website: https://book.jimmacleod.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmacleod/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmacleod/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimMacLeodLearn more about Katie and Next Step Social Communications:Speaking: https://katiebrinkley.com/Website: https://www.nextstepsocialcommunications.comLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiebrinkleyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/@rockymountainmarketingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkatiebrinkley/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/socialprofitlab#VisualMarketing #BrandStrategy #AIInDesign #RockyMountainMarketing #JimMcLeod #KatieBrinkley #BrandIdentity Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod speaks to the media ahead of hosting Minnesota for game 1 of the PWHL Final

In this episode of Add To Cart, we sit down with Kira Macleod-Finke, Head of Direct-to-Consumer at The Body Shop Australia, the iconic beauty brand now certified 100% vegan across its global product range. With a retail career spanning T2, Country Road, Trenery, and Jeanswest, Kira shares how she led The Body Shop through two global buyouts, a decentralisation shift, and a three-month replatform from SAP Commerce Cloud to Shopify, with just 13 minutes of downtime. She reveals how she unified ecommerce and retail under one DTC team, turned L&D into a real-time CX engine, and kept her people calm and focused through an unpredictable transformation. This one's packed with honest leadership insights, practical team structures, and bold decisions that brand managers and ecommerce leads won't want to miss.This episode was brought to you by: Shopify PlusKlaviyoAbout your guest:Kira Macleod-Finke is a seasoned retail leader with over 20 years' experience driving transformation across some of Australia's best-known brands. As Head of Direct-to-Consumer at The Body Shop Australia, she leads the charge across both ecommerce and 130+ retail stores, unifying customer experience and commercial strategy under one roof. Formerly the ANZ retail operations for The Body Shop, and Global Head of Retail at T2 Tea, Kira has led teams across five international markets. Her career also includes senior roles at Jeanswest and Country Road Group, where she led large-scale retail operations and customer-focused change. With deep expertise in omnichannel retail, team development and CX design, Kira is known for combining operational rigour with purpose-led leadership to put the customer at the centre of every decision.About your host:Nathan Bush is the host of the Add To Cart podcast and a leading ecommerce transformation consultant. He has led eCommerce for businesses with revenue $100m+ and has been recognised as one of Australia's Top 50 People in eCommerce four years in a row. You can contact Nathan on LinkedIn, Twitter or via email.Email hello@addtocart.com.au We look forward to hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rev Mark Macleod preaches on Acts 17

In this inspiring episode, Sarah MacLeod dives deep into the transformative impact of bold and persistent prayer. Drawing from biblical examples and personal experience, she unpacks how consistent, faith-driven prayer can shift circumstances, build spiritual endurance, and draw you closer to God's heart. Whether you're in a season of waiting or believing for breakthrough, Sarah's message will challenge and encourage you to pray with greater confidence, passion, and perseverance. Don't settle for passive prayers—learn how to pray with power.

In this heartfelt episode, Scott MacLeod reminds us of the power of praise—even in the midst of life's most difficult moments. Through biblical insight and real-life reflection, Scott encourages us to shift our focus from what's going wrong to the goodness of God that never changes. Discover how praise can become a weapon, a refuge, and a declaration of trust when circumstances feel overwhelming. No matter what you're walking through, this episode will stir your faith and help you find strength in worship.

In a world filled with noise, notifications, and nonstop demands, Scott MacLeod poses a challenging question: are we being distracted or discipled? In this thought-provoking episode, Scott explores the subtle ways distraction can pull us away from spiritual growth—and how intentional discipleship anchors us in God's truth. With practical insights and biblical encouragement, this message will help you refocus your heart, realign your priorities, and walk with greater purpose. It's time to choose formation over fragmentation.

Are you living with clear purpose—or feeling pulled in a thousand directions? In this impactful episode, Scott MacLeod explores the tension between being focused and being fractured in our faith, time, and identity. With spiritual insight and practical wisdom, Scott challenges us to quiet the chaos, eliminate distractions, and center our lives fully on Christ. If you're longing for clarity, direction, and a deeper sense of wholeness, this message will guide you toward a more intentional and anchored walk with God.

Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod joins the program for her weekly visit to talk about her team taking a 2-1 lead on Montreal, and to look ahead to their opportunity to close out the series tomorrow night on home ice

Since the MacLeod report was first published in 2009, Engage for Success (EFS) has become a flourishing all-volunteer collective for those passionate about colleague engagement. A senior lecturer at Nottingham Business School, Dr. Sarah Pass is a practice-oriented academic who concentrates on employee experience and engagement. As a member of the Engage for Success (EFS) Advisory Board, she co-leads the EFS annual survey, which benchmarks the engagement levels of the UK working population. In this episode, Sarah and Jen discuss the findings of the latest EFS survey, explore the four enablers of engagement and dig into why colleague voice is so important when seeking to build motivation and goodwill at work.   About Dr Sarah Pass Dr Sarah Pass is a practice-oriented academic who concentrates on employee experience and engagement. She is a member of the Engage for Success (EFS) Advisory Board and co-leads the EFS annual survey, which benchmarks the engagement levels of the UK working population. Sarah leads EFS projects focusing on different aspects and influences of engagement in practice and is also Chair of the EFS East Midlands Area Network. Sarah is a Fellow of the RSA, an Academic Associate of the CIPD, and a member of the Involvement and Participation Association (IPA) Working Insights Group. In 2023, Sarah was ranked by HR Magazine as an Influential Thinker in HR. Sarah currently works as a Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Business School (NTU).   Find Sarah on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahpass/ Sarah at Nottingham Business School: https://www.ntu.ac.uk/staff-profiles/business/sarah-pass Engage for Success: https://engageforsuccess.org/

Join us a Pastor Sarah preaches on your blueprint

Rev Colin Macleod preaches on Acts 17:1-15

Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod joins the program for her weekly visit to talk about making the playoffs, and what to expect against Montreal

Okay friends — this episode is so special. We sat down with our new friend Daniel McLeod for a convo that left us honestly fired up and so encouraged. Daniel lives in Nashville and leads an incredible ministry called Jesus Mission that's all about reaching the next generation — and y'all, the stories he shares are WILD. We're talking revival in high schools, miracles on the streets of Broadway, and what it really means to live with radical, sold-out obedience to Jesus. We talk about the cost of following Jesus, how scary obedience can be (and how to do it anyway), and the better-than-you-could-imagine life that comes on the other side of surrender. Whether you're in full-time ministry, raising babies, working a 9-to-5, or just trying to figure it all out — this episode will remind you that your “yes” to God matters more than you think. Let's get after it! Topics Discussed What Is Jesus Mission? From High School Revival to Friday Nights on Broadway The Wild Story Behind Wilco United and 1,600 High Schoolers Worshiping Becoming the Peer Pressure: A Radical High School Faith Story Building Ministry That Meets Real Needs When Radical Obedience Doesn't Equal a Paycheck What It Costs to Live Fully for Jesus The Sweetness on the Other Side of Surrender Miracle on Broadway: Healed of Terminal Cancer That One Time Daniel Preached to a Whole Fraternity When Obedience Feels Awkward and Success Looks Different First Steps: How to Do It Scared and Say Yes Anyway Radical Motherhood, Everyday Yeses & What's Next for Fireplace Thanks To Our Sponsors! Good Ranchers: By sourcing all of their meat from local, independent farms in the U.S., Good Ranchers is connecting people to quality products they can't get anywhere else. Visit https://www.goodranchers.com and use code FTG at checkout to get free meat + $25 off your order. Guest Resources Follow Daniel  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danieldmacleod Website: https://www.danielmacleod.org Jesus Mission Global Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesusmissionglobal Website: https://www.jesusmission.global Fireplace Nashville Instagram: @fireplacenashville Website: https://www.fireplacenashville.com Wilco United Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wilco.united Website: https://www.wilcounited.com The Merger Nashville Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themergenashville Website: https://www.themergenashville.com

Welcome to How To Start Up, the podcast for anyone looking to start & scale their own business. I'm Juliet Fallowfield & today we're discussing viral marketing with Lucie Macleod, founder of the TikTok sensation, Hair Syrup.Founded in 2020 with no prior entrepreneurial experience, Lucie combined her understanding of consumer behavior with social media creativity, to turn a handmade hair oil into THE beauty must-have with over 350,000 engaged TikTok followers & rapid, 1,000% year-on-year growth. After an appearance on BBC Dragon's Den, the brand is now on track to hit £6.5 million in revenue by 2026.To hear our next guest's answer to Lucie's question at the end of this ep, just click follow in your podcast directory of choice & you'll receive a notification from us when it is ready for you to listen. Lucie's advice:Don't invest hugely to begin with; start cautiouslyDon't build on ‘pinterest appeal' with pretty packaging; functionality is what countsBelieve in your productStick at it when things get difficult; be doggedTiktok can be good if you strike luckyBe very careful spending on advertising as you can lose a lot of money if you're badly advisedAlso be very careful about the people you surround yourself with; if you wouldn't be happy with a particular person being in your house, then don't employ them in your businessTrust trumps skillLearn to step away from your business and fully relaxFF&M enables you to own your own PR & produces podcasts.Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2024 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.  Email us at hello@fallowfieldmason.com or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason. FF&M recommends: LastPass the password-keeping site that syncs between devices.Google Workspace is brilliant for small businessesBuzzsprout podcast 'how to' & hosting directoryCanva has proved invaluable for creating all the social media assets and audio bites.MUSIC CREDIT Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.  Link &  LicenceText us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan MailSupport the showText us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan MailSupport the show

The son of a pastor and former music industry exec, Daniel McLeod can be found most Friday nights on Nashville's Broadway. But he isn't partying—he's sharing the word of God with bouncers, barhoppers, and anyone who'll listen. Daniel shares about those experiences and what he's learned about youthful rebellion, initiating conversations about God, and mentorships.Segments/chapters0:00 Intro1:39 Growing up as a pastor's kid8:40 Daniel's experiences reaching out to people on Broadway in Nashville15:18 The biggest issues Daniel's ministry faces in connecting with people22:49 David's love for the outdoors30:19 Cultivating healthy relationships in your 20s41:17 Staying grounded when you've achieved a position of influence48:45 What does redemption mean to you?Visit The Redeemed's website for downloadable discussion question sets, show notes, inspirational articles, more resources, or to share your testimony.Join our Exclusive Newsletter: Signup today and be the first to get notified on upcoming podcasts and new resources!The Redeemed is an organization giving men from all backgrounds a supportive, judgment-free environment, grounded in Christian love without demanding participation in any faith tradition, where they can open up about their challenges, worries, and failures—and celebrate their triumphs over those struggles. Have a redemption story? Share your redemption story here. Interested in being a guest on our podcast? Email Nate@theredeemed.com Follow The Redeemed on Social Media: Podcast YouTube Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter

In this episode, Riley and Jack sit down with evangelist and ministry leader Daniel MacLeod—a man who lives and breathes the Great Commission. From the streets to stadiums, Daniel leads ministries like @jesusmissionglobal, @fireplacenashville, @themergenashville, and @wilco.united, all rooted in one heartbeat: making Jesus known. In this conversation, Daniel breaks down practical tools for evangelism—how to share your faith with courage and clarity in everyday moments. Whether you're nervous about starting that conversation at the coffee shop or wondering how to bring Jesus into your workplace, this episode will stir your heart and equip your hands. Daniel also shares his personal journey—from wild obedience in his early 20s to building communities where revival and relationship go hand in hand. It's a powerful reminder that sharing the gospel isn't complicated—it just starts with saying yes.

Duane MacLeod is Hold Fast Bespoke. You can find Duane at Mainely Menswear.com In this podcast Duane discusses how he's progressed from completing not 1 but 2 qualifications from The Tailoring Academy. Through some investigation, Duane is really excited and invested in his tailoring business - Hold Fast Bespoke. Also in this podcast, I've used a new sound track so the YouTube version meets YouTube's copyright rules. If you are able, consider supporting this podcast through our patreon account. There are 3 new tiers to choose from to support SewOver50's only podcast. Every podcast is free and the archive is gradually being uploaded on to the podcast YouTube channel. Sound with permission by Kaneef on YouTube. SewOver50 intersects with all communities. SewOver50 where we are so over ageism.  Our focus is the sewing talent each person shares on social media and providing recognition of their willingness to share their skills whether a beginner or experienced sewist. Make sure you listen to your SewOver50 friends in our SewOver50 podcast archive.    

Send us a textGary returns from his Atholl Highlanders tour with more great music from his collection of all things bagpipes.PlaylistThe Battlefield Band with Tending the Steer, Sandy Thompson and the Calrossie Cattle Wife from Harps, Pipes and Fiddles The Scottish Power Pipe Band with MacLeod's Oran Mor, Rory MacLeod, Donald Cameron's Powder Horn and Donald, Willie and his Dog from Cathcart. Willie McCallum with The Knightswood Ceilidh, The Cameronian Rant and Charlie's Welcome from Hailey's SongSteven Bodenes and Sylvain Hamon with Daou don Dans from Daou Don DansHazel Whyte with Major Manson at Clachantrushal, Susan MacLeod and Alick C MacGregor from EYP Live at Piping LiveBeinn Lee with Lexy MacAskill, The Ben Kenneth Reel, Air an Fheill a-Muigh and The Fourth Floor from Osgarra Jori Chisholm with Angus G MacLeod from Bagpipe RevolutionRS MacDonald with Good Drying from Good Drying LinksInfo and Nomination Form for the Maket CollectiveSupport the show

Dr Bryan MacLeod and I discuss the importance of self-compassion in healthcare. Bryan shares his journey from experiencing cauda equina while working rural physician to recognizing the need for self-compassion when facing ongoing health challenges. We explore the three pillars of self-compassion—mindfulness, common humanity, and self-kindness—and highlight the cultural challenges in healthcare regarding self-care. Bryan emphasizes how self-compassion can improve relationships, mental health, and work environments, and we discuss the need to teach these practices to combat burnout and foster wellness among healthcare professionals.Connect with Bryan here: https://mscnorth.com/Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

ShownotesAfter six long years of constant chemotherapy, painful procedures, many relapses, and a brush with death from the chickenpox virus, Donna MacLeod's daughter Erynne, died of leukemia at age 9. Her love of life, cheerful spirit, and devotion to Jesus inspired many. Being in her presence changed Donna as Erynne was a child of hope. In her early periods of grief, Donna began to write a spiritual companion to help others who were tending to their own grief.  We hope you enjoy this REPLAY of Andrea and Jennifer's conversation with Donna MacCleod as she shares her story and how the Seasons of Hope Journals came into existence. Our GuestDonna is a nurse, bereft mom, Catholic lay leader, bereavement ministry specialist, and author known for her unique Christ-centered program for those who mourn. Her bestselling Seasons of Hope ministry books now have an updated Leader's Guide: Bringing Comfort through Catholic Grief Support and four companion Journals: Finding Comfort in Your Grief (Ave Maria Press). Her writings on grief, loss, and faith also appear in CareNotes, PrayerNotes, and Caring Companions (Abbey Press) and other publications.She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing and has served as an oncology clinical specialist, nurse educator, administrator, and hospice professional. She was on the board of trustees of the former National Catholic Ministry to the Bereaved and is a member of the Catholic Family Life Association. You can find more information on Donna through her author link at Ave Maria Press found HERE. She can also be reached at seasonsofhope35@gmail.com.LinksSeasons of Hope SeriesJournaling QuestionsWhat struck you most about this particular episode?Have you ever used a journal on your grief journey? What benefits did you find in using one?Have you ever attended any sort of grief support group? What did you find helpful or not helpful about it?What are some things that have helped you explore your grief in different ways besides perhaps support groups or journaling?What is your mourning glory?This episode is in memory of Erynne MacLeod, Jacqueline and Angus MacLeod, Sundy and Isabelle Mann. 

Today is like the color confidential episode of the Quilter on Fire podcast except its not confidential – we are going to spill the beans on color. My guest today uses colour as a principal element in her work, applied in layers, and created with the intention to surprise, evoke calming emotions and a sense of joy. Today I'll have a chat with professional artist and designer Estè MaCleod. She is a professional artist and designer with a background in textile and surface design. Her art has hung in galleries in the UK and internationally and she often turns her work into designs that are licensed for use on products like Free Spirit Fabric, wallpaper, ceramics and more. She also teaches a selection of online courses with a focus on creativity and combining techniques in acrylics and water based media and she's well known for her Coloricombo weekly creative prompt of colour where she shares a palette chosen from colours that have caught her. Go to Este's website right here: https://www.estemacleod.com/Want to travel with Brandy?2025 FESTIVAL OF QUILTS Birmingham!!! This 14-day tour of Wales and England takes in the rich textile history and breathtaking cultural landmarks. Tour England & Wales ending at the Festival of Quilts. Call the team at Opuent Quilt Journeys at 1-877-235-3767 or go to  https://opulentquiltjourneys.com/destinations/britain/item/birmingham-festival-of-quilts-tour-with-brandyQuilter on Fire Website - https://quilteronfire.com/OLISO IRONS - Host of the Quilter on Fire Podcast Lounge each year at QuiltCon!BUY YOUR OWN OLISO MINI PROJECT IRON RIGHT HERESquare One Textile Art WorkshopLink to Brandy's email listKristy's Quilt Picture BookQuilter on Fire PatternsFree Quilter on Fire Holiday Table Runner VIDEO Support the showThank you for listening to the Quilter on Fire Podcast.

Join Basics of Dating now! https://www.heartofdating.com/basics-of-dating Love Heart of Dating Podcast? Want to support us AND be a part of the fam? Join us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/heartofdating Subscribe to our YouTube channel here! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1PswEXEyeSddMmOSiRKGw Crushing on a cutie? Download this FREE Resource on how to show interest: https://www.heartofdating.com/resource/how-to-show-interest  Want to further your dating knowledge? Check out our ultimate dating library! https://www.heartofdating.com/resource/ultimate-dating-library  Kait wrote a book! Snag Thank You For Rejecting Me on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3E59cLQ Want to meet some epic Christian Singles? Join our huge HOD Family on FB! https://www.facebook.com/groups/heartofdatingpodcast  Come hang with us on the gram: http://instagram.com/heartofdating http://instagram.com/kaitness https://www.instagram.com/jjtomlin/?hl=en . . . . .  Check out this week's sponsors: Better Help: This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/HOD and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There cannot be any.Conny MacLeod of the clan MacLeod's birthday special.

256. Gut Health, Allergies, Inflammation and Proactive Solutions with Emily Macleod-Wolfe   1 Corinthians 6:20 CEV "God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God."   **Transcription Below**   Emily MacLeod Wolfe is a Nurse Practitioner wellness professional with a passion for helping individuals achieve their health goals in a holistic and practical way.   With 5 years of invaluable experience in the field, Emily has developed a deep understanding of the importance of a balanced lifestyle for a vibrant life.   Emily firmly believes in treating the whole person, not just the symptoms, and takes a comprehensive approach to healthcare. She learned these from her own personal experience of dealing with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and eczema and found the root causes to treat them naturally. She is passionate to help others with the personal knowledge and health freedom she has received.   By combining her medical expertise with a focus on nutrition, exercise, and mindfulness, she empowers her clients to take control of their health and make sustainable lifestyle changes.   With a warm and empathetic demeanor, Emily creates a safe and supportive environment where clients feel heard and understood. She works closely with each individual to develop personalized wellness plans that are tailored to their unique needs and circumstances. Whether you're looking to improve your physical fitness, manage stress, or simply lead a healthier life, Emily is dedicated to guiding, encouraging & supporting you on your wellness journey.   Emily's Website   Find a Functional Medicine Provider in Your Area   Questions and Topics We Cover: Will you define what it means when you refer to our "gut" and explain why our gut health is vitally important to our overall health? What lifestyle sets us up to have a healthier gut? If you had to simplify it and leave encouragement for each of these areas, what's a good starting point for something we can all start doing, stop doing, and continue doing?   Thank You to Our Sponsor: Dream, Build, Grow: A Female's Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business by Francie Hinrichsen   Other Related Episodes on The Savvy Sauce Podcast: Being Intentional with our Health, Finances and Relationships with Elizabeth Dixon Simple Changes for Healthier Living with Leslie Sexton and Vasu Thorpe Pursuing Health, Not Vanity Before and After Childbearing with Blogger, Speaker, and Coach, Megan Dahlman Sustainable Health & Nutrition with Molly Pfleuderer and Ryan Parnham Rhythms of Renewal with Gabe and Rebekah Lyons Healthy Living with Dr. Tonya Khouri   Connect with us through The Savvy Sauce Website.   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV)   Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   **Transcription**  Music: (0:00 – 0:08)   Laura Dugger: (0:09 – 1:15) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Duggar, and I'm so glad you're here.    If you are looking to start a business or side hustle, but you're not sure how to begin, I want to encourage you to pick up your copy of Dream, Build, Grow: A Female's Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business. You can find it at foundingfemalesco.com.    Emily MacLeod-Wolfe is my kind and brilliant guest for today. She's a nurse practitioner, wellness professional, and she loves helping individuals achieve their health goals in a holistic and practical way.   Emily packs this conversation full of practical tips, and she sprinkles them throughout the entire episode. So, I hope you enjoy learning from her now. Here's our chat.   Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Emily.    Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (1:16 – 1:20) Thank you so much for having me, Laura. I'm so excited to be here with you today.   Laura Dugger: (1:21 – 1:33) I'm thrilled for the opportunity to get to interview you. And just doing a little bit of research, I recognize you are such a gifted photographer. So, then what also led you to pursue a career in the health arena?   Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (1:34 - 5:05) Yes, thank you so much. So, first of all, with photography, from a very young age, I just started disappearing from family photos because I wanted to start taking them. And so I was blessed to have a couple of photography mentors, and I loved the ability to be able to capture someone and show them their worth and their beauty and give them maybe even an outside perspective of sometimes we can be so critical of ourselves and to be able to show someone their beauty and their worth in a photo, it was just incredible.   And so, I just have always, always been a people person and always loved really just showing people that. And then I started that and then it was actually my own health journey that ended up prompting me to go towards the health route. And so, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's and eczema.   My skin, it was just I just became a bleeding open wound at one point where I literally couldn't I would cry myself to sleep. My mom would put mittens on my hands so that I would not scratch at night. We went to doctor after doctor and no one could figure out what was going on with all these health issues.   And they just kept prescribing medications and steroids, and it was it was making it worse. And there was a point where I went and did like a UV ray treatment and for my skin and my skin with the hydrocortisone had a reaction to the UV ray light. And then I went from like already looking really terrible, my skin falling off to like a burn patient.   And it was just horrible. And so from that point, I had prayed and felt prior that I was being called into medical missions. My parents are pastors.   And so, I really had a heart to do medical missions and be in ministry. And I thought immediately doctor. But then after I saw a nurse practitioner and she asked me all the questions that the doctors were not asking.   And she was like, what are you eating and what is your sleep like? What are your stress levels like? And we did allergy sensitivity testing.   And oh, my gosh, I was my gut was so imbalanced that I just could not eat anything. And I ate I was literally eating chicken and green beans for like nine months. But my gut reset because it was so inflamed and allergic to everything.   And we did certain things to calm the lining, heal the lining of the gut and my skin cleared. And it was incredible. That prompted me to go on this journey.   I was able to get off thyroid medication. The Lord healed my thyroid and prompted me into doing medical. And so I knew I wanted to go to Vanderbilt and I wanted to be a nurse practitioner and do the traditional training.   But go into holistic, integrative kind of have the best of both worlds, the traditional training. But then the functional medicine knowledge and then integrate the two. And so that's why my practice is called pure integrative health, because it's kind of blending both.   And I still do both. And I still do photography because I just love that creative aspect. And then I like the right and left brain.   It kind of gives a little change.   Laura Dugger: (5:05 - 5:27) I love that. That's such a good point. And I've learned so much from hearing you speak about these topics.   But it seems like people are starting to pay more attention to gut health in recent years. But will you just start baseline? Will you define what it means when you refer to our gut and explain why gut health is so vitally important to our overall health?   Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (5:28 - 8:59) Such a great question, Laura. Yes. So, first of all, the microbiome, which is it's our gut is essentially all the different intestines that colon, large intestine, small intestine, stomach.   That's the gut. Now, the lining of that, we've got billions of bacteria, trillions of bacteria in the gut. It's the only organ that is constantly communicating like through the vagus nerve.   There is continual communication called the set. The gut is called the second brain for a reason, because there is a constant stream of communication. The gut can actually send signals to the brain and then vice versa.   And so, it is the precursor to I mean, if we can heal the lining of the gut and if we can heal and balance out, when I say microbiome, it is the amount of good and bad bacteria that are all in in the gut. And so, we want a really healthy microbiome, which would be we want lots of strains of good bacteria outweighing the bad bacteria, very little to or just like not pathogenic, bad bacteria. So how and what do we do to kind of balance those things?   One thing is the good and bad bacteria. We want so many different strains of good bacteria. Now, studies have shown that over the last 100 years, the number of good back just even strains of different types of bacteria, the microbiome diversity has gone down dramatically.   And what could be causing that is the introduction of antibiotics, because since the introduction of antibiotics, there are far fewer. Good bacteria strains that are even possible to have and cultivate now, that's what keeps our immune system resilient is the abundance of many different types of good bacteria. And so, then when pathogenic bad bacteria viruses, we get sick, then the body has a strong enough immune system and the bacteria can just destroy the bad bacteria much quicker if we have that.   But just antibiotics, the chemicals in the food, toxins, even America's gluten, because it is genetically altered. It's not Italy's, but really good stuff. It's all affecting you.   Alcohol, the lining of the gut and weakening the immune system. Not why is this so important? Anyone that has autoimmune issues needs to be paying attention to the gut.   Hundred twenty percent because 90 percent of the immune system is made and synthesized in the gut. And so, then if the gut is sending out unhealthy signals, it will send those things. Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Hashimoto's thyroid disorder, just arthritis, anything with inflammation.   Yeah. So anyhow, all of those things, inflammation and it can be traced back to imbalances in the gut.   Laura Dugger: (9:00 - 9:23) And as you're sharing even what the gut is, just thinking food passes through all of those places as it gets processed. So, I'm assuming that I'm sure there's lifestyle factors as well. But is food the main reason beyond the antibiotics that are stripping it of the good bacteria?   Is that the main lifestyle change we can have is to eat a certain way?   Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (9:25 - 9:26) Great question.   Laura Dugger: (9:26 - 9:26) Yes.   Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (9:26 - 14:25) So food is the game changer because it is true. You are what you eat and the foods that we're eating, some of them are just the quality in the food. We could get organic, but they're showing now that sometimes we're not even getting the nutrients from the soil anymore.   They're not putting the right nutrients in the soil that the food was even grown in. So we're not getting the minerals and we're not absorbing things like B vitamins are not even being absorbed as well. Into the lining of the gut.   It's not even there to begin with in the foods or they are grown, but sent across the country and then gone to a grocery store. And they are no longer like three, four, five, six days after harvesting the mineral content in our foods drastically drops. And so.   As much as possible, I recommend getting to know your farmer, getting to know local farmers markets, places that can really go back and get food that was just freshly harvested, because we're going to increase the chances of getting cleaner, more nutrient dense foods that way. That's one thing. And the other is.   Sometimes we can be eating foods that are healthy that could actually be causing damage to the lining of our gut. And what I mean is some of you might have heard something called leaky gut. Well, what is that?   And like, where does it come from? It's in the lining of the colon, large and small intestine, and the stomach. There are these tight junctions of the cells that just keep everything in the digestive tract as properly.   We need food to stay in the digestive tract. We don't need it anywhere else in the body. And so, if there's a stressor to the body, then it can be from toxins, chemicals, food additives, preservatives, pesticides.   It can start to wear. And like I said, genetically altered gluten can wear away at the lining of the tight junctions. And all of a sudden there's holes in the lining of the intestine causing food particles to leak into the bloodstream, which what is the problem with that?   And that can contribute to food allergies and food sensitivities popping up like crazy. So, for example, an allergy usually is pretty immediate. Most people know their allergies because hives, throat closing, etc.   Sensitivities present up to 72 hours after eating a food. So we're talking joint pain, bloating, diarrhea, constipation. We're talking mood swings, depression, anxiety, brain fog, acne, psoriasis, eczema, all sorts of things.   And it can show up 72 hours after eating the food. So, all of a sudden playing a guessing game. Well, I ate eggs three days ago.   I was feeling fine. I ate eggs today and I feel bloated. Was it this or was it was it the broccoli or was it this?   And so then there's this and it could be continual exposure. Now there's more inflammation in the body because then that increases inflammation that can cause weight gain. And then there's foods leaking into the bloodstream.   It's going to weaken the immune system. So oftentimes with the intestinal permeability, we'll see heightened seasonal allergies are getting way worse. We'll see food sensitivities popping up like crazy.   We'll just see overall getting sick more frequently, all of those things as well. So I do highly recommend doing a food sensitivity test because, for example, I had a patient just last week who was trying to eat as healthy as she possibly could. And she was eating salmon, spinach and rice.   Well, we did a food sensitivity test and she came back to find out that salmon, spinach and rice were three of the top most foods causing inflammation, sensitivities and allergies in her body. And that was contributing to the inflammation and all the ways that she was she was feeling terrible, which is crazy because those are healthy, good foods. But the body, if there's if there's, you know, breaches in the lining of the gut, it doesn't start to recognize good food versus it's just it could pop up from eating the same food every single day or from from vaccines at a very young age that hijack the immune system and then or antibiotics from a very young age or.   Yeah, I'm spilling out lots of information.   Laura Dugger: (14:25 - 14:45) So helpful. I'm going to try and remember it. There's a few follow up questions.   Just thinking back to when you talked about eczema and skin issues, I think I've heard you say before that the skin is the last place where it shows up, where your imbalance and overall health will show up. Is that correct?   Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (14:45 - 17:06) That is correct. That is. Yes, exactly.   And so even a lot of skin issues are oftentimes an indicator of there's something deeper going on. Acne, psoriasis, eczema, what's going on? Eczema, psoriasis are autoimmune also.   So, looking at the gut is absolutely a game changer. I like a gut analysis. I will say with food sensitivity tests, they're not all created equal.   I have one that I do with my patients that checks for allergy, sensitivities and inflammation because some tests just test sensitivities. Some just test allergy and some will not.   There's none that really just test inflammation on their own. But how much better if you can look at all three and add them up? What foods could be causing inflammation, which is going to increase like almost every disease out there can be linked back to inflammation.   And then we can get inflammation down or be preventative. Maybe you're not feeling bad but just want to be on the preventative side. Great.   We want to reduce inflammation. And then the sensitivities and then the allergies. So IgE, IgG and then inflammation markers and the lining would be like the best way to look at everything.   And you want to pull them out, heal the lining of the gut best we can. There are foods, there's supplements and things depends on the person to exactly what is going on with their lining of their gut. But generally it can be repaired, which is great news.   It's like, is it forever? Is it like you guys? No, it's not.   It's just because the lining of the gut can regenerate in two or three weeks. So even two months of true two or three months of truly pulling out any foods that could be causing inflammation is just incredible because it gives the body the opportunity to finally heal. If it's not always continually having stressors coming at it from something that we can control.   Laura Dugger: (17:06 - 19:54) And now a brief message from our sponsor.    Are you starting a business or side hustle this year? There is a book I love, and I want to personally recommend because it takes the guesswork out of what to do next.   It's entitled Dream, Build, Grow: A Female's Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business. And it's available at foundingfemalesco.com with over 300 pages of proven business tips and tricks. Dream, Build, Grow is perfect for anyone searching for how to start a business from the ground up. It is written by Francie Hinrichsen, who is an entrepreneur and my personal friend. I've collaborated with her on work projects in the past and I can vouch for her work ethic.   She delights in over delivering to her clients with excellence and care. And if you're interested in getting to know her a little bit better, she was also a previous guest on The Savvy Sauce. So, I will add her episode in the show notes for today's episode.   Francie's integrity makes it easy to personally recommend her work. And this book is a download of her years of business knowledge and experience. I've read this book cover to cover and it actually lives on our special bookshelf that I reserve for all the books I would re-read over and over again.   And that I want to encourage our daughters to also read as they grow up. So, I'm so excited for you to get your own copy and begin pursuing your dream. Francie's book has already received over 20 five-star reviews on Amazon.   And readers say they loved the guidance on exactly how to gain clarity, save time, and build a business that works for the modern woman's lifestyle. Dream, Build, Grow: A Female's Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business by Francie Hinrichsen provides realistic, achievable, and step-by-step guidance to finally start the business you've been dreaming about.   You can also save 10% when you use the code SAVVY at foundingfemalesco.com. Thanks for your sponsorship.    Laura Dugger: And I'd love to eventually unpack how some of these symptoms may present, whether that's insomnia or brain fog, low energy, all kinds of symptoms.   But first, I think you've given us a little glimpse of hope, so I want to run with that for a moment. So, eating whole, healthy, organic when possible foods that are locally sourced. Then you mentioned supplements and this testing.   So what are those proactive ways with both lifestyle and supplements? What do you generally recommend?   Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (19:54 - 27:50) I will say that foods in general that increase the microbiome diversity, which is good, the good bacteria that increase can be foods like kefirs and sauerkraut and kimchi, the fermented foods. Even sourdough bread is more easily digestible because it is fermented. And so some of those type foods that are rich in probiotics.   So probiotics, the good bacteria. But then there's prebiotics. I'm like, you know probiotics maybe.   But the prebiotics are the food for the probiotics. So we really want to feed the prebiotics so that the probiotics can multiply. So what are foods that are rich in prebiotic?   Chicory root, inulin, like the greenish like bananas, like not too ripe, but greenish, closer to green. Those are rich in prebiotics. Asparagus, onions, leeks, garlic.   Those are rich in prebiotics. And yeah, and so increasing some of those foods can help fuel the probiotics and help them multiply. But I and then as far as supplements go, a really good high quality probiotic is good.   I will say not all probiotics are made or created equally. And I would recommend you that you that are listening to consider seeing a holistic practitioner that can partner with you to do like, you know, a gut test and a food sensitivity test. And then when you do a gut analysis, it's not super fun.   It's a stool analysis. But it looks at the lining of the gut. Like we talked about, it looks at bacterial overgrowth, looks at bacterial undergrowth.   Like, is there something that's growing that's that used to be good, but now it's overgrown and it's bad bacteria that needs to be killed off? We can figure that out. And then we can look at is their yeast overgrown in the colon that can be contributing to skin issues and frequent infections, different things.   And then it looks at like not all of them, but like the top 20 parasites. So, we can know, okay, at least we know which ones most of us have some degree of parasites. Unfortunately, I don't like to think about it too much.   None of us do. But just need to come in from anywhere and just need to kind of get that flushed out. But I don't recommend people just starting on parasite cleanses without like fully knowing what else could be going on.   Sure, we can assume parasites and could cleanse. But if there's other bad bacteria that needs to be killed off that is you don't know about, that could worsen the situation. Or there's something called small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, SIBO.   And that can be caused by like someone who maybe errs towards constipation. And so the stool is sat in the stomach and then it's backing up into not just sitting in the colon, but backing up into the small intestine. Now, that can present as eating foods and immediately feeling like bloated or waking up feeling really bloated and full all the time and don't know why.   A lot of gas, a lot of problems with constipation or diarrhea. In those cases, that's why I say consider a holistic practitioner to kind of partner with you. In those cases, feeding the probiotics is not a good idea because that can be overgrowing small intestinal bacteria or bacteria that should not be continually to grow.   It can make you feel worse. So that's why there's like a yes, these are really good. But also you just it's good to know exactly where your gut is at because not everybody's microbiome and gut is the same.   There's different pieces like mine. I was very sick at a young age and I had a lot of antibiotics when I was at a young age. I know that weakened my immune system.   I think that made me more susceptible to having eczema at such a young age and then that worsening. And then when you have one autoimmune issue, it's likely that it can continue on to another one. So then I had Hashimoto's, which is another autoimmune disorder of the thyroid, but kind of snowballing all having to do with the immune system and the gut.   And so the more that we know the bigger picture and figure out, OK, what stressors have been here and what do we need to do about it, then definitely helps with that. Oh, and something about the with brain fog, anxiety and depression. I just want to touch on the mental effects of the gut because that is huge.   So one thing is a lot of people have been put on antidepressants like Lexapro, SSRI, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors is what they're called. These antidepressants actually work more on the brain, which is not where we really want them to be working, because 80 to 90 percent of our serotonin receptors are in the gut. So dopamine, serotonin, melatonin, all of those really happy hormones that keep us happy and healthy.   There's a lot of people who haven't been diagnosed with anxiety, depression and been getting on these antidepressants and the antidepressant medications are not even working on the right organ. Isn't that crazy? So even in the gut, it's that's why a lot of the side effects of those medications are gut imbalances, because it's causing imbalances in the gut because of the gut brain access.   But really, what could we do if we can heal the lining of the gut? I have seen brain fog start to disappear because of bad bacteria or things that needed to be cleared out. I've seen more that you heal the gut, the more the thyroid gets balanced, the more that you heal the lining of the gut.   You can help heal the adrenals, which is just the way that body processes stress. That organ sits on top of the kidneys and vice versa, healing high cortisol stress hormones made in the adrenals. You could go back and heal the lining of the gut.   They're so interconnected, like each organ. And so anxiety, depression, ADHD. Oh, my goodness.   Kids with ADHD, I would say first thing, gut and food sensitivities. Check the food sensitivities, check the gut before going on ADHD medications, because there are likely mineral deficiencies that are happening, like B vitamins that are just not even being absorbed. D levels, different things that could be contributing to the problem that might not even be addressed.   Laura Dugger: (27:51 - 28:22) Well, and it sounds like the gut is the root cause of so many of these symptoms, but it's also very nuanced. And so seeing somebody like you would be ideal. Are there ever blanket statements that work?   I am thinking lifestyle, just how God created us to be outdoors and how that early morning light, that's kind of like a bio hack that helps all of these. Can you explain more about why that works or just any other things that would work for anyone?   Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (28:23 - 31:12) Yeah, that's great. So, one thing for sure is when you go outside first thing in the morning, you get 10, 15 minutes of that sunlight. The sunlight affects our vitamin D receptors and vitamin D is the precursor to melatonin.   So, melatonin is what helps us fall asleep and stay asleep. And so naturally increasing that melatonin so that it's funny, but you wake up that morning and then that night you're going to have a better sleep because of the morning sunlight. So, getting out even better is walking and moving because the more that we do exercise and that's going to increase the endorphins.   I know you've heard it before, but it's really true that if you exercise, it's going to increase serotonin and dopamine. It's going to give the body those surges of those things. And also in American culture, we're not moving enough and we're not tiring ourselves out physically.   I mean, we sure are tiring out the brain, but we're not tiring out the body. And so, there's this like discrepancy between an exhausted brain and then the body hasn't even had enough exercise. And then we try and go to bed and the brain keeps racing and the body's not as tired as it should be.   And so that's why also exercising daily and trying to get somewhere between that six thousand to seventy five hundred steps a day. That's like an hour of walking. I mean, you can walk around the house to that counts.   That's great. But just intentional walking and doing those things, that's going to help our mental health. And then weight bearing exercises are huge for prevention after the age of 30.   Twenties and the 20s is the decade in which well, teens and 20s, that is where we can build muscle. Lots of muscle can be built. And essentially after 30, it's just whatever muscle has been built will just continue to deteriorate until we die, which is unfortunate.   But that is why it is so, so, so important to do weight bearing exercise. It's not a doom and gloom. It's OK, let's be aware.   Yes, it's we're working against the natural decline in the muscles. That's why it's so important for prevention of osteoporosis, bone density, helping with sleep. So many things that weight bearing exercises one to three times.   If you need to start at one great work up to three times a week. Weight bearing exercises are incredible for men and women. It's good because it increases testosterone naturally.   Laura Dugger: (31:13 - 32:25) By now, I hope you've checked out our updated website, thesavvysauce.com, so that you can have access to all the additional freebies we are offering, including all of our previous articles and all of our previous episodes, which now include transcriptions. You will be equipped to have your own practical chats for intentional living when you read all the recommended questions in the articles or gain insight from expert guests and past episodes as you read through the transcriptions. Because many people have shared with us that they want to take notes on previous episodes or maybe their spouse prefers to read our conversations rather than listen to them.   We heard all of that and we now have provided transcripts for all our episodes. Just visit thesavvysauce.com. All of this is conveniently located under the tab Show Notes on our website. Happy reading.    It also makes me wonder just about hydration, sleep and stress management, too. How do those play into the brain gut connection and all of these symptoms?   Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (32:25 - 34:21) Yes. So, the sleep and stress, I will tell you that high levels of stress zap good bacteria from the lining of the gut. So, we can do the right probiotics.   You can do that gut test. You can do all those things. And then if there's high levels of stress continually exposing the body, it will contribute to just some bacteria will literally be zapped.   I've seen gut analysis where like the lactobacillus strains just fully gone. And that's what stress can do to our bodies. And that's going to weaken the immune system because we don't have all the different strains that we need to.   And so that makes us more susceptible for that. And then cortisol levels is melatonin and cortisol. Melatonin helps us.   It's a bell curve that helps us fall asleep and stay asleep. And then cortisol helps us stay awake. But if there's high levels of stress right before bed, then we're not going to be able to calm down, wind down and be able to rest properly.   So a lot of it with that lifestyle of our bodies need rhythm. We have to our bodies crave the balance of a rhythm and consistent schedule, because then the body can, you know, just little signals of I'm winding down. This is what I do.   My body needs extra help sometimes. And like, OK, it's winding down. I'm drinking some tea and taking a shower.   I'm meditating on the word. I'm not going to be looking at my screens too much because blue light really does signal the body to produce cortisol and stay awake. That's the blue light is the morning sunlight.   So, you don't want to be giving yourself screen time right before bed, because then that will be giving your body the signal to stay awake.   Laura Dugger: (34:22 - 35:01) That's fascinating, because I think there's even studies that show that blue light, I think approximately between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m., that exposure to that blue light can even eventually lead to, I think, more depression and anxiety. And just how you're talking, God did not rhythmically design us in that way. And we knew we wouldn't have time to fit everything in.   So, I can't wait to have you back to discuss hormones. But as we're winding down this conversation today, if you want to package it up, Emily, and just share an easy takeaway, what can we start, stop and continue doing with this information?   Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (35:02 - 37:56) So, I would say I'm going to start with the morning sunlight, starting with gratitude. And I am a huge proponent of spending time with the Lord in the morning. And the physical aspects to our emotions and physical, spiritual, emotional is also interconnected.   So, like thanking the Lord, spending time in the scripture, quoting those things, truly physically changes our body. Like the scripture that says, renew your mind daily, truly has an effect on the neurotransmitters in our brain. Because 90% of what we remember is from the day before.   And then 90% of our thoughts are usually negative. So, if we're continually going on a trajectory, we're going to go downhill. Unless we are continually renewing the mind in the morning to truth, to scripture, to like, what does God say about me?   What does God say about my health? All of those things. So, so, so important because we got to shift the 90% narrative.   And we've got to shift what we thought yesterday to today. So, I would say, pair it with a little 10 minute walk in the morning. And I would say, do eat for blood sugar management.   We can get into this more into the next episode, for sure, because we're going to smaller, more frequent meals. And I'll get into why that is so important, but not skipping out and going, you know, five, six, seven hours. That was the blood sugar and glucose is going to spike and crash.   And then that's going to affect the gut, the hormones, and we'll get into that 100%. But the morning sunlight, taking time to really meditate on truth and scripture in the morning, and then cutting out processed oils. I would say that would be a really big one that we can start cooking with.   Baking it, broiling it, grilling it, cooking with whole, real foods as best sourced as you can control from local, if you can. And having a good protein source and then fiber, like a vegetable and a fat for a meal or like a protein fiber and complex carb, like sweet potato, brown rice, quinoa, something like that. It's going to give you more longer energy and lasts a lot longer than just eating fruit or just eating a piece of toast or just drinking a glass of orange juice.   Which is typical for American culture, but that's just spiking sugar and crashing it.   Laura Dugger: (37:57 - 38:03) Okay, so that's the start and stop. Is there anything to continue?   Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (38:04 - 39:20) Anything to continue? Continue with the working out and just being consistent in that. Because also, the more that we walk, we do workouts, exercise, cardio, mixed with weights, it is bringing oxygen to our tissues.   And I don't think most people think of it in that way. Most of us know a handful of our friends and family members, loved ones that have passed from cancer or dealt with cancer before. But we need to remember that exercise increases oxygen to the tissues and cancer cannot survive in an oxygen rich environment.   So the more that we are pumping our bodies with oxygen and getting it to the tissues, it's going to prevent a lot of those cancers. And it's going to improve cardiovascular health. And just walking 6,000 to 7,000 steps a day can reduce the risk of dying between the ages of 20 and 65 by 40%.   Just the walking part or cardiovascular events. So, I would say keep walking.   Laura Dugger: (39:21 - 39:39) That's incredible. Well, you are such a wealth of knowledge. And as you shared, even getting these food sensitivities and allergy and inflammation tests, is that something that we can seek from you even if we're living in a different state?   Or would we have to find somebody local?   Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (39:40 - 40:28) Great question. Yes. So a couple of different options.   I have an option, opportunity that I can. I would need to see. I do see out of state patients.   I just have to see them for their first evaluation. And then after that, we can do like a hybrid telemedicine. See you back once a year, that kind of thing.   So that's definitely an option. And then obviously in person will just work. I can order testing, you know, even to wherever it is needed.   As far as finding a local practitioner in your current state, there is a website, ifm.org. And then you can go to that website and find a practitioner. If you prefer someone right there local, then you can do that too.   But there's options. Yeah.   Laura Dugger: (40:28 - 40:30) Wonderful. Okay. Well, we will.   Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (40:33 - 40:40) Pureintegrativehealth.com. That's the website, my website, that they can find out more information on how to become a patient if they were interested.   Laura Dugger: (40:41 - 40:49) Yeah. Wonderful. We'll link to those websites in the show notes for today's episode.   And I hope we all get a chance to meet you in person.   Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (40:50 - 40:50) Thank you.   Laura Dugger: (40:50 - 41:07) Wonderful. Well, Emily, I've enjoyed this time so much. But I do have one more question for you because we are called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge.   And so, as my final question for you today, what is your Savvy Sauce?   Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (41:08 - 42:45) I would say that my Savvy Sauce for today is the importance of eating smaller, more frequent meals centered around protein and never having sugar by itself. Including fruit, including carbs, always pairing it with protein and the order in which we eat a meal can affect glucose. Because if we can get the blood sugar controlled, it came out this year, type 3 diabetes, Alzheimer's, type 3 diabetes, sugar in the brain.   So we can prevent Alzheimer's, blood sugar issues, adrenal issues, thyroid issues, all of this getting down to the order in which we eat foods. And that is on a plate. If we can have the vegetable first, that's the gastric juices.   It gets it going and flowing. Then we eat the protein next. And that will stabilize and tell our body when we're full longer.    And then the carb. And that order, even on a plate, makes a big difference to glucose levels in the blood after eating. And so that, as well as just when we're pairing foods, we do not want to have the fruit by itself.   Have it with a little bit of protein, you know, a turkey stick or something with the fruit. It's okay to have, you know, treats. But just doing it with the protein is such a huge game changer.   Laura Dugger: (42:46 - 43:06) Wonderful. Wow. You are just a wealth of information, Emily.   And wrapped up in a very warm and engaging and likable personality. But there is so much more to dig into. And I'm so grateful that you've agreed to be a returning guest.   So, thank you for everything you've shared today. And I look forward to getting to host you again.   Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (43:06 - 43:10) Thank you so much for having me, Laura. I've really had a great time. I appreciate it.   Laura Dugger: (43:10 - 43:11) My pleasure.   Emily Macleod-Wolfe: (43:12 - 43:13) Okay, let's see you next time.   Laura Dugger: (43:14 - 46:54) One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term gospel before? It simply means good news.   And I want to share the best news with you. But it starts with the bad news. Every single one of us were born sinners.   But Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there is absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.   We need a Savior. But God loved us so much, He made a way for His only Son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with Him.   That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin. This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus.   We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what He has done for us. Romans 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” So, would you pray with me now?   Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today, right now, is touched and chooses to turn their life over to You. Will You clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare You as Lord of their life?   We trust You to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.   If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring Him for me, so me for Him. You get the opportunity to live your life for Him. And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason.   We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So are you ready to get started? First, tell someone.   Say it out loud. Get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes & Noble and let me choose my own Bible.   I selected the Quest NIV Bible and I love it. You can start by reading the Book of John. Also, get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ.   I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps, such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you. We want to celebrate with you too, so feel free to leave a comment for us here if you did make a decision to follow Christ. We also have Show Notes included where you can read Scripture that describes this process.   And finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.   And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

My guest today is a young man on fire for Jesus and unashamed of his faith. He is the director of Jesus Mission Global and leads an incredible group called Fireplace that puts ministry in action every Friday night on the streets of Broadway in Nashville. Let's go to the Story House with Daniel MacLeod!